Queensland Goes Bananas

http://cuqldfreeblog.blogspot.com/2011/09/queensland-goes-bananas.html

(Full version with photos and pictures)

Premier Anna Bligh said Queensland's iconic banana industry has turned the corner after being battered by Cyclone Yasi earlier this year. "In the next few weeks we can expect the prices of bananas to reduce as supply from Far North Queensland continues to increase," Ms Bligh said.

Increasing availability will see prices fall in coming months to well below July's price of $14/kg.Supermarkets boss Greg Foran said a crop of bananas ripening in September mean prices would start to come down by October, while Coles is predicting that prices will fall by November or December. But shoppers will have to wait until well into next year for banana prices to reach the predicted rock bottom of $1 a kilogram.

Following Cyclone Larry in far north Queensland in 2006, it took more than a year for banana prices to fall to $1.50/kg after an influx of cheap fruit was triggered by mass planting of new trees.

With such a good news, I think I can join Premier Anna Bligh to do Queensland a favour by promoting Bananas. First, let's have a look of the meanings of the idiom “Going bananas” as used in the title of this post. In general, it gives a negative connotation of the lack of mental stability in different degrees from losing your mind, going crazy or going even insane and mad.

For example : .
To go mildly crazy. Sorry, I just went bananas for a minute. I thought he was going to go bananas. To become very angry She'll go bananas if she sees the room in this state. To become very emotional I just went bananas when she told me she wanted to move out. To go mad I just told her that she couldn't have any pudding until she'd finished her main course, and she went bananas! So, To go bananas is symptomatic of doing irrational things and a lack of reason. 中文的意思是一些不愉快的事把人弄得快要發瘋甚至失控。
Example 例句:
I am going bananas! My kids play their loud music all hours of the night. 我的孩天整晚都在播放嘈吵的音樂﹐我快要迫瘋了！
Dollar goes bananas on rising美金瘋狂暴升！
As inflation goes bananas, every one suffers.當通脹失控每個人都受損！

But in the case of Queensland that we may finally enjoy a much lower price of Bananas in the forth coming weeks, going bananas may just mean every body will go wild losing control in eating more bananas like they have never been. So the proper translation of “Queensland Goes Bananas” can be 香蕉降價，昆士蘭要樂瘋啦！or in Cantonese昆士蘭要開心死啦！

Secondly, I just feel surprised to find out that, Bananas is really an Amazing fruit !!!The following will give you a full account of its benefits for a wide spectrum of health issues.

A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class about bananas. He said the expression 'going bananas' is from the effects of bananas on the brain. Read on:

Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!!! This is interesting. After reading this, you'll never look at a banana in the same way again.

Bananas contain three natural sugars - sucrose蔗糖, fructose果糖and glucose葡萄糖combined with fiber纖維. A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy.

Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. Tennis players, especially are seen eating bananas between games.

The banana is a rich food, higher in energy value than most other fruits except the avocado. It is a good source of vitamins A and C, and a fair source of vitamins B and G.

But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.

Depression 抑鬱症: 是一種情緒障礙，結合抗抑鬱藥物和心理治療是最有效治療。 According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan色氨基酸, a type of protein蛋白質that the body converts into serotonin血清素, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.

PMS pre-menstrual syndrome月經期前綜合症: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose血糖levels, which can affect your mood.

Anemia貧血症 : High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin血紅素 in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.

Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium鉀yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure血壓and stroke中風.

Brain Power腦能力: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school ( England ) were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.

Constipation便秘: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action排便, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives通便藥.

Hangovers宿醉: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey.. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.

Heartburn心痛: Bananas have a natural antacid effect中和酸的果效in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.

Morning Sickness孕婦晨吐: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.

Mosquito bites蚊咬: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.

Nerves神經質: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.

Overweight過重 and pressureat work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and chips. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese過胖的過胖的were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate碳水化合物foods every two hours to keep levels steady.

Ulcers潰瘍: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders腸臟的混亂失調because of its soft texture質地and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress苦惱in over-chronicler cases長期病患個案. It also neutralizes中和 over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach. 胃的內層

Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a 'cooling' fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.

Seasonal Affective Disorder季節性情緒波動(或失調) (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood Enhancer tryptophan色氨基酸增加劑.

Smoking &Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium鉀and magnesium鎂found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine尼古丁withdrawal.

Stress壓力: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body's water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate新陳代謝率rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.

Strokes中風: According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!

Warts疣: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!

So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus磷, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around So maybe it's time to change that well-known phrase so that we say,

'A banana a day keeps the doctor away!'

PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time! I will add one here; want a quick shine on our shoes?? Take the INSIDE of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe...polish with dry cloth. Amazing fruit !!!

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