Monthly Archives: December 2021

Gone Bananas

By Connie Salmon, bilingual author, originally from Puerto Rico, lives in Connecticut.

You put it in your cereal. You eat it with peanut butter and bread. You eat it with ice cream in a special dish. But have you ever wondered where your banana came from?

Bananas for Sale in a Grocery Store

Many people think that bananas grow on a tree. The truth is that they grow on an herbaceous (herb) plant. It’s leaves sprout from the ground and wrap around each other very tightly, forming the stem. Large purplish red buds push through the center of the stem and later form smaller purplish flowers that grow into bananas. The banana got its name from the Arabic word for finger, banan. A single banana is called a finger.

Bananas most likely came from South East Asia, about 7,000 years ago. Then they were taken to Arabia, and later to the Middle East and Africa. They were transplanted to the Canary Islands. From there, the Spanish brought bananas to the New World, after the voyages of Christopher Columbus.

Bananas grow in plantations in countries with a tropical climate. Leading exporters of bananas to the US are Columbia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and West Africa.

The banana is America’s favorite fruit. There are 500 different types of bananas. The most popular one in the US is the Cavendish.

If the bananas are going to be harvested the traditional way, they are sprayed with pesticides (chemicals to get rid of insects) at the plantation. Then the farmers add fertilizers (artificial nutrients) to the soil to help the crop grow.

If the bananas are to be harvested organically, natural fertilizers like manure and seaweed are used. Insect predators and barriers are used to prevent pests. For example, crushed eggshells or pistachio nut shells prevent slugs and snails. The plants are weeded by hand or mulch is used to prevent weeds.

Farmers tie banana plants to long poles for support and cover them in large, plastic bags to protect them from insects and birds. The clear plastic lets light reach the leaves, allowing the fruit to mature.

Nine to twelve months after planting, the fruit is ready to be harvested. The bananas grow in large bunches. These are broken down into smaller groups. 10 to12 bananas are called a cluster, 4 to 6 are a hand, and each individual banana is a finger.

There are many steps to the harvesting (gathering) of the bananas. They are picked while still green to prevent them from spoiling while being shipped. A worker called a cutter cuts down the plant with a machete. Another worker, a backer catches the plant as it falls into a large cushion on the backer’s shoulder, to prevent the fruit from bruising. The backer attaches the bunch to one of the overhead cables that run between rows of plants. The moving cables bring the bananas to the packing shed, located in the plantation.

The bananas are washed in large tanks of cold water. The water removes most of the chemicals from the fruit. It also lowers the temperature of the bananas, which are still warm from the tropical heat in the field.

Inspectors then examine the bananas, to make sure they are of good enough quality to export. Once they pass inspection, the bananas are carefully packed into boxes, so they don’t bump against each other and bruise.

Boxes of bananas are loaded into huge, refrigerated ships or reefers, to prevent the bananas from ripening any further, putting the bananas “to sleep.”

Once the reefers arrive at their destination, they dock at food terminals. They are then inspected for insects, snakes and other tropical pests (spiders sometimes hide in banana leaves).

Then the fruit ripens in special rooms for 3 to 8 days. Ethylene gas, which is produced naturally by all fruit, is pumped through the ripening rooms to speed up the process. The temperature is lowered as days pass, so the bananas don’t over-ripen before they are loaded onto refrigerated trucks and brought to the market to sell.  

The banana has at last made its long journey to you. The next time you are in the supermarket with Mom, you can pick out a hand or a finger of bananas and tell her all about them.    

Sidebar: TOP EXPORTERS OF BANANAS TO THE UNITED STATES

The banana is the most traded fruit in the world. Bananas started to be traded internationally by the end of the 1300’s. Today they are grown in over 150 countries.

There is an organization called Banana Link in Latin American countries like Ecuador, Honduras, Columbia, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Nicaragua. It campaigns for fair and ethical trade practices for banana (and pineapple) plantation workers. In a largely hostile work environment for trade unions, there is a high level of violence and repression.

There is also a failure of health and safety standards, that causes much devastation of human health and natural environments, due to the use of toxic chemicals in banana production.

Banana Link fights for the dignity of workers (both men and women) and trade union rights. Trade unions try their best for workers to have better wages and benefits as well as better working conditions.

Bananas and plantains are a staple food in many tropical countries and play a major role in food security for many households.

TOP EXPORTERS:

ECUADOR:  US $3,68 millions in exports. Total Banana production: 6.28 million metric tons.

THE PHILIPPINES:  US $1,608 million in exports. Total production: 8.4 million metric tons

COSTA RICA:  US $1,083 million. Total Banana production: 2.27 million metric tons

COLUMBIA:  US $990 million. Total Banana production: 3.7 million metric tons

GUATEMALA:  US $956 million. Total Banana production: 3.8 million metric tons

Other smaller banana exporting nations include countries like Nicaragua, Panama, Honduras, Mexico, Dominican Republic, and Ivory Coast.

Sources for the Information:

“How bananas are Grown, Banana Link”  www.bananalink.org.uk

Encyclopedia Brittanica.com:  “Banana (Description, History, Cultivation, Nomenclature)”

By Connie Salmon, bilingual author, originally from Puerto Rico, now lives in Connecticut.

Longing to Leave

By maggie d. , African American poet, Washington.

Frost and snow puzzles me

Hailing from Sudan

Icicles and sleet

Billowing clouds holding no

Heat

Makes me weep

For sandy dust sweeping

Across tan dunes 

Never ruining my shoes

With muddy slush of melted snow

Oh

Without constant sun

Running for fun

Getting drenched by rain

Has made me aim

For returning to Wad Madani

Leaving behind winter

Without a whimper

I will laugh again with 

Sunglasses on to watch

Camels parade upon dirt roads

But I suppose it will take awhile

For Alab to say

“Goodbye Sigh-beria!”

By Maggie d., Washington.

Global Warming

By Derek Meng, age 10, California.

Glaciers melting, polar bears dying

Sea levels rising, floods occurring

Fire’s spreading, lightning’s striking

Tornadoes and tsunamis ruining houses and killing

More and more natural disasters happening

Virus spreading, people dying

Have you ever thought about who has caused this trouble?

You might say it’s nature, but do you think of us

and our broken relationship with nature?

Carbon dioxide coming out of cars

Trees going down

Thousands of dead, unwanted fish thrown overboard

Tons of unused food discarded

These are few examples of what’s happening in our world

Then how can we help nature?

If you have thought, “How can we help Earth?”

Then here are some things we can do:

Reuse, reduce, recycle

Use reusable bags

Use reusable bottles

Plant trees

Pick up trash

Save electricity by turning off lights

Use renewable energy

These are a few ways we can help

Have you ever thought what a beautiful world it would be

If we could make Earth—our home—clean?

“I am Chinese and I live in California. I am bilingual—I speak both Chinese and English fluently, I can also read and write these two languages.

My Global Warming poem was inspired by climate change. I want people to know that our world may soon be inhabitable if we do not change our ways. 

My vision of the future is the past combined with the present, all the trees should be restored to extract all that extra carbon dioxide [from the atmosphere], our houses should be ecosystem-friendly, and every vehicle should run on electricity. This is because of what I think is important, which is the world, the environment, and my family.”

—Derek Meng, age 10, California.

Where Were You When I Needed You?

By Lyla Hershkovitz, grade 6, California.

Hey.
You know, it really hurts.
You were everywhere else when I needed you most.
You pretended I wasn’t there,
and I was always there for you.
I had to sit alone,
when you were over there laughing with them.
Yet, I’m not confronting you.
You just have to deal with my anger that you aren’t even here for.

I get it, friendships change,
but you didn’t have to talk about me.
I guess you weren’t who I thought you were
because the version of you I used to know might not have done this.
But, I’ll never know.
Whispering secrets…
About me?
I should say I don’t care.
But it really hurts.

By Lyla Hershkovitz, grade 6, California.

It was Good to be Back

By Benjamin Kwack, age 9, Illinois.

Hi. My name is Billy and my family was visiting Seoul which is in Korea and I loved everything about it. As soon as I heard that we were staying here for the entire summer vacation plus three months into the school year, I was so excited. Partially because I was going to not have three months of school. But anyway. I was going to be in Seoul because ever since the Korean war started and the fighting began, America had sided with South Korea. My father, who actually had joined the army 15 years ago, had to stay in South Korea to help, just in case the Northern part of Korea attacked again. I hoped I would enjoy my time, especially on the holidays. In America, holidays were still fun but this was a whole new country with different traditions so I couldn’t wait to be in Seoul.

The first holiday I witnessed was the New Year. Everyone stayed up really late until after midnight and in the wee hours of the morning. I was sleepy but tried to stay awake just to see what happens. I saw a big bell that was right next to a street and people had gathered around, cheering as they jumped out of their houses running to it. The only light was the light from thousands of cellphones, and they glowed brightly in the dark. The night was silent until somebody started talking into the mic. I felt a little nervous. The person with the mic stopped talking as someone rang the gigantic bell with a mallet that was hooked onto a chain. The big shouts of celebration filled the air, and children ran around with big smiles on their faces. I heard noises like, “It’s the New Year already!” and “See you next year!” The bell rang 33 times before it stopped. The sound of the heavy gong filled my head even after it ended but I was too excited, so it actually didn’t really matter.

Finally, everyone went back into their houses and went to sleep. When we woke up in the morning, my mom realized something. She said that we should have gotten a traditional food, called Tteokguk (It is a soup with sliced rice cakes inside it). I walked up to my mom and said that we had to try some of the soup because if this was a tradition, then I wanted to try it. She said, “Of course Billy. Why not?” So that was the reason why we rode to the supermarket in a taxi. The supermarket wasn’t crowded because everyone already had Tteokguk prepared a few days before. Luckily for us, one container of Tteokguk was still there sitting on the shelves. We quickly bought it. The cashier said, “Annyeong.” We said that we didn’t speak Korean so it was kind of difficult talking to the cashier but we finally managed to understand each other.

After we were done, I skipped out of the supermarket, and we rode another taxi home. It was a while for us to get back there but we unloaded the food and started cooking. I drooled. We waited and it was finally cooked thoroughly. The soup had a natural taste that felt rich as I rolled the pieces of sliced rice cakes around in my mouth. The soup warmed me inside and made me feel calm after all the excitement. I was thinking about the New Year. I tried some more, and it felt plain but at the same time, strong. I saved some for later; I didn’t want to eat all the Tteokguk in one meal.

Then, I watched as people came back out onto the streets again. But this time, a lot of older people also walked onto the streets. I followed them with my mom and my dad. The children bowed to their elders saying, “Saehae Bok mani badeuseyo!” and the elders smiled back, and they gave the children a little money. This went on for a while and when the last coins rattled, I held my breath with a little disappointment because I thought everything was done.

It wasn’t. There was one other thing. It must have been really meaningful because everyone went to visit their grandfathers and grandmothers or their ancestors who had passed away by going to their ancestor’s graveyards. Their family members who had lived in other cities also came and joined them. They laid food by the graveside and prayed for them. The family members chatted for a while and ate some of the food together and waved to each other for a long time before finally leaving. I was struck with a little confusion because this was a new thing for me, and I only knew a little of what was happening. That’s why everything made me feel awestruck and amazed. I actually liked the Korean way of celebrating the New Year. It soon became dark, and I went to bed and gazed up at the ceiling smiling waiting for the next holiday.

“What?!!!!!” I yelled waking up the next morning. My dad had announced that he had received an early retirement. It was such an honor to turn it down. Plus, my dad had been wanting to go back to America as soon as possible. I just sat there on my bed and scowled, but there was nothing I could do.

I gloomily walked to the airport with the family, boarded the plane and looked out the window. I had actually begun to like Korea and didn’t want to leave. Helplessly, I just flew back to America and cried to myself.

20 years later…

Billy had been in the army for four years. He had been sent to Korea to serve there. The happy smiles and laughs struck him and he smiled. It was good to be back!

“My name is Benjamin Kwack. I am 9 years old and I really like to draw, to do math and most of all, I like to write. I like to write fantasy, fiction and I really enjoyed reading informational books in class this school year.

In my story, ‘It was Good to be Back ,’ the main character, Billy, is a boy from America and his dad was in the army for 15 years. His dad was sent to South Korea to serve the army. Billy enjoyed the Korean New Year celebration because this was a new country with a new culture and traditions for him.

I wrote most of the story from Billy’s point of view except for the last two lines. I thought that way, it would seem special and more like a real story.”

Renowned Cartoonist Robb Armstrong

By Nicole Borgenicht, California. www.nicoleborgenicht.com

Once the youngest syndicated cartoonist at 27, now Robb Armstrong’s comic strip JumpStart runs in 300 newspapers. JumpStart is the best-known black comic strip that follows the Cobb family, and includes several multi-racial associates and friends.

His autobiography, Fearless, tells the story of Armstrong’s early years in the ghetto, where he lived with two brothers, one of whom sadly died in an accident, two sisters, and their single mother. A great role model, their mother had been a community leader and the first black trustee at the private school Robb Armstrong attended. As his mother saw Robb Armstrong’s exceptional creative talent, she engendered her graceful guidance, and subsequent mentors during his further education.

Later Charles Schulz, the creator of Peanuts, became a mentor and friend who added ‘Armstrong’ for a last name to his own comic black character Franklin. In Armstrong’s recent book, On A Roll!: A JumpStart Treasury, he shows JumpStart character’s thoughts and actions with inventive humor, spinning his unique yet universal perspective, enhancing readership lives.  

One Example of Robb Armstrong’s JumpStart Strip, Sept. 24, 2020

Prior to JumpStart, Armstrong created the popular comic strip Hector at Syracuse, and later received two advertising awards working at an ad agency after college, while continually developing Hector. He met Wee Pals cartoonist creator Morrie Turner, who introduced Armstrong to cartoon collector Mark Cohen resulting in a reference to United Feature Syndicate where Hector had previously been rejected. Finally, Armstrong’s cartoon was accepted with a couple of adjustments, and the new title: JumpStart. Next, he befriended Charles Schulz who told Armstrong his JumpStart characters are strong, and suggested he always focus on character (rather than topic) to have a long-lasting syndicated strip.

During my interview, Armstrong shared how JumpStart characters are three dimensional as in real life. An example is the football player Marcus who represents a superstar, millionaire “cheapskate – a trait for the sake of humor,” says Armstrong. However, when a community Thanksgiving holiday banquet will be cut due to lack of funds in one comic strip story, Marcus steps up and pays for it.

A resident of Los Angeles, Robb Armstrong is happy to interact with many creatives, while living his syndicated cartoon dream and working the everyday challenges it entails. He says, “JumpStart is character driven rather than topic driven. The characters build at a snail pace, but pack a punch in time while the reader is being charmed by them.”   Receiving an Honorary Doctorate as a motivational and educational speaker, Armstrong gives back to the community, inspiring young people. Through JumpStart, Armstrong communicates emotions on controversial points, by allowing readers to respond naturally, while viewing real life circumstances with levity and love.

Illustrations and photo credit: Robbarmstrong.com. Please visit: ROBBARMSTRONG.COM or follow Robb Armstrong on Instagram at: @ROBBTARMSTRONG

In the Forest within the City Park

there is a beauty that can not be muffled

by the city’s lights and sounds

it flies free with the clouds

and pushes the leaves in the air

onto the ground

to flutter like butterflies  

it holds the reins of the seasons

it dresses the earth in wailing white and grassy green

it gives us life  

but we take away from its own

the sky is filled with fire

the ground bathed in garbage

after all that it has done to us

we must save it from ourselves  

we must protect our world, our home

our beginning

nature

By Jaslene Kwack, age 11, Illinois.

Jaslene writes: “I like writing, art and music. I play the piano, clarinet and I started bassoon a while ago. In my free time, I like to write stories and poems. I try to be creative using metaphors and verbs that aren’t cliche. I enjoy drawing realistic and abstract pieces of art. When I grow up, I want to be a person who combines art and writing in a creative way to entertain or help people.

     “I wrote [this] poem about nature and how we are polluting and killing our environment. I want to recognize the beauty of nature and how it formed us in the first place. Sometimes, people don’t give nature as much credit as it should deserve. Without it, our world would be empty and barren. In my poem, I also talk about parts of nature all around us everyday. The wind blowing, the leaves falling from trees. Technology which is represented in my poem as “the city’s lights and sounds” is taking over our world slowly by every hour. I think because of all these new inventions and ways of life we are making for ourselves, a lot of us forget about how important nature is and how it is humanity’s origin. We should recognize nature and be grateful for this world around us. I think we should all strive to be better and protect the earth so that we can keep our world clean and healthy.”