Lots of Bananas

Sep 06, 2003 12:27 PM
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I eat five bananas a week; it's my typical pre-work breakfast.

The latest issue of the Economist (subscription req'd) says that in Uganda, the largest per-capita consumer and second-largest producer of the crop, people eat an average of over two pounds a day.

That includes plantains, which are much more versatile, but if a medium banana weighs 126 grams, then that means on an average day, a person there eats seven bananas.

I enjoy reading the Economist, if they're a bit heavy-handed editorially (pro-Iraq War, anti-Israel), but the subscription through Amazon is a bit pricey: $2.53 per issue, only 28% off the cover price. By contrast, U.S. News & World Report is $0.48/issue (88% discount) and Newsweek is $0.58/issue (85% discount).


Comments: Lots of Bananas

I really enjoyed The Economist too. I don't know how, but there was a time I was able to keep up with two weeklies (Economist and New Yorker). Now I have a hard time keeping up with my monthlies (Harper's, and I'm giving Atlantic Monthly a try).

But I really enjoyed how compact and diverse The Economist's reporting is, editorialization aside. And the technology quarterly's are excellent. I'll have to look into getting into it again.

Posted by: J.Shell on September 6, 2003 1:12 PM | permalink

Their academic subscription rate is much lower - I recall somewhere around 70 or 80(?) compared to 125 or what the normal rate is.

I happen to work at a university, but the only "proof" I provided (un-asked) was my email address with a .edu TLD.

So you could look into that... (link off of Economist site somewhere)

Posted by: TAG on September 6, 2003 3:32 PM | permalink

Oh, academic rates are a blessing. I have, um, a friend of a friend, who has bought academic editions of software through eBay twice, justifying it as for "educational purposes", if not formally so.

As far as the mags go, I'm an avid reader of them. Right now, I subscribe to these print magazines:

* Reason (monthly)
* Forbes (biweekly)
* Fast Company (monthly)
* Discover (monthly)
* CPU (monthly)
* The Jerusalem Report (monthly)

But that list is constantly changing.

How do I read so many? Simple -- I read when work out on the stairmaster. I also tend to carry one around with me -- good when I'm waiting on line or sitting on the toilet. :)

Posted by: Joe Grossberg on September 7, 2003 1:42 AM | permalink

No more comments! Either someone has violated Godwin's Law, I'm tired of the discussion or, most likely, the ten-week window has closed. You can, however, contact me through email.