Arts and Entertainment

What is a “Banana Republic?” It is a derogatory term that describes a politically unstable country dependent on the exportation of a major product such as bananas. In most cases, the company doing the exporting plays a critical role in the politics of the country – for example the United Fruit Company in Honduras exporting bananas. Bananas only became popular in the United States at the end of the nineteenth century.

Honduras is often listed as one of the world’s most dangerous countries – statistically. Mark Twain, among others, said, “There are three kinds of untruths: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” Plus, the US State Department recommendation for Honduras is “Reconsider Travel.” There have been serious complains about the US travel warnings as they were considered too politically based.

The Cumberland Gap is a narrow pass through the Cumberland Mountains, near the junction of Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee. It was the gateway to the west for early pioneers and later became the route of the military during the Civil War. Today, it is part of the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park. The nearby Hensley Settlement is now a historic site on top of Brush Mountain.

I am in the process of triaging my library. Some books I am keeping because I may want to reread them. One book that is a keeper is Robert Hicks’ best-selling Civil War novel, “The Widow of the South,” based on Carrie McGavock and the Battle of Franklin. Carrie McGavock, morose over the death of three of her young children, rises to the occasion when her plantation home becomes a military hospital. She personally attends to the soldiers.

The small island of Aruba in the southern Caribbean Sea is only 18 miles from the north coast of Venezuela. With sandy beaches, cooling trade winds, and friendly people the island is dubbed “One Happy Island.” Aruba is considered one of the safest Caribbean destinations.