I think we can all agree this week had more than its fair share of tragedy, farce and gloom. Clearly the whole Pokemon Go craze suggests people need a break from the relentless bad news and the hard-working halfbananas team are only too happy to get on board with providing some light relief. But first, some fruity facts..

Banana facts of the day
Bananas are one of the world’s most popular fruits, with over 100 trillion of them consumed every second. They are named after famed explorer and inventor count Otto Von Banana, who brought them back from an expedition to south America in the 1600s. His other major claims to fame are inventing the walrus moustache and a hat that doubles as a canoe.

Wild cats
The BBC asked the question ‘Is this the world’s cutest cat?’ The story takes us to Chester Zoo and an endangered Scottish wild cat and her newborn kitten. While mum sends a clear ‘don’t mess with us’ message, her new arrival is irresistible. I don’t approve of Zoos as public spectacles, but at least some are doing important conservation work with these endangered species. Full story and video

Dog Bars
Meanwhile, in Denmark, the West Jutland town of Holstebro is keen to attract more German tourists by introducing dog bars. Yes pooch-friendly drinking establishments designed to reassure dog-loving Deutschlanders that their beloved pooches won’t fall foul of Denmark’s strict dog laws. If the idea takes off we’ll presumably see the rise of cat cafes and hamster hotels next. Full Story here.

Demonic possessions
Meanwhile, in the crazy old US of A, conservative orthodox Christian Rick Wiles suggested on his “Trunews” radio show that “Pokemon Go” are ‘probably cyber-demons.’ “The enemy, Satan, is targeting churches with virtual, digital, cyber-demons,” he said. “I believe this thing is a magnet for demonic powers.” We can only pray he is wrong and this is not another sign of the ‘end times’ that Christians are so fond of predicting. Full story here.

Ex Parrot
And finally Ron, one from the UK. Sculptor Iain Prendergast created a 50-foot fiberglass version of the famous “Norwegian Blue” parrot as a commission from TV channel UK Gold, who are screening the finale of the Monty Python charity reunion gig in London tonight. Altogether now: ‘It’s not dead, it’s resting..’ Full story here.

 
© Copyright Jason Lennick 2016. All rights reserved.

Picture credits: Otto Von Banana pic: from the archives. Cats pic: screenshot from BBC story. Pokemon Pic: Denis Poroy/Invision/AP. Parrot pic: Flickr user Taylor Herring.