Happy Birthday WWW

The WWW just turned 20 today and we couldn’t imagine life without it. I’m talking about the World Wide Web developed by Tim Berners-Lee and other European scientists so they could exchange their research information around the world. I wonder if they ever imagined how pervasive it would become. I mean if we want to know the weather forecast, we don’t wait to hear it on the radio or TV news. If we want to learn more about a health symptom, we no longer have to wait to see the doctor. If we want to communicate with our hometown family and friends, we don’t have to make several long-distance telephone calls. If we want a special recipe for unusual banana bread, we don’t have to personally ask a lot of people and then write it down. If we want to learn how to make a beautiful flower arrangement, we don’t have to take a six-week course. If we want to read an excerpt from a book, we don’t have to go to the library or bookstore. If we want to send photos of our children to our families, we don’t have to wait to have the pictures printed first. If we want to renew our driver’s license, we don’t have to go to the DMV. If we want to check our bank account balance, we don’t have to go to the bank or make phone call. If we want to go shopping, we don’t have to go to the mall. If we want to know what to do on our next vacation, we don’t have to hire a travel agent. If we want to meet other people, we don’t have to go outside of our homes. If we want our thoughts and ideas to be known, we don’t have to hire a PR firm. (So I could go on and on with this blog, but I won’t.)
If you want to do any of these things I’ve mentioned, you can accomplish them on the World Wide Web.

Unusual Banana Bread

I smelled those ripe bananas every time I walked by the kitchen. So, I decided to bake my favorite recipe for banana bread. The first time I had it was almost 30 years ago when Lou Jones, the reservationist at Holiday Inn-East in Kissimmee, brought it in and shared the recipe. The funny thing is I have marked two of the "unusual" ingredients as "optional". Here's the recipe:
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp. soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1 cup mashed bananas (I used 3 bananas)
1/4 cup nuts (optional)
1/2 cup marashino cherries (optional)
1/2 cup (or more) chocolate chips (this is what makes it delicious and still unusual)
Cream shortening and sugar.
Add eggs and cream well.
Sift dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture.
Stir in remaining ingredients.
Bake at 350 degrees C for 1 hour or longer.
Makes one delicious banana bread.