The oranges are in danger! 4-30-11

Every winter, Florida receives at least one blast of cold air from the northern states. The Weather Channel immediately sends somebody down from Atlanta to stand in front of an orange grove in a parka with a serious look on their face. They speculate as to what the nighttime low will be. They show closeups of icicles on the oranges due to "desperate" growers spraying water to protect the oranges. Then the reporter and her cameraman run like orangutans to the next area being threatened by the "severe" cold snap. Several years back, a "pesistent" summer drought threatened the entire orange crop, according to sensationalistic reporting. As I was driving through the state today on my way home, I saw many orange groves. I assure you, everything is fine. It is going to be a bumper crop. What is not as widely known is that the orange business is not nearly as important to Florida's economy as it was 30 or 40 years ago. Far less acreage is under cultivation. In addition, many people now realize that orange juice is not nearly as good for you as Anita Bryant and all the other commercials claimed it was. Sorry people, orange juice is just sugar water and pulp. If you feel a case of scurvy coming on, you may want to down a glass. Otherwise, may I suggest a dark tea with some anti-oxidants instead?