Posted on 4/13/2008, 5:26:54 AM by B-Chan
About 20,000 workers rioted over high food prices and low wages on Saturday close to the Bangladesh capital Dhaka, police said, amid spreading global unrest over soaring grocery costs.
Food riots seem to be happening around the world on a near-daily basis lately. U.N. peacekeepers fired rubber bullets and tear gas at an angry mob that tried to storm the National Palace in the Hatian capital, Port-au-Prince today. Riots began in Haiti last Wednesday and five people have already been killed in the violence.
The UN secretary general has warned that millions of people are at risk of starvation as global food stocks have fallen to their lowest levels for decades. The most acute effects have been seen in Egypt, where thousands of people have resorted to violence due to the unavailability of basic food products such as bread, rice, sugar and cooking oil, and rising food prices. At least 10 people have died over the past two weeks, in riots that erupted at government subsidised bakeries.
Besides Haiti and Egypt, there’s been food riots in 8 other African nations, mostly along the western coast, as well as Mexico, Milan, India, , Indonesia and Yemen, and the food shortage is just beginning. The poorer nations suffer starvation first and so the riots also start there first, but the food shortage is steadily becoming more widespread.
I’ve posted on this before and I’ll be posting on it again before it’s all done. The world is heading into global famine, and with famine comes war, disease and death. Those of you who live in affluent countries, thank your lucky stars but keep your powder dry, because if this situation isn’t reversed soon, global famine alone is enough to spark a global war. Starvation and plagues go together. Always have and this time will be no different.
Now is a good time to kill off those mice and rats that you’ve been putting off doing. Fleas….
Its a lucky coincidence that the dollar is lower allowing us to export more cheaply, and food, something we can do pretty well, is at record prices.
Naaaa. Not in MY neighborhood. We’re too well armed.
and in other news:
The administration of the Clown Prince has announced that the research facility on Plum Island known for repeatedly releasing hoof and mouth disease is being relocated to an area on the mainland near a number of major cattle production facilities...
My neighborhood is well armed as well. I would rather reserve the ammo for putting food on my table. There's plenty of deer. I even spotted a small herd of antelope yesterday. The legal fallout from shooting unruly humans is a completely different issue.
If food is at record prices how can export it cheaply?
if i knew how I would show you 30+ turkeys sitting on the wall behind my home.
Food is expensive where the demand exceeds the supply. We have ample supply. Plus, the feed stocks, land, equipment, labor, and everything else that went into the US crops was paid in relatively weak US dollars, which amounts to a built-in discount at the wholesale end and a premium at the sale end.
This is what, in econ 101, they call an opportunity.
Sure do and I remember the outcome of that Chinese chicken plague a few years back. I anticipated the obvious outcome of these types of actions when I instantly rejected and continue to urge everyone to oppose NAIS and WLIC.
There will be no food shortages in the US.
The first thing you should ALWAYS look for where you see reports of “famine” and “riots” over food in foreign countries is hoarding, corruption and self-dealing by government officials.
Amid all the blovation by the UN and various people opining how “biofuels are starving the world,” I go looking for hard news reporting on food riots in India, and Lo! Lookie what I found here: Corruption.
http://in.reuters.com/article/topNews/idINIndia-29970920071012
How utterly typical.
Retired New Age matrons butting each other with shopping carts? I'm running for my camera right now. See you on YouTube!
What the poster means is that foreign importers can buy US goods more cheaply while at the same time US exporters get more dollars for the same goods. Woohoo!
“{5} When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. {6} Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “A quart of wheat for a day’s wages, and three quarts of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!” Revelations 6: 1-8
Doubtful.
Seriously, though, count your blessings, coming from someone trapped in an urban center.
You can blame the high cost of food on OPEC.
They raised the price of oil to where it is competative to use food stuffs for fuel.
American farmers after years of neglect are making good money.
Thanks OPEC.
As for the rest of the world like the mid-east starving? Fine.
There was a turkey (hen) walking behind my house yesterday.
If everything goes to hell in a handbasket I’ll be hunting them.
And they're getting, what, a $billion a year from the US?
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