Egypt and Tunisia usher in the new era of global food revolutions

Telegraph (UK) ^ | 7:30PM GMT 30 Jan 2011 | By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard

[DeaconBenjamin]

Events have moved briskly since a Tunisian fruit vendor set fire to himself six weeks ago, and thereby lit the fuse that has detonated Egypt and threatens to topple the political order of the Maghreb, Yemen, and beyond.

As Al-Jazeera broadcasts authority crumbling in the cultural and political capital of the Arab world, exhilaration can turn quickly to foreboding.

Whatever the aspirations of those on the streets of Cairo, such uprisings are easy prey for tight-knit organizations – known in the revolutionary lexicon as Leninist vanguard parties.

In Egypt this means the Muslim Brotherhood. The Brotherhood is a different kettle of fish from Iran’s Ayatollahs; and Turkey shows that an ‘Islamic leaning’ government can be part of the liberal world – though Turkish premier Erdogan once let slip that democracy was a tram “you ride until you arrive at your destination, then you step off."

The surge in global food prices since the summer – since Ben Bernanke signalled a fresh dollar blitz – is not the underlying cause of Arab revolt, any more than bad harvests in 1788 were the cause of the French Revolution.

Yet they are the trigger, and have set off a vicious circle. Vulnerable governments are scrambling to lock up world supplies of grain while they can. Algeria bought 800,000 tonnes of wheat last week, and Indonesia has ordered 800,000 tonnes of rice, both greatly exceeding their normal pace of purchases. Saudi Arabia, Libya, and Bangladesh, are trying to secure extra grain supplies.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said its global food index has surpassed the all-time high of 2008, both in nominal and real terms. The cereals index has risen 39pc in the last year, the oil and fats index 55pc.

[MichaelCorleone]

I just had time to take a quick gander at ‘The Survival Mom’. Looks good, so I will bookmark this for a later time.

Thanks.

[OB1kNOb]

BTTT - Rev. 6:6 Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, “Two pounds of wheat for a day’s wages, and six pounds of barley for a day’s wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!”

[DeaconBenjamin]

II Kings 6: 25 And there was a great famine in Samaria: and, behold, they besieged it, until an ass's head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of dove's dung for five pieces of silver.
26 And as the king of Israel was passing by upon the wall, there cried a woman unto him, saying, Help, my lord, O king.
27 And he said, If the LORD do not help thee, whence shall I help thee? out of the barnfloor, or out of the winepress?
28 And the king said unto her, What aileth thee? And she answered, This woman said unto me, Give thy son, that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.
29 So we boiled my son, and did eat him: and I said unto her on the next day, Give thy son, that we may eat him: and she hath hid her son.

[DuncanWaring]

A comment by Bill Simon, CEO of Walmart's U.S. operations, made last week...

Note that the cited quote was from last September.

Though I have no doubt it's still true.

[DeaconBenjamin]

I wanted to provide a reference with a cite. I didn’t see a more contemporaneous discussion.

[oprahstheantichrist]

"...basic items, baby formula, milk, bread, eggs, and continue to shop and mill about the store until midnight, when ... government electronic benefits cards get activated ..."

This is what frosts me to no end.

If a mother is on welfare with a child young enough to need "formula," we conclude that she does not work outside the home. WHY THE *!#*#* ISN'T SHE BREASTFEEDING HER BABY????

BABY FORMULA IS VERY EXPENSIVE AND NOT AS BENEFICIAL FOR THE CHILD. BREAST MILK IS FREE.

Idiots.

[Huebolt]

A better question, WHY HAVE A CHILD ONE IS UNABLE TO SUPPORT???

I know, that's what democrats are paid to do...