Now SHADDUP!
Posted on 02/07/2011 8:53:16 AM PST by mandaladon
For the second time in eight days, a prominent liberal has blamed the developing crisis in Egypt on global warming.
Following in the footsteps of climate alarmist extraordinaire Joe Romm Monday was New York Times columnist Paul Krugman:
We’re in the midst of a global food crisis — the second in three years. World food prices hit a record in January, driven by huge increases in the prices of wheat, corn, sugar and oils. These soaring prices have had only a modest effect on U.S. inflation, which is still low by historical standards, but they’re having a brutal impact on the world’s poor, who spend much if not most of their income on basic foodstuffs.
The consequences of this food crisis go far beyond economics. After all, the big question about uprisings against corrupt and oppressive regimes in the Middle East isn’t so much why they’re happening as why they’re happening now. [...]
While several factors have contributed to soaring food prices, what really stands out is the extent to which severe weather events have disrupted agricultural production. And these severe weather events are exactly the kind of thing we’d expect to see as rising concentrations of greenhouse gases change our climate — which means that the current food price surge may be just the beginning.
Have food prices really soared?
(Excerpt) Read more at newsbusters.org ...
“Now put yourself in the shoes of a Muslim. It’s Friday night, but you can’t have sex, and you can’t j**k off. There’s sand in your eyes and probably in the crack of your a$$, and then some cartoon comes along from a country where people ARE getting laid, and mocks your prophet. Well you know what? I’d be pretty pissed off too!”
Mrs. Garrison,
South Park Colorado
(Makes just as much sense as anything Paul Krugman has ever uttered.)
Madcow disease is a terrible process to watch. I wish Mr. Krugman well in his battle with it.
Huh. Maybe it is "global warming" that's to blame, after all.
I blame the horrible halftime show on Gorebull warming,too.
Stark, raving bonkers.
the left isn’t even trying anymore
Knowing more than just a little about this subject, I have to interject to dispel this particular myth. Contrary to popular belief, cows and chickens are rarely fed grains. Most of what they eat is composed of a variety of waste products (some including their own), along with grasses in the case of cows. Cattle are only fed grain, if at all, for a short period before slaughter.
In fact, these days they are likely to be fed an ethanol by-product called either WDGS (Wet Distiller's Grains with Solubles) or DDGS (Distiller's Dried Grains with Solubles). The process of producing ethanol from corn only removes the starch from the kernel. Everything else, including the protein and nutrients remains in the WDGS or DDGS that is left over. DDGS in particular has therefore become a highly sought-after animal feed and is used extensively to feed cattle, poultry, and to a lesser degree fish in fish farms. Because of its concentrated nature, it actually contains a higher protein level than a similar mass of raw corn.
Therefore, contrary to the belief that the ethanol production process creates a food versus fuel dilemma, it actually produces BOTH at the same time. While ethanol production has increased corn prices slightly, most of the price increase has been due to oil price increases (a major input into the cost of producing and transporting corn). If ethanol were to blame for high corn prices, then why is it that wheat, barley, and other grains have also mirrored the rise in the price of corn? They are not used to produce ethanol.
I know what I have said is almost heretical around here, but it is the truth. As conservatives, we must always remember that we are the group that favors rationality and facts, wherever they may lead, over unthinking ridicule and emotionalism. We should never jump on a popular bandwagon, just because it gives us an excuse to beat up on liberals, when we don't know the actual facts. To do so is to undermine our credibility on issues where we DO have the facts on our side.
Of course. Any fool 3rd grader could tell you that. Silly!
Now SHADDUP!
Global Warming on Free Republic
Paul Krugman: We're in the midst of a global food crisis -- the second in three years. World food prices hit a record in January, driven by huge increases in the prices of wheat, corn, sugar and oils... having a brutal impact on the world's poor... The consequences of this food crisis go far beyond economics... uprisings... [not] why they're happening as why they're happening now. [...] While several factors have contributed to soaring food prices, what really stands out is the extent to which severe weather events have disrupted agricultural production... as rising concentrations of greenhouse gases change our climate... the current food price surge may be just the beginning. Have food prices really soared?There are plenty of people carrying water for this view right here on FR.
Well as you nay know “Climate Change” was pretty much responsible for the French Revolution and maybe even the American Revolution. But is wasn’t warming that was happening.
According to official statistics [http://dsal.uchicago.edu/statistics/], 34,075 people were killed by tigers in British-administered India, 1875-1912. That includes 11,423 k. 1900-1912.
Luckily, they started running round and round the tree and turned into butter. Otherwise the killing would have gone on and on.
the riots in egypt are essentially food riots.
Therefor the answer to question as to what to do involves food.
So first have a five year plan to subsidize Egyptian grain. During that five years invest in pulling up water from the ancient aquifers in the Egyptian western desert to grow grain. (Libya shares the same giant aquifer and already has huge wheat fields in the desert that can be seen from space) At the end of five years stop the subsidies and rely on the home grown wheat.
Finally an international contest would be drawn up to collapse the cost of water desalination. The contest would to see who could drop the cost of seawater desalination by $100 on three oceans. Then a new contest would be held. Whoever could beat the new price point would win 1 billion dollars. And so on until the price of desalinized water was ~50@acre foot. At Which point it becomes cost competitive to grow crops. Another contest would be held to cut the cost of delivered water by pipeline. The idea would be to bring down the cost of installing, and maintaining the pipeline and lowering the cost of pumping water.
Cheap water and cheap pipline pumping would make it possible to desert farm 1000 mile from any seacoast with desalinized water. Basically you’d be able to turn the deserts green around the world and double the size of the habitable planet and solve the worlds food water and population problem for 100-200 years.
I have read that Mubarak has 40 billion in personal wealth. You might be able to get him to subsidize Egyptian grain imports for 5 years at a cost of 12 billion or so.
You might also be able to get the Saudis to invest in Egyptian agriculture by pulling up water from the ancient aquifers. That might cost another 12 billion. It is in the Saudi interest to have a stable Egypt.
Finally the cost of contests would also be born by international billionaires as proposed by Bill Gates. This program would run ten years for a cost of ~12 billion.
In the end none of the parties that are non islamist will be able to govern unless they have a vision. This is it. Mubarak has actually been playing with the idea of grain independence–but he has not been able to deliver.
Krudman the raging pinko.
My post had nothing to do with the crisis in Egypt, and unlike Krugman, at least mine was the truth.
_______________________
Another FReeper states: "You cannot ferment out the starch component of the corn and call it not reduced as a feed source energy has been removed. what is left is DDG with solubles, which is the protein portion of the corn grain plus the cellulose seed coat and yeast cell culture waste. This feed source is devoid of carbohydrates by the nature that the yeast ate it all to make ethanol. To feed animals you need carbohydrates and proteins especially for monogastrics like swine as they cannot process cellulose to ATP like a rumen can. So while yes DDGS is feed it is no where near the caloric quality for rumens as whole dent corn and monogastrics can only eat it in less than 10% or so quantities. Monogastrics need carbohydrates at 2/3 of total energy vs protein content of 10-18% in grow out feeds. Whole dent corn which is mostly starch and 10% or so proteins is used at +50% in monogastric rations with soy making up the remainder of the 9 essential ammio acid profile. Dent corn and soy are the primary feed of swine and fowl DDGS is only a minor ingredient as it is biologically impossible to meet these animals basal requirements with high nitrogen protein rich DDGS renal failure will soon occur if pure DDGS was feed to fowl or swine same for rumens they can only process so much N based proteins relative to cellulose which is just polyglucose so no you are wrong that DDGS is the same as whole dent not even close." 38 posted on Tuesday, November 16, 2010 by JD_UTDallas http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2627577/posts Dent corn (the same corn used for ethanol) is used for animal feed, corn meal and lots of other food items. The end result is dairy, eggs, and meat. In other words, in the end it is used for human consumption.
Than again, Friedman of the New York Times was doing the nutty twofer today - blaming Egypt on China while implying far ranging violence can be caused by ideas like the Tea Party.
I loved it. And I’ll have to disagree — your post was a perfect commentary on Krugman’s stupidity.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.