Posted on 06/27/2012 7:09:27 PM PDT by moonshot925
North Korean soldiers have been dispatched to water crops that are withering in the worst drought to affect the country in more than a century, with the United Nations warning that yields for staples such as wheat, barley and potatoes will inevitably be affected.
The state-run KCNA news agency said temperatures have been as much as eight degrees higher than usual for May and June and, combined with historically low levels of precipitation, have left rice paddies dried and cracked. The maize crop stands a mere 15 inches tall in many places in North and South Hwanghae provinces, instead of the 60 inches that it should be by now, farmers said.
Nearly 50,000 acres in western parts of the country - known as the breadbasket of North Korea - have been affected by the drought, which will worsen an already acute food shortage. In September, the United Nations World Food Programme warned that 3.5 million people were at risk of malnutrition and starvation in North Korea, which has a total population of 24 million.
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
I have a great question for the floor.
Would it be considered immoral or unethical to pray for rain for NorK-land because doing so would only drag the suffering on even longer for the North Korean people?
Too bad, so sad, the NoKos know now what they need to do.
In other words: “Puhleeeese Japan and China, send us more rice!”
A pity, South Korea has no such problem!
I don't think the Chinese would be so willing. Last time the Chinese sent a train load of rice as "a gift to the Korean People", Chia Pet Sr. kept the rice, the train cars, and the locomotives. Said they were all "part of the gift".
Uhhh...given the weather here the last several weeks and no rain/upper 90’s expected here for the next seven days, I’m not taking a political spin on this. I hope they get rain. I hope we get rain.
Fatso won’t be missing any meals.
The Soviet Union generally had terrible weather from 1917 to 1991 or so. It really devastated their ability to produce adequate supplies of crops like wheat. After 1991, the weather got better.
The maize crop stands a mere 15 inches tall in many places in North and South Hwanghae provinces, instead of the 60 inches that it should be by now, farmers said.
Wow. Thats really horrible.
Yes, funny how deadly droughts only affect dictatorships.
So obama is the cause of drought in the US? Good grief. I can’t believe the comments in here.
Our drought is not deadly. We are having some troubles, yes, but nobody is dying.
Look, I wish the best for North Korea. If they were a free country, however, this drought would be a mere annoyance and nobody would be facing death.
Communism causes bad weather.
This is empirical evidence that there is a God and he does not like socialism. National Review used to have a joke where each year they projected a drought in the Soviet Union. Rhodesia rarely suffered droughts. Zimbabwe is suffering from annual droughts.
I would bet Venezuela is too.
The collectivized agriculture of the USSR was very inefficient. Yields of grain, barley, rye, corn, maize and potatoes were often much lower than expected.
For example, during the Sixth 5 Year Plan(1956–1960) the Soviet central planners expected to produce 175 million tons of grain. But the actual production of grain was only 112 million tons. 36% lower than expected.
Obvious propaganda. North Korea is a free, happy, communist utopia run by their Dear Leader god.
3.5 million could die in a nation of 24 million.
Not saying they all are, but can you imagine 3.5 million hardcore communists just dying and not having to fire a single bullet?
A few droughts like these and there won’t be anyone LEFT in North Korea to be a threat.
God will choose who goes when. Drought or not. It may be a blessing in disguise for many as it will be an end to suffering. However they may be better off living because if they don’t know Christ, the suffering they have now is nothing to the suffering that awaits those who don’t have Christ as Lord and Savior. So He may be extending their lives to reach as many of them as possible before it’s too late.
Lots of animals have died as part of the drought. Talk to Texas. Cattle and horses took huge hits. Plus drought in those areas and others has really nailed hay crops this year.
I don’t think the people of North Korea are interested in communist ideology.
They must be tired of starving in an underdeveloped and extremly militarized police state.
Well then they need to do something about it.
the horses died because horse slaughter and horse export was outlawed.
whats so great about dying?
These were not food horses, folks.
What are they going to do? Start a revolution?
North Korea is the most militarized country in the world with 1.1 million armed personnel and a reserve force of 8.3 million.
It operates an enormous network of military facilities scattered around the country and the third largest chemical weapons stockpile in the world.
Kim Jong-un is insane. He would have no problem with killing thousands or even millions of his own people.
What’s so great about suffering under the brutal fist of a collectivist dictator?
Where there’s life, there’s hope.
They would’ve been if it wasn’t outlawed.
Hope for?
The Leftists always seem to get the short end of the stick of the ‘unexpected.’
Turning North Korea into a free, capitalistic country would be the definitive solution to all of their ongoing problems, and ditto, to all of the other countries of the world. Worldwide conservatism and worldwide capitalism should, always, be the ultimate goal of all conservatives, everywhere in the world.
While right over the border their neighbor is producing more food then they can eat.
Very strange.
"Hardcore communists"? I'm sure some are.
But in general, the "hardcore communists" aren't the ones dying of starvation. They're living the good life as members of the Party.
Poor mothers having to watch as their young children die of starvation and sickness in a commie hellhole, and destitute fathers having to watch as their families, homes, and land all go down the toilet because of their insane corrupt leaders and government, are not "hardcore communists" at that point. They're just human beings being killed painfully by the totalitarian regime they suffer daily under.
That said, I'm all in favor of every communist on earth being sent to meet their Maker, and if it can be done without having to shoot them, that's fine.
There goes that great North Korean beer and vodka.
We’re stupid, and we’re starving.
Do something about it, you evil capitalist pigs.
“A pity, South Korea has no such problem!”
LOL, I guess even rain clouds are scared to cross the DMZ.
“The Soviet Union generally had terrible weather from 1917 to 1991 or so. It really devastated their ability to produce adequate supplies of crops like wheat. After 1991, the weather got better.”
Agree, from what I can tell, there’s never been a crop problem in the past two decades over there.
what’s with the “everybody wear the same thing” idea? guess that’s part of their programming...down do the yellow hair thing. A school, maybe? Odd that this picture was released.
Not odd at all for a totalitarian state.
He must not have liked Oklahoma much during the 30's either.
They are a messed up country forever sending out messed up messages. Guess you can only pack so much into a photo.
(btw...the girl in the front is so pretty. I find myself wondering what goes through her mind...like, "why are we handwatering like we did thousands of years ago...has technology not advanced beyond this yet?" but i suppose the reality is years of dictatorship has driven out any such musings.)
What's it going to look like in the USA when His "dislike" of abortion is manifest?
>>I don’t think the Chinese would be so willing. Last time the Chinese sent a train load of rice as “a gift to the Korean People”, Chia Pet Sr. kept the rice, the train cars, and the locomotives. Said they were all “part of the gift”.
I remember that. The Japanese will keep sending them rice though.
LOL! Even the flowers in Terry Schaivo's hospital room was allowed to have water.
Now I understand better what you were saying.
It’s nice to have that feeling of expecting or desiring an improvement in the lives of the North Korean people but as Benjamin Franklin is quoted as saying,
“He that lives upon hope will die fasting.”
A change in the current situation of the North Korean people either will come from the people themselves or from an external source. That external source could be from other countries using their political, economic, and/or military power or from nature in the form of drought or other calamities.
With this current drought (as well as past droughts) in tandem with nations not sending humanitarian aid to ease their suffering the NorK government can only last so long before it collapses.
If we pray for a quicker collapse of the regime it could influence a longer drought. That’s why I ask if it would be immoral or unethical to pray for rain for them because it would only end up extending the life of the Un’s regime.
I meant to say more clearly that there is no limit to hope or the means by which hope may be fulfilled. You’re thinking inside the box regarding ways hope can be satisfied; think bigger.
As for how and what to pray for...it’ll come to you.
Ol’ Ben must have been having a doozy of a day that day. Sure do disagree with him on this quote. Or was it Poor Richard’s opinion instead?
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