Q&A: Rising world food prices
Page last updated at 10:26 GMT, Friday, 11 April 2008 11:26 UK Page last updated at 10:26 GMT, Friday, 11 April 2008 11:26 UK
The price of wheat, rice and maize have nearly doubled in the past year - and they are not the only foodstuffs trading at a high price on the international commodity market.What are the main causes?
...The first reason why prices are rising is growth in the world's population, which is expected to top nine billion by the middle of the century.
That is an incredible number of mouths to feed and will put pressure on a range of resources, including land, water and oil, as well as food supply...
BBC video on food shortage protests
U.S. Farm subsidies are not moral if you think globally.
On the other hand, we have water problems and the farming practices are lowering our most important aquifer. Should we use up our most precious resource helping along exponential population growth?
50 simple things you can do to save the Earth (#47)
In more than half the developing countries studied by the U.N., population has been growing faster than food supplies.
...Step 2. Think nationally. The U.S., with 5% of the global population, uses about 25% of the world’s fossil fuel resources, and the average American consumes 120 lbs. a day in natural resources. So population stabilization in the U.S. could have a big impact on protecting the environment...
I'm not picking on the Philippines here, the next two links are only an example of how tradition and customs are making progress harder and starvation more frequent.
Arroyo lauded for preventing food riots in RP
Posted on Saturday 12 April 2008
PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is “appropriately concerned” and “very concerned” over the continued rising prices and low supply of food including rice in the world market, which has already sparked civil disturbance and food riots in 33 countries, an official of the United Nation’s International Fund for Agriculture Development (Ifad) said.
Philippine Fertility Rate Is One of the Highest in Asia: Santa Clara, Segundina and Other Stories
In this predominantly Catholic country, people often pray for divine intervention from Santa Clara (Saint Claire), the patron saint of the childless, for one very specific purpose: to aid fertility and bless them with children.
Bangladesh faces food crisis
Page last updated at 23:02 GMT, Thursday, 10 April 2008 00:02 UK
Birth rate country comparison
Population growth rate by country 2005
List of countries by population growth rate
Of course the neutrality of the Wikipedia page on Overpopulation is disputed. Probably by some bible thumping head-up ass Bush supporter.
Dems Lose Fight on Family Planning Aid
December 17, 2007
by Anne Flaherty
The Associated Press
Abstinence only Sex Ed in the US has been a miserable failure.
Update: We're wasting our precious water on our fucking gas tanks and people are starving? Yikes.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
McCain Erases Obama Lead
And the depiction of U.S. citizens as Neanderthal continues.
Cui Bono?
Oh look, it's an old as dirt peroxide blonde pony-tailed Neanderthal. Ain't she a sweetheart?
RepugnantThuglicans....
It's what's for dinner.
Cui Bono?
Oh look, it's an old as dirt peroxide blonde pony-tailed Neanderthal. Ain't she a sweetheart?
RepugnantThuglicans....
It's what's for dinner.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
10 things you should know about John McCain (but probably don't):
1. John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Now he says his position has "evolved," yet he's continued to oppose key civil rights laws.1
4 times against it
2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain "will make Cheney look like Gandhi."2
100 years in Iraq
Bomb Iran
3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.
More CCain hypocrisy
4. McCain opposes a woman's right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."
voting record
5. The Children's Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children's health care bill last year, then defended Bush's veto of the bill.
CNN article
6. He's one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a "second job" and skip their vacations.
McCain's money CNN
7. Many of McCain's fellow Republican senators say he's too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He's erratic. He's hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."
teh Google on de temper
8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.
teh Google on his lobbyists
9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his "spiritual guide," Rod Parsley, believes America's founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a "false religion." McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church "the Antichrist" and a "false cult."
Columbia Journalism Review
10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year. hoooo-eee, lookit all them NVs (not voting) in his recent environmental votes
John McCain is not who the Washington press corps make him out to be.
4 times against it
2. According to Bloomberg News, McCain is more hawkish than Bush on Iraq, Russia and China. Conservative columnist Pat Buchanan says McCain "will make Cheney look like Gandhi."2
100 years in Iraq
Bomb Iran
3. His reputation is built on his opposition to torture, but McCain voted against a bill to ban waterboarding, and then applauded President Bush for vetoing that ban.
More CCain hypocrisy
4. McCain opposes a woman's right to choose. He said, "I do not support Roe versus Wade. It should be overturned."
voting record
5. The Children's Defense Fund rated McCain as the worst senator in Congress for children. He voted against the children's health care bill last year, then defended Bush's veto of the bill.
CNN article
6. He's one of the richest people in a Senate filled with millionaires. The Associated Press reports he and his wife own at least eight homes! Yet McCain says the solution to the housing crisis is for people facing foreclosure to get a "second job" and skip their vacations.
McCain's money CNN
7. Many of McCain's fellow Republican senators say he's too reckless to be commander in chief. One Republican senator said: "The thought of his being president sends a cold chill down my spine. He's erratic. He's hotheaded. He loses his temper and he worries me."
teh Google on de temper
8. McCain talks a lot about taking on special interests, but his campaign manager and top advisers are actually lobbyists. The government watchdog group Public Citizen says McCain has 59 lobbyists raising money for his campaign, more than any of the other presidential candidates.
teh Google on his lobbyists
9. McCain has sought closer ties to the extreme religious right in recent years. The pastor McCain calls his "spiritual guide," Rod Parsley, believes America's founding mission is to destroy Islam, which he calls a "false religion." McCain sought the political support of right-wing preacher John Hagee, who believes Hurricane Katrina was God's punishment for gay rights and called the Catholic Church "the Antichrist" and a "false cult."
Columbia Journalism Review
10. He positions himself as pro-environment, but he scored a 0—yes, zero—from the League of Conservation Voters last year. hoooo-eee, lookit all them NVs (not voting) in his recent environmental votes
John McCain is not who the Washington press corps make him out to be.
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Religion sucks #11
Documents: Sect Married Girls at Puberty
By MICHELLE ROBERTS Associated Press Writer
ELDORADO, Texas (AP) - A polygamist compound with hundreds of children was rife with sexual abuse, child welfare officials allege in court documents, with girls spiritually married to much older men as soon as they reached puberty and boys groomed to perpetuate the cycle.
Our British laws are there to protect Muslim women
From The Times
February 14, 2008
Mary Ann Sieghart
Canada: Polygamous Ontario Muslims collecting multiple benefit cheques
12/02/2008: Polygamous Muslims in Ontario receive benefits, although polygamy is officially illegal in Canada. (Toronto Sun)
An abuse of the welfare system by GTA [Greater Toronto Area, ed.] Muslim men allowed to live in polygamous marriages under a controversial Ontario law was met with shock and outrage yesterday.
Polygamists are selfish, stupid, pig-dogs.
There are already enough people on the planet
By MICHELLE ROBERTS Associated Press Writer
ELDORADO, Texas (AP) - A polygamist compound with hundreds of children was rife with sexual abuse, child welfare officials allege in court documents, with girls spiritually married to much older men as soon as they reached puberty and boys groomed to perpetuate the cycle.
Our British laws are there to protect Muslim women
From The Times
February 14, 2008
Mary Ann Sieghart
Canada: Polygamous Ontario Muslims collecting multiple benefit cheques
12/02/2008: Polygamous Muslims in Ontario receive benefits, although polygamy is officially illegal in Canada. (Toronto Sun)
An abuse of the welfare system by GTA [Greater Toronto Area, ed.] Muslim men allowed to live in polygamous marriages under a controversial Ontario law was met with shock and outrage yesterday.
Polygamists are selfish, stupid, pig-dogs.
There are already enough people on the planet
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
San Diego
Nice to visit:
Noah's Wonderland series
A little tougher to live in:
San Diego’s Secret Missile-Testing Sites
By Moss Gropen | Published Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Noah's Wonderland series
A little tougher to live in:
San Diego’s Secret Missile-Testing Sites
By Moss Gropen | Published Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Monday, April 07, 2008
Dave Marash: Why I Quit (Al Jazeera)
The veteran newsman says Al Jazeera English’s mission changed
By Brent Cunningham Fri 4 Apr 2008 11:26 AM
hat tip to Danny
I'm not sure if I have a judgement based on this piece, but I'll try to be bit more skeptical when I read Al Jazeera reports in America. I hope this doesn't give the wingnuts more excuses to keep Al Jazeera away from Americans as cable choice. American news sources just don't cover parts of the world. So Al Jazeera screws up when reporting in the US. So what? Big Telecom hasn't been able to control bloggers here yet. If it's happening in America, somebody is blogging about it. It's not like we, as Americans can't ferret out the truth and work around bias, somebody is always screaming biased.
By Brent Cunningham Fri 4 Apr 2008 11:26 AM
hat tip to Danny
I'm not sure if I have a judgement based on this piece, but I'll try to be bit more skeptical when I read Al Jazeera reports in America. I hope this doesn't give the wingnuts more excuses to keep Al Jazeera away from Americans as cable choice. American news sources just don't cover parts of the world. So Al Jazeera screws up when reporting in the US. So what? Big Telecom hasn't been able to control bloggers here yet. If it's happening in America, somebody is blogging about it. It's not like we, as Americans can't ferret out the truth and work around bias, somebody is always screaming biased.
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Charlton Heston, Epic Film Star and Voice of N.R.A., Dies at 84
By ROBERT BERKVIST
Published: April 6, 2008
Charlton Heston made a crapload of movies, most of which I studiously avoided because the stepmonster was a fan of his. I only watched The Omega Man in the last couple of years because my friend said it was a good movie. I tried to like it. (update: my friend said he never said that). I saw all the Planet of the Apes movies, but who didn't in the 70's?
Ok, so call me weird, I've been called worse, but the two movies that he was in that had a lasting impact on me were Soylent Green (I was twelve, OK?) and Bowling for Columbine . When I saw Bowling for Columbine I was just discovering how much politics actually affected my life and the Heston scene sort of made me feel sorry for him. I kind of wanted to protect the old geezer from the truth about the whole Reagan Revolution thing.
Ummmmm then again maybe not. Where the hell was his handler?
OK, enough seriousness. Doesn't this blogger just come out and say what we're all thinking?
Heston Dead; Coroner Can't Pry Gun From Cold Dead Hands
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Published: April 6, 2008
Charlton Heston made a crapload of movies, most of which I studiously avoided because the stepmonster was a fan of his. I only watched The Omega Man in the last couple of years because my friend said it was a good movie. I tried to like it. (update: my friend said he never said that). I saw all the Planet of the Apes movies, but who didn't in the 70's?
Ok, so call me weird, I've been called worse, but the two movies that he was in that had a lasting impact on me were Soylent Green (I was twelve, OK?) and Bowling for Columbine . When I saw Bowling for Columbine I was just discovering how much politics actually affected my life and the Heston scene sort of made me feel sorry for him. I kind of wanted to protect the old geezer from the truth about the whole Reagan Revolution thing.
Ummmmm then again maybe not. Where the hell was his handler?
OK, enough seriousness. Doesn't this blogger just come out and say what we're all thinking?
Heston Dead; Coroner Can't Pry Gun From Cold Dead Hands
Sunday, April 06, 2008
Reading Now
Founding Myths: Stories that Hide our Patriotic Past
by Ray Raphael
The New Press, September, 2004
Frankly, I'm finding it vastly amusing to find out how many of these myths are still in our textbooks. Most second graders hate "Social Studies," (which I think is) a euphemistic term for history. Why? They generally don't verbalize it, but kids aren't stupid, they know bullshit when they see it. They may not have the vocabulary to explain it, but they also know when they are being politically socialized. It's not unique to this country or Western culture, it just happens in school, rather than someplace else.
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