And grown men wept

The imposition of unfettered free market policies in conjunction with years of near anarchy, supported by the administrations of both Bill Clinton and Captain Codpiece, and soaring world food prices means many in Haiti are reduced to eating mud. Yes. Mud. It makes me feel good all over.

And grown men wept

The imposition of unfettered free market policies in conjunction with years of near anarchy, supported by the administrations of both Bill Clinton and Captain Codpiece, and soaring world food prices means many in Haiti are reduced to eating mud. Yes. Mud. It makes me feel good all over.

The angrier I get

The more I think about Captain Codpiece's latest little lie to us the angrier I get. This lie, and the consequences of his obfuscation will probably lead to more deaths than the illegal invasion of Iraq and orders of magnitudes more than the undoubtedly tragic attacks of 11 September 2001. The ever increasing price of food, which we now know is driven largely by America's shift to subsidised bio-fuels, is a global tragedy in the making. The poor are driven to desperation. The desperate are driven to starvation. The starving are driven to death. On his watch. Whilst he lies about and the World Bank swears to it. If he had a conscience one would wonder how he sleeps nights.

Surprise! Surprise!

Captain Codpiece has been lying to us again; I assume that no one is surprised by this. Remember back when he made the specious claim that bio fuels only accounted for 3% or 4% of the rise in world food prices? Well even the World Bank knew he was lying. But as an American client, the term use of the word "world" in the bank's name is just about as appropriate as the use of the same word in "world series", the bank has been keeping it secret for Georgie doesn't get upset.

I don't know about you...

...but this has me worried! 36% of American commercial bee hives have been lost this year alone. Without bees much agriculture is impossible. I think the implications are obvious.

'Tis a thing of beauty...

...to watch the omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient invisible hand of the market at work as the profits of multinational agribusinesses soar as the growing global food crisis drives those poor to desperation. Normal service is resumed.

Captain Codpiece works on his legacy

He has asked for $70 billion more to kill people which means that he can only afford $770 million (or 1.1% of the killing people supplemental) to keep people alive.

What a relief

I almost panicked when I read the news that India was prohibiting the export of rice with immediate effect. Then I found out that the ban applies to non-bashmati varieties only. Close one. (Hey - I eat a lot of rice. The problems with the US try to poison us with unapproved GM rice a year or so ago left me scrambling to find brown rice.)

Of course the ban in and of itself is terribly bad news and yet another sign of the problems that the world is facing with reduced food supplies, especially of staple grains, and a burgeoning population.

A taste of things to come?

As the planet increasingly struggles to feed its human inhabitants wheat prices soar. It can only grow worse.

Attention all you "every life is sacred" people

As the world dithers as many as 90,000 Somali children face hunger, malnutrition and death unless the community of nations provides them with additional support.

I repeat: 90,000 innocent human beings. Are you listening?

How can this be?

It has taken over seven years but I can clearly say that there is one issue with which I agree with Our Great Leader, Captain Codpiece. This Great Man thinks that restrictions on US food aid to the poor and the starving should be lifted so that food can be bought locally and considerable expense saved. As it is US food "aid" represent more in the way of back door subsidies for US farmers than they do in actual aid to those in need.

I am not sure why Captain Codpiece thinks this way but in this (extremely) isolated case he is right and the Democratic Congress that will oppose him is wrong.

Now I have to slip off and take some extra medication. I don't fell well at all.

A taste of things to come?

The government of South Africa has lowered its targets for biofuel production due to concerns over food security.

And grown men wept (at least this one did)

Food banks in America are having to feed more and more hungry Americans but they are running short of the means to do so.

Something is seriously broken and I don't see the either the recognition of the fact or the will to fix it. What will happen to America?

I am terribly, terribly ashamed

By the US government's own measures nearly 12% of the population went hungry at some point last year. That's 35 million people. To make matters worse the figure rises to 20% for children.

I reckon we can't begin to do anything as a nation to address that as that would be socialism and ungodly.

Something is very, very wrong with the neo-liberal "free" market approach if this can be allowed to happen in the richest country in the world.

The omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent yet invisible hand of the market has spoken...

...and it has said that Swaziland, beset with drought and famine, should export bio-fuel made from cassava.

Here's a photo to keep on your dashboard so that you have something to do whilst you're filling up your SUV.

Make a vocab-onation now!

An Internet site, that I have previously mentioned, has raised 1,000,000,000 grains of rice for the World Food Programme, about 50,000 person-days of food, in its first month. So go on over and you just might learn something at the same time.

Do a good deed!

You might even learn something.

Before you fill your Hummer up with bio-fuel...

...you need to decide if food is a human right or not. Then make up you mind.