Like the illusion of Wall Street, with its vast and powerful investment banks, now shuttered, China too is an illusion perpetuated by the Globalists that gave us the 15,000 mile Caesar salad, poisoned cat food and lead based paint on babies' pacifiers. Like the illusion that money would come from thin air to always push housing prices higher, China has spent a generation pursuing its illusion. Pursuing an unattainable dream to be like the West, while 6000 years of its carefully shepherded top soil blows into the sea.
Joined: May 10, 2007 Posts: 3317 Location: Resiliency Farm
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 1:12 am Post subject: Re: The Spreading Food Crisis Thread (U.S. & World)
OilFinder2 wrote:
The wheat belt of southeastern Australia has been getting some really good rains for the past day or so, plus the forecast for the next several days calls for more. Should be a big help for the wheat crop there.
The drought in Australia's main food bowl, the Murray-Darling Basin, has worsened, with record low inflows into the river system in June and an even gloomier situation predicted for the coming months.
Neil Plummer, acting head of the National Climate Centre, described rainfall during the southern hemisphere autumn as "an absolute shocker", and said: "I'm gasping for good news". Wendy Craik, chief executive of the Murray-Darling Basin Commission, said the river system's condition was "critical ... tending towards flatlining". She added: "We have got it on life support.
"The basin, which straddles four states and is the size of France and Germany combined, produces 41 per cent of Australia's fruit, vegetables and grain. Agricultural products worth more than £10bn (NZ$20bn) are exported from the region annually to Asia and the Middle East.
But flows of water last month into the two mighty rivers that irrigate the basin were the lowest since records began 117 years ago, equating to only 16 per cent of the June average. During February to June, the levels were only marginally higher than last year, which was the driest autumn on record.
Quote:
The state of the Murray-Darling is of great concern to two groups: farmers and environmentalists. The former depend on it to irrigate crops such as rice, grapes and horticulture. The latter point to scientific reports saying the river system's unique ecology could be irreversibly damaged by October without heavy rain.
Salvation seems unlikely. Dr Craik said yesterday that hopes of drought-breaking winter rains had faded, and low inflows were expected for the rest of the year. Temperatures are forecast to be above average for the next three months, which means rain is more likely to soak into the sun-baked earth or evaporate than flow into the rivers.
Mr Plummer said good rains early in the year had barely dented the drought, and long-term trends pointed to six to seven years of below average rain in each decade. Of recent months, he said: "Autumn can only be described as an absolute shocker in terms of climate conditions for the basin.
Hunger lined up, quiet and orderly, in the summer heat of a Delaware County day.
Suburban women, many looking a decade older than their ages, awaited their turn to collect strawberries, bananas and bread being distributed by Philabundance, the hunger-relief agency, at a Delaware County Housing Authority building in Woodlyn.
Several of them, including Marisa Koerbel of Lower Merion, were there to plug the summer feeding gap - to find food for their children, who usually get free or reduced-price breakfasts and lunches in schools now closed for summer.
Hunger isn't just an empty plate on a Philly table.
It touches the suburbs, too. And the number of poor and working-poor families scrambling to find food outside Philadelphia is growing.
The 'free school lunch gap' that happens in the summer and on school breaks has been going on for years, but this is the first time I've seen it mentioned in a news article.
Quote:
In one district school, Rush Elementary, 56 percent of fifth graders are eligible for subsidized lunches, according to state figures.
Joined: Mar 26, 2008 Posts: 1401 Location: Seattle
Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 11:37 pm Post subject: Re: The Spreading Food Crisis Thread (U.S. & World)
roccman wrote:
off Kiplinger's agricultural report...
Quote:
June and July will be exceptionally critical for U.S. corn.
If the growing weather is poor, the U.S. will run out of corn
before the 2009 crop arrives...unfathomable for the world’s top grower
of corn. Persistent spring rain severely delayed corn planting from Mo.
Corn Falls to 1-Month Low on U.S. Stockpiles Forecast, Weather
By Jae Hur
July 14 (Bloomberg) -- Corn tumbled to a one-month low after a government report showed an increase in U.S. inventories before the 2009 harvest and on speculation ideal crop weather will help the U.S. crop recover from the worst Midwest flooding in 15 years.
About 833 million bushels of unsold corn will be on hand before next year's harvest, up from 673 million forecast a month ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said July 11. The surplus for the year ending Aug. 31 will be 1.598 billion bushels, up 12 percent from last month's estimate as ethanol-plant construction delays and falling demand for animal feed lifts this year's corn supply, the government said.
``The USDA report last Friday was the main catalyst for the movement in today's trade,'' said John Reeve, associate director for agricultural commodities at UBS AG in Singapore. ``The numbers were certainly very bearish for corn.''
Corn for December delivery lost as much as 24.75 cents, or 3.5 percent, to $6.845 a bushel, the lowest since June 11, in after-hours trading on the Chicago Board of Trade and stood at $6.86 as of 12:17 p.m. Singapore time.
The price declined 8.7 percent last week, the biggest such drop since March. Most-active futures still have almost doubled in the past year, reaching a record $7.9925 on June 27.
Global inventories will total 105.3 million tons, up 2 percent from 103.3 million tons predicted a month ago, and down from the 124.6 million expected this year, the USDA said July 11.
The corn market was also under pressure from forecasts for favorable crop weather this week that could help develop plants in the U.S. Midwest, said Takaki Shigemoto, an analyst at Tokyo- based broker Okachi & Co.
[...]
EDIT: Note a bit of demand destruction in that article too. _________________ Abundance - what a concept!
Last edited by OilFinder2 on Sun Jul 13, 2008 11:44 pm; edited 1 time in total
Joined: Mar 26, 2008 Posts: 1401 Location: Seattle
Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 11:42 pm Post subject: Re: The Spreading Food Crisis Thread (U.S. & World)
Also from that Bloomberg article:
Quote:
Wheat Falls
Wheat for September delivery declined as much as 1.5 percent to $8.18 a bushel and traded at $8.2075 as of 11:53 a.m. Singapore time. Prices have slumped 39 percent from a record $13.495 set on Feb. 27 as higher prices spurred farmers to boost planting.
The USDA predicted the U.S. winter-wheat crop will total 1.864 billion bushels after ample rain and warm temperatures in May and June helped plants in the southern Great Plains from Texas to Kansas. The harvest, which the USDA said was 52 percent complete as of July 6, has been helped by dry weather.
U.S. inventories of all varieties, before next year's harvest, are forecast to rise 75 percent to 537 million bushels, compared with 306 million this year. Last month, the government forecast reserves would rise to 487 million bushels.
This thread is so much fun. _________________ Abundance - what a concept!
Joined: May 10, 2007 Posts: 3317 Location: Resiliency Farm
Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 11:57 pm Post subject: Re: The Spreading Food Crisis Thread (U.S. & World)
OilFinder2 wrote:
This thread is so much fun.
Yes human suffering is so much fun.
Big of you to enjoy it.
Before you revile in those harvest reports maybe you should freaking ask if it is going into poor people's mouths or rich people's gas tanks. In case you didn't notice it this is a food thread and over the last few decades corn has started going into more products than your frosted flakes.
OF2 asks, food crisis? What food crisis?
Don't worry kid, abundance is just around the corner!
As PO advances expect more of these reality adverse entities to climb out of the woodwork. They would rather revel in voyages of fantasy imagery than face the enviable consequences of their own behavior. They have brought the meaning of cowardice to its ultimate plateau.
Joined: Dec 02, 2005 Posts: 6746 Location: Oil-addicted Southern Californucopia
Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 2:56 pm Post subject: Re: The Spreading Food Crisis Thread (U.S. & World)
People like OF2, Essex, JD, and so many others on these forums have caused a new term to find its way into the language: "Denialist". They like things the way they are, they can't accept the reality of change for the worse, and they refuse to admit even the slightest complicity in what is going down, so they work very hard to deny it. Think how much time OF2 must spend finding his tidbits of glad tidings!
Denial is an effective defense mechanism. Hard cases keep it up right into their graves, in spite of overwhelming evidence that they are wrong. _________________ "Thank you for attending the oil age. We're going to scrape what we can out of these tar pits in Alberta and then shut down the machines and turn out the lights. Goodnight." - seldom_seen
Joined: May 30, 2008 Posts: 296 Location: On the highway, or the water somewhere!
Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 3:19 pm Post subject: Re: The Spreading Food Crisis Thread (U.S. & World)
Zardoz wrote:
People like OF2, Essex, JD, and so many others on these forums have caused a new term to find its way into the language: "Denialist". They like things the way they are, they can't accept the reality of change for the worse, and they refuse to admit even the slightest complicity in what is going down, so they work very hard to deny it. Think how much time OF2 must spend finding his tidbits of glad tidings!
Denial is an effective defense mechanism. Hard cases keep it up right into their graves, in spite of overwhelming evidence that they are wrong.
I don't believe I am in either the doomer or the denial camps... BUT I have to comment that I do remember why arguments in grade school would descend into name calling... when there were no issues to present facts about... You might want to rethink your arguments and stick to facts and refrain from personal attacks...
Just a thought! You do believe you have facts to use don't you? _________________ Courtesy and Courage, Sincerity and Self-control, Honor and Loyalty...a Code to Live By!
Where is my wooden pitchfork and torch anyway? I may need them for a visit to the castle soon!
Last edited by the48thronin on Mon Jul 14, 2008 3:30 pm; edited 1 time in total
Joined: Dec 02, 2005 Posts: 6746 Location: Oil-addicted Southern Californucopia
Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 3:22 pm Post subject: Re: The Spreading Food Crisis Thread (U.S. & World)
the48thronin wrote:
Just a thought! You do believe you have facts to use don't you?
How about these: 800 million people around the globe are already malnourished and food prices are going through the roof, with no end in sight. Meanwhile, this cretin OF2 says it's fun. _________________ "Thank you for attending the oil age. We're going to scrape what we can out of these tar pits in Alberta and then shut down the machines and turn out the lights. Goodnight." - seldom_seen
Joined: May 30, 2008 Posts: 296 Location: On the highway, or the water somewhere!
Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 4:03 pm Post subject: Re: The Spreading Food Crisis Thread (U.S. & World)
Zardoz wrote:
the48thronin wrote:
Just a thought! You do believe you have facts to use don't you?
How about these: 800 million people around the globe are already malnourished and food prices are going through the roof, with no end in sight. Meanwhile, this cretin OF2 says it's fun.
So what's new about third world people starving? They just started ? Care and all the charity drives in the post ww2 era were fantasy rip offs?
This is a peak oil discussion... Your facts that show the actual cause of 800 million starving people were caused by the reaching of peak oil are? He has his views , you have yours, and mine are not in agreement with either of you...
Stop the name calling and bashing and groupie building , stand tall for what you believe and prove your arguments with reason and facts.
The price of food is rising, transportation costs are, but in fact only peripherally, the actual transporter has seen no raise in fee structure to reflect the raise in "transportation costs" in this country.. ( in other countries they are striking demanding higher fees so they have not yet received them either).
This one fact that the freight rate to haul the product to the retail outlet has not gone up does not cover all "transportation costs" nor does it address creation costs ( farm diesel, fertilizer etc).
these are facts as I know them, I come here to find OTHER facts, and frankly don't care to see screaming back yard name calling shoot outs... Just a comment... _________________ Courtesy and Courage, Sincerity and Self-control, Honor and Loyalty...a Code to Live By!
Where is my wooden pitchfork and torch anyway? I may need them for a visit to the castle soon!
Joined: May 10, 2007 Posts: 3317 Location: Resiliency Farm
Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 4:30 pm Post subject: Re: The Spreading Food Crisis Thread (U.S. & World)
The problem is a moral one.
Food prices are up, this is undeniable. OF2 would agree with it.
There were already ~800 million with food insecurity. Now there are more. there is debate about that number.
It is like looking at Nazi Germany and pointing out how great it was that the trains were running on time, disregarding the death and destruction that was served on others.
Yes the A) trains are running on time, yes production grain production might be up this year, it does not change the underlying facts that B) food will become precariously scarce or unaffordable in some parts of the world.
To sit someplace where one is not under threat (OF2 is in the United States and talks as if his income is secure) and rejoice at how great it is that a train is never late... without mentioning that the trains to "the camp" is equally efficient is morally wrong. The same efficient mechanisms that are resulting in more food being planted also deliver that food to ethanol plants and cow feed lots while more people go hungry because of high prices.
Call such a person what you will, the act itself is repugnant, regardless if it stems from ignorance or self-centeredness.
Joined: Jul 03, 2008 Posts: 12 Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 6:37 pm Post subject: Re: The Spreading Food Crisis Thread (U.S. & World)
I hardly think OilFinder2 is rejoicing in the fact that people around the globe are starving; seems to me he's pointing out his amusement at the back-and-forth banter in this thread. For people to be jumping on his case because of such a harmless comment strikes me as overly dramatic and self-righteous.
48thronin is right, a lot of the earth's inhabitants have been starving since the dawn of civilization. Unless my memory serves me quite poorly, I seem to remember plenty of commercials in the 90's urging us to help starving third-world children, and that was back when oil was $20 a barrel and gasoline was a dollar a gallon. Doesn't exactly seem like starvation is exclusively a peak-oil issue to me.
Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 10:41 pm Post subject: Re: The Spreading Food Crisis Thread (U.S. & World)
Peak oil could exacerbate the issue, but then again, that isn't peak oil strictly, it's our old friends greed again. If people want to waste a large chunk of food on meat, instead of helping those in need around the world, why would they all of a sudden not want to waste food on fuel, instead of helping those in need? Same shiz different dance. _________________
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