Skyrocketing food prices worldwide spur riots and unrest.

[Missouri Blue]

I agree with CNN that this is the biggest story right now-- forget the campaign, the candidates and the war in Iraq. This is turning into a world-wide disaster. Rice prices have gone up 75 percent, (450 percent annually) wheat has surged 120 percent in the last year.

The food hyper-inflation is bad enough, but it may be the canary in the mineshaft. But possible reasons for it may be even worse: high oil prices, peak oil, erosion, global warming, the death of bees are all terrible to consider. Or it may be simply ethanol that's causing the trouble. At the very least, our government should think twice about Ethanol.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas...

[zonmoy]

1. global civilization is nearing its end.

I no longer believe that any other explanation is possible. The great die off of most of mankind is beginning.

[sandnsea]

2. I suggested WE stop buying rice

Because we don't need it in this country. But oh hell no, the DU fuckwits have to jump in with their lame ass excuses why they MUST eat rice.

There is plenty of food. There are just people who don't have the money to buy the food. If we send them money, they'll be able to buy the food.

[TexasBushwhacker]

3. and then some

"The food hyper-inflation is bad enough, but it may be the canary in the mineshaft. But possible reasons for it may be even worse: high oil prices, peak oil, erosion, global warming, the death of bees are all terrible to consider. Or it may be simply ethanol that's causing the trouble. At the very least, our government should think twice about Ethanol."

I think it's all of the above and throw in GMO's and hybrids that are created to increase yield for a single planting season, but produce sterile seeds (which means that the farmer must buy new seeds every year instead of using the ones from his own crop). The thing that's so sad to me is that, no big surprise here, the crisis seems to come from the greed of big corporations. Farmer's are used to dealing with natural catastrophes. It's just part of being a farmer. But so much of the current food crisis is because of man-made problems. It's just not right.