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2.7 Million North Koreans Will Starve This Month Without Aid

CitizenSugar — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:30:04 -0700

According to the World Food Program, North Korea may be facing one of the most serious food crisis in its history. Nearly 2.7 million people who live on the country's west coast are facing starvation this month unless food does not reach them. 2.7 million. Hungry millions recalls the similarly stark problem in India.

The cause of the food shortages are for a variety of reasons, devastating floods in 2007, lack of employment, and a centralized leadership that has mismanaged resources. It is estimated that a recent famine has been responsible for nearly 2 million deaths already. The country has been relying on aid to feed its 23 million people.

To see who's been called upon to give them aid, read more.

South Korea, which has a typically hostile relationship with its northern neighbor, has not committed to sending aid as yet, despite the fact that the World Food Program has requested it. Their reluctance is due in part to heightened political tensions, including the shooting death of a South Korean tourist by a North Korean soldier at a resort.

In oddly related food news, scientists in England are developing foods that slow down the digestive system, signaling the brain to suppress appetite. It's a discovery that according to one professor, "would be a big help for people having trouble losing weight." It's a poignantly stark contrast between the global tug of the problems of the have-nots and have-way-too-muches.

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Saudi Arabia Donates $500 Million to Help Food Crisis

LibertySugar — Sat, 24 May 2008 11:00:52 -0700

Saudi Arabia made an impressive $500 million donation to the United Nations World Food Program, the UN announced Friday.

The country, benefiting from high oil prices while many others feel the pinch, is doing its part to help assuage the developing global crisis caused by rising food prices. The effects have been seen all over the world. In Mexico, the government is preparing for a backlash against rising tortilla prices, in Suburbia, USA, big box stores have rationed staples, and in Haiti the government collapsed over the crisis.

Saudi Arabia produces 9 million barrels of oil a day and oil prices have now topped $130 a barrel. You don't even have to do the math to know that's a whole lot of revenue.

The UN World Food Program, the world's largest humanitarian operation, set a goal of $755 million to be raised by all its member agencies. Thirty-two countries added to the Saudi donation, contributing a total of $960 million, exceeding the target significantly. Hopefully the money will quickly help the 130 million of people in hunger as a result of rising food prices.

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Front Page: Tornadoes in VA, Militants Killed in Sadr City, UN Food Task Force

CitizenSugar — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 06:47:41 -0700

Tornadoes in VA: Three tornadoes raced through southern Virginia yesterday afternoon, leaving more than 200 people hurt. One of the twisters left a 25-mile path of destruction. A man who works for a tree removal service and had been out for hours trying to clear the roads said, "it's just a bunch of broken power poles, telephone lines and sad faces.'" About 3,000 residents remain without power. Gov. Tim Kaine has declared a state of emergency in some areas. He will be touring the hardest hit regions today.

Militants Killed in Sadr City: The US military reports that at least 28 militants have been killed during battles in the Sadr City area of Baghdad. Intensified fighting between militants loyal to Shia cleric Muqtada al Sadr and US and Iraqi forces in the Iraqi capital sparked after militia members attacked coalition positions Sunday during a sandstorm. Last week Muqtada al Sadr instructed his supporters that they should continue "resisting" the US "occupation" of Iraq, but they should not fight Iraqis.
UN Food Task Force: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is setting up a task force to tackle the global food crisis. Blaming soaring food prices, Ban said the world faces "widespread hunger, malnutrition and social unrest on an unprecedented scale." The first priority to get food to the hungry is to close this year's $755 million funding gap for the UN's World Food Programme (WFP). He urged countries pledging money to make the funds available now. The WFP believes 100 million people currently don't have enough food.

Rationing! It's Not Just For Your Grandparents Anymore

CitizenSugar — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 08:02:57 -0700

Call it the Big-Box Tipping Point, but you know the global food crunch has solidified from sad headline to international reality when your local Costco gets walloped.

Shoppers at the Costco in Mountain View, CA felt the first tremors of the clamp down this week - no rice! The usually packed shelves held but a few jumbo bags of rice and shoppers faced something the US hasn't really seen since WWII: rationing.

That's right. Rationing. The sign above the dwindling supply read: "Due to the limited availability of rice, we are limiting rice purchases based on your prior purchasing history." It's not just limited to rice - a Costco store in Queens has limits were imposed on purchases of oil and flour. The meager supply is partially responsible for emptying the shelves, but it's also human nature. To see how, read more.

The editor of SurvivalBlog.com says it's a hoarding instinct. "There have been so many stories about worldwide shortages that it encourages people to stock up. What most people don't realize is that supply chains have changed, so inventories are very short. Even if people increased their purchasing by 20 percent, all the store shelves would be wiped out."

Of course the Costco situation is but a ripple world wide. The head of the UN World Food Programme just admitted urgent action is required to stimulate food production and help the poor cope with soaring food prices. 100 million people who did not need assistance six months ago, cannot now afford to purchase food.

Liberians are getting creative in the face of surging rice prices - local people are changing life-long habits and switching to cheaper staple foods such as spaghetti. The Costco shortage is similar in Liberia as the country imports 90% of its rice from Asia and the US. Earlier this month in Egypt, anger over rising food prices and the cost of living sparked street battles between crowds and police producing some stunning stories that make the Costco blip seem like an omen.

It's clear now that action is needed. Is rationing the way to go? On this Earth Day when thoughts turn to using less, would you be willing to accept a stamp book program like the one used in World War II? Can you imagine turning in ration stamps for butter, sugar, or meat? Is that structure exactly what we need to encourage people to make conscious consumption decisions?

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Hungry World - Are We Headed For a Global Food Crisis?

CitizenSugar — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:00:30 -0700

It's not fun dinnertime conversation, but the amount of news and the potential effects of growing food prices released today makes it hard to ignore. No scare-tactics, just the facts:

India has halted rice exports. The price of rice has doubled in the last month. India is the number two rice producer after China, and exports more than 4 million tons every year. Now that they're not exporting, there could be more big rice price jumps. It's a staple food for half the world population, especially for poor and for Asian populations. Other rice-producing countries are considering following suit.
US corn farmers are expected to plant less corn this year, due in part to the high cost of growing it as well as the high price they get for growing the crop for ethanol. The high corn prices will affect beef and poultry producers, passing high prices on to consumers.
The UN World Food Programme said food prices are affecting their ability to feed around 73 million people. They've already been forced to increase its budget by an extra half a billion dollars this year.
The LA Times ran a story today called "A Perfect Storm of Hunger," pointing to ballooning food and fuel prices, a slumping dollar, the demand for biofuels and a string of poor harvests. All of these factors mean that the number of needy is skyrocketing.

All of these stories appeared within the last 24 hours. Is it a case media alarm, or are we headed for big problem?

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Dirt Cakes & Ding-Dongs: Haiti & US Face Unique Food Crises

CitizenSugar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 08:00:58 -0700

With my appetite sufficiently dampened by the up-to-the minute reports of McCain's facial growth, this story erased it completely, and the picture reduced me to tears. These children live in the Haitian, Port-au-Prince slum of Cite Soleil. Some kids make mud pies for play - but the children in the picture survive on dirt cakes. They eat them.

Like in the pictures below, the cakes are molded of mud and fat and allowed to dry in the sun, the only form of sustenance many Haitians can afford after rice and bean prices have risen 100 percent. One woman who makes the dirt cakes says, "it stops the hunger. You eat them when you have to."

View 5 Photos ›

The Director of the aid agency Christian Aid says, "food is available but people cannot afford to buy it. If the situation gets worse we could have starvation in the next six to 12 months." Food aid has been delayed.

While more than 50 percent of Haitians are undernourished, a new study about the state of the future of the US waistline is even harder to stomach. To see it and a clever way you can help feed the hungry, read more.

By the year 2030, most adults in the US will be overweight or obese according to a new study to be published in the July issue of the Obesity journal. By most, they mean 86 percent. Health care spending is projected to be as much as $957 billion, with one in every six bucks spent going to obesity related care.

While obesity in the US is a now a public health crisis, you can help provide food for people with the exact opposite problem, without leaving your computer. The UN World Food Programme has a vocabulary game called FreeRice. For every correct answer, you give a donation of 20 grains of rice to the WFP. I just donated 100 right now. Put your thinking cap on and get clicking. These kids need it.

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Briefing Book! Illegally Hired Judges More Likely to Deport

LibertySugar — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:30:33 -0700

Justice Department: Was that the point? Immigration judges illegally hired under Monica Goodling more likely to rule for deportation. - Talking Points Memo
Cindy McCain: Why is Cindy McCain going to Georgia? Cindy's headed to the conflict with the UN World Food Programme. - Donklephant
Serbia: Statue syndrome? Large Roman statue of Bob Marley turns up in Serbia. - The Lede
Russia: Russia recognizes breakaway Georgian regions. Secretary Rice calls it "extremely unfortunate." - Huffington Post

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