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John Larkin John Larkin is offline
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Default Oil prices climb to $101.11 a barrel...

On Wed, 27 Feb 2008 22:21:53 -0800 (PST), James Arthur
wrote:

On Feb 27, 6:43 pm, John Larkin wrote:
On Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:12:47 -0800 (PST), James Arthur wrote:
On Feb 27, 9:35 am, "Frithiof Andreas Jensen" wrote:


[...]

What people *should* be watching is the price of Wheat, Soy Beans e.t.c.
because that is where trouble will come from. In the middle east, India and
Pakistan people are going from being middle class to having to choose
between heating and eating! China has enacted price controls - *ensuring* a
shortage (maybe they will shoot some farmers to get the point across that it
is well to produce at a loss)


You can thank the biofuel craze for that. Planting for burning drives
up food from supply *and* demand sides, plus all the downstream
products--and in other countries--too.


Unintended consequences:


1. Al Gore sounds alarm
2. biofuel craze
3. farmers grow feedstock for cars instead of people


Results:
4. Human misery increased
a. inflation, locally
b. food becomes unaffordable in Mexico and Haiti
c. people starve


5. Environment not improved
a. replacement food grown, appallingly inefficiently
b. net CO2 emissions increase


Best wishes,
James Arthur


So they gave the Nobel Peace Prize to a mass murderer.

John


http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22902512/

Intentions are fine, but one has to consider one's actions carefully.
"Activists" sometimes fall a little short in this department.

Cheers,
James Arthur



"At the market in the La Saline slum, two cups of rice now sell for 60
cents, up 10 cents from December and 50 percent from a year ago."

That's tragic. At the upscale Safeway down the street, I can get
premium-quality jasmine rice for about 40 cents a pound.

John