Food riots turn deadly in Haiti

Food riots turn deadly in Haiti

news.bbc.co.uk

At least four people were killed and 20 wounded when demonstrations against rising food prices turned into riots in southern Haiti, officials say.

(visit the link for the full news article)


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Yet another case of global outrage to the rising food costs. It is fairly alarming to look at the other supporting headlines on the page.

Riots prompt Ivory Coast tax cuts
Egyptians hit by rising food prices
India introduces rice export ban
Australia's food bowl lies empty
UK impact: Tale of two farmers
Q&A: Rising world food prices

This is getting pretty serious. It seems like there is a larger underlying story that is being kept from us though.

news.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by Karlhungis


Serious? I would tend to agree. Destabilizing the money supply is one thing... I'm sure that can evenyually be fixed. A destabilized food supply is not so easily fixable and the consequences, it seems to me, will spread fast and wide.

So, speaking of money and food...

"Zimbabwe’s new $50 million bill - enough to buy a loaf of bread''
www.bostonherald.com...

reply to post by RabbitChaser


I wonder if you could buy that loaf of bread with 1's? Do they even make smaller bills?


Back on topic, I watched a documentary on Monsanto controlling the worlds crops. It is pretty disturbing. It is a low grade documentary, but the points are still valid.

video.google.com...

Google Video Link

[edit on 6-4-2008 by Karlhungis]

[edit on 6-4-2008 by Karlhungis]

Here is a supporting article to the monsanto video posted above

www.iht.com...

Despair takes toll on Indian farmers

The modified seed sold for about four and a half times the cost of normal seed, but many farmers opted to buy it because they believed it was indestructible and would give a higher yield.

They were devastated when many of the Bt cotton plants were afflicted in November with a reddening that destroyed much of the crop. Rain at the wrong time was considered part of the problem, and that left the farmers with unusually high debts

In the Vidarbha cotton belt, which stretches across central India, to the eastern part of the state of Maharashtra, 451 cotton farmers have killed themselves since the beginning of this harvest; about 2,300 have committed suicide since 2000.

I hate being the only one responding to my thread... but here is another update.

www.cnn.com...
U.N. food agency seeks more aid for Haiti

The World Food Programme on Monday appealed to the international community for money to support its operations in Haiti, where at least four people have died during two days of rioting over the price of food.

"What we see in Haiti is what we're seeing in many of our operations around the world -- rising prices that mean less food for the hungry," said WFP's Sheeran. "A new face of hunger is emerging: even where food is available on the shelves, there are now more and more people who simply cannot afford it."

Eighty percent of the 8.7 million Haitians live in poverty and 54 percent live in abject poverty, according to the CIA's World Factbook.

This will conveniently wipe out the poor, leaving the wealthy burdened but relatively unharmed.

Haitian rioters storm presidential palace

www.cnn.com...

"We are hungry! He must go!" protesters shouted as they tried to break into the presidential palace by charging its chained gates with a rolling dumpster. Moments later, Brazilian soldiers in blue U.N. helmets arrived on jeeps and assault vehicles, firing rubber bullets and tear gas canisters and forcing protesters away from the gates.

Just another update. Now they are storming the presidential palace. I wonder how isolated this event will be. Looks like I am the only one who is interested though

reply to post by Karlhungis


We'll probably be sending troops within weeks if not sooner if things do not get better. Troops that will deliver aid, not the invading kind.

reply to post by MikeboydUS


You would hope that the UN could handle something like this. They are already there delivering aid in the form of rubber bullets and tear gas. It is pretty sad that the UN can't even handle something like this without calling on our troops. It's not like we don't already have our hands full.

As the problem continues to spread around the world, I wonder just how much help the UN and the US will be willing to give. I wonder when they will just throw their hands up and say screw it, we can't help everyone.

reply to post by Karlhungis


Between this and the Bird Flu its going to be crazy.

If it gets too bad the UN and its aid agencies will collapse, nations will stop exporting food, and we'll have our own riots to worry about here at home.