Something's happening to me!
30 11 10 - 10:31
Our modern society is undergoing two things at the same time: one, a short-term recession that really isn't a big deal; two, and we're only seeing this because of the recession, a lack of options brought on by our long-term inability to plan for anything but equality, consumerism, social subsidies/socialism, and the ever-popular but indecisive democracy.
Global grain production will tumble by 63 million metric tons this year, or 2 percent over all, mainly because of weather-related calamities like the Russian heat wave and the floods in Pakistan, the United Nations estimates in its most recent report on the world food supply. The United Nations had previously projected that grain yields would grow 1.2 percent this year.
The fall in production puts the world âdangerously closeâ to a new food crisis, Abdolreza Abbassian, an economist with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, said at a news conference last week.
Rising demand and lower-than-expected yields caused stocks of some grains to fall sharply and generated high volatility in world food markets in the latter half of the year. Prices for some commodities are approaching levels not seen since 2007 and 2008, when food shortages prompted riots around the world. - NYT
Hint: to be sociable, act like you're surprised. How could this happen! And to such nice people as us!
When your whole society is an ad hoc system based on the demands of individuals, both through consumer products and government subsidies, instability results because no one is planning for the future or steering us to a sensible goal. It's whatever you want, man. Whatever's easiest is what goes and consequences? Consequences? What the hell are you talking about man?
thirteen comments
I still don't get this. What type of "goal" do you have in mind? More to the point, what goal that would make problems like this a thing of the past?
I thought this site was all about the idea that there is no such thing as a utopia, and no "just sign here" formula to get things right.
So it seems to me that the role that the government has now, to respond to the demands of individuals, is exactly what you'd expect from a government in tune with the reality that you are so fond of.
The government's only goal is, and should be, to preserve security, propserity and justice for its citizens the best way it can. Setbacks can't be avoided totally, but they can be responded to in the best we we know how to at that point.
Again, I don't see what the big deal is. Dave (Email ) - 02-12-’10 10:22
Anybody who tries to argue over "correct" views, even self-evident things such as uplifting the great and destroying the petty, obviously has no idea what nihilism is really about. Hesbollah1488 (URL) - 04-12-’10 14:42
For the second, that's what the democratic process is all about. It's not perfect, and not everyone will be happy, but in the long run it works better than many other possible solutions.
As for the third question, that decision need not be made as an absolute. Dave (Email ) - 04-12-’10 15:12