Never mind the economic crisis. Focus for a moment on a more urgent threat: the great food recession that is sweeping the world faster than the credit crunch. You have probably seen the figures by now: the price of rice has risen by three-quarters over the past year, that of wheat by 130%. There are food crises in 37 countries. One hundred million people, according to the World Bank, could be pushed into deeper poverty by the high prices.
But I bet that you have missed the most telling statistic. At 2.1bn tonnes, the global grain harvest broke all records last year - it beat the previous year's by almost 5%. The crisis, in other words, has begun before world food supplies are hit by climate change. If hunger can strike now, what will happen if harvests decline?
Comment: Yes, the article is surreal. The trouble is, Monbiot is writing about the final chapter of a train wreck that has been in the making for thousands of years. There is so much wrong about the way modern society is organized, that approaching from his position of trying to work out what to eat and what not to eat completely misses the fundamental point.
We are prisoners in a system that was set up to bring us where we are now. It is a system run by, and using a model of people who cannot consider long-term goals. They have no inner life that would permit them to imagine the consequences of what they do. Even then, they have no conscience, no ability to feel for another human being.
What we see today is the result of such individuals running the show, and no amount of tinkering a la Monbiot is going to fix it. Only getting down to the root of the problem, that is, understanding the true nature of the rulers of our planet, the psychopaths and other deviants, seeing the system they have constructed and how it has infiltrated itself into each of us, into how we think and act, and rooting this poison out of ourselves and our leaders out of their posts of authority, has any hope of improving our lot.
Zeinab Ghosn
YaLibnanMon, 14 Apr 2008 13:37 UTC
A significant proportion of Lebanese people have experienced at least one mental disorder at some point in their lives, according to a new study, with war exposure increasing the likelihood of onset.
The state Department of Health reported today one additional human case of West Nile virus for 2008. The new case is in Madison County
Valued for it's antibacterial and odor-fighting properties, nanoparticle silver is becoming the star attraction in a range of products from socks to bandages to washing machines. But as silver's benefits propel it to the forefront of consumer nanomaterials, scientists are recommending a closer examination of the unforeseen environmental and health consequences of nanosilver.
LINCOLN, Neb. -- The Legislature has advanced a bill that would require fluoride be added to water over the objection of some lawmakers who say the substance is poisonous.
Comment: So, despite:
1) the evidence being presented against fluoridation, and
2) the fact that most communities are already being fluoridated, and
3) many communities have previously chosen to opt-out of fluoridation,
the authoritarians such as Sen. Johnson are trying to introduce legislation to make fluoridation mandatory for all towns over 1000 people. Does this suggest some sort of agenda that might not be in the people's best interest? Even a - dare it be said - conspiracy of some sort?
Research has suggested vitamin supplements do not extend life and could even lead to a premature death. A review of 67 studies found "no convincing evidence" that antioxidant supplements cut the risk of dying.
Scientists at Copenhagen University said vitamins A and E could interfere with the body's natural defences. "Even more, beta-carotene, vitamin A, and vitamin E seem to increase mortality," according to the review by the respected Cochrane Collaboration.
Do you see a preponderance of middle aged women in your practices with no particular physical disease process, yet a variety of physical and/or emotional complaints, including: insomnia, weight loss or gain, depression, anxiety, phobias, broken bones, lacerations, or bruises? Some may report an overwhelming feeling of emptiness or doom. Others may talk about or attempt suicide.
Seoul, South Korea - South Korea dispatched 200 soldiers to chicken farms Wednesday to slaughter poultry infected with bird flu, as the government confirmed another outbreak of the disease.
In all the jabber about narcissism, the worst noise is this idea that hurting you is something narcissists do by accident.
If you get nothing else out of "What Makes Narcissists Tick," get the message that frees you of that ridiculous belief. Which is nothing but a baseless assumption.
I don't ask you to take my word for this. Test what I say when I say that
narcissists hurt you on purpose. Anyone can test any narcissist.
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| ©Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool
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| Echo and Narcissus, by John William Waterhouse
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Comment: If you can relate to the topic discussed in this article - and suspect that somebody in your life is trying to manipulate you in similar ways, there is help.
First, however, it is your responsibility to become informed - here's a good start:
Narcissism Victim Syndrome - a new diagnosis?
The genetic factors that are associated with fears seem to change as children and adolescents age. According to a report in the April issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry, a JAMA/Archives journal, some hereditary factors decrease in importance while others appear or become more important over time.
During childhood and adolescent development, the nature itself of common fears change. There are two major hypotheses proposed for the genetic basis of this observation. According to the authors: "The 'developmentally stable' hypothesis predicts that a single set of genetic risk factors impacts the level of fears at age 8 years and these same genes constitute the only genetic influences on fear-proneness throughout development." They continue,"By contrast, the 'developmentally dynamic' hypothesis predicts that genetic effects on fear-proneness will vary over time."
Comment: Yes, the article is surreal. The trouble is, Monbiot is writing about the final chapter of a train wreck that has been in the making for thousands of years. There is so much wrong about the way modern society is organized, that approaching from his position of trying to work out what to eat and what not to eat completely misses the fundamental point.
We are prisoners in a system that was set up to bring us where we are now. It is a system run by, and using a model of people who cannot consider long-term goals. They have no inner life that would permit them to imagine the consequences of what they do. Even then, they have no conscience, no ability to feel for another human being.
What we see today is the result of such individuals running the show, and no amount of tinkering a la Monbiot is going to fix it. Only getting down to the root of the problem, that is, understanding the true nature of the rulers of our planet, the psychopaths and other deviants, seeing the system they have constructed and how it has infiltrated itself into each of us, into how we think and act, and rooting this poison out of ourselves and our leaders out of their posts of authority, has any hope of improving our lot.