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Food security and the coming storm

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Re: Food security and the coming storm

#21

Post by aftbit »

lotusmars wrote: post #10

Putin already hinted that in exchange of lifting sanctions he will ship grain from occupied Ukraine. I'm pretty sure that Western politicans will scream "no way" initially but will quietly give in later. Just they way they gave in to Putin's demands to pay for gas in rubles. Whole rush on occopying south Ukraine (and levelling cities like Mariupol) was for Putin to have grains shortage as yet another leverage on Euro…

Wow I didn't realize the ruble has been strengthening despite the sanctions, but it is true.[1]

1: https://www.google.com/finance/quote/RUB-USD?window=6M

Re: Food security and the coming storm

#22

Post by ImHereToVote »

lotusmars wrote: post #17
ImHereToVote wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I dunno. Mariupol doesn't look that flattened to me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1I8SZeXGFo

Plese don't spread Russian propaganda. Graham Philips worked a token "pro-Putin Westerner" on RT and Zvezda, which is literally Russian army's TV channel. He's as shilly as it gets.

Yeah, I guess all those ethnic Russians that live in Mariupol are all payed actors. And those concrete buildings that are all in actuality flattened. Elaborate actors, the whole lot.

Re: Food security and the coming storm

#23

Post by 5e92cb50239222b »

pharmakom wrote: post #20
jillesvangurp wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm less pessimistic. People in the US, and increasingly the rest of the world are on a diet that just isn't good for them: lots of low quality carbs with cheap fat and artificial flavorings and not a whole lot of nutritional value. Arguably, a large part of the population is eating way more than is good for them and not enough good quality food. And it's not just a money issue: it's a skill and knowledge issue. Peop…

Time for me is by far the limiting factor. Short of a personal chef (too expensive) all the quick options are unhealthy. Edit: Loads of people suggesting cooking - I know how to cook, I just don’t have the time or energy. It’s not just preparation time but also the planning aspect. Meal prep delivery services suggestions are interesting. I have tried a few and found them expensive and low quality. Open to trying more…

'All' is a bit of a stretch. I have a relatively healthy diet, and food preparation time is a non-issue. If you're fine with simple dishes (like chopping up vegetables in a simple salad and eating them raw), it doesn't take more than 20 minutes per day total. Growing up poor in the middle of nowhere helps here.

Re: Food security and the coming storm

#25

Post by Throwawayaerlei »

cpursley wrote: post #14
bombcar wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Much of the regulations in the USA are mainly now used to keep the main businesses in those markets safe from competitors.

There's a term for this: Crony Capitalism

And before that, fascism Italian style, or national syndicalism as I see Wikipedia calls it. Hard to say we in the US aren't already there in many sectors where big companies work hand in glove with the Federal government such as much of the "surveillance state." Which the companies don't have much choice in acquiescing to unless their leaders want to end up in Federal prison like Qwest's Joseph Nacchio.

Going back to farming, the Federal government assumed near total control over a great of it in the New Deal, down to how much you could charge for selling a kosher chicken (A.L.A. Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States "the surname Schechter means "slaughter" in Yiddish, and specifically refers to a ritual slaughterer") and the two have been inextricably linked since then.

And until about now things have been a lot better, for before WWII at the same time food production was limited by diktat and there were newsreels of it being destroyed, the USDA also believed about a quarter of the nation was malnourished which was confirmed in the WWII draft. Which I've read was major factor in establishing the school lunch program.

Re: Food security and the coming storm

#26

Post by hn_throwaway_99 »

h2odragon wrote: post #2

Another: https://jeffreycarter.substack.com/p/no-one-is-talking-about... Few seem to want to talk about this, they want to talk about how coming shortages will best be solved by giving them power or at the least listening to their advice. For all the "Baby formula shortage" media coverage, how many stories have included a recipe for alternatives to commercial formula? Mostly I've seen admonitions to not try making ba…

> For all the "Baby formula shortage" media coverage, how many stories have included a recipe for alternatives to commercial formula? Mostly I've seen admonitions to not try making baby food at home, which is incredibly useless for people trying to feed kids.

Thanks for pointing this out. It's like we've forgotten how to function as humans in some respect.

Baby formula isn't some magical combination of ingredients. And I get it, authorities are wary to recommend recipes because of the risk of people fucking it up. But when people are out of options they'll likely make worse decisions, like watering down formula.

Re: Food security and the coming storm

#27

Post by lotusmars »

aftbit wrote: post #21
lotusmars wrote: post #10

Putin already hinted that in exchange of lifting sanctions he will ship grain from occupied Ukraine. I'm pretty sure that Western politicans will scream "no way" initially but will quietly give in later. Just they way they gave in to Putin's demands to pay for gas in rubles. Whole rush on occopying south Ukraine (and levelling cities like Mariupol) was for Putin to have grains shortage as yet another leverage on Euro…

Wow I didn't realize the ruble has been strengthening despite the sanctions, but it is true.[1] 1: https://www.google.com/finance/quote/RUB-USD?window=6M

I was shocked to learn that most Westerners (especially Americans) believe that sanctions actually worked.

Most believe that SWIFT was cut for Russian banks (most are working fine). That you can't buy USD in Russia (it's absolutely available both in banks and on the street, actually there's overabundance of hard currency due to gas and oil prices).

Yes, McDonald's took down its logo. But it's already opening under new name with same operations and franchise intact.

Yes, no official iPhones. So what, ruble is so strong now it's hard to feel a thing, you can get them via Kazakhstan or Dubai.

Americans bought Biden's "crushing sanctions" rhethoric and cheap pledges of "support" to Ukraine and looked the other way.

Re: Food security and the coming storm

#28

Post by eropple »

gadflyinyoureye wrote: post #13
dontbenebby wrote: post #5

Doesn't seem to factor in that cheap solar will make desalination much cheaper, but an interesting article for sure.

A large issue is where do you put the brackish or super-salted water? Desalination is great as long as you have the waste impacts managed.

Extremely not an expert, but I wonder if dehydrating it out doesn’t make sense? Solid-form salts are easier to dispose of.

Re: Food security and the coming storm

#29

Post by lotusmars »

ImHereToVote wrote: post #22
lotusmars wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Plese don't spread Russian propaganda. Graham Philips worked a token "pro-Putin Westerner" on RT and Zvezda, which is literally Russian army's TV channel. He's as shilly as it gets.

Yeah, I guess all those ethnic Russians that live in Mariupol are all payed actors. And those concrete buildings that are all in actuality flattened. Elaborate actors, the whole lot.

Yep, saying this as a Russian, Russian media will show you a small part of the city with a staged crowd carrying Russian flags and tell you it's the whole city.

They've done it for years. It's a shame some people in the West are fooled by these cynical lies.

For others reading it, just google areal videos of Mariupol from The Guardian or BBC. It's shocking how West allowed this to happen in 21st century.

Re: Food security and the coming storm

#30

Post by usrn »

davio wrote: post #9
bombcar wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One should never make long term contracts for delivery without long term contracts for supply, or at least something to hedge against supply costs.

“The farmer is the only man in our economy who buys everything at retail, sells everything at wholesale, and pays the freight both ways.” — John F. Kennedy.

He might be our most underrated president.
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