Thank you Hillbilly. That was very interesting article, and it offers an excellent perspective on the effects of the fuel/food crises.
This crises is certainly real and worldwide. The question is, what can be done about it?
Right now, no one really knows. To find a solution we must first understand its causes, and they are many and complex.
Obviously, fuel and food prices are the issues, but there is no generally accepted reason for their prices to climb.
There is no immediate shortage, per se, of either fuel or food, although in the long-run there could certainly be an acute shortage of both. There is no embargo of either (outside of the current tiff between Charvez and Bush) that can account for the sharp increase in prices. And there are no major distribution disruptions for either fuel or food. So what is causing the problem?
Conspiracy theorists could point to the historic meeting between Cheney and the big oil companies, but that is not really an answer. It is too convenient, doesn't really explain anything. While it is not unthinkable, it provide much of a realistic answer. How about The war in Iraq? It is possibly a factor, but it is not even close to being the entire reason.
More than likely there are many causes; supply and demand, profiteering, price gouging, waste, mismanagement, criminal activity, politics, stupidity, etc, etc. The fact is we may never be fully understood what brought about this situation.
Regardless of the causes or cures, this current crisis clearly cuts across borders, both political and economic. And those affected are many and diverse. To one degree or another, we are all in this thing together.
No one should underestimate the possible outcomes of this crisis. It has the potential to change the world as we know it, and we have a common interest in its impact, whether we like it or not.
It's like when we're watching an approaching hurricane. We need to be able to work together to avoid a wide-spread tragedy.