Globally, Obese Now Outnumber the Hungry (Says Red Cross)

From Yahoo Health. Never mind the obvious health implications--this has an economic clue: most of us are getting more affluent, so we're able to obtain more calories. For an example, just look at our own poor--in spite of obese people being on food stamps, there is no hunger in this country! Now we have proof that hunger is being eliminated worldwide in spite of a global economic slowdown and spiraling food inflation!

"Obese people now outnumber the hungry globally, but hardship for the undernourished is increasing amid a growing food crisis, the International Federation of the Red Cross warned Thursday.

The Geneva-based humanitarian group focused on nutrition in its annual World Disasters Report, released in New Delhi, seeking to highlight the disparity between rich and poor, as well problems caused by a recent spike in prices.

In statistics used to underline the unequal access to food, the IFRC stressed there were 1.5 billion people suffering obesity worldwide last year, while 925 million were undernourished.

"If the free interplay of market forces has produced an outcome where 15 percent of humanity are hungry while 20 percent are overweight, something has gone wrong somewhere," secretary general Bekele Geleta said in a statement.

Asia-Pacific director Jagan Chapagain called it a "double-edged scandal" at a press conference in the Indian capital, adding that "excess nutrition now kills more than hunger."

The problem of hunger existed not because there was a lack of food globally, he stressed, but because of poor distribution, wastage and rising prices that made food unaffordable. Food prices have spiked globally in 2011, raising fears of a re-run of the crisis seen in 2008 which led to riots and political instability in many countries.

The rise in food prices, which the IFRC blamed on speculative commodity trading and climate change, among other factors, is seen as having contributed to the unrest witnessed in north Africa and the Middle East this year.

"A new round of food inflation... is plunging many of the world's poorest people into deeper poverty and situations of severe hunger and malnourishment," the organisation said.

The World Disasters Report is an annual publication by the group seeking to highlight an area of global concern. Last year's study focused on urbanisation, while 2009's was on HIV and health."

The Red Cross chooses to focus on the health implications of being (or getting) obese, while ignoring the wealth implications. Obese people just don't become obese overnight by themselves--they get that way through excessive wrong calories. How are they getting these excessive wrong calories? They're buying, bartering, or self-acquiring them (through hunting, fishing, gardening, etc.). In other words, they're becoming AFFLUENT enough to afford them.

Notice the proliferation of fast food outlets and soda brands being sold overseas? Even Osama bin Laden had a stash of Pepsi in his last apartment before he was killed! I guarantee it wasn't just given to him--he (or someone) had to pay for it.

Affluence is what puts the Red cross out of business, as well as keeping them in business through donations. Pretty soon, the Red Cross won't have a reason to exist, except for temporary assistance in disaster zones.

The horn of Africa is not a disaster zone--it's the result of NOT migrating when they had the chance. Neanderthal and Paleo man left Africa millenia ago because weather and hunting conditions were no longer favorable to living there--even the local animals have a migratory path!

What's worse of all this is the fact that the Red Cross and other relief agencies aren't just there for relief--they've become a permanent part of the landscape; Africa's food stamp program if you will. And just what are they eating? Grains, powdered milk, and a peanut butter/milk slurry for the kids.

What do these foods contribute to? Obesity. So the poorest of the poor are going from near-death straight into obesity, courtesy of aid workers, the U.N., and Uncle Sam's subsidized surplus.

Instead of sending in the Red Cross, I suggest we send in farmers to get a crop growing, and to teach the natives how to grow for themselves in harsh climates. As usual, we're only making the disaster worse by just handing them food. When is it ever going to end?

The answer is never. Just like this economic disaster--as long as we keep getting bailed out, handed out, charitied out, and community resourced out, we're never going to attempt to get back up on our own feet, because we're swimming in incentives to slack off. We will collapse under the weight of tyranny of the typical.

Texas is suffering from severe drought, and has been in a drought stage for years--where is the Red Cross? Nowhere near Texas, except probably near the wildfire areas. They won't be there for long.

Commodity speculation alone isn't to blame for the food inflation crisis--what caused the traders to run to commodities in the first place? Obama, Tim Geithner, and Ben Bernanke--the trio of trouble, along their policies of instability, and the desire to remove competition from the reward equation. To them, the spoils should go to ALL and not just the victor, even if they have to take them away and give them to someone else (who just might vote for Obama in the next election). What happened in the process? We're competing even harder, using unconventional methods to stay ahead of the game. We can still win by voting one out, and in turn, the replacement can get rid of the other two--it won't help Africa's drought, but it may help Africa in the long run. It will definitely help America!

Witness what's going on in the E.U. and Greece--the IMF wants to bail out Greece, but can't do it alone, or directly--other member nations are expected to hand over money to the IMF, then the IMF hands it over to Greece...but for how long, and is Greece the only beneficiary of this scheme? The answers are as long as it takes, and no, other member countries are waiting in the bailout wings. The IMF is so desperate to redistribute wealth, it's even taking donations from other countries such as South America and Asia.

America's been here before, and we know how this is going to end--it'll end just like Lehman Bros. did, only on a region-wide level. Then it will likely end on a WWIII note, with the haves (Germany) against the have-nots (everybody else in Europe). Liberalization and the lack of competition for reward usually ends this way.