ST Alpha - "While rising food prices were not the �primary cause� for political unrest in Africa and the Middle East, they were �an aggravating factor,� Zoellick " (Reading a Post)

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While rising food prices were not the �primary cause� for political unrest in Africa and the Middle East, they were �an aggravating factor,� Zoellick

Posted by Loyola Feb 15 '11, 11:36

said on a conference call today.

Wheat and corn prices in Chicago have extended gains this year after jumping at least 47 percent in 2010.

�Global food prices are rising to dangerous levels and threaten tens of millions of poor people around the world,� World Bank President Robert Zoellick said today in an e-mailed statement. �The price hike is already pushing millions of people into poverty and putting stress on the most vulnerable, who spend more than half of their income on food.�

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-15/food-price-jump-pushes-44-million-into-extreme-poverty-world-bank-says.html (www.bloomberg.com)

Responses:

historically man had spent half his time and income on food and only 10% or so on shelter... - zeitgeist Feb 15, 11:59 1
- so, 60% on food and shelter and 40% on what? sex? -- nm - decline Feb 15, 12:00
I would need to google this (mara? anyone?) but I read that people in that part of the world spend some crazy proportion of their income on food, - loosilu Feb 15, 11:41 16
- food makes up a bigger proportion of the cpi on lots of countries. in the us it's 7.8%, but in most countries.... - x Feb 15, 11:54 3
  - You know, that chart all by itself kinda explains why we are so fat. -- nm - loosilu Feb 15, 11:56 1
    - What a dumb generalization -- nm - con_carne Feb 15, 12:08
  - thanks, that's just what I was hoping for. -- nm - loosilu Feb 15, 11:55
- From 2008 : "2.6 billion people live on $2 a day or less. They spend approximately 50 percent of their income on food." -- (link) - mara Feb 15, 11:48 6
  - that's an incredible number of people. -- nm - loosilu Feb 15, 11:52 2
    - "The average U.S. consumer spent 9.8 percent of disposable personal income (income available after taxes) on all food in 2007" -- (link) - mara Feb 15, 11:56 1
      - *tries to do the math* Yeah, I was over. Probably about 15% -- nm - Will Hunting Feb 15, 11:57
  - Mmm, vanderslice... -- nm - con_carne Feb 15, 11:52
  - thank god for the Dollar Menu at Mickey D's -- nm - moles Feb 15, 11:48 1
    - Hunger Notes sounds like a great foodie blog - con_carne Feb 15, 11:56
- I heard some dude named Zoellick said it was more than half -- nm - decline Feb 15, 11:42 4
  - yes. :) but I wanted a number. - loosilu Feb 15, 11:43 3
    - over 50 percent. -- nm - Dr.Vermin Feb 15, 11:47 2
      - and for the US, smarty? -- nm - loosilu Feb 15, 11:51
      - you just made that up! -- nm - Epiphany Feb 15, 11:48
We have things so good in America. Cheap food is such a given here... -- nm - con_carne Feb 15, 11:38 2
- Most things are cheap here, unless there's a high labor component. -- nm - ceregon Feb 15, 11:46
- word -- nm - Obesity Feb 15, 11:40

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While rising food prices were not the �primary cause� for political unrest in Africa and the Middle East, they were �an aggravating factor,� Zoellick

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