And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.

Revelation 6:6

The price of rice has skyrocketed because of rising fuel and fertilizer cost, not to mention the damage to crops from disease, and pests, as well as the conversion of farm land to industrial land.

How ironic is this statement from the Jakarta Post...?

We should further reduce our dependence on imports

Hence the title of the Jakarta Post's article, "First fuel, now rice."

Astoundingly-- and I didn't know this prior to tonight's research --most rice is eaten in the country where it was grown. Only about 5% of a nation's total rice production is exported. Wow!

The price of wheat is up. The price of corn is up. And all the commodities that rely on these grains. Everything is going up.

How about this quote from The Daily Times of Pakistan,

[E]xporters cite three reasons for the price increase in the local market. Firstly, this year a 5 to 6 percent shortage... in rice production globally. Secondly, some countries are using food grain to make bio fuel, and thirdly, rice smuggling is also affecting local prices.

That's right! Rice smuggling!

American's have it SO easy! I buy rice all the time, but then I make considerably MORE than the average person living in Karachi, or Bangalore, or Phenom Pen. And I'm struggling! But my struggle is nothing compared to the struggle of farmers in Vietnam, Thailand, North Korea, or India-- that's farmers, forget the unemployed! My life is far better in terms of both need AND want fulfillment. My struggle is geared toward maintaining a specific life style, theirs is geared toward life! My struggle is geared toward avoiding a life on the street, or in a van down by the river... paying the bills so I can watch Battlestar Galactica! My struggle is no struggle at all compared to starving children in the Sudan; in sub-Saharan Africa.

I know everything comes and goes in cycles, just like global warming. But I also know that nothing ever drops back to what it was in terms of price, or the effort involved in earning enough to pay said price. Everything goes up, and nothing-- in this respect --comes down. Depending on how much we make, the price is either easier or harder to bear.

But a time is coming when EVERYONE will want for the basic necessities of life. Luxuries will be spared. Who, then, is going to buy caviar if they can't even afford rice?

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