The business of talking.

In an email interview Shenggen Fan, Director of International Food Policy Research Institute says that there is a food crisis in the 3 west African countries hit by Ebola. Although global food prices are at their lowest level in 4 years the price of food in these countries has shot up by 24%. " In Kailahun agricultural district in Sierra Leone, 40% of farmers have abandoned their farms for safer zones and 90% of plots there are uncultivated, according to FAO," he said. His solution is " a conditional cash transfer programme linked to health can help improve access to nutritious foods...". Brilliant! How will these people buy nutritious foods if they are too terrified to go to the market, if the shops are closed because shopkeepers have moved away to a safer area or if transport drivers refuse to go into infected areas. We have written earlier that the solution to this crisis lies in a massive distribution of free food to everyone in these countries by international agencies. The total population of the 3 countries combined is just 20 million, equal to any large city, so it will cost much less than trying to provide medical care and isolation. Every family should be given a month's supply of rice or wheat, eggs, milk powder, tea, sugar, salt, oil, potatoes, onions, soap, toothpaste, and maybe a few live chickens. It would be safer, kinder and cheaper. Sadly, we cannot reach those in power and there are too many people who profit from the deaths of others. Meanwhile, the US has warned Russia from supporting separate elections in the east of Ukraine. It is alright for the US to back fraudulent elections in the west of the country, which ignores half the population, because this was won by those who support integration with Europe. The US considers itself a bastion of democracy and will ensure that every country adopts its diktats, by renditioning and water-boarding if necessary. Unfortunately, the US maybe a little late because there is every possibility that the European Union may fall apart as Germany fails to see why it should bail out economic indiscipline in other countries in the Eurozone. If the US can go around bullying others can China be left behind? China has the impertinence to warn India against any business with Vietnam because it thinks that it has the economic and military power to overpower others. A nation of brutal, uncivilised barbarians it has disputes with everyone of its neighbors, who should combine to resist its snarling. Finally, some light relief. The young punk, Bilawal Bhutto literally got eggs on his face, in London. Shoes as well we hear. He has vowed to make Kashmir a part of Pakistan. How we do not know.  Talk maybe cheap, but many people are making huge money from cheap talk.