I get nauseated just thinking about this. How unbelievable that such blatant excess happens when talking about a problem that is a matter of life and death to so many on this planet earth.
But yesterday the Prime Minister and other world leaders sat down to an 18-course gastronomic extravaganza at a G8 summit in Japan, which is focusing on the food crisis.
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I did not find any major U.S. coverage of this obscenity, just UK articles and on Democracy Now a discussion on this between Amy Goodman and Frances Moore Lappé. Here is the Democracy Now link:
http://www.democracynow.org/...
The planners of the event really did themselves "proud" to promote gluttony at a time like this. I would have thought they would be well aware that within minutes the information about this event will be known to people world-wide.
This link is to the article I first read on this subject, an where all quoted text is from:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/... Here is a recent snapshot of the problem:
A World Bank study released last week estimated that up to 105 million more people, including 30 million in Africa, could drop below the poverty line because of rising food prices.
The extravagant meal was immediately and soundly criticized. For example:
But Dominic Nutt, of the charity Save the Children, did not approve.
'It is deeply hypocritical that they should be lavishing course after course on world leaders when there is a food crisis and millions cannot afford a decent meal,' he said.
One leader, Gordon Brown, has given his critics a lot of ammunition to use against him, because he recently has chastised his nation for food waste in their households.
On Sunday, Mr Brown called for prudence and thrift in our kitchens, after a Government report concluded that 4.1 million tonnes of food was being wasted by householders.
I will continue to look for MSM coverage, and will update, if I find any. I have been unable to find a list of the representatives attending the meeting, and will update for that as well.