October 2010
2009 Hunger Map
October 16th is World Food Day. This day reminds the world that one in seven people who are alive today are going hungry; that is 925 million people (World Food Program). Hunger kills more than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. When an individual, a family, or a society is hungry it is very difficult, if not impossible to be productive towards any further development. We know that for societies to grow out of poverty they require infrastructure and education; however, if people are hungry they are cannot be productive either at work or at school.Two programs that interest us are the “food for work” and the “food for education” programs offered by the United Nations, World Food Program. The “food for work” programs pays adults with food to build infrastructure such as schools, irrigation, roads, and wells. The “food for education” program provides children with food when they attend school. The world food program uses fortified food to ensure that children and workers are receiving the micronutrients required to develop physically and intellectually and hence become productive in their community. Each meal costs only 25 cents. By providing food in exchange for work we are not only building vital infrastructure for the communities, but also providing the individuals with the vital skills and ability to prosper in their future.
Statistics
When looking at hunger we learned that about 925 million people are hungry today. This statistic creates a challenge to any morally sensitive person. Here are some further statistics to look at the extent of poverty in our world today (stats are from World Bank, August 2008 and United Nations Development Program):
- 1.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water
- 2.6 billion lack access to basic sanitation
- 1 billion children live in poverty (that’s every second child)
- 121 million children world wide do not receive an education
- More than 880 million lack access to basic health care
- 1 billion are without adequate shelter
- 2 billion are without electricity
- Nearly 1 billion people entered the 21st century unable to read or even sign their name
These statistics are only a few of the shocking numbers. What are we going to do about this? How can we help these people escape their situation?
Helping all of these people is a big challenge, but if you could help even one of these individuals is it worth the effort? I think yes.
Investologist Prognostication
Jeremy Leonard
Some of my positions:
Laricina: I hold a good position in Glen Schmidt’s still private oil sands venture. The recent public offering just got mostly scooped by the Canada Pension Plan. Check out their web site at www.laricinaenergy.com
Mullen: I continue to hold a big chunk of Murray Mullen. Still the oilfield trucking king in Western Canada.Waiting for the next boom.Still buying undervalued companies with the pot of cash in hand.
Connacher Oil and Gas: Dick Gusella continues to impress. I do not believe the value of this company is reflected in the stock price. I have made a lot of money buying and selling this company. www.connacheroil.com