Being prepared or HOARDING?

Wifezilla

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Wasn't it??

Apparently things are getting fun in Venezuela these days too!

"Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he may nationalize two coffee companies after taking temporary control of their processing plants yesterday and vowed to keep seizing monopolies as he works to construct a socialist economy.

Weve intervened in these big companies, Chavez said today on state television. Now we are conducting a study to expropriate them. They will become property of the nation.

Chavez is expanding state control over what he calls strategic industries, including metals, energy and basic materials. Earlier this year he ordered the government to occupy a rice plant owned by the countrys biggest food producer Empresas Polar SA, and he expropriated a plant owned by food giant Cargill Inc., the largest privately held U.S. company.

Yesterday, government workers took control of plants owned by Fama de America SA and Marcelo & Rivero CA, which have a combined 80 percent share of Venezuelas coffee market. The government will operate the factories for at least three months in a bid to reduce coffee shortages as an investigation is conducted into possible hoarding and price speculation.

Chavez blames manipulation by private companies for the surge in Venezuelan consumer prices, resulting in the highest inflation rate in 78 economies tracked by Bloomberg. He has increased regulation to enforce price controls, which companies say cause them to operate at a loss.

Venezuelas inflation rate was 27.4 percent in June.

Coffee Smuggling

Chavez said the coffee companies buy Venezuelan beans at a low price, sell them to Colombian processors for four times as much, and resell them in Venezuela as Colombian coffee.

Fama de America and Marcelo & Rivera ran separate newspaper advertisements today denying any wrongdoing.

Coffee smuggling is a practice we condemn and energetically combat, Fama de America said. All purchases and sales are audited by the government, Marcelo & Rivera said.

Chavez, who often drinks as many as 10 small cups of coffee during his lengthy speeches, said that Venezuelan coffee is the best in the world.

Yesterday, Trade Minister Eduardo Saman said that private companies exploit the populations consumption of coffee by hoarding the product.

Arabica-coffee futures for September delivery fell 0.05 cent to $1.33 a pound on ICE Futures U.S. in New York. The price has gained 19 percent this year amid tight supplies from Central America and Colombia.

Chavez said today that hell accelerate the countrys move toward socialism.

Were going to keep nationalizing monopolies to convert them into productive companies in the hands of the people, Chavez said. Its the only way to create a truly democratic economy.

Media Relations

Since winning a referendum in February that abolished presidential term limits, Chavez, a 55-year-old former paratrooper, has nationalized the petrochemical industry and metals companies. He has also threatened to close the countrys most critical television channel, Globovision.

The government shut 32 radio stations and two television channels on July 31 as part of a review of some 285 broadcasting licenses that may be revoked.

Venezuela is democratizing the media by transferring broadcasting licenses from wealthy families to communities, Chavez said today.

Chavezs nationalization drive may become easier as higher oil prices bolster government revenue. Venezuela, Latin Americas biggest oil exporter, depends on oil for more than 90 percent of export revenue and about half of government spending.

Oil prices have climbed 60 percent this year, settling today at $71.42 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

The Venezuelan government has open arbitration cases for investment disputes with U.S. oil companies Exxon Mobil Corp., and ConocoPhillips as well as Mexican cement company Cemex SAB for nationalized assets.

This year Chavez agreed to pay Luxembourg-based steel company Ternium SA $1.97 billion for its stake in a local steel mill and $1.05 billion to Spains largest bank, Banco Santander SA, for its local unit."
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=au4MaqXw2Mk4
 

Wifezilla

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LOLOL

It might have to be COFFEE!!!!


"Ethiopian police arrested and charged six managers from coffee exporting companies accused of hoarding the beans earlier this year, a manager with one of the companies said.

Representatives of each of the six companies were detained and taken to the federal police headquarters in Addis Ababa last week, more than two months after the government suspended their exporting licenses and seized 18,000 metric tons of coffee from their warehouses."

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aXspHYLKSoo8
 

Wifezilla

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"Steps have been taken to start legal action against the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) and the Lorain County Health Department for violating the constitutional rights of John and Jacqueline Stowers of LaGrange, Ohio.

The Stowers operate an organic food cooperative called Manna Storehouse. ODA and Lorain County Health Department agents forcefully raided their home and seized the family's personal food supply, cell phones and personal computers.

On the morning of December 1, 2008, law enforcement officers forcefully entered the Stowers' residence without first announcing they were police or stating the purpose of the visit. With guns drawn, they swiftly and immediately moved to the upstairs of the home, where ten children were in the middle of a home-schooling lesson. Officers then moved Jacqueline Stowers and her children to their living room, where they were held for more than six hours.

There has never been a complaint filed against Manna Storehouse or the Stowers related to the quality or healthfulness of the food distributed through the co-op."

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/101152
 

sylvie

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Wifezilla said:
"Steps have been taken to start legal action against the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) and the Lorain County Health Department for violating the constitutional rights of John and Jacqueline Stowers of LaGrange, Ohio.

The Stowers operate an organic food cooperative called Manna Storehouse. ODA and Lorain County Health Department agents forcefully raided their home and seized the family's personal food supply, cell phones and personal computers.

On the morning of December 1, 2008, law enforcement officers forcefully entered the Stowers' residence without first announcing they were police or stating the purpose of the visit. With guns drawn, they swiftly and immediately moved to the upstairs of the home, where ten children were in the middle of a home-schooling lesson. Officers then moved Jacqueline Stowers and her children to their living room, where they were held for more than six hours.

There has never been a complaint filed against Manna Storehouse or the Stowers related to the quality or healthfulness of the food distributed through the co-op."

http://www.americanchronicle.com/articles/view/101152
I read about this a while ago and wondered what ever became of the complaint.
 

sylvie

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Would you be willing to change your diet to the absolute minimum needed to sustain life to condition yourself to be self sufficient in case of famine and shortages?
Would you hoard what you would have eaten in plentiful times while maintaining the famine conditioning?
 

Wifezilla

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Well, I do practice Intermittent Fasting on a fairly regular basis. Since switching to low carb, I eat a lot less food in general.

Would I hoard things I normally eat? Hummmm.....
Does a freezer full of butter mean anything?

:gig
 

Mackay

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Probably means the same thing as my 40 jars of stored Pesto. :lol:
 

Wifezilla

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I think Pesto counts as an essential item...it isn't?
 

Wifezilla

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" The growing nationwide demand for ammunition is leading to a shortage, and it's affecting gun dealers here in the U.P.

Many different brands of ammunition have been on backorder for several months, and dealers have no idea when their orders will be filled.

Manager of Wilderness Sports, Ernie Lindsey, said he is seeing a definite shortage, but is dealing with it the best he can.

"It definitely hurts sales because if you can't keep it in stock and people want it, you're losing sales all the time," explained Lindsey. "Fortunately, I've been able to do a pretty good job of keeping ammo. I mean, I do a good portion of my day chasing ammo down."

Lindsey said the main problem is that the majority of people are hoarding ammunition, buying it by the case instead of by the box."
http://www.uppermichiganssource.com/news/story.aspx?list=~\news\lists\local&id=358999
 
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