the grand national drill team charges through the arena. needless to say, patriotism is a big part of the rodeo. jingoism seems to be at a minimum, however.

Even here in the United States, there are a myriad of cultures people need to learn about and understand in order to build a truly global community. The problem is, and I'm as guilty of this as anyone, we far too often fail to see the good things of cultures we're not a part of.

I chose this photograph because I'm basically a city type of person. I grew up in a middle-sized Midwestern town, but I've spent most of my adult life living in one city or another. But having known all sorts of people from all walks of life, I learned a long time ago that there are great people out their whose ideals may not be my own.

When I look at this photograph, I'm reminded of an old Chief I sometimes partied with while I was in the Coast Guard. He was a strange combination of cook and cowboy and story-teller swiftboat veteran of the Vietnam War, but most importantly he was (and is) a great friend. He taught me how to ride a horse in Kodiak, Alaska before retiring to Portland, Oregon, and as we rode he'd tell me stories of Vietnam, his wife, and a few lessons he'd had to learn the hard way.

This wouldn't normally be remarkable, except that I was a young man at the time who preferred the city and heavy metal, and he was an aging cowboy who'd seen and done it all, and also happened to be a black man.

A hunger crisis could be looming for many parts of the world

The World Food Program, at a summit in London, is warning the world that we may be on the verge of a global food crisis.

Speaking Tuesday at summit in London, Josette Sheeran, executive director at the World Food Program, referred to a “silent tsunami” of hunger in many developing countries across the globe.

Rising fuel prices and unpredictable weather and demand have all become factors leading to the first global food crisis since World War II.

"What we are seeing now is affecting more people on every continent," Sheeran said.

[...]

The price of food staples have seen drastic increases in recent months. The price of rice, for example, has more than doubled in just the last five weeks.

These changes have caused deaths in Cameroon and Haiti, while sparking civil unrest.

"We are going through a very serious crisis and we are going to see lots of food strikes and demonstrations," Said Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

[...]

This problem has been growing for quite some time, and we're even beginning to feel the pinch here in the United States, with Sam's Club deciding this week to limit the sale of imported rice in order to protect their inventory.

Food supply is extremely important in the debate about climate change. We've already seen how food shortages are causing riots in Haiti and other places, and many people believe that lost resources due to climate change will continue to be a flashpoint for violent conflicts around the world.