Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?
Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle’s Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant.
One student, however, wrote the following:
First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let’s look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle’s Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.
This gives two possibilities:
1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, and then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.
2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over. So which is it? If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, ‘It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you,’ and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number two must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct......leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting, ‘Oh my God.’
LONDON, July 8 (Reuters) - European shares fell sharply in early trade on Tuesday, tracking a sell-off in global equities on intensified worries that the financial sector would need to raise more capital.
At 0718 GMT, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was down 2 percent at 1,155.38 points, taking its losses for the month to nearly 4 percent and for the year to more than 23 percent.
Banks were the top losers, accounting for about a fifth of the index's decline on the day.
UBS fell 4.4 percent, Credit Suisse lost 4 percent and Alliance & Leicester slid 7 percent, while Irish banks Allied Irish, Anglo Irish and Bank of Ireland fell 5-6 percent.
U.S. stocks fell on Monday after Lehman Brothers estimated that a proposed accounting rule would force mortgage providers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to raise as much as $75 billion between them.
"The crisis in the financial system, given banks are the lubricant for the economy, points to continued tight credit," said Jonathan Lawlor, head of European research at Fox-Pitt, Kelton.
"So we have a loop where tight credit leads to slower economic growth, which leads to higher losses for the financial system, which leads to capital constraints for the banks," he said.
He said the readacross from the overnight news on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would be more direct for UK markets than the rest of Europe, though Irish banks would be under pressure, as would some Spanish lenders due to their property development leverage.
Amid weakness in the financial sector, exchange operators London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Boerse topped British and German losers with declines of 6.8 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively.
Bernanke says more steps needed to ensure market stability
Michael R. Crittenden 08 Jul 2008
U.S. financial markets need to be made more resilient and stable, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said, possibly by giving the central bank much broader authority to collect information and exercise control over the nation's financial firms.
Speaking at a Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. conference on mortgage lending Tuesday, Mr. Bernanke said federal regulators, policymakers and private sector groups are already taking steps to address some of the concerns laid bare during the turmoil of the last year.
"In doing so, we aim not only to make the financial system better able to withstand future shocks, but also -- by reducing the range of circumstances in which systemic stability concerns might prompt government intervention," Mr. Bernanke said in his prepared remarks.
The backdrop for Mr. Bernanke's comments was a conference on improving mortgage lending to low and moderate-income households also set to feature Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, among others. Mr. Bernanke touched upon the issue briefly, noting that the Fed plans next week to unveil a much anticipated rule on mortgage lending that will apply to all lenders, not just banks.
But the majority of his comments were reserved for discussing the recent market turmoil and steps that may need to be taken to "make the U.S. financial system itself more stable."
Noting that short-term funding markets remain strained, Mr. Bernanke said the central bank is considering a number of options, including extending its lending facilities to major investment banks and broker dealers beyond the end of the year if necessary. He also said the Federal Reserve continues its efforts to improve the clearing and settling of credit default swaps and other over the counter derivatives.
"The infrastructure for managing these derivatives still is not as efficient or reliable as that for more mature markets," Mr. Bernanke said, saying regulators want to "fundamentally change" the way derivatives are processed.
More broadly, Mr. Bernanke suggested policymakers should consider whether to grant the Federal Reserve explicit authority over more corners of the financial markets. Stressing the need to strengthen capital, liquidity and risk management at financial firms, as well as reducing severity of future market crises, Bernanke said regulators need to have a more formalized process for dealing with situations like what happened with Bear Stearns Cos. in March.
"I do not think that the Fed could fully meet these objectives without the authority to directly examine banks and other financial institutions that are subject to prudential regulation," he said.
Mr. Bernanke also repeated the Federal Reserve's defense of its involvement in getting Bear Stearns sold to J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. Allowing the firm to fail in mid-March, Mr. Bernanke said, "would have seriously disrupted key secured funding markets and derivatives markets and possibly would have led to runs on other financial firms."
LONDON (Reuters) - Oil tumbled to below $136 on Tuesday, dropping by about $10 this week, as the dollar gained and concern eased over an Atlantic hurricane.
U.S. light crude fell more than $6 to as low as $135.14 a barrel, the lowest since June 26. It traded $5.21 lower at $136.16 by 12:53 p.m. EDT. London Brent crude fell $5.37to $136.50.
Oil had hit a record $145.85 last week, propelled by tensions between Iran and the West over Tehran's nuclear ambitions and worries a brewing storm could hit the Gulf of Mexico's offshore oil fields.
Hurricane Bertha became a "major" hurricane on Monday, but none of the computer models used to predict storm tracks indicated it would steer toward the Gulf of Mexico.
"It seems the tone is easing for now and the hurricane (concern) is gone," a broker said.
Dealers added the gain in the U.S. dollar triggered some technical selling,
The dollar rebounded from earlier losses on Tuesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the U.S. central bank may keep an emergency lending facility open beyond the end of the year for big Wall Street firms.
But analysts said the market focus would shift later this week to U.S. weekly oil statistics and a monthly report from the International Energy Agency (IEA), which will give a fresh look at the demand-supply situation amid a slowing world economy.
"We have U.S. weekly stats tomorrow and the IEA report comes up a day after," said Mike Wittner, the head of oil research with Societe Generale.
The weekly U.S. oil inventory data, which will include gasoline demand during the long weekend for the July 4 Independence Day holiday, will be released on Wednesday.
A Reuters preliminary poll shows analysts expect a 1.5-million-barrel decline in crude stocks, a rise of 200,000 barrels in gasoline supplies and an increase of 1.8 million barrels in distillates.
Refining margins, or profit levels for oil refiners from producing products, have weakened recently as prices of fuels such as gasoline and gas oil have not kept up with the sharp rise in crude oil prices.
8 comments:
Bonus Question: Is Hell exothermic (gives off heat) or endothermic (absorbs heat)?
Most of the students wrote proofs of their beliefs using Boyle’s Law (gas cools when it expands and heats when it is compressed) or some variant.
One student, however, wrote the following:
First, we need to know how the mass of Hell is changing in time. So we need to know the rate at which souls are moving into Hell and the rate at which they are leaving. I think that we can safely assume that once a soul gets to Hell, it will not leave. Therefore, no souls are leaving. As for how many souls are entering Hell, let’s look at the different religions that exist in the world today. Most of these religions state that if you are not a member of their religion, you will go to Hell. Since there is more than one of these religions and since people do not belong to more than one religion, we can project that all souls go to Hell. With birth and death rates as they are, we can expect the number of souls in Hell to increase exponentially. Now, we look at the rate of change of the volume in Hell because Boyle’s Law states that in order for the temperature and pressure in Hell to stay the same, the volume of Hell has to expand proportionately as souls are added.
This gives two possibilities:
1. If Hell is expanding at a slower rate than the rate at which souls enter Hell, and then the temperature and pressure in Hell will increase until all Hell breaks loose.
2. If Hell is expanding at a rate faster than the increase of souls in Hell, then the temperature and pressure will drop until Hell freezes over. So which is it? If we accept the postulate given to me by Teresa during my Freshman year that, ‘It will be a cold day in Hell before I sleep with you,’ and take into account the fact that I slept with her last night, then number two must be true, and thus I am sure that Hell is exothermic and has already frozen over. The corollary of this theory is that since Hell has frozen over, it follows that it is not accepting any more souls and is therefore, extinct......leaving only Heaven, thereby proving the existence of a divine being which explains why, last night, Teresa kept shouting, ‘Oh my God.’
THIS STUDENT RECEIVED AN A+.
ルージュ(容易受伤的女人) - 中島みゆき (Miyuki Nakajima)
作詞：中島みゆき
作曲：中島みゆき
口をきくのが うまくなりました
どんな酔いしれた人にでも
口をきくのが うまくなりました
ルージュひくたびにわかります
あの人追いかけて この町へ着いた頃は
まだルージュはただひとつ うす桜
あの人追いかけて くり返す 人違い
いつか泣き慣れて
口をきくのが うまくなりました
ルージュひくたびに わかります
つくり笑いが うまくなりました
心慣じめない人にでも
つくり笑いが うまくなりました
ルージュひくたびに わかります
※生まれた時から 渡り鳥もわかる気で
つばさをつくろう事も 知るまいに
気がつきゃ鏡も 忘れかけた うす桜
おかしな色と笑う
つくり笑いが うまくなりました
ルージュひくたびに わかります
昔日炒楼成亿万富豪 今日价跌变深圳民工
中国网 china.com.cn
2008-07-07
2003年初，李金东拿着40万元积蓄进入楼市，买了两套房产。
2004年初，李金东与4个同学开了一家五金制品厂，合伙买了十几套房，用作工厂的写字楼、宿舍。
投资客从2007年10月底已悄悄地从楼市抽钱，这些游资流向了哪里……
“豪门艳女”希尔顿位于比华利山穆赫兰道旁的奢华豪宅……
2005年底，5人将房子卖出，赚了近200万。
2005年，5人拿出全部自有资金约三四百万，买了近100套房，年底抛出去赚了一倍。
2006年9月，李金东手里握有50多套房子。
2007年5月，因为担心调控，李金东出手卖了20多套，但6月份没有调控出台，他又在深圳大举购房，手中共有房产60多套。
2007年8月份开始，深圳楼市成交量迅速萎缩，房价也开始走低。李金东以为降到了底，于是2007年12月和2008年1月又接手了近20套。
2008年初，面对每个月30多万的还贷压力，李金东将名下的69套房子全部协议转让给以前的炒房团朋友。
他最初的理想是想当个实业家；
2003年买楼入市后，在零首付的诱惑下，他变成一名全职炒房客。最风光时他手中握有数十套房产，身家过亿；然而，去年银根缩紧等宏观调控政策出台后，他——
第一次和李金东见面，是在深圳市罗湖区人民南路的一家面馆里。“如果是以前，我一定请你去咖啡厅喝咖啡。”李金东对记者说这句话的时候，一脸的疲惫，蜡黄的脸上透着些许疲惫，灰白色衬衣和有些皱褶的裤子，俨然像个民工。就在不久前，他还是一个有着亿万资产的炒房客。
2006年到2007年6月，在深圳房价节节攀升的汹涌浪潮中，他们在房子来回倒卖中与房价一起疯狂，成为房价上涨的幕后主力推手之一。而今，浪潮退去，从去年10月份以来，深圳房价整体下跌超过30%，多数炒房客也成为裸泳者。
李金东是其中一个被深套而猝死的典型，如今成了住每月300元农民房的清贫族。
零首付诱惑，2003年买楼入市
2003年初，机械制图师李金东有了40万的积蓄。这时候他注意到深圳买房子都是零首付，不用花钱就可住新房，而且月供比租金还低。
“想买多少套都行，银行怕的是你不贷，因为深圳人就是想着创业，很少有人关注楼市。”李金东记得那时深圳关内的房价只有5000元到6000元一平方米，好的地段也不过8000元。利用手里的闲钱，李金东2003年开始进入了楼市，抱着尝试的心态只买了两套，一套自住，一套出租。
买房赚租金初尝甜头，但李金东投资重心还是在实业领域，2004年初，李金东与他的4个同学合伙开了一家五金制品厂，他们发现租金和买房月供差不多，于是几个人一次性就买了十几套，用做写字楼、宿舍和仓库。
当然，这十多套房子全是零首付贷款。李金东美滋滋地告诉记者：“银行求着你贷，贷了请你吃饭。”为了招徕个贷业务，一些银行甚至将价值50万的房子评估到60万~70万。
“豪门艳女”希尔顿位于比华利山穆赫兰道旁的奢华豪宅……
炒楼风盛起，转做专职炒房客
就在李金东他们埋头做实业的时候，全国房价上涨之风蔓延开来，先是上海、北京，到2004年底，深圳房价也开始异动。
2005年初，炒作之风开始盛行，先是开发商提价，紧跟着房产中介也活跃起来，为了找到更多的客户，中介们花钱从开发商售楼处买来业主资料，100元一份，然后一个个地给业主打电话，愿者上钩，业内戏称为“海选”。
“这些中介天天给我们打电话，说房子又涨了多少，一转手可以赚好多，我们这才开始关注楼市。”李金东发现，一两年前买的房子转手少则赚几万，多则赚十几万，比做实业好赚多了，不累而且还赚钱快。于是他们把那些办厂的写字楼、宿舍全卖了，赚了近200万，而做实业一年也赚不到50万。
中介的推波助澜，和充足的贷款资金，越来越多的李金东们开始涌现出来，而李金东则成了一个全职的炒房客。
赌徒式疯狂，频频抄底被套牢
到2005年中期，为了打击炒作之风，深圳市国土局出台了对二手房征收营业税的新政，即在5年内出售的需征收5%的营业税。这一调控信号吓退了一些人，李金东则认为这是买房的好时机，他作出大胆买进的决定。
“如果不调控，就不会有机会。” 5个人拿出全部的自有资金约三四百万，买了近100套，到2005年底抛出去，差不多赚了一倍。除了月供要用现金保证，李金东说那时贷款还和以前一样容易，1万块就可以买一套房。
2006年5月，新一轮房地产调控开始，但这次他们几个合伙人因意见不一而分道扬镳。因为有充足的现金，李金东留着20套房子没动，在收取租金中耐心等待。
因为调控连续3个月房价微弱下降，这时候李金东一位手里有20多套房子的朋友已付不起月供，他便以协议价格全盘吃下。按照协议，这些房产证的名字不变，李金东只是替他还银行贷款，但只要房价上涨，李金东每个月就得付给这位朋友一些好处费。
2006年9月，手里握有50多套房子的李金东登上了炒房生涯的巅峰。以协议价购进的这些房，让李金东赚了不少银两。李金东过上了贵族般的风光生活，手上随时都有上百万的现金可潇洒，每天去哪都有人开车接送，吃饭是天天进馆子过小年。
房价的节节攀升也让李金东完全变成了一个赌徒，他完全忘记了风险与知足。
2007年5月，因为担心调控，李金东出手卖了20多套，只剩下30套，但6月份没有调控出台。当时深圳正在炒作西部通道，李金东又大举在南山区、宝安区等地购房，加上之前买的共有60多套。
2007年8月份开始，伴随着银根紧缩等全面调控，深圳楼市成交量迅速萎缩，房价也开始走低。到了2007年底，开始有一些人撑不住，供不起楼了。李金东以为降到了底，于是2007年12月和2008年1月又接手了近20套。
楼价大跌，69套房产归零
没想到这一次抄底抄到半山腰。此后深圳房价一路下行，目前整体降幅已超过30%。而李金东手中的楼盘连续降价都卖不出去。其中位于南山蛇口半岛城邦楼盘就有一套亏损楼，这套121平方米的房子，是2007年12月用310万买进的，李金东花了2000块好处费借用别人的身份证从银行贷款236万，从2008年4月份过户后开始还贷，每月贷款近2万元。李金东以为5月以后应该能卖到360万至400万，但放盘后一路从320万连续降到300万、280万都无人问津，最后降至250万也卖不出去。
面对各大银行每个月30多万的还贷压力，李金东想尽了各种挽救的办法。房子出租吧，租金远远抵不上月供。
李金东也学过一些炒房朋友，拿信用卡套现融资来还贷，他说一张信用卡最多可贷到10万，很多炒家手上大都有十多张信用卡。但巨额的月供，信用卡还贷难以支撑太久。
一些炒家用左手倒右手的方式在自救，就是将房子卖给亲戚或朋友，再出点钱贿赂一下中介和银行，一套100万的房子最后可能评估成200万，炒家再拿着这200万去还其他房子的贷款，又可以撑一段时间，但他担心这种方式会越走越远踏上不归路。
昔日和李金东一起炒房的炒房团朋友，都在自扫门前雪想着自救，谁也预料不到这场持久战还要打多久。
今年1月以后，炒房团的朋友劝他把房子协议卖掉，按市场价计算李金东那一个多亿的房子，全卖了要亏去5000万，但他们给他算的账似乎让李金东更没有信心：假如他的资产是两个亿，一个月跌20%，那就是跌4000万，加上银行利息和交易成本，一个亿一个月就可能亏3000万。
万般无奈之下，李金东只好把他的69套房子全部协议转让给以前的炒房团朋友，协议价格就是帮他还剩下的银行贷款。
“以前的那个李金东已经死了，我现在只是一个民工，一个住农民房的民工，一个卖音响的民工。”李金东连说了几个民工来唤醒自己。据《华夏时报》
(应采访对象要求，李金东为化名。)
低价房虚高评估价 炒家抵押房产自救
炒房被套牢后，一些炒家会用左手倒右手的方式自救，就是将房子卖给亲戚或朋友，再出点钱贿赂一下中介和银行，一套100万的房子最后可能评估成200万，炒家再拿着这200万去还其他房子的贷款，支撑一段时间。
Battered financials hit European shares early
by Sitaraman Shankar
Tue Jul 8, 2008 3:21am EDT
LONDON, July 8 (Reuters) - European shares fell sharply in early trade on Tuesday, tracking a sell-off in global equities on intensified worries that the financial sector would need to raise more capital.
At 0718 GMT, the FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was down 2 percent at 1,155.38 points, taking its losses for the month to nearly 4 percent and for the year to more than 23 percent.
Banks were the top losers, accounting for about a fifth of the index's decline on the day.
UBS fell 4.4 percent, Credit Suisse lost 4 percent and Alliance & Leicester slid 7 percent, while Irish banks Allied Irish, Anglo Irish and Bank of Ireland fell 5-6 percent.
U.S. stocks fell on Monday after Lehman Brothers estimated that a proposed accounting rule would force mortgage providers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to raise as much as $75 billion between them.
"The crisis in the financial system, given banks are the lubricant for the economy, points to continued tight credit," said Jonathan Lawlor, head of European research at Fox-Pitt, Kelton.
"So we have a loop where tight credit leads to slower economic growth, which leads to higher losses for the financial system, which leads to capital constraints for the banks," he said.
He said the readacross from the overnight news on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would be more direct for UK markets than the rest of Europe, though Irish banks would be under pressure, as would some Spanish lenders due to their property development leverage.
Amid weakness in the financial sector, exchange operators London Stock Exchange and Deutsche Boerse topped British and German losers with declines of 6.8 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively.
剖析当前全球粮食危机
文◎姚欣进
7月6th, 2008
从供需关系上来看，粮价飙涨似乎是供需失衡下的现象。全球粮食的生产供应远低于当前全球民众的生存需求，为了追逐有限的粮食供应，需要粮食的民众必须不断追加价格才能买到粮食，以致于粮食价格节节上涨。在这市场规律下，越是贫困地区的民众就越容易首当其冲地被飙涨的市场价格排除在外…
近两年来，越演越烈的全球粮食危机已到了全面爆发的时刻。据统计，全球整体的农业原料，自2005年以来整整上涨了75%。根据最近《时代周刊》的报导，全球米价自今年以来短短不到半年间，平均飙涨了近3倍，在印度，每公吨达到1千美元。而小麦在过去一年来上涨了两倍，在2008年2月间，居然一日间飙涨了25%。
粮荒造成血腥流血冲突
从供需关系上来看，粮价飙涨似乎是供需失衡下的现象。全球粮食的生产供应远低于当前全球民众的生存需求，为了追逐有限的粮食供应，需要粮食的民众必须不断追加价格才能买到粮食，以致于粮食价格节节上涨。在这市场规律下，越是贫困地区的民众就越容易首当其冲地被飙涨的市场价格排除在外，无法购买粮食而面临生存危机。
这现象已自去年开始在全球第三世界贫困地区中不断出现。在贫困的加勒比海沿岸国家、非洲与东南亚、南亚等人民，都已走向街头为生存粮食而抗争。到了今年，粮食抗争越演越烈， 已上升成为血腥的流血冲突，颇有一发不可收拾的效应。 今年2月，西非的喀麦隆有24名民众在粮食暴动中死亡；3月时，在海地则有5人死亡；五月，在非洲索马利亚则有2人死亡。
据联合国「粮食与农业组织」估计，如果这一波粮荒不即刻舒缓，则全球至少有一亿贫国民众将立即陷于生存危机。
为了因应这眼前的急迫粮荒，联合国「粮食与农业组织」于2008年6月3日至6日召开了全球高峰粮食会议 。虽然世界银行宣布将立即拨款12亿美元来扩大穷国的谷物生产，亚洲发展银行将提供5亿美元紧急借款计划，美国布什总统宣布提供3.6亿美元紧急粮食援助给粮荒国家，但这些其实都是治标之术，远远没有解决粮荒的根本问题。
针对这全球粮食危机现象，本文将讨论三个主要问题。即，（一）为何近年来全球粮价会不断高涨？（二）为何在特别贫困地区会有粮荒？（三）为何这些陷入粮荒的贫困国家无法种植粮食以自足自保？
粮价飙涨的结构性原因
关于全球粮价高涨的原因，许多主流媒体都已点出了基本关键。
在生产供应面上，这是因为全球暖化导致了全球主要量产区气候异常干旱而粮食歉收，使得基本农牧产品价格大幅上升。
例如，作为全球大量玉米出口国的墨西哥、大量麦子出口国的加拿大，以及作为全球最大奶制品出口国的澳洲，都因气候干旱产量大减。而这些农牧产品在食物链上乃是基础性的粮食，它们一涨价，就如滚雪球般的带动后续整体性的粮食与经济作物的全面上涨。例如玉米是猪牛牲畜的基本饲料，玉米一涨价就带动了猪牛肉的上涨。
其次，由于石油价格飙涨，欧美先进国为了降低对石油燃料依赖而鼓励生质能源之粮食生产，尤其是玉米，而导致原本是食用的粮食却变成替代能源的经济作物。
另一方面，在需求面上，由于中国、印度经济繁荣发展，当地生活水平提高后，民众对肉类食品需求大增（1磅肉类食品平均约需要投入6磅的饲料农产品），这又加大了粮食需求量。
但上述这三个原因却有主次轻重之别。即，全球暖化与粮食转为生质能源的产能缩减的因素才是造成粮价上涨的决定性原因。
若再进一步追索分析，全球暖化与粮食作为生质能源的现象其实是来自于同一个根本因素︰即先进国家多年来毫不节制地耗费石油能源、化石燃料（石油、煤炭与天然气等矿石燃料）所带来的双重结果。
目前科学界的一般共识是，全球暖化主要是人为因素，即人类排放过量的温室气体，如二氧化碳，带来了大气与海洋的温度持续上升，而终至于全球暖化的气候异常。而人类之所以会排放过量温室气体，主要是因为消耗过多的石油能源、砍伐森林等等。
另一方面，地球所蕴含的化石燃料并非无止境的。科学界已预测，全球石油产量高峰约是2010年是高峰，即使是最乐观的估计，也不过是延迟到2030年左右。一旦过了这高峰期，全球石油产量将逐渐减少，而终至于枯竭。
粮食变能源，雨林变农田
面对这残酷但客观的趋势，人类社会只有两种选择，不是全面改变我们目前极端消耗石油能源的生活方式，就是生产出石油能源的替代品。
欧美先进国显然选择了后一种方式，以继续他们那种高消耗能源、高工业成长、高污染的生活方式。即在近年大力辅助将原本作为人类生存的粮食（主要是玉米）转为生质能源来部份取代石油燃料。
在两年前，英国就宣布要将生质燃料的减税期延长至2010年，而且英国所有汽油供货商的销售量必须有2.5%为生质燃料。到了2050年再增至33%。美国的目标是要将国内生质燃料目标提高5倍，至2017年时，全国有24%的交通用油应为生质燃料。布什甚至表示，玉米做成生质酒精，比粮食需求更重要！据《经济学人》报导，「2007年美国生产8千500万吨的玉米用来提炼生质燃料，而这些玉米可以满足全球1亿3千5百万人口两年的食品消耗」。
美国这种生质能源的政策并非是短期因应方案，而是2007年12月由国会通过的法案，叫做「能源独立及安全法案」。它规定了2008年使用生质能源作为与汽油混合物的产量，必须由54亿加仑增加至90亿加仑，而在2020，目标将大幅提高至360亿加仑。
更可怕的是，美国甚至将生质燃料生产来源锁定在其它第三世界地区。据报导，近年美国布什政府与巴西签约，「推广生质燃料，带动杂粮作物强劲需求，首当其冲的就是亚马逊雨林，生质作物入侵农地，雨林变农田，部落生存岌岌可危」。
全球30亿人处于饥馑状态
前文已指出，玉米需求大增则价格就飙涨，而玉米乃是牲畜的基本饲料，这基本粮食一暴涨，就带动全面粮食价格上涨。
但粮食价格飙涨与粮荒是不同的事。事实上，这次粮食价格飙涨揭露了更深层人类生存的悲哀。
这两年全球粮价上涨带动了民生物价的上涨，但基本上，全球通膨至今仍在可控制范围内（美国今年约为3%、台湾约为4%）。全球先进国与部份后进国中，粮价虽然偏高却还不到天价，或无粮可食的悲惨地步。然而，自去年以来，在全球人均年所得在2千美元以下的贫困国家，粮荒却逐渐成为普遍现象！
据报导，包括前文提及的发生抢粮暴动的加勒比海沿岸国家、非洲与东南亚、南亚等37个国家民众都曾引发抢粮风潮。这些民众之所以会抢粮，反映着他们已到了缺粮到了无法生存的危急地步。
据美国《每月评论杂志》近期一篇专文的分析（2008年5月号，作者Fred Magdoff ），在当代科技飞跃、生产力空前发展的21世纪里，全人类一半人口，约30亿人，居然是活在饥馑、营养不良的状态中。事实上，联合国也有相关数据︰全球每日约有1万8千个儿童因营养不良而死亡！
那么，造成半数人类生存在饥馑处境的根本原因，难道是全球粮食生产不足的粮荒吗？
答案恰恰是否定的。关键不在于粮食生产不足，而在于全球粮食分配严重不均到不可思议的地步。
以美国这全球农产最大输出国为例，其国内粮食生产远超过美国总人口所需，但根据美国农业部前两年的统计，美国有3千5百万人（内含1千3百万儿童）生活在粮食危机的处境中（food-insecure situation），即全美约有十分之一的人口是处于经常挨饿的生活里。
换言之，虽然有着全球暖化等因素，全球粮食生产力的发展基本上没有太大障碍以致于会有粮荒，而且全球粮食的总量还是不断增加。
第三世界为何无法粮食自足？
贫困地区之所以会有粮荒，是因为全球粮食的生产过于集中于极少数的先进国农产品垄断集团，所以一旦全球粮食价格飙涨，贫困国家或先进国的贫困人民就毫无能力购买。
另一方面，粮荒之所以会在这些地区出现，反映了更深一层的问题︰为何这些地区无法自己生产粮食，以求自保？
为何第三世界无法粮食自足？简要的说，这是由于全球的垄断资本早已全盘掌控全球农业生产，而驱使第三世界国家放弃自足农业生产方式的恶果。
据中国人民大学周立教授的研究，「美国的孟山都一家公司就控制世界主要谷物和蔬菜种子23％～41％的市场份额，销售额2004年达28亿美元。若再计入杜邦公司，两家公司控制世界种子份额就达到一半以上。人类的食物，从最初的原材料开始，就走向单一化」！此外，在全球10大食物零售商中，美国更占了一半。
再加上，欧美政府大力补贴农产品以让本国农产品在国际市场上彻底击败后进国农产商品，全球后进国只好纷纷放弃自己粮食生产，以农耕地换取工厂厂房，走向工业发展、加工出口工业产品的不归路上。例如，从2000-2005年间，中国平均每年将2百60万英亩的农田转为工业用地，然后于近日到状况更惨的菲律宾租用2百50万英亩农地（菲律宾已沦为全球最大的稻米进口国）。
换言之，美国垄断资本的食品集团早已深入全球各地牢牢地主宰全球粮食市场，掌控了全球粮食生产到销售的全盘环节，在这资本逻辑运作下，许多后进国原本自给自足的农业生产体系是毫无招架之力。
周立教授分析，「早在几10年前，美国食品公司就将非洲加纳人廉价的营养品 ── 鲭鱼和金枪鱼，转化为猫粮、狗粮罐头，销往美国，以致加纳的穷人无力消费已经变贵的鱼」。
总结的说，当前的全球粮食危机，包括了全球粮价飙涨与贫困地区的粮荒，深刻地反映了全球资本的基本矛盾︰生产力的空前进步与生产成果分配上严重不均。今日的粮食危机，乃是与全球能源危机、全球生态危机紧密相扣，它们都指向了一个共同的危机根源︰以追求无止尽利润为终极目标的全球资本主义。
孙子兵法三十六计
第一套 胜战计
第一计 瞒天过海 第二计 围魏救赵 第三计 借刀杀人
第四计 以逸待劳 第五计 趁火打劫 第六计 声东击西
第二套 敌战计
第七计 无中生有 第八计 暗渡陈仓 第九计 隔岸观火
第十计 笑里藏刀 第十一计 李代桃僵 第十二计 顺手牵羊
第三套 攻战计
第十三计 打草惊蛇 第十四计 借尸还魂 第十五计 调虎离山
第十六计 欲擒故纵 第十七计 抛砖引玉 第十八计 擒贼擒王
第四套 混战计
第十九计 釜底抽薪 第二十计 混水摸鱼 第二十一计 金蝉脱壳
第二十二计 关门捉贼 第二十三计 远交近攻 第二十四计 假途伐虢
第五套 并战计
第二十五计 偷梁换柱 第二十六计 指桑骂槐 第二十七计 假痴不颠
第二十八计 上屋抽梯 第二十九计 树上开花 第三十计 反客为主
第六套 败战计
第三十一计 美人计 第三十二计 空城计 第三十三计 反间计
第三十四计 苦肉计 第三十五计 连环计 第三十六计 走为上
总说
六六三十六，数中有术，术中有数。阴阳燮理，机在其中。机不可设，设则不中。
第一套〖胜战计〗
第01计 瞒天过海 备周则意怠，常见则不疑。阴在阳之内，不在阳之对。太阳，太阴。
第02计 围魏救赵 共敌不如分敌，敌阳不如敌阴。
第03计 借刀杀人 敌已明，友未定，引友杀敌。不自出力，以《损》推演。
第04计 以逸待劳 困敌之势，不以战。损刚益柔。
第05计 趁火打劫 敌之害大，就势取利，刚决柔也。
第06计 声东击西 敌志乱萃，不虞。坤下兑上之象，利其不自主而取之。
第二套〖敌战计〗
第07计 无中生有 诳也，非诳也，实其所诳也。少阴、太阴、太阳。
第08计 暗渡陈仓 示之以动，利其静而有主，“益动而巽”。
第09计 隔岸观火 阳乖序乱，阴以待逆。暴戾恣睢，其势自毙。顺以动豫，豫顺以动。
第10计 笑里藏刀 信而安之，阴以图之。备而后动，勿使有变。刚中柔外也。
第11计 李代桃僵 势必有损，损阴以益阳。
第12计 顺手牵羊 微隙在所必乘，微利在所必得。少阴，少阳。
第三套〖攻战计〗
第13计 打草惊蛇 疑以叩实，察而后动。复者，阴之媒也。
第14计 借尸还魂 有用者，不可借；不能用者，求借。借不能用者而用之。匪我求童蒙，童蒙求我。
第15计 调虎离山 待天以困之，用人以诱之，往蹇来返。
第16计 欲擒姑纵 逼则反兵，走则减势。紧随勿迫，累其气力，消其斗志，散而后擒，兵不血刃。需，有孚，光。
第17计 抛砖引玉 类以诱之，击蒙也。
第18计 擒贼擒王 摧其坚，夺其魁，以解其体。龙战于野，其道穷也。
第四套〖混战计〗
第19计 釜底抽薪 不敌其力，而消其势，兑下乾上之象。
第20计 混水摸鱼 乘其阴乱，利其弱而无主。随，以向晦入宴息。
第21计 金蝉脱壳 存其形，完其势；友不疑，敌不动。巽而止蛊。
第22计 关门捉贼 小敌困之。剥，不利有攸往。
第23计 远交近攻 形禁势格，利从近取，害以远隔。上火下泽。
第24计 假道伐虢 两大之间，敌胁以从，我假以势。困，有言不信。
第五套〖并战计〗
第25计 偷梁换柱 频更其阵，抽其劲旅，待其自败，而后乘之。曳其轮也。
第26计 指桑骂槐 大凌小者，警以诱之。刚中而应，行险而顺。
第27计 假痴不癫 宁伪作不知不为，不伪作假知妄为。静不露机，云雷屯也。
第28计 上屋抽梯 假之以便，唆之使前，断其援应，陷之死地。遇毒，位不当也。
第29计 树上开花 借局布势，力小势大。鸿渐于陆，其羽可以为仪也。
第30计 反客为主 乘隙插足，扼其主机，渐之进也。
第六套〖败战计〗
第31计 美人计 兵强者，攻其将；将智者，伐其情。将弱兵颓，其势自萎。利用御寇，顺相保也。
第32计 空城计 虚者虚之，疑中生疑。刚柔之际，奇而复奇。
第33计 反间计 疑中之疑。比之自内，不自失也。
第34计 苦肉计 人不自害，受害必真。假真真假，间以得行。童蒙之吉，顺以巽也。
第35计 连环计 将多兵众，不可以敌，使其自累，以杀其势。在师中吉，承天宠也。
第36计 走为上 全师避敌。左次无咎，未失常也
Bernanke says more steps needed to ensure market stability
Michael R. Crittenden
08 Jul 2008
U.S. financial markets need to be made more resilient and stable, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said, possibly by giving the central bank much broader authority to collect information and exercise control over the nation's financial firms.
Speaking at a Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. conference on mortgage lending Tuesday, Mr. Bernanke said federal regulators, policymakers and private sector groups are already taking steps to address some of the concerns laid bare during the turmoil of the last year.
"In doing so, we aim not only to make the financial system better able to withstand future shocks, but also -- by reducing the range of circumstances in which systemic stability concerns might prompt government intervention," Mr. Bernanke said in his prepared remarks.
The backdrop for Mr. Bernanke's comments was a conference on improving mortgage lending to low and moderate-income households also set to feature Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, among others. Mr. Bernanke touched upon the issue briefly, noting that the Fed plans next week to unveil a much anticipated rule on mortgage lending that will apply to all lenders, not just banks.
But the majority of his comments were reserved for discussing the recent market turmoil and steps that may need to be taken to "make the U.S. financial system itself more stable."
Noting that short-term funding markets remain strained, Mr. Bernanke said the central bank is considering a number of options, including extending its lending facilities to major investment banks and broker dealers beyond the end of the year if necessary. He also said the Federal Reserve continues its efforts to improve the clearing and settling of credit default swaps and other over the counter derivatives.
"The infrastructure for managing these derivatives still is not as efficient or reliable as that for more mature markets," Mr. Bernanke said, saying regulators want to "fundamentally change" the way derivatives are processed.
More broadly, Mr. Bernanke suggested policymakers should consider whether to grant the Federal Reserve explicit authority over more corners of the financial markets. Stressing the need to strengthen capital, liquidity and risk management at financial firms, as well as reducing severity of future market crises, Bernanke said regulators need to have a more formalized process for dealing with situations like what happened with Bear Stearns Cos. in March.
"I do not think that the Fed could fully meet these objectives without the authority to directly examine banks and other financial institutions that are subject to prudential regulation," he said.
Mr. Bernanke also repeated the Federal Reserve's defense of its involvement in getting Bear Stearns sold to J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. Allowing the firm to fail in mid-March, Mr. Bernanke said, "would have seriously disrupted key secured funding markets and derivatives markets and possibly would have led to runs on other financial firms."
Oil drops $6 on easing storm worry, dollar
By Ikuko Kao
Tue Jul 8, 2008 1:13pm EDT
LONDON (Reuters) - Oil tumbled to below $136 on Tuesday, dropping by about $10 this week, as the dollar gained and concern eased over an Atlantic hurricane.
U.S. light crude fell more than $6 to as low as $135.14 a barrel, the lowest since June 26. It traded $5.21 lower at $136.16 by 12:53 p.m. EDT. London Brent crude fell $5.37to $136.50.
Oil had hit a record $145.85 last week, propelled by tensions between Iran and the West over Tehran's nuclear ambitions and worries a brewing storm could hit the Gulf of Mexico's offshore oil fields.
Hurricane Bertha became a "major" hurricane on Monday, but none of the computer models used to predict storm tracks indicated it would steer toward the Gulf of Mexico.
"It seems the tone is easing for now and the hurricane (concern) is gone," a broker said.
Dealers added the gain in the U.S. dollar triggered some technical selling,
The dollar rebounded from earlier losses on Tuesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the U.S. central bank may keep an emergency lending facility open beyond the end of the year for big Wall Street firms.
But analysts said the market focus would shift later this week to U.S. weekly oil statistics and a monthly report from the International Energy Agency (IEA), which will give a fresh look at the demand-supply situation amid a slowing world economy.
"We have U.S. weekly stats tomorrow and the IEA report comes up a day after," said Mike Wittner, the head of oil research with Societe Generale.
The weekly U.S. oil inventory data, which will include gasoline demand during the long weekend for the July 4 Independence Day holiday, will be released on Wednesday.
A Reuters preliminary poll shows analysts expect a 1.5-million-barrel decline in crude stocks, a rise of 200,000 barrels in gasoline supplies and an increase of 1.8 million barrels in distillates.
Refining margins, or profit levels for oil refiners from producing products, have weakened recently as prices of fuels such as gasoline and gas oil have not kept up with the sharp rise in crude oil prices.
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