Chocolate in peril

The bad news for chocoholics is that the supply could start to run low. Chocolate is made from the fermented, roasted seeds of the cacao tree, whose scientific name is Theobroma, or "food of the gods". In recent years, demand has risen worldwide. Meanwhile, diseases destroy a third of the world's cacao crop every year, and that toll is set to get worse as they spread around the globe. What's more, cacao is a rainforest tree with shallow roots that hates drought, and droughts have hit harvests hard in recent years. Things could get worse as climate change gathers pace.


http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20026873.400-chocolate-in-peril.html

[FlGuy]

You make it sound like oil supply.

That climate change stuff is nasty, snowed in Vegas to day.  We're about to blow away in the hot dust.  You're in Canada, right?  Wearing shorts outside this winter?

[Rockerforlife]

belive it of not....i do wear a muscle style t shirt all year long...but i do have a down filled jacket.....i love the cold...part polar bear i am

[sunshine585]

Bet you're not wearing that muscle shirt today. I think you said you were in Ontario, didn't you guys get a good dump there today? We did here in Van., more expected. We're going down to -17 tonight brrr!

[Rockerforlife]

yes i did...like i said all year long....dont forget...im a newfie

[Marcia2202]

I would die..... that is from either..... the cold and no chocolate

[Marcia2202]

I would grow my own chocolate.... mmm, I should do that in Mali and Indonesia. Have a few trees in our garden.

[sunqueen]

The Canadians always wear shorts outside in winter. I know this because it took me forever to find a place to park at the beach yesterday. They're baaaaa-aaaaack.

[FlGuy]

I know what you mean.  Normal driving gets very dangerous around here this time of year.  All those souvenirs cloggging up the roads at about 12 mph.  'Earlybird' hours are even worse, eh?

[Trinity4]

Snowbirds and Canadians.  Locals run for cover in FL.  LOL

[susan400]

Oh no, I'll die, Chocolate is one of my few guilty pleasures I have left!  BTW, my ancestory is Icelandic and Irish and I like the cold more than the beach that I live 3 blocks from.  I live in FL and I never go to the beach because I don't tolerate the heat anymore.  My skin can't handle direct sunlight anymore after developing a skin disorder on all the treatments.  If I avoid the sun & hot water, I hardly even notice it, no rash, itching, etc.  Get in the sun, or take a hot shower and I get hives and itching, thanks to this skin thing that I'm left with, there's no cure for it and I was told that it was probably activated by the interferon.  However, it's not so bad that it's prevented me from being allowed to take further interferon treatments as interferon doesn't make it get any worse.  Anyhow, my point it, I enjoy the cooler weather here because then, I can put on my long sleeves and get outside.  When it's not cool enough for long sleeves then I end up having to spend the majority of my time indoors.   Susan400

[Isobella]

Chocolate is surely in danger here this weekend.....in danger of melting with highs in the 80's.  LOL!

[Marcia2202]

I'm out of goji berries!!!! YIKES!!! Was just going to order from my favorite site in the UK... no avail. Check what it said


We are currently out of stock of organic goji berries. This is due to a problem with the 2007 harvest. The harvest has been contaminated with pesticides and cannot be sold as organic. The new harvest of July 2008 will probably be OK. As a result of this, there are very few organic goji berries in the world right now. We had the option of buying the contaminated berries and selling them as not organic, but that wasn't the ecstatic choice we wanted to make on your behalf. Goji berries have been growing in the UK's hedgerows for centuries. We urge you to buy goji berry plants and start to grow your own, as one plant yields about 2k of berries year. Please also feel free to spread the cheap goji berries now flooding the UK around your local hedgerows where they will grow into abundant plants. Goji berries grow really well in the UK, so there's every reason why now is the right time to sow your seeds of love.