Word: drought
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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Last summer's drought has produced not only a stunted harvest but also a toxic side effect: a bumper crop of aflatoxin, a fungus-based, cancer-causing corn contaminant. It has turned up in livestock feed corn (although not the sweet corn so dear to the American palate) in nine major corn-producing states. The Illinois Department of Agriculture says a third of the crop samples tested show aflatoxin above permissible levels. But by blending the current crop with grain from uncontaminated past harvests, the corn can be used. Moreover, the Food and Drug Administration has cleared...
Already La Nina has been credited with a role in causing this summer's drought in the Midwest, the deluges that flooded Bangladesh in September and the severe hurricane season in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. While widespread attention has been paid to the greenhouse effect -- the trend toward global warming due to the increase of carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere -- some scientists believe that this winter La Nina will bring on a dramatic, though probably temporary, drop in average global temperatures. Says meteorologist and oceanographer James O'Brien of Florida State University...
...pouring cats and dogs in Princeton, N.J., last night, and the rain helped the Harvard women's soccer team end its scoring drought...
...later, when drought and famine were again ravaging this small African country, the aid was not nearly as generous nor as widespread. The only difference was that the second time, famine was not a "hot" news item and received almost no media attention. It's hard to decide where the fault lies, with the media for being too worried about attracting readers with hot news, or with society for not being consistent in its attention...
...Chicago as the Prince of the Pit, was one of the most successful commodities traders in the world. He launched bold invasions into markets ranging from Treasury bonds to precious metals. But he took a bath in financial futures after the crash and in grain during last summer's drought. His two public commodities funds lost an estimated $50 million in the past year, or nearly 50% of their value. Dennis decided last month to pack up his diminished fortune, estimated at $200 million, and move on to another pursuit: politics. He aims to invest in causes and candidates that...