Ceres and food shortages

On April 4th, Ceres squared Saturn. Although rising commodity prices had been in the news for some time, the riots which erupted in Haiti on that day resulted in deaths 3 deaths and the toppling of the Haitian government. On the same day, the UN World Food Programm announched it may be forced to cut food supplies to underdeveloped countries.

Gary Christen, probably the foremost Uranian astrologer alive, has projected that the Pluto/Hades/Kronos and Saturn/Uranus contacts between 2008 and 2009 describe the larger outlook: a combination of "economics, fundamentals, then earth adjustments" including "natural events...that will impact food production even further causing mass starvation".

Although the day-to-day Ceres aspects by no means encompass the entire scope of the developing crisis, the Ceres transits of the past weeks have marked the timing of specific events related to the situation.

Ceres=Vulcanus (exact by antiscia Sunday, April 13th)
"Amid soaring global food prices, leading to rioting in Africa and beyond, France is pushing its EU partners to respond swiftly and return agriculture to the top of its agenda. French Agriculture Minister Michel Barnier -- whose country has the biggest farming sector in Europe -- has said he will urge his EU counterparts, at a meeting in Luxembourg on Monday, to come up with a 'European initiative on food security' throughout the world."

Ceres=Jupiter (exact by sesquiquadrate Tuesday, April 15th)
International Food Aid Conference at which France launched a political campaign to restore food protectionism at the heart of Europe’s agriculture policy as food riots erupt in poor countries and global leaders give warning of the dire consequences of soaring grain prices.

A report released on April 15th was a collaboration of more than 60 governments, with participation from companies and nonprofit groups, under the auspices of the World Bank and the UN offers an international assessment of the future of agriculture.

Ceres=Pluto (exact by 22 1/2 April 20th)
Ceres=Vulcanus (exact by sesquiquadrate April 21st)
On April 20th, China unveiled a new draft food safety law that provides for penalties of up to life imprisonment for people responsible for the production of substandard food

PETA announced on April 20th said it would announce plans on April 21st for a $1 million prize to the “first person to come up with a method to produce commercially viable quantities of in vitro meat at competitive prices by 2012.”

On April 20th at the opening of UN trade and development conference, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the surge in global food prices risks setting back the world's anti-poverty efforts and, if not properly handled, could harm global growth and security.

On April 21 Costco began to limit purchases of rice, followed by Sam's Club the rollowing day.

In an unrelated event, the Ceres/Juno aspect on April 17th seemed to correspond with the first news about a hazardous chemical component in containers widely used in plastics for baby bottles, beverage and food containers as well as linings in food cans, which led to those containers being pulled off the market.

(With containers being part of the event, I would have thought Vesta would appear in the picture because I've seen Neptune/Vesta pictures in a client's chart when he began a canteen business and so I associate Vesta with containers, altho it appears more often with events related to locations and buildings.)

Ceres=Vesta (by 22 1/2 exact on April 24)
Arby's owner buying Wendy's for $2.34 billion in stock. Ceres/Vesta often appears with events which involve food locations such as restaurants, kitchens and farms.

Venus=Ceres (by semisquare exact on 4/27)
Chocolate king Mars is set to acquire the gum empire of Wm. Wrigley Jr., setting up Warren Buffett for the moniker of Candy Man. (in the news 4/28)

Ceres conjunct Hades antiscia Kronos (6/23/2008)
UN Hunger Summit