“Superstorm Sandy” roared through the Caribbean last week taking 68 lives and leaving food shortages in the island nation of Haiti (MSNBC.com and BBC.com, October 31, 2012).  Sandy then plowed into the Eastern Seaboard of the U.S., killing dozens more and causing billions of dollars in damage.

As Hurricane Sandy clears the East Coast of the United States, storm damage is estimated at between $20 and $50 billion. Communities from Atlantic City, New Jersey, to the east end of Long Island, New York are still trying to cope with floodwaters from the most damaging storm to hit the northeastern U.S. in recent years. As of Wednesday evening, more than six million people were still without power. The New York City subway system will manage only “limited” service on Thursday. The New Jersey Transit system is in what one official called “disarray,” with much of its service still suspended.

The “Marriage Equality” bill that seeks to redefine marriage to include unions between two members of the same sex, overwhelmingly passed its first Parliamentary reading.  NZ Prime Minister, John Key, one of the bill’s supporters, described the result as exciting and told media sources that it was “a strong endorsement for the equality of rights” (New Zealand News, August 30, 2012).  However, Mr.

Sunday, October 28 marked the 50th anniversary of Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev’s momentous announcement that his nation would withdraw nuclear-armed medium-range ballistic missiles from Cuba, just 90 miles from the United States. After weeks of tension and fear, the world breathed a collective sigh of relief, as nuclear cosmocide was averted. Or was it merely delayed?

The UN warns that “World grain reserves are so dangerously low that severe weather in the United States or other food-exporting countries could trigger a major hunger crisis next year” (The Observer, October 13, 2012).  While a billion people are hungry in the world, many still have plenty of food.