Hunger on the rise worldwide

Spiking food prices brought on by the rise in the cost of oil worldwide, harsh weather in Asia and crop disease in Africa have sparked angry riots as people struggle to afford to feed themselves.

"That anger is palpable across the globe. The food crisis is not only being felt among the poor but is also eroding the gains of the working and middle classes, sowing volatile levels of discontent and putting new pressures on fragile governments," writes Marc Lacey of the New York Times recently. Jeffrey D. Sachs, the economist and special adviser to the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon. “It’s a big deal and it’s obviously threatening a lot of governments. There are a number of governments on the ropes, and I think there’s more political fallout to come.”

The website GlobalVoices has a special coverage section that covers the growing food crisis this year.

Grunion Run

A researcher from the Cabrillo Aquarium waits on the beach for a run of grunion at high tide in San Pedro, California. (Photographs by Scott Anger)


Averaging about six-inches long, the fish swarm Cabrillo Beach at high tide to spawn in the sand.

Arlington West Memorial

(photo by Scott Anger)

Every Sunday since February 2004, Arlington West, a temporary memorial of crosses and coffins that represent every single military casualty in Iraq, is created on the beach just north of the pier at Santa Monica, California. The Arlington West Memorial, a project of Veterans For Peace, offers visitors a place to reflect on the more than four thousand military deaths in Iraq since the war began in March 2003. The crosses are placed on the beach at sunrise and taken down before sunset.

More photos can be viewed on my Flickr page.

- Scott

Blogging about the Bloggers

My employer, The Los Angeles Times, has a lot of very interesting things to offer readers these days. One standout is the "LA Now" blog that offers a quirky, quick rundown of all things southern California. The authors bring together stories, photos and video of interest.

Check it out when you have a chance: LA Now

- Scott

Starting Again

Now that I have a new job - and consequently - less time, I figure now is a good time to get back to blogging. My hope is to update this with new and exciting material as often as possible. My interests in photojournalism, videojournalism and the state of storytelling in general will, hopefully, prove to be a constant source of material. We'll see. Thanks for coming back and I hope to enlighten you.

- Scott