Rice Shortages Provoke Panic at Home and Riots Abroad  Starting
today, if you're a member of the warehouse shopping club Sam's
Club, you will not be allowed to buy more than four bags of
jasmine, basmati and long grain white rices.  BJ's Wholesale
Club also said it reserves the right to limit rice purchases,
and Costco said it's trying to deal with a spike in demand for
both rice and flour.  "We don't want to create a panic where we
don't think there is a panic, because if we weren't able to get
any more rice or more flour, that would be a different story.
But we are able to replenish our supplies," Costco president and
CEO Jim Sinegal said.  He said he doesn't want to set off a
panic, but some people worry that announcements like these will
do just that.  "The danger is that when you do it, you cause the
problem to get worse," professor and Brookings Institution
economist Colin Bradford said. "This starts a panic ... as
governments try to protect themselves on this front, the problem
is that people get scare