The Boondocks blog, No. 66 for the week starting April 28, 2008.
Monday
Tuesday
One Family, Two Views on How to Run Iowa Farm
Shell and BP Report Record First-Quarter Profits
New Scotland May Convert Farmland to A Big Box Store
Wednesday
Putting Meat on the Table: Industrial Farm Animal Production in America
General Motors third consecutive loss-weak North American,European operations - MFG Digital UK
The Price of a Pickup Truck | Daily Yonder
Thursday
Shortages Threaten Farmers’ Key Tool: Fertilizer
Even Elitists Can't Afford Coffee Anymore
Energy looks at high energy prices and our future.
Enviroman looks at man and the environment.
Hayseeds looks at politics and life in our nation.
Individual looks at myself and how I'm changing
Outblog is all about my outdoor experiences.
Transit looks at the changing ways we get around.
Truck gives you stories and trips in my Ford Ranger.
Rain Comes, Burn Ban Ends. The fire danger and red flag conditions now are history thanks to the rain that is much needed this spring.
For the most part, the rain is at a good time now. Most people who had fields to plow or gardens to till got a chance to get out there and do it before they got too muddy from the rain. Yet, it's also early enough that most people don't have seeds in the grown, as frost still is very much a possibility around here in Albany.
For people living near Lake Champlain or Great Sacandaga, or those living downstream of Sacandaga, there is reason for concern. That said, the rain looks like it will remain relatively light. Which is okay, as at least the fire danger will go down and the ground will get some of the needed rain.
A lot of people where happy that the burn ban is over. It seemed like yesterday as lot of people where having celebratory campfires, burning trash, brush, and anything else that they could to recover from their deprivation of their pyromaniac activities in the country over the past week. It was fun. P'Link
“The U.S. livestock industry—a large and vital part of agriculture in this country—has been undergoing a drastic change over the past several decades. Huge CAFOs (confined animal feeding operations) have become the predominant method of raising livestock, and the crowded conditions in these facilities have increased water and air pollution and other types of harm to public health and rural communities.” P'Link
“IT would take a magician of considerable skill to turn a large, thirsty S.U.V. into a gas-sipping hybrid, but General Motors has tried to pull just such a big green bunny out of its hat. For 2008, the company’s engineers have installed an innovative hybrid system in a couple of the company’s larger sport utilities, the Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Yukon, and plan to add the system to other models, including the Cadillac Escalade and full-size pickups, in the coming months.” P'Link
“Corn prices, at $5.91 per bushel as of Monday, are soaring in part because of growing demand for ethanol, a corn-based fuel that the federal government supported when it passed the energy bill late last year.” P'Link
“Higher oil and gas prices helped Royal Dutch Shell and BP report record first-quarter profits on Tuesday, beating analysts’ expectations and prompting a rise in stock prices across the industry.” P'Link
New Scotland May Convert Farmland to A Big Box Store. Terri's Farmlife blog has this entry:
A little visualization exercise (you don’t need to close your eyes): Breathe in - the enchantment of an expanse of farmland…maybe you’ve driven by it a thousand times and take its innocence and beauty for granted. But, you know it’s there and you actually find comfort in it. Fields of hay and grazing livestock. It’s simple, uncomplicated, and very soothing.
Now, imagine driving by a sprawlmart, or some other big-box store. Breathe in - the paved parking lots, noise, and litter, the cussing for a parking place, the shoplifting, and don’t forget the convenience of picking up some motor oil and Twinkies. It’s hectic, it’s dirty, there’s traffic, and it gives you a headache. You feel impatient and unsettled, trapped within feelings of urgency, competition, and complication.
Again, I ask….farmland or sprawlmart?
Of course, that question isn’t really fair. The real question: Who chooses what gets to be done with the land? Making money is the real business. People are entitled to invest and reap rewards just as developers develop and make their money. Then other questions arise; is it really fair to tell farmers they can’t sell their land and retire on the income? Ooooh, I hate being so frustrated about such.
The complexities have made their way to historic Bender Melons Farm, a 179 acre parcel of beautiful farmland located in rural New Scotland. This land is being considered for big box store development. The Times Union wrote an article with more specifics.
I wish (those of you familiar with me know that I love wishing, dreaming, and imagining), I wish there was a perfect solution. A pretty and appreciated solution. I wish that all of the farmland left in America could be protected just as endangered species are protected. I dream this for all of our children. Still, it is being erased with bulldozers and blacktop, and it’s getting pretty yucky.
Raping such lovely green space with something as chaotic as a big-box store, is intrusive and vulgar and just plain wrong. There’s no going back….and the purity of the land will be gone forever.
There are plenty of shopping centers and big box stores within 20 minutes of this location. I understand why development is inevitable. But, certainly, something more welcoming and fitting with the land can be dreamed up. These investors and developers are so “smart”, why can’t they think of an alternative? And no, I’m not talking about pasting some fancy facade on that sprawlmart. And, I don’t imagine these investors and developers will be living down the road either. Nah, cash in, move on. Find more farmland - search and destroy.
See this article Big-box proposal draws opposition in the Times Union.
Farm tractors and tractor-trailers would share the winding roads of this town if a developer plows ahead with a plan to plant big-box retail in a former melon field. Sphere Development LLC of Cazenovia, Madison County, wants to bring at least one megastore to the 179 acres of rolling hills scattered with trees and a dilapidated barn at the end of a dirt lane. It was the site where Charles Bender developed the "Bender Melon" in 1900 that was sold around the country.
"It would completely change and destroy the rural character," Supervisor Tom Dolin said.
Sphere says the project, at routes 85 and 85A, will expand the town's tax base and offer residents some relief on their annual bills.
Hundreds of residents have shown up at recent Town Board meetings about the project, most to voice their opposition.
Now, New Scotland, population 8,600, is considering a six-month building moratorium that could stop the project before it breaks ground. The board will vote on the ban, which would cover commercial projects greater than 30,000 square feet, at its May 16 meeting. A public comment period on the issue is set for May 7.
This is something certainly to follow. It's pretty much insanity one way or another. P'Link
The Pew Foundation takes a look at the problems of contemporary food production and has some recommendations on how the industry and markets should change. P'Link
“GM, which narrowly retained its position as the world’s biggest carmaker from Toyota last year, reported a net loss for the year of $38.7 billion, or $68.45 a share, compared with $2 billion, or $3.50, in 2006. The massive loss was mostly due to a previously announced $38.3 billion special charge related to the valuation of deferred tax assets. ” P'Link
No I can't make this story up:
“Cows produce methane — a big contributor to global warming — when they digest grass. In Australia, Dr. Athol Klieve noticed that another herbivore, the kangaroo, doesn't have a methane problem. He's betting that his kangaroo research could help produce a methane-free cow.” P'Link
“Crashes involving pickups are twice as likely to cause fatalities than wrecks involving only SUVs or passenger cars.” P'Link
“Some kinds of fertilizer have nearly tripled in price in the last year, keeping farmers from buying all they need. That is one of many factors contributing to a rise in food prices that, according to the United Nations’ World Food Program, threatens to push tens of millions of poor people into malnutrition. ” P'Link
“New York's ban on the practice for a wide range of animals was signed in March, one of the final acts of former Gov. Eliot Spitzer before he resigned after he was implicated in a prostitution ring. Nothing was made of the passage then in the tumultuous transition to a new governor. But the law's advocates have been using it to press for more legislation that would outlaw other common killing techniques, including neck-breaking and injection of muscle paralyzers to minimize cost and damage to fur.” P'Link
Even Elitists Can't Afford Coffee Anymore. It appears that the overpriced and generally crappy coffee chain that represents the worst of suburban sprawl and general yuppiness is faltering under the weakening economy.
There's no doubt that Starbucks is having problems. It's just a matter of whether they're grande or venti. Store sales are flagging. And the economic downturn could make matters worse if consumers decide that "affordable" luxuries like lattes aren't so affordable anymore.
I guess there is hope in our economy being so totally in the crapper. Fewer Starbucks. More people going to real coffee houses, and not spending $4 on crap coffee. If your not going to buy coffee from a gas station, then you should at least consider going to a decent place like Delmar's Perfect Blend or the Daily Grind in Downtown Albany.
Read Hurdles Mount for Starbucks as Economy Sputters on NPR. P'Link
Thanks for the endorsement Andy. These are challenging times we're living in, but customers still do want and savor their specialty coffee drinks, a lot of which we custom make for them. We've worked hard the past five years to always serve the best, freshest coffee in a friendly and welcoming environment.
Roberta BastowOwner Perfect Blend Espresso BAr and CafeDelmar, NY
— Comment By Roberta Bastow
Copyright ©1999-2008 Andy Arthur.
All mistakes are intentional or otherwise.
Mind where you step in a cow pasture or legal mindfield.