Sometimes it's good to be cautious--and other times it's better to go with your gut.
People told us not to visit Madagascar, that political conflict made the country unsafe for tourists.
But we decided to go anyway because if we had listened to those voices, we'd never have gone to Nairobi, Kampala, or Kigali.
We are cautious when we travel, but aware that our best and most eye-opening experiences are places well off the beaten path.
And, Anantanrivo, Madagascar's capital city, is a place we fell in love with.
The narrow streets, alleyways, cobblestone roads, and historic buildings remind you, at times, of parts of Western Europe. At the same time the markets, the noise, the traffic, the energy, the goats and livestock walking along the highways, were all quintessentially African.
Our journey started as we did a field visit to RTM. RTM is an Italian NGO, working with farmers to provide alternatives to slash and burn agriculture--which is practiced in many rural areas as a way to provide nutrients to the soil. Unfortunately, the nutrients don't last more than a season or two, forcing farmers to burn more forest.
Afterwards we met with Xavier Rakotonjanahary, Rice Breeding Coordinator, National Center of Applied Research for Rural Development. Xavier works with rural rice farmers, helping develop different breeds of rice that will help reduce labor, fertilizer, and other inputs.
We spent Danielle's birthday trekking in the rainforest in search of lemurs in the national rainforest of Antanarivo. Lemurs are only found in Madagascar (with the exception of the island of Comoros) largely because their ancestors were displaced everywhere else due to monkeys and apes.
In Madagascar, 90 percent of the country's original forest has been destroyed and lemurs are presently endangered due to deforestation and hunting. Additionally several species of lemurs are extinct, especially the larger species. The smaller lemurs are nocturnal and all we could see was their amazing red eyes on a night trek. We also saw large chameleons, turtles and giant snails.
During the day we saw lemurs playing (they travel as families) and eating flowers, leaves and fruits. In our video below you will see them playing, and can listen to a brief explanation about lemurs from our tour guide. They are pretty incredible animals with deposable thumbs and long tails that they use to balance themselves between trees.
In summary, if you are considering a visit to Madagascar, go. You won't regret it!
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Black farmers won a historic discrimination lawsuit against the federal government in 1999, known as the Pigford settlement. Part of the agreement included compensation of black farmers for the discrimination.
But thousands of farmers missed the filing deadline. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus sought to reopen the lawsuit, Rep. Artur Davis, D-Birmingham, leading the way.
In 2008 lawmakers added $100 million to the Farm Bill to pay those who filed late.
But, says Davis, that’s not enough.
In September Davis introduced a bill that would clear up the congressional intent regarding $100 million already appropriated for Pigford litigants and guarantees litigants access to the permanent appropriated judgment fund.
The heart of this matter is that agriculture officials systematically denied loans and other assistance to black farmers for decades because of their race. Nancy Scola writes:
The deal is this. Pigford v. Glickman alleged that black farmers had faced institutional and systematic discrimination at the hands of the USDA for years and years, generation after generation. (Dan Glickman was the USDA Secretary at the time the case was filed.) In case after case, black farmers where denied loans and other lines of credit that their white counterparts were regularly granted. After years of wrangling, Pigford was finally settled in 1999 by consent decree. The USDA agreed to a process by which black farmers could apply for restitution.
All well and good, but those applications were due within six months of the settlement. It's been estimated that as many as 74,000 farmers applied for Pigford payments after the deadline. They were shut out of the settlement for good, it seemed.
And so, members of the Congressional Black Caucus have been pushing for Congress to intervene and offer some relief to the farmers who were eligible for Pigford payment but somehow missed the boat.
So the Pigford case was nominally settled back in 1999, but due to the short application period, a lot of folks were left out, even though they were legitimately victims of discrimination. This is a perfect example of institutional racism that has nothing to do with ugly personal incidents or rhetoric, but effectively keeps a minority group from amassing financial resources. In this case, discriminatory practices caused a lot of black farmers to remain at subsistence levels or even lose their farms. And things haven't been particularly rosy post-Pigford, either.
Over Thanksgiving, I traveled to Mentone, Ala., in the far northeastern corner of the state. Among the beautiful mountains and foliage, I saw small farms operating massive chicken coups for Tyson and other producers of “broilers,” as chickens are called in the industry. I was reminded that behind every chicken sandwich is a farmer, maybe in north Alabama, mortgaged to the hilt and trying to make a modest living. Alabama Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries Ron Sparks is working to make life a little better for homegrown farmers (pardon the pun). One example of his efforts is the much-lauded Alabama Farm to School Program, which takes locally grown fruits and vegetables and puts them on the lunch plates of our schoolchildren. Through that initiative, kids all over Alabama enjoy satsumas, some of which are grown in and around the Mobile County city of the same name.
In a statement, Sparks said, “Giving our kids food that was grown here in Alabama means it is fresher than fruits and vegetables that are shipped in from other states.” The successful program is made possible through a partnership between the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, the United States Department of Agriculture, the Alabama Food Distribution Division of the Board of Education, and the Department of Defense.
Locally grown food is fresher and healthier than produce shipped here from another hemisphere. Look for it in your local Farmer's Market, roadside stand and even grocery store ... and please support Alabama farmers by makng an effort to put Alabama produce on your plate this holiday eating season.
(So many great reasons to support Josh Segall for Congress! Oh, and I added this great "farm" photo. - promoted by countrycat)
Joshua Segall may be the first ever Farmers' Market Candidate for Congress. He runs a program called Homegrown Alabama that focuses on getting schools to buy their food from farmers.
Joshua was defeated in his first attempt to unseat Bush-Republican Representative Mike Rogers last fall. But this week the rematch was announced
"It's time for a new direction. I am a fiscal conservative who will work to create and attract 21st Century jobs to east Alabama so that hardworking people can get ahead," said Segall.
"Alabama is suffering under irresponsible policies that bail out greedy executives who created this mess and leave hardworking Alabama families holding the bag. Rogers supported the Wall Street bailout, but did nothing for Main Street Alabama. He voted to send Alabama jobs overseas, when what we needed was a plan to create good jobs at home. It's time to stand up to special interest politics and put Alabama families first once again," said Segall.
Our own Bengoshi is at the Ecomax Home Expo in Montgomery today, where he found the www.BuyLocalAlabama.com booth. I have been noticing billboards with this neat graphic
This is a promotion by the Alabama Farmers Market Authority. The website is really helpful, it has pages where you can click on a map of Alabama counties to get the location of farmer's markets, roadside stands, and U-pick operations in each county. There's also links for recipes, a chart of produce availability, and a store with hats, T-shirts, and posters with the BuyLocalAlabama picture.
Ron Sparks has been pushing Alabama agriculture all the way across the board - from international marketing for the big operators all the way down to promoting fruit stands. This is a good thing for state agencies to be doing - promoting our own stuff and getting the word out.
If you can't grow your own, you can still get the freshest good stuff at the farmer's market. Eating locally is healthier, it saves energy, it keeps money circulating locally, and it preserves small-scale farming. And it's just not summertime in the South without real fresh tomatoes on the table!
Last week I wrote that Alabama deserves better than to become the nation's cesspool after residents in Limestone and Lauderdale counties complained of a terrible odor emanating from free fertilizer used on local farms. The fertilizer was treated human waste from New York and apparently smelled much worse than a pig barn or chicken operation -- and those are pretty darned bad.
It looks like Mr. Clean paid a visit in the person of Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks who met with Synagro representatives and worked out some new guidelines for human waste fertilizer in Alabama. Here's the deal, according to Sparks:
"I have been in contact with the company's representative and stressed the rising concerns we have with their product," he said. "In our communications, they assured me that they will no longer distribute the fertilizer on pasture land, will use the product in remote locations, and are making efforts to change their operating practices."
[snip]
Sparks said any material waiting to be spread on land would be incorporated into the dirt instead of being placed on top of the soil.
"They have also reassured me that they are going to incorporate a higher standard of processing using more lime to neutralize the odor," he said. "They are arranging for better storage and redirecting their routes so they won't be in congested areas or near schools. These are some of the concessions they have made up to this point."
[snip]
"I feel that we have to either clean up the process or stop the process altogether," he said. "It is my intention to work with the company to help them correct any mistakes that have been made. We will continue to monitor their efforts to ensure that this matter does not continue to grow as a public nuisance."
In addition, the company will stop distributing the product in Limestone County. The County Commission there was preparing to file an injunction to stop the use of the product. Since the 1901 Alabama Constitution doesn't give county commissions authority to do much of anything, including zoning and regulating manure spreading, going to court was the only option the Limestone Commissioners had. Manure regulation: yet another reason to let the people vote on a new state constitution.
I like Ron Sparks a lot. He's personally charming (requirement 1 for any politician) and I find his policies appealing. Even though he is seemingly out of the Senate race for good I still perk up when his name is mentioned.
Sparks makes no secret of the fact that he enjoys being Alabama's Commissioner of Agriculture. Given that, he's probably pleased as punch to have been named president-elect of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture a couple of weeks ago. He will become president of that organization next year.
Since Republican Congressman Terry Everett announced his decision to retire after this term, Sparks has been mentioned as a possible contender for that seat in the 2nd district.
Democratic Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks also won't commit to the race for Everett's seat. But, like Bright, he won't rule it out.
"Certainly I haven't had time to give it a lot of thought," Sparks told The Press-Register. "But I have an interest in that district from the agricultural concerns. I'm a strong advocate for agriculture in that district."
Sparks cannot seek a third term in his current position. He has expressed a desire to continue in political office. The commissioner toyed with a challenge to U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions but decided against such a move. Sparks is also considering a run for Governor in 2010.
Sparks, a Democrat with perhaps the best chance to pick up Republican crossover votes in the district, said he would run only if no strong pro-farmer candidate emerges.
Sounds like Sparks is really focussed on agriculture right now, so I'm not getting my hopes up that he'll jump into the AL-02 race. Once burned, twice shy.
(This is more important than politics - promoted by herding old cats)
The survival of the honeybee, perhaps the world’s largest matriarchy, has been a matter of real concern since the announcement of Colony Collapse Disorder earlier this year.
As we discussed in an April story (On Bees, Or, An Apple A Day May Be A Thing Of The Past), the pathogenic loading seen in the few recovered bees was so dramatic and of such a great variety that it was assumed there was more than one cause for the troubles.
Recent news reports from Spain have suggested the answer may be at hand...but apparently nothing in life is that easy. We’ll talk more about the bad news-and the good-as we go on.
First off, let me say that it's cool beyond belief to have your name mentioned on a statewide television program like For the Record in a discussion with a man like Ag Commissioner Ron Sparks.
Secondly, I've uploaded Friday night's program to YouTube in three parts (1,2,3). I've also assembled a highlights reel of sorts, editing the video only to leave the portions where Sparks is discussing politics.
And finally, notice how the producers at For the Record had Sparks labeled as a Republican for about half the show. I suppose they wised up when he started talking about running in a Democratic primary and how he wouldn't divide the Democratic Party.
A big Alabama welcome to all the folks coming over from Senate2008Guru. We agree that Ron Sparks really is a rock star.
Ron Sparks made an appearance on Alabama Public Television's For the Record program a few minutes ago. Did anybody else see the program? Feel free to disagree with my recollection or correct me -- esp. if you have it on tape and can provide exact wording. Some points that may be worth discussing:
Early in the program (pre Sparks) host Tim Lennox referred to the Birmingham News as one of the largest "conservative papers" in the state. About time people started facing up to that fact.
Also pre-Sparks, Lennox and his guest (Jim Rainey from the Opelika News) were discussing the record amount of money presidential candidates have raised in Alabama. They spent a lot of time talking about Fred Thompson, Rudy, and McCain, but very little on the Democratic candidates, neglecting entirely to mention that the top money raiser of either party was John Edwards. They also neglected to mention that Chris Dodd visited Birmingham and drew a big crowd a couple of months ago.
The first thing Lennox asked Sparks was about the punch in the Alabama Senate. I thought he responded well and honestly. He knows both men well and it should never have happened.
Lennox also asked him about Alabama agricultural exports to Cuba. Sparks explained that the embargo has been in place 45 years and if it hasn't worked by now it isn't going to. He said Alabama's trade with Cuba is legal and is good for Alabama farmers.
A caller from Madison (that voice sounded familiar) asked point blank about Sparks intentions to run for office in the future, and hoped we would be seeing more of him. Lennox mentioned SackSessions and Trent Thompson's decision to close the blog if Sparks was not going to get in the race. Sparks reiterated that he had been very interested in the Senate race, but he had told party leaders he would not run in a primary race, mentioning the need to focus on Sessions and the undesirablitly of "splitting the party down the middle." He mentioned that another Democrat had told him she planned to run and also said another potential candidate had the same assurance from that "other Democrat." He also reiterated his desire to continue to serve the people of Alabama "as long as they will let me."
I thought this was pretty strange. Lennox asked Sparks if he knew Larisa Thomason. Sparks said he didn't believe he did. Lennox said Larisa is the creator of the BlueSparks blog and is also on the board of the Alabama ACLU. It sounded like that was supposed to be some kind of "gotcha." Sparks said that a lot of people have been giving him encouragement to stay in public service, to run for higher office and so forth, but he really didn't know anything about Ms. Thomason. (I do know Larisa Thomason and there aren't many finer people on this Earth. -- Mooncat)
There were questions about country of origin labeling (Sparks is for it) food labeling (if it says grouper on the box it needs to be grouper in the box) and why it's hard to find Alabama seafood in local grocery stores.
Near the end Sparks was talking about the need to reach across the aisle and work with Republicans to get the job done. Lennox asked him why he didn't just declare himself a Republican. Sparks patiently explained that he's a life long Democrat, that there are differences between the two parties (Social Security and health care were mentioned) and that he understands that just because something is proposed by a Republican, it isn't automatically bad.
Lennox revisited the issue of Sparks future plans to run for another office. Sparks said he (the host) would be the first one to get a call when he decides. He said "I wish I could decide today" and mentioned Governor, Lt. Governor, U.S. Senate and Congress. He also talked about how unpleasant it is to make fundraising calls and how he wished the system was different, but those are the rules that you have to play by.
At no point in this interview did Ron Sparks rule out the Senate race. He talked again about not wanting to run in a primary. He mentioned that he had been assured someone else (we know that is state Sen. Vivian Figures) was going to run. He said he "wished he could decide today" but he didn't say anything approaching "I am not going to run for U.S. Senate."
I'm kind of glad I don't eat catfish anymore. Congressman Artur Davis has asked the FDA for tougher inspection of catfish imported from China. Rep. Davis and Alabama Agriculture Commissioner Ron Sparks held a joint press conference on this subject yesterday. The catfish controversy started last month when Sparks issued a 'stop sale order' on imported catfish after samples tested positive for a banned antibiotic (fluoroquinolones). Then Senator Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III jumped on the bandwagon by cosponsoring an amendment (to S.1082) increasing the FDA's authority over imported seafood, including catfish.
All this catfish concern is interesting because at one time Artur Davis was thinking of challenging Sessions in 2008 and recent buzz is that Ron Sparks is considering a run against Sessions. If either Sparks or Davis decides to run, the catfish producers of Alabama will be in a real quandary over who to back. They all care about catfish.
First off, since mid-March, pet owners across the country have been consulting recall lists and visiting web sites trying to make sure the food they give their companion animals is safe. The US has seen a massive recall of pet food containing wheat gluten imported from China and contaminated with either melamine or rat poison or some of both. The problem wheat gluten was not tested for purity. It has become clear that only a tiny portion of imported food products are tested by the FDA, even if they are destined for human consumption.
Second, folks in the south like catfish. I can't find statistics on the amount of catfish consumed, so I am reduced to anecdote. My brother-in-law and my cousin are more than happy to eat catfish three meals a day as long as they can get it. Alabama is the second largest catfish producer in the US, behind Mississippi and raising catfish is a multi-million dollar business here. Someone must like it.
Those two points came together on Wednesday, when I read that Alabama Agriculture & Industries Commissioner Ron Sparks had announced a ban on catfish imported from China. A banned antibiotic, fluoroquinolones, had turned up in several of the tested fish. You can click on this link to read the whole story, but the short version is that somebody in Alabama is testing imported catfish. And when they found something that shouldn't be there, Sparks stopped the importation of fish from those sources.
In other words, Commissioner Sparks and the people who work for him appear to be taking their jobs seriously, making sure the food supply is safe, and if it isn't, making sure it doesn't get to the dinner table. Competent government action that not only protects Alabama catfish lovers, it safeguards an industry that generates jobs and income in the state. How refreshing!
Maybe we should start feeding Alabama catfish to our cats. At least catfish gets inspected.
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Sometimes it's good to be cautious--and other times it's better to go with your gut.
Afterwards we met with Xavier Rakotonjanahary, Rice Breeding Coordinator, National Center of Applied Research for Rural Development. Xavier works with rural rice farmers, helping develop different breeds of rice that will help reduce labor, fertilizer, and other inputs.
Joshua Segall may be the first ever Farmers' Market Candidate for Congress. He runs a program called Homegrown Alabama that focuses on getting schools to buy their food from farmers. 
Last week I wrote that 
I like Ron Sparks a lot. He's personally charming (requirement 1 for any politician) and I find his policies appealing. Even though he is seemingly out of the Senate race for good I still perk up when his name is mentioned.
