Competing Philosophies

"Do, or do not. There is no try."
~ Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back

"For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business."
~ T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets

Culture, Please Apologize to My Nieces and all Other Little Girls

So Miley Cyrus is getting a little sexy--is anyone surprised? Yes, the demon dressed as Culture will exploit a 15 year-old girl. Yes, her Hollywood parents allowed this to take place. Hop in the handbasket, we are heading underground. But accepting all that, there are two things in the article I find extra disturbing:

First, "Vanity Fair says her parents/handlers were present during the entire shoot."

HANDLERS? Do child actors really have handlers? Is she a circus animal? (Don't answer that, please, for the sake of my remaining sliver of innocence)

Second, "They are hard photos to look at, so humor comes in handy. Hard not because they are so sexual -- she's 15, she's entitled to a little sexuality -- but because the whole package, story and photos, was so inevitable."

Wait, she's 15 so she's entitled to a little sexuality? Goodbye Culture, you are too far gone.

No seriously...

Why are we still pursuing ethanol?

Let's see... 1) Higher cost of groceries across the board:

While corn growers are reaping record profits, U.S. consumers can expect even higher grocery bills -- especially for meat and pork -- as livestock producers are forced to pass on higher animal feed costs and thin their herd size.

Check.

2) Deplete the supply of corn for feeding people and livestock by 30%:

Corn is the basic feedstock for most of the plants and about 20 percent of last year's 13 billion bushel corn crop was consumed by ethanol production. That percentage is expected to increase to 30 percent for the next crop year, which ends Aug. 31, 2009, according to Terry Francl, a senior economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Check.

3) Defy all logic

Let's produce ethanol because it is a CHEAPER source of renewable energy. But by increasing demand for corn to use toward ethanol, we'll drive up the price of corn, thereby making ethanol an UNPROFITABLE AND EXPENSIVE source of renewable energy. And once you factor in all of the other increasing costs due to the rise in corn prices... it really sounds like a bargain, doesn't it? And for what? 10% less gasoline than straight unleaded? Seriously? No, no... seriously?

Check.