E85 Ethanol

I'm all for being green and saving the earth, but the more I hear about E85 ethanol, the less it makes sense to me.

E85 is basically gasoline, a flex fuel, that made from corn. It is made from the kernels of corn, the only part that can be more easily converted into a fuel blend.

Here is the problem: it is inefficient.

Ethanol has less than 70% of the efficiency of gasoline. So the more ethanol is in the blend, say E85 (85% ethanol) compared to E10 (1o% ethanol), the less efficient it is. Plus, heavier concentrations of ethanol can more easily damage a car's engine. That's why most tanks that can support an ethanol blend are only made for E10 blends.

Have you seen the price of corn today? It is 2 ears for a $1.00 at the supermarket! How many ears of corn do you think it would take to fill up a tank? Although, analysts say it is worth getting ethanol only if gas is more than $4.00/gallon if your car has already been converted for such a fuel. It is more expensive to produce ethanol, convert the corn, ship it in big trucks, and grow it. Mass production of ethanol could possibly cause a food shortage. Some corn growers lost a lot of their corn in the floods and other natural disasters. Look at what happened to rice. If there is a major disaster to corn crops, those dependent on ethanol will share in paying the price.

Some other food products are being looked at to make ethanol blends. Sugar ethanol is the next big thing, but I don't really know that much about it yet to have an opinion about it's efficiency or know how sweet of a deal it really is.

Church or Self-Help Group?

Maybe I am one of the few Christians to say this, but sometimes going to a new church seems like a cheap circus act. Many feature "hip" worship bands, huge screens, videotaped services, mood lighting, youth pastor that act like they are 14-years-old, etc. What gets to me more than anything in these "shows" are the pastors who hold self-help seminars rather than teach about God in fear they may offend a non-believer. This is probably why many people who go to church do not have a basic understand about God or what their religion teaches.

Every church has its strong and weak points, mine included. But what does it take these days for a church to get new members? Many of the recent churches I have visited have scattered their services with skits, pretend dialogues between God and a celebrity or movie character, notes that are expected to be written down up on the screens, and songs that ask God for scads of things or tell God about how great they are ("I stand...", "Father, I...", etc). These is more "I/me" language in the songs and prayers and less "You/God" language as participants seek to become better humans and acceptance within themselves.

The Wall Street Journal says this about many hip churches: "...seeker-friendly churches (have a) permissive dress code -- not only jeans, but shorts and flip-flops are often OK. The 'messages' (never sermons) jazzed up with video clips and hard-rocking nine-piece 'praise bands.' The Starbucks cart that often sits in the lobby (and the fact that worshipers can take their nonfat lattes into the pews). Their biggest concern, however, is with the spiritual teachings.

Most seeker-friendly churches -- some of which can draw tens of thousands of worshipers -- are firmly rooted in Christianity. They offer weekly Bible-study classes and make clear in their statement of faith that Jesus is the only way to heaven. But the sermons tend to be buoyant, hip and dedicated to self-help themes, rather than theology.

More conservative, traditionalist pastors say that approach opens the door to a mushy secularism, or a la carte theology, in which worshipers pick and choose from the messages they find most helpful, without ever understanding that Christianity requires obedience to certain inflexible principles."

Is the church becoming too convenient? What is it that draws hundreds of people to the new mega-churches while the smaller churches remain the same? Would Jesus like convenient or would He started turning over coffee tables? I don't really know the answer. All I know is that I am done with popularity contests and like my small church where everyone is up-to-date on their fellow parishioner and we have a small weekly family reunion....but I guess this is convenient for me.

Please enjoy the following pictures and church signs:

This is a high-tech, hip church and pastor

The COOL Church. This is where the cool kids go.



















This is the senior pastor of a church/gun show in Tucson.








uhh...clever












smart cookie















Amen! I'm glad someone else sees it my way.















Good grief! Seriously?















Mine, too.












You think they have hot wings there?













I wonder if He'll add me as a friend?














I wonder who attends this church?


















Huh?













I'm assuming they're "cool" because they have air conditioning.












Is this sign texting me? Who talks like this?











Someone has horrible theology. God would never say this. Read your Bible, sign writer.











I've got enough dysfunction.



















Do you think Jesus was a free thinker in the Bible? He didn't hang out with the popular crowd. Keep thinking freely or maybe you'll end up being a slave to today's pressures.












I think this defeats the point of forgiveness...but I'm still working on this one. ;)









Why wouldn't He?

The War on Meth: Meth is Death

Congress has a lot of hard decisions to make, especially making up names for initiatives they care about.

Watch this video and see their passion:



Congress Struggles To Come Up With Cool Name For Anti-Drug Initiative

"Operation Eagle Scream...Horse Kick...Bear Trap...Snake Bite..."?!?! "Meth is death..."? Uh...how hard is it to come up with a name for something like this? They should have invited me there; I have some good ideas: Operation Chicken Coop, Dog Bite, Cat Scratch, Kitten Whisker, or Do Meth and Get in Trouble.

This cracked me up really bad. And to think: Congress probably does waste their time on silly stuff like this.

Good thing The Onion is not real.

Shangri-La Diet

I've heard of crazy diets before: cabbage soup diet, honey lemonade diet, apple cider vinegar diet, etc.

I think the Shangri-La Diet, created by Seth Roberts, Ph. D, might top them all. Basically, one is to drink about 3 tablespoons of an odorless oil (like light olive oil) or sugar water and then one's appetite will decrease. However, from my understanding, you are supposed to hold your nose while you eat so you can't taste your food. (I tried holding my nose while eating cereal and it just seemed like nasty mush in my mouth.) This diet is about tricking your brain and stomach. The truth is, though, you can't really trick your body like that--at least not for long.

I was watching a review of the diet on TV earlier today and the diet success story person lost about 60 lbs. or so. However, he had been consuming 6,000 per day before starting the diet and then was down to eating 2,000 a day. Duh! If anyone ate 4,000 calories less per day, they would lose weight for sure. I don't even think I could eat 4,000 calories in a day anyways.

Yes, some fats like olive oil or the stuff with Omega-3 fatty acids are good for you. But anyone can consume these with a normal, regulated diet or even a supplement.

Here is a testimonial on Seth Robert's site that is supposed to be a positive account: "It's been two weeks since I started and oh-my-god . . . Within three days I was actually forgetting to eat." — Kathy Sierra, co-author of Head First Java". Uhhh... that's not cool; that's dangerous.

I can guarantee no doctor or nutritionist will say this diet is a good idea. I'm not even posting a link to the book or site because I think it is so stupid. Feel free to look it up if you need more convincing.

So Stupid It's Funny

I've always liked "Beavis & Butthead". The movie gets funnier every time I watch it.

Here is a little clip that we may relate to when we think about "la migra".

New Facility Dedicated to George W. Bush, Maybe

A group in San Francisco, the Presidential Memorial Commission, is hoping to get a new building dedicated to the current President, George W. Bush.

Most US Presidents have libraries, buildings on college campuses, or even airports named after them. However, to show their lack of appreciation towards Bush, the group wants to rename the Oceanside Water Treatment Facility to the "George W. Bush Treatment Plant".

The person who started the Presidential Memorial Commission, Wayne Pickering, says he wants to have an "appropriate and enduring legacy, for no other president in modern American history has accomplished so much in such a short time." The SFist thinks Pickering's ideas is "genius" and "an excellent idea" and have posted their interview with Pickering on their site.

The Presidential Memorial Commission is hoping to get their initiative on the November ballot in California.

I can't say that I am pro-Bush, but I think this is ridiculous and rude. Back in 2003 I did not agree with the war. I was put-down and ridiculed as a result. But, who knows? When we look at history books 30 years from now, will they say this unpopular really turned out to be a good thing in the long run? Maybe it will just say what most of us think: it is no good.

What I do know is that if I lived in California, I would not want my tax dollars to go towards making new signs for a water treatment facility. There are homeless, starving children--you know?