Another Grab Bag

Some more interesting items crossing my line of sight on a sunny Thursday:

• Colleague David Tyler and I on Sunday chronicled the growing number of proposals for ethanol and biodiesel factories in upstate New York. (At last count, seven, with an eighth under discussion.) It would appear that the investors in these plants are on top of things. A new report suggests that the country is soon facing an ethanol shortage. Read about it here in USA Today, in Business Week, and the Houston Chronicle. The bad news is that the ethanol shortage could drive up gas prices in the near term. Here is a link to testimony by the head of the Renewable Fuels Association. For more on ethanol, visit the Energy Information Association page here.
• You know you've spent a lot when your total debt expands to 14 digits -- in other words, $10,000,000,000,000, or $10 trillion. That's the situation for the U.S. government, and it's causing some unintended consequences in New York City. My question: Can't he just expand the board?
• Lastly, here's a good time-waster, one that'll inspire a few laughs.