In the automotive vein, a very good read on ethanol and how it might change the world for the better. The interesting part is how Brazil is so far ahead of the rest of the world with this stuff. The environmental gains are difficult to measure (but certainly exist), but the economic ones are eye-popping:

Ethanol’s rise has had far-reaching effects on the economy. Not only does Brazil no longer have to import oil but an estimated $69 billion that would have gone to the Middle East or elsewhere has stayed in the country…

Now that’s some scratch. Brazil has a population of 186,112,794 (thanks to Google), so compared to Canada, there’s a difference for sure. But still. Ethanol sells for 45% of the price of gasoline in Brazil. If you have to drive, you would definitely pick the cheap fuel, and since it’s so much better than gas, emission-wise, it’s all good. Wilson and I talked about bio-diesel just this morning, so here’s another alternative.

Pretty cool stuff.