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This headline…

“Uprising Against the Ethanol Mandate”

…in today’s New York Times grabbed my attention while I waited at Faz’s Tex Mex here in Huntington to pick up my lunch. It said rising food prices due to crops grown going toward the production of Ethanol prompted the Gov. of Texas asking that Federal Ethanol Mandates be changed to ease this problem.

Of course there are arguments being made pro and con. I don’t know his true motivation since accusations have already been made about his reasons for wanting this. I must say after reading a few articles in the past I’m on the pro change side.

I also can’t figure out how we continually get to this point.

Let’s see, in Algebra I learned X + Y = Z.

So follow my simple corn math equation

If we have X (Land in Acres) + Y (Crop Yield per Acre) = Z (Total Crops Yielded) then what is so hard to figure out?

If Z (Total Crops Yielded) was going to market as a food source and now some of it is going to Ethanol Production there has to be an increase in either X (Land In Acres) or Y (Crop Yield per Acre) to keep food prices constant.

Isn’t that what I learned in Economics - Supply & Demand?

That said, supply to the food market is now down, food market demand is constant or up – so guess what, that usually equals higher prices.

Since I’m new to Ethanol Production and Farming game, maybe I’m missing something. Or maybe those who fought for the mandates, while I’m sure well intentioned, forgot to do this math equation before fighting for it.

As a society it might be helpful to go back to basics; using simple Math, Language and Reasoning skills as a way to develop our strategies.

Here are a few easy ones for us to try out…
Treat people fairly – good reasoning
Tell the truth – good reasoning
Total dependence on one finite energy source – bad reasoning
Taking food from someone’s mouth to fill a gas tank – bad reasoning

I think our Politicos can use our help, so feel free to send you elected officials some reasoning exercises you thing would be helpful for them work on.

Tom Pellicane – Publisher, canvas Magazine

Last Night I got to watch a few minutes of the News Hour with Jim Lehrer on PBS. They had a segment with “Informal” Advisors to Presidential candidates McCain and Obama talking about each candidate’s position on Iraq. Right before the segment had aired, they had done a segment on the NY Time’s rejection of Senator McCain’s Op Ed piece and the Bru Ha Ha this rejection has created.

As I watched these “Informal” Advisors play chess, it sadden me. All I saw was each candidates stump speech come out of someone else’s mouth. I will say that McCain’s “Informal” Advisor was better at stumping then Obama’s. He talked over the others and kept hitting the same point over and over.

My sadness comes from seeing the media once again becoming a wasteland of sound bites, as I saw on PBS, and side issues, like the Op Ed piece Bru Ha Ha.

We deserve better, we deserve to hear real positions and dialogue about the issues we face.

During the ping pong match on Iraq I kept thinking…
”What the hell is an Informal Advisor anyway?”
“Does this mean they only advisor in shorts and a t-shirt or maybe Khakis and a button down?”
“Or does it mean they advise, but really aren’t listened too?”

I also kept wondering “If you’re an advisor why are you telling me the candidate’s positions vs. what you’ve advised them on?”

Lastly I thought… “Didn’t Obama’s people learn anything from the Movie Recount on HBO?”

At the end of the segment I had to give the win to McCain’s man on “over talking alone.” He shut down the Newscaster and the Obama mouthpiece and allowed no substance to be discussed.

I didn’t learn much more about which candidate would be better for the country at all, but I did learn it sometimes might be better to have a loud mouth, than a more reserved person as your “Informal Advisor.”

Tom Pellicane – Publisher, canvas Magazine

While editing the August issue of canvas, a very interesting moment occurred while conversing with our copy chief, Lucy Saunders. I asked her to write about it for canvas’s blog, and here’s what she had to say:

Celebrity sightings are no big deal to us New Yorkers, and believe me, I’m not that easily impressed. But I had the best encounter ever the other day—and it was all because of canvas.

I copy edit the magazine, and have numerous conversations with editor Diana Murphy while it’s being put together. We had a talk scheduled recently while I had to be out and about, so I found a quiet corner right next to a side exit in the lobby of the Hyatt on 42nd Street. As we were chatting about one of the articles, a hotel employee approached me and said they were “moving a dignitary” and would I mind staying where I was for the next few minutes? Sure, no problem, I told him.

Well, the next thing I knew, I was five feet away from the Dalai Lama! And still on the phone with Diana, but not talking about work at that moment! I’ve heard him describe himself as “a simple monk,” but he has some kind of “energy field” around him that’s so strong I almost felt as though I could see it! Hard to describe, but he seems like the calm at the center of a storm. I literally got chills when he passed by me.

So, thanks Diana, because I never would have been there for that incredible experience if I hadn’t been working with you.

—Lucy Saunders, canvas Copy Chief

Lucy mentions she got chills when the Dalai Lama walked by, and I can tell you that I did, too, the moment she mentioned who the passing dignitary was. It seemed so fitting that while we were discussing copy edits on the upcoming article we’re running on taking “inner vacations”—meditative relaxation techniques to promote inner peace and well being—that the world’s most famous living embodiment of peace and well being should cross our path (well, hers, literally and mine via our cell phone connection).

To Lucy’s dismay, she didn’t get a photo of the Dalai Lama as he walked by (my fault as she had her hands full of layouts with copy fixes and couldn’t reach into her purse for her ever-handy digital camera quickly enough); but at least she had me as a witness to share that special moment—one we’ll both surely remember for the rest of our lives.

And it’s me who should be thanking you, Lucy, for sharing this brief encounter and helping canvas mind our Ps and Qs, no matter where you are or what celebs you may be brushing shoulders with. We appreciate your continual hard work and dedication, and are so lucky to have you as part of the canvas team.

—Diana Murphy, canvas Editor in Chief

As a few friends and I shared a 40-something birthday, we thought it would be perfectly apropos to go see Sex And The City—the movie, that is. Skipping the trailers and dashing for seats during the first five minutes, we might have missed Carrie Bradshaw in her signature shoe store, Manolo Blahnik, but we didn’t miss the signature cocktails. We came prepared with Cosmopolitans in a beach bag, veggies and dip. It got a bit loud pouring the cocktails into paper cups, and when the spinach dip fell on the floor I was wondering how marinated my sandals would be by the end of the flick…a very memorable night that ended with more drinks and appetizers—four friends in their own Sex And The City drama.

I didn’t always have the patience for the TV show, but the movie was surprisingly okay. Besides the usual Carrie costumes that only Sarah Jessica call pull off (and sometimes not) the four friends displayed some quality acting. If you haven’t seen the movie and plan on it—stop reading right here. I’m about to give it away…

When Big leaves her at the altar (or nearby) in the movie, I wasn’t expecting to see a bed-ridden, circles-under-the-eyes Bradshaw, but this side of Carrie is one I can believe in. The designer “bag” dresses, the poodle skirts, the crazy hats, the vintage gloves, the Blah-Blah Blahniks are all great, but Bradshaw’s serious side is more flattering than the outfits.

I won’t go into more details … go see it and judge for yourself. The best part is they’ve all aged gracefully without appearing to have dived too deep into Botox or Restalyne (and whatever else is plumping out there.) So, when people say I resemble Sarah Jessica Parker, I smile and thank them. And like Carrie, I, too, get by with a little help from my friends…

—Joanne Schenker, canvas Arts & Letters columnist

Over this past weekend we began another chapter in our lives. We moved from a stunning, o-sized condominium that was built in a former elementary school to a charming 1927 home loaded with character. The condo was the last piece left from my Pin Stripe, Power Tie chapter. Our home was beautiful and facilitated the birth of my son Jake; however it was not conducive to our current lifestyle or raising a little boy.

I learned a few things from this move – we had a lot of stuff! Our Feng Shui friends here at canvas would we proud, I know we are, we kept ridding ourselves of stuff, and will be continuing to do so. The folks at Goodwill got to know us on a first name basis over the last couple of weeks.

I also learned my wife gets some of her determination from her Mom. She came to help us move, over the course of the week she was with us there were many times I was done and she was still going.

Beyond that I learned less is more. This house is smaller yet we feel more comfortable in the space, to me it feels roomier. There’s something to be said for cozy.

Environmentally I learned that people should PLANT A TREE whenever possible. Our new yard is the opposite of our former space, which for the most part was void of trees. This yard is filled with trees, giving off shade and offers many areas to get out of the sun through out the day. It is a welcome way for Jake to play.

Lastly we learned, as I said to my wife Adele last night as we sat on the couch taking in the events of the weekend, the universe the universe really does have a plan for us. You see we had decided to sell the condo long before canvas and my lack of pin stripes. Yet the sale, because of the style of the home - Manhattan Loft meets 1920 Elementary School - combined with the market, took a long time. However had the timing been any different we would not have found the home we are now in. Huh, frustration can really lead to good things. A lesson for us all.

Tom Pellicane – Publisher, canvas Magazine