Weekend Roundup

This week's Energy Jolt was about Flex fuel Vehicles (FFVs). FFVs are designed to run on gasoline or a blend of up to 85% ethanol (E85). These cars and trucks have the same power, acceleration, payload, and cruise speed as conventionally fueled vehicles. Maintenance for ethanol-fueled vehicles is very similar to that of regular cars and trucks. Much of the increased interest in ethanol as a vehicle fuel is due to its ability to replace gasoline from imported oil. The United States is currently the world's largest ethanol producer, and most of the ethanol we use is produced domestically from corn grown by American farmers.

The Pork Platter served up a sobering $13,500,000 to the International Fund for Ireland. A portion of that funding helped to fund the World Toilet Summit, however, I doubt any of the taxpayers that forked over the money for this project received an invite.

Other news:

1) The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced the 2008 Medicare Open Enrollment starting Nov. 15 - Dec. 31. Each year plans change what they cost and what they cover. Now is the time for people with Medicare to review the changes being made by their current plan and compare it to others to make sure it still meets their needs. Call 1-800-MEDICARE or visit www.medicare.gov for more information. The "Medicare and You 2009" handbook is now available at http://www.medicare.gov/Publications/Pubs/pdf/10050.pdf.

2) U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Steve Preston this week accepted a $10 million disaster plan from the State of Indiana to recover from severe storms, tornadoes and flooding earlier this year.

Check back next week for your dose of Energy and Pork!