Great stuff, but if you could annualize all your numbers I think it would be stronger.

One of your other readers also made an important point in one of your other essays. Cows derive their energy from recent energy passed into grass from the sun. Of course, oil used in fertilizer changes that equation.

Anyway, when you drive a car you are taking 100% condensed old energy and burning it. It isn't part of a cycle as you point out. We need to eat something to stay alive. We don't need to drive to the mall ;)