I saw an advertisement at the back of the Economist with a picture of an ear of corn. The ad says at the top, "This is Not Corn." The ad then says, "Trium Global Executive MBA...The World of Business Through a Global Lens." This ad notes that although some may just see corn, the student at this school would see "global, socio-political and economic issues that profoundly affect the world." In a circle next to the ear of corn, the ad states the following: "Futures, Environment, Global Warming, Energy Consumption, Price Volatility, Government Subsidies, Trade, Global Supply Chains [and] Foreign Policy."

I thought this ad was really interesting because even ten years ago, an ear of corn was something for a barbecue and not the symbol of all of these huge world issues. It is positive progress, in my opinion, that an ear of corn has come to represent part of the global energy market. Although ethanol needs to be perfected, it is great that ads like this one view corn as a prominent symbol for this century. It is definitely true that corn has the prospect of impacting one country's relationship with others in many ways; it may be that by producing its own ethanol, a country may be less dependent on others for oil and may in fact, be able to export ethanol to other nations. The demand for corn may become so high that it could be a very valuable commodity on the world markets. Perhaps the next ad for this business school will contain a wind turbine, a solar panel or a trash bag (since methane from landfills is an energy resource). I am all for it if these items become symbols of where our world is today and where it is headed with alternative energy.