peterxu's Blog

Biodiesel is an inexpensive, environmentally friendly source of energy. These benefits have sparked the publics interest in using this to fuel their cars. This increased interest has motivated many new companies and hobbyists to become producers and sellers of this new fuel.

As with any other product, producers and sellers must meet certain regulations and, in addition, are encouraged to follow suggested guidelines.

Regulations concerning the production and selling of biodiesel greatly varies from State to State. While many states do not possess explicit regulations or laws governing the production and sale of biodiesel, other states do have such regulations or laws as well as legal definitions of what qualifies.

When a state possesses an explicit legal definition of what constitutes a biodiesel fuel it usually includes one or more of the specifications, such as the D6751 specification, provided by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).

The State of Michigan is perhaps one of the most stringent States in that it prohibits refiners, distributors and retailers from transferring or dispensing biodiesel containing visible undissolved water, sediments and other suspended matter. Furthermore, Michigan retailers cannot sell from storage tanks that contain 2 inches or more of water, or a mixture of water and alcohol, at the bottom of the tank.

A comprehensive discussion of the laws and regulations governing the production, storage and selling is beyond the scope of this article. Readers interested in such laws, pertaining to one or more specific States, are referred to the webpage for the US Department of Energy.

The laws and regulations of Michigan illustrate the importance of fuel testing by any company wishing to produce, distribute and/or sell on a national scale any fuel derived from agricultural products.

National producers, distributors and retailers in this industry may also be further motivated to implement a comprehensive testing program in order to become certified as a BQ-9000 producer or marketer by the National Biodiesel Accreditation Commission (NBAC). Central to the BQ-9000 certification process is full compliance with the ASTM D6751 specification for B100 (i.e., a fuel mixture composed of 100 biodiesel) blend stock for middle distillate fuels.

The ASTM D6751 places limits on a number of the properties of biodiesel fuel. Limits are placed upon the combined mass concentration of calcium and magnesium, the closed cup flashpoint, the combined volume concentration of water and sediment and many more properties.

Biodiesel testing of the properties listed within ASTM D6751-07b is an important step in meeting the legal regulations and legal definition of biodiesel put forth by many States as well as helping to meet a major criterion of the BQ-9000 certification process.

Perhaps most importantly by ensuring that these alternative fuels meet the standards of the ASTM D6751 a producer, distributor or retailer can guarantee their customers a quality fuel. In turn, the producer, distributor or retailer will increase their likelihood in remaining competitive in an industry having a bright future.

For biodiesel fuel testing, Midwest Laboratories offers kits in accordance with ASTM 6751 for B100 Biodiesel. Midwest Labs develops testing packages specific for clients needs meeting the requirements set by industry standards. Visit http://store.midwestlabs.com/BiodieselTesting/

What an incredible trip this was. Ive developed an aversion to flying, so I drove from Chicago to Florida! My wife has always had an aversion to long rides, so she flew. We met in Savannah, and wended our way down the Florida coast.

Were not Disney/Busch folks. We love nature. I particularly love birdwatching. Florida is definitely the place for that! While I was meandering down one particular Florida road, before my wife came, it occurred to me that the world of the birdwatcher can be likened to the world of the soul-winner.

First, birding is a calling. Its not for everyone. And though we are all called to give testimony and live a holy life, not all could be labeled evangelist. Its a calling.

Second, go where the birds are. Evangelists of God, if acceptors of the Gospel arent where you are, go find them. Wipe the dust off your feet and move on!

Third, dont be disappointed when birds cant be identified and placed on your list. Theres plenty more that can. There were scores of birds that got away but over 60 that were nailed. Souls, too. Some will get away, and some of them, forever. But some will show up in glory.

Fourth, go out with birdwatching in mind. Be ready. Have your paper, pencil, binoculars, boots, rain gear. Prepare for anything. With the hearts of men, be just as ready. Prayer. Tracts always available. Prayer. Writing material. Prayer. Attitude. Prayer. Follow-up Bibles. Prayer. You just never know.

Fifth, no need to go it alone. A second watcher can confirm an identity, see things you do not. A helper by your side in soul-winning can be an encouragement, and have that word that is needed when you dont have it. Iron sharpening iron.

Sixth, go in all kinds of weather. Obvious. In season, out of season.

Seventh, birds are everywhere. Start in your own back yard. Yep, thats an obvious connection too.

Enjoy your trip.

http://chosunhouse.com is a website I put together a few months back to get the word out to believers that they need to pray for North Korea. I have created over 200 blogs and the site features a live news feed, lists of resources, picture essays, and ways to respond to the overwhelming need in North Korea. Lets love Chosun together! Contact me any time at diakonos5@yahoo.com

With all the created controversy of a non-event; namely the Dubai Deal many are starting to talk about restrictions on foreign investment again. Any free market economists worth his salt knows that talk like that is a bad sign. At least one political blogger stated recently in a question comment; hy cant there be an overhaul of foreign investment. /p>

The answer is simple we need that money flow to re-circulate here, but we have killed all our manufacturing with over regulation, we do not make anything in the nation anymore, well except hamburgers I guess. (exaggeration, but you get the point). So we need to find a way to allow the money flows back to our shores. It would be better to allow money flows back in kind; for instance oil for something we mine here such as some sort of raw material and in the case of China we buy their goods, they should buy ours, but that is not happening is it

Regarding ear of foreign money taking over, let look at some recent history shall we Remember when Japan tried their second sneak attack and bought up all the real estate what happened, everyone was angry, then the bottom fell out of the real estate market and US companies like Carr American, Tramwell Crow and the like came in and bought them back up for pennies on the dollar.

The Japanese bought golf courses, high-rises, all sorts of stuff. Why, because America is a safe investment and had laws allowing foreign investment and the Japanese interest rates in the banks in Japan were only giving 1 and some you had to pay them interest or a negative interest rate just in order to park your money there. Why did they have all that money in the first place Because Americans bought Japanese cars from Honda, Toyota and Datsun (Nissan-changed the name back-I guess people forgot about who made those WWII Japanese bombers Oh history lessons).

All this during the Deming years and what do we see now; a repeat with Japanese Hybrids and low gas consumption models You see really, we are our own worst enemies. Meanwhile the healthcare costs are rising for Automakers, unions are demanding more and more and everyone is blaming whom for all these trade deficits Dubai World What on Earth are they talking about

You see America, us, as in we the people have been screwing over American Business with all these rules, excessive government. Oh yah sure lets blame all our problems on China and Wal-Mart, no lets blame Dubai World No tomorrow is a new day quick lets blame someone else Wake up people you want to win the game, then study the flows of civilization and fix the problems and in-efficiencies.

Hell we have 10B per month going to Mexico, how much do they buy from us They buy more from China than us now, but China already has all our monies (slowly but surely) and the flow and what is really happening to all that money Well the Chinese are spending billions to buy Mig Fighters from Russia, nuclear submarines and the largest military build-up in human history minus a few years during the middle of WWII. But China has no rivals, enemies or threats Why do they need a military as large as ours; whoops; a little too much foreshadowing for you You want to talk about foreign investment; sure let talk, but let not kid ourselves or start calling Dubai World onto the carpet, until you ll understand about the flows of civilizations and real world interdependencies Consider all this in 2006.

Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington

The greenback has been slipping against the euro, the Chinese Yuan, and the pound for the past nine months or so, reaching record lows amidst a global credit crunch and plummeting real estate prices. What does this mean for US growth According to the Federal Reserve, projected economic growth will slow from more than 2.5 to around 1.8, and inflation remains a concern. But one figure does not an explanation give.

The slipping dollar is an indicator of how strong and robust the US economy is, relative to other countries and currencies. As news of record mortgage defaults, volatile markets, and skyrocketing oil prices continue to trickle in from throughout the US, consumer confidence has tumbled and with it their spending has tightened. This signals an impending shift that Americans will have to weather, but which actually provides a useful impetus for making some fundamental changes in the economy.

If Americans are forced to actually save, (rather than going into negative savings, as the average American has within the past two years) a falling currency can actually be absorbed without causing economic devastation. Simply put, most Americans dont plan for their economic future very well, and are in fact in debt more often than not. No matter how much growth the US economy may generally experience, it is unsustainable for our present levels of spending to result in a beneficial outcome indefinitely. Therefore, a falling currency forces a necessary economic reality to be faced, which may have a much better end result, even if the transition is somewhat unpleasant.

A depressing currency also makes US exports cheaper for other countries, hence ensuring that demand for American labor will be attractive to foreign interests. While this may guarantee some growth, if US manufacturers arent hiring Americans, (because we arent willing to do the work and illegal immigrants are) the US cannot reap these benefits. Hence another attitude shift is in order: That there are no jobs in America that Americans should be unwilling to perform. This has been a huge strength in US history, as American manufacturing and industrialization fueled its development into an economic powerhouse throughout the twentieth century.

The falling dollar is also beneficial in that OPEC prices oil in dollars. This means that even though oil almost reached 100$ a barrel within recent weeks, it was still less expensive than it could be if they decided to price oil in euros. Therefore OPEC absorbs the weakness of the dollar in tandem with consumers, thus placing no special burden on Americans. If they were to price oil in another currency, Americans would be hard-hit, but perhaps the US would be able to cut back its dependence on foreign oil. Its possible that rising oil prices, coupled with the other factors mentioned, could trigger the growth of alternative energy production on a wider scale.

Above all, the US benefits from a less powerful currency because the current model for economic growth is unsustainable, if not downright foolhardy. In order for America to remain a world leader, it must be able to lead more than amount of products consumed. The US also has to be able to produce more sophisticated solutions for its weaknesses at a lower cost, which it now has the opportunity and incentive to do.

Escapesomewhere Realty is a company focused on the Austin real estate market. Their site provides a powerful search of the Austin MLS along with current information on the Austin market on their Austin Real Estate Blog.

Many are very impressed with the NIMA (National Imagery and Map Agency) nfotech Project. Not only does this give the US the edge from CIA, NSA and NRO but the implications for business are unbelievable. The map imagery is great and combined with software available with ERSI and programs like ArcView and ArcData and ArcBiz we can do multi-layered can do unbelievable things for environmental mitigation, Target Marketing and when compiled with the declassified DMA-Defense Mapping Agency data it is more powerful than ever before.

We can use this to prevent forest fires, estimate fresh water needs in regions, predict weather, droughts. The military of course has their own experts in the Central Imagery Office and DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency), which interprets data and imagery analysis. Satellite Spot and LandSat are used in both civil and commercial applications.

Every inch of the Earth is being surveyed and anytime anyone changes anything over three feet high in the way of putting in buildings will be noticed and areas of major concern can spot a truck parked where it was never before or a block wall that has changed shape. These technologies will help business also and within a few years we can have a major advantage by doing aerial surveying in 3D from space. This is going to be rather incredible and it will change many of the ways we build things in the future and how we market to different area and how we study traffic and water, and Earthquakes and everything you can think of in the physical world.

Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance is a guest writer for Our Spokane Magazine in Spokane, Washington