BIODIESEL USAGE - SAFETY, HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

Biodiesel contains no hazardous materials and is generally regarded as safe to use. Like any fuel, certain fire safety precautions must be taken. The Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) further below contains all the details on concerns in these areas.

A number of studies have found that biodiesel biodegrades much more rapidly than conventional diesel. Users in environmentally sensitive areas such as wetlands, marine environments, and national parks have taken advantage of this property.

USING BIODIESEL UNDER THE ENERGY POLICY ACT
The Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPAct) was passed by Congress to reduce the nation's dependence on imported petroleum by requiring certain fleets to acquire alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs), which are capable of operating on non-petroleum fuels.
Compliance with EPAct is met by credits awarded for acquisition of AFVs. The Energy Conservation Reauthorization Act of 1998 (ECRA) amended EPAct to allow credit for B20 use. DOE’s Biodiesel Fuel Use Credit Interim Final Rule became effective in January 2001, allowing covered fleets to meet EPAct requirements through the purchase of biodiesel fuel.
One biodiesel fuel use credit, which is counted as one AFV acquisition, is allocated to fleets for each purchase of 450 gallons of neat biodiesel fuel, for use in diesel vehicles more than 8,500 lbs. GVWR. The biodiesel must be neat (B100) or in blends that contain by volume at least 20% biodiesel (B20). Fleets are allowed to use these credits to fulfill up to 50% of their EPAct requirements. (Biodiesel fuel providers can meet up to 100% of their requirements through the use of biodiesel fuel use credits.).

These credits can be claimed only in the year in which the fuel is purchased for use, and they cannot be traded among fleets. For further information, visit the EPAct web page at
http://www.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/deployment/fcvt_epact.shtml
For specific information about biodiesel use in federal fleets, contact:
Shabnam Fardanesh
202 586-7011
shabnam.fardanesh@ee.doe.gov
For specific information about biodiesel use in state and fuel provider fleets, contact:
Linda Bluestein
202 586-6116
Linda.Bluestein@ee.doe.gov


SAMPLE BIODIESEL MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET

Chemical Product

General Product Name: Biodiesel
Synonyms: Methyl Soyate, Rapeseed Methyl Ester (RME),
Methyl Tallowate
Product Description: Methyl esters from lipid sources
CAS Number: Methyl Soyate: 67784-80-9; RME: 73891-99-3;
Methyl Tallowate: 61788-71-2

Composition/Information On Ingredients
This product contains no hazardous materials.

Hazards Identification
Potential Health Effects:
INHALATION:
Negligible unless heated to produce vapors. Vapors or finely misted materials may
irritate the mucous membranes and cause irritation, dizziness, and nausea. Remove to
fresh air.
EYE CONTACT:
May cause irritation. Irrigate eye with water for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Seek medical
attention if symptoms persist.
SKIN CONTACT:
Prolonged or repeated contact is not likely to cause significant skin irritation. Material is
sometimes encountered at elevated temperatures. Thermal burns are possible.
INGESTION:
No hazards anticipated from ingestion incidental to industrial exposure.

First Aid Measures
EYES:
Irrigate eyes with a heavy stream of water for at least 15 to 20 minutes.
SKIN:
Wash exposed areas of the body with soap and water.
INHALATION:
Remove from area of exposure, seek medical attention if symptoms persist.
INGESTION:
Give one or two glasses of water to drink. If gastro-intestinal symptoms develop, consult
medical personnel. (Never give anything by mouth to an unconscious person.)

Fire Fighting Measures
Flash Point (Method Used): 130.0° C min (ASTM 93)
Flammability Limits: None known
EXTINGUISHING MEDIA:
Dry chemical, foam, halon, CO2, water spray (fog). Water stream may splash the burning
liquid and spread fire.



SOURCE: http://www.eere.energy.gov

THE CARVER LEGACY – PUTTING REAL FOOD ON THE DINING TABLE

Stumbled onto the following biographical essay while checking out some college program listings. Anyone who helps farmers to grow food and consumers to have safe, fresh and nutritious food is definitely a friend of Bronx’s and will be celebrated on this blog page. So, here is a true American and World-class hero of humanity in general:
[“From inauspicious and dramatic beginnings, George Washington Carver became one of the nation's greatest educators and agricultural researchers. He was born in about 1864 (the exact year is unknown) on the Moses Carver plantation in Diamond Grove, Mo. His father died in an accident shortly before his birth, and when he was still an infant, Carver and his mother were kidnapped by slave raiders. The baby was returned to the plantation, but his mother was never heard from again.
Carver grew to be a student of life and a scholar, despite the illness and frailty of his early childhood. Because he was not strong enough to work in the fields, he helped with household chores and gardening. Probably as a result of these duties and because of the hours he would spend exploring the woods around his home, he developed a keen interest in plants at an early age. He gathered and cared for a wide variety of flora from the land near his home and became known as the "plant doctor," helping neighbors and friends with ailing plants.
He learned to read, write and spell at home because there were no schools for African Americans in Diamond Grove. From age 10, his thirst for knowledge and desire for formal education led him to several communities in Missouri and Kansas and finally, in 1890, to Indianola, Iowa, were he enrolled at Simpson College to study piano and painting.
He excelled in art and music, but art instructor Etta Budd, whose father was head of the Iowa State College Department of Horticulture, recognized Carver's horticultural talents. She convinced him to pursue a more pragmatic career in scientific agriculture and, in 1891, he became the first African American to enroll at Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, which today is Iowa State University.
Carver's interests in music and art remained strong, but it was his excellence in botany and horticulture that prompted professors Joseph Budd and Louis Pammel to encourage him to stay on as a graduate student after he completed his bachelor's degree in 1894. Because of his proficiency in plant breeding, Carver was appointed to the faculty, becoming Iowa State's first African American faculty member.
Over the next two years, as assistant botanist for the College Experiment Station, Carver quickly developed scientific skills in plant pathology and mycology, the branch of botany that deals with fungi. He published several articles on his work and gained national respect. In 1896, he completed his master's degree and was invited by Booker T. Washington to join the faculty of Alabama's Tuskegee Institute.
At Tuskegee, he gained an international reputation in research, teaching and outreach. Carver taught his students that nature is the greatest teacher and that by understanding the forces in nature, one can understand the dynamics of agriculture. He instilled in them the attitude of gentleness and taught that education should be "made common" --used for betterment of the people in the community.
Carver's work resulted in the creation of 325 products from peanuts more than 100 products from sweet potatoes and hundreds more from a dozen other plants native to the South. These products contributed to rural economic improvement by offering alternative crops to cotton that were beneficial for the farmers and for the land. During this time, Carver also carried the Iowa State extension concept to the South and created "movable schools," bringing practical agricultural knowledge to farmers, thereby promoting health, sound nutrition and self-sufficiency.
Carver died in 1943. He received many honors in his lifetime and after, including a 1938 feature film, Life of George Washington Carver; the George Washington Carver Museum, dedicated at Tuskegee Institute in 1941; the Roosevelt Medal for Outstanding Contribution to Southern Agriculture in 1942; a national monument in Diamond Grove, Mo.; commemorative postage stamps in 1947 and 1998; and a fifty-cent coin in 1951. He was elected to the Hall of Fame for Great Americans in 1977 and inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1990. In 1994, Iowa State awarded him the degree, Doctor of Humane Letters.”]

SOURCE: http://www.uark.edu/depts/gradinfo/recruit/Carver/index.html

BLOG VISITOR TRACKING AND FINDING- VTAF MAP FOR SHORT?

Had to try this out after seeing the following question-and-answer session in “Yahoo! Answers”:

The Questions-

Is Soulcast defrauding its bloggers regarding adsense pay per click ads?

Soulcast claims it puts its adsense ID 50% of the time on its bloggers 'page source', is this legal? or is this fraud?

The Answers (in descending order of Best and Others)-

Best Answer - Chosen By Voters

They're big time scammers . Just check this out to see the possibilities of adsense

http://tinyurl.com/q4yjt

1 Votes 100%

SOURCE: http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20061030215658AAyMaGh

Other Answers: see the link below:

http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=12hnae1er/M=399283.9455616.10186739.9152202/D=know/S=396545054:KBOX/Y=YAHOO/EXP=1164239593/A=4038202/R=0/SIG=1175067dd/*http://answers.yahoo.com/info/welcome


Hmmm. Luckily, I’ve had the computer code handy for quite a while, just waiting in the wings, I guess, for just such a situation to crop up.

If it tracks well and true, then I’d have an independent reference point for comparison to SoulCast and Google Adsense.

If not, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Not too sneaky, I hope? A guy’s got to look after number one, you know….

ANTIVIRAL MEDICATION – COMPANY BLAZING A NEW TRAIL

Everybody loves a success story just like success has many hangers-on. This definitely counts as a good example of one of such cases.

CNN on Gilead Sciences in:

“Our rankings highlight the companies whose business is really booming.”
Gilead Sciences

Rank: 9 Employees: 1,900

Headquarters: Foster City, CA Sector(s): Medical

Why It's hot: Amid fears of an avian flu pandemic, Gilead gained renown, and a healthy new revenue stream, from Tamiflu, the antiviral drug it developed a decade ago. Even more growth came from sales of HIV medication.

2005($ millions) % growth(3-year annualized) Growth rank

Revenue 2,028.4 65.8 7

Earnings 813.9 48.1 62

Operating cash flow 715.1 136.1 17

% change

Stock return (2005) 50

% change

Headcount change (2005) 14.9

From the June 2006 issue

SOURCE: http://www.cnn.com

SAM'S MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE PREOCCUPATIONS

"Sam had two addictions: newspapers and Cuban cigars"

Cartoon comes courtesy of this website.

YANG BEATS TIGER WOODS IN SHANGHAI CHAMPIONS TOURNAMENT

Seeing that headline, someone could very easily be tempted to think that Tiger Woods may really have been shanghai-ed.

However, since it's a PGA tournament and Mr. Yang is actually South Korean, I am guessing that Mr. Yang had more yang power but no yin problems on that day.

Better luck next time, Tiger. Wish I had your paycheck, though.

All a joke on my part.





- posted by BBC SPORT: Golf @ Link

WHY BEAUTY IS IN THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

A summary of the findings is as follows:

"Sexiness and eroticism are very powerful human stimuli, but as it turns out they’re not good for selling much of anything other than sex. Sure, sex sells itself. The adult sex industry is proof of that. But sex does not seem to do a very good job at selling other products like beer, cars or home loans.

When we see something sexy, it can jam up what Vanderbilt University psychologist David Zald calls “a bottleneck for information processing.” If we see a naked woman or man or a couple in a sexy pose, we can go mentally “blind” for a short period. This appears to be instinctive. We can’t help it.

Honest, honey.

This is probably why a study last year from the University of Michigan showed that people who watched sexy TV programs could not recall much about what was advertised on those programs. (In this case, that lack of recall held for violent programs, too.)

If this is true in real life outside labs, using very sexy images to sell us cars or beer may help us want to have sex, but it won’t make us want to run down to the 7-11 for a six-pack."


In conclusion? See http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14061456/ and below:

"All this new research is saying that we human beings have built-in radar for beauty, eroticism and sex. It comes with the territory and it may be the most instinctive, powerful stimuli we receive. We like it, but we can also be victims of it.

After all, sometimes the easy way isn’t the best way."






- posted by Brian Alexander @ Link

FW: FWD: LET THE MEN GET IT FOR ONCE!!!!!!!!!!!!! (MUST READ)

Courtesy of a good friend of mine on the eve of our High School Re-Union at a far off location and costing twenty-five (25) grand per head plus other expenses. Of course, yours truly and a few others could not attend for just personal or private reasons only…..Enjoy these great jokes.

“Hi All,

My wife forwarded me this email, read it with your wives…..before setting out for…….”



To all the guys i have sent this mail to, just have a good laugh and take it in good faith. No offence meant and none should be taken.
And to all the chicks,have a swell time.
Enjoy ya weekend!

Thom."



Time for some male bashing....(For a change)....

Q: What is the difference between men and puppies?
A: Puppies grow up.

Q: Why do men always have stupid looks on their faces?
A: Because they are...

Q: What do men have in common with ceramic tiles?
A: Fix them properly once and you can walk all over them forever.

Q: If you drop a man and a brick out of a plane, which one would hits the ground first?
A: Who cares?????.....

Q: What did God say after he created man?
A: I can do better than this! so he created woman!!!.

Q: What's the difference between an intelligent man and a UFO ?
A: I don't know, I've never seen either.

Q: What are two reasons why men don't mind their own business?
A: i) no mind ii) no business

Q: Why did Moses wander in the desert for 40 years?
A: Because even back then men wouldn't ask for directions ..

Q: What is the difference between men and pigs?
A: Pigs don't turn into men when they drink...

Q: What makes men chase women they have no intention of marrying?
A: The same urge that makes dogs chase vehicles they have
no intention of driving.

Q: What do you do with a man who thinks he's God's gift?
A: Exchange him!!

Q: Why do men like smart women?
A: Opposites attract.



One day my housework-challenged husband decided to wash his sweatshirt. Seconds after he stepped into the laundry room, he shouted to me, "What setting do I use on the washing machine?" "It depends," I replied. "What does it say on your shirt?" He yelled back, "University of Oklahoma."

A couple is lying in bed. The man says, "I am going to make you the happiest woman in the world." The woman replies, "I'll miss you..."

"It's just too hot to wear clothes today," Jack says as he stepped out of the shower, "honey, what do you think the neighbors would think if I mowed the lawn like this?"
"Probably that I married you for your money," she replied.

He said - Shall we try swapping positions tonight? She said - That's a good idea... you stand by the ironing board while I sit on the sofa and fart. Q: What do you call an intelligent, good looking, sensitive man?A: A rumour!

A man and his wife, now in their 60's, were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary. On their special day a good fairy came to them and said that because they had been so good that each one of them could have one wish. The wife wished for a trip around the world with her husband. Whoosh! Immediately she had airline/cruise tickets in her hands. The man wished for a female companion 30 years younger... Whoosh...immediately he turned ninety!!! Gotta love that fairy!


A PRAYER....
Dear Lord, I pray for Wisdom to understand my man; Love to forgive him; And Patience for his moods.
Because, Lord, if I pray for Strength, I'll beat him to death. AMEN

Q: Why do little boys whine?
A: They are practicing to be men.

Q: What do you call a handcuffed man?
A: Trustworthy.

Q: What does it mean when a man is in your bed gasping for breath and calling your name?
A: You did not hold the pillow down long enough.

Q: Why do female black widow spiders kill their males after mating?
A: To stop the snoring before it starts.

Q: Why do men whistle when they are sitting on the toilet?
A: It helps them remember which end they need to wipe.

Q: What is the difference between men and women?
A: A woman wants one man to satisfy her every need. A man wants every woman to satisfy his one need.

Q: How do you keep your husband from reading your e-mail?
A: Rename the mail folder "Instruction Manuals" Send this to the bright, funny women you know and make their day! And send this to five bright men who have enough sense of humor to take it!

Open multiple messages at once with the all new Yahoo! Mail Beta.