Biodiesel information that may be of interest to you. In the production of Biodiesel, United Petroleum Products uses a splash blending technique that brings both fuels into solution for a consistent product from end to end. The only time the product will fall out of solutions is when the temperature is outside the blended products cloud point. On the other hand, with a splash blend the product never comes into solution, rather the two fuels float separately from each other. With the relatively warm temperatures experienced on the West Coast, it is rare for the temperature to fall below freezing point, but when it does the B100 portion of the blend is exposed and susceptible to a fuel problem.

The Fuels used in our Biodiesel blends meet the current standards of today which are from the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM). Our Petrodiesel meets the ASTM D975 (Production of petrodiesel in USA and Canada) as well as the ASTM D6751 (Production of biodiesel in the USA and Canada) standards.Biodiesel

What Types of Vehicles Can Use Biodiesel?

• Biodiesel can be used in almost any diesel engine from long haul trucks and buses, to off-road vehicles, and marine vessels.
• Little or no modification to the engine or the fuel system is required.
• Biodiesel has a solvent effect that may release deposits accumulated on tank walls and pipes from previous diesel fuel storage.

Biodiesel

What are the Environmental and Economic Benefits of Biodiesel?

• Biodiesel reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and harmful tailpipe emissions, including particulate matter (PM).
• Biodiesel is less toxic than diesel, has a higher flash point (less readily ignites), and is more biodegradable than diesel.
• Using biodiesel not only helps mitigate global warming, but also improves air quality and public health.
• Recycling trap grease and other low grade cooking oils into biodiesel reduces waste in landfills and sewage treatment plants.
• Biodiesel also increases fuel lubricity, and reduces engine wear and maintenance costs.

This information should be helpful when it comes to understanding what it is that biodiesel truly is. More information will follow, including sources and literature.

The company I work for, United Petroleum Products, has been around for over 40 years in British Columbia. They have served a wide variety of businesses and individuals with lubricant (marine, aviation, and automotive) sales and bulk fuel (Gasoline, Diesel, Biodiesel, marked diesel, etc.) sales and delivery. The most recent addition to our product lineup has included more environmentally friendly fuels that include the already mentioned Biodiesel, Aspen Alkylate Petrol, and 76 Lubricants UNAX PC-AW hydraulic oil.

Currently we have a few cardlock locations that offer biodiesel. You can get Biodiesel in Vancouver, Burnaby, Whistler, and Chilliwack. For those not familiar with what a commercial cardlock is, it is a fueling station that is automated and requires an account with us through our credit department. We offer Tallow based biodiesel, because we do not believe in removing food crops from communities in order to create fuel. Further information can be found from clicking on the button below:



More to follow on the previously mentioned products, so stay tuned.

Today we celebrate the 141^st anniversary of Confederation and anything to do with today's celebrations can be found at the Celebrate Canada! website. Since I live on the West Coast in Vancouver here are some local festivities around town this year from the Georgia Straight article "Canada Day long weekend: Parties, music, sports and more" by Shadi Elien.

Happy Canada Day!

On Wednesday, June 18, 2008 at 09:00, I attended my convocation ceremony with my fellow colleagues. It was a fun experience and we had a guest speaker that really gave us all a powerful and moving speech. The guest speaker was a former B.C. Lion's player, and it was motivating to hear about his experience and perseverance that led him to become a memorable player in the C.F.L. (Canadian Football League).

Following the ceremony I was treated to a light lunch at the Boathouse restaurant in Horseshoe Bay. It was a nice way to enjoy the rest of the day, but I still wanted to do a little more. Kaare and I decided to hop into the Discovery and drive out to Garibaldi Provincial park. You have to drive a farily moderate logging/gravel road to get to the top of the mountain, but some of the vantage points are breathtaking!

While we were stopped up on the top of the mountain, and enjoying the view and talking, we noticed what we first thought was smoke. It turns out the smoke was steam from the ground warming up. A short time goes by and I spot a large black bear saunter out of the woods, stop, and look in our direction for about a minute or two. The bear was neither fearful or aggressive as he just seemed curious about us. It was a memorable treat to see such a beautiful animal curious about who was around the corner.

Another minute went by and our new friend just quietly sauntered back into the bush. The bear was about 50 feet away from us and it got my heart pumping for me, because that was one large black bear compared to others I have seen in the past. A quick trip down the hill, and we drove back home. It was the perfect end to my day, and very memorable.

This is an urgent call to action to all agricultural, wildlife conservationists, naturalists, recreationalists... everyone who has an interest in protecting this region's green zone. It is under attack, and the first line of battle takes place at public hearings Tuesday, June 18, 2008 in the evening at Metro Vancouver (Burnaby) ...
http://www.gvrd.bc.ca/education/pdf08/Public_Meeting_Notice_Delta-Green-Zone.pdf for notice of meeting.

Important Background Information:

With one exception that seems to have slipped through, this will be the first removal of land from the Green Zone since it was created -- and marks a dangerous precedent. The Green Zone -- part of the Livable Region Strategic Plan -- was part of the largest public consultation process in western Canadian history and represents the will of the people of this region.

Now, developer-influenced local politicians are lining up to start dismantling the Green Zone. At risk is our food security, our wildlife habitat, our wetlands and the natural spaces that give this region its defining natural beauty. And because so much of the Green Zone is adjacent to waterways, our fisheries conservationists should support keeping the Green Zone intact.

The Green Zone was created as a permanent reserve -- not a land bank for greedy developers. The meeting notice below states that "all persons who believe their interest is affected...". BC farmland is a provincial resource, and not a local issue. As we stand on the threshold of both global climate change and a global food security crisis, every citizen in the province -- and millions of wildlife that share our region -- are affected by this decision.

Please arrange with the members of your group/community to have coverage for several evenings, because it is expected that this meeting will carry over to subsequent nights.

In addition to appearing and speaking in person, please take these two important steps:

• Spend the next week talking/writing to your local representativesand/or the entire board of MetroVancouver. Contact information for the Board can be found at http://www.gvrd.bc.ca/board/directors-contact.asp

• Put your comments in writing in addition to speaking in person, and have them on letterhead where you represent an organization or group.

This is NOT a Delta issue. Please help protect the Green Zone while we have one to protect.  Details on the meeting and the specific application can be found below.

Donna Passmore
Farmland Defence League of BC
r) 604-536-2790
c) 604-313-0635

NOTE: The boycott of White Spot Restaurants, owned by Shato Holdings, remains in effect until Toigo relinquishes his plan to remove any farmland from the ALR.

From Delta's Boundary Bay Conservation Committee:

• Re: Tsawwassen Golf and Country Club Redevelopment at 16th Avenue and  52nd Street (Shato Holdings Ltd.)

• Application to Metro Vancouver from Delta Council seeking removal of 28 acres (11.5 ha) from the Green Zone Map of the Livable Region Strategic Plan

Reasons why Metro Vancouver should not approve removing 28 acres from the Green Zone Map of the Livable Region Strategic Plan:

• Metro Vancouver will be setting a precedent under the new policy of removing land from the Green zone.  The policy is new due to the passing of B.C. Order-In-Council 768, November 22nd , 2007.
  

• Building condos and apartments on 28 acres (11.5 ha) in the middle of 5 properties will effectively alienate 137 acres (56 hectares) of ALR and Green Zone.  There will be 437 units including 194 strata units and 243 apartments in 4 apartment buildings (two four-storey; one five-storey and one six-storey).  In addition, there will be a 2-storey clubhouse, spa and gym, and a neighbourhood store/café.  This development will be surrounded by a golf course that remains in the ALR.

• Delta is applying to remove 28 acres in the middle of 137 acres from the Green Zone Map.

• There is no need to remove land from the Green Zone for housing.  On Feb. 16^th , 2007, the South Delta Leader printed an article by Jeff Nagel, 'Land for more housing far from exhausted: GVRD'.  The report stated that a Greater Vancouver Regional District (GVRD) study on housing in the Lower Mainland has shown that the predicted population growth over the next 25 years can be accommodated without touching the ALR or the Green Zone:
  

• Delta is setting a precedent by passing bylaws that are notconsistent with Delta's Official Community Plan, the Tsawwassen Area Plan and Delta's Future Land Use Plan.  Height and density exceed the limits in the community plan.
  

•  The project on the outskirts of town also exceeds the density permitted in the Tsawwassen town centre.  There are no public amenities in this location.
  

• The designation and zoning of the ALR lands are inconsistent with Section 46 of the Agricultural Land Commission Act as they fail to recognize agriculture in the OCP and Zoning Bylaw.  They also indicate a future land use that impairs the intent of the Act.
  

• Legal Counsel to Delta has advised that approval of the project would make it difficult to refuse subsequent similar applications.  Approval of this development will set off a domino effect of new development applications on Delta's ALR.
  

• This development is definitely a net loss of land in theAgricultural Land Reserve.  Delta Council applied to the Agricultural Land Commission and requested approval of ALR exclusion "only if it concurs with the applicant that the proposed exclusion/inclusion presents a net benefit to agriculture in Delta." The Agricultural Land Commission excluded the 28 acres but never addressed the issue of "net benefit to agriculture in Delta."
  

Straight Issues

• Tsawwassen golf-course development 'thin edge of the wedge', says Agricultural Land Reserve activist Straight Issues By Matthew Burrows (Publish Date: January 10, 2008)
  

Harold Steves believes developer Ron Toigo's plan to redevelop the Tsawwassen Golf and Country Club is the "thin edge of the wedge" as far as the continued erosion of regional farmland goes.

A long-time Richmond farmer and city councillor, Steves helped draft the Agricultural Land Reserve government policy in 1972. Now Toigo's development will remove an 11.5-hectare parcel north of the existing course from the ALR.

"The Toigo thing is very small, but when you put it all together, it is going to hit Delta like a sledgehammer," Steves told the Georgia Straight. "When you add that to the loss to the Deltaport expansion and the loss to the South Fraser Perimeter Road, you end up with a huge, vast area of farmland in one block that is certainly going to affect the productive viability of the Delta area."

How self-reliant are British Columbians?

• Ratio of fruit imported to/exported from B.C. in 2001: 3:1
• Vegetables consumed in B.C. in 2001: 765 million kilograms
• Vegetables grown in B.C. in 2001: 331 million kilograms
• Farmland needed to grow food for one person per year: 0.52 hectares
• Number of city lots this roughly equates to: 6
• Irrigated land needed in B.C. to ensure healthy diets in 2005: 215,000 hectares
• Amount of B.C. farmland with access to irrigation in 2005: 189,000 hectares

Source: B.C.'s Food Self-Reliance, a 2007 report by the B.C. Ministry of
Agriculture and Lands

Toigo's Vancouver-based Shato Holdings purchased the golf course a year ago and plans on making it full-size and, controversially, adding 442 housing units. The Agricultural Land Commission ruled in Toigo's favour in November, approving the land swap subject to Delta council approving the plans and sending them to a full public hearing. At the January 7 meeting, Delta council did just that and voted in favour of proceeding to the meetings step. The public meetings begin at 7 p.m. on January 22 and 23 (and 24 if needed) at the South Delta Recreation Centre.

Outside the council chambers, Toigo responded to Steves's "thin edge of the wedge" claim by stating, "That is an old cliché."

Steves referred to the Ministry of Agriculture and Lands' 2007 B.C.'s Food Self-Reliance report, which claims that farmers in 2025 will need 281,000 acres of irrigated food-producing land to ensure British Columbians have access to healthy diets. The report adds that the amount of land must increase by 92,000 hectares over 2005 levels. Steves said that "any loss of agricultural land is going to be on the negative side rather than the positive in terms of trying to find more land."

"In the next 15 to 20 years, we are going to be looking at converting golf courses back to farms, and horse farms and stables back to food-producing lands," Steves said. "That's if we are going to be feeding ourselves. If we are not going to be feeding ourselves, well, I guess we will probably have to grow our food in our own back yards."

The Straight asked Toigo if he thought British Columbians could grow enough food in the region to feed themselves.

"One of our companies, White Spot restaurants, gets the majority of its food from this region," he said. "We have as big an interest as anybody in being able to grow food in the region. We are a very strong proponent of it, and every French fry that you eat in a White Spot anywhere in the region comes from right here in Ladner, so we are as strong an advocate of this as anybody is. The best way to support farmers is to buy what they grow."

Speaking to the Straight in December, Delta mayor Lois Jackson singled out Brunswick Point---located north of Tsawwassen First Nation lands---as another potentially divisive issue in her municipality.

"There is a big peninsula there and it has been farmed by farm families for four generations," Jackson said. "The provincial government has said that they [the Tsawwassen First Nation] can purchase that land, and my feeling is, if that land is purchased by the band---just the same as what they have got there now---it will all go. It will all go. It will go to housing, it will go to casinos, and it will go to all kinds of things."

B.C. agriculture and lands minister Patrick Bell did not respond to messages by the Straight's deadline

Are we doing enough to preserve agricultural land?

Cheeying Ho
Executive director, Smart Growth BC

"Of course not. We don't think there should be any [ALR] exclusion applications, period. That would remove a lot of the speculation that is going on. If it was known that there are no exclusion applications and that farmland remains as farmland, it wouldn't create all this speculation which makes people want to sell it because they think it has value."

Went to the All British Field Meet (ABFM) for 2008, and it was a blast! Check out the photos from the show for an idea of what was showcased.

Well BCIT (British Columbia Institute of Technology) certainly has kept me busy these last few months, and I think I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We are in the middle of a Directed Studies project where we work together with a sponsoring company and look at coming up with a Marketing Research project that will help the company with a problem or an opportunity.

I am also just getting ready for a practicum with a local company that will give me invaluable work experience in the Professional Sales field, and perhaps lead to a position with that organization. I am elated to know that the practicum begins in a month, and that Thursdays and Fridays I get to work at the company all day long!

Some interesting news on the Land Rover side of things includes the purchase of a 1997 Land Rover Discovery SD model with a manual transmission, and seven seats in total. The manual transmission (a.k.a. 5 speed) is a rarity in Canada, as there were only 700+ in Canada for that year, and that was the last offering of a manual transmission in the Canadian market. The Discovery is affectionately known as "Nigel", and has been a beautiful vehicle! Having a V8 with a manual transmission certainly makes for easy passing on the highways, and going up steep grades.

Lola, my 1983 Land Rover Santana Series III 88 has been quietly waiting out the winter, and I had an interesting experience with one of the fuel lines cracking and spilling all over my driveway one morning. I managed to replace the line, and bleed the fuel system to remove the air bubbles which took some time and invaluable expertise from the good people at RoverLanders of B.C. (http://www.roverlanders.bc.ca).

Saturday, February 16, 2008 will be an interesting evening as my girlfriend Kaare had purchased tickets as a present to go and see Harry Manx live in concert that evening. Tomorrow night should be a great show, and Harry Manx has a special place in our minds as we heard him on the CBC radio station way up in the Kootenay Boundary region during a Summer camping trip. The song that really stands out is "Sittin' on top of the World" from his fifth album West Eats Meet. We were suprised to learn that Harry Manx lives in B.C. on Saltspring Island.

Sunday, July 1, 2007 was Canada Day! The weather was great, and there was tonnes of activities around town. Kaare and I spent the day going for a hike up Lynn Valley Headwaters park to Lynn Peak, which is a better hike than the Grouse Grind in my opinion. You get to see a lot more natural surroundings, and experience the outdoors with a great workout.

Lynn Peak has an elevation of 960 meters and is a four km hike from the entrance of the park. It is not an easy hike, but the view is well worth it! This site has a good review, as well as reviews from other hikers that have done the hike. We enjoyed a frosty beverage 40 metres from the top ;)

There is one thing that really puzzles me, and that is the dog owners who use the park. The park has free "doo-doo" baggies for dog owners to remove the evidence, which is to be disposed of by the owner in a garbage can. Dog owners are pretty good at putting their animals' poop in the baggies, but then they just leave the poop bags on the side of the trails or tie them to branches along the trails...

Do these owners think the magical poop fairy will magically remove these?!?! Seriously, how lazy are you when you put something into a plastic bag, and then leave it on the trail for someone else to clean? It is not going to go anywhere, nor will it degrade now that it is in a plastic bag! I am sure that the Park Rangers also are not happy with the lazy owners... well some would even say dumb! If you see anyone doing this, give them a lesson, and a piece of your mind!

Today was the ABFM (All British Field Meet) at Van Dusen botanical gardens, and it was spectacular! I saw a whole range of British vehicles that I was not familiar with. I explored and took some great photos, and got to see the oldest Rolls Royce in Canada which was built in 1911.

I spent the day with my Land Rover parked with the other Land Rovers, and I got to watch people admire her. Enjoy the slide show below:


 

We returned from our trip feeling refreshed and relieved. The trip was a blast, and my first out of city expedition with my Rover. I think the Rover performed beautifully, and we had a blast getting off the main logging road and attempting some crawling.

The hotsprings as usual were beautiful, except for the kids that drove all the way up from Vancouver to have a rave/party for a friend. They brought turn tables, and speakers and generators which annoyed everyone at the campsite due to the noise being deafening throughout the Friday night and then all day Saturday until the Tribal Police and RCMP showed up.

The weather was perfect, and on our way back we stopped in at a nice restaraunt "Yukon Joes" and I had the best pizza I have had in a long time! The menu was excellent, and the patio had a beautiful view of the local mountains capped with snow and ice still. If you are driving through, this is a great place to stop and have lunch.

Below is a slideshow from my Picasa web album. Enjoy the show
 

On Friday, May 04, 2007 I got to test drive a new Jeep Wrangler Unlimited four door edition. I had a lot of fun, and the sales person directed me to a little known off-road spot in Richmond behind the new BCIT aerospace campus. I got a feel of the new Wrangler with its new six speed transmission and revamped engine, and I was impressed!

I was impressed with the K.I.S.S. principle that Jeep has taken to the interior, and glad to see them maintaining a utalitarian vehicle. The doors are easily removed with less than five minutes per door, and the top takes 20 minutes to remove. The vehicle was roomy, comfy, and quiet inside. The ride was very smooth both on and off-road, and the horse power (+200) really kicks in when you need it to on the highway!

Later in the day I return with my girlfriend and 'Lola' and I get stuck in the mud... I was high centred, and 3 hours of digging, and a Dodge Dakota 2500 4x4 are unsucessful in escaping the mud. I had some ingenious MacGyver attempts involving rocks, discarded lumber, and even some discarded rope, but I was not going anywhere.

I called the local Automobile Association, and was almost not helped. I did not know that a person is not covered while off-roading. The driver decided to help me, because he originally came from the U.K. and I think the fact that my vehicle was an older Land Rover got him interested. I got winched out in five minutes, and he gets a few pics on his camera phone. The driver then explained to me that the first vehicles he learned to work on were Land Rover Series I & II's. I was quite lucky, because for a tow truck company to come get would have easily cost $300.00

I learned something... don't listen to the girlfriend for where to go (joke). No, she was down in the mud with me and ot afraid to get down and dirty Take a look at the pictures below.

So far so good, I can scratch a one or two things off of that list. I picked up a bottle opener that screws onto my rover as seen in the picture below, and I grabbed a Scepter MFC as mentioned previously.

Everything is a green light for the trip, as long as the weather holds. So far it looks like some sun with clouds, but that could change since the weather has been unpredictable for the last few weeks.

It is that time of year again for some fun in the sun and woods. There is a camping trip planned for this weekend up at Skookumchuck hotsprings (a.k.a. St. Agnes Wells Hotsprings). I have a few things on my checklist for the Rover before the trip which include:

1. An oil change, and air filter bath.
   
2. A Scepter Military Fuel Container from Dave's Army Surplus for spare Bio-Diesel.
3. A fire extinguisher.
4. New headlights*, either the Hella Vision Plus 7" round headlight conversion or the Roundeyes 7" round headlight conversion.
   
5. A CB Radio*, and I like the Cobra 75 WX ST all-in-handset mobile CB.
6. One Garmin Rhino 530 or a Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx for mapping purposes*.
7. A Deluxe Center Console Tuffy Box*.
   

Note: * A possibility before the trip, or after the trip.

Lots to do, and lots to get ready, but overall a lot of fun is going to be had. The only thing missing is some tunes. Land Rovers never originally came equipped with a sound system. That will eventually make it's way into the Rover, and for now my Sansa MP3 player is my stereo.

This past weekend, I got to go 4x4'ing on the Sunshine Coast, just past Gibsons B.C. up a mountain on a defunct logging road. I must admit that the Land Rover exceeded my expectations, and surprised quite a few people ;) Lola is a huge step up from Bob, my old Toyota BJ60 5 speed diesel Landcruiser.

Pictures will follow shortly.

I found a web forum and website (Zenshack.net) that detail Temple Kung fu, and the Moh System that I had trained for close to seven years. Temple Kung fu (TKF) went under, and there were a lot of blanks that needed filling. The author of Zenshack does a superb job of being informative and painting a clear picture of how TKF was structured regarding the people there. If you are curious, I would suggest a quick click on the link above for a good read.

So how dangerous is Skiing, and what is at risk? Well, according to a website on ski injuries "knee injury is the most common disabling injury for skiers and boarders. It accounts for 25% of all ski injuries and occurs in approximately 1.33 per 1,000 skier days. The two most common knee injuries are to the medial collateral ligament (MCL) and the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)".

I was waiting for my brother and nephew yesterday, and I noted that they were late for our meet. A couple of hours later I am thinking that they are enjoying the weather, something has happened, or they have just forgotten about our meet. A few hours later I am a ticked, and dissapointed that no one has called to let me know what is going on.

Later that evening I receive some bad news. My brother damaged his knee, and it was so serious that he had to be moved on a stretcher into Emergecy after driving all the way from the North Shore to Surrey General ... now maybe it is just me, but when I get a serious injury, I want to get to the closest hospital. Does that not sound reasonable and logical?

A few times today I had a notion that something may have happened, but nothing too serious... little did I know that my spidey sense was tingling for a reason.

This morning will entail a trip to the hospital, and some joking around. It is our mother's birthday on Monday, and of course he has to top her birthday by giving her a birthday she will not soon forget! I know she was expecting a memorable birthday, but this is ridiculous *lol*... how am I supposed to top that?

This is an interesting article that I found on MSN news, regarding a new thought that humans may have led to the wipeout of large animals in Australia 50,000 to 60,000 years ago. The original report can be found published in the January 24th issue of the journal Nature.


There are some very interesting articles in this journal, and another one that caught my eyes is the article regarding "India's Carbon dioxide trap". I also found an interesting website "The Why Files" that gives a good, concise explanation of the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol is an agreement by 141 nations to lessen their Green House Gas (GHG) emissions by the year 2012. This website has some great evidence to support the argument for the protocol, and some interesting evidence that makes you wonder what the World will look like in the next 50 years.

I did not end up going out to the show, and perhaps it was a curse because I did not have a rover to show . I was fortunate to hear that the parts needed for Lola arrived yesterday, so she should be ready today or tomorrow.

I did made a quick appearance to a friend's wifes 50th birthday, even though I was not feeling well. It turns out that this sore throat I have had for almost a week was a case of strep throat. Plenty of rest, and plenty of fluids, along with a large vial full of penicillin pills that look like they are meant for a horse is just what I need to regain my senses.

Lola, my 1983 SWB Series III Land Rover Santana, is heading over to Silk Cat Automotive in North Vancouver, B.C. for a provincial vehicle inspection and check-up. I have had two friends who own rovers recommend Silk Cat, and that is good enough for me.

I found some great information on upgrading the Land Rover 2.25 four cylinder engine and information on acutally installing a 200 TDi engine into a Series III Land Rover. Check out Roverlanders.bc.ca regarding Land Rover diesel engines, and the various flavours thread for some great ideas.