What do you need to be doing to succeed in life? What traps await you on your path? How much are goals really important? Is it true you can succeed the most in conducting the business you enjoy the most, or is it perhaps better to be doing something else? How to deal with people so that they love you, respect you and at the same time listen to you and follow you? These are just some of the questions most people ask themselves when it comes to success.

And every question requires a clear answer if you wish to avoid doubting in your success and so making your path more difficult. But, is it at all possible to find the answers to these questions? And, even more important, are these answers valid for all people in all situations, especially for you? It depends whether you are dealing with the cause or the consequence.

If you discover the cause of the problem, which is always the same, and succeed in solving it, you also permanently solve the problem and automatically move forward to a higher level. For instance, if something in your house has a rotten smell, you can solve the problem by taking that thing outside, and the stench won't repeat itself.

This is solving the problem at its cause, which is most effective. But people sometimes handle their problems differently. Instead of taking the cause of the bad smell out, they rather cover it up with something, perfume it, open windows and such. This is often much easier, but it doesn't solve the problem. Consequently the problem repeats itself and worrying about it only takes too much of your time and energy that you could invest in something important.

People become so overburdened with little things and literally run out of time to create wealth, prosperity and happiness. Are you doing the same and solving the consequences instead of tackling the cause? Ask yourself: "What problems do I constantly repeat in my life?" The areas where these problems are constantly surfacing are probably the areas where you deal with negative consequences when they appear.

This isn't relevant only for your physical world, your environment, but also for the world within you. Do you know of anyone who is always saying: "Why is this happening to me over and over again? Why are people treating me like this? Why do I constantly spend more than I make?" It's about the consequences. By dealing only with the consequences this person can never move forward in life. "The Cause Is Never on the Outside" or "The Cause Always Originates from Within" This is the Truth because it is valid for everyone at any time at any place.

If you are ready to admit this to yourself you will discover within it the key to the solution of all your problems, because you will no longer blame others for your problems, but turn towards the real cause - you yourself.

Put in different words, If you are the one holding yourself back from achieving success and realizing your dreams, and if you are ready to do something about it, you are already on your path to your goals - because you will always find yourself in a situation where you can influence the cause of the problem.

Buildings and large infrastructures generally have central air conditioning. A central air conditioning unit uses a split system for its condenser and compressor. The evaporator is attached to an air handling mechanism or a forced air furnace. The whole system is housed in a packaged unit that is often located outdoors, such as a rooftop or an outhouse.

Cooled air is distributed to the different floors and rooms through air ducts. A tenant may raise or lower the temperature through controls located in each room. Some buildings do not have such temperature controls. Tenants will have to deal with the common temperature set for all floors.

There are advantages to using a centralized air conditioning system. With the unit located outdoors, tenants are not bothered with the ambient noise that comes with a running air conditioning unit.

A sophisticated filtering system also cleans the air circulated in the whole building. Through various return-air ducts, room air is continually pulled and filtered. Through this process, dust particles and even microscopic pollutants are weeded out from the circulating air.

A centralized air conditioning unit also allows building administrators and engineers to control the energy consumption and voltage requirements of tenants. With a centralized air conditioning unit, tenants need not plug in their own stand-alone air conditioning unit.

In cooling or controlling temperatures, it is important that you can determine and dictate the total temperature. This is because it is easier and more economical to cool rooms with consistent temperatures. With a centralized air conditioning unit, you can do such.

When choosing the right brand or model for a central air conditioning unit, consider its filtering ability. Circulating air must be kept clean and fresh. Otherwise, you will be spreading pollutants to all areas of your building.

To give your tenants utmost convenience, you may have to provide them with the means to control the temperature on their respective floors. You may have to work with an architect to equip each floor with built-in controls.

‘The sun is a constant source of energy. Everyday it provides us with 5000 times as much energy as the whole world needs.’ (Unknown)

In the 1950s and '60s efficient energy use was often neglected in constructing buildings and houses, but the high energy prices of the 1970s changed that. Some buildings built in the 80’s use only about 20% of the energy used in buildings constructed just ten years earlier. Techniques to save energy include designing and siting buildings to use passive solar heat, avoiding overlighting, and using better insulation. A “life-cycle” approach, which takes into account the total costs over the entire life of the building, rather than simply the initial construction cost or sales price, is encouraging greater efficiency.

SOLAR ENERGY IN SOUTH AFRICA

Climate
South Africa is one of the areas in the world with the highest count of sunny days per year in the world therefore making it also one of the most appropriate places in the world to use solar power energy should that be the only reason for using them.

A photovoltaic sell uses the sun’s light to create an electric current and not the heat of the sun as is commonly thought. A photovoltaic sell actually decreases in efficiency when the sell is heated extremely because of the resistance building up in the material. Because of the above fact, one can see that these photovoltaic panels is actually less efficient in very warm climates. South Africa, in summertime, can be extremely hot and could cause a photovoltaic panel on certain summer days to work less efficient although not as significantly as 25% less efficient as it is said can be lost in desert-type climates.

Cost efficiency & economy
Eskom South Africa provides our country with some of the cheapest conventional unsustainable electricity costs in the world, and that is the main reason for solar energy technology not taking off in South Africa. Although a number of solar thermal panels is in operation, even in residential buildings in the country, photovoltaic panels was up to date just not cost effective enough to justify the money saved using conventional electricity for manufacturers making them available on a large scale. Because of the uncommonness and unavailability of these panels the prices of theses panels has not significantly decreased in South Africa as it has in other more technologically advanced and environmentally aware countries.

Also, because the electricity has been so inexpensive in SA, the cost of paying off a solar electricity system that provides the same amount (or sufficient amount) of electricity as a conventional system, will take an extremely long time to pay off with the money saved without using conventional electricity, and most home owners in South Africa doesn’t stay long enough in one home to justify the cost saving. Another factor is that the technology is becoming more advanced day by day, and one might purchase a system today which will reach the end of it’s life before the system has paid for itself with money saved from not using conventional electricity is over.

Sustainability & the environment
Eskom might well be one of the cheapest electricity providers in the world, but it is also a fact that eskom releases some of the most pollution in the atmosphere by burning coal to generate electricity. Although air pollution doesn’t seem to be that big a problem here than in other countries where acid rain etc. is huge concerns for the community, it would be wise to sooner rather than later start to concentrate on the environment in South Africa and that is when solar power could start playing a big role as an energy provider.

Appropriate for us?
Solar panels can be used very effectively and appropriately in the remote areas around the country because the cost of connecting to the conventional power grid by laying cables might be even more expensive and once a solar PV system is installed one does not need any tools or technicians to maintain a PV panel regularly.

There are a number of places in our environment where solar power could be (and are already) used very effectively for example water pumps to dams in nature reserves. PV panels have also been used to power electric fencing in game reserves very successfully for interruptions in electricity is eliminated and big mammals like elephants has no chance of breaking through a fence as could be the case in an normal power interruption.

In conclusion, the use of solar power in South Africa isn’t that far fetched when one look at the very appropriate weather conditions and the need to look at a more sustainable and renewable energy source for the future.

(1) CHK stock price $16.74, NAV $32.5

CHK is my favorite oil or natural gas stock. Here is updated Net Asset Value (NAV) table from CHK July 2004 earning release:

Table CHK PV-10 per share NAV vs Natural gas price

N Gas price NAV per share

$4.50 $16.11

$5.00 $19.60

$5.50 $23.11

$6.00 $26.61

$6.50 $32.5

PE = 10 or 10% of earning yield is considered reasonable valuation for non-growing business. PV-10 Net Asset Value (NAV) is standard calculation for value of oil or natural gas reserve assuming current production cost and expenses. When N gas price = $4.5, CHK will make $1.611 per share per year true profit with current production/exploration expenses. CHK is worth $16.11 at $4.5 gas price in this case. We can imagine that as if CHK is a bank deposit account, the interest rate is 10%, if we deposit $16.11 principle there, each year we get 10% interest returns or $1.611 interest per year.

For the 1st half of 2004, natural gas price was between $5 and $7 averaging at $6.0. Natural gas price was as high as $9 in later half of 2004. CHK stock price is still below $17 recently and its reported quarterly net income severely under-estimated its true profitability.

* Margin of Safety - CHK

Wall Street analysts have been predicting significantly lower N. gas price or oil price in 2-3 years ahead. Therefore, CHK or the whole oil and gas stocks are trading as if N. gas price between $4 - $5 range or oil price between $20 - $30 range.

First of all, I disagree that oil or natural gas will go down much from here. Inflation, weak dollar, China and US strong economy justifies the current high energy price. Energy price will stay high for quite long term. Wall Street analysts are still living in past memory of low oil price in 1990's world. In fact, current oil price is still at half of price of 1970's peak if we adjust inflation from then.

Second of all, even if I am wrong and wall street analysts are right, and natural gas price crashing down to $4.5 or oil price crashing down below $30 in next 2-3 years, CHK current stock price has already factored in such low energy price (see above table).

Third, the NAV value is a moving target. Specifically for CHK, NAV is growing at 20% to 25% per year recently.

* CHK - NAV growth 20% or $3 per share per year

Neither CHK nor WLL pay dividend. They all reinvest their profit into acquiring or drilling for more oil or gas reserve. Therefore, reserve based NAV adjusted by cash or debt reflect true net asset value for the stock. Reserve based NAV increase per year reflect their true earning of business.

CHK NAV value per share has been growing at 20% - 25% per year rate or $3 per share currently. Even if energy stocks continue to trade at current low valuation to its true earnings, CHK stock price is likely to increase 20% - 25% return per year just due to its NAV increase. If Wall Street finally accept high energy price as norm in the future, then CHK can reward shareholders even more.

CHK mainly achieved this excellent operation performance by following measures:

Low cost drilling and fast organic production growth. Current quarter yearly organic production growth is 11%. This is one of highest in the industry.

Excellent acquisition track record. Over past few years, CHK has been able to dramatically increase production of acquired property in short term so that CHK's acquisitions have been accretive to current shareholders. Even though the latest acquisition is slightly dilutive in per reserve basis, it is expected to be accretive in cashflow or earning basis. Successful out-performing hedging program. CHK has been able to obtain above industry hedging prices over past years. CHK is not locked into long term contract of low prices as many do. For the current quarter CHK realized a low gas price due to past hedging so that their earning per share is flat compared to last year. CHK hedging is light in 2005 or beyond so that higher price can be expected in 2005 or beyond.

(2) WLL stock price $31, NAV $63

WLL is trading at discount even to private acquisition price and very low multiples to its cashflow. WLL also has very experienced management team with long track record in oil gas business.

WLL reported $63 per share PV-10 NAV at latest quarterly earning report. Currently WLL is trading significantly below its PV-10 NAV value. In fact, WLL is trading at big discount to its peers too. WLL is trading at $1.32 per Mcfe reserve. The current average industry acquisition price was $1.5 per Mcfe reserve over past 1.5 years.

For the 1st half of 2004 WLL generated 18% of annualized return after replacing all the reserve depletion. The recent acquisition of $44 million acquisition is accretive at $1.11 Mcfe per reserve cost. It is accretive in either reserve , cashflow or revenue basis. With more accretive deals like this, WLL NAV growth can be 20% per year or more instead.

The recent 2 quarters reported yearly organic production of only 2%, much lower than expected 5% - 10% growth. However, production growth is over-rated performance measurement in Wall Street. Most importantly, WLL did not waste any money into over-spending. WLL simply did not spend extra expected drilling capex. WLL reserve replacement drilling cost was still low. From investor point of view, even if WLL production growth is not as good as CHK, WLL NAV can still grow at 18% to 20% per year with smart accretive acquisition and low cost drilling.

(3) Conclusion

I continue to like WLL and CHK. I continue to hold WLL CHK in Blast Investor Real-time Plus model portfolio.

Currently, researchers are hoping to alleviate the US’s addiction to oil by transforming sawdust and wood chips into bio-oil. This thick black liquid could very well become an environmentally friendly substitute for the majority of our current petroleum products.

Bio-oil can be produced by using almost all organic material, including agricultural and forest wastes like corn stalks and chunks of bark mulch. The process of changing the raw biomass into bio-oil produces a product that is simple and safe to transport and can be refined to yield high value fuels and chemicals.

"It is technically feasible to use biomass for the production of all the materials that we currently produce from petroleum," said Professor Robert C. Brown, director of the Office of Biorenewables Programs at Iowa State University.

Currently, the United States has the ability to produce enough fresh biomass, in excess of one billion tons per year, to replace approximately one third of the yearly petroleum use, according to an April 2005 study by the U.S. departments of Agriculture and Energy.

Advocates recommend turning a large portion of that biomass, including scrap materials currently consumed in power production, into bio-oil to help relieve the USA’s dependency on foreign oil and to help the slowing of global warming.

Biomass is changed into bio-oil using a process called pyrolysis, where the organic materials are finely ground and heated at 400 to 500 degrees Celsius, without the presence of oxygen. In about two seconds, approximately 70 percent of the material vaporizes and is condensed into a dark liquid like espresso that contains more than one hundred organic compounds.

Pyrolysis also creates gas, which is in turn used to fuel the process, and a soot called "char," which is carbon rich can also be burned as fuel or used as an organic fertilizer. This “char” can also be processed into charcoal filters or briquettes.

Recently the focus on world oil domination has prompted researchers to start new venture organizations that focus on this new opportunity. It has been an ongoing struggle for many as they founded their ventures when the oil industry was going strong with affordable process and plentiful supplies.

"Back then, there was not much interest in renewable energy," said David C. Boulard, Ensyn's executive vice president. So the company focused on producing chemicals rather than fuels, and found success with food flavorings especially "liquid smoke."

Ensyn now employs its patented technology, Rapid Thermal Processing, to create bio-oil that can be used as fuel. Furthermore, resins used in the manufacturing of plywood and particleboard can be extracted from the bio-oil. There appears to be a limitless potential for more applications.

Ensyn is planning to open its seventh bio-oil refinery summer 2006.

Canadian firm DynaMotive is producing bio-oil fuels that are economically competitive because of the current spike in petroleum prices.

In its basic state, DynaMotive's bio-oil can replace light petroleum fuel oil for use in power-generation. DynaMotive is also planning to produce automotive fuel.

Bio-oil is very different chemically even though it competes directly with petroleum based products. In comparison, it contains oxygen-rich ingredients. Bio-oil can be changed into a mix of carbon monoxide and hydrogen referred to as "syngas." Syngas is then processed into a high-grade hydrocarbon fuel, such as diesel.

Alternatively, the syngas can be teamed with steam to produce pure hydrogen. Iowa State's Brown conjects that bio-oil gasification could be an efficient way to produce large quantities of hydrogen, that could be used as a major energy source.

DynaMotive is optomistic regarding syngas as the infrastructure is already established. Germany used gasification to convert coal into synthetic diesel fuel during World War II. South Africa used synthetic fuels as a substitute for petroleum imports during Apartheid. Gasification is being viewed by many as a good way to reduce pollution from coal.

Last September, DynaMotive announced that researchers in Germany had successfully converted its bio-oil into synthetic gasoline using existing gasification facilities and processes.

DynaMotive plans to capture growing concern over climate change and world oil domination into a lucrative new market for its bio-oil. Some speculate that bio-oil market could be better than that of petroleum in the long term.

Gow-Mac, a leading manufacturer of gas analysis instrumentation and compressed gas handling equipment, provides the analytical foundation to assist you in meeting the new FDA medical gas protocols

Gow-Mac Instrument Company, a leading manufacturer of gas analysis instrumentation and compressed gas handling equipment, provides the analytical foundation to assist you in meeting the new FDA medical gas protocols. Gow-Mac offers qualification, validation, system suitability processes and analytical training (optional) with every Series 400MGA or Series 580MGA Gas Chromatograph they manufacture. The Series 400MGA or Series 580MGA automatically performs the USP/NF Nitrogen Assay and Identity Test for medical nitrogen.

Gow-Mac also offers assay and identity test GC systems for USP Helium, USP Oxygen, USP CO2, and USP Nitrous Oxide.

Both instruments assure your product conforms to appropriate standards as required by 21 CFR 211.

Gow-Mac Instrument Co has been the leading manufacturer of gas chromatographs and GC detectors for over 65 years.

Thermo Electron Corporation, world leader in analytical instrumentation, has enhanced its TriPlus robotic GC autosampler with the introduction of a new 'Solid Phase Microextraction' (SPME) capability

Thermo Electron Corporation, world leader in analytical instrumentation, has enhanced its TriPlus robotic GC autosampler with the introduction of a new 'Solid Phase Microextraction' (SPME) capability, sold under license from Supelco. This SPME solution will further increase laboratory productivity by offering a one-step process for sample preparation without requiring hazardous solvent usage. This innovative enhancement was showcased at the 29th International Symposium on Capillary chromatography at Riva del Garda, Italy, May 30 - June 2, 2006.

SPME is a novel solvent-less sample preparation technique, involving extraction, concentration and introduction of analytes in a single step.

Traditional methods require a multi-step process that is very time-consuming and involves the use of hazardous solvents.

Automation of the SPME sample preparation process offers a valuable tool which greatly extends sample throughput and eliminates solvent costs and adverse health effects.

This new TriPlus capability has been developed to address the needs of scientists working in environmental and toxicology laboratories, as well as food and fragrance industries.

When configured with new Triplus autosamplers, or as an upgrade for existing users, the SPME capability consists of a dedicated fibre holder which is added to the basic system.

In this enhanced configuration, the complete SPME cycle, from fibre pre-conditioning to sample adsorption and desorption phases, is completely automated.

During the sample adsorption process, sample vials can be agitated to achieve a faster equilibrium.

A unique feature of the Thermo TriPlus is the ability to gently shake the vials, thereby eliminating any mechanical stress of the fibre and greatly extending the lifetime of the fibre itself.

This results in a more reliable and robust automated extraction process.

After desorption in the hot GC injector, an optional fibre-cleaning station enables proper heating and purging of the fibre, preventing any risk of carry-over effect between consecutive sample extractions.

The on-site calibration of test sieves has been further simplified by the introduction of new software from Whitehouse Scientific

The on-site calibration of test sieves has been further simplified by the introduction of new software from Whitehouse Scientific. Every sieve manufactured from 20 to 3350 microns, ranging in diameter from 40 to 450 mm, can now be unambiguously calibrated. The new programme will be provided free of charge to customers purchasing the company's calibration standards.

It allows the calculation of sieve apertures directly from the weight of glass calibration beads passing through the sieve.

To determine the mean aperture size, the operator simply selects the nominal rating of the sieve to be calibrated and enters the initial weight and the weight of the beads passing through.

Using the new programme it is possible to measure more than 80% of available apertures, with full NIST traceability, in under two minutes.