Easy Ways to Spot a Manufactured Product Sold as a Genuine

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Antoinette Matlins on Linkedin

Fake Ruby

I know it's like beating a dead horse, but I just had a call from another bench jeweler, from the Washington DC area,who was in tears because she "destroyed" the ruby in a ring she was re-sizing and has to replace it for the customer...I'm helping her, but the destruction of the ruby -- as most of you know -- had nothing to do with her; the problem was in the ruby itself, and the reaction of the lead-glass to routine bench techniques. 

Clearly there are still people who don't understand what these are and how they differ from traditionally "treated" rubies, and the risks they present in the marketplace. Even worse, I'm seeing appraisals from gemologists that are still describing them as treated rubies, with no mention of needing special care and valued as "treated ruby with glass" (in fissures and/or fractures).
So at the risk of being accused of self-promotion (rather than simply providing information some of you might be interested in having), I just want to let you know that the Fifth Edition of my book, Gem Identification Made Easy (Gemstone Press) just rolled off press 2 weeks ago. I mention this only because I've added an entire chapter on spotting and separating the lead-glass infused corundum products from "treated" material. It's an important distinction in light of GIA's decision to identify them as "manufactured products" ...at a time when they are being sold in unprecedented numbers at gem and jewelry shows globally as "treated" material. I describe them as a "new type of composite" and show their distinguishing characteristics.
And by the way, I'm seeing amazingly beautiful "blue sapphires" advertised on various internet sites at ridiculously low prices...and in some cases, when I search thoroughly enough for details on the particular piece, I find words such as "treated with heat and 'lead glass'"! I'm ordering today! I already have some lovely green specimens and yellow as well, and I've heard rumors that they are also showing up in deep pink colors.
These lead-glass products should be of immediate importance to all of us because of the high and increasing incidence of these "manufactured stones" being represented and sold within the trade simply as "treated"!

Pro tips for pumping gas

In California we are paying up to $3.75 to $4.10 per gallon. Here are some tricks to get more of your money's worth for every gallon:

The Kinder Morgan Pipeline in San Jose , CA can deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period thru the pipeline.. One day is diesel the next day is jet fuel, and gasoline, regular and premium grades. We have 34-storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons.

**Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role.

This is noteworthy..some pro tips for pumping your gas to get the most for your money. Some things you would not consider to think about may effect how much gas your are getting.
Here is Iowa we pay around 3.66 for a gallon of gas, but the price for gas seems like it is always on the rise

**A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

**When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode. If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. You should be pumping on low mode, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.

One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL.

The reason for this is the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every gallon is actually the exact amount.

**Another reminder if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up; most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.
To have an impact, we need to reach literally millions of gas buyers. It's really simple to do. Just share this. Thats it. 

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American Power Group Partners with Fitzgerald Glider Kits to debut first natural gas duel fuel glider at truck show

More interesting news for American Power Group...as you can read form the title of the post they will be debuting their dual fuel engine with Fitzgerald gliders. This is very exciting news for the little company based out of Algona Iowa. These gliders are pretty much just the shell of the car, Fitzgerald and Wheeltime Network get together and refurbishe these gliders. This is a win win situation for everyone....buying the shell of the truck is much more cost effective and there is no need for any sort of special conversion necessary. Natural gas is a step towards the future.
More from Etrade - APGI


Lyle Jensen, American Power Group Corporation's President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "We expect the 2013 Fitzgerald/APG Dual Fuel Glider to become one of most innovative and exciting new Class 8 vehicles on the road with 20%-30% lower net fuel costs as compared to standard diesel engines and up to 70% lower annual maintenance costs." Mr. Jensen added, "The introduction of a Dual Fuel Glider, coupled with the resources provided by a Fitzgerald/WheelTime Network/APG collaboration, could be the game-changer that accelerates the transition of Class 8 truck fleets to natural gas as an alternative fuel."

The benefits of a glider kit are significant. The initial purchase price is typically 25% lower than a new diesel truck. The Detroit Series 60 12.7 liter engine, which is rated at 500hp and 1,650 lb-ft torque, was one of the most popular engines of the 1990s, pre-dating the addition of emissions reduction equipment required on later model year engines. There are significantly less maintenance costs and downtime with the Series 60 12.7 liter engine. Additionally, fuel efficiency is typically better, with fuel mileage of up to 7 miles per gallon. The Fitzgerald Glider comes with a three-year, 300,000 mile warranty on both the engine and transmission.

The God Particle - Scientists have found the Higgs Boson

God Particle

This god particle has been found twice in two different experiments. The Higgs Boson particle is important because it explains the elementary reasoning for sub-atomic things to have mass. The best way to describe this effect is by watching it in action, its is all about interactions between these things. Soooo the energy field that the boson particle makes is similar to a pool of water, and everything else are things floating though that pool. For instance a thin small fish will glide easily through the pool while a large human will have more trouble.
Scientists are certain they have finally found the sub-atomic particle Higgs Boson, but that comes with mixed feelings. After reading a few articles about this sub atomic particle I can see why scientists are not exactly super excited.

They ran two different experiments in these massive particle accelerator over in Europe and made a computer simulation of that experiment. The scientists were hoping the created sub-atomic particle would not behave exactly as the computer model predicted and that there would be a new field of physics to explore.

Since these particles can only exist for a few nano seconds the biggest part of the model was to predict how the particle would decay. Scientists were hoping to watch this particle behave differently, but unfortunately the particle behaved itself just how it was predicted by the computer.

All in all this particle is extremely essential in getting bulky particles to stick together....like us...which is why it has been known as the "god particle"

American Power Group Making Big Deals - (APGI)

APG and its subsidiary American Power Group Inc has announced a 900,000$$ order to do some engine conversions on hydraulic pumps for the top 5 oil and natural gas producers in the world. This is some pretty huge news for a small company from Algona Iowa. APGI will be producing a turnkey operational solution for these hydraulic pumps and it will enable customers to install subsequent pumps. 

From Etrade - APGI
Lyle Jensen, CEO of American Power Group, stated, "We are pleased that, following extensive factory and field testing, APG's innovative Turbocharged Natural Gas(TM) System has once again been selected for its safety, reliability, and environmental efficiency by another world class oilfield and drilling service company. APG's user-friendly dual fuel system provides an oil and gas service contractor the maximum flexibility to utilize either pipeline gas, qualified well-head gas, liquefied natural gas (LNG), or compressed natural gas (CNG) to displace a large percentage of diesel fuel and realize a significant net fuel savings and lower emissions. Our oil and gas drilling customers have been experiencing paybacks ranging from three months (well-head gas) to nine months (liquefied natural gas), making our dual fuel solution one of the most compelling competitive decisions they can make. At a time when global diesel prices continue to escalate, the ability for operators to utilize our dual fuel technology with inexpensive, clean-burning, and plentiful domestic natural gas provides a significant competitive advantage for those that adopt an APG dual fuel operation. This is the second major order APG has received for dual fuel hydraulic fracturing in the past ninety days and we expect an accelerating adoption of our technology for both stationary and vehicular applications during 2013."

Earthquake in California - minimal damage

USGS Earthquake Map

Three earthquakes rattled all of southern California Monday morning just after 10am


The magnitude of these quakes was 4.6 to 4.7 on the Richter scale
The epicenter was about 100 miles south east from L.A.
Residents say they could feel the swaying and the after shocks lasted a while but no real damage occurred.
This is but the beginning for something much bigger with California.






The state sits atop two different plates with a net movement of north east. However the eastern portion of the 'push" will be fully submerged soon enough. This means that the net direction of movement for the entire state will change to strictly north. This will create a sheer zone where more earthquakes will occur. If enough fracture networks connect from the stress of the quakes a massive maw could form between California and the rest of the world.

APGI is approved for more engines

American Power Group Corporation (OTCQB: APGI), announced today that its subsidiary, American Power Group, Inc. ("APG"), has received online notification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ("EPA") that its recent Clean Alternative Fuel Vehicle and Engine Conversion Submission for an additional 22 engine families has been approved for the following additional Outside Useful Life ("OUL") engines:

 --  Cummins ISX (2009 - 2007)
 --  Cummins ISM (2009 - 2007)
 --  Caterpillar C-15 (1997 - 1996)
 --  Caterpillar C-16 (1997)
 

The submission utilized APG's latest V5000 Dual Fuel Turbocharged Natural Gas(TM) technology which is required to meet specific design, componentry, and emission compliance criteria per the EPA Final Rule 40CFR Parts 85 and 86.

Lyle Jensen, American Power Group Corporation's President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "This round of approvals mark the completion of the Class 8 EPA OUL testing for the most popular Cummins and Detroit Diesel engine families for model years 2009 to 2002 and the most popular Caterpillar engine families from 2006 to 1996. Caterpillar exited the vehicular engine market after 2006. The EPA OUL testing for the Volvo and Mack engine families has begun and we anticipate testing and approvals to be completed within the next 60 to 90 days. Following that, we will wrap up our EPA OUL testing with selected engine models older than model year 2002 for the re-manufactured engine conversion market and the International DT 466/MaxxForce engine series. Since May 2012, we have received approval on over one hundred EPA OUL engine families and anticipate having over two hundred OUL engine families approved when we complete this phase of testing later this spring which would open up an estimated domestic multi-billion dollar OUL addressable market of 500,000 vehicles."

Thank you Etrade

More on this article can be found here

American Power Group signs with Collicutt Energy Services

American Power Group Corporation (OTCQB: APGI) announced that its subsidiary, American Power Group, Inc. ("APG") has signed a Certified Installer and Dealer Agreement with Collicutt Energy Services ("Collicutt") for training and certification to sell, install, and service APG's Stationary Dual Fuel Conversions in Alberta and Western Canada.

Collicutt Energy Services (www.collicutt.com) is a leading service provider in North America, and headquartered in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada with over 30 years of experience in the power generation and gas compression industry. Through its many locations in Alberta, British Columbia, California, Nevada, Alaska, and Hawaii, Collicutt provides design and engineering services, field sales and support, large equipment overhaul and refurbishment and parts inventory for the power generation and gas compression industries.

Lyle Jensen, CEO of American Power Group, stated, "We are pleased to have Collicutt join our ever-expanding network of Stationary Certified Installers and Authorized Dealers. We recently worked with the Collicutt team on a test installation in northern Canada and decided to formalize the relationship and begin marketing our dual fuel conversion system in the territory. APG's innovative Natural Gas System(TM) provides the broadest conversion coverage for a wide range of diesel engine models and horsepower in the industry."

More here
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