The Most Humble Oil Lamp

Oil lamps have been a part of human life since earliest times and have lit our way through most of history. Even today they are still used in many parts of the world and many have retained their simplest form. It is quite probable that the first oil lamp was nothing more than a small crude clay vessel or bowl made to hold tallow or some form of plant oil and a wick made of reed. In early times man most likely went to bed with the setting sun or made do with the glowing light from his fire but archeological finds show that prehistoric man used some form of oil lamp 20,000 years ago and in the fifteenth century Leonardo Da Vinci was the first to enclose the flame in a glass chimney which helped to protect the flame from drafts and eliminate the flicker.

The Early Oil Lamp

Before the Revolutionary War, the primitive open oil lamps and rush lights were still in use. The rush light consisted of a reed held upright in a dish containing grease. These primitive forms of oil lamps remained in use as late as the Civil War. In 1784, Ami Argand invented an oil lamp which drastically changed and improved the path of lighting forever. It had a reservoir that held oil and a flat wick that burned on both the inner and outer surfaces. As air rose up through the center, oxygen consumed most of the carbon while providing a stronger and brighter light with less smoke and little flicker. Later that same year a Frenchman added a glass chimney to Argand’s invention, creating a draft, thus greatly intensifying the amount of artificial light.
In 1879, with Thomas Edison s improvements to the light bulb, lighting the night was forever changed.

Still Lighting The Way

Today many of these early oil lamps still exist as antique collectibles or even remain in use in remote areas where no electric lines reach. Some people still keep an oil lamp handy in case of power outages and you can find modern functional versions of the oil lamp that serve as decorative accent pieces or burn scented oils.
It s easy to see that the humble oil lamp has a very long and interesting history. It may have been the invention of the wheel that started man on his journey to modern times but it was the oil lamp that lit his way.

Ethanol Company The Andersons Inc.

A company that is also producing ethanol amongst its many other business interests is The Andersons Inc. This ethanol company is certainly going places in grains and ethanol and in spite of various ups and downs in the agriculture sector; The Andersons Inc. has remained steady and regular. With very large storage capacities that can hold 150 million bushels as well as efficient access to foreign as well as domestic markets, The Andersons Inc. has the wherewithal to capture a large chunk of the ethanol business that relies on corn for inputs.

With legislation being passed that will require more ethanol use by refiners; the doors are opening for ethanol companies to meet the expected doubling of demand over four years for ethanol in the United States. With mandatory requirements for at least 7.5 billion gallons of ethanol to be bought by gasoline refiners in the year 2012, ethanol companies can look forward to having their order books filled in the immediate future.

Providing a Host of Services

The Andersons Inc. is an ethanol company that provides services to the ethanol industry in various capacities such as plant management and corn origination and also ethanol marketing. The Andersons Inc. is the largest equity holder in The Andersons Albion (Michigan) Ethanol LLC as well as The Andersons Clymers (Indiana) Ethanol LLC. It has strategically placed ethanol plants that are situated in close proximity of their grain facilities and so are able to efficiently service the ethanol industry.

An ethanol company such The Andersons Inc. will surely play a major role originating over 175 million bushels of corn, soybeans and wheat and it is a member of the Chicago Board of Trade as well as the Renewable Fuels Association. With more and more public concern being voiced about global warming as well as fears about land being flooded if the emissions of greenhouse gases goes unchecked it is up to ethanol companies such as The Andersons Inc. and others to show the way forward in ethanol production and marketing.

Any ethanol company such as The Andersons Inc. would be assured of attracting hot money since ethanol is the buzzword and investors are pouring a lot of money into this industry. There is however need for exercising caution when investing in an ethanol company and it should be based on economic data rather than on political sentiments. There is also plenty of scope for ethanol companies to get into the modification of car engines to accommodate ethanol based fuels such as the flexible-fuel cars being churned out today.