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Work 4 Peace,Hold All Life Sacred,Eliminate Violence! I am on my mobile version of the door-to-door, going town-to-town holding readings/gatherings/discussions of my book "But What Can I Do?" This is my often neglected blog mostly about my travels since 9/11 as I engage in dialogue and actions. It is steaming with my opinions, insights, analyses toward that end of holding all life sacred, dismantling the empire and eliminating violence while creating the society we want ALL to thrive in

Friday, January 21, 2011

70th Joiyssey: Driving thru Africa???

I have a great audience this morning, that of course I turn into folks I teach and folks I put to work - my "hands-on classroom"!

My new friend and solar expert Guillermo has kindly lowered an extension cord from his balcony to my truck, enabling me to have electricity today! So I can pump the oil through filters and into the tank! YEAH!

This is after he lowers a hose so I can finally fill my water tanks! More YEAHS!!!!

I'm ready to work! I change my clothes, lay down my blanket, take all the containers of oil out of the back of the truck and line them up, liberate my pump, filters and hoses and begin to add clean (I HOPE) veggie oil to my tank.

The police, who hang out on this block, come over to ask about what in the world I am doing.

Everyone is so very interested, very pleased and proud, and soon there are passers-by watching as well. I really get to practice my Spanish!

I am surprised and thrilled when the tank FILLS with the oil I have collected here, sin Mango's! Tomorrow, I will attempt again to collect the 100 liters of oil there - we'll see!

One of the guys who drives by parks his little red truck because he is so interested in finding out more. He turns out to be a concert promoter who travels to various countries. He tells me he has spent many months in Africa driving from Zimbabwe to South Africa!

Who knew such a thing was possible! Something to think about for my 70th b'day, eh?

Struggles in Acapulco

Weeeellll, my solar is failing and decisions decisions decisions to make.

I will probably need new batteries, although it's not yet for certain, but if I do, it's close to $1000, which represents three months of my Joiyssey.

And a sale I made through ebay, a large sale, is probably going to fall through, representing two months of my Joiyssey...

Living without electricity is one thing. We'll see.

I have many gallons of used veggie oil to filter today - and I have a friend, Guillermo my great solar guy, who is letting me use his electricity for the pump AND is going to fill my water tanks, like Yarida, Victoria, and Alicia did in Los Mochis!

So I am lucky at that end.

Batteries, Panels, Inverter????

There is so much that can go wrong - what will it be?