Collecting Used Vegetable Oil for Homemade Diesel Fuel

Collecting Used Vegetable Oil for Homemade Diesel Fuel Finding and maintaining a good supply of quality used cooking oil for diesel fuel  is as much about fostering relationships as it is about schlepping containers of the amber elixir. The best way to approach the subject is with a friendly upbeat â€Å"we can scratch each other’s backs† demeanor. When first meeting up with restaurant staff try saying something along the lines of, â€Å"Sure we can take that oil off your hands, and it won’t cost a thing.† This puts restaurant managers at ease, making them more likely to provide you with the vegetable oil you need to  make  biodiesel. Keep the Agreement Once you’ve successfully forged an agreement about the how, when and where you’ll pick up the oil, keep it. We can’t stress enough the importance of being prompt and reliable about pick-ups. This is especially important if the restaurant staff make the kind effort to put the oil in buckets or jugs for you. Do whatever you can to score that kind of an arrangement, because it is difficult and messy when you have to pump it out of a sticky, gooey- often smelly- oil barrel out behind the building. Magnify that description by ten on a hot, humid July afternoon.   Securing Your VegetableOil When packing the vessels of oil in your vehicle, make sure the lids are  tightly secured. Take the time to strap or wedge the containers in position or place them in crates to stabilize them for the ride home.  This may seem obvious, but it only takes one loose lid to spill an entire container of smelly oil all over your car.   Always Be Communicating Before getting a restaurant’s waste oil, be sure to ask if it is vegetable oil. A lot of restaurants use liquid shortening, and although it will work, it’s much less reliable for good biodiesel reactions than pure vegetable oil. Stay away from animal fat grease as well- it’s even more difficult to work with than shortening. It’s not good for your reputation among the restaurants if you agree to take their waste vegetable oil only to find it’s shortening or animal grease that you don’t want, and then have to extricate yourself from the deal. Worse still is to just stop collecting it without a word to the manager. If you find, for any reason, that you need to discontinue collecting oil from a particular establishment, give them the courtesy of notification. If you leave them hanging, word travels fast, and you can even ruin the opportunity for other budding â€Å"biodieselists† who will follow in your footsteps.

Difference Between Totalitarianism, Authoritarianism, Fascism

Difference Between Totalitarianism, Authoritarianism, Fascism Totalitarianism, authoritarianism, and fascism are all forms of government. And defining different forms of government isnt as easy as it might seem.   The governments of all nations have an official form as designated in the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency’s World Factbook. However, a nation’s own description of its form of government can often be less than objective. For example, while the former Soviet Union declared itself a democracy, its elections were not â€Å"free and fair† as only one party with state-approved candidates were represented. The USSR was more correctly classified as a socialist republic. In addition, the boundaries between various forms of government can be fluid or poorly-defined, often with overlapping characteristics. Such is the case with totalitarianism, authoritarianism, and fascism. What is Totalitarianism? Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler in Munich, Germany September 1937. Fox Photos/Getty Images Totalitarianism is a form of government in which the state’s power is unlimited and is used to control virtually all aspects of public and private life. This control extends to all political and financial matters, as well as the attitudes, morals, and beliefs of the people. The concept of totalitarianism was developed in the 1920s by Italian fascists who attempted to put a positive spin on it by referring to what they considered totalitarianism’s â€Å"positive goals† for society. However, most Western civilizations and governments quickly rejected the concept of totalitarianism and continue to do so today. One distinctive feature of totalitarian governments is the existence of an explicit or implied national ideology, a set of beliefs intended to give meaning and direction to the entire society. According to Russian history expert and author Richard Pipes, Fascist Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini once summarized the basis of totalitarianism as, â€Å"Everything within the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state.† Examples of characteristics that might be present in a totalitarian state include: Rule enforced by a single dictatorThe presence of a single ruling political partyStrict censorship, if not total control of the pressConstant dissemination of pro-government propagandaMandatory service in the military for all citizensMandatory population control practicesProhibition of certain religious or political groups and practicesProhibition of any form of public criticism of the governmentLaws enforced by secret police forces or the military Typically, the characteristics of a totalitarian state tend to cause people to fear their government. Rather than trying to allay that fear, totalitarian rulers tend to encourage and use it to ensure the people’s cooperation. Early examples of totalitarian states include Germany under Adolf Hitler and Italy under Benito Mussolini. More recent examples of totalitarian states include Iraq under Saddam Hussein and North Korea under Kim Jong-un. What is Authoritarianism? Fidel Castro circa 1977. David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images   An authoritarian state is characterized by a strong central government that allows people a limited degree of political freedom. However, the political process, as well as all individual freedoms, is controlled by the government without any constitutional accountability In 1964, Juan Josà © Linz, Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Political Science at Yale University, described the four most recognizable characteristics of authoritarian state as: Limited political freedom with strict government controls imposed on political institutions and groups like legislatures, political parties, and interest groupsA controlling regime that justifies itself to the people as a â€Å"necessary evil† uniquely capable of coping with â€Å"easily recognizable societal problems† such as hunger, poverty, or violent insurgencyStrict government-imposed constraints on social freedoms such as suppression of political opponents and anti-regime activityThe presence of a ruling executive with vague, loosely defined and shifting powers Modern dictatorships, such as Venezuela under Hugo Chvez, or Cuba under Fidel Castro, typify authoritarian governments.   While the People’s Republic of China under Chairman Mao Zedong was considered a totalitarian state, modern-day China is more accurately described as an authoritarian state, because its citizens are now allowed some limited personal freedoms. It is important to summarize the main differences between totalitarianism and authoritarian governments. In a totalitarian state, the government’s range of control over the people is virtually unlimited. The government controls nearly all aspects of the economy, politics, culture, and society. Education, religion, the arts and sciences, even morality and reproductive rights are controlled by totalitarian governments. While all power in an authoritarian government is held by a single dictator or group, the people are allowed a limited degree of political freedom. What is Fascism? Rarely employed since the end of World War II in 1945, fascism is a form of government combining the most extreme aspects of both totalitarianism and authoritarianism. Even when compared to extreme nationalistic ideologies like Marxism and anarchism, fascism is typically considered to be at the far-right end of the political spectrum. Fascism is characterized by the imposition of dictatorial power, government control of industry and commerce, and the forcible suppression of opposition, often at the hands of the military or a secret police force. Fascism was first seen in Italy during World War I, later spreading to Germany and other European countries during World War II. Historically, the primary function of fascist regimes has been to maintain the nation in a constant state of readiness for war. Fascists observed how rapid, mass military mobilizations during World War I had blurred the lines between the roles of civilians and combatants. Drawing on those experiences, fascist rulers strive to create a rabidly nationalistic culture of â€Å"military citizenship† in which all citizens are willing and prepared to take on some military duties during times of war, including actual combat. In addition, fascists view democracy and the electoral process as an obsolete and unnecessary obstacle to maintaining constant military readiness and consider a totalitarian one-party state as the key to preparing the nation for war and its resulting economic and social hardships. Today, few governments publicly described themselves as fascist. Instead, the term is more often used pejoratively by those critical of particular governments or leaders. The term â€Å"neo-fascist† is often used to describe governments or individuals espousing radical, far right political ideologies similar to those of the World War II fascist states.