On the Discovery Channel MythBusters TV show tonight there was a demonstration that shows that a Mercedes diesel car can run just fine on used Burger King french fry oil. Only filtering is needed to get the little scraps of burned food out of the cooking oil. No other modification of the oil or car needed. Efficiency is reduced about 10% but the engine runs smoothly. Just pour the stuff into the tank. At $3+ per gallon for diesel, this looks attractive. Especially if there is a MacDonalds or Burger King in the neighborhood. They usually pay to have the used oil hauled away. On another note, your local Dollar Store has a raft of convenient items that can be used on a boat. I buy good quality sets of assorted size disposable paint brushes for a dollar. Its far cheaper to throw the brush away than to clean it. Cotton gloves with grip palms cost a dollar. Clean Green and citrus cleaners are a dollar a quart, about a third the price at the local supermarket. But the most attractive items are the LED flashlights. Apparently the price of white superbright LEDs has dropped to the point where the Chinese can package three of them into a little 3 AAA cell flashlight that sells for a dollar. A couple of years ago I was touting the merits of the single LED Pelican flashlight which sold for $10. While the Pelican light is very good and rugged, it doesn't give as much light as the Chinese cheepies and uses batteries that cost $6 a set. Now there is no excuse for not having a flashlight for every crewman and at every location where occasional light is needed. Speaking of little coin type batteries, many of the dollar Chinese flashlights or clip on LED booklights come with sets of two or three or even four alkaline or lithium batteries. I've found lights with A76, LR 44, and 675 alkaline batteries and 2032 lithium batteries. At Radio Shack these tiny cells cost 3 to 4 dollars EACH. If you use a PDF, a camcorder, a digital watch or a pocket calculator, you will probably find that it requires a couple of these small batteries, either for main power or for a backup. I've taken to buying and taking apart cheap Dollar Store electronics just for the batteries. My favorite purchase so far is a laptop computer keyboard illuminator that simply plugs into an empty USB socket. I paid $20 for one of these things a few years ago but the Dollar Store version is better and certainly cheaper. Larry Z ************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.