Around the world on a GS850G for a cause

[Skateguy50]

If you choose not to help perhaps a debate can be held in another thread.

I could say more but would be counterproductive and will leave you with the last word and let this get back on track.

[shirazdrum]

Nov. 15th. He had high hopes…

First, I would like to thank Steven Lovestrand and Irina Loftus for their generous donations.

After spending three days on the phone talking to UNICEF directors in three countries and four different banks to get the phone number of Dispensario Bethania, I finally got a hold of its director, Dr. Carlos Arriola. I was trying to confirm the account information to ensure that the money didn’t end up in the wrong person’s pocket. International wire-transferring is a complicated business as the funds have to go through several channels in order to reach the final beneficiary. I’m glad it’s all done and the funds are where they were intended to be.
As part of my outreach, I am interested in establishing contact with activists and bloggers who are also concerned with malnutrition. In my research, I ran across “Hunger and Poverty”, a blog by Scott Hughes. Scott is a passionate individual who runs a few websites including www.millionsofmouths.com which is a forum-type website focusing on malnutrition and poverty. The discussion area on his site is a great tool to bring like minded people together and discuss ideas and solutions for different issues.
“We base our philosophy on the belief that every sane person [in the] would rather get quality education and sufficient employment than suffer from poverty, hunger, or homelessness.” Scott explains. I admire his dedication and agree with his ideology.

Today is the 90th day since I started my journey and I am overwhelmed by the support and generosity of so many. I am also touched by the numerous comments and emails that I have received throughout this time. It is your comments and notes that encourage me to go on and help me not to feel alone.
Of course, it is natural that not everyone will agree with what I do or how I do it, and there have been times that I was criticized for my views and even the cause. Some wrote to suggest that our planet is too over-populated and that famine works as one of nature’s regulators for population control. Although it is true that famines and wars do regulate population, they failed to mention why their class has the right to live and others don’t. What makes it ok for Maria in Honduras to perish from the devastating effects of famine while Jack in Connecticut can enjoy golfing on his private course?
Some even consider me nothing more than a “hippie dreamer” with unrealistic expectations. They claim that reaching out to other cultures is futile and label whoever runs their country differently than ours as dictators.
In response one commentator contrasted, “…most dictators in the areas where these practices are happening are in fact puppets of western states. You won’t hear about them on CNN, however when a country gets away from this and elects a leader focused on bettering their own people, they are vilified in the popular media, targeted by western death squads, and the country is usually devastated by economic sanctions, or by the use of free flow capital and the trade of prospect, driving down the local currency making it harder and harder for the country to stand on its own.”
Whether I receive criticism or praise, I embrace both wholeheartedly as they bring about attention to this issue and function as catalysts for change. That’s what I like about Scott’s website as it enables people to speak out and through dialogues, achieve a level of understanding and compassion for other viewpoints and brings them all to the realization: together we can be constructive regardless of our differences.
Hippie, Yuppie, Republican, Democrat, Bible-thumper, atheist, Star-trek fan, or whoever you are, keep in mind that at the end of the day we are all human beings with the right breath, to dream, to have the chance to become better than what we are.

[Skateguy50]

Keep the faith, you are doing a great thing.

I finished my bar project and sent along some of what I made to help out. I would love to see others try to do the same, you might not have any extra cash atm but you have some skills you can translate to cash. Do a side job and set that aside to help out, or maybe just clean out your garage and sell some parts off to donate.

[tkent02]

The optimum number of people to live on this planet is 1.5 to 2 billion.
Currently 6.8 billion.

Feel free to do your part and lower the population by one.

[hampshirehog]

The optimum number of people to live on this planet is 1.5 to 2 billion.

Nah - it's 2: me and Kylie...

[Skateguy50]

I know some of you are just joking on that and others not so much but while the optimimum # of people is being tossed around think about it... Is it really that we have to many people or that some people have and use to much?

Yes if everyone on the planet was to live like the typical American we would need something on the scale of 7-8 Earths to sustain us all, however on that same note if everyone live a more moderate less wasteful life the population would be just fine.

As far as the big picture I personally do not worry as much as others do to my religious beliefs and this planet is big enough for as long as we as a species are meant to be here. However that doesnt mean we just let it fall apart, on the contrary we should all being doing the best we can to keep things together and help out those that we can. Some of that is people you are in direct contact with on a daily basis and part of that is through monitery support for people in need further away.

ps, I hate that I can only use IE and am to lazy to spell check as firefox does it for me at home

[Adirondack Rider]

I know some of you are just joking on that and others not so much but while the optimimum # of people is being tossed around think about it... Is it really that we have to many people or that some people have and use to much?

Yes if everyone on the planet was to live like the typical American we would need something on the scale of 7-8 Earths to sustain us all, however on that same note if everyone live a more moderate less wasteful life the population would be just fine.

As far as the big picture I personally do not worry as much as others do to my religious beliefs and this planet is big enough for as long as we as a species are meant to be here. However that doesnt mean we just let it fall apart, on the contrary we should all being doing the best we can to keep things together and help out those that we can. Some of that is people you are in direct contact with on a daily basis and part of that is through monitery support for people in need further away.

ps, I hate that I can only use IE and am to lazy to spell check as firefox does it for me at home

that IS a very valid train of thought...and to think we have a "fat" epidemic over here

[Skateguy50]

What we as Americans use is partly why I got the motorcycle, not just to save on money but to save on gas as well.

I still have a lot but try where I can to cut down on things, and something people dont consider is how far goods are transported for consumption.

A good tool for seeing how you stack up is on the pbs website, its worth a look at the least.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/episodes/burning-season/calculate-your-carbon-footprint/1681/

When I checked it last year my family was considerably higher, we are down to 20 tons co2 per year, about 1/3 the average for a "similar" house but double the world average.

Most of ours is still transportation but I averaged it best I could, my wife and I have a long commute but carpool together and use the train once in the city for part of the ride. We sold our old VW and got a 35 mpg Honda fit. When shes out of class in the summer I ride the GS at 50 mpg. I do have an old diesel truck for side work but plan to convert it to use one of the diesel tanks on wvo. Also we are way under when it comes to food and goods consumption, my wife has got us down to buying little to no meat or dairy (shes vegan) and Im cheap so roll with it mostly. What we get in fruits and veggies we try our best to buy local and organic.

Hmm, getting off track on the thread but point being we can individually lower what our families use and ultimately can use some of what we dont use to help others in need. Think about things like cable, I have not paid for cable in 8 years and this is with 3 kids in the house. We have $30 a month internet that I do use for shows at times but that extra $100 bill is a waste.

I must sound like a tree hugger but its really just a matter of realizing what we are doing and caring enough to start change through your own actions.

[shirazdrum]

NOV. 23RD. WHERE THERE’S A WILL, THERE’S A WAY

I am on the road again heading for Los Angeles after a rather long period of inactivity (riding wise). I came to Bakersfield, CA to fix some motorcycle problems and had no intention of staying more than a night or two but ended up staying for 29 days, aside from my time in Barstow.

Andy Pogany once jokingly mentioned that Cynthia Quispe was keeping me like the Sirens from Homer’s Odyssey. Legend has it that the Sirens sing from the sharp rocks by their island to lure sailors. As the sailors hear the singing, they cannot resist so they draw closer to the rocks until they shipwreck. Legend also holds that if a sailor hears the singing but is able to escape, the Sirens perish.

Now, I am no sailor, and Cynthia doesn’t sing, and as far as I know, she is very much alive! What did keep me here was my nightmarish logistical planning for crossing the border into Mexico and getting everything done before I leave the country for the next 5 years. I also wanted to get a jump-start on my Spanish which Cynthia offered to help with.

Cynthia has been very enthusiastic and supportive about the cause ever since I set foot in Bakersfield. She came up with different ideas literally every day on how to help, from donating her payment for a photo-shoot to Dispensario Bethania (the malnourishment recovery institution in Guatemala), to coming up with ideas on how to raise more money and awareness about starvation. November 11th was Cynthia’s birthday. At her party, every guest who attended was asked not to bring a present, but rather to donate to the cause in lieu of gifts. As a photographer and social worker, being involved is not new to Cynthia, but I am glad to have her on my side.

Aside from working on my meager Spanish skills, I’ve been diligently spreading the word about my expedition and in particular, the issue of Hunger. I’m excited to see that more people are coming on board with ideas on how to get involved with the cause from all parts of the globe: from Paraguay to the Netherlands to Iran to Australia. It’s been rewarding to establish connections via different mediums such as forums, emails, and my blog, and to know that my work is paying off.

During this time, I also managed to bring my website up to the shape that it is today with a lot of help from Andy Pogany. My stay in Monterey, CA brought upon a great friendship with Andy and ever since then, he has taken on the role of proof-reader/editor for the website. I stayed up many nights editing CSS, HTML and PHP codes, refining the layout and functionality of the website. I can say that it is finally what I envisioned a year ago when I was planning to launch it.

On one of those long editing nights, I received a $20 donation from a guy named Matthew Hanscom. Moments later, I received another email notifying me that Matt sent a friend request via Facebook. I was already on-line so I added him and we started chatting. As it turned out, Matt is another GSR member (GSR is short for GS Resources, a motorcycle forum community that focuses on the old GS line of Suzuki motorcycles) who rides the same motorcycle as I do and wanted to help.

While I was thanking him, I mentioned how I do not ask people to alter their lifestyle or to give away half of what they have, but that any little thing that someone can spare goes a long way. I was blown away when Matt responded that his donation of $20.00 was exactly half of what he had in his bank account at that moment. If that is not selflessness, I don’t know what is. Oh, and by the way, that is not all Matt did. He read one of my posts that my windshield was broken and offered to send me his. Although I didn’t end up taking him up on his offer as my windshield is still functional, it is heart-warming to see such generous acts of kindness.

I fully understand that times are tough for many of us. With all the lay-offs, rising cost of everything and our own to care for, it is hard to part with our disposable income. Yet, some are figuring out ways to still contribute regardless of their financial circumstances.

Jared Williams is one such person. Yet another GSR member, he is a man with a heart for helping people. Jared reflects, “We should all be doing the best we can to keep things together and help out those that we can. Some of that is people you are in direct contact with on a daily basis, and part of that is through monetary support for people in need further away.”

With 3 kids at home to provide for, Jared and his wife strive to live a life in which they make good use of their resources. They eschew excessive consumption and waste in favor of reducing what they use as a family, and ultimately giving some of what is not used to help others in need.

When Jared first contacted me he wrote: “Things are tight now as with others but I will set something aside and send it along.” Soon after, he wrote again to report that he had finished building a bar and gave his customer a bare bottom price for his work and told the customer that if he liked the work, to consider paying a little extra so that Jared could donate to the cause. Jared’s customer ended up paying an extra $100 that Jared donated on my website which will go to the World Food Programme.

Jared used his skills to come up with a solution, Cynthia made her birthday party into a fundraiser, Matt gave half of the cash he had, and Andy made it easier for you to read my blog by polishing my writing.

Where there is a will, there is always a way. This story was their way. This ride is my way. Make this month a month for giving – find your way.

[mighty13d]

I received a $20 donation from a guy named Matthew Hanscom. Moments later, I received another email notifying me that Matt sent a friend request via Facebook. I was already on-line so I added him and we started chatting. As it turned out, Matt is another GSR member (GSR is short for GS Resources, a motorcycle forum community that focuses on the old GS line of Suzuki motorcycles) who rides the same motorcycle as I do and wanted to help.

I'm honored that you thought a very small donation like mine was worth noting. Thanks and I wish you the best of luck. Keep us updated. I'm trying to get my friends involved but most of my friends are early 20s and really don't care in the slightest. Well, it's not that they don't care, it's that they don't care enough to send money to someone they don't know for a cause that isn't going to directly help them. I'm working on them though!

[shirazdrum]

Matt, that was the least i could do, keep up the good work.
when are you heading for TX? I might cross the border in TX instead of AZ so i don't have to ride all inland in Mexico.

[mighty13d]

Matt, that was the least i could do, keep up the good work.
when are you heading for TX? I might cross the border in TX instead of AZ so i don't have to ride all inland in Mexico.

Oh I won't be down there until January. I don't know how long it will be until you head down into Mexico, but it seems like you'll probably beat me down there.

[Skateguy50]

Keep the stories coming and ride safe.

[mighty13d]

I'm just wondering how he plans on riding to different continents... I have seen guys go across ponds on dirt bikes but come on.. The Oceans seem a little too big for that. Especially with a heavy old girl like that he's riding.

[Skateguy50]

Think the plan is just North and South America. Only has to make it over the Panama canal.