Ya Gotta Start Somewhere

Initially when I started blogging, it was a meant as a way to communicate and record my trip to Ghana. I'm really glad I did that, if only for selfish reasons. When I go back and read the blog, I have a great number of those "oh yeah, I completely forgot about that" moments.

After returning from Africa, I began to learn more about blogging through sites like Problogger  and a great many others.

Blogging is very simple. Anyone can do it without spending more than the cost of an internet connection. I also became aware that successful blogging is very complex and constantly evolving. Making serious money blogging is next to impossible, which makes it possible.

However, the fact is that the odds of making a living are remote. Think of everyone on this planet who ever threw a basketball at a net. Then think about how many people haver ever played in the NBA.

There is a saying regarding web sites and blogs that "content is king". The idea behind this is that if you provide good content, the audience will find you. This is complete crap. Content alone is not enough and the audience will not find you, you must find your audience.

The ironic thing about posting content on the web with a purpose is that it is the opposite of most artistic endeavours. You've passed the audition, got the gig, signed the publishing deal or whatever. The trick is that it is also up to you to put butts in seats.

There are about 100 million blogs, 300 million facebook accounts and at least 100 million myspace accounts out there. Don't even get me started on Twitter, Digg, Technorati and all the rest. The good news is that only a small percentage of these daunting numbers are producing fresh, relevant and consistent content. The bad news is that there are still millions of people producing  quality content on a regular basis.

The best news of all is that your potential audience is almost unlimited. Content posted on the internet has the potential to reach more people than any television station on the planet.

Apparently, I have made a few mistakes, the most crucial being that I did not make my blog about a very specific niche. If you want to make money blogging don't be general. I have come to learn that what I am doing is a subset of blogging known as lifecasting, or so they say.

Whatever it is, I have found a need to post content which is driving me to have a richer life experience so I can create more compelling content. I am still very new at this, but I am happy to know that if I post something , it will be read by a few people somewhere.

I am not making anywhere near enough to quit my day job, but it is a start and the numbers continue to trend upwards.

A recent review of my Google Analytics account showed that my blogs have been read in forty countries since I began in the spring of 2009. The map below shows where all of my visitors have come from, and I thank everyone who took the time to read my work in 2009.

I am still learning and striving to create better content in 2010 that will bring you back.

Thank you, and Happy New Year!

http://www.goyestoeverything.com



View Global Hits in a larger map

Year To The Ground, i2009

I will always remember the year 2009 as a personal turning point, a period when I finally began to find my place in this world.

In 2008, I experienced a loss of family, friends and a beloved pet. Out of this cloud of grief, a realisation of my own mortality emerged, and with that came a commitment to more fully live my life in 2009, and I am proud to say that I think I did that.

I went to Ghana, and met my travel dream to go to Africa. Along the way I helped begin a project to rebuild a school. I can honestly say that if you ever get the chance, you should go to Ghana. The people there taught me a great deal, and I am forever indebted.

That trip also encouraged me to create goyestoeverything.com . Recently a relative mentioned that they were looking forward to seeing me and hearing my travel stories. I kind of cringed because I am not a great verbal storyteller, and I try to put everything into the blog. This is how I communicate best. If you want to know what I'm up to, don't talk, read.

The summer was spent working hard at two jobs. In addition to my regular gig, I worked some sleepless shifts for the Toronto International Film Festival, so I could pay for a new trip to Asia. Not only is TIFF a great organisation, but I must thank them for helping me to pay for my trip.

Thusly I was off to Asia, more specifically Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. I am still learning my lessons from that journey.

However, the people that contributed to helping me make this the most incredible year of my life are my boss, Cayelle, and my mother. Without your combined generosity, none of this would have happened, and I am deeply indebted to you both.

Thank you, you made my year.

http://www.goyestoeverything.com

Not With A Bang, But A Whimper

I don't know what game we are playing, how much time is left, or who to cheer for, but I can assure you that the score at the end of this decade is....

• STUPIDITY 16
• HUMANITY  3

At the outset of this decade Bill Clinton was presiding over the greatest economic expansion in history, global warming (sorry, "climate change") was still an issue that could possibly be defeated by decisive and unified action, and terrorism was something that happened in other countries to other people.

Things were going so well , that I even pondered the idea that Canada might stop criminalizing people who smoke pot on the heels of allowing gay marriage. Alas, it was not to be.

The man who defined this decade is George W. Bush, because he laid bare to all the differences between the haves and the have nots. He did not create this gap, but he exemplified it.

As the decade draws to a close, I am increasingly astounded by the tremendous opportunities that we have to communicate with one another, yet dismayed by our lack of anything to say.

Of course the event of the decade is the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. That day truly ushered in a new era that defines our society to this day. Even today it was announced that I will no longer be allowed to take a carry on bag on a flight to America. In addition, another Canadian soldier died in Afghanistan.

Two announcements, one trivial, the other monumental, yet both connected to September 11th, 2001. Historians record era's by events, not dates, and they will forever remember 911 as the day that the 21st century began.

While people have been saying since the beginning of time that "The End Is Near" I have a palpable sense that the next ten years are going to be very brutal and contentious as increasing consumptive and environmental pressures continue to take their toll on the planet.

Make no mistake, my little candle of hope is alive, but it burns nowhere near as brightly as it did when the decade began. It appears to me that we have a lot of work ahead of us and that even the most monumental effort may not be enough.

Other than that, everything is perfect.

http://goyestoeverything.com

An Open Letter To 5440

Something has been bothering me ever since I posted  some videos from my Ghana trip , and now I have compounded the problem by posting more videos from my trip to Asia .

I have been known on occasion to get on my moral horse about the actions of others regarding theft, but now I find that I am the thief. At my most judgemental, I would ask others two simple questions.

• Did you take it?
• Did it belong to you?. 

It is true that ethics are what we do when no one is looking and the internet provides ample opportunities for us to challenge our own ethics. The opportunity to steal abounds, and I find that I am little more than another among the throng of pilferers.

While none of the music that is on the videos is stolen,  (every tune was paid for or downloaded for free from the 5440 website), the use of the music on the videos is clearly copyright infringement.

So I'm fessing up, and pleading guilty with an explanation, as I throw myself on the mercy of the court

- the videos are an homage to my favourite band

- they are not intended to be used for personal profit

- each video contains accreditation and promotes the band

Nonetheless, its your stuff, I took it, and it did not belong to me. There is no getting around that. I will respectfully remove the audio upon request.

http://www.5440.com

http://goyestoeverything.com

note - this was originally posted to 5440's facebook page.

At The 11th Hour, Of The 11th Day, On The 11th Month

Image via Wikipedia

Like most of us, I hate conflict.

For me, this is a day that I remember ALL the victims of conflict. From the young men and women who fight, to the innocents who suffer.

I hope that very soon the day will come when my fellow citizens will not be fighting in the name of the country in which I live. In the meantime, I think of them everyday.

Today is a day to remember those who gave all, and to be aware of all those who continue to do so.

Please take a moment to consider that.

The rest I leave to Lt-Col. John McCrae.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

— Lt.-Col. John McCrae (1872 - 1918)

http://www.goyestoeverything.com

Women And Children Last

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Pussies. Cowards. Elitist. Douchebags. Despicable.Take your pick or take em all.

In a move reminiscent of George Costanza pushing children out of the way to escape a fire, it came to light this week that players and staff in The Toronto Maple Leafs organisation have jumped the line ahead of children and the elderly to get the H1N1 flu shot. Ditto for the Calgary Flames.

The reasoning cited by one player is that they are more likely to get the flu. This may be true given the amount of air travel pro sports teams endure. However it is very unlikely that any pro athlete will die from H1N1.

Just to let Brian Burke know, the purpose of having a priority group is to protect the people most at risk, not the people who make the most money.

And, God forbid, should your son or daughter die because they were unable to get the shot,  you should complain to MLSE. If you're lucky, maybe they'll give you an autographed jersey to throw in the coffin.

Apparently, Spirit Is Everything, decency is nothing.


http://www.goyestoeverything.com

An Ode To Old Friends

If you are blessed enough in life, you are granted at least one old friend. If you are really lucky, you may have many.

Tonight, I had dinner with one such friend.

The thing about old friends is that you must be of a certain age to have them. The friendship is unquestioned and steadfast, regardless of the direction that either life has taken. And be aware that after you cross a certain threshold in life it becomes impossible to acquire any more old friends.

Old friends are best because they knew you when you were both punk ass morons. You can't fake it with an old friend, they see your bullshit from a mile away.

Time brings trust, and an old friend comes with no need for context. An evening with an old friend brings a lot of baggage, but it is so easily checked.

Acquire them while you can, because this truly is a limited time offer, while supplies last.

I know as you read this that you have someone in your mind. Maybe you should shoot them an email while you can.

Share a meal, share a drink, reconnect. I'm sure you'll find that everything has changed, and nothing much has changed.

While time waits for no one, some things in our lives are indeed timeless, thank God.

http://goyestoeverything.com

Who Screwed With The Bananas?

Image via Wikipedia

Way back in the last century things were very different. For instance you could go to the grocery store and buy a tomato. You could take it home, cut it up, maybe put a little salt on it and it would taste like a tomato. Now we have the fishtomato.

Most common strains of tomato that are sold in this world contain a fish gene that has been spliced into the seed. The geniuses at Monsanto thought that it would be good to splice a gene into the tomato seeds from a fish that survived in cold temperatures. The purpose of this was to protect agribiz from crop failures due to frost and it is things like this that led to the term Frankenfood.

I have known about this for a long time. What I did not know is that they have now siezed control of the bananas, too.

When I was a boy and we put a banana in the fridge, it would go black within twelve hours. Not so any more.Either bananas have evolved very quickly or someone has messed with the recipe on a molecular level.

If I ever find a decent banana, I'll let you know. And I'll pick up a few tomatoes while I'm at it.

http://goyestoeverything.com

Breaking Through The Wall(s)

Image via Wikipedia

Over the next week or so, we will be hearing a lot about one of the happiest geopolitical memories of my lifetime. November 9th, 2009 will mark the twentieth anniversary of that astonishing and jubilant moment when the citizens of East and West Germany knocked down The Berlin Wall and effectively ended the Cold War. It was a jaw dropping moment, but it did not come out of thin air.

 I am no history buff, and many factors played a role, but here is my take. Mikael Gorbachev was the tipping point. A moderate who came to power and began floating notions of Perestroika and Glasnost. Openess, transparency and a restructuring of the sprawling Soviet Union, and by extension, the satellite states. This was very different than the rhetoric from previous Soviet leaders and people were taking notice around the world, most notably in  Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Poland and East Germany.



And they began to gather. They began to act. They saw that they had been given an opening and they pressed their advantage relentlessly. Protests that were once small and fraught with peril were now spreading, and growing. The sheer breadth of the human will for a different way became irrefutable and unstoppable until it culminated in what was one of the great mass media visuals of the last century.

Breaking through the wall.

A stunning moment of humans uniting to express their desire for a better way and perhaps the greatest example in human history of people working together for a common peaceful goal.

Then again, we all have walls around us. Private, personal, political, societal, cultural, religious. This week, I'm going to find one of my own walls and bust right through it in honour of those folks who risked all for what they believe in, and by extension, changed the world.

Then I'm going to toast Mr. Gorbachev with a shot of vodka.

Its going to be a good week for breaking down walls.

http://goyestoeverything.com

Awards, Awards, Everywhere

So last week, someone I know won a Directors Guild award. I actually got a little thrill from holding the award. This week one of my colleagues was voted the best server in Toronto in a readers choice poll in a major weekly publication. It is a very impressive accomplishment, given that we are just a little bar

I have been in this business for thirty years, and I like to think that I am pretty good at what I do, but nobody ever gave me an award.

Congratulations to the Divine Mr. M . Your gift is your ability to engage people, and you give it well.

Now if you could just do the chalkboard or turn the outside light on or cut a few limes that would be good too.

I doff my cap.

http://goyestoeverything.com

Is A Canadian Passport Worth Anything?

As someone who would like to do more traveling in the future, I am very concerned about the ability of my own country to take a simple interest in my case, yet alone protect me, should I run into trouble abroad.  I already blogged about this, and I am appalled to have to do it again.

Don't get me wrong, Canadian Citizenship is a very valuable concept when traveling: but a Canadian Passport? Hmm, not so much.

My impression based on my limited experience is that people do like us. At worst, they are indifferent. There is not a lot of hate out there for us Canucks.

But again, I see that my government is failing another Canadian abroad

Hossein Derakhshan is a  fellow Canadian citizen. Just like me he holds a Canadian passport. I have a soft spot for him because he introduced blogging to Iran by creating the ability to blog in Farsi. In my opinion, he did a great thing for his people, and he is a blogger that can change the world. He is a great Canadian.

He is challenging oppression, and standing up for values of free speech and democracy. Canadian values. He has also been languishing in a prison in Iran for over a year.

A Facebook Group has been created on his behalf. He is a fellow human being, and also a fellow Canadian. He deserves all the rights and support that are supposed to come with the proud possession of a Canadian passport, but it seems he may become yet another tragic example of the compliant nature of our current regime as it deals with matters abroad.

Many of the people that I mentioned in my previous post are controversial. Many are completely innocent travelers. Each has met with the same incomprehensible lack of support.

What concerns me most is the possibility that our Foreign Affairs department is either indifferent or incompetent . Or both. Or worse.

http://goyestoeverything.com

Like Pulling Wings Off Flies

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

I am not heartless, but constant exposure to people begging on the street has made me very jaded about giving money to an endless stream of people; the majority of whom are not homeless.

I don't mind giving to people, but I do believe that my money could be better utilized by supporting people who are in need AND capable of accomplishing something. God knows, the world is full of worthy recipients.

All of which leads me to the appalling thing I saw tonight that contradicts everything I just said.

I was outside my local bar, having a smoke when an older man with a long beard approached me and asked for money. I wearily refused and he moved on to a group of young people. For the next five minutes I watched this drunk teenage dork get his jollies by teasing and tormenting this man, stealing every last shred of his dignity, all the while enjoying himself.

The young man didn't want to give, but he did express an interest in purchasing the panhandlers jacket or shirt on this damp Toronto evening. Funny stuff, eh?

It is one thing to refuse a panhandler, it is quite another to delight in mocking them. As the beggar retreated from whence he came I stood motionless in the rainswept night. In hindsight, I should have given him a few bucks as compensation for the indignity that this punk imposed upon him. Live and learn.

Where is the love, y'all?

http://goyestoeverything.com

Resiliency

This story in The Toronto Star today gave me a lot to think about. I think Natalia's blog speaks for itself, and I will only add that I am always amazed at the power of human beings to face the most profound challenges with grace and dignity. Enjoy your day.

http://goyestoeverything.com

Disease Warning

Image via Wikipedia

While much of the planet is reaching a crescendo of worry about H1N1, the real disease that most of us in the Western world should be worried about remains misidentified and mistreated. The greatest affliction that plagues the modern industrial society is self pity.

To make it worse, the pharmaceutical companies in conjunction with your local doctor have conspired to convince many of you that your sadness and despair is not self created. You have a condition. A condition that must be medicated.

Even more despicable is the concept that your children have a condition. Is your child overactive? Unable to focus? They should be medicated and you should be medicated in order to deal with the trauma of medicating your child.

While mental illness is a serious and debilitating condition, we are all being diagnosed with some mental condition out of all proportion to the real percentage of people who legitimately suffer. It does, however,  give a convenient excuse for many people to not take responsibility for their own lives.

Society trains us that our blind consumption will make us all happy. And I'm not just talking about buying consumer goods. The norms around us dictate that your children and your marriage are also consumer goods that you should buy into. Marriage is a big one, because marriage leads us down the path to buying big ticket items.

Marriage is not just a holy institution, it is also a means to buy into the large scale consumption of goods, like houses and cars.

After that comes kids.

And of course more consumption of goods. I am always amazed by how the saturation of consumer products  goes along with having children. I see these befuddled parents all the time on the street. They have so much crap, that they need a sport ute, which they obediently purchased. You don't need all that crap. Watch this loving parent I filmed in Ghana.  Looks to me like she is taking care of her child just fine, without much of the must have bling. And I'm pretty sure that her life is far more arduous than yours or mine.

By all means, get married and have kids. But do you really need all the consumer goods attached?

The real reason that many of us are unhappy is that we've bought into the idea that happiness is connected to consumption and that if our blind consumption isn't making us happy it is because we have a condition that can be cured by consuming pills. Which is just more consumption.

I've got some advice that has worked for me, and it might work for you. Happiness is connected to connnectedness with your fellow human beings.

And that kind of connectedness is not available in any store.

http://goyestoeverything.com

Connectedness

Image via Wikipedia

As the light changed to walk, I blindly obeyed. The car coming at me made me stop in my tracks. The lady driving the car was in such a hurry, that she tried to turn left in advance of the oncoming traffic. All directions had the same greeen, but she was trying to play beat the clock by turning left before other traffic could advance. I literally froze in the middle of the crosswalk as her angry gas powered weapon hurtled towards me.

In panic I met her eye. She frantically waved me through.

She could not know the fear that she triggered within me, or how this fear has plagued me every day that I walk across a street.

Many years ago, I was hit by a car. And I was hit by the same kind of self absorbed me first driver that almost ran into me the other day.

Similiar scenario. Vehicle in a huge hurry to beat other traffic turns left, not seeing the pedestrian in the crosswalk.

The car took me out at my knees and I was hurtled into the windshield. The force of my body hitting the windshield shattered it and I was carried me up the street about twenty feet. I then rolled off the vehicle, onto the side of the road.

I was very, very lucky. Sometimes people die from these things if they land on the pavement the wrong way.

The thing that I remember most about the incident is the faces that greeted me as I lay like a ragdoll on that wet Vancouver street.

In my bewildered state, I looked up to see a number of people urging me not to move, others urging someone to call an ambulance. Someone took off their jacket and laid it over me until the ambulance came.

Whether we like it or not we are wired towards compassion and heroism in a time of crisis. We instinctively care deeply about one another, something deep inside us recognises that the other is merely an extension of the self and it urges us to react in the best way possible when in crisis.

I'll drink to that.

http://goyestoeverything.com

Why Smokers Are Solely Responsible For Global Warming

Image by KoFahu meets the Mitropa via Flickr

Yeah, I know. Smoking is stupid and no one should do it. I get it. I agree. What I do not agree with is a lynch mob that wishes to demonize every smoker for all the air quality ills of the planet.

The latest example of standing on a whale and fishing for minnows comes to us from the good folks at The Peel Regional Health Board. These folks have decided that smoking should be banned in peoples homes because of leakage through electrical outlets, among other things.

The report fails to address constitutional rights granted to Canadians under The Charter of Rights And Freedoms, but these are mere trifles to the do gooding fist shakers that care so much about me that they want to protect me from myself.  The Board is not the least bit concerned with coal fired power plants, or the fact that the vehicle they drove to the meeting poisoned the atmosphere more than every cigarette that I will ever smoke during my tragically cut short lifetime.

But out of respect for your pointless crusade, and in the interest of asking you to live by your principles, can I put forth my omnibus bill banning french fries and automobiles in the Peel Region on the agenda for your next meeting? After all both of these things are bad, and the fact that people use them affects my health and costs me money.

I never thought that I would be quoting an NRA guy, but you'll take my smoke out of my cold, (and all too soon) dead hand.


http://goyestoeverything.com

You call this giving?

Image via Wikipedia

Recently I was in my local LCBO store. As I paid for my beer the fine lady at the cash asked me if I wanted to contribute two dollars to the United Way.

I sighed and said no thank you. What I was really thinking was a tad bit different. I wanted to say that what she was really asking me was do I want to give $1.60 to the people who are employed by The United Way so that they may take 40 cents of my money to give to a myriad of charities.

As far as I'm concerned, that is not giving, its taking. Thank God, the internet is providing a pathway that will change the dynamic of giving, so that these puffy, bloated Byzantine entities will eventually disappear.

I recently gave a fine friend fifty bucks for the cause. I didn't have the heart to tell them that the real donation was ten bucks. Perception beats reality every time, and people are drawn to the easiest path that makes them feel like they are making a difference.

All of this begs the question, do you give to help people, or do you give so you can feel good about yourself?

To be honest, I have no quick answer to this question as it pertains to myself.

http://goyestoeverything.com

Four meanings of "Eh?"

Image via Wikipedia

Canadians love saying "eh?". But "eh" can mean many different things. Here are a few translations of the many meanings of "eh?". Please feel free to add your own.

• So I was trying to get to the Spadina Station, "eh?" ("are you following me?")
• Could I get another beer, "eh?". ( "if you don"t mind?")
• I'm going to Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump tomorrow, "eh?" ("just to make sure you're aware")
• The Sockeye run sucked this year, "eh?" ("surely you must agree with me")

http://goyestoeverything.com

How to create a free digital logo.

For a couple of months, I have been pondering the fact that I need a logo. An image that would give a visual continuity to the content that I post across various platforms.

I struggled with this, knowing that my knowledge of graphic design is poor, but also knowing that a logo is important as I try to make a tiny dent in the vastness of the internet. While the internet may be a bear I am trying to wrestle to the ground, it is also a warm and cuddly friend.

A quick google search led me to logoease.com . This was kismet for me, as one of their free images matched well with what I had already envisioned.

They give you a black and white image, which you then tweak with colour, angle, text and sizing.
Once you save it they email you a zip file containing the image in many different sizes and formats.

I'm happy with my little free logo, what do you think?

http://goyestoeverything.com

I Loathe MLSE

Image via Wikipedia

First things first, three down one hundred and seventeen to go.

Make no mistake, I have no problem with The Toronto Maple Leafs as a hockey team, but my disdain for the ownership is Steinbrenner-esque. The corporate dwarfs that run this elitist dog and pony show should be tied to the back of the Bloor Night Bus and be given a tour of this city.

It as if this once proud institution has been taken over by some hybrid clone of Fat Tony, Monty Burns and Conrad Black. And don't try and muscle in, this is a pretzel town!

The Toronto Maple Leafs charge more than double the league average to watch a crap hockey team and the suckers are lined up out the door.

Worst of all is that MLSE leaves a lot of innocent victims in its wake, namely taxpayers.

Yah see all those empty platinum seats for the first ten minutes of every period? The reason those seats are empty is because there are government subsidized martini's in the platinum lounge. The drinks go along well with the government subsidized seating and the government subsidized sushi.

Hey, its all a corporate write off, but keep in mind that taxes someone else avoids are taxes the rest of us have to pay. The ACC is rife with people who are using the tax system to discount their tickets. Discounts that you and I pay for. And the empty seats of the discounted Martini Sippers mock the true hockey fan every Saturday night.

To add insult to this obscenity is the fact that we subsized the building of the ACC and BMO Field, and that MLSE is so threatened by the thought of competition in "their" market place. I don't blame them for being afraid of competition. Hey, if I was that incompetent in my business, you can bet I would be terrified of challengers.

I feel sorry for true Leaf fans. They drank the Kool-Aid a long time ago, but The Dear Leader doesn't give a crap.

As a final note, the Leafs recently held an event in their new practice facility (also subsidized by taxpayers) to announce how upset they are about the high price of kids playing hockey. Did they offer a solution? NO. Did they suggest a way things could be made easier? NO. Were they annoyed that this stupid event interrupted their "money fight"?. PROBABLY.

The average shmoe has only one chance to fight this incompetent Goliath.

- Every night that you sit down to watch a Leaf game , bring a pad and paper.

- Write down the name of every corporate logo and commercial that you see.

- Don't buy those products.

Its not hard to break the chain of stupidity, it just takes a little diligence.

It is the only chance to break down this Kafkaesque wall, and remember that when you buy those products you are actually paying so that a wealthy person can enjoy discounted sushi on your nickel.

As far as I'm concerned MLSE can go and Phoenix itself.

Happy Thanksgiving!

http://www.goyestoeverything.com

ps Go Canucks Go

A Plea For Help

"I wish i could solve this myself, but it is beyond my capability"

The above quote is from an email I received today. And I'd really like to reply with some gung ho cheerleader speech about how gosh darn it, we are all capable of everything if we just put our minds to it.

Sadly, I knew the deep truth behind the words, and it caused me great upset.

The words came from a very decent young man I met in Ghana. His name is Toufic, and I count him among my friends. He lives in Larabanga, a small village that I visited in Northern Ghana. I have lent some small support to building a school there, and Toufic spent the summer in his village, working as a volunteer teaching english to the children of his community. He is beyond his years, the kind of person for whom "giving back " is instinctive.

His father has passed, so his uncle has become his patriarchal figure. Remarkably, Toufic was among the first of his people to have attended high school, (he walked 8km each way every day, I know this cos I drove the road) chased by elephants and harassed by baboons. Even more astounding, he managed to pass the very stringent Ghana University Entrance Exams, so that he could study in Tamale, some six hours west of his village. Seriously, these exams are very difficult, especially given the varying quality of high school education.

He completed his first year of post secondary education, thanks to support from his uncle. Tragically, his uncles farm was struck by catastrophic floods which means that there is no crop and therefore no money to pay for Toufic to go to school. More information is available here and here.

So this is my appeal to you. We need to raise $750 cdn so that Toufic can attend school for this semester. He is currently in attendance, but he will get kicked out if he doesen't pony up, so there is some urgency here. This money includes textbooks, classes and living quarters.

While I am championing microprojects, I also want to champion the idea of microgiving.

The maximum donation that will be accepted is $5 US. Any donations in excess of this amount will be returned. Exceptions will be made when one donation is made on behalf of multiple givers.

Where I really need help to make this happen is for you to tap into your networks to help spread the word. I simply do not have enough people on my network to make this work. It is beyond my capability. A repost with a recommendation is more important than a donation at this point.

Rest assured that every dollar raised will go directly to Toufic and I will pay the first 20% plus money transfer costs, so we really only need to cough up $600 cdn. 120 times five dollars.

Toufic has worked very hard to create opportunity for himself, and while this situation may be beyond his capability, it is most certainly not beyond ours.

You can microgive with the security of PayPal at http://www.goyestoeverything.com

Google Streetview

This post is better viewed here than on Facebook.


This is where we walked
This is where we swam
Take a picture here
Take a souvenir

R.E.M.


Welcome to Google Streetview! 360 degree photos of our country. It was introduced for several locations across Canada today, so I looked up two of the houses that I grew up in.

(cue Wonder Years theme)

I spent a lot of time in this cul de sac, playing hide and seek and road hockey


View Larger Map

Hard to see the house behind the foliage, but an awesome place to grow up.


View Larger Map

We moved across town to this house when I was in grade six. The odd thing about this house was that it had parking up the ying yang for a house its size. It was located on a corner. To the far right was a carport and driveway that could squeeze five or six vehicles from the sidestreet. To the far left was a two car garage with a second driveway.

A four bedroom house that could easily park ten vehicles? Whoever designed this house must have owned a lot of Chrysler stock!




Google Streetview, has also raised privacy concerns, but I don't think that this neighbourhood fixture will mind.
Glue Guy

http://goyestoeverything.com

10 Phrases You Don't Hear Anymore

Image via Wikipedia

• I like the Expos this year
• Now we have brewed decaf!
• Napster
• Some jerk with a cell phone
• Floppy Disk
• I'll have the quiche
• Its digital!
• Gimme a Fuzzy Navel
• Manufacturing Heartland
• Acid Rain
  

http://goyestoeverything.com

The Silence Of The Bar

Image via Wikipedia

Once in a while, after a long night of working, I am left alone to lock up.

The lights are dim and I take a moment to reflect on my day and my life. I have spent so much time in this joint that it wears on me like an old pair of jeans.

The faces of the day rush through my mind. I think of all the people I dealt with today and how they were all so wonderful.

For a brief second I flash on a moment in the afternoon, and I remember looking into a friends eyes and letting the beautiful reflection in her green/turquoise gaze flash through, her spirit alive in that moment washing over me.

My mind passes through all the people that I work with as I am enveloped by the stillness of the darkened bar. I grin wistfully, keenly aware of the daily blessings that rain upon me.

I down my pint, set the alarm, lock up, and head home into the chilly urban evening. I smile to myself knowing that life could only be a little bit better, but it could be so much worse.

http://goyestoeverything.com

Blind Entitlement

Image via Wikipedia

So while I was reading The Toronto Star today I came upon this letter, which I think helps to illuminate the ignorant attitude of entitlement that pervades our lives in the Western world. I don't usually respond to letters to the editor, (though I have a pretty good track record of getting published) but this one got me so angry that I came back home prior to work so I send a rebuttal. It is unlikely to be printed, so I include it below the original, followed by a deeper analyisis.


AID TO AFRICA PATRONIZING, RACIST


So Canada is pledging $2.6 billion in aid to Africa. When will it stop? The answer is never.
Aid in such large amounts simply begets aid in even larger amounts. Yes, I am in favour of aid to help when there are natural disasters, but not as an ongoing program, which induces dependence on aid for daily life.
Bono and Bob Geldof say that we, "the fortunate," must help those "less fortunate," as if someone gave us all that we have. The truth is that we, our parents, grandparents and those before them worked for the standard of living we now enjoy.
By giving these nations the means to survive without changing their circumstances themselves, we are perpetuating their cycle of poverty. There is no impetus or stimulus for them to do anything other than ask for more aid.
Are we saying that they cannot take care of themselves without our help? That is, at best, patronizing, at worst, racist.

Robert Fuller, Port Rowan

My reply to the editor

When in Ghana this past spring I remarked to a cab driver how hard people in Ghana work. His reply was that there was no other choice. Letter writer Robert Fuller implies that if we stopped giving aid all of these people would go out and get jobs.

He tells us how hard his family has worked to achieve a certain standard of living, but neglects to acknowledge that people around the world are being exploited so that his standard of living may be maintained, and they were exploited so it could be built. He is trying to dress up his own self interest as some anti racist crusade. If thats not patronizing, I don't know what is.

Greg Stock

All of this recalls a beautiful warm spring evening in Vancouver some twenty odd year ago. I was walking home with my brother, and our path home gave us a magnificent view of the city and its inherent beauty.

For some reason our talk turned to politics and I gestured to the magnificent city below us and had a revelation. I pointed out that the vista and lifestyle that we enjoyed was partly built by hardworking fellow citizens, but it was also built by conquering the land forcefully and exploiting other people around the world for the materials to build it.

This is far more true and apparent today than it was twenty five years ago. The Western world has run on exploiting our own resources and now that our own cupboard is bare, we turn exponentially to the resources of the Third World. The thing that most of us have yet to accept is that there is no Fourth World. The wall is quickly approaching.

Infinite Consumption vs. Finite Resources

Think about it.

Thats my story and I'm stickin' to it.

http://www.goyestoeverything.com

The Luxury Of Self Pity

Image via Wikipedia

I have wasted so much of my life feeling sorry for myself. My life is not difficult or arduous and for the most part it has been rather pleasant.

This is not to discount the grief I have encountered along the way. We have all had genuine moments of upheaval.

I'm talking about the pointless pouting about things that don't matter. Rampant self pity is the sad by product of the spoiled world in which we live.

Most of our fellow human beings have neither the time nor the cultural permission to feel the luxury of self pity. They are just trying to figure out how to struggle through another day.

So, if you're feeling sorry for yourself, you should consider yourself lucky. How is that for a conundrum?

http://goyestoeverything.com

Perceived Authority

Image via Wikipedia

When I was eleven years old my parents were pondering a complete change in the direction of their lives. My father was seriously considering moving the family to another city in British Columbia and abandoning his very successful career as a banker. Given that I was eleven years old I was not privy to all the doubt and indesicion that engulfed my parents as they debated their future and my own. But I could feel the spirit of indecision all around me.

One day, I was lazily watching a rerun of The Brady Bunch, The Monkees, or perhaps it was a new episode of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. I don't recall. My father walked into our rumpus room and began trying to convey to me the gravity of the moment, that he and my mother were at a crossroads and seriously did not know what to do.

He then said to me something that I have never forgotten. I paraphrase, but it was essentially this. "You may look at me and believe that I have all the answers, but I don't. You think that grownups have all the answers, but we don't. We don't know anything more than you do about life".

Even at the time, that remark both stunned and informed me, and I am forever grateful to have heard it, and indebted to my father for his stark honesty. That was a teachable moment, and I still carry the lesson to this day.

My father had shattered my blind acceptance of perceived authority and helped me to become a person who questions all authority. I am quite willing to accept the validity of legitimate authority, but in this ever expanding world of fake experts and dubious pundits my fathers sage words continue to serve me well each and every day.

The reason that I bring this up is that in my little social circle I am acquiring some perceived authority of my own through my trip to Ghana and my plans to travel to Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam in mid November.

In theory, I am supposed to take all this perceived authority and use it to promote my website, blogs etc. Other people have done this quite successfully and many of them have the validity to be rightfully referred to as "real travellers" and "experts".

If you want real experts on traveling, here are two of my favourites, here and here

But I am not one of them. I am just a person like yourself, trying to figure things out.

My goal is not to be an expert, but to throw my story out there. In an ideal world, you hear my story, respond to it and share your story with me. I want to hear your story, so that we may learn from each other. Its not about perceived authority, its about honestly recognizing and sharing our common human experience and teaching each other.

As my father said to me all those years ago, " I don't know anything more about life than you do".

As for me, I'm just trying to share my experience. I have no idea what you should do, and only slightly more knowledge regarding what I should do.

www.goyestoeverything.com

Setting Goals

Image via Wikipedia

I have come late in life to the concept of defining and achieving goals. Perhaps it is just a burgeoning sense of my own mortality, but in the last twelve months I have begun to set objectives for myself.

All of this got me to wondering about what a goal is.

Sometimes my goals are simple, but in my own mind not easy. These are generally day to day goals like I need to do my laundry, get to the bank, buy cat food etc. They sound simple, but they can seem like giant mountains sometimes.

Sometimes my goals are very complex and not even entirely clear to me when I first set out to achieve them.

When I define my goals, I try to find the right balance between challenge and attainability.

If my goal is easy to achieve, it will not satisfy. (please distinguish between simple and easy, the two are not the same)

If my goal is to fly to the moon on homemade wings, it lacks attainability.

Having said that, I did accomplish one very big, yet very simple goal today. More on that later.

www.goyestoeverything.com

8 tips for Cambodian travel

Image via Wikipedia

• Your child may be pinched. Cambodians show affection for children by pinching them.
• If you see a funeral procession, it is considered good fortune as the deceased may see you on their journey and put in a good word for you with the spirits.
  
• When in Cambodia, you might want to consider staying on the beaten path. Also if you see anything metallic on the ground do not pick it up. There are a lot of unexploded mines about.
  
• In rural areas, you may have to use the woods as a toilet, which kind of conflicts with the importance of staying on the beaten path mentioned above. Does a Greg shit in the woods? I don't think so.
  
• Public displays of affection are offensive, even among married people, though it is quite acceptable for people of the same sex to hold hands in public.
• There is no law against homosexuality in Cambodia, so in an odd way, same sex couples can be more open in public than straight people can, though the greatest restraint beyond holding hands is strongly advised.
• Shorts may be tolerated in some tourist areas, but conservative dress is the norm. No shorts or bare shoulders in the temples.
• Cambodians swim in their clothes. This is not thong country.

www.goyestoeverything.com