This is a little bartering technique I figured out in Ghana.
I don't like to play hardball when bartering, so I use this little tactic that I call "The Throw In". I select X number of items, as I believe that grouping items together will get you a better price than asking for individual quotes. Don't ask for individual prices, create your own "bundle", then ask for a quote. Counter offer about 25% - 50% less than the original offer, ( I opted for the 25% range, I am a creampuff) but with the addendum that another item is added. This is the "throw in" and it is an item that you wanted from the beginning, but did not include in your original group. Usually the offer will be accepted and it changes the dynamic of bartering from taking to giving.
My heart is not really into fighting people over an amount of money that I can easily earn back home. By all means you should not pay the first price offered; in some countries not bartering will lead to a loss of face. However, odds are that the person that you are bartering with works very very hard for not much money.
Show a little respect and ask yourself this - "How much money am I talking about, relevant to my own economic circumstances?". Probably not very much, like the amount you might tip the pizza delivery guy. Then again, if you don't tip the pizza delivery guy, we are probably not on the same page.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
My New Hobby
I made a reference to this earlier and forgot to follow it up in my Kensington Market post. Mea culpa.
My new hobby discovered me quite by accident while strolling in Kensington Market, but it really began in the Osu district of Accra, Ghana. It occurred to me that it might be cool to get a Michael Essien national team jersey, in memory of the unforgettable moments I had while watching him play in Cape Coast, Tamale and Mole.
On my last day in Ghana, I went into the "trendy" Osu district after a tip from one of the kind staff members of The Paloma Hotel who said it was the best place to find soccer jerseys. Indeed the tip was bona fide as I scooped three different Michael Essien national team jerseys.
So one day I was walking through Kensington Market , proudly wearing my Essien Ghana jersey, when I passed by a tiny store that was displaying an Angola jersey outside. Intrigued, I stepped inside and asked about other African national team jerseys. I like the national teams because they have no advertising.
To my delight, I left the store with the Angola jersey, plus Congo and Togo. Thus began my new quest to get a national team jersey for every country in Africa. I have also since aquired Nigeria and South Africa. Africa has 53 nations, so six down and 47 to go.
This is not going to be easy, and I will need help, so if you see a Guinea-Bissau or Gabon jersey somewhere let me know.
I am also collecting jerseys from lesser known soccer powers. I love wearing them in Toronto, as they juxtapose nicely with all the Man U, Italy, England and Brazil jerseys that I see everywhere.
The collection so far:
Africa
Ghana (3)
Togo
Congo
Angola
Nigeria
South Africa
Other
Cuba
Uruguay
Peru
Costa Rica
Chile
My new hobby discovered me quite by accident while strolling in Kensington Market, but it really began in the Osu district of Accra, Ghana. It occurred to me that it might be cool to get a Michael Essien national team jersey, in memory of the unforgettable moments I had while watching him play in Cape Coast, Tamale and Mole.
On my last day in Ghana, I went into the "trendy" Osu district after a tip from one of the kind staff members of The Paloma Hotel who said it was the best place to find soccer jerseys. Indeed the tip was bona fide as I scooped three different Michael Essien national team jerseys.
So one day I was walking through Kensington Market , proudly wearing my Essien Ghana jersey, when I passed by a tiny store that was displaying an Angola jersey outside. Intrigued, I stepped inside and asked about other African national team jerseys. I like the national teams because they have no advertising.
To my delight, I left the store with the Angola jersey, plus Congo and Togo. Thus began my new quest to get a national team jersey for every country in Africa. I have also since aquired Nigeria and South Africa. Africa has 53 nations, so six down and 47 to go.
This is not going to be easy, and I will need help, so if you see a Guinea-Bissau or Gabon jersey somewhere let me know.
I am also collecting jerseys from lesser known soccer powers. I love wearing them in Toronto, as they juxtapose nicely with all the Man U, Italy, England and Brazil jerseys that I see everywhere.
The collection so far:
Africa
Ghana (3)
Togo
Congo
Angola
Nigeria
South Africa
Other
Cuba
Uruguay
Peru
Costa Rica
Chile
MJ, adieu
Friday, June 26, 2009
Michael Jackson
I was seventeen years old when Thriller came out. I was right in the heart of his target market, yet I could not have cared less. A few years earlier I was horrified to see my (then) beloved Beatle icon Paul McCartney doing a duet with Mr. Jackson. In addition Mr. Jackson later had the temerity to buy the Beatles catalogue. It was not that I had had anything against Mr. Jackson personally, I just considered dance music to be mostly vacuous, and I still do.Michael Jackson is unwittingly responsible for the mindless celebrity gossip that passes as news these days. In short, I blame Mr. Jackson for everything that I now hate about music, and celebrity media. Clearly, it was all his fault and even more clearly he was brilliant at exploiting the media to his own advantage.
Michael Jackson did more to visualize music than anyone else. Above all, Thriller was the first pop album that was marketed for a visual medium. From that point forward the music industry cared at least as much about how you looked than how you sounded. And I hated every goddamn second of it.
Thriller represented a sea change in the constructs of how music could be percieved. The Thriller video will always be the most iconic music video of all time.
Perhaps I am deaf, and I am unquestionably in the minority, but I still fail to understand the phenomenon.
While I feel for his family, I find it difficult to find any emotion in his passing.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Passages
It has been a rough couple of days. While it would be easy to say that I am tired from working two jobs, one that starts at 9:45 am and one that ends at 3:oo am. I gorge on sleep when I can and think in terms of "naps" when I can't
Right now, I am working hard to pay for the next trip and the next project. The thing that made the last couple of days rough for me was that it was my first Fathers Day without my Dad. While we lived far apart for a long time I would always call my Old Man on this day.
We would talk about football, I would always ask him about his health and he would always lie and say he was fine and then I would tell him I love him. I miss my Dad, but the sad inevibility of life is that your parents will die before you do, if you're lucky. If you're unlucky, they don't.
I miss you Dad, and I like the Packers this year.
Right now, I am working hard to pay for the next trip and the next project. The thing that made the last couple of days rough for me was that it was my first Fathers Day without my Dad. While we lived far apart for a long time I would always call my Old Man on this day.
We would talk about football, I would always ask him about his health and he would always lie and say he was fine and then I would tell him I love him. I miss my Dad, but the sad inevibility of life is that your parents will die before you do, if you're lucky. If you're unlucky, they don't.
I miss you Dad, and I like the Packers this year.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
The Money (Many) Types Of Poverty
As I traveled through Ghana I witnessed a lot of what I would call "conventional poverty". I know this term sounds very glib, but I only use it to frame the idea of "unconventional poverty". Make no mistake, for most people in Ghana life is very difficult and challenging, and while I witnessed widespread challenges I also witnessed people rising to those challenges.
In my own life, I have had periods of poverty, Canadian style al a me. I add the two qualifiers, Canadian style" and "a la me" because the type of poverty and hopelessness that I experienced does not compare to what people in Ghana may go through.
First of all I am blessed to live in a country that provides free medical care to all. From a broken ankle, to a disturbing rash, to cancer, I can get access to world class treatment for free. While the system is not perfect, it is probably the most significant thing that makes me proud to be Canadian. We all contribute to a medical system, so that all of us may access it. Its a noble idea, and I am proud to support it.
The next thing that I have access to is a pretty good welfare system. Make no mistake, I dealt with issues of deep shame when I accessed the system. Poor people in Canada are highly stigmatized, because North American culture is primarily based on monetary status. It doesn't matter much how many friends you have or how big your family is, the key to status in this culture is how much money you make.
The other huge advantage I had when I was truly poor, was that I am deeply blessed to have family who would help me out in a worst case scenario. While I have only accessed this as a last resort, the mere knowledge of the fact can help. Many poor people in Canada do not have the privelige of this safety net.
More to the point, the vast majority of people in Ghana live in poverty without access to free medical care, a stable welfare system or the last resort of parents with a bit of money to spare.
So how is it that people in Ghana seemed more happy and alive than most of the people I know in Toronto? Is it actually possible that there is more to life than money and that most of the people in my urban culture have been conditioned to achieve happiness through consumerism, and despite all the glittering promises of consumerism, the empty returns are doing nothing but cultivating a shallow and angry culture?
Just wondering.
In my own life, I have had periods of poverty, Canadian style al a me. I add the two qualifiers, Canadian style" and "a la me" because the type of poverty and hopelessness that I experienced does not compare to what people in Ghana may go through.
First of all I am blessed to live in a country that provides free medical care to all. From a broken ankle, to a disturbing rash, to cancer, I can get access to world class treatment for free. While the system is not perfect, it is probably the most significant thing that makes me proud to be Canadian. We all contribute to a medical system, so that all of us may access it. Its a noble idea, and I am proud to support it.
The next thing that I have access to is a pretty good welfare system. Make no mistake, I dealt with issues of deep shame when I accessed the system. Poor people in Canada are highly stigmatized, because North American culture is primarily based on monetary status. It doesn't matter much how many friends you have or how big your family is, the key to status in this culture is how much money you make.
The other huge advantage I had when I was truly poor, was that I am deeply blessed to have family who would help me out in a worst case scenario. While I have only accessed this as a last resort, the mere knowledge of the fact can help. Many poor people in Canada do not have the privelige of this safety net.
More to the point, the vast majority of people in Ghana live in poverty without access to free medical care, a stable welfare system or the last resort of parents with a bit of money to spare.
So how is it that people in Ghana seemed more happy and alive than most of the people I know in Toronto? Is it actually possible that there is more to life than money and that most of the people in my urban culture have been conditioned to achieve happiness through consumerism, and despite all the glittering promises of consumerism, the empty returns are doing nothing but cultivating a shallow and angry culture?
Just wondering.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Poverty Part 2 Ghana
Here in Toronto, people are astonished when I tell them that I encounter more panhandling in Toronto than I did in Ghana.
In my encounters in Ghana, I encountered many people trying to hustle me to buy their products, or to hire them as drivers, or imploring me to hire them as guides to one attraction or another. While at times the endless entreaties were mildly annoying, most people responded well to a polite "no thank you" or "maybe later". These sorts of experiences can be no more defined as panhandling as can any Coke commercial. When I responded favourably to these offers I always got value back. People who complain about "begging" in Africa often lump this group into that category, but to me this is the free market at its purest.
Being a tourist on my own, I was an easy target on the street. Surprisingly though, I was never really panhandled in Ghana in the same way that I am panhandled in Toronto. Only twice did people ask me for money on the street, and on both occasions the people that asked me for money clearly had serious physical challenges and their circumstance was truly gut wrenching to me.
In a country that has limited resources, it is people like these who fall through the cracks. On a more positive note, the people of Ghana seem to have such a strong sense of pride, dignity, family and community that many people in this situation are properly cared for as a matter of course, at least to the best ability of the caregivers, given their limited resources.
The other type of panhandling that I encountered was much closer to the cheap hustlers that I see on the streets of Toronto. While the need is legitimate, the stories are not. Most of these hustles revolve around school fees or soccer uniforms and almost all are conducted by young boys.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that Ghana has no school fees until the post secondary level, yet many young men ask for money for school fees.
The other issue of soccer uniforms just makes me laugh. I encountered this hustle so many times that I started to imagine all of the young male children in Ghana playing soccer in the nude. That concept took a weird turn when I actually saw a boy of eight or nine years old playing soccer naked with his clothed friends in Cape Coast. My guess is that it was laundry night and his rather limited wardrobe was drying on the laundry line, but who knows?
Next post in this series will be about looking at different types of poverty and the idea that poverty is not just a monetary issue. Some of the richest people I know live in another form of poverty.
In my encounters in Ghana, I encountered many people trying to hustle me to buy their products, or to hire them as drivers, or imploring me to hire them as guides to one attraction or another. While at times the endless entreaties were mildly annoying, most people responded well to a polite "no thank you" or "maybe later". These sorts of experiences can be no more defined as panhandling as can any Coke commercial. When I responded favourably to these offers I always got value back. People who complain about "begging" in Africa often lump this group into that category, but to me this is the free market at its purest.
Being a tourist on my own, I was an easy target on the street. Surprisingly though, I was never really panhandled in Ghana in the same way that I am panhandled in Toronto. Only twice did people ask me for money on the street, and on both occasions the people that asked me for money clearly had serious physical challenges and their circumstance was truly gut wrenching to me.
In a country that has limited resources, it is people like these who fall through the cracks. On a more positive note, the people of Ghana seem to have such a strong sense of pride, dignity, family and community that many people in this situation are properly cared for as a matter of course, at least to the best ability of the caregivers, given their limited resources.
The other type of panhandling that I encountered was much closer to the cheap hustlers that I see on the streets of Toronto. While the need is legitimate, the stories are not. Most of these hustles revolve around school fees or soccer uniforms and almost all are conducted by young boys.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that Ghana has no school fees until the post secondary level, yet many young men ask for money for school fees.
The other issue of soccer uniforms just makes me laugh. I encountered this hustle so many times that I started to imagine all of the young male children in Ghana playing soccer in the nude. That concept took a weird turn when I actually saw a boy of eight or nine years old playing soccer naked with his clothed friends in Cape Coast. My guess is that it was laundry night and his rather limited wardrobe was drying on the laundry line, but who knows?
Next post in this series will be about looking at different types of poverty and the idea that poverty is not just a monetary issue. Some of the richest people I know live in another form of poverty.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Poverty part 1. Toronto
I live with poverty all around me. Or so I am led to believe by the endless demands from various denizens of Toronto streetlife. The majority of the people who are panhandling on the streets of Toronto are not homeless. They may be "poor" by Canadian standards, but they do have a roof over their head, free medical coverage and access to a wide range of services in the event of an emergency.
I am proud of the fact that the people who came before me have built a country that tries to help those in need and that these values are institutionalised in our government. I am ashamed that so many of my fellow citizens choose to take advantage of our good nature by feigning need to mask apathy.
Having lived in the urban core of a large city, I feel that I am experienced in identifying the major groups that are panhandling in Toronto.
Group 1
- People with serious mental health issues who need help now. These are people I give money to. It is unlikely that they will ever leave their situation until they are too incapicatated or old, at which time they will be institutionalised. Many in this group are not even aware enough to beg, but they are homeless.
Group 2
-Lifestyle choice. This group chooses to live on the street and many of them are quite functional and incredibly resourceful and fully capable. On occasion, I will give some money to this group, mostly due to my respect for their resourcefulness.
Group 3
-The professionals. These are people that know how the system works and being fake homeless has become their job. They collect welfare, many live in subsidized housing and they supplement their welfare by panhandling at claimed territories near key hubs. Subways and liquor store entrances especially. The reality is that in my neighbourhood there are many people who fall into this category, widely supported by those misguided and generous souls who appease their guilt by giving money to these people.
Group 4
- The part timers. For me, this is the most complicated group. Comprised entirely of people in their teens and early twenties it is very difficult to discern the pro's from those who are in desperate straits. I also think that this demographic has the highest proportion of females, who are especially vulnerable to exploitation at a young age. The population of this group booms in the summer, so it is difficult to know whose who. With this group I play it by ear.
Group 5
- Drug addicts. The easiest group of all. I don't give money to this group in my neighbourhood, basically because I don't want a bunch of crackheads living outside my door. Kinda selfish, but I don't want to live in the middle of that whole scene.
The big problem is that most of the people who are panhandling in Toronto fall into at least two of these groups, if not three or more, and I am sure that I have broken my own rules many times due to this complexity. These are the problems that you run into when you try and put people into groups so they can be easily labelled, individual lives and stories are much more complicated and each is unique.
In my next post, I will discuss the poverty I saw in Ghana and explore the differences between the two.
I am proud of the fact that the people who came before me have built a country that tries to help those in need and that these values are institutionalised in our government. I am ashamed that so many of my fellow citizens choose to take advantage of our good nature by feigning need to mask apathy.
Having lived in the urban core of a large city, I feel that I am experienced in identifying the major groups that are panhandling in Toronto.
Group 1
- People with serious mental health issues who need help now. These are people I give money to. It is unlikely that they will ever leave their situation until they are too incapicatated or old, at which time they will be institutionalised. Many in this group are not even aware enough to beg, but they are homeless.
Group 2
-Lifestyle choice. This group chooses to live on the street and many of them are quite functional and incredibly resourceful and fully capable. On occasion, I will give some money to this group, mostly due to my respect for their resourcefulness.
Group 3
-The professionals. These are people that know how the system works and being fake homeless has become their job. They collect welfare, many live in subsidized housing and they supplement their welfare by panhandling at claimed territories near key hubs. Subways and liquor store entrances especially. The reality is that in my neighbourhood there are many people who fall into this category, widely supported by those misguided and generous souls who appease their guilt by giving money to these people.
Group 4
- The part timers. For me, this is the most complicated group. Comprised entirely of people in their teens and early twenties it is very difficult to discern the pro's from those who are in desperate straits. I also think that this demographic has the highest proportion of females, who are especially vulnerable to exploitation at a young age. The population of this group booms in the summer, so it is difficult to know whose who. With this group I play it by ear.
Group 5
- Drug addicts. The easiest group of all. I don't give money to this group in my neighbourhood, basically because I don't want a bunch of crackheads living outside my door. Kinda selfish, but I don't want to live in the middle of that whole scene.
The big problem is that most of the people who are panhandling in Toronto fall into at least two of these groups, if not three or more, and I am sure that I have broken my own rules many times due to this complexity. These are the problems that you run into when you try and put people into groups so they can be easily labelled, individual lives and stories are much more complicated and each is unique.
In my next post, I will discuss the poverty I saw in Ghana and explore the differences between the two.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
The Crime of Giving
The Potlatch Principle
What is a potlatch?
In Western culture, when you have a big party, your invited guests will bring you a token of gratitiude. This can range from anything to a bag of Doritos to a bottle of Dom Perignon, depending on your social status.
But what if you threw a party where the goal was to give ALL your stuff to your guests? And if the success of the party was judged by how much of your stuff you gave away? Such is the nature of the Potlatch.
The Potlatch is a ceremony conducted by Native communities on the west coast of Canada. Sadly, the concept of giving freely so threatened the "taking freely" mindset of the colonials that the Potlatch ceremony was made illegal.
Think about that for a moment. I invite you to my house, I give away everything I own so that I may be held in high regard in my community and the government is so disturbed by this activity that they criminalize it.
The government of British Columbia actually did this, and they imprisoned native people in British Columbia for doing this as late as the 1970's. If you ever get to Alert Bay, check out the museum, as it chronicles the criminalization of giving.
What is a potlatch?
In Western culture, when you have a big party, your invited guests will bring you a token of gratitiude. This can range from anything to a bag of Doritos to a bottle of Dom Perignon, depending on your social status.
But what if you threw a party where the goal was to give ALL your stuff to your guests? And if the success of the party was judged by how much of your stuff you gave away? Such is the nature of the Potlatch.
The Potlatch is a ceremony conducted by Native communities on the west coast of Canada. Sadly, the concept of giving freely so threatened the "taking freely" mindset of the colonials that the Potlatch ceremony was made illegal.
Think about that for a moment. I invite you to my house, I give away everything I own so that I may be held in high regard in my community and the government is so disturbed by this activity that they criminalize it.
The government of British Columbia actually did this, and they imprisoned native people in British Columbia for doing this as late as the 1970's. If you ever get to Alert Bay, check out the museum, as it chronicles the criminalization of giving.
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