more on fair trade

so... ha, to procrastinate on writing the essay, i've decided to blog more. and the fact that people read my blog immediately makes me feel "positively reinforced" to blog again! :)

not to pick on sam, but i feel that his comment is how a lot of us feel in North America. but in fact, we're wrong. FAIR TRADE is only made possible in the developed world because the developing world is forced to compete to give us products. Most of the time, they don't even grow things for themselves anymore... they grow things so they can earn a few cents from us. And we're already richer than them a bazillion times because we have the option of what food to buy and it ranges in price. Often, they don't even have the option of what type of food... they can only eat what they can afford... or not eat at all (which is the case for some of them). :(

basically, i'm just going to educate on FAIR TRADE... what is it?:
1) fair trade offers a premium (or base price) that goes straight to the consumer. this gives the consumer a set amount of money, so that even if something happens to their crop that year (i.e. hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, etc.). so that means, even if something goes wrong, they still are paid for some of the work that they did... and this is GUARANTEED.
2) fair trade also offers a MINIMUM-PRICE guarantee... so that they are paid a "fair" cost for that product (i.e. if it cost $10 to make that bowl, we pay them $10 for that bowl). the thing is, in our current world of "free trade" (NOTE THE DIFFERENCE), we are not paying people the amount it costs for them to make it. we are searching for the country that can give it to us the cheapest and it pushes them to their limits... and the sad thing is, we don't even know that we're doing it because we're ignorant "developed" countries.
3) fair trade offers LONG-TERM COMMITMENT... so that means even if they aren't able to meet our demands one year (due to hurricanes, etc.), we stick with them. that means we help provide the needs for them to get started.

so what are you waiting for? we already have it easy. we don't have to set up these connections ourselves. there are 'fair trade' companies that do it for us... for products, we can go to "Ten Thousand Villages" all over Canada. for produce, i have to look up. sadly to say, there isn't much in Ontario but LOTS in Quebec. Come on, Ontario! we gotta make a difference and say "we care" about others. especially since we're Christian. the world all belongs to God and just doing one step seems so little... but I think God will love us for it... I'll try my best! :)

darn it warren...

so, there i am reading people's blogs for the first time in the month (i read everyone's in one day) and i get to warren's and he tags me. i don't even know what this means... but i feel that i will be one to END it... muhahaha... :) (or if i feel so inclined to continue tagging others when i'm done). BUT PLEASE READ THE FIRST POST! (BELOW) that one was a post of substantial more importance!

Rules of the game:
Post 5 Weird and Random facts about yourself, then at the end list the names of 5 people who are next in line to do this.

1) I still sleep with stuffed animals. Makes me feel loved! :)

2) I only drink soy milk as an alternative to milk because according to my mom, cow's milk wasn't made for people and according to Chinese television, Chinese people don't digest it too well... so I was officially stripped of drinking pasteurized cow's milk sometime in Junior High.

3) I can't stand when the toe nails grow and the dig into the sides of my toe. --> |__| <--
Like if that was the toe, and the arrows are pointing to the side of it... it hurts me. So then, I know that it's time to cut the nails.

4) I realized sometime recently that I think I like to collect pens... colourful pens, sparkly pens, bright pens... and then rarely use them because I see them as a prized possession.

5) I have a collection of coins and stamps. More so coins because I think I threw out my stamp collection. But the coins are international... and rare. I like coins. :)

I think those are facts barely anyone knows. or few people know... and i don't want to tag anyone else. sorry for ruining the game. :) ha... (or you should thank me that i didn't write YOUR name)

fair trade or consumer capitalism?

for my 'geography, environment and development in the third world' course, i am required to write an essay on a standardized fair trade text. i have just finished reading this fair trade text that i was laboriously taking notes on this weekend.

i have come to some conclusions that the reason why fair trade cannot exist, is because NO ONE KNOWS, in other words, there is a lack of awareness. it makes me sad to read this book and realize another reason why living in the First World makes me feel like such a loser. it's like, the actions that i take through merely buying groceries at A&P had detrimental (HUGE, for those who have small vocab) effects on the farmer whose crop i did or did not buy. and don't get me started on the clothes that i buy. all of these things are stuck in the economic market of "money-making" at the cost of other people. i finished reading all of this and i was struck by disgust and sadness. but at last, i am faced with... "what can i do?"

i talked to emily last night who made some sense of the "economics" part of things b/c i am at last economics-stupid. i know that one of the reasons i don't choose organic or fair trade products is because i'm cheap and i find them expensive. BUT this is the clincher: IF WE ALL BUY FAIR TRADE, THE DEMAND FOR FAIR TRADE INCREASES AND THE PRICE WILL DROP BUT THE PRODUCERS WILL STILL BE AT LEAST MAKING BACK THE COST OF PRODUCTION. many times, the things that we buy that are "so cheap" are cheap because poor countries want to attract our business so they drop their prices to compete. it's so sad. we basically want cheaper things so we put them at stake with their lives, health and well-being. i could go on about this (and i probably will) but i just wanted to spread AWARENESS. (leave me a post if you want to know more or have comments... i need support... sigh)

thanksgiving

in lieu of thanksgiving, i figure i should post. i was trying to think of things that i am thankful for and for some reason, i'm not in a very "thanksgiving" mood. it's not that there is NOTHING to be thankful for, but i'm just not feeling thankful. like i can write a whole list of things i'm thankful for because it truly is something to be thankful for, but for some reason, i feel like it'd be better if i didn't say anything at all because it just sounds so fake at the moment. for me, i feel like it'd be like answering the question, "How are you?" and saying, "I'm fine." Like people just say that all the time and really, it's an ambiguous answer. If someone would come up to me and ask me what i'm thankful for, i'd prolly say, "That I'm alive," but then just say it because someone asked me. i don't know where this train of thought is taking me.. but i'm just blue.

ha, so after i typed that, i went to www.biblegateway.com to look up a thanksgiving verse to spur me... haha:

Philippians 4:6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

so maybe that's why i'm feeling BLUE because i've been anxious and not laying up anxious things to God. for the past two weeks, i've been working on it but to be truly happy in God despite physical surroundings and mental challenges but it has been REALLY difficult.

on the other hand. i liked this weekend of freedom and friendships.
Friday
- took the 2:30/3:00pm bus with Queenie and talked for a bit with Keith (Perry's cousin) about faith and other issues which i hope was helpful for him as well as myself

Saturday
- cleaned my room in the morning by clearing out my childhood bookshelf; something i wanted to do for a long time! i found books i read before i learned how to read!
- went to Amanda's house for her birthday and well, it was just good being with people that i haven't seen before and people i haven't seen for a long time
- the bad part of that is that some people i don't know think i'm racist and a liar :(

Sunday
- went to English service for like the 3rd time in my life at NTCBC
- lunch and Jackie's house with softball people (Ambassadors) and had a good talk with Gigi and Joanne
- found out the scope of Kwan's love life... haha

Monday
- went dim sum with Gendi and her WHOLE family which was awesome because well, it's been a while since our families had meals together

so far, that's all i've done this weekend and writing it down is a testimony of what to be thankful for this weekend despite how i feel inside.