Bazungu Buck 

More Shopping

That's what the printing plate for the Bazungu Buck face would look like. It's not very handsome. Perhaps when they become really popular new limited edition Bazungu Bucks will make an appearence. I like the changes the US Treasury have made to regular currency; only they don't seem to change them fast enough. It seemed like we had to wait a couple of years after they rolled out the new twenty before the really new twenty was released. And there seems no plans on redesigning a new dollar bill. What's up with that?

I generally gather up a few links that I intend to use for blog posts and then insert them as I write. I completely forgot about mentioning music as something we can buy from Africa. One of the great things about music is the transportation costs can be kept to a minimum, particularly when downloading it. I'm still in the dark ages about downloading music, partly perhaps because I still have a dial-up conection, but mostly it's because I hate to spend money. Still I really like AfroPop Worldwide. The radio program is not broadcast in the local Pittsburgh market anymore, but I used to listen to it. I always liked how the announcer, George Collinet, he's from Mali, said his name. The Web site is very informative and the system they use for downloading music is a fair deal for the artists.

Here are a couple of Web sites with information about socially responsible purchasing. First, Responsible Shopper, and second Better World Handbook. The latter is actually a book you can purchase, but by using the links on the sidebar there is a great deal of useful information to be had. Both are very worthwhile, but it's hard to get over being a value shopper and move towards being a values shopper.

Since I didn't write anything yesterday and because the picture posted is a Bazungu Buck I'll add a few more links that don't have anything to do with shopping, but rather with alternative currencies. First of all in my puny blogroll--send me links please--you'll see Blahsploitation. That's Phil Jones' blog and a mighty good one at that. Phil created a Rollyo, hum I'm too lazy to click myself to get the real definiton, but it's a structured search of a limited number of Web pages. He's created one about alternative currencies and it's a good place to begin searching for information on the subject. Local exchange trading systems or LETS are sort of a generic name for currencies like Buzungu Bucks. And here is a good page for an overview.