Schools out for Summer! (and typhoons, rainstorms, earthquakes, elections etc.)

[hk blues]

2 hours ago, scott h said:

As I was taking my walk yesterday, as I passed poor homes with passels of kids from toddlers to adolescents I had an epiphany.

Perhaps the poor think like farmers in the old days, have lots of kids and hopefully enough survive to help work the farm. But here, perhaps the thinking is, have lots of kids, pick out the smartest one, pour all your resources into educating that one kid, he/she will get a decent job as an OFW of some type and support the entire family. hmmmmmmm

 

To some extent, that would at least show some kind of strategic thinking but I don't think it's likely.  I think it's no more than a culture of having kids because they will take care of you when they're older.  Of course, if only folk realised that if they had fewer kids they could invest in their futures now.  I know it's not as simple as that but...

[Possum]

46 minutes ago, hk blues said:

To some extent, that would at least show some kind of strategic thinking but I don't think it's likely.  I think it's no more than a culture of having kids because they will take care of you when they're older.  Of course, if only folk realised that if they had fewer kids they could invest in their futures now.  I know it's not as simple as that but...

I doubt there is any strategic thinking. I was working in third world country for a large foreign corporation. To help keep the peace the company paid for community projects, aided in getting reliable electricity and similar things. One day the local mayor had a meeting with us and he had a request. In his prepared speech he said that everyone knew that the large number of births was a cause of many problems. He was one of 7 children himself. He said he had thought about it a lot and he would like to propose the company buy televisions for each house. He reasoned that if his mom had a television to watch she would have had less sex. He was serious. I pointed out to him there was no TV signal and he guessed they'd need VCR or DVD too. We offered to pay for birth control devices but he said only prostitutes would use them and they could afford their own.

Strategic thinking is not a thing

[JJReyes]

15 hours ago, Possum said:

He reasoned that if his mom had a television to watch she would have had less sex. He was serious. I pointed out to him there was no TV signal and he guessed they'd need VCR or DVD too. We offered to pay for birth control devices but he said only prostitutes would use them and they could afford their own.

This is correct.  Increased number of televisions in rural Philippine areas had an effect on birthrates.  Population control advocates found out Filipinos won't use condoms.  At one time, there was a group distributing free condoms by having a container with them in public comfort rooms for the public to help themselves.  Doesn't work.  The one effective method is higher education for women.  Once they start earning personal income through work, the interest in raising multiple children drops.  China, Japan and other more advanced economies are now facing difficulties increasing the birthrate.  The women love their independence and ability to earn an income.  Working women are being enticed with cash incentives and tax break to increase the population.  No luck. 

[Snowy79]

On 10/14/2024 at 7:31 AM, scott h said:

As I was taking my walk yesterday, as I passed poor homes with passels of kids from toddlers to adolescents I had an epiphany.

Perhaps the poor think like farmers in the old days, have lots of kids and hopefully enough survive to help work the farm. But here, perhaps the thinking is, have lots of kids, pick out the smartest one, pour all your resources into educating that one kid, he/she will get a decent job as an OFW of some type and support the entire family. hmmmmmmm

 

Sadly it's a reality that I've seen many times and the usual stories of the brother no longer needing to work as we have an OFW in the family.

[JJReyes]

On 10/13/2024 at 4:31 PM, scott h said:

As I was taking my walk yesterday, as I passed poor homes with passels of kids from toddlers to adolescents I had an epiphany.

Perhaps the poor think like farmers in the old days, have lots of kids and hopefully enough survive to help work the farm. But here, perhaps the thinking is, have lots of kids, pick out the smartest one, pour all your resources into educating that one kid, he/she will get a decent job as an OFW of some type and support the entire family. hmmmmmmm

The son of a close friend, who has a PhD in Economics from Harvard University, monitors the Overseas Filipino Workers diaspora through a grant from the World Bank.  Among his findings is a significant number of Filipinos pool family resources to educate one or two in hopes that they qualify for overseas employment.  The money earned is sent back to the Philippines to support the entire family.  The OFW is left with little or nothing.

Through conversations with the crew, I learned that Princess Cruise requires their Filipino staff to open two bank accounts before leaving the Philippines.  Wages are automatically deposited each month.  The family has access to one account.  The second, only the crew member is authorized to withdraw money after his contract is completed.  The crew member can select the percentage to be deposited to each account.  

 

[craftbeerlover]

30 minutes ago, JJReyes said:

The son of a close friend, who has a PhD in Economics from Harvard University, monitors the Overseas Filipino Workers diaspora through a grant from the World Bank.  Among his findings is a significant number of Filipinos pool family resources to educate one or two in hopes that they qualify for overseas employment.  The money earned is sent back to the Philippines to support the entire family.  The OFW is left with little or nothing.

Through conversations with the crew, I learned that Princess Cruise requires their Filipino staff to open two bank accounts before leaving the Philippines.  Wages are automatically deposited each month.  The family has access to one account.  The second, only the crew member is authorized to withdraw money after his contract is completed.  The crew member can select the percentage to be deposited to each account.  

 

That does not sound legal to me. 

[scott h]

2 hours ago, JJReyes said:

pool family resources to educate one or two in hopes that they qualify for overseas employment.

That reminds me of an old urban legend in the Army. Durning the Vietnam war, 5 Mexican American brothers from Texas all join the army and volunteered for infantry and combat duty, Sure in the belief that at least one would survive to get all the death benifits of the others.

[JJReyes]

1 hour ago, craftbeerlover said:

2 hours ago, JJReyes said:

The son of a close friend, who has a PhD in Economics from Harvard University, monitors the Overseas Filipino Workers diaspora through a grant from the World Bank.  Among his findings is a significant number of Filipinos pool family resources to educate one or two in hopes that they qualify for overseas employment.  The money earned is sent back to the Philippines to support the entire family.  The OFW is left with little or nothing.

Through conversations with the crew, I learned that Princess Cruise requires their Filipino staff to open two bank accounts before leaving the Philippines.  Wages are automatically deposited each month.  The family has access to one account.  The second, only the crew member is authorized to withdraw money after his contract is completed.  The crew member can select the percentage to be deposited to each account.  

 

That does not sound legal to me. 

It sounded paternalistic to me the first time I learned about it.  However, I suspect crew members like it as a way to explain to family members that it is company policy.  A form of forced savings.  By the way, our cabin steward, who had been with Princess for 22 years, said that they receive no retirement benefits. 

As to legality.  Philippines does not care.  US labor laws don't apply because all the ships are foreign registry.  The two US entities involved with the cruise industry are the US Coast Guard on safety and Homeland Security that checks the entire crews' papers once a month.  Talk about legality.  Passengers are automatically charged $17 each per day as "crew appreciation" and this includes children.  We were 3,000 passengers on a 32-day cruise.  That's $1.63 million.  This money is used to pay salaries rather than as a bonus.  I am sure the amount is much larger because bar tabs and specialty drinks like premium coffee have an added 18% service charge.

[Joey G]

3 hours ago, JJReyes said:

Through conversations with the crew, I learned that Princess Cruise requires their Filipino staff to open two bank accounts before leaving the Philippines. 

Unless someone has positive proof this is a Princess Cruise requirement... I think it's more likely the "middleman" company in the Philippines (that helped them get their contract) required that, and possibly so they could also get their cut more easily.  

3 hours ago, JJReyes said:

Among his findings is a significant number of Filipinos pool family resources to educate one or two in hopes that they qualify for overseas employment.  The money earned is sent back to the Philippines to support the entire family.  The OFW is left with little or nothing.

Happy he got a grant to study this... but that wasn't necessary... it's been modus operandi for decades...  who DIDN'T know this already?  

[Possum]

5 hours ago, craftbeerlover said:

That does not sound legal to me. 

It's not unless the mariner agrees to it .