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U.S. FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICER TEST

The 2010 Foreign Service Officer Test will be held on Friday, March 5, 2010 and Saturday, March 6, 2010 at the U.S. Embassy in Manila.

Deadline to register is February 22, 2010

Eligibility:

• U.S. citizen on the date of registration
• Between 20-59 years old on the date of registration (over 21 and under 60 on the day of appointment as a Foreign Service Officer)
• Available to serve worldwide

To register for the Foreign Service Officer Test or for more information on career opportuntities with the U.S.Department of State, please log on to:

www.careers.state.gov

But people want to know things, and I have the knowledge to share, so what can I say … I’m a publisher, I have to give the reader what they want.  Resolutions are meant to be broken, I guess.

photo credit: Hanumann

Anyway, let me make one little announcement here, because this is a resource I feel you folks reading who have any interest in learning about business, specifically in the Philippines, need to know.  Rudolf Kotik is a gentleman who lives near me and has been successfully earning a living (and perhaps more) here in the Philippines for something like 27 years now.  So he’s a valuable resource.  Rudolf already has a web site which he makes good use of, check out especially his free seminars on Philippines franchising and business in general.

But Rudolf just took on another ‘gig’ which I think is going to serve him really well, he started writing for my friend Bob Martin, focusing on his prime subject of Philippine Franchising, and even if you think franchising isn’t in your future, I highly recommend following Rudolph because experience, (and connections) especially in this country, really count.

A large percentage of the folks who find their way here to PhilFAQS, where you get the answers to questions about living in the Philippines, come here on the phrase “jobs for Americans in the Philippines”, or “foreigner jobs, Philippines.”

Consequently, I write a fair amount on this broad subject, even though I really don’t want to … what can I say, I’m a “pleaser”, I want to give people what they want.

Truth be told, though, the job market here in the Philippines is not well suited to a great many foreigners, and many of you are in a position where I can’t be of much service.  Some people even get nasty with me over this … as if I were somehow sitting on a cache of conventional “9 to 5″ jobs here and refusing to let the word out.

I try not to take offence at the frustration or sarcasm, tough, because I know a lot of it is driven by very real problems in the US these days.  It’s no secret I advocate “building your own job (or more accurately, your own source of income”, because I belive that the “job”, in the concept that most of you reading this have, is an item of the last century.  No matter what happens in the US economy, “jobs”, the way our fathers knew them, are dead and gone.

Here’s a couple rather disturbing excerpts from my friend Don Brown’s Get the Flick blog that show me (and you, if you are willing to learn) just what handwriting is on the wall for US jobs over the foreseeable future.

… It’s one of the central points of Mr. Phillips’ book. Nations that start making most of their money off of playing with other people’s money (instead of producing something) soon decline. He makes his case with the latest empires to dominate history — Spain’s, Holland’s and the British Empire. Each grew wealthy from exploration, innovation and manufacturing. Each declined when finance grew larger than other productive endeavors. In America, manufacturing swapped places with finance in the 1980s . In 1950, manufacturing was 29% of GDP while finance was only 11%. By 2005, manufacturing was only 12% of GDP but finance was over 20%.

To make those numbers a little more real, Mr. Phillips also provides a contrast in pay. Or should we say, “executive compensation” ? In 1981, the top spot belonged to a Mr. Genin of Schlumberger. $5.7 million. By the year 2000, it was Mr. John Reed with Citigroup. He made $290 million. Now we have numerous hedge fund managers making a billion plus a year. Lest I forget to make my point — oil field services (Schlumberger) to finance (Citigroup and hedge funds).

In 1981, the minimum wage was $3.35 and hour. In 2000, it was $5.15 an hour.

$3.35 to $5.15 — is over 1.5 times as much.
$5,700,000 to $290,000,000 — is over 50 times as much.

If the minimum wage had kept up with “executive compensation”, the kids at Burger King would be making right at $170 an hour. Let me write that out for you — one hundred and seventy dollars an hour. …

The bottom line is, the US worker has bene exploited for the majority of the 20th century and the downhill slope is getting even steeper.  Don’t look for “big business” to bail things out, job-wise, because the “great recession” is nearly over for the rich … stock market is up, hedge funds are making money hand over fist, but the guy who builds Chevies for GM … whose executives are paid obscene amounts, has had to take pay cuts and lose medical benefits.

photo credit: jjsink

I got a kind of chuckle … a sad chuckle .. a few weeks back when President Obama was in China and called upon the Chinese to but more US made goods.  I didn’t laugh because of any political leanings, or because I don’t like the president or anything “Fox Newish” like that.

I laughed, derisively, because what the hell does he think the US is making that Chinese or anyone else wants to buy?

(You might like to read an article I wrote on this concept of producing tangible “things” rather than imaginary paper,a few months back .. I’d like to add that my tire gauge is still with me and still gets noticed big time whenever I check my air … an actual piece of metal evidence that the USA once was a producing nation rather than a paper shuffling nation of licensed “Hide the Pea” fairground hucksters.)

So what’s your point, Dave.  Is this just another thousand words oor so of rant?  “I want a job, dammit, I don’t care what Brown, and you and the rest of you old retirees have to say.  You got yours, now let me get mine!”

Fair enough.  What if I told your there were hundreds and thousands of jobs … decent paying ones … in the US right now, often going begging?

Jobs that might pay enough benefits and have enough retirement so that you could go to the Philippines someday … without needing a job here?

Go take a look at another friend of mine’s site.  Mike Rowe Works Be prepared to spend quite a bit of time there, if you really want a job, that is, or if you want to improve upon the one you are afraid of losing right now.

Fair warning though.  These are not white-collar “three-card monte” jobs.  The majority of them have some physical labor involved, and most of them are also based upon production .. in other words at the end of the week, products have to be visible t the naked eye .. or to the tape measure.

Also, very few of them involve sitting at a desk reading web sites when you are supposed to be working (caught ya, didn’t I? 

While Fox News, and Sarah, and the Perky One and the rest of the talking heads Americans seem to look for to furnish their thoughts these days want to tell you the solution is to pay more crooked bankers more bonuses and suck it up if you can’t find a job, heres’s a TV personality who not only knows where the jobs are, but spends his own money to help you find them.  Hat’s off to you, Mike.

Some time back I think I lost a Filipino reader and a budding friend, because he wrote me and told me how wonderful it was that Filipinos are “meek”, and he didn’t understand why I didn’t seem to see that as a great strength of the Philippine nation and people.

I responded to him that perhaps he and I weren’t seeing things exactly the same when it came to the true definition of “meek” … and the conversation died right there, a borning.

Even those of you who haven’t cracked a bible in 20 years are probably quite familiar with the gospel of Saint Matthew, specifically chapter 5, verse 5, where Matthew quotes Jesus as saying:

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth”

This well-known statement of our Lord is taken from the sermon on the mount; from the part some call “the beatitudes”. The word “meek” means to be gentle, humble or considerate. It is the opposite of arrogance and violence. Those who are willing to share and sacrifice in behalf of others are meek. Those who seek for domination and will use any means to trample and crush others are the opposite of what the Lord refers to here.

But here is the part where my friend and I differ, and I don’t doubt I differ with a lot of other Filipinos on a daily basis.   Meekness does not mean weakness!  It does not mean one must cower or retreat from his principles.  It does not involve the surrender of ones rights.

Meek men and women of the Bible showed firm resolve, courage, conviction and strength.  So must we, Filipino of Foreigner, as we go about this business of living.  Do you know whom the Bible considers “meek”?  After all, if Christianity is important to you, surely God’s own word should be able to provide us valuable guidance, right?

Well, unless my concordance is severely in error there are only two people the Bible refers to specifically as “meek”  Moses and Jesus himself.

That’s right, friends.  One of the greatest prophets and most audacious leaders of men (who can forget the “Let my people go” speech and the risks he took there), who figures prominently not only the Christian Bible, but the Jewish Torah and the Muslim Koran is described as a “meek” man.

And Jesus himself.  Not only the centerpiece of the Christian religion, but whose coming was long predicted and revered in the Torah and confirmed in the Koran, a “meek” man?  You better believe it.  Muhammad himself said so in the 19th Surah, verses 30-35, Christ is quoted as saying, “… And HE has made me dutiful towards my mother, and has not made me arrogant and graceless; …”

Tracks pretty darn close with my Christian description of meekness above, doesn’t it?

Hardly anyone could construe that meaning of “meekness” with what we know or believe about ’stand up’ guys like Moses and Jesus … or at least it would be a tremendous stretch in my view.

Do you know where the English word “meek” really came to us from?  The ancient Greek ( a big part of the Bible comes to us from the ancient Greek as well, no coincidence I think) where it refered to a very important trait of a horse.  It is still used in “horsey” circles today.

photo credit: tibchris

A “meek” horse is not (as you might imagine) a horse that is afraid of his own shadow and tries to hide from every obstacle.  That is a definition of “timid”.  A “meek” horse is one who responds well to the control of the bit, thus becoming almost as one with his rider and able to perform as lesser horses and riders only aspire to.

It doesn’t mean timid at all, a timid horse is not only unpleasant to ride, it can be downright dangerous, shying at every shadow.  It also doesn’t mean a stubborn, rebellious horse who likes to get the bit in his teeth and run away with his rider …useless to try to get any work out of and also downright dangerous.  If you want a good horse, you want one who is meek … a willing, considerate ‘team player’.

I was kind of inspired to write this post today by my story of excessive timidity yesterday, “There I was …“  In my time here in the Philippines, I have been blessed to meet more than a few “meek” Filipinos.  Of those men and women, I fully agree with my reader’s sentiment that their “meekness” is, indeed, a powerful and valuable trait, which serves them and their country well.

But sadly, I have met far, far too many folks who are not “meek” at all, but”timid” instead and handicapped by their own belief that standing up for what is right is not only wrong, but somehow ‘bastos”, a very undesirable trait.

day after day I meet and observe people here in the Philippines (and people in other countries too) who “are where they are” because they never really tried to make things any better.  people so obsessed with the errored definition they carry of “meekness’ that life just passes them by.

There will always be adversity in life, and no, there is no magic solution that will cure everyone’s problems in this life.  But before you give up and just accept things as they are because you believe that is what “meek” people do … and you’d rather see your children hungry or uneducated so that things will be better in the “next life”, when the “meek shall inherit the earth”, think about some of the tasked we were challenged with in this life. (The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:12-28)) might be a good place to start.

We were all put here for a purpose, no matter what our nationality or station in life.  We all not only have the right to make the most of our talents, but, indeed, the duty to do so.  It’s our duty to be ‘meek”, but never to be “timid”.  If you happen to believe “you are a child of God”, and I know many of us do, then remember some important guidance I was once given along those lines … “remember who you are, and act accordingly”.

The local governments and the Philippine Armed Forces are doing a great job. For those who don’t already know, Manila got more rain than New Orleans did in all of hurricane Katrina. The wind was not bad but huge amounts of water fell and just overcame all the paths of escape.

here in Marlao we stayed high and dry, although I think at least 12 folks perished along the Marilao river. Mita and I spent part of the day collecting clothes, in the AM we’ll take them to the barangay hall and get a better feel for what else is needed in the town.

For those who want to help,
http://www.abscbnfoundation.org can take secure donations, world-wide. ABS-CBN is one of the major broadcast networks here and they have been working 24-7 to collect and distribute supplies as well as keeping the public informed.

I’ll talk to you again soon.

Hi,

Today’s topic is close to my heart, and even closer to my stomach. Most of the towns here in the province of La Union have a public market. This is built with taxpayers’ money and serves the whole community. The stalls in the market are rented out to vendors, primarily of fresh fruits and vegetables (including rice), animal flesh (chicken (manok), pork (baboy), beef (baka), goat (kambing), and a variety of fresh and dried fish. Any day of the week these permanent vendors open up their stalls and work the whole day. In my area the markets also have what they call “Market Day. There are vendors of non-traditional food and non-food items who set up for business on Market Day. Most of these vendors will not have a stall, but will place their items on some fabric or plastic or tarpaulin on the ground in the area surrounding the permanent vendors. The Market Days in the towns adjacent to one another schedule their days (usually two times a week) so as to not conflict with the nearby towns. This permits the transient vendors to travel from town to town and sell their goods on Market Day. A major attraction of these regularly scheduled days is that they attract many more buyers than the normal days. For some people this provides the opportunity to make major purchases for the kitchens for the entire week. Market Day is an exciting time, both for the vendors who hope to sell their entire stock and buyers who are hoping to find the foods they want at bargain prices. Over a period of time all these vendors, permanent or transient, come to know one another so there is a lot of greeting and gossiping (chika-chika) going on.

Today we went to San Gabriel so that Julie could spend some time with her employee and to do some photography herself. I took this opportunity to go to the market with my camera. There is no way that I could sneak into the market incognito. A person six foot, one inch, weighing almost 300 pounds and with Scotch-Irish complexion and blue eyes just naturally appears as a foreign object. After a while I forget that I am a pink spotted giraffe and begin to relax and enjoy myself. Invariably the people I see there are friendly and inviting. A few are Hollywood stars and want their picture taken but for the most part the people are shy and sometimes conceal their faces if I point the camera in their direction. The children have no reservation about having their picture taken. I don’t know what it is but something must happen after childhood and into puberty that changes a camera hog into a camera shy teenager. Then the MUCH older people enjoy having their picture taken. But, enough of all this text and on to the photos.

Take care,
Tom

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I like this one becuase it clearly shows the “Deluxe” seat space on Eva Air.  Notice that info is available from many other Asian-based airlines.  Recommended.

Deadline to register is September 28th

Eligibility:

• U.S. citizen on the date of registration
• Between 20-59 years old on the date of registration (over 21 and under 60 on the day of appointment as a Foreign Service Officer)
• Available to serve worldwide

To register for the Foreign Service Officer Test or for more information on career opportuntities with the U.S.Department of State, please log on to:

www.careers.state.gov

Table of contents for Philippine Scams

1. Never Get Scammed in the Philippines
2. Not Getting Scammed in the Philippines — Update 1
3. Not Getting Scammed in the Philippines — Update 2

Here’s a little news item I my dear wife pointed out to me this afternoon:

The biggest law firm in the country allegedly fell victim to a multi-million-peso scam.

Sources in other law firms told abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak that Sycip Salazar Hernandez Gatmaitan, one of the leading local law firms, was duped by a foreign client into advancing P50 million for a deal that would supposedly bring around P100 million to the firm’s earnings.

The law firm was reportedly promised five percent of its client’s $50 million-claim. However, in order to get their cut, the firm was first asked to advance P50 million…. read the full Philippine scam report article here

Once again, it would seem that an expereinced, educated attorney in a high-level management position fell victim to exactly what I wrote about recently regarding the key to virtually all scams, Philippine or elsewhere … getting money that really wasn’t his .. or his firm’s.

photo credit: woodleywonderworks

Just advance us x amount of money and you too will benefit from money which was never yours in the first place.

The article goes on to outline a number of famous scams from recent Philippine history.  Note the common theme … advance us some money and you’ll get more than you know is yours … a special deal for you to get ahead … insider information only.  In plice terminology this is know as the advance-fee fraud scheme

Once agin I’ll maintain what I’ve often said, and what many notorous ‘confince men’ have said in the past … you can’t scam an honest man.  If it is too good to be true … it is likely that it is.

If you think I’m somewhat unidimensional from the impression you have of me, you ought to see the view from inside my head … it’s absolutely flat as a billiard table from inside here at times.

It’s really hard for me to believe how many people make a living without the power of the ‘Net in today’s world, and it’s even more of a surprise to see those who succeed do so in spite of their on-line efforts rather than becuase of them.

If you feel you’ll never be doing anything to make money online in your life, that’s ok, read along, becuase for sure you’ll run into a friend or relative here in the Philippines who does want to and I’m going to reveal a couple of elemental truths that everyone can use.

I’ve been having a discussion with several online associates about the importance of responding to people on the web, and I recently had a prime example when someone whose site I had featured in a write up here on PhilFAQS months ago left me a comment.

Now the fact it took that person months to respond is neither here nor there.  I’m not writing because my nose is out of joint about not getting instant gratification.  I wrote about a lot of people and sites who never respond … that’s almost the norm … and the fact it is almost the norm is what today’s message is about.

Here’s the bottom line suggestion I have for anyone interested in people, money or both:

photo credit: kimberlyfaye

Number One … answer your email.  In the Philippines, especially, this is a huge, huge problem which costs millions of dollars ayear in lost revenue.

I know more than one fellow foreigner who was ready to come to the Philippines for a visit or to invest here and then decided to go elsewhere becuase no hotel, airline, ferry company or real estate agent would answer his email.

Folks, answering an email is free.  And it can lead to money, publicity or friendship.

Years back when I first started this blog I picked 100 sites that were in my folder of “Useful Philippine websites” and asked the owner (when I could find contact information that is) to write me back if they would like their site featured on this blog.  Free.  No strings attached.  Want to know how many bothered to return my email?

Yep.  Zero.  If I had a dollar for every time I have heard a friend trying to get a blog started complain about no one coming to his/her site, I’d be as rich as people think I am

I’ve been working with people who want to visit and or move to the Philippines for more than 8 years now.  A lot of things have changed, but one thing stays the same.  Filipino businesses just do not answer emails.

Second, the related issue that got me going today.  If you have a standard blog, a ‘brochure’ type website, an ecommerce site or anything else on line you can find out who is linking to you.

If someone links top you it is a tremendous vote of confidence in their eyes (and in Google’s automated ranking scheme) and it makes good sense to link back to them, and to thank them persoanlly for noticing you and linkinmg to you.

Once again, it’s free.  And you know they are not total strangers you have to be shy of … they are the ones who took the initiative to get in touch to begin with.

What could be easier or more welcome than a note to let them know their work was appreciated?

I link, on average, to at least 50 Philippine-oriented sites per year … at least one a week.  Do you know how many site operators/bloggers ever even notice?  Almost no one.

I guess they all have more traffic/on line collegues than they can deal with.  I surely don’t.

You blog/web site can tell you a _lot_ about where your visitors and  business is coming from, if you let it.

Some people ask me if I don’t often feel lonely and isolated, living here in the Philipines so far from my native country.  My answer is, I’m better connected in many ways than ever before … but I didn’t get that way by ignoring links and emails.