Standard of Living rising in the Phils...

[Stephen]

Notice this....A family of 5 lives in poverty if they earn less than
$92 per month.
+++++++

Two million rise above poverty line in Philippines from 2000-2003
1/25/2005 5:10:00 PM
Source : AFP

The number of people in the Philippines living below the poverty
line fell by nearly two million between 2000 and 2003, according to
government data published Tuesday showing wage increases in most
social groups.

The latest figures showed that in 2003 some four million families or
more than 23.5 million Filipinos out of a population of about 84
million were living below the poverty line, the National Statistical
Coordination Board said.

These figures "represent a decrease from the corresponding 2000
levels of 4.1 million families or 25.4 million Filipinos then
straining to make ends meet," the agency said in a statement.

This means that the number of Filipino families living in poverty
fell from 27.5 percent of the population in 2000 to 24.7 percent in
2003.

Under the official definition of poverty, a family of five members
should have an income of at least 5,111 pesos (92 dollars) a month
in 2003 to be able to sustain their minimum basic needs, the board
said.

It did not give the definition of the poverty line for 2000, but the
figure is index-linked to account for inflation.

Regions that reported the highest proportion of poor families were
in Mindanao, the country's main southern island which is grappling
with a decades-old Muslim separatist insurgency, it added.

[Dave H]

... in response to Standard of Living rising in the Phils....., posted by Stephen on Jan 25, 2005

Hi Stephen,

...the higher standard of living.

"Under the official definition of poverty, a family of five members should have an income of at least 5,111 pesos (92 dollars) a month in 2003 to be able to sustain their minimum basic needs, the board said."

I'd sure like to see "National Statistical Coordination Board" live on P5,111 per month! If they lower the standard to P1000, virtually no one will be living in "poverty" in the Philippines.

Dave H.

[Jay]

... in response to I Must Have Missed... , posted by Dave H on Jan 28, 2005

Hi Dave,

Good point, I was thinking the  same thing. LOL! :-)

Hope all is well with you and yours. Criselda is in the Philippines with April and her husband. She'll be back Monday. I better clean this place over the weekend. LOL!

Take Care,
Jay

[Dave H]

... in response to Re: I Must Have Missed... , posted by Jay on Jan 28, 2005

Hi Jay,

We're doing pretty good. My little "part-time" job has gotten a little out of control with over-time every week. Good luck cleaning the house! I never seem to get it done in time. LOL

Dave H.

[Jay]

... in response to Re: Re: I Must Have Missed... , posted by Dave H on Jan 30, 2005

[This message has been edited by Jay]

Hey Dave,

I was just tracking C's flight and thinking, I better take out the trash, she's over Alaska. LOL! I havent gotten to cleaning yet, but I got 12 hours left. :-)

Jay

[Stephen]

... in response to Re: I Must Have Missed... , posted by Jay on Jan 28, 2005

How are your cooking skills?

Better get the house cleaned.

Stephen & Tess

[Jay]

... in response to Hey Jay..., posted by Stephen on Jan 28, 2005

[This message has been edited by Jay]

Hi Stephen & Tess,

How ya'll doing?

My cooking skills? Well, I'm  I'm no Windmill Boy, but I'm a pretty good cook.

I just got off the phone with C, last call before she comes home.That's good because, I'm out of money for phone cards. LOL!

Take Care
Jay

[Windmill Boy]

... in response to Re: Hey Jay..., posted by Jay on Jan 29, 2005

Ha ha ha Jay

Flattery  will get  you  everywhere.

Actually  I don't do too much gourmet cooking at home.  I prefer to do baking.  At work yesterday  I  made some Chocolate cookies with white chips and cashews, with a hint of cinnnamon -- from a previous  job  and I gave  one to the  Executive Chef, and he asked me for the recipe.  He is one of the 60 - 75  legitimate Certified Master Chefs in the country and he  won gold at last years international culinary Olympics in Germany. He is kind of a gruff and tough sort, so this  was kind of a compliment for me  that I done good  ha ha ha.

I am looking forward to going on the wild culinary roller coaster ride  of authentic Chinese Cuisine,  while I am in China in a couple of months.  Last year  the food  absolutely blew  me  away. The quaily of the beef and Pork is unbelievable  and I had a great time tasting all of the differnt versions of Hot and Sour soup in the differnt  cities.   While I am in Hong Kong for a few days I want to try  the Jollybees  that I have heard so much about.  we  found it  just after  eating lunch somewhere else last year.  When we  were in shanghai last  year  we had  some Gnocchi's at the  Four Seasons  during  their  brunch.   Even though she  cannot  pronounce the word and it is fun to hear her versions of it,  Kat  has  already put  this  dish on the request line  for the  future  about  10 times  already.

When Kathryn comes I will have the challenge  of assessing her  culinary skills  as  she claims that she does not cook too much.  I have to give her  a  crash course in basic cooking   and while she likes  western cooking  we  have to find  what  she can handle  and  what  doesn't agree with her. I might have to work at night  so  she  will have to experiment.  I dare say that she will be  shocked  with the chinese american food we have  here.

Good luck with Cleaning  I have  still 2 months more to go  but my progress in setting up appropriate living quareters   is going slowly.

Windy

[Jay]

... in response to Re: Re: Hey Jay..., posted by Windmill Boy on Jan 29, 2005

[This message has been edited by Jay]

Hi Windy,

LOL! I thought you might appreciate that. :-) I know your more of a pastry Chef/Baker, but you were the first person that came to mind when thinking of someone who can do amazing things in a kitchen. :-)

That's pretty good about the gruff Master chef wanting your recipe. You SHOULD be proud.

When I lived in Hong Kong as a kid, we used to run around the Central Market, making mischief and getting chased by the stallkeepers. Seeing (and smelling) all the different animals hanging slaughtered in the open, or the jars filled with Octupi (Octopuses), eels etc., turned me off from Chinese food. However that was until my Dad took us to a resturaunt that served Shanghai East food. That was some good stuff and my favorite style of Chinese cooking. Then a few years later when my father remaried I had a Chinese stepmom from Taiwan. Her food was d@mn good as well. Don't know what style of cooking it was. Maybe Mandarin? However, I can't stand the Chinese food here in the States made for American palletts, and rarely eat it. I doubt Kat will like it much either. :-)

I taught my wife to cook a few things here. The hardest part was getting her to follow the recipe. LOL! She wanted to do it her way. She still does it her way, but tells me she follows the recipe to the lettter. :-) It actualy all tastes better HER way. LOL!

I was going to send an e-mail congratulating you and Kat on getting the  visa, but I'll just say it right here. Congatulations man, you've definitly earned it. Glad to see after all these years reading your stuff on the board that your dreams are comming true. Very happy for you both.

Keep Keeping the Faith,
Jay :-)

[Jeff S]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Hey Jay..., posted by Jay on Jan 30, 2005

The Americanized Chinese food is really bad. Of course that also goes for Americanized Japanese food, too. Fortunately, here in Southern California there are enough real Chinese to get the authentic item.

Probably your Taiwanese stepmother was Cantonese - most of the people who fled with Shang Kai Sheck in 1947 as Mao Tse Tung took over the mainland were Cantonese. There were plenty of other Northern Chinese in the mix as well, though not too many sounthern Chinese. Taiwan also has native Taiwanese too.

Real cantonese food is great, though it also is the basis for most of the Americanized Chinese food, since the Chinese railroad workers who were imported to America in the 1800s were from Canton. It's a bit tough to find in its authentic style outside of places like Monterrey Park CA.

- Jeff

[Ray]

... in response to I'm with you, Jay..., posted by Jeff S on Jan 30, 2005

Hi Jeff,

I grew up in Monterey Park, but back then the only Chinese family in town was my friend and classmate from school. Of course now it’s mostly Chinese/Vietnamese, and I guess most of the San Gabriel Valley is that way now.

We just came back from there. We ate dinner at a nice Chinese restaurant in neighboring Alhambra and I must say the food was not very Americanized at all. It was great! Actually, I think my wife and I were the only non-Chinese in the restaurant until a large Iraqi family dropped in, probably on their way back from Irvine to vote.

After our visit to China Town in downtown LA last year, I think we’ll stick to the Monterey Park/Alhambra area for Chinese food where the parking regulations are more civil.

Ray

[Jeff S]

... in response to Monterey Park, posted by Ray on Jan 31, 2005

Found a new Dim Sum restaraunt in the OC Airport area that is excellent - way better than those in Little Saigon, and the Monterrey Pary ones too. It's there to serve the burgeoning  Chinese population, mostly wealthy, congregating in the Irvine area.

Let me know when you're coming through. I'll bet Stephen and Tess will be up for it too.

- Jeff

[Jay]

... in response to I'm with you, Jay..., posted by Jeff S on Jan 30, 2005

[This message has been edited by Jay]

Hi Jeff,

"Probably your Taiwanese stepmother was Cantonese - most of the people who fled with Shang Kai Sheck in 1947 as Mao Tse Tung took over the mainland were Cantonese. There were plenty of other Northern Chinese in the mix as well, though not too many sounthern Chinese. Taiwan also has native Taiwanese too.

Well, actualy I forget where my stepmom's family came from in China. All I remember is that it was northern China. She spoke Mandarin, and couldn't understand Cantonese. If I remember correctly, she said she was Mandarin. Don't think that's an ethnic group, though. However, I KNOW it wasn't Canton, and that she's NOT Cantonese. Jeez Jeff, donchya think I would know a bit about my own stepmom? :-) I mean we lived in the same house till I went in the service at 17. She kinda helped to raise me. Anyhoo, Canton is a SOUTHERN city in China, now called Guangzhou, and I believe that's the province too. It's close to Hong Kong. Maybe Windy would know.  The people in Hong Kong are mainly Cantonese. They speak Cantonese. So do I. At least I can coun't to 100 and say the most horrible things about someones mother, amongst other curses. :-) I can also bamboo brush paint numbers in Cantonese. Learned that in school. I learned the counting from our Houseboy, Yung, when I was 8. Learned the bad words on the streets of Hong Kong.

My stepmom, Chen, a.k.a. Georgia, lives in Houston with my two Chinese brothers. Her family actualy came before Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalist's. I haven't spoken to her in about a year, but next time I do, I'll ask what style her cooking was.

Take Care,
Jay :-)

[Jeff S]

... in response to Re: I'm with you, Jay..., posted by Jay on Jan 30, 2005

You're right, Mandarin isn't a place or ethnic group - more a social stratus. It's interesting how different the different Chinese dialects are from each other. My father in-law speaks fluent Shanghai dialect but can't make out any Mandarin or Cantonese. I've seen movies on the local international channel in Chinese with Chinese subtitles. I assume it's because the movie was made in a dialect other than Mandarin.

- Jeff

[Windmill Boy]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Hey Jay..., posted by Jay on Jan 30, 2005

Thanks a lot Jay

yes  things  are going in the right direction.  

Windy