How the pressures of the shipping industry have shaped everything about this maritime culture. Right down to their penile implants.
The Philippines provides more seafarers to the global labor market than any other country in the world, accounting for approximately a fifth of 1.2 million maritime workers. The number of Filipinos currently living on vessels is roughly 240,000.
Other low-wage countries, including India, South Korea, and Indonesia, apply for the same jobs. For that reason, McKay argues, the Filipinos have set out to differentiate themselves from crew members of other nationalities.
perhaps the most fascinating part of the Filipino seafaring identity, the little-known and barely studied sexual practice of "bolitas," or little balls.
Many Filipino sailors make small incisions in their penises and slide tiny plastic or stone balls -- the size of M&M's -- underneath the skin in order to enhance sexual pleasure for prostitutes and other women they encounter in port cities, especially in Rio de Janeiro. "This 'secret weapon of the Filipinos,
This is a man's job ['barako talaga'].... You are away from your family, you are in the middle of the sea and you see nothing but the sea and the sky for one month. ... If you want adventure, seafaring is your type of job. But given the heavy work, loneliness and the waves, seafaring is really a difficult job....Most land-based jobs are safe, [but] when a seaman boards a ship, one foot is already in the grave.
As one Filipino officer told McKay: "'The women prefer Filipinos because we treat them nice, not like other nationalities,'" Read the original complete article here
http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/08/the-strange-sexual-quirk-of-filipino-seafarers/278285/
Read more about implants here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Implant_%28body_modification%29
http://www.urologicalcare.com/advanced-ed-treatments/types-penile-implants/
http://www.yourplasticsurgeryguide.com/other-procedures/penile-implant.htm
AustralAsian eLearning Academy Pty Ltd
ReplyDeleteFlag Accredited STCW Basic Safety Training and Security courses now available online via eLearning!
http://www.austral-asian-group.com/a3-stcw-list-of-courses
The AustralAsian eLearning Academy is pleased to announce that crew members and seafarers who hold a current full BOSIET certificate can now complete their STCW Basic Safety Training courses online via eLearning.
Seafarers who hold a current STCW Basic Safety Training certificate and require a Refresher course to renew or revalidate their certificate, can now also complete their STCW Refresher course online via eLearning if they have regularly engaged in safety and emergency drills and exercises onboard.
Seafarers can also complete their Security Awareness Training for all Seafarers and Security Training for Seafarers with Designated Security Duties courses online via eLearning.