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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
 Posted - 08/27/2010 : 22:51:43
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I was eating at the Chow King fast food joint yesterday, at an upstairs window table. I had time on my hands, as well as a camera in them.
I noticed several boys running through the heavy vehicular traffic on Abanao Street. I wondered what their racket was, so I watched, took photos, and I think I figured it out. Here's my photos, with my observations and suppositions:
The boys spot two women (red and purple tops)
burdened with shopping spoils. They move in.
They grab some of the shoppers' goodies and begin to hail a taxi.
Always leave taxi hailing to the professionals.
A taxi stops and the urchins begin loading it.
Still loading.
I did not see money exchanged. I assume a tip was given,
as there was no screaming or running off with goods.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
Edited by - HalfMooner on 08/27/2010 23:09:07
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emsby
Skeptic Friend
76 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2010 : 01:00:00 [Permalink]
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Maybe they were just being helpful citizens. Trying to earn their scout badges or something.
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Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earthbound misfit, I. |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2010 : 03:50:44 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by emsby
Maybe they were just being helpful citizens. Trying to earn their scout badges or something. |
Could be. Oh, sure. Hey, at least it was a minor, possibly legal "racket." But it was the middle of a school day. It's unlikely that these urchins were getting an education, except perhaps as future freelance porters. (Indeed, there were grown men doing the same trick at the taxi stand at Manila International Airport when I went through there back on June 22.)
These kids likely dwell in the shanty town (or another like it) shown in the mid-distance of this photo, which I took the same day:
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2010 : 04:29:07 [Permalink]
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Ah, but if it were really Dickensonian, the little scamps would be boosting every wallet, coin purse and wristwatch in the neighborhood, and hauling the swag back to Fagin.
I'm sure there is a little tit for tat going on there, somewhere. Curmudgeons such as myself are ever suspicious of spontainous samaritism.....
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2010 : 05:57:36 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by filthy
Ah, but if it were really Dickensonian, the little scamps would be boosting every wallet, coin purse and wristwatch in the neighborhood, and hauling the swag back to Fagin.
I'm sure there is a little tit for tat going on there, somewhere. Curmudgeons such as myself are ever suspicious of spontainous samaritism.....
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Yeah, I'm betting on it being a fairly honest tip racket. But I wouldn't be surprised if these askal-like little opportunists had some other rackets on the side, such as pickpocketing or shoplifting. I didn't see an obvious Fagin, but there were many people just standing around, and no proper Fagin would be "obvious," would he?
Before coming here, I'd thought I was a poor man. I know better now. |
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Ebone4rock
SFN Regular
USA
894 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2010 : 06:05:56 [Permalink]
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| A very interesting cultural study. I wish you would post these things every day! |
Haole with heart, thats all I'll ever be. I'm not a part of the North Shore society. Stuck on the shoulder, that's where you'll find me. Digging for scraps with the kooks in line. -Offspring |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2010 : 06:15:21 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by HalfMooner
Originally posted by filthy
Ah, but if it were really Dickensonian, the little scamps would be boosting every wallet, coin purse and wristwatch in the neighborhood, and hauling the swag back to Fagin.
I'm sure there is a little tit for tat going on there, somewhere. Curmudgeons such as myself are ever suspicious of spontainous samaritism.....
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Yeah, I'm betting on it being a fairly honest tip racket. But I wouldn't be surprised if these askal-like little opportunists had some other rackets on the side, such as pickpocketing or shoplifting. I didn't see an obvious Fagin, but there were many people just standing around, and no proper Fagin would be "obvious," would he?
Before coming here, I'd thought I was a poor man. I know better now.
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A thought: perhaps the cabbie settles up with them (or Fagin) at the end of the day.
When I was at Subic
"Where the mosquitos, they are tubic,
And they bite you on the pubic"
back in the mid-sixties, I was a little appalled at the poverty. But I'd seen worse.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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| Edited by - filthy on 08/28/2010 06:17:46 |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2010 : 06:18:01 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by Ebone4rock
A very interesting cultural study. I wish you would post these things every day! |
Thanks! I wish I could get out every day to collect experiences. In my opinion, even everyday things can be interesting, when subjected to critical thinking. |
“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2010 : 06:24:04 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by filthy
Originally posted by HalfMooner
Originally posted by filthy
Ah, but if it were really Dickensonian, the little scamps would be boosting every wallet, coin purse and wristwatch in the neighborhood, and hauling the swag back to Fagin.
I'm sure there is a little tit for tat going on there, somewhere. Curmudgeons such as myself are ever suspicious of spontainous samaritism.....
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Yeah, I'm betting on it being a fairly honest tip racket. But I wouldn't be surprised if these askal-like little opportunists had some other rackets on the side, such as pickpocketing or shoplifting. I didn't see an obvious Fagin, but there were many people just standing around, and no proper Fagin would be "obvious," would he?
Before coming here, I'd thought I was a poor man. I know better now.
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A thought: perhaps the cabbie settles up with them (or Fagin) at the end of the day.
When I was at Subic
"Where the mosquitos, they are tubic,
And they bite you on the pubic"
back in the mid-sixties, I was a little appalled at the poverty. But I'd seen worse.
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I suspect that transactions on the street are pretty much cash-and-carry. Oddly enough, such people don't much trust one another.
Please, Fil, provide the rest of that wonderful rhyme! I was in Subic in the mid-sixties, too, but hadn't heard it. Hey, maybe we even met got into a fight! (No, I'm still alive.) Ever hang out at Club Clover? |
“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2010 : 07:14:39 [Permalink]
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It's The Monkeys Have No Tails in Zamboanga.
There are many versions of this thing and the one I used to sing, badly off-key, in the Navy gin-mills was delightfully profane. I've forgotten it, so here's Wikipedia's version.
The Monkeys Have No Tails in Zamboanga
Oh, the monkeys have no tails in Zamboanga,
Oh, the monkeys have no tails in Zamboanga,
Oh, the monkeys have no tails,
They were bitten off by whales,
Oh, the monkeys have no tails in Zamboanga.
Chorus:
Oh, we won't go back to Subic anymore,
Oh, we won't go back to Subic anymore,
Oh, we won't go back to Subic
Where they mix our wine with tubig*,
Oh, we won't go back to Subic anymore.
* Filipino for water
Chorus
Oh, the carabao have no hair in Mindanao,
Oh, the carabao have no hair in Mindanao,
Oh, the carabao have no hair,
Holy smoke! But they are bare,
Oh, the carabao have no hair in Mindanao.
Chorus
Oh, the fishes wear no skirts in Iloilo,
Oh, the fishes wear no skirts in Iloilo,
Oh, the fishes wear no skirts,
But they all have undershirts,
Oh, the fishes wear no skirts in Iloilo.
Chorus
They grow potatoes small in Iloilo,
They grow potatoes small in Iloilo,
They grow potatoes small,
And they eat them skins and all,
They grow potatoes small in Iloilo.
Chorus
Oh, the birdies have no feet in Mariveles,
Oh, the birdies have no feet in Mariveles,
Oh, the birdies have no feet,
They were burned off by the heat,
Oh, the birdies have no feet in Mariveles.
Chorus
Oh, we'll all go up to China in the spring time,
Oh, we'll all go up to China in the spring time,
Oh, we'll hop aboard a liner,
I can think of nothing finer,
Oh, we'll all go up to China in the spring time.
Chorus
Oh, we'll all go down to Shanghai in the fall,
Oh, we'll all go down to Shanghai in the fall,
Oh, we'll all get down to Shanghai,
Those champagne corks will bang high,
Oh, we'll all go down to Shanghai in the fall.
Chorus
Oh, we lived ten thousand years in old Chefoo.
Oh, we lived ten thousand years in old Chefoo.
And it didn't smell like roses,
So we had to hold our noses,
Oh, we lived ten thousand years in old Chefoo. [1]
For the history of it, bust the link.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2010 : 08:04:55 [Permalink]
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| Thanks, Fil! That was delightfully silly old crap! |
“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 08/28/2010 : 08:35:36 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by HalfMooner
Thanks, Fil! That was delightfully silly old crap!
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You've probably become familiar with some of the place names. Oddly enough, I first heard it in the Medterranean during the tag end of the Suez Nonsense Crises. It's been around a long time and traveled the world. I don't know if drunken sailors still sing it or not.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 03/11/2012 : 08:02:03 [Permalink]
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Update: I have discovered that these urchins are called Komboys. It's a term used only in Baguio. Here, from "In Search of Baguio" is a link about the Komboys.
Now, where the Hell's Filthy? I miss the old fart! |
“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
| Edited by - HalfMooner on 03/11/2012 08:06:51 |
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Baguio street urchins: How charmingly Dickensonian
