by Barista Uno | Sep 10, 2012 | Latest Post
There’s often a whale of a difference between appearance and reality, between what one expects and what actually happens. Sometimes the discrepancy can be huge as to be jarring. However, many of us are so busy with making money and otherwise going on with life that we hardly notice the many ironies, big and small, that are present in our midst. Yet, being aware of them could help us see reality more clearly and probably change some things for the better. (more…)
by Barista Uno | Jul 27, 2012 | Manning and Training, Media, Communications and Language
We are told that unauthorised copies of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) are being sold in Manila for less than a third of the local price of legit copies. You can do something about piracy. But how do you deal with the International Maritime Organization (IMO), which holds the copyright to what is supposed to be, not only a public, but a universal document? Unfetter the distribution and you put the pirates out of business. Alas, the possibility of this happening is almost nil. (more…)
by Barista Uno | Jul 19, 2012 | Manning and Training
We’ve just received reliable word that the European Commission, meeting in Brussels on 17th July, has decided to hold back from withdrawing recognition of Filipino seafarer certificates. This was to be expected in light of the recent revamp of the Philippines’ system of administering the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW). No deadline was fixed by the Commission for the Filipinos to set their house in order. That would still have to be worked out with Philippine officials. However, two things seem clear at this point. (more…)
by Barista Uno | Feb 8, 2012 | Latest Post
“What is wanted is not the will to believe, but the wish to find out,” wrote the great British mathematician and philosopher Bertrand Russell. Finding out is precisely what we’ve been doing since we started the blog in August 2009. However, the maritime industry, and not least the manning and training sector, is so full of ironies and contradictions that the simple question of “why?” could be quite vexing at times. Here’s a list of ten things that continue to perplex and even bewilder us and perhaps some of our readers as well: (more…)
by Barista Uno | Dec 2, 2011 | Manning and Training, Media, Communications and Language
We’re dumbfounded. The 2011 edition of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW), including the 2010 Manila Amendments Code, is being retailed in Manila for a whopping £73 equivalent (US$115). One can order it from IMO London for £40 (US$63). But that’s still plenty of money for a book of 350-plus pages that comes in cheap spiral binding, not hardbound. Just as disconcerting to us is that the obra maestra is copyrighted to IMO, so one can’t freely download it from the internet in digital format. (more…)
