Blaine's latest

... is his first story from the Philippines, about the rice shortage in some countries around the world. He interviewed someone from the International Rice Institute in Manila, an org that few people in the US have heard of.

The Philippines is a very poor place and, as a result, many of its men and women leave to work in other countries. Nearly all of Tokyo's "helpers," as nannies, housecleaners and housekeepers are called, are Filipina, including ours. And many are women in their 20s and 30s who leave their children with husbands and grandmas in the Philippines to work in Tokyo - often 6 or 7 days/week - and see their families maybe for 4-6 weeks a year.

I've heard many times that a Filipina can make far more as a nanny in Tokyo than working for a bank in Manila, but these women pay a high personal cost to work here.