Yearly Archives: 2014

Sports

49ER FANS REJOICE: SUPER BOWL MOVED TO SAN FRANCISCO’S CANDLESTICK PARK.

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MetLife Stadium blanketed in snow
MetLife Stadium blanketed in snow

New York, New York – With forecasts of a severe snowstorm in the East Coast on February 2, the National Football League (NFL) made a bold decision today to move the venue for Super Bowl XLVIII from the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to Candlestick Park in San Francisco. The announcement caused elation on the part of 49er fans despite the fact that the championship trophy is being contested by and between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks. The 49ers lost to the Seahawks in last week’s NFC championship.

“That we get to host the Super Bowl is almost as sweet as being in the top two teams,” the fans declared, adding that nothing can prevent them from wearing their 49er hats, jerseys and jackets to the game.

The NFL decision came on the heels of the  snowstorm that blanketed New York and other areas of the Eastern seaboard this week. The league said it cannot gamble on holding the Super Bowl when meteorologists cannot give any assurance that the February 2 game would be snow-free.  MetLife is an open-air stadium.  “We’d rather play under a rainy condition in San Francisco than in a New Jersey snowstorm,” the NFL said.

49er fans said that having a game one last time – a Super Bowl at that – would be a fantastic way to say goodbye to the “Stick.”  The 49ers will be moving into a new stadium in Santa Clara this August.

International, Politics, Religion

OBAMA’S AUDIENCE WITH POPE FRANCIS WILL BE VOID OF THE USUAL PROTOCOL

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imageThe Vatican – When in Rome, do as the Romans do; when in The Vatican, do as the Pope does.

Both The Vatican and The White House have confirmed that U.S. President Barack Obama will meet with Pope Francis on March 27. It is no secret that Obama had always wanted to have an audience with the leader of the Roman Catholic Church.

Obama’s official visit to The Vatican will not be like any other by a sitting U.S. president. Pope Francis has insisted that any bureaucratic and elitist protocols by The White House or the U.S. State Department must be thrown out the door the moment Obama steps into Vatican territory.

No secret service agents will be allowed past the gates of The Vatican. There will not be any presidential limousine that will take Obama into and around The Vatican (Instead, the Obamas will share rides with the Pope in his old, borrowed Fiat). Both Barack and Michelle  will  stay in the same apartment that Pope Francis is staying in along with other Roman priests. And instead of the usual state dinner, the Obamas will join Pope Francis that evening in sneaking out of  The Vatican to minister to the homeless.

The Obamas seem not to have any problems with The Vatican’s conditions, except for one thing: the Obamas cannot bring First Dog Bo into the papal apartment because Pope Francis is allergic to dogs. That means Bo will have to stay behind in Washington, D.C. in the care of the Obamas’ pet sitter.

Business, International, Law Enforcement, Politics

PHILIPPINE TAXWOMAN GOES AFTER THE BIG FISH: MANNY PACQUIAO AND ROSE FOSTANES

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L-R: Pacquiao, Fostanes, Henares
L-R: Pacquiao, Fostanes, Henares

Manila, Philippines – Got money? Watch out,  Kim Henares will go after you.

Henares is the commissioner of the Philippines’ Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), the counterpart of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS).  She has gained the reputation of going after the big fish – Filipinos like world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao and newly-crowned X Factor Israel winner Rose Fostanes. Henares wants a chunk of their earnings abroad.

Analysts say that Henares’ actions are a desperate attempt to  save her tax agency from bankruptcy. The BIR, which many Filipinos consider among the most corrupt agencies, continues to face declining revenues due to  widespread tax evasion schemes especially among the country’s richest tycoons.

However, The Adobo Chronicles learned that Pacquiao and Fostanes are joining hands to challenge Henares in court and prevent her from taxing their foreign earnings. In papers to be filed in court  today, Pacquiao and Fostanes claim that the BIR has no authority to collect taxes from their prize money earned in the U.S.  and Israel, respectively.

“That is why the agency is called Bureau of INTERNAL Revenue,” lawyers said, so earnings outside the Philippines should be off limits to  the tax agency.”

Makes perfect sense.