Yearly Archives: 2014

Law Enforcement, Travel

CALIFORNIA MOTORISTS REQUIRED TO CARRY TAPE MEASURE AS PART OF NEW THREE FEET LAW

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t1larg.bikingSacramento, California (The Adobo Chronicles) – California Governor Jerry Brown has signed a new law requiring motorists to keep a buffer of three feet (1 yard) from bicyclists when passing by or slowing down.  Drivers will have to maintain the space to avoid getting fined for a violation.

The California Legislature  passed the Three Feet for Safety Act which became effective as of Tuesday, Sept. 16, in the State of California and has been passed in a bid to keep cyclists safe. Statistics reveal that over 150 cyclists were killed in the state in 2012.

A fine print in the new law also requires all motorists to carry with them a tape measure or a yardstick at all times so that they can accurately measure the required buffer between their cars and the cyclists.

A San Francisco motorist complained that with the high cost of car maintenance, insurance and gasoline, the tape measure or yardstick requirement is yet another expense that will cause a burden to motorists.  “I am seriously considering selling my car and just take public transportation,” he said. “I just want to first be assured that MUNI and BART will always run on schedule because I cannot afford to be late for work.”

International

2013 MISS WORLD MEGAN YOUNG’S REIGN EXTENDED FOR ANOTHER YEAR

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Megan Young of the Philippines, 2013 Miss World
Megan Young of the Philippines, 2013 Miss World

London, Great Britain (The Adobo Chronicles) – Reigning Miss World Megan Young of the Philippines will have another full year to wear her crown,  Miss World Organisation chairperson and owner Julia Morley announced today.

In announcing the unprecedented decision, Morley said that Ms. Young is by far the most beautiful, talented, eloquent and popular among all title holders, and that the organisation would like to keep her until December 15, 2015.

Although this year’s  pageant, to be held at ExCel London in the British capital, will be staged as scheduled on December 14, the winner will not begin her reign until December of 2015.

Young is the first Filipina to ever win the Miss World Title.

In the history of beauty pageants, many title holders were stripped of their crown for various reasons, but this is the first time that the reign of a title holder has been extended.

Filipinos across the country and overseas rejoiced upon hearing the news, including Cory Quirino, national director of Miss World and Mr. World Philippines.

Economy, Law Enforcement, Politics

MICHELE BACHMANN PROPOSES TO CREATE 51ST U.S. STATE FOR AMERICAN EXPATRIATES

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germany-usWashington, D.C. (The Adobo Chronicles) – There are approximately 7.6 Million Americans living overseas, and if they were to become a separate state of the U.S., they would constitute the 13th largest population, next only to the state of Virginia.

That is exactly what Michele Bachmann (R-Minnesota) is proposing in a new bill she filed today in the House of Representatives.

Bachmann filed H.R. 707 creating the 51st state of the U.S. and is calling it the “At-Large State.”  All Americans living abroad would automatically become voting citizens of the new state and they will be able to vote by absentee ballot for their representatives to Washington, D.C.  Currently, expatriates don’t have a voice in Congress, especially when it comes to taxation.

Michele Bachmann
Michele Bachmann

High taxes have become a hot button issue among American expatriates. The number of Americans giving up their citizenship mainly because of tax issues surged to 3,000 in 2013 – three times more than the previous year.(This is not to mention U.S.-based corporations moving their headquarters abroad to significantly reduce their tax liability).

Another point of contention among expatriates is a federal law called the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act or FATCO which compels foreign banks and other financial institutions to provide information to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service about Americans holding accounts. It is meant to catch American expatriates who don’t pay enough taxes, or not pay at all.

Bachmann’s bill is brilliantly crafted.  The senator had previously announced that she would not be seeking reelection to her Congressional seat in 2014.  Sources say she plans to move to Istanbul after her current term expires.  If her bill becomes law, she would automatically become a citizen of the 51st At-Large State and would be eligible to run for a seat in the House of Representatives or the Senate.

It would be the best of two worlds for Bachmann.