Monthly Archives: January 2015

Film and TV, International, Law Enforcement, Travel

‘FAST & FURIOUS’ ACTOR VIN DIESEL DENIED U.S. VISA

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Hollywood, California (The Adobo Chronicles) – New York-born Hollywood actor Vin Diesel, famous for his role in the movie ‘Fast & Furious,’ was denied a U.S. visa, according to reliable sources at the U.S. Embassy in Manila.

Diesel recently made headlines when his application for Philippine citizenship was approved. He had purchased a beachside property in Boracay, Central Philippines, a white sandy beach resort town considered one of the best in the world. Becoming a Filiipino citizen made him eligible to buy property in the island nation (Non-citizens cannot own real estate property in the Philippines).

When it was time to return to America to work on his current film projects, Diesel had to apply for a U.S. visa at the U.S. Embassy in Manila. While the Philippines recognizes dual citizenship, the U.S. does not. Unfortunately, Diesel’s visa application had been denied.

The Hollywood actor now joins the ranks of thousands upon thousands of Filipinos who could not get visas to travel to the United States.

Well, at least he has a prime beach property to his name. Perhaps his ongoing movie projects can be filmed entirely in Boracay?

Diesel’s latest completed film project, ‘Furious 7’ is set to be released in the U.S. on April 7, 2015.

Food, Law Enforcement, Local News

PRICE OF BALUT IN CALIFORNIA TO INCREASE 100%

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imageSacramento, California (The Adobo Chronicles) – Balut-loving Filipinos and others are in for some bad news effective January 1, 2015. Balut prices will increase 100%.

Balut is a duck embryo that is boiled alive and eaten in the shell. It is commonly sold as street food in the Philippines and other countries in Southeast Asia, such as Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is widely available at Asian supermarkets in California and other states in the U.S.

The culprit in the price hike is California’s Proposition 2, or the Standards for Confining Farm Animals, which was passed by voters in 2008 and which takes into effect January 1, 2015.

Proposition 2 created a new state statute that prohibits the confinement of farm animals -especially chicken and duck  – in a manner that does not allow them to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, and fully extend their limbs.

Duck raisers in California had to expand their farms and cages to comply with the new law, costing them an arm and a leg, and then some, to maintain their business.

“We have no choice but increase our balut prices in order to recover our additional investments,” said one duck raiser and balut supplier.

So balut lovers should be prepared to pay an average price of $6 per egg beginning in 2015. In Philippine pesos, that’s P260!

 

 

 

International, Law Enforcement, Military

‘SHOCK AND AWE’ : MANILA HIT BY GROUND AND AIR STRIKES (VIDEO)

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Manila, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – Forget the ‘shock and awe’ that Baghdad experienced when the U.S. launched its first airstrikes that began the war on Iraq. It is no match to what Manila saw on New Year’s eve: widespread ground and air strikes.

‘Shock and awe’ (technically known as rapid dominance) is a military doctrine based on the use of overwhelming power, dominant battlefield awareness and maneuvers, and spectacular displays of force to paralyze the enemy’s perception of the battlefield and destroy its will to fight. The doctrine was written by Harlan K. Ullman and James P. Wade in 1996 and is a product of the National Defense University of the United States.

Filipinos were getting ready to wish family and friends a happy and peaceful New Year when at the strike of midnight, the whole metropolis was hit with shock and awe a hundred times the intensity that Baghdad experienced in 2003.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police were unprepared for the invasion and were unable to pinpoint exactly where the strikes started or who the perpetrators were. But it was a chaotic scene that lit Manila’s sky for seemingly endless minutes.

But as usual, the calm and peace-loving Filipinos took the attack in stride then proceeded to partake of their  Media Noche, the family midnight meal that is the tradition on New Year’s eve.