IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, GIRLS (SCOUTS) WANT TO BE BOYS (SCOUTS) AND VICE VERSA

imageSANTA ROSA, California (The Adobo Chronicles) – Five girls wearing makeshift scout uniforms recently stood before top Boy Scout brass in Santa Rosa, California, and made an announcement: We want in.

Allie Westover, 13,  along with her sister Skyler and three friends — Ella Jacobs, Daphen Mortenson and Taylor Alcozer –told a panel of men in khaki uniforms weighted by pins and patches that they want to join the Boy Scouts.  They dropped scout application forms in front of them.

In a year in which gender roles in traditional American institutions have undergone major changes and challenges, a fight in Northern California over joining the Boy Scouts is among the most recent points of contention. These girls — the latest of many over the decades who have sought to become Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts instead of Brownies and Girl Scouts — say they would rather be camping and tying knots than selling cookies.

Almost simultaneously, twin brothers Elton and John Smith stormed a Girl Scouts headquarters in San Francisco, demanding that they be signed up and immediately dispatched to sell girl scout cookies at the Whole Foods grocery store on Market and Dolores Streets.

“Why can’t we be selling cookies just like our girl counterparts,” they said. “We’re done with all the boring camping and other macho activities.  We think we’ll do a great job raising funds for scouting in general by selling cookies, especially in the Castro (San Francisco’s gay district) area,” the brothers said.

There will a joint council meeting by the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of Northern California at the Harvey Milk Academy auditorium in the Castro the day after Thanksgiving to try to resolve the two controversial issues brought up by the brave boy and girl scouts.

And the San Francisco Bay Area couldn’t be a better venue for this historic meeting.

The Adobo Chronicles will be following this story and will be bringing latest developments to our loyal readers and subscribers.

 

PHILIPPINES’ PRESIDENT AQUINO, THE GREAT STATISTICIAN

Aquino (Photo: philnews.ph
Aquino (Photo: philnews.ph)

MANILA, Philippines (The Adobo Chronicles) – It’s all a matter of statistics.

Philippine President NoyNoy Aquino said the laglag bala (bullet planting) incidents at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) had been sensationalized, as there was only a small percentage—1,200 cases reported—out of the 34 million people who passed through the airport.

In recent weeks, several passengers had complained about airport security officials who allegedly found bullets in their luggage and had demanded money in exchange for being allowed to board their flight instead of being hauled to court . Most of the passengers claimed that the bullets had been planted in their luggage by the security personnel themselves.

In another development, Aquino said he remains confident that his anointed successor, former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, will win in the 2016 presidential elections, despite national polls showing Roxas behind frontrunner Senator Grace Poe and practically neck and neck with Vice President Jejomar Binay and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

“Again, it is being sensationalized,” Aquino said of the polls.  “The polls survey only a couple thousand respondents.  Compare that to the Philippines’ total population of 100 Million!  It’s not even a small drop in a bucket.”

What a great statistician, uhm, we mean statesman President Aquino is!

 

 

NO MORE FILIPINOS ON X FACTOR AUSTRALIA BEGINNING NEXT YEAR

Villanueva
Villanueva

SYDNEY, Australia (The Adobo Chronicles) – The Filipinos are unstoppable — at home and on the world stage.

Cyrus Villanueva just won this year’s X Factor Australia, making it a back to back win for Filipinos in the Down Under version of the popular reality TV talent competition. Last year’s winner was Marliza Punzalan, also a Filipino.

Punzalan
Punzalan

Villanueva’s victory prompted the producers of X Factor Australia to impose a moratorium on accepting Filipino singers starting with next year’s season.

The ban is a great disappointment to the more than 336,000 Filipinos living in Australia, but it has elicited a great sense of pride for their heritage and musical talent.

Here is Villanueva singing what will be his first single: