Category Archives: International

International, Science and Environment, Travel

U.S. TO SCRAP DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME IN 2016

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Image: ABC News

WASHINGTON, D.C. (The Adobo Chronicles) – It’s hard enough remembering when to ‘spring forward’ or ‘fall back,’ but having to change your clocks twice a year can make your life off balance.  All because of this thing called ‘Daylight Saving Time (DST).’

It confuses Americans, considering that not all of the 50 states observe this ridiculous back and forth exercise, not to mention that they already have to deal with Pacific, Mountain, Central and Eastern time zones.

Well, think about the International Dateline, where countries east and west of this imaginary dividing line over land and water have to calculate the time and day differences between and among each other. 16 hours ahead. 9 hours behind. It’s already Tuesday here, and only Monday there.  And if you’re a frequent world traveler, it’s a constant nightmare!

Most people think that DST is an energy-saving measure in the United States. Wrong. In the U.S., Daylight Saving Time – or “fast time”, as it was called then – was first introduced in 1918 when President Woodrow Wilson signed it into law to support the war effort during World War I.

Despite DST, Americans still waste a lot of energy by constantly plugging in their smart phones to recharge, never turning off their desktop computers, indiscriminately turning on their heaters and airconditioners and constantly driving to the supermarket located three blocks away.

Workers are fashionably late during ‘spring forward,’ but are also late during ‘fall back.’ Travelers miss their flight connections, employees miss their morning staff meetings, and women (and men) show up late for their dinner dates. It’s an epidemic of total mess!

The U.S. government is fed up with all the complaints. So effective in 2016, it will totally scrap Daylight Saving Time. Permanently.  That means you just have to remember to adjust your clock one more time this fall. And remember  it’s ‘fall back!’

What do our readers think? Good riddance, or bad idea?

Festivals, International, The Media

MEDIA GUIDE TO 2015 LUNAR NEW YEAR

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imageSAN JOSE, California (The Adobo Chronicles) – Is it the Year of the Sheep, Goat or Ram?

If you’re confused about what to call the 2015 Lunar New Year, don’t fret.  We are as confused as you are.

As a public service, The Adobo Chronicles has issued a media advisory to guide editors, reporters and netizens in properly making reference to the new year:

CHINESE NEW YEAR (Wrong) – It is not only the Chinese that celebrate the New Year. So do many other countries and cultures that subscribe to the Lunar calendar, like Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Mongolia, Tibet, Korea, Japan, Myanmar, Thailand, and … well you know what we mean. The politically-correct term is LUNAR NEW YEAR.

YEAR OF THE SHEEP (Use with caution) – Sheep is the female Ram.  Be careful when using ‘Year of the Sheep’ as it may be offensive to the male population in the countries celebrating the Lunar New Year.

YEAR OF THE RAM (Use with caution) – Ram is the male Sheep. Be careful when using ‘Year of the Ram’ as it may be offensive to the female population in the countries celebrating the Lunar New Year.

YEAR OF THE GOAT (Be mindful when using) – Many people favor the sheep over the goat because the sheep looks better in pictures (and selfies), especially with its  white, thick coat. But also remember that sheep may not be found in many tropical countries, except perhaps for farm breeding. But they have goat, so ‘Year of the Goat’ may be more appropriate. Incidentally, have you tasted goat meat? They’re delicious! When in the Philippines, try the kalderetang kambing, kilaweng kambing or adobong kambing . When in Baguio City, Philippines, the best place to go for goat meat is the Slaughter House.

GUNG HAY FAT CHOY (Spelling doesn’t matter) – It doesn’t matter how you spell this traditional ‘Happy New Year’ greeting, as long as it sounds the same or similar. ‘Kung Hei Fat Choi,’ Gung Hay Fat Choi,’ Gong Hei Fat Choy, ‘Gong Xi Fa Cai.’ To be safe, when greeting someone a Lunar Happy New Year, just make a phone call.  Don’t embarrass yourself by posting on your Facebook Page or Twitter Account.

To one and all, HAPPY NEW YEAR! Lunar New Year, that is.

Business, Food, Government, Health & Medicine, International, Politics

CALIFORNIA BANS ALL PORK IMPORTS FROM THE PHILIPPINES

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Philippine pork longganisa (sausage). Photo by The Adobo Chronicles
Philippine pork longganisa (sausage). Photo by The Adobo Chronicles

SAN FRANCISCO, California  (The Adobo Chronicles) – If you live in California and you like Filipino food, you had better stock up on your packaged tocino or longganisa.

Effective March 15, 2015, the state of California will impose a comprehensive ban on all pork imports from the Philippines. The ban covers livestock, frozen meat and packaged pork-based food items.

The Manila government immediately criticized the move, saying that California is merely retaliating for a recent ban on chicken imports from California imposed by the Philippines.  The chicken ban was a result of confirmed cases of Avian or Bird Flu found in several chicken farms in California.

But California Governor Jerry Brown told reporters that the state’s decision to ban Philippine pork imports was the result of a series of serious considerations which began after Filipino business people and senators were accused and jailed for the pork barrel scandal which defrauded taxpayers of some Ten Billion Pesos. The pork barrel money allegedly went into the pockets of the individuals accused of the massive scam.

“We’re simply taking precaution to make sure that our state government, especially our state legislature, will not engage in similar pork scams ” Brown said.

The price of pork in the world market currently averages $198.00 per barrel.

U.S. imports of agricultural products from the Philippines totaled $991 million in 2013 alone. The California ban on pork imports will hurt the Philippines’ overall revenue from its exports to the U.S., since California is recognized as having one of the largest economies in the world.