circus | The Adobo Chronicles

DES MOINES, Iowa (The Adobo Chronicles® ) – The state of Iowa holds a very special significance in any U.S. presidential elections. Because of the Iowa caucuses.

The Iowa caucuses are an electoral event in which residents of the state of meet in precinct caucuses in all of its 1,682 precincts and elect delegates to the corresponding county conventions. Iowa is the first state in the nation to hold caucuses in a presidential election year.

It is for this reason that Republican and Democratic presidential candidates were all in Des Moines this weekend, partaking of Iowa pork and everything that the Iowa State Fair offers. Not to mention great opportunities for political campaigning.

This year, the organizing committee of the Iowa State Fair decided to rename the event to Iowa Circus to better reflect the high-profile guests that have come to town.

With 17 Republican candidates and four Democrats hitting the fair grounds, the committee thought that ‘circus’ would be a more approriate name, especially with the field of clowns and comedians that make up the Republican group of presidential aspirants.

And we’re not just talking about Donald Trump!

A scene from the Hollywood film, 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' — A scene from the Hollywood film, ‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’

SAN FRANCISCO, California (The Adobo Chronicles) – For the longest time, it has been the ‘elephant in the room’ in circuses, films and television shows: wild and exotic animals used commercially for public amusement.

This week, the ultra radical San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an ordinance banning performances by these animals in circuses and on film. It takes effect in 30 days.

Passage of the measure, opposed by the circus and motion picture industries, makes San Francisco the largest city to adopt such a sweeping prohibition on the commercial use of wild animals for public amusement.

The ordinance does not apply to domesticated animals, such as dogs, cats, horses and other livestock or pets. Educational activities or exhibitions accredited by certain zoological and museum organizations are also exempt.

It does bar any public showing, carnival, fair, parade, petting zoo, ride, race, film shoot or other undertaking in which wild or exotic animals “are required to perform tricks, fight or participate as accompaniments for the entertainment, amusement or benefit of an audience.”

Wild and exotic animals are defined as any nondomestic or hybrid creature, whether or not it was bred in captivity. That means elephants, tigers, lions, apes, monkeys, snakes, deer, politicians and right-wing conservatives.

It wasn’t clear whether films like ‘Planet of the Apes,’ filmed in the San Francisco Bay Area (including the Golden Gate Bridge) will be banned from being shown in local theaters and television, or rented out through Netflix.