Tag Archives: San Francisco

Religion

THE VATICAN AND ARCHDIOCESE OF SAN FRANCISCO HAVE DIFFERENT INTERPRETATIONS OF FREE SHOWERS FOR HOMELESS

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St. Peter's Basilica,top, and St. Mary's Cathedral, bottom
St. Peter’s Basilica,top, and St. Mary’s Cathedral, bottom

THE VATICAN, Italy (The Adobo Chronicles) – In his latest bid to ease the suffering of the poor — and upend the expectations of the papacy —   Pope Francis is building showers for the homeless under the sweeping white colonnade of St. Peter’s Square.

Three showers are to be built into refurbished public restrooms provided for Catholic pilgrims along the marble columns leading into the historic basilica, which was completed in 1626.

Meanwhile, the Archdiocese of San Francisco has a different idea of providing free showers for the homeless who seek shelter at the doorways of St. Mary’s Cathedral, the principal church of the Archdiocese.

The cathedral, located at Geary and Gough Streets, has installed a watering system to keep the homeless from sleeping in its doorways. There are four tall side doors, with sheltered alcoves, that attract homeless people at night.

Water pours from a hole in the ceiling, 30 feet above, drenching the alcoves and anyone in it.  The ‘shower’ runs for about 75 seconds, every 30 to 60 minutes, soaking homeless people and their belongings.

In contrast, The Vatican is finishing renovations on public restrooms just off St. Peter’s Square that will include three showers and a barber shop for the homeless.

Each “homeless pilgrim,” as the Vatican called the clients, will receive a kit including a towel, change of underwear, soap, deodorant, toothpaste, razor and shaving cream. The showers will be open every day but Wednesday, when the piazza is full for the pope’s general audience. Haircuts will be available Mondays.

Barbers volunteering on their days off — Rome’s barber shops are closed Mondays — as well as students from a local beauty school will be donating their time, as well as some sisters from religious orders and other volunteers.

The bathrooms were made with high-tech, easy-to-clean materials to ensure proper hygiene, The Vatican said in a statement.

Perhaps, Pope Francis should summon San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone to The Vatican and give him a little re-orientation.

And maybe, the Archdiocese should be fined by the state for wasting water in the midst of California’s continuing drought conditions.

 

 

Business, Food

AFTER 36 YEARS, A SAN FRANCISCO MCDONALD’S SHUTS DOWN, JOLLIBEE IS TO BLAME!

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Now closed: McDonald's on Van Ness Street in San Francisco
Closed after 36 years: McDonald’s on Van Ness Street in San Francisco

SAN FRANCISCO, California (The Adobo Chronicles) – Once again, the fat stupid happy bee has defeated the clown. And if you think this only happens in the Philippines, think again. (McDonald’s has acknowledged that they’re the world’s No. 1 burger place,  except in the Philippines where they can’t compete with Jollibee.)

In San Francisco, one  of the oldest McDonald’s restaurants located on Van Ness Street, has closed down, and boarded up. After 36 years!

It is rumored that in that location will rise a new Jollibee restaurant.image

Jollibee, of course, is the Filipino fast food chain that serves burgers with rice,  chicken joy, sweet spaghetti and Filipino breakfast favorites like beef, pork sausage or boneless fish with egg and garlic fried rice.

Is this the beginning of the end of the McDonald’s empire in the U.S.?

Festivals, LGBT, Religion, Tourism

NO MORE LGBT PRIDE PARADE IN SAN FRANCISCO BEGINNING IN 2016

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imageSAN FRANCISCO, California (The Adobo Chronicles) – LGBT pride and street celebrations are a diminishing breed in the gayest city in the world, San Francisco.

It’s been half a decade since the City of San Francisco decided to crack down on Halloween in the Castro and shut down this street festival that started in 1940.

The annual Pink Party on the eve of Pride Parade, is not going to happen in 2015 because the organizers of the event, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, have decided against  holding it  beginning this year. San Francisco City Hall is mulling sponsoring the event but it will be more like a political campaign rally for those who will be running for public office.

Next on the chopping block is the Castro Street Fair which is held annually on the first Sunday in October.

The biggest LGBT event, the Pride Parade will happen for the last time this year.  It will also be cancelled beginning in 2016.

That leaves the Folsom Street Fair the only, sort-of-LGBT street festival which usually happens on the last Sunday in September.

Beginning next year, however, the Folsom Street Fair will  be free of commercial sponsorships, like the Pink Party.  There will only be one non-profit sponsor which will  subsidize the popular event — the Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco, under the leadership of Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone.

So expect nudity to be a thing of the past at the Folsom Street Fair. However, there will still be a lot of people being tied up, whipped, spanked, caned and humiliated. Cordileone said that these practices are consistent with biblical accounts of Jesus Christ during the march to Mount Calvary prior to His crucifixion.

If you have procrastinated about attending the Pride Parade, Castro Street Fair and Folsom Street Fair in its original form, this is the year to do it.