Vitamin beer, aka responsible drinking Filipino-style

by Iva Skoch on

You have to hand it to the Filipino inventor Virgilio “Billy” L. Malang for creating an invention that has a widespread appeal. He has created a type of beer, which is Vitamin B complex-fortified and makes a promise to “take some of the guilt out of drinking” by replacing the essential Vitamin B which is lost when excessive amounts of alcohol are consumed. Mind you, this is the same guy who has published a book, called “Sex Every Minute.” I don’t think he’s got a patent on that, though.

Malang says that he believes the invention will be popular because beer is the national weakness of the Philippines. A Kirin Research Institute study ranked the Philippines as the 5th highest beer consumer in Asia, after China, Japan, South Korea and Thailand, with an average of nearly 20 liters (45 pints) of beer per person per year.

It has not been marketed yet, but Vitamin Beer already won a gold medal at the European Union-sponsored Genius-Europe competition at the Budapest Fair Center in Hungary in May 2004 and bagged the Romanian Ministry Education and Research Cup among 1,000 inventions by 540 inventors from 46 countries, Philippine Daily Inquirer reports.

This is interesting because I have lived under the impression that there is a lot of Vitamin B in every beer, that is why beer is supposed to be good for you. Or it could just be something my dad tells my my mom to make her feel better.

Living with the Flintstones

by Jerry Guo on

Looks like something straight out of The Flintstones, eh? My question is, well, aren’t they going to be kinda screwed going uphills?

The shot was taken in the village of Banaue, the Philippines, during a festival (here’s more information). What’s more, the setting is absolutely gorgeous: the Banaue Rice Terraces, which are sometimes referred to as the “Eighth Wonder of the World.”

For more pictures from this photographer, see here.

Americans advised not to fly Philippine Airlines

by Iva Skoch on

I didn’t realize the FAA officially rates airlines based on their security standards. Well, they do.

Just this week, Philippine Airlines got downgraded to a Category 2 airline requiring “heightened FAA surveillance.” They join countries likes Ghana, Bangladesh, Indonesia and Ivory Coast, all of which apparently have inadequate air safety standards.

Philippine Airlines will continue flying to the United States, but US citizens are advised to use carriers from countries whose civil aviation authorities meet international standards.

The Philippine Penal System Vacation: Free Song, Dance and Meals!

by Neil Woodburn on

The only thing worse than dying while traveling abroad is getting thrown into some third-world jail–unless, that is, you happen to be in the Philippines.

If you break the law in this tropical paradise, you might find yourself incarcerated at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center. And, if you behave well while doing your time here, you may end up the star of the CPDRC talent show.

The above video features 1,500 inmates from this fine institution performing a little Michael Jackson dance number.

This, folks, is organize crime at its best. Can you imagine the damage these criminals would inflict on society if they were this organized and disciplined in the outside world?

Wow. Take a moment to check out this video; it almost makes you want to travel to the Philippines, commit some larceny, get locked up, and join the show. Almost.

Bonus points if you can spot the Prison B****!

Man Shot Dead for Bad Singing

by Justin Glow on

Okay, in the United States we get shot for honking at someone to let them know the light as turned green. But in Asia, where karaoke is big business, you can get shot for singing out of tune.

Midway through his song, a homeless man in a karaoke bar in San Mateo town, Rizal, Philippines, was warned by a bouncer that his singing was out of tune. “As [he] ignored his comments and continued singing,” the AP reports, “[the bouncer] pulled out his revolver and shot him in the chest.”

The AP story goes on to mention that violence in karaoke bars is not uncommon, and in the capital of the Philippines, Manila, the song “My Way” by Frank Sinatra has been taken off of most karaoke playlists due to it’s violence-inciting abilities. The song was “found to be the cause of fights and even deaths when patrons sang out of tune.” Seriously.