Let's Do The News! (May 8, 2014)

Things we learned today...

- Just when you thought that the normal Ariel Atom 3.5 isn't well enough to shred your face off with its formidable speed and agility, look no further because they've unveiled the Ariel Atom 3.5R. Using the Atom 3.5 as its base, the R model adds 11% more power from 310bhp to 350bhp while mated to a brand new six-speed sequential gearbox sourced from Sadev.

Ariel Atom 3.5R

- So, looks like the hit Disney cartoon Gravity Falls is coming back sooner than we think and word from the PR is that actor Nathan Fillion will be guesting on this show as Pacifica Northwest's dad.

- Actor Zoren Legaspi was charged by the Bureau of Internal Revenue for tax evasion.

- On the topic of over 200 schoolgirls kidnapped by Islam extremists in Nigeria, Malala Yousafzai, a survivor from a headshot by the Taliban, said that those schoolgirls kidnapped by the extremists as her sisters. The Islam extremist group, Boko Haram, doesn't understand Islam and has not studied the Koran according to the survivor. She also said that the kidnappers misused the "Islam" word because it means "peace".

- Embattled businessman Cedric Lee and his ex-wife asked the Department of Justice to dismiss the so-called PhP194-million tax evasion complaints filed against them by the BIR.

- The Pokemon Company announced a reboot of 2003's Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire GBA games as Pokemon Omega Ruby and Pokemon Alpha Sapphire. It will be launched on the Nintendo 3DS and 2DS this November 2014 worldwide. Yes, it's time to revisit the Hoenn region again but not in a way you think. Looks like the world of Pokemon's getting more exponential as I expected.

TTFN!!!

Sewol Tragedy: Revisions on the missing and rescued people

Continuing on the latest updates on the sunken Sewol ferry disaster at the southwestern coast of South Korea, the search for the missing 35 people still goes on despite the weather's continue to get even worse. As of now, the death toll from the Sewol tragedy is currently at 269. The Coast Guard revised the number of the missing people from 33 to 35 because there are two Chinese added to the list after reviewing through their credit card records. The number of people rescued has also been revised from 174 to 172 because one person is listed under two different names and the other was reported in error.

Source: Arirang Radio

Let's Do The News! (May 7, 2014)

Things we learned today...

- Fiat Chrysler Automobiles unveiled their most ambitious 5-year plan yet for the expansion of their brands such as Fiat, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, and Ferrari.

- The BMW M5 celebrates its 30th birthday by launching a 30th anniversary special edition with added power, special equipment, and limited to 300 units globally.

BMW M5 30 Jahre M5

- Check out the first trailer of the upcoming FOX TV drama series, Gotham, which explores the hidden story behind Gotham City.



- Season 4 of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic reaches its most gripping climax yet and this Saturday, May 10 (check local listings), this two-part finale sees Twilight Sparkle take on a villain who escaped from Tartarus...with a little help from our favorite bad guy, Discord. This is a must-watch for every Pony fans because this is worth gripping...and nail-biting if you know what I mean.

- Controversial actress, Rosanna Roces, wants to get rid of her breast implants.

- Deniece Cornejo finally surrendered to the public and she poses for mugshots.

- About 125 people were killed by an Islam attack on a Nigerian market town.

- The Google Maps app is now on its Version 3 update and on this update, it features lane guidance and quick access to route overview, navigation mode, the ability to save offline maps to a custom list, transit results, filter search results, "Places to review" list, and route option comparison with the separate Uber app.

- Now available on Forza Motorsport 5 is the last DLC Pack to be covered in the Season Pass. The Meguiar's Car Pack features the best of vintage machines from all over the world. The latest May DLC Pack includes;

2013 BMW M Performance M3 Racing Car
1986 Alfa Romeo GTV-6
2011 Aston Martin V12 Zagato (Villa d'Este)
1958 Aston Martin DBR1
1957 Chevrolet Bel Air
1967 Chevrolet Chevelle SS-396
1968 Dodge Dart HEMI Super Stock
1940 Ford De Luxe Coupe
1966 Ford Lotus Cortina
1973 Mazda RX-3

TTFN!!!

GT6: Cars that are Gran Turismo exclusive - Citroen 2CV

Today, it's the unorthodox classic from Citroen. It's the 2CV, a product of a post-war France and it was known to be one of the most successful models at that moment in time. From 1948 to 1990, Citroen produced 3,872,583 units of this oddball in numerous countries not only France but also from Belgium, United Kingdom, Argentina, Uruguay, Portugal, and Chile.

This 2CV will run through the Goodwood Hill Climb but at what time will it post?




It posted a 2:16.717 lap time!

It maybe pathetically slower and less powerful than a wheelchair rigged with fire extinguishers but magnifique! It managed to get the job done in a slow and steady pace but not for the fun of it. Only the world of Gran Turismo lets you drive this post-war French classic and no other game does it. Period.

Citroen 2CV - A GRAN TURISMO EXCLUSIVE CAR.

AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson to star in a 6-part Cars That Rock series

Brian Johnson stars in Cars That Rock

The frontman of AC/DC, Brian Johnson, is a dedicated car enthusiast. He has a vintage pre-war Bentley machine he called it "Thunder Guts" and he's a familiar face when he guested on Top Gear; whether he was a Star In A Reasonably Priced Car...twice, and got beaten in a drag race with James May at the wheel of the Fisker Karma PHEV saloon. Now, he stars in his own six-part serial called Cars That Rock and on this mini-series, Brian explores more about his passion of cars from movies that made these cars the stars and the celebrities who, like him, love cars. It's not all about glitz and glamour but over the course of this mini-series...the AC/DC frontman is pushing himself to the limits as he takes on the world's challenging racetracks and on the final part...it's all about engineering connections.

The first of the 6-parter series begins on Thursday, the 8th May, at 9:00PM on Quest, available on Freeview channel 38, Sky channel 167 and Virgin Media channel 172.

BBC warns Clarkson that if he messes up again, it's over for Jezza

Jeremy Clarkson

It looks like the BBC is turning up against Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson ever since his latest scandal, regarding some mysterious behind the scenes from the Toyota 86 review as well as the "slope" scandal from the Burma Special earlier this year. Jezza says that if he messes it up big time, again, the BBC will fire him once and for all. Looks like the fate of Jeremy being the Top Gear presenter is on the line now even though he made numerous international incidents that people don't want you to know.

Report: http://www.autoblog.com/2014/05/05/jeremy-clarkson-bbc-warning-nword/

Sewol Tragedy: Death toll now 260

Continuing on the Sewol Tragedy story; the official death toll from the submerged ferry has now risen to 260 with 42 people remained missing so far. The divers completed the initial search of 61 compartments out of 64, where most of the passengers are expected to be found. The rescue team plans to expand the search to the ferry's cargo compartments as well as the first and second floor of the decks beginning on the 15th of May, 2014, if all the bodies are not recovered until then.

Source: Arirang Radio

Let's Do The News! (May 5, 2014)

Things we learned today...

- Our friends from Disney streamed the full trailer of the upcoming Disney XD animated series, Star Wars Rebels. Made in collaboration between Disney and LucasFilm, this new series highlights teenage boy named Ezra, a con artist who's going to be part of the rebellion, fighting for the greater good against the Empire. This new series will be airing this Autumn 2014 exclusively on Disney XD. Check out the official page at http://disneyxd.disney.com/star-wars-rebels. Those Star Wars fans are going to be thrilled!

- Former head of PSA Peugeot Citroen, Jean-Marc Gales is now appointed as the new CEO of Group Lotus.

Jean-Marc Gales

- IN CASE YOU MISSED IT; Jessie's Debby Ryan spent Sunday, April 27, to took part in the Kidz Expo sponsored by Children’s Hospital at Erlanger. The SweetyHigh Blog post has this story.

- Every year when it's May the 5th, we noticed that Tekken creator, Harada, is a huge fan of iDOLM@STER's Iori Minase and he even changed his profile pic to Iori Minase on Harada's official Twitter page (@Harada_TEKKEN). In a special Famitsu interview with Harada-san, the Tekken God explains why he's an iDOLM@STER fan and what he's looking forward on the upcoming PS3-exclusive THE iDOLM@STER ONE FOR ALL video game.

Harada

Harada's illustration of iM@S' Iori Minase

- In this week's Jay Leno's Garage webcast, Jay Leno revisits the 90's with the Lamborghini Diablo.

 

- This week, expect simpler but smarter vehicle license plates to arrive.

- It will take about two months for the new equipment, useful for the ongoing search for the missing MH370 plane, to arrive.

- Moments after the canonization of Blessed Pope John Paul II and Pope John XXIII as saints by the Vatican, there's a report told that Pope Paul VI will be beatified, following the validation of a miracle attributed to his intercession. Will this be the next Blessed Pope to be named as the saint?

- Too much maritime disasters happened this 2014 and this time, there was a Chinese cargo ship submerged outside Hong Kong after it crashed with a container vessel, leaving eleven crew members missing in action.

TTFN!!!

Super GT 2014 - Fuji

In the second round of the Super GT 2014 championship, it seems that Fuji Speedway's jam packed full of spectators as they witness the best drivers from the GT300 and GT500 class slugging against each other to show who rules Fuji Speedway.

In the GT500, the winner is the #12 Calsonic Impul GT-R driven by Hironobu Yasuda and J.P. L. De Oliveira while in the GT300 class, the winner is the otaku-favorite #4 GOODSMILE HATSUNE MIKU Z4 driven by Nobuteru Taniguchi and Tatsuya Kataoka.

Check out the short highlights from this round:



The next race will be at AUTOPOLIS this June 1st.

Mayweather remains unbeaten after fight with Maidana

The highly controversial boxing superstar Floyd Mayweather Jr. is once again undefeated after his unanimous decision win against his foe Marcos Maidana in a 12-round fight.

It was the toughest battle for the embattled boxer as even though he's got a cut in his eye and got headbutted by his foe at the fourth round, Mayweather throws everything he got to avoid his first loss and in the end, he succeeded but Maidana was very unhappy about it. His welterweight title for Mayweather remained secured.

Report:http://www.spin.ph/sports/boxing/news/floyd-mayweather-beats-marcos-maidana-majority-decision-boxing

Our baby boy's new toys

We began earlier in a rainy Seattle where our baby boy Irvine turns 2 and here he is, enjoying his new presents that I bought...

Baby boy Irvine really liked the presents from me but what are those presents you may ask?

Heck if I know but these are the Octonauts Octo-squirters I bought from Toys R Us when there was a clearance sale going on since then and these octo-squirters featured are Lieutenant Kwazii Cat, the one with the eyepatch on it, the slime eel creature, and Tweak Bunny, the engineer of the Octonauts.

I really don't know what just happened but I got sucked into the enthusiasm of the Octonauts. I even got the whole "creature report" tune stuck in my head. Forgive me but anyway, let's check out how it's done and if you're reading this, my dear nephew, that's all you need to know...

After baby boy's enjoying his new Octonauts toys, what else we got for him?



Ah yes! We bought Stuffy and Chilly just for him. Now, his Doc McStuffins plushies are, I think it was, done but look at it, we got what we listed. It's Doc and her friends; Lambie, Hallie, Stuffy, and Chilly! Woo-hoo!

Well, I think that's everything. So, to my dear nephew Irvine, happy 2nd anniversary!

Forza Motorsport 5: The Caterham R500

Yes, if you are wondering what is this machine doing in the world of Forza Motorsport 5, that curiosity, or should I say conspiracy, is the Caterham Superlight R500. Part of the IGN Car Pack DLC, this is the first time Caterham made it to the world of Forza even though Forza 5 has the technology to feature open-wheelers.



Generally, I really don't want Caterhams to appear in the world of Forza because...well, you know why, but there's a good reason why this Caterham makes a great addition to the lineup because of its amazing recognition by the Top Gear committee as well as its weapons-grade performance that stands out the rest. The great thing about driving a road-legal open wheeler is that you get unlimited amount of headroom because there's literally no roof and the best way to enjoy a good open-wheeler is on the track because it's lightweight body makes it agile and nimble at the corners. The only downside is that being road-legal, it can be somewhat problematic as a daily driver. With no roof, you can get chilly if you're not dressed in warm clothes as what the Top Gear blokes demonstrated...



I can hardly imagined if I was in that situation because the Caterham doesn't have a windscreen, it seems that the chilly gets chillier when used for commuting but never mind about that. The Caterham R500 is most likely a proper track toy you can toy around in the track if you have the skills to master it.

 

While it may not be an ideal car to drive on the straight line, the Caterham R500 shines well in the handling department thanks to its incredible lightweight body and its power-to-weight ratio that is more powerful than a normal Bugatti Veyron. No wonder The Stig lapped this quicker than the Veyron and earned the accolade as Top Gear's Car of the Year 2008. Free to do whatever it wants, the R500 really turns hunters into the hunted when used in the right way. The biggest downside is that because it's very dynamic thanks to its lightweight body, mistakes are bound if you're not super focused. I got spun by this car numerous times but all it takes is some practice and with enough practice, this car is a force to be reckoned with.



This lightweight Caterham R500 is worth a blast and I love it. It makes me want to come back for more if it has the urge to swing through the corners like a lit match in the firework factory. It really feels good to have a Caterham joining the ranks in the world of Forza Motorsport for now.