Tuesday, September 19, 2017

Toyota's GR SPORT lineup

Toyota Motor Corporation introduces the all new GR sports lineup of cars tweaked courtesy of GAZOO Racing. Renaming their sporty lineup from G's to GR, the new sports lineup consists of three hierarchies ranging from the GR Sport line of custom cars, the GR line of moderately tuned cars, and GRMN-tuned cars.

First, let's take a look at the first batch of Toyota GAZOO Racing's GR Sport line of cars, which are basically customized versions of your everyday Toyotas such as the Vitz, the all-new Prius PHV, the Harrier, the Mark X, and the twin vans Noah and Voxy.

2018 Toyota Vitz GR Sport
2018 Toyota Vitz GR Sport interior
The Vitz GR Sport will be based on variants, petrol or hybrid, with the 1.5L engine on it. Starting at 2,087,640 Yen for petrol and 2,329,560 for the hybrid, the GR Sport variant not only comes with special aerodynamic design and special interior, it comes with the improved welding spot of the body as well as a sport tuned suspension. for the GR variant, it comes with Sachs low-down suspension and with the CVT, it was sportly tuned to engage a 10-speed manual mode on it. It comes with the limited slip differential to give a hot hatch feeling on a normal Vitz.

2018 Toyota Prius PHV GR Sport
2018 Toyota Prius PHV GR Sport interior

Using the recently-launched Prius PHV as the base, the GR Sport variant, starting at 3,711,960 Yen, features a low-down suspension and reinforced brace to the under floor, not to mention special Gazoo Racing cosmetic treatments inside and out to add some sportiness on this eco car.

2018 Toyota Harrier GR Sport
2018 Toyota Harrier GR Sport interior
Based on the recently facelifted Harrier crossover, the GR Sport variant is available only for variants with a 2.0L petrol engine, NA or turbo, and apart from the sporty treatment on the exterior and the interior, the number of spot welds have increased on the body as well as a reinforced brace to the under floor, not to mention the use of sport-tuned suspension. Prices start at 3,398,760 Yen.

2018 Toyota Mark X GR Sport
2018 Toyota Mark X GR Sport interior

The GR Sport variant of the recently facelifted Mark X saloon is available to order starting at 3,809,160 Yen and based on the 250S and 350RDS variants, it comes with added spot welds on the body, reinforced brace to the under floor, and sport-tuned suspension.

2018 Toyota Noah GR Sport
2018 Toyota Noah GR Sport interior
2018 Toyota Voxy GR Sport
2018 Toyota Voxy GR Sport interior

Adding sportiness to the recently facelifted Noah and Voxy minivans, the GR Sport variants, starting at 3,257,280 Yen, uses only the normal 2.0L FF variants and apart from the cosmetic treatments to make minivans look great on the roads, it comes with sport-tuned suspension and reinforced brace to the under floor.

Later in the winter, the Prius α hybrid MPV and the recently facelifted Aqua hybrid compact will receive the GR Sport treatment using the same stuff mentioned above. The Toyota 86 will receive a GR variant later in the end of the year as well with improved dynamics, Sachs suspension and Torsen-type LSD. Later in the spring, the Vitz will gain a more powerful 3-door GRMN variant with a supercharged 1.8L petrol engine producing 212PS of power.

Enjoy with these new Toyota Gazoo Racing lineup of cars at your nearest Toyota dealerships across Japan!

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: Moon vows to find fundamental solution to N. Korea



South Korean President Moon Jae-in called for coordinated efforts by the international community to peacefully resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, stressing the need to implement UN sanctions against the Korean Peninsula to bring them back on the negotiating table.

In his arrival in New York for the UN General Assembly, President Moon also vowed to seek ways to fundamentally resolve the issue and pledged his country's leading role to deal with issues such as climate change.

On Thursday, President Moon will deliver a keynote speech at the UN General Assembly urging international cooperation to further isolate North Korea. Moon will then have a luncheon with Japanese PM Shinzo Abe and US President Donald Trump to discuss how to deal with ongoing threats from North Korea.

Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis hinted at a possible military option on North Korea that would spare South Korea from grave risk. While Mattis confirmed that he discuss the issue of redeploying tactical nuclear weapons on the Korean PEninsula, when he sat down with his South Korean counterpart last month.

The Pentagon chief also said the US did not shoot down the ballistic missile that North Korea fired over Japan last week, as the allies did not consider it a direct threat to their national security.

Later, a Japanese newspaper reported that the European Union plans to cut the transfer limit to 6,000 US Dollars per person. The move is aimed at sharply reducing the amount of money North Korean workers can send back to the regime.

Source: Arirang News

Let's Do The News! (September 19, 2017)



- Senator Antonio Trillanes IV is expected to travel to Singapore to prove his innocence with regards to President Rodrigo Duterte's accusation of his supposed offshore wealth.

- Former Senator Jinggoy Estrada admits that he is dismayed with Commission on Human Rights head Chito Gascon after never receiving a visit from the commissioner to assess his condition after being detained for three years. According to Estrada, he is account to President Duterte's accusation that Gascon is a loyal follower of the Liberal Party.

- The Manila Police District medico-legal confirmed that the cause of death of 22-year-old Horacio Tomas Castillo III of the University of Santo Tomas was due to severe hazing. Based on autopsy, the law student died due to a massive heart attack possibly brought by his injuries.

- The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency filed charges against former BOC commissioner Nicanor Faeldon and 11 others before the Department of Justice. The complaint stemmed from the Php 6.4 billion worth of crystal meth that was smuggled from China last May.

- British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson is accused of "backseat driving" Brexit on Sunday after setting out his own vision of his nation.

- Iran threatens to destroy Israel "with lightning speed" hot on the heels of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's meeting with US President Donald Trump. An Iranian military officer currently acting as the Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Republic of Iran army issued a menacing statement that they will destroy Israel within the next 25 years.

- Jerusalem will host next year's Giro d'Italia, one of the cycling's three grand tours, before continuing with stages between Haifa and Tel Aviv and Beersheba and Eilat. This will be the first time one of cycling's three historic grand tours will break ground beyond Europe and will be the most prestigious sporting event happened in the Zionist state.

- The newly formed Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance unveiled their Alliance 2022 6-year plan which includes double of annual synergies to 10 billion euros at the end of the plan, with over nine million vehicles to share four common platforms which will cover 75% of overall sales.

- BMW will use a new flexible platform for all cays by 2020 onwards.

- Mazda will unveil their new rotary concept car at October's Tokyo Motor Show.

- In case you missed it, Josef Newgarden wins this season of IndyCar at Sonoma Raceway.
 

TTFN!!!

Monday, September 18, 2017

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: Opening session of the 2017 UN General Assembly



The UN General Assembly is to begin on Monday after its opening was officially declared last week. Leaders and diplomats from 193 member nations will be gathered to discuss fundamental issues and tackle political and humanitarian challenges worldwide.

The highlight of the Assembly will be the six-day discussion session set to begin this on Tuesday. Big subjects worldwide are up for discussion but threats from Pyongyang will be the top of their list. This year, the spotlight will be on newly elected leaders such as South Korea's Moon Jae-in, France's Emmanuel Macron, and United States' Donald Trump.

President Moon was set to embark on a five-day trip to New York on Monday to attend the UN General Assembly and hold talks with other leaders to deal with the ongoing threats from North Korea following their sixth nuclear test on September 3rd and numerous missile firings.

The presidential office said earlier that President Moon will hold a luncheon and summit with the leaders of the United States and Japan in New York on the 21st. In his speech at the UN General Assembly later this week, President Moon is expected to call for international efforts to further isolate North Korea. Later, the South Korean leader is expected to hold talks with other global leaders.

Source: Arirang News

Let's Do The News! (September 18, 2017)



- Former BOC commissioner Nicanor Faeldon has officially filed an ethics complaint against Senator Panfilo Lacson. Faeldon was temporarily released from his detention room at the Senate to submit his complaint before the Senate ethics committee, Chaired by Senator Tito Sotto III.

- A low pressure area triggers rain showers in some parts of the Philippines. According to PAGASA, as of 5 a.m. Sunday, the LPA was tracked 930 kilometers east of Alabat, Quezon.

- About 200 NAPOLCOM officers may be ousted due to alleged cheating in their entrance examination. According to Napolcom Vice Chairman Rogelio Casurao, after a thorough review of the policemen papers, it was found out that the officers had the exact same right and wrong answers in their exam sheets.

- Typhoon Talim has struck Japan with damaging winds, flooding rain, and an inundating storm surge as it reached the equivalent of a Category 3 hurricane during the second last week and made landfall in southern Kyushu yesterday.

- Qatar is set to purchase 24 units of the Eurofighter Typhoon jets from Great Britain's BAE Systems.

- Singapore will keep on hosting Formula 1 races until the year 2021.

- A big wave of Takata airbag recalls struck China with 4.86 affected vehicles from VW and partners and 2.5 million from General Motors and its joint ventures.

- Yo-Kai Watch Busters 2 will be out on the Nintendo 3DS on the 7th of December with two versions; Sword and Magnum. The new game will see your favorite Yo-Kais go treasure hunting through uncharted areas.



- At last weekend's ClariS concert at Pacifico Yokohama, the pop duo finally unmasked their true identities in front of a live audience during the encore.

- Your first look at the film All the Money in the World, starring House of Cards actor Kevin Spacey as the oil tycoon who refused to pay the ransom when his grandson was kidnapped in 1973. It hits theaters this December.



TTFN!!!

F1 2017 - Singapore GP

When night falls in Singapore, the Formula One race kicks in and for the 2017 season, it's the Singaporean GP gone mad when the tables have turned at Marina Bay, tipping the favor for the victor who wants reclaim its title.


Of course, thanks to the three-way crash between the two Ferrari drivers, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, and Red Bull's Max Verstappen at the start of the race that destroyed their hopes of crushing the race leader, Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton drove through the wet Marina Bay like there's nothing to hold him back and won the race while Daniel Ricciardo's placed 2nd place and Valtteri Bottas in 3rd.

Thanks to Vettel caught to a three-way catastrophe, the Hamilton's lead is now 28 points ahead, 263 vs. 235.

Next race is at Malaysia on the 1st of October.

Top Gear America - Time Capsule

The season finale of the first-ever Top Gear America on BBC America is all about remembering your first love with your first car.


Bill Fichtner remembers the moment with his 1966 Buick Special, Antron Brown with his Honda CT70 bike, and Tom "Wookie" Ford with the Series IIA Land Rover.

Looking into old cars, Tom checks out the best of AMG with the wideout Benz C126 coupe and later with the AMG 500TE estate.

Then, Bill and Tom are sampling the retro taste of electricity with the VW Splitty and Ferrari 308, both modified to run on electric motors. But since focus goes to the EV-upgraded Ferrari, they let The Stig drive both the normal, petrol-powered Ferrari 308 against the modified 308 with electric motors on. After lapping two identical Ferraris round the track, the normal 308 did it in 1:26.19 while the Electric GT did it in 1:16.43. It's a shocking revelation to see that an electric powered car can eat its normal equivalent on the track.

Magician Penn Jillette is the last guest of the season and he did it in 1:34.25.

Because this is the season finale, Wookie crashes through the Top Gear Test Track in the UK to dig more on AMGs and then tries out their latest offering, the Mercedes-AMG GT R and the GT C Roadster.

Man, what a ride it was for the first-ever Top Gear America. Going on a Baja with the buggy, doing stunts, camping, going drag racing, recreating the first NASCAR race in history, offroading, the list goes on and on, not to mention driving some of the best cars and inviting America's best celebrities. This newly-revived American version of Top Gear is everything you need to pass the time before the real Top Gear returns soon.

Well, now that the first season's wrapped up, we're back for the waiting game until its rival motoring show popped up in the autumn and we are in a tough battle before the original shows up. Until then, thanks for watching Top Gear America and see you next trip!

2017 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup - Tales of the Turtles 400

Fall season really is football season in America but in the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup, the high-speed brawl is so much more than just offensive tackles and touchdowns as Chicagoland Speedway has turned into an all-out battlefield for the special Tales of the Turtles 400, sponsored by Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.


A race for everyone they can sink their pizzas into their mouth, it's either "Go Big or Go Home" for the best NASCAR drivers ever assembled to Chicagoland and see who makes it on top or fall from the smokescreen. From every troublesome moments like Kyle Busch's pit road penalty, a spinout for Jamie McMurray before the final stage, early trouble for Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Erik Jones spins off at turn 4, it was one heck of a mess out there.

Out of all the messy things happened throughout the race, Martin Truex Jr. wins the race and as a bonus, since this is a race sponsored by the Nickelodeon hit TV show, he gets slimed in Victory Lane. Pays to be the two-time winner of the first race of the NASCAR Playoffs of this year.

Next race is at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the ISM Connect 300 on the 24th.


At the 2017 Renton City Comic Con

Every autumn in a quiet Washingtonian city of Renton, a small but surprising comic book convention called the Renton City Comic Con or RenCon come roaring through the streets of Renton, celebrating the best of TV, comics, anime, cosplay. technology and other forms of media.

For 2017, nothing's been more star-studded than this year's RenCon that runs from the 16th to the 17th of September. Those who made it to the venue got the opportunity to meet up with the likes of The Flash's Michelle Harrison, who talks about working with the hit TV series based on the DC Comics superhero and what's in store for the next season, the cast of SYFY's hit TV series, Z-Nation, talking about working with Washingtonians during the filming of the next season airing next week and how to survive the zombie pandemic, the original cast of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers reminiscing about their on-screen moments , and more.

Those leisure-focused people who are here for the convention but not here for the special guests never rushed to look at the sights and sounds of this year's convention which caused an uproar on the streets of Renton, even late at night.

Check out my pics from this weekend's event:



More pics:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1498250346935225.1073742205.119605654799708&type=1&l=4cca3167ad

Saturday, September 16, 2017

Genesis G70

Hyundai Motor Company's Genesis is proud to present to you their final addition to the luxury brand's sedan lineup which began with 2015's EQ900 and 2016's G80. This is the G70 and by the looks of it, this is Korea's answer to the German establishments such as the BMW 3er, Mercedes C-Klasse, and the Audi A4, not to mention other competitors from across the globe such as the Lexus IS, the Infiniti Q50, or even the Cadillac ATS. So, what is it then, this Genesis G70?

2018 Genesis G70

That is a tricky one because the G70 is made to cater against other executive midsize saloons in its class despite the fact that it was heavily based on the Kia Stinger. Needless to say, there is a clear difference between the G70 and the Stinger because while the Kia Stinger is about getting things loud all day and all night, the G70 is rather like sipping a cup of Korean red ginseng after work. In short, it's much more of a civilized professional unlike the Stinger it was based into.

2018 Genesis G70

A closer look on the exterior design shows that Genesis really means business and all that Genesis design DNA is catered to their smallest offering yet. These headlamps look vaguely similar to the Alfa Romeo Giulia, which is also one of its chief rivals, while the side view is reminiscent of today's Hyundai Grandeur and the odd-looking rear view has some Accent-styled headlamps. I kinda admit that while the G70 is a good-looking saloon, the rear view just kinda spoils it like a hot female swimmer with her buttocks too big for a pictorial.

2018 Genesis G70 interior

The same story goes for the interior and while its pleasantly luxurious, the dashboard is rather questionable for a luxury saloon. Squint your eyes harder and you can see the dashboard can be a close resemblance of a the ones you saw on today's Mazdas while the steering wheel looks very average for a luxury car. Although the front view of the G70's not somewhat rewarding to look at, it's surprisingly high-tech because it comes with the heads-up display, server-based voice recognition service using Kakao AI platform, smartphone connectivity with Apple CarPlay and MirrorLink support, wireless charging system, and 8-way intelligent driver seat, among many others. On the back, despite being 3er sized, it's surprisingly comfortable and can leave occupants on an "out on a limo" feeling every time they get out from the G70. Like most Genesis saloons, the G70 comes with the latest Quantum Logic surround technology and 15 Lexicon speakers optimally positioned for the ultimate acoustic performance.

2018 Genesis G70
Because the Genesis G70 uses the same architecture as the Kia Stinger, it offers the same choice of three engines available from the Stinger as well. ranging from the 2.2L CRDi-VGT engine with 202PS of power output, 2.0L Turbo GDi engine with 255PS of power output, and the powerful 3.3L Turbo V6 engine producing 370PS of power and 52kgf-m of torque, all mated to an 8-speed automatic gearbox with Shift By Wire. All models can be either rear-wheel drive or come with the HTRAC all-wheel drive. 

In Sport variants, the G70 takes advantage of its sport-tuned suspension like you'd expect from the Kia Stinger as well as other features such as launch control, rack-mounted motor-driven power steering, dynamic torque vectoring system, and mechanical limited slip differential. As a result, the handling is expectation-shattering in every single way for a Korean luxury car but when compared to the Kia Stinger, the G70 is just plain subtle and too polite whereas the Stinger can be as bold and as brave as a village idiot.

The G70 is the first to introduce the new Genesis Active Safety Control, which features a wide variety of world-class safety tech such as Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist (FCA), Highway Driving Assist (HDA), Blind spot Collision Warning (BCW) and Driver Awareness Warning (DAW). Other than that, the G70 comes with the Around View Monitor which keeps this car and the driver aware at all sides of the world, no matter where it may be.

The G70 starts at 37,500,000 Korean won for the 2.0T, 40,800,000 Won for the 2.2D, and 44,900,000 Won for the 3.3T, which is slightly expensive than the Kia Stinger. So, what can I say? While the G70 upsets the public in terms of pricing, the styling, and the subtlety that is not what you expect for a luxury car, it's surprisingly comfortable, technological, and handicapable on the road. It can be a decent contender against the German "establishments" but unlike the Kia Stinger, the G70 is too honest for its own good and I'll let you decide on what to do about the G70 for the time being.

Available colors: Marble White, Platinum Silver, Racing Grey, Carbon Metal, Titanium Black, Royal Blue, Graceful Grey, Blazing Red, Umber Brown, and Lapis Blue.

Photo: Hyundai Motor Company

Lola Nidora and sisters will get their own talk show



It's ALDUB's 26th Monthsary and many Eat Bulaga viewers kept on wondering what was that special surprise announcement Lola Nidora's in store for them. Today, all have been revealed and it's going to be very special for fans of Lola Nidora and D'Explorer sisters.

Lola Nidora, Lola Tidora, and Lola Tinidora will have their own late-morning talk show coming soon on GMA right before Eat Bulaga! Honest! They have their own talk show a la Ryzza Mae Show a few years ago and every day, they will have a special celebrity guest to ham with and poke fun.

It's great to see Lola Nidora and the gang back for their own morning talk show coming very very soon on GMA so watch for it!

Bubble Gang - September 15, 2017 #BGAgawanSaTrono

On the September 15, 2017 episode of Bubble Gang...

- Agawan Sa Trono gags

- A wedding and a funeral

- The sharp man-nizer

- More beki words to spell and use in a sentence in Spelling Beks!



- Are you a wanted man?!

- One guy adores his pal's looks

- Bingo, the literal way.


- Basa-basa-pik!