Let's Do The News! (August 24, 2017)

- Resigned Bureau of Customs commissioner Nicanor Faeldon denied reports that he has personal experience with Davao group that is being implicated with the 6.4 million pesos worth of shabu smuggled from China.

- The Australian government defended its most senior intelligence chief, Director-General of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service Nick Warner  after his photo-op alongside President Rodrigo Duterte, an image rights groups said undermines criticism of Duterte's war on drugs. Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Warner was complying with a request from Duterte and the image did not weaken Canberra’s criticism of Duterte’s war on drugs.

- Meanwhile, President Duterte will be visiting Pampanga on the 28th to personally assess the situation of poultry farm owners affected by the bird flu outbreak in Central Luzon.

- Labor Secretary Silvestre Bebot Bello III said that all OFWs in Hong Kong are safe in the wake of Typhoon Hato (Isang) wreaking havoc in southern China on Wednesday, killing 12 people, battering Hong Kong skyscrapers, causing floods, and forcing thousands to evacuate their homes.

- Ferrari unveiled the long-awaited California replacement known as the Portofino. It is a new GT car powered by an improved V8 turbo engine producing over 600PS of power and 760Nm of torque, capable of reaching 100kph in 3.5 seconds and onwards to 320kph.

2018 Ferrari Portofino

- Volkswagen expands their SUV lineup with their first-ever compact SUV, the T-Roc.

2018 Volkswagen T-ROC

- Maserati upgrades the Ghibli saloon as the new Ghibli GranLusso, with new looks and added safety tech.

2018 Maserati Ghibli GranLusso

- Suzuki adds a new entry-level variant for their new Wagon R kei-car with a 5-speed manual gearbox.

2018 Suzuki Wagon R

- Battlestar Galactica actress Katee Sackhoff is set to appear in an upcoming season of The Flash.

TTFN!!!

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: China’s Xi pledges to address differences with South Korea

Chinese president Xi Jinping pledged to make concerted efforts with South Korean leader Moon Jae-in to address differences between the two nations, according to reports.

Xi made the remarks in a congratulatory message sent to President Moon on the 25th anniversary of the establishment of China-SK ties as development of their relations made a positive outlook to regional peace and development.

South Korea and the United States agreed to deploy the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system in response to threats from North Korea. However the installation angered China, which says its powerful radar will eb able to look deep into its territory and undermine regional security.

China has pressed South Korean businesses through boycotts and bans, such as ending Chinese group tours to South Korea and closing most of South Korean conglomerate Lotte Group’s Lotte Mart retail stores in China.

Source: Reuters

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: North Korea presses rocket programme

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ordered the production of more solid-fuel rocket engines, according to state media, as he pursues nuclear and missile programs amid a standoff with Washington, but there were signs of the drama easing.

The report carried by the KCNA news agency lacked the traditionally robust threats against the United States after weeks of heightened tension, and U.S. President Donald Trump expressed optimism about a possible improvement in relations.

This report came not long after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson appeared to make a peace overture, welcoming what he called the recent restraint shown by the Korean peninsula.

Source: Reuters

Let's Do The News! (August 23, 2017)

- Classes in Mindanao State University will be resuming along with intense security reinforcement amid the three-month siege in Marawi City. During the first day of classes, students from Barangay Maria Cristina, Iligan City underwent an orientation and rigorous inspections before heading to the MSU compound.

- The Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that no Filipinos were hurt after the 4.2 magnitude earthquake struck the eastern section of Italy, Monday, August 21. Monday's quake struck the island of Ischia, Naples a popular tourist spot near the Tyrrhenian Sea. Two people were confirmed dead while the number of casualties is yet to be tallied.

- Cebu Pacific announced late Tuesday night  the cancellation of its flights from the Philippines to Hong Kong due to typhoon ‘Isang’, international name ‘Hato’.

- Ninoy Aquino International Airport General Manager Ed Monreal named someone who will replace Assistant General Manager for Security and Emergency Services Allen Capuyan, who filed a leave of absence following his involvement with the controversial 6.4 million peso shabu smuggled from China. Brigadier General Romeo Labador will be replacing Capuayn as OIC of AGMSES.  Labador is the chief of the Airport Police Dept, and a former Chief of staff of the 8th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army and a member of the Philippine Military Academy class of 83.

- About 54 out of the 292 House Republicans released public statements condemning US President Donald Trump over his response to the brutal events in Charlottesville, Virginia when he claimed there were some "very fine" people who participated in the white supremacist rally. Recently, Trump drawn a false equivalency between Heather Heyer's peaceful protest and the disgusting hate that was seething out from the Ku Klux Klan and other fascist groups.

- Amid the Angolan economic crisis, Angolans headed to the polls on Wednesday in a parliamentary election expected to usher in the ruling party’s defence minister as the first new leader of Africa’s second biggest oil producer for 38 years.

- Great Britain revived the scrappage scheme, now centering on reducing emissions as car companies like Mercedes, BMW, and Ford, announced schemes which offer a 2,000 pound discount when they trade in a car made before 2010 or that doesn't comply with the Euro 5 regulations.

- Ariel, makers of the Atom and Nomad, is planning to build a 1,180bhp hypercar capable of reaching 0-100mph in 3.8 seconds.

- Check out HOONIGAN's Ken Block going offroad in TERRAKHANA.



- The Crew 2, Ubisoft's upcoming racing game sequel, will arrive on the 16th of March, 2018.

- In anticipation for the upcoming THE IDOLM@STER Side M anime series this October, there will be an "Episode of Jupiter" prologue special airing at the end of September.

TTFN!!!

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: North Korean shipments to Syria intercepted according to UN report

Two North Korean shipments heading to a Syrian government agency responsible for the country's chemical weapons programme were intercepted in the past six months, according to a confidential United Nations report on North Korea sanctions violations.

The report by a panel of independent experts, which was submitted to the UNSC earlier this month, gave no details on when or where the interdictions occurred or what the shipments contained.

In a 37-page report, the panel is investigating reported prohibited chemical, ballistic missile, and conventional arms cooperation between Syria and the Korean Peninsula. Two member states interdicted Syria-bound shipments while another member state informed the panel that it had reasons to believe that the goods were part of a KOMID contract with Syria.

KOMID is the Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation, which was blacklisted by the Security Council eight years ago and described as Pyongyang’s key arms dealer and exporter of equipment related to ballistic missiles and conventional weapons. In March 2016 the council also blacklisted two KOMID representatives in Syria.

According to the UN experts, the consignees are Syrian entities designated as shell companies for Syria's Scientific Studies and Research Centre, which has overseen the country's chemical weapons programme since the 1970's.

Source: Reuters

Let's Do The News! (August 22, 2017)

- Senator Richard Gordon is willing to surrender his post from the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee. This is his response to the the proposal of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV to replace the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee head. Senator Gordon believes that the request to remove him as chairman of the said panel was due to a misunderstanding between him and Sen. Trillanes.

- Resigned BOC Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon welcomes President Rodrigo Duterte's decision to replace him with PDEA Chief Isidro Lapena. Faeldon claims that the replacement was ‘the best for the country’ because if he remained in office it would only cause the public division amidst the administration’s battle against illegal drugs.

- The Marikina River is now on alert level two after water levels reached 16 meters past 0800 local time today.

- Millions of Americans earlier today witnessed the first total solar eclipse to cross the continental US in seven decades. The eclipse was first seen on Central Oregon at around 1017 hours Pacific time and then the path of totality ended at around 1436 hours Eastern time in South Carolina.

- After being jailed for unlawful assembly, Hong Kong democracy leader Joshua Wong was summoned again to court for an ongoing contempt of court charge related to the 2014 Umbrella Movement.

- The new BMW F90 M5 was unveiled and for the first time, it comes with the brand new M xDrive that allows the new, 4.4L V8 Twin Turbo, 600PS, M5, to be switched at either all-wheel drive with DSC on or rear-wheel drive with DSC off.

2018 BMW M5

- In celebration of the unveiling of the new BMW M5, check out the new trailer for the upcoming Need For Speed Payback game where the new BMW M5, exclusive to this game, outrun the Fortune Valley cops.

- Porsche will unveil the new, third-generation Cayenne, on the 29th of August.

- Koenigsegg unveiled the Regera Aero Package at last weekend's Monterey Car Week, featuring 385kg of downforce and the world's first 800v electrical system in a production car.



- The first teaser trailer for the upcoming Shenmue III game is now up. The sequel game arrives on 2018 for the PS4 and PC.

TTFN!!!

THE IDOLM@STER MASTER PRIMAL ROCKIN' RED

THE IDOLM@STER is back with a brand new CD range that goes beyond retro with the covers while focusing on a certain theme per installment. Welcome to the MASTER PRIMAL range.

What is MASTER PRIMAL, you may ask? Well, this is what you expect here in this first installment of this new range from Nippon Columbia because in this installment, the stars of this cover are donning signature outfits for nostalgic purposes while focusing on a specific color and genre.

This installment is called ROCKIN RED and the genre in focus is rock, something unheard for a 765 Pro song in ages, and the 765 Production idols in focus are Haruka Amami (Eriko Nakamura), Chihaya Kisaragi (Asami Imai), Ritsuko Akizuki (Naomi Wakabayashi), and Takane Shijou (Yumi Hara).

ROCKIN RED features three new songs focusing on the genre on this installment. First up, all of the idols in focus are performing BRAVE STAR. Then, Haruka and Chihaya are performing CRIMSON LOVERS. And finally, Ritsuko and Takane are performing 聖炎の女神. Finishing the ROCKIN RED installment is a brand new audio drama starring, well, you get the idea.

It's great to see your favorite 765 Production idols back where they belong for a new CD lineup with an odd name, retro cover, unique genre, and a color theme. That's Primal, ladies and gentlemen.

Oh, and for limited quantities, each copy comes with a serial code that will give you a chance to win tickets for October's HOTCH POTCH Festival starring the 765 Million All-Stars. Good luck!

Winners of the Pokemon World Championships 2017

It's the time of the year when the best ace trainers from a multitude of countries gathered for the annual Pokemon World Championships and for this year, the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California, is jam-packed with people who love Pokemon and the professionals who are aiming for the top spot, be it Sun and Moon, Card Game, or even Pokken Tournament. There's even sneak peeks for the upcoming Ultra Sun and Moon games as well as new expansions for the Pokemon Card Game.

So, with this year's Pokemon World Championships wrapped up, let's get to know the winners of this year's WCS.

• Tobias Stromdahl from Norway wins the Pokemon Card Game Junior Division Final thanks to his strategic use of a Guzma supporter card against his opponent.
• Zachary Bokhari from the USA wins the Pokemon Card Game Senior Division Final after an intense game three against his rival compatriot.
• Argentina's Diego Cassiraga wins the Pokemon Card Game Masters Division Final, marking his third top-8 finish in 13 years he has attended the WCS.
• Nicholas Kan from Australia wins the Video Game Championship Junior Division Final thanks to his devastating combination of Gyarados' Supersonic Skystrike Z-move and an uncanny strategy he did with his Snorlax.
• Hong Juyong from South Korea wins the Video Game Championship Senior Division Final against his familiar foe from last year's quarterfinal bout.
• Ryota Otsubo from Japan wins the Video Game Championship Masters Division Final after his opponent's Z-move ended in disaster.
• Tonosama wins the Pokken Tournament World Championship

URL: https://www.pokemon.com/us/play-pokemon/worlds/2017/finals-recap/

Next year, the Pokemon World Championships are heading to Nashville, Tennessee, the Music City. Until then, don't miss Pokken Tournament DX coming to Nintendo Switch this September 22 and Pokemon Ultra Sun and Moon coming to Nintendo 3DS this November.

Congratulations to the winners of this year's Pokemon WCS.

Top Gear America - Drive Your Life

This Top Gear Episode is a fast episode, an episode where the boys are pushing themselves over the limit in the name of speed.

Antron Brown, as an NHRA World Champion, gives Tom Ford a crash course about drag racing and then later, the two set off for a drag duel between these two.

Meanwhile, Bill Fichtner tries out Cadillac's fastest saloon, the new Cadillac CTS-V. A super saloon that breaks the perception of a four-door saloon. When handed to The Stig, it does a 1:11.72 lap time.

Later, Wookie gets busted and then sends off to a police driving school to try out their newest additionn to their fleet, a Dodge Charger Pursuit.

Haley Joel Osment is this episode's celebrity guest and because he has troubles in a manual-tranny Civic hatch, not only he broke the Civic, but set a catastrophic 4:47.22 lap time!

This episode ends where Antron's day job as a drag racing champion is showcased.

Let's Do The News! (August 21, 2017)

- Senator Ping Lacson warns that he will reveal the list of Bureau of Customs officials who have received cash bribery in regards to the smuggled Php 6.4 billion worth of shabu shipment.

- About 499 people have reportedly died in last week's devastating landslide near the Sierra Leone capital Freetown, according to the city's chief coroner. One of Africa’s worst flooding-related disasters in years occurred when the side of Mount Sugar Loaf collapsed on Monday after heavy rain, burying parts of Regent town and overwhelming relief efforts in one of the world’s poorest countries.

- US President Donald Trump to present vision for the country's strategy for the war in Afghanistan, America's longest military conflict. In a prime-time speech to the nation, Trump may announce a modest increase in U.S. troops, as recommended by his senior advisers.

- New Zealand opposition leader, Jacinda Arden, is now embroiled in the second sexism row not even a month after taking the reins of the Labour Party and almost single-handedly reigniting its chances at a national election in September.

- Mercedes-Benz unveiled the Vision Maybach 6 Cabriolet Concept at the Pebble Beach Concours. Underneath its stylish looks comes an electric powerplant that produces 550kW of power output and over 500km of range according to the NEDC.



- General Motors Holden joins Toyota, Mitsubishi, Ford, Isuzu, and Mazda in the first-ever SuperUtes race next year using their Colorado pickup truck.

- Honda is producing new replacement parts for the legendary Beat kei-roadster such as tail lights, license plate lights, heater blowers, seat belts, wheels, tires, and so on.

- ICYMI: THE IDOLM@STER voice actress Azumi Asakura announced her marriage.

- Attack on Titan 2 video game by Koei Tecmo Games is set for early 2018 release, with Omega Force returns to develop the sequel game with new features.

TTFN!!!

2017 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup - Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race

A weekend before the Great American Eclipse hits their work day, it's "Saturday Night Drive" at the Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee, for the annual Bristol Night Race where history has been made once again in the heat of the Monster Energy NASCAR series.

Bristol Motor Speedway has been a sacred pilgrimage for every NASCAR fanatics in America because with all that swearing and all that crash courses occurred through the years as well as the heated rivalries carved there, what can they say? "It's Bristol, Baby!"

For this year's race, Kyle Busch swept away pole leader Erik Jones to win the race. Right before his Monster Energy series win, Busch took care of both the Camping World series and the Xfinity series races held there, marking his complete sweep of all three NASCAR touring series on a Saturday night.

Busch is the only NASCAR driver to score the three-series sweep in the same week at the same track since seven years ago and now, he's done it again.

Next race is at Darlington Raceway, South Carolina, for the Bojangles Southern 500 race on the 3rd of September.

Riding with the Carnival

For over a year, my sister Elise and my brother-in-law drove a third-generation Kia Sorento for miles after miles, especially my dad and my sister Bea. Whether if it used to go from one city after another or one of our favorite points of interest, this crossover made a special place in our hearts but now, in anticipation of my sister having a third child, her Sorento crossover's replaced with a minivan that is not fit for today's neighborhood but an important charm point for an ever-growing family like hers.

As I'm sure you know, this is the current-generation Kia Carnival (Sedona) but it's a lot different to the Carnival I'm familiar with apart from the looks because what's under the hood is not what it seems.

The Carnival we have here is powered by a Lambda II 3.3L GDi V6 engine, the same engine used in the K7 saloon, producing 280PS of power and mated to a six-speed gearbox. In other words, it's like a Kia K7 with so much seats and space for the whole family like my sister's. In South Korea, you can now avail a V6 Carnival for 35.8 million Korean Won but we live in America, and a localized version of the Carnival, known as the Sedona, doesn't have a fourth-row seats like you get in the land of Koreanovelas. We got just the eight-seater variant, which is less than what the Koreans had but it's very accommodating and roomy indeed.

Anyway, here's a little story. My sister Elise and the family are coming to our cousin's home for her baby's birthday party somewhere in Kent. I told Mom and Dad I should be with Elise and they agreed. When the time came to step out from the house, I am a little excited about getting in to the Carnival. Trouble was the only seat reserved for me is the dreaded third row but thanks to its adjustable second-row seating, even if its occupied by child seats, I can get in and out of the third row seat without question and that's it. One thing that amazed me that this car has Apple CarPlay but I'm too far to try it out and ai wish I want to experience it to myself while on the move.

When it's time to set off, I got the chance to see what is like in a V6-powered Carnival. At cruising speeds, it was nice and comfortable, but in the case of residential speeds or highway speeds, I can feel its jittering vibrations at the back, only slightly, of course. Vibrations aside, despite being a heavy and thirsty car which consumes more than the Sorento we used to have, the powerful V6 Carnival handles like every other car I've been through and while it been through different points of interests my sister and her family had, this van gets from one point to another without a slouch.

After experiencing my first ride with the new Carnival, we arrived at Kent to visit our cousin's house for her baby boy's birthday party. I got pictures I am too happy to show you all.

And there you have it. So, what can I say?

Although big, thirsty, and jittering at high speeds, the V6-powered Kia Carnival feels like it's home even in today's neighborhood where SUVs became a norm in the suburbs. Apart from being spacious and accessible, it's very luxurious and comfortable indeed. In fact, it kinda reminds me of a time I rode someone's Hyundai Starex a decade ago but this is no Starex here. This is the Carnival I'm talking about and looks like we have to spend the whole year with this minivan but when the time comes to replace it, it's my sister's call.