Let's Do The News! (December 15, 2015)

- The first official casualty of the Typhoon Nona was reported in Northern Samar, one of the areas hit by Typhoon Nona. So far, the typhoon made its fifth landfall in Pinamalayan, Oriental Mindoro on Tuesday. As of 1000 hours, Philippine Time, Nona has maximum sustained winds of 140kph and gusts of up to 170kph. It is forecasted to move west at 15kph.

- US President Barack Obama is calling all nations to step up military campaigns in the ongoing fight against the Islamic State militants. He says the US-led coalition has recaptured areas under IS control but needs to further intensify operations.

- Egyptian authorities found no evidence of terrorism in the fatal downing of a Russian passenger jet in eastern Egypt two months ago. Despite showing no proof of terrorism over the downed plane, all Egyptian airports will have tightened security.

- COMELEC announced that it has postponed the release of the official list of candidates for the May 2016 elections to the 23rd of December. This will give them plenty of time to finalize the list of candidates as the printing of ballots is scheduled next month.

- Indian conglomerate Mahindra has taken over Italian design firm Pininfarina for $28 million.

- The new Mercedes-AMG S65 Cabriolet was unveiled and it offers the same thrills as the coupe version, only with the top off.

2017 Mercedes-AMG S65 Cabriolet

- Mazda will display Racing Concept versions of their current lineup as well as Racing Spec versions of the Roadster ND and the Demio, and two concept cars at next month's Tokyo Auto Salon.

- More THE IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls merchandise closing in! It's a Nendoroid of Triad Primus' Nao Kamiya! She's open for pre-orders starting at 3,611 Yen plus tax. She'll be arriving this May 2015.

Nendoroid Nao Kamiya

- Following last year's Diancie and this year's Hoopa, the world of Pokemon gave us a glimpse of next year's mythical Pokemon set to appear in next year's film. Meet the Steam Pokemon Volcanion! Volcanion is a Fire-and-Water-type Pokemon, which is unheard of for some Pokemon masters too many. Additional details will be revealed next year, in time with Pokemon's 20 year celebration.

- In case you missed the recent Eat Bulaga kalyeserye, while Yaya Dub is busy selling overpriced barbecue that no one will buy, Alden Richards steps in to cheer Yaya Dub up. Meanwhile, a familiar face appeared and yep, it's that Cindy Kournikova again, stepping in to say hi to AlDub and then that's it. Moments later, Yaya Dub told something that her long-lost dad, Dodong, is still living. Alden promises that they will work together to find her dad as long as the Lolas didn't notice it. The question is, will the AlDub be able to find her dad? Tune in next time and find out!

TTFN!!!

Forza Motorsport 6: The big One:1 megacar

After moments of waiting, it's finally arrived. The megacar every Forza fan's desperate to get their hands on in the world of Forza and courtesy of the Mobil 1 Car Pack, the long-awaited Koenigsegg One:1 megacar has landed for us to toy around.

With Koenigsegg very proud of their works such as the Agera, the Agera R, and the Agera S, the Swedish car manufacturer uncovered their first ever "megacar" in the world; the One:1. This megacar debuted at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show.

As the name implies, this megacar has the virtually impossible power to weight ratio of 1PS per 1kg weight, thanks to the 5.0L twin-turbocharged V8 engine developing 1360PS of power and the car weighs 1360kg. It is mated with a specially developed 7-speed DCT.

For aerodynamic purposes, the One:1 trades the Agera's removable roof for an airscoop on the roof, to generate more downforce. As a result, it does 0-100kph in less than 2.8 seconds and a theoretical top speed of 440kph.

Koenigsegg has built six of these models and all six of these models have already been sold.



It's a dream come true for every hardcore Forza fan to get their hands on this monstrous machine built by Koenigsegg and as the only car in the world that eclipsed the impossible power-to-weight ratio, no one comes close, not even the so-called Holy Trinity of hypercars.For some people who already heard of it, they were scratching their heads, wondering what's like to be inside the One:1.

Because this is a ultra-powerful hypercar with its power-to-weight ratio beyond compare, driving one for the first time can be deemed to be very difficult because with all that torque implied in this megacar, wheelspin starts are very likely so drivers need to find the ideal start to get this One:1 smoothly. And then there's the handling because its dynamics are very intimidating, even a skillful driver might get ensnared by the One:1's menacing characteristics. It's difficult to handle the One:1 but the more you use it, the more you are learning how to drive the first ever megacar in the world.

To see how much "mega" this One:1 is, I devise a little test at the Top Gear Test Track. The fastest car in the Top Gear Test Track is the Pagani Huayra with a lap time of 01:13.8. The objective is to lap this One:1 faster than the lap time set by the Huayra. If it does, looks like the producers need to do some reevaluation on putting this car round the Top Gear track in the foreseeable future.



After a lap round the Top Gear track, I've set a lap time in the One:1 round the Top Gear track in 1:13.564. That's faster than the Pagani Huayra that The Stig set foot round the track years ago, although I could use a little more practice to go round faster than my recent personal best, though. With that kind of result, I sure wish the folks from Top Gear put this car round the track to see how it performs in the real world.

In the meantime, let's take time to enjoy the raw firepower in the car that will be forever be known in the pages of history as the world's first megacar created by the hands of Koenigsegg. With that kind of performance, no other hypercar comes close.

Some Star Wars-themed car commercials

Star Wars' R2-D2 and C-3PO once appeared in
a Japanese Mitsubishi commercial in the 90's

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is hitting theaters this week, so why not take a trip down memory lane to take a gander on some Star Wars-themed car commercials from a past far far away to now?

First up, there's the Mitsubishi Star Cars commercial in Japan back in the 1990's. Mitsubishi pitched in Star Wars' R2-D2 and C-3PO to promote Mitsubishi cars.

Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-ZC6cwcnB0o

Who can't forget the 2011 Big Game ad from Volkswagen USA featuring a little kid in his Darth Vader costume using the force in everything especially the VW Passat?



Of course, a year later, bits of Star Wars appeared in the 2012 Big Game ad from VW USA, this time in a 21st Century Beetle. Specifically, those came after a commercial where a dog chases a VW Beetle.

Back in Japan, R2-D2 and C-3PO returned and this time, they've been pitched by Toyota to promote the Prius PHEV.



A year later, Stormtroopers making an appearance in a Japanese Nissan Juke commercial. At least one Stormtrooper wants to be a standout...


And now it's come to this. With the impending launch of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Disney and Lucasfilm teamed up with FCA to promote the film with a little help of Dodge, Chrysler, Fiat, Jeep, and RAM Trucks.



Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters on the 18th of December, 2015. May the Force Be With You.

Let's Do The News! (December 14, 2015)

- Typhoon Nona (Melor) made a landfall in Samar and PAGASA is expecting another landfall in Sorsogon tonight. At 1000 hours, Philippine Time, Nona was located 85km east of Catarman, Northern Sama with max winds of 150kph near the center and gusts of up to 185kph. It is likely to move west at 17kph.

- Due to the persistent reports of the Abu Sayyaf Group and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters' plan to attack and engage in kidnap-for-ransom activities, several places in the Philippines including tourist spots were placed in terrorism threat level 3 or high terrorism threat category. It includes Palawan, Boracay, Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Kidapawan, North Cotabato, Maguindanao, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, and Marawi. Metro Manila was placed in level 2 due to the convergence of people during the holiday season.

- Turkey reacts calmly to a Russian warship's firing of so-called "warning shots" at a Turkish fishing boat in the Aegean sea. According to the Turkish foreign minister, the Turkish boat targeted by the Russian vessel has been confirmed and the Turkish government is investigating the matter and would make an announced if further info is obtained.

- About twenty female candidates won municipal council seats in Saturday's elections in Saudi Arabia. For the first time in the nation's history. women were allowed to vote and run in the elections. Over 2,100 seats on 284 municipal councils nationwide were opened for the chosen candidates and some say, about 900 female candidates stood up.

- Back to the French elections, the far-right anti-immigration National Front has failed to win a region. None of the parties gained over 50% of the votes in the first vote on the 6th of December. So those that won over 10% fielded candidates for the second round on Sunday. The emerged party in this round is none other than the Republican Party, led by former president Nicolas Sarkozy, which gained 8 regions. The left-win governing coalition led by president Francois Hollande's Socialist Party is expected to win five regions.

- The members of Burma's National League for Democracy began their clean-up campaign in the streets across the country. Last month, the party led by Aung Sang Suu Kyi won a landslide victory over the military-led government and it will form a new government led by pro-democracy forces next March.

- Citroen unveiled the e-Mehari and this electric car is amazingly the production version of the Cactus M Concept as seen on the Frankfurt Motor Show. It is the first electric car produced and developed by Citroen and it's set to be available this Spring 2016. It's powered by a 50kW electric motor capable of top speed up to 110mph and boasting 200km of city-driving range.

Citroen e-Mehari

- As anyone who enjoyed last weekend's Wake Up, Girls second movie titled Beyond the Bottom as well as the Beyond the Bottom Extend live event, we heard that new projects in the world of WUG is underway. First up, the show's rival idol group, the I-1 Club will take over Wake Up, Girls. We don't know what but anyway, I-1 Club's new single, 止まらない未来, will hit record stores on the 13th of January alongside Next Storm's new single, Resurrection. Meanwhile, the Wake Up, Girls will be performing alongside i☆Ris (the group behind the songs from the Pripara anime as you know) in a special Valentine's Day concert held at the Maihama Amphitheater on the 14th of February, 2016.

- Actress Denise Laurel was named as the grand winner on the second season of ABS-CBN's celebrity impersonating TV show, Your Face Sounds Familiar

- In case you missed the recent Eat Bulaga kalyeserye; the Kalye's Angels and Yaya Dub began their life being broke in the aftermath of losing their beloved mansion. Luckily for Lola Nidora and Yaya Dub, they found a place to stay but the place they'll be staying for the night looks abandoned. Even though the place they'll be staying for the night looks abandoned, the girls decided to spending their lunch here until Alden Richards comes in to help them. Minutes later, Lola Nidora received a letter but what does the letter said? Tune in next time and find out!

TTFN!!!

Second-Generation Jaguar XF

Once served as the replacement for the lackluster S-Type, the Jaguar XF was designed to take on the likes of BMW's 5-Series, Mercedes E-Class, and the Audi A6, and for this all-new second-generation model, the new Jaguar XF promises to be quite a seducing take on the premium midsize saloon craze while delivering its intimidating character that Jaguar promises to be "Good to be Bad".

2016 Jaguar XF

Looks more promising, isn't it? For this new model, it looks like an enlarged version of its baby brother, the recently-launched XE, but while the XE is made to intimidate the smaller luxury cars in its caliber, the new XF is made to bewilder its rivals in terms of style and performance. One look at the XF and you can't tell how seducing this new model is and then, the interior...

2016 Jaguar XF interior

Well, it somewhat resembles to the inside of the XE but the XF's well-lavished interior really brings the shame on uniformal interiors of today's German saloons, although the JLR-trademark rotating shift knob remains quite an annoyance for some car enthusiasts. Despite being shorter than the previous model, the wheelbase is surprisingly longer, meaning it's well spacious in the back as well. Although the interior of the new XF is well-tailored in its own right, perhaps there's one missing in terms of evaluating it and I have a clever way. First get a girl with red hair to be seating in the front passenger seat and then do a fake out make out on her. You know what I'm saying?

2016 Jaguar XF

Anyway, time for the performance side and thanks to extensive use of aluminum, the new XF is surprisingly 190kg lighter than the previous model, and because it is lighter, you will be surprise how the new XF performs. In terms of comfort, it's as warm as a music box playing a beautiful song, but when you let it all out, its dynamic character can intimidate its opposition like a wild jackal hunting down its prey. If this new XF sticks to its "Good to be Bad" motto, then this is worth the try to scare the Germans into fruition.

Engine choices include a healthy dose of a 2.0L GTDi, 3.0L Supercharged V6, 2.0 diesel, and a 3.0 diesel engine. Most of these engines are Euro 6 compliant. The most powerful in the lineup is the 3.0L Supercharged V6 on the XF-S. This engine produces 381PS of power and 450Nm of torque. In rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive alike, it will do 0-60mph in 5.3 seconds, which sounds reasonably quick for a sports saloon. Depending on the model, the transmission can either be a six-speed or an eight-speed automatic gearbox respectively.

2016 Jaguar XF

Even though the new XF is as intimidating as Jaguars can get, it's surprisingly technological as well. It comes with All Surface Progress Control, HUD Display with laser technology, virtual instrument display similar to Audis of today have, InControl services, Autonomous Emergency Braking, and of course, an available Meridian Sound System.

The new XF starts from 32,300 to 49,945 GBP and while this sounds like a lot for a luxury car of that size, the new XF promises to be quite a worthy contender in the premium midsize saloon stakes and with everything loaded in its latest regeneration, the new XF is a well-proven starting point for Jaguar and in the future, we can expect great things to come in the new XF, including a more high-performance model coming soon. In the meantime, let's see how far and how exciting the new XF goes and it takes some modern ways to convince anyone to get their hands on it.

Available Colors: Ebony Black, Polaris White, Ammonite Grey, Aurora Red, British Racing Green, Dark Sapphire, Glacier White, Italian Racing Red, Odyssey Red, Quartzite, Rhodium Silver, Ultimate Black.Black Berry, Storm Grey, Tempest Grey, Celestial Black, and Ingot.

Photo: Jaguar Land Rover

Jubilee of Mercy: More Holy Doors opened

Jubilee of Mercy logo

Continuing on the ongoing Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy which began on the 8th of December and onwards until the Feast of Christ the King in November 20th, 2016, the Holy Doors of the Basilicas of St. John Lateran, the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, and of the Cathedrals of the World.

During the opening of the Holy Door of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, a mass occurred and Pope Francis stressed that despite concerns in light of recent violence that engulfed the world, we must not give into sadness. He spoke of the Holy Door not just here but for the Cathedrals of the World.

Following the opening of the Holy Door of the Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls was opened by Cardinal James Harvey, the Archpriest of the Basilica. It was a simultaneous opening of the Holy Doors as part of the Extraordinary Jubilee.

With the Holy Door of the Basilica of St. Paul Outside-the-Walls opened, Pope Francis is expected to enter during the ecumenical service on the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul on the 25th of January next year.

The next Holy Door will be opened at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major on New Year's Day.

Further Reading:

1) Pope opens Holy Door in John Lateran Basilica - Vatican Radio

2) Opening of Holy Door at St. Paul Outside the Walls

COP21 concludes with the Paris treaty

After weeks of negotiations from the world's top leaders at the COP21 Climate Conference in Paris, they have managed to conclude the climate conference by adopting a new global framework known as the Paris Agreement. The Paris Agreement is a global framework that will commit all nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, be it economic superpower or emerging country alike.

This agreement calls for the world to make efforts to keep the global temperature rising to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius over pre-Industrial Revolution levels. It also promises nations to bring global emissions to none within the year 2050.

For every five years, all nations must submit their reduction targets to the UN for a reevaluation.

The Paris Agreement marks the first time all nations are expected to reduce emissions since the 1997 Kyoto Protocol that required developed countries to do so, except for emerging ones.

Further reading:

1) COP21: Climate deal 'final draft' reached in Paris - BBC News
2) Final draft of climate deal unveiled in Paris - CNN.com
3) Global Climate Change Pact Approved at COP 21 Conference in Paris
4) COP21 ends with adoption of Paris Agreement - News - NHK WORLD - English