Let's Do The News! (November 23, 2023)

                               

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- Senator Imee Marcos blasts lawmakers urging the Philippine government to cooperate with the International Criminal Court's investigation of the Duterte administration's drug war, saying the Philippines can take care of its own judicial process.

- Philippine President Bongbong Marcos flies to Tacloban and General Santos following the massive flooding in Northern Samar and the strong earthquake that hit Mindanao while he was in the US last week.

- The Department of Foreign Affairs is confident that the Hamas hostages' release period "could be extended".

- Exit polls from the Dutch parliamentary election put the Freedom party, led by Anti-Islam populist leader Geert Wilders, well ahead of its rivals.

- Relatives of the hostages held in Gaza wait to see who could be freed.

- Rescue workers are closing in on over 40 workers trapped under a collapsed tunnel in India.

- Two people were killed inside a vehicle that exploded at a bridge between the US and Canada in Niagara Falls.

- Mick Schumacher will race an Alpine Hypercar at the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans.

- Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay cites status as 'white billionaire' for his 2014 arrest. The longtime Colts owner pleaded guilty in September 2014 to one misdemeanor count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

-  Actresses Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera have dropped out from the next Scream movie installment, moments after Spyglass fired Melissa Barrera over social media posts she made amid the Israel-Hamas war.

TTFN.

My GT7 Log: Know Your Legends - Maserati Merak

Let's get to know about the legendary cars that are hard to get in Gran Turismo 7's Legend Cars not only because of their extreme rarity that appears once in a blue moon but also their outrageous price tag that takes almost forever to save one. Today, let's get to know about the Maserati Merak, a mid-engined sports car that emerged at the time of the oil crisis.

Launched in 1972, the Merak is the sibling model to the Bora that came out the previous year. Although both of the cars' styling was penned by Giugiaro, the Merak features a notchback styling with a fastback-style pillar compared to the Bora's fastback looks.

Powering the Merak is the same 3.0L V6 engine sourced from the Citroen SM, which produces 187HP of power, capable of a top speed of 140mph. The SS variant, introduced in 1975, boosts the engine's power output to 216HP, increasing the top speed of 155mph, which is quick even by today's standards.

Let's give the Merak a quick time attack around the Goodwood track and see if the grand tourer of the 70s can keep up in today's landscape. Roll the tape.

It did it in 1m40.937s.

I'm so glad it didn't break down just like what happened when a certain ape from a famous motoring TV show did several years ago, if you catch my drift.

What other hard-to-get legendary cars should I drive next? Stay tuned for more.

A quick six-decade history of BBC's Doctor Who

The 23rd of November, 2023, marks the 60th anniversary of BBC's flagship TV series, Doctor Who. From Classic Who to Modern Who, from William Hartnell to Jodie Whitaker, the megahit TV series became the hallmark of the sci-fi genre since its 1963 airing and evolved into a mixed media project that served as one of the BBC's success stories.

With only two days left before the first part of the Doctor Who 60th-anniversary specials airing on BBC in the UK and on the Disney+ streaming service globally, how did we go from here? The past, present, and future of the Doctor Who series?

60 years of Doctor Who

Classic Who - Aired on the BBC on November 23rd, 1963, William Hartnell is the very first actor to play The Doctor in the said series, forever laying the foundation of the Doctor Who series. The Classic Who era welcomed the most iconic Doctors in TV history from Hartnell to Sylvester McCoy, a memorable cast of characters, monsters, and a rogue gallery of villains ranging from Daleks, Cybermen, and even his arch nemesis, The Master. Seven classic Doctors (William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy) are forever known as legends not just in the franchise but in the entire TV sci-fi genre.

16 years of void - The Sylvester McCoy era became the final era of the Classic Who and when the TV show was laid to rest in 1989, it left a 16-year void before its 2005 comeback. Of course, the whole Doctor Who team tried bringing it back on May 27, 1996, with a TV movie aired on FOX, starring Paul McGann as The Doctor, but feels like the comeback didn't work as expected.

2005 return - On March 26, 2005, Doctor Who is back on the telly after a 16-year absence. With Russell T Davies serving as the showrunner and actor Christopher Eccleston playing the role of The Doctor, the 2005 revival signaled the start of the Modern Who era. Joining Eccleston is Billie Piper who plays the role of his companion, Rose Tyler, the two witnessed how the world ended, facing off against the Daleks, preventing world catastrophe, and uncovering the truth.

Greatest Doctor of All Time? - Christopher Eccleston's reign as The Doctor lasted for 13 episodes, the entire first season of the reborn Doctor Who TV series, and got replaced by actor David Tennant at the season finale. Making his first moves at the 2005 Christmas Special, David Tennant cemented his status as the GOAT in the Modern Who times. In fact, Tennant's making a comeback in the 60th anniversary special as the 14th Doctor! This marks the first in the Doctor Who franchise a Doctor actor doing two non-consecutive terms. 

Teaming alongside Piper as Rose, Freema Agyeman as Martha, and John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness aside, the most popular companion in the David Tennant years is none other than Donna Noble, played by comedienne Catherine Tate. First met at the 2006 Christmas special, the two reunite at the beginning of the fourth season and with past companions collide, including the late Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, a legend companion from the Classic Who times, it showcased the show's exploding popularity.

New Decade, New Who - David Tennant's time ended at the beginning of 2010, and with Russell T Davies stepped down from his showrunner duties, Steven Moffat took over and actor Matt Smith filled in the shoes of The Doctor, signaling the new era of Doctor Who. From The Eleventh Hour to The Time of The Doctor, the Matt Smith years shifted the Doctor Who era to a more family-friendly approach. 

During his tenure, the Matt Smith years of Doctor Who introduced companions such as Karen Gillan as Amy Pond, Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams, and Jenna Coleman as Clara Oswald. Actress Alex Kingston, who showed up in the David Tennant years as River Song, popped up as well, showing her origin story and her shocking relationship with Amy and Rory.

After the 2013 Christmas Special, Smith was replaced by Peter Capaldi, showing off his darker undertones while keeping the mantra of protecting the universe by all means. Apart from teaming up with Jenna Coleman as Clara, the Peter Capaldi years welcomed Pearl Mackie as Bill Potts and comedian Matt Lucas as Nardole, who first appeared in the 2015 Christmas Special.

Fast fact that both Gillan and Capaldi got their early stints in the DW Season 4 episode titled The Fires of Pompeii.

50 years of DW - November 23rd, 2013 marked the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who and to celebrate that occasion, a 50th-anniversary TV special, titled The Day of The Doctor, was aired. The Doctors, played by Matt Smith and David Tennant, joined forces with their mysterious predecessor known as The War Doctor, played by the late John Hurt, who popped up at the end of the 7th season. Racing against time, the three Doctors join forces to save the universe.

Long before the explosive 50th-anniversary special went on air, a biopic titled An Adventure of Space and Time was aired, starring David Bradley as William Hartnell, the 1st Doctor. Also, a Doctor Who web short was streamed, showcasing the 8th Doctor getting regenerated into The War Doctor, filling the void that was left after the 1996 TV movie.

Breaking the series' boundaries - The Peter Capaldi years signaled the final time Steven Moffat served as the showrunner and their time ended in the 2017 Christmas Special, Twice Upon A Time, which featured Bradley as The 1st Doctor, Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall took over the series as the showrunner. Breaking the series' boundaries, the 11th season of Doctor Who welcomed the series' first female Doctor, Jodie Whitaker. During her four-year tenure from 2018 to 2022, the 13th Doctor joined forces with Ryan Sinclair (Tosin Cole), Yaz Khan (Mandip Gill), Graham O'Brien (Bradley Walsh), and Dan Lewis (John Bishop). Together, they've faced numerous enemies, new and old, including the reborn Master (played by Sacha Dhawan), while learning the truth about The Doctor's origins.

Loose ends? - As the Jodie Whitaker years came to an end, it was announced that actor Ncuti Gatwa would take over the role of The Doctor, but first, David Tennant will reprise his Doctor role in the 60th-anniversary specials. Why bring Tennant back to Who? Unanswered questions between The Doctor and Donna Noble after the end of the Season 4 finale. With them returning in the three-part specials, they have one loose end to mend before The Doctor can attain his true regeneration, and that's what the world awaits.

Spin-offs and mixed media - The Whoniverse expands outside the world of Doctor Who with official spin-offs featuring iconic characters and settings such as the R-rated spin-off series, Torchwood, which stars John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness and Eve Myles as Gwen Cooper, among others, the kid-friendly The Sarah Jane Adventures where DW legend Elisabeth Sladen reprises her Sarah Jane Smith role and teams up with a group of kids battling alien threats, and then there's Class, which is set at Coal Hill High, the same school appeared in the world of Doctor Who. Word from the outside world is there was a TV show called K-9, which features The Doctor's robot ally K-9 in its entirely new form. 

TV shows aside, the Whoniverse also expands outside the TV screens in the form of comic books, novels, audio dramas, and others. One such example is the Doom's Day project which features a mysterious character named Doom as she spreads across the Whoniverse from comic books to audio dramas, racing for her life to find The Doctor. The Doom's Day project is part of Doctor Who's six-decade celebrations.

Six decades of Doctor Who, no, the Whoniverse. The past, present, and future of the Whoniverse will never stop expanding and as the world prepares for the show's 60th-anniversary specials and the imminent arrival of the new Doctor, expect brilliant things to come in the Whoniverse.

Happy 60th anniversary to the Whoniverse!

Image: BBC

Let's Do The News! (November 22, 2023)

                              

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- The Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that 17 Filipino seafarers were held captive by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.

- The PH House of Representatives and the MMDA's free rides program have been extended until Friday. The House had deployed last Monday five buses offering free rides to Filipinos affected by transport group PISTON's strike, which was supposed to end today. However, Manibela announced its own transport strike from today until Friday, leading to the free ride extension made by the PH House and the MMDA.

- The Armed Forces of the Philippines stressed that the joint patrol by the Philippines and the United States in the West Philippine Sea is not meant to escalate tension with China.

- Israel has approved a ceasefire with Hamas that includes the release of some 50 hostages.

- The UK National Living Wage will rise to 11.44 pounds per hour from April and will be extended to 21-year-olds for the first time.

- The BBC announced that the hit motoring TV show Top Gear will be put on hiatus "for the foreseeable future" following last year's on-set accident with presenter Freddie Flintoff. Other Top Gear-related activities will continue amid the TV show's hiatus.

- The new Renault Master commercial van was unveiled. Because of its improved aerodynamics from its new design, the e-TECH electric powertrain is now good for 410km of driving range.

2024 Renault Master

- Hyundai's Porter II truck received a new Smartstream LPG 2.5 turbo engine for the 2024 model year. The said engine mated to a 5-speed AT and 2WD produces 159PS of power and 30.0kgf-m of torque. Mated to a 6-speed MT with a choice of 2WD and 4WD, it produces 138PS of power and 26kgf-m of torque.

2024 Hyundai Porter II

- Kabuki actor Ichikawa Ennosuke was given a suspended sentence. Ennosuke was arrested on suspicion of assisting his parents' suicide.

- Comedian Kim Byung Man announced his divorce after 12 years.

- RIIZE member Seunghan will take an indefinite hiatus from activities.

- LeBron James became the first NBA player to score 39,000 points, overtaking the all-time record set by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

- G-Dragon's nail samples returned negative and announced strong legal action against malicious posts.

- The Conmebol World Cup qualifier match between Brazil and Argentina got delayed after clashes between fans and police in the stands in Rio de Janeiro.

TTFN.

My FM Log: Global Guts

The Chevrolet Corvette, the Porsche 911, and the Nissan GT-R are the most dominant names in the world of sports cars because of their heritage, performance, and racing pedigree that made them the global superpowers feared and respected the world over.

Here in Forza Motorsport, let's get to know the three kings of the sports car realm starting with America's finest, the Corvette C8 Z06.

By using most of its know-how from the C8.R racing machine, the Corvette C8 Z06 is a track weapon capable of slithering through the road and track with its race-inspired dynamics, available Brembo carbon ceramic brakes, and the Z07 Performance Package.

Powering the C8 Z06 is a smaller but more powerful 5.5L V8 naturally aspirated engine that produces 670HP of power and while mated to a standard 8-speed AT, it does 0-60mph in 2.6 seconds.

With its naturally aspirated V8 engine, C8.R-inspired dynamics, and sleek aerodynamics, the C8 Z06 has evolved from a typical Corvette into a proper purist's sports car.

Now, let's get to know the Nissan GT-R NISMO, the ultimate version of the soon-to-be-legendary Japanese sports car that was known to be the best Heisei-era JDM sports car. 

The result of Nissan's trial and error struggle to create a supercar that can compete against the world's best supercars, the GT-R NISMO, first launched in 2014, features track-honed aerodynamics akin to its GT3 racer and an improved 3.8L V6 Twin Turbo engine producing 600PS of power output, capable of lapping the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 7:08.679. 

This is the 2020 Model Year GT-R and for this update, the GT-R NISMO features front fenders from the GT3 racecar, a new carbon-fiber roof, and improved dynamics. 

It is said that the improved GT-R NISMO lapped Tsukuba in less than a minute.

Lastly, the Porsche 911 GT3 (992), which is the better version of the 992-spec Porsche 911.

The 992 911 GT3 is a real, no-nonsense sports car with real, no-nonsense performance drivers who can get hooked for more. Race-inspired aerodynamics aside, the 911 GT3 is powered by a 4.0L flat-6 engine that produces 510PS of power and 470Nm of torque while mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed PDK, which lets the GT3 accelerate from 0-100kph in 3.4 seconds, which is slightly quicker than the previous model. 

It's got a double-wishbone front axle for the first time in a 911, a five-link rear axle, larger brakes, and extensive use of lightweight materials, among many others.

With such improvements, the new model lapped the Nurburgring Nordschleife in 6:59.927 minutes, which is an improvement from the previous GT3.

Now that we get to know about the three sports car kings, it's time to take them to the ideal playground to flex their muscles; the Yas Marina Circuit. It's been recently added to Forza Motorsport and I got the chance to bring them there, which is good timing for me because this weekend, the F1 23 season finale will be held there.

Yas Marina's changed since I let their predecessors loose in FM7 a couple of years ago. Although some of the familiar bits got changed, it's still the Yas Marina the world knows and enjoys. It's still the ideal playground for speedo boys to let their sports cars rip through the most technical corners in style.

Anyway, with the C8 Z06, GT-R NISMO, and the 992 911 GT3 gathered at what's known to be the final venue of the F1 season, it's time to settle which side of the globe is the best.

America, Europe, and Asia. Which one is the best? Let's find out with a one-lap time attack around the recently-added Yas Marina track in Forza Motorsport. Let battle commence.

And now the results...

C8 Corvette Z06 - 2m14.234s

GT-R (R35) NISMO - 2m19.394s

911 (992) GT3 - 2m20.282s

It looks like the Americans were the superior ones this time as the C8 Z06 trumps the GT-R NISMO and the 911 GT3 by a long shot in the revised Yas Marina track.

I guess the engineers behind the C8 Corvette were wise about transitioning to a mid-engine layout at the beginning and with the Z06, it's capable of tackling down the world's best, even though this isn't really its final form, if you catch my drift.

This Vette's got guts and it managed to show the world it's capable of taking all comers in the same way its C8.R equivalent crushed the final LMGTE AM Class title in style. GT3, here we go.

Welcome to the new world order.

Let's Do The News! (November 21, 2023)

                             

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- Former president Rodrigo Duterte is considering running for vice president or senator if his daughter Sara is impeached. The Vice President says she will support her father.

- Vietnam's Air Defense Force Senior Colonel Vu Hong Diep, the deputy chief of staff, made a courtesy visit to the Philippine Air Force headquarters at Villamor Airbase. The two sides vow stronger ties for the security and stability of the Indo-Pacific.

- The Philippine Navy and the UK Royal Navy are exploring a partnership in hydrography.

The majority of OpenAI staff are threatening to quit unless the recently sacked Sam Altman is reinstated according to the letter.

- The United Nations warns that the world is on the verge of catastrophic warming, even if countries meet their current pledges to cut emissions.

- 28 premature babies evacuated from Gaza have crossed the border into Egypt and they're on their way to specialist hospitals.

- X (formerly Twitter) sues Media Matters amid advertiser exodus.

- The Hyundai Tucson NX4 received a minor change for the 2024 model year, featuring a revised front and a new IONIQ-inspired interior.

2024 Hyundai Tucson

- Popstar Shakira reaches a deal to end her long-running tax fraud dispute in Spain.

- Actor Peter Spellos passed away at the age of 69.

- Graffiti artist Banksy appears to have confirmed his real name in an unearthed 2003 audio recording interview with the BBC.

- The Walking Dead's The Ones Who Live TV series will air this February 25.

- The upcoming Encantadia Chronicles: Sanggre TV series stars Faith Da Silva as Flamarra, Kelvin Miranda as Adamus, and Angel Guardian as Deia, joining alongside Bianca Umali in the new Encantadia installment coming soon to GMA-7.

- Kim Chiu and Paulo Avelino will star in the Philippine version of the K-drama What's Wrong With Secretary Kim?, airing this 2024 in VIU PH.

TTFN.

Let's Do The News! (November 20, 2023)

                             

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- A total of 1,312 persons deprived of liberty at the Sablayan Prison and Penal Farm in Occidental Mindoro have received flu shots.

- The PISTON group held a "symbolic" protest against PUV modernization at Pasig Mega Market. most Pasig-bound jeepneys were blocked by fellow drivers, causing passengers to get themselves stranded at Marikina as transport groups held a three-day transport strike.

- Philippine President Bongbong Marcos visited the US-Indo Pacific Command in Hawaii.

- PHIVOLCS recorded over 101 aftershocks following the M6.8 quake in Sarangani since November 17.

- The suspect behind the series of shootings in Memphis, Tennessee, named Mavis Christian Jr., was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to police.

- The search and rescue for the 40 trapped workers at a collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand, India, was suspended. Authorities fear that this is a sign of further tunnel collapse and the workers may be buried even further.

- Israel claims that the CCTV footage shows hostages held at Gaza's Al-Shifa hospital. They claimed that hostages were being taken to the Al-Shifa hospital after the deadly Hamas attacks on October 7th.

- Former US First Lady, Rosalynn Carter, passed away at the age of 96.

- The second season of the Tower of God anime series will premiere this July 2024.

- Actress Hwang Bo Ra is expecting her first child.

- Super Junior member Kyuhyun was hurt due to an assailant backstage at a musical venue, according to reports.

- Actor Joss Ackland dies at the age of 95.

TTFN.