Let's Do The News! (December 4, 2014)

Welcome back. Here is your current sitrep:

- Monitoring on the situation of Typhoon Ruby, the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Center upgraded it into a "supertyphoon". As of now, it packs max winds of over 240kph with 296kph of gusts. Despite the worst, PAGASA still classifies it as a "Typhoon" with max winds of 195kph near the center and 230kph of gusts. Chances of making landfall in the Philippines? Very very high so watch out. Any day now, we might have Yolanda Part Two on our hands here.

- Although Iran's air strike against the ISIS isn't what the US military hoped for, US Secretary of State John Kerry appreciated the Iranians' help to combat against Islamic aggressors. Meanwhile, French president Francois Hollande said that the nation's military is prepared for airstrikes against those Islamic aggressors in Iraq.

- Violent protests broke out after a grand jury rejected the charge against an NYPD officer who choked a black man to death, days after a similar decision erupt such protests in most US cities. Those cases reignited a longstanding debate about relations between policemen and African-Americans.

- In Germany, mourners flocked to the funeral of a young German-Turkish woman named Tugce Albayrak, who became a symbol of civic courage after sacrificing her life, protecting two teenage girls from  a fast food restaurant fracas. She has been given a posthumous Federal Order of Merit award.

- The American-based aviation company Boeing announced that it completed the first test flight with "green diesel" which helps reduce emissions in aviation. Their 787 prototype called the ecoDemonstrator successfully flew with 85% conventional fuel and 15% green diesel, according to officials.

- CURSE WORD! Ferrari unveiled the track-only LaFerrar-based FXX K track car which delivers a massive 1021bhp of power output as well as an array of aerodynamics suitable for this track-only version of the LaFerrari hybrid hypercar.

Ferrari FXX K

- More Pokemon-related toys from Takara Tomy on the radar! For this month, expect a mix of XY and ORAS- related toys in the mix! In the MonColle lineup, they've added Mega Sceptile, Mega Swampert, Hydreigon, and Goomy! For the Pokemon XY plushies, Goomy (with its mouth open), Frogadier, and Braixen are added. Also, the Mega Bracelet toy, as seen in the recently-launched Pokemon ORAS 3DS games, is coming this month. It's just like the Mega Ring from XY only different and that's great if you're cosplaying as either a boy or a girl hero character from ORAS!

- There's now a December update for the PS3-exclusive F2P flight shooting game Ace Combat Infinity! So, what's new for this month?

•  The Moby Dick Pursuit and Stonehenge Returns Special Raid Missions are back and watch out for the brand new "Moby Dick Pursuit IV" and "STONEHENGE RETURNS IV". These special raid missions are a lot more harder than the previous ones so make sure your aircraft is well prepared for the extremes!
• New Online Co-Op Missions added such as the "Tokyo Martial Law (HARD)", which is like the normal Tokyo Martial Law mission...only this time with harder and more enemy reinforcements, and the brand-new fan-favorite "Area B7R Dogfight Battle".
• New aircrafts rolling out such as the F-16XL, X-29A, and the FB-22 Strike Raptor. Look out for the new "BOMBER" category as well. BOMBER-type aircrafts are large, slower, and less maneuverable than other aircraft but their air-to-ground weapons can't be beat! The B-1B Lancer and the B-2A Spirit make a nice welcome to the new BOMBER lineup in ACI.
• "Special Supply Ticket" feature is added! These tickets can be exchanged for limited-time items by selecting "Special Supply Items Catalog" in the Hangar.
• You can now register up to 12 Instant Radio Messages.
• The "Sign In Bonus" feature has been improved and rather than credits, you can score cool bonuses such as research reports, Special Supply Tickets, Emblems, and more in accordance with the number of times you have signed in.

...and so much more!

Area B7R Dogfight Battle now playable in the
latest Ace Combat Infinity update!

- LAST CHANCE! The Family Guy Quest For Stuff American Dad special collaboration event ends tomorrow. It's your last chance to collect the Smiths as well as other American Dad goodies for use in this app! Hurry up before the CIA dismisses it forever!

- The Sony PlayStation is now 20 years old and to celebrate its 20th anniversary, they've launched a special PlayStation4 20th Anniversary edition. Limited to 12,300 units worldwide, this special PS4 is colored in "original grey", a tribute to the first ever PlayStation in history.

TTFN!!!

VIDEO: A Mercedes SLK caught fire at a certain car show

A video of a modified, first-gen, Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class caught fire during a certain car show in the Philippines went viral.

This happened during last week's Bumper 2 Bumper X Car Show held outside SM Mall of Asia. Everyone panicked until someone with the fire extinguisher put out the fire immediately. Of course, everyone's safe. This viral video serve as a lesson that even in a car show, safety is important and it's important to bring a fire extinguisher in an emergency situation such as this.

(Warning: This clip is NSFW)

Forza Horizon 2: Driving the Grand Cherokee SRT

Two years ago in the original Forza Horizon on the XBOX 360, I've driven the current-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 and this muscle car in SUV's clothing makes me feel like I'm donning a stetson and imagining the Colorado location as my Wild West where the Grand Cherokee loves to have a duel with the other cars. It may have sacrificed its mobility for the sake of added speed, this car has some cowboy's honor on it.

With the arrival of its facelifted ego, every Forza Faithful in the world were wandering when will the folks from T10 be featuring the facelifted Grand Cherokee SRT, even last year's FM5 didn't made the cut because they've just featured a previous-generation SRT8 with the 6.1L HEMI V8 in it. Until now...



Here it is, folks. The 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT. It's part of FH2's Mobil 1 Pack and although it looks the same as the pre-facelifted model that I drove in the original Horizon two years ago, some big changes have been occurred on the inside. Of course, it has some updated interior design in it but the biggest change of all is its gearbox. The pre-facelifted model has a 5-speed automatic gearbox but the 2014 model added three more gears so it's now an 8-speed automatic. 8 gears overall! That's about how many legs an octopus have or so I thought.



For a high-performance version of Jeep's flagship SUV, it's still behaves like a normal Grand Cherokee and all that beef jerky that I just ate for recess, this car still tastes like that old-timey Texan treat. That glorious HEMI 6.4L V8 engine sound, now that's beef jerky stuff and this sound can't get even more delicious. Yes. I just said that but since we're in FH2 and this is Southern Europe, there's no jerky but driving the facelifted Grand Cherokee SRT on FH2 tastes like fried calamari and nougat for lunch. Geez, why am I saying that? Is it because my mouth's full of chewy stuff?! Anyway, never mind about that but this hi-po SUV loves to chew through any road it crosses, be it tarmac, gravel, or dirt alike.



Although it feels the same as the pre-facelifted GC SRT8 that I drove two years ago, the latest Grand Cherokee SRT still has some cowboy's honor even in the world where beef jerkies aren't existed in Europe. Now that I spent several hours evaluating this car, I have a road trip back to the festival and I'll be using this car for the ride. Be advised: This SUV doesn't wait to go and...you guessed it...the Grand Cherokee SRT needs to go like Nina Needs To Go. Anyone knows where the nearest restroom is? I really need to go.

Top Gear Awards 2014

Top Gear Awards 2014

Yes, it's that time of the year the BBC Top Gear Magazine announced which car make it to their car of the year and for 2014, this Top Gear Awards is no slouch and always in tune with the times. As time moves fast, the year 2014 is coming to a close, and with the upcoming Christmas special is coming this month on BBC Two (yes, the one with the controversial plate in it that caused anger by the Falklands War veterans), it's time to find out which of these machines make it to the Top Gear Awards 2014.

Jeremy Clarkson's COTY - Chevrolet Corvette Stingray

James May's COTY - Ferrari LaFerrari

Richard Hammond's COTY - Porsche 918 Spyder

Sports Car of the Year - Mercedes-AMG GT

Hot Hatch of the Year - Volkswagen Golf R

Supercar of the Year - Lamborghini Huracan

City Car of the Year - Renault Twingo

Hatchback of the Year - Citroen C4 Cactus

Family Car of the Year - Mercedes-Benz C-Class Estate

Coupe of the Year - Audi TT

Luxury Car of the Year - Mercedes-Benz S-Class Coupe

Cabriolet of the Year - Ferrari 458 Speciale A

Muscle Car of the Year - Chevrolet Corvette Z06

Top Gear Car of the Year 2014 - BMW i8

Source: http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/top-gear-car-of-the-year-2014-12-03

Nintendo 3DS Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire Super Music Complete

Nintendo 3DS Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire
Super Music Complete

Last month, Pokemon fans from all over the world are enjoying with one of the most anticipated 3DS titles of 2014 which is more of a revived version of the original Pocket Monsters Ruby & Sapphire versions called Pocket Monsters Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.

Whether if they're a battle-ready veteran or a battle-shy rookie, these games will turn themselves into the deadliest of the ace trainers as they embark on a wonderful Hoenn region like they've never seen before. Whether they can choose between Treecko, Torchic, or Mudkip, collect different kinds of Pokemon, train them to unleash utter devastation with clinical precision, battle against some of Hoenn's highly skilled trainers, wow the crowd with your Pokemon's moves in the Pokemon Contest Spectacular, fend off the war between Team Aqua and Team Magma, uncover the hidden prophecies lurking around the Hoenn region, make your own Secret Bases and share it to the world, go on a free-flight with Latias or Latios, witness new Mega Evolutions from your favorite Pokemons, and overall, unleash Groudon and Kyogre's true selves with Primal Reversion. There's even online connectivity where ace trainers meet up to battle or trade with their Pokemons.

Now, with the arrival of the official soundtrack from Pokemon ORAS, we can now relive the drama and destruction in the latest installment of one of Nintendo's ever-evolving legendary series at the comfort of our ears. It's a 6-disc compilation and in this compilation, not only you can listen to newly remastered versions of those Ruby and Sapphire BGMs but also the original Ruby and Sapphire BGMs as well. There's also some bonus tracks curated by the Game Freak Sound Team just to spice up the ante.

Once more, it even comes with a 28-page booklet that will take you behind the scenes on the rebirth of the Advanced Generation and of course, reversible covers. You can switch the cover from either Primal Groudon or Primal Kyogre, depending on your liking.

Pocket Monsters Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire are now on sale exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS range (from the old 3DS, 2DS, and new 3DS models) and for a limited time, claim your shiny Beldum equipped with a Mega Stone up until January 2015. Execute pre-flight checks - Hoenn awaits.

Let's Do The News! (December 3, 2014)

Welcome back. Here is your current sitrep:

- IT'S YOLANDA PART TWO, HUH? Weather officials reported there is an incoming typhoon approaching in the same region that was devastated by Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) last year. Called Typhoon Ruby (Hagupit), it would have further intensified with sustained winds up to 175kph, causing heavy rainfall and storm surges. Note that winds above 220kph is considered a supertyphoon but at that rate, looks like we have Yolanda Part Two in our hands in the Philippines and this...Typhoon Ruby could repeat the Yolanda tragedy last year.

Typhoon Ruby

- Earlier, there was a South Korean fishing vessel, called the Oryong 501 sank in the Bering Sea off the coast of Russia's far eastern Chukotka region due to bad weather and over 50 people remain missing. Officials in Seoul said there were eight people pulled from the water; a Russian official, a South Korean crew member, three Filipinos and three Indonesians. A South Korean who is one of them is frozen to death.

- Republicans may launch a counterattack against President Barack Obama's immigration order.

- A video of two Indian sisters fending off against male harassers in the bus went viral. This viral clip is just one of the cases of sexual harassment in India and this one is different from a gang rape of an Indian schoolgirl while riding in the bus two years ago.

- The top officials from NATO are supporting Ukrainian forces and oppose Russia for backing separatists as the alliance signed off on its new training mission in Afghanistan.

- Northrop Grumman opened its Australian operations during the launch ceremony at the Australian War Memorial last night. Their products have been supporting Australian national security requirements for over two decades and with the commencement of their Australian operations, it is one of the key growth areas targeted by the Northrop Grumman Corp.

- The teleserye that started the craze, Pangako Sa 'Yo, gets a much awaited reboot for next year. Yes. We can expect a new twist on this timeless ABS-CBN teleserye that ushered a new age of Philippine TV and for this reboot, the KathNiel love team is back as Kathryn Bernardo will play as Yna Macaspac while Daniel Padilla will play the role of Angelo Buenavista. Of course, nothing is complete without the legendary rivalry between the two rival villains from the series and for this 2015 reboot, Banana Split comedienne Angelica Panganiban will play as the new Claudia Buenavista while Jodi Sta. Maria, the actress from the recently-concluded Be Careful with My Heart will play as the new Amor Powers.

- There's a new Forza Horizon 2 DLC Pack for the month of December and it's the new NAPA Chassis Car Pack featuring the the McLaren 650S, the new Range Rover, the new Audi RS6 Avant, and so much more! It's now for sale but Season Pass owners can get it for free!



- GM Europe unveiled their new budget cars called the Opel Karl and Vauxhall Viva, which is set for their 2015 Geneva Motor Show debut this March. They'll be both based on the upcoming Chevrolet Spark which Europeans won't be seeing it because of Chevrolet ceasing their European sales this 2015.

2016 Opel Karl

2016 Vauxhall Viva

- The company behind the Maisto and Bburago toy cars now has exclusive rights for Ferrari next year so when the next time you want a Ferrari toy car from your local toy store, be sure it's a Maisto or a Bburago.

TTFN!!!

Let's Do The News! (December 2, 2014)

Welcome back. Here is your current sitrep:

- Japanese politicians began their 12-day campaigning for the general election on the 14th of December. PM Shinzo Abe is framing the vote as a referendum to his economic policy.

- The top diplomats kicked off their UN conference on climate change, known as COP-20, in Lima, the capital city of Peru. They're discussing a new plan to limit greenhouse gas emissions with an agreement, set for the end of 2015, that will replace the Kyoto Protocol that expired two years ago.

- The Al-Shabab aggressors have killed around 36 quarry workers, mostly Christian, near the north Kenyan town of Mandera last week. This massacre sparked a mass protest seeking justice to those that killed by the Somalia-based Islamist aggressors.

- 22 personnel from the Philippine Air Force have been detained at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay due to an alleged hazing incident. One of them is a junior officer who undergoes training while the rest are cadets of the Officer of Candidate School. Nine of the cadets were recommended for discharge while the remaining 13 are under investigation.

- Senator Jinggoy Estrada addressed his concern over the Sandiganbayan decision to reject the bail plea of his co-accused Senator Bong Revilla.

- Mercedes-Benz celebrated their F1 2014 win with their limited-edition SL63 AMG World Championship 2014 Collector's Edition, featuring two different styles reflecting on two Mercedes-F1 drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton.

Mercedes-AMG SL63 World Championship 2014
Collector's Edition 

- AN END OF AN ERA: Ford Australia announced that they'll be pulling out of the V8 Supercars championship after the 2015 season. This decision is part of Ford's announcement that they will stop producing cars for the Australian market in 2016.

- More Caterham models will be introduced next year and each will have its own numerical nameplate to reflect its power to weight ratio.

- Check out the teaser clip from the upcoming Teen Beach Movie 2, sequel to the 2013 Disney Channel Original Movie that will soon be airing on Disney Channel this summer of 2015.

- Zendaya is back! Check out the first teaser clip from her upcoming Disney Channel original TV series K.C. Undercover, hitting the TV screens next year!



TTFN!!!