Let's Do The News! (January 13, 2015)

Welcome back. Here is your current sitrep:

- This week's edition of Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical magazine that was attacked by Islamic terrorists last week, will showcase a sketch depicting the Prophet Muhammad holding a "Je suis Charlie" sign while the words above the sketch are "All is forgiven".

- The cockpit voice recorder from the crashed AirAsia QZ8501 flight was finally recovered a day after the retrieval of the first piece of the black box flight recorder. With these two devices recovered from the crash site, they will now be able to find out what caused the disappearance of 162 people on board last month.

- Despite North Korea demanded Washington to cancel bilateral drills with South Korea planned for this year in exchange of halting nuclear tests, the US State Department says that they will not cancel their annual joint military exercise with South Korea. State Department spokesperson Marie Harf said that the North's statement inappropriately links the routine exercises to the possibility of another nuclear test and an imminent threat.

- Reports told that the Popemobile will be prepared for the imminent arrival of Pope Francis in the Philippines on the 15th to 19th of January will be based on a popular Isuzu pickup truck and will be assembled by Gencars Inc. The Isuzu-based Popemobile will be reportedly be used by Pope Francis in the calamity-stricken Tacloban, while a jeepney-based Popemobile is said to be used for Manila visit.

Back in 1995, a defunct Philippine car company called Francisco Motors Corporation built a Popemobile based on the Anfra AUV during Blessed Pope John Paul II's visit to the Philippines.

- A trio of high-performance vehicles from Ford Motor Company was finally unveiled at the 2015 NAIAS. The 2017 Ford GT supercar, the 2016 Mustang GT350R, and the 2017 Ford SVT Raptor, are Ford's star cars that stole the crowd. The GT350R maybe a hardcore version of the GT350 Mustang with reduced weight and added dynamics while the new GT and new SVT Raptor are heavily armed with the most powerful EcoBoost V6 turbo engines to date. And it gets better because...

- ...following the announcement of the three new hi-po Ford vehicles, Microsoft and Turn 10 Studios announced Forza Motorsport 6 coming exclusively on the XBOX One console at late 2015. Not only these three became playable for the gaming public but the 2017 Ford GT became the hero car of the upcoming game that celebrates 10 years of Forza Motorsport history. The year 2015 will be the biggest year for the Forza franchise yet!

Forza Motorsport 6

- The production-version Honda/Acura NSX has finally unveiled at the 2015 NAIAS! It's about time the real deal showed up!

2016 Acura NSX

- The all-new, second-generation, Lincoln MKX, has been officially revealed during the 2015 NAIAS. Now ready to take on the world, the new MKX offers a sleek crossover design, high-tech features, and an advanced 2.7L EcoBoost turbo engine that develops more power than the 3.7L V6 engine offered on this new generation.

2016 Lincoln MKX

- Bentley officially announced that their upcoming SUV, due 2016, will be named Bentayga.

TTFN!!!

Kia Morning/Picanto Mk.II (2015 minor change)

2015 Kia Morning

The second-generation Kia Morning (Picanto to the world market) has been around for four years since its early 2011 debut and now, it has been given a minor facelift to keep it fresh for what's ahead for the second-generation model.

For this facelift, the updated second-generation model features a slightly revised front rear bumpers with new fog lights, refreshed signature grille, new alloy wheels, and that's about it. No further changes on its interior though. It still looks pretty much the same as the pre-facelifted one.

2015 Kia Morning interior

2015 Kia Morning interior

For the first time, the 2015 minor change Morning offers a turbocharged 1.0L 3-cylinder engine as well as a Bi-Fuel variant. The turbo model produces 106PS of power and 14kg-m of torque while mated exclusively with a CVT gearbox. Fuel economy is a shy 14.0km/L.

The 1.0L Bi-Fuel, on the other hand, is powered not just on petrol but on LPG as well. It retains the same 78PS power output as the regular 1.0L engine while mated with either a 4AT or 5MT but fuel economy figures can vary depending on the source of fuel it runs. Running on petrol, fuel economy may be about 15.8km/L but running on LPG alone will return about 13.2km/L of fuel economy.

Let's not forget that in the normal 1.0L 3-cylinder engine, the fuel economy is about 15.2km/L for the 4AT variant and 16.2km/L for the 5MT variant.

2015 Kia Morning

The 2015 minor change Kia Morning now starts at 9,500,000 up to 14,400,000 Korean Won, depending on the variant.

Available Colors: Galaxy Black, Bright Silver, Milky Beige, Original White, Titanium Silver, Alice Blue, Dazzling Blue, Celestial Blue, Signal Red, and Cherry Pink

Photo: Kia Motors

Mazda Carol (HB26S)

2015 Mazda Carol

Following with the launch of the eighth-generation Suzuki Alto, the Mazda equivalent known as the Carol is not left behind as it follows suit to the Alto's regeneration that led them to record-breaking fuel economy figures.

2015 Mazda Carol interior

2015 Mazda Carol interior

Set to launch this late January, the all-new Carol, mostly a borrowed version of the Suzuki Alto, follows a much traditional design fit for a budget-friendly car made for first-timers or those who got their driver's license for the first time. Although simple-looking for a mainstream car, its fuel economy stands out from the rest because the new Carol, like the new Alto, comes with the S-ENE-CHARGE system that assists the engine's acceleration with a motor by adopting the Integrated Starter Generator and a Li-ion battery that specifically made for this system. Coupled that with the R06A engine and the CVT gearbox and the result is a record-breaking fuel-economy of 37.0kmpl based on Japan's JC08 Mode standards.

2015 Mazda Carol

The cheapest version comes standard with the 5-speed manual gearbox which leads the entry-level version a simple fuel economy of around 27.2kmpl.

For those who want an all-rounder should choose the 4WD version which is capable when the roads are getting a bit slippery when wet but although mated exclusively with a CVT gearbox, fuel economy is dropped to 33.2km/L. That's a small price to pay but this version really takes the cake regardless of the weather, be it rainy or snowy.

Prices start from 847,800 to 1,123,200 Japanese Yen.

Available colors: Fizz Blue Pearl Metallic, Urban Brown Pearl Metallic, Pure Red, Silky Silver Metallic, Chiffon Ivory Metallic, Superior White, and Pearl White.

Photo: Mazda Motor Corporation

Let's Do The News! (January 12, 2015)

Welcome back. Here is your current sitrep:

- Over three million people took part on a rally that stretches across the entire France following the brutal killings of 17 people during three days of Paris attacks; first the Charlie Hebdo attack, then policemen, and a kosher supermarket. The world's top leaders took part of it and it's not just France that took part of the rally but also Britain, USA, Canada, and Germany, among many other nations.

The three days of Paris attacks occurred on the 7th of January when two masked gunmen, identified as the Kouachi brothers Said and Cherif, attacked the Charlie Hebdo offices, killing 11 people including the magazine's editor. On the 8th of January, a lone gunman named Amedy Coulibaly killed a police officer and injured a man in the south of Paris while the Kouachi bros. robbed a service station near Villers-Cotterets in the Aisne region. And then, on the 9th of January, Coulibaly and the Kouachi bros. were shot dead by heavily armed policemen. Coulibaly was shot during the police raid at the kosher supermarket while the Kouachi bros. came out of the warehouse and were both shot dead during a crossfire against armed policemen.

- Following the Paris attacks, the US Government plans to hold an international conference set for the 18th of February to counter violent extremism and discussing ways on how to prevent civilians getting caught to terror attacks like the ones occurred in the French capital.

- Meanwhile, a German paper that ran Charlie Hebdo editorial sketches, called Hamburger Morgenpost, was firebombed last Sunday. The paper that reprinted sketches mocking the Prophet Mohammed from the French satirical paper Charlie Hebdo was the target of an arson attack. No one's inside at the headquarters of the regional daily tabloid at the time of the attack, which caused light damage.

- Officials reported that Indonesian divers finally retrieved a black box flight recorder of the crashed AirAsia QZ8501 flight. Search and rescue officials said that they are still looking for the cockpit's voice recorder. With the retrieval of the flight recorder, investigations will be able to find out what caused the plane crash.

- In Game 3 of the PBA Finals, the Alaska Aces gained a 2-1 lead against the San Miguel Beermen after the score of 78-70, in favor of the Aces.

- The second-generation Chevrolet Volt PHEV was revealed with sleeker looks, new and efficient powertrain, and a brand new Regen on Demand feature which lets the drive control of energy regeneration via steering wheel paddles.

2016 Chevrolet Volt

- The Opel Cascada will arrive stateside as the Buick Cascada, which is set for its 2015 NAIAS debut and in stores early 2016.

2016 Buick Cascada

- Jaguar officially named their upcoming crossover, which is a production version of the CX-17 concept, as the F-Pace. It's set to be unveiled next year.

- Girl Meets World stars Rowan Blanchard and Sabrina Carpenter will be starring in their own DCOMs. Rowan will star alongside Mighty Med's Paris Berelc in the DCOM tentatively titled Invisible Sister while Sabrina Carpenter will be working alongside actress Sofia Carson on a DCOM tentatively titled Further Adventures of Babysitting.

- For those who missed the 2015 Golden Globe Awards, here are the list of this year's winners:

• Best Motion Picture, Drama - Boyhood
• Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama - Eddie Redmayne from The Theory of Everything
• Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama - Julianne Moore from Still Alice
• Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy - The Grand Budapest Hotel
• Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy - Michael Keaton from Birdman
• Best Actress in a TV Series, Drama - Ruth Wilson from The Affair
• Best Director - Motion Picture - Richard Linklater for Boyhood
• Best Actor in a TV Series, Drama - Kevin Spacey from Netflix's House of Cards
• Best TV Series, Drama - The Affair
• Best Actress in a Mini-series or TV Movie - Maggie Gyllenhaal from The Honourable Woman
• Best Foreign Language Film - Leviathan
• Best Actor in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy - Jeffrey Tambor from Transparent
• Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture - Patricia Arquette from Boyhood
• Best Animated Feature Film - How to Train Your Dragon 2
• Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy - Amy Adams from Big Eyes.
• Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie - Matt Bomer from The Normal Heart
• Best Original Song - Motion Picture - Glory from Selma
• Best Original Score - Motion Picture Johann Johannsson for The Theory of Everything
• Best TV Series, Musical or Comedy - Transparent
• Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical, or Comedy - Gina Rodriguez from Jane the Virgin
• Best Actor in a TV Series, Musical, or Comedy - Billy Bob Thornton from Fargo
• Best TV Movie or Mini-Series - Fargo
• Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or TV Movie - Joann Froggatt from Downton Abbey
• Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture - J.K. Simmons from Whiplash

TTFN!!!

Forza Horizon 2: Nissan's IDx NISMO Concept

So this is what "First in Forza" really means on the recently-launched G-SHOCK Car Pack for the Forza Horizon 2 XBOX One game and the arrival of one of Nissan's coolest concept cars really sizzled me to bits. Although it looks a bit boxy and small, the IDx NISMO Concept tries to trace the legendary 510's footsteps in a whole new way.



This experimental sports car concept was premiered at the 2013 Tokyo Motor Show and it was based on the IDx Freeflow concept. It was designed entirely by young people who spent their time playing racing games that features cars of the past and from all corners of the globe. They used the legendary Datsun Bluebird 510 as an inspiration to create a modern-day interpretation of a legend.

The design of the IDx NISMO is purely race-inspired inside and out and as proposed, the iDX NISMO is powered by a high-performance, eco-friendly 1.6L DIG TURBO engine mated with a CVT gearbox with 6-speed manual model.

I know it's a bit odd why we had a car mated with a CVT gearbox but on this game, it doesn't feel CVT-ish and by being true to the proposals, the CVT's 6-speed manual mode kicks in. Six simulated gears. That's right. You can really shift this thing with a bit of drama for later but despite the questionable gearbox on a concept car that appeared for the first time on Forza Horizon 2, it feels fantastic to drive for an experimental vehicle.



I was given an opportunity to try one out on a monthly rivals event made specifically for this car. On that monthly rivals event demonstrates the full nature of the IDx NISMO. So I took part on it to find out just how good this concept car is...






It's no surprising for a small car like this, the IDx NISMO Concept really fares well in terms of speed and agility. Although trying to mimic the progress of the legendary Datsun 510, this car never fails to impress me no matter what and I'm actually rather fond of it even though I'm not a fan of concept cars.



The IDx NISMO Concept is part of the G-SHOCK Car Pack on the Forza Horizon 2 XBOX One game and if you want to try out Nissan's coolest concept car, don't hesitate to do it.

The Sherlock Seattle 2015

 The Broadway Performance Hall, which is just near my former school Seattle Central College (formerly Seattle Central Community College), recently held an annual Sherlock Seattle Convention for those so-called Baker Street Irregulars to share their love for all things Sherlock Holmes. It runs for three days from the 9th to the 11th of January, 2015 and over the duration, Sherlockians are spending the rest of the day discovering all things Sherlock Holmes regardless of any kind of media they'll put this famed and fictitious master detective on. They even took part on any fun and games this year's convention can throw at them as long as they got their inner Sherlock Holmes or Dr. John Watson on.

To them, the so-called irregulars of 221B Baker Street, THE GAME IS ON!




More photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/leopauldelr/sets/72157647911172713/

Forza Horizon 2: The Toyota 86

The Toyota 86 has been with us since its 2012 debut worldwide and as time goes by, Japan's budget sportscar really proves that a good sportscar doesn't need a lot of power to get you going. Even though it's not one of the fastest cars ever made, its handling style is top notch, even a rookie can handle like a pro at ease, It feels well balanced thanks to its low center of gravity provided by its 2.0L boxer engine developed jointly with Subaru, and because it's a rear-wheel drive car, you can have as much fun as you want.

I decided to show how fun the 86 is by signing in a championship suitable for the 86 and I made some improvements to my 86 to become fully competitive for the championship it was signed to take on.



This fantasy livery made for my 86 was my idea and although the power remains unchanged on my improved 86, I decided to trim down some of its weight so it can corner better and faster as well but since this is Horizon, I can have as much fun as I want while racing my way to 1st place. Roll VTR...



With my 86 accomplished the Track Toys championship, it was time for me and my 86 to pack up our stuff and heading back through Nice Massena for a road trip as our journey to the finale continues.