Let's Do The News! (February 26, 2015)

Welcome back. Here is your current sitrep:

- The row between the Obama administration and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu deepens as he accuses the US and others of giving up on trying to stop Iran obtaining nuclear weapons. Republicans invited the Israeli leader to address the Congress next week, making Democrats furious.

- The FBI arrested three foreigners living in Brooklyn, New York, who they are believed that they are joining the Islamic State. According to them, two of them had threatened to kill police officers and FBI agents in the US if they were unable to travel to Syria. They were charged with conspiracy to provide material support to militants.

- Russian leader Vladimir Putin warns Ukraine about suspending gas supplies to its easter regions controlled by pro-Russian rebels.

- Top officials from the USA and China have confirmed their cooperation against the nuclear programs of North Korea. They believed that the Korean Peninsula will not succeed in their pursuit of nuclear weapons and economic development.

- The Australian division of Lockheed Martin secured a contract to supply the Royal Australian Air Force with a C-130J Hercules virtual maintenance trainer and multifunction training aid to boost training at the RAAF Base Richmond, near Sydney.

- To celebrate the upcoming Furious 7, Universal Studios collaborate with Turn 10 Studios, developers of the famed Forza franchise, to deliver a brand new Fast & Furious expansion on Forza Horizon 2. Available on both XBOX One and XBOX 360 consoles this 27th of March for free until 10th of April ($10 after deadline), players can take on Fast and Furious challenges inspired from the hit racing action thriller franchise.

- The McLaren 675LT has been unveiled and this is the ultimate in McLaren's Super Series lineup, where the 650S is at. The 3.8L V8 twin-turbo has been enhanced to 675PS of power output and thanks to its new aerodynamics, not to mention the signature long tail at the rear, 0-62mph in 2.9 seconds and top speed of 205mph, which is 2mph slower than the less-powerful 650S but this is a serious track weapon for a road-legal car.

2016 McLaren 675LT

- Jensen returns with their upcoming GT model that will served as the revival of Britain's legendary sportscar maker since its 2002 demise. It will be made by the same people behind the unofficial, Corvette-powered Interceptor as seen in one episode of Top Gear a few years ago. Spearheaded by ex-Aston Martin boss Tim Hearley, the new Jensen's future plans include another model due next year.

- There was a short web movie made by director Joseph Khan and it features a grim, sadistic look to one of our childhood heroes on TV, the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Called POWER/RANGERS, this short clip features Battlestar Galactica's Katee Sackhoff as the Pink Ranger and Dawson Creek's James Van Der Beek as the Red Ranger. It was uploaded by one of the producers, Adi Shankar, on his YouTube channel and according to the producer himself, the reason why they want to bootleg the Power Rangers is the realization that high school teens have been weaponized to fight intergalactic threats and such prolonged experience had turned them into dystopic adults.

Saban Brands, the owners of the Rangers franchise, warned Joseph Khan to take that web movie off the interwebs but as of now, over 8.5 million viewers have seen this. Watch it while you still can if you dare.

TTFN!!!

Let's Do The News! (February 25, 2015)

Welcome back. Here is your current sitrep:

- Amnesty International urged five UNSC members to give up their power of veto in genocide votes. According to their annual report, the global response to an array of catastrophes in 2014 have been shameful and developing countries were guilty of taking an abhorrent stance by not sheltering more refugees. They expect a much grim outlook for this year and the rights group said world leaders need to act fast to confront the changing nature of armed conflict.

- Eddie Ray Routh was convicted guilty for the murder of American Sniper Chris Kyle and sentenced to life imprisonment without parole, although prosecutors had not sought the death penalty. Chris Kyle, known for his record-high sniper kills during his US military service, was shot and killed alongside his mate Chad Littlefield at a certain shooting range south-west of Fort Worth, Texas.

- According to a certain human rights group, Islamic State militants have kidnapped about 90 Assyrian Christians from villages in Syria. Those kidnappings came after Syrian Kurdish militia fighters launched new offensives on Sunday to reclaim territories held by militants in Hasaka.

- US President Barack Obama vetoed a bill to approve construction of part of an oil pipeline linking Canada and the Gulf Coast. This is the first veto since Republicans took over the House and the Senate after last year's midterm elections. Obama exercised his veto three times during his 6-year tenure as the leader of the USA.

- Today marks the 29th anniversary of the Edsa People Power Revolution and here's the full text of President Benigno Aquino III's speech during the celebration which can be viewed by clicking here.

- The Aston Martin Vulcan has been unveiled and this track-only racecar is powered by a 7.0L V12 engine developing over 800bhp of power output. It's set for its Geneva premiere next month.

Aston Martin Vulcan

- Beginning 23rd of March, Google's Blogger won't let users to publicly share images and video that are sexually explicit or show graphic nudity. They will still allow nudity if the content is for artistic, educational, documentary, or scientific purposes.

- The Volkswagen Touran minivan has now gained its full-model change and this new-generation Golf-based minivan is set for its Geneva debut next month.

2016 Volkswagen Touran

- NOW AVAILABLE: The 10th DLC Catalog for the PS3-exclusive The iDOLM@STER ONE FOR ALL game! For this catalog, Rin Shibuya from Cinderella Girls will be making a special guest appearance! Also, two new outfits have been added such as the Refrain Romance and Night On Stage, as well as the new song edeN.

765SHOP CATALOG Vol. 10

TTFN!!!

Top Gear S22E05

Top Gear S22E05

It's the fifth episode of Top Gear Series 22 and on that episode, Richard Hammond's on the track to try out the latest version of the Chevrolet Corvette as well as the hardcore-ish Porsche Cayman GTS. When handed to The Stig, the Cayman GTS did it in 1:21.6 while the new Vette did it in 1:19.8.

Meanwhile and after moments of waiting, James May finally gets a hold of Ferrari's ultimate machine called the LaFerrari and he even get the chance to try one at Ferrari's Fiorano test track.

Singer Olly Murs is the Star In A Reasonably Priced Car and with the lap time of 1:44.6, he's now named the quickest celeb round the track.

And then, the episode ends with Jeremy and James investigating Peugeots and they even got the chance to drive one in a terrible but hilarious kind of way. Some crashing were involved in that bit but they did made a point about Peugeot, apparently.

2015 Academy Awards

At the 87th Annual Academy Awards, the movie Birdman was named as the best picture as well as having the film's director Alejandro G. Inarritu named best director, best original screenplay, and best cinematography.

Birdman is a film about a waning actor, played by Michael Keaton, who once played a superhero in a superhero flick, tries to start a Broadway play. It also stars Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, and Naomi Watts.

Apart from Birdman winning big at the Oscars, Eddie Redmayne, who portrayed Stephen Hawking in the biopic The Theory of Everything, was named as Best Actor while Julianne Moore, also stared on this film, was named Best Actress.

Patricia Arquette was named Best Supporting Actress from her performance in the film that was made 12 years in the making, Boyhood.

J.K. Simmons was named Best Supporting Actor for his role as an abusive jazz instructor from the movie Whiplash, which scored three Oscar wins this year.

The Imitation Game was named as Best Adapted Screenplay courtesy of Graham Moore.

Disney's Big Hero 6 and an animated short Feast win Animated Oscars as well.

Report: http://www.pep.ph/news/48955/oscars-2015-birdman-named-best-picture-julianne-moore-and-eddie-redmayne-win-top-acting-honors

Let's Do The News! (February 23, 2015)

Welcome back. Here is your current sitrep:

- The Australian government is toughening up their citizenship laws in their all-out effort to combat rampant terrorist threats. It also states that citizenship for dual nationals involved in terrorism could be suspended or revoked. Australian PM Tony Abbott said that the terrorist threat is rising at home and abroad.

- The Greek government's preparing to present a list of reforms to lenders in order to secure the nation's bailout extension. Under the deal set last Friday, the list must be approved by global creditors to secure their four-month loan extension.

- Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko led a march in Kiev on Sunday as remembrance to those who fought and lost their lives during the Eastern Ukrainian unrest. He reiterated his intention to seek membership for his country in the EU while commemorating the first anniversary of the fall of the pro-Russian government.

- Residents of Japan's Yonaguni Island in Okinawa Prefecture have voted in the referendum on whether to host a Ground Self Defense Force observation unit. The majority of the votes are favored of the plan rather than opposing it. Part of the efforts to increase the southwestern island's defense, the government plans to base 150 units on Japan's westernmost island.

- Heavy artillery forces the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters to retreat from their Cotabato villages and the civilians displaced by the conflict could safely return to their homes now.

- Onto the Mamasapano investigation, Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr., the AFP chief General, asked for an executive session for the military's top leaders to uncover their actions on their failed Mamasapano raid that killed 44 of the Special Action Force units last January. This session would allow the leaders to talk freely.

- The Range Rover Evoque is in duty for four years since its 2011 release and now it's time for its minor change for the 2016 model year. It's set for its Geneva Motor Show debut next month.

2016 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque

- The second-generation Toyota Auris hatchback has been given a minor change and it's set for its Geneva Motor Show debut next month.

- F1 driver Fernando Alonso was hospitalized after crashing his McLaren-Honda F1 car during test runs in Barcelona.

- The first full-length trailer for the DCOM sequel, Teen Beach 2, is now streaming and this sequel to the 2013 DCOM premieres this summer on Disney Channel!

TTFN!!!

"Mr. K" Katayama passed away

Yutaka Katayama

It is with regret that news about Yutaka "Mr. K" Katayama, known worldwide as the father of the Z-car, has passed away at the age of 105 due to his heart failure. It was confirmed by his son, Mitsuo.

"Mr. K" was born in 1909 in Shizuoka Prefecture and was hired by Nissan in 1935 as in charge of the PR management and later advertising. He was known to be the founding father of the Tokyo Auto Show when the first one, then-called the All-Japan Motor Show, started in 1954.

He was the one behind Nissan's US operations, established the Datsun brand in American soil, and the mastermind behind the iconic Datsun 240Z sports car (also known as the Fairlady Z S30). He was part of the Automotive Hall of Fame in both the US and Japan. Fairlady fans revered to "Mr. K" as a God and respected by many car enthusiasts.

Nissan once made a three-part documentary to celebrate Katayama-san's 105th birthday last year.

Despite his passing, his legacy lives on to the generation of Z cars past, present, and future.

Report: http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/interviews/news/a25078/yutaka-katayama-father-of-the-datsun-z-dead-at-105/

Leopaul's Heaven and Hell: The Bleating Conundrum

Goat or Sheep?

2015 is the year of the sheep while some call it the year of the goat. Errr....what? Year of the goat or year of the sheep? I'm getting confused already because while some call it goat, some call it sheep, others got hurt themselves in confusion.

Sure, goats and sheeps are very different mammals but what made them similar is their bleating sounds. You know...baaahhhh! Baaaahhhhh! Baaaaahhhh!!! Okay enough the bah-bah sounds. Anyway, what made them similar is the way they behave. Some say, goats tend to be curious and independent while sheep tend to be more alone. Goats are browsers and they eat leaves, twigs, vines, and shrubs while sheeps are grazers and they like to eat short, tender grasses and clover.

Uh-oh... This is turning into a science lesson. Anyway, let's forget about this one above because what I'm talking about the confusion between "year of the goat" and "year of the sheep" on the Chinese zodiac. Heck, I wasn't the only ones who got confused over the sheep-goat debate because even the Chinese people are having a hard time distinguish the eighth animal in their zodiac. You see, when they named it "yang" in their Chinese zodiac, that Mandarin word refers to some hoofed animal that eats grass and bleats but doesn't mention if its a goat or a sheep. 

Heck, they even added Ram to the mix and no, not the Ram trucks that Chrysler made, nor is the battering ram used by riot policemen, it's the animal kind, but who cares? Ram, goat, sheep, they're all on a totally different leagues and there's no way they can share the eighth spot of the zodiac.

If the Chinese zodiac is interpreted by Pokemon, it could be either the year of Mareep or Gogoat because some would call it year of the sheep, others call it year of the goat. Well, since goats have more population than sheep, scenics would go for the goat while other scenics would go for the sheep. Or to put it in other terms, since Mareep's electric (yes, really), it's not very effective against Gogoat (because it's Grass type), it should be Gogoat's time to shine, not Mareep, but since the popularity is on Mareep's, it feels like Mareep's won the battle. Man, I'm starting to hurt myself in confusion but I still believe it's the goat's, not the sheeps, who claim the eighth spot of the zodiac. Man, I swear...

According to one theory, the year 2015 will be an important year for those who are born from the year of the goat, including me because I was born in 1991, which is one of the years marked as "year of the goat" according to the zodiac. Goats, according to the zodiac, are gentle, have very delicate thoughts, and prefer to be in groups. If that was the case, then, why I possess none of these traits? I am not gentle, I don't have delicate thoughts, and I prefer to be alone. Maybe those traits I had kinda felt like I'm not one of the goats but I still wanna try if I have the time to do it.

Whether if it's the year of the goat or the year of the sheep, the debate is still going on but no matter which side you're on, let's make this year count for us because for us who are born on the year of the goat (or sheep), it's our time to shine and let our presence be known to the world.

KUNG HEI FAT CHOY!