Let's Do The News! (August 9, 2016)

- The low pressure area off Cagayan province will likely intensify into a tropical cyclone by Friday, further enhancing the habagat affecting Luzon. PAGASA based such forecast on current data indicating the LPA's possible development into a tropical cyclone by then. It its 5 a.m forecast, the LPA was spotted at around 1,200km east of Cagayan's Aparri municipality as of 4 a.m. of the same day.

- Former President Fidel V. Ramos said that he wants to focus on points of common interest with China as part of efforts to smooth relations with Beijing rolled by the South China Sea dispute. Current leader Rodrigo Roa Duterte has asked the 88-year-old Ramos to become his special envoy to pave the way for talks with the PRC following the international arbitration tribunal last month invalidated China's claims in a case put forward by the Philippines.

- Back to the imminent burial of the late dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, Senator Risa Hontiveros filed a resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the crimes of Marcos render him unfit for a hero's burial. Hontiveros stressed that the Libingan ng mga Bayani is designated for Filipino soldiers, war veterans and citizens considered as heroes and martyrs. Former presidents may be buried here except for those who convicted crimes. Hontiveros stressed that human rights violations committed under the late dictator's 20-year regime.

- China recently built three operational runways on the Fiery Cross, Mischief and Subi Reefs in the disputed Spratly Islands, part of the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. Despite China's claim that it are not militarizing the disputed seas following the tribunal, rapid construction of hangars in the Spratly Islands indicate that it is ready to deploy military aircraft to these outposts.

- The Islamic State extremists have forged an alliance with the Taliban from Eastern Afghanistan and they claimed responsibility behind the suicide attack at a hospital in southwestern Pakistan that reportedly killed at least 70 people.

- A new challenger has stepped into the 2016 US Presidential Race. The new challenger is named as former CIA officer Evan McMullin, who despises both Trump and Clinton in terms of different issues and he has launched his own independent bid for the White House. Despite his slim chances to win the elections, reports say he has the support of an anti-Trump conservative organization, and could win votes from Republicans wary of the party's nominee. Also, 50 former Republican national security officials released an open letter, saying they will not support Trump.

- The president of the Russian Paralympic Committee was dismayed over the IPC decision to ban all Russian paralympians from competing at the Rio Paralympics following revelations over Russia's doping program. Vladimir Lukin said an overwhelming majority of Russian Paralympians will be banned from competing despite not being guilty of doping. He also criticized the IPC for punishing athletes before an investigation by the World Anti Doping Agency is completed.

- In Pokemon GO-related news, there was a college student in San Francisco who was fatally shot while playing the game. Police stated that the 20-year-old college student was playing the game before being shot just before 10:00 PM on Saturday near Aquatic Park. Police haven't identified or arrested the assailant. Meanwhile, a 15-year-old girl got involved in a car accident on the 12th of July while playing Pokemon Go. She borrowed her mother's phone to play and then 30 minuted later, a car crashed into her while crossing the street. In Davao, Philippines, a player of the game assisted a man suffering from heatstroke. A 29-year-old male was playing the game when he saw a man vomiting blood and in weak condition. He administered first aid and dialled the emergency number. Now, Islamic leaders from Malaysia are calling on Muslims to stop playing the game. The statement was released on Friday, a day before Pokemon GO became available to the Malaysian public. It states that Muslims should not use the app, saying that the game is harmful and could lead to gambling which is prohibited under Islamic teachings. 

- Streaming service Hulu is ceasing its free streaming service and shift entirely to a paid subscription model while moving its ad-supported free streaming to a new service by Yahoo called Yahoo View, which will carry anime, K-dramas, and movies, as well as the latest five episodes of shows from ABC, NBC, and Fox, eight days after their original air date.

- Yes, you are doomed. the Nendoroid carrying the dreadful "666" number has unleashed and it was based on Elias Ainsworth, the sorcerer who appears on the manga "The Ancient Magus' Bride", which is due for a three-part anime project with the first part hitting select theaters this Saturday. Anyone who wish to dare keeping him home can order him for 4,444 Yen (plus tax) and deliveries will be made this December. You have been warned.

Nendoroid Elias Ainsworth

Meanwhile, Rem from Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World and Deadpool now got their own Nendoroids as well. Details are on the link.

Nendoroid Rem

Nendoroid Deadpool
Orechan Edition

TTFN!!!

Rio 2016 Highlights - Day 4

August 8, 2016 - DAY 4

Artistic Gymnastics, Diving, Fencing, Judo, Rugby, Shooting, Swimming, and Weightlifting are the main focus on the fourth day of the Rio 2016 Olympics.

Starting at Men's Team Artistic Gymnastics, the best from Japan has won gold, beating the likes of the controversial Russians and the Chinese. On the Men's Synchronised 10m Platform Final,

China's Aisen Chen and Yue Lin are named victors and won gold medals while David Boudia and Steele Johnson from USA placed 2nd and Great Britain's Thomas Daley and Daniel Goodfellow placed 3rd.

At the Women's Sabre Individual Gold Medal Bout, the two Russians, Sofya Velikaya and Yana Egorian, dueled each other for the Gold and Yana defeated her compatriot for that medal. Meanwhile, Olga Kharlan from Ukraine gained the bronze medal. Talk about timing that these Eastern European foes got thrown into the mix even at Olympic standards.

Brazil's Rafaela Silva won the Women's 57kg Judo finals against Mongolia's Sumiya Dorjsuren while Shohei Ono from Japan defeated Rustam Orujov from Azerbaijan to secure the Gold Medal.

The Australian Women's Rugby Team are named champions at the Women's Rugby Sevens match while New Zealand wins the silver medal and Canada wins the bronze medal.

Niccolo Campriani from Italy wins the 10m Air Rifle Men's Finals against Serhiy Kulish from Ukraine and Vladimir Maslennikov from Russia while Josip Glasnovic from Croatia wins the Trap Men's Shooting match against Italy's Giovanni Pellielo and Edward Ling from Britain.

In Swimming, Yang Sun from China wins the Men's 200m Freestyle while Katinka Hosszu from Hungary wins the Women's 100m Backstroke, Ryan Murphy from USA won the Men's 100m Backstroke, and Lillia King won the Women's 100m Breaststroke Final respectively.

And finally, in weightlifting, Sukanya Srisurat from Thailand defeated her compatriot Pimsiri Sirikaew and Cn Taipei's Hsing-Chin Kuo for the Gold Medal while Colombia's Oscar Albeiro Figueroa Mosquera defeated Eko Yuli Irawan from Indonesia and Farkhad Kharki from Kazakhstan for the gold.

For full schedule and results: https://www.rio2016.com/en/schedule-and-results

Let's Do The News! (August 8, 2016)

- The Marcos family has sent representatives to look for a site at the 103-hectare Libingan ng Mga Bayani in Taguig City where they want former President Ferdinand Marcos buried. Representatives of the family coordinated with the Army regarding entry to the Libingan ng Mga Bayani as well as coordinating with the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office as it is the agency tasked to supervise and monitor activities in the military cemetery. Malacañang on Sunday night said the PVAO was tasked to supervise the planning and preparation for the internment of the former president. Past reports state that President Rodrigo Duterte approved the transfer of Marcos' remains at the cemetery and scheduled on the 18th of September.

- Vice President Leni Robredo said she is opposed to the planned burial of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos' remains at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. The vice president lamented the atrocities done by the late dictator during his decade-long regime as reasons that the Marcos does not merit a hero's burial. Robredo said the interment of Marcos "will not bring unity to the country" as President Duterte, who made the Marcos burial a campaign promise, believes. This statement came following President Duterte's announcement that he will fulfill his campaign promise to allow the burial of Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani since he is a former soldier and president.

- Iran executed a nuclear scientist over his alleged ties with US spies over the country's nuclear program but who returned after claiming he had been abducted and tortured by the CIA. State-run media announced that Shahram Amiri, an Iranian nuclear scientist caught up in espionage, was executed. No one knows where or when the execution took place by Amiri's initial death sentence had been reviewed by an appeal court and that he had access to a lawyer. Amiri disappeared in Saudi Arabia since 2009 and resurfaced a year later in a set of online videos filmed in the US. He returned home with a hero's welcome and an arrest. In an interview, Amiri claimed he was kidnapped by spies while US officials said he was to receive money in exchange of information regarding Iran's nuclear program. Following the historic nuclear deal last year, he has reportedly been executed with no reason. Amiri's case was once mentioned in one of the e-mails from Democratic Presidentiable Hillary Clinton, fuelling suspicion on her while on the trail to the November elections.

- The Turkish government has held a massive rally for democracy in an apparent show of solidarity following the failed coup attempt last month. Over a million people marched into Istanbul on Sunday. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told the crowds that the sheer number of participants would overwhelm "enemies" just like the day of the defeated coup. Erdogan also said he will support the death penalty reinstatement when approved by the parliament.

- The International Paralympic Committee has passed judgment on all Russian athletes from competing at the Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games. The decision announced by the IPC was made in response by the World Anti-Doping Agency of Russia's state-sponsored doping practices. WADA recommended the Rio Paralympics reject the entry of Russian athletes. Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko called the decision unheard of an incomprehensible while Russian Paralympic Committee President Vladimir Lukin told local media that this decision is political and the nation will take the matter before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

- Order books for the upcoming Honda NSX hybrid sportscar will be opened across Japan on the 25th of August.

2017 Honda NSX

- Iran may have been on the headlines regarding the $400 million "ransom" deal sent by the US as well as the execution of a nuclear scientist over espionage, but now, in Pokemon GO terms, Iran is the first country in the world to ban this popular app game due to security concerns.

- At yesterday's KanColle special event, it has been announced that the long awaited movie version of the hit browser game franchise is set to hit theaters on the 26th of November.

- Of course, Tatiana Maslany's multirole stint in Orphan Black is nearing at its end with next year's final season, but the breakout actress is set to appear in movies such as a true-to-life story titled Stronger, inspired from the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, due next year, and a romance flick Two Lovers and a Bear, co-starring Dane DeHaan. Tatiana Maslany was in The Other Half, which was first debuted at this year's SXSW.

- Coco Martin remains unclear about why actress Maja Salvador suddenly left ABS-CBN's hit action-drama series FPJ's Ang Probinsyano. Maja recently posted her farewell message for her co-stars and co-workers through her Instagram account. Coco responds it's because of her upcoming projects aside from the hit TV show.

From Maja's instagram account:

'Salamat Ang Probinsyano Family. 

Thank You sa Staff and Crew 

Thank You Direk Malu

Thank You Direk Avel

Thank You Direk Toto 

Thank You Dreamscape

Thank You Sir Deo 

Thank You Coco 

Thank You Cocojams mahal ko kayo.

Salamat sa suporta niyo at sa grabeng pagmamahal sa amin ni Coco. 

This is Spo1 Glenda Corpuz now signing off.'

TTFN!!!

Rio 2016 Highlights - Day 3

August 7, 2016 - DAY 3

For Day 3 of the Rio 2016 Olympics, Archery, Cycling Road, Diving, Fencing, Judo, Shooting, Swimming, and Weightlifting are the medal events for the day.

In the Women's Team Archery match, South Korea wins the Gold Medal while Russia wins the Silver Medal and Cn Taipei wins the Bronze medal. At the Women's Road Race, Anna Van Der Breggen of Holland placed 1st while Emma Johansson from Sweden is in 2nd place and Elisa Longo Borghini of Italy placed 3rd.

At the Women's Sync. 3m Springboard competition, Tingmao Shi and Minxia Wu from China won the gold medal while Tania Cagnotto and Francesca Dallape from Italy snagged the silver medal and Australia's Maddison Keeney and Anabelle Smith took home the bronze.

Daniele Garozzo from Italy is the victor of the Men's Foil Individual, defeating the likes of USA's Alexander Massialas and Russia's Timur Safin.

Majlinda Kelmendi from Kosovo wins the Women's 52kg judo against the likes of Odette Giuffrida from Italy and Natalia Kuziuttina from Russia while Fabio Basile from Italy wins the Men's 66kg judo against the likes of Baul An from S. Korea and Masashi Ebinuma from Japan.

Mengxue Zhang from China wins the 10m Air Pistol Women's Finals against Vitalina Batsarashkina from Russia and Anna Korakaki from Greece while Catherine Skinner from Australia wins the Trap Shooting match against Natalie Rodney from New Zealand and Corey Cogdell from the USA.

In the Women's 53kg Group A match, Shu-Ching Hsu from Cn Taipei wins the Gold Medal while the Philippines' very own Hidilyn Diaz wins silver while South Korea's Jin Hee Yoon wins bronze.

And finally, in the Women's 100m Butterfly Final, Sarah Sjostrom wins the match while Penny Oleksiak from Canada placed 2nd and Dana Vollmer from the USA placed 3rd.

For full schedule and results: https://www.rio2016.com/en/schedule-and-results

Forza Motorsport 6: Three Kings

Ah, Italy. Home of the three kings of exotic hierarchy that shaped the world of cars. From Bologna, you have Lamborghini. From Maranello, Ferrari. And from Modena, Pagani. Those three speed-driven factions don't seem to be getting along very nicely; with Ferrari always the king of the supercar realm, Lamborghini as a second-rate, trying-hard, bully of the bunch, and Pagani as the ranked outsider who wants to came out on top one day.

Today, I got a selection of three Italian V12 kings which represents the pride and valor held by the company that made them. From Lamborghini, it's the Aventador LP700-4. From Ferrari, the F12berlinetta. And from Pagani, the Huayra.

As kings, these cars are built to reign than to serve, but as rivals from different factions, it's hard to sum up how these three stack up. These cars have been around for half a decade since their launch, well, the Lambo and the Pagani had, but despite the changing climate of the car world, these kings are still reigning strong with better versions but rest assured that these original versions are still be remembered by most due to its revolutionary breakthrough these cars possess.

The F12 maybe the most powerful of the three but because the F12 is a class apart from these two, apart from the fact that both the Lambo and the Huayra are mid-engined royalties, it can't just storm in recklessly because despite its power advantage, its drivetrain is what confuses these two. Although the Aventador and the Huayra's V12 engine produces the similar power output, the Aventador is the most fun car to drive because its ancient engine sounds so natural to our ears (because it's naturally aspirated), its gearbox is so fun to shift than double clutches, and overall, it's so generous to drive even if you're not paying attention. The Huayra, though, even though it's a rear-wheel drive scaremonger, is just plain serious. Serious about getting the best lap times with its capabilities as a track weapon and a grand tourer in its own right.

With the three kings set to settle things once and for all, let's find out which is the best Italian V12 king by lapping these three round Monza.




At the end of the lap, I have the results. The Aventador did it in 2:05.499 while the F12 did it in 2:06.937 and the Huayra finished in a blisteringly quick 1:58.706. Which means, the outsider from Modena trumps the big-shots of the Italian exotic hierarchy.

Lamborghini and Ferrari may have been rivals of the supercar race but in the end, it was the order of the Pagani that brought this fight to a presumable closure because the Huayra was made to deal against the big-shots like the Aventador and the F12berlinetta, even though these three have the same V12 engine with different configurations their makers had made for themselves. The V12 may soon be a dying breed like what happened to the V10s due to today's climate but as long as these kings keep on fighting, this battle will keep going on until they gave up their cylinders as a sign of the times in the automotive industry, unless they find many ways to preserve it like what the LaFerrari did.

Rio 2016 Highlights - Day 2

August 6, 2016 - DAY 2

In the second day of the Rio 2016 Olympics, focusing on the Medal events, South Korea won the Men's Archery match, followed by USA and Australia.

On the Fort Copacabana, venue of the Men's Cycling Road Race, Greg Van Avermaet finished first place, followed by Jakob Fuglsang from Denmark, and Rafal Majka from Poland.

In the Women's Epée Individual, Emese Szasz from Hungary defeated Italy's Rossella Flamingo and Yiwen Sun from China.

In Judo matches, Paula Pareto won the Wonen's 48kg Final while Russia's Beslan Mudranov historically won the Men's 60kg Final. A first for a Russian athlete following recent issues facing Russian athletes.

Virginia Thrasher from USA and Xuan Vinh Hoang from Vietnam scored gold in the 10m Air Rifle match, Sopita Tanasan from Thailand wins the Women's 48kg Group A, Kosuke Hagino from Japan and Katinka Hosszu from Hungary won 400m Individual Medley, Australia's Mack Horton for the 400m Freestyle Final, and Team Australia for the Women's 4x100m Freestyle Relay Final.

For full schedule and results: https://www.rio2016.com/en/schedule-and-results

Forza Motorsport 6: Finally, a new Cadillac!

Finally, the recent Turn 10 Summer Car Pack on the Forza Motorsport 6 XBOX One game featured a brand new Cadillac complete with the new logo that the folks should have put it since day one and the new Caddy with the new logo featured here is none other than...

...the most powerful Cadillac ever made, the brand new CTS-V. Finally, a Caddy with lots of power fans can finally drive in-game. People have been asking for this car to put in this game long before Forza Motorsport 6 hits stores and several months later, here we are, a new Caddy that is a sure favorite when they first drive it. So, what's it all about this new favorite Cadillac?

The all-new Cadillac CTS-V, based on the third-generation CTS, is the most powerful Cadillac ever made, courtesy of its supercharged 6.2L V8 engine sourced from the Chevrolet Corvette C7 Z06, but it produces 640HP of power and 630lb-ft of torque while mated with an 8-speed automatic gearbox, capable of going 0-60mph in 3.7 seconds and a top speed of over 200mph.

Apart from its powerful engine fitted for a Cadillac, the new CTS-V features track-honed dynamics, a more rigid structure for better body motion control, a more functional design, and a performance-focused cabin.

The new CTS-V represents the pinnacle of Cadillac's V-Series and with this model, it combines the comfort and subtlety of a luxury premium saloon with the thrill and track-honed dynamics of a sportscar, all in one dynamic package car enthusiasts wanting for more.

There's no need to be extremely jelly right now because fans finally got the Cadillac they've been longing to have since the day FM6 was launched. As the most powerful Cadillac ever made, there are some key points regarding this four-door equivalent of the Chevrolet Corvette C7 Z06 because even if it has the same engine, it produces 10HP less than the Z06 and because this is a four-door saloon, it's heavier as well. When compared to the likes of the BMW M5 and the Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG, its speed is the main reason why Cadillac made this car but in terms of handling, it's anyone's guess. The M5 is a balanced ride that feels so easy to drive. The E63 AMG S with 4MATIC feels a bit mild but menacing. For the new CTS-V though, despite its power advantage, its handling can be a bit tricky to hold on and it's kinda clear why the Americans made their high-powered cars like these too dynamic for professionals to let loose. In fact, I don't understand why until I go to Laguna Seca to prove my point.

A few moments ago, I once drove both the Dodge Charger Hellcat and the Tesla Model S around the track and to my amazement, the electric saloon blew the 707-horsepower beast out in the open with a 1:48.430 lap time, a second quicker compared to the all-powerful Hellcat. I mean hey, you remember back in the American Top Gear when this CTS-V lapped around a certain track quicker than the two, right? Since the new CTS-V picks the Charger Hellcat and Tesla Model S as prime targets in terms of track-honed capabilities, let's put the theory to the test by beating my personal best set in the zero-emission Tesla saloon, shall we?

The lap time I set on this car? 1:47.796. Almost a second quicker than the Tesla Model S I drove around the track a few moments ago. A close shave but it's a fair share for the new Cadillac CTS-V when compared to America's super saloons like the Tesla Model S and the Dodge Charger Hellcat. I mean, isn't that why the CTS-V won the tug-of-war against the Hellcat, despite the Hellcat has more torque and more power than the CTS-V? Don't ask how but whatever it is, the CTS-V is the track-capable super saloon compared to the other two, although less comparable against the Germans in terms of dynamics too complicated for the novices to understand.

Like I said, it's about time this game featured a new Cadillac, complete with the new Cadillac logo, that should have been put in the first place, and although a challenge to drive compared to the M5 and E63 S 4MATIC, the new CTS-V is going to be a sure-favorite Cadillac among fans everywhere. Whatever means necessary, this new Caddy will do its best to please its fans who've been begging to have a new Caddy to put some smiles.