Saturday, January 14, 2017

The Grand Tour - Episode 10

The Grand Tour Episode 10

The tenth episode of Amazon's original motoring show, The Grand Tour, sees the trio coming up with an idea to submerged a scrapped car body under the sea in order to become a new home for the fishes, having drawn inspiration from a certain move done by a certain nation to submerged an old ship to make a new home for fisheries due to the ocean's coral shortage because of the so-called global warming.

With the tropical island of Barbados is the main stage for this experiment, the gang are pulling the stops to turn the scrapped metal into a new aquarium for the fishes. Sadly, the only thing they done so far are messing up the popular vacation spot for tourists. Still, after several ruckus later, as well as having four scrapped cars gone to complete waste, the scrapped Land Rover body managed to be submerged successfully, accomplishing their so-called environmental mission.

Before that, Jeremy Clarkson goes to Wales to try out the brand new Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio Verde sports saloon and then took it for a spin round the Eboladrome. Then, AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson is the latest casualty of the show's Celebrity Braincrash segment.

Bubble Gang - January 13, 2017 #BGBagongMaid

In the January 13, 2017 episode of Bubble Gang...

- Kasambahay gags

- The vocabulary of boys and girls are examined

- Mas Pinabonggang Sumbong Sumbong Kay Bonggang Bongbong takes on people livestreaming themselves while covering their faces, people reading posts about their favorite celebs and then add greetings, and people taking pics and vids during an emergency situation.

- Men fighting with words



- Hugot lines in magic shows



- Today's Patikim Ni Kim recipe is banana split.

- A movie with a dog slaughtered on it was explained...





- The warrior enters the cafe

- Basa-Basa Pik!

Friday, January 13, 2017

The Honda Civic returns in Japan this summer


In a surprise twist at the recent 2017 Tokyo Auto Salon, Honda announced that the tenth-generation Honda Civic will be available in Japan this summer, marking its return in its home market after its seven-year absence.

We knew this is coming since Honda didn't got the previous model, although the current FK2 Civic Type R was the only ninth-generation Civic sold in Japan since 2015.

The Civic will be offered in sedan, hatchback, and the upcoming high-performance Type R model. The sedan will be made in Japan while the hatchback and Type R will be made in England. The sedan and the hatchback will be powered by a 1.5L VTEC TURBO petrol engine.

The tenth-generation Civic was launched in the USA since late 2015 and then the rest of the world a year later. Japan may have been late to the party but it's great to have the Civic back to where it truly belonged.

Things we learned from the Nintendo Switch presentation

Nintendo Switch

When Nintendo announced the Switch last fall, the video game community rejoiced to the latest offering from the Japanese video game giant with new ways to play with Nintendo's next-generation console that can be either a home console, a hand-held, and both, giving them the best of both worlds. 

People who can't wait to be "switched" are still skeptical about what the Switch can do while there are some questions are yet to be answered until the recent presentation reveals...almost everything we need to know about the Switch.

First off, Nintendo announced that the Switch will be launched globally on the 3rd of March, 2017. In Japan, it will be priced at 29,980 JPY, while in the US, it will be priced at 299.99 US Dollars, meaning it is more expensive than the old Wii U and it's similarly priced between the XBOX One and the PS4. What we have here is a stalemate of next-gen consoles offered in the market.

One of the real kickers behind the Switch is that the new console will not have Region Locking at all. I repeat, NO REGION LOCKING IMPLEMENTED. That sounds great news to us and regardless of where you bought that game elsewhere, the Switch plays it all, no matter the region is.

There are three ways to play with the Switch, as demonstrated since the announcement video last year. First, the TV mode, where you can play the Switch traditionally on TV. Then, there's the handheld mode where you can turn the Switch from a home console to a handheld console that you can take it anytime, anywhere. And lastly, the tabletop mode. With three ways to enjoy the Switch, this is the gaming freedom the fans are waiting for. You can even charge it with a USB cable as well. It also works with amiibo figures as well.

The launch game for the new Switch is 1-2-Switch, a fun variety game that makes full use of the JoyCon's capabilities. Later, it will be joined with the brand new fighting game ARMS, Splatoon 2, Super Mario Odyssey, and many others as seen in the presentation. Annoyingly, no sign of Smash for the time being.

In the fall of 2017, Nintendo will offer a paid online service on the Switch and what does that mean? Looks like you are going to need a paid subscription to enjoy multiplayer games, giving more reasons why your wallet's not safe from paid online services on those next-gen consoles.

Anyway, after viewing the presentation, let's take note that the Switch is available worldwide starting at the third of March, 2017. Looks like this year will be a great one for Nintendo...whatever that is.

Let's Do The News! (January 13, 2017)


- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took breakfast at President Rodrigo Duterte's home in Davao on the second and the last day of his Philippine visit. Over the course of Abe's Philippine visit, he pledges 8.7 billion dollars worth of business opportunities, private investments, speedboats, and counterterrorism equipment to the Philippines.

- Following the harsh stance posed by former ExxonMobil CEO and Trump's Secretary-of-State pick Rex Tillerson over the South China Sea dispute, the Chinese government reminded the US to reject the "Cold War" mentality, seek partnerships instead of alliances, and respect the ASEAN agreement on South China Sea.

- Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. has relayed to the Indian embassy that the government will strictly enforce President Duterte's policy to end the so-called "5-6" lending scheme practiced by Indian nationals, purportedly to protect the people from unscrupulous activity. Yasay said he told Ramakrishnan Narayana, charge d'affaires of the Indian embassy, as the first vin d'honneur of the President in Malacanang Wednesday that ending this lending scheme is part of addressing domestic problems.

- Thousands of US ground troops have arrived in Poland to serve as a deterrent in Eastern Europe following the Russian annexation of Crimea in 2014. US and Polish soldiers attended a welcome ceremony at an army base in the western town of Zagan on Thursday. Roughly 3,500 US Army troops began entering Poland last week with armored vehicles and more than 80 tanks.

- Japanese and Russian ministers have agreed to come up with a timeframe around the end of March to implement energy deals signed during President Vladimir Putin's Japanese visit last month. The agreement came in a meeting between Hiroshige Seko, the Japanese Minister for Economic Cooperation with Russia, and Alexander Novak, the Russian Energy Minister, on Thursday. Governments and companies from both countries signed 80 agreement documents based on an economic cooperation plan presented by Tokyo, focusing on energy deals, including gas and nuclear power.

- Takata reportedly agree to the one billion dollar settlement on Friday and expected to include a guilty plea to wire fraud. The fine will include 25 million dollars for a criminal penalty, 125 million dollars to victims of the faulty air bags, and 850 million dollars to automakers affected by the airbags.

- Since New Year's Eve 2016, the popular boy band SMAP broke up after their successive careers and just as last week, they've sent farewell messages to fans. Find out here.

TTFN!!!

Thursday, January 12, 2017

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: Fourth hearing on the President Park impeachment case



The fourth hearing of the impeachment case of South Korean president Park Geun-hye held earlier today.

Former president as well as a current reporter of a local daily Segye Ilbo, both testified about how the daily were able to obtain documents that detailed the ties between Chung Yoon-hoi, the ex-husband of Choi Soon-sil, and senior presidential officials that led it to run an exclusive report in late 2014.

The daily said it was subject to tax audits and search and seizure raids after the report was published and that the Park administration had ordered the actions.

Meanwhile, a former member of a special investigative team that looked into the Sewol tragedy said based on his ten-year experience working for the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae, the top office can promptly deliver emergency situations to the president's secretaries.

Source: Arirang News

Let's Do The News! (January 12, 2017)


- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has arrived in Manila for a two-day official visit in the Philippines. Abe landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 around 2:50 PM local time aboard a Japanese Air Force plane from Tokyo. For his visit, Abe is expected to renew Japan ties with the country by meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte and business groups in Manila and Davao City.

- China has reassured its commitment to the peaceful resolution of the region but stressed its "indisputable sovereignty over the Spratly Islands and their adjacent waters," part of which Manila claims and calls the West Philippine Sea. The State Council Information Office's policy paper released to media said that "has always been committed to resolving disputes peacefully through negotiation and consultation, managing disputes by setting rules and establishing mechanisms, realizing mutually beneficial outcomes through cooperation for mutual benefit, and upholding peace and stability as well as freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea."

- ExxonMobil CEO and US President-elect Donald Trump's pick for Secretary-of-state, Rex Tillerson,  wants aggressive stance against China's island-building activities in the South China Sea. In his confirmation hearing, Tillerson likened China's activities in the South China Sea to Russia's annexation of Crimea.

- US President-elect Donald Trump held his first press conference since July 2015 at the Trump Tower, stressing his administration's mission to correct trade imbalances with other countries and put priority on national interests. He called the country's trade deals a disaster, praised companies, cooperate with Russia, and blaming Democrats. He, as always, denies the recent reports about his sexual activity during his Russian visit. Moments ago, reports told that the Russians have embarrassing personal and financial information about Trump. The media reports say the document in question contains a claim that Russian operatives may have obtained information about Trump.

- US authorities have charged two relatives of former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon with attempted bribery. Judicial officials in New York said that they inducted an executive of a South Korean construction firm and his son, a real estate dealer based in New York. The executive is Ban's younger brother. The two are suspected of trying offer 2.5 million dollars to a Middle Eastern official as part of their effort to sell a high-rise building in Vietnam to a Middle Eastern investment funds for 800 million dollars.

- A Japanese broadcaster found an unreleased audio tape of an interview with the late novelist Yukio Mishima. The interview was apparently recorded in February 1970, nine months before the novelist committed ritual suicide in a Self-Defense Force building in Tokyo. He was 45.

- Jaguar's F-Type range has been given a minor change for the 2018 model year, featuring a revised design, new infotainment system, and the world's first ReRun app that combines vehicle data with GoPro video to enhance the driving experience. A special edition 400 SPORT was announced, equipped with a 400PS 3.0L supercharged V6 engine and special extras.

2018 Jaguar F-Type

- The second addition to Phat!'s THE IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls anime DVD and Blu-ray cover figure range, Kirari Moroboshi and Anzu Futaba, has arrived. Two girls, one figure. What more can you expect? It's now available to order starting at 17,800 Yen plus tax and deliveries will commence this July.

Phat! THE IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls
Kirari Moroboshi and Anzu Futaba

- Bailey May will portray the role of Daniel Padilla in an upcoming episode of ABS-CBN's Maalaala Mo Kaya.

TTFN!!!