Let's Do The News! (May 1, 2017)

- Numerous groups carried out protest rallies in different parts of Metro Manila during Labor Day. Workers are demanding the end of Contractualization, wage increase, and housing. These groups include the KADAMAY, KMP, Association of Genuine Labor Organizations, and many others, causing traffic to a standstill.

- Meanwhile, the Kilusang Mayo Uno is unhappy with the Duterte administration for failing to eradicate contractualization. KMU chairman Bong Labog revealed that they are disappointed with the Department Order released by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello. The group believes that the DO allows employers to practice End of Contract or ENDO, and does not obliges them to regularize employees.

- Due to the popularity of ABS-CBN's hit action drama series, FPJ's Ang Probinsyano, the morale of the members of the Philippine National Police have allegedly boosted because of the hit TV series.

- Several passengers were injured on an Aeroflot flight from Moscow to Bangkok when their Boeing 777 ran into "severe turbulence" 40 minutes before landing at the Thai capital on Monday.

- Yesterday, US President Donald Trump celebrated his 100th day as the President of the United States with cheering supporters at a campaign-style rally, touting his initial achievements and lashing out at critics who have given his tenure poor marks.

-The American service member who was killed in the bomb blast while on patrol outside Mosul was identified as 1st Lieutenant Weston Lee.

- The United States will begin the probe into whether thermoplastic components used in some Japanese and German cars sold in the country violate its patent laws, according to reports. The US International Trade Commission last week listed 25 companies in the probe, including BMW, Honda Motor Co Ltd, Toyota Motor Corp, along with Japanese parts suppliers Aisin Seiki Co Ltd and Denso Corp.

- The Sauber F1 team announced that their cars will be powered by Honda engines starting next season.

- See former NASCAR superstar turned endurance racing driver Jeff Gordon sample the taste of car simulation.

- Check out the latest clip for the upcoming THE IDOLM@STER Million Live Theater Days app game, coming this year.



- In last night's coronation ceremony of this year's Binibining Pilipinas, the beauty queen will represent the Philippines for the upcoming Miss Universe pageant goes to the Fil-Brit named Rachel Peters. Other winners will represent the Philippines include Binibining Pilipinas Globe Nelda Ibe, Binibining Pilipinas International Maria Angelica de Leon; Binibining Pilipinas Supranational Chanel Olive Thomas; Binibining Pilipinas Intercontinental Katarina Sonja Rodriguez; and Binibining Pilipinas Grand International Elizabeth Durado Clenci.

TTFN!!!

F1 2017 - Russian GP

For the first time in his 81st racing career, Valtteri Bottas of the Mercedes-AMG team won his first F1 race at the Russian Grand Prix, held at Sochi, while leaving both Ferraris a 2nd-3rd place finish.

Before the race, McLaren's Fernando Alonso faced problems with his vehicle during the formation lap and therefore restarted to let his vehicle recovered after another major mishap by the McLaren-Honda racing team. When the race begins, some messy stuff occurred with the collision between Renault's Jolyon Palmer and Haas' Romain Grosjean, and mechanical problems forced Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo to retire,

As the race reaches its climax, both Ferrari drivers, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen, are gunning down Bottas but they couldn't make it as Bottas wins the race and placed Vettel and Raikkonen 2nd and 3rd.

Post-race, Vettel is still leading with 86 points with Lewis Hamilton 13 points behind him and Bottas, who won this race, now 10 points behind Hamilton.

Next race is on Spain this 14th of May.

Audi A5 II Cabriolet

Last time, the Audi A5 has reached in second generation and so far, only two body styles have been introduced to us; the coupe and the five-door sportback version for those who think they couldn't afford the A7. Now with the convertible version, all three body styles of the new Audi A5 are now available as promised. So, what's it all about the convertible version of the new A5?

2017 Audi A5 Cabriolet

Priced at 44,000 Euros, which is seven grand more than the coupe version, the new Audi A5

For starters, the new Cabriolet version looks vaguely identical to the normal coupe version, only this time with the retractable soft top that can be opened or closed at the touch of a button in less than 18 seconds, per se, especially on travelling speeds of up to 50kph. 

Apart from that, check out what Audi did on the inside and yes, it comes with the first ever seat belt microphones to communicate both driver and passenger even when the top is opened. Hold on. Seat belt microphones? Why they made such a noticing feature where you can talk to anyone close to you? Well, that was kind of anticlimactic for Audi to make a feature that doesn't make any sense. Anyway, while the so-called seat belt microphones are as useless as a belly button lint, this is still the same A5 interior as the others. as well as the tech array especially the available "Technology Selection" which comes with smartphone connectivity for iPhones and Androids. These tech features really put the open-top versions of the 4-Series and the C-Class out of context or so they said.

Behind the tech-laden stuff comes the performance, which isn't surprising for luxury convertible standards. We know that this convertible version slightly weighs more than the coupe version due fact that this is the stiffest in its class but for convertible standards, it weighs 40kg less than the outgoing A5 Cabriolet, meaning in the base model, that weighs 1690kg. Not bad, but don't celebrate just yet because the A5 Cabriolet offers almost the same choice of engines as the Coupe version, ranging from a 2.0 TDi, 2.0 TFSi, and the 3.0 TDi engine. The most powerful in the normal A5 Cabriolet for now is the 2.0 TFSi engine with 252PS of power while the most economical is the 2.0L TDi with combined fuel economy up to 4.6L/100km.

2017 Audi S5 Cabriolet

Of course, if you're unhappy with those above, there's the S5 Cabriolet, a semi-hot version of the A5 Cabriolet that is priced at 67,800 Euros plus tax and delivery, now with a 3.0 TFSI engine producing 354 PS of power and top speed normally limited to 250kph, while mated with a tiptronic gearbox. Again, not so sporty as it sounds for a semi-high performance convertible.

Yes, the new model may not be as dynamic and attractive than the competition, the tech, the quattro all-wheel drive system, and its cruising character shows that you don't need to prove a thing to drive a luxury convertible that can get you from points A to B just like the next guy and it wants to follow its own path. Let's face it, folks, while this is not the ideal luxury convertible to thrash around the streets like a maniac, this refined beauty is something worth beholding on the road, even on weekends.

In other words, while it may not be a great convertible to have it around, this is still as civilized as the next person and it's hard to fathom what to do with it when you got your hands on the new A5 Cabriolet. While this is an improvement from the previous A5 Cabriolet, it's still beyond regular for a luxury convertible of this caliber.

Photo: AUDI AG

Doctor Who S10E03

The third episode of BBC Doctor Who Series 10 sees The Doctor and Bill Potts entered the wintery 19th Century London where an enjoyable experience at a World's Fair on the frozen River Thames became a risk-taking, decision-making, mission that tests The Doctor's judgment.

A string of mysterious disappearance at the World's Fair on the River Thames led to them to investigate what's going on in the depths of the frozen waters but there's more to it than that because while there are some risky decisions to make for The Doctor, they got to the bottom of the truth and settle things once and for all to save the people before getting submerged into thin ice.

Now that was worth the risk for the two of them but there's an even riskier one coming next week so in the meantime, check out the behind the scenes footage from this week's episode.



NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW:

2017 Radio Disney Music Awards

Ever since this year's Radio Disney Music Awards was announced a few months ago, listeners voted for their favorite artists in hopes that they will take home the ARDYs. This year's performers are Train, Hailee Steinfeld, Noah Cyrus, Julia Michaels, Grace Vanderwaal, and many others as well as presenters of this year's awards such as Kelsea Ballerini, Jordan Fisher, Descendants 2's Sofia Carson, Alex Aiono, and Stuck in the Middle's Jenna Ortega.

So, in case you never been in the Microsoft Theater at Los Angeles or if you don't want to watch the primetime telecast of this year's awards, here are the list of this year's winners;

Favorite Tour - Selena Gomez's Revival Tour

Best Breakup Song - Shout Out To My Ex by Little Mix

Fiercest Fans - Harmonizers

Best Song That Makes You Smile - 24K Magic by Bruno Mars

Radio Disney Country Best New Artist - Maren Morris

Best Crush Song - Let Me Love You (feat. Justin Bieber) by DJ Snake

Best Collaboration - Bad Things by MGK x Camila Cabello

Best New Artist - Grace Vanderwaal

Favorite Social Media Star - Jake Paul

Best Song To Lip Sync To - Work by Rihanna

Radio Disney Country Favorite Artist - Kelsea Ballerini

Best Group - Fifth Harmony

Best Dance Track - Cold Water (feat. Justin Bieber and Mo) by Major Lazer

Best Male Artist - Niall Horan

Best Female Artist - Ariana Grande

Song of the Year - Treat You Better by Shawn Mendes

Radio Disney Country Favorite Song - Peter Pan by Kelsea Ballerini

HERO AWARD - Nick Jonas

ICON AWARD - Britney Spears

Breakout Artist of the Year - Alessia Cara

About the 30th ASEAN Summit

April 29th, 2017 - the 30th ASEAN Summit, a summit of the top delegates from Southeast Asian countries gathered annually, took place at the Philippine International Convention Center amid the current issues surrounding not just in the Philippines but across Asia.

This is the first ASEAN Summit for Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte since he took power at the end of June, last year, and the theme for this year's summit draws inspiration from his campaign slogan; Partnering For Change, Engaging The World.

President Duterte, who became the center of attention from the media for his infamous war on drugs and extrajudicial killings that killed thousands of people since he took office, hosted this year's summit and in his opening speech, it's an honor to have the Philippines hosted this summit for this milestone year as the year 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of ASEAN since 1967.

While the ASEAN leaders talked little about the ongoing South China Sea issue, they've signed a declaration that will boost the ASEAN's civil service to achieve Vision 2025. This Declaration supports the first thematic priority of a people-oriented, people-centred ASEAN under the Philippine Chairmanship of ASEAN 2017, according to Philippine Civil Service Commission Chairperson Alicia dela Rosa-Bala.

Bubble Gang - April 28, 2017 #BGAirlines

On the April 28, 2017 episode of Bubble Gang...

- Kaladkad gags

- The false stuff at the market

- The Jungle Belles found a way to beat the summer heat!

- More news for moms in Balitang Ina!

- A childish court hearing...

- An interview with an animal lover

- A militant group of men occupying women?!

- Waiter, there's a finger in my soup?!

- The Paoay 5-0 are investigating another crime scene...

- Basa-basa-pik!

Forza Horizon 3: The Raven

As with our little "secret agent" assignment wrapped up, look what I got from this weekend's Forzathon event. It's a 930-spec Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3 and I know what I'm on about with this classic Porsche 911 later on but first...



Served as the flagship of the Porsche 911 range, the 911 Turbo 3.3 (930) was hailed as the fastest production car available in Germany at that moment of its introduction. Powered by a 3.3L flat-six engine and an air-to-air intercooler that helps with the pressurized air charge, it produces 300HP of power and does 0-60mph in five seconds. It can reach a top speed of 260.9kph (162mph). Thanks to emission regulations in Japan and US, Porsche stopped selling the 930 in the said countries but continue to sold in Canada as well as Mainland Europe. Anyway, so much to talk about the 930-spec Porsche 911 Turbo 3.3, look what you can do with that kind of Porsche...





It's not that much but if you give this 930 Porsche 911 Turbo a lot of power, say somewhere in the 900HP mark, and some other improvements to keep it competitive, what you can have here is an actual representation of the Blackbird as seen from the Wangan Midnight series and pitting alongside the Devil Z that you had in your garage, that is your S30 Fairlady Z tuned to the max to replicate such a monster, you can have a classic Wangan Midnight rivalry on the Land Down Under, when you find a nice straight line to toy around with, say a highway that stretches from the Outback to the Surfers Paradise. Pretty cool, wasn't it, but sadly this isn't the time for that because it's time to show the crowd how the Blackbird was made for...



So, the legend is TRUE. There really is such thing as the feared Blackbird from the Shutokou and now it has emerged on the streets of Australia! How scary was that? It's like the soul of the tormented emerged and it won't rest until it gets what it desired and yet, here we are, standing in front of the legend everyone's feared about aside from the Devil Z. You get the point but if you want your own little Blackbird, you'd best be hurry because you have this weekend to do so.

Forza Horizon 3: Secret Agent Man

This car needs no explanation because this is the Bond car that started it all. Yes, this is the Aston Martin DB5, the Bond car that became a legend ever since it popped up in the Bond movie, Goldfinger, and do you expect me to talk? No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to drive!

If I can remember correctly, the DB5 is powered by a 4.0L six-cylinder engine generating 282 bhp (210 kW) of power and a top speed of 145 mph (233 km/h). It was mated with a ZF five-speed transmission (except for some of the very first DB5s). About 1,023 DB5 units produced, mostly are hardtops.

The DB5 became the hallmark of the partnership between Aston Martin cars and James Bond movies since it first appeared in Goldfinger. Five decades later, it returned in Skyfall, featuring Daniel Craig as James Bond. It's fare to say that it's a great honor to drive the best Bond car 007 had, unless I don't trigger some lunacy that could infuriate Australian Intelligence...and yet, I did.



I did sent the DB5 on the race against movie star cars. From the Charger from The Dukes of Hazzard, the Boss Mustang from Diamonds are Forever, another Bond flick, the Supra from The Fast and the Furious, the AE86 from Initial D, among many other star cars that crave more than just popcorns and sodas. If you want, I had a little clip for that. Ready?



What? Like James Bond, it's "everything or nothing" but still, I had a lot of fun being Bond in the DB5 because when you see an Aston Martin, all you can think about is James Bond, right? It's like another mission, another hot girl, and another ruthless baddie for you if you're driving a Bond car like this, am I right? Everyday's a Bond movie, especially in the Land Down Under. What a day...

Let's Do The News! (April 28, 2017)

- Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam visited the Malacanang palace after arriving in the Philippines two days ago. President Rodrigo Duterte personally greeted the Sultan of Brunei after arriving at the Palace earlier.

- President Rodrigo Duterte says he will seal his fate for his bloody war on drugs and a complaint filed with the International Criminal Court won't stop him from pursuing his campaign. The former prosecutor said he was a man who was true to his word, including wiping out drugs, so he would accept the consequences, even if it meant prison, or death. Duterte even backlashes against local or foreign media over the extrajudicial killings issue.

- The Land Transportation Office in Metro Manila releases new plastic driver's licenses to the public.

- The activist group Common Causes released a report targeted against US President Donald Trump ahead of his 100th day in office this weekend.

- Meanwhile, Senator Jeff Merkley introduced a bill alongside Bernie Sanders to end the U.S. fossil fuel use by the year 2050, hoping to super action on the state and local level, even as the Trump administration pushes the use of coal, oil, and natural gas production.

- The Formula One strategy group agrees on the proposal to ban the controversial shark fin and T-wing elements for next year's season.

- Nissan confirms that more models will receive the NISMO treatment anytime soon.

- Mazda announced a new three-row crossover SUV coming to Japan this year, tentatively called the CX-8.



- Bubbu! Desu wa! Dia Kurosawa from Love Live! Sunshine!! Joins the figma lineup! Available to order starting at 5,833 Yen plus tax and delivery and arrives this October.



TTFN!!!

STARDOM！ / Bon Bon Voyage！

STARDOM! / Bon Bon Voyage!

The second season of Aikatsu Stars sees main character Yume Nijino living her school life in the Yotsuboshi Gakuin as one of the new members of S4. Accompanied by the only existing member Yuzu Nikaido and alongside newcomers Mahiru Kasumi and Ako Saotome, Yume Nijino is facing a much stiffer competition upon the arrival of Venus Ark, a boarding school with the luxury yacht as their front, and its star student, Elza Forte. Seeing Elza as a much fiercer rival onstage, Yume is on a quest to defend the title she've coveted from the start as well as her school's reputation in the battle between the two academies.

While the little girls can't wait until Thursday nights to see more of Yume, Rola, and the gang, as well as the new rivals Elza and Kirara, and the surprise return of someone they're familiar with, the opening and closing theme song from the show's second series are out in one maxi single CD. The opening theme song is titled STARDOM! and the closing theme song is Bon Bon Voyage!, both performed by, you guessed it, AIKATSU☆STARS! You know, the group. Not the TV show in case of confusing reasons.

Did you know that for limited quantities, there's a special accessory card for use in the DATA CARDDASS AIKATSU STARS game?

Aikatsu Stars airs on TV Tokyo every Thursday nights before Pokemon Sun and Moon.

TRACK LISTINGS:

1) STARDOM!

2) Bon Bon Voyage!

3) STARDOM! (off Vocal)

4) Bon Bon Voyage! (off Vocal)

Let's Do The News! (April 27, 2017)

- The Philippine National Police's NCRPO continues its target hardening in order to ensure the security of this Saturday's ASEAN Summit at the Philippine International Convention Center. While the PNP has yet to monitor potential threats, they are confident that the PNP will do everything to ensure no attack will be made during the summit.

- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Gina Lopez warned that they may soon implement the ban against open pit mining. Part of their crackdown on the mining sector, the DENR suspects that the operation of some mining companies cause major effect in the environment.

- Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam has arrived in the Philippines not just to attend this Saturday's ASEAN summit, but also for a state visit. The Sultan of Brunei is the first ASEAN leader to arrive for the ASEAN meeting on Saturday, April 29 at the Philippine International Convention Center.  However, before that, Bolkiah will have a meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacanang today.

- The disputed West Philippine Sea issue is in the country's interest to be discussed at the 30th ASEAN Summit but the government would also like to discuss the positive aspects of the said issue.

- US President Donald Trump told leaders from Canada and Mexico that he won't axe the NAFTA just yet but will move quickly to begin renegotiations, according to a White House official.

- Activision and Sledgehammer Games announced the latest installment of the Call Of Duty franchise titled Call Of Duty WWII. Bringing the franchise back to its roots, players will relive the tragic events of the Second World War while fighting their way through intense campaigns through France, Belgium, and across the Rhine into Germany. It will be released on the XBOX One and PS4 this November 3rd.

- Next month, Forza Horizon 3 goes extreme with the new Hot Wheels Expansion Pack. Included in the Expansion Pass, this new expansion brings the Hot Wheels fantasy come to life with insane high-speed stunts on miles of looping, banking, giant iconic orange Hot Wheels tracks. Players can even create their own stunt tracks with the new Stunt Swap feature as well. 10 new rides are ready including Hot Wheels icons such as the Twin Mill, the Bone Shaker, and the Rip Rod. There's also a brand new barn find waiting to be found as well.

- In case you were wandering, the producers behind BIOHAZARD 7 -resident evil- announced that the much-anticipated DLC, NOT A HERO, has been delayed until further notice. That's bad news for the fans but there's a little something that will cheer them up; Tokyo Marui made a replica of the assault shotgun to be appeared on BH7's NOT A HERO DLC; codenamed Thor's Hammer.



- The teaser trailer for Kingsman: The Golden Circle is out. This film is the sequel to the original Kingsman film.



TTFN!!!