Let's Do The News! (July 11, 2017)

- The World Boxing Organization has concluded that judges were right to name Jeff Horn the winner in his bout against Manny Pacquiao after the controversial Brisbane battle two weeks ago. Horn took the Filipino great’s welterweight world title after judges scored the bout 117-111, 115-113 and 115-113 in the 29-year-old’s favour but many observers questioned the outcome, saying the officials had made a “hometown decision”.

- Barangay officials could possibly stay in their positions since it has not yet been confirmed whether the barangay and youth council, Sangguniang Kabataan, will go ahead or will be postponed. According to COMELEC chairman Andres Bautista, this is possible due to the Congress' decision still on hold.

- An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.3 hit the southern Japanese island of Kyushu on Tuesday but no tsunami warning was issued.

- A US military plane crashed in rural Mississippi on Monday evening and five people are reportedly killed. No official details were immediately available on the crash in northern Mississippi’s LeFlore County, about 100 miles (160 km) north of Jackson, the state capital. However, reports told at least five of the nine people aboard the plane are presumably dead.

- Rampant wildfires in Western Canada's British Columbia disrupted timber and mining operations, damaged equipment at a regional electric utility and forced thousands from homes in the interior of the province.

- With Islamic State all but ejected from one of its former capitals and surrounded in the other, members of a 72-nation coalition meet in Washington this week to try to ensure the battlefield victories do not, once again, evaporate amid new sectarian strife. Iraqi PM Haider al-Abadi announced that they've won the battle against the Islamic State in Mosul, three years after the militants seized the city.

- Avex Pictures aquired game maker ixtl and become its subsidiary.

- Russian court ruled last weekend to reduce blogger Ruslan Sokolovsky's prison sentence for posting a video of himself playing PokeMon Go in church.

- The all-new Audi A8 flagship saloon has been unveiled and it's the first to use its new AI traffic jam pilot that allows this car to autonomous drive through slow-moving traffic at up to 37.3mph.



- Mission Impossible star Tom Cruise showed his pic on a shooting for the next film alongside Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, and Ving Rhames, in New Zealand, where shooting for the next film took place.

TTFN!!!

New Toyota Camry/Daihatsu Altis (XV70)

Back in January, Toyota launched the all-new Camry at the North American International Auto Show and while Americans are the first to get the new model, not to mention that it was part of this year's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series alongside its rival Ford Fusion and the soon-to-be-replaced Chevrolet SS, it's hard to fathom what will the Camry for the world market will be since the previous model but the new Camry we last saw in NAIAS last January has now arrived on the Japanese market and it promises to be a global midsize sedan known the world over with its new styling, new high-tech features, and eye-catching performance that sounds very promising but is it?

2018 Toyota Camry

2018 Daihatsu Altis

Like almost all of the wide-body Camrys since the Gracia, Toyota will sell you the new Camry for 3,294,000 Japanese Yen ($33,000) but if your nearest dealership was a Daihatsu and you want a midsize saloon like this one, don't fret because its Daihatsu Altis equivalent is now available to order starting at 3,499,200 Japanese Yen ($35,000). So, what's new with the design, perhaps? 

Come to think of it is a mashup of something old, something new, something Asian-American or so they say. Up front, the front lamps look like it came from the old V50-spec Camry of 2006 while the bumper is more of an enlarged version of the one seen in the previous generation model. The grille is now T-shaped like the ones on the C-HR compact crossover, just to give the new Camry a keen look that won't be as tasteless as a tasteless sugar-free vanilla ice cream you bought at the supermarket. On the back view, well, let's just say it looks nice enough for a Camry of this magnitude but if you are asking for more about the back, better talk somewhere else.

2018 Toyota Camry interior

2018 Toyota Camry interior

2018 Daihatsu Altis interior

2018 Daihatsu Altis interior

Inside, it's becoming more luxurious than the previous model and while the dashboard kind of reminds you of the Prius, the instrumental panel looks suspiciously familiar to the Nissan Teana L33, one of the Camry's chief rivals in the midsize saloon stakes. The instrumental panel looks very vivid and easy to see out of, the spacing on the rear is very promising indeed as well as the boot space is big enough for your yard sale hauls you bought last weekend with the grannies.

2018 Toyota Camry

2018 Daihatsu Altis

Okay, enough about the design impression because it's time to get an earful about how the new Camry behaves with its earful TNGA platform, the new Camry promises to be comfortable and stable while delivering fun-to-drive handling you wouldn't expect on a car like this. It's also more rigid and even lighter as good thanks to its lightweight materials on the body. While this car delivers the sporty handling you would expect on a Japanese midsize saloon like this, the powertrain is not what you called convincing.

Like last time, the Camry is hybrid-only but it bears the brand new 2.5L A25A-FXS petrol engine mated to an 88kW electric motor and at long last, a Li-ion battery, resulting in a combined power output of 211PS of power, and with a CVT standard, fuel efficiency varies by 28.4 to 33.4km/L based on Japan's JC08 Mode standards but due to the WLTC Mode standards in force by next year, these stats are now irrelevant.

Still, if you are one of the people who go by the name of Truex Jr., Hamlin, Busch, Jones, Kenseth, Suarez, Sieg, Gaulding, and Gase, best to stick back to your NASCAR because with a performance of that caliber, the new Camry won't match against its NASCAR equivalent but for an average joe, it's not half bad to drive that Camry. It may not be as fun as a NASCAR but for work and at play, this Camry always gets the job done and this is more than just a family car you can take it for work, it's a road trippers' car fit for your next weekend trips, especially when this car comes with Toyota Safety Sense P and a wide array of safety tech great enough to keep yourselves safe and happy.

So, I think that's enough about talking about the new Camry and its Altis equivalent from Daihatsu despite being involved in NASCAR, it's nowhere near as fun as its NASCAR equivalent but you can feel thankful that this car isn't as tasteless as a vanilla ice cream and with its sharper design that looks uncanny for a midsize saloon, it's even more attractive as well and that is the bottom line.

Available colors: Platinum White Pearl Mica, Silver Metallic, Attitude Black Mica, Emotional Red, Steel Blonde Metallic, Graphite Metallic, and Dark Blue Mica Metallic.

Photo: Toyota/Daihatsu

Let's Do The News! (July 10, 2017)

- The National Food Authority is investigating the complaints of evacuees in Iligan City that the rice provided in the relief packs smells bad and causes stomach ache.

- Davao City Archbishop Romulo Valles is named as the new president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines. The voting took place during the CBCP Biannual Plenary Assembly in Pope Pius Center in Paco, Manila. Effective next year, Valles will replace outgoing CBCP Pres. Archbishop Socrates Villegas while Caloocan City Bishop Apblo David will serve as Vice-president.

- Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez might declare a "state of calamity" due to consecutive quakes that are being felt in the Province of Leyte. Last Thursday, Leyte was first hit by a magnitude 6.5 quake where an establishment collapsed and two individuals died while more than 40 were hurt.

- Officials warned that wildfires in Western Canada may spread with more hot, dry weather, following over 220 wildfires reported across the province.

- London firefighters were battling a blaze at a building in the city's Camden Market as three floors and a roof of the building were on fire.

- Galvanized by the release of hardline leader Leopoldo Lopez, Venezuelan opposition supporters marked 100 days of protests against the Maduro administration blamed for political repression and economic misery. Thousands of people gathered in an east Caracas square to hear opposition figures including the wife of Lopez, Lilian Tintori, speak.

- Production of the Tesla Model 3 electric saloon has begun with the first Model 3 produced belongs to Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

- Tickford has turned a Ford Mustang into a Bathurst '77 Special in honor of “one of the greatest moments in Australian motorsport”, when Allan Moffat and Colin Bond drove a pair of Ford Falcon XCs to a one-two finish at the 1977 Bathurst 1000.



- THE IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls Gekijo anime shorts renewed for another season coming this October.

- After recently premiered in Netflix last weekend, the Castlevania animated series gets renewed for another season with double the episodes than the first four.

TTFN!!!

Spider-Man Homecoming

Last year, Marvel fans got shocked when their web-slinging superhero Spider-Man became the surprise attraction in the battle between Iron Man and Captain America in Civil War. One question that sparks the minds of fans many is how does Spider-Man ended up on the Avengers initiative? Why did he become one of them? This new Spider-Man movie explains all.

Spider-Man Homecoming

Spider-Man Homecoming is Marvel's brand new action-adventure movie that introduces actor Tom Holland to the role coveted by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield in the past as Peter Parker, better known as your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man as he's trying to become part of the Avengers initiative while dealing with his biggest moment of his life; the senior prom.

Peter Parker's chance encounter with Iron Man himself, Tony Stark (played by Robert Downey Jr.), changes everything and much to the dismay of his new mentor, Peter struggles to fit in to his normal life while busy saving the world as Spider-Man when a powerful new threat known as The Vulture (played by Michael Keaton) emerges and the friends and family Peter cared about will be threatened. How will he risk everything to save the day while more importantly, saving himself for his once-in-a-lifetime moment?

While Tom Holland's not new in the world of Marvel ever since his Civil War debut as Spider-Man, having a fresh new face puts a bold new twist to the epic story of everyone's friendly neighborhood and this film gets the job done rather well. While watching the film about Spider-Man getting involved with the Avengers initiative before his surprise appearance in Civil War last year has all the answers we really need, the way we look at Spider-man is beyond our predictions because like this one time, we all thought that Spidey's look will be the one hinted in the upcoming PS4-exclusive Spider-Man game but we were wrong because it's still classic Spidey look as we get from the pages of comic books and that was a bit of a disappointment for us all hoping to see Spider-Man's new look.

Despite the disappointment, Spider-Man Homecoming is a definite proof that the thrills and spills we expected from past Spider-Man films that traces us from the years of Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield are back. It is truly back and even with Tom Holland's presentation of being the new Spider-Man, it feels pretty much like all of the best Spider-Man films ever witnessed. So, now that we got the answer about how Spider-Man ended up on the Avengers initiative at the eyes of his new mentor, question is, is he ready for the endless war that will happen next year along with the other Marvel superheroes we saw in the past and the present? With Thor and Black Panther in the waiting list for the time being, looks like Spider-Man is ready, willing, and able enough to be in the ultimate Marvel experience soon and we have our fingers crossed.

My rating: 4.1 out of 5.

2017 NASCAR Monster Energy Cup - Quaker State 400

The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup series lands to Kentucky Speedway for the Quaker State 400 and in this epic 274-lap battle of the best drivers in America, many have tried to survive this kind of grudge match but only one nailed it with three stage wins, making it one heck of an extraordinary match for greatness.

In the end of Lap 80, Martin Truex Jr. cleared the first stage of the race. Seven laps later, the number 14 car of Clint Boyer smacked through the wall as well as the #48 of Jimmie Johnson. After the smack in the wall by these two, MTJ also cleared stage two as well. Fast forward to lap 265, smoke comes out behind Truex Jr.'s car and such inevitable has triggered an overtime and after one heck of a chaotic overtime, Martin Truex Jr., wins the race after winning all three stages of the race. Not as flawless as such but this is his tenth career win.

Next race is on New Hampshire Motor Speedway for the Overton's 301 this 16th of July.

F1 2017: Austrian GP

The Austrian Grand Prix of the 2017 Formula 1 Championship is putting the spotlight on some of the unsung heroes of Formula 1 rather than drawing attention to the Hamilton-Vettel quagmire since last week's Azerbaijan incident. Controversy aside, Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari is more than lucky to race in this leg of the season despite further investigation by the FIA following last week's incident but the real winners of the Austrian GP are not in a surprising feat.

Mercedes-AMG's Valtteri Bottas has won the race with Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel placed 2nd and Red Bull's top ace, Daniel Ricciardo placed 3rd. Those who also make it to the finish line are Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton in 4th, Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari in 5th place, and Romain Grosjean from Haas in 6th place.

Those who never made it through the race are Carlos Sainz from Toro Rosso, Haas' Kevin Magnussen, whose car suffered a hydraulic malfunction in lap 31,  Fernando Alonso from McLaren-Honda, and Max Verstappen from Red Bull, following both of their cars got knocked out by Daniil Kvyat at the start.

Despite finished 2nd, Vettel's lead against Hamilton has been widened to just 20 points in the overall standings.

Next race is on Silverstone, UK, on the 16th of July.

Seattle's take on Japan's summer festival

Every summer in Japan, there was this kind of event they do this occasionally called the Natsu Matsuri (Summer Festival). Similar to the west's country fair, a typical "natsu matsuri" has people wearing kimonos or yukatas while taking on one venue after another such as catching fishes for fun, buying toys, eating food, and so on. There's so much to love about a typical summer festival happening every summer in Japan.

And that is why America's best place for Asian grocery, Uwajimaya, comes in with this Natsu Matsuri Outdoor Summer Festival, happened at the Uwajimaya Seattle Chinatown branch from the 8th to the 9th of July, 2017. In this event, it has some of the best entertainment offered by the event's guests as well as eating contests and over 15 food booths to whet your appetite for Asian foods.

Think of the Natsu Matsuri in Seattle as a preparation for next weekend's Dragon Fest, which will take place at the Seattle Chinatown District, and just like next weekend's Dragon Fest, this event takes place outdoors so you might want to put some sunscreen before heading off because it's hot outside and you might get a bad case of sunburns. Trust me, it happened to me before.

From Pre-School Choir, Shamisen dance lesson, taiko, curry eating contest, lion dance. The Natsu Matsuri has them all and they even have a Hello Kitty mascot to wave hello and take pictures alongside with a very popular cartoon character from Japan.

Out of all the events I've been in the city of Seattle, I've never been in an event which is as livelier than this Natsu Matsuri, which is more than just the celebration of the best of Asian-American culture but also kept me ready in preparation for next weekend's Dragon Fest. It's mad to call this event a short version of the Dragon Fest but if you've ever been at this weekend's Natsu Matsuri, you get the point that you are engaging yourself through one of the best events Seattle has to offer during the summer holidays.

Check out some pics I took from the event if you may...

More: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1434748526618741.1073742180.119605654799708&type=1&l=56c3f6527a

Forza Horizon 3: Everybody's Gone to the Raptor

Hold it right there. You might think I might forgot one of the star cars of Forza Horizon 3, am I right? As you may now, aside from the Lamborghini Centenario, the all-new Ford F-150 Raptor is one of the cars featured in the cover of Forza Horizon 3 and for a second there, I thought I might not drive it but here I am, driving one now to see what's like.



You may have been familiar with the brand new F-150 Raptor pickup truck but for those who want to know the extreme offroad version of America's best-selling pickup truck, the new F-150 Raptor is powered by a 3.5L EcoBoost V6 engine that produces more power and better fuel economy versus the old Raptor's V8 engine while mated to Ford's first-ever 10-speed automatic gearbox. Also, the new F-150 Raptor, like the normal F-150, takes advantage of advanced materials such as high-strength steel and high-strength, military grade, aluminum alloy, allows this truck to lose 500 pounds of weight compared to the old Raptor.

To make sure the new Raptor is capable ot take on the most unforgiving road conditions on the face of the planet, it's been given with the available Torsen front differential, standard FOX Racing Shox with custom internal bypass technology that works to damp and stiffen suspension travel over rough terrain, and new shock canisters. It even comes with the all new Terrain Management System with six preset modes help the truck power through different terrain and driving conditions.

You might be asking that there's something different with this Raptor I'm driving but seen here is the Race Truck version of the said model. It was made to take on the 2016 Best in the Desert off-road racing series' factory stock class and because it is stock class, it carries the same specs as the base F-150 Raptor, meaning it still as unstoppable as the normal F-150 Raptor, but to test this theory, let's take a stroll to a construction yard against some of the heavyweights in the motoring industry and see if this pickup truck lives up to its promise as a no-holds barred offroader.

Wow, no wonder it was built tough as every Ford truck should be but it's not over yet because you might think that I had enough with the Raptor, I had something special just for you. It took me moments to prepare this Raptor just for but here it is...







Surprised? It's a special F-150 Raptor I made featuring all of the Aqours heroes from Chika to Mari. True to the theme of having the best routes ever experienced in the Land Down Under, nothing's more shiny than making this theme for the Raptor and while some might call it a blasphemy because I kinda messed up this all-American pickup truck with something Japanese-y, it feels like I made a perfect vacation getaway vehicle that will get me through the ocean roads, urban metropolis, lush Aussie jungles, and the outback like summer's on me. This is the ideal thing to do with one of the star cars of Forza Horizon 3 and it's time to take a Step Zero to One with one of the stars of Horizon Australia, which is none other than the Ford F-150 Raptor.



Not the best I have done with the Raptor but it's the best show this offroader can offer to show the whole crowd how it's made and knowing about this truck is just half the story because even though the all-new F-150 Raptor shows how capable this truck is in such driving conditions in the land down under, its never-ending adventure to show its true strengths as the most capable offroad truck in the face of the planet continues and I'm looking forward to see what's next for the ultimate F-150. Now this is what you called a Step Zero to One.

Torchwood: The Office of Never Was

Big Finish Productions continues to unearth some of the hidden Torchwood archives that never saw the light of day as full-cast audio drama CDs so fans of the hit Doctor Who spinoff can get the same experience as they got from the hit BBC TV series. 2017 promises to bring more Torchwood audio dramas as part of their ongoing efforts to celebrate Torchwood's 10th anniversary since October 2006.

Torchwood: The Office of Never Was

Torchwood's favorite errand boy, Ianto Jones (played by Gareth David-Lloyd), returns for his most intense mission never told from the hidden archives and this installment is all ears on Ianto himself and only him as he faces his innermost fears yet.

There is an abandoned office block somewhere in Cardiff and it has been the backdrop of many haunted stories regarding this empty office block that was ceased to exist. Ianto Jones has too much stuff on his hands right now especially it's already the weekends but the deserted block in question keeps on summoning him for one major purpose; what awaits him in The Office of Never Was?

Finally, some supernatural storytelling that is what you can expect from the untold stories from the Torchwood Institute archives and it's hard to guess where will our favorite errand boy run into in the depths of nothingness this background provided in this frightening storytelling. Despite he's almost alone in this story, this installment has the same experience as entering a dark room when you're awake with your head throbbing, vision becomes blurry, and you need to light up the fire. That's what this untold archive is all about.

This installment is just another one of the main reason why we are loyal fans of Torchwood since a decade ago.

FH3 Hot Wheels: Dino Thunder

As you can see, we are rejoined by the Mercedes-AMG GT R, the most hardcore version of the Mercedes-AMG GT, and while donning the familiar design I made since our last encounter, it's taking on a new adventure right here on Thrilltopia. Of course being Thrilltopia, the AMG GT R isn't just taking on the toughest visitors because today. we're trying to brave through this...



(roaring sounds)

We're trying to brave through an area infested by a giant T-Rex. Don't worry, they're not real, they're just mechanical T-Rexes, but seriously, they're as real as themselves so watch out for these metal munchers because it's going to be catastrophic if you get too close with these primal predators.



It's not just the T-Rexes we have to worry about now because even though this is the AMG equivalent of the Porsche 911 GT3, the Hot Wheels Thrilltopia is a free-for-all battleground so you will never know which cars your opponents might have and because this was designed to test the limits of your driving, you need some decent strategy to survive this primal playground designed from your childhood dreams and nightmares. Even when I'm brave against these gigantic creatures, it's the fast cars I should be worrying about because I never know what comes under the hood and they should not be underestimated.



Anyway, no time to be sappy right now because now is the time to unleash the AMG GT R, along with its Yuzu-ness for a shiny smile of my face in the face of danger, in an epic battleground where bravery comes first before speed and everything else. So, best of luck, then.



Now that was the toughest challenge we faced in this playground but the AMG GT R barely made it after all that bravery and speed witnessed in this dinosaur-infested battleground. I got to say that this was one heck of an epic drive indeed with the AMG GT R and looks like I am getting the hang of this place...well, almost.

Bubble Gang - July 7, 2017 #BGSuperHero

On the July 7, 2017 episode of Bubble Gang...

- Grupo ng mga Superhero gags

- The man with a troubled past has some acting problems but there is a way...

- Zumba instructor shows his rage-quitting zumba.

- Welcome to SLAP: Slow Learners Association of the Philippines

- A driver observing the distractions on the road

- This week's Balitang Ina takes on a new invention for key-fobbing moms

- The istambays are showing their weaknesses

- Basa-basa-pik!

UN adopted historical treaty to ban nuclear weapons

It was 1000 hours Eastern Standard Time in a sunny New York when the United Nations voted on a historical treaty that will ban nuclear weapons once and for all despite the opposition from nuclear armed states, including the United States, Russia, and China.

Source: International Campaign To Abolish Nuclear Weapons
Twitter account

About 122 nations voted in favor for the treaty while only one voted against and one abstained.

This historic treaty is a direct response to North Korea's ongoing missile and nuclear tests as well as US President Donald Trump's ambition to win the arms race against Russia and China, all in the name of humanitarian efforts to erase these weapons of mass destruction once and for all.

United Nations once adopted treaties to ban bioweapons in 1972, chemical weapons in 1993, land mines in 1997, and cluster bombs in 2008, following responses from gross crimes against humanity thanks to such weapons of mass destruction.

The treaty will open for signature by states at the United Nations in New York on the 20th of September 2017. Civil society organizations and over 140 states have participated in negotiations.

URL: http://www.icanw.org/campaign-news/the-united-nations-prohibits-nuclear-weapons/