Let's Do The News! (July 18, 2017)

- The Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar expresses hope that President Rodrigo Duterte's State Of The Nation Address next week will be a longer and meaningful speech.

- PISTON Chairman George San Mateo hinted of a possible larger transport strike soon following the rally on Monday in Mendiola, Manila regarding their opposition on the planned PUV modernization of the government. According to the group if they are still neglected by the President they will launch a three-day-transport strike this coming August.

- The Department of Environmental and Natural Resources is currently investigating the claim that an area in Boracay, known for its sanctuary for endangered fruit bats, is being cleared. According to a certain environmentalist group, a certain private developer is clearing the area near the Puka Shell Beach at Barangay Yapak, well known for its sanctuary of the endangered fruit bats. The area was issued a “no-building zone” by the DENR for the growth and inhabitants of the animals.

- Egypt will end visa-free entry for Qatari nationals with some expectations, according to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, the latest measure taken against Doha which Cairo and three Gulf governments are boycotting. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt imposed sanctions on Qatar on June 5, cutting diplomatic and transport ties with the tiny Gulf monarchy, after accusing it of financing militant groups and allying with their regional arch-foe Iran. Doha denies the accusations.

- A centenarian Japanese doctor who saw patients until just months before his death and helped set up the medical systems that have made Japan one of the world's longest-lived nations died on Tuesday at the age of 105.

- Actress Judy Ann Santos is currently earning praises from netizens after she was caught going through her daily grind at the mall sans bodyguard and even obliged fans for selfies.

- During the summer meeting of the National Governors Association, Tesla boss Elon Musk predicts that cars in the next decade will be autonomous.

- A new trailer for the upcoming Blade Runner 2049 film is now up.

The past will always find you. Watch the NEW #BladeRunner2049 trailer now. pic.twitter.com/ucIkHw77Ln

— #BladeRunner 2049 (@bladerunner) July 17, 2017

TTFN!!!

The Seattle CID DragonFest 2017

It was a sunny weekend at the Seattle Chinatown International District when the annual Dragon Fest, sponsored by our Pacific Northwestern friends from McDonald's, returns to this venue for the best of Asian-American showcase Washingtonians has to offer and this is one of the best events you may have missed during your Seattle summer vacation.

From martial arts, kabuki, Korean folk music, Indian rhythms, Chinese cultural dances, Hawaiian entertainment, anime cosplay, taiko, jazz, Capoeira, and the best of Thailand, this year's Dragon Fest has them all. There's even that $3 food walk for those who want to experience some round the world food adventure that salivated their taste buds and their appetite for this immensive food trip like no other.

Have a look at some of the pics...



More pics: https://www.flickr.com/gp/leopauldelr/6P04G6

Video log:

Let's Do The News! (July 17, 2017)

- PNP Director-General Roland dela Rosa explains why the PNP recommend the extension of Martial Law in Mindanao. The first reason is that narco-politicians helping the Maute are not yet accounted for and second is the spread of loose firearms in Lanao Del Sur and nearby areas that they still have to recover.

- Three inmates were killed while one is injured and 10 others fled after a "mass jailbreak" in Jolo, Sulu last Sunday morning. The jailbreak happened around 0125 after the detainees broke the detention cells and jumped off from the ceiling of the municipal hall. The AFP immediately sent troops and K9 units to chase the escaped members of Abu Sayyaf Group and other illegal drug suspects.

- As Islamic State's reign in Iraq has came to an end, their families fear reprisals as relatives from the fallen militants will live to pay the price for their actions.

- Nine people were killed in the Arizona flash flood.

- Indonesia, last weekend, blocked access to the encrypted messaging service Telegram, citing concerns that it was being used to spread “radical and terrorist propaganda” in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation. The move comes amid heightened concerns over the increasing presence and influence of Islamic State in Southeast Asia.

- George A. Romero, the master of the zombie film genre with “Night of the Living Dead” and a series of sequels that left a lasting impact on horror movies, died of lung cancer in a Toronto hospital on Sunday, his business partner said. He was 77.

- Oscar-winning actor Martin Landau passed away at the age of 89. Landau died at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles on Saturday from unexpected complications during a short hospitalization for an undisclosed illness, publicist Dick Guttman said in a statement on Sunday.

- THE IDOLM@STER SideM anime will air this October.

- For those who love fighting games; Darkstalkers' Jedah will appear in Marvel vs. CAPCOM Infinite while Abigail from Final Fight will appear in Street Fighter V as a DLC and Garou Densetsu's villain Geese Howard will appear in Tekken 7 as a DLC.

- Check out the teaser trailer of the second series of Amazon's The Grand Tour.



TTFN!!!

F1 2017: British GP

The British Grand Prix of this season's Formula 1 championship has a chock full of surprises in store in this race, where a homegrown hero made some outstanding honors all in the name for gunning for the championship title against his newfound rivalry.

Mercedes-AMG's Lewis Hamilton made history at the British Grand Prix as this is the fifth time he won the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, joining the ranks of legends such as Jim Clark and Alain Prost as the most successful drivers at the British Grand Prix. With Hamilton made history at Silverstone, his teammate Valtteri Bottas placed 2nd and Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen placed 3rd respectively. Other finishers include Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo from Red Bull Racing, Nico Hulkenberg from Renault, and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel.

The unlucky ones in the race, meanwhile, were McLaren's Fernando Alonso, Toro Rosso's Carlos Sainz, and Renault's Jolyon Palmer, when his car suffered hydraulics failure on the formation lap, ending his Grand Prix run.

Onto the overall standings, the gap between Vettel and Hamilton are now narrowed to just one point, 177 to 176, while Bottas' in 3rd place with 154 points.

Next week's race is on Hungary on the 30th of July.

FIA Formula E 2016-2017: New York

New York City is the penultimate battlefield for this season's FIA Formula E Championship and just like in Berlin, it's a two-parter race that happened this weekend, giving them plenty of reasons why fans are coming back to see what's next for the drivers as well as the drivers doing overtime to survive in this technical city course.

In the first part of the New York ePrix, victor goes to Sam Bird from DS Virgin Racing while Techeetah's Jean-Eric Vergne placed 2nd and his teammate Stephane Sarrazin placed 3rd. In the 2nd part, meanwhile, Sam Bird also wins the race while Mahindra's Felix Rosenqvist and Nick Heidfeld placed 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Race highlights:


So, after that penultimate two-parter in the Big Apple, it seems that Sebastien Buemi is leading the overall rankings by 157 points while ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport's Lucas Di Grassi's 10 points behind Buemi and Mahindra's Rosenqvist's in 3rd place with 104 points.

The FIA Formula E 2016-2017 Championship ends in Montreal, Canada, on the 29th to 30th of July, 2017. Don't miss the finale!

Jodie Whittaker named as the next Doctor Who

We knew it will happen but here it is. Following Chris Chibnall's takeover as the new showrunner of BBC's hit TV series Doctor Who, the star who will play as the 13th Doctor has been named and for the first time, an actress named Jodie Whittaker.

The BBC announced the star who will be playing The Doctor in next year's season, under the new rule of incoming Executive Producer Chris Chibnall, as Jodie Whittaker. This will be the first time a woman will be taking over the role of The Doctor from the outgoing Peter Capaldi, whose tenure will end at this year's Christmas Special which stars Adventures of Space and Time's David Bradley reprising his First Doctor role from the 2013 biopic into the world of Doctor Who.

Born in 1982, graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 2005, Whittaker starred in many programs such as Broadchurch, Black Mirror, The Smoke, Cranford, The Night Watch, The Accused, and Tess of the D'Urbervilles.

Announcement video:



The next season of Doctor Who starts next year after the Christmas Special, where Peter Capaldi's tenure as The Doctor ends. Are you excited for the Thirteenth's arrival? Is a female Doctor Who met your expectations?

URL: http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia/2017/07/doctor-whos-thirteenth-doctor-is-jodie-whittaker

FH3 Hot Wheels: The Big Finish!

If you get up to 100 medals during your Forza Horizon 3 Hot Wheels adventure, you'll have access to the biggest Hot Wheels experience ever witnessed, which is none other than the Hot Wheels Goliath event. This event serves as the ultimate challenge where their insane driving experience they felt at the Hot Wheels Thrilltopia will be heavily tested in this ultimate rollercoaster ride where one single mistake will spell disaster for the driver.



For this final challenge at the Thrilltopia, I've selected FH3 Hot Wheel's hero car, the legendary Twin Mill, one of the most iconic Hot Wheels toy cars ever made, and because this is the hero car of FH3 Hot Wheels, there's a saying; Where it all began, where it all will end.



Of course, most of you saying there is no way your Twin Mill hero will survive Hot Wheels Goliath because this is an S2-class race and this car's S1-class and even if it tweaked to meet its regulations, there's no way it can take on powerful opponents. There will be Regeras, FXXKs, and Huayra BCs hounding on my backs like thieves at night and I understand that but this is the hero car so let the hero car win just once, ok? Let heroes finish what they started and that's my point.

Some folks are right though because even though it possesses almost a thousand and a half horses from its twin engines bolted at the front, it feels very heavy to handle and in this extreme circuit event, there is an extremely high chance that the Twin Mill will end up on a major slippage or fall on the ramp because of some jerk doing big miscalculations on where he will launch his favorite hero car at. But no matter the risk, I want to do this for the honor of Hot Wheels and nothing's going to stop me from giving a proper sendoff to the Hot Wheels Thrilltopia.

Without further ado, here goes...



After so much mud, sweat, and gears later, I finally did it! I finally owned the HW Goliath with the hero car and man, looks like I don't want to do that thing again unless I need a much suitable fast car for this task.



So, I finally conquered some of the extreme tracks on the rest of Horizon Australia. In the main campaign, I took down the Goliath Circuit with the Centenario. In Blizzard Mountain, I won the Kingmaker to claim the Ford Focus RX from Gymkhana 9, and now, I have beaten the Hot Wheels Goliath with the Twin Mill. It's all in the heroes' line of duty; finish what they have started.

Now that I finished the extremes, what's next? Well, we got a lot of mess to clean this up after all these tough challenges because even though I braved through the toughest, the journey's not yet over because there are plenty of leftovers around Horizon Australia, Blizzard Mountain, and Thrilltopia that need to be cleaned. I guess it's all up to me now but if I have some impressions about the cars I'm driving, I'm free to do so, but in the meantime, the journey continues...