Let's Do The News! (January 8, 2019)

- The Quirino Grandstand in Manila will again be filled with millions of maroon and yellow clad devotees of the Black Nazarene who are expected to participate in the annual “Traslacion” of the image tomorrow. Expect 5 million devotees will take part of the hour-long procession of the image alone.

- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte favors higher sin taxes to fund government health care program. The President endorsed the proposal of the Department of Health and the Department of Finance on the higher taxes on sin products during a Cabinet meeting on Monday in Malacañang, according to his spokesman Salvador Panelo.

- The Court of Tax Appeals said that religious-ran hospitals are not exempted from income tax.

- The White House’s National Security advisor will meet with Ankara officials on Tuesday to discuss the surprise withdrawal of US troops from Syria, as the Turkish president hailed the pullout as “the right call”.

- US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed reducing the US trade deficit with India and increasing their cooperation in Afghanistan in a telephone call on Monday, the White House said.

- A federal appeals court said a Virginia politician violated the Constitution by temporarily blocking a critic from her Facebook page, a decision that could affect President Donald Trump’s appeal from a similar ruling in New York.

- Indonesia will launch a renewed search effort as early as Tuesday to find the cockpit voice recorder from a Lion Air jet that crashed into the Java Sea in October, according to the head of the accident investigation.

- The US Supreme Court refused to reinstate the murder conviction of a member of the Kennedy clan, a case that has fascinated Americans for decades. Michael Skakel, nephew of Robert Kennedy — president John F. Kennedy’s younger brother — was convicted of murder in 2002 but freed in 2013 after a judge ruled he had been badly defended.

- Scuderia Ferrari named Mattia Binotto as their new F1 team principal, replacing Maurizio Arrivabene ahead of the 2019 F1 season.

- The original actor from the Gridman TV series of 1993 has his restaurant endangered by prank callers which results to ending reservations.

- Chris Tiu retires from the PBA.

- Timberwolves guard Derrick Rose apologized for saying that his doubters should "kill yourself." Rose used the phrase twice when asked to move on from coach Tom Thibodeau, who was fired Sunday.

TTFN!!!

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: Details of second N. Korea-U.S. summit to be announced in not too distant future

Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump said the venue for the second North Korea-U.S. summit is already being discussed.

He also revealed that he has spoken indirectly with the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, adding that the situation with Pyeongyang is much better now compared to when he first took office.
President Trump, however, added that sanctions against the regime remain in effect.

As for the location of a second summit, CNN reported last week that the Trump administration is reviewing a number of places.

Citing diplomatic sources, the report said Vietnam, Hawaii and even the DMZ that separates the two Koreas have been mentioned as possible summit venues.


Today, the South Korean government is introducing a new system for setting the country's minimum wage to make sure all voices are heard in the process.

It will divide the roles of the Minimum Wage Commission into two separate bodies.

According to the labor ministry, representatives of the government will first set an appropriate range for the increase, and the final decision will be made jointly by representatives of companies, non-regular workers and small businesses.

The government hopes the new system can bridge the gap between employers and employees after the controversy stirred by the rise in wages over the past couple of years.


Keeping up to speed with the local economy, President Moon Jae-in is meeting with the owners of some local SMEs and venture firms this afternoon.

Officials say. the goal of today's meeting at the top office. is to hold candid discussions so that the president and his administration can sharpen efforts or even tweak policies to boost a South Korean economy.

Meanwhile, the president has opened the new-year with a strong focus on revitalizing the economy.
He's already held a New Year's event at the Korea Federation of the SMEs for the first time,. and his chief policy aide has been meeting with executives from local conglomerates.


South Korea's Ministry of National Defense released the video on its official YouTube account Friday afternoon.

In the video, the Republic of Korea Navy asks Japan why, in international waters, where another country's warship is engaged in the humanitarian rescue of a ship in distress, it would send a patrol aircraft on threatening low-altitude flight in the first place.

The defense ministry's video pointed out, based on Japan's own video released last week, that the Japanese pilots knew the ship's guns were not pointed at them, and knew the South Korean ship had no intention of attacking.

The defense ministry stressed once again that the South Korean Navy had no intention of threatening the Japanese plane, saying that if Japan has any evidence of radar frequency, then it should provide it at working-level meetings.

South Korean ministry also asked Japan to apologize for its aggressive low-altitude flight, urging Japan not use the incident for political reasons.

Source: Arirang News

Let's Do The News! (January 7, 2019)

- The Department of Health has urged those devotees who have ailments not to join the annual procession during the Feast of the Black Nazarene on Wednesday, January 9, to ensure their health and safety.

- House Majority Leader and Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. called for a closer scrutiny of the proposed 2019 national budget during the bicameral conference committee proceedings in order for the government to meet its deficit target this year.

- The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has reminded local government units to maximize the use of geohazard maps that will better prepare communities in times of disaster.

- Malaysian King Sultan Muhammad V, for the first time ever in Malaysian history, announced his abdication. His sudden abdication comes amid intense speculation about Muhammad V's private life following reports that he has married a Russian.

- Three weeks passed since the recent US government shutdown and President Donald Trump stood firm on his border wall demand.

- Pope Francis urged EU leaders to show “concrete solidarity” with 49 migrants stranded on NGO ships off the coast of Malta who have been refused permission to land.

- Southeast Asian countries should be cautious in negotiating with China on its flagship Belt and Road Initiative to avoid being trapped in unsustainable debt, 70 percent of respondents said in a policy survey released on Monday.

- Infiniti to showcase their QX Inspiration electric crossover at next week's NAIAS.



- Green Book and Bohemian Rhapsody win big at the recent Golden Globe awards.

- Former NBA player Mike James says he was racially profiled by Milan police who pointed guns at him and two friends after being stopped on the street - a claim denied by authorities.

TTFN!!!

Forza Horizon 4: Happy New Mosler

Obtained from my inbox as a gift car for all of the Forza Horizon 4 players, the unsung supercar hero that was completely forgotten by the times, the 2010 Mosler MT900S, marks its return since its last appeared in the first Horizon game of 2012. Talk about returning to the game after so many years for a handful of players to drive it again.



The original Mosler MT900 was only a one-hit wonder because only the prototype was made while its track-only version has been very busy with track duty. The MT900S is the upgraded version of the original MT900 which uses the same LS6 V8 engine from the C5 Corvette Z06 but produces 435HP of power. Later upgrades pushed the engine's power to 600hp of power, making it capable of going from 0-60mph in 3.1 seconds according to Car & Driver magazine. There was a Photon version which features a 6-speed Hewland gearbox and other upgrades that dropped its weight of 898kg (1980lb), all for an additional $50,000 but at present, only two of these machines were fitted with that option.

Fun fact that Star Wars creator George Lucas was one of the owners of this Mosler supercar.



Although forgotten by time, there's still plenty of juice left to see how much of a supercar the Mosler is and with that, I took some time off to take it for a street race.



This unsung hero's still got it. Even though the Mosler MT900S is one of the supercars that were completely forgotten by the times, there is so much to tell about its performance when you get behind the wheel and although some call it mediocre compared to the establishment, its uniqueness as a boutique supercar is what makes it special.

Let's Do The News! (January 6, 2019)

- Former Zamboanga del Sur 3rd district congressman Dr. George Hofer passed away at the age of 80.

- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said that the country is still in ‘rough waters’ in its search for lasting peace.

- Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana Sunday said Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman Jose Maria Sison is longing for the resumption of the peace talks with the government is order to remain relevant.

- Former Philippine National Police chief and senatorial aspirant Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and those behind the biopic film should make sure it will not be shown during the campaign period of the May 13, 2019 midterm polls.

- The Food and Drug Administration warns the public against the use of an unregistered “medical device” product.

- A certain oil company considers drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as they successfully persuading the Trump administration and Republican solons to open the Arctic Refuge to drilling. Most warned that the drilling in the Arctic could devastate tundra for decades, disturb polar bear dens, and permanently damage the Arctic ecosystem.

- A revised Japanese law makes save data editing and modding illegal.

- Jett Manuel bids farewell to PBA for his engineering career.

TTFN!!!

#BubbleGang - January 4, 2019

On the January 4, 2019 episode of Bubble Gang...

- Pediatrician gags

- More Bobong Meeting



- The trouble with Chinese stuff

- A game show on finding someone's real mom



- The Tooth Fairy

- She can't do anything right...

- Something; suspicious about those garbage bags

- Sundot Balita

- Pik Pik Bato!

Let's Do The News! (January 5, 2019)

- Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian predicts the Philippines' inflation rate this year to go down to acceptable level of four percent. Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate economic affairs and energy committees, based his prediction on forecasts of international economists that the global economy of 2019 will slow down.

- In line with its thrust to strengthen and expand its Alternative Learning System program, the Department of Education issued the implementing guidelines on the allocation, utilization, and monitoring and evaluation of support to operations funds to ALS at the regional offices.

- Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman Jose Maria Sison welcomed Saturday President Duterte’s openness to go back to the negotiating table.

- In just two months, the US Supreme Court will hear about the Rucho v. Common Cause lawsuit challenging Republican gerrymandering in North Carolina. Should it succeed, it will set a landmark precedent to end partisan gerrymandering not just in North Carolina but the entire United States.

- The Bertone name was revived and to be used as the name of the new electric supercars from AKKA Technologies' EV brand, Dianche.

- The planned animated film adaptation of the Klonoa video game was cancelled.

- A new KanColle TV series is in the works.

TTFN!!!

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: Pompeo expects Trump-Kim summit soon, but not final deal

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday again voiced optimism that a second US-North Korea summit would take place soon but said he doubted it would seal a landmark deal.

US President Donald Trump, who held a historic summit with Kim Jong Un in June in Singapore, on Tuesday revealed that he had received a “great letter” from the North Korean leader and boasted of their relationship.

He said the summit would work to “truly create a much better, safer America with less threat of not only nuclear weapons being launched at us but nuclear proliferation as well.”

But asked if the next summit would lead to a lasting deal, Pompeo said: “I’d be surprised if we get all the way home in this meeting, although it would be fantastic if we did.”

Trump and Kim, in the first summit between the longtime adversaries, agreed to work toward the Korean peninsula’s denuclearization but with little apparent agreement on what that means.

The United States has been pressing for North Korea to get rid of its nuclear weapons before any easing of economic pressure.

Kim, whose family has ruled North Korea with an iron fist for 70 years, wants immediate economic benefits and a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War.

Source: AFP

Let's Do The News! (January 4, 2019)

- The motion to declare the Communist Party of the Philippines - New People's Army as terrorists are on-track, according to the Department of Justice. Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Peter Ong made the assurance after Sen. Panfilo Lacson called on the DOJ to follow up with the judiciary the proscription seeking to declare the CPP-NPA as terrorists.

- The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency will conduct an intense research on medical marijuana to quell some “misinformation” on its medical use. PDEA Director-General Aaron Aquino asserted the urgency of the study due to the growing clamor for the legal use of marijuana for medical purposes in the country.

- Bayan Muna Party-List Rep. Carlos Zarate warned that the Philippines' inflation problems will get worse this year. The primary reason for the opposition solon’s dire prediction was the second tranche of additional excise taxes on oil and petroleum products that will be implemented this month, no thanks to the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion law.

- Japan slaps a 1,000 Yen (roughly ten dollars) of departure tax from its visitors starting January 7.

- The United States warned its citizens Thursday they could face arbitrary action by authorities when they visit China, following the detention of a number of Canadians. Updating a travel advisory, the State Department maintained its previous guidance that Americans should “exercise increased caution” in China but stopped short of discouraging visits.

- US President Donald Trump voiced hope Thursday he could find common ground with the new Democratic-led House of Representatives but renewed demands for a border wall before the government can reopen.

- BMW Individual decorated their M850i vehicle with real meteorites on its interior.



- Norway leads the electric vehicle sales worldwide with nearly a third of new car sales in 2018 being electrics.

- The Polestar 2 gets teased and it will be a fastback with up to 483km of electric driving range and 400hp of power from its electric motor.



- Nicko Falcis calls Kris Aquino complaint "false, baseless, and malicious"

TTFN!!!

Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie: Over the Rainbow

The Aqours' story has reached its true end with the movie adaptation of the hit Love Live! Sunshine!! TV series and having been with us since their debut single in 2015, looks like the Uranohoshi Girls' finest has reached the peak of their fame and their movie debut shows that even though they're past their prime, there's no sign of slowing them down and they will keep on going all the way to their one true happy ending they wished for the fans.

Love Live! Sunshine!!
The School Idol Movie: Over the Rainbow

Set after the dramatic events of the TV anime series, the Aqours heroes return for one last adventure of their lifetime as they prepare to move on to pasture's new. The first and second years went into some unexpected troubles while the third years went missing after their graduation trip to Italy.

The Italian setting of this movie is a welcome feast for LoveLivers everywhere, in fact, most people are planning to fly away to Italy to see the places showcased from the movie much like everyone else in the world bombarding through real-world locations portrayed by every anime show we know. But while the Italy location can easily overshadow the film's story, the film's new songs performed by our favorite Aqours heroes really captures the audiences spectacularly and word of warning, however, these songs from this movie might be slipping through the School Idol Festival app game soon so watch out.

As fans love the Italian setting and the new songs from the movie, there's so much to miss about Aqours. Having been with us since their debut single in 2015, we watched them matured into international superstardom status as their success stories keeps on coming because of the passionate fans and now with the arrival of The School Idol Movie, looks like we can expect some tears as we say farewell to the Aqours heroes but don't shed so many tears because while their story is over, there is more to come for our Aqours heroes because their upcoming Asia tour and 5th live this summer as well as their appearances in the Love Live! School Idol Festival All-Stars app game soon means that they're here to stay, especially when they're on the road to Love Live's 10th anniversary next year.

What a way to start the new year with Aqours' final adventure and while this film will shed fans to tears, there are so many reasons why we love Aqours to the very end but their is one very reason why we love them; they're FOREVER FRIENDS to the end of time.

My rating: 3.9 out of 5.

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: Trump says received ‘great’ letter from N.Korea’s Kim

US President Donald Trump said Wednesday he had received a “great letter” from Kim Jong Un, after the North Korean leader warned Pyongyang may change its approach to nuclear talks if Washington persists with sanctions.

"I just got a great letter from Kim Jong Un,” Trump told a cabinet meeting, reiterating that he still expected to hold a second summit with the North Korean leader, after the pair signed a pledge on denuclearization of the Korean peninsula in Singapore last June.

“We really established a very good relationship,” Trump said. “We’ll probably have another meeting.”

Trump has cast his first summit with Kim as a major diplomatic victory, and on Wednesday repeated his claim that there would be a “big fat war in Asia” had they not sat down to talk.

But progress has stalled since the Singapore summit with the two sides disagreeing over the meaning of their vaguely-worded declaration, and the pace of US-North Korean negotiations has slowed, with meetings and visits cancelled at short notice.

Speculation about a second Trump-Kim summit has meanwhile ebbed and flowed, with the US president saying that he hoped it would take place early this year.

In a brief tweet on Tuesday, Trump said he “look(s) forward to meeting with Chairman Kim who realizes so well that North Korea possesses great economic potential!”

The North is demanding relief from multiple sanctions imposed over its banned nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, and has condemned US insistence on its nuclear disarmament as “gangster-like.”

In his New Year speech Kim called for the sanctions to be eased, saying that the North had declared “we would neither make and test nuclear weapons any longer nor use and proliferate them,” and urged the US to take “corresponding practical actions.”



Culminating in late 2017, the North has carried out six atomic blasts and launched rockets capable of reaching the entire US mainland, but has now carried out no such tests for more than a year.

Source: AFP

Let's Do The News! (January 3, 2019)

- The Department of Justice is set to resolve the second batch of complaints concerning the deaths of school children who got shots of the Dengvaxia vaccine. The complaints were filed by parents, assisted by the Public Attorney's Office, last October 15.

- The Philippine Embassy in Denmark is still assessing if Filipinos among casualties in the train accident that happened on Wednesday. Six people were killed when a Danish passenger with 131 passengers onboard apparently hit a falling cargo from a passing freight on the Green Belt Bridge that links the islands of Zealand and Funen.

- Senator Ping Lacson warned that any attempt by the Communist Party of the Philippines to oust President Rodrigo Duterte will surely fail.

- Netflix recently removed an episode of The Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj, after the host slammed Saudi Arabia for its human rights abuses and the alleged murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

- The annual Quadrantid meteor shower will be active until January 7, reaching its peak activity in the early hours of January 4 where meteors can be seen at the rate of at least 40 meteors per hour.

- Seven people were arrested in central Mali after 37 civilians were killed when armed men attacked a village in the region in the latest clash between warring communities.

- 50 died in ongoing clashes between rebels and jihadists in northwestern Syria.

- 13 Japanese companies are planning to establish a joint enterprise in February with its goal to develop the international virtual reality business with a focus on 3D avatars.

- F1 legend Michael Schumacher turns 50 years old.

- Mean Gene Okerlund, the famed WWW backstage interviewer passed away at the age of 76.

- The total gross from all MMFF 2018 entries reached over 800 million Pesos and still counting?

TTFN!!!