Leopaul's Blog

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

UKRAINE CONFLICT: 4/6/2022

The latest in the ongoing Ukraine conflict:

In UN speech, Ukraine’s Zelensky accuses Russia of worst war crimes since WW2
Man dies crashing car into Russian embassy in Romanian capital
War in Ukraine: Latest developments

COVID-19 SITUATION: 4/6/2022

The latest in the ongoing COVID-19 situation:

Shanghai eases child separation policy but extends COVID-19 lockdown
China's services sector activity hit hard by Omicron surge - Caixin PMI
China reports 20,000 daily COVID-19 cases, most since start of pandemic
Galvez: "Mini" COVID-19 surge possible in BARMM due to low vax turnout

Let's Do The News! (April 6, 2022)

Your daily round-up of today's news:

- Bongbong Marcos still leads in the Pulse Asia survey but Leni Robredo's number rises by 9%. Meanwhile, Sara Duterte widens her lead over Vicente Sotto III in Pulse Asia's March survey for VP.

- Two low-pressure areas are spotted with rains seen over huge parts of the Philippines.

- Politician-turned-businessman Manny Villar is still the richest man in the Philippines according to Forbes.

- Jinggoy Estrada warns that the Philippines can't go to war with China over the West Philippine Sea.

- New York policemen arrested the suspect in a violent attack robbery on a 53-year-old Filipino.

- California police arrested a second suspect in the Sacramento shooting.

- Numerous Vevo artists' channels were hacked by an anonymous hacker.

- Mercedes-Benz to unveil EQS SUV this April 19th.

- Mercedes-AMG adds an entry-level, rear-wheel-drive SL43 powered by a 2.0L 4-cylinder engine with an electric turbo producing 381PS of power and 480Nm of torque.

- BYD ends production of ICE-powered vehicles as it shifts focus on PHEVs and EVs.

- The new DeLorean Motor Company will unveil their EV this August 18th.

- TOEI Animation is to resume airing new episodes of their TV anime shows next week such as One Piece, Dragon Quest, Digimon Ghost Game, and Delicious Party PreCure.

- A certain MMA event got flagged for suspicious betting activity after its league said fights were pretaped.

- Actress Amy Austria opens up on drug addiction and being drug-free for three decades now.

TTFN

For nearly seven decades, the SL became a legend in the Mercedes heritage since the legendary 300SL of the 50s. Fast forward to this decade and the SL legend lives on at the hands of Mercedes-AMG. Welcome to the Mercedes-AMG SL.

2023 Mercedes-AMG SL

No longer called the Mercedes-Benz SL-Class, the first-ever Mercedes-AMG SL continues the SL lineage in a whole new approach by delivering a new kind of driving experience speedo boys will never forget.

For starters, the sizing of the AMG SL is somewhat bigger compared to the R231 predecessor despite being sized to AMG GT standards. Of course, the AMG SL served as the replacement for the AMG GT Roadster so no complaints here. As for the design, it's obviously similar to the AMG GT so, again, no complaints. Oh wait, there's one and that's the roof because, being on the left side of their tradition, the new model ditched the Vario-Roof approach in favor of a more traditional one. A snub on one of their innovations, if you know what I mean. Despite that, the AMG SL is still an elegant grand tourer that can be taken on the road and on the track as most speedo boys do.

2023 Mercedes-AMG SL

Moving aside from its dynamic and sporty exterior design, the AMG SL's interior is what happens when you invite Chappie for a cup of tea that tastes like lemons. Speaking of lemons, it's the massive touchscreen that most speedo boys will irritate the most. What's even more irritating is the "Hey Mercedes" voice feature and when your date starts saying this magic word, all hell breaks loose while cruising on the streets of New York, Miami, or Los Angeles. Leaving aside from the unfortunate touch screen that is sized like a Tesla, the AMG SL's seats can be tailored to either plushy or sporty, depending on whatever you want for this ride. After all, it's all in the name of the "make money, make dream" approach.

What about performance? Beginning with the SL55, which is priced at 158,240 Euros plus additional costs, the 4.0L V8 BiTurbo engine produces 476PS of power, while the 187,098 Euro SL63 produces a massive 585PS of power, capable of 0-100kph time of 3.6 seconds and 315kph of top speed. All are mated to a 9-speed MCT and 4MATIC+. What? The AMG SL is a four-wheel-drive roadster? Absolutely and while its layout irritates speedo boys, its fully variable torque distribution allows it to behave in either a four-wheel-drive or rear-wheel-drive, depending on road conditions.

Combined with the most sophisticated suspension and dynamics setup honed by AMG engineers, the end result is an all-rounder sports car that can be enjoyed almost everywhere and it delivers a mega punch on the straights.

Having a blast enjoying its dynamics fit for an open-top grand tourer, the AMG SL is stuck with the most advanced driving assistance systems and while such things work in normal driving conditions, they can be worth intimidating for speedo boys behind the wheel.

Is the Mercedes-AMG SL a revolution or a sacrilege to the SL lineage? No one knows until you get a hold of it but either way, this one's on the wish list because...argh, we just want one, please.

Photo: Daimler AG

Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Let's Do The News! (April 5, 2022)

Your daily round-up of today's news:

- The Sandiganbayan junks anew former Maguindanao Governor Datu Sajid Islam Uy Ampatuan's 2nd motion to dismiss graft and malversation charges.

- The Department of Tourism seeks support from Korean executives to boost Philippine tourism.

- The Malacanang maintained that detained Senator Leila de Lima was accorded due process.

- Senator Bong Go insists that the Philippine government needs a more proactive approach to dealing with natural disasters.

- The United Nations warned that it's "now or never" to avoid climate catastrophe.

- Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam declines to run for a second term.

- US President Joe Biden's granddaughter Naomi to hold a wedding in the White House.

- Elon Musk takes a 9% stake in Twitter to become a top shareholder.

- smart to unveil the production version of Concept #1 this April 7th.

- The Skoda Karoq receives a minor change for the 2022 model year.

- Next Squid Game season is not until late 2024, according to reports.

- Yoo Su Bin will leave the TV show "Master in the House" after the April 10 episode.

- Kansas defeats UNC to score their 4th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship - National Championship title.

TTFN.

UKRAINE CONFLICT: 4/5/2022