Let's Do The News! (September 14, 2024)

   

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- 37 people, including three US citizens, are sentenced to death in DR Congo on charges of taking part in a failed coup attempt.

- Boeing workers are on strike after rejecting a deal between union representatives and the aviation giant that included a 25% pay hike.

- Russia revokes accreditation of six British diplomats it accuses of spying, according to Russian media. The UK says Russia's accusation is "completely baseless".

- Bye Bye Earth TV anime renewed for a second season.

- ATTRAKT takes legal action against Warner Music Korea for alleged collusion with former FIFTY FIFTY members to breach contract.

- HYBE responds to Min Hee Jin's injunction request for reappointment as ADOR's inside director.

- WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert promised players that she and the league will show leadership in fighting against the abusive discourse that players experience on social media.

- Michael Chandler is set to fight Charles Oliveira in a five-round co-main event at UFC 309 on November 16th at the Madison Square Garden.

- BBC presenter Jay Blades appeared in court charged with engaging in controlling and coercive behavior.

- Singer Justin Timberlake pleads guilty to driving while impaired and agrees to make public safety announcements and do community service. "We can all be safer out there, and I'm going to do my part", Timberlake said after pleading guilty.

TTFN.

The Grand Tour presents One For The Road EPISODE REVIEW

When it comes to cars, adventure, and crude toilet humor, no one comes close to Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May. These three men have been butting heads for over two decades and now, their time has reached its bittersweet end as the final Grand Tour adventure, titled One For The Road, signals the end of the world's most undesirable but desirable threesome.

The Grand Tour presents One For The Road

The Grand Tour trio bought three classic cars for their final road trip across Zimbabwe. They ventured and survived to Botswana, the fateful place where the first-ever Top Gear special occurred nearly two decades ago. James chose the Triumph Stag, Richard chose the first-generation Ford Capri, and Jeremy chose the Lancia Montecarlo.

Tackling through Zimbabwe's worst road conditions, forest fires, coal dust, crocodile-infested waters, and bustling towns, the trio is doing whatever means necessary to get from Zimbabwe to Botswana, where they will relive the fateful moment they conquered their first-ever Top Gear special nearly two decades ago by driving through the flats towards Kubu Island.

After over two decades, the days of seeing Clarkson, Hammond, and May butting each other came to a complete end. From Top Gear to The Grand Tour, driving and rambling across Europe, the Americas, and Asia, they have cemented themselves as the greatest motoring trio that ever existed and now that they've fully served their purpose, it's hard to imagine what's next for them after their final Grand Tour.

An appropriately grand goodbye to TV's most iconic motoring trio that sped around the globe in fast cars and crude toilet humor.

Goodbye forever, Clarkson, Hammond, and May.

Let's Do The News! (September 13, 2024)

  

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- Senator Win Gatchalian says the government is considering banning e-gaming and POGO.

- The Kanlaon Volcano is starting to calm down overnight, according to PHIVOLCS.

- In the forecast of PAGASA, expect heavy rains in the following areas in the next few days due to the southwest monsoon. According to PAGASA, the typhoon "Bebinca" may strengthen the southwest monsoon, although the typhoon is far from the country's landmass.

- Oil demand in the world market is decreasing due to China's slow economic growth.

- Donald Trump says he won't need to attend another debate with US Vice President Kamala Harris. He claims that he won the recent debate.

- UK PM Keir Starmer says Russia started the war in Ukraine and"can conflict straight away" as he heads to the US for his meeting with President Joe Biden.

- Billionaire Jared Isaacman and engineer Sarah Gillis have left SpaceX's Dragon craft to carry out the first-ever privately-funded spacewalk.

- Genesis, the luxury brand of the Hyundai Motor Group, announced its intentions to race in WEC and IMSA's LMDh program.

- Volkswagen teases the new Tayron crossover coming this October 10th.

- Microsoft lays off 650 more Xbox employees.

- Unity cancels its runtime fee for its games customers.

- Lee Yeon Hee gives birth to her first child.

- Content creator Nikocado Avocado lost 250lbs in his "greatest social experiment".

- Media veteran Kris Aquino flies back to the Philippines for chemo sessions.

TTFN.

My FM Log: Forever Knighthood

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III is the peak of the first saga of the Lancer Evolution. It arrived in Forza Motorsport, and there's so much to talk about this JDM gem in so little time.

Here's the TMI on the LanEvo III.

Launched in 1995, the Lancer Evolution III is the third and the last verse based on the fourth-generation Lancer. It features a revised body style compared to the Evo II while the turbocharged 2.0L 4G63 engine was bumped to 266HP of power output.

Inside the world of Initial D, the Evo III was driven by the Emperor boss, Kyoichi Sudo. Takumi Fujiwara dueled against Sudo in an unofficial match in Akagi and lost because of the AE86's blown engine, but Sudo let him slide for now. Following the AE86's blown engine, Sudo battled Ryosuke Takahashi of Redsuns and lost. Later on, on his home turf Irohazaka, the rematch between Takumi and Sudo ended in a dead heat.

I respected this Evo ever since it popped up in Initial D. From its rally knowhow, the clever 4WD system, and legendary performance, it's no wonder it became one of the most formidable rally weapons in the 90s and now, to prove its worth, let's take the Evo III a hot lap around Suzuka Circuit, just to experience what's like to be inside the car driven by the Emperor boss. "It's a seminar" like what Sudo said. Roll the tape.

Mr. Emperor can do better than mine but hey, it's the experience that counts, right?

The Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution III is the peak of the first saga of the Lancer Evolution. It's no wonder it became one of the most formidable rally weapons in the 90s. In the world of Initial D, you have to be brave and bold enough to take him down.

It's an honor to drive this iconic Mitsubishi rally car in the game.

Let's Do The News! (September 12, 2024)

 

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- Atty. Harry Roque has been cited for contempt by the House Quad Committee for not responding to the subpoena and not submitting relevant documents to the committee.

- The budget of the OVP was slashed.

- A third Solaire Resort and Casino is set to be opened at Ternate, Cavite.

- PH President Bongbong Marcos will not attend the UN General Assembly, as confirmed by PCO Secretary Cesar Chavez. Instead, DFA Secretary Enrique Manalo will attend on behalf of the president.

- Public inquiry announced into Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane's murder in 1989 which involved state collusion.

- UK PM Keir Starmer warns that the NHS must "reform or die" after a government-commissioned report criticizes the state of health service.

- The McMurty Speirling broke the Laguna Seca EV lap record in 1m18.4s.

- DS Automobiles showcased the Tribute Concept which pays homage to the legendary Citroen SM.

DS Automobiles Tribute Concept

- Lucid teases its midsize EV crossover coming in 2026.

- The FIA has announced that all 10 F1 teams were compliant with the cost cap regulations through the 2023 season, despite two procedural breaches.

- Idol group momograci has announced that they will end activities of the current member line-up on November 4th, 2024. The group made their stage debut in April 2021.

- LE SSERAFIM member Hong Eunchae confirmed to leave KBS music show Music Bank. ILLIT's Minju will take over her position as presenter.

- SEVENTEEN member Jeonghan is set for military enlistment this September 26th.

- A TV cameraman said Argentina goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez "slapped me" after Colombia's 2-1 home win in a World Cup qualifying match.

- A'ja Wilson broke the WNBA single-season scoring record with her 940th and 941st points on a jumper just before halftime of the Las Vegas Aces' 86-75 win over the Indiana Fever.

- A dismissed TV5 program manager was subpoenaed by the NBI to answer sexual harassment allegations.

TTFN.

Let's Do The News! (September 11, 2024)

 

Your daily round-up of today's news...

- The PH Senate has set the hearing on the case of Pastor Apollo Quiboloy. "We have many questions for Apollo Quiboloy", Senator Risa Hontiveros said.

- 337 volcanic earthquakes have been recorded at the Kanlaon Volcano all night. It can be recalled that the Canlaon City LGU implemented a mandatory evacuation yesterday for residents within the 4km permanent danger zone.

- The Air Carriers Association of the Philippines (ACAP) has notified passengers of possible adjustments in travel costs when NAIA's rehabilitation begins on Sept. 14.

- US Vice President Kamala Harris and Donald Trump faced each other in the recent presidential debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. The debate lasted for 90 minutes and both sides lashed at each other on key issues such as the war on Gaza, voting rights, freedom of choice, and others.

- Former DUP Leader Sir Jeffery Donaldson pleads not guilty to sex offense charges, including rape and indecent assault between 1985 and 2008.

- What to expect in The Crew MOTORFEST's 2nd year.

- Adrian Newey has joined the Aston Martin F1 team as Managing Technical Partner.

- The new Bentley Flying Spur was unveiled. Powered by the same V8 Twin Turbo PHEV as the Continental GT, it produces 782PS, making it capable of a 0-60mph time of 3.3 seconds.

2025 Bentley Flying Spur

- Hennessey unveiled the Venom F5-M Roadster, the most powerful manual transmission-mated road car. The 1817HP Fury V8 engine is now mated to a 6-speed MT. All 12 units were already sold.

2025 Hennessey Venom F5-M Roadster

- Veteran seiyuu Emi Shinohara passed away at the age of 61. Shinohara is famed for the voice of Sailor Jupiter from the Sailor Moon franchise, Kushina Uzumaki from Naruto Shippuden, Presea from Magic Knight Rayearth, and others.

- Sony unveiled the PlayStation5 PRO, the flagship variant of the PlayStation5 console featuring PlayStation Spectral Super Resolution, 2TB SSD, and big improvements from the standard PS5. Available this November 7th at the price of US$699.99, it will be offered as a digital-only console but compatible with available extras such as the add-on disc drive.

Sony PS5 PRO

- Dreamcatcher member Dami will not attend their Latin American tour due to her health.

- Former NFL running back Adrian Peterson has been ordered by a Houston judge to turn over numerous assets to pay a debt estimated at more than $12 million.

-  WNBA players and their union spoke out against commissioner Cathy Engelbert's recent comments that failed to condemn racist and vitriolic behavior from fans surrounding the Caitlin Clark-Angel Reese rivalry.

- Singer Taylor Swift says she will support US Vice President Kamala Harris moments after the presidential debate. Swift praised Harris for being a "warrior".

TTFN.

My FM Log: Racing Shoebill

A wrong Pennzoil Skyline GT-R JGTC machine and an outdated Aston Martin Vantage GTE popped up on Forza Motorsport's Update 11 as prize cars for completing the time-limited featured tours. Having won these cars, let's get to know about these two outdated racing machines.

First up is the #23 Pennzoil NISMO Skyline GT-R that I won from Update 11's Open Class Tour until the September 11, 2024 deadline.

The #23 Pennzoil NISMO Skyline GT-R was based on the R33 Skyline GT-R and competed in the 1998 All Japan GT Championship (JGTC). This was the last year of racing for the R33 before it was replaced by its R34-based successor. 

The R33-based JGTC racer was driven by Erik Comas and Masami Kageyama, and featured an increased engine displacement from 2658cc to 2708cc, resulting in a regulated power output of 500PS. In the 1998 season, Comas took home the Driver's trophy.

Next up is the #97 AMR Vantage GTE that I won from the Road to Race Tour until the September 25, 2024 deadline.

Aston Martin unveiled its racing version of the new Vantage, the Vantage AMR, after launching the second-generation Vantage. 

The Aston Martin Racing squad run by Prodrive sealed a 1-2 in the GTE Pro championship with four wins between the two factory cars entered in the 2019-20 season. 

Aston Martin continued to support its privateer teams even though its factory effort was scaled back. In 2022, Aston Martin returned to the top spot in GTE racing.

In 2023, the final season for the Vantage AMR, no team managed to win a race with the turbocharged machine. However, ORT by TF secured second place at Le Mans and third in Spa, while the season closer in Bahrain saw a rostrum round-up, with D'Station finishing second and Northwest AMR third in Bahrain.

Let's give these two outdated racing machines, the #23 Pennzoil NISMO Skyline GT-R and the #97 AMR Vantage GTE, a chance to redeem themselves around Road Atlanta, which was recently added to this update. Roll the tapes and enjoy the show!

These two outdated racing machines, the #23 Pennzoil NISMO Skyline GT-R and the #97 AMR Vantage GTE, sure know how to perform in their natural habitat. 

Enjoy your new rides!