Saturday, October 1, 2016

Bubble Gang - September 30, 2016 #BGNagmahalanNasaktan

On the September 30, 2016 episode of Bubble Gang

- Winter gags

- An interview with different kinds of gay






- Hugot lines in cooking shows



- Mang TaƄong thinks he's involved with Encantadia a decade ago

- An emergency phone call goes awry,..

- Online classes gone weird

-  Intimate moment at an evacuation center

- A fashion show



- Basa Basa Pik!

Friday, September 30, 2016

Let's Do The News! (September 30, 2016)


- Tropical storm Chaba will enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility tomorrow, according to PAGASA, but is unlikely to hit land. As of 4PM, yesterday, Chaba was located at 2,170km east of Luzon with maximum sustained winds of 75kph near the center and gustiness of up to 95kph. It will be locally named Igme when entered the PAR.

- The United Kingdom, addressing the Human Rights Council on Tuesday, joins the global call against the deaths in the Philippines amid the Duterte administration's war on drugs in the Philippines while China backs the Duterte administration's drug war.

- Female lawmakers of the House of Representatives warned that showing an alleged sex video of Senator Leila de Lima demeans women.

- At least 500 visitors gathered last night to welcome the late former Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago to her wake in the Immaculate Concepcion Cathedral in Cubao, Quezon City.

- Reports told that the company belonged to Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump violated the United States' trade embargo against Cuba years ago. A company controlled by Trump secretly conducted business in Communist Cuba during Fidel Castro's presidency despite strict American trade bans that made such undertakings illegal, according to interviews with former Trump execs, internal company records and court filings.

- One person was killed in a fatal train crash in the eastern US state of New Jersey, injuring 114 people. US investigators are looking into the cause of the accident while US traffic safety authorities plan to question the driver of the train. Officials of the NTSB are analyzing speed, braking, and other data on the train's event recorder, as well as images recorded at the driver's seat.

- RAM Trucks showcased their Rebel TRX Concept at this year's Texas State Fair, previewing a potential offroader equipped with a supercharged 6.2L V8 engine producing 575HP of power.

RAM Rebel TRX Concept
- Lupin the Third's archnemesis, Inspector Zenigata, will have his own spin-off live action drama in 2017, starring Ryohei Suzuki as the said character as well as former AKB48 idol Atsuko Maeda and Takahiro Miura.

- Comedienne and TV presenter Melai Cantiveros is pregnant with a second child.

TTFN!!!

Stars of 2016 Paris Motor Show

Renault Trezor Concept

The 2016 Mondial de l'Automobile will occur on the 1st to the 16th of October, 2016, at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles amid concerns of the whole nation's in complete lockdown due to the alert level attack of the plan Vigipirate, following last year's terror attacks in the French capital as well as other parts of Mainland Europe. Because of security concerns, visitors who are eager to be in the show will face a slowdown of traffic as they make it to the entrance due to security checks but security concerns aside, there will be some great world premieres of new and exciting machines, especially concept cars made specifically for this show witnessing the future of automobile thanks to science.

So, who will be the stars of this year's Paris Motor Show?

2017 Audi A5 Sportback
2017 Audi A5 Sportback g-tron
2017 Audi Q5
2017 Audi RS3 LMS Racecar
2017 Audi RS3 Sedan
2017 Audi S5 Sportback
2016 BMW X2 Concept
2017 Citroen C3
2016 Citroen C3 WRC Concept
2016 Citroen CXperience Concept
2017 Dacia Logan
2017 Dacia Logan MCV
2017 Dacia Sandero
2017 Dacia Sandero Stepway
2017 Ferrari GTC4 Lusso T
2017 Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta
2016 Honda Civic Type R Concept
2016 Hyundai RN30 Concept
2016 Infiniti QX Sport Inspiration Concept
2017 Land Rover Discovery
2016 Lexus UX Concept
2017 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT C Roadster
2017 Mercedes-Benz E-Class All-Terrain
2016 Mercedes-Benz Generation EQ Concept
2017 Mercedes-Benz GLC43 AMG 4Matic Coupe
2016 Mercedes-Benz Vision Maybach 6 Concept
2017 Mini John Cooper Works Clubman
2016 Mitsubishi GT-PHEV Concept
2017 Opel Ampera-e
2017 Opel Karl Rocks
2017 Opel Zafira
2017 Peugeot 3008
2017 Peugeot 3008 GT
2017 Peugeot 5008
2017 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup
2017 Porsche Macan Turbo with Performance Package
2017 Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid
2016 Renault Trezor Concept
2017 Renault Zoe
2016 Seat Ateca X-Perience Concept
2017 Skoda Kodiaq
2017 Smart forfour electric drive
2017 Smart fortwo Cabrio electric drive
2017 Smart fortwo electric drive
2016 SsangYong LIV-2 Concept
2017 Suzuki SX4 S-Cross
2016 Volkswagen ID Concept

...and more.

Thursday, September 29, 2016

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: US to probe China for N. Korea sanctions



Sourced from NHK World:

A senior US official says more Chinese companies and individuals are under investigation for suspected sanctions violations against North Korea.

The State Department's coordinator for sanctions policy, Daniel Fried testified at a Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia and the Pacific on Wednesday.

On violations of sanctions imposed by the United Nations and unilaterally by the United States against the North, Fried said US officials are actively looking at all possible targets.

The US government on Monday announced criminal charges and penalties against a Chinese trading company and 4 of its executives for conspiring to evade sanctions against Pyongyang.
Fried said the actions clearly indicate that the United States is willing to sanction Chinese companies that are evading US and UN sanctions.

Calls are growing among Republican lawmakers to increase pressure on China. Many speculate President Barack Obama's government is unwilling to do so out of consideration for US-China relations.

Fried also claimed North Korea earns around 1 billion dollars annually from coal exports, largely to China.

He said the United States aims to toughen embargos on coal in additional sanctions being discussed at the UN Security Council.

Let's Do The News! (September 29, 2016)


- Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago passed away at the age of 71. Her death was confirmed by her husband, lawyer Jun Santiago on Thursday morning. Miriam was diagnosed with late-stage lung cancer two years ago but declared she had beaten her illness a year later. She then pursued her presidential bid despite health concerns but heavily lost to President Rodrigo Duterte in the May elections earlier this May. Santiago was known to be one of the most endearing figures in Philippine politics, pop culture, and academia.

- President Rodrigo Duterte is scheduled to visit China on the 20th of October in order to restore ties between them amid territorial issues in the South China Sea. Earlier, Duterte declared that the Balikatan exercises with the US will end, saying this will be its last year. He said that during his Vietnam visit but assured that the military alliance between the Philippines and the US will be maintained.

- The Congress has approved the 40.5-billion peso proposed 2017 budget for the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao following deliberations made tense by a lawmaker whose father ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman defeated in the May 9 elections.

- Another black man was killed by police, this time in California. Two police officers responded to calls that an African-American man was walking in traffic and not acting like himself in El Cajon, southern California. Police say the officers ordered him to remove his hand from his pocket, but he refused. Police released a photo from a video taken at the scene; showing a man raising hands toward an officer in what looks like a shooting stance. About 200 protesters gathered at El Cajon police headquarters. Earlier this month, black males were killed by policement in Charlotte, North Carolina, and in Tulsa, Oklahoma, sparking protests.

- The US Congress has voted to override President Barack Obama's veto of a bill that would allow families of victims of the September 11 attacks to sue Saudi Arabia, meaning the bill becomes law. This is the first time an Obama veto has been overturned. President Obama told reporters the lawmakers had made a mistake. The Saudi Arabian government was strongly opposed that bill and warned that it would sell US bonds worth 750 billion dollars if the bill would become law.

- The full-length trailer of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is now here. Check it out.



- Die Beautiful, an indie film that stars Eat Bulaga presenter Paolo Ballesteros, was one of the entries competing in the 2016 Tokyo Film Fest. The indie film's director, Jun Lana, was so impressed that his film marks his return to a foreign film fest where, three years ago, his movie Barber's Tales won the Best Actress award for Eugene Domingo.

- The cast of Mano Po 7: Chinoy were temporarily stranded in Taiwan due to strong thunderstorm but they recently returned from that country where they shot key scenes for the next installment for the upcoming Regal FIlms movie. Cast members Jean Garcia, Janella Salvador, Enchong Dee, and Richard Yap did scenes in Taiwan's famous landmarks such as the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum and Lotus Pond in Kaohsiung.

TTFN!!!

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: US to speed up THAAD deployment in South Korea


A senior US official says Washington plans to speed up deployment of THAAD in South Korea as soon as possible to counter North Korean threats.

Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel testified at a congressional hearing on Tuesday, expressing concerns about North Korea's repeated missile launches and test to develop nuclear warheads to be mounted on missiles. He stressed the US policy of heightening its deterrence capability to defend South Korea and Japan.

The US government plans to deploy an advanced missile defense system of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense in South Korea by the end of next year.

China is opposed to the deployment of THAAD in South Korea, saying it would harm Beijing's security as the system could be used to spy on the activities of Chinese forces deep inside the country.

Russel told Congress that China shares concerns about North Korea's nuclear program and suggested that the planned THAAD deployment is not likely to affect the ongoing negotiations at the UNSC to impose more sanctions against the Korean Peninsula.

Source: NHK World

Let's Do The News! (September 28, 2016)


- A high-profile inmate on Wednesday morning was killed inside Building 14 of the New Bilibid Prison, Muntinlupa City. According to reports, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II confirmed the death of one inmate named Tony Co, while three other inmates were injured from the riot. They were rushed to the Medical Center ng Muntinlupa.

- The Office of the Ombudsman approved the filing of charges against MNLF founder Nur Misuari over an anomalous contract when he was the governor of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao in 2000 and 2001. Misuari is facing three counts of malversation and three counts of violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act over the irregular procurement of educational materials.

- President Rodrigo Duterte left on Wednesday for a two-day visit to Vietnam that seeks to boost the ties between the two nations and to strengthen their cooperation against illegal drugs. Duterte said he is looking forward to renewing the ties of friendship between them and to affirm the commitment to work closer to attain common goals.

- Former Israeli leader Shimon Peres, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, passed away at the age of 93. Reports told that he died at a hospital in Tel Aviv on Wednesday. He had been hospitalized for a stroke since the 13th of September.

- SpaceX, the US space development venture firm, unveils plan of spaceship flying to Mars. They say they will launch a manned spaceship within the next eight years and it will carry up to 10 people and be launched using a new kind of rocket.

- BMW officially announced that they will return to Le Mans with a GTE-class competitor coming within the next two years.

- It's the time of the year when Motor Trend pits out the best of sportscars in their annual World's Greatest Drag Race and for 2016, guess who make it on the top? NOTE: It's not what it seems...



- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure will be getting its first live-action film showing in theaters this summer 2017. Titled JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Diamond Is Unbreakable Chapter 1, it will star Kento Yamazaki as Josuke Higashikata, Ryunosuke Kamiki as Koichi Hirose, Nana Komatsu as Yukako Yamagishi, and many others.

- I know it sounds weird but there was this less-than-a-minute clip done by a Japanese man and it became a viral sensation with lyrics that will stick your mind like...barbecue on a stick (metaphorically speaking). It's called Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen and this viral video got you in the sticks. Never get the idea? Watch this...

 

TTFN!!!

Infiniti QX30

Infiniti's first-ever compact, the QX30, comes in two different forms; a hatchback look for those who are a bit of a city folk and a crossover look for those who got their hands busy on all kinds of stuff. Whichever the QX30 will lead to, how it behaves as a compact is a very different experience compared to any other Infinitis in the range so what is it about the QX30?

2017 Infiniti QX30
2017 Infiniti QX30

In its basic form, the QX30 is basically front-wheel drive and styling wise, a normal QX30 looks very conservative to look at but when you give it four-wheel drive, the QX30 looks as rugged as compact crossovers you are familiar with. Although unconventional, the way the QX30 behaves isn't somewhat remind you any Infiniti you know. In fact, spoiler alert, it's basically a Mercedes-Benz underneath because it was utilized on the same platform used on the current-generation A-Class as well as the GLA-Class compact crossover so in theory, it behaves like a front-wheel drive Mercedes. There's no telling the difference between this and the A-Class it was based upon.

2017 Infiniti QX30

Because the new Infiniti QX30 is based on the same platform used on the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, you might going to expect that this car behaves like a European luxury hatchback and it does...slightly. It maybe subtle, it maybe refined, and it may somewhat be comfortable but in terms of being a fun-to-drive car on a day-to-day basis, the QX30 doesn't feel like any other Infinitis of today, giving you a stark reminder of rethinking of what Infiniti should be as a luxury car brand that lives up to its "empowering the drive" catchphrase. Still, with all that Mercedes magic, it could use a little German lessons on how to act like a German car even though this is basically based on a German car.

As a front-wheel drive car, the QX30 feels very shallow for an Infiniti to be more engaging as any other luxury hatchback but as a four-wheel drive crossover, the QX30 feels like tomorrow's another day. No matter the weather, the QX30 feels like it leaves drivers a slight smile on their face, no matter the odds. Either side, the QX30 is just an Infiniti made for the commoners in the same way their first front-wheel drive car, the Primera-based G20 does.

What's under the hood, the QX30 comes with the same two-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine as expected on the Mercedes A-Class. It produces around 208HP of power and it's mated to a 7-speed dual clutch gearbox., which isn't half bad for an Infiniti but it can be a lot jerky on your personal taste. At first, it may sound peppy when you put your foot down but as the drive gets longer, the more you'll starting to realize that it can get dreary for too long unless you want to keep this hatch to the groove.

2017 Infiniti QX30 interior

So far as hatchbacks come and go, the new QX30 range is stylish, technological, and as luxurious as it should be for a Mercedes A-Class in Infiniti's clothing and with the starting price of 29,950 US Dollars, it's the most affordable Infiniti you can buy. Sounds like a bargain for a luxury hatchback but with all that generous pricing comes with average dynamics that is considered to be a commoner rather than viewing it as an car that is very exciting to drive as any other luxury hatchback. Although the QX30 is classified as a crossover in Infiniti's sales manuals, it's basically a hatchback in two different levels to choose from and whichever QX30 you went to, you get the feeling that it drives like a Mercedes rather than an Infiniti.

Photo: Infiniti

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

Forza Horizon 3

The Horizon Festival goes Down Under in this latest installment of the Forza Horizon series and unlike any other Horizon Festivals you've been through since the first one, Forza Horizon 3 puts you in charge of Horizon Australia as your goal is to make this Horizon Festival a success while driving a roster of fast cars on Australian roads, a dream come true for the discerning petrolheads living the life of the location ubiquitous for shooting promo videos and commercials on new cars.

Forza Horizon 3

For a skeptical car enthusiasts, the reason why Australia is picked on this installment is not just because of the breathtaking scenery courtesy of the beaches, the jungles, the outback, but for some, it was considered to be a universal automotive playground because every time when a new car launches, it has to look good to do some PR stuff by driving around Australian roads. Most car commercials, obviously Korean and Japanese ones, done that on purpose, and in Forza Horizon 3, it's a great honor to feature Australia on this installment.

Apart from driving the hero cars of the game such as the Lamborghini Centenario and the all-new Ford F-150 Raptor, Forza Horizon 3 features a stellar lineup of half-a-century of cars. From rare classics, timeless supercars, muscle cars, extreme offroaders, Aussie utes and now three-wheelers and buggies, every car has their own unique characteristics and how to live it up to these machines is up to you. As you drive through Australian roads, you get the feeling that you're not alone because there is now a new Convoy feature where a push of the horn will lure Drivatars and they will follow you until you opt them out. This nifty free roam feature surely comes in handy when you're in a middle of a lonely situation. Apart from that, customization has been a key aspect of FH3 car ownership and in some cars, bodykits are now added to the mix, courtesy of top companies such as Liberty Walk and Rocket Bunny. Here's your chance to add some cool body kits on your JDM faves such as the Toyota 86!

By fulfilling certain conditions, you can engage a new Drone Mode feature where you can use a drone to fly freely through the Australian roads. Perfect for reconnaissance on barn finds when told or following a certain drivatar/car for the fun of it. 

In Forza Horizon 3, you are now the boss of this festival and as the honorary boss of the Horizon Australia, your top priority is to expand the festival to become the most successful by taking on races, take on showcase events, complete Bucket List challenges, even hire Drivatars to your preference. You can even create your own challenges courtesy of Horizon Blueprint. Want to set a fast time on a Isetta? Challenge accepted. Drift a three-wheeler? No problem. Need a race with just JDMs or American cars or Europeans? After you. Thanks to Horizon Blueprint, you can come up with tons of challenges from your little imagination and let your friends take on yours whatever they like.

Music has been part of the Forza Horizon culture since the beginning and in FH3, it offers an eclectic playlist of songs from house music, rock, metal, hip hop, even classical as well. Didn't like the playlist FH3 offered? Don't worry because if you got Groove Music active, you can bring the playlist to FH3, either from your Groove Music subscription or your songs stored on your OneDrive cloud storage.

Community plays a key role in the franchise and in Forza Horizon 3, it offers the same community favorites from tuning, designing, picture-taking, and so on. In online multiplayer, not only you can compete or joining the fun with other players but, for the first time, you can play cooperatively to complete certain objectives. Apart from that, the auction house makes a comeback and you can either auction your car you don't want or bid for a certain car of your liking, even the ultra-rare Horizon Edition cars packed with special skills that will level up the playing field to your preference.

Because Forza Horizon 3 is one of the XBOX One games that feature a "play anywhere" capability, you can play not just on the XBOX One but also on Windows 10 PCs as well.

So, thoughts about Forza Horizon 3? With our dream of living the fantasy of being on a universal automotive playground that is Australia fulfilled as well as new features that will keep us longing for more, this is destined to be one of the best driving games of 2016 by a margin and with so much possibilities to explore, it will make players coming back for more.

The festival is yours.

THREATS FROM NORTH KOREA: North Korea criticized at IAEA meeting


The top officials at the general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency have condemned North Korea for its nuclear and missile programs.

At the 60th annual IAEA meeting in Vienna, Austria, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano said the issue remains a matter of serious concern as he called it a growing threat to peace and security in northeast Asia and beyond.

Japanese State Minister of Cabinet Office, Hirotaka Ishihara, told the session that North Korea's threat to the international community has reached a new level. He called Pyongyang's actions unacceptable and a serious challenge to the international regime of nuclear non-proliferation.

A delegate from the European Union expressed serious concern over the situation and urged North Korea to renounce its nuclear and missile development.

Participants at the meeting will discuss on how to deal against North Korea's provocations as they are expected to adopt a resolution criticizing the North before the five-day meeting ends this Friday.

Source: NHK World

Getting to know Milo Murphy's Law!

There's a new show airing on Disney XD this October. It's about this smart teenage boy and he gets into all sorts of trouble while having the "best day ever". It's called Milo Nurphy's Law and there are a few reasons why you should like this new cartoon.


At first glance, you can imagine that this new Disney cartoon looks and feels like our longtime favorite Disney cartoon, Phineas and Ferb, and that's true because this new show is made by the same people behind Phineas and Ferb. Yep, the blokes behind the new show, Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh were responsible for it and while the two shows are different, they both share the same mantra; making your boring day very exciting with a little imagination...and obviously, some thrills.

Just like Phineas and Ferb, the new show features two 15-minute episodes every week (and rarely a full 30-minute episode mix in with them) and every episode; Milo Murphy (voiced by comedian Wierd Al Yankovic) and pals get through all sorts of trouble; be it runaway train, falling debris, natural calamities, even getting abducted by aliens.

Yes, I witnessed the first two adventures of Milo and pals; Zack and Melissa, and with everything falling on them, this new show packs some good vibes and there's a reason to smile about it. For a walking disaster like Milo, this show got our excitement flowing through our veins and we really wish our life is as thrilling as Milo's, if we're prepared for the worst because the worst things to come could be our best day ever and this new show means a lot.

Milo Murphy's Law is airing on Disney XD on the 3rd of October. Check local listings. For those with the WATCH Disney XD app can watch the pilot episode anytime.

Image: Disney

Let's Do The News! (September 27, 2016)


- Senator Leila de Lima countered a new batch of accusations by the administration, saying evidence against her are fake while the killings are real. As a human rights lawyer, De Lima lamented that the real issue are the deaths of thousands which she described as "tragic." She said these acts continue unabated.

- Three more Zika virus cases were confirmed by the Department of Health, upping the total number of reported cases to 12.  The Zika case documented in Cebu City last week turned out to be a pregnant woman, according to the press briefing.

- According to Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay, the US officials are concerned over the Philippines' next steps on the dispute over the South China Sea, but the Philippines is not keen on discussions with other parties beside China. Recalling his meeting with officials in Washington, Yasay assured that Manila works within the bounds of the ruling of the international arbitral tribunal on the maritime row to move forward.

- Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump sized each other out, head-to-head, in their first Presidential Debate held at Hofstra University, New York City. The two are tackling topics regarding race, national security, and the economy while dealing against each other. At the end of the debate, Clinton stood tall against Trump. What's even more amazing is that Clinton even mentioned the beauty queen that Trump called her "Miss Piggy" and "Miss Housekeeping". That beauty queen she mentioned was none other than Alicia Machado, a Venezuelan who won the 1996 Miss Universe and she's set to become an American citizen, in time for the elections. The next debate will be on the 9th of October at the Washington University in St. Louis, MO.

- Over 200 are reportedly killed on the resumed fighting in Syria, according to a human rights group. The government troops and rebels entered a temporary ceasefire on the 12th of September but fighting soon resumed with the launch of air raids by government forces in the northern city of Aleppo.

- Jeep unveiled the new-generation Compass crossover in Brazil and it's set to be available in the US in early 2017. 

2017 Jeep Compass
- Chika Takami from Love Live! Sunshine!! gets her own Nendoroid! Order books are now open for the Nendoroid modeled after the Aqours leader starting at 3,241 Yen plus tax while deliveries will take place this February.

Nendoroid Chika Takami

Matt LeBlanc will host Top Gear for two more seasons alongside budding presenters Chris Harris and Rory Reid, according to reports.

- The names of the first two of three episodes that you can expect on the 2017 season of BBC's Sherlock are named. The first two will be titled "The Six Thatchers" and "The Lying Detective" while the Season 4 finale has yet to be titled.

TTFN!!!

The Magnificent Seven (2016 film)

The Western take on the legendary Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai gets a modern reboot for the 21st century and for the 2016 rebirth of the legendary spaghetti western flick, The Magnificent Seven, this revival wants to capture even the most astute of movie critics who experienced the original version since 1960.

The Magnificent Seven (2016 film)

With a star-studded cast including Chris Pratt, Denzel Washington, Ethan Hawke, among many others, this new Magnificent Seven wants to be a bloody action film for thrill-seekers but sadly, it wasn't made the cut compared to the original version that was considered to be one of the most memorable spaghetti western flicks of the last century. In this film, it's about a group of seven vigilantes band together in a quiet town to foil the crutches of a tyrannical businessman Bogue, who rules the quiet town with an iron fist.

At first, you may feel that this is just your average action flick set in the Wild Wild West but once you got glued on that film for too long, you are getting the idea that while it sounds bland compared to hit action movies this year, it's still worth capturing the eyes of moviegoers who doesn't care which movie they'll watch. It maybe mediocre and shallow, the new Magnificent Seven is worth entertaining to watch and while this is somewhat enjoyable to watch compared to the best of action movies of 2016, the new Magnificent Seven feels and sounds just like what the original 1960 version behaves...but in the slightest way, of course.

Reviving a decade-old legend is a hard act to follow and this film tried so hard to capture the essence of a legendary spaghetti western flick but in the end, this is just another eye-gluing film that once you're glued to the film, you can't get away until the film ends.

My rating: 3.1 out of 5

Monday, September 26, 2016

Let's Do The News! (September 26, 2016)


- According to Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Charles Jose, President Rodrigo Duterte may discuss the maritime dispute in the South China Sea if it comes up during his Vietnam visit. Duterte's scheduled to visit Vietnam from September 28th to the 20th and is scheduled to meet with his Vietnamese counterpart Tran Dai Quang and pay a courtesy call on other top leaders of the Vietnamese government.

- Typhoon Helen (Megi) continues to move closer to the Batanes-Taiwan area, according to PAGASA. The typhoon is still expected to gain strength as it hovers over bodies of water before hitting southern Taiwan. Although it is unlikely to make landfall in the Philippines, Helen is forecast to bring strong winds and heavy rains over the extreme northern Luzon, which was still reeling from the past two cyclones; Ferdie (Meranti) and Gener (Malakas).

- The Philippine National Police will soon conduct Oplan Tokhang at TV stations to go after celebrities who are involved into illegal drugs, part of the Duterte administration's controversial and ongoing war against drugs.

- An explosion in the Hungarian capital, Budapest, on Saturday night injured two police officers; male and a female. The government says the blast was apparently targeted at police personnel. A shrapnel was recovered from the site of the blast and police are looking for a man in his 20s who was recorded on CCTV near the site but no further information was given.

- The suspect behind the deadly shooting at Cascade Mall in Burlington, WA, last Friday night, was arrested. The shooter, who killed five people at a mall with a rifle, was identified as Arcan Cetin, a 20-year-old Turkish national and legal permanent resident in the US. Cetin was arrested last year in Island County, according to reports. The suspect was formally charged and will be booked into the Skagit County Jail, police officials added.

- SEAT will introduce their Ateca X-Perience Concept at next week's Paris Motor Show, based on the recently launched Ateca crossover utility vehicle.


- Yes, you heard it. Saitama returns as the hit TV anime series One-Punch Man gets a sequel.

- A special episode of Is the Order a Rabbit??, announced last May, will get special theatrical screenings across Japan.

- The talent management where Charice manages, Cleverbox Events, are facing estafa over cancelled concerts the Filipino singer should have performed in other countries. According to reports, the estafa case was filed by a certain promoter/producer against the said talent management because they failed to agree on the supposed concerts from Charice to Rome, Dubai, and Switzerland that was originally scheduled on the 10th to the 18th of September.

TTFN!!!

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Jubilee of Mercy: Jubilee for Catechists

The Extraordinary Holy Year of Mercy kicks off today at the Vatican City with the opening of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica.
Jubilee of Mercy logo

The Jubilee of Catechists, which is part of the ongoing Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, took place on the St. Peter's Square from the 23rd to the 25th of September, 2016, and this event reflects on the theme based on Caravaggio's painting "The Call of Saint Matthew", offered for linguistic groups in the following churches such as the Church of San Luigi dei Francesi, the Church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, Basilica of San Giovanni Battista dei Fiorentini, the Basilica of Sant'Andrea della Valle, the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, and many others.

Pope Francis celebrated the Jubilee for Catechists during the Holy Mass, which occurred earlier.



The next event for the ongoing Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy will be the Marian Jubilee, happening on the 8th of October.