Australia – Page 2 – Author Carlo Carrasco

What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 35

October 2, 2024October 1, 2024carlocarrasco

Welcome back, my readers, YouTube viewers and all others who followed this series of articles focused on YouTube videos worth watching. Have you been searching for something fun or interesting to watch on YouTube? Do you feel bored right now and you crave for something to see on the world’s most popular online video destination?

I recommend you check out the following topics and the related videos I found.

#1 The disappointing 9^th console generation – If you are a long-time gamer who owns a PlayStation 5 (PS5) and/or an Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S console, you might have noticed how disappointing the 9^th console generation (started in late 2020) has been when compared to the previous four generations.

Apart from the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic deeply altered the games industry on the sides of gamers and game developers, the 9^th console generation has seen lots of unfulfilled promises from the console makers, Xbox Game Pass (XGP) changing for the worse, great gaming experiences not being realized, consumers getting screwed, the lack of focus towards the fans, woke garbage involved in game productions and a lot more. To understand what is going on in the 9^th console generation, I urge you to watch the selected videos below.

#2 Illegal immigration in America is the new slave trade – More than ten million people illegally entered the United States through the US-Mexico border since 2021, resulting in rising crime, increased taxpayers’ money spending on illegal aliens, and more hardship for America’s own citizens. That’s not all. There are cartels taking advantage of the open border in the south that kept thousands of people – including children – flowing into America and those illegal aliens themselves are forced to repay the debts to the cartels. These should remind you how bad immigration became in America under Joe Biden and Kamala Harris (border czar who loves criminals and terrorists). This PrageU video is a must-watch.

#3 Retro gaming reported by KTLA 5 – It is not every day you get see retro gaming reported on mainstream news outlets. In America, KTLA 5 made a video news report about the resurgence of retro gaming and it’s not limited to gamers buying collected editions of decades-old games for their modern game consoles. In fact, the video game store in KTLA 5’s report is selling old games in physical copies as well as old game consoles at affordable rates. Watch the video below.

#4 The history and American origin of the Lawson convenience store enterprise – Here in the Philippines, the convenience store chain Lawson has been gradually growing and becoming more competitive with the likes of 7-Eleven and Uncle John’s. Not only that, Lawson is gaining a following of customers who keep on returning because of the variety of food and beverage items offered plus convenient ways of doing financial transactions. While it is common knowledge that Lawson is from Japan and is a Japanese enterprise, not too many people are aware of its American origin. To learn about the history of Lawson, watch the video below.

#5 Israel’s intensified campaign against Hezbollah – After the recent attacks against several members of the Iranian-sponsored terrorist group Hezbollah through their pagers, Israel’s military campaign against the terrorists intensified. This happened even as Hezbollah kept on firing at Israel (in response to the pagers attacks) and even hitting Nazareth which itself has many Arabs and Muslims in its local population. Don’t let the pro-terrorist, pro-Islamist mainstream news media fool you with their persistent lying. Watch the videos from credible news sources below to realize the truth. Lastly, keep praying to the Lord to support Israel and bring down the forces of evil.

6. Kamala Harris’ dishonesty and pathetic acting about border security explained

In recent times, the Communist Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris visited the US-Mexico border to check on the situation there as illegal immigration added so much to crime. The problem here is that Kamala was simply acting to be responsible and working, and it is not a secret that the Democrats hired Communist Hollywood people to stage it behind the scenes. Sky News Australia’s video below is a must-see and remember that Democrats always love illegal aliens, criminals, abortion and terrorists. Kamala herself publicly declared her support for illegal aliens and defended them.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

Hillsong Conference set for July 8-10, 2025

July 24, 2024October 28, 2024carlocarrasco

To all the fellow people of faith reading this, be aware that the next Hillsong Conference will be held from July 8 to 10, 2025 at the Hillsong Hills Campus in Norwest, New South Wales, Australia. Already, online registration for the next year’s conference is open and you can register now by clicking here.

For the newcomers reading this, Hillsong Conference is the annual worship event of Hillsong Church which draws a lot of people from around the world to worship Lord Jesus, to deepen their faith in Him and to interact with other faithful people. This should remind you that the family of God is spiritual, not biological.

The conference will have lots of activities about worship, Holy Bible studying, servant leadership, faith-led mentoring and more. There will also be pastors and other worship leaders who will be orienting participants who intended to deepen their faith in the Lord and realize their true purpose in accordance to God’s plan.

Attending Hillsong Conference is NOT about getting into religion at all. It is all about developing and edifying your faith in the Lord, to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit and realize that Lord Jesus is the way to God the Heavenly Father.

For a greater understanding about Hillsong Conference, posted below is the official message from Hillsong Church’s Global Senior Pastors Phil and Lucinda Dooley…

Hillsong Conference has always been a gathering dedicated to equipping and encouraging the Body of Christ and advancing the Kingdom of God on this earth. Over the years, we’ve experienced a beautiful and profound move of God that has impacted our lives, families, churches, and communities – for which we are eternally grateful.

As we look ahead to 2025, our mission remains unchanged. We gather to witness His wonder, to catch a glimpse of His Glory, to continue to learn of His ways and discover more of Him, the Great I AM – JESUS!

In Exodus 3:14-15, God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” God also said, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers – the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob – has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.” Through every season, He is there. Amidst the noise, He is our Shepherd. To every anxious heart, He is Peace, and at every ending, He is the Beginning.

This conference is for anyone who wants to grow in their spiritual formation, build the Kingdom of God, and engage effectively with the world around us. As a church we are dedicated to delivering a God breathed conference that is designed to bless, inspire and equip you regardless of your area of Kingdom endeavour. Whether you’re passionate about church leadership, excelling in the marketplace, deepening your spiritual formation, or enhancing your community impact, there is something for everyone. Through authentic worship, insightful Bible teaching from diverse contributors, and space for reflection and ministry, Hillsong Conference 2025 will deepen your sense of purpose and propel you forward into the mission God has for you!

We are filled with excitement and anticipation for the coming year and hope you and your family can join us for what we believe will be a truly impactful Hillsong Conference.

Together, we gather for the Great I AM.

With love,

Phil and Lucinda Dooley

To register for Hillsong Conference 2025 online, click https://brushfire.com/hillsong/conference-2025/580249

For other details of the conference, click https://hillsong.com/conference/sydney/

About Hillsong Church – Hillsong is a contemporary Christian church. Overwhelmed by the gift of salvation we have found in Jesus, we have a heart for authentic worship, are passionate about the local church, and are on mission to see God’s kingdom established across the earth.

Hillsong Church was founded by Brian and Bobbie Houston in 1983 in the western suburbs of Sydney, Australia. Now Hillsong has churches in city centres in 27 countries around the world.

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Retro Gaming Ads Blast – Part 12

July 1, 2024December 12, 2024carlocarrasco

Welcome back readers, fellow geeks and electronic gaming fans!

In this edition of the Retro Gaming Ads Blast (RGAB) series, we will take a look at another batch of retro gaming print ads from the 1980s and 1990s. In addition, there will be a few flyers of arcade games.

For the newcomers reading this, Retro Gaming Ads Blast (RGAB) looks back at the many print ads of games (console, arcade, computer and handheld) that were published in comic books, magazines, flyers and newspapers long before smartphones, social media, the worldwide web and streaming became popular. To put things in perspective, people back in the 1980s and 1990s were more trusting of print media for information and images about electronic games and related products.

With those details laid down, here is the newest batch of retro gaming print ads for you to see and enjoy…

1. Contra arcade flyer

*A clever visual concept by Konami towards gamers and arcade operators.*

*Details on the other side of the flyer.*

Before it established itself as a popular gaming franchise with console gamers, Contra truly started in the arcades in 1987. First released in Japan on February 1987, Konami went on to release the game in arcades in the United States a month later and the flyer you see here was the Americanized promotion they came up with. Instead of hiring male actors or models to play soldiers, they hired a slim lady to appear with a female Rambo look standing in front of a Contra arcade machine. On the other side of the flyer are details that players and arcade operators can learn from. By today’s standards, this arcade flyer of Contra is still eye-catching and even amusing to look at.

2. College Football’s National Championship print ad

*This ad has a strong visual appeal to gamers who like football.*

This is another one of those video game ads I saw while reading comic books in the 1990s. College Football’s National Championship was a Sega Genesis-exclusive American football video game published by Sega (with the Sega Sports brand) to capitalize on gamers who want college football to play with at home. This print ad has a nice visual presentation of the college teams’ logos, screenshots and details of what gamers could expect when they buy and play the game. College Football’s National Championship received mostly positive reviews and it must have sold well because Sega went on to release a sequel to this game.

3. Robotron X print ad

*This Robotron game was made at a time when 3D polygons became common for making video games.*

Having played the classic game Robotron: 2084 on PC back in the 1980s, I was very surprised to see this print ad in 1996 promoting a brand new Robotron game for PlayStation as well as Windows PC. For the newcomers reading this, Robotron: 2084 was a classic which heavily influenced game designers who went on make other fan-favorite games like Smash TV and Llamatron. What makes Robotron X notable apart from being an official follow-up to the classic game was the fact that it was made at a time when game developers did their stuff to modernize gaming with 3D polygons for visuals while trying to come up with gameplay inspired by the classics. While Robotron X did not make a major impact on gaming, the classic Robotron: 2084 went on to be released in several multi-platform compilations such as Williams Arcade’s Greatest Hits, Midway’s Greatest Arcade Hits, and Midway Arcade Treasures.

4. Space Jam game print ad

*If you saw the movie in 1996, were you able to play this video game adaptation?*

What makes 1996 a memorable year for basketball fans was the Michael Jordan’s return to prominence (having previously retired for less than two years before returning to the NBA in 1995) and leading a very powerful Chicago Bulls team to what was their 4^th NBA championship title. In that same year, Jordan starred in the live-action/animated movie Space Jam which grossed an impressive $250 million worldwide. On the same month the movie came out, the Space Jam video game adaptation was also released on PlayStation and Sega Saturn. This print ad was part of the multimedia hype of the movie and the game itself had a very similar design and visuals concept with NBA Jam but ultimately it failed to become a hit with critics and gamers. Not even the combined visual might of Jordan and Warner Bros. characters could achieve success.

5. Magic Johnson’s Fast Break print ad

Still on basketball video gaming, the side-scrolling Magic Johnson’s Fast Break game was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) for console gamers to enjoy. Unsurprisingly, this ad had nice black-and-white art work of Magic Johnson as the dominant figure while leaving little space left to show the game box and only one screenshot. The real meat of this print ad are the details laid down in text description.

6. Virtua Fighter 2 for Sega Genesis print ad

*Clearly a late effort by Sega to sell something to its many Genesis owners/fans in America at a time when PlayStation and Nintendo 64 started dominating 5th console generation sales.*

In the history of arcade gaming and fighting games, Virtua Fighter 2 was a worthy follow-up to its groundbreaking predecessor. VF2 also made its way on the Sega Saturn which essentially maintained the great gameplay and 60 frames-per-second animation even though the 3D polygonal graphics were noticeably lower in quality compared to its arcade version. With VF2 in the arcades and on Saturn selling well, I was surprised to see this print ad of Sega releasing a totally different version of the game on the aging Sega Genesis console. Virtua Fighter 2 on Genesis had 2D graphics, sprites for the characters and a side-scrolling visual design. In fairness, the game developers exerted effort to recapture some of the gameplay elements within the Genesis limitations and 2D graphics. This print ad is a reminder of Sega’s American division selling a product to the remaining active Genesis owners.

7. Ring King print ad

*Ring King itself clearly lacked promotional space in this ad.*

In 1987, Data East released their arcade hit game Ring King on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and prepared this print ad involving Ray Leonard, Jr. (on the foreground in boxing gear) and conveniently with the famous Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns (with the promo of their first fight together in the background). Also conveniently, the company inserted their other games on the lowest part of the ad. Ultimately, the presence of Ring King itself was minimized only showing the game cover and two screenshots. This is clearly an eye-catching ad but there was not enough emphasis on the game itself.

8. Super Spacefortress Macross arcade flyer

*The arcade flyer released only in Japan.*

Have you ever seen the classic anime movie Macross: Do You Remember Love? I really love watching that movie and I played and finished the video game adaptation on PlayStation in 1999. What I never got to play was the arcade game adaptation of it which was released by Banpresto in Japan in 1992. This flyer promoting the game has a strong visual presentation thanks to the artwork made for it. Only one screenshot was shown as well as a clip from 1984 the animated movie (note: the arcade game itself has some images directly from the film plus some newly created ones added) but this ad still had what it takes to capture the attention of the many Macross fans in Japan. This arcade game was eventually released with an English translation in America and Australia.

9. 2-in-1 print ad featuring Super C and Snake’s Revenge

*A memorable and intriguing print ad from Konami promoting sequels.*

This is one of the ads that Konami came up with to promote at least two games using a single-page ad format. I saw this ad in many comic books I read decades ago and its visual concept always caught my attention especially since I played the console game Contra a lot. At the high end of the ad were two fictional newspaper headlines highlighting the respective conflicts of Snake’s Revenge (with a nuclear danger concept) and Super C (with emphasis on alien invaders). These two games were sequels to the classics Metal Gear and Contra, and Konami clearly knew how to take advantage of the older games’ success and do their best to sell the sequels to gamers who love action-packed gaming as well as fantasized armed conflicts. Like the 2-in-1 ad showcasing Contra and Jackal, this was Konami’s aggressive move to sell war-inspired games to the NES userbase which was mostly composed of children and teenagers.

10. True Lies game print ad

*There is nothing like taking advantage of the imagery of a Hollywood superstar to promote a video game based on the related movie.*

Here is a video game ad I saw in many comic books I read in 1994-1995. True Lies (starring Arnold Schwarzenegger) was one of the big summer season movie hits of 1994 and the video game was part of the business tie-ins with the film. The people who made this print ad made the smart moves of showing not just one but three images of Schwarzenegger to promote the game while leaving some space to show what the game looked like. The True Lies game even had stills from the movie to emphasize the flow of the plot.

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Australia and South Korea top elite contests of 2024 NTT Subic Bay International Triathlon (SuBIT)

May 5, 2024May 4, 2024carlocarrasco

Australia’s Luke Bate and South Korea’s Jeong Hye Rim respectively won the Men’s Elite and Women’s Elite titles of the 2024 NTT AST Subic Bay International Triathlon (SuBIT) inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone yesterday, according to a Philippine News Agency (PNA) sports news report.

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the PNA sports news report. Some parts in boldface…

Australian Luke Bate came up with an impressive performance to win the men’s elite title in the 2024 Subic Bay International Triathlon (SuBIT) here on Saturday.

The 25-year-old from Perth submitted the best aggregate time of 54 minutes and 25 seconds in the race held over 750m swim, 20km bike, and 5km run at the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Freeport Boardwalk.

Compatriot Christopher Deegan posted 54:32 for second place while Japan’s Amu Omuro (54:38) was third.

Australians Rory Thornhill (54:48) and Jack Chrome (55:00) came fourth and fifth, respectively, followed by Japanese Satoshi Iwamoto (55:13), Hokuto Obara, (55:28) and Kenshin Mori (55:34); Korean Kim Jusin (55:41); and Australian Samuel Mileham (55:47).

“I’ve been racing for eight years so I really wanted to win,” said the 6-foot-1 Bate, who resides in Wollongong City.

“It’s my first time in the Philippines, I’m glad I won,” said Bate, currently No. 8 in Australia. “I hope I can come back next year. It depends on my schedule.”

Cebuano Andrew Kim Remolino, who won two silvers in triathlon and one silver in duathlon at the South East Asian (SEA) Games, was the best finisher among the locals. He clocked 56:09 for 13th place, while province mate Matthew Justine Hermosa (56:38) was 16th.

Joshua Ramos of Baguio Benguet Triathlon (56:53) was 19th, and Filipino-Spanish Fernando Jose Casares, a two-time SEAG gold winner, was 23rd with a time of 57:44.

Meanwhile, South Korean Jeong Hye Rim registered 1:01:22 to secure the women’s title in the event presented by NTT and Asian Triathlon and organized by Triathlon Philippines in cooperation with SBMA.

Iceland’s Edda Hannesdottir (1:01:32) took the silver medal while Australia’s Chloe Bateup (1:01:47) settled for the bronze.

Indonesia’s Martina Ayu Pratiwi (1:02:11) was fourth followed by Japan’s Manami Hayashi (1:02:15), Filipino Raven Faith Alcoseba (1:02:20), Guam’s Manami Iijima (1:02:31), Japan’s Himeka Sato (1:02:38), and South Korea’s Kim Gyuri (1:03:19) and Kim Ji Yeon (1:03:50).

“It’s too hot, (but) except for the weather, I’m okay,” the 25-year-old Jeong said through an interpreter.

Jeong, who hails from Daejon City, was only hoping for a podium finish after placing 20th last year. She first joined in 2018.

“I did not expect to win. It’s been six years since I first joined the tournament, so I am very happy that I won the gold medal,” said Jeong, who pocketed the bronze medal in the junior division of the 2016 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final in Cozumel, Mexico.

Jeong debuted at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games where she won the silver medal in the mixed relay. At the 2022 Hangzhou Asiad, she was seventh in the individual event.

In the junior elite category, the top three finishers in the men’s division were Dayshaun Karl Ramos (1:02:05), Juan Miguel Tayag (1:02:40), and Darell Johnson (1:03:22).

The winners in the women’s division were Naomi Felicity Aytin (1:18:42), Edellaine Mae Diggs (1:18:36), and Maria Celinda Raagas (1:19:05).

To see the official results, click here for the Men’s Elite and click here for the Women’s Elite.

For Philippine triathlon updates, click https://www.facebook.com/TriPhil

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Balikatan (US-Philippines joint military exercise) set to start on April 22, 2024

April 2, 2024April 1, 2024carlocarrasco

Balikatan, the annual joint military exercise of the Philippines and the United States of America, will officially begin on April 22 and last until May 10, 2024 with the participation of at least sixteen thousand troops, according to a Manila Bulletin news report. This year’s edition of Balikatan includes activities that will take place outside of the territorial waters of the Philippines.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Manila Bulletin news report. Some parts in boldface…

The 39th iteration of “Balikatan” Exercise (BK39-2024), an annual military drill between the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and United States Armed Forces, will be held on April 22 to May 10 and at least 16,000 troops from both countries are expected to take part in it.

Col. Michael G. Logico, the exercise executive agent for BK39-2024, said that American troops and their support groups have already started arriving in the country for the war games.

For this year’s Balikatan Exercise, there will be 11,000 American troops and 5,000 Filipino personnel that will be joining in an array of military drills.

“Starting April 1, we will begin with our information warfare exercise that will be held here in Camp Aguinaldo. Officially, that is still part of Balikatan but it will happen before the opening ceremony. The reason why is because we will use the venue for the information warfare exercise for other events in Balikatan,” Logico said on Wednesday, March 20.

Contingents from other countries will also be joining including 150 troops from Australia, and an undetermined number of military personnel and a frigate from France. Fourteen nations will also deploy contingents as observers to the exercise, including 150 personnel from Japan.

A sinking exercise will also be conducted where participants will have to coordinate their movements to test the interoperability of their weapons systems in sinking a mock enemy ship.

For this exercise, the AFP and US Armed Forces will try to send the former BRP Caliraya (AF-81) to the bottom of the ocean off the coast of Laoag, Ilocos Norte.

BRP Caliraya, a Philippine Navy ship that was decommissioned in 2020, was supposed to be sunk in a sinking exercise during the Marine Aviation Support Activity (Masa) 2023 between the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) and US Marine Corps off San Antonio, Zambales in July 2023 but it ran aground off Morong, Bataan while being towed.

Group Sail – Aside from that, Logico said that for the first time, there will be activities that will be held outside the country’s territorial waters, including a group sail with the participating countries in the West Philippine Sea and its nearby maritime area.

“They will be moving from Point A to Point B. We will be utilizing the western side of Palawan , extending beyond our 12 nautical miles so this is also a new thing that we are [doing]. We’ve done group sails before but this time, we will [be] going beyond our 12 nautical mile limitation. In previous exercises, we’ve been limited to just 12 nautical miles, now we are encouraging or we are venturing outwards, beyond that,” Logico explained.

The participants for the group sail include the Philippine Navy, US Navy, Philippine Coast Guard, US Coast Guard, and French Navy. The participants will conduct a combination of division tactics to test their interoperability at sea including search and rescue; visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) exercises; gunnery exercises, and well deck operations among others.

“When you are talking beyond 12 nautical miles, that is already international waters so France’s presence is easily justified. They are exercising FONOPS [freedom of navigation operations] but they are incorporating themselves into the group sail and then it just so happened that they are performing communications exercises, division tactics exercises,” Logico added.

The group sail between the Philippines, United States, and France is expected to raise the eyebrow of China, which has maintained a strong presence in the South China Sea to protect its claims.

However, Logico said the exercise is part of the Philippines’ right and the AFP is unfazed by any challenges that would be posed by China. He said the AFP wants to send a message through the group sail that it is serious about defending the Philippines’ territory and it has allies to help them achieve their goals.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction about this recent development? Do you think the war games between the Philippines and the US will inspire Filipinos to defend their nation? What kind of reaction do you think China will come up with towards the US-Philippines war games?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 15

March 25, 2024April 17, 2024carlocarrasco

Have you been searching for something fun or interesting to watch on YouTube? Do you feel bored right now and you crave for something to see on the world’s most popular online video destination?

I recommend you check out the following topics and the related videos I found.

#1 Movie reaction videos by You, Me and the Movies – When it comes to watching movie reaction videos, I enjoy what the YouTube channel You, Me and the Movies posted. Go watch the five videos of theirs that I selected for your enjoyment. I also encourage you to visit You, Me and the Movies’ YouTube channel.

#2 Minty Comedic Arts’ superhero trivia videos – In recent times, superhero movies from Hollywood became irrelevant and unexciting not because of the so-called superhero movie fatigue but because they are no longer made to be fun. That being said, now is a good time to look back at the enjoyable superhero movies from the past through Minty Comedic Arts’ trivia videos below. You will learn something new and do not forget to visit Minty Comedic Arts’ YouTube channel.

#3 Looking back at the Sega Dreamcast’s American launch and legacy – It has been almost 25 years since the Sega Dreamcast console launched in the United States. The American launch turned out highly successful with almost $100 million in sales revenue achieved during the first 24 hours. For the newcomers reading this, there was a time when Sega had consoles and the Dreamcast was the last one they had before going all-in with multiplatform publishing of games. That being said, watch these videos of the Dreamcast.

#4 Assorted videos of violations and reckless driving incidents of electric bikes (e-bikes) and electric tricycles (e-trikes) in the Philippines – For the international readers and newcomers reading this, the amount of electric bikes (e-bikes) and electric tricycles (e-trikes) here in the Philippines grew dramatically over the past ten years. Because of the many incidents as well as cases of careless or reckless driving of e-bikes and e-trikes that took place, authorities in the National Capital Region (NCR) or Metro Manila took action to have such electric vehicles regulated as well as banned from traveling along major roads and highways. Hopefully in the future, e-bike and e-trike riders will be required to have their electric vehicles registered and get themselves licensed to drive. To see the incidents, watch the videos below…

#5 Rita Panahi and the Leftists who embarrassed themselves – We now move on to the more serious and real-world stuff. I can say that Rita Panahi and her segment titled “Lefties losing it” is easily the most engaging one to watch on Sky News Australia. Here you will see varied videos showing the recklessness, the shamelessness and craziness of the Leftists as captured on social media and news media. Watch and listen to the videos below…

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Philippines secures at least $4 billion worth of investments from Germany

March 22, 2024March 13, 2024carlocarrasco

The Philippines has been on a roll lately when it comes to attracting investors and sealing agreements. Following the success of attracting investment from Australia, the Philippines secured from Germany investments worth at least $4 billion (over P220 billion) as President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos and his team went there recently, according to a news article by the Philippine News Agency (PNA). The said amount is more than double than what the nation secured from Australia.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the PNA news report. Some parts in boldface…

The Philippines has secured at least USD4 billion (PHP222 billion) worth of investments in various sectors during President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s working visit in Germany.

“We have secured business deals worth USD4 billion in Germany, the EU’s economic powerhouse!” he said in a Facebook post Wednesday morning.

“Last year’s significant investments from Germany underscore their confidence in us as a key partner in the Asia-Pacific. We eagerly welcome further collaborations in climate action and energy transition.”

On Tuesday night (Manila time), Marcos became the first Philippine president to address German business leaders in 10 years, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of Philippine-Germany diplomatic relations.

The Philippines and Germany established their diplomatic relations on Oct. 8, 1954.

Marcos also witnessed during the business forum the presentation and exchange of various memoranda of agreement or understanding and letters of intent with different German businesses.

Marcos, in his speech, said Germany is one of the countries that the Philippines is looking forward to further fostering strong business partnerships and collaboration, being one of the biggest economies in the European Union.

He said Germany has the biggest economy both in Gross Domestic Product and population, and a global force in technology and innovation.

“Last year was a testament to the continuing confidence of Germany in the Philippines as a partner in the Asia-Pacific and the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) region by leading among the countries in terms of investments,” Marcos said.

The President also touted the policy reforms and key legislations made by his government to make the Philippines a reliable partner for foreign investors.

In 2022, Germany was the Philippines’ 12th largest trading partner, 10th export market, and 15th import supplier.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction about this recent development? Do you think that the confirmed investments from Germany will translate into new jobs and new opportunities for social and economic prosperity?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Philippines attracts 5.45 million international visitors and generates P482.54 billion in revenue in 2023

January 5, 2024January 2, 2024carlocarrasco

The success of the Philippines attracting visitors from overseas and generating the related revenue in 2023 has finally been confirmed by the newly released numbers from the Department of Tourism (DOT): 5,450,557 international visitors and P482.54 billion (US$8.7 billion according to the foreign exchange rate of January 2, 2024) in tourism revenue, according to a Philippine News Agency (PNA) news article.

For the newcomers reading this, the final 2023 statistics exceeded the declared targets of 4.8 million international tourists and US$5.8 billion revenue. For further comparison, the Philippines attracted 2.65 million international arrivals and over P200 billion in revenue for the year 2022. To say the least, 2023 is undeniably a successful year for Philippine tourism and it seems that the controversial blunder behind the “Love the Philippines” tourism campaign did not lead to a massive failure (which the enemies and haters of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., have been dreaming of).

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the PNA news article. Some parts in boldface…

The Philippines welcomed a total of 5,450,557 international visitors in 2023, well above the 4.8 million target arrivals the Department of Tourism (DOT) earlier set for the entire year.

Of this number, 91.80 percent or 5,003,475 are foreigners while the remaining are 447,082 overseas Filipinos.

From January to Dec. 31, 2023, the country also generated an estimated PHP482.54 billion in international tourism revenue, more than double the receipts it recorded in 2022.

“My deepest appreciation goes to every tourism stakeholder, collaborative partner, and passionate contributor who propelled our shared aspirations forward. Under President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr.’s guiding vision and leadership, tourism has become a pivotal force driving our nation’s economic resurgence,” Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said in a statement Tuesday.

“These numbers speak very well of the performance of the tourism industry under the Marcos Administration,” she added.

She said the DOT will continue its work to “realize the vision of this administration to make tourism a catalyst for economic growth and resurgence.”

More than a quarter or 1,439,336 of the arrivals came from South Korea, retaining its spot as the country’s main source of international visitors.

This was followed by the United States with 903,299 tourists (16.57 percent) visiting the country; Japan with 305,580 (5.61 percent); Australia with 266,551 (4.89 percent); and China with 263,836 (4.84 percent). Ranking sixth was Canada followed by Taiwan, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Malaysia.

Frasco said the 2023 visitor receipts also show that the tourism industry is “recovering faster than expected.”

The country’s 2023 international tourism receipts grew by 124.87 percent compared with the PHP214.58 billion estimated visitor receipts from 2022.

Before the pandemic in 2019, the DOT recorded PHP482.15 billion in international tourism receipts.

In 2023, the DOT’s marketing arm the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) generated PHP6.317 billion in total sales leads both from international and local business-to-business and promotional events.

While reintroducing Filipino destinations before the global tourism arena, the Philippines represented by Frasco last year was also elected Vice President of the 25th General Assembly of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), a prestigious global position last held by the country more than two decades ago.

She was also elected as chair of the Commission for East Asia and the Pacific, allowing the country to host the Joint Regional Meetings of the Committee for East Asia and the Pacific and South Asia in Cebu in 2024.

The Philippines in 2023 bagged at least 15 travel and tourism honors from prestigious award-giving bodies in diving, beach, cruise, culinary, retirement, and Muslim-friendly tourism, “a testament that the Philippines is indeed an emerging tourism powerhouse.”

“The extraordinary journey of Philippine tourism in 2023 saw the world express its love for the Philippines with our country’s rise to global prominence as the World’s Leading Beach and Dive Destination, and Asia’s Best Cruise Destination, among many other accolades,” Frasco said.

“The indomitable spirit of the Filipino has been globally acclaimed with the Philippines receiving the Global Tourism Resilience Award with our country seen as a benchmark for innovation amidst trials and challenges,” she added.

By 2024, the DOT targets 7.7 million international visitors, around 500,000 lower than the country’s pre-pandemic arrivals of 8.2 million.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Do you think the Philippines will be able to meet its declared 2024 target of 7.7 million international visitors and possibly generate between P600 billion to P700 billion in tourism revenue? Did anyone from the haters/critics of President Marcos and Secretary Frasco bother you to make you believe that Philippine tourism will fail because of the “Love the Philippines” campaign blunder that was so widely reported in the mainstream news media?

Going back to tourism, do you think the Philippines should have more international-level fashion shows, film festivals, worship conferences, food festivals, sports events and trade shows to make the nation more attractive to visitors from overseas?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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A successful 2023 for tourism in the Philippines

January 2, 2024December 27, 2023carlocarrasco

If you set aside all the politicking and hatred, you will realize that there is no denying that tourism in the Philippines (handled by the Department of Tourism under the administration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.) turned out very successful over the previous year in terms of foreign tourist arrivals and tourism revenues based on the most recent statistics recorded as emphasized in the recent news article published by the Philippine News Agency (PNA). The exact and final 2023 tourism statistics should be revealed very soon.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the PNA news article. Some parts in boldface…

As inbound and domestic travel gain momentum, tourism in the Philippines has seen a remarkable turnaround this 2023, breaching targets and continuing to generate employment to millions of Filipinos.

Based on the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) latest data, the industry already surpassed its target of 4.8 million foreign arrivals with over five million visitors recorded as of Dec. 12.

From January to November, the Philippines has hit PHP439.5 billion in foreign visitor receipts shooting past the 2022 figures of PHP208.96 billion.

This number also translates to a 95.85 percent recovery of the 2019 pre-pandemic international visitor receipts, when the country generated PHP458 billion for the same months.

As of Dec. 12, South Korea ranked first as the Philippines’ top source market with 1,341,029 arrivals, followed by the United States with 836,694; Japan with 285,655; China with 252,171; and Australia with 238,487.

Canada landed sixth place with 206,571, followed by Taiwan with 186,140, United Kingdom with 141,516, Singapore with 140,633, and Malaysia with 92,383.

“The performance of Philippine tourism this year has exceeded all expectations. And what these numbers would indicate is a robust economic growth,” Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco said in her year-end assessment report.

Citing the country’s economic managers, Frasco said tourism this year has also emerged as one the “strongest pillars” of the economy, ranking second in terms of the source for growth.

“Notably, the number one source of economic growth is employment of which tourism also contributes in large number of over 5.35 million, in fact,” she said.

Roads, rest areas, flights – Since the beginning of the year, the DOT has been pushing for the construction of more rest areas and roads leading to tourist destinations across the country.

To date, the DOT and its infrastructure arm, the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), have launched ten tourist rest areas, with plans to build 18 more in 2024.

DOT’s collaboration with the Department of Public Works and Highways has also yielded 158 kilometers of tourism roads and an investment of at least PHP16 billion in tourism roads for 2023.

Frasco said the country has likewise recovered nearly 80 percent of its pre-pandemic international incoming seat capacity.

As of November 2023, there are over 1.4 million international seats available, vis-a-vis the one million recorded last year, and the 1.7 million recorded in 2019.

Frasco had also been meeting with stakeholders to relay Manila’s support for direct flights, including with France, the United Kingdom, and Italy.

Consistently ‘leading’ – The Philippines once again showcased the unrivaled charm of its beaches and underwater destinations to tourists from across the globe after bagging the World’s Leading Dive Destination and the World’s Leading Beach Destination awards at the prestigious World Travel Awards (WTA) 2023.

The country also net the Global Tourism Resilience Award for demonstrating “global leadership, pioneering vision, and innovation to overcome critical challenges and adversity while Manila was named the World’s Leading City Destination.

The DOT this year also introduced its new tourism branding “Love the Philippines” to emphasize that the Philippines has a lot more to offer than fun from its natural assets and history to its rich culture.

Along with the new campaign, the DOT sought to increase travel activities in other regions by helping them develop lesser-known tourism destinations.

The DOT launched various tourism initiatives such as the Philippine Experience Programs: Culture, Heritage, and Arts Caravan, which emphasized the country’s diverse cultural heritage and has so far staged four in Davao, Calabarzon, Bicol, and Western Visayas.

Better than expected – Leechiu Property Consultants (LPC) graded the industry’s performance as “better than expected,” saying the country’s focus on domestic travel also contributed to its resurgence in the face of “uncertainties” in key source markets such as China and Japan.

“Despite uncertainties in these external markets, the country’s focus on boosting internal tourism significantly bolstered the industry’s stability and growth,” it said.

For 2024, the DOT has set a modest target of 7.7 million foreign visitors, 500,000 less than the 8.2 million arrivals it generated before the pandemic

LPC Director for Hotel, Leisure, and Tourism Alfred Lay said South Korea has returned to about 72 percent arrivals while China only recovered 15 percent.

Lay said the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia were all in the “same boat” and have witnessed fairly low recovery rates from Chinese inbound guests but the country was still able to breach its 2023 target.

“Next year is going to be a pivotal year because where are we going to get those (2024) numbers? If the Chinese economic slowdown continues and the Japanese Yen stays where it is, maybe the Korean market will give us more but another two million more, I don’t think so,” he said.

“The 7.7 million is a very interesting target and I’m very interested to see what happens next year, to see if the Philippines has the ability to generate two million new arrivals,” he added.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What do you think about this recent development? Do you think the 2024 target of 7.7 million foreign tourist arrivals is achievable even though there are uncertainties overseas that could affect the Philippines as a tourist destination? Do you think the DOT should focus more on encouraging locals to add to the tourism industry’s growth in 2024? When it comes to foreign visitor revenue, do you think the Philippines can attract P500 billion in 2024? Do you think the recent conflicts between the Philippines and China over the West Philippine Sea could negatively affect the inflow of Chinese tourists into the country this year?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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What to watch on YouTube right now – Part 11

December 15, 2023April 17, 2024carlocarrasco

Have you been searching for something fun or interesting to watch on YouTube? Do you feel bored right now and you crave for something to see on the world’s most popular online video destination?

I recommend you check out the following topics and the related videos I found.

#1 Xbox-related announcements at The Game Awards 2023 – The Game Awards 2023 edition took place recently and like many of its previous editions, it was a spectacle of video game awards as well as announcements of upcoming games. Team Xbox, which now has giant publishers Activision-Blizzard-King and Bethesda under its umbrella, came out with very notable video game announcements that not only includes Hideo Kojima’s Xbox project but also a brand new game (the licensed property of a very popular entertainment brand) which I never anticipated coming. I should also state that Square Enix’s announcement of Visions of Mana includes the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S for future release. Watch the videos (including one from a YouTuber) below…

#2 Godzilla Minus One makes impact in America – While its current theatrical distribution in America is not too great, the Japanese-made Godzilla Minus One movie managed to make an impact with moviegoers and critics there. In fact, Toho’s newest Godzilla film even topped the American box office on specific days during the week (click here and here) even though it came with English subtitles (with original Japanese voices throughout) that had to be read by moviegoers. Why is Godzilla Minus One making an impact in America? Watch the videos below…

#3 The evil of the Islamo-Left – It is not surprising at all that Leftist elements continue to take sides with the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas while opposing Israel’s war efforts in the Gaza strip (Israel’s response to Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attacks and abduction of hostages). If you do your research of history, you will realize that the unholy alliance between Islamic terrorists and Leftists actually go a long way back. That alliance is referred to as the Islamo-Left which is composed of Islamists and Leftists who are united by their hatred for Israel and their desire to commit genocide against the Jewish people. The Islamo-Left is the evil force that needs to be rejected and defeated. I also want to state again that the Palestinians are NOT the indigenous people of Israel, the Palestinians have no right to the land of Israel, and the Palestinians are still living under the wickedness of their leaders (Hamas and the Palestinian Authority). Learn more by watching the video below…

#4 Beware of charismatic criminals – In this divided world we live in, there are certain charismatic individuals who wield so much power, they managed to deceive people and commit crimes believing they could simply get away with it all. The charismatic criminals of recent times are specifically Elizabeth Holmes (convicted), Sam Bankman-Fried (convicted) and Charlie Javice. To find out who the charismatic crooks are, what happened to them and why you must never let them deceive you, watch the videos below…

#5 Unite with the Right to push back against the Satanic Left – Shifting to geopolitics, Sky News Australia published two videos that must be seen. The first one is about the political Right gaining significant ground in the Netherlands and Argentina (following the very inspired political shift related to Giorgia Meloni’s rise to power in Italy in 2022). The 2^nd video shows why the Satanic Left often leads people to social, political and economic ruin as seen in Argentina. Let these two videos inspire you and members of your community to rise up against the Leftists and be united with the Right in future elections as well as with ongoing developments of the current government. Never let the Satanic Left take even the slightest space away from you. Communists, socialists, Marxists, liberals, diversity fanatics, inclusion fanatics, LGBT activists, the woke nuts, pro-Palestine zealots and all those other wicked Leftist elements are simply too chaotic to be given power.

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