#2011 coc

[yuzu-all-the-way]

2011 Cup of China - Romeo + Juliet

[awindinthelantern]

Incomplete list of movies and TV shows that would make great inspiration/settings for RPG campaigns, or one-shots (dungeons crawls), for DnD, CoC, or others:

The Mummy (1999)

The Fall (2006)

The Cell (2000)

The Poseidon Adventure (1972) / Poseidon (2006)

Baccano! (2007)

GoSICK (2011)

Ghost Ship (2002)

Fool's Gold (2008)

Blade Runner (1982) / Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Natsume's Book of Friends (2008-2017)

Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)

Get Smart (2008)

Feel free to reblog with your own additions

[legalfundservices]

Whether section 48 of the GVAT Act, 2003 override section 53 of the IBC?

INTRODUCTION

Did you know that government secured debt can also be at the same level of priority as workman’s dues in the waterfall mechanism under the IBC? The recent Supreme court ruling in judgment State Tax Officer (1) Vs Rainbow Papers Limited[1] sheds light on this unexplored area of IBC jurisprudence.

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PARTIES

Respondent was engaged in the business of manufacture and sale of Crafts and Oars within and outside the State of Gujarat. An amount of Rs.53,71,65,489/- was due from the Respondent to the Sales Tax authorities. On or about 8th July, 2016, recovery proceedings were initiated against the respondent, in respect of its dues for the year 2011- 2012, and the appellant attached the property of the respondent being land estate.

The appellant filed a claim before the RP, claiming that Rs.47.36 crores was due and payable by the respondent to the appellant towards its dues under the GVAT Act. After admission of the CIRP and appointment of the RP, one Kushal Limited submitted a Resolution Plan. Various Creditors had objected to the Resolution Plan. The Resolution Professional informed the appellant that the entire claim of the appellant had been waived off.  

The appellant challenged the resolution plan before the Ahmedabad bench of the NCLT which was dismissed on reasons of maintainability. The order was challenged before NCLAT under section 61[2] of the IBC.

DECISION OF NCLAT

NCLAT held that appellant’s claims came at a belated stage i.e., after approval of the ‘Resolution Plan’ by the Adjudicating Authority. Further, appellant would fall under the category of ‘operational creditor’ as defined in section 5(21)[3] of the IBC. Adding to it, the Adjudicating authority held that, since Government cannot claim first charge over the property of the ‘Corporate Debtor’. Section 48 cannot prevail over Section 53.

CONTENTIONS

1.       The appellant-state contended that the Books of Accounts of the Corporate Debtor reflected the liability of the Corporate Debtor to the State in respect of its statutory dues. In abdication of its mandatory duty, the RP failed to examine the Books of Accounts of the Corporate Debtor, verify and include the same in the information memorandum and make provision for the same in the Resolution Plan.

2.       The counsels of appellants further argued that Regulation 12[4] of the 2016 Regulations which deals with the time period for submission of a claim along with proof, as stipulated in the public announcement under Section 15[5] of the IBC is not mandatory but only directory.

3.       The appellants also submitted that the mere fact that a creditor might be an operational creditor would not result in loss of status of that operational creditor as a secured creditor.

DECISION OF THE SUPREME COURT

a.       State is a secured creditor under GVAT, 2003

Section 48 of the GVAT Act which is set out herein below:

“Tax to be first charge on property — Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in any law for the time being in force, any amount payable by a dealer or any other person on account of tax, interest or penalty for which he is liable to pay to the Government shall be a first charge on the property of such dealer, or as the case maybe, such person.”

The claim of the Tax Department of the State, squarely falls within the definition of “Security Interest” under Section 3(31) of the IBC and the State becomes a secured creditor under Section 3(30) of the Code. The mere fact that a creditor might be an operational creditor would not result in loss of status of that operational creditor as a secured creditor.

It was held by Supreme court that. the Committee of Creditors (CoC), which might include financial institutions and other financial creditors, cannot secure their own dues at the cost of statutory dues owed to any Government or Governmental Authority or for that matter, any other dues.

It further held that:

“The State is a secured creditor under the GVAT Act. Section 3(30) of the IBC defines secured creditor to mean a creditor in favour of whom security interest is credited. Such security interest could be created by operation of law. The definition of secured creditor in the IBC does not exclude any Government or Governmental Authority.”

b.      Delay in filing claim

The learned ASG pointed out that the Appellant had made its claim to the RP long before the resolution plan was approved by the CoC under Section 30(4) of the IBC. Yet, the RP did not include the claim in the Resolution Plan. The court observed that delay in filing a claim cannot be the sole ground for rejecting the claim.

c.       Role of RP and Resolution plan

Under Section 31 of the IBC, a resolution plan as approved by the Committee of Creditors under Section 30(4)[6] might be approved by the Adjudicating Authority only if the Adjudicating Authority is satisfied that the resolution plan as approved by the Committee of Creditors meets the requirements as referred to in Section 30(2) of IBC. The condition precedent for approval of a resolution plan is that the resolution plan should meet the requirements of Section 30(2) of the IBC.

Supreme court reiterated observation in ‘Ebix Singapore Private Limited v. Committee of Creditors of Educomp Solutions Limited and Another[7]’:

“Essentially, the adjudicating authority functions as a check on the role of the RP to ensure compliance with Section 30(2) IBC and satisfies itself that the plan approved by the CoC can be effectively implemented as provided under the proviso to Section 31(1) IBC. Once the resolution plan is approved by the adjudicating authority, it becomes binding on the corporate debtor and its employees, members, creditors, guarantors and other stakeholders involved in the resolution plan...”.

d.      Consistency between IBC and GVAT, 2003

As for inconsistency between GVAT, 2003 and IBC, 2016, the SC observed that NCLAT clearly erred in its observation that Section 53 of the IBC over-rides Section 48 of the GVAT Act. Section 53 of the IBC begins with a non-obstante clause. The same is given as follows: -

“Not withstanding anything to the contrary contained in any law enacted by the Parliament or any State Legislature for the time being in force, the proceeds from the sale of the liquidation assets shall be distributed in the following order of priority...........”

As held by Supreme court, Section 48 of the GVAT Act is not contrary to or inconsistent with Section 53 or any other provisions of the IBC. Under Section 53(1)(b)(ii), the debts owed to a secured creditor, which would include the State under the GVAT Act, are to rank equally with other specified debts including debts on account of workman’s dues for a period of 24 months preceding the liquidation commencement date.

CONCLUSION

This judgment gives clarity on the limitation of section 53 as it reflects in the non-obstante clause. Secured debts of the government including those created by virtue of GVAT, 2003 cannot be left unenforced on account of it being undefined in the IBC. This judgment opens a new avenue for creditors to enforce their security interest, even if it is not explicitly defined in the IBC legislation.

[1] (CIVIL APPEAL NO. 1661 OF 2020)

[2] Appeals and Appellate Authority

(1) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained under the Companies Act 2013, any person aggrieved by the order of the Adjudicating Authority under this part may prefer an appeal to the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal.

(2) Every appeal under sub-section (1) shall be filed within thirty days before the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal:

[3] "operational debt" means a claim in respect of the provision of goods or services including employment or a debt in respect of the repayment of dues arising under any law for the time being in force and payable to the Central Government, any State Government or any local authority

[4] Submission of proof of claims

(1) Subject to sub-regulation (2), a creditor shall submit 45[claim with proof] on or before the last date mentioned in the public announcement.

(2) A creditor, who fails to submit claim with proof within the time stipulated in the public announcement, may submit the claim with proof to the interim resolution professional or the resolution professional, as the case may be, on or before the ninetieth day of the insolvency commencement date.

(3) Where the creditor in sub-regulation (2) is a financial creditor under regulation 8, it shall be included in the committee from the date of admission of such claim: Provided that such inclusion shall not affect the validity of any decision taken by the committee prior to such inclusion.

[5] “The public announcement of the corporate insolvency resolution process under the order referred to in section 13 shall contain the following information, namely: —

(a) name and address of the corporate debtor under the corporate insolvency resolution process;

(b) name of the authority with which the corporate debtor is incorporated or registered;

(c) the last date for submission of claims;

(d) details of the interim resolution professional who shall be vested with the management of the   corporate debtor and be responsible for receiving claims; `

(e) penalties for false or misleading claims; and (f) the date on which the corporate insolvency resolution process shall close, which shall be the one hundred and eightieth day from the date of the admission of the application under sections 7, 9 or section 10, as the case may be.”

[6] “The committee of creditors may approve a resolution plan by a vote of not less than seventy-five per cent. of voting share of the financial creditors.”

[7] (2022) 2 SCC 401

To know more: https://legalpay.in/

For original post visit: https://legal-pay-fund-services.blogspot.com/2022/10/whether-section-48-of-gvat-act-2003.html

[medmains]

Clandestiny pc game torrent

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So many images were produced that they had to be stored in an entire room. The characters were drawn and animated using Amino, which was also used to draw sketches before being rendered by Autodesk. All backgrounds were designed and drawn using Autodesk 3D. With his girlfriend Paula (who wants to be the next Countess MacPhiles) and a friendly handyman named Fergus, Andrew must solve the mystery of the MacPhiles curse.ĭuring development the game was to be titled "Castle".

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Morgan Sheppard) who has recently inherited a Scottish castle, being the last MacPhiles standing, full of ghosts, and an earldom along with it. The story is of a young man named Andrew J. The gameplay is basically the same as in The 11th Hour, except that there are no transitions between locations. Clandestiny Download (1996 Adventure Game) Download full Clandestiny: Download (990 MB) Clandestiny screenshots: In this animated tale of ghosts and family redemption set in Scotland, you control the actions and exploits of Andrew MacPhiles as he takes possession of an inherited castle - an isolated, dark, dank and creepy place filled with 12 spirits from the long and cowardly line of his ancestors. Each solved puzzle triggers a brief cartoon to extend the story and also opens another room in the house. Another re-hash of the previous games is the cursors used in the game, which are exact copies of those from the preceding games. Clandestiny is a cartoon puzzle game in which the player wanders around a haunted house solving logic puzzles. The puzzles include mazes, chess problems, logical deductions, and word manipulations. Release: 2015 Developer: Logic Artists OS: Windows 7, 8, 10 (圆4) Processor: Intel. The main protagonist, Andrew MacPhiles, grows as a character and learns the secrets of his family's past along with the help of an array of characters who further the story giving clues and hints along the way.Ī fairly simple plot is played out by animated characters through animated clips as you progress between rooms by solving puzzles of shifting nature and increasing difficulty. The full game Clandestiny was developed in 1996 in the Puzzle genre by the. Like that of The 7th Guest and The 11th Hour, the game is played by wandering a castle, solving logic puzzles and watching animated videos that further the story. On this game portal, you can download the game Clandestiny free torrent. The game was re-released in January 2011 on the Mac App Store.Ĭlandestiny is the third puzzle game made by Trilobyte, and provides an interesting mix of first-person gameplay and third-person cartoon. After the profit loss of The 11th Hour, the second game created by Trilobyte, the producers went on to make a more kid-friendly version of The 7th Guest series.

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Clandestiny, published in 1996 by Virgin Games and developed by Trilobyte, is a video-based puzzle computer game. COC MOD Apk-Clash of Clans Mod Apk 14.635.9 (Unlimited Troops/Gems Mod) is an Online Strategy game from dlandroid Table of Contents Clash of Clans Apk.

[fyeahchinesepairs]

Sui Wenjing & Han Cong: Interview for Cup of China, Oct. 2017

[krisrix]

COC 28. prophecy

“Did you know, that when we were kids, they’d sing us songs about you?”

—from Carry On, Simon, posted June 2011 by Fanfixx.net author Magicath

– Fangirl, by @rainbowrowell

I wanted to play around with the Fangirl manga style by Gabi Nam again, 🖤

[tsukihoshi14]

Q: When does Yuzu act like a puppy? A: When there’re quads involved.

[elminx]

Celebrating Fat Tuesday with Fassionola Syrup and Hurricanes

As a kitchen witch, I love a good food holiday. There’s nothing quite like taking the time to spend a full day cooking for the people that you love – lovingly crafting a set of dishes from start to finish. Enter Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras) – a day meant to celebrate excess (and potentially clean out your cupboards of all of those tempting foods and drinks) before the Lenten season. I by no means consider myself to be a Catholic witch but I do come from a large French Catholic family (as does my coven mate Dora) and our third coven mate’s family was “born from the Mississippi mud” – so Fat Tuesday is a great holiday that we can all celebrate together as a means of ancestral veneration if nothing else. Plus, I have a love affair with the trappings of Mardi Gras (jambalaya and king cake are SO GOOD!) and I have been obsessed with good versions of the Hurricane cocktail since my first trip to NOLA in 2011.

I’ve been obsessed with the Hurricane since I tasted one a Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop on Rue Bourbon on the advice of an over-zealous tour guide. This was not the candified blue slush nonsense that I had been served elsewhere in the quarter but a (very strong) rum-based punch. My partner and I were intrigued and have been trying to replicate it ever since. So it should go without saying that I have tried a LOT of Hurricane recipes in the last ten years. Since the “original recipe” for the Hurricane has been lost to time (if it ever existed), we are always up for some experimentation. I’ve also “experimented” by ordering any rum punch on a menu that sounded anything like what we drank that day. Most were too much like a tiki drink – I love tiki drinks but it doesn’t seem to me that pineapple juice belongs in a Hurricane. Too much and you’ve basically just created a Mai Tai (a drink that I adore) – no, the Hurricane and we had and remember so fondly was something else entirely! I even tracked down some Falernum syrup in the hopes that would be the secret ingredient (it wasn’t). Finally, I came upon references to the idea that the long-lost “secret” ingredient to making a hurricane is Fassionola syrup, a cocktail syrup that has mostly gone out of style. Even the recipe for Fassionola syrup in its original form has been lost but most people suggest (and there are some references to it being called passionola syrup which lends credence to this claim) that it was made from a combination of passion fruit, hibiscus, and berries. Color me intrigued. The one ingredient (other than rum) that stands out in my memory from that lovely Hurricane experience was passion fruit juice. Since I happened to have passion fruit juice, frozen raspberries, and dried hibiscus in the house – I decided to give it a shot.

I don’t have an exact recipe as I didn’t measure beyond the standard 1:1 ratio of liquid to sugar needed to make a simple syrup – I simply added a handful of raspberries and dried hibiscus and cooked on the stove. Because of my familial connection to Fat Tuesday and the fact that I was sharing the drinks with my chosen family, I empowered the syrup with a strong family blessing.

I cannot even express to you how fabulous this syrup is. I highly recommend making some if you’re into traditional tiki-style drinks as it’s an important ingredient in a number of them.

Now, for the cocktail. Since I was spending the time to make such a luscious cocktail syrup, I wanted to use a relatively simple group of ingredients. Aged rum, lemon juice, syrup – that sounds about right. Though you can use any type of rum (or a mix as is more often used in the making of a hurricane), I strongly suggested getting yourself a decent aged rum for this one – it makes all of the difference. We used a bottle of 12 years aged Ron Zacapa ámbar but you don’t need to go that far, we just happened to have it on hand.

The Hurricane

4 oz. aged rum 2 oz. fresh-squeezed lemon juice 2 oz. fashionola syrup

Shake over ice, serve in a highball or hurricane glass with ice. Add a fancy cocktail umbrella and a good cherry if you’re feeling fancy. This recipe makes one drink.

As you can see, at 4 oz. a drink, this recipe is not for the faint of heart. Please drink responsibly and enjoy the Lenten season. – Minx

[writernada]

10 Times Yuzuru Hanyu Was Inspiring

Yuzuru Hanyu (26 years old) is a Japanese figure skater. He is a two-time Olympic champion, two- time World champion, Four Continent champion, four times Grand Prix Final champion and five times national champion. He is the only male skater that has achieved a grand slam (won all major competitions in both junior and senior circus). In 2018, he won the People's Honor Award given by the Japanese Prime Minister and became the youngest recipient of this award. He also won the award of the most valuable skater at the International Skating Union Awards for the season 2019-2020. Since his debut in the senior circus in 2011-2012 and until now, Yuzuru's performances have always made a great impact on the audience; allowing him to have the biggest fan base ever in the history of figure skating. His fans are not only from Japan but from all around the world; including other skaters and coaches. The reason behind all of this love is that Yuzuru touches the hearts by performing like an artist, hitting every note, being super passionate about what he does and combining a competitive spirit with a sport soul. On top of all of that, he has an ability to inspire people. His road has never been easy. It is full of injuries, surgeries, illnesses, strong competitors, mistakes and losses. However, he always perserves, pushes through his limits, overcomes adversity and rises in an inspiring way.

Here are the ten times Yuzuru Hanyu was an icon of inspiration:

1- Winning his first medal in the World Championship in 2012 despite having an injury and low stamina.

In his debut in the World championship (senior circus) in 2012, Yuzuru (17) sprained his right ankle during the official practice the day before the short program. His foot swelled up but he decided not to withdraw, taking into account all the effort he has made for this competition and all the people who came here for him (coach, mom and officials). He went ahead and competed. He was ranked seventh in the short program, third in the free program and third overall, winning the bronze medal.

Yuzuru commented on that competition in his autobiography book "Aoi Hono ll":

"Because I was injured the day before the short, I felt that even in that kind of situation 'I landed my quad, I did well’. I felt that I had worked really hard by myself. However, my mother told me, "That is wrong.” Getting injured was my own fault, but there were many people who helped and supported me. That is the reason why I could come to this point. Until about 9 o'clock that night, we were talking about this while having dinner, and in the end, I realized that my thinking was wrong."

Yuzuru was about to get full of himself and let arrogance take over him. However, his mother helped him stay grounded. Thus, he was able to face the free program with a humble attitude. He put out a passionate performance that many people still remember until this day and consider as one of their favorites. During that performance, he tried not to put a lot of pressure on the injured foot so he shifted all the pressure on the other one until it got exhausted and gave up on him. As a result, he fell all of a sudden in the middle of the performance, but he managed to get up right away and perform a great jump right after.

In his autobiography book that was mentioned earlier, Yuzuru talked about this fall and said: "Later, when I watched the videos, I saw that the fall did not take up much time. I was standing up again quickly. But to me, it felt like a long time. When I fell, the feeling was like flying mid-air. Like this (he re-enacts the fall in slow motion), 'ahh, I am stumbling~~’ (laughs). After the fall, I was thinking 'what should I do from here’, many thoughts circled around. Thinking that I won’t make it in time for the next axel jump, I shortened the path by going straight instead of curved. I can jump even a 3A+3A (in practice), so I thought I will be alright. (laughs)”.

One of the most exciting moments during the performance is when Yuzuru shouted out aloud before the choreographic sequence. The shout seemed like a great expression of the emotions of his character (Romeo). It made him look like he was totally into character. However, he clarified that it was unintentional. He said: "I felt like I couldn’t breathe, so I thought, for now just let the breath out. (laughs)"

Yuzuru is known to be suffering from asthma and because of it he had a low stamina at the time. However, even after finding out that the shout wasn't done to express the character's emotions, viewers still find it impactful because it is a genuine expression of Yuzuru's fight against his limits.

That night, Yuzuru made a name for himself internationally. He shed tears of happiness after getting his scores and so did his coach. He also got praised by the winner that night who said: "the one shining the most is Yuzuru".

2-  Breaking a World Record and winning gold in his first participation in the winter Olympic Games.

At the age of 19, Yuzuru participated for the first time in the Olympic Games. Young male skaters like him who participate for the first time usually don't dare to dream about winning. The big scale of the competition gets athletes nervous and shaken, even the great and experienced ones of them. Therefore, the young newcomers usually consider their first participation as an experience to have under their belt while preparing for the next Olympic. However, Yuzuru was determind to win. His choreographer at the time, David Wilson, talked about his intense determination in an interview: "he wrote me an email letter that was so touching. He was like please help me do this because I'm ready. I'll do anything. I will die. I'll do anything to be the Olympic Champion. I don't want to wait until 2018. I want it now and I'll do anything. I'm willing to die for it. Anything you tell me, I'll do it but help me."

David Wilson talking about Yuzuru's determination to win the 2014 Olympics

Yuzuru performed a marvelous short program and came out of the rink saying: "I did it!" to which his coach replied: "you certainly did". He broke the world record in his first participation at the Olympics despite his young age. He did get nervous and made mistakes at the free program. However, what he did in the short program was enough to bring him the gold medal and make him achieve his childhood dream.

Yuzuru (11) saying that his dream is to win the Olympics

Yuzuru performing his short program at the 2014 Olympics:

Other Skaters reacting to Yuzuru's World Record at the Olympics:

The moment when Yuzuru finds out he won the  2014 Olympics:

3- Continuing to compete after a pretty bad collusion with another skater during Cup of China 2014:

In 2014, Yuzuru took part in Cup of China, which is one of the events of the Grand Prix Series. Yuzuru was in second place after the short program and during the 6 minuets warm up before the long program he had an accident. He collided with the Chinese skater Han Yan. They were looking at opposite sides and couldn't see each other until it was too late.

Yuzuru talked about the incident in his autobiography book and said: "My stomach hit the ice (when I fell) and so it felt like I received a body blow. My stomach was hurting so much; I could not breathe nor get up. Then, when I tried standing up, my chin was hurting and bleeding. My head was panicking and I didn’t know exactly where all the pain was coming from."

After a few minutes, Yuzuru stood up on his own despite the arrival of medical helpers. He preferred to exit the rink on his own instead of being carried. Backstage, he was examined and given first aid by American doctors.

The Collusion incident at CoC 2014:

In his biography book, Yuzuru gave some details about what happened backstage after the incident:

"I really gave a lot of trouble to the people around me. They told me ‘Don’t compete’. The doctors also said, 'It is not a concussion, so it is possible to skate but we do not recommend it.’Coach Orser also said, 'Now you don’t need to be a hero. You still have more after this, you still can do a lot as a skater.’But 'it has nothing to do with that. I will skate because I want to go to GP Final.’ I think I might have said that to him in Japanese. I wanted to go to the Final somehow. Here, 5th or 4th place is good enough, I can get 1st place in the next competition, so for now I just want to remain connected. If I compete at GPF, I definitely want to have a second consecutive victory. I also want to win the triple crown again (Worlds, GPF, Nationals). I had those kind of thoughts. Now when I look back I think, 'ah I skated well’."

Yuzuru decided to skate his free program and the people around him respected his decision and allowed him to go. He made sure to meet Han Yan before competing again and they exchanged apologies. After that, Yuzuru showed up in the rink with a bandage on his head and a small band on his chin. He skated his free program bravely after making some changes on the layout to adjust to his condition. He fell on five jumps but did full rotations and got grades for that. He also was able to land some jumps in the latter half of the program, which got him extra points. After the performance, his coach Orser was worried about his feelings if he gets a bad score for falling five times so he was preparing him mentally by saying stuff like: "scores don't matter. What matter is what you did out there" but it turned out Orser had nothing to worry about as Yuzuru received a high score. Yuzuru was so surprised and relieved when he saw his score and he burst into tears after holding on for a long time. He won the silver medal in that event.

Yuzuru performing his free program and receiving his score at CoC 2014:

After the competition, American doctors prepared the massage room to do stitches for Yuzuru. He received 7 stitches on his chin with anesthetics and 3 staples on his head without any anesthetics, which was really painful to him! The next day, he traveled to Japan for a medical examination in a trip that he described as hell. The result of the examination was "head contusion (or bruise), chin contusion, abdominal contusion, left thigh contusion and right ankle sprain’.

For ten days, Yuzuru was unable to walk and the recovery took more time than expected. Every time he finds himself able to walk, he would go to the rink, but once he steps his foot into the rink the pain comes back. He thought that he would never be able to skate again, felt so depressed and wanted to quit skating all together. However, his mother told him "how about just giving it a try anyway? If you skate just a little on the ice every day with the intention of rehabilitation, the situation may change for the better" her response surprised him because she never tried to stop him from quitting in the past whenever he said he wanted to quit. With that new attitude of his mother, Yuzuru became optimistic about being able to skate again, and found the willpower to try and even aim to win at the next competition of the Grand Prix Series, which was NHK.

At NHK, Unfortunately, Yuzuru wasn't able to present great performances and once he finished his free program he thought to himself: "ah, the final is gone!" he thought that all his efforts in Cup of China were for nothing, but luckily, the total of his points combined from the two competitions made him the last qualified skater for the final. Thus, he was able to take part in the final, presented great performnces and won the gold medal after all the struggles he went through.

4- Winning at Nationals 2014 despite bleeding and needing a surgery:

After the short program at the Grand Prix Final, Yuzuru felt some kind of pain in his stomach whenever he stretched or pressed on it. He thought that it must be a damage in the muscle tissue but after the free program, he found something that looks like a Ping Pong ball sticking out beneath his navel. It was so painful to the extent that he couldn't sleep on his flight back to Japan. When he landed, he went to the hospital right away and was told that he might have Urachal Remnant Disorder. He was given some antibiotic and sent home because his condition wasn't bad. However, once he returned home, and got into the shower, his navel burst and started bleeding. He went back to the hospital and it was confirmed that he has Urachal Remnant. He needed to undergo a surgery but he couldn't afford to have it any time soon because the Japanese national competition (All Japan) was a few weeks away. He was determined to attend it so he decided to bear with the pain and delay the surgery. Without telling anybody about his problem, he attended his trainings after wrapping himself with gauze to prevent blood from staining his clothes. That didn't work out well and blood still got to his clothes so when it was time for the competition, he was worried that his costume might get stained. To prevent that from happening, he put a strong tape on top of the gauze, which was painful, but did the job. In this condition, Yuzuru took part in the Japanese national competition, and despite a few mistakes in both of his programs, his endurance of pain didn't go in vain, and he actually won.

Yuzuru commented about this situation in his book by saying: "It was painful to bend forward and backward, but I tried to do whatever I could in that situation. I even did the Ina bauer, but I could not arch back at all. In fact, I also intended to do the biellmann spin! However, when I started the spin, I changed it into an A-line"

Yuzuru performing his free program and putting his hand on his stomach while leaving the ice during All Japan 2014:

5-  Rising from fifth place to first in the World Championships 2017:

At the World Championship in 2017, Yuzuru made some mistakes in the short program that left him sitting in fifth place behind his rivals. The gap between him and the first place was around 11 points. He was so disappointed in himself but didn't give up. He wanted to go practice harder. However, his coaches stopped him from overworking himself and made sure that he takes a good rest and goes through a normal practice. After that, he collected himself, focused, stayed calm and presented one of the greatest performances ever. It was flawless and magnificent. His coach Brian Orser said that he felt privileged to have witnessed this performance. Yuzuru got a very high score that made him scream and left him on the verge of shedding happy tears. His coach Brian Orser was speechless while his other coach Tracy Wilson had her mouth wide open in astonishment. With that, Yuzuru was able to rise from fifth place to first and win the championship.

Yuzuru performing his free program and receiving his score at the WC 2017:

6- Winning the second Olympic title right after being away from the ice for 3 months due to a severe injury:

Before the beginning of the Olympic season, Yuzuru was done with his preparation very early and was all ready to compete. His coach Brian Orser couldn't believe how smoothly things were going and felt a little uneasy about the fact that Yuzuru was ready very early. His worry wasn't pointless because soon enough Yuzuru sustained a severe injury. It happened during the official practice before NHK. Yuzuru was practicing (4Lutz) which was a new jump he has been practicing that season. He landed the jump in a wrong way causing ligament damage to his right ankle. The injury forced him out of competition for the rest of the season.

Yuzuru's fall and injury at NHK 2017:

Yuzuru disappeared and was away from the ice for three months. During that time, he didn't make any T.V appearances or interviews. Thus, nobody knew anything about him and his condition. His participation in the Olympics and the mere ability to perform again became uncertain. A lot of people doubted he would be able to comeback. However, he showed up at Incheon Airport in South Korea surrounded by guards and declared that he was ready to compete and that he believes he has the potential to win more than any other skater. After that, he avoided talking to the press until the end of the competition.

Yuzuru's arrival at Incheon Airport to participate at the 2018 Olympics:

According to his coach, Brian Orser, Yuzuru returned to the ice only six weeks before the Olympics and had to relearn everything and take baby steps to be able to perform again. He was practicing strokes, single and double jumps while watching his training mate and rival, Javier Fernandez, do a full run through of his programs with triples and quads. Yuzuru was able to land triples only three weeks before the Olympics and started landing quads just two weeks before the Olympics.

During the official open practice before the competition, Yuzuru made sure not to reveal his abilities and current condition nor his planned layout. He simply did some strokes and single jumps then left the rink. He chose his layout after studying his rivals and calculating how many points he would potentially need to win. He did his calculations on an app that he developed as part of his studies at the university.

In the short program segment, Yuzuru put out a great performance that was so close to the world record (which he holds). He won first place at this segment. Seeing the results, he felt relieved and assured so he allowed himself to reduce the difficulty of his free program. He was one-step away from winning the Olympics again. He needed to put out another great performance during the free program, and fortunately, that's exactly what he did. He performed a memorable free program filled with emotions, and once he finished, he screamed: "I won. I won!" which was true! He became the first skater to win the Olympics consecutively in 66 years.

Yuzuru's free program at the 2018 Olympics:

The moment that Yuzuru is announced as the winner of the 2018 Olympics:

7- Receiving the gold medal on crutches during Rostelecom Cup 2018:

After winning the Olympics, Yuzuru decided to pay tribute to his role models in figure skating; the Russian legend Evgeny Plushenko and the American Johnny Weir. He chose one of Plushenko's programs as his free program and one of Weir's as his short. He adapted the programs to his own style but still kept some touches from the original ones. Since it was a tribute, he decided to perform his free program in the hometown of his Russian idol and in front of his people. That is why he chose to participate in Rostelecom Cup, which is one of the events of the Grand Prix Series, and is held in Russia. He performed a great short program and everything was going well until he injured his right foot again during the practice before the free program. He was advised to withdraw. However, he absolutely wanted to perform his tribute to the Russian legend, Plushenko, in Russia. He has prepared a lot for this performance and came all the way to Russia to do it so he didn't want all of that to be pointless. He decided to take strong painkillers and perform his free program. He lowered the difficulty of the program and then presented a great performance in front of the Russian crowd that brought him the gold medal. After the performance, he started moving on crutches and admitted that without the painkillers, he wouldn't have been able to skate. He received the gold medal that night on crutches with fans cheering for him and holding up signs that says: "Yuzu we love you from all over the world".

Yuzuru receiving the gold medal on crutches at Rostelecom 2018:

8- Conquering his fears during the season of 2019-2020:

Yuzuru has suffered from a lot of injuries throughout his career. More than once, he thought that he is facing the end of his career because of an injury. Therefore, his main goal during the season of 2019-2020 was to finish the season without injuries. He finished his first two competitions safely and arrived at Japan to participate in NHK, which was his second Grand Prix assignment. Many of his injuries happened in his second GP event and he was conscious about this fact. He was afraid of getting hurt again and was visibly shaking before the beginning of his free program. As a result of his nervousness he missed a combination. However, he pulled himself together and improvised a new combination to recover the points he missed. He thought of the new combination, calculated its points and made sure that it's not repeated all while performing amazingly. Once he came out of the rink, his coach Ghislain gave him a hug and said: "You know what? You conquered your fear!".

Yuzuru shaking before performing his free program at NHK 2019 + full performance:

Yuzuru continued to overcome his fears in the final of the Grand Prix. He was setting in second place after the short program and the gap of points between him and his rival was big. He felt that winning may not be possible this time; nonetheless, he still wanted to do his best and give a respectable performance. He decided to raise the number of quad jumps in his program to five for the first time ever in his career. In addition, he declared that he will bring back the quad Lutz, which is the jump that caused his injury before the 2018 Olympics. It's a jump that he never dared to perform again in competitions since that incident. However, he overcame his fear and performed a flawless quad Lutz during the free program with four other quad jumps in the GPF, challenging not only his fear, but also his stamina that has always been an obstacle for him. He did not win the gold medal, but won his own fight against his fears and limits as well as the hearts and respect of the audience.

Yuzuru performing quad Lutz+ full performance of the free program at GPF2019:

9- Winning the bronze medal in the World Championship 2021 despite an asthma attack and many other hurdles.

During the 2020-2021 season, the whole world was going through struggles because of Corona Virus and Yuzuru was no exception. He had to train on his own in Japan all year long away from his coaches and physical therapist in Canada. He prepared new programs for the season with his choreographers by receiving videos and training accordingly without any supervision. During the season, his hometown was struck by an earthquake twice. The last struck happened right before he traveled to Stockholm to participate in the WC. According to him, the inside of his home was a mess and he couldn't use the train to go to Tokyo and board the plane as planned. As a result, he arrived to Stockholm one day later than planned, thus, he had to change his training plans as well. However, his coach Brian Oreser said that Yuzuru is not the type of athlete who gets phased by such problems and he was right. Yuzuru did perfect run through of his programs during his official practices. He also performed his lively short program very well and won the small gold medal of the segment.

Yuzuru performing his short program at WC 2021:

Yuzuru was all set to win the World Championship for the third time, but something unexpected happened before the free program. He was supposed to start warming up one hour prior the turn of his group (the last group), but he was nowhere to be seen at the venue until it was almost time for the last group to compete. His coach Brian Orser said that he was worried and didn't know where Yuzuru was. He asked the head of the Japanese team but they simply told him: "He is somewhere else". Brian kept on going back and forth between the rink where two of his students were competing and the warm up area where Yuzuru was supposed to be, but Yuzuru did not show up. After Brian's students finished their turn, it was almost time for Yuzuru's group so Brian went to the locker room to see if Yuzuru was there. Usually, Yuzuru would put his skating boots in the locker room before the six-minuets warm up of his group and Brian would come to carry his tissue box, and then they would head to the rink together. However, Brian didn't find Yuzuru in the locker room. Yuzuru was caught on camera sitting on a chair at the warm up area, resting his head on the wall and looking exhausted while taking off his mask impatiently. At that time, the announcement of Keegan Messing's score from the group before the last one, could be heard in the background.

Yuzuru at the warm up area before skating his free program at the WC 2021:

When Brian finally found Yuzuru at the warm up area, he said that he knew something must have happened to him but he didn't ask him about it. Instead, he tried to encourage him by saying energetically: "Let's go!"

Yuzuru showed up at the rink without styling his hair unlike the norm. He made a lot of mistakes in the first part of his free program as if he was not the same person who did a perfect run through one day ago. He said that he suddenly couldn't find his balance but he did try his best. He explained that with every mistake, he tried to at least not fall. Later on, the Russian media reported that the Russian doctor who was accompanying their team at the competition said that Yuzuru has had an asthma attack right before coming to the venue and has asked for his help. Yuzuru never talked to the media about what happened before the free program and why he was late. When he was asked about his asthma he only admitted to feeling a little asthmatic after the free program. Despite all of that, Yuzuru managed to win the bronze medal and contribute in securing three spots to team Japan at the Olympics.

The mystery of what happened to Yuzuru before the free program would have stayed unsolved if it wasn't for the Russian doctor. The reason is that Yuzuru doesn't like to make excuses for himself. He once said in an old interview that he used to make a lot of excuses for himself when he was young but then he realized that real strong skaters don't do that and that he wouldn't learn anything if he keeps on making excuses. He took the renowned Japanese skater Mao Asada as an example when she competed with a bone fracture without uttering a word about it. That must be the reason why he never takes his asthma as an excuse or talks about it.

10- Achieving his childhood dreams one by one:

Since ever Yuzuru was young he declared that he wants to be the Olympic champion and he wants to land a quad Axel. He went on to achieve his Olympic dream in 2014; making history by being the first Japanese male skater to win an Olympic gold medal ever. However, he said that it’s not over yet because the plan in his head is to win the Olympics twice. He kept on improving himself and walking towards his dream while making a lot of sacrifices and overcoming injuries. At the end, he achieved his dream and made history once again by being the first skater in 66 years to win the gold medal at the Olympics consecutively. He then made a statement saying that he feels happy and that this happiness is what he gets in return to the sacrifices he made. After that, he said that he feels freed from the pressure of having to produce results. Thus, he announced that he is going to skate for himself from then on. It was time for him to start focusing on the other dream of his childhood which was the quad Axel. He made it clear that landing it in a competition is his next goal and didn’t allow himself to get swayed by what others are doing or what competitions he is losing. He stayed focused on his goal and is reported to be getting closer to achieving it.  

Yuzuru's path has never been covered with flowers. It was hard and painful most of the time but yuzuru always turns the pain into success and fulfillment with his perseverance, becoming an icon of inspiration to many people. We wish him a lot of happiness and success in the future.

Translation of Yuzuru's book is from:

https://bit.ly/3vSGgBz

[shiroolynn]

Okayy so today I went through my old drawings, which I made mostly when I was like 10-14. I used to draw a lot, some say I was talented. My father used to draw when he was younger and was quite good, most possibly I got this skill from him. ( Beside all the other personality traits for example being stubborn, which is why we fight quite a lot with each other lol he says his opinion, I say mine, we can’t change each other’s opinion on something so it’s always a never ending fight jshsjf anyway ) SO I thought I would share some of it with y’all because there are some quite hilarious ones and some actually good ones.

I will start with the not so bad ones and I leave the worst ones at the end. So as you can see, I liked wolves since I was a child and what I liked, I drew. A lot. And by a lot I mean A LOT. For some reason I had this weird thing that I wrote what I drew with big f-ing letters above/next to/under the figure so in this case WOLVES just in case you didn’t notice the 4 wolves already. (I did this drawing in 2011. I was 11 years old )

I am still shocked by this huge 2 page drawing to be honest lmao. I did this when I was 10 years old !!! Wtf. Also I was in my horse phase most likely when I made this. Maybe. I am not sure but there are a few horses there which made me think that.

Self portrait thingy. There’s no date on it but as I remember I made this around late 2017, so I was 18. I took a picture of myself in Trondheim when I was in COC in September. I believe I did this for art class in school.

The Discobolus of Myron. I can’t explain but I always liked this sculpture. The form of it. Idk I just like it jsdhsk I wanna redraw this in the next days, I’m really curious how well can I manage, it’s been a while. (2010.11. the date when I drew, I was 11 years old.)

Ok here comes the fun stuff!! Skateboarding and roller skating elephants. Heck Yeahh!!!! AND !! Safety first. Look at them how safe they are. Name one safety equipment. Anything. These elephants got it. Very cool.

My name is not Virág.

My name is 🔥🐲VIRÁG🐲🔥

I wasn’t really a girly girl as you can tell.

This one has to be my favorite AHAHAHAHAAA

We had a hamster. We called him Höri. Höri unfortunately passed away 3 days before Easter. Being a child, me and my sister were absolutely devastated and cried like crazy because we lost our dearly loved pet. So to tribute Höri, I made a drawing of him and wrote a huge ass text there :

HÖRI DIED 2009 3 DAYS BEFORE EASTER

As I mentioned what/who I liked I draw. Well, this one is not really a drawing, more like a funky style of writing his name. I got into ski jumping in late 2010 and one of my first favorites was Adam Małysz. The flying mustache :,)

Don’t ask why I wrote LOL and XD there I have no ideaaa

aaaand hopefully I predicted my own future by drawing I am still flying high over 120 m. I mean c’mon, two people signed it. Me and my mom. This has to become true. Just to be clear towards anyone I wrote there : Virág (me)

I hope you enjoyed this long ass post just a little bit, I had fun for sure jshsgs This is just a very little piece of my early drawings. I have much more when I got older as well. Idk fun fact about me I guess??? Good evening everyone

[ehbunnehsblog]

A while back I made a post about things that scared me as a kid that was inspired by videos on YouTube about childhood trauma. Before we start I would just like to say that this is not about the childhood trauma that is very serious as a csa survivor I do not talk about that stuff here but I just want everyone to know that I support you and I believe in you and we will get through this together. With that said let's get on with the show. (Also heres the first post down below)

1. Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles

Okay this one may seem very ridiculous to some which is why its number one but yeah when I was a child I hated this song! I was so scared of it! Lol I think the reason was because it said video killed the radio star and something about the music and singing just spooped me either way it was very strange.

2. Koolaid Killer

This was a short video series by Dane Boe the guy who is probably the most famous for creating the Annoying Orange. Actually a while back I was searching for these videos and I never realized how many other Dane Boe videos I watched aside from Annoying Orange and that these videos really weren't too scary. I never really watched Kool Aid Killer but I remember one day at my elementary school someone was watching the videos and I thought they were pretty scary but when I look back at these videos they didn't seem very real like they did before I mean the blood splatter etc it all looks so fake cause it is lol. But if you haven't I suggest Dane Boe's videos some of you may have forgot about them like me.

3. Takethislollipop

Takethislollipop just like the above video came out when I was in elementary school and was really creepy. Honestly it might just be one of the creepiest on this list. Take this lollipop was an interactive 2011 game and short horror film that would take info from a persons facebook page and it would show this guy hunting the person down. As a kid I didn't really know about interactive online games like this so when this came out it felt really real and even though it wasn't too scary to me it did make me question things about social media a bit. In 2020 it came back but instead it was a zoom call and used deep fakes.

4. Banana Phone

Ringringringringring banana phone🎵🎶 this is a classic imo. This shiz scared me again I think it was just because it was about death just like the first one sadly it was the ridiculous songs I guess little me really just hated songs that were ridiculous and sang about death lol

5. The Piano in Mario 64

Idk how this scared me and the eel didn't but I just really hated how this dang thing would make noise and come at you.

6. Furbies

I know there is a big thing with furbies and I just want to say I am not scared of furbies as bad now it was really just the older ones I didn't like how they stared into my soul I just really disliked anything the moved and made noise as a kid idk why it's like how some have a fear about animatronics I still have iffyness around things like this but not as bad as I did as a child. It's just that whenever there is something that has big glass looking eyes it spooks me a bit lol also I think long furbies look cool and they are bigger than a regular furby lol!

(Because I couldn't find a gif of a furby you get this gif instead)

7. Happy Tree Friends

Happy Tree Friends is about animated woodland creatures going ape shit and killing each other and themselves nuff said. I hate the song, the violence did and still scares me so it deserves to be near the top of this list. I swear I remember my sister watching this and i think we both couldn't stand it. I will say I am surprised how long it ran for it ran from 1999-2005 in picture format, 2007-2009 in 480p and 1080p to 2009-2016 it ran until December 24th 1999 to December 22nd 2016.

(Since it was violent I will not be showing gifs or videos about it)

8. Backwords songs

I think this scared me because it was unnatural but when I got to middle school I thought it was neat. (I chose a video by Roomie that talks about this topic)

9. Rubber Johnny

Left best for last and one that may have scared me the most. Rubber Johnny is a 2005 expiremental short film and music video that was written and directed by Chris Cunningham, the music was composed by Aphex Twins. In this video Johnny is seen in a wheelchair making noises and just loses absolute control. If you are young this video shows a condom, it sounds like it shows a penis and Johnny snorting a line of coc@ine I haven't seen this video since I was a child and I think imma wait till I see my boyfriend again or when it's the morning to watch this because its currently night time but for anyone who wants to check this video out heres a link below.

Wooo! We made it through the list I really hope you guys liked this one I worked hard on this and i was having a bit of a difficult time trying to find more that scared me. So I ask you guys, what scared you when you were young and why?

☆With all that said I hope you liked this post. Please follow I make a lot of posts that are about nostalgia like this☆

[yuzu-all-the-way]

5 Nov 2011 (16)

5 Nov 2022 (27)

Romeo + Juliet - 11 years apart

[claytondved380]

壳木游戏,仅靠三款游戏站稳海外市场

8090一代可以说从小是在游戏的陪伴下长大的。多年来,我们的成长轨迹里留下了太多游戏的影子。《魔兽世界》、《英雄联盟》、COC等游戏,即便你没玩过,也一定听说过,它们都是来自海外的优秀产品。

国内同样也有许多优秀的产品输出世界各地,在海外市场上俘获用户的喜爱,这一过程我们称之为游戏出海。

我知道对于大部分玩家朋友来说,大家的关注点只在游戏本身,至于它到底是出海还是内销,那是游戏公司的事,Little Empire玩家不需要去操心。从一个业内人的角度来看,小编认为玩家也应该适当的了解一下游戏出海的基本情况,因为这确实与每一位玩家的切身利益相关。

作为一名普通的游戏玩家,大家一定都想玩到优质的游戏产品。而出海游戏产品在一定程度是可以与“优质产品”挂钩的。中国游戏起步较晚,欧美日韩这些地区的玩家,历经几代优质游戏产品的熏陶,我们输出的产品要想俘获他们的芳心,势必只能在品质上寻求突破,做到精益求精。因此,但凡能在海外市场取得优秀表现的产品,基本都是精品无疑,而那些频繁输出精品游戏的出海厂商,也就更值得我们去了解和关注。

北京壳木游戏就是这样的一家公司。壳木于2009年成立,同年下半年,莉莉丝其手游团队壳木软件便开始从事手游的技术研发工作,是国内最早的手游团队之一。到2011年,该团队便获得了Google Play官方颁发的“Top Developer”(全球顶级开发者)认证,是中国大陆地区最早荣获此殊荣的手游开发团队。

作为国内手游研发先驱,壳木游戏历经了从单机游戏到联网游戏,从2D游戏到3D游戏,从自研引擎到商业化引擎等多个维度多个方面的更迭。在这一过程,壳木游戏积累了深厚的技术基础和商业化模型的打造经验,为后续多款游戏在海外市场斩获佳绩提供了有力的支撑。

2011年底,壳木游戏推出《小小帝国》(Little Empire),正式开启游戏出海事业。《小小帝国》(Little Empire)基于LBS设计,在10年前就成功实现了游戏内真实地理位置技术。游戏还实现了真正的全3D技术,满足360度自由调整视角,游戏内数十种建筑和兵种,皆有3D建模。其整体游戏品质即便是以如今的标准来看,依旧是处于一流水平。



有着过硬的品质做支撑,《小小帝国》(Little Empire)在2011年年底一经推出即被Google官方市场推荐,长期占据全球多个地区排行榜首位的位置,在2013年月收入便突破了千万元大关。

2016年,壳木游戏继续发力,推出中世纪魔幻战争题材手游《War and Order》(《战火与秩序》)。游戏集RTS与SLG玩法于一身,采用unity3D技术,画面精美远超过往同类产品。同时,游戏首���压秒战斗,将即时操作完美融入SLG,从技术创新层面解决了海外用户对硬核SLG的不适症。

《War and Order》(《战火与秩序》)上线至今,已多次获得谷歌全球精选游戏首页推荐,并于2017年荣获“NextWorld年度最具风采--创享游戏”大奖。2021年已经是游戏运营的第五个年头,但其月均流水依然稳定保持在1000万美元以上,这也是对产品品质的最好回报。

2018年底,壳木再度乘胜出击,推出末日丧尸题材策略手游《Age of Z Origins》。SLG游戏在继承《War and Order》(《战火与秩序》)中的压秒攻击和实时战斗模式的基础上,再度大胆创新,将塔防和FPS元素植入游戏,开发出诸如城防巨炮等多种融创性玩法,让原本相对枯燥的SLG游戏有了更多的可玩性。##tag##

有了《小小帝国》(Little Empire)和《War and Order》两位“先辈”的开路,《Age of Z Origins》的市场表现也自然不俗。截止2020年6月,《Age of Z Origins》的月流水已达1660万美元。按模型推测,其月流水预估已经突破2000万美元大关,折合成人民币大概1亿3千万左右,是真正月流水过亿的“大户人家”了。

连续三款产品在海外市场大获成功,壳木的实力足以值得我们肯定。喜欢游戏尤其是SLG游戏的玩家朋友,可以多多关注这家公司,各种三国主公玩腻了,偶尔换换口味也不错。

新的一年里,市场上一定又会有林林总总新游戏面世。当大家被国内各式各样的产品晃花眼,不知该如何抉择的时候,不妨放眼于海外,壳木游戏这种经过海外认证公司,或许就是你的下一个惊喜。

[timesofnewsindia]

Rising US- China tensions - Is Controversial South China Sea a Major Contributor?

The South China Sea, one of the world’s busiest waterways, is subject to several recurring territorial confrontations involving China, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Malaysia amongst others. With international support to the disputed region, it has now become a major point of conflict between US and China. A recent couple of weeks saw the US Navy exercising two aircraft carrier strike groups in it. The UK has also intimated that its new £3 billion aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth will sail in the South China Sea next year, exercising with American and Japanese warships. According to sources, this deployment is aimed to counter the increasingly aggressive threat of China. 

What is South China Sea?

The "South China Sea as referred by International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) is a marginal sea within Pacific Ocean spread over 3.5 million km². States and territories with borders on the sea (clockwise from north) include:

• The People's Republic of China (PRC),

• The Republic of China (Taiwan) ,

• The Philippines, 

•  Malaysia, 

•  Brunei, 

•  Indonesia, 

•  Singapore, and 

•  Vietnam.

It is one of the most strategically important body of water in the world, it being world’s second most used seaway with one-third of the world's shipping passing through it, carrying over $3 trillion trade annually. This body of water holds one third of the entire world's marine biodiversity making it ecologically significant besides being a source of profitable seafood for those sharing its shore with it. The bottom of this sea holds vast proven oil reserves of around 1.2 km³ (7.7 billion barrels), with an estimate of 4.5 km³ (28 billion barrels) in total and Natural gas reserves are estimated to total around 7,500 km³ (266 trillion cubic feet).

What is it disputed?

Because of its economic importance and geological placement, South China Sea dispute is one of the oldest, unresolved and potentially dangerous conflict of humankind encompassing three different issues: disputes over claimed territory, disputes over claimed waters, and disputes over the types of maritime activities that are permissible in these waters under international law. States sharing their territories with the disputed sea wants hold of fishing stocks, right to explore crude oil and natural gas in the seabed, and control over important shipping lanes. To be specific, the disputes include the islands, reefs, banks, and other features of the South China Sea, some of those witnessing recurring military confrontations being the Spratly Islands, Paracel Islands, Mischief Reef and Scarborough Shoal.

  During World War II, when the South China Sea region was not claimed by anyone, the Imperial Japanese Navy took over its control and used it for military operations. But after the war was over, it had to renounce its control as part of 1951 Treaty of San Francisco. The Imperial Japan however failed to establish control of a specific country over the sea and that is when the dispute started. When the Communist Party of China took over mainland China and formed the People's Republic of China in 1949, the nine-dotted line map was adopted which encompasses almost the entire South China Sea Region including islands. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam claims only a portion of seabed around their geographical boundaries with the South China Sea. However, both China and Taiwan claims almost the entire body as their own, establishing it within what is known as the nine-dotted line.

  China's claim over these nine-dotted lines does not have any legal origin and specific coordinates. It has been widely rejected by Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and the United States, and has been criticized by numerous international scholars. 

• The Geneva Accords of 1954,gave South Vietnam control of the Vietnamese territories south of the 17th Parallel including Paracel and Spratlys Islands. However, North Vietnamese government believes that the China is the lawful claimant of the Spratlys islands.

• In the late 1970s, the Philippines and Malaysia started including Spratly Islands their own territory. On 11 June 1978, Philippines issued a Presidential decree, declaring the north-western part of the Spratly Islands (referred to therein as the Kalayaan Island Group) as Philippine territory.

• China and South Vietnam each controlled part of the Paracel Islands before 1974. A brief conflict in 1974 resulted in 18 Chinese and 53 Vietnamese deaths passing control of the whole of Parcel Islands to China since then.

•An altercation took place on 14 March 1988 between Chinese and Vietnamese forces over the control of Spratly, in which over 70 Vietnamese sailors were killed. Disputing claimants regularly report clashes between naval vessels. Reports of naval clashes between both countries are a regular phenomenon now.

•Mischief Reef is also a disputed zone claimed by the China, Taiwan, Philippines and Vietnam. However, China occupied it in 1994 by gradually building structures on stilts in the area. Mischief Reef marked the first time when the PRC had a military confrontation with the Philippines.

•Scarborough Shoal is another feudal area claimed by China, Taiwan and the Philippines. In 2012, the PRC took over it as a response to the Philippine navy's actions of stopping Chinese fishing boats in the area.

•In 2012 and 2013, Vietnam and Taiwan confronted each other over anti-Vietnamese military exercises by Taiwan.

•Since 2013, China has resorted to island building in the Spratly Islands and the Paracel Islands region and militarized Woody Island by deploying fighter jets, cruise missiles, and a radar system. These actions have been widely condemned internationally.

•In May 2014, China established an oil rig near the Paracel Islands, leading to multiple incidents between Vietnamese and Chinese ships. 

 2011 agreement and South China Sea Code of Conduct

On 20 July 2011, the PRC, Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam agreed a set of preliminary guidelines on the implementation of the DOC (Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea) which would help resolve their disputes. In May 2017, China and the ten member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) announced that they have finalized a framework for a code of conduct for the disputed South China Sea. The Code of Conduct (COC) that would establish safety and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea despite competing territorial claims is scheduled for completion in 2022.

 The 2016 Verdict

In January 2013, the Philippines formally initiated arbitration proceedings against China's claim on the territories within the nine dotted lines. On July 12, 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration established that there is “no legal basis for China to claim historic rights" over the nine-dotted lines. The tribunal also criticized China's efforts to dominate the waterway by constructing artificial islands in the Spratly Islands, saying that it had caused "severe harm to the coral reef environment". Both China and Taiwan rejected this ruling.

 International Support and Risks

Since 2015, the United States, France and the United Kingdom have started conducting freedom of navigation operations (FONOP) in the region in order to establish and ensure free and open access of to the South China Sea to everyone. Since May 2017, the United States has conducted six FONOPs in the region. Increasing number of encounters have intensified the risk of Beijing and Washington accidentally engaging into armed confrontation.

 As far as India’s stance on the situation is concerned, as clarified by Indian Navy “India supports freedom of navigation in international waters, including in the South China Sea, and the right of passage in accordance with accepted principles of international law. These principles should be respected by all”. India supports the United States for resolution of territorial and maritime disputes in the Indo-Pacific region as per international law, notably United Nations Convention for the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Recently Indian foreign ministry spokesman Anurag Srivastava said that the South China Sea was “part of global commons and India has an abiding interest in peace and stability in the region”.

[allesmulleroderwas]

3, 10, 11, and 13!!

Thank you! ❤️

3.Favourite ski jumping hill?

Bergisel for sure, it's always been a very special sj hill for me. I've been to Innsbruck few years ago (not to a competition unfortunately) and both the town and the hill were just beautiful, it's also Gregor's home hill.

10.Did some moments made you cry?

Yes... Holmenkollen 2011 that was one of the most emotional moments for me... Gregor was just amazing there, also that WM in Falun few years ago where Gregor finished 2nd (Sevi was 1st) which nobody expected. But there were definitely more moment...

11.Ever been to some competition?

Only to a coc one in summer in the Czech Republic in Frenštát pod Radhoštěm, but I'm planning to do to one next year

13.The funniest ski jumper by your opinion?

I'd say Tom Hilde and Andi Stjernen but they're not active anymore so maybe Piotrek Zyla or Simi Ammann

[ultrakrisworld]

Baguio City’s Outstandingly Elegant Arts

The City of Pines and the Summer Capital of the Philippines is a popular tourist destination for its cool climate and breathtaking views, it is also home to several artisanal finds, handicraft, woven art, indigenous wood carving, and architecture. It really deserves to be hailed as a "creative city" by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for its distinguished crafts and folk art. 

The arts of the city that will be featured in this blog focus mostly on architecture. So stay tuned.

The Mansion is the official summer residence of the Presidents of the Philippines. Architect William E. Parsons designed this building based on preliminary plans by architect Daniel H. Burnham, the planner of the city of Baguio. It was built in 1903 and was declared as the official summer residence of the President of the Philippines. It was destroyed in 1945 due to the bombing of the Japanese (WWII) and was rebuilt in 1947. 

It is consists of an elegantly-designed Spanish Colonial Revival main building and a guest house. The elaborate main gate that is made of ornate ironwork, was a replica of the gate of Buckingham Palace in London, the residence of Queen of England, basically, it depicts royalty. 

These are examples of the artworks of local artists of Baguio that were displayed at the compound of The Mansion.

The Diplomat Hotel a.k.a  Dominican Hill Retreat House. It was started by Father Roque Ruano, a civil engineer from the University Of Santo Tomas (UST), who designed and built the main building of the UST, eight years after building the Dominican Home in the City. The construction was completed in May 1915. The two-story rectangular building has two interior courtyards with eight large rooms for the first and second floors while at the rooftop is a Gyronny Cross of the Dominican Order. The design is based on the Spanish Dominican baroque architecture. The building was the first building ever built in the City that was considered earthquake-resistant and with a rain harvesting facility. The building was first used as a school, known as Colegio del Santissimo Rosario, then a vacation home, a refugee center, then a vacation home again and finally a hotel in 1973.

The Ten Commandments of God tablet of Baguio holds the world’s largest 10 commandments tablet certified by the Guinness World Records in 2011 (152.90 square meters). This is located at the Dominican Hill, right beside the Diplomat Hotel ruins. The tablet cost around P5.5-million. It believed that it serves as a symbol that drives away evil spirits.

Lourdes Grotto is a Catholic pilgrimage site and famous especially during Holy Week. It consists of a 252-step staircase. 

From February 11 to July 16, 1858, the 14-year old Bernadette Soubirous from the province of Lourdes in France, had a vision about the Virgin Mary and it was confirmed by a Pope in April 16,1862. Thus, the image of Our Lady of Lourdes has been widely copied and reproduced in shrines and homes like in Baguio City.

Our Lady of Atonement Cathedral a.k.a. Baguio Catholic Cathedral is the biggest church in Baguio City and a rose-colored one.  The architectural style is known as "wedding cake Gothic". The front of the building is inscribed in large letters: "Heart of Mary: Immaculate Cathedral".

The Baguio Cathedral was the only building left standing after American planes bombed the city to retake it from the Japanese Imperial Army, which made Baguio its military headquarters during World War II. That’d be all, and we hope you’d decide to come to our city of Baguio to explore more and know more about our arts, especially with the other forms of our arts such as our traditional houses in Tam-awan Village; our wood carvings that are mostly present in our museums such as BenCab Museum, Baguio Museum, etc.; our woven traditional clothes in Easter Weaving and many more.

Group Members: Bisares, Cathy; Bosigen, Criselda; Coc-opi, Ridgelyn Kris; Camille Desumala