It's almost Ritsuko Akizuki's birthday in the world of THE IDOLM@STER and what better way is to pull off a challenge to honor such occassion. Trouble is, it may take a lot of negotiation to pull this off.
Yes, we all seen good Ritsuko Akizuki cosplays, ranging from her signature luxury outfit, her office lady attire, and many others, but not a single Ritchan fan has pulled something like this...
Yep, her attire from the IM@S anime DVD/Blu-Ray cover.
Yes, we all seen good IM@S fans outfitted in their anime DVD/Blu-ray cover attires. Most do Yayoi, Iori, Takane, or Miki. Some do Haruka, Makoto, Yukiho, or Chihaya (which I probably did last Spring). Few do Ami and Mami or Azusa. Sadly, no sight of anyone doing Ritsuko Akizuki in her DVD/Blu-ray cover attire. Why? It's just a simple...er...just the stuff you saw above but never mind all that.
You know what, having my sister Elise doing the job of dressing as Ritsuko kinda reminds me of last year when I told her to do Serena in her new outfit from Pokemon XY. I tried to be a good brother to my sister Elise but my obsession made me and my mother fought a lot, even after the convention. Sure, I may used a lot of bad words on my mom but she only did that to tick me off. In fact, I'm the one who drove me, my mom, and my sister apart. I messed up real bad as a brother. It really is my fault. I raised my voice over them I guess I never been around to take the blame. Me and my mom started drifting apart. Anyway, enough with the long story but mom and Elise, if you're reading this and let's put a dump on things, I'm sorry for being a bad brother.
Well, now that you heard my sad story, time to see our Ritsuko Akizuki's IM@S DVD/Blu-Ray cover outfit in action!
Err...not exactly much, but on the bright side, the outfit looks almost similar. Just a minor adjustment on the hairdo and that should be fine but my sis says that's as good as it goes.
Anyway, while this isn't exactly as I hoped for, I bet that would be enough to pull one off to show a little love to 765Pro's "least favorite" idol and I hope it's time for me to take responsibility after the mess done to make this a fruition.
Lets hope I'll ever see any IM@S fan dressed as Ritsuko in her IM@S anime DVD/Blu-ray cover attire after this.
Dory is by no means one of our favorite characters in 2003's Disney-Pixar flick Finding Nemo because of her iconic dialogue to remember for, even if we had short-term memory loss. Because of her knack of comic dialogue that cheered us up, in fact, she even made her the star in the sequel film.
Finding Dory, the sequel to 2003's Finding Nemo, brings the aquatic tale we all love when you and I are young to a new direction and promises the same comic dialogue we all love. Of course, TV presenter Ellen DeGeneres reprises her role as, hers truly, Dory as well as Albert Brooks as Marlin from the first flick.
Unknown to her bittersweet past, Dory sets on an adventure to reunite with her parents after a terrible incident separated them years ago, and that meant she ends up on another side of the ocean. With the help of old pals Marlin and Nemo as well as new allies such as the octopus Hank, whale shark Destiny, and beluga whale Bailey, Dory will have to keep swimming to reunite with her long lost family, no matter the odds. Whoops, I just said that line. Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming, swimming, swimming...
Just for the record, the storyline feels almost the same as the original because the stuff you saw in this flick kinda reminds you of the original flick 13 years ago, but since this is Dory we're talking about, fans can venture on her secret origins and as the movie progresses, the more pieces about her are building in until they get the whole story about Dory's origins.
Storyline aside, the fun factor is what pleases the moviegoers and because of Dory's comic dialogue that made people smile. you can expect moments that are going to be iconic in the world of Disney-Pixar movies and if there's something we all learn from this flick, it made us keep swimming and be fluent in whale. What the hay, this film has the best vibe since the first one, in fact, this film has some good vibes that can make you laugh and cry.
This is the first time an American car brand is selling a Chinese-made car, which is kinda unorthodox for General Motors to do such a thing. Whatever that is, the first American branded, Chinese import to be sold on US soil is a crossover called the Envision.
2016 Buick Envision
2016 Buick Envision
Although being an import from the People's Republic of China, some might believe that the Envision envisions its unorthodox collaboration between China and US in the same way that the F-2 fighter-bomber plane is for Japan and US. To put it in context, it shares it status as an Asian-American so you might think it targets every single Asian-American customer in its range but you'd be wrong.
Because this is an import from the PRC, the Buick Envision is priced at 42,070 US Dollars, making it the most expensive Buick offered for now but don't worry, they will add a cheaper model later this year starting at 35,870 US Dollars, around two thousand less than its big brother, the Enclave.
2016 Buick Envision
So, what do you know about the first American branded, Chinese import to be sold on US soil? Well, for starters, as commoners might say, everything in this planet is made in China. Your iPhone's made in China, your anime figure's made in China, your computer's made in China, China, China, China, well, you get the idea, but almost most of the stuff around you are made by the world's biggest country. We get used to it using stuff made by those who invented gunpowder and currency and we don't mind if they're expendable or not. The Envision? Well, even it looks American inside and out, there's no hiding that the way it behaves is very Chinese, a bit Asian-American if you like to call it, especially when it comes with a 2,0L turbocharged 4-cylinder engine that produces 252HP of power while mated with the GEN-3 6-speed AT. Sounds high-performance for a crossover like this but unlike the best of Buicks made by Americans (and Europeans), its dynamics are questionable for a China-made American crossover. Sooner or later, you might start questioning its reliability if things go wrong with it.
2016 Buick Envision interior
2016 Buick Envision interior
So far as styling-wise, the Envision is as well-orchestrated as the interior. It's very nice to be accommodated with and because space in the back matters most than anything else in the car, like what every Chinese businessmen would want for a long-wheelbase versions of luxury compact saloons, the Envision's rear legroom is very good indeed. It's very hi-tech from every nook and cranny and you can even surf the net with your devices on the go thanks to 4G LTE.
So, is there's something to like about the Envision? Probably the spacing, the tech, the design, and pretty much about it but if there's something not to like about the Envision, it would be the pricing that sounds costly for a China-made SUV as well as the way it behaves. So, if there's any question about how the Envision behaves on American roads, don't ask me. Ask General Motors for bringing this crossover that is proud to say "I'm Asian American and I am a Buick".
Available colors: Ebony Twilight Metallic, Summit White, Galaxy Silver Metallic, Bronze Alloy Metallic, Saffron Red Metallic, and Midnight Amethyst Metallic.
The South Korean military says North Korea is preparing to launch a ballistic missile. According to sources, the North appears to preparing to launch a new Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile from its east coast.
Meanwhile, North Korean media condemn South Korea for conducting anti-poaching operations in neutral waters between the 2 countries,saying it's a military provocation. The South Korean military, its coast guard, and UN forces have been working together to stop blue crab poaching by Chinese fishing boats at the mouth of the Han River, which flows into the Yellow Sea. The KCNA says the area is a place no military forces of both Koreas have entered since the 1953 armistice.
Then, a senior North Korean official has arrived in Beijing to attend the global security conference for northeast Asia. Choe Son Hui, the deputy chief of US affairs bureau at North Korea's Foreign Ministry is attending the three-day conference organized by a US university that starts on Tuesday. The meeting brings together officials from the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear program as well as private researchers. This is the first time in four years that North Korea has sent a participant to the annual conference.
- Former Senate president Ernesto Maceda passed away last night at St. Luke's Hospital in Quezon City after suffering a stroke two weeks ago, He was 81. The family announced that Maceda was taken off life support at 2058 hours local time after his eldest son Manny arrived from the US.
- DNA tests confirmed that the severed head found in front of a cathedral in Jolo, Sulu, belonged to Robert Hall, a Canadian captive of the Abu Sayyaf Group, who was beheaded last week, according to the Philippine National Police. Authorities found the body part on the 13th of June in front of the Mt. Carmel Cathedral along Sanchez Street in Jolo, confirmed earlier reports of the beheading of the Canadian hostage.
- The inauguration of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte will be officially held at Malacanang Palace on the 30th of June, breaking the tradition of holding presidential inaugurals at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila's Rizal Park. According to incoming Presidential Communications Operations Office secretary Martin Andanar, the media would not be allowed to cover inside the Palace except Duterte's TV crew, the RTVM.
- The US Senate rejected all four bills designed to restrict gun sales, despite a mass shooting at a nightclub in Orlando last weeks. Republicans and Democrats submitted two bills each to the chamber but none of the bills secured the 60 votes needed to advance.
- Over four hundred people died on the yellow fever outbreak in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The mosquito-borne disease causes fever, vomiting and in some cases jaundice, which it is named for.
- An Electric Modified Class-spec Acura that looks like the upcoming NSX will participate at this year's Pikes Peak International Hill Climb next weekend. Piloted by Tetsuya Yamano, this NSX-inspired EV concept features a modified powertrain used on the all-electric CR-Z racer last year.
- Amid the diesel emission scandal, Volkswagen plans to drop around forty models from its company-wide lineup. Reports told that Volkswagen is shaking to trim down and remove a number of low-volume vehicles from various lineups.
- Jake Vargas will appear in an upcoming episode of GMA's drama anthology depicting real people, Magpakailanman, as the viral sensation Carrot Man.
- The cast of the 2016 rebirth of GMA's fantasy drama, Encantadia, are preparing for the biggest battle scene ever seen.
Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan, is the grand stage of the European Grand Prix on the F1 2016 season and setting the issues behind them, Nico Rosberg's pole position during qualifiers was a big advantage, more than enough to score his win while Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel placed 2nd place and Sergio Perez from Force India scored his second podium finish upon placing 3rd in the race.
Onto the overall standings, Rosberg's now 24 points ahead of Hamilton, 141 to 117, while Vettel remains 3rd overall with 96 points.
The next race is set at Austria, on the 3rd of July, 2016.
On the fourth episode of "brand new" Top Gear sees a three vs one match between cars against train, a luxury train, of course. While Eddie Jordan is taking a ride on a luxury train, the trio bought used cars snd set off to a road trip to Venice. Challenges included, of course. Evans goes for the 2002 Jaguar XJ while Sabine goes for the Audi A8 and Matt goes unorthodox with the 1989 Honda Gold Wing motorbike.
Meanwhile, Chris Harris is at Yas Marina to try out Aston Martin's most powerful machine, the Vulcan, and even raced against the V12 Vantage S. Because it's a track-only machine, the Naughty Laps was introduced for non road-legal cars like the Vulcan and it did it in 1:15.2 in damp condition.
Then, Rory Reid's in New York City to try out Tesla's zero emission crossover, the Model X.
In the Star in a Rallycross Car segment, TV explorer Bear Grylls and science whiz Prof. Brian Cox were on it and set a lap time of 1:54.4 and 1:53.9.
Come 23rd of June, every single Brit in the UK will take part in the historical EU referendum and decide whether the UK should stay or leave the European Union once and fol all. With the world eyes on the fate of Great Britain, that begs me one thing, what's with the trouble with Europe anyway?
Europe has been the hallmark of culture, ideals, and ambitions that inspired many from across the globe. In the aftermath of two World Wars, the European Union was founded to restore order among the European countries that bear scars from the wars and unite as one not just economically but politically as well.
I'm not into this but if you want to know how does the European Union works, here's a clip that will sum everything up...
So, now that you understand how the European Union works, let's talk about the trouble with Europe right now and why UK's referendum, due Thursday, matters. Ever since the relentless wars in the Middle East and Africa, Europe had faced a massive string of migrants, which is the largest since the Second World War, and how European nations deal with them is everyone's guess. Some nations like Germany opening up asylum for refugees while some like Hungary trying to restrict them access due to security reasons. To the eyes of EU bureaucrats, dealing with the endless migration of refugees from unstable countries is an endless nightmare that some may think this is the end of it, in fact, this is ONLY the beginning for them. And now, following the attacks on Paris, France, and Brussels, Belgium, looks like the EU is partly to blame the migrants and refugees because some of the terrorists, mostly from the armed terrorist organization ISIS, got mixed up with them, therefore attacks in Europe are extremely likely thanks to them.
Another major problem is the economy and who can remember the infamous "Grexit" from last year? Experts like to blame the Euro currency for everything. Since the late 90's, the establishment of the Euro currency meant to keep the EU member states (well, except for the Danes, Swedes, and Brits for some reason) economically stable as possible but since the aftermath of the world financial crisis in late 2008 (the Lehman shock, of course), economy in EU is becoming stagnant and one of the countries that hit hard is Greece. About last year, Alexis Tsipras, the Greek prime minister who was elected on an anti-austerity platform, urged his citizens to vote against a renegotiated bailout agreement, raising awareness of the nation's possible exit from the eurozone, but a month later, Greece accepted the negotiations from the top European officials on the 86 billion Euro bailout package that will save the nation from impending bankruptcy. The Greeks are safe for now but how long till it last before the Greeks face another financial problem shortly after the imminent Brexit vote?
Europe's rich in culture because of the valuable history it provided in terms of arts and music. With the rise of the Creative Europe programme, the sectors of culture, media, cross-sector, and other forms were covered for those that give life to European culture. One of the biggest contributions to European culture is the European Union Youth Orchestra, which will celebrate its 40th anniversary this year, noteworthy of its talented youth preserving their love of classical music created by Europe's finest in history. Sadly, their 40th anniversary celebration is a nightmare because they're on the verge of disbandment due to financial reasons, resulting to cancellation of their upcoming 40th anniversary events as well. Culture-loving individuals felt saddened to the sudden announcement of EUYO's closure until early this month, European Commision President Jean-Claude Juncker announced the proposals to enable the EU to return to core funding the EUYO. So, is the EUYO saved? In a nutshell, yes, for now, but how long this the longest-running youth orchestra in Europe will last?
Now, onto the Brexit vote and how did the UK triggered such a referendum that decides the fate of the great nation? Some say, the UK had fed up with the EU regulations in terms of economy, politics, national security, and many others, while some believed that the EU leadership has gone over the line and if no other actions were taken, it would be catastrophic for the bloc. Well, this is only a hunch but this is why the UK triggered the referendum. For some who campaigned on the "Remain" side, people including the PM David Cameron feared that the UK will face disastrous results in jobs and livelihood of the Brits. Not only that, it may trigger another referendum on the Scottish independence and if Scotland leaves UK, it may find its way to EU membership. For the "Brexit" side, people like Nigel Farage and former London mayor Boris Johnson, having the UK left the EU means they are free to do whatever they want in terms of economy, healthcare, national security, jobs, livelihood, and others.
Those Brexit spearheaders, looks like they want to do things in Trump's favor because the highly criticized presumptive Republican presidentiable believes that the UK will be more successful when it leaves the EU. Yeah, right. If that case of Brexit triggers, how would Trump and Hillary Clinton comment about this on their US presidential debate on the road to November's presidential elections? We'll never know until the Trump's unleashed his so-called trump card to woo the people to make him the new world leader in the same way how Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte lures the crowd to make him rule the Philippines with an iron fist. Sorry, if I had to say that but if Duterte's going to comment about Brexit, it would mean an added expletive dialogue condemning UK's decision to leave the EU.
The road to the imminent EU referendum became so life-threatening, in fact, there's one that claimed its life and that was none other than the MP named Jo Cox, who was brutally murdered by an assailant for no reason. Cox was one of the key people who campaigned the "Remain" side and following her death, campaigning for both sides have been temporarily halt to pay respects for her. I had high respects for her because despite her short-lived political career, Jo Cox became one of the most influential MPs in Great Britain and I hope everyone who are deciding the fate of UK will be a dying wish for her, no matter the odds.
Since the beginning, there has been no single European country that left the Union, well, Greenland that is due to weakened links to Denmark. As historians asked, Greenland people voted to leave the EU in 1982 and they ceded in 1985, when Greenland gained their official flag. How the UK face the fate just like what happened in Greenland remains unclear and just like what happened, it will take less than three years to have this nation ceded from the union, I believe. However, that's not the end of the story because ahead of the Brexit vote, Switzerland withdraws its 24-year-old application to join the European Union. That's the first time a candidate nation withdrawn its application from the EU. You should know that despite Switzerland refused to be part of the European Economic Area, of which non-EU members Iceland, Norway, and Lichtenstein, giving them access to the EU single market, it was connected by the Schengen Area, which encompasses most EU states, except for Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Ireland, Romania, and the UK.
Ah, the Brexit. Don't they have any idea how much paperwork the world will file into when the UK left the European Union for good? I mean, there are European subsidiaries of major companies that includes UK on it as well as UK's participation in European sports such as the Euro soccer league as well as the annual Six Nations rugby. Would you imagine the outcome what would it be like if UK is out of the EU? Sure, the UK and the EU had differences but it remains one of the most vital part of the EU not just for whatever the heck I mentioned up above but because with the UK, English is part of the EU language apart from German, French, Spanish, Nederlands, Italian, whatever language every European country knows. If UK leaves EU, then you won't be hearing English in EU meetings in Brussels, leaving just a union with nothing else to understand what they're talking about and pretty soon, UK feels as isolated from the world as North Korea. How pitiful for the fate of the once great nation.
For those Brits who are reading this, I know that this is a tough road for the UK if you are deciding whether the English-speaking country should leave or remain in the EU. If you are deciding the fate of the UK in the European Union, I'll leave it up to you all but just promise me that the United Kingdom can survive no matter what. The world depends on it. Whether if you're on the Remain side or Leave, please help save the Great Britain.
North Korea will not negotiate with the United States over two American citizens it is holding until former detainee Kenneth Bae stops publicly talking about his time in prison, according to state media.
The Korean Peninsula, criticised over its human rights record for years, has made use of detained Americans in the past to extract high-profile visits from the US. Bae was arrested in late 2012 and sentenced him to hard labor against the state. He was released two years later and has written an account of his detention in a memoir released in May. Since then, Bae has spoken about his experiences at several public appearances and given interviews to promote his book.
During his detention, Bae said he realised he became a negotiating tool for the North Koreans, some of whom he described as brainwashed in a recent interview with South Korea with a defector-run group that broadcasts into the North.
The rematch between the two teams at the 2016 NBA Finals, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors, became one heck of a catch up to the seven-game fight for the title. We all thought that it would be the Warriors' time to shine to score another win but following the 3-1 deficit, looks like the Cavaliers are fighting back to score enough wins to take on the seventh and the final game of the 2016 NBA Finals.
Had Lebron James, the Cavs' ace in the hole, didn't sacrifice himself by slight injuries to trigger a foul, the Warriors would have given the edge to prevent them from scoring its historic win. Well, because of LeBron James, the Cavs scored their first major championship for the city of Cleveland since the Browns in 1964.
James scored 27 points while Kyrie Irving scored 26 points, more than enough to bring the Cavs back from its 3-1 deficit.
There's nothing left to say but...whatever it is, congratulations on the Cleveland Cavaliers' historic win.
Amid security concerns following series of terror attacks since the November 13 Paris attacks that placed most of France onto state of emergency, this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans held at Circuit de la Sarthe, located over 200km southwest of Paris, goes on as smoothly as planned but this year has known to be one of the most desperate Le Mans races in history.
Toyota was so close of winning Le Mans with their TS050 hybrid machines but their nearly 24 hours of fame ended in disaster when the #5 car lost power and stall on the pit straight with five minutes left. As a result, it ended on the 45th place overall, while the #6 car faced exterior damage. In a last minute race to the finish line, the duel between the #5 TS050 and the #2 919 Hybrid became one of the most thrilling duel in this year's Le Mans race. In the end, the Porsche scored another Le Mans win, while the #5 TS050 placed 2nd, and the #8 Audi R18 placed 3rd. This year's Le Mans is definitely way out of everyone's predictions.
Photo: Official Porsche Twitter
With Porsche snagged its second win while Toyota going home with bittersweet tears after their longstanding lead ended in late failures, Let's look at the other classes as the #36 Signatech Alpine won the LMP2 class while the #68 Ford GT won the LMGTE Pro class, repeating the history that its legendary ancestor did five decades ago.
In conclusion: So, Toyota may have been the star of the show for the last 24 hours and if these machines didn't broke down at the final minute, it would have been the next Japanese carmaker to win since the legendary Mazda 787B, but because of what happened, (sigh), I don't condone their last lap failure that led Porsche to score another victory. Despite of what happened, at least this year's Le Mans performed exactly as the fans hoped for despite France's state of emergency following the November 13 Paris attacks.
The Mercedes-AMG GT is one of the most dramatic sports cars the high-performance division has ever made and with all that motorsport knowhow derived from its F1 team after one consecutive win after another in two Formula One seasons, it seems that Mercedes really made a well-balanced sportscar that ticks all the right boxes, apart from some people who believed that the AMG GT is not worthy of being a bonafide halo car Mercedes made.
As a matter of fact, let's look back at some of the best halo cars Mercedes ever made while driving around the GP Circuit part of the Nurburgring because the stuff I do on track takes less than five minutes while the stuff I do in the Nurburgring Nordschleife took about either seven, eight, nine, maybe ten, perhaps unless some actions need to be taken to capture such moments.
Let's start with the Mercedes CLK-GTR, basically a road-legal version of the CLK-GTR whose original track version became a threat in the ill-forgotten FIA GT1 and Le Mans races. The original version has a 6.0L V12 engine but the road-legal version has its engine size increased to 6.9L but produces less power than the race version while mated with a 6-speed gearbox. 0-100kph takes about 3.8 seconds and onwards to 344kph, which is way fast even at modern standards.
Although it looks exactly like a CLK-Class, the GTR shares no common traits with the normal CLK. Turning in one of these at a certain mall's parking space and a certain CLK owner might believe that that the CLK-GTR parked next to it would be extremely jealous of why it looks rakishly awesome than his. Anyway, because it draws inspiration from the race version it was based on, the CLK-GTR really feels at home on the track, although drivers may need some decent driving skills to master such a monstrous machine which is as monstrous as the monster from Frankenstein. As time passes by, the CLK-GTR remains one of the best timeless supercars Europe has ever made and so far, no other Benz does it better than this.
The SLR is the result of the Anglo-German collaboration between the two companies; Mercedes-Benz and McLaren. Despite being a Benz, it was made by McLaren. The 5.4 V8 that powers it was built by Mercedes, producing 626HP of power and 208mph of top speed, while its dynamics were the work of McLaren themselves, trying to employ its know-how from the McLaren F1 team.
Driving a car with Anglo-German ties sounds fabulous but it can result to a heated debate and as I drive this car, I can really feel the so-called tensions between UK and Germany. For Germans, the SLR should have been made to be a grand tourer while for the Brits, it should be a decent track weapon. Whatever that is, handling this car is like rehearing the topic about what would Brits do in its role to Europe, whatever that is.
The SLS AMG, meanwhile, combines tradition with performance in one memorable package. Although the design was heavily inspired by the 300SL, apart from its signature gullwing doors that make this car look flashy for no reason, it comes with a 6.2L V8 engine that produces 571 PS (420 kW; 563 hp) of power and 650 N·m (480 lb·ft) of torque. With so much torque, the SLS AMG behaves like an American muscle car with all that brute noise from its exhaust as well as its dynamic character that novices will find it very tricky to get through corners. With tire-shredding is what the SLS does best, some cynics would think that the SLS is considered to be an exotic but this is not an exotic car compared to Lamborghinis and Ferraris. This is just a grand tourer that just wants to let it roar on the road and track and cannibalize its own tires seriously.
Now, I'm heading back to the AMG GT and although it doesn't have the surprising traits of the past halo cars Mercedes made such as the road-legal CLK-GTR, the SLR (in collaboration with McLaren), and the SLS AMG by the way it performs, the AMG GT is simply one of the best ways how Mercedes-AMG defined the sportscar in its own terms.
Sure, the 4.0L V8 BiTurbo is less powerful than the old SLS AMG's V8 but with all the right dynamics heavily inspired by Mercedes' F1 team knowhow since their two-time win, it shouldn't be much of a problem to learn about how the AMG GT behaves. Believe it or not, I even manage to lap this car around the Nurburgring GP Circuit faster than the old SLS AMG...but only just.
In conclusion, the AMG GT is just one of the main reasons why Mercedes made a potent sportscar that does its job very seriously while retaining the AMG lunacy it deserves. In short, it's still a great car even if it doesn't have the mojo that past Mercedes halo cars made.
