St Aidan's Nature Park

Lobby of my local ‘adult social club’ dressed in slutty attire to match my Holiday season mood and behaviour!

Two puffins (Fratercula arctica) are squabbling at the entrance of their cave.

Zwei Papageitaucher (Fratercula arctica) streiten am Eingang ihrere Höhle.

We spent five and half hours in a small canvas hide hoping for opportunities to photograph little owls.

 

After a reasonable wait we were treated to an amazing assortment of little owl behaviours.

 

To us despite no similarity in colour they look and behave rather like owl versions puffins- upright and self-important.

 

We had taken a selection of food to attract then and the maggots were well received as were the morio worms and live meal worms. Oh yes we wanted to draw them in and eventually we were rewarded.

 

Hope these images prove the point.

 

This particular series was testing for several reasons i.e. light and location of the bird and the speed at which she left the nest hole.

 

Literally hundreds of images were deleted but I hope these few images indicate what we witnessed .

 

St Aidan's Nature Park

St Aidan's Nature Park

Common Tern & female Mallard

Short eared Owl not being welcomed by the Swallows in the area.

Genuine capture.

And another succsessful catch.

Kite behaviour close up.

Photographed in the Scottish Highlands August 2021 using GoPro Hero 9 Black with remote.

The Cinematic Orchestra - Arrival of The Birds

www.youtube.com/watch?v=n88MReEC27k

Police behaviour in the 80's... When I traveled to France for the first time as a young high school student, one of the things I noticed was how different the relationship between law enforcement and the people was. In Denmark, the police were like the friendly parent who nicely told you that now you had become too drunk and had to find a bus home. Street musicians got a long string, and were often considered something positive in the shopping district. In Paris, on the other hand, there was no eye contact, and the musicians I followed were not only thrown away from Pompidou Square, but subsequently also thrown away from the nearby neighborhood. And I who thought that Paris was all about art and love ...

Strøget, Copenhagen, 1980's.

Fairchild A-10 diving in.

Ladies and gentlemen of the Bijou Planks, welcome to Tuesday Night Fights ring... KINNIKUMAN!

 

*gasp*

So that's HIM! The original! The archetype!

 

Suguru began as a lazy and emotional man who always wishes to become famous. He often chased after women, while moving from job to job, until the Chojin Olympics, where he found his purpose as a chojin wrestler. He slowly grew a more serious personality while developing close friendships with the Justice Chojin. Before the end, Kinnikuman is crowned king of Planet Kinniku.

 

Suguru is a very childish character. He is also very arrogant and believes himself to be more popular than he is in reality. He complains when he does not get his way, pouts when someone gets more attention then him, and is often downright lazy. Early on, he would often refuse to fight certain monsters unless he got something in return. However, underneath this childish behaviour lies a very noble heart, and when times are at their worst, Suguru's courage surpasses that of the greatest of Justice Chojins. He has been known to fight better depending on how shameful or dishonourable his opponent is being. His honour and friendship has warmed the hearts of several an Evil Chojin.

 

Kinnikuman is a highly muscular man with exaggerated facial features, and a mask with a 'fin' piece that runs down the back of his head. He has naturally dark brown/black hair and blue eyes, with pale skin and very little clothes. If he does wear formal attire, it is usually in the form of unfashionable suits; a white suit to his wedding, a yellow suit with red swirls to dates and sometimes ceremonies.

 

Suguru is also lecherous and sometimes takes part in matches to impress women. Suguru often flirts with women, and has on numerous times tried to spy on his friends Mari Nikaido and Natsuko Shono. No women find him attractive except for Bibimba. However, when Bibimba first appears, it is a one-sided love on her part and he finds her more annoying than cute. By the time of the Seven Devil Chōjin Arc, he acknowledges her as his betrothed. During the Survivor Match for the Kinniku Throne Arc, he shows great concern for her and admits that he believes they are bound by the 'red string of fate'.

 

Terryman is the best friend of Kinnikuman. The two meet very early on in their careers, in their early twenties, and are at first antagonistic to one another, but soon they socialise on a regular basis, even with other members of each other's social circles. They form a tag-team that lasts for the entirety of their career, and - even when they temporarily argue or part - always reunite to work together and support each other. They display an unconditional trust and affection, often listening to one another when they would listen to no one else.

 

Bibimba at first is antagonistic to Kinnikuman, as she attempts to take his life (as per her role as an assassin). It is Kinnikuman's kindness that drives her to see him as a complex individual, and she develops a crush on him, which is - at first - one-sided and not reciprocated. Kinnikuman views her as a nuissance and often devises ways to be rid of Bibimba. At some point during the Universal Tag Tournament, they become engaged and act on a much more intimate level.

 

By the time of the Surivor Match Arc, Kinnikuman and Bibimba show great affection for one another, and Bibimba is even willing to sacrifice her life in order to save Kinnikuman, who also shows unconditional love towards her (wishing to be with her, even when he thinks she may be deformed). They proceed to later be married, and have a child together: Mantaro Kinniku. The two are shown to be close in the manga, where they celebrate and support their son together at multiple points.

 

In the beginning, Suguru would fights Kaiju by eating garlic and growing 30 meters tall. Despite his great strength and skill, Suguru is clumsy by nature. This causes most people to fear him more than the monsters he fights (due mostly to the possibility of him crashing into buildings while in his giant form). Even though a chojin's' wounds heal faster than a human's wound, it takes him longer to heal than a human.

 

Kinnikuman grows up alone on Earth, after being accidentally abandoned by Mayumi Kinniku. He is found by Meat Alexandria, and proceeds to mature over time with Meat as his second, leading him to befriend Terryman. Kinnikuman enters a series of tournaments, increasing his amount of friends and trophies, and finally competes in the Survivor Match for the Kinniku Throne Arc, where he proves his worth as a member of the Kinniku Clan and learns of his long-lost brother: Ataru Kinniku. This leads to him proclaiming his love for Bibimba, before assuming the throne as king of Planet Kinniku.

Prehistory

 

Suguru was born to Mayumi Kinniku and Sayuri Kinniku, the king and queen of Planet Kinniku on April 1, 1960. Suguru was so unattractive, even as a child, that on several occasions Mayumi would have an urge to strangle him just from looking at him. One day, the royal family went on vacation to Earth. While there, a pig sneaked aboard and got into Suguru's cradle. Mayumi mistook Suguru for the pig and threw Suguru out of the ship. Suguru was left behind on Earth to raise himself.

 

He built his own house, which only had one room, and tried to go to school, but he was so academically challenged that he flunked out. As he got older, he decided to become a hero like Ultraman. But despite his muscles and strength, he was too clumsy and lacked the intelligence to make it, so he settled for just being the president of the Gyudon Lovers Club.

 

Kaijuu Extermination Arc

Solo Life

At the age of 20, Kinnikuman had already become known as a worthless chojin, however he wasn't completely dismissed. When the Earth Defence Force learned of an upcoming attack by space kaiju, Kinnikuman was contacted because of the unavailability of the super heroes such as The Ultra Brothers, PP-Man, and Spider-Man. While being shown images of the kaiju coming to attack (such as Okamarasu, Eraginesu, Abdullah, Sheikian, and Acrobat-Seijin), he learned that he needed to create a finishing move. After a brief training session, he was able to find a technique that surpassed his Kinniku Flash, the Kinniku Beam. When the time came for the kaiju to arrive, a member of the EDF reported that, due to the embarrassment of having to fight Kinnikuman, they all turned back.

 

At some point during this time in his life, Kinnikuman grew an infatuation with pop idol Takahara Nana, having bought many of her records. In order to win Nana's heart, Kinnikuman attempted tried to impress her by showing of his muscles which only ended up angering her more. As a last resort, he called his kaiju henchman, Gorizaemon, to fake a kidnapping attempt on her in which Kinnikuman would save her. The plan backfired as Gorizaemon really did try to kidnap Nana. However, Kinnikuman was able to defeat his henchman and brought Nana to safety. By a simple misunderstanding, Nana thought that her manager, Hitoshi, had saved her and thus ran into his arms, much to Kinnikuman's disappointment.

 

Save Planet Kinniku

Kinnikuman received a visit from Alexandria Meat, who had been dispatched to find the Kinniku prince and bring him back. 5 Since Suguru's abandonment, the pig (King Tone) had taken over Planet Kinniku, and Kinnikuman was needed to defeat him. Kinnikuman, however, had no intention of going so was forced into a steel cage death match against Gouriki. He was able to win the match, thanks to the comical faces he made while he was being bear hugged, but was eventually bribed into going by Meat with a gyuudon.

 

When the two returned to Planet Kinniku, both of Kinnikuman's parents gave him a warm welcoming, as well as telling him of his name being Suguru. Kinnikuman's goal was to defeat King Tone in a three-round match of judo, boxing, and wrestling. Unfortunately, despite the confidence he displayed before the start of each match, he lost to Tone 0-3. Shortly after Tone's original owner, a butcher, chased him away from Planet Kinniku never to be seen again. 11 With the title now opened, Mayumi reclaimed his throne. Because of Suguru's disappointing match, Meat was ordered to bring him back to Earth and train him until he was a true hero.

 

Kaiju Fights

Kinnikuman and Meat began settling in the small house, doing normal activities. 13 After watching a television show, Kinnikuman gets the idea to fight the Loch Ness Monster and get it broadcast to boost his ratings as a chojin. After proving himself by defeating a kaiju, which was actually just a robot built by Meat, Kinnikuman was able to get the right to fight Nessie on air. Unfortunately, when Nessie finally did arrive, it turned out to be many times larger than Kinnikuman's giant form. Nessie simply licked him, which caused him to pass out.

 

Kinnikuman was introduced to Nikaido Mari, a preschool teacher and friend of Meat. Both he and Meat developed an obvious crush on Mari and would take different trips with her and her class, despite the fact that they would always beat him up. On their first trip to the preschool, the kaijuu Franky began attacking but actually gained the friendship of some of the children. Kinnikuman, who was hated by the children, wasn't able to fight but, Meat was able to come up with a strategy that caused Franky to run away.

 

After an encounter with the kaijuu Abdullah, Kinnikuman and Meat met The Terryman, an American chojin from Texas. Terryman would charge for his services against kaiju, but he became increasingly popular in Japan, much to Kinnikuman's dismay. After a while, Terryman came to Kinnikuman's house to brag of becoming Japan's sole super hero. An attack made Sheikian, caused a boy run to Terryman, saying he needed him to rescue his father. When Terryman kicked the boy, because he didn't have enough money, Kinnikuman, enraged, hit Terryman, gave the boy back his money, and went to rescue the boy's father. Terryman, after hearing the words of the Yamato Spirit from Kinnikuman, gave up his hero badge and went to help Kinnikuman fight Sheik-Seijin.

 

Roots Island Arc

Kunta first appears in the male onsen , where she throws herself on Kinnikuman and begs for his help. 19 Natsuko introduces Kunta as the princess of Roots Island, and Kunta explains that her island has been overrun by Kaiju, as well as that many warriors have been killed by Ukon. When Terryman and Kinnikman agree to the job, she gives each of them a kiss on the cheek, before they ride on Miss Karasu to the island in order to defeat the Kaiju.

 

As they arrive, they are greeted by Elder Yosaku, and introduces them to the last warrior of the island: Tabuchi. Kinnikuman and Terryman travel together to Roots Island to help Kunta and save the islanders. Octopus Dragon stops Kinnikuman from growing to giant size, by placing a tentacle on his head. The two then exchange blows, taking it in turns to swing one another and swapping body slams, until Octopus Dragon becomes intimidated, as he thinks Kinnikuman knows the moves of the Ultraman family. He is ultimately defeated by a Kinniku Flash. After they defeat Harigoras and Octopus King, a piece of meat appears before Kinnikuman and he eats the meat. Custom dictates whomever eats the meat must fight Ukon one-on-one in battle. It is meat thrown by Ukon in a challenge.

 

Kinnikuman goes to a Colosseum, who has taken Kunta hostage and is attacked by the locals with various objects, as they throw things into the Colosseum. Tabuchi tries to save the princess, but Ukon flicks him away with a giant finger. When Kinnikuman climbs a pole to escape, Ukon shakes it to get him down. Kinnikuman soon loses the fight, causing Ukon to rule over the people and turn them into slaves. Kinnikuman becomes his servant, but - when lighting a cigar for Ukon - he sets Ukon on fire in a blaze.

 

The skin melts off Ukon, revealing he was a robot all along. When he kidnaps Kunta once more, the locals call upon Mammora to save them. Mammora picks Kinnikuman up on his back and flies towards Ukon, whom they smash into a wall to remove his arm. Kinnikuman uses the Kinniku Flash, but it does not work on Ukon. After several exchanges of blows, Mammora destroys Ukon and it is revealed Kinkotsuman and Iwao were working the robot the entire time, but they soon run away. When Kunta is rescued, she pays Terryman and Kinnikuman with stone money (which they cannot use).

 

20th Chojin Olympics

Preliminary Rounds

Mayumi went to Earth to tell his son about the upcoming Chojin Olympics. Kinnikuman was convinced he was a shoe-in for the Japanese representative, due to Uldraman humiliating defeat at the hands of England's Robin Mask in the previous tournament. However, Terry informed him that Japan had decided not to compete if they could not be represented by Uldraman. Having lost all hope, Kinnikuman ran off to sulk but was confronted by Robin Mask. Robin put him in a Bow and Arrow Lock and told him to give up, but Suguru refused and persevered for several hours until Robin got tired and let go. Making last year's champion struggle caused Harabote Muscle, the chairman of the Olympics, to allow Suguru to compete.

 

The 20th Chojin Olympics soon began, with many well known chojin, including Robin Mask, Terryman, Specialman, Canadianman, Kintaman, Skyman, Brockenman, Lupin, and Kani Base, all competing for the title. The tournament had a rocky start for Kinnikuman when Meat, who was the Olympics mascot, accidentally hit Kinnikuman with the Olympics torch, which then caused him to hit Kani Base, and a brawl broke out. After the idiotic fighting was settled, the first preliminary match was announced, Rock-Paper-Scissors. Kinnikuman was able to beat Kani Base in the round with "rock" due to Kani Base's claws being stuck on "scissors".

 

The second preliminary was a weight lifting round with a catch, the weights are dead kaiju weighing 1 ton. The preliminaries went smoothly as many of the favourites easily lifted the kaiju. Kinnikuman, himself, was able to lift the kaijuu, albeit he sunk to the ground quite a bit. With many chojin passing, a second lift was done in which the weight was changed from 1 ton to 2 tons. While it would still seem favourable for many chojin, Kinkotsuman, Iwao, and the newly joined Kani Base had set up a trap for the chojin.

 

The three turned invisible thanks to Kinkotsuman's invisibility gun and begin to tickle or attack the chojin who was lifting. This would cause the chojin to lose focus and drop the kaiju, thus eliminating them. This tactic caused many chojin to fail, including Specialman, which caused Terryman to suspect their work. When it came to Kinnikuman's turn, he wasn't able to lift the kaiju up completely, but was able to withstand the tickling of Kinkotsuman. Thanks to a kick in the crotch from Kani Base, Kinnikuman was able to pass the round and expose Kinkotsuman, and the others fo

 

The third and final preliminary was a race in which the remaining chojin would fly to the moon, get a doll rabbit from one of the tournament reps, and fly back to the stadium. The first eight chojin to land would be the finalists. Kinnikuman, who was in last place, was given a doll rabbit by an unknown male who was actually Kinkotsuman in disguise. Kinkotsuman had set up a bomb in the rabbit that would explode. Fortunately, when the bomb exploded, it actually caused Kinnikuman as well many other chojin to fly straight down to the stadium. While 7 of the 8 finalists had been decided, 10 chojin, including Kinnikuman, Kintaman, Sphinxman, Amazonman, Copper Bellman, had all tied for the last spot. To settle this dispute, a battle royale would decide the eighth finalist.

 

Kinkotsuman hypnotised the other 9 finalists into eliminating Kinnikuman from the tournament as well as impersonating the referee. While Kinkotsuman's plan seemed to succeed, Terryman was able to realise Kinkotsuman's plan and was able to free the chojin of his control. With all the chojin back to normal, they all stopped their focused on Kinnikuman and just attacked each other. In the end, the other chojin knocked each other out, leaving only Kinnikuman, thus making the eighth finalist.

 

Quarter Finals

Kinnikuman had made it into the eight finalists of the 20th Chojin Olympics, which included Robin Mask, Terryman, Ramenman, Skyman, Brockenman, Canadianman, and Curry Cook. After a drawing, Kinnikuman was placed in B-Block which consisted of Curry Cook, Brockenman, and Ramenman, all known in the Planet Kinniku Grand Library for brutal fighting styles, hence them being Zangyaku chojin.

 

Due to the brutality of the chojin, Harabote placed the B-Block matches in the small Korakuen Hall which would only be broadcast on radio, compared to the massive Korakuen Stadium in which the A-Block matches were taking place and would be broadcast on television. The A-Block match against Robin Mask and Canadianman ended quickly with Robin taking down Canadianman in only a few moments. The B-Block match between Ramenman and Brockenman began with Brockenman using fowl and cheap tricks, such as spiked-knuckles and poison gas. Ramenman was able to take the upper-hand by taking Brockenman down with his Chinese Kenpo, finishing him off with his Camel Clutch, ripping Brockenman in half and which terrified Kinnikuman, Meat, and Mayumi.

 

After seeing the brutal death of Brockenman, Kinnikuman's fears of dying the same way at the hands of Curry Cook caused him to try to run away from the match. The only way Kinnikuman was able to get into the ring was because Meat and Mayumi dragged him back and told him that Curry Cook's face resembled that of a kappa. The match became a steel cage match and Curry Cook began the match by taking a weapon out of his curry sauce and stabbed Kinnikuman's forehead. While wallowing in pain, Kinnikuman was able to break Curry Cook's curry plate which caused Curry Cook to steal some gyuudon from the audience.

 

The sauce that had been stabbed into Kinnikuman's forehead caused him to act different, in which he bashed Curry Cook against the steel cage and even drank the milk that Curry Cook was originally going to use against him. Kinnikuman's insane tactics caused Curry Cook to give up the match and run away, advancing Kinnikuman to the semi-finals.

 

In Korakuen Stadium, Terryman's match with Skyman wasn't going well as Skyman's attacks were pushing Terry down. But Terry was able to make a comeback and defeat Skyman with an Oklahoma Stampede.

 

Semi-Finals

The match with Ramenman takes place on a solid block of ice.

 

Both competitors must be barefoot. Ramenman struggles to get a hold of Kinnikuman, who runs constantly away using the ropes as a tightrope. Eventually, Ramenman is able to deliver a series of blows and gets Kinnikuman into a Camel Clutch position, but soon lets go when Kinnikuman unleashes a bad smell and soils himself. Ramenman allows him a break to change his tights, while Kinnikuman gets used to the ice and gains an advantage.

 

Ramenman proceeds to use a pile-driver, but Kinnikuman gets his fin stuck in the melting ice. Ramenman kicks him across the ice and into the ropes, but the momentum allows the ropes to bounce Kinnikuman back and use an Elbow Smash. This knocks Ramenman out, which allows Kinnikuman to win the match. Unknown to Suguru, Kinkotsuman tries to shoot him, but Terryman intervenes and takes a bullet in his leg.

 

Finals

Before Suguru's fight with Robin Mask, Terry and Ramenman had a grudge match. Ramenman was soon disqualified for dirty fighting but then demanded that Suguru fight his best against Robin Mask, saying he wanted to be proud of his fight with Suguru. He got very emotional and cried tears of blood. Motivated by Ramenman's words, Suguru was a brand new fighter when he faced Robin. However, when he proved to be too much for Robin, Robin removed his armor, which he always wore to weaken his power rather than to protect himself.

 

Robin Mask became too tough, so Suguru tried to run away, but Ramenman, Kinkotsuman, and Iwao convinced him to return to the ring. Robin eventually put Suguru in his trademark Tower Bridge hold and seemingly broke his back. As Robin lamented over "killing" Suguru, Suguru stood up and defeated him with a Mexican Rolling Clutch Hold. Suguru had won the Olympics and Ramenman makes the first mention of Suguru's Kajiba no Kuso Djikara.

 

American Tour

After winning the chojin Olympics, Suguru is sent to tour the American Circuit. His first stop is Hawaii, where he challenges the Hawaiian Champion Jesse Maivia to a match. Jesse agrees, but only if Suguru can beat his manservant, Prince Kamehame. Suguru loses within seven seconds, but Kamehame is so impressed with him that he offers to teach him the Killer Techniques. With these techniques Suguru is able to defeat Jesse Maivia, the master of Move Reversion.

 

His next stop is the main continent, where he meets up with Dorlo Flairs and learns of the rivalry amongst the chojin Wrestling League chairmen. In order to disrupt the alliance between the Superhuman World Council and World Federation, he disguises himself as The Chanelman (a parody of blackface singers Chanels) and attacks the WSC's champions during their fights. Skull Boze and his manager Sheik Seijin figure out his identity and decide to set up a rematch between Suguru and Robin Mask.

 

Robin reappears in South America. 30 Kinnikuman confronts him when he sees Robin murder an opponent in the ring, when Robin's opponent is torn in two pieces.31 When Kinnikuman is captured by the World Supermen Federation, Robin brings him food so that he will survive and remain strong. 32 After tearing Dynamite Piper in half at the Luck Lumber Joe, Robin was allowed the chance to regain his title from Kinnikuman and faced him in a match.

 

The match with Kinnikuman takes place over the Grand Canyon, at 1,600 meters high. Before the fight can be finished, Iwao flies an aeroplane into the ring. The match is determined to be in Robin's favour, but - due to his assumed death - the belt then goes to the next in the WSF's line, which is Skull Bozu. Kinnikuman is revealed to be alive, while Robin took the brunt of the aeroplane attack and is willing to let himself be sacrificed as Kinnikuman has not enough strength to remove the plane.

 

Robin reveals that he read about Kinnikuman's activity in Hawaii and yearned to return to the life of a Justice Chojin. 34 Kinnikuman eventually manages to free Robin, but the WSF explode the ring, and only Kinnikuman can escape. Robin seemingly falls to his death.

 

After the battle between Kinnikuman and Robin Mask, the Chojin Council are chased by Kinnikuman to a remote location. The World Chojin Federation try to steal the championship belt, which creates a free-for-all battle, and God von Erich appears to command them to stop. 35 God von Erich announces a tag tournament to settle the differences between the three groups, as he says that the winner shall rule the American chojin world.

 

In this tag tournament, Kinnikuman must engage in a round robin.

 

He must fight the Chojin Council, Chojin Federation, Chojin Association, and the Kaiju - the winner of the four groups will gain control of America. 36 Kinnikuman finds Terryman in Amarillo, Texas; Terryman initially refuses to participate, due to the work on his ranch, and it is revealed he has lost his left leg. The wound he obtained by Kinkotsuman increasingly got worse, until he was forced to amputate. Kinnikuman eventually convinces him to use a prosthetic leg by winning a special bet.

 

Over 100,000 people attend to watch the tournament in Houston, Texas. They form The Machineguns, with the theme of "The Magnificent Seven" as they make an entrance. Their first match is against Beauty Rhodes and Jean Steamboard, who form The Emperors. During their match, Terryman is accidentally knocked out by Kinnikuman. Kinnikuman begins to lose, but Terryman wakes up long enough to save Kinnikuman with his own body. The match ultimately ends in a draw. The next few matches take place in Los Angeles.

 

Terryman and Kinnikuman are set to win by default against Rugged Brothers, as one of their opponents lost in their previous match and is unable to compete. Kinkotsuman reveals that he is the new tag partner, and the group rename themselves Monster Master/Student Combo. Kinnikuman and Terryman get trapped under a lighting rig that Kinkotsuman crashes down on them, but Kinnikuman knocks Terryman out when Terryman panics over the loss of his leg when faced with Kinkotsuman that caused his leg injury. Kinnikuman wins the match in record time against both Kinkotsuman and Iwao.

 

The next few matches take place at Madison Square Gardens, New York. The final match is against the Blood Illusions. Devil Magician starts by throwing cards at Kinnikuman and Terryman, before diving at them with a dagger, but Ramenman stops him and forces him to play by the rules. Skull Bozu attacks next, using his Hedgehog Move, where his body - except his head - erupts into spikes. Kinnikuman manages to defend, and stabs Skull Bozu's head with his own spikes.

 

Kinnikuman then uses a Drop Kick on Skull Bozu, while Terryman uses the Brain Buster on Devil Magician. They follow with a series of other wrestler's signature moves. Iwao then steals Terry's leg. Terryman - distracted by the abuse of a child - is showered in a flurry of punches by Skull Bozu. Skull Bozu proceeds to throw him out of the ring, but - on retrieving his leg - Terryman uses a Calf Branding against Skull Bozu, which results in a knock-out and thus secures their victory.

 

The Machineguns go on to win their final match against the Blood Illusions, while the New World Supermen Association - goes on to control America. Kinnikuman - after winning the tournament - take a break in Guam for the day, where he witnesses a kaiju attack on Japan, while watching television.

 

The kaiju Burugorasu is attacking children and destroying buildings, but the Earth Defence Force fails to stop him, but - on seeing the children plead for the help of Kinnikuman - Kinnikuman and Meat decide to return to Japan. He is given a wrist that will tell him the time to his next exhibition match, which is due five hours from now, and - as Olympic Champion - he is obliged to attend the match or he will forfeit his championship. Kinnikuman eventually arrives in Japan, with only 30 minutes to spare, and grows to a giant size. He struggles to use his Kinniku Flash, but succeeds after a child tosses him some garlic. He fails to make it back in time for his match, and forfeits his championship.

 

The Lost Three Days

The chapter begins with a brief recap of American Chojin politics during the 1980's, and the creation of the American Chojin Tag Tournament. 48 Kinnikuman sets his sights upon Terryman as a tag partner, but only has three days until the tournament starts to convince him of participation, and - on reaching Terry's Ranch - Kinnikuman begs him, only for Terry to rebuke him due to a lack of time.

 

Kinnikuman strikes Terryman, which knocks him off his horse, and this reveals that he has lost his leg, which Terryman states makes him useless as a partner. He thus rides away. A ranch-hand - Buckland - reveals that he has a prosthetic leg that Terryman can use, and gives it to Kinnikuman so that Terryman may fight again. Kinnikuman waits outside the ranch, even forgoing food and rest, in hopes that Terryman will take pity on him and use the leg.

 

The next day Terryman wakes them with water to the face, after they pass out from heatstroke. Terryman says that he will work with Kinnikuman, only if Kinnikuman can fill up his trough; he gives him two bags, and tells him the river is fifteen miles away. To do this, he lends Kinnikuman a wild horse (knowing that Kinnikuman will never tame the horse and thus make the necessary trips). The horse is named Machinegun.

 

Kinnikuman still refuses to find another partner, and - after being attacked by the horse - manages to eventually mount Machinegun. At sunset, Kinnikuman makes the first round-trip to empty some water into the trough. While Terryman goes about his daily routine, Kinnikuman continues to fill the trough, and it is noticed that Machinegun once lost his leg in an accident, too, until he was also given a prosthetic. Kinnikuman bonds with the horse and tames him. Kinnikuman makes it back just in time to win the bet made by Terryman, and Terryman thus dons his prosthetic leg and agrees to join his team. The two go on to enter the tournament.

 

2nd Kaiju Extermination Arc

Bibimba

Yaki Horumon sends Bibimba to take revenge on Kinnikuman. At first, she dives at him with a knife, but he ducks at the last moment and avoids her attack. This causes Bibimba to fall and scrape her knee, and Kinnikuman rips Meat Alexandria's to wrap her wound. Yaki - troubled by this - summons Kinnikuman to attend a duel with Bibimba, after he kidnaps Meat to force attendance.

 

Bibimba easily strikes a blow on Kinnikuman, and proceeds to take a sword to kill him, but she hesitates after remembering his act of kindness. Kinnikuman is thus able to stop her blow, but - when he counters with a sword-attack - he slices open her leotard and reveals her in a nude state. Kinnikuman shows mercy on her, as he gives her Meat's new cape to cover her naked form. Bibimba then believes herself to be in love with Kinnikuman.

 

Seeing how she is infatuated with Kinnikuman, Yaki Horumon introduces her to Shishkeba Boo. Yaki promises the hand of Bibimba in marriage, so long as Shishkeba defeats Kinnikuman in battle. Bibimba rushes to the palace to beg Kinnikuman to flee the planet, but - just as Kinnikuman tries to make his escape - Shiskeba arrives to stop him. Kinnikuman mocks his appearance, but agrees to fight him in a series of challenges.

 

The first challenge is a speed-eating contest, which he wins. The second challenge is to create a tower, but - after Kinnikuman cheats - they both descend into a fist-fight. They are evenly matched, using the same techniques, but Shiskeba is able to knock him unconscious. When it seems that Shishkeba may truly kill Kinnikuman, Bibimba refuses to allow him, saying that she will die, too, and is willing to sacrifice her life. Bibimba then travels back to Earth with Meat and Kinnikuman.

 

Without anywhere to live, Bibimba stays in Beverly Park with Kinnikuman and Meat. Unable to attend on Kinnikuman as well as Meat, Bibimba flees and it is revealed that Meat and Kinnikuman are actively trying to get her to return to Planet Kinniku. On her way to find Kinnikuman to make amends, she is attacked by a Kaiju: Gonta. When Kinnikuman refuses to help her, and the Earth Defence Force arrive, Bibimba believes she is being tested on whether she can defend herself. This inspires Bibimba to join the Earth Defence Force and become independent, as she starts a life alone.

 

Planet Rakka

When Planet Rakka became in danger by the Uchuu Nobushi, the chojin Beansman asked Terryman and Ramenman to fight. Kinnikuman, assuming he'd automatically be chosen, went straight to Beansman and joined them without any real test. In Africa, the group found the transforming chojin Puyo-Puyo, whom Kinnikuman teased because of his appearance, only to be punched at by him. In Antarctica, the group found the ice chojin Crystalman, who had been asleep in ice for 100,000 and was bribed into going by getting all the food he could eat. The least chojin was in Berlin, Germany, Brocken Jr., the son of Brockenman. At first, it seemed as though Brocken Jr. was going to begin his revenge on Ramenman but stopped, accepted Beansman's request to join, and said he would deal with it when they returned to Earth. With Brocken Jr. now having joined, the seven chojin had been gathered.

 

Using Puyo-Puyo as a space coaster, the group was able to reach Planet Rakka. Ingen, the elder and friend of Beansman, told the group that the survivors had built a fort and disguised it with a fog. Ingen said the only reason that the Uchu Nobushi hadn't been around was because they had gone to eat. Only moments later, the Uchu Nobushi returned, ready to take the fort. The seven chojin all gathered and began their assault. However, it seemed useless as the Uchu Nobushi would regenerate into even more members every time they were struck down.

 

When Crystalman found the weakness against the Uchu Nobushi as an attack to their hearts, the Uchu Nobushi all formed together into one giant creature. In order to stop the creature, Kinnikuman and the rest of the chojin combined their powers and were able to destroy the Uchu Nobushi, freeing Planet Rakka. When the chojin were going home Kinnikuman, who was driving their spaceship, was caught by the space police as an unlicensed speeding driver, much to the other chojins dismay.

 

21st Chojin Olympics: The Big Fight

Preliminary Rounds

One morning, a black letter came into the mail for Kinnikuman. The letter turned out to be an application for the 21st chojin Olympics, nicknamed "The Big Fight". At first Kinnikuman was ready to fight until he learned that he still had to pass the prelims like everyone else. On the chojin Hour program, Yoshigai and Harabote began speaking of Kinnikuman's loss of the belt and how it was worth 10,000,000 yen. Next, they went over the favourites for the tournament, such as Terryman, Ramenman, Brocken Jr., and Benkiman, a toilet chojin who can literally flush people down his drain. The next chojin representative was also from Japan, a sumo named Wolfman, who antagonised Kinnikuman on television. Wolfman's actions caused Kinnikuman to want to compete in the tournament once more.

 

Days passed, until the chojin Olympics: The Big Fight finally started. Over 100,000 chojin from all over the world came to compete, including many of Kinnikuman's friends and rivals from the previous chojin Olympics and his American Tour. The first preliminary was the "Terrifying chojin Sieve" in which the chojin were put into a giant sieve, shaken up, and all the chojin who were too fat or too skinny would fall through leaving only the chojin in good physical condition left. Harabote first started off with the German team, taking them directly from the stands, where only one chojin, Brocken Jr. stayed in.

 

Harabote soon got carried away and took all the other countries chojin at once. Fat and skinny chojin, such as Kani Base (as well as Skull Bozu and Beauty Rhodes), were eliminated quickly. As the shaking continued, Kinnikuman began to fall through, leaving only his head still inside the sieve at the end of the shaking. Since Kinnikuman's head was still inside the sieve, Harabote deemed it legal and he passed the first prelim.

 

Quarter Finals

At the 21st Chojin Olympics Benkiman fought against Kinnikuman. Kinnikuman eventually was sucked into Benkiman's toilet and flushed down. A person typically does not return once flushed. Kinnikuman, however, returned because he stuffed his shorts into the toilet causing it to back up. The back up resulted in Kinnikuman winning the match. Kinnikuman also saved the other Chojins that were flushed down Benkiman's toilet.

 

Semi-Finals

The semi-finals match takes place in Kuramae Public Arena, where Meat Alexandria acts as a guest commentator. Four people surround the ring, while Kinnikuman is required to wear a fundashi. The ring is flipped over to reveal a sumo circle, and Kinnikuman starts with a Kinniku-Sumo Kick. He attempts a brain-buster, but Wolfman evades the attack. Wolfman tries to throw Kinnikuman out of the circle, as per sumo rules, but Kinnikuman holds onto him to stop being thrown.

 

Wolfman delivers a Rubiks Cube Slap to Kinnikuman's face. He manages to toss Kinnikuman out of the circle, but Mayumi Kinniku bursts the swollen blisters of his head and Kinnikuman floats back into the circle. They grab each other's belts, where Kinnikuman is nearly thrown again, and he survives again an underarm throw. Wolfman tries to crush Kinnikuman into submission, but he pushes back. Wolfman distracts him by claiming his penis is visible through his fundashi, before throwing Kinnikuman down against the ring.

 

Just as he is about to be declared the winner, they realise Wolfman is fully outside of the ring. Kinnikuman has used a suplex to throw him, and he has touched ground outside of the circle first, which disqualifies him from continuing in the tournament.

 

Finals

Kinnikuman angers Warsman by mocking him, as he pulls back his chair and forces him to fall in public. After Kinnikuman strikes Bibimba, Warsman becomes infuriated at his actions and lunges to attack, at which point Kinnikuman uses his Bear Claw Defence to remove his clawed hand. Warsman counters with the Palo Special, before Terryman saves Kinnikuman by kicking him away into the waters. This makes Kinnikuman's mask fall off, and Barracuda declares the next match will be a Mask Removal Death Match.

 

Warsman later interferes with an exhibition match between Mayumi Kinniku and Harabote Muscle as a "training exercise". He tosses the ring with them away, until Kinnikuman tosses it back. Warsman is stopped from killing a catatonic Ramenman, only for Robin Mask to reveal his true identity to the crowd and that Warsman is his chance for revenge. Kinnikuman initially gains the upper hand, as Warsman essentially copies Robin's techniques, which Kinnikuman knows very well from their previous matches. 61 Warsman reverts back to his own style, then removes Kinnikuman's mask.

 

Underneath each of Kinnikuman's masks is another mask, so Warsman struggles to unmask him. Warsman starts to remove Kinnikuman's actual mask, revealing black hair, until Kinnikuman performs the Muscle Curtain. Bibimba begs Warsman to stop, after he leaves Kinnikuman a bloody mess, but Robin Mask threatens to return him to the streets. Kinnikuman has the chance to throw Warsman onto his own Bear Claw, but refuses as he doesn't want to become as brutal as Warsman. 65 Warsman thus changes his mind about his evil ways, but is attacked by Robin, who then proceeds to slap Bibimba. 65 Warsman attacks Robin and continues to fight fairly against Kinnikuman.

 

Warsman is able to overcome Kinnikuman's Fire of Inner Strength with his Palo Special, proving himself stronger and with greater techniques, but Warsman overheats in battle if he fights past 30 minutes and 35 minutes have gone by in the match. Kinnikuman uses the Kinniku Buster and wins the match; he is required to remove Warsman's mask, but Warsman - talking for the first time - reveals his face. He is revealed to have a cybernetic face. Kinnikuman thus returns his mask.

 

The Seven Devil Chojin

Prehistory

After taking the chojin Olympics championship twice, Suguru thew a parade honouring himself as the V2 champion. Unfortunately, while being lifted in the air by his fan girls, a more heavy-set girl threw him too high into space. This caused him to hit the detonation button on a roach motel which contained the Seven Devil Chojin, seven evil chojin that were banned from Earth due to their deadly ways of fighting.

 

In Korakuen Hall, while participating in the "Let's Play with the chojin" Fan Appreciation Day, the Seven Devil Chojin interrupted the celebration. At first, Kinnikuman thought it was just an unscripted sketch but Warsman corrected him and began to attack one of the Devil Chojin. Immediately, the Devil Chojin, Black Hole, punched Warsman, who was then forced down into the mat by Buffaloman, the leader of the Seven Devil Chojin. Buffaloman then stated a challenge to Kinnikuman to defeat all seven of them.

The Devil Chojin began challenging Kinnikuman, eager to battle him. Warsman rose up and continued to fight against Buffaloman, only for him to be attacked by SteCase King's 100,000 headphones which broke his ear drums destroyed his sensory system. While at first he was going to give it away, Kinnikuman decided to keep his belt but refused to fight the Devil Chojin after the battles that had just occurred in the chojin Olympics. In order to force Kinnikuman to fight, Buffaloman took Meat and separated him into seven pieces, each piece being taken by one of the Devil Chojin. Buffaloman set a challenge that, in order to revive Meat, Kinnikuman had to defeat all seven Devil Chojin in 10 days. Crying, Kinnikuman accepted the challenge immediately saying that Meat was like a brother to him.69

 

Kinnikuman vs. Stecasse King

The Devil Chojin gave Kinnikuman the opportunity to pick his first opponent. Using his own cassettes music, SteCase King was able to force Kinnikuman's body into picking him, much to the anger of the other Devil Chojin. The battle took place at Tokyo Tower, with Meat's torso at stake. The battle began with SteCase King jumping at Kinnikuman with his headphone feet to try to force him to listen to his Music of Hell.

 

Kinnikuman was able to dodge the attacks and even hit SteCase King, giving the impression that SteCase King was very weak, putting him into a Boston Crab Hold. SteCase King soon opened up his Miracle Backpack which contained five giant cassette tapes of the chojin Encyclopedia. Using the tapes, SteCase King was able to imitate Warsman perfectly, including Warsman's deep breathing and creepy smile, and released himself from the Boston Crab Hold. To show his strength, SteCase King then put Kinnikuman into the Palo Special, a technique that only Warsman knew.

 

SteCase King soon showed his abilities even more showing the abilities of Ramenman's kicks and Robin Mask's Tower Bridge, all on his tapes. Buffaloman then told Terryman that SteCase King's tapes contained 1,000 entries on chojin, giving the match and 1000 vs. 1 challenge. Kinnikuman's determination was able to release him from the Tower Bridge, however SteCase King soon put Kinnikuman into his own Music Hell technique. Even though Kinnikuman's mask was able to protect him from 100,000 phones, SteCase King set the sound for 1,000,000 phones, loud enough to penetrate even the Kinniku masks.

 

Thanks to observation by a child, Terryman was able to conclude that SteCase King's music was the same music that came from Tokyo Tower, hence why SteCase King set the match right below it. Thanks to a mistake by SteCase King, the music program had already ended and was switched by a comedy program, which was able to keep Kinnikuman conscious.

 

Now free, Kinnikuman countered with a back drop and injured SteCase King. As a last resort, SteCase King used the chojin Encyclopedia once more, except he accidentally took an outdated cassette of Kinnikuman, who had indeed become a competent chojin over the years. With SteCase King weakened, Kinnikuman finished him off with the Kinniku Buster. Despite SteCase King being the weakest of the Seven Devil Chojin, he managed to give Kinnikuman many wounds, enough so that the chojin doctor said that Kinnikuman would need 10 days to heal.

 

Kinnikuman vs. Black Hole

Despite initially having taken his torso, the match against Black Hole is to retrieve Meat's right arm. Black Hole - after lighting a fire - realises Kinnikuman has not arrived and threatens to destroy Meat's arm, but Kinnikuman seemingly arrives in perfect health. He blocks a punch from Black Hole, which Black Hole notes is with his left hand despite being right-handed, and Black Hole also notes that his body is no longer muscular.

 

Black Hole and his teammates reveal this is an intruder, only to beat him until he is bleeding profusely, and they show that this was Terryman. The real Kinnikuman appears and challenges Black Hole to fight. They fight in a Solar House Death Match at Korakuen Stadium. Kinnikuman initially thought that this was to be nice, as the Solar House made it warmer inside the ring while it was cold outside, but Black Hole's real reason was so that he could use his Shadow Travel technique. Kinnikuman begins the match with a punch, but his arm gets stuck in the hole in Black Hole's face. After a flurry of punches, Kinnikuman finally escapes, and kicks at Black Hole's chest, only to get his body stuck within the chest.

 

Kinnikuman is soon spat out, only for Black Hole to use Shadow Travel.

 

He uses a German Suplex upon Kinnikuman, before trapping him in a Cobra Twist. He proceeds to clone his bodies and fill the ring with them, as all of them attack Kinnikuman at once, but Kinnikuman uses a Sun Muscle to dissipate the fake Black Hole clones. Kinnikuman lands a Flying Body Scissors Drop. The inside of the hole on Black Hole's head then becomes a portal into space, which sucks Kinnikuman inside. Kinnikuman manages to escape and breaks through the Solar Dome back into the ring. Kinnikuman smashes down on Black Hole with a Nikudan Elbow Drop, which effectively knocks out Black Hole and allows Kinnikuman to win and retrieve Meat's right arm.

 

Kinnikuman vs. Atlantis

Later Kinnikuman fights against Atlantis. Atlantis begins with a Water Magnum, but Kinnikuman uses Salmon Swimming Stream to swim up the beam of water, and headbutts Atlantis in his face. Kinnikuman attempts a body-press, but the spirits of his deceased opponents hold him back: The Mountain, Stecasse King, Mr Khamen, and Black Hole. He thus can't move and lands on Atlantis knees. He tries to put Atlantis in a sleeping hold, but Black Hole cuts into his neck. Mongolman reveals that this is due to a Blood Bind, and he takes Terryman and Brocken Jr. into the spirit world to defeat the spirits.

 

Kinnikuman is thrown into the lake by Atlantis. Due to his friends defeating the spirits, Kinnikuman is able to swim upwards and jump back onto the ring. Atlantis jumps into the water and covers the ring in a thick fog, which enables him to trick Kinnikuman into thinking the corner-post is him and striking his head against it in the confusion. Atlantis uses a water magnum, which destroys some of the ropes, and then hits him with a Water Ball. He follows this with a St Helen's Eruption.

 

Kinnikuman uses his Fire of Inner Strength to escape the hold, and a Muscle Typhoon to get rid of the mist. In order to avenge Robin Mask, Kinnikuman use a Tower Bridge attack on Atlantis, at which point Atlantis tosses Meat's right leg into the leg. Kinnikuman jumps in to save the leg, as Atlantis follows, but uses a U-Boat technique against him. Buffaloman convince Kinnikuman to finish using his Kinniku Buster, which breaks Atlantis' back, neck, and hip-bones. This defeats Atlantis and allows Kinnikuman to retrieve the leg.

 

Kinnikuman vs. Buffaloman

From here on, the matches became rougher, as the Devil Chojins, the fierce enemies of the Justice Chojin, weren't just trying to beat them, but kill them in battle. Through the help of his friends, some of who valiantly gave their lives through fighting the evil Devil chojin, and Mongolman, the mystery fighter who Suguru first believed to be a Devil chojin, they were finally able to defeat the leader, Buffaloman. Touched by the bonds of friendship that Suguru and the Justice Chojin had for each other, Buffaloman vowed that one day he would like to join them, if he survived the punishment for his sins.

 

Golden Mask Arc

Kinnikuman attends a chojin physical with his colleagues.

 

The Chojin Power of his colleagues is halved, with only his power left intact. It is revealed that the golden mask on Planet Kinniku has been stolen, and the Silver Mask travels through space into Kinnikuman's hands, as a group of six masked men descend on Kinnikuman. Only one of them has the true Golden Mask, and each says they will go to a specific location to wait for Kinnikuman; if he battles them and wins, they will give him their mask, and their tournament will end when he finds the true Golden Mask.

 

Kinnikuman vs. Sneagator

The first match is against Sneagator in the Budokan Stadium. The ring seems empty, until Sneagator appears to turn all the chairs into alligators and the confetti into lizards. Sneagator bites through the ropes, which turn into snakes and attack Kinnikuman. He then bites down onto Kinnikuman's right shoulder, before using a Hell Space Walk, which is a powerful sneaker kick.

 

Sneagator then bites into Kinnikuman's torso, before using another sneaker-kick and biting him in three separate places. At this point, Meat realises the animals are illusions caused by a light projector. Sneagator attempts to bite off Kinnikuman's head, but Kinnikuman stops him by holding onto the sides of his jaws, before using a Mouth-Ripping Kinniku-Buster, and covers the light projector with Sneagator's blood.

 

Sneagtor then sheds his skin and returns in a tortoise form. He uses a Strong Body Press on Kinnikuman, but Kinnikuman uses a Muscle Curtain, and Sneagator sheds his skin again. Kinnikuman gets behind Sneagator and rips the fins from his head, but Sneagator turns again into a chameleon to camouflage into his environment. Kinnikuman allows himself to be injured, so he can use his blood to force Sneagator to become visible. Sneagator then turns into a dinosaur hand, but Kinnikuman gets him in a Bear Hug.

 

This allows him to see Sneagator's true face, which is on one of his fingers.

 

He uses a Front Suplex to then defeat Sneagator.

 

Kinnikuman vs. Planetman

 

Kinnikuman dies from his injuries against Sneagator.

 

Once he is revived by Wolfman's life force, Kinnikuman heads for the Toshimaen (豊島園) amusement park to face his next opponent. Upon arrival, he and Meat find a ring and are then confronted by several planets. The planets then fuse together and become Planetman. He knocks Kinnikuman into the ring, which is then elevated several hundred feet into the air.

 

Planetman starts out in control of the fight, slicing Kinnikuman up with his Planet Ring. 86 Kinnikuman tries to hide in a Ferris Wheel car, but Planetman is able to knock him out of there with his Ring Stone. He then freezes Kinnikuman's body with the Sub Zero Figure 4 Neck Lock and tries to shatter him with a knee drop, but Geronimo channels Wolfman's power and Kinnikuman is able to break free.

 

Planetman then reveals that his head is actually the legendary planet Vulcan. He also points out that Earth is nowhere on his body. 86 That is because Kinnikuman represents Earth, and with that a map of the world appears on Kinnikuman's body. 87 Planetman then begins striking the countries of specific Justice Chojins, causing their life-support bubbles to burst and their bodies to go through excruciating pain.

 

When he tries throwing his Apollo Dynamite at Japan, Kinnikuman catches the fireball and throws it back. Planetman then uses his horrible Face Planet technique, causing the faces of Terryman, Robin Mask, Warsman, Brocken Jr., Mayumi Kinniku, Sayuri Kinniku, Bibimba, and Canadianman to appear on the planets on his body. He also dons his Golden Mask so that Kinnikuman won't attack his head. Kinnikuman pays it no mind and tries a Knee Breaker, but realises that he would hurt Bibimba if he did. Kinnikuman finds himself unable to fight back until he realises that a Kinniku Buster wouldn't hurt any of them, just Planetman.

 

Unfortunately, Planetman transforms their surrounding into space, preventing Kinnikuman from completing the Kinniku Buster. Finally, Warsman insists that Kinnikuman punch through his face, which is directly over Planetman's heart. 88 Kinnikuman reluctantly complies and pierces Planetman's heart, putting Warsman in a coma and freeing everyone from the Face Planet technique. 89 Planetman then tries his Planet Ring one more time, but Kinnikuman gets behind him, causing the ring to decapitate Planetman. Kinnikuman then defeats him with Black Hole Suplex, throwing him through a hole in the middle of the ring.

 

Unfortunately, Planetman's Golden Mask turns out to be a fake, just like Sneagator's.

 

Five-Tier Ring

Kinnikuman then enters inside of Warsman.

 

Inside his body, there is a five-tier ring that begins a new tournament. Terryman, Geronimo, Brocken Jr., and Robin Mask fight on his behalf, so that Kinnikuman can climb the spine and reach the fifth ring, where he plans to jolt Warsman's heart to resuscitate him. Kinnikuman finally reaches the fourth-tier, but the Golden Mask is not the real Golden Mask, and General Devil appears above them on the fifth tier.

 

Kinnikuman vs. General Devil

General Devil first appears as the Golden Mask.

 

He shrinks the exit inside Warsman's body, to prevent Kinnikuman and his friends - who are growing to their regular size - from leaving in time so as not to tear Warsman apart. He steals forth the power of the Devil Chojin that worked underneath him during the tournament, and announces himself as their leader. Geronimo attacks General Devil, but General Devil retaliates with a Double-Arm Suplex. 94 He then uses a Spin Double Arm, and finishes with a Hell's Guillotine. This kills Geronimo, and inspires the others to distract General Devil by attacking him at once.

 

General Devil escapes from Warsman's body, along with Asuraman. Kinnikuman escapes and uses his Fire of Inner Strength, as he attempts to tackle General Devil, but he is struck by a Hell's Guillotine. It is revealed General Devil cannot absorb his Fire of Inner Strength and injures his knee. General Devil and Asuraman go through a door to their next venue, while Kinnikuman lingers behind due to fear, but - despite his hesitation - Buffaloman holds the door open for him and allows him to carry onward.

 

Buffaloman, on his arrival, shakes hands with General Devil; General Devil resurrected him to act as an adviser for the upcoming match. After Asuraman loses in his match against Kinnikuman, he is shunned by General Devil and decapitated by him. Buffaloman is thus persuaded to join the Justice Chojin, as he rejects such levels of cruelty, and holds General Devil about his waist, so that Kinnikuman may have a chance to use his Kinniku Driver. General Devil attempts a Hell Super Express.

 

This is reversed by Buffaloman, and the fight between the two allows Kinnikuman time to train with Terryman in an attempt to perfect the Kinniku Driver using logs in a nearby parkland. Buffaloman attempts a Special Hurricane Mixer, but General Devil reveals his body can feel no pain. Kinnikuman perfects his Kinniku Driver. Buffaloman impales General Devil with his long horns, while Terryman warns Kinnikuman about the fatal flaw with the Kinniku Driver, and Kinnikuman manages to correct the one flaw.

 

Kinnikuman returns and carries Buffaloman to the infirmary, after General Devil defeats Buffaloman. Kinnikuman learns - in the process - that General Devil is actually Goldman. Kinnikuman returns to the ring and throws the silver mask above the ring, along with General Devil and the gold mask, and and it is decided that the winner of the match will take both masks. Kinnikuman begins the match with a German Suplex, and General Devil attacks with a chair, causing a referee to be needed. Mongolman agrees to referee the match.

 

Kinnikuman tries to attack General Devil several times, but his skin is torn open and every time his Kinniku Driver fails. General Devil attempts a Skull Crush, but Kinnikuman counters by bashing him against the corner-post of the ring. This is followed by Kinnikuman reversing an attempted Hell's Guillotine. General Devil gains the upper-hand with a Hell Windmill, and Kinnikuman - after thrown out the ring - makes it back in time for the count. Kinnikuman is then hit by a Human Bullet Dive Bomb.

 

Kinnikuman uses a Sideways Kinniku-Buster. This strikes General Devil against a far wall, where the chest-plate of his armour breaks away and reveals he is lacking a physical body. Kinnikuman attempts a Bear-Hug, but General Devil breaks free and the pieces of his body turn back into the Six Devil Knights, and General Devil reverses a Sideways Kinniku-Buster to harm Kinnikuman.

 

After using his Muscle Curtain, after exchanging a series of blows, Kinnikuman witnesses General Devil harden his body to level seven. General Devil turns his arms into swords, and Robin Mask tosses his armour for Kinnikuman to use, but General Devil goes to Hardness Level 10. He splits open Robin Mask's armour and attacks at Kinnikuman, and Kinnikuman attempts a Muscle Curtain Attack.

 

Kinnikuman manages to scratch General Devil's body. This is followed by a Burning Megaton Punch, which opens the crack in General Devil's armour, and his body shatters into millions of diamonds, as Kinnikuman retrieves the Golden Mask. The diamond pieces destroy the Golden Mask, and it is revealed the the real Golden Mask was underneath General Devil's fake mask all along. It was a part of his head. This triggers Kinnikuman into donning the Silver Mask, so that the two masks can communicate.

 

General Devil - now revealed to be Goldman - reveals he felt humiliated by Silverman, while they were still alive, and was given power by Satan, who granted him control over the Six Devil Knights. To gain the upper hand, General Devil places the ring on the bodies of Kinnikuman's Justice Chojin friends, and each attacks upon the canvas thus causes them pain. General Devil uses a Burning Bridge.

 

The ring is transformed, as General Devil starts to sweat, and his sweat turns the canvas into a diamond. 108 After a series of serious blows, Kinnikuman turns the tides and uses the diamond canvas against General Devil, and forces his Hardness Level back to normal. The Friendship Power exhibited by Kinnikuman, and the Justice Chojin beneath the ring, causes the Gold Mask to reject the armour gifted by Satan. 109 This causes a body to appear. Kinnikuman then uses his Fire of Inner Strength .

 

General Devil seals all Kinnikuman's vital points and uses a Hell Guillotine.

 

Kinnikuman stops the move, while the spirits of his friends come to his defence. The Friendship Power weakens him, before he summons the spirits of the Six Devil Knights to rip his limbs away; sacrificing his body means Kinnikuman cannot use any techniques against him. Buffaloman then intervenes to stop him from dismantling and recombining at will. He dons the mask, so that General Devil will have a body, and willingly sacrifices himself to help stop General Devil. Kinnikuman successfully uses the Kinniku Driver.

 

General Devil - now in his Golden Mask form - asks to be destroyed, but instead the Silver Mask combines with the Golden Mask and become the Perfect Mask. They revive all dead and injured Chojin, and never again will they ever be divided, which means never again can they bring harm on the people. Kinnikuman and his friends celebrate his victory.

 

Dream Chojin Tag Arc

Prehistory

 

A second Mount Fuji appears in Japan. On top of this mountain, the Universal Chojin Tag Team trophy appears. Underneath, there appears a series of rings that allow for eight tag-teams to compete. Kinnikuman - along with the other justice chojin - goes to Kourakuen Hall to discuss the situation. Terryman reveals he will not team up with Kinnikuman, but instead seeks to work with Geronimo and bring him back to health (since he is now in a vegetative state).

 

Quarter-Finals

The first match for them was against Pentagon and Black Hole: 4D Killer Combo. The 4D Killer Combo await in the first ring, and - as the Muscle Brothers enter - drop down upon them as a preemptive attack. Kinnikuman ignores Kinnikuman Great's attempt to tag in, despite bleeding profusely, and this allows Black Hole to swap places with Pentagon. Black Hole throws Kinnikuman to the ropes; Kinnikuman Great reassures Kinnikuman they are equals, but Kinnikuman is determined to prove himself to what he considers his master. He still tags in Kinnikuman Great, despite his reservations, who uses a martial arts kick to attack Black Hole. They exchange several blows, but Kinnikuman Great temporarily incapacitates Black Hole with a Rolling Savate.

 

The other teams leave their rings, so that they may watch the match. Black Hole catches Kinnikuman Great off-guard and throws him to the ropes, in an attempt to engage in a German Suplex, but Kinnikuman Great counters with a Reverse Kick. Kinnikuman argues with Kinnikuman Great and trust breaks down, and this leads to the 4D Killer Combo gaining an advantage. As the 4D Combo use 4D Warp again, Great throws Kinnikuman out of the ring so that he may strike Pentagon midair. This fatigues both Pentagon and Great.

 

Each move Kinnikuman uses on Black Hole becomes countered with Pentagon's Chronos Change, and - as Great comes to the defence - Pentagon uses Time Stop to freeze Great and stop with a Pile Driver. They stop Great with a 4D Cross and he is absorbed into Black Hole's body. The 4D Combo tries to use a 4D Cross on Kinnikuman, but he counters with advice from the voice of Great. Great tries to escape through Black Hole, grabbing his mask in the process, but Black Hole closes access to his dimension.

 

Black Hole and Great fight within the dimension, and Great uses a Kinniku Buster to defeat Black Hole, while Kinnikuman uses the Kinniku Driver to defeat Pentagon. They combine their attacks into a Muscle Docking, which allows them to win the match.

 

Semi-Finals

 

After Prince Kamehame's death, Terryman dons the Kinnikuman Great disguise.

 

In a match-up lottery, the Muscle Brothers Nouveau are matched against the Stray Devil Chojin Combo. The rules of the match determine that a KO'd opponent must be thrown into a cage overhead, and the non-competing semi-finalists surround the ring to stop anyone from leaving the ring before the end of the match. After Terryman is hurt, Kinnikuman attacks his opponents and is knocked out of the ring, where he is struck by Buffaloman's Hurricane Mixer. Kinnikuman tosses Asuraman, but the others do not harm him and allow him back into the ring, proving Kinnikuman's friendship with Buffaloman is not restored.

 

After Terryman fails to imitate Kinnikuman Great properly, Kinnikuman is forced to use his Fire of Inner Strength to protect him. They attempt to use a Muscle Docking, but they are unable to synchronise, and instead are subject to Hell's Combination Part 1. Kinnikuman is later tagged back into the match, where he gets Asuraman into a Cobra Twist. Terryman and Kinnikuman are soon tossed towards the cage above, but manage to stop themselves from entering the cage.

 

They both use Body Attacks on the Stray Devil Chojin Combo.

 

Asuraman uses a Hell's Canvas, causing Kinnikuman to be attacked by the spirits of past opponents. Kinnikuman is then hit by a Sunshine Magnum. This is followed by a Sunshine Rapid Fire. A Hell's Combination Part III knocks Kinnikuman head-first into the box above. The sweat from Kinnikuman's body falls down onto the ring, which banishes the spirits of his past opponents, and - at this point - he is able to free his body and escape the cage. In the ensuing events, Kinnikuman realises Kinnikuman Great is not Prince Kamehame and demands to be told the person's true identity.

 

Terryman saves Kinnikuman's life and begs him to trust him, but Kinnikuman tries to forcibly remove his mask. 126 After Terryman tries to sacrifice himself, and states his reason to fight for friendship, Kinnikuman believes that he is an ally of the Justice Chojin. Kinnikuman then throws Asuraman into Sunshine's Cursed Roller. Asuraman shifts into pieces of the Devil General's body in an attempt to psychologically dissuade Kinnikuman from continuing to fight. Asuraman and Sunshine succumb to Friendship Power. The Muscle Brothers win against the Stray Devil Chojin Combo with a Muscle Docking.

 

Finals

 

The final match is against Hell Missionaries; the ring is surrounded by swords, which will pierce anyone thrown out of the ring or who tries to escape. The match will be a three-round match, with each round lasting ten minutes until the final round, which will have no time-limit attached.

 

During the match against Neptuneman, some of Terryman's blond hair is exposed. More and more of Terryman's face is exposed, as he panics at the idea Kinnikuman may reject him on learning the truth, and thus leaves himself open to attacks. With only seconds to spare, Terryman is defeated with a Cross-Bomber in the first round and his face is revealed. Terryman has his stars returned to him by Asuraman, who rejects how he gave up earlier, and - thus due to not having technically quit his match - is still eligible to compete in...

 

Oh? You're all asleep?

 

...snoring...

 

💪M💪U💪S💪C💪L💪E💪

 

A year of the shows and performers of the Bijou Planks Theater.

 

M.U.S.C.L.E. No. 1, "Kinnikuman"

 

Painted by Paprika, thus losing all collectible value forever.

marketplace.secondlife.com/p/small-Fringe-Behaviour-FATPA...

 

Individual colours at in world store: maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Yeunhee/90/48/3601

 

Maitreya Lara Classic and Petite

  

Lijn B

Shottisham Creek, Suffolk, 16 May 2020

Waved albatross in the Galapagos performing their mating rituals which includes vociferous clacking of beaks.

A fair distance away on a misty morning but nice to see the Cattle Egret in amongst the Highland Cattle.

Have you ever encountered someone who was certain they knew you....but you had no idea who they were?

 

I have.

 

Unprepared for rain, it was a relief to catch a city cab curbside downtown. I jumped in the front passenger seat because the back seat was occupied. This was not unusual for a rain heavy day. Whew - I was dry.

 

Within a block, a woman's voice whispered from behind "I know you."

 

I started to turn, but the voice loudly commanded "Don't look at me!"

 

Raising my hands guard against an imagined garrote, my pulse quickened.

 

Over the next couple blocks the whisperer detailed events from my life.

 

She seemed to know bits about my wardrobe, and behaviour. Impossible to fabricate.

 

Thankfully, she thought well of me.

 

If any reaction, the cabbie seemed to smile at the situation.

 

At a stoplight, the whisperer surprised both me and cabbie by jumping out and running into a crowd. Still raining hard, I got a glimpse of her hair and unique attire.

 

I paid the entire cab fare - for both of us.

 

That evening I told my spouse about the curious ride with a mystery passenger.

 

She replied - "Oh, I know who that is."

 

What?

 

Apparently, the whisperer worked on the same floor of offices as we both did years prior. My spouse said - "She always seemed a bit odd."

 

Well, the point is that we might be more careful about our attitude and behaviour if we assumed someone was watching.

 

Nora

BCLM 1940s event

++++ FROM WIKIPEDIA ++++

 

U Bein Bridge (Burmese: ဦးပိန် တံတား) is a crossing that spans the Taungthaman Lake near Amarapura in Myanmar. The 1.2-kilometre (0.75 mi) bridge was built around 1850 and is believed to be the oldest and (once) longest teakwood bridge in the world.[1][2][3] Construction began when the capital of Ava Kingdom moved to Amarapura,[4] and the bridge is named after the mayor who had it built.[5] It is used as an important passageway for the local people and has also become a tourist attraction and therefore a significant source of income for souvenir sellers.[1][5][6][7] It is particularly busy during July and August when the lake is at its highest.[8]

 

The bridge was built from wood reclaimed from the former royal palace in Inwa. It features 1,086 pillars that stretch out of the water, some of which have been replaced with concrete. Though the bridge largely remains intact, there are fears that an increasing number of the pillars are becoming dangerously decayed. Some have become entirely detached from their bases and only remain in place because of the lateral bars holding them together. Damage to these supports have been caused by flooding as well as a fish breeding program introduced into the lake which has caused the water to become stagnant. The Ministry of Culture’s Department of Archaeology, National Museum and Library plans to carry out repairs when plans for the work are finalised.[1]

 

From 1 April 2009, eight police force personnel have been deployed to guard the bridge. Their presence is aimed at reducing anti-social behaviour and preventing criminal activities, with the first arrest coming in September 2013 when two men were reported for harassing tourists.[8]

Contents

 

1 Construction

2 Design and Structure

3 Gallery

4 References

 

Construction

 

The construction was started in 1849 and finished in 1851. Myanmar construction engineers used traditional methods of scaling and measuring to build the bridge. According to historic books about U Bein Bridge, Myanmar engineers made scale by counting the footsteps.

Design and Structure

 

The bridge was built in curved shape in the middle to resist the assault of wind and water. The main teak posts were hammered into the lake bed seven feet deep. The other ends of the posts were shaped conically to make sure that rain water would fall down easily. The joints of the bridge are intertwined.

 

Originally, there were 984 teak posts supporting the bridge and two approach brick bridges. Later the two approach brick bridges were replaced by wooden approach bridge. There are four wooden pavilions at the same interval along the bridge. By adding posts of two approach bridges and four pavilions, the number of posts amounts to 1089.

 

There are nine passageways in the bridge, where the floors can be lifted to let boats and barges pass. There 482 spans and the length of the bridge is 1,209 metres.

  

Myanmar (Burmese pronunciation: [mjəmà]),[nb 1][8] officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and also known as Burma, is a sovereign state in Southeast Asia. Myanmar is bordered by India and Bangladesh to its west, Thailand and Laos to its east and China to its north and northeast. To its south, about one third of Myanmar's total perimeter of 5,876 km (3,651 mi) forms an uninterrupted coastline of 1,930 km (1,200 mi) along the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. The country's 2014 census counted the population to be 51 million people.[9] As of 2017, the population is about 54 million.[10] Myanmar is 676,578 square kilometers (261,228 square miles) in size. Its capital city is Naypyidaw, and its largest city and former capital is Yangon (Rangoon).[1] Myanmar has been a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) since 1997.

 

Early civilisations in Myanmar included the Tibeto-Burman-speaking Pyu city-states in Upper Burma and the Mon kingdoms in Lower Burma.[11] In the 9th century, the Bamar people entered the upper Irrawaddy valley and, following the establishment of the Pagan Kingdom in the 1050s, the Burmese language, culture and Theravada Buddhism slowly became dominant in the country. The Pagan Kingdom fell due to the Mongol invasions and several warring states emerged. In the 16th century, reunified by the Taungoo Dynasty, the country was for a brief period the largest empire in the history of Mainland Southeast Asia.[12] The early 19th century Konbaung Dynasty ruled over an area that included modern Myanmar and briefly controlled Manipur and Assam as well. The British took over the administration of Myanmar after three Anglo-Burmese Wars in the 19th century and the country became a British colony. Myanmar was granted independence in 1948, as a democratic nation. Following a coup d'état in 1962, it became a military dictatorship.

 

For most of its independent years, the country has been engrossed in rampant ethnic strife and its myriad ethnic groups have been involved in one of the world's longest-running ongoing civil wars. During this time, the United Nations and several other organisations have reported consistent and systematic human rights violations in the country.[13] In 2011, the military junta was officially dissolved following a 2010 general election, and a nominally civilian government was installed. This, along with the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and political prisoners, has improved the country's human rights record and foreign relations, and has led to the easing of trade and other economic sanctions.[14] There is, however, continuing criticism of the government's treatment of ethnic minorities, its response to the ethnic insurgency, and religious clashes.[15] In the landmark 2015 election, Aung San Suu Kyi's party won a majority in both houses. However, the Burmese military remains a powerful force in politics.

 

Myanmar is a country rich in jade and gems, oil, natural gas and other mineral resources. In 2013, its GDP (nominal) stood at US$56.7 billion and its GDP (PPP) at US$221.5 billion.[6] The income gap in Myanmar is among the widest in the world, as a large proportion of the economy is controlled by supporters of the former military government.[16] As of 2016, Myanmar ranks 145 out of 188 countries in human development, according to the Human Development Index.[7]

Etymology

Main article: Names of Myanmar

 

In 1989, the military government officially changed the English translations of many names dating back to Burma's colonial period or earlier, including that of the country itself: "Burma" became "Myanmar". The renaming remains a contested issue.[17] Many political and ethnic opposition groups and countries continue to use "Burma" because they do not recognise the legitimacy of the ruling military government or its authority to rename the country.[18]

 

In April 2016, soon after taking office, Aung San Suu Kyi clarified that foreigners are free to use either name, "because there is nothing in the constitution of our country that says that you must use any term in particular".[19]

 

The country's official full name is the "Republic of the Union of Myanmar" (ပြည်ထောင်စုသမ္မတ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်, Pyidaunzu Thanmăda Myăma Nainngandaw, pronounced [pjìdàʊɴzṵ θàɴməda̰ mjəmà nàɪɴŋàɴdɔ̀]). Countries that do not officially recognise that name use the long form "Union of Burma" instead.[20]

 

In English, the country is popularly known as either "Burma" or "Myanmar" /ˈmjɑːnˌmɑːr/ (About this sound listen).[8] Both these names are derived from the name of the majority Burmese Bamar ethnic group. Myanmar is considered to be the literary form of the name of the group, while Burma is derived from "Bamar", the colloquial form of the group's name.[17] Depending on the register used, the pronunciation would be Bama (pronounced [bəmà]) or Myamah (pronounced [mjəmà]).[17] The name Burma has been in use in English since the 18th century.

 

Burma continues to be used in English by the governments of many countries, such as Canada and the United Kingdom.[21][22] Official United States policy retains Burma as the country's name, although the State Department's website lists the country as "Burma (Myanmar)" and Barack Obama has referred to the country by both names.[23] The Czech Republic officially uses Myanmar, although its Ministry of Foreign Affairs mentions both Myanmar and Burma on its website.[24] The United Nations uses Myanmar, as do the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Australia,[25] Russia, Germany,[26] China, India, Bangladesh, Norway,[27] Japan[21] and Switzerland.[28]

 

Most English-speaking international news media refer to the country by the name Myanmar, including the BBC,[29] CNN,[30] Al Jazeera,[31] Reuters,[32] RT (Russia Today) and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)/Radio Australia.[33]

 

Myanmar is known with a name deriving from Burma as opposed to Myanmar in Spanish, Italian, Romanian, and Greek – Birmania being the local version of Burma in the Spanish language, for example. Myanmar used to be known as "Birmânia" in Portuguese, and as "Birmanie" in French.[34] As in the past, French-language media today consistently use Birmanie.,[35][36]

History

Main article: History of Myanmar

Prehistory

Main articles: Prehistory of Myanmar and Migration period of ancient Burma

Pyu city-states c. 8th century; Pagan is shown for comparison only and is not contemporary.

 

Archaeological evidence shows that Homo erectus lived in the region now known as Myanmar as early as 750,000 years ago, with no more erectus finds after 75,000 years ago.[37] The first evidence of Homo sapiens is dated to about 11,000 BC, in a Stone Age culture called the Anyathian with discoveries of stone tools in central Myanmar. Evidence of neolithic age domestication of plants and animals and the use of polished stone tools dating to sometime between 10,000 and 6,000 BC has been discovered in the form of cave paintings in Padah-Lin Caves.[38]

 

The Bronze Age arrived circa 1500 BC when people in the region were turning copper into bronze, growing rice and domesticating poultry and pigs; they were among the first people in the world to do so.[39] Human remains and artefacts from this era were discovered in Monywa District in the Sagaing Division.[40] The Iron Age began around 500 BC with the emergence of iron-working settlements in an area south of present-day Mandalay.[41] Evidence also shows the presence of rice-growing settlements of large villages and small towns that traded with their surroundings as far as China between 500 BC and 200 AD.[42] Iron Age Burmese cultures also had influences from outside sources such as India and Thailand, as seen in their funerary practices concerning child burials. This indicates some form of communication between groups in Myanmar and other places, possibly through trade.[43]

Early city-states

Main articles: Pyu city-states and Mon kingdoms

 

Around the second century BC the first-known city-states emerged in central Myanmar. The city-states were founded as part of the southward migration by the Tibeto-Burman-speaking Pyu city-states, the earliest inhabitants of Myanmar of whom records are extant, from present-day Yunnan.[44] The Pyu culture was heavily influenced by trade with India, importing Buddhism as well as other cultural, architectural and political concepts, which would have an enduring influence on later Burmese culture and political organisation.[45]

 

By the 9th century, several city-states had sprouted across the land: the Pyu in the central dry zone, Mon along the southern coastline and Arakanese along the western littoral. The balance was upset when the Pyu came under repeated attacks from Nanzhao between the 750s and the 830s. In the mid-to-late 9th century the Bamar people founded a small settlement at Bagan. It was one of several competing city-states until the late 10th century when it grew in authority and grandeur.[46]

Imperial Burma

Main articles: Pagan Kingdom, Taungoo Dynasty, and Konbaung Dynasty

See also: Ava Kingdom, Hanthawaddy Kingdom, Kingdom of Mrauk U, and Shan States

Pagodas and kyaungs in present-day Bagan, the capital of the Pagan Kingdom.

 

Pagan gradually grew to absorb its surrounding states until the 1050s–1060s when Anawrahta founded the Pagan Kingdom, the first ever unification of the Irrawaddy valley and its periphery. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the Pagan Empire and the Khmer Empire were two main powers in mainland Southeast Asia.[47] The Burmese language and culture gradually became dominant in the upper Irrawaddy valley, eclipsing the Pyu, Mon and Pali norms by the late 12th century.[48]

 

Theravada Buddhism slowly began to spread to the village level, although Tantric, Mahayana, Hinduism, and folk religion remained heavily entrenched. Pagan's rulers and wealthy built over 10,000 Buddhist temples in the Pagan capital zone alone. Repeated Mongol invasions (1277–1301) toppled the four-century-old kingdom in 1287.[48]

Temples at Mrauk U.

 

Pagan's collapse was followed by 250 years of political fragmentation that lasted well into the 16th century. Like the Burmans four centuries earlier, Shan migrants who arrived with the Mongol invasions stayed behind. Several competing Shan States came to dominate the entire northwestern to eastern arc surrounding the Irrawaddy valley. The valley too was beset with petty states until the late 14th century when two sizeable powers, Ava Kingdom and Hanthawaddy Kingdom, emerged. In the west, a politically fragmented Arakan was under competing influences of its stronger neighbours until the Kingdom of Mrauk U unified the Arakan coastline for the first time in 1437.

 

Early on, Ava fought wars of unification (1385–1424) but could never quite reassemble the lost empire. Having held off Ava, Hanthawaddy entered its golden age, and Arakan went on to become a power in its own right for the next 350 years. In contrast, constant warfare left Ava greatly weakened, and it slowly disintegrated from 1481 onward. In 1527, the Confederation of Shan States conquered Ava itself, and ruled Upper Myanmar until 1555.

 

Like the Pagan Empire, Ava, Hanthawaddy and the Shan states were all multi-ethnic polities. Despite the wars, cultural synchronisation continued. This period is considered a golden age for Burmese culture. Burmese literature "grew more confident, popular, and stylistically diverse", and the second generation of Burmese law codes as well as the earliest pan-Burma chronicles emerged.[49] Hanthawaddy monarchs introduced religious reforms that later spread to the rest of the country.[50] Many splendid temples of Mrauk U were built during this period.

Taungoo and colonialism

Bayinnaung's Empire in 1580.

 

Political unification returned in the mid-16th century, due to the efforts of Taungoo, a former vassal state of Ava. Taungoo's young, ambitious king Tabinshwehti defeated the more powerful Hanthawaddy in the Toungoo–Hanthawaddy War (1534–41). His successor Bayinnaung went on to conquer a vast swath of mainland Southeast Asia including the Shan states, Lan Na, Manipur, Mong Mao, the Ayutthaya Kingdom, Lan Xang and southern Arakan. However, the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia unravelled soon after Bayinnaung's death in 1581, completely collapsing by 1599. Ayutthaya seized Tenasserim and Lan Na, and Portuguese mercenaries established Portuguese rule at Thanlyin (Syriam).

 

The dynasty regrouped and defeated the Portuguese in 1613 and Siam in 1614. It restored a smaller, more manageable kingdom, encompassing Lower Myanmar, Upper Myanmar, Shan states, Lan Na and upper Tenasserim. The Restored Toungoo kings created a legal and political framework whose basic features would continue well into the 19th century. The crown completely replaced the hereditary chieftainships with appointed governorships in the entire Irrawaddy valley, and greatly reduced the hereditary rights of Shan chiefs. Its trade and secular administrative reforms built a prosperous economy for more than 80 years. From the 1720s onward, the kingdom was beset with repeated Meithei raids into Upper Myanmar and a nagging rebellion in Lan Na. In 1740, the Mon of Lower Myanmar founded the Restored Hanthawaddy Kingdom. Hanthawaddy forces sacked Ava in 1752, ending the 266-year-old Toungoo Dynasty.

A British 1825 lithograph of Shwedagon Pagoda shows British occupation during the First Anglo-Burmese War.

 

After the fall of Ava, the Konbaung–Hanthawaddy War involved one resistance group under Alaungpaya defeating the Restored Hanthawaddy, and by 1759, he had reunited all of Myanmar and Manipur, and driven out the French and the British, who had provided arms to Hanthawaddy. By 1770, Alaungpaya's heirs had subdued much of Laos (1765) and fought and won the Burmese–Siamese War (1765–67) against Ayutthaya and the Sino-Burmese War (1765–69) against Qing China (1765–1769).[51]

 

With Burma preoccupied by the Chinese threat, Ayutthaya recovered its territories by 1770, and went on to capture Lan Na by 1776. Burma and Siam went to war until 1855, but all resulted in a stalemate, exchanging Tenasserim (to Burma) and Lan Na (to Ayutthaya). Faced with a powerful China and a resurgent Ayutthaya in the east, King Bodawpaya turned west, acquiring Arakan (1785), Manipur (1814) and Assam (1817). It was the second-largest empire in Burmese history but also one with a long ill-defined border with British India.[52]

 

The breadth of this empire was short lived. Burma lost Arakan, Manipur, Assam and Tenasserim to the British in the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824–1826). In 1852, the British easily seized Lower Burma in the Second Anglo-Burmese War. King Mindon Min tried to modernise the kingdom, and in 1875 narrowly avoided annexation by ceding the Karenni States. The British, alarmed by the consolidation of French Indochina, annexed the remainder of the country in the Third Anglo-Burmese War in 1885.

 

Konbaung kings extended Restored Toungoo's administrative reforms, and achieved unprecedented levels of internal control and external expansion. For the first time in history, the Burmese language and culture came to predominate the entire Irrawaddy valley. The evolution and growth of Burmese literature and theatre continued, aided by an extremely high adult male literacy rate for the era (half of all males and 5% of females).[53] Nonetheless, the extent and pace of reforms were uneven and ultimately proved insufficient to stem the advance of British colonialism.

British Burma (1824–1948)

Main articles: British rule in Burma and Burma Campaign

Burma in British India

The landing of British forces in Mandalay after the last of the Anglo-Burmese Wars, which resulted in the abdication of the last Burmese monarch, King Thibaw Min.

British troops firing a mortar on the Mawchi road, July 1944.

 

The eighteenth century saw Burmese rulers, whose country had not previously been of particular interest to European traders, seek to maintain their traditional influence in the western areas of Assam, Manipur and Arakan. Pressing them, however, was the British East India Company, which was expanding its interests eastwards over the same territory. Over the next sixty years, diplomacy, raids, treaties and compromises continued until, after three Anglo-Burmese Wars (1824–1885), Britain proclaimed control over most of Burma.[54] British rule brought social, economic, cultural and administrative changes.

 

With the fall of Mandalay, all of Burma came under British rule, being annexed on 1 January 1886. Throughout the colonial era, many Indians arrived as soldiers, civil servants, construction workers and traders and, along with the Anglo-Burmese community, dominated commercial and civil life in Burma. Rangoon became the capital of British Burma and an important port between Calcutta and Singapore.

 

Burmese resentment was strong and was vented in violent riots that paralysed Yangon (Rangoon) on occasion all the way until the 1930s.[55] Some of the discontent was caused by a disrespect for Burmese culture and traditions such as the British refusal to remove shoes when they entered pagodas. Buddhist monks became the vanguards of the independence movement. U Wisara, an activist monk, died in prison after a 166-day hunger strike to protest against a rule that forbade him to wear his Buddhist robes while imprisoned.[56]

Separation of British Burma from British India

 

On 1 April 1937, Burma became a separately administered colony of Great Britain and Ba Maw the first Prime Minister and Premier of Burma. Ba Maw was an outspoken advocate for Burmese self-rule and he opposed the participation of Great Britain, and by extension Burma, in World War II. He resigned from the Legislative Assembly and was arrested for sedition. In 1940, before Japan formally entered the Second World War, Aung San formed the Burma Independence Army in Japan.

 

A major battleground, Burma was devastated during World War II. By March 1942, within months after they entered the war, Japanese troops had advanced on Rangoon and the British administration had collapsed. A Burmese Executive Administration headed by Ba Maw was established by the Japanese in August 1942. Wingate's British Chindits were formed into long-range penetration groups trained to operate deep behind Japanese lines.[57] A similar American unit, Merrill's Marauders, followed the Chindits into the Burmese jungle in 1943.[58] Beginning in late 1944, allied troops launched a series of offensives that led to the end of Japanese rule in July 1945. The battles were intense with much of Burma laid waste by the fighting. Overall, the Japanese lost some 150,000 men in Burma. Only 1,700 prisoners were taken.[59]

 

Although many Burmese fought initially for the Japanese as part of the Burma Independence Army, many Burmese, mostly from the ethnic minorities, served in the British Burma Army.[60] The Burma National Army and the Arakan National Army fought with the Japanese from 1942 to 1944 but switched allegiance to the Allied side in 1945. Under Japanese occupation, 170,000 to 250,000 civilians died.[61]

 

Following World War II, Aung San negotiated the Panglong Agreement with ethnic leaders that guaranteed the independence of Myanmar as a unified state. Aung Zan Wai, Pe Khin, Bo Hmu Aung, Sir Maung Gyi, Dr. Sein Mya Maung, Myoma U Than Kywe were among the negotiators of the historical Panglong Conference negotiated with Bamar leader General Aung San and other ethnic leaders in 1947. In 1947, Aung San became Deputy Chairman of the Executive Council of Myanmar, a transitional government. But in July 1947, political rivals[62] assassinated Aung San and several cabinet members.[63]

Independence (1948–1962)

Main article: Post-independence Burma, 1948–62

British governor Hubert Elvin Rance and Sao Shwe Thaik at the flag raising ceremony on 4 January 1948 (Independence Day of Burma).

 

On 4 January 1948, the nation became an independent republic, named the Union of Burma, with Sao Shwe Thaik as its first President and U Nu as its first Prime Minister. Unlike most other former British colonies and overseas territories, Burma did not become a member of the Commonwealth. A bicameral parliament was formed, consisting of a Chamber of Deputies and a Chamber of Nationalities,[64] and multi-party elections were held in 1951–1952, 1956 and 1960.

 

The geographical area Burma encompasses today can be traced to the Panglong Agreement, which combined Burma Proper, which consisted of Lower Burma and Upper Burma, and the Frontier Areas, which had been administered separately by the British.[65]

 

In 1961, U Thant, then the Union of Burma's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and former Secretary to the Prime Minister, was elected Secretary-General of the United Nations, a position he held for ten years.[66] Among the Burmese to work at the UN when he was Secretary-General was a young Aung San Suu Kyi (daughter of Aung San), who went on to become winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize.

 

When the non-Burman ethnic groups pushed for autonomy or federalism, alongside having a weak civilian government at the centre, the military leadership staged a coup d’état in 1962. Though incorporated in the 1947 Constitution, successive military governments construed the use of the term ‘federalism’ as being anti-national, anti-unity and pro-disintegration.[67]

Military rule (1962–2011)

 

On 2 March 1962, the military led by General Ne Win took control of Burma through a coup d'état, and the government has been under direct or indirect control by the military since then. Between 1962 and 1974, Myanmar was ruled by a revolutionary council headed by the general. Almost all aspects of society (business, media, production) were nationalised or brought under government control under the Burmese Way to Socialism,[68] which combined Soviet-style nationalisation and central planning.

 

A new constitution of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma was adopted in 1974. Until 1988, the country was ruled as a one-party system, with the General and other military officers resigning and ruling through the Burma Socialist Programme Party (BSPP).[69] During this period, Myanmar became one of the world's most impoverished countries.[70]

Protesters gathering in central Rangoon, 1988.

 

There were sporadic protests against military rule during the Ne Win years and these were almost always violently suppressed. On 7 July 1962, the government broke up demonstrations at Rangoon University, killing 15 students.[68] In 1974, the military violently suppressed anti-government protests at the funeral of U Thant. Student protests in 1975, 1976, and 1977 were quickly suppressed by overwhelming force.[69]

 

In 1988, unrest over economic mismanagement and political oppression by the government led to widespread pro-democracy demonstrations throughout the country known as the 8888 Uprising. Security forces killed thousands of demonstrators, and General Saw Maung staged a coup d'état and formed the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC). In 1989, SLORC declared martial law after widespread protests. The military government finalised plans for People's Assembly elections on 31 May 1989.[71] SLORC changed the country's official English name from the "Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma" to the "Union of Myanmar" in 1989.

 

In May 1990, the government held free elections for the first time in almost 30 years and the National League for Democracy (NLD), the party of Aung San Suu Kyi, won 392 out of a total 492 seats (i.e., 80% of the seats). However, the military junta refused to cede power[72] and continued to rule the nation as SLORC until 1997, and then as the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) until its dissolution in March 2011.

Protesters in Yangon during the 2007 Saffron Revolution with a banner that reads non-violence: national movement in Burmese. In the background is Shwedagon Pagoda.

 

On 23 June 1997, Myanmar was admitted into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). On 27 March 2006, the military junta, which had moved the national capital from Yangon to a site near Pyinmana in November 2005, officially named the new capital Naypyidaw, meaning "city of the kings".[73]

Cyclone Nargis in southern Myanmar, May 2008.

 

In August 2007, an increase in the price of diesel and petrol led to the Saffron Revolution led by Buddhist monks that were dealt with harshly by the government.[74] The government cracked down on them on 26 September 2007. The crackdown was harsh, with reports of barricades at the Shwedagon Pagoda and monks killed. There were also rumours of disagreement within the Burmese armed forces, but none was confirmed. The military crackdown against unarmed protesters was widely condemned as part of the international reactions to the Saffron Revolution and led to an increase in economic sanctions against the Burmese Government.

 

In May 2008, Cyclone Nargis caused extensive damage in the densely populated, rice-farming delta of the Irrawaddy Division.[75] It was the worst natural disaster in Burmese history with reports of an estimated 200,000 people dead or missing, damage totalled to 10 billion US dollars, and as many as 1 million left homeless.[76] In the critical days following this disaster, Myanmar's isolationist government was accused of hindering United Nations recovery efforts.[77] Humanitarian aid was requested but concerns about foreign military or intelligence presence in the country delayed the entry of United States military planes delivering medicine, food, and other supplies.[78]

 

In early August 2009, a conflict known as the Kokang incident broke out in Shan State in northern Myanmar. For several weeks, junta troops fought against ethnic minorities including the Han Chinese,[79] Wa, and Kachin.[80][81] During 8–12 August, the first days of the conflict, as many as 10,000 Burmese civilians fled to Yunnan province in neighbouring China.[80][81][82]

Civil wars

Main articles: Internal conflict in Myanmar, Kachin Conflict, Karen conflict, and 2015 Kokang offensive

 

Civil wars have been a constant feature of Myanmar's socio-political landscape since the attainment of independence in 1948. These wars are predominantly struggles for ethnic and sub-national autonomy, with the areas surrounding the ethnically Bamar central districts of the country serving as the primary geographical setting of conflict. Foreign journalists and visitors require a special travel permit to visit the areas in which Myanmar's civil wars continue.[83]

 

In October 2012, the ongoing conflicts in Myanmar included the Kachin conflict,[84] between the Pro-Christian Kachin Independence Army and the government;[85] a civil war between the Rohingya Muslims, and the government and non-government groups in Rakhine State;[86] and a conflict between the Shan,[87] Lahu, and Karen[88][89] minority groups, and the government in the eastern half of the country. In addition, al-Qaeda signalled an intention to become involved in Myanmar. In a video released on 3 September 2014, mainly addressed to India, the militant group's leader Ayman al-Zawahiri said al-Qaeda had not forgotten the Muslims of Myanmar and that the group was doing "what they can to rescue you".[90] In response, the military raised its level of alertness, while the Burmese Muslim Association issued a statement saying Muslims would not tolerate any threat to their motherland.[91]

 

Armed conflict between ethnic Chinese rebels and the Myanmar Armed Forces have resulted in the Kokang offensive in February 2015. The conflict had forced 40,000 to 50,000 civilians to flee their homes and seek shelter on the Chinese side of the border.[92] During the incident, the government of China was accused of giving military assistance to the ethnic Chinese rebels. Burmese officials have been historically "manipulated" and pressured by the Chinese government throughout Burmese modern history to create closer and binding ties with China, creating a Chinese satellite state in Southeast Asia.[93] However, uncertainties exist as clashes between Burmese troops and local insurgent groups continue.

Democratic reforms

Main article: 2011–12 Burmese political reforms

 

The goal of the Burmese constitutional referendum of 2008, held on 10 May 2008, is the creation of a "discipline-flourishing democracy". As part of the referendum process, the name of the country was changed from the "Union of Myanmar" to the "Republic of the Union of Myanmar", and general elections were held under the new constitution in 2010. Observer accounts of the 2010 election describe the event as mostly peaceful; however, allegations of polling station irregularities were raised, and the United Nations (UN) and a number of Western countries condemned the elections as fraudulent.[94]

U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with Aung San Suu Kyi and her staff at her home in Yangon, 2012

 

The military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party declared victory in the 2010 elections, stating that it had been favoured by 80 percent of the votes; however, the claim was disputed by numerous pro-democracy opposition groups who asserted that the military regime had engaged in rampant fraud.[95][96] One report documented 77 percent as the official turnout rate of the election.[95] The military junta was dissolved on 30 March 2011.

 

Opinions differ whether the transition to liberal democracy is underway. According to some reports, the military's presence continues as the label "disciplined democracy" suggests. This label asserts that the Burmese military is allowing certain civil liberties while clandestinely institutionalising itself further into Burmese politics. Such an assertion assumes that reforms only occurred when the military was able to safeguard its own interests through the transition—here, "transition" does not refer to a transition to a liberal democracy, but transition to a quasi-military rule.[97]

 

Since the 2010 election, the government has embarked on a series of reforms to direct the country towards liberal democracy, a mixed economy, and reconciliation, although doubts persist about the motives that underpin such reforms. The series of reforms includes the release of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest, the establishment of the National Human Rights Commission, the granting of general amnesties for more than 200 political prisoners, new labour laws that permit labour unions and strikes, a relaxation of press censorship, and the regulation of currency practices.[98]

 

The impact of the post-election reforms has been observed in numerous areas, including ASEAN's approval of Myanmar's bid for the position of ASEAN chair in 2014;[99] the visit by United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in December 2011 for the encouragement of further progress, which was the first visit by a Secretary of State in more than fifty years,[100] during which Clinton met with the Burmese president and former military commander Thein Sein, as well as opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi;[101] and the participation of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party in the 2012 by-elections, facilitated by the government's abolition of the laws that previously barred the NLD.[102] As of July 2013, about 100[103][104] political prisoners remain imprisoned, while conflict between the Burmese Army and local insurgent groups continues.

Map of Myanmar and its divisions, including Shan State, Kachin State, Rakhine State and Karen State.

 

In 1 April 2012 by-elections, the NLD won 43 of the 45 available seats; previously an illegal organisation, the NLD had not won a single seat under new constitution. The 2012 by-elections were also the first time that international representatives were allowed to monitor the voting process in Myanmar.[105]

2015 general elections

Main article: Myanmar general election, 2015

 

General elections were held on 8 November 2015. These were the first openly contested elections held in Myanmar since 1990. The results gave the National League for Democracy an absolute majority of seats in both chambers of the national parliament, enough to ensure that its candidate would become president, while NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi is constitutionally barred from the presidency.[106]

 

The new parliament convened on 1 February 2016[107] and, on 15 March 2016, Htin Kyaw was elected as the first non-military president since the military coup of 1962.[108] On 6 April 2016, Aung San Suu Kyi assumed the newly created role of State Counsellor, a role akin to a Prime Minister.

Geography

Main article: Geography of Myanmar

A map of Myanmar

Myanmar map of Köppen climate classification.

 

Myanmar has a total area of 678,500 square kilometres (262,000 sq mi). It lies between latitudes 9° and 29°N, and longitudes 92° and 102°E. As of February 2011, Myanmar consisted of 14 states and regions, 67 districts, 330 townships, 64 sub-townships, 377 towns, 2,914 Wards, 14,220 village tracts and 68,290 villages.

 

Myanmar is bordered in the northwest by the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh and the Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh states of India. Its north and northeast border is with the Tibet Autonomous Region and Yunnan province for a Sino-Myanmar border total of 2,185 km (1,358 mi). It is bounded by Laos and Thailand to the southeast. Myanmar has 1,930 km (1,200 mi) of contiguous coastline along the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea to the southwest and the south, which forms one quarter of its total perimeter.[20]

 

In the north, the Hengduan Mountains form the border with China. Hkakabo Razi, located in Kachin State, at an elevation of 5,881 metres (19,295 ft), is the highest point in Myanmar.[109] Many mountain ranges, such as the Rakhine Yoma, the Bago Yoma, the Shan Hills and the Tenasserim Hills exist within Myanmar, all of which run north-to-south from the Himalayas.[110]

 

The mountain chains divide Myanmar's three river systems, which are the Irrawaddy, Salween (Thanlwin), and the Sittaung rivers.[111] The Irrawaddy River, Myanmar's longest river, nearly 2,170 kilometres (1,348 mi) long, flows into the Gulf of Martaban. Fertile plains exist in the valleys between the mountain chains.[110] The majority of Myanmar's population lives in the Irrawaddy valley, which is situated between the Rakhine Yoma and the Shan Plateau.

Administrative divisions

Main article: Administrative divisions of Myanmar

A clickable map of Burma/Myanmar exhibiting its first-level administrative divisions.

About this image

 

Myanmar is divided into seven states (ပြည်နယ်) and seven regions (တိုင်းဒေသကြီး), formerly called divisions.[112] Regions are predominantly Bamar (that is, mainly inhabited by the dominant ethnic group). States, in essence, are regions that are home to particular ethnic minorities. The administrative divisions are further subdivided into districts, which are further subdivided into townships, wards, and villages.

 

Climate

Main article: Climate of Myanmar

The limestone landscape of Mon State.

 

Much of the country lies between the Tropic of Cancer and the Equator. It lies in the monsoon region of Asia, with its coastal regions receiving over 5,000 mm (196.9 in) of rain annually. Annual rainfall in the delta region is approximately 2,500 mm (98.4 in), while average annual rainfall in the Dry Zone in central Myanmar is less than 1,000 mm (39.4 in). The Northern regions of Myanmar are the coolest, with average temperatures of 21 °C (70 °F). Coastal and delta regions have an average maximum temperature of 32 °C (89.6 °F).[111]

Environment

Further information: Deforestation in Myanmar

 

Myanmar continues to perform badly in the global Environmental Performance Index (EPI) with an overall ranking of 153 out of 180 countries in 2016; among the worst in the South Asian region, only ahead of Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The EPI was established in 2001 by the World Economic Forum as a global gauge to measure how well individual countries perform in implementing the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. The environmental areas where Myanmar performs worst (ie. highest ranking) are air quality (174), health impacts of environmental issues (143) and biodiversity and habitat (142). Myanmar performs best (ie. lowest ranking) in environmental impacts of fisheries (21), but with declining fish stocks. Despite several issues, Myanmar also ranks 64 and scores very good (ie. a high percentage of 93.73%) in environmental effects of the agricultural industry because of an excellent management of the nitrogen cycle.[114][115]

Wildlife

 

Myanmar's slow economic growth has contributed to the preservation of much of its environment and ecosystems. Forests, including dense tropical growth and valuable teak in lower Myanmar, cover over 49% of the country, including areas of acacia, bamboo, ironwood and Magnolia champaca. Coconut and betel palm and rubber have been introduced. In the highlands of the north, oak, pine and various rhododendrons cover much of the land.[116]

 

Heavy logging since the new 1995 forestry law went into effect has seriously reduced forest acreage and wildlife habitat.[117] The lands along the coast support all varieties of tropical fruits and once had large areas of mangroves although much of the protective mangroves have disappeared. In much of central Myanmar (the Dry Zone), vegetation is sparse and stunted.

 

Typical jungle animals, particularly tigers, occur sparsely in Myanmar. In upper Myanmar, there are rhinoceros, wild water buffalo, clouded leopard, wild boars, deer, antelope, and elephants, which are also tamed or bred in captivity for use as work animals, particularly in the lumber industry. Smaller mammals are also numerous, ranging from gibbons and monkeys to flying foxes. The abundance of birds is notable with over 800 species, including parrots, myna, peafowl, red junglefowl, weaverbirds, crows, herons, and barn owl. Among reptile species there are crocodiles, geckos, cobras, Burmese pythons, and turtles. Hundreds of species of freshwater fish are wide-ranging, plentiful and are very important food sources.[118] For a list of protected areas, see List of protected areas of Myanmar.

Government and politics

Main article: Politics of Myanmar

Assembly of the Union (Pyidaungsu Hluttaw)

 

The constitution of Myanmar, its third since independence, was drafted by its military rulers and published in September 2008. The country is governed as a parliamentary system with a bicameral legislature (with an executive President accountable to the legislature), with 25% of the legislators appointed by the military and the rest elected in general elections.

… she knows how to.

A few image captured of the behaviour between kingfishers

Plus one man and his dog.

Photographed at my feeding station in an Inverness-shire wood.

 

If you'd like to book a session (guided or unguided) please visit www.karenmillerphotography.co.uk/Crested-Tit-Photography-... for info. (Nov-early March)

(P2013: 38,39,40,41,42,43/52)

Halloween 2013

 

It's been over month since my last photo. Way too much for me. Hope now, when I'm ok with situation, things will go better. Happy Halloween, Guys!

Don't know how to reduce your environmental footprint ?

Get ready to have a positive behaviour !

A real joy to finally meet the pair of pine marten kits whose antics have been entertaining me via my trail camera footage.