#so hundred of tourists and trainers would have been passing over them all the time and they were all none the wiser

[claitea]

drawing victini's room rn and realized it got a bed but n didnt. i hate this video game its a plague upon my life

[96thdayofrage]

Once a decrepit eyesore, today the refurbished bridge is a jewel of modern Chattanooga and a symbol of progress for a city that has undergone an urban renaissance. As part of a years-long effort to transform Chattanooga into an outdoor destination, the bridge is now a popular backdrop for marriage proposals, festivals and summer fireworks. Pictures of its bright blue beams appear on the city’s tourism websites and brochures. There’s a rock-climbing wall on one of the bridge’s pillars.

“It’s our Eiffel Tower,” said Mitch Patel, a businessman who owns a hotel at the southern entrance of the bridge.

But for many of Chattanooga’s Black residents, the city’s beloved pedestrian bridge isn’t an architectural beacon of the New South, but a painful reminder of the old: Before the Walnut Street Bridge became a tourist draw, it was a lynching ground. In 1893 and again in 1906, enraged White mobs hanged Black men from the bridge.

“A lot of those people don’t know what happened on that bridge. In the White community, it wasn’t spoke out in the open so much” said Eric Atkins, a local activist who has worked to raise awareness of the killings and memorialize the victims. “In the Black community, you never forget one of these atrocities. You never forget a lynching.”

Even as the bridge became a central gathering place of the city, some Black Chattanoogans who know its history have refused to cross it.

Donivan Brown, a speaker, organizer and equity trainer, stands near the entrance to the Walnut Street Bridge, where Ed Johnson, a Black man wrongfully accused of raping a White woman, was lynched in 1906. (William DeShazer for The Washington Post)

“I really don’t feel comfortable walking the bridge,” said Donivan Brown, the chairman of a group spearheading the memorial effort. “I felt as if by walking across the bridge that it was some sort of affirmation of silence or the fact that it’s a playground now.”

Now, more than a century later, Chattanooga is taking a major step to acknowledge its dark racial history. This spring, it will unveil a monument at the southern entrance of the bridge to honor Black victims of white supremacy and recognize those who risked their lives to defend them.

At a time when Americans are reconsidering what is worthy of public memorialization — and removing statues across the country that commemorate those who fought to uphold systems of oppression against Black people — Chattanooga is aiming to identify new heroes to venerate.

The memorial, designed by artist Jerome Meadows, will mark the location where Ed Johnson, a Black man wrongfully accused of raping a White woman, was killed in 1906. Johnson had been convicted in a county court and sentenced to death. The lynching occurred after the U.S. Supreme Court ordered a stay of execution. Johnson’s tragic end led to the first and only criminal trial in the Supreme Court’s history and affirmed its power to intervene in state and local affairs. In 2000, a Hamilton County judge formally cleared Johnson of wrongdoing.

The memorial features life-size statues of Johnson and two attorneys, Styles Hutchins and Noah Parden, Black men who appealed his case to the Supreme Court after White lawyers refused. Three other Hamilton County lynching victims, Charles Brown, Alfred Blount and Charles Williams, also will be memorialized. When completed, the memorial will be a part of a new plaza that city planners hope will become a space for public gatherings.

The memorial’s completion comes after years of effort from an interracial committee of volunteers called the Ed Johnson Project. Advocates for the memorial said they see it as an opportunity for people to not only consider the past but also pause to think about race relations in the United States today.

Lynching was a common practice in the American South in the decades after the Civil War. From 1877 to 1950, more than 4,000 Black people were lynched, according to a historical count by the Equal Justice Initiative.

Those who carried out the lynchings were almost never convicted of a crime. Congress did not pass a law designating lynching as a federal hate crime until 2020.

America’s first post-WWII race riot led to Thurgood Marshall’s near-lynching

Although lynching claimed the lives of thousands of Black people, memorials remembering the victims of its terror are rare. One of the most prominent markers is in Duluth, Minn., where a mob of 10,000 people killed three Black entertainers who were accused of rape in 1920. The National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Ala., houses more than 800 markers to symbolize thousands of lynching victims. The markers are individualized and mobile, with the hope that local communities with histories of lynching will erect them where lynchings took place.

An article about the lynching of Ed Johnson in the April 7, 1906, edition of the Topeka Daily Herald. (Topeka Daily Herald)

The memory of Johnson’s case faded over the years, particularly among White residents, until the 1999 publication of the book “Contempt of Court: The Turn-of-the-Century Lynching That Launched a Hundred Years of Federalism,” by Mark Curriden and Leroy Phillips Jr. The book told of the night of Jan. 23, 1906, when a 21-year-old White woman named Nevada Taylor was returning home from work and a man attacked and raped her in the dark.

Based on a dubious tip, Johnson was arrested and accused of raping Taylor, a crime punishable by death.

Judge Samuel Davis McReynolds oversaw a rushed trial that legal historians say was riddled with problems. Johnson maintained his innocence, noting that at the time of the attack he was at work in a saloon. More than a dozen witnesses, White and Black, confirmed his alibi. When asked to identify her attacker, Taylor testified that she could not swear it was Johnson.

Despite the lack of evidence, Johnson was convicted and sentenced to death. He would have been left to die, had it not been for Parden and Hutchins, who took up his cause after most of his White lawyers abandoned him.

On March 17, Parden appealed Johnson’s case before the Supreme Court. Justice John Marshall Harlan agreed to delay Johnson’s execution. The decision outraged White residents back in Chattanooga.

Ed Johnson’s grave at Pleasant Garden Cemetery, a Black cemetery that is now being maintained by volunteers after it closed in 1970. (William DeShazer for The Washington Post)

The night Johnson was lynched, Sheriff Joseph F. Shipp ordered all but one guard at the county jail to take the night off. When a mob gathered outside demanding Johnson, Shipp made no effort to stop them as they rammed through the doors of the jail and hauled Johnson outside.

The mob dragged Johnson six blocks north to the Walnut Street Bridge and demanded he confess.

“I am ready to die. But I never done it,” Johnson said, before uttering his final words. “God bless you all. I am a innocent man.”

They tied a noose around his neck and hoisted him up from the bridge’s second rung. While Johnson struggled in the air, people in the crowd shot him, but the rope broke before he died. While his body lay on the ground, a man shot him five times in the head. A sheriff’s deputy cut off Johnson’s fingers with a knife as a souvenir.

Before the crowd dispersed, someone pinned a note on his chest: “To Justice Harlan: Come get your n----- now.”

No local arrests were made.

The murder sent shock waves through Washington. President Theodore Roosevelt called for retribution. The Supreme Court charged Shipp with contempt of court and hauled him and those who could be identified from the lynch mob to Washington to undergo the first and only criminal trial in the history of the court. They were found guilty, but served only a few months in prison. Upon returning to Chattanooga, they were celebrated as heroes. Parden and Hutchins, meanwhile, fled the city.

As time passed, Johnson’s story faded from memory.

[caffeineivore]

More Tour Guide Fic!

Title: Yuan Fen

Ship: R/J AU

Notes: Yuan Fen: Fateful coincidence; destiny which brings two people’s lives together at some point, often through astronomical odds. “It takes hundreds of rebirths to bring two persons to ride in the same boat; it takes a thousand eons to bring two persons to share the same pillow.” A concept related to karma in Chinese Buddism.

This snippet is still dedicated to all my R/J peeps, hope you’re enjoying so far!

The tour bus isn’t as big as Rachel might expect, and after she stows her luggage in the cargo hold area, she embarks to find that most of its seats are already occupied, leaving the labeled “tour guide” seat in the front row vacant as well as the second row. The rest of the travelers seem to be families or married couples, and she feels rather out of place as she takes her seat. 

John Simmons enters the bus after her, and gives all and sundry a bright smile even as he picks up a microphone and quickly runs down the list of everyone’s names and an introduction to himself.  He is twenty-nine, born in Chicago, though he’d lived in China from childhood up until he’d graduated high school. He went back to the United States to acquire a Communications degree from Northwestern, but returned to China afterwards. It’s an odd sort of narrative to Rachel, whose tidy, orderly life has been on a well-formulated plan since her elementary school days (exclusive private schools, undergrad and law school at Columbia, a future spot at Harris and Bowen, the prestigious law firm where her father was a partner). But the tour guide does not focus overmuch on his own story, instead giving a brief overview of the area that their bus is heading towards.

“The province of Yunnan is known for its beautiful weather-- spring-like conditions year-round, but there are a few things to bear in mind, everyone. Spring includes April showers, right? Especially in the mountains, it can occasionally be rainy, and chilly. Everyone should make sure to wear a few layers, and bring a raincoat or umbrella just in case. I have a few spare windproof jackets here on the bus in case anyone wants to borrow one-- they’re not exactly the most fashionable, but they’ll do the trick. It’s one of three things I will be giving to anyone who asks, for the duration of their stay.”

“And what are the other two?” One of the other tourists in the back of the bus asks.

“Getting to that, my friend.” The bus makes its way up a very narrow and bumpy mountain road, and somehow despite that, John Simmons picks up a large bag and makes his way nimbly up the aisle of the bus. “The elevation of Shangri-La is quite high-- about 3.6 km or 12000 feet above sea level. Some people may experience altitude sickness, the symptoms of which may include breathlessness, headaches, nausea and the like. Therefore, I have medical-grade oxygen canisters for everyone onboard. If you feel any type of discomfort, breathing it in will help offset the symptoms.” Even as the bus swerves around a corner and he should by all means be falling forward or at least stumbling, he stays steady on his feet as he hands Rachel hers first. It’s big and bulky and looks like nothing so much as a Costco-sized can of Febreze. She rolls her eyes and he grins and says nothing. 

The oxygen canisters are passed out, along with bottles of water, because, apparently, dehydration exacerbates altitude sickness symptoms. He goes on to remind everyone to remember to eat three meals a day-- most importantly breakfast, before doing any type of strenuous activity. 

The bus finally makes its initial stop in a scenic canyon area, and Rachel exits the bus alongside the others as they follow John through the main entrance. The rush of water can be heard, and the path that John points out looks to be a series of steps, going down and then up. A few of the older tourists immediately book the services of locals pulling sedan chairs, and it elicits another eye-roll from Rachel. 

Certainly it can’t be worse than climbing up and down the Statue of Liberty.

Or working in an office on the fiftieth floor. 

She starts down the trail, and it’s stunning-- jutting gray rock and deep green moss and trees and a rushing river at the bottom, and she’s sure she’s being a stereotypical tourist, snapping all sort of pictures. 

The trip back up the trail, on the other hand...

Rachel has always considered herself to be physically fit-- certainly, she was too disciplined not to keep herself in shape via a thrice-weekly routine at the gym with a personal trainer. But not even halfway back up the trail, and she’s panting for breath. Certainly the scenery remains beautiful, but she is now in no humour to take any more pictures for posterity. 

And if the day could not get any more ironic, at that very moment, the lurid pink Chinese iPhone rings.

Rachel considers ignoring it at first even as she takes a seat on a nearby rock and puts her head between her knees, but when the ringing does not cease, she manages to dig it out. 

“Yeah?”

“It’s almost time for everyone to get back to the bus,” John Simmons’ voice is smooth and pleasant as usual-- which of course grates on her very last nerve. “Most people are back at the parking lot now. Where are you?”

“Dying somewhere,” Rachel growls, swiping a sweaty lock of black hair out of her face. “I have no idea. The last sign I saw was on a trash can somewhere, showing one side for trash, the other for recyclables.”

“Do you have your oxygen?” 

“No,” Rachel bristles. “I interned all three years of law school on the fiftieth floor. That’s not the problem. I’m sure it’s not.”

“Ah.” A pause, and then he seems to sigh. “So, you aren’t sure where you are on the trail? Okay. Here’s what I need you to do. Take a picture of what’s in front of you, and send it to me right now. Can you do that?”

“Yeah, sure. Fine. It’s rocks. And trees and moss.”

A low, velvety laugh. “I’m very familiar with the rocks and trees and moss. I’ll come find you.”

He hangs up before Rachel can respond, and she would think about the fact that he seems enjoy getting the last word on her were it not for the fact that her head is starting to ache, so she turns on the camera app of the iPhone and snaps the most grimacing, ironic, exaggerated duck-faced selfie she can manage, and messages it to him.

She is not quite sure of how much time has passed, but after a short while, she hears brisk footsteps coming behind her, and turns her head to see John Simmons, who holds out her forgotten oxygen canister without preamble. He sets it up with dexterous fingers, and hands it to her, and too miserable to resist, she breathes it in.

Instant relief. A few whiffs later, the headache has faded, and she looks up to see him smiling down at her. 

“There we go. Now, get up slowly.” He holds out a hand, and she gingerly lays her own in it and lets him pull her up. She tries not to blush at the fact that he has to shorten his pace slightly to match her own, or that he keeps a grip on her hand as he takes her up the rest of the way. Certainly, she’s too old to be led around like a child crossing the street!

“I never did get the chance to ask, what brings you to this part of China? Most people start with Beijing or Shanghai or Hong Kong.” Maybe his strategy is to distract her as they go up all those steps, but whatever it is, it’s working. 

“My maternal grandfather was Chinese,” Rachel answers, acutely aware that he’s still holding her hand even though he doesn’t seem to make any sort of fuss over it. “He passed away last year, around Christmas. He’d moved to the United States as a young man, married an American woman, and never went back aside from visits once in a while.” The remembrance of her grandfather, with his gentle smile and seemingly-endless patience, almost chokes her. To hide her grief, she takes another deep whiff of oxygen. “He practically raised me, back when I was a little girl, after my mother died. And he’d always wanted to see Yunnan, especially Shangri-La. So when he was on his deathbed, he told me to come here-- that I’d find myself here, or at least, if I didn’t, I’d be able to see it because he never got around to it. God. I’m dumping on you, aren’t I? I’ll stop right now.” Her next whiff of oxygen isn’t completely steady, and it’s only belatedly that she realizes that he’s let go of her hand and instead has his palm steady on the middle of her back. Rachel stiffens, unwilling to contemplate the idea that she’d ever be That Girl who unloaded all types of angst on random strangers and turned into a weepy mess at the drop of a hat. The very idea was insupportable, and certainly John, pretty eyes notwithstanding, has no right and no obligation to deal with her personal problems. 

And maybe if he did any of the patronizing guy things that she might have expected, such as attempt to deliver any platitudes or make a big deal of the fact that he was there to listen, no problem, she would have hated him for it. But instead, he guides her up the last few steps which lead back to the parking lot, and clears his throat. “I have to ask, Miss Harris,” he says with an admirable measure of sobriety, “Are you afraid of perfectly harmless and tame but rather large domestic animals?”

At that odd question, Rachel’s head jerks up, and then she follows his gaze to a black-furred, very plump pig apparently sunning itself in the parking lot with the nonchalance of a seagull on Coney Island. The pig snorts, then lumbers up to both of them, and then snuffles hard enough at Rachel’s handbag that she’s brought off-balance and all but tumbles into John’s arms. 

Now he grins, even as he steadies her. “Do you have any food in there? It smells something it likes.”

“I... er. Some trail mix. One of my friends in New York is sort of the outdoorsy type, and always suggests bringing along something to eat, just in case.” 

“In case of marauding parking lot pigs looking to freeload, probably,” John says gravely, and Rachel lets out a single giggle before she stifles it. He shakes his head wryly at the hopeful-looking pig. “You don’t have to feed him. He’s from one of the farms in the area, and just smart and greedy-- knows that this is a good spot to beg for handouts from soft-hearted tourists who pass through here with their snacks and food scraps.” But Rachel digs the trail mix out of her purse before the pig can crash her into John again and shakes a handful of it onto the ground. The pig happily digs in with a snort, and both of them make their way towards the bus.

He stops her with a gentle hand on her wrist about a foot away from the bus’ door, and she turns back, and though he’s wearing the generic bland smile on his face, there is a bone-deep sympathy in his eyes as they stare down into hers. “Do you feel a bit better, Miss Harris? I know... I know it takes a bit to get accustomed to everything here.” Despite his implications, Rachel knows that he is not only referring to the high altitudes or the climate of the place.

Rachel swallows, then lifts her chin. “Yeah,” she says at last. “And... you can call me Rachel.”

[armaitus]

TL:DR – This post contains some of the history behind Niantic’s POI (point of interest) submissions and an overview of how submissions work in Ingress and Pokémon GO.

For over a week now, level 40 Pokémon GO players have been able to submit new POI to Niantic, in the hope that their submissions will become Pokéstops or Gyms in what is arguable Niantic’s most popular AR enabled GPS based game.

I’ve played Niantic’s original GPS capture-the-flag-esque game, Ingress, since December 2013 and my first submission to their POI database was made very early in 2014.

As you can see, it was rejected as a duplicate of an existing submission.

Since then I have made hundreds of submissions, some of which were rejected and some of which made their way through to Niantic’s games. To date I’m responsible for 297 Ingress portals and a single accepted submission via Pokémon GO!

The history of Niantic’s POI submissions has been rocky.  Back in the halcyon days of early Ingress, there was no limit or level cap on making submissions. Any and all players weer welcome to suggest new portal locations to Niantic.  This led to a massive backlog of submissions to review.  IT could take several months for a portal to be accepted or rejected.

Niantic made the decision to remove the feature from Ingress.

Over a period of several months, the team at Niantic slowly worked through the backlog before announcing a new programme “Operation Portal Recon” (also known as OPR).  This came around the same time that portal submissions were made available to higher level Ingress players, albeit capped at limit of 14 submissions every 13 days.

OPR allowed Ingress players to review portal submissions, voting on whether a portal candidate should or should not be brought into the game.  Players had to be a certain level and to pass a test before being granted access.  OPR has since been replaced by a programme called Niantic Wayfarer, I intend to write more on this over the weekend.

Over the year or so that submissions have been available again, I found myself called upon, by players amongst the Pokémon GO community, to submit various POI in the hope that they become Pokéstops or Gyms.

As I’ve written about previously, I play all 3 of Niantic’s GPS based games: Ingress, Pokémon GO and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite.  So, I didn’t mind going out of my way to enhance the games for other players – I was effectively enhancing the games for myself anyway.

That being said, with a limit of 14 submissions every 13 days, the local backlog had grown quite large, with over 100 suggestions from players across the local community.

Other Ingress players had stepped in also, using their submissions to help other players gain POI in areas close to their daily routines.  When Niantic announced that submissions would be coming to Pokémon GO, we were over the moon.

I created a Facebook group to try co-ordinate local submissions, prevent duplication of effort and to help educate people as to what makes a good “wayspot” (as Niantic now refer to their POI).  As I’ve already mentioned, I intend to write more on Niantic’s Wayfarer programme, later.  The purpose of this post is to discuss the submission of wayspots through Pokémon GO.

What makes a good Wayspot?

In Niantic’s own words:

High-quality nominations are those that help users discover and enjoy their community, such as:

A location with a cool story, a place in history or educational value.

Interesting story behind the location/object

Signboards with educational information

Historical significance (apart from just being old)

A cool piece of art or unique architecture

Statues, paintings, mosaics, light installations, etc.

Venues that showcase fine art (e.g., performance art theaters and museums)

Buildings designed by renowned architects/structures famous specifically for their architecture

A hidden gem or hyper-local spot

A popular local spot that you would take a friend visiting your community for the first time

A popular spot where locals gather, but may be lesser-known outside the community

Tourist spots that showcase local flavor and culture and that make your city/neighbourhood unique

More off-the-beaten-path tourist attractions (i.e., if you weren’t a local, you wouldn’t necessarily know to go here)

Adventurous tourist attractions – think lookout towers, observatories, signs or markers atop mountain peaks, etc.

In addition to using the above acceptance criteria, we often add nominations that are a special nod to industries and networks that connect people around the world. These include:

Public parks

Public parks are great, high-quality places for Wayspots: they are common all around the world and encourage players to walk, exercise and enjoy public spaces

Public libraries

A nod to education and discovery, a cornerstone of Niantic

Includes little free libraries, provided they are not on private residential property; does not include mobile libraries

Public places of worship

A nod to the spiritual

Transit stations

A nod to the transportation industry, which also connects and unites people around the world

Accept transportation hubs (like Grand Central Station), but not every single small transit stop (like a subway station or a bus stop)

I feel bad for lifting that from Niantic’s own description but I genuinely couldn’t put it any better.

How to submit in Pokémon GO

Last weekend I placed my first wayspot submission through Pokémon GO.  The process is all but identical to submitting via Ingress, except Pokémon trainers only have 7 submissions every fortnight, as opposed to Ingress’s 14.

Yes, that does mean I get 21 per fortnight as a player of both games.

From the settings menu, I selected to submit a new Pokéstop.

The next few screens walked me through the basics of the process.

Step 1: Choose a location.

I was walking into Huddersfield on my usual weekend route and spotted a King George V era postbox that was ripe for submitting.  These never used to be acceptable POI for Niantic but apparently the older postboxes are classed as “historic” and so are fair game.

This particular box is really close to an existing Gym, so is unlikely to come through to Pokémon GO (it has since been accepted as a wayspot).

Step 2: Take a photo

Actually, you’ll need to take two photographs:

The first is the photo that will be displayed on the portal/pokestop/gym/inn/greenhouse/fortress.

The second is used to provide evidence that your submission is safe to access and won’t put players at risk of being run over or assaulted by villains.

I didn’t take a screenshot of my supporting photograph, it was basically a shot of the clear pavement and pillar box.  Some people like to use the Google street view app to take a 360 photograph to upload here.

Step 3: Give it a name

The next step is to give your wayspot a name and description.  This is what will appear when players click on this POI.

You are also asked to confirm the location at this point.

I called this one “George Rex Pillarbox”.  The important thing is to make sure your name is unique.  I’ve seen (and submitted) comedy names in the past but always related to the POI itself; comedy names can get a submission rejected.

Step 4: Justified

The 4th and final step is to add justification of why this is a great POI to include in Niantic’s games.  Here is where you can explain more about what is special about this submission or how it is safe to play near.

Many new users seem to be using this section to state “We need more Gyms” or “Meets criteria” with little thought put to the intended use of this step.

Here you can see that I have put a great deal of effort into my own submission.  Paying little or no attention to spelling or content.

I could have mentioned how George V emblazoned pillarboxes are valid under Niantic’s “historic importance” criteria.  I could draw attention to the pillarboxes GR cypher.

Instead, I wanted to carry on walking… Community days don’t play themselves you know.

Once your submission has gone through, you should receive an email, like this:

If you have a Niantic Wayfarer account, you’ll also see your submission in there.  It can take a week or more for a response and if successful there is no guarantee that your wayspot will appear in Pokémon GO.

Unlike Ingress and Wizards Unite, Pokémon GO limits the number of POI that can appear within a specific S2 cell.  If you ever want to see what’s in an area as base POI, check out Ingress Intel.

S2 Cell? Whatchootalkinabout?

Here’s where things get pretty funky in Pokémon GO.

S2 cells are a mathematical mechanism used in cartography to help computers translate the 3D shape of Earth’s “sphere” into a 2-dimensional map.

Pokémon GO sees the world overlaid with S2 cells sized at L14 and L17.  If you click here you can see sunny Huddersfield as it appears with the relevant S2 cells overlaid.

Pogomaps is a community-fed tool used to track POI in an area.  There are other tools out there that you can use but some of them are technically against Niantic’s terms of use within their games.

Each L14 cell is made up of 64 L17 cells.  Pokémon GO will only allow a single POI to appear within a single L17 cell.  If a cell contains more than one wayspot, only one of them will appear in Pokémon GO.

This can be frustrating but there is no way round this, it’s just how Pokémon GO choose to handle the POI available to the game.  It can take a day or so for a wayspot to pull through to Pokémon GO.  I’ve been told that new Pokéstops pull through at 18:45 Tuesday to Friday with an update of POI across all games around 18:45 on a Monday.  No new submissions pull through over a weekend.  Any new POI accepted before 08:45 that day should pull through.

There are other mechanics at play when it comes to gyms.  When you hit certain quantities of Pokéstops within an L14 cell, a Pokéstop will become a gym.  This is usually the oldest Pokéstop but can be influenced by up-voting photographs on portals in Ingress.

If there are 2 POI within an L14 cell, one of them will become a gym; once there are 6 POI, another gym triggers with a 3rd and final gym being triggered at 20 POI.  I’ve read conflicting views on a 4th gym, with some sites reporting that 35+ POI will trigger another gym.  I have not seen that in my experience however.

All in all, this is an exciting time for Niantic’s player base. Hopefully we’ll see an increase in POI in out of the way places, making it easier to play all 3 of Niantic’s games.

Pokéstop Go TL:DR - This post contains some of the history behind Niantic's POI (point of interest) submissions and an overview of how submissions work in Ingress and Pokémon GO.

[carterthornton]

The Third Wave | Chapter Eight: Welcome to Beacon Hill Academy

       "Aiko...? Aiko?" Náanaa roused Aiko from her daydream.

       "Huh?" Aiko grunted from the backseat of the car; she had been stewing on the events of the previous day regarding that mysterious man.

       Aiko kept the incident to herself, as she wished to pass over the information to Bhang. Aiko knew her grandparents would've consulted the regular police to solve the problem; they didn't trust the IMOP as much as she did. Aiko was fully aware of the threat that such a Mark-user like Azaire posed, and she was still pondering on the thought of him being a user with more than one Mark. Such a theory didn't seem to hold much weight without any more evidence to back it up, but Aiko couldn't help to wonder how a man of Azaire's figure could generate such raw physical power. Furthermore, Azaire, from what Aiko had seen, was a wildcard. His methods and intentions remained unclear, and that made him even more of a threat. If there was anyone Aiko could trust, it had to be Bhang, given the respect he had for her mother.

       "We're here, Koko," Opa whistled as he pulled into the parking lot of the imposing building ahead. "I haven't been here in ages... I forgot just how large it was."

       Beacon Hill Academy sat at the edge of Beacon Hill Park, right on Finlayson Point, a former tourist attraction previously used for photography and sightseeing. The parking lot was massive, and it stretched for hundreds of feet until it reached Dallas Road. Willow and arbutus trees occupied edges of the boulevard that separated the lot from the garden surrounding the academy, and tons of cars and buses were flocking in for the new semester of training.

       The building itself was space age chrome, gleaming under a bright morning sun and decorated with blue banners boasting the emblem of The United Nations. While mostly metal, the building was quite open and abstract in its design— created to feel more like an embassy than a place of learning. And perhaps that grounded the building aesthetically, lessening the impact of its sheer size and grandeur on a new student. Regardless, Aiko couldn't help but feel looked down upon by the towering precipice before her as she simply stood on the sidewalk beside Yuko, gazing up at the marvellous structure. Although it was not nearly as tall as some of the other buildings in Victoria, it was definitely the most well kept, with maintenance workers on the grounds around the clock, picking up trash and raking leaves.

        "I'm sad I didn't get a chance to build this. This certainly would've been an endeavour." Opa complimented the building as he got out of the vehicle, letting it settle onto the ground as the anti-gravity stabilizers petered out. "Maybe sneak a few pictures for your dad, huh Koko?" He placed his hand on Aiko's shoulder. "I think he would've wanted to be here with you."

       "Yeah, I'm sure." Aiko smiled, beginning her trek down the long, wide sidewalk towards the academy, prompting her grandparents to follow; she didn't realize just how fast she was moving.

       "Slow down, Koko! I'm old!" Náanaa chuckled as she moved her short legs vigorously.

       "Oh, sorry..." Aiko grinned as she slowed her pace, letting her grandparents catch up. "Guess I let my excitement get the better of me."

       "Ah, so you are excited? You didn't really show it too well during the drive here..." Opa said as he walked beside Yuko.

       "Yeah, I suppose I was just suppressing it is all," Aiko nodded, crossing the boulevard onto the main pathway; the academy was now only fifty metres or so away, and the road became crowded quickly with students. "It's kinda bubbled up now that we're actually here."

       "There's so many people..." Yuko squeaked as she crossed her arms.

       "It'll be alright, Yuko," Aiko reassured her, though she didn't seem too at ease.

       Students seemed to outnumber the academy staff ten to one, and the crowd of people began to sort itself out as secretaries began to process each one of them. Aiko was a little dazed for a moment with all the people nearby; it had felt like ages the last time she was in an area with so many people her age. They all were mingling, reminiscing about the previous semester; truth be told, Aiko felt like a fish out of water. She tapped her finger against her chest as she moved through the line with Yuko and her grandparents, becoming impatient with the absence of activity.

       "Hey there, Junior," Bhang had shuffled over to her from a nearby tree he had been leaning on. "So you made it, huh?"

       "Oh, sorry... I didn't see you there," Aiko scratched the back of her head after taking a long pause. "Yeah, I made it. I'm not one for being too late."

       "Geez, you sound just like her..." Bhang mumbled, shaking his head a few times to get his thoughts back on track. He turned to Aiko's grandparents putting out his hand for a shake. "Hello, I'm Officer Johnny Lin Bhang. I'll be a part-time trainer here at the academy."

       "Nice to finally meet you, Officer Bhang. Roger had told us a lot about you when Yumi went here." Náanaa gave him a warm smile as she returned his handshake.

       "He wasn't lying about your sense of style either..." Opa muttered under his breath as he stared at the various buttons on Bhang's coat, to which Náanaa gave him a nudge with her elbow.

       "Yeah, me and Yumi go way back..." Bhang nodded, turning back to Aiko. "But this isn't about her. So, Aiko... you ready?"

       "As I'll ever be," Aiko answered with a half-confident smile. "By the way, what are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be inside with the teachers?"

       "Well, like I said, I'm not really a teacher. I'm just a trainer who pops in and out during Combat Classes. I'm not a part of the big game plan they've got cookin' in there. So I'm just hangin' out here to greet some familiar faces." As Aiko moved ahead, Bhang pointed over to one of the registration tables. "You should be in their logs, so don't worry about any hassle over there."

       "What did Aiko miss in the first semester?" Opa wondered.

       "Nothing special, really," Bhang replied, adjusting his bowler hat. "She just skipped an introductory semester— introducing marcusology, safety regulations, most stuff she can easily brush up on outside of school."

       "Safety regulations? You make it sound unimportant," Náanaa began to squirm nervously. "Are you sure she'll be okay in this semester?"

       "Positive. Like I said to Roger, she's already a natural, like her mother," Bhang said, twiddling a toothpick around in his mouth."She'll enjoy it here, trust me."

       "Well, I appreciate this anyways, Officer Bhang. Aiko couldn't have made it this far without you," Opa thanked him.

       "Roger and Yumi were good to me, and now I think it's time to return the favour," Bhang stated with a gleaming confidence to his tone.

       There was so much Aiko's mother had kept from her during her time in the IMOP. She refused to speak of her colleagues, her friends, the details of her job; she kept it all from Aiko. Was it to protect her? Aiko had no clue. What mattered now was getting to the top of the academy, becoming a police officer, and living up to her mother's legacy. And Bhang already realized her aspirations from the moment he met her in the alleyway. Though, Aiko wasn't sure what to think of Bhang; he seemed so reserved and lax, it was hard to read what he was thinking. Aiko took the opportunity to get Bhang alone with her, and turned to her grandparents.

       "I think I can handle it on my own from here, guys." Aiko insisted.

       "Are you sure, Koko?" Opa asked.

       "Yeah, I think so. I need to do this kinda stuff on my own more often anyways." Aiko answered, quelling their worries. "I'll be alright. I'm eighteen after all. I can find my way."

       "Okay, Koko. Be back before six for supper, alright? Text us if anything comes up." Náanaa gave Aiko a warm hug, as did Opa. "Good luck, Coconut. We're proud of you."

       "Thanks, grandma," Aiko patted them both on the back as she returned the hug. "I'll see you later." And with a final wave, they melded into the crowd behind her.

       "They're good folks. You're lucky to have grandparents like them." Bhang said, grabbing the toothpick between his teeth.

       "I know..." Aiko sighed, trying to remain calm.

       "Um... I don't know if I like it here..." Yuko shivered at the glaring eyes of those around her.

       "Oh, c'mon, Yuko. You're fine. These people just aren't used to seeing someone like you around. You're pretty damn tall." Aiko eased Yuko's nerves.

       "When could she speak full sentences?" Bhang inquired, caught off guard by Yuko's timid voice.

       "Yesterday. I think she's going through the shy phase of her life right now," Aiko hypothesized, patting Yuko on the back. "Not sure how long it'll last."

       "Man, Dr. Baxter would love to see Yuko. She's pretty unique," Bhang said as he gave Yuko a glance.

       "Who's he?" Aiko asked.

       "The teacher who runs Marcusology Class here at the academy. The guy's twenty-five and he's got a PHD in fuckin' everything. The staff around here call him 'Einstein'." Bhang grinned, clearly being drawn back to an old memory at the mention of Dr. Baxter's nickname. "He's a little cranky, but he'll grown on ya."

       "Who else is teaching me this semester?" Aiko wondered, leaning up against Yuko, who stood firmly like a tree.

       "Well, there's Ms. Fawkes, she's the nurse. She hasn't got a class of her own, but she'll pop in and out of a few other's classes. She's got a thick Irish accent— ya can't mistake her in a crowd, since she's often the loudest. Then there's Ms. Steele, she's the toughest gal I know— could knock the daylights out of me in a fight; she'll be running Combat and Firearms Training. There's also Ms. Wendell, who's runs Fitness, she's a doll. A big chunk of the staff runs the last class of the day, Mark Development Class. That's where you learn how to improve upon your Mark abilities." Bhang continued, scratching his goatee. "I think you'll enjoy that class. Plus, there's also a ton of afterschool clubs you can join— those go from three-thirty to nine."

       "Geez, sounds like a boarding school," Aiko said as she digested the information, drawing nearer to the registration table.

       "Yeah, pretty much a boarding school for magic police officers," Bhang snorted. "Listen, Junior, I gotta jet. Orientation will be a few minutes from now, see ya there," Bhang informed her as he walked off the sidewalk and across the freshly cut grass. "I think you'll be hyped up when you find out who our guest of honour is!"

       "Um, yeah, see ya!" Aiko waved, taking in a deep breath as the line moved forward once again. "Hey, Bhang wait-, oof!" Aiko was cut off by a girl who passed by, ignoring the line. In a huff, Aiko grabbed the girl by the shoulder. "Hey, what the hell?! What gives?"

       The girl was a few inches taller than Aiko; slender, with a supermodel strut in her step. Her pale face was without any flaw, and her long scarlet hair was as straight as a board, with bangs that stopped just above her thin eyebrows. And the girl's full, pink lips formed a half-scowl, almost as if she were growling under her breath; her sea green eyes looked straight through Aiko, piercing her like a knife. She wore a navy blue, open, double-breasted frock coat cut at the waist with a white ruffled blouse underneath. Below her waist she wore black capri pants coupled with a pair of plain blue flats; her whole getup emitted a commanding aura, a dominating presence. Her eyes would glaze over Aiko, judging her with their every movement.

       "Hmph!" The girl scoffed, keeping a stiff upper lip as she walked past Aiko, giving her one last stink eye before cutting all the way to the registration table and handing the lady at the desk a card.

       "They're all just gonna let her pass?" Aiko muttered to Yuko, who tried her best to stray away from the tense situation.

       "Maybe we should leave her be. She didn't seem very friendly..." Yuko quivered.

       "You're lucky you caught her on a good day. She's the Victoria IMOP Chief's daughter, Maeve MacDonnell." A student behind Aiko chimed in.

       "Good day? Chief's daughter?!" Aiko's eyes went wide as she turned her head. "You gotta be kidding me."

       "Nope. On the spectrum of flavour I'd say she's ninety-nine percent bitter, one hundred percent of the time," The man behind her remarked.

       The man behind Aiko was only about an inch taller and perhaps only a year older. He had wavy green hair with a tuft of fur on his chin, and his eyes were hazel. The young man was smartly dressed, and he sported a red dress shirt with a black vest that had been done up all the way. He also wore sleek, black dress pants and dress shoes. He didn't fail when it came to boasting his wealth.

       "Name's Carlo, Carlo Catelli," The young man greeted himself as he put out a hand, which Aiko shook politely. "What's your name?"

       "Aiko Schmitt. Although, most people call me Koko," Aiko replied, stepping to the side to let Carlo see her giant friend. "And this is Yuko."

       "Huh, what a weird combination of names. I take it you're half Japanese and half German?" Carlo made the obvious guess. "But you're skin is fairly dark, so where are your-... bah, I'm at a loss."

       "Well, you're right about my main ethnicities, but I'm also partly Haida First Nations," Aiko added, tapping on Yuko's solid black stomach. "This girl originates from some pavement I touched yesterday."

       "Exotic..." Carlo chuckled, startling Yuko. "So this what your Mark can do? She's a little jumpy."

       "Yeah, she's still 'growing', I guess," Aiko shrugged her shoulders. "As far as I know this is the extent of my abilities. I just got my Mark a few days ago."

       "Just a few days ago, huh? Well, you're leaps and bounds ahead of me when I got my Mark. I'm a Second Waver." Carlo said as he continued to examine Yuko with his eyes. "I didn't see you here last semester... what's a Third Waver doing here with such a fresh Mark?"

       "Well, it's a weird story, but... I got lucky— to put it simply," Aiko let out an embarrassed laugh, realizing the absurdity of her situation.

       "Nice to meet you two. Oh!" Carlo tapped Aiko on the shoulder suddenly and pointed past her. "You're up."

       "Ah, damn. Thanks," Aiko said as she turned, filling out a registration form from the lady at the table. "Okay... there we go..." As Aiko finished, she folded the form neatly on impulse. "Oh, crap." She then unfolded it, trying her best to get rid of the crease in the paper before handing it back. "Here you go..." The lady at the table shook her head and sighed as she took the form, motioning to Aiko to gather on the grass with the others.

       "Um, see ya!" Carlo waved as Aiko walked off.

       "Yeah, see you!" Aiko shouted back to him as she stepped past a willow tree, almost bumping into Yuko on the way.

       The line thinned out in only a few minutes, and most had gathered in the field at around ten after nine. Most were shaking with excitement, eager to see just what was in store for them this semester. Aiko and Yuko were clumped into the middle of the crowd, unable to see what was going on up front— save for Yuko, whose height granted her a wide view of her surroundings.

       "Goddamn it..." Aiko jumped up and down, trying to get a better hint at what was going on. "Yuko, what's going on?"

       "Um... there's a bunch of teachers lining up, I think," Yuko guessed as she watched the teaching staff gather in front of the tidal wave of more than one-hundred students.

       "Hello, all! I hope your morning was pleasant. My name is Headmaster Clement Colter, and I am a former IMOP Officer of the Victoria detachment." The husky man with dark hair announced, pacing back and forth in front of the row of teachers. "I shall be our school's representative and leader for this semester. I won't lie, I am new to leadership roles, but I'm up to the task. It is your job as students to help guide, not just me, but the rest of the teaching staff as we move forward. I'm excited to see all the anxious expressions and eager eyes in this crowd today. You are the future, students." He paused, letting the crowd see the main teachers. "I shall begin the orientation with an introduction of our core four teachers." Headmaster Colter began with a slant man in a lab coat first. "This is Dr. Miles Baxter, our leading expert on marcusology and a Third Waver."

       "Yes, yes, hello..." Dr. Baxter grumbled into the microphone, adjusting his thick glasses. "I'm thrilled to be your teacher."

       Dr. Baxter looked like what one would think of when they thought of a mad scientist— pale, pasty, thin, unkempt, and he had a small, round head. His messy blonde hair was wild and free, and a five o' clock shadow made his face look quite rough. He wore a faded blue polo shirt under his lab coat coupled with a pair of beige pants and loafers. Quickly he tossed the microphone to the next teacher, fed up with the wave of attention he was getting.

       "Alright, onto our next main teacher, Ms. Steele, a veteran and Third Waver with a wellspring of knowledge regarding combat and weaponry." Headmaster Colter said as he passed Ms. Steele the microphone.

       "Hey, my name's Ms. Steele and I'll be your Combat and Firearms Training teacher, just like last year. I wanna tell ya noobies right off the bat that I ain't gonna be goin' easy on ya. I'm gonna work you hard, and you'll come out of my class as great fighters. Sound good? Good." Ms. Steele said bluntly with a domineering growl to her voice.

       Ms. Steele certainly fit the role of the grizzled veteran. Her long, dark brown hair was pinned back to form a mane of wild locks, and her faded green eyes appeared cold and distant. She wore minimal makeup, and despite the gloom on her face, she was in fact quite easy on the eyes; a full set of lips, a long but never jagged nose, an athletic build, and a sharp yet smooth facial structure with subtle freckles. However, her whole introverted demeanour seemed to contradict her natural good looks, as if she didn't even acknowledge it. Ms. Steele's getup was very basic: brown runners, blue jeans, and a white, buttoned dress shirt. Beneath her simple outfit, however, Yuko could see Ms. Steele's bionic arms and legs, and remnants of an old wound were present on her neck in the form of scars.

       "Next we have our Fitness teacher, Ms. May Wendell," Headmaster Colter said as he moved on.

       "Hi, hi, hi! It's great to see you all again!" Ms. Wendell greeted her students with a wide grin and a bubbly attitude. "I hope we all didn't get too out of shape after Christmas!"

       Ms. Wendell clearly had a feline Beast Mark, as her regular ears were pointed with brown tufts of fur around them, and her whole body was covered in a thin but sleek layer of tan fur. Her fingernails were sharp and much larger than the norm, as were her facial features— quite similar to the triangular shape of a cat's. Ms. Wendell also had short blonde hair and a pair of wide, green cat eyes. Granted, her face was not feline enough to be considered inhuman; she still had the body structure of a normal woman— save for her long tail that whipped about. Ms. Wendell wore a pair of black leggings and a red tank top, and she also sported some red runners to tie the outfit all together.

       "Always a pleasure, Ms. Wendell." Headmaster Colter smiled as he moved on. "Now, she may not have a class of her own, but our students and staff regard her as an essential part of our little group of teachers. May I introduce, Nurse Gin Fawkes!" He stepped aside as she handed the microphone to a stunning woman with deep amber eyes.

       "Not sure if I need the big introduction, Colter, I'm just a nurse," Her modesty was followed by a dissatisfied groan from the students. "Okay, okay... thanks."

       Ms. Fawkes was a belle for sure. Her smooth complexion and sun-kissed face were accented by her long silver hair, and her facial features were striking yet gentle as if she contained a roaring energy behind the metaphorical mask she kept on her face. Ms. Fawkes wore teal nurse's scrubs and white runners, and she somehow managed to rock the look as if it were designer.

       "Now, we shouldn't get caught up in any further introductions. You can meet the rest of our teaching staff during breakfast. For now, I think it's time we reveal a special guest. Students, allow me to introduce Canada's Defender, Northstar!" Headmaster Colter shouted, as if he were summoning some kind of incantation.

       "Wait, Northstar?!" Aiko frantically climbed Yuko to get a better view and try and find her idol in the line up, however, she was nowhere to be found. "Huh-?" Aiko was cut off by a cracking noise in the distance; Northstar had materialized out of stark nowhere in front of the headmaster with her incredible speed. "Oh, wow..."

       Northstar lived up to her reputation. She was very tall— almost six foot four —and her signature metal battle suit was decorated with the large blue star on the breastplate. The suit showed off her incredibly well-toned body, and her long brown ponytail flowed freely, coupling her dark complexion nicely. Her presence was larger than life, and her emerald eyes seemed to make every student's heart quiver n excitement. They cheered, jumped for joy, screamed. Everyone, including Aiko, was losing their minds over the icon that stood before them.

       "Northstar! Northstar! Northstar!" The students all shouted in unison.

       "Aiko... who is that?" Yuko whispered to her master, barely audible amongst the roar of the crowd.

       "That's Northstar, Canada's top IMOP agent. She's a Third Waver with one of the most powerful Cellularum Marks in existence, the Zoom Mark. She's so cool!"Aiko shrieked at the thought of Northstar using her powers.

       "Alright, everyone, alright... we all know how excited you are, but Northstar can't stay to long. She has a job to get back to after all. Northstar, take it away." Headmaster Colter handed Northstar the mic, and she brought it close to her face.

       "Hello, everyone. I'm glad I could be here with you all to bring you into the next semester of training. I know you are all eager to learn and become IMOP members, but the road ahead will be difficult. In this semester our school division has decided to raise the stakes. Throughout the previous semester, you've studied solo, learned on your own. Well, we've decided to mix it up a little." Northstar fed the crowd with her gentle yet commanding voice. "This year we shall place you all into teams of five or six of different backgrounds and with vastly different Marks— the groups have been chosen by the teaching staff. Now, each of you have a card in your right pocket that I just happen to sneak in while you weren't looking." Every student checked their pockets immediately, and to their surprise, they each did in fact have a card inside their right pocket.

       "Whoa, what...?" Aiko gasped as she pulled the card out of her pocket.

       "This card will give you your team number, team members, and the lunch table you shall sit at every day for the rest of your training. You will meet with your group in the cafeteria this morning for breakfast." The crowd was letting loose their emotions of uncertainty and excitement as Northstar continued. "Now, I know this is out of your comfort zone, but that is essentially the point of this experiment. We want to teach new recruits on the force to work together with different people, seek solutions in dire situations, and learn as a team. That's what being an IMOP member is about. Now, I'm pretty hungry! I'll see you all at the cafeteria! Onwards and upwards!" And with a powerful gust of air, Northstar sped off.

       A wave of doubt and anxiety overtook the crowd as they all moved as a unit, babbling and chattering about what the next semester had in store. Aiko simply stood still and read over her card carefully, examining each of the five names.

*

TEAM #12- LUNCH TABLE #23:

Aiko Schmitt

Jace Zambo

Mura Muranaka

Carlo Catelli

Maeve MacDonnell

*

       "Oh, fuck me sideways..." 

[thecloudlight-blog]

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First Listen: The Heliocentrics, 'A World Of Masks

When a band is able to many musical styles, it could be thrilling to hear them all on a single album. But it can be just as fun when the institution dives deep into one mode, focusing their musical revel in and artistic imagination into a coherent vision. That’s how the Heliocentrics’ fourth album, A World of Masks, feels. The UK-based ensemble, which has blanketed as much as nine contributors, has in the past delved into hip-hop (first making their name on DJ Shadow’s 2006 album The Outsider), jazz, psych, funk, Afrobeat and greater.

A World of Masks suggestions at all those patterns, on the grounds that musical variety is baked into the Heliocentrics’ musical DNA.

But at some stage in eleven tracks totaling 45 minutes, the group concentrates on the whole on otherworldly psych-funk. Each piece looks like a part of an universal suite, a type of infinite cosmic jam the band should reputedly play for all time. Heliocentrics songs usually originate from improvisation, but this is clearer this time around. The unfastened nature in their unfettered trips evoke European collectives like Can and Träd, Gräs och Stenar as a whole lot as space tourists like Funkadelic and Sun Ra (who, not coincidentally, made two albums within the ’60s referred to as The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra).

The cognizance on A World of Masks comes partly from a new improvement. Heliocentrics tunes are generally instrumental, but on more than half the album’s songs, Slovokian singer Barbora Patkova improvises lyrics, regularly in her native language. Her vocals are just as space-sure as the Heliocentrics’ track – at times she evokes the striking Sun Ra Arkestra singer June Tyson – however they also provide a framework for the band’s elastic jams. The album opens together with her maximum out-the front overall performance, as she sears across the slow construct of “Made of the Sun,” forging a vocal-instrumental symbiosis that persists during A World of Masks.

Listen to Your Inner Voice for Success in Life

How to concentrate for your internal voice is first understanding your real Teacher or Guide whilst in this international.

Our Creator gave us His Teacher, the Holy Spirit to replace the only we made that keeps us within the dream of separation. The Holy Spirit does now not want to raise conflict, however He does need to update what needs replacing.

His substitute efforts will handiest take an instantaneous in time, which is the identical quantity of time you have been dreaming of life faraway from your actual Home.

The Holy Spirit is invisible, but you could see the results of His Presence, and via them you will learn that He is there.

His efforts will no longer have an impact on eternity, because not anything can.

So really ask that He do the job. As you learn how to listen to your internal voice let Him take over as your Teacher, all time that has passed is now long past. Everything now’s precisely because it changed into before you made a decision on a course to nothingness.

Your route to nothingness has been an extended and weary journey, and for now you can’t even don’t forget what it changed into like before you started. In the dream, you do not know what it is want to be awake.

The dream of lifestyles in this international appears very actual.

However, you are still the equal and unchanged-simplest now you have got a brand new trainer Who is guiding you to awakening, as opposed to deeper into the dream. There was a tiny tick of time whilst each of us made the first error and slipped into the dream of separate environment.

Within that single blunders stemmed extra errors within the dream, and others branched.

While these errors were stemming and branching, additionally they held within them their Correction. In that tiny tick of time earlier than we drifted off to dreamland, which is now gone, God gave us a Protector.

This is our Answer, and how to pay attention for your internal voice.

Your adventure continues to answer, and now your new Teacher is showing you Its consequences. However, we cannot fully wake up until the arena as-one awakens. The ego, our former teacher, wishes us to shift from side to side between the beyond and the prevailing.

Much of our time is spent looking on the beyond as though it were real. But our actual, or complete-thoughts perspectives the past as a dream. How commonly have you idea, “It all looks as if it become a dream”?

Your abstract thoughts receive the Holy Spirit’s whispering into your dreaming mind. World Championship Rings

World Series earrings are awards given to every participant in Major League baseball who has received the World Series. Started inside the 1922 World Series when earrings have been given to the members of the triumphing team, the New York Giants, courtesy corporations like Tiffany& Co or Balfour, they have got grown in stature and length. They flaunt the team’s logo in precious stones like diamonds and rubies and are set in 14 carat white gold. Teams shopping for their very own contributors have a machine of classification with the grandest rings for their pinnacle players, and watered down variations for players lower down the rank and crew employees. While the primary jewelry had a couple of diamonds, the modern-day-day version has over 2 hundred diamonds!

Valuable Sports Memorabilia

It is likewise considered through lovers as treasured sports activities memorabilia that may be auctioned or offered at will. Sites like eBay host such objects, and lots of a player in need of cash has sold his ring and made thousands of bucks. Museums have replicas as reveals and there may be a reckoning of who has won the maximum variety of earrings. Yogi Berra has gained the maximum wide variety of jewelry at 15!

Like baseball, there are several professional, semiprofessional, novice, university and excessive school sports. Basketball, Super Bowl Football have all got their championship awards within the form of those rings which can be coveted by all of us, however unfortunately may be enjoyed handiest by means of those players and their groups who win the year’s championship.

Teams are also made from fanatics, who root for their cherished gamers, shouting themselves hoarse and cheering them to victory. So, when a person got here up with the concept that those fanatics too must be rewarded with their very own championship jewelry, it was applied through a few businesses who committed their time, attempt, know-how, and understanding in making precise replicas of the World series championship earrings, as showy, as exuberant, and as ‘obnoxiously over the top’ as the originals.

The Championship jewelry of some of the predominant tournaments and leagues those agencies study replicating are

MLB- World Series- (Baseball) NFL – Super Bowl (Football), NHL-Stanley Cup (Hockey), CFL – Grey Cup (Canadian Football) NCAA (Basketball) NASCAR (Auto racing) Since each yr there was a winner in those video games, the variety is mind boggling and you may order the 12 months and that team’s ring for oneself. It is a passion best fans can recognize and there are heaps out there! Great Gifting Idea

A first-class gifting concept, such rings are fantastic to gift in case you recognise what group the recipient is rooting for. Such loyalties are very sturdy and lifelong and a World Series Championship ring can be a whole lot liked. People who love their teams would love to buy and possess the earrings of their favourite group as a mark of souvenir. There are thousands and thousands of enthusiasts out there of all age companies and gender who would love to have jewelry of their favorite triumphing team. Here is an example while guys love earrings!

The History and Use of False Face Masks Among the Seneca

False Face Masks are considered to be living and breathing “faces” that convey a spirit’s presence with them. The mask are typically used in recuperation ceremonies to convey remedy from health afflictions. There is a False Face Society some of the Iroquois tribes and those who are cured with the assist of False Faces routinely grow to be members. Believers in traditional Iroquois thought do no longer trust or name these False Faces “mask” as they agree with the faces are inhabited via living representations of spirits. False faces are even “fed” with a cornmeal “mush” and they accept presents of tobacco for recovery ailments.

Iroquois legend has it that the beginning of the False Face Mask way of life

Took place due to the fact the “Creator,” “God,” “Divine Supreme Being,” whichever name you choose to use, encountered a stranger once, known in the Onondaga language as “Grandfather.” The Creator challenged Grandfather in his capability to transport a mountain. Grandfather made the mountain shake and rumble however turned into unable to transport it. The Creator stated Grandfather had a few energy however now not enough strength to move the mountain. The Creator then moved the mountain to demonstrate his potential to Grandfather. The Creator told Grandfather now not to appearance at the back of him while the mountain moved, however Grandfather changed into curious and while he became to look, the mountain struck Grandfather within the face and left his face damaged and smashed.

The Creator then hired Grandfather to guard his kids however he knew the sight of Grandfather’s broken face might scare the children, so Grandfather become exiled to the forests and underground caves. To these days, sightings are mentioned of a lone figure, clothed in regal Iroquois apparel, peering from at the back of the timber of the woodland. He is stated to have long hair and either a pink or black face. He most effective leaves the confines of the woods whilst known as upon to heal or interpret dreams. He is now referred to as “Old Broken Nose.”

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New Post has been published on Bestnewsmag

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Here are the best app launches and updates you may have missed in April

It becomes a large month for image apps.updates app  Snapchat added three-D lenses to its rear-facing digital camera, Memoji launched to help flip missed 

your selfies into emojis, and FaceApp, that could age an image of you or change your gender, released on Android.

Plus, Google made changes to 2 of its maximum-used services.

Right here are a number of the best new app launches and updates you can have overlooked this month.

Get the state-of-the-art Google stock charge Right here.

Google Search Engine Organic SEO Impacting Updates for 2017

  updates

  Nearing the give up of 2016, Google commenced letting webmasters recognize about imminent modifications to their seek engine rating system that could have an effect on how websites would be viewed in 2017. To keep to rank well in 2017, websites will need to hit positive additional standards. In this article, I speak these key new changes in an effort to impact your website’s organic Seo ratings in the Google seek Engine.

The first object on their list is that of ensuring that your site has a published SSL certificate in location. Now, as ways as Google seek scores move, you may begin to be penalized in case you do not have SSL certificates in the area to your website online.

One of the first actions in this regard already now in place, is that in case you do no longer have an SSL certificates to your website online, the Google Chrome browser will insert and exclamation mark “!” at the URL line to permit a capacity page viewer to be conscious that the site has now not been secured. Clicking on the exclamation mark brings up the details of the security infraction. This new object is now already in place in the browser with the January 2017 Chrome “56” browser update.

SSL certificate isn’t a primary price these days and you can get them installed location for as low as about $26 consistent with yr if you are not running an e-trade website and approximately $70 or so in case you are. Google could be very interested in clients being protected as they visit websites directed by means of Google and that they want to make certain that customer records entered on those sites is encrypted and a person’s data is saved securely. in this regard, they’ll, therefore, be penalizing “organic seek-sensible” those websites which have not placed an SSL certificate in a region. So, if being determined by means of Google organically is important to you, this is a step you may need to take with your website.

Next on their schedule is popup adds on web pages, specifically on cell devices. Google customers find adds that pop up on web pages they visit to be very obtrusive and disturbing and Google has been paying attention to their proceedings. Google has determined that popup provides regularly can cool an entire screen on a cell tool and can also be difficult to take away. So now as Googlebot crawls your web pages and mainly, your cellular web pages, be conscious that they’ll be searching on popup adds with disfavor and your web page can be penalized if popup provides are determined.

Google’s flow right here is due to the fact they’re looking to supply the best content to their seek and “AdWords” clients on behalf of their advertisers. they are on the hunt for best content pages to serve up – no longer “Fluff” pages whose primary motive is to pop up an upload to promote something. Marketing at the internet is going to begin to change due to this new seek engine ranking requirement so in case you are looking to be observed and you presently run popups on your pages, you’ll be trying to start doing a little transform on these pages. Do well-known Advertising and marketing through anchor textual content links and hyperlinked photos on pages alternatively – Google will praise you for it in preference to penalizing you.

The subsequent trade required for 2017 goes to peer a variety of human beings scrambling to enhance their website design architectures. Almost 1/2 of all Net access in recent times is accomplished by means of cell devices along with capsules.

In a current observer finished by using a Google subsidiary agency, it becomes observed that the average load time for a web page on a cell tool is still sitting at about 19 seconds to load. This identical take a look at shows that cell device users alternatively best have an attention span for web page loading of about 3 seconds. After 3 seconds, over 53% of customers abort because of this that slow-loading cell pages that Google presently sends clients to thru their search engine and on behalf of their AdWords advertisers are not getting loaded.

So things are converting. Google now has set up a totally separate seek engine “page indexing” database in their system for cell webpages. The loading candy-spot for a web page is two-4 seconds and if your cell page takes longer to load than this as it’s far getting crawled by Googlebot, Google will make note of it and your page will now not be showing up of their search outcomes for users till you may get this fixed.

This remaining change is going to have add accessories influences on the ones marketers jogging websites the usage of template web page systems as those generally tend to create numerous very “facts” web pages that load poorly. Web pages utilizing numerous “Javascript callouts” which includes whilst “widgets” are used in a WordPress internet site; are extraordinarily fat and slow loading and could have virtually no danger of passing the “Googlebot” crawler pace necessities for cell devices.

With over 50% of all internet site interacted-on now coming from cellular, this has the potential of cutting your overall website traffic by using Almost half once your pages had been flagged via Googlebot as being slow loading – no longer that cell was operating for you anyway with approximately fifty-three% of people clicking off earlier than your page ever got loaded inside the first vicinity.

In reality, many WordPress theme companies at the moment are scrambling to construct and the marketplace as f9ef7d9e905d1a4504697a5c6dd610d7 to current WordPress customers “mobile-Friendly” internet site additives. The jury remains out on those however as to whether or now not they will be able to get right down to the two-4 2d page loading time “candy-spot” necessities now being required by using Google.

To hit loading times which might be continuously this rapid, will quite a good deal require the construction of “natively coded, respond-onsite” web pages that don’t use widgets of any sort. And even the time take to convert the content material of a current facts page into a quick loading, content filled cellular page takes time which could nonetheless hold your web page out of the short loading category.

In summary, the Google search engine in recent times is seeking out professionally built, natively coded web pages to serve up strong content material to its clients on mobile gadgets. To achieve success with an internet site organically in the destiny, as a result will require for plenty of line marketers, a need to rebuild current websites.

approximately Dan Grijzenhout: Dan has lived a successful entrepreneurial profession for over 30 years. He has been a consultant, entrepreneur, systems architect, and developer, investor, commercial enterprise proprietor and is now a creator, online path author, and trainer, sharing his years of enjoying and know-how with others. Look for the name – Dan Grijzenhout – on Amazon to look his available books and e-books.

Places to Be Missed in Moscow

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Moscow is number 7th largest city in the world in terms of population with more than 10 million inhabitants according to the statistics of 2010. Moscow welcomes hundreds of tourists who spend their vacations in Russia every year.

The city was the capital of the Russian Empire, only for 3 years, from 1728 till 1730. Moscow hosts the Kremlin, one of the World Heritage Sites and one of the most wonderful monuments often visited by travelers who tour Russia.

Today we would be exploring some of the interesting places in Moscow

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The Kremlin

The Kremlin is, in fact, one of the most notable monuments of Moscow that is often explored by travelers who tour Russia. This huge complex was first established in the 12th century as a fortress to protect the town against foreign invasions. The complex was attacked by the Mongols in the 14th century. However, the Russians regained control of the palaces in the same century to become the seat of the government of Cesar of Russia. Today the complex consists of many several establishments and buildings that are worth a visit including the Virgin Mary Cathedral, the Weapons Museum, the Cathedral Arena, and the Diamond Fund Museum.

The Red Square

The Red Square of Moscow is one of a marvelous place in the city that is often explored by hundreds of tourists spending their vacations in Russia. The square is famous for hosting the Kremlin, the Mausoleum of Lenin, and a popular historical commercial zone as well. This is where tourists may view some of the most interesting monuments of Moscow.

Although historians assert that its name, the Red Square, has nothing to do with communism and that it was called after the color of the surrounding buildings, many scholars assert that it was partially due to communism that once flourished in the city and the whole nation.

The Mausoleum of Vladimir Lenin

This establishment hosts the dead body of the Vladimir Lenin, the former Russian leader since his death in 1924. It has to be mentioned here that Lenin was mummified and he was never buried. His mausoleum is commonly visited by many locals and tourists who spend their vacations in Russia.