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Chapter 6
The Gate
<BlackStar A.K.A Alex>
Oct. 30, 2054. Friday. 1:14 AM
BlackStar stood hidden in the dark corner of the room. He patiently waited as he stared into the group of old men and women sitting around a round table. The room were abuzz with flaring emotions. They debated heavily with one another,their arguments rabid with malicious intent as if each person were trying to shoot the other's argument into nothingness.
"When are we going to go with the plan?" A bald old man with red clothes slammed his fist on the table. "At this slow rate, we will never move to the next phase of our operation. My time is precious and I need to be back at my office."
"What are you so worried about, Kio?" An elderly lady around the age of forty waved her hands in front of her. "The plan is moving fine as it is. The time is not even right anyways."
"What are you talking about Jasmine? The time is perfect." Kio growled. "Just pulling money around will not get things started. We need people to take the first hit."
"Hit? Economically, I think we are doing fine."
"No, we are not. Stocks have decreased by fifteen points. Any lower and I'll end up losing a million dollars!"
"Is that my problem? No."
"It is. Haven't you been paying attention?"
Suddenly a calm, but enchanting voice cut through the chaos. "Ladies and Gentleman. I'm glad that you are all here." Angel walked in the door. Everyone in the room became silent as they watched.
"Angel, what are you doing here? You are not an elder to be just waltzing around here to do whatever you want."
"Does it matter if I am elder or not? I have just as much say in this council as any of you." Angel replied without a care in the world. He pushed back his hair that was falling in front of his face. He then stopped next to Jasmine and caressed his hands on the back of the seat. "I have a reason you know, to be here. Honestly, I don't like being in the same stuffy room as you old farts. Staying in here any longer with you guys and I'll feel like I would age a year older. I mean seriously, you all need to go to the hospital to get your blood pressure checked."
"Why you little brat. Just because you are the son of General Flairgon you think you can get away with this?" Kon replied harshly towards Angel. His nerves were bulging down his neck signifying him that he was peeved.
"Don't bring up my father. I don't want anything to do with him." Angel spat. He glared at the elders in front of him and briskly walked over. Sitting down on one of the opened chairs, he placed his feet on the table. He grinned and folded his arm in front of him.
"What are you doing? That is General Flairgon's spot!" Koi spoke out in outburst.
"Not today. He won't be making it here today. Ever." Angel spoke without a care in the world.
"Let the man speak," said Jasmine. "Hearing what the little one has to say should make things interesting." She chuckled.
"Are you insane? This is no place for General Flairgon's son to be here."
"Baldy, shut up." Angel's hand dropped to his side and brought the silver cross into his hands.
"Imbecile, to speak to your elder in such disrespectful tone. Don't you know we can make your life miserable?"
"Really? I highly doubt it."
"Calm down Koi, let the man speak."
Koi grumbled and clenched his hands.
"The stone will be completed by the deadline. The students at the Academy are developing quite nicely. I will be starting to put a team for the next mission."
"So soon? They only have been in the Academy for short amount of time. Developing one's psychic ability does not happen overnight."
"I do not believe so. What I have planned for them is pushing past their limit. So with that being said, I only have come here to inform you what I would do."
"You haven't gotten the stamp of approval yet. Who do you think you are?"
"I'm Angel, of course." Angel brilliantly smiled.
Groups of hidden assassins emerged from the dark and stationed themselves from behind each chairman. Every single one of them gulped.
"What? You dare?! Guards! What are you doing?!" Yelled Koi. He had a knife against his throat by specifically BlackStar's hands.
"They're all dead. There is no point in calling them out you know." Angel took his feet off the table and leaned forward. "Where did you even get such a poor quality guards anyway. Either way, all of you guys will be no more. All your assets had been handed down to your predecessors. The old must go you know."
"BlackStar! You should know better than to turn on your employer." Kion yelled in anger. "I raised you for who you are today. You should be taking my side!"
"Mr. Kion Blue. I can not thank you enough for taking me in, but there is a difference between what I must do for the betterment of the organization. Even still, your words in taking care of me is completely different in my mind. Starving, being beaten, and even tortured, I'm not so sure that would be considered taking care of me." BlackStar calmly stated.
"Why you wretched ingr-"
With a fluid motion of his hands, BlackStar cut through Kio's throat. Blood squirted outwards into a spray.
"I must say BlackStar. You couldn't wait until I was finished speaking?" Angel chuckled. Each and every one of the council member were killed right after BlackStar. Not a single one faltered nor gave in to the pleas for begging for their life for they didn't have a chance to state their words.
"I am sure you hate giving explanations to someone who is going to die." BlackStar flicked the knife in hand and wiped the blood on the dead man's clothes.
"Well, you took the fun out of it. I enjoyed seeing their haggard face when they heard what I had to say and what I would do next. Though these rats are not worth my time for my art. Instead, it would be better if we dissolve their bodies. What do you think BlackStar?"
"I do not care." BlackStar turned around ready to leave.
"I was worried that you wouldn't wanted to partake in this cleansing. For I thought you went soft hearted, but it seems that your skills had not dulled a single bit playing in the game nor has your conviction been shaken."
"Is there a problem?"
"No, not at all." Angel pulled out a large black obsidian the size of his fist and placed it onto the table. The Obsidian strangely glowed and swirled with red and gold.
In the darkness, black shadows appeared out from behind Angel and blitzed towards each dead body. A sudden chill swept through BlackStar as he watched the shadows moved towards each body. From each body, a transparent figure emerged from the dead. Each one of the figures were roughly grabbed and pulled away from the body. They were dragged towards the Obsidian in the middle of the table.
A high pitch scream could be heard, shrieking in fear. BlackStar couldn't help but shiver at the deathly scream and watch the whole scene play out in front of him. So far, he and Angel were the only one who could see the shadows, while the others were shivering in unease. Even though a few of them couldn't see it, their senses were telling them something dangerous was in the room. Alex knew that he shouldn't interact in what was happening in front of him. His nerves were screaming that these shadows were not human, but something more dangerous.
The dark spirits that were pulling the clear spirits threw them towards the Obsidian. A sucking like power pulled the spirits into the rock like a vacuum till finally nothing was left. In seconds, every single one of the spirits disappeared into thin air leaving only the empty shell of the dead, the assassin, and Angel.
BlackStar didn't fear humans and he was not the type to easily get scared, but the strange humanoid shadows seemed more like monsters. They were something completely out of his realm and strength. He knew from this point on that there were things a lot stronger than him, darker, and more primal that couldn't be explained by science alone.
He now believed that there were something more than what just meets the eye. BlackStar knew that he was not hallucinating or taking any medications. Everything that was happening before him was happening for a fact.
What was more scary was that the mastermind behind all these dark spirits were none other than Angel himself. In their heart, a new growing fear towards Angel grew and they knew that to follow Angel was the correct path in there life if they don't wanted to die by his hands.
The heavy silenced in the air was broken by Angel's voice. "Well, that was exciting wasn't it?" Angel lips slowly turned into a grin, becoming bigger and bigger.
Not a single breathe could be heard.
"I wouldn't say that was exciting." BlackStar was the second one to speak. "I could say that was quite a learning experience. What was that?"
"Nothing strong. They're the lowest kind of dark entities."
"You're saying those were the lowest grade there is?" BlackStar couldn't fathom there were things out there that had even stronger oppressive energy than the one that they just saw. The oppression that the dark spirits gave off was already suffocating enough and there were something out there that was worse? With a gulp, he felt his arms tingle.
"Yes, don't you know? Just because we don't see them doesn't mean they're not out there."
"How did you find them?"
"Me find them? That's where you are wrong. They have found us." Angel grinned. "They have always been watching BlackStar. It's just that we never paid attention till now."
BlackStar felt his skin crawl from the way Angel spoke. He felt that Angel knew more than he had let anyone to believe. Honestly, he didn't understand what Angel was thinking and planning. The whole slaughtering of the Council Members on the East Coast was planned but the backlash would be hundred times worse. Angel knew all this but he still went through. What was his goal? He just didn't know.
"What's wrong, BlackStar? Your mask has momentarily slipped." Angel's voice shook him out of stupor.
"Nothing at all."
"Really? I believe that is a lie, but if you insisted that there is nothing to talk about I will not push it any further. Well than, I'll leave the rest to the group to clean up this mess."
The other assassins started to move around on cue. They had begun to pick up the dead bodies and started to carry them out.
"BlackStar." Angel turned around one last time.
"I need you to send me a file of the twenty-four best students that we have ready to test out on field."
"I will get it ready for you in the morning."
Angel turned and left with a whistle. His left hand was twirling the silver cross necklace around in circles. BlackStar quietly followed after and went straight back to the Academy.
Oct. 30, 2054. Friday. 3:33 AM
Angel closed his eyes, letting meditation wash over him. He felt his spiritual body drift out of his body. He was standing in front of his sleeping body that sat on a wooden chair. With steady breathe, he walked through the darkness towards his goals.
There was only one thing he had to get, a soul of an innocent and pure. They were not many out in this world who retained such childish innocence. Even children of these days were tainted even younger than before.
Reaching into his pocket, he rubbed the silver cross. "Take me to the nearest purest soul." He whispered. A sudden dark energy clouds pervaded out of the silver cross. The clouds wrapped around him like a dark cloak, a large black ghastly wings spread out onto his back. An ugly creature's head, appeared on his shoulder connecting the ghastly wing.
"Yes, my master." A screeching like voice replied back towards Angel.
The monster's black wing flapped hard, lifting him up in the air, they flew. Like a comet through the sky. Angel watched the world from the sky, he saw different color aura's appearing below him, telling him that they are living humans. Some houses were covered in shimmering white light that blocked out the darkness from entering, while others had black aura invading the homes.
It wasn't until he flew a little further, when he heard a an angelic female's voice spoke out with calm and vigor. She didn't waver, but instead prayed with convictions. Serenity and compassion filled with happiness and love. "Our father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name."
Angel landed a bit away from the girl. The dark aura disappeared into his silver cross. He straightened his clothes and walked in with a sinister grin on his face. He walked towards the young girl who was praying in the middle of the field, where she sat face forward, placing her elbows on the cut down stump. "Our father, which art in heaven, Hallowed; be thy name." He repeated her words with glee.
"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, As it is in heaven." Her voice continued to ring with calmness.
"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." Angel's foot became heavy, and a bit sluggish. He glanced towards the young girl with hatred and jealousy burning in his eyes.
"Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us."
"Give us this day our daily bread. And do not forgive us of our trespasses, As we do not forgive them that trespass against us." Angel's grind his teeth, he was getting harder and harder to get closer to her, but he still moved forward without a single falter of his steps.
A beam of bright sunlight erupted from the clouds, shining down from the sky. "And lead us not into temptation." She cried out with a strong voice.
"And lead us ALL into temptation!" Angel was now shouting, trying to overcome her voice.
Darkness swirled around him and even invaded the space around the little girl who prayed diligently. Her face was contorting in pain as if something was pervading her mind. Angel's words were overlapping her's making it more difficult for her to pray.
"But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory." She replied with a pained voice. The wind picked up, blowing her yellow hair.
"Deliver us to evil. For thine is the kingdom of darkness, The power, and the glory." Angel's steps were becoming more confident, while the girl's voice was becoming smaller and smaller. The light were weakening and dimming into nothingness. Dark storm clouds were entering from the right, blanketing the sky in black.
"For ever……and.…." The girl's shoulder was getting crunched up into a ball Angel stand next to her and was smiling with an evil grin.
"Forever and ever." Angel slowed his words into her ears.
"…..ever…." Her voice was thinning out, suffocating her to the point of making her unable to breathe. She was gasping for a breathe, trying to say the last word.
"You are not loved." Angel's words were like delicious poison. His hands raised up behind her back as he caressed her gold hair. "A.M.E.N." A black light that came out from his silver necklace turned into a black crossed sword and appeared before his hands..
With a gasping ecstasy, he thrust the black sword into her back and out the other side of her heart.
The girl shuddered out in pain and the last whisper of her voice echoed throughout the field. "A…..m…en."
Angel broke out in laughter, he threw back his head with a devilish grin on his face. "I win!" He shouted with vigor. "I win again! Hahahahahahaha!"
A sudden blast of wind smashed into his body, knocking the wind out of him. He was suddenly flung out towards the sky and went back crashing into his body. The words of Amen continually ring in his ear over and over again.
"No. No. No. No!" Angel woke up screaming, he slammed his hands on the chair. A sharp crack was formed, causing the chair to waver under his weight.
Going out of his body and to use more of his ability to manifest and interact with the physical world with a spiritual body has taxed a huge amount of energy, especially in murdering someone, which required even a bit of his life energy in his physical body. This ability was something he couldn't use too often, nor would he use it for minuscule tasks. He needed to rest and recover.
"I was so close! Why now?! Why!?" He got up and was angrily walking around back and forth. Even though he was mentally and physically exhausted, his anger fueled his body.
With a deep breath, he slowly calmed down his anger. "No. I won. I know I have won. She is dead." Angel was chuckling under his breathe and he broke out into a loud laughter. She was dead even though he had failed to get her soul. The ecstasy of killing was still lingering in his fingers. "Yes, I won."
Oct. 30, 2054. Friday. 3:54 PM
Kiyro had finished class and sat in the lobby. His head was against the sofa and he was taking a small nap.
"Kiyro." A female's voice called out towards him.
Kiyro woke up and turned to see who had called him.
"Kiyro Koga." This time the voice was louder. Angela was tapping her clipboard in annoyance that she had to call out to Kiyro twice.
Kiyro groggily glanced up. Angela stopped in front of him with her hands crossed in front of her.
"I need you to go to the Room number 13 right this moment."
"Kiyro tiredly stood up. "Is there something wrong? I got a raid to continue with later tonight so I can not stay out too long."
"This will not take you that long. Now if you'll excuse me. I have important work to do." Angela replied haughtily. She twirled on her high heels and strutted towards her next destination.
"If she didn't have such nasty personality, she would be someone worth talking too." Kiyro frowned. He headed towards the direction where Angela spoke off.
Room 13, a special room that didn't allow any students or teachers to enter. A forbidden room that was rarely used. For him to be called towards the room made him wonder what he was being called for. No one knew anything about what was even in the room, nor had anyone been in it before.
"Why now? What for?" Kiyro wondered. He was not to keen about being singled out. When he took a sharp right turned, he stopped just barely in time to before he crashed into someone's back.
"You been called here too?" A familiar male voice called out towards Kiyro.
"Daulton?" Kiyro examined around him and noticed that twenty-three people were present.
"Kiyro!" Eve called out in excitement. She came running towards him with a large smile plastered to his face. "I'm glad that you are here."
"Eve? You too?"
"Yea, I was surprised when they were this large amount of people present here you know. Even Will and Alex are here as well."
"They are?" Kiyro leaned over to the side and saw both Will and Alex in the large group. The majority of the people were surrounding Alex, bombarding him questions.
"Teach, what's going on? Did you call us all out here?" A female student that seem to be fresh out of middle school asked Alex.
"About that." Alex rubbed his hair trying to figure out what to say. "It wasn't me. I got the same message to come to this spot."
"Really? You don't know what's going on?"
"Yes. I'm just in the same boat as you guys."
"That sucks."
"I bet he's lying." A young man pushed aside the girl and stand in front of Alex. His beady eyes glared towards him with disdain, while his black hair covered part of his face. He had to pull it back to see through. Kiyro had a vague feeling that he saw that young man somewhere. He just couldn't put his finger on who.
"Why would I lie? I came to this Academy out of my own violation. I haven'thing to gain here."
"Another bogus. I don't believe in the words of the adult. You have put us through constant trials to improve our abilities. For the people who had failed, we all know what had happened. They're dead."
"I didn't know that. Really." Alex threw up his hand in a defensive pose. He gave them a compassionate look telling them that he was not lying a single bit.
"You have something up your sleeves. I know it." The young man was taking steps towards Alex with the hint to fight, but a young girl with brown hair pulled him back.
"Russ. Stop. This is not a good idea you know." The girl quietly stated. She was nervously glancing around worried that Russ might do something completely out of character.
"Russ?" Kiyro quietly mumbled. Then it hit him. The Russ who had chased him through endless miles to gain his Draconis Library. He didn't know that Russ was actually here at the Psychic Academy. He couldn't help but feel slighted at the Russ that was in front of him. He knew this was the Russ, by his demeanor and his looks had not even changed a single bit.
"That guy." Daulton walked up next to Kiyro. His lips fell into a frown as he stared towards them. "I knew he was here, but I didn't expect him to use his actual name for the game."
"You knew he was here?"
"Yea, I just didn't think we would ever meet."
Honestly, he wished he never see Russ any time soon, but lo and behold, life threw him a curveball.
"I don't think it would be a wise idea to start a fight here if I were you." Alex spoke in a very cold voice.
"Why no-" Russ went silent when he saw Alex's smile. He felt a sudden chill that ran up and down his spine. With a step back, Russ gulped in fear.
"That's a good boy. Fighting out in public will make both of us lose face you know. I'm not a fighter, actually I'm more of a peace loving person." Alex nodded his head in agreement with what he said. "Well then, if our little conversation is over, we should all start forming into a six man team." He clapped his hands to get everyone's attention.
The students shuffled and started to gravitate towards people they knew. Kiyro, Eve, and Daulton automatically formed into a group of three.
"We should ask Will." Eve quickly spoke. She was already heading towards Will who was surrounded by his own group. "Will!"
Eve waved his hands towards him as she passed through the crowd.
The girls that were surrounding Will gave Eve a nasty glare, wondering who she was.
"Kiyro is here. Would you like to join our team?" She shouted over the girls.
"Will, I thought you were going to join our team." The girls pouted in front of him. They grabbed his hands hoping he would say yes.
"Do you not like us?"
"I mean, we thought you played with us because you did."
"Come on Will, please."
The girls begged Will. Will felt himself sweat and he nervously chuckled trying to push aside the swarming girls.
"Ladies, my friend will be coming with us." Eve snaked her arms in Will's and roughly pulled him aside.
"Hey bitch, what are you doing? You can't just take him just like that!" One of the girls stormed up to her ready to fight.
"Try it and see what happens." Eve shot the girls down with a stern look that made every single one of them back off in fright. "I thought so. Now if you'll excuse us, my friend will be joining our group." She coldly replied and walked ahead with Will in tow.
"That bitch. Who does she think she is?" The girls mumbled with disgust.
"I can hear you. Talk any louder and I'll punch you in the face and show you what I meant." Eve shouted back without a care in the world.
The girls became silent and slunk away in defeat with their tails between their legs, but even still they talk behind Eve's back with anger in their voice.
"Um.…Eve?" Will was being forcibly dragged by Eve that he was stumbling on his own foot.
"Thanks, but I can walk by myself."
"Ah, sorry." Eve quickly let go. "Didn't mean to be so possessive. Just thought that you were stuck in a bind."
"It's alright. I was going to turn them down."
Both Eve and Will finally joined up with Daulton and Kiyro.
"So would you join our group?" Eve asked with a smile.
Kiyro couldn't help but feel a bit of a sting in his heart when he saw how Eve acted around Will. He quickly brushed it aside and instead waited for Will's answer.
"Why not. There's nothing better to do. My guild mates haven't come here so right now I don't really have anyone to partner up with." Will shrugged his shoulder not really caring who to partner up with.
"Hey Will. Long time no see literally." Kiyro clasped his hands with Will and smiled.
"Been awhile." Will let go and turned towards Daulton.
"Who might this be?"
"My name's Daulton. Aren't you the leader of the Hercules guild?"
"Wow, cool." Daulton had a huge grin on his face excited to meet the famous Hercules Guild Leader.
"We need one more person. Anyone got any idea?" Eve broke in on their conversation.
"I know someone." Daulton spoke up. "Give me a second. I thought I saw her running around in the crowd." He slipped away into the crowd looking for someone.
"So, how have you guys been doing? I haven't talked with you Kiyro in awhile. I heard some things from Eve here," said Will.
"Pretty good actually. We had a squabble here and there with Russ and his goons but the Draconis Library is safe."
"Russ? You don't mean that kid that just picked a fight with Alex right?"
"Yea. I didn't expect him to be here at all."
"He's been causing trouble back in Kingdom of Terra. Couple of my guild members have been voicing their opinion on how unjust and rude he is."
"I totally understand that."
"Lately there's a rumor that been going around that he had been kicked out of WaterRose guild. Better that she did sooner than later. He's trouble is what I can tell."
"Really now, you didn't know?" Eve stated with a sarcastic tone. "I for one wanted to kick him off the cliff. He literally caused us a headache."
"It was that bad?"
"Yea. The amount of damaged he has caused had set us back for repair for a week. I mean even though we don't have much but still. All that destruction and damage we had to pay for." Eve groaned. "If he ever gets a castle, i'm going to burn it down."
"Wow, we got quite a devil among us."
"You can say that again." Kiyro gaped at Eve. He sometimes wondered what ran through her mind to have such diabolical thoughts. "Well then, what about you?" He asked Will.
"My guild been doing fantastic. We did have a few drawbacks as well, the monster swarms in the Lightning Continent is no joke. Every night we are literally on our toes to keep the village safe from being destroyed. It took quite a bit of effort to keep it stable. I thought we were going to be wiped out a couple of times, but luckily we survived through it just fine."
"You guys have land?"
"No, it's just a quest. We're more like guards for a small kingdom that has been forming rapidly these past months."
"Wow, that's so cool." Eve eyes were sparkling in interest. "You got to show us around."
"If you ever stop by, why not."
"Sweet!" Eve stated in excitement. "Did you heard that Kiyro? We need to go to his place next."
"Well… When we are able too. Right now, I'm not so sure being far away from the Draconis Village is a wise idea."
"I know. I'm just saying for the future."
"That's cool with me."
"Hey guys!" Daulton called out towards the group. Everyone turned around a saw a small girl that seem to be ten years old walked next to him. Her curly pig tail hair bounced up and down when she walked. Her cute dress made her adorable.
"This is Tonia." Daulton quickly introduced her to the group. "Tonia. This is Kiyro, Eve, and Will."
"Hello," Tonia softly spoke. She lowered her head in embarrassment.
"Let's introduce our game names and something about ourselves."
"Sure, nothing wrong with that." Eve happily replied. "I go by Agnis and I'm Kiyro's partner."
"Partner? Are you guys going out?"
"No." Eve quickly replied and blushed scarlet. "What I mean is that Kiyro here is an Dragon called Zero and I'm his partner."
"Oh! You're the dragon riders!" Tonia excitedly replied. "How does it feel like when you're flying." She closed in Eve wondering what she would say next.
"Well, Kiyro hasn't gotten his wings yet. So we haven't taken flight."
"Oh," Tonia face fell.
"So what about you?"
"I go by the name of Terren. I'm a Disciple of Infinity or you could say a priestess."
"A priestess. Nice."
"Well then, it's my turn." Daulton cough to get everyone's attention. "My game name is M2. If you have any dark secrets you want to know about the game, i'm the man to come too. I just about know anything." He proudly stated.
"Your M2?" Will asked quizzically. "I heard that M2 was an NPC. Not a real life character in game."
"Well, facts get twisted you know."
"I can see that." Will nodded his head. "I go by Aldran in the game. I'm the guild leader of Hercules."
"Hercules?" Tonia squealed out in delight. She clasped Will's hand in excitement. "Can I have your autograph?"
"Woah, you're really popular with the ladies." Daulton stare in shock. "I didn't expect such a reaction."
"It happens."
"I can see that."
"We got everyone, but we need one more person to join our group. Though it seems everyone already joined a group by the looks of it." Eve was searching for any stray stragglers that was not part of any group. "Nothing. I guess this will do for now." She sighed heavily.
"But Alex said six. What if we don't meet the requirements? Won't we not be able to continue on?" Daulton asked with a bit worry in his voice. "I heard room 13 is known for its brutal combat system."
"Really? I heard it's just a lounge or something like that."
"Either way, we need one more."
"Let's just ask Alex to join us." Kiyro spoke. "So far on how I see it, he been just standing by himself in the middle. Like he said, he been summoned here, meaning he must be part of what's going on. Even though he might know everything, he's still part of the faculty."
"Yea. Not a bad idea." Eve gave him a thumbs up.
The group inched towards Alex in the hopes that what Kiyro said was true.
Kiyro was the one to go first and ask Alex. "Alex." He stopped in front of him.
"Kiyro. How may I help you?"
"We want you to join our team."
"Are you sure about that? You know you might be scorned by the other students." Alex motioned towards the students that were staring at his group with suspicion.
"Who cares about them. I remember you stated a while ago, you were also called here. You even stated you don't know why. So with that you might need a team or something."
"I might, what if I'm actually called in to help out with managing?"
"If you do, then you do."
Alex thought it over for a moment.
"I see. Well then, I'll join your merry little group." Alex chuckled. "I look forward to what we will be doing."
"I'm not sure I like the sound of that." Daulton spoke. He flinched when he heard a loud booming sound behind him.
The door that was once closed slide opened and Angel stepped out the door. Behind him, Red followed closely behind giving anyone too close to him a cold stare. Everyone took a step back at the uncomfortable atmosphere that both Angel and Red was giving. They just didn't know how Angel was giving such an oppressive feel. All they knew was that they could feel it deep in their bones.
"Well. Well. Well. It seems that everyone is present." Angel cheerfully replied. "I'm glad that you all heeded my call. I would've been disappointed if you didn't come."
"Why? What would you have done?" A young boy spoke up to Angel even though he shook with fear.
"I'll leave that to your imagination. A punishment is necessary for the people that didn't heed my call." Angel snickered. When Angel spoke of punishment everyone froze up in fear. What did this strange oppressive man had in mind when he meant punishment? Nobody knew but they all felt a murderous vibe from Angel.
Angel's eyes swept through the crowd briefly and momentarily stopped in front of Kiyro. Their eyes momentarily locked onto one another. Kiyro felt a sudden shocking chill that made him unconsciously step backwards. For a moment, Kiyro thought that Angel's eyes pierced into his soul searching for an answer that he didn't know. Quickly with heavy breath, Kiyro pulled their gazes apart making it almost difficult to breathe.
"Kiyro? Are you okay?" Eve asked out of concern. She gently placed her hands on his shoulder worrying that he was ill.
"Yes. I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
Kiyro nodded and tried his best to steady his heavy beating heart.
"If you are not fine. I'll tell the Instructor."
"No. It's fine." Kiyro raised up his hands to stop Eve from taking any further action. He got a feeling that if Eve told Angel or Red there would've been repercussions.
"Follow me." Angel turned around and went back inside Room 13. Red followed after without saying anything.
All the other students followed behind Angel wondering what the room they would enter would show. When Kiyro entered, they were in a large circular empty white room.
"Is this it?" Voices of students stare stupidly around the room. They all thought there was some kind of big secret inside, but there was nothing.
"Are you kidding me?"
"Wow, what a shocker. I'm so disappointed. I thought they would be keeping some kind of top secret hidden away here."
The twenty-three students were all disappointed at the large empty space. This so called taboo room was just a hoax.
"Now then." Angel was in the center of the room. Every one else surrounded him wondering what he would do. Raising up his hands, he clapped once over his head. All of a sudden the lights turned off making the whole room pitch black.
"Kyyah!" A chilling scream could be heard in the group making everyone go into panic.
"What's going on?"
"What happened?"
"Why is it dark?"
"Gah! Someone just touched me!"
"Nooooo! I don't want to die."
People cried out in fear as they stumbled around trying to find there way out.
"Quiet!" Angel's voice rang out with a clear voice. The sudden loud shout froze everyone in seconds. Not a single person moved out of fear.
The silence felt like an eternity, and even Kiyro's senses were heightened. He used his other senses to feel around him, trying to remember where he was from the door if he needed to bolt. The light movement of the wind from the body, the heat that he could feel from a living body, and the sound of heavy breathing. He could tell that every single one of his teammates didn't flee, but stood steadfast at his side.
A snap of a finger caused the room to be filled up with stars that seem to glow around them like dust. The stars slowly started to rotate and shoot towards each person, entering into them and disappearing in a blink of an eye. The room became a bit brighter allowing the people to see around them.
Kiyro felt a rush of energy that shocked his whole sense, wondering what has happened. The thousands of other stars that didn't enter into a host instead twirled around Angel forming into a blazing streaks of light. Angel raised up his hands, and the light converges over his head.
"What's going on?" Eve whispered. "Am I seeing things or is this all holographic?"
"I don't know, but those white lights gave me a funny feeling." Kiyro replied.
"You won't believe this." Will spoke with an open mouth. His eyes became wide with shock.
"What? Do you see something that we don't?" Daulton asked with curiosity.
"There is a high density of aura-like energy forming over his head and I never seen such thing before."
"Isn't it just a regular hologram?"
"No." Will whispered. "I can't explain it at all."
"You're kidding me, right?"
"Do you think I'm kidding?" Will voice was annoyed and snapped towards Daulton.
A creaking sound of machines could be heard from behind them. Everyone snapped towards the sound wondering what it was all about and noticed a strange bed that seem to be encased in glass. With a psh like sound of air escaping, every single one of the glass container opened. Inside the containers were the first generation Sense Gear Helmet plugged in.
"This is some weird Science fiction shit right here." Daulton swore. "I'm not sure I'm liking this a single bit."
"You can say that again." Eve couldn't help but agree with Daulton.
"Well now." Angel's voice brought everyone's attention back again. "It seems everything is in order."
The large black hole that was over his head was now as large as a door and took his previous place. He was standing in front of it blocking people's view. Everyone was craning there neck just to see what was going on.
"We shall begin." Angel smirked. "Who wants to go first?"
Nobody moved, instead everyone unconsciously moved back.
"No one? That's disappointing. Well then, the six of you come here." Angel pointed towards the closest group that was in front of them. None of them moved out of unease.
"I said come here." Angel's voice raised up an octave in a very commanding tone. "If you don't, your life is forfeit."
The six that was immobilized slowly went up to Angel with reluctance. Angel grabbed the nearest one by the collar. "You're too slow." He growled and chucked him through the black hole.
The boy that was tossed yelled in fright, but once his body passed through the dark hole and came out the other end, he went silent. His body tumbled forward and slumped to the ground. His lively peach colored skin was slowly turning a bit pale.
"Is he alright?" A young teenage girl asked in fear.
"Next!" Angel grabbed another person and shoved the frightened teenage girl through the black hole. She too screamed but was cut short when she passed through and her voice were shortly cut off.
"Move it now or I'll throw you all in."
The remaining four shakily walked towards the black hole and passed through it. Each and every one of them went through the same thing. All of them were laying on the floor not moving.
"Pick them up and placed them in bed." Angel motioned the other students to go on ahead. The nearby student did exactly what Angel said. "Next group!"
Everyone once again went silent and stood still. No one wanted to go through the black hole fearing that they would end up lifeless like the six that went ahead.
"I'll count to three if you all don't start lining up here. I will personally make an example out of one of you that will make you beg for death." Angel's words were like ice that cut through every soul.
"B-but sir, who's going to pick up our body if we fall down like the first six?" A young boy came up first towards Angel.
"Why, are you worried that your body will be damaged?"
"Don't worry you will be taken care of. Now…" Angel pushed him through without him noticing and the boy stumbled forward and fell through. Just like the six before him, the body fell forward lifeless on the ground. What came next was a strange sight for the students. A strange silhouette of a human walked out from the dark and picked up the student that was on the ground.
Kiyro hair started to raise up and he could feel the temperature dropping becoming ice cold. His breathe let out a puff of hot air that he could see in front of him. Even his nerves were yelling at him that something was not right. It was as if the student was floating up in the air and being carried to the glass bed.
"Kyaaaa! Ghost!" A girl scream in hysteria.
"Holy hell?!"
"Now. Don't mind them and just go through." Angel calmly spoke, but the students were backing up in fear thinking that what they were seeing before them was some kind of hoax.
"I said move!" Angel's voice boomed out loud catching everyone's attention. Even the shadow silhouette of the human's turned there head towards Angel. "When I said Move. Move!"
With a flick of his hands, Angel brought out a knife. The one who tried to run away, he threw the knife at the back of the student's shoulder. The male student stumbled and fell. His screams pierced through every one, making every one tense up in fear. They all stopped and look towards the one that threw the knife.
"I don't like repeating myself over and over again." Angel casually walked over towards the male student that was on the ground and crying out in pain. "I have warned all of you. Now." He bends over and pulled out his knife. Then he grabbed the boy by the hair and dragged him towards the black hole.
"When I say move, I mean through the damn gate. Not run around like pansies." Angel threw the student through the gate. He passed through and his body slammed to the ground. The silhouette once again came out and picked up the body.
"Well then. Do we need another example?"
Everyone shook their head. In orderly fashion, they reluctantly made there way towards the black hole. The line quickly move through, and it finally came to Kiyro's turn. When he stepped up and walked towards the black hole, he smelled a strange reek of sulfur permeating from it. He couldn't even see the other side of the hole and it just seem to be a solid black wall.
"What are you doing boy? Any longer and I will personally push you through."
Kiyro knew that Angel would do it. He steady his beating heart and took a step through. All of a sudden he felt a dousing of cold water that went throughout his whole body. His body tingled then suddenly vibrated. Even his ears, he heard a high pitch sound.
A sudden pull could be felt as he stepped through, and he heard a thump like sound behind him. He turned to see, but all he could see was a gray silhouette that seem to be on the ground. Next thing he noticed was that the students that came through were all standing around him.
Strange grayish looking human's that seem malnourished, picked up the gray humanoid silhouette on the floor. They carried the silhouette towards one of the twenty-four bright lights around the black hole. When they dropped his body into the light, Kiyro felt a sudden electric like zap of energy course through his body. A bright clear umbilical cord appeared around his bellybutton, and he noticed it heading straight towards where the the malnourished humans had taken the grey body.
The best way to describe it was that he felt life. A euphoric feeling of all of his senses stimulating him all at once. He walked towards where the cord and the light was. Stepping in towards the light, he covered his eyes. He glanced down and noticed the light dissipating. The next thing he saw shocked him. It was him lying on the bed with the Sense Gear slowly hooking up to his head.
"What is going on here?" Kiyro slowly spoke. Nothing was making sense, and the worst part of it all is that he felt like he had been through this before. He just didn't know what it was.
"Kahahahahah!" Red's voice laughed out loud with a shocking tone of voice, that everyone froze and turned towards him. "You fools are hilarious. This is killing me. What are you guys zombies?" He leaned forward trying his best not to fall over.
Kiyro noticed that Red had a large grin on his face as if he was mocking the group. "I must say, you guys are such a riot. It's like you saw something that you shouldn't."
"Excuse me." A older man in his early thirties came forward. "What's going on. You need to give us an explanation of this. Why are our body in this light? Where are we? What the hell are those creatures? I didn't see them anywhere in the room."
"Tch, this is why I hate being a teacher." Red replied with disgust. His eyes swept across everyone and then locked on Eve.
Eve stepped backwards uncomfortably. She peeled her gaze away from him and turned towards Kiyro pleading for his help. Kiyro unconsciously stepped forward towards her and blocked Red's view from Eve. Eve's hand slipped towards his and squeezed his hands.
Red shrugged his shoulder and turned his back on Kiyro. Kiyro let out a small sigh.
"Well, ladies and gentlemen." Angel was the last one to step through. He was smiling gently as if nothing was wrong. "Welcome to Gehenna or should I say Purgatory, the afterlife, or.…Hell."
"W-w-what bullshit are you spouting." The man who spoke to Red spoke out first. "You're saying this is hell? Come on? Really?"
"Your right. I was kidding.…… or am I?" Angel mischievously grinned.
"Quit pulling our legs. What are we doing here?" The man pointed at Angel demanding for answers.
"There is always one of you guys that just doesn't keep quiet and listen." With a flick of his fingers, a black dagger appeared from his hands. He rushed up towards the man and slit the light umbilical cord. Then his hands moved up towards his neck. Blood spewed outwards from the man's neck.
The man crumpled onto the ground, holding onto his bleeding neck. Everyone stood back in shock in what they had seen. The gray malnourished creatures shrieked in blood lust and rushed over towards the dying man. They tore through skin and bones devouring the man to pieces. Nobody moved, nor stirred. They could only stare in horror. Not a single piece of the man was left as the malnourished creatures backed off back into the dark.
Eve's grip became even harder than before. Kiyro could even feel that she was shaking in fear.
"Now, anyone else would like to test my words?" Angel waited for a couple of seconds then he smiled. "For all of you who want to know this. He's dead. Brain dead to be more exact. The best part of about it is that his spirit is forever gone too." He coolly stated as if it was nothing.
"Are you saying that we are in another dimension?" A young girl with pigtails spoke up. "This is truly the after-life?"
"You can think of it like that. What we have done today is projected our spiritual self into a lower dimension on Earth. I assume that some of you probably have this skill from the Seed correct? Something called Astral Projection."
Some of the people nodded.
"That's great. For those that does not, you should now be able to do so. Now, this room is a bit special. Nobody can come in nor get out without permission. It is a great place to talk and even practice how to use one's unique skills." A flash of lightning appeared in Angel's hands. A small electric ball formed in his hand creating a strong pulse of energy. "In here, your Seed skills are 3x stronger than in the physical world. I know that some of you have psychic ability to influence elements."
"This is getting completely into the fantasy realm." Daulton stated with excitement. "I mean, can we really become some kind of crazy powerful being?"
"I wouldn't count to much on that." Will spoke calmly. He was not too phased at the show of power that Angel was displaying. "Those grey creatures just devoured that man a second ago."
Daulton face paled and stared back where the blood were spilled. He gulped in fear.
"This room will be your new training ground. Come practice here at least once a week and your game character will also grow in its ability. Your regular level won't grow, but your skills will. The more powerful your skills are, the more powerful you'll become."
People were shocked when they heard about this information. They didn't comprehend how this world affected the game world.
"I can see that you are confused."
"Sir, if you would explain. What you are saying is highly illogical. How is it that this world effects the game world? I mean really? Isn't that all just fantasy?"
Red once again burst out laughing from behind Angel. "You fools. Did you really think that this was all a game? Really? Till now, you believed that the game of Growth was just a virtual game that everyone could just waste their life in? You're all fools."
Angel raised up his hands to stop Red from talking. "What Red says is true. The game of Growth actually has a dual purpose."
"That is?"
"To awaken."
"Is it not clicking in your mind?" Red spoke annoyed.
"Calm down. The little chicklings still don't understand." Red backed off and crossed his arms. "Have you ever wondered why there is a power button in the middle of the forehead?"
"Isn't it just a design?" Someone asked.
"No. It is where your third eye rest."
"Third eye?"
"The inner eye or better referred to the invisible eye which provides perception beyond the ordinary sight. The emblem of Growth is positioned above your third eye. Every time you turn on your Alive Gear, the electric energy stimulates your brain activating this eye. Every single one of you have all have been unconsciously stimulating it every time you play."
"But we didn't know this. What good would this do? Plus, we never agreed to stimulate our third eye."
"So?" Angel shrugged his shoulders. "Do you think that the mass would believe such a thing. Our media, our society, and the people around you had already ruled out such things as lies as overactive imagination. Plus, you have all stated 'Yes' when you have agreed to obtain the Seed. Human's curiosity and desires have always won over our instincts. We all crave for power, to be a step ahead of one another."
"This is bull." A young woman stepped up denying what Angel had stated.
"Once again, denial is the first step towards acceptance. From all the abilities that you have gained from the Seed, do you think that you don't believe?"
"Yes." She firmly stated.
Angel smiled. "Then why are you here?"
"You threatened me."
"Yes I did, but you are still here. You could've left you know."
"But I would have died."
"You're right though, right now you can go. My first lesson today is accomplished." Angel motioned his hands. Everyone look at him crazy. "Though I know you will be curious about what I would tell you next."
The woman hesitated from going forward.
"I thought so. Your curiosity won you over." Angel lips turned into a curl. "We as a humanity in whole are being called to evolve into a higher state in mind. The real purpose I don't know, but this so far is the function of the Alive Gear that we noticed."
"Why are you telling us this now?" Kiyro spoke. He felt that there was something that Angel was not telling.
Angel turned towards Kiyro's voice. A sudden chill ran throughout his body when his gaze stopped on him.
"Because this was the right thing to do."
"Right thing?" Kiyro didn't believe it for a second. This man in front of him was a cold blooded killer. He wondered where the strange sense of moral even came from.
"Yes. You are all chosen to take part in the next phase of training to improve your skills for the better cause of humanity."
The word better cause made think that there was a different meaning behind Angel's words.
"Now then, every week on Sunday you will all meet up here to practice your Seeded skills. To get out, all you need to do is head over towards your body and touch your body in. It's as simple as that. I'll be heading out first."
Angel turned and headed towards his body. He merged and disappeared leaving everyone behind.
"Is what he said true?" Eve tugged on his hands.
"I believe most of it, but I'm not to sure about the rest." Kiyro answered. "From his demonstration.
The other students slowly started to leave one-by-one.
"We should go. Staying here too long gives me the creeps." Daulton shuddered.
"I agree with you." Eve shook her head furiously. Everyone followed suit and went towards their body.
Kiyro stopped in front of his. He glanced around to see that Eve, Alex, Tonia, Will, and Daulton all entered into their bodies leaving Kiyro behind. He turned back around and reached forward. It was like he was once again falling from the sky as he crashed into his body.
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Comments re: Sac City USD bullying prevention
October 17, 2019
RE: Resolution No. 3110: Recognition of National Bullying Prevention Month, October 2019
Sacramento City Unified School District (View the written Resolution here and video will be posted the Tuesday after the board meeting)
(Due to time constraints for public comments, our spoken comments were summarized to the Board; however, written copies of this entire public comment were provided.)
Dear Superintendent Aguilar, President Ryan and Board Members,
The Coalition for Students with Disabilities believes that through equity and access all students can achieve academic, social, and life success. However, bullying creates barriers to equity and access particularly for students with disabilities, students of color, and LGBTQ students who are in unsafe learning environments. SCUSD students and families need SCUSD's commitment to intentional and specific actions and investments that directly impact climate and culture at school sites.
We appreciated that the current reality of SCUSD's school climate was finally acknowledged by district leaders in August. These included known issues such as exclusionary practices affecting students, a lack of a district wide infrastructure, the opt-in culture at sites, uneven practices between sites, and a focus on adults vs students. However, Bullying Prevention and Intervention was not discussed in depth though bullying is one of the major climate issues at school sites. This lack of focus tells families and students that that the district accepts the status quo and intends on continuing to do what isn't working.
Bullying Prevention Month and Resolutions can create awareness for the larger community. But the community, especially those directly affected, wants to know what the specific actions are and what is the rationale behind them. We understand the SCUSD's budget for bullying only pays for one person's salary and not does not allocate any specific resources or much staff time at school sites to support intentional work. This resolution, though heartfelt, doesn't even scratch the surface on bullying in SCUSD. Bullying is a systemic issue and it is negatively impacting the outcomes of our most vulnerable student groups.
We are asking for more specific actions from the district that will follow the intent of this resolution. Why?
1. There are no numbers connected to the resolution. The data that has been reported over the years is very confusing and unclear though we have some clear data on climate and culture issues at schools and district wide.a. In 2017/18:
i. 630 school staff, parents, and community members were trained in bullying prevention. There are over 2000 teachers!
1. All admins receive a 2-hour training (must be completed every 2 years) on bullying. Administrators are then expected to go back and do a 1-hour staff training.
ii. 54 number of schools utilized an evidenced-based program.1. How are we measuring the impact and outcomes of the program?iii. 165 reports of suspected bullying
iv. 607 consultations with administrators, school staff, and parents/guardians
v. 56 in-person mediationsb. During the 18-19 School year it was reported that there were:
i. 365 consultations were provided to school staff and families, and
ii. 195 students received case management services and supports.iii. Intensive mediations were completed in 51 cases.
The data given in 17-18 and 18-19 were reported inconsistently. To measure progress, we need them to be reported in a manner that would allow for comparison from year to year.
- Provide information as to how are we measuring the impact of the training?
- Provide information about why only some staff, teachers, admin are trained in bullying.
- Measure the impact of train the trainer models.
- Provide information about why there are not enough professional development hours in the school year (9 months in the year and 1-hour staff training each month).
- Provide information # Prevention Trainings (breakdown of attendees, and schools).
- Provide information # Initiatives at schools (breakdown of initiatives and schools and community partners involved).
- Provide information # Reports of bullying (whether on a form or letter, in person, or via email).
- Provide information # Substantiated and # Not Substantiated Reports (by school, by type, e.g., protected class).
- Provide information # Investigations, Consultations, & Mediations (by school, by type, e.g., protected class).
- Provide information # Safety Plans Created
2. Parents say that the Response to Bullying Complaints is Inappropriate. Our students feel unheard. We want our students to be taken seriously when they come forward.
- Often parents hear things like,
– "We hear you, but we could not substantiate any bullying occurred" or
– "We need to talk about your child's behavior" (their response to bullying gets more of a reaction than the bullying that caused it) or,
– "Your child does not understand social cues. They perceive bullying, but it is not happening."
- We also have found that those who are tasked with investigating bullying (many times the principal or vice principal) seem more worried about the image of their school being tarnished, especially when it involved discriminatory bullying.
- Some parents are throwing up their hands and pulling their kids from their neighborhood schools and even our district.
- We need NEUTRAL investigators of a bullying complaint. Not a person who is already telling us that there was no bullying before the investigation has even happened. Because this is a repeated occurrence, the Coalition recommends that families report bullying that falls under harassment and discrimination to the Office of Civil Rights and having them conduct the investigation as a NEUTRAL entity.
3. The School Climate Collaborative is not accessible to parents/family members. We want this to be expanded to parents, especially parents of students with disabilities, students of color, and LGBTQ students. We are not clear if these meetings open to the public. We are not clear who all of the community partners are. We recommend that they be posted. How can we get everyone to talk about school climate to be involved in planning and partnerships, funding opportunities? Our Coalition is willing to volunteer time to help establish more partners.
a. The Bullying Prevention Coordinator chairs the School Climate Collaborative which is comprised of district staff, community partners, teachers, and students. Members include district staff (SEL, Attendance, LCAP, Constituent Services), community partners, and students.b. The district stated it is working with Community Partners, but "they cannot provide systemic district-wide programs". Which organizations are supportive to students with disabilities and LGBTQ students?
i. Yo! Disabled and Proud offered to help provide school trainings but their name is not listed on the partnership list.
ii. The LGBTQ Community Center is not listed.
4. We would like our district to track the types of bullying so that prevention and intervention resources can be placed in the right areas.
a. Experiences for student with disabilities, students of color, and LBGTQ students have much overlap. The broader literature on bullying such as information provided by The PACER center has links to clear statistics:
i. The reasons for being bullied reported most often by students include physical appearance, race/ethnicity, gender, disability, religion, sexual orientation. More than one out of every five (20.8%) students report being bullied.
ii. Bullying based on a student's perceived or actual disability, race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion is considered harassment.iii. Students with disabilities are much more likely to be bullied than their nondisabled peers. The PACER website has links to the report sources for these stats: for example:
- Children with disabilities were two to three times more likely to be bullied than their nondisabled peers.
- 60% of students with disabilities report being bullied regularly compared with 25 percent of all students.
iv. Students who identify or are perceived as LGBTQ also experience bullying at high rates.
- 74% of LGBT students were verbally bullied (e.g., called names, threatened) in the past year because of their sexual orientation and 55.2% because of their gender expression.
- 36% of LGBT students were physically bullied (e.g., pushed, shoved) in the past year because of their sexual orientation and 22.7% because of their gender expression.
- 49% of LGBT students experienced cyberbullying in the past year.
v. Bullying of students of color
- 25% of African-American students, 22% of Caucasian students, 17% of Hispanic students, and 9% of Asian students report being bullied at school.
- This morning the Sacramento Bee reported that CA Muslim students are bullied at nearly twice the national average. A new report shows that 40% of Muslim students reported being bullied because of their faith.
- More than 1/3 of adolescents reporting bullying report bias-based school bullying.
- Bias-based bullying is more strongly associated with compromised health than general bullying.
- Race-related bullying is significantly associated with negative emotional and physical health effects.
5. The effects of bullying are devastating to our youth including behavior problems, mental health issues, low self-efficacy, and poor school adjustment. This extremely concerning as bullying behavior and suicide-related behavior are closely related..
- The Center for Disease Control says that bullying behavior and suicide-related behavior are closely related. This means youth who report any involvement with bullying behavior are more likely to report high levels of suicide-related behavior than youth who do not report any involvement with bullying behavior. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/bullying-suicide-translation-final-a.pdf
- Increased risk for poor school adjustment, sleep difficulties, anxiety, and depression.
- Mental health and behavior problems.
- Negative effect on how they feel about themselves (19%), their relationships with friends and family and on their schoolwork (14%), and physical health (9%).
- Twice as likely as non-bullied peers to experience negative health effects such as headaches and stomachaches.
- Youth who self-blame and conclude they deserved to be bullied are more likely to face negative outcomes, such as depression, prolonged victimization, and maladjustment
6. Lastly, SCUSD's anti-bullying policy and this Resolution, need to apply also to adults in our district. We also need to call out when adults bully. It's not just students who deserve as safe environment.
a. The District's Anti-Bullying Policy needs to lay down a structure and foundation that applies to the board, admins, teachers, staff, AND students.
b. For example, there have been recent and past incidents when school board members were bullied and harassed (including online) by adults who work for our district and within our district. This must stop immediately. Enough is enough. Parents and community members are not happy about this. It doesn't reflect well on our district. But most importantly, it does not lead by example.
We hope to receive follow up on our above suggestions and look forward to an open and transparent dialogue. If the district is committed to equity, access and social justice, we need change sooner rather than later. There is a saying that goes, "Diversity is having a seat at the table, inclusion is having a voice, and belonging is having that voice be heard." We ask that decision makers hear us and demand transparency, collect and review the right information to make meaningful changes, and include all stakeholders to be a heard: students, parents/family members, community members and organizations, staff, teachers, and administrators.
A copy of this statement was provided on 10/17/19 to Jessica Wharton, Bullying Prevention Coordinator, SCUSD

subset: commoncrawl


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Breaking: TX College On Lockdown, Reports Shooter On Campus
Update 2:24 p.m.: Two people just told KHOU that the shooting occurred when two students were fighting in the school and pulled guns on each other, so it doesn't seem to be a premeditated attack. One of the three people shot is believed to be one of the suspects. KHOU is streaming live here.
Original post: There are currently three people who appear to be injured after one or more shooters opened fire on the Lone Star College campus in North Houston on Tuesday.
A campus spokesperson confirmed to ABC 13 early this afternoon that shots were fired on the Lone Star campus. Three people appear to be injured, two women and one male. Local CBS affiliate KHOU reports that one suspect is already in custody and one is still outstanding. Students are being ushered into the wooded area near the school for safety, and the campus is on lockdown. KHOU just reported the shooting took place in the school administration building, and then one shooter retreated to the library. S.W.A.T. teams just arrived on campus, but much remains unknown about the scene, including weapon details or confirmation on the shooters and victims.
A Houston-area community college went into lockdown Tuesday afternoon amid reports of a shooter on campus.
Lone Star College System issued an alert on its website Tuesday telling students and faculty on its Houston-area campus in north Harris County to take immediate shelter or avoid the campus. College spokesman Jed Young said it had received reports of a shooter.
Aerial footage from local television stations showed police cars and ambulances parked on the campus, emergency personnel attending to people on stretchers and at least person being put into an ambulance. Other people could be seen running from a building led by officers.


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How competent is your team at engaging a reluctant patient? As a nurse or manager, it's your job to make sure they have those skills. There's no substitute for role-playing the skills you want your team to master. It takes five or ten minutes, max, and you'll know that they've got it. Don't assume they've picked it up from watching you.
Consider This
Arguably one of the most important skills your staff need to master is active listening. Be sincere and empathetic, because your attention validates the patient's struggle and frustration. Sometimes a friendly smile makes a huge difference.
Make sure that you:
- are fully present (not thinking about the last patient or the next patient),
- have open body language (uncrossed arms, leaning forward),
- are nodding your head and making affirmative noises ("mm-hmm" or "uh-huh").
When you're engaged in medication education, remember the handy anagram D.E.A.T.S.
D - Draw Curtain. Partially for privacy, but mostly to block anything that might divert attention from your presentation about a new medicine.
E - Engage Patient. Let your patient hold the pill, or handle the bottle of liquid, and repeat its name. Help them get familiar with what it looks like.
A - Adapt Communication. Use communication methods preferred by the patient. Use everyday language, especially with older folks. Avoid fancy, difficult medical terms.
T - Translate As Necessary. I worked at a hospital in downtown Los Angeles where, on any given day, twenty seven different languages could be spoken. There were caregivers in that hospital able to speak almost every one of those languages. Plus, they had access to phone translators. Get translators involved if necessary!
S - Side Effects. People need to know the potential side effects: how they might feel, what they'll look like, and what to do if they appear.
The Take Away
Patients that are reluctant to ask questions may be put at ease through active listening. Remember to focus, lean forward, nod, make affirmative noises, smile, and use D.E.A.T.S. to cover all your bases.
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Everyone wants the ideal job – good working conditions and excellent pay – and today many of us apply for new positions online and via email. While our digital age offers many benefits, it has also opened the door to scammers who send out fake job offers.
If you receive a job offer that appears to come from MOL Group, how do you know if it's genuine? Below are our Top 10 Tips for spotting fake job offers.
1. MOL Group Never Sends Unsolicited Job Offers
Our company doesn't approach a person regarding a job if that person has not applied for it on our digital platforms. The way to show interest is to apply directly for a job that has been listed on either our LinkedIn Career Page, or on our Career Portal Page.
We NEVER randomly approach people with job offers.
2. No Job Is Offered Without Interviews
Applying online is just the first step in the job application processes at MOL Group. If our recruitment team contacts someone who has applied for a position, it is because that person is being considered for the second step – the first round of interviews.
We NEVER hire someone we've not met/spoken to.
3. MOL Group Never Asks Applicants To Pay
We never expect payment from an applicant – not for the submitting of CVs, online applications, interviews, or any other scenario. We invest great time and effort in finding the right talents – once we've found them, the success they help us achieve is the only payback we're looking for.
We pay you (once you're employed); you NEVER pay us.
4. Be Alert To Strange-looking Email Addresses
In some email clients, a sender is identified only by a name. However, when you click on that name you will usually see a full address. Always check such addresses – if the email comes from a non-corporate address (e.g. Gmail, Yahoo Mail, etc.), then it is not an official email. Also, keep an eye open for email addresses that have a typo – again, an indicator that the email is not from MOL Group.
All of our employees have OFFICIAL MOL Group email addresses (e.g. @MOL.hu)
5. Be Alert To Poor Use Of English
While it is true that occasional errors might appear in an email's text, if the quality of English is very poor, it was not written by one of our recruitment experts.
If an email is full of spelling/grammatical ERRORS, it didn't come from us.
6. Don't Trust Incorrect Contact Address
While MOL Group's HQ is in Budapest, Hungary, we also have numerous other offices around the world. If you receive correspondence that comes from a country where MOL Group is not present, the communication did not come from us. To check official addresses, visit molgroup.info. At the bottom of the home page is an interactive map – click on a country and it will give you the official contact details.
Our contact addresses are CLEARLY LISTED. Please check first.
7. Be Suspicious Of Vague Job Descriptions
When advertising an available position, our recruitment experts take the time to give as much relevant information as possible. Our employment pages highlight the scope of the job, the employee's main tasks, and the requirements that he/she must have (experience, qualifications, etc.).
If a job description is vague, it WASN'T written by us.
8. We Never Ask For Private Information
Scams almost always start by telling you that you've been personally selected for an incredible opportunity, and then a little later in the communication you are asked to provide private details for the processing of your application. At MOL Group we never ask for personal information when discussing a potential job. If you're not actually employed by us, we have no interest in your bank account details, your social security number, or any other such information.
We NEVER ask for private information from a potential employee.
9. Strange Formatting
Fake job offers sometimes feature an emailed image – the image typically being a typed letter with 'official' stamps of approval and images relating to a company or place. Others feature formatting issues that would never be approved by a legitimate company (images of signatures, logos used at the wrong size or with the wrong placement, colours that don't match with the genuine company's branded materials, etc.). Look at our websites and LinkedIn page to see how MOL Group is visually branded.
If an email 'looks' wrong, it often IS WRONG.
10. We Contact You By Phone, Not The Other Way Around
If we want to talk, MOL Group will arrange a time for us to reach out to you. Similar to point 6 in our list, don't just check the listed physical address of a company, also be alert to unusual telephone numbers - especially if the person contacting you is asking that you "quickly respond by dialling this number." There is a strong chance that you are being asked to call a number that will lead to a very expensive call appearing on your next telephone bill.
If MOL Group is interested in continuing your application process and needs to speak to you directly, we will contact YOU.


text: Trelleborg AB, founded in 1905 and headquartered in the town of the same name in Sweden, is a world market leader in terms of engineered polymer solutions to protect critical applications in the most demanding of environments. The Group has some 15,000 employees spread throughout the world. In addition, Trelleborg owns half the equity of TrelleborgVibracoustic, a global leader producing antivibration solutions for both light and heavy vehicles. The BV judging panel declare Trelleborg winner of the 2016 award: Most Innovative Engineering Solutions Sweden.


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Roxana Pop | Staff Photographer
Anthony M. Kennedy, associate justice of Supreme Court of the United States, delivers a special lecture on the week's theme, "The Pursuit of Happiness," Monday afternoon in the Hall of Philosophy.
In the eyes of Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, Americans take their freedom for granted. As he spoke to the Chautauquans packed in and around the Hall of Philosophy at 3:30 p.m. Monday, he drew upon history and tradition to illustrate how vital it is that Americans engage in the discussion of freedom.
kaitrin mccoy
He admitted that in his younger years, he thought democracy could be given like a gift. He joked that some people think they can introduce democracy to a country, wipe their hands and say goodbye, and then democracy will be magically "installed."
"Democracy and the idea of freedom are not in your DNA," Kennedy said. "You don't take a blood test to see if you believe in freedom. Freedom is taught, and teaching is a conscious act."
The value of education, knowledge and conscious thought was a running theme in Kennedy's lecture. He said that the role of current generations is to ensure that future generations inherit a freer future.
"We must know and understand our heritage and our history, its triumphs and its mistakes," Kennedy said.
The Declaration of Independence should be a source of inspiration for Americans, Kennedy said. It's an indictment of the monarchy of King George III, and it is a defense of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
"You should read the Declaration of Independence," Kennedy said. "Tell your children. We want our young people to read and to discuss this magnificent Declaration of Independence. It's one of the most beautiful pieces of prose in all of political history."
But the most important document in American history is the Constitution, Kennedy said. He called it "one of the most brilliant documents in the history of human thought." Despite the varying interpretations of its spacious wording, the document unites all Americans. He said that to understand the Constitution, one must understand the context in which it was written.
"In order to get through it, I read it backwards," Kennedy said. "I've read it a number of times, but I always see something new."
By engaging in these documents — researching their writers, discussing them and reinterpreting them in a modern context — Americans can navigate an increasingly polarizing social discourse with civility and respect.
"I see in this nation a discourse that's hostile, fractious, uncompromising," Kennedy said. "That's not the mark of a society that's rational and probing and thoughtful."
The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights says that all speech is protected. The Constitution may only control the government, Kennedy said, and the government cannot decide what thoughts or books or movies are "good" or "bad."
However, Kennedy takes issue with ethical relativism pervading the American public's political discourse. He called it a philosophy in which "one person cannot insist on the correctness of his or her views."
"We are reluctant to condemn, we are reluctant to talk about the nature of evil and crime and punishment," Kennedy said. "A society with a civic consensus must make judgments on what's good, bad, beautiful, ugly, right, wrong. That's not just your right as a citizen; it's my submission that it's your responsibility."
Kennedy said his duty as an associate justice of the Supreme Court is ultimately to give reasons for how and why he interprets the law as he does. It is important to not allow the press to infiltrate the courtroom at its highest levels, he said.
"We teach, by keeping the press out, [that] we're judged by what we write," Kennedy said.
One of Kennedy's fears in letting the press bring television cameras into the Supreme Court would be that justices would try to speak in "headlines" and "quotes" rather than engage in the legal matters at hand.
"I don't want to introduce that insidious dynamic between myself and my colleagues," he said.
Kennedy told the gathering that above all, he wants them to keep asking the difficult questions — the ones that probe into difficult matters and encourage thoughtful conversation.


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One percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration (or "how I used an iPad for SharePoint development")
To break a long-running blog silence, I thought I'd share a run-down of something I recently did. See, we were contacted to see if we could assist in a SharePoint project. The customer was having a number of problems with some custom code, and they had already run well beyond their original schedule. I stepped in, spent some time familiarizing myself with the code and fixed everything I could fix in a reasonable amount of time.
That's not the interesting part, of course. That begins right after we deployed to production. Because obviously I made the rookie mistake of deploying right before I went on vacation. To top that off, I had spent considerable effort learning concepts that my colleagues weren't familiar with, so obviously that left me with no fallback. In any case, off to Thailand I went with my wife.
Three days passed – we spent a couple of days getting used to the locale, and one Friday on an Intro Dive, trying out scuba diving – and I had already sort of gotten used to looking at sceneries like this:
Now, those of you who were facepalming and groaning at the end of the second paragraph can probably guess what happened next. I got a rather anxious contact from the customer. There was an issue in production, and it was clearly linked to my changes.
I spent a while gathering information on the situation and trying to provide clues to my colleagues if they were to try and tackle the problem without me. After a bit of back-and-forth SMSing with the parties involved, I began to feel that I really should try to do something about the problem myself. Only I was in Thailand with no computer.
Luckily, our hotel had two rather modern (albeit shabby looking) PCs, complete with Windows 7, cheap internet access and no protocol limiting. Obviously, I wasn't going to get a development environment running there, but at least it gave me a stepping stone.
My first flash of insight came when I remembered a service called Vaasnet. Vaasnet rents out preconfigured Hyper-V virtual machines by the hour, and one of their preconfigured setups contained SharePoint Foundation 2010. I didn't take that route at first, though, but instead started out with a blank Windows Server 2008 environment. The first thing I tried to install there was the Cisco VPN client I'd need to access the test environment.
Unfortunately, the VPN story wasn't that straightforward. Cisco AnyConnect for Windows doesn't allow for configuration of split tunneling on the client side, and I had zero chance of getting that changed at the server side during the weekend. So every time I tried opening the VPN connection, the client refused because I had a RDP connection open at the same time. For a moment, I considered going around that problem by installing VMware, going all Inception-like and running a VM inside the VM. But it turns out Hyper-V and VMware don't really get along. Who'd have guessed…
Not to be stopped that easily, I fired up another Vaasnet machine. This time, a SharePoint Foundation instance, since I was going to need that to build my changes anyway. I installed a VNC server on the first machine, opened the VPN and tried VNC'ing in from the other instance – the idea being that the VPN client wouldn't notice that I'm connected from a remote machine. Well, it worked, sort of. Except of course the VNC connection got cut off, because it was reliant on the same NIC that was now entirely tied up by the VPN.
I fiddled around for a moment, unsure on how to proceed. And then Vaasnet hit on one of their maintenance windows, and I was temporarily blocked from the VMs. So I did the reasonable thing: I grabbed a beer and went sunbathing for a couple of hours. A view like this certainly does help soothe the nerves:
After I got back to the hotel, I set out to install Visual Studio on the SharePoint VM. After that, however, I didn't really know what I'd do next. So I grabbed my iPad and dabbled around for a moment. Then I suddenly remembered that I've got an app called Cloud Connect Pro that can do RDP. On a whim, I typed in "cisco anyconnect" to the App Store search, and I was rewarded with this:
I installed the client, and was pretty pleased with the prospect of at least having the VPN now. I could use the Vaasnet VM to build the solution I was working on, then transfer the files to the iPad. Finally, I could open up the VPN, connect to the test environment and deploy the package. Imagine my surprise, when configuring the connection details revealed this little gem:
See the "Connect On Demand" and "Domain List" there? That's … split tunneling. So not only did the client exist for the iPad, it was in fact more configurable than the PC counterpart!
From this point onwards, the process was a fairly straightforward, if not too easy change-build-copy-copy-deploy cycle. During which I learned that Visual Studio is really tedious to use over RDP, and even more so on a touch keyboard. I was helped somewhat by ReSharper – the snippets that make my daily workflow smooth really helped over the slow network connection.
After about twenty cycles of testing and probing, I finally hit on the correct solution. Typing the email wherein I asked the customer to try it out was one of the most satisfying work-related things I've ever done.
That said, I didn't mind finishing my beer and turning my attention to this:
(We spent the rest of the weekend buried in the PADI Open Water Diver manual. Then, we started the following week by completing the course itself.)
Good times!


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Common Mistakes Could Blow Your B-School Dreams
The most competitive MBA programs accept just a tiny fraction of the qualified candidates who apply each year, so you have to do everything you can to maximize your chances of getting in.
However, applicants often get tripped up by seemingly harmless mistakes that diminish their chances without them even realizing it. To see what I mean, check out the article I wrote for Bloomberg Businessweek on how to blow your chances of getting into a top business school.
Thankfully, round one deadlines are still a few months off, so if you think you may have strayed down any of these erroneous paths there's still time to correct course. And remember, you don't have to be a so-called "perfect" candidate to get into an elite MBA program; but self-awareness is a defining trait of every successful MBA.


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What sort of bugs do you come across? Challenge: find a little creature and take a snap 😃
Many times on my walks I come across a bug or two 😄 If a bug or insect has cuteness appeal then I take a snap. Click, click, click….Here are the ones who made the cut and are nominated for 🐜🐌🐞🐛. Lisa's Souper Bug Award:
This bug or spider…I'm not sure what to call it. Spider I'm going with spider. I love his buggy black eyes and striped antennas. He also selected a nice 🌾floral 🌾setting for his photo op. Nice background long legs.
🐜 This ant looks so huge to me. He's busy all right. Those legs are up to something! Similar lily like our long legged friend 😃
This bee picture is one of my best photos with a bee.
🐝 I'm loving the soft edges on the bottom left and the road makes such a wonderful gray background. This macro photo was cropped in to follow the rule of thirds.
🌺 I love looking closer at an everyday object – like this flower – and allowing it to captivate me with its rich details.


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Q My daughter is in her first year in college, but is very unhappy in her course. Her attendance has probably been poor throughout the year and I do not believe that she will pass her end-of year exams.
She should have applied through CAO again this year for a different course. Is it too late to do so now? Would she have to pay fees for the first year of a new course?
A Firstly, she still has time to apply for another course this autumn. Anybody may apply to CAO by the late application date of May 1, subject to restrictions.
In addition there is a facility whereby people who are current undergraduate students in any year in any one of the higher education institutions (and who had entered that HEI through CAO) may make a late application for a new course, in paper form only, to arrive in CAO by July 22.
The form must be stamped by the admissions officer of the institution in which the applicant is a student. All details relating to this exceptional closing date facility may be found in the current CAO handbook, either in print or at www.cao.ie.
Your second question relates to your daughter's liability for fees. Under the free tuition fees arrangement, students are entitled to free tuition fees for each year of their course, but not usually for a repeat year of the same course, or another first year of a second course.
If a student withdraws from a course before February 1, they may be entitled to free tuition fees for half of the first year of a new course, but this does not seem to have happened in this case.
If a student withdraws from a course after February 1, he or she is not usually entitled to free tuition fees for any of the first year on a new course. (Funding arrangements differ for third level courses. Details may be found on the Department of Education and Skills's website or through their booklet, Financial Support for Further and Higher Education.)
There are a number of things that unhappy students should do before applying for another course. They should discuss their problem with a student advisor, counsellor, or tutor in the college they are attending. They should ask themselves what is wrong with the course on which they enrolled. Why do they not like it? Have they given it a fair chance? Had they researched it properly before applying for it? Could they make it work with a little effort?
Each student's problem can be different, and a range of reasons may lie behind their difficulties. The course on which they are enrolled may have been a low preference course on their CAO application last year, in which they have very little interest.
They may be struggling with financial or personal problems which do not allow them to concentrate on what they are doing. The prospect of imminent examinations may cause them to panic. They may find a particular college a daunting environment and might be happier elsewhere.
Sometimes these problems can be sorted through and resolved, but sometimes students may genuinely feel they would be happier and do better in another course or college. The important thing is that they seek the appropriate help.
Open days: The Institute of Technology, Tallaght, (ITT), Dublin 24 will host an Open Evening this evening from 6pm - 9pm; The Institute of Technology, Blanchardstown, (ITB), Dublin 15, hosts an Open Evening on Tuesday, April 20, 4pm-7pm.


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EUCLIDE Jumbo Jewelry Box
EUCLIDE is the bestseller collection of our Belgian brand : high quality handmade boxes in imitation leather which are a wonderful gift for your wife, mother, daughter or every jewelry lovers.
Giant leather-look synthetic Jewelry Box. Easy to carry with its 2 lateral carrying handles. Locked with 2 metal code locks. Mirror in the lid. One small removable case and one soft roll for travel or safe. Removable tray. 6 drawers. Also containing deep drawers, for larger jewelry.
Dimensions : 44 x 29 x 29cm
Designed in Belgium.
Deliveries :
Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg : Next Day Delivery
France, Germany : 48h Delivery
Rest of the World : 2-7 Working Days
Returns :
You have 30 days to change your mind.


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Carne Bollente is as sex-positive as it gets. Established in 2014, the independent Paris-based brand champions embracing one's sexuality and subsequent kinks through clothes that incorporate cheeky, sex-related graphics. The label's playful illustrations are on full display for AW21, here on the Lust Bound T-Shirt, which sees graphics in direct correlation with the name of the piece. On the back you will find a tied-up couple with various outfits and masks scattered around them, suggesting a little S&M is on the menu. When you don Carne Bollente garms out in public, be prepared for side-eyes and muffled chatter. But that's just everyone else's problem — wear it loud and proud, baby.
Order your regular size.
Made from organic cotton. Short sleeves. Crew neck. Graphic detail on the chest and back.
DHL Europe
Delivery in 3-4 working daysFedEx Standard Shipping
Delivery in 4-6 working daysFedEx Priority Shipping
Delivery in 2-3 working daysWe ship to your door; any additional import charges such as duties will be taken care of by us.
14 day free returns worldwide


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Diapers. Food. Baby clothes. Swaddling. CPR.
There are a ton of things new parents learn about that they might not have been familiar with before — and all of these new terms and techniques can be overwhelming. But Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian are by each other's sides throughout her pregnancy, and it looks like they're supporting each other every step of the way.
Williams shared photos and videos from an "infant CPR" class she and her fiancé took on Snapchat over the weekend. Serena nailed many of the techniques, like swaddling, but Ohanian had a bit more trouble.
In the Snapchat videos, Williams mocks her fiancé for failing to swaddle a baby doll correctly — but you can tell it's all in good fun. Their back-and-forth is very sweet, and they definitely have great chemistry. (And Ohanian will surely get better at all the baby stuff as they get closer to Williams' due date — it's not easy!)
"Good swaddling, Serena," Williams says to herself in the video, panning over a baby doll she's expertly shrouded in a striped blanket. Then she playfully asks "what happened" to the doll Ohanian's attempted to swaddle — her fiancé missed one of the baby's legs when wrapping the doll up. It looks like he has more to learn before their baby arrives, but Williams should have no problem showing him the way.
Welcome to Mothership: Parenting stories you actually want to read, whether you're thinking about or passing on kids, from egg-freezing to taking home baby and beyond. Because motherhood is a big if — not when — and it's time we talked about it that way.
Read These Stories Next:


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If you did not qualify this time in your exam, please watch this video.
For any help with preparation of CA/CS/CMA exam, use CA/CS/CMA Video lectures. Thousands of successful students will strongly recommend you these video classes.
It is very easy to place the order give missed call at 9980100288 for any help.


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Just days after releasing Google Chrome 57 to the public, the Chrome team is pushing the latest update to Android device users. If you haven't gotten yours yet, it should come in a few days at the most. Custom Tabs improvements seem to be one of the top features on version 57 of Google Chrome.
Of course, there's Progressive Web App support that's deeply integrated with Android. As we noted earlier, a lot of the major changes in Chrome 57 are around Android and Chrome OS. You can read about that in greater detail in this article.
Better Control over Custom Tabs
Essentially, the Custom Tabs changes are on top of what Chrome has had since 2015. Custom Tabs is simply a way for apps to open webpages without actually launching the full browser. As such, you'll only get basic Chrome functionality on these tabs.
Not any more. Google Chrome 57 brings parity between custom tabs and your regular Chrome browser, and that means a seamless Chrome experience when an application opens a custom tab.
These new abilities include being able to save the page for offline reading, bookmarking, requesting the desktop version of the page/site, searching within the page (Find in page) and adding the site to your home screen.
Chrome 58 takes that a step further and lets you open custom tabs links in a new tab, and you can preview the beta on your Android device by downloading it from Play Store.
Search Engine Customization
On Android, Chrome previously didn't let you add your own search engines. You had a choice of 5 search engines: Google, Yahoo!, Bing, Ask and AOL. That's changed with Chrome 57, and you can now add a recently-visited search engine as your web search default.
Introducing WebAssembly
WebAssembly, in its most basic form, is an alternative to JavaScript. It's ideal for Android because it gives you a better experience with web applications.
Dubbed "wasm", WebAssembly is still in its experimental stages. The primary objective for now is support for C/C++, with plans to support other languages in the future. Contributions to its development come from all the big names: Apple, Google, Microsoft and Mozilla.
On Google Chrome 57, it is enabled by default on both desktop and Android releases. You can see a demo of it here.
Media Session API
This feature gives your media notifications to show you more information, and allows the page to add additional buttons like seek and skip. It also brings in more metadata for you to see, like the artwork for an album.
Here's an example you can look at to see how it works on the new Google Chrome 57.
What Else on Google Chrome 57?
The address bar brings in more physical suggestions for places near you, video orientation will now automatically change on your device to match that of the video, search suggestions for articles are updated more frequently on the new tab page and they've brought in support for CSS Grid and more.
Where to Get Chrome 57? I Can't See it on Play Store Yet
The new browser version should be available through Play Store in a few days if it's not there yet, but you can also install the APK signed by Google. It will simply upgrade the existing version of Chrome that you've got on your device.
APK Mirror for Google Chrome Version 57.0.2987.108
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Changes to the Friends and Family & Accredited Investor Exemptions
Subject to certain requirements, private companies can sell shares to friends and family and "accredited investors" without issuing a prospectus or hiring a registered securities dealer. These exemptions have been amended to require that companies take "reasonable steps" to confirm that investors meet the requirements of the exemption. Companies may no longer simply rely on the representations of the investor. In addition, accredited investors must sign a new Risk Acknowledgment Form.


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ROCKLIN (CBS13) — The Rocklin Academy school board is facing tough questions from parents concerned over a controversial incident involving transgender discussions inside a kindergarten class.
"These parents feel betrayed by the school district that they were not notified," said Karen England with the Capitol Resource Institute.
The incident happened earlier this summer during the last few days of the academic school year.
At Monday night's board meeting, the teacher at the center of the controversy spoke out. With emotions high, she addressed a packed house.
"I'm so proud of my students, it was never my intent to harm any students but to help them through a difficult situation," she said.
The teacher defended her actions to read two children's books about transgenderism including one titled "I am Jazz." She says the books were given to her by a transgender child going through a transition.
"The kindergartners came home very confused, about whether or not you can pick your gender, whether or not they really were a boy or a girl," said England.
Parents say besides the books, the transgender student at some point during class also changed clothes and was revealed as her true gender.
And many parents say they feel betrayed and blindsided.
"I want her to hear from me as a parent what her gender identity means to her and our family, not from a book that may be controversial," a parent said.
"My daughter came home crying and shaking so afraid she could turn into a boy," another parent said.
The issue was not on the agenda, so parents spoke out during public comment.
"It's really about the parents being informed and involved and giving us the choice and rights of what's being introduced to our kids, and at what age," said parent Chelsea McQuistan.
Many teachers also spoke out in support of what transpired inside the classroom. They spoke about the importance of teaching students about diversity and having healthy dialogues.
One parent said the impact on her son was extremely positive.
"It was so precious to see that he had absolutely no prejudice in his body. My child just went in there and listened to the story, and didn't relate it to anything malicious, or didn't question his own body," she said.
"When we head in the direction of banned books or book lists, or selective literature– that should only be read inside or outside the classroom, I think that's a very dangerous direction to go," said 7th grade teacher Kelly Bryson.
The district says the books were age-appropriate and fell within their literature selection policy. Unlike sex education, the topics of gender identity don't require prior parental notice.
In a statement during the board meeting, the district said: "As indicated by Superintendent Robin Stout in a communication last week, staff will be engaging parents and teachers in discussions about how materials outside our curriculum will be addressed in the future."
The large discussion has compelled the board to put the item on the next month's agenda.