14 May: Yellow Day

Yellow Day is celebrated in South Korea on this date. Couples dress in yellow and give each other Roses. 10 facts about the colour yellow, the one we see when our eyes take in light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 570–590 nm.

1. Yellow is the most visible colour from a distance, which is why it is commonly used for vehicles which need to be seen, such as taxis, road maintenance vehicles, and school Buses. It is also why is it used for road signs signifying a need for caution as opposed to danger. A yellow Traffic Light means slow down and be prepared to stop. This meaning has found its way into the world of sport, as well - a yellow penalty card in a Soccer match means a warning, rather than expulsion.
2. Yellow is a very important colour in China, where it traditionally represents Happiness, glory, and wisdom. In China there are five compass directions - the north, south east and west that we are familiar with, and the middle - which is represented by yellow. It is also a colour associated with Chinese royalty - the legendary first emperor of China was called the Yellow Emperor. The most recent emperor of China wrote in his memoirs that when he was a child, every object surrounding him was yellow. In China, a distinguished guest is welcomed with a yellow carpet rather than a red one.
3. In International maritime signal flags a yellow flag denotes the letter "Q" or a ship communicating that it does not need to be quarantined.
4. The yellow colour of things in nature is more often than not caused by chemicals called carotenoids. Autumn leaves, corn, canaries, Daffodils and other yellow flowers, Lemons, Egg yolks, Buttercups and Bananas. In plants they absorb light energy for use in photosynthesis, and protect the green chlorophyll from light damage. In autumn, the chlorophyll levels fall, and the yellow carotenoids beome more visible. Yellow pigment in animals and birds comes through the plants they eat.
5. Most people know that in the 1930s, the Nazis demanded that Jewish people wore yellow stars. Yellow as a colour of exclusion didn't begin with the Nazis. As far back as the Renaissance non-Christian outsiders were marked with yellow. In 16th century Spain, people accused of heresy had to come before the Spanish Inquisition wearing a yellow cape. Other negative associations with yellow include ambivalence, duplicity, anxiety, cowardice and betrayal (in the early Christian church, yellow was associated with Judas Iscariot). In the west, only six percent of people name yellow as their favourite colour and seven percent say it is their least favourite.
6. On a more positive note, yellow is associated with warmth, because sunlight has a yellow hue, due to the surface temperature of our Sun. It is also associated with cheerfulness, optimism, reason and wisdom. Describing clever people as "brilliant" or "bright" originated from such associations. In some universities, members of the science faculties wear yellow caps and robes because yellow represents reason and research.
7. Ancient Greek and Roman gods were often depicted with yellow Hair, especially sun gods. Since most people in Greece or Italy were naturally dark haired, it became fashionable for women to dye their hair blonde, perhaps because they wanted to look like goddesses, or perhaps because they were fascinated with the exotic yellow hair of slaves from Gaul, Britain, and Germany. Yellow hair is generally referred to as blonde, golden or fair because of the aforementioned negative connotations of the colour.
8. Yellow pigments were among the first used in art. One of the Lascaux cave paintings in France is of a yellow Horse, which is 17,000 years old. The pigment used for that was yellow ochre. The ancient Egyptians and Romans used yellow pigments for skin tones in tombs and murals. The Egyptians may have used orpiment as well, which was highly toxic because it was made from arsenic. Indian yellow, or magnesium euxanthate was commonly used in oil paintings. It was said to be made from the urine of Indian Cows fed only on mango leaves. In food colourings, the most commonly used yellow colouring is Tartrazine, or E number E102. It is found in mustard, jams, jellies, sweets and soft drinks. It is also used for cosmetic products like shampoos.
9. The colour yellow in printing is one of the three primary ink colours along with cyan and Magenta, but yellow on a TV or computer screen is a secondary colour, produced by combining Green and Red light.
10. The third, solar plexus chakra or Manipura is symbolically represented by yellow. Psychics who can see auras say that a person who has a significant amount of yellow in their aura is often in an occupation requiring intellectual acumen, such as a scientist. However, given how cynical scientists usually are about such things, I doubt they see it very often!

Closing the Circle

A stable wormhole has been established between Earth and Infinitus. Power Blaster and his friends can finally go home.

Desi Troyes is still at large on Earth - Power Blaster has vowed to bring him to justice. His wedding to Shanna is under threat as the Desperadoes launch an attempt to rescue their leader. 

Someone from Power Blaster's past plays an unexpected and significant role in capturing Troyes.

The return home brings its own challenges. Not everyone can return to the life they left behind, and for some, there is unfinished business to be dealt with before they can start anew.

Ben Cole in particular cannot resume his old life as a surgeon because technology no longer works around him. He plans a new life in Classica, away from technology. Shanna hears there could be a way to reverse his condition and sets out to find it, putting herself in great danger. She doesn't know she is about to uncover the secret of Power Blaster's mysterious past.

Available from:

Amazon (Paperback)

Amazon Kindle

Completes The Raiders Trilogy. 

Other books in the series:

Book One

Book Two