21 February: Celandine

Today is Celandine Day. 10 things you might not know about lesser celandine (Ficaria verna):

1. It belongs to the Buttercup family, and is not related to greater celandine, a member of the poppy family.

2. It has fleshy dark Green, heart-shaped leaves and distinctive flowers with bright Yellow, glossy petals.

3. It flowers from late February to May in the UK and is regarded by many as a harbinger of spring. CS Lewis no doubt did, as he mentioned the plant in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: when Aslan returns and Narnia’s perpetual winter ends, the children notice that the ground is covered in all directions with little yellow celandine flowers. It is also a favourite flower of the protagonist Paul Morel in Sons and Lovers, by DH Lawrence.

4. The plant is poisonous if ingested raw and potentially fatal to grazing animals. However, cooking eliminates the toxicity and it can be eaten as a vegetable or used as medicine. Nicholas Culpepper is said to have treated his daughter for 'scrofula' (or Kings evil) with this plant, and it is a traditional cure for piles, because the knobby tubers of the plant resemble them. Another word for the plant is pilewort. It’s also rich in Vitamin C and therefore good for preventing scurvy.

5. It was once thought that you could use lesser celandine to predict the weather as they close their petals before raindrops.

6. Lesser celandine grows on land that is seasonally wet or flooded, especially in sandy soils, but is not found in permanently waterlogged sites.

7. Lesser celandine is pollinated by bees, small beetles and flies, and caterpillars eat the leaves.

8. William Wordsworth loved them and wrote three poems about them: To the Small Celandine, To the Same Flower, and The Small Celandine. When he died it was proposed that a celandine be carved on his memorial plaque inside St Oswald's Church, Grasmere, but the flower carved thereon is actually a greater celandine.

9. Edward Thomas wrote a poem entitled Celandine. Encountering the flowers in a field, the poet is reminded of a past love, who is now dead. He also remarked on banks of celandines in his early prose work In Pursuit of Spring.

10. In America, lesser celandine is considered an invasive weed and is banned in some states. In the UK it is generally considered a weed, but some horticulturists have recommended them as a good thing to plant at the base of a hedge next to a lawn.

Beta

(Combat Team Series #2)

Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?

Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.

Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream. 

Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.

Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.

Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.

Paperback

E book

20 February: 51

Today is the 51^st day of the year. Here are 10 fun facts about the number 51.

1. Area 51 is the common name of a highly classified United States Air Force facility within the Nevada Test and Training Range. It is a remote detachment administered by Edwards Air Force Base, officially called Homey Airport or Groom Lake. The intense secrecy surrounding the base has made it the frequent subject of conspiracy theories and a central component of unidentified flying object (UFO) folklore.

2. +51 is the code for international direct dial phone calls to Peru.

3. In the 2006 film Cars, 51 was Doc Hudson's number.

4. It’s the atomic number of Antimony, a lustrous grey metal or metalloid with the symbol Sb (from Latin stibium).

5. "51st State" is a term used to refer to any potential future US state, for example, Puerto Rico, or a non-US entity which adopts US policies.

6. 51 is a 2011 American horror film directed by Jason Connery, starring Bruce Boxleitner and John Shea. It is part of the After Dark Originals lineup.

7. There are 51 laps in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

8. Fifty-One Tales is a collection of fantasy short stories by Irish writer Lord Dunsany, considered a major influence on the work of JRR Tolkien, HP Lovecraft, Ursula le Guin and others.

9. In science, Photo 51 is an X Ray based fibre diffraction image of a paracrystalline gel composed of DNA fibre. It was the 51^st of a series taken by a postgraduate student working under the supervision of Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin at King's College London, and which was critical evidence in identifying the structure of DNA.

10. In numerology, a person influenced by the number 51 is concerned with nurturing and family. To them, family will include close friends and neighbours as well as blood relatives. They have definite ideas on what constitutes an ideal family and part of their vision will be enjoying pleasant and stimulating adventures with those they consider to be family. In social situations, 51 tends to inject humour and light energy into the ambiance of the group.

Beta

(Combat Team Series #2)

Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?

Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.

Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream. 

Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.

Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.

Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.

Paperback

E book

19 February: Lee Marvin

 This date in 1924 saw the birth of actor Lee Marvin. 10 facts about him:

1. His real name was Lamont Waltman Marvin Jr.

2. He was a direct descendant of Thomas Jefferson and a distant cousin of George Washington.

3. He left school at 18 and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve. He served in the second world war, during which he took part in the invasions of 21 islands. He was a sniper and would be sent in during the night in a small rubber boat, prior to the rest of his platoon. He was wounded and nearly died during the Battle of Saipan, an engagement in which most of his unit was killed. He received a medical discharge and was awarded a number of medals, including the Purple Heart.

4. He claimed that he learned to act during the war, by pretending not to be afraid during combat.

5. Back in the US, he found work as a plumber’s apprentice. He was repairing the Toilet at a community theatre when he was asked to stand in for an actor who was ill. This is when he caught the acting bug and moved to Greenwich Village to study at the American Theater Wing.

6. His film debut was in You're in the Navy Now (1951), but his breakthrough roles were The Big Heat and The Wild One (1953).

7. When filming started for The Wild One, Marvin couldn’t ride a motorcycle. Not wanting to be upstaged by co-star Marlon Brando, he learned, and took to it quickly. He later became a keen competitor on his Triumph 200cc Tiger Cub in desert races.

8. Despite his military record, he was anti-war and was known to refuse roles in films which glorified war. He turned down the lead role of Gen. George S. Patton in Patton for this reason and hated his most famous film, The Dirty Dozen, saying it was nothing like actual war, and that he’d only made it because he needed the money.

9. He only kept four souvenirs of his career. These were: his Best Actor Oscar for Cat Ballou; the citation he received from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame for his performance in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance; his Gold Record for Wandering Star; and the high-heeled shoe that Vivien Leigh beat him with in Ship of Fools.

10. He struggled with alcoholism which led to difficult relationships with some of his co-stars and often being pulled over by the cops for drunken driving. According to his first wife Betty Ebeling he’d get away with only a warning and signing an autograph for the officers. This, and his heavy smoking, no doubt contributed to his death at just 63 from a heart attack. He was buried with full military honours at Arlington National Cemetery.

Beta

(Combat Team Series #2)

Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?

Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.

Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream. 

Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.

Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.

Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.

Paperback

E book

18 February: Bernadette Name Day

Today is the name day for people called Bernadette.

Bernadette is a French name, a female form of the name Bernard, which means "brave bear". 10 famous Bernadettes:

1. St Bernadette Soubrious: aka Bernadette of Lourdes, French saint known for experiencing apparitions of a "young lady" who asked for a chapel to be built at the nearby cave-grotto.

2. Bernadette Quigley: American television, film, stage and voice-over actress. She is known for her recurring role of the Chaplain in Mr. Robot and numerous guest-star appearances on shows such as The Blacklist, Law & Order, and Chicago Justice.

3. Bernadette Devlin or Bernadette McAliskey: Irish civil rights leader and former politician. She served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Mid Ulster in Northern Ireland from 1969 to 1974.

4. Bernadette Rostenkowski: character on the American television series The Big Bang Theory.

5. Bernadette Peters: American actress and singer with a career spanning more than six decades. She has starred in musical theatre, television and film.

6. Bernadette Nolan: Irish actress, singer and television personality, formerly lead vocalist of the girl group the Nolans. She was the second youngest of sisters Anne, Denise, Maureen, Linda and Coleen.

7. Bernadette Chirac: French politician and widow of the former president Jacques Chirac.

8. Bernadette "Bernie" Collins: Formula One strategy analyst for Sky Sports and F1TV and former F1 strategy engineer for the Aston Martin F1 team from Northern Ireland.

9. Dame Bernadette Mary Kelly: British senior civil servant who has served as permanent secretary for the Department for Transport since 18 April 2017.

10. Bernadette Pajer: author known for her works, particularly the Professor Bradshaw Mystery series, whodunnits set in her home of Washington State circa 1900.

Beta

(Combat Team Series #2)

Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?

Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.

Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream. 

Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.

Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.

Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.

Paperback

E book

17 February: Red Cabbage

Today is National Red Cabbage Day. 10 things you might not know about red cabbage:

1. The scientific name for Red cabbage is Brassica oleracea.

2. It’s also known as Blaukraut. But wait. That’s German for Blue cabbage! This might be because the colour does vary depending on the pH value of the soil it is grown in. In acidic soils, the leaves grow more reddish; in neutral soils, they will grow more Purple, while an alkaline soil will produce greenish-Yellow cabbages.

3. Red cabbage juice can be used as a homemade pH indicator, turning red in acid and Green/yellow in alkaline solutions.

4. This is because the vegetable contains a substance called anthocyanin, which is also found in Blueberries and flower petals.

5. Red cabbage keeps better than its white cousins, so didn’t need to be preserved for the winter by turning it into sauerkraut.

6. Cooked red cabbage is 91% Water, 7% carbohydrates, 1% protein, and very little fat. It has a high content of vitamins C and K, and is a moderate source of vitamin B6.

7. Red cabbage is native to Europe and was popular with the Romans, who introduced it throughout their empire.

8. The first written references to red cabbage date back to the 12^th century, in the works of by Hildegard von Bingen, a renowned German herbalist, who referred to it as "Rubeae caules" to distinguish it from white Cabbage.

9. During the 14th century, it was used primarily by peasant families as food for both people and livestock. Red cabbage first appeared in aristocratic kitchens in the 18th century.

10. In German folklore, it is believed to bring good luck and prosperity, especially when served as part of a festive meal. It is a common side dish at Christmas.

Beta

(Combat Team Series #2)

Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?

Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.

Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream. 

Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.

Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.

Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.

Paperback

E book

16 February: Geordi La Forge

This date in 2335 will be the birthdate of Geordi La Forge, character on Star Trek the Next Generation.

1. He is portrayed by LeVar Burton. Other actors considered for the role were Wesley Snipes, Reggie Jackson, Kevin Peter Hall, Clarence Gilyard, and Tim Russ (Tuvok on Star Trek: Voyager).

2. La Forge was born on February 16, 2335, in Mogadishu, Somalia of the African Confederation on Earth to Silva La Forge, a Starfleet command track officer and eventual Captain of the USS Hera (NCC-62006) and Edward M. La Forge, a Starfleet exozoologist. He has a sister, Arianna. He has said that with two parents in Starfleet he was an "army brat", frequently moving homes depending on where his parents were stationed. Burton's own youth was similar: he was born on an American military base in Germany.

3. Geordi's parents were played by Madge Sinclair and Ben Vereen. Sinclair has played Burton's mother in four different projects. She also played his wife in Roots.

4. La Forge has been blind since his birth and uses technological devices that allow him to see, most notably his trademark VISOR. VISOR is an acronym for "Visual Instrument and Sight Organ Replacement". It scans the electromagnetic spectrum, creating visual input, and transmits it into the brain of the wearer via the optic nerves. The prop used on the show, however, is nothing like as high tech as that. On the first day of filming, they improvised, using an automotive air filter and a hair band. Burton has said the device was unpleasant to wear. 85 to 90% of his vision was lost while wearing it, which he said was quite ironic: he was playing a blind man who could see thanks to this device but in reality he was a sighted actor rendered almost blind by the prop. It also gave him constant headaches.

5. He attended Zefram Cochrane High School and Starfleet Academy from 2353 to 2357. In 2357, he was assigned as an ensign aboard the USS Victory under Captain Zimbata. He was then transferred to the USS Hood serving with then Lt. Commander William Riker, during which he was promoted to lieutenant junior grade.

6. He got the gig on USS Enterprise-D because he once stayed up all night to fix a shuttle craft for which Captain Jean-Luc Picard had reported a minor problem. This devotion to duty impressed Picard so much that he requested La Forge on his next command.

7. He served as helmsman of the USS Enterprise-D in the first season of The Next Generation, then occupied the role of the chief engineer for the rest of the series and in the films before appearing as a commodore in Picard.

8. The character was named for George La Forge, a quadriplegic fan of the original Star Trek series, who died in 1975.

9. La Forge has two daughters, Alandra and Sidney, who joined Starfleet by 2401. Like their father, Alandra has become an engineer while Sidney has become a pilot.

10. Gene Roddenberry originally planned for La Forge to be gay, while the show’s producers originally planned to make La Forge a teacher in the starship’s school. There were also plans to have La Forge revealed as an alien. He was going to discover that his father was not who he thought he was, and his mother had been impregnated by an alien. There was to be a storyline in which his alien relatives came to get him, but the idea was abandoned.

Beta

(Combat Team Series #2)

Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?

Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.

Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream. 

Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.

Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.

Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.

Paperback

E book

15 February: 46

Today is the 46^th day of the year. 10 fun facts about the number 46:

1. 46 is the number of chromosomes a human being has.

2. This fact inspired the title of the 2003 film Code 46, directed by Michael Winterbottom and starring Tim Robbins, Togo Igawa, Nabil Elouahabi and Samantha Morton. It is described by IMDB as “A futuristic Brief Encounter (1945), this is a love story in which the romance is doomed by genetic incompatibility.” Also, 46 is the number that unlocks the Destiny spaceship on the Sci-Fi TV show Stargate Universe, for the same reason.

3. +46 is the code for international direct dial phone calls to Sweden.

4. There are 46 Mountains in the Adirondack mountain range. People who have climbed all of them are called "forty-sixers”.

5. The first flag of the US state of Oklahoma had a number 46 on it because it was the 46th state to join the United States.

6. Staying with the USA, Joe Biden was inaugurated as the 46th President of the United States on January 20, 2021.

7. 46 is the atomic number of Palladium, a chemical element with the symbol Pd. It is a rare silvery-white metal discovered in 1802 by the English chemist William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas.

8. 46 in Japanese can be pronounced as "yon roku", and "yoroshiku" which means "my best regards" in Japanese, so people sometimes use 46 as a greeting.

9. 46 Hestia is a large, dark main-belt Asteroid. It is also the primary body of the Hestia clump, a group of asteroids with similar orbits.

10. In the Catholic version of the Old Testament, there are 46 books, the Book of Lamentations being counted as separate from the Book of Jeremiah.

Beta

(Combat Team Series #2)

Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?

Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.

Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream. 

Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.

Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.

Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.

Paperback

E book