April 9: 99th day of the year

Today is the 99th day of the year (in a non-leap year). 10 facts about 99.

1. It is the atomic number of Einsteinium, synthetic element with symbol Es.
2. In Islam, Allah is said to have 99 "Beautiful Names" or attributes, although there is no definitive agreement as to exactly what they are, since the Quran and the Hadith contain slightly different lists. Based on this concept is an Arabic comic book, "The 99" about a team of 99 superheroes, each of which possesses a superpower based on one of Allah's attributes. Their special abilities are conferred to them by "Noor" gemstones. They are led by Dr. Ramzi, a scholar and social activist, to fight evil and chaos; their principal enemy is Rughal, who wants to harness the power of the Noor stones for himself.
3. 99 in Roman numerals is XCIX.
4. The common practice of setting prices ending in .99 is known as psychological pricing or charm pricing. There is evidence that consumers perceive such prices as being lower than they are and round them down - so if something costs £2.99 they perceive that they are spending £2 when actually, the price is virtually £3.
5. 99 Red Balloons was a UK hit in 1984 for the German band Nena. That was the English version - a German version, 99 Luftballons, was a hit in Europe and Japan in 1983. The song was inspired by the release of balloons at a Rolling Stones concert in West Berlin in 1982, observed by Nena's guitarist Carlo Karges. He speculated what might happen if if they floated over the Berlin Wall. The German and English lyrics are not a direct translation of one another but they tell the same basic story of balloons being released and causing a nuclear war. In the German version, they are mistaken for UFOs and military pilots sent to investigate start shooting at them for fun, causing panic leading to war. In the English version the balloons set off a faulty missile warning system. At the end, the singer is walking through the devastation holding one Red balloon, which they let go and watch fly away.
6. Another song with this number in the title is 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall, which is popularly sung on long coach trips by groups of children. One by one the bottles of Beer are either taken down, or fall from the wall. A long and repetitive song, it's unlikely the whole 99 verses are sung very often, except by an American comedian Andy Kaufman who would sing all of them as part of his routine.
7. In the UK, a 99 is a flake Chocolate bar produced by Cadbury, and also an Ice cream cone with a 99 stuck into it. The origins of the name aren't clear. There are several suggestions. One is that it derives from the street number of a sweet shop (either in Portobello Road, London or Wellington Street in Manchester) where the shop owner had the idea of breaking a flake bar in half and sticking it in an ice cream cone. Another theory is that it is in honour of the final wave of Italian First World War conscripts, born in 1899, who were known as "the Boys of '99". While Cadbury don't come out on the side of any of these theories and say the name origin is "lost in the mists of time", but they do refer on their website to a Cadbury document which says the name came from the guard of the Italian king, which consisted of 99 men and "anything really special or first class was known as 99."
8. The International Organization of Women Pilots is also known as The 99s. It was founded in 1929 when Amelia Earhart invited the 117 registered female pilots at the time to a meeting to discuss forming a group. 99 of them turned up, so they became known as The 99s. The group provides networking, mentoring and scholarship opportunities for female pilots all over the world. There are 155 chapters across the globe, including one which is online, for busy pilots who aren't in one place for long enough to join their local one.
9. The number 99 is mentioned six times in the Bible, including 99 being the age of Abraham when God appeared to him, and the number of sheep left behind in the parable of Jesus when the shepherd goes off to find the 100th lost sheep.
10. The A99 in Caithness, Scotland, is one of only four roads in the UK to have a black rating for high risk of serious and fatal accidents in the EuroRAP report. In June 2008, the Road Safety Foundation declared the most dangerous road in Scotland was the stretch of the A99 between Latheron and Wick. After Wick, the A99 goes on to John o' Groats.

New!

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