16 February: 47

Today is the 47th day of the year. 10 things you might not know about the number 47:

1. 47 is the atomic number of Silver.
2. +47 is the international dialling code for Norway.
3. The ancient Mesopotamians discovered that Mars has a 47 year cycle, taking that amount of time to return to the same position among the stars and the same relationship to the Earth and the Sun.
4. In 1964, a professor called Donald Bentley of Pomona College, California, wrote a joke mathematical proof that all numbers equal 47, to introduce his students to the concept of the mathematical proof. It led to 47 being a favourite number of the college and its students.
5. It didn't stop there, since one graduate of that college was one Joe Menosky, who went on to become a Star Trek: The Next Generation story writer. He took his affection for the number 47 with him, and hence 47 shows up quite a lot in the Star Trek franchise since then. The Enterprise was built in Sector 47 of the Riverside Shipyards. 47 Klingon ships are said to have been destroyed by Nero's ship, the Narada. The computer of the Enterprise reports to have found 47 occurrences of the word "Darmok" in its database. And so on.
6. There's more. One of the Star Trek producers who became infected with 47 mania was J. J. Abrams, who went on to make frequent use of the number in subsequent films and TV shows he has directed, The final sequence of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol takes place on Pier 47; In Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the thermal oscillator is located in Precinct 47 – to name just two.
7. One of the founders of the Brooklyn-based hip hop collective Pro Era, Jamal Dewar, better known by his stage name Capital Steez, was another big fan of the number. According to him, 47 is a perfect expression of balance in the world, representing the conflicts between the Heart and the Brain (the fourth and seventh chakras).
8. There was an incident in Japanese history which has become legendary – the story of the 47 Ronin. Ronin is a word for a Samurai without a leader. The 47 found themselves in this position when their leader, Asano Naganori, was compelled to perform seppuku (ritual suicide) for assaulting a court official named Kira Yoshinaka. The 47 spent a year planning revenge on Kira, and in due course, killed him. This meant they all had to perform seppuku as a punishment for murder. The story represents the kind of loyalty, sacrifice, persistence, and honour Japanese people should aspire to. Incidentally, there are 47 Prefectures of Japan.
9. Agent 47 is a character in the video game Hitman and its spin offs. He is, as the name suggests, a paid assassin who shows no emotion and is extremely efficient. He's a clone, the 47th clone to be created in an army of genetically engineered hit men.
10. In numerology, the number 47 is all about relationships and building teams and relationships that will prosper. A person who has the number in their numerology profile will be diplomatic, co-operative intuitive and pragmatic. They're good at dealing with people and will do so in a sensitive way. They probably belong to a number of social groups for different purposes and feel lost and lonely if they find themselves alone.

Who's That Girl?

Matt Webster lives in a tower block and attends a failing school. He dreams of being a spy like James Bond. Little does he know that he is being watched by someone who can make him into even more than that – a superhero.

His first solo mission is to attend a ball at the Decembrian Embassy and discover who is planning to steal a priceless diamond. While there, he meets the mysterious Lady Antonia du Cane, and is powerfully drawn to her. It soon becomes clear, however, that Lady du Cane is not what she seems. Matt’s quest to discover who she really is almost costs him his career.

A modern day Guy Fawkes gathers a coterie around him with the aim of blowing up Parliament with a nuclear bomb. To achieve this, they need money. Lots of it. Selling the Heart of Decembria Diamond will provide more than enough. All that stands in their way is the Freedom League – but the League is beset by internal disagreements. Can the heroes put their differences aside in time to save the day?

Prime Minister Richard Miller and his wife Fiona grieve for their daughter, Yasmin, who has been missing for three years, and is presumed to be dead. Viper agent Violet Parker could hold the key to what happened to Yasmin, but Violet is accused of giving away the organisation’s secrets. She is to be executed without trial. Will she take her knowledge of what happened to Yasmin with her to her grave?

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