2 February: 33

Today is the 33^rd day of the year. Here are 10 things you might not know about the number 33:

1. 33 is the atomic number of arsenic.
2. It crops up quite often in religion. In Christianity, 33 is said to be the age Jesus was when He was crucified and resurrected. In Buddhism, the second level of heaven is called Trāyastriṃśa, meaning "of the 33 (gods)." It’s also the number of incarnations the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara is said to embody. In Islam, prayer beads are usually arranged in sets of 33. Also, Pope John Paul I, whose reign was one of the shortest in history, is known as the 33-day pope.
3. In motor sport, 33 is the traditional number of racers in the Indianapolis 500.
4. If you count the bones in the coccyx individually, the human spine has 33 vertebrae.
5. +33 is the code for international direct-dial phone calls to France.
6. 33 is the number of miners involved in the 2010 Copiapó mining accident. It began on 5 August 2010, with a cave-in at the San José copper–gold mine in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile. Thirty-three men, trapped 700 meters (2,300 ft) underground and 5 kilometres (3 miles) from the mine's entrance, were rescued after 69 days. They became known as “Los 33” and a film made about the accident was called The 33.
7. The modern Russian and Georgian alphabets consist of 33 letters.
8. World Snooker Championship semi-finals are played over 33 frames.
9. The lunar year has approximately 354 days, the solar year has 365 days, which means it takes 33 years for the cycle to return to its original position.
10. In numerology, 33 is a master number. People with 33 as a life number are born to inspire, influence and lead, and are likely to be authors, pastors or teachers.

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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