9 July: Napkins

On this date in 1887, Paper manufacturers John Dickenson introduced the first paper napkins at their annual dinner at the Castle Hotel, Hastings. 10 facts about napkins.

1. In Ancient Greece, they had edible napkins. They used a piece of dough called an apomagdalie to wipe their fingers after eating.

2. The use of paper napkins was first documented in China. A description of paper napkins appears in a list of the possessions of the Yu family, from Hangzhou. These napkins were known as chih pha. They were folded in squares, and used for serving Tea.

3. The word 'napkin' dates from the 14th century and derives from the Old French word for tablecloth, nappe. It literally translates as “little tablecloth”.

4. Until the 17th Century, most people ate with their fingers. At dinner parties held by rich people, a servant would bring a bowl of Water for diners to rinse their fingers and then they’d dry them with a napkin. In those days, napkins wouldn’t be provided. Guests were expected to bring their own.

5. By the 19^th century, table linen had become a status symbol. They were expensive to buy and people often mentioned in their wills who was to inherit the napkins. Not only that, there were no Washing machines so they had to be laundered and it was quite a faff to keep them pristine and white. Lye or urine might be used to bleach them and then they had to be stretched on frames to dry.

6. Napkins may have dipped in popularity in the late 19^th century as the fork became more widely used. In an 1887 edition of Good Housekeeping, Albert Aylmer claimed that the use of forks made the napkin a bit less essential for most meals.

7. It was around this time that paper napkins began to appear in the UK. British firm John Dickinson Ltd. acquired decorated paper napkins from Japan and printed their logo and marketing information on them. They became sought after souvenirs, but were seen as bad form in terms of dining etiquette. In 1896, Helen Thompson of Brooklyn Magazine noted some initial scepticism around paper napkins: “Paper napkins! Who ever heard of such nonsense! What good are they?” Although she did go on to say: “Now, however since their value has become known, every picnic party must be well supplied with these little squares of Japanese art. Hotels and boarding-houses have begun to use them, greatly to the delight of their guests, and it will not be long before restaurants, steamboats and even private families will have them in use.”

8. It was the mid 20^th century before paper napkins really took off. Production methods had improved for one thing. Emily Post wrote in 1948, "It’s far better form to use paper napkins than linen napkins that were used at breakfast."

9. Conventionally, the napkin is folded and placed to the left of the place setting, outside the outermost fork.

10. Can you recycle paper napkins? Sadly, probably not. Paper can only be recycled so many times and things like napkins and Toilet paper are made from paper which has already been recycled numerous times and so the paper is reaching the end of its life cycle. Also, they may be contaminated with grease from food (apparently you’re not supposed to recycle Pizza boxes for the same reason). The best option, so long as they’re not greasy, is to throw used paper napkins in the compost bin.

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

8 July: 189

 Today is the 189^th day of the year. 10 facts about the number 189.

1. The year 189 was a common year starting on Wednesday, known at the time as the Year of the Consulship of Silanus and Silanus. In this year, Galen published his "Treatise on the various temperaments" and Pope Victor I succeeded Pope Eleuterus as the fourteenth pope, and the first to come from Africa.

2. The Roman numeral for 189 is CLXXXIX.

3. In Binary it’s 10111101.

4. 189 Phthia is a main belt Asteroid discovered by Christian Heinrich Friedrich Peters in 1878, in Clinton, New York, and named after Phthia, a region of ancient Greece.

5. NGC 189 is an open cluster in the Cassiopeia constellation. It was discovered by Caroline Herschel on 27 September 1783, and independently rediscovered by John Herschel on 27 October 1829.

6. The A189 is a road in England which runs between the A184 in Gateshead, Newcastle Upon Tyne and the A1068 north of Ashington.

7. 189 is a 2021 film directed by Ikuo Kamon. 189 is a phone number to call when a child needs to be saved from an abusive situation. Taiga Sakamoto works as a rookie child welfare officer dealing with those calls and has to deal with the death of a child.

8. London bus 189 runs from Brent Cross Shopping Centre to Marble Arch Station.

9. According to the Urban Slang Dictionary, 189 is when someone in basketball misses a ridiculously easy shot, and is dubbed the worst player ever. Another definition here is a group of attractive women.

10. In numerology, 189 energy is independent and efficient, and resonates strongly with compassion and tolerance. The energy finds opportunities to assist the well-being of humanity and takes the initiative to bring it about. It is also efficient and has a good business sense. When 189 initiates a project, things get done.

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

7 July: All You Need is Love

On this date in 1967 The Beatles' All You Need is Love was released. 10 things you might not know about the song.

1. All You Need Is Love was written by John Lennon.

2. The song had been heard before the release date. It was Britain’s contribution to Our World, the first live global television link, which took place on 25 June. The Beatles had been asked to provide a song with a message, using simple English so it could be understood by everyone. The programme was broadcast via satellite and seen by an audience of over 400 million in 25 countries.

3. The song opens with the French national anthem, "La Marseillaise," and ends with a coda which incorporates Greensleeves, Glenn Miller's In The Mood, plus two of the Beatles own hits, She Loves You and Yesterday.

4. The song is unusual because the chorus has only one note, and it’s in a rare 7/4 tempo.

5. The B side was Baby, You're a Rich Man.

6. John Lennon, in an interview with official Beatles biographer Hunter Davies, said that although the message seems simple, there’s more than one way to interpret it. There’s the obvious one, “that love is the most important thing in the world” but he went on to say that it could also mean “that love is the one thing you are lacking, the thing you haven't got."

7. Lennon didn’t value his hand written lyrics to the song all that much; in fact, he left them behind in the studio after the Beatles final appearance on The BBC. A member of staff picked them up and saved them from the bin. In 2005 that same piece of Paper sold for a million pounds.

8. All You Need Is Love was the entrance music for Queen Elizabeth II during the UK Millennial celebrations in 1999. It was also sung by choirs across the kingdom in 2002 during the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebration.

9. Although the performance for One World was extremely colourful and psychedelic, it was broadcast by the BBC in black and white, which annoyed The Beatles' right-hand man Neil Aspinall. "It was psychedelic and all the rest of it,” he said, “but the BBC filmed it and black and white! If we'd have known that, we'd have filmed it ourselves."

10. There have been many cover versions, including Echo and the Bunnymen, Elvis Costello, Noel Gallagher, Brandi Carlile, The Flaming Lips, Katy Perry and Pinky and Perky. It has also been performed by the North Somerset Good Afternoon Choir.

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

6 July: Patricia Name Day

Today is the name day for people called Patricia. Patricia is a feminine given name of Latin origin. Derived from the Latin word patrician, meaning 'noble', it is the feminine form of the masculine given name Patrick.

10 famous Patricias:

1. Patricia Arquette: American actress. She made her feature film debut as Kristen Parker in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.
2. Patricia "Tricia" Nixon Cox: daughter of Richard Nixon
3. Patricia Cornwell: American crime writer known for her best-selling novels featuring medical examiner Kay Scarpetta.
4. Patricia Neal (pictured): American actress of stage and screen, known for playing World War II widow Helen Benson in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951).
5. Patricia (Pat) Phoenix: English actress who became one of the first sex symbols of British television through her role as Elsie Tanner, an original cast member of Coronation Street.
6. Patricia Routledge: English actress and singer, best known for her comedy role as Hyacinth Bucket in the popular BBC sitcom Keeping Up Appearances.
7. Patricia Walker: Marvel Comics superhero Hellcat
8. Hurricane Patricia: the most powerful tropical cyclone on record worldwide in terms of maximum sustained winds. Formed October 20, 2015; Areas affected, Mexico and Texas.
9. Patricia Highsmith: American novelist and short story writer widely known for her psychological thrillers, including her series of five novels featuring the character Tom Ripley.
10. Patricia Heaton: American actress. She appeared in a recurring role in the drama series Thirtysomething and later in the comedy films Memoirs of an Invisible Man and Beethoven. 

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

5 July: Dolly the Sheep

Born this day in 1996 was Dolly, a female domestic Sheep remarkable in being the first mammal to be cloned. 10 things you may not know about Dolly the Sheep:

1. Dolly was cloned by Keith Campbell, Ian Wilmut and colleagues at the Roslin Institute, part of the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and the biotechnology company PPL Therapeutics, based near Edinburgh.
2. She had three mothers: one provided the egg, another the DNA, and a third carried the cloned embryo to term.
3. The cell used to obtain the DNA was that of a mammary gland, which not only proved that clones could be made from specific adult cells, but also gave rise to her name. Wilmut said, "Dolly is derived from a mammary gland cell and we couldn't think of a more impressive pair of glands than Dolly Parton's."
4. Dolly lived her entire life at the Roslin Institute in Midlothian. She had to be kept indoors for security reasons.
5. She had six offspring by a Welsh Mountain ram in the time honoured fashion. Her lambs were named Bonnie, Sally, Rosie, Lucy, Darcy and Cotton.
6. There were also four clones of her: Daisy, Debbie, Dianna, and Denise.
7. Dolly developed arthritis at the age of four, and at the age of six, had to be put to sleep due to a form of lung cancer.
8. There was speculation that she died young (her breed, Finn Dorsets, have a life expectancy of 11 to 12 years) because she was a clone and her cells were older. However, scientists have pointed out that this form of lung cancer is common in sheep and especially those kept indoors. Other sheep in Dolly’s flock also died of it, and her clones lived to be at least nine years old in good health. After her death Dolly's body was preserved via taxidermy and is currently on display at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.
9. She has been called "the world's most famous sheep" by sources including BBC News and Scientific American.
10. There’s even a computer game about her. "Dolly The Sheep" was released on November 13, 2012 and in it, Dolly is being chased by evil scientists.

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

4 July: 185

On the 185^th day of the year, 10 facts about the number 185.

1. The Roman numeral for 185 is CLXXXV.

2. In Binary, it’s 10111001.

3. The year 185 was a common year starting on Friday. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Lascivius and Atilius. In this year, Cleomedes discovered the refraction of Light by the Earth's atmosphere.

4. It was also in this year that the earliest recorded Supernova was seen. It is known as SN 185 and was noted by Chinese astronomers in the Astrological Annals of the Houhanshu.

5. 185 Eunike is a dark and very large main-belt asteroid, with an approximate diameter of 157 kilometres. It was discovered by C. H. F. Peters in 1878, in Clinton, New York and named after Eunike, a Nereid in Greek mythology whose name means 'happy victory'.

6. The A185 road runs between Heworth station near Felling and the A194 near South Shields.

7. 185 is a 2017 song by Baiyon, a Japanese multimedia artist from Kyoto, whose real name is Tomohisa Kuramitsu.

8. London bus number 185 runs from Lewisham station to Victoria station.

9. Tower 185 is a 55-storey, 200 m (660 ft) skyscraper in the Gallus district of Frankfurt, Germany. It is the fourth-tallest building in Frankfurt and the fourth-tallest in Germany, tied with Main Tower.

10. In numerology the energy of 185 resonates with independence and adventure but also organisation. The person or company under its influence will get excited about new ideas and ventures but will then sit down and work out whether it’s realistic. 185 people will enjoy adventures with people of like mind, but will also be happy to go it alone.

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

3 July: Back to the Future

On this date in 1985, Back to the Future was released. 10 things you might not know:

1. Back to the Future was directed by Robert Zemeckis and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. It’s about a teenager called Marty McFly, whose friend Emmett "Doc" Brown, an eccentric scientist, is building a time machine using a DeLorean car. Marty is accidentally sent back to 1955 where he meets his parents as teens and almost prevents them from getting together when his mother falls for Marty instead. The plot is about Marty’s efforts to make sure his parents get it together and get home to 1985.

2. Michael J Fox was the first choice to play Marty, but he wasn’t available when filming was scheduled to start. John Cusack, Johnny Depp, Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, Ben Stiller, Billy Zane, and Robert Downey Jr. were among the actors considered instead. The part initially went to Eric Stoltz, but it soon became apparent that although Stoltz was a good actor, he wasn’t right for the part. He took it way too seriously when what was needed was “screwball energy”. So Stoltz was fired and by this time, Fox was available. Jeff Goldblum, Dudley Moore, Ron Silver, Robin Williams, John Cleese, Mandy Patinkin and Gene Hackman were among the actors considered for the role of Doc Brown.

3. Billy Zane did get a role. He played Match, one of Biff's three sidekicks, the only one without a single line in the entire film.

4. The inspiration for the film came when Bob Gale came across his father’s school yearbook and wondered if he and his father would be friends if he could go back in time and meet him as a teenager.

5. The script was rejected 44 times before any studio agreed to make the film. All the major studios turned it down because they didn’t think a film about time travel would make any money. They thought it was too twee and several suggested taking it to Disney. Disney also rejected it because there is a scene where Marty and his teenaged mother are in a car and she comes on to him. Disney said that was incest and far too raunchy for them.

6. The score was composed by Alan Silvestri. The only direction Zemeckis gave him was "it's got to be big". The soundtrack also includes a song by Huey Lewis and the News. It nearly didn’t. Lewis initially refused because he didn’t do movie songs and wasn’t inspired to write a song called Back to the Future. Zemeckis was keen enough to use the band’s music that he told Lewis he could write whatever he wanted and the result was The Power of Love. Which didn’t contain the film title at all, so memos had to be sent to Radio stations to ensure that DJs would mention the connection of the song to the movie.

7. In early drafts, the time machine wasn’t a car, but a chamber resembling a Fridge which was carried on a truck. The DeLorean was eventually selected for its futuristic appearance and gull wing doors, which would appear like a space ship to people in 1955. After the film's release, body kits were made for DeLoreans to make them look like the time machine, and the car’s creator, John DeLorean, wrote to thank Bob Gale for featuring his car.

8. There’s an urban myth that the sequel, in which the characters travel to 2015, predicts the result of the 1997 World Series. Marty does watch a match while he’s in 2015, which inspires him to buy an almanac to take back so he can make some money betting on sports events, but the contents of the almanac are not revealed in the film.

9. It was also rumoured that Ronald Reagan was offered the role of Hill Valley's mayor in Back to the Future III, but turned it down. Reagan and his family were fans of the films, though, and he hosted a screening of it in the White House. He even quoted the line "Where we're going, we don't need roads" in one of his speeches. The parts of the script with references to President Ronald Reagan had to be approved by the White House, so as not to offend the president. Producers worried that Reagan would take exception to Doc Brown's line mocking the improbability of his being president in 1985, but they needn’t have worried. Reagan was said to get a kick out of it. You can just imagine a certain tangerine tyrant having a hissy fit if something similar happened today!

10. Whittier High School, an actual school in California, played the role of Hill Valley High School in Back to the Future. This was the school Richard Nixon attended. The former president gets a mention in the Hill Valley Telegraph, when it reports that Doc Brown has been declared legally insane. Beside that story, there’s another, purportedly from 1985: “Nixon to Seek Fifth Term; Vows End to Vietnam War by 1985.”

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

2 July: 183

On day 183 of the year, 10 fun facts about the number 183.

1. The Roman numeral for 183 is CLXXXIII.

2. In Binary, it’s 10110111.

3. There are two street artists who have used 183 as part of their “tags”. One is TAKI 183, a Greek-American graffitist who was active during the late 1960s and early 1970s in New York City; and Pavel 183, was a Russian street artist, known by some as the "Russian Banksy".

4. In London, the 183 Bus route runs from Golders Green Station to Pinner Station.

5. The year 183 was a common year starting on Tuesday. At the time, it was known in Rome as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Victorinus.

6. 183 Days was a 2009 TV series about a group of former reality TV show contestants who try to move on with their lives but are dogged by a tabloid reporter who keeps writing fake scandalous stories about them.

7. The A183 road runs from South Shields in Tyne and Wear, through Sunderland and ends at Chester-le-Street in County Durham.

8. The 183 series was a Japanese limited express electric multiple unit (EMU) train type introduced in 1972 by Japanese National Railways (JNR).

9. 183 Istria is an Asteroid from the central regions of the asteroid belt. It was discovered in 1878, by Austrian astronomer Johann Palisa at the Austrian Naval Observatory in Pola, in what is now Croatia. It was named for the Istrian Peninsula.

10. In numerology, 183 resonates with creative self-expression, independence, and being realistic. People under the influence of the energy are artistic, creative in communication and may be successful in business.

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

1 July: Estee Lauder Quotes

Cosmetics businesswoman Estee Lauder was born on this date in 1908. 10 quotes from her:

1. I have never worked a day in my life without selling. If I believe in something, I sell it, and I sell it hard.

2. If you push yourself beyond the furthest place you think you can go, you’ll be able to achieve your heart’s dream.

3. All great things begin with a vision….a dream.

4. I didn’t get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it.

5. Our life isn’t how much we can take out, but how much we can put in.

6. Be strong. Be confident. Be the star of your own life.

7. Beauty is an attitude. There’s no secret.

8. I’ve always believed that success comes from not letting your eyes stray from that target. Anyone who wants to achieve a dream must stay strong, focused and steady.

9. Trust your instincts: my first reaction is almost invariably the right one.

10. In every life there is a moment – an event or a realisation – that changes that life irrevocably. If the change is to be a happy one, one must be able to recognise the moment and seize it without delay.

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

30 June: Magnesium

On 30 June 1808 Humphrey Davy reported to the Royal Society that he had successfully isolated four new metals, one of which was magnesium. Here are 10 things you might not know about magnesium:

1. First of all, what is it? It’s a grey-white metal with the symbol Mg and atomic number 12.

2. Magnesium is the eighth-most-abundant element in the Earth's crust by mass.

3. The name comes from the Greek word for places in Turkey where the Magnetes tribe lived; either a district in Thessaly called Magnesia or Magnesia ad Sipylum.

4. Magnesium is the third-most-commonly-used metal for building things, after Iron and Aluminium. As it is less dense than either of these, it’s used a lot in aerospace construction. It was used for German military aircraft as early as World War I, and it was the Germans who first coined the word elektron for a magnesium alloy.

5. Magnesium has the lowest melting (923 K (650 °C)) and the lowest boiling point (1,363 K (1,090 °C)) of all the alkaline earth metals.

6. Epsom salts are actually magnesium sulphate. Epsom salts were discovered in 1618 by a farmer in Epsom, Surrey, who noticed that his Cows refused to drink from a particular well because the water tasted bitter. That water did however, have healing properties and the stuff left over when the Water evaporated became known as Epsom salts.

7. In 1808, Davy used electrolysis on a mixture of magnesia and mercuric oxide to isolate the metal. His suggestion for a name was 'magnium', but the name magnesium is now used in most European languages.

8. It’s a vital nutrient and plays a role in regulating blood pressure and Heart rate, controlling Blood sugar and the making of DNA and protein. In the UK, the recommended daily values by the Dietary Reference Intake for magnesium are 300 mg for men and 270 mg for women. Spices, nuts, cereals, Cocoa and green, leafy vegetables are good sources of magnesium.

9. Plants also need it to make cholorophyll.

10. World production was approximately 1,100 kt in 2017, with the bulk being produced in China and Russia.

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