Updated paperbacks and kindles for all my published works are now available on Amazon following resetting of all paperback versions. In addition, translated versions of some books are available.
Below is a list in publication order
Updated paperbacks and kindles for all my published works are now available on Amazon following resetting of all paperback versions. In addition, translated versions of some books are available.
Below is a list in publication order
Sail Chains almost a sequel to Sailing Clear is coming soon
Captain Tom Larring barely escaped alive from a mission in Afghanistan. He now has another task. Effi Miani has been undercover in the Middle east but is needed for the same operation. Together they must find Bravo-One-One who is the highest priority target for MI6. He is believed to be building a chemical weapon in Northwest Pakistan. A previous MI6 operation has already failed. A leak or a traitor inside MI6 may have destroyed that mission, so extra precautions must be taken otherwise, this team will also fail.
Tom and Effi need a faultless back story before embarking on their mission. The operation needs financing and a cover story. The help of a former disgraced MI6 officer, Michelle Houston, and her lover, Hugh Turnbill, is sought. They successfully control the laundering of black funds for the security services whilst sailing clear of the security services. Some of the MI6 leadership wants to gain direct control of the money and the couple, despite previous agreements. They want that control regardless of the risks to the operations in Pakistan. They think they may get leverage using two former teenage runaways connected to the couple.
The hunt for whoever leaked the information continues. Suspicions are raised. The internal security team needs to prevent the traitor putting the financiers and the operation at risk. An MI5 team is on the trail of a suspicious Saudi diplomat. He may be connected to Bravo-One-One.
Closed missions should not be re-opened. The NSA and GCHQ are monitoring and tracing communications using secret programmes and techniques, but some secrets should not be shared with allies.
One Morning in the office is a thread on Goodreads
No longer @realDonaldTrump
Goodreads full comments
“This way Mr. President”
“I know the way, I was Vice-President for eight years you know.”
“Yes, Sir, Sorry Sir”
“Why are all these ramps here?”
“Disability access ramps, Sir”
“I know what they are why are they here?”
“Your predecessor stated you may need them given your advancing years and so on.”
“What?”
Spoken louder “YOUR PREDECESSOR..”
“Why are you shouting?”
“Your predecesso…”
“You mean Trump.”
“We’re not allowed to say his name Sir, we had instructions from Vice President, I mean former Vice President Pence, to not allow his name to be mentioned.”
“Why were you shouting?”
“We were told you may be hard of hearing due to your ….”
“I’m not hard of hearing and I’m not in a wheelchair”
“But you are older than…”
“Enough!” They enter the famous room. “At last the Oval office.”
“We decorated as you wished Sir, the busts and pictures have been changed – caused quite some commotion with your prede..”
Scowl from new President
“… I mean President Trump as he had some other busts he wanted to keep.”
“Best we don’t go into that.”
“No Sir, his letter is on the desk.”
“The one with the postmark from Moscow.”
“Yes Sir, special delivery.”
The President sits behind the desk and surveys the Oval Office. He scans the room with a small smile of satisfaction on his face, before his vision alights on a board on one wall.
“What’s that?”
“For you Sir to help.”
“Isn’t that a picture of my wife?”
“Yes Sir, in case you forget.”
How dare you! I know who my wife is”
“At the moment Sir, this is in case it gets worse.”
“What gets worse?”
“Your dementia, Sir”
“What dementia?”
“Have you forgotten already?”
“I do not have Dementia!”
“Your predece…”
“Damn my predecessor!” Takes deep breath. “Who’s the Black Lady in the photo’s”
“Your VP Sir.”
“I have a black female VP?”
“Yes Sir, don’t you remember you were elected with her.”
“The one on the capital steps?”
“Yes Sir at the inauguration.”
“Didn’t recognise her without her mask. Where is she?”
“Managing the Senate and drawing up your first executive orders. They should be here later this morning. She sent instructions to make sure you have your afternoon nap and I have to disconnect the hot line.”
“The Moscow hot line?”
“No, Sir the Deliveroo and MacDonald fast order hotline. We missed it during your prede… Mr Trumps departure. It’s that one next to the pictures of all your staff.”
The President attempts to change the TV Channel”What’s wrong with this TV I can’t change the channel from Fox?”
“All the other channels were disabled Sir.”
“Change it.”
“Yes Sir”
“And get rid of this” He pulls a book from a drawer
“What is it?”
“The Dummies Guide to Tweeting….”
One Morning in the Office @realDonaldTrump Goodreads full comments
One Morning in The Office @realDonaldTrump Goodreads full comments
I have been struggling to decide whether to blog on this subject of statistics and COVID since January. Now that much of the globe is in some type of lock down, quarantine or ignorance, it seems more necessary. Not that my viewpoint is any better than many other posts. There has been an extensive misinformation, or misunderstanding of statistics, not helped by the media. There attitude at last seems to be changing to better reporting, rather than the fear they like to envisage.
Lets start with some basic facts:
World Population as at 2015 (census dependent) 7.35 Billion that is 7,350,000,000 with forecast to be over 7.7 by 2020
Actual confirmed deaths 18:35 on 20th March 2020 due to virus according to WHO as listed on https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ 11,188
Actual confirmed mortality rate is therefore 11,200 divided by 7.35 billion which is
0.00015238%
Because the population is likely to be higher than last full statistics the rate is actually lower on confirmed death cases.
So where the scare stories of 1% or 20% and any number in between come from is unclear. As a comparison TB caused 3 million deaths in 2016. Clearly this horrible virus spreads and kills and the deaths are tragic but dying from TB is still dying.
The 1% or higher numbers are actually an infected mortality rate. i.e. this requires a confirmed case and death assigned to COVID-19. Both numbers used for this are equally dodgy. The number of deaths is probably an underestimate e.g. deaths that are caused by it but not medically linked. However, the likely cases are a massive underestimate. Now we need to look at subsets of subsets of data, none of which are without error.
We start with World’s population 7.5 billion and work down from same source
As a comparator the UK has 660,000 deaths each year in population of 65 million and UK has had 177 deaths assigned to COVID-19 although all are reported as with underlying conditions
A sense of perspective is needed
One Morning In The Office – a satire @realDonaldTrump
"Vlad, how are you? We haven't chatted in ages. Why are you laughing?" "Ha, Ha, Ha, Oh Don, Don, Don my friend you are so funny." "Why? What have I done?" "Your Tweets of course. Your ability to spread disbelief and confusion are second to none. Even Xi is impressed. Bashar is getting one of his universities to start teaching it. And Erdoğan is especially impressed." "He wanted me to withdraw." "So, did I." "Well I have." "Yes a huge success for us." "I'm protecting American lives." "Of course you are. Anyway about your impeachment." "Fake news!" "This is me Vlad, not some journalist.' "Sorry." "A word of advice?" "What?" "Cut down the number of people listening to your phone calls." "Why?" "They take records." "Wrong records." "We have the tapes." "I dispute them." "Good that's the right approach. Now, have you seen the new list." "Which list? You send so many?" "The list for National Security Advisor and Secretary of State." "I haven't sacked them yet." "Not this month. Anyway keep the Ukraine angle going as long as possible and ignore all those security briefings." "I am. How are the election plans going." "You don't need to know but our advertising budget is doing well. We've ben actively supporting some Democrats." "Why?" "So you can claim interference once they finally decide which id... which candidate to stand against you." "But won't that help them." "Only to get Hilary back in the game, I thought you wanted that?" "Biden may be bigger issue." "Don't worry about him, we have some more Son stories to leak." "Good." "Do you have the interview answers for your next UK interview." "Why another UK one?" "They are having another election." "I thought that was Israel, Bennie asked for my support." "We may have to let Ben go." "Why?" "Haven't you seen the news. He may get locked up." "But I haven't asked for that." "Has anyone you wanted to be locked up actually been locked up?" "No." "Has anyone you didn't want locked up been locked up?" "Yes." "You really need to get a grip on the legal system there. I thought Ruddi was working on that." "He's got bogged down in Ukraine." "I know how he feels."
Some things that we won’t be promised or asked to vote on, by the main parties in the election
Amazon UK