Game of Cat and Mouse, addictively suspenseful

David McCloskey, a former CIA officer, whose thriller Damascus Station, one of the best spy thrillers in years, this time “ The Seventh Floor” has become addictively suspenseful and espionage thriller. A Russian arrives in Singapore with a secret to sell. But when the Russian is killed and Sam Joseph, the CIA officer dispatched for the meet, goes missing, Artemis Procter is made a scapegoat and run out of the service. Traded back in a spy swap, Sam appears at Procter’s central Florida doorstep months later with an explosive secret, there is a Russian mole hidden deep within the upper … Continue reading Game of Cat and Mouse, addictively suspenseful

Drug addict in Harlem rubble, surviving miraculously

Richard Price, American author and screenwriter write crime fiction with a social conscience giving us razor-sharp anatomy of an ever-changing Harlem. In Lazarus Man, Richard Price, creates intertwining portraits of a group of compelling and singular characters whose lives are permanently impacted by the disaster. East Harlem, in 2008, a five-storey tenement collapses into a fuming hill of rubble, pancaking the cars parked in front and coating the street with a thick layer of ash, resulting in several deaths. Anthony Carter, a recovering drug addict is retrieved from the rubble buried for days beneath tons of brick and stone, some … Continue reading Drug addict in Harlem rubble, surviving miraculously

Global web of power

This is the untold story of the mysterious Chinese telecom company that shook the world from the coast of southern China, eccentric entrepreneur spent three decades  since its founding in 1987 in Shenzhen, shaping one of the world’s most powerful technological empires without anyone noticing. But December 2018, when the detention of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei Technologies’ female scion, sparked an international hostage standoff, poured fuel on the US-China trade war, and suddenly thrust the mysterious company into the international spotlight. In House of Huawei, Washington Post technology reporter  and former China correspondent Eva Dou, writes an authoritative and remarkable portrait of Huawei’s … Continue reading Global web of power

Born in Pharmacist’s backyard

Did you know how Coca-Cola was created in 1886 Atlanta Georgia, by a pharmacist named Dr. John Stith Pemberton, who was wounded in the American Civil War and addicted to morphine, began a quest to find a substitute for the problematic drug and started experimenting with flavoured syrup in his backyard to create a cure for headaches and a refreshing drink. He stirs coca leaves with kola nuts and voila caramel coloured drink. He takes his syrup to Jacob’s pharmacy add carbonated water and give the village people to try it, who declared as a magical drink. Pemberton starts selling … Continue reading Born in Pharmacist’s backyard

Pound falls to its lowest level as borrowing costs hit their highest in 16 years

The Sterling pound had fallen to its lowest level while UK borrowing costs hit their highest in 16 years since 2008. Prices are rising at their fastest pace since March. In December, the Bank of England said the economy was likely to have performed worse than expected in the last three months of 2024, having held the interest rates at 4.75 per cent. Governments generally spend more than they rise in tax so they borrow money to fill the gap, usually by selling bonds  known as Gilts to investors. The pound has fallen in value against the dollar over the last … Continue reading Pound falls to its lowest level as borrowing costs hit their highest in 16 years

Opioid overdoses quadrupled in the US

Greed to Do Good, is the untold story of Centre for Disease Control and Prevention’s disastrous war on opioids, as CDC announced that overdose deaths had quadrupled in ten years, hitting a record high of 90, 000 in 2020, but overdose deaths rocketed to 100,000 in 2021 and 110, 000 in 2022.  Between 2006-2012, Purdue Pharma, which promoted OxyContin along with other Big Pharma companies, sold 76 billion opioid doses. Overdoses shot up almost in parallel manner. In 2022, the death toll from overdoses exceeded auto and firearms deaths combined. To stem the tide, the CDC decided to focus on … Continue reading Opioid overdoses quadrupled in the US

AI to replace photoshop and filters

Have you ever used photoshop or filters to create online profile pictures. Now artificial intelligence (AI) is the new trend for creating online profile pictures by replacing photoshop and filters. A TikTok video watched by over 52.3million times, a young woman created the professional-looking headshot photos using an AI-powered app called Remini. Alongside she shows how she looks in real life.  Remini, Try It On AI, and AI Suit Up, use AI-based software to create slick profile photos that aim to look as if they were taken by an expert photographer. Remini asks you to upload eight to ten selfies, … Continue reading AI to replace photoshop and filters

“An empire within an empire”, Grandest society of merchants

In 1800s British East India Company conquers India, and by the beginning of the 19th century, as one of its directors admitted “an empire within an empire”, with the power to make war or peace anywhere in the east having ruled India for 200 years. The East India Company created a sophisticated administration and civil service in India, and built much of London’s Docklands. Its annual spending in Britain £8.5m exceeded about a quarter of total British government annual expenditure. They successfully transferred India’s then prospering GDP to Britain. It is no wonder the Company now referred to itself as “the … Continue reading “An empire within an empire”, Grandest society of merchants

Reading habit

Have you ever curated your book reading projects and filtered your book choices to reflect the world, like diving into a rushing river after years of staying in the shallow end of the pool, as invigorating cold water shock to your system. By reading you sharpen your fundamental skill that serves as a gateway to knowledge, empower your to become lifelong learners, activate your prior knowledge, improve our visualising, making connections, and acquire knowledge, improve mental stimulation, memory improvement, stronger analytical thinking skills and improve your focus. Reading can improve brain connectivity, concentration, memory, mental stimulation, strengthen to create neural … Continue reading Reading habit

Apple has agreed to pay £77m to settle a court case

Apple has agreed to pay £77m ($95m) to settle a court case aIleging some of its devices were listening to people without their permission. The tech giant was accused of eavesdropping on its customers through its virtual assistant Siri, as the claimants also allege voice recordings were shared with advertisers. Apple’s lawyers say they will confirm they have permanently deleted individual Siri audio recordings collected by Apple prior to October 2019. The tech firm denies any wrongdoing, as well as claims that it “recorded, disclosed to third parties, or failed to delete conversations recorded as the result of a “Siri … Continue reading Apple has agreed to pay £77m to settle a court case