The Excalibur File

By the year 2024 world debt has skyrocketed to over $300 Trillion, and with the US dollar in free fall a desperate G20 votes a return to the gold standard. The gold price skyrockets overnight, fortunate for Australia which has plenty of gold in the ground – hugely boosted by the discovery of the legendary Lasseter’s Reef. But there is a problem. Now boasting the world’s largest navy and a modern air force, China has been expanding its military bases south and resolves to use them in a ‘military solution’ in its quest for gold and territory. Fortunately, US intelligence has penetrated the PLA State Security Centre and supplies ASIO with China’s complete invasion plan of PNG and northern Australia. Aware that under the ANZUS treaty an isolationist America will supply weapons and technology but no ‘boots on the ground,’ Australia has five years to shore up its defences and find a way to stop the juggernaut. They may have found it in a most unlikely place. A weapon that becomes known as Excalibur.

By the year 2024 world debt has skyrocketed to over $300 Trillion, and with the US dollar in free fall a desperate G20 votes a return to the gold standard. The gold price skyrockets overnight, fortunate for Australia which has plenty of gold in the ground - hugely boosted by the discovery of the legendary Lasseter's Reef. But there is a problem. Now boasting the world's largest navy and a modern air force, China has been expanding its military bases south and resolves to use them in a 'military solution' in its quest for gold and territory. Fortunately, US intelligence has penetrated the PLA State Security Centre and supplies ASIO with China's complete invasion plan of PNG and northern Australia. Aware that under the ANZUS treaty an isolationist America will supply weapons and technology but no 'boots on the ground, ' Australia has five years to shore up its defences and find a way to stop the juggernaut. They may have found it in a most unlikely place. A weapon that becomes known as Excalibur

It's been over 40 years since RAF Excalibur disappeared on its war time secret mission. Unbeknown to anyone connected with the mission at the time the plane had been shot down shortly after take off. Its resting place is at the bottom of Lake Laffey where it stayed along with its crew and Philip Graves biological father, Squadron Leader John Laine. Laine would return within days of his death at a local seance to warn of the latent danger posed by his plane's cargo, only for the authorities to intervene and discredit the medium. Now 40 or so years later and with the impact of local earth tremors nearby, the wreckage of the Excalibur is breaking up and with it the liberation of gas, its cargo bound for Germany. The gas appears across Lake Laffey as a mist drifting inland and affecting adversely, members of the local population. This was its purpose 40 years earlier only the target then was the German air force. A number of inexplicable crimes follow perpetrated by people acting completely out of character and with no memory of their actions afterwards. The prime suspect of a murder accuses a prominent ex-minister of the crown of being complicit in the crime under interrogation, but the man concerned is bed-ridden and aged. The public embarrassment though is enough for MI5 to call on the help of New Scotland Yard Inspector Philip Graves based on his reputation. As Graves delves into the past of the suspect and the ex-minister, involving his own visit to a medium, he begins to unravel the past and the whereabouts of the ill-fated Excalibur, and that of his own connection to John Laine. This is not before a number of other crimes befall the residents who live close to Lake Laffey.

Three people living in Tel Aviv, Haifa, and Jerusalem embark on distinct journeys that converge at “the file”; their efforts to admit Palestine to the Olympics in the early twentieth century. Their pivotal roles in history have been purposely omitted from official record, kept secret, or forgotten. Why? Because of the “Nazi Olympics” in 1936 in Berlin. And because of the death in 1972 of eleven Israeli Olympic athletes in the Munich Massacre. This book narrates the previously untold history of a Palestine Olympic Committee recognized before the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. It sheds light on some of the darkest events in sport history, exposing secretive relationships behind the doors of the Jerusalem YMCA, Nazi agitation, arrests, internments, and other intrigue in the complicated history of Israeli and Palestinian sport. The File breaks new ground at the intersection of sport and politics—illuminating the hope, tension, and horror of the 20s, 30s, and 40s, the creation of the State of Israel and the Palestinian refugees, and the resulting guerrilla attack at the Olympics in Munich in 1972—and reveals a handful of heroes whose impact on athletes and international sport competitions is still felt today. Consultant and researcher San Charles Haddad weaves a true and masterful tale of forgotten personalities in a conflict characterized by unabated venom, bringing hope and new questions in his wake. What will be the future of Israel and Palestine, and how might sport play a restorative role in the twenty-first century?

An extensively illustrated history covering the artillery weaponry of the United States military from the eighteenth to the twenty-first century. The first regiment of artillery in the American Continental Army was formed in 1775. During the American Civil War almost a century later, artillery evolved from the employment of individual batteries to massed fire of grouped batteries. In 1907, the US Army Artillery Corps was reorganized into the Field Artillery and the Coast Artillery Corps. During the First World War, a lack of American-made weapons saw the adoption of foreign artillery pieces. The Second World War demanded the introduction of many new field artillery pieces by the US Army. General Patton later commented, “I don’t have to tell you who won the war, you know our artillery did.” American artillery firepower also took a heavy toll of the enemy during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. During the Cold War American artillery continued to develop, as the military embraced new weapons systems including tactical nuclear missiles, which thankfully never had to be used. Conventional artillery continued to prove highly effective in the country’s twenty-first century wars. This superbly illustrated and authoritative work covers the full range of artillery weaponry that has been in service with US armed forces. “Full of technical details on cannon, rocket and missile launchers, munitions, and fire-direction equipment. There is also considerable information on how new ordnance was developed and adopted into service over time.” —Military Heritage Magazine

Revised and updated to cover the latest developments in modem technology, including speeds up to 28.8 KBPS and PCMCIA cards, this book offers information about how to buy the right modem and how to set it up, fine-tune it, and troubleshoot problems. It also covers doing business online, finding the best shareware, BBSs, software libraries, and much more.

This volume is the first book coherently summarizing the current issues in digital libraries research, design and management. It presents, in a homogeneous way, thoroughly revised versions of 15 papers accepted for the First International Workshop on Digital Libraries, DL '94, held at Rutgers University in May 1994; in addition there are two introductory chapters provided by the volume editors, as well as a comprehensive bibliography listing 262 entries. Besides introductory aspects, the topics addressed are administration and management, information retrieval and hypertext, classification and indexing, and prototypes and applications. The volume is intended for researchers and design professionals in the field, as well as for experts from libraries administration and scientific publishing.

Amidst Peru’s rebellion against Spanish rule and an impending blockade by the Chilean fleet, the Viceroy of Lima and its priests devise a plan to safeguard the fabled Treasure of Lima. Captain Bennett Grahame, commanding the HMS Devonshire, is entrusted with this crucial task and instructed to return once the coast is clear. However, fate intervenes as Bennett falls deeply in love with Teresa, the enchanting daughter of the Viceroy. Their passionate affair leads to unforeseen consequences – Teresa loses her virginity, thwarting her father’s carefully arranged marriage plans and resulting in her exile to Spain on the galleon Santa Katerina Isabella, destined for a life in a distant monastery. Driven by his unwavering love, Bennett embarks on a daring pursuit of the Isabella, defying all odds to rescue his beloved Teresa and confronting the Spanish Captain in a fateful showdown that forever alters his path. Cast into the realm of piracy, Bennett embraces his new persona as Benito ‘Bloody Sword’ Bonito, a fearsome figure renowned throughout the Spanish Main. Compelled by both love and ambition, Benito sets sail from the Caribbean, in possession of the legendary treasure said to be hidden in a Queenscliff cave in colonial Australia. A tale of love, piracy, and insatiable greed unfolds, spanning from the shores of the Iberian Peninsula to the distant reaches of Australia’s colonial past. Revealed through the perspectives of Benito, Teresa, and their son Benjamin, Benito’s Truth offers a breathtaking account of the events that truly transpired—a narrative so incredible, it defies the boundaries of fiction. Prepare to discover that truth can be more astounding than any tale ever told.