Would you Like to Fly Like a Bird?

You can fly like a bird. All you need is a special suit called a wingsuit. This special flying suit adds surface area to the human body, by the use of extra fabric under the arms and between the legs, which enables a significant increase in lift (Lift is the push that lets something move upwards).

Mostly, skydivers and BASE jumpers use these wingsuits when they jump from high altitudes. But you need the requisite skills in order to use them.

If you jump from an aircraft using a wingsuit, you will immediately start to fly due to the relative wind (the direction of movement of the atmosphere relative to an aircraft). This wind is generated by the forward velocity of the aircraft. Jumping from a cliff, hot air balloon or BASE jumping, however, is different, as the flying person must make an initial vertical drop, in order to use the forces of gravity, to gain the acceleration required to generate the airspeed needed for lift. Weeee!!

Books To Read


The Pale Criminal, is a historical detective novel and the second in the Berlin Noir trilogy of Bernhard Günther novels written by Philip Kerr.

The First British Female Doctor, Posed as a Man

James Barry (1792-1795) was a surgeon in the British Army. However, he was actually born a girl and named Margaret Ann Bulkley.

At the end of his career, James Barry, had risen to the rank of Inspector General. He was in charge of military hospitals and notably performed the first successful caesarian section in Africa by a British surgeon.

Dr James Barry. Photograph sourced from Scanty Particulars by Rachel Holmes

Barry (left) with John, a servant, and Barry's dog Psyche, c. 1862, Jamaica

Certain letters imply that there was a conspiracy between Margaret's (James Barry) mother and some liberal-minded friends of her uncle, to have Margaret assume the identity of a male and gain entry into medical school. And it was in the guise of a male that Margaret arrived at Edinburgh in 1809 and entered medical school.

The young person now known as James Barry earned his Medical Doctorate in 1812 and then, became a pupil of the United Hospitals of Guy’s and St Thomas', qualifying as a Regimental Assistant after passing exams for the Royal College of Surgeons of England. One has to wonder how the young Barry managed to avoid the routine health examinations.

Between 1815 and 1817, Barry served in India, South Africa and Cape Town, where he performed one of the first successful Caesarian sections. Later he served in Malta, Corfu and Canada.

In 1864, Barry retired and returned to England. He died on 25 July 1865. The household maid Sophia Bishop laid out the body and discovered that Barry, was in fact, a "perfect female" 1.



Books To Read


Lara Destiny (“The Pink Kitty Killer” and other novels) by Dick Enos.