McCartney's been playing with his current stage band for longer than he was with the Beatles. Just sayin'
Anyway, here is a not random post as it's about Bond.
Anyone who's been pining for a new Bond film and has yet to see any real movement in this area, I'll remind you of Calvin Dyson's brilliant in-depth reviews of the Bond movies, usually two hours' long. His enthusiasm is a real pick-me-up, and he chucks in snippets of deleted scenes and tidbits of information you might not have known.
Here's his take of The World Is Not Enough, which he calls underrated.
Radio news this morning: "Today the world's largest conferance on the Arctic starts in Tromsø. Of the Arctic nations only Russia is absent ..... or are they?" 😂
Hypersonica, the first European hypersonic missile, is being tested on Andøya Spaceport in northern Norway. The image would fit very nicely in a Bond movie!
It is raining heavy today in my part of the world and I am stuck in my car waiting for my mother to complete her shopping at the local antique store.
So I thought why not write a brief outline of a short story based on N24's image, while I wait.
SONIKA
M receives photographs from the intelligence bureau of the Faroe Islands, snapped by a local fisherman in the early hours of dawn near Nolsoy Island.
The photos show auroral (magnetosphere) vapor contrails with very high-speed vectoring characteristics in the early morning sky.
Somebody tested a hypersonic glide vehicle in the skies above the Faroe Islands.
But who?
Based on the position of the photographer and the faint outlines of the launch trail, it is estimated that the launch occurred 50-70 nautical miles (90-130 km) north of Nolsoy Island.
Satellite reconnaissance over the North Atlantic fails to detect any fast moving infra-red heat signature over the past 36 hours.
Undersea sonobuoys do not detect any submarine activity in that region as well.
But AIS (Automatic Identification System) tracking over the area 120 km north of Nolsoy Island, detects two ships loitering around Fugloy Island during the calculated launch time frame.
One turns out to be a Norwegian oil tanker, the other a Russian cargo ship.
Could this be a ship based rocket launch?
-----------
M and Tanner call Bond to MI6 HQ and discuss a reconnaissance operation being planned, code named 'SONIKA'.
Bond is to immediately start training on a modified Sikorsky S-76 helicopter in a nearby RAF airbase, which is fitted with a powerful electro-optical camera with infrared and night vision capabilities, that was developed by Q Branch.
Bond and Q, under the cover identities of helicopter company executives are then dispatched to Vagar, capital of the Faroe Islands, to monitor ship activity in specific coordinates around Fugloy Island, which also has a small helipad and bunker.
They are aided in this mission by three specialist infantry Royal Gurkhas from the Krithia Company, posing as helicopter technicians.
After arriving at the bunker in Fugloy Island, the Gurkhas set up their observation posts, while Bond and Q fix the old helipad and set up their radio terminals and communications antenna.
24 hrs later, MI6 HQ informs Bond about the arrival of the Russian oil tanker 'Ternovik' in the area, that has arrived after a fresh refueling at St. Petersburg.
Bond and Q fly off towards the cargo ship in the S-76 helicopter and manage to photograph it, but encounter severe weather, due to which they have to return back to Fugloy Island and attempt an emergency landing in poor visibility.
The following day MI6 HQ communicates to them, information on a meteorological window arriving in two days time, when the weather around the area would be suitable for an early morning rocket launch.
As Bond prepares the helicopter for the next recon mission, Q shares his apprehensions with Bond.
Q believes the Russians know about their presence and are monitoring their radio intercepts.
That afternoon, a small inflatable speedboat arrives at the island carrying a team of Spetsnaz soldiers, tasked with destroying the helicopter.
The Gurkhas and Bond detect the boat and fire at the soldiers with their assault rifles, who immediately turn around and head back to the cargo ship.
Bond knows its now or never...
That night, after receiving GPS coordinates of the ship from MI6 HQ, Bond and Q fly off towards the cargo ship and record the presence of a hypersonic rocket being assembled on the ships modified platform.
With photographic proof in hand, they head back towards Fugloy Island, when the helicopter suddenly gets hit with sharpnel from a VERBA missile (shoulder-mounted MANPADS) fired from the ship.
Bond tries his best to auto-rotate the helicopter which impacts the water with a loud splash. Bond immediately retrieves the camera's memory card and activates a radio distress beacon before swimming to the life raft that Q has inflated, as the helicopter sinks to the bottom of the ocean.
Floating in the North Atlantic; they are rescued by a Royal Navy Vanguard class submarine, 8 hours after the incident.
After warming themselves up with a hot meal and a new set of clothes, Bond informs the Commander of the submarine, the true purpose of their mission and the recorded evidence they have in hand.
After receiving formal approval from the MoD, the submarine tracks the cargo ship and resurfaces near it.
The Commander of the submarine now contacts the captain of the cargo ship on an open frequency and informs him that if he does not leave the area in the next three hours, a punitive action will commence.
The Russian ship complies.
After being heli-evacuated from the submarine to Vagar Airport, Bond takes Q out for a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs and black coffee followed by a quick trip to the National Hospital of the Faroe Islands.
All that sea water has caused a mild infection in Q's left ear.
(But I'm betting "The inteligence Bureau of the Faroe Islands" is one of the five officers in the Thorshavn police office who has one third of his job dedicated to Danish Police Intelligence Service (PET). 😅
I recently finished reading a very fine book written by Comte de Marenches, who headed France's external intelligence service SDECE (Service de documentation exterieure et de contre-espionnage) from 1970-1981.
The Count ends the book by giving a little advice to any one who aims to become the Director- General of a special service or a National Security Advisor. (Same job as Vice Admiral M.)
I wonder about the advice of spending time with a map. To me this seems wise. I remember reading FDR asking Americans to have a map ready for at least one of his "fireside chats" on radio. Seems incredible today.
Comments
McCartney's been playing with his current stage band for longer than he was with the Beatles. Just sayin'
Anyway, here is a not random post as it's about Bond.
Anyone who's been pining for a new Bond film and has yet to see any real movement in this area, I'll remind you of Calvin Dyson's brilliant in-depth reviews of the Bond movies, usually two hours' long. His enthusiasm is a real pick-me-up, and he chucks in snippets of deleted scenes and tidbits of information you might not have known.
Here's his take of The World Is Not Enough, which he calls underrated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e15eEBDpST8
Roger Moore 1927-2017
And Macca has a new album out soon…
When?!! When!!!!
You wouldn't tease an old man would you.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Probably in the next couple of months…all in different formats and at least 24 colours of vinyl 🤣
He was talking about it not long ago in some article I was reading…must be getting close to his last album ever 👀
He mentions it here…
I’m really looking forward to his documentary Man on the Run late February 😁
'must be getting close to his last album ever...'
We don't have to say what we think...
Roger Moore 1927-2017
I didn't want to crash the Reviewing Bond Films thread any more than necessary, but...
I mean, c'mon, just watch the first minute of this, it's hilarious!
Roger Moore 1927-2017
The melody of the first line of the Carpenters' Top of the World is the same as the first line of Musical Youth's Pass the Dutchie.
Roger Moore 1927-2017
Radio news this morning: "Today the world's largest conferance on the Arctic starts in Tromsø. Of the Arctic nations only Russia is absent ..... or are they?" 😂
This is of course the only thing newsworthy currently happening in Norway!
And we thought we had troubles at Windsor...
You do have trouble with the Windsors, but right now it looks really bad for the Norwegian royal family (even though he isn't technically royal)
Cleaning James Bond Paperbacks.
I watched Wesley Snipes 1992 action thriller 'Passenger 57' today and the opening credits of the movie had a very strong James Bond vibe.
The last 40 seconds are pure Bond.
A lot of happy memories from those covers.
Hypersonica, the first European hypersonic missile, is being tested on Andøya Spaceport in northern Norway. The image would fit very nicely in a Bond movie!
Now that could certainly be the basis of a Bond story. The image as you say would be a fine cover.
I like the still from the video. Imagine Bond or the villain standing on the mountain in the foreground. 😁
I think the collective genius of Barbel and N24 could come up with a fine story.
Some island in the Faroes...a fisherman notices some weird cloud streaks at early dawn and takes photographs.
Photo's reach M's desk...tell-tale signs of hypersonics.
But who and why...?
Bond is sent to investigate...
Something along those lines.
You're too kind ....😊
You are indeed, @Sonero, but if (and remember if) this does become a story it'll be a little time away.
It is raining heavy today in my part of the world and I am stuck in my car waiting for my mother to complete her shopping at the local antique store.
So I thought why not write a brief outline of a short story based on N24's image, while I wait.
SONIKA
M receives photographs from the intelligence bureau of the Faroe Islands, snapped by a local fisherman in the early hours of dawn near Nolsoy Island.
The photos show auroral (magnetosphere) vapor contrails with very high-speed vectoring characteristics in the early morning sky.
Somebody tested a hypersonic glide vehicle in the skies above the Faroe Islands.
But who?
Based on the position of the photographer and the faint outlines of the launch trail, it is estimated that the launch occurred 50-70 nautical miles (90-130 km) north of Nolsoy Island.
Satellite reconnaissance over the North Atlantic fails to detect any fast moving infra-red heat signature over the past 36 hours.
Undersea sonobuoys do not detect any submarine activity in that region as well.
But AIS (Automatic Identification System) tracking over the area 120 km north of Nolsoy Island, detects two ships loitering around Fugloy Island during the calculated launch time frame.
One turns out to be a Norwegian oil tanker, the other a Russian cargo ship.
Could this be a ship based rocket launch?
-----------
M and Tanner call Bond to MI6 HQ and discuss a reconnaissance operation being planned, code named 'SONIKA'.
Bond is to immediately start training on a modified Sikorsky S-76 helicopter in a nearby RAF airbase, which is fitted with a powerful electro-optical camera with infrared and night vision capabilities, that was developed by Q Branch.
Bond and Q, under the cover identities of helicopter company executives are then dispatched to Vagar, capital of the Faroe Islands, to monitor ship activity in specific coordinates around Fugloy Island, which also has a small helipad and bunker.
They are aided in this mission by three specialist infantry Royal Gurkhas from the Krithia Company, posing as helicopter technicians.
After arriving at the bunker in Fugloy Island, the Gurkhas set up their observation posts, while Bond and Q fix the old helipad and set up their radio terminals and communications antenna.
24 hrs later, MI6 HQ informs Bond about the arrival of the Russian oil tanker 'Ternovik' in the area, that has arrived after a fresh refueling at St. Petersburg.
Bond and Q fly off towards the cargo ship in the S-76 helicopter and manage to photograph it, but encounter severe weather, due to which they have to return back to Fugloy Island and attempt an emergency landing in poor visibility.
The following day MI6 HQ communicates to them, information on a meteorological window arriving in two days time, when the weather around the area would be suitable for an early morning rocket launch.
As Bond prepares the helicopter for the next recon mission, Q shares his apprehensions with Bond.
Q believes the Russians know about their presence and are monitoring their radio intercepts.
That afternoon, a small inflatable speedboat arrives at the island carrying a team of Spetsnaz soldiers, tasked with destroying the helicopter.
The Gurkhas and Bond detect the boat and fire at the soldiers with their assault rifles, who immediately turn around and head back to the cargo ship.
Bond knows its now or never...
That night, after receiving GPS coordinates of the ship from MI6 HQ, Bond and Q fly off towards the cargo ship and record the presence of a hypersonic rocket being assembled on the ships modified platform.
With photographic proof in hand, they head back towards Fugloy Island, when the helicopter suddenly gets hit with sharpnel from a VERBA missile (shoulder-mounted MANPADS) fired from the ship.
Bond tries his best to auto-rotate the helicopter which impacts the water with a loud splash. Bond immediately retrieves the camera's memory card and activates a radio distress beacon before swimming to the life raft that Q has inflated, as the helicopter sinks to the bottom of the ocean.
Floating in the North Atlantic; they are rescued by a Royal Navy Vanguard class submarine, 8 hours after the incident.
After warming themselves up with a hot meal and a new set of clothes, Bond informs the Commander of the submarine, the true purpose of their mission and the recorded evidence they have in hand.
After receiving formal approval from the MoD, the submarine tracks the cargo ship and resurfaces near it.
The Commander of the submarine now contacts the captain of the cargo ship on an open frequency and informs him that if he does not leave the area in the next three hours, a punitive action will commence.
The Russian ship complies.
After being heli-evacuated from the submarine to Vagar Airport, Bond takes Q out for a nice breakfast of scrambled eggs and black coffee followed by a quick trip to the National Hospital of the Faroe Islands.
All that sea water has caused a mild infection in Q's left ear.
The End.
Very good! I like it.
(But I'm betting "The inteligence Bureau of the Faroe Islands" is one of the five officers in the Thorshavn police office who has one third of his job dedicated to Danish Police Intelligence Service (PET). 😅
That's not a "brief outline of a short story ", it's the plan for an entire novel! 😮 It wouldn’t take much to expand on it.
Thank you for the kind words N24 and Barbel.
One of my favorite TV shows is 'Warship', written by Lt. Cdr. Ian Mackintosh.
Wonderful 50 minute episodes detailing missions of the frigate HMS Hero.
I wanted to write a short 50- 60 minute story based on the TV show.
Just a small mission...with a little action and intrigue.
Another thing is...I love the Faroe Islands.
Faroe Islands are just drop dead gorgeous and I always wanted to visit them.
I would love to see a James Bond film in the Faroe Islands.
Anyways thank you for the kind appreciation.
In a way James Bond has been on the Foroes. The shots of Safin's island were actually of the Faroes.
You are absolutely correct N24.
I never thought about that.
ADVICE FOR 'M'
I recently finished reading a very fine book written by Comte de Marenches, who headed France's external intelligence service SDECE (Service de documentation exterieure et de contre-espionnage) from 1970-1981.
The Count ends the book by giving a little advice to any one who aims to become the Director- General of a special service or a National Security Advisor. (Same job as Vice Admiral M.)
Good advice.
I wonder about the advice of spending time with a map. To me this seems wise. I remember reading FDR asking Americans to have a map ready for at least one of his "fireside chats" on radio. Seems incredible today.
(not my own photo 😁)