Mikhail Borisovich Khodorkovsky (Russian: Михаил Борисович Ходорковский), sometimes known by his initials MBK, is an exiled Russian businessman and opposition activist, now residing in London. In 2003, Khodorkovsky was believed to be the wealthiest man in Russia, with a fortune estimated to be worth $15 billion, and was ranked 16th on Forbes list of billionaires. He had worked his way up the Komsomol apparatus, during the Soviet years, and started several businesses during the period of glasnost and perestroika in the late 1980s. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, in the mid-1990s, he accumulated considerable wealth by obtaining control of a number of Siberian oil fields unified under the name Yukos, one of the major companies to em
Harold Dennis "Dickie" Bird (19 April 1933 – 22 September 2025) was an English cricketer and international cricket umpire. During his long umpiring career, he became a well regarded figure among players and the viewing public, not only due to his high standards as an umpire but also for his many eccentricities.
Bird played first-class cricket for Yorkshire and Leicestershire as a right-handed batsman, but only scored two centuries in 93 appearances. His career was blighted by a knee injury, which eventually forced him to retire at the age of 31. He umpired in 66 Test matches (at the time a world record) and 69 One Day Internationals, including three World Cup Finals. Bird's autobiography, published in 1997, sold more than a million copies.
Huw Collingbourne is a writer, programming instructor and software developer. He is the author of a number of fiction and factual books. His novels include the Kill Job series (gritty 1960s Cold War and crime) The Exodus Plague post-apocalyptic thrillers and The 1980s Murder Mysteries (crime capers).
In the 1980s Huw was a pop music journalist and he interviewed many of the 'New Romantic' stars such as Boy George, Adam Ant, Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet and Depeche Mode. In the 1990s he published the 'adult humour' magazine, 18 Rated, which was immediately banned by all leading UK newsagents (who obviously failed to see the joke).
Huw's programming books including The Little Book Of C, The Little Book Of Pointers, The Little Book of Recursion,
