About the Author

*On the Isle of Wight with the Hampshire branch of the family - the pursed lips say it all ~ ‘never take life too seriously!’*

What the Two Websites Are All About ~ 2025 and Onwards

Kenneth Thomas Webb also writes in his author name, Ian Bradley Marshall (IBM).

IBM is a Liverpool-based writer with a focus on poetry, history and politics, which includes LGBTQI+.

His work explores themes of self-discovery and identity. Marshall has published five books: "Idle Thoughts: An Anthology of Poetry and Prose" (soft-back 2009), a collection of poems and prose, followed by its sequel "Meanderings: An Anthology of Poetry and Prose" (hard-back 2011) by Spiderwize.

In 2013, Author House published his major work, "Being Gay Being Bi Whatever," which tackles LGBTQI+ identity and experiences in the workplace across five decades.

Winter Stories is a collection of short stories in Kindle format.

This followed the successful short story, also on Kindle, Bluitt & Bodgitt about a Solicitors Practice in Liverpool, humorous but with a sinister twist.

The Main Website

The Aviation and Military Website

R.S.

Ritas Anmerkung zu den Websites

Ich habe gestern Abend Ihre beiden Websites besucht. Die Luftfahrtseite ist eine wunderbare Informationsquelle. Ich fühle mich geehrt, dass Sie meine Textnachricht aufgenommen haben. Ja, diese Seite ist und bleibt absolut wichtig.

Die Hauptwebsite ist unter anderem ein großer, persönlicher und globaler politischer Dialog. Ich schätze Ihre umfassende Vision, Ihre allgemeine Perspektive, Ihre Lebenserfahrung und Ihre reife Einstellung zu persönlichen, vergangenen und aktuellen Themen. Tatsächlich ist diese Website wie ein riesiges Erfahrungsbuch, illustriert mit digitaler Kunst. Ich mag es sehr und wünschte, ich könnte es in meinen Händen halten.

In Bezug auf Ihre Website und Ihre persönliche Offenheit denke ich Folgendes: Möglicherweise haben Sie in den vergangenen Jahren viele tiefe Verletzungen erlebt, die Sie sehr vorsichtig gemacht haben. Aber seit etwa zwei Jahren haben Sie sich auf Ihrer Website öffentlich darüber gezeigt. Deshalb bin ich froh. Ich werde dich dabei immer unterstützen, Ken!

Die Tatsache, dass Sie einen Weg gefunden haben, damit umzugehen, der heute zu Ihnen passt, war nicht nur notwendig und eine Veröffentlichung, sondern zeigt auch, dass sich die Zeiten geändert haben. Sogar der Papst hat kürzlich begonnen, gleichgeschlechtlichen Paaren seinen Segen zu geben. Dies ist ein Anfang des Fortschritts. Leider ist dies in vielen Ländern auf der ganzen Welt noch nicht der Fall. Das beunruhigt mich sehr, weil es eine ständige Gefahr für Menschen darstellt, die dort leben oder diese Länder besuchen. Hoffentlich berühre ich dich nicht zu sehr, Ken. Es ist dein wunderbares, kostbares Leben, das niemand beurteilen darf. Ich stehe unabhängig bei dir, wo auch immer es sein mag.

I visited both of your websites last night. The aviation site is a wonderful source of information. I'm honoured that you included my text message. Yes, this page is and remains absolutely important.

The main website is, among other things, a large, personal and global political dialogue. I appreciate your comprehensive vision, your general perspective, your life experience and your mature attitude to personal, past and current issues. Actually, this website is like a huge book of experiences, illustrated with digital art. I like it very much and wish I could hold it in my hands.

Regarding your website and your personal openness, I am thinking this: You may have experienced many deep injuries in previous years that have made you very careful. But for about two years you have shown yourself publicly about it on your website. Therefore, I am glad. I will always support you in this, Ken!

The fact that you found a way to deal with it that suited you today was not only necessary and a release, but also shows that times have changed. Even the Pope has recently started giving his blessing to same-sex couples. This is a beginning of progress. Unfortunately, this is not yet the case in many countries around the world. This worries me greatly because it is a constant danger for people who live there or visit these countries. Hopefully I don’t touch you too much, Ken. It’s your wonderful precious life, which no one is allowed to judge. I stand with you independent wherever it might be.

R.S.

2024

When dark minds have even darker intent, behold! The enemy, at our gate, has already breached our boundary. The threat to every nation, every community, that believes in freedom and democracy is the threat of invasion; the plunderer that lives by one code only…

What you have, I want! And I’m going to have it! And I am going to kill to get it!

I stand absolutely, and resolutely, by Ukraine.

I look for compromise. But people do not want compromise.

To quote Sir Anthony Hopkins,

that gentle Man sums it up well…

I find that I stare at what he calls “the human beast” in the face.

I am ashamed to even be alive.

Kenneth Thomas Webb

This Website

This Website is large. It covers a variety of subjects on 43 Platforms, currently showing a collective publication of 650 articles. Some of these articles stretch back two decades but stand the test of time and remain relevant.

In Draft are 350 articles, further short stories, biography and poetry, with at least twenty articles or poems “in the sidings” i.e. held for specific publication dates to coincide with an anniversary event.

The Aviation Website

The Second website, Eyes to the Skies here covers aspects of Aviation that interest me personally. Occasionally, articles appear on both websites.

For example, military book reviews on the new website, are still found in this website’s Book Reviews category.

Each website is mainly British English, occasionally American English. Our shared language continues to evolve. Neither is wrong. Our otherwise common language, provides “the difference of tempo”.

Beware those who dare to trample any language underfoot, to eradicate that language, both spoken and written. Achieved in the short term, History then steps in and restores in the long term. In so doing, it exacts a price upon the perpetrators that is frightening. The impact of the price exacted can last for centuries.

I fervently believe in freedom and democracy.

But we drift once again to the political extremes. The far right have snatched for themselves the bland term ‘populism’ to disguise their intent, to embrace fascism.

My parents’ and grandparents’ generations would have said, ‘an intent to return’ to fascism.

The extreme left does exactly the same.

Autocracy is simply the politically correct term for totalitarianism.

I prefer the centre ground.

I am pro-American within reason, yet the American People are, once again, a most troubled nation. I no longer admire them unconditionally. Their poison chalice is that dread isolationism. When a nation can speak of a belief that a second civil war will break out within ten years and that it will be good when it does, THAT beggars belief!

When a nation insists that it must make itself great again, this serves international notice upon all, that selfishness and self-aggrandisement are now their watchwords.

-ßß-

November ~ December 2024

LIVERPOOL