7/14 defcon: murdoch's watergate, military meltdown & more

hacking scandal could be murdoch's watergate*

video: rupert murdoch's son could be prosecuted by US*
video: murdoch papers could have hacked US phones as well*
update: news corp uk newspaper ceo brooks resigns*
washington post website jobs section hacked*
anonymous hacks monsanto computers; posts employee info*
hackers claim they exposed booz allen hamilton data*
'military meltdown monday' - 90k military usernames, hashes released*
how digital detectives deciphered stuxnet, the most menacing malware in history*
stuxnet timeline shows correlation among events*
wi-fi–hacking neighbor from hell sentenced to 18yrs*
smart meters deconstructed*
zuckerberg & google elite hit google+ privacy button*
google turning us into forgetful morons*
cbs faked 4th of july fireworks display*

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!!

It was on July 4th, 1776, that the United States of America

was born.

This is the land that upholds the freedom

and dignity of the individual,

endowed with certain inalienable rights,

guaranteed by our constitution.

And so I say....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, USA!!!!!!

Here are some July 4th quotes:

In the truest sense, freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all!
 By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall.
 John Dickinson

Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves.

Abraham Lincoln

Here's a book recommendation for this very special day:

Rise to Rebellion:

A Novel of the American Revolution

(American Revolutionary War #1)

Hardcover, 512 pages

Published by Ballantine Books

July 3rd, 2001

From the Goodreads Synopsis

Jeff Shaara dazzled readers with his bestselling novels Gods and Generals, The Last Full Measure, and Gone for Soldiers. Now the acclaimed author who illuminated the Civil War and the Mexican-American War brilliantly brings to life the American Revolution, creating a superb saga of the men

who helped to forge the destiny of a nation.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

To all the GREAT dads out there,

(including my own)

may you have a wonderful day,

surrounded by your family's love!!

God bless you all!!

Here's an adorable book recommendation

for this special day!

Baby Bonanza

Maureen Child

Mass Market Paperback, 192 pages

Published by Silhouette

September 9, 2008

(first published August 29, 2007)

This is the delightful, feel-good type of novel

that I need to read from time to time.

I know I'm not alone in this,

so I'm recommending it!

Tycoon Nick Falco hadn't been ready to

settle down just yet,

but when he found out that his

fling with Jenna Baker had resulted in

"a twin surprise", he became adamant

about giving his cute boys

his last name.

What he hadn't counted on was their mother's

insistence on hearing...

those all-important three little words.

Sounds like loads of fun!!

Hope you all enjoy the book and the day!!

Memorial Day Remembrance



To all of those who have given their lives

due to this unfortunate reality

known as "war",

a most profound and respectful thank you...

You will always be in our hearts, minds, and spirits.

May you rest in the eternal peace of God.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

This is the day for all the beautiful, wonderful mothers

out there -- including mine!!

You all give so much of yourselves,

and leave such an indelible imprint on our hearts and lives!

May God bless you all!!!!!

This is your day! 
May it be as joyful as you deserve it to be!!!



Of course I'd like to recommend a very special book

for this very special day.

Each holiday celebration should always

be accompanied by at least one book recommendation,

and this one is no exception!

This is a collection of romantic tales that celebrate motherhood!

I haven't read it, but, in searching the Internet

for a book suitable for the occasion,

found this one on Goodreads,

and thought it was perfect!

The stories seem very heartwarming,

and the cover is lovely.

So naturally I am also recommending it to myself!

Here is the Goodreads synopsis:

"The Way Home", by Linda Howard

For Anna Sharp, the choice was clear. Saxon Malone might not want their baby, but she did --- even if that meant giving up the man she loved. But maybe, if she could show him the value of his past, he might be willing to share the future --- as a family.

"Backward Glance", by Robyn Carr 
News of her "ailing" mother sent Leigh Brackon and her twin toddlers rushing home. But once there, she found her spry mom sipping medicinal wine and old flame John McElroy knee-deep in landscaping the backyard! Coincidence? Leigh suspected maternal meddling --- and feared the truth John might discover in her sons' eyes . . .

"So this is love" by Cheryl Reavis
Little Huong Brenner knew all about the customs of her adopted country. On Groundhog Day you searched for a groundhog, so on Mother's Day . . . But to betroth her reticent father Jacob to attractive Jessica Markham, Huong had to rally her baffled new brother, invoke her Asian ancestors --- in short, manufacture magic . . . and mayhem!

If you're interested in purchasing this book,

you can check it out HERE.

 

HAPPY EASTER!!!!

This beautiful painting is part of the Isenheim altarpiece,

which is now on display at the Unterlinden Museum at Colmar,

in Alsace, France.

The artist is Matthias Grunewald,

and he painted it around 1506 to 1515.

May His Divine blessings

fill your life with joy and peace!

Earth Day + Friday =

There is a long tradition of Earth Day-related songs popping up around the environmental holiday (example: Biz Markie's Earth Day Remix), but this year, that tradition has gone in a whole new direction.

Due to an incredible alignment of the holiday, the day-of-week, the moment-in-viral-history, and the appropriate number of syllables, the universe has brought us a new trend: Rebecca Black "Earth Day" parody videos.

That's right. It seems some YouTube users -- mostly students and teachers -- have taken to putting together some cheesy, tongue-in-cheek remakes of Ms. Black's viral hit to celebrate today, Earth Day, which also happens to be Friday. Here are a few examples, which vary widely both technically and lyrically...



(Use the arrows to navigate between videos or watch them all here.)

LUCKY LEPRECHAUN GIVEAWAY HOP!!

I know, me lads and lassies,

St. Paddy's Day is over, and all the pots o'gold

have been hidden away again,

until next year rolls around.

Right? 

Well, not quite!

I have just discovered this fabulous blog giveaway hop!!

It's hosted by Books Complete Me,

and I Am A Reader,Not A Writer, but I first found out about it

at Lindsay Writes.

The main prize is a signed copy of The Thief,

by Megan Whelan Turner.

To find out more, just go to the home page,

which has the giveaway hop post.

(I have already provided the link, above.)

You can go straight to the entry form

by clicking HERE. 

GOOD LUCK TO ONE AND ALL!!!!!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!!

To all of you hopeless romantics out there,

may the pot at the end of the rainbow

be full of your most wonderfully

romantic dreams of love!!

And, with a wee bit o'luck,

ye might be finding a shy leprechaun

guarding his hoarded gold, as well!

Here is some information on some of the traditions

of this day,

taken from a Compuserve article:

Here are the four reasons green is equated with St. Patrick's Day:

·  Green is one of the three colors in the Irish flag.

·  With its lush, green landscape, Ireland is known as the "Emerald Isle."

·  Green is the color of spring.

·  Green is the color of the shamrock.

Originally a Roman Catholic feast day for Ireland's patron saint, St. Patrick's Day was only celebrated in Ireland before the 1600s. By the 1700s, it had evolved into a secular holiday as Irish immigrants to the United States began holding the first St.Patrick's Day parades. These festivities were a chance to not only show off their patriotism for Ireland, but also make a political statement about their discontent with their low social status in America.

You can find the complete article HERE.

In honor of the day, I'd like to recommend

this collection of Irish myths

and tales.

The title of the book is:

Emerald Magic: Great Tales of Irish Fantasy.

Some of the contributors include

Diane Duane, Fred Saberhagen, L.E. Modesitt, Jr.,

Peter Tremayne, and Morgan Llywelyn.

The cover is quite beautiful, too!

This is part of the Goodreads synopsis:

Ireland is a nation that holds fast to its history and heritage, and nowhere is that more true than in its folktales and legends. From the great Celtic myths featuring the bard Taliesin, the terrible Morrigan, the heroic Cuchulain, or the noble and cunning Sidhe to strange and mysterious tales of today, the stories and traditions of the Emerald Isle hold a strong attraction for many.

Emerald Magic brings together today's best fantasy authors to explore the myths of the Irish, telling their own versions of these ancient tales of luck, love, and honor, or drawing upon centuries of Irish myths and folktales and updating them into brand-new stories. Edited and with an introduction by bestselling author Father Andrew M. Greeley, Emerald Magic contains fourteen wonderful stories of legend and lore.

Big in Australia: Valentine's Break-Up

Real or fake?

The Most Shared video in Australia today is this Valentine's Day clip of a girl confronting her boyfriend when she spots him with another girl. A similar video went big late last year and turned out to be a viral ad for a Hong Kong company.



Interestingly a second awkward couples clip has also been very popular in Southeast Asia this week and is also among the Most Shared in Australia.

Find out what's popular across the U.S. or around the world using our YouTube Trends Dashboard.

THE DAY OF ETERNAL LOVE!!!!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

I'm wishing all of my readers

a most wonderful,

joyful, blessed

NEW YEAR!!!

May all of your wishes come true in 2011!!

May the most fantastic experiences

come your way!

And may you be able to read

ALL THE BOOKS

YOU'VE BEEN MEANING TO GET TO!!!!

12/31 defcon: high chance, top threats & the cloud

top cyber threats of 2011*
living with our heads in 'the cloud'*
paul allen tries patent megasuit again*
apple sued for app privacy violations*
man quits job to sue spammers*
with 15 minutes of fame ticking; assange signs $1.5m-worth of book deals*
smith, assange, soros & claims that assange is helping the neocons*
assange: 'high chance' i'd be killed 'jack ruby-style’ in US prison*
video: 'reality of illusion 4: julian assange, the white brotherhood & the nazis'*

Current & Future Reading List

After a ten-year hiatus, Smith decided to continue the story of Stefan, Elena, Damon, and their friends in Fell's Church, in Nightfall (The Vampire Diaries: The Return, #1).  I like it so far, despite some negative reviews of it I've read.  It seems that this time, the evil Power at work in this town so frequently buffeted by the supernatural is...a group of Japanese demons!  My, oh, my....I don't much care for demons, but we'll see how it goes...

I happened to see this in a CVS pharmacy here in Miami, and the cover immediately drew me in!  It's from a new line of romance novels, based on true romance stories, and appropriately known as "True Vows".  (Yes, I enjoy reading regular romance novels, too!)  This one, by Alison Kent, is a very sweet tale (pun intended).  The female protagonist wants to open her own business -- a gourmet bakery.  It looks like her boyfriend wants to have a hand in the production of the goodies, as well as in the general direction of her life! 

Now this one is a very useful reference book for novice bloggers, which I am!  I'm still getting the hang of this whole thing, but this book, written by blogging expert Susan Gunelius,  has really helped me in several areas.  It contains excellent chapters on search engine optimization, as well as on how to grow your blog, and monetization of same.

Since the Christmas season is already here, I will be starting my Christmas romance reading cycle.  I've been meaning to read this one in particular, by Kerrelyn Sparks, since last year, but never have gotten around to it.  I have skimmed it, though, and found it pretty funny, somewhat in the vein of Lynsay Sands.  (And that's another intended pun. Lol.)

 This is a Regency romance.  I enjoy these, too, and I LOVE Mary Balogh's novels!  I wouldn't miss them for the world!  This is a reissue of a book originally published in 1992.  Hmmm...wonder how I could have missed it, what with all the used book buying I do...  Anyway, I figure it will definitely get me in the spirit of the season!

This is unusual....Christmas and vampires!  I think it makes for an interesting combination, though -- all that vamp angst and the cheerful holiday spirit....  I read the first story in this book, by Maureen Child, some time last year, but don't remember it much, except that the ending was very, very sweet!  So I'll have to re-read it, and go on to the second one, by Caridad Pineiro, which I barely skimmed at the time.

This is the second volume of Christmas vampire stories. The authors in this one are Merline Lovelace and Lori Devoti.  I have just ordered it from Amazon.

I LOVE the combination of the Christmas season and vampires!  I guess the publisher, Harlequin, knows that a lot of women feel the same way, since this is their third collection of such tales, in their Nocturne line.  The authors here are Linda Winstead Jones, Lisa Childs, and Bonnie Vanak.  Another Amazon order!

This one looks to be very, very special, and the author, Andrew Greeley, is a well-known Catholic priest who has written many bestsellers.  This one concerns an Irish-American college guy who falls in love with a young Russian woman studying at Harvard.  Of course I've been looking forward to reading it, too!

Of course, I want to read this, too!  I've heard so much about it, I just have to put it on my reading list! 

Okay, so I'm wondering if I'll have the time to actually read all these books.  (I happen to have two jobs...)  It's like when one sits down at a delicious meal -- one eats with one's eyes!  All I can say is that I sure want to read all of these books, and I sure am going to do my very best to do so!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING, TWILIGHT STYLE!!!