Use the CyberNews data check to see if your email address is part of the LinkedIn Data Leak leaks. On April 9, 2021, ThreatPost writes: Personal data from more than 500 million LinkedIn users has been posted for sale online in yet another incident of threat actors scraping data from public profiles and slinging it online for potential cybercriminal misuse. Hackers … [Read more...]
This Thanksgiving we have much to be grateful for
This Thanksgiving, like pretty much everything this year, is unlike any other in living memory yet we still have a lot to be grateful for. My personal gratitude list includes: My loving wife Her recovery from Stage 3C breast cancer An amazing Pastor who always has my back Good friends who are willing to help, no matter what My health a friend with colon … [Read more...]
Note to Self: Don’t Poke the Bear!
Rural living has distinct advantages, one of which is unexpected friends drop by from time to time. One of the disadvantages, of course, is sometimes those visiting friends don't like being disturbed while sunning themselves in your yard. Case in point. Yesterday afternoon this big fella wandered into the yard. I, of course, got all excited about my visitor and … [Read more...]
Today is International Coffee Day – Have you had your cup yet?
Welcome to International Coffee Day... like I need an excuse to drink a nice, hot cup of dark roast java! Yet on this glorious day where we celebrate the Bouncing Bean of Life, some weirdos offer tips like: How To Wake Up In The Morning Without Caffeine (Why would I want to???) 21Ways To Wake Up That Don't Involve Coffee (Do I really need to say it again?) 7 Ways … [Read more...]
A Canada Day Like No Other
Happy Canada Day! This year's celebration of the birth of our country is unlike any Canada Day celebration in our history. For the very first time, we will celebrate Canada Day without, well, an actual celebration. So folks are doing what they can to keep that celebratory spirit alive in the absence of an actual party. Mark Strahl, Member of Parliament for … [Read more...]
NaNoWriMo 2019 – Day 4 – The Words keep Coming…
Today was another good day for words... aided greatly by Dragon Naturally Speaking. Word count for the day was about 4,500 words, so I'm pleased with progress so far. Just shy of 20,000 words in 4 days, not that word count is the goal this year. As I've done the past 3 National Novel Writing Months, word count is not my priority - completing a first draft of a book is the … [Read more...]
NaNoWrMo 2019 – Day 3 – Not Quite a Day of Rest
Typically during NaNoWriMo I take Sundays off. Today, being only Day 3, I didn't push it nearly as hard as I did on Days 1 and 2, but I still managed to get some good stuff down on the page and added another 3,363 words to my count. One of the fun things I forgot about was all the achievement badges you get during NaNoWriMo. It's hilarious. For example, for writing 2 … [Read more...]
#NaNoWriMo 2019 Begins!
I love November, but not for the reason you might think. I hate mustaches. Not that I think raising awareness of prostate cancer is a bad thing. It’s not. It’s fantastic. But I’m a writer so November 1st marks the beginning of the greatest of all writing challenges - NaNoWriMo - National Novel Writing Month, where I must write 50,000 words in 30 days to call myself “a … [Read more...]
Fabulous Fur Babies
Throughout our lives, both Lynda and I have taken in fur babies who were abused or abandoned. Last summer we rescued two beautiful little Tabby kittens, the latest additions to our family. They were so starved they fought each other over the food bowl. That ended pretty fast, though. It didn't take long for the little fur-balls to realize all they had to do was yell and the … [Read more...]
I like it best when the “special” neighbours stop in for a visit
Life is pretty great, isn't it? On Saturday afternoon I wandered around taking pictures of the wild flowers. It's one of my pastimes and I can easily get lost in the process. Such was the case this past Saturday afternoon. The wild tiger lily is probably my favourite of them all and I never tire of taking photographs of them. They are utterly amazing and they grow almost … [Read more...]
The only Good Rat is a DEAD Rat
This year everyone seems to have rat problems. In the rural areas it's much worse, I suspect, but then I'm probably biased. A family of these disgusting vermin invaded my house and made one heck of a mess. After killing the home invaders and spending what seemed like FOREVER cleaning up all the destruction they left behind, not to mention all the rat urine and feces I EVER … [Read more...]
Deadly Albino Mountain Attack Spider Terrorizes Residents!
The deadly albino mountain attack spider is a creature feared not for its size, but for its ferocious nature. It fears no man or beast alive and it has only one way of dealing with intruders in its territory. Like the words on the Claymore Mine say, "Front Towards Enemy". My mistake was not paying attention. My fear was I would pay for that mistake with my life as this … [Read more...]
Fair Chase Hunting does not include Drones
Fair chase hunting does not include the use of drones to find your intended prey. From the Anchorage Daily News Hunting big game in Alaska with the help of remote-controlled, camera-equipped aircraft will be illegal later this year when new regulations take effect. Hunting is a time-honored tradition allowing each of us to put food on our family’s dinner table. It’s also … [Read more...]
Celtic Rocker Leah McHenry: The Homeschooling, Gun-Loving, Metal Mama
I’ll let you in on a secret. I love celtic rock. Always have. For reasons I can’t explain this genre of music speaks to me, but when Celtic Rocker Leah McHenry sent me a friend request on Facebook I was both intrigued and puzzled. Intrigued because I had never heard of her; puzzled because I didn’t know why a musician would seek “Facebook Friendship” with a … [Read more...]
Bitcoin Theft Closes Down Flexcoin Exchange, Forces Withdrawals Halt On BitStamp
A few days ago I wrote an article about the failure of the world’s largest Bitcoins exchange, Mt. Gox, titled “Bitcoins Gold Rush Goes Bust”. In that article I warned this wouldn’t be the last exchange to go down, that in fact it was just the first of many. If you invested in Bitcoins you had best dump this infatuation while it still holds some value and before other exchanges … [Read more...]
Slates for Sarah – In Memory of Sarah Elizabeth Jones
Sarah Elizabeth Jones, 27, was a native of West Columbia, South Carolina. She was born on September 22, 1986. She lived in Atlanta, GA where she worked as a Camera Assistant on many projects. Sarah lost her earthly life on February 20, 2014 in Savannah, GA, doing the job she loved. Film crews across North America are banding together to express their condolences at the … [Read more...]
Extreme Autobody? Perhaps, but it’s definitely Extreme Parking!
It's amazing the things you see wandering around Vancouver sometimes. And amusing. These photos were taken at one of the film studio lots recently and goes to show you film folk aren't scared of much. They certainly aren't afraid of parking near a pesky little rock, not even with their courtesy car! … [Read more...]
The Lesson of Ben Comen (and your New Year’s Resolution)
[powerpress] Ben Comen is a runner. Specifically, he's a cross country runner. He's never won the Olympics, nor is he likely to. In fact, Ben will never make it to the Olympics other than as a spectator. So what lesson can a runner you've never heard of, and who has never won a Gold medal at the Olympics possibly teach you? Possibly the most … [Read more...]
Congratulations Felix Baumgartner! He Jumps from Space and Lands on his Feet!
In a miraculous feat of human engineering, Felix Baumgartner successfully jumped from the very edge of space (over 24 miles in the air) in nothing but a space suit. He was in free fall for over 4 minutes, and broke the speed of sound. That makes him the only man in history to do so. Congratulations to Felix and the entire Red Bull Stratos Team for making this amazing feat … [Read more...]
Truth is often stranger than fiction, and never moreso than when it comes to cats
Cats are pretty interesting creatures. They are haughty, arrogant and generally do as they please. They can be kind and loving creatures, curling up with you when you're not well. They can be wickedly evil little critters when the mood strikes them as well. Just ask any mouse that's crossed a cat's path. My own cat Goofball pretty much does whatever he pleases, … [Read more...]
In an age of myopic self-absorption Danielle Smith’s selfless act sure stands out
I tumbled across the story of Danielle Smith’s awesome act for charity only because she shares the same name as Alberta Wildrose Party Leader Danielle Smith. This Danielle Smith is 21 years old, was one of the Torch Bearers at the 2012 Olympic Games in England and lives in Tollemache Fields, South Witham, England. At the age of 15 she lost her left leg to … [Read more...]
Documentary: James Nachtwey – War Photographer
Hello there...... If you have a chance, please watch the video below. It's a documentary about the life and work of a war photographer, James Nachtwey. I have always admired, deeply admired, those men and women who put themselves, their souls and their sanity, into the palm of Death himself to bring us shattered fragments of Mankind's brutality, to bring us face to face … [Read more...]
Merry Christmas to Canada’s Troops!
Merry Christmas to all our men and women in uniform, wherever you may be today. Just for fun, here is a video of a so-called "flash mob" singing Christmas Carols in a Californa shopping mall, much to the delight of the mall's customers. Here is the official description of the video from YouTube: Journey of Faith performed a Christmas "Flash Mob" at the South Bay … [Read more...]
Free WiFi Internet and a $50 discount for killing your unborn child on The Lord’s Day
It’s quite the deal, really. The catch is the ONLY day you can get the $50 discount for killing your unborn and unwanted child is on Sunday, commonly referred to in some circles as the Lord’s Day. Highly ironic, don’t you think? Or perhaps disgusting is a better word for it. Free Pap Smear With Abortion Procedure at EPOC Clinic in Orlando Florida! screams the popup on … [Read more...]
The worst of Mankind and the Best of Mankind
Human beings are, at best, disgusting and depraved creatures. This was proven again (as if it needed to be) when dozens of people in China showed exactly how deeply depraved we human beings can be. On October 13th, on a busy street in the Guangfo Hardware Market in China, a toddler walks across the road and is struck by not one, but two vehicles, neither of whom could be … [Read more...]
Time for a coffee break and a four minute brush with the Heavens……enjoy!!!
Hello there......its me again....... Don Laird..... Take a moment......make a cup of your favourite hot beverage, and then sit down and put your feet up....click the link and enjoy.... One of my favourite mediums...photography....and one of the only times I can suffer the magnificence of colour....time-lapse photography....(the other being HDR photography.....) Here is … [Read more...]
The lessons of Mary Reynolds and the Detroit Lions and what they mean for us all
This past couple of weeks has been pretty busy for me, so writing for the blog has been temporarily relegated to the back seat. While I've managed to keep to my goal of one new article per day most of the time, this past week has certainly not been one of those times. God decreed that 6 days man shall work, and the 7th he shall rest, so that's what I've been doing … [Read more...]
“Obama is a living and breathing nightmare” — The Epic Failure of Obama in 2 minutes or less
In a column titled "A disaster called Obama", columnist Yigal Wait writes scathingly about the failure of "Mr. Hope and Change", Barack Obama. While his column tears strip after strip from the hide of the most useless President in American history, his last two lines are brilliant: Bush is already a distant dream, while Obama is a living and breathing nightmare. Now all … [Read more...]
I don’t care if you hate skateboards… this is one video you must see!
Hello there. It's me again...Don Laird. As the old expression goes......."I'm working on something big"......but before I get all heavy and critical (with furrowed eyebrows and a rambling rantish screed....).......you need to watch these guys.... No, seriously.....like you really, really, really need to watch these guys..... These guys are a group of seriously skilled … [Read more...]
Of The Rocky Mountains, Restless Souls and Walkabouts (and a shitload of shoe leather!)
It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon so I decided to take a drive. A cup of coffee and out to the mountains of Jasper, Alberta, practically right in my back yard. For me the mountains are a magical place I never tire of visiting. Occasionally I have to give thanks for all I have that I take for granted. There are people in this world who will never get the chance to visit the … [Read more...]