Archive

*NEW release*
Two Steps Wiser - World Culture Pictorial Online Journal Vol. 02
by Dean Goodluck
Available via Apple iBookstore/iTunes and Kobo eBooks.

Happy New Year!

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29 Dec 2016
Priebus on Russia: Trump 'Not Interested in Going to War' - Wants to Have 'Relationships'
Thursday on Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor," while discussing the sanctions President Barack Obama announced today against Russia, incoming White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said while he can not yet comment on President-elect Donald Trump plans to address Russia once in office he did say Trump is "not interested in going to war." Instead he said that Trump was interested in "having relationships."  read more »

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Dec 28, 2016
open a bank account in just 8 minutes? you can lose it even faster - smartphone-only bank N26 German fintech company N26, which made its name mocking traditional banks, has found itself on the receiving end of criticism after a security researcher proved its smartphone apps exposed users to potential account hijacking.

N26, previously known as Number26, has expanded rapidly since it launched in early 2015 as a smartphone-only bank with no local branches, with the backing of major global investors including Silicon Valley's Peter Thiel.

Vincent Haupert, a research fellow and PhD student in the computer science department of the University of Erlangen-Nuernberg, told the Chaos Communications Congress in Hamburg how he and two colleagues found N26 security defenses riddled with holes that could have been used to defraud thousands of users.

"They say you can open a bank account in just eight minutes," Haupert said. "As it turns out, you can lose it even faster." In a statement, N26 thanked Haupert for alerting the company to "a theoretical security vulnerability" and advising it on fixes, which N26 said it completed this month.

N26 offers a range of online banking and other financial services to 200,000 customers in 17 European countries through a banking license granted earlier this year by German financial regulator Bafin. N26 executives have been the most outspoken among new fintech players in arguing traditional banks are failing to serve customers more directly by relying on antiquated local branch relationships instead of modern, phone-based services.

"I don't see banks at all as my competitors. They just can't move fast enough," N26 Chief Executive Valentin Stalf told Reuters last year.  read more »

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Dec 25, 2016
Queen Elizabeth II’s Christmas address, full speech:

There was a time when British Olympic medal winners became household names because there were so few of them.

But the 67 medals at this year’s Games in Rio and 147 at the Paralympics meant that the GB medallists’ reception at Buckingham Palace was a crowded and happy event.

Throughout the Commonwealth there were equally joyful celebrations. Grenada, the Bahamas, Jamaica and New Zealand won more medals per head of population than any other countries.

Many of this year’s winners spoke of being inspired by athletes of previous generations.

Inspiration fed their aspiration; and having discovered abilities they scarcely knew they had, these athletes are now inspiring others.

A few months ago, I saw inspiration of a different kind when I opened the new Cambridge base of the East Anglian Air Ambulance, where Prince William works as a helicopter pilot.

It was not hard to be moved by the dedication of the highly skilled doctors, paramedics and crew, who are called out on average five times a day.

But to be inspirational you don’t have to save lives or win medals.

I often draw strength from meeting ordinary people doing extraordinary things: volunteers, carers, community organisers and good neighbours; unsung heroes whose quiet dedication makes them special.

They are an inspiration to those who know them, and their lives frequently embody a truth expressed by Mother Teresa, from this year Saint Teresa of Calcutta.  read more »

*NEW releases*
One Step Wiser - World Culture Pictorial Online Journal Vol. 01
by Dean Goodluck

Two Steps Wiser - World Culture Pictorial Online Journal Vol. 02
by Dean Goodluck

*NEW releases*

Three Steps Wiser - World Culture Pictorial Online Journal Vol. 03
by Dean Goodluck

Four Steps Wiser - World Culture Pictorial Online Journal Vol. 04
by Dean Goodluck

From the publisher -
World Cultural Pictorial®'s online journey took its very first step on Earth Day, 2008 (Vol. 1-4: Apr-Dec'08). Universe is infinite, comprehensive reading is twin to broad vision. Thus the journal collections is filled with random thoughts, humor and art - from poetry to policy, from food to high tech, from floating city to cosmic smash-up, to endless wrestling of global powers... Fun to read tons of readers' comments.

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Dec 19, 2016
Michigan elector Michael Banerian wants to cast his vote for Donald Trump, but says he’s been overwhelmed with thousands of emails, Facebook messages, letters and even death threats since the billionaire businessman won the election.
“I’ve had people that have been talking about putting a bullet in the back of my mouth, burning myself and my family, sending pictures of nooses saying if I don’t vote for Hillary Clinton, they’ll get me,” he told the FOX Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo.

Dec 14, 2016
Electors around the country are being harassed with a barrage of emails, phone calls and letters — and even death threats — in an effort to block Donald Trump from being voted in as president by the Electoral College on Monday.

The bullying is overwhelming Sharon Geise’s tech devices, but not her resolve to support Trump. The Mesa, Arizona, grandmother woke up Wednesday morning to more than 1,500 emails demanding she not carry out her legal duty to vote for the president-elect. “They just keep coming and coming,” Geise told The Post, estimating she’s received more than 50,000 emails since the election. “They’re overpowering my iPad.”
Reports of GOP electors being badgered have been reported in numerous states, including Georgia, Idaho, Tennessee, Arizona, Utah and Michigan.  read more »

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Dec 14, 2016
Yahoo announced Wednesday that hackers stole data from more than one billion customer accounts.

Nov 24, 2016
Personal data belonging to 134,386 current and former sailors in the U.S. Navy has been compromised, the Navy said on Wednesday.

It wasn't immediately clear when the hack took place, but the Navy is pointing the finger at a compromised laptop belonging to a contractor as the source of the data breach.

In a statement, the Navy said it was notified by Hewlett Packard Enterprise Services that a laptop belonging to one of its employees was compromised. That employee, the Navy said, was working in support of a Navy contract.

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Photo courtesy REUTERS / Denis Balibouse/File photo