Rick McBee's Writings
Explore the magic of new ideas and books to read as well as see what books I have written, my favorite photos, my opinions on may subjects, including Science, Africa, the Caribbean, the Civil War, my Book Reviews, and Much More!
The Codex File: What if Big Biz and Big Gov take over the Free Internet?
The Codex File
by Miles Etherton
Here’s an exciting British based novel of internet espionage, murder, psycho-manipulation and the fight for power when politics and big government get control of the free internet. I was initially put off a bit by the first chapter and the graphic murder scene, but as I read further, came to understand that the point needs to be made clearly that there are still people in our society who will do anything to hold complete power. The “Dark Side” of humanity has not gone away despite our cult of happiness.
Where better than Britain to set this novel? Nowhere! The country is already set up for governmental control of TV, radio and telecommunications, so why not add the Internet to the licensing agreements and go back to the kind of control they had when the BBC was the only British vector of information.
But what happens when big business egos and political power players join together to perfect a system where the competition can be eliminated by accessing the home computer regulation system, turn on the gas and wait for someone to flip on thelight switch. Accidents just seem to happen to anyone who gets in the way of the take-over. The masses can be kept happy massaging themselves with their movies, apps, and all the great things the internet can deliver to their sensual world.
Happily the fighters for the Free Internet have managed to survive as nameless, faceless fugitives as they go on the run and desperately work to thwart the final success of the full-on app that will make the whims of the diabolical leaders come to full reality. Fortunately they have a key file to the ultimate app, left in a lock box for Michael Robertson by his wife, horrifically mutilated and murdered by the man who will take full power in the Nazi-like world he envisions.
Who will win out? Michael is tormented by his wife Collette’s ghost in the form of the ANNA app that seems to follow him and bring on self-destructive impulses. The free internet patriots are down to their last hideout and have been sucked into a trap set through the government web. The malevolent net is beginning to close! Read it!
Imagine with these pictures! Don’t miss out! -Only 2 hours left on 99 Cent sale for Rough Enough at Amazon.com-
Imagine yourself as a 17 year old peering out over the walls of a small fortification such as this one on the Petersburg battlefield in 1865 and watching through the haze of powder smoke as the gray shadows of the advancing Confederate troops moved forward in Lee’s last attempt to break through Grant’s lies to the West and prevent his command from being totally surrounded.
OR
Imagine yourself only a few days later advancing in the darkness of early morning on a scene similar to this one in which you and your comrades have to overcome obstacles and direct fire in order to storm the fortifications around Petersburg. In the process you lose one of your best friends and in the coming days of chasing General Lee across Virginia you only have a few moments to write to your sister and tell her that you are still alove but that it was finally “Rough Enough.”
“Rough Enough” is true history that reads with the pace and interest level of a good novel. It is composed of true letters and the correlation of these letters with the events happening on the battle field and later in Richard Clow’s life. It is action packed with new information from the perspective of the enlisted man rather than the officers so you have some idea of the daily trials in the trenches, picket posts and patrols that go to make the big picture of the campaign work out in the end.
There is ample information for classroom discussion if you decide to use it for teaching as supplementary reading to build a thorough understanding of both the end of the war and the events in the following years that led many men onto the frontiers.
For those of you who have read the book and/or re-blogged my notes to others, I thank you for your time and effort in making this book a success.
Technology Sucks!
I tend to agree with the rant, especially since I could still use my old Apple Macintosh if somebody had just figured out how to make the new memory chip fit into the slot. What a great machine.- black and white, not pop-up ads, no stereo music, no blogging… Humm, Perhaps there are a few things I do appreciate about the new system. Well, I sympathize with you anyway. Good luck on the new computer and in learning a new system. It keeps us young.
Incoming rant: be prepared to duck.
Why can’t they make computers that will last? Okay, fine, my desktop is four years old, and my son Chris is on it all the time. Almost. Today it started acting up. It has some sort of bug going on – whether it’s a virus or the hard drive is failing (which I think is the case) I’m not sure. But for an Autistic kid to deal with it’s the end of the world. I’ve spent most of this morning trying to fix the computer while Chris sits beside me beating his head with his fists and yelling.
All this after Alex came home yesterday to an infected laptop. Thank goodness I have Kaspersky on his machine – it cleaned it up quite well, though it took almost two hours to do it. It would work even better if it didn’t give him the…
View original post 202 more words
The Big-Flavor Grill No-Marinade, No-Hassle Recipes
Enjoy this great grilling book as the school year starts but the BBQ season is still not over.
The Big-Flavor Grill: No-Marinade, No-Hassle Recipes for Delicious Steaks, Chicken, Ribs, Chops, Vegetables, Shrimp, and Fish by Chris Schlesinger
The best-selling team of chef Chris Schlesinger and Cook’s Illustrated executive editor John Willoughby present a radically simple method of applying flavor boosters to ingredients hot off the grill, maximizing flavor and dramatically reducing grilling time over traditional marinades.
Schlesinger and Willoughby wield spices and condiments from around the world masterfully in these 130 minimal preparation, maximum flavor recipes inspired by Asian, Mediterranean, Latin, and Caribbean cuisine. In contrast to grilling books that require long-lead marinating and time-consuming steps, The Big Flavor Grill‘s no-fuss approach means lightning-quick prep and grill times. Their new take on using spice rubs to coat ingredients before they go over the coals trumps traditional marinating by providing stronger, better-defined flavors–and rubs can be used at the last minute instead of having to think ahead, as…
View original post 244 more words
Recognize this Civil War Soldier’s Wife? You Should! Buy the book @ 99 cents on Amazon
Mary Bingham Clow: First Wife of Richard Clow and step daughter to the renowned fur trader on the upper Missouri River, Charles Larpenteur. Her story is one of love and tragedy spelled out in “Rough Enough” a Civil War and frontier history of outstanding quality now for sale on Amazon for only 99 cents until 11PM tonight, 31 August.
Here’s what Reviewers say! Don’t Miss :”Rough Enough” on Sale 99 cents!
Ionia Martin, Book Critic, Author of “Readfulthings” Blog Spot says about The Civil War book “Rough Enough” which is currently on sale for 99 cents through Amazon: …”I was absolutely fascinated by the tale of this young man: Richard Clow’s life and experiences. While I have read quite a few books that have to do with this era and the lives of individual men, none have touched me quite the way this one did”…
Sale ends at 11PM PST tonight, Sunday Aug. 31. Don’t be left holding the Pumpkin!
June 6, D-Day in art
Take a look at another keen sight on WWII, Great Job!
HONOR A VETERAN — FLY YOUR FLAG
D-Day memorial, Beford, VA
The 116th on Omaha Beach by K. Sean Sullivan
##################################################################################
A recent new book release, something I don’t normally do in a post, caught my eye this week…
“The Girls of Atomic City” by Denise Kiernan
An intriguing tale of women who worked under top security conditions and sworn to secrecy. Now in their 80’s and 90’s finally have their story related. Under eminent domain, the government seized 60,000 acres in East Tennessee and created a massive industrial complex that would not be located on any map. The girls in this atomic city worked to create the atomic bomb without any knowledge of the drastic effects of the plutonium radiation. This is an unknown (in some cases forgotten) chapter of American history. The women of WWII, usually portrayed as ‘Rosie the Riveter’ or military nurses can now add the…
View original post 245 more words
Who Was the Model For this Vernon Corban Original Sketch?
Pencil Sketch of a beautiful lady done by artist Vernon Corban. Found in a batch of estate sale picture frames.
They did it!! New KDP Viewer for “Beachcomber Seashells of the Caribbean”
They did it!! New KDP Viewer for “Beachcomber Seashells of the Caribbean”
They finally did it! Here’s a company that really works for you to get the best views of your book! a few weeks ago Kindle Direct Publishing had no way to let you show significant portions of your Fixed Page Format books to your public. This meant that prospective buyers were stuck with looking at only the first few pages, which in the case of “Beachcomber Sea Shells of the Caribbean” allowed them to only see a few written pages and diagrams but none of the spectacular specimen photos or the pictorial keys which make up the real selling power of the book!
Thanks to some hard working experts on their staff, they have now solved the problem and you can now view the sections of the book to understand why it is a volume well worth buying for your Kindle or e-reader laptop that you are taking to Florida or any of the thousands of islands throughout the Caribbean. Fabulous work Guys!
South Africa Book Group on Goodreads
.gr_grid_container { /* customize grid container div here. eg: width: 500px; */ } .gr_grid_book_container { /* customize book cover container div here */ float: left; width: 39px; height: 60px; padding: 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; }
1557 membersThis is a book club for all South Africans who love reading! We also have members from other coun...
Books we've read
View this group on Goodreads »
Share book reviews and ratings with South African Book Lovers, and even join a book club on Goodreads.
Rick McBee's Writings 
Most of us don’t even know our own world! Indian Paintbrush in Spring- Near Klickitat,WA
Posted on May 6, 2014 by Richard H. McBee Jr.
3 Comments
Ever wonder what lie would be like if you had as much time as most aboriginal peoples and you were not tied up with “what shall blog” or “what shall I put on” or “who should I text?”
Well, get out of the house and walk in the fields, smell the flowers, look at the creation around you. It’s just as interesting as those keen pictures on Avatar of a new world. Most of us never do this enough to learn even a tenth of the plants and animals around us in our own home vicinity. Wake up! Smell the flowers! (Oops, almost forgot almost that Indian Paintbrush don’t really have an odor, they’re parasitic on some other plants.
amazon.com/author/rickmcbee