On thing I truly despise about the plethora of hardware and devices hanging around the house these days is the spaghetti mess of cords everywhere. Nightstands, bookshelves, desks and more have become homes to various cords going in every direction.
Thankfully, there is Cableyoyo™. This ultra-thin case allows you to store up to 6 feet of cord that is up to 5 mm in diameter. Simply set the cord across the front of the Cableyoyo and begin turning the cord around the center of it. The cord is held in place by the internal clasp. The Cableyoyo has an adhesive strip on the back, which allows you to stick it to almost any surface. I chose to lay mine on top of my desk, but I could just as easily have stuck it to the side of my metal filing cabinet. Great for iPod and iPad cords, speaker cords (which is what I used mine for), and other devices, I'm happy to say I am not looking at hanging wires by my desk anymore. I'm going to buy Cableyoyos for all four rooms where we keep our devices.
The Cableyoyo is an effective and inexpensive way to cut back on the cord mess around your home. I found it easy to use and would recommend it to anyone.
I received a free Cableyoyo from Cableorganizer.com®. This review contains my honest opinions, for which I was not compensated in any way.
Once again, Suzanne White brings us her ingenious “New Astrology” Predictions for the next 12 months. This exciting new book is offers lengthy, detailed, month-by-month horoscopes for every sign (Western and Chinese). We each have two signs – AN ANIMAL YEAR SIGN AND A WESTERN SUN SIGN. Suzanne White’s brilliant NEW ASTROLOGY™ is the fusion of both. With this amazing book, a Leo born in an Ox year will know what will happen to her all throughout 2013 as well as what will be going on in the life of her Scorpio born Goat sweetheart and for her kids, her boss, her family, her friends and her enemies. Suzanne White is the world renowned high priestess of Chinese and Western astrologies. She is always fun to read. And… she is uncannily accurate. This dazzling book offers readers over 100,000 words of crucial information about and forecasts for each and every astrological sign both Chinese and Western. Find out what’s in store for you and yours in the sultry, highly charged and charming WATER SNAKE YEAR 2013.
Suzanne White is an American author. She lives in France. She has been a college professor, a fashion model, a journalist, an interpreter, a novelist, a fireworks salesperson, director of a Parisian Couture boutique, an elevator operator, a shoe salesperson, a single mother and a simultaneous translator. In between she has written books. Lots of books. About Astrology. The New Astrology – a blend of Asian Animal Signs and Sun Signs. Suzanne’s readers have dubbed her “The High Priestess” of Chinese and Western Astrologies. 2013 NEW ASTROLOGY HOROSCOPES BOOK – CHINESE AND WESTERN PREDICTIONS FOR THE SNAKE YEAR 2013 IS # 1 ON AMAZON’S ASTROLOGY BOOK BEST SELLER LIST.
Pump Up Your Book and Suzanne White are teaming up to give you a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card plus a paperback and e-copy of her book, 2013 Your New Astrology Horoscopes!
The crisis of a job loss is the story of struggling souls hidden behind the walls of the Christian faith. They valiantly forge forward with little in the way of biblical or faith-based instruction. No one talks much about it. No pastor dedicates a sermon to it. Good luck finding a book about it written from the Christian perspective. For most it’s a difficult time, for many it’s a crisis of faith and life. With nearly 20 million people out of work that claim a Christian affiliation, this is a national crisis of faith.
Your Road to Damascus addresses this issue by presenting biblical strategies and principles, and practical guidelines, on how to conduct an effective job search. It examines in detail biblical strategies and provide pragmatic guidelines for all aspects of a job search. The message of Your Road to Damascus is one of hope, encouragement, renewal, and revival in the midst of the job loss. It boldly proclaims that God is at work and isn’t finished yet, and He wants to have a new encounter with the believer through their job search.
Your Road to Damascus will capture your imagination and transform the way you view a job loss. From identifying your GPS (God’s Positioning System), to weaving your resume, to seeing God’s hand in job opportunities and offers, it will revolutionize the way you see God’s involvement in this aspect of your life, as well as how He touches many other crisis points.
The seed for this book was planted many years ago. Bill’s journey down his road to Damascus began as a senior in high school when he had his personal encounter with the risen Lord. Immediately upon graduation from high school he faced his first crossroad when contemplating what to do vocationally. He joined the U.S. Air Force because he really wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. It was while in the service that he began to see how his own internal GPS (God’s Positioning System) was calibrated. As he began to follow the direction of his internal GPS, other crossroads led him to Biola University and Talbot Seminary where he earned a B.S. and M.A. respectively in Christian Education. Upon graduation, the next three destinations on his journey led to local churches in the U.S. and Canada where he served as a Minister of Christian Education for almost 10 years. These were opportunities to use his organizational, curriculum development, instructional design and classroom facilitation skills. These were delightful years. Bill faced another crossroad at the last church he served when he resigned and then found himself in his prison years. For four years he traveled a dusty, pothole filled road as he consulted his roadmap. During this time he viewed the world from the prison cell of under-employment. His perspective through the cell bars was as an owner/operator of a commercial janitorial business. These were four tortuous years as he saw one opportunity after another disintegrate. These years gave him the ability to relate to others experiencing the same employment imprisonment. At the conclusion of these four years, Bill faced another crossroad and selected a new direction in his vocational travels; looking to apply his skills and experience in the business community. He made stops along the way as he worked for about six years in three industry leading organizations as a Director of Training & Development, attaining the position of Vice-President of Corporate Training at one stop. It was also during this time that he took a parallel road into the field of Career Coaching. He has spent over 20 years working with individuals and small groups as they struggle down their own roads to Damascus and conduct their own job searches. While continuing as a career coach, where he has worked with over 5,000 clients, Bill also embarked down another path by starting his own consulting business, MindWare Incorporated (www.mindwareincorporated.com). MindWare pulled together the specialties of career coaching, instructional design, and technical writing. IN this capacity, Bill has worked with many Fortune 500 companies as well as numerous smaller organizations of a for-profit and non-profit status. Bill’s writing experience has been primarily in the area of technical and curriculum writing of a proprietary nature. He has written literally hundreds of technical documents and curriculum courseware. This stop, writing Your Road to Damascus, is his first venture into writing for public consumption. You can learn more about Bill at www.mindwareincorporated.com under the About Us tab.
The clock is ticking down to an attack on America’s most vulnerable natural resource: Water.
Our nation’s water resources are high on terrorist target lists, but low on America’s consciousness. Water sources are largely unprotected, providing open access to any enemy with chemicals and biotoxins.
So far we’ve been lucky. But that luck won’t last.
This is the all-too-real-and-present danger facing President Morgan Taylor and Secret Service Agent Scott Roarke as they desperately try to prevent hell-bent terrorists from destroying America and its infrastructure city by city, and state by state.
Fact-based in frightening detail, Executive Command is a political thriller that will leave you pondering its strong possibility the next time you pour a glass of water.
Read an excerpt!
Houston, TX 3 January He tried not to look nervous.
“Step forward.”
At first, the man didn’t hear the order. The thick, bulletproof glass of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer’s booth muffled the sound.
“Step forward,” the agent at the Houston terminal repeated.
The man wanted to be invisible. Mistake. His instructions were to blend in, act casually, and make small talk. He was five-eight, clean shaven. He kept his black hair medium length; normal. Except for a small scar under his chin, there was nothing memorable about his look. Nothing distinctive.
“Step forward!”
He tensed. Not good. He should have smiled politely and done as he was told. However, the man was not used to being told what to do by a woman. He hesitated again and was slow to hand over his passport.
The agent didn’t know how much harder the president had just made her job. Generally, work came down to evaluate, stamp, and pass. Sometimes it took longer, but it was usually the same thing every hour of every day. Evaluate, stamp, and pass. In twelve years, she’d probably only flagged twenty people, principally because they were belligerent to her and not a real threat. It was different today. Houston was beta testing a new system that was sure to be on a fast track everywhere. But right now it was slow, and Agent Carlita Deluca was already feeling pissed off.
The man finally passed his papers under the glass in the booth. With the Argentine passport finally in hand, she studied the picture; then the man before her. The evaluate part. She made quick assessments. Recent scabs on his face. Cuts from shaving? Sloppy knot on his tie. Not a professional. She rose up from her chair and examined his rolling suitcase. Brand new. Then Deluca looked at the passport more closely. Armenian name, but citizen of Argentina. She checked whether he had traveled in the Middle East. No stamps.
“State your business in the United States.”
The man cleared his throat. A bad signal, but he didn’t know it.
“Job interview.”
She listened to the accent. Carlita Deluca had become pretty good at detecting certain regionalisms. Not Armenian. German? She needed more.
“Where?”
“University. I’m a professor.” He put his hand out impatiently, expecting his passport, which Deluca didn’t return.
“Of what?”
The man shifted his weight from one foot to another. “Philosophy. Comparative religions.”
“Have you taught here before?”
“No.”
“And where is your interview?”
“New York.”
Deluca nodded, scanned the passport through her computer and waited while the photo traveled as data bits across the Internet. The accent? Definitely not German. Not European at all.More….
A video camera also captured the man’s image at the booth. The new image and picture on the passport were instantly cross-referenced against millions of other photos through FRT or FERET[DC1] —Facial Recognition Technology. Some of the process was standard post 9/11; some as recent as the president’s last sentence.
“What school?”
“Universidad Nacional De Cordoba,” he answered, almost too quickly.
“No, where is your job interview?”
“Oh, New York University.”
Middle Eastern? She couldn’t quite peg it yet. So, Deluca continued to study the man. It also gave the computer—which she understood very little about—time to talk to whatever it talked to. It was definitely sluggish, and the line behind the man was growing longer. She stamped the passport and wondered whether the computer was even working. It was.
A 2004 report to Congress concluded that America’s intelligence and law enforcement agencies missed, ignored, or failed to identify key conspirators responsible for the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. The public agreed. People who should have been flagged as dangerous or, at the very least, undesirable, entered the United States[DC2] undetected. Once here, they engaged in highly suspect activity that went unchecked. It’s not that the system didn’t work. There was no effective system. That changed with the establishment of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 6. In Beltway speak—HSPD-6. The White House directive, issued September 16, 2003, consolidated interagency information sharing. The avowed goal—to put the right intelligence into the hands of the right people; securely and in a timely manner.
At the center of HSPD-6 is TSC—the Terrorist Screening Center. The department has been charged with identifying, screening, and tracking known or suspected terrorists and their supporters. Feeding TSC is the FTTTF, the Foreign Terrorist Tracking Task Force, and TTIC, the Terrorism Threat Integration Center, all administered by the FBI.
In addition to establishing the TSC, HSPD-6 effectively rerouted watch lists and terrorist identification programs through another service called TIPOFF.
This is precisely where the photograph of the man at the airport was being examined electronically against hundreds of thousands of other pictures.
TIPOFF began in 1987 with little more than a shoe box full of three-by-five-inch index cards. Now it ran through a complex computer network; one of the most secretive in the world. Every nanosecond, search engines mine data from CIA deep cover reports, to Customs photo scans, right down to Google, Yahoo, and Bing images. Until recently, the subjects in the TIPOFF database were primarily non-U.S. persons. Out of necessity, that changed. Today, the program cross-references records of American citizens and even legal permanent residents who are “of interest.” It feeds that information to the U.S. Customs Service, now administered by the Department of Homeland Security.
The man’s “biometrics”—the physical characteristics including facial geometry—were being interpreted at the speed of light by the TIPOFF computers. The nation’s interlocked FRT programs rejected more than 99.999999 percent of the matches. That took less time than the next step. The program kicked the photograph back into the database for further analysis when it registered positive against some fourteen other pictures.
“Can you tell me where I can find Southwest Airlines?” the man asked as politely as possible. He was beginning to feel this was taking too much time.
“After baggage claim, go outside. There’s a tram.”
“Thank you.” The man shifted his weight again and forced a smile, hoping this would speed things up.
Egyptian. Deluca decided. But the computer’s identity program still hadn’t given her any reason to hold the man. She reluctantly returned his passport.
“Proceed to your right and straight through the doors.”
The man smiled again and then let out a breath.
A sigh of relief? Deluca could hold him, however travelers behind him were growing impatient after their long international flights. But still.
“One more question.” The fifty-nine-year-old mother of four was clearly stalling. Agent Deluca wanted to give the computer another moment. That’s when a short pinging sound indicated an incoming message onscreen. She checked the monitor. One word appeared under the picture captured by the new Customs surveillance program.
Gary Grossman is an Emmy Award-winning network television producer, a print and television journalist, a novelist and a film and TV historian. His career has included stints producing for NBC News, CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS and 36 cable networks. He is author of three celebrated International “political reality thrillers,” EXECUTIVE COMMAND, EXECUTIVE ACTIONS and EXECUTIVE TREASON and two acclaimed non-fiction books covering pop culture and television history – Superman: Serial to Cereal and Saturday Morning TV. Grossman has been partnered with Robb Weller in Los Angeles-based Weller/Grossman Productions, a prolific television production company. Together, they produced more than 9,000 programs and earned numerous awards including the prestigious Governor’s Emmy Award for their USA Network special, “Healing the Hate,” and an Emmy for Best Informational series with the production of “Wolfgang Puck” for Food Network. Their documentary “Beyond the Da Vinci Code” (History Channel) earned two national Emmy nominations. In all, Grossman has received 14 Emmy nominations. In addition, Gary Grossman is now a principal in World Media Strategies, a new International branded entertainment marketing content company with offices in Los Angeles and Miami. WMS produces television specials and series for travel destinations, corporate clients and government entities. Grossman earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications from Emerson College in Boston and a Master’s Degree in Urban Affairs from Boston University. He began his broadcasting career as a rock disc jockey at WHUC, in Hudson, New York. He worked at Boston television station, WBZ; joined The Boston Globe as a special contributor, and then became the television critic and media columnist at The Boston Herald American. His freelance articles have appeared in The New York Times and numerous magazines. He taught journalism and media at Emerson College, Boston University, and USC and guest lectured at colleges and universities across the country. Grossman helped formulate, program and launch television cable networks including HGTV, Fit TV, National Geographic Channel, and The Africa Channel. Grossman serves on the Emerson College Board of Trustees and chairs the Academic Affairs Committee. He is also a member of the Boston University Metropolitan College Advisory Board. For was chair of the Government Affairs Committee for the Caucus for Television Producers, Directors & Writers, a Hollywood-based media activist group and a member of The International Thriller Writers Association. Visit Gary on the web at www.GaryGrossman.com.
~ ~ ~ $100 AMAZON GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY ~ ~ ~
Pump Up Your Book and Gary Grossman are teaming up to give you a chance to win a $100 Amazon Gift Card!
Three Sisters and Showstoppers are two novella-length stories in the Emily Castles mystery series. The first full-length novel, Invitation to Die, will be published by Thomas & Mercer in October 2013.
The Emily Castles mystery series is set in present-day London. It features twenty-six-year-old Londoner Emily Castles and her neighbor, eccentric philosophy professor Dr. Muriel Crowther. In Three Sisters, Emily goes to a party in a big house at the end of her street. She's sure she witnesses a murder, but no one will believe her. She teams up with Dr. Muriel to investigate.
In Showstoppers, Emily helps out at a local stage school run by her neighbor, Victoria. Soon she's mixed up in a blackmail plot and two deaths. Emily and Dr. Muriel team up to prevent further a massacre live on stage during the end of term show.
Praise for the Emily Castles Mystery Series
Fast-paced, funny, and mysterious... Helen Smith is a master story-teller.
~Socrates Book Reviews
It grips you from the very beginning.
~Babs Books Bistro
Bright, colorful and full of surprises.
~Amazon Vine Reviewer Fast-paced and unusual, I highly recommend this one. ~Eva’s Sanctuary
Helen Smith is a novelist and playwright who lives in London. She's the author of bestselling cult novels Alison Wonderland, Being Light and The Miracle Inspector as well as the Emily Castles Mystery Series.
Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer http://iamareader.com and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.
In this world there are men of two kinds. The one, the knight, is the man possessing only strength and quality of moral character. He will never ask a lady to compromise her honor for less than a vow, and never, ever will he consider another once he has captured her heart. A knight keeps his vow, even when it hurts…But a blackguard is a man who…attempts to trick the young ladies into taking him home and caring for him, making them believe their honor can be given away as a mere trifle…The blackguard is to be avoided at all costs, for to settle for someone like him, is to settle for something less than ideal…”
Epic romance, global adventure, ethnic passion, and Christian values inspire this new series. From the beauty of South Dakota’s Black Hills, to the breathtaking shores of Como Lake, Italy, follow the Christ-loving lives of the Casellis. Learn with them, grow with them, be inspired by them.
Having experienced the healing work of the Lord in their own marriage, Ta`Mara and her husband, Jim, are strong promoters of a healthy marriage through obedience to Christ. Ta`Mara shares a testimony of deliverance and healing for hurting marriages, as well as messages on other topics. References can be provided. It is Ta`Mara’s prayer that, as the readers explore the truths in these volumes, they will come away with a new perspective on love, obedience, and God’s plan for marriage. Ta`Mara Hanscom has worked on The Caselli Family Series since 1996. Within three weeks she had created a 900 page rough draft of what would become a five- novel series of the epic love story of Tillie Caselli and Noah Hansen. Loving all things Italian, Ta`Mara created the Caselli family true to their ethnic name. Born and raised in South Dakota, she brings this traditional family alive on the Great Plains where she has spent the entirety of her life. Visit the author online at www.tamarahanscom.com
The Moses Quilt is a contemporary novel that bridges racial and generational divides. With a realistic and compassionate look into a twenty-first-century dilemma, multiple award-winning author Kathi Macias introduces readers to a confused and apprehensive young woman, Mazie Hartford. Facing major decisions about the love of her life and her future, she must also wrestle with a nagging question about her family's past. She finds the answer to her questions in a most unexpected way—her great-grandmother's Moses quilt. As her great-grandmother begins to explain how each patch represents a story of courage and freedom, Mazie must decide if she has the courage and freedom to overcome her own personal fears and prejudices.
Prologue
Edward’s eyes captivated her, as they always did. She felt as if she were gazing into warm, chocolate pools, bidding her to abandon herself to their delicious charms. And oh, how she wanted to do so! But something—always, there was that awkward, inconvenient something—holding her back, restraining her from yielding to the joy she so longed to experience.
“I can’t,” she whispered. “I just can’t. Not yet. Soon, I promise, but…”
The light in his gaze flickered, and she knew she’d hurt him…again. She hadn’t wanted to, had even told herself that this time, today, she would give him her answer. But she just wasn’t ready.
Her heart squeezed. Would she ever be? The unreasonable fear that haunted her life loomed heavy, threatening to squeeze the air from her lungs. Was it more than their obvious differences that frightened her to the point where she couldn’t move forward, couldn’t give a good man a simple answer—particularly when that man made her head swim with longing?
“Soon,” he repeated, his husky voice devoid of bitterness or sarcasm. “How many times have you promised, Mazie? How many?”
Tears bit her eyes, and she shook her head. “Too many. Far too many. And I’m truly sorry, but I…”
She felt the resignation roll through his body as he loosened his embrace and took a small step back, his eyes never leaving hers. “I wish I could say I understand, but I don’t.” His smile was wistful as he used a finger to brush back a stray wisp of dark hair from her face. “But I will honor your feelings. I know I need to stop pushing, and I will, though it won’t be easy. I love you, Mazie. You know that. But sooner or later, we’re going to have to address this—once and for all.”
Her breath caught, and she nodded. If she knew anything in this world, it was that Edward Clayton loved her, and that he was an honorable and patient man. He wouldn’t push her, but she was a fool for putting him off. Still, how could she give him an answer when she was so unsure about how the unknowns of her past might impact their future?
“Thank you,” she whispered. “For loving me and for giving me more time.”
The pain skittered through his eyes again, outlined by the setting sun that filtered through the trees behind him. He leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her forehead. “Let me know when you’re ready.” He turned and walked toward his car, leaving Mazie standing alone on the porch, with the first of many hot tears spilling over onto her cheeks.
Kathi Macias is a multi-award winning writer who has authored nearly 40 books and ghostwritten several others. A former newspaper columnist and string reporter, Kathi has taught creative and business writing in various venues and has been a guest on many radio and television programs. Kathi is a popular speaker at churches, women’s clubs and retreats, and writers’ conferences. She won the 2008 Member of the Year award from AWSA (Advanced Writers and Speakers Association) and was the 2011 Author of the Year from BooksandAuthors.net. Her novel set in China, Red Ink, was named Golden Scrolls 2011 Novel of the Year and was also a Carol Award Finalist; her October 2012 release, Unexpected Christmas Hero, was named 2012 Book of the Year by BookandAuthors.net. Kathi “Easy Writer” Macias lives in Homeland, CA, with her husband. You can find Kathi at www.kathimacias.com.
Visit The Moses Quilt virtual book tour page at http://www.pumpupyourbook.com/2013/01/18/pump-up-your-book-presents-the-moses-quilt-virtual-book-tour/ You can win a copy of The Moses Quilt by Kathi Macias. This book was recently voted the January Fiction Book of the Month by The Book Club Network. This is the first book in Kathi's new Quilt Series. Don't miss a chance to catch this series from the beginning. Please enter using the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!
