Retailmenot.com

Most of you have probably heard or used bugmenot.com that great website that keeps one from having to create a login identity at various and sundry websites (usually newspapers, magazines) to read online articles. It works great. Well, it has a sister site, retailmenot.com. I had occasion to use it yesterday and got 20% off my order. That covered 95% of the shipping cost so I was thrilled. And, guess what? There are even promotional coupons for books. Nothing huge (that I've seen) but a 10% discount helps defray shipping or tax charges, eh? You can type in "books" or the name of an online bookseller (the big guys, i.e. Powell's, B&N, etc.) to find out what promo coupons are available.

A glimpse into the CIA's 'family jewels'

I KNEW I wasn't imagining it. I KNEW there was a reason to be paranoid. Today's release of CIA files proves it. Have things changed since then? Umm, I hate to be cynical, but I doubt it.

The Associated Press - The Central Intelligence Agency released hundreds of pages of internal reports Tuesday detailing assassination plots against foreign leaders like Fidel Castro and the secret testing of mind-and-behavior altering drugs like LSD on unwitting U.S. citizens.

The documents also provided information on tapping journalists' phones, spying on demonstrators who supported civil rights or opposed the Vietnam War, opening private mail between the United States and the Soviet Union or China, and breaking into the homes of former CIA employees and others.

Inside the Central Intelligence Agency, the documents were referred to as the "skeletons." But another name quickly caught on and stuck: "Family jewels."

The 693 pages, mostly drawn from the memories of active CIA officers in 1973, were turned over at that time to three different investigative panels: President Gerald Ford's Rockefeller Commission, the Senate's Church Committee and the House's Pike Committee.

The panels spent years investigating and amplifying on these documents. And their public reports in the mid-1970s filled tens of thousands of pages. The scandal sullied the reputation of the intelligence community and led to new rules for the CIA, the FBI and other spy agencies and new permanent committees in Congress to oversee them....more

A book for book lovers...

After reading The Queen Jade by Yxta Maya Murray I decided to read another of her books, The Conquest. It combines two interests of mine, early Americans (Mayans, Aztecs, etc.) and books, specifically book restoration. The book repairs the main character, Sara, did while she tried to figure out who actually wrote the book she was restoring sounded authentic. I enjoyed the premise of the tale and the magical realism that was part of the story. Sara is one obsessed bibliophile!

Majority of Republicans Doubt Theory of Evolution

More Americans accept theory of creationism than evolution by Frank Newport - GALLUP NEWS SERVICE

a little light reading...

Chillin'

Can't believe it's been a whole month since I last posted. I know. Some of you have been waiting with bated breath...yeah, right. What have I been up to? We visited Galveston, TX and the beach in April. Had a great time and we found an area where the beach was littered with hermit crabs. Kids enjoyed picking them up and naming them. I am SO glad no one insisted on bringing one or many home to die a slow death away from their friends and families!

Luckily, I've been doing a lot of reading (between watching the vines and vegetation grow several inches a day...it's no wonder the Mayan pyramids disappeared. I wonder how long it would take north Louisiana to disappear under the ubiquitous vines and Virginia creeper?). Have been picking blueberries too, one of my most favorite fruits. Back to reading...I'm thrilled to have discovered a new series of books that will take me the summer (at least) to read. The first of the series is The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie King. I'm surprised I've never read this series as I adore Sherlock Holmes especially as portrayed by Jeremy Brett. I guess I thought Ms. King just couldn't improve on the stories. All I can say is I'm so glad to have at least 7 more books to read!

I also just finished reading Tolkien's The Children of Hurin and really enjoyed it. Has prompted me to reread The Silmarillion. I read it long ago after the Rings trilogy and just couldn't get into it. Since Tolkien, according to his son, thought The Silmarillion his best book, who am I to argue? I also plan on having a Lord of the Rings movie watching extravaganza when the weather gets SO hot down here that you can barely move. I wish I were a less copious sweater (no, I'm not speaking of the knitted variety). I don't "dew." I fear I may drown in the Sea of Perspiration!

Today's news about the earthquake in Guatemala reminded me of another book I read recently, The Queen Jade by Yxta Maya Murray (interesting name combination, eh? Is she Mayan/Irish?). It was a good read and I liked the mother's endearment of "creature" for her daughter. Part of the story was set in Guatemala during and after an earthquake. Murray was quite descriptive of the suffering the Guatemalans endured. I hope to God/dess this earthquake was nothing like their last major earthquake in 1976 when 23,000 people died.