Voices Of The Patriots - Joyce Spizer Foy - Exercising Her Freedom of Speech

I met Joyce Spizer Foy a few months ago and she took a real and very encouraging interest in my writing. I was in the middle of my new novel, The Second Republic. Since that time, Joyce has taken my novel and added what only a first-class editor knows how to do. She has been a tremendously encouraging help to me and I am sure that my time working with her has made me a much better writer and I count her as a mentor for me, this ever-learning, very dedicated writer that I consider myself to be.

There are people that we meet along the road of life who stand out as champions of what they do. Joyce Spizer Foy is a champion of many fields of endeavor, as you will see as you read through this post. Joyce Spizer Foy is an American who knows she’s free and by writing what she believes and by helping others to exercise their freedom, I can truly say that hers is a life of freedom to exemplify the greatest of a things that free people cherish and giving her a strong and hearty voice of a Patriot.

When was the last time you met someone with a life so full and rich that their careers spanned having been and a Private Investigator, an author, a screenwriter, a playwright, a lyricist and a teacher? Well, Joyce Spizer Foy has incredibly worn all those hats and is going strong. Joyce Foy is a great friend of mine and has become a real mentor on producing a literary work that shines, captivates readers and which comes to life.

Joyce Spizer Foy worked as an investigator for thirty-seven years covering eleven states. She investigated both criminal and civil cases in both the private sector and the corporate world, including Cannell Productions, Carolco Productions, and Universal Studios. Joyce has a BA, an MBA and has completed her ABD for a Ph.D. in marketing from CSU.

Here writing includes “The Cop was White as Snow” (Published 1998), “I’m Okay, You’re Dead” (Published 2000), “It’s Just a Spleen and a High School Ring” (Published January 2004) are three published novels in the Harbour Pointe Mystery Series. These are fictionalized stories based on real cases which Joyce investigated.

Joyce has also written may non-fiction works ranging from an award-winning "How-to" book that teaches authors how to market and promote their work in 2002, titled “Power Marketing Your Novel”. Joyce also has an updated version of this award-winning book called Blitz Your Book To A Best Seller.

In 2002 wrote her first of several excellent biographies. Her debut biography “The Cross Country Killer, the Glen Rogers Story” (2002), centered on O.J. Simpson’s investigative team’s #1 suspect in the Brown/Goldman murders. She conducted a winter/spring 2001/2002 radio, television, and book tour that was conducted in fourteen states and forty-two cities.

In 2003, Joyce Foy wrote, “Rejections of the Written Famous”. This book is a collection of rejection letters that famous writers forwarded to Joyce along with stories of industry titans who pressed on in the face of rejection and failure. She also co-authored an award-winning biography “Howard Keel: Only Make Believe” published by Barricade Books in September 2005. It is now in its 3rd printing. Joyce Foy also co-authored a biography of internationally famous sculptor, artist, poet, and playwright, Colin Webster-Watson with Mrs. Howard (Judy) Keel titled “The Boy from Manawatu.” She co-authored a biography of Pat Winning a Guinness World Book of Record holder call “Bartender Pat,” currently, represented by a New York literary agent.

Joyce Foy’s ventures as a screenwriter and playwright led her to write “Valley Confidential,” a two-act musical presented at the McCallum Theater in Palm Desert, California, in October 2004. This work was the winner of twelve award nominations. Joyce wrote the musical book with Grammy award-winning Paul Gilman who wrote the music while Joyce Foy wrote the lyrics. The Play proceeds were donated for scholarships for seniors at local high schools.

Joyce is also the Executive Producer and co-writer of a romantic comedy motion picture script titled “Off Your Rocker,” which set in the Coachella Valley. She is the Executive Producer and co-writer of “The Vegas Kid,” a motion picture comedy based on the last TV cowboy to be fired.

Joyce Spizer Foy’s marketing book won the IRWIN Award in 2000 and received Honorable Mention at the National Writer’s Association’s for the David Raffelock Award in 2001. She was Book Publicist of the Year in 2000 from the Book Publicists of Southern California. Her book, “Howard Keel: Only Make Believe” won the IRWIN Award in 2006, and was the Best Non Fiction Book of 2006 in the Hollywood Book Festival Award. Joyce was named Soroptimist International’s Woman of Distinction 2000. Also in 2000, she was named National League of American Pen Women’s Woman of Achievement and was named La Quinta’s Cultural Artist of the Month twice in 2000. In April 2002, Joyce Spizer Foy was named one of Top 25 Coachella Valley Women to Watch by Palm Desert Post Weekly.

Finally, in what had to be a very special moment, in May 2000, Joyce was recognized on the floor of Congress by Congresswoman Mary Bono as a Woman Helping Woman recipient. See, I told you. Joyce Spizer Foy is a powerhouse of excellent writing and highly professional, patient help to writers all over the country.

Here's An Example of
Joyce Spizer Foy's Excellent Advice

Writing that Dynamite Query/Pitch Letter

Your mother was right when she told you, “Good first impressions are so important.” In this case, the query/pitch letter may be the ONLY marketing opportunity you have to catch an agent’s/editor’s/producer’s eye. So don’t waste it. The rules are simple, hard, and fast.

You’re not writing this letter to impress them with your writing content or style. This is a marketing letter to see if what you have to offer – fits their acquisition and marketing department needs as well as their expertise in your genre at this point. Don’t send poetry to a mystery house. As they read the letter, don’t give them any reason to say, “No,” and return your manuscript. Stay in the, “Yes,” and you will, if you’ve done your homework.

Ask for their guidelines for submission and follow them. If you don’t send a SASE, your work will not be returned.

Make sure you have the correct spelling and address for the recipient of this query. “Dear Sir or Madam,” is a no-no. If it’s John Smith, write, “Dear Mr. Smith,” not “Dear John.” Call the house and make sure that person still works there. Publishing is a revolving door. Can you believe, some people at agencies and publishing houses die?

The one page query/pitch letter has six elements – in this order.

What’s your ANGLE? This is the most powerful paragraph in your one page letter. Use your “sound byte” in the opening sentence. Then tell the reader your genre, word or page count (about 250 words per page if you need to guess) and the title of your work in a creative way. Grab the reader’s attention with this teaser paragraph. If your romance book is 15,000 words, the rejection slip is on the way. Romances are very long. Know your genre.

What’s your APPROACH? What is your background for this subject? What’s your hook? Who are your sources? Impress the editor/agent with the credits you have.

Why are you the best AUTHOR of this work? It’s bio time. Your writing expertise and publishing credentials go here. Don’t apologize if you have none. Simply gloss over this part.

Who is your AUDIENCE? Zero in on the short version of your marketing plan. Who will your work appeal to? What is your dowry? Make sure the editor/agent knows your work is a marriage for his/her market. My marketing plan for Howard Keel’s book was seven single line pages long.

And your ADDRESS is…the last paragraph is the “thank you” part. Include all the information that isn’t on your heading. Don’t say, “I’m looking for an agent.” DUH. Isn’t that why you’re writing that person? Don’t waste that page on the obvious.

After all is said and done, ANALYZE the letter again. You believe the letter is accurate? Read it again and again. Check for typos, grammar usage, and tight, sharp, eye-grabbing facts. State only the facts. Don’t say, “This is the best work you’ll receive this year.” No, it isn’t. And hyperbole/conjecture like that only wastes words in a tight one page query, defines you as a pre-published writer, and weakens your presentation as well.

Act like you’ve arrived, they just haven’t discovered you yet. I always tell my students that.

Send it first class, or email if they accept Internet submissions. Any other expensive way is a waste. All material is opened in a mailroom by people who don’t care how fast it arrived. Your work is placed in a folder and delivered without the envelope.

Writing a powerful query/pitch letter is, in many cases, harder to write than your project itself. Spend some time preparing and editing the query. Good luck.
Joyce Spizer Foy @1999

Featured Book by Joyce Spizer Foy

"...an insightful look into the mind and making of a...predator. An important addition to the literature on serial murder." -- Michael Newton, Author of The Encyclopedia of Serial Killers

The Cross Country Killer, the Glen Rogers Story provides an insightful look into the mind and making of an American predator. Glen Rogers, twice on America's 10 Most Wanted list, is currently on death row in Florida. He brags about having killed over 70 people, one of which may have been Nicole Brown Simpson. Could it be a coincidence she was murdered just after meeting Glen. There are witnesses who saw them partying together and there's even a photo of them together. A sad but fascination story that will keep you mesmerized to the end.

An Excellent Book Review

Not your typical true crime

By	Kristin J. Johnson "Three-time published author"

Joyce Spizer is the only writer who could possibly makes us feel outrage on behalf of a monster. How does she accomplish this? By showing us the failings in the justice system and the social supports and the schools that could have prevented the deaths of the 70 people of which Glen Rogers has killed, that we know about. Joyce's most shocking revelation is not that Glen may be the one who actually killed Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson. This will most likely be a matter of fierce debate, as will her contention that Glen Rogers' depravity is partly due to his unfit parents, who have rendered all but one of their seven children forever damaged (they have 300 arrests between them.) Her insight into judicial errors of L.A. County and Florida makes you take seriously her argument that the law enforcement officials who failed to stop Glen Rogers before he killed his first victim are as much to blame for the ruined lives as Glen himself. Joyce sets out to do something revolutionary, and succeeds in sounding a "wake-up call" to all those who just wash their hands of troubled at-risk juveniles.

You Can Get Your Copy By Clicking The Link Below

The Cross Country Killer by Joyce Spizer Foy

Here are some of Joyce Spizer Foy's other works

Blitz Your Book Into A Best Seller (CD-ROM)

Joyce Foy is a woman who didn’t give up on her dreams, and she won’t let you either.

When Joyce’s first book was published in 1998, she presented her publicist with a seventeen-page dream list for her tour. Joyce had completed the first 10% – getting the book published. Marketing is the other 90%. After all, who are your buyers once your Christmas card list is exhausted?

IRWIN Award-winning author and screenwriter, Joyce Foy, wants to help you with that 90%. This marketing book is chocked full of new concepts, ideas, and resources that both the published and the yet-to-be published authors cannot succeed without.

You can view this book on your computer using Adobe Reader and print out any pages on your computer printer. Adobe Reader installers are included on this CD-ROM.

From Selma to the Super Bowl,

This is the story of Leroy Hill's family. Leroy's son played in the NFL. Maybe you heard of him: Tony Hill #80 wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, 1976 to 1986.

Leroy Hill never used his blackness as an excuse to waive his responsibilities to his God, his family, his friends or his profession. One of his sons, Anthony (Tony) Hill, became one of the youngest players to ever be drafted by the NFL. Earning a position as wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, Tony was awarded #80 on his jersey and the nickname “Thrill Hill” for his explosiveness. Tony played for the Cowboys from 1976 to 1986 and won two Super Bowl rings. His father, Leroy, acted as his manager and agent—a first ever in the NFL.

Leroy Hill, a boy from the bottoms, was born the poorest of poor in the South long before the words “equal rights” were used in the same sentence. He faced racial profiling, job and housing discrimination, bigotry, and hatred for decades and despite it all—he joined the navy, served aboard the USS Lexington during World War II, fought in the Korean War, and had a successful career in the private sector.

Rejections of the Written Famous.

What do Ray Bradbury, Albert Einstein, and Henry Ford have in common? Their stories of rejection, failure, and overcoming adversity are light-heartedly told in Joyce Spizer's latest book, Rejections of the Written Famous. If you're bummed and need inspiration, Joyce Spizer's newest book is just the cure for the blues. Whether you're a writer, artist, entrepreneur, musician, or dreamer, this collection of inspirational quotes and short stories from those who didn't give up will make you or someone you love, smile. Joyce didn't give up on her dreams, and she won't let you either.

Power Marketing Your Novel

Reader Reviews
This author was named Book Publicists of Southern California and this book won the Irwin Award for 2000. Spizer regularly teaches creative marketing, media classes at the university and college levels and atwriting conferences, sharing her innovative ideas with other authors. This is the consummate “how-to” for published and pre-published authors.

Click Here To Buy Any Of Joyce Spizer Foy's Books

Here's some Other Sites Where You Can
Read More About Joyce Spizer Foy

Joyce Spizer Foy On Facebook

Joyce Spizer Foy.com

Joyce Spizer Foy On Amazon.com

If you need someone to do an excellent job of making your novel shine, getting it ready to go to the publisher or any number of other types of help that authors commonly need, contact Joyce Soizer Foy and I know she'll go beyond all of your expectations.

She is a voice of a Patriot!

You can contact her at
Joyce Spizer Foy.com
or
Jfoylady@aol.com

~~~

Patriot Acts by Steven Clark Bradley

Where is Patriot Acts available?

This new exciting novel is easy to find and available all over the net. Here are a few links to help you secure you own copy of Patriot Acts.

Patriot Acts (Print Version) at Amazon,com

Patriot Acts (Print Version) at Cambridge Books

Patriot Acts (Electronic Version) at Ebooks on the net

Patriot Acts (Electronic Version) at Amazon.com

Patriot Acts (Electronic Version) at Fictionwise.com

Patriot Acts (Electronic Version) at Mobipocket.com

I hope everyone who reads this will not just think
it is entertainment or the irrational rambling of a scared
American. I am not afraid; I am convinced that no one
will secure our future except us.
That is why I declare the main theme of Patriot Acts
in one key phrase:

No unconditional Talks – Just patriot Acts!

Check Out Steven Clark Bradley's
Free E-Book Offer Here!

You can read more of
Steven Clark Bradley's
work at any of these blogs
listed below:

Author Steven Clark Bradley
From The Mind of Steven Clark Bradley
Steven Clark Bradley @ Inspired Author
Steven Clark Bradley - Nikki Leigh Virtual Book Tours
Steven Clark Bradley @ The Power of The Written Word
Steven Clark Bradley @ Communati.com
Steven Clark Bradley @ Blogtalk Radio.com
Steven Clark Bradley @ Facebook
Steven Clark Bradley @ Twitter.com
Steven Clark Bradley @ Xanga.com
Steven Clark Bradley @ Amazon.com
Steven Clark Bradley @ yuku.com
Steven Clark Bradley @ Bookmarket.com
Steven Clark Bradley @ Published Authors.com
Steven Clark Bradley @ Word That Work
Steven Clark Bradley @ Goodreads.com
Steven Clark Bradley @ Myspace.com

Voices Of The Patriots - Frank Fiore - Cyberkill How Far Will an Artificial Intelligence Go for Revenge?

Author
Frank F. Fiore

How Far Will an ArtificialIntelligence Go for Revenge?

---

I have gotten to know Frank Fiore well over the past year. I have found him to be a man of great integrity and imagination. He has a real love for his country and a profound and intense mind. He, like millions of us unsung heroes in America, is constantly doing his part to speak out about the obtuse changes now attacking this country. His love of country and insistence on exercising his Freedom of Speech in his writing as well shine clearly through his words and deeds, and truly demonstrated that he has the Voice of a Patriot.

Frank's writing experience also includes guest columns on social commentary and future trends published in the Arizona Republic and the Tribune papers in the metro Phoenix area.

Alvin Toffler

Through his writings, he has shown an ability to explain in a simplified manner, complex issues and trends. During his college years, he started, wrote and edited the New Times newspaper which is now a multi-state operation. Frank's interests in future patterns and trends range over many years and many projects. He co-wrote the Terran Project, a self-published book on community futures design processes, and worked as a researcher for Alvin Toffler on a series of high school texts on the future. He has designed and taught courses and seminars on the future of society, technology and business and was appointed by the Mayor of Phoenix to serve on the Phoenix Futures Forum as co-chairperson and served on several vital committees.

Frank has a B.A. in Liberal Arts and General Systems Theory from Stockton State College and a Master Degree in Education at the University of Phoenix. He and his wife of 30 years have one son. They live in Paradise Valley, AZ.

Cyberkill

How Far Will an Artificial Intelligence Go for Revenge?

Fans of Tom Clancy, James Patterson and Clive Cussler, would enjoy this twist on the Frankenstein myth. A brilliant programmer, Travis Cole, inadvertently creates "Dorian," an artificial intelligence that lives on the Internet. After Cole attempts to terminate his creation, Dorian stalks his young daughter through cyberspace in an attempt to reach Cole to seek revenge. When cyber-terrorism events threaten the United States, they turn out to stem from the forsaken and bitter Dorian. In the final conflict, Dorian seeks to kill his creator - even if it has to destroy all of humanity to do it.

Almost every novel has a back story. It’s the author’s way of pushing his or her’s particular opinion on a subject. CyberKill is no exception.

The geographic locations, government and military installations and organizations, information warfare scenarios, artificial intelligence, robots, and the information and communications technology in this book all exist.

As for SIRUS, pieces of the technology are either in existence or in the research and development stage. According to the Department of Defense, it doesn’t exist.

On October 23rd 2007, The Fars News Agency of Iran, accused the US of manufacturing a genetic weapon. Head of the Foundation for the Protection of the Values of the Sacred Defense, General Mir Feysal Bagherzadeh said the US was seeking to manufacture a weapon which could kill specific peoples in a limited geographical area. The General further pointed out that the move should be considered as a case of genocide, “because they intend to massacre specific peoples and ethnicities” with the help of this weapon. The US Department of Defense denies the report.

Travis Cole is an artificial intelligence (AI) researcher hired by the US Army Information Warfare Laboratory (IWL) after 9-11 to program their top secret nano-dust used to monitor and report biological or chemical warfare agents in a given area. But the dust has a second even more secret use - one only known by the military and BioNan, the manufacturer of the nano-dust. It’s really a new type of viral weapon named SIRUS (short for ‘silicon virus’) that can be programmed using Cole’s code to read a victim’s ethnic DNA and kill only them.

Unknown to the government, the military had dispersed the dust all around the globe in readiness for any enemy to appear anywhere and at anytime, with the potential of creating genocide on a global scale. The military also conspired with the dominant wireless chip manufactures to include Cole’s code in their wireless chip programming so that the dust can communicate and be launched from wherever it is around the world through any wireless device containing the chips.

A few years before joining the IWL, Cole ran an AI research project at MIT. He created a series of intelligent software agents and released them onto the Internet to learn, grow and evolve. When he was called to the IWL, he sent out a series of commands to terminate the agents. All were terminated except one that had developed into a very smart artificial intelligence. That agent interpreted Cole’s program termination as an attempt on its life. In turn, it decided to seek revenge on Cole.

The harassment of Cole, the online stalking of his young daughter, the cyber-terrorism attacks of the People’s Brigade, and threats of information warfare by a cybercult called the Digitari Brotherhood, are all the result of the surviving agent bent on seeking revenge on Cole. The rogue agent takes the name of Dorian and sets himself up as the leader of the Brotherhood that he uses to vent his revenge on Cole.

What Are The Subplots That Converge

By The End Of The Novel?

The first is the killing of Michael Bates who is a VP at a large wireless chip manufacture. He stumbled upon the military and chipmakers conspiracy. He is ordered killed by Dorian who doesn’t want the conspiracy to be known because Dorian uses the new wireless chips to access the Internet anywhere and anyway he chooses.

The second subplot is the harassment and then attempts on Cole’s life by Dorian using the cyber-terrorists of the People’s Brigade – an arm of the Digitari Brotherhood. A year before, Dorian tried to kill Cole but missed, and killed his wife instead, making it look like an automobile accident.

The third subplot is that of the Digitari Brotherhood. They hack the web sites of the major news agencies around the world and post a manifesto threatening to take back the Internet from the multinational corporations and governments who control it and oppress it’s cyber-citizens. Their goal is the digital emancipation of cyberspace.

The fourth is the online stalking of Cole’s 4-year old computer savvy daughter by her imaginary playmate called Goppy –who is really Dorian. In its obsession to take revenge on Cole, Dorian uses any person he can to get close to Cole. He uses Cole’s daughter to transfer himself into her birthday gift – a Sony AIBO robot dog. Then using the threat of a dirty bomb explosion, it drives Cole and his daughter with Dorian in the robot dog, into the IWL where Dorian gains access to the Lab’s computer network and all the digital weapons stored there – including SIRUS.

The fifth subplot is the clandestine development and global dispersion of SIRUS.

After all of these events emerge, Cole finally realizes that what has transpired were not the results of cyber-terrorists but only attempts on his life. By the end of the book, Cole discovers the nature of SIRUS, that Dorian is the agent he did not terminate and seeks revenge on Cole, and in the final climatic battle at the IWL between Cole’s team, homicidal battlebots and an ASIMO called Isaac, all controlled by Dorian, he prevents Dorian from launching SIRUS in its last attempt at trying to kill Cole – even if it has to destroy most of the human population of earth to do it.

~~~~

What Do Readers Think About

Cyberkill

A Captivating, Fast-Paced Thriller, July 27, 2009

By	C S Weinblatt "Charles Weinblatt, Author of &... (Ohio USA)

Cyberkill is the thrilling story of a mendacious artificial intelligence, created by a brilliant scientist and adapted into an evil conspiracy. Author Frank Fiore weaves an intricate plot of wickedness, as the iniquitous Dorian sweeps electronically into the fabric of American life. Replete with action, suspense and adventure, Cyberkill carries the reader through a chilling escapade of international conspiracy, science run amok and terrifying homicide.

Fiore's new work is a compelling piece of science fiction, with persuasive mystery, convincing characters, ubiquitous trepidation, and a thrilling conclusion. This tale is wrapped together into a taught package of excitement and intrigue. Fiore has created a powerful page-turner, with gripping tension; it contains a suspenseful timeline and the ultimate evil, a computer-generated malevolence eager to prey upon an innocent child and the child's father - its creator.

Fiore employs believable scenarios with existing scientific technology to weave a frightening tale fraught with continuous peril. A computer virus that has the potential to morph into a deadly human illness seems both plausible and devastatingly traumatic. The fact that such military weapons could be employed in the near future makes this tale that much more startling and conceivable.

A twisted, evil computer-generated entity was created inadvertently from the mind of brilliant scientist Travis Cole. Originally designed to "sniff out" biological and chemical weapons, the computer program becomes warped into the evil "Dorian," a terrifying cybernetic murderer. Dorian stalks Cole's young daughter and initiates cyber terrorism attacks throughout the world. When Cole discovers that his own creation was distorted into this terrifying beast, he tries to demolish it. The evil creature eventually turns upon its creator in an attempt to murder Cole.

Most of the science Fiore uses is valid or close to being current. Many people fear being tracked electronically by telephones, computers or vendors. In a viral way, Big Brother is upon us and this fear has been exacerbated effectively by the author. Nor is it difficult to hate an electronic villain. Such ubiquities litter our cultural landscape. The author plays with a latent unstable confidence in the security of our inventions. From the Andromeda Strain to 2001 to A Space Odyssey, our love/fear relationship with technology is strongly ingrained. The thought of a dark, calculating entity can grasp an audience tightly, particularly when sinister emotions prevail. Since Robbie the Robot in Forbidden Planet and Asimov's I Robot, to Hal in 2001, A Space Odyssey, and the cybernetic science officer in Alien, our culture has become obsessed with emotionally unstable and dangerous computers that think like humans and can kill.

Many international and US government entities explored through this book exist, as does the technology surrounding this mendacious cybernetic being. All of this helps to make Cyberkill genuine as well as intriguing.

Congratulations to Fiore for his captivating, fast-paced thriller. One can only anticipate the cinematic appearance of this frightening yarn.

Charles S. Weinblatt Author, Jacob's Courage Jacob's Courage: A Holocaust Love Story

~~~

Is Cyberkill A Plausible Scenario?

Read this Related Article and Become a Believer

Is The U.S. Headed For A Cyberwar?

http://reviews.cnet.com/1990-3513_7-5021272-1.html

Robert used to think the threat of cyber war was nonexistent--but he's changed his mind. Now he believes our country's information infrastructure may very well be the target of guerilla warfare over the Net. Here's why.

Earlier this year, I dismissed the idea that the United States would see an all-out cyber war anytime soon. I have since changed my mind. I still don't believe we'll see a large-scale, well-coordinated offensive. But I do think small, spontaneous, politically motivated attacks are possible in the near future.

What changed my mind about the possibility of cyber war was a series of articles by Giles Trendle, a former war correspondent who now writes about cyber terrorism. In the 1980s, Trendle covered the ground war in Lebanon and became an expert on guerrilla warfare, which is essentially what cyber warfare is. Although his articles focus largely on the cyber conflict between Arabs and Israelis, it's easy to see how the same type of attacks could occur elsewhere in the world, too.

Cyberwars are already here

Cyberattacks are already part of modern warfare. In the past two years, malicious users on both sides of the Arab-Israeli conflict have deployed viruses and worms, inundated government sites with huge amounts of e-mail, and launched distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on e-commerce sites. As part of the Kashmir conflict, an Indian-authored worm, Yaha, created a DDoS attack on the main Pakistani government Web site earlier this year.

One phenomenon Trendle talks about--the so-called swarm factor--helped change my mind about the nature of cyber war. The swarm factor describes the unpredictable ability of like-minded individuals to show up at an event, create mayhem, and then disperse. The spontaneous 1999 World Trade Organization riot in Seattle is an example of this. It's easy to see how, in accordance with the swarm factor, a handful of politically motivated Web sites could act as lightning rods, supplying the tools for malicious users to carry out cyber attacks.

The idea that the United States' current and future military actions could bring about aggression in cyberspace is not that far-fetched. In a recent article, Trendle cites the number of pro-Palestinian followers who see a unilateral U.S. attack on Iraq as cause to begin attacking U.S. interests online.

Cybersuicide attacks

Trendle also presents evidence that suicide attacks could be a key part of future cyber conflicts. He interviewed a pro-Palestinian hacker who made a pledge to carry out online suicide attacks. While most malicious users act with some caution because they don't want to be identified, a suicide cyber attack could inflict greater damage because the attacker wouldn't have to go to the trouble of hiding his or her identity.

Such a low-budget cyber war scenario is not implausible to the U.S. government. In his video interview with CNET Radio's Brian Cooley, President Bush's cyber security advisor Richard Clarke admitted that several of our enemies are capable of attacks via the Internet. Clarke said that in the 1980s, Iraq spent hundreds of millions of dollars and employed several thousand people to build an atomic bomb. Engaging in a cyber war would cost considerably less than that, Clarke continued, and would not require the resources of a nation state.

Advance preparation

How prepared are you--or your company--for such a cyber attack? You can find out at ZDNet's Digital Defense special report. The report includes a test to discover how well you're protected against malicious users. (If you're not prepared, you'll receive links to resources that can help secure your home or office.) In addition, the Digital Defense report shows the results of a comprehensive survey on enterprise security, presents three possible cyber attack scenarios, and offers advice from security experts in government and private industry.

I think we're still years away from seeing armies of well-funded cyber soldiers plundering through our data resources. But a single malicious user can cause a lot of damage--and a handful of politically motivated script kiddies, pooling their resources, could be even more dangerous. It's not hard to imagine how that type of individual and small-group action could escalate into a true cyber conflict.

Excerpt From

Cyberkill by Frank Fiore

Prologue

The airplane was leaving in a few hours, but Travis Cole still had some unfinished business. One of which was to get his in-law off his back.

“Please, John. We’ve been over this a hundred times,” Cole murmured, leaning forward on his desk to stare down at the computer monitor in front of him. He rested his fingers lightly on the keyboard, his hazel eyes focused on the command prompt on the screen:

DO YOU WANT TO EXECUTE? Y/N

Could he really do it?

Though Cole had made up his mind, it was now formal decision time. Pressing ‘N’ would continue his life as a well-known researcher in eco-biology at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. Pressing ‘Y’ would end three years of cutting-edge work and move him and his daughter to a new home in Washington, DC and a lucrative research job with the U.S. Army.

Cole’s finger hovered over the keyboard--he felt sick.

John François was, as usual, sucking on the end of an ornately carved wood and leather pipe. It went along with his academic look elbow-patched sports coat, baggy brown pants, and loafers.

“It’s not right, Travis,” François implored. “It’s not right to take Shannon away from the environment she knows just weeks after her mother’s death. It’s just not right.”

Cole kept his focus on the task at hand. They had been over this a thousand times. Shannon, Cole’s young daughter, was already in the car, waiting. In fact, all of his luggage and many of his important worldly belongings waited there as well. He was going to return later for the rest of his stuff.

For now....

For now, he had to just get away.

Cole’s finger still hovered. He blinked hard. Could he really do this?

Yes, I can do this.

“And what about this?” François said as he opened the cover of a three-ring binder with the title TERRAN PROJECT written in blue across the front. François gently thumbed through the pages and pointed at the different artificial intelligent programs that Cole had cataloged and tracked while at MIT. “You’re just going to throw away years of work?”

Cole ignored François and turned back to the computer terminal with its blinking white cursor awaiting a reply.

He took in some air--and pressed the ‘Y’ key on the keyboard.

He turned to François while the computer executed his command. Cole couldn’t watch. Instead, he looked at his aging in-law with compassion for the man. François had lived alone since his wife died of leukemia ten years before. Cole and Shannon were the closest thing he had to family.

“John--” said Cole gently, but François cut him off.

“Shannon’s only eight years old, Travis. Taking her away from the environment she knew isn’t the answer,” he pleaded. The older man had tears in his eyes.

Damn. Cole gently placed his hand on François’s arm. “John, I don’t know what I would have done without your help after Kathy’s death. But I know what’s best for Shannon. I have to give her a change of environment.” Cole squeezed François’s arm, then looked back to the computer terminal. He watched as file name after file name appeared on the screen, all tagged with the statement:

FILE FOUND. FILE TERMINATED

Cole looked at his watch. “Jeez. We have to go. You’ll see us off?”

François nodded in resignation.

“Thanks. Shannon will like that.” Cole glanced once more at the scrolling text on the computer screen, turned, and hurried out the office with François close behind.

In the darkness of the vacated room, the program reached the end of its routine, and then stopped on the last file. The text that glowed from the LCD screen turned from white to red and blinked repeatedly insisting on an answer.

FILE FOUND. FILE ACTIVE.

ABORT OR CONTINUE?

* One Year Later *

Taishi, China

“I’m sorry to interrupt you, Mr. Supervisor, but we’ve found something--odd.”

Alexi Chenko put down the latest issue of Pravda and frowned at his head lab technician Ho Quan, a little man with dark-rimmed spherical glasses and a stubby bearded chin. His round head sat atop an even rounder body. Quan, normally stoic and reserved, looked agitated, and sweat lined his brow. As always, he spoke crisply in his Mandarin Chinese, the official spoken language of the People’s Republic of China.

Chenko was having a bad morning, and this latest interruption didn’t bode well. Already he’d received numerous infuriating calls from high-level Beijing bureaucrats, wanting to know when various communication devices would be cleared and ready for use. Followed by his wife calling to remind him of a dinner party tonight, a party Chenko had done his best to forget about. And now this. Whatever this is.

“What’s wrong?” Chenko asked in his near-perfect Chinese. He’d always had a penchant for picking up languages, a facility that had served him well as he rose quickly up the Kremlin ranks. But now, semi-exiled and banished from Mother Russia, he filled his days working in a tiny three-man facility outside a small village in southern China.

“May I show you?” asked Quan, and Chenko noted the man was visibly shaken.

Something’s wrong, thought Chenko. Seriously wrong…

Cyberkill Video Trailer

Frank Fiore’s Other Books:

The Chronicles of Jeremy Nash

Combining the best of Indiana Jones, National Treasure and the X-Files, the Chronicles of Jeremy Nash © is a new continuing series featuring the skeptic and debunker Jeremy Nash ©. Each of the Nash chronicles in the series is a thriller that sends Nash on an investigation of a conspiracy theory, unsolved mystery, urban myth, New Age belief or paranormal practice. Though he doesn't believe in any of them, he is forced into pursuing them by threats to the lives of his family members, himself or his reputation.

The thrilling formula of the chronicles forces Nash to pursue a series of clues and puzzles that he must solve; combined with an underlying real world threat of event, organization or persons that is somehow connected to what he is pursuing. All this makes for a good action/adventure read.

To Christopher: From A Father To His Son

Under the guise of a book to my adolescent son, I've written one for adults. It guides the reader on a journey through the values, hopes and promises of the last three generations. Through personal experiences, teaching stories, and the social and cultural history of the last 100 years, I discuss with Christopher the values we must hold for the future and why we are here. I hoped that the book may act as both sage words for the reader and a valuable guide to Christopher as he grows up.

Frank Fiore is a bestselling author of over 50,000 copies of his non-fiction books that include:

• Launching Your Yahoo! Business - Que Publishing
• Succeeding at Your Yahoo! Business - Que Publishing
• Write a Business Plan in No Time - Que Publishing
• The 2005 Online Shopping Directory for Dummies - Que Publishing
• The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Starting an Online Business - Que Publishing
• eMarketing Strategies (translated into other languages)- Que Publishing
• Successful Affiliate Marketing for Merchants - Que Publishing
• TechTV’s Starting an Online Business - Que Publishing
• Dr. Livingston’s Online Shopping Safari Guidebook - Maximum Press

Join Author Steven Clark Bradley & Author Frank Fiore For
The Back Story the first Saturday of Every month at 12:30p.m. Eastern

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the links provided below

Frank Fiore.com
Cyberkill - Frank Fiore

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Patriot Acts by Steven Clark Bradley

Where is Patriot Acts available?

This new exciting novel is easy to find and available all over the net. Here are a few links to help you secure you own copy of Patriot Acts.

Patriot Acts (Print Version) at Amazon,com

Patriot Acts (Print Version) at Cambridge Books

Patriot Acts (Electronic Version) at Ebooks on the net

Patriot Acts (Electronic Version) at Amazon.com

Patriot Acts (Electronic Version) at Fictionwise.com

Patriot Acts (Electronic Version) at Mobipocket.com

I hope everyone who reads this will not just think
it is entertainment or the irrational rambling of a scared
American. I am not afraid; I am convinced that no one
will secure our future except us.
That is why I declare the main theme of Patriot Acts
in one key phrase:

No unconditional Talks – Just patriot Acts!

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