

--26 Aug. 2008
Data Breaches Have Surpassed Level for All of '07, Report Finds
More data breaches have been reported so far this year than in all of 2007, according to a report released yesterday by a nonprofit group that works to prevent fraud. Identity Theft Resource Center of San Diego found that 449 U.S. businesses, government agencies and universities have reported a loss or theft of consumer data this year. Last year, the center tallied 446 breaches involving 127 million consumer records. About 90 million of those records were attributed to a single retail chain, TJX, which operates T.J. Maxx stores.
--Brian Krebs, The Washington Post
55-Word Book Review
Note: In the May 8, 2007, edition of this e-zine, "The Book Business: An Industry of Whiners," I proposed an online (for profit) book service, QuickieBookReviews.com, that features short reviews (55 words) and one to four stars--just like movie reviews. Not a lot of blather from reviewers who want to show off how much smarter they are than the author, but a quick guide for readers on what books they might like to buy.
You are invited to submit 55-word reviews of any really good book that readers would enjoy.
****"The Forger's Spell: A True Story of Vermeer, Nazis, and the Greatest Art Hoax of the Twentieth Century." by Edward Dolnick. A page-turner centered on greed, revenge and intrigue, plus a brief history of art and a fascinating course in Forgery 101. The dumbest amateur art enthusiast could see at a glance that Van Meegeren's forgeries could not possibly be authentic Vermeers. Yet the experts and leading museums in Holland were conned. Brilliantly written and illustrated. HarperCollins 2008, 349pp., ISBN-13: 978-0060825416, $26.95, hardcover.