When you think of Internet hackers… do you think HERO or VILLAIN?

Normally folks think VILLAIN, a nerdy computer geek glued to a computer causing mayhem in the lives of innocent citizens.

But this week the image of hackers has broadened. Two major hacks have Internet security teams running(again) for cover.

The first attack was a group effort. An invisible army of hackers from around the world have decided to attack the computers at Visa, MasterCard, Paypal and other online financial vendors.

These online vigilantees were amassed in a virtual counterattack against the enemies of WikiLeaks. They called it Operation Payback.

As everyone knows by now, Wikileaks has been accused of treasonous acts by the US government for the release of secret diplomatic communications.

The government has requested Visa, MasterCard and the like to withdraw their business services from Wikileaks. When these companies complied, the hackers reacted.

The hacks caused chaos for a time. The question remains… were these hackers heroes or Villains?

VILLAINS if you are associated with the Gawker media websites. Their websites which include Gizmodo, Jezebel, and Fleshbot were hacked. The hackers grabbed Internet log ins and passwords and posted 200,000 online.

The Wall street Journal surveyed the information and discovered this funny (or sad) scenario

Of the “Top 50 Gawker Media Passwords” found, the top one was “123456.” Second place, even more dismaying, was “password.”

Pictured here: chocolate crepes!

The other morning, I had some serious craving for comfort food. When I think of breakfast and comfort foods, I think of pancakes or crepes. Fluffy and warm pancakes on a Sunday morning bring memories of happiness in a home cooked meal, a much needed bliss in a food-on-the-go setting.

You need:

• 4 cups wheat flour
• 6 ripe bananas
• 3 cups of soy milk/almond milk
• fruit of your choice
• cinnamon
• olive oil

1. Cut the bananas in a bowl, mash until soft.
2. Mix the flour and the milk with the banana mixture. Stir until soft and smooth.
3. Slice the fruits into small pieces.
4. Heat the pan.
5. Drizzle olive oil to grease the pan, set the heat on low.
6. Use a tablespoon and scoop out about two tablespoons of the pancake mixture. Spread evenly across the surface of the pan. When the bottom has stopped sticking to the pan, carefully add fruit filling of choice to the surface of the crepe. Flip half of the crepe to cover the filling. applying pressure on top the secure the filling.
7. Flip the crepe. When the bottom has stopped sticking to the pan, flip the crepe again. Scoop out and enjoy!

These vegan crepes are soft and a little chewy, with hints of the sweetness of banana and tenderness of the fruit filling. These crepes are a perfect lazy Sunday brunch to share with friends!

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Last week we talked here about the big compromise in Washington DC between the Republicans in Congress and President Barack Obama over taxes. The reaction to the deal has been loud… with many folks shouting DEBT!!!

It appears this new deal will add $200 billion to the country’s debt over the next two years. The cartoon above gives its own spin to the story… What’s yours?  (cartoon by KAL)

If you have ever played the game MONOPOLY you know the phrase GO TO JAIL!!!

Seems pretty harmless part of the popular game.

But in the real world, jail is anything but harmless. In fact, jail-time is causing billions of dollars of damages to the country!

It works like this…The United States has the highest prison population in the world (see chart below).

1 in every 31 adults facing probation (in prison or outside of prison) or on parole.

Courtesty Wikipedia

The problem is… prisons aren’t working well. These “correctional” institutions are not correcting the inmates as many return to crime upon release.

Writer Adam Serwer found the large prison population is costing the economy big time.

“US economy los[t] the equivalent of 1.5 to 1.7 million workers…but there was also a national $57 billion to $65 billion loss in productivity and output”

Clearly, the answer isn’t to just “let criminals go,” but there is some validity to rethinking our prison system as a whole.

Non-violent offenders, including “financial fraudsters” (as Andrew Sullivan puts it), could serve an alternative sentence of sorts, giving up their assets, doing community service, and operating under a curfew. This way, these non-violent criminals would not need to be a burden on the state.

Maybe this is something we should stop to think about. What do you think? Are there better alternatives for these non-violent offenders or the prison system as a whole?