Maryannaville™

Originally posted 2008-08-12 16:24:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

IM worm squirming through Skype by ZDNet‘s Ryan Naraine — Internet phone company Skype is warning about a new piece of malware spreading through the software’s instant messaging feature.

This is the solution toward removing the worm:
Skype for Windows worm reported: here’s what to do by ZDNet‘s Russell Shaw — Just in via a Skype blog posting from Skype’s Villu Arak: Skype has learned that a computer virus called “w32/Ramex.A” is affecting users of Skype for Windows. Users whose computers are infected with this virus will send a chat message to other Skype users asking them to click on a web link that can infect the [...]

Blogger will be down for about 10 minutes starting at 11pm PDST [-8 GMT]

Originally posted 2007-09-10 09:07:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

No pet should be left behind in a disaster. They have been conditioned to depend on us for their health, safety, and welfare just like our children have been conditioned. They are not able to fend for themselves. Additionally, save thousands from a horrible fate and spare evacuees from being forced to make a heart breaking choice. Urge them to pass the PETS Act.
Contact Congress.
Pets.pdf

Originally posted 2006-05-30 23:59:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Originally posted 2006-09-30 09:07:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

“Saturday Night Live,” opened its show tonight with Al Gore addressing the nation as if he was the President of the United States. Gore was focused and quite funny in this entertaining spoof of the current administration and their long range of failures. He also struck back at the media (update: when they claimed he said he invented the ‘internets’) by saying that he invented an “Anti-Hurricane and Tornado Machine.”

Video -WMP Video -QT
He touched on immigration, oil, the Middle East, judges and a host of other topics that have divided our country since Bush took office. I did enjoy GWB leading the charge to clean up Baseball’s steroid problem: “But I have faith in baseball commissioner George W. Bush when he says, “We will find the steroid users if we have to tap every phone in America!”

Originally posted 2006-05-14 16:31:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

The following YouTube video is a good British explanation of the world current financial mess. TV seems to make it easier to understand when talking about a complex issue, yet, that is only because they have to break it down into short clips.

Plus that is only true if the media is speaking the truth instead of its usual role which is to lie, confuse, and blame the wrong source of the problem at hand. This is so because either the owners of the stations want to be the first to get the public’s attention or the agency itself has a direct stake in the economic outcome.

Why else would General Electric a major defense contractor, financial source, and foreign employer own both NBC, a major network, and CNBC, the most important financial network? Both of these, if they are not outright for some sort of gain then they are intentionally the losers because the stakes versus the benefit are minor when compared to the total size to General Electric’s many businesses.

GE needs these to tell the necessary lies in order to protect its total business. And, this is why GE owns these particular TV networks.

Please view Al Jazeera People & Power- Money Geyser

Also, please meet Jim Forex of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Jim’s a great fella to get to know when it comes to discussing financial investments, stocks and trades.

Originally posted 2007-08-25 11:25:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Over the Rainbow

Originally posted 2007-09-01 10:40:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

“Police blotter” is a weekly CNET News.com report on the intersection of technology and the law.

What: Reports of home computer wiretapping surface in tempestuous New Jersey divorce case.
When: Superior Court of New Jersey ruled June 8.
Outcome: Wife succeeds in raising her share of the settlement in a divorce case.
What happened: According to court documents

Peter Garfinkel, 41, asked for a divorce from his wife of six years, Lori Garfinkel, 38, in March 2001. They had separated earlier that month, and Lori remained in the marital home with three children under 3 years old.

After her husband started court proceedings for a divorce, Lori Garfinkel filed a counterclaim alleging the following: transmission of sexual disease, negligent infliction of emotional distress, intentional infliction of emotional distress and wiretapping.

The wiretapping charges are what make this unfortunate case relevant to Police Blotter. During the trial in state court, the judge dismissed Lori’s claims related to sexual disease and emotional distress. But Peter admitted to “wiretapping” Lori’s computer.

The description is general: Peter used an unspecified monitoring device to track his wife’s computer transactions and record her e-mails. Lori was granted $7,500 on the wiretapping claim. Overall, though, the trial judge did not find her credible and ruled that she misrepresented her income, assets and expenses. Lori appealed.

A three-judge panel of the Superior Court of New Jersey appeared to side with her. The judges reduced the amount granted to Peter and handed the case back to the trial court for additional proceedings.

This is hardly the first time computer monitoring claims have surfaced in marital spats. As previously reported by CNET News.com, a Florida court ruled last year that a wife who installed spyware on her husband’s computer to secretly record evidence of an extramarital affair violated state law.

In addition, makers of key loggers (hardware or software methods of recording keystrokes) are actively marketing their products as ways to expose spousal wrongdoing. KeyGhost’s Web site mentions “multimillion-dollar divorce settlements,” and the description of BlazingTools Software’s Perfect Keylogger includes this line: “Are you wondering if your mate is planning a divorce?”

Originally posted 2006-06-18 23:18:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Bullying is a compulsive need to displace aggression and is achieved by the expression of inadequacy (social, personal, interpersonal, behavioural, professional) by projection of that inadequacy onto others through control and subjugation (criticism, exclusion, isolation etc). Bullying is sustained by abdication of responsibility (denial, counter-accusation, pretence of victimhood) and perpetuated by a climate of fear, ignorance, indifference, silence, denial, disbelief, deception, evasion of accountability, tolerance and reward(eg promotion) for the bully.
Tim Field, 1999

Originally posted 2008-03-22 16:54:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Found in this morning’s email messages from that silly gal pal of ours, Joanne.

Attention All Wal-Mart shoppers

Yesterday I was buying a large bag of Purina dog chow for Athena the wonder dog at Wal-Mart and was about to check out. A woman behind me asked if I had a dog. On impulse, I told her that no, I didn’t have a dog, and that I was starting the Purina Diet again. Although I felt that I probably shouldn’t because I’d ended up in the hospital last time. But, that I did manage to lose 50 pounds. In that last attempt, I had awakened in an intensive care ward with tubes coming out of most of my orifices and IVs in both arms.

I told her that essentially, it was a perfect diet and that the way that it works is to load your pants pockets with Purina nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry. And since the food is nutritionally complete I wanted to try it again.

(I have to mention here that practically everyone in the line was by now enthralled with my story.)

Horrified, she asked if I ended up in intensive care because the dog food poisoned me. I told her no, I stepped off a curb to sniff an Irish Setter’s ass and a car hit us both.

I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack he was laughing so hard.

Walmart won’t let me shop there anymore, btw.

Note:
I’m wondering now if this might be yet another indication that it would behoove me to raise the bar on my what my ideas are toward healthy online friendships?

Originally posted 2007-08-23 04:03:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Tiffany Eisler kicked her boyfriend out of her life last month, or so she thought.

A few weeks ago, a friend told her about a fake Facebook page in her name.

“Someone was pretending to be me, with naked pictures, with my phone number up,” she said.

Eisler called 17 News to see if police can do anything to help.

She told reporter Anna Velasquez she met Kyle Walker online. Walker was living in Marin County, but within two months, he moved in with her in Bakersfield in late 2009.

In mid-April, a fight over the laundry turned violent.

“He just started kicking all the laundry everywhere,” she said. “And, in the process I got kicked in the arm.”

Eisler said Walker began to scare her.

“For the next hour or two he continued to tell me how he should beat the crap out of me and burn down my apartment,” she said.

She texted her neighbor to call police, and Walker was arrested for spousal abuse and for fighting with the police who came to make the arrest.

She has not seen him since, but believes he is behind the cyber attack that’s turned her life upside down.

The fake Facebook page had pictures she shared only with Walker, and the cell phone number Walker had.

“The number he thought he had,” she pointed out. “I changed it last week.”

Eisler also found more fake profile pages on other social networking sites, and in every case, it told people where they could find her.

“I’m still afraid to get on most sites on the Internet,” she admitted. “I recently had to cancel my account with Café Mom because someone is stalking me on there.”

Eisler believes her ex hacked into her email address and posed as her when he requested her electricity to be turned off. She lives in an apartment complex, and did not experience any power loss but the bills were going to her landlord.

Eisler saved everything she could when she found the fakes, including an instant-message dialogue she had with Walker Monday night. She asked him to leave her alone and Walker replied he did not know what she what talking about.

He also wrote, “If you think you are going through hell, get used to it, and get ready to go deeper.”

That comment made Eisler fear for her safety and the safety of her kids. She is seeking a restraining order for when Walker returns to Kern County for his next court hearing.

Eisler has filed a report with Bakersfield Police about the online harassment, and now a detective has been assigned to the case.

17 News took Eisler’s information to Supervising Deputy District Attorney Terry Pelton, who is well-versed in cyber law.

“If the facts are as presented, and if those facts can be proven, then several code sections have been violated,” he said of Eisler’s case.

Pelton said they are hacking (Penal Code 502.c.2), cyberstalking (PC 653.2), annoying through computer (PC 653m), and stalking (PC 646.9).

Pelton has successfully prosecuted a cyberstalking case where a Delano man created a fake profile of his ex-wife. Pelton said the man posed as the ex-wife and said she had a fantasy of wanting to be raped. The man also gave out the woman’s phone number and address.

“Someone showed up at her door,” he said.

What is happening to Eisler is not uncommon, and very dangerous, Pelton said.

“It encourages some real sicko out there to come find the woman.”

Both the Bakersfield Police Department and Pelton encourage Eisler to keep saving proof of the online harassment.

Pelton also reminds the public of his rule of thumb for social networking: “If you post something you don’t want to show your mother at the dinner table, don’t post it.”

[source]

Originally posted 2010-06-05 21:59:47. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Mr. Joseph A. Rehyansky is retired from both the U.S. Army and from the District Attorney’s office in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Presently, he serves as a part-time County Magistrate. His essay, “A Weekend to Remember Them” is notable. Click the image to read his essay.

Rolling Thunder XXI is a comprehensive, three-day program that began on May 23rd and ended today, Sunday, May 25, 2008. It is held at the Lincoln Memorial and around the National Mall in Washington, DC. Rolling Thunder is comprised of men and women with 40-45% being non-veterans with the balance being veterans from all wars and peace-time. Although many of its members ride motorcycles, a person does not have to own or ride a motorcycle to be a member, just the time and willingness to be an advocate for our troops, veterans, and POW/MIA’s. The annual get together includes, Flying Thunder: Flight to the Wall

Originally posted 2008-05-25 10:27:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Originally posted 2006-08-20 14:20:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

The head of the Chinese food and drug agency has been sentenced to death for corruption and bribery related to tainted food products including toothpaste that killed people in China and South America. This comes amid hew and cry against China for exporting poisonous puffer fish as edible monk fish as well as rice and wheat gluten tainted with melamine poison to give false high readings for protein levels.

China ex-food and drug safety chief sentenced to death
China sentenced the former head of its food and drugs agency to death for corruption on Tuesday in a surprise judgment as the government sought to contain a wave of scandals over health safety.
Zheng Xiaoyu, former head of the State Food and Drug Administration, was convicted on charges of taking bribes and dereliction of duty, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the Beijing Municipal No. 1 Intermediate People’s Court.
Washington Post

Perhaps we need to have our government officials held to higher standards for violating our Constitutional rights with programs like REAL ID and NONAIS while simultaneously promoting the importation of poisonous foods from overseas using “Most Favored Nation” status for countries like China. A little accountability plus separation of Church (Big Business) and State would go along ways at heading off these problems.

Chinese FDA Loses Head
Scroll to the bottom in order to read the whole story.

Originally posted 2007-05-30 10:55:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

It’s remarkable to consider that we can change our brains just by learning. Here’s why:

Our brains are continually active as we go about our daily lives. As we learn, our brains adapt to reflect the new information we feed them. Our life experiences literally shape our brains as we age. And, since no two people have the same kinds of experiences and learning, no two brains look exactly alike. Our brains’ ability to adjust its structures to reflect life experiences (scientists call this “plasticity”) is what enables us to learn—and to change our brains by learning. William T. Greenough, PhD, a Dana Alliance member and neurobiologist, explains how our brains work: “The adult brain, and even the adult aging brain, is fine-tuned by experience in both its performance and its abilities. The brain essentially organizes itself in accord with its experience to prepare for the future. Since one of the best predictors of future needs is past demands, having a brain that is optimally tuned to prior experience is ideal.”

How and Why Our Brains Change
In our brains, plasticity (a brain’s ability to adjust its structures to reflect life experiences) is reflected in many different ways. Much of what we know about how our brains work as we learn comes from studies of laboratory animals engaged in experimental learning situations.

These studies lead us to believe that our brains can respond fairly quickly and stably when we’re learning through experience. Some of the changes that happen in the animals’ “plastic brains” when learning occurs are:

Nerve cells form more and larger synapses
Capillaries (tiny blood vessels that connect veins and arteries) increase in certain areas of the brain, enhancing the flow of blood and oxygen to brain tissue (this may further benefit nerve cells and brain chemical systems)

Glial cells—the brain’s supportive cells—increase in size and number
Myelin, the fatty sheath that wraps axons and enhances the transmission of nerve signals, may increase. New neurons may be created (neurogenesis) in the hippocampus, which may enhance learning performance. In addition, a genetic switch turns newly-learned information into long-term memories, triggering the formation of a new protein.

Originally posted 2006-06-16 18:19:00. Republished by Blog Post Promoter