Reuters.com By Paul Majendie
Fri Dec 30, 2005. LONDON (Reuters) - Dogs went woof over a Brazilian puppy love motel, an Australian trained mice to surf the waves and an Indian village married off toads in bid for rain.
In the world of the weird and wacky, the animal kingdom was the big winner in 2005.
It handsomely defeated incompetent thieves and misplaced corpses to take the prize for the year's most bizarre headlines.
A love motel for dogs in Sao Paulo proved a big hit with amorous Brazilian pooches, offering a heart-shaped mirror on the ceiling and headboards resembling doggy bones.
Shane Willmott trained his three mice -- Harry, Chopsticks and Bunsen -- to enjoy Australia's favorite sport with special mouse-size surf boards. He even dyed their fur so he could spot them among the crashing white waves.
Two giant toads were married in a traditional Hindu ceremony in eastern India by villagers hoping to please the rain gods and end a dry spell.
Peruvian officials saved 4,000 frogs from the cocktail blender after they were found hidden in an abattoir. In the Andes, frog cocktails are popular because of their supposed aphrodisiac qualities.
Finnish wolves with a taste for domestic dogs were given a nasty shock -- Helsinki shops started selling wired dog coats which sent 1,000 volts of electricity through the outer layer.
And in Germany, a woman burned down her family home by setting fire to the garage when trying to kill spiders with a can of hairspray and a cigarette lighter.
SAGA OF THE YEAR
The award for the most bizarre animal saga of the year was a close fought contest between Russia, China and Germany.
Stone the cows ... Russia's long winter is just flying by for a herd of cows being fed confiscated marijuana.
Drug workers said they adopted the unusual form of animal husbandry after being forced to destroy sunflower and maize crops that 40 tonnes of marijuana had been planted among.
In China, it was a case of crouching tiger, hidden donkey.
A restaurant in northeast China was caught serving donkey meat spiked with tiger urine in pricey dishes advertised as endangered Siberian tigers.
A German inventor sparked the fury of animal lovers with his macabre solution for soaring fuel costs.
Christian Koch concocted an organic diesel fuel that contained garbage and run-over cats among its ingredients.
He said around 20 dead cats added into the mix could help produce enough fuel to fill up a 50-liter (11 gallon) tank.
THICK AS THIEVES
Bungling thieves hit the headlines in 2005.
A South African mugger was mauled to death by tigers after he fled the scene of his crime and took refuge in a Bloemfontein zoo.
Australian police responding to a break-in at a furniture store were surprised to discover the suspected culprit asleep at the scene and snoring loudly.
Across the globe, the dead were not always allowed to rest in peace.
A Frenchman in his sixties lived for five years with the body of his dead mother so he could keep receiving her monthly pension.
A Mexican motorcyclist with a helmet-wearing corpse strapped to his back crashed in the northern city of Tijuana when he lost control rounding a curve.
Police believe the killer, who fled the scene, had been trying to take the body somewhere deserted so he could dispose of it.
And back in Australia, city officials faced the ultimate embarrassment -- they apologized to the family of an elderly man given a parking ticket while he lay dead in his car in a suburban shopping center.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Friday, December 30, 2005
MEATS DIFFER IN EFFECT ON COLON CANCER RISK...
Health Reuters.com
Wed Dec 28, 2005. NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who eat a lot of processed meats may have a higher risk of developing pre-cancerous growths -- polyps -- in the colon, while the opposite may be true for fans of chicken, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that among 1,520 adults with a history of colon polyps, those who ate a diet heavy in processed meats had a higher risk of polyp recurrence than those with the lowest intake. On the other hand, patients who favored chicken had a lesser risk of new polyps than those who ate the least.
Colon polyps are growths that, while usually benign, can become cancerous. Patients in the current study had all had polyps removed and were then followed for 4 years to detect any recurrences.
Overall, the one-quarter of patients with the highest intake of processed meat were 75 percent more likely to develop an advanced polyp compared with the one-quarter of patients who ate the least processed meat, the researchers found.
In contrast, those with the highest chicken intake were 39 percent less likely than those who ate the least to develop an advanced polyp.
"Our data indicate that intake of specific meats may have different effects on risk," the study authors state in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
Dr. Douglas J. Robertson of the VA Medical Center in White River Junction, Vermont, led the study.
A number of studies have linked heavy consumption of red or processed meats to a higher risk of colon cancer, while diets high in fiber from fruits, vegetables and whole grains have been tied to a lower risk of the disease.
But not all studies have found these relationships. And in the current study, high fiber intake was not clearly tied to the overall risk of polyp recurrence.
Patients who ate the most fruit, vegetables and whole grains were, however, less likely to develop polyps in the upper part of the colon. Red meat, meanwhile, was not linked to polyp risk.
Despite that latter finding, the overall results are in line with advice to eat red and processed meats sparingly, Robertson and his colleagues write.
In theory, they note, processed meats could contribute to the development of colon cancer because processing may increase levels of potentially cancer-promoting substances called N-nitroso compounds.
SOURCE: American Journal of Gastroenterology, December 2005.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Wed Dec 28, 2005. NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People who eat a lot of processed meats may have a higher risk of developing pre-cancerous growths -- polyps -- in the colon, while the opposite may be true for fans of chicken, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that among 1,520 adults with a history of colon polyps, those who ate a diet heavy in processed meats had a higher risk of polyp recurrence than those with the lowest intake. On the other hand, patients who favored chicken had a lesser risk of new polyps than those who ate the least.
Colon polyps are growths that, while usually benign, can become cancerous. Patients in the current study had all had polyps removed and were then followed for 4 years to detect any recurrences.
Overall, the one-quarter of patients with the highest intake of processed meat were 75 percent more likely to develop an advanced polyp compared with the one-quarter of patients who ate the least processed meat, the researchers found.
In contrast, those with the highest chicken intake were 39 percent less likely than those who ate the least to develop an advanced polyp.
"Our data indicate that intake of specific meats may have different effects on risk," the study authors state in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
Dr. Douglas J. Robertson of the VA Medical Center in White River Junction, Vermont, led the study.
A number of studies have linked heavy consumption of red or processed meats to a higher risk of colon cancer, while diets high in fiber from fruits, vegetables and whole grains have been tied to a lower risk of the disease.
But not all studies have found these relationships. And in the current study, high fiber intake was not clearly tied to the overall risk of polyp recurrence.
Patients who ate the most fruit, vegetables and whole grains were, however, less likely to develop polyps in the upper part of the colon. Red meat, meanwhile, was not linked to polyp risk.
Despite that latter finding, the overall results are in line with advice to eat red and processed meats sparingly, Robertson and his colleagues write.
In theory, they note, processed meats could contribute to the development of colon cancer because processing may increase levels of potentially cancer-promoting substances called N-nitroso compounds.
SOURCE: American Journal of Gastroenterology, December 2005.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Thursday, December 29, 2005
VIRUS POSES AS LEAKED MSN MESSENGER BETA....
e-week.com By Paul F. Roberts
December 27, 2005 Internet users are being warned about a new virus that poses as a leaked pre-release version of the MSN Messenger instant messenger program.
Unsuspecting Windows users who install the phony MSN Messenger Version 8 "beta" actually install an IM worm that spreads to their IM contacts, and connects their computer to a remote control "bot" network run by malicious hackers, according to F-Secure Corp., an antivirus firm based in Helsinki.
A Web site, msgr8beta.com, purports to have the leaked version of MSN Messenger. The site touts the advantages of the MSN Messenger 8, including "real-time emoticons," and "built-in functionality with Windows Media Player 10." Microsoft has not yet released a beta for MSN 8 to the public, although versions of the software are rumored to have been released to select customers.
However, the download offered from the Web site doesn't contain any MSN Messenger code, said Mikko Hyppönen, manager of antivirus research at F-Secure. Instead, clicking on the Web site download links installs a virus that F-Secure calls "Virkel.F," and causes your MSN Messenger client to send download links for the malicious Web site to the person's IM contacts. Behind the scene, Virkel.F connects infected machines to a remote "botnet" server that can be used to issue commands or transfer malicious programs to the infected host, he said.
F-Secure researchers learned of the new virus Tuesday after customers reported receiving suspicious IM messages with links to the Web page Hyppönen said.
Virkel is a new twist on an older family of IM viruses named "Kelvir." The source code for Kelvir was released on the Internet and has spawned many variants. The new Virkel family adds remote control "botnet" capability to the IM worm feature, Hyppönen said.
F-Secure reported the new worm to Microsoft. It is not clear why the attackers set up the site at all. However, the domain could be promoted through spam and news group postings, Hyppönen said.
The msgrbeta8.com Web site was registered on Dec. 24 to a "Mark Nicholas," of Richmond, U.K. E-mail messages sent to the administrative address at msgr8beta.com were returned, and Nicholas could not be reached at home or via cell phone for comment on Tuesday. It was unclear whether Nicholas was actually the individual who registered the Web site, or whether another individual used his contact information when setting up the Web domain.
The malicious Web site calls attention to a persistent problem that fosters online attacks and the spread of malicious code: loose monitoring of Web domain registration.
Based on test results, the U.S. Government Accountability Office estimates that 1.64 million (3.65 percent) of Web domains have been registered with incomplete data in one or more of the required fields, and 2.31 million domain names (5.14 percent) have been registered with patently false data.
Individuals and organizations use the lax domain registration process to hide their identities and prevent members of the public from contacting them, GAO said.
Better enforcement of domain registrations would help curb online fraud, spam and intellectual property theft, GAO said.
Check out eWEEK.com's Security Center for the latest security news, reviews and analysis. And for insights on security coverage around the Web, take a look at eWEEK.com Security Center Editor Larry Seltzer's Weblog.
December 27, 2005 Internet users are being warned about a new virus that poses as a leaked pre-release version of the MSN Messenger instant messenger program.
Unsuspecting Windows users who install the phony MSN Messenger Version 8 "beta" actually install an IM worm that spreads to their IM contacts, and connects their computer to a remote control "bot" network run by malicious hackers, according to F-Secure Corp., an antivirus firm based in Helsinki.
A Web site, msgr8beta.com, purports to have the leaked version of MSN Messenger. The site touts the advantages of the MSN Messenger 8, including "real-time emoticons," and "built-in functionality with Windows Media Player 10." Microsoft has not yet released a beta for MSN 8 to the public, although versions of the software are rumored to have been released to select customers.
However, the download offered from the Web site doesn't contain any MSN Messenger code, said Mikko Hyppönen, manager of antivirus research at F-Secure. Instead, clicking on the Web site download links installs a virus that F-Secure calls "Virkel.F," and causes your MSN Messenger client to send download links for the malicious Web site to the person's IM contacts. Behind the scene, Virkel.F connects infected machines to a remote "botnet" server that can be used to issue commands or transfer malicious programs to the infected host, he said.
F-Secure researchers learned of the new virus Tuesday after customers reported receiving suspicious IM messages with links to the Web page Hyppönen said.
Virkel is a new twist on an older family of IM viruses named "Kelvir." The source code for Kelvir was released on the Internet and has spawned many variants. The new Virkel family adds remote control "botnet" capability to the IM worm feature, Hyppönen said.
F-Secure reported the new worm to Microsoft. It is not clear why the attackers set up the site at all. However, the domain could be promoted through spam and news group postings, Hyppönen said.
The msgrbeta8.com Web site was registered on Dec. 24 to a "Mark Nicholas," of Richmond, U.K. E-mail messages sent to the administrative address at msgr8beta.com were returned, and Nicholas could not be reached at home or via cell phone for comment on Tuesday. It was unclear whether Nicholas was actually the individual who registered the Web site, or whether another individual used his contact information when setting up the Web domain.
The malicious Web site calls attention to a persistent problem that fosters online attacks and the spread of malicious code: loose monitoring of Web domain registration.
Based on test results, the U.S. Government Accountability Office estimates that 1.64 million (3.65 percent) of Web domains have been registered with incomplete data in one or more of the required fields, and 2.31 million domain names (5.14 percent) have been registered with patently false data.
Individuals and organizations use the lax domain registration process to hide their identities and prevent members of the public from contacting them, GAO said.
Better enforcement of domain registrations would help curb online fraud, spam and intellectual property theft, GAO said.
Check out eWEEK.com's Security Center for the latest security news, reviews and analysis. And for insights on security coverage around the Web, take a look at eWEEK.com Security Center Editor Larry Seltzer's Weblog.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
GROUP SEX CLUB PATRONS SWINGING FREE...
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Tuesday, December 27, 2005
RESISTING TRAINING OK FOR HEART FAILURE PATIENTS...
Health - Reuters.com
Mon Dec 26, 2005. NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Contrary to qualms about deleterious effects on the heart, people with chronic heart failure can safely undertake a resistance training program, Australian researchers report. In fact, such training appears to have a beneficial effect on how strongly the heart is able to pump blood.
Resistance training has been shown to improve the functional ability of people with chronic heart failure to perform activities of daily living, and to improve their overall quality of life. However, there have been concerns that it may accelerate the remodeling process that affects the main pumping chamber of the heart -- the left ventricle -- when chronic heart failure sets in.
To investigate, Dr. Itamar Levinger, from Victoria University of Technology in Melbourne, and colleagues used ultrasound to assess the structure and function of the left ventricles of eight men with heart failure who participated in an 8-week resistance training program and seven similar men who did not.
The investigators' findings appear in the International Journal of Cardiology. The resistance training did not appear to have a significant effect on left ventricle measurements, the report indicates.
Yet, the patients who undertook the resistance training showed significant increases in the amount of blood the heart was able to pump with each beat, compared with the non-training group.
"Since resistance training improves functional ability and quality of life of patients with chronic heart failure without causing a reduction in left ventricular contractile function or structure it is recommended to add this training regime to the regular exercise rehabilitation programs of these patients," Levinger's team concludes.
SOURCE: International Journal of Cardiology, November 2, 2005.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Mon Dec 26, 2005. NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Contrary to qualms about deleterious effects on the heart, people with chronic heart failure can safely undertake a resistance training program, Australian researchers report. In fact, such training appears to have a beneficial effect on how strongly the heart is able to pump blood.
Resistance training has been shown to improve the functional ability of people with chronic heart failure to perform activities of daily living, and to improve their overall quality of life. However, there have been concerns that it may accelerate the remodeling process that affects the main pumping chamber of the heart -- the left ventricle -- when chronic heart failure sets in.
To investigate, Dr. Itamar Levinger, from Victoria University of Technology in Melbourne, and colleagues used ultrasound to assess the structure and function of the left ventricles of eight men with heart failure who participated in an 8-week resistance training program and seven similar men who did not.
The investigators' findings appear in the International Journal of Cardiology. The resistance training did not appear to have a significant effect on left ventricle measurements, the report indicates.
Yet, the patients who undertook the resistance training showed significant increases in the amount of blood the heart was able to pump with each beat, compared with the non-training group.
"Since resistance training improves functional ability and quality of life of patients with chronic heart failure without causing a reduction in left ventricular contractile function or structure it is recommended to add this training regime to the regular exercise rehabilitation programs of these patients," Levinger's team concludes.
SOURCE: International Journal of Cardiology, November 2, 2005.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
POLICE MAKE MERRY IN RACE RIOT'S AFTERMATH...
Reuters.com By Mark Bendeich
Mon Dec 26, 2005. SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian police patrolled Sydney's beaches in buggies and on horses decorated with tinsel and reindeer antlers Sunday, as fears of fresh racial violence dissolved into a quiet Christmas Day.
On Cronulla beach, where gangs of white surfers and ethnic Lebanese clashed in alcohol-fuelled riots two weeks ago, families spread out across the sand and children ran into the sea -- all under the watchful eye of dozens of armed, uniformed police.
Policewomen kept watch from two tinsel-trimmed mounts, horses named Hero and Hollywood, which plodded along the sand wearing fake antlers, while other police officers climbed life-guard towers or scooted along the beach in four-wheeled buggies.
"I think everybody has realized that violence is not the answer to all our problems," said Phil Wardman, sitting with his family on Cronulla's powdery sand, beneath a postcard-blue sky.
"I wanted to come down today to show I'm not afraid to come here."
Australia is trying hard to mend its image after the riots, which evoked old racist stereotypes and prompted police to throw a security cordon around Sydney's most popular beaches to head off threats of more violence from white supremacists.
Only a week ago, police made dozens of arrests and seized a frightening array of crude weapons, including petrol bombs, knuckle-dusters and wooden clubs studded with nails, from cars stopped and searched at seaside road-blocks.
World publicity of the riots and the police crackdown had sparked fears of a drop in tourism to Australia this summer, but Sydney's beaches appeared to have returned to near normal Sunday despite the heavy police presence.
BONDI PILGRIMAGE
Hundreds of British and European backpackers and thousands of other sun-worshippers made their annual Christmas Day pilgrimage to Sydney's most famous summer playground, Bondi Beach, while police patrolled its esplanade in cars and on foot.
Private security guards checked all beachgoers' bags before allowing them on to the hallowed sand -- but this was not a precaution against racial violence. After years of trouble with drunken louts, Bondi is now an alcohol-free zone at Christmas.
No glass and no alcohol," security guard Yahia Haddad yelled as people approached his check-point. "Oh yeah," he added jokingly, "and no weapons!"
Bondi, a cosmopolitan community and a magnet for international tourists, is a world away from Cronulla where residents are mainly white and there are long-standing tensions between territorial surfers and newer immigrant communities.
While police and surf life-savers at Cronulla declined to talk to Reuters, and an immigrant shop-owner there complained of poor business, the mood at Bondi was as hedonistic as always.
Wearing Santa hats and playing soccer among topless bathers, young tourists from the southern English seaside town of Portsmouth were just pleased to be out in the sun at Christmas.
"We've gone from rain and stones to sand and hot weather," said a delighted Daniel Turner, 21.
Asked to reflect on the state of Australian race relations, his friend Louis Cross, 20, was more thoughtful.
"Racism in England is a lot worse that it is here," he said. "Stuff like that can happen in Birmingham all the time."
The peaceful scenes on Sydney's beaches seemed to answer the Christmas prayers of Australian religious leaders.
"There are pockets of racists among us but criminal racism is rare and therefore untypical," Sydney Catholic Cardinal George Pell said on national television.
"During this holiday summer season, let's show the world what Australia is really like -- fundamentally decent, tolerant and law-abiding."
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Mon Dec 26, 2005. SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian police patrolled Sydney's beaches in buggies and on horses decorated with tinsel and reindeer antlers Sunday, as fears of fresh racial violence dissolved into a quiet Christmas Day.
On Cronulla beach, where gangs of white surfers and ethnic Lebanese clashed in alcohol-fuelled riots two weeks ago, families spread out across the sand and children ran into the sea -- all under the watchful eye of dozens of armed, uniformed police.
Policewomen kept watch from two tinsel-trimmed mounts, horses named Hero and Hollywood, which plodded along the sand wearing fake antlers, while other police officers climbed life-guard towers or scooted along the beach in four-wheeled buggies.
"I think everybody has realized that violence is not the answer to all our problems," said Phil Wardman, sitting with his family on Cronulla's powdery sand, beneath a postcard-blue sky.
"I wanted to come down today to show I'm not afraid to come here."
Australia is trying hard to mend its image after the riots, which evoked old racist stereotypes and prompted police to throw a security cordon around Sydney's most popular beaches to head off threats of more violence from white supremacists.
Only a week ago, police made dozens of arrests and seized a frightening array of crude weapons, including petrol bombs, knuckle-dusters and wooden clubs studded with nails, from cars stopped and searched at seaside road-blocks.
World publicity of the riots and the police crackdown had sparked fears of a drop in tourism to Australia this summer, but Sydney's beaches appeared to have returned to near normal Sunday despite the heavy police presence.
BONDI PILGRIMAGE
Hundreds of British and European backpackers and thousands of other sun-worshippers made their annual Christmas Day pilgrimage to Sydney's most famous summer playground, Bondi Beach, while police patrolled its esplanade in cars and on foot.
Private security guards checked all beachgoers' bags before allowing them on to the hallowed sand -- but this was not a precaution against racial violence. After years of trouble with drunken louts, Bondi is now an alcohol-free zone at Christmas.
No glass and no alcohol," security guard Yahia Haddad yelled as people approached his check-point. "Oh yeah," he added jokingly, "and no weapons!"
Bondi, a cosmopolitan community and a magnet for international tourists, is a world away from Cronulla where residents are mainly white and there are long-standing tensions between territorial surfers and newer immigrant communities.
While police and surf life-savers at Cronulla declined to talk to Reuters, and an immigrant shop-owner there complained of poor business, the mood at Bondi was as hedonistic as always.
Wearing Santa hats and playing soccer among topless bathers, young tourists from the southern English seaside town of Portsmouth were just pleased to be out in the sun at Christmas.
"We've gone from rain and stones to sand and hot weather," said a delighted Daniel Turner, 21.
Asked to reflect on the state of Australian race relations, his friend Louis Cross, 20, was more thoughtful.
"Racism in England is a lot worse that it is here," he said. "Stuff like that can happen in Birmingham all the time."
The peaceful scenes on Sydney's beaches seemed to answer the Christmas prayers of Australian religious leaders.
"There are pockets of racists among us but criminal racism is rare and therefore untypical," Sydney Catholic Cardinal George Pell said on national television.
"During this holiday summer season, let's show the world what Australia is really like -- fundamentally decent, tolerant and law-abiding."
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
PICKPOCKET SEIZED AT POLICE CHRISTMAS PARTY...
Reuters.com
Mon Dec 26, 2005 BERLIN (Reuters) - Police in Berlin made their easiest arrest of the year at their annual Christmas party, after spotting a man rummaging through the pockets of their coats in the cloakroom.
Officers of the Federal Police criminal investigations unit said the unlucky pickpocket had not known that the revelers in a Berlin brewery were law enforcers.
"He was definitely surprised," said a police spokesman in Berlin. "He did not realize who he was dealing with."
Confronted with 35 officers, the 45-year-old Albanian, who police said held a forged passport and was wanted for other offences, offered no resistance.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Mon Dec 26, 2005 BERLIN (Reuters) - Police in Berlin made their easiest arrest of the year at their annual Christmas party, after spotting a man rummaging through the pockets of their coats in the cloakroom.
Officers of the Federal Police criminal investigations unit said the unlucky pickpocket had not known that the revelers in a Berlin brewery were law enforcers.
"He was definitely surprised," said a police spokesman in Berlin. "He did not realize who he was dealing with."
Confronted with 35 officers, the 45-year-old Albanian, who police said held a forged passport and was wanted for other offences, offered no resistance.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Saturday, December 24, 2005
YAHOO TO OFFER CHEAP PC-to-PHONE CALLS OPTIONS
Freeware Forum
Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news) said the company plans to allow computer users to make and receive calls from phones at rates that undercut eBay-owned rival Skype and are significantly below traditional phone companies.
Yahoo said on Wednesday a new version of its Yahoo Messenger text, voice and video communications software to be introduced in the next few days will include "Phone Out," with low per-minute charges for calls from computers to phones, and "Phone In," a low-cost subscription service for phone callers to call computer users.
The world's largest Internet media company said it plans to charge one cent per minute to Yahoo Messenger users calling the United States from, say, Russia, or anywhere else in the world and 2 cents a minute to call 30 other countries including Australia, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Korea.
In all the Yahoo Messenger phone-calling service will be available in 180 countries, according to Terrell Karlsten, a spokeswoman for the Sunnyvale, California-based company. Details were due to be available shortly at http://voice.yahoo.com/....
Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news) said the company plans to allow computer users to make and receive calls from phones at rates that undercut eBay-owned rival Skype and are significantly below traditional phone companies.
Yahoo said on Wednesday a new version of its Yahoo Messenger text, voice and video communications software to be introduced in the next few days will include "Phone Out," with low per-minute charges for calls from computers to phones, and "Phone In," a low-cost subscription service for phone callers to call computer users.
The world's largest Internet media company said it plans to charge one cent per minute to Yahoo Messenger users calling the United States from, say, Russia, or anywhere else in the world and 2 cents a minute to call 30 other countries including Australia, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Korea.
In all the Yahoo Messenger phone-calling service will be available in 180 countries, according to Terrell Karlsten, a spokeswoman for the Sunnyvale, California-based company. Details were due to be available shortly at http://voice.yahoo.com/....
CAN THEY DO THAT? WORKPLACE HORRORS COMPILED...
Reuters.com
Fri Dec 23, 2005. NEW YORK (Reuters) - The time-honored office tradition of whining at the water cooler just might get you fired, according to a newly compiled list of workplace horrors around the world.
Two workers who exceeded the official limit of two moans per employee at one unnamed German firm were fired this year. Several colleagues quit before their moans could be counted.
Their employer's strict policy tops a list compiled by Challenger, Gray and Christmas. The Chicago-based outplacement firm gave nine notable examples from hundreds of cases.
Most involve petty rules.
Workers at a DaimlerChrysler plant in Kokomo, Indiana, should drive a Chrysler model or they may find their car in Indianapolis, 50 miles away. That's because a rule limits parking space for non-Chrysler cars. Violators will be towed.
"These are things that make you go hmmm," Challenger spokesman James Pedderson said.
Such stories pour in throughout the year and Challenger plans to make the list an annual tradition, he said. The point is to encourage managers and their staff to communicate better.
Some of the worst stories involve discrimination against a worker's religion, ethnicity, or, less seriously, squirrels. A librarian lost her job for devoting too much time to saving a squirrel stuck in a ceiling.
"I think reason has to prevail in some of these instances," Pedderson said.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Fri Dec 23, 2005. NEW YORK (Reuters) - The time-honored office tradition of whining at the water cooler just might get you fired, according to a newly compiled list of workplace horrors around the world.
Two workers who exceeded the official limit of two moans per employee at one unnamed German firm were fired this year. Several colleagues quit before their moans could be counted.
Their employer's strict policy tops a list compiled by Challenger, Gray and Christmas. The Chicago-based outplacement firm gave nine notable examples from hundreds of cases.
Most involve petty rules.
Workers at a DaimlerChrysler plant in Kokomo, Indiana, should drive a Chrysler model or they may find their car in Indianapolis, 50 miles away. That's because a rule limits parking space for non-Chrysler cars. Violators will be towed.
"These are things that make you go hmmm," Challenger spokesman James Pedderson said.
Such stories pour in throughout the year and Challenger plans to make the list an annual tradition, he said. The point is to encourage managers and their staff to communicate better.
Some of the worst stories involve discrimination against a worker's religion, ethnicity, or, less seriously, squirrels. A librarian lost her job for devoting too much time to saving a squirrel stuck in a ceiling.
"I think reason has to prevail in some of these instances," Pedderson said.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
SUCCESSFUL AGING MAY BE PARTLY IN THE GENES...
Health-Reuters.com By Megan Rauscher
Fri Dec 23, 2005. NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - If you make it to a ripe old age with all your marbles, credit might go to the gene you inherited.
Researchers have identified genes related to reaching age 90 with preserved brain function. Their study, funded by the National Institutes of Health and reported at a medical conference in Hawaii, is among the first to identify genetic links to long-lived mental powers.
"We defined successful aging as reaching age 90 without a significant decline in mental capacity because we could apply it objectively and consistently but also because it has a fair amount of face validity," Dr. George S. Zubenko from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine explained in a telephone interview with Reuters Health.
"I think you would find that most people would endorse the goal of living to a ripe old age of 90 with intact mental processes as a reasonable definition of successful aging."
Zubenko and colleagues compared the genetic makeup of 100 men and women aged 90 and older with preserved cognition with that of 100 young adults between the ages of 18 and 25. They also looked at lifestyle factors, such as smoking and alcohol consumption.
According to the team, the APOE E2 allele, which is known to protect against Alzheimer's disease, was present far more often in the elders than in the younger folks. And the APOE E4 allele, which is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease, showed up less often in the 90-year-olds compared with the younger set. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of mental degeneration in older adults.
The researchers also identified novel "genetic regions" associated with successful aging, including the so-called DYS389 and DYS390 regions, some of which affected men or women, but not both.
Men and women differ in their average lifespan (women live longer on than men) and the prevalence of numerous serious diseases differs between the sexes. Therefore, "it would not be surprising if the collection of genes that influences the capacity to reach old age with normal mental capacity differs somewhat for men and women," Zubenko said.
Zubenko also noted that "only a very small percentage of Americans currently reach age 90 or above. Genetics probably plays a less profound role in intermediate lifespan or the typical lifespan, which is less than 90 years. Lifestyle changes are also important -- whether people can live a reasonably healthful lifestyle in the interim I think are very important to longevity," he said.
In support of the benefits of healthy living, the current study also confirms the harmful effects of cigarette smoking and excessive alcohol intake on successful aging. Further research is needed to better understand how genetic and behavioral factors influence the aging process, with an eye perhaps to enriching or extending the lives of individuals, the study team concludes.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Fri Dec 23, 2005. NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - If you make it to a ripe old age with all your marbles, credit might go to the gene you inherited.
Researchers have identified genes related to reaching age 90 with preserved brain function. Their study, funded by the National Institutes of Health and reported at a medical conference in Hawaii, is among the first to identify genetic links to long-lived mental powers.
"We defined successful aging as reaching age 90 without a significant decline in mental capacity because we could apply it objectively and consistently but also because it has a fair amount of face validity," Dr. George S. Zubenko from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine explained in a telephone interview with Reuters Health.
"I think you would find that most people would endorse the goal of living to a ripe old age of 90 with intact mental processes as a reasonable definition of successful aging."
Zubenko and colleagues compared the genetic makeup of 100 men and women aged 90 and older with preserved cognition with that of 100 young adults between the ages of 18 and 25. They also looked at lifestyle factors, such as smoking and alcohol consumption.
According to the team, the APOE E2 allele, which is known to protect against Alzheimer's disease, was present far more often in the elders than in the younger folks. And the APOE E4 allele, which is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease, showed up less often in the 90-year-olds compared with the younger set. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of mental degeneration in older adults.
The researchers also identified novel "genetic regions" associated with successful aging, including the so-called DYS389 and DYS390 regions, some of which affected men or women, but not both.
Men and women differ in their average lifespan (women live longer on than men) and the prevalence of numerous serious diseases differs between the sexes. Therefore, "it would not be surprising if the collection of genes that influences the capacity to reach old age with normal mental capacity differs somewhat for men and women," Zubenko said.
Zubenko also noted that "only a very small percentage of Americans currently reach age 90 or above. Genetics probably plays a less profound role in intermediate lifespan or the typical lifespan, which is less than 90 years. Lifestyle changes are also important -- whether people can live a reasonably healthful lifestyle in the interim I think are very important to longevity," he said.
In support of the benefits of healthy living, the current study also confirms the harmful effects of cigarette smoking and excessive alcohol intake on successful aging. Further research is needed to better understand how genetic and behavioral factors influence the aging process, with an eye perhaps to enriching or extending the lives of individuals, the study team concludes.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
COLLEGE STUDENTS NOT ALONE IN DANGEROUS DRINKING...
Health Reuters.com
Fri Dec 23, 2005. NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Though getting drunk is often seen as a traditional college pastime, other young adults, particularly men, have similarly high rates of potentially hazardous drinking, new research shows.
In a study of nearly 2,000 young adults who'd been followed since high school, researchers found that by the age of 24, both college graduates and those with no more than a high school diploma had comparably high rates of heavy drinking.
In general, men and women with only a high school education drank more heavily in 12th grade and maintained the habit through early adulthood. College graduates, on the other hand, tended to drink less in high school but "caught up" during college.
Though drinking on college campuses has garnered much attention, it's clear that risky drinking is a problem among all young adults, the study authors report in the medical journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
"These results emphasize the need to intervene early to prevent at-risk alcohol use," write Dr. C. Raymond Bingham and his colleagues at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
What's more, they add, the study shows that risky drinking "is neither unique, nor necessarily the highest among individuals who complete college."
Overall, men who finished college had the biggest increase in drinking between 12th grade and the age of 24 -- boosting their drinking more than women did, and more than men with less education.
Women with a college degree also began to drink more heavily and get drunk more often after high school -- though, by the age of 24, they had merely "caught up" with women with less education, and their upturn in drinking during college was actually on the decline.
Women who attended high school only tended to have higher rates of drinking in 12th grade, but their drinking either held steady or began to taper off as they got older.
Men, on the other hand, did not show a reversal of their college, or high school, drinking habits. College graduates had the highest rates of drunkenness, binge drinking and drunk driving at the age of 24, though other men were not lagging much.
In fact, the researchers note, men with only a high school education appeared most at-risk, since their heavy drinking began in high school and continued or increased as they grew older.
"This pattern of alcohol-related risk reinforces the need for early intervention to prevent alcohol misuse in high school," the researchers conclude, "and this need is especially great for students who are not likely to complete college."
SOURCE: Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, December 2005.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Fri Dec 23, 2005. NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Though getting drunk is often seen as a traditional college pastime, other young adults, particularly men, have similarly high rates of potentially hazardous drinking, new research shows.
In a study of nearly 2,000 young adults who'd been followed since high school, researchers found that by the age of 24, both college graduates and those with no more than a high school diploma had comparably high rates of heavy drinking.
In general, men and women with only a high school education drank more heavily in 12th grade and maintained the habit through early adulthood. College graduates, on the other hand, tended to drink less in high school but "caught up" during college.
Though drinking on college campuses has garnered much attention, it's clear that risky drinking is a problem among all young adults, the study authors report in the medical journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
"These results emphasize the need to intervene early to prevent at-risk alcohol use," write Dr. C. Raymond Bingham and his colleagues at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
What's more, they add, the study shows that risky drinking "is neither unique, nor necessarily the highest among individuals who complete college."
Overall, men who finished college had the biggest increase in drinking between 12th grade and the age of 24 -- boosting their drinking more than women did, and more than men with less education.
Women with a college degree also began to drink more heavily and get drunk more often after high school -- though, by the age of 24, they had merely "caught up" with women with less education, and their upturn in drinking during college was actually on the decline.
Women who attended high school only tended to have higher rates of drinking in 12th grade, but their drinking either held steady or began to taper off as they got older.
Men, on the other hand, did not show a reversal of their college, or high school, drinking habits. College graduates had the highest rates of drunkenness, binge drinking and drunk driving at the age of 24, though other men were not lagging much.
In fact, the researchers note, men with only a high school education appeared most at-risk, since their heavy drinking began in high school and continued or increased as they grew older.
"This pattern of alcohol-related risk reinforces the need for early intervention to prevent alcohol misuse in high school," the researchers conclude, "and this need is especially great for students who are not likely to complete college."
SOURCE: Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, December 2005.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Friday, December 23, 2005
HIGH RISK IN SYMANTEC ANTIVIRUS SOFTWARE FLAW...
Norton Internet Security-ZDNet John Ford jr's comment
Thu 22 Dec 2005. I had my system crash from Norton Internet Security few months ago. I was told to call a telepnone # I finally after waiting an hour hooked up with somone in India, I could not understand the person due to his thick accent, I asked for someone else that spoke more fluent English, my request was denied.
After spending another hour on the phone (now 2 hours) I finally gave up. I had a nice phone bill that would have paid for a new AV and I was totally exhausted and spent the next 12 hours sleeping.
I then both wrote and phone Symantech in the US and after speaking to 4 people in 5 days, I funally got someone that had the authority to send me a new program with a new activation key. I hd to re-istall windows and install everything back on my PC since I wiped out the hard drive. Few days later I recieved a new disc drom Symantec and two days later I recived the second disk and wait a moment, a week later I received the 3rd disk...I sold them on eBAy made back the money I spent on the phone call to India.
This coming year 2006 I will choose another brand of AV manyfacturer! It seems to me that all the company's are getting serviced from India and just wait untill they start answering you in Chinese.
Does anybody know if Computer Associates Internet Security is any good? Or what should I get for 2006? I don't mind spending the money, but if you know what is good out there could you please let me know.
Norton Internet Security is out in my Books! Never again!
Thu 22 Dec 2005. I had my system crash from Norton Internet Security few months ago. I was told to call a telepnone # I finally after waiting an hour hooked up with somone in India, I could not understand the person due to his thick accent, I asked for someone else that spoke more fluent English, my request was denied.
After spending another hour on the phone (now 2 hours) I finally gave up. I had a nice phone bill that would have paid for a new AV and I was totally exhausted and spent the next 12 hours sleeping.
I then both wrote and phone Symantech in the US and after speaking to 4 people in 5 days, I funally got someone that had the authority to send me a new program with a new activation key. I hd to re-istall windows and install everything back on my PC since I wiped out the hard drive. Few days later I recieved a new disc drom Symantec and two days later I recived the second disk and wait a moment, a week later I received the 3rd disk...I sold them on eBAy made back the money I spent on the phone call to India.
This coming year 2006 I will choose another brand of AV manyfacturer! It seems to me that all the company's are getting serviced from India and just wait untill they start answering you in Chinese.
Does anybody know if Computer Associates Internet Security is any good? Or what should I get for 2006? I don't mind spending the money, but if you know what is good out there could you please let me know.
Norton Internet Security is out in my Books! Never again!
JUDGE SAYS HE CAN'T FREE UIGHURS AT GUANTANAMO...
Reuters.com By JoAnne Allen
Thu Dec 22, 2005 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal judge on Thursday ruled that he does not have authority to order the release of two ethnic Uighur prisoners from China detained at Guantanamo Bay, even though the U.S. military declared they are no longer "enemy combatants."
U.S. District Judge James Robertson said he finds that "a federal court has no relief to offer" Abu Bakker Qassim and A'del Abdu Al-Hakim, who are being held at the U.S. military prison in Cuba while the United States searches for a country to take them in.
"An order requiring their release into the United States, even into some kind of parole 'bubble,' some legal-fictional status in which they would be here but would not be 'admitted,' would have national security and diplomatic implications beyond the competence or the authority of this court," Robertson said in a 12-page ruling.
The two men have been detained since June 2002 at Guantanamo Bay, where the United States hold suspects in its war against terrorism launched after the attacks of September 11, 2001. A U.S. military tribunal ruled nine months ago that the Uighurs should "no longer be classified as enemy combatants."
A lawyer working with the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights had urged Robertson to order the men released while the government continues its search for a country that will grant them asylum.
The U.S. government told the court it could not return the men to China because they would face persecution there.
Many Muslim Uighurs, who are from Xinjiang in far western China, seek greater autonomy for the region and some want independence. Beijing has waged a relentless campaign against what it calls the violent separatist activities of the Uighurs in the desert region.
Terry Henry, a U.S. Justice Department lawyer, said at an August hearing that the United States would hold the Uighurs at Guantanamo "for as long as it takes."
Henry said the two men had been transferred to a section where they were allowed more freedom of movement and more facilities than at Camp Echo, where they were previously detained.
The United States is holding about 500 foreign prisoners at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Thu Dec 22, 2005 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal judge on Thursday ruled that he does not have authority to order the release of two ethnic Uighur prisoners from China detained at Guantanamo Bay, even though the U.S. military declared they are no longer "enemy combatants."
U.S. District Judge James Robertson said he finds that "a federal court has no relief to offer" Abu Bakker Qassim and A'del Abdu Al-Hakim, who are being held at the U.S. military prison in Cuba while the United States searches for a country to take them in.
"An order requiring their release into the United States, even into some kind of parole 'bubble,' some legal-fictional status in which they would be here but would not be 'admitted,' would have national security and diplomatic implications beyond the competence or the authority of this court," Robertson said in a 12-page ruling.
The two men have been detained since June 2002 at Guantanamo Bay, where the United States hold suspects in its war against terrorism launched after the attacks of September 11, 2001. A U.S. military tribunal ruled nine months ago that the Uighurs should "no longer be classified as enemy combatants."
A lawyer working with the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights had urged Robertson to order the men released while the government continues its search for a country that will grant them asylum.
The U.S. government told the court it could not return the men to China because they would face persecution there.
Many Muslim Uighurs, who are from Xinjiang in far western China, seek greater autonomy for the region and some want independence. Beijing has waged a relentless campaign against what it calls the violent separatist activities of the Uighurs in the desert region.
Terry Henry, a U.S. Justice Department lawyer, said at an August hearing that the United States would hold the Uighurs at Guantanamo "for as long as it takes."
Henry said the two men had been transferred to a section where they were allowed more freedom of movement and more facilities than at Camp Echo, where they were previously detained.
The United States is holding about 500 foreign prisoners at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
STOLEN WAR MEDAL FOUND ON BEACH...
Reuters.com
Thu Dec 22, 2005. CANBERRA (Reuters) - A valuable British war medal discovered on an Australian beach has been traced to a London family who reported the treasured piece of history stolen nearly two decades ago.
The George Cross medal, valued at about 15,000 pounds ($35,700), was found on a beach in Queensland state in February and police handed it to the British Consulate in Brisbane on Thursday so that it could be returned to its owners.
Australian Associated Press reported that the medal had been awarded to Flying Officer Anthony Tollemache in 1940 after his plane crashed during an exercise in England and he risked his life to save a passenger.
The medal was one of several stolen from the Tollemache family home in London in 1988.
It remains a mystery as to how the medal ended up on the other side of the world.
"I was trying to find the person responsible for the offence but in the end I was just happy to find the heir," Queensland state police officer Brendan Laverty said in a statement.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Thu Dec 22, 2005. CANBERRA (Reuters) - A valuable British war medal discovered on an Australian beach has been traced to a London family who reported the treasured piece of history stolen nearly two decades ago.
The George Cross medal, valued at about 15,000 pounds ($35,700), was found on a beach in Queensland state in February and police handed it to the British Consulate in Brisbane on Thursday so that it could be returned to its owners.
Australian Associated Press reported that the medal had been awarded to Flying Officer Anthony Tollemache in 1940 after his plane crashed during an exercise in England and he risked his life to save a passenger.
The medal was one of several stolen from the Tollemache family home in London in 1988.
It remains a mystery as to how the medal ended up on the other side of the world.
"I was trying to find the person responsible for the offence but in the end I was just happy to find the heir," Queensland state police officer Brendan Laverty said in a statement.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
YEP, THAT SOUNDS ABOUT RIGHT...
Reuters.com
Thu Dec 22, 2005. BERLIN (Reuters) - Some Germans would rather spend Christmas with a tree than with their families, a new poll shows.
The survey in Thursday's Focus weekly news magazine found 75 percent of Germans could not contemplate Christmas without their beloved "Tannenbaum," the traditional tree many cover lavishly with candles, lights and decorations.
But only 65 percent said spending time with relatives was also essential for a good Christmas.
Singing carols was the next most vital ingredient, with 57 percent saying they could not do without them, while 42 percent said Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without presents.
The modern tradition of the Christmas tree originated in Germany.
Three percent of the 1,014 people polled about attitudes to Christmas wanted to skip the whole thing.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Thu Dec 22, 2005. BERLIN (Reuters) - Some Germans would rather spend Christmas with a tree than with their families, a new poll shows.
The survey in Thursday's Focus weekly news magazine found 75 percent of Germans could not contemplate Christmas without their beloved "Tannenbaum," the traditional tree many cover lavishly with candles, lights and decorations.
But only 65 percent said spending time with relatives was also essential for a good Christmas.
Singing carols was the next most vital ingredient, with 57 percent saying they could not do without them, while 42 percent said Christmas just wouldn't be Christmas without presents.
The modern tradition of the Christmas tree originated in Germany.
Three percent of the 1,014 people polled about attitudes to Christmas wanted to skip the whole thing.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
SKYPE 2 (BETA) CNET REVIEW
Skype 2 (beta) Reviews By Stephanie Bruzzese
CNET editors' review and rating
Very good 7.5 out of 10
Review date: 13/12/05
The good: Skype 2 (beta) is still free and easy to install and set up. Calls to other Skype users are free, and calls to non-Skype phones are competitively priced. The beta of version 2 adds new features such as videoconferencing; toolbars for IE, Firefox, and Outlook; contact groups; mood messengers; and avatars, sounds, and ring tones.
The bad: When using SkypeOut and SkypeIn, Skype 2's voice quality is merely mediocre. It gets even worse when uploading files.
The bottom line: Though Skype 2 suffers from middling voice quality when calling landline phones, it's still one of the best free VoIP services around, and its new Skype Video feature makes it even better.
Sometimes the best things in life are free--such as Skype 2, the latest version of eBay's newly acquired VoIP service. Now in beta, Skype 2 tacks on free video calling between Skype users and other neat additions to its long list of cool features, which include conference calling and an IM client. You can also add low-cost inbound/outbound calling, voicemail, and call forwarding to analog phones. The Skype dashboard thankfully remains free of advertisements, and the quality of Skype-to-Skype calls is still high. Though the quality of landline calls hasn't improved, Skype 2 continues to be an overall excellent option for anyone seeking to make free phone calls.
Installing Skype 2 is beyond easy: download and run an executable file, follow the few steps in the setup wizard, and you're done. The first time you launch the program--which pops up in an IM-like, dashboard window--a handy Getting Started wizard appears, taking you through a test call and helping you import contacts from address books it detects on your system. You'll be able to hear and see your callers using the audio or video devices (microphone/speakers, USB headset, Webcam) that you've already connected to your computer. Spend a few bucks on a device like the Actiontec Phone Wizard, and you can also use your analog phone.
All access to and adjustment of Skype 2's features happens through the dashboard window. The window is segmented into three main tabs: Contacts, Dial, and History. To place a free call to another Skype user, just click the name in your contacts list. If you've purchased credit to SkypeOut, which begins at 10 euros (currently just under $12 U.S.) and includes low rates for international locations, you can reach landline phone numbers by either clicking a number you've saved to your contacts list or by using the electronic keypad in the Dial tab. To redial a name or number that you've already called, click it in the History tab. The dashboard window is also where you can initiate other features, such as conference calling for up to five people; IMing with other Skype users; call forwarding for up to three numbers (if you have SkypeOut); and voicemail retrieval (if you bought a voicemail plan, which starts at 3 months for 5 euros).
One of the major new features in beta version 2 is Skype Video, free video calling between Skype users. Skype has partnered with a number of hardware companies, including Logitech and Motorola, to bring Skype-certified accessories to the market, including Webcams and Bluetooth headsets. Other new features include avatars, sounds, and ring tones (available for purchase from Skype's Web site); contact groups; and toolbars. The browser toolbar works with Internet Explorer and Firefox: Skype recognizes phone numbers and Skype names on search results pages, allowing one-click calling from the results page via Skype. The Outlook toolbar consolidates your Outlook and Skype contacts, allowing you place Skype calls to Skype users who have e-mailed you or call non-Skype users via SkypeOut.
Our anecdotal tests of Skype 2-to-Skype 2 audio calls yielded conversations that sounded almost exactly like those between two analog phones. Voices on both the calling and receiving ends came through quite clearly, and latency was barely evident. Using the video-calling function was an equally easy experience, as the program automatically detects whether the Skype user you're calling also has video capability and allows you to accept or decline the video feed. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Skype 2-to-landline calls (and vice versa). On a SkypeOut call to one of CNET Labs' analog phone lines, audio was relatively clear on the Skype end of the call, though the analog caller experienced some static and random chirp reminiscent of old Doctor Who episodes. Voice quality took another hit when we uploaded and downloaded data during calls, with the audio occasionally cutting out altogether on both sides of the call. After purchasing a SkypeIn subscription (starting at 3 months for 10 euros) and choosing a regular phone number to associate with our account, we made a series of analog calls to our Skype number--and experienced more of the same inferior call quality on both sides. Skype's performance problems when calling analog phones were worse than the problems that plague most VoIP services. For good call quality with Skype, your best bet is to persuade those you want to reach to install the program themselves; in addition to higher voice quality, your calls will always be free.
Free software is generally not well supported by the maker, but Skype makes a decent effort. The Skype Web site offers a user forum, downloadable user guides, a searchable knowledge base, and a troubleshooter tool that walks you through a series of questions to help you solve basic problems. Users can also submit a support request through an online form and check the status of the request.
CNET editors' review and rating
Very good 7.5 out of 10
Review date: 13/12/05
The good: Skype 2 (beta) is still free and easy to install and set up. Calls to other Skype users are free, and calls to non-Skype phones are competitively priced. The beta of version 2 adds new features such as videoconferencing; toolbars for IE, Firefox, and Outlook; contact groups; mood messengers; and avatars, sounds, and ring tones.
The bad: When using SkypeOut and SkypeIn, Skype 2's voice quality is merely mediocre. It gets even worse when uploading files.
The bottom line: Though Skype 2 suffers from middling voice quality when calling landline phones, it's still one of the best free VoIP services around, and its new Skype Video feature makes it even better.
Sometimes the best things in life are free--such as Skype 2, the latest version of eBay's newly acquired VoIP service. Now in beta, Skype 2 tacks on free video calling between Skype users and other neat additions to its long list of cool features, which include conference calling and an IM client. You can also add low-cost inbound/outbound calling, voicemail, and call forwarding to analog phones. The Skype dashboard thankfully remains free of advertisements, and the quality of Skype-to-Skype calls is still high. Though the quality of landline calls hasn't improved, Skype 2 continues to be an overall excellent option for anyone seeking to make free phone calls.
Installing Skype 2 is beyond easy: download and run an executable file, follow the few steps in the setup wizard, and you're done. The first time you launch the program--which pops up in an IM-like, dashboard window--a handy Getting Started wizard appears, taking you through a test call and helping you import contacts from address books it detects on your system. You'll be able to hear and see your callers using the audio or video devices (microphone/speakers, USB headset, Webcam) that you've already connected to your computer. Spend a few bucks on a device like the Actiontec Phone Wizard, and you can also use your analog phone.
All access to and adjustment of Skype 2's features happens through the dashboard window. The window is segmented into three main tabs: Contacts, Dial, and History. To place a free call to another Skype user, just click the name in your contacts list. If you've purchased credit to SkypeOut, which begins at 10 euros (currently just under $12 U.S.) and includes low rates for international locations, you can reach landline phone numbers by either clicking a number you've saved to your contacts list or by using the electronic keypad in the Dial tab. To redial a name or number that you've already called, click it in the History tab. The dashboard window is also where you can initiate other features, such as conference calling for up to five people; IMing with other Skype users; call forwarding for up to three numbers (if you have SkypeOut); and voicemail retrieval (if you bought a voicemail plan, which starts at 3 months for 5 euros).
One of the major new features in beta version 2 is Skype Video, free video calling between Skype users. Skype has partnered with a number of hardware companies, including Logitech and Motorola, to bring Skype-certified accessories to the market, including Webcams and Bluetooth headsets. Other new features include avatars, sounds, and ring tones (available for purchase from Skype's Web site); contact groups; and toolbars. The browser toolbar works with Internet Explorer and Firefox: Skype recognizes phone numbers and Skype names on search results pages, allowing one-click calling from the results page via Skype. The Outlook toolbar consolidates your Outlook and Skype contacts, allowing you place Skype calls to Skype users who have e-mailed you or call non-Skype users via SkypeOut.
Our anecdotal tests of Skype 2-to-Skype 2 audio calls yielded conversations that sounded almost exactly like those between two analog phones. Voices on both the calling and receiving ends came through quite clearly, and latency was barely evident. Using the video-calling function was an equally easy experience, as the program automatically detects whether the Skype user you're calling also has video capability and allows you to accept or decline the video feed. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Skype 2-to-landline calls (and vice versa). On a SkypeOut call to one of CNET Labs' analog phone lines, audio was relatively clear on the Skype end of the call, though the analog caller experienced some static and random chirp reminiscent of old Doctor Who episodes. Voice quality took another hit when we uploaded and downloaded data during calls, with the audio occasionally cutting out altogether on both sides of the call. After purchasing a SkypeIn subscription (starting at 3 months for 10 euros) and choosing a regular phone number to associate with our account, we made a series of analog calls to our Skype number--and experienced more of the same inferior call quality on both sides. Skype's performance problems when calling analog phones were worse than the problems that plague most VoIP services. For good call quality with Skype, your best bet is to persuade those you want to reach to install the program themselves; in addition to higher voice quality, your calls will always be free.
Free software is generally not well supported by the maker, but Skype makes a decent effort. The Skype Web site offers a user forum, downloadable user guides, a searchable knowledge base, and a troubleshooter tool that walks you through a series of questions to help you solve basic problems. Users can also submit a support request through an online form and check the status of the request.
DARK CHOCOLATE MAY CUT HEART DISEASE RISK: STUDY
Health - Reuters.com
Mon Dec 19, 2005. LONDON (Reuters) - A few squares of dark chocolate every day might cut the risk of serious heart disease by helping to stave off the hardening of arteries, according to a study published on Tuesday.
Researchers from University Hospital in Zurich studied 20 male smokers, who are at greater risk of hardening arteries characteristic of coronary heart disease, to see the effects of dark and white chocolate on arterial blood flow.
The group, who were asked to abstain from eating foods rich in antioxidants for 24 hours, were given 40 grams (2 ounces) of chocolate to eat.
After two hours, ultrasound scans revealed that dark chocolate -- made up of 74 percent cocoa solids -- significantly improved the smoothness of arterial flow, whilst white chocolate, with four percent cocoa, had no effect, the study published in Heart magazine said.
The researchers, who said further studies were needed, suggested that the possible benefits arose from the antioxidants in dark chocolate.
"Only a small daily treat of dark chocolate may substantially increase the amount of antioxidant intake and beneficially affect vascular health," they said.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Mon Dec 19, 2005. LONDON (Reuters) - A few squares of dark chocolate every day might cut the risk of serious heart disease by helping to stave off the hardening of arteries, according to a study published on Tuesday.
Researchers from University Hospital in Zurich studied 20 male smokers, who are at greater risk of hardening arteries characteristic of coronary heart disease, to see the effects of dark and white chocolate on arterial blood flow.
The group, who were asked to abstain from eating foods rich in antioxidants for 24 hours, were given 40 grams (2 ounces) of chocolate to eat.
After two hours, ultrasound scans revealed that dark chocolate -- made up of 74 percent cocoa solids -- significantly improved the smoothness of arterial flow, whilst white chocolate, with four percent cocoa, had no effect, the study published in Heart magazine said.
The researchers, who said further studies were needed, suggested that the possible benefits arose from the antioxidants in dark chocolate.
"Only a small daily treat of dark chocolate may substantially increase the amount of antioxidant intake and beneficially affect vascular health," they said.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
COMPUTER WORM TRAPS CHILD PORN OFFENDER...
Reuters.com
Tue Dec 20, 2005. BERLIN (Reuters) - A child porn offender in Germany turned himself in to the police after mistaking an email he received from a computer worm for an official warning that he was under investigation, authorities said Tuesday.
"It just goes to show that computer worms aren't always destructive," said a spokesman for police in the western city of Paderborn. "Here it helped us to uncover a crime which would otherwise probably have gone undetected."
The 20-year-old was caught out by a version of the "Sober" worm, a prolific Internet virus which can invade computers and then send out messages from a host of fabricated addresses.
The trap was set when the man got an email saying "an investigation is underway," that listed the sender as Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). Police charged him after finding pornographic images of children on his home computer.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Tue Dec 20, 2005. BERLIN (Reuters) - A child porn offender in Germany turned himself in to the police after mistaking an email he received from a computer worm for an official warning that he was under investigation, authorities said Tuesday.
"It just goes to show that computer worms aren't always destructive," said a spokesman for police in the western city of Paderborn. "Here it helped us to uncover a crime which would otherwise probably have gone undetected."
The 20-year-old was caught out by a version of the "Sober" worm, a prolific Internet virus which can invade computers and then send out messages from a host of fabricated addresses.
The trap was set when the man got an email saying "an investigation is underway," that listed the sender as Germany's Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). Police charged him after finding pornographic images of children on his home computer.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
BAD SANTA: DO YOU WANT THIS MAN IN YOUR CHIMNEY?
Reuters.com By Erik Kirschbaum
Tue Dec 20, 2005. BERLIN (Reuters) - Drunken Santas on a rampage in New Zealand, armed German robbers in Santa disguises, a British St. Nick wanted for flashing, and a Swedish vandal in a Santa outfit are giving the big man in red a bad name this year.
Reports of "Bad Santas" breaking the law or otherwise wreaking havoc have been circulating around the world.
Armed with a gun, a man in a Santa outfit held up a furniture store in the German town of Ludwigshafen Saturday and forced two cashiers to open the safe. He filled his sack with cash, locked the two women in the safe and escaped.
He is still on the loose, but police in Tuebingen were able to nab a bank robber armed with a machine gun in a Santa costume with the aid of an infrared camera and helicopter. They found him hiding in a ditch in a nearby forest.
"The machine gun was fake," a police spokesman said. Dressed in a Santa cap, beard and wearing sun glasses, he was wanted for stealing 500,000 euros in four separate bank robberies.
One Santa was stopped by police for driving 150 kph (90 mph) on a northern German motorway, 50 kph over the speed limit.
"He said he was in a rush because he still had packages to deliver," said a spokesman for the police. They gave Santa a fine and took away his license.
Last week an inebriated half-naked Santa disrupted a Christmas market in Dabringhausen before police intervened.
That incident paled in comparison to what happened in Auckland Saturday when 40 drunken Santas rampaged through the city center, stealing from stores and assaulting security guards in a protest against Christmas becoming too commercial.
In Britain, police said they were looking for a Santa acting suspiciously -- a flasher who exposed himself to women.
Officers in Swanage on the south coast of England said the flasher had struck a number of times since December 6, and a week later exposed himself whilst wearing a Santa Claus outfit.
A British agency recently issued a code of conduct to root out substandard Santas. "Santa is a magical and cuddly man, not a fat, smelly slob," said James Lovell of the Ministry of Fun agency in London. "He must not smell of drink or body odor."
Last Christmas, a shopping center in south Wales installed a webcam dubbed "Santacam" in his grotto to overcome parents' concerns after several high-profile pedophile cases in Britain.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Tue Dec 20, 2005. BERLIN (Reuters) - Drunken Santas on a rampage in New Zealand, armed German robbers in Santa disguises, a British St. Nick wanted for flashing, and a Swedish vandal in a Santa outfit are giving the big man in red a bad name this year.
Reports of "Bad Santas" breaking the law or otherwise wreaking havoc have been circulating around the world.
Armed with a gun, a man in a Santa outfit held up a furniture store in the German town of Ludwigshafen Saturday and forced two cashiers to open the safe. He filled his sack with cash, locked the two women in the safe and escaped.
He is still on the loose, but police in Tuebingen were able to nab a bank robber armed with a machine gun in a Santa costume with the aid of an infrared camera and helicopter. They found him hiding in a ditch in a nearby forest.
"The machine gun was fake," a police spokesman said. Dressed in a Santa cap, beard and wearing sun glasses, he was wanted for stealing 500,000 euros in four separate bank robberies.
One Santa was stopped by police for driving 150 kph (90 mph) on a northern German motorway, 50 kph over the speed limit.
"He said he was in a rush because he still had packages to deliver," said a spokesman for the police. They gave Santa a fine and took away his license.
Last week an inebriated half-naked Santa disrupted a Christmas market in Dabringhausen before police intervened.
That incident paled in comparison to what happened in Auckland Saturday when 40 drunken Santas rampaged through the city center, stealing from stores and assaulting security guards in a protest against Christmas becoming too commercial.
In Britain, police said they were looking for a Santa acting suspiciously -- a flasher who exposed himself to women.
Officers in Swanage on the south coast of England said the flasher had struck a number of times since December 6, and a week later exposed himself whilst wearing a Santa Claus outfit.
A British agency recently issued a code of conduct to root out substandard Santas. "Santa is a magical and cuddly man, not a fat, smelly slob," said James Lovell of the Ministry of Fun agency in London. "He must not smell of drink or body odor."
Last Christmas, a shopping center in south Wales installed a webcam dubbed "Santacam" in his grotto to overcome parents' concerns after several high-profile pedophile cases in Britain.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
"TIME" PERSONS OF 2005: Bill and Melinda GATES, BONO...
Latest Business News-Reuters.com By Claudia Parsons
Sun Dec 18, 2005. NEW YORK (Reuters) - The richest man in the world, Bill Gates, and his wife, Melinda, were named Time magazine's "Persons of the Year" along with Irish rocker Bono for being Good Samaritans who made a difference in different ways.
The three were chosen for their work in trying to find ways to eradicate such calamities as malaria in Africa, HIV and AIDS and the poverty that kills 8 million people a year, said James Kelly, Time managing editor. The magazine's December 19 issue comes out on Monday.
Time also named former U.S. Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton as "Partners of the Year" for their humanitarian efforts after the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, and the unlikely friendship that developed from that work.
"Natural disasters are terrible things, but what defines us is not what happens to us, but how we react to it," Kelly told Reuters. "When you look at the number of people who die from the kind of diseases and poverty that the Gateses and Bono are fighting, the death tolls are far greater than what occurs in natural disasters or wars."
An unlikely alliance has emerged from Bono and the Gates' interest in aiding the poorest of the poor, after the three met for dinner in 2002, Time reported.
Bill Gates, the founder of computer software giant Microsoft Corp., told Time that he was not sure at first it would be worth his while to meet with Bono.
"World health is immensely complicated. It doesn't really boil down to a 'Let's be nice' analysis. So I thought a meeting wouldn't be all that valuable," Gates told Time, adding that he quickly changed his mind. "He really reads this stuff; he cares about the complexity."
THE ROCKER AND THE GEEK
Bono said that Gates' reputation for business savvy was a plus. "When an Irish rock star starts talking about it, people go, yeah, you're paid to be indulged and have these ideas. But when Bill Gates says you can fix malaria in 10 years, they know he's done a few spreadsheets," Bono told Time.
The Gates Foundation funds hundreds of projects around the world primarily focused on public health, from vaccinating children to developing new drugs, as well as educational programs and scholarships in the United States and elsewhere.
Bono and fellow musician Bob Geldof spearheaded a popular campaign to tackle poverty in Africa by canceling the debts of the poorest countries in the world, raising global awareness through the Live 8 concerts in July.
Partly due to popular pressure, the world's industrialized nations agreed in July to double annual aid to poor countries over the next five years to around $100 billion in 2010, and to cancel poor countries' debt.
Bono said he was humbled by being named a Time Person of the Year.
"There are a lot of people who could be here. What's really key is, all of us are in agreement that this can be a generation that can end extreme poverty. And by that we mean stupid, daft poverty where 3,000 kids are dying every day of a mosquito bite in Africa. Malaria," he said on the U2 Web site.
The Gates said they were "pleased by Time's recognition that we can solve these problems and that many people must play a part in doing so.
"We have great admiration for the determined and often anonymous people who work every day to make the world a better place," they said.
Time has been naming its person of the year since 1927 and the tradition has become the source of speculation every year, as well as controversy over unpopular choices such as Adolf Hitler in 1938 and Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979.
The aim is to pick "the person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, for good or for ill, and embodied what was important about the year, for better or for worse."
Time's 2004 Person of the Year was U.S. President George W. Bush while "The American Soldier" graced the 2003 cover in the year when U.S. troops invaded Iraq.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Sun Dec 18, 2005. NEW YORK (Reuters) - The richest man in the world, Bill Gates, and his wife, Melinda, were named Time magazine's "Persons of the Year" along with Irish rocker Bono for being Good Samaritans who made a difference in different ways.
The three were chosen for their work in trying to find ways to eradicate such calamities as malaria in Africa, HIV and AIDS and the poverty that kills 8 million people a year, said James Kelly, Time managing editor. The magazine's December 19 issue comes out on Monday.
Time also named former U.S. Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton as "Partners of the Year" for their humanitarian efforts after the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, and the unlikely friendship that developed from that work.
"Natural disasters are terrible things, but what defines us is not what happens to us, but how we react to it," Kelly told Reuters. "When you look at the number of people who die from the kind of diseases and poverty that the Gateses and Bono are fighting, the death tolls are far greater than what occurs in natural disasters or wars."
An unlikely alliance has emerged from Bono and the Gates' interest in aiding the poorest of the poor, after the three met for dinner in 2002, Time reported.
Bill Gates, the founder of computer software giant Microsoft Corp., told Time that he was not sure at first it would be worth his while to meet with Bono.
"World health is immensely complicated. It doesn't really boil down to a 'Let's be nice' analysis. So I thought a meeting wouldn't be all that valuable," Gates told Time, adding that he quickly changed his mind. "He really reads this stuff; he cares about the complexity."
THE ROCKER AND THE GEEK
Bono said that Gates' reputation for business savvy was a plus. "When an Irish rock star starts talking about it, people go, yeah, you're paid to be indulged and have these ideas. But when Bill Gates says you can fix malaria in 10 years, they know he's done a few spreadsheets," Bono told Time.
The Gates Foundation funds hundreds of projects around the world primarily focused on public health, from vaccinating children to developing new drugs, as well as educational programs and scholarships in the United States and elsewhere.
Bono and fellow musician Bob Geldof spearheaded a popular campaign to tackle poverty in Africa by canceling the debts of the poorest countries in the world, raising global awareness through the Live 8 concerts in July.
Partly due to popular pressure, the world's industrialized nations agreed in July to double annual aid to poor countries over the next five years to around $100 billion in 2010, and to cancel poor countries' debt.
Bono said he was humbled by being named a Time Person of the Year.
"There are a lot of people who could be here. What's really key is, all of us are in agreement that this can be a generation that can end extreme poverty. And by that we mean stupid, daft poverty where 3,000 kids are dying every day of a mosquito bite in Africa. Malaria," he said on the U2 Web site.
The Gates said they were "pleased by Time's recognition that we can solve these problems and that many people must play a part in doing so.
"We have great admiration for the determined and often anonymous people who work every day to make the world a better place," they said.
Time has been naming its person of the year since 1927 and the tradition has become the source of speculation every year, as well as controversy over unpopular choices such as Adolf Hitler in 1938 and Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979.
The aim is to pick "the person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, for good or for ill, and embodied what was important about the year, for better or for worse."
Time's 2004 Person of the Year was U.S. President George W. Bush while "The American Soldier" graced the 2003 cover in the year when U.S. troops invaded Iraq.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
FLU SEASON ARRIVES IN U.S.
Health Reuters.com
Fri Dec 16, 2005. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The annual flu has arrived in the United States and has killed at least one child, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Thursday.
The influenza season is off to a slow start, the CDC said in its weekly report on death and disease. "Twenty states and the District of Columbia reported no influenza activity," the CDC said.
Flu season usually peaks in the United States in February and March.
Only about 1 percent of the people tested for influenza actually had it, and just 1.6 percent of patients who visited hospitals reported flu-like illness, the CDC said, below the baseline of 2.2 percent. A child died of influenza in California, it said.
Influenza is not routinely reported to the CDC, but the agency has agreements with 1,000 health care providers in all 50 states to send in samples for testing.
Influenza typically kills 36,000 Americans and a half million people globally in an average flu season.
Flu is getting greater than normal attention this season because of the H5N1 avian influenza, which has so far infected 138 people and killed 71 in Asia. Experts fear it could mutate into a form easily transmitted by people and cause a pandemic of deadly disease.
There have been regular shortages of seasonal flu vaccine in the United States. This year the CDC says there will be enough for everyone who wants a shot to get one, although supplies have been coming in irregularly, causing temporary spot shortages.
Only about 65 percent of seniors get the recommended flu shot. The CDC has recently added small children to the list of those who should be vaccinated.
Just this week, a team reported in the New England Journal of Medicine that of 153 children killed by flu in the 2003-2004 season, nearly two-thirds were under age 5, and most had not been vaccinated.
Half were previously healthy, with no underlying conditions such as asthma.
The CDC also reported on respiratory syncytial virus or RSV, a major cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in young children. Anywhere between 51,000 and 82,000 people end up in the hospital with RSV every year in the United States.
It kills an estimated 4,500 children under 5 every year.
"Preliminary 2005- 2006 data suggest that the annual seasonal peak began in the South during the week ending October 15," the CDC said. There is no RSV vaccine.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Fri Dec 16, 2005. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The annual flu has arrived in the United States and has killed at least one child, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Thursday.
The influenza season is off to a slow start, the CDC said in its weekly report on death and disease. "Twenty states and the District of Columbia reported no influenza activity," the CDC said.
Flu season usually peaks in the United States in February and March.
Only about 1 percent of the people tested for influenza actually had it, and just 1.6 percent of patients who visited hospitals reported flu-like illness, the CDC said, below the baseline of 2.2 percent. A child died of influenza in California, it said.
Influenza is not routinely reported to the CDC, but the agency has agreements with 1,000 health care providers in all 50 states to send in samples for testing.
Influenza typically kills 36,000 Americans and a half million people globally in an average flu season.
Flu is getting greater than normal attention this season because of the H5N1 avian influenza, which has so far infected 138 people and killed 71 in Asia. Experts fear it could mutate into a form easily transmitted by people and cause a pandemic of deadly disease.
There have been regular shortages of seasonal flu vaccine in the United States. This year the CDC says there will be enough for everyone who wants a shot to get one, although supplies have been coming in irregularly, causing temporary spot shortages.
Only about 65 percent of seniors get the recommended flu shot. The CDC has recently added small children to the list of those who should be vaccinated.
Just this week, a team reported in the New England Journal of Medicine that of 153 children killed by flu in the 2003-2004 season, nearly two-thirds were under age 5, and most had not been vaccinated.
Half were previously healthy, with no underlying conditions such as asthma.
The CDC also reported on respiratory syncytial virus or RSV, a major cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia in young children. Anywhere between 51,000 and 82,000 people end up in the hospital with RSV every year in the United States.
It kills an estimated 4,500 children under 5 every year.
"Preliminary 2005- 2006 data suggest that the annual seasonal peak began in the South during the week ending October 15," the CDC said. There is no RSV vaccine.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
BATTLE RAGES IN USA OVER CELEBRATING HOLIDAYS (CHRISTMAS)...
Reuters.com By Ellen Wulfhurst
Mon Dec 19, 2005. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ebenezer Scrooge would enjoy Christmas in America this year.
Drowning out the sounds of sleigh bells ringing and children singing are the sounds of arguing. At issue is how to greet people, how to decorate main street and how to sell gifts -- all without offending someone.
Religious conservatives are threatening lawsuits and boycotts to insist that store clerks and advertisements say "Merry Christmas." Countering are those who argue they are being inclusive and inoffensive with the secular "Happy Holidays."
In the middle seem to be most Americans, who not only aren't offended but find the whole spat rather ridiculous.
"You'd think there might be some Christmas spirit around Christmas time around the issue of Christmas," said Paul Cantor, a popular culture expert and professor at the University of Virginia. "It's one time you really wish people really could live and let live." Alas, that's not what this Christmas is all about.
Sparks flew when U.S. President George W. Bush sent out cards referring to the "holiday season," a leading Republican declared the decorated tree on the Capitol lawn a "Christmas Tree" and not a "Holiday Tree" and the logger who cut down the tree for the Boston Common was so upset when officials called it a "Holiday Tree" that he said he'd rather see it fed into a wood chipper.
"HANGING OF THE GREENS"
Conservative groups have marshaled the forces of lawyers volunteering to help anyone fighting for Christmas displays and launched boycotts of retailers whose advertisements fail to say "Merry Christmas."
A school system in Texas found itself in court after teachers asked children to bring white -- rather than red and green -- napkins to a party, while Annapolis, Maryland raised hackles by calling its evergreen boughs and ribbons on public buildings the "Hanging of the Greens" rather than "Christmas decorations."
Fanning the flames are conservative talk show personalities bemoaning the secularization of Christmas. Fox News anchor John Gibson chimed in with a book "The War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday is Worse than You Thought."
"'Happy Holidays' and 'Season's Greetings' are not a substitute for 'Merry Christmas,"' said Manuel Zamorano, head of the Sacramento, California-based Committee to Save Merry Christmas, which organizes store boycotts over holiday advertising.
"Christmas is the holiday and 'Merry Christmas' is what we want to hear," he said. "It's political correctness gone amok."
BLAME POLITICS
Bah humbug, said radio talk show host Bill Press, author of "How the Republicans Stole Christmas."
"People have been saying 'Happy Holidays' for a hundred years at least," he said. "This is nothing new. It just celebrates the diversity of America."
He blames politics. "It is all by design," he said. "The more people are talking about who's saying 'Happy Holidays' and who's saying 'Merry Christmas,' the less people are talking about Karl Rove, torture, Tom DeLay, the war in Iraq and other hot issues.
"And the more they stir up their evangelical Christian base over this issue, the more likely they are to get out and vote Republican in 2006," he said.
The debate has become comic grist. "Every time you say 'Happy Holidays,' an angel gets AIDS," warned television comedian Jon Stewart.
The satirical newspaper The Onion wrote a spoof about a judge who declared Christmas unconstitutional, with a photograph purporting to be workers dismantling the famed tree at Rockefeller Center to comply with the judge's ruling.
Making the rounds on the Internet is a series of mock memos from a fake company inviting employees to a Christmas Party, complete with open bar, gift exchange and tree lighting.
By the last of the memos, the increasingly beleaguered company is forced to apologize to its Jewish employees, the office alcoholics, Muslims, dieters, pregnant women, gays and lesbians, union members, management, cross-dressers, diabetics and vegetarians. In the end, the party is canceled.
RETAILERS IN THE MIDDLE
Stuck in the middle of the debate are retailers, whose seasonal selling campaigns seem to raise particular wrath.
"When someone says 'Happy Holidays,' they're saying something very nice to you. There's no ill intent behind any of this," said Dan Butler of the National Retail Federation. "When you're dealing with the public you'll get positive comments and negative comments about everything in the world."
Perhaps, added Peter Steinfels of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University, there isn't a war on Christmas after all but a more sensitive religious right.
Conservatives are using the super-fast Internet and e-mail to publicize what they see as extreme examples of "super politically correct conduct," he said. "It gives the impression that there's a great deal of political correctness ... when in fact it may not really be so different from the way it's always been."
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Mon Dec 19, 2005. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Ebenezer Scrooge would enjoy Christmas in America this year.
Drowning out the sounds of sleigh bells ringing and children singing are the sounds of arguing. At issue is how to greet people, how to decorate main street and how to sell gifts -- all without offending someone.
Religious conservatives are threatening lawsuits and boycotts to insist that store clerks and advertisements say "Merry Christmas." Countering are those who argue they are being inclusive and inoffensive with the secular "Happy Holidays."
In the middle seem to be most Americans, who not only aren't offended but find the whole spat rather ridiculous.
"You'd think there might be some Christmas spirit around Christmas time around the issue of Christmas," said Paul Cantor, a popular culture expert and professor at the University of Virginia. "It's one time you really wish people really could live and let live." Alas, that's not what this Christmas is all about.
Sparks flew when U.S. President George W. Bush sent out cards referring to the "holiday season," a leading Republican declared the decorated tree on the Capitol lawn a "Christmas Tree" and not a "Holiday Tree" and the logger who cut down the tree for the Boston Common was so upset when officials called it a "Holiday Tree" that he said he'd rather see it fed into a wood chipper.
"HANGING OF THE GREENS"
Conservative groups have marshaled the forces of lawyers volunteering to help anyone fighting for Christmas displays and launched boycotts of retailers whose advertisements fail to say "Merry Christmas."
A school system in Texas found itself in court after teachers asked children to bring white -- rather than red and green -- napkins to a party, while Annapolis, Maryland raised hackles by calling its evergreen boughs and ribbons on public buildings the "Hanging of the Greens" rather than "Christmas decorations."
Fanning the flames are conservative talk show personalities bemoaning the secularization of Christmas. Fox News anchor John Gibson chimed in with a book "The War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday is Worse than You Thought."
"'Happy Holidays' and 'Season's Greetings' are not a substitute for 'Merry Christmas,"' said Manuel Zamorano, head of the Sacramento, California-based Committee to Save Merry Christmas, which organizes store boycotts over holiday advertising.
"Christmas is the holiday and 'Merry Christmas' is what we want to hear," he said. "It's political correctness gone amok."
BLAME POLITICS
Bah humbug, said radio talk show host Bill Press, author of "How the Republicans Stole Christmas."
"People have been saying 'Happy Holidays' for a hundred years at least," he said. "This is nothing new. It just celebrates the diversity of America."
He blames politics. "It is all by design," he said. "The more people are talking about who's saying 'Happy Holidays' and who's saying 'Merry Christmas,' the less people are talking about Karl Rove, torture, Tom DeLay, the war in Iraq and other hot issues.
"And the more they stir up their evangelical Christian base over this issue, the more likely they are to get out and vote Republican in 2006," he said.
The debate has become comic grist. "Every time you say 'Happy Holidays,' an angel gets AIDS," warned television comedian Jon Stewart.
The satirical newspaper The Onion wrote a spoof about a judge who declared Christmas unconstitutional, with a photograph purporting to be workers dismantling the famed tree at Rockefeller Center to comply with the judge's ruling.
Making the rounds on the Internet is a series of mock memos from a fake company inviting employees to a Christmas Party, complete with open bar, gift exchange and tree lighting.
By the last of the memos, the increasingly beleaguered company is forced to apologize to its Jewish employees, the office alcoholics, Muslims, dieters, pregnant women, gays and lesbians, union members, management, cross-dressers, diabetics and vegetarians. In the end, the party is canceled.
RETAILERS IN THE MIDDLE
Stuck in the middle of the debate are retailers, whose seasonal selling campaigns seem to raise particular wrath.
"When someone says 'Happy Holidays,' they're saying something very nice to you. There's no ill intent behind any of this," said Dan Butler of the National Retail Federation. "When you're dealing with the public you'll get positive comments and negative comments about everything in the world."
Perhaps, added Peter Steinfels of the Center on Religion and Culture at Fordham University, there isn't a war on Christmas after all but a more sensitive religious right.
Conservatives are using the super-fast Internet and e-mail to publicize what they see as extreme examples of "super politically correct conduct," he said. "It gives the impression that there's a great deal of political correctness ... when in fact it may not really be so different from the way it's always been."
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Monday, December 19, 2005
AOL WORM 'CHATS' WITH VICTIM...
ZDNet Australia: News: Security By Joris Evers, Special to ZDNet
08 December 2005. A new worm that targets users of America Online's AOL Instant Messenger is believed to be the first that actually chats with the intended victim to dupe the target into activating a malicious payload, IM security vendor IMlogic warned on Tuesday.
According to IMlogic, the worm, dubbed IM.Myspace04.AIM, has arrived in instant messages that stated: "lol thats cool[sic]" and included a URL to a malicious file "clarissa17.pif". When unsuspecting users have responded, perhaps asking if the attachment contained a virus, the worm has replied: "lol no its not its a virus [sic]", IMlogic said.
The malicious file disables security software, installs a backdoor and tweaks system files, the company said. Then it starts sending itself to contacts on the victim's buddy list.
But the worm is programmed so that the infected user cannot see messages that are being sent out by the worm, according to IMlogic.
"This is a first," said Andrew Burton, director of product management at IMlogic. This worm is not widespread, but attackers are just trying out this new technique, he said. "We will see one or two instances of an attack, there will be a refinement and then there will be an outbreak."
The inclusion of an IM bot is another sign that IM worms are becoming more sophisticated. Another worm, also spotted on Tuesday, takes a more traditional route: it spreads under the guise of a holiday greeting card, IM security specialist Akonix Systems said on Tuesday.
The holiday worm, dubbed Aimdes.E, targets AIM users and arrives with the message: "The user has sent you a Greeting Card, to open it visit:" followed by a link. Once the target clicks on the link, the worm installs itself on the system. It opens a backdoor on the computer and sends itself to contacts on the buddy list, Akonix said.
Advice to users is to be careful when clicking on links in IM messages -- even when they seem to come from friends -- and to use up-to-date antivirus software. When receiving a link in an instant message, the best practice is to verify with the sender if the link was sent intentionally or not.
08 December 2005. A new worm that targets users of America Online's AOL Instant Messenger is believed to be the first that actually chats with the intended victim to dupe the target into activating a malicious payload, IM security vendor IMlogic warned on Tuesday.
According to IMlogic, the worm, dubbed IM.Myspace04.AIM, has arrived in instant messages that stated: "lol thats cool[sic]" and included a URL to a malicious file "clarissa17.pif". When unsuspecting users have responded, perhaps asking if the attachment contained a virus, the worm has replied: "lol no its not its a virus [sic]", IMlogic said.
The malicious file disables security software, installs a backdoor and tweaks system files, the company said. Then it starts sending itself to contacts on the victim's buddy list.
But the worm is programmed so that the infected user cannot see messages that are being sent out by the worm, according to IMlogic.
"This is a first," said Andrew Burton, director of product management at IMlogic. This worm is not widespread, but attackers are just trying out this new technique, he said. "We will see one or two instances of an attack, there will be a refinement and then there will be an outbreak."
The inclusion of an IM bot is another sign that IM worms are becoming more sophisticated. Another worm, also spotted on Tuesday, takes a more traditional route: it spreads under the guise of a holiday greeting card, IM security specialist Akonix Systems said on Tuesday.
The holiday worm, dubbed Aimdes.E, targets AIM users and arrives with the message: "The user has sent you a Greeting Card, to open it visit:" followed by a link. Once the target clicks on the link, the worm installs itself on the system. It opens a backdoor on the computer and sends itself to contacts on the buddy list, Akonix said.
Advice to users is to be careful when clicking on links in IM messages -- even when they seem to come from friends -- and to use up-to-date antivirus software. When receiving a link in an instant message, the best practice is to verify with the sender if the link was sent intentionally or not.
Saturday, December 17, 2005
ARMY OFFICER CHARGED IN IRAQ FRAUD SCAM...
Reuters.com
Fri Dec 16, 2005. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Army officer was arrested on Thursday for stealing between $80,000 and $100,000 in funds from the U.S. governing administration in Iraq and using the money to install a deck and hot hub in her New Jersey home.
The U.S. Justice Department said Army Reserve Lt. Col. Debra Harrison, 47, who served with the Coalition Provisional Authority, was arrested on charges involving bribery, money laundering and fraud.
Harrison is the second army officer and the fourth person charged in the past few weeks in connection with the scheme.
The Justice Department said Harrison was on active duty for the U.S. Army in 2003 and 2004, and was responsible for developing contract solicitations and ordering contracts for reconstruction efforts for the Coalition Provisional Authority -- South Central Region.
According to court papers, Harrison and her co-conspirators accepted money and gifts in return for using their official positions to rig contract bids.
An affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court in New Jersey said she used the money to add a deck and put in a hot tub at her home in Trenton, New Jersey, accepted a Cadillac Escalade worth about $50,000 and a $6,000 airline ticket from a contractor in return for rigging the bids.
Harrison was also accused of laundering funds from the CPA.
In the affidavit, Harrison was also charged with numerous firearms charges, including conspiring to embezzle and possess pistols, automatic machine guns and grenade launchers bought with CPA funds.
She is charged along with her co-conspirators of using the CPA funds to buy dozens of firearms and related military-grade hardware in North Carolina for their own use.
If convicted, Harrison faces up to 30 years in prison.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Fri Dec 16, 2005. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Army officer was arrested on Thursday for stealing between $80,000 and $100,000 in funds from the U.S. governing administration in Iraq and using the money to install a deck and hot hub in her New Jersey home.
The U.S. Justice Department said Army Reserve Lt. Col. Debra Harrison, 47, who served with the Coalition Provisional Authority, was arrested on charges involving bribery, money laundering and fraud.
Harrison is the second army officer and the fourth person charged in the past few weeks in connection with the scheme.
The Justice Department said Harrison was on active duty for the U.S. Army in 2003 and 2004, and was responsible for developing contract solicitations and ordering contracts for reconstruction efforts for the Coalition Provisional Authority -- South Central Region.
According to court papers, Harrison and her co-conspirators accepted money and gifts in return for using their official positions to rig contract bids.
An affidavit filed in the U.S. District Court in New Jersey said she used the money to add a deck and put in a hot tub at her home in Trenton, New Jersey, accepted a Cadillac Escalade worth about $50,000 and a $6,000 airline ticket from a contractor in return for rigging the bids.
Harrison was also accused of laundering funds from the CPA.
In the affidavit, Harrison was also charged with numerous firearms charges, including conspiring to embezzle and possess pistols, automatic machine guns and grenade launchers bought with CPA funds.
She is charged along with her co-conspirators of using the CPA funds to buy dozens of firearms and related military-grade hardware in North Carolina for their own use.
If convicted, Harrison faces up to 30 years in prison.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
DEMENTIA CASES COULD RISE TO 81 MILLION BY 2040: STUDY...
Health News Reuters.com
Thu Dec 15, 2005. LONDON (Reuters) - The number of people suffering from dementia is expected to double every 20 years and could reach more than 81 million worldwide by 2040, health experts predicted on Friday.
A team of scientists from Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI) estimate 24.3 million people currently suffer from dementia. Cases are rising by 4.6 million a year or one every 7 seconds.
Without prevention, the number will hit 42 million in 20 years and nearly double again by 2040 with the bulk of the increase in India, China, south Asia and the western Pacific.
"The rate of increase in numbers of people with dementia is predicted to be three to four times higher in developing areas than in developed regions," Cleusa Ferri and her colleagues said in a report.
The figures could have important implications for policy makers and health care providers. Residential care for 224,000 dementia sufferers in Britain for example is estimated to cost about 4.6 billion pounds ($8.2 billion), or 0.6 percent of the UK gross domestic product, according to the study published in The Lancet medical journal.
Alzheimer's is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly. There is no cure for dementia which is characterized by the loss of two or more brain functions such as memory and language skill. But drugs may slow the progression or reduce symptoms.
People with advanced dementia often need round-the-clock care.
The scientists from ADI, an umbrella organization of Alzheimer associations around the world, reviewed published studies on dementia and used UN population studies and projections to estimate the number of people who will suffer from dementia in coming decades.
"We believe that the detailed estimates contained in this paper are the best currently available basis for policy-making, planning and allocation of health welfare resources," Ferri said in the report.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Thu Dec 15, 2005. LONDON (Reuters) - The number of people suffering from dementia is expected to double every 20 years and could reach more than 81 million worldwide by 2040, health experts predicted on Friday.
A team of scientists from Alzheimer's Disease International (ADI) estimate 24.3 million people currently suffer from dementia. Cases are rising by 4.6 million a year or one every 7 seconds.
Without prevention, the number will hit 42 million in 20 years and nearly double again by 2040 with the bulk of the increase in India, China, south Asia and the western Pacific.
"The rate of increase in numbers of people with dementia is predicted to be three to four times higher in developing areas than in developed regions," Cleusa Ferri and her colleagues said in a report.
The figures could have important implications for policy makers and health care providers. Residential care for 224,000 dementia sufferers in Britain for example is estimated to cost about 4.6 billion pounds ($8.2 billion), or 0.6 percent of the UK gross domestic product, according to the study published in The Lancet medical journal.
Alzheimer's is the leading cause of dementia in the elderly. There is no cure for dementia which is characterized by the loss of two or more brain functions such as memory and language skill. But drugs may slow the progression or reduce symptoms.
People with advanced dementia often need round-the-clock care.
The scientists from ADI, an umbrella organization of Alzheimer associations around the world, reviewed published studies on dementia and used UN population studies and projections to estimate the number of people who will suffer from dementia in coming decades.
"We believe that the detailed estimates contained in this paper are the best currently available basis for policy-making, planning and allocation of health welfare resources," Ferri said in the report.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
YOU'VE GOT MAIL, AND MAYBE GONORRHEA...
Health News Reuters.com By Jill Serjeant
Thu Dec 15, 2005. LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - You've got mail -- and possibly gonorrhea, HIV or another sexually transmitted disease.
E-mail sent through Web sites launched in Los Angeles and San Francisco is providing people with a free, sometimes anonymous, way to tell their casual sex partners they might have picked up more than they bargained for.
Los Angeles County health officials launched www.inspotla.org this week in a bid to reduce the rapidly rising spread of STDs by encouraging sexually active men and women to get tested.
"This is another opportunity for people to disclose STD exposure to partners because sometimes people don't always have that face-to-face opportunity, or that level of relationship," Karen Mall, director of prevention and testing at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, said on Thursday.
"Partner disclosure is where we really have the opportunity to break the chain of HIV infection," Mall said.
The site allows users to choose one of six free e-cards to send to their sexual contacts either unsigned or with a personal message that avoids awkward face-to-face disclosure.
"It's not what you bought to the party, it's what you left with," says one e-card featuring a picture of a bare-chested man. "I left with an STD. You might have one too. Get checked out soon."
"You're too hot to be out of action," says another.
The Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, which runs its own counseling services for partner disclosure, welcomed the Web site program.
"Many of the people we are seeing are listing the Internet as the place where they are meeting partners, so the Web site is a really helpful tool for prevention and contacting them," said Tiffany Horton, manager of the center's sexual health program.
The site is modeled on one launched in San Francisco last year (www.inspot.org) that is generating about 500 e-cards a month. Both are targeted at gay men but can be used by anyone.
Health officials call the e-cards a "fast, free and flexible partner notification system" that also gives information and links to local testing sites.
Some 2,400 new AIDS cases were reported in Los Angeles County in 2003, along with more than 8,000 new gonorrhea cases and 830 new syphilis cases -- most of them among gay men.
The Web sites urge users to show respect and not to misuse the system. Mall said only half of 1 percent of the e-cards sent through the San Francisco site had been malicious or fraudulent.
"The sites do not give anybody the ability to do anything they can do already if they had somebody's e-mail," Mall said.
"It is something we can monitor. People can get hold of the Web master if they have concerns or want to complain.
"But I give the (gay) community more credit than that. I think the community really wants to get ahead of HIV and STDs and they realize that notification is really important," she said.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Thu Dec 15, 2005. LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - You've got mail -- and possibly gonorrhea, HIV or another sexually transmitted disease.
E-mail sent through Web sites launched in Los Angeles and San Francisco is providing people with a free, sometimes anonymous, way to tell their casual sex partners they might have picked up more than they bargained for.
Los Angeles County health officials launched www.inspotla.org this week in a bid to reduce the rapidly rising spread of STDs by encouraging sexually active men and women to get tested.
"This is another opportunity for people to disclose STD exposure to partners because sometimes people don't always have that face-to-face opportunity, or that level of relationship," Karen Mall, director of prevention and testing at the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, said on Thursday.
"Partner disclosure is where we really have the opportunity to break the chain of HIV infection," Mall said.
The site allows users to choose one of six free e-cards to send to their sexual contacts either unsigned or with a personal message that avoids awkward face-to-face disclosure.
"It's not what you bought to the party, it's what you left with," says one e-card featuring a picture of a bare-chested man. "I left with an STD. You might have one too. Get checked out soon."
"You're too hot to be out of action," says another.
The Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center, which runs its own counseling services for partner disclosure, welcomed the Web site program.
"Many of the people we are seeing are listing the Internet as the place where they are meeting partners, so the Web site is a really helpful tool for prevention and contacting them," said Tiffany Horton, manager of the center's sexual health program.
The site is modeled on one launched in San Francisco last year (www.inspot.org) that is generating about 500 e-cards a month. Both are targeted at gay men but can be used by anyone.
Health officials call the e-cards a "fast, free and flexible partner notification system" that also gives information and links to local testing sites.
Some 2,400 new AIDS cases were reported in Los Angeles County in 2003, along with more than 8,000 new gonorrhea cases and 830 new syphilis cases -- most of them among gay men.
The Web sites urge users to show respect and not to misuse the system. Mall said only half of 1 percent of the e-cards sent through the San Francisco site had been malicious or fraudulent.
"The sites do not give anybody the ability to do anything they can do already if they had somebody's e-mail," Mall said.
"It is something we can monitor. People can get hold of the Web master if they have concerns or want to complain.
"But I give the (gay) community more credit than that. I think the community really wants to get ahead of HIV and STDs and they realize that notification is really important," she said.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Friday, December 16, 2005
CHINESE POLICE RAID GAY CULTURE FESTIVAL...
International News - Reuters.com
Fri Dec 16, 2005 BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese police shut down the opening of a gay and lesbian culture festival on Friday, an action participants said highlighted deep-rooted intolerance toward homosexuality.
The festival was to be a weekend of films, plays, exhibitions and seminars on the issue of homosexuality, but police raided the opening reception on Friday night and participants said they were still negotiating on whether any of the events could go ahead.
"They didn't have permission to hold this event," said a police official surnamed He.
But participants said the real issue was the subject matter.
"The attitude in China is still very conservative. They say it's illegal, but what's illegal about wanting to understand more about these issues?" asked a film student surnamed Cui.
"They are just conformists, not pluralists. They don't tolerate dissent," said another student, 24-year-old Xiao Ming.
Homosexuality was listed as a mental disorder in China until 2001 and even state media have reported the heavy pressure gays are under to stay in the closet because of traditional beliefs that homosexuality is immoral.
A gay-themed film festival was forced to shift from its venue at Beijing University earlier this year under pressure from police. Friday's event had also moved venues at the last minute, probably in an effort to avoid being shut down.
"The police think it's a bad influence. But it's obviously discrimination," said Zhao Yongliang, among participants who retreated to a nearby restaurant after the raid.
Police also briefly detained a journalist covering the event, demanding, "Are you gay?".
This year, Shanghai's Fudan University launched two courses on homosexual health and research to try to shatter common stereotypes about homosexuals, but Zhao said many gays in China still did not talk about their sexual orientation.
"Most are still a secret but it's a secret that gets bigger and bigger," he said.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Fri Dec 16, 2005 BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese police shut down the opening of a gay and lesbian culture festival on Friday, an action participants said highlighted deep-rooted intolerance toward homosexuality.
The festival was to be a weekend of films, plays, exhibitions and seminars on the issue of homosexuality, but police raided the opening reception on Friday night and participants said they were still negotiating on whether any of the events could go ahead.
"They didn't have permission to hold this event," said a police official surnamed He.
But participants said the real issue was the subject matter.
"The attitude in China is still very conservative. They say it's illegal, but what's illegal about wanting to understand more about these issues?" asked a film student surnamed Cui.
"They are just conformists, not pluralists. They don't tolerate dissent," said another student, 24-year-old Xiao Ming.
Homosexuality was listed as a mental disorder in China until 2001 and even state media have reported the heavy pressure gays are under to stay in the closet because of traditional beliefs that homosexuality is immoral.
A gay-themed film festival was forced to shift from its venue at Beijing University earlier this year under pressure from police. Friday's event had also moved venues at the last minute, probably in an effort to avoid being shut down.
"The police think it's a bad influence. But it's obviously discrimination," said Zhao Yongliang, among participants who retreated to a nearby restaurant after the raid.
Police also briefly detained a journalist covering the event, demanding, "Are you gay?".
This year, Shanghai's Fudan University launched two courses on homosexual health and research to try to shatter common stereotypes about homosexuals, but Zhao said many gays in China still did not talk about their sexual orientation.
"Most are still a secret but it's a secret that gets bigger and bigger," he said.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
NURSE JAILED FOR MASSIVE CENTRELINK FRAUDE...
Yahoo! Australia & NZ News
Friday December 16, 2005. A Queensland woman has been jailed for seven years for masterminding one of Australia's biggest multiple identity fraud scams upon Centrelink.
Nurse Julie Anne Anderson created four adult identities and had false birth certificates for nine sets of twins.
At the height of the fraud, the 44-year-old was receiving family payments worth $4,700 a week.
The six-year scam cost the Federal Government more than $622,000.
Today, Anderson pleaded guilty in the Brisbane District Court to 10 fraud related charges.
Judge Ian Wylie jailed her for seven years and ordered the sentence be suspended after two years and nine months.
The federal Minister for Human Services, Joe Hockey, has that warned people who attempt to defraud the system will be caught.
The scam was the biggest multiple identity fraud upon Centrelink to be detected in the past decade.
Friday December 16, 2005. A Queensland woman has been jailed for seven years for masterminding one of Australia's biggest multiple identity fraud scams upon Centrelink.
Nurse Julie Anne Anderson created four adult identities and had false birth certificates for nine sets of twins.
At the height of the fraud, the 44-year-old was receiving family payments worth $4,700 a week.
The six-year scam cost the Federal Government more than $622,000.
Today, Anderson pleaded guilty in the Brisbane District Court to 10 fraud related charges.
Judge Ian Wylie jailed her for seven years and ordered the sentence be suspended after two years and nine months.
The federal Minister for Human Services, Joe Hockey, has that warned people who attempt to defraud the system will be caught.
The scam was the biggest multiple identity fraud upon Centrelink to be detected in the past decade.
FIBER IN DIET DOESN'T CUT COLON CANCER RISK - STUDY...
Health Reuters.com
Tue Dec 13, 2005. CHICAGO (Reuters) - Eating lots of fiber does not lower a person's risk of developing colon cancer, but it is a good idea to consume fiber-rich fruits and vegetables anyway for your heart and overall health, a study said on Tuesday.
An analysis of 13 previous studies that included 725,000 men and women concluded that more fiber in the diet made no difference for colon cancer risk.
"Specifically, we found that men and women who ate at least 30 grams (1.1 ounce) of fiber a day had the same risk of colorectal (colon) cancer as men and women who ate 10 to 15 grams (0.4 to 0.5 ounce) of fiber a day," wrote study author Stephanie Smith-Warner of the Harvard School of Public Health.
An apple and an orange each provide about 3 grams (0.1 ounce) of fiber and a slice of wheat bread has half as much. Other good fiber sources are broccoli, tomatoes, grapefruit, red peppers, lettuce and carrots.
Eating lots of fiber did cut the risk of rectal cancer slightly, and a fiber-rich diet is known to ward off heart disease and diabetes. A diet heavy in red meat and alcohol is known to increase colon cancer risk.
Of the 725,000 people in the studies, more than 8,000 were diagnosed with colon cancer, said the report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
There are expected to be 145,000 new U.S. cases of colon cancer diagnosed this year and 56,000 deaths from the disease, second only to lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer death.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Tue Dec 13, 2005. CHICAGO (Reuters) - Eating lots of fiber does not lower a person's risk of developing colon cancer, but it is a good idea to consume fiber-rich fruits and vegetables anyway for your heart and overall health, a study said on Tuesday.
An analysis of 13 previous studies that included 725,000 men and women concluded that more fiber in the diet made no difference for colon cancer risk.
"Specifically, we found that men and women who ate at least 30 grams (1.1 ounce) of fiber a day had the same risk of colorectal (colon) cancer as men and women who ate 10 to 15 grams (0.4 to 0.5 ounce) of fiber a day," wrote study author Stephanie Smith-Warner of the Harvard School of Public Health.
An apple and an orange each provide about 3 grams (0.1 ounce) of fiber and a slice of wheat bread has half as much. Other good fiber sources are broccoli, tomatoes, grapefruit, red peppers, lettuce and carrots.
Eating lots of fiber did cut the risk of rectal cancer slightly, and a fiber-rich diet is known to ward off heart disease and diabetes. A diet heavy in red meat and alcohol is known to increase colon cancer risk.
Of the 725,000 people in the studies, more than 8,000 were diagnosed with colon cancer, said the report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
There are expected to be 145,000 new U.S. cases of colon cancer diagnosed this year and 56,000 deaths from the disease, second only to lung cancer as the leading cause of cancer death.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
SORRY, I WOULD LIKE TO KISS YOU, BUT...
Reuters.com
Thu Dec 15, 2005. LONDON (Reuters) - An outbreak of opportunistic mistletoe rustling is threatening a Christmas kissing crisis, British environmental experts said Wednesday.
The Wildlife Trusts said over-harvesting of the plant that only grows in the wild and is mainly found on old apple trees meant it was becoming increasingly rare.
"Mistletoe is being taken in increasingly large quantities from orchards, hedgerows and ancient trees to be sold at markets to Christmas shoppers," said The Wildlife Trusts -- a partnership of 47 British wildlife organizations.
"There are cases of mistletoe rustling, and once the whole plant has been removed from its host tree it won't grow back."
The parasitic green plant with white berries has been associated with fertility since the time of the ancient Druids and kissing under the mistletoe has long been a Christmas party tradition.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Thu Dec 15, 2005. LONDON (Reuters) - An outbreak of opportunistic mistletoe rustling is threatening a Christmas kissing crisis, British environmental experts said Wednesday.
The Wildlife Trusts said over-harvesting of the plant that only grows in the wild and is mainly found on old apple trees meant it was becoming increasingly rare.
"Mistletoe is being taken in increasingly large quantities from orchards, hedgerows and ancient trees to be sold at markets to Christmas shoppers," said The Wildlife Trusts -- a partnership of 47 British wildlife organizations.
"There are cases of mistletoe rustling, and once the whole plant has been removed from its host tree it won't grow back."
The parasitic green plant with white berries has been associated with fertility since the time of the ancient Druids and kissing under the mistletoe has long been a Christmas party tradition.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
DANGER! SCRAMBLED EGGS AHEAD!
Reuters.com
Thu Dec 15, 2005. DUBLIN (Reuters) - A hazardous slick of broken eggs caused traffic chaos in rural Ireland Thursday after a truck carrying thousands of broody hens lost its load.
"Chickens have begun to lay eggs on the roads and the conditions are quite treacherous at the moment, very slippy," AA Roadwatch said on its traffic advice line, warning up to 7,000 chickens were on the loose.
Police said the vehicle carrying the birds may have hit a ditch, causing its boxes to "cascade off the lorry."
"The lorry has been moved off the road but the cargo is wandering around the roads out there," Sergeant Jim Greene from nearby town of Cavan told Reuters, adding there were no reports of any human casualties.
A team has been scrambled to help catch the birds, Greene said, but little could be done about their egg-laying: "We wouldn't expect anything less from a hen."
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Thu Dec 15, 2005. DUBLIN (Reuters) - A hazardous slick of broken eggs caused traffic chaos in rural Ireland Thursday after a truck carrying thousands of broody hens lost its load.
"Chickens have begun to lay eggs on the roads and the conditions are quite treacherous at the moment, very slippy," AA Roadwatch said on its traffic advice line, warning up to 7,000 chickens were on the loose.
Police said the vehicle carrying the birds may have hit a ditch, causing its boxes to "cascade off the lorry."
"The lorry has been moved off the road but the cargo is wandering around the roads out there," Sergeant Jim Greene from nearby town of Cavan told Reuters, adding there were no reports of any human casualties.
A team has been scrambled to help catch the birds, Greene said, but little could be done about their egg-laying: "We wouldn't expect anything less from a hen."
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
OVARIAN CANCER RISK LOWER IN TEA DRINKERS - STUDY...
Health Reuters.com
Mon Dec 12, 2005. CHICAGO (Reuters) - Drinking two or more cups of tea per day may dramatically cut the risk of ovarian cancer, a Swedish study of more than 61,000 women said on Monday.
The findings by researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm were based on a look back at the habits and long-term health of the women, the report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine said.
Of the women recruited for the study that began in 1987, two-thirds reported drinking tea. When it concluded at the end of 2004, 301 participants had developed ovarian cancer, a particularly deadly form of the disease.
"We observed a 46 percent lower risk of ovarian cancer in women who drank two or more cups of tea per day compared with non-drinkers," study authors Susanna Larsson and Alicja Wolk wrote. "Each additional cup of tea per day was associated with an 18 percent lower risk of ovarian cancer."
Black and green teas are believed to contain antioxidants that help ward off the cell mutation that leads to cancer.
The researchers cautioned that additional studies were needed to confirm their findings.
Ovarian cancer will be diagnosed in about 22,000 U.S. women this year and 80 percent of cases are not detected until the cancer has spread. That means more than 16,000 U.S. women will die of ovarian cancer in 2005, according to the American Cancer Society.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Mon Dec 12, 2005. CHICAGO (Reuters) - Drinking two or more cups of tea per day may dramatically cut the risk of ovarian cancer, a Swedish study of more than 61,000 women said on Monday.
The findings by researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm were based on a look back at the habits and long-term health of the women, the report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine said.
Of the women recruited for the study that began in 1987, two-thirds reported drinking tea. When it concluded at the end of 2004, 301 participants had developed ovarian cancer, a particularly deadly form of the disease.
"We observed a 46 percent lower risk of ovarian cancer in women who drank two or more cups of tea per day compared with non-drinkers," study authors Susanna Larsson and Alicja Wolk wrote. "Each additional cup of tea per day was associated with an 18 percent lower risk of ovarian cancer."
Black and green teas are believed to contain antioxidants that help ward off the cell mutation that leads to cancer.
The researchers cautioned that additional studies were needed to confirm their findings.
Ovarian cancer will be diagnosed in about 22,000 U.S. women this year and 80 percent of cases are not detected until the cancer has spread. That means more than 16,000 U.S. women will die of ovarian cancer in 2005, according to the American Cancer Society.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Health News Article | Reuters.com
Health News Article | Reuters.com:
Reuters.com
Mon Dec 12, 2005. STRASBOURG, France (Reuters) - A Frenchman drove up a motorway in the wrong direction for 11 miles, crashing into five other vehicles and killing one person and injuring three others including two children, police said.
The 66-year-old man continued driving after his first two collisions Sunday in the hope of finding an exit off the A35 in eastern France, a police spokesman in the city of Strasbourg said.
No one was injured in the first collision with two vehicles, but one person was seriously hurt in a second accident with two other vehicles.
The retired motorist, driving with his wife, only came to a halt when he collided head-on with another car, killing an adult and seriously injuring two children aboard. Police said the victims were among a family of immigrants from the former Soviet Union.
Police said alcohol tests on the driver proved negative and he could not explain why he had turned the wrong way onto the motorway. He was in shock but he and his wife were otherwise unhurt.
� Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Reuters.com
 - Drinking two or more cups of tea per day may dramatically cut the risk of ovarian cancer, a Swedish study of more than 61,000 women said on Monday.
<br />
<br />The findings by researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm were based on a look back at the habits and long-term health of the women, the report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine said.
<br />
<br />Of the women recruited for the study that began in 1987, two-thirds reported drinking tea. When it concluded at the end of 2004, 301 participants had developed ovarian cancer, a particularly deadly form of the disease.
<br />
<br />"We observed a 46 percent lower risk of ovarian cancer in women who drank two or more cups of tea per day compared with non-drinkers," study authors Susanna Larsson and Alicja Wolk wrote. "Each additional cup of tea per day was associated with an 18 percent lower risk of ovarian cancer."
<br />Black and green teas are believed to contain antioxidants that help ward off the cell mutation that leads to cancer.
<br />
<br />The researchers cautioned that additional studies were needed to confirm their findings.
<br />
<br />Ovarian cancer will be diagnosed in about 22,000 U.S. women this year and 80 percent of cases are not detected until the cancer has spread. That means more than 16,000 U.S. women will die of ovarian cancer in 2005, according to the American Cancer Society.
<br />
<br />� Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
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<a href='http://petershope.blogspot.com/2005/12/man-goes-wrong-way-on-highway-for-11.html'>MAN GOES WRONG WAY ON HIGHWAY FOR 11 MILES (18KM)...</a>
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Mon Dec 12, 2005. STRASBOURG, France (Reuters) - A Frenchman drove up a motorway in the wrong direction for 11 miles, crashing into five other vehicles and killing one person and injuring three others including two children, police said.
The 66-year-old man continued driving after his first two collisions Sunday in the hope of finding an exit off the A35 in eastern France, a police spokesman in the city of Strasbourg said.
No one was injured in the first collision with two vehicles, but one person was seriously hurt in a second accident with two other vehicles.
The retired motorist, driving with his wife, only came to a halt when he collided head-on with another car, killing an adult and seriously injuring two children aboard. Police said the victims were among a family of immigrants from the former Soviet Union.
Police said alcohol tests on the driver proved negative and he could not explain why he had turned the wrong way onto the motorway. He was in shock but he and his wife were otherwise unhurt.
� Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
ECUADOREAN WOMAN, 116, IS WORLD'S OLDEST PERSON...
Reuters.com By Tim Castle
Fri Dec 9, 2005. LONDON (Reuters) - A 116-year-old Ecuadorean woman was declared the oldest person in the world on Friday, lifting the title from a U.S. woman previously thought to be the oldest person alive, Guinness World Records said.
Maria Esther Capovilla was confirmed as the oldest living person after her family sent details of her birth and marriage certificates to Guinness World Records.
"We only told her yesterday she was the new Guinness world record holder," Kate White, brand manager at the records publisher told Reuters. "We hadn't heard of her before."
"She's in very good health, she's got good sight, is able to read the papers and watch television, and doesn't walk with a stick," White added.
Capovilla was born in Guayaqull in western Ecuador on September 14, 1889, and lives there today with her daughter-in-law and son.
She had five children, and has four grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
Her husband died in 1949.
White said Capovilla had been asked what she thought about the changes she had seen over her life. "She said she disliked the fact that presently it's acceptable for women to pursue men. And she said that every day she thanks God that she's alive," White said.
As a girl at the turn of the century one of Capovilla's favorite pastimes was going to parties, where she never drank alcohol.
At the time it was the custom for women just to touch the rim of the glass with their lips without drinking, as a sign of accepting hospitality, her family told Guinness World Records.
Elizabeth Bolden, from Memphis, Tennessee, born August 15, 1890, had previously been regarded as the oldest living person.
Edith "Judy" Ingamell, 111 years old, from Enfield north of London, became the oldest woman in Britain after the death on Wednesday of the previous title holder Lucy d'Abreu, Guinness World Records said.
D'Abreu, who lived to 113, attributed her longevity to a daily dose of brandy and dry ginger ale.
Emiliano Mercado Del Toro, from Puerto Rico, born August 21, 1891, is the world's oldest living man, aged 114, says Guinness World Records.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Fri Dec 9, 2005. LONDON (Reuters) - A 116-year-old Ecuadorean woman was declared the oldest person in the world on Friday, lifting the title from a U.S. woman previously thought to be the oldest person alive, Guinness World Records said.
Maria Esther Capovilla was confirmed as the oldest living person after her family sent details of her birth and marriage certificates to Guinness World Records.
"We only told her yesterday she was the new Guinness world record holder," Kate White, brand manager at the records publisher told Reuters. "We hadn't heard of her before."
"She's in very good health, she's got good sight, is able to read the papers and watch television, and doesn't walk with a stick," White added.
Capovilla was born in Guayaqull in western Ecuador on September 14, 1889, and lives there today with her daughter-in-law and son.
She had five children, and has four grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
Her husband died in 1949.
White said Capovilla had been asked what she thought about the changes she had seen over her life. "She said she disliked the fact that presently it's acceptable for women to pursue men. And she said that every day she thanks God that she's alive," White said.
As a girl at the turn of the century one of Capovilla's favorite pastimes was going to parties, where she never drank alcohol.
At the time it was the custom for women just to touch the rim of the glass with their lips without drinking, as a sign of accepting hospitality, her family told Guinness World Records.
Elizabeth Bolden, from Memphis, Tennessee, born August 15, 1890, had previously been regarded as the oldest living person.
Edith "Judy" Ingamell, 111 years old, from Enfield north of London, became the oldest woman in Britain after the death on Wednesday of the previous title holder Lucy d'Abreu, Guinness World Records said.
D'Abreu, who lived to 113, attributed her longevity to a daily dose of brandy and dry ginger ale.
Emiliano Mercado Del Toro, from Puerto Rico, born August 21, 1891, is the world's oldest living man, aged 114, says Guinness World Records.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
NEW ATTACK TARGETS KNOWN MOZILLA BUG...
PC World Robert McMillan, IDG News Service
13/12/2005. Computer users who have not upgraded to the latest version of Mozilla's Firefox browser may now have an extra incentive to do, thanks to a hacker going by the name of Aviv Raff.
Firefox version 1.0.4 or earlier in danger
On Sunday, Raff published sample code that could be used to take over the computers of Firefox users running version 1.0.4 or earlier of the browser. The exploit takes advantage of a known bug (http://www.mozilla.org/security/announce/mfsa2005-50.html) in the way that Firefox processes the popular Javascript Web programming language.
"I think it's been enough time for people to upgrade from v1.0.4. of Firefox. So, here is the PoC [proof of concept] exploit for the ... vulnerability," he wrote on his blog.
The bug was fixed in Mozilla version 1.0.5, which was released last July, and has also been fixed in version 1.7.9 of the Mozilla Suite, said Mike Schroepfer, vice president of engineering with Mozilla. "As long as users keep updated to the latest version, they're, in general, very safe."
In some ways, this latest exploit is similar to highly publicized attack code that has been circulating for Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) browser, said Russ Cooper, editor of the NTBugtraq newslist and a scientist with security vendor Cybertrust Inc. "It can install and run code of the attacker's choice if a victim visits a malicious Web site," he said in an interview via instant message.
Users who are not already in the habit of frequently updating their browsers should change their ways, because browsers are "historically broken," Cooper said. "That means they have vulnerabilities regularly," he added. "You should keep them updated within 30 days of patches being made available, regardless of what the patch is for."
The IE code, which was published in November, takes advantage of a Javascript problem that has not yet been patched.
Many security experts expect Microsoft to patch its Javascript bug on Tuesday, but the software giant has not confirmed that this will be the case.
13/12/2005. Computer users who have not upgraded to the latest version of Mozilla's Firefox browser may now have an extra incentive to do, thanks to a hacker going by the name of Aviv Raff.
Firefox version 1.0.4 or earlier in danger
On Sunday, Raff published sample code that could be used to take over the computers of Firefox users running version 1.0.4 or earlier of the browser. The exploit takes advantage of a known bug (http://www.mozilla.org/security/announce/mfsa2005-50.html) in the way that Firefox processes the popular Javascript Web programming language.
"I think it's been enough time for people to upgrade from v1.0.4. of Firefox. So, here is the PoC [proof of concept] exploit for the ... vulnerability," he wrote on his blog.
The bug was fixed in Mozilla version 1.0.5, which was released last July, and has also been fixed in version 1.7.9 of the Mozilla Suite, said Mike Schroepfer, vice president of engineering with Mozilla. "As long as users keep updated to the latest version, they're, in general, very safe."
In some ways, this latest exploit is similar to highly publicized attack code that has been circulating for Microsoft's Internet Explorer (IE) browser, said Russ Cooper, editor of the NTBugtraq newslist and a scientist with security vendor Cybertrust Inc. "It can install and run code of the attacker's choice if a victim visits a malicious Web site," he said in an interview via instant message.
Users who are not already in the habit of frequently updating their browsers should change their ways, because browsers are "historically broken," Cooper said. "That means they have vulnerabilities regularly," he added. "You should keep them updated within 30 days of patches being made available, regardless of what the patch is for."
The IE code, which was published in November, takes advantage of a Javascript problem that has not yet been patched.
Many security experts expect Microsoft to patch its Javascript bug on Tuesday, but the software giant has not confirmed that this will be the case.
HE PUKED HIS GUTS UP? NICE...
Reuters.com By Eric Kirschbaum
Fri Dec 9, 2005 LEIPZIG, Germany (Reuters) - The British embassy in Germany launched a new website for the 2006 World Cup on Friday that includes handy German phrases for England fans, such as "He was sick as a parrot" or "He puked his guts up."
The website (www.britishembassyworldcup.com) is designed to help the estimated 100,000 English fans expected to travel to Germany for the 32-team tournament that starts in Munich on June 9 and concludes with the July 9 final in Berlin.
"Germany will be hosting the world's biggest party and it will make a great job of it," said British Ambassador Peter Torry in a statement announcing the new website ahead of Friday's draw in Leipzig, 200 km (120 miles) south of Berlin.
Torry said, with their 100,000 fans, England would have more supporters in Germany than any other team, with the exception of Germany. Britain has assigned a dedicated soccer attache with a staff of 20 to coordinate the embassy's World Cup activities.
The web site contains information for fans and journalists that includes details about the World Cup venues, tips about German soccer culture and other bits of off-beat advice.
"Ihm war kotzuebel" (He was sick as a parrot) and "Er kotzte wie ein Reiher" (He puked his guts up) are in the guide as is "Wembley-tor" (Wembley goal) -- the controversial 1966 World Cup final extra time goal by Geoff Hurst when England beat West Germany.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Fri Dec 9, 2005 LEIPZIG, Germany (Reuters) - The British embassy in Germany launched a new website for the 2006 World Cup on Friday that includes handy German phrases for England fans, such as "He was sick as a parrot" or "He puked his guts up."
The website (www.britishembassyworldcup.com) is designed to help the estimated 100,000 English fans expected to travel to Germany for the 32-team tournament that starts in Munich on June 9 and concludes with the July 9 final in Berlin.
"Germany will be hosting the world's biggest party and it will make a great job of it," said British Ambassador Peter Torry in a statement announcing the new website ahead of Friday's draw in Leipzig, 200 km (120 miles) south of Berlin.
Torry said, with their 100,000 fans, England would have more supporters in Germany than any other team, with the exception of Germany. Britain has assigned a dedicated soccer attache with a staff of 20 to coordinate the embassy's World Cup activities.
The web site contains information for fans and journalists that includes details about the World Cup venues, tips about German soccer culture and other bits of off-beat advice.
"Ihm war kotzuebel" (He was sick as a parrot) and "Er kotzte wie ein Reiher" (He puked his guts up) are in the guide as is "Wembley-tor" (Wembley goal) -- the controversial 1966 World Cup final extra time goal by Geoff Hurst when England beat West Germany.
© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.
Monday, December 12, 2005
SOBER WORM CRACKED...
Computerworld Matthew Broersma, Techworld.com
12/12/2005. Finnish security firm F-Secure has cracked a code used by the Sober worm, potentially allowing the company to block the worm from receiving updates.
Sober has mutated constantly since October 2003, when the first variant was picked up, with more than 20 other variants making the rounds. Last month the latest version, called Sober.Y by F-Secure (or CME-681 using US-CERT's CME naming system), was responsible for the biggest outbreak of the year, and still accounts for about 40 percent of all infections detected by F-Secure.
One of the features that has made Sober so dangerous is its ability to download new variants, instantly infecting large numbers of machines, say security experts. The current variant is expected to re-activate itself on 5 January, according to iDefense.
The downloading pattern stumped anti-virus researchers for a time because the URL used was created by a secret algorithm. "Sober has been using an algorithm to create pseudorandom URLs which will change based on date. These URLs point to free hosting servers typically operating in Germany or in Austria," said Mikko Hypponen, F-Secure's manager of anti-virus research.
"The virus author can precalculate the URL for any date, and when he wants to run something on all the infected machines, he just registers the right URL, uploads his program and bang! It's run globally in hundreds of thousands of machines."
F-Secure said that it has cracked that algorithm, allowing it to figure out the URLs the worm variants will attempt to download from. This should allow the hosting providers involved to block the sites, as well as giving system administrators a list of sites they should block at the corporate firewall, Hypponen said.
The worm uses a list of 15 sites with names that are merely character strings, registered with free website providers. one example used being 5 January, according to F-Secure. Every 14 days the list will change to a different 15 sites, with the first change on 6 January, the Hypponen said.
He said F-Secure first cracked the algorithm in May 2005, but didn't publicize the fact until now in order to keep the virus writer in the dark.
12/12/2005. Finnish security firm F-Secure has cracked a code used by the Sober worm, potentially allowing the company to block the worm from receiving updates.
Sober has mutated constantly since October 2003, when the first variant was picked up, with more than 20 other variants making the rounds. Last month the latest version, called Sober.Y by F-Secure (or CME-681 using US-CERT's CME naming system), was responsible for the biggest outbreak of the year, and still accounts for about 40 percent of all infections detected by F-Secure.
One of the features that has made Sober so dangerous is its ability to download new variants, instantly infecting large numbers of machines, say security experts. The current variant is expected to re-activate itself on 5 January, according to iDefense.
The downloading pattern stumped anti-virus researchers for a time because the URL used was created by a secret algorithm. "Sober has been using an algorithm to create pseudorandom URLs which will change based on date. These URLs point to free hosting servers typically operating in Germany or in Austria," said Mikko Hypponen, F-Secure's manager of anti-virus research.
"The virus author can precalculate the URL for any date, and when he wants to run something on all the infected machines, he just registers the right URL, uploads his program and bang! It's run globally in hundreds of thousands of machines."
F-Secure said that it has cracked that algorithm, allowing it to figure out the URLs the worm variants will attempt to download from. This should allow the hosting providers involved to block the sites, as well as giving system administrators a list of sites they should block at the corporate firewall, Hypponen said.
The worm uses a list of 15 sites with names that are merely character strings, registered with free website providers. one example used being 5 January, according to F-Secure. Every 14 days the list will change to a different 15 sites, with the first change on 6 January, the Hypponen said.
He said F-Secure first cracked the algorithm in May 2005, but didn't publicize the fact until now in order to keep the virus writer in the dark.
POWER COULD COST MORE THAN SERVERS, GOOGLE WARNS...
ZDNet Australia: News: Hardware By Stephen Shankland, Special to ZDNet
12 December 2005. A Google engineer has warned that if the performance per watt of today's computers doesn't improve, the electrical costs of running them could end up far greater than the initial hardware price tag.
That situation that wouldn't bode well for Google, which relies on thousands of its own servers.
"If performance per watt is to remain constant over the next few years, power costs could easily overtake hardware costs, possibly by a large margin," Luiz Andre Barroso, who previously designed processors for Digital Equipment, said in a September paper published in the Association for Computing Machinery's Queue. "The possibility of computer equipment power consumption spiralling out of control could have serious consequences for the overall affordability of computing, not to mention the overall health of the planet."
Barroso's view is likely to go over well at Sun Microsystems, which on Tuesday launched its Sun Fire T2000 server, whose 72-watt UltraSparc T1 "Niagara" processor performs more work per watt than rivals. Indeed, the "Piranha" processor Barroso helped design at DEC, which never made it to market, is similar in some ways to Niagara, including its use of eight processing cores on the chip.
To address the power problem, Barroso suggests the very approach Sun has taken with Niagara: processors that can simultaneously execute many instruction sequences, called threads. Typical server chips today can execute one, two or sometimes four threads, but Niagara's eight cores can execute 32 threads.
Power has also become an issue in the years-old rivalry between Intel and Advanced Micro Devices. AMD's Opteron server processor consumes a maximum of 95 watts, while Intel's Xeon consumes between 110 watts and 165 watts. Other components also draw power, but Barroso observes that in low-end servers, the processor typically accounts for 50 percent to 60 percent of the total consumption.
Fears about energy consumption and heat dissipation first became a common topic among chipmakers around 1999, when Transmeta burst onto the scene. Intel and others immediately latched onto the problem, but coming up with solutions, while providing customers with higher performance, has proved difficult. While the rate at which power consumption increases has declined a bit, the overall rate of energy required still grows. As a result, a "mini-boom" has occurred for companies that specialise in heat sinks and other components that cool.
Sun loudly trumpets Niagara's relatively low power consumption, but it's not the only one to get the religion. At its Intel Developer Forum in August, Intel detailed plans to rework its processor lines to focus on performance per watt.
Over the last three generations of Google's computing infrastructure, performance has nearly doubled, Barroso said. But because performance per watt remained nearly unchanged, that means electricity consumption has also almost doubled.
If server power consumption grows 20 percent per year, the four-year cost of a server's electricity bill will be larger than the $3,000 initial price of a typical low-end server with x86 processors. Google's data center is populated chiefly with such machines. But if power consumption grows at 50 percent per year, "power costs by the end of the decade would dwarf server prices," even without power increasing beyond its current 9 cents per kilowatt-hour cost, Barroso said.
Barroso's suggested solution is to use heavily multithreaded processors that can execute many threads. His term for the approach, "chip multiprocessor technology," or CMP, is close to the "chip multithreading" term Sun employs.
"The computing industry is ready to embrace chip multiprocessing as the mainstream solution for the desktop and server markets," Barroso argues, but acknowledges that there have been significant barriers.
For one thing, CMP requires a significantly different programming approach, in which tasks are subdivided so they can run in parallel and concurrently.
Indeed, in a separate article in the same issue of ACM Queue, Microsoft researchers Herb Sutter and James Larus wrote: "Concurrency is hard. Not only are today's languages and tools inadequate to transform applications into parallel programs, but also it is difficult to find parallelism in mainstream applications, and -- worst of all -- concurrency requires programmers to think in a way humans find difficult."
But the software situation is improving as programming tools gradually adapt to the technology and multithreading processors start to catch on, Barroso said.
Another hurdle has been that much of the industry has been focused on processors designed for the high-volume personal computer market. PCs, unlike servers, haven't needed multithreading.
But CMP is only a temporary solution, he said.
"CMPs cannot solve the power-efficiency challenge alone, but can simply mitigate it for the next two or three CPU generations," Barroso said. "Fundamental circuit and architectural innovations are still needed to address the longer-term trends."
CNET News.com's Michael Kanellos contributed to this report.
12 December 2005. A Google engineer has warned that if the performance per watt of today's computers doesn't improve, the electrical costs of running them could end up far greater than the initial hardware price tag.
That situation that wouldn't bode well for Google, which relies on thousands of its own servers.
"If performance per watt is to remain constant over the next few years, power costs could easily overtake hardware costs, possibly by a large margin," Luiz Andre Barroso, who previously designed processors for Digital Equipment, said in a September paper published in the Association for Computing Machinery's Queue. "The possibility of computer equipment power consumption spiralling out of control could have serious consequences for the overall affordability of computing, not to mention the overall health of the planet."
Barroso's view is likely to go over well at Sun Microsystems, which on Tuesday launched its Sun Fire T2000 server, whose 72-watt UltraSparc T1 "Niagara" processor performs more work per watt than rivals. Indeed, the "Piranha" processor Barroso helped design at DEC, which never made it to market, is similar in some ways to Niagara, including its use of eight processing cores on the chip.
To address the power problem, Barroso suggests the very approach Sun has taken with Niagara: processors that can simultaneously execute many instruction sequences, called threads. Typical server chips today can execute one, two or sometimes four threads, but Niagara's eight cores can execute 32 threads.
Power has also become an issue in the years-old rivalry between Intel and Advanced Micro Devices. AMD's Opteron server processor consumes a maximum of 95 watts, while Intel's Xeon consumes between 110 watts and 165 watts. Other components also draw power, but Barroso observes that in low-end servers, the processor typically accounts for 50 percent to 60 percent of the total consumption.
Fears about energy consumption and heat dissipation first became a common topic among chipmakers around 1999, when Transmeta burst onto the scene. Intel and others immediately latched onto the problem, but coming up with solutions, while providing customers with higher performance, has proved difficult. While the rate at which power consumption increases has declined a bit, the overall rate of energy required still grows. As a result, a "mini-boom" has occurred for companies that specialise in heat sinks and other components that cool.
Sun loudly trumpets Niagara's relatively low power consumption, but it's not the only one to get the religion. At its Intel Developer Forum in August, Intel detailed plans to rework its processor lines to focus on performance per watt.
Over the last three generations of Google's computing infrastructure, performance has nearly doubled, Barroso said. But because performance per watt remained nearly unchanged, that means electricity consumption has also almost doubled.
If server power consumption grows 20 percent per year, the four-year cost of a server's electricity bill will be larger than the $3,000 initial price of a typical low-end server with x86 processors. Google's data center is populated chiefly with such machines. But if power consumption grows at 50 percent per year, "power costs by the end of the decade would dwarf server prices," even without power increasing beyond its current 9 cents per kilowatt-hour cost, Barroso said.
Barroso's suggested solution is to use heavily multithreaded processors that can execute many threads. His term for the approach, "chip multiprocessor technology," or CMP, is close to the "chip multithreading" term Sun employs.
"The computing industry is ready to embrace chip multiprocessing as the mainstream solution for the desktop and server markets," Barroso argues, but acknowledges that there have been significant barriers.
For one thing, CMP requires a significantly different programming approach, in which tasks are subdivided so they can run in parallel and concurrently.
Indeed, in a separate article in the same issue of ACM Queue, Microsoft researchers Herb Sutter and James Larus wrote: "Concurrency is hard. Not only are today's languages and tools inadequate to transform applications into parallel programs, but also it is difficult to find parallelism in mainstream applications, and -- worst of all -- concurrency requires programmers to think in a way humans find difficult."
But the software situation is improving as programming tools gradually adapt to the technology and multithreading processors start to catch on, Barroso said.
Another hurdle has been that much of the industry has been focused on processors designed for the high-volume personal computer market. PCs, unlike servers, haven't needed multithreading.
But CMP is only a temporary solution, he said.
"CMPs cannot solve the power-efficiency challenge alone, but can simply mitigate it for the next two or three CPU generations," Barroso said. "Fundamental circuit and architectural innovations are still needed to address the longer-term trends."
CNET News.com's Michael Kanellos contributed to this report.
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