Saturday, May 22, 2010

Facebook Malware Attack on Line and Active

A Facebook malware attack is on the loose this weekend, enticing users to click a “Distracting Beach Babes” video on their Facebook Walls. The Wall message reads:

“this is hilarious! lol :-) :-) Distracting Beach Babes [HQ] Length: 5:32″.

If you see this video on Facebook today, do not click the link: Doing so, and downloading a linked file, will result in malware being installed on your computer.

If you see the video on your wall, remove it. If you’ve clicked the video, meanwhile, run a virus and adware scan on your computer. And of course, be more careful about clicking suspicious-looking links in future.

Remember it's such social engineering efforts that are the most common way security is breached. No software or preventative action can possibly work if you don't resist falling for such simple rouges.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

So How can You Tell if Your Facebook Profile is Safe?

Well with all the talk and all the discussion about Facebook in the end it comes down to one thing. Are your profile security settings really providing a safe and secure Facebook listing or not. As you've already realized that's not something that is easy to figure out.

With all the complexity and various levels of junk you must go through just to try to set everything it's almost impossible for most people to do. And when your done have your really dotted all of your i's and crossed all of your t's.

Luckily someone has come to your rescue and set up a site just to help you get it right.

Now all you have to do is go to Profile Watch and in about three steps and in only a few minutes you can have your profile rated. I'm not sure who is behind profile watch but they have done both a great job and a great service by making it easy to truly know what your security settings leave open to the public.

Even nicer is that they have several article links there to help you fix what you find wrong.

So check it out and lean the facts and stay safe.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Need a Usage Disclaimer or Privacy Statement for Your Site or Blog?

As you all know having a web site or blog leaves us open to legal questions and sadly requires that we consider having both a site usage disclaimer and a site privacy statement.

Well if you have only a simple or basic site and need a privacy statement or a usage disclaimer checkout these sites and see if they won't meet your needs and do it for free.

For a free privacy statement Privacy Policy Generator

For a free site usage disclaimer Site Usage Disclaimer

Just remember that as in all cases when you attempt to do your own legal work you take some risks and I can can of course in no way know if these sites will provide documents that meet your needs so you do use these sites at your own risk.

Also let me know if you are aware of other sites that provide such services and what you think of these sites.

Friday, May 07, 2010

American Academy of Pediatrics Advocating FGM

Mark down the date April 26, 2010 on your calendar as it’s a date that should be remembered. For sadly it marks the day that American medicine took a giant step back into the dark ages. A day when we saw our medical establishment make a statement you would never expect from any reasonable person much less a medical academy.

For amazingly on that otherwise uneventful day in April of this year came a shocking change in the AAP’s stand on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). This isn’t a term that we hear or talk about much in America. But beyond the shadows of what is, in this country, a seldom practiced form of ritualistic discrimination lies the sad and disturbing practice of FGM. It’s all too common an occurrence in many third world countries where every year girls, often no more than babies, are victims of this barbaric custom. And they quietly and secretly carry the physical and mental scars of this abuse for a life time. They live never being able to face their attacker but carrying in their heart the shame, humiliation, and pain caused by this treacherous act as a constant reminder of their second class citizenship as women.

But while worldwide and estimated 120 million women undergo this practice involving the partial or total removal of the female genitalia it seldom occurs here and currently is illegal. In 1998 AAP stated in their policy review and stand on the issue that it saw the practice as medically unnecessary, a human rights violation, and it opposed all forms of FGM, and cautioned pediatricians about their role in "perpetuating a social practice with cultural implications for the status of women."

However it now seems that the AAP is taking the side of allowing pediatricians to lawfully engage in this barbaric ritual practice here in America. In their April 26th statement they refer to the practice as "female genital cutting (FGC) or ritual genital cutting,” dropping the term "female genital mutilation" and they make no reference to the discriminatory aspect of FGM, and further state they selectively oppose only those forms of FGM that in their view "pose the risk of physical or psychological harm." (As if any form of genital mutilation could be said to cause neither physical nor psychological harm.)

So at a time when the rest of the world and its medical establishment has turned the corner and taken a stand against FGM we in America could see our laws and medical practices changed to allow physicians to lawfully perform such horrible acts on young women. And this comes at the same time that Congressman Joseph Crowley (D-NY) and Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack (R-CA) announced the introduction of new bipartisan legislation, The Girls Protection Act (H.R. 5137), to close the loophole in the federal law prohibiting FGM by making it illegal to transport a minor girl living in the U.S. out of the country for the purpose of FGM. That bill if signed into law could protect 1,000’s of girls annually.

But if the laws and medical standards are changed to reflect AAP’s new policy all of this will be meaningless as FGM could be legally practiced here and there would be no need to send young women out of the country to have this done.

This is something that is simply unacceptable and must be stopped. Currently the fight against this new view of FGM by the AAP is being lead by Equality Now . We simply must not let our young women, or young women anywhere for that matter, be mutilated out of some antiquated standard that has no purpose but to degrade and subjugate women as chattel.

Equity Now home page
PRNewswire press release by Equity Now
HOW TO CONTACT THE AAP

Monday, May 03, 2010

Emerson Quotes to Ponder

Some great thoughts by a man who deserves a little credit for seeing much of what was both right and wrong with the world. If you've never really taken the time to read a little Emerson you should do so.


Most of the shadows of this life are caused by our standing in our own sunshine - Ralph Waldo Emerson

A chief event of life is the day in which we have encountered a mind that startled us. Ralph Waldo Emerson

A man is usually more careful of his money than he is of his principles. Ralph Waldo Emerson

You can read many of his greatest quotes here Ralph Waldo Emerson Quotes

Sunday, May 02, 2010

Assisted Living

A community of elders is a gift from above,
So full of life, knowledge, enlightenment, and love.
Stored away memories and dreams to come true,
It's more than a blessing to share them with you.
Surprising it's not, when you live like you do,
That so many are eager to spend time with you.
Every life that you touch because of how special you are,
Definitely explains how we have made it this far.
Loved ones are proud that you live on your own,
It's a comfort to them that you are never alone.
Very grateful we are for the opportunity you give,
Inspired by example from the life that you live.
No wonder that we love you as much as we do,
God answered our prayers when he blessed us with you!


Written September 1st 2005 by Nicole Packard to celebrate assisted living week and dedicated to Lawrence Hull.