PC Warning
Posted by Michelle Moquin on July 6th, 2012
Good morning!
So…How is everyone doing?
This write was brought to my attention and since July 9th is only days away, I thought it would be very important for you PC’ers out there:
DNS Changer Malware May Knock Thousands Off Internet On July 9: How To Avoid It
WASHINGTON — Despite repeated alerts, tens of thousands of Americans may still lose their Internet service Monday unless they do a quick check of their computers for malware that could have taken over their machines more than a year ago.
The warnings about the Internet problem have been splashed across Facebook and Google. Internet service providers have sent notices, and the FBI set up a special website.
According to the FBI, the number of computers that probably are infected is more than 277,000 worldwide, down from about 360,000 in April. About 64,000 still-infected computers are probably in the United States.
The Canadian Internet Registration Authority said about 25,000 of the computers initially affected by the malware were in Canada, but now only about 7,000 machines remain infected there, according to Canadian Internet Registration Authority spokesman Mark Buell.
He said his organization, together with Public Safety Canada and the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission, has developed an online site where computer users can check their computers for the malware.
People whose computers are still infected Monday will lose their ability to go online, and they will have to call their service providers for help deleting the malware and reconnecting to the Internet.
The problem began when international hackers ran an online advertising scam to take control of more than 570,000 infected computers around the world. When the FBI went in to take down the hackers late last year, agents realized that if they turned off the malicious servers being used to control the computers, all the victims would lose their Internet service.
In a highly unusual move, the FBI set up a safety net. They brought in a private company to install two clean Internet servers to take over for the malicious servers so that people would not suddenly lose their Internet.
And while it was the first time they’d done something like that, FBI officials acknowledged that it may not be the last, since authorities are taking on more of these types of investigations.
The temporary Internet system they set up, however, will be shut down at 12:01 a.m. EDT Monday, July 9.
Most victims don’t even know their computers have been infected, although the malicious software probably has slowed their online surfing and disabled their antivirus software, making their machines more vulnerable to other problems.
But popular social networking sites and Internet providers have gotten more involved, reaching out to computer users to warn of the problem.
According to Tom Grasso, an FBI supervisory special agent, many Internet providers are ready for the problem and have plans to try to help their customers. Some, such as Comcast, already have reached out.
The company sent out notices and posted information on its website. Because the company can tell whether there is a problem with a customer’s Internet server, Comcast sent an email, letter or Internet notice to customers whose computers appeared to be affected.
Grasso said other Internet providers may come up with technical solutions that they will put in place Monday that will either correct the problem or provide information to customers when they call to say their Internet isn’t working. If the Internet providers correct the server problem, the Internet will work, but the malware will remain on victims’ computers and could pose future problems.
In addition to individual computer owners, about 50 Fortune 500 companies are still infected, Grasso said.
Both Facebook and Google created their own warning messages that showed up if someone using either site appeared to have an infected computer. Facebook users would get a message that says, “Your computer or network might be infected,” along with a link that users can click for more information.
Google users got a similar message, displayed at the top of a Google search results page. It also provides information on correcting the problem.
To check whether a computer is infected, users can visit a website run by the group brought in by the FBI: . http://www.dcwg.org
The site includes links to respected commercial sites that will run a quick check on the computer, and it also lays out detailed instructions if users want to actually check the computer themselves.
********
Delatam, Athir: Thank you for the good wishes and the kind words. I wish you both the best.
Liluye: Thank you. I HOPE you are well.
Zhi: I would enjoy that. Love back to you.
Sabiha: Travel is a big part of my life and I expect to see as much of the world as I am able while I am here. Thanks for the good wishes and the invitation.
Vicki: Thank you and I look forward to meeting you. Talking about my blog will be fun. It is not something I do very often with friend.
Robert, RT: Thinking of you. I HOPE you’re okay.
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my “loyal”(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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July 6th, 2012 at 9:44 am
Good morning HOWIE
Very nice to read you here again!
If you have the time or inclination, I’d like to hear more about my Tsarme’s mother and where her relationship with Azza is at currently. I know Tsarme’s mother is trying to traverse quickly to rescue her son. Is Azza giving it a second try also?
Of course whatever you wish to write about will no doubt be englightening and I await your next installation, as I’m sure we all do.
Welcome back. You were missed. (As is Al, hope he’s doing okay.)
PrP
July 6th, 2012 at 9:47 am
My apologies, there was a typo in my write. I did not mean to convey “my Tsarme.”
Just wanted to clear that up before any confusion set in.
PrP
July 6th, 2012 at 10:21 am
This is the second installment on the tale of Tsarme. Here I will discuss the his planet and the hierarchy of its species. The Specie Hierarchy is divided into Three Kingdoms, 1) Marine, 2) Vegetation, and 3) Animal.
The Marine Kingdom produced the superior intellectual species. The Vegetation Kingdom produced the superior physical species. Although the Marine and Vegetation life forms are at the top of a food chain, they have to form individual alliances with certain animal species to make efficient use of the planet’s land mass.
The sea represents 66-1/3 of the planet’s surface. The land mass is broken up into continents similar to earth’s. Like earth, Krijo is the only inhibited planet in their solar system.
The Marine life make up about a fourth of the planet’s population. They have had control over the key resources of the planet for hundreds of years. One way they manifest this control is through their telepathic ability to control the Papians (Human-like beings).
This ability works best on the specie of Papian that resembles earth’s females. The Vegetative species has a similar power but it works best on the males of the Papian specie.
In the Third installment I will discuss the Vegetation Kingdom on Krijo.
Prp, Thanks for the welcome. I will get to Tsarme’s Mother, Uyber and Azza in the next few installments.
HOWIE
July 6th, 2012 at 3:00 pm
Arthritis? No…Bursitis—Here’s Why It Matters
Don’t assume that an aching joint means that you have arthritis. If the pain came on suddenly, hurts more at night and gets better when you’re active, you might have bursitis.
Many of the body’s joints have one or more bursae (bur-SEE), fluid-filled sacs that rest between bones and tendons. Irritation of a bursa (the singular form) can cause intense pain that makes it difficult to move.
Bursitis usually occurs in the shoulder, hip, elbow or knee, but it also can occur in the heel and base of your big toe. Depending on the location and the degree of irritation, the pain can range from merely irritating to excruciating.
WHAT GOES WRONG
Bursae provide a lubricating surface between joint bones and the tendons and muscles that lie above. When you move, the tendons/muscles glide, with almost no friction, across the bursae.
Bursitis is caused when pressure and/or repetitive movements irritate a bursa and cause inflammation. Inflammation not only is painful, but it also increases the friction of moving tendons/muscles, which exacerbates the problem.
Bursitis can be triggered by trauma, such as a hard knock to the elbow or knee. However, most cases are due to repetitive movements (such as frequently lifting your arms over your head) or pressure (from kneeling or leaning on your elbows).
People with hobbies or professions—electrician, carpet installer, musician, factory worker—that involve repetitive movements and/or pressure have the highest risk.
If the discomfort from the bursitis severely inhibits your range of motion and you quit moving normally, you can develop scar tissue that can lead to chronic inflammation and stiffness.
Example: One common disorder, adhesive capsulitis, often occurs in patients who first had shoulder bursitis and then put up with limited joint motion.
This condition, also known as “frozen shoulder,” can cause severe pain and take many months to resolve.
Another risk: An infected bursa, known as septic bursitis.
BURSITIS OR SOMETHING ELSE?
Your doctor will press on different points around your painful joint to see if there’s tenderness above one or more bursae. It’s difficult to distinguish bursitis from tendonitis, inflammation of a tendon.
Patients with bursitis often have tendonitis as well, because the increased friction from an inflamed bursa can irritate the tendon. Also, tendonitis can spread to the adjacent bursa. The distinction usually isn’t important because the treatments for each condition typically are the same.
Your doctor usually can distinguish bursitis from arthritis by your symptoms. In general, the pain caused by osteoarthritis (the most common form of arthritis) is more persistent…gets worse rather than better with continued movements…and usually is worse during the day, when patients are most active.
If your doctor isn’t sure what’s causing your pain, you probably will need an X-ray. It’s the only way to definitively distinguish arthritis from bursitis.
If your doctor suspects that a bursa might be infected, he/she will remove fluid with a needle and test it for infection.
Bonus:
Although the procedure is mildly uncomfortable, it usually will reduce bursitis pain almost immediately.
SELF-HELP FOR BURSITIS
Apply ice or a cold pack as soon as you feel pain. Chill the area for 10 to 15 minutes at a time, and repeat it once or twice an hour—or as often as you can—for at least 48 hours.
Applying cold will help reduce swelling as well as pain. After 48 hours, intermittent heat is appropriate to increase circulation and promote healing.
You also can take an over-the-counter anti-inflammatory, such as ibuprofen (i.e., Advil, Motrin), following the directions on the label.
MEDICAL HELP
If you have severe pain, your doctor can inject the bursa with a mixture of cortisone and an anesthetic. The anesthetic will stop the pain instantly.
The cortisone gradually will reduce swelling as well as pain. Most patients with bursitis who get an injection need only one treatment.
If you have septic bursitis, you’ll need antibiotics—the type will depend on the bacterium that’s causing the infection.
Most patients will take antibiotics orally. Severe infections might need to be treated with intravenous antibiotic therapy.
When bursitis is severe and doesn’t improve after treatment, surgery may be needed to remove the bursa—but this is rarely necessary.
PREVENTION
To avoid bursitis…
Protect your joints as much as possible. For example, someone who spends a lot of time kneeling can wear knee pads. Or rest your weight on your forearms rather than on your elbows.
Take frequent breaks. If you’re laying tile, for example, stand up and walk around every 15 or 20 minutes.
Routinely move your joints through their full range of motion.
Examples:
Periodically move your arm in a complete circle—from front to back and from side to side. You can work the knee joint by lying on your back, with your knees bent, and slowly bringing the heel of your foot close to the buttocks.
Walking also is helpful, and using a bicycle is an excellent exercise for knees and hips. Doing shoulder exercises in a warm shower often is beneficial.
Source: James V. Luck, Jr., MD, an orthopedic surgeon, professor and residency program director of the UCLA/Orthopaedic Hospital Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.
He is chairman of the national Medical Advisory Board for the Shriners Hospital for Children.
July 6th, 2012 at 3:03 pm
From Ben White of POLITICO this morning: “”No president since World War II has won re-election with a jobless rate over 7.4 percent, a figure Obama is unlikely to reach no matter what number the government reports Friday. Obama is quickly running out of time to bring the jobless rate down with just five reports-including Friday’s-before the election.”
David Harsanyi: WHITE HOUSE: DON’T ‘READ TOO MUCH’ INTO UNEMPLOYMENT NUMBERS: “Funny, because the White House and Krueger was asking the American to read a lot into job numbers earlier this year. But he does have a point, the official employment number doesn’t tell the full story, as James Pethokoukis of AEI points out”:
“– If the size of the U.S. labor force as a share of the total population was the same as it was when Barack Obama took office–65.7% then vs. 63.8% today–the U-3 unemployment rate would be 10.9%. Even if you take into account that the LFP should be declining as America ages, the unemployment rate would be 10.5%.” Read more of David’s story.
Mitt Romney weighs foreign-policy tour, per a POLITICO story this morning.
From Real Clear Politics, a great read from Sean Trende –Roberts Didn’t Expand Government’s Taxing Power
Those stories, and our syndicated columnists Michelle Malkin and Charles Krauthammer, are below.
Have a great weekend!
-Adam
July 6th, 2012 at 5:34 pm
Love it Howie!!!!!!!!!!
July 7th, 2012 at 6:59 am
Thanks for the notice about the PC bug. You may have saved my job.
July 7th, 2012 at 7:01 am
Howie, glad to have you back. Can you tell me why one works best on the males and one works best on females?
Thanks
Niklas
July 7th, 2012 at 7:29 am
My South American cousin alerted me to the extreme reaction whites here in North America has had to chris Rock’s tweet “Happy white peoples independence day the slaves weren’t free but I’m sure they enjoyed fireworks.”
I checked and wow, so many mad white people. Why I wonder is it that white people here want blacks to shut up about their ancestors having enslaved theirs.
Camila
July 7th, 2012 at 7:59 am
Howie, where is Krijo? Is it in the Milkyway?
July 7th, 2012 at 8:10 am
I live in Gansu Howie and I am a big UFO fan. I am so happy you are back. How do the vegetation species move around or do they?
Zhao
July 7th, 2012 at 8:29 am
I agree with you Camila. Whites there seem to think that blacks shouldn’t mind that they were slaves for more than a hundred years of whites making jolly about the 4th.
They are so unsympathetic to the feelings of other races when they remember the terrible treatment their fore parents suffered at the hands of whites.
But they certainly want to keep any slight history says they suffered from OTWs in memory. Yeah, why is that?
Adrianna
July 7th, 2012 at 8:34 am
I liked this input from Elon White: I find this Chris Rock backlash absolutely ridiculous. Really? Someone tells the truth and you mad? I’m American. I never claim otherwise.
I never give the “We didn’t land on Plymouth rock” speech unless its in a really funny way. But part of being American, to me, is that I have to acknowledge all the bullshit that comes with it.
Basically some folks came over, stole other people’s land, killed them, then started a country on the backs of my people, while killing them, and then at some point they freed the slaves but then oppressed them and killed them some more. Do I have the ability to do things here that I wouldn’t in some parts of the world? Yes.
But my family paid the price for that in actual blood, sweat and tears. If more people were like Rock and acknowledged the truth maybe we’d be in a better place as a Nation.
July 7th, 2012 at 9:27 am
I’m white so when my brother emailed me the tweet with a copy of what he replied to huff post, wondered why he felt he had to make the argument that it was okay to have slaves because blacks sold them to whites.
Would he think it ok if someone enslaved me because a white person sold me to the slave owner?
Strange defensive logic.
Susanne