ME AND OPHELIA
Sunday, August 31, 2003
MAKING A MEAL OF IT:
The web provides dinner-party inspiration
Gastronomic delights. Click here to start the juices flowing.
Thanks to The Sunday Times for link to Delia Online offering Delia Smith's chicken recipes, chocolate recipes, italian recipes, spanish recipes, vegetarian recipes, low fat recipes, chinese recipes, drink recipes, french recipes, seafood recipes, indian recipes, easy recipes.
And, for food and wine pairing with Don and Diane Isus where you can browse by either food or wine to find a suitable match.
Whether you are slaving over a hot stove or tracking down a trendy table, Jenni Muir dishes up five more sites to tempt the taste buds.
The web provides dinner-party inspiration
Gastronomic delights. Click here to start the juices flowing.
Thanks to The Sunday Times for link to Delia Online offering Delia Smith's chicken recipes, chocolate recipes, italian recipes, spanish recipes, vegetarian recipes, low fat recipes, chinese recipes, drink recipes, french recipes, seafood recipes, indian recipes, easy recipes.
And, for food and wine pairing with Don and Diane Isus where you can browse by either food or wine to find a suitable match.
Whether you are slaving over a hot stove or tracking down a trendy table, Jenni Muir dishes up five more sites to tempt the taste buds.
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/31/2003
Saturday, August 30, 2003
VINTON G CERF
Father of the Internet
What a great gentleman.
On a visit to MCI : Cerf's Up a few days ago, I felt moved to send this email:
Dear Mr Cerf,
Just to say thank you for all your pioneering and hard work.
Six weeks ago I was able to afford my first home computer.
Within a few days I discovered weblogs and started one - free of charge through Blogger - called ME AND OPHELIA at http://www.meandophelia.blogspot.com
I have picked up a little HTML, purchased a new house sign, sent gifts of chocolates and flowers, visited art galleries and auctions, had groceries and books delivered; been reunited with old friends, have sent and received emails all over the world, met many interesting bloggers and had some good laughs....all without speaking or leaving the house.
This new laptop and the Internet has opened up a whole new life for me, for which I thank you.
It means a lot to me because I am housebound and horizontal 23.5 hours a day, with limited energy, due to a severe form of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis - known as ME here in England and CFIDS in the US - from which I am still hoping to recover.
These past six weeks have been the most interesting - and least isolating - weeks that I have spent since falling ill in October 1999.
Thank you once again. You are a hero. I have put you at the top of my web links column in my right sidebar.
Hope you will visit us one day.
With love and thanks once again from Ingrid and Ophelia (my wonderful cat) x
In my email box the next day, four words leapt out of my screen:
From: vinton g. cerf
I was thrilled. What a gentleman. I shall treasure and frame this:
Dear Ingrid,
I am copying two other people who will be very pleased to hear your story. One is Robert Kahn, who initiated the Internet project and with whom I worked to do the initial design. The other is Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the World Wide Web - that is the application that is helping you so much. Of course, Tim has pointed out that without the Internet, WWW would not so interesting and vice versa.
Thanks so much for taking time to write.
Vint Cerf
Father of the Internet
What a great gentleman.
On a visit to MCI : Cerf's Up a few days ago, I felt moved to send this email:
Dear Mr Cerf,
Just to say thank you for all your pioneering and hard work.
Six weeks ago I was able to afford my first home computer.
Within a few days I discovered weblogs and started one - free of charge through Blogger - called ME AND OPHELIA at http://www.meandophelia.blogspot.com
I have picked up a little HTML, purchased a new house sign, sent gifts of chocolates and flowers, visited art galleries and auctions, had groceries and books delivered; been reunited with old friends, have sent and received emails all over the world, met many interesting bloggers and had some good laughs....all without speaking or leaving the house.
This new laptop and the Internet has opened up a whole new life for me, for which I thank you.
It means a lot to me because I am housebound and horizontal 23.5 hours a day, with limited energy, due to a severe form of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis - known as ME here in England and CFIDS in the US - from which I am still hoping to recover.
These past six weeks have been the most interesting - and least isolating - weeks that I have spent since falling ill in October 1999.
Thank you once again. You are a hero. I have put you at the top of my web links column in my right sidebar.
Hope you will visit us one day.
With love and thanks once again from Ingrid and Ophelia (my wonderful cat) x
In my email box the next day, four words leapt out of my screen:
From: vinton g. cerf
I was thrilled. What a gentleman. I shall treasure and frame this:
Dear Ingrid,
I am copying two other people who will be very pleased to hear your story. One is Robert Kahn, who initiated the Internet project and with whom I worked to do the initial design. The other is Tim Berners-Lee, who invented the World Wide Web - that is the application that is helping you so much. Of course, Tim has pointed out that without the Internet, WWW would not so interesting and vice versa.
Thanks so much for taking time to write.
Vint Cerf
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/30/2003
Friday, August 29, 2003
FBI SET TO ARREST BLASTER WORM VARIANTS SUSPECT
Youth suspected of net attack
According to US media reports, the FBI is expected to arrest an 18-year-old American youth today in connection with one of the various variants of the W32/Blaster internet worm.
In January 2003, 22-year-old Simon Vallor, a web designer from North Wales, UK was sentenced to two years in jail for distributing viruses he had written.
Update on Saturday 30 August 2003: BBC NEWS | Technology | US youth charged over net virus
Youth suspected of net attack
According to US media reports, the FBI is expected to arrest an 18-year-old American youth today in connection with one of the various variants of the W32/Blaster internet worm.
In January 2003, 22-year-old Simon Vallor, a web designer from North Wales, UK was sentenced to two years in jail for distributing viruses he had written.
Update on Saturday 30 August 2003: BBC NEWS | Technology | US youth charged over net virus
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/29/2003
Thursday, August 28, 2003
GULF-WAR SYNDROME
Shot in the arm
In March of this year, Sir Trevor McDonald, a leading news reader on British television, presented a special news night programme.
It featured a 30-minute report on anthrax vaccines and Gulf-war veterans who had become very ill and disabled.
The programme sent a reporter to the Dorset coast, here in England, where locals had found - washed up on the beach - unused phials of anthrax vaccine.
The locals kept what they had found, unopened.
The reporter took some of the phials back to London for laboratory testing.
They were found to contain traces of Squalene.
It was explained how even a tiny trace of Squalene, entering the human body, would result in the body's immune system attacking itself and cause Auto Immune Disease.
The programme also reported that Britain's Ministry of Defence (MOD) confirmed the phials did originate from the military but could not explain how the phials ended up, on a beach, in Dorset.
Here is an extract from The Economist article Shot in the arm:
In the body's fight against disease, immunisation is a powerful weapon. Like military training exercises, vaccines ready the immune system for battle against future attacks from nasty viruses or bacteria by providing a foretaste of infection when the body is at peace. But for some of those at war in the Gulf in the early 1990's, vaccines may have prompted certain illnesses even as they were preventing others.
Shot in the arm
In March of this year, Sir Trevor McDonald, a leading news reader on British television, presented a special news night programme.
It featured a 30-minute report on anthrax vaccines and Gulf-war veterans who had become very ill and disabled.
The programme sent a reporter to the Dorset coast, here in England, where locals had found - washed up on the beach - unused phials of anthrax vaccine.
The locals kept what they had found, unopened.
The reporter took some of the phials back to London for laboratory testing.
They were found to contain traces of Squalene.
It was explained how even a tiny trace of Squalene, entering the human body, would result in the body's immune system attacking itself and cause Auto Immune Disease.
The programme also reported that Britain's Ministry of Defence (MOD) confirmed the phials did originate from the military but could not explain how the phials ended up, on a beach, in Dorset.
Here is an extract from The Economist article Shot in the arm:
In the body's fight against disease, immunisation is a powerful weapon. Like military training exercises, vaccines ready the immune system for battle against future attacks from nasty viruses or bacteria by providing a foretaste of infection when the body is at peace. But for some of those at war in the Gulf in the early 1990's, vaccines may have prompted certain illnesses even as they were preventing others.
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/28/2003
THE FOG OF WAR
As casualties from the war in Iraq mount,
a battle is still raging over the causes of Gulf-war-related illnesses
Professor Simon Wessely is a psychiatrist at the Institute of Psychiatry in London and, for many years now, has made a good living out of perpetuating his views and theories on "unexplained medical conditions" to government departments, health insurance companies and the media.
Note, at the point of Simon Wessely's name, how a "slant" has been put on this otherwise excellent article Gulf-war syndrome - From The Economist print edition.
THIS is how Professor Wessely thinks.
via MEActionUK
Economist.com Gulf-war syndrome article via Norbizness
As casualties from the war in Iraq mount,
a battle is still raging over the causes of Gulf-war-related illnesses
Professor Simon Wessely is a psychiatrist at the Institute of Psychiatry in London and, for many years now, has made a good living out of perpetuating his views and theories on "unexplained medical conditions" to government departments, health insurance companies and the media.
Note, at the point of Simon Wessely's name, how a "slant" has been put on this otherwise excellent article Gulf-war syndrome - From The Economist print edition.
THIS is how Professor Wessely thinks.
via MEActionUK
Economist.com Gulf-war syndrome article via Norbizness
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/28/2003
Wednesday, August 27, 2003
AMERICA LEND US YOUR VOICE!
CFIDS Lobby Day on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.
September 17-18, 2003
Most doctors agree that chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS) is as disabling as multiple sclerosis, lupus and rheumatoid arthiritis, but CFIDS is among the lowest-funded diseases by the federal government. By lending the CFIDS Association of America your voice, you can help fight more effectively for increasing the amount and quality of CFIDS research.
Arrangements for Lobby Day 2003 are now being made - make sure your Congressional representatives hear the message about cfids.
Any bloggers out there who know someone with this illness, please spread the word. Thanks. Not a lot is happening on the research front here in Britain. British patients are looking towards America for a breakthrough.
CFIDS Lobby Day on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C.
September 17-18, 2003
Most doctors agree that chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome (CFIDS) is as disabling as multiple sclerosis, lupus and rheumatoid arthiritis, but CFIDS is among the lowest-funded diseases by the federal government. By lending the CFIDS Association of America your voice, you can help fight more effectively for increasing the amount and quality of CFIDS research.
Arrangements for Lobby Day 2003 are now being made - make sure your Congressional representatives hear the message about cfids.
Any bloggers out there who know someone with this illness, please spread the word. Thanks. Not a lot is happening on the research front here in Britain. British patients are looking towards America for a breakthrough.
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/27/2003
Tuesday, August 26, 2003
BLOGGER CONFERENCE 2003, USA
A revolution is underway and blogspace a Second Superpower?
I would love to be able to attend BloggerCon 2003 at Harvard Law School Campus on October 4, 2003.
A few days after starting my first weblog, on July 17, a very dear friend emailed me his first impressions of blogging:
"I am startled at the polish and fizz you have put into your new blogging website, Ingrid dear.
I can now see that this is a whole new means of personal expression and assertion, which must surely herald deep changes in basic communication during the centuries ahead.
The medium now exists and we shall see some really startling applications for it as the years go by. I predict that it may at last provide an effective machinery capable of duplicating, for billions of voters, the ancient democratic polling in the agora of old Athens, based on face-to-face interrogation of would-be leaders. Politicians will surely try to stop that, but I believe they will fail.
I judge that this new process is now unstoppable. Our chief fear should be that it may become operative before better education equips today's lazy, ignorant and quarrelsome humans to make successful use of it.
All your links operate beautifully. I congratulate you most warmly on a splendid achievement.
Regards..................."
______________________________________________________
New technology will be showcased at BloggerCon 2003
Some bloggers are complaining about the $500 attendance fee.
In 1985, when I worked in cable and satellite TV, it was not unusual for half-day telecoms conferences to cost anywhere from $500 to $2000+.
That was eighteen years ago. $500 today does not seem a high fee for such an innovative conference with limited seating capacity.
Good wishes for a successful conference. The artwork is superb. I am looking forward to all the news.
See my sidebar for links to bloggers doing presentations, and moderating at the conference.
Dave Viner, host of BloggerCon 2003, has published details of special deals, including free entrance on day two in his posting dated August 15, 2003.
Excerpt from The BloggerCon 2003 Weblog:
Weblogs. The unedited voice of a person!
Will easy and inexpensive publishing technology change the face of politics, business, journalism, the law, medicine, engineering and education?
Is a revolution underway, or are weblogs just the latest Internet craze?
We'll show how artists create new experiences and inspire with weblogs.
New technology will be showcased at BloggerCon 2003.
Educators are using blogs to help students express themselves and learn from each other.
Meanwhile questions linger.
Are today's bloggers the modern-day Emersons and Thoreaus or Charlie Chaplin, PT Barnum or Erma Bombeck?
Is blogspace a Second Superpower, a ride on the Cluetrain, the venue for the next election or is it even worse than it appears, just good enough to make a difference, or the revolution so many say it is?"
To receive an email invitation, become a member of BloggerCon
A revolution is underway and blogspace a Second Superpower?
I would love to be able to attend BloggerCon 2003 at Harvard Law School Campus on October 4, 2003.
A few days after starting my first weblog, on July 17, a very dear friend emailed me his first impressions of blogging:
"I am startled at the polish and fizz you have put into your new blogging website, Ingrid dear.
I can now see that this is a whole new means of personal expression and assertion, which must surely herald deep changes in basic communication during the centuries ahead.
The medium now exists and we shall see some really startling applications for it as the years go by. I predict that it may at last provide an effective machinery capable of duplicating, for billions of voters, the ancient democratic polling in the agora of old Athens, based on face-to-face interrogation of would-be leaders. Politicians will surely try to stop that, but I believe they will fail.
I judge that this new process is now unstoppable. Our chief fear should be that it may become operative before better education equips today's lazy, ignorant and quarrelsome humans to make successful use of it.
All your links operate beautifully. I congratulate you most warmly on a splendid achievement.
Regards..................."
______________________________________________________
New technology will be showcased at BloggerCon 2003
Some bloggers are complaining about the $500 attendance fee.
In 1985, when I worked in cable and satellite TV, it was not unusual for half-day telecoms conferences to cost anywhere from $500 to $2000+.
That was eighteen years ago. $500 today does not seem a high fee for such an innovative conference with limited seating capacity.
Good wishes for a successful conference. The artwork is superb. I am looking forward to all the news.
See my sidebar for links to bloggers doing presentations, and moderating at the conference.
Dave Viner, host of BloggerCon 2003, has published details of special deals, including free entrance on day two in his posting dated August 15, 2003.
Excerpt from The BloggerCon 2003 Weblog:
Weblogs. The unedited voice of a person!
Will easy and inexpensive publishing technology change the face of politics, business, journalism, the law, medicine, engineering and education?
Is a revolution underway, or are weblogs just the latest Internet craze?
We'll show how artists create new experiences and inspire with weblogs.
New technology will be showcased at BloggerCon 2003.
Educators are using blogs to help students express themselves and learn from each other.
Meanwhile questions linger.
Are today's bloggers the modern-day Emersons and Thoreaus or Charlie Chaplin, PT Barnum or Erma Bombeck?
Is blogspace a Second Superpower, a ride on the Cluetrain, the venue for the next election or is it even worse than it appears, just good enough to make a difference, or the revolution so many say it is?"
To receive an email invitation, become a member of BloggerCon
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/26/2003
Monday, August 25, 2003
THE BURNING MAN COMMUNITY
Burning Man Never Gets Old
30,000 revelers are expected to descend on a remote lakebed in the Nevada desert this week, from August 25 to September 1.
Having lived in Nevada for more than a decade, I can imagine the scene. As for the logistics...Wow.
Burners Sweat Over Package Prank
Burning Man participants insist that organizers never consider opening the doors to anything corporate.
As "Burners" are tightly connected through email lists, bulletin boards, websites and real-world gatherings, the Burning Man community is a juicy target for hoaxes.
via The BloggerCon 2003 Weblog: News Aggregator
_______________________________________________________
Burning Man Never Gets Old
30,000 revelers are expected to descend on a remote lakebed in the Nevada desert this week, from August 25 to September 1.
Having lived in Nevada for more than a decade, I can imagine the scene. As for the logistics...Wow.
Burners Sweat Over Package Prank
Burning Man participants insist that organizers never consider opening the doors to anything corporate.
As "Burners" are tightly connected through email lists, bulletin boards, websites and real-world gatherings, the Burning Man community is a juicy target for hoaxes.
via The BloggerCon 2003 Weblog: News Aggregator
_______________________________________________________
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/25/2003
WE ARE STUCK WITH OUR PERSONALITY AT AGE OF THREE
The child really is father of the man
Excerpt: "One of the longest academic studies ever conducted into human personality has found that many basic character traits are largely fixed by the age of three.
The message is that parents and teachers should not ignore what they see in a three-year-old child as simply a passing phase."
The child really is father of the man
Excerpt: "One of the longest academic studies ever conducted into human personality has found that many basic character traits are largely fixed by the age of three.
The message is that parents and teachers should not ignore what they see in a three-year-old child as simply a passing phase."
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/25/2003
Sunday, August 24, 2003
ANIMAL CAMS OFFER STRANGE WORLD VIEWS
Artist Sam Easterston shows a tiny camera he attached to a desert tarantula
Ophelia was out yesterday from 3 pm until midnight. We are never apart for more than a few hours. I waited up. Worried. Where was she? What was doing for nine hours? How far away had she gone? It would be so interesting to have a tiny webcam around her neck to track where she goes.
Artist Sam Easterston, Founder and Director of Animal Vegetable Video is dedicated to building the world's largest library of video footage that has been captured from the points of view of animals and plants.
Easterson takes small cameras designed for law enforcement and surveillance and modifies them for the animals or plants he's aiming to study. He changes the cameras mostly by reducing the weight. For most smaller animals, the video usually is beamed wirelessly for recording.
Cameras as tiny as half an ounce are mounted on animals or plants. There is no specific length for the feature; it lasts until the camera falls off. The result is a unique perspective applauded by armchair naturalists in which the stars of the film are also the videographers.
I am volunteering Ophelia as a videographer (if someone would please provide us with the equipment). If suitable equipment came on to the market, I know of other cat owners who would snap it up without hesitation!
via Jenn
_______________________________________________________________
Artist Sam Easterston shows a tiny camera he attached to a desert tarantula
Ophelia was out yesterday from 3 pm until midnight. We are never apart for more than a few hours. I waited up. Worried. Where was she? What was doing for nine hours? How far away had she gone? It would be so interesting to have a tiny webcam around her neck to track where she goes.
Artist Sam Easterston, Founder and Director of Animal Vegetable Video is dedicated to building the world's largest library of video footage that has been captured from the points of view of animals and plants.
Easterson takes small cameras designed for law enforcement and surveillance and modifies them for the animals or plants he's aiming to study. He changes the cameras mostly by reducing the weight. For most smaller animals, the video usually is beamed wirelessly for recording.
Cameras as tiny as half an ounce are mounted on animals or plants. There is no specific length for the feature; it lasts until the camera falls off. The result is a unique perspective applauded by armchair naturalists in which the stars of the film are also the videographers.
I am volunteering Ophelia as a videographer (if someone would please provide us with the equipment). If suitable equipment came on to the market, I know of other cat owners who would snap it up without hesitation!
via Jenn
_______________________________________________________________
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/24/2003
THE NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON
Christmas 2003 cards and gifts by mail order
The National Gallery in Trafalger Square, London, houses one of the greatest collections of European paintings in the world. These pictures belong to the public and entrance to see them is free.
The National Gallery Christmas Card and Gift Catalogue for 2003 is freely available, by post, from here.
Christmas 2003 cards and gifts by mail order
The National Gallery in Trafalger Square, London, houses one of the greatest collections of European paintings in the world. These pictures belong to the public and entrance to see them is free.
The National Gallery Christmas Card and Gift Catalogue for 2003 is freely available, by post, from here.
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/24/2003
Friday, August 22, 2003
SOPHOS ADVISES ON HOW TO PROTECT AGAINST SOBIG-F
SECOND WAVE ATTACK
Sophos researchers have published information on a second
wave attack which the Sobig-F worm may attempt to make
in the coming hours.
On infected PCs, Sobig-F will attempt to download code from
the internet and then run it on the computer. This occurs
on Fridays and Sundays at 19:00-22:00 GMT. This equates
to the following times in different parts of the world:
Los Angeles 12 noon - 3:00pm
Boston 3:00pm - 6:00pm
London 8:00pm - 11:00pm
Berlin 9:00pm - 12:00 midnight
Hong Kong 3:00am - 6:00am (Saturday and Monday)
Tokyo 4:00am - 7:00am (Saturday and Monday)
Sydney 5:00am - 8:00am (Saturday and Monday)
(Note that because of time differences, the attempt
to download code will happen on Saturdays and Mondays
in the Far East and Australasia).
The worm has been programmed to automatically direct infected
PCs to a server controlled by the virus writer from which a
malicious program could be downloaded. At the moment, it is
not known what the download material will do, but
possibilities include launching another virus or spam
attack, collecting sensitive information, or deleting
files stored on an infected computer or network.
More details on how to prevent the download happening on
your computers, and information on how to clean-up
a Sobig infection, are available at the following urls:
Sophos virus analysis: W32/Sobig-F
Sophos: W32/Sobig-F disinfection instructions and FAQ
Sobig-F worm has twist in tail - Sophos warns of possible "Trojan horse" download
HOW TO AVOID INFECTION IN THE FUTURE
If you have not already protected against W32/Sobig-F,
Sophos strongly recommends you update all installations of
Sophos Anti-Virus in your company.
Update your corporate anti-virus software now so that
you can detect and prevent the W32/Sobig-F worm. If you
do not have procedures for rapid updates, implement them
now, because you are sure to need them again. Sophos
Enterprise Manager is one way to help automate protection
updates inside your company. More details are available at:
Sophos products
Ensure you are signed-up to Sophos's email list for
notification of every new virus found in the wild.
Sophos email notification
If possible, block all Windows programs at your email gateway.
Some email applications can be configured to do this. It is
rarely necessary to allow users to receive programs via email.
There is so little to lose, and so much to gain, simply by
blocking all mailed-in programs, regardless of whether they
contain viruses or not. Sophos MailMonitor for SMTP contains
pro-active threat reduction technology which can help you
block dangerous filetypes and executable code at the email
gateway. More details are available at:
Sophos products
Sophos also recommends companies consider adding Sophos's free
virus infofeed to their public websites or intranet to keep
their users informed of the very latest virus threats. The
feeds are simple to add and easy to configure, ensuring you
always have up-to-the-minute information.
Read more about our virus and hoax info feeds at:
Virus and hoax information feeds
________________________________________________________
SECOND WAVE ATTACK
Sophos researchers have published information on a second
wave attack which the Sobig-F worm may attempt to make
in the coming hours.
On infected PCs, Sobig-F will attempt to download code from
the internet and then run it on the computer. This occurs
on Fridays and Sundays at 19:00-22:00 GMT. This equates
to the following times in different parts of the world:
Los Angeles 12 noon - 3:00pm
Boston 3:00pm - 6:00pm
London 8:00pm - 11:00pm
Berlin 9:00pm - 12:00 midnight
Hong Kong 3:00am - 6:00am (Saturday and Monday)
Tokyo 4:00am - 7:00am (Saturday and Monday)
Sydney 5:00am - 8:00am (Saturday and Monday)
(Note that because of time differences, the attempt
to download code will happen on Saturdays and Mondays
in the Far East and Australasia).
The worm has been programmed to automatically direct infected
PCs to a server controlled by the virus writer from which a
malicious program could be downloaded. At the moment, it is
not known what the download material will do, but
possibilities include launching another virus or spam
attack, collecting sensitive information, or deleting
files stored on an infected computer or network.
More details on how to prevent the download happening on
your computers, and information on how to clean-up
a Sobig infection, are available at the following urls:
Sophos virus analysis: W32/Sobig-F
Sophos: W32/Sobig-F disinfection instructions and FAQ
Sobig-F worm has twist in tail - Sophos warns of possible "Trojan horse" download
HOW TO AVOID INFECTION IN THE FUTURE
If you have not already protected against W32/Sobig-F,
Sophos strongly recommends you update all installations of
Sophos Anti-Virus in your company.
Update your corporate anti-virus software now so that
you can detect and prevent the W32/Sobig-F worm. If you
do not have procedures for rapid updates, implement them
now, because you are sure to need them again. Sophos
Enterprise Manager is one way to help automate protection
updates inside your company. More details are available at:
Sophos products
Ensure you are signed-up to Sophos's email list for
notification of every new virus found in the wild.
Sophos email notification
If possible, block all Windows programs at your email gateway.
Some email applications can be configured to do this. It is
rarely necessary to allow users to receive programs via email.
There is so little to lose, and so much to gain, simply by
blocking all mailed-in programs, regardless of whether they
contain viruses or not. Sophos MailMonitor for SMTP contains
pro-active threat reduction technology which can help you
block dangerous filetypes and executable code at the email
gateway. More details are available at:
Sophos products
Sophos also recommends companies consider adding Sophos's free
virus infofeed to their public websites or intranet to keep
their users informed of the very latest virus threats. The
feeds are simple to add and easy to configure, ensuring you
always have up-to-the-minute information.
Read more about our virus and hoax info feeds at:
Virus and hoax information feeds
________________________________________________________
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/22/2003
INDIA BLOG LISTS
Recently Updated Indian Weblogs
I have added India blogs to my sidebar on your right.
Recently Updated Indian Weblogs is maintained by Ram of Ram's Weblog!
Cricket fans may enjoy Cricket World Cup Weblog 2003 (another of Ram’s sites) and West Indies Cricket Blog :: What the media is reporting and why...
Please, if you are in India, China or Japan reading this, do let me know if you come across any information or people concerned with ME/CFS. Thanks.
Recently Updated Indian Weblogs
I have added India blogs to my sidebar on your right.
Recently Updated Indian Weblogs is maintained by Ram of Ram's Weblog!
Cricket fans may enjoy Cricket World Cup Weblog 2003 (another of Ram’s sites) and West Indies Cricket Blog :: What the media is reporting and why...
Please, if you are in India, China or Japan reading this, do let me know if you come across any information or people concerned with ME/CFS. Thanks.
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/22/2003
Thursday, August 21, 2003
ANOTHER EMAIL WORM - W32/PANDEM-B
W32/Pandem-B is a worm which spreads via email.
The worm displays the messages:
"Security Patch 329390
Patching system...Wait" and
"Security Patch 329390
Patched. Thanks for using Microsoft Windows".
____________________________________________
W32/Pandem-B is a worm which spreads via email.
The worm displays the messages:
"Security Patch 329390
Patching system...Wait" and
"Security Patch 329390
Patched. Thanks for using Microsoft Windows".
____________________________________________
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/21/2003
ZHEJIANG UNIVERSITY CITY COLLEGE, CHINA
Is always looking for new teachers
Ever thought about teaching English overseas? Possibly China?
That is what John Pasden, an American, is doing now, and he is loving it. His school is always looking for new teachers. Here are the details.
via sinosplice|a China blog
____________________________________________
Is always looking for new teachers
Ever thought about teaching English overseas? Possibly China?
That is what John Pasden, an American, is doing now, and he is loving it. His school is always looking for new teachers. Here are the details.
via sinosplice|a China blog
____________________________________________
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/21/2003
CREATING THE BERKELEY CHINA INTERNET WEBLOG
A Chinese University Journalism Course
*In this class, students will create a collaborative news weblog, the Berkeley China Internet Weblog, which aims to act as a comprehensive resource center and a forum for public discussion on the social, political, economic and cultural impact of China's internet development.
The weblog site will publish news, commentary and in-depth analyses, as well as generate original stories on topics such as the interplay between online information and the traditional media, virtual communities and grassroots reporting, state control mechanisms and the role of the international ICT corporations in developing China's digital infrastructure.
The resulting weblog column will be posted to the school's website and to an email list of interested subscribers.*
via sinosplice|a China blog
____________________________________________
A Chinese University Journalism Course
*In this class, students will create a collaborative news weblog, the Berkeley China Internet Weblog, which aims to act as a comprehensive resource center and a forum for public discussion on the social, political, economic and cultural impact of China's internet development.
The weblog site will publish news, commentary and in-depth analyses, as well as generate original stories on topics such as the interplay between online information and the traditional media, virtual communities and grassroots reporting, state control mechanisms and the role of the international ICT corporations in developing China's digital infrastructure.
The resulting weblog column will be posted to the school's website and to an email list of interested subscribers.*
via sinosplice|a China blog
____________________________________________
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/21/2003
CHINESE SCIENTISTS DECODE NEW HEPATITIS B VIRUS GENES
*A research team at the No. 302 Hospital of the Chinese People's Liberation Army found the new genes after cloning and analyzing the gene sequencing of HBV taken from blood of HBV patients in China, said Cheng Jun, leader of the research team, yesterday.
The finding will not only enhance research into the HBV virus and treatment of the disease, for instance, by helping develop a new antigen for the virus, but also the treatment of liver cancer, he said.*
____________________________________________
*A research team at the No. 302 Hospital of the Chinese People's Liberation Army found the new genes after cloning and analyzing the gene sequencing of HBV taken from blood of HBV patients in China, said Cheng Jun, leader of the research team, yesterday.
The finding will not only enhance research into the HBV virus and treatment of the disease, for instance, by helping develop a new antigen for the virus, but also the treatment of liver cancer, he said.*
____________________________________________
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/21/2003
YET ANOTHER EMAIL VIRUS ON THE LOOSE - W32/Dumaru-A
If you scroll down to the end of my sidebar (on your right) you will see a LIVE Sophos info feed - click on any virus name for the latest details.
Note: W32/Dumaru-A is now at the top of the alert list.
[Excerpt] W32/Dumaru-A is a virus that spreads using email and infects other executable using NTFS Alternate Data Stream.
The virus arrives in an email message with the following characteristics:
Sender: "Microsoft"
Subject Line: Use this patch immediately!
Message text: Dear friend, use this Internet Explorer patch now! There are dangerous virus in the Internet now!
More than 500,000 already infected!
Attached file: patch.exe
____________________________________________
If you scroll down to the end of my sidebar (on your right) you will see a LIVE Sophos info feed - click on any virus name for the latest details.
Note: W32/Dumaru-A is now at the top of the alert list.
[Excerpt] W32/Dumaru-A is a virus that spreads using email and infects other executable using NTFS Alternate Data Stream.
The virus arrives in an email message with the following characteristics:
Sender: "Microsoft"
Subject Line: Use this patch immediately!
Message text: Dear friend, use this Internet Explorer patch now! There are dangerous virus in the Internet now!
More than 500,000 already infected!
Attached file: patch.exe
____________________________________________
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/21/2003
NET-INSPIRED PUBLIC BOOK SWAP SWEEPS THROUGH WALES, UK
BBC NEWS | Wales | Setting free the books
*Have you found any good books in funny places lately?
If so, you may have stumbled across a web phenomenon which is quietly spreading across Wales - the BookCrossing.com experience.
To take part, people register their books at a website then set them free "in the wild" for other people to read, review and release once again.
BookCrossing.com started in the US, but the idea has taken off internationally, with some members releasing literally hundreds of books for others to find.
The website began in 2001, and now has books registered in over 80 countries, from Afghanistan to Vietnam.
From clicking through the BookCrossing website, it becomes clear that it has become a springboard for local and international friendships, as well as a way of spreading literature in all shapes and sizes.
Many cities now have groups for "bookcrossers".
Each group meets up on the second Tuesday of the month at 19.00 local time for "informal, social interaction", as the website puts it.
Bookcrossers have also set up bookrings, where they send a book on to another member for them to enjoy and review, who in turn passes it on.
And in Europe, members from a number of countries have started writing their own book, in the form of a journal, which is posted or passed on to those who want to take part in writing it.
BookCrossing - the Urbis bookshelf - FREE YOUR BOOKS! founder Ron Hornbaker calls the movement the "karma of literature" designed to "make the whole world a library".*
To take part:
simply download the image of the Urbis bookcrossing sticker label:
Howdy! Hola! Bonjour! Guten Tag!
I'm a very special book. You see, I'm travelling 'round the world making new friends. I hope I've met another one in you. Please go to www.BookCrossing.com and make a journal entry with my BCID. Not only will you see where I've been, but my old friends will know I'm OK. Then...READ and RELEASE me!
then, go to the BookCrossing site to get an ID number, write it on the sticker and release the book into public yourself!
___________________________________________________
BBC NEWS | England | Manchester | Book swap hits streets
*On Saturday, 16 August 2003, Urbis released hundreds of books for others to find, read and pass on again - bringing the international project to the streets of Manchester, England, UK.
Manchester's Urbis museum is behind the book exchange's introduction to the UK and visitors are being urged to bring their old books in to take part.
People are asked to look out for books everywhere - from street corners to shopping arcades - in taxis, phone boxes and cafes all over the city!
Those who find the books are encouraged to read them and then release them back "into the wild" for others to pick up, read and pass on.
All of the books in the exchange have a Bookcrossing sticker on them with a unique ID number which is registered on the project's website.
When someone finds a stickered book they can go online to view the book's journey to them.
Known as Bookcrossing, the idea has already been introduced to the cities of Melbourne, Shanghair, Oslo, Montreal and Hong Kong.
Scott Burnham, Urbis creative director, said: "The beauty of Bookcrossing is that it's organic - this project will evolve and take on a life of its own as books are passed on and on".*
______________________________________________________
BBC NEWS | Wales | Setting free the books
*Have you found any good books in funny places lately?
If so, you may have stumbled across a web phenomenon which is quietly spreading across Wales - the BookCrossing.com experience.
To take part, people register their books at a website then set them free "in the wild" for other people to read, review and release once again.
BookCrossing.com started in the US, but the idea has taken off internationally, with some members releasing literally hundreds of books for others to find.
The website began in 2001, and now has books registered in over 80 countries, from Afghanistan to Vietnam.
From clicking through the BookCrossing website, it becomes clear that it has become a springboard for local and international friendships, as well as a way of spreading literature in all shapes and sizes.
Many cities now have groups for "bookcrossers".
Each group meets up on the second Tuesday of the month at 19.00 local time for "informal, social interaction", as the website puts it.
Bookcrossers have also set up bookrings, where they send a book on to another member for them to enjoy and review, who in turn passes it on.
And in Europe, members from a number of countries have started writing their own book, in the form of a journal, which is posted or passed on to those who want to take part in writing it.
BookCrossing - the Urbis bookshelf - FREE YOUR BOOKS! founder Ron Hornbaker calls the movement the "karma of literature" designed to "make the whole world a library".*
To take part:
simply download the image of the Urbis bookcrossing sticker label:
Howdy! Hola! Bonjour! Guten Tag!
I'm a very special book. You see, I'm travelling 'round the world making new friends. I hope I've met another one in you. Please go to www.BookCrossing.com and make a journal entry with my BCID. Not only will you see where I've been, but my old friends will know I'm OK. Then...READ and RELEASE me!
then, go to the BookCrossing site to get an ID number, write it on the sticker and release the book into public yourself!
___________________________________________________
BBC NEWS | England | Manchester | Book swap hits streets
*On Saturday, 16 August 2003, Urbis released hundreds of books for others to find, read and pass on again - bringing the international project to the streets of Manchester, England, UK.
Manchester's Urbis museum is behind the book exchange's introduction to the UK and visitors are being urged to bring their old books in to take part.
People are asked to look out for books everywhere - from street corners to shopping arcades - in taxis, phone boxes and cafes all over the city!
Those who find the books are encouraged to read them and then release them back "into the wild" for others to pick up, read and pass on.
All of the books in the exchange have a Bookcrossing sticker on them with a unique ID number which is registered on the project's website.
When someone finds a stickered book they can go online to view the book's journey to them.
Known as Bookcrossing, the idea has already been introduced to the cities of Melbourne, Shanghair, Oslo, Montreal and Hong Kong.
Scott Burnham, Urbis creative director, said: "The beauty of Bookcrossing is that it's organic - this project will evolve and take on a life of its own as books are passed on and on".*
______________________________________________________
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/21/2003
Wednesday, August 20, 2003
TECHNORATI WEB SERVICES FOR BLOGGERS
Technorati's fun new keyword search feature provides members with the most up-to-date search of all of the weblogs that Technorati tracks - over 360,000 at last count.
I keyed in *ME AND OPHELIA* and was astounded at what came up on screen: every blog page containing the words *me* and *Ophelia*!
Quickly, I narrowed the search to "Ophelia" and was amazed at the amount of detail a keyword search throws up.
Technorati's fun new keyword search feature provides members with the most up-to-date search of all of the weblogs that Technorati tracks - over 360,000 at last count.
I keyed in *ME AND OPHELIA* and was astounded at what came up on screen: every blog page containing the words *me* and *Ophelia*!
Quickly, I narrowed the search to "Ophelia" and was amazed at the amount of detail a keyword search throws up.
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/20/2003
Tuesday, August 19, 2003
ANOTHER WINDOWS WORM SPREADING BY EMAIL - W32/Sobig-F
BBC NEWS | Technology | New computer virus hits inboxes
*Email users are being warned to be wary of messages bearing subject lines such as: Re: details, Re: approved, Re: Thank You, Re: That movie, Re: Wicked Screensaver or Your Details.*
Many reports of the W32/Sobig-F worm spreading, Sophos Anti-Virus advises.
BBC NEWS | Technology | New computer virus hits inboxes
*Email users are being warned to be wary of messages bearing subject lines such as: Re: details, Re: approved, Re: Thank You, Re: That movie, Re: Wicked Screensaver or Your Details.*
Many reports of the W32/Sobig-F worm spreading, Sophos Anti-Virus advises.
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/19/2003
ANOTHER WINDOWS WORM IS ON THE LOOSE - W32/Nachi-A
But this one tries to help rather than hinder
BBC NEWS | Technology | New web worm tackles bugs
My new laptop arrived in June.
I am already getting a bit cheesed off with Microsoft.
Home computing is harder work than I anticipated.
At work, all I had to do was contact IT and they would sort everything.
Here, at home, within minutes of getting started with Microsoft (which takes hours of CDs, codes, numbers, names, passwords, user names, on and on and on) I had to contend, every minute, with *adult* Messenger Service popups from Susanne Girl et al. That took hours to sort out.
Next, I had a major system crash, a worm, and a wannabe worm. Lost part of my weblog template, both site counters and guest map. Spent hours and days getting uncrashed and dewormed, running virus checks and downloading Microsoft and Symantec updates, purchasing and installing ZoneAlarm Pro firewall and pest control, fixing my weblog and template, and posting blogs on all of this.
It has turned me into a techie, authoring a techie weblog, with no energy left to learn how to backup onto CD or use my new scanner.
Guarding against wee beasties polluting my new machine, is draining what little energy I have left.
I paid good money for the latest Windows XP. With that, and the equipment costs, I could have purchased the latest 17" laptop from Apple Mac.
Now another worm is on the loose, targetting only Windows XP.
Sophos virus analysis: W32/Nachi-A explains that it is a Win32 type worm that spreads, using the RPC DCOM vulnerability, in a similar way to the W32/Blaster-A worm.
I wonder, how much business was lost, around the world, during Tues Aug 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and how much was gained by the software security sector?
Do Apple Mac users have such problems, and if not, why not?
But this one tries to help rather than hinder
BBC NEWS | Technology | New web worm tackles bugs
My new laptop arrived in June.
I am already getting a bit cheesed off with Microsoft.
Home computing is harder work than I anticipated.
At work, all I had to do was contact IT and they would sort everything.
Here, at home, within minutes of getting started with Microsoft (which takes hours of CDs, codes, numbers, names, passwords, user names, on and on and on) I had to contend, every minute, with *adult* Messenger Service popups from Susanne Girl et al. That took hours to sort out.
Next, I had a major system crash, a worm, and a wannabe worm. Lost part of my weblog template, both site counters and guest map. Spent hours and days getting uncrashed and dewormed, running virus checks and downloading Microsoft and Symantec updates, purchasing and installing ZoneAlarm Pro firewall and pest control, fixing my weblog and template, and posting blogs on all of this.
It has turned me into a techie, authoring a techie weblog, with no energy left to learn how to backup onto CD or use my new scanner.
Guarding against wee beasties polluting my new machine, is draining what little energy I have left.
I paid good money for the latest Windows XP. With that, and the equipment costs, I could have purchased the latest 17" laptop from Apple Mac.
Now another worm is on the loose, targetting only Windows XP.
Sophos virus analysis: W32/Nachi-A explains that it is a Win32 type worm that spreads, using the RPC DCOM vulnerability, in a similar way to the W32/Blaster-A worm.
I wonder, how much business was lost, around the world, during Tues Aug 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and how much was gained by the software security sector?
Do Apple Mac users have such problems, and if not, why not?
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/19/2003
Monday, August 18, 2003
FANTASTIC TEOMA SEARCH BAR
Great features - get yours free now
I have just downloaded the Teoma Search Bar. Wow. Check this out.
Click here to download the toolbar and learn how Teoma works.
Thank you to David Winer's Scripting News Weblog: WSJ - *Is Google Slipping?*
____________________________________________________
Great features - get yours free now
I have just downloaded the Teoma Search Bar. Wow. Check this out.
Click here to download the toolbar and learn how Teoma works.
Thank you to David Winer's Scripting News Weblog: WSJ - *Is Google Slipping?*
____________________________________________________
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/18/2003
VIRUS AND HOAX INFORMATION FEEDS AND EMAIL ALERTS
Free from Sophos Anti-Virus
Sophos email notification can send you the latest virus warnings and news by email.
Would you like your website to include the very latest information about computer viruses, Trojans, worms and hoaxes?
By using the feeds from Sophos Anti-Virus you can ensure your website carries useful, up-to-the-minute data on the latest threats.
These services are completely free.
Latest virus alerts
Top viruses last month
Top virus hoaxes
Once you have registered Sophos will email you a small piece of HTML code and instructions on how to incorporate the latest virus and hoax information into your existing pages, choosing your own colours and look-and-feel.
After you have their code in place on your website/intranet, you won't have to do anything else. Your site will be updated automatically with the very latest virus and hoax information.
All they ask is that you credit Sophos for the information.
This service is also available as an RSS feed.
Scroll towards the bottom of my links column, on your right, and you will see how they look on a free blogspot from blogger.com.
__________________________________________
WTC SURVIVOR - Virus Hoax
A reliable family friend has just sent me an email entitled "Fwd: Email Warning" which contains dire warnings about emails entitled WTC Survivor. According to Sophos hoaxes & scares description: WTC Survivor, it is a hoax.
Free from Sophos Anti-Virus
Sophos email notification can send you the latest virus warnings and news by email.
Would you like your website to include the very latest information about computer viruses, Trojans, worms and hoaxes?
By using the feeds from Sophos Anti-Virus you can ensure your website carries useful, up-to-the-minute data on the latest threats.
These services are completely free.
Latest virus alerts
Top viruses last month
Top virus hoaxes
Once you have registered Sophos will email you a small piece of HTML code and instructions on how to incorporate the latest virus and hoax information into your existing pages, choosing your own colours and look-and-feel.
After you have their code in place on your website/intranet, you won't have to do anything else. Your site will be updated automatically with the very latest virus and hoax information.
All they ask is that you credit Sophos for the information.
This service is also available as an RSS feed.
Scroll towards the bottom of my links column, on your right, and you will see how they look on a free blogspot from blogger.com.
__________________________________________
WTC SURVIVOR - Virus Hoax
A reliable family friend has just sent me an email entitled "Fwd: Email Warning" which contains dire warnings about emails entitled WTC Survivor. According to Sophos hoaxes & scares description: WTC Survivor, it is a hoax.
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/18/2003
Sunday, August 17, 2003
BBC NEWS | Health | Scientists unlock mystery nerve pain
[Excerpt] *Scientists at the National Insitute of Health Sciences in Tokyo believe they are a step closer to solving the riddle of the severe *neuropathic* pain.
The answer may lie in *microglial* cells - which can be found in the spinal cord and behave a little like immune cells.
When Tokyo researchers took activated microglial cells, then injected them directly into the spinal cords of rats, they developed neuropathic pain.
The researchers believe that a particular receptor protein on the surface of the cell may be responsible.
When rats were given nerve damage so that they developed neuropathic pain without the injections, high concentrations of this protein were found.
There is now the possibility - that if the same protein exists in humans - that a drug could be developed to block its effect.
Dr Donna Lloyd, from the Pain Research Insitute at Liverpool University, told BBC News Online the find could be important.*
____________________________________________________
[Excerpt] *Scientists at the National Insitute of Health Sciences in Tokyo believe they are a step closer to solving the riddle of the severe *neuropathic* pain.
The answer may lie in *microglial* cells - which can be found in the spinal cord and behave a little like immune cells.
When Tokyo researchers took activated microglial cells, then injected them directly into the spinal cords of rats, they developed neuropathic pain.
The researchers believe that a particular receptor protein on the surface of the cell may be responsible.
When rats were given nerve damage so that they developed neuropathic pain without the injections, high concentrations of this protein were found.
There is now the possibility - that if the same protein exists in humans - that a drug could be developed to block its effect.
Dr Donna Lloyd, from the Pain Research Insitute at Liverpool University, told BBC News Online the find could be important.*
____________________________________________________
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/17/2003
WORLD'S FIRST CINEMATIC GROUP MEDITATION!
Brighton Odeon (England, UK) 10 September 2003, 8pm. Tickets at £7.50 (inc. 50p booking fee)
What a great way for workers to spend a lunchtime or avoid the rush hour. This could prove popular, especially in the inner cities.
Meditainment, quote: *Imagine... The comfort of your own cinema seat... The richness of full surround sound... A deep sense of communal relaxation and calm...
Treat yourself to a relaxing journey away from the pressures of everyday life. Whether you are an expert or new to meditation, Meditainment will take you on a unique journey leaving you energised and refreshed.
Hospitals are also using Meditainment - audio CDs are proving a useful addition to the emotional support services required for effective medical care.*
I have just downloaded a full 15 minute Meditainment Experience (mp3 format) - you can also get yours, free, right now, at Meditainment.com - Downloads.*
The download takes 30 minutes with a 56K modem - but should prove worthwhile if it provides a free and simple way to help soothe the stresses and strains of everyday life.
Thanks to BBC NEWS | Health | Meditating on a cinema first
____________________________________________________
Brighton Odeon (England, UK) 10 September 2003, 8pm. Tickets at £7.50 (inc. 50p booking fee)
What a great way for workers to spend a lunchtime or avoid the rush hour. This could prove popular, especially in the inner cities.
Meditainment, quote: *Imagine... The comfort of your own cinema seat... The richness of full surround sound... A deep sense of communal relaxation and calm...
Treat yourself to a relaxing journey away from the pressures of everyday life. Whether you are an expert or new to meditation, Meditainment will take you on a unique journey leaving you energised and refreshed.
Hospitals are also using Meditainment - audio CDs are proving a useful addition to the emotional support services required for effective medical care.*
I have just downloaded a full 15 minute Meditainment Experience (mp3 format) - you can also get yours, free, right now, at Meditainment.com - Downloads.*
The download takes 30 minutes with a 56K modem - but should prove worthwhile if it provides a free and simple way to help soothe the stresses and strains of everyday life.
Thanks to BBC NEWS | Health | Meditating on a cinema first
____________________________________________________
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/17/2003
CHINA BLOG LIST
Listing of blogs in English devoted to China
China Blog List - Sinosplice Network is a listing of blogs in English devoted to China.
Many of them are written by foreigners in China, although a few are written by non-Chinese elsewhere or by Chinese people.
Site creator, Jon Pasden, is an American currently residing in Hangzhou, China, teaching English and studying Chinese.
The goal of the site is to provide a window into China unsmeared by media fear-mongering, political agendas, or economic goals.
This is a great starting point if you are looking to learn about what life is really like in China.
Blogs with a dark background are blocked in China.
I have just emailed John to let him know that this weblog, created 5 weeks ago (on the day I discovered blogging and free blogspots at blogger.com!) provides headings, in my right sidebar, for blog links to Japan and China.
On my "blog travels", I look for any severe ME/CFS sufferers writing blogs - to see if they are "recovering" and, if so, how (very few so far).
ME/CFS info and "patient speak" is much the same here in the UK as it is in the US, Canada and Australia - basically the same pool of information.
Eventually, I hope to gain an insight into the lives of ME/CFS sufferers living elsewhere, i.e. Japan and China.
I have asked John to please keep me in mind if he comes across any information or people, concerned with ME/CFS in China.
Listing of blogs in English devoted to China
China Blog List - Sinosplice Network is a listing of blogs in English devoted to China.
Many of them are written by foreigners in China, although a few are written by non-Chinese elsewhere or by Chinese people.
Site creator, Jon Pasden, is an American currently residing in Hangzhou, China, teaching English and studying Chinese.
The goal of the site is to provide a window into China unsmeared by media fear-mongering, political agendas, or economic goals.
This is a great starting point if you are looking to learn about what life is really like in China.
Blogs with a dark background are blocked in China.
I have just emailed John to let him know that this weblog, created 5 weeks ago (on the day I discovered blogging and free blogspots at blogger.com!) provides headings, in my right sidebar, for blog links to Japan and China.
On my "blog travels", I look for any severe ME/CFS sufferers writing blogs - to see if they are "recovering" and, if so, how (very few so far).
ME/CFS info and "patient speak" is much the same here in the UK as it is in the US, Canada and Australia - basically the same pool of information.
Eventually, I hope to gain an insight into the lives of ME/CFS sufferers living elsewhere, i.e. Japan and China.
I have asked John to please keep me in mind if he comes across any information or people, concerned with ME/CFS in China.
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/17/2003
Friday, August 15, 2003
MICROSOFT SECURITY INCIDENT
What you should know about the blaster worm and its variants
Click here for the latest update from Microsoft.
If you need Microsoft Download Center and find it is unavailable, click into *How to remove MSBlast* which gives an alternative download link, and explains how, after infection, you can use your computer when it keeps shutting down (see also, my posts below dated August 12 and 13).
Yesterday, I purchased and installed ZoneAlarm Pro with Pest Control. Today, I ran updates online at Symantec and Microsoft Windows Update.
One and a half hours ago, Symantec detected, identified and quarantined a second blaster worm virus entering my computer. The file quarantined was called A0006501.exe
Symantec is working well and doing a great job, thanks! (see my posts below, dated 12 and 13 August).
____________________________________________________
What you should know about the blaster worm and its variants
Click here for the latest update from Microsoft.
If you need Microsoft Download Center and find it is unavailable, click into *How to remove MSBlast* which gives an alternative download link, and explains how, after infection, you can use your computer when it keeps shutting down (see also, my posts below dated August 12 and 13).
Yesterday, I purchased and installed ZoneAlarm Pro with Pest Control. Today, I ran updates online at Symantec and Microsoft Windows Update.
One and a half hours ago, Symantec detected, identified and quarantined a second blaster worm virus entering my computer. The file quarantined was called A0006501.exe
Symantec is working well and doing a great job, thanks! (see my posts below, dated 12 and 13 August).
____________________________________________________
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/15/2003
Worm outbreak leads to change in XP's default firewall setting
Following extract from report by Sam Varghese, Friday August 15, 2003, The Age - the electronic edition of Melbourne's premier daily newspaper:
Microsoft has decided to change the default settings for the internet connection firewall that is part of Windows XP, following the breakout of the massive worm infection this week.
In a posting to the NT-BugTraq mailing list, newly appointed Microsoft Director of Security Engineering Strategies, Steve Lipner, was quoted as saying that instead of being partially configured, the firewall would now be fully configured.
Meanwhile, the Windows worm, which is known as LoveSan or MSBlaster, will begin to stage a distributed denial of service attack on the Microsoft update site from midnight on August 16.
Each infected host on the internet will begin to send packets of data to windowsupdate.com (on port 80), in an attempt to knock the site offline. Each infected computer will judge the time by consulting its system clock.
eEye Digital Security said the attack was independent of the year and would start on the 16th of each month from January through August, or on any day in September through December. It said this behaviour could persist as long as instances of the worm remain active in the wild.
An advisory from the anti-virus firm Sophos said each machine which ran the worm on or after August 16 (with a new infection or after a reboot) would send 50 packets per second to the site.
Another anti-virus firm F-Prot said it had documented two variants of the worm, both of which exhibited identical behaviour to the original.
F-Secure said LovSan.C, the third variant, used a file named penis32.exe. LovSan.B had teekids.exe as the name for the actual worm.
____________________________________________
No back doors for CIA in our code: Microsoft
By Adam Turner, Friday August 15, 2003, The Age - the electronic edition of Melbourne's premier daily newspaper
via Technorati: Breaking News, with context
____________________________________________
Following extract from report by Sam Varghese, Friday August 15, 2003, The Age - the electronic edition of Melbourne's premier daily newspaper:
Microsoft has decided to change the default settings for the internet connection firewall that is part of Windows XP, following the breakout of the massive worm infection this week.
In a posting to the NT-BugTraq mailing list, newly appointed Microsoft Director of Security Engineering Strategies, Steve Lipner, was quoted as saying that instead of being partially configured, the firewall would now be fully configured.
Meanwhile, the Windows worm, which is known as LoveSan or MSBlaster, will begin to stage a distributed denial of service attack on the Microsoft update site from midnight on August 16.
Each infected host on the internet will begin to send packets of data to windowsupdate.com (on port 80), in an attempt to knock the site offline. Each infected computer will judge the time by consulting its system clock.
eEye Digital Security said the attack was independent of the year and would start on the 16th of each month from January through August, or on any day in September through December. It said this behaviour could persist as long as instances of the worm remain active in the wild.
An advisory from the anti-virus firm Sophos said each machine which ran the worm on or after August 16 (with a new infection or after a reboot) would send 50 packets per second to the site.
Another anti-virus firm F-Prot said it had documented two variants of the worm, both of which exhibited identical behaviour to the original.
F-Secure said LovSan.C, the third variant, used a file named penis32.exe. LovSan.B had teekids.exe as the name for the actual worm.
____________________________________________
No back doors for CIA in our code: Microsoft
By Adam Turner, Friday August 15, 2003, The Age - the electronic edition of Melbourne's premier daily newspaper
via Technorati: Breaking News, with context
____________________________________________
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/15/2003
BBC NEWS | Technology | Wiping out the web worm
Further to my posts dated August 12 and 13 - above BBC report dated Thursday August 14, provides the following links and clean up tips:
If infected, disconnect your PC from the net
Disable the DCOM protocol (Microsoft explains how, in link below)
Reconnect to the net
Download and run cleaning program (from Symantec, in link below)
Download and apply patch
Update anti-virus software
Microsoft: 825750 - How to Disable DCOM Support in Windows
Symantec Worldwide Home Page
Explains:
W32.Blaster.Worm is a worm that will exploit the DCOM RPC vulnerability using TCP port 135. It will attempt to download and run a file, msblast.exe.
STEP 1: Read Critical Information
STEP 2: Update Virus Definitions
STEP 3: Download Removal Tool
Note that the BBC report above, containing these links, can easily be e-mailed to a friend.
Further to my posts dated August 12 and 13 - above BBC report dated Thursday August 14, provides the following links and clean up tips:
If infected, disconnect your PC from the net
Disable the DCOM protocol (Microsoft explains how, in link below)
Reconnect to the net
Download and run cleaning program (from Symantec, in link below)
Download and apply patch
Update anti-virus software
Microsoft: 825750 - How to Disable DCOM Support in Windows
Symantec Worldwide Home Page
Explains:
W32.Blaster.Worm is a worm that will exploit the DCOM RPC vulnerability using TCP port 135. It will attempt to download and run a file, msblast.exe.
STEP 1: Read Critical Information
STEP 2: Update Virus Definitions
STEP 3: Download Removal Tool
Note that the BBC report above, containing these links, can easily be e-mailed to a friend.
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/15/2003
Thursday, August 14, 2003
AN EXPERIMENT ON BLOGS
Research into the habits of bloggers
Scott Nowson, a PhD student at the Institute for Communicating and Collaborative Systems (within School of Informatics, The University of Edinburgh) is conducting an Experiment on Blogs.
Scott is doing this because, as part of his PhD thesis, he is studying language use and writing styles in personal blogs, to identify trends as they relate to character.
By style he means, quote: *linguistic features such as those used by the stylistics community for authorship attribution, such as sentence length, word bigrams and trigrams, and parts-of-speech*.
And by character, he means just that, quote: *One of the applications of this work is character authoring. There is currently work within the school on character-rich automatic text generation, and systems like this will require character models to drive the generation*.
This is Scott's home page about his study on blogs that he has been conducting from July 2003.
Scott's personal weblog at Blogademia relates to his academic study of blogs and details how his experiment is going.
via Stuart's Weblog : via Scottish Blogs
Research into the habits of bloggers
Scott Nowson, a PhD student at the Institute for Communicating and Collaborative Systems (within School of Informatics, The University of Edinburgh) is conducting an Experiment on Blogs.
Scott is doing this because, as part of his PhD thesis, he is studying language use and writing styles in personal blogs, to identify trends as they relate to character.
By style he means, quote: *linguistic features such as those used by the stylistics community for authorship attribution, such as sentence length, word bigrams and trigrams, and parts-of-speech*.
And by character, he means just that, quote: *One of the applications of this work is character authoring. There is currently work within the school on character-rich automatic text generation, and systems like this will require character models to drive the generation*.
This is Scott's home page about his study on blogs that he has been conducting from July 2003.
Scott's personal weblog at Blogademia relates to his academic study of blogs and details how his experiment is going.
via Stuart's Weblog : via Scottish Blogs
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/14/2003
Wednesday, August 13, 2003
BBC NEWS | Technology | Home users suffer web worm woe
This link to Freeserve - Help - Service Status
is courtesy of Suzy Chapman at FreeMEuk.
Yahoo! Groups : FreeMEuk is a forum for people with ME/CFS and their carers - for discussing all ME related issues, sharing information and experiences, and working together towards raising the profile of ME/CFS sufferers, in a safe and supportive community.
This link to Freeserve - Help - Service Status
is courtesy of Suzy Chapman at FreeMEuk.
Yahoo! Groups : FreeMEuk is a forum for people with ME/CFS and their carers - for discussing all ME related issues, sharing information and experiences, and working together towards raising the profile of ME/CFS sufferers, in a safe and supportive community.
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/13/2003
Tuesday, August 12, 2003
BBC NEWS | Technology | Worm blasts across the web
This morning Symantec stated only Windows 2000 and Windows XP are affected. This BBC report lists:
Microsoft Windows NT 4.0
Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Terminal Services Edition
Microsoft Windows 2000,
Microsoft Windows XP, and
Microsoft Windows Server 2003.
____________________________________________________
This morning Symantec stated only Windows 2000 and Windows XP are affected. This BBC report lists:
Microsoft Windows NT 4.0
Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Terminal Services Edition
Microsoft Windows 2000,
Microsoft Windows XP, and
Microsoft Windows Server 2003.
____________________________________________________
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/12/2003
W32.Blaster.Worm discovered on August 11, 2003
Thousands of computers across the world affected
Yesterday afternoon I could not use my computer (Microsoft XP) for more than a few minutes. It shut down after four message boxes appeared on screen:
- System Shutdown - this shutdown was initiated by NT Authority\System
- Windows must now restart - because the Remote Procedure Call Service (RPC) terminated unexpectedly
- Error Signature - with three lines of text
- Generic Host Process for Win 32 Service.
I used Symantec to scan for viruses but none were detected.
The messages increased in frequency, each time shutting down the computer and blocking my use of email.
I telephoned Dell this morning. Many other customers had reported the same problem. It was the Blaster Worm (the process *msblast.exe* is viral) affecting thousands of computers all over the world. Dell had been working all through the night to provide a solution.
Within minutes Dell emailed me links to download patches. As a result, W32.Blaster.Worm was successfully removed from my computer and everything is now working fine.
Thank you to Dell, Microsoft TechNet, and Symantec for providing new safeguards, the W.32.Blaster.Worm Removal Tool, and the following two links:
Microsoft Download details: Windows XP Security Patch: Buffer Overrun In RPC Interface Could Allow Code Execution
Symantec Security Response - W32.Blaster.Worm
Please read above three links NOW!
The following line appeared at the end of the email sent to me by the Technician at Dell:
...what would you attempt to do, if you knew, you would not fail?...
Thousands of computers across the world affected
Yesterday afternoon I could not use my computer (Microsoft XP) for more than a few minutes. It shut down after four message boxes appeared on screen:
- System Shutdown - this shutdown was initiated by NT Authority\System
- Windows must now restart - because the Remote Procedure Call Service (RPC) terminated unexpectedly
- Error Signature - with three lines of text
- Generic Host Process for Win 32 Service.
I used Symantec to scan for viruses but none were detected.
The messages increased in frequency, each time shutting down the computer and blocking my use of email.
I telephoned Dell this morning. Many other customers had reported the same problem. It was the Blaster Worm (the process *msblast.exe* is viral) affecting thousands of computers all over the world. Dell had been working all through the night to provide a solution.
Within minutes Dell emailed me links to download patches. As a result, W32.Blaster.Worm was successfully removed from my computer and everything is now working fine.
Thank you to Dell, Microsoft TechNet, and Symantec for providing new safeguards, the W.32.Blaster.Worm Removal Tool, and the following two links:
Microsoft Download details: Windows XP Security Patch: Buffer Overrun In RPC Interface Could Allow Code Execution
Symantec Security Response - W32.Blaster.Worm
Please read above three links NOW!
The following line appeared at the end of the email sent to me by the Technician at Dell:
...what would you attempt to do, if you knew, you would not fail?...
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/12/2003
Saturday, August 09, 2003
FIND A PERSON
Renew old friendships or work contacts
Eliyon CorporateAlumni has compiled profiles of 15,448,766 people from millions of corporate and personal websites, government filings, press releases and other sources.
They say this is to help you (or anyone in the world) uncover contacts for:
job seeking
building your network
finding sales leads
recruiting
renewing old friendships or work contacts
maintaining a corporate alumni list
finding people you want to call...
Within minutes I found jaw dropping details on people I know - friends, neighbours, old bosses and colleagues - all for free.
If CorporateAlumni is accurate, it tells me that an ex-boss of mine fibbed to everyone about where he was educated.
Eliyon CorporateAlumni is awesome, and frightening.
via Evan Williams @ EVHEAD COM
Renew old friendships or work contacts
Eliyon CorporateAlumni has compiled profiles of 15,448,766 people from millions of corporate and personal websites, government filings, press releases and other sources.
They say this is to help you (or anyone in the world) uncover contacts for:
job seeking
building your network
finding sales leads
recruiting
renewing old friendships or work contacts
maintaining a corporate alumni list
finding people you want to call...
Within minutes I found jaw dropping details on people I know - friends, neighbours, old bosses and colleagues - all for free.
If CorporateAlumni is accurate, it tells me that an ex-boss of mine fibbed to everyone about where he was educated.
Eliyon CorporateAlumni is awesome, and frightening.
via Evan Williams @ EVHEAD COM
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/09/2003
Friday, August 08, 2003
THANK YOU GOOGLE FOR FREE NEWS ALERTS
Great new daily email service launched 4 August 2003
Check this out - a great free service at Google's technology playground where:
You can choose your breaking news.
Google News Alerts are sent to you by email when news articles appear online that match the topics you specify.
Some handy uses of Google News Alerts include:
monitoring a developing news story
keeping current on a competitor or industry
getting the latest on a celebrity or event
keeping tabs on your favourite sports team.
AND, don't miss out on using Google's great new handy toolbar - you can get it for free from BLOGGER, in my links column, to the right of your screen. It has a button to create a blog post and automatically captures the URL of any web page - just what I needed - ALL of my links NOW work!
More Big News! New Google Operator
Also on 4 August 2003, Google introduced a new advanced search feature that enables users to search not only for a particular keyword, but also for its synonyms (word having the same, or very nearly the same, meaning with another). You can do this by placing a ~ character directly in front of the keyword in the search box. More on this can be found at Google Weblog.
Great new daily email service launched 4 August 2003
Check this out - a great free service at Google's technology playground where:
You can choose your breaking news.
Google News Alerts are sent to you by email when news articles appear online that match the topics you specify.
Some handy uses of Google News Alerts include:
monitoring a developing news story
keeping current on a competitor or industry
getting the latest on a celebrity or event
keeping tabs on your favourite sports team.
AND, don't miss out on using Google's great new handy toolbar - you can get it for free from BLOGGER, in my links column, to the right of your screen. It has a button to create a blog post and automatically captures the URL of any web page - just what I needed - ALL of my links NOW work!
More Big News! New Google Operator
Also on 4 August 2003, Google introduced a new advanced search feature that enables users to search not only for a particular keyword, but also for its synonyms (word having the same, or very nearly the same, meaning with another). You can do this by placing a ~ character directly in front of the keyword in the search box. More on this can be found at Google Weblog.
# posted by Ingrid @ 8/08/2003
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Thank you to Blogger for this weblog - you can start yours for free now at:
Please contact me anytime:
Email: Ingrid Jones
Wednesday, August 06, 2003
LAURA HILLENBRAND, SEVERE CFS SUFFERER SINCE 1987
Author of the stupendously successful Seabiscuit: An American Legend
These two articles - featuring the gripping story of Laura Hillenbrand - are a must for anyone interested in gaining insight into the life of a severely affected sufferer.
See my links column (on your right) for more on Laura Hillenbrand and Seabiscuit the film, released July 2003, starring Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper, and Tobey Maguire as the jockey.
AGAINST THE ODDS
Laura Hillenbrand Surmounted Illness to Cross the Finish Line With Seabiscuit
Laura Hillenbrand on chronic fatigue syndrome:
*I definitely had a lot of problems with people thinking this was some sort of hypochondria or some sort of willful attempt to get attention.*
*This illness is to fatigue what a nuclear bomb is to a match,* she says. *It is an absurd mischaracterization.*
AGAINST ALL ODDS
Illness made Laura Hillenbrand a long shot to finish the acclaimed book Seabiscuit
Extract:
*Seabiscuit is a riveting story about a gimpy legged horse who defied all the odds to become one of the greatest racers in history, one so beloved that his name was mentioned in more newspapers articles in 1938, the year of his sensational triumph as Horse of the Year over archrival War Admiral, than either Franklin Roosevelts or Adolf Hitlers. It is a masterpiece of reportage, chock-full of arresting detail.*
Extract:
*The Illness got me used to accepting that I could not do or have very much. All possibility disappeared from my life,* says Hillenbrand. *Now, with all this love coming in and people believing in me, I can believe in myself. So in a way, Seabiscuit is to me what he was to people in the Depression. He is possibility.*
_____________________________________________
FANS FLEX THEIR MUSCLE ONLINE
When football teams face a crisis, supporters take the fight online
On reading this, the ME Association stories (below) sprang to mind:
*When football teams face a crisis, supporters take the fight online. Mike Pattenden discovers how net campaigns can save or sink a club.
There was a time when football supporters paid their money at the turnstile, cheered on their team and then went home. Clubs were controlled by unaccountable chairmen, and the paying public had no hand in the running of the club and no representation. The internet has changed all that.
Whether it be saving clubs on the brink of extinction, protesting against the men in suits who run the game or even choosing which strip the boys will wear next season, the internet has proved pivotal in empowering fans. The balance of power is tilting from the boardroom to the terraces.*
_____________________________________________
BITTER ROW ENGULFS ME ASSOCIATION
Extract:
*The ME Association, the UKs oldest charity for the chronic fatigue illness, could face closure as it struggles to cope with a bitter feud between its new chief executive and its former chief medical adviser.*
_____________________________________________
THINKPIECE: INTERNET USERS HAVE *HIJACKED* FUNDING APPEAL
By Val Hockey, Chief Executive of the ME Association
_____________________________________________
The two articles above - re The ME Association (MEA) - are not only nasty attempts at character assassination by Ms Val Hockey on Dr Charles Shepherd, our long serving medical adviser, but also an insult to the intelligence of ME patients, carers, support groups, members and ex members, and that of Dr Shepherds.
Dr Shepherds reputation and future, along with that of ME patients, is at stake during this *bitter row which engulfs the MEA* as it seems that Ms Hockey is, quite clearly, out to destroy him by using him as a scapegoat for her wastage of MEA funds on an unnecessary, and time consuming, *corporate style* modernisation process, whilst failing to adequately represent ME and sufferers in the five years that she has been in office.
In the past few years, the ME Association has been drained of its best assets and resources, both financial and human, and over the past few months Ms Hockey has unashamedly continued to waste association time, money and resources on a personal vendetta against Dr Shepherd and is using, as her vehicle to carry it out, the name of our charity.
Many other chief executives manage to provide good leadership and man management skills to steer people and organisations through complex and difficult situations. It is what they are paid to do.
Where is her consideration and concern for the ME patient that her performance and conduct is letting down, upsetting, distressing and depressing? We patients have enough battles to contend with.
If Ms Hockey and the MEA Board, *the only people in command of the facts*, were as passionate about trying to save the ME Association as she portrays, she would have stepped down or, at the very least, taken a cut in pay during the latest financial crisis. A crisis for which she refuses, in her current role as both chief executive and company secretary, to explain properly or take any responsibility.
It seems to me that Ms Hockey is selective as to when and where and to whom she communicates whilst hiding behind the MEA Board and blaming MEA woes on vociferous ME patients, their long standing medical adviser, ME support groups, carers and internet users, in fact everyone, except herself.
_________________________________
THE ME ASSOCIATION
Request for renewal of annual subscription and membership
I have just received a letter from the ME Association, dated 29 July 2003, stating that my membership renewal is due on 1 August 2003 and they would like to invite me to renew.
The letter went on to say that the total for the 60 day appeal (for one hundred and fifty thousand pounds by 14 July) has not been met and that the organisation remains viable with certainty to the end of the year and full information will appear in the Summer magazine.
They are asking me to pay a full 12 month subscription in advance. Printed on the letter is a list entitled *12 reasons to be a Member of The ME Association*.
The following seven reasons are of no interest to me (my reasons are in brackets):
1) Support connect service by email, phone, fax or letter (too few hours, lines are always engaged, not for severely affected sufferers)
2) Range of products and Dr Shepherds book *Living with ME* (I do not use oils or herbs; I have the book)
3) Free access to MEA register of health professionals (of no use to me)
4) MEA Financial Services (they must be joking)
5) Affordable Medical Alert bracelets (not useful)
6) Professional Education towards enhanced partnership working with ME/CFS patients (chronic fatigue illness)
7) Opportunity to train as a volunteer (I am horizontal 23.5 hours per day).
The remaining five reasons are of interest to me (my reasons for disappointment in brackets):
8) Quarterly ME magazine (represents ME as a chronic fatigue illness and not a physical illness as defined by Dr Melvin Ramsay)
9) Quarterly Research and Scientific Bulletin (same as for No. 8)
10) Government Representation, your experiences and views represented at the highest level of government (same as for No. 8)
11) New Research Initiative, opportunity to influence the research into ME carried out from the Ramsay Research Fund, managed by The ME Association (I am still waiting for news on the outcome of MEA funded research project, on severely affected sufferers, started in December 2002 by Dr Pheby at Bristol Uni SW)
12) Belonging to a charity whose policy and mission is to be non judgmental, balanced, evidence directed and empowering (how empowering? my computer is empowering).
I am upset at having to think about this, and wonder what the founding father of ME, Dr Ramsay, would have made of it all.
The MEA has been in existence for some 27 years and, being a charity, if needs must, could have been scaled down a few years ago to function quite easily with quality (not quantity) staff, a computer, printer, photocopier, website, telephone and mailing service.
Over the past seven years, Simon Lawrence, Co-ordinator of The 25% ME Group, has achieved wonders for thousands of ME sufferers throughout Britain and abroad, on a shoe string, in a wheelchair, in pain and poor health, in fact more than the two main ME charities, with all their money, put together.
Thank God for Simon Lawrence and The 25% ME Group.
Author of the stupendously successful Seabiscuit: An American Legend
These two articles - featuring the gripping story of Laura Hillenbrand - are a must for anyone interested in gaining insight into the life of a severely affected sufferer.
See my links column (on your right) for more on Laura Hillenbrand and Seabiscuit the film, released July 2003, starring Jeff Bridges, Chris Cooper, and Tobey Maguire as the jockey.
AGAINST THE ODDS
Laura Hillenbrand Surmounted Illness to Cross the Finish Line With Seabiscuit
Laura Hillenbrand on chronic fatigue syndrome:
*I definitely had a lot of problems with people thinking this was some sort of hypochondria or some sort of willful attempt to get attention.*
*This illness is to fatigue what a nuclear bomb is to a match,* she says. *It is an absurd mischaracterization.*
AGAINST ALL ODDS
Illness made Laura Hillenbrand a long shot to finish the acclaimed book Seabiscuit
Extract:
*Seabiscuit is a riveting story about a gimpy legged horse who defied all the odds to become one of the greatest racers in history, one so beloved that his name was mentioned in more newspapers articles in 1938, the year of his sensational triumph as Horse of the Year over archrival War Admiral, than either Franklin Roosevelts or Adolf Hitlers. It is a masterpiece of reportage, chock-full of arresting detail.*
Extract:
*The Illness got me used to accepting that I could not do or have very much. All possibility disappeared from my life,* says Hillenbrand. *Now, with all this love coming in and people believing in me, I can believe in myself. So in a way, Seabiscuit is to me what he was to people in the Depression. He is possibility.*
_____________________________________________
FANS FLEX THEIR MUSCLE ONLINE
When football teams face a crisis, supporters take the fight online
On reading this, the ME Association stories (below) sprang to mind:
*When football teams face a crisis, supporters take the fight online. Mike Pattenden discovers how net campaigns can save or sink a club.
There was a time when football supporters paid their money at the turnstile, cheered on their team and then went home. Clubs were controlled by unaccountable chairmen, and the paying public had no hand in the running of the club and no representation. The internet has changed all that.
Whether it be saving clubs on the brink of extinction, protesting against the men in suits who run the game or even choosing which strip the boys will wear next season, the internet has proved pivotal in empowering fans. The balance of power is tilting from the boardroom to the terraces.*
_____________________________________________
BITTER ROW ENGULFS ME ASSOCIATION
Extract:
*The ME Association, the UKs oldest charity for the chronic fatigue illness, could face closure as it struggles to cope with a bitter feud between its new chief executive and its former chief medical adviser.*
_____________________________________________
THINKPIECE: INTERNET USERS HAVE *HIJACKED* FUNDING APPEAL
By Val Hockey, Chief Executive of the ME Association
_____________________________________________
The two articles above - re The ME Association (MEA) - are not only nasty attempts at character assassination by Ms Val Hockey on Dr Charles Shepherd, our long serving medical adviser, but also an insult to the intelligence of ME patients, carers, support groups, members and ex members, and that of Dr Shepherds.
Dr Shepherds reputation and future, along with that of ME patients, is at stake during this *bitter row which engulfs the MEA* as it seems that Ms Hockey is, quite clearly, out to destroy him by using him as a scapegoat for her wastage of MEA funds on an unnecessary, and time consuming, *corporate style* modernisation process, whilst failing to adequately represent ME and sufferers in the five years that she has been in office.
In the past few years, the ME Association has been drained of its best assets and resources, both financial and human, and over the past few months Ms Hockey has unashamedly continued to waste association time, money and resources on a personal vendetta against Dr Shepherd and is using, as her vehicle to carry it out, the name of our charity.
Many other chief executives manage to provide good leadership and man management skills to steer people and organisations through complex and difficult situations. It is what they are paid to do.
Where is her consideration and concern for the ME patient that her performance and conduct is letting down, upsetting, distressing and depressing? We patients have enough battles to contend with.
If Ms Hockey and the MEA Board, *the only people in command of the facts*, were as passionate about trying to save the ME Association as she portrays, she would have stepped down or, at the very least, taken a cut in pay during the latest financial crisis. A crisis for which she refuses, in her current role as both chief executive and company secretary, to explain properly or take any responsibility.
It seems to me that Ms Hockey is selective as to when and where and to whom she communicates whilst hiding behind the MEA Board and blaming MEA woes on vociferous ME patients, their long standing medical adviser, ME support groups, carers and internet users, in fact everyone, except herself.
_________________________________
THE ME ASSOCIATION
Request for renewal of annual subscription and membership
I have just received a letter from the ME Association, dated 29 July 2003, stating that my membership renewal is due on 1 August 2003 and they would like to invite me to renew.
The letter went on to say that the total for the 60 day appeal (for one hundred and fifty thousand pounds by 14 July) has not been met and that the organisation remains viable with certainty to the end of the year and full information will appear in the Summer magazine.
They are asking me to pay a full 12 month subscription in advance. Printed on the letter is a list entitled *12 reasons to be a Member of The ME Association*.
The following seven reasons are of no interest to me (my reasons are in brackets):
1) Support connect service by email, phone, fax or letter (too few hours, lines are always engaged, not for severely affected sufferers)
2) Range of products and Dr Shepherds book *Living with ME* (I do not use oils or herbs; I have the book)
3) Free access to MEA register of health professionals (of no use to me)
4) MEA Financial Services (they must be joking)
5) Affordable Medical Alert bracelets (not useful)
6) Professional Education towards enhanced partnership working with ME/CFS patients (chronic fatigue illness)
7) Opportunity to train as a volunteer (I am horizontal 23.5 hours per day).
The remaining five reasons are of interest to me (my reasons for disappointment in brackets):
8) Quarterly ME magazine (represents ME as a chronic fatigue illness and not a physical illness as defined by Dr Melvin Ramsay)
9) Quarterly Research and Scientific Bulletin (same as for No. 8)
10) Government Representation, your experiences and views represented at the highest level of government (same as for No. 8)
11) New Research Initiative, opportunity to influence the research into ME carried out from the Ramsay Research Fund, managed by The ME Association (I am still waiting for news on the outcome of MEA funded research project, on severely affected sufferers, started in December 2002 by Dr Pheby at Bristol Uni SW)
12) Belonging to a charity whose policy and mission is to be non judgmental, balanced, evidence directed and empowering (how empowering? my computer is empowering).
I am upset at having to think about this, and wonder what the founding father of ME, Dr Ramsay, would have made of it all.
The MEA has been in existence for some 27 years and, being a charity, if needs must, could have been scaled down a few years ago to function quite easily with quality (not quantity) staff, a computer, printer, photocopier, website, telephone and mailing service.
Over the past seven years, Simon Lawrence, Co-ordinator of The 25% ME Group, has achieved wonders for thousands of ME sufferers throughout Britain and abroad, on a shoe string, in a wheelchair, in pain and poor health, in fact more than the two main ME charities, with all their money, put together.
Thank God for Simon Lawrence and The 25% ME Group.
ME AND OPHELIA
This is the personal blog of Ingrid Jones.
I live by the sea in Dorset, England, United Kingdom.
Here on my PowerBook G4 I communicate to my friends.
About things in general and my life with M.E. and cat Ophelia.
Home user technology and business services.
Food and household management.
How it all impacts on my *lifestyle management programme*.
And my battle for more energy.
See Blogger Profile
Additional blogs:
N Korea
Other categories:
ME/CFS/CFIDS
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Blogroll Me
Archive:
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David Stewart - A British Conservative
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"I wish I had a cat like Ophelia. Indeed."
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Food Links:
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People living with ME:
Laura Hillenbrand's Seabiscuit
People who died with CFIDS/ME:
CFIDS/ME Patient Memorial List
Defining ME:
The Definitive Description of ME - Dr A Melvin Ramsay
Overview of ME - CFS Definitions
The 25% ME Group Online Suppport and Info Severe ME Truths and Facts:
Medical Papers by Drs Dowsett, Findley, Ramsay, Richardson
Government, Parliament, MRC UK
Documents from ME Research Group, Dr Spence UK
What is ME? What is CFS?...information for clinicians and lawyers
Practical issues Living with Severe ME - How to care for someone with ME - DLA link
Links to other good ME sites & UK Regional Support Groups
ME Info and Support:
ME Support & Related Illnesses
Co-Cure CFS & Fibromyalgia Info USA
The National CFIDS Foundation USA
ME Rearch:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention USA
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