Friday, February 27, 2009
Gmail: Improved attachment uploader
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
The secret life of a cyber hero
(By Gary Dimmock Ottawa Citizen)
The mystery hacker whose online infiltration has led to several arrests of suspected child predators -- including a California superior court judge -- was a 19-year-old loner who penetrated 3,000 computers around the world from his parents' basement in Langley, B.C.
In all of this, the Canadian hacker has remained anonymous, even in police affidavits -- until now.
Dubbed "Citizen Tipster" by police, Brad Willman, spent night after night writing a Trojan Horse program that gave him complete control over every computer that downloaded it.
Alone and in the dark, he sat for up to 16 hours a day monitoring hundreds of targets, secretly reading their e-mail and tracking their every step online.
He started keeping files on the targeted users. He tracked them for almost three years --recording everything. The majority of his targets were ordinary people -- but some in the files included priests, social workers, soldiers, police officers and justice officials.
He catalogued each file by degree of risk and focused on suspected child-porn producers and molesters.
This was his life. He had no friends in school and skipped the prom. Even these days, his only entertainment away from the computer is going to the odd movie, alone.
The son of a coffee shop owner, Mr. Willman, a.k.a. Omni-Potent, finds if hard to socialize and rarely answers the telephone. He can only be himself online -- staring at the screen and chewing sour candies.
Though never publicly credited, Omni-Potent is the same mystery hacker who led the Mounties to the capture and conviction of an Alberta man who offered his eight-year-old daughter up for sex through the Internet in 1999.
The hacker's investigations have exposed suspected child predators across Canada, the United States and Russia. Some of the suspects included foster parents, social workers and justice officials.
He has also helped find child victims.
He first set his fingertips on a keyboard at the age of five and taught himself to hack by the time he was 14.
He began targeting online child predators three years ago. He started turning in suspects two years ago, ignoring police threats that if he didn't stop he'd be arrested for breaching privacy.
He did all of this, for up to 16 hours a day, on his free time and in secret.
And it began as a game.
"I was just playing around with this program I wrote. I wanted to see how it worked. Then I got way more curious about what these people were doing. It's exciting to see something you build actually work. It means I have actually helped out. It challenges me and makes me work," said Mr. Willman, now 21.
The program, disguised as an image, allowed him to retrieve anything -- undetected -- once downloaded. He posted the image on several usenet groups used by pedophiles. In reality, the downloaded image was simply one retrieved from the user's own hard drive.
Some 3,000 users around the world downloaded the Trojan Horse program-- giving him full control of targeted computers.
"Then, I would stay up late at night to see what I could drag out of their computers, which turned out to be more than I expected. I could read all of their e-mails without them knowing. As far as they were concerned, they didn't know their e-mails had even been opened.
"I could see who they were chatting with and read what they were saying as they typed. I judged these people by reading their incoming and outgoing e-mails. I was more interested in actual abusers or producers. That was my priority --not the people that were just downloading images."
Sometimes the work was overwhelming, what with tracking every single e-mail for hundreds of people. "It did get quite busy. It was a lot of work to keep on top of it."
The motive behind his investigations was always to protect children "who can't protect themselves."
He often ignored police threats of arrest and instead pressed ahead, particularly in the case of Orange County Superior Court Judge Ronald Kline. After reading the judge's electronic diary, he concluded it showed an apparent plot to sexually exploit young boys at a private health club. "Sure, a violation of privacy you must cry, but if you have nothing hurting kids, the future of the world, then there's no reason to worry as that is all that Omni-Potent protects," he said.
In several interviews with the Ottawa Citizen, the hacker expressed frustration with police reluctance to pursue his information about child pornography producers. In some cases, he says police in Canada and the United States ignored his evidence packages.
In some cases, he says U.S. police and the RCMP have backed away from offers of reward for tracking down online child predators.
"Omni-Potent's service thus far has been provided without cost to the public. Not one dime has been provided to Omni-Potent and yet there has been tremendous success in providing accurate information.
"Technology is everyone's enemy whether they realize it or not. It is after all, technology which helped to find me and mess up important investigations by attempting to lift my veil," he said.
Mr. Willman says he measures his success by his "contribution" to protecting those who cannot protect themselves.
In the case against Judge Kline, U.S. detectives credit him alone for breaking the case. "The diary he retrieved gave us the probability that we needed to get the search warrant," said California Det. Ronald Carr.
The search warrant unearthed more than 100 images of young children engaged in sex acts.
In police affidavits obtained by the Citizen, the judge admitted that he authored the journal. The judge has not been charged with any crime for keeping the electronic diary, but has been charged with possession of more than 100 images of child pornography. Since that indictment, an alleged molestation victim has come forward and the judge now also faces sexual-assault charges dating back to 1976.
In the electronic journal, excerpted in police documents, the author writes exclusively about his sexual interest in young boys. The journal entries span May 2000 through March 2001 and detail the author's deviant sexual urges and the times and places where he meets young boys. These details, and his written thoughts about cases before him, made it easy for authorities to conclude the retrieved diary was genuine.
The judge, a Little League umpire, had contact with numerous boys at ball games, in a mall and at a private health club -- where he befriended vulnerable young boys with the hopes of exploiting them.
"You can't just charge in like you did with (a boy). How do I encourage him without pursuing him too hard? You have great entrÈ in the separation of his parents," says an entry dated June 6, 2000.
The next day, the author writes: "I gave a lot of thought today about this business of approaching these kids too fast ... He doesn't strike me as a lonely boy like (boy) was. You have to make them come to you or it just doesn't work," says a diary entry dated June 9, 2000.
After reviewing the journal, Det. Tracy Jacobson concludes in an affidavit that the author is a pedophile. "He refers to the child as 'gorgeous' and writes about how and when to approach the child, and plans his moves carefully. It is further my opinion these are the type of comments only a pedophile or a child molester would make," Det. Jacobson said.
In the journal, the author seems fixated with young boys and often writes about the problems of enticing them to be alone with him. He talks about buying them baseball tickets and giving them a tour around town in his Porsche Boxster. According to California Motor Vehicles records, a 2000 Boxster with the licence 4HTV361 is registered to Judge Kline.
Sometimes, he found it hard to control his urges. In one entry, the author writes about sitting next to a young boy at a pizzeria, and rubbing his back "with no resistance at all." Other times, the author wrote that when he was preparing to give a drive to a boy to a ball game, he likened it to getting ready for a date.
Because the author was noting the names of the boys and tracking their movement, Mr. Willman feared he would molest one of the targeted boys. In turn, the hacker forwarded the electronic diary to Predator-Hunter.com, an Internet organization created to stop child exploitation.
"Parents in a number of countries, I think, owe Omni-Potent a debt of gratitude for doing what he did. I don't endorse what he did as being legal, but law enforcement should seriously look at putting guys like him to work because they are obviously not getting the job done," said Wendell Krueth, president of the Predator-Hunter.com.
The Internet group conducted its own probe, then forwarded the files to the California Department of Justice. On May 8, 2001, Irving police Det. Ron Carr was assigned to assist the department in a probe into alleged child pornography.
He concluded the journal was genuine, then set out to track the hacker who built the case. Three months later, after tracing him to a Web site, Det. Carr travelled to Langley, just outside Vancouver, to interview Brad Willman, known only as "Citizen Tipster."
The hacker explained how the Trojan Horse program worked and then agreed to hand over his hard drives to police. They also wanted him to thumb through his files -- a tall order, he said, for one person.
"They wanted everything right away. I had to dig through all the information. And to go through my archives when it's just one person is pretty hard. They said they would see what they could do about compensating me for my time but I never heard from them again."
In the time it took to search his archives, he lost too many days to resume monitoring other targeted users. "When you're reading every single e-mail for hundreds of people it's impossible to keep doing it when you lose a week. You're too far behind."
The judge is now under house arrest in a two-storey home at the end of a cul-de-sac in Irvine, California. It will be the judge's defence that because the electronic diary, the cornerstone of the case, was stolen, the federal grand jury charges should be dropped.
The defence will also argue that the diary was stolen by a hacker who was working on behalf of law enforcement -- a charge Mr. Willman denies.
For now, Mr. Willman, at the behest of his parents, has stopped hacking.
"They liked what I was doing but they don't want me to do anything illegal."
Sometimes he regrets his online life. "My whole life has been online. I've literally spent half of my life on the Internet. I'm anti-social in real life. I've been on the computer too much to keep friends. I'm trying to get out more. And don't tell me about meeting girls -- boy oh boy."
He is now working hard to launch a computer security career and thinking about moving out of his parents' basement to assume a new identity so he can hack again.
"If I am ever to come back, it'll be on my own terms and no one will know ever again who I am."
Friday, February 20, 2009
Google Mobile app comes to Windows mobile
Overview
- Start your search without waiting for your browser to load.
- Instant access Maps, Gmail, News and more all from one place.
Google Mobile App brings you the premier search experience from Google.
However the app is currently not available for India
Google Spreadsheet now validates Data type
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Avoid sending embarassing emails
Google has introduced a new Gmail feature termed as Mail Goggles, which has been described as a breathalyzer for email. Essentially, this feature lets you send out an email only after you pass a little test i.e. a math problem. This feature is part of the Gmail Labs set, which is a testing ground for new Google features.
If you want to use Mail Goggles, you will need to enable it. To do so, log into your Gmail account and go to your account settings. Once there, click on the ‘Labs’ tab. Scroll down to Mail Goggles and select ‘Enable’. Save your changes and go to the “General’ tab to customize your Mail Goggles settings. Here you can decide what time you want Mail Goggles to be active and the level of difficulty of your math problems.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Universal Mobile charger
Major cell phone makers and carriers have signed on to support a universal, Micro-USB-powered charger.
So no more carrying a separate charger for each different mobile brand you own
Friday, February 13, 2009
How to clean an infected PC
by Randy D. Stafford
Cleaning an infected computer today has become harder than ever. To effectively clean your system you must first learn a little about what you are trying to get rid of and what tools you need to get the job done. I'm going to try to give you some of the background, followed by the basics of getting rid of these pests.
Today there are a variety of things that can infect your computer such as viruses, worms, trojans and spyware. I refer to all of them as malware since that word seems to best describe them and covers both viral and spyware related issues. I find it best to use a multi-pronged approach to fighting malware, so I use several software programs to find and get rid of them. Hopefully, by giving you a little of the background, you will be able to learn what tools to use and when to use them so that you may clean your computer of the malware you may encounter.
Viruses were the first computer bugs, and anti-virus (AV) software was made specifically to detect and get rid of these. Worms are a little different than viruses, which is one reason why AV software has had a harder time catching them. Next came trojan horses, usually just called trojans. These are very different than both viruses and worms. They actually take advantage of the weaknesses that are inherent in AV software. For one, most trojans actually try to hide from being detected by AV software. They also work "smarter" by creating hidden copies of themselves so that when they do get detected and cleaned, they can re-infect the computer with the hidden copy right after the AV software cleans the original infection. Basically, trojans are AV software's worst nightmare simply because AV software wasn't designed to specifically go after this type of threat. Today, AV software is much better at detecting all types of malware. With the release of AVG 8.x.xxx... it now combines both an antivirus with an antispyware scan to help users fight both viral and spyware related issues.
Spyware isn't a new bread of malware. It is simply a combination of various computer exploits and they utilize various combinations of scripts, trojans and worms. Currently they take advantage of trojans the most since they are harder to detect and clean properly. Anti-spyware (AS) software was created specifically for detecting and cleaning this type of malware, so when it comes to trojans and some worms, AS or a combined AV/AS software is much better equipped to fight these than the AV only types of software such as the earlier versions of AVG.
A new varient of spyware is the Rogue type of malware software. This type of software pretends to be useful utils like antispyware, antivirus, hard drive and/or registry cleaning utilities but really their only goal is to sell you their useless software or to install other spyware onto your system. They do this by falsely stating you are infected by something or have other issues that could affect the performance of your system. They usually are installed using the "drive by installation" method that happens when you may visit various malicious websites, often installing without your knowledge.
There is also another type of detection that AVG and most good AS softwares will detect and they are only detected because of their potential security risk if a user was unaware of their existance. AVG calls this type of software Potentially Unwanted Programs ( PUPs )... others may refer to them as hacktools, riskware, or simply "not-a-virus". These are normally very useful utilities.. but since they can also be used for harm, AVG and other utils will detect them so the user is aware of their existance. Examples of these are utilities to recover forgotten passwords, forgotten software keys ( like the Windows install key ), IP scanners, remote control software and a variety of similar utils. If you have any of these installed or on your system, you will want to exclude them from detection with whichever utility you are scanning for malware with... or at the very least do not have them removed when you are cleaning the system up. Remember that these are not malware and do not do damage to your system BUT if you are unaware of their existance, it could be a sign that a hacker may have placed them on your system to do harm. A quick rule of thumb, if you are aware of their existance leave them on your system... if not quarantine them and check out what they really are later.
I suppose I should also cover one last subject before moving on to the cleanup steps... Tracking Cookies. AVG as well as most antispyware utils do detect these and each has a specific but different list of the ones they will find. These ARE NOT MALWARE.. they can do no harm or damage to your system. They do however represent a potential invasion of your privacy since they can be used to track your internet browsing habits. So unless you have setup your browser to block them or use a specialized utility to do that... you will always find these detected. So do not be alarmed by their presence.. clear them if you want ( I always clear mine )... but also understand that they will likely return the next time you happen to visit a website that may use them.
First, you will need to get some software programs to help you. The following programs are what I use personally. Not only do I trust them, but they are also free for personal use. The companies that provide the free software, also provide software that they sell for use in a commercial environment. Usually, the free versions are just as good but simply don't have as many of the extra features which make the commercial versions even more attractive to use.
Anti-Spyware Software
For Windows 98 & later
• Spybot S&D - You can find it at [www.spybot.info] Latest version is v1.6.0.30
( NOTE: When installing Spybot, I recommend that you disable the option for TeaTimer which is enabled by default so it doesn't affect your cleaning efforts. If you wish you can enable it later but do so only after you finish cleaning the system. )
For Windows 2000, Windows NT, Windows XP & Vista only
• MalwareByte's Anti-Malware - You can find it at [www.malwarebytes.org] Latest version is v1.25
Anti-Virus Software
For Windows 2000, Windows XP (inc. 64bit version) & Vista (inc. 64bit version)
• AVG Technologies Free Edition - You can find it at [free.grisoft.com] - English version, [gratis.avg.it] - Italian version, [free.avg.de] - German version, [gratuit.avg.fr] - French version, [free.avg.com] - Japanese version, [free.avg.com] - Brazilian Portuguese version, [free.avg.com] - Dutch version, [free.avg.com] - Latin America Spanish version & [free.avg.com] - Polish version Latest version is v8.0.237
First you will want to download each of the above programs and then install them. After you install them, you MUST update them so you will have the latest protection. If you don't update these programs and you are infected with the latest parasites, you will not be able to effectively detect and clean them from your computer, so remember to update, update, update. Most if not all of the definition files for these utils are now updated daily.
Now that you have downloaded, installed and updated all of the above utils... Print this article so you can refer to it later and disconnect your computer from the internet. This is an important step and will remove one way that a malware may use to re-infect your computer.
With the release of AVG 8.x now combining both antivirus and antispyware into one product, I have now switched from scanning with it last, to scanning with it first since it now detects more malware than any of the others. I also use the different AS software packages in a specific order so that I go after the tougher problems first and the easiest ones last.
Turn off System Restore
• WinME and WinXP have a cool feature called System Restore. It is used to restore your computer to an earlier configuration in case of a problem. The only problem is that it wasn't made with malware in mind, and often it can't tell the difference between an infected file and a good file, so it can as easily restore an infected file if it had been in a protected area, effectively re-infecting your computer right after you have cleaned it. Because of this, it is recommended to turn off System Restore before you test, and when you're done, turn it back on so you are still protected from standard computer problems.
• For WindowsME
Click Start, Settings, and then click Control Panel.
Double-click the System icon. The System Properties dialog box appears.
NOTE: If the System icon is not visible, click "View all Control Panel options" to display it.
Click the Performance tab, and then click File System.
Click the Troubleshooting tab, and then check Disable System Restore.
Click OK. Click Yes, when you are prompted to restart Windows.
• For WindowsXP
Click Start.
Right-click the My Computer icon, and then click Properties.
Click the System Restore tab.
Check "Turn off System Restore" or "Turn off System Restore on all drives."
Click Apply.
When turning off System Restore, the existing restore points will be deleted. Click Yes to do this.
Click OK.
• For Win Vista
1. Open System by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking System and Maintenance, and then clicking System.
2. In the left pane, click System Protection. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
3. To turn on System Protection for a hard disk, select the check box next to the disk, and then click OK.
Carefully Look at Windows Add/Remove programs for suspicious programs
• Many of the spyware threats actually install into your system just like a regular program. Many may appear to be utilities that you may think are helpful but in reality aren't. Look for add-an toolbars, while toolbars like those provided by Google, MSN, Yahoo and other are great utils, there are many more that aren't and if in doubt check it out to see if ones you have are parasitic. Another common exploit are the Search helpers, WinTools, Gator products, IE Helper, Comet Cursor and many others just to name a very few. Peer-to-Peer (P2P) programs are another common source for these and even the ones that doen't come with spyware themselves are a high security risk that may lead to your system being infected or to spread infections like these. Remove all suspicious programs, if you accidentaly remove the wrong item, you may always re-install them later.
Run Disk Clean-Up
• This actually comes with Windows and has been installed by default since Windows 98. You can find it by clicking the Start Button and then going to Programs / Accessories / System Tools / Disk Clean-up. I recommend selecting all of its options except the ones for Office Setup Files and Compress Old Files if you have them. While you may select those if you wish, they aren't as important. This will clean up all of the temporary files so your testing will go faster, and may also delete any spyware that may hiding there if the spyware isn't already running. To clear systems that have System Restore you will need to select the second tab and click the button for clearing this.
Run AVG 8.x.xxx
• Most antivirus programs, including AVG, by default have their settings to only scan executable files in an attempt to speed up looking for infections. While most of the time this is just fine, the newest threats that can infect your computer have started getting sneaky on how they hide their files making it easier for them to reinfect your system if your antivirus program detected and removed their executable file. To help also detect these "backup" files that the infection leaves on your system, you should in my opinion, make a couple of changes to what your AVG scans during these tests from just executable files to all files.
• To change AVG's settings during a scan, open AVG's User Interface.
Click the Computer scanner tab, then under the Scan whole computer area, select Change scan settings. Unselect Scan infectable files only and select all other checkmarks with the Automatically heal/remove infections and Scan for Tracking Cookies as options I'll let you decide if you want enabled or not.
• Now AVG will scan all of the files when you scan your computer. This will take longer to complete, but I feel it is a small price to pay for the added security it provides.
Run MalwareByte's Anti-Malware
• Select to perform a Full Scan and then click the Scan button. This is another specialized util that not only targets Rogue spyware but other malware as well. This currently targets malware and rogues from 931+ vendors ( the malware authors ). The malware that is targeted in this category is very actively being updated by their authors because of the potential they have for making money. As with all antispyware utils, update this often and before each use to help give you the edge in fighting these malware.
Run Spybot Searh and Destroy
• When you run it, it will automatically select all the spyware that it finds, if there is something you don't want to get rid of for some reason, deselect it and then let Spybot fix all of the rest of the problems that it finds. This program also will ask to restart your computer so it can test again if it has problems removing something, so let it.
• Run the scans again in Safe Mode. This will keep many of the parasites from loading and being able to hide from your protection software. To access Safe Mode on most versions of Windows, start tapping the [F8] key after you first start or restart your system, start tapping it before you ever see a Windows Splash Screen and continue until you get the Menu where you may select it from the list. On WinNT, this is called VGA mode and on Win2k you actually start tapping just after the first splash screen shows. For Detailed instructions see Restarting Your Computer in Safe Mode
These procedures should have cleaned most cases of infection that you will find. Yes I said MOST because there are some infections that are very hard to detect and remove. Generally, if you have one of these, you will need the assistance of an expert to help you get rid of it.
When you believe you are finished, remember to turn System Restore back on if you had turned it off.
I recommend testing for parasites as often as you can, probably at least once a month if not more. The sooner you catch them, the less damage they can do to your computer, and the less chance of a hacker finding your sensitive information such as checking account info, passwords, etc.
Windows Tip
Windows itself, by default, hides certain files, system folders or file extentions from the user to make it easier to navigate. If you are having to find an infected file or just one you are looking for, this can cause you to not find it. If you wish you may change this to show all of the files on your computer.
Open your My Computer icon (Either from your desktop or the Start Menu)
Click the Tools menu and select Folder Options(on older systems it may be in the View menu)
Select the View tab and scroll through the Advanced settings
Enable or disable the following (using a checkmark to enable)
enable - Show hidden files and folders
disable - Hide extentions for known file types
disable - Hide protected operating system files (WinME and WinXP only)
Now click Apply and Ok
For Win Vista info. see this link [www.howtogeek.com].
How to find an embedded infection
AVG 8 Free now detects infections in areas that it was unable to before. The most notable are ones embedded inside of archives. Since AVG can't determine if you created the archive or if it was a parasite that created it, they leave these alone so you may have a chance to recover uninfected files from the archive and then you simply delete the archive when done. Infections that are inside of an archive aren't a direct threat to your system unless the file gets extracted to allow it to run. Grisoft has chose this method because it is safer for your data that the archive may contain.
For someone that is new to looking for these embedded infections, it can be a little confusing with the way that AVG will list the file because it also must include the archive file name that contains it in the full path/filename. The following is an example that I made up to highlight the info so you will know which filename to look for so you may either extract files and or delete the correct file. I will color code these for you, but AVG will not.
AVG will give you a name like...
C:\Windows\Temp\InfectedArchive.cab:\InfectedFile.exe
The location of the file is in C:\Windows\Temp
The archive that contains the infection is InfectedArchive.cab
And the actual infected file inside of the archive is InfectedFile.exe
Note the ":\" that seperates the archive from the file it contains.
After you have recovered any files inside of the archive that you may want to keep (other than the infected one that is) just simple delete the whole archive.. in this example the file to delete would be InfectedArchive.cab
It looks harder than it really is.. just remember the file you want to look for is named just before the last ":\"
Most of the time, you won't have any files to recover inside of the archives. The only time this isn't true is if it is an archive that you had created yourself. If you didn't create it.. just delete and move on.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Beer is Good for you
So, your friends tell you that you drink too much. Your significant other tells you that you drink too much. Tell them to shove it - you’re protecting yourself against Atherosclerosis and 9 other ailments!
Now, after a century of studies, scientists have confirmed there are realized benefits of a nice cold beer.
“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”
-Benjamin Franklin
1. Reduces General Heart Disease - Vitamin B6, found in beer, prevents the build-up of homocysteine, an amino acid which has been linked to heart disease. Higher levels of homocysteine in our bodies can make us more susceptible to vascular and heart diseases.
2. Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) -Case studies have shown that 30-35% of men who drink beer in moderation are less likely to have heart attacks. Polyphenol, an antioxidant, is just as much present in beer as it is in red wines.
3. Reduces Risk of Coronary Thrombosis - Coronary thrombosis occurs when the opening of an artery becomes so small, the flow of blood is blocked. Beer acts as a blood thinner, reducing the risk of a heart attack.
“Here’s to alcohol, the cause of –and solution to–all life’s problems.”
-Homer Simpson
4. Reduces Risk of Atherosclerosis -Beer boosts levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the good cholesterol, lowers insulin levels, which is good for non-diabetics because it reduces the chance of developing atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.
5. Reduces Risk of Kidney Stones - It is not 100% certain why kidney stones form. Genetics and diet have played a major role with those individuals who develop them. Kidney stones may be reduced in middle-aged men by 40%. Scientists are unsure if these results were due to the water, alcohol, or hops.
6. Insomnia - A common disorder that affects 1 out of every 10 adults. A good night sleep is beneficial for you energy level and mood. The general affect of beer has a tendency to make one drowsy.
7. Cancer - The hops in beer contain xanthohumol, a powerful antioxidant. Concentrations of xanthohumol occur naturally in dark beer and can assist your body in stopping the early stages of tumor growth.
“Give me a woman who loves beer and I will conquer the world.”
-Kaiser Wilhelm
8. Reduces Osteoporosis - Hops in beer contain phyto-estrogens, a compound that will help reduce hot flashes and fight osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Beer should not be used as a replacement for estrogen therapy.
9. Lowers Cholesterol - Moderate consumption of beer has been shown to increase the HDL cholesterol and lowers the low-density lipoprotein (LDL), also know as the “bad cholesterol” in postmenopausal women. Analyzed data suggests more than one or two servings per day is not productive and considered detrimental.
10. Hypertension - Studies have shown a 14% lowered risk in high blood pressure by women consuming two or three beers a week. Hypertension is a disease where the blood pressure is chronically elevated.
An average 12oz beer contains 150 calories, no fat, no cholesterol, no caffeine, and is 92% water.
References:
*Journal of the American Medical Association, Moderate Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Heart Failure Among Older Persons, 2001;285;1971-1977.
*New England Journal of Medicine, Light-to-Moderate Alcohol Consumption and the Risk of Stroke Among U.S. Male Physicians, Vol. 341-1557-1564, Nov. 18, 1999, No. 21
*American Journal of Therapeutics, Coronary Heart Disease Risk Reduction in a Predominantly Beer-Drinking Population, 12(4):390-395, July 2001
*European Journal of Clinical Nutritiion,Effect of lifestyle factors on plasma total homocysteine concentrations in relation to MTHFR(C677T) genotype. Inter99 (7), (2004) 58, 1142–1150
*National Institute of Health,Alcohol consumption is associated with reduced prevalence of goitre and solitary thyroid nodules, (Oxf). 2001 Jul; 55(1): 41-6
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Indian convicted for Logic Bomb
A logic bomb allegedly planted by a former engineer at mortgage finance company Fannie Mae last fall would have decimated all 4,000 servers at the company, causing millions of dollars in damage and shutting down Fannie Mae for a least a week, prosecutors say.
Unix engineer Rajendrasinh Babubha Makwana, 35, was indicted last tuesday in federal court in Maryland on a single count of computer sabotage for allegedly writing and planting the malicious code on Oct. 24, the day he was fired from his job. The malware had been set to detonate at 9:00 a.m. on Jan. 31, but was instead discovered by another engineer five days after it was planted, according to court records.
Makwana, an Indian national, was a consultant who worked full time on-site at Fannie Mae’s massive data center in Urbana, Maryland, for three years.