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I just finished W5D3. We had slushy snow the past few days and what a PAIN that was to run on. Living in the Mid Atlantic we don't get snow that much but boy for those of you in Northern states I feel for you. I actually don't mind the cold (grew up in Michigan) but slushy snow is the pits. I think I've got tendonitis on my left foot (had my bro who works in orthopedics) take a look and probobly that. I'm just cutting back on the whold doubling of workouts and sticking with "the plan" and icing the daylights out of my foot on off traning days.
Thanks, Aspen8, for the clarification
I was told to walk on my toes when walking - had to see her walk to understand what she meant! I tried this the last two times I did C25K and didn't feel half as much pain in my shins while walking! I feel like I am sort-of falling forward while doing this, but my times have improved which is motivating (not that I really care how fast I am going, my goal is to be able to run/jog as much of the 5K as possible in March).
Also, I hated running cold water in the shower so I grabbed the blue gel "ice packs" from the freezer and sit with them on my shins for 20 min. before taking my shower.
I love the Active.com C25K program on my Android phone! I am going all different ways around the neighborhood, and using Songza to so I don't know what music will be next, but the last time I was out I ran near a busy street and missed the cue to walk due to the noise.
Anyone have recommendations for using earphones while running?
Hello, starting late but would like to get on here for some support and encouragement. Hope its not too late to join. Just starting, I finished w1d2 today. A long road ahead but Im determined to get in better shape and ultimately run a 10 mile race in Oct.
take care D
I use that C25K to train for a 5 k I loved it I am now using the C210k for training for my first 10 k
Finished W3D1 today. I'm sad that it's so hard to run for 3 minutes, but I have to remember that I've never been able to run for even 5 minutes at a time, and in 2 weeks I'll be doing just that. I'm trying to take it one day at a time, and trusting the program. I'm doing it on a treadmill, as 20 degree weather will just kill my lungs, but I'm happy to complete the program on a treadmill, then graduate to "real" running when spring comes.
I just did W3D1 yesterday. I kept thinking I wouldn't make it through that last interval! But I did it! I was so happy. I must have looked like a grinning idiot through my entire cool down. I was so scared of starting this week. I have never run three minutes before!
I have not particpated much in running since I ran track in high school two decades ago. On January 20th, the Louisiana Marathon ran down my street. I was completely awe struck. My 10 year old daughter and I stood on our street completely mesmerized. I was so inspired, I began the C25K the very next morning.
It wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I love that it is a slow pace and spread out. I don't feel overwhlemed or that I am not capbable. I was little nervous due to some joint issues I have, but the pace of this program has been great. I just finished week 3 day one this morning. I almost wanted to go out and do it again this afternoon, but I know the philosophy in this program is "slow and steady wins the race". So far I've really enjoyed it and am shocked that I actually look forward to the next one.
Hope I'm not too late to the party.... I've been going to start and going to start for ages and finally did it today! A little about me... 36, overweight (need to drop about 40 ideally, 30 would be ok), have never in my life been able to run "distance". In my best shape in high school, I played softball competitively and also did various forms of dance. Sprints were fine but longer running stints forget it. So I've always wanted to run and my husband is a runner who's gotten back into it in the last year and I thought ok, I can do C25K.... So today I did it. Did W1D1 and I didn't stop, ran (more on that in abit) the whole time I was supposed to and it didn't kill me!!!
So I stretched before I left and then out I went. New pair of running shoes but same as a pair I've been wearing as sneakers for a while that I got via suggestion at a running store and then never really used for running. So my husband said they're likely shot since I've worn them around a few years and start with the new ones and only use those for running so they maintain cushion. Now here's some things I struggled with... I have always had a problem with tie shoes. The outside edge of my foot in the middle there gets this wicked cramping pain. Sometimes losening the laces helps but sometimes it doesn't. So I had that pain to contend with but it actually went away mostly as I kept going. On my left foot, I think my left arch is flatter than right and I feel the arch like standing on a pipe but I just kept going. That's common too and even regular shoes sometimes I have this problem. So I used to quit because of these issues and sucked it up this time and my feet seem no worse for the wear. The bottoms of my legs on the top where it bends before the foot got sore and felt very heavy. Not shin splints at all (I've had much experience with those so I know what's what) so in the walking part, I kinda shook things out and was able to keep going. My breathing wasn't too bad.... I'm a mouth breather so my throat got dry but I wasn't wheezing and dying like I thought I would be. The 3rd "run" cycle I was about ready to throw it in and thought it would kill me but I thought screw this, I'm going to keep going. And you know, I think it did get a bit easier. I was totally psyched I did it all! I'll probably have to do week 1 twice but I don'tcare, I did it! As for my speed..... ridiculously slow, feet were coming off the ground and all like a run but I probably looked ridiculous.... but again, I didn't care!! WAHOO!!!
Looking forward to the discussion and keeping us all motivated.
Just remember, each step and each breath is stronger than the one before. We can do this everyone. I am new to this too, never been a runner ever. I am currently moving on to week 3 tomorrow. I am feeling so much stronger. My motto is never do less than the day before. I may not increase my workout from the previous one but I will at least do as much. Good luck everyone.
Hi. Newbie runner and almost 50. Not overweight but not in wonderful shape either. I started this program for the first time on Jan. 1. My goal is to run a 5k before I'm 50 which will be in April. I haven't had any issues with the program until week 5. The jump in the jogging time was just too much for me. I jogged as long as I could but would have to stop to walk then start the jog back again as soon as I could. This is the first time I will have to repeat a workout. Has anyone else had this problem and how did you handle it? I've also started experimenting with pace and techniques. I never feel sore the next day but do feel soreness during the jog in the backs of my calves and thighs. Any insight or information would be appreciated.
Hi, I'm starting over again. I started and completed c25k back in 2010, I continued to run for 2 years but I had some changes in my life and running wasn't a priority until now. I started back today on W2
I am a 36 year old mother of 2 boys, age 10 & 8 and have finally gotten to the point where I can take care of ME...
Running M-W-F and doing a toning class T-Th, all at 5:30AM and I am NOT a morning person but I've been able to do it for the last couple of months.
I just started with the C25K app on Monday! I have been trying to run for about 9 months but gotten serious the last couple of months. I've been going to the gym at least 4 days a week and have gotten to the point where I am able to run a mile without walking. I have signed up for a 5k the end of May so I have lots of time but wanted to start this C25K program to make sure I get there. And to hopefully avoid injury. I started Monday at the beginning, even though I feel like I can do more, because I want to do it right. So I just did W1D2 this morning and it felt great. Finished up with a quick 2 mile bike ride. My struggle is going to come when the weather gets nicer and I want to move the workouts outside. I am currently running on a track (flat) in a controlled temperature environment. That adjustment to outside with hills is going to be tough.
I've enjoyed reading the other comments here and will check back regularly. It's nice to see that others are in the same situations with the same struggles and accomplishments!
I'm also in W5 & a little intimidated about the jump in running time. Tomorrow is W5D2. I'm going to approach it with cautious optimism. I had a hip replacement in the spring, so I'm being very careful to listen to my body. I'm 55 and a little overweight but I've been active all my life. (My surgeon tells me I have no restrictions). There was a nice earlier post about not getting hung up on the schedule. I'd like to finish the C25K with a healthier body, not an injured one. If it takes me 12 weeks instead of 9, so be it. I'd also like to finish as a runner, with a bit of passion for the sport. One thought I had was to create a few intermediate runs between the 2 x 8 min day & the 20 min day. I'll see how it goes tomorrow!
Thank you for echoing my concerns - I am not alone!! I did W1D1 yesterday and didn't feel as self conscious as I thought I would. I'm pretty sure that the guy on the treadmill next to me was also doing C25K. Though, I did find the gals doing the stairmaster next to me a little intimidating. BUT I did it and I feel great (even if a little sore) about doing it! I admire you for running outside - I'm WAY too much of a wimp to run in the cold!
Sayseal -
Those gals on the treadmill were probably once where we are now and had to work up to where they are now. And...if not...well...then we hate them. Congratulations on getting W1D1 under your belt!
ACTIVE is the leader in online event registrations from 5k running races and marathons to softball leagues and local events. ACTIVE also makes it easy to learn and prepare for all the things you love to do with expert resources, training plans and fitness calculators.


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CoolBook is a tool for the MacBook and MacBook Pro computers. It lets you monitor the frequency, voltage and temperature of the CoreDuo / Core2Duo CPU.
Registered users can also change the frequency and voltage of the processor. Download CoolBook to find out more.
Required OS: 10.4
Tags: monitoring , frequency , voltage , temperature
6 Opinions
SIGNIFICANTLY increases my battery life
By default, my MBP uses 1.0 V at its min frequency (1.6 GHz), and 1.1625 V at its max frequency (2.5 GHz)
Here's how u set up coolbook:
The MINIMUM VOLTAGE my MBP can run at is 0.9375 V. I want to see how fast I can run my MBP at that low voltage. The answer is 2.2 GHz.
Next I look at the MAX FREQUENCY, and see how little power I can give the MBP and have it still work. The answer to that is a 0.9875 V at the max 2.5 GHz.
And then for good measure, I threw in one value in the middle. So here's my settings:
2261 MHz at 0.9375 V
2394 MHz at 0.9625 V
2527 MHz at 0.9875 V
I earlier said that by default, the lowest voltage my MBP will run at (when at it's MIN frequency of 1.6 GHz) is 1 V. But with Coolbook, even when running at my MAX frequency of 2.5 GHz, I'm only using 0.9875 V. So cookbook lets me run my MBP at it's MAX SPEED and still draw LESS POWER than I would if I were to let it IDLE with the default settings.
An excellent app to increase my Macbook's battery life and reduce it's heat. Great work!
From the manual (in the dmg):
- Can I damage my CPU if I run it at a lower voltage?
- No.
Known issues
No long-term testing has been performed on OS X 10.5 (Leopard).
The CPU of the "Santa Rosa" / LED MacBook Pro can be read and controlled using CoolBook, and the maximum power consumption may be reduced.
There is however an issue, making this model consume more power running in idle battery mode with CoolBook activated.
CoolBook is therefore not recommended for usage with this model.
yes this app does work, undervolting is a well known concept on the windows/linux side of town, unfortunately this app is terrible. I say this as someone who registered, coolbook is ridiculously limited.
My main gripe is that using while using coolbook you are locked into the multiplier that you have modified. Coolbook prevents the CPU from ramping up when needed.
My second gripe is that it does not work with core 2 duo imacs although the hardware is capable.
pps macman (above) is the author of the program
The best way to get your MacBook to run cooler. The fan noise is no more.
Wow, it acually works as advertised, although I don' quite understand how the adapter/battery pref pane toggle works, really good results though, with two instances of yes > /dev/null going peak temp is 69 degrees at 1.67GHZ (I have a 2 GHZ core duo macbook pro) when undervolted to 0.95 compared to default of around 74 degrees at a voltage of 1.1625. Main selling point for me is increased battery life, I get 2 hours when maxing the CPU now!, idle battery life is unaffected though, still around 4 hours.

subset: commoncrawl


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The NYPD has released security camera footage of possible suspect in Saturday's botched Times Square car bomb attempt, showing a man changing his shirt in an alley near the intended bomb site. Click through for the video.
Here's the surveillance video of shirt-changing-possible-terrorist guy. If you have, like, insanely good eyesight, maybe this will allow you to catch the terrorist (if you do, call us first!):
As Adrian Chen put it: "TIMES SQUARE BOMBER LOOKS LIKE GUY I JUST SAW ON STREET."
Update: Post corrected per this tip. "Visual learners" will want to check out this graphic from the New York Times.


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In the same way some actors are better not popping off about their own psychological makeup on the talk-show circuit, some pop stars may be better unexplored in highly personal, lavishly produced autobiographical films.
Beyoncé Knowles has conquered every medium, from the concert stage to feature films and advertising campaigns. She has created stunning song-and-dance spectaculars, she is able to electrify giant stadiums and national TV audiences. Having lived so large for so long, she evidently felt it was time she starred in her own introspective documentary.
"Life Is But a Dream," directed and executive produced by the superstar and premiering Saturday on HBO, is a blend of performances, interviews and backstage peeks at the life of a diva.
The Houston-reared Knowles refers to herself as a celebrity a few too many times for comfort. She speaks of "my craft" and "my art" in a way that most Hollywood types know makes them sound pretentious. And for a woman still able to wow the Super Bowl halftime audience, it seems a tad premature to be offering this sort of retrospective.
She talks in depth about her anxieties, yet when she's performing, undeniable power and sexuality beam through.
From childhood to multiple Grammy wins to entrepreneurial success, Beyoncé confides her insecurities and goals over the course of 90 minutes.
"I'm truly an artist in the studio," she says.
Outside her home, she seems ill at ease. She routinely ducks behind body guards going in and out of public spaces and seems almost fragile until she takes command, barking orders in the control room before a show.
Once onstage, she owns the world.
From her miscarriage to the famous reveal of the "baby bump" on the MTV Awards to the birth of her daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, in January 2012, the indulgent film allows the artist to dwell on her lot in life.
She feels so vulnerable. She is so sensitive. Child birth was a sublime, transcendent experience. OK, let's have some more singing.
Again and again she brings the focus around to faith and wants to spread the word.
"God is real," she says.
The yin and yang of stardom are on display here: The footage from her in concert is breathtaking. The cliches from her interviews are cringe-inducing.
"My life is a journey," she says.
Yes, you're a superstar with a big heart.
Next time, maybe a concert film.


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Breath of God
Divine intervention for bad breath
Cleansing sandalwood; with out the oils! You may recognize Breath of God from our Gorilla Perfume range. We've turned the massively popular fragrance into a divinely delicious Toothy Tab version! Made from cleansing powders and no essential oils, Breath of God's is gentle and leaves an amazingly refreshing taste in your mouth. Try Breath of God for a change from the norm, and discover how heavenly fennel, vanilla and sandalwood can be.
VeganThis product does not contain animal products of any kind.
Fresh ingredients
Fresh ingredients
Dicalcium Phosphate linkHolder, Sodium Bicarbonate linkHolder, Cream of Tartar (Potassium bitartrate) linkHolder, Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate linkHolder, Sorbitol linkHolder, Sandalwood Powder (Fusanus spicatus) linkHolder, Kaolin linkHolder, Benzoin Gum Powder (Styrax Benzoin) linkHolder, Vanilla Powder (Vanilla planifolia) linkHolder, Myrrh Gum Powder (Commiphora Myrrha) linkHolder, Fennel Seed Powder (Foeniculum vulgare) linkHolder, Sodium Saccharin linkHolder . *Occurs naturally in essential oils
Natural ingredients
Safe synthetics


text:
JavaOne 2010 Call for Papers Now Open
By Sharat Chander on Feb 11, 2010
Share your knowledge and expertise as a JavaOne speaker at the JavaOne + Develop 2010 Conference (September 19-23, 2010).
The conference will once again bring together the global Java technical community for a week of education, debate, and exchange. This year, the conference curriculum is going back to its roots –– 100% Java technology and the related ecosystem.
JavaOne conference speakers receive a Full Conference pass and the respect of your peers.
Click here http://www.eventreg.com/javaone2010/cfp/ to learn more and submit.


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Mchose has a bridge on hole 1 and steps , this was completed last year. This year a bridge was put in on hole 17 , with steps to come. The boy scouts are responsible for this Mulch has been spread on holes 1& 2
This summer the roads on top were graded and graveled meaning no more shooting out of ruts at least for now. The course map is still up.


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Windows 7 and the PVR 9200T (USB transfer of recordings)
So you are still using the trusty, but old Humax PVR 9200T, and upgraded your computer or bought a laptop running Windows 7. What happens when you want to transfer that one recording off the box and on to the PC?
The blog post will explain what to do!
Well it can be one of two ways; easy or complicated! This all depends if you are running Windows 7 32-bit or 64-bit! Let's get the easy one out of the way – the 32-bit!
Windows XP
It is highly recommended that if you want to transfer recordings off the 9200T, the OS of choice should be Windows XP. However, as most of you aren't realy inclined to re-install XP, then consider making your system dual boot, or running XP as a virtual OS. I must admit, these two methods are more complicated than the techniques below!
Windows 7 32-bit
Humax Media eLinker software will happily work on Windows 7 32-bit. Download and install the software, and follow the instructions on how to connect and download the recordings as per usual.
Windows 7 64-bit
Humax Media eLinker will not work on Windows 7 64-bit as the drivers for connection to the 9200T (Humax PVR Mass storage device) is 32-bit and there are no 64-bit drivers to be had.
The good news is that Media Controller GUI will work on Windows 7 64-bit as this uses libusb-win32 drivers which are compatible (and signed) to work on 64-bit Windows 7. All you need to do is download the USB driver from the libusb site or from My Humax Windows Utilities Download Page and run the Install-Wizard to generate and install the drivers.
Installing Media Controller GUI
- Use USB A-B cable and connect the 9200T to your PC. Windows 7 will detect the device but will fail to install the driver for it. Right click on 'My Computer' and open up the properties and then Device Manager. You should see this:
- Download and extract the libusb-win32 driver from either of the links given above. You should see inf-wizard in the extracted folder:
- Run the inf-wizard.
- Once installation of USB driver has completed, if you still have your Device Manager still open, you should see that the Humax PVR Mass Storage device has the right driver installed:
- Now you can proceed to install Media Contoller GUI (having downloaded it and extracted it).
- Start up Media Controller and press the connect button. You should be able to see your recordings in the right hand pane like so:
- If you go to the menu -> help -> version, you should see that Media Controller GUI is not built with the latest version of Media Controller, but it will work fine:


text:
Knitter's Review
September 22, 2005
In our quest for quick-knitting gratification, have we pushed the boundaries of bulky too far? We've even started to skip yarn altogether, opting to knit with pencil-thick streams of unspun fiber.
And yet that's exactly what I did this week when I took a billowy, suitcase-sized hank of
Crown Mountain Farms Corriedale Pencil Roving
for a test-knit.
In the Boutique: In the Blue
I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who loves the
bright blue plastic NeedleSizers
from The Big Yarn! The color is new, the shape and design are improved, and we have more in stock.
In the Forums: What Yarn Are You?
One member shares a
funny but insightful poll
intended to find out what kind of yarn you are.
Forgot your forum username or password?
As always, I thank you for your readership and support. Happy knitting, and I'll see you in the forums,
P.S. Do you have friends who would enjoy Knitter's Review? If so, use our simple
Tell a Friend
form and let them know about us.
Knitter's Review Poll
How do you feel about superbulky yarns?
Participate in our
Knitter's Review Poll
and you'll see an instant tally of all the votes.
Subscriber Services
If you no longer wish to receive our weekly email update,
click here to be immediately unsubscribed
If your email address has changed or you'd like to make any changes, simply reply to this email and provide your updated details.
© Copyright 2000-2005 by Clara H. Parkes. All rights reserved.
Feel free to share this, in its entirety, with others.
Knitter's Review P.O. Box 1617 Blue Hill, ME 04614 207-326-9632
This week's sponsor
Rainbow Wools
we have a passion for
To help you share in this we are offering 10% off all of our scrumptious yarns for this week only!
This was printed from Knitter's Review—www.KnittersReview.com
Copyright © 2000-2016 Clara H. Parkes
All rights reserved. Permission to reproduce is required.


text:
Clothing store burglarized in Spartanburg
Published: Sunday, January 27, 2013 at 9:10 p.m.
Last Modified: Sunday, January 27, 2013 at 9:10 p.m.
Police responded to a store break-in and believe the suspect took clothing but may have also left personal items behind, according to an incident report.
An officer responded to Almost Pink on East Henry Street about 5 p.m. Saturday and spoke to the owner, who said she came to work that morning and found the front door glass broken out, the report states.
Two rocks believed to have been used to break the glass were found on the floor inside the business. An unknown amount of clothing was taken from the store, the report states.
As the officer completed the report, he received a call from the manager, who found a pair of tan jeans and a ring that did not belong to the business, according to the report.
No suspects were listed on the report.
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged.


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Ansonia narrowly avoids upset by Seymour
SEYMOUR — Junior tailback Joey Salemme and the Seymour High football team nearly pulled off what had been considered impossible: an upset of Ansonia.
But the Wildcats' late comeback bid fell short, and the undefeated Chargers held on for a 21-20 victory Thursday night at DeBarber Field to extend its win streak to 37, the longest in program history and the state's longest current streak.
The Chargers didn't take the lead until 6:37 was left in the fourth quarter, when Arkeel Newsome scored on a 19-yard TD burst and Tajik Bagley caught the two-point conversion pass from Jai'Quan McKnight, upping the margin to 21-14.
Salemme finished with 239 yards rushing on 35 carries, scored on runs of 45 and 10 yards, and also threw a 42-yard TD pass to Christian Thurmond. His 10-yard TD run cut the lead to one point with 4:07 left, but he was stopped on the two-point conversion attempt.
"It was an amazing game," said Salemme. "Ansonia is a great football team and will (probably) play for another state championship. We came through. We really believed we could win. We had a lot of confidence at halftime with a 14-7 lead, but kept telling ourselves that the score was zero-zero."
Ansonia (9-0) turned the ball over four times in the first half alone and six times in the game. Three of those came on recovered on-side kicks; two were recovered by Seymour co-captain Jack Briggs and another by Seymour co-captain Nick D'Agostino.
Newsome fumbled twice and McKnight also fumbled. But McKnight made three potential touchdown-saving tackles, two at the end of the first half with Seymour (5-4) holding a 14-7 edge and another late in the fourth quarter. The Chargers held onto the one-point edge to prevent Seymour from winning over Ansonia for the first time since 2004.
"We really had to fight to get this win," said McKnight.
See ANSONIA, Page 8B
"Salemme is a great running back and ran hard. I always try to play until the whistle blows (on defense) and was able to make a few plays on him. Seymour played very well. Some of our players were a little down after some of the turnovers, but we had to play 48 minutes to win. That's what we kept telling everyone."
Newsome, who scored all three Ansonia touchdowns, on runs of 11, 9 and 19 yards, was held to 109 yards, including only 43 yards in the first half. He entered the night averaging 250 yards per game this year.
"It was the toughest game we've played in in the last three years and the closest, definitely," said Newsome. "Seymour's defenders ran to the ball really hard. It was pretty rough. It was probably the worst game I've ever played in my life. Jai'Quan made some great plays to help us come back."
Even in defeat, Seymour captain Zack Sirowich took pride in the way the Wildcats stood up to the challenge.
"We made nonbelievers into believers," said Sirowich. "It was exhilarating to be winning at halftime and deep into the fourth quarter (14-13). We knew in our hearts we could win. Joey never stopped giving his best effort. I was so happy to see the ball in his hands. I wouldn't want anyone else to have the ball."
Salemme has 1,677 yards this season, 353 shy of tying the Wildcats' single-season record of 2,030, set by Edwin Esson in 1980, with two games left in the regular season.
"Salemme is really good, but part of his success against us was that the holes were there," said Ansonia coach Tom Brockett. "The guys up front for Seymour deserve a lot of credit. So does the whole Seymour team. In high school football, you're not supposed to win if you turn the ball over six times. The stars were aligned for Seymour. They executed well and we didn't play our best, but it wasn't because of a lack of effort. Seymour just played a great game."
The win kept the Chargers in contention for the all-time state win streak of 49, set by Cheshire. That was snapped in October 1996 by Fauirfield Prep, 13-6.
The game was in honor of the late Jack Hunt, former Ansonia coach, and former Seymour head coach Paul Sponheimer, who handed the game trophy to Brockett. The game MVP award, named in honor of ex-Seymour statistician John Commune, was given to Newsome.
Reach Mark Jaffee at email@example.com or on Twitter@TheRealJaffman.
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Leander's own family was heavily influenced by Arianism, but he himself grew up to be a fervent Christian. He entered a monastery as a young man and spent three years in prayer and study. At the end of that tranquil period he was made a bishop. For the rest of his life he worked strenuously to fight against heresy. The death of the anti-Christian king in 586 helped Leander's cause. He and the new king worked hand in hand to restore orthodoxy and a renewed sense of morality. Leander succeeded in persuading many Arian bishops to change their loyalties.
Leander died around 600. In Spain he is honored as a Doctor of the Church.


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The Israeli arrogance of being the regional military super power, unequivocally backed by the U.S. world super power, is dictating a kind of politics that deals trivially with the national and religious grievances of Israel's geopolitical neighbors, whom the Jewish state is supposedly aspiring to live with in peace and as a regional integral part, while at the same time she is pursuing policies that antagonize those same neighbors to preclude altogether whatever potential is left for peace.
Ahead of a trilateral U.S.-sponsored Palestinian-Israeli summit on February 19, a meeting of the Quartet of international Middle East peace mediators on February 21 and amid daily clashes between native Palestinians and more than 3.000-force of special military and security units deployed within an area of five square kilometers in the Israeli-occupied Old Jerusalem, Israeli bulldozers embarked on Thursday on an eight-month excavations project some 50 meters from the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa mosque, but on the grounds of the Islamic Haram al-Sharif, Islam's third holiest site, amid clashes that wounded scores of Palestinians and hopeless prayers they would not develop into bloodletting.
Highlighting Israeli destructive arrogance of power, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Sunday trivially dismissed the protesting Arab, Muslim and Christian outcries as merely "Arab extremists inciting violence," adding: "There is no religious issue here," immediately after his cabinet "approved continuation of construction at the approach to the Mughrabeh Gate within the proposed framework, at all possible speed," spurning a call by his "defense" and two other cabinet ministers to consider halting the excavations and ostensibly expecting world public opinion to believe him and belie more than two billion Arabs, Muslims and Christians who have confirmed there was a very sensitive and highly-explosive "religious issue" and moved towards the United Nations and UNESCO in the hope they could overcome Olmert's arrogance of power in a new round of lost battles between might and right.
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Among the louder protesting voices whom Olmert dismissed as "extremists inciting violence," in addition to Israel's PLO partner in Oslo peace accords and Israeli Arab-Palestinians, are Jordan and Egypt, both U.S. allies and the only Arab countries to sign peace treaties with Israel, Saudi Arabia, another U.S ally and initiator of the Arab League-adopted initiative to make peace with Israel, the Turkish Secretary General of the OIC, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, whose country is a an important regional friend of Israel and a NATO member, and the Churches for Middle East Peace whose board chair Maureen Shea and executive director Corinne Whitlatch on Friday sent letters to the U.S. administration warning that "peacemaking may be overwhelmed by the consequences of Israel's actions in the Old City of Jerusalem," to name a few.
The eye of the present storm is Bab al-Magharibah, located in the southern section of al-Haram al-Sharif's western wall, which connects Al Aqsa Mosque compound with Jerusalem's southern neighborhoods; it was used by the residents of the Magharibah Quarter which was demolished by Israeli bulldozers in June 1967 to build the "Jewish Quarter" in its place. On 28 September, 2000, the comatose former Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, used Bab al- Magharibah as his entry point to "visit" the Haram al-Sharif, igniting a firestorm of protest and sparking the Al Aqsa Intifada (uprising), which brought the peace process to a deadlock until now. In August of 1929, the same site sparked an uprising known in Palestinian political literature as the "Al-Buraq Revolt."
Al-buraq is the Arab-Islamic name of Al Aqsa compound's western wall, which the Jews called the "Wailing Wall" before changing it to the "Western Wall (of the Temple Mount, a widely-spread knowledge that has yet to be vindicated by historical fact or archeological findings) after the creation of Israel in 1948. The Israeli Occupying power after its overwhelming victory in 1967 confiscated by force the keys to Bab al-Magharibah from the Islamic Waqf to make them ever since Israel's "Achilles' heel" or "Joha's nail" to claim its imposed "partnership" on the Haram al-Sharif, later using that self-proclaimed "partnership" at the Camp David negotiations in 2000 to demand joint sovereignty over the mosque area.
Jordan says Israeli excavations violate the peace treaty with Israel; according to this treaty the Jewish state accepted Jordan's custody of the Islamic and Christian holy places in eastern Jerusalem. The OIC says they are a flagrant violation to international law and that the occupying state is irreconcilable to alter the shape of religious and historical sites. Palestinians say the Israeli excavations are in violation of the status quo accord that governs Jerusalem since the British mandate. The Palestinian Authority Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that "Israel exploits the unlimited support from the USA and the unexplainable indifference on the part of the international community."
The PLO condemned the excavations as "unilateral provocations (which) threaten to undermine a fragile opportunity for peace" and confirmed that, "the Haram Al-Sharif is under the administrative jurisdiction of the Jerusalem Islamic Waqf and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site," adding: "Any work potentially affecting the Haram Al-Sharif must be coordinated with the Waqf, according to an agreement with Israel. Current work was not coordinated with the Waqf, in violation of the agreement;" Palestinian and non-Palestinian Islamic authorities agree and add that all renovations should be confined to restoring whatever sites damaged to their status quo ante.
Osnat Goaz, a spokeswoman for the Israel Antiquities Authority rejected statements that the excavations posed any danger to the holy site, but Jordan's King Abdullah II called them "a threat to the foundations of the Al Aqsa mosque." 18 leading Israeli archeologists in March 2006 objected to the plan, said it was "illegal" and warned it will cause grave damage to one of the most important archeological sites in Israel and the world. The 22-member Arab League, the 54-member Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), the more than 90-member Non-aligned Movement (NAM) and Churches for Middle East Peace, among many others, were on alert to avert the snowballing confrontation, held emergency meetings, and decided to move to the UN Security Council, hopelessly hoping that their move would not be aborted by the U.S. veto power as it had in previous similar cases; similar moves are planned with the UNESCO. Meanwhile on the ground the Higher Follow-up Committee of Arab Israelis, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and the anti-Israeli occupation Palestinian factions are amassing popular peaceful protests amid mounting Israeli military reinforcements to quell such protests. Chief Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erekat warned: "Enough is enough. Recent provocations risk bulldozing us back into the abyss." Khaled Misha'al, the exiled leader of Hamas, warned also that Israel "is playing with fire."
However the Israeli arrogance of power, from previous experience, is betting on the Arab, Islamic and peace-loving roaring protests being without teeth and that they would as in past similar cases subsidize, of course after the usual falling of Palestinian "martyrs!"
The Arab League chief on Saturday said Israel is attempting to alter the features of Jerusalem. Amr Moussa summed up the whole controversy or more closer to the truth the whole conflict, which the latest Israeli excavations are only an episode in a 60-year old Israeli pre-planned non-stop effort to follow up the ethnic cleansing (see "The Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine," Ilan Pappe, Oneworld Publications, Oxford, England, 2006) and the destruction of the material existence of Palestinian communities with a cultural cleansing that will erase the Palestinians from the world memory as it wiped out their country from the map of the world.
Whatever name you give to it — being "construction," "modernization," "renovation," "Judaization" or "archeological excavations" — a process of cultural cleansing of Jerusalem has been going on in the Holy City since Israel occupied it in 1967.
Islam's third holiest site in Jerusalem is the heart and soul of the Arab and Palestinian national, religious, historical and cultural heritage and the symbol of their more than 5.000-year uninterrupted existence on the land, long before the Hebrews swept into Palestine through the blood of butchered men, women and children of the completely destructed Jericho, according to the Old Testament. Destruction of Al Aqsa Mosque would, God forbids, crown the Israeli cleansing of the Palestinian cultural structure after obliterating their existential infrastructure.
Robert Bevan, author of "The Destruction of Memory: Architecture at War," should have visited Jerusalem or at least should have got access to the Holy City to update his book with the latest example of cultural cleansing in modern history: "The first step in liquidating a people is to erase its memory. Destroy its books, its culture, its history. Then you have somebody write new books, manufacture a new culture, invent a new history. Before long the nation will begin to forget what it is and what it was," he wrote in an opening for the second chapter of his book, quoting from Milan Kundera's The Book Of Laughter and Forgetting.
A reviewer of Bevan's book, Abe Hayeem, (an architect and member of Architects & Planners for Justice) wrote on 3 February 2006: "Israel's 'otherisation' of the Palestinians by the building of the Separation Barrier, while destroying thousands of houses, trees and farms, and creating what are in effect vast prison enclaves, has ironic echoes of the ghettos that European Jews experienced." Hayeem missed upgrading his review by how the Israeli occupation has changed Jerusalem's landscape, including renaming its historical sites and even streets.
Similarly, Afif Safieh, PLO's envoy in Washington D.C. and former Palestinian delegate to the Vatican and the U.K., seems also to have missed the point when, in an interview with the National Catholic Reporter on January 19, he quoted the Zionist leader Nachum Goldman as saying in the 1970s while commenting on former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger's shuttle diplomacy: "It seems to me that diplomacy in the Middle East is the art of delaying the inevitable as long as possible."
Safieh interprets the inevitable as the creation of a Palestinian state on the West Bank and Gaza Strip, occupied by Israel in 1967, but the facts Israel is creating on the ground in Jerusalem are pre-empting the creation of such a state and is more realistically making Goldman's quotation a valid description of the inevitable end goal of the current Israeli policies, a cultural cleansing to crown the eroding Palestinian infrastructural existence in the Holy City, a cleansing that starts with erasing the Arab-Islamic memory of the city and would inevitably make a similar erasing of its Christian memory easier later on.
*Nicola Nasser is veteran Arab journalist based in Ramallah, West Bank of the Israeli occupied territories.
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Comments (1)
a guest said:
Why do you put quotation marks around "jewish quarter"? Jews lived there before 1967. Just go visit all the synagogues that are in that quarter which were destryed by your arab brethren between 1948 and 1967. Your one sided analysis of this history belies your true hatred.
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News 12 First at Five / Monday, Feb. 25, 2013
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW) -- Augusta commissioners met Monday night to question some of their own practices.
Commissioners Wayne Guilfoyle, Grady Smith and Joe Jackson are under the microscope for their work on city contracts.
"We are not running from this as a governmental agency as a body. We will take the appropriate action," said Commissioner Donnie Smith.
Documents show city money was paid to Guilfoyle, Smith and Jackson's companies. The city's ethics code reads that no city employee or public official should transact in any business or participate directly or indirectly in a procurement of a contract.
"If I thought it was something unethical, I sure would have brought it up to the attorney. We have the procurement and legal see me abstain from everything," Guilfoyle said.
"As a subcontractor, we're so far down the food chain, architects, engineers, project managers, and then it's dispersed to different subs," Grady Smith said.
These purchase order summaries reveal that Jackson's Kirby Locksmith has done work at the Sheriff's Office and the Parks and Recreation building. Documents show his company was paid just under $2,000.
"It did not go through procurement. it was just as services were needed," Jackson said.
A paper trail shows Grady Smith's company, Smith Brothers Mechanical Contractors, has done work at the Diamond Lakes Center, the Sheriff's Office, the Richmond County Jail and Richmond County's 911 Center. More than $18,000 was paid to his company.
"Ignorance is no excuse in the eyes of the law. But I righted it when I found out," he said.
We also found documents that show Augusta Tile Crafters received more than $70,000 in payments for work at the Augusta Regional Airport.
"The amount of money we make on these things is not that much. You can dictate and swing it any way you want. If you want to do some fuzzy math right here, we can do it," Guilfoyle said.
Commissioners can censure or reprimand any commissioners involved. They can also be required to pay back any money earned under the ethical violation.


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If you're connected to the internet, you are vulnerable to attacks. I don't care what operating system, which browser, what firewall, anti-virus, or anti-spyware you have installed—there's a vulnerability on your system somewhere. Even the tools security researchers use to analyze attacks can be used against their owners as a way of breaking into their machines.
People discover new vulnerabilities all the time, for all operating systems. Computers are complicated things, complicated enough that nobody can forsee all the possible ways to break into them. As people discover new ways of breaking into computers, other people develop countermeasures to keep your personal information safe. It's an escalating war between thieves and people trying to stop them—and your data is the battleground.
If you're running a business, a compromise could lead to you revealing any data you have about your customers, thus potentially leading to you being the target of a lawsuit
In July 2005 there were major vulnerabilities for all of the major operating systems. Basically, if you were on the internet, you needed to update your computer.
First off, Windows. Those poor souls limping along with Windows 98, ME, or NT reached the end of the line. Microsoft announced that they do not plan to release a fix for these operating systems, for the critical vulnerability revealed in July. If you use any Windows 98 or ME machines to browse the internet, you're vulnerable, and the only thing you can do is update to a newer operating system.
What's the issue? Basically, there's a problem in the Windows code that translates image files from files to pictures. All you have to do is view a specially crafted image in any Windows program. Including Office, Outlook and Internet Explorer. Including Firefox. Including just about everything that can show you a picture. You could get infected by following a link on Google to a less-than savory site, or opening a Word document from a friend.
Anti-virus software can help block known viruses, but as always, can't protect you from brand new viruses until the anti-virus folks can discover, dissect, and create virus signatures to detect them.
Now let's take a look at another vulnerability from July: Firefox, Thunderbird, and the other Mozilla packages. New versions of each were released to fix some potential flaws that could lead to hijacks on any operating system.
Even the tools security researchers use to analyze attacks can be used against their owners as a way of breaking into their machines
Mac users on the newest version of the Apple operating system also got a major security release, for users of OS 10.4.
Fourth vulnerability: Zlib packages. Zlib is a set of software that makes files take up less space on the disk. This may not sound like much, but it's built into hundreds of other programs, on all platforms. Especially Unix-based platforms, like Mac and Linux. There isn't a specific action to take here, so much as keeping an eye on bulletins for programs you use.
Computer maintenance vs. car maintenance
Which brings me to the point of this article. Like it or not, somebody needs to actively take responsibility for keeping each computer up-to-date.
Think of your computer like your car: every 3,000 miles, you change the oil. Every 15,000 miles, it goes in for more major maintenance. And as things break, they need to get fixed.
Computer maintenance is similar to car maintenance in that with the proper tools, talents, and time, anybody can do it. But do you really want to? Most of us just take our cars into somebody else's shop and pay somebody to handle the maintenance for us.
Obviously though, computer maintenance is different than car maintenance. Without maintenance, your car will eventually break down and stop working. It could kill you in the process, if something catastrophic goes wrong at a bad time. With a computer, the risks are entirely different:
- Your computer could break down, taking all of your digital photos, finances, and documents with it.
- Your computer could slow down, when a virus or spyware starts using up all of its memory, and uses your internet connection to send itself to all of your friends.
- Spyware or viruses could reveal your personal information, such as your credit card numbers or social security numbers, along with anything you ever type into it.
- Worms or viruses could lead you to being unable to get to web sites or send email to your friends, if your computer becomes marked as a virus-carrier.
- If you're running a business, a compromise could lead to you revealing any data you have about your customers, thus potentially leading to you being the target of a lawsuit.
Aren't you exaggerating a little?
Technology people have an expression that's starting to spread to the mainstream: FUD. FUD stands for Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt, and basically refers to a marketing practice of whipping up these emotions in people in order to get them to buy a particular product, service, or U.S. Congress bill. So before I give you my marketing pitch, let me borrow a phrase from the late Douglas Adams:
But my point is valid. Think of all the complicated machinery we all have in our houses and lives, besides cars: televisions, toasters, DVD players, digital cameras, refrigerators, ovens, grills, bicycles, furnaces, and vacuum cleaners to name a few. None are as sophisticated or complex as your desktop computer. Most are far more reliable than your desktop computer. All require some sort of maintenance, and many require special expertise to provide that maintenance. And none of these can reveal your financial identity to a thief who lives on the other side of the world. At least not until you hook your toaster up to the internet, anyway.
Do I have to become a geek?
You don't need a license to run a refrigerator, but you do need quite a bit of training to learn how to drive a car. A hundred years ago, only a handful of enthusiasts knew how to drive a car, and most of them, out of necessity, had to become mechanics while they were at it. Today, hundreds of millions of us drive every day, without thinking twice about it. And we hire mechanics to fix our cars for us.
We're still early in the development of computers—and already more than half of all Americans use them. We expect them to be as reliable as our cars and refrigerators, and when they're not, we get frustrated. But we're already completely dependent on them for our businesses. And, as the line between content producers and content consumers starts to blur, they're starting to have a major impact on our culture.
If all you're doing is sending email and using the web, you can have an internet appliance that essentially cannot be infected by spyware or viruses—every time you start up, it's like having a completely fresh installation of the operating system
But collectively, our computer driving skills could use some work. Careless computer use can lead to the results I pointed out earlier: loss of data, computers that become sluggish and unusable, problems accessing things everybody else can use, theft of your financial identity, and potentially even legal trouble.
Computer mechanics are starting to appear, all over the place. And while fixing a computer can often cost more than buying a new one, if you don't learn some basic computer driving skills, you're going to need to hire a mechanic even more quickly.
If you're going to use a computer, you're going to need to learn some basic driving skills if you haven't already, and you're going to need a mechanic.
What do I do now?
If you're set up with Windows 2000 or Windows XP, once you've done your updates, you're fine... for a while. If you're using a recent Mac, you're also probably fine once you've done your updates. If you're still on Windows 98 or Windows ME, it's time to upgrade.
Before going out and buying Windows XP, however, it might be a good time to look at some alternatives. Unless you have a compelling reason to stick with Windows, if your needs are modest you'll probably end up saving quite a bit of money by switching to Linux. Why?
Hardware costs
Your Windows 98 computer may have (barely) enough resources to run Windows XP, but most of the Microsoft software keeps demanding faster computers with more memory. If all you're doing is email, web browsing, and office document-type of work, many businesses will be happy to set you up with a streamlined Linux distribution that will do all this for you easily, and breathe new life into that old hardware of yours.
Software costs
Most people are used to buying programs to do everything. Need to do something new? You have to go shell out another couple of hundred dollars. A recent computer I purchased for a client cost $600 for the basic computer and a nice flat panel monitor. The Microsoft software to go with it cost another $500. If you're willing to try open source software, that $500 could be spent learning how to use some of the free, powerful alternatives. It's no longer necessary to buy basic application software—for just about every business need, there is an alternative that costs nothing more than the time spent learning to use the application, or paying someone to train you.
Administration costs
Microsoft provides a great package of tools for managing hundreds of computers in large enterprises. The Windows Update service works reasonably well for individuals. But if you don't want to be your own IT professional, hiring someone to do it for you remotely, especially for more than one or two computers, costs more money because you have to pay them to come and visit your office every time something needs to be done. It's possible to set up remote administration facilities for Windows, but this costs more money, while the ability to administer Linux machines is built into the core system. If I install Linux on your computer, I can easily turn on a couple of features that allow me to securely administer your computer from my office. The closest Windows equivalent, Remote Desktop, was the target of another of July's security vulnerabilities.
No escaping administrative costs
With Windows, somebody needs to administer the machine. You need to be an administrator to do many tasks, and if that's not you, it's gotta be somebody. In the Linux world, some people have built operating systems that don't need a hard drive—they can run entirely off a CD-ROM. If all you're doing is sending email and using the web, you can have an internet appliance that essentially cannot be infected by spyware or viruses—every time you start up, it's like having a completely fresh installation of the operating system. Cleaning your system is as simple as restarting your computer. Upgrading is as simple as putting a new CD-ROM in the drive and restarting your computer.
Alternatives to Windows
These do exist, and they come in all shapes and sizes. Many businesses can help you figure out the best strategy for keeping your current costs low, while also keeping your computing costs down over the long haul. Just remember that no matter what anybody tells you, as long as you're using computers there's going to continue to be costs involved. Talk to a professional you trust before making major purchasing decisions.
Why not switch to Linux?
You might hear a lot of FUD about how Linux is more expensive, that "it's not ready for the desktop", that it's hard to configure and use, or that it's confusing. In many ways, Windows still isn't "ready for the desktop" either—you still have to have somebody administer the machine, to make one point.
FUD stands for Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt, and basically refers to a marketing practice of whipping up these emotions in people in order to get them to buy a particular product, service, or U.S. Congress bill
To a beginner, all computers are mysterious, complicated, and confusing. Even driving a mouse takes muscle coordination that you may have forgotten that you've actually learned. In learning to drive a Windows machine, you may have picked up all sorts of habits that are as unnecessary as double-clutching a modern car—habits like rebooting when something goes wrong. Switching to Linux can be like renting a car in another country—the signs are unfamiliar, you drive on the other side of the road, you're sitting on the wrong side of the car. There is a definite learning curve involved in switching to Linux, but with a little time behind the wheel, you'll soon feel right at home.
For the new computer user, learning to use Linux is no harder than learning to use Windows. For really experienced users, Linux offers far more power, customizability and flexibility that makes Windows feel constraining. It's only those in the middle who have been using Windows for years that have any trouble making the switch. And because large corporations are filled with people who have been using Windows for years, most of the FUD stories you'll hear add retraining and temporary loss of productivity as a significant cost.
The other reason you might not be able to switch to Linux is if you rely upon some application that's not available in Linux. I don't mean Microsoft Word or Powerpoint—those can be completely replaced by OpenOffice.org (without even switching to Linux). But, in just about every primary business, there are key programs you and your colleagues use, that people in other industries don't need. Many have free software, Linux-based equivalents, but the free software versions are often far behind in terms of functionality.
Now, I'm not an expert in these areas, but I'm going to provide some examples of software with different types of issues preventing people from switching:
Assessment: Great equivalents; migration is expensive
Proprietary software: Quickbooks
Free software equivalent: GnuCash, SQL Ledger
It seems like all small businesses use QuickBooks, as if there was no other choice. It's an automatic decision for most businesses. Never mind that many accountants prefer PeachTree. But in any case, there are some great business accounting packages for Linux, and we have quite a bit of experience working with them. Personal finance programs are definitely more polished in Windows, but it's easy to find some simple checkbook managers for Linux. Bookkeeping seems to be the single biggest barrier for moving a small business to Linux—not because there isn't an alternative, but only because people are stuck with several years of data in what they currently use.
Assessment: Good equivalents, missing a couple high-end features
Proprietary software: Photoshop
Free software equivalent: The GIMP
The GIMP is a powerful image manipulation program that does nearly everything Photoshop does. However, until version 2.0 came out a year or so ago, it didn't handle the CMYK color model, which professional photographers and printers need for print production. The GIMP is now pretty much equivalent to Photoshop 6.0, and can read Photoshop files directly. Color management in general is a weak area for Linux and The GIMP.
Print publisher
Assessment: Good equivalents, not quite mature
Proprietary software: InDesign, Quark
Free software equivalent: Scribus
Scribus already does most of what PageMaker could do, and it's only a couple years old. Compared to InDesign, the main lack you'll find in Scribus is the ability to drag and drop pictures and text from other programs—another weak area for Linux in general. There's a way to do just about everything related to laying out and printing a brochure or sales pamphlet in Scribus, but figuring out how can be a challenge. Unlike The GIMP, color management is one of the strong points for Scribus, and most of its users are professional desktop publishers so you know it has compelling features. It also can do PDF forms, and most anything you'd like to do in a PDF. However, I don't know how effective it would be for laying out a longer catalog or magazine.
Assessment: Equivalents for modest needs
Proprietary software: AutoCAD
Free software equivalent: QCad
QCad is a 2-dimensional CAD program. It doesn't have the 3D capabilities of AutoCad, but it's a lot easier to use in general, and if you don't need the 3D views, you may find it a great solution at a fraction of the cost. QCad can read industry-standard DXF files.
Building contractor
Assessment: No equivalents
Proprietary software: Various estimating packages
Free software equivalent: None
There are about a dozen different packages for generating estimates for housing remodels. Some include regularly updated databases with prices of materials in particular cities. As you get to the lower end of software, there are a lot of authors of shareware packages to meet very specific needs, and only a few of these have moved to a free software model.
Moving to free software
Even if you're stuck using a proprietary, Windows-only software package in your business, there's no reason you can't start taking advantage of free software for the rest of your business, and start limiting your dependence on vendors who can cut off your service. If you have several computers in your business, you might keep one of them on Windows to run the software you need for your business, and cut the licensing expenses on the rest of your computers.
Never been a good experience!
This once happened to me. I was up for a deadline the next day when my computer started to reboot while I was working. I don't think that I was exaggerating things but indeed I knew that my pc was in trouble. Thus, I didn't panic at first but when at 2:00 A.M. came I really started to freak out. AT 5:00 A.M. I was out of the house and off to an internet cafe. Such a tragic experience.
Switch to Linux
I agree with what you are saying here. I worked for Microsoft for 10 years, in Australia and in UK and of course I saw a fair share of attacks and viruses. That was 10 years ago, after another 6 years as a consultant I finally started waking up to how things are and how things can be. The amount of money an individual or company spends (if they have licences) on software can be outrageous. I believe a lot of this is down to ignorance or being locked into some for of property software. I have now been using Linux in some form for a couple of years now and yesterday I found myself forced to use a Windows machine. It was a strange experience and not a pleasant one. I found myself actually looking for free software alternatives to the software already installed. Looking for the tools I know and have come to love through using Linux. In this case it was Gimp as I was doing some image editing. I remember when I first used this app and I took one look and thought, I need Photoshop. Now, even with Photoshop available, I found myself installing GIMP on windows to use instead.
I hope to see a spread of the use of Linux and Open Source Software. It frees up people from the money grabbing corporations and lets them either just use good software written from a users perspective, interact with the people who write the software or even contribute to the software.
There are some great distributions out there now and they are so easy to install. In many cases, you don't just get an system, you get email, office suite, graphics tools all installed from the word go.
Yes, it is different, but the change is worth it.
Good general article but a lot of bias
While I agree with the general viewpoint of the article, the overall article is very biased towards Linux.
As a user of both, my experience has been that certain common features of a desktop or laptop machine are at time very difficult to get working on Linux - for example, many current distributions, CD based or not, have a tough time with most built in wireless cards in laptops. On some distributions this can take hours to get working and that's for an IT professional. The truth is that the vast selection of Linux distros out there is actually a major hurdle for the casual user because different distros have differents strengths and weaknesses and the average user wouldn't have the time of expertise to select the right one, not to mention switch when a necessary feature is not supported or easier to use on a different distro.
In another example, the issue of remote support is completely incorrect. Microsoft Windows 2000 and later include a remote administration tool called remote desktop (or terminal services). While its true that there was a recent vulnerability discovered in it, there have also been recent vulnerabilities in the Linux SSH component which serves a similar purpose. What's important here is not the selection of OS but the observation that without current updates, your system can be compromised!
The use of Linux as a desktop platform is very dependant on a solid GUI based system, something that is often an afterthought for many Linux developers since the product started out as a server solution. The Xserver based GUIs of most Linux distros are inconsistent in the elements of the OS that they expose via GUI and sometimes very unintuitive or unstable (as the latest Ubuntu fix that disabled Xserver demonstrates).
So, while the general point of look around before you make a decision is very valid, I would argue that current Linux distros are a viable choice for individuals and/or organizations that have access to a knowledgable resources for deployment, configuration and support. The average home user is better off biting the Windows bullet for another version until a good solid friendly Linux desktop distro come out.
On the side, I couldn't agree more about applications. While some of us have access to MS apps based on licensing arrangement from work, general software packages for Windows are bloated, expensive and contain more features than most people can use in a lifetime. A free alternative that provides 80% of the features is usually a fantastic alternative.
Well, there are plenty of tools to secure Windows as well...
Not to be raining on your parade about how easy it is to remote admin Linux (it is), but the tools are there for Windows as well.
As a person that runs several game servers out there (entire boxes - not virtual servers), I run them all on Windows (the code is often cleaner, unfortunately since the code is written for Windows then ported to Linux), and I admin all my stuff far more securely than just using Remote Desktop. Install OpenSSH on Windows (http://sshwindows.sourceforge.net/), set it up for certificate authentication, and tunnel all administrative connections through it. Does Windows come with it? No. But it doesn't come with most other stuff that it really needs, either, like a good firewall, antivirus software, etc. Configure the firewall for only what it needs, and you're good. The running OpenSSH server will only consume a few MB of RAM, and you can tunnel Remote Desktop, etc., through it. Have more than one machine behind the NAT proxy? Allow Remote desktop connections only from the machine that has SSHD on it, and connect open a remote tool from that machine, or forward your connection via the tunnel.
Having said that? Linux rox. I run it every day. My sole point is that while Linux has some great things going for it, the nature of open source brings most of that great stuff to Windows as well. Now, if I could just find a "tabbed" SSH client, like Konsole.
Hello up there!
Non geek down here...thanks to the author for a good, English explanation. I am borderline tech savvy, mostly aware enough to know what I don't know, do some basic maintenance and troubleshooting (just beyond - is the power cord kicked out?). At one point, I was much more knowledgeable (enough to earn respect of geeks and close deals for hardware co.) but have been out of the tech world too long.
Finding through my current work (writing for 'zine and blogging) that most advice and help out there is either really, really basic; or more often, geared toward much higher level of proficiency than many of us have.
I really appreciate straight talk from knowledgeable people who get how to dumb it down for the rest of us!
Jacqueline Church
Leather District Gourmet
Gourmet Food
My biggest frustration about Linux security
My biggest frustration about Linux security is that most of the documentation is written for "high buy-in" technical users. Most of the tech support makes the same assumption.
There is a general "Windows users are idiots" / "Linux users are experts" meme that works against the newcomer to Linux.
Now, I'm neither an "idiot user" nor a "professional IT guy". I'm a moderately experienced desktop user, with a fair amount of scientific and tinkerer programming experience. I personally hate worrying about security, and would really rather I could get somebody else to do it.
However, I also want to run my own web site, using technologies like Zope, which means I need to administrate my own server. I'm okay with that, but it annoys me that all the resources I can find are the ones only an engineer could love. I recently had a run-in with the tech support on my virtual server site, because I made a configuration error that left the site open to exploitation as an "open proxy". That was obviously a bad mistake, and I'm glad they shut it down.
If you've ever actually tried to set up an Apache server to front a back-end web server like Zope as a "reverse proxy", while simultaneously juggling virtual domain names with mod_rewrite, then you know that it's an amazingly tricky, overly complicated, and under-documented system. It's what we like to describe as "a maze of twisty passages, all alike", as the IF games used to put it. So the fact that I could make an error like this by accident, should not be at all surprising, no matter how destructive it might be.
But what bothered me is that they implied I was doing it on purpose! That's because, being "someone who knows Linux" they just automatically assume I'm some kind of expert (I guess). I believe this problem is behind me, and I'm pretty certain I've secured my site better—but you never really know. Deliberate malice will always find a way to break the system.
One of the continuing attractions of Windows-based servers, regardless of the technical problems, is probably that you don't get insulted for your lack of privileged inside information: everybody just assumes you're an idiot to begin with, which is sort of comforting in a twisted sort of way.
If GNU/Linux is to get more broadly accepted, even in the server market (especially on the low, small-business end), the community and the industry is going to have to develop a more friendly attitude to part-timers like myself, who are not being paid high-dollar IT salaries to maintain their servers (and to know all the ins and outs of doing so), but are instead trying to juggle the task with designing and improving their websites or just running their business.
Why I'll Probably Stick With Windows
I've recently tried Linux again for the third time in six plus years. I don't like WGA in XP, I don't like the DRM crap in Vista, and I don't like what I read about Microsoft's future plans and technology and what they could do with the technology (http://lxer.com/module/newswire/view/79728/index.html).
Having tried Ubuntu last year and liking it, I decided to try Xubuntu this year because I could have a nice looking desktop that wasn't resource intensive. I like Linux and Xubuntu in general very much but here is what will probably keep me from switching to it - Linux versions, or similar alternatives, of current Windows apps that I use.
Yes, I can dual boot or use QEMU or VMware, but then I'm still using Windows, so if I still have to use Windows, why not just use it period? I have other interests in life and keeping Windows and programs up-to-date already consumes enough of my free time. I don't need to add more work keeping a Linux OS and apps up-to-date as well.
In any case, the lack of a Linux version, or acceptable comparable alternative, to the following Windows apps will keep me from switching: Adobe Acrobat, Quicken, Visual Studio, SnagIt, TreePad (although they're currently working on Linux versions), ExamDiff Pro, Password Agent, Easy CD-DA Extractor.
Listing these apps brought something else to mind about why I'm resistant to making the switch; the time involved to find and play around with alternative apps.
One last point about the editorial regarding "...vendors who can cut off your service." This can happen with open source projects as well if the developer(s) decide not to continue development. Sure, someone else could take over development, but there's no guarantee that will happen.


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Discover a selection of top forums continuing naruto on the internet. Come to share your passion on forums continuing naruto and meet other fans of continuing naruto. Then, why don't you create your own forum of continuing naruto ?
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Welcome to Naruto Odyssey
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Please feel free to join and take part in the many rps that have been posted up! The site is currently trying to bring in new people, so please! Bring your Magic! ! ! ! : )
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Anything but. Your average Naruto forum.
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My network :
-router #1(192.168.0.1) (d-link wbr=2310)
-computer with PMS (192.168.0.102)
-router #2(192.168.0.105) (linksys WRT54G)DHCP is disable
-ps3 (192.168.0.109)
all the network is connected by cable.
computer is connected to router #1.
router #2 is connected to router #1. connected in 1 of the 4 ports. not in the 'internet' port
ps3 is connected to router #2
i can ping ps3 with my computer, but PMS don't appear on my ps3.
i'm a bit lost with all this network thing


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12-24-03 - For the first time in the United States a cow has tested positive for the Mad Cow Disease causing almost a dozen countries to bar U.S. beef imports, and the stock market to drop.
It started in Washington where a sick cow was sent to be slaughter. The slaughter company has voluntarily recalled more than 10 thousand pounds of raw beef. Health Officials say it is not time to panic. In order for a human to be infected with the disease the brain or spinal cord must be ingested.
Texas is the largest beef provider in the United States. In Texoma cattle ranchers say they aren't ready to panic.
kxii.com Extended Web Coverage
Mad Cow Disease
What is Mad Cow Disease?
What is Mad cow (BSE)?
Transmission to Humans
Symptoms of VCJD
Sources: http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/fact/cjd.htm (The Center for Disease Control Web site) and http://cjdfoundation.org/CJDInfo.html (The Creutxfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation Web site)


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SANTA CLARA -- Linebacker Ahmad Brooks is "trying to sweat out" a severe cold that kept him out of the 49ers' practice Wednesday.
Brooks participated Thursday's walk-through practice and is expected to return for the afternoon session in advance of Sunday's NFC Championship game at Seattle.
Speaking with reporters in the locker room, Brooks wore the same head sock he had to combat the 5-degree weather in Green Bay on Jan. 5.
"He's feeling better today. Just a little bug," 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said.
Brooks produced 4 ½ sacks through the 49ers' playoff wins at Green Bay and Carolina. He led the 49ers with 8 ½ sacks this season.
Brooks' task Sunday will be to keep the Seahawks' Russell Wilson from escaping the pocket.
"He's good at buying time for his receivers," Brooks said. "We've got to keep him in the pocket as much as possible."
Brooks said Wilson is a "different style runner" than the Panthers' Cam Newton, who had 10 carries for 54 yards in Sunday's divisional game that the 49ers won 23-10.
"Cam Newton is about 6-foot-5, so you see where he's going. He's not as mobile as Russell," Brooks said.
For more on the 49ers, see Cam Inman's Hot Read blog at blogs.mercurynews.com/49ers. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/CamInman.