Spammers create and launch URL shortening services to hide links (Digital Trends)

spam, phishing, security

According to new information from researchers at?Symantec, a group of spammers have created a group of 87 spam-friendly, public URL shortening services and are actively using them to circumvent spam filters on popular sites. Using URL shortening scripts that are free and open source, the spammers are churning spam through the service and the public is also free to create links through the URL shorteners, perhaps an attempt to pass off the links as legitimate. All the URL shorteners are using the .info domain and are being operated through contacts in Moscow as well as a hosting company in the United Kingdom.

Spam in mailboxThe links have primarily been appearing in emails with the header titles ?It?s a long time since I saw you last!? and ?It?s a good thing you came!?. Once the shortened link is clicked, the user is whisked off to a site like ??Pharmacy Express? that promotes the sale of?pharmaceutical products. This new tactic by the group of spammers is likely a response?to vast improvements in spam detection from popular URL shortening sites. In the month of October, approximately 0.5 percent of all spam emails used?legitimate?URL shorteners to hide links with spikes of two to three percent on specific days during the month.?

Also included in the report from?Symantec, approximately 74 percent of email sent in October 2011 was spam. One out of every 343 emails were identified as phishing attempts and one out of every 235 emails contained some form of malware. Over 3,000 sites were blocked each day by Symantec, but that?s approximately a four percent decrease compared to September 2011. The United States contained the largest number of spammers in the world at about 34 percent of all spammers.?Pharmaceutical?spam was at the top of the list for the most common type of spam with casino and gambling emails in second and?jewelry?spam in third.

This article was originally posted on Digital Trends

More from Digital Trends

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/europe/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/digitaltrends/20111025/tc_digitaltrends/spammerscreateandlaunchurlshorteningservicestohidelinks

matt ryan matt ryan ricky gervais golden globes real housewives of new york justified mildred pierce cam newton

Chucky Brings 'Child's Play' To MTV's Killer Halloween

How does this tiny terror rank among classic horror-movie murderers like Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees? Vote in our poll!
By Kara Warner


Chucky from "Child's Play"
Photo: United Artists

How do we love horror-movie villains? Let us count the ways via MTV's Killer Halloween, an in-depth competition in which we ask you, the best and brightest fans, to determine who is the best and scariest movie murderer.

Head over to our Movies Blog poll to rank the killers' weapons of choice!

So far, we've provided the vital stats of big, bad men Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees and Leatherface. Now, it's time to move on to a smaller, but equally vicious, killer: Chucky from "Child's Play."

Charles Lee "Chucky" Ray
Occupation: Serial killer, voodoo practitioner, plastic doll

Weapons: Whatever he has at his disposal, voodoo knife

Archenemy: Grownups, fire, people who won't let him take over their bodies

Profile: Chucky's story has all the fixings for horror-film flights of fancy. He, Charles Lee Ray, is a serial killer and voodoo practitioner who manages to transfer his soul into a "Good Guy" doll after he is fatally shot by a police detective. Chucky ends up in the hands of Andy Barclay, who very soon regrets the day his mother brought home the redheaded, freckled doll, as the pint-sized terror resumes his murderous ways.

As is custom for horror-movie antagonists, Chucky manages to survive all the attempts at ending his "life" — including being set on fire and shot — in order to terrorize more victims in "Child's Play 2," "Child's Play 3," "Bride of Chucky" and "Seed of Chucky."

Once again, we turn to horror movie expert Brian Collins, the dedicated man behind Horror Movie a Day, to explain Chucky's long-lasting appeal.

"Chucky is awesome because in addition to going after Andy or whoever in order to get a human body, he tends to kill a lot of jerks: mean teachers, sadistic Army barbers, even Britney Spears. So, there's a little more variety to his victims than the usual anonymous knife fodder in the "Friday the 13th" or "Nightmare on Elm Street" movies," he explained. "Plus, he swore a lot. Swearing toys are always funny."

Check out everything we've got on "Child's Play."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

Related Photos

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1673175/halloween-chucky-childs-play.jhtml

florida state osu football osu football fsu football fsu football ted kennedy warren zevon

Pan-Asian girl band looks to Snoop Dogg for help (Reuters)

SINGAPORE (Reuters) ? The pan-Asian "girl band" Blush has been around for only 11 months but already has a track record more established groups might envy -- a single that hit number-three on the U.S. dance music charts and rapper Snoop Dogg in one of their songs.

This week, the English-singing group, whose members hail from Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Korea and India, will open for the Black Eyed Peas at their Manila concert. They appeared at a Justin Bieber concert in Hong Kong earlier this year.

"The goal for Blush is to become really the first Asian singers to make it big in the West," said John Niermann, a former president of Walt Disney Co's Asia-Pacific unit, who brought the band together last year after a broad talent search.

"The idea started several years ago when I was curious why an Asian singer had not really made it to the top of the charts in America," he told Reuters in Singapore.

The group is made up of Japan's Natsuko Danjo, Victoria Chan from Hong Kong, Korea's Ji Hae Lee, Alisha Budhrani from India and Angeli Flores from the Philippines.

Ranging in age from 19 to 28, most of the stylishly-slender group members sang and danced from childhood, dreaming of stardom, according to the group's website. But the 26-year-old Lee only began singing seriously after graduating from Korea's Hoseo University -- with a degree in law.

"Manufactured" pop groups have been around for over 20 years. But Blush is the first to be made up entirely of singers from across Asia who perform in English, in an attempt to broaden their global appeal. Blush is also unusual among Asian performers in the sense that it hopes to make it big in the United States before becoming popular in its home region.

To help the Hong Kong-based group gain a following, Niermann hired songwriters and producers who worked on tracks by artistes such as Bon Jovi and the Spice Girls.

Their first single, "Undivided," which featured American rapper Snoop Dogg in both song and video, made it to number three on the Billboard Dance Club chart.

CONCERTS, MERCHANDISE, SPONSORSHIPS

Niermann has also tried to popularize Blush through music videos and TV appearances as well as toys and computer games, tapping contacts made during his time at Disney and Electronic Arts Inc, another former employer.

"These days you monetize through live appearances like concerts, merchandise, sponsorships and endorsements. These are the key areas," he said.

Fans at recent Singapore events praised the group for their friendliness and style.

"Lots of energy and great vocals," said Andrew Teo, the event manager at The Butter Factory, a Singapore dance club where the group performed.

The group, though, spends much of its time in North America, targeting cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles and Vancouver where there are large ethnic Asian communities in hopes of building the fan base essential for success.

"Blush are wholesome enough to work with Disney yet at the same time are edgy enough to draw a crowd that might prefer to listen to Snoop Dogg or Black Eyed Peas," Niermann said.

But the group may find broad success hard, experts said.

"The difficulty about breaking into Western markets is the mindset ... Westerners do not bother about singers outside their country because they do not identify with them," said Dean Augustine, head of artistes and repertoire at Sense Music, a Japanese-Singaporean management and production house.

"When an artiste has a following, fans will comment on YouTube and this gives the media something to write about."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/japan/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111025/en_nm/us_japan_blush

florida state osu football osu football fsu football fsu football ted kennedy warren zevon

For Obama, new focus on the piecemeal

FILE - In this Oct. 21, 2011 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks in the briefing room of the White House in Washington. The president who ran for office promising sweeping change now finds himself settling for baby steps, scaling back his ambitions from sweeping initiatives like universal health care, to small-bore programs he can do on his own or that are uncontroversial enough for Republicans in Congress. Think patent reform, reducing health regulations, or helping with student loans. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 21, 2011 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks in the briefing room of the White House in Washington. The president who ran for office promising sweeping change now finds himself settling for baby steps, scaling back his ambitions from sweeping initiatives like universal health care, to small-bore programs he can do on his own or that are uncontroversial enough for Republicans in Congress. Think patent reform, reducing health regulations, or helping with student loans. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

Jazmine Averill, 5, from Santa Rosa, Calif., whose parents are unemployed, and with the group Occupy Santa Rosa, receives a kiss from Barbara Hunt, of the climate action group, 350 Group, before President Obama's appearance in downtown San Francisco, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011. The 350 group are demonstrators against the Keystone XL pipeline. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

Demonstrators from the 350 group hold signs as they stand on an original Keith Haring statue before President Obama's appearance in downtown San Francisco, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011. The 350 group are demonstrators against the Keystone XL pipeline. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)

President Barack Obama arrives at Los Angeles International Airport to board Air Force One in Los Angeles, Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2011, to a fundraiser in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

(AP) ? The president who ran for office promising sweeping change now finds himself calling for baby steps.

Blocked by congressional Republicans yet determined to show action as he seeks re-election, President Barack Obama has scaled back his ambitions from major initiatives like universal health care, to smaller-bore programs he can do on his own or that are uncontroversial enough for Republicans to go along. Think patent reform, reducing health regulations, or helping with student loans.

Even his jobs bill has been broken into what the president calls "bite-size pieces".

The new approach, which the White House is pushing under the slogan "We Can't Wait," represents at once a pragmatic shift by an administration with limited tools to fix the dismal economy, and a recognition of political reality when the opposition controls part of Congress and an election year looms.

Obama can't afford to sit around doing nothing. But circumstances won't let him do too much. The question is whether what he's aiming for will be enough ? to help the economy, or his own political fortunes.

"I'd amend the bumper sticker to say 'We can't wait, but we can't do much in the meantime,'" said Paul Light, professor of public policy at New York University. "It might be politically effective because it suggests that he's doing something that Congress isn't, but in terms of actual impacts on real policy a lot of it is pretty thin."

The White House counters that Obama is well aware that the steps he's been pushing are no substitute for legislative action. But while continuing to pressure Congress to pass portions of his $447 billion jobs package of tax credits and public works spending, the president is determined to do what he can on his own, officials said.

"It would be incorrect to suggest that we are shifting from large-scale to small-scale solutions," said White House communications director Dan Pfeiffer. "We are pushing aggressively, 24-7, for a very specific, significant, economic package, the American Jobs Act. While we are doing that and while Congress is not acting we're not waiting around twiddling our thumbs. We're doing everything in our power to improve the lives of families across this country."

So on Tuesday, with Obama in California midway through a three-day West Coast swing, the White House rolled out an initiative to challenge community health centers to hire 8,000 veterans over the next three years. Officials said it was aimed at making progress in employing veterans should Congress not make such a push through tax credits, as Obama called for in his jobs bill.

On Monday, the focus was housing, with Obama picking hard-hit Las Vegas to announce a new program to help homeowners refinance at lower mortgage rates. The issue is a huge one, but the deal was limited, affecting perhaps 1 million to 1.6 million people ? a fraction of the 11 million facing foreclosure.

And on Wednesday in Denver Obama was to announce plans to allow students to limit their loan payments.

These steps come after other recent announcements, including plans by the White House to exempt states from some of the strict requirements of No Child Left Behind, speed up payments to federal contractors, accelerate permits for select public works projects, and scrap certain rules for the health care industry.

Such initiatives are consequential, certainly, for the people or businesses affected. But they are modest compared to the ambitions of Obama's campaign, when he promised to change the very way Washington does business, or the initiatives from earlier in his term, such as the health care and financial regulation overhauls.

It's not to say Obama doesn't have major business he'd still like to accomplish.

Take immigration: the president has long wanted to tackle comprehensive immigration legislation to create a pathway to citizenship for millions of illegal immigrants. But without Congress going along, he's limited in what he can do, as he himself acknowledged Monday night at a fundraiser at the home of Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas.

"We have a system that is broken, and we are doing everything we can administratively to try to lessen the pain and the hardship that it's causing," the president said. "...But again, I'm going to need your help. Because we're not going to be able to get this done by ourselves."

Congress has shown only rare signs of late of giving the president what he wants, agreeing recently to three long-delayed free trade deals, as well as a bill overhauling the patent system. Republicans may well agree to some elements in Obama's jobs bill, including extending payroll tax cuts and unemployment benefits. But the outlook for major legislative achievements is dim for the rest of Obama's term, and so the White House intends to stay focused on highlighting congressional inaction and the steps Obama can take on his own. Announcements are planned weekly through the end of the year, sometimes on items so narrow they affect individual communities.

Obama's hardly the first president to go small.

Then-President Bill Clinton proposed dozens of small-bore programs such as supporting school uniforms in his successful 1996 re-election campaign, low-cost initiatives designed to appeal to targeted voters. George W. Bush promoted volunteering and foster care, issues that allowed him to trumpet his "compassionate conservative" credentials without spending too much political capital.

Executive power and the bully pulpit can be potent tools for presidents, ones that Congress and campaign-trail opponents can never take away. For Obama, hemmed in by a rambunctious House GOP majority and a Republican Party thirsting to take his job next year, they may be among the few strategies he has left.

"I do think he's going to continue to do more of this, and I do think the voters will say at least you're trying here," said Brendan Daly, former spokesman to House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and now a public relations executive at Ogilvy Washington. "He's the president. He's got to try to do everything he can."

___

Editors Note: Kuhnhenn reported from Los Angeles; Werner from Washington

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2011-10-25-Obama-Baby%20Steps/id-70fabf96017a4c3d9a757917d25e53cc

grace potter grace potter kinder morgan zachary quinto zachary quinto koch brothers ashley judd

Holland tops Pujols, Cards; Texas ties Series at 2

Fans cheer as Texas Rangers pitcher Derek Holland leaves the game during the ninth inning of Game 4 of baseball's World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Fans cheer as Texas Rangers pitcher Derek Holland leaves the game during the ninth inning of Game 4 of baseball's World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Derek Holland is congratulated in the dugout after being taken out of the game during the ninth inning of Game 4 of baseball's World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington talks to starting pitcher Derek Holland before taking him out of the game during the ninth inning of Game 4 of baseball's World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols reacts as he walks back to the dugout after flying out during the ninth inning of Game 4 of baseball's World Series against the Texas Rangers Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers won 4-0 to tie the series at 2-2. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

Texas Rangers starting pitcher Derek Holland throws during the first inning of Game 4 of baseball's World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals Sunday, Oct. 23, 2011, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

(AP) ? Inning by inning, this World Series is getting more intriguing.

Derek Holland provided the latest twist, boosted by a pregame pep talk from his manager. The Texas lefty shut down the St. Louis Cardinals on two hits into the ninth inning, and the Rangers won 4-0 Sunday to even things at 2-all.

A day after the Cardinals, powered by Albert Pujols, scored a team record 16 runs in a postseason game, they never got close against Holland.

"When I came off the field, arm hairs are sticking up. It's not like I have much, but man, it was tingly," Holland said.

Rangers manager Ron Washington came to the mound after 8 1-3 innings following Holland's second walk of the game. So close to a shutout, and with the crowd chanting his name, Holland pleaded his case, trying to talk his way into staying in.

"He was begging," Washington said. Or, as Rangers second baseman Ian Kinsler described it: "A lot of profanity, we sounded like sailors out there."

Washington listened, then signaled for closer Neftali Feliz. Holland had done his job in Game 4, and then some. He had kept Pujols in the ballpark and the Rangers in this Series.

"Now it's a best out of three," Pujols said. "See who can win two games. At the end, that's who is going to be raising the trophy."

Holland struck out seven and came within two outs of pitching the first complete-game shutout in the World Series since Josh Beckett's gem for Florida to clinch the 2003 title at Yankee Stadium.

"I was very focused. I knew this was a big game for us," said Holland, who was 16-5 with 3.95 ERA and four shutouts in the regular season. "I had to step up and make sure I was prepared."

Hobbled Josh Hamilton put Texas ahead with an RBI double in the first inning. Then Mike Napoli broke it open with a three-run homer in the sixth that set off a hearty high-five in the front row between team president Nolan Ryan and former President George W. Bush.

And just like that, for the first time since 2003, the World Series stood at two games apiece.

Game 5 is Monday night at Rangers Ballpark. It's a rematch of the opener, when Cardinals ace Chris Carpenter topped C.J. Wilson. After that, it's back to Busch Stadium to crown a champion.

Pujols produced arguably the greatest hitting show in postseason history in Game 3, tying Series records with three home runs, six RBIs and five hits during the Cardinals' romp. However, Holland has now emerged as the unlikely star.

Pujols finished 0 for 4 and hit the ball out of the infield only once.

"I wanted him to see my 'A' game," Holland said.

Feliz took over and closed. He walked Allen Craig, then retired Pujols on a fly ball and struck out Matt Holliday to end it.

Holland was in tune all evening with Napoli, his pal and catcher. Much better than the battery for the pregame ceremony ? Bush tossed a wild pitch that glanced off the catcher's mitt Ryan wore.

"I should've gone with the regular glove," Ryan said with a chuckle.

The bounce-back Rangers managed to avoid consecutive losses for the first time since Aug. 23-25, a streak that's kept them out of trouble in the postseason.

The Rangers also completed a Sunday sweep in the matchup of teams from St. Louis and the Dallas area. Earlier in the afternoon, the Cowboys beat the Rams 34-7 right across the parking lots. Hamilton and Lance Berkman served as honorary captains for the pregame coin toss, wearing their baseball uniforms.

Many fans might remember Holland from last year's World Series. He's the reliever who came in against San Francisco, walked his first three batters and promptly got pulled.

Maybe that guy was an impostor. Because this 25-year-old lefty with the sorry little mustache was completely poised, with pinpoint control. Perhaps it was the talk he got from Washington near the dugout shortly before taking the mound.

Washington put both hands on Holland's shoulders and talked to him tenderly, like a dad about to send his teenage son off to college. Holland kept nodding, and Washington finished up with a playful pat to Holland's cheek.

"It was just a general message that he's capable of going out there and keeping us in the ballgame. That's all it was," Washington said. "I talk with Derek like that all the time, it just happened to catch me on TV."

Added Holland: "He shows that he cares about all his players, and he definitely showed that when he talked to me."

After that, Holland was in total command in his first Series start, and improved to 3-0 lifetime in the postseason. The only hits he allowed were by Berkman: a double in the second and a single in the fifth. Holland got even later, getting Berkman to look at a strike three that left the St. Louis star discussing the call with plate umpire Ron Kulpa.

Cardinals starter Edwin Jackson kept his team close despite a wild night in which he walked seven in 5 1-3 innings. Jackson left after a pair of walks in the sixth and Napoli homered on the first pitch from reliever Mitchell Boggs.

"It's just a matter of time before they catch up with you," Jackson said.

NOTES: Napoli became the first catcher to hit two homers in a Series since Mike Piazza of the Mets in 2000. ... Kinsler and St. Louis C Yadier Molina played a little game of back-and-forth in the second. Kinsler robbed Molina of an RBI single with a nice stop up the middle to end the top half. In the bottom half, Molina made a snap throw that trapped Kinsler off first base for the last out.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2011-10-24-BBO-World-Series/id-b21217a5504d460197521528406a1f72

ron paul social security social security adderall muskingum county muskingum county barometer

William Horden: The Tao of Green

The wise do not accumulate.
The more they work for other people, the more they gain.
The more they share with other people, the more they receive.
The Tao followed by heaven is to do good and not to harm.
The Tao followed by the wise is to work and not claim credit.

-- closing words of the Tao Te Ching,
trans. Chang Chung-yuan

The inevitable transition to a fully-green society will have to overcome numerous hurdles. Vested interests in the status quo, corporate mentality placing profits above all else, and government-by-crisis-management that eschews real long-range planning, for example, are among the most obvious matters that will have to be reformed.

There are other, deeper, issues that stand in the way, however. The polarization of the political landscape in the United States, for instance, and the underlying culture war spurred by the radicalization of fundamentalism -- how is the most modernized country in the world to take a leadership role in creating a self-sustaining global community when it is paralyzed at home?

In the global arena, we face a similar problem. Trying to establish a constructive and forward-thinking consensus among all peoples is impossible without trust and mutual understanding -- a relationship that cannot exist under threat of force or economic intimidation. History now reads like a bad Shakespeare play, revenge begetting revenge begetting revenge, escalating in violence and intensity as the plot grinds excruciatingly toward the final act in which everyone kills everyone else or themselves.

So political parties no longer act for the common good and simply strive to polarize people in order to get elected. Churches no longer pull communities together but, rather, tear them apart by polarizing people in order to promote religious zealotry. Governments no longer serve the interests of their respective peoples, polarizing nations into antagonistic relationships in order to justify the existence of government.

The inevitable transition to a fully-green global society, then, stands today somewhat like a single person with a pea-shooter standing before a well-fortified castle and demanding its unconditional surrender. All the major socioeconomic forces, and the weight of history, appear pitted against it. But it has reinforcements on the way: the inevitability of the future.

Because there is simply no alternative to a fully-self-sustaining lifeway for humanity, the issue at hand is not if but when. And because humanity's very survival will hinge precisely upon just such a self-sustaining lifeway, green will eventually emerge as an over-arching philosophy rooted in a collective ethics that recognizes -- and embraces -- the dynamic unity of this living system we call Earth.

Such a philosophy has been articulated in times past. It recognized the patterns of human short-sightedness and rationalization. It offered a simple solution to what we can see now are the predictable crises of environmental degradation and governmental ineptness. I refer, of course, to the ancient philosophy of Taoism, which, it seems to me, offers a coherent and meaningful foundation upon which the emerging global society can build a collective future in which all enjoy peace and prospering.

Take the quote above from the closing lines of the Tao Te Ching, as an example. It is difficult to imagine a simpler and more direct way to address human nature --

The wise do not accumulate.
The more they work for other people, the more they gain.
The more they share with other people, the more they receive.
The Tao followed by heaven is to do good and not to harm.
The Tao followed by the wise is to work and not to claim credit.

It is the point of philosophy, after all, to arrive at wisdom and not mere intellectual knowledge. So ancient texts like the Tao Te Ching were intended as teaching tools in which their authors poured out the results of their investigations into the subtleties of human nature and its relationship to the world. As teaching tools, their authors generally assumed the that the readers' rationalizing and justifying mind was in full force and so presented their ideas in ways that directly confront or bypass the merely argumentative mind.

So, The wise do not accumulate: Directly confronting the socialized mind that justifies self-interest and greed, the text establishes a fixed criterion for ethical behavior. Those who understand how things really are, those who are wise, simply do not accumulate: work it around any way you want, come at from any angle, argue it forever, it doesn't change the fact that it is not in the interest of the whole for the individual to place his wants ahead of others' needs. This, indeed, establishes a baseline for the ethical philosophy of the emerging world culture: in a world of peers, none is more entitled than another. Those who accumulate are not wise and therefore are arrogant because they place their wants ahead of others' needs. This lack of insight demonstrates a profound lack of compassion for one's fellow human beings and alienates one from the human family.

The wise do not accumulate, furthermore, because if everyone accumulates, the stress placed on natural resources is unsustainable. There has to be something more important than accumulating -- something more meaningful, something more rewarding. This something is intimacy: it is an ethics of relationship, of refined sensitivity to the needs of human nature and nature itself. The wise do not accumulate, after all, because accumulation is empty and meaningless in the long run. Meaningful experiences, however, based on a sense of communion with one's fellow human beings and, just as importantly, with nature, provide a ground of shared intimacy that directly addresses the real needs of human nature: happiness and a sense of belonging.

It is for this reason that the Tao Te Ching goes on to close with these words--
The more they work for others, the more they gain.
The more they share with others, the more they receive.
The Way followed by heaven is to do good and not to harm.
The Way followed by the wise is to work and not claim credit.

This is worth considering on several levels, not the least of which is literary: here is one of the world's most-read and most-translated books, acclaimed for a millennium or two for its wisdom and profundity, and it ends with these words, so simple and lacking in refinement that they could almost be thought anti-climatic. This is the work, of course, famous for its use of archetypal symbolism and paradox (The Way that can be spoken is not the eternal Way; Those who know do not speak, those who speak do not know; and so on) and it chooses to end with this unadorned truth that strikes directly at the heart and not the head: real wisdom arrives at real happiness, which cannot be divorced from a trusting relationship with one's community.

Modern Western readers may read all this as naive idealism, but people who have traveled and lived among other cultures know that these principles are still in play, forming the core of social interactions and personal fulfillment. In places where there is not a great deal of wealth in the first place, the emphasis is on social cooperation and survival of the group -- working for others does, indeed, bring you gain and sharing with others does, indeed, mean others sharing with you. Benefiting others, harming nothing, and not seeking the elevated status that claiming credit brings -- this is the personal practice that lies at the heart of the emerging social transformation.

The inevitable fully-green global society will, inevitably, be a society of self-discipline. It will require the kind of consistent and well-conceived philosophy that can be embodied with a clear conscience: it must satisfy, in other words, both the head and the heart. It will not come from government or church or corporations: it will not come from the top down, in other words, but from the bottom up. The set of self-sustaining behaviors our society will adopt won't be dictated from the vested interests above but, rather, from within each individual's creative nature. This reversion to a cohesive tribal worldview that encompasses all life is already being incubated through the global lines of communication afforded by the World Wide Web: a consensus is building toward accountability and social responsibility -- towards a vision of The Commons as the shared benefits all are entitled to enjoy and none are entitled to destroy.

Of this individual creativity, the great Taoist philosopher, Chuang Tzu says --

Things in their original nature are curved without the help of arcs, straight without lines, round without compasses, and rectangular without squares. They are joined together without glue and hold together without cords. In this manner, all things create one another from their inner reality. None can tell how they come to do so.

This seems to allude to the principle that the Tao creates all things from within and, in doing so, collaborates as an individual in the co-creation of the whole. This may reflect the Buddhist concept of dependent origination and its attendant analog of Indra's Net. Regardless of the metaphysics involved, the Taoist concept of natural integrity is pointed at here, with the implication that human beings need to return to their original being, which is in perfect harmony and accord with nature. It is this process of returning to our original nature that makes up the discipline of our personal practice and that of our collective descendants. Moving away from a lifeway of insecurity, self-interest, and accumulation, we intuitively move toward a lifeway of trust, plenitude, and sharing.

Because its wisdom teaching is so closely allied with Nature, the fundamental concepts of Taoism seem to me an ideal basis upon which to construct an embodied philosophy that can help create and sustain the coming fully-green global society. As a parting example of how this organic philosophy is concretized into ethical practice, I'll end here quoting Chapter 8 of the Tao Te Ching, again translated by the late great Taoist scholar, Chang Chung-yuan:

That which is best is similar to the water.
Water profits ten thousand things and does not oppose them.
It is always at rest in humble places that people dislike.
Thus, it is close to Tao.
Therefore, for staying, we prefer a humble place.
For minds, we prefer profundity.
For companions, we prefer the kindness.
For words, we prefer simplicity.
For government, we prefer good order.
For affairs, we prefer ability.
For actions, we prefer the right time.
Because we do not strive,
We are free from fault.

'The Toltec I Ching,' by Martha Ramirez-Oropeza and William Douglas Horden, has been released by Larson Publications. It recasts the I Ching in the symbology of the Native Americans of ancient Mexico and includes original illustrations interpreting each of the hexagrams. Its subtitle, "64 Keys to Inspired Action in the New World," hints at its focus on the ethics of the emerging world culture.

Go to the main site to see sample chapters, reviews and the link to Larson Publications for ordering the book.

Two companion volumes, The Five Emanations, and The Spiritual Basis of Good Fortune, have recently been published that expand on carrying the practices forward in the modern world.

?

?

?

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/william-horden/the-tao-of-green_b_869933.html

weather atlanta fandango ups movie times medina desktop backgrounds ana ivanovic

AP Exclusive: NASA sting terrifies woman, 74

This image displayed on a search warrant provided by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California shows a very small piece of moon rock, center, taken from Joann Davis during a sting operation where NASA investigators and local agents swooped into a Denny?s restaurant to detain Davis, trying to sell a moon rock. (AP Photo/U.S. District Court for the Central District of California)

This image displayed on a search warrant provided by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California shows a very small piece of moon rock, center, taken from Joann Davis during a sting operation where NASA investigators and local agents swooped into a Denny?s restaurant to detain Davis, trying to sell a moon rock. (AP Photo/U.S. District Court for the Central District of California)

(AP) ? The elaborate mission to recover a moon rock led NASA agents to one of the most down-to-earth places: a Denny's restaurant in Riverside County.

But at the end of the sting operation, agents were left holding a speck of lunar dust smaller than a grain of rice and a 74-year-old suspect who was terrified by armed officials.

Five months after NASA investigators and local agents swooped into the restaurant and hailed their operation as a cautionary tale for anyone trying to sell national treasure, no charges have been filed, NASA isn't talking and the case appears stalled.

The target, Joann Davis, a grandmother who says she was trying to raise money for her sick son, asserts the lunar material was rightfully hers, having been given to her space-engineer husband by Neil Armstrong in the 1970s.

"It's a very upsetting thing," Davis told The Associated Press. "It's very detrimental, very humiliating, all of it a lie."

The strange case centers on a speck of authenticated moon rock encased in an acrylic-looking dome that appears to be a paperweight. For years, NASA has gone after anyone selling lunar material gathered on the Apollo missions because it is considered government property, so cannot be sold for profit.

Still, NASA has given hundreds of lunar samples to nations, states and high-profile individuals but only on the understanding they remain government property. NASA's inspector general works to arrest anyone trying to sell them.

The case was triggered by Davis herself, according to a search warrant affidavit written by Norman Conley, an agent for the inspector general.

She emailed a NASA contractor May 10 trying to find a buyer for the rock, as well as a nickel-sized piece of the heat shield that protected the Apollo 11 space capsule as it returned to earth from the first successful manned mission to the moon in 1969.

"I've been searching the internet for months attempting to find a buyer," Davis wrote. "If you have any thoughts as to how I can proceed with the sale of these two items, please call."

Davis told AP the items were among many of the space-related heirlooms her husband left her when he died in 1986. She said she had worked as a lexicographer and he had worked as an engineer for North American Rockwell, which contracted for NASA during the Apollo era.

Davis claims Armstrong gave the items to her husband, though the affidavit says the first man on the moon has previously told investigators he never gave or sold lunar material to anyone.

In follow-up phone conversations with a NASA agent, Davis acknowledged the rock was not sellable on the open market and fretted about an agent knocking on her door and taking the material, which she was willing to sell for "big money underground."

"She must know that this is a questionable transaction because she used the term 'black market,'" Agent Conley states in the search warrant.

Curiously, though, Davis agreed to sell the sample to NASA for a stellar $1.7 million. She said she wanted to leave her three children an inheritance and take care of her sick son.

NASA investigators then arranged the sting, where Conley met with Davis and her current husband at the Denny's at Lake Elsinore in Riverside County.

Soon after settling into a booth, Davis said, she pulled out the moon sample and about half a dozen sheriff's deputies and NASA investigators rushed into the eatery.

When officers in flack vests took a hold of her, the 4-foot-11 woman said she was so scared she lost control of her bladder and was taken outside to a parking lot, where she was questioned and detained for about two hours.

"They grabbed me and pulled me out of the booth," Davis claimed. "I had very, very deep bruises on my left side."

Conley declined to comment and NASA Office of the Inspector General spokeswoman Renee Juhans said she could not talk about an ongoing investigation.

Davis was eventually allowed home, without the moon rock, and was never booked into a police station or charged.

The affidavit states authorities believed Davis was in possession of stolen government property but so far they have not publicly revealed any proof.

"This (is) abhorrent behavior by the federal government to steal something from a retiree that was given to her," said Davis's attorney, Peter Schlueter, who is planning legal action.

Joseph Gutheinz, a University of Phoenix instructor and former NASA investigator who has spent years tracking down missing moon rocks, said prosecuting Davis could prove tricky.

Gutheinz said he recently learned that NASA did not always take good care of lunar materials. In some instances, space suits were simply hosed off and any moon dust on them lost forever.

While bigger rocks, such as those given to various countries and museums were carefully inventoried and tracked, it now appears there are unknown numbers of much smaller pieces circulating in the public. Some of these may have been turned into paperweights and informally given away by NASA engineers.

"I have a real moral problem with what's happened here in California," Gutheinz said. "I've always taken the position that no one should own an Apollo-era moon rock. They belong to the people. But if we did such a poor job of safeguarding (lunar samples,) I cannot fault that person."

About 2,200 samples of lunar rocks, core samples, pebbles, sand and dust ? weighing about 840 pounds ? were brought to Earth by NASA's Apollo lunar landing missions from 1969 to 1972. A recent count showed 10 states and more than 90 countries could not account for their shares of the gray rocks.

___

Watkins can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/thomaswatkins

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2011-10-24-Moon%20Rock%20Sting/id-8039a6df29ca48b49af03ea62b54d342

gary busey the x factor execution execution facebook music facebook music daphne guinness

Automotive Recruitment By AutoMax Recruiting And Training ...

Automotive RecruitmentAutomotive Recruitment: n. The process of attracting, screening, selecting and training qualified people to work in an automotive dealership.

I started off with the definition of automotive recruitment because I thought it important to point out the four parts of? any successful recruiting campaign, and they are:

  1. Attracting the right people
  2. Screening for top talent
  3. Selecting the right people, and
  4. Training for optimal performance.

In this post I will be sharing with you an exact blueprint for automotive recruitment success, in fact it?s the same process that we use here at AutoMax Recruiting and Training, at dealerships all across the country, if you?d like to hire us to do the recruiting for you, you can contact us HERE. If you?d like to go it alone, just keep reading!

Attracting The Right People

Finding people to apply for a position at your dealership might sound easy, but if you?re looking to attract more than just the people LOOKING for a job, you need to have a plan in place! Most dealerships, while trying to recruit people, post in two different places, the help wanted section of the local paper and on Craigslist. While the latter will give you a plethora of applicants the quality can be questionable, the former can be hit or miss.

What?s the solution? It comes in two parts actually, the first part being reach. That?s right, you want as many people as possible to see your automotive recruitment ad which means you need to post it on as as many different job boards as humanly possible. At AutoMax Recruiting And Training we use well over a hundred, as well as our own internal, SEO driven job board. We use Career Builder, Monster Jobs, Indeed, Craigslist, Simply Hired, and Jobster, just to name a few. We even use Twitter, Facebook, Google + and LinkedIn, again, just to name a few. The idea is to be everywhere because you want as many different people as possible to see which positions you are hiring for.

Now for the second part, and this is where the real art of placing an ad for your automotive recruitment campaign comes in and that is having the right copy! Copywriters us an acronym called AIDA, which stands for:

  • Attention
  • Interest
  • Desire
  • Action

The first part, attention, is all about writing a headline that will draw people in. A headline that will make somebody stop browsing and click on the ad to read more. Here are some examples:

  • Looking For A New Career? Love To learn? Then We?ll Love Filling Up Your Bank Account!
  • Like Having Fun? Like Working With People? Do You Like Money? This Is The One!
  • Tired Of Finding All The Wrong Jobs In All The Wrong Places?
  • Does Your Old Job Have You Down In The Dumps? It?s Time For A Change, It?s Time To Make A Real Living!
  • Can?t We All Just Make A Living Doing What We Love? Everybody That Works Here Does!

While some of those may or may not be to your fancy I hope you get the point? GET THEIR ATTENTION!

The second part is interest, now that you have their attention it?s very important that you get them interested in what you have to say. You do this by not sounding like every other automotive recruitment ad out there, it?s important that you are both different and interesting.

Now that you are building interest you have to make them desire the position by telling them how it will fix a problem their having. Then, end with a strong call to action, which, of course, is to apply for the position. If you do all four of those things you are well you way to attracting the right kind of people.

A few more things to ponder:

  • Be straight forward and to the point. Don?t worry about telling them everything there is to know about the job, this leads to information overload and you miss out on one the biggest motivational forces known to man? curiosity!
  • Write for a 5th grader. Use simple sentences.
  • Use white space, that is, write using small paragraphs and bullet points whenever possible. Big blocks of text are boring.

Screening For Top Talent

Always invite everybody in for an interview, it?s hard to get an idea of who the person is behind the resume without being belly to belly. This is a very important part of the automotive recruitment campaign because it allows you to get to know the prospective employee before you hire them. Sounds straight forward doesn?t it, did that last sentence make you go duh!? I said it because I?ve been on enough interviews, while training, to see that most interviewers only interview because they feel obligated, not because they see it as a necessity. The interview process allows you the opportunity to dig in and find the level of aptitude you?re looking for.? Here are some questions to ask:

  • Why are you looking for a career change? Money, is hardly ever the right answer, there are better motivators out there.
  • What was your biggest success in your last job? This question will give you some amazing insight into what they feel is important.
  • What was your biggest failure? Asking the inverse of questions you already ask will help you to dig deeper into the psyche of your would be employee.
  • What would you consider your weaknesses to be?
  • Your Strengths?
  • How would your best friend describe you?
  • What about your worst enemy?
  • What do you do when your stressed out?
  • How do you deal with conflict?
  • How do you feel when somebody tells you no?

I know that some of these questions may seem a little odd but they are questions that require both thought and consideration and will go a long way to helping you figure out what makes the interviewee tick.

Screening

At AutoMax Recruiting And Training we use a video based screening tool called the Car Sales Simulator, and instead of going into great lengths about it, you can learn more about The Car Sales Simulator and how we use it during our automotive recruitment campaigns by checking it out here.

Selecting And Training

Now that you have attracted the right people, interviewed the right people and screened for top talent, it?s time to make the selection process. Of course there is no way of telling you who to select at this point, because you are the one who attracted, interviewed and screened them but I will say this. Go with your gut! Also, remember that just because somebody interviews well doesn?t mean they will perform the job well, so being thorough will make your selection process much, MUCH easier.

Warning: Never ever hire somebody without training them, even if they have previous experience. You do things differently than the last place and it?s during training that you set expectations. It?s during training where you set both your new hire and yourself up for success. Most people will say that the automotive recruitment process ends at hiring, but I feel that automotive training should be an integral part of your recruitment process because without it, your destined for failure!

Automotive Recruitment By AutoMax Recruiting And Training

If after reading this, you feel as if you want to leave it to the professionals, we offer a no cost, no obligation automotive recruitment consultation on every position in the dealership from sales people and BDR?s, to general managers and lot techs, as I am fond of saying: From porters to presidents and everything in between!

You can contact us by checkout out out Contact Us Page.

Remember, if you want automotive recruitment done right, ask for Automax Recruiting and Training!

If you?d like to subscribe to future posts, just use your email address below. Don?t worry we hate spam as much as you do!

Source: http://www.automaxrecruitingandtraining.com/uncategorized/automotive-recruitment-by-automax-recruiting-and-training/

joan crawford joan crawford kat dennings listeriosis bonobos recent earthquakes club paradise

Win a touchscreen watch in our time competition

Sandrine Ceurstemont, editor, New Scientist TV

watch.jpg

Think a ticking clock is an outdated way to depict time? Why not invent a more novel solution - and win this cool touchscreen watch, courtesy of TokyoFlash.

We want to hear your ideas for representing time using computer technology. Here's some inspiration to get your creative juices flowing.

Design consultancy BERG recently conceived a clock for robots that incorporates a dynamic, machine-readable symbol (see video above). By pointing a smartphone's camera at the code, you could automatically authenticate a location and time.

An iPhone app called Last Clock, created by designer Jussi ?ngeslev?, creates a clock face from slices of live video. Like an analog clock, it has three hands that scan the video feed with different refresh rates, creating a time-lapse that combines three different time resolutions (see video below).

For those who wish they could manipulate time, an iPad app called TimeController lets you recapture a fleeting moment. It contains a library of videos of moving objects, like a bursting water balloon or a crash between soap bubbles, that you can interact with by sliding your finger on the screen. An event can be replayed in slow motion, allowing you to focus on an instant that would be difficult to observe in real time, for example right after a water balloon bursts and droplets still hold the shape of the missing balloon..

Now it's your turn. Comment below to tell us your idea for representing time using computer technology to be in with a chance to win. A New Scientist panel of judges will select the best entry based on creativity and usefulness. Don't forget to enter your email address so that we can contact the winner.

You may also want to check out our recent special About time: Adventures in the fourth dimension as a source of inspiration.

Read on for full terms and conditions.

Terms and conditions

This competition is open to anyone aged 18 or over, except for employees of Reed Business Information Limited and their immediate families.

The competition question is: Can you invent a novel way to represent time using computer technology?

Prize is one Rogue Touch touchscreen watch. Prize(s) are non-transferable and non-divisable. Prizes cannot be exchanged.

You may enter as many times as you like. Entries must be submitted by a single individual via the commenting form below.

ALL entry methods need these points in addition to 1-4 above:

New Scientist shall not be responsible for technical errors in telecommunication networks, internet access or otherwise, preventing entry at this website.

Entries must be received by 00:00 BST 31 October 2011. No purchase is necessary. Entries will not be returned, nor will they be removed from the website once posted.

Every effort will be made to notify the winners by email by 18 November 2011. Winners must respond within 14 days or an alternative winner may be chosen.

Submitting your entry constitutes your consent for us to use your entry, name and photos for editorial or publicity purposes, should you be a winner.

The winner will be chosen by a judging panel which will be made up of New Scientist editors. The judges' decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. A list of winners is available by writing to "New Scientist time competition", Lacon House, 84 Theobalds Road, London WC1X 8NS, UK.

New Scientist reserves the right to change or withdraw the competition and/or prize at any time.

By entering the competition, entrants are deemed to have accepted these terms and conditions.

Reed Business Information Ltd, Quadrant House, The Quadrant, Sutton, Surrey, SM2 5AS, UK. Registered in England, No 151537

Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/197448d0/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cnstv0C20A110C10A0Cwin0Ea0Ewatch0Ein0Eour0Etime0Ecompetition0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

arizona cardinals minnesota vikings chargers cake boss san diego chargers san diego chargers bengals

20 Essential Tips and Tricks for Windows Phone 7.5 Mango [Windows Phone]

Windows Phone 7 is one of our favorite mobile platforms, and the Mango update brings some core functionality that was missing in the original release. With all of the new features and tools, there is a minor learning curve, but this list of tips will get you using Mango like a pro in no time. We'll go through many of the individual apps and utilities that you are familiar with in Windows Phone 7, and show you the new enhancements that can make your life easier. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/FM9jEFvMKVw/20-essential-tips-and-tricks-for-windows-phone-75-mango

cypher last man standing gary johnson gary johnson jim thorpe pa jim thorpe pa terry francona