Thursday, December 31, 2009
Happy New Year
Hey, I hope you all have a happy New Year! For me......I will be going to Busch Gardens in a couple of hours today so I know I will have a happy new year's eve. Anyway. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Monday, December 28, 2009
Playlist
I have a new playlist on the bottom of the page. It has some of my favorite Contemporary Christian songs on it. I hope you enjoy. BTW, it does not have automatic playing.
Friday, December 25, 2009
The Best Gift Ever!!!!
Well, I think today was the best Christmas I have ever had. For beginners, I got a new CD w/ Fm tuner that I have wanted for some time.
But, you can't compare sour gummy worms, gift cards and a body/lotion kit to a ONE YEAR PASS TO BUSCH GARDENS!!
To the best of my knowledge, I think that the gift I got today (Busch Gardens) was the best gift I have ever had.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas like I did. Maybe you didn't spend today at Busch Gardens like I did, but I hope you had a great time wherever.
So, today will probably be the last time I get to say it, so MERRY CHRISTMAS!
But, you can't compare sour gummy worms, gift cards and a body/lotion kit to a ONE YEAR PASS TO BUSCH GARDENS!!
To the best of my knowledge, I think that the gift I got today (Busch Gardens) was the best gift I have ever had.
I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas like I did. Maybe you didn't spend today at Busch Gardens like I did, but I hope you had a great time wherever.
So, today will probably be the last time I get to say it, so MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day Lyrics
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote this beautiful song. At the top of the page, there is a video of Casting Crowns singing it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I heard the bells on Christmas day
Their old familiar carols play
And mild and sweet their songs repeat
Of peace on earth good will to men
*******************************
And the bells are ringing
In my heart I hear them
Like a choir they're singing
Peace on earth, good will to men
*******************************
And in despair I bowed my head
There is no peace on earth I said
For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men
*******************************
But the bells are ringing
Like a choir they're singing
Does anybody hear them?
Peace on earth, good will to men
*******************************
Then rang the bells more loud and deep
God is not dead, nor doth He sleep
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail
With peace on earth, good will to men
********************************
Then ringing singing on its way
The world revolved from night to day
A voice, a chime, a chant sublime
Of peace on earth, good will to men
*******************************
And the bells they're ringing
Like a choir they're singing
And with our hearts we'll hear them
Peace on earth, good will to men
******************************
Do you hear the bells they're ringing?
The life the angels singing
Open up your heart and hear them
*******************************
Peace on earth, good will to men
Peace on earth, Peace on earth
Peace on earth, Good will to men
Richer or Poorer
This Christmas there are a lot of people celebrating with a grand meal, lots of expensive presents, family from all around, near and far and huge trees decorated with beautiful ornaments.
There are also people who are homeless. They probably won't have a decent meal to satisfy their hungry needs, a warm bed with cozy blankets to warm them in the cold winter night. They probably won't have a single present and they won't be having a decorated tree. They are going to be alone, tired, and hungry. Nobody will probably say Merry Christmas. And if so, they will probably be thinking, "It isn't a merry Christmas, its a sad Christmas."
No family or friends. Only cardboard to sleep on, food that has been scavenged from behind restaurants or dumpsters. There will only be loneliness, tears, and coldness.
Christmas is tomorrow. I ask that you take just a couple of minutes and think of the people who will not be fortunate this Christmas.
I wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS!
There are also people who are homeless. They probably won't have a decent meal to satisfy their hungry needs, a warm bed with cozy blankets to warm them in the cold winter night. They probably won't have a single present and they won't be having a decorated tree. They are going to be alone, tired, and hungry. Nobody will probably say Merry Christmas. And if so, they will probably be thinking, "It isn't a merry Christmas, its a sad Christmas."
No family or friends. Only cardboard to sleep on, food that has been scavenged from behind restaurants or dumpsters. There will only be loneliness, tears, and coldness.
Christmas is tomorrow. I ask that you take just a couple of minutes and think of the people who will not be fortunate this Christmas.
I wish you a MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
::I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day::
I don't know how to explain it, but I get this rejuvenated and refreshed feeling whenever I hear this song. It means so much to me when Christmas comes near. I put the video on the top of the page so you can listen to it. I hope that it gives you a good feeling when you hear it.
I hope you have a Merry Christmas.
I hope you have a Merry Christmas.
("I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day" has been moved to the bottom of the page, due to it being past Christmas.")
Friday, December 11, 2009
BANK FIREWALLS CRACKED BY CYBERHACKERS
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0890892c-e68b-11de-98b1-00144feab49a.html
Bank firewalls cracked by cyberhackers
By Joseph Menn in San Francisco
Published: December 11 2009 19:47 Last updated: December 11 2009 19:47
For more than a decade the common currency among cybercriminals has been pilfered credit card numbers, but some underground hackers have learned how to drain money directly from corporate bank accounts.
There has been a big rise in such frauds, raising the stakes in the war between financial institutions and criminals and costing some bank clients half a million dollars – or more.
The cyberhackers “are clearly ahead of the defence in terms of antivirus solutions, firewall solutions, etc,” Jeffrey Troy, chief of the FBI’s cybercrime section, told the Financial Times. Online bank thefts in 2009 had seen “a very dramatic increase from past years”.
Law enforcement warnings, recent reports from private security experts and lawsuits are focusing attention on the issue. Some professionals, citing the ongoing boom in virus infections through such social networks as Facebook and Twitter, fear the trends could combine in 2010.
Mr Troy estimated that criminals took about $40m from bank accounts this year, primarily targeting the small and mid-sized businesses that are themselves customers of small and mid-sized banks.
Such banks and their clients were less likely than their biggest competitors to have the highest-grade security procedures.
Targets have fallen victim to “spear phishing” and other tricks. In spear phishing, a misleading e-mail, instant message or social networking communication is aimed at one company or even a single person within that company, frequently a top executive. The message can be tailored convincingly with details of interest to that individual.
As with many generic phishing attacks that go to millions of users, the point is often to get the recipient to click on a link that installs software for surreptitiously logging keystrokes, so that passwords and account numbers can be recorded and transmitted over the internet to the hacker.
Aiming at small groups means that security programs that look for copies of previously reported attacks are less likely to recognise the software.
One of the most prevalent programs for stealing banking passwords, Zeus, can be bought and modified by anyone for about $700, Cisco Systems said in annual security study released this week.
Through both phishing and silent installs via compromised websites, Zeus has landed on some 3.6m machines. Another virus, URLZone, can rewrite online banking statements so that pilfered money does not appear to be missing.
Some businesses have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars to thieves employing such tools. While banks typically indemnify consumers for online fraud losses that are spotted quickly, they can take a harder line against corporate clients. Such disputes are coming into the open with the first lawsuits over banking breaches.
This month a Baton Rouge equipment seller called JM Test Systems sued US bank Capital One. The suit says JM Test noticed an unauthorised $45,640 wire transfer to a Moscow bank a day after it went through.
Although the company complained immediately and Capital One pledged to investigate, it allegedly failed to freeze the account and a second fraudulent withdrawal of $51,556 went through six days later. The bank has refunded less than $8,000 of the losses, according to the suit, which accuses Capital One of having unreasonably lax procedures. The bank declined to comment, citing the litigation.
Banks were modifying their systems, said Mr Troy, but they had problems with authenticating account holders.
The same problem exists on the internet – and has been exacerbated with the trend toward shortened web links that deliberately compress – and disguise – the address of websites as they are passed along in e-mails or other messages.
Many social media users placed such trust in material posted by friends and colleagues “that they don’t stop to consider the dangers of clicking on an unidentifiable link”, Cisco found.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. You may share using our article tools. Please don't cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web.
Bank firewalls cracked by cyberhackers
By Joseph Menn in San Francisco
Published: December 11 2009 19:47 Last updated: December 11 2009 19:47
For more than a decade the common currency among cybercriminals has been pilfered credit card numbers, but some underground hackers have learned how to drain money directly from corporate bank accounts.
There has been a big rise in such frauds, raising the stakes in the war between financial institutions and criminals and costing some bank clients half a million dollars – or more.
The cyberhackers “are clearly ahead of the defence in terms of antivirus solutions, firewall solutions, etc,” Jeffrey Troy, chief of the FBI’s cybercrime section, told the Financial Times. Online bank thefts in 2009 had seen “a very dramatic increase from past years”.
Law enforcement warnings, recent reports from private security experts and lawsuits are focusing attention on the issue. Some professionals, citing the ongoing boom in virus infections through such social networks as Facebook and Twitter, fear the trends could combine in 2010.
Mr Troy estimated that criminals took about $40m from bank accounts this year, primarily targeting the small and mid-sized businesses that are themselves customers of small and mid-sized banks.
Such banks and their clients were less likely than their biggest competitors to have the highest-grade security procedures.
Targets have fallen victim to “spear phishing” and other tricks. In spear phishing, a misleading e-mail, instant message or social networking communication is aimed at one company or even a single person within that company, frequently a top executive. The message can be tailored convincingly with details of interest to that individual.
As with many generic phishing attacks that go to millions of users, the point is often to get the recipient to click on a link that installs software for surreptitiously logging keystrokes, so that passwords and account numbers can be recorded and transmitted over the internet to the hacker.
Aiming at small groups means that security programs that look for copies of previously reported attacks are less likely to recognise the software.
One of the most prevalent programs for stealing banking passwords, Zeus, can be bought and modified by anyone for about $700, Cisco Systems said in annual security study released this week.
Through both phishing and silent installs via compromised websites, Zeus has landed on some 3.6m machines. Another virus, URLZone, can rewrite online banking statements so that pilfered money does not appear to be missing.
Some businesses have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars to thieves employing such tools. While banks typically indemnify consumers for online fraud losses that are spotted quickly, they can take a harder line against corporate clients. Such disputes are coming into the open with the first lawsuits over banking breaches.
This month a Baton Rouge equipment seller called JM Test Systems sued US bank Capital One. The suit says JM Test noticed an unauthorised $45,640 wire transfer to a Moscow bank a day after it went through.
Although the company complained immediately and Capital One pledged to investigate, it allegedly failed to freeze the account and a second fraudulent withdrawal of $51,556 went through six days later. The bank has refunded less than $8,000 of the losses, according to the suit, which accuses Capital One of having unreasonably lax procedures. The bank declined to comment, citing the litigation.
Banks were modifying their systems, said Mr Troy, but they had problems with authenticating account holders.
The same problem exists on the internet – and has been exacerbated with the trend toward shortened web links that deliberately compress – and disguise – the address of websites as they are passed along in e-mails or other messages.
Many social media users placed such trust in material posted by friends and colleagues “that they don’t stop to consider the dangers of clicking on an unidentifiable link”, Cisco found.
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009. You may share using our article tools. Please don't cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Day's Events
Well, another day of sheer boredom. But, then again, not exactly.
-I got a phone call asking about my Craigslist things I was selling (My furniture) that I have been trying to get rid of for about a month. Hopefully I'm going to sell it soon.
-I worked in the garden building a magnificant mud barrier to seperate my garden area from the grass. Its looks pretty good....I'm just not finished. Got about...........3 or more feet to still build. I will most likely complete it in the next two days or less....or more.
-I bugged my cat. Ya, not with the 'ear' device people hide so they can eavesdrop on passing conversations, but the tantalizing, picking on, petting type of bugging. LOL
Anyway.....my day was not very exciting. How about your's?
-I got a phone call asking about my Craigslist things I was selling (My furniture) that I have been trying to get rid of for about a month. Hopefully I'm going to sell it soon.
-I worked in the garden building a magnificant mud barrier to seperate my garden area from the grass. Its looks pretty good....I'm just not finished. Got about...........3 or more feet to still build. I will most likely complete it in the next two days or less....or more.
-I bugged my cat. Ya, not with the 'ear' device people hide so they can eavesdrop on passing conversations, but the tantalizing, picking on, petting type of bugging. LOL
Anyway.....my day was not very exciting. How about your's?
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
[Focus]
Today I was watching something and a certain phrase caught my attention. It was talking about focusing on things that were happening now instead of focusing (and worrying) on things that were going to happen in the future. I tweeted the sentence after giving it some thought and I changed it to this;
"Don't focus on what's going to happen in the future, focus on what's happening now."
After I tweeted it I thought I should have put it as this;
"Don't focus on what's going to happen in the future but on what's happening now."
But, somethings you can't change....at least I haven't figured out how to 'edit' tweets.
Why I am telling you this....I have no clue. All I know is that it caught my attention and kinda taught me to look and live one day at a time instead of worrying what was going to happen the next day to the future........
"Don't focus on what's going to happen in the future, focus on what's happening now."
After I tweeted it I thought I should have put it as this;
"Don't focus on what's going to happen in the future but on what's happening now."
But, somethings you can't change....at least I haven't figured out how to 'edit' tweets.
Why I am telling you this....I have no clue. All I know is that it caught my attention and kinda taught me to look and live one day at a time instead of worrying what was going to happen the next day to the future........
Sunday, December 6, 2009
The Three F's
Well today I went to church and my Pastor preached an exciting message on "Are You Happy?". When the sermon ended I wrote in my Bible, "The Three F's to be happy".
Because this was a very interesting message to me, I figured I would tell you my notes I wrote.
"Are You Happy?"
-If you're not right with God, how can you be happy?
-People should live by faith, not fate.
Psalm 146
1. Focus on the happenings from God.
2. Find the Biblical ingredients in the Bible and apply them to your daily life.
3. Figure yourself to be happy.
Because this was a very interesting message to me, I figured I would tell you my notes I wrote.
"Are You Happy?"
-If you're not right with God, how can you be happy?
-People should live by faith, not fate.
Psalm 146
1. Focus on the happenings from God.
2. Find the Biblical ingredients in the Bible and apply them to your daily life.
3. Figure yourself to be happy.
"We focus on things we don't have then what we do have therefore we are not happy."
Focus on the things that God allowed you to go through or have.
Find the things you need to hear or see in the Bible to help you with what you are going through.
Figure yourself to be happy with the things you have gone through, what you have, and what is going to happen because no matter what, you can always be happy through the hardest times and also the easiest times with the LORD right by your side.
So...focus, find, and figure.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Merry Christmas
Well, today we got our first Christmas card from our dear neighbor. It reminds me to put up some Christmas lights. Although we didn't have them last year.....we have to have them this year. I wonder....are you going to put some up? We just have those plain white ones....anyhow, they are all pretty just the same.
Soo....I hope you all had a great day today. I did and I'm sooo excited about it being December 1! Which means I'll have to put a count-down thing on my blog to remind us how many days it is till Christmas. :)
Anyway...............MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
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