Shanktified!

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and its partner, the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), have received reports of recent spam e-mails spreading the Storm Worm malicious software, known as malware. These e-mails, which contain the phrase “F.B.I. vs. facebook,” direct e-mail recipients to click on a link to view an article about the FBI and Facebook, a popular social networking website. The Storm Worm virus has also been spread in the past in e-mails advertising a holiday e-card link. Clicking on the link downloads malware onto the Internet connected device, causing it to become infected with the virus and part of the Storm Worm botnet.

“The spammers spreading this virus are preying on Internet users and making their computers an unwitting part of criminal botnet activity. We urge citizens to help prevent the spread of botnets by becoming web-savvy. Following some simple computer security practices will reduce the risk that their computers will be compromised,” said Special Agent Richard Kolko, Chief, FBI National Press Office.

Everyone should consider the following:

* Do not respond to unsolicited (spam) e-mail.

* Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as officials soliciting personal information via e-mail.

* Do not click on links contained within an unsolicited e-mail.

* Be cautious of e-mail claiming to contain pictures in attached files, as the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.

* Validate the legitimacy of the organization by directly accessing the organization’s website rather than following an alleged link to the site.

* Do not provide personal or financial information to anyone who solicits information.

More here: Optimus Media News » FBI Warns of Storm Worm Virus.

With excitement I read Google’s calendar will now support CalDAV. Yeah, now I can sync Lightening (Thunderbird’s Sunbird plugin) with Google, right?  Nope. I can’t. It only works on Apple’s iCal.  From Google help pages:

“While other calendar applications support CalDAV (including Mozilla Sunbird), Google Calendar only supports CalDAV using iCal.”

Bummer.

UPDATE: I have found a solution, another problem and a solution to that problem.

Lightning: It’s a Sunbird plug-in for Thunderbird.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/2313

Provider for Google Calendar
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/thunderbird/addon/4631

I have installed Thunderbird and Lightning from Ubuntu repos (via Synaptic).  But couldn’t get Provider to work or allow me to add a new calendar.  Finally I found a post in a forum that helped.  The issue is you are missing libstdc++ 5. Install that from Synaptic and you are good to go.

This is a hit and run how to. It assumes you know all of the terms used and you have installed add-ons in thunderbird and from Synaptic before. But if you haven’t and need more detail on how to do anything, please feel free to ask.

Dr. Gary Cass (Christian Anti-Defamation Commission) wrote a great article detailing why Obama’s faith is not Christian.

In a recent article about Obama’s faith, Newsweek reports that Obama reiterated his position that he is a “Christian” who rejects the idea that Jesus is the only way of salvation. Obama throws Christ under his campaign bus as he denies Christ is the only Savior of the World.

“It is a precept of my Christian faith that my redemption comes through Christ, but I am also a big believer in the Golden Rule, which I think is an essential pillar not only of my faith but of my values and my ideals and my experience here on Earth,” Newsweeks reports that Obama said. “I’ve said this before, and I know this raises questions in the minds of some evangelicals. I do not believe that my mother, who never formally embraced Christianity as far as I know … I do not believe she went to hell. My particular set of beliefs may not be perfectly consistent with the beliefs of other Christians.”

Obama rightly understands his faith is questionable and not Christian. That’s why he says his faith raises questions. But his faith is not only inconsistent with other Christians, it is inconsistent with Jesus Christ and the Apostles. Why would you say you are a Christian then denounce the teachings of Christ and the founders of the Christian Church? While it is very troubling to consider that anyone, especially a family member, might be in Hell, what really matters is what God has revealed, not what Obama wants to be true.

Below are a few examples from the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles that prove salvation comes through Jesus Christ alone.

Click here for those examples and the rest of the article.

CNET News.com reports:

Spurred by an e-mail from someone deep in the marketing ranks, Microsoft last week traveled to San Francisco, rounding up Windows XP users who had negative impressions of Vista. The subjects were put on video, asked about their Vista impressions, and then shown a “new” operating system, code-named Mojave. More than 90 percent gave positive feedback on what they saw. Then they were told that “Mojave” was actually Windows Vista.

Sounds a little like the “Folger’s Switch” from years ago.

Instead trying this on XP fans, try it with some Mac-vangelists or fellow Linux fans.  Then you’ll impress me.

A New Jersey [of course, New Jersey] man trying to exterminate insects in his apartment blew it up instead, the New York Daily News reported on Monday.  Isias Vidal Maceda was unhurt in the incident, but 80 percent of his apartment was destroyed… More at Reuters

My guess.  The bugs survived.

Just when I thought Dr. Dobson had gotten all the Kool-Aid out of his system, I read this from ONN:

Conservative Christian leader James Dobson has softened his stance against Republican presidential hopeful John McCain, saying he could reverse his position and endorse the Arizona senator despite serious misgivings. “I never thought I would hear myself saying this,” Dobson said in a pre-taped radio broadcast “…While I am not endorsing Senator John McCain, the possibility is there that I might.”

Dobson and other evangelical leaders unimpressed by McCain increasingly are taking a lesser-of-two-evils approach to the 2008 race. Dobson and his guest, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary president Albert Mohler, spend most of the pretaped Focus on the Family radio program criticizing Democratic candidate Barack Obama, getting to McCain at the very end.

All I can say is Don’t do it, Jim.  You’ll regret it.

The rest of Dr. Dobon’s “Death of Conscience” is at OneNewsNow.com