|
1.
SUSTAINABLE
HEALTH
What is Sustainable health? What are its principles?
Introduction
As the western world is approaching a pandemic in obesity and stress
related illnesses, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer
and diabetes, good health is something we take for granted. Most of
us focus on our health, when we are ill or have had a major catastrophe
in our lives, when it simply might be too late.
- Our society
has conditioned us to constantly focus on our material wealth; at
all costs however having good health is something money simply can't
buy.
What
is Sustainable Health?
Sustainable health is a personal commitment to maintaining and taking
responsibility for your own health, through preventative (proactive)
means.
- This means not
only having regular exercise, and taking care of what we eat, but
also maintaining a healthy and balanced state of mind.
For 4,500 years,
Indian Aryuvedic medicine has taught us that illnesses are caused through
an unhealthy or unbalanced mind. Although modern science has disproved
this, there is still some truth in the Aryuvedic approach. However,
science just does not have all the answers and doesn't work for everyone.
Health is a three
way balance of genetics, environment and state of mind. Most often genetics
and environment are out of our control.
- Ultimately the
only thing we can control is our state of mind and the toxins we put
into it, through what we eat.
If you take responsibility
for your own health through preventative means, then ultimately you
don't place a burden on the people you love such as your family, relatives
and society in general. Taking care is the rule here.
Sustainable Health
is:
- A preventative
approach
- A balance of
mind, body and spirit
- Taking care
of what we put into our bodies
- Taking natural
medicines to maintaining your health and hopefully preventing illnesses
before they take shape.
- Leading and
maintaining a balanced life, by taking a "middle road" approach.
Not too little, not too much is the key.
What
are its aims?
- Taking responsible
for one's own health, through a proactive approach rather than a reactive
approach.
Current
Approach
Most doctors fail to realize this because they and the industry work
on reactive approach, and they are trained to think in a reactive approach.
In western civilization this is how doctors make a living and pharmaceutical
companies thrive.
- In ancient China,
the opposite was true. If a patient was sick, then the doctor was
fined for failing his or her duty.
- Today we are
ruled by pharmaceutical companies and health insurance companies,
using a fear approach.
- Nearly all reactive
medicines have side effects, just ask any G.P. Some have even been
well documented by researchers and doctors..
Point in example
is the arthritis pill Vioxx tm, which has
reportedly killed over 100,000 people in the U.S since its introduction,
and over 300 people in Australia. Vioxx tm relieves pain of arthritis
but triggers heart attacks and strokes.
- How many other
medicines are there like that?
Sustainable
Health Principles
- Your health is
fundamentally directly related to your mental condition and toxins
we put into our bodies, through what we eat, drink and breathe.
- Chronic and terminal
illnesses doesn't just happen. They happen for a reason. A sure sign
that you and your body may be out of balance or "sync" with
your environment.
The 10 principles
of Sustainable Health:
1. Maintain a balanced life, (middle road approach)
2. Have a healthy diet
3. Exercise regularly
4. Sleep well
5. Maintain a regular rhythm in life.
6. Take preventative natural medicines to maintain health
7. Engage in spiritual practices manifested through meditation, mind
training and raising personal consciousness
8. Learn to live and laugh more
9. Building discipline in our selves through mind training and raising
awareness
10. Take a simpler approach to life
- The result of
this will reduce your stress level and the impact of stress upon your
health and body.
Balanced Life
What is
a balanced life? A balanced life means being in control of all aspects
of our life, such as:
1. Physical
2. Mental
3. Spiritual
4. Family
5. Financial
6. Work and Career
7. Social
It also means not
to live to excesses, because we become attached to them. When we become
attached to them, we lose empowerment and they take over and control
us. Point in example is TV, drugs and gambling.
Preventative
Medicines
Tribal societies have long known about preventative, which we are only
starting to realise now.
Daily doses
of preventative medicine may help you and boost your immune system.
- What are natural
preventive medicines? Thinks like herbs, tonics, foods and drinks.
Things like fresh fruit or plants like St.Johns Wort, Aloe Vera or
Mangosteen, just to name a few.
Spiritual
Practices
Why do we need to maintain a spiritual approach? What if I am an atheist
or don't believe in God?
- Being spiritual
doesn't necessary mean believing in God. Believing in oneself is far
more important. In essence you have God within, but most people fail
to realize and acknowledge it.
Sleep
What is the importance of sleep? Why is it so beneficial?
Hazrat Khan a famous Sufi teacher, lecturer, writer, and musician from
India has described sleep as "food for the soul". Rumi another
famous Sufi poet says in one of his poems, "O sleep, every night
thou freest the prisoner from his bonds."
"The prisoner when he is asleep does not know that he is in prison;
he is free. The wretched is not wretched; he is contended. The suffering
have no more pain and misery."
" Sleep frees and rests our mind, and ultimately our soul.
Being
happy
Studies have shown that happy people are also healthier people. Happiness
is simply a state of mind. Being happy truly comes when we are in control
of our own thoughts and actions.
" How can one be happy in the modern world with all the tragedies,
violence and terrorism?
One must remember that it's not what happens to us that counts (because
most often it is out of our control), but how we deal with it. We can
control how we react to it. We have a choice. The choice is to react
to it in a negative way or positive way.
If we have a defeatist, negative attitude then we lose our empowerment.
If we take a positive, courageous attitude, then we can be empowered.
" How is it that after the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004, children
can still laugh and play and carry on with their day to day activities?
- The universe
tells us that nature of life is to go on and the carrier of life is
hope.
- Perhaps we can
take a lesson from these unfortunate people, to free our minds up,
because we often find that we are prisoners of our own devices attached
to comforts and material possessions we don't really need driven by
our insecurities and status anxiety. These insecurities are manifested
through modern day media which is driven by society's capitalistic
ideals.
Regular
rhythm
What is so important about a regular rhythm? Life and nature works in
natural cycles and natural rhythms. Our world tries to take that away
from us, by distancing us from the natural cycles and creating artificial
cycles, like for example night shift.
- If we were meant
to live and work at night wouldn't we have larger eyes or special
night vision like cats? Doesn't that make sense?
Simpler approach to life
A simpler approach to life doesn't mean, we all throw away everything
and live like hermits in the bush or jungle. This is simply not a practical
approach. What it does mean is removing our selves from attachments
and clutter.
- Why would we
want to remove ourselves from attachments? Don't attachments define
who we are?
The more attachments
we have the more stress we induce upon ourselves, because having more
attachments require more care and headaches. More headaches ultimately
means more stress. More importantly the more attachments we have means
the less we are empowered, which means we can feel helpless and be manipulated
or controlled by larger external forces far more easily Forces and entities
like the media or government and authorities. We ultimately become "prisoners
of our own devices and remove ourselves from the true nature of being,
distracted from the universe by things that matter very little in the
grand scheme of things."
- It has been
estimated that Australians buy $10 billion per annum of goods,
services and food that we simply don't need or don't use.[Source:
ABC TV news].
- What about all
the precious resources that are used to make these goods, services
and foods?
State of our
current health in Australia
The state of our health care says a lot. Take for example the Medicare
Safety net
It has cost twice
as much as planned. There will be a $1 billion rise in health care cost
over next three years.
The Medicare Safety
Net which was announced in the May 2004 budget will cost an extra $107
million per annum. The government's annual target was reached by August
2004, only three months into the program!
It was supposed
to have affected 450,000 people, now believed to effect one million
people per annum.
- Doesn't this
say something about the state of our health?
[Source
ABC TV News 11/4/05]
Effects
of Smoking
What about the effects of smoking?
- One in four
people in NSW smoke. Over the coming years, half will die directly.
For every person that dies in a road accident in NSW, ten will die
from smoking related illness.
[Source ABC News 11/4/05]
Summary
In summary we need to rethink the way we handle own health, as the current
approach is failing us. The current way is expensive, ineffective and
most often only benefit health insurers, pharmaceutical companies and
their shareholders.
- We must take
a balanced approach towards maintaining our own health and understand
that ultimately we are responsible for our own health, and not blame
"the system", society or even our own family.
- By taking a
proactive approach, to maintaining our wellness, we are acting in
a responsible manner.
Whilst we are doing this we challenge the boundaries of our lives,
through better knowledge and an improved approach towards living and
maintaining our wellbeing, not only for ourselves but for our family,
friends and all our loved ones.
For further information contact Tobi
Nagy
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2.
DESALINATION
OF SEA WATER IN AUSTRALIA
A new life-line or an expensive pipe dream?
Desalination
has been touted as the saviour for Australia's current water shortage.
Will it solve our long term water supply problems in Australia or will
it become an expensive pipe dream?
Desalination is
the conversion of sea water into fresh drinking water through a process
called reverse osmosis.
Saudi Arabia has
long been using desalination plants for nearly all their drinking water.
They have invested billions of dollars into their system.
Australia with its
current water shortage is now starting to research it, but is it a case
of "too-little, too-late?" Has the horse bolted, before we
shut the gate?
Currently in West
Australia (W.A) there is a proposal underway to build a $360 million
desalination plant in Kwinana in Perth. A $4 million research project
has been completed which has given the green light to build the plant
in Kwinana, an industrial suburb of Perth.
Victoria has a similar
proposal and is currently conducting a research and feasibility study
with N.S.W to follow suit.
- Sydney is believed
to have only 2 ½ to 3 years of water left, at the current rate.
In this article
we take a brief look at the Desalination plant that is about to be built
in Perth Western Australia, where it will be able to convert sea water
to fresh water.
How do we convert
sea water into fresh water?
There are a couple of ways to convert sea water to fresh.
1. Boil sea water and collect and condense the steam. This requires
a lot of energy.
2. An improved technique is to pump sea water through membranes, which
trap the salt molecules and produces clean fresh water. This is known
as reverse osmosis.
How
do we know its going to work?
On Rottnest Island just off the West Australian coast a small scale
version has been running over the past few years.
- Filtered sea
water is pumped using a high pressure (to an equivalent of 600m below
sea level) pump
- As its being
pumped, 6 membranes within the pipe, block larger salt molecules.
- An equivalent
of two standard salt sachets (like the ones used to salt your food
in takeaway restaurants) removed per glass of water.
- The removed
salt brine is then pumped back to sea.
The desalination
plant meets 70% of the island's needs, and is powered by a 100kw source
which provides 500 kilolitres of fresh water per day (18.3 Megalitres
per annum).
A 600kw wind generator
on Rottnest Island provides power for rest of the island and also the
desalination plant.
Kwinana
Plant
- The Kwinana
plant will be 25 Megawatt which is 250 times the size of the Rottnest
Island plant and will provide 50 Gigalitres per annum.
- The plant will
also contribute 100,000 tonnes per year of greenhouse gases.
To combat the contribution
of greenhouse gases, 20,000 cars will have to be removed from the road
or an extra 8,000 hectares of trees (or an equivalent of 9 sq kms) will
have to be planted, which the W.A Government is currently examining.
To get the equivalent
power source for this desalination plant, the W.A Government will have
to set-up over 40 wind generators, the size of Rottnest's islands,
just to meet the power demands of the plant.
Cost
per glass
The cost per glass of desalinated water will be 0.004c, which compares
well with the current price of 0.003c per glass using the current system
of water supply.
- However the
cost to the environment does not reflect this price.
Conclusion
The new desalination plant for Kwinana is planned to be completed by
October 2006. But who will build it? The W.A Government still hasn't
secured a tendered contract partner to build it.
- The 50 Gigalitre
per annum capacity falls way short of Perth's current water demand
of 1300 Gigalitres per annum.
- There will be
a huge impact on the environment, at a time when we need to consider
cutting Greenhouse gas emissions not increasing them, for the sake
of everyone on the planet.
Considering that
agriculture, industry, evaporation and wastage contribute to 88% of
our water usage [See Table 1], shouldn't we focus on the causes
of water shortage rather than just providing an expensive cure?
|
Market
Sector
|
Percentage
|
| Agriculture |
70%
|
| Domestic |
12%
|
| Industry |
9%
|
| Other
(eg. evaporation, wastage etc.) |
<10%
|
Table
1: Water usage in Australia in 2004 [Source: ABC TV: Landline Program]
Will this become
a futile exercise in our struggle for life in Australia or the sign
of a new horizon and a brighter future?
Source: ABC TVs-
Quantum Program
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3.
ENERGY INFORMATION
Some facts on world energy consumption and renewable
energy sources
Current world energy consumption:
- 80% generated from fossil fuels
- 87% from non-renewable sources
- 10.9% from renewables (excluding
hydro)
Types of renewable energy sources
|
|
Power supply
|
Production process
|
Distributed/onsite
|
|
Wind
|
variable
|
mechanical
|
distributed &
on site
|
|
Solar
|
variable
|
chemical reaction
|
on site
|
|
Ethanol
|
fuel cells
|
constant chemical
reaction
|
on site
|
|
Biogas generators
|
constant
|
mechanical combustion
|
on site
|
Table
1:
CO2 Emissions of Fuels
(assuming 100% conversion efficiency)
|
Fuel
Type
|
Kilograms per
megajoule
|
|
Coal
|
112 kg/MJ
|
|
Methane
|
55 kg/MJ
|
|
Propane
|
65 kg/MJ
|
|
Ethanol (renewable
source)
|
71 kg/MJ
|
|
Gasoline/Diesel
|
70 kg/MJ
|
Table
2:
World fuel-ethanol
production (billion litres per year)
| |
2002
|
2006 forecast
|
| South America |
11.2
|
12.3
|
| North America |
8.1
|
13.3
|
| India/Asia |
0.2
|
3.0
|
| Europe |
0.4
|
1.2
|
| Canada |
0.1
|
0.3
|
| Australia |
0.0
|
0.3
|
Table
3:
Productivity of Raw Materials into renewable Biofuels
| |
|
Productivity
|
|
| Raw Material |
Litre/tonne
|
Tonne/Ha
|
Litre/Ha
|
| Sugar cane |
80
|
65
|
5,200
|
| Sorghum (incl bagasse) |
120
|
50
|
6,000
|
| Corn |
370
|
8
|
3,000
|
| Wood |
300
|
12
|
3,500
|
| Rapeseed |
370
|
3.0
|
1,100
|
| Soya |
180
|
3.2
|
1,600
|
| Sunflower |
320
|
3.8
|
1,200
|
Table
4:
Source: Presentation by Prof G. Sarlos,
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, delivered to EPA Japan Conference,
Dec 2003.
Note: Ethanol (alcohol) is not to be confused with methanol.
Provided by: CFCL, 170 Browns Road,
Noble Park, Victoria 3174 Australia
Tel: 61-3-9554 2300 Fax: 61-3-9790 560 www.cfcl.com.au
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4. ERUPTION OF
KRAKATOA IN INDONESIA (1883)
Here is a summary of the events that took place and
the consequences of the eruption. With all the volcanic activity happening
in Indonesia, will other local volcanoes erupt soon with the intensity
of Krakatoa?
In 1883, the island chain of Krakatoa
blew itself out of existence, leaving only one section of the volcano
and two other tiny surrounding islands. The eruption was of cataclysmic
proportions.
A series of huge eruptions took place,
however it wasn't the volcano that caused damage but the resulting tsunamis.
There was a huge scale of devastation and no one could have imagined
the consequences over the following years.
Where was Krakatoa?
Krakatoa was located in Indonesia between southern Sumatra and western
Java, about 83 miles west of Batavia (now known as Jakarta), in Sunda
Straight, about 23 miles out to sea.
- Indonesia contains 17% of the world's
active volcanoes. It is the most active region on Earth.
Krakatoa is located 3,000 mile south of
a major fault line, where 2 techtonic plates, the Burmese and the Indo-Australian
plates collide.
At the point where the two plates collide,
the heavier ocean floor is pushed under the lighter continental block.
This known as subduction.
How did it explode?
In 1883, Krakatoa finally awoke from its slumber. The volcano was fueled
by magma caused by the rubbing of subduction plate. The rocks below
melt and are forced to the surface to form a volcano.
Krakatoa also has the unique position
of a large bending of the subduction zone which causes further faults
that allow magma to the surface.
History of Krakatoa
In 416 AD there was a massive explosion of Krakatoa. Over the following
1200 years minor eruptions caused Krakatoa to rise again, however this
time all vents were blocked allowing a build up of pressure over time.
By 1883 Krakatoa was a time bomb waiting to explode.
Sequence of events leading
to the eruption of Krakatoa
Tremors were felt in May 1883, months before the main eruption. This
was due to the magma heading towards the surface which was blocked.
Much like a boiler without an emergency release valve.
Three months to 6 weeks before the main
eruption the strength of the tremors increased.
At 10.30 am 20th May 1883: there was an
initial eruption, the island burst into life. Intense pressure was released.
Shock waves were felt immediately. The blast was felt 133 kilometres
(83 miles) away in Batavia (now known as Jakarta).
At 10 am Sunday 26th August 1883: the
great eruption occurred
By 1.06pm 26th August 1883: all three
craters on Krakatoa erupted suddenly. It was the most devastating volcanic
event in recorded history. Ash was blown 25 kilometres (16 miles) into
the atmosphere. A lot of ash fell back to earth.
By late afternoon 26th August 1883: it
was pitch black in the surrounding area. Earthquakes were also felt.
Pyroplastic magma (lava) flowed into the sea.
45 cubic kilometres of rock was blasted
into the sky as ash and dust. This is enough to cover the whole of Manhattan
island in New York to a height of 60 metres (200 feet).
By 4.25 pm 26th August 1883: hot sticky
volcanic ash fell.
By evening 26th August 1883: explosions
were heard 133 kilometres (83 miles) east in Batavia.
37 kilometres (23 miles) north of
Krakatoa, in the town of Ketimbang, heavy ash fell.
By 5.00 am 27th August 1883: Grey ash
fell on Batavia giving a wintery hue for the tropical city.
At 5.30 am 27th August 1883: the first
of four cataclysmic eruptions occurred.
Giant shock waves in the water formed
huge crests in the water, which were twice the size of the Boxing Day
2004 tsunami.
When they reached the coast, the crests
slowed to form huge tsunamis, almost 40 metres high. There was a wall
of water from 100 metres (330 ft) to several kilometers out to sea.
The waves just kept coming, washing away everything in its path.
- The waves were much bigger than the
2004 tsunami, but lost energy rapidly.
On 6.44 am 27th August: Krakatoa erupted
again. It had the force of 1,000 atomic bombs the size of Hiroshima.
10.02am 27th August: another eruption
occurred causing another huge tsunami. It was heard over 1/12 of the
earth's surface. The sound of the explosion was carried 3,200 kilometres
(2,000 miles) south and was heard in Perth WA. The sound was carried
4,800 kilometres (3,000 miles) west to Rodreguiez Island. It was the
longest distance by any airborne sound.
By 4pm 27th August 1883: the eruption
of Krakatoa ceased. Ash fell for three days.
Death toll
This was the largest death toll of any volcano in modern recorded history.
Altogether 36,417 people died, (including 37 Europeans). 165 towns and
villages destroyed. 19,600 Javanese died on the coast alone.
In the town of Ketimbung, 8,330 people
died because of the resultant tsunami. It travelled farther north to
Lampong Bay. A wall of water 24 metres (80 feet) high hit Lampong Bay.
In the town of Telokbetong in Lampong Bay, 2,263 people were killed
by the tsunami. A Dutch steamer was found 3.2 kilometres (2 miles) up
the river at an altitude of 9 metres (30 ft) above sea level.
After Effects
The eruption not only changed Indonesia, but its effects were felt worldwide.
No atomic bomb blast can rival the sound.
- Shock waves were felt for five days
around the world and went around the world seven times.
- There was evidence that the signs continued
around the world for five years.
- There were recorded changes in the
night sky, from Australia to Buenos Aires to England. It turned the
skies blood red at sunset all the way in England.
This was caused by volcanic particles
carried through the air by high level winds called "jet streams".
The ash fell back to earth, but tiny particles mixed with sulphur dioxide
(SO2) called aerosols. They rose into the atmosphere
carried by these jet streams forming sulphuric acid (H2SO4),
which veiled 70% of the world within days, cooling the earth's temperature
by ½ deg c.
Anak Krakatoa
120 years later there is a new volcano
emerging, in the area of Krakatoa. Known as Anak Krakatoa, "Son
of Krakatoa", it first revealed itself in December 1927, rising
out of the sea. It is on the same fault line as Krakatoa.
Anak Krakatoa is twice as big as it was
25 years ago, and is about the same size as Krakatoa was. It is growing
at an annual rate of 15 feet every year. Currently it is 788 metres
(2,600 feet) high, 3.2 sq kilometres (1 ¼ sq miles) in size.
Its crater is 200 metre (660 feet) across. Anak is carefully monitored
by scientists.
Anak has occasionally exploded, already
killing a number of tourists and has already released 50,000,000 tonnes
of material.
Anak continues to grow just a matter
of time before it explodes again.
[Source BBC TV 10/4/05]
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5. 13 WAYS TO ENHANCE YOUR WEBSITE
With
all the talk of how to make a great website and ways to keep visitors,
it is important to also understand the other side of designing an Internet
business.
Every day, thousands of websites are finding
unique ways to turn away visitors and potential customers. Although
many webmasters know about the obvious "turn-offs", there
are many little details that "tick-off" visitors and make
them leave.
In fact, I have found that there are 13 "small" items that
can make or break a website. To avoid having your visitors "click-away"
from your site make sure that you include the following things:
1) A Professional Appearance
Most websites don't need flash effects or dazzling visuals.
But, your Internet business should be perceived as a legitimate site,
built by someone who cares about the content and appearance. In other
words, the colors and graphics should blend well with one another. In
addition, all web-copy should be dynamic and devoid of grammar or
spelling mistakes. Finally, any images on the page should enhance
the experience for your visitors without distracting them.
2) Proper Navigation
The pages on your website should be easily connected.
To do this, every section should connect to the main page, with a clear
and concise menu. Don't make your visitors spend a lot of time looking
for different sections. Help them by ensuring that the navigation of
your site remains constant throughout all pages.
3) An Obvious Theme
Your index page should immediately let the visitor know
what you are selling or promoting. Usually the best way to do this
is by briefly describing the purpose of your website and include product
photos that can help people understand your purpose.
4) A Logo
One of the best ways to "brand" your site and
remain unique is to have a logo for your Internet business. By having
a logo, your website is more likely to make an "impression"
with your visitors and develop a following. Any logo used needs to be
consistent with the theme and color scheme of your site.
5) FAQs
There will be times when your visitors have a question that is not covered
by the standard descriptions or salës pages. To help them out,
it is important to have a section that is devoted to answering common
questions. By creating a FAQ page, your prospects can easily find the
answers to their questïons and will be more likely to order from
your site.
6) What's New Section
With repeat visitors, there will be times when you want
to update them with current news or promotions. The best way to do this
is to create a "What's New" section. That way, you can inform
old visitors, while making sure that they know about all current marketing
campaigns.
7) Contact Information
Eventually, your website visitor will have a question for you. Because
of this, it is vital that you list all possible ways that they can
reach you. By creating a contact page, you will be able to answer
enquiries and reinforce the fact that there is an actual person behind
the website.
8) Feedback Forms
The best websites always change, catering to the needs of the visitor.
In order to find out what your customers need, it is important to
solicit feedback from them. A common way to do this is by creating
a feedback-form on the site, which includes questïons that will
help improve the overall quality of the Internet business.
9) Privacy Policy
With the problem of sp@m, many people are afraid to give out personal
information such as their email address and credït card numbers.
To help alleviate this fear, you need to include a "Privacy Policy"
section. Basically, this page will let them know how all information
is used and if they will be contacted in the future. It is better to
be upfront about your practices than to be accused of mishandling information.
10) Email List
Top websites work on developing an email list of prospects that can
be contacted in the future. This should go without saying, but your
email list subscription area should have a prominent position on your
web page. In addition, include a quick blurb about any incentive that
you offer to visitors for joining the list.
11) About Us
Most website visitors appreciate knowing that a business is run by
an actual human being. To help personalize your website, you need
to include a little information about both you and your online business.
12) Sales Page
Even with the best product descriptions, it is important to create a
dedicated page that describes how your products are superior to your
competitors. This section should be a summary of all your key features
written in a dynamic tone. Basically, you want your visitors to read
this page and immediately buy from you.
13) Refund/Return Policy
On the other side, there will be times when a customer is not happy.
To help alleviate any fears that they might have about purchasing
online, there needs to be a section where potential customers can
read your rules on accepting returns and refunds. Carefully list how
and if you accept refunds. If you do not, then be upfront about it.
Because there are millïons of websites
on the Internet, it is vital that you give your visitors what they need.
Unfortunately, they will not tell you what is necessary. But, by including
these 13 items in the design of your website, you can assured that you
will have a distinct advantage over your competitor's Internet business.
By Scott J. Patterson get a FR-E-E copy of his ebook at:
BuildingAStore.com
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6.
SECRETS
TO SPYPROOFING YOUR COMPUTER IN 4 EASY STEPS
Spyware, malware,
adware have become serious problems over the last few years, here are
some solutions that may help you.
Do I Need To
Spy Proof My Computer?
I think the question should be, do I use my computer for anything that
would best remain private and confidential? Computer monitoring has
become a huge industry, involving individuals, companies and governments
worldwide. Ask the millïons of people who've had their identities
stolen if they would have done anything different, knowing what they
do today.
- Did you know
identity theft is the nations fastest growing crime?
With the advent
of computer technology and the Internet spreading through our homes
and businesses at lightning speed, if you haven't been affected by computer
crime in one way or another, chances are you will be soon.
Types of Computer Recording Devices
There are two main products that are used to capture and record computer
activity: Hardware Keyloggers and Surveillance Software. 95% of these
are designed to be undetectable by computer users. Many Surveillance
Software programs are available via a simple download over the Internet,
frëe of charge, and completely anonymously!
Hardware
Keyloggers
This product requires no technical skill whatsoever to install and is
often overlooked by even seasoned computer users. This type of keylogger
requires that the culprit have physical access to your computer and
can be installed in less than 5 seconds.
- Once installed,
a hardware keylogger will capture every keystroke entered into your
keyboard and then store it for future retrieval on the device itself.
Some hardware keylogger
companies boast a two-million keystroke capacity! That's about 5 years
worth of typing for the average computer user. Whether at home or in
the office, you can easily fall victim to this type of spying.
A hardware Keylogger is installed between your keyboard and computer.
One of the most popular hardware keyloggers is KeyGhost. You can visit
their website for more information on hardware keyloggers and why they
are such an intrusion into your privacy.
Removal of Hardware Keyloggers
By taking a peek behind your system and following your keyboard cable,
you can find out if there is something "odd" inserted between
your keyboard and computer. To remove a hardware keylogger, you Must
Shut Down Your System! You could damage your system if you attempt to
remove the keylogger while your computer is running!
Once your system is powered off, carefully remove the device from in
between your keyboard and computer, and then plug your keyboard directly
back into the computer. Make sure that it is plugged in completely and
be gentle as the connectors are somewhat fragile.
Surveillance Spy Software
Surveillance Software is by far the most insidious...and hard to detect
of all computer monitoring type spyware products. Some legitimate uses
for spy software are to watch a child's Internet activity or to monitor
employees while in a work environment. Unfortunately, this type of spy
software is often used unethically and even illegally by anyone who
wants to spy on or steal sensitive or private information from you,
or your business, without ever being caught.
Surveillance Spyware can be broken down into four main sub categories:
1. Keyloggers, which record keystrokes like a hardware keylogger,
but without a physical device.
2. Email Redirectors, which silently duplicate all incoming and
outgoing messages to a third party.
3. Chat Loggers and URL Recorders, which will monitor popular
instant messaging programs such as AIM and Yahoo Messenger, regular
IRC chat clients and web browsers. All communications and web site visits
are recorded and sent back to the intruder.
4. Screen Recorders, which silently take snapshots of your entire
desktop screen and everything you are doing, and then package it up
as a slide show, for the intruder to view. Screen recorders can also
email or upload these recordings for remote access.
Dangers Of Surveillance Spy Software
Surveillance Spy Software is wreaking havoc in families and businesses
around the globe with very little media attention. Surveillance Spy
Software among other things is used for:
- Spousal Spying
- Financial Spying
- Blackmail Identity
Theft
- Corporate Espionage
Stalking
Whatever anyone
wants to find out about you or your business can be easily obtained
with Surveillance Spy Software that can be purchased by anyone easily
right over the Internet.
One of the leading Surveillance Spy Software companies is Spectorsoft.
They openly acknowledge that a large part of their salës are from
spouses who spy on their mates.
Businesses will not let anyone know their systems have been compromised
with Surveillance Spy Software, unless they are absolutely forced to.
It's bad for business.
Detecting Surveillance Spy Software
The only product I've found to specifically target and detect surveillance
spy software is from a company called SpyCop.
SpyCop has been reviewed by the best in the industry including law enforcement,
government and hundreds of businesses both large and small.
Here's what some of the leading experts in the industry are saying about
SpyCop:
SpyCop... found a trace of SpectorSoft's Eblaster keylogger on my system
that Spy Sweeper and Norton AntiVirus failed to notice Edward C. Baig
Personal Tech Writer Usa Today
The best I've seen so far is SpyCop. It scours your system, looking
for secrët keystroke-logging software. John Dvorak Contributing
Editor, PC Magazine
If you're on the receiving end of a snooping program, wouldn't you want
to know? SpyCop can ferret out hidden spy programs... Kim Komando The
Kim Komando Show
SpyCop has been
recommended in many books:
- The Art of Deception:
Controlling the Human Element of Security by Kevin D. Mitnick
- Microsoft Encyclopedia
of Security by Mitch Tulloch
- Secrets of Computer
Espionage: Tactics and Countermeasures by Joel McNamara
- Steal This Computer
Book 3: What They Won't Tell You About the Internet by Wallace Wang
- Privacy Tactics
by Scott Germaise
- Home Networking
Bible by Sue Plumley
- Computer and
Intrusion Forensics by George Mohay
- Absolute PC
Security and Privacy by Michael Miller
What
Is Adware?
The public has become outraged at the advertisers who use hidden marketing
programs to take over computers for the purpose of marketing their products.
The symptoms of Adware are uncontrollable popups, unwanted extra toolbars,
and drastically slowed down computer performance that can result in
freezes or lock up.
Most spyware detectors are concentrated on detecting adware because
that is what is getting all the press...and adware profiles are frëe
for them to add to their detection databases. This makes it very easy
and inexpensive for anyone to get into the adware detection business.
Many times the same advertising spyware databases are passed around
or copied between Adware detection companies with very little new research
done.
- Unfortunately,
there are many inferior products out there that only do a half job
at detecting adware.
Adware is extremely
annoying and will often cost you monëy because this type of spyware
is poorly designed, and may cause severe damage that only a computer
repair shop can fix. All expenses related to adware damage come out
of YOUR pocket, not the advertiser.
Removal Of Adware
I'm going to let you in on a little secrët that many in this industry
don't want you to know: You Do Not have to spend any monëy to detect
and deal with Adware because the best product out there is Frëe.
Yes, I said Frëe, and it amazes me how many people are spending
their hard earned monëy to detect Adware...but as I explained earlier,
there is a lot of confusion regarding the subject of spyware.
Look what Andrew Brandt from PC World wrote about all these so called
spyware detectors.
Poor Defenders
Some anti-Spy
Software companies use confusing ads, and our tests show their $20-$60
products are less effective than frëe competitors... Andrew Brandt
From the December 2004 issue of PC World magazine
You've almost certainly
encountered the ads: A dialog box pops up on your system bearing the
message Warning! Your computer may be infected with Spy Software and
suggesting that you scan your computer immediately.
Clïck it, and you often reach a Web site providing a frëe
Spy Software scanner that finds all sorts of malware on your PC--and
then offers to sell you software that will clean it all up. Should you
buy these products?
Based on our tests, our opinion is no.
Following complaints from several PC World readers, we tested seven
heavily advertised Spy Software-removal tools--
- MyNetProtector
- No Adware
- Pal Spy Software
Remover
- SpyAssault
- SpyBlocks
- Spy Software
Stormer
- XoftSpy
and found that none were as effective as reputable frëe products
such as SpyBot Search & Destroy. Andrew Brandt PC World Magazine...
Here's what some
of the leading experts are saying about Frëe SpyBot:
- Spybot Search
and Destroy is adaptable for both beginning and power users, Bruce
Stewart CNET Editor.
- Spybot: A powerful,
easy to use tool for detecting, removing, and preventing adware...
WinPlanet.com
So folks, don't
waste your monëy on Adware Spyware detectors, just do like Andrew
Brandt says and get your frëe copy of SpyBot S&D.
There are a lot of companies imitating SpyBot and tricking customers
into thinking they are going to the SpyBot website when they are really
going to a competitor who wants to cash in on SpyBot's popularity.
Adware
Prevention (Careful what browser you're using)
Many people are unaware that they can get adware deposited on their
computer by simply visiting a website with an insecure browser. To help
prevent new adware from making its way onto your machine when you surf
the net, I recommend FireFox. FireFox is the latest cutting-edge
browser designed for simplicity and security:
To download your frëe copy, visit Mozilla.org.
Four Easy Steps To Spy Proof Your Computer
1. Look for hardware keyloggers attached to the keyboard input.
2. Download your copy of SpyBot from Safer-Networking.org.
3. Download your copy of SpyCop SpyCop.com.
4. Download your copy of FireFox browser Mozilla.org.
By Elizabeth Ward. Copies may be obtained in Ebook format from NoSpyZone.com
Please note that
SDS Consulting does not personally endorse any of these products.
This article was published in the interests of providing you information
with better and safer computing practices.
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7.
PREVIOUS EDITIONS
OF OUR NEWSLETTERS
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Published
by SDS Consulting 2005
Copyright SDS Consulting 2005 All rights reserved
www.sustainable-development.net
SDS Consulting
is committed to protecting your privacy. Under
no circumstances do we sell, trade, rent or otherwise disclose any personal
information you provide to us. Please check our privacy
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