The Magical Mystery Tour... who can reach the end?

A very magical Merry Christmas to you, Richard! UCT

The End

The story begins anew
Recess has its advantages
Add another log to the fire
Strike up the banded matches
Laugh! Sing! May your heart be
Content~~filled with a glorious joy
There has never been a better time to say
Merry Christmas to all and to All, good night!

Merry Christmas, Jean-Francois!

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Merry Christmas, Heather!

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Merry Christmas, Ed!

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Merry Christmas, Kate!

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Merry Christmas, Mieke!

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Merry Christmas, Bonnie!

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Merry Christmas, Derek!

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Merry Christmas, Mallika!

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Merry Christmas, Ruth!

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Merry Christmas, Craig!

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Merry Christmas, AmbaSteve!

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Merry Christmas, Diablo!

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Merry Christmas, Norm!

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Merry Christmas, Harb!

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Merry Christmas, Skep!

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Merry Christmas, Veritas!

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Merry Christmas, Irvine!

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Merry Christmas, Simon!

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Merry Christmas, Santa!

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Uncle Tree wishes the best for you in 2009!

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Luvz & Hugz!

XXXXXXX0000000

Oh....oh yay, oh yay
Ringa da bell, Christmas Day
All's well loudly saye

Love y'all in amazement.

And the bells were ringing

Ringing in my ear

Expressing sounds of happiness

To all that want to hear

The festive season of the light

The promise of the stars that shine so bright

Who bring such beauty in the night

And for the eye so much delight

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap081225.html

Merry Christmas here and there
Merry Christmas everywhere
Merry Christmas in the air
Merry Christmas as a prayer:

Merry Christmas for all to share
Without hunger and pain
And if we all take care
It is gratitude that will remain

Happy Holy Day

Mieke

Merry Christmas to you as well Keith; and I hope the recovery is going well.

Peace

Merry Christmas!

Keith, hope all is still well with the ole bod....

Had a lovely christmas eve dinner, ate more than I should but it tasted extra yummie...all except the ham and beef dishes...being a veggietestarian...the little ones took over the dinner and lead us in their nursery school songs...a little sing along....

this week we went from a blizzard, to 50 degrees and rain with winds gusting to 50 mph and back to 30 with ice...who could ask for more? HO HO HO!

well, I think I will go and read some news online, maybe, there I will find something to rant about...who knows?

have a wonderful christmas day everyone, ruth

Have a Merry Christmas everyone !!!

enlightenment,

When we talk about seeking enlightenment, which is about the most abused word in the siritual dictionary, what we are really seeking is the answer to, "What is te Truth."

Most spirituality is a construion project. We're ascending and ascending, ideas are ascending, kundalini energy is ascending, consciusness is ascending. It just keeps building, and a person feels, "I'm getting better and beter."

But enlightenment is a demolition proect. It simply shows you that evertying you ever believed was true isn't. Everything you take yourself to be, whatever your self-image is-good, bad, or indiferent-your're not that. Whoever you think othrs are, good, bad, indfferent, is not true. Whatever you think about God i wrong. You cannot have a true thought about God, so, all of your thoughts about God tell you precisely and exactly what the divine is not. Whatever you think the world is tells you exactly and precisely what the world is not. Whatever you think about enlightenment is also precisely and exactly what it's not.

Do you get the flavor of it? It's a removal project. What does it remove? Everything. And unless it's a removal of everything, it's not ulimately liberating. If there is one thing or a single viewpoint that hasn't been removed then liberation hasn't happened yet.

In the lives of most human beings, evertything is about an avoidance of the truth. The truth that we avoiding is the Truth of emptiness, we don't want to see that we are nothing. We don't want to see that everything we blieve is wrong. We don't want to see that what everybody else believes is wrong. We don't want to see that our viewpoint is wrong and that there is no right viewpoint. We don't want to see that everything we think about God is what God is not. We don't want to see what the Buddha meant when he said there is no self.

We would rather quickly insert a positive statement. So, instead of seeing that there is no self and that everything the mind holds as true is ultimaely empty, our minds will quickly insert something positive like "I am consciousness,"or "all is bliss," or "God is love." We do not want to see that here is a gaping void at the center of our existence.........from adyashanti's emptiness dancing.....

ruth

Happiness Happens

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The gift of a smile and the look of surprise
Followed quickly with "Golly gee, Dad!"
Staring in disbelief she sighs
The child holds the precious gem
This fast but fleeting feeling is treasured
Deep in my soul stirs the sense of relief
To know that it is and always will be worthwhile
Going out of one's way for a beloved
Giving without measure, the cup becomes a chalice
Drink it down, old man, and savor those few remaining years
Satisfaction is highly possible when the glory flows freely
The allotted room has always had a special place in your heart
Leave that door open this coming year and come what may
"Knot knowing" surely gives way to the bliss of rebirth
My seed shall go forth one day, God willing, and
The beat goes on...and the beat goes on
Whilst my beauty dreams up the rest of my story

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I'd like to thank everyone who puts up with me2 all year long!

I, too, appreciate the freedom to speak through UT's branches.

Truly, friends we are because heartstrings can stretch from here to forever!

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(Corny comes with the territory in Nebraska, folks.)

Luvz & Hugz!(Are we there yet?)

Thank you and the same to you Keith!

Wishing you the best of health, wealth and happiness in 2009.

Harb

Merry Christmas to all!

May everyone who celebrates the December Holiday (whatever it may be) have a joyous and happy time now and through the new year!

Namaste

Happy Holiday Everyone. May 2009 bring only love, happiness and good health to all!

Joanie

Hi Keith,

Wow, admired your words # 11.

Experienced it today with children and grandchildren.

UT's branches are so expressive. Inspires me to make a tree labyrinth as my next (en)light(ened) project :)

I made already one but saw a documentary with such beautiful extraordinary sculpted trees that I now know exactly how to combine and what my next spring labyrinth will be :)

Keith get well soon and very best wishes for 2009!

Mieke

Thank you mightily, Mieke!

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Merry Christmas, yogi-one!

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Merry Christmas, Joanie!

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An angel just told me that a savior has been born.

Knot in my neighborhood, but within reach.

I'll send my winged messenger.

In wholly land I stay.

Touch me later.

See star

now.

*

Cookies and milk, please.

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The Good News spread quickly
Byway of natural forces unseen
A thorough stumpification I AM
Desolate, but resolute to find
In the most unlikely of places
A certain babe to be born King

A wooden trough, the freshest hay
Holds the key that lights the world
As we know it, nevermore to be that old
Fear which gripped mankind from the first
Time temptation reared it's ugly, proud head
Bringing men to their knees near the apple tree

The first and final rebellious act now forgiven
Man became lost in his freedom to be either way
To follow a star or to be one, the question
Goes unanswered until the circumstances warrant
Intervention on the grandest of scales for God Almighty's justice and understanding hangs so close

To the edge one must go on the flimsiest evidence
In front of societies grand masters the case unfolds
Every year in the coldest days of life's winter
Solstice brings the longer equation that sunshine
Lasts on through the night for those of faith
The darkness recedes as the years appear to March

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(Recess)

Kate....

are you really?

Harb... I have one thing I would really like to say to you.... ....and that was it.

Kieth.. Not Long Now.

Ed.. They will knock at the door, just wait.

Heath.. Ice cream darling.

Mieke.. Red and Yellow, p ink and green, purple and Yellow and brown.. I can sing a rainbow so can you..

Irvine Welsh.. 3 minutes remember it will always be three minutes away from the mark of 0 until there is no three minutes./

John.. Pot Noodle.

Mini.. Woolen Sweater with the soft touch and smell.

Richard.. with the brass scales-they will crack your kitchen floor.

Vanessa.. stomach in the mind

North.. the veins of time

Diablo.. the batteries in your toy truck are ebbing

Skep.. Are you really in the back?

Jean Francios... That lake is a pond, fly away with the Geese.

Aurora... The forehead is not always forward as the eyes are not sight itself.

David - BREATHE no Gap

Yogi-one... CRACK!

Joanie - Butter

Ruth... Open the window instead of looking through it pet lamb xx

Empyrius.. The Pillows... they are worn out by now.. hmmm

Deepak.. Forte

Gotham.. the brow

Malika.. how can such a small heart stretch so deep - Your daddy is Deepak Chopra but you are Deepheart Chopra - Don't ever look into the shallows.

Pushpa.. I will steal your bike if I knew Where to find you

Taoist.. Your bandages - will they come off?

. (Dot) ....The Sea is calling you

Olivia.. Those High Heels want throwing in the bin

Norm.. A minute Steak is a minute staked

Frank.. I saw you with a picnic basket on your back.. too cold for a picnic though.

Mike.. Your hair was too long for a mouse

Freya.. That Braw would have made a great cat happy

Marec.. The hands upon your chest will not last for.. for.. for ever

The Guru.. If you say that again - I will forget my vow of none violence and do as the proverb suggests

None Violence - Walk along the sand bare

Peace.. Show yourself

The Ghost.. Peace

The Fortress.. Lift them gates that have rusted themselves into the very stone of the ground with time spent in cold tears without the openness of love that will break your rusted barrier

Santa Clause.. Where is your sewing kit..

Jesus.. :-)

The East.. Love

The West.. Love

The South.. Love

The Noth.. Love

The light.. Love

The Dark.. Love

The Free.. Love

The Sin.. Love

The Beautiful.. Love

The Sick.. Love

Life.. Death

Death.. Life

Finish.. Start

My Hand.. Your Hand

My Touch.. Your Touch

Distance.. Closeness

God.. This Moment

Merry Christmas xx

Simon.. The biggest Idiot on IB..

LOL

Sherry, we miss you. Hope your heart's content.

Mister.

#19, Simon, I at least agree fully with your last line (LOL is not a line LOL).

Fueled by caffeine/codeine cocktail

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Faster and faster we accelerate from the past
Expansion into the uncharted territories that
Beckon us to impart on this second stage sojourn
Having left all sense of self accomplished acts
Behind group endeavors that strengthen the clan
Bringing together the will to be fairly courageous

Deliberate steps taken one at a time ensures us
From moments that slip away under our implanted
Behavioral mechanisms programmed to complicate
Progress on every chaotic level of understanding
Justly defining the foundation upon which we base
Our conclusions days before the games commence

Longing to risk our calloused, hard-earned reputations
After the bribes were set in place for maximum security
Safely stashed from the steely eyes of wayward angel spies
Locked up in absolute good for nothing prize vaults
Unused like the richest talent commonly denied entrance
The hidden God finds refuge in the still, quieted forest

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The Illuminated Tree's Lamentations

Hi Simon,,,,

my windows are wide open and from here my view is vast.. ....:)))) hohoho & a humhumhum..xx ruth

there is an artice at huffingtonpost.com and washingtonpost.com about the CIA's bright idea on how to win over the tired little warlords of Afganistan....actually it is more just a tired membrane that is causing the problem and so our 21st century male-dominated intelligence service decided a little hard on goes a long way in turning your enemy into your life long friend by handing out VIAGRA.

I had to do a double read on this one......From this woman's perspective this is very disturbing, but somehow very typical of a male's mentality, STUPID.

In today's world, especially, in war torn regions of the globe women are sexually abused, flat out raped, not just women, but young girls, female children and OUR _ENIS BRAINED MALE GENDERED CIA thinks handing out "little blue hard on" pills is a great idea, for the tired warlord's busy little membrane....

Truly, this is an astoundingly stupid idea, approach, if ever there was one.

It's stupidity is astounding. It's sensitivity and concern to the female gender of this world is non-existent.

Really, I had to read this over and over again, I simply could not believe that anyone would be bragging about this, in any way, shape or form, it is that f-ing stupid.

Oh, god, I could go on and on....but hopefully the CIA is not so dense that it doesn't get my drift....but, I am probably giving them too much credit...

ruth....

#19 My knees, Simon?

Bless you, Geordie boy.

Funny stuff huh Ruth.

You have never seriously believed western capitalists give a second thought to the treatment of women in third world nations anyway have you? The only time our fearless leaders bring up female circumcision or slave-like treatment is when they are going to drop more bombs . . .

It is always nice getting our American womens' righteous bloodlust going now-a-days, that way they will not mind losing their medicare/medicade and will instead simply want to kill those "brown savages" . . .

Next stop Pakistan, then Iran, then ___ (fill in the blank).

Peace

Israelis lose some money and now the Palestinians must pay; it must be nice having a million slaves you can murder anytime you want!

Why don't they just build that temple and get it over with; o, wait, the messiah has to build it for them: kewl!

Sing with me: "Barack the magic negro . . ."

there's a secret of secrets
that no one will tell
there's a holding of knowledge
as deep as a well
you can lower yourself down
with a rope and a bucket
but that's way too slow
so i say.....
i'll jump off the edge
of this old stony wall
i'll bring in my legs
and my arms like a ball
and when water i hit
you know what i found
if i don't swim
i know i will drown

derek

Merry Christmas everyone

i'm getting use to the dizzy feeling
my new reading glasses give
in my stoking used be candy and bubbles
and crayons
this year reading glassesss
is that too many e's or too many s's
it's still not so clear
do i wear them on the bridge of my nose
or down at the bulby end
and if i do will i seem condescending
when i do interviews
like, ya know, ol' charlie and ms palin

Yo, I must be on the naughty list, cause I asked for a new Mac.

derek

ps. Santa, I just wanted to remind you that your the coolest.

as innocent Palestinians, in Gaza, suffer their Hamas leaders dance with joy, their rocket fire has been rewarded, 10-fold, the Israelis have responded, just as they knew they would...now, they wait for the outcries to begin against the Israelis, while, they collect the anticipated sympathy from across the globe, an old story that will continue until to played out again and again and again although it is losing is charm.

oh, the pain and the sufferings, they will go on, but only for the innocent, of course. Hamas loves rockets more than their children, it is an addiction of course, and, like, any addiction, it brings hell to all who are touched by it near and far.

Addictions are hell on earth no matter if it is drugs, alcohol, or rockets.

ruth

Merry Christmas, Derek

oh, so no Mac.....better see where you can improve for next time...there is always next year..hohohoho......ruth

Hey Richard
The magical mystery tour never ends but it only lasts a moment then that moments gone......dust in the wind. But each speck of dust contains a Whoville.
The secrets and wisdom of the most profound and ever shifting truths can be found in any childrens book.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdKmnzFQmbk&feature=related

derek

Hey Ruth
I think telling Santa he's the coolest is a good place to start. I can build on that.

Happy holidays to you

derek

Yo Keith
Illuminated trees may have elves inside. Cookies for all?

Here's to a speedy recovery and our Tree standing tall.

derek

http://translate.google.ca/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.blick.ch%2Fnews%2Fnahost%2Fisrael-bombardiert-gaza-ueber-100-tote-108417&sl=de&tl=en&hl=en&ie=UTF-8

peace comes from peace

derek

For the reported hundreds of Kassams sent into Israel one rarely hears of a death, and it is worldwide news whenever even one Israeli is injured or killed; but it takes the murder of hundreds of Palestinians to even get on a news cycle.

God bless Israel and may any who she calls enemy be damned . . .

To my Palestinian brothers and sisters
: "give em hell", cause Lord knows you are living in it right now!

But I do agree that war is an addiction, hence the massive American military-industrial complex: war and weapons are the only export that keeps the American economy still running, so we just arm the entire world.

But I am confident those weapons will come back to America!

I have been wearing glasses lately too Derek, in fact, I cannot read without them: darn, getting old!

Be thankful you at least got something for Christmas Derek! That is something more than many of us did not give or receive, and it is definitely better than a bomb being dropped on your house.

Peace

But anyway . . .; who cares about death and destruction. As long as it is not me being killed (but I like it, I like it, can I have some more please), and we all know people that are murdered must be guilty of something, so one would figure evangelicals would love abortion b/c we are only pre-emptively killing lives accursed with that original sin . . .

How bout that rampaging Santa, those people must have been very naughty!

Anyway, here in Spokane our mayor declared a state of emergency due to the massive snowfall: it is so beautiful!

Peace

Hi all,

Since yesterday my computer has been severely damaged by a Trojan horse virus (and it seems that there is more than one!).

I simply made the mistake to arrive at a website that infected my computer. And it happened through YouTube.

So I will have to give up Internet for a while.
Because if I stay connected my computer may be used by hackers. And that is something I will not allow.

So here´s goodbye with much love to all!
Stay well in 2009 and be happy!

Mieke

Mieke,

so sorry to hear about the virus. youtube..never venture there, or at least very rarely, same with facebook or myspace...

well hope you can get back on line soon, will be looking for you ;)))))ruth

Hoping you get back online asap Mieke!

Peace

To the writers here:

It's well known that reading a piece out loud allows for better editing. But even those of us who believe that that's a wise thing to do often don't do it. We forget, or don't have time.

Today I installed a piece of software that reads my writing back to me, in a strangely-accented digital voice. Then I listened to the reading of the first chapter of my book, which I thought was pretty OK. I ended up doing about 40 minutes of editing.

The reader being digital, instead of human, turned out to be really valuable. Because there was no connection between me and the reader, there was no bias in the reading. If I wrote something bad, it sounded bad when read. If I wrote something OK, it sounded OK when read.

So if you're serious about your writing, I recommend getting reader software, to read your work back to you. There are a number of text reader programs out there. They're used primarily by those who are visually impaired. But anyone else can use them, too.

love, h

Dear Mieke

When you come back, if you don't already use Firefox, give it a try. I think one of the reasons I've never had a Trojan horse or spyware episode is I've used FF (and its predecessor Mozilla) for a long time. It's not as vulnerable as IE is, to that kind of illegal action.

love, h

It's getting warm out there!

Remember just a few days ago when the entire Flat Earth Society...err...Conservative Establishment was gleefully cheering on the "heavy" snow to hit Las Vegas and other unlikely parts of the country?

You know how each and every last one of them prattled forth about how this wintertime snowfall proved that global warming was a hoax?

Well, you don't hear much from any them now that a rash of high temperatures is sweeping the country from the midwest to the southeast and threatening to unleash widespread flooding, do you?

http://www.weather.com

Not a peep on Drudge Report, the assignment editor for the Anti-Science Society of America. Not a word from the other wingnuts.

Because the truth doesn't fit their narrative.

But here's a sampling what's actually happening:

+ Dallas hit 83 degrees, breaking its 2005 high temperature of 81.

+ On Friday, Wichita, Kansas saw 70 degrees, easily breaking the previous record of 64. But don't get used to it: today, the high is expected to be 34 degrees.

+ In Iowa, the warm temperatures caused major visibility issues.

+ Madison, Wisconsin looked to hit a record high of 50 -- followed by a cold front snapping temps back down.

+ In the Sierra Nevadas, it finally snowed on Dec 13 -- weeks later than in years past. With an earlier melt, anxiety is on the rise.

+ Birmingham, Alabama also expected temps above normal. So far today, the high has been 73. The average: 56.

+ Tennessee also looked forward to warm weather. The headline: Today's forecast: Warm, wind advisory all day.

It goes without saying that the case for global warming does not rely on the list of news stories I posted above.

The scientific literature does not depend on cherry-picking.

But the fact is, the entire argument of the deniers does depend on cherry-picking. They seize on stories like the snowfall in Sin City and pimp the heck out of them.

Around the margins, their cherry-picking strategy has done them a little bit of good. In the end though, it mostly illustrates how close they are to losing the political battle for good.

Here's what their cherry-picking propaganda has delivered them: over the past few years, there has been a modest decline in the proportion of Americans who believe global warming is real -- down from a peak of 79% to 71% earlier this year. As you might expect, that decline is almost entirely attributable to a sizable drop in Republicans who believe global warming is real, going from 62% to 49% from January 2007 to April 2008.

Despite the mild success of the right-wing anti-reality machine, the absence of a coherent, intellectually sound argument in defense of their position will ultimately erode the power of their campaign of misinformation.

Their problem is simple: at the same time that the scientific explanation for global warming becomes more well-known, the cherry-pickers narrative will be increasingly betrayed by a torrent of weather events undermining the story they hope tell.

They've already lost the battle with everybody but the most rabid of partisan Republicans. Soon, they will lose that battle too.

"Dear Mieke

When you come back, if you don't already use Firefox, give it a try. I think one of the reasons I've never had a Trojan horse or spyware episode is I've used FF (and its predecessor Mozilla) for a long time. It's not as vulnerable as IE is, to that kind of illegal action."

FireFox is a very good idea.

"I simply made the mistake to arrive at a website that infected my computer. And it happened through YouTube."~meike

Never click on "enticing" YouTube forwards which come via email or social networking sites like MySpace or FaceBook. It's one of the well tested ploys of spreading malware and viruses.

I use Firefox, download a lot, do a lot of browsing via google and trusted sites but don't click on links to/from unknown sources (check the url before clicking), BUT my PC doesn't even have any anti-Virus program running and is still virus and free.

Firefox is very good at blocking unnecessary pop-ups when you visit website, and can also warn you if it is infected (I think Google Chrome does that, not sure about FF) than the internet explorer. Some of these pop up windows can install trojans, adware or malware even without a specific action by the user.

Although Google Chrome browser is in beta phase and maybe unstable from time to time(it was when I used it for a few weeks), it has this cool new feature, as explained by Ian Fette, Product Manager at the Chromium blog:

Understanding Phishing and Malware Protection in Google Chrome

"Google Chrome includes features to help protect users against phishing and malware attacks. If you have ever hit a red page with the title "Warning: Visiting this site may harm your computer!" (such as our test page) or "Warning: Suspected phishing site!" then you have already seen these features in action. While we try to provide an explanation of what's happening on that warning page, a number of people have asked for more information about how this feature works, in terms of where the data behind those warnings come from, how that data gets to the computer, and what privacy implications the feature has.

Where does the phishing and malware data come from?

Google is constantly crawling and re-crawling the web, all the while finding new and changed websites. These websites are found by following links from other websites, crawling URLs submitted by webmasters and users, and so forth. Sometimes, during that process, we discover a website where something doesn't seem right. A website may look like a phishing website, designed to steal your personal information, or it may contain signs of potentially malicious activity that would install malware onto your computer without your consent. If we find a website that looks like it's a phishing page, it gets added to a list of suspected phishing websites. If we find a website that contains signs of potentially malicious activity, we start up a virtual machine, browse to that website, and watch what happens. If we see certain activities happen on that virtual machines (such as viruses being downloaded and installed), we add that website to a list of suspected malware-infected websites. The process for discovering suspected malware-infected websites is described in more detail in a paper written by Niels Provos and colleagues from Google's anti-malware team.

How does this data get to my computer?

If you have phishing and malware protection enabled, then Google Chrome will contact servers at Google within five minutes of startup, and approximately every half hour thereafter, to download updated lists of suspected phishing and malware websites. These lists are then stored on your computer, so that as you browse the web, each page can be checked against the list of suspected phishing and malware websites locally, without sending the address of each webpage you visit to Google. This is designed to offer both performance (by not having to wait on a round-trip request to Google's servers) and privacy (by not sending a record of your browsing session to Google).

As the lists are large (hundreds of thousands of entries), we looked for ways to reduce the amount of information that had to be sent to and stored on users' computers, to reduce the amount of bandwidth and storage space consumed. One way we achieve this is by using partial hashes of URLs in the lists downloaded by the computer. What this means is that rather sending down the full URL of each website, we do the following. First, we hash the URL using SHA-256. Then, we send add the first 32 bits of that 256-bit hash into the list of phishing or malware websites. Those lists of 32-bit hash prefixes are then downloaded by Google Chrome in the background as described earlier.

How is this data used, and what is sent back to Google?

When you browse the web using Google Chrome, the hash of each URL is computed, and the first 32 bits of that URL's hash is compared against the list of suspected phishing and malware websites. This includes the URL of the website you are visiting, as well as the URL of any included resources (such as included JavaScript or Adobe Flash movies). If the first 32 bits of the hash match an entry in the list, it is likely that the URL is on the list of suspected phishing or malware websites. At this point, we can only say likely, because there is still a reasonable chance of hash collisions in the 32-bit space - two distinct URLs with distinct 256-bit hashes where the first 32 bits of those hashes are the same. To confirm that the URL is suspected as a phishing or malware website, and not just a 32-bit hash collision, the 32-bit hash is sent to Google. Google then returns the full 256-bit hashes suspected of being phishing or malware and starting with those 32 bits. The full 256-bit hash of the URL in question can then be compared against the 256-bit hash(es) returned by Google, to make a determination of whether in fact the URL in question is or is not on the list of suspected phishing or malware websites. Using this scheme, Google Chrome is able to quickly check the website and its resources against a local database, and only sends information back to Google when the site matches an entry on the locally stored lists. In the case where information is sent to Google to verify such a suspicion, that information consists only of a part of the hash of a URL, not the URL itself. As such, Google never gets information that would definitively indicate whether a user has visited a particular website or not. The end result is a low-overhead efficient mechanism to help protect against phishing and malware, while also helping to protect users' privacy."

http://blog.chromium.org/2008/11/understanding-phishing-and-malware.html

AFAIK FireFox doesn't have this advantage by default. Not sure if there is some Ad On feature available.

When I used Chrome, I got a warning when I visited one of Kavita Chhibber's web page link.

It seems a stable version of Chrome is available:

December 12, 2008 : "Today we announced that with Google Chrome's fifteenth release, we are taking off the "beta" label."

http://blog.chromium.org/

Got to try it, and see if I can use it as my secondary browser(I have been using Opera). Primary browser being FireFox (which is invaluable for variety of purposes other than normal browsing.)

#45 "BUT my PC doesn't even have any anti-Virus program running and is still virus and free."

What are you saying, Scott? Do you have anti-virus but run it manually, on occasion, or do you have no antivirus at all?

I've been tempted to turn mine off, (avast) because it grinds me to a halt sometimes with its constant updates. I trust it to be good and free! You will no doubt suggest another, and I'm close to losing patience.

I used Google browser for a while but have gone back to FF, the adblocker add-on being dear to my heart! Google may have gone ex-beta but it still hangs a lot with me. Originally, others were having crashes which, turning off anti-phishing and -malaware function was the remedy! Not sure if that one has been resolved. (Not always the browser fault, I know, and in my case, I think extra memory, soon to be fixed, will make a big difference.

Thanks for the gen, Heather, too :)

Hi, Ed! (Just an FYI)
Me2 use FF long time.

I've also had a Norton security system in place from the get-go.
It is renewed every year for less than $60
It stops the Trojans in their tracks(Fuck them!)
Phishing and live-updates I live with. A bit of patience...
Prudence looks and sounds like a funny word, eh?

Type pad is no longer a problem from here.
What to say or to create next is.
(Can I end a sentence with is?)

I am feeling pretty decent,
btw, for I know you care.

What in the world will we do here next year?
With nary a newcomer anymore, my optimism recedes like my hair.

Losing interest is not a very promising resolution.
And posting doesn't pay down the debt.

I am on a paid holiday/vacation retreat, though.
Not being able to drive has dampened the shopping sponge.
But all the snow and ice in town melted away the day after Christmas.
I think it hit 64 degrees. Next day: 28 degrees
Today's forecast calls for temps in the upper 40's.
I have been treking around the neighborhood a bunch, so...
for my part(or my sake) I appreciate any and all warming.

My natural gas/electric bills are higher throughout the winter.

People love to make predictions, and the future weather
forecast has always, and forever will be the topic most discussed
amongst human beings...the next topic being sex, I suppose.

Yawn. UT

Hi all,

I am using my daughter's computer at her place at the moment to type this comment.

Thanks Ruth, Craig, Heather, Scott for all the good advice. I really think I have had it this time with the Internet. Been on it since the beginning of the WWW in the early nineties.

Never did I have such a severe virus as this time. At a certain moment I lost the explorer and could not enter my own computer anymore.

Just a few minutes before that, I had been able to make a back up of the factory data I needed to format and reinstall the system.

I have lost my complete website on my home computer and now you will be able to read the Merry Christmas and Happy New Year wish till in May of the next year lol.

On the Internet the website will remain until 15th May 2009 because then my subscription will expire.

Well, it has been much fun making it and I have always told everyone who read it and mailed me with comments, to make use of it if they wanted to.

Me am returning back to my most favourite hobby, making 3D virtual worlds and keeping my brain sharp in that way.

Thanks a lot for all the vivid conversations we had here, especially in the first 2 years.

All the best to all my friends here and best New Year´s wishes for all.

With gratitude and love,

Mieke

Wishing you all the best for the coming year, Mieke!

Luvz & Hugz, UT

P.S. Good luck stopping your blog addiction.
I know and have the same problem,
but I hope it retreats before I do. I don't
contribute anywhere else, so I hardly recognize
stray thoughts concerning the (gulp!) guilt
of seeing white-open pages unused.
Take care now! You know where to find us/me.

#49

Prudence Brown marks time
Saviour by a flipping kilt
Frosty on the Downs

We have winter.

Walk proud, my friend, let it waine!
ib.

I think the basement got flooded here and there's bats in the belfry and we can no longer get insurance. Only Derek has the means for survival!
Goodbye is too wood a gourd and way out bitter.
KIT

Hey Craig! (Ref. #27)

I'm not afraid to go to YouTube, and since you piqued my interest,

I went to see what the hubbub was about. Hummmm...

white guilt. As in...did I feel that a vote for McCain would bring me

to a point in the night where I assured myself that

I was still awake because I didn't vote for a man who,

for all appearances sake, looked like a black guy?

.

Honestly, my Dad even brought himself to vote YES! for Barack.

But not until he questioned himself. He did doubt

that he could do it, and he told me so. He didn't

know if he could vote for a nigger. And I said,

"Dad, he's only half black, and he wasn't raised in the southern states."

"He's not Rev. Jackson or Al Sharpton or Snoop Dog."

It wouldn't have been guilt that he would have felt.

To me, I think he would have felt like he betrayed,

or at the least, separated himself from our historical heritage.

As I voted, I wasn't standing in the booth as a white American,

I stood there as a Watson. A white one. And I felt proud for our family.

Not just me in particular. I know my place in history.

And I know of the permissions granted to me that were unheard of back in the day...

.

Cheers for a new and better year for you, empyrius.

There's only one magic negro for me, and that's Magic Johnson.

Obama should be putting him on the payroll in place of Rick Warren.

Magic's tricks have proven themselves. His prayers work.

Silence envelops
Permeates my barking soul
Saps my energy

Hi Mieke, I too probably got the trojan virus because my explorer too began to stop functioning from today morning. It took my son's whole day to set it right. He has now installed new fairfox explorer and it is working fine and fast. Thank God!

You too perhaps can manage it in some way. Of course I had to lose my past data but it was really not much nor of any importance. The important one was on my son's computer as well as on mine.

Love, Harb

Dear Keith

Surely those n- words and thoughts are no longer supported by most people, at least those who read and write here. They're remembrances of past power imbalances, twisted artifacts of gross and survival-threatening unfairnesses. Please let the dust of silence cover them now.

Dear Mieke

Harb is right. And going forward, using Firefox can give you a pretty safe experience on the web. Your web site stuff can be saved back down to your hard drive and used to rebuild your work files for your web site. Please get a backup drive, and save your work every week, too. A USB drive for backups is inexpensive and usually quite reliable. If you approach this as a learning experience and involuntary purge, your spirit will be back to normal, and will probably even soar more freely, before long.

love, h

The Twisted Branch Review

.

I watched Indiana Jones and "The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull" last night.

Hollywood's favorite villains still come from Russia, it seems.

Their savior and messiah type's are aliens, however ugly.

This time around they have brains as clear as glass. They're not green.

.

I also saw "Burn After Reading", with George Clooney and Brad Pitt.

The enemy in this one? Why, it's the Russians again. It's a comedy.

Who do they stereotype? Gays, jocks, internet match-makers, F.B.I and C.I.A. agents,

single people, federal workers, etc. No black actors in this one, folks.

Not many A-A's near the box office either, I suspect.

.

Better, Sis?

Mieke, Harb and maybe others

It may be that you guys were hit by bad-hat people using a newly-discovered security hole in Internet Explorer.

The flaw was so risky that Microsoft issued an emergency update more than a week ago.

Here's an article about it:

http://blogs.zdnet.com/hardware/?p=3199

(or click my name)

This has happened all too frequently with IE. That's why I stopped using it years ago (except when a site absolutely requires me to and I trust the site).

If anyone hasn't gotten the most recent Windows security patches, the article has a link to the download site at Microsoft. Click on "MS08-078" in this paragraph in the article itself to get to the Microsoft fix:

"Here’s the summary from the security bulletin (MS08-078):"

- - -

You can turn on automatic updates on your Windows PC. Then anytime Microsoft has prepared an emergency update, it will automatically download and install on your PC, without you having to be aware of the most recent security news.

And switch to Firefox or Chrome, for a much much safer web experience.

My Mac is online all the time. I don't have any anti-virus or protection.
I have a friend who's Mac has been online 24/7 for close to 8 years, no viruses of any kind.

Are Macs immune somehow?

The only issue I have is I work and live in a very dusty environment. It's time to take my Mac in for a cleaning.

Hi Ed
If I survive to the next moment, and I'm sure I will, then I will consider my life a complete success. It is in death that I'm not so sure, but I have embraced scarier things and they have all turned out to be just teachers.

It's funny, there is something quite beautiful even in the darkest of rooms. No matter where I search, no matter how painful it may seem, no matter how empty a room might be, I take the spark that is my soul into each and every corner and find the exquisite workmanship that has been hiding there all this time.

There are many rooms yet to explore as our universe is revealed. Beautifully painted and decorated. Abandoned as the creators moved on. But just a little light, dimly at first, the eyes adjust, illumination, then everything changes again.

as soon as you find the truth......it changes.....silly truth

derek

Yup, Macs are pretty much immune. It wasn't until 2006 that a Mac virus was first discovered.

The Microsoft developers deliberately left holes and backdoors in Windows, Word and IE. They thought they could keep them secret, but they couldn't. As time went by and new releases were created, the products became more buggy and at higher risk for security holes anyway, because they were more complex.

Apple's developer ethic was completely different, much more responsible and better managed (wherefore Apple products are better products, quality-wise). OS X was the first Mac OS complex enough to have a discoverable security flaw. And OS X runs runs on a new chipset, one that is more complex and vulnerable, just like the OS itself.

Besides Apple products being better designed and maintained, for a long time the Mac market was much smaller and was primarily arts-based. Virus developers didn't see Mac environments as potential money-makers, so they didn't focus their efforts on Macs until they became big with college kids, starting in 2005 or so.

Because your Mac is online all the time, it's getting automatic updates. Most of the automatic Mac updates I've gotten over the past two years have been security-related.

Your friend's Mac is not running on the new chipset, and it may be running OS 9 or earlier. OS releases prior to X are immune to viruses.

There are some big truths changing around our world right now. Must be time to find some new unexplored rooms.

from a flat earth
in the center of the universe
and crystal globes
holding us in place
to simple ball of rock
and a middle aged creator
on the outskirts
of a common galaxy
spinning through space
like trillions of others

what a miracle it is
what miracles to discover
yo
and i get to see it all
not being tied to our friend time
and generations
my imagination
limitless
and scratching at the surface

derek

peace comes from peace

derek

Hey Heath
Does this mean as Macs evolve they will be more prone to viruses?

Hopefully Apple will keep things under control. Maybe Windows coexistence with Mac OS, which is now a reality on newer machines, was the entry point for the initial flaws in Mac OS X. The Apple people are very very good, though. I put a lot of trust in them, as do many others. Though there are anti-virus apps for OS X, not many people use them, and there are only a few live OS X viruses in existence. Based on hope, I think you'll be OK. It all comes down to the people, and Apple people fulfill people's hopes pretty nicely.

Thanks Heath
Computers are still pretty mysterious to me.

Sarah Palin = GILF (yeah baby)!

I still can't get over this song: too funny!

Barack the Magic Negro . . .

my love has deepened and taken root,
even as it stretches to reach the sunlight's glow
It shares the winter bare - ness ... with glee!

Hi Everyone,
I have wanted to write at the IB/OT but I haven't been able to find time this holiday ...
Yet just now, as I read through it,
I have spoken each of your names,
and whispered my prayer for
Joy and good
Health
for today and in
- 2009 -
Be Happy.

with love,
~ Kate

Your Love has risen snowdrop
Demurely pouring
Her faithful blessing
On glistened dawn.

and all the same to you, dear Kate...

Pray for well being
Spinning pennies splash for luck
Smile when floating

Now heads up face me
Hoped not to land on my tail
One side to many

Secretly I wish
Never to speak with promises
Vowing to expect

Struggling to tug
Fortune lassos the prized calf
New year's stranglehold

Resolve end to end
The snake devours its tail
Gulping inside out

Hard to swallow Acts
Four gospels trump testaments
By Laws changing not

The best pages glued
Rip and decipher The Word
Peel away the Truth

Puzzled under minds
10,000 pieces left out
The cornerstone trips

No detours allowed
Focus on the best angle
Where you're coming from

Go ahead, look back
Steps heard from behind spell what
What tells me to turn

Who speaks righteously
Authority proclaims you
Peacefully resigned

Allotted from straws
Drawn in to hold the short one
As fate allows whatnot

Come what may! Come now!
Guessing becomes tiresome
Hoping for more hope

New hope's there are not
Same old hope we know~~so well
Drink my pennies down

.

2009

That is pretty darn good Keith, the recovery must be going well! Good!

Did ya'all see Spokane has made national headlines for our record-breaking snowfall!

Peace

Thanks, Craig!

Yes, it is.
Saw the doc today.
I can drive again, yeah!
Back to work in a week--full pay.
Will wear the collar fourteen more days.
Skiing, I suppose, is out of the question. So,
enjoy the snow! Hope you have everything else in store.

Peace out, UT

Dear Keith

This is a best-possible outcome.

love, h

Peace back!

Dear Heath,

For now, it is, that is.

Come now! Happy New Year! Uncle Tree

Happy New Year, Ed!

.

You should see my neck of the woods on the x-ray.

Lattice-like scaffolding has been securely mounted near the top of my trunk.

It's like a two-pane window to another world. A second set of square eyes, perhaps.

Maybe someday, some pretty, red roses will entwine themselves.

Hey! I could even grow my own crown! More likely though,

It'll be coming up daisies and have a ring around the collar.

Please, let me know if it begins to show. Okay? UT

:)

I agree with Craig!

You dish out a very special kind of herbals, yerself, healer! lol and lollipops

Happy New Year and long may your garden grow, daisyless ;) They push me to the edge! God, Keith, you do have me multi-asking, meaningfully :))

O yeah Keith!

Seed-bearing gree herb is the best remedy!

Will work for green!

He-he

"green herb" that is!

A toast to all IBers for the New Year.

May it be Happy, healthy, and each and everyone finds what they are looking for.

Love
B

Keith

So glad to hear everything has gone well for you.

Love
B

hi all,

keith, it is great news, always, when one comes out from under the knife, not only alive, but "fixed" so to speak....:))

here, is a toast to all the IB community, may 2009 be a wonderful year for everyone......ruth

a new year beginning in just a few hours ...

What if I came down now
out of these solid dark clouds
that build up against the mountain
day after day with no rain in them
and lived as one blade of grass
in a garden

in the south when the clouds part in winter
from the beginning
I would be older than all the animals
and to the last
I would be simpler
frost would design me

and dew would disappear on me
sun would shine through me
I would be green with white roots
feel worms touch my feet as a bounty
have no name and no fear
turn naturally to the light

know how to spend the day and night
climbing out of myself
all my life

~W.S. Merwin~

Happy New Year, Bonnie!

I'm so glad you're glad and so well beyond me!

.

Happy New Year, Ruth!

2008 was fixed. In 2009, I imagine all hell could break loose!

But you know...that could be a good thing.

Frost Tree the Nomad

.

3 1/2 hours to go in Tampa...

Happy New Year, ~Katie!

Happy New Year to All!

2009:

- Year of the Gorilla
- European Year of Creativity and Innovation
- Year of Astronomy
- Year of Tradition
- Year of Charles Darwin
- International Year of the spreading of Human Rights

I am already designing a wonderful Tree labyrinth in 3D Virtual Reality. Am convinced I will be able to make a beautiful real one in the beginning of Spring in Nature.

Wishing you all much creativity and good health in 2009.

Am writing all this on an old laptop, which I have been able to turn into a simple Internet computer. She is not fast but stable :).

Mieke

P.S. I tried to download Firefox on it, but, although it was only 7,7 GB to download, my connection was so slow (300 kB per minute). So I gave up.
Think am going to save money for a new Apple computer :)

Happy New Year, Meike,
I have just quadrupled the memory RAM on my desktop to 512MB and it's made quite a big difference to speed. All that thrashing of the hard drive has stopped, no freezing up or hangs....bliss!

I think more sophisticated browsers, firefox etc just won't run properly on less than 256 MB. BTYahoo latest version of I. Explorer and their mailbox, refused me at 128MB, like some Dalek, 'annihilate, annihilate!' lol.

Happy New Creations, as well :)

Hi Ed,

Good for you that you now are able to go on the Internet without the freezing up of your computer.

Me am busy now to free this old laptop from all files and programs that are not necessary.

I also found out how to backup everything and make a start-up diskette, in case things go wrong again. So I did learn a good lesson :).

Perhaps in future I will buy one of those computer consoles that are only used for the Internet. You can buy them already for not that much money but the Internet subscription you have to take with it is rather expensive per month.

For the moment I found a good solution and as long as it will work, it is fine with me, having all the time in the world anyway :)

Best wishes for a great 2009 for everyone.

love, h