Friday, February 3, 2006

Computer security experts warn that a malicious computer worm, dubbed “Kama Sutra,” is set to wreak havoc this Friday, February 3rd on Microsoft Windows computers worldwide. Kama Sutra is designed to destroy files that end in .doc, .zip and .pdf.

The Kama Sutra worm has been spreading through cyberspace since January 16, packaged in emails with subject headings such as: “give me a kiss” and “crazy illegal sex.”

When users click an email attachment, their PCs become infected with destructive, self-replicating software. The worm affects Microsoft Windows operating systems and is programmed to go to work on the third of every month, overwriting or corrupting Microsoft files and others such as Portable Document Format (PDF) files.

“This one can damage your office files, your Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and your PowerPoint presentations,” Tino Klironomos, a computer retailer, said. “(The files will be) all gone, history.”

Computer security company LURHQ reports that there may be hundreds of thousands of machines already infected with the worm, which also goes by the monikers “BlackWorm,” “CME-24,” “Blackmal,” “Mywife.E” and “Nyxem.”

To prevent the worm, Windows users should arm themselves with anti-virus software. People can also protect their PC with up-to-date anti-virus gear and firewall protection. Free anti-virus tools are available from many anti-virus organisations. These tools can detect and remove the Kama Sutra worm from an infected machine.

Experts say: “Make sure your virus definitions are up to date. Besides being careful about opening email messages and attachments, users should back up their most valuable computer files on an external device such as a CD, zip drive or DVD.”

Steve Bass at PC World says: “Stop worrying. If you update your virus program signatures regularly, and do a weekly AV scan, I don’t think you have much to worry about…”

Other advice is not to open any messages with the subject headers “crazy, illegal sex”, “give me a kiss” and “hot movie.”

The worm will not affect machines running on non-Windows operating systems such as Mac OS X or GNU/Linux.

Many security systems reported a very small amount of vandalism, even though the threats were very high.

Sunday, July 1, 2018

Argentine footballer Javier Mascherano announced retirement from international football after losing 3–4 against France in the Last 16 knockout phase of the FIFA World Cup yesterday.

Mascherano made his international debut on June 17, 2003, at the age of nineteen. Since then, he has won 147 international caps with Argentina, a national record. Mascherano has featured in four different FIFA World Cup tournaments, since the 2006 World Cup.

After the match, 34-year-old Mascherano said, “It’s time to say goodbye and for the younger players to step in.” He also said, “Personally, from now on, I will be just another fan, it’s over” ^{((es))Spanish language: ?En lo personal, a partir de ahora, seré un hincha más. Se terminó}.

In the last four years, Mascherano has won the silver medal at the 2014 FIFA World Cup, 2015 Copa América ^{((en))America Cup} and 2016’s Copa América Centenario.

Sunday, August 5, 2007

Oliver Hill, an American Civil Rights lawyer died today at the age of 100. Hill was attending breakfast, when he died “peacefully,” said a friend of Hill’s family, Joseph Morrissey. The cause is not yet known.

“As a pioneer for civil rights, an accomplished attorney, and a war veteran, Mr. Hill’s dedication to serving the commonwealth and the country never failed,” said Virginia Governor, Tim Kaine in a statement released to the press.

Hill won African American teachers the right to have equal pay in 1940, which was the first civil rights case he won in his career.

He was also the first African American to be elected to the city council in Richmond, Virginia in 1948.

Hill also filed several lawsuits against racial segregation in the U.S. public school systems in 1954. Those lawsuits later became as the ‘Brown vs. Board‘ which overturned laws dating back to 1896 which ruled that separate schools for African Americans and White Americans were “unequal.”

Friday, September 11, 2009

Disney president John Lasseter has announced that British actor Timothy Dalton will be voicing a character in Toy Story 3.

Dalton, who previously starred as James Bond in Licence to Kill and The Living Daylights, will star as a thespian hedgehog called Mr. Pricklypants in Toy Story 3, a film which is due for release in June 2010. Mr. Pricklypants is described as “a hedgehog toy with thespian tendencies”.

John Lasseter, Disney/Pixar Chief Creative Officer, made the announcement at a Disney Animation Showcase in London, England on Thursday. At the same event it was announced that Mandy Moore would star in a cartoon based on the fairytale Rapunzel and that a James Bond-style character will appear in upcoming Disney/Pixar film Cars 2. In August 2009, it was also announced that Michael Keaton — from the movie Cars — would voice Ken, the boyfriend to Barbie in the film.

John Lasseter originally announced the plans for the third film in the franchise in January 2008 and said that people would be “blown away” by it. He proclaimed: “It [Toy Story 3] is shaping up to be another great adventure for Buzz, Woody and the gang from Andy’s room.”

Saturday, January 23, 2010

An American client of Switzerland-based bank, UBS, has won an appeal in Swiss court on Friday against providing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of the United States with relevant information about his offshore accounts.

The Swiss court ruled that the man’s failure to complete an IRS tax form, no matter how much money it pertained to, was not in itself fraudulent behavior. The case calls into question an agreement made between Switzerland and the United States last year in which Swiss tax authorities would supply the IRS with information on nearly 4,500 suspected tax evaders and their respective accounts.

A further twenty-five similar cases are still pending; the verdicts of which may be influenced by this precedent-setting case.

The Swiss government will meet next Wednesday to discuss how to better implement last year’s Swiss-US banking accord. As it pertains to the case at hand, if they so choose, Swiss tax officials can file a further appeal petitioning the court’s decision.

UBS and the US Department of Justice both have yet to comment on the matter.

According to the US government, UBS is “hiding” over US$15 billion in assets on behalf of American account holders.

Friday, May 3, 2019

As part of the celebration of 900 years of the Cahors Cathedral in Cahors, France, celebration ongoing through April, a precious relic was carried in procession through the streets of the city on Saturday, April 27: the Holy Headdress of Christ.

The Holy Headdress is recognized by tradition as the veil that covered the head of Jesus when he was buried. By one tradition, Charlemagne brought back the relic of Jerusalem and offered it to the diocese of Cahors. The relic has been venerated in Cahors since the construction of the cathedral 900 years ago.

The “Sainte Coiffe” got back into the streets of Cahors for the first time in nearly eight decades. The relic was carried in procession followed by, according to varying reports, nearly 2000 people, perhaps some hundreds more, in an event both for believers and curious. The procession made its way at the pace of hymns and prayers, through the narrow streets of the town, then on the banks of the Lot, and ended on the forecourt of the cathedral.

The event was sustained by the city of Cahors, the State of France, and the civil society, for which many people have invested themselves, including volunteers.

Other celebrations and other events have been planned in Cahors until December.

• The procession at the Rue des Soubirous. Image: Genium.

• The procession at the Rue du Château du Roi. Image: Genium.

• The procession at the Rue du Château du Roi. Image: Genium.

• The procession at the Rue nationale. Image: Genium.

• The procession at the Place Hélène Metges. Image: Genium.