Monday, February 27, 2012

Application Security - IT Risk Management

Application Security risk assessment and risk management are vital tasks for IT managers. Corporations face increased levels of Application Security risk from hackers and cyber crooks seeking intellectual property and customer information. A comprehensive application security risk assessment is a modern day corporate necessity.

Application security risk management provides the optimal protection within the constraints of budget, law, ethics, and safety. Performing an overall Application Security risk assessment enables organizations to make wise decisions.

Web Servers - Application Security
Web Servers are One of the most critical sources of Application Security risk to organizations. Performing an application security assessment and implementing security risk management is critical. Here are core points that pose a major security risk to Application Security:

Default configuration - Application Security
Web server default configurations that may not be secure leave unnecessary samples, templates, administrative tools, etc. open to attacks. Poor application security risk management leaves security breaches for hackers to take complete control over the Web server.

Databases - Application Security
Web sites and applications must be interactive to be useful and there lies the risk... Web applications without sufficient application security allow hackers to attack their databases. Invalid input scripts leads to many of the worst database attacks. Comprehensive risk assessment may reveal steps to ensure application security.

Encryption - Application Security
Encryption reduces application security risks and losses when Web servers are breached. Even though a company's Intranet server has greater vulnerability to attacks, encryption creates a lower relative risk.

Web Servers - Application Security
Web Servers are the most critical sources of Application Security risk for most companies. Performing application security assessment regularly and implementing security risk management reduces security risk for overall application security.

Databases - Application Security
Web sites and applications must be interactive to be useful and there lies the risk... Web applications that do not perform sufficient application security validation allow hackers to attack its databases. Invalid input leads to many of the most popular attacks. Comprehensive risk assessment may reveal steps to ensure application security.

Default configuration - Application Security
Web servers default configurations often leave unsecured important information, templates and administrative tools open to attacks. Inappropriate application security risk enables hackers to gain control over the Web server and your company's Application Security. The bright side is there are powerful application security solutions to combat them.


AdvancedNetworX, Inc. completes all requirements for Cisco Systems Advanced Security Specialiation

Effective 26 February 2008

Congratulations to AdvancedNetworX, Inc. for meeting all criteria to achieve an Advanced Security.

AdvancedNetworX, Inc. has met the resource requirements for an Advanced Security and has demonstrated that it is qualified to support customers with Advanced Security in USA.

We value the commitment and expertise that AdvancedNetworX, Inc. has demonstrated and look forward to a successful partnership.

Sincerely,
Cisco Channel Specialization Team


What is Advanced Security Specialization?
"The Cisco Advanced Security Specialization recognizes partners for their knowledge and expertise in selling, designing, installing, and supporting comprehensive, integrated network security solutions. ... The focus of the specialization is on developing sales, technical, and services capabilities that distinguish partners as being among the industry’s elite in providing integrated, collaborative, adaptive security solutions." -- Cisco Systems

About AdvancedNetworX, Inc.:
At AdvancedNetworX, your business IS our business. We work closely with you to find the technology solution that best matches your needs. Then design, implement and support the solution, while exceeding expectations.

Because the quality of your business depends on the quality of your network, security and voice services, count on AdvancedNetworX to be an extension of your team. We have the knowledge and experience to keep your companys network services at 100%.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

A Basic Guide To Internet Security

The internet is a wonderful place; many of us use it on a regular basis for a multitude of functions. Email helps us to keep in touch with family, and friends all over the world and most people have at least one email account. The growing use of digital cameras and camera phones means that we can send pictures at the click of a mouse. MP3 players have become increasingly popular, and we can download songs to play on them with extreme ease. All of this is great, and the internet is becoming a big part of our everyday lives.

Unfortunately, there is a downside to all of this increased use of the internet. That is the growth of the spread of viruses and other so-called ‘malware’. Originally, internet hackers were satisfied keeping their attentions focussed on government and business websites, and their viruses were intended to attack corporations. Most hackers saw this as a challenge. However, there is now an increasing trend towards home computer users being targeted by these attacks. The amount of damage that can be caused by a virus varies, but there are a number of easy steps that a person can take to help increase their internet security.

The first step to keeping your computer free from viruses is to have up-to-date antivirus software running on your computer. You need to make regular checks to ensure that your software is updated, and to scan your entire computer for viruses. There are a number of cheap, and free antivirus software programs available that provide excellent protection. You can find these by searching through your search engine for antivirus software.

The next step to maintain your internet security is to be extremely cautious about the type of files that you open, or download. The majority of viruses are actually spread through email attachments. Having these on your computer, in your inbox, is not the danger; the real danger is when you open the attachment. It may not be obvious that anything has happened when you first open the attachment containing the virus, quite often they appear blank. The damage is caused by the program that is activated within the attachment. If you do not know, and trust, the person who has sent you the attachment then delete the email.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

14 Household Ways To Protect Your Computer From Viruses

Computer viruses are deadly. They often spread without any apparent contact and can be a nuisance, or even worse, fatal to your computer. Individuals who create these viruses, estimated at 10-15 new ones a day, are the electronic version of terrorists. Their goal is to inflict havoc and destruction on as many people as possible by disabling, stealing, damaging, or destroying computer and information resources. Often, they have no specific target in mind, so no one is safe. If you access the internet, share files or your computer with others, or load anything from diskettes, CDs, or DVDs onto your computer, you are vulnerable to viruses.

Fortunately, there are good guys working just as hard as the hackers to develop cures for viruses as quickly as they send them off into cyberspace. And there are many things you can do to keep your computer from catching viruses in the first place.

Defining Viruses:

A virus is a small computer program that can copy and spread itself from one computer to another, with or without the help of the user. However, viruses typically do more than just be fruitful and multiply, which is bad enough in itself because it hogs system resources. Anything else viruses are programmed to do, from displaying annoying messages to destroying files, is called their payload. Often, they cannot deliver their payload until an unsuspecting user does something to make the virus execute its programmed function. This could be as simple as clicking on an innocent looking file attachment with the .exe (executable) extension.

Catching a Virus:

Most viruses are spread through e-mail attachments because it's the easiest way to do it. Although Macintosh, Unix, and Linux systems can catch viruses, hackers are particularly keen on exploiting the security weaknesses in anything Microsoft, particularly Microsoft Outlook and Outlook Express. Because of the popularity of this software, hackers get maximum bang for their buck, and they probably get some satisfaction from continually reminding Microsoft that being big doesn't mean you're perfect.

Solution 1: Anti-virus Software

Your first line of defense is to install anti-virus software. To be extra safe, also install firewall software, which is now included in some anti-virus packages. This software can scan all of your drives for viruses and neutralize them. Here are some features to consider when evaluating anti-virus software.

- Compatibility with your operating system - Make sure the software works with your system, particularly if you are using an older operating system like Windows 98.

- Firewall software - If it's not included, find out if it's available. If you must, buy it from another vendor.

- Automatic background protection - This means your software will constantly scan behind the scenes for infections and neutralize them as they appear. This provides some peace of mind.

- Automatic, frequent updates - Because new viruses appear every day, you'll want regular updates. It's even better if they occur automatically when you connect to the internet. If automatic updating isn't included, you'll have to check the vendor's website and download updates yourself. This is vitally important, because you will not be protected from new viruses if your software is out of date.

- Disaster recovery - Software with a recovery utility to help you get your system back to normal after a virus attack is always good to have.

- ICSA certification - The International Computer Security Associatioin has standards for the detection rates of anti-virus software. Make sure your software has the ICSA certification.

- Technical support - It's a good idea to select a package that offers free technical support, either online or through a toll-free number. If you're ever felled by a virus, you may need it. Some anti-virus software vendors are Symantec Corporation (Norton AntiVirus), McAfee Corporation (McAfee VirusScan), Trend Micro Inc. (PC-cillin), and Zone Labs Inc. (Zone Alarm Suite).

Solution 2: The Virus Scan

If you receive a particularly juicy attachment that you're dying to open, save it on your Windows desktop and run your anti-virus software on it first. To do this, click once gently on the file on your desktop ... don't actually open it ... then right click and choose Scan with (Name of Anti-Virus Software) to activate a virus scan.

If it's infected, your anti-virus software may neutralize it, or at least tell you the attachment is too dangerous to open. On the other hand, don't feel guilty if the very thought of saving a potentially damaging file anywhere on your system is enough to quell your eagerness to open it and make you delete it immediately.

Solution 3: Delete first, ask questions later.

When in doubt about the origin of an e-mail, the best thing to do is delete it without previewing or opening it. However, some viruses, such as Klez, propagate by fishing in people's address books and sending themselves from any contact they find to another random contact. You can spread a virus just by having people in your address book, even if you don't actually e-mail them anything. They'll receive it from someone else in your address book, which really makes life confusing. Because of the proliferation of porn on the internet, e-mail viruses often tempt victims by using sexual filenames, such as nudes.exe. Don't fall for it.

Solution 4: Beware of virus hoaxes

E-mails warning you about viruses are almost always hoaxes. You may be tempted to believe them because you typically receive them from well-meaning friends, who received them from friends, etc. These e-mails themselves usually aren't viruses, but some have actually fallen into the hands of hackers who loaded them with viruses and forwarded them merrily on their way as a sick joke.

The proliferation of e-mails about virus hoaxes can become nearly as bad as a real virus. Think about it, if you obey an e-mail that tells you to forward it to everyone in your address book, and they THEY do it, and this goes on long enough, you could bring the internet to its knees. If you ever want to verify a virus warning, your anti-virus vendor may have a list of hoaxes on it website. It's in the business of providing the fixes, so it will know which viruses are real.

Solution 5: Beware of filename extensions

The extension of a filename is the three characters that come after the dot. Windows now defaults to hiding filename extensions, but it isn't a good idea. Just being able to see a suspicious extension and deleting the file before opening it can save you from a virus infection.

To see filename extensions in all your directory listings, on the Windows XP desktop, click Start button | Control Panels | Folder Options | View Tab. Clear the check box for Hide extensions of known file types. Click Apply | OK. System files will still be hidden, but you'll be able to see extensions for all the files you need to be concerned with. Viruses often live on files with these extensions - .vbs, .shs, .pif, .Ink - and they are almost never legitimately used for attachments.

Solution 6: Disable the .shs extension

One dangerous extension you can easily disable is .shs. Windows won't recognize it and will alert you before attempting to open an .shs file. The extension is usually just used for "scrap object" files created in Word and Excell when you highlight text and drag it to the desktop for pasting into other documents. If this isn't something you ever do, or you have Word and Excell 2000 or later, which allow you to have 12 items on the Clipboard, click the Start button | Control Panel | Folder Options | File Types tab. Under Registered file types, scroll down and highlight the SHS extension. Click Delete | Yes | Apply | OK.

Solution 7: Dealing with double extensions

When you turn on your extensions in Windows, you'll be able to detect viruses that piggy-back themselves onto innocent looking files with a double extension, such as happybirthday.doc.exe. NEVER trust a file with a double extension - it goes against Nature.

Solution 8: Beware of unknown .exe files

A virus is a program that must be executed to do its dirty work, so it may have an .exe extension. Unfortunately, this is the same extension used by legitimate program files. So, don't panic if you find files named Word.exe or Excel.exe on your system - they're your Microsoft software. Just don't EVER open any file with an .exe extension if you don't know what the file's purpose is.

Solution 9: Watch out for icons

Viruses in attachment files have been known to assume the shape of familiar looking icons of text or picture files, like the wolf in the hen house. If you recieve an unexpected attachment, don't open it without first running it through your anti-virus software.

Solution 10: Don't download from public newgroups

What better place for a hacker to lurk and stick his virus than in the middle of a crowd? Sooner or later, someone's bound to download it and get the virus going. Don't download files and programs from newsgroups or bulletin boards, or open attachments sent from strangers in chatrooms ("Let's exchange pictures!") without first scanning with your anti-virus software.

Solution 11: Avoid bootleg software

This may seem like a no brainer, but sometimes that tiny price tag on a popular but expensive package can be too good to resist. Resist it! Likewise, be careful about accepting application software from others. You don't know where it's been, and what may have started out as a perfectly clean package could have become infected during installation on someone else's infected computer.

Solution 12: Protect macros in MS Word, Excel, and Powerpoint

A common type of virus uses macros. Macros are sets of stored commands that users can save as shortcuts to perform long functions in just a few keystrokes. A macro virus may perform such mischief as changing file types from text files or spreadsheets into templates, locking up keyboards, and deleting files. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint come with macro virus protection. To make sure yours is activated, open each application, then click Tools menu | Macro | Security. On the Security Level tab, make sure Medium or High is selected. Clcik OK. If you are already infected with a macro virus, you may find that the steps of this procedure are unavailable becasue the virus has disabled them. In that event, run a virus scan on your system to see if your anti-virus software can kill the virus.

Solution 13: Use passwords

If you share your computer, it's a good idea to assign everyone a password. Passwords should be a combination of letters and numbers no less than eight characters long, and preferably nonsensical. Never write passwords and stick them anywhere near the computer. To assign passwords in Windows XP, click the Start button | Control Panel | User Accounts. Follow the prompts to assign/change passwords.

Solution 14: Update application software

Microsoft constantly issues patches for the security holes in its operating system and applications software. however, don't be lulled into complacency if you have Windows Update automatically checking things for you. Update checks for patches to repair bugs in the operating system, not for security problems.

To get the latest security hotfixes (as Microsoft calls them), visit www.microsoft.com and look for hotfixes for all your Microsoft software, particularly Outlook and Outlook Express.

Microsoft also has a free downloadable package called Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer (MBSA) that scans your system for missing hotfixes. It works with Windows 2000 and XP Home and Professional only. It doesn't support Windows 95, 98, or ME.

To download the MBSA, go to the TechNet section of the Microsoft Website. Be warned that the information is written in techie language, so you may find it daunting.

Last Words:

Now that you know some ways for avoiding and dealing with viruses, let's wrap things up with some solution you've probably heard before but have ignored.

- Back up your files regularly - If a virus crashes your sytem, you'll feel much better if you've got backup copies of all your important files. Make the backup copies on a media that's separate from the computer, such as on diskettes, CDs, or zip disks. Scan them for viruses before you put them away to make sure they aren't infected. If they are, they'll do you no good if you ever have to use them because they will just transmit the virus right back onto your computer.

- Make a boot disk - Create an emergency boot diskette before you have a problem so you can start your computer after a serious security problem To make a boot diskette with Windows XP, put a blank floppy disk in the drive. Open My Computer, then right click the floppy drive. Click Format. Under Format options, click Create an MS-DOS startup disk. Click Start. Keep the disk in a safe place. With luck, you'll never need to use it.

- Turn off you computer - DSL and cable connections that are "always on" may be convenient, but you should always turn off your computer when its not in use. Hackers can't get to a machine that's powered off.



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Women Are Changing Family Practice

Women Are Changing Family Practice

Today more than ever women are helping to change the face of family practice. There have always been more men in family practice than there have been women. For many years, women were reluctant to enter family practice because there was gender stereotyping, sexism, and difficulties of mixing and balancing both family and work. Today, women are not only becoming doctors more and more they also fill some of the seats on the board of directors.

Women in family practice are rejecting the negative stereotypes and proving that they can not only balance both family and work, they can excel at it. There are many support groups, seminars, and literature available today that encourage women to pursue careers in family practice and how to come up with a harmonious balance between the two. These are only a small part of the changing attitudes that show that people are more accepting of women running family practices whereas years ago, it may not have been so acceptable. Further, there was no help available to women at all that assisted women and gave them a place to turn to.

Until recently women have been the minority especially in family practice but as more people have showed an interest in female doctors, the demands are being filled. Many women feel much more comfortable speaking with not only a female doctor but one who has positioned herself in a family practice because there is no greater comfort zone. However, many men want to see a female doctor too, which is another reason that women and family practice fit together and are a perfect match.

Many family practice doctors are actually offering partnerships that are geared towards women doctors because they have a tendency to attract new patients. It causes a lot of work for women when they attempt to manage a family practice, balance a family, and continue to work towards furthering their careers but are able to do it. Women are actually an asset to the world of family practice and with this constant growth; it is possible to reestablish the role of family medicine practice.

Since family practice embraces health care, mainly preventative, and treats babies to seniors, many people also like the idea of having a woman ran family practice because children are more likely to take to women than men doctors. Family practices are a place that families as a whole can go for medical treatment and see the same doctor each time and continue with an ongoing medical relationship.

Times have changed since back in the day and although women have not been able to bust the glass ceiling they surely have put a few cracks in it. If women keep going and not just in family practice in particular, the glass ceiling might just disappear altogether. There is no doubt that women are changing the way that people view family practice in general. They are an asset and are going to show that they can make changes, become leaders, and change the whole concept of what a family practice really is.

‘Spoofing’, ‘Phishing’ and ‘Link Altering’ - Expensive Financial Traps

"Spoofing" or "phishing" frauds attempt to make internet users believe that they are receiving e-mail from a specific, trusted source, or that they are securely connected to a trusted web site, when that’s not the case at all, far from it. Spoofing is generally used as a means to convince individuals to divulge personal or financial information which enables the perpetrators to commit credit card/bank fraud or other forms of identity theft.

In "email spoofing" the header of an e-mail appears to originate from someone or somewhere other than the actual source. Spam distributors often use email spoofing in an attempt to get their recipients to open the message and possibly even respond to their solicitations.

"IP spoofing" is a technique used to gain unauthorized access to computers. In this instance the unscrupulous intruder sends a message to a computer with an IP address indicating that the message is coming from a trusted source.

"Link alteration" involves the altering of a return internet address of a web page that’s emailed to a consumer in order to redirect the recipient to a hacker's site rather than the legitimate site. This is accomplished by adding the hacker's ip address before the actual address in an e-mail which has a request going back to the original site. If an individual unsuspectingly receives a spoofed e-mail and proceeds to "click here to update" account information, for example, and is redirected to a site that looks exactly like a commercial site such as EBay or PayPal, there is a good chance that the individual will follow through in submitting personal and/or credit information. And that’s exactly what the hacker is counting on.

How to Protect Yourself
• If you need to update your information online, use the same procedure you've used before, or open a new browser window and type in the website address of the legitimate company's page.
• If a website’s address is unfamiliar, it's probably not authentic. Only use the address that you’ve used before, or better yet, start at the normal homepage.
• Most companies require you to log in to a secure site. Look for the lock at the bottom of your browser and "https" in front of the website address.
• If you encounter an unsolicited e-mail that requests, either directly or through a web site, for personal financial or identity information, such as Social Security number, passwords, or other identifiers, exercise extreme caution.
• Take note of the header address on the web site. Most legitimate sites will have a relatively short internet address that usually depicts the business name followed by ".com," or possibly ".org." Spoof sites are more likely to have an excessively long strong of characters in the header, with the legitimate business name somewhere in the string, or possibly not at all.
• If you have any doubts about an e-mail or website, contact the legitimate company directly. Make a copy of the questionable web site's URL address, send it to the legitimate business and ask if the request is authentic.
• Always report fraudulent or suspicious e-mail to your ISP.
• Lastly, if you've been victimized, you should file a complaints @ :http://www.kolkatapolice-cybercampaign.net/ and google docs link: https://docs.google.com/open?id=0BxVkalCMXPuYZjY2M2RlYjctNzkxYS00YTZjLWFmZTAtNTM4M2FmOTNmOTcw . https://twitter.com/#!/cykops

Vigilance and Security
http://www.vigilanceandsecurity.com

5 Mistakes You Might Be Making When Choosing A Password

Are you making yourself a target for fraud? More and more often I am hearing stories of people who have had their accounts hacked. They have had money stolen, lost sleep, spent hours setting up new accounts, or had their credit ruined. Don't let this happen to you.

Are you making these dangerous mistakes?

Mistake #1: Using the same password for all your accounts.

Please don't do this. Use different passwords for every email account, and definitely use unique passwords for shopping websites where you'd enter your credit card.

Mistake #2: Short passwords

The risk of someone guessing your password is increasingly difficult the more characters are in it. So, go for the gusto and make your passwords long.

Mistake #3: BradPitt, Charlie, Sarah, Princess, Barbie, Gandolf -- Did I guess it yet?

Do not use kids' names, pet's name, nicknames, names from characters in books or movies or celebrity names. Even if I didn't guess it in my list, someone who knows you could.

Mistake #4: Easy to remember English words

Easy to remember is also easy to guess. Passwords should not contain English words found in a dictionary. Non-English words or any words in any dictionary are a high risk as well. And, for goodness sakes, if your password is "password" or "test" then it's a wonder you haven't been hacked yet!

Mistake #5: Numbers are no-no's.

Seriously, stay away from birthdays, anniversaries, addresses, social security numbers or telephone numbers. They are all too easy to guess.

Choose random passwords for banking sites like PayPal. Combine letters (both uppercase and lowercase) and numbers.

If all of this sounds too hard to remember, then consider using a Password program. Most of the good password programs will not only store your passwords on your computer, but they'll generate completely random passwords when you need one.

Here are a few to try.

http://www.fgroupsoft.com/Traysafe/

http://passwordsafe.sourceforge.net/

http://www.treepad.com/treepadsafe/

It's never a good time to find out that someone has stolen money from you -- or locked you out of your own email account. It's a waste of your time and money. Please protect yourself.

5 Security Considerations When Coding

1. Input Checking

Always check user input to be sure that it is what you expected. Make sure it doesn’t contain characters or other data which may be treated in a special way by your program or any programs called by your program.This often involves checking for characters such as quotes, and checking for unusual input characters such as non-alphanumeric characters where a text string is expected. Often, these are a sign of an attack of some kind being attempted.

2.Range Checking

Always check the ranges when copying data, allocating memory or performing any operation which could potentially overflow. Some programming languages provide range-checked container access (such as the std::vector::at() in C++, but many programmers insist on using the unchecked array index [] notation. In addition, the use of functions such as strcpy() should be avoided in preference to strncpy(), which allows you to specify the maximum number of characters to copy. Similar versions of functions such as snprintf() as opposed to sprintf() and fgets() instead of gets() provide equivalent length-of-buffer specification. The use of such functions throughout your code should prevent buffer overflows. Even if your character string originates within the program, and you think you can get away with strcpy() because you know the length of the string, that doesn’t mean to say that you, or someone else, won’t change things in the future and allow the string to be specified in a configuration file, on the command-line, or from direct user input. Getting into the habit of range-checking everything should prevent a large number of security vulnerabilities in your software.

3.Principle Of Least Privileges

This is especially important if your program runs as root for any part of its runtime. Where possible, a program should drop any privileges it doesn’t need, and use the higher privileges for only those operations which require them. An example of this is the Postfix mailserver, which has a modular design allowing parts which require root privileges to be run distinctly from parts which do not. This form of privilege separation reduces the number of attack paths which lead to root privileges, and increases the security of the entire system because those few paths that remain can be analysed critically for security problems.

4.Don’t Race

A race condition is a situation where a program performs an operation in several steps, and an attacker has the chance to catch it between steps and alter the system state. An example would be a program which checks file permissions, then opens the file. Between the permission check the stat() call and the file open the fopen() call an attacker could change the file being opened by renaming another file to the original files name. In order to prevent this, fopen() the file first, and then use fstat(), which takes a file descriptor instead of a filename. Since a file descriptor always points to the file that was opened with fopen(), even if the filename is subsequently changed, the fstat() call will be guaranteed to be checking the permissions of the same file. Many other race conditions exist, and there are often ways to prevent them by carefully choosing the order of execution of certain functions.

5.Register Error Handlers

Many languages support the concept of a function which can be called when an error is detected, or the more flexible concept of exceptions. Make use of these to catch unexpected conditions and return to a safe point in the code, instead of blindly progressing in the hope that the user input won’t crash the program, or worse!

10 Tell Tale Signs of Spyware and Adware Infection

Though there are no warning signs to indicate that spyware or adware is being installed on your system, there are several tell tale signs to alert you of their presence, once they install. I have compiled here for your convinence 10 tell tale signs that can warn you of the presence of adware or spyware on your computer. Here they are.

1. Browser change:
Frequent, unauthorized changes in your browser landing page or homepage should be a warning sign that something is going on with your computer. Your home page is the first page that you come to when you log on to your internet account.Very often, this page is the home page of your Internet Service provider (ISP), except if you changed it. If you find your home page changing frequently to pages that you do not know, there is a good chance that your system is infected by spyware or adware.

2. Busy system or modem light:
A lighted system or modem indicator is a sign of on going activity. If you are not online using your computer, the modem indicator should not come alive. A flickering modem light when no one is online is a good indication that something is going on with your computer.

3. Influx of unwanted emails:
Everyone gets a certain amount of junk mail everyday. However, a sudden spike in the number of unwanted email to your computer should be a cause for investigation. There might be sypware working behind closed doors in your computer.

4. System slow down:
Have you noticed how your speed demon suddenly slowed down to a crawl like an old witch? If it is taking more time to launch your applications and even longer to load web pages, if your Windows xp or 2000 Task manager on launch indicates almost all available resource in use, you might be dealing with a case of spyware activity.

5. Unwanted redirects:
Spyware and adware have the ability to redirect your search to web sites or pages of the choosing of the program owners. If youend up at sites and webpages that you did not search for, there is a good chance that you are being redirected by the unseen hands of spyware and adware owners.

6. Intrussive banners:
Some spyware open up your browser for an avalanche of banner displays. Very often, these banners are hard to close. A lot of times, they are replaced as quickly as you close them. Sometimes the banners are so plenty, they overwhelm your system resources.

7. Unwanted pop-ups:
Pop-ups when properly used, are a good resource to have on the web. They are used by responsible marketers to direct you to additional resources. However, pop-ups can be abused by aggressive advertisers through the use of adware or spyware. Disregarding professional marketing and advertising ethics aggressive advertisers employ adware and spyware scripts to spam your browser with unwanted and sometimes illicit offers.

Another variation is the use of personalized pop-ups. When you begin to receive multiple pop ups with your name on them, that is an idication that someone is spying on you with spyware.

8. Unknow 900 numbers:
900 number are not very common. They usually carry a charge for access. Have you noticed a spike in your phone bill with charges to 900 numbers that you do not know? You might have been spied on a spyware program owner. It is believed that spyware and adware are responsible to a certain percentage of the identity theft crime that we see and hear about often today.

9. Foreign entries in your favorite folder:
If you all of a sudden begin to see foreign items in your favorite folder, be warned. There is a good chance that someone has caused those items to appear there. It is suggested that you check your favorite folder frequently and delete unfamiliar entries.

10. Additional browser toolbars:
The presence of a toolbar that you did not install on your system, may well be another tell tale sign of spyware presence.

The average Internet user does not ordinarily fool around with toolbars. Most people are satisfied with the Internet Explorer, Yahoo and may be Google toolbars. If a toolbar looks unfamiliar to you, it probably is and should be investigated and possibly removed.

Finally, there are times when it may seem all is well. Do not rest of your oars. A good rule of thumb for living on the internet is to do your due dilligence. Be proactive. Deploy some security systems and scan your computer frequently as some spywares and adwares
operate in stealth.

Your system is your investment. Protect it.

This article is brought to you by www.allspywarefree.com

6 Tips To Secure Your Website

Most people on the internet are good, honest people. However, there are some people browsing the internet who derive fun from poking around websites and finding security holes. A few simple tips can help you secure your website in the basic ways. Now, obviously, the subject of data security is a complicated one and way beyond the scope of this column. However, I will address the very basics one should do which will alleviate many potential problems that might allow people to see things they shouldn't.

Password Protecting Directories

If you have a directory on your server which should remain private, do not depend on people to not guess the name of the directory. It is better to password protect the folder at the server level. Over 50% of websites out there are powered by Apache server, so let's look at how to password protect a directory on Apache.

Apache takes configuration commands via a file called .htaccess which sits in the directory. The commands in .htaccess have effect on that folder and any sub-folder, unless a particular sub-folder has its own .htaccess file within. To password protect a folder, Apache also uses a file called .htpasswd . This file contains the names and passwords of users granted access. The password is encrypted, so you must use the htpasswd program to create the passwords. To access it, go to the command line of your server and type htpasswd. If you receive a "command not found" error then you need to contact your system admin. Also, bear in mind that many web hosts provide web-based ways to secure a directory, so they may have things set up for you to do it that way rather than on your own. Barring this, let's continue.

Type "htpasswd -c .htpasswd myusername" where "myusername" is the username you want. You will then be asked for a password. Confirm it and the file will be created. You can double check this via FTP. Also, if the file is inside your web folder, you should move it so that it is not accessible to the public. Now, open or create your .htaccess file. Inside, include the following:

AuthUserFile /home/www/passwd/.htpasswd
AuthGroupFile /dev/null
AuthName "Secure Folder"
AuthType Basic

require valid-user


On the first line, adjust the directory path to wherever your .htpasswd file is. Once this is set up, you will get a popup dialog when visiting that folder on your website. You will be required to log in to view it.

Turn Off Directory Listings

By default, any directory on your website which does not have a recognized homepage file (index.htm, index.php, default.htm, etc.) is going to instead display a listing of all the files in that folder. You might not want people to see everything you have on there. The simplest way to protect against this is to simply create a blank file, name it index.htm and then upload it to that folder. Your second option is to, again, use the .htaccess file to disable directory listing. To do so, just include the line "Options -Indexes" in the file. Now, users will get a 403 error rather than a list of files.

Remove Install Files

If you install software and scripts to your website, many times they come with installation and/or upgrade scripts. Leaving these on your server opens up a huge security problem because if somebody else is familiar with that software, they can find and run your install/upgrade scripts and thus reset your entire database, config files, etc. A well written software package will warn you to remove these items before allowing you to use the software. However, make sure this has been done. Just delete the files from your server.

Keep Up with Security Updates

Those who run software packages on their website need to keep in touch with updates and security alerts relating to that software. Not doing so can leave you wide open to hackers. In fact, many times a glaring security hole is discovered and reported and there is a lag before the creator of the software can release a patch for it. Anybody so inclined can find your site running the software and exploit the vulnerability if you do not upgrade. I myself have been burned by this a few times, having whole forums get destroyed and having to restore from backup. It happens.

Reduce Your Error Reporting Level

Speaking mainly for PHP here because that's what I work in, errors and warnings generated by PHP are, by default, printed with full information to your browser. The problem is that these errors usually contain full directory paths to the scripts in question. It gives away too much information. To alleviate this, reduce the error reporting level of PHP. You can do this in two ways. One is to adjust your php.ini file. This is the main configuration for PHP on your server. Look for the error_reporting and display_errors directives. However, if you do not have access to this file (many on shared hosting do not), you can also reduce the error reporting level using the error_reporting() function of PHP. Include this in a global file of your scripts that way it will work across the board.

Secure Your Forms

Forms open up a wide hole to your server for hackers if you do not properly code them. Since these forms are usually submitted to some script on your server, sometimes with access to your database, a form which does not provide some protection can offer a hacker direct access to all kinds of things. Keep in mind...just because you have an address field and it says "Address" in front of it does not mean you can trust people to enter their address in that field. Imagine your form is not properly coded and the script it submits to is not either. What's to stop a hacker from entering an SQL query or scripting code into that address field? With that in mind, here are a few things to do and look for:

Use MaxLength. Input fields in form can use the maxlength attribute in the HTML to limit the length of input on forms. Use this to keep people from entering WAY too much data. This will stop most people. A hacker can bypass it, so you must protect against information overrun at the script level as well.

Hide Emails If using a form-to-mail script, do not include the email address into the form itself. It defeats the point and spam spiders can still find your email address.

Use Form Validation. I won't get into a lesson on programming here, but any script which a form submits to should validate the input received. Ensure that the fields received are the fields expected. Check that the incoming data is of reasonable and expected length and of the proper format (in the case of emails, phones, zips, etc.).

Avoid SQL Injection. A full lesson on SQL injection can be reserved for another article, however the basics is that form input is allowed to be inserted directly into an SQL query without validation and, thus, giving a hacker the ability to execute SQL queries via your web form. To avoid this, always check the data type of incoming data (numbers, strings, etc.), run adequate form validation per above, and write queries in such a way that a hacker cannot insert anything into the form which would make the query do something other than you intend.

Conclusion

Website security is a rather involved subject and it get a LOT more technical than this. However, I have given you a basic primer on some of the easier things you can do on your website to alleviate the majority of threats to your website.

What is ‘DIP?’

The IP address is dedicated for a specific purpose such as, in communications a dedicated channel is a line reserved exclusively for one type of communication. The same is true for private line or leased line/s.

Security is very good with Dedicated IP’S. This is the reason ‘NOT’ Shared. The response time is ‘Much Faster.’

In a sense as well, downloading is Much Faster even if you don’t optimize your HTML when you publish your web site to the server. And anyone that downloads at all via computer.

In addition to the stated above, ‘Not’ all servers are used for the same specific purpose. Here are a few examples – Web Server, File Server, Mail Server, DNS Server, and Printing Server. The Operating System for the server/s can be all of the above or specifically for one type of Server and/or many different applications.

Although, some Servers otherwise are ‘Shared or General Servers.’

The Web Hosting Company or Service/s that host accounts may offer and include Dedicated IP/S with their SSL (Secure Layer Sockets) Certificates. The SSL’s are in different strengths (bits – like 128bits – 256bits) and can be renewed on an annual basis. The SSL/S is encryption for your security when you shop or login your information to your account/s.

How do you know if the web site is secure? The easiest way is to look for the Lock in your tray and make sure it is locked ‘Not’ unlocked. Here is another couple of way to make sure your information is secure. Look for this in your address bar https. And look for the SSL certificate located on the web page. You can click it for more information, such as validation dates and more general information for your security and authentication.

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Monday, February 13, 2012

Family Practices and Medical Malpractice

So many people have filed medical malpractice lawsuits against their doctors that is has affected and had serious implications for family practice doctors in particular. Patients have sued their doctors mainly for lack of or a delay in proper diagnosis, maternity practices, negligence in trauma care, handling issues in a time conscious manner, providing care without consent, and failure to refer out patients who require specialized treatments.

Most of the malpractice cases stem from a failure to diagnosis a condition that is already existent. Sometimes this lack of diagnosis comes from the family practice doctors who are under extreme stress. The biggest problem that results from this is the lack of identifying it in the first place. Family practice doctors work chaotic schedules that are extremely conflicting and have been viewed as almost superhuman. Recently, the dust has settled and now researchers are seeing that super humans do not exist and it is possible that many medical malpractice lawsuits can be avoided by not expecting superhuman behavior.

Most of the time family practice physicians are treated by other doctors for stress related issues. Stress is said to have contributed greatly to the decline of the health and well being of all people and family practice doctors as well as doctors in general are not falling short of that assumption. Doctors can become depressed and exhausted which inadvertently will affect their profession. There have been several indications and accusations where doctors were sued because of negligence that resulted from stress related error.

Several programs are since rising to the forefront to assist family practice doctors but not limited to in reducing the amount of stress that they are facing hence, reducing the amount of error causing medical malpractice to soar. These programs are intended to improve a doctors physical and emotional well being, enhance job performance, and their personal satisfaction.

Family practice doctors that experience medical malpractice have a very difficult time obtaining further coverage, affording insurance, and the overall stress that the doctor suffers from the litigation itself can be traumatizing. Family practice doctors are sometimes holding a two sided sword. One side is the obligation to the patient to pursue their needs and the other is dealing with managed health care plans/ AKA insurance companies.

Even in cases where the family practice doctor may not be all at fault, many times they are still held accountable over the managed health care plans, unjustly. If a doctor prescribes a medication that he believes to be the best drug of choice for a particular condition and the insurance company will not cover that as their first choice drug, which is at fault? The doctor is the person who interacted with the patient and should be allowed to prescribe what he feels in his expert opinion would be the best choice. If you took your car to a mechanic and he diagnosed it with needing a new carburetor, you surely wouldn't go across the street and have them fix the brakes. It is just common sense.

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Goodwill in Family Practice Success

Goodwill is not just the name of a well known charity. Goodwill, in terms of valuing a medical facility or other business, is an important, intangible asset that can play a huge part in the success of a family practice.

We've all seen them. They're the person at the business that everyone enjoys seeing. The one person patients at a family practice may stop by to chat with even when they aren't ill. They are well liked, well respected and well known in the community. Sometimes they have enough personality and charisma to make up for the office crankpot or employees who tend to be rude. Often they are the principle force in the business as well as the driving force in the success of the business.

What is goodwill? Some professional appraisers define it as an overall talent, attitude or condition. It includes the ability to interact very well with people, to attract and hold clients and is usually part of the makeup of respected, well known members of a community.

Family practices can have practice goodwill attached to them. Practice goodwill is a term used to describe a professional entity that bears the same characteristics as someone with professional goodwill.

Practice goodwill is defined by several family practice characteristics including excellent location, a respected reputation, and often is applied to a business that has been operating for some time. Practice goodwill isn't created overnight. It takes time to build a relationship with the community, with patients and with other professionals. Once developed, practice goodwill is an excellent characteristic for a family practice to have and one that directly affects the bottom line.

If the family practice is one of goodwill, patients are more likely to tell others about the clinic in a good way, other physicians are more likely to refer patients and to speak well of the practice, as are general professionals. The location of the practice is good if not ideal.

Professional goodwill is a characteristic demonstrated by one or more family practice staff members. Many different talents and skills and circumstances can affect professional goodwill. Most staff members who possess goodwill in a way that actually increases the value of the family practice get along well with everyone inside and outside the clinic. They have a good reputation and are considered trustworthy and reliable in the practice and in the community.

Goodwill can rarely be measured in dollars and cents. It is measurable in that if it were to disappear, the family practice would suffer. Family practice clinics that do their best to hire the type of employees who generate goodwill will go farther and last longer in the community.

Practice goodwill can be developed as can professional goodwill. Smart clinic administrators recognize the value of goodwill both in the practice and professionally in staff members. Hiring staff members who appear to be able to develop goodwill characteristics or who have already demonstrated them can be good for office morale and for the bottom line.

How The Game of Hockey is Played

Hockey is a sport that is physically demanding and is popular in areas that are significantly cold such as Canada, United States, Russia, and some parts of Europe like Norway, Sweden, and Scandinavia. The game consists of 22 players that are rotated in at 6 players at a time. The game is played in a 3 20 minute periods and overtime is played in 20 minute periods until a goal is made by either side and this applies if it's a tied game at the last period and this is one way to break a tie to end a game-as of the late ties are no longer allowed in the NHL.

The game itself has modified itself over the time since its conception with the establishment of strict regulations and like it was back in Europe where the referee was in the audience instead of on the field where today the referee is actually on the ice with the players skating back and forth and they have 2 of them on the ice to watch the players and confer calls between themselves and the league officials who are watching from the sidelines as well. The league behavior of the past and today is way different because the regulations are much more organized and this time they added the penalty box which means a player that's committed a move on the ice or some play that wasn't a part of the league-mandated rule book is kicked off the ice and have to sit out the rest of the period or game depending on what the referee decides.

If players are called too many times it can result in penalty shots, which can give points to the rival team. The game has really taken a turn in the years with players becoming really aggressive and to the point that they're actually fighting on the ice which says a lot about how the first real hockey players played since they had up to 30 people per team which is less than the number on today's NHL teams The way hockey is played today is amazing because you see fights that take place on the ice between fellow players and rival players and sometimes the referee will end up in the middle of the brawls that happens on the ice because they're busy trying to break them up because some of the brawls can get bloody because they usually have fist fights because it would be assault with a weapon if they used a stick or even their helmets. Many hockey players have fought so bad they actually broke the protective glass at rink side from them hitting it so hard when they're busy going at it like children on the playground.

This is the reality of hockey in today's world, which can result in serious injuries, which are mostly cuts and bruises from the constant fist fighting on the ice. The fights can result from calls the players feel are unfair and fall in favor with the other team or even a rival player taunting them in some way which can cause them to be angry and combative. Most players are usually sent to the locker room to cool their tempers off so they aren't so riled up to fight. Hockey is such a high-energy game that anyone can get angry very quick and fast. It's usually hard not to get angry, but when it comes to the referee that's a whole separate ballgame. When it comes to the game of hockey it's like chess your motive is to shoot goals.

Hockey Players And The Groupies Who Chase Them

When hockey players first start off in the NHL they're pulled in many different directions since they're making all this money and have no idea that the kind of friends they're dealing with are people that are not the kind of people you want around. This goes into the kind of women who end up trapping a lot of hockey players and many of them are addressed as "Puck Bunnies" these are what you call hockey's term for groupies. Many pro athletes are the prime target of these kinds of females who are more interested in them for the financial and sexual aspect. Many of the athletes who are married or dating are with women who started off as groupies. Most of them are young girls 18-25 and most of them are not really educated because women who are educated would not settle for the role of a side dish.

These kinds of women will hang out near the locker room or try to get seats on the ground floor so they're accessible to the players. Most of the time these women are just looking for something to brag about. Many of them discuss their sexual escapades with professional athletes as if it's some kind of game to them. Some of those games include getting pregnant by the players and then attempting to latch on to them by demanding child support and maintenance because to them a couple grand or more a month is more than what most normal women who are not involved with someone famous gets for child support.

Classic example of a groupie of one woman who carried on an affair with Michael Jordan, but she tried to pin a child on him which later proved wasn't his because she had 3 kids and all of them had different fathers who played in the NBA on different teams. Women will resort to this kind of behavior and then when the athlete is tired of them he casually disposes of them like a used Kleenex because most of these players only see them as a sexual conquest. This is why the leagues have gotten together to do in-service meetings with new and some players who have been there at least 2 years about how to conduct themselves since coaches see a lot of good players get burned by these women who are not even worth bothering themselves with.

The hard thing is that team management can only provide the players with tools to exercise caution and to know how to spot women that are like that and know how to avoid them, but you have those athletes who's egos get them into trouble. When the coaches and team management tell these rookie players what the deal is they're telling them how to avoid getting caught up with females who's goal is to get a baby and some money since they don't really care about the athletes in general they just want to say they've been with one it's more about the status and bragging rights. Most athletes who have a close connection with trusted family and friends will more likely stay on the right track and keeps their head in the right place as well because many players get caught up and wonder later how they even got there in the first place. Many athletes have said publicly that they regret messing around with groupies because of the problems they bring when they're dragged through the mud with court hearings and other legal things and most of the time the groupies find it entertaining to drag an athlete through a lot of drama and stress.

Ways to Make Cents at Home

In the midst of all these skyrocketing prices, come the how’s, ways and means to save money and earn extra.

There are creative but practical ways you can engage in to help the family save and at the same time earn extra. The things that have been sitting in your attic for sometime and those that become all too familiar and useless might mean extra bucks. This way, it saves you space, cleaning materials and containers. This reduces maintenance expenses.

Garage sale at home is a save-and-earn endeavor for starters. Look at the success of flea markets where people can buy almost anything at a lower price but large amount of income for vendors.

How to maximize the potential of flea markets and bargain sales to help you save? Primarily, a flea market is a place where almost all who have something to sell can sell for tremendously lower costs but good quality items. If you have the right tools and enough preparation for a day’s trip to a flea market, then you are ready to go with some handy tips:

1. Ready your tools, maps, measurements and cash:
• easy-to-carry tool kit with screwdrivers, pliers, tape measure, pencil, ropes, set of swatches, paper and plastic bags and boxes;
• floorplan measurements;
• maps, directions and phone numbers;
• bring enough cash and checks for high-priced items;
• dress yourself appropriately for bargain hunting.
2. Early birds usually get the best selections.
3. Keep a critical eye during shopping.
• Be ready to negotiate and haggle on the prices of items.
• Items sold here have greater possibilities, either you can redecorate or repaint them to make it look unique and attractive.

How to make this activity an earning endeavor? After your hands-on training in an established flea market, hope you took note of your observations and ideas; it is time to try out on your own.

Bear in mind five things crucial to garage sale success: location, date and time, variety of goods, organization/presentation, advertisements and prices.

• Spot a strategic location where people can access and drop by easily. Your house is the perfect venue for this. Weekends are the best to schedule your sale.
• During your cleaning session, take note of candidate items for the sale, label them (keep, for repair, must go) and give them a brand new look.
• Organize them well according to prices, use arrangement styles, decide on the tables, baskets and boxes for the items and decorate your venue with fabrics and other helpful materials.
• Lower your prices. The idea here is to dispose of the things but earn from them reasonably.

Tax Entities and Family Practice

Tax entity choice can affect family practice in many ways. Making the right choice will help protect both practice and physician.

Family Practice Entity Types

Typical entity options for family practice include sole proprietorships, general partnerships, limited liability companies, limited liability partnerships and professional S or C corporations. The two biggest influences in choosing the right entity are protection against litigation and the financial issues associated with the entity. It's important to consult a legal professional before making this family practice financial decision because the implications can be tremendous.

Choosing to operate the family practice as a professional corporation, a limited liability corporation or a limited liability partnership usually provides protection against personal liability regarding the actions of any other physicians in the practice.

For financial reasons, most group family practices tend to choose professional corporations. The professional corporation, whether S type or C type, provides the practice with protection from financial creditors.

Sole Proprietorship & General Partnership

The sole proprietorship is the cheapest and easiest choice in choosing a tax designation for the family practice. Business income and expense are reported on a schedule C. The problem with a sole proprietorship is that the physician's assets can be taken if the business is sued. This is a lot like a sole proprietorship, except that there are multiple business owners involved. Again, there is no liability protection when using this entity.

Limited Liability

Limited Liability Partnerships are the only kind of unincorporated entity that provide some form of protection from personal liability (including protection from liability for the actions of staff or other physicians in the practice.) A physician could lose his practice with this form of entity, but personal assets would be safe.
Limited liability companies are much like a mix of the best available entity benefits. They are fast becoming the entity of choice for many family practices.

Incorporated Entities

Incorporating the family practice is more involved and more expensive but more protection is offered. The biggest reason physicians choose an incorporated entity is the protection from personal liability regarding the actions of colleagues. C corporations have several benefits. They also have a downside - it's possible to be doubly taxed. S corporation profits are not taxed twice.

Entities and Tax Issues for Family Practice

Tax liabilities are important to consider when choosing an entity. Professional C corporations will pay a flat 35% rate tax on net income but profits can be taxed twice. Professional S corporations don't result in double taxing of profit but it isn't possible to write off the cost of all benefits.

There are many implications when considering tax rates and entity. In order to avoid duplicate taxing and other negative consequences, consult a financial advisor and make sure all involved details are understood.

Cost of Entity Set Up for Family Practice

The cost to set up an entity and maintain it vary according to state rules and regulations. Professional corporations require more record keeping and paperwork than do limited liability partnerships or limited liability corporations.
When setting up the Family Practice, it's important to take the time and money necessary to investigate options regarding incorporation, tax and related issues. Once the best entity has been recognized, it's important to legally implement it and maintain it.

When it comes to tax related issues, careful consideration is important, especially regarding the setup of the family practice. Decisions made now affect the practice down the road. Consult with legal professionals before choosing the entity for the family practice.

Blogging: Consolidation, Debt, and New Information Technology

If you are interested in blogging, consolidation, debt, and
other financial topics are sure to appear in many of the
blogs that you regularly read. Techniques to make and
manage money are some of the most popular topics for
bloggers to explore on the web, so it is little wonder that
so many bloggers turn their attention to dealing with
debt. Falling into debt is all too easy, and getting out of
debt can be very difficult for people who do not have a
lot of financial expertise. For people who have a knack
for dealing with finances, blogging about their insights
and knowledge can be a great way to literally and
figuratively share the wealth.

If you are considering getting into blogging,
consolidation, debt, savings, and investment topics can
prove to be very fruitful things to write about. Many
professional bloggers who make a living off of their
blogs spend their days writing about money. If you
know how to court advertisers and build a blog fan
base, you can make money just by talking about money.
If you are familiar with loan consolidation, negotiating
settlements with credit card companies, or any other
financial topics, consider using your knowledge to
create a successful blog. By sharing your expertise, you
may be able to help your readers get out of debt while
you reap sizable monetary rewards for your time and
knowledge.

Monday, February 6, 2012

Hockey Players And Charity Causes

Many athletes through their careers are encouraged to participate in charity events to give back to the world. Many have started foundations in their name to devote awareness, money and time to causes they believe in. Many of them do charity events from education to social awareness it's whatever cause that's close to their heart many of them do charity causes that are of a personal nature because of someone they know or a loved one that may have been stricken with a disease or illness to bring awareness for cures. Many of them will go out into the community to volunteer their time by hosting events or holding events in their name for specific causes. This is one of the many things the NHL stands behind is the players giving back to the community and being role models to the kids who look up to them. There are some players who don't need to be in the league if they can't exhibit behavior of a real role model to kids who look up to them.

The bad thing is that the athletes who engage in lifestyles that result in negative publicity this is what hurts not only them, but the reputation they stand behind if they have charity foundations in their name. There's too many athletes to name individually who have foundations in their hands, but you usually know they're out there on that players' respective website. It's always important to keep in mind that charity events also provide a chance for players to connect with their fans because without the fans they'll be nothing since fans make the star and the star's way to thank the people behind him since the worst thing to do is ruin that reputation with scandalous behavior and lifestyle choices. Athletes that are really about making a difference will not engage in things that will bring negative publicity to them.

Some athletes as a part of their charity work is to volunteer their time to sports clinics where children and young adults can take part in. This gives kids the chance to meet some of their favorite players and to have a chance to hang out with them for a few hours and learn a few tricks of the sport. It's proven that kids who have positive role models fair better than those who don't have exposure or someone they can call a role model. It's important for many of these athletes to understand the roles they step into when they become famous and popular because part of being a celebrity is to take what is considered a respectable thing and use it for the greater good of other people.

The idea of charity work was something that's always been a long standing tradition with many of the professional sports leagues because there's a huge responsibility behind making a lot of money, but you also have to understand that there are people in the world less fortunate and many of these athletes especially ones who are new to the world of pro sports they have no clue to what it means to be charitable until it's explained to them over time. Most of the time groupies will pull no stops especially for athletes who do charitable things on behalf of the team and their private foundations. You can find the charity websites of athletes on their official websites.

Hockey At The International Level

Since the conception and foundation of Hockey, this sport has crossed from Canada-the birthplace of the sport and across the pond to Europe and back to the United States. As far as competition at the international level. The international men's ice hockey world championships are highly regarded by Europeans and less regarded by Americans because it coincides at the same time the Stanley cup playoffs happen. Unfortunately, Canada, United States, and other countries with a large concentration of NHL players have not always been able to round up their best because many top players are playing for the Stanley cup trophy.

For many years professionals were barred from playing at the international level, and now that many Europeans are playing for the NHL, the world championships no longer represent the world's top players. Hockey was an event that's been a part of the Olympic games since 1924 with Canada winning 6 out of 7 gold medals, United States won the gold medal in 1960, Russia won all, but 2 gold medals between 1956 and 1988, but it was professional Americans, Swedish, Finnish, and Canadians that were banned from Olympic competition. U.S. non-pro college students went on to beat the Russians and win the gold medal in 1980 in Lake Placid, New York.

It was then that a new surge in the popularity of the game that most Americans weren't paying too much attention to. The 1972 and 1974 Summit series had solidified Canada and Russia as hockey rivals. The Canadian Cup where the best of the best nations were able to play later followed it. The Canadian cup later became the World Cup of Hockey with the United States winning in 1996 and Canada winning in 2004. Since 1998 NHL professionals have played in the Olympics giving the top players more opportunity to compete and face off with other professional players from different countries. There have been 9 women's competitions and women's hockey has been in the Olympics since 1998 and in the winter of 2006 marked the world championship or Olympic face with Canada and Sweden not Canada and the United States.

Women are coming into the fold on own in this sport and are competing just as hard as males. Females still have a long way to go in terms of really being there with males at the domestic and international levels. Hockey was always that sport dominated by males and yet women still have long way before they're really taken seriously in the hockey world. Hockey is still enjoyed by millions of people in Canada and the United States and still to this day still breaking attendance records by the throngs of loyal fans who still love this sport and has made it a family tradition to go to games and for it becoming a pastime like Americans treat baseball, football and basketball.

Hockey to some people is like poetry on ice it's got its own set of rules and it's a separate world altogether from any other sport whether its professional or not. Hockey to some people is like the air they breathe and people really can get into this sport like it's a soap opera. The whole concept of hockey is just what it is people playing a pretty heavy game that can very physically demanding since you have so many different personalities you're going up against.

Some people will spend hours playing hockey well into the late hours since some rinks will stay open to accommodate those hockey buffs who want to spend 2-3 hours thrashing around a cold rink slapping a hard rubber circle around.

We are Family: Budget Tips for Today’s Familial Ties

If you are in charge of creating the family budget, chances are, you’ve had the unfortunate experience of having a brilliant budget plan that isn’t executed well. This happens to many families and couples, and with a little attitude tweaking, you can solicit the help of your family in making your budget work.

Create a family budget vision. Talk to your spouse and children about whatever budgetary constraints you are facing, or whatever financial goals you intend to set. By being completely honest about the bills and loans you have to pay, or your intention to save a certain amount of money for a family emergency fund (or a college fund, for that matter), you can help your family understand better your collective financial situation. This will allow them to change their perspective on purchases they make, and will help you make sure that whatever money crunching strategies you utilize won’t be counteracted by a subsequent spree by your teen.

Another good technique is to create a list of usual expenditures per member of your family. Together, identify which items you can do away with in order to save up some extra money from your monthly income. By doing this altogether, you are making your family participate better and see the contributions they can make into making your family’s finances better.

Should your child have the habit of continuously asking for money for minor and oftentimes unnecessary purchases, you can let your children learn to manage their own week’s allowance. With their limited money to budget, they will realize the value of money.

Put a cap on the amount of expenditures you make in a week. The best way to do this is set aside a fixed amount of cash that you will spend for a week. By putting this limitation on your spending, you are forced to prioritize spending on the most essential over other things.

Make it easy for your family to save more. How often do you eat out? Most family budgets are blown over because of the frequency of dining out and the accompanying exorbitant expense of that activity. Eating at home will reduce your expenses, not to mention allow for your family to bond over cooking at home. Do you spend on routine purchases like coffee and newspapers? Cut back on the latte and the paper, and put aside the amount you would otherwise spend. Your family’s collective saving will surprise you.

Lastly, don’t be afraid to create a most efficient driving route, as well as grouping together activities into one car trip. This way, you can save a lot on time and even on gasoline and car expenses.

Why Banking Works

When it comes to financial management, even business professionals reach a consensus as to what is the most effective, reliable, and secure means to manage your money, and that is through the bank. Your bank is an effective means to manage your bills payments, keep track of your transactions, receive your income and whatever extraneous cash inflow, and help you save effectively.

The last one is perhaps the most obvious feature of the bank that people do not take advantage of. A bank, being a financial intermediary, can actually help you save money efficiently. Here’s how.

First, you are required to keep what is called a maintaining balance in your bank account. This means that even if you make deductions in your account, the bank requires you to save a bare minimum in order to continue enjoying their services. And yes, that translates to a forced saving on your part.

Another feature of bank saving is the fact that you are free to continuously add to your account whenever you can. Otherwise, your money will remain safe in your bank. Moreover, while it’s staying in the bank, you are actually earning interest rates on your money.

What are savings interest rates? These are payments made by the bank to you for leaving your money in the bank. By depositing your money in the bank, your bank utilizes a portion of it in its loan operations where it subsequently earns through interest and loan charges. In effect, the income they receive trickles down to you, their source of money. This savings interest rate is actually an effective incentive system. Why so? If you save more money in your bank account through your deposits and savings, you end up receiving a higher return on the savings interest rate than other people would.

Banks have a threshold amount for you to be able to participate in the bank’s long-term, higher yield savings schemes. Time-deposit accounts, mutual funds and the like require you to leave your money untouched for a longer period of time. In exchange for the bank’s use of your money for a longer period of time, the percentages of interest return are double those that you would get in a regular savings account. You can add increments of a certain amount in order to increase the capital you invest in your time-deposit account or mutual fund. An increased account obviously translates to bigger interest gains.

Talk to your local bank about their savings schemes. They offer various mechanisms to encourage us consumers to entrust their money to them. In a bank, your money is in a safe place, and it is growing while it stays there.

Designing & Furnishing the Family Practice

Starting a family practice is a lot of work. When it comes to office layout and design, taking a little time in the beginning can save both time and work later.

When leasing a new building that is still under construction, it's possible to design the entire interior layout of the clinic. This will involve total design including plumbing, electrical, walls, flooring and everything involved in building and furnishing the interior.

While this is a good way to design the family practice clinic of your dreams, it's also a good way to empty your wallet and take on a large debt. Whether residential or commercial, building is costly. Depending upon the area and current prices, it could cost anywhere from $65 to $95 per square foot to complete the family practice building.

Many physicians starting a new family practice start by renting an already completed (and usually already used) building. Setting up the clinic in this case usually involves remodeling, a little or a lot. New paint, flooring and possible fixtures are typical remodeling expenses and much less costly than the building and furnishing process.

Maximize Efficiency in the Family Practice Floor plan

No matter what type of rental situation is in use, it is recommended that the interior be set up in a way that maximizes efficiency. Exam rooms should be huddled together. This makes it easy to go from room to room when seeing patients. A small workstation within the area will make it possible to review charts and manage telephone calls. Most experts suggest a minimum of three exam rooms per physician.

The best laid layouts move patients from waiting area to reception to exam rooms in a streamlined fashion. The receptionist should be able to see the entire waiting area. All hallways, doorways and pathways should be wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs.

Waiting areas should be comfortable and relaxing. An aquarium can be an excellent addition to the furnishings. The waiting area is the new patient's first impression of the family practice. Make it a good one.

Stocking the Family Practice

Furnishing and stocking a new family practice can get costly if attention isn't paid to details. The first step is to find out what discounts are available from professional organizations. Ask other physicians where they shop.

Consider buying used furniture and furnishings. Used furniture stores and office supply stores are good places to start looking. Often banks and hospitals redecorate and sell used furnishings at a good price.

When it comes to purchasing equipment and clinical supplies, many vendors have checklists. Consider creating a list and asking for bids from several vendors. Chart materials and office supplies can be found online and at local supply stores.
Setting up a new family practice is an involved process. If starting from scratch with a new building that must be designed, there's even more work (and money!) involved. No matter which method of renting or purchasing is being used, do make checklists of the tasks that need to be done and the supplies that must be acquired.

Carefully consider layout and use a floor plan that saves time and money. When your family practice becomes a successful, busy one, you'll be glad you did.

Choosing Family Practice For Replacement Therapy.

Some family practice doctors have advanced in being some of the very few doctors that are legally able to prescribe buprenorphine, which is also known as Suboxone. This drug is prescribed as an alternative in replacement therapy for opiate addiction. Family practice doctors must get certified in order to join the program and are, by law, only allowed to prescribe to a certain number of patients annually.

If a person with an opiate addiction chooses to select this method of treatment chances are that their family practice doctor will not be able to help him but may be able to refer him to another family practitioner. Because these offices are regular family practices, when the addict goes in for his initial visit, he will blend in as no one will know why he is there.

The family practice doctor will examine the patient and get a thorough history because he will need to know the opiate of choice and how much the addict uses in order to dispense the replacement drug. The family practice doctor will not be able to council the addict but can probably send him in the right direction. The family practice doctor's sole purpose is to dispense the correct dose of buprenorphine and monitor its effectiveness. Medical insurance will not pick up the cost of the visits to the family practice doctor but may cover the extreme expense of the prescription itself.

Some family practice doctors have chosen not to deal with the implications of offering replacement therapy but others have decided to enter this new facet of medicine in hopes of building up their practice with minimal insurance ramifications. The problem is that there are so many opiate addicts and so few doctors who have selected to become certified. That number needs to increase so that addicts can discreetly enter a family practice of their choosing and get the help that they need to address their problem.

The program is newer and is an alternative to methadone. But buprenorphine and methadone are the only two choices for replacement therapy in opiate addiction. Anti drug campaigns are gearing up in an attempt to recruit more family practice physicians to become certified and enter the programs because it has been so successful. The family practice doctor is the best setting for this type of program but the main objective so far is for the physician to evaluate the patient, disperse the medication is adequate intervals, monitor the progress, and provide maintenance throughout the program.

While family practice doctors create the perfect setting for this treatment and maintenance as an alternative to methadone treatment which requires those seeking treatment an alternative to overcrowded methadone clinics that require dosing on a daily basis. The replacement therapy is working and many addicts are seeking relief from this program. More family practice doctors should consider become certified and also offering this form of treatment especially because they are known for general health and overall well being and in some many cases of opiate abuse it may have been the family practice doctor who prescribed the prescription of opiates in the first place.

Choosing A Family Practice Facility

Preparation and planning aren't just for the boy scouts. Anyone who is reaching for success in a business will do well to plan and prepare. This can be especially important for the opening of a family practice.

Who's Doing the Choosing?

If the family practice is a new one featuring only one physician, it's pretty obvious who will be making the decision on where to locate the practice. If, however, the family practice is a large, complex one, the answer might not be so clear cut.

If multiple physicians will be part of the family practice, it's important to determine if each and every physician will be part of the process in finding and choosing a location. If multiple office managers will be part of the practice, members must decide if any or all of the managers will be involved in the hunt.

Some professionals suggest that the final decision be left up to a small representative segment of the family practice. Many suggest that staff members from all areas of the family practice be included in the decision making. The first decision in choosing a family practice location is deciding who will do the choosing.

What to Seek in a Family Practice Facility

Once the decision has been made regarding who will be doing the choosing, it's time to clearly define as much as possible what is expected of the facility. Consider patient base. If the family practice is geared toward treating retirees and older adults, a facility located near housing for younger families with children shouldn't be given much consideration unless there's no other facilities available.

It's also important to consider distance and location regarding hospitals and other medical services. If physicians in the family practice will be using the hospital facilities often or will be referring patients to the hospital on a frequent basis, locating the facility near the hospital and other medical services could save time.
Competition is a consideration in any business, even family practice. Are competitors located near the potential facility? Can the family practice offer something the competition does not? What reasons can the family practice give patients to choose the practice over the competition?

A little reputation goes a long way. When looking at potential family practice facilities, it's important to consider the reputation of neighboring businesses, especially if those businesses are medical facilities. Choose a facility near respected physicians with good reputations so that if the family practice is judged on the merits of the surrounding businesses, those merits are good.

Type of Family Practice Facility

Is the family practice location committee determined to find a professional building or can the practice be set up in whatever facilities are available, even if that means setting up business in a strip mall or remodeling a home?
Is the goal building or renting facilities for the family practice? If looking to build, the criteria are different than those for renting or leasing. Parking is an issue no matter where or how the family practice is located. Make sure there's plenty of parking in an area that's easy to enter and easy to exit. Handicap access is another issue that cannot be overlooked.

Searching for a Family Practice Facility

Once it's been determined what type and what size facility is needed, it's time to begin the hunt. Narrow down search areas as much as possible. Ruling out areas that are not adequate will help narrow the list. Choosing a family practice facility can be exhausting. It can also be rewarding. It doesn't have to be more difficult than necessary. Preparation and planning will go a long way in making the search a successful one.

Cash Only Family Practice Pros and Cons

In a world where plastic reigns, the idea of a cash only Family Practice sounds almost antiquated. The truth is that more physicians and health care providers are taking a serious look at the cash only business model.
Cash Payment Methods

The phrase "cash only" means that all services are paid for at the time of treatment. The Family Practice adopting this payment method usually accepts payments of cash, debit card, check or credit card. Why are some Family Practices giving serious thought to cancelling health care contracts and adopting cash policies?

With the cash only method, the Family Practice does not file insurance claims or other such paperwork. Avoiding insurance paperwork, filing, and billing means there is no need to pay a staff member to process insurance claims and forms. There's no need to invest in software to track collections and insurance claims. Overhead is greatly reduced.
Potential Problems with Cash Only

Some health care plans prohibit physicians from serving members of the health plan if that physician has recently terminated the contract between the insurance company and the physician.

State insurance regulations must be taken into consideration. Medicaid rules regarding the cash only Family Practice should be carefully reviewed. Most Family Practice physicians who choose to go "cash only" opt out of Medicare. Doing so involves completing several steps of Medicare rules and regulations.

Questions to Consider with Cash Only

Family Practice physicians and health care providers considering the cash only basis should first decide if doing so would put the practice at severe financial risk or even end it. If the practice is operating in an area with large numbers of patients who are uninsured, the cash only system may work quite well.

How do current patients feel about the switch to a cash only method? If too many of the current patients are not willing to stay with the Family Practice, more thought and consideration should be given to the idea.

Consider services and fees. What services will the Family Practice offer? What will be charged for each service? It's also important to take the hospital into consideration. Will patients in the hospital be seen by the Family Practice physician(s) or will in-hospital care be managed by the referred medical professional?

Meeting Financial Responsibilities and Setting Up Fees

How will switching to a cash only basis affect the Family Practice bottom line? How hard will it be to pay bills and maintain cash flow during the transition? Calculate all overhead and expenses. How many patients will the Family Practice need to see in order to cover current overhead?

How much money will be saved by switching to the cash only method? How much time and staff expense can be cut by making the change? It isn't unusual for a Family Practice to make the switch to cash only to find more patients can be seen, quality of patient care does not suffer, and the bottom line improves.

The cash only management method of Family Practice is worth considering. It isn't for every practice but when it does work, it tends to work very well.

Budgeting For Emergency Funds?

Emergency funds are considered to be a necessity as far as financial security is concerned, since it can provide one with financial resources that one can resort to and depend on when an emergency arises such that when one is sick and have the burden of paying huge medical bills, or unexpected home or major car repair.

When one has no emergency fund, one can be obliged to acquire debt on your credit card that might take several years to repay with interest that would later cost so much more.

However by putting an extra thirty to fifty dollars every month in an individual “emergency savings account” one can be secured with what emergency the future may bring. In doing this, it is recommended that one regards the emergency fund as an additional bill, to be punctually paid each month.

Yes, one can and should budget and allocate the extra money for emergency fund, as this is very significant when one refers to his “financial future”. Here, the goal is to create savings from budgeting your income; the emergency savings should ideally be equal to at least three months your living expenditures.

What's important is that you should steadily put a certain amount of money aside, and only use it for real emergencies.

Not like an investment, the success of one’s long-term savings funds does not really count on the amount of return or interests but on placing a fixed amount of money away constantly and steadily so to have immediate access to it at all times.

In spite of one’s financial status, the initial step in the process of constructing an emergency fund is by knowing where your money is presently being consumed or spent.

When one recognizes and determines where one’s earnings are spent, then it will be easy for one to choose and make a decision where to trim down expenses. In other words, budget.

Budgeting is putting or setting aside money for anticipated and unanticipated future use. It is here that one sets up a goal so as to save. So set an emergency fund as your goal.

Checking, savings, money market accounts and “certificates of deposits”, are great places to keep one’s cash that might be needed on quick notice.

The amount saved from budgeting can either go to your savings goal, emergency fund or both. One could utilize the money saved from budgeting financial expenses by saving half of it to your savings account and half of it for emergencies. This way, you achieve your goals in savings and at the same time put in funds for emergency use. It’s your choice.

Equipment and Warm-ups for New Hockey Players

In order to play professional level hockey, you need great athleticism, stamina, courage, and skill. The very foundation of a hockey player at any level is good skating technique, and this is true whether you are playing in a peewee city league or on the professional circuit. This is a brief introduction to skates and warm-ups.

To put it briefly, skating is ultimately an alternating, one-legged balancing act. Let's begin with the equipment you are balancing on, the proper pair of skates. If your feet are growing, a used pair that fits correctly is a much better choice than a larger, "top of the line" pair with room to grow. Your heel should rest flat in the back of each skate, and your big toe should barely touch the front portion of the toe cap. More room here is NOT beneficial. Ankle support is important, especially for young skaters. Either leather or man made material is fine, and depends upon the comfort level of the skater. Get good high grade steel blades, dry them off after each use, use skate guards if you walk across other surfaces with your skates. Keep a small sharpening stone in your hockey bag. Sharpen your blades as you need to, or when you get a nick in your blade

Your best skating posture varies slightly from person to person, but everyone should have the proper posture, which includes bent knees and ankles with a proper weight distribution over the balls of the feet. LOOK FORWARD, not down at the ice, and keep proper alignment. From a front view you toe, knee, and chin should be in a line, and from the side your ankle, hip, shoulder, and head should be aligned. Many people admired Paul Coffey and his fluid style of skating, but Paul practiced this skating style for years.

Before you start any ice hockey practice, make sure you do warm-up exercises. It is good to do these in full gear, as they improve balance and posture, as well as stretch out muscles. Your first stretches should be upper body stretches, keeping leg lunges and groin stretches until the end of the warm-up. Stretch out your upper body and shoulders with shoulder rolls and dips. Hold the hockey stick across your shoulders at the upper back, and turn at the waist for shoulder rolls, and dip to touch a right hand to a right knee (or left to left) for shoulder dips. Another important area to stretch is the lower back, which gets a lot of strain in a regular hockey game. Stretches that make your back curve strongly either concave (called seal stretches) or convex (where you bend forward with your chest near your thighs) will help this area of the body.

Finally, do hamstring stretches and groin stretches (various leg lunges and sitting exercises) to complete your warm-up, and be ready to play ice hockey. For a complete guide to stretches, confer with your coach, or get a good book with a lot of diagrams or pictures. It is important to keep proper alignment when doing these stretches in order to protect your body, and have a great hockey match!
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