BROWN RICE

BROWN RICE

Brown rice is an excellent source of magnesium, iron, selenium, manganese,  and the vitamins B1, B2, B3, and B6. Brown rice is a good source of dietary fiber, protein, and gamma-oryzanol. White rice is brown rice that has had essential nutrients removed when processed in order to make it easier and faster to cook, and to give it  a longer shelf life. This is accomplished by removing the bran, and with it, minerals and vitamins that are necessary in our diet.

1. Inositol hexaphosphate, a naturally occurring molecule found in high-fiber foods such as brown rice, is a compound that has been shown to demonstrate cancer prevention properties. Inositol hexaphosphate holds great promise in strategies for the prevention and
treatment of cancer.

2. Pancreatic cancer is an extremely virulent form of cancer with few effective treatments. An in vitro  study has suggested that inositol hexaphosphate may be a therapy for treatment of pancreatic cancer. Brown rice has a rich content of manganese, which helps in the production of energy from carbohydrates and protein. The nutrient also plays a key role in  the synthesis of fatty acids, which is necessary for a healthy nervous system. One can  get about 88% of the daily need  of manganese by consuming just one cup of brown rice.

3. The manganese present in brown rice is also required for the antioxidant enzyme, super oxide dismutase, which protects the mitochondria against the free radicals formed during energy production. Brown rice is a rich source of fiber and selenium, both of which help lower the risk of colon cancer significantly. Selenium also works with vitamin E,  in several antioxidant systems of the body, which help fight against heart diseases. This is also beneficial against the symptoms of asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. The rice also contains insoluble fiber, which helps women avoid developing gallstones. It is rich in fiber, which contributes towards the reduction of cholesterol level and also the prevention of atherosclerosis.

4. The fiber also binds to the cancer-causing chemicals, protecting the body against colon cancer. The fiber present in brown rice also helps normalize the bowel function and thus, reduces constipation. The oil present in brown rice helps in lowering the cholesterol level in the body. Brown rice is  extremely good for postmenopausal women with complains of high blood pressure, high  cholesterol, and other symptoms of cardiovascular diseases. It contains phytonutrients, which are highly beneficial for sound health.

5. Brown rice is abundant in plant lignans, which get converted into mammalian lignans like enterolactone, in the intestine.  Enterolactone is highly protective against breast and other hormone-dependent cancers and also heart diseases.

6. The rice helps in reducing the risk of insulin resistance and the metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is associated with symptoms like visceral obesity, high triglycerides, high blood pressure and low level of defensive HDL cholesterol.

7. Brown rice reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes. Brown rice is a good source of magnesium, which reduces the severity of asthma, lowers the frequency of migraine headaches and decreases the risk of heart attack and stroke. Magnesium balances the action of calcium and thus, helps in regulating nerve and muscle tone.

8. Brown rice offers major protection against breast cancer, especially in pre-menopausal women. Intake  of brown rice can  help the body fight against  childhood asthma. It is also protective against obesity, ischemic stroke and insulin resistance.

Caution - Brown rice is not seen to have any negative effect on the body, including any allergic effect. It does not contain any significant amount of oxalates and purines. However, the rice that is not grown organically is seen to contain traces of arsenic. Though low doses of arsenic are not seen to cause any serious diseases, its heavy intake can make one more susceptible to the risk of cancer. So, always go for the organically grown brown rice, as it is free of arsenic content.

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Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) Attacks

-: Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) Attacks :-

What Does ARP Mean?
Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) is a stateless protocol, was designed to map Internet Protocol addresses (IP) to their associated Media Access Control (MAC) addresses. This being said, by mapping a 32 bit IP address to an associated 48 bit MAC address via attached Ethernet devices, a communication between local nodes can be made.

On a majority of operating systems, such as Linux, FreeBSD, and other UNIX based operating systems, and even including Windows, the "arp" program is present. This program can be used to display and/or modify ARP cache entries.

An example of the "arp" utility's output would look like the following:

Windows:
> arp -a
Interface: 192.168.1.100 .- 0x10003
Internet Address        Physical Address        Type
192.168.1.1          00-13-10-23-9a-53       dynamic

Linux:
$ arp -na
? (192.168.1.1) at 00:90:B1:DC:F8:C0 [ether] on eth0

FreeBSD:
$ arp -na
? (192.168.1.1) at 00:00:0c:3e:4d:49 on bge0


How ARP works?
Specifically for Internet Protocol Version 4 (IPv4), ARP maps IP addresses between the Network layer and Data Link layer of the Open System Interconnection (OSI) model.
For a more complete and thorough explanation of how address resolution works, and protocol specifics, please consult RFC 826.


ARP Protocol Flaws :-
ARP's main flaw is in its cache. Knowing that it is possible for ARP to update existing entries as well as add to the cache, this leads one to believe that forged replies can be made, which result in ARP cache poisoning attacks.


Terms & Definitions :-
ARP Cache Poisoning : Broadcasting forged ARP replies on a local network. In a sense, "fooling" nodes on the network. This can be done because ARP lacks authentication features, thus blindly accepting any request and reply that is received or sent.

MAC Address Flooding : An ARP cache poisoning attack that is mainly used in switched environments. By flooding a switch with fake MAC addresses, a switch is overloaded. Because of this, it broadcasts all network traffic to every connected node. This outcome is referred to as "broadcast mode" because, all traffic passing through the switch is broadcasted out like a Hub would do. This then can result in sniffing all network traffic.


The ARP Attacks :-
1] Connection Hijacking & Interception : Packet or connection hijacking and interception is the act in which any connected client can be victimized into getting their connection manipulated in a way that it is possible to take complete control over.

2] Connection Resetting : The name explains itself very well. When we are resetting a client's connection, we are cutting their connection to the system. This can be easily done using specially crafted code to do so. Luckily, we have wonderful software that was made to aid us in doing so.

3] Man In The Middle : One of the more prominent ways of attacking another user in order to hijack their traffic, is by means of a Man In The Middle (MITM) attack. Unlike the other attacks, a MITM is more a packet manipulation attack which in the end however does result in packet redirection to the attacker . all traffic will get sent to the attacker doing the MITM attack. This attack however is specific. As opposed to MAC Address Flooding or other attacks against a router/switch, the MITM attack is against a victim, and also can be done outside of a switched environment. Thus meaning, an attack can be executed against a person on the other side of the country.

4] Packet Sniffing : Sniffing on a Local Area Network (LAN) is quite easy if the network is segmented via a hub, rather than a switch. It is of course possible to sniff on a switched environment by performing a MAC flood attack. As a result of the MAC flood, the switch will act as a hub, and allow the entire network to be sniffed. This gives you a chance to use any sort of sniffing software available to you to use against the network, and gather packets.

5] Denial of Service : MAC Address Flooding can be considered a Denial of service attack. The main idea of the MAC flood, is to generate enough packet data to send toward a switch, attempting to make it panic. This will cause the switch to drop into broadcast mode and broadcast all packet data. This however did not result in a crash, or the service to be dropped, but to be overloaded.

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20 Infamous Crimes Committed and Solved on Facebook.

20 Infamous Crimes Committed and Solved on Facebook.

Criminals might be taking to the web, but police are meeting them there.

Facebook has proved to be a powerful tool for law enforcement to locate criminal activity. All Facebook communication leaves a trail, which can come in handy when police need to solve a crime.

UK police have reported a 540% increase in Facebook crimes over the past three years,according to the Criminal Justice Degrees Guide. Crimes have taken a different form on Facebook, requiring the creation of new laws or reinterpretation of existing laws.

With more than 100,000 UK crimes linked to Facebook over the past five years, it’s no wonder police are looking for suspects or evidence on the site. Some law enforcement, such as Sheriff Al Lamberti, have found great success using Facebook to find criminals. Lamberti arrested the criminals who stole air conditioners in Florida after he posted photos of suspects on Facebook, which led to a tip.

The infographic below, created by the Criminal Justice Degrees Guide, shows 20 crimes that Facebook assisted or helped solve. The criminals either posted photo evidence or statuses about the criminal acts, or used Facebook to communicate about the criminal activity. The infographic shows several incidents in which Facebook cyberbullying, cyberstalking and relationship disputes have led to death.

Click to enlarge.

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Top Ten Tweaks in MS Window7

Top Ten Tweaks in MS Windows 7

In the sense of this topic and my belief, "tweaking" is doing something to make Windows work better, either by changing the "safe default" to something that utilizes the hardware more, turning some component on or, most frequently, turning some unwanted component off and or/deleting files/reg entries.

While with OS-es up to XP I could get the job (of clean install + updates+ installing few most needed programs + calming down) done in 3 days, with 7 I'm satisfied and confident in the OS installation only after 3 weeks or more. Of course, that time will go down with experience, but it will never approach the time XP requires.

So here goes my list, from best to "less best, but still pretty good":

1. Install SSD - OK, I break my criterium with the first item, but I think it absolutely made most difference - on a 5400 laptop HDD, Windows 7 was unbearable, but even on a crappy first gen SSD it can be lived with. Other tweaks help, but this is the biggest quantum leap.

2. Use "Install Wim Tweak" / "DISM remove components" (Also pre-install "liters", of which I use Windows 7 Toolkit) - a great help to speed up cleaning, but of course, even though some dependencies are mapped, we're still a long way from a "safe" preset or list for everyone.

3. Turn off "Startup Event Trace Sessions" in "Computer Management -> performance -> Data Collector Sets" - The speeedup is noticeable immediately (OK, after reboot), at the expense of losing functionality that might or might not be needed.

4. Remove unneeded foreign language fonts - yeah, it still makes a big difference.

5. With the help of Sysinternals Autoruns and/or Nirsoft's ActiveXHelper, FileTypesMan, MimeView, RegDllView, ShellExtensionsView remove unnecessary things (Now you know why it takes me weeks to complete this.

6. Tweak services, of course.

7 Turn off IPv6 protocols (they are still not widely used today, but it might be needed someday). I noticed some speedup (maybe it's all in my head?).

8. Take ownership of files/reg keys - not a tweak in itself , but a skill that every Win7 tweaker must learn.

9. Plain old Reg tweaks - I can't really single out one or few that is/are most important and made most of the difference because there are simply too many of them (my XP tweaks folder is 300 KB, the new one for 7 is addidional 150 KB on top of that - many of the old ones still apply).

10 Boot tracing with Process Monitor - it's not the tracing that is important, it's deciphering and hunting for the undocumented registry entries that's fun for me. I strongly believe that it's better to "tell" windows what you want - leaving registry entries unpopulated is simply not an option for me. Of course, you have to find the default, which is not always easy to do or obvious, but it is still rewarding IMO.So, that's it. I hope this will bring some useful discussion.

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American Crow

American Crow

Crows and ravens belong in the Corvid family (which includes jays and magpies) and are considered to be among the most adaptable and intelligent birds.

American Crows are familiar over much of the continent: large, intelligent, all-black birds with hoarse, cawing voices. They are common sights in treetops, fields, and roadsides, and in habitats ranging from open woods and empty beaches to town centers.  They usually feed on the ground and eat almost anything typically earthworms, insects and other small animals, seeds, and fruit but also garbage, carrion, and chicks they rob from nests. Their flight style is unique; a patient, methodical flapping that is rarely broken up with glides. Crows are rarely found alone.

Cool Facts 

1. American Crows congregate in large numbers in winter to sleep in communal roosts. These roosts can be of a few hundred up to two million crows. Some roosts have been forming in the same general area for well over 100 years. In the last few decades some of these roosts have moved into urban areas where the noise and mess cause conflicts with people.

2. Young American Crows do not breed until they are at least two years old, and most do not breed until they are four or more. In most populations the young help their parents raise young for a few years. Families may include up to 15 individuals and contain young from five different years.

3. The American Crow appears to be the biggest victim of West Nile virus, a disease recently introduced to North America. Crows die within one week of infection and few seem able to survive exposure. No other North American bird is dying at the same rate from the disease, and the loss of crows in some areas has been severe.

4. In some areas the American Crow has a double life. It maintains a territory year round in which the entire extended family lives and forages together; but during much of the year, individual crows leave the home territory to join large flocks at dumps and agricultural fields and to sleep in large roosts in winter. Family members go together to the flocks, but do not stay together in the crowd. A crow may spend part of the day at home with its family in town and the rest with a flock feeding on waste grain out in the country.

5. Despite its tendency to eat roadkill, the American Crow is not specialized to be a scavenger, and carrion is only a very small part of its diet. Though their bills are large, crows can’t break through the skin of even a gray squirrel. They must wait for something else to open a carcass or for the carcass to decompose and become tender enough to eat.

6. Crows are crafty foragers that sometimes follow adult birds to find where their nests are hidden. They sometimes steal food from other animals. A group of crows was seen distracting a river otter to steal its fish, and another group followed Common Mergansers to catch minnows the ducks were chasing into the shallows. They also sometimes follow songbirds as they arrive from a long migration flight and capture the exhausted birds. Crows also catch fish, eat from outdoor dog dishes, and take fruit from trees.

7. Crows sometimes make and use tools. Examples include a captive crow using a cup to carry water over to a bowl of dry mash; shaping a piece of wood and then sticking it into a hole in a fence post in search of food; and breaking off pieces of pine cone to drop on tree climbers near a nest.

8. The oldest recorded wild American Crow was 16 years old. A captive crow that died in New York lived to be 59 years old.

9. The size is nearly twice the size of a Blue Jay; about two-thirds the size of a Common Raven.

10. Crows are highly intelligent animals; not all people are smart enough to be crows! It‟s important to remember this, because controlling crows will involve multiple techniques. Crows will quickly adapt to control tactics and change their behavior to avoid them.

11. American Crows are black from their beak to their tail with a shiny violet/purple sheen. They are larger than a Fish crow.

12. They‛re very smart birds. They can solve puzzles, learn symbols, and remember information.

13. Nesting groups of crows share tasks, so one crow might serve as a guard while another finds food and another gives an alarm if a hawk or great horned owl approaches. They like to chase owls and hawks!

14. They‛re an omnivore eating everything including insects, snails, lizards, small mammals, bird eggs, young birds, corn, fruit, garbage, McDonalds French fries, and road kill.

15. Even though they are excellent detectives at finding where humans picnic, it‛s not healthy for them to eat our food. Help the crows by not feeding them our human food.

16. Crows are omnivorous and eat whatever is available insects, spiders, snails, fish, snakes, eggs, nestling birds, cultivated fruits, nuts, and vegetables. They also scavenge dead animals and garbage.

18. Crows are known to drop hard shelled nuts onto a street, and then wait for passing automobiles to crack them. Similarly, along the coast they drop mussels and other shellfish on rocks to crack the shells and expose the flesh.

19. Outside of the breeding season, crows travel as far as 40 miles each day from evening roost sites to daytime feeding areas.

20. Crows usually post “sentries,” who alert the feeding birds of danger.

21. Hawks and owls inhabit old crow nests; raccoons and tree squirrels use them as summer napping platforms.

22. Ravens can be distinguished from crows by their larger size, much larger bill, and long, wedge-shaped tail . In addition, a raven’s flight pattern commonly includes soaring or gliding, while crows have a frequent steady, “rowing” wing-beat with little or no gliding.

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9 Tips to Improve Moral Value in Kids

9 Tips to Improve Moral Value in Kids

To any kid, his/her parents are the sources for the way he/she behaves and builds their character. Remember, Home is the first and the best place to raise a child. Children get influenced very easily in their tender ages and it is here that they have to be properly guided to develop good moral values and maintain a good character. For this, devoting sufficient time to your children is very essential.

Here are 9 good tips to impart moral values in your children,

1. Be Positive About Your Kid - How important is it for you to raise a moral child? It's a crucial question to ask, because research finds that parents who feel strongly about their kids turning out morally usually succeed because they committed themselves to that effort. If you really want to raise a moral child, then make a personal commitment to raise one, and don't stop until he does.

2. Set a Strong Moral Example - Parents are children's first and most powerful teachers. Make sure you set yourself into moral lines and show that you have moral values to your kid. You should make your child to get the feeling that you are a good person who behaves properly with good moral values. Here you also have to make sure that he doesn't catch any bad behavior from you or any other person.

3. Share Your Beliefs - Take time to know what you want  your child to learn. After you've done that, share your thoughts with them and tell them why you feel good about them. Remember, your child will always hear counters against your beliefs, so make sure you impart them and be strong about them when you tell him/her. Some examples would be, the TV programmes you watch, movies, music you listen to, literature etc.

4. Teachable Moments - They usually come unexpectedly and not when you plan for them, say dinner. Teaching them at the moment, when they are a part of the scenario will have a greater impact. Some examples would be, when they play, use the bathroom etc.

5. Teach them Discipline - Discipline is very essential if you plan to impart any moral values in your kid. Use discipline to teach why they were wrong and what they should be doing the next time it happens.

6. Expect Moral Behavior - By now, Your kid should be acting in moral lines and you must actually expect him/her to do so. If he/she is crossing the line, then be a bit strict in reinforcing it and warn them of what would happen if it happens often. Don't be very harsh though!

7. Study their Behavior's Effects - Researchers tell us one of the best moral-building practices is to point out the impact of the child's behavior on the other person. Doing so enhances a child's moral growth: ("See, you made her cry") or highlight the victim's feeling ("Now he feels bad"). The trick is to help to help the child really imagine what it would be like to be in the victim's place so she will be more sensitive to how her behavior impacts others.

8. Prioritize Morals Daily - Kids don't learn how to be moral from reading about it in textbooks but from doing good deeds. Encourage your child to lend a hand to make a difference in his world, and always help him recognize the positive effect the gesture had on the recipient. The real goal is for kids to become less and less dependent on adult guidance by incorporating moral principles into their daily lives and making them their own. That can happen only if parents emphasize the importance of the virtues over and over and their kids repeatedly practice those moral behaviors.

9. Follow the Golden Rules - "Treat others the way you want them to treat you" and "Give Respect, Take Respect". Definitely helps!

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The Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics

The Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics

The 1st Commandment
Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people.
In the age of information and/or the digital age, more and more personal information is available online.  From financial to personal, information online is the property of the individual and entities that they share it with and no others.

The 2nd Commandment
Thou shalt not interfere with other people's computer work.
With greater and higher speed access the user is to benefit and incorporate these advances in technology for the betterment of their work and for the collaboration with others.

The 3rd Commandment
Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's computer files.
Again with the increase in speed and access it is left to the user to continue their use in an ethical manner.

The 4th Commandment
Thou shalt not use a computer to steal.
With other commandments and with the advancement of technologies it is to the user to utilize equipment in a manner in which benefits the Web 2.0 community.

The 5th Commandment
Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness.
Computers, cell phones, chat rooms, instant messenging, blogs, wikis…. Daily there are multiple means and options to post information for the global community to see.  It is the responsibility of the user to utilize these powerful tools to benefit this global community.

The 6th Commandment
Thou shalt not copy or use proprietary software for which you have not paid.
For those looking for “free” software and applications, Web 2.0 applications provide users with “free” and “open” applications which users can utilize in an ethical manner and at no cost.

The 7th Commandment
Thou shalt not use other people's computer resources without authorization or proper compensation.
With the drop of costs and the increase in capabilities computer access in more common than ever.  Even with an atmosphere of openness users must remember to simply ask permission when using equipment.

The 8th Commandment
Thou shalt not appropriate other people's intellectual output.
The Creative Commons community allows users and creators of information quick and easy use in identifying the usability of their work.

The 9th Commandment
Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you are writing or the system you are designing.
As users and programmers collaborate from around the world it is with the intentions of betterment of the world that they continue their work.

The 10th Commandment
Thou shalt always use a computer in ways that ensure consideration and respect for your fellow humans.
Computers are powerful tools that can and will be used to share knowledge with the global community.  It is left to the user to consider their purpose.

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