To a layman’s eye, a natural shoal is simply a normal “tub of water.” Particularly, rain - from a thunderstorm - accumulated in a body of water. In the long run, the body of water “magically” translates into an ecosystem where plants and animals happily exist. To an average person, the need to know how a pond regulates itself is relatively useless information. By any means, when you wish to imitate a pond in your garden, a nonchalant and easygoing observation of how nature works would be insufficient. All the while, you would have to study deeper the cycle process which moves in a pond’s ecosystem. This involves you must understand everything about the pond’s nitrogen cycle.

And what is a pond’s nitrogen cycle all about? It is basically a series of steps that happens in the pond as it sustains to keep the pond clean while it cycles out organic waste. Here is plain illustration of what’s it all about.

We all know that in a pond, fish will let out waste in the water. As the waste breaks down, ammonia is produced. Ammonia as it increases becomes septic eventually. To control ammonia levels from getting out of hand, a good bacteria like Nitrosomonas can break it down to convert it to Nitrite, though can still be poisonous like ammonia if it still builds up, but not as quite. After the Ammonia is converted to Nitrite, another group of beneficial bacteria called Nitrobacter will come in to break down and convert Nitrites into Nitrates, which are far less toxic than Nitrites.    The plants in your pond profits from the Nitrate which becomes its source of sustenance, which still keeps the Nitrate level down while simultaneously controlling the algae scum. The nitrogen cycle basically is a fine process where the pond’s ecosystem detoxifies itself while in the long run still sustaining its habitat with food.

This deep seated mechanism has been happening for a billion years in evolution and there’s no reason it should not work in a naturally balance pond. Still, the artificial ponds requires help from other pond resources to tip the scale of the ecosystem in favor of the survival of pond life. Pond filters can help filter out extra waste and also provide a safe breeding ground for beneficial bacteria to grow and thrive.

Also there are bacteria vaccinations in the stores that can be supplemented to assure that nice bacteria is always present to check down waste levels and transform the ammonias and nitrites. In addition, pond plants can be bought and added to your pond to utilize the expendable nitrates in its availability for unwanted plants like algae. All of these products can assist a small fish pond environment with establishing a proper and efficient nitrogen cycle.

At some period, you don’t have to do any particular steps just to maintain the pond’s nitrogen cycle. This is because the pond will become self-sufficient and would be able to produce and feed adequate amounts of bacteria, that fish waste ammonia is no longer a threat. As one adage would say, nature nurtures itself.

Landscape Design Calgary is a local organization that promotes ecologically friendly ponds

Written by: Custom Stone and Waterscapes ‎3829 Parkhill Place SW, Calgary, AB T2S 2W6 (403) 870-1142

Free Press, Lauren Weinstein, Google, and Net Neutrality: Via Lauren Weinstein’s Blog.

Greetings. Last Friday, in a posting titled The New McCarthyism of Google-Baiting Spreads Its Stain, I expressed my concerns regarding what I view to be disgraceful tactics that have been recently employed by some parties in the ongoing debates regarding Net Neutrality and related issues. Two facets that I specifically addressed were a published attack directed at me by Craig Aaron, the managing director of Free Press, and the presentation of a video (produced by Consumer Watchdog) in New York’s Times Square that portrayed Google’s CEO in the apparent aspect of a child molester.

This morning I received a note from Craig of Free Press regarding my posting. He asked me to share that e-mail publicly, and I will honor his request here, along with my associated reply that I sent him today.

Here are both of the communications, presented without additional comments at this time:

E-mail from Free Press to Lauren (9/5/10)

E-mail from Lauren to Free Press (9/5/10)

Take care, all.

–Lauren–

Read Original Article:(Via Lauren Weinstein’s Blog.)

Advertisement: [ Read more ... ]

New Malware Imitates Browser Warning Pages: Via Slashdot.

Jake writes with this excerpt from Ars: “Microsoft is warning about a new piece of malware, Rogue:MSIL/Zeven, that auto-detects a user’s browser and then imitates the relevant malware warning pages from Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Chrome. The fake warning pages are very similar to the real thing; you have to look closely to realize they aren’t the real thing. The ploy is a basic social engineering scheme, but in this case the malware authors are relying on the user’s trust in their browser, a tactic that hasn’t been seen before. Beyond the warning pages, the actual malware looks like the real deal: it allows you to scan files, tells you when you’re behind on your updates, and enables you to change your security and privacy settings. Performing a scan results in the product finding malicious files, but of course it cannot delete them unless you update, which requires paying for the full version. Attempting to buy the product will open an HTML window that provides a useless ‘Safe Browsing Mode’ with high-strength encryption. To top it all off, the rogue antivirus webpage looks awfully similar to the Microsoft Security Essentials webpage; even the awards received by MSE and a link to the Microsoft Malware Protection Center have been copied.”

Read Original Article:(Via Slashdot.)

Advertisement: [ Read more ... ]

Game Publishers Using Stealth P2P Clients: Via Slashdot.

An anonymous reader writes “TorrentFreak has shed some light on the dark practice of installing stealth-mode P2P clients during game downloads and using unsuspecting gamers’ PCs as ‘bandwidth slaves.’ The clients operate in the background and largely go unnoticed until problems arise that are caused by overactive uploading/seeding. While the Akamai NetSession Interface and Pando Media Booster are specifically called out, there appear to be other offenders as indicated in the comments left by TorrentFreak readers. A publisher called Solid State Networks is putting out a call for an industry-wide ‘best practices’ effort to promote transparency, control and privacy on behalf of gamers who are otherwise being abused for their bandwidth without their consent.”

Read Original Article:(Via Slashdot.)

Advertisement: [ Read more ... ]

Locating a good lawyer who can efficiently help with your particular problem may not be easy. Don’t expect to locate a good lawyer by simply looking in the phone book or reading an advertisement . The best thing to do is to talk to people in the community, look for people that have a similar situation . Ask them who their lawyers were and what they think of them. If you talk to half a dozen people who have had a similar legal problem, chances are you’ll come away with several good leads . These are some of the best ways to find the right Oregon Attorney.

Do not make a decision based only on someone else’s recommendation, people have different responses to an attorney’s attitude. . Also, it may be hard to find lawyer through a personal referral with the expertise you need (for instance, if your friend had a great divorce lawyer, but you need incorporation advice, the referral may not do you much good). That would not provide you with the best Portland attorney for you.

Online directories have become the best way to find the perfect attorney for your specific situation . There you can find the lawyer’s experience, fees and education and the attorney’s philosophy of practice.  Another place to find good attorneys is by visiting businesses that provide services for attorneys in your specific area . For example, if you are interested in small business law, speak to your banker, accountant, insurance agent, and real estate broker. These people come into frequent contact with lawyers who represent business clients and are in a position to make informed judgments .

Lawyer referral services are another source of information. There is a wide variation in the quality of lawyer referral services, however, even though they are required to be approved by the state bar association . Some lawyer referral services carefully screen attorneys and list only those Oregon attorneys with particular qualifications and a certain amount of past experience, while other services will list any attorney in good standing with the state bar who maintains liability insurance . Before you choose a lawyer referral service, ask what its qualifications are for including an attorney and how carefully lawyers are screened.

Nasty Data-Stealing Bug Haunts Internet Explorer 8: Via Slashdot.

Trailrunner7 writes “There’s an unpatched vulnerability in Internet Explorer 8 that enables simple data-stealing attacks by Web-based attackers and could lead to an attacker hijacking a user’s authenticated session on a third-party site. The flaw, which a researcher said may have been known since 2008, lies in the way IE8 handles CSS. The vulnerability can be exploited through an attack scenario known as cross-domain theft, and researcher Chris Evans originally brought the problem to light in a blog post in December. At the time, all of the major browsers were vulnerable to the attack, but since then, Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Opera all have implemented a simple defense mechanism. The upshot of this is that if a victim has visited a given Web site, authenticated himself to the site, and then visits a site controlled by an attacker, the attacker would have the ability to hijack the user’s session and extract supposedly confidential data. This attack works on the latest, fully patched release of IE8.”

Read Original Article:(Via Slashdot.)

Advertisement: [ Read more ... ]

HOW TO PAY - The majority of businesses prefer you pay with a check because of the added cost involved in accepting credit cards.  And a few businesses also do not like to accept credit cards directly.  But don’t fret.  There are several payment processing companies out there that can assist in the transferring of funds.  One that we recommend is xcoin.com.  At Darius Cordell Inc we like to work with them on occasion . They have always provided excellent customer service ~ Their system is set up to where it is easy to use} for the average on-line buyer.   One of the more popular payment processors is paypal.com.  Our company in the past has had several issues with them however it is still a popular payment source for many.  They tend to be partial to the consumer (regardless of the situation) more so than the merchant who is paying them fees.   For both parties (the merchant & the consumer) it is highly suggested that you still take a tiny bit of precaution when buying on line when using this processor just to make sure you both can be as safe as possible.  One other company darius cordell couture has worked with for payment processing is mpayy.com.    They are not as popular but can still handle the job .  All of these   that we have mentioned will give you the chance to use your charge card to submit your payment to a company.  Some of them even allow you to use your checking account to direct pay funds.

CONDITIONS OF SALE POLICIES - Another important thing to do is to make sure to not just skim though the fine print.  Most companies (especially those selling on the internet) have a very specific return procedure.   That policy is placed for your viewing for a reason - for you to read it.  The policies that are made are in many case also placed there to protect the consumer .  What you ned to focus on is to make sure you are ok with it BEFORE you continue with signing anything and definitely prior to giving any non-refundable payments .  This is particularly crucial when you are buying hand made products like prom dresses, formal dresses or social occasion attire on line.

Often you will see that for custom products companies will only take back items IF there was an error .  Don’t freak about about this policy.  It is common in most industries particularly in the wedding gown industry – and when you deliberate about it …it really does make common sense.  If someone is going to cut fabric and make a formal dress according to your body frame and your size exactly the way you want it….there is no logical reason why anyone could think it could be returned – especially if you just changed your mind.  Again the only way a return could be considered is if the company made a definitive error .

READ YOUR CONTRACTS - You will find now as well that many corporations will require buyers to sign a contract.  In that contract you will probably see the same return policies & conditions of sale that were disclosed on their websites.  READ BEFORE YOU SIGN.  I can not stress this enough.  At Darius Cordell Designs (where we sell mostly evening dresses) we have had many clients who have simply skimmed over a contract thinking it will be ok and once the item is complete and then they are not totally happy it is too late .  This can ultimately cause extensive problems with the transaction – especially if the merchandise was not just as they had envisioned or hoped.

TAKE RESPONSIBILITY – This is a huge one.  More times than not we have seen where a client will simply refuse to take ownership of their own oversights and mistakes.  For instance we had a special occasion dress client who showed their interest in our designs in January.  They said they needed their garment in May.  We tell all clients on our site that special request orders can normally take 3 months and that rush orders can sometimes take only 2 months.  It was also disclosed that due to the custom nature and production facilities that were over seas we can not guarantee the exact date any item would be finished or arrive.  This client supposedly understood those disclosures.  The consumer did not submit their order until the end of March.  This client was a special and unique plus size.  This client also requested we use their fabrics.  The client took nearly 3 weeks to get the fabric to us.  Keeping in mind the client had taken several weeks to secure the order with a deposit.  Possibly the client had forgot one of the disclosures that were made in the contract that was signed.  But when the fabric was finally received the disclosures were readdressed.  The client wanted to continue.  Then when the item came just days before the first day they wanted to wear the item for the first time the buyer wanted to blame the company for being late and all of a sudden this was the most important occasion ever - yet they took a huge amount of time ordering and getting the fabric to us.  Go figure.  In any event, we said all that to say it is SO unbelievably important to take ownership of your own oversights and actions.  For if there is ever a problem you want to be able to go to the managers and tell them the truth about what happened in a nice and kind way.  Doing so will strengthen your chances of having a favorable outcome.  We are amazed at the people who can clearly see where they may have overlooked something but still will become belligerent to try and get their way .  The ole’ saying that goes…you can catch more flies with honey than you can vinegar still applies.  And especially when you know the company is not really at fault but you want what you want .  If you measured yourself wrong admit that to the company.  Don’t rant and rave saying they made a mistake especially when it can be easily concluded with a measuring tape that they did not make a mistake.  If you had any part to do with the outcome you need to own that fact.  If you come to the situation being nice you will have a way better chance of them being more willing to do what they can to help .  But if you go in full guns a blazing and then don’t take ownership of your part in it you are certain to come away from the communication not happy .

REGISTERING YOUR COMPLAINT – Ok, so let’s say you read the disclosures and the contract.  And the company clearly made a mistake (like you ordered a red dress but you received a white one) and the company is refusing to do anything about it.  Or if you have documentation saying the merchandise would be ONLY $500 but the company charged you $800 then there are things you can do.  First get all your facts, dates and written document in order.  Make sure you have documented all correspondence (written and verbal).  Get your time line together and have all your specific facts straight.  Do your best not to simply say how you feel but more so tell the facts .  You will want to keep to the true specifics.  Then write out your complaint using the least amount of words as possible but still also being a specific and accurate as you can.  Sometimes if you get too long winded (like this article) people will have a inclination to skip over parts of your complaint and not see everything .

A good place to start is the Better Business Bureau.  Most times there is not a lot this entity can do.  But, they can register your complaint and let the business know you are an unhappy consumer (for valid and good reasons).  A company practicing good business is going to respond promptly even if they do not agree with the claim.  Based on our experiences the BBB will not necessarily say one side is right or wrong.  Instead they more so simply allow a place for each side to state their case.  Then based on what the consumer decides after they receive the company’s response…the BBB will categorize the complaint in one of a few different ways.  It may be closed as satisfied client, company standing behind contract, refund provided, or administratively closed.  Each BBB has a different system and may use different phrasing as to how it will be closed.  Check with your local BBB to see how any company has handled complaints against them – keeping in mind 10 complaints does not make a bad company especially if they have had over 5000 clients.  This is just used as one of many tools to get a feel for if a company answered or not.  Any company that has unanswered complaints is not the best and should give you eminent pause when considering to work with that company. A company that has responded to all submissions but still may have a higher number of submissions or have a certain type of or product and client that warrant such – i.e. clients who do not want to accept the conditions of sale AFTER it was signed and the company does not want to modify the contract .  So just keep that in mind when making your decisions.

Other agencies you may want to contact to help you is The FTC or your state Attorney General.  if enough people complain on a company and those agencies see if a business is being dishonorable and if the complaints can be validated….then they will step in and take action on all consumers behalf not just yours.

And as a last recourse when all else fails you can simply take your complaint to small claims.  But we warn if you decide to go this road you really need to be extremely prepared.  A magistrate many times simply wants specific facts – not information about how someone made you feel.  You will want to make sure to disclose any contracts you have signed, all correspondence that was done in writing and the dates & times of when things occurred.  If you go into this mostly based on emotion rather than fact you may wind up spending a lot of time and potentially money on attorneys to no avail.  So be real sure you are not just emotionally right but factually in the right and the company is TOTALLY (and factually) in the wrong when you go this route.  It can be real expensive and if it is simply a matter of you just thinking that the company should be nicer to you …then you may wind up wasting away your time and potentially money.  Again, you need to be certain of the contractual facts before going this route.  You don’t want to get into a situation where you are dealing with a counter suit due to a simple rant.  You may even want to find a lawyer who works in the state where the business is located who can give you a free interview before making a huge mistake

Taking care of complaints like this in an honest, legitimate and logical way is much better than trying to bash someone on the internet.  Many times now smart consumers will realize any one can type and say anything they want on the internet and that does not mean it has merit.  So most intellectual people don’t even consider the bashing anyhow.  It makes the validity of some comments are many times questioned.  Most sensible people know that if you are a concerned buyer it is best to search out and go to an agency who can validate complaints that can actually provide you with factual and accurate information not just sporadic rants regarding how someone may feel.  Until they can regulate what people can say or do on the internet it is best to get a legitimate take on companies so you can make a accurate assessment before you buy .

So with that info in tow get out there and have fun shopping on line but just be smart, be responsible and be safe about it.

UAE Man-in-the-Middle Attack Against SSL: Via Schneier on Security.

Interesting:

Who are these certificate authorities? At the beginning of Web history, there were only a handful of companies, like Verisign, Equifax, and Thawte, that made near-monopoly profits from being the only providers trusted by Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator. But over time, browsers have trusted more and more organizations to verify Web sites. Safari and Firefox now trust more than 60 separate certificate authorities by default. Microsoft’s software trusts more than 100 private and government institutions.

Disturbingly, some of these trusted certificate authorities have decided to delegate their powers to yet more organizations, which aren’t tracked or audited by browser companies.

Advertisement: [ Read more ... ]

Bookmark/Search this post with:

• Twitter
• Digg
• StumbleUpon
• Technorati
• del.icio.us
• Facebook
• Furl
• LinkedIn
• Yahoo

]]> http://www.privacysource.net/uncategorized/uae-man-in-the-middle-attack-against-ssl/feed/ http://www.privacysource.net/uncategorized/dan-solove-fourth-amendment-pragmatism/ http://www.privacysource.net/uncategorized/dan-solove-fourth-amendment-pragmatism/#comments Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:07:24 +0000 admin http://www.privacysource.net/uncategorized/dan-solove-fourth-amendment-pragmatism/ George Washington University Law Professor and Concurring Opinions creator Dan Solove has published an article about the Fourth Amendment in the Boston College Law Review. The abstract of “Fourth Amendment Pragmatism“:
In this essay, Professor Solove argues that the Fourth Amendment reasonable expectation of privacy test should be abandoned. Instead of engaging in a fruitless game [...]

]]> http://www.privacysource.net/uncategorized/dan-solove-fourth-amendment-pragmatism/feed/ http://www.privacysource.net/uncategorized/the-british-tabloid-phone-hacking-scandal/ http://www.privacysource.net/uncategorized/the-british-tabloid-phone-hacking-scandal/#comments Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:15:59 +0000 admin http://www.privacysource.net/uncategorized/the-british-tabloid-phone-hacking-scandal/

The British Tabloid Phone-Hacking Scandal: Via NYTimes.com Magazine.

IN NOVEMBER 2005, three senior aides to Britain’s royal family noticed odd things happening on their mobile phones. Messages they had never listened to were somehow appearing in their mailboxes as if heard and saved. Equally peculiar were stories that began appearing about Prince William in one of the country’s biggest tabloids, News of the World.

The stories were banal enough (Prince William pulled a tendon in his knee, one revealed). But the royal aides were puzzled as to how News of the World had gotten the information, which was known among only a small, discreet circle. They began to suspect that someone was eavesdropping on their private conversations.

By early January 2006, Scotland Yard had confirmed their suspicions. An unambiguous trail led to Clive Goodman, the News of the World reporter who covered the royal family, and to a private investigator, Glenn Mulcaire, who also worked for the paper. The two men had somehow obtained the PIN codes needed to access the voice mail of the royal aides.

Scotland Yard told the aides to continue operating as usual while it pursued the investigation, which included surveillance of the suspects’ phones.

Advertisement: [ Read more ... ]

Bookmark/Search this post with:

• Twitter
• Digg
• StumbleUpon
• Technorati
• del.icio.us
• Facebook
• Furl
• LinkedIn
• Yahoo

]]> http://www.privacysource.net/uncategorized/the-british-tabloid-phone-hacking-scandal/feed/