Spammers!

Posted on April 3, 2012 by

My earlier post on reaching 5000 spam comments captured by Akismet raised some interest, as several commenters with blogs of similar ages have suffered more like 30,000 spams and asked what my plugins were.

So, in approximate order of how they intercept spam, here they are:

Bad Behavior: This one stops spam before it reaches the blog, specifically the PHP focussed spambots. By reading their ’signatures’ and the use of blacklists, know spammers are prevented from accessing the comments section of your blog. This is an essential plugin, as aside from reducing spam from a few thousand a day down to dozens, it also prevents a massed spambot attack from taking your site offline.

More than one blogger that I’m aware of has been taken down by their host because a spambot attack was putting too great a strain on their shared server.

Simple Spam Filter: This is the clincher I feel for reducing spam on your blog, as it’s configurable by you, and is fully adaptive when spammers change their tactics. It comes with a list of simple spam words, which if it reads in the comment, will then challenge the commenter to prove they’re human by simply clicking a button to submit their comment. As a spambot won’t be able to confirm they’re human, the comment will get nuked.

The key here is that you can add to the list, either through just typing them in, or getting the filter to review your current spam folder, and then just selecting the words you want blacklisted. So, when the spammers had their recent bizarre attack of commenting ‘nice blog!’ or ‘Holy Tuesday!’ I just added the words ‘nice’ and ‘tuesday’ to my blacklist. This took the number of daily spam comments reaching Akismet down from 40+ to 4. Of course, after a while you can then remove words from the blacklist too.

You can get the original from the link above, or you can try the tweaked version from Stephen of More than Scratch The Surface.

Akismet: Yep, it comes with every installation of WordPress, but any spams getting through the first two will usually be caught here, so make sure it’s activated.

These three plugins took my daily spam moderation queue down from 400 to 3 or 4, most of which are human submitted rubbish. If I could wish anything for Christmas, it would be a painful death for all spammers…..

Any other complementary plugins  available that are worth trying?

David has recently returned from a long break to find some tool has stolen his domain name by methods as yet unknown.

As a result, he’s got his blog back up at DavidAirey.co.uk, as it was the .com that was stolen.

So, if you’ve linked to David in the past, or have him in your blogroll etc. please change the .com link to point to the .co.uk one.

Spam Spam Spam Spam

In a year and three days. When you consider that I also employ two other plugins that catch spam before it reaches Akismet, the true total may be 5 times higher than that – all that bandwidth and time wasted.

I can’t believe that there’s so many morons in the world who actually click on some of this stuff either – I keep saying to myself that I’m going to make up a top 10 list of the most ridiculous spam comments I’ve ever received, but then I think life’s too short.

Spam. Do you want fries with that? :roll:

No, it’s not because of Googles insular approach to link leaving, but because of this:

Blogger Sucks

See the Blogger comment box? An unexpandable and unscrollable  box where over half of the comment field is obscured, and you have to hope there’s no typos.

Is this happening to anyone else? It’s happened in the last week or so, with no obvious changes on my part. Really, I’m totally sick of Blogger right now, and my heart drops whenever I visit a new blog and find it’s hosted there – it’s getting to be such hard work to engage with the blogger, that I find myself moving on to a blog on a decent platform.

Blogger users: Sorry I’d love to comment, but it’s hard to write more than a one liner when you can’t see what you’re writing.

Birthday Cake

Birthday Cake by DeeM

Amazingly enough it’s been one year (yesterday in fact) since I started this blog. Although it never really did go completely as planned – I envisioned contributions from dozens of different bloggers, with a few regulars – I found enough to talk about myself, and for a while built up a little reputation.

Since going back to work, and the associated slowdown on the blog going back a couple of months, things have obviously quietened down, but it’s cool to see how many people do pop up when I get round to posting, and it’s certainly the cream of the commenters ;-)

So as you can see, I’ve implemented a few of the recent theme suggestions, thanks to K for the colours, and the pointers and/or past help from RT, Michael, Claire, Brown Baron and the continued visits from Webduck and Madhur whose blogs I don’t visit anything like enough.

I’d Just Like To Thank….

While we’re on the Oscar speech trip, other cool bloggers that I knew before they were famous ;-) and who were far too generous with links and Stumbles etc. are Maki (I remember the Blogspot days!), David Airey and Andy Beard.

Bloggers who no longer seem to be with us (hopefully only in an internet sense) include Scott from the excellent, but short lived Savvy Affiliate, Matt , and the recently resurrected Brett at Monetize your blog – thought we’d lost you there!

Then there’s BlogAboutYourBlog where I used to, but just don’t have the time anymore :-( Carol who was one of my earliest supporters and contributers, Kai, and some of the new guys like Stephen and Rhys.

I apologise to all those I’ve forgotten, but I’d like to thank you all for coming – I still get a buzz out of comments all these months on – and I hope it will be worth you visiting for another year.

Hey, I’ve paid for the hosting, I may as well use it ;-)

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Sustained service to the realty industry

Posted on September 16, 2011 by

Over the past five decades and across thousands of realty transactions, we have served the realty sector in Mumbai and most major metros in India.

Over this period, our transaction & advisory services have enhanced the returns on realty for hundreds of clients – both individual and corporate.

Leading from the front

Hill Estate has been a pioneer amongst organized sector realty companies in India and has consistently favored working in a regulated environment. We are the founder members of the Estate Agents Association of India and are also affiliated to industry organizations such as:

  • Interalia (USA)
  • The Associates for International Research Inc.(AIRINC), USA – consults only our organization on real estate trends in India.
  • Member of Denver Corporate Housing and Industry
  • Member of Bombay Chamber of Commerce
  • Member of Indian Merchant Chamber

Customer centric practice Our services to various players in the realty industry – whether owner, occupier, investor, developer or corporate is based on a single minded focus – to enhance the returns on the transaction.

The fact of the matter is that a decision on realty is always connected to a capital outlay or inflow. In both situations- our experience, expertise, and negotiating skills help customers to get the best out of the deal.

A well negotiated purchase, sale, or lease is the first step towards enhanced returns from your realty transaction! Wide spectrum of services Over the decades, our range of services has increased in tandem with customer expectations. These include:

  • Transaction services – leasing, representation, retail, valuation, and project marketing.
  • Investor services – including consulting, syndicated investment’s, retail etc.
  • Management services – for leasehold property, real estate management and realty portfolio management.
  • Research for market updates and trend analysis
  • Legal aid to create watertight contracts and protect your interests.

Pan India footprint Our experience and expertise spans all the major metros and tier II cities of India. We have handled many multi city, multi location projects successfully for international banks, MNC’s and the retail sector. Our dedicated network of agents in most Indian commercial hubs allow us to offer the same level of competency and service companies have come to expect from us in Mumbai.

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Bike By The Sea Blog

Posted on August 30, 2011 by

Bike By The Sea Blog

 

http://blog.goshen.edu/creationcare/files/2011/06/bike22.jpg

Ana Maria Friedman has been inside the residential real estate small business for just about 3 decades. For many with the previous fifteen many years she has specialized in condominiums along with the management of tiny furnished rentals. As her enterprise and client base developed she maintained offices within her brother’s very substantial and successful commercial management and development firm. Throughout this period Ana created a following on 3 continents and an unblemished reputation for competence, trust and fairness.

Larry Friedman has committed the past eleven many years to the leasing, management, and improvement of commercial properties. His business enterprise experience prior to true estate was in factory management and common business enterprise. Both Ana and Larry concluded some time ago that their specialist expertise complemented one another.

For that reason, in August of 1991 Analar International Realty, Corp. (Analar) was formed to create the framework within which Ana and Larry could do together what each enjoyed, and which every single did greatest. Analar is the medium that permits the strengths and interests of every single to offset the other’s weaknesses. Thus, though Analar the corporation is eight many years old, the involved individuals happen to be in the business for many many years.Analar just isn’t common of other real estate businesses. Furthermore to providing the far more conventional genuine estate companies of selling and getting, Analar has constructed its reputation by undertaking at the least one thing that other folks tend not to desire to do. To wit, we specialize inside the management of compact properties. These could possibly be single units or tiny (5-100 unit) properties. Even though other companies search upon this kind of management as a necessary evil, we look for them out.

Analar also specializes in management for the foreign and/or absentee owner. While other individuals may perhaps look upon the absence of an owner as a relief and/or an opportunity, Analar sees this as a sacred trust. Our primary raison d’être will be to give the absentee owner, in truth any owner, peace of mind. We do anything affordable, and quite a few details which might be not affordable, to provide an unqualified comfort level to our clientele. Monthly reports are supplied with evidence attached. Nothing is left for the imagination. We anticipate inquiries, and try and present the answers before a client feels the need to have to ask.

Analar’s strength rests upon our understanding and sensitivity for the emotions as well as the thoughts set of an absentee owner. The knowledge and practical experience of each owners, our totally computerized capabilities, plus our inherent integrity, reputation, and background, make Analar a definitely exclusive operation. Each Ana Maria and Larry are very trained, extremely motivated professionals within the context of their marketplace.

The Analar professional is completely educated in every single phase of the brokerage business. From management to sales to leasing to appraisals, and from negotiations to financing, the Analar skilled combines knowledge in the local marketplace with state-of-the-art management and communication strategies. Also to a specialist strategy and management style Analar also serves its international clientele with its potential to communicate within the World’s primary languages. We’re fluent in English and Spanish and communicate not having difficulty to individuals who speak Portuguese. Denver Furnished housing is Ana’s most important knowledge.

In addition, Analar specializes inside the representation of buyers/lessees in their search for houses and investments. In most cases, though we represent the buyer/lessee, our charges are paid by the seller/lessor. Analar’s worth to its clients is inside the reputation, encounter and comfort level provided. Our primary supply of pride is the enhancement of asset value and the capability to have the answer before the query is asked.

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AIDS Signs and symptoms

Posted on August 12, 2011 by

 

AIDS is often a worldwide pandemic, affecting every country on the planet. What was when some thing establishing nations had to face along is now something every certainly one of us has to take responsibility for. AIDS signs and symptoms are a few of the most misunderstood in medicine, and one thing only education can deal with.

AIDS has no cure and if an individual contacts AIDS, then the only result is an eventual death. Although modern-day treatments have prolonged the lives of millions of folks who’ve access to the drugs essential for this therapy, a lot of far more millions usually do not.

AIDS is the truth is late-stage HIV. The term was coined when the virus was very first discovered and was utilized to strike concern into the hearts of several throughout the 1980s and 90s. The moment the virus was far better understood, the stigma from the word was reduced, and now it’s largely made use of only as a health-related term.

There are actually two stage of your HIV virus, main and late-stage. Major stage symptoms can seem a great deal like a cold or glandular fever, and can generally go unnoticed. It could also be entirely asymptomatic. That is among the significant challenges with HIV. It is hard to treat a thing in the event you don’t know you might have it.

Symptoms of primary-stage HIV involve:

  • Fever
  • Sore throat
  • Tiredness or lethargy
  • Joint discomfort
  • Muscle pain
  • Swollen glands
  • Rashes

Several of these symptoms is often effortlessly mistaken for other details, such because the aforementioned cold or glandular fever. It is only when rashes seem that alarm bells really should ring.

AIDS symptoms are basically late-stage HIV. These can take place around ten many years immediately after the primary-stage signs and symptoms have disappeared. The virus buries itself deep within the nerve fibers and gradually functions its way by way of the immune process till it eventually overwhelms it.

Typical AIDS symptoms are:

  • Persistent tiredness or lethargy
  • Night sweats
  • Persistent diarrhea
  • Blurred vision
  • Fat loss
  • White spots around the tongue or mouth
  • Dry cough
  • Shortness of breath
  • A fever that lasts a prolonged time
  • Swollen glands that final for quite a few weeks

Those who’ve the virus can exhibit some, all, or none of those AIDS symptoms. As with primary-stage HIV, it’s entirely doable for AIDS symptoms to become entirely absent from the particular person with the virus.

This tends to make controlling the spread of it very hard indeed. Education will be the most critical aspect of preventing the virus from taking hold. Nevertheless it is actually proving ineffectual in numerous parts of the globe, including the US.

There’s an estimated 1.two million men and women with HIV inside the US alone, with about 50,000 new circumstances being identified each and every year. That just shows that the present education programs aren’t working. Many of these instances will likely be inside the social underclasses and specifically among black and Hispanic men.

Quite a few of these could not understand AIDS symptoms if they saw them, and numerous won’t have access to basic medical care, let alone advanced drug therapies. Until finally we can attain these demographics, the statistics will carry on to grow, and people will continue to die unnecessarily.

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High School Education in America

Posted on August 11, 2011 by

The bane of every teenager’s life is the beginning of the High School years. Peer pressure coupled with added pressure to perform well for college scholarships create the perfect storm of frustration.  Generally starting in the 9th grade high school lasts four years, of course some school districts break it up a little differently, starting high school in the 10th grade instead.

High school can be a traumatic experience for many students. Often this is the first time they will be expected to change classes instead of being in one or two classrooms throughout the day. There are more expectations placed on the student as far as grades, homework are concerned, and of course, the teenage body is also experiencing multiple hormonal changes.

Credits to Graduate

Each school district will have specific criteria for graduating from high school. Most schools require 16 credits minimum in the following courses:

  • 4 in English
  • 4 in Math
  • 4 in Social Studies
  • 4 in Science

Other required courses may include foreign language, artistic classes and many others. In many schools across the country, there are 30 credits required, though some only require 22.5. How many credits your high school student will need depends on your particular school district. School management software is always a great help for someone wanting to get things in order.

During the course of a high school education, it is a good idea to consider college prep classes, gifted and talented classes and any other class that will further education. What is available will vary from one school district to the other

Qualifying for Scholarships

Once all the minimum credits and attendance requirements are met, it is time to search for college scholarships.  What many students do not realize is the fact that preparing for college should actually begin in the first year of high school.

During the freshman year, it is a good idea to talk to a guidance counselor or other high school administrator about future college plans, particularly if your child will be seeking scholarships. Grades, attendance, civic duty and even band can all be potential qualifiers for much needed grant money. When it comes to college, it is never too early to begin planning.

Conclusion

In America, high school is compulsory and most states require students to attend until at least 16 years of age. This rule is changing state by state; some restrict the ability to get a driver’s license based on high school attendance. Students who quit or are failing cannot get their license until they are 18 years of age.

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You know that navigation is one of the most crucial elements of your website

Posted on July 25, 2011 by

You realize that navigation is one of the most important elements of one’s web site

You know that navigation is among the most crucial elements of one’s web-site, but how do you identify what the ideal internet style set-up is for your web-site? This is really a question that a lot of people come to though designing their very first internet site or as soon as they set up the site and understand they don’t truly like what is at present in place.

A Trail of Breadcrumbs

This is among the most simplistic navigation styles due to the fact it can be quick to spot and does not take up a lot of room on the page. The leading of the page simply shows a horizontal list of all of the categories or pages with the internet site. These listed items are separated by arrows that lead from 1 to the other. It ordinarily goes in a sequence, such as from the homepage to a main category page to specific pages inside that category.

This is an quick navigation program for visitors to follow. They are able to quickly click among the listed links to go back to a category page and move forward to other particular pages. The homepage is generally one click away at the same time.

This is a very typical navigation set-up that most visitors will probably be able to determine incredibly speedily. That makes it a solid selection for many web sites that may work using the vertical linking bar across the best somewhere.

Stable Menu Bar

This may be the most familiar approach of navigation for most website browsers. They are utilized to seeing the main menu going down 1 side exactly where they can conveniently click into a category and then click into the subpages for every category from there. This bar stays on the side of every single page, so it can be extremely quick to go from 1 page or one category to a further with out backtracking towards the homepage over and over once again.

It is actually also really easy to set up this sort of navigation system. You simply generate a bar with links to all of your categories and all pages come out of those categories. Your viewers can then click from 1 towards the other without having spending time trying to figure out how your web-site works. They get a clear glimpse of all the content on your internet site correct from the homepage and can go appropriate to the content they choose to discover.

Drop Down Menu bar

Yet another variation on the side menu bar is really a menu that goes across the leading. The principal categories are displayed and visitors can hold their cursor or click on them to see a drop down menu of all of the subpages inside each category. This is just as quick to determine as the side menu, though it might take a second longer for some to figure out that the menu is across the best instead of down the side.

This menu bar must remain across the top of just about every page so visitors can very easily jump from page to page with out detouring back to your homepage over and over. This gives them control of their check out so they get the facts they require in as small time as feasible.

The navigation method that works ideal for your website will depend on the style of one’s website. Select the method which will look the most effective and will easiest to find and use with other design capabilities of your web-site.

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Tuscany Reserve

Posted on June 2, 2011 by

Tuscany Reserve is a planned, 460-acre luxury housing community in Naples, Florida.A world-class golf course, designed by champion golfer Greg Norman and world-renowned golf course designer Pete Dye, is already completed, while other aspects of the development are still being built.

When completed, Tuscany Reserve could have up to 799 housing units, though developers have said they will let the market decide the final number. Once finished, Tuscany Reserve will have villas, single-family homes to go along with its world class golf course. Also to be completed is the world-class clubhouse, which will rival any facility in the Naples area. A state-of-the-art fitness center, spa, pool and sauna/steam room are planned.

Located near Interstate 75, Tuscany Reserve will allow residents easy access to anywhere in southwestern Florida. To the south is the heart of downtown Naples, which features all types of dining, entertainment and shopping options. Residents can spend the night listening to the Naples Philharmonic, take in a show at the Sugden Theatre, visit historic Olde Naples and the Naples Pier, or take the Naples Trolley Tour to see many of the sights that have made the city a worldwide travel, tourism and living destination.

To the west is the Gulf of Mexico and its top-ranked beaches, boating and fishing. Tuscany Reserve residents will also be able to play golf at the more than 100 courses throughout the Naples area.

Homes are expected to sell quickly once finished in Tuscany Reserve because of the many amenities and its location. Tuscany Reserve is expected to be one of the top residences in Naples when completed.

Posted in Real Estate, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Red Light Therapy and Overcoming False Advertising

Posted on December 31, 2010 by

I’m sure you’re as jaded as I am with advertising. TV, magazines and the internet are awash with advertisements promising miracle cures, herbal remedies and other such nonsense. But what if I told you that one such claim was backed up by demonstrable evidence and will provide, real, tangible, measurable results? Red light therapy has been around for a little while now, but we’ve only recently realized the potential of the treatment.

The problem with any new alternative therapy is that it’s seized upon by the unscrupulous and marketed so heavily that people end up ignoring it. We are bored of receiving spam mail about manhood enlargements, Viagra, herbal cures, miracle drugs, super-foods, energy drinks and the other trash that fills our inboxes.

Most of it isn’t even remotely true, designed to catch the unwary and rob them of their money. Once someone responds to one spam mail, their address is sold to other spammers, so the problem replicates like a virus.

Red light therapy is a relatively new kind of treatment for skin disorders such as acne, spots, blemishes, and other skin related issues. It’s a viable method of treating things that medicine cannot, but is still regarded as a fringe treatment, alternative at best.

The problem with trying to highlight this kind of treatment is that we have all heard it all before. We have been preached at, lied to and deceived by the unscrupulous to make us buy their fake products. When something genuine comes along they have an even harder time getting the attention it deserves.

The secret to trying to overcome false advertising is not to overcome false advertising. Spam mail and the other advertising mediums take up too much space as it is.

There’s no point trying to fight it with a counter-campaign. Instead, we employ qualified journalists, practitioners and interview those who have had treatment. We use real life experiences to highlight the benefits of red light therapy and put it out there for the world to see.

We don’t seek to change people’s minds, or convince them of anything. We make the data available, provide verifiable sources and let you make your own mind up. The problem with modern advertising is that it seeks to change your mind. It wants to influence buying decisions, make you think in certain ways, and influence your reality.

To effectively compete with that, red light therapy has to not compete. It has to do its own thing. It has to promote itself using straightforward methods, collect a following, publish its failures as well as successes, and develop a user base over time.

The average American is intelligent enough to know when they are being preached to, so it should be avoided. Provide enough information is a clear and unambiguous way and allow the public to make its own mind up. It takes more time, but the results will last much longer than any generated by false advertising. That’s what red light therapy is doing, and others are following suit.

Posted in Health | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

pcpro.edu – Finding a job with an online degree

Posted on October 12, 2010 by

When students or continuing adults finish online educations, they either tend to look for a new form of employment or they stay where they are. Depending on if they went to an accredited institution or a state approved institution, their education received may not be suitable for some job markets. Employers have been, and are still doubtful as to whether or not online degrees are a strong from of education as opposed to a physical classroom education. Many traditional and already established schools are allowing students to learn online in addition to classroom-based courses or in place of them.

In order to convince a hesitant employer, or to answer questions that may be asked about your degree, be prepared. When you’re updating your resume, list your school(s) with their accreditation status in parenthesis right behind it. Some concerns stop there, but when interviewing for a job, let employers know you got something out of the program. Discuss with them different projects related to the position you are interviewing for. Having this conversation with employers will help validate your hands-on experience and qualifications through the programs you were provided. Any internships or group-based projects are great topics to touch base on, because it shows that you are a person capable of learning in team environments. Not everyone is going to learn what they need over a computer screen, but between your experience and skills learned from group projects you can convince them you can do either.

Mention previous work experiences that relate to your position. Employers, on a regular basis, like to see results and answers to problems. Relaying any information that you have relative to the position, assures them that your previous work experience and your new education makes you a qualified candidate. Hold yourself with integrity, and explain your “achievements”, “certifications”. Explain what you are able to create and that you are proud of it. Potential employers then forget that you “only have an online education”.

Not everyone is comfortable in an interview process. It may not be easy to prove that you’re proud if someone is questioning you. One thing that helps with online education is to connect with a college or university that has a good reputation and is affiliated with your school. Your school will then have another institution behind it’s back and gives your degree more credibility.

Employers may question your online degree, but others may see it as just the opposite. Large companies that do not have the resources to train hundreds of employees use online learning as a form of training. Do not devalue your education because people say it’s what is expected. You went to a school to get an education and that’s what your focus should be. If an employer doesn’t discuss your online degree with you during an interview, it may not be necessary to bring it up either. You, as a person serve a company, not the degree. The education absolutely helps you perform your tasks easier and with extra skill but should not be factored into how diligently you can perform those tasks. That’s up to you.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments