January 14, 2004 News e the other press © Tanya Perone OP Contributor Still smoking despite your New Year's resolu- tion? Kudos to those of you who will quit this year. If you want to quit, think about becom- ing an active participant during National Non- Smoking Week (NNSW). It was first established in 1977, by the Canadian Council for Tobacco Control (previ- ously knawn.as the Canadian Council on Smoking and Health), as an attempt to inform and educate the risks to smokers and non- smokers alike. The concept of a week free from smoking seemed a stretch, but to date, NNSW is known as the longest running public educa- tional event regarding tobacco use. The week's attempt is to not only achieve public aware- ness, but ideally to get the smoker to quit, to pressure the tobacco industry into less advertis- ing, and to encourage all individuals to pro- mote their right to breathe unpolluted air. Each year, with the exception of 2003, a new slogan is created to act as a central theme for the week. Such slogans were: “Kick the habit” (77), “Woman and smoking, take control” (89), “Tobacco sales to minors” (92), and “Smoke-free workplaces” (“Smoke-free works for all of us”) (98). This National effort involves the support and hard work of various organizations that come together, such as the Canadian Cancer Society, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, the Canadian Lung Association, and the Ministry of Health. National Non-Smoking Week entails announcements, events, and activities for every person of any age. The Blue Ribbon Campaign—an anti-smoking ribbon—repre- sents a “symbol” tied on an individual to show the support of tobacco free air. You can obtain your own ribbon from the Ministry of Health, along with buttons, stickers, and tattoos, which act as a fun way for children to support the cause too. Health Canada also hosts a video contest called “Behind the Smokescreen” for high school students to submit a commercial/video advertisement warning individuals of the dan- gers of secondhand smoke. Nine unique entries will be reproduced for distribution to schools for educational purposes. You can find out about other events and announcements at or by emailing info-services@cctc.ca. To help the smoker who wishes to quit, the BC Lung Association has a free booklet ayail- able. Call 1.800.665.LUNG to receive your book on tobacco information and tips on quit- ting, or check out . ho struggles with the _ Hing wed dink that a werk an impossible goal to meet, why not try supporting Weedless Wednesday on January 21. It’s only one day and a great way to set one small attainable goal that will help you reach the big one, when — youre ready, Ver The (Email) Envelope, Please Ted Morrision OP Contributor If youre seeking a New Year's resolution, here are a few that are easy to keep. Say them with me: ¢ I will not open attachments to emails from unknown sources. ¢ I will not forward hysterical “virus” warn ings. ¢ I will not spam, nor will I tolerate receiv- ing it. Sophos, a world leader in the anti-spam and anti-virus fields, released its top ten lists this week. One list is devoted to the viruses most frequently reported in attacks, the other to the most popular virus warn- ing hoaxes inflicted by well-meaning fools on their friends. The Most Frequently Reported Virus award has gone this year to the reliable old Sober-C worm. The worm is spread through peer-to-peer file sharing, used in music downloading and similar applica- tions, which may account for its populari- ty. Sober-C arrives as an email with a ran- dom subject line and message content in either English or German. Like most virus- es, the email arrives with an attachment, which must be opened to install the worm on your computer. Once the attachment is opened, the virus corrupts files that are used to boot the computer. Compared with many other virus types, worms are almost benevolent. They exist primarily to make copies of themselves. However, other viruses will over-write hard drives, destroy critical operating files, and distribute personal information to your friends, relatives, and strangers. The top five December viruses as report- ed to Sophos: 1. W32/Sober-C 23.3% 2. W32/Mimail-K 21.3% 3. W32/Dumaru-A 13.8% 4. W32/Mimail-] 2.7% 5. W32/Mimail-C 2.2% Sophos has a useful downloadable guide, available through the “Viruses Explained” link at . The guide contains plain English explanations of what viruses are and what they can (and can't) do. Sophos has also compiled a second list— virus-warning hoaxes. Such hoaxes are arguably more destructive than actual viruses, since all it takes is one idiot to for- ward the hysteria, clogging inboxes, and wasting people’s time. Among the most popular hoary chestnuts being bounced about the internet are: 1. Hotmail hoax 2. Meninas da Playboy 21.7% 15.2% 3. A virtual card for you 5.9% 4. Bonsai kitten 5.3% 5. Press 9 5.2% 6. Budweiser frogs screensaver 4.9% The messages being sent generally warn that emails with the subject lines listed above are malicious viruses. None of these warnings is true. The presence of the “Budweiser-Frogs-screen-saver-is-a-virus” on the list will bring back fond memories of 1995 or so for some people. The fact that it is still being passed on is a tribute to either the genius of hoaxers or the stupidi- ty of recipients (Which do you think it is?). Please do not forward it. If it is a real threat, and your friends are keeping their anti-virus software up-to-date, then they have got it covered. If not, you are not helping them anyway. If you receive persistent warnings from the same source, offer them the website list above. If the perpetrator still will not listen, block them from your contact list. Among the simpler ways to block spam: Set up your email program to block messages whose subject lines contain the words “mortgage,” “enlarge,” and “$$$,” and of course “WARNING.” If you resolve to follow the guidelines above, you will have good luck for THE WHOLE YEAR. But you MUST forward this article to three hundred freinds by mid-night to-nite or you will explode. http://www.otherpress.ca Page 5 sters.clac.org> TI McAfee and Norton an ftware companies _ eat assessment ;