However, with the increased use of Twitter, has this lead to a lapse in Internet Security practices?

My main concern is the use of shortlinks, or URL Shortening Services. These have sprung up over the last year or so, and now there is a large number of these services out there – and often you can run one from your own website with very little technical knowhow. Even WordPress has one now, so that this page address which is

http://benclapton.id.au/2010/01/19/has-twitter-decreased-our-internet-safety/

becomes:

http://wp.me/pve12-55

Much shorter, and easier to put into a twitter message of 140 characters.

However, has this service made us lapse about our own personal internet security practices?

Prevention is the best form of Protection

Most people these days are aware of the need to protect themselves from nasty stuff on the internet by using Virus Scanners and Firewalls. While the best virus scanners will hopefully pick up a virus before it enters your computer, and hopefully most scanners will pick up the virus once it’s in your computer, and a firewall should prevent it accessing the internet to spread further, the best way to prevent viruses and trojans doing any damage to your computer is to build safe browsing techniques.

The first, and most important, skill is to know where viruses are likely to come from. E-mails with attachments that you’re not expecting, e-mails from people you don’t know – these should always be treated with suspicion. But websites are also potential virus traps. You should only visit websites that you trust, and Porn sites cannot be trusted. Also never click on pop-up ads, as these are often links to viruses.

One of the techniques I often use is to look at the address of the link that I’m heading to. Hovering your mouse over this link, you will see somewhere on your browser what address it is linked to. In this case, it’s a link to my site, which I hope you can trust. However, if I was to see that it was a link to http://somepornsite.com when I was expecting a link to a news article, then I’d be avoiding clicking on that link and probably avoiding going to the site I was on again.

What does all this have to do with Twitter Shortlinks? Well, as I’ve already said, twitter needs these shortlinks to fit within their 140 character limit.  However, when I view http://ow.ly/4hw9b I have absolutely no idea about the content of the page that it links to, and can’t see what the address is to gauge whether I trust it or not.

With the growth in popularity in Twitter, and the increased use of URL Shorteners, the average internet user will stop checking the address of pages to gauge the trustworthiness of that site.

So What can we do?

I’m always more welcoming to click on links shortened by TinyURL, as they have an option that you can set using the cookies on your own computer to always have TinyURL shortlinks redirect to a preview page which will say what address it will redirect to. Bit.ly has an extension for Firefox and Chrome that will display the page linked to and other selected data. However, While it is the responsibility of the internet user to do what they can protect their own safety, I feel that it should be the responsibility of those that run these URL shorteners to have an opt out of the preview page to ensure the security of their users.

But for now, here’s my 5 tips for users to Practice Safe Browsing.

5 Safe Browsing Practices

1. Ensure that your Virus Scanner and Firewall are always up to date and active.
2. Check to make sure your Virus Scanner has an active scanning function that will protect you from the majority of viruses trying to enter your computer.
3. Have a spyware scanner such as Spybot S&D installed and run it regularly.
4. Get into the habit of checking the address of links and judging their trustworthiness before clicking on them.
5. When Clicking on shortlinks, visit the shortlink host site (EG: http://ow.ly/dhf4k host site is http://ow.ly) to see if there is a preview function that you can use, or use something like the bit.ly preview extension for Firefox or chrome.

What do you think? Has twitter decreased our Internet Safety? What are some safe browsing tips that you use?

We were called down to the lobby around 6.40am, being told an accident had occurred. After we were told the news, we were told to call our parents to let them know we were ok, as names had not been released. At that point, I realised that the only thing I could do was pray. I had a quick prayer in the lobby, then headed up to my room to call my parents and fiancee. I then sent a message to a number of people in Perth, asking them to pray. I then prayed myself.

For about half an hour, I prayed forhealing for the boy still in hospital, I prayed for the boys families, I prayed for everyone on tour. Over the course of the day, I felt God’s arm around me continuously, feeling strongly his presence with each prayer sent his way from Perth.

I would pray often through that day, each time feeling a strong sense of peace through Christ.

It cemented in my mind that prayer works. Whether petitioning for healing, or other concerns, or just entering into communion with God, prayer can have incredile effects – sometimes what we want, sometimes what we need, sometimes an answer in a different form.

I will continue praying about this event, and would ask that you do as well.

I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas, remembering the real reason for the season – Christ was born, who came to die for our sins so that we can have a full relationship with God.

However, I’ve been challenged in my thinking just recently. It was all sparked by the refusing of classification in Australia of Left 4 Dead 2. I was discussing this with my mum, arguing that I felt we needed an R18+ rating for games, especially considering that the average age of gamers in Australia is towards the mid-20’s and growing older all the time. I was saying that the people of are affected badly by violence in video games are in the minority, and generally have some underlying mental illness. My mum then used an argument on me that I had used to help me understand some new commitments in my faith.

I’ve recently become a salvo, and will become a soldier in February. As part of that decision, I have given up drinking Alcohol. Personally, having been drinking for a number of years now, I do believe that if used in moderation, alcohol can be fine, and can actually improve health. So for me, I needed a good reason to help me justify this decision – even if I didn’t find that reason for a little while after I had stopped drinking. The reason I found that responded with me the most was one of solidarity. I went to a lecture by a Lt.-Col from England who was saying that the reason Salvos don’t drink is as a stand – while people are harmed from it, then as a stand against it, we won’t partake in it. Likewise with Cigarettes, Drugs and Gambling – while there are people being harmed by it, we won’t take part in it. He postulated that if society came to such a place where people weren’t harmed by such things, then the salvos might review their decision, but in today’s society, that doesn’t look likely.

So how does that relate to games? Like with alcohol, many people are not harmed by it. Just like many people will drink responsibly, and only have one or two drinks, many gamers game responsibly, knowing the difference between games and real life, and many of them would never harm anyone in the same way that they do in the game. However, just like there are a minority of people who cannot handle alcohol responsibly, there is a minority of people who can’t determine the difference between gaming and reality. So as a Christian, do I take the same stand with my gaming as with my alcohol? The founder, General William Booth didn’t mention anything about gaming, because it wasn’t around back then. Like so many issues in today’s modern world, the bible isn’t specifically clear. When God said “Thou shalt not kill” did that apply to digitally created computer characters as well?

In doing a quick search for articles that might be able to help me, I found a site that did Christian game reviews. Great, I thought, until I started reading them. The only games that got positive reviews were games that were outwardly Christian. Obviously games such as Call of Duty and Left 4 Dead got reviews of 0 stars, but what drew the line for me was when it gave one of the world’s most popular games a 0 rating. What was this game? Tetris. It claimed that the game was designed to diminish the trinity, by having all the pieces having 4 blocks each, and it was designed to be impossible to finish. This makes it unsuitable for Christians? I don’t think so. Are Christian gamers relegated to playing games that are biblical based, and often with production standards far below the more popular games?

I don’t know the answer, and I’d love to hear some comments. For the moment, because I’m gaming for fun, and I know the difference between gaming and reality, in my mind my gaming is fine. I am open to hearing other opinions, and would love for this to stir some good discussion.

Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt. Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives will become widows and your children fatherless. If you lend money to one of my people among you who is needy, do not be like a moneylender; charge him no interest. If you take your neighbor’s cloak as a pledge, return it to him by sunset, because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? When he cries out to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.

Exodus 22:21-27, Faith in Action Study Bible

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In September 2000, world leaders came together at United Nations Headquarters in New York to adopt the United Nations Millennium Declaration, committing their nations to a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty and setting out a series of time-bound targets – with a deadline of 2015 – that have become known as the Millennium Development Goals. There were three goals related to eradication of global poverty:

1. Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the number of people whose income is less than $1 a day.
2. Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people
3. Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger

It is sad still, that in 2008, 80% of the world’s population lived on $10/day, and half the world’s population lived on $2.50/day.

Find out more: Check out the UN’s Millenium Development Goals, and write to your local MP, asking what they are doing to ensure that they meet the 2015 deadline.
Edit: 16 Oct, 7.35pm. Forgot the Video. Now included. Wonderful song, People Need the Lord

Coming down off the mountain with them, he stood on a plain surrounded by disciples, and was soon joined by a huge congregation from all over Judea and Jerusalem, even from the seaside towns of Tyre and Sidon. They had come both to hear him and to be cured of their ailments. Those disturbed by evil spirits were healed. Everyone was trying to touch him—so much energy surging from him, so many people healed! Then he spoke:

   You’re blessed when you’ve lost it all.
   God’s kingdom is there for the finding.
   You’re blessed when you’re ravenously hungry.
   Then you’re ready for the Messianic meal.

   You’re blessed when the tears flow freely.
   Joy comes with the morning.

Luke 6:20-21, The Message

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Jane’s Story

Jane’s* father left when she was three years old.Years later her mother began seeing someone who Jane fought with all the time and at age 14 she was told to leave home. Jane stayed with some relatives for a while until an uncle tried to sexually abuse her, and no one in the family believed her when she told them what had happened. She dropped out of school and began ‘couch surfing’ from one friend’s house to another and met some new friends who introduced her to drugs and alcohol. For the next few years Jane moved between friends’ houses and hostels. Looking back, Jane sees that lots of people tried to help her but either they didn’t know how or she wouldn’t let them. When Jane arrived at YASS she smoked cigarettes, drank alcohol and had taken speed, ecstasy and marijuana. She had been sexually abused twice and was very distrusting of adults. For the first few weeks Jane “sussed out” the staff, looking for ways of affirming that adults were untrustworthy.

After a while she began to notice that the staff genuinely cared about the young people at YASS. They cared about her story and cared for her as an individual. The more of her story that Jane told the more staff were able to help her. With their help Jane stabilised her life and stopped taking drugs and smoking. She began to re-establish some family relationships and discovered that she had a whole other side of her family living in NSW, including a younger sister, who were very interested in meeting her.

Jane couldn’t afford the fare but YASS staff managed to get her a free flight through a corporate sponsor. They found her some temporary accommodation within an hour of where her family lived. Since then Jane has found long term accommodation, is studying full-time at TAFE and working part-time in a café. She volunteers at her local youth centre and wants to become a youth worker.

* Not her real name.

Homeless Young Australians: Issues and Responses, Mission Australia

Donate

UnitingCare Australia is an agency of the National Assembly of the Uniting Church in Australia (UCA). They represent the UCA’s network of UnitingCare community services of which there are over 1,300 service delivery sites nationwide.

The UnitingCare network is one of the largest providers of community services in Australia, providing services to more than 2 million Australians each year, employing 35,000 staff and 24,000 volunteers nationally. It provides services to older Australians, children, young people and families, Indigenous Australians, people with disabilities, the poor and disadvantaged, people from culturally diverse backgrounds and older Australians in urban, rural and remote communities.

You can donate to any of the State Branches: in Western Australia, South Australia, New South Wales and ACT, and Queensland (Donate to one of the service agencies)

  Then he turned to the host. "The next time you put on a dinner, don’t just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You’ll be—and experience—a blessing. They won’t be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned—oh, how it will be returned!—at the resurrection of God’s people."  That triggered a response from one of the guests: "How fortunate the one who gets to eat dinner in God’s kingdom!"

  Jesus followed up. "Yes. For there was once a man who threw a great dinner party and invited many. When it was time for dinner, he sent out his servant to the invited guests, saying, ‘Come on in; the food’s on the table.’

  "Then they all began to beg off, one after another making excuses. The first said, ‘I bought a piece of property and need to look it over. Send my regrets.’

  "Another said, ‘I just bought five teams of oxen, and I really need to check them out. Send my regrets.’

  "And yet another said, ‘I just got married and need to get home to my wife.’

  "The servant went back and told the master what had happened. He was outraged and told the servant, ‘Quickly, get out into the city streets and alleys. Collect all who look like they need a square meal, all the misfits and homeless and wretched you can lay your hands on, and bring them here.’

  "The servant reported back, ‘Master, I did what you commanded— and there’s still room.’

  "The master said, ‘Then go to the country roads. Whoever you find, drag them in. I want my house full! Let me tell you, not one of those originally invited is going to get so much as a bite at my dinner party.’"

Luke 14:12-24, The Message

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From a Salvation Army Media Release, dated 9 July, 2009.

The Challenge to Slash Homelessness by 2020

The Salvation Army welcomes the release of state and territory Counting The Homeless 2006 reports today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. These provide the benchmark data for the efforts required to address homelessness in Australia.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s Counting the Homeless 2006 reports were co-authored by Associate Professor David Mackenzie from the Institute for Social Research at Swinburne University and Associate Professor Chris Chamberlain from RMIT using 2006 Census data, data on users of SAAP services combined with data from a national census of homeless students. Australia is unique amongst Western countries in having good data on the homeless population and on service usage.

Homeless has remained at about 100,000 persons – men, women and children for a decade and in the past period little priority was given to addressing this issue. Some 30,000 units of public housing were lost and real funding for homelessness services steadily decreased. At a time when Government revenues were recording unprecedented surpluses and unemployment reached a fifteen-year low, homeless people were not able to benefit nor was public money invested in the issue.

The Rudd Government has given homelessness a high priority on its social policy agenda. The White Paper released in December, 2008 by Minister Tanya Plibersek was a landmark document with strong policy positions. However, the global financial crisis has caused huge dislocations in the international economic system and unemployment rates are beginning to rise. Reports are coming in of disadvantaged people being especially affected.

The number of rough sleepers in the inner-city areas of capitals throughout Australia has increased, with the exception of Melbourne, along with the number of children 12 years and under and elderly people 65 and older.

Young people (aged 12 to 25 years) are a significant group in the homeless population on census night – 32,444 individuals in total. The good news is that the number of homeless teenagers on their own has decreased by some 21% from 2001 to 2006 and this is attributed to the impact of early intervention. However, over the same period the number of homeless families increased by 17 per cent. There were 2714 homeless children under 12 in Victoria on census night 2006 – compared with 2618 in 2001 – an increase of 7 per cent. During 2006-2007, the AIHW report Homeless people in SAAP for Victoria reported that 20,500 children had accompanied a parent(s) who were clients of SAAP services.

The Salvation Army is committed to working with the Commonwealth and State Governments to develop effective responses to homelessness. We are particularly concerned about the growing numbers of homeless families. The Global Financial Crisis and the crisis in supply of affordable housing impact this group significantly. It is imperative that we develop early intervention strategies to prevent more families becoming homeless and that interim housing options are put in place for those who lose their homes.

The bold targets set in the Rudd Government’s Homelessness White Paper are achievable but can only be realised if community groups, local communities, corporate and government work collaboratively at the local level to prevent people becoming homeless and respond quickly and appropriately to those experiencing housing crisis. These Census figures assist us to confront these challenges.

The Challenge to Slash Homelessness by 2020, The Salvation Army Southern Territory, Australia.

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Southern Territory Comissioner Jim Knaggs recently posted that The Salvation Army was voted by consumers the most trusted brand in Australia. And with good reason – the Salvos are very much into working with those who are overlooked. Their homelessness programs, their domestic violence refuges, their counselling and drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs have enabled them to help a great number of people. That help can’t happen without financial support, so why not consider donating to the Salvos – you can do so from their website.

  "Don’t abuse or take advantage of strangers; you, remember, were once strangers in Egypt.

   "Don’t mistreat widows or orphans. If you do and they cry out to me, you can be sure I’ll take them most seriously; I’ll show my anger and come raging among you with the sword, and your wives will end up widows and your children orphans.

   "If you lend money to my people, to any of the down-and-out among you, don’t come down hard on them and gouge them with interest.

   "If you take your neighbour’s coat as security, give it back before night-fall; it may be your neighbour’s only covering—what else does the person have to sleep in? And if I hear the neighbour crying out from the cold, I’ll step in—I’m compassionate.

Exodus 22:21-27, The Message

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It’s very sad that homelessness affects anyone. It’s even worse that almost half of all those affected by homelessness in Australia are under the age of 25, according to a report by Mission Australia. They claim that on any given night, 50,000 people under the age of 25 are without a home, and 25,000 of these are between the age of 12-18.

Homelessness can come in many different types, and it’s basically where someone doesn’t have safe, secure and adequate housing. So obviously someone living rough on the streets is homeless, but so is someone who is for example living in a caravan park out of financial necessity, not lifestyle choice. One of the most common forms of youth homelessness is what has been described as “couch surfing” where the young person will sleep on friends couches until they wear out their welcome, then move onto the next friend.

A study by Rosenthaal and others in 2006 found that the main reason why young people left home was due to conflict with their parents. Other significant reasons include anxiety or depression (especially amongst young women) or a desire to find independence.

Today, pray for all the youth that don’t have a safe home to go to tonight. Their reasons are many and varied, so pray that whatever the reason is, that they may find peace and resolution.

Donate

Mission Australia is an empowering and compassionate community service organisation. They have been helping to transform the lives of Australians in need for almost 150 years. As well as housing services, they also provide employment and training services, Community and early learning services. You can donate to Mission Australia on their website or buy eGifts from their online store.

So, my very dear friends, don’t get thrown off course. Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. He brought us to life using the true Word, showing us off as the crown of all his creatures.  Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God’s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.

Don’t fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don’t act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.

But whoever catches a glimpse of the revealed counsel of God—the free life!—even out of the corner of his eye, and sticks with it, is no distracted scatterbrain but a man or woman of action. That person will find delight and affirmation in the action.

Anyone who sets himself up as “religious” by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.

James 1:17-27, The Message

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The Brotherhood of St. Lawrence provides a document stating the difference between the Henderson poverty Line, and what people receive from Centrelink payments. The data is pretty shocking. For the March 2007 Quarter, a couple, one of whom is in the workforce with two dependant children,  the Poverty line was drawn at $661.45. Centerlink would pay such a family $541.08, a difference of $120.37. In fact, the only situation where someone on Centrelink payments would not be below the poverty line is if they are a couple over the age of 65 and not in the workforce, or a couple on the disability support pension.

This is not good enough!

The government should be taking more action to ensure that no-one that it is supporting is forced to live below the poverty line. Today, as an action, write to your local member, asking them what is being done about reducing the gap between the poverty line and centrelink payments, and pray for those who are living below that line.

Donate

The Brotherhood of St Laurence was the vision and creation of Fr Gerard Tucker, a man who combined his Christian faith with a fierce determination to end social injustice. The Brotherhood has developed into an independent organisation with strong Anglican and community links. They continue to fight for an Australia free of poverty.

They provide a full range of services including job training and placement programs, care for the elderly and people with disabilities, early childhood development programs and support services for newly arrived refugees and migrants. These services are focussed in Victoria, from Craigieburn in Melbourne’s North down to Frankston on the Mornington Peninsula.

Visit the Brotherhood of St. Lawrence website to donate to their vital work.

He came to Nazareth where he had been reared. As he always did on the Sabbath, he went to the meeting place. When he stood up to read, he was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Unrolling the scroll, he found the place where it was written,

God’s Spirit is on me;
he’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to
the poor,
Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and
recovery of sight to the blind,
To set the burdened and battered free,
to announce, “This is God’s year to act!”
He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the assistant, and sat down. Every eye in the place was on him, intent. Then he started in, “You’ve just heard Scripture make history. It came true just now in this place.”

Luke 4:16-21, The Message

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Today marks the start of Anti-Poverty Week, and I’ll be focussing on this vital issue by highlighting issues related to Poverty all week. It is with a sad heart that in this age of great prosperity, that this needs to be done, and I pray that the governments of the world can work to help all those who find themselves living in Poverty.

Poverty in Australia

Wikipedia, that illustrious source, reports that poverty in Australia is the Highest amongst the World’s developed nations. True or not, it is an issue full of complexities and political arguments. The Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS) defines poverty as “a relative concept used to describe the people in a society that cannot participate in the activities that most people take for granted.” It goes on with an example of while many Australians will juggle bills, people living in poverty juggle much more difficult choices, such as skipping a meal to pay for a child’s textbooks.

The Causes of poverty in Australia are many and diverse. Some live in poverty, yet are working, trying to support a family on the minimum wage. Low levels of education make it difficult to get a job that earns more. In 2004, 97.5 of the 236,000 new jobs created eventually went to people with skills and qualifications such as a university degree, TAFE diploma, or equivalent work experience.  Housing again can send people into poverty. Rent prices in Major cities have increased so much that there is no longer any “affordable” housing in the Perth Metropolitan area. How this affects people close to poverty is that they are either spending a large amount of their income on housing, are forced to find housing farther away from where the work is (and then having to spend more on transport), or are forced into homelessness, which then makes it very difficult to secure a job.

So today, spend some time in prayer for those in Australia who are struggling below the poverty line. Take a trip over to the Anti-Poverty week website and read some of the resources they have there.

Donate

Each day this week, I’m going to focus on an organisation who works with those in poverty. I don’t have time to highlight all of them, but the idea is that I can highlight a few organisations in which (if you feel so inclined) you might wish to donate to help them in their very worthy work.

Today, I’ve chosen to open with Anglicare. Anglicare Australia is the peak body of a national network of Anglican care agencies serving disadvantaged Australians and their communities. In 2007-08 Anglicare agencies served over 512,340 clients in rural, remote, regional and urban communities using the services of 12,000 staff and 21,000 volunteers and spending over $624 million. Their agencies run community and emergency housing for homeless people, but also run youth programs, elderly care, financial counselling, and drug and alcohol rehabilitation.

You can choose to donate to Anglicare Australia, or one of the state agencies: WA, SA, NT, TAS, VIC, NSW, QLD.

    "Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly."

Matthew 11:28-30, The Message

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Today is World Mental Health Day, which aims to highlight the need to seriously address how Mental Health is dealt with in society, how it is treated in our health care, and that promoting good mental health habits should be a priority.

Mental health disorders continue to be a serious and expensive global health issue, affecting people of all ages and from all cultures and socio-economic status. Major depression ranks fourth in terms of disability adjusted life years and will soon be the second leading cause of disability worldwide. Out of the estimated 450 million people globally who have a mental health disorder, fewer than half receive the help they need. Many low-income countries have one or two psychiatrists for the entire population. Many developed countries have “carved out” mental health services from primary care health systems – giving mental health and illness less attention, less money, reduced options and services and little or no connection to the individual’s total healthcare needs.

Mental Health in Primary Care: Enhancing treatment and Promoting Mental Health, World Federation for Mental Health

I struggled for a little while with depression in my last couple of years of High School, but it went undiagnosed, and I only realised that that was what it was a few years down the track after I had gotten out of that situation. I was lucky, in that mine was geographical, based on where I was at the time. Other people struggle with depression, and moving out of where they are either doesn’t help or makes it worse.

My advice is to speak to someone about it. Find a friend to confide in. If you don’t know of anyone that you can talk to, there are places such as Beyond Blue, Lifeline, and for Kids and Teens, Kids Help Line. If you’re in a situation where you are able to, I would highly recommend that you donate to one of these worthwhile causes. The work that they do is of high need, but receives little funding.

And always remember that the great Comforter is always listening, willing to lend an ear to whatever you have to say. “Are you tired? Worn out? … Come to me”