Forwarded emails warn of a new security vulnerability in Windows 2000, XP, and Server 2003 systems consisting of a pop-up window directing users to press the F1 key, which sends them to a website that downloads malicious software.

The warnings are accurate, confirms Microsoft, though as yet there have been no reports of actual attacks attempting to exploit this vulnerability.

Read more...

F1 Key Virus originally appeared on About.com Urban Legends on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 18:06:16.

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A group of anthropologists working with hill tribes in a remote area of India have made a startling discovery: Intricate prehistoric cave paintings depicting aliens and UFO type craft.

Illustration: Robert Simon/The Telegram

PARANORMAL NEWS: Psychic Detective, Sea Monster, Flying Humanoid originally appeared on About.com Paranormal Phenomena on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 22:56:55.

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A never-before-seen reaction in nanotubes could make for batteries that pack a mighty punch, say researchers.

A story appeared in the media today (3/8/2010) regarding the Turkey quake and it all being a coincidence that this quake occurred days after the massive Chile and other shakers in between. It is a known fact that if an earthquake over magnitude 7.0 on the Richter Scale occurs in one part of the world another quake of similar size will take place somewhere in the world within days. This is because the displacement of mass at the original quake's epicenter putting pressure on other points of stress thousands of miles away.

What was flying over Arizona and Phoenix the evening of March 13, 1997? Was it a formation of several aircraft with odd bright lights? If so, there seem to be several unusual aspects to the flight. Was it one huge triangle, boomerang or V-shaped craft? If so, was it a U.S. advanced aircraft or spacecraft of some kind? Was it an extraterrestrial craft? Was it some combination of both?

The omission of Farrah Fawcett from the In Memoriam segment of the Oscars was terrible. But Farrah was in good company.

A team equipped to detect ghosts will be in Marmarth this weekend, hoping to find evidence that apparitions of local lore really do exist.

My husband and I own the Mason House Inn BnB in Bentonsport, Iowa. When we bought the place in 2001, we were told that one little old lady ghost inhabited one of the bedrooms on the third floor. And if we left her alone, she would leave us alone.

When it comes to having a good time, Fairfields Tashia Guinn prefers prowling the dank, darkened passageways of a decommissioned aircraft carrier to Disneyland any day.

Thanks to Rowan for tipping me off to this one. A group of seven Muslim men who stopped to pray in a Henderson, Nevada, parking lot back in December have filed a complaint against the local police. According to reports, a resident called the police to say "seven Middle Eastern males were acting suspiciously by a gray minivan with California license plates." The caller also reported several of the men "were kissing the ground." Shortly afterwards, law enforcement officials showed up to question the men.



If you watch the cell phone video -- which is a bit grainy and blurry -- you can hear the officer saying that police were called because "someone saw you doing your prayers, and they were kind of weirded out by that." The officer makes reference to "indicents in the past," and says, "based on events that have happened around the world... can you fault people who don't understand things for being concerned?" You can also hear one of the Muslim men questioning whether or not just being Muslim is just cause for a police stop. The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, has filed a formal complaint with the Henderson Police Department for what they believe to be an unlawful stop.



So, here's the big question -- IS it okay for police to question someone just because people think their behavior is a bit weird? What happens if I'm hosting circle in my back yard, and my neighbors peek over the fence to see a half dozen folks in robes, holding athames, and chanting around an altar? Can my local deputy pay a call just because it's odd behavior by suburban standards? Or is it only a problem if I'm a Muslim, rather than a Pagan? Definitely something worth thinking about.



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Complaint Filed in NV Prayer Stop originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 11:21:14.

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We have all heard about the mysterious Texas sightings of an unusual creature, often called a chupacabra. Now, it has been found roaming the countryside in Oklahoma.

Trance channeled session with Marilyn Monroe is now available at Amazon

I've always been fascinated by the notion of dowsing, which is a method of locating water sources beneath the ground using sticks and rods for divination. Some might scoff at this, but it's a technique that's been used with some degree of success for hundreds - even thousands - of years in some parts of the world. The Canadian Society of Questers, which is a dowsing group based in Calgary, has planned their spring conference at Olds College from May 14 -17, 2010. If any of you folks up in Calgary get a chance to attend, be sure to stop back in and let us know what you learned!



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Dowsing Workshop Planned in Canada originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 10:08:48.

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Since the January earthquake that struck Haiti, leveling buildings and killing thousands, there has been an emerging battle between Christian groups and the country's many practitioners of Vodoun, or Voodoo. Last month, Vodoun high priest Max Beauvoir accused missionary groups of discriminating against those who practiced his religion, saying, "The evangelicals are in control and they take everything for themselves." He claimed that opponents of Vodoun have deliberately prevented medical assistance and food relief from reaching some of the more remote areas of the country.



In the past few weeks, things have gone from bad to worse, as Christian evangelical groups place the blame for the quake on the sinfulness of Haiti's Vodoun followers. Willer Jassaint, a houngan, or high priest, told reporters, "They say we're the ones who caused the earthquake. But we know ourselves that we didn't cause the quake, because it was a natural catastrophe."



On February 23, things got completely out of control when a group of Protestant evangelicals threw rocks at people holding a Vodoun ceremony. Max Beauvoir has encouraged his people to respond to such acts with aggression, although at this point it doesn't look as though there have been additional violent conflicts. Still, folks in Haiti have it bad enough right now, what with there being no real infrastructure to speak of, a lack of resources, and a crumbling socioeconomic strata. Add to this some violent dissention between religious groups, and you've got the makings of a civil war in an already damaged country.



Meanwhile, the houngans continue to plan ceremonies, so they can lay the dead to rest. They say they "owe the spirits of the dead that release... and they owe themselves that show of defiance."



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Christianity vs Vodoun in Haiti's Streets originally appeared on About.com Paganism / Wiccan on Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 10:21:18.

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