Beware & Protect Yourself 02 (Jan 09 - Aug 10)

[winston]

It's Fun to Know: Your Best Chance to Get a Lost Wallet Returned

From the annals of unnecessary scientific research and "that's quite a reach" conclusions...

University of Edinburgh psychologists have determined that you stand the best chance of getting back a lost wallet if there's a picture of a baby in it. They "planted" 240 wallets on highly trafficked city streets, and were pleasantly surprised to find that almost half of them were returned. Even more surprising, the rate of return appeared to be connected to the photos the researchers had inserted in the wallets.

Eighty-eight percent of those with a photo of a baby were returned. Fifty-three percent of those with a photo of a puppy were returned. Forty-eight percent of those with a photo of a happy family were returned. Twenty-eight percent of those with a photo of an elderly couple were returned. And only 15 percent of the wallets with no photos at all were returned.

The researchers believe the overwhelming response to the photos of the baby reflects a compassionate instinct toward helpless infants that evolved in humans to ensure the survival of future generations. (Right!)

(Source: Times Online)

[winston]

It's Fun to Know: Pepper Spray ATMs

A few weeks ago, we told you about Eastern European criminals installing "skimmers" to steal personal information from ATMs. Now, it looks like those thieves won't be trying their scam in South Africa... at least, not for long.

Cameras trained on cash machines detect when somebody tampers with the card slot. And then the troublemaker gets a face full of pepper spray from nozzles on the ATM. The idea is for police to rush to the scene and arrest the incapacitated thief. So far, however, only maintenance personnel on their rounds have been hit.

A promising approach. But some kinks still need to be worked out.

(Source: The Guardian)

[winston]

Man dies from plague in China, 11 others infected

BEIJING — Thousands of people have been placed under quarantine in a town in northwest China after a man died of pneumonic plague and 11 others were confirmed infected with the deadly lung infection, health authorities said.

The 32-year-old herdsman died in Ziketan in Qinghai province, the provincial health bureau said in a statement posted on its Web site Saturday. It did not say when he died.

Most of the others infected are relatives of the deceased and are in stable condition in a hospital, the bureau said.

The town of 10,000 people has been placed under quarantine and a team of experts has been sent to the area, it said.

Pneumonic plague is spread through the air and can be passed from person to person through coughing, according to the World Health Organization. It is caused by the same bacteria that occurs in bubonic plague — the Black Death that killed an estimated 25 million people in Europe during the Middle Ages.

While bubonic plague — which is usually transmitted by flea bite — can be treated with antibiotics if diagnosed early, pneumonic plague is one of the deadliest infectious diseases. According to the WHO, humans can die within 24 hours of infection.

The Qinghai health bureau statement warned that anyone who has visited Ziketan and surrounding areas since July 16 and has developed a fever or a cough should seek treatment at a hospital.

[sidney]

Anybody study in NTU, or children going to?

http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/singa ... p?id=84035

[kennynah]

what a loser that guy in the picture....

a very deprived boy's fantasy....

and so....this is what NTU has degenerated into? sad...sad...

[winston]

Mag pulls ad as cops probe air ticket `racket' by Nickkita Lau, The Standard HK

A magazine has suspended advertising from a firm offering discount air tickets after a customer complaint sparked a police investigation.

Andrew Cunningham filed the complaint at the end of last month after promised air tickets failed to materialize.

Cunningham told The Standard he saw an ad for cheaperflights.co.cc in the August 1 issue of bc Magazine.

He contacted the travel agent via e-mail and got a quote of 1,020 (HK$12,900) for two American Airlines round-trip tickets from Hong Kong to New York to Florida and back to Hong Kong in October. Payment was to be made to a bank account in Spain.

"I thought it was a little bit fishy, so I contacted the magazine and American Airlines," Cunningham said.

He said the magazine assured him it had not received any complaints and the airline confirmed reservations had been made for him and his wife, so Cunningham deposited the money in the Spanish account in mid-August.

"I even recommended the site to a friend who was going to buy air tickets to the Philippines," Cunningham said.

But his friend did an internet search and found comments made by others claiming they had paid the agent but never received tickets.

Cunningham e-mailed the agent again and was told the tickets were on their way.

The airlines informed him the reservations were made but no payment had been received.

He also contacted the magazine several times only to be told there had been no complaints about the advertiser.

"I'm very disappointed with the magazine which should be somewhat responsible for my loss," Cunningham said.

A police spokesman confirmed it had received Cunningham's report on August 29 and that the case had been classified as a "deception."

Publisher of bc Magazine Simon Durrant said the advertiser had been contacted and the advertisement suspended until the dispute was resolved.

"It is purely a trade dispute between Mr Cunningham and the party concerned. You cannot blame the magazine for running an ad for a restaurant if you don't enjoy the meal," Durrant said.

A Consumer Council spokeswoman said local travel agents with real street addresses are more reliable because law enforcement and investigation could be conducted more efficiently should any complaint or scam arise.

Travelers should also check if an online travel agent is licensed before making purchases.

[iam802]

Police seize pirated software in Comex raid.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/ ... 76/1/.html

--
Note:
- pirated software were part of import from China-made 'Losang' brand
- Microsoft spokesperson asked consumers to check Certificate of Authenticity (COA), manuals and CDs are authentic.

TOL:
How do we really check the above?

Just about everything can be pirated, right?

What is so difficult about printing COA, manuals, CD?

Nonetheless, do be careful with your purchase at tradeshows (or even from normal retail stores) .

[winston]

Nanoparticles could pose threat to humans: scientists AFP

VIENNA (AFP) - – They can make fabric resistant to stains, improve the taste of food and help drug research, but nanoparticles could also pose a danger to human health, experts warned Wednesday.

Susanne Stark, of the Consumer Information Association, told a seminar in the Austrian city of Salzburg that companies should be forced to indicate on labels whether a product contains the tiny particles.

"There are more questions than answers on the effects of nanoparticles" on human health, the chemist said.

Cosmetic and food products should indicate whether their products contain nanoparticles by 2012, she said.

Nanoparticles, measuring no more than 100 nanometres (0.00001 centimetre), have helped to revolutionise how everyday products are made.

The particles are used to make stain-resistant paint or creamy cosmetic and food products. They can also change colour to indicate whether a product has expired.

But their risk to humans remains largely unknown.

Nanoparticles can enter the body through the mouth and nose, the digestive system or the skin, and spread inside the body through blood vessels, said Hans Peter Hutter, a doctor specialised in environmental hygiene in Vienna.

"These tiny particles could without a doubt go all the way to the placenta," he said. But he warned that little was known about their behaviour inside human tissue.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20090917/t ... b2fc3.html

[kennynah]

Police seize pirated software in Comex raid.

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/ ... 76/1/.html

--
Note:
- pirated software were part of import from China-made 'Losang' brand
- Microsoft spokesperson asked consumers to check Certificate of Authenticity (COA), manuals and CDs are authentic.

TOL:
How do we really check the above?

Just about everything can be pirated, right?

What is so difficult about printing COA, manuals, CD?

Nonetheless, do be careful with your purchase at tradeshows (or even from normal retail stores) .

pay them once is enough....

[winston]

Received this email from a Malaysian friend ...

Notice on car

Just last weekend on Friday night we parked in a public parking area. As we drove away I noticed a sticker on the rear window of the car. When I took it off after I got home,

it was a receipt for petrol. Luckily my friend told me not to stop as it could be someone waiting for me to get out of the car. Then we received this email yesterday:

'WARNING FROM POLICE

BEWARE OF PAPER ON THE BACK WINDOW OF YOUR VEHICLE--NEW WAY TO DO CAR JACKINGS (NOT A JOKE)'

.. You walk across the car parking , unlock your car and get inside. You start the engine and shift into Reverse.

When you look into the rearview mirror to back out of your parking space, you notice a piece of paper stuck to the middle of the rear window. So, you shift into neutral, unlock your doors, and jump out of your car to remove that paper (or whatever it is) that is obstructing your view. When you reach the back of your car, that is when the carjackers appear out of nowhere, jump into your car and take off. They practically mow you down as they speed off in your car.

And guess what, ladies? I bet your purse is still in the car.

So now the carjacker has your car, your home address, your money, and your keys. Your home and your whole identity are now compromised!

BEWARE OF THIS NEW SCHEME THAT IS NOW BEING USED.

If you see a piece of paper stuck to your back window, just drive away. Remove the paper later. And be thankful that you read this e-mail. I hope you will forward this to friends and family, especially to women. A purse contains all kinds of personal information and identification documents, and you certainly do NOT want this to fall into the wrong hands.