Yesterday's monthly security updates for Microsoft users has caused problems with personal firewall software, at least for some PC set-ups. There has been widespread activity in tech forums relating to the free version of the popular ZoneAlarm program. But my own investigation suggests that there may be problems even with Windows Firewall itself - the firewall program that comes with Windows.

A firewall prevents unauthorised intrusions in a PC connected to the Internet. Corporations usually use hardware - essentially a computer that sits at the "gateway" to the Internet. Most home users use personal firewall software - programs that do the same thing.

ZoneAlarm say they are aware of the problem and investigating: http://forum.zonelabs.org/zonelabs/board/message?board.id=cfg&thread.id=52785

However, they are also recommending uninstalling the update in the meantime. This may be unwise for two reasons:

• KB951748 addresses an important security hole that may allow "DNS spoofing",
• Uninstalling KB951748 may prevent Windows Update working in the future - including any future fix from Microsoft to address the issues currently happening with personal firewalls.

A lengthy phone call with my Internet provider's technical support to check my connection showed it was ZoneAlarm. My own testing suggests the problem may also affect Windows Firewall itself. After restarting the PC later and not starting ZoneAlarm, I found I could not connect to the Internet again. I tried the following steps, which suggest Windows Firewall has been compromised:

1. Before restarting my PC (Windows XP Media Center 2005 Edition, SP3) I ran msconfig to select a selective start-up with "Load Startup Items" unchecked. I also ran a program called CCleaner to remove all temporary files from applications.
2. I hard reset my PC - Start | Turn Off Computer, and then powered off at the mains for a minute before re-starting.
3. I restarted the PC and checked that Windows Firewall was on from Start | Control Panel | Security Center. Although the Firewall was shown as on I could not browse with either Internet Explorer or Firefox. I then clicked the "Manage security settings for: Windows Firewall" link, which said it was off. I turned it on and still could not browse. This is significant because until this point ZoneAlarm was not starting up (as far as I can determine).
4. In order to browse, I had to start ZoneAlarm, and then shut it down - making sure that Windows Firewall was indeed working. I could then connect.

Finally, I checked that the Firewall was on at https://www.grc.com/x/ne.dll?bh0bkyd2

This confirmed that the tested ports were showing a "stealth" setting. (Something that switching ZoneAlarm's setting to "Medium" will not do, though appears to be one solution to getting online.)

Technical information on the KB951748 update is available here: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms08-037.mspx

Hello, everybody.

Boredom and fedupishness return to my world in the absence of blogging. (Hey, I can give it up any time I want). So to mark my (possible) return to blogging, here is a poem. Ahem...

.
Beauty.
.
Words struck true may hurt,
But Beauty wounds with a glance.
.
Kindness may heal words' hurt;
But Beauty's wound heals
But for Beauty's kiss.
.
(C) Ian Henderson, 2008. All rights reserved.

The clouds come.
They cover the sky.
It is not the sun they eclipse,
But my heart.

(For all who suffer.)

I hope you all have a great day tomorrow, whatever you're doing.

C.

Happy Christmas/Buddhamas/Humbug!!!

(May all ego be abandoned, and what thereafter, be; may all words and all discrimination, cease.)

Tonight, the BBC website is reporting "crowds of people have marched in Sudan's capital Khartoum to call for a tougher sentence for a British teacher imprisoned for insulting religion". It is reporting that some of the protestors are calling for her execution. Web: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7121025.stm

As a quick recap, this is the case of Mrs Gillian Gibbons, who was sentenced yesterday to 15 days in prison for allowing the children she taught to name a teddy-bear Muhammad.

In fairness, I should also report that other Sudanese are saying they believe this has been blown out of all proportion. These moderate people have expressed "deep concern" at the "gravely disproportionate" verdict. Mrs Gibbons is currently appealing the conviction.

For what difference one individual can possibly make, I have e-mailed the Sudanese parliament asking for their explanation on why this has caused offence. In that e-mail I also asked for mercy for Mrs Gibbons.

Be well.

Copyright notice: http://cishanjia.blog.co.uk/2007/11/24/copyright_notice~3346208

A few weeks ago, I posted about a missing book. I lent the book to a friend, who then denied knowing about it and never returned it. In my post, I said I had been unable to find any "lost and found" or "lost property" sites online; at least, none that didn't apply to specific places.

I am now able to announce the beta test launch of a dedicated forum for this purpose. The service has a web front end and a community forum for actual posts:

Web site: www.clik.to/lostorstolen
Forum: http://www.getphpbb.com/phpbb/lostorstolen.html

The service is free of charge, but you will need to register to join the forum before you can post or reply. You will have to have cookies enabled to use the forum, and may want to delete them on exiting.

The service is intended to act as a general lost and found service for:

• Missing children,
• Lost or stolen pets,
• Lost or stolen items or property,
• Lost friendships.

Be well.

(May all ego be abandoned, and what thereafter, be; may all words and all discrimination, cease.)

There is neither beginning,
Nor is there non-beginning.
There is neither ending,
Nor is there non-ending.

There is neither dukkha¹,
Nor is there non-dukkha.
There is neither cause of dukkha,
Nor is there non-cause of dukkha.
There is neither cessation of dukkha,
Nor is there non-cessation of dukkha.
There is neither the Way to cessation of dukkha,
Nor is there non-Way to cessation of dukkha.

Nirvana is samsara²,
Samsara is Nirvana.

Be well.

¹dukkha is a Pali word, from the Sanskrit duhkha, which has no translation to any one word in English. It covers a whole spectrum of "bad" things from minor ailments, minor disturbances of concentration, or minor annoyances through to disease, afflictive emotion and even death. It is often translated as "suffering", but this is too strong. Other meanings within the word 'dukkha' include impermanence, and dissatisfaction.

²samsara is the continual cycle of birth and death that beings undergo until attaining Nirvana. This is the realm of dukkha, and includes our lives here on Earth.

I should also add that I should really refer to this as bodhi or "awakening", rather than nirvana.

Copyright notice: http://cishanjia.blog.co.uk/2007/11/24/copyright_notice~3346208

(May all ego be abandoned, and what thereafter, be; may all words and all
discrimination, cease.)

Meditating last night, I had another moment of insight. With no wise or
enlightened teacher, I cannot be sure that such insight is truly valid. But I
do notice the following changes within me, in the hours leading up to that
moment, and now after.

My view of the world is changing. Words are not the meaning we may try to
express. And it is beyond description in words, except by poor metaphor. I
can only vainly try to appeal to the intuition, the medium between individual
mind and Universal Mind. It is, perhaps, like a calm parent looking upon his
or her children:

• I may feel the hurt or pain when one child injurs itself playing, but
  am not moved to cry with the child. Instead, I understand four truths:
  • The first is that in this moment, the whole universe that is the
    child's perception, ego, and so on, is upset and suffering.
  • The second is that the hurt or pain is transitory. In a short
    while, the child will again be playing and will have forgotten the
    injury.
  • The third is that the child is not the whole universe, as neither
    am I. And yet,
  • The fourth truth is that the injury, hurt and pain are illusory.
    They arise from delusion of separation, and ignorance of the true
    nature of being.
• I may feel the hurt or pain when one child squabbles with another, but
  am not moved to join in the squabbling. Instead, I understand four truths:
  • The first is that in this moment, the whole universe that is each
    child's perception, ego, and so on, is upset and suffering.
  • The second is that the hurt or pain is transitory. In a short
    while, the children will again be playing and will have forgotten the
    perceived injustice.
  • The third is that neither child is not the whole universe, as
    neither am I. And yet,
  • The fourth truth is that the original offence and squabbling, the
    hurt and pain are illusory. They arise from delusion of separation,
    and ignorance of the true nature of being.
• I may feel the bewilderment of misunderstanding when one child asks a
  question of the world, but am not myself bewildered. Instead, I
  understand six truths:
  • The first is that in this moment, the whole universe that is the
    child's perception, ego, and so on, is bewildered.
  • The second is that the bewilderment is transitory, and the child
    may learn or may invent an explanation. In a short while, the child
    will again be playing and will have forgotten the bewilderment.
  • The third is that my own understanding is incomplete; any
    bewilderment I may feel, I cause myself.
  • The fourth is that the child is not the whole universe, as neither
    am I. And yet,
  • The fifth is that bewilderment is illusory. It arises from delusion
    of separation, and ignorance of the true nature of being.
  • The sixth is that such ignorance may be transformed to perfect
    wisdom.
• I may feel any of the spectrum of emotions a child may cause itself
  when acting on false understandings about the world. It may feel falsely
  self-satisfied that it knows something to be true, when it is not. It may
  feel angry at another child that does not share its beliefs. It may feel
  anger and self-doubt when the world challenges its beliefs. But I myself
  do not share in that child's emotions. Instead, I understand five truths:
  • The first is that in this moment, the whole universe that is the
    child's perception, ego, and so on, is feeling the emotional
    state.
  • The second is that the emotion is transitory, and the child may
    learn or may invent another explanation, or may return to its current
    one. In a short while, the child will again be playing and will have
    forgotten the emotional state.
  • The third is that my own understanding is incomplete; any
    emotional state I may feel I cause myself.
  • The fourth is that the child is not the whole universe, as neither
    am I. And yet,
  • The fifth is that emotion is illusory. It arises from delusion of
    separation, and ignorance of the true nature of being.
  • The sixth is that ignorance may be transformed to perfect
    wisdom.

But just as a child grows and learns and becomes itself an adult - even a
parent - I know that others can grow and learn spiritually. Like a parent who
may one day become a grandparent, if my own understanding reaches spiritual
awakening, I may one day bring such awakening to others.

For now, though, I am still like a child myself seeking the calm parent to
guide me to adulthood.

Be well.

Copyright notice:

http://cishanjia.blog.co.uk/2007/11/24/copyright_notice~3346208

(May all ego be abandoned, and what thereafter, be; may all words and all discrimination, cease.)

The BBC News website reports that 54 year old primary school teacher Gillian Gibbons has been charged in Sudan with:

• insulting religion,
• inciting hatred, and
• showing contempt for religious beliefs.

For those of you who may not have followed this story, Mrs Gibbons will appear in a Shariah court tomorrow for allowing her 7 year old pupils to name a teddy bear Mohammed, after a boy in the class. The BBC 6 O'Clock News reported that the pupil has accepted full responsibility for the naming.

If convicted, Mrs Gibbons will face:

• six months in jail,
• 40 lashes, or
• a fine if convicted.

Aside from obvious humanitarian and common-sense objections to this, as a Buddhist, I find this distressing and puzzling:

1. Does Shariah Law claim that the Prophet himself would be insulted? In Buddhism, an enlightened teacher neither causes offence nor takes it. If the Prophet would take offence, I would have to conclude that the Prophet would not be an enlightened teacher.

2. Does Shariah Law claim that Allah would be insulted? By extension, if an enlightened teacher could not take offence, how could Allah take offence?

If the claim is that the Prophet was enlightened (by Allah, presumably), or that Allah is enlightened (as by definition the Supreme Being would have to be), then Shariah Law must be at fault on this matter. An enlightened being, Prophet or Supreme Being, cannot take such offence. In fact, an enlightened being would be saddened by the suffering caused by such an assumption of offence.

I must therefore conclude that either:

1. If Allah is not an enlightened being, then He is not the Supreme Being. Therefore, by extension, the whole of Islam including Shariah Law is to be rejected.

2. If Allah is an enlightened being, but The Prophet is not, then the whole of Islam is flawed. This, of course, includes Shariah Law.

3. If both Allah and The Prophet are enlightened beings, then Shariah Law is still flawed on this matter. This is because it is the interpreters, and perhaps authors, of Shariah Law that concluded offence would be taken where it could not be.

Those involved on the Islamic side are claiming that they would consider naming any teddy bear after any prophet of any religion offensive. I would like to add that naming a teddy bear "Buddha" or "Gautama" would cause me no offense. Indeed, causing such distress to a sentient being on such grounds is of great concern to me as a Buddhist.

As to the charge of "inciting hatred", I find this bizarre. I can only assume there is some general objection to teddy bears in local culture. Which I find equally bizarre.

My blogfriend Goodbar has also written on this issue: http://goodbarblog1.blog.co.uk/2007/11/26/islam_teddy_bear_controversy~3356211

Be well.

Sources:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7117430.stm
http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=276
http://www.economist.com/media/pdf/DEMOCRACY_INDEX_2007_v3.pdf
The Dhammapada

Copyright notice: http://cishanjia.blog.co.uk/2007/11/24/copyright_notice~3346208