Government, Politics and the Economy Zuckerman: The Economy is Even Worse Than We Think With unemployment numbers undermining confidence that we might be nearing the bottom of the recession, what can be seen is already disconcerting enough, but the inside numbers are just as bad. WSJ.com A Surtax on Small Business As the first year of the administration unfolds, it is becoming clear that Obama Democrats have chosen income redistribution over job creation and economic growth. WSJ.com Management and Operations [Read Full Article]

  Government, Politics and the Economy Republicans: Obama's Financial Oversight Plan Would Continue Bailouts Leading Republicans on a House panel considering the Obama administration’s overhaul of financial regulations said the president’s plan would continue taxpayer-funded bailouts. Bloomberg.com Ownership, Management and Operations Make Sure Your New Hires are “Onboard” Once they've finished their HR paperwork, it's time to really bring your new hires “onboard.” They will be more engaged, more productive, and they will want to stay and be committe... [Read Full Article]

  Government and Economy Obama Doubles Tax Law Enforcement Budget President Obama has proposed a near doubling of the funds to enforce U.S. tax laws next year, with an aim of more than quadrupling funding for tax compliance to $2.1 billion within five years. Reuters.com Stress Test: Banks Need More Money, Taxpayers May Not Have to Pay True, the stress tests show that the banks need more funds, but that does not necessarily mean they will get that money from the government as the Obama administration is suggesting that the rescue money that Congress has already approved will be enough to fill the gaps. NYTimes.com [Read Full Article]

Have you ever gotten a pop-up window that tells you that viruses have been detected, offers you a free scan and then, after giving you an impossible list of viruses, worms, Trojan horses, adware, spyware, and all manner of malware; tells you that by downloading the their anti-malware application for just $49.95, you can clean your system and save yourself the headaches of computer sluggishness and the scourge of identity theft? If you have—and you probably have—then you have been a target of scareware, which can be defined as a type of advertising-related malware that scares you into ordering a product you neither want nor need. Being a target is one thing, but you have to fall for the gag to be a victim.  Victims think they are going to get more protection than they already have—they don’t—and thereby maintain the health of their computer system. Again, they don’t. By offering their contact and credit card info, they open themselves up to the sort of id... [Read Full Article]

Like all great events, I remember the day I learned that spam was, if not dead, gravely wounded. It was November 17th, 2008. The story was that an investigation by internet service providers (ISPs) Hurricane Electric and Global Crossing into McColo, a notorious hosting service responsible for housing as many as 70% of the spam email operations on the Web, led to the plug being pulled on McColo’s operations by their ISPs. The end of McColo killed 70% of the spam on the Web, but as predicted, the spammers are back. Gourmet Spam You would have to imagine that the death of McColo last November was a serious wake-up call to the spam industry—yes, there really is such a thing—and you would be right. While the experts are still working on where all this is coming from now, that is less important than the changes that the spam has undergone. It is more sophisticated and better designed than before. According to Dermot Harnett, principal anal... [Read Full Article]

Government and Economy Obama Argues for Stimulus Before House Expecting easy House approval of an $816 billion stimulus plan, President Obama said the nation is at a "perilous moment" that requires swift and decisive action from government. Fed to Use Every Tool to Help Economy The Federal Reserve has signaled that it will continue with the “unconventional tools” they have used so far to cushion the pain of the recession, including keeping interest rates at record lows. [Read Full Article]

Let me tell you a story: There you are, checking the latest Fantasy Football stats and suddenly a pop-up appears to announce that the “Doom32” Trojan has been discovered, among other things, on your machine and that if you just follow the link provided, you can scan your system for free and learn how you can clean out the malware once and for all. You stare a moment at the Norton icon at the bottom of your screen and wonder why this expensive suite of defensive software couldn’t stop something called “Doom32” and then click on the link. The link takes you to a website that seems a typical product sale site. They show the box of the anti-malware software, features and comparisons with products like McAfee and Norton, and after scanning through all that you see the free scan button. You hit it and the scan begins. While it progresses, you see a slideshow that details how wonderful the featured anti-virus product is and all the things it can take care of. The... [Read Full Article]