Becoming an Enlager

Dr. John C. Maxwell is a very prolific author. He has written many books on the subject matter of leadership.

So what does Dr. Maxwell have to do with NBA players like Shaq, Olajuwon and Mutombo? A lot.

I would like to share with you his article entitled: “Becoming An Enlarger.”

Dr. Maxwell says:
Before the NBA ever heard of Shaquille O'Neal, Dikembe Mutombo or Tim Duncan; back before anyone knew the name Hakeem Olajuwon; in the days before Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ruled the hardwoods, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell changed the nature of professional basketball with the way they played the center position.

Chamberlain was a great scorer and Russell was known more for his defense, but no matter which end of the court they were on, they played above the rim like no centers before them ever had.

Russell, however, is best known not for his offense or his defense but for something else - winning. His No. 6 jersey was retired by the Boston Celtics in 1972 to honor his contributions as the anchor to teams that won nine consecutive NBA titles. He added two more titles as a player/coach.

That's why it was such an honor to meet him at a recent NBA All-Star game, and that's why I wasn't surprised to hear what he said about great team players: "The most important measure of how good a game I played was how much better I'd made my teammates play."

One of the qualities of a great team player, you see, is that they enlarge others. Bill Russell isn't just a large man; he's a man who enlarged others. He made them better.

Here are five characteristics of people who enlarge others.

1. Enlargers value their teammates.

When you think about your teammates, place a "10" on their heads. If we think of others as 10s, we'll do everything to add value to them. Our behavior is totally different when we think of someone else as a two. Seeing others in the very best light makes the entire team better because usually our level of performance equals the level of value placed on us.

2. Enlargers know and relate to what their teammates value.

Here's how you can tell if you value people: Do you value people who won't benefit you or only those who might contribute in some way to your success? Great team players truly value others as people, and they know and relate to what others value. When I want to know and relate to others, I look for five things. I want to know their dreams, values, skills, attitudes and life questions. We all have questions, by the way. If you can find the pathway to a person's questions, you can always find the pathway to a person's heart.

3. Enlargers add value to their teammates.

Whatever the project, task or situation, enlargers find ways to make others around them better because they approach life as a win/win situation. They realize that making others better isn't just better for others, it's better for everyone. As the old adage goes, a rising tide lifts all boats.

4. Enlargers make themselves more valuable.

You cannot give what you do not have, so self-improvement precedes team improvement. The first step toward improving the team is to improve yourself. I've been teaching leadership for 20 years and I've written twenty-some books. Here's what I know - the only way I can keep leading is to keep growing.

The greatest way that I can add value to my team is to make myself more valuable. If I can become a better player, if I can continually increase my skills, if I can continually become enlarged within myself, then I have the capacity to enlarge others. Too many people are still trying to give what they learned fifteen years ago, and they're in trouble.

5. Enlargers initiate.

Enlargers believe in others before they believe in themselves, serve others before they serve themselves, and add value to others before they add value to themselves. See the common thread? The word "before."

They have the ability to see potential in another person before they even see potential within themselves. They have the ability to start action. They have the ability to start belief. They are initiators.

Initiate. Enlarge. Be a great team player.

Serving others is one way of enlarging others.

For the bible says that he who wants to lead must first serve.

And when we serve we do not only enlarge others, we also enlarge ourselves in a positive way.

Source: Francis Kong

Gas prices keep rising!!!

With the recent prices of oil around the world, most of us here in the philippines particularly in Metro Manila cope up by using mass transportation means such Metro Manila’s mass transit systems or MRT. At fuel average price of Php 60.00 per liter of gasasoline, motorist choose to ditch or leave their car a safe place and choose to ride the MRT.

Photo courtesy of Unlawyer.net

Gas prices increases is inevitable and surely there will be turning back at prices. Crude oil keep rising and you know why? Reason can be found in here http://www.oil-price.net/

In here in the philippines ,average cost of Gasoline in US dollar per gal based on Php 50 per dollar computation will be 3.78 liter/gal*php60.00/liter*$/php 50.00 or $ 4.53 /gallon.
If we compare with the present gas prices around the world, I could wheeew! we are way up high indeed..

• Oslo, Norway $9.85
• London, England $8.96
• Paris, France $9.43
• Rome, Italy $9.03
• Berlin, Germany $8.68
• Tokyo, Japan $6.30
• Montreal, Canada $5.57
• Manila, Philippines $4.53

Hmm? So the price we are paying may not seem so bad. That’s until I look at figures like these:

• Caracas, Venezuela $0.12
• Tehran, Iran $0.41
• Saudi Arabia $0.45
• Kuwait $0.79
• United Arab Emirates $1.40

So all we could do is to cost cut if we prefer to use our car. Here are some tips that may reduce our gas cost and cope up with the rising and rising gas prices.

1. Service your car and check the oil level regularly.
2. Check tire pressure once a month.
3. Take everything that you don’t need out of the trunk and from your back seat.
4. Close your car windows when you are driving fast.
5. Only use the air conditioner when it’s absolutely necessary.
6. Start driving soon after starting the engine and stop the motor if the car is not driving for more than 1 minute.
7. Drive with a reasonable speed and smoothly.
8. When accelerating shift to a faster shift as soon as possible.
9. Try to sense what is going to happen in the traffic before it happens.
10. Share your car with others.

Journey to the Center of the Earth Review

A very spectacular movie i recommend to everyone to watch. Lots of fast-paced fun in this adventure tale, wonderfull if you watch it in Imax theater Mall of Asia. You will feel the excitement and the feeling being part of a movie itself.
What makes this movie to watch for is it`s heart. Very wholesome and surprisingly clean although it is not free of violence, imagine what would happen if Trevor and Sean were bitten by those fish. Horrible it may seem but only in our imagination and the movie shows it is just pure entertainment. What makes this movie unique is the impressive 3D and scene surprises.

Excerpts from the movie:

The movie begins with a man with brown curly hair running from a dinosaur when suddenly the earth cracks beneath him, and he begins to fall into the crack…which is filled with molten lava. As he falls, he calls out to “Trevor”. Just then, Trevor (Brendan Fraser) wakes up from a dream, only to stare at a picture of he and his brother, the curly haired man who fell into the crevice.
We quickly learn that Trevor is a professor who is trying to follow his brother’s work, but has quickly run out of money, support, and at seems time. It seems that his brother initially invested in placing several volcanic monitors all over the world, but now only 3 are working . His lab is being converted to a storage room, and he mocked badly by a snobby professor. Trevor teaches a class on volcanic activity…only he has few students in the classroom, and all of them look quite bored.

Trevor arrives home, only to notice his answering machine flashing with 4 messages. All of them are from his sister-in-law, who states that she’s on her way with Sean (Josh Hutcherson), Trevor’s nephew and his brother’s son. We also note that Trevor’s brother has been missing for 10 years now, and that Trevor is quite a sloppy house keeper.

Trevor’s SIL arrives with Sean in tow, and Sean is not happy to be there. And Trevor is not happy to have him. Trevor’s SIL gives him a box before she leaves, and Trevor opens it to find a baseball glove, something he can’t identify as well as a book “Journey To The Center Of The Earth.” In the book, Trevor notices a series of notes that his brother has made and realizes that they all correspond to the 3 remaining volcanic monitors back at his soon to be closed lab. Sean goes with Trevor to the lab, and Trevor starts to explain that each of the volcanic markers noted almost exactly the same volcanic activity…and just as he mentions this, the monitors all change to become EXACTLY what Trevor’s brother notes in the book. Trevor explains that he has 3 volcanic monitors left that his brother set, and Sean attempts to correct him…because he sees 4 on the computer monitor. The 4th monitor is located in Iceland, and Trevor believes that he could find his missing brother there. Trevor wants Sean on a plane back to his mother, but Sean reminds him that Trevor’s brother is his father, and he comes along with Trevor to Iceland.

Once in Iceland, Trevor and Sean get lost but wind up at an old cabin, which is actually a scientific organization that they were searching for anyway. They knock at the “organization” which is actually a rundown cabin, and a lovely blond woman (Anita Briem) named Hannah answers. They ask for the leader of the organization, and quickly find out that the gentleman was Hannah’s father, who has been dead for 3 years. Hannah invites Trevor and Sean inside her cabin, and they find out that Hannah’s father and Trevor’s brother both actually believed that the book, “Journey To The Center Of The Earth” was real, and they attempted to find the center of the earth themselves. Trevor asks Hannah to help him find the way to the 4th volcanic monitor, and she agrees to be their paid guide…for $5000 dollars an hour. They set off for the summit of a mountain, and Sean and Trevor find that Hannah is quite a capable and fit guide. Sean calls “first dibs” on Hannah, and Trevor and Sean argue all the way to the top of the mountain over the fact that Sean is only 13 years old and cannot call first dibs on a woman, because Trevor should be given first dibs. Sean ignores Trevor and follows after Hannah happily.

The 3 reach the summit of the mountain, find the monitor, and an electrical storm erupts around them. Trevor insists on retrieving the 4th monitor because he believes it holds data that could find his brother. Unfortunately, the 4th monitor is also now a lightening rod, and it attracts the storm. Trevor refuses to let it go, and as he runs to escape the storm and enter into the safety of a nearby cave, lightening strikes several times, collapsing the entrance of the cave. This leaves Trevor, Hannah, and Sean trapped in the cave with no way out. Hannah was indeed a prepared guide. She had lights, flares, rope and other provisions, and they now have tools to escape the cave. Hannah leads the group further into the cave, but Trevor takes over…and almost walks into a 20 story straight drop into a deep dark hole. Hannah finds an alternative route, and they decide to start repelling into the hole. In a funny scene, Trevor loses his footing, and Hannah decides to cut him from his rope, which freaks Sean and Trevor out. Trevor falls almost an entire foot, and hits the ground. Hannah knew they were near the bottom the whole time. The 3 travelers wound up in a cave which had obviously been a mine. Hannah noted that the mine was actually a death trap, which killed all but one of the miners years before. Hannah started the generator to the mine, and the 3 of them climbed on mine carts on a railroad and Hannah started them on the railroad trail. The hope was that the railroad line would eventually lead them out. Actually, what followed was one heck of a roller coaster ride full of hills and valleys, twists and turns, and a dead end.

Trevor’s railroad car crashed into a wall, which cracked the wall. Sean quickly climbed in, and Trevor and Hannah followed. The cave was amazing, full of diamonds and rubies and emeralds. Sean got busy gathering all of the diamonds he could get his hand on. Just then, the group heard a cracking noise. Trevor and Hannah looked down, and realized they were standing on a very thin sheet of stone, which would crack under most any pressure. The group almost made it back out of the cave, but Sean dropped one of the diamonds he collected, and the cave floor collapsed, with the 3 of them falling and falling. And when they stopped screaming, Trevor noted that they still hadn’t stopped falling yet. So, more falling and screaming. Finally, Trevor started coming up with theories on how they’d land. They could land on spiked rocks, or hit a type of water slide and fall into a pool of water. Sean and Hannah voted for the water slide scenario, and sure enough that’s just what happened. The three of them swam to shore after falling in the water, and they all noted iridescent blue lights flying above them. What they soon realized was that the lights were actually blue glowing birds. And those birds lead the group out to an opening where they found a tree house of sorts. Trevor found his brother’s writings there, and Hannah soon found the brother’s body. In a touching scene, Trevor buries his brother beside the shore, and reads a touching journal entry to Sean that Sean’s father wrote on Sean’s 3rd birthday. Sean and Trevor hug, and leave Hannah to reflect on the shore.

That night, Trevor and Hannah talk about how to get back to the earth’s surface. Sean approaches them, and relates that even though he’s a kid, he believes he should be a part of the conversation. So, they explain that the center of the earth’s temperature is increasing, and they have to get out of the center within the next 48 hours or they’ll die. Trevor’s brother wrote in his journal that he believed he could use the heat from the earth’s core to force water through a shaft in the earth to propel him back to the surface. The 3 of them decide to try his theory, and craft a raft with a sail to float across the other side of the sea in the center of the earth.

Once the group is on the sea, they become bombarded with huge piranha, and use sticks to bat the fish away. Just as they succeed, huge carnivorous water creatures begin to eat the huge piranha fish, and they use the sail to steer away from the activity. But the sail begins to tear away from the raft, and Sean is carried away after he attempts to grab the sail. Hannah and Trevor reach the shore, and Hannah heads to the shaft to away the push of hot steamy water while Trevor searches for Sean. Meanwhile, Sean has made a friend of one of the blue glowing birds, and the bird takes Sean to water, and leads him to a route which will take him to Trevor and the shaft. Sean almost reaches where Trevor is looking for him, but meets up with the dinosaur that more than likely killed his father. Sean runs and gets to a cave with a small entrance, but the T-Rex breaks through and is about to eat Sean, when Trevor breaks through on the other side of the cave and drags Sean out. They run, but the dinosaur is too fast. So, Trevor leads the dinosaur to that thin type of stone which breaks easily, and the dinosaur falls to his death. Trevor and Sean make it to the river, which will soon steam up and take them to the surface, and Hannah meets them with a boat. The boat is the jawbone of a dead T-Rex. They reach the shaft, but there’s no water! Suddenly, Trevor sees magnesium veins in the stone, and lights a flare and throws it at the vein…igniting the shaft, forcing water into the shaft and propelling the group to the surface. The jawbone boat is shot up high into the air above the earth’s surface, and they go on yet another ride down a huge mountain…destroying a vineyard and home in the process. The owner of the home and vineyard goes nuts, shouts at them in Italian, and they realize that they’re in Italy! Sean pulls out a huge diamond [that he kept in his backpack the whole time] and the man asks in English, “You want to ride the mountain again?” and the group all hugs, kisses and laughs. Trevor realizes that Sean has several pounds of diamonds in his possession, and they’re very wealthy now.

Sometime later…

Trevor walks back into his old lab at the university, with the snobbish professor there once again mocking him. Trevor relates that he’s okay with losing his lab…as he’s buying an entire research building because he’s suddenly come into money. And Trevor also relates to the snobby professor that he can read all about his new research in the latest Scientific magazine.

Hannah and Trevor are now together, and Sean and Trevor are quite close now. In fact, Sean is going to come back to visit Trevor and Hannah for Christmas. When Sean prepares to leave with his mother, he stops to feed something hiding in his backpack. It’s the same blue glowing bird that befriended Sean in the center of the earth.

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Dealing with Criticism

A wife was making a breakfast of fried eggs for her husband. Suddenly, her husband burst into the kitchen.

"Careful," he said, "CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Oh no! You're cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW! We need more butter. Oh no! WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER? They're going to STICK! Careful. CAREFUL! I said be CAREFUL! You NEVER listen to me when you're cooking! Never! Turn them! Hurry up! Are you CRAZY? Have you LOST your mind? Don't forget to salt them. You know you always forget to salt them. Use the salt. USE THE SALT! THE SALT!"

The wife stared at him. "What in the world is wrong with you? You think I don't know how to fry a couple of eggs?" The husband calmly replied, "I just wanted to show you what it feels like when I'm driving."

You know what this is. It's Criticism. We've all experienced it. Nobody wants to be criticized yet it is so easy for us to criticize others.

Sometimes criticism is justified, sometimes it is not. But none of us like it. No one enjoys being told they are doing something wrong.

It is always an unpleasant experience. Yet criticism is necessary.

Guy Woods has written, "Inasmuch as criticism is inevitable, we must, in order to be happy, acquire an ability to rise above it. He who is overly sensitive to the opinions of others is at the mercy of every gossiper of his acquaintance. Some folks purr like a kitten when stroked by praise; but when criticized, they become resentful, discouraged, and quit. It is highly essential that everyone discover a technique for dealing with the adverse opinions of others, and use it regularly and effectively."

Albert Einstein wasn't always acclaimed for his scientific breakthroughs, notes physicist Stephen Hawking in his book A Brief History of Time (Bantam Books). "His theories came under attack; an anti-Einstein organization was even set up." But Einstein remained unconcerned about these critics, Hawking writes. "When a book was published entitled 100 Authors Against Einstein, he retorted, 'If I were wrong, then one would have been enough!"

How do you deal with criticism?”

Here are a couple of ideas that may help you when you are criticized.

1. Your number of critics is directly proportional to the quality of your performance.

The world is full of critics and so expect criticism. The more productive you are the more criticism you will receive. If you want to play it safe, then say nothing, do nothing, accomplish nothing, dream nothing and you will be a successful nothing. Then there is nothing to criticize. But then your critics will say “You are a nothing.” Then that turns out to be another criticism. Who are the people who are receiving the blunt of criticism? They are the ones out there with their sleeves rolled up busy producing. And the beautiful thing about this is that the productive people are happy despite what their critics say.

2. Let the legitimate criticisms teach and transform you.

Some criticisms serve a useful purpose. Learn from it. Do not be too onion skinned. You will smell. Recognize that some criticisms are certainly deserved. Even when critics are unkind always remember this. They may be right!

Even when they exaggerate your failures, there may still be some truth in what they say. So look at the situation honestly and ask these questions: Is it true? If so, how can I overcome the condition that caused it? How can I avoid future criticism of the same kind?

If I made a mistake then it should serve as a learning mistake. But if I failed to learn from it then I will be committing a stupid mistake. This will confirm what the critics say. Scripture says: “The ear that hears the reproof of life will abide among the wise. He who disdains instructions despises his own soul, but he who heeds reproof gets understanding.”

3. Eat ice cream. Chill. Move on and forget it.

And when the criticisms are unfair and unjust, just chill and prove your critics wrong by your consistency in doing things right and doing the right things. This may not shut up their mouths but it sure can diminish their credibility. The more you attempt to answer criticism, the worse the criticism becomes. For one who is not interested in the truth, the more you explain the more material your critics can use against you.

4. Be a good critic yourself.

And if you need to criticize someone, remember “THE FOUR-TO-ONE RULE:” FOR EVERY criticism you make of someone's job performance, make sure you give the person four compliments.

Do not belittle people. To belittle is to be little.

Somebody says: “Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in his shoes. Then when you do criticize that person, you'll be a mile away and have his shoes.” Just kidding, but you know what I mean.

Source: Francis Kong

More thanks to Mr. Francis Kong for giving me permission to post his writings in my blog. Godbless Sir!!!

The Ants and the BIble

The Ants

Do you know that, according to the Bible, the ants have a superior intelligence, which is almost second to man’s? Proverbs 30:24-28 says--

“There are four things which are little upon the earth but they are exceeding wise: The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer; The conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks; The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands; The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces.”

While Proverbs 6:6-8 says--

“Go to the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways, and be wise; Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.”

We have to remember that it is the Bible itself that considers the ants as wise. And in their being wise, they no longer need any ruler, or leader, for them to enjoy a sophisticated way of life.

Do you know that the ants’ dwelling place is even air-conditioned? They are storing food for the entire duration of the rainy season. They have their own knowledge in agriculture. They collect organic matters, which serve as their food during the lengthy rainy season.

Do you know that the ants that we see everyday are mostly female? They live in a colony that is made up of more than one million members, workers, and soldiers that are all females. The male ants die after the queen ant fertilizes. The queen ant’s only duty is to lay about 50,000 to 100,000 eggs a day.

According to studies conducted by zoologists, there about 12 million to 14 million kinds of ants in our planet. And like humans, they are found in almost all habitable places, except in mountains that are covered with ice, and in the polar region. Based on studies, the ants have unusual physical features. Their head is made of a special sensor that easily identifies chemical and visual signs. In addition, they have about half a million nerve cells in their brain. They have a keen vision and a sensitive hair that responds to anything attached to it. Their teeth are as sharp as a carving tool. They have strong muscles that allow their six legs to move. When needed, they are able to secrete liquid from their special glands that warn their companions in case of an impeding danger. Out of their poison glands, they are able to discharge formic acid and other poisons, which they use against their enemies. Their antenna functions as their nose and fingers.

Within 24 hours, they are able to build their houses. And this lasts for more than a month, and this is where their queen lay eggs. There is another colony of ants, which is called “army ants,” that build their houses neither on the ground nor on trees. Their bodies linked together serve as a shelter for their queen. About 200,000 to 750,000 ants link their bodies together in order to cover the queen and her young. But when morning comes, the separate. Other ants, however, live underground.

According to reports, the ants are able to dig about 40 tons of soil in order to build their gigantic home. A colony of ants can maintain 150 houses, and they are able to patrol 1,600 square metes. The territory of ants is one of the biggest in the world of insects. The soldier ants stay only on the sides of their house in order to guard it from attacks of enemies. Should enemies come, they send a signal that could be smelled by their comrades so that they could be given reinforcement. They surround their enemies and spit on them formic acid. And when they are killed, they bring them to their camp to be eaten.

Do you know that ants are able to communicate and send messages to their colleagues by means of a liquid called “pheromone”? This is the reason why when an ant discovers food deposits, it could easily call on its companions who would gather them.

Another remarkable trait of ants is their industry. One can never see a sleeping ant. Have you seen one? That is why an ant is being used as a paragon of industry. As written in Proverbs 6:6-10--

“Go to the ant, thou sluggard, consider her ways, and be wise; Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, Provideth, her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When will thou arise out of thy sleep? Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep.”

Let us not be lazy; let us not be sluggards. It is not good to be one.

Gasoline Fill Up Tips

Got this email last week..

Tips on Filling your Vehicles...

This is a Message received from a friend from india:

I don't know what you guys are paying for petrol... but here in Durban, we are also paying higher, up to 47.35 per litre. But my line of work is in petroleum for about 31 years now, so here are some tricks to get more of your money's worth for every litre.

Here at the Marian Hill Pipeline, where I work in Durban, we deliver about 4 million litres in a 24-hour period thru the pipeline.

One day is diesel; the next day is jet fuel, and petrol, LRP and Unleaded. We have 34-storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 litres.

ONLY BUY OR FILL UP YOUR CAR OR BIKKIE IN THE EARLY MORNING WHEN THE GROUND TEMPERATURE IS STILL COLD. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground, the denser the fuel, when it gets warmer petrol expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening.... your litre is not exactly a litre.

In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the petrol, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products play an important role. A 1degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

WHEN YOU'RE FILLING UP, DO NOT SQUEEZE THE TRIGGER OF THE NOZZLE TO A FAST MODE. If you look, you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. In slow mode, you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapours that are created, while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapour return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapour. Those vapours are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TIPS IS TO FILL UP WHEN YOUR TANK IS HALF FULL. The reason for this is, the more fuel you have in your tank, the less air occupying its empty space. Petrol evaporates faster than you can imagine. Petroleum storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the petrol and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation.

Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated, so that every litre is actually the exact amount.

ANOTHER REMINDER, IF THERE IS A FUEL TRUCK PUMPING INTO THE STORAGE TANKS, WHEN YOU STOP TO BUY, DO NOT FILL UP - most likely the petrol/diesel is being stirred up as the fuel is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.

Hope, this will help you get the maximum value for your money.

DO SHARE THESE TIPS WITH OTHERS! LET’S SHARE INFORMATION AND BENEFIT ALL, FOR THE BETTER OF MANKIND.

Safe and Secure Internet

Simple and easy ways to keep your computer safe and secure on the Internet

It is a fact; the Internet is just not a safe place to connect your computer to. There are worms constantly scanning for vulnerable computers to infect, trojans disguised as helpful programs but actually install malicious ones, spyware that reports your activities back to their makers, and hijackers that take control of your web browser and browsing experience. For those people who have been the victim of one of these mentioned infections, removing them and getting your computer back in your control can be a daunting and frustrating experience. The purpose of this article is to teach you how to setup your computer in such a way that you minimize as much as possible the risks of contracting one of these infections. Each step is very easy to do and regardless of your computer experience you will have no trouble following along. It is also important to note that there is not one step listed below that is more important than the other. They are all equally important to keeping your computer safe and secure.

1. Educate yourself and be smart about where you visit and what you click on - Understanding how you can get infected and what to avoid when using the Internet will be the most important step in keeping your computer clean and secure. The majority of people who have infections on their machines were infected due to lack of knowledge and clicking on things that they should not. I will provide a list of actions under this step that you should not do:
1. Do not open attachments from users that you do not know. This is one of the most effective ways for viruses to infect you. If you do not know the user, then simply do not open the email and delete it.
2. Never open an attachment that is a .exe, .pif, .com, or .bat unless you specifically know the file is clean. The majority of these are always bad!
3. If you visit a site and a popup appears saying that your computer is unsafe, ignore it! These are gimicks that are used to make you click on the ad which then can potentially install unwanted malware.
   An excellent list that contains a list of antispyware apps that should be avoided and a list of ones that are recommended can be found here: Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products & Web Sites
   
4. When a you go to a site and a popup occurs, many times they will make them look like a normal Windows message box in order to trick you into clicking on them. Instead just close them by clicking on the X.
5. Do not visit porn sites! I know some of you may not be happy about this, but the reality is that the majority of spyware and browser hijackers are put on your computer through porn sites.
6. Do not visit warez sites! Not only is pirated software illegal, but it is a breeding ground for malware.
7. Do not visit crack sites! Many of the cracks include malware in them!
8. If you use P2P software, make sure you are careful about what you open. Malware is all over the P2P networks.
9. Read the license agreement for any software that you install. Many free downloads are offered with spyware and other programs that you DO NOT want on your computer. Reading the agreement may help you to spot them.
2. Use an AntiVirus Software - It is very important that your computer has an antivirus software running on your machine. By having an antivirus program running, files and emails will be scanned as you use them, download them, or open them. If a virus is found in one of the items you are about to use, the antivirus program will stop you from being able to run that program and therefore infect yourself.
   
   See this link for a listing of some online/stand-alone antivirus programs:
   
   Virus, Spyware, and Malware Protection and Removal Resources
3. Update your AntiVirus Software - There is no point running an antivirus program if you do not make sure it has all the latest updates available to it. If you do not update the software, it will not know about any new viruses, trojans, worms, etc that have been released into the wild since you installed the program. Then if a new infection appears in your computer, the antivirus program will not know that it is bad, and not alert you when you run it and become infected. Therefore it is imperative that you update your Antivirus software at least once a week (Even more if you wish) so that you are protected from all the latest threats.
4. Install an Anti-Spyware Program - Just as you installed and use an antivirus program, it is essential these days to use a Spyware protection and removal program. These programs can be used to scan your computer for spyware, dialers, browser hijackers, and other programs that are malicious in nature. The 4 program that we recommend are AVG Anti-Spyware, Spybot - Search and Destroy, and Ad-Aware, and Windows Defender.

A tutorial on using some of these programs can be found below:

Using Ad-aware to remove Spyware, Malware, & Hijackers from Your Computer
Using Spybot - Search & Destroy to remove Spyware , Malware, and Hijackers

5. Commercial Spyware Removal/Protection Programs - If you feel more comfortable installing a commercial Spyware removal program then we recommend WebRoot's Spysweeper or Lavasoft's Ad-Aware Professional. Both are excellent products and a worthy addition to the arsenal of software protecting your computer.

Spysweeper Product Information

6. Occasionally Run Online Virus Scans - Unfortunately not all antivirus programs are created equal. Each program may find infections that other antivirus programs do not and vice-versa. It is therefore recommended that you occasionally run some free online antivirus scanners to make sure that you are not infected with items that your particular antivirus program does not know how to find. Two online scanners that I recommend are:
   
   http://www.kaspersky.com/virusscanner
   http://housecall.antivirus.com/
   
   Every once in a while, maybe once every 2 weeks, run one or both of these scanners to see if they find anything that may have been missed by your locally installed antivirus software.
7. Visit Microsoft's Windows Update Site Frequently - If you are a Windows users you must visit http://www.windowsupdate.com regularly. This site is a Microsoft site that will scan your computer for any patches or updates that are missing from your computer. It will then provide a list of items that it can download and install for you. When visiting the site, if it asks if you would like to install the Windows Update software, allow it to do so and it should only ask you to do this once. When the site is loaded you should then allow it to check for new updates and download any that it finds. If it has you reboot your computer, reboot and when your back at the desktop visit the site again and check for new updates. Repeat this process until there are zero critical updates available. This will ensure your computer has all of the latest security updates available installed on your computer and is secure from any known security holes.
8. Use a Firewall - I can not stress how important it is that you use a Firewall on your computer. Without a firewall your computer is susceptible to being hacked and taken over. You may say "Why do I need a firewall?" I have all the latest updates for my programs and operating system, so nobody should be able to hack into my computer". Unfortunately that reasoning is not valid. Many times hackers discover new security holes in a software or operating system long before the software company does and therefore many people get hacked before a security patch is released. By using a firewall the majority of these security holes will not be accessible as the firewall will block the attempt.

9. Install SpywareBlaster - Many known malicious programs are ActiveX programs that integrate into Internet Explorer. If you use Internet Explorer, then we recommend that you download and install SpywareBlaster. This program will load a huge list of known malicious programs into your computer's configuration and make it so that you can not run these programs on your computer and therefore become infected.

10. Update your security programs regularly - As always if you do not update your programs, your programs will not be able to find the newest infections that may be racing around the Internet. It is therefore important that you upgrade the software and spyware/virus definitions for a particular program so that they are running the most effectively.
11. Switch to another browser, like Firefox, or make your Internet Explorer more secure - The latest version of Internet Explorer is now shipped with much more secure settings. Or either make Internet Explorer more secure or switch to another browser like Mozilla Firefox. It's an excellent browser and is secure right after installing it. I used this one in my gear.
    
    
    If you decide you would rather continue to use Internet Explorer , then follow these steps to make it more secure:
1. From within Internet Explorer click on the tools menu and then click on Options.
2. Click once on the Security tab
3. Click once on the Internet icon so it becomes highlighted.
4. Click once on the Custom Level button.

1. Change the Download signed ActiveX controls to Prompt
2. Change the Download unsigned ActiveX controls to Disable
3. Change the Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe to Disable
4. Change the Installation of desktop items to Prompt
5. Change the Launching programs and files in an IFRAME to Prompt
6. Change the Navigate sub-frames across different domains to Prompt
7. When all these settings have been made, click on the OK button.
8. If it prompts you as to whether or not you want to save the settings, press the Yes button.
4. Next press the Apply button and then the OK to exit the Internet Properties page.

By following all these steps you are sure to keep your computer at minimal risk to future infections or hack attempts. This is unfortunately not a fool proof method of securing your computer as new risks are released almost every day, but your susceptibility to these attacks will be diminished greatly.