Madgarder,

I am a long time lurker here and enjoy reading your posts...don't let the
virus matter scare you away from the NG and here's why:

The latest virus-laden e-mails that many of us have received (and are still
receiving) are coming from a spammer that has harvested e-mail addresses
from usenet (the newsgroups of the world). I participate in many microsoft
newsgroups and most, if not all, techies there are receiving mass quantities
of said virus. It is not originating from your computer/desktop/laptop...it
is begin blasted from some worm/virus script kiddie's computer using spoofed
e-mail addresses and real e-mail addresses cultivated from the very set of
newsgroups that we like to peruse and post.

There is one solution to making sure your 'real' e-mail address is not
harvested by one of the 'spambots' that do the dirty work. Go into the
properties of your newsgroup account where you set up the e-mail address and
reply-to address. Add some extra characters to these e-mail addy's to
ensure that a harvester that collects will be scooping up an invalid e-mail
address...example: com.

It will be apparaent to any logical net user to remove the illogical
characters to send a successful e-mail.

Don't forget to run a good anti-virus/scanner program on your desktop,
updating your virus definitions on a very regular basis.

Please reconsider the drastic measures you have thought about taking. While
I understand the abuse and heat you may be taking for the virus situation,
if it is in connection to the latest "Microsoft Update" viurs/worm, it is
not your problem and/or fault. Any concerned netizen would know the origins
of this particular virus is from an e-mail harvester. If your system did
get infected by the virus, symantec's website has a removal tool that you
can use....



Hope we can keep you around...

Sean


"Madgardener" wrote in message
.. .
my absolute sincere apologies for anyone who received my e-mail regarding
this insidious Microsoft and various other titled bogus stuff earlier
today.
Until this is fixed, I am leaving the group. I will return. Deleting tens
of
these is wearing me out not to mention that I am now alienating some
people
again who are in my address book. Not knowing who to delete has made me
decide to sit back and keep the large bouquet of friends who has stayed in
touch with me despite the years regarding posts and comments I've made
these
almost 8 years. I am no baby, and I'm not ticked off but I am a caring
person and I just am tired of placating and trying to be so nice and it
blows up in my face. Today when I crawl outa bed, I will start in my
address
book and if I haven't heard from someone in a year, they're deleted. As
much as I still care and wonder about Starr, Jenny and a few others (my
list
of names is eight years old), I must let the friendship stay in my heart
and
memory and erase their addresses. I will post when I clean out the
computer. I'm just tired and have the old "I can't seem to be nice to
anyone
lately" blowing up in me face so I'm just gonna go into lurk mode. I still
love my friends. You know who ya'll are. Give me time and I'll probably
be
back. This was not written to get responses from ya'll not to leave. I'm
just tired is all and I've ****ed off about twelve people so far,
aggrivated
some, discovered others aren't even around anymore and it all saddens me
and
I can't let this rule my otherwise happy and loving character and positive
moods I normally have. Tomorrow I'm planting a tree, three asters, some
sedums, bulbs and pulling out the cleome. rain or not, or ESPECIALLY
because there's rain. And there will be no more multiple postings again.
I
usually do what I say but I thought it was a good thing I had notified
those
in my addy book about this thing and letting them know it wasn't them I
was
suspecting, but that I'd received way too many of these things. I have
McAfee, the Window's XP true patch security program, Outlook's mail guard,
BellSouth's mail guard and another patch to keep out viruses and worms.
This
wasn't something my computer alone had. BellSouth is so inundated with it,
they've gone into automated messages for now. Never did I accuse anyone
that they'd "given" me this thing. It's world wide. It's because we visit
each other in newsgroups. And I will NOT let it keep me from coming to the
ONE newsgroup I come to, read, respond to and write to. I've come here for
eight years and be hanged if one more asshole will drive me away and cause
me to unsubscribe. Total lack of electricity will be the only thing
stopping me,
my love and care comes to you all, I'll holler back when I have a clearer
head about me and my feelings settle down. (I just hope I didn't **** off
Victoria, and I doubt I'll even hear back from Zhan

madgardener up on the ridge, back in Fairy Holler overlooking English
Mountain in Eastern Tennessee where a gentle fall rain is coming down
outside giving the air a wonderful smell and making the frogs and toads
sing
like the Autumnal chorus, with harmony pipings from the crickets