Blogging offers endless possibilities for PNG

The column that I wrote last Friday on “How PNG can benefit from Blogging” opened up the eyes of many people in this country to how they can benefit from the technology that is freely available on the Internet.

It became very obvious to me that in this rapidly-globalising Information Age that we are living in, so many Internet users in PNG just use it to send and receive e-mails, as well as browse it to download music and pictures.

How about uploading stories and pictures to promote our beloved Papua New Guinea?

Two of the many people who responded to my article were from Goroka.

Japanese, Russell Deka Harada, ICT manager at the University of Goroka, was so impressed with the article and my Blog that he will use it as an example of how PNG can promote itself on the Internet at the UOG open day today.

Robert Schilt, IT Manager at Goroka General Hospital and a regular Blogger since early 2005 (http://www.trupela.com/) was also impressed with the article and is promoting my Blog on his Blog.

“I was reading your story about the Blog in the Weekender,” Mr Harada wrote.

“I am Japanese but I am in Goroka near 11 years.

“I have very big interest in PNG local culture so I will still live in Goroka and to develop latest Internet / e-mail technology through our University.

“Most important thing you said was that we have very unique culture in here and we should upload so many stories using Blogs.

“At this moment, so many Internet users in PNG are just using e-mail functions and browsing Internet to download music and pictures only

“But in the future we should upload our unique culture through the Internet to the world.

“I visited your Blog site and I have a lot of impressions.

“I am very surprised that I have never seen some Papua New Guineans write several stories on Blogs.

“This week Friday, our University has its open day.

“At that time can I introduce your Blog site to the public?”

Mr Schilt wrote: “I have added your RSS Feed to my news reader so will keep in touch with your stories.

“And just to let you know I also made reference to your article on Blogging on my Blog post.”

Nancy Waim from the Media Council of PNG commented: “Of all the things I read on The National, I reckon this article on Blogging is really an eye-opener for many.

“There are many others out there who do not know the availability of these avenues for information dissemination and also in creating your own space on the net as you mentioned.

“Good on you.”

Eliud Uwasenko from Pacific Adventist University: “I am interested in setting up my own Blog after reading your article.

“Please provide further information on how to go about in setting up my own Blog.”

Dr Philip Raif from Lae: “…thanks again for very good information on IT.

“I have been trying to find more about Blogs etc and now you may assist me with how to access and download templates on Blogs.

“If you can assist with some information I will be grateful.”

Robert Koela from Port Moresby: “I read with interest your article published in The National issue, Weekender of Friday 4th July titled ‘How PNG can benefit from Blogging’.

“I must say that I am very interested in creating my own Blog on the Internet.

“Though, I have not taken any computer training in this, I am nonetheless, acquainted with the Internet and most associated programs and computer language.

“I would very much appreciate some pointers/tips and references on where I could get more information in going about achieving this.”

Jacinta Yadamatti wrote from Divine Word University: “I am a third-year Business Studies student at the Divine Word University and I write in response to your article titled ‘How Papua New Guinea can benefit from Blogging’ published in the Weekender, The National, on Friday the 4th July.

“I found this article very informative and interesting!

“Immediately after reading the article, I went online to do some research on Internet Blogging and I found some very interesting theories, most of which you have outlined in the article.

“I even signed up with a cricket Blog site.

“I am a follower of the game, but I haven't written a thing in it yet.

“My purpose of writing is to seek assistance from you on tips of just where and how to start writing Blogs.

“I would also like to read your authored Blog but I can't, unfortunately, because I do not know where to find it.

“Would you mind informing me on how to access it?

“Your article has inspired me a great deal.”

And how about this from Eric Ungil, an overseas-based PNG doctor: “I was just reading the Weekender and came across your article about Blogging.

“I am a medical doctor overseas and I like your Blog.

“Keep up the good work and continue to write such fantastic articles about PNG.”

Mr Schilt left me with this thought from Michael Faraday, inventor of the electric motor, and a man who never went to university: “My education was of the most ordinary description, consisting of little more than the rudiments of reading, writing, and arithmetic at a common day school.

“My hours out of school were passed at home and in the streets.”

Happy Blogging!

Russian blogger sentenced for "extremist" post

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian man who described local police as "scum" in an Internet posting was given a suspended jail sentence on Monday for extremism, prompting bloggers to warn of a crackdown on free speech online.

Savva Terentiev, a 28-year-old musician from Syktyvkar, 1,515 kilometres (940 miles) north of Moscow, wrote in a blog last year that the police force should be cleaned up by ceremonially burning officers twice a day in a town square.

Convicted on charges of "inciting hatred or enmity", Terentiev was given a one-year suspended term on Monday, Russian news agencies reported.

Free speech campaigners said the ruling could create a dangerous precedent for free speech on the Internet, a vibrant forum for political debate in a country where the mainstream traditional media is deferential to authority.

"This was an absolutely unjustified verdict," Alexander Verkhovsky, director of the SOVA centre in Moscow, a non-governmental group that monitors extremism, told Reuters. "Savva for sure wrote a rude comment ... but this verdict means it will be impossible to make rude comments about anybody."

The verdict was discussed in Russian blogs on Monday. "I don't know now if I should be writing here or not," blogger Likershassi posted on one website.

"The fact that Terentiev got a conditional sentence is unimportant. What's important is the precedent," a blogger named Puffinus wrote.

BONFIRE

Contacted by Reuters on Monday, Terentiev confirmed the sentence but said he was unable to make further comment.

The blog entry for which he was prosecuted has been removed from the Internet. Russia's Kommersant newspaper quoted him as saying in the post: "Those who become cops are scum," and calling for officers to be put on a bonfire.

After the prosecution was launched, Terentiev wrote an open letter to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev protesting his innocence.

"It is our duty to take responsibility for words on the Internet but ... I did not call for the inflaming of social hatred towards the employees of the police department," he wrote in the letter, posted at one of his sites, www.zasavva.ru.

Most Russians receive their news and information from television stations and newspapers controlled by the state or by businessmen with links to the Kremlin, with opposition voices confined largely to the Internet, talk radio and low-circulation publications.

Medvedev has said he views freedom of speech and a flourishing civil society as essential and that Russia should use a light touch when policing the Internet.

"Thank God we live in a free society," Medvedev said last month in an interview with Reuters.

"It's possible to go on to the Internet and get basically anything you want. In that regard, there are no problems of closed access to information in Russia today, there weren't any yesterday and there won't be any tomorrow," he said.

(Additional reporting by Aydar Buribaev; Editing by Catherine Evans)

Forging relationships between Australia and PNG the 'Fuzzy Wuzzy' way

Relationships between Australia and Papua New Guinea took a turn for the better at the Hideaway Hotel in Port Moresby on Tuesday last week.

And no, it didn’t take politicians or bureaucrats to do that, but simple Australians and even simpler Papua New Guineans.

The nine Australians, all members of the Noosa Rugby Union Club in Queensland, tackled the difficult Kokoda Trail over nine days.

They were accompanied by a dedicated group of guides and porters from Kokoda, villagers along the famous WW11 trail, Koiari, as well as Port Moresby.

Many of these young men were once misfits of society, now under the wings of up-and-coming 100% nationally-owned trekking company, Fuzzy Wuzzy Expeditions.

The Australians and Papua New Guineans enjoyed a beer and barbeque in typical Aussie fashion, sang songs and exchanged gifts at the Hideaway Hotel.

The occasion was witnessed by Southern Region police task force commander, Reuben Giusu, who extolled the virtues of Fuzzy Wuzzy Expeditions in the fight against crime

“We are all from Queensland in Australia, from Noosa Rugby Union Club,” explains group leader Robin Yates.

“We wanted to come because our forefathers and your forefathers fought very hard in this country in 1942.

“And for us, we want to maintain the friendship that started in those days, even though we’ve got good times now.

“So there’s been special relationship between Australia and New Guinea for 60 years now.

“And one way for us to experience that special friendship is for us to come here, walk with the guides and porters, have a lot of fun, it’s a very hard trek.

“For me, I’ve climbed Kilimanjaro (Africa), Everest Base Camp (Himalayas) and Lima Trail in Peru.

“And this trek was very tough.

“But this trek is different because for this time, in our hearts, we are remembering our forefathers and all the brave people who died here and all the help that was given to Australian soldiers from the people of New Guinea.

“Eve though we are at peace now, it’s important for the younger people to remember the very special relationship that existed between your guys and us all those years ago.

“It’s important for the people in Australia not to forget that Papua New Guinea and Australia have been very good friends for many years and will stay that way.

“And for all these brave people that died here, whether from Papua New Guinea or Australia, even though they are dead, they will live forever because they are in our thoughts and hearts.

“And by doing this trek, we can really understand just how difficult it would have been for them all those years ago.

“And for us to get to know some of the porters and guides, even when we were lying because our knees were hurting, we can still all laugh together, what I’m sure our forefathers did all those years ago when they established these bonds of friendship.

“That’s only because we’re here.”

Mr Yates, 57, a successful import/export businessman, proved that age was no hindrance when you set your mind on something.

He also cast his vote-of-confidence in Fuzzy Wuzzy Expeditions, especially at a time when it is common knowledge that many Australian companies use Papua New Guineans as mere fronts, with most of the money heading back south.

“We want the money to come to New Guinea, not Australia,” Mr Yates explains.

“We want the money to come to New Guinea, that’s why we used a local company.

“And I’m very pleased that we did because we did a great trek and enjoyed all the people from Fuzzy Wuzzy.

“I’m sure that many more people will want to come and do the same.”

While every day along the WW11 icon was a highlight, he singled out Isurava and Brigade Hill as two that stood out.

“I think, for the boys, the two nights that were really enjoyable were at Isurava and Brigade Hill where we camped, because both of these places were very special back in 1942,” Mr Yates says,

“I guess the other highlight was the finish after all the hard work.

“Life is easy today in 2008.

“Everybody sits down and watches TV.

“It’s good to come out, get wet in the rain, sleep in the open, and see the stars at night.

“It was such a good feeling for nine days.”

Fuzzy Wuzzy Expeditions is the new kid on the block that’s taking the Kokoda Trail by storm through the Internet.

It’s a far cry from early 2004 when I first met an enterprising young man named Defol Jabbar.

He had just set up his new trekking company and the next three years would be a steep learning curve.

Mr Jabbar has slowly, but steadily, been building up his client base since 2004, albeit, without a professionally-designed website.

His website http://www.fuzzywuzzy.com.pg/ was properly designed and uploaded last November and the sky is now the limit.

Mr Jabbar, as far as I know, is the first Papua New Guinean owner of a trekking company to have a proper website.

Many overseas trekkers and tourists prefer to use 100% locally-owned companies; however, the catch is that few of these companies are Internet-savvy.

The lucrative Kokoda Trail market is dominated by foreign-owned companies, many of whom use Papua New Guineans as fronts, and Fuzzy Wuzzy Expeditions is indeed a breath of fresh air.

It has already secured major corporate clients such as SP Brewery and Telikom, while the number of site visits and hits increases by the day.

The situation for many Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) all over the world, including Papua New Guinea, is that an entrepreneur (such as Mr Jabbar) owns a small or medium enterprise.

The company produces an interesting product such as organic coffee or arts and crafts, or provides a novel service such as taking tourists across the Kokoda Trail.

The problem: How do we use the Internet to sell the product or service?

The general methodology is to plan, analyse and enact E-marketing activities.

This methodology can be used by anyone who wants to use the Internet to access customers.

And it’s been through such methodology that Mr Jabbar has been able to pull in an extra buck or two into the country, provide employment, as well as promote tourism in this beautiful country of ours.

Mr Jabbar can be contacted on email defol@fuzzywuzzy.com.pg or info@fuzzywuzzy.com.pg and mobile 6883231.

Kuk, Western Highland, added to World Heritage list

Eight new sites, from the Straits of Malacca, to Papua New Guinea and San Marino, added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List

Monday, July 7, 2008

The World Heritage Committee meeting in Quebec City has added eight new cultural sites to UNESCO’s World Heritage List on the morning of the 7 of July. With these inscriptions, Papua New Guinea and San Marino enter the World Heritage List for the first time.

The new sites inscribed are:

Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca (Malaysia) have developed over 500 years of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West in the Straits of Malacca. The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the towns with a specific multicultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible. With its government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications, Melaka demonstrates the early stages of this history originating in the 15th-century Malay sultanate and the Portuguese and Dutch periods beginning in the early 16th century. Featuring residential and commercial buildings, George Town represents the British era from the end of the 18th century. The two towns constitute a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia.

Kuk Early Agricultural Site (Papua New Guinea) consists of 116 ha of swamps in the southern highlands of New Guinea 1,500 metres above sea-level. Archaeological excavation has revealed the landscape to be one of wetland reclamation worked almost continuously for 7,000, and possibly for 10,000 years. It contains well-preserved archaeological remains demonstrating the technological leap which transformed plant exploitation to agriculture around 6,500 years ago. It is an excellent example of transformation of agricultural practices over time, from cultivation mounds to draining the wetlands through the digging of ditches with wooden tools. Kuk is one of the few places in the world where archaeological evidence suggests independent agricultural development and changes in agricultural practice over such a long period of time.

Stari Grad Plain (Croatia) on the Adriatic island of Hvar is a cultural landscape that has remained practically intact since it was first colonized by Ionian Greeks from Paros in the 4th century BC. The original agricultural activity of this fertile plain, mainly centring on grapes and olives, has been maintained since Greek times to the present. The site is also a natural reserve. The landscape features ancient stone walls and trims, or small stone shelters, and bears testimony to the ancient geometrical system of land division used by the ancient Greeks, the chora which has remained virtually intact over 24 centuries.

Fortifications of Vauban (France) consists of 13 groups of fortified buildings and sites along the western, northern and eastern borders of France. They represent the finest examples of the work of Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban (1633-1707), a military engineer of King Louis XIV. The serial property includes towns built from scratch by Vauban, citadels built on plains, urban bastion walls, bastion towers and a residence. There are also mountain forts, sea forts, a mountain battery and two mountain communication structures. This property is inscribed as bearing witness to the peak of classic fortifications, typical of western military architecture. Vauban also played a major role in the history of fortification in Europe and as far away as the American continent, Russia and East Asia.

Berlin Modernism Housing Estates (Germany). The property consists of six housing estates that testify to innovative housing policies from 1910 to 1933, especially during the Weimar Republic, when the city of Berlin was particularly progressive socially, politically and culturally. The property is an outstanding example of the building reform movement that contributed to improving housing and living conditions for people with low incomes through novel approaches to town planning, architecture and garden design. The estates also provide exceptional examples of new urban and architectural typologies, featuring fresh design solutions, as well as technical and aesthetic innovations. Bruno Taut, Martin Wagner and Walter Gropius were among the leading architects of these projects which exercised considerable influence on the development of housing around the world.

Mantua and Sabbioneta, in the Po valley, in the north of Italy, represent two aspects of Renaissance town planning: Mantua shows the renewal and extension of an existing city, while 30 km away, Sabbioneta represents the implementation of the period’s theories about planning the ideal city. Typically, Mantua’s layout is irregular with regular parts showing different stages of its growth since the Roman period and includes many medieval edifices among them an 11th century rotunda and a Baroque theatre. Sabbioneta, created in the second half of the 16th century under the rule of one person, Vespasiano Gonzaga Colonna, can be described as a single-period city and has a right angle grid layout. Both cities offer exceptional testimonies to the urban, architectural and artistic realizations of the Renaissance, linked through the visions and actions of the ruling Gonzaga family. The two towns are important for the value of their architecture and for their prominent role in the dissemination of Renaissance culture. The ideals of the Renaissance, fostered by the Gonzaga family, are present in the towns’ morphology and architecture.

San Marino Historic Centre and Mount Titano (San Marino) covers 55 ha, including Mount Titano and the historic centre of the city which dates back to the foundation of the republic as a city-state in the 13th century. San Marino is inscribed as a testimony to the continuity of a free republic since the Middle Ages. The inscribed city centre includes fortification towers, walls, gates and bastions, as well as a neo-classical basilica of the 19th century, 14th and 16th century convents, and the Palazzo Publico of the 19th century, as well as the 18th century Titano Theatre. The property represents an historical centre still inhabited and preserving all its institutional functions. Thanks to its position on top of Mount Titano, it was not affected by the urban transformations that have occurred from the advent of the industrial era to today.

The Wooden Churches of the Slovak part of Carpathian Mountain Area (Slovakia) inscribed on the World Heritage List consist of two Roman Catholic, three Protestant and three Greek Orthodox churches built between the 16th and 18th centuries in small, poor villages in an area formerly known as Upland Hungary. The property presents good examples of a rich local tradition of religious architecture, marked by the meeting of Latin and Byzantine cultures. The edifices exhibit some typological variations in their floor plans, interior spaces and external appearance due to their respective religious practices. They bear testimony to the development of major architectural and artistic trends during the period of construction and to their interpretation and adaptation to a specific geographical and cultural context. Interiors are decorated with paintings on the walls and ceilings and other works of art that enrich the cultural significance of the properties.

During the morning session, the Committee also approved the extension of the Mountain Railways of India with the inscription of the Kalka Shimla Railway, a 96km long, single track working rail link built in the mid-19th century to provide a service to the highland town of Shimla.

Contacts in Quebec: Roni Amelan, r.amelan@unesco.org +33(0)674398441
Joana Sullivan, j.sullivan@unesco.org +1 418 262 6529
For photographs: www.unesco.org/en/whc/photos
Video footage: mms://stream.unesco.org/bpi/whc_cult2_070708.wmv

How PNG can benefit from Blogging

How PNG can benefit from Blogging

In my 20-odd years in journalism, I have written hundreds of stories and taken hundreds of photographs on a vast array of subjects, covering everything from rugby league to politics, from Kavieng to Daru.

Many of these articles were written before the age of computers, in the era of typewriters and fax machines, hence could not be saved.

Only after computers and the Internet came on the scene, in the late 1990’s, could these articles be preserved on floppy disks and CDs.

I couple of years ago, as I was cleaning up my house, I was faced with the dilemma of what to do with this myriad of stories and pictures.

Family and friends, particularly my late wife Hula – my greatest fan – had often encouraged me to compile a book of all that I’d written over the years.

After considering all the possibilities, I decided to set up my own Blog on the Internet, featuring my articles and photographs, and with the express purpose of promoting our beloved country Papua New Guinea.

So, I copied some of what I’d written and photographed over the years on a flash drive, and spent long hours on weekends at Internet cafes posting them on my Blog.

Slowly, but steadily, readership of my Blog grew and I started receiving emails from all over the world.

These came from former PNG residents, tourists who wanted to know more about the country, students doing assignments, academics, researchers, businessmen, writers, book publishers, and many, many more.

Needless to say, I’m proud that my Blog has, in one way or another, served to promote PNG around the world and may have brought in an extra kina or two into our coffers.

At the height of the Taiwan scandal earlier this year, I was surprised to receive an email from a leading TV station in Taipei, wanting to know more about Timothy Bonga and Dr Florian Gubon.

The TV station had apparently found my Blog on the Internet!

A Blog, a shortened form of the term ‘web log’, is a website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.

Entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order.

"Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a Blog.

Many Blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries.

A typical Blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic.

The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many Blogs.

Most Blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketchblog, videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), audio (podcasting) are part of a wider network of social media.

A Blog gives you your own voice on the web.

It's a place to collect and share things that you find interesting— whether it's your political commentary, a personal diary, or links to web sites you want to remember.

Many people use a Blog just to organise their own thoughts, while others command influential, worldwide audiences of thousands.

Professional and amateur journalists use Blogs to publish breaking news, while personal journalers reveal inner thoughts.

Whatever you have to say, Blogging can help you say it.

Blogging is about more than just putting your thoughts on the web.

It's about connecting with and hearing from anyone who reads your work and cares to respond.

With Blogging, you control who can read and write to your Blog — let just a few friends or the entire world see what you have to say!

Blogging let anyone, anywhere, to offer feedback on your posts.

You can choose whether you want to allow comments on a post-by-post basis, and you can delete any comments you don't like.

Access Controls let you decide who can read and who can write to your Blog.

You can use a group Blog with multiple authors as an excellent communication tool for small teams, families and other groups.

Or as a single author, you can create a private online space for collecting news, links, and ideas, to keep to yourself or share with as many readers as you want.

Bloggings let you find people and Blogs that share your interests.

Your profile, where you can list your blogs, your interests, and more, lets people find you (but only if you want to be found).

Whether you're starting your Blog or just think it's time to give your existing Blog a facelift, user-friendly editing tools help you easily design a great-looking page.

A collection of templates will get you started with an attractive site right away without you having to learn any HTML, though you can edit your Blog's HTML code whenever you want.

When you're ready to take the next step, you can further customise templates to create a design that perfectly reflects you and your Blog.

You can easily upload photos on your Blog.

The fastest way to understand Blogging is to try it out, and in less than five minutes, you could be part of the phenomenon that’s transforming web and media to a participatory approach.

As I have mentioned before in this column, several companies and individuals in PNG are profiteering from the ignorance of our little people by charging them huge amounts of money to build a website for their small businesses.

And after being ripped off by these companies, the little people then feel the brunt of paying excessive fees for a domain name, regular rental to the Internet Service Provider (ISP), as well as Internet usage fees to Telikom.

In a small economy, such as that of PNG, small businesses cannot survive with such exorbitant costs.

This should no longer be the case, as it is quick and easy to design a website, such as a Blog, using templates freely available on the Internet, where you do not have to pay for a domain name or ISP rentals.

Your just have to pay for your Internet usage fee at the nearest Internet café if you don’t have Internet access in your office.

PNG faces massive threat from computer viruses

Young Papua New Guinean computer specialist Panu Kasar, who runs the PC Clinic, advises that it is wise for all computer users to be equipped with the latest anti-virus software and fixes to counterattack this flood of cyber pests flooding our computer networks.

“Computer viruses are dangerous and can cause millions of kina loss in income and profit because of the society’s dependence on computers,” he says.

“Preventing loss is wiser, so be equipped with a reliable anti-virus as soon as possible.

“All computers must have at least anti-virus software installed on the PC configured to scan threats that may infect the computer,” he says.

“Anti-viruses such as Norton, Symantec, AVG, need the Internet for updating because they have live update feature.

“This means that when connected to the Internet a user must activate the automatic update feature for latest updates to be installed.

“Otherwise, download anti-virus definitions from the manufacturer’s site.

“Updating definitions is important because anti-viruses are designed to go weak after a month.

“This is a strategy used by the manufacturers to monitor viruses because once a user connects to the net for monthly updates the manufacturers have access to your PC to record the number of viruses you have detected in your PC.”

A virus is software designed to corrupt system files.

It is made to disrupt or deny basic services the computer would need to use to function.

They act as low level computer processes which make some anti viruses hard to detect as they are seen as normal system processes.

Usually they infect a PC rapidly that you won’t notice.

It may take hours to scan and clean an infected computer but takes a second or two to be infected again once an infected USB drive is inserted.

The transferable nature of viruses has caused government departments millions of dollars due to loss of data by destructive viruses.

Viruses are highly dangerous and can cause computers to crash.

Some viruses are designed even to corrupt and disable anti-virus software installed in the victim’s PC.

Mr Kasar discusses the various threats below:

Spyware

“Spyware is malicious software planted on your computer by marketing companies.

“It is designed to monitor your Internet activities, collect your personal information and can even reach sensitive data like your private passwords, emails and credit card details.

“If your PC is infected with Spyware all your keystrokes, visited websites and even conversations can be recorded or monitored by someone who had secretly installed spy software on your PC.

“This person or company can steal your banking data; make Internet access slower, change browser homepage, etc.

“Spyware is usually bundled with software downloads, attached to e-mails, or transmitted through networks.

“That’s why many anti-virus programs define it as legitimate software.

“Once installed, it can be hard to remove, and therefore, your computer will remain infected and your privacy will be at risk for a long time.

“Originally it was designed by advertising and marketing companies to monitor behaviour of internet surfers.

Trojan

“Trojans infections are mainly seen when using the Internet without a reliable firewall.

“Trojans filter through networks rapidly, can cause harm to data and stops access to files.

“Like the traditional Trojan horse story of Greek mythology, they become a resident of the victim’s PC and allow hackers access to your computer.

“They also create or clone more viruses when they reside in your PC.

“When the PC becomes a host to a Trojan it invites more viruses who are attracted to it.”

Worm

“This was originally was used by administrators to find loop holes in the networks.

“They filter through networks rapidly and can also duplicate themselves on removable storage devices.

“Recently, worms have been modified by cyber criminals to act also as viruses and can cause system crashes in large networks.

“A good example is the Brontok worm which has both characteristics of a virus and a worm. “

Mr Kasar said computer viruses had increased rapidly in PNG in recent years due to the increase in computer usage.

“Viruses are now very readily transferable due to certain factors and changes in the ICT environment,” he says.

“Obvious factors include:

The widespread use of USB storage devices - Today the use of USB flash drives, iPods, MP3/MP4 players, external hard drives, mobile phone storage and also digital camera storage devices is widespread. These are portable and can be carried around and used in any computer. It is a precaution to scan all USB portable devices with a reliable virus scanner before using.
The increased use of Internet by the working class - It is an obvious fact that today most of our corporate working class are using the email facilities for communicating. This has also resulted in the spread of computer viruses. Email servers that do not have updated firewalls have become vulnerable to viruses attacks. This is very critical because emails can be sent to many contacts at a single click. Supposing there is a virus attached, unsuspecting victims will be infected upon downloading the infected attachments.
The introduction of Telikom PNG’s VSAT and Broadband Technology - These are state-of-the-part modern day technology that will definitely lift PNG to a higher level in ICT. With the use of this technology precaution must be taken against computer viruses. Users must be prepared to counterattack computer viruses on a larger scale with the use of this technology. In traditional Internet dial-up technology the speed is 56Kb/s while with the VSAT you experience speeds from 1 MB/s up to 2 GB/s range depending on customer preferences. These speeds have enabled PNG to be opened up to high speed data freeways making our networks vulnerable to virus attacks.”


Mr Kasar said latest threats included W32.Rontokbro@mm , W32.PitinB , W32.Fujacks , .SCR , Surabaya , Panduan Islam Virus—ManOblack , Trojanhorse and Downloader.

He said symptoms that showed a user that his computer was infected were:
The Home Page on the Internet browser changing;
CD Drive opens and closes unexpectedly;
Strange behavior is noticed- applications not responding, Explorer blinks or goes off, start menu pops up and goes off continuously;
· Folders in the USB drive are hidden
· Mouse pointer moves without you pointing the mouse;
· Office documents change their extension form, for example, from doc, xls, etc, to exe.
· Strange pop-ups are experienced;
· Computer suddenly logs off and displays a blue screen;
· You log into Windows and it logs off again;
· Your computer suddenly becomes very slow; and
· Your anti-virus cannot start up or is disabled.

The PC Clinic deals with detection, removal and monitoring of computer viruses and also provides anti-virus installations for WAN and LAN Servers.

They can be contacted on email pkasar@mail.com telephone 325 8912, and mobiles 6890616 and 72571939.

Sky is the limit for Regional Aviation Academy

Amidst the ruins of the once-thriving and famous Civil Aviation Agency (CAA) Training College at Six-Mile, Port Moresby, lies the fast-rising Regional Aviation Academy.

This ramshackle collection of buildings is only a façade, however, because within is the first 100% nationally-owned private school in Papua New Guinea to train licensed aircraft maintenance engineers.

It also offers flight theory lessons for aspiring aviators because it does not have a plane of its own to give practical flying lessons.

Regional Aviation Academy – officially recognised by the National Training Council - began operations in 2001 and offers aircraft maintenance courses and imparts training through lessons where students sit for Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA)-prepared examinations.

It uses the Queensland aerospace engineering syllabus.

From humble beginnings, more than 100 students have passed through the Regional Aviation Academy, and are now working all over the aviation industry in PNG as well as overseas.

Two of the most-qualified aircraft engineers in the country, Nick Kuiaha and Simm Kangadab, are at the helm of engineering courses at the academy while academy pioneer and qualified pilot and physics/mathematics instructor John Paui heads flight theory.

Mr Paui recalls that around the 1997-1998 periods, he and another pilot James Yanda saw that there was an urgent need to train PNG pilots.

“We saw a lot of people who wanted to be pilots but there was no training facility, no training school, no avenues around,” he says.

“The Aero Club used to run a flying school but they closed.

“There was also training at the Missionary Aviation Fellowship in Mount Hagen but they were not running theory classes at that time.

“What me and Captain James Yanda decided was to do something to help these unfortunate guys, who had the heart to do something, but there were no training facilities available.

“That was when we decided to start up something that we called National Aviation Training Institute.

“We talked to the guys at CAA and they allowed us to use their classrooms.

“We were teaching private pilot’s theory classes.

“The people from the Department (Civil Aviation) came around, observed our classes, and made recommendations for improvement.

“We needed improvements in course contents at that time.

“At that time, about 80% of the students went through, then the next step was the technical bit, which was real flying.

“We recommended that they go to Mt Hagen and join up with MAF, but by then, MAF were not doing much.

“We couldn’t continue, because there was no point getting students, and there was nothing for them to continue their studies.”

Enter Mr Kuiaha, a dual-licensed aircraft maintenance engineer, former PNG Defence Force Air Transport Squadron aircraft engineer, and lecturer in aircraft engineering at Port Moresby Technical College, amongst others in a distinguished career.

Mr Kangadab, a former PNGDF ATS aircraft engineer colleague of Mr Kuiaha, was a distinguished Air Niugini engineer and trainer before joining Regional Aviation Academy.

“I was retrenched from Airlines PNG in 2000,” Mr Kuiaha remembers.

“That was when I came in and joined them.

“There was a need for Papua New Guineans to train their own people.

“That’s how we came to be.

“We started from humble beginnings and went from strength to strength.

“Having to see our once-proud institutions like CAA College, which was a state-of-the-art school, running down was a real heartbreak and spurred us on to start Regional Aviation Academy.

“We are in our eighth year now and there’s no turning back.

“Over 100 students have passed out and all are employed.

“Two have gone on for further studies at the Royal Melbourne Institute to Technology in Melbourne, Australia.

“We have a former student employed in New Zealand.

“Another one has just returned from Hawaii.

“In Air Niugini we’ve got about 11 former students, while at Airlines PNG we’ve got about 15, HeviLift have got three, MAF have got six, NationAir have got five, National Air Services have got five, Helifix have got two, South West Airlines have got two, so they are scattered all over the aviation industry in the country.

“We are also proud that we are currently training five aircraft engineers from the PNG Defence Force.

“We are also proud that we have female students on board, which shows that there’s no discrimination.”

Mr Kuiaha said Regional Aviation Academy had been the target of a hate campaign, especially among the PNG aircraft engineering and pilot fraternities, but had persisted and the sky was no the limit.

“Critics are basically our own colleagues, who are pilots and engineers,” Mr Kanganab injects.

“They can talk from their comfort zone.

“To be honest, you have to be in there to see the difficulties.

“We (Messrs Kuiaha and Kanganab) are the only two Papua New Guinean instructors in aircraft engineering at the moment.

“We are we getting recycled expatriates in as aircraft engineering trainers at major airlines like Air Niugini?

“Another question we should be asking is that why are we spectators on our own land?”

Mr Kuiaha said there was an urgent need to train aircraft engineers, pilots, air traffic controllers, and other vacations within the civil aviation as there were not enough new people being churned out to meet the rising demand.

Aviation technology was also fast-changing.

“We have approached CAA about these matters, but these approaches have fallen upon deaf ears,” he said.

“”Regional Aviation Academy is a national institution.

“We’ve already secured a piece of land behind the ATS, at None-Mile, and we’re looking at funding to build a state-of-the-art institution.

“Nothing is impossible.

“We have to push on from here.

“Air Niugini has done very well, but why do they bring in foreign instructors to come and train Papua New Guineans?

“Defence Force did the same thing and it failed.

“We (Regional Aviation Academy) have contributed what we can.

“Air Niugini must seriously give us the chance to prove ourselves.

“We’ve done well.

“Why bring in foreigners to run courses when we can do it ourselves.”