Keep software up to date to turn away worm

If only we could harness all this talent for good ...

The latest example is a new computer worm, flooding our inbox with "news" stories like "Kelsey Grammer in hospital after hear attack," "John McCain found unconscious in a toilet" and "Britney Spears broke her arm in freak poolside accident."

As easy as the last one is to believe, it's actually the "Storm" worm, a piece of malicious software tempting you to click a link and infect your computer with its code. Once you do, writers are able to build an enormous network of hijacked computers, called a "botnet," which enables them to send out tons more spam and messages designed to trap the unsuspecting.

So next time you see a message header like "Bill Clinton in today's Times -- thank god Hilary didn't beat Obama," or "Beijing Olympics canceled upon death of China's president," or "Dog digs grave for owner," just delete it.

Even if you haven't been infected with the Storm worm, over time, your computer is probably running slower than it should because of data-mining software and other code left on its hard drive, tying up processing power with functions you couldn't care less about.

If you're going to be on the Internet, keep your browser, firewall, virus software and operating system up to date.

Editorial Roundup

Teacher deserves her punishment

Norfolk Daily News

NORFOLK -- The recent war of words between sides in the case involving a former Lexington teacher who became intimately involved with one of her students could very well continue until Kelsey Peterson is sentenced in September. ...

The 26-year-old woman recently pleaded guilty -- as part of a plea bargain -- to a charge of transporting a minor across state lines to have sex. ...

The plea agreement calls for a sentence of at least 70 months in prison. ...

The guilty plea in federal court doesn't mean Peterson is off the hook on state charges, which include kidnapping and first-degree sexual assault. ...

During the court appearance in which the guilty plea to the federal charge was entered, Peterson cried and shook her head when the prosecutor said she started having sex with the boy when he was 12 years old and a student at the middle school in Lexington where she taught.

After the proceedings had concluded, some of her family members burst out of the courtroom, shouting at reporters, telling them to "ask (the victim) how old he is and saying they believe Peterson is being unjustly accused.

Peterson's attorney, James Martin Davis of Omaha, has contributed to the family's sentiment, publicly questioning the boy's birth certificate. Davis said the boy was likely at least 16 when the affair began and that he was the aggressor.

Amy Peck, who is the attorney for the boy and his family, said that suggestion was disgusting.

"He was a 12-year-old boy, and the defendant knew it," Peck said. ...

From our perspective -- one based on common sense and morality, not the letter of the law -- we don't particularly care whether the boy was 12 or 16. Peterson was his sixth-grade teacher, and she should have known that what she was doing was wrong -- regardless of whether he was the aggressor or not. ...

She deserves whatever punishment is meted out to her.