This list comes directly from Congress via thomas.gov:

PIPA (S. 968)

Sen Leahy, Patrick J. [VT] (introduced 5/12/2011)

Sen Alexander, Lamar [TN] – 5/25/2011
Sen Ayotte, Kelly [NH] – 6/27/2011
Sen Bennet, Michael F. [CO] – 7/25/2011
Sen Bingaman, Jeff [NM] – 10/19/2011
Sen Blumenthal, Richard [CT] – 5/12/2011
Sen Blunt, Roy [MO] – 5/23/2011
Sen Boozman, John [AR] – 6/15/2011
Sen Boxer, Barbara [CA] – 12/12/2011
Sen Brown, Sherrod [OH] – 10/20/2011
Sen Cardin, Benjamin L. [MD] – 7/13/2011
Sen Casey, Robert P., Jr. [PA] – 9/7/2011
Sen Chambliss, Saxby [GA] – 11/2/2011
Sen Cochran, Thad [MS] – 6/23/2011
Sen Coons, Christopher A. [DE] – 5/12/2011
Sen Corker, Bob [TN] – 6/9/2011
Sen Durbin, Richard [IL] – 6/30/2011
Sen Enzi, Michael B. [WY] – 9/7/2011
Sen Feinstein, Dianne [CA] – 5/12/2011
Sen Franken, Al [MN] – 5/12/2011
Sen Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [NY] – 5/26/2011
Sen Graham, Lindsey [SC] – 5/12/2011
Sen Grassley, Chuck [IA] – 5/12/2011
Sen Hagan, Kay [NC] – 7/5/2011
Sen Hatch, Orrin G. [UT] – 5/12/2011
Sen Isakson, Johnny [GA] – 11/2/2011
Sen Johnson, Tim [SD] – 10/3/2011
Sen Klobuchar, Amy [MN] – 5/12/2011
Sen Kohl, Herb [WI] – 5/12/2011
Sen Landrieu, Mary L. [LA] – 10/17/2011
Sen Lieberman, Joseph I. [CT] – 7/7/2011
Sen McCain, John [AZ] – 7/26/2011
Sen Menendez, Robert [NJ] – 10/31/2011
Sen Nelson, Bill [FL] – 9/23/2011
Sen Risch, James E. [ID] – 11/7/2011
Sen Rubio, Marco [FL] – 5/26/2011
Sen Schumer, Charles E. [NY] – 5/12/2011
Sen Shaheen, Jeanne [NH] – 6/30/2011
Sen Udall, Tom [NM] – 7/7/2011
Sen Vitter, David [LA] – 11/7/2011
Sen Whitehouse, Sheldon [RI] – 5/12/2011
Sen Moran, Jerry [KS] – 6/23/2011(withdrawn – 6/27/2011)

SOPA (H.R. 3261)

Rep Smith, Lamar [TX-21] (introduced 10/26/2011)

COSPONSORS(30), ALPHABETICAL [followed by Cosponsors withdrawn]:     (Sort: by date)

Rep Amodei, Mark E. [NV-2] – 11/3/2011
Rep Baca, Joe [CA-43] – 12/7/2011
Rep Barrow, John [GA-12] – 11/14/2011
Rep Bass, Karen [CA-33] – 11/3/2011
Rep Berman, Howard L. [CA-28] – 10/26/2011
Rep Blackburn, Marsha [TN-7] – 10/26/2011
Rep Bono Mack, Mary [CA-45] – 10/26/2011
Rep Carter, John R. [TX-31] – 11/3/2011
Rep Chabot, Steve [OH-1] – 10/26/2011
Rep Chu, Judy [CA-32] – 11/30/2011
Rep Conyers, John, Jr. [MI-14] – 10/26/2011
Rep Cooper, Jim [TN-5] – 12/12/2011
Rep Deutch, Theodore E. [FL-19] – 10/26/2011
Rep Gallegly, Elton [CA-24] – 10/26/2011
Rep Goodlatte, Bob [VA-6] – 10/26/2011
Rep Griffin, Tim [AR-2] – 10/26/2011
Rep Holden, Tim [PA-17] – 11/30/2011
Rep King, Peter T. [NY-3] – 11/3/2011
Rep Larson, John B. [CT-1] – 11/30/2011
Rep Lujan, Ben Ray [NM-3] – 11/14/2011
Rep Marino, Tom [PA-10] – 11/3/2011
Rep Nunnelee, Alan [MS-1] – 11/3/2011
Rep Owens, William L. [NY-23] – 11/14/2011
Rep Ross, Dennis [FL-12] – 10/26/2011
Rep Scalise, Steve [LA-1] – 11/14/2011
Rep Schiff, Adam B. [CA-29] – 10/26/2011
Rep Sherman, Brad [CA-27] – 12/7/2011
Rep Terry, Lee [NE-2] – 10/26/2011
Rep Wasserman Schultz, Debbie [FL-20] – 11/3/2011
Rep Watt, Melvin L. [NC-12] – 11/3/2011
Rep Quayle, Benjamin [AZ-3] – 12/13/2011(withdrawn – 1/17/2012)

This is passed along from an e-mail I received.  While the specific story about one chain selling something made in the U.S. and the other selling the same product made in China has not been verified by me, the concept of buying an American Made product whenever possible makes sound economic sense.

Ever since our manufacturing base has been shipped to foreign countries our country has suffered a decline.  This decline and resulting economic impact will continue until such time as we start bringing manufacturing JOBS BACK TO THE UNITED STATES.  We can vote with our pocketbooks and our hearts by BUYING AMERICAN WHENEVER WE CAN!

Good idea .. . one light bulb at a time . .

A physics teacher in high school, once told the students that while one grasshopper on the railroad tracks wouldn’t slow a train very much, a billion of them would. With that thought in mind, read the following, obviously written by a good American.

Check this out . I can verify this because I was in Lowes the other day for some reason and just for the heck of it I was looking at the hose attachments. They were all made in China . The next day I was in Ace Hardware and just for the heck of it I checked the hose attachments there. They were made in USA . Start looking.

In our current economic situation, every little thing we buy or do affects someone else – even their job . So, after reading this email, I think this lady is on the right track . Let’s get behind her!

My grandson likes Hershey’s candy . I noticed, though, that it is marked made in Mexico now. I do not buy it any more.

My favorite toothpaste Colgate is made in Mexico … now I have switched to Crest. You have to read the labels on everything.

This past weekend I was at Kroger. I needed 60 W light bulbs and Bounce dryer sheets. I was in the light bulb aisle, and right next to the GE brand I normally buy was an off-brand labeled, “Everyday Value. ” I picked up both types of bulbs and compared the stats -

they were the same except for the price .. The GE bulbs were more money than the Everyday Value brand but the thing that surprised me the most was the fact that GE was made in MEXICO and the Everyday Value brand was made in – get ready for this – the USA in a company in Cleveland , Ohio.

So throw out the myth that you cannot find products you use every day that are made right here.

So on to another aisle – Bounce Dryer Sheets . yep, you guessed it, bounce cost more money and is made in Canada . The Everyday Value brand was less money and MADE IN THE USA ! I did laundry yesterday and the dryer sheets performed just like the Bounce Free I have been using for years and at almost half the price!

My challenge to you is to start reading the labels when you shop for everyday things and see what you can find that is made in the USA – the job you save may be your own or your neighbors!

If you accept the challenge, pass this on and share it with your friends so we can all start buying American, one light bulb at a time! Stop buying from overseas companies whenever you can! We should have awakened a decade ago.

Let’s get with the program help our fellow Americans keep their jobs and create more jobs here in the U.S.A.

Fraudulent eMail

Nasty eMail purports to be from BEST BUY and informs you that your credit card has been charged for a renewal of an Anti-Spyware Subscription.

DO NOT FALL FOR IT!

This little PITA somehow made it through my filters and showed up in my INBOX this morning.   It uses the same e-mail address I use for Facebook.   So, I’d advise all of you with Facebook accounts and my Facebook friends to set your CURRENT Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware to do a full scan of your PCs.

As I wondered how this e-mail address could have been captured, I began to think of the online games I have played at Facebook.  I cannot help but wonder which one of those companies had a security leak.  Or, maybe it was the guy I cleaned out at the Texas HoldEm tables last night.  POOF!  His nearly $800K gone in a flash when he tried to bluff his way into a $200K pot by going all in when I was holding pocket Aces and there was a pair of 8s and a pair of 9s showing.  Oh well.  I’ve been on the other side of that unlucky position more often than I care to remember.

But, back to business:  If you see an eMail like this – just DELETE IT and run a full scan of your PCs just to be safe. ALWAYS review your Anti-Virus software on a weekly basis.  Don’t just assume it is working.  Open up your Anbti-Virus Software’s Control Panel and have a look at the date of you Anti-Virus files.  They should be within the last week.  Often, within the last day or two.

Find out how to read the logs that your Anti-Virus software produces and have a look at them weekly as well. See how many problems have been caught and fixed.

While many of the privacy issues originating from the web-based access to SNSs also apply to mobile social networks, there are also a number of unique risks and threats against mobile social networks. The report aims to provide a set of recommendations for raising the awareness of social networks users and in particular of social mobile users of the risks and the possible consequences related to their improper use.

I recommend all my clients and friends download and skim through this report. Get it by clicking the link below:

http://stevemaziarz.com/blog/snreport

Check Your Anti-Virus Software Now

All of them have had varying degrees of anti-virus protection, but it didn’t catch this nasty germ.  In a couple cases, it could have been because their subscription to the update service expired.  In one case, it was because their Anti-Virus protection was turned off.

Virtually every anti-virus software that I know of places a small icon in the lower right corner of your screen (in a typical Windows environment) next to the place where the time and date are displayed.  FIND YOURS.

1. Open up the Control Panel for your particular Anti-Virus solution.
   You can generally open up the control panel for your anti-virus solution by double-clicking that icon.
2. Make sure that it is Active and that your Anti-Virus definition files are up to date.
   Here’s what it looks like for my favorite tool, AVG:

AVG Anti-Virus Control Panel

If your Anti_Virus solution has expired, is horribly out of date,  or is turned off, go ahead and take the steps to fix it! If it’s off – turn it back on.  If it is out of date, perform a manual update (most have a button on the Control Panel to do so. Find yours).  If it has expired, you can renew it.  Or, if finances are tight,  see my other posts on FREE Anti-Virus solutions (do a search or just browse the Tech Tips Category).

In most cases, the most efficient cure for this particular infection was to:

1. Save the important files off to an external drive
   I use a proprietary method I have which eliminates the chance that an especially nasty bug will transfer over to the external hard drive.  This technique is available to members of my Priority Club.
2. Wipe the system clean
3. Re-install Windows

A Better Cure

After a LOT of searching and trial and error, one of my more persistent friends found a cure for this very nasty malady which worked for her and I wanted to pass it along to you.  It is at another online forum. Follow the link below and begin looking at Post #2.

What The Tech Forum Solution

I received the following e-mail today. I thought that with the holidays, some of you (as I almost did) would be tempted to immediately click on such an e-mail because you have likely been using your cards so much – especially for online shopping.

If you receive a similar e-mail – JUST DELETE IT.  If you are in any way concerned, please call your credit card company – they’ll be happy to let you know if your account has any suspect transactions.

If there is a phone number in the e-mail you receive *** DO NOT CALL THAT PHONE NUMBER *** CALL THE NUMBER ON THE BACK OF YOUR CARD ***

SUBJECT:  possible fraudulent transaction with your VISA card

Dear VISA card holder,

A recent review of your transaction history determined that your card was used at an ATM located in Latvia, but for security reasons the requested transaction was refused.Please carefully review electronic report for your VISA card at:

{WEB LINK WOULD BE HERE}

VISA Cards Support

Mess ID: 3WSHSP92QHHC94946QQR67VXX77CY30P4TMPWQ1QZF9QLYJ7548LR7PE6NLPUUMPSHN1GG

If you happen to receive an e-mail urging you to set up a Vaccination Profile at the direction of the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) immediately delete the e-mail.  It is a scam designed to get you to “cough up” [pun intended] enough personal information so that they can engage in identity theft or other such nonsense.

The e-mail attempts to look legitimate by tying in with the H1N1 craze sweeping the country and having a return e-mail address and other information that tries to make it look like it came from the CDC.   But it’s a sham. Don’t fall for it.