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September transitions us from summer to fall. As the month progresses, we may experience cooler temperatures, more colorful leaves, and seasonal changes to daily routines. To get you in the spirit, this September issue is sprinkled with fun, fall-related resources. But first, we share important information on the Russian data breach that's been in the news lately, and what you can do on a regular basis to help protect your data. We also provide tips for how to turn off Facebook notification sounds and how to add the Pin It button to your browser. Could your home use back-to-school touches this fall? Check out the Pinterest section. Want to turn free leaves into fabulous crafts? Rake up ideas in Sites of the Month.
We think you'll find the information contained in this newsletter to be a valuable tool for enhancing your Internet experience. As always, we appreciate your feedback and suggestions. Please send your thoughts, comments or questions to newsletter@gmavt.net.
- The Green
Mountain Access Team
Aaron, Adam, Amanda, Eric, Kris,
Phil, Richard, Seth, and Scott
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Be Sure To Check Out Our Business Connections Magazine
Check out the great spotlight on Martin's Hardware & Building Supply in the September issue of our Business Connections magazine. This magazine is published on a quarterly basis and mailed out to all of our business customers.
Win A $50 Gift Certificate To Boyer's Orchard
Each month, we raffle off a prize from a local business, so be sure to enter your name every month for your chance to win. Congratulations to all of last month’s winners of tickets to the Addison County Fair and Field Days. This month we have another great prize for you, so be sure to enter for your chance to win a $50 gift certificate to Boyer's Orchard in Monkton. The drawing will take place on September 15.
Click here to enter for your chance to win.
Try Faster Internet Free For 60-Days
When was the last time you upgraded your Internet speed? Times have changed and many households now need more Internet speed to handle more users and more devices. Now you can get a lot more Mbps for just a little more money! Choose the high-speed Internet plan with the download/upload speeds that best meet your household’s needs and try it free for 60 days! While not currently available to all of our Internet customers, we can currently reach approximately 60% of our subscribers with higher speed packages. To find out if higher speeds are available at your location, click here. Give us a call at (888)-321-0815 or e-mail us to learn more.
WCVT In The Community
Seventy Backpacks Donated To Local Schools
More than seventy backpacks filled with new school supplies have been donated and delivered to local schools by Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom employees. This is the third consecutive year that WCVT has coordinated the charitable backpack program. The program is coordinated by Tammy Field, Administrative Service Supervisor for the company. Field, who also coordinates the company’s Annual Giving Tree program, worked with local schools to help identify families needing assistance of school supplies for their children. Throughout the year, WCVT frequently collaborates with local nonprofits, schools and community organizations to provide important services in our local communities. Happy Back to school everyone!
WCVT to Hold Blood Drive - Tuesday, September 16
 On Tuesday, September 16, Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom will hold a Red Cross blood drive from 12:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the WCVT business office located on Route 100 in Waitsfield (across from the Waitsfield Elementary School). Each year, WCVT holds two blood drives, typically in March and September, with employees assisting in the staffing of the event. For more information, please call 496-3391 or contact the Red Cross at 1-800-GIVE-LIFE or online at www.redcrossblood.org.
Come See Us at the Bristol Harvest Festival – September 27
Thanks to everyone who stopped by our booth at the Addison County Fair and Field Days. It’s always great to meet our customers. This month we will once again be out and about in the local community. Come see us at the Bristol Harvest Festival which will take place on town green on Saturday, September 27 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. This is an event that we attend annually and it's a great opportunity to meet our customers face-to-face and help answer any questions or concerns you may have. Hope to see you there!
Being a local business means that our customers are also our neighbors and friends. At Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom, we feel strongly that community involvement is not just a nice thing to do; it is the right thing to do. If you have a community service project in the making and are looking for help, contact Alan Jones at 496-8328 or via email ajones@wcvt.com to see if we can lend a hand.
And The Winner Of One Free Month Of High-Speed Internet Service Is...
Congratulations Alice Evans for being this month’s winner of one free month of high-speed Internet service. Alice's name was chosen at random from customers who completed our monthly Green Mountain Access technical support surveys.
Each month, one name is selected at random from customers who complete our online technical support or new user surveys. Survey requests are sent out via e-mail to customers after calling technical support or establishing new service. So be sure to fill out those surveys!
Two to View — A Couple Of Amazing Videos You Don't Want To Miss
Trombonist Serenades Cows
click here for video
Who knew cows loved trombone music? Watch an entire herd of them come up over the horizon and run toward the trombone-playing farmer.
Baby Tears Up When Mother Sings
click here for video
When this mother sings a beautiful, yet sad, song to her 10-month-old baby, the baby reacts by crying sweet tears sure to melt your heart.
Go Pinterest-ing! - Cool Stuff To Pin On Your Pinterest Boards
Pinterest is a pinboard-style photo-sharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests, and hobbies. Users can browse other pinboards for images, 're-pin' images to their own pinboards, or 'like' photos. Here are some links to some:
Build Organization With Backpack Central
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/291537775851445244/
Pencil "Cake" Makes A Sharp Decoration
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/291537775851980640/
Cake Batter Cookies Feature Funfetti Flair
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/291537775851980654/
You haven't started pinning on Pinterest yet and you want to get started? To learn more visit http://about.pinterest.com/en or to sign up, go here https://pinterest.com/join/signup/. |
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Data Breach Alert - Russian Hackers Steal 1.2 Billion Passwords
Have you heard of the CyberVor hackers in Russia? Hold Security, the Milwaukee firm that discovered the hack this summer, gave them the name CyberVor since "vor" means "thief" in Russian. These thieves stole 1.2 billion usernames and passwords, along with 540 million email addresses across 420,000 sites.
To do it, they used a botnet, which is a network of computers infected with a virus or malware that lets a hacker control or monitor them to some degree. Whenever a user on an infected computer visited a website, the computer tested the website to see if it was susceptible to hacking. If it was, the criminals flagged the website, and returned later with a hack called an SQL injection, which reproduces the website's database contents.
This data breach prompts us to again remind you to regularly change your passwords. If you use the same passwords for multiple websites, quit this practice. Reusing passwords makes it easier for hackers to get into many of your accounts and access key information like your credit card data.
This Month's FAQ - How Can I Turn Off Facebook's Notification Sounds?
Question: I'm getting tired of hearing notification sounds every time I have Facebook activity. How do I turn off the sounds?
Answer: There's a quick-and-easy fix for this problem that will reduce the noise in your life! To turn off Facebook's notification sounds:
1. Go to your Facebook page.
2. Click the upside-down triangle in the upper-right corner of the blue bar, then click the "Settings" link.
3. In the left column, select "Notifications."
4. Where it says "On Facebook," click the "View" link and uncheck "Play a sound." 5. Click the "Save Changes" button.
Short Tutorial - How To Add The Pin It Button To Your Browser
The Pin It button makes it easy to Pin things to Pinterest that you find on the web -- like a recipe from your favorite food blog or a photo from a travel site. You can get this button from the Pinterest Goodies page at http://about.pinterest.com/en/goodies#browser Here are the steps to adding the Pin It button to Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Safari:
Chrome
1. Go to http://about.pinterest.com/en/goodies#browser from Chrome (or get the Pin It button at the Chrome web store at https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/apps).
2. Click "Install Now."
3. After installing, you'll see a Pin It button any time you mouse over an image. Or, click the red P at the top of your browser whenever you find something on the web you want to Pin.
Firefox
1. Go to https://about.pinterest.com/assets/ext/Pinterest-Firefox.xpi
2. Click "Install Now."
3. After installing, click the red P at the top of your browser whenever you find something on the web you want to Pin.
Internet Explorer
1. Go to http://about.pinterest.com/en/goodies#browser
2. Drag the button to Internet Explorer's bookmark bar.
3. After installing, just click Pin It from your bookmarks whenever you find something on the web you want to Pin.
Safari
1. Go to http://about.pinterest.com/en/goodies#browser from Safari.
2. Click "Install Now."
3. After installing, you'll see a Pin It button any time you mouse over an image. Or, click the P at the top of your browser whenever you find something on the web you want to Pin.
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O2X Summit Challenge – Friday, September 12 - Saturday, September 13 - Sugarbush
Join this challenging race up Sugarbush’s Mt. Ellen featuring unadulterated, rugged mountain terrain. No electro shock, barbed wire or manmade obstacles here. This race features solely Mother Nature's hurdles, finishing at the summit with gorgeous views overlooking the Mad River Valley. Begin the adventure with BaseCamp, a pre and post festival gathering comprised of tent city camping, health food vendors, and human performance expo held at the base of Mt. Ellen. Event begins on Friday, with heats on Saturday. Check out what Outside Magazine, The Boston Globe, Men's Health, VT Sports and The Manual have to say about O2X. For more information, visit http://www.o2x.com/pages/sugarbush-challenge.
Better l8 Than Never Car Show – September 14 - Bristol
The Better L8 Than Never Car Show takes place on Sunday, September 14, from 9 am - 4 pm at the Bristol Recreation Field is hosted by the Snake Mountain Cruisers. Admission is free but donations are accepted to Camp Ta-Kum-Ta. For more information call the Addison County Chamber at 388-7951 x1 or click here.
Hinesburg’s Annual Fall Festival -Saturday, September 27th - Hinesburg
Hinesburg’s Annual Fall Festival will take place on Saturday, September 27th. There will be a Farmer’s Market at the Town Hall featuring fresh produce, homemade foods, baked goods, art demonstrations, craft vendors, children’s activities, an art show in the Town Hall, live music, and a harvest dinner sponsored by the Hinesburg Land Trust at 6:00 pm. Please contact Rec. Dept. for information. 482-2281 ext.230 or hinesburgrec@gmavt.net or click here.
Bristol Harvest Festival - September 27 - Bristol
A free day of family fun with music, children's activities, craft festival, "Taste of Bristol," kids' area and bandstand music. Don't forget to enter the Best Ever Apple Pie Contest! The event takes place from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the park. For more information, call 388-7951 or visit www.bristolharvestfest.com.
Museum Day - Birds Of Vermont - September 27 - Huntington
In the spirit of Smithsonian Museums, who offer free admission every day, Museum Day Live! is an annual event hosted by Smithsonian magazine in which participating museums across the country open their doors to anyone presenting a Museum Day Live! ticket… for free. Get your ticket at http://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/
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Is Your Fireplace Ready For Fall?
http://www.usfa.fema.gov/citizens/home_fire_prev/heating
/fireplace.shtm
With temperatures dropping, you may be in the mood to start a fire in your fireplace or woodstove. Before you do, take a quick look at this site. It offers reminders on the importance of inspections and cleaning, using the proper wood, and more.
Recipes For A Better Morning
http://www.cookinglight.com/food/quick-healthy/quick-breakfast
-recipes
September is Better Breakfast Month and a great time to try some quick and healthy breakfast recipes. Take a look at delicious options including Blueberry Power Muffins, Greek Yogurt Parfaits, and Mini Frittatas with Ham and Cheese.
Understanding Ebola
http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/
The recent West African outbreak of Ebola has captured headlines and understandably raised concerns. This site from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a great resource for learning about transmission, signs and symptoms, risk of exposure, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
Rake Up New Craft Ideas
http://www.bhg.com/halloween/crafts/fall-crafts-with-
leaves/#page=1
Those gorgeous fall leaves in your yard can be showcased in your home, thanks to this collection of simple craft projects. Use leaves as ornaments. Frame them like artwork. Or turn them into a wreath. The options are "tree-mendous."
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