Victoria Police Hunt For Suspect Wanted In Connection To Australian Wildfires

Composite photo released on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2009 by the Victoria State Police

Police are hunting for multiple arson suspects that have allegedly set wildfires in Victoria Australia, and have released the composite photo above of one of the possible suspects.

Though it is being reported that the fires are currently no longer a threat to residents, the current death toll is around 181 people and is expected to rise. Many of those who were killed, died while trying to escape in their cars.

Australia has had a history of wildfires, though these are the worst on record. In addition to the deaths, about 5,000 people have been left homeless.

Australians have raised almost A$34m ($22m) to help ravaged communities, this is on top of A$15m Mr Rudd pledged.

Disaster Tip of The Week: Create A Business Continuity Plan For Your Business

This week I wanted to focus on what small businesses should do to prepare for disasters. Acording to the SBA, there are over 27 miliion small businesses in the United States, and employ approxamitey half of all the employed people in the country.

Yet small businesses often fail to prepare for disasters, leaving the owners, employees and clients at risk of losing their business, jobs, and providers of goods and services respectively.

Prepareing your business for a disaster does not have to be complicaeted and often just a few well spent dollars, and the proper planning can make all the difference in being able to stay open after a calamity.

Below is a FREE REPORT, called The Impotance of Business Continuity, that you can use to help get you started planing your business continuity plan today.

The Importance of Business Continuity: What You Need to Know and How to Get Started Today

Cause For Concern? Iran States They Successfully Launched Satellite Into Space

Photo by WharmanSending off alarm signals around the world, Iran announced the successful launch of their first domestically made satellite into space.

The U.S. State Department said Iran’s development of a space-launch vehicle gives the country the “technical basis” to develop long-range ballistic missile systems.

At a time when world pressure on Iran is building against their nuclear program, it may pose more trouble to the Obama administration at a time when they are attempting to reach out to Iran to establish a dialog.

Even France is worried and has expressed concern over the launch of the Satellite.

Though this may cause more international pressure to increase against Iran, time is running short. I personally doubt much will be done to stop Iran.

If nothing is done, they will not only have a nuclear weapon but the capability to launch  long range missiles as well.

Feds Stop Computer Virus In Plot To Destroy Fannie Mae

The Justice Department today announced that they foiled a plot by a former Fannie Mae contractor who was fired from unleashing a virus.

According to the Feds the virus would have destroyed data on all of the finance company's 4,000 computers tomorrow (Saturday January 31).

Rajendrasinh B. Makwana, 35, of Glen Allen, Va., a citizen of India, was fired early on the afternoon of Oct. 24 from his job at Fannie Mae's data center. An affidavit states he was fired for erroneously writing programming instructions two weeks earlier that changed the settings on high-speed computers.

However, beofre surrendering his Fannie Mae badge and laptop computer at the end of the day Oct. 24, Makwana "intentionally and without authorization caused and attempted to cause damage to Fannie Mae's computer network by entering malicious code."

The indictment says the virus was found "by chance" in late October and removed.

Criminal Probe Called For In Tainted Peanut Butter Incident

After the deaths of eight people, and the sickening of over 500 after the Peanut Corporation of America allegedly knew of the Salmonella Typhimurium contamination, but covered it up and sold and shipped their products to companies and institutions anyway.

The company's actions "can only be described as reprehensible and criminal," said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., who oversees Food and Drug Administration funding. "Not only did this company knowingly sell tainted products, it shopped for a laboratory that would provide the acceptable results they were seeking. This behavior represents the worst of our current food safety regulatory system."

Georgia's, top agriculture official joined DeLauro in asking the Justice Department to determine if the case warrants criminal prosecution.

The Plant also has a history of problems, and was cited repeatedly in over the last three years.

From a PR perspective the company has gone down the wrong path. If the allegations turn out to be true, I expect that many of the executives at this company may face criminal charges, in addition to dozens of lawsuits.

I have a previous post on the the situation with links to the recalled products called Salmonella Outbreak, Product Recall Grows