Al-Qaeda Calls For Small-Scale Attacks Against The West Using Home-Made Bombs

On Monday November 2nd Reuters did a story that Al Qaeda is calling for home-made bomb attacks against the West.

It also calls for smaller scale attacks against "secular media figures and columnists who promote the policies of rulers in the world's top oil exporting region."

Abu Basir Nasser al-Wahayshi, the Al Qaeda leader of the groups wing in the Arabian Peninsula called on militants to attack airports and trains in the West and said they could easily make bombs from household materials.

His statements also said, "You do not need to exert great effort or spend a lot of money to make 10 grams of explosives, more or less. Do not spend a long time searching for materials as they already exist in your mother's kitchen," Wahayshi wrote in the article, posted on an Islamist website on Sunday.

"Make them (bombs) in the shape of a bomb you hurl, or detonate through a timer or a remote detonater or a martyrdom-seeker belt or any electrical appliance."

Wahayshi called upon people to use kives and apparently even their bare hands, "secular media figures and writers who mock the orders of religion and those who promote and justify (the actions) of infidel rulers".

"Knives are a good remedy for some and ... (for others) severe beating until they are confined to bed or lose one of their senses," added the militant leader.

Calling on militants to assassinate al Qaeda's enemies, Wahayshi stated that "It is a duty that a Muslim mujahid be busy planning to reap the heads of infidels."

Small scale attacks, especially the Lone Wolf present the biggest challenge to law enforcement since there is little to no "chatter" on these events. 

Disaster Tip of The Week: Have A Battery Powered Radio and Extra Batteries

When a catastrophic disaster occurs it often results in the loss of power. However, many radio stations will still be able to transmit information over the air waves.

In order to hear this information, and hear news about highways, rescues, orders to evacute and other important information you will need to have either a battery powered radio, a solar powered radio or a radio that works when you wind it up.

The radios I personally use work with both batteries and through winding it up, but everyone has there own preference.

One important thing to remember though is if your radio uses only battery power, make sure you have plenty of extra fresh batteries on hand. 

Also excellent and highly recommended are the NOAA weather alert radios that you can set to come on during an emergency.

No matter what type you prefer just choose something and keep it in your disaster kit.

Liquid Tamiflu Shortage Have Parents of Sick Children Searching For the Medication

From the DHS Daily Report: Tamiflu shortages have parents on wild dose chase

Officials have also instructed doctors to suggest that pharmacists mix the powder from capsules with syrup to make a liquid for children if the company’s version is unavailable.

As increasing numbers of children are coming down with swine flu, more parents are facing a shortage of liquid Tamiflu for children.

Spot shortages of the liquid form of the antiviral medicine are forcing mothers and fathers to drive from pharmacy to pharmacy, often late into the evening after getting a diagnosis and prescription from a pediatrician, in search of the syrup recommended for the youngest victims of the H1N1 pandemic. The drug can make the flu milder, go away more quickly and may cut the risk of potentially life-threatening complications.

The shortages are being caused by a surge in demand because of the second wave of swine flu sweeping the country, combined with a decision by Roche, the Swiss company that makes the medication, to focus on producing it in capsule form.

In response, the government has shipped to states hundreds of thousands of five-day courses from the Strategic National Stockpile, which is on standby in case there are disease outbreaks or bioterrorism attacks. Officials have also instructed doctors to suggest that pharmacists mix the powder from capsules with syrup to make a liquid for children if the company’s version is unavailable.

As increasing numbers of children are coming down with swine flu, more parents are facing a shortage of liquid Tamiflu for children. Spot shortages of the liquid form of the antiviral medicine are forcing mothers and fathers to drive from pharmacy to pharmacy, often late into the evening after getting a diagnosis and prescription from a pediatrician, in search of the syrup recommended for the youngest victims of the H1N1 pandemic.

The drug can make the flu milder, go away more quickly and may cut the risk of potentially life-threatening complications. The shortages are being caused by a surge in demand because of the second wave of swine flu sweeping the country, combined with a decision by Roche, the Swiss company that makes the medication, to focus on producing it in capsule form. In response, the government has shipped to states hundreds of thousands of five-day courses from the Strategic National Stockpile, which is on standby in case there are disease outbreaks or bioterrorism attacks.

Halloween Safety Tips For A Happy and Safe Halloween

Tomorrow is Halloween (Happy Birthday Mom), a favorite holiday for many and obviously an important date in my family. 

So, we thought we would share some tips to keep you safe and include links to some sites with the best tips.

1. Avoid trick-or-treating alone. Walk in groups or with a trusted adult.
2. Fasten reflective tape to costumes and bags to help drivers see you.
3. At night, hold a flashlight while trick-or-treating to help you see and others see you.
4. Always test make-up in a small area first. Remove it before bedtime to prevent skin and eye irritation.
5. Look both ways before crossing the street. Use established crosswalks wherever possible.
6. If you must wear a mask make sure it fits well and does not block your vision, if it does block your vision remove it before crossing the street and look both ways.
7. Never walk near lit candles or luminaries. Be sure to wear flame-resistant costumes.
8. Only trick-or-treat in well known neighborhoods at homes that have a porch light on.
9. Never cut across yards or use alleys.
10. Always contact Law enforcement when you see suspicious or unlawful activity.

Have more tips? Feel free to share them with us.

You can also view more tips on the following site:

Halloween Safety

CDC Halloween Safety Tips

LAFD Halloween Safety Tips

Bay Bridge Closure and How to Mitigate Workforce Disruptions

Workforce disruptions can be caused by a large number of different events such as strikes, protests, workplace violence, absenteeism due to illness (think pandemics and epidemics like the current H1N1 virus) and even transportation issues.

Typically the impact of these events can be mitigated, but to do so requires planning for the event ahead of time.  Including these types of events in your continuity planning and enterprise resilience will certainly put you ahead of the game when these incidents arise.

In the past I have witnessed several of these types of disruptions in both large and small scales and in many of these cases the businesses that had plans in place fair far better than those that do not.

In the last two months the Bay Bridge has been closed down twice for repairs. The first was a planned shut down during a holiday weekend, but extended due to discoveries of needed repairs. The second occurred after the recent repair job failed.

There are many ways to mitigate the impact from these events ranging from staggered and flexible work hours for employees, making arrangements for key employees to stay in other locations, having some employees work from home, car pools, planned shuttle services, utilization of other transportation services, etc.

Each of these can help your business reduce impacts from these types of events and each of these also presents their own problems which is why you should be planning these things in advance and making them a part of your continuity management programs.

Knowing what you will do in these types of events will also assist you for planing other events that may also cause workforce disruptions. If you are considering creating a plan or would like other solutions to supplement what you are already doing please give us the opportunity to assist you. Visit our site at: Continuity Corporation or give as a call 877-565-8324