Security Breach

It was frightening when I thought my laptop was stolen. That lead to me think
it is an issue I should address on the blog. What should you do if your laptop was stolen and your personal information including your social security number is compromised? First up is what to do if your laptop stolen:

http://www.nextadvisor.com/blog/2008/07/14/how-to-deal-with-a-lost-or-stolen-laptop/

Although theabove article is pretty inclusive there are some additional tips in the following article:

http://money.cnn.com/2006/05/22/pf/security_data/index.htm

I am going to add one thing to do that neither link addressed. I have a tax program on my computer with clients' social security numbers on it. The numbers are password protected but that doesn't mean a hacker can't break the password. The law and ethics require me to notify everyone that had a social security numbers on my laptop within forty-eight hours of discovering that their numbers have been compromised. Fortunately this is into the fourth year of me not really having my own practice so I had very few social security numbers on it, between twenty and thirty. If I hadn't of found my laptop each one of them would have received both a phone call and a certified letter. At the height of my career when I had five hundred clients it would have been a daunting task. Don't wait to notify them.

Enough about security, next up is an inventive way a city implemented to deal with a homeless problem they have:

http://www.aolnews.com/2011/04/25/salt-lake-city-utah-installs-parking-meters-to-benefit-homeless/

I decided I need a tag line to end the daily posts with any suggestions? Looking forward to your take on today's post.

WHO AM I?

I was born in 1776 and died in 1857 and am known as a flag maker learning the trade from my mother who made flags during the American Revolution. I established a flag-making business where I successfully supported my family by designing, sewing, and selling "silk standards, cavalry and division colors of every description," including signal and house flags for the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and merchant ships that frequented Baltimore’s harbor. By 1820 I was able to purchase the house I had been renting and lived there for the remainder of my life. One hundred and fifty years before American women entered the business world, I was a successful businesswoman and philanthropist. I actively addressed social issues such as housing, job placement assistance, and financial aid for disadvantaged women—decades before these issues were prominent concerns in society. From 1828 until 1851 I was president of the Impartial Female Humane Society that helped impoverished families with school vouchers for children and employment for women. Under my presidency the society established a home for aged women in 1850. By 1869 there were forty-eight residents and, in 1863, a Men’s Home was added, with 27 residents. The Impartial Female Humane Society now bears my name. While my business success and humanitarian contributions deserve acclaim my national contribution was making the 30x42 foot American flag that flew over Fort McHenry during the war of 1812. The flag was so large that the British had no difficulty seeing it from a distance. The flag contained over 400 yards (400 m) of fabric; there were fifteen stripes, so each stripe was two feet (60 cm) wide and each of the fifteen stars measured twenty-six inches across (60 cm) from tip to tip. When the British attacked Baltimore, Frances saw my flag while he was held captive on a British ship and was inspired to compose a famous poem that became a song. One of the most important artifacts at the Smithsonian, this flag is undergoing an $18 million restoration and will be the centerpiece of the redesigned National Museum of American History. Who Am I?