BUSINESS BRIEFS
Be wary of Valentine's Day virus

Submitted photo Open for business Gulf Breeze Courtyard employees held a ribbon cutting on Jan. 23 with members of the Gulf Breeze Area Chamber of commerce. From left to right are Jerry Shattell, Jossi Cotti, Nancy Crick, Lynn Mortimer, Ashley Robinson Beckman and Dennis Remesh.

AppRiver LLC warns that some new electronic greeting cards bearing Valentine's Day messages are once again being used to infect computers with viruses that can turn them into spam-sending 'bots' or to steal users' personal information. Company analysts report that the volume of such malicious traffic is rising dramatically as Valentine's Day approaches.

So far, AppRiver has seen two basic types of scams associated with the bogus Valentine's cards. One is the so-called "Storm" worm that first surfaced last year. The worm takes over the computer and makes it part of a "bot-net," capable of sending out thousands of spam messages without the user ever noticing. The second type of malicious content is a "Trojan" that can be used to record the keystrokes of its victims, potentially giving access to passwords and other important information.

BBB forum Feb.11

Mona Jackson, CPA, will speak to the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) on Monday, Feb. 11, at the Pensacola Civic Center. She will discuss the topic "Best Practices for Fundraisers, CEO's and Boards: How to Keep Your Organization Accountable, Transparent and Independent."

The luncheon starts with networking at 11:45 a.m. The cost is $12 for AFP National members, $15 for returning guests and firsttime guests may attend free.

To RSVP, call 850-444-7043 or e-mail info@afpwestflorida.org.

For more information on AFP, visit www.afpwestflorida.org.

GB Rotary seeks nominations

The Gulf Breeze Rotary Club is soliciting nominations for its annual Teacher of the Year and Police Officer of the Year awards.

The Object of Rotary International is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:

The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;

High ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian's occupation as an opportunity to serve society;

The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian's personal, business, and community life;

The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

Those nominated for the awards should model some or most of the standards listed above. Do you know someone who builds good will and better friendships, who regularly serves others, who has a high level of integrity in his or her personal and professional life and who largely goes unrecognized? The Rotary Citizen of the Year, Teacher of the Year and Police Officer of the Year awards granted by the Gulf Breeze Club are a way to afford that individual proper thanks for all they do!

Contact Vici Papajohn at 932- 8986 or email her at vici@gulfbreezenews. com to nominate someone.