I grew up in a small town out west where summer days were spent riding my bike with my good friend Brittney. In the summer of '84, my little town experienced one of the greatest floods in its history. I remember everyone in town pitching in and sand bagging roads to keep the whole town from flooding. Of course I was a kid and no flood was going to stop me and my friend from riding our bikes. We rode down to one of the main roads in town that had turned into a river and decided that it would be a great idea to get a closer look. We climbed the sand bags and pretty soon we had a good view of the river. Brittney got a little too close to the edge and in an instant I saw my good friend floating in the river toward disaster.

Like my friend, sometimes we underestimate what is in front of us and we should be more diligent in analyzing these risks. The lead article Floating toward disaster explains how compliance professionals should take better precautions when assessing geographical risk. Sometimes things or situations are not always what they seem.

The second featured article Demystifying the independent review gives guidance on proper preparation, what to expect and the final report. Learn what experts reveal is the best method for an MSB to achieve a successful independent review.

As part of our international community the article entitled Islamic finance, money laundering and terrorist financing gives insight on the complex and unique world of Islamic banking in accordance with Shariah. Discover how Islamic banks incorporate the Islamic Law principles into their compliance programs.

Also in this issue we unveil two new sections—Aspects of Asia and Career Guidance. The Aspects of Asia section continues ACAMS efforts in bringing different parts of the world to our compliance professionals. This new section will focus on compliance issues in the Asia region. The article in this issue contains in-depth interviews with prominent compliance professionals in Asia conducted by Hue Dang, ACAMS Head of Asia.

The Career Guidance section will bring necessary tips and guidance on how
compliance professionals can advance their careers and improve their skills in this ever-evolving field.

Also, we would like to thank our many authors that contribute to the ACAMS Today and as such we would like you, the readers to nominate an article from 2010 that you enjoyed or found the most useful for the ACAMS Today Article of the Year Award. Please submit your nomination to editor@acams.org by August 1, 2011. Be sure to also submit your nominations for the ACAMS AML Professional of the Year Award. For details on the AML Professional of the Year nomination process, visit www.acamsglobal.org/professional-of-the-year.asp. Winners will receive their awards at the Annual ACAMS Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada in September.

For those of you wondering, my friend Brittney did survive the flood of '84 without a scratch.

As always do not forget to send your comments, ideas for articles and submissions directly to me at editor@acams.org.

Karla Monterrosa-Yancey, CAMS
Editor-in-chief