THRIVE! The official publication of DRI International
Issue #2 is now available! 

With Valentine's Day behind us (I hope that you enjoyed the day and recognized all the loved ones in your life), I thought it would be a good time to tell you a little about the City of Brotherly Love.

As you are already aware, Philadelphia is our conference location for DRI2013. Recently, I had the opportunity to teach a DRI in Philly. And, as fate would have it, the course venue was just down the road from the Philadelphia Conference Center and the conference hotel.  So once again, I had a first-hand an opportunity to see the sights and interesting areas for visitors to this very interesting city. Today, I'd like to share with you some of what I learned in my brief visit to Philadelphia.

If you come into Philly via the beautiful 30th Street train station, you are a mere 15-minute taxi ride from the Convention Center and our hotel. This area of the city has no shortage of all types of hotels, restaurants, and historical sites.  Within easy walking distance is the Reading Terminal Market, where you can eat traditional Philly Cheesesteaks, Mediterranean foods, Asian cuisine, Kosher style deli sandwiches, seafood, cheeses, breads and bakery items, cookies and candy of all kinds, salads, barbeque, wine, coffee, German food, hot dogs, as well as Middle Eastern and Indian Food. In addition to the restaurants and food shops, you also can buy fabulous fresh produce, flowers, and all varieties of gift items. The Reading Market is a must see while in Philadelphia.

Also within walking distance for history buffs is the National Constitution Center, the Independence Visitor Center, the Philadelphia History Museum, The Liberty Bell Center, and Independence Hall.

Keep in mind that also very close to the conference venue are the Old City Cultural District, the Historic Waterfront District (more on these two next week), Chinatown, the African American Museum, City Hall, plenty of interesting shopping opportunities, and JFK Plaza (also known as LOVE Park).  As with any large interesting city, Philadelphia has more to offer than you can possibly have time for, but the possibilities for good food, shopping, history, and culture are endless.  Make sure that your conference choice this year is DRI2013 in the vibrant city of Philadelphia.

All the best, and Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

Have a great week,

Clyde Berger

  

cberger@driif.org
Vice President and Director of Volunteerism
DRI International Foundation

With cyber attacks making headlines just about daily, authors of the controversial CISPA information-sharing bill argued this week that the bill is necessary to protect against cyber attacks from countries including China and Iran.

PC Magazine reports that Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, said the bill "protects civil liberties while preserving the open and free Internet. '[CISPA] protects privacy by empowering Web services and providers to protect their services,' argued Rogers, a Michigan Republican."

"CISPA would allow for the government and private companies to exchange information about cyber threats. If Homeland Security became aware of a planned hack of Facebook, for example, it could notify the appropriate people at the social network. Where it gets controversial is that CISPA would also allow Facebook to tell the feds - or other tech firms - if detected hackers on its network," according to the report.

Specifically, CISPA would "empower American businesses to share anonymous cyber threat information with others in the private sector and enable the private sector to share information with the government on a purely voluntary basis."

The U.S. is "really under siege here from countries like Iran, who are trying to bring down our financial services industry," as well as China, which has engaged in "unprecedented [and] epic" cyber attacks, Rogers said.

But what do you say?  As continuity professionals, how do you feel about CISPA and what it could mean for your organization?

Roses. Chocolates. Diamond-encrusted heart-shaped necklaces.  Legions of teenage girls gifted pink stuffed animals.  That's the stuff of Valentine's Day. And amid the news stories of sweet proposals and Facebook posts of undying love, there was one that brought together what you do and who we all are.

CBS News covered "Love That Has Weathered the Storm," an event during which couples who lost it all - including precious heirlooms and photos- in Superstorm Sandy made new memories by renewing their wedding vows. The ceremony took place yesterday at the Bridgeview Yacht Club in Island Park, which was under seven feet of water during Sandy and is now "a symbol of recovery" for the community.

One couple, Edward and Ruth Samuelson, made me laugh and cry.  Their home was inundated by the storm, and it isn't the first time they've been struck by disaster. "Twenty years ago, we lost our house to a fire. So we had fire, flood and now we're just waiting for locusts," Ruth told CBS' Marla Diamond. And after 45 years of marriage, Ruth said their bond is "stronger than ever."

May our hearts and our organizations be as true and enduring as the Samuelson's love.

If you've been thinking about nominating someone for the DRI International Awards of Excellence, today is the very last day you can do it!  Nominations are due today, February 15.  For a list of awards categories, click here. To nominate, log in to your MyDRI account and click on the Awards of Excellence option on the top right of the screen.  And here is a list of FAQs.  You do not have to be DRI-certified to nominate, and anyone can create a MyDRI account.

DRI International's Awards of Excellence Program and Awards Gala Dinner will honor individuals and corporations who are leaders and innovators within our profession. This event will recognize those who have achieved a level of excellence in the fields of continuity management, technology recovery (DR), and crisis management. The challenges associated with building a successful business continuity management program are many and we strongly believe that as a global continuity management training and certification organization, it is our duty to recognize and celebrate excellence.

The awards will be presented as the culmination of the DRI International Conference at the Awards of Excellence Gala Dinner to be held at the Downtown Philadelphia Marriott Hotel in Philadelphia, on Thursday, June 6, 2013. Nominations are due by February 15, 2013.

To assure a fair and unbiased assessment of all applicants, we have established a process that allows for blind judging by senior industry professionals drawn from amongst the most highly respected organizations, to independently judge the nominees in each category.

For more information, contact the Awards Team by calling (866) 542-3744 or via email at info@drii.org.

ScienceCast: Record-Setting Asteroid Flyby

Good thing that asteroid isn't going to hit Earth today.  Bruce Willis is too busy promoting his new "Die Hard" flick to reprise "Armageddon" for us and rescue NASA (and the rest of the world) from a hunk of rock headed straight for us.

While 17,200 miles seems like a pretty safe distance, asteroid 2012 DA14 is actually cutting it close.  At its closest approach on Friday at 2:24 p.m. EST, the asteroid will be 5,000 miles closer to Earth than the ring of GPS, weather and communications satellites in orbit around the planet.

According to NASA, asteroids like 2012 DA14 only come this close to Earth once every 40 years or so. NASA's Near Earth Object Program has helped to detect and track 90 percent of the largest near-Earth asteroids, and so far none are likely to require Bruce Willis to round up a bunch unlikely heroes and blow that rock out of the sky.

NASA will be live-streaming the flyby via a telescope at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. today.

There's already tons of YouTube video footage of the meteor that hit Russia this morning. The jury is out over whether this sky rock is related to asteroid 2012 DA14, but it sure shook up the city of Chelyabinsk in Russia's Ural Mountains. The blast injured hundreds, caused damage to buildings and temporarily disrupted Internet communication, according to news reports. A nearby zinc-processing plant sustained significant damage and storefronts were shattered.

The New York Times reported that government response "was huge. Seven airplanes were deployed to search for places where meteorites might have fallen and more than 20,000 people dispatched to comb the area on foot, according to the Ministry of Emergency Situations. There were also 28 sites designated to monitor radiation. No unusual readings had been detected, the ministry reported."

"The area around Chelyabinsk is also home to 'dozens of defense factories, including nuclear factories and those involved in production of thermonuclear weapons,' Vladimir Lipunov, an astrophysicist at the Shternberg State Astronomy Institute reported to the Times. "No one needs to be told what the Urals is," Mr. Lipunov told the NTV television station. "A second hit in the same area is unlikely and everything could have been much, much worse."

A truly outstanding industry event, DRI2013 features a truly international conference program, superior networking, meaningful volunteer opportunities, and innovative interaction with the provider community. And it's all going to happen June 4-7, 2013, in Philadelphia, PA.

With Valentine's Day flowers still fresh, chocolates not yet chomped, and love still in the air, what better time than now to plan a trip to Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love?  Click here for the conference program and register today at  www.DRIconference.org!

Better yet, bring your significant other along.  You can create meaningful memories on Volunteer Day, get all gussied up for the Awards Of Excellence Gala, and visit some of the most romantic spots in the city.  Don't associate Philly with romance?  Think again.

Couples can proclaim their love at Fairmount Park's Whispering Benches on the Avenue of the Republic, near Memorial Hall. One sweetheart takes a seat on the stone bench in the curve of the Smith Memorial Arch, while the other sits on the bench across the street. When they whisper into the monument, love carries their tender words.

Those in search of lovely public art can steal a kiss in front of Philly's swoon-worthy structure. Robert Indiana's 1976 Love sculpture has become such an icon that its location, JFK Plaza, is now better known as Love Park at 15th Street & John F. Kennedy Boulevard.

Nothing says love like a ride on the El train - at least since the Mural Arts Program and renowned artist Stephen Powers teamed up to create Love Letter, a series of 50 rooftop murals that read like love notes from a boy to a girl. Passengers on the El - the elevated train that runs along Market Street, called the Market-Frankford Line or the Blue Line - can follow the messages from 45th to 63rd Streets. Each Saturday at 10:00 a.m., a Mural Arts Program guide leads participants on a tour of Love Letter. Reservations required. Tours meet at the welcome center at Love Park. 16th Street & John F. Kennedy Boulevard, (215) 685-0754, muralarts.org

And for chocolate lovers, satisfy cravings for sweets by joining the Philadelphia Chocolate Tour, during which tour-goers indulge in some of the most mouthwatering sweets in the city while learning the history and health benefits of the treat. Stops include Teuscher Chocolates of Switzerland, Capogiro Gelato Artisans and Famous 4th Street Cookie Company. The tour starts  at Reading Terminal Market, 12th & Arch Streets, (215) 833-0044.

For romance that steps back in time, couples can relax to the sounds of the clip-clop echoing through the cobblestone streets of Society Hill during a 76 Carriage Company horse-drawn carriage ride starting at 5th & Chestnut Streets, (215) 923-8516.