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Digital Assassination" – CED Policy Luncheon with experts Torrenzano and Davis

by on October 9, 2011

A Discussion with communications experts and Authors Richard Torrenzano and mark Davis – Protecting yourself against the dark side of the digital age Monday, October 17, 2011

12:00 PM – 1:45 pm

Committee for Economic Development

2000 L Street NW, Suite 700

Washington, DC 20036

Register

Registration and a buffet lunch will open at 11:50 a.m.

Event Description

Discussion with Richard Torrenzano and mark Davis

Program

12:00 p.m.

Registration, lunch buffet

12:15 p.m.

Welcome by CED President Charles Kolb

12:20 p.m.

Remarks: Richard Torrenzano and mark Davis

1:15 p.m.- 1:40 p.m.

1:45 p.m.

About “Digital Assassination:”

“In the future, which is now, everyone will have 15 minutes of shame.”

This is just one of the arresting statements from the new book: “Digital Assassination: Protecting your Reputation, Brand or Business Against Online Attacks” by Richard Torrenzano and mark Davis.

At laser speed, Internet attacks destroy reputations, brands, businesses . . . even lives. from false Wikipedia entries to Yelp attacks, obscene fabricated images to Facebook privacy concerns, every CEO and celebrity, small business owner, entrepreneur, physician, lawyer, journalist and politician, parent and child, is at risk of digital assassination.

Two leading advisors to Fortune 500 corporations and public figures look beyond the technology to examine what social media realities, history, pop culture and futuristic science tell us about how to deal with digital assassins.

Torrenzano and Davis predict what the end of privacy will mean for civilization-and provide a course of actions to turn the tables on your would-be assassins.

Torrenzano and Davis explain how these assassins work, and what you can do to minimize, neutralize, and even defeat them using the “Seven Shields of Digital Assassination”- seven actions to protect your reputation, brand, business or life.

In our age of instantaneous global information, Digital Assassination is a savvy, streetwise, utterly entertaining and essential read.

For further information: www.Digitalassassinationbook.com or Facebook: Digital Assassination Book

About the Authors

Richard Torrenzano is chief executive of The Torrenzano Group, a New York strategic communications and high-stakes issues management firm that helps organizations “take control of how they are perceived.” For almost a decade he was a member of the New York Stock Exchange’s Management and Executive committees. he has managed some of the most visible global corporate crises in our lifetime.

Mark Davis is a former White House speechwriter and a senior director of the Washington-based White House Writers Group, where he has consulted with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), as well as with some of the nation’s leading telecommunications, information technology and defense-aerospace companies. he is a frequent lecturer, writer and blogger on politics, technology, and the future.

getting to CED

CED is located at 2000 L Street, between 21st and 20th Streets. We’re on the 7th floor.

Public Transportation:

CED is four blocks from the Farragut West Metro station (on the orange and blue lines) and three blocks from the Farragut North Metro station (red line):

  • Farragut West – orange and blue lines – Vermont Avenue/White House exit
  • Farragut North – red line – L Street exit

PMI Parking – 2000 L Street

Click here to register

Thanks, and we’re looking forward to hearing your feedback.

For more information, contact:Morgan Broman

morgan.broman@ced.org

(571) 969-9530 (cell)

Digital Assassination" – CED Policy Luncheon with experts Torrenzano and Davis

Remember to Be Grateful, Lawyers

by on November 25, 2010

It is that time of year — life without baseball and with rain gutters brimming full of leaves. At least the political attack commercials are finally in respite until spring primary season. many of us have Thanksgiving on our minds, and for some lawyers, the pending holiday brings moaning and groaning instead of the intended counting of blessings and giving of thanks.

When I think of Thanksgiving, I think about my Nana’s mashed potatoes and Arlo Guthrie’s anti-war anthem, “Alice’s Restaurant,” in four-part harmony, of course. Each Thanksgiving, my folks would count off the kids, pack up the station wagon and head over the river and through the woods to my Nana’s house. At some point in the day, often in the car ride, we could listen to the radio simulcast of Guthrie’s ballad and all sing along, in five-part disharmony.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by Nana’s big hugs and the most incredible cooking smells, all the results of hours of dicing and slicing, paring and caring, chopping and whipping and basting and tasting. what amazes me is how Nana made everything with a coal stove and without any electronic appliances — a banquet by hand. My favorite part of the feast was always Nana’s homemade, hand-whisked mashed potatoes; so much tastier than the instant potatoes out of a box we ate during the rest of the year.

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday, and not just because of Nana’s mashed potatoes. I love all things fall, the season between weather extremes. Thanksgiving was extra special in my family — a time to focus on food and football, a celebration without the commercialism or hype of the major religious holidays.

Religion did play a big part in the first American Thanksgiving, a three-day harvest festival in Massachusetts in 1621 when the Pilgrims gave thanks and celebrated their first anniversary in the “New World.” they shared a bountiful harvest with the Wampanoag Indians who had helped the new immigrants survive their first winter. it actually took a while for the holiday to take full hold though. for instance, George Washington proclaimed a national day of giving thanks in 1789, but not everyone, including Thomas Jefferson, liked the idea.

Many credit a woman, Sarah Josepha Hale, magazine editor and poet (she also wrote “Mary Had a Little Lamb”), for the national holiday. Hale was one of our country’s first woman novelists and went on a 40-year, one-woman mission (obsession?) to create a national day of gratitude, including writing numerous editorials and letters to five consecutive U.S. presidents. although Presidents Taylor, Fillmore, Pierce and Buchanan ignored her requests, President Lincoln thought the holiday was just what a post-Civil War America needed, and established national Thanksgiving Day in 1863. Lincoln’s Thanksgiving Day Proclamation was also all about religion, proclaiming a day “of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens,” “offering up the ascriptions justly due to him,” “His tender care,” his “Almighty hand” and “divine purpose.”

Every president since Lincoln has proclaimed the day and, after a few date changes, Congress decided in 1941 to celebrate Thanksgiving annually on the fourth Thursday of November. in his first Thanksgiving Proclamation last year, President Obama called on Americans to express “gratitude for all we have received in the past year; to express appreciation to those whose lives enrich our own; and to share our bounty with others.”

While I do not always agree with him, I like the president’s attitude about our day of gratitude and I think it is particularly good advice for lawyers — to be grateful to those we have, grateful for what we have and to share our riches. for some lawyers, I realize these are not easy things to do.

Thanksgiving is a wake-up call that year’s end is right around the bend. for some, the alarm brings pressures of measuring metrics and predicting productivity and profitability, collecting and counting revenue and evaluating expenses. it is also performance evaluation season at many firms, which brings its share of stresses, too. with all of this on our minds, how can we be thankful?

A few weeks ago, I read a blog post that helped me understand why lawyers may have difficulty with gratitude. The post appeared on lawyerswellbeing.com, a blog penned by Harvey Hyman, a Dalai Lama-like lawyer adviser. Hyman reported on a chat with Robert Emmons, PhD, a U.C. Irvine Davis professor, whom Hyman referred to as “the world’s foremost expert in the science of gratitude.” who knew it was a science?

Hyman asked Emmons about lawyers, and the professor replied he “had never before or since encountered a bunch of people more resistive to embracing an attitude of gratitude, except perhaps teenagers.” When Hyman asked why, the learned professor explained the main obstacles were fear of dependence, indebtedness and loss of control, and a tendency to always remain in problem-solving mode.

It made sense to me, as most of us lawyers are control freaks. We also were trained to spot issues, to tear things apart and to look for the hidden problems. We look for what is wrong or what could go wrong, and don’t pay any attention to what is good and what is right. We don’t count our blessings but, instead, talk about what bugs us, what is wrong with our lives and what is wrong with the world.

I did not find an abundance of other information about lawyers and thankfulness in my research, although I discovered Marcus L. Urann, the lawyer who created cranberry sauce, and was one of the original founders of Ocean Spray. I will be sure to point that at this year’s family gathering when the lawyer jokes start.

We sure do get more than our share of jokes, but our profession is noble and we should be proud and grateful to be lawyers. While bad lawyers make headlines, good lawyers change and even save lives. our jobs are not dangerous and we usually don’t have to work outside in bad weather. think about those Chilean miners — we have no fear of being stuck underground for 69 days and nights with 32 of our coworkers.

I realize some readers may be unemployed and other lawyers are not happy in their jobs. you still have plenty of reasons to give thanks for what you do have. not everyone has the opportunities to go to college and law school, and not everyone possesses the abilities to read, to argue, to counsel and to negotiate. While not all of us are millionaires, most of us are comfortable, and we should not take our comforts, or our health and welfare, for granted.

We also should not take the people in our lives for granted, either. Instead, this is a great time of year to be thankful for — and to expressly thank — our clients, support staff, coworkers, friends, families and even our bosses.

In “The happy Lawyer: making a Good Life in the Law” (yes, another book for the reading pile), authors Nancy Levit and Douglas Linder discuss how important appreciation is for career satisfaction and point out how firms which are considered the best places to work are those with programs encouraging gratitude. Quoting Dave Pollard’s “How to Save the World” blog, the authors remind us, “What people seek from others, more than anything else, is attention and appreciation.”

That is certainly true for lawyers, and every satisfaction survey and report I read asks about how appreciated — or unappreciated — the lawyers feel.

I felt appreciated as a young lawyer and know I was spoiled. I almost always received verbal thanks after assignments and was rewarded occasionally with written thank-you notes, show and ball game tickets and even flowers from partners. I realize it is a different world today and most lawyers busily move on to the next case or deal or project without time to acknowledge those who helped with the last one.

So, for Thanksgiving 2010, I am reminding you — and me — to find time to give thanks and be thankful. I remind us to count our blessings and to appreciate the “what” and the “who” in our lives — not whine about what is missing. I remind us to share our bounties and to give back to our communities with charity and with service. I remind us to reflect on why we are grateful.

I am grateful for poets like Sarah Hale and Arlo Guthrie and for the power to elect presidents like Lincoln and Obama. I am grateful for the memories of my Nana’s Thanksgiving dinners and to Marcus Urann for creating cranberry sauce. I am most grateful for and to those who put up with me, my coworkers and friends, Rich, Casey the dog and the rest of my family (especially my brother Mike, whose mashed potatoes are almost as good as Nana’s).

I also am grateful to you, dear readers, even when you don’t agree with what I write. I appreciate knowing someone is reading and I wish you a joyous holiday. Remember to be grateful lawyers and be grateful, lawyers. who knows, like “Alice’s Restaurant,” we just may start a movement.

Molly Peckman is director of associate development at Dechert and a frequent writer and lecturer on law firm life and professional development. she can be reached at molly.peckman@dechert.com.

This article first appeared in Young Lawyer.

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<a href="http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202475235723&Remember_to_Be_Grateful_Lawyerstag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202475235723″>Remember to Be Grateful, Lawyers

Why can’t they just go in order?

by on August 23, 2010

I.E. I watch Monk reruns in syndication on MyNetwork TV KZOU MyZou 32 (cause I don’t have Cable or Satellite, USA Network), & they do not go in order. I’ve seen like, 11 episodes combined from season’s 3-5, and the rest from S’s 1 & 2, which is like 9. (estimated guesses, I’m not sure, I wasn’t counting very closely)

Why can’t they just go in order?

Strike a pose! Lollapalooza 2008–PHOTOS

by on August 6, 2010

Kid Sister

12:15 p.m. AT&T stageKid Sister’s willing and definitely able backing DJ-emcee duo Flosstradamus (J2K and Autobot) warmed up the crowd before she took the main stage for 45 minutes of summery Chi-Town rap. Save for a couple of slow spots between songs, the too-cute rising hometown heroine and Kanye darling did her darndest to command the stage with help from background dancers, painted “golden girls,” her own spunky nonstop dance moves and fresh songs about beepers, jukin’ and, of course, “Pro Nails,” from her hotly anticipated album on Downtown Records.–Fauzia Arain

Strike a pose! Lollapalooza 2008–PHOTOS

Mullen pays tribute to troops…Five killed in Afghanistan…Deadly storms hit …

by on June 6, 2010

BEDFORD, Va. (AP) — the top U.S. military officer says the D-Day landings 66 years ago today should remind everyone that returning warriors need not “suffer in quiet desperation.” Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says now as then, troops return from battle with their lives forever changed, many carrying invisible wounds. And he says, “We must take care of them.” Mullen spoke at the D-Day memorial in Bedford, Va.

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — NATO says five international troops have been killed in separate incidents today in Afghanistan. at least four of the dead are Americans. three were killed in a vehicle accident in southern Afghanistan and one in an insurgent attack in the east. another service member died when a makeshift bomb exploded.

NEW YORK (AP) — two New Jersey men are facing charges of conspiring to kill, maim and kidnap people by joining an al-Qaida-linked extremist group in Somalia. Authorities say they have been investigating the pair, both of whom are in their 20s, for four years. They were arrested yesterday at John F. Kennedy Airport as they were about to board flights headed for Africa.

MILLBURY, Ohio (AP) — Rescue workers are searching damaged homes in northwestern Ohio after severe thunderstorms left at least five people dead, including a child. Dozens of homes were destroyed, cars and school buses were tossed about and siding was ripped off a nuclear plant in Michigan, causing it to shut down. Severe storms and tornadoes have also been reported in Illinois and Indiana.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hollywood is in a June swoon as new movies fail to bring in big audiences. “Shrek forever After” is the no. 1 movie for a third-straight weekend with $25 million. the best of the newcomers was the rock ‘n’ roll comedy “Get him to the Greek,” which debuted at no. 2 with $17 million. Opening at no. 3 was the action comedy “Killers” with $16 million.

Mullen pays tribute to troops…Five killed in Afghanistan…Deadly storms hit …

The Top Ten Midseason Candidates for NFL MVP

by on May 9, 2010

Photo illustration by Eric Gillin, art from WireImage.com

Greetings, reader. And welcome to Peter Schrager’s weekly football column, which runs on Thursdays. You can read his archive here.

Twenty-six years ago, mark Moseley, a placekicker on the Washington Redskins, won the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award. 1982 was a weird year in the NFL, highlighted by a strike-shortened nine-week season, a bizarre sixteen-team playoff tournament, and a Detroit Lions team that almost had a winning record. Moseley, the only kicker to ever win the MVP award, hit 21 straight field goals that season, several of them game-winners.

A kicker won’t win the 2008 MVP award — but who will is anyone’s guess. I emailed Sports Illustrated‘s Paul “Dr. Z” Zimmerman this week — he’s got Drew Brees, quarterback for the 4-4 New Orleans Saints, as his midseason MVP. Mike Silver at Yahoo! is going with 38-year-old Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner. John Czarnecki, senior NFL writer for FoxSports.com, picks Redskins running back Clinton Portis. Meanwhile, Ian Eagle, play-by-play man for CBS Sports, likes Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth.

“I’ve called ten weeks’ worth of games and have seen fourteen different teams in person and the MVP seems to change every Sunday,” says Eagle. “Right now, though, I’d say Haynesworth is the pick. He has been absolutely dominant for undefeated Tennessee.” a defensive tackle MVP? really?

This year, it’s completely possible. With few dominant teams and no breakout stars stealing headlines, Haynesworth is as legitimate a choice as any. But who do we endorse for the 2008 NFL midseason MVP? you may be surprised. Let’s break it down in descending order from 10 to 1:

10. Gus Frerotte, Quarterback, Minnesota Vikings

The Case for: Since taking over at quarterback in Week 3, the Vikings have gone 4-2, with key wins over NFC powers Carolina and New Orleans.

The Case Against: Adrian Peterson’s the real star. And, well, he’s Gus Frerotte.

9. Trent Edwards, Quarterback, Buffalo Bills

The Case for: Edwards has been the undisputed leader of a Bills team that looks headed to the playoffs for the first time since 1999. His fourth quarter play has been John Elway-esque.

The Case Against: Buffalo’s lost three of its last four, and is 0-2 against teams in the AFC East.

8. Chad Pennington, Quarterback, Miami Dolphins

The Case for: With efficiency and leadership, Pennington’s been the rock behind Miami’s surprising 4-4 start.

The Case Against: the Dolphins are currently in last place in the AFC East. Pennington hasn’t exactly lit up the stat sheets, either.

7. Albert Haynesworth, Defensive Tackle, Tennessee Titans

The Case for: Tennessee’s defense has been the main reason behind the squad’s first 8-0 start in franchise history; Haynesworth is the All-Pro clog in the middle.

The Case Against: you could make the argument that linebacker Keith Bulluck, cornerback Cortland Finnegan, or running back Chris Johnson have all been the Titans’ team MVP — not Haynesworth — midway through the season.

6. Matt Ryan, Quarterback, Atlanta Falcons

The Case for: this rookie has led the Falcons to a shocking 5-3 start, and more importantly — helped hasten the rebuilding process of a franchise mired in negative publicity over the past eighteen months.

The Case Against: Rookies don’t win the MVP award in the NFL.

5. Donovan McNabb, Quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles

The Case for: With little to no media attention, McNabb’s putting up some of the best numbers of his career for a solid 5-3 team.

The Case Against: Philadelphia’s 0-2 in games against NFC East opponents.

4. Drew Brees, Quarterback, New Orleans Saints

The Case for: Brees is having a magical season, statistically. He’s first in completions, attempts, and passing yards; and second in completion percentage. With stars Reggie Bush, Jeremy Shockey, and Marques Colston all sidelined with injuries, Brees has carried the Saints on his back.

The Case Against: the Saints are currently 4-4 and in last place in a crowded NFC South.

3. Clinton Portis, Running Back, Washington Redskins

The Case for: Portis, the league’s leading rusher, has over 170 more rushing yards than the NFL’s second-best rusher, Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson. He’s the workhorse for an efficient Redskins offense.

The Case Against: Washington’s only 5-3 and you could argue that quarterback Jason Campbell’s been the even more valuable piece to the puzzle.

2. Kurt Warner, Quarterback, Arizona Cardinals

The Case for: MVP of the league in 1999 and 2001, Warner’s led the Arizona Cardinals to the top of the NFC West with a 5-3 record. He leads the league in completion percentage and is second in passing yards and touchdowns.

The Case Against: though on top of the NFC West standings, Arizona’s lost three-of-five games played on the road.

So, who’s our pick for midseason MVP? Drum roll, please…

1. Jake Delhomme, Quarterback, Carolina Panthers:

The Case for: With Delhomme injured for large chunks of the past two seasons, Carolina missed the playoffs and struggled on offense. after undergoing controversial “Tommy John” surgery to repair his throwing arm over the off-season, Delhomme’s returned to the Panthers and led them to a surprising 6-2 start. Statistically, he’s been fine, but it’s the intangibles that make Delhomme worthy of our midseason MVP vote. Whether it was his last-second touchdown toss to beat San Diego in Week One, the stirring 14-point comeback versus Chicago in Week two, or Week Eight’s fourth-quarter rally to get by Arizona — it’s been Delhomme leading the way in Carolina from Day One. He’s everything you’d ever want in a veteran quarterback.

He’s everything you’d ever expect out of an MVP.

The Case Against: We can’t find one.

Fantasy Life: Joseph Addai, Midseason’s Least Valuable Player

Every season, one first-round draft pick turns into fantasy football’s version of toxic waste — the kind of guy you can’t give away, the kind who instantly dooms your season.

Last year, it was Shaun Alexander. Taken somewhere between third and eighth in most fantasy drafts last year, Alexander limped through an awful season, finishing with fewer than 800 yards and just four touchdowns. His 3.5 yards per carry average was the very worst of his eight-year career and his season was so disappointing, the Seahawks sent the former face of their franchise packing. To this day, there are fantasy owners waking up in cold sweats and muttering things in their sleep about #37.

This years model is Indianapolis Colts running back Joseph Addai. in only his third year in the league, Addai entered the season expected to do big things. Taken in my three fantasy football drafts third, fourth, and fifth overall — Addai offered the Stephen Jackson/Brian Westbrook combo-platter, able to gain on the ground, catch passes, and rack up touchdowns. in 2007, Addai rushed for 1,072 yards, caught 41 balls, and scored 15 touchdowns. That’s a downright filthy fantasy football season.

This year? Addai’s been garbage. Battling a nagging hamstring injury, he’s suited up for just six of Indianapolis’s eight games. He’s also been running behind a makeshift offensive line made of journeymen and youngsters. Averaging a miserable 3.1 yards per carry and having only caught seven balls on the entire year, Addai looks downright Alexander-esque.

And yet, people start Addai every single week. Maybe it’s stubbornness, maybe it’s loyalty — but there’s something intangible between a fantasy owner and his first-round pick that just can’t be described. Every Joseph Addai fantasy owner in the nation is frustrated with his play this season. And yet, every one of them will continue to start him — through thick and thin — from here on out. Perhaps it’s faith and devotion. or perhaps it’s just the fear that the one week he’s on your bench will be the one week he explodes for 180 yards and 3 touchdowns.

So, Joseph Addai owners of the world unite! find solace in each other’s misery. Start a Facebook group, an online message board, do something — because it may get worse before it gets better. Addai ran the ball 17 times for just 32 yards last weekend. That’s good for 1.9 yards per carry.

But you Addai owners knew that already. Hell, you haven’t slept in five days because of it.

Three Questions with Lawrence Taylor

In New York last week to promote his new video game Blitz the League: II, I spoke with the eight-time all Pro and NFL Hall of Famer about football, life on the road, and his version of an NFL dream team.

What were your favorite NFL cities to visit on road trips?

A lot of guys used to think about who the other teams’ quarterbacks, running backs, and offensive linemen were before a road trip. I was pretty much concerned with two things: warm weather and the hoes. Miami and Atlanta had both. in both those cities, your head would be on a swivel the entire time. Great weather and beautiful women everywhere. Then on Sunday, it was all about the football.

Over the past couple of years, one of the major storylines in the NFL has been the antics of the league’s top wide receivers. How would you have handled one of today’s receivers in your locker room?

Some of today’s players are “me first.” I don’t like that kind of football. Back in my day, it was the players who’d handle those guys, not the coach. And all that — it would be worked out behind closed doors. Now, it’s different. Back then, the team leaders just wouldn’t allow it. If you wanted to act like that, you’d get your ass kicked. Everyone knew that. I’m not saying it’s better or worse — it’s just different.

Hypothetical situation. You’ve got to go to war with six other NFL players — past or present — three on offense and three on defense. Who are you taking with you to battle?

Well, my quarterback is Phil Simms. He’s my guy. He’ll lead us into battle. No doubt about that. At running back, I’m going with Jim Brown. At receiver, it’s Jerry Rice. Ain’t no question there. He’s the best to ever play the position. on defense, I’m going with Deacon Jones, because Deacon looks like he’s been in a bunch of battles. also, give me Strahan. Strahan’s consistent. I love his intensity. And the sixth guy has to be Ronnie Lott. Ronnie was just a man’s man. Back when I played, there was no one better in the game. He’s a phenomenon. No one’s played the safety position better since.

The Top Ten Midseason Candidates for NFL MVP

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by on March 23, 2010

”The collapse of Sarkozyism” was how Jean-Marie Le Pen described the heavy defeat inflicted on France’s governing UMP centre-right party in Sunday’s regional elections. it was a typically pithy judgment by the 81-year-old leader of the far-right National Front. but is it accurate?

Sunday was a black day for Nicolas Sarkozy, the president. the 20-point margin of victory for the Socialists and greens over his UMP was the biggest for the centre-left for 30 years. the centre-right controls only one of France’s 22 regions.