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Overwhelmed by Your To-Do List? Here’s How AnyTime Organizer Deluxe 16 Can Help!

With so many tasks, appointments, and people to keep track of, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. AnyTime Organizer Deluxe 16 might be just the tool you need to bring order to your routine.




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How to Delete a Page in Word: Easy Steps for Beginners to Advanced Users

Ever found yourself stuck with an extra blank page in your Word document and wondering […]




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American College of Surgeons Releases Revised Best Practices Guidelines in Management of Traumatic Brain Injury

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) has announced the release of its revised Best Practices Guidelines in the Management of Traumatic Brain Injury, offering healthcare providers comprehensive strategies to improve the care and outcomes of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI).




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The VA is undeterred on psychedelics

The Department of Veterans Affairs remains convinced that psychedelic therapy can help treat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder — and it’s going to try to prove it. That commitment comes despite the FDA’s August rejection of a drug company’s plan to offer a psychedelic regimen for PTSD.




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Ecommerce business models: Which is best for you?

Which ecommerce business model is best for your idea? Long-term and short-term strategies for operations, profits, and a successful launch.




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How Generative AI Can Add Human Delight to Your Virtual Event

We just celebrated 24 years of Viget. That’s two dozen years! This year, our Spring TTT in celebration of “Viget24” was a virtual extravaganza. We’ve put on a lot of virtual events over the years. Some with really strong themes and swag bags; some that focus on simple, meaningful time together; and others that let us enjoy learning something new as a team. Regardless of the rest of the experience, a key component of all of our virtual events is joyachieved often through intentional levity. We think it’s important to laugh together! We see laughter as a way to expedite connection, and connection leads to rapport which makes us better at collaborating — and in turn leads to more quality products for our clients. 

Experimenting and iterating is a critical way we try to continually get delight right. We’re pretty pleased with one of our experiments from Viget24 that we called “Lovely Spring Day”.

A Lovely Spring Day

As we were brainstorming for this TTT, we thought about how to throw some joyful levity pizzazz into the pieces of our virtual events puzzle that have become pretty standard. How do we add lots of delight without adding lots of time to the action-packed schedule? We zeroed in on the virtual backgrounds we’ve been creating for every event — they add a layer of specialness. Of place. This isn’t any old virtual meeting. This is a TTT! 

A small collection of past event-specific virtual backgrounds

Another key consideration for our team is figuring out creative ways to tie in inspiration from our industry and our work. AI has been an obvious contender —  we’ve discussed it and tied it in to some extent for the past several TTTs. But this time, we wanted to see how we could use AI for delight — marrying it with virtual backgrounds felt obvious. And so, a ”Lovely Spring Day” was born. 

The TL;DR is that we generated custom virtual backgrounds for every Viget employee that encapsulates their “ideal spring day.” We then played a 15-minute guessing game where people tried to guess who the background “belonged to.” Then, people had access to the full folder of AI-generated virtual backgrounds to look through. Vigets could then choose the background that spoke to them most and set it as their background. 

Read on for more on how we put this together!

Pre-Event Survey

To support all of our TTTs, we send out thoughtful pre-event logistics surveys 2-3 weeks before the big day. The survey lets us know where folks are joining from (where can we send their activity + snack packages?) and gives folks a chance to provide input on how the People Team can help folks enjoy and be present for TTT. This time, we also snuck in three questions, just “for giggles.”

  • In one sentence, describe your ideal spring day.
  • List three things that spark joy.
  • What color do you think suits you best?

We did not share why we asked these questions. Sneaky, sneaky! When it’s low-key like this, the element of surprise is often a quick way to level up the delight.

Asking for a Friend

With rich data in hand about what makes people happy in spring, we were ready to generate the backgrounds. I was stoked! I’ve been experimenting with ChatGPT for some time, so it was fun to be able to use the DALL-E 3 side of OpenAI’s GPT-4 model

Who knew Prompt Engineering would be part of my role as a recruiter-who-helps-support-TTT-planning? I played around with a couple different prompts to generate these background images. Ultimately, my goal was to create backgrounds that were meaningfully different from one another but still felt good (i.e., something you might feasibly want to set as your virtual background and nothing freakily AI, like uncanny valley hands).

Here are the prompts I landed on that got me to our set of virtual backgrounds:

  • Please generate an image (dimensions of a virtual meeting background) that encapsulates the vibe of a day with [ BLANK ].
  • Please generate an image (dimensions of a virtual meeting background) that features [ BLANK ].

In the blanks, I wrote the things people included in their surveys. Those blanks were filled with everything ranging from dogs, cats, and friends to beverages, specific temperatures, yard games, carbohydrates, hammocks and more! Sometimes, I’d include a detail I knew about that person myself, even if it wasn’t in their survey. Yes, I occasionally editorialized for both clarity and whimsy! This was for delight purposes, but also helped serve my goal of having the backgrounds be “meaningfully different from one another.” It’s amazing how many people’s ideal spring day is as simple as having 1) moderate temperatures and 2) no pollen!

I generated 55 images. Throughout the process, DALL-E nailed it. I only needed to regenerate 2 or 3 images with clarifiers (and only because they included AI-specific outliers like disembodied hands). Huzzah!

Here are some of my favorites, along with their prompts in the captions. Can you guess who they belong to?

Please generate an image (dimensions of a virtual meeting background) that features an outdoor brewery/taproom in the appalachian mountains. There's a playground with kids in the very distance. In the foreground, frisbee, soccer, volleyball, etc. with friends and family.
Please generate an image that encapsulates the vibe of a day ending with an outdoor dinner with lights near an outdoor shower. There should be some hiking boots scattered about.
Please generate an image that features a nice hot bath after a cold but sunny day, with a beautiful mug of green tea and a box of takeout that looks really good. The calendar shows April 25th.
Please generate an image that encapsulates the vibe of sitting outside in a nice purple adirondack chair with buc-ees paraphernalia around.
Please generate an image that encapsulates the vibe of a sunny, 65 degree day with a slight breeze at the ballpark watching a game. The image should feature cats, baseball, and art.
Please generate an image that encapsulates the vibe of being outside in a canoe along with carbs, bad jokes, and games (video OR board games).
Please generate an image that features endless mountain bike trails, a blue bike with a cup of coffee in the cupholder, and roaming cats.

IRL

Ok, so for the actual activity we had the images ready to go in a private Google Folder. I took twelve of the images and put them in a very simple deck. I shared my screen, introduced the activity, and invited people to guess who they think each image belonged to in Slack. It was so fun seeing people throw out guesses and then narrow in with any verbal hints I gave!

Each image took about a minute. Then, we shared access to the Google Folder, gave folks a couple minutes to choose a background that called to them (their own image or someone else’s), and set it as their background. It felt like a magical moment to witness people finding and resonating with their own image or delighting in the ridiculousness of their coworkers’. We saved about 5 minutes for this piece, which felt right.

The whole Lovely Spring Day activity took just over 15 minutes! It was a perfect way to transition from a long meal break into our next grouping of content. And, we got to see the different backgrounds throughout the rest of the meeting.

Oh, the humanity!

I think this activity was successful for a couple of reasons.

1. People laughed! 

Color commentary in the #ttt Slack channel

2. People felt seen. Some of these backgrounds were incredibly on point. Some of that was due to key folks having well-documented interests and a Slack-Famous Dog. 

Laura Sweltz has a famous love of books and an incredibly iconic beagle named Phoebe.

But some of it was due to the People Team knowing about our people — our coworkers — beyond the sentence they wrote in. This uniquely human involvement helped me call an audible as needed and tweak prompts slightly to make the backgrounds feel even more relatable.

Steven, Carolyn, and Laura Sweltz felt seen.

3. We could commiserate about our eventual AI overlords. (Did you notice that I say “please” in my prompts?!) Listen, Viget has plenty of practical, healthily skeptical people who are dubious about AI. GenAI is not always a fun, lighthearted thing. But using it in a fun, lighthearted way to do something it’s really good at was a nice use case and thought-provoking exposure even for people who are not into it.

4. We could see where we all align, and where we differ! It was amazing to see just how many people love picnics, covet their caffeine, and appreciate a bike ride. It was also cool to see some unique folks who simply crave a rainy spring day, or some beloved Buc-ee’s. What a rich tapestry of individuals — literally!




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Why Twitter’s Paid Subscription Model May Be a Smart Move

Boom! And just like that Elon Musk dropped a game changer. After several months of encouraging people to pay $7/month in the form of $84/year, Elon announced yesterday that starting April 15th, only verified Twitter accounts will be eligible to be in the “For You” tab. This was also after he announced that everyone who …




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9 Social Media Marketing Tips to Deliver Better Results

Social media has quickly morphed into one of the most important marketing channels. Within a few short years, it has moved from being a mere fad into the most powerful marketing tool on the planet. Facebook, for example, is just over a decade old but no business can afford not to have a Facebook marketing … Continue reading 9 Social Media Marketing Tips to Deliver Better Results

The post 9 Social Media Marketing Tips to Deliver Better Results appeared first on Design Shard.




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Integrating Image-To-Text And Text-To-Speech Models (Part 1)

Joas Pambou built an app that integrates vision language models (VLMs) and text-to-speech (TTS) AI technologies to describe images audibly with speech. This audio description tool can be a big help for people with sight challenges to understand what’s in an image. But how this does it even work? Joas explains how these AI systems work and their potential uses, including how he built the app and ways to further improve it.




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Integrating Image-To-Text And Text-To-Speech Models (Part 2)

In the second part of this series, Joas Pambou aims to build a more advanced version of the previous application that performs conversational analyses on images or videos, much like a chatbot assistant. This means you can ask and learn more about your input content.




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Using Multimodal AI Models For Your Applications (Part 3)

In this third part of the series, you are looking at two models that handle all three modalities — text, images or videos, and audio — without needing a second model for text-to-speech or speech recognition.




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Designing For Gen Z: Expectations And UX Guidelines

There are many myths revolving around Gen Z and how they use tech. Time to take a look at actual behavior patterns that go beyond heavy use of social media. Part of [Smart Interface Design Patterns](https://smart-interface-design-patterns.com) by yours truly.




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California Study: Four Widely Used Neonicotinoid Pesticides Harm Bees

Center for Biological Diversity Press Release WASHINGTON – Four commonly used neonicotinoid pesticides can harm bees and other pollinators, according to a new analysis by California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation. The study found that current approved uses of the “neonics” … Continue reading




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Rochers des Iles de la Madeleine

Les rochers des Îles de la Madeleine se dressent, imposants et majestueux, sous un ciel parsemé de nuages légers. Leur teinte rouge vibrante, sculptée par les vents marins et l’érosion, crée un contraste saisissant avec le bleu infini de la mer à l’horizon. Une arche naturelle, formée au fil du temps, ajoute une dimension presque...






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NRC at Delaware State University

NRCgov posted a photo:

Patrice Williams-Johnson from the Office of the Chief Financial Officer hosts a recruiting table at Delaware State University's Level Up to Public Service event speaking with students about the NRC’s Internship, Co-op and Apprenticeship Programs with opportunities at NRC headquarters and regional offices.

Visit the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's website at www.nrc.gov/.
Photo Usage Guidelines: www.flickr.com/people/nrcgov/
Privacy Policy: www.nrc.gov/site-help/privacy.html.
For additional information, or to comment on this photo contact us via e-mail at: OPA.Resource@nrc.gov.




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Harnessing Automated Insulin Delivery: Case Reports from Marathon Runners with Type 1 Diabetes

How can machine learning help individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D)? This is what a study presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of the European As



  • Cell & Molecular Biology

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A New Type of System for Delivering Cargo Into Cells

A sea star oocyte that has been treated with a fluorescent marker of the novel system in shown in this image by D. Nathaniel Clarke



  • Cell & Molecular Biology

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Iron and Water: How Exoplanets' Interiors Challenge Traditional Models

Do certain exoplanets mirror Earth regarding their distribution of iron and water? This is what a recent study published in Nature Astronomy hopes to addre



  • Space & Astronomy

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Harnessing Automated Insulin Delivery: Case Reports from Marathon Runners with Type 1 Diabetes

How can machine learning help individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D)? This is what a study presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of the European As



  • Genetics & Genomics

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Adverse Delta-8 Incidents Higher in States Without Legal Cannabis

A study published in the Journal of Medical Toxicology compared incidents of adverse Delta-8 effects in states with and without legal cannabis. States with



  • Health & Medicine

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Harnessing Automated Insulin Delivery: Case Reports from Marathon Runners with Type 1 Diabetes

How can machine learning help individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D)? This is what a study presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of the European As



  • Clinical & Molecular DX

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Harnessing Automated Insulin Delivery: Case Reports from Marathon Runners with Type 1 Diabetes

How can machine learning help individuals with type 1 diabetes (T1D)? This is what a study presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of the European As




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A New Type of System for Delivering Cargo Into Cells

A sea star oocyte that has been treated with a fluorescent marker of the novel system in shown in this image by D. Nathaniel Clarke




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Large Language Models and the Classics with Barbara Graziosi (Princeton)

Nov 14, 2024, 4pm EST

All are welcome to come to the Fung House (48 Professors Row, Medford) on Thursday, November 14, at 4 p.m. to hear Professor Barbara Graziosi from Princeton University discuss how AI can be used in the reconstruction of ancient texts. This event will be moderated by Gregory Crane, chair of the Tufts Department of Classical Studies.

Graziosi is the Ewing Professor of Greek Language and Literature, and the department chair of the Department of Classics at Princeton University. Her research focuses on ancient Greek literature and the ways in which different readers, through time and across the globe, make it their own.

This event is available in person and on Zoom. All are welcome. Refreshments will be served.

BuildingFung House 48 Professors Row
Campus Location: Medford/Somerville campus
City: Somerville, MA 02144
Campus: Medford/Somerville campus
Open to Public: Yes
Primary Audience(s): Faculty, Postdoctoral Fellows, Staff, Students (Graduate), Students (Postdoctoral)
Event Type: Lecture/Presentation/Seminar/Talk
Subject: Humanities, Innovation
Event Sponsor: School of Arts and Sciences
Event Sponsor Details: Tufts University
Event Contact Name: Amanda Pepper
Event Contact Emailamanada.pepper@tufts.edu
Event Contact Phone: 2037639353
RSVP Information: No RSVP needed
Event Admission: Free
More infohumanities.tufts.edu…



  • 2024/11/14 (Thu)

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Delegate information is now available.

Delegate information on venue, registration, travel, accommodation and other aspects of the workshop is now available. [2006-05-25]




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A5: The 'other' Accessibility Guidelines - the Importance of Authoring Tool Accessibility Evaluation in a Web 2.0 World

Web content is increasingly produced by authors without extensive web design skills - whether by staff using CMSs, VLEs and courseware or by students publishing their coursework online. The challenge of making sure this content is as accessible as possible becomes much more significant, and inevitably a burden on the individual or institution. The quality of the authoring tool in supporting accessible content creation becomes critical - however support for the W3C's Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) by authoring tool vendors seems to be seen as a specific (and usually low priority) customer request rather than a fundamental quality of the tool. For institutions considering selecting a VLE, CMS or other tool that supports web content publication, how can they best express accessibility requirements so that the tool takes its share of responsibility for accessible output? And if existing tools fall short of ATAG conformance, how can the effect of this on the accessibility of content best be managed? The session was facilitated by David Sloan, University of Dundee.




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Delegate Information

Delegate information on venue, registration, travel, accommodation and other aspects of the workshop is now available. [2007-06-22]




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Delegate Bags

Please note that registered delegates will receive a delegate bag when they register, provided courtesey of Interwoven, one of the event sponsors. [2007-06-22]




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Photo Of Delegate Bag

A photograph of the bag which will be provided to IWMW 2007 delegates is now available. [2007-07-12]




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Plenary Talk 4: Delivering Information: Document vs. Content

Kate Forbes-Pitt, Systems Manager, Web Services, London School of Economics will talk about aims aims to problematise the document, asking the following questions: what is a document? How does it impart information to its reader? Can it be replicated on screen? It proposes answers using the arguments of Hughes and King (1993) who contend that the document is a layered social artifact that exists to 'wrap' content. This 'wrapping' provides the reader with the knowledge they need in order to apply social rules to their reading of the document, and so become able to interpret its content. Some information systems writers argue that the need for social knowledge in a task negates the possibility of its automation. Following the logic of this argument, delivering a document (a container of rule) through the existing set of social rules that govern Web interaction, means that the full function of the electronically reproduced document becomes masked or confused. At best this makes the role of the document superfluous to its content, making the content difficult to interpret. At worst it makes the content incomprehensible to the user. This raises a further question: what purpose is served by reproducing documents online? Following from the above arguments, it is possible to argue that 'pure' content, rather than the imitation of printed paper, is likely to be a more successful way of imparting information through the Web.




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Plenary Talk 3: Managing Standards - Delivering a Quality Assured Web Environment

Universities undertake research through a mesh of partnerships, collaborations and contractual relationships. Major research funding bodies, such as government departments, are increasingly encouraging their contractors to adopt formal quality assurance standards - such as ISO 9001:2000. If you haven't come across this already, you are likely to see it very soon! In this talk John Gilbey, Institute QA Manager, IGER discussed the impact of quality standards on the way Web resources - internal and external - are defined, delivered, managed and reviewed in academic environments. An over-view of the quality requirement is presented, along with some pragmatic suggestions to help you deal with it.




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Los Angeles Publishes ‘Model Contract’ Under Freelance Worker Protections Ordinance

Blair C. Senesi and Jaime B. Laurent examine the City of Los Angeles’ “Model Contract” under the Freelance Worker Protections Ordinance (FWPO) and explain what it means for employers.

SHRM

View (Subscription required)




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Employers Rapidly Implement Japan’s Guidelines on Business & Human Rights

  • Japan is one of the first non-Western countries to adopt a legal framework on business and human rights, which will likely influence other countries in the APAC region, as well as the overall Western focus of BHR developments. 




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Littler Mendelson Takes Aim at Pay Inequity with New Software

Aaron Crews explains Littler's Pay Equity Assessment Tool.

Employee Benefit News

View Article 




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Delaware Adopts Law Expanding Sexual Harassment Protections and Requiring Employee Training

On August 29, 2018, Delaware Governor John Carney signed into law a bill (HB 360) addressing sexual harassment in the workplace. The new law broadly defines, and prohibits, sexual harassment and retaliation. The statute obligates employers (with 4 or more employees) to issue an information sheet on sexual harassment. It also requires larger employers (with 50 or more employees) to provide sexual harassment training for all employees and supervisors, making Delaware the fifth state to statutorily mandate sexual harassment training.




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Littler Mendelson Goes All In on Video

Kevin O'Neill explains the benefits of teaching via multimedia platforms such as videos.

Attorney at Work

View Article 




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Philadelphia Hotel, Airport Hospitality, and Event Center Businesses Face Significant New Recall and Retention Obligations

Philadelphia has imposed significant new recall and retention obligations on hotel, airport hospitality, and event center businesses as they struggle to recover in this uncertain COVID-19 economy.  The new obligations are contained in a legislative package, styled as the Black Workers Matter Economic Recovery Package, which became law in Januar




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Philadelphia Expands Protections for Security, Janitorial, Maintenance, Food and Beverage, Hotel, and Health Care Employees Whose Jobs are Outsourced

The Philadelphia Protection of Displaced Contract Workers Ordinance offers job protections to workers providing security, janitorial, building maintenance, food and beverage, hotel service, or health care services who are employed by service contractors, and are displaced when the service contract is terminated and awarded to another service contractor.1  A recent amendment to the Ordinance significantly expands its scope to impose obligations on a business that decides to no longer utilize its




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Ontario, Canada: Availability of Deemed IDEL Ended on July 30, 2022 But Unpaid and Paid IDEL Still Available to Eligible Employees

Deemed IDEL No Longer Available




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Signed, Sealed, Delivered: New Jersey Implements Long-Delayed Landmark WARN Law

On January 10, 2023, Governor Philip D. Murphy signed into law S3162 / A4768, which makes the 2020 amendments to NJ WARN effective 90 days from his signature, irrespective of whether a State of Emergency still exists.

As previously reported, under these amendments:




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Los Angeles Publishes “Model Contract” Under Freelance Workers Protections Ordinance

On August 7, 2024, the City of Los Angeles unveiled its “Model Contract” under the Freelance Workers Protections Ordinance (FWPO). This ordinance, which took effect on July 1, 2023, was designed to bolster protections for freelance workers in Los Angeles.

Ensure Compliance with California Labor Code Section 2775 et seq.




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2024 Philadelphia Regional Employer Conference




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Littler Strengthens Employee Benefits Practice with Addition of Warren E. Fusfeld and Melissa B. Kurtzman to the Firm's Philadelphia Office

Philadelphia, PA/ March 20, 2009 -- Littler Mendelson (Littler), the nation's largest employment and labor law firm representing management, is pleased to announce the arrival of shareholders Warren E. Fusfeld and Melissa B. Kurtzman to the firm’s Philadelphia office, both formerly of WolfBlock LLP.




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The Virginia Supreme Court on Damages, Equity Valuation, and the Significance of Delaware Corporations Law in the Termination and Removal of a Chairman and CEO

The Virginia Supreme Court has spoken again on the calculation of damages in a complex employment contract case. In Online Resources Corp. v. Lawlor, No. 120208 (Va. Jan. 10, 2013), the court addressed the expert qualifications required for the valuation of equity following the termination of the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) ("executive") of a publicly-traded company, as well as the applicability of Delaware Corporations Law to related change in control (CIC) provisions. 

Background




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Bills 47, 66 and 57: Everything You Need to Know About the Never Ending Changes to Ontario, Canada’s Employment Standards Act, 2000 and Labour Relations Act, 1995 and the Indefinite Delay of its Pay Transparency Act




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How Union Tactics Sideline Businesses and Workers

Alex MacDonald discusses how a new study reveals how some union practices prioritize maintaining their political influence over delivering benefits.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce

View




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2022 EEO-1 Reporting Again Delayed

Last week the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission revealed that the 2022 EEO-1 reporting deadline is again being postponed.  Reporting, which was expected to begin in July, is now “tentatively” scheduled to open in the fall of 2023.  The change was referenced in brief notices on an EEOC webpage and the EEO-1 website.

According to the EEO-1 website:




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Third Circuit Holds Multiemployer Pension Fund Claim Cannot Be Enforced due to Unreasonable Delay in Providing Notice of Withdrawal Liability Assessment

In July, the Third Circuit upheld a District of New Jersey decision to throw out a withdrawal liability assessment, finding the multiemployer pension fund was barred from pursuing its claim because the fund unreasonably delayed notification of a withdrawal liability assessment for 12 years.

Withdrawal Liability Assessments Under ERISA