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Sappho Overseas with Barbara Graziosi (Princeton)

Nov 15, 2024, 12pm EST

All are welcome to come to Sophia Gordon Hall, Room 100 (15 Talbot Avenue, Medford), on Friday, November 15 at noon to hear Professor Barbara Graziosi from Princeton University discuss the impact and interpretation of Sappho. 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.

BuildingSophia Gordon Hall
Campus Location: Medford/Somerville campus
City: Somerville, MA 02144
Campus: Medford/Somerville campus
Location Details: Room 100
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…



  • 2024/11/15 (Fri)

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Poetry Reading with Daisy Atterbury and Adrienne Raphael

Nov 14, 2024, 6:30pm EST

The Center for Humanities at Tufts (CHAT) invites the Tufts community to join us on November 14 for a poetry reading with Daisy Atterbury and Adrienne Raphael, moderated by Professor Sarah Akant.

Daisy Atterbury is a poet, essayist and scholar. Daisy’s most recent book, The Kármán Line (2024), investigates queer life and fantasies of space and place with an interest in unraveling colonial narratives in the American Southwest.

Adrienne Raphel is the author of Thinking Inside the Box: Adventures with Crosswords and the Puzzling People Who Can't Live Without Them and the poetry collections Our Dark Academia and What Was It For. She teaches writing at CUNY Baruch and lives in Brooklyn.

All are welcome. Contact humanities@tufts.edu with questions.

BuildingFung House 48 Professors Row
Campus Location: Medford/Somerville campus
City: Somerville, MA 02144
Campus: Medford/Somerville campus
Location Details: Conference Room
Open to Public: Yes
Primary Audience(s): Faculty, Postdoctoral Fellows, Staff, Students (Graduate), Students (Postdoctoral), Students (Undergraduate)
Event Type: Lecture/Presentation/Seminar/Talk
Subject: Humanities
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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Christopher Harris (2000)

Christopher Harris is Executive Director of HERO. He has been seconded from Newcastle University for a period of 3 years to undertake this task. At Newcastle he was Director of Communications and Public Affairs, which included responsibility for NUInfo, the University's Internet service.




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Photographs of IWMW 2005 Now Available

Many thanks to Patrick Lauke, University of Salford for making available his IWMW 2005 photographs. These black and white photographs of the workshop are available from the Flickr service. [2005-07-27]




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Lawrie Phipps (2004)

Lawrie Phipps is the TechDis Senior Advisor for Higher Education. His background is in staff development and e-learning, designing and developing virtual field trips and courses and supporting science lecturers in learning and teaching. Lawrie is also a Visiting Fellow at the Special Needs Computing Research Unit at the University of Teesside. The research group is looking at a range of issues including disability and mobile learning, the use of multimedia to support disabilities, computer assisted assessment and the development of Virtual Learning Environments to support students with learning difficulties.




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Stephen Bulley (2004)

Stephen Bulley is Head of MIS at the London School of Economics and Political Science. MIS is part of the Business Systems & Services Division, which also includes Web Services, Telecoms, Timetables, Conferences & Events and provides IT support to the School's administrative departments. Stephen runs the front line and application support teams for BSS, as well as the Oracle and Unix/Linux systems team. He has worked in IT since 1991 and as an MIS Manager since 1997 from a background as an Oracle DBA; first in FE at South East Essex College and then at the LSE. He has been involved from the start with the LSE for You student & staff portal and recently led an evaluation for a portal product to help take this project to the next stage. Stephen gave a plenary talk on LSE for You: From Innovation to Realism and Beyond.




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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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Stephen Emmott (1998)

After studying Applied Psychology and then Cognitive Science and Intelligent Computing, Stephen Emmott went on to lecture in both Artificial Intelligence and Psychology. After two academic years he ventured into the commercial world with jobs in the emerging 'New Media' industry: Easynet, Cyberia, Netmare and finally Webmedia where he spent his last year as project manager for Which? Online. He joined King's College London as Web Editor in September 1997 and is currently exploring content management using XML. Stephen gave a talk entitled "Events Online".




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Stephanie Taylor (2008)

Stephanie Taylor has over fourteen years experience as an information professional. She is currently working on the JISC-funded Repository Support Project (RSP) which aims to assist academic institutions to develop a deployed network of inter-operable repositories for academic papers, learning materials and research data across the UK. The RSP delivers practical advice to English and Welsh HEI's regarding development, implementation and management of these repositories. Stephanie gave a plenary talk on "Institutional Repositories: Asset or Obstacle?".




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Expert Insights – California Supreme Court Upholds Proposition 22

Alexander T. MacDonald and Joy C. Rosenquist discuss California’s Proposition 22 and a recent California Supreme Court decision that upheld the voter-approved law allowing app-based drivers to work as independent contractors.

Westlaw Today

View (Subscription required)




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DOL Issues Annual Report on Child Labor with Emphasis on Enforcement

  • The DOL continues to focus on enforcement of child labor violations, with special attention to supply chain violations, including through subcontractors and staffing agencies.
  • Recent publicity on this issue has highlighted how dangerous forms of child labor, and in particular child labor involving young migrants, should encourage companies to assess whether and to what extent their U.S. operations should be analyzed for these concerns.




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What's Next: Decrypting Iran | Phone Frisking | Legal Meltdown

Aaron Crews suggests how data could change business law.

Law.com

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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Georgia’s Restrictive Covenants Act Does Not Require That Restrictive Covenants Contain Express Geographic Restriction

In June 2023, the Georgia Court of Appeals held in North American Senior Benefits, LLC v. Wimmer that an employee non-solicitation covenant must contain an express geographic limitation to be enforceable.




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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 Contractual Basis of Incentive Compensation Re-Emphasized: Restricted Stock in Lieu of Cash Wages Can Be Forfeited By Resignation in California

In Schachter v. Citigroup, Inc.,1 the California Supreme Court rejected claims that an incentive plan that conditioned the earning of restricted stock based on continued service was unlawful where the employee voluntarily elected to participate in the plan, and the employee quit before the date on which the incentive was earned. The plan was lawful even though the incentive plan was funded from wages that the employee would have otherwise received in cash.




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UK: The Employment Rights Bill – Phase One of Employment Law Reform

  • UK Employment Rights Bill includes 28 individual employment law reforms.
  • The Bill will now make its way through Parliament and may be amended along the way.
  • This Insight summarizes key provisions of the Bill, when they would take effect, and what proposals did not make it into the 158-page document.




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New Pennsylvania Legislation and Philadelphia Ordinance Amendment Tackle Pardoned Convictions, Expunged Records, and Negligent Hiring Liability

Pennsylvania and Philadelphia recently enacted changes that impact employer criminal background screening.

State Law

Enacted on December 14, 2023, and effective February 12, 2024, Pennsylvania’s House Bill No. 689 amends Pennsylvania law relating to the expungement of certain criminal record information and employer immunity when hiring individuals with expunged records. 




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Dear Littler: Do I really need to reimburse my remote employee’s phone bill, internet, and home office equipment?

Dear Littler,

We are a small company based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin that allowed some of our employees to work remotely during the pandemic. When we recently announced our plans to call employees back to home base in Milwaukee, we received feedback that some employees did not plan to come back—they want to continue working remotely. We anticipated this, and we’re working with them to navigate their individual situations, but we were surprised to learn that some of our employees have actually relocated to different states!




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Canada Entered Last Phase of CPP Enhancements on January 1, 2024

All Canadian employers other than those in Quebec1 are required to:

  • Deduct Canada Pension Plan (CPP) contributions from their employees’ pensionable earnings if the employee meets certain conditions;
  • Contribute an amount equal to the CPP contributions that were deducted; and
  • Remit both amounts.

These obligations end when the employee reaches the maximum contribution for the year.





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Arbitrator upholds reasonableness of hospital vaccination policy for termination of non-compliant

Rhonda B. Levy and Barry Kuretzky discuss a case in which an arbitrator issued the first award in Ontario to address and uphold the reasonableness of a hospital vaccination policy that allows employers to terminate employees for non-compliance.

Human Resources Director Canada

View (Subscription required.)




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Phoenix City Council Requires Heat Safety Plans from City Contractors

On March 26, 2024, the Phoenix (Arizona) City Council unanimously passed an ordinance requiring all city contractors and subcontractors to develop and maintain a written heat safety plan to prevent heat-related illnesses and injuries in the workplace. Outdoor workers in Phoenix may be susceptible to heat-related illness and injury due to the extreme Arizona temperatures.




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Ontario, Canada Court Affirms City Lacked Control of Workplace and Exercised Due Diligence, Upholding Acquittal of OHSA Charges

In R. v. Greater Sudbury (City), 2024 ONSC 3959, the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (OSCJ) dismissed an appeal of the trial judge’s decision in which she acquitted the City of Sudbury (City) of various charges under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).




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Littler Bolsters Toronto Office with the Addition of Partner Stephen Shore

TORONTO (April 15, 2024) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labour law practice representing management, has added Stephen Shore as a partner in its Toronto office. Shore joins from Ogletree Deakins and represents employers across all areas of employment and labour law.




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Littler Adds Unfair Competition and Trade Secrets Litigator Phillip Antablin in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (August 19, 2024) – Littler, the world’s largest employment and labor law practice representing management, has added Phillip Antablin as a shareholder in its Century City office in Los Angeles. Antablin previously served as Senior Counsel at Epstein Becker Green.




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Just 11% of Legal Departments Predict Gen AI Will Be 'Transformative,' As Its Honeymoon Phase Fades

Marko Mrkonich says it’s important for companies to establish their AI compliance framework at the beginning, instead of after employees have already gotten used to deploying AI in certain ways.

Corporate Counsel

View (Subscription required)




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ETSI Multi-access Edge Computing releases Phase 2 specifications

ETSI Multi-access Edge Computing releases Phase 2 specifications

Sophia Antipolis, 21 March 2019

The ETSI Multi-access Edge Computing group (MEC ISG) announces the release of its first set of Phase 2 specifications, including ETSI GS MEC 002 which includes new requirements for Phase 2, ETSI GS MEC 003 dealing with architecture and framework, and  ETSI GS MEC 009 giving general principles for service APIs.

Read More...




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New ETSI group to develop standardization framework for secure smartphone-based proximity tracing systems, helping to break COVID-19 transmission chains

New ETSI group to develop standardization framework for secure smartphone-based proximity tracing systems, helping to break COVID-19 transmission chains

Sophia Antipolis, 12 May 2020

In response to the global coronavirus pandemic, the new ETSI Industry Specification Group “Europe for Privacy-Preserving Pandemic Protection” (ISG E4P) has been established to provide a standardization framework that will enable developers to build interoperable mobile apps for proximity detection and anonymous identification.

Read More...




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Homage to Pierre Laffitte, founder of Sophia-Antipolis and former Senator

Homage to Pierre Laffitte, founder of Sophia-Antipolis and former Senator

Sophia Antipolis, 8 July 2021

We were very sad to hear that Pierre Laffitte passed away on 7 July, at the age of 96. President and founder of the Sophia-Antipolis technopole, a scientist and politician, he has spent countless hours contributing to making Sophia-Antipolis the largest technopole in Europe.

Read More...




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ETSI releases two Technical Reports to support US NIST standards for post-quantum cryptography

ETSI releases two Technical Reports to support US NIST standards for post-quantum cryptography

Sophia Antipolis, 6 October 2021

In 2016 the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced their intention to develop new standards for post-quantum cryptography. They subsequently initiated a competition-like standardization process with a call for proposals for quantum-safe digital signatures, public-key encryption schemes, and key encapsulation mechanisms. NIST have stated that they intend to select quantum-safe schemes for standardization at the end of the current, third round of evaluation.

Read More...




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ETSI releases first comprehensive global standard for securing smart phones

ETSI releases first comprehensive global standard for securing smart phones

Sophia Antipolis, 24 November 2021

Today our smartphones and tablets are fundamental for citizens and hold a wide range of user data and apps. At the same time, security attacks have increased with malicious applications and network eavesdropping. To define security and assurance requirements for smart phones and tablets, mitigate potential risks and protect users, ETSI has released a world class standard called Consumer Mobile Device Protection Profile, ETSI TS 103 732. The specification identifies key security and privacy risks for user data and provides appropriate protection.

Read More...




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MEC is ramping up with Phase 3 work on Multi-access Edge Computing

MEC is ramping up with Phase 3 work on Multi-access Edge Computing

Sophia Antipolis, 15 March 2022

Since the beginning of 2022 the ETSI MEC Industry Specification Group (ETSI ISG MEC) has moved forward with the on-going Phase 3 work, which is foreseen to help accelerate and enable more effective and fruitful collaboration with other organizations.

Read More...




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ETSI Advanced Mobile Location standard now permits European smartphones to send caller location in emergency calls

ETSI Advanced Mobile Location standard now permits European smartphones to send caller location in emergency calls

Sophia Antipolis, 22 March 2022

Since 17 March all smartphones sold in Europe are required to comply with Advanced Mobile Location for emergency communications. AML was standardized in ETSI TS 103 625 by the ETSI technical committee on emergency communications (EMTEL) in December 2019. It is already helping emergency services dispatch the needed resources efficiently in Europe and worldwide.

Read More...




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ETSI Encrypted Traffic Integration group extends term to work on cryptographic and key management models

ETSI Encrypted Traffic Integration group extends term to work on cryptographic and key management models

Sophia Antipolis, 2 August 2022

ETSI has recently extended the term of its Industry Specification Group Encrypted Traffic Integration (ISG ETI) for a two-year period through to mid-2024 to work on specific cryptographic and key management models.

Read More...




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ETSI Multi-access Edge Computing Consolidates Phase 3 Work

Leading to more effective and fruitful cross organization collaboration

Sophia Antipolis, 14 February 2023

In the last three months, ETSI ISG MEC has released its final Phase 2 specification (GS MEC 015, on Traffic Management APIs) and made significant progress on Phase 3 with the release of a number of important specifications, including the MEC Federation Enablement APIs (GS MEC 040): in particular, this specification is critical for supporting the requirements received from GSMA OPG (Operator Platform Group) to enable inter-MEC system communication and allow 5G operators to collaborate among themselves, with service cloud providers and with other stakeholders. 

Read More...




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ETSI Quantum-Safe Cryptography event: a success 10 years later!

Sophia Antipolis, 16 February 2023

The 9th face-to-face ETSI-IQC Quantum-Safe Cryptography event this week attracted a large audience of nearly 200 people from Europe, North America and Asia, bringing together industry, academia and government. The event was kicked off by ETSI Director-General Luis Jorge Romero, who gave an overview of the quantum-safe standardization journey since the first workshop in 2013 and reiterated ETSI’s continued support for this important global effort.

Read More...




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ETSI Protection Profile for securing smartphones gains world-first certification from French Cybersecurity Agency

Sophia Antipolis, 12 January 2024

In a significant step highlighting the critical importance of security for mobile device users, the French National Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) has certified ETSI's Consumer Mobile Device Protection Profile under the Common Criteria global certification framework. This represents the first certification by a national administration of a comprehensive suite of specifications for assessing the security of smartphones.

Read More...




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ETSI Multi-access Edge Computing completed Phase 3 Work and started Phase 4

Sophia Antipolis, 15 April 2024

ETSI Multi-access Edge Computing completed Phase 3 Work and started Phase 4

Leading to more effective and fruitful cross organization collaboration

In the last three months, ETSI ISG MEC has released its final set of Phase 3 specifications and made significant progress on Phase 4 with the opening of new Work Items. In particular, the last Phase 3 version of MEC 011 (Edge Platform Application Enablement) contains the updates related to the latest alignment with 3GPP on CAPIF, thanks to a fruitful collaboration with SA6, CT3 and SA3 groups. Also, ISG MEC produced an updated version of MEC 040 (Federation Enablement APIs), that carefully considered the relevant work of other industry bodies relating to MEC federation and all relevant work done in ETSI. This work is critical for supporting the requirements from GSMA OPG (Operator Platform Group) to enable inter-MEC system communication and allow 5G operators to collaborate among themselves, with service cloud providers and with other stakeholders. New APIs are introduced for the enablement of MEC federation, helping operators to "federate" edge computing resources by offering their MEC service capabilities for mutual consumption, application developers and end-customers (e.g. vertical markets).

Read More...




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Preparing for a secure future: industry and business share plans for quantum era at 10th ETSI/IQC Quantum-Safe Cryptography Conference

Sophia Antipolis, 24 May 2024

Speakers at the 10th ETSI/IQC Quantum Safe Cryptography Conference have called on organizations to prepare their cybersecurity infrastructures to address the challenges of a post-quantum world.

Organized by ETSI and the Institute for Quantum Computing, this year’s conference was hosted from 14-16 May by the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT), National University of Singapore (NUS), in partnership with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and the Cyber Security Agency (CSA) of Singapore. The event attracted an impressive 235 onsite delegates from 27 countries, reflecting fast-growing interest worldwide in the critical importance of quantum-safe cryptography in today’s cybersecurity strategies.

Read More...




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Graphic Designer II

Job Summary  The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) seeks a highly motivated Graphic Designer II to join our Communications and Public Affairs team. This position is a one-year, renewable appointment, based in its New Delhi office, India and report to the Manager for Creative Solutions, who is based in Washington, DC. The Graphic Designer will produce high-quality and professional visual communication products to promote IFPRI's research to a diverse range of target audiences and through multiple channels. The successful candidate will be an enthusiastic, creative, and team-oriented individual with experience designing and delivering compelling visual communication outputs in a dynamic environment.  Interested candidates should submit a resume, cover letter, and a portfolio demonstrating their graphic design work. The portfolio should include a variety of projects showcasing skills in typography, layout, creativity, and use of design software (Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, and Canva) and include. links to digital portfolios or PDF attachments. Applications without a portfolio will not be considered. Interested applicants must have work authorization to work in India. Essential Duties:  Specific duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to: Design both print and digital visual communication products: Develop multiple design concepts and carry them through to final delivery, including but not limited to conference banners, brochures, data visualizations, flyers, posters, presentations, research reports, and websites. Layout print publications: Design and layout policy papers and reports while assisting in the creation of flexible InDesign templates. Create engaging digital content: Design visual content for the IFPRI website, interactive applications, social media, and email campaigns. Apply design principles: Utilize knowledge of layout, color theory, typography, and iconography to execute a wide variety of graphic design projects for both print and digital media. Provide branding guidance: Insure IFPRI products adhere to a consistent visual style and uphold professional standards, providing branding guidance to staff as needed. Brand design: Develop and execute creative concepts for branding, including logos, typography, color palettes, and overall visual identity. Innovate in interactive design: Lead initiatives on using innovative methods of interactive design to communicate research findings to both new and established audiences. Web Design: Develop visual design for IFPRI’s main website and microsites, ensure adherence to style guidelines. Coordinate printing: Manage the printing process of IFPRI publications and materials with local and international vendors. Collaborate effectively: Work collaboratively across the institution to ensure the timely delivery of high-quality design deliverables. Monitor and educate on digital trends: Stay updated on current digital trends, technologies, and industry standards, and educate both the team and IFPRI staff on best practices. Required Qualifications:  Bachelor's Degree in Art Design, Fine arts, Communications, Marketing or related field plus five years of relevant professional experience or Master’s plus three years in related field. Experience in graphic design, producing high-quality artwork, illustrations, and other graphics for communication purposes, including websites. Proven graphic design experience with a strong portfolio demonstrating excellent typography, layout, and creativity. Extensive experience with Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop. Basic knowledge/understanding of DTP software like Corel Draw.  Proficiency in using Canva for creating and managing visual content. In-depth knowledge and understanding of social media and web platforms, with demonstrated experience generating engaging content. Familiarity with designing within PowerPoint and MS Word. Ability to work quickly to meet tight deadlines and handle multiple projects simultaneously. Outstanding organizational and planning skills, with exceptional attention to detail. Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills; proven ability to be flexible in a team-oriented environment with diverse groups of people. Physical Demand & Work environment: Employee will sit in an upright position for a long period of time.  Employee will lift between 0-10 pounds.  Employee is required to have close visual acuity to perform activities such as: data preparation, web-scraping, preparing, and analyzing data and figure s; dashboard; viewing computer terminal; extensive coding.  




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SpotOn London 2012 Storify: BrainSpace, a global interest graph for scientists

Here is a Storify summary of the SpotOn London session: BrainSpace, a global interest graph for




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Cybersecurity Snapshot: CISA Warns of Global Spear-Phishing Threat, While OWASP Releases AI Security Resources

CISA is warning about a spear-phishing campaign that spreads malicious RDP files. Plus, OWASP is offering guidance about deepfakes and AI security. Meanwhile, cybercriminals have amplified their use of malware for fake software-update attacks. And get the latest on CISA’s international plan, Interpol’s cyber crackdown and ransomware trends.

Dive into six things that are top of mind for the week ending Nov. 8.

1 - CISA: Beware of nasty spear-phishing campaign

Proactively restrict outbound remote-desktop protocol (RDP) connections. Block transmission of RDP files via email. Prevent RDP file execution.

Those are three security measures cyber teams should proactively take in response to an ongoing and “large scale” email spear-phishing campaign targeting victims with malicious RDP files, according to the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

A foreign threat actor is carrying out the campaign. Several vertical sectors, including government and IT, are being targeted.

“Once access has been gained, the threat actor may pursue additional activity, such as deploying malicious code to achieve persistent access to the target’s network,” CISA’s alert reads.
 


Other CISA recommendations include:

  • Adopt phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication (MFA), such as FIDO tokens, and try to avoid SMS-based MFA
  • Educate users on how to spot suspicious emails
  • Hunt for malicious activity in your network looking for indicators of compromise (IoCs) and tactics, techniques and procedures

Although CISA didn’t name the hacker group responsible for this campaign, its alert includes links to related articles from Microsoft and AWS that identify it as Midnight Blizzard. Also known as APT29, this group is affiliated with Russia’s government.

To get more details, check out the CISA alert “Foreign Threat Actor Conducting Large-Scale Spear-Phishing Campaign with RDP Attachments.

For more information about securing RDP tools:

2 - OWASP issues AI security resources

How should your organization respond to deepfakes? What’s the right way of establishing a center of excellence for AI security in your organization? Where can you find a comprehensive guide of tools to secure generative AI applications?

These questions are addressed in a new set of resources for AI security from the Open Worldwide Application Security Project’s OWASP Top 10 for LLM Application Security Project

The new resources are meant to help organizations securely adopt, develop and deploy LLM and generative AI systems and applications “with a comprehensive strategy encompassing governance, collaboration and practical tools,” OWASP said in a statement.



These are the new resources:

  • The Guide for Preparing and Responding to Deepfake Events,” which unpacks four types of deepfake schemes – financial fraud, job interview fraud, social engineering and misinformation – and offers guidance about each one in these areas:
    • preparation
    • detection and analysis
    • containment eradication and recovery
    • post-incident activity
  • The LLM and GenAI Center of Excellence Guide,” which aims to help CISOs and fellow organization leaders create a center of excellence for generative AI security that facilitates collaboration among various teams, including security, legal, data science and operations, so they can develop:
    • Generative AI security policies
    • Risk assessment and management processes
    • Training and awareness
    • Research and development
  • The AI Security Solution Landscape Guide,” which offers security teams a comprehensive catalog of open source and commercial tools for securing LLMs and generative AI applications.

To get more details, read OWASP’s announcement “OWASP Dramatically Expands GenAI Security Guidance.”

For more information about protecting your organization against deepfakes:

3 - Fake update variants dominate list of top malware in Q3

Hackers are doubling down on fake software-update attacks.

That’s the main takeaway from the Center for Internet Security’s list of the 10 most prevalent malware used during the third quarter.

Malware variants used to carry out fake browser-update attacks took the top four spots on the list: SocGholish, LandUpdate808, ClearFake and ZPHP. Collectively, they accounted for 77% of the quarter’s malware infections. It's the first time LandUpdate808 and ClearFake appear on this quarterly list.


(Source: “Top 10 Malware Q3 2024”, Center for Internet Security, October 2024)

In a fake software-update attack, a victim gets duped into installing a legitimate-looking update for, say, their preferred browser, that instead infects their computers with malware.

Here’s the full list, in descending order:

  • SocGholish, a downloader distributed through malicious websites that tricks users into downloading it by offering fake software updates 
  • LandUpdate808, a JavaScript downloader distributed through malicious websites via fake browser updates
  • ClearFake, another JavaScript downloader used for fake browser-update attacks
  • ZPHP, another JavaScript downloader used for fake software-update attacks
  • Agent Tesla, a remote access trojan (RAT) that captures credentials, keystrokes and screenshots
  • CoinMiner, a cryptocurrency miner that spreads using Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)
  • Arechclient2, also known as SectopRAT, is a .NET RAT whose capabilities include multiple stealth functions
  • Mirai, a malware botnet that compromises IoT devices to launch DDoS attacks
  • NanoCore, a RAT that spreads via malspam as a malicious Excel spreadsheet
  • Lumma Stealer, an infostealer used to swipe personally identifiable information (PII), credentials, cookies and banking information

To get more information, the CIS blog “Top 10 Malware Q3 2024” offers details, context and indicators of compromise for each malware strain.

For details on fake update attacks:


VIDEO

Fake Chrome Update Malware (The PC Security Channel)

4 - CISA’s first international plan unveiled

CISA has released its first-ever international plan, which outlines a strategy for boosting the agency’s collaboration with cybersecurity agencies from other countries.

Aligning cybersecurity efforts and goals with international partners is critical for tackling cyberthreats in the U.S. and abroad, according to the agency.

The three core pillars of CISA’s “2025 - 2026 International Strategic Plan” are:

  • Help make more resilient other countries’ assets, systems and networks that impact U.S. critical infrastructure
  • Boost the integrated cyber defenses of the U.S. and its international partners against their shared global cyberthreats
  • Unify the coordination of international activities to strengthen cyberdefenses collectively

The plan will allow CISA to “reduce risk to the globally interconnected and interdependent cyber and physical infrastructure that Americans rely on every day,” CISA Director Jen Easterly said in a statement.

5 - Interpol hits phishers, ransomware gangs, info stealers

Interpol and its partners took down 22,000 malicious IP addresses and seized thousands of servers, laptops, and mobile phones used by cybercriminals to conduct phishing scams, deploy ransomware and steal information.

The four-month global operation, titled Synergia II and announced this week, involved law enforcement agencies and private-sector partners from 95 countries and netted 41 arrests.


“Together, we’ve not only dismantled malicious infrastructure but also prevented hundreds of thousands of potential victims from falling prey to cybercrime,” Neal Jetton, Director of Interpol’s Cybercrime Directorate, said in a statement.

In Hong Kong, more than 1,000 servers were taken offline, while authorities in Macau, China took another 291 servers offline. Meanwhile, in Estonia, authorities seized 80GB of server data, which is now being analyzed for links to phishing and banking malware.

For more information about global cybercrime trends:

6 - IST: Ransomware attacks surged in 2023

Ransomware gangs went into hyperdrive last year, increasing their attacks by 73% compared with 2022, according to the non-profit think tank Institute for Security and Technology (IST).

The IST attributes the sharp increase in attacks to a shift by ransomware groups to “big game hunting” – going after prominent, large organizations with deep pockets. 

“Available evidence suggests that government and industry actions taken in 2023 were not enough to significantly reduce the profitability of the ransomware model,” reads an IST blog.

Global Ransomware Incidents in 2023

Another takeaway: The ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) model continued to prove extremely profitable in 2023, and it injected dynamism into the ransomware ecosystem. 

The RaaS model prompted ransomware groups “to shift allegiances, form new groups, or iterate existing variants,” the IST blog reads.

The industry sector that ransomware groups hit the hardest was construction, followed by hospitals and healthcare, and by IT services and consulting. Financial services and law offices rounded out the top five.

To learn more about ransomware trends:




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The Black Panther Party : a graphic novel history / David F. Walker ; art, colors, and letters by Marcus Kwame Anderson.

"Founded in Oakland, California, in 1966, the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense was a radical political organization that stood in defiant contrast to the mainstream civil rights movement. This gripping illustrated history explores the impact and significance of the Panthers, from their social, educational, and healthcare programs that were designed to uplift the Black community to their battle against police brutality through citizen patrols and frequent clashes with the FBI, which targeted the Party from its outset. Using dramatic comic book-style retellings and illustrated profiles of key figures, The Black Panther Party captures the major events, people, and actions of the Party, as well as their cultural and political influence and enduring legacy." -- Page [2] of cover.




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A hiss before dying : a Mrs. Murphy mystery / Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown ; illustrated by Michael Gellatly.

"Rita Mae Brown and her feline co-author Sneaky Pie Brown are back chasing mystery with their unique circle of Southern sleuths. And though the changing colors of fall are a beauty to behold, this year the scattered leaves hide a grim surprise. Autumn is in the air in the Blue Ridge Mountain community of Crozet, Virginia--and all the traditions of the changing seasons are under way. Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen cleans her cupboards, her husband, Fair, prepares the horses for the shorter days ahead, and the clamorous barking of beagles signals the annual rabbit chase through the central Virginia hills. But the last thing the local beaglers and their hounds expect to flush out is a dead body. Disturbingly, it's the second corpse to turn up, after that of a missing truck driver too disfigured to identify. The deaths seem unrelated--until Harry picks up a trail of clues dating back to the state's post-Revolutionary past. The echoes of the Shot Heard Round the World pale in comparison to the dangerous shootout Harry narrowly escapes unscathed. Next time, it may be the killer who gets lucky. But not if Harry's furry friends Mrs. Murphy, Pewter, and Tucker can help it. Lending their sharp-nosed talents to the hunt, they'll help their mistress keep more lives from being lost--and right an injustice buried since the early days of America's independence. "As feline collaborators go, you couldn't ask for better than Sneaky Pie Brown."--The New York Times Book Review"-- Provided by publisher.




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Irrigation schemes in Ethiopia’s Awash River Basin: An examination of physical, knowledge, and governance infrastructures

Using a representative sample of irrigation schemes, the study documents the physical, knowledge, and governance infrastructures of irrigation schemes in Ethiopia’s most intensively used river basin, the Awash. The findings show that about 20 percent of the equipped area of irrigation schemes in the basin is not being irrigated, while the number of actual beneficiaries […] Source: IFPRI Ethiopia: Ethiopia Strategy Support Program




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Five nights at Freddy's. [2], The twisted ones : the graphic novel / by Scott Cawthon and Kira Breed-Wrisley ; adapted by Christopher Hastings ; illustrated by Claudia Aguirre ; colors by Laurie Smith and Eva de la Cruz.

"It's been a year since the horrific events at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, and Charlie is just trying to move on. Even with the excitement of a new school and a fresh start, she's still haunted by nightmares of a masked murderer and four gruesome animatronic puppets. Charlie thinks her ordeal is over, but when a series of bodies are discovered near her school bearing wounds that are disturbingly familiar she finds herself drawn back into the world of her father's frightening creations. Something twisted is hunting Charlie, and this time if it finds her, it's not letting her go." -- Publisher's description.




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The Count of Monte Cristo / Alexandre Dumas ; art by: Nokman Poon ; story adaptation by: Crystal S. Chan ; lettering by Morpheus Studios ; lettering assist: Jeannie Lee.

On the very day of his wedding to the beautiful Mercedes, a young merchant sailor named Edmond Dantès is falsely imprisoned for life, laying to waste his plans of marriage and hard-earned fortune. Following several long years in prison he has managed to escape and reinvent himself as the mysterious Count of Monte Cristo. It is the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Count has been plotting his revenge on the three men who had him falsely imprisoned. With a new identity, an incredible education abroad and a vast fortune, he has returned completely unrecognizable to those who had committed their crimes against him.