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From Thought Leader to Industry Stakeholder: Amplifying Your Leadership Impact through Strategic Affiliations
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“From Thought Leader to Industry Stakeholder: Amplifying Your Leadership Impact through Strategic Affiliations” is a revolutionary manual crafted meticulously for today’s ambitious CEOs. This book empowers you to traverse the traditional boundaries of the C-suite and step onto the global platform, to take your influence from thought leadership to actual industry stakeholder.
In this indispensable guide, you will:
-Discover how to strategically affiliate with think tanks, NGOs, and non-profit 501c3 organizations to broaden your influence and cement your executive brand. -Learn the profound power of compassion-led leadership within charity boards and the subtle art of influence within cultural institutions such as art galleries. -Master the art of recognizing your unique leadership qualities and aligning them with the right organization for mutual benefit. -Build a robust professional network, embody effective communication and make impactful decisions within the boardroom to steer the direction of your leadership journey. -Navigate the intricacies of governance, ethics, crisis management, and leadership transition to maintain your reputation and demonstrate your resilience. -Develop an engaging digital presence, cultivate a global mindset, and navigate the complex terrain of international relations and politics. -Understand the implications of legal and media management, foster an innovative culture, and build resilient leadership strategies to thrive in challenging environments. -Explore the future of leadership, focusing on building diverse and inclusive teams, promoting sustainability, and practicing effective corporate social responsibility. -Finally, learn the art of balancing professional and personal life, ensuring a robust succession plan, and the importance of mentorship in guiding the next generation of leaders.
As we traverse a rapidly evolving global landscape, the line between thought leaders and industry stakeholders blurs. The leaders of tomorrow are those who adapt, evolve, and learn to leverage the vast networks and organizations that shape our world. “From Thought Leader to Industry Stakeholder: Amplifying Your Leadership Impact through Strategic Affiliations” is your comprehensive guide to navigate this dynamic realm and carve out your unique executive ascendancy blueprint, ensuring your influence lasts beyond your tenure. Embrace the power within you, and shape your legacy.
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Now available on Amazon
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CCLNJF8Q
Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/Thought-Leader-Industry-Stakeholder-Affiliations/dp/B0CCCX8MBQ/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
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jcmarchi · 7 days
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Top 10 free AI courses you need to know about
New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/top-10-free-ai-courses-you-need-to-know-about/
Top 10 free AI courses you need to know about
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Artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly becoming vital to countless aspects of life, and understanding its foundations, implications, and applications is more important than ever. 
We had a look at the free AI courses being offered right now and came up with a list of free classes you can take to get you started on artificial intelligence or to complement your knowledge.
Featuring offerings from prestigious institutions and platforms like Google Cloud, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Helsinki, these courses cover a broad range of topics including generative AI, TensorFlow, ethical considerations, and practical applications in business and societal good.
In this article, we highlight the top 10 free AI courses you need to know about, such as:
Introduction to Generative AI Learning Path
Prompt Engineering for ChatGPT
AI For Business Specialization
AI Foundations for Everyone
Career Essentials in Generative AI by Microsoft and LinkedIn
AI for Everyone
An introduction to artificial intelligence
Intro to TensorFlow for Machine Learning
Ethics of AI
AI for Good Specialization
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💰 Free 📖 5 activities ⏰ 7h30m ✅ Last updated a month ago (as of April 2024) 🧑‍💼 Managed by Google Cloud 🏫 Beginner level
This artificial intelligence course is offered by Google Cloud Skills Boost. This beginner microlearning course doesn’t need you to have any technical knowledge or background. It’s a great way of helping you learn generative artificial intelligence, including large language models (LLMs) and responsible AI principles.
It introduces Google’s seven AI principles and ends by explaining the practice of responsible AI in Google Cloud’s products, taking a comprehensive approach to educating learners about the current landscape of artificial intelligence.
The modules are:
Introduction to Generative AI
Introduction to Large Language Models
Introduction to Responsible AI
Prompt Design in Vertex AI
Responsible AI: Applying AI Principles with Google Cloud
📖 7 assignments 🎓 LinkedIn shareable certificate ⏰ 18h 🧑‍💼 Built by Vanderbilt University 🏫 Beginner level
Part of Vanderbilt University’s Prompt Engineering Specialization, this course is a self-paced artificial intelligence class designed to improve your prompt engineering skills. Composed of six modules, the course will build up your subject-matter expertise in ChatGPT and other language models.
You’ll be introduced to the patterns and approaches that will enable you to write effective prompts for these large language models. You’ll start with basic prompts and work your way to sophisticated prompts.
The course will allow you to apply your prompt skills and knowledge of LLMs for a wide range of tasks in your education, personal life, job, and more.
The modules are:
Course Introduction
Introduction to Prompts
Prompt Patterns I
Few-Shot Examples
Prompt Patterns II
Prompt Patterns III
Note: The graded assignments, shareable certificate, and feedback are paid.
📖 4-course series 🎓 LinkedIn shareable certificate ⏰ 1 month (at 10 hours a week) 🧑‍💼 Built by the University of Pennsylvania 🏫 Beginner level
This four-course series will provide you with the fundamentals of using artificial intelligence, machine learning, and with, teaching you how to apply them to support your business. Covering topics such as the risks of AI and ethics, people management in the fair design of human resources within machine learning, and designing governance frameworks to apply artificial intelligence fairly.
After taking this specialization, you’ll be able to implement ethical AI strategies and better understand the relationship between AI, machine learning, and data analytics. Each course ends with an assignment and two courses include peer-review exercises.  
The courses are:
AI Fundamentals for Non-Data Scientists (7 hours)
AI Applications in Marketing and Finance (6 hours)
AI Applications in People Management (9 hours)
AI Strategy and Governance (9 hours)
📖 4-course series 🎓 LinkedIn shareable certificate ⏰ 1 month (at 10 hours a week) ✅ Last updated November 2023 🧑‍💼 Built by IBM 🏫 Beginner level
Built for beginners with little to no background in artificial intelligence, this specialization is a 4-course series designed to provide an understanding of what AI is, its applications, and use cases.
You’ll also learn about IBM Watson AI services and how to create intelligent virtual assistants and how these can be utilized in different applications. At the end of the specialization, you’ll have had hands-on interactions with a variety of AI environment applications, and will also have built and deployed an AI-enabled chatbot on a website without coding.
The courses are:
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI) (8 hours)
Generative AI: Introduction and Applications (6 hours)
Generative AI: Prompt Engineering Basics (7 hours)
Building AI-Powered Chatbots Without Programming (12 hours)
📖 6-course series 🎓 LinkedIn shareable certificate from Microsoft ⏰ 4h30m ✅ Last updated a month ago (as of April 2024) 🧑‍💼 Built by Microsoft and LinkedIn 🏫 Introductory level
This course is made up of six different videos, each hosted by a different AI expert, covering a wide variety of topics and ethical considerations about AI models.
You’ll learn how to use Microsoft Copilot, including how to apply it to Word, how to analyze data in Excel, and more. The last video, “Introduction to Artificial Intelligence”, covers the best AI tools for businesses, which can be beneficial if you haven’t taken the plunge just yet.
The videos are:
What is Generative AI? (42 minutes)
Generative AI: The Evolution of Thoughtful Online Search (26 minutes)
Streamlining Your Work with Microsoft Copilot (34 minutes)
Learning Microsoft 365 Copilot (34 minutes)
Ethics in the Age of Generative AI (38 minutes)
Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (1h34m)
📖 1 course ⏰ 6h (4-week course) 🧑‍💼 Taught by Andrew Ng 🏫 Introductory level
Built to demystify artificial intelligence for non-technical business professionals, the course is taught by Andrew Ng, one of the most well-known names in artificial intelligence.
You’ll gain insights into AI’s workflow, strategy, terminology, and impact on society. The syllabus covers what AI and machine learning are, the workflow of ML and data science projects, how to incorporate AI into your company, and the societal implications of AI.
You’ll also learn how to build a sustainable AI strategy, making it ideal if you want to understand AI’s capabilities, limitations, and influence on various sectors.
The 4-week syllabus consists of:
Week 1: What is AI
Week 2: Building AI Projects
Week 3: AI in Your Company
Week 4: AI and Society
📖 2-week course 🎓 Free statement of participation on completion ⏰ 6h 🧑‍💼 Offered through The Open University’s “AI Matters” platform 🏫 Introductory level
The course explores the historical, ethical, and social aspects of AI. It’s designed to clarify AI’s opportunities and risks, focusing on how AI has evolved, its impact on society, and the ethical challenges of developing AI technologies. 
This free online course aims to equip learners with an understanding of AI’s socio-political and economic issues, the benefits and risks of AI technology, and ideas for navigating its future implications.
The course content is:
Week 1: Surrounded by AI
Week 2: Assuming AI is possible, what happens next?
📖 10-lesson series ⏰ 8 weeks ✅ Last updated September 25, 2023 🧑‍💼 Built in collaboration with Google 🏫 Intermediate level
Designed by the TensorFlow team and Udacity, this course is a hands-on guide to developing deep learning applications. 
It starts with an AI and machine learning overview, then progresses through building neural networks for image recognition, using convolutional neural networks for efficiency, and exploring advanced topics like transfer learning and natural language processing. 
The course includes practical projects, such as creating image classifiers and forecasting with time series data, and introduces TensorFlow Lite for deploying models on mobile and IoT (Internet of Things) devices.
The lessons are:
Introduction to Machine Learning
Your First Model – Fashion MNIST
Introduction to CNNs
Going further with CNNs
Transfer Learning
Saving and Loading Models
Time Series Forecasting
NLP: Tokenization and Embeddings
NLP: Recurrent Neural Networks
Introduction to TensorFlow Lite
📖 7-chapter course ⏰ Self-paced 🧑‍💼 Offered by the University of Helsinki 🏫 All levels
Created by the University of Helsinki, the course explores the ethical aspects of artificial intelligence. It encourages learners to understand the ethical implications and challenges posed by AI technologies. 
It also covers key concepts like non-maleficence, accountability, transparency, human rights, and fairness. You’ll be able to engage with practical exercises to apply ethical theories in AI contexts, making it relevant if you’re interested in the responsible development and use of AI.
The chapters are:
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Non-maleficence
Chapter 3: Accountability
Chapter 4: Transparency
Chapter 5: Human rights
Chapter 6: Fairness
Chapter 7: AI ethics in practice
📖 3 courses ⏰ 3 weeks 🧑‍💼 Offered by DeepLearning.AI 🏫 Beginner level with data experience
This specialization aims to equip learners to use AI in addressing significant global challenges. It covers AI applications in public health, climate change, and disaster management through practical projects and case studies. 
You’ll explore a variety of AI techniques, including machine learning, natural language processing, and computer vision, to develop solutions that have a positive impact on society and the environment. 
The courses are:
Course 1: AI and Public Health
Course 2: AI and Climate Change
Course 3: AI and Disaster Management
If you don’t mind paying for a course, how about an AIAI-approved certification?
Certified Artificial Intelligence Practitioner [CAIP]
Certified Artificial Intelligence Practitioner [CAIP]
We also have a workshop series with live, hands-on training – free for members!
AI Advantage
Power up your AI knowledge and get the tools you need to make AI work for your role. Don’t forget! If you’re a Pro+ member, you can sign up for FREE using the coupon code you’ll find on your dashboard. Enter it below to secure your spot.👇
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illumeo · 6 months
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https://www.illumeo.com/courses/segregation-duties-core-business-processes
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'Segregation of Duties' (SOD) within essential business processes, a linchpin for risk management and regulatory compliance, notably Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX). SOD ensures robust internal controls by delineating distinct roles to mitigate conflicts of interest. It elucidates SOD principles, dissects specific process intricacies, and empowers participants to pinpoint vulnerabilities, enact effective SOD strategies, and comprehend control mechanisms. By mastering SOD, individuals fortify organizations against financial improprieties and regulatory breaches, safeguarding integrity and compliance.
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In India, the Digital Business Trainings Institute offers digital transformation certification programs that cover this topic in the context of marketing. It is vital to comprehend the role of data in the digital revolution. Data analytics, data driven decision making, and the development of insights for bettering business results might all be covered in this area. Hurry up! Join our courses to learn about a variety of digital transformation topics, from leadership to technology.
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gayatrirajeshbaniya01 · 8 months
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Digital Marketing Courses in Mumbai
Mumbai, a thriving hub of commerce and innovation, offers a plethora of dynamic digital marketing courses that cater to the evolving landscape of online business. These courses provide a comprehensive understanding of the digital realm, encompassing social media strategies, search engine optimization, content marketing, and more.
Institutes like SP Jain School of Global Management, Digital Vidya, and NIIT Imperia offer tailored programs to meet the demands of aspiring digital marketers. These courses blend theoretical knowledge with practical insights, often collaborating with industry experts to provide hands-on experience and real-world case studies.
From beginners seeking to grasp the basics to professionals aiming to refine their skills, Mumbai's digital marketing courses cater to diverse audiences. Students can anticipate learning about analytics tools, email campaigns, and emerging technologies, all within the vibrant backdrop of Mumbai's business ecosystem. Whether one envisions a career shift or business expansion, these courses pave the way for success in the digital realm.
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kisanjeevan · 9 months
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Hunar India - Digital Marketing
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business-strategy · 10 months
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Discover how a business strategy certification can give your career the boost it needs. This can help you get the analysis and understanding you need to unlock your career potential. Check out today to find out more.
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dataanalystcourse · 11 months
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Comprehensive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategies for Businesses
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) are critical components of modern business strategies, and companies that prioritise these elements are reaping the rewards. But building a comprehensive DEI plan can be overwhelming without the right guidance. That's where diversity and inclusion consulting firms come in. They can help you create an equity and inclusion initiative that fits your business, culture, and values. We'll explore the benefits of working with a DEI consulting firm and how they can help you achieve your goals.
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Benefits of Working with Diversity and Inclusion Consulting Firms:
Expertise and Experience: DEI consultants bring in-depth knowledge and experience to help you identify blind spots and develop a customised DEI plan. They have access to the latest research and best practices to ensure that your program is effective.
Unbiased Feedback: An outside perspective is valuable when it comes to identifying areas for improvement. A DEI consultant can offer unbiased feedback on your organisation's current diversity and inclusion practices, helping you address any shortcomings and build a more inclusive workplace.
Tailored DEI Strategy: A DEI consultant can work with you to create a tailored equity and inclusion initiative that reflects your company's unique culture and values. They will work with you to identify areas where your company can improve and develop a plan to achieve your DEI goals.
DEI Training Certification: DEI consulting firms offer certification programs that train your employees and leaders on how to create an inclusive work environment. These programs include workshops, seminars, and other learning opportunities that will help your team become more effective at promoting diversity and inclusion.
DEI is no longer a buzzword or a trend. It is a critical component of modern business strategies, and companies that prioritise DEI are reaping the rewards.  Contact a DEI consulting firm today to take the first step towards creating a more diverse, equitable, and DEI training certification inclusive workplace!
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Professionals with an ABSP™ credential demonstrate a strong strategic mindset and the ability to thrive in challenging roles across all industries and business domains. Learn more - https://bit.ly/3BeGrNn
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rosesaints · 10 months
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help wanted ! chapter three.
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pairing: miguel o’hara / f!reader summary: your first week on the job. rating: 18+ explicit (minors, do not interact) warnings: oral (f! receiving) series masterlist / previous chapter / next chapter
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There’s no comprehensive and all-encompassing instruction manual for parenting. You could make a point about the parenting books that you could easily snag off the bookshelves of your local library, but they’re not always effective.
Every child is unique, and what works for one child might not work for another. Parenting manuals often provide general advice and strategies, but they don’t always address the specific needs, temperament, or circumstances of an individual child or family. Parenting is also a deeply personal experience, and different parents have different philosophies, values, and parenting styles. What one parent finds effective or important may differ from another. 
You took a quick glance from the comfort of your living room over to your next-door neighbor’s front yard and see that they’d progressed from soccer to softball and now… volleyball, it appeared, in the course of one Sunday morning. Little Gabi O’Hara seemed to have boundless energy and a penchant for the most active range of hobbies a five-year-old could possibly have, and it was only ten in the morning. 
She was receiving, diving, and scrawling around the grass frantically, happy as can be, as Miguel set the ball to her side of the yard, steadfastly coaching and guiding her through the motions. Faintly, you overhear him yelling words of encouragement, and when Gabi saves a particularly difficult ball, you watch as he runs excitedly over to her to pick her up about his shoulders and whooping in glee. “¡Qué orgullosa estoy de mi hija!” 
You fought the urge to celebrate along with them and tried to concentrate back on what you desperately needed to get done before Monday sneaks up on you. You’re not a parent, but if you were going to be in charge of watching, protecting, and caring for Miguel’s pride and joy, you had some reviewing to get done.
Miguel O’Hara probably didn’t need a manual or a guide to learn how to parent. It came naturally to him, took hold, and became second nature. It’s evident in the way Gabi hangs onto him like a lifeline.
Now, you know deep down that you wouldn’t be able to replicate what made him a good dad, wouldn’t even dare to try, but it was a good thing you only had one job: to babysit for a summer. And manuals and guides for babysitting happened to be a lot more useful and concise about what to expect in your new role.
Forty-five dollars later, you were signed up for an online Babysitting & Advanced Child Care Certification. You were well aware that this course was usually reserved and taken by eleven-year-olds, took it yourself almost ten years ago, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
You didn’t take it half as seriously back then as you did now. (It was really not that deep.) 
As four hours passed, you gradually checked off lessons in basic first aid and CPR (Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees was a very good point of reference ), developing age-appropriate activities (though you probably could’ve just looked out your window to see more of what Gabi was interested in), behavior management (she was also an avid fan of your mom’s blueberry muffins), and business and professionalism skills. 
Now where do you even begin with your last lesson?
Your mother had done the brunt of negotiating this job for you, overselling you and your skills heavily, so you were covered in the marketing aspect of the “business.” Everything else in the lesson were skills you learned early on in college and through common sense, so you felt confident in that aspect. The real struggle was under the bullet point: 
Professionalism. 
The memory of him was still fresh; red marks just beginning to turn purple on the flesh of your skin as you replay the way he told you he would wait for his decision with a patient and composed tone, but his hands betrayed him, drifting down low to your thigh, the downright inappropriate way in which he looked down at you, intense brown eyes that seemed to intensify in a reddish hue.
Uncertainty bloomed in your chest reluctantly, concerns beginning to fester like wildfire.
Now, unfortunately, since the course was designed for pre-pubescent individuals, you were a little bit at a loss. What exactly was the proper etiquette for working with what was meant to be a one-night stand? 
Googling “what to do if you slept with your boss/neighbor accidentally before you start the job,” ended up being fruitless since most of the searches came up with oversleeping and arriving late, attempting to salvage it with a quick, additional search through r/AITA: “what to do if job included taking care of one-night stand’s daughter,” and then frantically looking up: “how does someone become good at three different sports in one afternoon” in a panic-induced haze.
There was no right answer, it seemed, other than to wait it out and see. That last question was a long shot anyway. 
You ended up passing your certification with flying colors with relative ease, sighing with relief as you finally shut your computer off for the day. By the time you finished, the sun had begun its descent, warm daylight receding quickly from the living room you had locked yourself into to try and get the exam done. At that point, Gabi and Miguel had concluded their front yard practice hours ago and you let your mind wander, thinking about how summer was going to go.
Last summer, you were barely home, too preoccupied with thoughts about your future and your engagement, and your internship. The world seemed impossibly vast, and everything was going so fast, way too fast for your liking but you made yourself push through it. 
Sitting cross-legged in your living room, listening in on your parents bickering over the right seasoning proportions as you thumbed through a babysitting certificate, you found this was a lot better. Peaceful.
Sleep came easily and softly, this time with no dreams of your next-door neighbor.
When you knocked on the door of the O’Hara house for the second time that week, you felt a bit more prepared, but your fingers still fiddled with the hem of your dress. Your room currently looked like a warzone, having spent a good chunk of your morning deliberating on what to wear, and you had settled on a well-worn and familiar dress, but you were starting to have doubts.
It was early–cars were only just beginning to pull out of their driveways, rushing off to work and you could still feel the mist lingering in the air. Miguel had texted you the night before and told you to pop in around 8 AM before he headed off to work an hour later. 
You considered knocking again before the door opened, and Miguel lit up at the sight of you. Compared to you, he looked relaxed, eyes crinkling softly around the edges as he invited you in. “Come on in, Gabi’s still asleep.”
Gingerly, you followed him through the house with padded footsteps, careful not to make any noise as he leads you into the living room. He gestured for you to sit as he walked back into the kitchen, and you were left to examine your surroundings. Once again, spotless—and was that a signed guitar by Llewyn Davis?
Miguel returned with two mugs of coffee and some cream and sugar, chuckling as he noticed what you were staring at. “I see you’ve noticed the infamous guitar. I don’t really play all that often anymore, because of work and Gabi, but it has good memories.”
“It’s gorgeous,” You sighed breathlessly. “How in the world did you get it signed?”
You spent a few minutes going back and forth with him about music, “you were in two punk bands in high school?,” to which he rolled his eyes, but you didn’t miss the small smile that lingered as he brought his mug of coffee back to his lips, “I had a lot of pent up tension back then.”
There were a few other things you went over with him, like Gabi’s bedtime (he usually tried to be home by the time she had to go to sleep but work sometimes prevented him the opportunity so he makes sure to stay until Gabi woke up in the morning), potential allergies or dietary restrictions, if she could go over to your house, visits with Abuela, and little lessons and habits that he had picked up in the five years as Gabi’s dad. 
One thing you learned was that he was very thorough; there were phone numbers stuck to the fridge in the event that anything went wrong, emergency contacts a mile long being added to your phone, a list of preferred hospitals and clinics in the area, and maybe excessively, a list of soccer parents to avoid at grocery stores, playgrounds, and practices.
You had raised an eyebrow at that last point. “What, did you have an argument with a mom at Bed, Bath, and Beyond or something?”
“I might get a little too competitive when Gabi’s playing soccer.”
“Miguel,” You tried to resist the laughter bubbling up your throat at the mental image of Miguel going wild at a little league soccer game. “They’re five. How competitive do you have to be?”
When the hour was getting close to done, and after making more fun of Miguel to your delight, he looked down at his watch, eyes lowering slightly in disappointment. “It’s about time for me to head to work, and I wanna go wake up Gabi before I have to go,” Miguel stood up, and you couldn’t help but stare as he stretched, lean muscles rippling underneath the fabric of his button-up, shirt riding up just right as you caught a glimpse of tan, sunkissed skin—
Focus.
If he noticed you staring, he didn’t mention it, but you could see the small traces of a smug smile as he turned away from you to head to Gabi’s room. On the way, he pointed out other rooms, his office, where to go do laundry, and a guest bedroom if you ever needed it, though you reminded him that you did only live a good ten feet away from his house. 
Before you went in, Miguel knocked softly, opening the door to a bright, blue bedroom. It’s a gorgeous room, filled with various posters of the sports and cartoons that Gabi loved, a bunch of toys that were still strung out on the floor, and there’s a picture of her and Miguel on the nightstand from Disneyland, with Gabi as a baby wearing lopsided Mickey ears as he beamed proudly at the camera.
He pushed in first, sitting down on Gabi’s bed then he leaned in closer, whispering a gentle “it’s time to wake up, Gabi.”  The sound, barely audible, wafted through the room as she slowly stirred, warm honey-brown eyes still drowsy.
“Well, good morning,” Miguel greeted. “¿Lista para empezar el día?” 
Gabi nodded as she sat up, still practically half-asleep, rubbing her sleepy eyes with tiny fists. When she noticed you standing by the doorway, she smiled, waving softly, but still focused her attention on her dad. “¿Vas a trabajar?" 
Miguel hummed in response, and then looked back at you. “Promise not to cause too much trouble to your babysitter today?”
“No promises,” Gabi grinned and you thought Miguel might as well explode on the spot with pride.
You and Gabi stood at the porch as Miguel pulled out of the driveway,  Gabi on your hip as she waved frantically, blowing kisses to the outline of his car as you waved too, laughing as Miguel blew his own kisses back to the two of you.
There was no trouble with getting Gabi settled with breakfast, having decided on a generous helping of eggs and toast. You got her meal ready as she started setting a volleyball back and forth, hands still clumsy and slippery with inexperience, but she asked you a series of rapid-fire questions as you flipped over her eggs.
“Do you play sports?”
“I used to, a long time ago, but I’m afraid I’m nowhere near as good as you are. I can set some volleyballs over to you later if you want,” You replied as you set the egg down on her plate. At that, Gabi cheered and made her way over to you, little hands reaching for her food.
“Last week, my dad hit his toe on one of my legos and he accidentally said a mean word. I don’t think he knew I heard him. Can you tell him that’s not appropriate?”
“I’ll relay the message,” You tried your best to stifle a laugh from her innocent, mindless questions. You’ll definitely bring that up with Miguel later.
“Can your mom make some more blueberry muffins?”
“You know what,” Your eyes lit up as a light bulb flickered above your head. “Why don’t we just show you?”
Gabi absolutely adored your mom—those two had latched on to each other more than you thought in your disappearance, and she was hanging off every one of your mom’s words as she explained how to prepare the muffin batter, as you took little pictures to send over to Miguel with flour on the tip of her nose and fingertips sticky with batter she was caught sneaking bites from. The last part was gross, but still, admittedly cute.
You had a mental checklist prepared (courtesy of your little certificate) of things you should prioritize when babysitting. The first one was responsibility: Babysitters must prioritize the safety and well-being of the children in their care. They should be reliable and trustworthy.  
Of course, you had to rein in a few of your mom’s liberties as she snuck some more bites of the batter to Gabi, sighing exasperatedly as you had to explain the risks of salmonella to your own mom. Not that it stopped you from taking small swipes at the batter either.
Your first day was a soaring success, the day well spent with baking and a trip to the park in the beautiful weather, letting Gabi run around and cause havoc for a few hours before the sun began to set. Lots of photos and updates were texted to Miguel, another bullet point in your checklist, namely communication: Effective communication with both children and parents is essential. Babysitters should be able to understand and engage with children, as well as provide clear updates and instructions to parents. 
Miguel responded to each of them in kind with personalized messages, watching with bated breath as he saved the one of you and Gabi grabbing ice cream by an ice cream truck. 
Gabi was knocked out and tucked in by the time Miguel got home from work, and you were waiting on the couch, watching intently as he walked through the door, loosening his tie with a relaxed sigh. He settled next to you on the couch, voice velvety and smooth as he greeted you. “Hey. Did you guys have fun?”
There was a natural ease to your conversation, and you took the opportunity to ask him more questions about music, and his work, and let him try the new muffins Gabi had made while he asked his own questions in kind, about what you liked to do, what made you decide to go back home.
You were both halfway through laughing and snortling as you had explained the one time you had attempted to sneak into your university library, to no avail as the near-hundred-year-old security guard had caught you almost immediately. 
Miguel’s eyes softened, the edges of a laugh softly settling into a smile as he gazed at you, the room feeling smaller, lighter. “I’m really glad you went back.”
“Me too,” You smiled in return, head leaning into the crook of your arm. “I mean, who else is going to make fun of you for getting way too passionate about five-year-olds playing soccer? Like come on, you did not have to get her minivan towed just because her kid sidestepped Gabi in a game.”
“Oh, I absolutely did.”
The rest of your week passed in a whirlwind. Gabi was a really easy kid to watch, you really couldn’t take that much credit. She took every activity you threw at her with the easygoing nature of a five-year-old with not many qualms, and it made things so much easier, but of course, you didn’t want to just barely do your job. Case in point, creativity: Great babysitters often come up with fun and engaging activities to keep children entertained. They can think on their feet and find creative solutions to challenges that may arise. 
On your second day, you spent the day with her running around the block, showing her various sights and spots you had frequented when you were a kid, answering her curious questions in stride, and ending your little adventure with some waffles at your hometown restaurant. You delighted in the way Gabi practically squealed at the amount of whipped cream.
Of course, your next priority was patience: Dealing with children requires patience, especially when they are upset. Babysitters remain calm and handle difficult situations with composure. Gabi had a sugar rush the moment the two of you left the restaurant, and you had to deal with the fallout.
“Oh my god, Gabi, look both ways before you cross the street!” You didn’t think you could handle a lawsuit from her father.
The next couple of days were a lot more relaxed; as rambunctious and active she was, sometimes she could just use a day of lounging around the couch, binging various movies and asking you your favorite parts about them, eyes twinkling in curiosity as you explained the mechanics of some of the animation in the cartoons you watched.
Miguel would occasionally come back for lunch or return with some takeout after work, and you were able to cycle through various restaurants that had opened up in your time away from college, eager to talk through a lot of them and give him your opinions. 
The whole time, he remained warm and welcoming, innocent glances across the dining table, a far cry from the man you had hooked up with a week ago.
At one point, your hands gestured wildly and your mouth ran on fire as you tried some spicy pozole that Miguel and Gabi urged you to try. You hadn’t noticed the simultaneous way their heads had tilted to the side, flashing equally mischievous smiles.
Guzzling milk as you glared at the both of them (at Miguel, more than Gabi), as Miguel struggled to contain his laughs, breathlessly wheezing as he wiped some stray tears that had gathered in his eyes. “Did we not tell you there were some ghost peppers in there?”
“No!”
Friday came around much sooner than you expected, and at that point, you had settled into a routine. 
The sun was starting to set, casting a warm glow through the windows as both of you plopped down on the couch. You were both exhausted from a day of running around and kicking a soccer ball in the front yard, and you had endured your fair share of kicking the ball and missing the goal by several feet for Gabi’s sake. With messy hair and rosy cheeks, you had tucked Gabi in under a cozy blanket, flipping through the channels until you eventually landed on something that you had started just a couple of days before. 
Before long, Gabi had fallen asleep, and you had moved her to her bedroom without much fuss, ready to go settle in the living room and wait for Miguel to arrive. On your way down, you noticed his office door was slightly ajar, and you went to close it until something caught your eye.
Against your better judgment, you pushed your way in, surveying the state of the room. There were books scattered everywhere, old files and papers haphazardly set around his desk. A few articles of his old works were framed on the wall, and in photos, he seemed more constricted. Less free, more serious, dark brown piercing eyes judging you as you walked around his office.
What caught your eye, in particular, was a photo of Miguel with two other individuals, one of them you could only assume was his brother, due to their similar eyes and smile, and in between them was a woman with blue eyes and brown hair, a similar shade to Gabi’s. 
Before you could ponder on the similarities further, you heard the door to the office crack open, and spinning around wildly to see Miguel standing at the doorway.
In your concentration, you missed the sound of a car pulling into the driveway and Miguel stood, blanketed by the light of the hallway, in sharp contrast to the dark that shrouded the room. You felt guilty, small like a child caught dipping their hand into a jar of cookies. To your surprise, Miguel merely flickered the light switch on, eyes carrying the weight of fatigue. “Is Gabi asleep?”
You sheepishly nodded, folding your hands behind your back as you struggled to come up with an explanation. “Listen—”
“Come with me,” Miguel’s voice was calm, carrying none of the backlash you were expecting. “Let’s talk.”
In the kitchen, Miguel poured a couple of glasses of wine, offering one to you as you accepted. He let out an exhausted sigh before composing himself, back to the easygoing and light smile you had begun getting accustomed to that week. “How was she today?”
And just like that, the tense air in the room lifted as easily as it came in, as you went through the motions of the day, watching as he gradually lost the slump in his shoulders and the lines on his face that told the story of a demanding day. 
Whatever it was, you didn’t want to pry, especially after having been caught looking through his belongings.
“You’re a natural, you know that?” Miguel’s eyes shined with admiration. “She adores you, tells me all about your days when you’re gone.”
Despite yourself, you couldn’t fight the smile that bloomed across your face, chest constricting at the praise. “Well, I really couldn’t take that much credit. She's a really easy kid to watch, she practically lost it when I took her to go get some waffles the other day.”
He smiles, full and unrestrained this time, and you share a few more stories about your week, ignoring the flush in your cheeks when he would quip in with his own stories from when Gabi was younger. Gabi was his whole life and he adored her wholeheartedly; in pictures, before she was born, you could tell that something was lacking, something missing when his smiles wouldn’t reach his eyes.
“So, what’s your secret?” Miguel cocked an eyebrow. “How’d you get the hang of it the way you did? It took a while for Gabi’s old babysitter to get used to how active she is. I’ve never seen her latch on to someone so quickly.”
“I… I did a babysitting certificate online that was meant for middle schoolers.” Thank you, Babysitting and Advanced Child Care Certification. Your laughter spilled on in bursts without even thinking about it, and you gasped for breath about the absurdity of learning more things by completing a small babysitting certificate over your college diploma. “If you need a better manual for parenting, look no further. Those eleven-year-olds have it cracked.”
“Is that so?” Your laughter was contagious, and before long, Miguel had joined in.
You nodded, still proud of your little achievement. “ Mhm. There’s four,” pausing to hold up four fingers. “Four key values.”
“Well, shoot, now I have to know. What are they?” Miguel leaned forward just slightly, and you ignored the way your heart swelled at the small motion, his proximity rapidly unthreading the small resolve you had left.
“There’s responsibility, then communication, creativity—that’s an underrated one—-and patience,” Listing them off felt a little bit silly, now that you looked back, but you continued. “It’s like, the four commandments of babysitting.”
“So which one do you think is the most important?” He looked down at you, and everything seemed heightened, more focused. Dark brown lashes fanned his cheekbones, skin warm and dusky against the contours of his face as he stared back at you. “Responsibility, communication, creativity, or… patience ?”
You knew the implications behind his words, this line that you were dangerously close to crossing over. “Patience.”
Miguel’s pupils dilated then, humming his approval at your words. At that point, the sun had fully set and you had lost track of the time. Without thinking, the words came tumbling out before you could even stop and consider the weight of them. Recklessly and impulsively, you took the leap. “Do you remember what happened a week ago?”
“Of course, I do. You think I’ve forgotten about you?” Miguel’s eyes darkened, voice dropping an octave as you suddenly felt very, very hot. “I haven’t been able to get you out of my head, cariño.”
He stood before you, all broad expanse of shoulders and muscle, and you’re reminded of the events of last week all over again, remembering how strong he felt underneath your fingertips. “What do you want?”
You didn’t need to answer, just leaned in and took his lips in yours, long wait finally over and you were falling apart like honey in his arms as you felt him push you against the cool marble of the counter, his warmth in sharp contrast to the cold pressing against your back. He tasted exactly the same, bergamot and crisp green leaves, patchouli, and vetiver. Fuck, you were addicted to it.
Your moans filled the quiet of the kitchen as his mouth moved lower, light and feathery kisses peppering the side of your neck, going over the bruises mapped on your skin left just a week before, sucking and kissing new ones in his wake.
“I wanna see you fall apart,” Miguel murmured, hot breaths fanning your neck as if in a trance. “Wanna watch you cum on my fingers again, wanna taste you.” All you could do was nod. Yes, yes, please—do whatever you want.
He returned to your lips, needy and unconstrained. You let your hands wander, disappearing into his neat, put-together curls just as Miguel bit down on your bottom lip, the sudden pain making you twist your fingers into his hair and tug. A low, rumbly sound vibrates against your mouth, his fingers pressing harder into your hips and then he’s hoisting you up on the counter.
One of his hands makes its way underneath your skirt, fingers skirting along the edges of your underwear as you whined, pleading for him to touch you where you needed him. You could feel his mouth nip at your skin and you clammed up like putty, as he pushes your complaints back down. “Patience,” he chastised, going even slower than before. 
Minutes feel like hours as he held you there, hand cupping your face as if you were his salvation, proof that he wanted, no, needed this just as much as you did, had been crippled with thoughts of each other since the moment you had walked into his house. “Good girl. That’s it. You going to keep being good for me?”
Shaking your head yes, unable to formulate words at the way he gazed at you, definitive and ready to take the pleasure he had just begun if you stepped out of line.
Slowly, he knelt in front of you, slithering down your body and you feel exposed, goosebumps rousing in your skin as he kissed up the length of your thigh, grabbing onto your underwear and tugging it down with an easy confidence. 
Miguel’s breathing adoration into your cunt and you felt like you were on fire, going crazy with his greedy back and forth, not quite reaching you where you needed him. His voice was clear and definitive, a stark difference to yours. "Tell me what you want."
You’re babbling, words merging and rolling off your lips with an uncontrolled force, and you’re not even sure if you’re making any sense, not entirely sure if you even cared. “Please. Please, Miguel, I’m begging you, do something—”
His thumb started to draw slow circles as he slowly stroked the lips surrounding your mound. You were sure that you were positively dripping, going slick around him as you keened under his touch. His mouth watered and Miguel decided quickly that using only his fingers simply will not do, nowhere near enough.
Something in your brain snapped as he pushed your skirt up, looking ravenous as he inspected you, still teasing, not quite playing with you just yet. And then, you felt his hot mouth exactly where you needed him, licking one strip, from base to top of your cunt, just to taste.
Oh my god. 
You were leaning back on your shoulders, struggling to hold your body weight as he continued to explore you, and you just allowed yourself to feel it, really feel it,  and let him do whatever he wanted to you with his tongue—letting him lazily slide it over your clit, tracing the soft skin of your inner thigh with his canines, occasionally allowing you the pleasure of letting it migrate inside your cunt, tasting, feeling, wandering around until you were dizzy and delirious.
The kitchen sounded absolutely filthy, filled with the sound of the slick of your pussy and the criminal way that he ate you out, moaning and groaning when he knew he found a spot that just wrecked you. Praises fell from him in short, Spanish increments, taken with the way you begged and leaned your cunt closer to his face as if you even had any remote say in his demonstrations.
His hands snaked around your hips, pressuring you to move even closer to him, leaving you with no room to escape, not that you would ever even want to, no. Not with the way he was fucking you on his tongue, not with the way the rough skin of his five o’clock shadow stimulated you further, forcing you to feel everything so much more. 
There was nothing innocent about the way he growled into your cunt, then, “Cum for me, baby, please. I wanna taste you. ‘M starving. Just look at you.”
And then you were crooning, gasping as he went faster with his ministrations, wondering how in the world he had so much vigor, so much stamina, and then you gave him what he wanted, legs shaking and tightening around his face as he only held you harder, working you through it.
“Oh my god,” You let out another breath, head still spinning. “Miguel—”
His tongue was still hungry when it slipped back into your pussy, still desperate and needy for the taste of you as if you didn’t just cum mere seconds ago.
"I can't— I can't—"
Everything was so heightened, so close in such a short time to the pinnacle that he had you pinned under for what had felt like hours. This time, he was rougher, more impatient as he plunged two fingers inside of you. You resisted the urge to scream, biting down on your palm as tears well in your eyes, too taken with the pleasure he was lost in.
"You can't? Oh, I think you can. Give me another one, dulzura.”
And then you were rolling your hips, frantic as you sobbed, practically riding his face and you whimpered in ragged and staggered breaths. But once he pressed his rough thumb to your puffy clit, your eyes rolled to the back of your head as you came apart for the second time that night.
Slowly, you regained your bearings, pushing yourself up from the counter as you looked down to see Miguel still licking, cleaning you off. To your surprise, he was grinning, satisfied with only giving you a brief reprieve. “You didn’t think we were done, did you?”
This was not in your post-grad plan, but honestly? You were starting to warm up to it.
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haesunflower · 1 year
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zb1 finds out they were not your top pick
genre: reaction, comedy, sad for some
pairing: reader (mostly gn) x all members of zerobaseone
about/tags: reaction when they find out you didn't one-pick vote them or they weren't your main pick
established relationship unless stated otherwise, yujin's context is friendship only, bullet point reactions, lowercase intentional, junhyeon and jeonghyeon make an appearance!
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⠀⠀ kim jiwoong ⠀⠀
"babe i have a confession to make"
you sounded so serious and you looked so nervous, so he put down his phone to put all his attention into what you were going to say
then you confessed that you were so busy during one-pick voting you didn't get to vote for him consistently and it was eating you alive
he released a sigh of relief then laughed
is kinda endeared with the fact that you blurted that out to him and that it warranted a "confession"
honestly was kinda unbothered
he made it in the debut group and that's all that matters to him
stands up to place a kiss on your head
"that's it? don't worry about it babe "
⠀⠀ zhang hao ⠀⠀
he founds out because he finds your voting certificates screenshots
he kinda deadpans and goes "ricky? you voted for ricky??"
and you have to explain that you were sure he was gonna land AT LEAST 2ND no matter what, so you had to vote for other people you wanted in the lineup
he agrees with your stance
and commends your argumentative reasoning
you end up talking about the strategies you applied in the different rounds of voting, and he shares about his strategies when choosing concepts for each mission
you're both very smart people that understand how survival shows work
⠀⠀ sung hanbin ⠀⠀
when you tell him that you alternated voting him and zhanghao during the one pick round he jokes that maybe that's why he ended up in 2nd place
but he's genuinely joking, he says that whole sentence with a huge smile on his face
you don't take it a joke and you start crying
full on tears
"i'M soRRY it's my fault as to why you don't get your own song"
you look like this (;´༎ຶٹ༎ຶ`) at this point
he giggles and kisses your tears away
"love...i was joking, please stop crying"
"i cAN'T"
⠀⠀ seok matthew ⠀⠀
actually....this one might cause a fight
he actually has to leave the room for a while to think it over
i can see him being so sad over it like :(( "i thought you only supported me"
keeps bugging you to ask who you ended up voting for
when you answer jiwoong he sorta just goes..
"....ok fair"
but he's still going to be sad about it
is very open with you that he feels disappointed
your relationship is very new though so he's trying to be understanding
you work 10 x harder to reassure him that you're his #1 priority nowadays
⠀⠀ kim taerae ⠀⠀
he's lying on your lap when he asks "you voted for me everyday right?"
"well....."
immediately sits right up
"you see, there's just so many talented people, i couldn't really choose....and well..."
you're trying to make up words as you go, rambling at this point
the truth is you voted for him every damn day you just wanted to see his reaction
he's so patient with you and holds your hands as you're trying to explain
makes direct eye contact with you, eyebrows knit awaiting the point you're getting at
you realize you took it too far
so you just bring out your phone and pull out your album of voting certificates
"i'm joking. sorry, i just wanted to get your reaction"
literally smiles so big and takes the phone from your hand as he scrolls through the album
album name: for taerae's dream
⠀⠀ ricky ⠀⠀
this one is an actual fight, well, a petty one
you're getting ready to go to dinner with friends when ricky facetime calls you
"i heard from taerae that you like jeonghyeon"
and you're like ??? "yeah i think he's talented, why?"
"he's your one-pick?"
"if you're asking if I voted for him, then yes i did"
then he just hangs up
he ignores the calls and texts you send after that, and literally doesn't reach out to you again until the next day
he caves when he opens your 50+ unread messages & sees the pictures of a long handwritten apology in 3 diff languages (yes, idol-like apology)
he smiles, then realizes he's supposed to be annoyed, then smiles again
he didn't mean to be this petty so he calls you back to apologize as well
⠀⠀ kim gyuvin ⠀⠀
when you're playing truth or dare and he asks you who your one pick was
he instantly regrets it
"don't feel bad okay, but it was gunwook"
he pretends it doesn't bother him but it does
mainly because he previously compared himself to gunwook a lot and he's starting to think that even in dating you, there's competition
and it doesn't help that you guys are so fresh into the relationship
he forces out a little laugh but I guess you can tell it's fake
bc you distract him from his thoughts by kissing his nose
"stop overthinking silly, i said it WAS...was like past tense"
takes your word for it, and holds your hand tightly, intertwining your fingers
⠀⠀ park gunwook ⠀⠀
never let him find out .
i'm serious never .
mainly because you know how gunwook gets
he likes it when your attention is on him 100% of the time
but that failed when one of your alarms went off and it said "vote for junhyeon"
he just looked at you like ᯣ_ᯣ what do you mean vote for junhyeon
you had to explain that you had another device where you were voting for junhyeon every day too so that he could debut with his best friend
while you expected him to be kinda pouty he totally wasn't
he just looked at you softly before tugging you into a warm embrace and said
"thank you for always thinking of me"
⠀⠀ han yujin ⠀⠀
(not romantic) (if you want to know why read my important announcement)
after the finale, the class groupchat blew up full of congratulatory messages for yujin
in midst of the chaos, of your classmates exposed you for being a gyuvin stan
classmate a: yah y/n, why are you typing you didn't even vote for yujin
classmate b: all you did was talk about gyuvin everyday
yujin sends a photo of gyuvin's autograph he promised to get you
yujin: guess this is going in the trash, y/n
you: waIT NO plEASE yujin i voted for you up until we could only pick one
yujin just seenzones you
everyone laugh reacts at the message exchange
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A/N: this was funny thanks for requesting!
૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა
✎ mobile masterlist
✉︎ request
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jcmarchi · 5 months
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Supply chain security is probably your weakest link. Are organizations learning lessons?
New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/supply-chain-security-is-probably-your-weakest-link-are-organizations-learning-lessons/
Supply chain security is probably your weakest link. Are organizations learning lessons?
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 By Deryck Mitchelson, Field CISO EMEA, Check Point Software Technologies.
The interconnectedness of the global marketplace means that a single supply chain disruption can compromise hundreds or thousands of organizations. To provide context, the average auto manufacturer retains 250 tier-one suppliers and 18,000 across the full value chain. Proctor & Gamble has over 75,000 suppliers and the French oil company Total does business with more than 150,000 different firms.
Organizations that fail to future-proof systems against cyber supply chain threats may see their own demise, along with the collapse of their industry, diminished marketplace results, loss of customer trust, and limited opportunities for future business growth. Does your organization take the reality of supply chain threats seriously enough? Does your business continuity plan provide a robust response to a supply chain attack?
The latest in supply chain breaches:
Healthcare has had several massive supply chain breaches. Last year, the National Health Service in the UK (NHS) experienced a breach following a cyber attack on one of its suppliers. This disrupted the 111 emergency advice line, interrupted ambulance dispatch, scrambled emergency prescribing, limited access to patient records, harmed appointment availability and affected patient referrals. Staffing services had to resort to pen and paper, not for the first and I suspect last time, unfortunately.
Fast-forward to the MOVEit breach, which began in May of this year, where attackers exploited a zero-day vulnerability in order to infiltrate a massive number of companies. Attackers listed affected company names and data on their leak site with the intention of having firms pay a ransom to recover data. And that’s only the beginning…
Not only were at least 1,000 organizations affected, but 60 million individuals had data compromised through the MOVEit breach. In Canada, the personal data of as many as 100,000 past and present government employees is believed to have been affected. These tallies reflect a fraction of the total number of organization and individuals who will likely suffer on account of this supply chain breach. It has now been estimated that the cost of the MOVEit breach sits at around $10 billion and rising.
The MOVEit story will continue to go on and on for months on-end. There are now multiple class-action lawsuits filed against the service provider, Progress Software and potentially lawsuits coming in cases where organizations have not been deemed to have fully assessed their supply chain risk and developed necessary mitigation plans. The era of cyber litigation and class-actions is upon us and you better be prepared.
The worst of it is that none of this is new. We’ve seen cyber attackers, indeed this same threat actor, exploit vulnerabilities related to managed file transfers in the past. The critical questions right now are: What due diligence are organizations doing around these breaches? Why are we not learning from the mistakes? What have we learned about the supply chain? There are hugely instructive lessons available to us here.
The questions that need to be asked:
Are we at a place where we believe that through the tick-box exercises, or achieving certification — for example, an ISO 27001 or cyber essentials within the U.K. — that organizations have then done enough and can simply declare their efforts sufficient?
As a consumer, I wonder whether we’re really safeguarding and prioritizing our most important data. Are we putting too much trust in our suppliers in assuming that that they will look after the data for us? That’s my big concern. As mentioned before, there are huge lessons to be learned from the MOVEit breach.
Do organizations ask to get confidence in the code that’s being written? Do they ask to see internal scan results and external scan results? Do they ask to see how a supplier’s CI/CD pipeline has been established so that they can see any misconfigurations or vulnerabilities within it and remediate or even better, auto-remediate in a timely manner? Most importantly, have we fully mapped our supply chain, do we understand where our critical suppliers’ dependencies are and who they are dependent on?
Sometimes, the questions are asked, but the answers are false…
In major companies, administrators are sometimes asked to tick boxes assuring vendors, partners or suppliers ‘yes, we have this level of compliance, we have this level of segmentation, we use best practices, we do scanning…etc’. But what’s happening is that the staff aren’t necessarily following through on any of the assurances that they’re signing their names to.
Giving confidence in assurances and compliance without having the technical expertise come in to do the work is a surefire path to cyber security mayhem.
The path forward for enterprises:
One part of the path forward involves red teaming. In so doing, organizations should be saying to their suppliers and business partners, ‘We are trusting you with HR data, with payroll data or with other confidential data. As part of our due diligence and contractual agreements, we would like to hire external parties and obtain a finer understanding of the services we’re getting and the corresponding software code to see if the service is fit for purpose.’
Something that we don’t talk about: Organizations need to obtain assurance alerts around technical guardrails. Setting up service provisioning is fine. However, as a buyer, I would need assurances around the quality of that service – the guardrails that are in-place. For me, that would be critically important. For instance, if you consume a service from ServiceNow or Workday — those are just examples — how do you ensure that the services maintain the highest levels of integrity, confidentiality and availability? (The CIA triad in cyber security.)
It feels like far too much trust is being given to these organizations to satisfy these requirements. Perhaps we should be in a place where every vendor that provides a service should have to verify that the service is provided in such a way as to ensure data encryption. And then, as the company that purchases the service, perhaps the company should own the encryption key. Fully encrypted data has no commercial value and will therefore not be a target.
To protect proprietary data and source code, we also need to do more obfuscation, ensuring that no data is shared as a part of the supply chain side – apart from what’s critically necessary to share. And that’s sometimes difficult, especially with things like payroll systems, for example. If you’ve got a payroll system, you tend to ask employees to log onto that system so that they can see the details; so that they can see their paycheck, and what’s gone to taxes…etc. So there’s a large data-egress.
Some of security comes down to ensuring that it’s essential, but minimal, information that gets transferred and shared and nothing more. It’s difficult when you get down to file transfer, because among a large file transfer, you have to spot the large egress of data being made.
In relation to the MOVEit breach, based on the technical controls, it should have been very clear for the service provider that there was a huge amount of data being exfiltrated. More likely than not, there was something around the operating procedure of the organization that led to the data breach. Systems should have been set up so that data could only come in from a trusted source and data could only go out to a trusted source. Thus, even if there were a breach, they’d have a level of authentication into the systems.
In addition, there should have been a second level of control that actually, that said ‘there’s a large amount of data getting moved across to something that we don’t know about. There should have been a behavioral control that kicked in and that said ‘this is not normal.’ Let’s stop it, flag it, and can someone have a look to see what it was. But that didn’t happen.
I don’t think that there was a second layer of behavioral controls at all.
It’s also about forcing best practices, maturing areas of leadership and managing risk, which are often antithetical to what security teams actually want to be doing. The stuff that I just mentioned isn’t the exciting stuff that people want to work on. Security professionals want to work on the shiny stuff, with the cool tools. This is absolutely, totally different.
The path forward for consumers:
As I mentioned earlier, the MOVEit data breach has affected 60 million people. To put the number into perspective, an equivalent number of sports fans would fill the largest sports venue in the U.K., Wembley Stadium, 600X over. Not only do employers need to take action – arguably, consumers like you and I need to take action as well.
However, how do we ask our employers for assurances around how they’re controlling and managing our data? Employees must abide by a growing list of cyber security rules within day-to-day role, but I think that employees also need to hold employers accountable around the safeguarding of our private information.
It’s probably not something that employees are comfortable doing, but perhaps we’ve reached a tipping point. Employees need to say, ‘I’m interested in understanding the best practices that you’ve set up around protecting my data; around data loss prevention. Have you invested in zero-trust, for example?’ Or ‘Would you know if someone accessed my HR record?’ ‘Would that set of an alert in your system?’ And, ‘Would you know if an API were suddenly and illicitly connected to the payroll data system?’ ‘Would your organization be able to identify a large and unusual data egress?’
But I’ve rarely heard of anyone asking such questions.
Further insights:
Ensure that your suppliers are adopting a proactive, innovative approach to cyber security, with a sharp focus on prevention and the implementation of best practices; from the early stages of code development all the way across the supply chain. By embracing these methodologies and implementing robust systems, you can minimize the potential impact and scope of supply chain attacks. Or you might be able to avoid them in entirety.
I don’t think we are managing supply chain risk sufficiently. If we don’t, we may well end up in costly litigation.
For more insights from Global CISO Deryck Mitchelson, please see CyberTalk.org’s past coverage. Lastly, to receive more timely cyber security news, insights and cutting-edge analyses, please sign up for the cybertalk.org newsletter.
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femmefatalevibe · 1 year
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How do you keep up with current events and expand your knowledge?
Hi love! Here are some of the best ways/resources I've found to stay updated on current events & lifelong learning:
Subscribing to daily newsletters like DailySkimm, The Morning, and Morning Brew for current events & news updates and industry-focused newsletters to stay up-to-date in my field (for me, I subscribe to Business of Fashion's Daily Digest, Glossy POP, and Vogue/Vogue Business's newsletters)
Read publications including New York Times, Wall Street Journal, BBC, The Economist, The New Yorker, etc., and more industry-focused publications for fashion/beauty/marketing & advertising/digital strategy daily (or at least 5 days a week)
Keep and work through a reading list for the quarter. I try to read at least two self-development/psychology/health and industry/career-focused books per quarter; sometimes, I'll throw in a biography, finance, art, history, philosophy, or literary book in too for more variety/to expand my worldly knowledge
Take at least 1-2 courses and certification classes per quarter (either through Google, LinkedIn Courses or Assessments, Youtube, Masterclass, Skillshare, Udemy, etc.)
Frequently listen to TED talks on YouTube and podcasts (mainly on Spotify & Apple Podcasts)
Attend virtual panels and talks in areas of interest
Have conversations with insightful people (mentors, colleagues, and the amazing individuals I get to call my closest friends)
Hope this helps xx
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iamsonny-j · 3 months
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This was originally going to be in reply to @glowinggreeneyes-e post about the Captain's education and career path...but then I got carried away because I'm so normal about this stuff so it's now its own post...with added angst because I have no control over any of this, my brain just goes.
So for a start the Captain would have gone to a public boarding school. I think it's worth pointing out that public schools and universities operated scholarships for students from less wealthy backgrounds. We're still talking middle class and upper middle, but not always full on wealthy and privileged in the way of someone like Julian. Cap strikes me as having the background of a family well enough off but he probably always had to work hard to prove himself for his place, maybe not so much for public school but definitely for university.
Whatever school he attended would have had an Officer Training Corps junior division. Basically cadets. This would lead to the possibility to do an exam (written and practical) to get what was called certificate A to show he had participated in the OTC.
From the Button House Archives it says Cap got to the front in WW1 at armistice and so never saw action. So I imagine he finished his studies at school in the summer, enlisted and completed basic training, and then was out to Europe just in time for things to end. Because he got his certificate A at school he had the option at university to join the OTC university division. This was a route to becoming a commissioned officer. You either needed certificate A or experience in the ranks to join. For the sake of argument, serving in the army for a couple of months wouldn't count as experience so he must have had the certificate A...
University options at that time were limited to Oxbridge, Durham or London. All of those had OTC. I think London can be ruled out...only because it was busy, loud and ugly, even then (sorry London friends!) and the Captain likes wildlife and the countryside and nature walks...I can't see him thriving in London.
Training with the OTC at university involved physical training, military strategy, history and law etc. The Captain would have had to complete 2 years training before he could have done exams for his Certificate B - practical and written. Passing the exams would have entitled him to a commission on graduation. Getting Certificate B wasn't common because of the amount of work involved and dedication required to be successful. It was hard!
Like I want to point out that to get that far would have required so much effort and dedication right from being a child. And this is where I will get sad and headcanon-y for a bit (let me have this one thing out of all this research!)
Bullying and abusive rituals were a big part of public school life at this time and any boy seen as even slightly different would have been targeted for sure, even by some of the teachers. So although Cap comes across as clever and capable at what he knows I think school would have been socially really freaking hard. For a child in that situation I could see the OTC being a respite and something the Captain would have found very comforting with the set rules, order and expectations and from there you can understand why career army would have been appealing...
And I think that's when things get a bit complicated. The army was his life but in a different way to officers who wanted to be on the front line, like Havers. Obviously Cap worked extremely hard for his commission - and he was obviously very well qualified and knowledgable in his areas of interest, but he was always ever going to be best at HQ tasks like intelligence or engineering or whatever his particular career skills were - loving the army in theory, but some of it would have always been out of his reach. And I think being in a public school during WW1 and hearing of so many former pupils (some he would have known personally as seniors, prefects or head of houses) losing their lives on a daily basis during WW1 would have had a huge effect on him and probably influenced some of the guilt about not having the opportunity to fight himself, but ultimately I think he probably knew that wasn't his part to play even with WW2.
And I think all that that shows in his interactions we see in his past as CO - he was obviously doing a good job at whatever secret little operations he had but he really didn't have the skills/personality needed to be a CO. Having someone like Havers as a second hid that (and that's also seen in Havers getting 2 promotions in 4 years...he was much more of a natural CO) and I wonder if a lot of affection that Cap had for Havers originally came from the fact that Havers not only respected him as CO but he was also just kind to him and saw a person worthy of affection - rather than the CO that everyone tolerated but secretly disrespected and laughed at (just look at how all the other officers couldn't wait to come down on him in 5.05)
And then he lost Havers. But still had to command up to 150 men and operations at Button House for the next 4 years. And it's obvious from the letters and information in the Button House Archives that he really REALLY did try and I think with considering everything it's no wonder he overcompensates a lot and that's where he's at in the first couple of seasons of Ghosts; fighting for authority and trying to do his best.
Last sad point because it does relate: When he died Havers gave Cap the swagger stick to hold - Havers still called him 'Sir' even though he outranked him at that point. I don't know if I can begin to unpick all of that, but there's definitely something in there about respect, belief and the burden of responsibility that he clearly took seriously into his afterlife not wanting to let Havers down both personally and professionally.
If you read all of this I love you and respect you and appreciate you for appreciating my level of not normal xD
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stalkerofthegods · 3 months
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Athena Pallas/Minerva Deep dive
I was going to originally say Athana, but due to respect to her late friend Pallas (not the titan/giant), she will be called Pallas Athena from now on, please forgive my ignorance. To the wisest of the wise, to the goddess that tells us the wisdom, may we all cheer for her, like how men and women and all equal in war would cheer after victory.
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Herbs • Olive tree, Tiger lilies, geranium, oak, cypress, Hellebore (Christmas and Lenten rose), and citrus tree, walnuts, pears
Animals• owl, snake, rooster, griffins, horses (she taught men how to tame horses), female lambs, doves (as a symbol of victory), rams, eagles, tigers, leopards, and other cats (could not find why but many were in agreement.)
Zodiac • She was mostly celebrated in June/July so I would say, Gemini, Cancer, and Leo.
Colors • gold, orange, yellow, emerald green, and royal blue
Crystal• bronze, metal, gold, silver, Azurite, Iolite, ruby, star sapphire, turquoise, lapis lazuli, ivory, Amazonite, Iolite, Bloodstone, Clear Quarterrtz, onyx.
Symbols• owls, olive trees, snakes, the Gorgoneion, golden shield, and helmet, serpents 
Jewelry you can wear in their honor• you can veil in their honor
Diety of • knowledge, knowledge in war, crafting, inspiration, strategy 
Patron of• Military, justice, skills, close combat, good counsel, prudent restrain and practical insight, weaving, and spinning, crocheting, the defense of towns, heroic endeavor, and protection agriculture, she is known in the arts as well with Hephaestus, protectress of the phratries and houses, authority of the law, the order in the courts and the assembly of the people, mathematics, strength, asexuality, librarians, peace, judges, protests, metalwork, birds (called the goddess of the birds), teachers
Offerings• She was sacrificed bulls, rams cows, all female except a lamb, it must be a male lamb, Locrian maidens or children are said to have been sacrificed to her every year as an atonement for the crime committed by the Locrian Ajax upon Cassandra (do not do, just here for historic offerings.), Olives, Bread, Grains, Olive oil, Cakes, Olive tree branches, Owl figurines or imagery, Silver jewelry, Honey, Milk, Books, Strategy games, Quality chess boards, Snake figurines or imagery, Fountain pens, Handmade objects, Clay items ( ex- plates, bowls, vases), Yellow and/or white candles, Yoghurt, Daggers, Swords (including small decorative versions), Devotional poems, Studying, Learning something new, Using what you learn as a way of growing and developing as a person, Standing up for yourself, Improving yourself, Owl pellets, Owl decoys for gardens,Work out clothes/gear, Fidget toys for when you’re working, Brain imagery, Spider imagery, Crafts you have made, Certificates/degrees/awards for achievements, Favorite books/books on mythos or Greece, Knitting/crocheting/crafting materials, Needles, Your glasses, Coffee/tea, Nice pens/pencils, Journals/notebooks, Voting stickers/cards, Spears/swords/daggers/helmets, Protest signs, pears, walnuts, Garlic bread, Start a small side business.
Devotional• Read a book, become a librarian as a summer job, or simply check out or return a book, join a book club, host a book club, learn Battle strategies, learn Wars and how they were won, learn What led to wars being lost, read The Art of War by Sun Tzu, learn about Politics,  Democracy in Ancient Greece, learn about Armor and weapons, Catch and release spiders in your home, do Pottery, learn about Cross stitching and knitting, Tutor someone/get tutoring for areas you need help in, Watch TED talks/listen to educational podcasts, Plan out your day/keep a planner, Thinking before taking action, controlling our anger,  Learn new vocab words, Make your notes pretty, Learn study techniques, Take appropriate study breaks, Do projects for Her, Challenge yourself, Learn grounding techniques, Do your homework, Give up things that are unhealthy for your brain (ex-  smoking cannabis, drinking.), work out, Learn basic first aid, take CPR classes, Take care of your body, Go to protests/advocate
Ephithets• will post later, postponed due to motivational issues, will come soon. 
Equivalents• neith (Egyptian), thrud (Norse), Minerva (roman), Athena (Greek) 
Alter• I would not put her alter near Heaphestus, be tried to violate her in a myth, I would not put her alter near Aphrodite because they are known to not get along in myths, but things could have changed. She does work well with heroes, so if you worship Hercules or Perseus I would put her alter near them, I would not put her near Arachne and keep her alter away from spider areas, etc. Keep her altar clean and orderly. She does not like the giant Pallas, he tried to ruin her chastity.
Signs they are reaching out• Encounters with owls, olive trees, or feelings of wisdom and inspiration, seeing owls in the day, going to the library more often, staying after school. 
Vows/omans• to stay a virgin forever, and to change her name 
Number• 6 or 7 and 5 (I couldn't find a website that could agree.)
Morals• Morally lawful
Personality• Strong, endearing, respected, smart, confident, practical, clever, a master of disguises, and a great warrior. Brings Harvard teachers to shame. 
Home• Mount Olympus 
Mortal or immortal • Immortal 
Fact• Some say she invented the flute, she invented the plow, and the rake, borrows tools from Zeus to do war saves people when fate counts on it, she repels Ares, some say Athena’s full name is Pallas Athena, but they say she added the name Pallas to hers after she accidentally mortally injured her friend Pallas during a practice session in her youth.  Athena was seen naked bathing, she felt bad for the man, she covered his eyes and made him blind, making him an oracle.
Curses• blindness, more spiders, spilling tea, dyslexia getting harder, losing ur glasses, no one knowing who you're dressed as during Halloween, getting into fights, unjust detentions, no one showing up to class, getting fired as a teacher or librarian (unjustly), dropping books and learning stuff all of the sudden, forgetting materials that you learned on your test, your quizzes and tests get lost.
Blessings• remembering test materials, witty replies in arguments, detentions all of the sudden going away, getting into your dream college, getting into a book club, finding ur books, getting a librarian or teacher or tutor job.
Roots• Greek, near the river Triton born after or in the Titanomachy era.
Friends• Pallas (her friend growing up)
Parentage• Some say Poseidon then she went to Zeus after a dispute and became his daughter, and some say metis and Zeus, some say Hepeastus.
Siblings• Artemis, Aphrodite, the Muses, the Graces, Ares, Apollo, Dionysus, Hebe, Hermes, Heracles, Helen of Troy, Hephaestus, Minos, Perseus, and Porus.
Children• She does not have any romantic lovers, but she has adopted children, who are, Erikhthonios/Erichthonius.
Pet• one white and three dark horse and an owl, (she shares a chariot with Artemis) 
Appearance in astral or gen•  a stately woman armed with a shield and spear, and wearing a long robe, crested helm, and the famed aigis with the the Gorgon Medusa on a shield
Festivals • The cleansing Festival/Plynteria and Kallynteria Festival, the threshing festival/Skira Festival, the festival of Minerva/Minor Quinquatrus, The panatheanaea/Athena Festival, The Vintage festivalOschophoria Festival, the artisans Festival/Chalkeia Festival.
Day • she does not have any day of the week, the 23 of each month, and the first day. 
Sacred places• The Parthenon on the Acropolis of Athens is dedicated to her, and Athens.
Status• Wisdom goddess, One of the major theoi and goddesses in Greek mythology 
What angers her • If you stop worshiping her, I would clean up and part respectfully and know she understands, she does not like the sudden removal of an alter and the trashing of one.
The music she likes• classical and lo-fi study music.
Planet• Pallas Athene (minor planet) and the Asteroids 93 Minerva and 2 Pallas
Her Tarot cards• queen of swords, queen of wands, justice card, balance card
Remind me of• the saying “hitting the books” and someone actually throwing books, twilight from My Little Pony, Dead Trees (books)
Scents/Inscene • Patchouli, dragon’s blood, musk, indigo, orange blossom, cinnamon, and cedarwood
My opinion • She's cool.
Prayers• 
Prayer To Athena by Liz “Morning Dove” La Posta
Oh, wise Athena with your spear and shield, protect me and my family from injustice and harm. Council me with your wisdom so that I may make the best decisions. Grant me success in my endeavors, but keep me humble so that I might not become condescending to others. I thank you for the many times you have guided me on my Path. Share with me your mysteries and I will do my best to follow. Athena my Goddess, I pray this in your sacred name, and I vow to always be your faithful dedicant.
Prayer to Athena for Wisdom
Clear-eyed Athena, unrivaled in wisdom, daughter of Zeus and Metis whose craft and wit excelled among the mighty Titans: Athena, I pray to you. Wise in all things you are, goddess; your cunning and guile are well known. In time of war you have no equal in tactics or in strategy; many armies have you guided to victory. In time of peace your blessings fall on those whose work is of the mind–friend of the philosopher, the scientist, the student. Advisor of kings, patron of clever heroes and bold-hearted adventurers, defender of the thinker, mistress of reason and understanding, goddess to whom a strong arm and a sharp sword are nothing without the sense to wield them well and the insight to know when words are worth more than weapons. Athena, grant me a sound mind and steady temper, bless me with good judgment, show me the long view.
Links/websites/sources •seleniangnosis https://www.theoi.com/Cult/AthenaTitles.htmlhttps://www.britannica.com/topic/Athena-Greek-mythology https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athenahttps://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Herakles/athena.html https://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Athena.html
https://www.worldhistory.org/athena/#google_vignettehttps://greekgodsandgoddesses.net/goddesses/athena/https://olympioi.com/greek-gods/athenahttps://ilfiorello.com/athena-the-importance-of-the-name/https://www.theoi.com/Cult/AthenaTitles.htmlhttp://www.goddess-athena.org/Encyclopedia/Rituals/Festivals/index.htm ATHENA'S BIRTH ON THE NIGHT OF THE DARK MOON - JSTOR 881 Athene - Wikipedia Athena | Olympian Goddess of Wisdom | Born from Zeus SkullGoddess Gift https://www.crystalvaults.com/goddess-athena/#:~:text=Crystals%20such%20as%20Azurite%2C%20Iolite,Athena%20can%20bring%20to%20you.Athena: Greek Goddess Of Wisdom And Craftsmanshiphttps://www.museandmoonstone.com/blogs/blog/crystals-goddess-athenaThoughtCohttps://www.thoughtco.com › what...What Are the Symbols of the Greek Goddess Athena?numeralgame.64g.ruhttp://www.numeralgame.64g.ru › ...Numerology and ancient Greek myths. Pythagorean numerological number 5. Goddess Gifthttps://goddessgift.com › goddessesAthena: Greek Goddess Of Wisdom And Craftsmanship Number Seven Facts, Symbolism & Meaning - Study.com Holy And Unholy Numbers - Street Directory Athena: Greek Goddess Of Wisdom And Craftsmanshipseleniangnosis travelingthief Titanomachy Definition, Myth & Impact - Study.com Athena Siblings - 1379 Words | Internet Public Library - IPL.org Athena Justice, Mythology Tarot Enamel Pin - LitJoy Crate Inner Goddess Tarothttps://innergoddesstarot.com › go...Goddesses in Tarot: Athenahttps://www.hellenion.org/athena/prayer-to-athena/https://www.tumblr.com/tarotbee
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