Paris, 15 February 2010


EFITA newsletter / 449 / European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment


To read this newsletter on the efita.net web site...
See: http://www.efita.net?d=6763



C@R end of project conference
3 March - BRUSSELS
See: http://www.c-rural.eu/
See: http://www.efita.net?d=6700
Contact: Ian HOUSEMAN
E-mail: ian.houseman(a)btconnect.com


World Merino Conference
3 - 5 may 2010 – RAMBOUILLET - France
See: http://www.inst-elevage.asso.fr/html1/spip.php?article17304


Agricultural Productivity Strategies for the Future: Addressing U.S. and Global Challenges
This timely Issue Paper includes a preface from Dr. Norman E. Borlaug and has been prepared as an update of CAST Paper No. 1, written by Dr. Borlaug in 1973. The authors of the current paper address (1) future demands facing agriculture; (2) the relationship of bioenergy and bioproducts to agriculture; (3) major issues impacting future U.S. agricultural productivity; (4) major issues facing agricultural productivity in other parts of the world; (5) strategies to meet future food needs; and (6) examples of research areas that could enable the next "Green Revolution." The authors question the commitment by the United States and many other countries for support of agricultural research and indicate the far-reaching impact that such research, education, and resulting technology--or lack thereof--will have on the nation and the world. Chair: Gale Buchanan, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, The University of Georgia, Tifton Campus. IP45, January 2010, 16 pp. FREE. Available online and in print (fee for shipping/handling).
See: http://www.cast-science.org/displayProductDetails.asp?idProduct=168


Instantly online-17 golden rules to combat online risks and for safer surfing mobile social networks
The EU ‘cyber security’ Agency - ENISA (the European Network and Information Security Agency) today presents a new report on accessing social networks over mobile phones, ‘Online as soon as it happens“. The report points out the risks and threats of mobile social networking services, e.g. identity theft, corporate data leakage and reputation risks of mobile social networks. The report also gives 17 ‘golden rules’ on how to combat these threats.

Online Social Networking Sites (SNSs) have had an exceptional growth trend on Internet. 211Mn users (out of 283 Mn) in Europe use SNS, and, primarily, Facebook in 11/17 countries studied. The modern way of staying in touch with business or personal contacts is through SNS and other digital tools. Consequently, the ways people meet, share opinions, communicate information and ideas is changing. With growing popularity of SNS, the demand for instant, continuous access over the mobile phone has increased-i.e. mobile social networks (MSN). More than 65 Mn users now access the social network Facebook over their mobile device. MSN users are 50% more active than non-mobile users, and are estimated to be 134 Mn in Europe by 2012.

Many MSN users also use their phone as a backup device for business mails, personal data, contacts, pictures, and access codes. As a consequence, a lost mobile phone can cause serious damage, e.g. when illegitimately used to access MSNs. Many mobile phones come pre-packaged at purchase, with built in MSN applications i.e. ‘on-deck’ services.
Several stories from Italy, France, Spain, Greece, UK, witness that many SNS/MSN users are largely unaware of security risks, privacy issues and threats related to misuse of the information put online in an SNS and of proper online privacy protection. A number of unique MSN risks/threats are identified in the report. The ENISA report gives an overview of the situation and underlines that in particular MSN users need awareness on how to safer use social networks on a mobile phone to avoid unexpected and damaging consequences. Risks include identity theft, and serious damage to personal or corporate reputation, or data leakage.
Two samples case studies:
• Fake profile on Facebook. A professor at Turin University discovered someone else had created a profile for him at Facebook with offensive features, affecting his reputation.
• Data leakage/corporate reputation. After a 2008 incident, Virgin Atlantic airlines later dismissed 13 staff members who had posted comments on Facebook which e.g. criticised the cleanliness of the company’s fleet and of its passengers. Similarly, British Airlines check-in staff at Gatwick posted messages on Facebook saying e.g. travellers were ‘smelly’ and criticised the chaotic operations at Heathrow.

The paper also gives a comprehensive view of the SNS world under the lens of the European directive on data protection (Dir. 95/46/EC). The Executive Director of ENISA comments:
“This report provides practical, hands-on advice to the users of how to more safely be online, anywhere and anytime, when enjoying mobile social networks.”
The paper includes 17 practical ‘golden rules’. Samples include:

- Remember to log out from the social network once your navigation is over.
- Do not to allow the social network to remember your password (this function is called ‘Auto-complete’).
- Do not mix your business contacts with your friend contacts.
-Report immediately stolen/lost mobile phone with contacts, pictures, or personal data in its memory
- Set the profile privacy level properly.

See: http://www.enisa.europa.eu/act/ar/deliverables/2010/onlineasithappens
E-mail: awareness(a)enisa.europa.eu


FutureFarm is a European project funded by the EU as part of the Seventh Research Framework Programme
The official project start date was 1st January 2008, and the project duration is 3 years.
The full project title is "Meeting the challenges of the farm of tomorrow by integrating Farm Management Information Systems to support real-time management decisions and compliance to standards", and the funding is under the Cooperation programme of the FP7 in the Food, Agriculture, Fisheries and Biotechnologies (Knowledge Based Bio-Economy) theme.
See: http://www.futurefarm.eu/


Out of Africa? - a clear and present danger to world coffee
CABI launches the final report of a seven-year study on coffee wilt disease.
The disease was first reported from Central Africa in the 1920s, but was brought under control by the 1950s. However it returned with a vengeance in the 1990s.
See: http://information.cabi.org/t/184726/276437/3075/0/


Hands-on counselling

Eileen and her husband Bob went for counselling after 25 years of marriage.
When asked what the problem was, Eileen went into a passionate, painful tirade listing every problem they had ever had in the 25 years they had been married.

She went on and on and on: neglect, lack of intimacy, emptiness, loneliness, feeling unloved and unlovable, an entire laundry list of unmet needs she had endured over the course of their marriage.

Finally, after allowing this to go on for a sufficient length of time, the therapist got up, walked around the desk and after asking Eileen to stand, embraced her, unbuttoned her blouse and bra, put his hands on her breasts and massaged them thoroughly, while kissing her passionately as her husband Bob watched with a raised eyebrow!

Eileen finally stopped complaining, buttoned up her blouse, and quietly sat down while basking in the glow of being highly aroused.

The therapist turned to Bob and said: 'This is what your wife needs at least three times a week. Can you it?'

Bob thought for a moment and replied: 'Well, I can drop her off to you on Mondays and Wednesdays, but on Fridays I play golf.

Contact : Mick HARKIN
E-mail: harkin(a)iol.ie


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