Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called “Some Shabbos Chuckles.”
People never fail to amaze me in both their potential as well as in their idiosyncrasies. But the last number of weeks have really brought home that while we Jews share many commonalities, there are also quite a few quirky differences, and many of these are worth sharing.
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called “Lets Save Israel Now.”
After 17 weeks of virulent protests and plenty of animosity, one has to question whether the hateful politics surrounding judicial reform are bringing us ever closer to a dangerous breaking point. Certainly, all this heart-wrenching conflict of Jew against Jew is leading us down a terrible road of divisiveness, hate, and hurt for our people, country, and future. It is high time to change course and instead work together to solve our problems, mend differences, and unite in our faith as the proud children of the Maccabees against our common enemies.
(Credit Photo: Cottonbro Studio via https://www.pexels.com/photo/bearded-man-folding-the-flag-of-israel-4033953/)
Please see my new article in The Times of Israel called “Lessons From Israel In Stopping Ransomware.”
Israel is a small, but powerful nation that wants to stop attacks before they get to their door, and indeed, their lives depend on that. We can learn from Israel’s military doctrine of deterrence through overwhelming strength, unity, and disincentivizing the attackers to inform other security issues, such as ransomware attacks. I believe that the answer lies in a public-private security partnership financially backed by the government.
First, companies voluntarily join a public-private security partnership in which they adhere to higher security standards and oversight as well as pledge not to pay ransomware. Additionally, these companies are placed on a public list and given a badge or seal of approval/logo like Brink’s Home Security or ADT to display that indicates they are “fortified,” and in this case, that they won’t pay any ransom, and are backed by the government.
Second, the government provides an incentive for companies to participate in the public-private partnership and not to pay ransomware. The incentive provided is that the companies are backstopped (insured) by the government in the event of a ransomware attack to them. This is similar to ransomware insurance, but the difference is that the cost to companies would be a fraction of what they would otherwise have to pay. The benefit to the taxpayer is that the market for ransomware dries up with companies that have pledged not to pay. As the program become universal, there is no one left for the ransomware attackers to target.
(Source Photo: https://pixabay.com/illustrations/ransomware-cyber-crime-malware-2321110/)
Russia has so won this conflict, hands down, with Ukraine in their targeting sights and the West demonstrating nothing but weakness.
They have so intimidated Ukraine that Russia will be able to install a new government in Kyiv or just pull the strings on the puppets in place without ever firing a shot.
Moreover, Ukraine won’t be considered by NATO for membership ever again knowing that Russia will go to the mat over it.
Scare tactics can work if you carry a big enough gun and have the gumption to hold it to your opponent’s head! 😉
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
We were promised they would “drain the swamp.”
What happened with that?
It often still seems pretty dirty, dark, dank and swampy!
We need real democracy, freedom, human rights, and justice for all people. 😉
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
Beautifully decorated Eisenhower Executive Office Building.
All American: red, white, and blue.
Standing tall and proud. 😉
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
This seems like it could be a major theme of the U.S. economy.
“Buy Now, Pay Later!”
And then…
“Foreclosure”
You can’t borrow infinitely.
It eventually has to be repaid.
Where will the money come from?
Print more.
Worth less! 😉
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
One administration comes and another goes.
The new executive orders and legislations reverse the old ones.
– Keystone Pipeline
– Travel Ban from potential Terrorist Countries
– Paris Climate Accord
– Membership in World Health Organization
– Deregulation
– Taxes
As a country, we are (borderline) bipolar!
And like a pendulum, we swing back and forth getting nowhere and driving the rest of the world crazy.
Can’t we actually move forward without the perennial one step forward, one step back nauseating dance we keep doing.
Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran are moving forward and they are not waiting for us to figure out what we actually want and get our national act together to move decisively and definitively forward. 😉
(Source Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
I though this was a fascinating ad for the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).
The little girl hanging onto to the UAV drone.
Reminds me of the wonderful classic film, The Red Balloon, where after the balloon follows the little boy everywhere, in the end, off he flews with it into the wild blue yonder.
As much as we all wish privacy wasn’t dead, for the most part, it really is!
Between ubiquitous and persistent satellites, drones, and video cameras, audio and video surveillance, call intercepts and eavesdropping, computer monitoring tools, smartphone location tracking, facial recognition, body implants, and more, let’s just say you are never truly alone.
For those who continue to dream the impossible dream of privacy, it is a noble endeavor but quite fruitless without either going deep underground or significant legislative and policy changes that can actually be enforced.
My grandmother used to say that G-d sees everything and she was right.
These days, others are watching as well! 😉
If there’s a construction site, then there can certainly be a destruction site.
Most of the time, it seems like more destruction than construction really going on.
It’s amazing how a construction job on one corner can take more than a whole year, when they built the entire U.S. highway system in not such a long time.
Now-a-days, money just goes down the sinkhole with the littlest jobs taking seemingly forever and the costs spiraling out of control.
Hello, is anyone out there managing this stuff?
Oh right, it’s all funny money anyway.
Let’s just keep printing some more. 😉
(Credit Photo: Andy Blumenthal)
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