Thoughts On Ivanka’s Response To The Email Scandal

We all know how vulnerable we are when we go on the Internet. We are reminded every day of how easily the websites we visit everyday can be hacked into or destroyed by viruses.

One of the hallmarks you know who’s Presidential bid was the constant reminder that Hillary Clinton used her personal email server for government business. On Tuesday, Ivanka Trump was interviewed about her own use of government emails on a personal server. She defended herself by stating the following:

Well, there really is no equivalency. All of my emails that relate to any form of government work which was mainly scheduling and logistics and managing the fact that I have a home life and a work life are all part of the public record. They’re all stored on the White House system so everything has been preserved. Everything has been archived. There just is no equivalency between the two.

In previous interviews Mrs. Clinton claimed that the emails did not contain sensitive data and apologized for her error.

Regardless of where one lands on the political spectrum, using a private server for government emails is wrong. No server, regardless of how strong the firewall or anti-virus program is, is completely free from hacking or viruses. From my perspective, logic dictates that any government employee should only be using government email on a government server when discussing work matters. I do not want to think of what would happen if a hacker is an able to get their hands on classified data because a government employee used a personal server to access that email account.

The other issue is that Ivanka, like the rest of her family, believes that she is above the law. No one is above the law, not even members of the Trump family.

I keep thinking about what our children and grandchildren will one day ask about this time in American history. I just hope that when that question is asked, we can give them an answer that makes sense.

 

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Flashback Friday: Catfish: The TV Show (2010-2018)

The Internet has changed our world as we know it to be. Especially when it comes to romance and dating. Online dating has become a normal way to find love, but the question is if the person we are talking to is real or hiding behind a fake profile?

The MTV reality show Catfish: The TV Show (2010) is based on the concept of catfishing. Catfishing is defined as the fake online persona that someone hides who they really are behind on a social media or online dating website profile. Each episodes, Nev Shulman and Max Joseph are contacted by someone who has fallen for the person they met online. Through various means of research, they either confirm or deny that the person on the other side of the email or messenger chat is real or fake.

Catfish: The TV Show is an interesting show from my perspective. Of course, it’s a reality show that is quite compelling. But, at the same time, it shows that as much as we want to find love, we have to be careful when using the Internet to find love.

Do I recommend it? Maybe.

Flashback Friday-Wife Swap (2004-Present)

It has been said that one cannot understand another person until you walk a mile in their shoes.

Wife Swap (2004-Present) took this concept and turned it into a reality show. The premise of the show is as follows: Two wives switch families for two weeks. The first week, the wives follow the rules of the rules of the homes where they have switched families. The second week, the new wives can rewrite the rules. After the two weeks, the wives reunite with their spouses and the couples meet to discuss their experiences. During most, not all of the episodes, there is resistance on both sides when it comes to how each family lives and the changes that they new wife makes during the second week.

I have mixed feelings about this program. On one hand, it’s just another reality show. But, on the other hand, it forces the participants to meet someone whom they might have never met before and perhaps open their mind to someone or something new.

Do I recommend it? Maybe.

Timeless Character Review: Agent Denise Christopher

*Warning: This post contains spoilers about the characters from the television series Timeless. Read at your own risk if you have not watched the first two seasons.

There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.

In this series of weekly blog posts, I will examine character using the characters from Timeless to explore how writers can create fully dimensional, human characters that audiences and readers can relate to.

Every team needs a level-headed, capable leader. They are the ones who keep calm when everything and everyone around them is falling apart around them. On Timeless, that leader is Agent Denise Christopher (Sakina Jaffrey). Responsible for bringing and keeping the Time Team together, she is the unquestioned leader of their group. Part mama bear and part military general, it up to her to ensure that the missions are completed and Rittenhouse is stopped. But she also has to deal with the administrative part of leadership, working with Mason Industries and the her bosses in the NSA.

Like many working women, Denise juggles both a work life and a home life. Married too Michelle (Marci T. House), she has two young kids. But while her home life looks flawless, it was not easy to come out. When the Time Team met her in the early 1980’s, a younger Denise Christopher (Karen David) came from a traditional Indian family. Working as a police officer, she kept her sexuality close to her chest and nearly married a man to please her family.

To sum it up: Like anyone in a management, Denise Christopher’s professional life is a balancing act between caring for her team and making sure that they can complete the job they were hired to do. Add in her home life and you’ve got the average working woman. Any woman with a full-time job, a partner/spouse and children will tell you that it is never easy. But Denise Christopher stands out as a character because she balances both and proves that even though it is not easy, it is still possible.