Halleluiah, something to be proud of
The Aruba Parliament just ratified a law banning Styrofoam plates, cups and food containers.
Sunscreen containing oxybenzone.
Attention party people: Releasing of plastic confetti and balloons into the sky is now verboden.
Plastic products: Plates, cups, cup covers, straws, toothpicks, food containers, bags, drink stirrers, and cutlery, are out.
Note that the law only describes the products as PLASTIC but in the explanatory memo it defines the items as SINGLE USE.
The law has no date of introduction, but this will be determined by the Minister of the Environment. However, local news agencies mentioned July 1st, 2020 as the implementation date.
The law also offers the Minister the right to impose a fine of Awg 10,000 on violations of the law.
Some official notifications will certainly follow in the future.
Congratulations, we joined the enlightened world.
It will take a while to replace PLASTIC products with PAPER products, but these too should be reduced, recycled and reused.
Beyond Hacking: Cyber terrorism
A story circulating in the media: Our hospital computers have been high-jacked for ransom by professional criminals who are holding our information hostage for a bitcoin payment of$250.000. Horacio Oduber is in good company. The cities of Newark, Atlanta, and Sarasota have been hit. So have Cleveland’s airport and San Francisco’s transit authority. You can negotiate a reduced rate or kiss your information goodbye.
If you pay the ransom, you get your info back. If you don’t, then at the end of a certain period set by the criminals, all is lost an irretrievable.
State of the art firewalls cost money. Did the hospital invest adequately in security?
One of my friends forwarded me a WANT AD. The hospital recently published a laundry list of ALL its system in search of a new IT person. They did not use a discreet head-hunter. They wanted to save the fees, and just published an ad with requirements.
They listed their goodies. This must have been a tempting invitation.
Also, conspiracy theorists speculate that it’s convenient in wiping out all evidence of maleficence, erasing all trails.
Of course, they could always play tough and refuse to pay. According to 60 Minutes it could take up to 2 years to reconstruct what’s lost.
The more we hear about the hospital the more it becomes clear that both management and board should be fired for #incompetence. We deserve better.
