(re) blog: dialogue with Redemtech

HIPAA Violations Could Cost $834 Million

A week and a half ago when I wrote a blog about the excessive number of data breaches occurring at healthcare organizations, I wondered how much of a financial impact these incidents had on the entire industry.

What It’s Like on the Back Page

Hidden behind the grander story of the recent BP oil well disaster in the Gulf of Mexico was another environmental catastrophe that did not gain much attention. A pipeline owned by Canadian-based Enbridge Energy Partners ruptured on July 25 in southern Michigan, pouring an estimated 1 million gallons of crude oil into the Kalamazoo River and devastating the natural environment along at least a 30-mile stretch of once-pristine marshes. Environmental officials predict long-term damage to the habitat for ducks, geese, swans, herons, muskrats and frogs, and the insects and mussels that are the base of the food chain, which have been suffocated by the oil.

Healthcare Organizations Grieved by Data Breaches Should Take a Lesson from Vaudeville

There’s a gray-bearded joke that probably started in vaudeville where a man goes to see a doctor, flapping his arms like a chicken and complaining of pain.

“Doc,” the man exclaims. “It hurts when I do this.”

The doctor replies: “Then stop doing that!”

That old chestnut would actually apply to the healthcare industry today as issues of data security become more serious and, unfortunately, more common.

Futurama Gives E-waste Its Due

Art often mimics reality, especially in an age when animated television programs such as The Simpsons and South Park often poke fun at what’s happening in the world around us. Futurama, now seen on Comedy Central, has ventured where no modern animated series has gone before by poignantly illustrating the global e-waste crisis in a recent episode.

The Essence of CSR: Caring About Strangers

While having a pleasant dinner out with my wife recently in the small town where we live, I encountered a stark reminder of the importance of human life and caring about what happens to people, even if they are strangers.

The town merchants and civic groups were hosting a “history hop” that gave people a chance to tour the local two-room museum and stop by some historic buildings in an effort to embrace our community heritage. The concept is quaint, especially since the “historic” buildings have mostly been remodeled in the past half-century so that they don’t in any way resemble their original purpose. The one-time general store is now a pizza place, for instance, while the little restaurant my wife and I selected for a leisurely meal had been transformed from a former livery stable. I have to admit that I’d rather dine in a modern street-side café than share oats in a stall with Mr. Ed.

Trend in Data Breach Coverage Delves into the Dark Side of Journalism

In what appears to be a disturbing trend that has this journalist wondering if good journalism itself is on its last legs, there have been a lot of news stories lately that seem to stress the dangerous, dark side of publicly reporting data breach incidents. What is this “dangerous, dark side?” you may ask. It’s the place journalism goes when only one side of a story is told.

There’s Only One Red Rabbitt

There are a lot of scarlet bunnies hopping around.

When Sacramento’s new International Airport terminal opens next year, a 56-foot red rabbit will be there to greet travelers. The sculpture is the creation of artist Lawrence Argent and will feature the stunning hare leaping into an air traveler’s suitcase.

Too many rules? Not in this case

Many summers ago while working for an amusement park on a lake, I learned a valuable lesson about rules. My car broke down on the road that wrapped around the peninsula on which the amusement park sat. The road was narrow, with thickets of lush greenery on one side and a sharp, rocky drop-off into the water on the other. I had no choice but to walk back in the direction I came, hoping to encounter another vehicle for roadside assistance.

Data Breaches Continue to Haunt Organizations

ABC News ran a very interesting item earlier this week – a roundup of the top 10 data security breaches from the past 10 years. Ironically, three of the top 10 were off-network incidents involving a stolen laptop computer, a mishandled hard drive and missing media.

Things Are Not Always What They Seem

A friend of mine recently boasted that he’d just voted for Ulysses S. Grant. I warily noted that he was a little late.