Categories
essays

The Jewish People of Argentina

Following the Jewish expulsion from Spain in the early sixteenth century, many Sephardic (Spanish origin) Jews fleeing persecution immigrated to what is now known as Argentina. However, they didn’t form an organized Jewish Community until after Argentina became an independent country of Spain in the early nineteenth century. Later, fleeing from the social economic disruptions of revolutions from France and Western Europe, Ashkenazic (German origin) Jews came to settle in Argentina as well, because of its open-immigration policy. These people spoke French, German, Russian, Yiddish, and Judeo-Spanish (also known as Ladino), which is a romance language derived from Medieval Spanish and Yiddish.  

Argentina has the largest Jewish community in Latin America. However, most of the anti-Semitism in the country started around World War I, with a pogrom against the Jews, specifically the Rusos (Russian origin) following the Russian revolution. Many people had been beaten and their belongings destroyed. However, the Jewish community became more involved with Argentina, other than its military or its government, as they were barred from it. 

Its open-door policy for immigration lasted until 1938, in which Argentina stopped accepting Jewish migrants because of the tensions of Europe from the Nazis in Germany. Juan Perón was elected as President of Argentina in 1946. While Jews were afraid of him as he was a Nazi sympathizer and had fascist views of leadership. However, he also ended up making good diplomatic relations with Israel and helped Jewish rights in Argentina, including allowing Jewish people to hold office in the national government. After Perón was overthrown in 1955, many thousands of Jews immigrated to Israel and other countries in Europe because of the huge waves of anti-Semitism that occurred (Argentina Virtual Jewish History Tour). Organized campaigns encouraging street fights and vandalism against Jewish properties were frequent. 

Starting in 1976, the Argentina was under military junta rule, which included a large wave of anti-Semitism. This was partially because of the Nazi ideologies, conspiracy theories about Israel, and higher-ranking people in the military obsessing with the “Jewish Question” on how Jews should be part of society. Often, they would be targeting Jewish people over non-Argentinians, and would charge them with political crimes if they disagreed with the government, and arrested, imprisoned, and even “disappeared” (Jewish Political Studies Review). Jewish people were often singled out for extra imprisonment. Many Jewish people left to immigrate to Israel to avoid the oppression of the junta rule. Israel had arranged to allow people accused of political crimes against the Argentinian government to immigrate, because of a law in their prisons that allows prisoners to leave to any country willing to take them in. 

Junta rule ended in 1983 with Raúl Alfonsín being democratically elected as president. Anti-Semitism rates had fallen, and the government had many Jews in high positions. Later in 1989, Carlos Saul Menem was elected, it worried some of the Jewish people because of his Arab origins, but he ended up being more supportive, with many Jewish appointees in the Argentinian government, and his passing laws against racism and anti-Semitism. However, high levels of anti-Semitism occurred during his presidency, including terrorist attacks, bombing of the Israeli Embassy, a Jewish community center. 

Currently, the Jewish population in Argentina is about eighty percent Ashkenazic and twenty percent Sephardic. While anti-Semitism has decreased, the amount of Jewish population has also been decreasing as of the recent years as they have been immigrating to Israel and other countries. The acceptance of Jewish people in Argentina based on polls showed many stereotypical views of the community, such as the belief that the Jewish people were preoccupied with making money (Study reveals anti-Semitic sentiment in Argentine society). Numerous anti-Semitic incidents have occurred in the current century, including Nazi propaganda and terrorist attacks. However, the Jewish community in Argentina is thriving. There are laws in place that allow Jewish people to observe religious holidays such as Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, and Pesach, and the government recognizes the holidays. The main language spoken is Spanish, but some people have brought in languages from their originating countries, such as Hebrew, Russian, and mixed languages such as Yiddish and Ladino. 

Works Cited: 

Argentina Virtual Jewish History Tour. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/argentina-virtual-jewish-history-tour 

Jewish Political Studies Review. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.jcpa.org/jpsr/jpsr-mualem-s04.htm 

Study reveals anti-Semitic sentiment in Argentine society. (2011, October 09). Retrieved from https://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-Features/Study-reveals-anti-Semitic-sentiment-in-Argentine-society 

Categories
tech

David’s Travel Tech Prep

I wrote this up prior to my Birthright Israel trip with Towson Hillel, but the advice here is applicable to any international travel. It covers essential technology and financial stuff that people always forget to do before their trips and regret after it’s too late.

  • Disable any Sim Card security locks that prevent you from using your phone if your Sim is removed.
  • Back up your device to the cloud and/or save important photos and contacts to your computer. Assume the worst can happen.
  • Google Maps – say/search “okay maps” to download the region you are traveling to as well as the route to the airport. The entire country of Israel is approximately 270MB as of June 2022. Waze is commonly used in Israel as well but doesn’t allow offline downloads.
  • Spotify premium or other music services, download your playlists offline in high quality, as streaming licenses may be unavailable in Israel. Enable offline mode. Overkill: firewall-block Spotify from accessing the internet prior to flight.
  • Google Translate, Microsoft Translator – download offline languages for the region you are traveling. For Israel, this would be English, Hebrew and Arabic (under 400MB for both apps)
  • Keyboards and voice typing – Enable Hebrew layout and input, download English voice-typing offline, and Hebrew if available
  • Update all apps, especially WhatsApp and the Birthright Israel app, and any pending system updates to your phone. Do not remove WhatsApp in Israel because you might not be able to log back in if you don’t have access to your phone number.
  • Multi-factor authentication that doesn’t rely on a phone number for accounts such as email and social media. Twilio Authy, Google Authenticator, etc.
  • Determine one or two credit cards and checking accounts that have minimal or no foreign transaction fees to bring on your trip. The Amazon Chase card has no fees, and Ally Bank debit cards have a 1% transaction fee. Discover is not commonly accepted in Israel but Visa and Mastercard are.
  • Write a note with all international and local phone numbers for financial cards you are carrying in case they are lost or stolen. Have this note emailed to yourself or to a family member in case of emergency.
  • Notify your financial institutions that you will be traveling so they can put a note on your account. Have all financial apps installed and logged in and know how to access card locking functionality. Lock all cards you aren’t taking on your trip prior to leaving home for the airport.
  • Decide if you want to keep biometric authentication (facial, iris, fingerprint) enabled on your device. While this is HIGHLY unlikely to occur, Israeli law allows police to forcibly unlock your phone with your biometrics, unlike most of the United States.

Categories
games

Free Games on EGS

The Epic Game Store (EGS) releases several games free, typically at least one each week on Thursdays, and often of high-quality titles from both small and large game publishers. Around the holidays they often give away games daily over a few weeks. Epic gives away these free games to both support developers and bring in more customers to their platforms.

I avoid their platform when possible due to its associations with Tencent and China. There are whole communities dedicated to hating on the company, the CEO Tim Sweeney, the anti-competitive business practices, the in-house game engine Unreal, and the free-to-play battle royale game Fortnite.

Here is my list of games that were free on Epic, and where I play them:

Game:Platform:
Grand Theft Auto VEGS
SUPERHOTSteam
Among UsSteam
Brothers: A Tale of Two SonsSteam
ControlSteam
HueSteam
LimboGOG
InsideXbox
MinitItch.io
ObductionGOG
Tomb Raider seriesEGS
The Spectrum RetreatEGS
GNOGItch.io
Q.U.B.E. 2Steam
The Talos PrincipleGOG
The BridgeSteam
Drawful 2Steam
while True: learn()EGS
The Stanley ParableHumble
DarqEGS
SupralandSteam
Categories
games

Games for Ukraine

Several hundred games are on various platforms but are associated with bundles where purchases were essentially donations to help people affected by the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

There was the Itch.io Bundle for Ukraine as well as the HumbleBundle Stand with Ukraine Bundle. Some of these games I’ve acquired or started playing prior to the invasion.

These are the games I’ve been playing so far:

Game:Platform(s):
Baba Is YouSteam+Itch.io
SUPERHOTSteam+Itch.io
Dear EstherSteam
Brothers: A Tale of Two SonsSteam+EGS
MinitItch.io+EGS
And Yet It MovesSteam+Itch.io
The White DoorItch.io
SupralandSteam
Drawful 2Steam
Broken AgeSteam
System ShockSteam
Rusty Lake HotelItch.io
Categories
Uncategorized

Things I Hate or Don’t Trust

This is a list of companies or products that I hate or cannot trust because of ethical issues, privacy or security concerns or terrible customer service.

Technology:

  • Apple
  • GoDaddy
  • TikTok
  • Hewlett Packard
  • Zoom
  • Tencent
  • React by Meta

Sketchy Financial Institutions:

  • Wells Fargo
  • M&T Bank
  • Zelle
  • Bank of America
  • PNC Bank
  • PayPal
  • Bank Mobile

Media:

  • Netflix
  • Disney

Assorted:

  • Chinese government
  • Temu
  • Planet Fitness
Categories
software

Portable Apps

A portable application is one that doesn’t need to be installed in order to be used. Some may store configuration files in a dedicated sub-directory within the application. These programs are convenient as they can be deleted when no longer needed without leaving excessive residual data on a system. Additionally, these programs can be stored on various storage mediums including cloud folders or USB flash drives.

I personally use PortableApps.com and its dedicated PAF format for various applications used on a daily basis. Not all of these programs are available on the PortableApps website and are published independently. All programs are open source or free. These are my essentials:

  • Deluge – a fully featured bittorrent client
  • FileZilla – a useful FTP client
  • HexChat – a powerful IRC client
  • Notepad++ – a text and code editor
  • Telegram Desktop – an instant messaging client
  • VLC Media Player – a powerful video player
  • 7-Zip – an open source file archiver
  • Mozilla Firefox – good secondary browser to Microsoft Edge
  • OBS Studio – good for streaming and screen recording
  • MediaInfo – analyze various content information
  • Frhed – hexadecimal editor
  • Audacity – complex audio editing tool
  • WinDirStat – tool to calculate storage space
  • Rufus – utility to make bootable flash drives
Categories
software

Kodi Configuration

  1. Enable Expert Mode in settings under any settings sidebar
  2. Change Estuary colour to midnight under Settings/Interface/Skin/Colours
  3. Remove Main Menu items for Movies, Music, Music Videos, TV, Radio, Games
  4. Side-load the PlexKodiConnect repository and enable Unknown Sources
  5. Install and configure the PlexKodiConnect add-on to preference
  6. Sideload Discord Rich Presence addon
  7. Install service add-on Simkl TV Tracker, activate with PIN on site
  8. Install service addon-ons Unpause Jumpback
  9. Configure Jumpback to 10 seconds with minimum pause time of 0 seconds
  10. Install service add-on Stinger Scene notification
  11. Set TV shows view-type to Wall from the sidebar
  12. Flatten TV season hierchy under Settings/Media/Videos
  13. If on Windows with Bose QC45 headphones, change audio to WSAPI under Settings/System/Audio
Categories
Uncategorized

Tasker App

Tasker is a useful automation tool for Android that allows programmable events to occur.

By default, Tasker will use the device clock/alarm function to guarantee events are run. This function is called Reliable Alarms. A clock will be visible on the Android notification bar and other screens, even though no actual alarm is set. This feature can be disabled by accessing:

Preferences > Monitor > Use Reliable Alarms

…and set it to Never, or only when the device is off.

Categories
games

Game Completion Progress

This post is intended to keep track of the game completion progress of the various games that I play. Most of these games are considered untraditional. Some might not truly be able to be assigned a form of completion and be estimates. The games are listed in no particular order. Perfect games have 100% completion, and if the game supports achievements, 100% achievements for those games. Games that support achievements on alternative platforms but not on the completed one are not listed.

Perfect Games

Game Title:Achievements:
Myst: Masterpiece Editionno
Mystyes
Riven: The Sequel to Mystno
Myst: Exileno
The Roomyes
The Room Twoyes
Quellyes
Hueyes
Machinariumyes
The Bridgeyes
Castle of Dr. Brainno
The Island of Dr. Brainno
Half-Lifeno
Half-Life: Opposing Forceno
Half-Life: Blue Shiftno
Half-Life 2yes
Portal 2yes
Aperture Tagno
Portal Stories: Melyes
Portal: Revolutionyes
Hacknetyes
Samarost 1no
Samarost 2yes
Supralandyes
Supraland Crashyes
Supraland Six Inches Underyes
A Juggler’s Taleyes
Samsara Roomyes
Cube Escape Collectionyes
Rusty Lake Hotelyes
Firewatchyes
Limboyes
Insideyes
Cocoonyes
Amanda the Adventureryes

In-Progress Games

Game Title:Percentage:Achievements:
RealMyst: Masterpiece Edition100%38%
Myst: Revelation5%
Myst: End of Ages
Obduction100%
Portal100%80%
Portal Reloaded60%
Factum Solus100%
Portal Prelude20%
Rexaura70%33%
Grand Theft Auto V25%14%
Half Life 2: Episode One100%57%
Half Life 2: Episode Two
Superliminal100%44%
Life Is Strange: Complete Season23%23%
The Talos Principle: Gold Edition40%25%
TIS-10075%40%
Exapunks5%
Eliza50%100%
Shenzhen I/O
And Yet It Moves100%43%
The Room Three40%20%
The Room 4: Old Sins
The Room VR: A Dark Matter
Quell Reflect66%66%
Quell Memento
Quell Zen
Lightmatter100%74%
Baba Is You10%6%
The Spectrum Retreat100%87%
The Guest10%10%
Among Us83%
Pinstripe100%67%
Tomb Raider100%24%
Rise of the Tomb Raider15%
Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons100%16%
Quantum Break96%57%
The Wolf Among Us17%17%
Control Ultimate Edition27%27%
A Way Out40%7%
It Takes Two100%25%
Unravel70%19%
Rusty Lake Hotel100%0%
Rusty Lake Paradise100%50%
Rusty Lake Roots0%0%
Cube Escape Paradox0%0%
The Past Within100%79%
SUPERHOT100%50%
SUPERHOT VR3%3%
SUPERHOT: MIND CONTROL DELETE0%0%
Beyond: Two Souls95%60%
Human Fall Flat35%15%
Starfield70%48%

Categories
guides tech

How to Set Up Bitwarden

Bitwarden is a password manager that is Open Source, (aka Free as in Speech as well as Free as in Beer). The free portion is feature-rich and convenient for most purposes, containing all the features of a solid password manager, including encryption, and synchronizing between devices.

  1. First, you need to create a Bitwarden account. You can create this account on https://bitwarden.com but be sure to store your Master Password in a safe space such as a safe, because this is what encrypts your other passwords.
  2. Next, you can optionally import your passwords from other password managers, including the built-in ones of browsers such as Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome. Instructions for importing passwords from your existing password managers are available here: https://bitwarden.com/help/article/import-data/
  3. After you have imported your passwords, it’s a good idea to install the applications and extensions for Bitwarden on your computer, your web browser(s), and on your mobile devices. Download links for all of these are available here: https://bitwarden.com/download/
  4. To configure the Bitwarden Desktop application, be sure to set configure a PIN login and enable other forms of access, such as Windows Hello on which allows for biometric access on a Windows computer with a fingerprint sensor or a supported infrared camera. You can set the time limit for how long the program will stay accessible before locking out the vault.
  5. The browser extensions can be set to autofill passwords on websites, but this setting is turned off by default. Additionally, the extension has a time-out limit for how long before the extension will lock out access to the vault. Be sure to disable the built-in password managers on your web browser to ensure you don’t save passwords there in the future and be sure to disable any previous password managers you used to use.
  6. On your mobile device, if you are running Android, you can have Bitwarden auto-fill passwords into mobile applications. You can additionally have fingerprint authentication to allow easy access to your vault if you have a fingerprint sensor. Some additional accessibility settings will need to be enabled to give the app the ability to do this autofill capability. iOS devices aren’t currently capable, but the app will still allow you to copy/paste passwords to and from your clipboard.
  7. All websites and apps are listed in Bitwarden with a name, and the URL, and with fields for your username and password. Additionally, there are notes fields, and Bitwarden will keep a password history of previous passwords that were saved. The URL can be exact, or approximate, such as “starting with” or otherwise. For many uses, the default should be fine, but if you have duplicates, you can adjust your settings for individual sites or across the app you are using.
  8. You can protect your Bitwarden account with 2-Factor-Authentication using apps such as Authy and Google Authenticator. Be sure to store any backup codes offline, because if you lose access, you will not be able to restore your account.