Israel is the gift that, for the Free World (yes, let’s agree to use that now-quaint phrase), keeps on giving. This tiny strip of unprepossessing land at one dusky end of Asia is an endless source of astonishments, in peace and in war. Every week, every day, brings news of technological inventions and agricultural improvements and discoveries from that little engine (of progress) that could. In recent months, we learned of new kinds of highly-efficient solar collectors, of proof that any plant can be transformed into an electrical source, of car batteries that can last for a million miles, of drip irrigation that can be aimed at a particular part of a particular plant at a particular time of day, of a new laser-based anti-missile system, which can be used or the interception of RAM (rocket, mortar, and artillery) threats, drones and anti-tank missiles. We learned of medical advances, too: new treatments for multiple sclerosis, a new anti-diabetes drug, a 3-D heart, a new way of delivering chemotherapy without side effects. These are what I found within three minutes of searching. Give me an hour online, and I could fill many pages with Israeli discoveries, inventions, treatments, advances of every kind.
But right now let’s praise someone – a famously-unknown man, whom neither you nor I is likely to ever meet, and if we did meet him, we wouldn’t know whom we were meeting. His photograph is unavailable; his real name is unknown except to a select few. But he’s now getting recognition from the Israeli government without, of course, being “recognized.” To the community of Israeli cybersecurity experts, he is known as “A.” The story of that recognition is here.
A legendary Israeli cyber-spy whose name has remained a secret for years is set to receive a lifetime achievement award from Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin.
According to Israeli news website N12, the agent, referred to only as “A,” is a mastermind in the field of cyber espionage, and a unique figure in Israel’s spy agency the Mossad.
A, the report says, is in his forties, has several children, and chose to work for the intelligence service over a lucrative career in the high-tech industry.
It would not surprise me if some of that information were intended to mislead any eavesdropping enemy. “A” could be 35, or 60, with no children, or ten. It would surprise me even less if the official taciturn biography were all true. What is undoubtedly true is that he chose government service over money-making in the high-tech industry.
Speaking anonymously, someone who knows him told N12 that A is “a genius whose reputation precedes him.”
A, the source added, is “known in our and the American intelligence community as a phenomenon in the cyber field. A not insignificant part of our work was created by him personally due to his special talent.”
He added that A has “trained generations” of agents in cyber-espionage and cyber-security.
The announcement granting A the lifetime achievement award stated that the prize was for his “contribution over many years to national security and for initiating many technological solutions, while displaying unusual talent, creativity, curiosity, and daring.”…
Of course I have no idea what exactly “A” has contributed to Israel’s (and almost certainly to America’s as well) national security, and even if it were patiently explained to me I wouldn’t understand, but I am prepared to take gratefully on faith the official announcement of the lifetime achievement award that recognizes A’s “contribution over many years to national security and for initiating many technological solutions, while displaying unusual talent, creativity, curiosity, and daring.”
The enemy can have its decapitation squads, its suicide vests, its ramming vehicles, terror tunnels, Molotov cocktails, grenades, knives, and incendiary kites.
We have “A.”
yiyoya says
“Israel is the gift that, for the Free World (yes, let’s agree to use that now-quaint phrase), keeps on giving.”
A Free World is a RATIONAL world (yes, let’s agree to use that now quaint concept). A rational world is a world filled with free individuals predominantly concerned with reason not faith, mainly concerned not with death and the afterlife, but with this life and the pursuit of happiness here on earth.
“But right now let’s praise someone – a famously-unknown man, whom neither you nor I is likely to ever meet, and if we did meet him, we wouldn’t know whom we were meeting. His photograph is unavailable; ”
Gee, I thought “A” was going to be Thomas Aquinas and Aristotle. Thank Aquinas that Aristotle came back in fashion to influence and change Christian and Jewish mysticism for the better, otherwise we’d be stuck in the Judeo-Christian Dark Ages.
I can’t imagine the USA or Israel coming into existence without Aristotle and his Renaissance.
Like I just posted elsewhere, today’s Christian and Jewish faiths are piggybacking on the West’s Aristotelian Renaissance but impudently giving faith the credit owed to reason. Mixing faith with reason, and giving faith the credit owed to reason, is literally like having one blind eye and one eye that can see, and saying, “Thank God I have one blind eye otherwise my seeing eye would be useless”.
Mauricio says
“Thank Aquinas that Aristotle came back in fashion to influence and change Christian and Jewish mysticism for the better, otherwise we’d be stuck in the Judeo-Christian Dark Ages.”
Thomas Aquinas held that heresy should be punished by death, in ST II:II 11:3. He also maintained the intellectual inferiority of women and their subjection to men on that account (ST I:92:1). He also said masters have the right to strike their slaves to punish them. (ST II:II 65:2). I think you should better study more Aquinas my friend.
carpediadem says
Judaism has reason, faith, mysticism, freedom, commerce, laws for humanity, laws for living, even birthed a guy who millions of people worship in a completely different religion ie Christianity.
If you want to steal credit for a religion go elsewhere.
Matthew Wright says
It seems to me that your history of ideas is a little of date, although it was what I was taught as I was trained in Physics. I think that it is now widely realised that the Dark Ages weren’t particularly dark. In addition, according to many notable historians of ‘Western Science,’ both the Christian faith, and even Neo-Plantonist mystics contributed to the Scientific Revolution, in ways that were essential, and absent historically from previous civilisations. A simple survey of the biographies of the pioneers of modern Science shows their faith. The science / religion conflict turns out to be Deist propaganda in small measure, and 19th Century Atheist propaganda in large part. Huxley, the ‘X Club’ in the Royal Society, and a string of influential 19th century texts from Britain seem to be major elements of this.
It may be an obvious question, but if Aristotle’s contribution is the deciding factor, why did it need approximately 18 centuries, 15 influenced by Christian preaching, to get to the Scientific Revolution? This obviously doesn’t prove that these faiths are true, but it should scotch the idea that faith and ‘reason’ are in conflictl
A good summary of these arguments, well referenced, has been written by a Christian thinker, Nancy Pearcey. http://www.nancypearcey.com/the-soul-of-science.html
watching from a distance says
Terrorists: We have an army
Israel: We have A hulk
gravenimage says
Let Us Now Praise Famous Unknown Men: “A”
……………………
Kudos to “A”!
carpediadem says
Beautifully said. Hugh.
R Thomasson says
Israel needs more “A’s” in order to survive. The only way of getting them, is through excellent education system who will supply the country with good skilled professionals. Especially important are: locating and training of high gifted children (IQ of 125 and higher. They are making in every country 1,5% of the population). These Children will improve the ability of the country to survive. SURVIVAL DEPENDS ON SCIENCE- NOT ON MIRACLES. Israeli’s must never adopt the lefty Western European dogma that gifted children are only born to rich, well to do, or university educated parents. The rest “are all of the same”.
Sophia Agape says
A…men!
OLD GUY says
The problem with islam is that it puts hate first. and therefore it is stuck in the past. When you love your fellow man you have time and energy to do things that make life better for everyone and the world moves forward in peace.