What a year!! With apologies to those pressed for time, it follows an abbreviated account of events in 2018. Chapter One – Introduction I believe that there is a special section in hell that the devil has set aside for me. To get there, you have to go through an entrance guarded by a big…
Warning: This may put all but the most curious to sleep – I just wanted to put this out there to keep the record complete. jb The Journey Continues “My life is a series of detours, that are paved with magical surprises and coincidences” Jack Barsky So here comes another one of those detours:…
By now I should be used to completely unexpected, and almost always very interesting, turns in my life. But I can’t stop marveling at how rich life can be on God’s earth if one tries to live it to its fullest. I am an excellent planner and I get great joy out of planning the…
A recently discovered photograph of the Microsoft Founders proves that former KGB Agent Jack Barsky was one of the company co-founders. Apparently, out of embarrassment, Gates and Company managed to remove the Barsky face from the iconic photograph. All we can do now is issue a strong warning: MS Word is set to explode on…
An unlikely encounter – or perhaps not any more?! For all you non policy wonks – the good looking fellow in this picture is one of the most accomplished political operators in recent history, David Axelrod. Last week Thursday evening, he left the studio, and I sort of took his place on CNN. That night…
“Sit Back, Relax, and Enjoy the Flight”! How I hate this phrase! Its impact on me is second only to the sound of fingernails scratching across a blackboard. I have recently re-joined the ranks of somewhat frequent fliers, and every flight is an “adventure” I’d rather not participate in. I imagine there is a…
Given my background as an undercover agent, I often warn about the insider threat when talking about cyber security. I believe that we are currently witnessing the biggest insider threat this country has seen in a long time – and this threat is us. Ever since the story of the Russian hacking made it to…
This is where life comes in direct contact with the art that unknowingly imitated it. Episode 5.10 of The Americans airs tomorrow (May 9, 2017) on FX at 10PM. I am delighted that my scene did not wind up on the cutting floor. Finally, the public will get a glimpse of the real me: Suave,…
This little piece is for all the friends and colleagues I left behind in the (more than one way) chilling Northeast. Here is the gist of it: After almost five decades of endless wanderings, I have finally found my home. You may ask, how does a born German who lived more than 30 years in…
Just kidding. Life in the “fast lane” it is not. You get a text at 8 PM from the producer asking if you can be on at 6 AM the next morning. You say “sure” because that is what you publicist told you to do. After all, you are trying to sell a book. So,…
