parsha bit: Vayigash

When Yosef threatened to keep Binyamin as a slave, Yehudah challenged him. According to the midrash he tried three approaches: war, appeasement, and prayer. First he threatened to take up his sword and kill Yosef and all Egypt, but Yosef returned the threat. Then he offered appeasement, giving himself as a substitute. Finally, the midrash interprets his pleas as not to Yosef but to God himself, and this is when Yosef softened and revealed himself. (Midrash Rabbah 93:6)

Windows patch

Microsoft has published the patch for the WMF security hole. If you run Windows and you ever view images whose pedigrees you're not 100% certain of -- like, say, if you ever visit non-trusted web sites, or you view images people send you via email or IM -- you should apply this patch now. Don't wait for the automatic updates to run. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, you should read the security bulletin. Microsoft even admits it's a critical update.)

I'm going to leave LJ image placeholders turned on for a day or two, just in case this fix doesn't do it. (Image placeholders prevent posted images from automatically showing on your friends page, which is useful if you read any open communities where malicious images could be posted.)