It’s a cold and wet Sunday morning. I set off to run this morning while it was still dry, or maybe it was just during a lull in the wetness. Half way round I got nicely rained on, a rather thick, cold rain, not quite sleet but on its way to it. So it goes.
There are stories going around about the provision of free lateral flow tests being stopped. The government is denying the truth of this rumour. That denial will convince some people that it really is true. Whatever the truth of that matter, when it was reported on the radio news just now I was more disturbed by a chemist saying how she was receiving abuse from customers because she didn’t have any tests available. Similarly I see comments on social media to the effect that just because I disagree with you, it doesn’t mean I hate you. Do we need reminding about this. It used to be possible to hold different opinions and still get along. It used to be normal to accept that shop sometimes didn’t have the item you wanted without having to be rude to the shop assistant. When did we become such a rude, me-me-me society?
Every so often I come across a pleasing word that someone has no doubt invented. The latest is “kleptoparasitic” which appeared in this headline:
“Kleptoparasitic bear steals wolves’ kill in filmed Yellowstone drama”.
This was the story of a grizzly bear who sort of stalked a wolf pack which was hunting elk. The bear moved in a stole the product of their hunt. The wolves had to wait until the bear had eaten his fill before they got a look in. You would have thought a pack of wolves could fight off a bear but then I suppose a grizzly, especially a hungry one, is rather large and fierce. Apparently it’s quite common for bears to steal other animals’ food but this one was extra clever, keeping up with the wolves as they hunted.
So all those stories of Yogi Bear stealing “pickernick” baskets were based on truth, after all.
We are all encouraged to recycle. Here’s a story about the Norwegian army having to recycle underwear.
“Norwegian conscripts are to return their underwear after completing military service for the next recruits, as the army struggles with dwindling supplies due to Covid.
Norway, which guards Nato’s northern borders and shares a border with Russia, calls up about 8,000 young men and women for military service every year and until recently allowed newly discharged conscripts to leave barracks with the underwear they were issued.
But the pandemic has seriously strained the flow of supplies with factory shutdowns and transport problems, leading the Norwegian military to ask conscripts to hand over underwear, including bras and socks.
Though originally voluntary, it has now been made mandatory, public broadcaster NRK reported on Friday.
“Now that we have chosen to reuse this part of the kit, it helps us. … We don’t have enough in stock,” the defence logistics spokesman Hans Meisingset told NRK.
“The textiles are washed, cleaned and checked. What we distribute is in good condition,” he said.
A conscripts’ representative, however, criticised recurrent shortcomings, saying they could end up affecting operations.
“Severe shortages of equipment and clothing can potentially affect operational readiness and, in the worst case, the safety of the soldier,” Eirik Sjohelle Eiksund told trade publication Forsvarets Forum.”
You couldn’t make it up.
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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