Maybe it’s because April was mostly sunny and warm, even hot towards the end of the month, that May is so disappointing. Well, disappointing so far anyway, but we’re only 5 days in and there is still time for it to wake its ideas up. The last few days have seen a serious drop in temperature and today, as I ran round the village, I was struck by how cold the wind is. I know May can still be chilly around here but we had all got used to warm / hot sunshine.
On my run round the village this morning I popped into the co-op to buy tomatoes. They didn’t have any. In fact there was a notice telling us they were having some supply issues. There was another notice too, just inside the entrance:
Cash only.
IT problems.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
It seems they have been hacked. The self-service machines weren’t working. The card readers weren’t working. The ATM wasn’t working. They couldn’t even read my coop card. (The adverts urging people to join the Co-op tell us that the store is ‘Owned by you. Right by you.” I hope that doesn’t make me liable when things go wrong.)
I hear that Marks & Spencer has also been hacked recently. They told employees in some of their stores to stay at home as they could not open. There has been the huge electricity outage in Spain and Portugal. Our local Metrolink tram system has been having problems with electricity supply to its overhead lines. Our bank is sending out warnings about phone theft with advice on how to keep your phone safe. This is because so many use their phone for everything: paying for all kinds of things from travel to chewing gum; keeping up with the latest news; searching for stuff on the Internet; buying and selling stuff - Vintage or otherwise. Thieves are stealing phones, not so much for the phone per se as for the information contained in the phone.
Maybe the breakdown of society is underway!
I shall keep up my small personal campaign to use cash rather than card as much as possible, for security as well as to help the small shopkeeper. I heard just the other day that a huge percentage of people in this country never carry cash, or even cards. All they need is their phone!
And, as I have said before, maybe we should start to follow the advice that apparently the French government sent out recently and start to stockpile basic survival necessities.
In the news I saw two items giving contrasting attitudes to Gaza.
On the one hand:
“Israeli ministers approved a plan to capture all of Gaza and remain there – two officials say
Israel’s security cabinet approved a plan to capture all of the Gaza Strip and remain there for an unspecified amount of time, two officials said, AP reports.
The plan was approved today and is part of Israel’s efforts to increase pressure on Hamasto free hostages and negotiate a ceasefire on Israel’s terms.
The two officials said the plan also includes the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to southern Gaza The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing military plans.”
And on the other:
“One of Pope Francis’s popemobiles is being transformed into a mobile health clinic for children in the Gaza Strip, fulfilling one of his final wishes, the Vatican said yesterday.
The vehicle, used by the late pontiff during his 2014 visit to the Holy Land, is being outfitted with diagnostic and emergency medical equipment to help young patients in the Palestinian territory, where health services have been devastated by the Israeli invasion.”
Food for thought!
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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