How unhealthy?
There is a certain touch of irony in the air at the moment?
First the Health Services Executive was hit with a virus, and now the Department of Health has been hit with the same virus.
Both have had their computer systems hit with ransomware which, quite naturally has thrown a chaotic system into even deeper chaos. So instead of concentrating on the Woo Hoo Flu they are now concentrating on their own virus [Covid21-A and Covid 21-B?].
However it’s unlikely to affect their lack of efficiency and at least we are now spared those droning and endless numbers on the news every night. Every cloud has a silver lining?
And talking of silver linings, I was down in the village yesterday. I got chatting to one of the coffee shop mates and he told me that the coffee shop is planning to open in three weeks. I haven’t told Penny yet as she wouldn’t sleep a wink with the excitement.
Incidentally, I was standing outside the chemist waiting as there was a bloke inside [really taking his fucking time] when a woman shot past me and into the shop. She came out again immediately.
“I’m terribly sorry” says she to me. “I didn’t realise you were waiting. For a moment I thought all this nonsense had ended.”
Chance would be a fine thing.
You should have given her a big hug.
Such a thought wouldn't cross my mind. Molestation in broad daylight?
Over here in the great state of Oregon, the Governor has decided that eateries can reopen again (I think we are on the third try here). The only stipulation being that staff must check to see that patrons have the immunization card showing they have had both jabs. I'm thinking that card is going to be the most important document you can carry when leaving the house.
If you get pulled over for the stop sign that you just rolled slowly through you will be asked first to show the jab record, then drivers license and proof of insurance.
They are playing around with the idea of "passports" here. The EU is talking about it. Ireland is talking about it but waiting to say what the EU says. By the time they get around to making any decision the whole thing will be history anyway.
I remember visiting an intensive care unit of a hospital in 2015 and feeling aghast they were still using Windows XP. I am told that Windows 7 is still widely used by state bodies. If the HSE and department of Health are still employing those systems, I suspect the hacker could be a fourteen year old boy in his bedroom.
They filmed an item for the news the other day. There were people working in the background. I'm fairly sure I heard the faint melodious tones of an old Windows PC booting up. Now if they had been using Linux…….. !!
"Do you want to play a game?"
Seems to be ransomware attacks are happening here and there around the globe. One recent one was a successful attack on the Colonial Pipeline that supplies Gasoline to the southeast coast of the USA thereby shutting the whole thing down. Southern gas stations ran out of gas for more than a few days and I heard the Colonial actually paid the "ransom" but I may be wrong there.
By the way, the Governor of our state of Vermont lifted the mask mandate and social distancing requirements for us fully vaccinated type people as well as invoking the "honor system" instead of having to showing proof of stab. So the wife and I did our weekly grocery shopping sans masks for the first time in a year. I'm actually fully vaccinated and my wife just omitted certain truths–honorably of course. It's good to breath again while out and about.
I read that they paid a million in ransom for the Colonial Pipeline hack. Nothing like encouraging the bastards?