Supermarket shelves empty in the UK (or is it media hype). In Athens no shortages.
It cannot be the weather, though in the long term climate will impact food security.
For far too long supermarkets have screwed growers, we are now paying the price.
Archive for the ‘Dark Mountain’ Category
Fruit and Vegetable Market Athens Central Market
March 7, 2023Ukraine first anniversary of Russian invasion
February 24, 2023One year ago today, Vladimir Putin launched a brutal attack on Ukraine.
Very sad.
One inoccent victim of Putin’s war criminals.
Insurance fraudsters
February 22, 2023What do you call insurance companies that happily take your money, then fall over backwards not to pay, to not provide service paid for? Fraudsters, criminals?
Last week I fell ill, delayed my flight for today, have progressively got worse. Coughing, very weak and tired. Three nights ago coughing up blood. Last three nights a fever.
I should have visited a doctor on Monday. But hoped I would recover.
Today visit a doctor. Hotel arranged a doctor. But first talk to insurance.
No, we do not pay for a private doctor. You will have to visit a public hospital. What am I paying insurance for?
Sustainable Gatwick
February 8, 2023To make Gatwick Airport more sustainable would be to assume it is sustainable today. It is not.
The only way to increase the sustainability would be to reduce the number of flights.
Bank phishing and smishing
January 24, 2023Early hours of the morning, an e-mail apparently from the bank to tell me card on a payment app had been cancelled.
No reason why it should have been cancelled.
Simultaneously a message sent to a phone to tell me the card had been cancelled.
The e-mail I did not open. Never open a suspicious e-mail, never respond. Report as phishing.
Send out a large number, literally millions, and some will hit the right target.
But how to explain the text? Especially as had the last four digits of my card.
I suspect a massive data breach.
An hour on the phone to the bank. Second call, first call cut off. Difficult to understand the person the other end, accent and a poor line. Is it not reasonable to expect the bank employs people who can speak English?
I learnt from the long conversation, bank has not cancelled card on payment app, has not sent out these messages.
Prior to calling the bank, I had checked payment app (obvious thing to do), nothing to say card cancelled, and if it had been cancelled, I would have been notified by the app.
Which brings me back to my initial thoughts, massive data hack of the bank. But if there has been a data hack, why has the bank not warned customers, or notified the Information Commissioner?
I will not know for sure if card has been cancelled, until I use my phone for a payment.
Update: The following day, I popped in the bank, they confirmed my card had not been cancelled. I then pointed out looks like a massive data hack. No, sent out by mistake. Really, I was told when I made a call, no messages had been sent out. I then used phone in a couple of shops. No problems with payment. E-mails sent to the bank, ignored, apart from an automated response to tell me they do not respond.
17 November
November 17, 2022Annual celebration of student uprising to overthrow the Greek junta, the fascist colonels
March to Parliament building.
Ring of steel police vehicles nose to tail riot police to protect Parliament.
Overhead a police helicopter.
Earlier, National Garden closed, centre of Athens closed, Metro stations closed.
Then on to the American Embassy. .
Aegean in-flight meal
November 5, 2022Served on a card tray, wooden utensils, but cold pasta salad a black plastic tray. Takeaway cup marked as plastic. In Cyprus thus marked. Aegean a Greek airline. Is this an EU designation, as in both cases the same logo?
Collecting up the rubbish, takeaway cups separated and stacked, but then everything dumped in the same rubbish sack.
Cold pasta better than would expect.
… to be continued…
Thick Lizzie resigns
October 20, 2022To a collective sigh of relief from the country, Thick Lizzie has resigned.
The vile people she has appointed should be removed: business sec, foreign sec, NHS sec.
They have done appalling damage to the country.
The country cannot afford the Tories indulging in another leadership contest. Slick Rishi should be asked to form a government.
Pepsi Trump to stand? It is not even the First of April.
If there is to be a leadership election, no reason nominations cannot be in by midnight tonight. Election held over the weekend.
Tory membership should be excluded.
There is a high risk with short notice electronic voting no checks of foreign bad actors and Russian and Chinese hacks of the ballot
Any leadership contender:
-wealth tax
– windfall tax Banks
– cap bankers bonuses
– windfall tax Big Oil
– windfall tax Big Tech
– 5% revenue tax Big Tech
– carbon tax
– increase minimum wage
– triple lock pensions
– increase benefits
– safeguard on fuel costs
– scrap BID Levy
There has to be an Inquiry into the dark money that funded Thick Lizzie.
There has to be an Inquiry into IEA and other far right lobbyists and the source of their funding.
Queen Elizabeth II State Funeral and Procession
September 19, 2022Those who serve will be loved and remembered longer than those who cling to power and privilege are long forgotten. — Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby
The final day.
State Funeral in Westminster Abbey, then procession from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace in a gun carriage.
At Buckingham Palace transferred to a hearse for transfer to Windsor Castle.
In the approach to Windsor Castle, the Queen’s pony and two of her corgis.
Thousands lined the route, their lsdt chance to pay their last respects.
Looking back through the entrance to Windsor Castle as the hearse ossded through, one got the imoression of the thousands who lined the route.
A service in St George’s Chapel, before Queen Elizabeth finally laid to rest in a side chapel, joining her father, sister, mother and husband.
I have walked the route of the funeral procession twice.
The night before Princess Di’s wedding. I was in Covent Garden, it was deserted. Where was everyone? Hyde Park, firework display. When people tried to leave Hyde Park Corner, gates closed, only a small gate open. People could not get out. We were very lucky not to be crushed to death. Girl near me, said I calmed those around us. We were slowly slowly being crushed. Had there been panic, we would have been crushed to death. I had a cycle with me. Eventually we got out, but no better, Hyde Park Corner jammed, buses grid locked, jammed with people trying to pass between the buses. We then spent the night walking the route the wedding would take. Not yet many had arrived. We would have had a front view. But tired, I went home. Next day train to Scotland, then cycled from John O’Groats to Lands End.
The next time, funeral of Princess Di.
I popped into the garden during funeral procession as it left Westminster Abbey, silence. The only time I have exorrinced this silence and then even the birds were silent was during a total eclipse of the sun.
Strange times. I still find hard to grasp Queen Elizabeth II no longer with us.
Thirteen days ago she accepted the resignation of Boris Johnson, then appointed Lizz Truss as Prime Minister. She looked frail, but otherwise in good health. A meeting the next day to swear in Privy Councillors did not take place. Lunch time Thursday, her doctors warned they were concerned for her health. Members if her family flew to Scotland to be with her. Early evening we learnt the sad news she had passed away. It was almost as though she had summoned her strength to carry out her final duty. Duty dine, time to pass from this world.
Queen Elizabeth II Lying in State in Scotland
September 12, 2022Saturday saw the proclamation of King Charles II as King. Reposted in the City of London, then across the Kingdom.
Sunday saw the coffin carried from Balmoral to Edinburgh. A six hour journey, the route lined with people.
Today, saw the coffiin carried from Holyrood Palace, where the body had lain overnight, carried along the Royal Mile to St Giles Cathedral. The Cathedral will remain open all night for people to pay their respects.
Tomorrow, flown from Edinburgh to London. This a huge mistake, should be carried by Royal Train, speed of slow freight train, walking pace through stations, to enable people to line the route and pay their respects.
What has caught everyone by surprise, including myself, the numbers turning out to pay their respects.
Over a million expected in London. A queue has already formed for the lying in state in Westminster Abbey.
I did think of visiting London. Maybe not. I thought of visiting York on Friday. I have learnt from past Experience Friday not a good day. Maybe not York either as the trains will be packed.
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