My wife just got out of intensive care at Brooke Army Medical Center. Due to inclement weather, the computers had to be taken down. Please continue calling periodically. If a rainstorm can shut down the country, we're in big trouble. They told me to keep marching, and I did.
Lightning takes out our phone system and electricity on a regular basis.
My bank, First Interstate, has recently implemented a handy new service. Using any touch-tone phone, bank customers may get information about the status of their account at any time. Normally, to get an account balance, the customer must enter the amount of his latest deposit. This provides, I feel, at least some measure of security. The problem is that the system also allows merchants to check a check.