A First

 This morning, the friendly Jewel employee who oversees the self-checkout machines, was running from one to another.  "It seems like they're all having problems at once," he said. "They drive me crazy."  "I'd rather have people," I replied, "but that's an old fashioned idea."

He took a moment to tell me this story:  In Korea, the grocery stores have been using robots to check people out.  On a particularly busy day, one of the robots threw itself down the stairs.  "I think it's the first case of robot suicide," he said.

The "C" Word

 I remember when cancer was the "C" word.  Spoken in hushed tones.  It was a death sentence, or, if you were John Wayne, you were a hero for surviving, if only for awhile. The only posture was a stoic one, so why dwell on it.

Climate change is now the "C" word.  It's too disruptive to admit it into our lives.  Too much to have to recalculate.  Too much money lost right now.  Better to bully those who insist on bringing it up.  

There were terrible storms and fires during the last weeks of the election.  If the cause came up at all, I missed it.  And I was paying pretty close attention.

My friend June, who lives in Asheville, was without electricity or water for a week.  Marilyn's house in St. Petersburg just missed a falling tree.

Here's the one thing upon which both candidates agreed:  Let's not mention the "C" word.

There's a book on my shelf called:  "The World Without Us."  Yes, something will remain.