Final Word from Monday, December 23, 2019
Ebenezer Scrooge was not a man to be frightened by echoes. Nor did shadows bother him, save those of his own future. The staircase leading to his chambers was broad enough for a hearse, and half-a-dozen gas-lamps wouldn't have lighted the entry too well, so you may suppose that it was pretty dark with Scrooge's dip (candle). He didn't care a button for that: Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it. Darkness is cheap in industry too, and investors like it. But how to achieve it? Workers must be able to see to piece products together. Robots, bless their souls, can work in the dark. Foxconn, one of those Taiwanese investors so lauded by Czech politicians, was recognized early this year for its lights-off factory in Shenzhen. Foxconn is expected to slash tens of thousands of jobs as it moves forward with its automated production plans. Workers at its factories will soon be mere Ghosts of Christmas Past. Unless the Scrooges of today say humbug and intervene to alter our Future. [ Czech Republic China Chinese Taiwan A Christmas Carol Charles Dickens ]
Glossary of difficult words
chambers - rooms used for living or working;
hearse - a vehicle for conveying the coffin at a funeral;
to piece together - to assemble;
to laud - to praise highly;
to slash - to reduce greatly.