How small is the world these days? Nancy Ashe (the Editor's Blog) and I were having an email conversation yesterday ... some photos included ... and discovered that the chairs used for public gatherings where she is are exactly the same as the ones used here. That may seem a small thing, but Nancy is in Greece and I live in Seychelles. We're thousands of miles apart in separate hemispheres in countries that are different from each other in just about every way countries could be.

Greece enjoys an ancient history, was the center of the world for hundreds of years and has seen the foundations of knowledge and art and science grow from its venerable soil. Its armies were the greatest of their time, its navies sailed and conquered the known world, and some of its thinkers were the greatest ever to live. The climate is typically Mediterranean; they grow olives, eat a lot of lamb and drink Ouzo.

Seychelles didn't have people at all until around 300 years ago and has two boats in a navy that's existed for about thirty years. It's tropically hot and humid, we eat a lot of fish and Seybrew Beer is the drink that refreshes.

A couple of things are the same, however ... both places include a lot of islands, and both have far too many white plastic chairs that get dragged out every time three or more people are to get together outdoors.

I have no personal experience with the Greek variety of white plastic chair, but I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess they're uncomfortable, sweat-inducing and prone to snap a leg, sending an occupant crashing to the ground in a tumble of sharp, white plastic shards and humiliating embarrassment.

Nancy and I, in a conversation carried back and forth from Southern Europe to the middle of the Indian Ocean at the speed of light, established that the chairs must come from China, and stock in the company would have been a good investment. From Anaheim to Algiers, From St. Louis to Port Louis, from Stockholm to Swaziland, butts of all shapes, sizes and colors rest in these chairs.

If the world ever does sit down together in brother/sisterhood for the good of all humanity, they'll do it on white plastic.