Tuesday, August 31, 2021

Episode 182: KSD The Fight To Guide The Plodders

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I've shown how the Kellogg's six-hour day became just one form of work sharing during the Great Depression. I haven't shown you yet why this schedule option was all but abandoned. Consider the title of this Episode 182: The Fight To Guide The Plodders.

In this episode, I read from: two books by Henry Ford, first My Life and Work (which my library does not carry, sadly; and you know better than to ask for a Shit River link!) from 1922, and then Today and Tomorrow from 1926. Mostly, though, I read from Benjamin Hunnicutt's book Kellogg's Six-Hour Day. Musically, I throw in a snippet from "Eight Hours", the marching song I introduced back in Episode 180. It was recorded by Cincinnati's University Singers and released in an album called The Hand That Holds The Bread: Progress and Protest in the Gilded Age Songs from the Civil War to the Columbian Exposition. That was released back in 1978. I open the show with KMFDM backing Dmitri Orlov, and I close the show with Mistle Thrush.

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Episode 181: KSD Kellogg, Brown, and Roots

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Under standard business practice, any company action needs to be cleared by its owner and manager. Therefore, when a company does a thing, look to those people. I look at Kellogg's ultimate authorities in this Episode 181: KSD Kellogg, Brown, and Roots.

In this episode, I read from: Benjamin Hunnicutt's book Kellogg's Six-Hour Day. I played KMFDM backing then Burlington mayor Bernie Sanders in the opening, and Julie and Rolf and the Campfire Gang are singing and playing us out with "Over the Rainbow."

(I do regret the shorter episode. It's unavoidable do to calendrical synchronicity, which demand of me three episodes this month, which, as per the storage limitations of my hosting service, means one of them gets a bit of a haircut. I'll be back to closer to the regular length on the next show, I promise.)

Tuesday, August 3, 2021

Episode 180: KSD The Calvinistic Worship of Toil

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Something fascinating happened 90 years ago; but today, almost no one knows about it. Knowing it was amazing requires, though, knowing what happened… before. I try to correct that historical loss in this Episode 180: The Calvinistic Worship of Toil.

In this episode, I read from: Harvey J. Kaye's book, Thomas Paine and the Promise of America; Jenny Odell's book, How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy; my computer's quickie dictionary; and, of course, Benjamin Hunnicutt's book Kellogg's Six-Hour Day. You'll be hearing quite a bit from that book in installments for this series, of course.

I play: a few snippets from The Hucksters, most from Sydney Greenstreet's evil character; and a bit of his brand of soap. Also musically, I play Podington Bear doing "Running On Empty". Henry Giroux opens the show back by KMFDM; and I close with "Eight Hours", a tune I noted (and partially quoted) in the show, which I later found online!


That song! It was recently-ish recorded!