406- A Side of Franchise

406- A Side of Franchise

7/14/2020 by Roman Mars

Web player: https://podplayer.net/?id=109687545
Episode: https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/media.blubrry.com/99percentinvisible/dovetail.prxu.org/96/3176107c-8569-4fc1-95a9-535b2f436ba1/406_A_Side_of_Franchise_pt01.mp3

There are many books about McDonaldโ€™s that criticize the company for its many sins, and author Marcia Chatelain has read all of them. But her book comes at this famous fast-food restaurant from a different angle and with a much wider lens. In Franchise: The Golden Arches in Black America, Chatelain offers a critique of racial capitalism and a long history of trying to address social problems with business-based solutions. A Side of Franchise Plus, we are featuring an excerpt from the series Race Traitor from The Heart.

It’s interesting to learn about the relationship between Black America and McDonald’s. It’s a complicated relationship motivated by corporate profits, one that sometimes was beneficial to African Americans and other times not so much so.

NPR

Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder Arrested In $60 Million Bribery Scheme : NPR

FBI agents arrested Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder on Tuesday morning at his rural farm. Householder was taken into custody in connection with a $60 million bribery scheme allegedly involving state officials and associates.

Four others were also arrested: former Ohio Republican Party Chairman Matt Borges, Householder adviser Jeffrey Longstreth and lobbyists Neil Clark and Juan Cespedes.

The charges are linked to a controversial law passed last year that bailed out two nuclear power plants in the state while gutting subsidies for renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Washout Along East Canada Creek

Probably the worse remaining washout in Stratford is the 1/4 mile stretch where the road runs right along the creek, and became part of the creek during the torrent.

Taken on Saturday July 18, 2020 at Piseco-Powley Road.

Ducks

Ducks float along the Sacanadaga River.

Taken on Tuesday July 21, 2020 at Spectulator.

Cows!

Cows! ๐Ÿฎ

I’ve been re-reading Storey’s Guide to Raising Beef Cattle, the book by Heather Smith that is famous for teaching people the basics of the cattle industry.

They say roughly one million households raise cattle in America, it’s hard to go to small town outside of the most rugged mountain country and not see cattle or their distinctive barnyard smell.

Cattle grow in nearly every rural part of America, they need little more than grass or hay, water and salt and some careful care and supervision of their pastures and hay and shelter during the winter months.

Some of the oldest, long rooted families in our country farm, beef and dairy and the crops that support them fill our valleys. One out of four acres are field crops in New York, a number only second to the vast forests that cover our mountains and hill tops.

Cows are living, breathing animals, they can have a wide variety of health problems and conditions. They require a lot of feed and water but fortunately they’re not particularly picky about grass, as long as it’s free of manure and a handful of noxious weeds. They can break down grasses to produce energy to feed their growth.

Cattle have a larger than life impacts on the land and have a defining impact on communities and their identity. It’s always interesting to understand more about the lives of these large animals.

Being watched as the sun set