Missive #78

Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: May 26, 1935

The instant New York Times bestseller about one man’s battle to save hundreds of jobs by demonstrating the greatness of American business.

The Bassett Furniture Company was once the world’s biggest wood furniture manufacturer. Run by the same powerful Virginia family for generations, it was also the center of life in Bassett, Virginia. But beginning in the 1980s, the first waves of Asian competition hit, and ultimately Bassett was forced to send its production overseas.The author received high marks from The New York Times but did not score as well with goodreads.com reviewers. There were some that thought it was great and some that thought she didn’t write the all encompassing business book that she should. The book is about ‘people’ and how globalization has destroyed their lives. It is also about John Bassett III and his family but that was about people as well. I liked the book and recommend it.

One man fought John Bassett III, a shrewd and determined third-generation factory man, now chairman of Vaughan-Bassett Furniture Co, which employs more than 700 Virginians and has sales of more than $90 million. In Factory Man , Beth Macy brings to life Bassett’s deeply personal furniture and family story, along with a host of characters from an industry that was as cutthroat as it was colorful. As she shows how he uses legal maneuvers, factory efficiencies, and sheer grit and cunning to save hundreds of jobs, she also reveals the truth about modern industry in America. — Book promo @ goodreads.com

It has warmed up and our daily walk distance has gone down. Since 20 May the daily high has been 95° plus or minus so we have only walking in the early morning and noon. Even the noon walks have been done with the temperatures in the upper 80s or lower 90s. Erik is willing to get out there in those higher temperatures it is this old man that says we are not going. Which is not to say that Erik does not sleep through the usual afternoon walk time.

I have reached a point in the WordPress project where I don’t want to add any more pages until I settle an issue that will affect all the pages. Do you remember Paul Simon’s 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover; he only sang about five:

1. Slip out the back, Jack
2. Make a new plan, Stan
3. You don’t need to be coy, Roy, just set yourself free
4. Hop on the bus, Gus
5. Drop off the key, Lee, and get yourself free

That is where I am with the issue I have in the WordPress project. I want to have a page transition that is something other than a button click and link — that is so old ’90s. All the ‘cool kids’ have transitions that looks SO MUCH better. I have found 50 ways to do it but don’t understand what I’m being told. It is back to school time for a while until I can get up to speed on at least one way that will work. I have found some plugin that claim to do what I think I want but very few people are using them and I have read some reviews that tell me why. There are probably some plugins that I could buy but I’m cheap and my website doesn’t merit spending any more money on it other that for the server host.