WFMK-FM

WFMK-FM: "Art Clokey Passes Away At 89(Los Osos, CA) -- The man who created Gumby, the miniature green animated man made out of bendable clay, has died. The 'San Luis Obispo Tribune' reports Art Clokey died Friday morning at home in the central California town of Los Osos. He was 89. Gumby grew out of a claymation short Clokey made while studying film at the University of Southern California. Gumby and his sidekick, Pokey the horse, got their big break on 'The Howdy Doody Show' in the 1950s. That led to their own TV show, 'The Adventures of Gumby.' Gumby enjoyed a revival in the 1980s, when comedian Eddie Murphy played him as a cigar-smoking bad-attitude case in a series of 'Saturday Night Live' skits. Clokey's death comes six months after the death of the voice of Gumby, Dallas McKennon."

Confessions Of A Factory Worker
October 2, 2009

Today was a rainy day in Michigan; we had to be to work at five am. You rush into work prayer you are not late, wish you be outside in daylight hours. Put on your safety glasses and put in your earplugs, because if you do not you will be written up. Dash to the break room to place your lunch in the refrigerator, which the outside is covered in dirt and the inside, has not been cleaned in this century, and has black mold in it. You rush to sign in on the paper work, because there are so many temporary works how are accidently using your time card then you scurry out to the floor to do your job.

You arrive at job, and notice the company has added a third shift to work in your area, which normally only runs on first shift. Because your boss complained to upper management about the more than fifty percent rejected parts that you had the day before. The area you work in gets two new temporary employees to work first shift as well.

You paper work is completed and you are geared up to start working. You do the first check and you are ready to move the parts, when you noticed third shifts new workers have confined you to your area now you need to walk around the shop and spend fifteen minutes moving their parts out of your way.

You finally get back to work, finish the order you were working on today is a good day you are only working ten hours, it is eight thirty, and you can finally go on break. You make hast to the break room, but you take the paper work for the next order to which takes ten minutes to do and your feet hurt from standing there doing it. You sit down for ten minutes do your paper work then make hast back out to your press.

Where you discover you have bad parts! You stop what you are doing take a part to see if it is ok. You are told it is ok but you do not think is should be passed and hate to place your name on it.

You are working along minding your own business, while your male co-workers carry on their fishing trips and that bow season has already started. When one of them makes a comment that, you have not spoken today. And you answer just been busy. They keep talking and your boss who is also a women comes in and they start making fun of saying you been talking etc.

Your male co-workers all cozy up to their female boss, and when she walks away is mean to the other women who are in the area. You work it out so you take your breaks at different times then your co-workers to have a longer piece. Then there is that Co-worker who has been there just a little bit longer than you have and he thinks he is your boss whenever your boss steps away.

The shop is all about safety, yet the floor is so damaged, when you use a plate jack, it jerks your body backward, and you feel the pain in your legs, arms, back, and neck. One of your co-workers is using a knife, the blade snaps, and flies toward you; instead, it lands in your trashcan where you are frequently placing paper and having to push it down. Then as you are moving stuff around he leaps in front of you and you have to stop suddenly which pulls on your back. He moves his parts and as he is walking back to his table, he pushes his plate jack behind you so you nearly trip over it.

Confessions of a Factory Worker