DISQUS

Allrighty, then! Looks like the threading plugin is working just fine!

You're already cool, toots. But welcome aboard! I particularly enjoyed your commentary on my "Big Breakup" article. :)

The whole concept of the "9-to-5" workday was a major aberration in the general pattern of labor. Consider Pittsburgh during the Carnegie/Frick Steel Era: the steel mills remained open 24/7, and the general shift length was something on the order of 12 to 15 hours - and overtime? What was that supposed to mean? You worked when you were needed and were glad to earn that extra cash!

I think the greatest aberration in labor was the invention of the salary. Fixed salaries are all well and good for CEOs and upper-level management types, but for average rank-and-file workers and the middle-management types who do the majority of the actual work? If you're making $60K per year on a salary no matter how much - or how little - you actually work, what is the reward or impetus to actually go above and beyond the call of duty to earn some welcome, extra $$$? Believe me, were I working a salaried job that paid me, say, $1000 per week whether I worked the expected 40 hours, or 60 hours, or even 80 hours, I would work exactly 40 hours and no more - because it's not like I'd be getting paid anything extra to work longer hours.

What an excellent site! So far, I've only had time to glance over it, but I'm certainly intrigued by its diversity of content....Let me put it through its paces over the next few days, and if it lives up to initial expectations (which I hope it does), expect to see a lot more posted about it here!

Wow. Small universe! I'm used to that kind of weirdness by now, though....For some reason, I can't set foot in Boston without running into ten people I know. There's this weird Boston-southwester-PA connection....