Shop. Click. And the next day, your purchase is on your doorstep. Amazon has changed the face of shopping, but at a surprisingly high human cost. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday coming soon, we look at what’s behind those smiling packages and expose the dangers of working at Amazon. We start with an investigation from Reveal’s Will Evans into workplace injuries and safety culture at Amazon warehouses. While Amazon touts its workplaces as safe and efficient, Evans finds that many are much more dangerous than the industry average. Next, with cities all over the country vying to attract companies such as Amazon, Anjeanette Damon from the podcast “The City” looks at Reno, Nevada, which several years ago persuaded Tesla to build a battery factory there. We meet one of the colorful characters who made it happen. We end with a story about unforeseen problems created by Tesla’s arrival in Reno. Even though it brought thousands of jobs, it also prompted a housing crisis that’s put thousands of people on the edge of homelessness.

This week it’s Thanksgiving Rules: turkey, cranberry sauce and cake versus pie. We chat with Stella Parks about her pumpkin pie secret and a fresh twist on à la mode; Vivian Howard invites us to her kitchen for North Carolina turkey and sides; chefs, authors, listeners and friends share their favorite Thanksgiving memories; Dr. Aaron Carroll talks food safety and stuffing; we make a quick Cranberry and Candied Ginger Buckle; and Adam Gopnik talks the magic of leftovers.

An Afterglow special designed just for the Thanksgiving holiday. In the Great American Songbook, there are no real songs for “Thanksgiving.” However, Thanksgiving is usually a time many of us go home, spend time with our families, and maybe gather around the fireplace, with this chilly November weather. And in the Great American Songbook, there is no shortage of songs written about home life. On this episode, we’ll hear some songs of home, including “Back In Your Own Backyard,” “The Nearness Of You,” and “My Blue Heaven,’ sung by June Christy, Frank Sinatra, Norah Jones, and more. Hosted by Mark Chilla.

In a liberal democracy, individuals should have the freedom to give money to charities of their choice. But there’s a difference between charitable giving from ordinary individuals and philanthropic giving from extremely wealthy individuals. Whose interests are served when the wealthy give? Should the state continue to encourage big philanthropy with massive tax breaks for the rich? Or should it focus more on taxing extreme wealth? Is big philanthropy destroying democracy? Josh and Ken take alms from Stanford political scientist Rob Reich, author of Just Giving: Why Philanthropy Is Failing Democracy and How It Can Do Better.

As families come together and give thanks, A Feast for the Ears helps set the atmosphere and provide deeper meaning to the Thanksgiving holiday. A two-hour program, A Feast for the Ears reflects on the rich history and traditions of this well-loved American holiday and highlights music by American composers such as Aaron Copeland, Virgil Thomson, William Billings and Charles Ives, along with some undiscovered treasures by Rick Sowash and Mark O?Connor. Host Mark Perzel presents a melodic and intriguing exploration of Thanksgiving history, lore and roots in early European harvest festivals, as well as a thoughtful examination of the holiday's evolution and contemporary traditions.

Massasoit was the leader of the Wampanoag Confederacy when English settlers landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620.  He and his people kept the Pilgrims from starving in the early years of their settlement, attended the first Thanksgiving and forged a peace treaty with the English that lasted 40 years until his death.  We'll talk with American Indian scholars Darius Coombs and Bob Charlesbois who'll fill in the details of this Native American leader's attempt to make peace for his people and with the new strangers.   Also, Native American film director Chris Eyre on his portrayal of Massasoit for the 2009 PBS television series We Shall Remain.

Thanksgiving special featuring the classic holiday mix: "A Shortcut Back Home". with Neil Young, Fats Waller, Vera Ellen, James Stewart, Sam Cooke, Elvis Presley, Bing Crosby, The Kinks, John Travolta, Billie Burke, Bert Lahr, Elvis Costello, Ray Bolger, Judy Garland, W.C. Fields, Carole King, The Beatles, Vivian Leigh, Clark Gables, and much more 

Earth Eats Thanksgiving is a 59-minute show about real food and green living, a program of planning and preparing a terrific thanksgiving meal with turkey, other courses, and some vegetarian options. Host Annie Corrigan and renowned chef Daniel Orr indulge in some fine cooking, and some very foody musical interludes with very special friends. Happy Thanksgiving!

Daniel Orr is a celebrated chef and culinary author who has worked at some of the top restaurants in France before running New York's famed La Grenouille.  Originally from Columbus, Indiana, Chef Orr recently returned to his roots and is now the chef/owner of FARMbloomington in Bloomington, Indiana.

Earth Eats is a weekly radio program and podcast from the studios of WFIU Public Media, delivering the freshest news and recipes inspired by local food and sustainable agriculture.  More information at http://eartheats.org.

Autumn is harvest time. That means Iowa corn and soybeans; fruit dried in the California sun; greens, beans, and potatoes; slaughtered hogs and beef trucked to market. It also means Thanksgiving turkeys. Harvest follows the families to the grain elevator, the farmers markets and, in a welcome break from work, the State Fair. It's the time of summing up after the long growing season --- the time to decide whether the gamble of early spring planting season has paid off.

The Harvest Home 2009 radio show is produced and hosted by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason.  This program has become something of a tradition for many stations across the country for the Thanksgiving season.  The songs featured are “hand picked” by Jay and Molly from their vast archive of traditional and historical American recordings from a wide range of artists.  The songs all have a theme of autumn, Thanksgiving, and of course food!  This year’s show features performances by Robert Johnson, Chet Atkins, Vassar Clements, The Duhks, Bill Monroe, Pete Seeger, Robin and Linda Williams, Merle Haggard, Jay & Molly themselves, and others.  All hosted with the “down home” flavor for which the couple are famous.

Jay was born in the Bronx while Molly grew up in Washington State. Their collaborations began with a chance meeting in the late 1970s when Jay and Molly were both performing at a rural New York club.  Since joining forces—both artistically and romantically (the two would marry in 1991)—they have become one of the most celebrated duos on the American acoustic music scene. 

Jay and Molly are possibly best known for their musical contributions to the films of Ken Burns. The high point to date was the selection of Ashokan Farewell as the main theme of the landmark PBS documentary The Civil War. Ashokan Farewell has become an American classic and many artists from a wide variety of musical genres have performed the piece.  Jay and Molly continue today with their musical contributions to the films of Ken Burns and their music is again featured prominently in the recent broadcast of The National Parks on PBS.

Jay and Molly have recorded multiple albums for Angel Records - EMI, RCA Red Seal, and their own Swinging Door label.

On radio and television, Jay and Molly have appeared on CBS Good Morning, The Rosie O'Donnel Show, All Things Considered, A Prairie Home Companion, and the BBC's Transatlantic Sessions. They continue to broadcast their own live-performance radio show, Dancing on the Air, and they have no shortage of future projects.

An array of stories in the spirit of thanksgiving and giving thanks. A refugee thanks his country with a special meal; a son thanks his parents who raised a family of 14; giving and receiving at a foodbank; plus 'love and the peking duck' and the story of canned fruits that came to a sticky end.

For Thanksgiving week, I have a series of songs from fantastic albums that are all about gathering together in appreciation. There’s a trend that’s catching on, and I admit to being a little late to the party on this, but the celebration of Friends-Giving is a really cool thing, and a way to communicate thanks to friends outside of the family line. That’s what I want to do this week with you right here. I appreciate the connection you give me and for you spending a little bit of time right here with me each week. So this time I have a collection of some of my favorite albums from the past few years, many of them new releases. Indie singer-songwriters Calexico & Iron & Wine, Samsel and the Skirt, Brandi Carlile, and Andrew Belle on the way plus alternative’s Augustana, Blues Traveler and more.

'Debts of Gratitude' is a variety of light hearted conversations and a retelling of experiences about the way we say "Thank You" and why sometimes we don't say it at all.  

Lost opportunities to say thank you. How does an anonymous organ donor ever say thank you to the person who gave them a second chance at life?  When Canadian actor Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy) made her thank-you speech at the Golden Globes, who did she struggle to remember?  Also, hear about the etiquette of "thank you" in North America, and how it contrasts with the customs of some folks from Somalia, Iran and Burma. 

Hosted by the CBC's Alan Neal, 'Debts of Gratitude' is a Thanksgiving Program that won silver at the 2010 New York Festivals Radio Program and Promotion Awards.

Kaleidoscope's "I Remember Radio Series": A delightful nostalgic account of the heyday of radio with all the legendary performers, music, drama, commercials, comedy, newsmakers and newscasters, the soaps, the songs, the bands, the kid's shows, the horror and sci-fi programs, the mysteries, the public service presentations.

This 45 minute program features selections from "The Stan Freberg Show," "The Jack Benny Show," and "Our Miss Brooks" for a Golden Age of Radio Thanksgiving.

World-renowned naturalist Joe Hutto, subject of the Emmy winning BBC documentary "My Life As a Turkey", discusses how he became a wild turkey mother in the hammocks of Florida. Plus: Fourth-generation pilot Eric Walden gives a play-by-play of the ninja-like moves of the wild turkey—mid-air.  And: The once-scorned bronze-feathered turkey is making a comeback, with the help of organic, free-range farmers like Paul Kelly. Also: Jay Sullivan sends his students off to Thanksgiving Break with a poem about a young engineer’s ingenuity and of course, a turkey.

At this point, most of us know the Thanksgiving story about the Pilgrims and the Indians happily indulging in a joint feast is a vast oversimplification of what actually happened. 

But how many of us still have an idea of Native people that’s stuck in the past? “People didn’t believe that I was Native because I was from North Carolina,” Lumbee Indian Malinda Maynor Lowery says. “The only thing they learned about Indians in school, maybe, was that we were removed from the Southeast.”

In this first episode of Gravy, meet a tribe of Indians who are very much still in the Southeast– and whose food reflects a distinct hybrid of Southern and Native history. The Lumbee’s story is one that spans centuries, and includes new windows into periods you may think you know– like the Jim Crow era. Plus something you’ll be eager to eat: the collard sandwich.

Whether you're the host or the guest, whether the table is set for two or twenty, feasts are memorable occasions. They may mark holidays, special events, or simply the celebration of family and friends. This program features three works that focus on feasts. Sarah Webster Goodwin talks about Isak Dinesen's short story "Babette's Feast"; Kari Salkjelsvik explores Laura Esquivel's novel _Like Water for Chocolate_; and Gail Kern Paster talks about Ben Jonson's poem "Inviting a Friend to Supper." Well-suited to Thanksgiving. Fifteen- and thirty-second promos available.

It's Thanksgiving- a time of hospitality and good will- right? But not everyone feels the love- some people just get downright cranky. So, how about a reminder of the things that make you happy.  Frank Faulk presents a piece he calls "I Thank Therefore I Am, I Think."  It's about being grateful in spite of ourselves.

In Virginia, there are eleven Indian tribes, some several thousand people in all. Yet the United States doesn’t believe they exist. The seeds of this denial were planted in the early years of the last century by one man with a narrow vision and unrestrained power. Charles McGuigan recently visited the Indian Council Grounds in Charles City, Virginia and heard the story from one of the assistant chiefs of the Chickahominy tribe.

Thanksgiving is the favorite holiday for many Americans, but what is it like for those who are from other countries and celebrate it too? This piece gives you a glimpse of how special American Thanksgiving is to foreigners.

From turkey farm to supermarket, the life and death of a turkey.

Commentator Andrew Lam remembers his first Thanksgiving in America, when he was a teenage refugee, fleeing war in his native Vietnam.But it was neither American history lessons nor Puritan cuisine that taught him the meaning of the holiday.... (this is a debut piece)

On June 18, 2013, singer/songwriter Stephen Kellogg released a brand new solo album, Blunderstone Rookery (mixed by Mike Mogis of Bright Eyes). The album debuted on the Billboard Top 200 Chart and was released to great praise.

CMT Edge said, "his memorable melodies keep the music moving while the lyrics pull you into a deeper story" while The Seattle Post Intelligencer chimed, "Anyone who appreciates the singer-songwriter tradition needs to know Stephen Kellogg."

The album was inspired by a challenging year that Kellogg endured in which his grandmother and mother-in-law passed away, his long time backing band The Sixers went on hiatus, his wife (who he met when he was 15) had their fourth daughter, and he had to repair his family's home from the ground up. While it was a tough year, Kellogg didn't let it get the best of him. You can watch his inspirational TED Talk called "I Can't Get No (Job) Satisfaction" HERE.

The album winds down with the ten minute opus "Thanksgiving." You can watch the offical video for the track HERE. 

This piece is an interview segment with Stephen Kellogg that discusses the track "Thanksgiving" for use at your station. Please note that there is a long version that is 03:52 minutes long and a short version that is 02:23 minutes long. 

For more information, please feel free to contact Joe Sivick: jsivick@missingpiecegroup.com

 

Thanksgiving is just over a week away. A day when many of the grateful wash down turkey and stuffing with a glass of wine, or celebrate visits from old friends over a cold beer, or two.

One New Hampshire farmer hopes we’ll try sipping on artisanal cider instead. Hard cider is a New England tradition that dates back to the Founding Fathers, and as falling apple prices leave orchard owners struggling to stay afloat, a cider revival could provide a lifeline to New Hampshire growers.

Producer Avishay Artsy went to taste for himself.

"Oh, I love it. You can't live without corn bread. And you gotta cook it in that skillet, too! ... Corn bread basically was poor man's food that everybody loved. To this day my favorite meal is pinto beans, corn bread and buttermilk." Pour a tall glass of buttermilk and come with us to the National Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburg, Tennessee. This short, non-narrated postcard is a whirlwind sonic celebration of Southern food and culture.

Cancer survivor and NY tImes bestselling author Susan Chernak McElroy recounts two related tales of giving thanks - one from her cancer recovery, and the other a story from her book "Animals as Teachers and Healers," about a woman, changing circumstances, and her beloved cat Sammy. A handy and beautiful filler for this time of year. This is a lifted excerpt from my complete pilot "For Kindred Spirits," also available on PRX.

My five year old hopped into the car "What did you do today?" I asked. She couldn't wait to tell me. "We learned that boys are different from girls," she chirped. Looking into the rearview mirror, I could just see the top of her head. "My teacher told us that boys have a thing the girls don't," she added. "Well, yes they do…" I said cautiously...

A sonic impression of accentuated actualities revolving around my extended family gathering around the dining room table to listen to my grandfather's Thanksgiving day speech.

Lacar Musgrove reads "A Moveable Race" about a 19th Century bicycle race on Thanksgiving Day in New Orleans.