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New York Post
13 hours ago
- Business
- New York Post
My grandfather ‘the destroyer': Inside the ruthless world of NJ's frozen veggie kings
When John Seabrook first discussed writing a book about his grandfather, C.F. Seabrook, and the family's agricultural empire with his mother, her response shocked him, as he reveals in 'The Spinach King: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty' (WW Norton). 'Don't write about your family,' she said. 'Just don't.' Seabrook was perplexed. 'Maybe she knew what I was going to find out,' he writes. In 'The Spinach King,' he unearths the story of how his grandfather created one of the world's largest farming operations, as well as the ugly means that got him there. 9 C.F. Seabrook with factory workers in the 1950s. The Seabrook family's pioneering expansion of the frozen vegetable market is chronicled in a new book. Seabrook Educational and Cultural Center 'Charles Franklin Seabrook, my grandfather, was the principal dreamer, main promoter, master builder, and autocratic ruler of this industrial farming empire – and ultimately its destroyer,' he writes. At its peak in the mid-1950s, Seabrook Farms owned or controlled 50,000 acres in southwestern New Jersey, employed 8,000 people, and grew and packed about a third of the nation's frozen vegetables. Dubbed the 'Henry Ford of Agriculture,' C.F. Seabrook had taken over his father's farm in 1911, transforming its fortunes with his innovative approach to agriculture. He introduced new irrigation and mechanization and diversified into building roads and railroads. But it was his pioneering use of quick-freezing vegetables in the 1930s, partnering with Birdseye, that sent Seabrook stratospheric. 'In our family history, he was Thomas Edison and Henry Ford in the same Dagwood sandwich; a great American who had elevated us from dirt farmers to industrialists in a single generation,' writes John Seabrook. Seabrook Farms was so successful that a 1959 Life magazine story described it as 'the biggest vegetable factory on earth.' 9 C.F. Seabrook seen here with his family. Courtesy of John Seabrook 9 A tractor at Seabrook Farm, the family's vast agricultural estate in New Jersey. Heritage Images via Getty Images In 1969, meanwhile, director Stanley Kubrick featured an astronaut in '2001: A Space Odyssey' sucking a Seabrook Farms Liquipack on their way to the moon. Thousands of workers worked for Seabrook: Russians, Syrians, Germans, Hungarians, Jamaicans, and Japanese Americans, many personally sponsored by Seabrook under the Displaced Persons Act and all paying rent to him. Workers were divided into three sections; whites, 'negroes' and Americans, with each living in separate 'villages' and their rent depending on their ethnicity. African-Americans were given the worst accommodation, without water or sanitary facilities, with European immigrants receiving the next level of housing, and Americans the best standard. 9 Seabrook was known for his ruthless anti-labor practices, most notably during a 1934 labor strike by company workers. Bettmann Archive It also determined their job. 'In the workplace, Blacks were confined to the field and weren't allowed to work in the plant at all, to say nothing of management, which was entirely white, Protestant, and male,' adds Seabrook. Behind the public image of the successful businessman was a man feared by everyone. 'Ambition, energy, and ingenuity drove his rise,' writes Seabrook, 'but violence and terror allowed him to maintain control.' 9 The Seabrook family partners with Bird's Eye vegetables as part of the expansion plan that made them frozen food leaders. REUTERS The way he tackled a strike in the summer of 1934 was typical. Seabrook's revenues from quick-freezing were slow to materialize, and by that summer, it became necessary to cut wages and lay off workers. 'That was when the trouble started,' says Seabrook. 9 Bird's Eye products were so ubiquitous that they were even featured in the movie '2001: A Space Odyssey.' With resentment stoked by the workers' miserable living standards, C.F. Seabrook amassed a vigilante strike force to subdue protests and even enlisted the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan to crush the 'Communist agitators' holding up operations. The results were violent and terrifying; the KKK burned crosses outside black workers' homes. Belford Seabrook, one of C.F. Seabrook's three sons, reportedly threw a small bomb into a house with a mother and her children inside. Workers had their homes surrounded with chicken wire to prevent their escape, and tear gas was employed to quell protestors. 9 C.F. Seabrook was compared to other American industrial moguls such as Henry Ford and Thomas Edison (above). Bettmann Archive Appeals were made to New Jersey Gov. Harry Moore to declare martial law and send in the National Guard. While a deal was eventually struck, most black strikers were fired, and others were evicted from Seabrook properties. C.F. Seabrook would, years later, recruit Japanese Americans from World War II incarceration camps, a 'model minority who would never challenge the old man's authority,' writes Seabrook. Remarkably, John Seabrook had never heard about the strike before he started researching for his book. Even his father, John M. Seabrook, who took over the business from his father, had never mentioned it. 9 'The Spinach King: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty' is written by John Seabrook. 9 'All that's left of the world that my bootstrapping grandfather built is a small museum at one end of the basement of the Upper Deerfield Township Municipal Building,' said author John Seabrook. 'This was arguably the single most significant event in Seabrook Farms history,' he writes. 'How could I have remained clueless of an event that convulsed the family, the company, the county, and the state?' Just as Seabrook Farms prospered during World War I, so it did again in World War II, as quick-freezing came into its own. But by April 1959, with his health failing, C.F. Seabrook had sold the business. By the end of the 1970s, Seabrook Farms was no longer. The plant was demolished, and the land was given to the township in lieu of taxes. 'All that's left of the world that my bootstrapping grandfather built is a small museum at one end of the basement of the Upper Deerfield Township Municipal Building,' adds Seabrook. 'Here the memory of C.F. Seabrook, his multicultural workforce, and his vegetable factory is preserved, swaddled in gauzy nostalgia.'
IOL News
2 days ago
- Politics
- IOL News
South Africa's fatal flaw in ignoring lessons from the past
Shacks erected on the central line just outside Langa train station. The 'throwing out of the baby with the bathwater' extended to the homelands and self-governing states. Good infrastructure that had been built inexplicably became white elephants. Image: Henk Kruger/African News Agency (ANA) 'Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do doesn't mean it's useless.' — Thomas Edison ONE of my favourite Japanese proverbs states: 'If a man has no tea in him, he is incapable of understanding truth and beauty.' I hope everyone has had enough tea to see clearly where the democratic government may have gone wrong since taking power in 1994, and not to react with unnecessary emotion to the views this piece advances. If a nation decides to change principles when what is truly needed is to tweak its techne, it will have succeeded in nothing more than throwing out the baby with the bathwater. We must embrace what we have learned from experience and tradition, as much of it comes at a dear price. We should also value what we discover in research, for it is incredibly valuable and accurate. However, we must be mindful not to discard wisdom along with data. There is tremendous wisdom in what used to be called common sense. One of the most important pieces of advice comes from the technological advances of the 1800s. Back then, homes typically had a small porch or enclosure off the kitchen to house the bathtub. On Saturday night, the matron of the household would heat water on the kitchen stove and fill the tub. The head of the household would take the first bath, followed by the matron, the oldest son, and so on, until the baby was bathed in what was often cool sewage. After the baby was bathed, someone had to throw out the bathwater, giving rise to the saying, 'don't throw out the baby with the bathwater'. Arthur C Clarke, the science-fiction writer of 2001: A Space Odyssey, said we stand now at the turning point between two eras. The democratically elected South African government must have confronted several scenarios regarding what to retain and what to discard. The democratic government's policy changes risked building on weaknesses while disregarding the strengths of past work, resulting in the baby disappearing along with the bathwater. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ In his book Black Economic Empowerment: 20 Years Later, Phinda Madi argues that the new government needs to distinguish between the valuable baby and the — at times — dirty bathwater. It seems the democratic government started on the wrong foot. The proliferation of general advice and the lack of simple, practical, area-specific information were major concerns, leading to slapdash performance. When someone breaks a leg, it is normally put in a cast; it is not cut off. In 1994, politicians wanted to chop off the legs instead of mending them. In our euphoric fit for 'anything but black' when we took power from the apartheid regime, we committed egregious errors. We were intent on discarding anything associated with apartheid, even some of its remarkably well-crafted policies on governance and administration. We did this without a proven record of administering a country. As the saying goes, we threw out the baby with the bathwater. On complex issues like governance and administration, especially if a political party has never governed, uncertainty, ignorance, and indeterminacy are always present. Serious reflection should have been exercised before discarding both the apartheid baby and bathwater. The 'throwing out of the baby with the bathwater' extended to the homelands and self-governing states. Good infrastructure that had been built inexplicably became white elephants. Bophuthatswana was the 'Dubai' of the time, with excellent infrastructure, as was Transkei. Today, these areas are shadows of their former greatness. In KwaZulu-Natal, once a mecca of education, the misguided mentality led to several colleges becoming white elephants, with some now used as hostels. My view is that regarding some credible apartheid-era policies and principles, especially on governance and administration, all that was needed was to dust off and possibly tweak and sanitise those policies. In short, the 'baby' should have been retained, while only the dirty apartheid bathwater should have been discarded. We continue to throw the baby out with the bathwater when our universities fail to invite former president Thabo Mbeki to give lectures on governance and administration. This is done in the United States with great success. Former US presidents, depending on their health, criss-cross the country giving lectures at different universities. It is important to remember that being president does not mean one should not express personal views on national interest matters. Although the line between the private and public is often blurred for public figures, it is necessary to keep this in mind, especially in this age of the unscrupulous press and paparazzi. As South Africans, we must reorient our expectations of what a president ought to be. There seems to be a perception that politicians and intellectuals make strange bedfellows, creating an unwarranted dichotomy between public life and a life of the mind. We continued to throw the baby out with the bathwater by failing to tap into the vast experience of Inkosi Mangosuthu Buthelezi on governance and administration, as well as the workforce that was the backbone of the KwaZulu government. The counsel of Buthelezi on Zulu history and traditional leadership was disregarded. The democratic government threw out the baby with the bathwater when it overlooked many positives of the erstwhile KwaZulu Government. The democratic government and our universities lacked the foresight to invite figures like Buthelezi and Inkosi Lucas Mangope to share their knowledge and practical experience on governance matters. We also threw the baby out with the bathwater when we disregarded the expertise of seasoned public servants from the homelands and self-governing states. Some became redundant and chose early retirement. The blind approach of discarding expertise gained during the apartheid government has had a debilitating effect on our country, particularly from an infrastructural standpoint. The expertise of the apartheid-era workforce should not have been disregarded or thrown out with the bathwater; instead, it should have been built upon. In some instances, when the democratic government was formed, the 'baby' should have been kept while discarding the water with caution. The irony is that the phenomenon of throwing the baby out with the bathwater continues unabated in various forms, especially in the public service. * Dr Vusi Shongwe works in the Department of Sport, Arts, and Culture in KwaZulu-Natal and writes in his personal capacity. ** The views expressed here do not reflect those of the Sunday Independent, IOL, or Independent Media. Get the real story on the go: Follow the Sunday Independent on WhatsApp.
NZ Herald
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- NZ Herald
Anthropic study reveals AI agents could go rogue, resort to blackmail or corporate espionage if threatened with shutdown
Two of the most famous lines in cinema, from 1968's 2001: A Space Odyssey involve an AI gone rogue. 'Open the pod bay doors, HAL.' 'I'm sorry Dave, I can't do that.' Fast forward to 2025 and we have real AI - and the real possibility, according to a new
Hindustan Times
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Spaceballs 2: Rick Moranis, Mel Brooks to return as Dark Helmet and Yogurt 40 years after original
Rick Moranis, 72, is making a Hollywood comeback with Spaceballs 2, alongside Bill Pullman, 71. The duo will reprise their beloved roles of Lone Starr and Dark Helmet. Additionally, Mel Brooks, 98, will also return as Yogurt in the sequel, 40 years after the original 1987 film. The movie is slated for a 2027 release. Also joining the cast is Keke Palmer, 31, of One of Them Days fame, Deadline reported. The project is being touted as a "non-prequel" and "non-reboot" sequel. Earlier, it was announced that Spaceballs 2 will be directed by Josh Greenbaum, with scripting by Benji Samit, Dan Hernandez and Josh Gad. Backed by Amazon MGM Studios, the project could also feature Gad playing a role, besides producing it along with Imagine Entertainment's Brian Grazer and Jeb Brody. A hilarious teaser of the film was shared by Mel Brooks, promising viewers a ride full of fun and adventure. Released by MGM in 1987, Spaceballs was a space opera parody. The film drew inspiration from Star Wars and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Upon its release, the film minted more than $38.1 million around the world and went on to become a cult classic. The story revolved around the villain Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) and President Skroob (Mel Brooks) as they tried to steal the atmosphere of Druidia, a peaceful planet. They were ultimately defeated by Lone Starr (Bill Pullman), who was accompanied by Barf (John Candy) and Druish princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga). Joan Rivers and Dick Van Patten also starred in the movie. Moranis' return to the project is a major highlight since the veteran actor has remained away from the spotlight for decades now. The 72-year-old was a popular name in the industry back in the 1980s and 1990s, having appeared in well-known films like Ghostbusters, Little Shop of Horrors and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. During the late 1990s, he took a step back from acting to focus on raising his children after the death of his wife, costume designer Ann Belsky. Most recently, he was seen alongside Ryan Reynolds for a Mint Mobile advertisement in 2020. 1. When is Spaceballs 2 coming out?The movie will hit theaters in 2027. 2. Is Rick Moranis returning for Spaceballs 2?Yes, the actor is making a comeback with the movie. 3. How old was Bill Pullman in Spaceballs?The While You Were Sleeping actor was 32 years old when he signed the film.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'Materialists' Review: Dakota Johnson May Finally Have Found Her Perfect Movie
Materialists could probably be considered a romantic comedy, except it's never altogether clear that writer-director Celine Song, best known for 2022's bittersweet Past Lives, is actually heading that way. You may wonder whether she isn't willing to risk ending the film with no one blissfully in love, with forever-after consigned to the dustbin. She makes Jane Austen look like a sentimental sap. This, despite the fact that Materialists has been constructed according to rom-com tradition (eligible woman—a matchmaker!— vs. two eligible men) and cast with Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans, three actors with sex appeal and box-office value. But Materialists isn't so much about finding Mr. Right as about steering clear of Mr. Wrong, which suggests a very rum rom-com. Even the title, with its hints of money and consumption, sounds cold and vaguely condemnatory, like a Marxist critique of And Just Like That.... I'm not saying this is a bad thing, not in the least. Materialists is a swipe-right experience — elusive but not inscrutable, as well as enjoyably, delicately playful. That playfulness is established at the very outset by a whimsically odd fantasy scene. In what looks like a primitive world not much further evolved from the apes' society at the beginning of 2001: A Space Odyssey, a rather sweet if shaggy young man comes to court a sweet if shaggy young woman outside her family's cave. These two will return at the end, bringing the film full circle. Until then, you'll have been in the charming, somewhat tensile company of matchmaker Lucy (Johnson), a single career woman with an affluent clientele (the cave couple, apparently, didn't need Lucy's kind of assistance). She's good at her job, and grateful, given the failure of her early attempt at an acting career. So far she's led nine couples to the altar: The key is selling the notion of lifelong commitment (a partner, as she puts it, should ultimately be 'a grave buddy') while skillfully calculating the social, professional and fiduciary value of any prospective match. Those calculations, needless to share, aren't shared with Lucy's clients, but processed in some amorphous zone between her head and her isn't cynical, exactly. But, to borrow from Joni Mitchell, she's seen life from both sides now — and the hell with fairy-tale clouds and old boyfriends like John (Evans). Unlike Lucy, John remains an eternally struggling actor — he's 39 — who makes ends meet with catering gigs. He and Lucy meet, again, at a wedding reception, where she's dressed in diaphanous blue — the blue at the center of a candle flame — and he delivers a drink order to her table. He remembers that she likes a Coke with a beer. She, on the other hand, remembers that as a couple they were always running out of money, and always fighting because of it. Compared to those days, she's sitting pretty, and wants to sit more prettily still. You don't dislike Lucy for preferring the comforts of affluence, partly because Johnson hits this particular note with a kind of triste regretfulness — she always looks as if she has no choice but to smile wanly, since the other option is probably sobbing. Perhaps just as importantly, though, Materialists appreciates that what could be called an lifestyle aspiration is its own, undeniable form of desire. It may not swell the spirits, and the cave couple, who make do with a flower for an engagement ring, might have thrown up if they knew how civilized people approached marriage. But anyone who's ever lived in Manhattan has gone through this luxury lust. It's been corrupting urban souls since, at least, William Makepeace Thackeray gave Chapter 36 of Vanity Fair the ironic title "How to Live Well on Nothing a Year." And so, instead of rediscovering her love for John, Lucy drifts, rather casually, into an affair with the rich, dashing Harry (Pedro Pascal), who happens to be a perfect gentleman with a $15 million penthouse, good taste and an attractively dry, modest sense of humor. It's like dating a wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Pascal is really pretty wonderful here — and he overshadows Evans, who's handsome and likable, but stuck in a less sophisticated role. (If anything, Evans is the closest thing here to rom-com.) Pascal is like a more poetic Winklevoss twin. He might write quality fiction on the side — not too literary, but publishable. And yet Lucy can always see that she's allowing herself to be wooed without ever being wowed. With Harry, life will be everything but — finally — the movie blossoms into something like happiness. But you should discover that surprise for shimmeringly lovely Johnson, who navigates Lucy's journey with unerring grace and tact, has long been an actress in search of — and deserving — the perfect vehicle. This may be is currently in theaters. Read the original article on People
