Sacrifice Stew In a recent broadcast of Democracy Now, Amy Goodman told her guest, the award-winning investigative journalist and activist Allan Nairn , “The most hit word in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is the word “austerity” in 2010.” I acknowledged Amy Goodman in my recent book because her reporting, her show, has helped me demystify the…
In trying to define the basic principles behind a backyard economy I realized all standard economic measures had to be redefined. Traditional economic systems were designed during the industrial revolution where measures of labor and productivity held little regard for the subtleties of the natural world. My backyard garden is an environment of infinite transactions…
In trying to define the basic principles behind a backyard economy I realized all standard economic measures had to be redefined. Traditional economic systems were designed during the industrial revolution where measures of labor and productivity held little regard for the subtleties of the natural world. My backyard garden is an environment of infinite transactions…
In trying to define the basic principles behind a backyard economy I realized all standard economic measures had to be redefined. Traditional economic systems were designed during the industrial revolution where measures of labor and productivity held little regard for the subtleties of the natural world. My backyard garden is an environment of infinite transactions…
The Backyard Economist – Issue. 3 Alt. Economics – A Preemptive Strike by Harriet Fasenfest How to demystify the world of economics? We are so completely immersed in it yet we don’t really understand it. I have already mentioned that everyone has an individual economy (read The New Pear Standard) – a personal balance of…
The Backyard Economist – Issue. 2 My Trouble with the Modern World by Harriet Fasenfest I admit to having trouble with the modern world – its pace, technology, economy, entertainment and promise. It seems I am always on the look out for clues to a time when things made better sense. A time when actions,…
The Backyard Economist – Issue. 1 The Pear Standard by Harriet Fasenfest Welcome to the first installment of the Backyard Economist. As a disclaimer let me be clear, I am not an academic. I was never taught the principles of economic science. I forgo the requirement because I do not think it is necessary. In…
An old pear trees lives in my backyard. It has taken me some time to understand how connected we are. How similar our cycles. Sitting in the backyard by the old pear tree I watched The buddings, the blossoms, the fruit. And wondered how I ever took it for granted. But then modern life can…
My home economics career started in my grandmother’s kitchen in the early 1950’s. We made a cake together. She taught me how to read the recipe, measure accurately and stir the ingredients just so. A successful result depended on effort and skill. We cleaned up the kitchen while the cake baked and then waited patiently…
We all eat and Americans are fortunate to have a highly regulated food industry. A perfect system doesn’t exist however, so consumers need to be aware and knowledgeable about their role in avoiding food born illnesses. Most food related illness happens at home. You have control over the most common food safety problems by following…