More lefty liberals writing about their friends from the New York Times.

Fascinating – read it here.

Femivorism is grounded in the very principles of self-sufficiency, autonomy and personal fulfillment that drove women into the work force in the first place. Given how conscious (not to say obsessive) everyone has become about the source of their food — who these days can’t wax poetic about compost? — it also confers instant legitimacy. Rather than embodying the limits of one movement, femivores expand those of another: feeding their families clean, flavorful food; reducing their carbon footprints; producing sustainably instead of consuming rampantly. What could be more vital, more gratifying, more morally defensible?

A look at what was cooking at the International Home and Housewares Show in Chicago this past week.

In the 1980s, the popcorn button on the microwave seemed like the last word in convenience. Now, ovens ranging from countertop convection to wall models come equipped with a chicken-nugget button.

On display at the annual exhibition that ended on Tuesday was an appliance that, with a touch, perfectly browns toast and, at the same time, poaches an egg. The 60,000 people at the show could also consider the advantages of a bread maker that allows a not-so-ambitious baker to press a button and bake a cake.

Fancy toaster ovens with convection heat have a one-touch “smart cookie” option so that store-bought dough can go from refrigerator to plate without a thought. Microwaves have graduated to buttons for pizzas, breakfast sausage and omelets.

That’s not to say that expensive knives, “Top Chef” cookbooks and home canning equipment aren’t popular in some circles. But the big money is made selling appliances designed on the assumption that cooking skill matters less than shopping skill.

Consider that in the $3.8 billion category called small kitchen electrics, sales were up almost 9 percent from 2008 to 2009, according to market research by the NPD Group. Meanwhile, sales of housewares — that includes knives, pots and pans — were down 11.5 percent.

As the economy drives more people home to eat, one-button cuisine offers ready answers for cooks with not much time to spend in the kitchen and not much of a clue about what to do once they get there.

Another example of a big guy trying to emulate the little guys. Do you think it will be successful?

Wal-Mart is seeing green with its burgeoning Heritage Agriculture program. The objective: Entice farms within one day’s drive of its warehouses to grow produce specifically for them.
Wal-Mart still plans to profit; although purchasing produce from smaller farms costs slightly more, the company cuts costs in transport and eliminates middlemen. This reduces their carbon footprint and may eventually allow them to compete with — wait for it — Whole Foods.

Modern American marriage was the subject of this article in the Christian Science Monitor this week. Some interesting stats contained within:

Only 50 or 60 percent of Americans say that adultery would be an automatic deal breaker for their marriage, says Pepper Schwartz, a sociology professor at the University of Washington who has written many books on sex, love, and relationships; a decade ago that number was closer to 90 percent.

“Every study I know shows 85 percent of people or more saying that nonmonogamy is wrong in every instance,” Ms. Schwartz says. “But people also feel that you should eat three nutritious meals a day low in sugar and high in calcium.”

To this day, marriage is still intertwined with the country’s mores and laws. Everything from tax law to health insurance is affected by one’s marital status. Unlike in many European countries, where unmarried couples live and raise children together, marriage in the US is considered a more serious, valued, and adult relationship than other sorts of partnerships. Unlike in most developed countries, too, the US government has spent more than $100 million on promoting marriage.

Does my discomfort with this article make me a self-hating blogger?

I can’t imagine my mother and her friends being concerned with building their own brands.

Vocab word for the day: quasquicentennial

Another example of magazine attempts to more deeply connect readers with advertisers.

Good Housekeeping magazine will pay tribute to the achievements of women who have inspired, informed, educated, captivated and sometimes infuriated Americans during the last 125 years.

The show, called “Shine On,” is scheduled for one performance, on April 12. The subtitle is “Celebrating 125 Years of Women Making Their Mark.”

“Shine On” is to be composed of performances, including musical numbers, and video tributes. The women to be saluted will include Susan B. Anthony, Madonna, Dorothy Parker, Sally Ride, Martha Stewart and Diane von Furstenberg.

It is being staged to raise money to build the first permanent location in Washington for the National Women’s History Museum.

“It seems superficial in a recessionary time to celebrate for celebration’s sake,” Ms. Haegele said, adding that Good Housekeeping will donate about 600 tickets to organizations that benefit women and girls. Maybelline will also make what she described as “a sizable contribution” to the museum.

I had a slightly unsettling conversation with a friend recently. We were discussing future job prospects, what we envisioned ourselves doing a few years down the road. He expressed concern about being considered “too old” for a firm to hire and in response to my very skeptical face said “well I’m over 40 you know.”

(He’s 40, by the way.)

After I poo-pooed his ageist worries, recounted what data I could recall that was meant to reassure him of his employability, I told him what I guess is becoming my mantra – I think we should all work for ourselves.

I thought this before our economic troubles and the past couple of years of turbulence, especially when thinking about myself and my preferred way to work and live. But I guess my response to the uncertainty is to come to question how anyone could feel truly secure while working full-time for a person/entity/institution. It seems to me to be too many eggs in a single basket.

Some recent numbers about those who are most likely to turn to themselves for work – the over 55 folks.

A study by Babson College and Baruch College found that Americans age 55 and above started 18.9 percent of all businesses created in 2008, compared with 10 percent in 2001. The 55-and-overs are playing a larger role in entrepreneurship partly because the number of Americans in that age category is rising rapidly.

The nation’s unemployment rate is hovering at 10.6 percent, but direct-sales companies like Tupperware, Avon, and Mary Kay are thriving and continue to draw in new salespeople.
Mary Kay has seen a 22 percent increase in global sales consultants between the first quarter of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009.
Tupperware, thanks in large part to a strong expansion into global markets, saw a surge in sales reps internationally two years ago, from 1,851,450 in 2007 to 2,275,934 in 2008, and continued to see growth in 2009.
Likewise, Avon’s ranks have swelled from 5.8 million total sales reps in 2008 to 6.4 million in 2009.

For some of today’s direct-sales consultants, selling plastic wares, makeup, and other home accessories is not a hobby. It’s a significant source of income, say direct-sales firms. “Our early consultants came from a group of women who had a pretty good life—their husbands were in construction or contracting and doing well. They did this for fun, but when things turned [economically], it became the big job of the household,” says Orville Thompson, CEO of Scentsy, a wickless-candle company that began direct sales in 2005.

Spider-Man’s going to have a tough time paying the bills now.

Peter Parker will get fired by boss J. Jonah Jameson in Wednesday’s issue of “Amazing Spider-Man,” joining millions of Americans who have been hit hard by the economic recession.