Whats Gotten Into Mother Earth News??

[YuccaFlatsRanch]

The last 2 issues of MENews have actually had some good articles in it. Have they seen the light?? This last issue has been particularly good.

[donsgal]

Originally Posted by YuccaFlatsRanch

The last 2 issues of MENews have actually had some good articles in it. Have they seen the light?? This last issue has been particularly good.

Maybe they got tired of their loyal readership complaining about it! LOL

donsgal

[RichieC]

Mother Earth News is to rural life what Architectural Digest is to suburbs. It is a lifestyle magzine, not a meaningful information source.

As long as you look at it this way, you will not be disappointed.

[emulkahi1]

I know! I even exclaimed to DH (and he agreed w/ me) that this last issue was excellent!! Almost every single article was about something I was very interested in.....Making your own passive solar hot water heater, making your own hard cider, raising free range chickens (and the health benefits that go with it), greenhouse growing, etc. I was impressed.

I hope that they keep it up !

Erin

[bobincolombia]

I was really into MENews in the 70's & 80's, actually bought the first complete set of the first 10 yrs. Now, I only buy a couple copies a year, it seems like they are geared to selling advertisement for high dollar items and the good ole' down to earth homesteaders have been left in the dust.

Not putting them down, but there forum isn't much either, much better here, and lots of good helpful folks here.

[MelissaW]

I've gotten it for 10 years or so, and have always liked it. If I'm entertained for an hour or so, and get a few good tips, I'm happy! Did anyone happen to read the only ad under the WANTED section in the classifieds in this last issue? It was an ad promoting a little town in Alaska. Go to their website if you get a chance. The population is 56! I got such a kick out of the ad, it just made me like every one of those people.

[goatsareus]

I have never paid any attention to that magazine, after I once saw the cover which said, "build your own underground house in 8 hours for under $1000." yeah right

[Jim S.]

Mags I have dropped...

Progressive Farmer -- used to be about farming, now about "rural lifestyle." Zero farming info anymore.

Mother Earth News -- used to be about self-sufficiency, now about eco-consumerism. Buy this and be green.

In both cases, it is the ad dollar driving it. Both will make more money by going to the consumerist angle than by showing folks how to live well without buying into the mainstream marketing concept.

But that's not what I want to learn. It gets really bad when the article about 4-wheelers is right next to the 4-wheeler ads. Yeah, that's an actual example. Or when the article about power tools is right next to the power tool ads. That's just a bit TOOOOO blatent for me.

[Jim S.]

Originally Posted by goatsareus

I have never paid any attention to that magazine, after I once saw the cover which said, "build your own underground house in 8 hours for under $1000." yeah right

Well, did you catch the headline of the actual article inside? "How to rent a backhoe." LOL.

[Ramblin Wreck]

Yeah, I think the quality of the articles in MEN has gotten better too. I was reading the one about greenhouses last night until my eye lids got too heavy.

I haven't so much as even looked at a copy of TMEN in months. But with that pastured egg article and all I guess I'll have to go check them out again. I've got copies of the first fifteen years or so of the magazine but gave them up when they gave up homesteading.

.....Alan.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

The problem with any homesteading/farming magazine is that very little changes over the years, sure there are some new gizmos, but nothing earth shattering. After a while they have covered just about everthing and have a hard time coming up with new ideas, then all the other stuff starts showing up. Other than the glossy photos, (Well, and the ability to take them to the toilet!)I really don't think any of these publications have much to offer over the 'net. Might as well save my money...

[Scrounger]

Used to take MENews and GRIT (published now, by the same company). Both USED to be well worth it, but have gone the "tree hugging, lib greenie wacko" route. Glad to hear MENews has (apparently) at least THOUGHT about getting back to it's roots....

[MaineFarmMom]

Originally Posted by Ramblin Wreck

Yeah, I think the quality of the articles in MEN has gotten better too. I was reading the one about greenhouses last night until my eye lids got too heavy.

I subscribed a year ago when they offered it to me for $10 a year. I wasn't going to renew until this issue came out. The free range chicken information was great. The greenhouse won me over. The gh on the first page of the article is almost exactly like mine. It's worth another $10.

[cider]

Originally Posted by goatsareus

I have never paid any attention to that magazine, after I once saw the cover which said, "build your own underground house in 8 hours for under $1000." yeah right

My hubby liked to tease me for buying it after he saw "How to make a hamdolin." That was a mandolin made from a ham can. lol.
I loved it waaay back when my Grandpa used to get it.

[Jennifer L.]

I haven't bought it in 20 years. Would be something if it turned into a useful magazine again, but , Nahhh! I can't believe it.

It's like Organic Gardening. I cancelled when they had an article about Meryl Streep campaigning for pesticide free food or something. As if that was meaningful to people who grow their own vegetables. That was years ago, too.


Jennifer

[georgec]

I think MEN is an excellent magazine. I read it from cover to cover when it comes out. It is also a very good value, $10 per year if you auto-subscribe on the internet.

I don't use the magazine as a how-to for rural living. I read it to get ideas. Then I research those ideas.

[hunter63]

As a long time reader, started back with issue #17, bought all the back issues, and have been a subscriber ever since. (Yeah, the complete set), I have watched it go thru many stages of interest to me personally.

At one point they actually stopped publishing it, this was after John/Jane Shuttleworth sold out and the first take over sorta failed.
I think they got a little caught up in other stuff, like The Mother Earth Village, various projects.

Anyway it was sorta sucking at the time so I didn't really miss it, and wondered what ever happen to all the people that became "Life Members" (paid about $300 bucks, then got the mag "forever"). Bummer man, (60's thing).

Then they offered a couple of years extension for $10 bucks to any open subscriptions (I had about 2 years coming), so I re-upped, been getting it ever since.

I got to agree that there has been a lot of "buy this and be green", celebrity's "going green" with all the money in the world to buy the latest technology for solar, wind etc.etc.etc.
It dawned on me that is was kinda fun see what "could be done, if", even if I couldn't afford it right now my self.


But when you think about it, it is a business, and they need to generate interest of a wider reader base to keep publishing.

I would guess that there are a limited part of the readers that would actually want to live in a cheap underground house (hole with some tarps over it), for very long.
You can't please everbody.

I am a member of their forum, (that is sucking right now after the "upgrade"), but thru the forum I was able to have a couple of articals published (and get paid for it), so I'm hanging in there.

I also participate in their on line surveys, so I would like to think thay are being responsive to the readers.
Glad to hear that some new intrest is being generated.
The public will vote whith their bucks.

[emulkahi1]

I think I'll probably send them an email to tell them how much I appreciated this last issue and all of the solid articles it contained. Maybe the more praise they hear when it is good, the more likely they'll be to keep it up ! And yeah....the forums USED to be great and I loved the community there. But since thier 'upgrade' (DOWNgrade), they're awful. I miss my TMEN forum friends , though it is nice to see some familiar names here . Hopefully they'll rectify that eventually....

Erin

[homebirtha]

Yes, I've noticed this too. The last couple of issues have been better. Very few "here's what rich celebrities are doing to be green" articles and lots more of actual how-to's for regular folks. I hope the trend continues.