#FairTradeFriday

The concept of fair trade came into being following World War II. It actually has its roots in church organizations that were involved in the efforts to rebuild European cities. The actual term “fair trade” was first used by the United Nations soon after World War II. It was coined to describe a form of equitable trade relationships between developing and developed nations that took into account developing nations comparative disadvantage. (source)

The best way to describe fair trade today is that it is about better prices, decent working conditions and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers. It’s about supporting the development of thriving farming and worker communities that have more control over their futures and protecting the environment in which they live and work. (source)

Supporting companies, by purchasing products they produce, that practice fair trade practices is important because it sends out the message that all human life is valuable and deserves to be treated with fairness and dignity.

So what to do?

“Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.” (unknown)

Here's a few ideas:

Fair Trade USA Shopping Guide

Here are 10 reasons to buy fair trade products

Call it a Day

The literal use of this phrase hails from 1838 when the phrase originally was "call it half a day" to mean leaving work early. (source) The modern use of the phrase is to indicate ending something due to false sense of accomplishment.

More bang for your buck

This phrase was used a lot in 1953 but an earlier citation puts it at 1940 in a Metals and Plastics Publications advertisement. Read about it here . The phrase means you get more for your money.

Butter someone up

There are two probable origins for this idiom and I think both are equally plausible. The first one is that when you spread butter on bread you are buttering it up like one would do when trying to flatter someone. The second is in ancient India there was a practice of throwing balls of butter at statues to ask for favor, i.e. buttering them up. ( source ) When we use the phrase today we generally mean that extreme flattery is used to gain information or favor. It's not always necessarily a compliment.

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