20385 Article(s) by: Opal Lee

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Opal Lee is a writer.

Food Fights

From the earliest days of American history through the first decades of the 20th century, Americans rose up repeatedly to beat back rising food costs. They did so out of the belief that all members of the community had the right to a just price for bread.

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    When Italy’s Escalator Ground to a Halt

    Postwar Italy’s “escalator” system kept wages ahead of price hikes. In the 1980s, a socialist government brought it grinding to a halt — sending workers’ incomes on a decades-long downward trend.

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      Europe’s Breadbasket

      As war rages in Ukraine, farmers have abandoned their work mid-season to take up arms against Russia. Those who stayed behind are in a race to harvest their crops before stray rockets torch their fields.

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        Too Many Commas

        Children of the Weimar Republic play with devalued banknotes, 1919. Others found use for the worthless marks as wallpaper, craft and kite material, and kindling.

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          Spring Turned to Winter

          The widespread popular upheaval known as the “Arab Spring” ended one decade ago this year. Tunisia, whose Jasmine Revolution inspired many other demonstrations in 2011, is the only country to participate that still has an intact democracy. But even Tunisia now slouches back toward authoritarianism.

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            Red the Fed

            The Federal Reserve’s response to inflation is bad for workers — but it doesn’t need to be.

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              Bling-Bling TV

              As standards of living fall at the bottom and rise at the top, the only thing to do is watch TV about the trivial problems of the phenomenally rich.

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