Items
topic_interest is exactly
inflation
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2022-06-16
Why have politicians stopped talking about Covid?
This is a text story from Vox by Dylan Scott. The article claims that COVID helped sink President Donald Trump's re-election campaign, yet despite this, it is not being focused on by either party. Though, this author believes the Democrat response hasn't been much better, with people not really touting President Joe Biden's vaccine rollout and other initiatives. The author links the reason for inflation being COVID interrupting supply lines, which is on people's minds for this midterm election. According to Gallup polling, COVID has lost importance in many people's minds, with it falling behind Russia and gas prices. On the Republican side of things, COVID is rarely mentioned, and if it is, it is in a negative light. Scott says that candidates favored by Donald Trump have gone against his ideas, with them being more skeptical of vaccines, and some refusing to get the vaccine at all. COVID is being tied to an anti-establishment attitude that has been rising within the Republican party. As for my own opinion on this piece, I believe that is does bring up an interesting point with linking COVID to current inflation. I do agree that COVID has impacted the economy for the worst with supply chains being more limited and rising spending of the federal government to counter it, but I do not think it can explain everything. Federal spending in general has been on an increase, which is driving up the cost of items, and not all that spending is COVID related. In addition to that, the shutdown of important pipelines has made reliance on foreign oil more of a necessity, which then drives up gas prices. These types of decisions can't all be traced back to COVID. So while I do think COVID has impacted the economy, I do not think it explains nearly all the economic issues the United States is facing. -
2022-06-10
From Sourdough to Inflation: How the Pandemic Changed the Way We Eat
This is a news story from Eater by Jamie Feldmar. This chronicles the changing food habits of people throughout the pandemic. In 2020, there was a wave of panic buying for things like flour, canned soups, and frozen vegetables. The use of grocery store delivery apps also increased that year. Instacart, a grocery delivery app, saw a 229% sales increase. With the panic buying came people looking for ways to use up things like canned goods and dried pasta. Things like sheet pan dinners, salads, and other easy meals became sought after in that time. Another change that occurred was people trying food trends popular during the pandemic. Things such as sourdough and whipped coffee were major food trends of that time. Meal kit delivery rose during the pandemic. Blue Apron had subscriptions to their food service skyrocket. Hello Fresh did as well, and was forced to close down temporarily to hire 3,000 extra workers to tackle the rising demand. In 2021, other food trends occurred while many restaurants and other dining establishments could not operate at full capacity. Things like espresso martinis and the dalgona candy, and candy made popular by the TV show Squid Game, were just some of those food trends. The food trends were not without labor issues though. In October 2021, Kellogg's workers went on strike, which affected the supply chains of that brand. Supply chain issues have become an ongoing problem since the beginning of the pandemic. In February 2022, the US temporarily shut down avocado imports from Mexico, making the food more expensive. With supply chain issues comes rising inflation. According to the USDA, food prices in 2022 were expected to rise between 6.5% to 7.5% increases. The Russian war with Ukraine cited as one of those causes. May 2022 saw a baby formula shortage, where 40% of baby formula was out of stock. Today, the USDA is looking to learn from the pandemic and the food issues that are occurring. One way they are doing this is through "a framework to transform the food system," which has the focus on building a more resilient supply chain while providing for rural and underserved communities. My own prediction is that the supply chain issues will mean more local food and less imported food overall in the United States. This means opening more food processing plants and increasing work domestically within the food industry to meet demands. The global food system is very fragile to things like pandemics and war. If food prices are to ever get lowered as well, it is important that more food gets produced and used locally. It would have the added benefit of being more environmentally friendly too, as the food would not have to be shipped as far away to where it gets used. -
2022-06-10
Pride is back — and more expensive than ever
This is a news story from The Washington Post by JD Shadel. Due to the last two years of Pride Month remaining virtual due to COVID, some changes have been made along with it. Included in the changes since COVID are leadership ones in Philadelphia and London after allegations of their Pride leadership having racism and transphobia. The rising inflation has made it so summer travel is more expensive than before. Things like hotels, plane rides, and other modes of transportation cost more than they did before COVID. One change that has been brought about because of COVID is the rise of virtual events. Groups like NYC Pride, Capital Pride and Pride Amsterdam will have online streaming available. The NYC Pride March and the LA Pride March will be available on Hulu. Another debate that has changed since COVID are questions about "pinkwashing" in which a company will recognize Pride for profit, while not donating to any LGBTQ organizations. Some of the corporations in the past that have used Pride merchandise to sell things during Pride month while contributing to anti-LGBTQ organizations have been heavily criticized recently. Overall, COVID has contributed to changes in how Pride is celebrated. -
2022-04-07
Global Shortages
This is an Instagram post by leventerkan. This user brings up the problems with shortages of raw materials as a result of the pandemic. Due to these shortages, prices of items have also been rising, leading to more inflation. At the end, it talks about how the war between Russia and Ukraine is making the supply chain issues even worse, as it is freezing up some industry, which could delay any return to normal conditions. -
2022-03-11
High Anxiety: Poll Finds Americans Stressed by Inflation, War
This is a news story from Health Day by Robert Preidt. This is about a poll on what is making Americans most anxious. War, COVID-19, and inflation are at the top of what is making Americans feel anxious. Another thing the poll tells is that 63% percent said their lives changed forever due to COVID-19. 47% of people that took this poll also said that they have become less active compared to pre-pandemic. 58% said they had unwanted weight changes. Among those that gained more weight than they wanted, the average weight gain reported was 26 pounds. Others have said that the separation from others has put strain on relationships, or ended them. The APA reports that those with reduced social support are more likely to cope with stress. 56% say they could have used more emotional support during the pandemic. This poll had 3,012 respondents in February, and 2,051 from March 1-3. -
2022-03-30
Trudeau warns of 'difficult time,' food shortages due to Covid-19
This is a news story from the Business Standard. This is about the after effects of COVID on the Canadian population. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warns that it will be a difficult time with food shortages due to COVID. Some of the blame for the food shortages is also placed on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Similar tactics of blaming President Vladimir Putin for the rising prices of goods has also been used by President Joe Biden. The global disruption of supply chains results in higher prices of necessities. Earlier in March, the Canadian government announced that the economy fell short of its anticipated growth for that month. In February, inflation in Canada rose by 5.7%, the highest increase since August 1991. -
2022-03-30
Have a Wedding Budget? Expect to Spend More Because of Inflation
This story from the New York Times by Danielle Braff talks about the rising costs of weddings as a result from COVID. Couples mentioned in this story go on about how just the basics are more expensive than they used to be. Ms. Alvear-Beceiro and Mr. Klebba, despite not spending extra on things like food, decorations, and music, had a wedding budget that topped $30,000. Zola, a wedding planning site, said that a third of the 468 participating vendors had losses of $50,000 or more due to couples postponing weddings in 2020. Supply chain shortages later on have also helped increase the overall costs, and many businesses are still trying to operate to pre-pandemic levels. Due to rising costs, some couples are choosing to scale back the festivities. Shannon Bernadin, after looking at the costs of wedding venues with her husband, decided to have a wedding at a friend's house and use thrifted outfits, along with homemade decor. All in all, this article demonstrates the changing economy and how that has impacted the wedding industry and how people plan weddings. -
2022-03-24
Welcome to the Wedding Boom. How Couples are Handling the Busiest Season in 40 Years
This is a news story about the rising amount of weddings happening in 2022 after some couples have had to put them off. This story by NPR details changing wedding trends along with it. Wedding dress retailers such as David's Bridal say the demand for maternity wedding dresses is at a 10% increase. Wedding site, The Knot, has had a 25% increase. Financial stress in planning these weddings has also increased. Mandy Connor, a wedding planner, notes that one of her clients was hit with a 30% increase in overall cost between the contracted estimate and the final bill. This article does a good job at showing changes in wedding trends based on how retailers are reacting. -
2020-09-03
The Billion Dollar Hand Sanitizer
This meme is bringing light and making fun of the price inflation of relatively cheap common items. Once the pandemic officially made its way into America, there has been a shortage of items such as Hand Sanitizer, Masks, Toilet Paper, and other common essentials. This has led to the price inflation in these goods. At one point during the Pandemic, I found a pack of six Purell Hand Sanitizers going for more then 80 dollars.