Is This A Good Idea?

CNN Reports: Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said Friday that every child born in the United States should get a $5,000 "baby bond" from the government to help pay for future costs of college or buying a home.

"I like the idea of giving every baby born in America a $5,000 account that will grow over time, so that when that young person turns 18 if they have finished high school they will be able to access it to go to college or maybe they will be able to make that downpayment on their first home," she said.

Clinton said such an account program would help Americans get back to the tradition of savings that she remembers as a child, and has become harder to accomplish in the face of rising college and housing costs.

Role of Government. Economic Goals. Savings and Investments.
What do you think on this one folks?

Homework Annoucement: Turn Off Your Television on Saturday

I had to read this twice, a television cable network saying turn off your televisions for 3 hours. Are you kidding me? I work 5 days a week and Saturday is SpongeBob Time. Why would someone say this? Nickelodeon cable network has announced that television screens will go blank on Saturday and they are advising its viewers not to fiddle with the buttons — but to go outside and play. Funny, I just had this conversation with my child just this last weekend. He asked me what did I play with as a kid. I named a few things (pre-historic Barbie was one), but quickly realized, that I played outside most of the time. Oh yes, the smell of fresh air and instead of holding a remote you picked up a stick or a ball to play with. How times have changed.

Why is Nick doing this? The three hours of dead air the children's network will begin broadcasting at noon (EDT/PDT) is part of its fourth annual worldwide day of play, an encouragement to kids to get outside and work on getting in shape.

Later that day, any kids who have gotten the exercise bug might tune into the network's "Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge" (6 p.m. EDT/PDT) and compare what they did with other kids whose exercise regimens have been spotlighted on the show.

So fess up folks. I know some of you still sit and watch the morning cartoons. When the television goes off Saturday, head outside and do something you haven't done in a while.... go play. Race you to the swings. :)

Remember Mrs Rowland Is Watching The Site

Mrs. Rowland says hi and don't forget to post comments this weekend. Make sure that your comments are school appropriate and related to the topic. It is fine to have conversation back and forth and yes you can have fun doing that. Please refrain from calling each other names, even in fun (it is just not nice and very un-economics club like) With Love Mrs. Rowland

Remember, Mrs. Rowland is watching.

Are You "Lovin' It?"

Have you eaten at McDonald's lately? "Fast Food Nation", "Super Size Me" and other media coverage didn't help fast food restaurant alley a few years back and McDonald's was no acception. The big push by consumer activists and those focuses on nutrition about the fat grams etc, forced businesses to look at their menues.

The end result they have been adding healthier products such as entree-sized salads, fruit and yogurt parfait and grilled chicken sandwiches instead of just crispy, as well as apple slices and juice for kids.

So when you walk into these fast food restaurants, what are you eating? Going for the healthier foods or are you sticking to the burgers, fries and cokes? Remember what we studied, "consumer sovereignty"? You send your message of what you want in what you eat. So, when we say "have it your way", what does that mean to you?

Do You Work? How Are Your Grades?

Some say that jobs can improve grades. Do you agree? A new study suggests that’s not a coincidence. According to research from the University of Minnesota, students who worked part time – 20 hours or less a week – actually did better in school than kids who didn’t work at all!

The U.S. Department of Labor estimates that 80% of high school students will hold a job at some point before graduation. Most teens are working for spending money; few are contributing to family expenses.

Are you currently working? Have you held a job before? Would you recommend working while in high school? What do you see as the advantages of working? What are the disadvantages? Has your grades improved while working? Did your grades drop due to working?

Is It Worth It?

I wonder how many of us know someone that has downloaded music off the internet, without paying for it? So tempting isn't it. People of all ages have done it, but reality is that you could be next on the list for a letter to arrive explaining a legal case against you. Recently, letters were sent to 58 colleges warning of possible lawsuits against students. The letters offer students the option of paying a settlement fee based on the number of tunes the student allegedly downloaded illegally or taking the risk of a potentially more expensive lawsuit. Ouch!

How do they track you? The music association isolates Internet addresses that generate high downloading and file-sharing traffic, then asks the school to turn over the identity of those students, so it can get in touch with them.
Recently, one student at a university explained that she had been identified has downloading 272 songs, which could potentially cost $750 per song should her case go to trial, she was offered a settlement fee. The student chose the quicker method of dealing with her actions...... it cost her $3,750. Ouch again! Heck, that's almost the cost of tuition at some schools.

Some colleges/universities are trying to work out better deals for their students, with hopes of finding a cheaper legal way of downloading. Meanwhile, think before you push download.

Should We Stay or Should We Go Now?

President Bush and Congress are headed toward another showdown on war spending, this time sparring over nearly $190 billion the Pentagon says is needed to keep combat in Iraq afloat for another year.

Role of Government and Black Holes

Every year, doctors write about 65 million prescriptions for drugs not yet approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the federal agency that regulates prescription drugs. These drugs slip through a "black hole" in the drug approval system, according to one U.S. congressman.

What's All The Fuss About?

It's here.........Halo 3" the most eagerly anticipated video game of the year -- it achieved a milestone of a million preorders two months ago -- but this action sci-fi series has become a cultural phenomenon, spawning novels, comics, action figures and more to come.

So the big question is: Does "Halo 3" live up to the hype? Did you buy it? Will you buy it? Have you seen it and if so, what did you think?

Nike Just Did It

Nike said, "Just Do It" and they did. Nike on Tuesday unveiled what it said is the first shoe designed specifically for American Indians, an effort aiming at promoting physical fitness in a population with, what data shows has, high obesity rates.

How is this shoe different? it is designed with a larger fit for the distinct foot shape of American Indians, and has a culturally specific look. It will be distributed solely to American Indians; tribal wellness programs and tribal schools nationwide will be able to purchase the shoe at wholesale price and then pass it along to individuals, often at no cost.

Why would a company like Nike create a shoe for a specific culture? "Nike is aware of the growing health issues facing Native Americans," said Sam McCracken, manager of Nike's Native American Business program. "We are stepping up our commitment ... to elevate the issue of Native American health and wellness."

Nike said it is the first time it has designed a shoe for a specific race or ethnicity. It said all profits from the sale of the shoe will be reinvested in health programs for tribal lands, where problems with obesity, diabetes and related conditions are near epidemic levels in some tribes.

How did Nike come up with the new sizes? Nike designers and researchers looked at the feet of more than 200 people from more than 70 tribes nationwide and found that in general, American Indians have a much wider and taller foot than the average shoe accommodates. The average shoe width of men and women measured was three width sizes larger than the standard Nike shoe.

The company anticipates selling at least 10,000 pairs and raising $200,000 for tribal programs.

The People Have Spoken: Hall of Fame With An Asterick

Marc Ecko, who bought Barry Bond's 756th home run ball held an online auction to let the people decide where it's place in history should be preserved, and how. He set up a Web site for fans to vote on the ball's fate, and the decision to brand it won out over the other options, sending it to the Baseball Hall of Fame unblemished or launching it into space. The asterisk suggests that Bonds' record is tainted by alleged steroid use.
Echo gave over $750,000 dollars in an auction.

What Does Supply and Demand Have To Do With The Magna Carta?

"A 13th-century copy of the Magna Carta, a milestone of English freedom, will be offered for sale in New York in December", Sotheby's auction house said Tuesday.

It is estimated to sell for $20 million to $30 million. The document was on display at the National Archives in Washington for more than 20 years until last Thursday.

What is the document? King John was forced by barons to agree to the charter in 1215. It guaranteed that freemen would not be imprisoned or deprived of property without due process, including a right to a speedy trial before a jury.

How rare is it? Versions of the Magna Carta were issued in 1216, 1217, 1225 and 1264 by John's son, King Henry III.

How old is this copy? The copy offered by Sotheby's for sale on Dec. 10 is dated 1297.
The copy is one of only four remaining of the 1297 charter.

If You Are Shopping For My Early Christmas Present Start Here

Would you spend $100,000 on a watch? Check out this platinum watch from Swiss timepiece-maker Ulysse Nardin, a one of a kind (or rather, 99 of a kind) gem that gives you an-eye view of the Earth—all for the bargain price of $100,000. Now that would be a Christmas present to remember.

What makes this watch so special, a rotating representation of the globe as it might be seen from above the North Pole, complete with a flexible spring representing the terminator between day and night, plus a perpetual calendar that makes a complete rotation once a year.

Okay, if you decide the watch is a little out of your budget, how about option 2. Rumor Mill is that Brad Pitt has one, shouldn't your Economics Teacher? :) Okay, maybe not, but what do you think about this.
Vertu's Signature Diamond Collection consists of handsets made of 18 carat yellow or white gold set with pave diamonds, as well as a platinum handset set with a .25 carat solitaire diamond. Each handset takes craftsmen a total of seven days to complete because they set over 700 diamonds by hand. They're only producing 200 phones, which will be sold exclusively in select jewelry stores. Cost is only $88,000. Maybe you could pick up 2 while you are at it? Guess what, you can't even take pictures with it. Is it worth it?

What Are You Going To Do After High School?

The question, "What are you going to do after high school?", is becoming a common question. For many high school juniors and seniors this is the time of your life that you will choose a direction, a path. Some of you are feeling the weight of college applications, college shopping and some of you simply have no clue in what direction you want to go in after graduation, the possibilities are endless. Mrs. Rowland is here to help. Just remember this 52,000 hours + of your life will be spent working. Can you imagine that? Make sure you choose something you have interest in doing. I will give each of you the same advise I give my own children, find something you can be passionate about... after 20 years of teaching, I still love what I do. I wonder how many people can say that in the workplace today? I wish each of you the best of luck in making these decisions in the next few years. Remember what I say in class... we don't buy houses without walking through them. We don't buy cars without kicking the tires and starting the engine. So, before choosing your careers go job shadow and make sure this is a direction you are interested in pursuing. Now let's think about where the jobs are.

Where will the jobs be in 2012?
Hot jobs of the future will focus on health care, science, high-tech

According to the U.S. Labor Department, 13 of the 20 fastest-growing occupations between 2004 and 2014 are related to health care. Home health aides, medical assistants and physician assistants are in the top five.

What do you see in your crystal ball? Let us know .

The help wanted ads of 2012 will have a scant resemblance to today’s classifieds. Job titles more common in sci-fi novels such as space tour guide and molecular engineer will soon become common place. Remember us looking at the hover car in class and singing the theme song, "Meet George Jetson"........ yes, it only goes 10 feet off the ground but we all want one.

Tomorrow’s employers will put a premium on skilled and semi-skilled workers, especially in computers, health care, science and technology. And there will be job openings in the trades as baby boomers retire.

Are you ready for the brain race? That is what we are being asked.

MSNBNEWS reported: Opportunities abound as we become an information-rich society, said Marina Gorbis, executive director the Institute for the Future. With a growing number of video cameras, radio-frequency identification chips (RFID) and sensors gushing data, hot jobs will spring up, creating a demand for people who can cope and build new ways to comprehend it, she said.

“We’re entering an age where every object, every place, is surrounded by digital data. Times have changed..... my Dad retired from Armco Steel with 30 years of service. Today, lifelong learning will be the key to unlocking the future. People should expect to change careers six or seven times in their lifetime. Few jobs today, allow for people to get a job and stay there for their entire working career.

There is a race for brain power. Lifelong learning is part of our lives. If you stop learning, you will become unemployed and unemployable very quickly. Visualize quick sand... if you stay put too long you sink. So students, put on your shoes and start walking and learning.

Competitive innovation will produce hot jobs that are hard to imagine now. Engineers are building robots in new shapes and sizes. Times they are a changing....... remember the article about the little robot boy. The future is now.


"To get a hot job that makes big bucks, think health care or international business", said Lena Bottos, director of compensation at Salary.com. It could bump up your pay by 20 percent or more. It might even double your salary.

Highly skilled health-care professionals, like doctors and specialists, will be in demand because of aging baby boomers, which means big salaries, Bottos said. Health-care careers overall will likely enjoy job security. According to the U.S. Labor Department, 13 of the 20 fastest-growing occupations between 2004 and 2014 are related to health care. Home health aides, medical assistants and physician assistants are in the top five.

In business, professionals with international experience or knowledge — especially in finance or law — will be hot as the emphasis on global trade and business grows, Bottos said. Companies will navigate tax codes, laws, work regulations, environmental regulations and ethical questions worldwide.


fact file Fast growing jobs
The health sector will lead the way in future occupations. Below are the top fastest growing jobs from 2004-2014
Occupation New openings Pct. growth
Home health aides 350,000 56%
Network systems, data communications analysts 126,000 55%
Medical assistants 202,000 52%
Physician assistants 31,000 50%
Computer software engineers (applications) 222,000 48%
Physical therapist assistants 26,000 44%
Dental hygienists 68,000 43%
Computer software engineers (systems software) 146,000 43%
Dental assistants 114,000 43%
Personal and home care aides 287,000 41%
Source: U.S. Department of Labor

Some predictions suggest that everyone should anticipate living in different countries over their careers to succeed. Hot jobs are worldwide, and the ambitious must follow, especially this generation.

We are living in a time that that business is global. Matter fact, I shared with you the book I read this summer, "The World Is Flat". The gravity of industries is moving. It can only be to everyone's advantage to be fluent in a second langue. The borders are coming down worldwide.

Right now, the hardest jobs to fill can’t be outsourced or turned over to robots (at least not yet), and they’ll probably still be hot in 2012 because of retiring baby boomers, said Melanie Holmes, vice president of North American corporate affairs for Manpower, a worldwide employment services company. Sales representatives, teachers, mechanics, technicians, managers and truck drivers are the six hardest jobs to fill today, according to Manpower surveys.

The good news: Many of Manpower’s top 10 hardest jobs to fill don’t require a college degree, so they’re more accessible. But that’s part of the problem — the jobs are too ordinary, Holmes said. Delivery drivers, laborers and machine operators, which also made the top 10, are necessary, not glamorous.

“I’m not sure young people have thought of those occupations as attractive,” Holmes said. “Our country needs people who go to trade schools. We’re running out of people like machinists, mechanics and technicians because the people who are doing [those] jobs are retiring.”

A college degree alone won’t be a free pass to employment anymore.

So, what do you visualize the future workplace being like?
Comment if you would like on this stage of your life and the decisions that are a part of your junior/senior year.
What will you do to prepare yourself for the future workforce. ?
Where do you hope to end up? Would you be willing to work in a different country? Do you speak more than one language? Have you job-shadowed?

National Security or Global Warming?

What's the issue? The world has been quite busy the last few weeks. Russia reached the North Pole in August and made claim to fossil fuels under the water. This opened up yet another issue: what is the big issue here is it global warming itself or is is the dwindling amounts of oil, coal and gas?

Many of you have heard of, or watched, Al Gore's, "Inconvenient Truth". Some say that climate change is a more urgent problem, while others say," that countries' infrastructure will grind to a halt if, through scarcity, natural disaster or terrorism, their fossil fuel supplies are cut off." On September 25th the United Nations hosted a Global Summit and the topic was global warming, President Bush did not attend, but is holding his own meeting shortly with a list of important who's who's across the world.

What difference will Kyoto make?

CNN posts that: The Kyoto Protocol obliges 35 rich nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions, but developing nations including China have no targets, while the U.S. and Australia have chosen not to ratify the agreement. By 2008, China will overtake the United States as the world's leading emitter of greenhouse gases.

The politicians' views

Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel told London's Financial Times in January this year that the critical question was that of fast-developing countries like China and India. "Even if Europe were to cut its CO2 emissions to zero, this would still fail to prevent a rise in temperature of at least two degrees," she said.

During his 2006 State of the Union address, U.S. President George W. Bush proposed weaning the U.S. from its dependence on imported oil, with a national goal of replacing more than 75% of American oil imports from the Middle East by 2025.

Share your views with the class.....


Which concerns you more -- the impact of fossil fuels on global warming, or energy as an issue of national security?

How can we solve these challenges?

Should we invest in securing the remaining sources of oil, coal and gas, or developing renewable fuels and technologies?

How far can renewable fuels meet our energy needs?

Is it morally right for developed countries to ask developing countries to restrict their emissions?

Are you hopeful that we can avert an energy crisis?

What are you doing to conserve energy?

So, if Al Gore right? is global warming real and a present danger?

What Would You Do With Barry Bonds 756th Home Run Ball?

Did I hear you guys in the back of room say, "come on Mrs. Rowland.....you know we LOVE Economics, but give us a good example of Supply and Demand and oh yeah, sports." You know me, I love a challenge, okay, how about 1 ball and an auction? How about Mark Echo purchasing Barry Bonds 756th home run ball for $752,467 dollars. That's right count the digits. Matt Murphy was the lucky member in the audience to make the catch and saw a way to make some money, but Echo, was the man who has more money than some of us will ever dream of. Echo says... "let's let the people decide what to do with the ball". The consumer is always right, right?
Bonds is furious with this idea. But Echo say's to the consumers you got three choices. Your choices are:

A: Bestow It - Give the ball to the Hall of Fame

B: Brand It - Put an asterik on the ball with a branding iron and give it to the Hall of Fame

C: Banish It - Put the ball on a rocket ship and launch it into outer space

What you mean sports and economics can go together?

Voting ends September 25th, 2007

So, what do you think about this? Is any ball worth this kind of money? How do you feel about Echo's decision to let the people decide what to do with the ball? If you would have had the money to buy the ball, what would you do with it?

So Are the Toys Safe or Not?

How many times did we discuss in class yet one more Mattel recall of toys made in China? Mattel ordered three high-profile recalls this summer involving more than 21 million Chinese-made toys, including Barbie doll accessories, Thomas and the ever so popular, Polly Pocket. The slew of Chinese-made toys since June by Mattel resulted in many parents shopping for U.S.-made label stamped on playthings at toy stores. That is no easy task when more than 80 percent of toys sold in the U.S. are made in China.

So the mistake had to come from China, right? Or was it?
Then why did this happen? Is the mistake China? The U.S. Toy manufacturer? Or maybe both?

The recalls have prompted complaints from China that manufacturers were being blamed for design faults by Mattel itself. What? You mean that maybe part of this massive recall was the fault of the actual toy company itself?

On Friday,Thomas A. Debrowski, Mattel's executive vice president for worldwide operations, attended a meeting with Chinese product safety. Debrowski acknowledged that "vast majority of those products that were recalled were the result of a design flaw in Mattel's design, not through a manufacturing flaw in China's manufacturers."

Lead-tainted toys accounted for only a small percentage of all toys recalled, he said, adding that: "We understand and appreciate deeply the issues that this has caused for the reputation of Chinese manufacturers."

In fact, new research from two business professors shows that recalls due to problems with the U.S. maker's design accounted for the vast majority -- about 76 percent -- of the 550 U.S.toy recalls since 1988.

"Nobody gets a free ride on this" Some argue that toy makers' obsession and pressure to quickly get new products to market before they are widely copied has resulted in a lot of cost-cutting and inadequate testing. The end result, what just happened, toys hitting the market that are not the quality we expect for our children.

In a statement issued by the company Friday, Mattel said its lead-related recalls were "overly inclusive, including toys that may not have had lead in paint in excess of the U.S. standards.

So, now what? The holidays are fast approaching and parents will be making their way to the stores to buy more toys. How has this article effected your opinion of the toys we put in the hands of children? Who do you feel is responsible for the safety of consumers, especially our children? Go home and look at some of the toys that are still sitting in your household. In your opinion are these toys safe? Come to class ready to talk about your ideas for the next big toy idea for Christmas 2007. Let the games begin.