2 Million Minutes: Click and Watch ( we will be watching this and discussing this in class-- this is not a reading)

I recently watched this youtube clip called 2 Million Minutes, on another blog. This clip is simply the trailor for a documentary. This documentary is focusing on our Education system in the United States and possibly could instead be talking about our economic system. It is looking at how important education is in today's World Economy. One book I recently read was called, The World Is Flat, ...suggests the world is "flat" in the sense that globalization has leveled the competitive playing fields between industrial and emerging market countries.



The April 1983 government report “A Nation at Risk*” warned us that if we didn’t improve math and science education in the U.S. we would be at risk of falling behind our global competitors. Having reached the twenty-fifth anniversary of the report, a provocative new documentary film, Two Million Minutes, vividly reveals that American students are no longer “at risk” of falling behind -- they are now clearly behind even Third World students in India and China, in addition to being in 24th place among developed countries.

You will spend 2 million minutes in high school. How will you use your minutes? Watch this clip and think about the effort you give high school, homework, and listening and working in class.

Summer Reading 8: Anatomy of a Meltdown: The Credit Crisis

The Washington Post recently posted this 3 part article on the housing bust. You will have to click on the three different days and read each part to understand what has happened with first the boom and finally the bust. Good article. Will take you time to look at it, but you will walk away with a better understanding of what has happened. How has your family been effected? What do you think about this crisis?

Summer Article 7: Toughest Summer Job This Year Is Finding One

We just recently had our graduation ceremony for MHS; one of the things probably not said, was that they are stepping out into the worst job market in 50 years. The current economic problems are not just effecting your parents, they are directly impacting teenagers. Read this article and see how great the impact is. Are you working? Did you have problems finding a job?

Summer Article 6: Economy Makes Bottled Water Out, Tap In

Okay, admit it, many of us choose to pass on the soda's and energy drinks and opt for just plain ole bottled water (minus the fact that I do have "Dew" attacks on some days).... problem, a economy that is struggling. So, now what? What else is this slow economy going to effect in our lives? Is bottle water worth purchasing or do we opt for the trusty tap water that comes much cheaper? What will your family do? Tell me what you learned from this article? What do you believe will be the future for bottled water?

Summer Article 5: How the floods will hurt the economy?

What else can go wrong? Inflation, high gas prices, home prices drop and now rain, rain and more rain.....result floods. So, what does flooding have to do with the economy? Great question. Read this article and find out what kinds of products will be effected, from this article list, how will it have an impact on you?

Summer Article 4: What Inflation? Some Items That Actually Cost Less

All we seem to hear is the bad news....high gas prices, home's losing value.... etc. Have you heard the positives? What did you learn from this article? Have you made any of these purchases?

Summer Article 3: Is the American Dream dead or alive?

"House values are plummeting, food and gas prices are rising, the unemployment rate is up and no one in power can agree on how to make things better.

All this as thousands of new college graduates across the country are starting to look for work.

Is the American Dream dead? We want to hear from you. Are you living a better life than your parents did? Will your children achieve a better life than you? Share your story." http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=34365

Summer Article #2 How healthy is a tomato?

"Florida's tomato industry is in "complete collapse" and growers in California and Mexico are having trouble selling their crops as U.S. regulators hunt the source of a salmonella outbreak linked to certain tomato varieties, growers said on Tuesday."
So, according to this article, what has happened to this industry? How has it effected your life? or not? How does this make you feel about the food industry? Do you have concerns?

$5 Gas..... how realistic is it? The first article for summer reading

This is the first article for summer reading. Click on the title above..... $5 Gas and it will take you to the article. Read the entire article and respond with your opinion about topic of article and your own personal feelings about the issue. I will be posting several articles each week...... you do not need to do all them. Keep track of which articles you post.
Please keep in mind that your comments are read by everyone, anywhere......yep, all over the world. Keep them school approrpriate. This might be a blog..... but it is a school associated blog. Abuse of blog with language etc.... could lead to removal from the site and other displinary measures.

AP Economics Summer Work Assignments: Let them Begin!

Hey totally "awesome" Econ students,

This is Mrs Rowland and I want to welcome you to 2008-2009 Macroeconomics. I know many of you are already bored and missing school so, I promise to not let you down..... here is your way to stay connected. Who says we can't learn something from June-August.? So, ready..... let's get started. No, I promise...... it won't be too painful. I am having some computer issues at home so be patient. If for some reason I am not posting weekly, know that the internet didn't like the storms from last week and we are trying to get it fixed. Keep checking in and you will start to see weekly articles. I will be in Tucson June 22-28 for more AP training, however, I will still be checking in with each of you. I will be posting far more articles than you need to actually write about, however, I hope you will read as many of the articles as possible. The more informed you are for Macro topics the better. If you want to post to more than 15 articles you are more than welcome; you might find that you enjoy reading these and reading other comments. I look forward in reading your comments. Keep track of the site meter on the right side of the screen and see where all over the world our blogspot is being searched.


Starting June 9th, I will start new posts for school year 2008-2009.
I will be posting weekly articles on the class blogspot at http://rownomics.blogspot.com.
• Each of you will be expected to read a minimum of 15 articles that I will post on this blogspot prior to the semester in which I will have you in class.
• I will be posting articles weekly
• All posts must be done no later than the third day of class. (based on which semester I have you in class)
• On each post you will respond with your opinion about the article.
• Make sure you refer/site specific parts of the article to show it has been read or watched.
• Each of you will be expected to post online, or produce a hard copy – print out of article with summary.
• If you want to post online you will need to create a gmail account at www.google.com
• You will need to email me at lrowland@middletowncityschools.com to send me your google email address.
• I then will send you an invitation to join the blogspot (only people able to blog are people that I invite)
• Check your gmail account for return invitation from me to join blog
• Once you get invitation you are ready to go
• WRITE DOWN YOUR GMAIL ADDRESS, USERNAME AND PASSWORD AND KEEP IN SAFE SPOT.
• I would like your post name to be your first name. (if you want to put both first name and last name that is up to you) – if this is an issue please make me aware
• These posting can be read by anyone on the internet and as you will see from the world map posted on the site that we have visitors from all over the world that pay us a visit.
• If your parents do not wish for you to post online, then plan on doing hard copy of article. You can click on title of article to bring up entire article, then print, write summary on separate sheet of paper, staple and turn in.
• The easiest way to post is online. You will simply click on comments at bottom of post and write comments and post.
• ALWAYS READ COMPLETE ARTICLE or watch You Tube Clip.
• If you do not have a computer at home or at a friend or family members home, then you can get internet access at the Middletown Library.
• Do not wait until the last second to do this. The entire point of this is to keep you informed of current events prior to the course. We will continue this blogspot during the semester.
• Keep all comments school appropriate. If there would be a problem the student will lose posting privileges and will be facing possible punishment.



II. Assignment 2: Election 2008 (not optional)
• Research the Economic Policy Plans of Barack Obama, and John McCain- you can find an outline of their policies on their official websites.
• Write a one page paper per candidate summarizing their policy on items such as gas prices, unemployment, taxes, higher cost of living, housing crisis, higher food costs, job security, health care, American workers’, cost of war, and social security to just name a few.
• Then write a one page paper explaining which candidate you feel best represents your view and what exactly you like about their position.
• If I do not have you until semester 2- you will write a 3 page paper on which candidate wins the election and their economic policy in detail and explain whether or not you agree with the policy.



III. Assignment 3: Reading (Optional) – extra credit
AP central College Board makes several reading recommendations. These are 2 of the most popular suggested readings. Please keep in mind these readings are for college level students. It is difficult to suggest a list of titles suitable for all tastes and maturity levels, therefore in this course we must rely on the student and parent reviewing their children’s book choice to ensure that they are appropriate. Keep in mind this is optional. If you would want more variety of choice I could make other recommendations, including mysteries etc…

• Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science
Author: Charles Wheelan, Chicago Public Radio
• Freakonomics
Author: Stephen J. Dubner, the New York Times; Steven D. Levitt, University of Chicago



Read book and write a minimum of 3 page essay. Your essay should demonstrate understanding of a variety of chapters. Use 12 font, double space. Extra Credit can be applied to homework grade worth 50 points



I would recommend that every AP Macro student purchases prior to the course the book called:

5 Steps to a 5: Micro and Macroeconomics.
Author: Eric Dodge
Cost at www.amazon.com is 8-13 dollars (based on if you go used or new)

A PERFECT PLAN FOR THE PERFECT SCORE
Book description:
We want you to succeed on your AP* exam. That's why we've created this 5-step plan to help you study more effectively, use your preparation time wisely, and get your best score. This easy-to-follow guide offers you a complete review of your AP course, strategies to give you the edge on test day, and plenty of practice with AP-style test questions. You'll sharpen your subject knowledge, strengthen your thinking skills, and build your test-taking confidence with
1. Full-length practice exams modeled on the real test
2. All the terms and concepts you need to know to get your best score
3. Your choice of three customized study schedules-so you can pick the one that meets your needs

The 5-Step Plan helps you get the most out of your study time:
Step 1: Set Up Your Study Program
Step 2: Determine Your Readiness
Step 3: Develop the Strategies
Step 4: Review the Knowledge
Step 5: Build Your Confidence

IF you need me email lrowland@middletowncityschools.com.
Have a great summer.

Mrs Rowland

Long Awaited Electric Car

Long awaited electric car rolls out..... but can you afford it? So, if the price makes its way downward, would you buy one?

Gas Engines Are Here To Stay

We have been watching, Who Killed The Electric Car, now read this article do you think this article is good news? Explain.

Does The U.S. Have a Right To Gripe About Gas Prices?

Despite daily headlines bemoaning record gas prices, the U.S. is actually one of the cheaper places to fill up in the world. Do you feel so bad about what we are paying now?

Wheat is No longer King Of The Plains

Does this article concern you? What does it mean for you as a consumer?

Iran said what about Barbie?

Ever wonder what other countries think of Barbie? Do you agree with this article?

Where the buffalo roam.....and die

More than half of Yellowstone National Park's bison herd has died since last fall, forcing the government to suspend its annual slaughter program.

Small Car Demand Keeps Prices High

The AP reports, "Small cars are now the largest segment of the U.S. auto market, accounting for 18 percent of new car sales. Last year U.S. consumers bought a record 2.8 million of them, and with sales up 4 percent in the first quarter this year, the record almost surely will be shattered."

Oil Prices

Oil hit a new record near $120 a barrel on Monday, boosted by a string of bullish factors that included big disruptions to Nigeria's output and a UK refinery strike, highlighting anxieties over threats to supply.

How will things be when you are 67 years old?

How will the world look in the year 2058?

Sixty thinkers from around the world rise to that challenge in a collection of essays titled "The Way We Will Be 50 Years From Today."

Read the article and comment about your opinion on these predictions and then make a prediction of your own.

Can A Star Sell You Style?

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when you think “Tiger Woods?”