Will the National Debt Ever be Paid Off

Read this article on the U.S. debt. Then select one of the other articles from the website, read it and post a 50-75 word summary of the key points. You may not copy anyone else's article, there are plenty of them on the website.

Consumer Price Index

The Consumer Price Index is perhaps the most popular of the many price indices calculated by the federal government. It is used to determine Social Security benefits, Cost of Living Adjustments, and the amount of certain taxes that are paid. The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland has a neat educational tool known as the
"drawing board" on their website. Watch the following video (Click on post title to go to video) and in your post you must do two things.

1) Come up with a legitimate higher order thinking question over material covered in the video.

2) Provide an answer to someone else's question that they posted. (In your answer be sure to list whose question it is you are answering.)
3) Once someone's question is answered it is no longer usable by anyone else.

My Question #1"How is the Economy like Goldilocks?

Is Paying Kids for Grades a Good Idea

There have been several experiments by school districts at paying students for attendance, good behavior, and good grades. The most recent attempts in Washington, D.C. and New York City have shown some promising results. Money is a powerful incentive. Click on the title link, read the article and leave your thoughts about "money for grades." Posts should be 50-75 words.

Supply and Demand Practice

In your response, select the first unanswered problem from the table. Give your answers to the problem and then leave a problem of your own. The first to respond will answer #2 and leave question #34, the next student to respond will answer #3 and leave #35 and so on.

Market	Event	Would the demand curve or supply curve shift?	Would the curve shift to the right or left?	Determinant Involved
1. wheat	A drought destroys much of the crop.	Supply	Left	Stoner (R) Resources/Raw Materials
2. redwood lumber	Environmentalists urge consumers to boycott redwood products.
3. cigars	A new study shows that smoking cigars results in lots of wrinkles.
4. butter	The price of margarine goes up.
5. paper	The price of wood pulp rises.
6. Hula hoops	Brad Pitt confides to People   magazine that "he gets a big kick out of his hula hoop."
7. yachts	The average price of stocks falls by over 20% between now and the end of the year.
8. gasoline	Large sports-utility vehicles   (like Suburbans and Expeditions) become more popular.
9. umbrellas	Heavy rain is forecast.
10. tofu	E. Coli bacteria is found in another meat plant.
11. gasoline	Two oil supertankers collide.
12.hamburger	The price of hamburger rises.
13.oranges	There's an early frost which   destroys much of the crop.
14. apples	A new pesticide is developed which controls tent caterpillars.
15. grapes	The National Marines Fisheries Service bans pesticide spraying within 1,000 feet of waterways containing coho salmon.
16. wine	The average wage of grape harvesters rises by 10%.
17. U.S. cars	The U.S. imposes a tariff on Japanese car imports.
18. hospital beds	Scientists discover a pill that cures cancer.
19. cement	A 7.9 earthquake hits San Francisco.
20.Video rentals	The price of getting cable TV goes up.
21. windshields	A new law is passed requiring gravel trucks to cover their loads with tarps.
22.Taxi service	Local subway workers go on strike
23.Bike helmets	The price of bicycles goes down
24.melons	The cost of water goes up.
25. Lucernemilk	The price of Safeway milk goes down.
26. jellybeans	The price of jellybeans goes up.
27.Oreo cookies	The price of milk increases.
28.Burger King whoppers	McDonald's lowers the price of Big Macs.
29. Hot dogs	60 Minutes does an expose called "The Truth about Hot Dogs."
30.Hot dog buns	The price of flour rises
31. butter	Mad Cow Disease wipes out a lot of dairy cows.
32. candles	An electric company official announces that a computer bug will likely result in power outages.
33. Cowboy boots	Old Navy launches an ad campaign called "Everyone in cowboy boots."

34. Your entry

Its a Small World After All

Here is a great quote about the interrelatedness of the global economy, and it comes not from a famous economist but from someone you all know. 

"Did you ever stop to think that you can’t leave for your job in the morning without being dependent on most of the world? You get up in the morning and go to the bathroom and reach over for the sponge, and that’s handed to you by a Pacific islander. You reach for a bar of soap, and that’s given to you at the hands of a Frenchman. And then you go into the kitchen to drink your coffee for the morning, and that’s poured into your cup by a South American. And maybe you want tea: that’s poured into your cup by a Chinese. Or maybe you’re desirous of having cocoa for breakfast, and that’s poured into your cup by a West African. And then you reach over for your toast, and that’s given to you at the hands of an English-speaking farmer, not to mention the baker. And before you finish eating breakfast in the morning, you’ve depended on more than half the world. This is the way our universe is structured, this is its interrelated quality." Martin Luther King, 1967 

Your assignment this week is to find 5 items that you use in your everyday lives and determine where they are produced. Look on the bottom for the "Made in ..." stamp. 
List the items and the country where they are made. Be creative. You'll be surprised at the journey that some of these common items have made to get into your hands.

Best Blogs for Economics Students

Click on Post title to be taken to list website

Review two blogs from this list of the 100 best blogs for economics students. Make sure they are from different categories, and don't repeat one that someone else has already done. Yes I realize that this means you will have to check the previous posts to see which ones have already been reviewed. The sooner you do this one the easier it will be. Reviews need to include:
1) Content
2) Appearance
3) Ease of Navigation
4) Apparent bias

Once the best ones are taken click here for secondary list

Welcome Class of 2018

Hello Future Economists,
Please post one topic you think that we will be studying this semester in AP Economics. You may not copy any of your classmate's posts. Leave your name and period at the bottom of the post. I'm looking forward to a great semester.

Planet Money’s t-shirt, comparative advantage and protectionism. A lesson in International Trade

Introduction: The purpose of this activity is to reflect on the principle of comparative advantage and better understand how the patterns of global trade are shaped by this fundamental concept. You will watch and read the story of a t-shirt that was manufactured using resources from four separate countries. Next, you will respond to an essay prompt.
********************************************

Steps:

1. Read the page that tells the backstory to the Planet Money t-shirt project.
2. Watch the five part documentary 
3. Read the stories behind the t-shirt’s different stages of production:

• Cotton
• Machines
• People
• Boxes

Essay prompt:

A comparative advantage exists when a particular task can be done or a good can be produced at a lower opportunity cost by one nation than by a potential trading partner. When countries specialize in the goods for which they have a comparative advantage, the allocation of resources (land, labor and capital) between nations is more efficient, allowing for a greater level of overall production and income than what is possible without trade.

Carefully explain how the the story of the production of the Planet Money t-shirt demonstrates the principle of comparative advantage.Copying a fellow student will earn you a zero

Will the National Debt ever be paid off?

Read this article on the U.S. debt. Select one of the other articles from the website, read it and post a 50-75 word summary of the key points. You may not copy anyone else's article, there are plenty of them on the website.

The Fed Chairman Game

Check out this game created by the Federal Reserve. It deals with exactly what we are studying right now, monetary policy. The game puts you in the position of the Fed Chairman, and you must manipulate interest rates in order to balance unemployment and inflation. Click on the learn more button before playing. Investigate the Fed Toolkit and the other items in the help section. After this play the game. Give me a short summary of your strategy and how it went.

Keynes vs. Hayek: The Debate Continues

Read the article and decide which famous Economist you most identify with. Then watch the two youtube videos at:
Fear the Boom and Bust:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0nERTFo-Sk

and Part II of the Epic Battle at:
Fight of the Century: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTQnarzmTOc

Identify at least 3 points from either Economist that you agree with. List the point and the video that it came from. Don't copy your classmates responses.

Is it time to retire the penny?

Has the venerable $.01 piece outlived its usefulness? Check out the website for some of the arguments in favor of eliminating the penny. What do you think? Also check out this guys hilarious rant against the penny.

The second video is from a guy who loves pennies. Which side are you on?

Consumer Price Index

The Consumer Price Index is perhaps the most popular of the many price indices calculated by the federal government. It is used to determine Social Security benefits, Cost of Living Adjustments, and the amount of certain taxes that are paid. The Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland has a neat educational tool known as the
"drawing board" on their website. Watch the following video (Click on post title to go to video) and in your post you must do two things.

1) Come up with a legitimate higher order thinking question over material covered in the video.

2) Provide an answer to someone else's question that they posted. (In your answer be sure to list whose question it is you are answering.)
3) Once someone's question is answered it is no longer usable by anyone else.

My Question #1"How is the Economy like Goldilocks?

Illegal Immigration; Not an Economic Debate

Check out this article by Jason Welker about the Economics of Illegal Immigration. It is a refreshing take on an issue that has gotten a great deal of publicity recently. What are your thoughts after reading the article? Is this different from what you have been hearing from both the Republicans and the Democrats lately? Leave your comments before NEXT Sunday at midnight.

Is Paying Kids for Grades a Good Idea?

There have been several experiments by school districts at paying students for attendance, good behavior, and good grades. The most recent attempts in Washington, D.C. and New York City have shown some promising results. Money is a powerful incentive. Click on the title link, read the article and leave your thoughts about "money for grades." Posts should be 50-75 words.

Supply and Demand Practice

In your response, select the first unanswered problem from the table. Give your answers to the problem and then leave a problem of your own. The first to respond will answer #2 and leave question #34, the next student to respond will answer #3 and leave #35 and so on.

Market	Event	Would the demand curve or supply curve shift?	Would the curve shift to the right or left?	Determinant Involved
1. wheat	A drought destroys much of the crop.	Supply	Left	Stoner (R) Resources/Raw Materials
2. redwood lumber	Environmentalists urge consumers to boycott redwood products.
3. cigars	A new study shows that smoking cigars results in lots of wrinkles.
4. butter	The price of margarine goes up.
5. paper	The price of wood pulp rises.
6. Hula hoops	Brad Pitt confides to People   magazine that "he gets a big kick out of his hula hoop."
7. yachts	The average price of stocks falls by over 20% between now and the end of the year.
8. gasoline	Large sports-utility vehicles   (like Suburbans and Expeditions) become more popular.
9. umbrellas	Heavy rain is forecast.
10. tofu	E. Coli bacteria is found in another meat plant.
11. gasoline	Two oil supertankers collide.
12.hamburger	The price of hamburger rises.
13.oranges	There's an early frost which   destroys much of the crop.
14. apples	A new pesticide is developed which controls tent caterpillars.
15. grapes	The National Marines Fisheries Service bans pesticide spraying within 1,000 feet of waterways containing coho salmon.
16. wine	The average wage of grape harvesters rises by 10%.
17. U.S. cars	The U.S. imposes a tariff on Japanese car imports.
18. hospital beds	Scientists discover a pill that cures cancer.
19. cement	A 7.9 earthquake hits San Francisco.
20.Video rentals	The price of getting cable TV goes up.
21. windshields	A new law is passed requiring gravel trucks to cover their loads with tarps.
22.Taxi service	Local subway workers go on strike
23.Bike helmets	The price of bicycles goes down
24.melons	The cost of water goes up.
25. Lucernemilk	The price of Safeway milk goes down.
26. jellybeans	The price of jellybeans goes up.
27.Oreo cookies	The price of milk increases.
28.Burger King whoppers	McDonald's lowers the price of Big Macs.
29. Hot dogs	60 Minutes does an expose called "The Truth about Hot Dogs."
30.Hot dog buns	The price of flour rises
31. butter	Mad Cow Disease wipes out a lot of dairy cows.
32. candles	An electric company official announces that a computer bug will likely result in power outages.
33. Cowboy boots	Old Navy launches an ad campaign called "Everyone in cowboy boots."

34. Your entry