AP STUDENTS: Please flash through and review the following graphs from reffonomics.
1. Money Market Graph.
2. Loanable Funds Graph.
3. Phillips Curve.
4. FOREX: Foreign Exchange Graph.
5. Aggregate Supply and Demand.
April 30, 2010
April 29, 2010
Creation of Modern Banking Activity
Directions:
1. Read the story "The Recollections of Pine Gulch." Click here for the story: It takes about 20-30 minutes.
2. When finished with the entire story, please see me and get a quiz on the story. It is due today.
Thank You.
1. Read the story "The Recollections of Pine Gulch." Click here for the story: It takes about 20-30 minutes.
2. When finished with the entire story, please see me and get a quiz on the story. It is due today.
Thank You.
April 22, 2010
Iceland Volcano Halts World Economy: From African Flowers to Japanese Cars
The Iceland volcano eruption has shown us how inter-connected the global economy is. From flowers in Africa to Japanese flowers, the impact has been felt around the globe. Here are some excerpts from CBS News.
"While the volcanic ash cloud covering parts of Europe continues to wreak havoc for airlines - costing the industry more than $1 billion as of Monday - grounding most of the continent's air travel for several days has had a ripple effect extending far beyond Europe's borders.
The following is a collection of international anecdotes demonstrating how the ash cloud has done more than hit airlines' bottom lines and inconvenienced air travelers.
• The lack of refrigeration facilities at the airport in capital of the West African nation of Ghana has been a big blow to pineapple and pawpaw farmers who sell to Europe because of the lack of flights. As of Tuesday, no cargo flights have taken off yet.
• In Africa, a group of five people from Sierra Leone and Liberia had to abandon a fact-finding trip to the war crimes trial of former Liberian President Charles Taylor in The Hague.
• In Kenya, thousands of day laborers are out of work because produce and flowers can't be exported amid the flight cancellations. Kenya has thrown away 10 million flowers - mostly roses - since the volcano eruption. Asparagus, broccoli and green beans meant for European dinner tables are being fed to Kenyan cattle because storage facilities are filled to capacity.
• The U.S. Travel Association estimates that the ash cloud produced by the eruption has cost the U.S. economy $650 million, approximately $130 million per day. That kind of loss to the economy affects the cashflow to fund about 6,000 American jobs, the association said. Every international flight bound for the U.S. is worth an average of $450,000 in spending from travelers, which the association says pays for five jobs per flight."
April 15, 2010
March 23, 2010
March 19, 2010
Made in the Good Old USA... NOT
Here is a list of famous American brands such as Radio Flyer, Etch-A-Sketch, Chuck Taylors, NBA Jerseys, that are no longer made in America... even some American Flags.
March 11, 2010
The DotCom Bust: 10 Years Ago This Week.
As you can see from this chart the Nasdaq is still well below its all time highs. Read more here, and if you are interested in the top dot-com flops of the era you might be dissapointed that Pets.com was not #1.
And for you viewing pleasure, here is Sock Puppet in action.The Worst Car EVAH
Profiled in the Wall Street Journal, the Yugo is describes as a real piece of crap:
"The car broke down during a Motor Trend road test. Consumer Reports declared that the Yugo was "hard to recommend at any price," noting that during one assessment an oil leak dripped onto the exhaust system and filled the car with smoke. The magazine continued: "The clutch chattered. The brakes squealed. . . . The speedometer clicked. The hood became loose." There were safety concerns, too—though, miraculously, a national study ranked the Yugo as only the eighth most deadly car on the road. Somebody should have demanded a recount."
March 10, 2010
Who Has a Bigger GDP? New York City or India? Minneapolis or Maylasia?
Click to Enlarge!
Click on the chart above to find out. This puts some perspective on our ridiculously large 14 Trillion Economy.
HT: Carpe Diem
The World's Richest Person is NOT....... Bill Gates.
For the 3rd time in 3 years there is a new person atop the world's richest list. Carlos Slim from south of the border once again tops the new list for 2010. For all you Bill Gates fans out there he did still capture the 2nd richest spot, ahead of his friend Warren Buffett. Here is a picture of Slim with Bill Gates.
March 9, 2010
The Average Camcorder... in 1967.
and it could have been yours for only $42,000. With extras you can add an additional $12,685
March 5, 2010
February 23, 2010
February 11, 2010
22 Inventions That Are History
Here's an interesting link about things that are obsolete this decade. It's creative destruction.
Note: The picture above is from a phone I saw from my trip to the Republic of Georgia in 2008.
February 5, 2010
Despite the Great Recession, it's Still Pretty Good... says Dallas Fed Economist.
The former chief economist for the Dallas Fed, W. Michael Cox, has a interesting article on how the the availability of products has spread over time, and describes living conditions of the middle class in America today. Check out this chart.
Cox writes: "It's certainly true that the past two years have been tough for many middle-class Americans. Many of them have lost jobs and homes, seen their investments decline and, more broadly, faced new uncertainties about incomes.
Families are suffering in every community – but the entire middle class under assault? Don't believe it. No hard evidence points to a general decline in living standards for the average American family. Perhaps, having it so good for so long has created expectations, some of them a bit unreasonable. Consider:
•America's middle class lives in bigger and better-equipped homes than ever before, with appliances of all kinds, air conditioning, big-screen televisions, computers, DVD players, digital cameras and so much more (see chart above, "The Spread of Products into U.S. Households").
•Nine in 10 households own a car – better equipped, more durable and more fuel efficient than any in history.
•Cell phones once cost $4,200, but they're now less than $100. Nearly every pocket and purse holds a cell phone, many now with Internet access.
•In real terms, the average family's net worth has tripled since 1970, even after the past two years of declines in housing prices and stocks.
•Tap water's free, but Americans still buy 8.6 billion gallons of bottled water a year.
•Obesity has replaced hunger as the most pressing dietary concern.
Innovation and trade continually drive down the real cost of goods and services and increase the productivity of each hour of work. As this capitalist engine churns onward, the scarcity that plagued mankind for millennia has given way to the abundance that's the foundation of today's vast middle class.
The capitalist system literally created the middle class, and the best way to maintain and improve our living standards lies in keeping it functioning at peak efficiency. Government largesse, no matter how high-minded or well-intended, isn't going to do much for the majority of middle-class families. They have to pay their own way – as always."
H/T: Carpe Diem
Cox writes: "It's certainly true that the past two years have been tough for many middle-class Americans. Many of them have lost jobs and homes, seen their investments decline and, more broadly, faced new uncertainties about incomes.Families are suffering in every community – but the entire middle class under assault? Don't believe it. No hard evidence points to a general decline in living standards for the average American family. Perhaps, having it so good for so long has created expectations, some of them a bit unreasonable. Consider:
•America's middle class lives in bigger and better-equipped homes than ever before, with appliances of all kinds, air conditioning, big-screen televisions, computers, DVD players, digital cameras and so much more (see chart above, "The Spread of Products into U.S. Households").
•Nine in 10 households own a car – better equipped, more durable and more fuel efficient than any in history.
•Cell phones once cost $4,200, but they're now less than $100. Nearly every pocket and purse holds a cell phone, many now with Internet access.
•In real terms, the average family's net worth has tripled since 1970, even after the past two years of declines in housing prices and stocks.
•Tap water's free, but Americans still buy 8.6 billion gallons of bottled water a year.
•Obesity has replaced hunger as the most pressing dietary concern.
Innovation and trade continually drive down the real cost of goods and services and increase the productivity of each hour of work. As this capitalist engine churns onward, the scarcity that plagued mankind for millennia has given way to the abundance that's the foundation of today's vast middle class.
The capitalist system literally created the middle class, and the best way to maintain and improve our living standards lies in keeping it functioning at peak efficiency. Government largesse, no matter how high-minded or well-intended, isn't going to do much for the majority of middle-class families. They have to pay their own way – as always."
H/T: Carpe Diem
February 3, 2010
A New Market in The 'Hood': L.A. Gang Tours
The entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in South Central L.A. Feel free to take a Gang Tour of in L.A. for $65.Here is an interesting article about it in the New York Times. I should note that all participants are required to sign a waiver acknowledging the risk of injury.
January 26, 2010
January 22, 2010
January 19, 2010
January 6, 2010
December 9, 2009
Creation of Modern Banking Activity
Flash through Recollections of Pine Gulch
Part One: Click Here
Part Two: Click Here
When finished, please get a worksheet for a quiz on the readings.
Part One: Click Here
Part Two: Click Here
When finished, please get a worksheet for a quiz on the readings.
December 6, 2009
November 19, 2009
November 10, 2009
The Berlin Wall: Before and After Photos
Here is a great NY Times photo of the Berlin Wall, before and after. It sure looks from the photos that East Germany has become relatively prosperous, at least compared to their living standards during communism.
October 31, 2009
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