tv shows

Here is a list of media that connects to the material covered in this course.

West Wing

the news

The Colbert Report

Mr. Smith Goes To Washington

All The President's Men

Crossfire

Meet The Press

Face The Nation

The Daily Show

Law and Order

Change We Can Believe In by Barack Obama

Slate Magazine

Time Magazine

Liberty and Tyranny by Mark Levin

The Ascent of Money by Niall Ferguson

My Nation

I have established the Republic of Vita Viva.  My national animal is the hummingbird, and the currency is the dollar.  I have voted on issues involving police funding, euthanasia, voting, and animal liberation.  My crime rate is low and my civil rights are good.  Vita Viva's economy is strong, and the political freedoms are average.  My large government is mainly focused on law and order, although education and social welfare are on the agenda.  The average income tax is 20%.  Vita Viva is a world assembly member, classified as an inoffensive centrist democracy, and is located in the region of Hey Zues.

Events of 2009

A major event of 2009 occurred on January 20, 2009.  Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States, and the first U.S. President of African-American descent.  This was a major event in both world history and U.S. history because it demonstrated true racial equality in the United States because a man who is part of minority attained the highest position in the United States.  I chose this event because of the historical value it holds.

On August 6, 2009, another racial first occurred in the United States as Sonia Sotomayor was sworn in as the first Latina Supreme Court Justice.  I chose this event because of the influence it could have on other latinos and women alike, inspiring them to never give up on achieving their dreams.

In late June, 2009, Michael Jackson died.  His death flew through the media, both domestically and internationally.  His funeral, in early July, was noted as having one of the largest funeral processions in history.  The death of the King of Pop effected many people, and is still talked about today.  I chose this event because Michael Jackson made such a large impact on the music industry during his lifetime, and he made a huge impact on the media wiht his death.

Stock Shares

I invested in 400 shares of the Disney Company.  I chose this company because it is a very powerful company, and with the recent release of the Disney movie, The Princess and the Frog, the company should only gain more money in the near future.  Disney owns cruise lines, owns ABC News, and produces movies.  Disney also has its own product line of disney characters from movies, and Disney has its own television channel.  Also, Disney World and Disney Land are two very famous vacation spots for families with young children. I predict that with the recent release of the new Disney movie that the price of Disney stocks will increase, earning me money.  To my knowledge, the stock has not split.  I predict that many products from the recently released Princess and the Frog movie, only adding to Disney's income from the release of the movie.  So, I predict that the price of Disney stocks will increase in the near future.

Supply and Demand of Labor Markets

The supply and demand of labor markets is much like the supply and demand of products.  When the supply of wages is high, many more people try to attain that position. When the supply of wages is low, less people try to attain that job, and if they do take that job, most of of the time it is by necessity.  Athletes, models, and doctors make so much money because it is harder for those types of jobs to be attained, so each person is supplied with higher wages.

I would like to be a doctor, which is a difficult job to attain due to the amount of education required to do so.  However, it is not as difficult as becoming a professional athlete or a model, which requires a certain body type.  Many people try to become doctors, but with the competitiveness of medical school, it is very difficult.  If I do end up becoming a doctor, I will be making a very good amount of money, but no where near as much as professional athletes or models.

Zhu Zhu Pets

The demand for the Zhu Zhu Pets (robot hamsters) is huge right now, especially because it is the Christmas season.  The demand curve for this item could change when the popularity dies down after the Christmas season because people will no longer be rushing around trying to get their children cheap, robotic toy animals.  There is no substitute good for the Zhu Zhu Pets because they are made by a small company, and nobody expected them to become this popular so quickly, so no substitutes have been made yet.  The demand could have shifted to the right during this time of year because it is the Christmas season, and Zhu Zhu Pets are a cheap way to get a child a good gift.  After the Christmas season, the popularity could die down, and the demand could lessen, making the demand curve shift to the left for this product.

Opportunity Cost

Whenever we make a decision, we have more than one option.  When we choose something, that is our first option.  Our second choice is our opportunity cost.  Opportunity cost is like our second alternative, something we gave up when we made our decision.  This weekend I had a choice of how to spend my time: doing my homework, spending time with my family, or reading a book.  I chose to do my homework because I felt that it had the most long term benefits.  Spending time with my family was my opportunity cost because if I had not had homework to do, I would have spent time with them.  I gave up that time with my family to work on my homework, but spending time with my family was my second alternative.