Econ - Mr. Ippolito: 2013

Today in class we read this article from PC Magazine:

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2375754,00.asp

PDF printable version here:

http://mrippolito.pbworks.com/w/file/fetch/71224483/Wikipedia_You_Still_Cant_Trust_It.pdf

Here is the real-life experience that I had this weekend! Here is the Wikipedia article I read about Rancho Temescal. The article is WRONG, and it's wrong in the first paragraph:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rancho_Temescal_(Serrano)

Here is the source cited by the Wikipedia article:

http://books.google.com/books?id=lA44AAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r

And finally here is where I found the proof that the Wikipedia article was wrong:

http://books.google.com/books?id=pHk-AAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=serrano&f=false

What process did I go through? What evidence did I gather that proves that the Wikipedia article in question is wrong? That's my challenge to you! We will talk about this when class begins on Wednesday.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Fast Food Dollar Menus, #BoycottBlackThursday - 11/12/13

We discussed the #BoycottBlackThursday movement. You can learn more HERE.

Our warm-up today was a discussion of the changing dollar menu at fast food restaurants. You can find that article HERE.

Here is the review for this Thursday's exam:

We discussed the review in Period 3 and Period 5. Click on your class period to download the notes from that period.

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Essay: Is Wal-Mart Good or Bad for America?

You are writing a four-paragraph essay assessing whether Wal-Mart is good or bad for America. Here are your requirements:

1. Create the essay in Google Docs/Google Drive. Your filename format should be as follows:

PER3 ECON Walmart Essay - for Period 3 students

PER5 ECON Walmart Essay - for Period 5 students

2. Your essay should be in four paragraphs:

Paragraph #1 - Introduction. This is where you will setup the essay. I DON'T need for you to state your thesis in this paragraph. Find some statistics about how much money Wal-Mart has made this year, or last year, or in the past ten years. Set me up. Give me some context. Find out how much the #2 or #3 companies in America have made. Give me some indication as to the significance of Wal-Mart's role in the American economy, but DON'T take a side just yet.
Paragraph #2 - Wal-Mart is GOOD. Summarize the arguments from Richard Vedder and/or use outside sources as well to tell me the good that Wal-Mart does for America. If you use outside sources, tell me the name of the person you are citing, and their credentials.
Paragraph #3 - Wal-Mart is BAD. Summarize the arguments from Ken Jacobs (UC Berkeley) and/or use outside sources as well to tell me why Wal-Mart is harmful to America. If you use outside sources, tell me the name of the person you are citing, and their credentials. If you choose to cite the Wal-Mart documentary we watched in class, the official title is "Wal-Mart: the High Cost of Low Price."
Paragraph #4 - Your opinion and the call to action. This is where you state your opinion about whether Wal-Mart is good or bad for America. Then, give us a call to action. Should we support Wal-Mart? Should we shop there more? Should we continue to provide them with state and local subsidies to encourage Wal-Marts to enter more communities? What should the national, state, and local governments do about Wal-Mart (stricter or looser regulation)? What should we as consumers do? Included in this you should quote TWO statements made by Richard Vedder or Ken Jacobs or any other source you choose. Quote them, and then REFUTE them, challenge these statements by countering with evidence of your own.
And then finally at the end . . . cite your sources. At the very end, if you cited a source other than the three I have already given you in class, cite where you got the information.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Business Ethics and Wal-Mart - 10/30/13 and 11/5/13 (3-day weekend in-between)

Agenda:

1. Business Ethics - we began by working on this:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1o9AKSPcgCBqv1_-XNfRRqGLxDWE2sEQ5MFh1kh9bP6Q/edit?usp=sharing

2. We then watched this documentary about Wal-Mart. We began the documentary last Wednesday (10/30) and finished it on 11/5. There was no econ class on 11/1 because of a Professional Development Day that was added after the school year had already begun.

We discussed the issue of BIAS, and the fact that this documentary is clearly biased against Wal-Mart.