Music: Talent or Not?

Scott Thurman

Mr. Reuter

Blog Post

Music – Is it Truly Talent?

            This day and age has slowly, or in many cases quite quickly actually, worked its way far into the technological world. More and more us humans are becoming dependant on what technology can do and we are relying on it to almost do our jobs for us in some cases. Music is one of those places. All of the pop music of today uses more of the computer and technology than it does the actual singer/band. Other than classical, jazz, and most rock/metal, the more pop genres and alternative genres use auto-tune and many other gadgets and programs to make even the worst of musicians sound perfectly professional.

            Auto-tune was created for tech artists to be able to save time, fix little timing errors, and fix pitch just a little if a singer or solo band member couldn’t quite get the right pitch or note out. What it’s become today is something that is overused, where singers and other musicians who really quite frankly don’t have a lot of talent are still made good using technology to make them sound heavenly compared to what they really sound like. Most of them even use their recordings for concerts. People these days are only in this business (the pop singers at least) for the publicity, attention, and money. According to today.com, it says, “The prevalence of Auto-Tune comes from two longstanding pop music traditions — the desire to alter the human voice and the quest for perfection at the expense of real talent and emotion.”

            So how might this affect the economy or even individual finances? Well, as far as the individual goes, real talent is no longer recognized or understood these days. For the reason that no one is perfect, those who spent their whole lives practicing, being in bands, choirs, singing and playing for tons of different people and places are not recognized and given the opportunities they deserve because they’re being beaten out by people who are clearly not as good as they are yet have been made “perfect” (if sounding like a robot and not having any musicality like vibrato and dynamics is now what we classify as perfection) by auto-tune. Therefore, those who have the talent are unable to make it big meaning they have to find something else to do with their lives because our world sees backward.

            The same article referred to above goes on to talk about how the first stages of the program were only able to give certain effects to the singers voice, but could not change pitch or tempo which means the people still had to be able to sing. Also, Michael Jackson became so popular before auto-tune really took over pop because he was one of very few people who could sing quite well but also had some mad dance moves. Today, people just look good, dance some dances, and let auto-tune do the rest. People are paying money to see these people like never before and what’s funny is they’re not even really hearing the singer sing – they’re hearing what they want to sound like and programmed it into a computer and are playing it back.

            Dealing with the macroeconomics, auto-tune is the number one used music tool in the world (go figure) so that is making a ton of money and it’s not showing any signs of being passed up by something else. Auto-tune is ruining music, real musician’s lives, yet is being rewarded with a boat load of money and an astonishing amount of attention and adoration.

http://www.today.com/id/30969073/ns/today-today_entertainment/t/oh-my-ears-auto-tune-ruining-music/#.U4E_m9jAa8A (website)

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fantarestech.com%2Femail%2F2012August%2FAT_Live_445.jpg&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.antarestech.com%2Femail%2F2012Archive%2F2012_Aug_ATLive.htm&h=387&w=450&tbnid=DDeyJwGedVHL3M%3A&zoom=1&q=auto%20tune&docid=VKsCxMWUIpOwaM&ei=FkaBU6nSEdW0yASGq4KgDQ&tbm=isch&ved=0CFYQMygCMAI&iact=rc&uact=3&dur=2186&page=1&start=0&ndsp=8 (auto-tune picture)

Minimum Wage Debate

Lexi Hayes
Mr. Reuter
Economics B4
22 May, 2014
Minimum wage debate  

Minimum wage was first started in the early 1930’s, to make sure that even the lowest ­paid worker would get a sufficient amount of pay.  On June 24th, Congress initially set the wage to .25 cents an hour which amounted to about $3.80 in current dollars.  Over the 60’s and 70’s Congress would gradually increase in minimum wage to what we have now, $7.25 per hour.  And now that there is discussion of increasing the wage even more to $10.10, there is a big debate.  Below is a picture indicating how much minimum wage has increased over the years.  As you can see, inflation rate has also rapidly changed over the years.

 

Raising the minimum wage could be good and bad. For families, yes, it would be a great thing.  It would put them above the poverty line by having more cash in hand.  Not many families can live off a minimum wage of $7.25.  By raising the wage to $10.10, it could be much better for families in order for them to have their inelastic products and maybe some elastic.  Granted, more taxes would have to be paid, I believe it would be a positive externality for them.  The family would be happy and it would be good for the economy too because they would be spending their pay within the community.  By increasing the wage, the number of people living in poverty would decrease by 4.6 million. Doing this could also promote the earnings of those people at the 10th percentile by $1,700.  As for the United States as a whole, an increase in minimum wage has great potential to do well.

For businesses though, there are definitely pros and cons.  Employees may work better and harder if they know they are getting paid more.  Proving that having a price increase, there will be an increase inquality also.  But, it could cause the company to not hire as many people because they are spending so much on just one employee, they would also have to increase their prices too.  This might also cause for job cuts.  By doing so, the company can save money on training and by keeping the same few employees even if the company is running scarce of workers.  Though, going up in prices could really destroy or boost a company.  Whether it’s something people would be willing to pay more for or to not pay at all for.  

Since companies would be forced to fire a lot of their employees, unemployment would drastically increase.  The total amount of employment could be reduced to about 500,000 total jobs.  By increasing the wage people wouldn’t be able to keep their jobs and common jobs would be scarce.  That would be a negative externality for everyone else looking for a job because no one would be hiring.  

In conclusion, maybe raising the minimum wage so high wouldn’t be the best thing for our economy.  People would be losing their jobs and prices would increase.  Even though it’s only a $2.85 price increase, it could do a lot of damage to businesses and people’s lives.  

“The case for raising the minimum  wage” By David Cooper, Web. 10 May 2013
http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2013/05/10/raising­the­minimum­wage­will­reduce
­income­inequality

“Economist agree: Raising the minimum wage would reduce poverty.” By Mike Konczal,
Web. 4 January.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/01/04/economists­agree­raising­
the­minimum­wage­reduces­poverty/?tid=pm_business_pop

The Economics of Memorial Day

Saige Angrick

Mrs. Straub

5/23/14

The Economics of Memorial Day

                With Memorial Day this past week everyone thinks about the fact that not everyone is celebrating for the right reasons. Many people just use this for an excuse to go out and party and spend some time with your family when in reality it should be about our soldiers and everything that they have done for our country. The reality is that there is much more to Memorial Day than the remembrance of soldiers the economy of the United States is in a way reliant on this holiday. Memorial Day has always been known as the unofficial start to summer in which many families will start to go on their summer vacations and have to fill up their gas tanks with the prices at their peak price of the year.

 For many economists this is how they will decide how the rest of the year will do. From how much people party and barbeque and do all sorts of other things this will only grow when it comes to the fourth of July and other summer holidays. For the government the opportunity cost will be $700 million because the majority of the federal workers get a paid vacation on Memorial Day. The government has such a giant opportunity cost when it comes to the work that could have gotten done in that one day but since this is  federal holiday all of these people and millions of other people who are also getting paid vacations are going through the same problem of choosing what do this on their extended weekend.  This will just add to the national debt and deficit because this has been planned before and is part of the budget at the beginning of the year. According to dailyfinance.com it is estimated that this Memorial Day weekend will show a 3% increase in retail sales. Since there is also a much higher consumer confidence this year the food sales will be up about 14.8 billion dollars from last year.  Since so many cities are reliant on their tourism through the summer many cities are hopeful since this year because many more people are willing to go on vacations now that the economy is on the upswing. The meat industry is also starting to struggle after a long winter with so many people eating less meat the season of grilling is finally upon us and the meat industry is looking forward to the increase in prices and sales through the summer. The price is going to go up because of the demand for meat at this time of year. Without a grill many people cannot grill and with people buying a new grill about every 2 years grill sales are expected to grow 10.7% by the year 2015. This will add to international trade because imports of grills alone added up to 2.33 billion dollars. The use of public goods will also rise at this point because now more than ever places like beaches and parks.  All of this helps the economy and proves that in a way the economy in a way is reliant on Memorial Day and other summer holidays.

No one is thinking about the economics of Memorial Day while it is happening they are just enjoying the smell of delicious food and eating the food that is front of them. The truth is that although no one is thinking about economics while they are celebrating Memorial Day without economics Memorial Day most likely wouldn’t be able to happen as well. The thought of how dependent on this small holiday is scary in the thoughts on not knowing what will happen if this holiday were to go away or if people were to stop celebrating this holiday.

Bibliography

Berr, Jonathon. "Six Reasons the U.S. Economy Needs Memorial Day - DailyFinance." DailyFinance.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 May 2014. <http://www.dailyfinance.com/2011/05/28/six-reasons-the-u-s-economy-needs-memorial-day/>.

Jamba Juice And Their Prices: Buy Or Make Your Own?

Marissa Fritz

Mrs. Straub

Economics

22 May 2014

Jamba Juice And Their Prices: Buy Or Make Your Own?

If you’ve driven through Brookfield or Madison recently, you may have seen a new juice bar that has been gaining momentous popularity. Jamba juice has recently been extending it’s chain to areas all over the country. If you have never visited, or never heard of Jamba Juice, here’s a little background on the company from Businessweek.com: the juice bar, native to California, opened its doors in 1990. It was formerly known as Juice Club, Inc. but changed its name to Jamba Juice Company, Inc. in 1995. They’re known for their whole fruit smoothies, fresh-squeezed juices and juice blends, coffees and teas, boosts, shots and sandwiches.

But if you’ve ever visited a Jamba Juice, you’d also know that they’re notorious for their high prices. Although smoothies seem like something that many people would choose to enjoy on a typical day, there’s definitely excludability in purchasing anything from the company. In fact, according to an article from The Washington Post by by Sarah Kliff on May 31, 2012, “Juice bar prices can feel

http://www.unionstreetshop.com/images/stores/Jamba%20Juice/jambaJuice-02.jpg

outrageous, sometimes ranging into double-digits just for a single drink.” So are we being swindled when we buy one of their overpriced drinks? Is our opportunity cost higher or lower when debating between purchasing Jamba Juice or just making our own food?

Kliff continues her article on Jamba Juice by finding the answer to that particular question, “If you went to Whole Foods and bought enough organic lemons, Granny Smith apples, celery, ginger, green chard, kale, and collard greens to make Melvin’s signature Body Good, which costs $9, you’d be out about $17. Given the various bushel sizes and prices per weight, you could eventually bring the cost down to around nine bucks per juice”. So there you have it! You can make your own smoothie for about the same

http://static.seekingalpha.com/uploads/2012/2/249690_13297569200602_0.jpg

cost...but wait... that’s before we factor in the Factors of Production. You could lower the price, “but only if you made nine or ten servings at a time. And that doesn’t include the $100-plus investment for a basic juicer; commercial-grade cold-press machines are closer to $300.”

So when you visit Jamba Juice and notice that they’ve raised their prices again, it’s important to remember that “a markup might seem steep, but it has to support retail and office space, equipment, employees, marketing, and other business costs.” So is your opportunity cost lower if you were to buy their smoothies instead of making your own? Well if you want something of that quality, then the answer is yes. Besides, their food tastes good, is good for you, and you don’t have to do any of the clean up.

Sources:

- "Company Overview of Jamba Juice Company, Inc.." Businessweek.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2014. <http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/private/snapshot.asp?privcapId=30365>.

- Kliff, Sarah. "Jamba Juice economics."Washington Post. The Washington Post, 31 May 2012. Web. 22 May 2014. <http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/post/jamba-juice-economics/2012/05/31/gJQAS6WQ4U_blog.htm

Military Spending Cuts

Mariah Nelson

Economics

Straub

08 May 2014

Military Spending Cuts

We have recently been talking in class about the Federal Budget which has given me the opportunity to determine as to where budget cuts should and should not be made. The military budget I thoroughly believe should not be cut for several reasons. If we were to drastically cut the military budget even if we are not currently at war it would leave the US at a vulnerable position for future terrorist attack which could eventually lead to yet another war. The US military is down sizing rapidly in 2011 the US Army had some 566,000 soldiers but the Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel wants to decrease that amount to somewhere between 440,000 to 450,000 troops by 2019 these cuts would cause the army to be at its pre World War II size. If this is to happen and another war was to break out the Army would be too small to really fight back. Having such a small Army in a time of turmoil could cause another problem alongside the issue not being able to fight back it could bring the draft back because of the immediate need to increase the size of the Army. According to “Obama’s Historic Defense Cuts Spell Disaster” these budget cuts could lead to increased turmoil in the United States this could quickly lead to a war because of the vulnerable position we would be in with how quickly our Army is downsizing. This article also states, “If the United States had maintained it’s spending under Ronald Reagan, it is possible that the attacks of 9/11...beginning with the World Trade Center in 1993 would have been stopped.” Budget cuts do have consequences and because of them horrible things that could have been prevented ended up happening. Of course there are other factors that lead to 9/11 but our nation's defense was not the best at this point in time airport security was poor and they allowed for too much to get through security. The was also already tension in the middle east which catalyzed the whole event but the fact of the matter is that it could have been prevented and was not and military budget cuts had been made. In conclusion, I do not believe now is the time to be making budget cuts in the military and it is definitely not the time to be downsizing, things in the middle east are still tense and our military needs to be prepared if something happens. With everything that is happening in the Ukraine and with what just happened in Syria now is a time when our military needs to be prepared for anything and everything and believe it or not that costs money. It costs money to train soldiers and train them well.

Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOIYaycCwSw

Works Cited

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/02/25/defense-budget-cuts-history

Technological Crisis

Technological Crisis

By: Kaylah Gray

With todays day and age it seems that everything is becoming electronic. Letter writing and faxes were replaced by email, paper checks were replaced by direct deposit, and disposable cameras were replaced by a app that is found in each cell phone. Though all of those changes were made decades ago, the producers have wasted no time bettering the technology. Now email is replaced by text messages and snapchat and a check can now be deposited by sending a picture of the check to the bank. Whether it’s known or not, this new technology advancement has put the economy into second machine age. The picture below represents the technological hold that is on our economy.

Household electronics are not the only ones that are seeing advancement. According to the article “How the rise of smart machines will affect the U.S economy and jobs” the author, James Pethokoukis stated that some of the technological advancements are taking place in the work place. Now a days, the better an individual is with technology, the more qualified they become for a job. There isn’t a workplace in America that does not involve the use of technology. Those that are great with technology become a more valued part of society, while those not so great will find themselves in structural unemployment.

Though the second technology age is affecting the workplace, it somehow does not show up in the country’s GDP. Pethokoukis believes that one of the biggest problems we face is measuring our productivity. Because the economy is missing more and more of the digital age all of the free goods don’t show up in the GDP. These goods are a huge part of the GDP, but are badly mismeasured because they are introduced into the market and then the prices drastically decline. Because of this, Pethokoukis believes that there is a serious problem with the economic statistics.

The effect of technological change has created an influence in the retirement decision of older workers, the skill acquisitions of younger workers, and the wage structures of those employed. Those that are more advanced in technology, make more money then those who are not. According the article, “Technological Change and the Labor Market” the authors Ann P. Bartel and Nachum Sicherman stated that with all the technological changes, the human capital rate is starting to depreciate. Now that technology can take someone’s job, there is no longer a need or want for on the job training. An unexpected increase in the rate of technological change can lead to a depreciation in human stock, decreasing the rate of investiment in human stock. If older workers are not willing to advise their investiment in human capital, it leads to earlier retirement.

Though every piece of technological item there is was created to make our lives easier, it is starting to do the exact opposite. The advancement of technology is starting to affect the workplace and is sending us into another technology age that is increasing unemployment in some areas and decreasing the retirement age in others. The new technology advancements we have made aren’t affecting the GDP as it should. Because of the drastically decline for demand and prices after introduced to the market, it is hard to correctly calculate the GDP. It is because it’s hard to calculate the GDP on technology that it is affecting the Economy. (evolution of technology)

Works Cited

Bartel, Ann P. , and Nachum Sicherman. "Technological Change and the Labor Market." The National

Burea of Economic Research. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 May 2014.

"How the rise of smart machines will affect the US economy and jobs: A Q&A with Erik Brynjolfsson

and Andrew McAfee." AEIdeas. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 May 2014.

"Pictures." Pictures. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 May 2014.

Are Robots Taking Over the World?

Are Robots Taking Over the World?

By: Jeremy Bishop 

More and more jobs are being taken over by robots. The next thing we know, we are going to go to buy a coffee and it will be served by a robot. This is not going to be any good for the US economy because the more jobs that robots take over, the more unemployed people we will have. According to an article on NBCNEWS.com entitled, “Nine jobs that humans may lose to robots” written by Judith Aquino these nine jobs are Pharmacists, Lawyers/paralegals, drivers, astronauts, store clerks, soldiers, babysitters, rescuers and sportswriters and other reporters. These nine job may someday be taken over by robots. What happens to the people that work in these fields? They lose their jobs which will raise our unemployment rate. At the same time it will lower the unemployment rate because we will need people to fix the robots if they break down and we will also need people to make the robots. What I don’t understand is why we need robots to do these jobs. Most of these jobs are easy jobs that I don’t think robots should take over. “Aeon Co., a major Japanese retailer, introduced a four-foot-tall yellow and white robot at a store in 2008 whose job is to babysit children while the adults shop.” (Aquino). I don’t know about you but if I had kids I would not want my kids being babysat by a robot. According to an article by CBS news the US army could replace one fourth of combat soldiers by 2030. This can be a good and bad thing. It can be good if they have robots for deactivating bombs but other than that I think that they should keep human soldiers. If the robot breaks down in the middle of a battle you are out of luck. What if the robot driving for us breaks down in the middle of driving? You’re in big trouble then. Most of these jobs don’t need a robot doing it for them. They’re simple jobs that humans have no problem doing. All that robots will do is make the US economy worse due to raising unemployment.

"Nine jobs that humans may lose to robots." msnbc.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. http://www.nbcnews.com/id/42183592/ns/business-careers/t/nine-jobs-humans-may-lose-robots/#.U3UOcfldUrl

Livin' Large?

Abby Powers

Econ A2

Mr. Reuter

May 13, 2014

Livin’ Large?

All over America there are people who are overweight and becoming obese. Currently one third of the adults in the U.S are obese, that’s over 35 percent. Yet this is not including being overweight in general, as that percentage jumps to about 69% which is more than half than half the country. Obesity exacts a tremendous price on overweight individuals, leading to serious chronic health conditions, disability, and psychological suffering. Society-wide, the economic burden of obesity is similarly substantial, calling for urgent preventive action from health insurers, businesses, government and other stakeholders.

This predicament really affects the person greatly, as it is quite costly. According to the Harvard School of Public health, “per capita medical spending for obese individuals was an additional $1,429 (42 percent higher) compared to individuals of normal weight…and that per capita medical spending was $2,741 higher for obese individuals than for individuals who were not obese—a 150 percent increase.” Is the extra money really worth it? Now it’s understandable for those who were born with medical problems that make them obese, but for those who became exceedingly overweight need to rethink their path in life. You would have to spend money on pills – pills for curbing a person’s appetite, for lowering their blood pressure, medications for one’s diabetes, for blocking the amount of fat one would intake, etc. Even spending money to go to the gym to lose weight or in more extreme measures, getting surgery would be costly.  Overall the indirect and direct effects of obesity on economic costs are annually over $100 billion and that amount is still expected to grow.

The externalities really do outweigh any benefits one could find in staying obese. The Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity talks how being obese affects your job, saying that ”Given the significant financial burden imposed by obesity, employers have a stake in reducing obesity in the workforce. Obese workers miss more days of work and cost employers more in medical and disability claims as well as workers compensation claims. As a result, an average firm with 1,000 employees faces $285,000 per year in extra costs associated with obesity. In addition to the costs of obesity to businesses, obese employees are subject to significant discrimination in the workplace due to weight stigma.” With these extras that are needed, not many employers are willing to hire someone that is going to miss more work days or cost them more money with having increased claims.

Yet it is now being instilled in us to stay healthy. Awareness has increased on staying on track of one’s weight, watching their diet, eating healthy, and exercising. It’s promoted in TV shows like Dr. Oz, in commercials, and in our school health classes. Even with the famous show Biggest Loser, weight loss and a healthy life style is being projected. So how is it, with all this promoting, the U.S is still having problems with being overweight or obese?

With this trend of weight gain, over half of this country’s future generation is going to be spending more money on medication like those for diabetes or cardiovascular disease. Not only that, but with the increase probability with strokes, medical bills are going to rise exponentially. Where we spend and put our money is a problem that needs to be addressed. It shouldn’t be overly spent on medical bills, medications, liposuction, but on goods and services that will benefit our economy. Most companies wouldn’t want to splurge a little more on some employees than others. Taking care of yourself would not only benefit yourself and your future but also the future of America’s economy.

"Economic Impact of Obesity." Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity — What We Do — Economics — Topics:. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014. <http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/what_we_do.aspx?id=82>.

"Diet Pills, Prescription Weight Loss Drugs, Appetite Suppressants." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 13 May 2014. <http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/weight-loss-prescription-weight-loss-medicine>.

"How Much Does Obesity Cost Employers? (Infographic)." Infographics Zone. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 May 2014. <http://www.infographicszone.com/health/how-much-does-obesity-cost-employers-infographic>.

"Economic Costs." Obesity Prevention Source. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014. <http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-consequences/economic/>.

"World of DTC Marketing.com." World of DTC Marketingcom. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014. <http://worldofdtcmarketing.com/prescription-drugs-take-too-much-blame-for-healthcare-costs/cost-of-healthcare-in-the-u-s/attachment/cost-of-obesity/>.

Do you wanna build a snowman?

Kasey Bell

Reuter

Economics

Do you wanna build a snowman?

The Lion King, Toy Story, Frozen, Finding Nemo, besides the obvious fact that they are all movies what do they have in common? Money. Money is a key factor in life. With money enough just isn’t enough. It makes the world go ‘round and makes up economy go between recessions and expansions. No money means no spending, no spending means a crap economy. Here’s where people with tons of free time come in handy. They go to malls, they go to restaurants but, most importantly they go to movies.

On November 22. 2013 one of the all time best rated Disney movies was released to theaters across the country. Within just a few days already millions were in love. The popular new blockbuster movie “Frozen” is a classic Disney movie that millions have come to know and love in the past few months.

The movie Frozen is a cute story of two princesses. The eldest sister, Elsa, a powerful witch that turns their home into a frozen wasteland and flees for the safety of the town. The younger one, Anna, sets out to find her with her trusty snowman at her side. The sisters reach an equilibrium when they both finally realize that they need each other to live. Just like the economy relies on people spending money to stay afloat. At the end of the movie the storm ends and the two princesses return home and all is well again, just like in every other Disney movie. The perfect happy ending.

                    

Currently, Frozen is the highest-grossing animated film in history; earning profits that exceed $770 million in global revenue. “Disney is on a roll, and no one is leveraging platforms as well,” said Tuna Amobi, an analyst at S&P Capital IQ. “Its studios are appealing to a global audience, and the profits not only come from the box office but can translate into merchandising and sales of DVDs and other products.” At $475 million, Disney’s movie studios profits have quadrupled in the past three months. The film kicked it off big, according to the Hollywood Reporter, breaking an all time record and earning $93 million over its long Thanksgiving weekend opening.

A smash hit like this movie leads to very good things for our economy. The second quarter net profit rose by 27% making it $1.9 billion. Disney’s stocks also rose; 0.6% in after-hours trading to $81.48. The company hopes to create large sales off this movie in their stores across the country. The selling of the movie’s products will lead to an even larger revenue and bigger boost for the economy.

The success of this movie shows us how something as simple as going to see a movie can make a huge difference and often times we don’t even realize it. All we think about is how much it sucks having to pay $10 to see a movie. When really, compared to all those other number it isn’t a big deal.  As I said earlier, money makes the world go ‘round. As long as people have money they will spend it and the economy will stay stable for the most part.

http://brightlightsearch.blogspot.com/2013/12/disneys-frozen-scary-with-bad-messages.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/walt-disneys-profits-rose-27-percents-on-strength-of-frozen-movie-franchise/2014/05/06/7ce81df2-d56b-11e3-95d3-3bcd77cd4e11_story.html

http://www.boxoffice.com/statistics/movies/untitled-disneypixar-film-2013

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-06/disney-profit-rises-as-frozen-dvd-tops-home-video-chart.html

 

Can a Fish ruin the Economy?

Can a Fish Ruin The Economy?

What may be a silent killer in the world of economics, a growing concern and a up and coming crisis that cost americans billions of dollars each year. They were brought into the land of the free, and thrived and expanded across the country just like the “white man” did so many years ago. You can’t control them, they destroy their habitat and are a threat to every living thing that shares a home with them.

Invasive species haven’t been knocking at America's door, but they have been knocking it down and swarming out woods and waterways. According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, “invasive species just last year caused over 120 Billion dollars in damage”.  For example feral hogs in which were brought to America by early settlers have been know to tear up a 20 acer field in one night, in which is hurting farmers. People are trying to control the population by hunting and trapping freely(hunting season is open all year and there is no daily bag limit), however they are reproducing at a faster rate. A female hog can have up to twenty piglets, and she can reproduce almost 4 times a year, in which makes it almost impossible to control the population.

Another invasive species is the asian carp, in which was released to America's waterways when a fish farm flooded off of the mississippi. Not even ten years later these fish have invaded almost every single body of water, including Pewaukee Lake. What makes the situation worse is that no one likes to eat the fish, in which discourages people from removing them from the water, also they have little predators considering that they grow to extreme sizes. Recently a concern has arisen due to the carp knocking at lake michigans door, in which if these species invade the great lakes will be a disaster to many people who make their living from these waters. The great lakes “lure” in a lot of money from charters, guides, and commercial fishermen who capitalize on the great numbers of walleye, trout and salmon that call that lake home. If the carp entered the great lakes they would destroy not only fish habitat, but also they kill off a lot of the spawn from other fish because they are bottom feeders, in which will reduce the numbers of game fish(walleye, trout, salmon, ect.) in which will cause a lot of jobs to be lost.

Invasive species have been impacting us in a negative way, they have taken away our jobs and even our home (even though we did the same thing when we settled in America). Once introduced they thrive and aren't afraid to destroy anything in their path. Invasive species even though may be dumber than a rock and are a lot smaller than us, have potential when in numbers to sculpt America into how they want it, just like we did.

Brewers, Hank the Dog, and the Economy

Luke Marks

Mr. Reuter

Economics

May 19th, 2014

MKE Brewers, Hank the Dog, and the Economy and Stuff  

Currently leading the NL Central Division and also within the top five of the MLB standings in 2014 the Brewers are doing very well this year. It is safe to say that the Milwaukee Brewers are gaining more and more attention with their ongoing performance. A new addition to the team small dog, who is now like a second mascot to the team, has brought all sorts of attention as well. As the Milwaukee Brewers progress throughout their season, like any successful franchise will continue to attract an audience and construct a consistent fan base.

In 1998, the Brewers agreed to move from the AL division to the NL division in order to balance scheduling. Shortly after the team moved from County Stadium to Miller Park, they created the signature Miller Park retractable roof; which gave the fans the advantage to enjoy the game no matter what weather condition.

Now the Milwaukee Brewers currently have a $565 million team value and a $197 million revenue and of March, is ranked #25 on Forbes MLB Team Valuations (Forbes). This was an investment that gave the franchise an opportunity cost from omitting any game cancellations and or losing fans based on weather conditions. Another addition to the stadium is the new JumboTron, being the fourth-largest scoreboard in Major League Baseball with price tag north of $10 million. (McCalvy). As you can see, these investments do cost Wisconsin counties some money. According to, espn.go.com, relating on the history of Miller Park, it goes to say that, “Construction began in October 1996, with the ballpark funded by a sales tax in five counties. The Brewers contributed $90 million to the project, including a 20-year naming rights deal with the Miller Brewing Co.”. The Journal Sentinel predicts that, “Depending on the rate of return, the tax could end in 2014 or stay in place until 2017 or 2018, the Miller Park stadium district board was told Tuesday.” The end of the tax for the stadium and its finances are based on what is in debt from construction. The Journal continues on to note: “Through 2008, a total of $292.6 million has been collected through the sales tax. As of Jan. 1st, $284.4 million is still owed.” Overall, these addition to the famous Miller Park is something all Brewers fans can be proud of.

Wisconsin being known for brewing beer and drinking it (ranked 5 in beer consumption) Brewer games sure can get loud attracting a diverse crowd. From drunken old baseball fanatics to little children wanting to see the new mascot Hank the dog. Bernie the true mascot of the Brewers is now old news to everyone this season. The small dog, which walked into the spring training park in the beginning of the 2014 season, attracted much attention in the Brewers community. For a team/franchise to adopt a pet really gives people hope as you see in the video link below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jdCsy_rZXM. WSAW writes in an article called “Hank ‘The Ballpark Pup’ Attracts Dozens to MIller Park”, that “Hank the dog Hank-themed merchandise is on sale with 20 percent of proceeds going to the Wisconsin Humane Society. Any donated dog toys will go to area shelters.” (WSAW). The merchandise sold at Miller Park has certainly hit a home run on the finances and GDP of the Milwaukee Brewers. According to a Sports Business Daily article on the Milwaukee Brewers merchandise.  MLB reported that sales, “Overall of Brewers gear are up 12% over last year, while New Era reported that sales of Brewers caps are up 130% from July of last year through July '11. The Brewers have approximately 130 different sponsors and are already talking with sponsors about possible postseason plans.” It continued to say that the Milwaukee Brewers will “...set a record in terms of gross revenue for sponsorships.” (SBD).

The Brewers are continuing to make the right decisions financially with a definite influence to all fans. Many have faith for the Brew Crew this year, for the record is still strong. Whether it is with Hank the Dog, the merchandise sold, or the construction of Miller Park; this successful franchise will continue to attract a consistent fan base if they continue to do well as a team and as a business. Overall, the Brewers are continuing to progress through their 2014 season. Play ball!

Works Cited

Behm , Don. "Distant Brewers' fans have $263 million annual impact." Distant Brewers fans have $263 million annual economic impact, study says. N.p., 20 May 2014. Web. 20 May 2014. <http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/new-study-distant-brewers-fans-have-263-million-annual-economic-impact-vm94jgd-197535861.html>.

"Brewers Seeing Attendance, Merchandise Sales Increases This Season." - SportsBusiness Daily. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2014. <http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2011/08/22/Franchises/Brewers.aspx?hl=Milwaukee%20Brewers&sc=0>.

"Hank." WSAW RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2014. <http://www.wsaw.com/home/headlines/Hank-The-Ballpark-Pup-Attracts-Dozens-to-Miller-Park-250835721.html>.

"Miller Park gets cutting-edge new scoreboard." MLB. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 May 2014. <http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110403&content_id=17323762&c_id=mil>.

"Milwaukee Brewers." ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures, n.d. Web. 19 May 2014. <http://espn.go.com/travel/stadium/_/s/mlb/id/8/miller-park>.

"Milwaukee Brewers." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 19 May 2014.

Walker, Don. "Stadium tax might stay till 2018, report says." Stadium tax might stay till 2018, report says. N.p., 20 May 2014. Web. 20 May 2014. <http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/41067592.html>.