Last night I attended the Anchorage Lutheran Community Carol Sing. I love singing Christmas carols—one of my favorite parts of the Christmas season. However, the real bonus of the evening was the community choir’s presentation of John Ritter’s Magnificat conducted by Charlotte Smurthwaite. What a difficult “sing” and so well done!
Here is John Ritter’s explanation of Magnificat Anima Mea—-the opening section.
Here is a link to a performance by the Cambridge Singers. Please enjoy this as much as I did last night’s performance.
It’s been a month of house renovation projects—a new tile entryway, wooden stairs going up to the main floor, a new living room window, newly painted kitchen walls and ceiling, and the interior of the kitchen cabinets painted.
I don’t know which new item I’m enjoying the most. I love the interior of my kitchen cabinets. It is so much fun to open them—oh, wow. Three Tuscany colors are involved in an alternating color order from cabinet to cabinet.
The window has needed replacing for at least several years. The section that opened no longer closed tightly nor anything resembling tight. We certainly did not have to worry about fresh air exchange in the house. For the past two years, L taped it shut outside. However, the duck tape solution was no longer working. The week after the window was installed the temperature dropped to 20 below. Goodness, we felt warm and cozy in our living room.
As for the wooden stairs—-I had become so tired of vacuuming the carpet with a hand vacuum. Now, its once over lightly with the regular vacuum brush attachment. Also, I really enjoy the sound of going up and down the stairs. I grew up with wooden stairs. To top it off, the tile in the entryway is a nice change.
I love the new changes but it’s nice to be back to regular life.
This study by the U.S. Treasury looked at the income mobility of individual tax payers adjusted for inflation by tracking 96,700 tax returns from 1996 through 2005. It involved a sample of 117.1 million taxpayers on 76.9 million tax returns—excluding those who were under 25 in 1996— and found the following:
Top Income Quintile
Top 0.01% Income Group
25% only, remained there from 1996 – 2005
59% experienced declines of 50% or more during the 10 years
Top 1% Income
57% dropped to a lower income group
Top Income Quintile
30% dropped to a lower quintile
2.6% fell to the bottom quintile
A majority of those who were at the top in 1996 were not there by 2005.
Middle Income Quintile
42% moved up the income ladder
33% remained in the middle quintile
24% moved down
Lowest Income Quintile
58% moved to the higher quintile
29% moved at least two quintiles
5% moved all the way to the top
Comparison With Another Time Period
Individual income mobility from 1996 through 2005 matched individual income mobility from 1987 through 1996.
My Musings:
Staying on top is difficult and not guaranteed.
Upward income mobility for the middle class still exists.
The American dream exists for individuals in the lowest income quintile.
What will the study show about income mobility from 2006 through 2015?
Fairness is about having an individual opportunity to move up the income ladder. The opportunity still exists. Whether we recognize the opportunities, whether we seize the opportunities, or whether we create the opportunities are different issues.
I spent a lovely evening at an Anchorage Concert Association soiree—a lovely home overlooking the inlet with music by the Brasil Guitar Duo. They are giving a concert tomorrow evening in the Discovery Theatre.
This week I’m teaching a Mutual Funds class for teachers interested in using the Stock Market Game program in their classrooms or are simply interested in the information for their own use. After a short introductory lecture and discussion about mutual funds in general, I gave an in-class assignment to write an answer to the question, “What is a mutual fund?” I always encourage creativity. This time it came in the form on Old McMutual.
This week I’m teaching my Intro to Stocks class to 19 great teachers who are planning on using the Stock Market Game program in their classrooms. Yesterday we began at 4:30 p.m. and were to quit at 8:00 p.m. I happened to look at the clock at 8:05 and then around the room; it was a buzz with stock analysis conversation as they collected data on their individually chosen companies. I heard remarks of pleasant surprise and utter dismay concerning what they were finding out about their companies. Thank you, Alaska Council on Economic Education for underwriting this endeavor.
The Stock Market Game Program: Introduction to Stocks
1 Graded Graduate Credit: $85 September 13, 15, 17, 2011
Tuesday and Thursday evenings 4:30 – 8:00 p.m. and Saturday 8:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.
Acquire a better understanding of stocks and the stock market and the basic economic concepts—opportunity cost, supply and demand, competition, profit, economic growth—that drive the market. Using computers, online sites, and specific guidelines, learn how to choose quality stocks. Obtain specific suggestions for implementing the Stock Market Game in your classroom—an innovative way to enhance and reinforce your core curriculum (math, language arts, social studies, economics) using an online simulation tool. Receive a $40stipendat the end of the semester if you actively use the Stock Market Game in your classroom with at least 3 student teams.
