Wealth and Poverty: Economic Reasons

Seniors: Excursion tomorrow to view documentary: Waiting For Superman [2010] Filmmaker Davis Guggenheim follows a handful of promising kids through a system that inhibits, rather than encourages, academic growth, Guggenheim examines public education, surveying "drop-out factories" and "academic sinkholes," methodically dissecting the system and its seemingly intractable problems.

Today's topic ---Wealth and Poverty:  Economic Reasons

Primary Economic Activities: 
Agriculture - Mining- Forestry - Fishing - Ranching (extracting raw materials) If a large percentage of economic activity is in this category,  then the country tends to be poor.

Secondary Economic Activities: Manufacturing, e.g. autos, textiles

Tertiary Activities:  Providing Services (e.g. tourism, medical services, legal profession)
Discussion: Is tourism ethical?
Tourism is the world's largest economic sector. It plays a significant role in lifting people out of poverty, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said, and is one of the few ways the least developed countries have managed to increase their participation in the global economy. Last year, almost 700 million tourists made international trips. By 2010, the figure is projected to reach 1 billion, according to the WTO.


"informal economy" - bartering; black market
Structure of economic activity determines a country's wealth. A mix of economic activity is needed to cushion the economy from a major downturn.

Essay on Justice:  ideas, suggestions
What is your thesis?  How will you answer this question:  "What is Justice?" You need 2/3 examples from 2/3 different texts Not all of your examples need to demonstrate the same definition of justice.