I need help for my ECON homework

The Beige Book and Current Consumer Spending

This is the official description of the Beige Book:

Commonly known as the Beige Book, this report is published eight times per year. Each Federal Reserve Bank gathers anecdotal information on current economic conditions in its District through reports from Bank and Branch directors and interviews with key business contacts, economists, market experts, and other sources. The Beige Book summarizes this information by District and sector. An overall summary of the twelve district reports is prepared by a designated Federal Reserve Bank on a rotating basis.

When I worked at the Federal Reserve, I reported on construction for one year and banking for two years for the fourth district (Cleveland). This involved talking to CEOs and CFOs in each industry about the current economic climate. As an interesting side note, data from the banking sector was very easy to obtain, as many banks somewhat "fear" the Federal Reserve. However, other sectors are relatively close-mouthed about their business performance, particularly if they are doing badly. Overall, a great deal of work goes into the preparation of the Beige Book, especially weeding out true answers from false, and deciding exactly who is a reliable contact.

But enough about that.... on to the assignment....

Go to the Federal Reserve Web site, www.federalreserve.gov, and select About the Fed, then The Federal Reserve System, and then Districts and Banks. Choose one Federal Reserve District. Next, return to the Fed home page and select Monetary Policy, then Reports, and then Beige Book. Locate the current Beige Book report and compare consumer spending for the entire US economy with consumer spending in the Federal Reserve District you chose. What are the economic strengths and weaknesses in both your district and nationwide? Are retailers reporting that recent sales have met their expectations? What is the employment situation in the district you chose?