NEWCOMER
February 2015
ISSUE 32
fÜr
g
n
u
t
zei
r
e
l
Ü
h
sc
MEDIA
How online video platforms are
changing the market.
PAGES 2, 3
WEALTH AND POVERTY
A look at wealth distribution
throughout the world.
PAGE 6
JE SUIS CHARLIE
Freedom (of expression) is very
important to our democracy.
We must protect it.
EDITORIAL, PAGE 8
Crude oil prices have been dropping rapidly since July 2014.
This is reﬂected in the prices at your local petrol station.
Oil Prices in Free Fall
Petrol and heating oil are cheaper than they’ve been in years.
Prices are falling as production outpaces demand.
Regine Palm
Handelsblatt Düsseldorf
C
ar owners can hardly believe their eyes. Lately,
it seems as though petrol is getting cheaper by
the day. According to the automobile association ADAC, petrol prices haven’t been this low since
2010. Heating oil is seeing a similar development and
consumers are naturally very pleased about these
savings. These prices are tied to the price for crude oil,
the raw material used to make petrol and heating oil.
Its price has dropped more than 50 percent since the
middle of last year. In July 2014, a barrel of oil (which
amounts to about 159 litres) cost 115 US dollars. Today,
the same barrel costs less than 50.
There are several causes behind this development.
On the one hand, demand is currently quite low. The
US has been buying less crude oil on the world market,
as it has been able to produce more oil itself using a
new extraction method called fracking (see keyword,
right). This leaves many oil-producing countries
searching for new buyers, such as China. But China’s
economy is experiencing a slowdown after years of
rapid expansion. Therefore, China also needs less oil.
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Further complicating the issue is the fact that OPEC
has kept its production at a high level. OPEC is an organization consisting of twelve major oil exporting
countries. It includes countries like Saudi Arabia,
Kuwait, Iraq, Libya and Venezuela. This group accounts for 40 percent of global oil production. In
the past, OPEC usually reacted to price drops with
a reduction in production to help push prices back
up. But, so far, it hasn’t done that and there is now an
oversupply on the global oil market of an estimated
1.5 million barrels per day. About 88 million barrels
of oil are bought every day.
Though the OPEC states are impacted by this
drop in prices, its most important producer, Saudi
Arabia, is still able to make a profit even at these very
low prices. This is not the case with oil producing
countries outside of OPEC. The current situation has been particularly diﬃcult for Russia.
Experts also worry that these low prices
could have a negative impact on the environment. For instance, it could lead people to
buy less eﬃcient cars. Cheap oil could also hinder
eﬀorts for renewable energy – at least if prices stay
this low for long.
CHEAT SHEET
A glossary of the terms from all
previous editions is available at:
www.handelsblattmachtschule.de/
newcomer
IN THEIR OWN WORDS …
» We need to leave more
behind for our children
than unemployment and
debt.
«
Jean Tirole, Nobel
Prize laureate for
Economics (see
page 4)
KEY WORD: FRACKING
Hydraulic fracking, or simply fracking, is a method
for extracting oil and gas
deposits that are trapped
in layers of shale rock.
A mixture of water,
sand and chemicals are pumped
into the rock at
high pressure to
break-up the rock. In
Germany, this method is
very controversial. Many fear
that it could lead to groundwater contamination.
Source Graphic: www.onvista.de; Photos: Corbis | Marc Simon/Masterfile; THOMAS PETER/Reuters; STRINGER/FRANCE/Reuters
2 HANDELSBLATT FOCUS
The Future
of Television
Online video platforms are giving
conventional TV stations a run for
their money.
Kai-Hinrich Renner
Handelsblatt Hamburg
O
n 16 September 2014, Reed Hastings explained how he planned to
shake up the German TV market on
ZDF’s MORGENMAGAZIN. The 54-year-old
US-American is the founder of the online
video platform Netflix. His appearance on
public television was the climax of his public
relations campaign for the introduction of
Netflix in Germany. It seemed as if the hip
uncle from the US was dropping in on the
clueless relatives in “good old Germany”.
Netflix lets its customers watch movies and
TV series on demand. They can watch them
whenever they want and, because the service
is also available on mobile devices, wherever
they want. Netflix isn’t shy about investing in
its range of oﬀers: In 2014 alone, the company
spent three billion US dollars on content. It
also financed its own successful series such
as the political drama “House of Cards” and
the women’s prison series “Orange Is the New
Black”. Sophisticated software analyses what
each Netflix customer watches. The goal is
to provide individualized oﬀers to customers
and highlight the shows that they will likely
want to watch – a strategy to retain customers.
The tactic seems to be working: Netflix has
February 2015, ISSUE 32
over 50 million subscribers in the US. It accounts for more than a third of the country’s
internet traﬃc. No wonder, then, that Netflix is
viewed as the future of television. The British
research institute Digital TV Research projects that the American company will have 11.3
million German subscribers by 2020.
But is that realistic? A closer look casts
some doubt on that forecast. The pay-TV
broadcaster Sky, for example, has been
serving Germany for almost 24 years. It was
founded in 1991 under the name Premiere.
Even after all of this time, it has
only managed to gain 3.9 million customers. And it also had
the advantage of being the only
subscription based broadcaster
back when it started. At that
time, pay-TV was a completely
new concept. The number of
free TV stations was also not
nearly as high as it is today.
Netflix, though, has yet another problem when it comes
to Germany. Many attractive
broadcasting rights have long
been distributed, including the
German premiere broadcasting
rights to the Netflix series “House of Cards”,
which are held by Sky.
It would be quite wrong, however, to believe that the digital revolution in German
TV will not occur simply because Netflix
The student editorial board says:
»I believe that TV will become
more diverse and individualized
in the future. «
Anton, Year 11
may not live up to these bold figures. In fact,
the opposite is the case: When Netflix came
to Germany last September, the market for
online video portals was already well served.
The broadcast group Pro Sieben Sat.1, for
example, has been operating the Maxdome
platform since 2006. Watchever, the portal
from the French Vivendi Group, launched in
Germany in 2013. And the online shopping
platform Amazon launched its Instant Video
offer a few months before Netflix. No one
knows how many consumers are using these
offers. But one thing is certain, the market
PROFESSIONAL PROFILE: IT SYSTEMS ENGINEER
Maintaining the Digital World
Whether watching TV online,
purchasing products on the web or
simply printing off a document at
work while surfing the internet, it
has become impossible to imagine
our lives without information and
telecommunications technologies.
Keeping these networks from
crashing and ensuring that the data
reaches its destination is the task of
IT systems engineers. They design
and install telecommunications
Photo: www.samsung.de
equipment or company networks
according to their customers’
needs. They also install power
supply systems, wireless networks
and test electrical protective
measures that are used to protect
the equipment from power surges.
Furthermore, they advise and train
their customers.
In an occupation as varied as this
one, attention to detail and a will-
ingness to learn are very important
traits. Skills in maths and physics,
abstract and logical thinking,
technical understanding and an
independent working style are also
beneficial for those looking to work
in this area.
IT systems engineers are mainly hired by telecommunications
networks, system manufacturers
or security technology companies. Corresponding jobs can also
be found occasionally at retail
companies or engineering firms.
Prerequisite is a three-year training
programme at a vocational school
and company. Those that want a
related degree can study IT. More
information is available at:
www.it-berufe.de
Leysan Nasretdinova
Institute of Economic Education at
Oldenburg
www.handelsblattmachtschule.de/newcomer
February 2015, ISSUE 32
HANDELSBLATT FOCUS 3
INTERVIEW
“Television is
being used
differently now.”
Klaas Heufer-Umlauf,
TV host from “Circus
Halli-Galli” and
other shows
Has traditional television become outdated?
There is a lot happening at the moment and
the competition does not sleep. Take Amazon
as an example. They opened an online video
portal and only a few months later, they had
strong competition. [...] Established providers
cannot rest on their laurels – otherwise new
players will run right by them.
Netﬂix founder Reed
Hastings.
for online video portals is in a phase of pred- shows. This initially seems at odds with the
atory competition (see cheat sheet). That is amount of time the average German watchwhy these companies aren’t publishing their es TV – a statistic that has stayed relatively
viewer figures – they don’t want to give their constant at 220 minutes per day. The answer
competitors any advantage.
is that the TV has become the new radio: a
Even outside of these companies, there background medium.
are very few statistics on the new world of
This development also affects income
digital television in Germany. Though most for private broadcasters, as they rely heavily
broadcasters now offer their own media li- on revenue from TV commercials. If fewer
brary on the internet, where their shows can people watch the blockbuster movie during
be watched on-demand, viewing statistics on prime time, companies are not willing to
these oﬀerings are still in their infancy. The pay so much for advertising. This has led TV
Arbeitsgemeinschaft Fernsehforschung (AGF
stations to increasingly turn
– TV Research Syndicate),
their focus to TV-independent
mpetition
Predatory co
which also determines
income. The channels run by
d
in high deman
the ratings for normal telethe Pro-Sieben-Sat.1 Group
If a product is
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fe
only a
and supplied by ere is a risk
vision, started collecting
a l re ady e a r n m o re t h a n
th
s,
large provider s will exploit
data on some online media
20 percent of their money
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th
that
e to their size
libraries in 2014.
with activities that are quite
their market. Du can oﬀer their
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Though statistics for
unusual for broadcasting
r
s so low thei
goods at price t match them.
online video sources may
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competitors ca are pushed out
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Smalle
new
and potential
Cologne comedy trio Y-TitThe world of television
s
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that their ch
providers see
m.
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s
changing and those
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of success are
exclusively via YouTube,
changes are coming to
prove that online platforms
Germany. Accenture, a consulting
have already attained mainstream status. This firm, estimates that sales in digital video will
is further seen in the fact that an increasing increase from 170 million to 500 million eunumber of younger people do not own tele- ros by 2020. Whether Netflix or some other
visions. Instead, they simply use their PCs, service will benefit from this trend is yet to
laptops and tablets to watch their favourite be seen.
www.handelsblattmachtschule.de/newcomer
Your show has a strong digital and social
component. After the broadcast on TV, there
is a lot of activity on Facebook and Twitter
with links to snippets from “Circus Halli-Galli”. Does it annoy you when people simply
look at the traditional TV ratings to assess
the success of your show?
The discussion surrounding TV ratings and
how they are determined has been around for
a long time. Recently, there has been talk that
it is now possible to include digital views in
the ratings. Personally, I find it hard to believe
that it has taken this long. Television is being
used differently now. At the end of the day,
people just want to know: How many were
watching?
Many of the people who talk about you on
social media don’t just watch your show;
they also want something speciﬁc from you.
How important is the feedback from your
fans on Twitter and Facebook?
We didn’t come up with a system for how to
properly handle all of these comments and
questions. We simply react using our gut
instincts. However, it goes without saying that
we meet up to discuss how we want to position our shows on the social networks. But
the worst thing we could do is try to force
one medium into the other.
Excerpts from an interview in the
Handelsblatt (October 2014).
The interview was conducted by
Rupert Sommer, Handelsblatt Munich.
Photos: Stephane Cardinale/People Avenue; Willy C. Randerath/Scholz Press
4 PROFILE
February 2015, ISSUE 32
A Noble Prize
At the end of every year, outstanding researchers are recognized for
their achievements with the Nobel Prize. This year,
Jean Tirole received the Prize in the field of Economics.
Beate Faulborn
Institute of Economic Education at Oldenburg
F
inally, after 15 years, the Nobel Prize for
Economics has returned to Europe – and
Jean Tirole is the reason why. The French
researcher received his gold medal from the
Swedish King, Carl Gustaf, in Stockholm this
past December. Amongst other things, Tirole
studies markets that are controlled by only a
handful of companies, so-called oligopolies,
at the Toulouse School of Economics. In many
cases, these companies use their position of
power to take advantage of other companies
or consumers. The 61-year-old is being recog-
nized for his work showing how the state can
reduce the influence of such companies on
aﬀected markets.
The Prize was created by the Swedish inventor and industrial entrepreneur Alfred Nobel
back in the 19th century. In his will, he specified that his wealth should be used to create
Nobel Prize laureates in Economics
Number of laureates since 1969*
USA
» It’s strange that Germany has
Victor, Year 11
9
Norway
3
France
2
Sweden
2
Germany 1
Others
only produced one Economics
Nobel Prize winner* when one
considers its strong economic
position in the world.
*Reinhard Selten, 1994
53
Great Britian
The student editorial board says:
«
a foundation that would honour outstanding
achievements in physics, chemistry, medicine
and literature as well as recognizing eﬀorts for
peace. Since 1901, the Prize has been awarded
every year on the date of his death, 10 December, by the Royal Swedish Academy. Along with
a gold medal, the researchers receive prize
money totalling nearly one million euros.
Alfred Nobel viewed the field of Economics
with scepticism, which is why the Prize for
Economics has only been awarded since 1969.
It was initiated by the Swedish central bank.
The bank also supplies the prize money for the
laureates in this field.
5
* There can be more than one laureate
each year.
Quelle: Nobel Foundation / Statista
Nobel laureate in Economics, Jean Tirole.
Özil: A Man of Many Talents
Christian Ritter
Institute of Economic Education at Oldenburg
World Cup champion, entrepreneur, social
media star and philanthropist: Professional
footballer Mesut Özil is all that and more. The
26-year-old is using his current market value
for a career that will last well beyond his
football-playing days.
For the moment, though, his biggest capital
remains his skill on the football pitch. The
Gelsenkirchen native began his professional career at Schalke 04, moving on to Werder
Bremen in 2008. Just two years later,
the exceptional talent was bought
by the world-class Spanish club
Real Madrid for a transfer fee
of approximately 18 million
Photos: Corbis | Rolf Kosecki; STRINGER/FRANCE/Reuters
euros. In 2013, Arsenal London paid 50 million
euros to bring him to England. In the meantime, Özil also played his way to a regular spot
on the German national team. Together with
his teammates, he achieved
the highlight of his career
thus far: a World Cup championship.
Off the pitch, he concentrated on developing his
own business. He took over
a marketing and sports
agenc y from his father,
which is run by his
brother Mutlu.
T h e a ge n c y
provides career advice
to top athletes. One of its customers is Özil
himself.
The football player also has a much better
understanding of how to get the most out of social media tools like Facebook or Twitter than
most of his peers. With over 27 million fans on
Facebook and roughly 8.5 million followers on
Twitter, he is the most successful footballer in
terms of social media impact.
He also increases his popularity with generous
donations: 23 Brazilian children with cleft lips
and palates were treated during the Football
World Cup thanks to a donation from Mesut
Özil. As a result, he received the Laureus Award
for charity.
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COMPANIES AND MARKETS 5
February 2015, ISSUE 32
Built on
Sand
Sand is in high demand, which
has made it a popular target for
thieves. Both the economy and
the environment suﬀer from the
impacts of sand theft.
Maren Kienaß
Institute of Economic Education at Oldenburg
W
hat do smartphones, window panes
and toothpaste have in common?
They all consist
partly of sand. The small
kernels have become one
of the most coveted raw materials
on earth. The
United Nations
(UN) estimates
global demand
for sand to
amount to about 40 billion tons annually.
Sand is not only needed for the production
of computer chips, glass and cleaning agents,
but also for the production of concrete, which
is then used to build streets and houses. Particularly demand for construction sand has
risen dramatically over the past few years.
Driving this development has been a construction boom in countries like the United Arab
Emirates and China. These countries continue
to develop larger and larger cities with buildings reaching dizzying heights. Slowly, but
surely, this is leading to a real problem. Similar
to raw materials like oil or coal, sand is only
available in limited quantities, which means
that sand is becoming increasingly scarce.
When one thinks about the many deserts in
the world, this seems hard to believe. But sand
from some deserts, such as the Sahara, has
a major disadvantage: Since the kernels are
rounder in shape, they can’t be used for construction applications. Sea sand, on the other
hand, or sand that is mined from sand quarries,
such as those in Germany, are rougher and
therefore have better adherence.
As a result, construction
companies prefer
such sand.
Sand and Stone
The average German consumes many raw materials
during their lifetime (in tons)
Construction sand
and gravel
227.5
205.8
Natural stone
Brown coal /
lignite
165.3
Natural gas
(1000 m 3)
98.9
Oil
93.4
Limestone and
dolomite brick
Black coal
61.3
56.7
Source: (German) Federal Statistical Office
The high demand for this increasingly scarce
resource is resulting in a rapidly increasing
price. In poorer areas, or in countries where
sand extraction is not as closely monitored as
in Germany, there are a growing number of
sand thieves. They take the raw material from
beaches in coastal areas or extract it from the
sea. Occasionally, they take major risks regarding their own safety, diving deep into the sea
with no oxygen tanks.
This practice also has a negative impact on
the environment. Illegal sand extraction damages the natural habitat for the local plants
and animals. Furthermore, it can cause drinking water to become saltier over time and the
ground in coastal areas can become unstable.
For many of the aﬀected areas, sand theft
has also led to serious economic consequences.
The Maldives or the Indonesian Islands, for
example, depend on tourism. Vacationers expect one thing in particular from such places:
beautiful white beaches.
COMMENT: STRANGE, BUT NECESSARY
In Namibia, in the southwest of Africa, there is a desert that many a sea captain has cursed. For sailors
shipwrecked off the Namibian coast, the joy of
having successfully reached land soon turns to
doom. Instead of civilization, these shipwrecked
sailors have landed on a desert sandbank
that stretches for hundreds of kilometres. No
drinking water, no food. They escaped one
death for another. That is why the place is
known as Skeleton Coast.
It is likely little comfort for
these past mariners to learn
that this land has become
very valuable. This desert of
www.handelsblattmachtschule.de/newcomer
death has become so valuable, in fact, that Namibia
has anchored its protection in the country’s
constitution. The aim of this protection is
not to ensure the delight of future tourists or to preserve the beauty of these
unique sand dunes. No, the Namibians
know that their once despised sand is a
valuable raw material. There are far too
many people that would love to take that
sand and sell it.
Thankfully, we don’t have to be as
strict as the Namibians when it comes
to protecting our sand. However, this
doesn’t mean that everyone can do
what they like with German sand. Those that intend
to use sand for commercial purposes must have state
approval. This is to ensure that the groundwater is
not negatively affected and that Germany doesn’t
look like some alien landscape in a few years.
Sometimes governments have to make regulations
and laws that seem crazy at first glance. You would
think that there is plenty of sand in the world. But as
soon as someone figured out how to make money
with it, theft and exploitation became a problem that
needed a legal solution.
Dieter Fockenbrock
Handelsblatt Düsseldorf
Photo: Pablo Castagnola; Karikatur: Lea Schönborn & Lea Parisius
6 HANDELSBLATT EXPLAINED
To Him Who
Has, More
Will Be Given
A study shows that the world’s
rich are becoming increasingly
wealthy while the poor get poorer.
Norbert Häring/Susanne Schier
Excerpt from a Handelsblatt article
from 15 October 2014
February 2015, ISSUE 32
After the US, the UK and France, Germany
showed the greatest growth in assets in terms
of absolute figures. Many wealthy people live
in Germany. Germans account for six percent
of all US-dollar millionaires. Only the US, Japan and France have more. […]
But in terms of average total assets per
adult, Germany is far from the top. The global
average is 56,000 US dollars. Germany is
among the richest group of countries with an
above average figure of more than 100,000
US dollars per capita. But that number doesn’t
even get it in the top 10. The world leader in
this area is Switzerland, where the average
total assets per adult citizen is 581,000 US
dollars. Australia, Norway and the US round
out the top four (see infographic). […]
A Handelsblatt article
explained
This time on the topic of
wealth distribution
Where the richest people live
Countries with the highest average
total assets per capita
Rank
T
he French economist Thomas Piketty
struck a chord and simultaneously
penned a huge success with his book
“Capital in the Twenty-First Century” on
the long-term growth of wealth inequality.
Though his book was written in 2013, his
analysis still holds true more than a year later.
This is reflected in the Global Wealth Report
from the Swiss bank Credit Suisse […]. A comparison with 2010, the year in which Piketty’s
data ends, shows that wealth is becoming
increasingly concentrated with the rich elite.
While the top one percent accounted for 43
percent of global financial and real estate
assets, by mid-2014 this figure had climbed
to 48.2 percent. This corresponds to a total
of 126.9 trillion dollars worldwide. The lower
asset classes lost ground during this same
period. […]
Assets
Change
in US-dollars from 2013*
1. Switzerland 581 000
+10.5%
2. Australia
431 000
+5.0%
3. Norway
359 000
-4.0%
4. USA
348 000
+10.5%
5. Sweden
333 000
+4.8%
6. France
317 000
+9.1%
Source: (German) Federal Statistical Office
Poverty and wealth are often found in close proximity.
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
Thomas Piketty, the author referenced in the Handelsblatt article
above, is a Professor of Economics
at a university in Paris. Amongst
other things, he conducted research on the issue of global wealth
distribution. To do this, he did not
look at income, meaning wages or
salaries, but rather assets: savings,
real estate, objects of value, gold
and stock holdings.
Piketty and other researchers come
to the same conclusion: That rich
people tend to get even richer. This
doesn’t necessarily mean, however,
that the rest of the world is poor.
But there is a clear trend regarding
Photos: Corbis | GLEB GARANICH/Reuters
the distribution of wealth between
the rich and poor, with the gap
between them growing ever wider.
This also applies to Germany.
What are the causes behind this
development?
One important factor is that rich
people can invest their assets
broadly – in things like shares,
real estate or precious metals.
This gives them a better chance
of generating profits than smaller
investors, who often simply put
their modest assets into a savings
account. Also: People with lower
incomes and less property have
a more difficult time reaching a
point where they can save money
and invest it. Their first priority is
ensuring that their daily needs and
those of their family are met.
Another reason: Wealth is often
passed down to one’s own children,
which simply continues the pattern
of uneven distribution.
What are the consequences of
unequal wealth distribution?
It can trigger social conflicts. When
people feel that their work is not
being adequately valued and that
they are being unfairly treated, this
can quickly complicate existing
social tensions. As those who are
wealthy tend to have greater political influence, there is the danger
that less wealthy members of society are not equally represented.
One must also keep in mind what
it means for the individuals when
they have little or no assets. These
people worry about unemployment,
living in poverty during their retirement and the opportunities for
their children – they aren’t able to
afford a high standard of living.
Simone Malz
Institute of Economic Education at
Oldenburg
www.handelsblattmachtschule.de/newcomer
STUDENT JOURNALISTS 7
February 2015, ISSUE 32
Dream Job: Police Oﬃcer
Lea Sophie completed a two-week internship at the police station in Goslar last
September to get a taste of her dream occupation. This is her first-hand report.
Lea Sophie Jürgens (Year 9)
Adolf-Grimme-Gesamtschule Goslar
I
am the child of two police oﬃcers.
My mother works service and patrol duty while my father works
the day shift in the Criminal Investigation Department. I wanted to
see what it’s like to ride with the
police on patrol, so I did a twoweek internship.
For two weeks, I could look over
the shoulders of the officers
at the police station in Goslar during the early and
late shifts. As an intern,
I re c e ive d my ow n I D
card, which I had to keep
visible at all times, and a
light safety vest. The “col-
leagues” were all very nice to me and always
answered my questions.
I regularly accompanied police officers in the patrol car. We stopped
cars and checked the drivers’ papers, for example. Once, we had to
secure evidence after a break-in.
One could see exactly how the
perpetrator entered the house
and what he did once inside.
Another time, a man called
the police because he couldn’t
reach his neighbour and
was worried that something might have happened to him.
When we got to the scene, we found blood
on the stairs and noticed that some papers
and a key were lying next to the apartment.
After no one responded to the doorbell, we
called the locksmith and an ambulance. It
was a good thing we did, as we found the
resident lying next to his bed, injured. It
looked as if he had fallen and hurt himself.
He was taken directly to the hospital.
I also was regularly in the police station.
While the police oﬃcers wrote their reports,
I browsed through folders and read old logs.
It was during this time that I learned just
how much time police oﬃcers need for their
paperwork.
Overall, I enjoyed the internship. It
encouraged me in my desire to become a
police oﬃcer.
Police intern
Lea Sophie.
A Student Exchange Requires Good Planning
Anton Herrschel (Jahrgang 11)
Student editor
Living and going to school in another country? Some of my friends have done this and
returned with many positive reports. Towards
the middle of last year, I too began thinking
about doing an exchange. The idea of leaving
my familiar environment for such a long time
was at odds with the excitement about the
extraordinary experiences I
could have. I took a month to
weigh all of the pros and cons.
The final result: I want to have
an adventure abroad. In a few
days, I will fly to Australia and
spend the next five months
there. I look forward to really
getting to know a foreign country beyond the usual touristy
sites and activities.
Most students go abroad
as part of an exchange programme. There are other possiwww.handelsblattmachtschule.de/newcomer
bilities, though, such as Au-pair programmes for a visa (see cheat sheet). There are many
that allow you to see what family life is like diﬀerent providers on the market, which can
in a different country, as well as Work and make choosing an agency somewhat diffiTravel programmes. Since I decided to do a cult. It’s also important to know that agency
fees can be relatively
student exchange programme, my
high. Every student
first step was to find an exchange
Visa
rmission
pe
en
itt
should therefore
agency. These agencies guide your
wr
e
th
A visa is
ter another
start planning early.
search for a suitable host family,
that one can en
s need a visa
country. German ssia, China
Looking into scholhandle some related paperwork
Ru
before entering
ple. The
arship offers and
and can assist with the application
am
ex
r
fo
a,
ali
or Austr
by an embassy
checking eligibilvisa is provided
agency. A visa
ity requirements
or similar state
in
th
wi
ps
tri
r
y fo
is not necessar
for state funding
the EU.
programmes,
like an educational travel grant, is a good start.
In October, I attended a preparation seminar
held by my agency. The course leader explained, amongst other things, how Australian life and culture diﬀers from Germany.
My bags are now largely packed. I’m sure I’ll
get a little nervous right before the flight, but
I am already looking forward to my first time
The Australian capital Sydney.
Down Under.
Photos: Privat; Corbis | Andrea Francolini
8 FUN & FACTS
February 2015, ISSUE 32
Impressum
Editorial
Herausgeber: Dieter Fockenbrock, V.i.S.d.P.
(Chefkorrespondent Handelsblatt) und Hans
Kaminski (Direktor des Instituts für Ökonomische
Bildung IÖB, Uni Oldenburg)
It’s Our Freedom at Stake
Redaktion: Melanie Rübartsch
he image will long remain in our memory.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel walking arm in arm with French President
François Hollande in Paris, her eyes closed,
nearly in tears. They then join a demonstration
march – the likes of which Europe had never
seen before.
Millions of people took
to the streets in the French
capital. They were protesting the terrorist attack on
“Charlie Hebdo”, where
nearly the entire editorial
board was killed. The cry of
“Je suis Charlie” was heard
around the world. “I am Charlie” means that
we all feel aﬀected by what happened. And we
stand in solidarity with those directly aﬀected.
This attack wasn’t just aimed
at these writers in Paris; it was also
an attempt to kill the freedom
of expression. The terrorists
murdered these people in
response to the critical
images that they regularly published in
their magazine.
Konzept: Katrin Eggert, Dieter Fockenbrock,
Hans Kaminski, Michael Koch
Art Director: Stefan Vieten
Koordination: Maren Kienaß, Melanie Rübartsch
Layout und Fotos: Sandra Janzsó, Corinna Thiel
Marketing und Vertrieb: Verena von Hugo
Englische Übersetzung: John Dalbey für PONS GmbH
Verlag: Handelsblatt GmbH
Geschäftsführung: Gabor Steingart (Vorsitzender),
Frank Dopheide, Claudia Michalski, Ingo Rieper
Kasernenstr. 67, 40213 Düsseldorf,
Tel.: +49 (0) 211-887-0
Druck: kuncke druck GmbH,
Kornkamp 24, 22926 Ahrensburg
Mitarbeiter dieser Ausgabe: Lea Sophie Jürgens,
Lehrer und Schüler der Helene-Lange-Schule
Oldenburg (Ortrud Reuter-Kaminski,
Victor Borghardt, Hanne Hägele, Anton Herrschel,
Yannoh Mügge, Tomma Otzen, Lea Parisius, Kaja
Schönborn, Lea Schönborn, Imke Thomssen,
Fleming Wiesner)
Fragen und Feedback: [email protected]
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Monate.
Lehrkräfte können den Handelsblatt Newcomer
für ihre Schüler kostenlos bestellen:
www.handelsblattmachtschule.de/newcomer
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freundlicher
Unterstützung
von:
Bildmaterial mit
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Unterstützung
von:
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Übersetzung des Handelsblatt Newcomers
auf unserer Internetseite kostenlos als PDF
herunterladen. Mehr Infos unter:
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JETZT FAN WERDEN!
Auf www.facebook.com/
handelsblattmachtschule
gibt es aktuelle News und
Informationen für Schulen aus der Wirtschaft. Willkommen sind auch Meinungen
zum Handelsblatt Newcomer oder eigene
Themenideen.
Photo: Sebastian Damberger
T
The freedom to think, to say, to write and
to draw what one wants is very important for
our democracy – both in France and in Germany. The right to express one’s opinion freely
protects us from people who think they know
everything better. Such people usually manipulate others and take
advantage of them – like
dictators for example. Or
terrorists.
Protecting freedom is
difficult. It can’t be done
with violence. Instead we
must be determined and
not allow ourselves be intimidated. Let us imitate the example given by
François Hollande and Angela Merkel – regardless of who is attempting to take our freedom.
That’s why we at Newcomer are
also “Charlie”.
Hans Kaminski (Headmaster of the IÖB)
and Dieter Fockenbrock (Chief Correspondent at the
Handelsblatt)
VOCABULARY
ENGLISCH
DEUTSCH
ENGLISCH
DEUTSCH
to outpace sth.
schneller sein als etw.
to covet sth.
etw. begehren
to be impacted by sth.
von etw. betroffen sein
adherence
Haftfestigkeit
to give sth./so. a run for
its money
etw./jmdm. Konkurrenz
machen
to be shipwrecked
Schiffbruch erleiden
to pen sth.
etw. verfassen
to drop in on so.
jmdn. besuchen
assets
Vermögen
clueless
ahnungslos
to secure evidence
Beweise sichern
to cast doubt
on sth.
Zweifel an etw.
aufkommen lassen
perpetrator
Täter
power surge
(elektrische)
Überspannung
locksmith
Schlosser
prerequisite
Voraussetzung
to be at odds
with sth.
mit etw. nicht
übereinstimmen
scarce
selten
eligibility requirements
Teilnahmebedingungen
to rest on one's
laurels
sich auf seinen Lorbeeren
ausruhen
gut instinct
Bauchgefühl
laureate
Preisträger
cleft lip /
cleft palate
Lippenspalte /
Gaumenspalte
pane
(Glas-)Scheibe
WCOMER
The next HNE
ril.
will be published in Ap
topics, including
It will cover numerous
.
ON
ATI
LIZ
DIGITA
www.handelsblattmachtschule.de/newcomer