ze summary (from Dropbox) and my comment on it

SUK3 Europe already has one foot in ‘Japanese’
deflation
SUMMARY OF EUROPE ALREADY HAS ONE FOOT IN ‘JAPANESE‘ DEFLATION

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, in the Telegraph of October 23, 2013, discusses the aspects of
the European Debt crisis while suggesting potential pertinent solutions. He dissects this
economic dilemma by providing a wide range of specific examples to expose its nature.
Evans-Pritchard proves that such a crisis is not preliminary by illustrating his article with
examples of events such as the American Revolution and the US agrarian revolt of the late
20th century, which according to author were induced by the economic policy errors. These
errors are being committed even nowadays.
Accordingly, the risks of deflation are highly underestimated, particularly in low debt
countries. While the inflation has been subsiding, there has been an upsurge of deflation. If
the latter exceeds 300%, severe consequences are to be expected. The Eurozone countries
are on the verge of experiencing the Japanese-style deflation.
Moreover, the symptoms are already there but attempts to eradicate the deflation problems
are not undertaken. Although, there are potential solutions such as forcing Germany to
accept inflation, the country is tentative to do so, due to its strong economy. Therefore,
apathy is chosen with a hope for a salvation by the next global growth.
193 WORDS NOT INCLUDING TITLE


The first part is well written as it mentions the author, the newspaper and the date. It gives us an overview of what the article is about. I would have left out the dates of the American Revolution and the US agrarian revolt as it is not really necessary, you either know it or you look it up when you're interested. It is important to mention these events and not the dates.
I wouldn't mention numbers like 300% (in second part of the text). It's enough just to write "exceed", as this verb already suggests higher numbers. I don't think you have to mention precise numbers in a summary.
The last part includes three linking words, avoid them!
The anonymous writer could have explained one argument a little more or could have mentioned which countries are affected. That way he/she would have reached the 200 words.
All in all, I really like this summary. It provides enough information, and not many unnecessary arguments.

EU individual paragraph

Brainstorming

Why is 2013 the European Year of Citizens? --> mention 20th anniversary

Maastricht Treaty ---> why is it important? What was invented? Was it a big change for the people?

Mention EYCA --> what is their aim? Mention new law proposals!

What does the European Year of Citizens stand for? --> one big EU community, interests of citizens, European citizen need to be aware of the regulations they can benefit from, the meaning of being in the EU

2013 - The European Year of Citizens

When looking back at the year 2013 people will mostly reflect on what they have experienced in the past months. However, 2013 bears a relevant meaning in connection to the EU as well. The year 2013 is named “The European Year of Citizen” and thus is significant for the citizens of the European member countries. The reason behind this title is first and foremost the 20^th anniversary of the European community which was established through the Maastricht Treaty. This treaty led to the foundation of the Euro and introduced new regulations for the EU concering policies and, of course, citizenship. This particular treaty made traveling and living abroad and many other affairs for EU citizens easier. On that account this year’s focus of interest lies on civil rights and many organisations such as the EYCA (European Year of Citizen Alliance) are zealously making an effort to convey the meaning of being a European citizen to the people. One of their aims is to make people aware of the many ways they can benefit from the EU. They also want to put forward many new law proposals for the citizens’ interest. In the end it is very important for us to use these great opportunities that the EU offers.  

Feedback summary 1

• Topic sentence should connect to the topic --> Mention the EU in the topic sentence already
• Replace "However" because you want to say that it was an important year for the EU as well.
  However suggests right the opposite!
• Connect the second and third sentence: "2013 bears a relevant meaning....as it was named...thus is significant"
• After "On that account" --> comma!!
• "...to convey the meaning of being a European citizen to the people." --> replace "to the people" with to the outside world --> much broader
• Register: write "several new law proposals" instead of "many new law proposals" as it is higher register
• "In the end" doesn't suggest a conclusion sentence.
  Write: "To sum up, ... " 

rewritten paragraph

The year 2013 bears a relevant meaning in connection to the EU as it was named “The European Year of Citizen”. As the name suggests, this year is very significant for the citizens of the European member countries. The reason behind this title is first and foremost the 20^th anniversary of the European community as it was established through the Maastricht Treaty. This treaty led to the foundation of the Euro as well as new regulations for the EU concering policies and, of course, citizenship. This particular treaty made traveling and living abroad and many other affairs for EU citizens easier. On that account, this year's focus of interest lies on civil rights and many organisations such as the EYCA (European Year of Citizen Alliance) are zealously making an effort to convey the meaning of being a European citizen to the population. One of the EYCA's aims is to make people aware of the many ways they can benefit from the EU. The organisation also wants to put forward several new law proposals for the citizens’ interest. To sum up, it is very important for us to use these great opportunities that the EU offers.  

Feedback summary 2 

• Watch out! --> "an" European citizen
• Conclusion sentence:  doesn't sum up! Mention the whole idea of the EYOC, then you can mention it is important for us to use the opportunities as we are EU citizens
• Still too many "many"s --> replace with great deal of
• in connection WITH the EU
• foundation--> introduction
• concering --> concerning

Final version

The year 2013 bears a relevant meaning in connection to the EU as it was named “The European Year of Citizen”. As the name suggests, this year is very significant for the citizens of the European member countries. The reason behind this title is first and foremost the 20^th anniversary of the European community as it was established through the Maastricht Treaty. This treaty led to the  introduction of the Euro as well as new regulations for the EU concerning policies and, of course, citizenship. This particular treaty made traveling and living abroad and a great deal of other affairs for EU citizens easier. On that account, this year's focus of interest lies on civil rights and organisations such as the EYCA (European Year of Citizen Alliance) are zealously making an effort to convey the meaning of being an European citizen to the population. One of the EYCA's aims is to make people aware of the many ways they can benefit from the EU. The organisation also wants to put forward several new law proposals for the citizens’ interest. To sum up, the EU citizens are truly at the heart of this year's concern. 

Feedback from teachers

• First sentence suggests that 2013 was the only year which was given a name
• Replace "the reason behind this title" with "The reason why this theme was chosen"
• It takes very long to get to my point --> delete the introduction of the Euro f.e.
• "This (particular) treaty --> don't repeat yourself!
• use "term" instead of "affairs"; following word order is incorrect
• I suggest replace "easier" with "facilitate"
• Replace the underlined "on that account"
• "focus of interest" --> Leave it to "focus"
• write the whole name of the organisation and the abbrevation in paranthesis
• "zealously making an effort" --> no Coll. 
• Replace "the meaning of being a.." with "what it means to be"
• "for the citizens' interest" --> use "to benefit the citizens"
• Conclusion sentence is not strong!

Second Final Version

Each year bears a relevant meaning in connection to the EU and this particular year was given the name “The European Year of Citizen”. As the title suggests, this year is significant for the citizens of the European member countries. The reason why this theme was chosen is first and foremost the 20^th anniversary of the European community as it was established through the Maastricht Treaty. In honor of this treaty, which facilitated traveling, living abroad and a great deal of other terms for EU citizens, this year's focus lies on civil rights and organisations such as the European Year of Citizen Alliance (EYCA) are making an effort to convey what it means to be an European citizen to the population. One of the EYCA's aims is to make people aware of the many ways they can take advantages of the EU. The organisation also wants to put forward several new law proposals to benefit the citizens. To sum up, it is not without reasons that the EU has given 2013 a special meaning as it affects everyone who resides within the borders of the EU. 

5 topic related to the EU

In the last few days I was thinking about some topics which are related to the EU and of which I would gladly write a paper about. The first idea that came to my mind was to relate different hobbies or interests of mine to the EU. The following are my five brilliant topics:

1.) "Caricature and the EU" - As photography is my favourite hobby I tried to come up with an idea which is related to photography. Political cartoons, also called caricature, seems to be just the right topic for me. When I typed in the word "EU caricature" into Google I found large amounts of caricatures which describe different events within the European Union in a cynical and sarcastic way. I plan to analyse some of them.

2.) "Why is Brussels the center of the EU?" - The reason why I came up with this topic is because I love travelling and I've even been to Brussels once. Seeing these huge buildings and a lot of men in suits have left behind an impression. I've always been asking myself why the EU decided to take up residence in Brussels and not in another city. The paper would be a great opportunity to answer this question.

3.) "Requirements to be a translator in the EU" - How many languages are we required to speak if we want to be future translator or interpreters in the European Union? I chose this topic because most of the students at the ITAT want to work in the EU and it would be beneficial to know what exactly is required from us.

4.) "EU and the connection to the Arabic World" - The second language I study is Arabic. It would be interesting to know whether the EU cooperates with Arabic countries and whether there exists a future chance for me to work as a translator in this field.

5.) "When does a country become member of the EU?" - Why are there still countries in the European territory which are not yet part of the EU? What makes a EU country a EU country?

My topics for the KGP

Students scurrying around, the lack of enough feedback sheets and listening comprehensions and the struggle to maintain the time schedule - this is a perfect description for the culture days :-). However, the topics were well chosen and every presentation was informative.

On Wednesday I've seen these presentations:
America: Oprah Winfrey

Ireland:  The life of Irish Traveller Women, Bloody Sunday for the GAA, Gaelic and its use in Northern Ireland

On Thursday I've seen these presentations:

America: Harlem, Scientology

Ireland: Operation Demetrius, Patrick Nee, Oscar Wilde and William Yeats, the Integration of Islam in Ireland, Witchcraft in Ireland, Homophobic Bullying in Irish schools, Kilmainhaim Gaol, the Children of Lir, Gulliver's Travels and Pro-life

I was very indecisive at first concerning what topics I'll chose for the KGP. These are the ones I'd like to be questioned about in the KGP:

1. Operation Demetrius - I'm highly interested in the happenings of Northern Ireland and its history. Furthermore, it relates to my own Culture Topic as the Guildford Four were arrested 4 years after that. 
2. The life of Irish Traveller Women - I've never heard of "Irish Travellers" before so that's why I want to    know more about it.
3. Kilmainhaim Gaol - I myself have been to this jail in Ireland and its story really fascinates me.
4. Pro-life - This issue is currently very controversial and I'd like to be more aware of arguments against abortion
5. Oscar Wilde and William Yeats - As Oscar Wilde is one of my favourite authors, I'd like to get to know more about William Yeats in connection with Oscar Wilde. 

Shocking words

"Gerry Conlon" - A man who is willing to reveal the truth about victims of miscarriages of justice by reflecting every pain he himself had to go through!
In preparation for the presentation of my culture topic I have seen many interviews of Gerry Conlon. It appears to me that he still remembers every moment of these horrible 15 years in prison. When he talks it seems that he puts himself back into prison. He recalls the exact date and time of certain situations and his face becomes extremely terrified by these memories. Have a look at these 3 interviews of him! When I saw them for the first time I almost started to cry. It's quite unbelievable that human beings are able and willing to act in such cruel ways.

• Gerry Conlon 1
• Gerry Conlon 2 (Part 1)
• Gerry Conlon 2 (Part 2)

He wants to raise people's awareness for Gary Critchley and Shaker Aamer who both have become victims of flawed courts. They are falsely condemned prisoners in the 21st century!

I really recommend watching these interviews as I didn't have enough time to show them to you at my presentation. I guess it's a good way to bring yourself back down to earth and realise what a blessed life we lead. 

First time on a flea market

Last sunday I decided to go to a flea market with my mother. I had always wanted to see how a flea market looks like and especially what the people sell. I think it is a very personal thing to sell your own items. Through the years you collect a number of things and they somehow define your character. People give things some kind of meaning and that's the special part of a flea market. So many different people want to get rid of their stuff and it's actually very interesting to see what they posses and give meaning to. You automatically create a picture of the person's character. Anyway, I saw some really cool things there. Rummaging around I found old books, antique furniture, loads of records and some cool clothes. Most of the items were very special and unique. I don't quite understand why people are so reluctant to wear clothes from other people. Why not? If it's something very exclusive that you can't find anywhere nowadays why wouldn't you buy it? That's why washing machines are there for! :-)
However, I have to admit that some people wanted to sell their trash too. Well, it was worth a try :-)
The atmosphere was very great as all people were in search of something different and unique. I'll definitely will go to a few flea markets more often, you just never know what you can discover :-)

I extended my book collection by buying three books on the flea market. One book from 1942! is written by an Austrian author called Grillparzer. It is just about to fall to pices as it is very old. The other book is a thick one from 1944 and written by Nietzsche. It looks very dusty and really antique. The third one is a newer book written by Mario Puzo. I only spent three euro for these books. Unbelieveable! :-)

A Chocolate Factory without Oompa Loompas

The marvellous Riegersburg

Zotterchocolate - This is the name of the only real Austrian chocolate. Some members of the English group felt peckish and they made their way ahead, including myself, towards the chocolate factory which is located not far away from the magnificent Riegersburg. It took us only one hour to reach the destination. The drive was very entertaining and an auspicious start for the trip. We chatted the whole driving time through and that somehow distracted our great driver Julia from keeping track. Anyway, we arrived there before the others :-)

After paying the entrance we got a little spoon which we used for all the very delicious chocolate fountains. Before the tour began a film was shown to us. It was about the owner of the factory, Josef Zotter, and about the whole process of importing the cocao beans from India where the weather conditions are more than perfect for growing cocao beans. The concept of the Zotterchocolate is what makes the chocolate so special. The Zottercompany really tries to treat the farmers in India very fair and provide them with food and good salaries. This is not so common in the rough world of food companies. So, while eating a Zotterchocolate you can be sure that the farmers are treated well in comparison to other companies, where the poor farmers don't earn enough money and therefore live under deprived conditions. After the short film we couldn't wait longer and stormed into the real factory. We stuffed ourselves with every chocolate we came across, some of them were good but a few were a little yucky. Two chocolate fountains were heavenly delicious to me - nougat chocolat and caramel chocolat. I couldn't help returning to refill my spoon. In the end a few of us had to rest because they were too full to move on :-)

Then we continued to the Tiergarten and stroked some lovely animals. The weather was sunny and we enjoyed the mountain air which smelled like the scent of cows :-) We even saw Josef Zotter smilling at us but I couldn't react so quickly and so there's no picture of him :-(
After a while we got back in the cars and visited a typical Autrian Buschenschank at the foot of the Riegersburg. We had a marvellous view to the castle. We had a really great time while eating freshly made bread with different spreads and salads and while drinking fresh juices. But it eventually began to flash and we had to return back home.
The Zotterfabrik-trip was a good idea to stuff our bellies with great chocolate and to get to know each other a little more. We really had a great time :-)

By the way, I'm sure there were Oompa Loompas in the factory but they were too shy to come out :-)