pages 2, 3 page 4 page 6 - handelsblatt macht schule...exploring space why we invest so much money...

EXPLORING SPACEWhy we invest so much money in space research. PAGES 2, 3

LOONY FOR LOOMSCheong Choon Ng invented the trendy loom bracelets and is now a millionaire. PAGE 4

EBOLA EPIDEMICThousands are dying from the virus in Africa. We look at why there is no cure. PAGE 6

Nicole BastianHandelsblatt Frankfurt

A number of violent confl icts are currently tak-ing place around the world. The situation in the Ukraine and the civil war in Syria are just

two examples of this. Another is the brutal terrorist group, Islamic State (IS), which is expanding its infl u-ence in the Middle East. These confl icts are all taking place in regions far from Germany. And yet they somehow seem very near to us.

In June, IS fi ghters captured the city of Mosul in Northern Iraq. The city is 3,000 kilometres away from Berlin. But thanks to modern technology and plat-forms like Facebook and Twitter, news and videos on the terrorists’ activities quickly spread throughout the world. Violent confl icts are a regular occurrence in the Middle East. But the brutality of IS and their global aspirations have sent shockwaves through a region already well accustomed to bloodshed.

It even led the German government to supply weapons to the Kurds, who live in the crisis area in Northern Iraq. The weapons are meant to support them in their fi ght against the terrorist group. Previ-ously, involvement in foreign confl icts was considered a major taboo in Germany. Now, the government must

consider which conflicts it will support and which ones to stay out of.

There is also a growing fear that young people in Germany will be attracted to the extremist views of the Islamic terrorists and carry out acts of violence here or in other countries. At the same time, tens of thousands of people are fl eeing Syria to escape the ad-vancing terrorists. Some of them wind up in Germany as refugees. This is another way that the crisis has an impact on us. The conflict in the Ukraine also has direct conse-quences for our lives. Last November, many people in the Ukrainian capital Kiev took to the streets to urge the government to cooperate more closely with the EU rather than Russia. Since then, Russia has annexed the Crimean peninsula from the Ukraine while regions in the east and south of the Ukraine have declared their independence. The EU and the US have attempt-ed to put pressure on Russia by imposing sanctions. Russia has reacted with its own countermeasures. For instance, Russia stopped importing cheese from Germany, which meant that dairy farmers in Meck-lenburg-West Pomerania suddenly lost a substantial amount of business. Many countries are also worried that Russia might stop supplying gas in the winter. These areas are currently engaged in confl ict:

The news is full of reports on foreign confl icts. In a globalised world, these events suddenly seem much closer to home.

November 2014ISSUE 31NEWCOMER zeitung fÜr

schÜler

www.handelsblattmachtschule.de/newcomer

In tHeIr Own wOrDS …

» That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind! «Neil Armstrong, fi rst man on the moon (see pages 2/3)

A Year of Crisis

refugees from northern Syria fl ee into turkey to

escape the terrorist group Islamic State.

RUSSIA

UKRAINE

EgyptLibyaSaudi Arabia

Finland

Poland

Italy

Romania

Belarus

TURKEY

SYRIAIRAQ

IRAN

Mediterranean Sea

Crisis areas

World Map: designed by Freepik.com; Photos: Corbis | Sebastian Backhaus/NurPhoto; NASA/Reuters

2


November 2014, ISSUE 31HANDELSBLATT FOCUS

Weightlessness expeditionBecoming a researcher or space ex-plorer is the dream of many children and especially young boys. When it comes to aerospace specialists, most of them actually keep their feet on the ground. Many teams of scientists and engineers are needed to ensure that every step of a mission is per-fectly planned and every component is up to the task. These researchers calculate the limits for the materials used on the spacecraft as these will

be subject to extreme temperatures, high pressures and varying degrees of humidity. Only a few researchers actually leave earth as an astronaut. So far, only eleven Germans have ever travelled in space. Most of them studied aviation and aerospace technology. But other natural sciences (physics, chemistry, biology) and medicine are also well suited for a career in this fi eld. Those that have an interest in physics and

maths will likely have an easier entry into the fi eld. Language skills are also very important.There are also many apprenticeships available in the aerospace segment. Coating specialists, for example, work on the various mechanical components made out of metal or plastic. The three-year apprenticeship involves laboratory work, where one learns how to prepare and fi nish the various materials. Another example

are microtechnologists, who build tiny computer chips for the electronic components. Further information on career pros-pects in the aviation and aerospace industry are available at: www.aircareer.de and www.skyfuture.de

Rebecca StabbertInstitute of Economic Education at Oldenburg

PrOFeSSIOnAL PrOFILe: OCCUPAtIOnS In AerOSPACe

Markus FasseHandelsblatt München

Who wouldn’t like to experience the weightlessness of space? The beauti-ful blue ball we call home out one win-

dow, the expanse of space out the other. Up until recently, German astronaut Alexander Gerst could enjoy this view every day. For nearly half a year, he lived and worked together with two colleagues on the International Space Station ISS.

So far, only a few hundred people have ever been in space. The fi rst man to orbit the earth was the Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. That was 53 years ago. Less than a decade later in July of 1969, Neil Armstrong became the fi rst man to walk on the moon. In a breath-taking race dur-ing the height of the Cold War, the US and the Soviet Union attempted to conquer space. Both sides wanted to demonstrate their superiority. They even planned to station atomic weapons in space, which thankfully never happened. Space belongs to all of mankind and should never be used for war.

Travelling to space is an expensive endeav-our. The technical eff orts for a successful launch and return are enormous. Earth’s massive grav-itational pull can only be overcome with an incredible amount of energy. That is why the rockets you see taking off have those huge tanks attached to them: They burn through most of that fuel in just a few minutes. Once outside of gravity’s pull, the so-called payload fl oats above

earth at very high speeds. This payload can be satellites being carried up into orbit or astro-nauts and supplies being transported to the ISS.

The high costs of space travel are the main reason why so few people have been to space. NASA, the American Space Agency, has much less money in its budget than when it was fl ying missions to the moon. That is why vari-ous countries are working together on space projects, even if they don’t always agree in other areas, like politics. Americans, Russians and Europeans, for example, work together on the ISS. Amongst other things, Alexander Gerst performed research experiments for the German Centre for Aviation and Aerospace during his time in space. Recently, the Chinese have also shown a greater interest in space ex-ploration. They have been launching their own rockets since 2003. Their astronauts are called taikonauts.

Space research is important for many areas of science. On the one hand, the view from

The most infl uential countries in the world work together in space – for the good of mankind.

Reach for the Stars!

06:50 Breakfast

07:30 team meetingA normal workday for an ISS Astronaut

Photo: Corbis | Ren Haijun/Xinhua Press; NASA

November 2014, ISSUE 31 3


HANDELSBLATT FOCUS

IntervIew

“Three Years of Preparation” Nigel Head, Project Head and Flight Director at the Space Operations Centre

of the European Space Agency (ESA) in

Darmstadt.

German astronaut Alexander Gerst just re-turned fromsix months in space. What other highlights or milestones are currently being achieved in European space travel? After Gerst’s return, Samantha Cristoforetti will become the first European woman to perform a long-term mission on the Interna-tional Space Station ISS. A further highlight is that the ESA probe Rosetta managed to become the first space vehicle to approach a comet and position itself in its orbit. It took ten years and travelled roughly 6.4 billion kilometres through our solar system to reach its destination. In November 2014, Rosetta will attempt to put its lander onto the surface of the comet.

How much preparation is needed for a space mission?Astronauts have to complete hundreds of training sessions before they are ready to travel into space. In a one-year basic course, they learn about aerospace technology and space research and study how the ISS oper-ates. They also receive some basic medical knowledge and scuba training. Following this is a one-year advanced course where the prospective astronauts get to know the finer details of the ISS and the role of Ground Control. Finally, they are assigned to a mis-sion. The astronauts train together as often as possible with the other crew members in their mission and get familiar with the feeling of weightlessness in parabolic flights. Some of them also require language training. An astronaut must be able to speak English and Russian.

What exactly does the ESA do in Darmstadt? It operates the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC). When a satellite is sent into space, the centre tracks it and guides it remotely. This includes correcting the position or trajectory of a probe and ensuring that there are no malfunctions.

The interview was conducted by Maren Kienaß. Institute of Economic Education at OldenburgThe complete interview can be read at: www.handelsblattmachtschule.de/newcomer

space allows us to observe the earth from a unique perspective. This is usually done by satellites. They take pictures of the earth, which are used for weather forecasts or to monitor things like seas, forests and deserts. This data provides us with important insights on climate change, for ex-ample, as well as how resources l i ke f o o d a n d water are distrib-uted across the globe.

On the oth-er hand, space research gives scientists a clear-e r p i c t u r e o f what lies beyond earth: With enor-mous telescopes and radar units, they detect and observe the stars and galaxies that fill our uni-verse. They search for answers to questions like how the universe came to be and whether earth is the only planet with life. So far, no extra-ter-restrial life has been discovered.

Astronauts perform complex experiments on the ISS. For instance, they research how plants grow and how humans can live in space for extended periods of time. Weight-lessness is a big challenge for the human body. It causes muscles and bones to deterio-rate – mainly due to a lack of exertion.

This medical problem must be solved before we could ever send people to distant locations like Mars. NASA, the European

Space Agency ESA and the Russian Roskos-mos all have plans for someday achieving this goal. A space ship would need about six months to travel from earth to the red planet. No one has ever travelled that far into space. The financial costs will also be gigantic. Ex-

perts estimate t h a t a t r i p t o Mars would cost about 400 bil-lion US dollars – m o n e y t h a t no country has available after t h e re c e n t f i -nancial crisis.

That is why a n i n c re a s i n g number of pri-vate companies a r e e n t e r i n g t h e b u s i n e s s of space travel.

The most famous person in this respect is Elon Musk. With the rockets developed by his company, SpaceX, the US citizen regularly sends satellites into space. The billionaire plans to bring people to Mars in the next ten years.

With the help of such private companies, the US is hoping to gain greater independ-ence when it comes to space. From 2017, America plans to have its astronauts flying space missions in American space shuttles, rather than the Russian Soyuz capsules they currently use. SpaceX and the American aero space company Boeing have been tasked with developing the next space shuttle.

That’s the students’ view

09:00 experiments 17:30 exercise

13:00 Maintenance 20:30 Leisure time

Fotos: NASA; ESA/J.Mai; Karikatur: Lea Schönborn & Lea Parisius

4


November 2014, ISSUE 31PROFILE

Sulfi a DilavirovaInstitut für Ökonomische Bildung Oldenburg

A loom, a hook and lots of colourful rubber bands – that’s all you need to weave together artistic bracelets,

key chains or mobile phone cases. Rainbow Looms are the new trend from America that has put millions of children and youth around the world in a crafting mood. Even celebrities are getting into the trend and showing off

their fashionable rubber accessories. The British Duchess Kate, for instance, wore one during her visit to New Zealand.

Rainbow Looms were invented by Cheong Choon Ng of Michigan in the United States. It all started when his two daughters wanted to show the mechanical engineer how hair bands can be turned into bracelets. Because his fi ngers were too big for effi cient weaving, he developed a custom loom. This eventually developed into a business idea.

Four years ago, the American launched his “Loom company”. He sold the fi rst kits over the internet. At fi rst, sales were pretty slow. Ng’s breakthrough came when he posted a how-to video on YouTube. After that, it wasn’t long until his idea took off : Other loom fans soon posted their own videos showing off their creative designs. These videos quick-ly spread and excitement about these colour-ful bracelets reached fever pitch.

More than three million kits have now been sold. Ng’s company was recently valued at approximately 100 million euros. No one knows how long this trend with the colour-ful rubber bands will last, but its inventor is not running out of creative ideas. For his next project, he wants to develop a game kit that will al-low children to create figures like pirates or princesses.

Simone MalzInstitute of Economic Education at Oldenburg

Sunday evenings are Tatort-time. For 44 years now, ARD’s detective show has been attracting millions of TV viewers during primetime. Recently, the successful series also began showing up in shops – as books, games and other merchandise. For the fi rst time in 44 years, ARD has given a publishing company licensing rights (see cheat sheet) for Tatort. Along with other items, the Moses publishing house is marketing a book with strange and funny facts about the show, a Tatort board game and merchandise like pens and cups with the Tatort logo. The fact that Tatort is the most successful German detective series should help sales.

But what makes the show so popular? One reason may be the show’s diversity, with 22 detective teams solving cases in various cities across the country. This means that

there is always the chance that the next Tatort could be set in your neighbourhood. Viewers enjoy seeing the places they live in or have travelled to on the show. The main Tatort cities even benefit from this fact, with some of them off ering Tatort tours for tourists.

Ta t o r t a l s o s t ays f re sh thanks to the different actors

and actresses appearing in the show. Recent-ly Til Schweiger joined the show as detective Nick Tschiller in Hamburg.

The show also regu-larly deals with current issues like homelessness, p ove r t y o r d o m e s t i c violence. This helps the show stay relevant and true to life.

Tatort Goes Business

Loom FeverLoom bracelets are taking the world by storm. Their inventor, Cheong Choon Ng, is now a millionaire.

ful rubber bands will last, but its inventor is not running out of creative ideas. For his next project, he wants to develop a game kit that will al-low children to

like pirates or

The most popular TV shows in Germany

The Big Bang Theory

How I met your Mother

Two and a Half Men

Die Simpsons

Tatort Source: Statista 2014

25.37 %

22.64 %

22.09 %

17.01 %

13.85 %

License

A license gives its owner the

right to use copyrighted ma-

terials for their own purposes.

One example is the symbols and

logos for the various Bundesliga

clubs. If someone wants to sell

fan merchandise with the Bayern

logo, the person would need to

acquire a license from the club.

Photos: www.rainbowloom.de ; Corbis | James Leynse; Bill Varie/Somos Images



COMPANIES AND MARKETS

Maren KienaßInstitute of Economic Education at Oldenburg

It is a long-standing Christmastime tradition: Fundraisers stand next to their information-al booths in the pedestrian zones while mail-

boxes are stuff ed with postcards from charities and aid organisations like UNICEF. They all have good reason to hope that their campaigns will be successful. The willingness of Germans to donate is higher than it has ever been. In 2013, Germans donated over 4.7 billion euros to non-profi t organisations according to the fi g-ures published by the German Charity Council.

There are roughly 600,000 non-profit organisations in Germany. A non-profi t organi-sation is a club, foundation or church group that is not primarily interested in achieving business goals, but rather focuses on the general well-being of society – for example by combating poverty or off ering services in child protection. Most of these organisations fi nance their projects via donations.

Statistics show that the willingness to do-nate money follows some predictable patterns. For example, people seem more willing to donate during the Christmas season: In 2013, nearly one-third of all donations were made during November and December. Donations also rise following natural disasters like the

fl ooding during the summer of 2013. For many Germans, helping people in emergencies is the most popular motivator for making a dona-tion (see infographic). Also: Thanks to TV and newspapers, such disasters are constantly on our minds. This means that the media have a decisive infl uence on which projects receive donations.

One-time donations, however, are just one way that non-profits raise funds. For organi-sations like Greenpeace, the Workers’ Welfare

Association & co. memberships are just as important, as these provide regular income along with recurring donations from loyal do-

nors. That is why they generally try to convince donors to make a long-term commitment. In order to be successful in these eff orts, the organisations need to have a good reputation. Bad publicity, for instance an article revealing a charity’s misuse of funds, often leads to a steep decline in donations.

But these organisations often depend on more than just money. Several of them also need material donations like blankets, food and books. Many people also donate their time, engaging in voluntary work in social projects.

For a Good CauseRoughly 600,000 non-profi t organisations compete for the public’s generosity in Germany.

Why should I donate money? That’s why we pay taxes! The state should look after those in need. It should be the one supporting the refugee camps in the Middle East and sending doc-tors to Africa to help combat the Ebola virus. And anyway, how can I be sure a charity is trustworthy? Perhaps they are just pocket-ing most of the money for themselves. No, I’d prefer to let someone else handle those problems.Let’s be honest: We all think like this sometimes. While it is true that the state collects a huge

amount of money through taxes this money is used to build roads and schools and

is also redistributed through various programmes: for example, to people that can no longer aff ord to pay their rent due to a medical emergency. The government also fi nances medical facilities in underdeveloped nations

with our taxes.But: The state can’t do everything on its

own. We, as citizens, are also obligat-ed to help our neighbours and fellow man when they fall on hard times. This doesn’t necessarily have to

involve money, either. A voluntary year of service (FSJ), for instance, after fi nishing school is anoth-er type of donation – a very valuable one too. We also don’t need to donate to every person or every cause. A person should be convinced that the donations they make are actually being used for the intended purpose, like preserving rain-forests in South America. One can, in fact, check whether a non-profi t organisation is legitimate and respectable. The German Central Institute for Social Issues has the answer at www.dzi.de Dieter Fockenbrock Handelsblatt Düsseldorf

COMMent: tHe StAte CAn’t DO It ALL

How Germans Donate

Source: Deutscher Spendenrat

Humanitarian aid

Cultural & historical preservationEnvironment & nature conservation

Animal protection

Sports

Other/No information

79.0 %

3.1 %

2.4 %

5.4 %

1.7 %

8.4 %

Percentage of total donations

voluntary helpers accept donations at a clothing shop operated by the German red Cross.

The student editorial board says:

» Germany’s prosperity is one reason behind its relatively high

amount of donations. «Victor, Year 11

Photo: DRK; Pablo Castagnola

6


November 2014, ISSUE 31HANDELSBLATT EXPLAINED

Siegfried HofmannHandelsblatt, 7 August 2014

The number of Ebola victims in West Africa is growing rapidly. This means that any and every sign of hope is

welcomed with open arms [...]. However, the development of safe and reliable medi-cations for Ebola will likely be difficult to achieve. One reason is that infectious viruses are generally more difficult to de-velop medications for than other illnesses. Additionally, industrial research on Ebola

wHAt DOeS tHAt MeAn?

A Handelsblatt articleexplained

This time on the topic ofEbola epidemic

West Africa is currently experiencing the worst Ebola (see cheat sheet) outbreak ever. Thousands of people have already died and an end is not in sight. As soon as a person is infected, their saliva and other bodily fl uids can transmit the virus. Unfortunately, no cure or vaccination exists at the moment.

Why are there no drugs to combat this virus?The main reason is that large drug manufacturers (pharmaceutical com-panies) know that their research in-vestments will most likely not pay off . Medical research is very complex and expensive (see above). And there is

always the danger that the developed product will not gain approval from the responsible authorities, which means that the company would not be allowed to sell the drug. All of their investments in research and testing would be for nothing in that case. Pharmaceutical companies therefore carefully consider what sicknesses they want to research and develop medicines for. With Ebola, the chance of developing a profi table treatment is very small, since the virus aff ects relatively few people. That may seem harsh, but these companies have to operate by the same economic principles as every other business in order to survive.

Without a cure, how are the aff ect-ed countries combating the virus?The local governments are attempt-ing to stop the virus from spread-ing. Infected individuals are quar-antined at treatment centres and people are being informed about the virus and how to avoid becom-ing infected. But these tasks are more diffi cult than you might think: Many people still haven’t been in-formed about the virus while others don’t trust the information. Addi-tionally, many doctors and hospitals lack the ideal equipment. Finally, many developed countries, like those in the EU and the US, initially underestimated the outbreak and

only later provided comprehensive aid, such as treatment centres and personnel. Some have also started funding companies and their eff orts to de-velop a cure or vaccination against Ebola (see above). It could take a long time until that is accomplished, however. As the situation continues to intensify, some drugs are being used that have not been fully tested. The doctors hope that these drugs will save some lives – and that the side eff ects are not too severe.

Michael KochInstitute of Economic Education at OldenburgOldenburg

s u f f e r s f r o m a lack of commer-cial incentives. On a global scale, the virus is extremely rare and cases are generally limited to a few developing nations. [...] Finally, there are five dif-

ferent strains of Ebola, and each of them will likely require their own treatment. It is therefore extremely unlikely that a drug

backed by comprehensive clinical testing and a statis-tically meaningful demon-stration of efficacy will be available any t ime soon. Established pharmaceuti-cal companies have been doing very little research on this virus.

However, a group of smaller companies and research institutes are working on a solution. These are mainly sup-

ported by the US Department of Defence, which wants to be prepared in the event of a bioterrorism attack with Ebola.

So far, only one potential treatment has been tested on humans. [...] Doctors and patients therefore find themselves in a dif-ficult dilemma when it comes to deciding whether to use such untested drugs. […]

The student editorial board says:

» One has to ask whether financial interests can

be prioritised above human interests. «

Anton, Year 11

Potential Ebola treatments have not yet made it through clinical trials – there is simply too little fi nancial incentive.

A Deadly Dilemma

Doctors in the fi ght against the deadly

ebola virus.

Photos: Corbis | THOMAS PETER/Reuters; Charles Smith

Ebola

The Ebola virus is

named after a river

in the Democratic

Republic of the Congo because the

fi rst major outbreak of the virus

occurred near it in 1976. The virus is

transmitted to humans from wild ani-

mals, particularly in remote villages in

Central and Western Africa. It causes a

high fever and bleeding in vital organs.

Up to 90 percent of those infected die

from the virus.



STUDENT JOURNALISTS

Lea Parisius, Lea Schönborn (Year 12/13)Members of the student editorial board

In various cities around Germany, coopera-tives (see cheat sheet) are being founded with a focus on preserving local cultural

treasures. One example of this is taking place in our hometown of Oldenburg. In this case, the cooperation aims to save a club in the city centre. It represents the alternative scene in the city and is a place where people between the ages of 18 and 80 can come to celebrate and relax.

But last year, the Polyester club was facing closure. The building was being put up for sale. The club owner was interested in buying it, but didn’t have the necessary funds. Soon, though, Polyester fans started getting organised. They founded the coop-erative “Polygenos” with the goal of buying the building, renovating it and managing it.

The cross-generational group now has approximately 750 members. Each member pays a minimum fee, but can also invest more. Regardless of how much one invests, each member has only one vote at the general meetings. Togeth-er, everyone decides how the project will develop.

At the start of 2014, the coopera t ive had col lec ted enough money to buy the building. Since then, the group has been developing con-cepts for how to best use the space. Along with existing off ers like a repair café and trad-ing parties, the cooperative wants to give new creatives, like musicians and artists, space for their work. The building has plenty of room.

The Polyester club provides a great exam-ple of how a community can come together

to preserve its cul-tural treasures – all it takes is a little cooperation.

Saving the ClubWith the Polyester in Oldenburg facing closure, some citizens founded a cooperative to save it.

Leonard Engels, Martin Kaiser, Ann Sophie Licher, Leona Salewski, Celine Vernin (Year 12)Erzbischöfl iche Liebfrauenschule Cologne

We took a lot away from our experiences with business@school. We learned a great deal, made new contacts, gained insights into the business world and were named National Champions in the end. But the greatest gains were the friendships that resulted. Intense experiences often bond people together.

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves... We participated in the business@school ini-tiative organised by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The initiative has students partner up with business representatives for a school year – allowing them to experience the business world in various project phas-es. The final project involved developing a business idea – complete with business plan. The fi ve of us joined together to form

the team “Innovaces” and created “Fruity Fresh”, a concept that uses UV radiation to prevent mould from forming on fruit skins.

We worked on every aspect of the busi-ness, down to the fi nest detail: What com-petitors are there? What companies could act as prospective suppliers? What sales

channels should be used? How will costs and revenue develop over time? There were many long nights and friends started asking us if our lives still included anything else besides business. Our idea regularly pushed us to our limits. But we always managed to refocus and get back on track.

In the end, we made it into the school finals – and won! Afterwards, our Fruity Fresh idea also won at the state level. So we entered the national competition. This re-sulted in another round of meetings with the team, our advisor, our parents, our business contact and even with the head of the BCG offi ces in Cologne, who gave us tips on how we could improve our presentation.

The national fi nals took place in Munich at the end of June. The twelve best teams from Germany gathered there for one last competition. We weren’t sure how it would turn out until we heard: “And the winner is ... Team Innovaces!” Unbelievable! We did it! And we did it as a team.

We Researched, We Planned, We Conquered

Cooperative

Every company has a legal form.

These include forms like stock cor-

porations, non-profi t organisations

and cooperatives. The latter requires

at least three founding members.

The members share a common goal,

usually a social or cultural interest.

Business goals, like making money,

are usually not the main focus. In a

cooperative, the members generally

have an equal voice when it comes

to making decisions.

team Innovaces visited with the Handelsblatt editorial board in Düsseldorf this past September.

the two authors in the Polyester.

Photos: Privat; Sonja Beyland

8


November 2014, ISSUE 31FUN & FACTS

Hans Kaminski (Headmaster of the IÖB) and Dieter Fockenbrock (Chief Correspondent at the Handelsblatt)

ImpressumHerausgeber: Dieter Fockenbrock, V.i.S.d.P. (Handelsblatt) und Hans Kaminski (Institut für Ökonomische Bildung IÖB, Uni Oldenburg)Redaktion: Melanie RübartschKonzept: Katrin Eggert, Dieter Fockenbrock, Hans Kaminski, Michael Koch Art Director: Stefan Vieten Koordination: Maren Kienaß, Melanie RübartschLayout und Fotos: Sandra Janzsó, Corinna ThielMarketing und Vertrieb: Verena von HugoEnglische Übersetzung: John Dalbey für PONS GmbHVerlag: Handelsblatt GmbH Geschäftsführung: Gabor Steingart (Vorsitzender), Frank Dopheide, Claudia Michalski, Ingo RieperKasernenstr. 67, 40213 Düsseldorf, Tel.: +49 (0) 211-887-0Druck: kuncke druck GmbH,Kornkamp 24, 22926 AhrensburgMitarbeiter dieser Ausgabe: Leonard Engels, Martin Kaiser, Ann Sophie Licher, Leona Salewski, Celine Vernin, Lehrer und Schüler der Helene-Lange-Schule Oldenburg (Ortrud Reuter-Kaminski, Victor Borghardt, Hanne Hägele, Anton Herrschel, Jonas Klusmann, Yannoh Mügge, Tomma Lina Otzen, Lea Parisius, Kaja Schönborn, Lea Schönborn, Imke Thomssen, Fleming Wiesner)Fragen und Feedback: [email protected] Handelsblatt Newcomer erscheint alle zwei Monate.Lehrkräfte können den Handelsblatt Newcomer für ihre Schüler kostenlos bestellen:www.handelsblattmachtschule.de/newcomer

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If we were to stop making purchases with coins and bills and instead used electronic credit or banking cards, the banks would

be very happy. For them, the use of cash is expensive. While the German Central Bank manages the production of currency, com-mercial banks, like Volksbank, Sparkasse & co., are responsible for fi lling ATMs, picking up mon-ey from businesses, counting it, removing damaged bills from circulation and finally putting the money back into the ATMs.

But Germans aren’t likely to give up their use of cash anytime soon. Over 50% of purchases in Germany are paid for in cash. One reason is that many stores only allow for card payments if the total exceeds a minimum amount, usually ten euros. Most bak eries and butcher shops also only accept cash.

Since paying with cards has not caught on as quickly as desired, banks are now hop-

ing that smartphones will be used to make purchases. However, it is unlikely that this will fi nd quicker acceptance with the public. And this isn’t simply due to suspicions about the technology. Germans simply love their cash. On the one hand, it helps them have

more control over their expenses. And on the other, it is anonymous. Cash doesn’t leave the information behind that credit and EC cards do.

Experts estimate that this love for cash will only slowly deteriorate over time – at the rate of approximately two percent per year. In other words, we’ll be carrying coins and bills in our wallets for the foreseeable future. And the banks will have to continue fi lling

those pesky ATMs. Laura de la Motte

Handelsblatt Frankfurt

Is it true that …*

… cash will soon be obsolete? While it’s true that the EU is considering eliminating the one and two-cent coins, the end of cash is not on the near horizon. Our aff ections for it are simply too great.

Photo: Sebastian Damberger

* The questions for “Is it true that...” are submitted by students. Suggestions can be submitted at: [email protected]

vOCABULArY

enGLISCH DeUtSCH

aspiration Ziel

to have an impact on sth. etw. beeinfl ussen

countermeasure Gegenmaßnahme

endeavor Unternehmung

launch (Raketen-)Start

payload Nutzlast

humidity Luftfeuchtigkeit

to coat sth. etw. beschichten

weightlessness Schwerelosigkeit

to deteriorate abbauen

exertion Anstrengung

lander Landefahrzeug

trajectory Flugbahn

probe Sonde

malfunction Funktionsstörung

rubber Gummi

to reach fever pitch Höhepunkt erreichen

diversity Vielfalt

enGLISCH DeUtSCH

domestic violence häusliche Gewalt

fundraiser Spendenaktion

donation Spende

recurring wiederkehrend

youth Jugend

voluntary work ehrenamtliche Arbeit

to fall on hard times in Not geraten

clinical trial klinische Studie

to be backed by sth. gestützt von etw.

to get ahead of oneself vorschnell handeln

pesky nervig

the next HnewCOMer

will be published in February.

It will cover numerous topics, including

TV INDUSTRY.

pages 2, 3 page 4 page 6 - handelsblatt macht schule...exploring space why we invest so much money...

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