The Council of the European Union - group paragraph

http://kristinasmurf.blogspot.co.at/2013/11/the-council-of-european-union-group.html
-> link to our group project about the Council of Europe :)

Comment on "Summary Deflation Crisis"

Original summary:

Europe is in the deflation crisis, which influences the rise of debt. Moreover, the history of 

mankind has experienced this problem before. Sometimes deflation may be lethal for economy, 

when debts exceed the margin of 300pc. Generally, in Western Europe inflation is not perfect, 

2pc which even deteriorates the case. Denmark is close to finding itself in deflation, so is 

Sweden.

With a downward shift in inflation, countries like Italy and Spain may be in a ‘’runaway debt’’. 

In Italy, for example, unemployment is already very high, and private debt there and in other EU 

members like France, Portugal keeps on rising by more than 100%.

Indeed, most of the countries could still be rescued by boosting inflation rate. Europe would not 

have to end up with Japanese-style deflation and with a burden of damaged private sector. 

Hence, the inflation may not fall below 2pc. With flat inflation, close to 0, even stable country 

like Germany is at risk. 

 Club Med allies could also unite and demand appropriate action from Germany. By making 

bilateral decisions countries could achieve more. Hopefully, deflation will leave Europe in short. 

Global growth is a valid reason to keep waiting, but it is not how responsible economy should 

behave.

Comment:

To begin with, I think a summary should start with the author, date and name of the newspaper the article was published in. I would not mention precise facts at the introducing sentence but give a short overview of the topic. In general, I would leave out facts as the situation of the single countries which only confuse - people interested will probably read the whole article anyways. Anyways, I like the third paragraph and the way the author put the information in his/her own words. 

Surprising Europe: Culture Shock

SURPRISING EUROPE: CULTURE SHOCK

intercultural differences expressed through music

Riedl Natalie, Kaspar Heimo, Haunschmid Sonja

Africans who come to Europe have to face a variety of problems - racial prejudice, xenophobia and identity crisis are only a few examples. How do they deal with that? Many of them try to give vent to their grief with music as it is a common way to express their feelings, raise awareness and overcome racism. 

Wonda Wendy, a French musician raised by Gabonese parents, is a perfect example for intercultural music experience. Even though she was born in Paris, she considers her „culture to be totally African“. To find out about her own roots, Wonda Wendy lived in Gabon for a while — now she describes this part of her life as the time she learned most about herself. She points out some differences between the European and the African culture: While in Africa there is always someone around, for example to take care of your baby, you have to pay for favors like that in Europe. She advises Europeans to learn something from the African culture. Wonda Wendy, caught between two completely different cultures, processes and expresses her feelings through her music, a mix of Hip Hop, Soul and some elements of Reggae. Her lyrics speak of identity, comparison and pride: “it expresses the best of me: My African roots and my Parisian neighbourhood; I keep the mix, I exchange, the words of angels, my past; Europe is progress, individualism; Africa is respect and ‚sorealism‘“

Not only Wonda Wendy noticed such clear differences between the European and African culture, but also Mousse from Senegal, who now lives with his family in Amsterdam, experienced the same. In Europe, everything is faster, everything is planned, everything needs to be organized. People usually do not take time for someone in order to have just a nice conversation with others. Performing in the streets of Amsterdam is for Mousse a perfect way to preserve his African roots and to reduce xenophobia, which seems to be a timeless phenomenon.

Talking about racism - Ade Bantu, a musician from Nigeria who lives in Germany, has gathered a group of black musicians , known as The Collective Brothers Keepers, in order to combat racism. The reason for the foundation of this group was the tragic case of Alberto Adriano. He was a black African  who became victim of a racism motivated murder. As a tribute to his cruel death they dedicated a whole song to him to tell the story of an unfair fight. Adriano‘s case again shows us the power of music and its relevance for all of us. 

“Europe is progress, individualism; 

Africa is respect and 

‚sorealism‘“

Wonda Wendy