In Focus
|
Award-Winning U.S. Children's Book Author Captivates Youth in Northern Germany
 |
Margret Peterson Haddix
in Wismar |
October 19 to 21, 2009. On October 19-21, the Public Affairs Section organized a reading tour with Margaret Peterson Haddix, who has written more than 20 books for kids and teenagers, and who is best known in Germany for her seven-book series "The Shadow Children." The series deals with third children in a society that only allows two children; the third children initially have to hide but eventually band together and risk their lives bring about change. Haddix attended the Frankfurt Book Fair to introduce her new science fiction series "The Missing." Haddix read at a high school in Bremen on October 19, at public libraries in Schwerin and Wismar that are both America@yourlibrary partners, and at the Literature House in Rostock on October 21. All in all, more than 400 high school students –190 in Bremen and Schwerin, more than 100 in Wismar and 40 in Rostock - had an opportunity to hear a native speaker read and to meet with a U.S. author. She engaged her audience in an animated question and answer period on her work and the art of writing, life in the U.S. and American teenagers. The series was part of Post’s youth outreach and was designed to familiarize younger audiences with American literature and language, and in the case of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, also to encourage them to regularly visit our America@yourlibrary partners to check out more U.S.-related books, CDs and films.
|
News From the Consulate |
CDU Youth Group Briefed on U.S. German Relations
 |
Karen Bel (r.) and members
of Junge Union Eimsbuettel |
October 21, 2009. Political-Economic Officer Karen Bel delivered a presentation on the state of U.S.-German relations to a group of 26 members of the Hamburg CDU youth organization Junge Union (JU) at the consulate. The speech covered cooperation in relation to Afghanistan, Iraq, international terrorism, and climate change. In her discussion, Bel answered many diverse questions, ranging from security policy issues to the future of the U.S. Consulate in Hamburg.
The Future of Information Professionals Lecture in Hamburg
 |
| Janice Lachance |
October 20, 2009. Janice Lachance, CEO of the Special Libraries Association (SLA), spoke about the "Current Economic Crisis and Its Impact on Libraries and Information Centers and the Future of the Information Profession" at the State and University Library in Hamburg. Lachance engaged the audience of more than 30 heads of academic and corporate libraries in a lively discussion on key functions of information professionals and the importance of professional development and international networks. During a working lunch, the director of the parliamentary library, Dr. Wellems, and deputy director of the State and University library Lang had the opportunity to discuss further cooperation with SLA. The program helped strengthen Post’s ties to leading library professionals in Northern Germany and promoted the benefits of transatlantic cooperation in the field.
American Saxophone in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern: Workshop and Concerts
 |
Todd Oxford at the City
Library in Stralsund (Photo:
City Library Stralsund) |
October 18-20, 2009. From October 18-20, Todd Oxford U.S. saxophonist and member of the faculty of the Texas State University in San Marcos, took part in a Consulate-supported program in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Oxford gave a concert at the College for Music and Theater in Rostock October 18, held a saxophone workshop at the College on October 19, and ended his visit with a concert attended by a crowd of students, teachers and general public at our America@yourlibrary partner, the City Library in Stralsund on October 20. All three cultural and educational programs on U.S. culture were enthusiastically received.
The Best International Breakdance Crews Compete in the 20th "Battle of the Year" in Braunschweig
 |
Workshop with Roxrite
(Photo: Conan Whitehouse) |
October 17, 2009. More than 9,000 young Hip Hop fans from Germany and all around the world gathered to watch the world finals of the "Battle of the Year (BOTY)" competition. Eighteen crews that had won their national contests, including crews from the U.S., South Africa, Russia, Brazil, Israel, Korea, France, and Japan, came to Braunschweig to compete in the prestigious BOTY. The U.S. Consulate Hamburg supported the participation of one of the judges of the finals, Roxrite (Omar O. Delgado Macias) from the San Francisco-based crew "Renegades." During the week before the finals, the BOTY organizers and the City of Braunschweig offered master classes and workshops that Roxrite took part in, offering a "Beginner B-Boy" workshop. The BOTY demonstrated the universal appeal of U.S. Hip Hop culture that has become part of a global youth culture, bringing together youth from all around the world, and as in the case of the BOTY, having them compete peacefully, promoting mutual understanding.
Colloquium on International Financial Regulation at the Hamburg Institute of International Economics
 |
Professor Singer (r.) and
Dr. Henning Vöpel (Photo:
Elzbieta Linke/HWWI) |
October 16, 2009. Dr. David A. Singer, Assistant Professor of Political Science at MIT, visited Hamburg and spoke at a colloquium hosted by the Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI). Following Professor Singer’s presentation und current trends in financial regulation in the U.S., the group of faculty and post-grad students engaged in a lively discussion on international financial regulation, monetary policy and ways to overcome the global financial discussion.
Goettingen Literature Festival Features Pulitzer-Prize Winning Author and Leading U.S. Physicist
 |
| The Festival Poster |
October 16 to 25, 2009. The 18th international Goettingen Literature Festival presents 100 authors, journalists and translators at more than 50 events. For the third time, the festival places a special emphasis on current books and research of leading scientists. The U.S. Consulate Hamburg supported the participation of two Americans in the special science series. On October 18, Martin S. Sherwin, Professor at George Mason University in Virginia, introduced his Pulitzer-Prize winning biography of J. Robert Oppenheimer. Sherwin called his presentation on the physicist who led the Manhattan Project "Oppenheimer’s Nuclear World and Ours," among other things comparing Oppenheimer’s later opposition to weapons of mass destruction to President Obama’s focus on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. Press coverage for the event included a TV interview with Martin Sherwin on a national program called "Title, Thesis and Temperaments". More than 100 students and scholars from the University of Goettingen, where Oppenheimer had studied and obtained his Ph.D., and the interested general public attended the program.
Ambassador Held Town Hall Meeting in Bremen
 |
| Ambassador Murphy |
October 6, 2009. Ambassador Philip D. Murphy paid his first official visit to the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen and was accompanied by Consul General Karen E. Johnson. They were welcomed by the State Minister for the Interior and Athletics Ulrich Mäurer and visited Jacobs University, a young and innovative private university with more than 1,200 students from 99 nations. In addition to meeting the President of Jacobs, Professor Joachim Treusch, and the five vice presidents, the Ambassador toured the campus and met with 10 American students for dinner, obtaining insights into life at Jacobs. Highlight of his visit was a Town Hall Meeting where the Ambassador addressed more than 200 guests, about half of them students of Jacobs University. The Carl Schurz German-American Club, the Bremen United States Center and Jacobs University had invited to the Town Hall Meeting on the occasion of their annual "Carl Schurz Jacobs Lecture" on October 6, German-American Day. During the Town Hall Meeting, Ambassador Murphy reminded the audience of the historical importance of the U.S.-German relationship and of the many contributions German-Americans have made to the United States. He also praised the virtues of tolerance and diversity, and called on Germans to work together with the U.S. to meet the global challenges of the 21st century. The Ambassador's visit generated wide-spread coverage: The university newspaper, Pulse of the World, interviewed the Ambassador and CG Johnson, university students recorded the Town Hall Meeting and will publish it on iTunesU, and the university published a story on the visit on its website. The Radio Bremen TV evening news program "Buten un Binnen" broadcast a story on the Ambassador's visit on October 7 and the regional daily Weser Kurier reported on the visit on October 8.
For previous programs and events please click here.
|
|
|
