Programs and Events

Hamburg Children's Library Receives Book Donation
December 1, 2005. Public Affairs Hamburg arranged for Hamburg Consul General Duane Butcher to present 300 English children’s books from the Rhine-Main U.S. Military Base to Hamburg’s newly renovated public children’s library that serves children of all nationalities. Hamburg schools have just introduced English language classes for 1st graders, so the library was very appreciative of the timely donation. The ceremony was complemented with a reading of her book "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" by U.S. children’s book author Barbara Robinson.(more)

Lecture Series: Verstehen Sie die USA?
November 28, 2005. Museum für Völkerkunde, Rothenbaumchaussee 64, 20148 Hamburg, 7 p.m.
Tamar Jacoby: America's New Immigrants - Reinventing the Melting Pot
With roughly 1,5 million new immigrants arriving each year, the United States is once again facing a historic challenge: how most effectively to absorb these newcomers into the fabric of American life. What does it mean to become American - or European - in an era of globalization, cultural separatism, identity politics, the Internet and a TV remote with a hundred or more different channels?(more)

School Outreach Program with Mrs. Timken in Schleswig-Holstein
November 8, 2005. Sue Timken and Frances Karsh, wife and daughter of Ambassador Timken, visited the Emil-von-Behring School in Grosshansdorf to participate in a book presentation ceremony and to speak with high school students about life and school in America. Nazilia Butcher and Anne Scott, spouses of Consul General Duane Butcher and Pol/Econ Officer Robert Scott, joined them. The school had hosted Germany’s largest youth exchange fair for the past three years and received a collection of American Studies material for English and Geography classes as well as reference works on educational opportunities for young Germans in the U.S.(more)

Internet Chat with Todd Strasser (aka Morton Rhue)
October 20, 2005. U.S. author Todd Strasser popularly known in Germany by his pen name, Morton Rhue, took questions and comments from students and teachers on the impact of his books and their powerful themes during a live Internet chat to celebrate the Frankfurt Book Fair on Thursday, October 20, at 1500 CET. Rhue’s books "Die Welle", "Asphalt Tribe" and "Ich knall euch ab!" are popular reading in schools throughout Germany.(more)

Money Collected to Aid Victims of Hurricane Katrina
September 27, 2005. Public Affairs Hamburg arranged a media event and visit to the Consulate for a group of local bakers who raised relief funds for victims of the hurricanes through a bake sale. On September 28, Bremen Consular Agent Cheryl Weise read a message from the Consul General Butcher for the opening of a Bremen-based donation drive, which 200 people attended and which was organized by the University of Bremen and several local business groups.
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Ambassador Timken Visit To Braunschweig Highlights Close U.S.-German Ties
September 11, 2005. Ambassador William Robert Timken, Jr. and his wife Sue Timken visited the city of Braunschweig, where they attended a performance of the New York Philharmonic. The Ambassador also met Lower Saxony’s governor, Christian Wulff, and the city’s mayor Gert Hoffmann. In a reception before the concert, the Ambassador thanked the Germans for their hospitality as well as for their sympathy and donations for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. In an interview with the regional daily Braunschweiger Zeitung, the Ambassador emphasized his commitment to deepen German-American relations.
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Youth Exchange Fair in Schleswig-Holstein
August 20, 2005. Consul General Duane C. Butcher opened the annual Schleswig-Holstein Youth Exchange Fair in Grosshansdorf . More than 30 exchange organizations participated in the fair. In his remarks, Consul General Butcher praised the significance of exchange programs and encouraged the young Germans to spend time abroad in the U.S. Cultural Affairs Assistant Martina Schulze participated in a round table discussion on international youth exchange and gave two lectures about high school stays in the U.S. More than 1,500 students and parents visited the fair.(more)

German Emigration Center opened
August 8, 2005. Chargé d’Affaires John Cloud, Interior Minister Otto Schily, and local dignitaries opened the German Emigration Center at Bremerhaven. Chargé Cloud read a letter from President George W. Bush to 600 invited guests. In his speech, he mentioned the U.S.-German heritage and the importance of the port of Bremerhaven to many Americans. By highlighting emigration to the U.S., the museum serves to remind visitors of the important historical ties between the United States and Germany.(more)

Members of Women’s Service Organization Discussed Foreign Policy
July 12, 2005. Consul Robert K. Scott hosted 25 representatives of the Zonta-Club Hamburg, provided an overview of the Consulate's activities, outlined U.S. foreign policy priorities and led a tour through the historic Consulate building. The Zonta-Club is a professional women's service organization founded 85 years ago in Buffalo, NY. The Hamburg Chapter, which will celebrate its 75th anniversary this year, is involved extensively in fund-raising for charitable causes.(more)

Independence Day Celebration
July 1, 2005. Consul General Duane C. Butcher and his wife Nazilia greeted more than 600 guests at Rickmers Reederei overlooking the Elbe. Among the guests were the vice president of the Hamburg parliament Barbara Duden, Hamburg Senators Alexandra Dinges-Dierig, Udo Nagel and Dr. Michael Freytag, and businessman Albert Darboven. In his remarks, Consul General Duane C. Butcher stressed the importance of America’s heritage of freedom.(more)

Hamburg Hosts Harbor Security Conference
June 21st, 2005. More than 30 guests met at the Hamburg consulate to discuss common issues regarding port security in Hamburg. Hosted by the Consul of Political Affairs, Robert Scott, the conference was attended by representatives from the US Department of Homeland Security, the European Union, and the German Coastguard (Wasserschutzpolizei). Presentations focused on how to better implement the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code and other safety regulations that would reduce the risk of terrorist attack.(more)

Turkish Author Shares Her American Experience
June 2, 2005. Public Affairs Hamburg sponsored with the Hamburg Turkish consulate an event with visiting young Turkish novelist Elif Shafak, who teaches at the University of Michigan. Fifty invited guests from Hamburg’s Turkish and German literary communities heard Shafak read from her new novel, the first that she has written in English. The audience responded enthusiastically as she described her entry into an American culture tolerant enough to accept her Turkish identity.(more)

Media Day at the Consulate
May 11, 2005. Hamburg's Public Affairs Section hosted 21 young journalists and trainees of Axel Springer School of Journalism for a full day workshop. The journalists are staff writers at Springer Group dailies (Bild, Die Welt, Hamburger Abendblatt), weeklies (Bild am Sonntag, HörZu, Bildwoche, AutoBild, Bild der Frau, SportBild), and bi-weeklies (ComputerBild). The workshop covered U.S. public diplomacy, foreign policy, how a consulate works, and IRC and PA resources available to journalists. Highlights were a lively forum on the U.S. in the world with Consul General Duane C. Butcher and a one-hour DVC with Washington Foreign Press Center director Paul Denig.(more)

Sequoia Tree Planting at the Consulate
April 21, 2005. Hamburg Consul General Duane C. Butcher and Hamburg Senator and head of the Department of Civic Engineering and Environment Dr. Michael Freytag planted a sequoia tree as a symbol of long-enduring Hamburg-American relations. In his greeting, CG Butcher focused on U.S. commitment to transatlantic friendship and the importance of having a diplomatic representation of the United States in the Hanseatic City of Hamburg.
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German Air Force Visits Hamburg Consulate General
March 31, 2005. Twenty-Eight participants of a German air force training course in Appen in Lower Saxony, including two Partnership for Peace airmen from Bulgaria, visited the Consulate and met with Consul General Duane Butcher. In remarks on the future of transatlantic relations, CG Butcher praised successful examples of German-American military cooperation in the fight against terrorism and stressed the importance for Europe and America to work together to face today’s global challenges and threats.(more)

The America Society Bad Segeberg Visits the U.S. Consulate General
March 30, 2005. Consul General Duane Clemens Butcher welcomed twenty-six members of the America Association of Bad Segeberg to the Consulate. After a tour of the building, Consul Butcher gave a speech about the future of German-American relations. In his remarks, Consul General Butcher stressed the importance of good relations between the United States and Germany, identifying common challenges for Europe and America.(more)

Yale Librarian Explains Trendsetting Software
March 23, 2005. Dale Askey, a librarian for Germanic languages and literature at Yale University, gave a talk on meta search engines before 20 students and faculty members of library science at the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences. His talk demonstrated the special features of today’s most sophisticated and comprehensive search engines that are being used at Yale University.
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U.S. Policy Explained to Students in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
February 25, 2005. Public Affairs Hamburg arranged a school visit to Fridericianum Gymnasium, Schwerin, for Consul General Duane C. Butcher. He and Political Economic officer Robert K. Scott met with 2 groups of 13th and 12th graders, totaling 80 students, to discuss American foreign policy issues ranging from Iraq to prisoners of war at Guantanamo Bay, as well as questions about how U.S. diplomacy works. The students and their teachers got first-hand answers to their questions.(more)

U.S. Expert in Wind Energy Calls for Closer Cooperation
February 16, 2005. The Consulate General Hamburg arranged for a roundtable with James Caldwell, wind energy expert and Director at the department Renewable Policy at PPMEnergy and 20 representatives of NGOs, state and local governments as well as environment and energy ministries. Mr. Caldwell, who was accompanied by his wife Jan McFarland, an expert in solar energy, explained renewable energy politics in the U.S. and showcased current wind energy projects. He also gave an interview with the wind energy magazine New Energy. Useful ideas and concepts to further promote alternative energy generation were exchanged.(more)

American Diplomats Conducted a Dialogue with Students in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
January 20/21, 2005. In the context of the school outreach program, Ambassador Coats, Consul General Butcher and a delegation of diplomats from the U.S. Embassy and the Hamburg Consulate entered into discourse with students from Neustrelitz, Neubrandenburg and Greifswald. The Regional Library Neubrandenburg received a book donation, which was presented by Mrs. Coats. In Greifswald, Ambassador Coats met with Mayor Dr. Arthur König and signed the Golden Book.(more)

Ambassador Coats' Farewell Speech in Hamburg
January 5, 2005. Ambassador Daniel R. Coats gave a farewell speech before an invited audience of 250 prominent Hamburgers at city hall. Introduced by Hamburg’s mayor Ole von Beust, Ambassador Coats spoke about strengthening German-U.S. relations. The Ambassador also gave an interview to popular Klassik Radio.(more)