PA Specialist Manfred Strack

May 5, 2008. Public Affairs Specialist Manfred Strack participated in a teacher information session at the Bucerius Kunst Forum in Hamburg which introduced the upcoming exhibit ‘Portraits of the Gilded Age’ to teachers of English, art and history. He spoke about the contribution visual culture studies can bring to the teaching of American society and called attention to relevant resources of the Amerikazentrum. After a lecture by curator Dr. Philipp showcasing highlights of the exhibit, a teacher of art guided the audience through the excellent collection of materials she had compiled for classroom use.

Sheila Weir reads "The Lorax"

April 25, 2008. In conjunction with Earth Day 2008, Information Resource Officer Sheila Weir read Dr. Seuss’s cautionary tale that underscores the importance of conserving earth’s natural resources to 35 fifth and sixth grade students and their English teachers from the Wolfgang von Goethe school at the city library in Wismar.
Besides the reading Weir was drawn into a lively discussion about the upcoming U.S. presidential elections. Being asked for whom they would vote each student had a clear personal favorite. A collection of teaching materials and copies of the book were presented to the teachers and the city library. The IIP poster Earth Day 2008 will be on display in the library throughout the month of April.

Author Louis Begley

April 23, 2008. World-renowned novelist Louis Begley read from his book Matters of Honor at the Bucerius Law School in Hamburg. More than 300 friends of American literature attended this memorable program which was part of the U.S. Embassy Literature Series. After the reading, Louis Begley shared personal insights into his work and the Jewish-American experience with Dr. Josef Joffe, co-editor of DIE ZEIT. The program, a cultural highlight, was cosponsored by Suhrkamp publishing house, the ZEIT Forum, the Amerikazentrum, the Bucerius Law School and Heymann bookstores.

Angelika Frahnert, Hamburg1 (l.) and CG Johnson

April 14, 2008. Consul General Karen E. Johnson gave an interview to the local TV station Hamburg1 on a vessel of the "White Fleet." In its program "Around the Alster," the station introduces institutions and eminent persons around Hamburg’s famous inner city lake. In the interview, CG Johnson spoke about the hospitality she experienced in Hamburg and her personal impressions of the city and its citizens. "I am very impressed by the friendliness and openness of the people in Hamburg", said Johnson.

Student Sandra, Mr. Kuchenbecker and Consul Libonati Photo: Bad Segeberger Zeitung

April 10, 2008. Political/Economic Officer Genevieve Libonati delivered a speech to a largely young audience of over 80 in Bad Segeberg. The speech focused on the 2008 presidential elections. However, during the question and answer period, Ms. Libonati went far beyond this topic, addressing questions on U.S. policy in Afghanistan and Iraq, social security, the international financial crisis, and the environment. The event was jointly organized by the Städtische Gymnasium, the Dahmannschule Gymnasium, and the American Society in Bad Segeberg. The Segeberger Zeitung reported on the speech with a favorable article published on April 15.
Read the article

April 10, 2008. Paul White, a Fulbright researcher at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy in Hamburg, gave two speeches to students from the Gymnasium Fridericianum at Schwerin city library. He profiled the Republican and Democratic candidates in the presidential elections in a follow-up program to the four sessions Fulbright teaching assistant Timothy Beaucage had given a week before on the presidential election process. Schweriner Volkszeitung published an article on the events stating the importance of exchanging intercultural knowledge and experience.
Watch the photo gallery of the event!

CG Johnson welcomes her young guests

April 7, 2008. Consul General Karen E. Johnson and PA Hamburg hosted a special kick-off reception at the Consulate, welcoming 120 youth, journalists and educators that had signed up for a one-day conference on "Youth and Media in Dialogue" on the 8th of April at the KörberForum. DCM John Koenig also attended the event. The Alliance for Democracy and Tolerance, the Körber Foundation and the Public Affairs Section of the Consulate had teamed up to offer youth with a migrant background an opportunity to enter into a dialogue with leading journalists about a more balanced reporting of integration and migration issues in German media. The reception gave the conference participants a chance to get to know one another and to meet with the organizers as well as with the conference moderator, Ingo Zamperoni, anchor of the national ARD nightly news magazine. The musical highlight of the evening was a performance by the multicultural youth choir, Lukulule, which captivated its audience with a riveting mix of songs and dance. The national public TV broadcaster ZDF filmed Lukulule’s performance and broadcast a report as part of its special women’s program "Mona Lisa" on Sunday, April 13.

CG Johnson and the delegates from Long Beach, California

April 3, 2008. The Consulate General held a reception for a seven member delegation, headed by Mayor Bob Foster, from Long Beach, CA. The delegation’s visit to Hamburg and other European ports had a twofold purpose. First was to share best practices on environmental policies (e.g. Long Beach has an ambitious project in place through which pollution is to be reduced by 47% by 2020), and, second was to meet shipping customers (e.g. Hapag-Lloyd). Consul General Johnson and a senior representative from the Container Security Initiative (CSI) program at the Port of Hamburg briefed the delegation on CSI and post’s relations with Hamburg’s law-enforcement authorities.

Consul General Johnson discusses with group of young students

April 1, 2008. Consul General Karen E. Johnson welcomed 27 German high school students (grades 11 to 13) and their Fulbright teaching assistant for a MeetUS program at the consulate. The focus of the program was on current American foreign policy objectives, especially with regard to the situation in Afghanistan. NDRInfo had sent a reporter to cover the meeting and to interview Timothy Beaucage who has been participating in a number of MeetUS programs in the consular district. The students very much enjoyed the frank and lively discussion they had with CG Johnson and stressed that they obtained a better understanding of the reasons for the U.S. engagement in Afghanistan. NDRInfo will broadcast a report on the visit and the MeetUS program in the coming weeks.

Karen E. Johnson with the group at the consulate

March 25, 2008. The U.S. Consulate General in Hamburg hosted a group of 27 teachers and principals from Hesse. Consul General Karen E. Johnson delivered a speech on "U.S. Security Policy and the Fight against International Terrorism". The event was organized by Bundeswehr youth officer and was part of a three-day security-policy seminar in northern Germany. In her remarks Consul General Johnson embarked on her recent experience as director for the the U.S. Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT) in Afghanistan. Her vivid explanations and first-hand experience that security is a prerequesite for reconstruction intrigued the audience.

Timothy Beaucage (left) and Miguel Lozano (right)

March 4, 2008. Fulbright teaching assistant Timothy Beaucage and exchange student Miguel Lozano read Dr. Seuss’s classic children’s story to 3rd and 4th grade students and their English teachers from the Werkstattschule at the Rostock Literaturhaus. For many decades Dr. Seuss’s classic introduced several generations of kids to the concepts of environmentalism and conservation. Besides the reading the students had a lot of fun by learning traditional American camp songs. Teachers and the school librarian were very happy to get copies of the book and plan on more readings.

March 3, 2008. Author Amy Bloom read from her work Away, addressing more than 100 literature buffs at the Consulate General. Her story about a character that comes to America after her family was destroyed in a Russian pogrom and then embarks on an odyssey from New York to Alaska to find her daughter caught the audience's imagination. Passages of the German translation were read by well-known actress Maren Eggert. The reading, co-sponsored by publishing house Hoffmann + Campe, was part of the ongoing American Embassy Literature Series.