In Focus
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Bavarian-American SummitApril 29/30, 2008
Ambassador Timken and Mrs. Sue Timken visited the chairman of the CSU Bundestag caucus, Dr. Peter Ramsauer, in his home district in southeast Bavaria. The program included a tour of the Obersalzberg Documentation Center and the historical exhibit on its Nazi past, a luncheon with regional politicians, tourism experts and Bundeswehr officers, a press roundtable with the Ambassador and Dr. Ramsauer, and a visit to Hitler's "Eagle's Nest." Ambassador Timken reinforced the importance of U.S. ties with this area since its liberation by U.S. forces in May 1945. He also addressed key issues, such as the opening of the new Embassy as a symbol for the strongest transatlantic ties ever, as well as U.S. climate initiatives and the continued need for close cooperation in the Afghanistan mission.
• Article: "Die US-Wirtschaft ist robust"
• Press Release:"...derzeit die besten Beziehungen..."
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News From the Consulate |
NATO and Afghanistan – Challenges and Opportunities
April 23, 2008
Deputy Chief of Mission John Koenig was the sole guest on "Eins zu Eins: Der Talk", a 55-minute radio program on Bavarian Public Radio. The interview covered a range of topics including his biography, U.S. foreign policy, specifically issues like Afghanistan and NATO, U.S. elections, his experience in Germany, his former posts as a diplomat as well as the opening of the new U.S. Embassy in Berlin. He also delivered a speech on "NATO and Afghanistan – Challenges and Opportunities for the Transatlantic Community" at Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSS) during his visit to Munich. For the speech, an overflow audience of 120 filled the main auditorium at HSS.
• "NATO: langfristiges Engagement für Sicherheit, Wiederaufbau und Entwicklung Afghanistans"
Full text of speech
• Article in online journal Bayexna
 View interview
View highlights of event
 Listen to interview
Spotlight On Youth
April 15, 2008
Media and youth shared the spotlight as the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Consulate Munich, Bavarian broadcaster BR and the Berlin Alliance for Democracy and Tolerance welcomed 120 youth from different ethnic and educational backgrounds to the BR headquarters for a one-day conference on the image of migrant youth in the media. Amidst a multitude of symposia dealing with similar questions, this one (part of U.S. Mission Germany's "Building Bridges" series) stood out because of its novel format: Young people directly speaking with media professionals. Representatives from Munich media were peppered with critiques and questions like "Why are the ethnic backgrounds of delinquents from ethnic minorities always reported in the press?" or "Why are people with migrant background always shown as drug dealers or aggressors on TV?" Among the panelists were BR radio representative Sybille Giel, famous TV actor Charles M. Huber, and PR specialist Nadja Rahal. A journalism fair during the lunch break allowed the students to get information about media jobs. Experts from the Bavarian Ministry of Culture as well as the City of Munich were there as observers. The Consulate Public Affairs section also arranged for two of its Windows on America alumni to participate in a film project on the conference. Their film will be shown on BR’s youth program Südwild in July. Some 100 youth and media representatives also attended an icebreaker event at Amerika Haus the night before. German-Zimbabwean percussion group Pamuzinda further helped melt the ice and set the stage for the next day's conference.
• Flip through the photos
• Welcome remarks by Consul General Eric Nelson
• Article in Süddeutsche Zeitung
• Article in Münchner Merkur
• Article in Hürriyet
Enhancing Bavarian-American Cooperation
March 26-28, 2008
 | Bavarian Interior Minister
Herrmann (left) meets Deputy
FBI Director John Pistole
© FBI
click to enlarge |
Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (left) met Deputy FBI Director John Pistole at FBI headquarters in Washington during his first visit to the U.S. as Interior Minister. Minister Herrmann also met with officials of the National Security Council, the National Counterterrorism Center, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the Departments of Defense, Homeland Security, Justice, and State. Minister Herrmann received briefings on U.S. law enforcement and intelligence programs, including areas for possible enhanced cooperation between Bavarian and the U.S. authorities. He also gave a speech at the German Marshall Fund in Washington on immigration and integration.
Politics at the Speed of Light
March 14, 2008In cooperation with the Bavarian Journalism Association (BJV), the Public Affairs Section of the Munich consulate hosted a seminar on the U.S. elections for an overflow audience of 30 journalists at the Consulate. The event featured a webinar, a web seminar supported by State Department’s Bureau of International Information Programs in Washington that allowed participation outside of the Consulate. The program included remarks by Consul General Eric Nelson, a presentation by Embassy Information Resource Officer Sheila Weir; tools and tips for media professionals by the staff of the Information Resource Center; and a presentation/webinar by university professor Dr. Jeremy Mayer on "Politics at the Speed of Light." The conference provided an active group of media professionals ranging from print, TV and radio journalists to bloggers with a unique and highly appreciated package of practical and analytical information on new media and the U.S. elections. The webinar, a double premiere for the BJV and the U.S. consulate, enabled online users to participate in the discussion and reflected the knack for new media trends in the U.S.
the Wedding Miracle
March 14, 2008
It all began with a dream. U.S. Ambassador William R. Timken and his wife Sue collaborated with PluralArts and the Ernst-Schering Oberschule in the Berlin district Wedding to bring to the stage a multilingual musical production developed and performed by students of the Ernst-Schering Oberschule. The musical features a wide variety of musical and dance styles and is a lively examination of life in Wedding as seen through the eyes of its young residents. Hailing from some 27 countries, approximately 80 percent of the participants in the musical are of non-German heritage. After the overwhelming success of the musical in Berlin, the German Interior Ministry has approved funding to support a tour of the musical throughout Germany. On March 14, The Streets of Wedding was performed in Nuremberg in cooperation with the German-American Institute. • Article in " Nürnberger Zeitung" • Flip through the photos of the Berlin performance • Read Handelsblatt article about the musical (English translation) Watch a video
Bavarian-American Basketball in Bamberg
March 7, 2008
The Public Affairs Section of the Munich consulate organized a bi-national basketball summit in Freak City, a nickname for the city of Bamberg. Consul General Eric Nelson, US Army Garrison Bamberg Commander Lieutenant Colonel Gary Rosenberg and the German basketball champion team Brose Baskets welcomed students from Bamberg Middle/High School and the Graf-Stauffenberg-Realschule to the well-outfitted Freedom Fitness Facility at Warner Barracks for this sports diplomacy event. German and American youth mingled, dribbled, shot hoops and had plain fun in both the clinics and subsequent games. In connection with the basketball program, Consul General Nelson also visited the Brose Baskets premium business partner, Brose, an automotive supplier.
• Article in "Fränkischer Tag"
• Video clip in "Fränkischer Tag webTV"
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