Programs and Events

Consulate General Leipzig Supports Transatlantic Partnership
August 16 - 17, 2007 Bill Purcell, the Lord Mayor of Nashville, TN, arrived for his final visit to Nashville’s sister city Magdeburg on August 16, and was received by representatives from politics, culture, and the media at the Otto-von-Guericke Association. Consul Edith Backman and staffers from Leipzig Consulate General attended the event and used the opportunity to meet the mayor and two representatives of the Nashville sister city association.(more)

Yiddish Summer Weimar festival
August 9, 2007 Consul for Public Affairs Mark Wenig, U.S. Consulate General Leipzig, and his wife Kjärstin attended an evening street performance of the “Yiddish Summer Weimar” festival on August 7. This festival, which began in 2001, was known then as “Weimar Klezmer Weeks.” Due to more and more Yiddish elements at the festival and a change of promotors, the name was changed to “Yiddish Summer Weimar” in 2006.(more)

The Children of the World in Saxony-Anhalt
August 8, 2007 Consul for Public Affairs Mark Wenig and Consulate General staffer Zoe Kusmierz joined the closing ceremony of the 11th Eurocamp for Kids in Güntersberge. The 10-day camp brought together 280 children aged 11 to 17 from 21 countries to promote tolerance and cultural understanding through fun and friendship.(more)

Harvard Krokodiloes take Wittenberg by storm
August 4, 2007 The 12 member Harvard Krokodiloes a cappella singing group performed at the Phoenix Theatre in Lutherstadt-Wittenberg (Saxony Anhalt) before about 300 guests. The concert was organized with the help of former Krokodilo Todd Fletcher, now a Berlin resident.(more)

Wittenberg Summer School 2007 Goes International
July 30 - August 3, 2007 Thirty students from 15 universities in Germany, Poland, Bulgaria, the U.S., and Taiwan, discussed “The American Press and the Challenges of Politics and Technology” at the second Wittenberg Summer School. The program was a collaboration of the U.S. Embassy in Berlin, the Center for U.S. Studies at the University of Halle/Wittenberg, and Magdeburg University, and supported by the German Association for American Studies.(more)

Brown Coal, the Environment, and U.S. Corporate Responsibility
August 1, 2007 Consul General Mark Scheland toured the operations of the Mitteldeutsche Braunkohle AG (MIBRAG), a lignite mining company owned and operated in Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony by two major American energy firms. MIBRAG CEO Bruce DeMarcus acquainted the Consul General and his colleagues -- Embassy Berlin First Secretary Michael Sullivan and Leipzig Consul for Public Affairs Mark Wenig -- with technical and ecological aspects of brown coal mining and the use of this fuel in electricity generation.(more)

Explaining the U.S.-EU Agreement on Sharing Travelers’ Data
August 1, 2007 On August 1, 2007, the Agreement Between the United States of America and the European Union on the Processing and Transfer of Passenger Name Record (PNR) Data by Air Carriers to the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), known simply as the 2007 PNR Agreement, entered into force. In order to explain the new standards in the sharing of PNR data of travelers between European Union states and the U.S., Consul General Mark Scheland taped questions and answers with Carsten Fiedler, a reporter for radio mephisto 97.6, the Leipzig university student-run station.(more)

Activism Against Intolerance in Rural Saxony-Anhalt
July 24, 2007 Leipzig Consul General Mark Scheland traveled to the Harz region town of Ilsenburg to hear from German and American college students about their youth outreach focusing on overcoming intolerance and isolation from foreigners. The Saxony-Anhalt based NGO, "Miteinander e.V.," recruited students from U.S. and German universities to create four-person teams, for each of four rural cities in the state, and also in the neighboring state of Brandenburg.(more)

Panel Discussion on Changing Perceptions of the U.S. and Germany
July 21, 2007 The U.S. Consulate Leipzig supported a panel discussion on the changing images of the U.S. and Germany at the Forum for Contemporary History in Leipzig (Zeitgeschichtliches Forum). The program highlighted the evolution of transatlantic perceptions since the 1960s. Participants Thomas Nehls, a former ARD radio correspondent to the U.S., and RIAS radio veteran Rik DeLisle, though both born the same year -- 1947 -- offered two distinct perspectives on the issue.(more)

Farewell to American Studies Professor
July 19, 2007 Leipzig Consul General Mark Scheland was one of seven speakers at a formal sendoff and reception for newly retired American Studies Professor Hartmut Keil. Scheland, who addressed the theme of interdisciplinary studies in the context of future careers for the approximately 80 students present, strongly supported American Studies as an important and worthwhile field of study.(more)

Promoting the Reduction of Trade Obstacles in Saxony
July 19, 2007 Leipzig Consul General Mark Scheland paid a visit to the Anchor Lamina company, a U.S. manufacturer of steel constructions, die and mold components and complete assemblies for the tool making, automotive and print industries.(more)

Ambassador Timken Hosts Luncheon to Bring Eastern German Teachers to U.S.
July 17, 2007 Ambassador William R. Timken Jr. and his wife Sue hosted a luncheon in Leipzig for over 20 corporate representatives to garner support for the Eastern German Teachers Visitor Program (EGTVP). In addition to remarks by Ambassador Timken and Consul General Mark Scheland, the group also heard testimonials from two former participant teachers, Renate Dorn and Jeannine Kämpfer.(more)

Discussing U.S. Issues with Torgau Vo/Tech Students
July 13, 2007 Twenty upper-grade students from the Berufsbildende Schule in the Elbe River city of Torgau, Saxony, came with their English teacher Dr. Ursula Roscher to the consulate general for a round table with the Consul General, Information Resource Center (IRC) Assistant Mechthild Hoelker, and U.S. intern Amanda Paustian.(more)

Leipzig's 15th Anniversary Celebrated with U.S. Composition and Verse
July 13, 2007 In commemoration of the Consulate’s reopening on June 30th 1992, Consul General Mark Scheland and his wife Elizabeth hosted “Eine kleine Hausmusik” on July 13th. Deputy Chief of Mission John Koenig, U.S.Embassy Berlin, Mrs. Koenig, their two sons and forty guests from the Leipzig area listened to three talented young sopranos currently studying at the local “Hochschule für Musik und Theater.”(more)

Consulate Contributes to University Course
July 11, 2007 Consul for Public Affairs Mark Wenig continued his regular engagement for the annual summer semester class on U.S. cultural studies launched by Prof. Dr. Michael Hinner, who holds the chair of Business English at technical university Bergakademie Freiberg.(more)

Long-Standing Consulate Support for Leipzig American Studies Collection
July 10, 2007 The 10th anniversary of the Frank Freidel Memorial Library, which is part of Leipzig’s university library, was commemorated with a reception. Having grown from generous donations by U.S. institutions and private scholars - the greatest share being the private library of the late Frank Freidel, a Harvard historian - the library now includes some 18,000 books and media on American literature, history, society and politics.(more)

America@Your Library Program at Magdeburg International Library
July 6, 2007 Twenty second graders and their New York-born teacher, Kjersti Nichols from the International Primary School Magdeburg, attended an English language program on "Children in Nashville" at the Magdeburg public library. The presentation was part of the America@yourlibrary program, organized by Magdeburg library staff member Beate Hoerning, who just returned from a trip to Nashville, TN, a sister city of Magdeburg.(more)

Leipzig Conversation Group Debates Facets of the U.S.
July 5, 2007 American Fulbright teaching assistant Larissa Pahomov, who had been running the post’s English-language conversation group since October 2006, was given a farewell by participants. Consulate General Leipzig offers this weekly event on Thursday afternoons to the general public, bringing together people from all walks of life for an exchange about current U.S. related issues.(more)

Leipzig Consulate Fetes July 4 in Style
July 3, 2007 Over 500 guests attended Leipzig’s Independence Day reception on the Consulate grounds in the late afternoon of July 3. After the colors were displayed by U.S. Marines and American soprano and Weimar resident Wendy Waller sang the national anthem, guests also celebrated the Consulate’s 15 year anniversary by listening to short testimonials from six partners of the consulate describing briefly their cooperation with the United States. They reflected the professional and geographic diversity of consulate programs.(more)

Burgstädt Gymnasium Celebrates ‘Day of Cultures’ With Consul General
June 21, 2007 Consul General Mark Scheland was the featured speaker for 10th and 11th grade students of English at the college preparatory secondary school (Gymnasium) in Burgstädt, Saxony. The school was celebrating graduation day, and students from several grades conducted special projects to conclude the year, including an English-language debate competition.(more)

Fun, Sun, and Support for Libraries in Leipzig
June 17, 2007 On June 17 the infield of the Leipzig horserace track Scheibenholz was the venue for the first-ever “citizens’ picnic” to raise money for three Leipzig libraries. Over 600 people joined the 100 book-loving “table patrons,” among whom were locally-known authors and publishers, business leaders, and public officials. U.S. Consul General Scheland and newly-arrived Consul Edie Backman also attended as patrons of the "Bürgerpicnic," joined by Information Resource Center assistant Mechthild Hoelker.(more)

20 Nations - One Party
June 2, 2007 On the occasion of International Children's Day (June 1), young people from Europe, Asia, Africa, the Arab world and North America enjoyed a day of multicultural encounters, fun and games on June 2 in Leipzig's neighborhood Rabet. Leipzig City Commissioner for Youth, Dr. Siegfried Haller, opened the afternoon officially.(more)

Reaching out to Thuringian Teachers
May 31, 2007 Sixteen English teachers from Thuringia attended an English teacher's workshop at Meiningen public library. U.S. intern Shanon Self did a presentation on intercultural differences and engaged the teachers in a lively discussion on American and German stereotypes.(more)

Consul General Officially Opens “Karl May Festtage” in Radebeul
May 18 - 19, 2007 Consul General Mark Scheland served as Patron of the 16th annual “Karl May Festtage” in Radebeul near Dresden, and officially opened the two and a half day festival on May 18. The event, which honors German author Karl May, who wrote about the American West, features a host of western-theme activities, including the participation of American Indians from around the U.S.(more)

Re-Thinking the Cold War
May 23, 2007 Consulate General Leipzig co-organized the 1st International Students’ Conference for participants from the University of Chemnitz and Rockford College, Illinois. Born as an idea when former Wittenberg-based guest professor Dave Jervis (now at Rockford), repeatedly taught intensive courses in Chemnitz, the conference was the culmination of special projects conducted on both sides of the Atlantic during the spring semester.(more)

U.S. Showcase at Pirna Intercultural Festival
May 12, 2007 Consul Michael Rousek joined the fifth “Markt der Kulturen” in Pirna. The Consulate General Leipzig staffed an information booth at the market, which celebrated and showcased the many different peoples and cultures. In his address on stage, Rousek stressed the importance of such an event to promote tolerance and intercultural dialogue.(more)

Consulate General Leipzig Stages Annual Media Seminar
May 10, 2007 Leipzig Consulate General staged its all-day media workshop for journalism trainees from Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR), the public broadcaster and ARD affiliate in the Leipzig district. The 12 participants received an introduction to Information Resource Center (IRC) resources and services available at the consulate as well as through Internet outreach, as explained and presented by Information Resource Officer Sheila Weir, U.S. Consulate General Frankfurt/M., in the framework of a DVC.(more)

Consul Wenig Attends American Day in Goerlitz
May 09, 2007 On the occasion of their traditional celebration of the “America Day”, Consul for Public Affairs Mark Wenig visited the “Europe–Library” in Goerlitz, "America@yourlibrary" partner of the U.S. Consulate General Leipzig. Wenig introduced the consulate's work to 20 students from the Annen-Augustum Gymnasium as well as to 15 students and their teachers from Euro-Schule Goerlitz.(more)

"Battle of the Books" Kicks Off at Consulate General
April 27, 2007 Some 50 students contesting the “Battle of the Books” were greeted by Consul for Public Affairs Mark Wenig at the Leipzig Consulate. Organized by an English teacher from a local high school, the “Battle of the Books,” based on an American formula, is held annually as an English language reading and literature competition. This year it brought together students from eight schools, some in Leipzig and others from as far away as Kronshagen in Schleswig-Holstein.(more)

Consul Wenig Addresses Students, English Club in Waldenburg and Hohenstein-Ernstthal
April 26, 2007 Consul for Public Affairs Mark Wenig addressed a student group in the Saxon town of Waldenburg on April 26 with a Power Point presentation on his home state of Alaska. The visit was arranged by Andreas Barth, one of the lead librarians in the historic Ratsschulbibliothek (Council Library) in the city of Zwickau. The 11th graders and their teachers asked many questions, and afterwards, school administrators invited Wenig and his wife to brief roundtable.(more)

Reaching out to Torgau Youth
April 25, 2007 In connection with his visit to Torgau, Consul General Mark Scheland discussed U.S. foreign policy with about 60 students from the Johann-Walter-Gymnasium. The students engaged in conversations on American views about the Iraq war and strategy, political opportunities for women in the United States, and American perceptions of German culture.(more)

Commemorating the Torgau "Link-Up"
April 25, 2007 Lt. Col. Kenneth Dobbertin, Embassy Berlin Assistant Army Attaché, joined Leipzig Consul General Mark Scheland at a wreath laying ceremony for the commemoration of the “link-up” of American and Soviet troops on the Elbe River 62 years ago. Also in attendance were Torgau Mayor Andrea Staude, former mayor Wolfgang Gerstenberg, and Andreas Haberland, the mayor of Strehla.(more)

"Tender Bar" Feeling Recreated in Leipzig
April 24, 2007 U.S. author and Pulitzer Prize winner J.R. Moehringer teamed up with well-known German actor Dominic Raacke to present the bestseller “Tender Bar” to an audience in Leipzig. The event, which was co-sponsored by the House of Books (Haus des Buches), the Fischer Publishing Firm, and Leipzig Consulate General, recreated for the audience the special atmosphere of Moehringer’s “upbringing” in Manhasset, New York, and the lessons he learned for life at the “tender bar.”(more)

Consulate General Leipzig Recognized World Day of Books and Copyright
April 23, 2007 Consulate General Leipzig’s Information Resource Center (IRC) has cooperated for several years with the Dessau Public Library (Anhaltische Landesbücherei). This fruitful relationship began with a donation from the consulate of books drawn from a decommissioned U.S. military library. To commemorate and renew our partnership, Consul for Public Affairs Mark Wenig presented the Dessau library a new collection, drawn this time from titles donated by U.S. publishers for display at the March 2007 Leipzig Book Fair.(more)

High Culture with a Light Touch in Leipzig
April 22, 2007 Consul General and Mrs. Scheland hosted a third recital in their "Eine kleine Hausmusik" series, in which they present young American musicians to audiences drawn from the region’s major musical institutions, politics, business and other fields. Soprano Elisabeth Marshall, a Fulbright scholar studying this year at Leipzig’s conservatory, wowed them with a program including Strauss, Debussy, and Samuel Barber. Pianists from Kazakhstan and Japan filled out the bill.(more)

Meeting the Magdeburg Press
April 19, 2007 Leipzig Consul General Mark Scheland, Consulfor Public Affairs Mark Wenig and Information Specialist Rita Wallace represented the Consulate in Magdeburg as the German-American Dialog Center introduced this year’s three scholarship recipients to the local press. The three high school students, who had been selected from a pool of 60 applicants, said they wanted to examine first-hand whether stereotypes about the U.S. are indeed true, and promised to act as ambassadors for Saxony-Anhalt in the U.S.(more)

Leipzig Consulate General Welcomes German and American Students
April 19, 2007 Consul Michael Rousek welcomed a group of American and German students, who were interested in learning about the duties and responsibilities of a consulate. The mixed group of students included Americans from Vermont, who were visiting the Schiller Gymnasium in Leipzig.(more)

Reaching Out to Local Office-Holders and Students in Saxony
April 17 - 18, 2007 Leipzig Consul General Mark Scheland visited the cities of Zittau and Herrnhut in eastern Saxony on April 17 and 18. In Zittau, the Consul General explained the Consulate’s services and role in the region to the acting mayor and party leaders in the City Council, discussed regional economic development at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and visited a local firm.(more)

Targeting English Teachers
April 17, 2007 Consulate General Leipzig hosted an in-service training for 19 English teachers from Saxony-Anhalt in Leipzig. Prof. Crister Garrett, American historian and political scientist teaching at Leipzig University, lectured on how to use the Internet in teaching American politics and the next Presidential elections, while Consul for Public Affairs Mark Wenig introduced the teachers to the Consulate’s activities.(more)

Consul Michael Rousek Visits Commemoration Ceremony for the 62nd Anniversary of the End of WWII
April 12, 2007 Consul Michael Rousek attended the ceremony for the celebration of the end of WWII 62 years ago conducted by Berward Küper, mayor of Naumburg. In his speech Rousek pointed out the change in the relationship between former enemies who in the process of ending the war became friends. He also reminded the audience of American support in Germany’s reunification.(more)

U.S. Policy Dialog at a Chemnitz High School
April 4, 2007 The Georgius-Agricola-Gymnasium, celebrating its 150th anniversary in the Saxon industrial city of Chemnitz all this week, invited Consul General Scheland to a “Foreign Language Day” event. The Consul General acquainted an audience of about 40 students with the work of the consulate and addressed students’ questions.(more)

Consul Wenig Adds Background for Upper Grade Students.
March 28, 2007 Consulate General Leipzig took an active role in an English class with eight students and their two teachers from Freies Gymnasium in Penig. With the final exams being scheduled in four weeks, the group listened to a 60-minute briefing by Consul Mark Wenig on a wide variety of topics, all covered in the school curriculum.(more)

Consul Wenig Attends Arizona Club in Dresden, Then Meets American, Mexican, and German Students
March 26 - 27, 2007 Consul for Public Affairs Mark Wenig attended his second straight monthly meeting of Dresden’s Arizona Club on March 26 to hear a presentation about Alaska, delivered by Jürgen Wüstenay, an annual presenter on the subject who came from Munich. Wenig, who also delivered a greeting to the meeting about his home state of Alaska, has had a close relationship with this club which celebrates the American West and the tradition of Karl May, the well-known German author who has a museum dedicated to him in nearby Radebeul.(more)

Consulate General Leipzig Hosts Saxony Youth Foundation
March 26, 2007 Vice Consul Michael Rousek hosted a group of 20 recent German high school graduates who have been selected for a year-long state-funded program for political and social volunteer work. The program was founded by the Saxony Parliament in 1997 to fight racism and extremism among young people, while providing avenues for political education.(more)

Consulate General Hosts Leipzig Book Fair Booth, Web Chat, and Reading
March 22 -25, 2007 Leipzig Consulate General staffed a booth at the Leipzig Book Fair and participated the fourth year in Leipzig's major fair. In a departure from the past, the Consulate solicited book donations directly from U.S. based publishers and received over 300 books, many of which were displayed at the booth and which provided a broad overview on what Americans are reading.(more)

Laughing over "The Awful German Language" at a Leipzig High School
March 23, 2007 Consul General Mark Scheland read excerpts from Mark Twain’s essay "The Awful German Language" before an audience of 11th and 12th graders and the general public at Leipzig’s Lutheran School Center. The program was one of the 1,900 book-related events with 1,500 authors happening in dozens of venues in the four-day “Leipzig Reads!” festival, concurrent with the Book Fair.(more)

Leipzig Consulate General Representation at Library Congress
March 19 - 22, 2007 The third Leipzig Congress for Information and Library under the auspices of German President Horst Köhler took place at Leipzig’s Congress Center. Some 3,000 librarians and other information professionals from Germany and 36 other countries attended the conference on “Information and Ethics.” Consulate General Leipzig staff presented State Department and Embassy products and services at a booth, which became an important meeting point for Leipzig Consulate's contacts and attracted national and international participants. Information Resource Officer Sheila Weir and Information Resource Center (IRC) coordinator Nancy Rajczak from U.S. Embassy Berlin also joined the event.(more)

Deputy Chief of Mission Sees Many Angles of Leipzig
March 21-22, 2007 Mission Germany Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) John Koenig was among the protocol guests at the March 21 opening ceremony of the Leipzig Book Fair. The DCM and Consul General Mark Scheland devoted the following day to an informative program of visits to Leipzig/Halle Airport for briefings on military support operations and airport expansion, Amazon.de, and the Consulate General Leipzig booth at the Book Fair.(more)

Leipzig Consulate Meets With German and American Exchange Students
March 13, 2007 Vice Consul Michael Rousek hosted a mixed group of German and American high school teachers and students from the Pestalozzi-Gymnasium in Stadtroda and the E.I. Furr High School in Houston at the Consulate. The schools enjoy a long-standing partnership involving regular mutual visits and exchanges. The group visited the Consulate to get an overview of the diversity of issues covered in transatlantic relations beyond their exchange experience and the active approach of the U.S. Consulate in this environment.(more)

Commemorating History and Looking Ahead in Schleusingen
March 3, 2007 Leipzig Consul General Mark Scheland appeared with former Federal President Roman Herzog and Thuringia’s Minister-President Dieter Althaus as speakers at the 775-year jubilee of the city of Schleusingen. Mayor Klaus Brodführer made clear to the audience of several hundred, including federal and state legislators, that he had invited the Consul General to express gratitude for and raise awareness of the role of U.S. troops in “liberating Schleusingen from Nazi dictatorship” in April 1945.(more)

Cultural Attaché Speaks at Kurt Weill Opening in Dessau
March 2, 2007 Cultural Attaché Peter Claussen came to Dessau to represent the Ambassador at the opening of the 15th annual Kurt Weill Festival, celebrating the work of this well- known German émigré music and literary figure who lived and worked in New York in the 1930s and 40s. Consul for Public Affairs Mark Wenig, U.S. Consulate General Leipzig, and Consulate Leipzig staff member Gabi Schuckelt and Wolfgang Brandt from the cultural section, U.S. Embassy Berlin, were also in attendance.(more)

Black History Workshop for Teachers from Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt
February 27, 2007 An African-American History Month event was organized by the Consulate General Leipzig with 11 English teachers from Leipzig, Magdeburg, and Zwickau taking part. Consul General Mark Scheland opened the workshop with observations on African-Americans in U.S. society, education and diplomacy, and Consul for Public Affairs Mark Wenig led a lively discussion about Affirmative Action.(more)

Maintaining Close Ties with Leipzig School Libraries
February 14, 2007 Consul for Public Affairs Mark Wenig welcomed 22 librarians and the head of the Leipzig School Library Office, who is responsible for school libraries and staff in the Leipzig area. While Wenig provided an overview on the Consulate and its tasks and services, the staff of the Information Resource Center (IRC) introduced the group to U.S. information on the web, IRC resources, products and programs.(more)

Putting Muslim Women on Leipzig's Map
February 12, 2007 Daisy Khan, Executive Director of the American Society for Muslim Advancement, emphasized the need for intercultural understanding and tolerance in both Muslim and Western societies in front of academics, students and an interested general public in Leipzig.(more)

Mapping America's Future Course in Leipzig
February 9, 2007 William Drozdiak, former Washington Post European Bureau Chief and current President of the American Council on Germany (ACG) spoke to 30 journalists at the headquarters of the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR), one of Germany’s most successful public broadcasting affiliates. Drozdiak was welcomed to the Consulate General Leipzig-arranged program by Wolfgang Kenntemich, the head of MDR Television, who had visited the ACG in the spring of last year.(more)

Ambassador William R. Timken Jr. Engages Students and Business Leaders in Leipzig
February 5, 2007 Ambassador William R. Timken Jr. and Mrs. Timken spent a full day in Leipzig for meetings with Leipzig’s Lord Mayor Burkhard Jung, local politicians, cultural representatives, university students and business leaders. The American Studies Department at Leipzig University hosted him and Mrs. Timken for a roundtable with 28 students and faculty, who asked questions on bilateral German-American and international issues, such as Iraq, Afghanistan and the war on terror.(more)

Anniversary Celebrations at Ronald McDonald House
February 2, 2007 Consul General Mark Scheland joined 150 high-ranking representatives from the Leipzig political, business and cultural scene in celebrating the fifth anniversary of the Leipzig Ronald McDonald House. Over the past five years, the Ronald McDonald House has provided accommodations and support to over 1800 families of children undergoing treatment for cancer at the nearby Leipzig University Clinic.(more)

America@YourSchool Program in Thuringia
January 30, 2007 During a meeting with twenty 11th and 10th graders from Königin Luise-Schule in Erfurt, Minister-Counselor for Economic Affairs Robert F. Cekuta and Leipzig Consul General Mark Scheland reflected on Germany’s EU presidency, transatlantic economic ties, crime-fighting, Internet regulations and the U.S. government structure. The program was arranged by the Erfurt Public Library, which is the Consulate’s Thuringian America@YourLibrary partner.(more)

Interest in U.S. Course on Energy Security and Climate Change
January 29, 2007 During a visit to the newspaper Thueringer Allgemeine Zeitung in Erfurt, Embassy Berlin Minister-Counselor for Economic Affairs Robert Cekuta and Leipzig Consul General Mark Scheland responded to questions from editor-in-chief Sergej Lochthofen and staff journalists Thomas Rothbart and Florian Gathmann on President Bush’s new energy security and conservation proposals.(more)

Consul General Exchanges Impressions of America with Magdeburgers
January 28, 2007 Consul General Scheland was the main speaker at a "floating" public forum called "Sense and Sofa" (Sinn und Sofa), a bi-monthly event hosted by the Evangelical (Lutheran) Academy of Saxony-Anhalt and other partners. In the informal setting of a café full of sofas and easy chairs, the Consul General discussed perceptions of the U.S. he had encountered and the realities of American society or policies that relate to those perceptions.(more)

Consulate Outreach at Dessau State Library
January 24, 2007 Consul for Public Affairs Mark Wenig addressed forty 10th and 11th graders and their English teachers from the “Philanthropinum” Gymnasium about current U.S. political developments and the 2008 elections. The event took place at the “Anhaltische Landesbücherei” library in Dessau. Wenig also presented the deputy library director with American books and DVDs to update their English language collection, which was originally initiated 15 years ago with materials from a closing U.S. military library.(more)

Deputy Chief of Mission John Koenig Takes Spotlight in Leipziger Volkszeitung
January 23, 2007 In a Consulate General Leipzig arranged interview with Bernd Hilder, editor-in-chief of the Leipzig Volkszeitung and deputy political section-chief Anita Kecke, Berlin Deputy Chief of Mission John Koenig explained President Bush’s new strategy in Iraq, the need for continued military engagement in Afghanistan, and U.S. willingness to step up cooperation on climate protection and energy security.(more)

Leipzig Consulate Contributes Inside View to Lessons on America
January 17 and 18, 2007 Forty 12th graders from the Pestalozzi-Gymnasium in Meerane visited the Consulate to conclude their semester of studying American policies and values by holding a Q&A sessions with Vice Consul Michael Rousek. Staff of the Information Resource Center (IRC) contributed an overview of relevant online research sites and conventional IRC resources.(more)

Saxony English Teachers Learn About American Society and Culture
January 16, 2007 On January 16, Consulate General Leipzig conducted a workshop for English teachers in cooperation with the Chemnitz School Authority (Regionalschulamt). Consul for Public Affairs Mark Wenig introduced the Consulate to the more than forty participants and spoke about immigration issues. Fulbright Professor Charles Johanningsmeier talked about the importance of regions in American culture while U.S. speaker Charles Whitmer presented trends in popular American music, focusing mainly on Hip-Hop.(more)

Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried in Dresden
January 12, 2007 Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried participated in foreign policy consultations of the U.S.-EU troika in Dresden on January 12, including talks with 27 EU political directors. The informal consultations marked the beginning of a whole series of talks and ministerial meetings that Germany will host during its EU presidency. Consulate General Leipzig arranged interviews for Assistant Secretary of State Fried with the Sächsische Zeitung, regional public broadcaster Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) and DeutschlandRadio Kultur.(more)