Conference Examines U.S. Foreign Policy In the 2008 Election Year
June 20, 2008.
On June 20, Consul General Matt Boyse spoke at the start of a conference entitled "The State of the Leading Western Power: The USA before the Presidential Elections" at the Theodor Heuss Academy (THA) in Gummersbach. In his address, he urged the participants to challenge commonly held views about the Administration’s foreign and economic policies, to delve deeper into the details of policy, and to consider larger strategic factors as they form their views. At the event, which was co-sponsored by the German Atlantic Society, Naumann-Foundation National Deputy Chair Axel Hoffmann underscored the value of Consulate support in bringing U.S. perspectives to the Academy's transatlantic dialogue. (more..)

American Football 27th Junior Bowl Held In NRW
June 28, 2008.
Consul General Matt Boyse opened the championship game of the 2008 season between the Stuttgart Scorpions and the Duesseldorf Panthers on June 28 in Moenchengladbach, before a crowd of fans from many parts of Germany. The Panthers won the game 49:30. The American Football Verband Deutschland e.V. appreciated the Consulate’s support for the sport, which has grown considerably in popularity over the years, with nine teams in NRW alone. (more..)

Talking About The United States In Bocholt
June 23, 2008.
At the invitation of NRW Junge Union Chairman Sven Vollmering, Consul General Matt Boyse visited the Bocholt region near the Dutch border on June 23. At the Mariengymnasium he discussed current issues with students and teachers before attending a reception of major political parties hosted by the mayor. Consul General Boyse also visited a chemical firm with an important investment in Texas and gave interviews to local and regional media. (more..)

Reducing Cultural Stereotyping Via School Exchanges
June 19,2008.
In remarks at a celebration in Solingen of 20 years of partnership between the Naperville (Illinois) Central High School and the Humboldt Gymnasium, School Director Marko Voigt and Deputy Mayor Heinz-Eugen Bertenburg stressed the importance of travel and personal contact between Germans and Americans in expanding and correcting knowledge about each others’ societies. Among the 100 guests were present and former students from both schools, who described how their views had changed during their stays in the other country. In his speech congratulating the leaders of the program for their many years of engagement, Consul General  Matt Boyse echoed these observations and expanded on the many benefits to Germany of close relations with the United States. (more..)

Supporting German-American Activities In Siegen
June 19, 2008.
At an "American Day" on June 19 organized by the University of Siegen to inform students about transatlantic exchange opportunities exchanges advisor Petra Spitz from the Consulate gave a presentation on "Studying in the U.S." In the evening, the German-American Society Siegerland-Wittgenstein hosted a ceremony in honor of the successful participants in an essay contest on America where Spitz congratulated the author of the winning essay entitled "The Summer of Love - How 1967 Changed the World" and three other winners and presented them with gift books on the United States. (more..)

2008 Presidential Campaign Continues To Resonate In NRW
June 16, 2008.
With support from the Consulate, the Amerika Haus e.V. North Rhine Westphalia sponsored another in its series of lecture/discussions on the race for the White House on June 16, this time with John Hulsman, the Alfred von Oppenheim Scholar at the German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP) in Berlin. To an audience of 150 at the Industrie-Club in Duesseldorf, Hulsman expanded on the state of play for both parties and their candidates after end of the primary season. (more..)

Honoring Franz Boas In Minden, On The 150th Anniversary Of His Birthday
June 14, 2008.
At a ceremony on June 14, Mayor Michael Buhre paid tribute to the founder of cultural anthropology Franz Boas who was born in Minden in 1858. Buhre praised Boas as an influential scholar and great humanist who after emigrating to America in 1888 was professor of anthropology at Columbia University for 35 years and also a curator at the Museum of Natural History in New York. The ceremony was highlighted by the presentation of a bonze plaque which will be affixed to Boas’ birthplace in Minden. For the Consulate, cultural officer Bernd Herbert noted the significance of Franz Boas as a mediator between Germany and America and thanked the City for honoring the distinguished German-American scholar. (more..)

Panel Discussion on Iraq Sees "Light at the End of the Tunnel"
May 28, 2008.
Consul General Matt Boyse took part in a discussion on "Iraq: Five Years after the Overthrow of Saddam Hussein" hosted by the Middle East Society (MES) at Bonn University on May 28. Sharing the podium a representative of the Iraqi Embassy Berlin, the editor of Deutsche Welle’s Arabic Service, the chairman of the university’s Political Science Department and Karin Mlodoch from the Haukari organization in Berlin, Consul General Boyse described the major gains recently in the security, political, legislative, and economic area and urged the audience of students, professors and other attendees to support U.S., allied and Iraqi efforts to emerge from the Saddam era and to build a moderate, democratic society. (more..)

Sympbolic Tree Planting at Biodiversisty Conference in Bonn
May 27, 2008.
Consul General Matt Boyse represented the Ambassador at a tree planting ceremony at the UN Conference on Biodiversity in Bonn on May 27. Joining the Mayor of Montreal, and a representative from Mexico as well as Bonn Mayor Baerbel Dieckmann, the CG helped plant a Chilean Andes fir tree for the Americas, one of five trees planted symbolizing the five continents. The tree planting ceremony, which was hosted by the German Forestry and Timber Industry, also launched the public program of the biodiversity conference and served to draw attention to the importance and value of trees for a healthy environment. (more..)