Kay S. Hymowitz argues that too many men in their 20s are living in a new kind of extended adolescence in the controversial Wall Street Journal essay, Where Have The Good Men Gone? Here’s an excerpt:

Not so long ago, the average American man in his 20s had achieved most of the milestones of adulthood: a high-school diploma, financial independence, marriage and children. Today, most men in their 20s hang out in a novel sort of limbo, a hybrid state of semi-hormonal adolescence and responsible self-reliance. This “pre-adulthood” has much to recommend it, especially for the college-educated. But it’s time to state what has become obvious to legions of frustrated young women: It doesn’t bring out the best in men.

When men are accused of being pre-adult and not “manning up,” most of us saw our dads (and moms) “manning down” in divorce.

Never mentioned as a cause for us to say, “marriage, hell no!”

Some pre-adult men choose Xbox, but all my friends choose travel, work, passion, the arts, their businesses, and lots and lots of hopeful dating; however, many of us who are very successful and who have thrown off the shackles of convention are becoming more and more like our friends in Germany, Holland, and throughout Europe who will probably have a child before ever choosing marriage — or not.

And will probably end up being pursued rather then being the pursuer when it comes right down to shacking up for having babies — or not.

I never really fell in love with the Hair song, Let the Sunshine In until I had an experience in Berlin very similar to this one (yes, Berlin is totally awesome no matter what you think):

Orchestre Miniature in the Park AKA OMP only plays music that mentions either the sun or summer. My friend Elisabeth King gigs with them.  They only play children’s and toy instruments. One day a couple-few years ago with Phoebe Kreutz (she loves Berlin too) popped in an joined OMP in singing Let the Sunshine In, from Hair, in Berlin, and it was so awesome I was done. Mind you, the video I linked to is not the right one, it is from an ad hoc outdoor gig at Ostkreutz in Berlin, but you get the idea — I know I have it recorded somewhere on YouTube myself, but I am still looking for that.

Sigh.

Before that, I already knew Ms. Kreutz because OMP loves to play her song All Summer Long (but be sure to also check out Phoebe Kreutz’s version of All Summer Long as well)

And here’s All Summer Long by Phoebe Kreutz

And here’s a really gorgeous version of Let the Sunshine In that I think takes place in Washington Square Park:

And here’s OMP playing All Summer Long:

And here’s the version of Let the Sunshine In from the movie Hair:

Mein gespräch, meine lieder,
Mein haß und mein glück,
Mein tag, meine nacht, mein vor, mein zurück,
Meine sonne und schatten, zweifel, die ich hab,
An dir und in mir bis zum letzten tag.
Deine straßen, wo ich fliehe, stolper und fall,
Deine wärme, die ich brauch, die ich spüre überall.

Verkauf dich nicht,
Berlin,
Jung bist du nicht,
Du alterst so schnell,
Buckelst zu sehr,
Trägst an den geldern der freier so schwer.
Die werden gehn,
Dich sterben sehn,
Berlin,
Geliebte berlin.

Deine ecken und winkel, deine höfe ungezählt,
Wo der dreck und die armut nach veränderung bellt,
Dein rausch am morgen
Riecht nach haschisch und bier,
Und rotz fällt gelassen auf gassen von dir.
Deine märkte, die weiber, ihre ruhe, ihre list
Und manchmal ein witz, der mich in den magen trifft.
Verkauf dich nicht,
Berlin,
Jung bist du nicht,
Du alterst so schnell,
Buckelst zu sehr,
Trägst an den geldern der freier so schwer.
Die werden gehn,
Dich sterben sehn,
Berlin,
Geliebte berlin.

Deine häuser mit fluren,
Wo man prügelt, wo man lacht,
Wo man, wenns dunkel wird,
Neue mitbewohner macht.

Deine räume, in denen der schlaf ungern kommt,
Weil die luft zum atmen fehlt,
Wo der sensemann wohnt,
Doch wo du freisein erfährst in dieser großen stadt,
Obwohl sie einengt und preßt und viele mauern hat.

Verkauf dich nicht,
Berlin,
Jung bist du nicht,
Du alterst so schnell,
Buckelst zu sehr,
Trägst an den geldern der freier so schwer.
Die werden gehn,
Dich sterben sehn,
Berlin,
Geliebte berlin.

Mein gespräch, meine lieder,
Mein haß und mein glück,
Mein tag, meine nacht, mein vor, mein zurück.
Dein halbtotet bahnhof, wo ich unter denen steh,
Die morgen, schon morgen in bessre städte gehn.
Wo ich dich verlassen will,
Immer wieder, immer noch,
Ich schaff den sprung auch,
Ich schaff den sprung doch.

The day after Returning to My Second Life in Berlin, there was a lot of amazing snow and Berlin was under a cozy white blanket. Little did I know that Berlin was completely caught unawares and while I was walking gently hither and thither while taking this video, my colleagues from around the world, en route to a conference, were stuck out.  Well, let’s not go there, let us just enjoy a walk in the snow in Berlin and then a massive number of black ravens in the white snow (and everywhere else): A Snowing Snowy Day in Berlin on 9 December 2010 and A Murder of Crows on the Snowy Snow of Berlin in December:

Took a walk from my Berlin apartment to Berlin-Hauptbahnhof across lots and lots of snow and beneath a snowy snowfall. It is quite beautiful even in the middle of the city. Even the snow couldn’t muffle the ubiquitous sound of city construction and pile-drivers. From snow to crows to the Berlin Hauptbahnhof to one stalled Porsche 944 getting ready to tow another broken 944 through the snow. A very cool little Berlin snow-covered vignette.

When I was walking back from grocery shopping at the Berlin-Hauptbahnhof Kaiser’s and Rossmann, I came upon this murderous land war of Berlin ravens or crows or whatever they are — very ominous and very foreboding and also maybe a terrible omen. Is this a good omen or is it an open at all?

I am watching people in a white panel van restock DC Capital Bikeshare bikes to the vending rack.

My friend Celina reminded me that it is essential to avoid these little red bikes like the plague. Why? They don’t ride their bike to work, they may not own a bike, they almost for sure won’t have a helmet on. They may be drinking-and-cycling drunks, post party.

Capital Bikeshare bikes (one pictures here) are basically worse than Flexcar and Zipcar. Except for one terrible thing: if you hit a Capital Bikeshare bike you’re at fault, either in jail legally or in crisis when it comes to your reputation.

You will always be vilified if you hit a biker, even if it is a dormant rider who hasn’t been on the road in years or decades, doesn’t know the rules of the road, or the laws of cycling engagement.

Mind you, in Berlin, there is a culture of the bike, like there is in Germany, Holland, and in much of Europe. The US, and Washington, doesn’t have this culture ingrained.

That said, I completely endorse the DC Capiaol Bikeshare program. And I endorse the makeover of Washington, DC, to encourage biking and bicycle commuting.

Just expect that there are no omelettes made without breaking a few eggs and I am terribly afraid that these eggs are going to actually be heads and those heads will be under cars right next to Capital Bikeshare bikes.

I stayed in an apartment off-campus but I must tell you that the Goethe-Institut intensive 8-week course is phenomenal.

They lavish programs and cultural opportunities at you and offer tours and have a great space to study and a library.

The schooling is very traditional with overhead projectors and white boards but the teachers are the best and my fellow students were educated and very international. It was an amazing experience.

Students range from college-age through 40 or so. What a great experience!

(Alas, this is my final blog post for Rosetta Stone under my current blogging contract.  Hopefully they’ll keep me on and I will continue to amuse you with my struggles, my trials, and my tribulations with German-learning. Please visit the Language Journeys Rosetta Stone blog and check out all of my posts)

[Originally posted at the Rosetta Stone Language Journey blog] It was a rare time—my business partner, Mark, and I were in Berlin, and we had scored a meeting with the Zurich-based investment company that had funded two of our clients.

As you may know, the primary languages in Switzerland are German and French, though Italian and an ancient Latin language called Romansch are official languages as well. Well, in Zurich, the Swiss speak German, and very formal German at that.

Mark and I scheduled our flight to Zurich half a day early, so we wandered around the old city until our meeting at two in the afternoon. We gave ourselves so much time—enough for a tour of the city and lunch, a full morning of it—because punctuality is demanded in Germanic countries. Tardiness is a strong sign of disrespect and a missed appointment can be curtains. And, if you’re later than ten minutes, you’d better call and have a brilliant excuse.

I few weeks ago, Mark Harrison, CEO of Abraham Harrison, took part in a think tank in Casekow, Germany, at the Corpus Operis castle.  The subject of Mark’s talk was how Abraham Harrison recruits, manages, and maintains a staff of over 40 within the loose confines of a completely distributed, global, virtual client services company.  Mark McMillan wrote this very insightful piece about Mark’s contribution to the conference over at the Talent Function blog: Virtual Admiration – Abraham&Harrison (A model for global workforce). (Via Marketing Conversation)

This week at Corpus Operis in Casekow, Germany, I had the pleasure of meeting Mark Harrison, the CEO of Abraham&Harrison (“A&H”). A&H is a global social media marketing and public relations company [see the framed video below for a pleasurable description of what they do]. The company has a workforce of approximately 35 people operating in 5 continents, 12 countries, in 11 languages, and on 1 Internet. The A&H workforce are predominantly independent contractors, completely virtual, and global. This emerging workforce model is not uncommon, many aspire to build a business like this, but it is unusual to find someone actually doing it. So, let’s hold Abraham&Harrison up to the sun and see what we can learn.

Mark runs the business from his endless summer lairs in Mauritius, an island off the coast of India, and Berlin, Germany. He runs the company with one of his best friends, Chris Abraham who operates from Washington, DC. The business is three years old and has an international client list full of names that you would recognize.

Since the beginning Mark and Chris have consciously shaped a company culture to sustain the business lifestyle that they want. Mark was taking a well-earned sabbatical in Tanzania. Chris had started a PR company and it had grown past the overwhelm level. He asked Mark if would help him run the business. Mark’s response, “Yes, IF you agree that I am free to live wherever I want. My freedom is what I value most. I’ll do it if we agree to run the company as a virtual company.” And so, the first seed of the A&H workforce culture was planted. Mark and Chris have worked hard, with their team, to establish and embody a culture that delivers results for clients while maintaining the lifestyle that the workforce WANTS. Here are some highlights to the A&H workforce approach:

All Accept that Freedom = Responsibility. With a virtual, contracted workforce, there is inherent freedom. There is no boss watching you. No one can see if you have showered, or if you do your laundry at 2:30 in the afternoon. The “virtual risk” is that workers will not work and that it will take a long time to figure that out. The virtual model requires workers who are self-motivated and who accept responsibility for getting the work done. The virtual risk is mitigated by the inherent pressure of being an independent contractor. Since there is no guarantee of a next project, contractors tend to work very hard. Actually at A&H, contractors tend to work too hard. This is a big concern of Mark’s and he regularly protects his contractors from themselves. There is no notion of a 9 to 5 work day but everyone is grounded in the responsibility for selling and delivering work.

Recruitment via Nepotism. Effective recruiting is particularly essential with a virtual, global workforce. Mark proudly relies on nepotism as a primary recruiting tool, “In our environment, our workers feel great responsibility for the people that they introduce into a project. It reflects on them and that produces a very results-oriented energy.” Leadership by Capacity (not by role). Mark and Chris have deliberately created a culture that emphasizes people’s strengths. Team members are encouraged to take projects and tasks that fit their strengths. At times this means that Mark and Chris step aside and let others lead tasks that typical executives would insist on doing. Since they leverage all cloud-managed business applications, the tasks of the business are available for everyone to see. There is total transparency to the work at hand.

Currency Awareness. The A&H corporate lexicon includes the word “currency” which has a different meaning than monetary value. Currency refers to each person’s set of prioritized value drivers that they want from their work at A&H. For example, someone’s currency might look like:

Team Member 1 = freedom, money, the opportunity to play and create
Team Member 2 = predictable pay, time with kids, no emergencies
Team Member 3 = power, respect, responsibility, trust

Mark and Chris make a point of knowing what is most important to their staff and they talk about it openly. It is a bit like how people throw around the Myers-Briggs identities [INTJ, ENTJ, etc...] to describe themselves. Currency awareness pervades decision making at A&H: how they assign projects, how they schedule meetings, how they communicate with each other, etc… The currency concept provides them with a roadmap to create a sustainable workforce.

Total Communication. We rarely get to see our digital co-workers. They live in our phones and in our computers. And aside from an occasional astronaut quality visage through Skype, we don’t have the opportunity to read body language. And global co-workers work when we are sleeping, or when we are bringing the kids to school. How do you keep everyone on the same page? A&H approach this by putting everything in the digital cloud. All calendars, documents, spreadsheets, project plans, go into the A&H cloud. Everyone can see what everyone is doing, and has done. And, they cultivate a cc / bcc / reply-all culture so there is a forensic record of everything. To make this system work, Mark and Chris make sure that they are very accessible to their teams. The most impressive thing is that they actually have an articulated communication protocol. This approach also presumes that people know how to leverage email-rule functionality so that inboxes don’t become overwhelm boxes.

“No-Emergencies” Culture. If a leader or client has a work style that seems to produce a steady stream of last minute emergency meetings, then it spreads out of control. If it gets enabled consistently, then it becomes a feature of the entire culture. And make no mistake, it erodes the quality. Mark and Chris work hard to mitigate this by embodying and enforcing a no-emergencies culture. At A&H everyone buys into an agreement that meetings are only booked with at least 1-day advanced notice and meetings should never be more than 1 hour. This policy takes discipline and it does require Mark and Chris to push back on clients on a regular basis. Emergencies do come up, but at A&H they almost always real versus personality-driven emergencies.

As you can tell, I am a big fan of A&H and their leadership team. They are living the virtual, global company dream in a real way. The conscious, overt crafting of a culture that provides a holistic lifestyle for its workers is an inspiration. Can large organizations learn from the A&H example? What happens when you design the company to produce engagement?

My latest blog post for Rosetta Stone came out today, Listen to Reinforce Your Comprehension so please check it out — and please pop me a comment over there:

I’ve learned that the only way to really learn a language is to soak yourself in it. I try to maximize my exposure to everything German as often as possible.  One of my favorite ways to do this is to catch as much native content as possible.

The Deutsche Welle (DW), slowly spoken news report offers straight news, reported in German but at a much slower pace. It’s the same news that’s reported to Germans by DW, Germany’s international broadcaster. It is a great resource because it offers language learners a better chance to comprehend what’s going on.

When I am working during the day or when I’m getting ready for bed, I have started tuning in to German radio stations as ambient noise in the background, something I can focus in on or ignore based on what I am doing. Luckily, I am near my PC during the day, so I can stream German radio all day long.  I have a few favorites, and they’re all newsy: Deutschland Radio (news and culture from Berlin), Deutschlandfunk (News from Köln), and Info Radio (24-hour news from Berlin).  You can find everything else including pop, rock, hip-hop, and of course what Germany may be best known for, techno and electronic, online via useful radio directories such as Live-Radio.net and Listenlive.eu.

Since I am so devoted to learning German, I have taken this whole immersion thing one step further when it comes to listening to German on the “radio.”  A couple months ago I picked up a Squeezebox Radio from Logitech. The Squeezebox can stream Internet radio from around the world, including by German city, through a series of built-in directories.  So, I have all the aforementioned stations programmed in as well as my favorite Berlin music station, MotorFM, making listening to Berlin radio as simple as punching one button on a funny, red clock radio.

I recommend spending some time listening to news or other German radio, be it slow or not, as often as possible, even if you can’t comprehend most of it.  Focus on what you can understand — on words or phrases.  Let yourself melt into what German sounds like.  The more time you spend learning German with Rosetta Stone, the more you will comprehend when listening to the German news or watching TV, or, hopefully, interacting with German speakers.

In my next several posts, I will continue to talk about my language learning experience and adventures in Berlin. Please let me know in the comments what you would like to know more about, where you would like me to go on this blog, and what you think.

At least in Berlin, keeping a distance from your party in the Restaurant is a sign or respect.

It is considered rude in Germany for a server, der Kellner or die Kellnerin, to keep on bothering your chat, your time together, and your meal, to check up on you.

If you want something, flag down someone — German waiters are pretty good at seeing that you want something. Don’t whistle, just catch their eye or wave your hand.

German waiters generally won’t even ask how your meal is going or if you’re having a good time until they bus your plates, at which point they will ask something like “Hat es Ihnen geschmeckt?” or “Hat’s geschmeckt?” which both mean, “Did you enjoy your meal?”

So, the reason why you feel like you’re being ignored is because they think it would be appallingly rude for them to come up to your table every few minutes asking you how your meal is, if you want more wine or beer, or if you want anything else, or — heaven forbid — may I bring you the check.

So, while I can’t confirm that this is also what happens in other places around Europe and the world, I know that if you want another anything, you need to call for it; and, if you want the bill, you need to expressly ask for the bill, “Die Rechnung bitte” or “Bitte zahlen” or just make that “I am signing a check in the air” pantomime and they’ll come with your check right away.

In Germany, the tip is negotiated with the waiter or waitress (der Kellner, die Kellnerin) at point of sale, not left on the table after. So, you tip when you pay. Looking in their eyes.

So, let’s say the bill is 27 Euros and you liked the service — you would tell the waiter to keep 30 Euros out of your 50 Euro note, or just ask for 20 Euros back — there is no sneaking away with a low tip in German, you need to look the waiter in her or his eyes.

(this is especially hard when you’re learning to speak German — sorting out the math and then negotiating the change is surely exciting and you should probably practice a little.)

In Germany, 10% is the customary maximum tip, with much less being commonplace. German wait staff are paid professionals in German and the tip you leave is actually a gratuity and not the mandatory US 20%

Also, when you are a waiter in the US and you complain about how cheap Germans are when they eat at your restaurant — please consider the fact that Germans don’t assume that you’re actually on spec at the restaurant and that all your profit comes from undeclared and un-taxed cash tips and that they only tap a maximum of 10% to their wait staff, and generally closer to 5% or so.

One of the things I had to get used to when living in Berlin was that everyone assumed that every meal was a Dutch treat.

That every meal — even proper dates — were split.  I wondered where “Dutch treat” and “going Dutch” came from and here’s what Wikipedia suggests:

The phrase “going Dutch” probably originates from Dutch etiquette. In the Netherlands, it is not unusual to pay separately when going out as a group.

However, in modern Berlin, Wikipedia again gets it perfectly:

In most of northern and central Europe the practice of splitting the bill is common …  Some women object to this or even find it offensive so it is a judgment call. Younger urban women especially tend not to accept men paying for them; or will in turn insist to pay for the next dinner or drink.

I wasn’t aware of this at first. There were objections when I offered to pay and sometimes insisted — until I learned a very essential phrase:

Ich möchte dich einladen

This means, literally, “I would like to invite you.”  You use this phrase well in advance of actually grabbing the meal, drinks, snacks, or anything together; though it can also be just before.  This is not just a formality or magic words, it is important to get the answer as well.

But please do not wait until just before the check.  This is something you need to do in advance so that the person you’re to dine out can consider the invitation and decide whether you’re being a sexist pig, controlling, manipulative, or honestly generous.

If your friend, your paramour, your sweetie, or even your work friends accept, then you’re to pay the entire ticket quietly and without boasting about it.

By the way, “ich möchte dich einladen” is not a romantic phrase, it can — and often is — said between business associates and friends — though I guess you could play is romantically with a wink if you intend the get together to include steamy adoring looks across the red-checkered tablecloth.

Anyway, I hope this is helpful.

PS: In Germany, the tip is negotiated with the waiter or waitress (der Kellner, die Kellnerin) at point of sale, not left on the table after.  So, let’s say the bill is 27 Euros and you liked the service — you would tell the waiter to keep 30 Euros out of your 50 Euro note, or just ask for 20 Euros back — there is no sneaking away with a low tip in German, you need to look the waiter in her or his eyes.

PPS: In Germany, 10% is the customary maximum tip, with much less being commonplace. German wait staff are paid professionals in Germany and the tip you leave is actually a gratuity and not the mandatory US 20%

PPPS: Also, when you are a waiter in the US and you complain about how cheap German are when they eat at your restaurant — please consider the fact that Germans don’t assume that you’re actually on spec at the restaurant and that all your profit comes from undeclared and un-taxed cash tips and that they only tap a maximum of 10% to their wait staff, and generally closer to 5% or so.

Mark promised me that Berlin was high-culture, high-brow, and intellectual. However, check out the signage here for Sex and the City 2, dubbed into German.

What’s more, on the message boards and on Facebook, sophisticated German and expat women are, city-wide, organizing girls nights out to consume the exploits of Carrie and her friends and her over-sexed and hyper-drama lifes and “loves.” Also, note the Marmaduke sign to the left of the SatC poster.

Poor Germany and poor Europe — they’re becoming as banal & mundane as we!

Months and months ago, the gang from Rosetta Stone tapped me to blog about my constant, middle-age, struggle with learning German.

I had already been — and still am — a Rosetta Stone member, from their original online offering through to their new TOTALe product.  Well, my first post debuted last week (I missed seeing it) on their Language Journey blog and here it is: Failing with Language Classes:

I have been struggling with learning German for years in spite of lots of classes both in Washington, DC, as well as in Berlin, Germany, a city I moved to over Halloween 2007 through Christmas 2008. While I know a lot about the German language I still don’t feel comfortable as a German speaker.

On this blog I will share what I have learned about learning German and what I find works for me. As I move forward over the next several months, I hope to get you as excited as I am about learning German.

My best friend Mark lives in Berlin.  He has been fluent in German since he was 17. While he maintains an entire life speaking German in Berlin, I had never really been interested in participating, it just seemed too difficult. However, the moment Mark and I started a business together, that all changed.  I decided to move to Berlin so that we could spend more time working together on our fledgling company.  So, before leaving my Washington, DC apartment behind I signed up for a German course at a language school.

I ended up taking two courses and spent a happy three hours there every Saturday for eighteen weeks. I didn’t learn much German at all. One of the problems was that all the students spoke English, so speaking German was not necessary.  Another problem was that I never completed the assigned workbook and CD homework for the week. I blamed it on my crushing work load as an entrepreneur but the truth is that I didn’t enjoy sharpening pencils and pressing them into newsprint workbooks.  I always found better things to do. It turned into a downward spiral – I never came prepared for my class because I didn’t enjoy the learning style, so I slowly began to become less and less motivated with getting up and schlepping myself downtown every Saturday morning. Unprepared and full of anxiety and trepidation I headed off to Berlin.

There’s another one that’s up there — the next in the series — Learning German – Round 2 — which I will post in another post!

There’s a lot going on over at the Goethe-Institute in downtown Washington, DC — in Chinatown.  They’re my client but I had been taking classes over there for years before they ever retained Abraham Harrison.  Not just language classes but also loads of film, talks, exhibits, musical, and other cultural events.

• Goethe-Institut Washington is an organization dedicated to spreading knowledge of the German language and culture around the Washington, DC area, and is part of the network of Goethe-Instituts and is a non-profit organization supported in part by the German government. There are 149 Goethe-Institutes and 11 Liason Offices in 92 countries
• The Goethe-Institut Washington’s German language school offers a wide selection of classes this summer for every level of skill and at different paces with special intensive classes, including Elementary German A1, Elementary German A2, Intermediate German B1, An Introduction to Reading Scholarly German, and more — view the full schedule. Registration for summer classes are currently open the for prospective students.
• Goethe-Institut Washington is now on Twitter and Facebook in full force. In addition to our monthly email newsletter, all local events, class information, quizes, questions, answers, and other resources — are available by following and/or liking us.
• Film screenings this summer, hosted by the Goethe-Institut Washington, include 12 Angry Men (Die zwölf Geschworenen), Kids World Cinema Films from Germany, Latvia and the UK, Signs of Life (Lebenszeichen), Solo Sunny, Trace of the Bears (Spur der Bären), Veronika Voss (Die Sehnsucht der Veronika Voss), Life is All You Get (Das Leben ist eine Baustelle), Head-On (Gegen die Wand), and more — view the full schedule of events
• The Goethe-Institute Washington offers year around German culture programs, including Deutsch am Mittag, Erich Fromm (1900 – 1980): The Development of Critical Social Theory, Musical Cabaret by André Hartmann, Goethe Prize Ceremony, DC Listening Lounge, and Troublesome Gap Internet Audio Series, this summer. View the full schedule of events

Summer Events at the Goethe-Institut Washington

Monday, May 10, 6:30 pm
12 Angry Men (Die zwölf Geschworenen)
German with English subtitles
$6/$4
USA, 1957, DVD, 96 min, Director: Sidney Lumet, Cast: Henry Fonda, Jack Warden, E.G. Marshall
The defence and the prosecution have rested and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young Spanish-American is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open and shut case of murder soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the jurors’ prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other. Based on the play, all of the action takes place on the stage of the jury room.

Tuesday, May 11, 12-1:15 pm
Deutsch am Mittag
German
$6/$4
Sprechen Sie Deutsch? Join us for monthly lunchtime gatherings of those interested in hearing and speaking German. Each month, a special guest speaks on a topic. Participants can bring their lunch and join in the ensuing conversation.
Dr. Uta Balbier of the German Historical Institute will speak on this topic.
Ever since the country invented the Reformation, religion in Germany has been linked with the ups and downs of political history. Today the role of religion in increasingly secularized Germany is full of tensions and contradictions — not to mention scandals in both official denominations (protestant and catholic).
Led by Irmgard Wagner, Professor emerita of German from George Mason University, Deutsch am Mittag is open to all who wish to hear and speak German.
Beverages and sweets are provided.
RSVP to Irmgard Wagner at iwagner@gmu.edu.

Sunday, May 16, 2-4 pm
Kids World Cinema Films from Germany, Latvia and the UK
English and German with English subtitles
The following films take place at the Goethe-Institut Washington. This trio of screenings for children 6+ years of age showcases diverse international productions. Craft activities will take place between and during the screenings:
The Magic Flute (Die kleine Zauberflöte)
Germany, 1997, DVD, 63 min., German with English subtitles, Director: Curt Linda
Over a period of four years, Curt Linda, champion of animated film, and his young team created a hand-drawn little treat of carefully created pictures animated onto imaginative backdrops.
Bear Is Coming! (Karu Tuleb! Lacis Nak!)
Latvia, 2008, DVD, 16 min., no dialogue, Director: J?nis Cimermanis
A brilliant short from festival favorite: a Latvian bear suddenly appears on a neighboring Estonian island and three young friends must get him back before he is captured by the hunter.
Lost And Found
UK, 2008, DVD, 24 min., English, Director: Philip Hunt
One person is lost, one person is found; which one is which? A beautiful animation narrated
by Jim Broadbent and inspired by the book by Oliver Jeffers.
RSVP to +1 (202) 289-1200 ext. 161 or rsvp@washington.goethe.org

Monday, May 17, 6:30 pm
Signs of Life (Lebenszeichen)
German with English subtitles
$6/$4
Germany, 1968, 35mm, 87 min., Director: Werner Herzog, Cast: Peter Brogle, Wolfgang Reichmann, Athina Zacharopoulou, Wolfgang von Ungern-Sternberg
During World War II, three German soldiers are withdrawn from combat when one of them, Stroszek, is wounded. They are assigned to a small coastal community on the Greek island of Kos while Stroszek recuperates. The men become increasingly stir-crazy in their uneventful new assignment.
Werner Herzog is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and opera director. He is often associated with the German New Wave movement in film (New German Cinema). His films often feature heroes with impossible dreams, people with unique talents in obscure fields, or individuals who find themselves in conflict with nature.

Wednesday, May 19, 6:45 pm
Erich Fromm (1900 – 1980): The Development of Critical Social Theory
Goethe-Institut Washington, GoetheForum
English
Lecture by Dr. Martin De Nys,
Associate Professor of Philosophy, George Mason University
Erich Fromm (b.1900 Frankfurt – d.1980 Muralto, Switzerland) was a German born American social theorist, psychoanalyst and philosopher who, in 1930, became a member of the Institute for Social Research in Frankfurt. His interdisciplinary work made important contributions to the development of ideas by the first generation of members belonging to the Frankfurt School.

In his lecture, Dr. De Nys will give a brief overview of the theoretical perspective of the Frankfurt School and discuss some of Fromm’s substantive contributions to what became known as Critical Social Theory. These contributions are of continuing importance for the approach to social philosophy and its development both in Germany and the United States.
No charge. Refreshments to follow the lecture.
Organized by the American Goethe Society
For information and to RSVP: Erika Joye at e3rj@aol.com or +1 (703) 237-0858

Wednesday, May 26, 6:30 pm
Musical Cabaret by André Hartmann
English and German
$6/$4
“He plays piano, is quick at repartee, and loves to imitate his fellow men.” Süddeutsche Zeitung
German musician and cabaret artist André Hartmann will present his new program celebrating the 20th anniversary of the reunification of Germany.

Thursday, May 27, 4-6 pm
Goethe Prize Ceremony Organized by the American Goethe Society
English
As in past years, the American Goethe Society will hold a special ceremony to honor and award outstanding students of advanced German and their teachers from area high schools. The public is cordially invited to attend this festive event.
No charge. Refreshments to follow both events.
For information and to RSVP: Erika Joyce at e3rj@aol.com or +1 (703) 237-0858.

Monday, June 7, 6:30 pm
Solo Sunny
German with English subtitles
$6/$4
Solo Sunny (c) DEFA Library <–needs to go under the picture because it’s a credit

Germany, 1980, 35mm, 102 min., Director: Konrad Wolf, Cast: Renate Krössner, Alexander Lang, Dieter Montag
Aspiring singer Sunny falls in love, breaks hearts – and has her own broken, not for the first time. She gets kicked out of a band, but starts over in the underground scene in East Berlin, all the while looking for happiness, trying to feel special.
Konrad Wolf was a film director at DEFA, the East German film production studio. Solo Sunny received several awards at the 1980 Berlin International Film Festival.

Wednesday, June 9, 6:30 pm
DC Listening Lounge
English
Since 2004 this group of audio enthusiasts has been making the ordinary somehow extraordinary through audio installations and experimental collection of “found sound”. Their latest Sound Scene 2010 installation project is on the theme of “Work and Play”.
Jocelyn Frank and Listening Lounge colleagues will discuss technique and philosophy. As Frank says: “We draw no blood and make no demands. We simply sit on sofas, chairs and the floor – and listen.”
RSVP to +1 (202) 289-1200 ext. 167 or rsvp@washington.goethe.org

Monday, June 14, 6:30 pm
Trace of the Bears (Spur der Bären)
German with English subtitles
$6/$4
Germany, 2010, DigiBeta, 94 min., Director: Hans-Christoph Blumenberg, Alfred Holighaus, Cast: Claudia Cardinale, Goerge Clooney, Tilda Swinton and many more
Discussion follows with Alfred Holighaus, Head, Perspektive Deutsches Kino, Berlin International Film Festival
A documentary about the 60-year artistic and political history of the Berlinale, from its origins using American funds in a divided and battered city, through the Cold War and the reunification of the country.
Hans-Christoph Blumenberg is regarded as one of Germany’s best television directors. Alfred Holighaus has been with the Berlin International Film Festival since 2001. He also served as film editor of the renowned Berlin city magazine TIP, and as literary manager or co-producer on films such as Comedian Harmonists.

Monday, June 21, 6:30 pm
Veronika Voss (Die Sehnsucht der Veronika Voss)

German with English subtitles
$6/$4
Germany, 1982, 35mm, 100 min., Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Cast: Rosel Zech, Hilmar Thate, Annemarie Düringer, Cornelia Froboess
Once the toast of Germany, Veronika Voss had allegedly been an intimate of Joseph Gobbels. But the Third Reich is dead…and Veronika may as well be. Playing to an increasingly diminishing fan following, Veronika turns to drugs to cushion herself against the cruelties of life.
Rainer Werner Maria Fassbinder was a German movie director, screenwriter and actor. He is considered one of the most important representatives of the New German Cinema.

Monday, June 28, 6:30 pm
Life is All You Get (Das Leben ist eine Baustelle)
German with English subtitles
$6/$4
Germany, 1997, 35mm, 115 min., Director: Wolfgang Becker, Cast: Jürgen Vogel, Christiane Paul

In a huge city like Berlin you literally have to bump into your “big love” – or else it could be that your chance has forever passed. On his way to work at the slaughterhouse, Jan Nebel gets into a street fight – and finds himself joined by Vera, a beautiful woman who turns out to be his dream girl.
Life is All You Get was Wolfgang Becker’s first feature film. His film Good Bye, Lenin (2002) was a popular international success which won numerous awards.

Monday, July 12, 6:30 pm
Head-On (Gegen die Wand)
German with English subtitles
$6/$4

Germany, 2004, 35mm, 117 min., Director: Fatih Akin, Cast: Sibel Kekilli, Birol Ünel, Catrin Striebeck
Cahit is a middle-aged drunk. Sibel is a suicidal woman half his age, stuck at home with repressive relatives. They’re two troubled Turks, adrift in Germany. A chance encounter at a psychiatric hospital represents a way out. If Cahit will marry her, Sibel can flee her family. As for Cahit, he won’t be alone anymore, left to mourn his dead wife and drink his life away. Gradually, their marriage of convenience starts to resemble the real thing.
Fatih Akin is a German director and actor of Turkish origin. His film Head-On won the Golden Bear Award, the German Film Award and the European Film Award, bringing him international attention.

Wednesday, August 18, 6:30 pm
Troublesome Gap Internet Audio Series
English
Whether it’s “The Shadow” in the 1930s and 1940s, “The Lord of the Rings” in the 1970s and 1980s, or “Guy Noir” on A Prairie Home Companion, nothing beats good radio theater.
New on the (Internet) dial is a spine-tingling series called “Troublesome Gap”: the creative offspring of sound-designer Matthew Nielson and fellow members of The Audible Group. The Audible Group will present examples of their work, and discuss scriptwriting and sound-effects production.
RSVP to 202-289-1200 ext. 168 or rsvp@washington.goethe.org

Upcoming German Language Classes at The Goethe Institut

Elementary German A1
June – August 2010
$395 for 9 weeks
After completing the A1 level, students can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. They will be able to introduce themselves and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where they live, people they know and things they have. Students will be able to interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help. The A1 level at the Goethe-Institut in Washington consists of three progressively structured courses (A1.1, A1.2 and A1.3) usually offered every semester.

Elementary German A2
June – August 2010
$395 for 9 weeks
After completing the A2 level, students can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). They will be able to communicate in simple tasks requiring a direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Students can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need. The A2 level at the Goethe-Institut in Washington consists of three progressively structured sub-levels (A2.1, A2.2, A2.3) usually offered every semester.

Intermediate German B1
June – August 2010
$395 for 9 weeks
After completing the B1 level, students can understand the main points of discussions and texts on familiar matters regularly encountered at work, school, leisure, etc. They can deal with most situations likely to arise while traveling in an area where the language is spoken. Students will be able to produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest and can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans. The Goethe-Institut in Washington offers several courses at the B1 level, including the three progressively structured sub-levels, Intermediate German B1.1, B1.2 and B1.3, usually offered every semester.

An Introduction to Reading Scholarly German
Tuesdays, 6:15 – 8:45 pm, 8 June – 3 August 2010
$295
An Introduction to Reading Scholarly German will teach the basics of German grammar required for reading academic texts of all levels of difficulty. Using April Wilson’s popular text German Quickly, the course will introduce scholars with no background in German to important grammatical concepts, pronunciation, reading strategies, important vocabulary for scholarly reading, etc. This course will teach you to read German. It will teach you a systematic approach of analyzing the different elements of texts and will give you the tools on which you can expand your understanding. You will learn how knowing certain grammar points, knowing how sentence structures work and knowing the fine points of word building will give you the keys to understanding any German sentence.

Reading Scholarly German, Part 2
Thursdays, 6:15 – 8:45 pm, 10 June – 5 August 2010
$295
Reading Scholarly German, Part 2, will deepen and improve upon the skills and techniques introduced in the class “An Introduction to Scholarly German” to help students read German academic texts of all levels of difficulty. This class is for students who already have some reading knowledge in German and/or have previously been introduced to German grammar in a formal learning situation. We will refresh, maintain and build upon skills and techniques already in place in a step by step, class by class process over the nine week course. Students are encouraged to bring their own German texts to class and we will work with them. The teacher will also bring texts, so a broad array of vocabulary will be covered. Questions and problems concerning grammar and vocabulary that arise from those texts will be discussed in class so that everybody in class understands them thoroughly. Be prepared to learn and have fun.

Which class should I choose? Absolute beginners with no previous knowledge of German should register for Elementary German A1.1. Learners with previousknowledge of German may take our on-line placement test in the right-hand column of this page to determine which level is appropriate.

Complete Summer Schedule of Classes

Intensive summer courses available: In 2010, we will be offering 9-week sessions of regular German classes as well as 3-week intensive courses. The fee for our standard and intensive courses with 36 units of instruction is currently $395; the fee for special courses with 27 units of instruction is currently $295 (new students pay a one-time registration fee of $20). Complete course schedules are published to this page approximately six weeks prior to the beginning of classes. This information is subject to change without notice.

Be Sure to Follow Goethe Institut Washington as @GoetheDC on Facebook and Twitter

According to Wikipedia:

“May Day occurs on May 1  and refers to several public holidays.  In many countries, May Day is synonymous with International Workers’ Day, or Labour Day, a day of political demonstrations and celebrations organised by the unions, anarchists, and socialist groups. May Day is also a traditional holiday in many cultures.”

Well, today is that day!  And, when Zan and I spent a little time at Berlin-Hauptbahnhof, there were wandering teams of emergency response ninjas in tactical Samurai armour and riot helmets anchored on their belts.

Well, this is a day that still a day of demonstrations and even some expected leitmotif rioting at night.

Night because 1 May is also a day for celebration as well.  It is a holiday day and all the shops are closed. The weather is already warm and blue.  There should be lots of amazing things going on outside all day and I will surely bring my  cameras — still and video — as Zan and I jump onto our bikes and pick around the city, seeing what’s going on and being just about as touristy as humanly possible!

OK, Berlin is not so much about dancing around the Maypole — this is neither the happy Hawaii Nei “May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii” nor is it the Pagan adoration of nature with roots in Germanic paganism.

Maybe in the South of Germany or elsewhere, but in Berlin, with its sometimes dangerous and surely passionate confluence of the East and the West, they care more about self-serving concepts of Utopia and the brotherhood of man and the Holy nobility of the Worker more than they ever consider Realpolitik — “so, how will anarchy work in a Modern, global, connected world, pray tell.”  Or even, something as simple as, “how will your proposed Marxist utopia afford to survive if not thrive in this interconnected, market-driven, capital-seeking, economy?”

Well, anyway, I really think that this is sort of a rite of passage for young hooligans everywhere, from throughout Europe.

I have been told by my European classmates that there’s a certain form of earnest intellectual who’s into this: Communist, Marxist, and also radical green as well as radical environmentalist, and so forth.

And, it is sort of like being a soldier and never having been deployed to a war zone: you never quite command respect as a clerk or a pencil-pusher if you don’t do a good rioting someone, some time, on May 1, during your youth.  The same holds true with anyone who indeed wants their wings in the world of academia, of counter-culture, of avant-garde “fight the powers” reform, and the like.

You need to cough on some pepper spray, massage the bumps and bruises from a nice billy-clubing, and then get that invaluable brand in the form of a misdemeanor or — even better — felony for civil disobedience — the only criminal charge  that is actually more valuable, offering more legitimacy and street cred, than a proper PhD.

I think it was Claudia who asked me if I had ever seen Wrapped Reichstag — the work of art designed and financed by the artist pair and habitual wrappers and adorners, Christo & Jeanne Claude.  Well, I finally though if it and checked it out: wow!

Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Wrapped Reichstag®, Berlin 1971-95

After a struggle spanning through the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties, the wrapping of the Reichstag was completed on June 24th, 1995 by a work force of 90 professional climbers and 120 installation workers. The Reichstag remained wrapped for 14 days and all materials were recycled.

Ten companies in Germany started in September 1994 to manufacture all the various materials according to the specifications of the engineers. During the months of April, May and June 1995, iron workers installed the steel structures on the towers, the roof, the statues and the stone vases to allow the folds of fabric to cascade from the roof down to the ground.

100,000 square meters (1,076,000 square feet) of thick woven polypropylene fabric with an aluminum surface and 15,600 meters (51,181 feet) of blue polypropylene rope, diameter 3.2 cm. (1.25?), were used for the wrapping of the Reichstag. The façades, the towers and the roof were covered by 70 tailor-made fabric panels, twice as much fabric as the surface of the building.

The work of art was entirely financed by the artists, as have all their projects, through the sale of preparatory studies, drawings, collages, scale models as well as early works and original lithographs.

The artists do not accept sponsorship of any kind.

The Wrapped Reichstag represents not only 24 years of efforts in the lives of the artists but also years of team work by its leading members Michael S. Cullen, Wolfgang and Sylvia Volz, and Roland Specker.

In Bonn, on February 25, 1994, at a plenary session, presided by Prof. Dr. Rita Süssmuth, the German Bundestag (parliament) debated for 70 minutes and voted on the work of art. The result of the roll call vote was: 292 in favor, 223 against and 9 abstentions.

The Reichstag stands up in an open, strangely metaphysical area, The building has experienced its own continuous changes and perturbations: built in 1894, burned in 1933, almost destroyed in 1945, it was restored in the sixties, but the Reichstag always remained the symbol of Democracy.

Throughout the history of art, the use of fabric has been a fascination for artists. From the most ancient times to the present, fabric, forming folds, pleats and draperies, is a significant part of paintings, frescoes, reliefs and sculptures made of wood, stone and bronze. The use of fabric on the Reichstag follows the classical tradition. Fabric, like clothing or skin, is fragile, it translates the unique quality of impermanence.

For a period of two weeks, the richness of the silvery fabric, shaped by the blue ropes, created a sumptuous flow of vertical folds highlighting the features and proportions of the imposing structure, revealing the essence of the Reichstag.

FACT SHEET
Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Wrapped Reichstag, Berlin 1971-1995

The Building: The German Reichstag
Height at roof: 105.5 ft / 32.2 m
Height at towers: 139.4 ft / 42.5 m
Length, East and West facade: 445.2 ft / 135.7 m
Width, North and South facade: 314.9 ft / 96 m
Total perimeter: 1,520.3 ft / 463.4 m
Number of towers: 4
Numberof inner courtyards: 2

The Materials
Length of yarn used for weaving: 48,836 miles / 70,546 km
manufactured by Bremer Woll-Kammerei, Bremen, Germany

Silver polypropylene fabric (fire-retardant B1): 119,603 sq yd / 100,000 sq m
woven by Schilgen, Emsdetten, Germany
Width of the original woven fabric: 5 ft / 1,55 m
Tensile strength of fabric: 4000 Newtons per 5 cm
Total weight of fabric: 135,582 lbs / 61,500 kg
Weight of aluminum for metallization for 100.00cm: 8.82 lbs / 4 kg
metallized by Rowo-Coating, Herbolzheim, Germany

Fabric panels: 70
sewn by Spreewald Planen, Vetschau, Germany and
Zeltaplan Taucha, Germany and Canobbio, Castelnuovo, Italy

Average size of panel: 121.4 ft x 131.2 ft / 37 m x 40 m
Length of sewing thread: 807.8 miles / 1,300 km
Total length of all seams: 568,678 yd / 520,000 m
Blue propylene rope with a diameter of 32 mm:: 17,060 yd / 15,600 m
manufactured by Gleistein, Bremen, Germany

Window-anchors: 110
Roof-anchors: 270
Weight of steel for roof: 440,917 lbs / 200,000 kg
Weight of steel for window-anchors: 77,160 lbs / 35,000 kg
Cages for statues: 16
Size of cages for statues: 31.2 ft x 16.4 ft x 14.7 ft / 9.5 m x 5 m x 4.5 m
All steel manufactured by Stahlbau Zwickau, Zwickau, Germany
Air-cushions (necessary during installation): 32
Manufactured by Heba, Emsdetten, Germany

FACT SHEET
Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Wrapped Reichstag, Berlin 1971-1995

Number of weights on ground, attached to fabric: 477 (1.5 tons per meter)
manufactured by EKO Stahl, Eisenhuttenstadt, Germany
Total weight on ground: 2,205,000 lbs / 1,000,000 kg

The Work Force
Chief executive officers: Roland Specker (administration) and Wolfgang Volz (technical and construction)
Engineering planning: IPL Ingenieurplanung Leichtbau, Radolfzell, Germany
Engineering advisors: Vince Davenport, John Thompson, Dimeter Zagoroff
Crew to install the fabric and the ropes: RVM, Berlin headed by Frank Seltenheim
Exclusive photographers: Wolfgang and Sylvia Volz
Monitor organization: Siegward Hausmann under the guidance of Simon Chaput

Number of monitors: 1200 (in 2 periods)
600 in four 6-hour shifts of 150 monitors each
Number of professional climbers: 90 ( in 2 shifts of 45 each)
Number of installation workers: 120 (in 2 shifts of 60 each)
Number of office staff in Berlin: 17
Number of office staff in New York: (Calixte Stamp and Vladimir Yavachev)
Number of live webSite workers in Berlin: 3 (Jok Church, Adam Kazimir Ciesielski and Von Wall)

Legal Background:
The project is being carried out by Verhullter Reichstag GmbH, a subsidiary of C.V.J. Corporation, Jeanne-Claude Christo-Javacheff, President and Treasurer, Scott Hodes, Secretary and Leal Counsel, Christo V. Javacheff, Assistant Secretary. Legal counsel is provided by attorneys Prof. Dr. Peter Raue and Scott Hodes. Architectural advice is provided by Prof. Jurgen Sawade. Historical advice is provided by Michael S. Cullen. Permits were required and recieved from the German Parliament, the Bundestag, and from the local administration in Berlin, the city district department Tiergarten and all concerned agencies.
Number of visits by the Christos to Germany: 54 (1976-1995)
Members of parliament visited: 352
Number of presidents of the Bundestag (German Parliament) involved: 6 (1976-1995)