Film and biographies mark 250th anniversary of passionate 'Ode to Joy' poet

He is the "rebel from Arcadia", the author of the lyrics to the modern European anthem, Ode to Joy, and a passionate champion of free spirits. But for some time Germany seemed to forget all about the man who was arguably the country's most famous Romantic thinker. Not any more. Friedrich von Schiller is back, along with a new fascination with his tumultuous love life.

Just as Britain has been rediscovering the attraction of its Romantics, after documentaries about Byron by actor Rupert Everett and the release of Bright Star, the new Jane Campion film about Keats, Germany is also enjoying a romantic revival. And the 250th anniversary of Schiller's birth has given scholars the chance to rediscover one of its most distinguished poets and philosophers.

A racy new film, Schiller, portrays the poet as a dashing, flame-haired womaniser, mixing high philosophy with simple lust, and dramatises his feverish search for recognition and success as an author.

Meanwhile, a string of biographies have revealed, among other things, that piano music and foul apples inspired Schiller to write, that a brothel visit probably triggered his first passionate scribblings ("Your glances, when they smile love, could stir marble to life"), and that the loves of his life were two aristocratic sisters to whom he penned a joint love letter.

Birgit Lahann, author of Schiller: Rebel from Arcadia, describes how the poet became the "pop star of his time" and a "cult throughout Germany": the author of Ode to Joy, which Beethoven set to music in the final movement of his Ninth Symphony, and of the plays Mary Stuart, The Maid of Orleans and Don Carlos. His charm lay as much in his disorganised, chaotic appearance as in his brilliance. "He was scruffily dressed and had unkempt hair," writes Lahann: a kind of 18th-century role model for high-minded rebellion.

But most intriguing of all is what she refers to as his "double-love" – "his relationship to two women which was the stuff of the best type of scandal".

Detailed in Volker Hage's book, From a Fireball to a Classic, is the "dare-devil" Schiller's erotic obsession focused on two sisters, Charlotte, 21, and Caroline von Lengefeld, 24, the latter of whom was unhappily married. Schiller, then 29, spent the summer with them in 1788 – "a summer which he so didn't want to end he dragged it out until November until the concerned mother of the young ladies told him it was time to go home," according to Hage.

Schiller, who died at 45 in May 1805, expressed his love to the women whom he referred to as "the angels of my life". The phrase was coined in a single letter in which he wrote: "To be able to live only in the two of you, and you in me – oh, that is an existence which would put us above all other humans." He eventually married the younger Charlotte and had four children with her. Schiller said the marriage brought him the "harmonious parity" he needed to be able to write.

Some of his love letters are on display in the newly reopened Schiller National Museum, located in his birthplace, Marbach in southern Germany. The museum boasts 700 exhibits, including a sample of the green wallpaper in his workroom that scientists have discovered contained lead, copper and arsenic that might have contributed to his chronic lung complaint and premature death.

Also on show are his shoe buckles, spoons and hand-warmers. Restored by the British-based David Chipperfield architects, the museum places on display everything from the writer's toothpicks to his blue-and-white-striped silk stockings.

The most disappointing aspect of the commemorations for enthusiasts – albeit a stark illustration of the lengths Schiller experts have been prepared to go to find out as much as possible about him – is the discovery that the skull that his great friend Goethe displayed on his desk, apparently believing it to be Schiller's, did not belong to him.

Extensive forensic investigation over years, costing tens of thousands of euros, including taking DNA samples from Schiller's descendants, has revealed that the skull is probably a fake.

Rüdiger Safranski, a Schiller expert, has delivered a fresh and touching account of the friendship between the two poets, and how they inspired each other, in Goethe and Schiller: History of a Friendship. The two men even composed poems together, despite the difficulties they had in reconciling their different daily rhythms – Goethe was a morning person, Schiller, because of the cramps he suffered at night, decidedly a nightbird. Goethe, he relates, was nonplussed at Schiller's insistence on maintaining a drawer full of rotten apples in his workroom, claiming he needed their decaying scent in order to be able to write.

The new Schiller revival, believes Safranski, may be a short-lived and bittersweet affair, in the best Romantic tradition. Safranski, who also wrote Romanticism – A German Affair, points to the nation's current mediocre capacity for the grandeur of Schiller's passions, observing: "From a romantic point of view, we've reached the end. Romanticism is dead, our sense of possibility is dried out."

]]> http://bayreuth.bayern-online.de/magazin/freizeit/bildung/artikelansicht/evangelisches-bildungswerk-bayreuth-laedt-ein-johannes-calvin-reformator/ http://bayreuth.bayern-online.de/magazin/freizeit/bildung/artikelansicht/evangelisches-bildungswerk-bayreuth-laedt-ein-johannes-calvin-reformator/ Der Genfer Reformator Johannes Calvin (1509-1564) ist eine der schillerndsten Persönlichkeiten der europäischen Geistesgeschichte. Wer war der Initiator der Genfer Reformation? Ein sittenstrenger Tyrann? Eine Spaßbremse? Ein leistungsorientierter religiöser Extremist? Oder vielmehr ein Begründer von Demokratie und Toleranz? Ein Verfechter moderner Menschenrechte? Und trotz des Bildersturms ein Freund der Kunst? - Der Theologieprofessor Dr. Klaas Huizing aus Würzburg, bekannt für seine literarisch brillanten Veröffentlichungen, wird diese Fragen in Bayreuth beantworten und aus seinem neuen Buch über Johannes Calvin lesen.

Das Evangelische Bildungswerk und die Evangelisch-Reformierte Gemeinde Bayreuth laden ein zu einem spannenden und erhellenden Abend am Montag, 23. November 2009 um 19.30 Uhr in der Evangelisch-Reformierten Kirche in Bayreuth, Erlanger Straße 29. Eintritt 4 EUR, ermäßigt 3 €.

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Kammerlander: Einfach so von der Fußgängerzone auf einen 8000er, das geht natürlich nicht. Wir reden über Höhen und Regionen, die dort anfangen, wo die Alpen aufhören. Dort oben herrschen extreme äußere Umstände - die Kälte,  der Sauerstoffmangel und die Müdigkeit, die einen quält. Dort oben bewegt man sich in einer ganz anderen Welt.

Frage: Wie fühlt man sich ganz oben auf dem Gipfel?

Kammerlander: Man freut sich, dass die Schinderei vorbei ist. Aber in allererster Linie ist man müde. Ein Gipfeltag ist sehr strapaziös - die schönen Momente, die  gewaltigen Erinnerungen und die ungeheuere Erleichterung, die man spürt, wenn man ein großes Ziel erreicht hat, kommen später.

Frage: Macht Extrem-Bergsteigen süchtig? Könnten Sie über Nacht aufhören?

Kammerlander: Nein, aufhören könnte ich sicher nicht. Ich brauche es immer mal wieder, wegzugehen, abzuschalten und durchzuatmen, um dann auch wieder zurückkehren zu können.

Frage: Was sagt Ihre Familie zu Ihren Unternehmungen?

Kammerlander: Meine Mutter ist gestorben, als ich zehn Jahre alt war. Mit meiner Frau habe ich viele Wege geteilt, wir waren zusammen auch auf 7000ern. Inzwischen haben sich unsere Wege getrennt. Ich habe eine kleine Tochter mit 20 Monaten, die hat natürlich noch kein Problem mit meinen Aktivitäten. Und meine Freundin auch nicht. Ich denke, das liegt auch daran, dass man im Laufe der Jahre vorsichtiger wird. Wenn man jung ist, ist man gipfelorientiert und tut manchen Schritt, den man später vermeidet.

Frage: Absolvieren Sie ein spezielles mentales Training?

Kammerlander: Das Beste ist, viel zu klettern. Wenn Du das tust, fühlst Du Dich wohl, gut in Form und vorbereitet. Ich freue mich immer, loszugehen. Aber ich habe auch das Umdrehen gelernt. Wenn das Risiko zu groß wird, bin ich weg. Denn das Restrisiko, das man nicht beeinflussen kann, ist ohnehin schon groß genug.

Frage: Wie sehen Ihre Zukunftspläne aus?

Kammerlander: In den letzten 20 Jahren war ich viel im Himalaya unterwegs. Jetzt interessieren mich andere Gegenden, andere Kontinente und andere Kulturen. Ich möchte gerne auf allen sieben Kontinenten auf die zweithöchsten Gipfel gehen.

Frage: Und warum auf die zweithöchsten?

Kammerlander: Die höchsten Gipfel haben schon viele Bergsteiger vor mir gemacht. Dass jemand auf die zweithöchsten Berge aller Kontinente geht, hat es noch nie gegeben. Dabei sind das mitunter unerforschte Berge und sehr schöne Ziele. Auf drei von sieben Gipfeln war ich schon und das Hauptproblem habe ich auch bereits hinter mir: Auf dem K2 in Pakistan - den König der Berge, wie man ihn auch nennt - war ich schon. Ich denke, im Lauf des kommenden Jahres werde ich mein Vorhaben abgeschlossen haben.

Gemeinsam mit Hans Kammerlander spricht am Mittwoch, 25. November, ab 18.30 Uhr der Bayreuther Arzt Dr. Jürgen Zapf über das Thema "Überleben in großer Höhe". Auch die folgende Vortragsveranstaltung des Forums "Sport & Medizin" ist hochkarätig besetzt. Am 20. Januar 2010 kommt die ehemalige deutsche Skirennläuferin Martina Ertl-Renz auf den Bayreuther Campus. Den medizinischen Part übernimmt dann Dr. Münch , Verbandsarzt des Deutschen Skiverbands.

Zur Person: Hans Kammerlander
Hans Kammerlander wurde als sechstes Kind einer Bergbauernfamilie 1956 in Ahornach  in Südtirol geboren, er wohnt dort bis heute. In seiner frühen Jugend begann er die Berge seiner näheren Umgebung zu erklettern.   Später folgten die Dolomiten, die großen Wände der Alpen und die hohen Berge der Welt. Insgesamt stand Hans Kammerlander auf 13 Achttausendern. Sieben davon bestieg er zusammen mit Reinhold Messner. Alle Besteigungen leistete Hans Kammerlander ohne künstlichen Sauerstoff. Kammerlander stieg unter anderem in nur 17 Stunden und ohne Sauerstoff vom vorgeschobenen Basislager auf 6400 Meter auf den Gipfel des Mount. Everest ( 8848 Meter). Dieser bisher schnellste Begehung ließ er die erste  Skiabfahrt vom Mount Everest folgen.

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Die Vorweihnachtszeit bringt ganz eigene Eindrücke mit sich: Weihnachtslieder tönen durch die Gassen, es duftet verlockend nach Glühwein und gebrannten Mandeln; festliche Musik und weihnachtlich beleuchtete Buden bringen nicht nur Kinderaugen zum Strahlen. Auch Erwachsene kommen auf ihre Kosten, wenn sie von Glühwein, Plätzchen und heißen Maronen auf einem der zahlreichen Weihnachtsmärkte zum Verweilen und Wohlfühlen eingeladen werden.

Stimmungsvolle Weihnachtsmärkte
Die Region Bayerisch-Schwaben bietet viele sehenswerte Märkte zur Advent- und Weihnachtszeit. Ganz besonders stimmungsvoll sind beispielsweise der Christbaummarkt in der Augsburger Fuggerei.

Im "Augsburger Land" fällt der Weihnachtsmarkt in Gersthofen - an den Wochenenden 03. bis 20.12.09 - mit einer besonderen Attraktion aus der Reihe – seit Jahren lockt er mit Eislaufspaß auf dem Rathausplatz.

Marionettentheater, Kamelreiten, eine lebende Krippe, Hirtenfeuer und historische Handwerkergruppen machen den Weihnachtsmarkt in Affing (Landkreis Aichach-Friedberg) am 2. und 3. Adventswochenende zu einem besonderen Erlebnis.

Bereits am 27.11.2009 öffnen sich wieder die Schranken zum mittelalterlichen Weihnachtsmarkt in Neu-Ulm.

Der Gundelfinger Weihnachtsmarkt findet am 2. Adventswochenende auf der Bleiche bei der Walkmühle statt.

Über 60 Marktstände, das einmalige mittelalterliche Stadtbild und Lichterglanz sorgen dafür, dass das Attribut "romantisch" beim Nördlinger Weihnachtsmarkt kein leeres Versprechen ist, vom 27.11. bis 23.12.2009.

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zusätzlich am Montag 23.11. von 19.00 bis 21.30 Uhr und am Freitag 27.11. ist für den langen WeihnachtsEinkaufsZauber bis 24.00 Uhr geöffnet

Der Augsburger Christkindlesmarkt ist einer der schönsten Deutschlands. Renaissance-Baukunst des Rathauses und des Perlachturms bilden die einzigartige Kulisse für den Weihnachtsmarkt mit seiner über 500-jährigen Tradition. Bis auf das Jahr 1498 läßt sich der Markt zurückführen. Damals hieß er noch "Lebkuchenmarkt" und diente als Verkaufsplatz für "Lebzelter" (Lebkuchenbäcker), die hier ihre Ware feilboten. Heute zählt er zu den traditionsreichsten und schönsten Weihnachtsmärkten Deutschlands.

Vom 23.11. bis 24.12.2009 locken mehr als 135 Buden mit handwerklichem Kunstgewerbe, himmlischen Gaumenfreuden und heißem Glühwein auf den weihnachtlich geschmückten Markt vor dem weltberühmten Renaissance-Rathaus. Vom atemberaubenden "Goldenen Saal" des Rathauses oder dem Perlachturm genießt man den Blick über die leuchtende Weihnachtsstadt. Neben dem Christbaum steht eine acht Meter hohe Weihnachtspyramide mit Engelsfiguren. Diese sind ein Hinweis auf das traditionelle "Engelesspiel".

Neue Geschichte in der "Augsburger Märchenstraße"
Rund um den Christkindlesmarkt in der Innenstadt wird in den liebevoll dekorierten Schaufenstern verschiedener Geschäfte eine Märchengeschichte von animierten Figuren gezeigt. Die Augsburger Märchenstraße zeigt im Advent 2009 die Geschichte "Petterson kriegt Weihnachtsbesuch", eine Geschichte in neun Bildern nach Sven Nordqvist.

Im Märchenhaus auf dem Kinderweihnachtsmarkt finden zahlreiche Aktivitäten für kleine und große Märchenfans statt. Ein Rätselspiel mit Fragen zur "Augsburger Märchenstraße" lockt mit attraktiven Preisen. Die Theatergruppe "Fritz und Freunde Augsburg" präsentiert das Stück "Petterson und Findus – eine Geburtstagstorte für die Katze".

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Advent und Weihnachten

Weihnachtsmärkte

Nördlinger Krippenweg

Weihnachtsmarkt

Krippenparadies

Mittelaltermarkt

Nacht der Sterne

Friedberger Advent

Konzerte in Friedberg

Weihnachtsmarkt Affing

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Cash incentives alone won't solve childcare – perhaps Gordon Brown should look at Germany's response to a 'stove premium'

While Gordon Brown has had to rethink his plan to abolish tax relief on childcare vouchers, family policy in Germany took a different turn right from the start. It's the better-off who benefit most from the childcare regulations introduced by Angela Merkel's new coalition government.

This is no accident. For years, it's been those on higher incomes that the government in Berlin wants to persuade to have more babies. The average German woman gives birth to 1.38 children. That figure is lower for women with some money and higher education.

The new government, sworn in only weeks ago, is committed to providing tax relief as a means to spur growth. And the rise in childcare benefits, the German Kindergeld, by €20 per month, has the biggest effect by far. For the first and second child, parents from 2010 receive €184 a month. A reward of €190 will be offered for the third child and €215 for the fourth. Back in 1990, the Kindergeld was only €26.

And for married couples with one child and an annual income of €63,400 or more, it doesn't end here. The new income tax allowance will leave them with up to €443 more per year, compared to €240 for those who opt for the Kindergeld.

So much for the numbers. But what about nurseries and free day care for two-year-olds from disadvantaged backgrounds? These aren't at the top of the German agenda. Quite the opposite: Merkel has vowed to introduce a subsidy of €150 per month from 2013 to parents who keep their children under three out of public day care. The proposed subsidy, dubbed the "stove premium" by critics, has prompted angry reactions from experts and childcare workers.

Traditionally, the governing Christian Democrat party has a conservative image of the family. But in recent years, several laws have been introduced to enable young parents to combine job and family. The crux of the matter is that German parents don't appear to need further incentives to stay at home. Only 18% of children under three are cared for outside the family home. Many fear that a "stove premium" is not only regressive but will also further hamper the integration of migrate children and the life chances of children from less advantaged families. Yet the needs of these groups are rarely in the spotlight.

"Lower-class Germans will drink it away and lower-class immigrants will bring over granny to do the day care," said Heinz Buschkowsky, the Social Democrat mayor of the infamous Neukoelln area in Berlin, when he was asked about the new subsidy.

Giving more to families is a nice move, no doubt about that. And the government can be sure that this part of its taxation policy will be widely embraced by the public. Yet cash incentives alone won't solve the problem. Family policy will always be a balancing act between paternalism and discretion. Perhaps Brown is right to hang on to childcare vouchers.

]]> http://feedproxy.google.com/%7Er/StilInBerlin/%7E3/MCUBu6hsxhs/stil-in-berlin-in-print.html http://feedproxy.google.com/%7Er/StilInBerlin/%7E3/MCUBu6hsxhs/stil-in-berlin-in-print.html

We broadened our efforts to bring you something new - in cooperation with Don't Panic and Supermarkt Studio, we published our first printed issue. It's all about Winter Vintage Fashion and includes fine and exclusive photography of outstanding winter styles, an interview with Berlin's Nightboutique host Roman Vardijan on how to track down extraordinary vintage delicacies, and an all-new guide to nine excellent Berlin vintage shops you might have never heard of.

The magazine is a free supplement to the Don't Panic Berlin December issue (also free), which you find in stores, bars, cinemas and restaurants now. (Click here to see a choice of 40 locations.)
For all those, who don't live in Berlin we offer the possibility to order it by mail - just send an email to stilinberlin@gmail.com to get the details. (Charge for mailing in Germany: 4 Euros, Europe: 7 Euros, International: 10 Euros)
The following issue will be published in January 2010 at Berlin Fashion Week.

• Top News der letzten 7 Tage bei Xonio [13 November 2009]
• Top News der letzten 7 Tage bei Xonio [06 November 2009]
• Top News der letzten 7 Tage bei Xonio [30 October 2009]
• Top News der letzten 7 Tage bei Xonio [23 October 2009]
• Top News der letzten 7 Tage bei Xonio [16 October 2009]
• Top News der letzten 7 Tage bei Xonio [09 October 2009]
• Top News der letzten 7 Tage bei Xonio [02 October 2009]
• Top News der letzten 7 Tage bei Xonio [25 September 2009]
• Top News der letzten 7 Tage bei Xonio [18 September 2009]
• Top News der letzten 7 Tage bei Xonio [11 September 2009]

The discussion will focus on bilateral and regional issues.

At yesterday’s extraordinary summit meeting, the EU heads of state and government appointed Herman Van Rompuy as President of the European Council and Catherine Ashton as High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. These two posts will be created on the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty on 1 December 2009.

Today (20 November), during his visit to Moscow, Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle issued the following statement on these appointments:

“Herman Van Rompuy and Catherine Ashton are two competent figures completing Europe’s new leadership team. I am sure they will carry out their tasks with vigour. Given that as yet there is no experience of how the Lisbon Treaty’s new division of responsibilities will work, both Mr Van Rompuy and Ms Ashton are facing major challenges; they can count on Germany’s support in tackling them.”

• Brown seals deal to give Ashton foreign portfolio
• Blair's fears realised as Van Rompuy lands top job

With its nondescript glass front, decorated with the red and white of the national flag, the Austrian mission to the European Union looks like another unremarkable diplomatic building in Brussels.

But yesterday afternoon a key moment in British Labour history took place inside the building when Gordon Brown attended a meeting of EU centre-left leaders. In the space of a few minutes the prime minister acknowledged the inevitable and withdrew Britain's support for Tony Blair as the first president of the European Council.

Recognising the hard political realities of a Europe utterly dominated by the centre-right, and with the few centre-left governments averse to a President Blair after the war in Iraq, Brown opted instead to nominate Lady Ashton, the UK's European commissioner, for the separate post of high representative for foreign and security policy – or European foreign minister.

The brief negotiations in the Austrian mission, where centre-left leaders opposed Blair's bid but were happy for Britain to take the foreign policy portfolio, marked the moment when the former prime minister's hopes of reviving his public career beyond his post as envoy to the Middle East were finally dashed.

But as Blair bowed out of the European limelight, the Labour party celebrated the emergence of Ashton, who will become the most powerful woman in the party's history. As the face of the EU on the world stage, she will become one of the world's most high-profile women.

A surprised Ashton learned of her elevation through an afternoon telephone call from Martin Schulz, the German leader of the socialists in the European parliament, who told her that Brown and the other Social Democrat leaders wanted her to take the job.

Brown hailed the deal as he acknowledged that Blair lacked support. "As the days went by it became clear that the parties on the right wanted to have one of their own members as president," he said. "But as people look at what we have achieved this evening they will see that we not only have the vice-president of the commission, but we have the first high representative under the new system."

While Britain has secured a major position, the result of the summit presents a mixed picture for Brown. Some senior British ministers had indicated that Britain had its eye on securing a major economic portfolio in the commission – trade, competition policy or the internal market – as it seeks to shore up the liberalising instincts of the European commission president, José Manuel Barroso.

Only days ago, Brown had resisted pressure from Barroso to make Ashton the EU foreign policy chief and deputy head of the commission. Britain, Barroso was told, wanted a high-powered economic portfolio.

And Ashton was not the first choice yesterday either. Massimo D'Alema, the former Italian foreign minister, was the centre-left's frontrunner. But behind the scenes the Israelis had been lobbying against him, because of his alleged pro-Palestinian prejudices. True or false, that was enough for Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, who agreed that the centre-left could have the foreign policy job, but not D'Alema.

"That put the ball in the British court," said one source. "Everyone wanted the British to do the foreign policy job."

While the machinations handed Britain a grand role, it may struggle to exert influence in crucial economic areas. London fears that EU legislation to regulate financial services, which Britain will not be able to veto, could threaten the City.

Ashton will be too busy travelling the world and dealing with the Middle East and Iran's nuclear programme to resist pressure from Paris and Berlin on this front. The French and Germans were said to be happy that they could lay claim to the big single market, financial services, trade, or competition portfolios in the Barroso team without worrying about British rivalry.

Brown, who will today chair a meeting of the cabinet outside London, is likely to face criticism that his focus on Blair jeopardised Britain's chances of securing an economic portfolio.

He dismissed those fears last night, saying he made no apologies for supporting Blair while there was a chance of securing the presidency for Britain. Government sources also say that strong support for Blair from second-tier EU countries, such as Spain and Italy, meant that Britain enjoyed goodwill, which became apparent when Ashton was nodded through.

In the end, old-fashioned European tribal politics appeared to determine the outcome, with a stitch-up between the two big political families – the Christian and Social Democrats. The post of EU council president would go to a Christian Democrat, Herman Van Rompuy of Belgium, while a Social Democrat, Ashton, got the other big job. Consideration of gender balance also helped her.

Blair was last night said to be relaxed and unsurprised that he had failed to secure the presidency. Calls from a series of EU leaders in recent weeks had told him that he would only secure the post in the most exceptional circumstances.

Two key factors counted against him: the determination by centre-right leaders that the post should go to one of their own and a clear consensus among EU leaders that they wanted more of a chairman than a presidential figure.

One British source said: "This has not come as a surprise that we have ended up in this position. We have seen the direction of travel this has been going in."

In the past 48 hours Blair had gone cold on the job, amid signs that the president may struggle to play any sort of role in foreign affairs. The Lisbon treaty, which created the roles of president and high representative, had given the former a role in foreign policy.

But the Swedish government, which holds the EU's rotating presidency, appeared to dilute the president's role in foreign policy in a paper circulated on Wednesday. "On the basis of the Swedish paper, that is not the job that Tony Blair would have wanted to do," one British source said.

Blair always knew that he faced formidable challenges that went well beyond which group should secure which job. Two other factors were always going to make it difficult for him to overcome strong objections among a raft of EU leaders: the perception that he sits to the right of most EU leaders, even those officially on the centre-right, and his unequivocal support for the Iraq war.

Amid this background, Blair never formally launched a campaign, which explains why he felt no need to withdraw his name. Jonathan Powell, his former chief of staff in Downing Street, launched a discreet lobbying campaign on his behalf over the last 18 months.

In recent weeks, as his allies indicated that Blair needed to do more to make his intentions clear, the former prime minister spoke to a series of EU leaders. He was politely received and received some encouraging noises.

But in the end it became clear that he would struggle.

Last night as the EU leaders sealed their deal over grilled bass, Ashton had a quiet drink across the road in her commission offices with colleagues. Blair, meanwhile, is planning to press on with his role as Middle East envoy.

]]> http://www.german-news.de/news/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3298 http://www.german-news.de/news/modules/news/article.php?storyid=3298 German Press - das neue Tourismus-Presseportal für Reisejournalisten und die Tourismusindustrie

Cybernex, seit 16 Jahren Herausgeber mehrer erfolgreicher Onlinemagazine, wurde im WorldWideWeb mit dem ersten und bisher einzigen Livestreaming vom größten Volksfest der Welt (Oktberfest in München) bekannt und hat als Online-Pionier so manche Schlacht erfolgreich geschlagen. Mittlerweile bietet Cybernex mehrere Online-Servicebereiche an, die auf kleine aber feine Märkte zielen.]]> http://feedproxy.google.com/%7Er/TheGermanCarBlog/%7E3/ZlKfnc66_3s/audi-a8-audi-a7-audi-a6-all-breaking.html http://feedproxy.google.com/%7Er/TheGermanCarBlog/%7E3/ZlKfnc66_3s/audi-a8-audi-a7-audi-a6-all-breaking.html http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/diplo/en/Infoservice/Presse/Meldungen/2009/091119-BM-Moskau.html http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/diplo/en/Infoservice/Presse/Meldungen/2009/091119-BM-Moskau.html Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle is travelling to Moscow for an inaugural visit tomorrow, Friday (20 November), on the invitation of his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. During his one-day visit he will meet with the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The talks will focus on bilateral relations between Germany and Russia, as well as on current European and international issues.

Read more on German-Russian Bilateral Relations on diplo.de:

• Russian Federation

Opposing groups try to find consensus on who should take presidential and foreign minister roles ahead of Brussels summit

The leaders of Europe's main political tribes conferred in Brussels this afternoon in an attempt to hammer out a last-minute consensus on who should be the top two people running the EU's new Lisbon regime, ahead of a crucial Brussels summit.

While Christian democratic government leaders, including the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and France's president, Nicolas Sarkozy, gathered in Brussels, Gordon Brown found himself isolated at a session of the seven centre-left leaders ahead of this evening's summit.

The centre-left leaders, grouped in the Party of European Socialists (PES), hope to secure the new post of European foreign minister, with Italian Massimo D'Alema and Spain's Miguel Angel Moratinos as their frontrunners.

But that would require the prime minister abandoning support for Tony Blair as the new European Council president, as both posts cannot go to social democrats.

The centre-left leaders were expected to make clear to Brown that they would not back his predecessor for the coveted presidential job. And with Blair's chances receding, there was speculation that Brown could use the PES meeting to abandon the former prime minister as a lost cause.

Last night Merkel provoked anger in other European capitals with the announcement that Germany and France are to strike a deal on who they want for the post of president.

Merkel stated for the first time that she and Sarkozy intended to agree on a common candidate, believed to be the Belgian prime minister, Herman Van Rompuy.

"Germany and France will reach an agreement together on this issue and not oppose each other," she said. "We are in contact on this … I am optimistic that we will reach a result tomorrow."

Her comment came on a day when Germany's ambassador to Belgium, Reinhard Bettzuege, broke ranks with the policy of silence on the presidency by stating Berlin's support for Van Rompuy.

"Chancellor Merkel and her government are behind Van Rompuy for this job," he told a Belgian newspaper, De Morgen.

The Belgian shares the strong opposition of both Sarkozy and Merkel to Turkey joining the EU. In a debate in the Belgian parliament five years ago, Van Rompuy made plain that he viewed the EU as a Christian club with no room for a large Muslim country such as Turkey.

"Turkey is not a part of Europe and will never be part of Europe," Van Rompuy said, years before he became Belgian prime minister. "The universal values which are in force in Europe, and which are also fundamental values of Christianity, will lose vigour with the entry of a large Islamic country such as Turkey."

The EU is divided over Turkey, with France, Germany, and Austria leading hostility to membership, while Britain, Sweden and east European countries are strong supporters of Turkey in Europe.

Van Rompuy's antipathy to Turkey earned him support yesterday for the EU job from the Vlaams Belang, or Flemish Interest, party on the extreme anti-immigrant right wing in Flanders.

But news of a Franco-German alliance triggered anger in some European capitals.

"We're not having a replay of the bad old days when the big guys fixed all the deals," said a Polish official.

Poland campaigned for greater glasnost, to open up the contest for the key jobs. But they have now conceded defeat, although they claim to have the support of 10 of the 27 EU countries. "We had a go," said the Polish official. "We wanted a degree of transparency to address the sceptics. And lots of countries feel that these appointments are just being made over their heads. There's always been a suspicion about the way these deals are done in the EU. This is a genuine example. It puts everyone to shame."

A senior EU official said: "A joint Franco-German candidate will trigger a counter-reaction from the Brits and the east Europeans." With tempers worsening over the way Europe's first council president and foreign minister are to be appointed, hopes slumped that there would be any quick breakthrough today.

Senior diplomats and officials admitted they did not know how Fredrik Reinfeldt, the Swedish prime minister chairing the summit, was proposing to organise the meeting.

In days of telephone diplomacy Reinfeldt has failed to form a consensus, but is reluctant to put the divisive appointments to a vote.

]]> http://www.young-germany.de/news-verwaltung/news-singleview/article/0f271ed7d6/researchers-make-new-findings-in-the-the-study-of-hiv.html?no_cache=1 http://www.young-germany.de/news-verwaltung/news-singleview/article/0f271ed7d6/researchers-make-new-findings-in-the-the-study-of-hiv.html?no_cache=1 http://www.young-germany.de/news-verwaltung/news-singleview/article/1cbdce445e/a-state-becomes-history.html?no_cache=1 http://www.young-germany.de/news-verwaltung/news-singleview/article/1cbdce445e/a-state-becomes-history.html?no_cache=1 http://feedproxy.google.com/%7Er/shoppingverse/de/%7E3/AbSIZ9wRUiI/ http://feedproxy.google.com/%7Er/shoppingverse/de/%7E3/AbSIZ9wRUiI/ http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/world/europe/19germany.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/19/world/europe/19germany.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/18/franco-german-deal-europe-anger http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/nov/18/franco-german-deal-europe-anger

Germany and France are to strike a deal on who they want for the coveted post of first permanent European council president, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced today, sparking anger in other European capitals over a feared Franco-German stitch-up.

With 27 EU leaders going into a special summit tomorrow increasingly at odds over the twin posts of European Council president and EU foreign minister, Merkel stated for the first time that she and the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, intended to agree on a common candidate, believed to be Herman Van Rompuy, the Belgian prime minister.

"Germany and France will reach an agreement together on this issue and not oppose each other," she said. "We are in contact on this ... I am optimistic that we will reach a result tomorrow."

Her comment came on a day when Germany's ambassador to Belgium, Reinhard Bettzuege, broke ranks with the policy of silence on the presidency by stating Berlin's support for Van Rompuy.

"Chancellor Merkel and her government are behind Van Rompuy for this job," he told a Belgian newspaper, De Morgen.

News of the preferred candidate came as it emerged that the Belgian shares the strong opposition of both Sarkozy and Merkel to Turkey joining the EU.

In a debate in the Belgian parliament five years ago, Van Rompuy made plain that he viewed the EU as a Christian club with no room for a large Muslim country such as Turkey.

"Turkey is not a part of Europe and will never be part of Europe," Van Rompuy said years before he became Belgian prime minister. "The universal values which are in force in Europe, and which are also fundamental values of Christianity, will lose vigour with the entry of a large Islamic country such as Turkey."

The EU is divided over Turkey, with France, Germany, and Austria leading hostility to membership, while Britain, Sweden and the east Europeans are strong supporters of Turkey in Europe.

Van Rompuy's stated antipathy to Turkey earned him the support today for the EU job from the Vlaams Belang or Flemish Interest party on the extreme anti-immigrant right wing in Flanders.

But news of a Franco-German alliance triggered anger in some European capitals.

"We're not having a replay of the bad old days when the big guys fixed all the deals," said a Polish official.

The Poles campaigned for greater glasnost, to open up the contest for the key jobs. But they have now conceded defeat, although they claim to have the support of 10 of the 27 EU countries. "We had a go," said the Polish official. "We wanted a degree of transparency to address the sceptics. And lots of countries feel that these appointments are just being made over their heads. There's always been a suspicion about the way these deals are done in the EU. This is a genuine example. It puts everyone to shame."

A senior EU official said: "A joint Franco-German candidate will trigger a counter-reaction from the Brits and the east Europeans." With tempers worsening over the way Europe's first council president and foreign minister are to be appointed, hopes slumped that there would be any quick breakthrough tomorrow.

Senior diplomats and officials admitted they did not know how Fredrik Reinfeldt, the Swedish prime minister chairing tomorrow's summit, was proposing to organise the meeting.

In days of telephone diplomacy, Reinfeldt has failed to fashion a consensus, but is reluctant to put the divisive appointments to a vote.

The Dutch prime minister, Jan-Peter Balkenende, was said to have pulled out of the contest. The British insisted they would continue to lobby for former prime minister Tony Blair.

The British government, clinging doggedly to its campaign to win the presidential post for Blair against the odds, today criticised Van Rompuy for the first time for harbouring "a federalist agenda", code for favouring European integration at the expense of national government in the EU.

]]> http://weinverkostungen.de/madras-curry/ http://weinverkostungen.de/madras-curry/ http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/diplo/en/Infoservice/Presse/Meldungen/2009/091118-neuerLIBAM.html http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/diplo/en/Infoservice/Presse/Meldungen/2009/091118-neuerLIBAM.html Federal Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle today (18 November) sent the following congratulatory letter to his new Lebanese opposite number Ali Hussein Shami on the occasion of his nomination:

“Please accept my greetings and best wishes on your appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Lebanese Republic. I wish the entire Government under Prime Minister Hariri success and stamina for the challenges it will face. Together with its European partners, Germany will further support your country in its efforts to maintain stability and self-determination.

At the same time let me warmly congratulate your country on its election to the United Nations Security Council for the 2010/2011 period. This success represents both great recognition and great responsibility for Lebanon. I am convinced that your Government will make a major contribution to the Council’s work.

Should Germany be elected to the Council in October 2010, also thanks to Lebanon’s support, I am confident that our two countries will continue their tried and trusted close cooperation in this important UN forum.”

Read more on Germany's bilateral relations to Lebanon:

• Lebanon

To support the CD’s work, the Federal Foreign Office has seized the initiative by inviting senior experts and diplomats from all countries involved to attend a seminar, on 17 and 18 November in Berlin, to discuss key aspects of a future FMCT.

This seminar is clear evidence of the Federal Government’s commitment to disarmament.

• Nuclear Disarmament and Non-Proliferation - Treaties and Organisations