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| January 2008 Newsletter |
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EVENTS FOR JANUARY |
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Friday, 4th & 18th - Literaturkreis mit Dr Jacobs Friday, 11th - Filmshow "Sophie Scholl - Die letzten Tage" (see below for more details) Wednesday, 16th - Gesprächsrunde mit Olaf Rieck "Hansestadt Hamburg - Zentrum des Nordens" All activities commence at 6.30p.m. - Members and students are welcome to attend. |
LANGUAGE
COURSES NOTICEBOARD |
Second Term: Students are reminded that the lessons for the second term of the 2007-2008 Language Courses will recommence after the Christmas and New Year holidays as from Thursday, 3rd January.
Certificates: Members who have applied for their 2006-2007 German language Certificate and have not yet collected it, are reminded that they are to do so from the office as soon as possible.
Examinations’ Time Table: This can be seen on the Circle’s Notice Board. The examination dates cannot be changed. Students are reminded that they may not be allowed to sit for an examination unless a minimum overall attendance of 70% of the total number of lessons held during the year is reached.
Learn German the Fun & Fast Way:
Short courses of 12 lessons (each x 2 hours) recommended for those who
want to start communicating in German in simple day-to-day situations
when travelling or at work. Emphasis on spoken German - No emphasis on
grammar - No textbooks - No examinations. Choice of morning and evening
sessions. Starting: Part 1 (Complete Beginners) & Part 2 (With basic
knowledge). Application & full information from the office or
click on this link:
www.germanmaltesecircle.org/courses/Introductory_Course.htm
RENEW
YOUR MEMBERSHIP
for 2008 NOW
For only €11,65 for one whole year!
Mail
a cheque (payable German-Maltese Circle) or come personally
to the office!
You
will continue receiving the Newsletter,
join our activities,
use the Library services, and much more!
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ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AND ELECTION OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE |
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AGENDA:
Nominations
- on the prescribed form
available from the Circle’s office - of eligible members
willing to contest the election for the posts of President,
Secretary, Treasurer, Member or Corporate Members’ Representative
are to reach the Secretary by
not later than 6.30p.m. of Wednesday, 23rd January.
Motions for discussion during the AGM, duly signed by the proposer and a seconder are also to reach the Secretary by the above-mentioned date and time. All motions received will be displayed on the Circle’s Noticeboard. |
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Frank & Helga Bonello |
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By now you guessed
it: this pen They each returned to their respective homelands again. However, “I was smitten”, Frank admitted with a reminiscent smile. What he had discovered in Austria was, that Helga was a mature woman and not at all what the letters in school English style had made him believe she was. He soon terminated the relationship with his Maltese girl friend and – wrote letters. One year later Helga had also parted company with her German boy friend and was ready to meet Frank again in Italy, this time by the Adriatic Sea. And Frank had the guts to propose to her there and then. But Helga also had the guts in insisting to come to Malta first, meet his family and would give him an answer only then. In April 1962 Helga travelled on a one-way ticket to Malta. She stayed with friends of Frank in Valletta but could not find a job, consequently not having any income and possibly feeling a little homesick, she yearned to go back to Germany. She could not then, help comparing the island of the early sixties with the newly risen Germany in Wirtschaftswunder mood. Sad letters to her parents prompted her father to send her a return ticket. This gave her some reassurance, as before this ticket arrived she had felt trapped. Now she was really free and without any pressure she decided to return the unused ticket to her father and agreed to stay! Helga and Frank got engaged in October 1962 and married a year later - living happily together ever after. Over the years two daughters Susanna and Petra and two grandchildren arrived making the family complete. Some history of life and work of the couple: Frank, his brother and his four sisters were born in Mosta. In 1954 he joined the then Barclays Bank and worked his way up for 17 years after which he took up the position of General Manager of Lombard Bank which he held until his retirement 1998. Very early Frank studied German on his own and later continued with his “private tutor” at home. Helga was born in Bielefeld, had one brother, and held secretarial jobs in Germany as well as in Malta, where especially the last one was a very happy twelve years’ period as the Secretary to the Managing Director of a successful German company. She too retired in 1998. Both are now enjoying a busy social life, travelling, and spending lots of time with their children and grandchildren.
For quite some years
now, Frank serves on the Government’s Financial Services Tribunal.
This is an appeal institution for cases of disputes in financial
services. He is also Member of the Council of Administration and
Secretary of The Strickland Foundation, which was founded by the Hon.
Mabel Strickland O.B.E. in 1979 and which is the beneficiary of the
majority shareholding in Allied Newspapers Ltd., publishers of The
Times and The Sunday Times. Frank pointed out to me that
The Strickland Foundation has five objectives, of which I like to
quote the first one – so to say - as a worthwhile intention for
everyone: “To foster the national interest of Malta and in
particular to promote in Malta democratic principles, the observance
of human rights and the exercise of a free press.” |
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"Sophie Scholl - Die letzten Tage" - Friday, 11th January at 6.30p.m. |
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The film has German dialogue with English subtitles. Students of German and other members are welcome to attend. Entrance is free. An introduction to the film and a discussion after the film are led by Sirka Facklam. |
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Congratulations to Bernd Schiffarth |
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By profession, Bernd Schiffarth is Diplom-Forstingenieur (Bachelor of Forestry Science). In 1986 he was entrusted with the management of the Forestry Division for the privately owned forests in the region of Adenau, and became General Manager of an association uniting approximately two thousand private forest owners. In the commendation read during the award of the BVK, reference was made to a close concern of Bernd Schiffarth, namely an organisation called Die Lichtbrücke. This is an association symbolically 'bringing light' to blind and poor people in Bangladesh by promoting social projects, among which, building and equipping a hospital for eye-operations, setting up training centres and developing micro-credit programmes. |
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Die Mauer, mein Herz by Mary Anne Zammit |
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Der Himmel blau und die Wolken klar, |
Es regnet noch nicht in Berlin |
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Ideas from Germany - Adapted from www.land-of-ideas.org |
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Recycling The German economy revolutionized recycling with its “Green Dot System”. Since 1990, old wrappers and packaging have been used systematically to create new products. This “Green Point” system has now been adopted in 26 other countries. |
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The
Colour Television |
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The ABS |
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The Airbag Although in 1952 Walter Linderer had already patented his idea of protecting drivers from accidents by means of an inflatable cushion, the airbag had its premiere only 30 years later - in a Mercedes. |
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The Radio Clock In 1986, the company Junghans manufactured the world's first radio-controlled clock, which automatically adjusts itself to the atomic clock at Braunschweig. In 1990, this was followed by the world's first radio-controlled wristwatch. |
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Gerhard
Kamil |
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biggAIRcube |
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The Mars Camera We can see Mars in 3D thanks to HRSC, a high resolution stereo camera developed under the direction of research scientists in Berlin for the German Aerospace Centre (DLR). For the first time we have three-dimensional images, in colour and with high spatial resolution, of another world. |
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Lightronic This is the name of the fully automatic control system for room lighting, which was developed by 19-year old Christoph Budelmann, the winner of this year’s “Jugend forscht” young researchers competition. The innovative system controls all lighting units in a room, according to the time of day or the presence of people. |
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MP3 |
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The Automobile |
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The Aspirin Tablet In 1897, Felix Hoffmann of the company Bayer in Leverkusen was looking for a way of easing his father's rheumatism. His efforts led to his discovery how to produce acetylsalicylic acid synthetically. The resulting remedy was to become known around the world as Aspirin. |
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Printing Johannes Gutenberg is considered the inventor of the modern printing press. His use of movable metal letters for printing signalled the start, in 1450, of the modern information age. |
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Video
Technology |
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The Gummy Bear |
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The Currywurst
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The Computer In his parents' flat in 1938 Konrad Zuse built the world's first freely programmable computing device, "Z 1". Its successor, "Z3", is today considered to have been the first fully functional computer. |
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reserved. Terms of Use - Disclaimer 
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The story of Frank and Helga Bonello is one of those lovely romantic
affairs which began over half a century ago: Once upon a time there
was a young German girl called Helga living in the sheltered home of
her parents in Bielefeld, a pleasant city near the Teutoburger Wald.
One day Helga and her girl friend went to a youth gathering where they
met a Maltese girl called Joan. This exotic islander coming from the
far away Mediterranean (and who became in fact the mother of one of
our present day members) was visiting Bielefeld following a youth
exchange programme. Helga got intrigued and asked her for a Maltese
pen friend, who should be a boy of similar age, to correspond with. At
those times, when travelling was still a lesser pastime in post war
Germany, pen friends were a welcome “substitute” to learn about the
world beyond and to exercise a foreign language. 
Sophie Scholl –
Die letzten Tage