06 accents

The English Language Journal

for Baden-Württemberg
www.accents-magazine.de
September/October 2005
magazine

The quiz business

The phenomenon of trivia in pubs

Selling screws to the world
Buying Potter in English
Telephoning in boxer shorts

6
Contents
Feature
8 The quiz business
An English recipe for
pub success
9 Impressions of
pub quizzes
News and Events
5 A new baby-advice
website
6 Reinhold Würth:
English speaker
7 Readership Survey
findings
Editorial
There were sniggers of laugh-
ter and derisive comments at
an accents editorial meeting
when someone suggested
that the phenomenon of pub
quizzes in Baden-Württemberg
might make a good feature
story.
Some people thought – perhaps
with some justification – that
looking into pub quizzes might
yield nothing more than a light-
weight story report about boring
drunks and trivial trivia. The
editor himself was sceptical as
to whether chasing this story
would produce anything more
than a few sorry hangovers.
But what started out as a vague
idea to write something about
the quaintness of trivia turned
into a more serious story about
accents is sponsored by
accents magazine
8 12
Children’s Corner
11 The Harry Potter spectacle
11 Books for kids
Arts and Culture
12 Critical voices in theatre
The future of politics
in the arts
13 Book reviews
a unique cultural and economic
phenomenon. Pub quizzes are
serious business. In short, they
are pumping more than four
million euros a year – according
to our calculations – into the
English-language pub scene in
southwest Germany, and helping
pubs to survive in tough eco-
nomic times. They also provide
an important social network for
native English speakers, and
highly valued, informal English
practise for many Germans.
Turn to page 8 for our feature
story on the quiz business.
If you’re in the business
of parenting, you know how
difficult it is in Germany to get
useful information, in English,
about having a baby. We report
on an initiative by a Canadian
woman (page 5) that offers
accent on…
14 Ulm
Straddling the Danube
Good to Know
21 Money Matters
A loan for a home
21 Stuttgart Tips
advice for mothers-to-be, and
helps parents to cope with
those tiny, delicate bundles of
humanity once they arrive.
Are theatre audiences in
Baden-Württemberg more
appreciative of experimental,
avant-garde theatre than aud-
iences in New York? They are,
according to Lee Breuer, one
of the giants of avant-garde
theatre in the United States,
who was in Stuttgart recently.
Our Arts Editor caught up with
Breuer and other theatre direct-
ors to discuss, among other
things, how German audiences
cope with English language
plays.
In this edition we also travel
to the east of Baden-Württem-
berg to show you around the
city of Ulm; find out whether
Cover photo by Chrys Rynearson of Trivial Pursuit pieces (Horn Abbot International Ltd)
14
Labyrinth
22 Telephoning
23 My Two Cents
Unintentional cheek
Regulars
4 Letters
16 accents choice
What’s on listings
18 accents guide
Clubs and contacts
20 Classifieds
German teenagers really do en-
joy reading the English version
of Harry Potter VI; provide you
with tips on telephoning in
Germany; and warn you about
asking for a “rubber” in the
USA – you won’t be given an
eraser!
With this edition of accents,
we’ve turned one year old. We
thank you, our readers, as well
as our sponsors and advertisers
– large and small – for your
feedback and support over the
last year. We hope for your con-
tinued support in the coming
years.
accents magazine
editorial team
3
 Letters accents magazine
Libanonstraße 58
70184 Stuttgart

to the Editor editor@accents-magazine.de

Knot-tying at my German/Asian-American children – though I believe

Dear editor,
Regarding your article on foreigners marrying in Germany
(accents 05, p.22), I have some simple advice for those intend-
ing to do so: don’t do it! The article does your readers a bit
of a disservice as it only lightly breezes over the bureaucracy
problems. Our main problem centred on getting a translated,
original copy of my birth certificate. In Canada, in order to get a
duplicate birth certificate, you have to sign an affidavit saying
your previous one was lost or stolen. In other words, you have
to lie to Canadian officials in order to get what German officials
want. German officials wouldn’t converse with us over the
phone – we had to make appointments each time we wanted
to ask something. And the list of problems went on and on.
The whole process is neither cheap nor the “organizational
relief” mentioned in your article. While going through the ordeal,
I saw a story on German television about couples eloping to
Denmark to bypass the headaches of getting married in Ger-
many. If only I had seen that before I started the process!
Michelle Bester, Holzgerlingen
Hello accents,
My experience, as a British woman, of a registry office wed-
ding in Germany was a very positive one. There are alternatives
to a ceremony in a local government office building, at least
in Stuttgart. One of them is the impressive Damaszener Hall
at the Wilhelma Zoo. It did cost us a bit more, but it was worth
it. There was space enough for all of our families and friends,
lovely flower arrangements and a catering service outside after-
wards, overlooking the lake and pelicans.
Simone Louis, Stuttgart-Vaihingen
Germans are sometimes oblivious to the negative connotations
of the ethnic labels they use. I also feel that Germans, among
themselves, are less sensitive to name-calling than those of us
raised in melting-pot nations. I remember my shock at a party
in my first year in Germany when people stood up to make fun
– and make fools – of others in the group. Nobody seemed
to take offense! Thank you for drawing attention to this topic.
Marion Park-Pfoertsch, Stuttgart
Other feedback
Hello accents,
As an American who has lived in Germany for over 30 years,
I thoroughly enjoyed your article on customer service (accents
04). I quoted from it in my classes on Intercultural Management
Communication and it sparked off a lively discussion among
the students. The negative examples did make me laugh. But I
particularly appreciated the fact that you also included positive
examples of good customer service.
Ingrid Rose-Neiger, Director, Foreign Language Institute,
Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences
Dear editors,
I picked up accents at the SEB bank in Schwenningen and I just
wanted to let you know that I used it to prepare for my Abitur –
my final school exams. I enjoyed your “English at Work” article
(accents 04, page 15) and agree with the comment that “English
is part of everyday banking life”. But I would go even further
and say English is now a part of our everyday lives in general.
Philipp Packmohr, Schwenningen

Ethnic labels
Dear editor,
I read the letter from Sheila Steeb (accents 05, p.4) and
Katharine Schmidt’s “My Two Cents” column (p. 23) with great
interest. As an Asian-American I have been confronted by
negative labeling in Germany, not only directed at me but also
Dear editors,
I recently visited Stuttgart, and picked up a copy of your
magazine at the tourist information office at the airport. It was
by far the most useful (English) information I found. There was
a nice mixture of topics, giving a first-time visitor like me a
great overall picture of the local culture and experiences of
English-speaking people in Baden-Württemberg.
Santiago Serebrinsky, Pasadena, USA

And the winner is…

accents used in English lessons

Accents reader Renata Pocrnic of Birken-
feld, is the lucky winner of the main prize
in our readership survey draw. She wins a
round-trip flight to London with German-
wings. Renata works at LA BIOSTHETIQUE,
a manufacturer of haircare, skincare and
make-up products in Pforzheim, where she
takes in-company English lessons. One day,
Renata’s English teacher wandered into
class with copies of accents magazine,
picked up at the Piccadilly English Shop in
Pforzheim. The class enjoyed the magazine
so much, according to Renata, that the
teacher began integrating accents into her
lessons. “Our teacher now always brings in
each new edition,” says Renata. “Every-
body takes the magazine home and reads it
and we discuss what we like or what we
find interesting in the following lesson. We
particularly enjoyed reading the feature
story on dual citizenship (accents 03.) We
nearly talked the whole lesson about it!”
Renata was one of hundreds of readers
who took part in our readership survey con-
ducted in April and May, 2005. For a sum-
mary of the survey’s results, see page 7.

4 Letters accents magazine


All about babies
New support and advice network
Having a baby can be a daunting enough
experience. But if you’re a foreigner and
new to Baden-Württemberg, a long way
away from familiar surroundings and sup-
port networks, there’s even more to worry
about. Where do I enrol in pregnancy
exercise classes? Can I have a home birth?
What benefits am I entitled to? Where do
I find ‘baby’ advice in a language I under-
stand?
A Canadian woman living in Baden-
Württemberg, Michelle Bester, has decided
to set up a Website (www.eurobabies.net)
to provide support and advice in English,
as well as links for mums and dads, about
having a baby. There’s also information on
how to care for the baby once it’s born.
“There are a lot of resources out there
and a lot of advice. But if you’re a foreigner
here, you find most of the advice is in
German,” says Bester. “My daughter was
born in April of this year, and I spent a lot
of time talking with American women –
Calling Baden-Württemberg home
50,000 Native English speakers
The number of native English speakers
living in Baden-Württemberg stands at
more than fifty thousand, according to figu-
res released by the State Statistics Office.*
However, there’s been a seven percent
drop in the number of native English-speak-
ing residents over the past two years.
Altogether, 55,913 people from English-
speaking countries called Baden-Württem-
berg home in 2004. This was 4,266 fewer
people than in the previous year.
Stars and Stripes
in decline: a nine
percent drop in
US citizens living
in B-W.
accents magazine
News and Events
networking – about what to do and how
to prepare for the birth. And later we all
thought that it would be good to set up a
network to share what we’d learnt, and to
learn from others. And so we decided to
set up the Eurobabies Website.”
The Website comprises two main
sections. A ‘forum’ allows people to com-
municate with each other – to chat, link up,
provide ‘word of mouth’ advice, and to
learn from other people’s experiences. An
‘articles’ section will feature more detailed
information and professional advice about prams and strollers. And that’s just for
specific topics. starters!” says Bester.
“We want to look at regulations for The site was only registered in July,
childbirth in Germany, medical check-ups 2005, and “may still have some teething
during pregnancy, where the best hospitals problems,” warns Bester. “But I know
are, the immunisations your baby needs, there are a lot of women or parents out
how to make your own baby food, what there like me, going through the same
government payments you’re entitled to, things I went through. Hopefully, our Web-
registering in a kindergarten or school, find- site will make life easier for a lot of them –
ing a playgroup, buying certain products and for their babies.”
like receiving blankets, diapers (or nappies),
By far the biggest grouping of native-
English speakers remains US citizens.
Last year, 15,470 people from the USA (not
including those on US military bases) were
living in Baden-Württemberg. This was
9.4% down on the previous year’s number.
There was also a similar reduction in the
number of British citizens, the second
biggest English-speaking group: 10,222 –
a 9.5% drop on the previous year.
People from Asian countries make up
the next largest groupings of English speak-
ers living in Baden-Württemberg, including
people from India (5602), Sri Lanka (5359),
Pakistan (4425), and the Philippines (3050).
African speakers of English included people
from Nigeria (2077) and Ghana (1750).
Among other native English-speaking
groups, there were 2360 Canadians,
1269 Irish, 1208 Australians and 249 New
Zealanders resident in Baden-Württemberg
last year.
* Not every citizen from each country
where English is an official language learns
English, making it difficult to calculate
exact numbers. But for our sample, 19
countries were selected where English is
either an official or a widely used language.
News and Events 5
A Pioneering English Speaker
A conversation with Reinhold Würth

Photo: Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG

We’ve reported on the issue of customer
service. How do you view the approach
of German companies – compared with
U.S. companies – in terms of understan-
ding what customer service is all about?
Customer service in the United States is
clearly better than in Germany. Although
you have to keep in mind that in the USA,
all that glitters is not gold. Customer ser-
vice in the U.S. is often very mechanical
or automated. With toll-free telephone ser-
vice numbers, for example, you can often
One of Baden-Württemberg’s most forward- be left hanging for ages on the line, and
thinking and successful entrepreneurs, then be put through and re-connected
Reinhold Würth (pictured above) saw the another five times – as I said: in the USA,
importance of learning to speak English as elsewhere, all that glitters is not gold.
fluently long before it became the lingua
franca of international business. The Würth And what do you think ‘Anglo’ compa-
Group, based in Künzelsau, is the world’s nies could learn from Germany’s business
leading manufacturer of screws and other culture and practices?
small parts for fixing, fastening and fortify- Our social-market economy, in the sense
ing just about anything. The company em- of how Ludwig Erhard (former chancellor
ploys 47,000 people in 80 countries around and economics minister) understood it –
the world. Reinhold Würth, who celebrated where the reign of free-market capitalism is
his 70th birthday this year, is a business tempered by social and welfare concerns – Dare to Dream
maverick whose views often run against this is something that might help bring
the grain of business opinion in general. He about some moderation of social problems Tenacious woman
spoke to accents magazine about learning in English-speaking countries.
English, supporting the arts – and about
gold that doesn’t glitter. You are a civic-minded employer. How
important is it for companies to be in- It’s not unusual to like sailing. But it
accents: You’re a fluent speaker of volved in their communities and society is unusual for a wheelchair-bound
English. How did you learn to speak the at large? German-based English woman, who
language so well? I can only speak for my own company. For is close to 50, to become a sailing
Reinhold Würth: I first learnt English in decades we’ve promoted the arts in our enthusiast. Annette Abraminko, from
school, of course. But afterwards I learnt region, by supporting events at the Würth Plochingen (pictured above), has set
to fly and for the major aeronautical radio- Academy: cabaret, book readings, jazz and up a project called Dare the Dream,
service certificate you need to be able to chamber orchestra concerts. We are also aimed at breaking down barriers
speak English fluently. I’ve also set up an integral part of the cultural life of Fran- between physically disabled and able-
numerous Würth subsidiaries in many conian Württemberg, with our company- bodied people. She encourages people
English-speaking countries, for which I had sponsored art galleries in Künzelsau and to get involved in the Tall Ships pro-
to learn to speak the language well. Now- Schwäbisch Hall. Experience shows that gram of the Jubilee Sailing Trust, an
adays, I’m able to give complete lectures our employees gain something in social organization offering the disabled and
in English without referring to notes. prestige from these activities, and that the able-bodied the adventure of sailing
company itself enjoys a great deal of favour together.
How important is English in today’s in the eyes of the public. This partnership In the summer of 2004, Abraminko
business environment? between the company and the employees crossed the Atlantic – from Halifax,
Every single day I correspond with at least is enriching for everyone. Indirectly, this Canada to Southampton, England – on
one person in English. It’s now my second involvement in society benefits the overall the Tenacious, a three-masted, square-
language, and speaking English at work development of the Würth Group. rigged sailing ship. She was at sea for
is part of my daily routine. nearly five weeks. “Sailing involves
One of the many projects you support teamwork and everybody is needed
What do you think of the ‘Anglo’ way is accents magazine. Why? no matter what their personal back-
of doing business? Could Germany learn I am very much interested in the further ground or physical disability,” says
from American or British businesses? development of the state of Baden-Würt- Abraminko.
I’m rather doubtful we can learn much temberg – it’s the biggest foreign exporter Abraminko also holds motivational
from the “American Way of Life,” with of all the German states. And it’s clear, talks for businesses, charities, groups
regards to business. My experience is that the more the citizens of this state and individuals. Visit her website
there is much less worker and company master the English language, the easier it (www.dare-the-dream.de) to read
loyalty among English-speaking people becomes to communicate with business more about her Atlantic crossing and
compared with, for example, workers in partners all over the world. So it goes with- other voyages. Also, find out how to
continental Europe. Job-hopping in English- out saying that I wish accents all the best. get involved in sailing yourself, or
speaking regions is more common than help someone else to take part in a
in Germany. On the other hand, workers Tall Ships adventure.
are more geographically mobile there.

6 News and Events accents magazine

 Accents readers
Employed, well-educated, communicative, multilingual
The accents magazine readership
survey, conducted in April and May of
this year, has revealed two major core
groups of readers: British and U.S.
citizens living in Baden-Württemberg
(40%) and Germans (44%) with an
excellent knowledge of English.
In general, accents readers are very
well-educated, multilingual and earn
above-average incomes. They are in the
prime of their working and family lives,
with 59% of readers aged 31-55. Almost
all readers use English regularly at work
or with friends and acquaintances. They
are communicative and modern, with a
high frequency of mobile-phone and Inter-
net use; they are interested in English-
language news and culture, the arts and
travel. The majority of readers are female
(59%). A large proportion of expatriate
readers are self-employed but the majority
are working for German or international
companies and are – compared with the
general population – very well paid. Of
the German readers, a good number are
students, but the majority work full-time,
and are also well-paid. One in five
accents readers are managers or senior
managers.
“Accents clearly has a more mature,
intelligent, modern-thinking and sophisti-
cated readership than other similar
niche magazines,“ says Alex Woodruff,
managing director of the Stuttgart-based
advertising agency englishtalk: The native
speaker agency*, which prepared the
survey and analysed the results. “The
profiles show readers are actively enjoy-
ing life, they’re communicative, they have
relatively high incomes, and they feel
‘settled’ in Baden-Württemberg. Whether
they are expatriates or Germans, 65% of
readers see themselves as being integra-
ted into the community.”
The high proportion of Germans read-
Deutsch-Amerikanisches Zentrum
James-F.-Byrnes-Institut e.V.
Charlottenplatz 17
(Inner courtyard, entrance 3)
70173 Stuttgart
Telephone 0711 228180
www.daz.org
accents magazine
Canada
Ireland 2% Australia
Other 3% 2%
native speakers
4%
Other nations
5%
Nationality
UK/GB
23%
USA
17%
ing an English-language magazine is no
big surprise, according to Woodruff. “All
the research indicates that Germans with
a good command of English are crying
out for challenging, interesting English-
languages material that’s relevant to their
daily lives. Accents is being read – and
enjoyed – by Germans in schools and
universities, by office workers and by
managers.”
For love and money
Native English speaking readers of
accents have mostly come to Baden-
Württemberg for work (53%) or because
of their partners (21%). Sixty percent of
expat readers have been here for longer
than five years, and have a good com-
mand of German. Seventy-five percent
of all accents readers are university
educated – a third of all readers have
post-graduate degrees.
Other findings about accents readers
include that they:
• comprise 18 different nationalities,
among them Irish, Canadians,
Australians, Nigerians, Poles and
Croatians.
<18
1%
>56
11%
31-40
33%
Germans
44% 41-55 Age
26%
18-30
29%
• enjoy travelling (41% of expatriates
are frequent flyers)
• support the consumption of local
products (45%)
• are mostly interested in reading news
about English-language events and
culture, feature stories, the arts, travel
tips and newcomers’ advice, and the
history and culture of Baden-Württem-
berg.
Overall, accents magazine is highly
valued by a loyal readership. Its layout
and ‘look’ and its journalistic style were
rated “good to outstanding“ by most
readers. It scored an average of 8.5 out
of 10 for “overall quality”.
accents magazine is also widely used
by English teachers to help their students
learn or improve their English, especially
within German firms, but also within pri-
vate language schools and conversation
courses.
* englishtalk is a Stuttgart-based
advertising agency providing German
companies with English-language market-
ing materials. It involves only native
speakers in the creation or adaptation of
advertising.
News and Events 7
Feature
Trading in trivia
The popularity of the pub quiz
The ‘pub quiz’ is a British-Irish import in
Germany – an open, general-knowledge
quiz, usually held once a week in a bar
or pub. But it’s no longer just a quaint,
off-beat, ‘English’ pastime attended by a
few homesick expatriates on a dull night
of the week. Accents has sampled the
atmosphere of pub quizzes across Baden-
Württemberg, and discovered that inter-
est in the phenomenon is booming.
Most weeknights, the old town area of
Böblingen is dead. Except for Tuesdays.
As you walk down Breite Gasse, away
from the train station, you hear the sound
of talking and laughter emerging from one
place in an otherwise deserted street:
O’Donovan’s Irish Pub. It’s full to overflow-
ing, mainly with Americans from a nearby
military base. Publican Sinead O’Leary is
working flat out behind the bar to keep up
with orders. “Unfortunately, our microphone
isn’t working tonight so we’re having to
shout out the quiz questions above this
Photos: Chrys Rynearson
Drawing at least
9000 people into
B-W pubs every
week: pub quizzes
are big business.
8 Feature
noise. It’s a bit hectic,” she says, dashing
off to serve another customer. Tuesday has
become one of the busiest nights of the
week at O’Donovan’s for one reason: it’s
quiz night.
Quiz culture writers in the United King-
dom claim the pub quiz fails to thrive out-
side of Britain. They’re wrong. What occurs
at O’Donovan’s every Tuesday night is
being replicated at at least 150 pubs across
Baden-Württemberg on different nights of
the week. Pub quizzes are consistently
bringing standing-room-only crowds into
pubs across the state, and have become
crucial to the economic survival of many of
these small businesses in tough economic
times. “The original idea of the pub quiz
was to drum up a little bit of business on
an otherwise quiet night of the week,”
says Mark Dilloway, an English beverages
wholesaler who’s been delivering beer to
Baden-Württemberg pubs for 20 years.
“Now, a ‘little bit of business’ has turned
into quite a lot.”
What’s surprising, given the growing
popularity of pub quizzes in Germany in
general, is the lack of academic or industry
research into the social, cultural and,
particularly, the economic phenomenon of
the pub quiz. A team of five researchers
from accents has therefore surveyed more
than 20 different English, Irish and German
pubs in Baden-Württemberg to examine
the phenomenon more closely. What we’ve
discovered has surprised industry analysts:
pub quizzes, it turns out, are not trivial
affairs; they are big business. Our main
findings are as follows:
• The number of people attending a pub
quiz each week ranges from 30 to 120
depending on the size of the pub. The
average number of quiz participants
across all pubs is around 60.
• According to figures supplied by whole-
saler Dilloway, Diageo corporation
(the makers of Guinness) and internet
research, an estimated minimum of 150
pubs across Baden-Württemberg run
pub quizzes. (Although there may be as
many as 250.)
• Taking this information into account, an
estimated 9,000 people across Baden-
Württemberg take part in a pub quiz
every week.
• These 9,000 people contribute an
average of more than 90,000 euros
every week – at a very modest estimate
– to the state’s hotel and hospitality
industry. Looked at over the course of
a year, the pub quiz is a multi-million-
dollar industry.
• Pub quiz questions have traditionally
been set in English, but our research
shows that the majority of pub quiz
participants in Baden-Württemberg are
now German – not expatriate English-
speakers. Questions are now often
written or called out in German – even
in Irish pubs. And, slowly, German
pubs or Kneipen are starting to discover
the drawing power of the pub quiz.
The conclusion: an English-Irish cultural
import has now found a firm foothold –
and is thriving – in southwest Germany.
“I wasn’t aware that German Kneipen
are introducing pub quizzes. I thought
it was only Irish pubs,” says Daniel Ohl
from the Baden-Württemberg branch of
DEHOGA, the German Hotel and Gastro-
nomy Association. “But it’s clearly an idea
which could work. Gastronomy today is
about more than just offering someone a
place to eat or drink. It’s about offering the
customer something extra. In a pub, this
might include live music, live sport on a
big screen, or a trivia quiz. The gastronomy
industry survives on such ideas.”
Trivial Pursuit and TV quiz shows
Pub quizzes have been popular in Britain
and Ireland for decades, but the idea really
caught on in the mid-1980s with the popu-
larity of the board game Trivial Pursuit. In
the 1990s, the pub quiz reached the peak
of its popularity in the UK and Ireland. It
became better known in Germany, through
the expansion of the Irish pub scene. The
huge popularity of ‘quiz shows’ on German
television has heightened interest in ‘quiz-
zing’. But as Kevin Pedersen, manager of
the George & Dragon English pub in Stutt-
gart points out: “Whereas not everyone
can take part in a TV quiz show, anyone
can wander into a pub on quiz night.”
Individuals can take part in a pub quiz,
but participants usually play in regular
teams of at least three or four people.
accents magazine
The quiz might test the participants’ know-
ledge of current affairs, history, science,
geography, the arts, sports or music. The
publican hands out question sheets to each
participant or team and after an hour or two
answers are handed back to the marker.
Alternatively, participants might only be
given sheets of paper for answers – the
questions are read out from the bar for
everyone to write down answers simultan-
eously. “We go for this sort of format
because it tends to limit the chances of
people cheating with mobile phones,” says
manager Peter Miltz, from the pub Ireland’s
Own in Sindelfingen. But whatever the
degree of seriousness of the pub quiz –
and that can vary greatly from pub to pub –
the emphasis is always on having fun.
For many native-English speakers living
in Baden-Württemberg, the pub quiz has
become what Germans call a Stammtisch –
a regular, organised meeting. As such, the
pub quiz provides an important social net-
work for many foreigners. Teachers from
the International School in Stuttgart, for
example, meet to relax at the O’Reilly’s
Irish pub quiz in Stuttgart-west on a Tues-
day night. American and English mothers
from an English play group meet occasion-
Down at the local
Englishman Steve Trevallion – who
lives between Tübingen and Reut-
lingen – visits two of his local pubs on
consecutive Tuesdays to sample the
atmosphere of quiz night.
In England you need three things to
be considered a real pub: smoke, low
ceilings and a weekly quiz. In my experi-
ence, the quizmaster usually holds a
microphone and reads out the questions.
But more often than not he also acts as
a ringmaster, trying to ‘tame’ the locals,
as they shout out funny answers and
laugh, and move about to copy answers
from tables next to them. There’s always
an answer for everything. It doesn’t
matter if it’s totally wrong – it might
raise a smile. In Reutlingen and Tübin-
gen pub quizzes are more reserved
affairs.
Richie Cooney’s is a wonderful Irish
pub facing onto the cobbled-stone mar-
ket square of Reutlingen. But if I hadn’t
been clutching the address in my hand
I might have mistaken it for a secret
meeting house, given the soft light
and low murmur of earnest discussion
emanating from inside. There is no
microphone, no loud banter and the
team names are, well, sensible. (There’s
no ‘Skipsleepers’ or ‘AA is for Quitters’
accents magazine
ally for a “Girls Night Out” at the George
& Dragon quiz on a Wednesday night.
For many Germans, a traditional English
pub quiz has become something of an
informal language school. “My English
has really improved a lot since I’ve been
coming regularly to the George & Dragon
quiz,” says Susanne Albrecht. “It’s a relax-
ed atmosphere so it’s not like having to
learn English in the stress of a classroom
or at work.” Going to a pub quiz to practise
English conversation was “highly recom-
mended” when Hilmar Pfister, now a
journalist, was studying English at Stuttgart
University. “In fact our professor used
to advise us to go every week just to gain
more exposure to English in a casual
atmosphere. It provided invaluable prac-
tise,” says Pfister.
But if more and more Germans attend
pub quizzes and more and more quizzes
are being held in German rather than in
English, why haven’t more German pubs
latched onto the idea? Well, some have.
Linsen und Spätzle
Traditional Swabian meals like Linsen und
Spätzle (lentils and pasta) might be difficult
among them.) Question sheets – in
English and German – are stacked at the
end of the bar. Anyone is free to pick
one up but most people play in teams.
By my reckoning, the quiz is quite hard.
Over at Saints & Scholars Irish pub in
Tübingen the questions are only in Ger-
man. In fact, the overwhelming majority
of pub quiz participants in both pubs are
German. “It’s a great atmosphere here,”
says one S&S customer. “German bars
are always full of old men so it is nice to
relax in a friendly Irish pub.” At Richie
Cooney’s, the winning team is awarded
a bottle of whiskey and a ‘free bar’ for a
two hour timeslot at the next quiz. The
winners are also responsible for writing
the next quiz, which is quite clever
because it means the pub’s owner, Mark
Hayden, doesn’t have to do it! “If we
didn’t have a pub quiz it would put a real
dent in our earnings,” says Hayden,
who’s also a part owner of the S&S pub.
“On a good day it can be our biggest
night of the week.”
There might be very little English-
language practise at my two local Irish
pubs but so long at the beer is flowing
and the quiz remains challenging, they
are always going to draw a good crowd
on Tuesday nights.
Feature 9

I’m coming too!
Now that Lucy Woodford-Lewis is 16,
she no longer has to stay at home on
a Tuesday night while her parents
head off to O’Reilly’s Irish pub in Stutt-
gart-west for the pub quiz. The Inter-
national School of Stuttgart student
went along too, for accents.
A few rounds at the bar, a packet of
crisps, and a chat with other regulars is
the way many people start their evening
at O’Reilly’s before the quiz kicks off.
“Mac’s Quiz”, as it’s called, involves
current affairs, general knowledge,
music questions and a few Irish jokes.
The quiz is passed out to participating
teams, who’ll not only argue and discuss
answers, but send off a few sneaky
text messages via mobile phone for
answers they’re not sure about.
The atmosphere is very relaxed with
the occasional glance at other answer
sheets, and live football playing on TV
screens in the background. At 9.45 pm
there are three music questions and
soon after the answer sheets are collect-
ed and corrected. Points are given for
correct answers as well as humorous
ones. The answers are then read out
(though not if the football is still on!) and
people shout out answers of their own
causing the pub to erupt with laughter.
The winning team is awarded a bottle of
whiskey which is traditionally shared out
with others in the pub. The only hard
and fast rule is that the quiz master,
Dave Carroll, (pictured below) is always
right – even when he’s wrong! So when
the last of the whiskey has been drained
and the last pint of Guinness has been
drunk, it’s time to take the last train
home. Come on mum, dad!
to come by at many a pub quiz night in
Baden-Württemberg, but not at the Ritter-
stüble pub in Stuttgart. This is a German
pub with mostly German customers. “We
introduced a quiz here about three years
ago, and now we hold it every Tuesday
night,” says Lisa Abel, joint-manager of the
pub. “We knew it was an Irish or English
tradition but we just decided to try it in
German, and it’s gradually become more
and more popular.”
The tables at the Ritterstüble are packed
with customers, mostly young people,
by the time Abel begins handing out the
“Ritterquiz” at nine o’clock. There are
20 questions demanding a knowledge of
geography, literature, sport, pop music,
and German fairy tales. “The quiz is a
real crowd puller. We get 60 to 70 people
showing up every Tuesday. It’s become
our busiest night of the week,” says Peter
Bölling, who joined Abel in managing the
pub in March of this year.
Industry experts, like Daniel Ohl from
DEHOGA, say German pubs have been
”doing it a lot tougher” than other busin-
esses in the entertainment industry, in the
current economic climate. “Pubs have had
to come up with inventive ideas to maintain
business,” says Ohl. ”And it seems like
the pub quiz – so long as it remains an
authentic experience for customers – is
emerging as a new idea, no longer some-
thing just for Irish pubs.”

German kids reading English
The Harry Potter spectacle
It’s an amazing phenomenon repeated
every few years over the last decade in
Germany: The “Harry Potter” books are
read in English. It’s otherwise unheard of
for so many German children and adults
to choose to buy an English-language novel
before the German translation appears.
J.K. Rowling’s sixth Harry Potter book,
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, was
released on July 16 this year. The German
translation is due out on October 1.
The printing industry worldwide was
almost single-mindedly focussed on Harry
Potter in June and July. There were so
many millions of Potter books printed that
paper supplies ran short. This caused a rise
in the price of paper and printing schedules
for other books were held up until after the
end of July. Within the first week of the
release of the English version of the sixth
Potter book in Germany, the Internet book-
seller amazon.de had received orders for
more than 150,000 copies.
But to what extent do Germans who are
only learning English as a foreign language
in schools understand what they’re read-
Time Traveling
Children’s books
Although these three books are written
for children, late at night one or two
adults might also be caught reading
them with a torch under a blanket.
At the Sign of the Sugared Plum,
by Mary Hooper
Bloomsbury 172 pages
London, 1665, a sweltering summer. The
Black Death starts to creep into the city.
When Hannah, a teenager, moves from the
countryside to help her sister run a sweets
shop in London, the adventures she
encounters are nothing like those she ima-
gined. Written from Hannah’s perspective,
this book is aimed at young readers but it’s
a compelling read for adults as well. Seven-
teenth century England is brought vividly
to life with quotes from Samuel Pepys, a
diarist of the time; recipes of the sweets
Hannah makes; and a glossary. (Don’t let
this put you off. The book is lucidly written
– the glossary is a bonus.) There is a
sequel to this book, and the promise of yet
a third book to continue the tale.
accents magazine
Children’s Corner
ing? Many, such as 16-year-old Stuttgart
school student Matthias Noebels, say they
use dictionaries and other reading aides to
plough slowly through Potter 6. Matthias is
one of the people behind a Germany-wide
Harry Potter website, www.harrypotter-
xperts.de. “Many people I know are wait-
ing for the German version. But some die-
hard fans can’t wait that long. I’ll read the
German version as well, when it comes
out,” says Matthias. “Reading the English
version is not too hard if you use a diction-
ary. It’s manageable.” ents said they would only buy the German
The “xperts” Website offers a German- version. The conclusion: a good majority of
English vocabulary list to help readers die-hard Potter fans in Germany are able to
through the English version. Matthias and ignore the marketing hype over the English
his colleagues also conducted a survey to edition and wait until October to buy the
find out whether or not the site’s users German translation.
planned to buy the English book or wait for The publisher of the German version of
the German version. Of more than 11,400 Potter 6, Carlsen Verlag, is printing 2 million
respondents, 23% said they would buy the copies for October – the same number as
English version first, and then the German for Potter 5. The author, J.K. Rowling, is
version in October. Another 8%, in total, not planning to visit Germany for a grand
said they would either read the English launch of the German edition. But book-
version after the German or only buy the shops will be organising their own events
English book. However, 61% of respond- and parties.
Holes, by Louis Sachar ance that changes his destiny. He’s grown
Bloomsbury 233 pages up in the peaceful community of the
“Hidden” but is violently uprooted when
Found guilty of a crime he did not commit, the warlord Sadamu discovers that Takeo
Stanley is sent to a camp for delinquent has the mysterious talents of the Tribe,
boys. Located in the middle of a desert, the a secret group whose members can dis-
camp is surrounded by holes. In the blister- appear at will, be in two places at once,
ing heat, the ‘prisoners’ have to dig a new and hear things that others cannot. Takeo
hole each day, the depth and width of a becomes embroiled in political and familial
shovel. It’s said to be “character building.” intrigue as he comes to understand the
Water is rationed and each child must learn meaning of his destiny. This is a coming-
to fend for himself. It mightn’t sound like a of-age tale, the first of a trilogy which is
fantastic story plot, but this book is fabu- sure to find a devoted audience.
lous. The story is told in a subtle, magical
way. The ending is surprising but satisfy-
ing, rounding off a modern-day classic that
brims with old-fashioned charm. If you only
read one book this autumn, read this one.
Across the Nightingale Floor,
by Lian Hearn
Macmillan 294 pages
Set in a fictitious medieval land (based on
samurai Japan) this is the tale of Takeo,
who must come to terms with an inherit-
Children’s Corner 11
Arts and Culture
Enter, stage left
Avant-garde and English theatre in Stuttgart
Photo: www.leebreuer.com
A cult figure of
New York theatre,
Lee Breuer, who
was recently in
Stuttgart.
Sometimes you need a foreigner –
someone from outside – to tell you how
good you’ve got it. Arts Editor Stuart
Marlow talks to two giants of avant-
garde theatre in the USA, who were in
Baden-Württemberg recently, and who
speak of Stuttgart with high praise: it’s
a place where experimental theatre is
appreciated “even more so than in New
York.”
Stuttgart is basking in the success of
Theater der Welt festival. This international
showcase of world-class theatre, held in
June-July this year, proved even more
successful than the last time it was staged
in Baden-Württemberg’s capital, in 1987.
Around 50,000 people attended the festi-
val’s plays in 2005 with over 100,000 attend-
ing fringe events related to the festival.
English-language productions ranked
among the festival’s highlights at both the
box office and in the eyes of the critics.
This augers well for the future of English-
language theatre in Stuttgart, and for the
city’s international reputation in the perform-
ing arts.
Stuttgart became a place of international
renown in the 1960s with key appoint-
ments in the state funded arts arena, such
as Klaus Peimann in the theatre, John
Cranko in the ballet, and Dennis Russell-
Davis on the orchestral scene. If the state
theatre, opera and ballet were Stuttgart’s
‘Broadway’ then venues like Theaterhaus,
12 Arts and Culture
Theater-der-Altstadt, Tri-Bühne, Theater-der-
Rampe and Theater im Depot soon became
the city’s ‘Off-Broadway.’ And over the
last 35 years a whole range of specialized
venues such as Fits-Puppet Theatre, Kultur-
werk, KKT, Studiotheater and many others
have helped to make Stuttgart a key loca-
tion for the performing arts.
Many outsiders see the city as conserva-
tive, as a stifling place for an open-minded,
liberal arts scene but the evidence contra-
dicts this stereotype. The fact remains that
large numbers of people in Stuttgart are
willing to watch politically controversial,
experimental, avant-garde theatre. Many of
the theatre groups who came to Stuttgart
for the Theater der Welt festival were
amazed at the amount of innovative work
being supported in the city and at the sub-
stantial audiences this work attracted.
The view from ‘across the pond’
Adrian Shaplin is a leading light of politically-
charged, avant-garde theatre in the USA.
He brought his San Francisco based Riot
Group to Stuttgart to stage a play he wrote
called Pugilist Specialist, a fast-moving,
chilling and accurate portrait of the Ameri-
can military mindset. (So accurate, in fact,
that two American servicemen in the audi-
ence mistakenly thought that the players
had been in the Marines.) Shaplin com-
plains that a mixture of conservatism, fear
and economic cutbacks in the U.S., makes
the staging of his kind of theatre increas-
ingly difficult in his home country.
“Nowadays, Americans who are writing
and producing critical theatre are finding
much more support in Europe – in places
like Stuttgart – than they are beyond the
big liberal cities in the U.S.,” says Shaplin.
“The audience response in Stuttgart was
just great.”
On the east coast of the United States,
Lee Breuer is revered as a cult figure
of avant-garde theatre. He’s even more
pointed in his criticism of the political
climate for theatre in the U.S.: “There is no
doubt in my mind that the drastic cuts in
the subsidies to the arts is a political move.
President Bush has cut off all the funding
to the kind of the theatres that stage leftist,
liberal, or controversial plays. Almost nine
tenths of these venues have gone bank-
rupt. Their income has been decimated.”
Breuer brought his New York based
theatre group Mabou Mines to Stuttgart
to perform the classic Henrik Ibsen play
A Doll’s House as a melodrama. Ibsen, a
19th century Norwegian dramatist, was one
of the first major playwrights to write a
tragedy about ordinary people. Later on, he
became a pioneer of psychological realism
and his plays were much admired by Sig-
mund Freud. “Bertolt Brecht saw Ibsen as
being naturalistic,” says Breuer, “But for
me his work has a manic-depressive, melo-
dramatic quality to it. It is basically melo-
drama.”
Breuer radically adapted A Doll’s House
and thrilled his Stuttgart audience with
spectacular stage-effects and powerful
nudity. Some scenes would not have pass-
ed the censors in parts of the USA. Says
Breuer: “Ibsen’s A Doll’s House reflects
his wife’s problems as an oppressed early
feminist, rather than his own beliefs.
It’s driven by the trauma of the patriarchy
beginning to break up and I think Ibsen was
alarmed by the cause he was promoting
through his main character, Nora. She really
breaks all taboos by leaving her husband
and children to seek independence. Bring-
ing out the melodramatic in A Doll’s House
by using dwarfs to represent the men and
tall women for the female parts is my way
of dramatizing the fundamental questions
of changing sexuality.”
Breuer’s play was performed in English
at the Stuttgart festival, and yet was hugely
popular with audiences.
“A German audience is not really going
to pick up on all the humour, the accents,
the dialects,” says Breuer. “But on the
other hand audiences pick up basic mean-
ings very well and give visiting groups a
great response. People here in Stuttgart
are amazingly appreciative – even more so
than in New York. Evidently, we are com-
municating.”
Coping with cutbacks
Enraged citizens in many western countries
have often railed against subsidizing avant-
accents magazine
garde art forms and have often supported
censorship. However, in contrast to Britain,
Ireland and the USA, Germany has never
been unduly troubled by puritan attitudes,
although this has not necessarily made
avant-garde work appeal to mainstream
German audiences. Rather, due to a post
World War II tradition of official respect for
artistic culture, grants to less popular forms
of artistic expression have been relatively
generous. Today, therefore, the main prob-
lems in Germany are those of financial cuts
rather than moral censorship. One of the
key developments in the arts in Stuttgart
which reflects this shift is the current sit-
uation of Stuttgart’s popular venue for the
liberal arts, Theaterhaus.
Theaterhaus operated in the eastern
suburb of Wangen with a reasonably
generous level of subsidies for almost 20
years. It had to generate 50 per cent of its
own income from box-office revenue. The
move to the prestigious new location in
Pragsattel was a quantum leap, according
to Artistic Director Werner Schretzmeier:
“In Wangen we had three stages with a
total of 1000 seats. Here, we have an area
twelve times that size featuring four stages
with a total audience capacity of 2000.”
The move to the larger venue in Prag-
sattel coincided with the City of Stuttgart’s
own financial headaches. Now, Schretz-
meier has to generate 70 percent of income
through the box-office.
“This influences the content of the
The Lessons of History
Book reviews
What we can learn from the past and
how it can influence our present be-
havior and our understanding of the
world – those are the issues dealt with
in these three books.
Dark Fire, by C.J. Sansom
Macmillan, 503 pages
London is rife with religious strife. There’s
an unstable peace and, somewhere,
a secret weapon. Matthew Shardlake,
a lawyer, is asked by a top government
official to investigate a matter of possible
high treason. This is no modern-day story
– it’s a novel set in 17th century Refor-
mation England. The atmosphere is
realistically presented without the use
of archaic language or overly scholarly
references. The book is well-paced and
the characters are colorful. Shardlake is
an insecure hunchback using his brilliant
mind to overcome physical disability.
Thomas Cromwell, a statesman under the
rule of King Henry VIII, is depicted as a
calculating idealist who uses his access
to power and the screen of religious fana-
ticism to ruthlessly maintain authority.
accents magazine
material we stage, as we must be careful
Photo: Andreas Feucht
to maintain an artistic and commercial
balance,” he says. “At the moment we
place more emphasis on mainstream per-
formances we know will prove popular. But
in the next phase of our development we
will include more avant-garde, more overtly
political and experimental material from
unknown authors.”
Schretzmeier was encouraged by the
large number of Stuttgarters who turned
out to see English language plays during
the Theater der Welt festival. His own Stuttgart’s premier
ensemble of eleven actors includes people ‘Off Broadway’
theatre venue,
of seven different nationalities. “I believe Theaterhaus.
that English language theatre will grow in
importance in the future. English is still
the number one foreign language here and
people will continue to want to see English play. The performance won the second
language performances for educational prize at the 2005 Festival of European
and professional as well as for cultural rea- Anglophone Theatre in Hamburg. The
sons,” he says. theatre group ACTS also took a risk on an
Schretzmeier’s views about the increas- anti-war production Fallujan Women that
ing interest in English language theatre put the 2004 destruction of Falluja in the
are reflected in the recent experiences of dramatic context of the ancient Greek
the locally-based English theatre groups classic Trojan Women. It was staged in the
NEAT and ACTS. Both have staged avant- Theaterhaus and attracted a good audience.
garde plays over the last year in Stuttgart It received wholehearted praise from most
and both have enjoyed good audience theatre critics, though one journalist was
figures. NEAT took something of a risk in outraged that an anti-war play, focussing on
staging Edward Albee’s The Goat, with it’s Iraq, should be staged in Stuttgart. Another
radically unconventional approach to sexual- critic attacked the play for its lack of
ity, but it was a very successful production. humour; others praised it for its humour.
It followed this up with Sophie Chaumette’s That’s theatre.
skilfully directed Old Times, a Harold Pinter
Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded, When We Were Young,
by Simon Winchester by John Burningham (editor)
Penguin, 432 pages Bloomsbury, 312 pages
This is a non-fiction masterwork of This is a collection of personal stories
research and enthralling story telling. about childhood, compiled by renowned
Although it deals with the catastrophic children’s author John Burningham. The
eruption of the Indonesian volcano, stories explore an array of emotions and
Krakatoa, in 1883, this remarkable book states of mind as remembered by prize-
covers a range of topics: the beginnings winning authors, fictional characters like
of the science of geology; the history of Peter Rabbit, and UN Secretary-General
Dutch colonialism; the first example of Kofi Annan. Burningham’s wonderful ink
global news reporting using Morse code; illustrations serve as a link between the
and Alfred Wegener, a contemporary of stories in the book. It’s a unique collect-
Charles Darwin who probably should have ion, for which the authors have donated
been credited with the theory of evolu- their royalties to UNICEF.
tion. Finally, it’s a book about imperial
arrogance and the oppression of the indi-
genous inhabitants of Indonesia. Simon
Winchester, a journalist who studied geo-
logy, stirs this historical stew to bring to
light the roots of a contemporary conflict
between Muslims and the Western
world. His geological insights provide
some understanding about the earth-
quake that triggered the recent tsunami
in southeast Asia.
Arts and Culture 13
accent on…
In Ulm, around Ulm and round about Ulm*
Our intrepid explorer Thomas Ravel tries
to unravel Ulm.
“A river runs through it,” said our editor as
I was ushered out of the door. Hmm, I bet
it’s that place in America featured in Robert
Redford movies: wide-open spaces and fly-
fishing. Brilliant! Hang on a minute, it says
Ulm on this bit of paper.
Ah well, since I couldn’t pinpoint where
and when celebrations like the Schützen-
fest, Schörmfest and the Schäferlauf take
place in Baden-Württemberg I guess I need
to get out and discover more of the Ländle
– the countryside of this state.
Awaiting me in Ulm was indeed a river.
Three in fact. The famous River Danube
divides the twin cities of Ulm and New-
Ulm, providing a beautifully picturesque
setting and forming a border with Bavaria.
(It also allows Baden-Württembergers to be
where they enjoy being most: within spit-
ting distance of Bavaria!)
Ulm lays claim or part claim to a long list
of pioneering doctors, mathematicians and
scientists, including one of the greatest
of them all, Albert Einstein. Born in Ulm
in March 1879, Einstein spent the first 15
months of his life in the city before the
14 accent on…
family moved to Munich. There are now
several monuments to him throughout the
city, and Ulm draws attention to its scien-
tific heritage under the rubric “Innovation
Region of Ulm – The Top of the South.”
So does all this E=mc2 mean that Ulm is
lacking in cultural attractions? Not at all.
An absolute must is Ulm’s cathedral,
boasting the world’s highest church steeple
at 161.5 metres. The cathedral’s history
goes back to 1377 when the first stone was
laid. Work continued through the centuries
until 1890. This architectural wonder
dominates the Münsterplatz. Adjacent to
the cathedral is the tourist information
office where you’ll be able to arm yourself
with lots of useful information about the
city – although the English versions of bro-
chures could do with considerable tidying
up. (A business opportunity for someone?)
Ulm chose an interesting mix of archi-
tecture for its post-war reconstruction.
Two thirds of the city – and 85% of the old
city area – were destroyed by air raids in
December 1944 and during the liberation
of the city by US troops in April 1945.
This reconstruction now sees the old city
bisected by the busy Neue Straße, on one
side of which is the beautifully ornate old
town hall. Built in 1370 it has served as
Ulm’s town hall since 1419. The astrological
clock on the eastern side of the building
dates from 1520.
I am guilty of frequently overlooking
museums but only a few steps away from
the town hall is Ulm’s main museum.
Check out the “Lion Man” – an ivory sculp-
ture which claims to be the world’s oldest
“human-animal plastic art” exhibit. Then
you could head off to the aptly named
German Bread Museum displaying objects
from 40 different countries to demonstrate
the cultural and socio-historical importance
of bread. If you need something more
wholesome than water to go with your
bread, try the Drei Kannen. It’s an old
brewery which provides a selection of ales
and good Swabian cuisine.
Then you could make your way to the
Fishermen’s Quarter – in truth, more of an
‘eighth’ than a quarter, but its concentrated
collection of small alleys, bridges, plazas,
half-timbered houses and cafes have been
well and sensitively restored. This former
craft makers’ area was turned into a
fashionable corner of Ulm in the 1970’s and
has a pleasant old world charm about it.
The Schiefes Haus (the leaning house)
accents magazine
balancing precariously above the River Blau
is a highlight.
Roundabout Ulm
Fortified by offerings of excellent food in
cosy surroundings at either Gasthaus
Zur Forelle or the Zunfthaus der Schiffleute
you’ll be able to set off to look at Ulm’s
fortifications. Ulm’s fortress was raised by
French forces in 1800, but a subsequent
decision to turn the city into a federal fort-
ress saw 41 buildings erected in Ulm bet-
ween 1842 and 1859. The main building of
the complex is the Wilhelmsberg castle.
As an aside, you might like to take part in
a special tour entitled “Napoleon and Ulm”
which seeks to show what life must have
been like when Napoleon’s armies met
those of the Austrian General Mack near
Ulm in 1805. The tour is on offer until early
December and can be booked through the
tourist office.
Try to set aside a bit of time for Wib-
lingen Abbey, four kilometres south of Ulm.
The church of Saint Martin boasts a beauti-
ful lateral alter from around 1750 and a
wonderfully restored interior. A holy cross
relic has been preserved in the church
since the crusades. The sight of the adjoi-
ning library hall and its ceiling is stunning.
There are festivals a-plenty in Ulm, but
with consummate timing I’d just missed
the biggest and most significant of these:
Schwörwoche in late July. It’s a festival
Photos: Ulm/Neu-Ulm Touristik GmbH
which starts with a “Serenade of Light“
involving fireworks and lanterns on the
Danube. The high point of the festivities
kicks off with Schwörmontag (Oath Mon-
day) an open-aired renewal of an oath by
the city’s mayor. Then it’s back to the
Danube for Nabaden – a carnival procession
along the Danube for both swimmers and
boats. Next year’s event starts on July 22,
so take a look. Sadly, you’ll have to wait a
bit longer for the “Fisherman’s Tourna-
ment” involving jousting with poles on river
barges. It’s only held every four years; next
in 2009.
Those keen on shopping may be less
than wholly captivated by what’s on offer
in the Hirchstraße, Ulm’s main shopping
and pedestrian area. But there are plenty of
green areas and a zoo for the kids to enjoy.
I feel a bit like a child myself as I’m
covered in chocolate, having munched my
way through one of the other traditional
elements of Ulm life, the Ulm sparrow. I
was going to add a short description taken One of Ulm’s many
from a brochure on the subject – with a attractions: the
Leaning House
picture of the said birds under the caption in the Fishermen’s
“starlings” – but I’ve got to clean up. You’ll Quarter.
just have to go to Ulm and found out what
they are for yourself! Left: Nabaden ,
a carnival process-
ion on the River
* A translation of a famous German Danube.
tongue-twister: In Ulm, um Ulm und um
Ulm herum.
accents
choice
Events
Event
In the region
European Heritage Day
A great opportunity to visit
historical sites and monuments
in your area, Sep 11, www.tag-des-
offenen-denkmals.de (in German)
Stuttgart
Stuttgarter Weindorf 2005
Aug 31 - Sep 11,
Markt- und Schillerplatz
29th Porsche Tennis Grand Prix
Oct 3-9, 1 pm,
Tennissporthalle Filderstadt
www.porsche-tennis.de
37th Penny Bazaar by the German
American Women’s Club
The don’t-miss annual fundraising
event of the GAWC Stuttgart,
Oct 5, 10 am - 7 pm,
Oct 6, 9 am - 6 pm,
Oct 7, 9 am - 12 pm, Haus der
Wirtschaft, Willi-Bleicher-Straße 19
German-American Day –
10 Jahre DAZ
Concert by The Soldiers of Swing,
USAREUR Band, Oct 6, 7 pm,
New Palace, Schlossplatz,
tickets & info 0711 228180,
www.daz.org
Miss Black Germany 2005
Oct 15, 6 pm, Versammlungshalle
Stuttgart-Freiberg,
www.missblackgermany.de
4th Stuttgarter Kulturnacht
Art, music, theatre, and more, with
a free shuttle bus to all venues,
Oct 22, with LIFT magazine,
www.lift-online.de
Fresh Oil, New Wine
Conference on faith with prominent
guest speakers from the USA
Oct 8 and 9, see advert page 17
Tübingen
USA Festival
An all-American weekend at the
Tübingen Fairgrounds.
Sep 3, kid’s stuff 10 am, live music
from 1 pm, rodeo 2 pm and 5 pm,
Sep 4, kid’s stuff 10 am, live music
from 11 am, rodeo 2 pm and 5 pm.
Plus lots more! Info d.a.i. 07071
795260 or www.usafestival.de
Let’s Square Dance and Potluck
with the Stoke Boat Promenaders
Oct 10, 7:30 pm, Deutsch-
Amerikanisches Institut (d.a.i.),
Karlstraße 3, 07071 795260,
www.dai-tuebingen.de
Exhibits
Exhibits
Stuttgart
Picasso: Bathers –
Myths at the seaside
Jun 18 - Oct 16, Staatsgalerie
Stuttgart (Stuttgart State Gallery),
www.staatsgalerie.de
Twin Towers Photo Twins
Photo Exhibit by Tom Bloch with
before and after images of the WTC,
16 accents choice
Sep 11-30, Foyer Mineralbad Leuze
Eric Carle, a children’s artist
Oct 12 - Dec 30,
opening night Oct 11,
Foyer, Württembergische
Landesbibliothek
Tübingen
Sounds of Nature
Photography by Jeff Paxson,
Esslingen, opening night
with concert Oct 6, 7:15 pm
d.a.i, see address above
Stage
Heidelberg
Stage
PVT Wars
by US Army Entertainment “Bravo!”
Touring Company production hosted
by Roadside Theater, Sep 16 and 17,
7:30 pm, Roadside Theater,
tickets 06221 175020,
www.roadsidetheater.com
Death and the Maiden
Preview performance of the
Heidelberg entry for the Festival
of One Act Plays, Oct 1,
7:30 pm, Roadside Theater,
tickets and info see above
US Army Festival of One Act Plays
Plays from Germany, Italy and
Belgium, theater workshops
and guest performances, free to
the public. Oct 7-9, times t.b.a.
Roadside Theater,
tickets and info see above
Jekyll & Hyde – the Concert
Oct 21, 22, 28 and 29 at 7:30 pm,
Nov 4 and 5 at 7:30 pm,
Oct 30 and Nov 6 at 3 pm,
Oct 31 at 7 pm
(Special Halloween performance),
Roadside Theater,
tickets and info see above
Leonberg
The Rocky Horror Show
The authentic London West End
Production with the London
Musical Theatre, the final tour!
Oct 23, 7 pm, Stadthalle
Stuttgart
Tap’n’ Jazz
USA Festival, Tübingen
An all-American weekend at
the Tübingen Fairgrounds
with Elvis impersonator
“Rusty”, rodeo, live country
music, a car show, Harleys,
American food, and even
Starbucks! Sep 3 and 4,
www.usafestival.de
Twin Towers Photo Twins
Photo Exhibit by Tom Bloch
with before and after images
of the WTC, Sep 11-30, Foyer
of the Mineralbad Leuze.
New York City Dance School
Sep 23, 8 pm, Robert-Bosch-Saal,
Treffpunkt Rotebühlplatz,
www.treffpunkt-rotebuehlplatz.de
The Odd Couple
by Neil Simon, Sep 30,
Oct 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 14, 15, 16, 21,
22 and 23 at 7:30 pm,
Stuttgart Theatre Center –
Kelley Theatre, Kelley Barracks,
Vaihingen, general public welcome,
tickets 0711 7292825,
www.kelleytheatre.de
Emma Carlson Dance Company
(Wales), Oct 21 and 22,
Robert-Bosch-Saal,
Treffpunkt Rotebühlplatz
Tübingen
Rebellion Cabaret, New York
Penny Arcade und Chris Rael
Sep 27, 8:15 pm, d.a.i.,
see address above
On tour in the region
Lord of the Dance
Oct 14, 8 pm, Congress Centrum,
Großer Saal, Pforzheim
Oct 20, 8 pm, Stadthalle Tuttlingen
Oct 26, 8 pm, Stadthalle Balingen
David Copperfield
Oct 9 and 10, 8 pm,
SAP Arena, Mannheim
Oct 29, 9 pm and Oct 30, 3 pm,
Hans-Martin-Schleyer-Halle
Nov 8, 5 and 8:30 pm,
Messe Freiburg
Music
Music
Böblingen
2nd JazzFestival Böblingen
Jazz Prize Winners from Baden-
Württemberg, Oct 6-9,
www.JazzFestivalBB.de
Freiburg
Im Rausch der Träume
or Moonlight’s Watermelon
Concert with Margaretha Bessel,
Frankfurt, and Gary Norden,
New York, Oct 12, 7 pm,
E-WERK, Eschholzstraße 77
Ensemble SurPlus
Director James Avery, USA,
podium discussion and concert,
Oct 18, 7 pm,
E-WERK, Eschholzstraße 77
Hermaringen
Rockforest Open-Air
with Bonnie Tyler
Sep 3, 6 pm, Güssenburg
Lauffen
Kieran Halpin, Ireland
Oct 13, 8:30 pm, The Phoenix,
Heilbronner Straße 38, 07133 21434
Leonberg
Leo Sayer & Band
Oct 19, 8 pm, Stadthalle
Ludwigsburg
Flying Pickets
Oct 28, 8 pm, Scala,
www.scala-ludwigsburg.de
Reichenbach
Drum Legends & Band
Jazz, Oct 28, 8 pm, h20 die halle,
www.h20-diehalle.de
Schorndorf
American Analog Set (USA)
Sep 18, 9 pm, Manufaktur,
Hammerschlag 8,
www.club-manufaktur.de
Jamie Lidell (GB/D)
Sep 21, 9 pm, Manufaktur
Stephen Malkmus (USA)
Sep 23, 9 pm, Manufaktur
Xiu Xiu (USA)
Sep 29, 9 pm, Schorndorf
Stuttgart
European Music Festival Stuttgart
Bach in the 21st Century,
Aug 27 - Sep 11,
www.bachakademie.de
Jon Anderson
Sep 22, 8 pm, T1 Theaterhaus,
www.theaterhaus.com
Chris Cacavas
Oct 6, Laboratorium
The Barrelhouse Jazz Gala 2005
Oct 8, 8 pm, Liederhalle
Jazz Nights 2005/2006
David Sanborn & Band,
Lizz Wright & Band, Oct 9, 8 pm,
Liederhalle Beethoven-Saal
The Irish Folk Festival 05
Oct 23, 7:30 pm, Theaterhaus,
see address above
Winterbach
Greg Lake & Band (GB)
Oct 7, 8 pm, Salierhalle
accents forum
Let us hear your accent!
This informal meeting is
open to anyone who would
like add their voice to our
magazine. Comments,
criticisms, and contributions
are all welcome!
Friday, September 9th, 7 pm
George and Dragon English
Pub, Willy-Brandt-Straße 30,
Stuttgart (stairs next to Hotel
LeMéridein.) If the weather’s
good, we’ll meet outside.
Friday, November 11th
time and location to be
announced.
accents
magazine
accents magazine
On Tour in the Region
The International Swing Time Workshops
Special All Stars
Sep 28, 8 pm,
Sparda-Bank, Stuttgart
Sep 29, 8 pm, Stuttgart
Work
SpardaEventCenter, Karlsruhe Quilting Bee:
Tap Dogs The Baltimore Beauties
Oct 23 and 24, 8 pm, A multilingual, hand sewing
Rosengarten Mozartsaal Mannheim quilting group; guests are welcome.
Oct 31 and Nov 1, 8 pm, Sep 16, Oct 21, 9-12 am, DAZ,
Liederhalle Stuttgart see address above
Film workshop
Tickets can be purchased by calling East of Eden (1955),
Easy-ticket service 0711 2555555, Sep 28, 7:30 pm
www.easyticket.de, or Rebel Without a Cause (1955),
SWR 1 ticket service 0180 5929211 Oct 27, 7:30 pm, DAZ,
see address above
Tübingen
Lectures/Discussions Quilting Bees:
A Forum for Patchwork Quilters
Children’s English Library (CEL),
Etzelstraße 25-27, 0711 3582215,
www.celstuttgart.de
Listen in
Story and activity for kids 3-6 years
with parents. Every 3rd Saturday
of the month, 3:30-4:30 pm,
Sep 17 – Bringing in the harvest
Oct 15 – Owls
CEL, see address above
Rhyme Time
Activity session for toddlers
0-3 years, Mondays, 10:00-10:30
Sep 26 – Wheels on the Bus
Oct 17 – Old MacDonald
CEL, see address above
Workshops
Monsters,
ages 3-6, Sep 8, 3-5 pm
Jungle Book,
ages 5+, Sep 9, 3-5 pm

Freiburg
Lecture
Discussion Group: Open Dialog
Parenting philosophies: raising the
next generation with psychology,
spanking, or spoiling? Sep 28;
Division within our countries:
East and West Germany, Oct 12;
Food Culture: from home cooking
to dining out in style to fast food,
Oct 26; all meetings 6:30-8 pm,
Carl-Schurz-Haus (library), Kaiser-
Joseph-Straße 266, 0761 31647,
www.carl-schurz-haus.de
The Arab-American Experience
Lecture by Abdallah Al Zuabi of the
Arab-American Institute Washington
D.C., Oct 11, 8 pm, Hörsaal 3042,
KG III, University
Corresponding to James Dean:
The US Female Youth Culture
Equivalent – Who, Where,
When, What and How?
Lecture by Prof. John R. Dean,
University of Versailles,
Oct 17, 8 pm,
Hörsaal 1199, KG I, University
Peace in the Middle East?
Lecture By Amnon Kapeliuk,
correspondent for “Le Monde”,
Oct 26, 8 pm,
Hörsaal 3042, KG III, University
Smile Now Cry Later:
Acting Hardcore in a Chicano
English Anti-Language
Lecture by Norma Mendoza-
Denton, University of Arizona,
Oct 28, 6 pm,
Hörsaal 3042, KG III, University
Heidelberg
Discussion group
with Dr. Steven Bloom
Tuesdays, 6 pm, Deutsch-
Amerikanisches Institut (d.a.i.),
library, Sofienstraße 12,
www.dai-heidelberg.de
English-Language
Video Discussion Group
Wednesdays, 6 pm, d.a.i. library
Karlsruhe
LitNight in English
reading and discussing literature
Sep 6 and 20, Oct 4 and 18,
7:30 pm, American Library,
Kanalweg 52, 0721 72752,
www.american-library.de
The German Money
Reading by Lev Raphael,
discussion, book-signing,
and a Bagel and Brezel brunch,
Sep 25, 12 noon, American Library,
see address above
Poetry Please
Reading and discussion,
Sep 27, Oct 25, 7:30-9 pm,
American Library,
see address above
CEL Halloween Party,
Stuttgart
Sep 15, Oct 20, 3-5 pm, d.a.i.,
see address above
Clifford the Big Red Dog,
ages 2-4, Sep 24, 3:30-5:30 pm
for all workshops sign up with
pam.grimes@celstuttgart.de,
The spooks and goblins will
Kids CEL, see address above
gather again this year at the
The Fish Who could Wish –
Children’s English Library’s
annual fundraiser. Lots of
food, fun, and games for the
whole family! Oct 22,
Karlsruhe
Kids Willy der Zauberfisch
A German-English picture book
show, Sep 27, 10 am, Stadtteil-
Storytime in English! bücherei Degerloch, Löffelstraße 5,
2-5 pm, www.celstuttgart.de
Children 2-5 years, 2nd and 4th Stuttgart-Degerloch, 0711 2164494
Wednesday of the month, 4 pm, Reading the Rainbow Celebration
American Library, Oct 8, 4 pm,
English Conversation Circle see address under Lectures CEL, see address above
German-English Friendship Club Stories for Kids ages 6 and up Halloween Party –
Oct 18, 7:30 pm, Anne Frank Haus, Sep 30, 4 pm, “Leo the CEL’s annual fundraiser
Room 4, Moltkestraße 20, Lightning Bug”, American Library, Frightful fun for the whole family!
www.def-karlsruhe.de see address under Lectures Oct 22, 2-5 pm,
Stuttgart Stuttgart CEL, see address above
Latino? Hispanic? Reading Club, 9 years and older Tübingen
What’s in a Name? 3-4 pm, every 2nd Saturday English Storytime for Kids
History, Culture and Characteristics of the month, contact with Anne Crutchfield, Nov 2,
of the Latino Population in the U.S., frances.buttle@celstuttgart.de 4-5 pm, d.a.i, see address above
with Prof. Suzanne Oboler, Ph.D.,
Sep 14, 7:30 pm, Deutsch-
Amerikanisches Zentrum (DAZ),
Charlottenplatz 17, 0711 228180,
www.daz.org
Conversation Circle
American – EU Relations:
How Are They? Sep 23, 6 pm
The New Pope: Where Does
He Stand? Oct 21, 6 pm,
DAZ, see address above
Town Planning in the U.S.
from Adolf Cluss to Today
with Prof. Dr. Alan Lessoff, Oct 4,
7:30 pm, DAZ, see address above
Tübingen
The Social Construction of Empire,
or the Creation of Reality
Study Group with Laurence
Stallings and Scott Stelle,
Sep 30, Nov 25, Dec 16, 6:45 pm,
d.a.i., see address above
An Evening with a Good Book
Literature with Walter Nilson,
Oct 7, 6:30 pm,
T.C. Boyle: The Inner Circle
Nov 4, 6:30 pm, Just Like That
d.a.i., see address above
The Arab-American
Experience Today
Lecture by Abdallah Al Zuabi of the
Arab-American Institute Washington
D.C., Oct 12, 8:15 pm, d.a.i.,
see address above
Writer’s Club
with Carolyn Murphey-Melchers,
Oct 21, Nov 18, Jul 22, 2 pm, d.a.i.,
see address above
Talk at Eight
Discussion Group on Current Issues,
Oct 19, Nov 15, Dec 20 at 8:15 pm,
d.a.i., see address above
Reading: Shadowmarch
with Tad Wiliams, Oct 24, 8 pm,
Museum, www.dai-tuebingen.de

accents magazine accents choice 17


accents South Africa
030 220730, Friedrichstraße 60,
Berlin
guide United Kingdom
0711 162690, Breite Straße 2,
Stuttgart
United States of America
069 75350, Siesmayerstraße 21,
Frankfurt
Schools & Preschools
Emergency
Emerg ools
Police 110
Fire Department 112
International School
of Stuttgart e.V.
0711 7696000, Sigmaringer Straße
Ambulance & Emergency 257, Stuttgart, www.international-
Medical 19222 school-stuttgart.de
Poison Hotline 0761 19240 Botnanger Kinderbetreuung
English Speaking Poison Bilingual Kindergarden
Control 06131 232466 0711 6993404 Gina Kussi,
Doctor for House Calls Griegstraße 18, Stuttgart
0711 2628012 Internationaler Montessori
Kindergarten e.V.
0711 93150510, Sulzgrieser
Consulates/Embassies Straße 114, Esslingen
Little English House Gerlingen
sulates
Australia
English & Art for kids 3 and up
0711 816253, Hauptstraße 18/1
European School Karlsruhe
030 8800880, Wallstraße 76-79, 0721 680090, Albert-Schweitzer-
Berlin Straße 1, Karlsruhe
Canada Little English House Aalen
0711 2239678, Lange Straße 51, English & Art for kids 3 and up,
Stuttgart 07361 610165,
Ireland Stuttgarter Straße 116
030 220720, Friedrichstraße 200, English Garden
Berlin English and music lessons, 0761
New Zealand 8866181, Hasenweg 34, Freiburg
030 206210, Friedrichstraße 60, Oberlin Kinderuniversität
Berlin 0761 85648,
ools
18 accents guide
Am Mühlbach 13, Freiburg,
www.oberlinkinderuniversitaet.de
International School
of Kreuzlingen Konstanz
0041 71 6722727
Hauptstraße 27, Kreuzlingen,
Switzerland, www.iskk.ch
English for preschoolers
and first graders in Freiburg
0761 1378177 Cathy Plog,
plogs@t-online.de
Libraries
Librari
Children’s English Library e.V.
0711 3582215, Etzelstraße 25-27,
Stuttgart, Tue 4-6 pm, Fri 3-6 pm,
Sat 2-5 pm, www.celstuttgart.de
Deutsch-Amerikanisches Zentrum
Charlottenplatz 17, Stuttgart,
Tue-Thu 2-6 pm
Deutsch-Amerikanisches
Institut Tübingen
Karlstraße 3, Tue-Fri 1-6 pm,
Thursdays 1- 8 pm
Karlsruhe American Library
0721 72752, Kanalweg 52,
Tue-Fri 2-6 pm, Wed 10-12 am,
Sat 10 am-2 pm,
www.amerikanische-bibliothek.de
Deutsch-Amerikanisches
Institut Heidelberg
Sophienstraße 12, Mon-Fri 1-6 pm,
Wed 1-8 pm, Sat 10 am-2 pm
Carl-Schurz-Haus Freiburg
Kaiser-Joseph-Straße 266,
Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 1:30 pm, 3-6 pm
Clubs & Organizations
Clubs &
Deutsch-Amerikanisches Zentrum /
James-F.-Byrnes-Institut e.V.
0711 228180, Charlottenplatz 17,
Stuttgart, www.daz.org
70173: English Spoken Stammtish
12:00 pm at Restaurant Plenum in
the B-W Landtag Building, contact
Andrea.Krueger@wm.bwl.de for
dates. Open participation. Founders:
Andrea Krueger & Dr. Peter Mendler
(both of the B-W Ministry of Eco-
nomic Affairs) and Rainer Wieland
(Member of the European Parliament)
Metropolitan Club e.V.
0711 9980124 Mathew Dorrman,
18-35 years, www.metclub.de
Stuttgart Conversation Club
0711 8892252 Ed Wilson,
35 years and up, www.metclub.de
Baltimore Beauties
Quilting bee at the DAZ, Stuttgart,
every 3rd Fri of the month,
9 -12 am, 0711 243242 Judy Ehmer
Stuttgart Book Club
Helen@StuttgartBookClub.de
German-American Club 1948
0711 814270 Eberhard Stein
German-American
Women’s Club Stuttgart
info@gawc-stuttgart.de,
www.gawc-stuttgart.de
Anglo-Stuttgart Society
0711 568113 Günther Jaumann,
www.jaumann.de/ass
British Club Stuttgart
0711 455464 Alison Seyerle
Asia Circle International Club
07156 29164, asia-circle@web.de,
www.asia-circle.de
International Choir of Stuttgart
0711 769600912 Carola,
int_choir_stuttgart@hotmail.com
Stuttgart Singers
07159 44991 Kathy Williams,
www.stuttgartsingers.de
Stuttgart German-American
Community Chorus
0711 463463 David A. Beckner
EUCOM Harmonizers
Stuttgart-Vaihingen
barbershop and a cappella,
07146 20677 John Gerrish
German-American Seniors Club
0711 2560867 Hildegard Göhrum
English Round Table, Esslingen
Conversation group,
0711 3451344, Claudia Stadelmann,
info@bueroservice-jaeschke.de
Fáinne Irish Dance Group Stuttgart
0711 483901, www.fainne.de
Irish Dance Ceili, Stuttgart
every 3rd Saturday of the month
www.danceirish.de
German Conversation Group
07032 77919 Elena Fieres
ELTAS e.V.
English Language Teachers’
Association Stuttgart, www.eltas.de
International Toastmasters Club,
Stuttgart, Heidelberg, Karlsruhe,
Freiburg, Ulm
presentational skills in English,
find links to all chapters at
www.toastmasters-stuttgart.de
English-Speaking Stammtisch
S-Untertürkheim
0711 3041337 Derek Evans
Deutsche Australische
Freundschaft e.V.
07031 607521 Jeff Gomes,
www.deutsch-australische-
freundschaft.de
Friends Club International e.V.
Böblingen-Sindelfingen
07031 806522 Jan W. Boon
“Here We Are”
International Group Esslingen
07163 8580 Alison Unrath
English Morning Tea Aidlingen
07034 7339 Ellen Zeller,
Wed 10 am - 12 pm
Deutsch-Amerikanisches
Institut Tübingen
07071 795260, Karlstraße 3,
www.dai-tuebingen.de
Anglo-German Club Pforzheim
07231 472155 Dr Maurice Claypole,
www.agc-pforzheim.de
Pro Country e.V. Deutscher
Country & Western Dachverband
07150 33212 Ralf Russig,
www.pro-country-ev.de
English-Speaking Circle Starzach
and Landkreise Freundenstadt,
Tübingen & Zollernalb
07478 8290 Kevin MacInerney-May
Schorndorf English Club
07181 64440 Marion Rube
Deutsch-Amerikanisches
Institut Heidelberg
06221 60730, Sofienstraße 12,
www.dai-heidelberg.de
German-British Society,
Freiburg, Heidelberg, and Stuttgart
0761 4098804 Dr. Susanne Press,
06221 864761 Prof. Manfred Liedtke,
0711 66721255 Dr. Christoph Selzer,
www.debrige.de
German-English
Friendship Club e.V. Karlsruhe
0721 7569503 Rose Schrempp,
info@def-karlsruhe.de,
www.def-karlsruhe.de
International Women’s Club
Karlsruhe e.V.
Annemarie Frenzel, Postfach
110448, 76054 Karlsruhe
Verein Deutsch-Amerikanischer
Freundschaft Pfullendorf
07552 6249 Dr Gary Anderson
accents magazine
Carl-Schurz-Haus Freiburg
0761 31647, Kaiser-Joseph-Straße
266, www.carl-schurz-haus.de
Anglo-German Club e.V. Freiburg
07661 1324, Wehrlehof Straße 11,
Oberried, peleube@hotmail.com
Freiburg English Club
0177 6553688 Terrence Barr
www.freiburg-english-club.org
Network of English-Speaking
Women e.V.
07664 962450 Candice Siegenthaler,
NesWomen@web.de, www.nesw.de
British International
Villingen-Schwenningen
07721 53278 Carol King,
www.bivs.gmxhome.de
Deutsch-Irischer Freundeskreis (dif)
0711 2361736, www.dif-bw.de
Region Schwaben, Verband der
Deutsch-Amerikanischen Clubs e.V.
07156 29164 Mi-Kiyoung Wöhler,
www.schwaben-vdac.de.vu
Theater Groups
St. Georg MKK English
Playgroup in Bonlanden
Tue 3:30-5:30 pm,
0-5 years, Nicki 0711 3270748,
5-10 years, Mhorag Heger
07127 960046
English Playgroup
Herrenberg/Nebringen
07032 77452 Erika Laudenbach,
0-5 years, Mon 3-5 pm
Meet, Chat and
Playgroup Waldenbuch
07157 8561 Elaine Rauhöft,
Fri from 4 pm onwards
English on a Friday Afternoon
Tübingen
07071 930466 Günter Henke,
Fri from 3:30 pm onwards
English Playgroup in Rödersheim-
Gronau (postal code 67127)
06231 929616 Mrs I. Smith,
Fri 10 am, Luise Koch Kindergarten
English Reading Group Freiburg
Mütterzentrum Weingarten,
Krozingerstraße 11,
0761 286803 Amanda Lampert or
07666 99126 Fredi Trenkle
Read accents guide on
www.accents-magazine.de
06224 51516 Pastor Richard Blake;
www.ibcstuttgart.de
St. Antonius Church
0711 4597152 Odilo Metzler,
Catholic Mass in English
1st Saturday every month, 6:30 pm
Paracelsusstraße 87,
Stuttgart-Hohenheim
First Church of Christ, Scientist
0711 6207921 Heinz Clauss,
www.christian-science-stuttgart.de
United Methodist Church
Stuttgart: 0711 251984
Dr Hans-Martin Niethammer;
Reutlingen:
07121 78546 Harald Rückert;
Karlsruhe: 0721 43721 Peter Vesen;
www.emk.de
Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter Day Saints
Stuttgart:
0711 3419240 Ralf Gierschke;
St Columban’s Mission Karlsruhe
(Anglican) 0721 28379 (Fax also)
Rev. Dr. Hanns Engelhardt,
www.staugustines-wiesbaden.de/
karlsruhe.htm, St.Columban@gmx.de
Calvary Chapel Freiburg e.V.
0761 7071333 David Pham,
www.ccfreiburg.de
Anglican Church of Freiburg
0761 904693 Minister Rev Robin
Stockitt, Katharinenstraße 9,
www.anglicans-fr.org
English Church Heidelberg
Erlöserkirche, Plöck/Schießtorstraße
06221 804146
Movie Theaters
Movie
Corso, Stuttgart-Vaihingen
0711 734916, Hauptstraße 6,
www.corso-kino.de
CinemaxX Bosch-Areal, Stuttgart
0711 22007979, www.cinemaxx.de
Kommunales Kino Stuttgart

Theate
A.C.T.S. Anglophone
Collaborative Theatre of Stuttgart
0711 6858370 Stuart Marlow,
smarlow@hdm-stuttgart.de
Kelley Theatre
Kelley Barracks, Stuttgart,
0711 7292825, www.kelleytheatre.de
N.E.A.T.
New English American Theater
0711 634320, Stuttgart,
urban.spy@z.zgs.de,
www.neat-theater.de
Outcast International
0711 634409, Stuttgart,
www.outcast-theater.de
Anglo-Irish
Theatre Group Tübingen
07071 67968 David Hegarty,
dave@anglo-iren.de,
www.anglo-iren.de
The Round Table Players, Aalen
Eva Schumm,
schumm@vhs-aalen.de
Roadside Theater
siness
Patton Barracks, Heidelberg,
06221 175020,
www.roadsidetheater.com
Theaterhaus TiG 7
0621 154976, Theater Trennt e.V.
G7, 4 b, Mannheim, www.tig7.de
The maniACTS Freiburg
University English Department,
www.maniacts.de
Kids & Playgroups
Political Groups
Mannheim:
06223 809040 Dr Frank Heckmann,
www.lds.org
0711 221320, Friedrichstraße 23 A,
www.koki.de / filmhaus
Kommunales Kino Esslingen
Church of the Nazarene 0711 310595, Maille 5,
Political
American Voices Abroad Tübingen
0711 551147 Mary Schaar,
Friedenskirche, Bad Cannstatt
Evangelical Students
www.koki-es.de
Schauburg Filmtheater Karlsruhe
Marienstraße 16, www.schauburg.de
fritz.hackert@arcor.de, Community Tübingen Scala Filmhaus Mühlacker
www.americanvoicesabroad.org 07071 61928 Heidi Abe 07041 3884, Bahnhofstraße 65
Democrats Abroad English Vesper Service Tübingen Kino-Center Weil der Stadt
Heidelberg, Sun 6 pm, during the university 07033 2241, Badtorstraße 21
06221 3780 Charles Keene, semester, 07071 51475, CinemaxX Freiburg
Stuttgart, www.institut-urchristentum.org 0761 20281400, Bertholdstraße 50
0162 3640812 Dennis O’Donohue, Jewish Observance, Friedrichsbau-Lichtspiele
www.democratsabroad.org Learning & Meditation, Tübingen 0761 36031, Kaiser-Joseph-
Republicans Abroad 07071 968590 Martin H. Potrop, Straße 268
Stuttgart, SPIRITSHUL@aol.com
07146 20677 John W. Gerrish,
www.republicansabroad.de
Business Organizations
American German Business Club
e.V. Stuttgart, Heidelberg,
Karlsruhe
0711 2486078 Peggy Stinson,
President, stuttgart@agbc.de,
www.agbc.de
American Chamber of Commerce
in Germany e.V.
0711 1667156 Prof Dr Roderich
C. Thümmel, Regional Chairperson,
www.amcham.de
British Chamber of Commerce
in Germany e.V.
0711 25540460 Ralf Steppart,

ygroups
English Playgroup Stuttgart-West
0711 6361169 Bryan Groenjes,
EKiZ Ludwigstraße 41-43,
0-6 years, Wed 4-6 pm
English Playgroup Stuttgart
0-9 years, www.englishplaygroup.de
English Playgroup at the DAZ
Stuttgart
0711 228180, 4-6 years on Tue
3-4 pm, 6-8 years on Tue 4-5 pm
English Playgroup Böblingen
07031 287647 Stefanie Spence,
0-7 years, Wed 3:30-5 pm
English Playgroup
Holzgerlingen/Böblingen area
07034 654608 Anita Mayer
0-5 years, Wed 9:30-10:30 am
English Playgroup Sindelfingen
07031 873823 Christine Mitlacher,
2-5 years, Tue 3:30 pm,
Mitlacher-sifi@t-online.de
Regional Chairperson,
www.bccg.de
USA forum Tübingen
07071 55970 Bernd Zeutschel,
www.usaforum.de
Religious Services
St. Catherine’s Church
Reli
(Anglican) 07151 68973,
Katharinenplatz 5, Stuttgart,
www.stuttgartanglicans.de
City Chapel e.V. Stuttgart
0711 6142956 Roland Krumm,
Marienstraße 12, www.citychapel.de
International Baptist Church
Stuttgart-Vaihingen:
0711 6874365 Pastor Jay McFadden;
Heidelberg-Sandhausen:

accents magazine accents guide 19

Classifieds Get involved!
Classes/Courses
accents magazine is a success
through your support. If you’re
a doer, then get involved! Halpin School of Irish Dance
info@accents-magazine.de Children and Adult Irish Dance
Classes. New Beginners, Primary
Need a Job? & Intermediate Classes starts
accents is seeking an September 2005. Tel 0711 483901
advertising representative Email ainehalpin@aol.com
for advertising sales on a www.danceirish.de
commission basis. Contact
Bryan Groenjes 0711 3102160
English courses for kids from the
age of 1-12. Helen Doron method –
Children learn English with fun
and games. Weekly courses are
available. Stuttgart@helendoron.com
Tel 07151 2765445 Polly Hasselkuss
www.hdee.de
accents Business Services
magazine
U.S. INCOME TAX RETURNS
Professional Preparation
Tübingen/Stuttgart 07071 968590
or ZEELIG@aol.com
Immigration law: We can help you!
Anwaltskanzlei Großmann+Kollegen
www.grossmann.biz
Need financial advice? Whether
you require German or international
solutions to your insurance and
investment requirements, we can
help plan your strategy. You have
a wide choice of products from an
independent advisor who knows the
market. Irys Ehmann, Independent
Financial Advisor, Eberhardstraße 47,
Stuttgart, Phone 0711 6333643
info@irys-ehmann.com
Employment
Experienced native speaker
English teachers required for free-
lance work. Please send your CV
and details to us at info@DrLukes.de
or phone us on 0711 4780215
Fluent in English & love working
with Children? Teaching with the
Helen Doron Early English method,
we offer a first-class training and
the chance to earn good money.
Tel 07151 2765445 Polly Hasselkuss
Stuttgart@helendoron.com
www.hdee.de
Native speakers wanted
with financial/technical/business
experience and excellent inter-
personal and language skills.
Freelance work. Contact:
andrina.rout@fokussprachen.com
Personal
Native speaker wanted
to teach English to our son Gabriel,
11 years old. Must come to our
home at Gerlingen. E-mail to silvia
@grossmann.biz
Australian Babysitter available
in Stuttgart. Contact Emma by
phone 0175 7588343 or e-mail
loveday89@hotmail.com
20 Classifieds
To place an ad
Please send the text for your
classified ad to classifieds@
accents-magazine.de or fax
it to 0711 3102161. Please
include the category and
the issue in which it should
appear. One line of text con-
tains approx. 34 characters,
including spaces, full-stops
and commas.
Non-commercial
(personal) ads
Price for three lines E4
Each additional line E 0.90
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Commercial designed ads
Your designed ad in black
and white or colour.
Column width 45.5 mm
or 95 mm for two columns.
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Add 16% VAT to all prices
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in advance. For direct debit
send us your bank details
and signature or transfer
payment to:
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SEB AG Stuttgart
bank code 60010111
account no. 2398600700
The deadline for the Nov/Dec
2005 issue is Oct 14th
Contact with Others
English-speaking woman and
German husband are looking for a
bilingual or English children’s group
in Karlsruhe or nearby for their
one and a half year old daughter.
Please contact Lucy Jones at
Office@the-real-jones.com.
If you’re a young energetic mother
with small children and are looking
for an enthusiastic English play
group, please call us. Our playgroup
enjoys outings to the swimming-
pool, playdates at the paladion,
back yard picnics, nature walks,
pony rides and an occational mom-
mies night out! We are looking
for new members. Robin Tel 07034
654608
Seeking to Rent
Family of four seeking to rent
a 3/4 BR apartment in or near
Stuttgart-West, long-term. A child-
friendly apt. with a yard or a terrace
would be ideal. 0711 6361169
accents magazine

Money Matters
Good living in Germany
Baden-Württemberg measures up well,
within Germany, in terms of quality of
life. In a recent ranking of Germany’s 50
most attractive cities to live in, Stuttgart
was ranked number 3 (behind Munich
and Frankfurt,) Karlsruhe came in at
number 6, Freiburg 9, and Mannheim 11.
No other German state’s cities scored
higher ratings in the survey. There must
be something about living in southwest
Germany that makes you want to stay.
If you get posted to this corner of
Germany for a job, property values are not
exactly the first thing you think about.
Sure, you need a place to live but to buy
your own property here? After a while
though, the wonderful landscape and the
attraction of the towns and cities can
awaken interest among many expats in the
idea of buying a house or a flat. And the
idea is not a bad one!
Interest rates are currently at an all time
low. Home loans have never been cheaper
in Germany. At the same time, property
prices are as low as they were at the be-
ginning of the 1990s. Whereas the housing
market in Anglo-Saxon countries is over-
Stuttgart invites you to
art, culture and festivals
Fascinating events, exciting exhibitions
and enjoyable festivals – Baden-Württem-
berg’s capital has something for everyone.
The new KUNSTMUSEUM presents Otto
Dix: Hommage à Martha, from Sept 3
to Nov 27. There are 70 paintings, water-
colours and drawings of Otto Dix’s wife,
Martha – in various poses and roles –
providing a sketch of life in the 1920s.
The exhibition Weltsprache Fußball
(World language football) can be seen
in the Stuttgart town hall from Sept 14 to
Oct 26. It comprises photos by the re-
accents magazine
Send your
comments and
questions to:
Gunter Spieth,
Director,
SEB Bank Stuttgart.
Email:
Guenther.Spieth
@seb.de
valued, in Germany the real estate market
is weak. It’s something we’ve never had
before: falling property prices and, at the
same time, historically low interest rates.
The most important thing to look out for
in choosing a property is – as anywhere –
location. Getting sound advice from experts
in the field is absolutely necessary. And
what do the experts say? Don’t just look at
the interest rates on offer. Purchasing your
own house or flat requires a financial com-
mitment of around 15 years, depending on
the circumstances. The decision needs to
be well thought through and based on solid
planning. Watch out for hidden costs, such
nowned photo agency Magnum showing
the phenomenon of football (or soccer)
from quite a different perspective.
For 16 days – from Sept 24 to Oct 9 –
attention turns to a 24-metre-high column
of fruit: the symbol of the Cannstatter
Volksfest, originally celebrated as a
thanksgiving festival in 1818. In the big-
gest beer tents, catering to up to 5,000
visitors, beer flows from the tap almost
uninterrupted. Eat, drink and be merry!
In the autumn, (or fall) the Romans are
coming to Stuttgart. The state exhibition
Imperium Romanum – Roms Provinzen
an Neckar, Rhein und Donau opens on
Oct 1 (running through Jan 8, 2006) in
the Kunstgebäude am Schlossplatz. The
exhibition (with English audio guides)
Good to Know
as ‘provisional interest’ – interest charged
between the time of the signing of the
loan agreement and the time of the first
payment. Some banks, including SEB, are
willing to forego provisional interest for up
to six months. It’s also important to secure
an agreement on out-of-the-ordinary repay-
ments of the loan which can help reduce
the principal more quickly. Another tip:
agree on a long term of low, fixed-interest-
rate repayments, and on a two or even
three-percent rate of repayment on the
principal of your loan. This will speed up
your debt reduction. Financing which
appears to be the cheapest might not
necessarily be so. Low-interest-rate financ-
ing can often be found on the Internet but
these offers apply only to standard build-
ing projects and for large up-front capital
outlays. And you get no personal advice.
Finally, a modest plug for ourselves:
SEB was the only supra-regional bank to
receive an overall judgement of “good” for
financial advice for home buyers from the
magazine Finanztest. We may have some
good advice for you too!
SEB Bank is a sponsor of accents
magazine. With over five million cust-
omers and 20,000 employees, SEB is one
of the biggest financial service providers
in northern Europe. www.seb.de
Photos from left to right: Kunstmuseum, Imperium Romanum exhibition, Cannstatter Volksfest
focuses on the heyday of Roman rule in
the area of Baden-Württemberg, from the
1st to the 3rd centuries A.D., offering a
multi-faceted picture of powerful pomp
and daily life in a border province of the
Roman empire.
On Saturday Oct 22, the 4th Stutt-
garter Kulturnacht takes place – a top-
quality program of concerts, films, theatre,
book readings and special exhibitions,
at selected venues around the city.
Tickets and info
Stuttgart-Marketing GmbH
Tourist Information, ‘i-Punkt’
Königstraße 1A, 70173 Stuttgart
Tel 0711 2228-0, Fax 0711 2228-253
info@stuttgart-tourist.de
Good to Know 21
Labyrinth
Just call me
Telephoning in Germany
Everyone knows how to pick up the
phone and dial a number. But telephoning
options have expanded considerably
in Germany over the past seven years,
since the formerly state-owned telephone
company, Deutsche Telekom, lost its
monopoly. Significantly, telephoning has
become a lot cheaper. New arrivals, in
particular, should take note.
One way to reduce your German phone bill
is to use a call-by-call option instead of dial-
ling directly through Telekom. This simply
means that if you’re in Freiburg and you
want to call accents’ office in Stuttgart, you
pick up the phone and dial 01038 or 01015
or any one of dozens of similar numbers
BEFORE you dial 0711 3102160, every time
you dial. It results in sorer fingers from
the extra dialling, but it’s good for the hip
pocket. The cheapest call-by-call numbers
are always changing for different regions
and for different times of the day. Look
up the cheapest options at the (German)
internet sites www.teletarif.de or www.
billiger-telefonieren.de
A normal analogue phone connection in
your home – with one, simple phone line –
might be all you need. But an ISDN con-
nection, though more expensive, provides
more alternatives: at least three different
phone lines (one of them could be a fax
number) as well as Internet access, which
can all be used simultaneously. If you use
the Internet a lot, a DSL connection is even
Just look it up
I came across my old diary last week
and thought I would share a bit of it
with you. I’ve come a long way in
Germany in fifteen years, but I have to
admit that about the only number I can
find in the phone book is my own.
July 2nd, 1990
Dear Diary,
I locked myself out of the house this
morning. I just wanted to dash out to the
trash can. I was in my pyjama top (no
bra), boxer shorts, and barefoot. But what
I did next was even more stupid than
locking myself out of my own house half
22 Labyrinth
better. Telekom and other phone compa-
nies (Arcor and Alice, for example) now
compete in many Baden-Württemberg
cities and towns, offering great DSL deals
on telephoning and Internet use. Be aware,
however, that if you make many overseas
calls, a standard Telekom connection might
yield cheaper monthly phone bills. The
reason is that once you sign up with a non-
Telekom provider you can no longer use
call-by-call dialling. (For example, calling
Australia with a non-Telekom provider like
Arcor costs around 19 cents per minute.
A call-by-call option can cost less than 2
cents a minute.)
Many new arrivals talk about how
difficult it is to look up business addresses,
in particular, in German phone books. Can’t
help you out much here – it just takes
some getting used to, learning what to look
up to find certain numbers. The same goes
for Telekom’s Internet-based directory,
www.telefonbuch.de. Telekom does provides
a special information service, in English, for
telephone numbers within Germany. You
dial 11837. But it’s expensive: 1.19 euros
for the first minute and 99 cents for each
additional minute you’re on the phone. The
foreign telephone number service is 11834
– all the operators can speak English.
To make calls from a public phone it’s
best to use a phone card, available from
most newsstands, rather than coins. Get-
ting your own mobile phone or cell phone
in Germany is no problem. Mobile phone
naked: I walked down to the corner
phone booth, thinking I’d call Uwe at
work and ask him to bring me a key. I
actually thought I would be able to look
up Uwe’s phone number in a phone book.
I didn’t exactly know where the company
was located. But I was determined! I
looked up the company name in every
section of every city and town in every
phone book in that phone booth. It was-
n’t there.
Just as I was becoming really frus-
trated, I realized that even if I did find the
number, I was wearing boxer shorts! I
had no spare change! So I walked home
and waited, and waited. Eight hours later
Talking on your
mobile phone in
Germany could land
you a hefty fine
shops have sprung up everywhere in the
last few years. If you’ve just arrived with
a cell phone from the United States, take
note: Germany’s mobile-phone system
uses different frequencies so your ‘cell’
probably won’t work here. However, you
can buy a multi-frequency phone in Ger-
many that can be used on both continents.
One important thing to keep in mind:
it is now against the law in Germany to use
a mobile phone while driving, if you don’t
have some sort of “hands-free” apparatus.
Don’t get caught holding your mobile to
your ear. The fine you receive will more
than make up for all the money you saved
with call-by-call dialling.
Uwe arrived home. He patiently explained
to me that I should have looked in the
Yellow Pages, under the category: Com-
paniesThatMakeMachinesBiggerThanaBre
adbox. Or something like that, but in
German of course. I must have looked a
little confused because he’s now promi-
sed to buy me a cassette-tape package
entitled: How to use a German phone
book in thirty days or get your money
back. It comes complete with an illustra-
ted manual. I have a feeling he’ll be get-
ting his money back, but we’ll see.
By Liz Gaiser
accents magazine
My Two Cents
By Katharine A. Schmidt
accents magazine
www.accents-magazine.de
Have you ever been in the middle of a Published by Advertising Sponsors
conversation, and suddenly heard a ‘dirty’ accents media GbR Bryan Groenjes EnBW
Bryan Groenjes ads@accents- Energie Baden-Württemberg AG
expression that nearly made your jaw drop? Maki Kuwayama magazine.de www.enbw.de,
Or have you yourself dropped a phrase that Geoff Rodoreda Advertising Partner Ernst & Young AG
caused an inexplicable reddening of the riva-medien Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft
cheeks in the person across from you? Libanonstraße 58 info@riva-medien.de www.de.ey.com,
70184 Stuttgart Webmaster Ernst Klett Sprachen GmbH (PONS)
Now, I’m not aiming to earn an “R” rating Tel 0711 3102160 Andrew Golledge www.pons.de,
for this column – I just want to point out Fax 0711 3102161 webmaster@accents- Euchner GmbH + Co KG
that there are words and expressions that info@accents- magazine.de www.euchner.de,
may be wholly innocuous for some native magazine.de Graphic Design FKS Generalplaner GmbH
SEB bank Stuttgart Brucklacher Visuelle www.fks-gp.de,
English-speakers, whose meaning may be bank code 60010111 Kommunikation Knöss International Executive Consultung
quite embarrassing for others. account no. www.brucklacher.de www.knoess.org,
Take the word rubber, for instance. An 2398600700 Prepress SEB AG, Stuttgart
innocent enough word, right? Not if you’re CGS Möhrle www.seb.de
Editor Vesoulerstraße 4
American. A rubber is not what Americans Geoff Rodoreda 70839 Gerlingen Advertisers and Corporate Subscribers
use to erase something written in pencil, editor@accents- Adolf Würth GmbH & Co. KG
but rather, a condom. What the British call magazine.de Cost anglo german institute
a rubber, Americans call an eraser. Watch Arts Editor free Biddy Early’s Irish Pub
Stuart Marlow Published Corso Cinema International
out for strange reactions if you ask to Copy Editor every two months Deutsch-Amerikanisches Zentrum/
“borrow a rubber” in the USA! Katharine Schmidt Circulation James-F.-Byrnes Institut e.V.
If you buy your soccer-obsessed (or Contributors 10,000 European School Karlsruhe
“football-mad”) child the official shirt of his Toni Astle Distribution Expatica.com
Dagmar Fritz everywhere International Baptist Church of Stuttgart
or her favorite team, don’t tell an American Liz Gaiser English is spoken: International School of Stuttgart e.V.
friend how much you paid for the strip your Rebecca Perrin subscribing firms, O’Donovan’s Irish Pub
kid was yearning for. They might think your Thomas Ravel cultural institutions, o’reilly’s Irish Pub
family is sexually weird. Outside the world Chrys Rynearson shops, pubs, clubs, Piccadilly English Shops
Steve Trevallion theatres, hotels Robert Bosch GmbH
of comics, the word strip is associated in Lucy Woodford-Lewis and selected Schiller International University
the American mind with taking one’s clo- tourist centres SEB AG
thes off in a sexually suggestive manner. In
British English, I’ve learned, a strip is also
an official sports outfit.
More Anglo-American confusion could
arise if you refer to a small bag belted
Subscribe
around your hips as a fanny-pack. For a
British speaker the word fanny refers to
female genitalia. And I have to confess that to accents magazine and have all of Baden-Württemberg delivered right to your doorstep.
I’m one of the many Americans who didn’t One-year subscription for 6 issues: 20 euros (Germany). You may pay by direct debit or deposit
check. Checks made payable to: accents media GbR, Libanonstraße 58, 70184 Stuttgart.
know about that one! Jacky Thomann-
Plischke of Böblingen, who got us started
on this topic, wrote that as a British Name
woman she was shocked to read a photo
Street
caption in an otherwise unobjectionable
magazine, belonging to an American. Postal code City/Town
Written underneath a picture of a woman
in a leotard was: “Exercises to tighten up State/Country
your fanny.” What the American magazine Telephone Fax
meant – Jacky discovered – was “tighten
up your bottom”. A bit of a difference. Account holder (if different from recipient)
Even a person’s first name isn’t safe in
Account no.
an Anglo-American interchange. I was once
told about an American studying in Britain, Bank code (BLZ)
who had to put up with people sniggering
whenever he’d greet them by saying: “Hi, Name of bank
I’m Randy.” For the British, randy means
the same as the American “horny” or I hereby give accents media GbR permission to directly debit the above noted amount from my
“sexually excited,” according to my account for a one-year subscription. Subscriptions are automatically renewed for one year if
Webster’s New World College Dictionary. not cancelled in writing 8 weeks prior to expiry.
Our thanks to Jacky, and to everyone else
who offered examples! Keep your two Date, Signature
cents’ worth coming!
The first 10 subscribers in September win a PONS dictionary.
Comments, questions, and suggestions to
mytwocents@accents-magazine.de
or accents magazine, Libanonstraße 58,
70184 Stuttgart

accents magazine 23