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AndBorn in West Germany in 1954, Merkel was raised in a small East German town to the north of Berlin. Her father was a Lutheran pastor and a target of surveillance by East Germany’s security service, the Stasi. A brilliant student, Merkel learned early on “not to put herself in the center of things” lest she expose herself or her family to undue scrutiny, according to Stefan Kornelius, her official biographer and the foreign editor of the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. When the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, Merkel, who had by then earned a doctorate in quantum chemistry, was working as a research scientist. Soon after, she left her job to join a new political group that had formed in her neighborhood, thus quietly launching her political career. She rose in German politics and, through sheer smarts and a series of well-timed tactical maneuvers, ascended in 2005 to the chancellery, the head of Germany’s federal government. Her trajectory was dramatic and uncommon—for a woman, for an East German, and for a trained scientist with no background in law or civil service.
Why did Merkel leave what appeared to be a promising career for the uncertainty of politics? In a New Yorker profile of her, George Packer called the decision “the central mystery of an opaque life.” Kornelius attributes the drastic change to a realization that, as a scientist from poorer and under-resourced East Germany, she would be “outpaced” by her western peers.
Merkel has never spoken publicly about why she left science, but perhaps that is because it never really left her. Scientific thinking—her deliberate probing of each new bit of information, her cautious consultation with experts—remains integral to Merkel’s daily decision-making process and her political persona. She is undoubtedly aware that her measured, modest handling of Germany’s affairs is at least partially why she has, for almost 15 years now, enjoyed the support of a country whose historical reverence for scientific achievement and great minds (think Kant, Einstein, innumerable others) is forever balanced by an acute wariness of charismatic leaders with big ideas (think Hitler).
Prior to the pandemic, Merkel’s political star had been waning. She had become known, according to Kornelius, as the chancellor “who avoided things, much less as the one who built things.” Yes, she had prevented Europe from falling apart during the financial crisis and led the continent as it grappled with the subsequent migration crisis. But of late, she had been left politically sidelined by the domestic rise of populism, the far right, the far left, and by autocratic leaders around the world.
But unlike in Italy, where more than 22,000 have lost their life to COVID-19, or in the United States, where the death toll has surpassed that figure and continues to rise rapidly, total deaths in Germany have been inching up from 4,000. To put this in perspective, more than twice as many New Yorkers have lost their life to the coronavirus as have individuals in all of Germany to date.
© 2015 Mutual Fund Observer. All rights reserved.
© 2015 Mutual Fund Observer. All rights reserved. Powered by Vanilla
Comments
The Demublicans likewise must stop being afraid of REAL progress.
Merkel gave a C19 briefing the other day and wonderfully explained in simple words how moving from 1.0 to 1.1, 1.2 infection rates would impact their health system by various months. The unempathetic idiot Tweety Amin couldn't do that ... he just wants to be there for the optics and to look 'strong' for the cameras. He's absolutely loving his 'free' 3 hours of coverage a day -- and the pathetic MSM is more than happy to give it to him, having learned nothing from 2016.
I agree COMPLETELY that the Electoral College needs to die immediately. 2000 was a hint of what was to come, and when the majority of votes cast are ignored by the 'College' there's a problem for a so-called 'democracy.'
To be nice I won't comment on the GOP's platforms/philosophy other to say that as CONservatives they are always looking backwards on most (if not all) of their issues and prefer doubling-down on their ideological ideas like how 'trickle-down' works thinking that this time, it's going to work, trust us!
Frankly, I think he should take the first shot -- do it live on TV, think of the ratings!!! (and as he said, think of the 'job' it'll do on his lungs!) Likewise, those supporting this idiot should be happy because this is an effort that they can do this on their own and thus avoid any more 'government handouts' in the name of 'freedom' and 'liberty.' /end rant
BTW notice how fast he and Faux 'News' dropped the hydroxycloroquine recommendation.......
It doesn't make any less sense than injecting Lysol.
Remember he rarely never goes outside the EOP protective bubble anyway even when there's no pandemic. Golf, his chintzy hotel, a quick photo-op somewhere, and back again.
https://cnn.com/videos/politics/2020/04/24/birx-reaction-trump-disinfectant-vpx.cnn
It must be more fake news by the "lying liberal media."
"They plan to conduct further clinical trials if authorized by French health authorities. The authors of the study do not however advocate smoking as a panacea for coronavirus, because of the health issues linked to nicotine usage."
However, look at the next press briefing to have our leader advocating that every adult be sent a weekly carton of cigarettes & that it will be everyone's duty to smoke to make America great again.
Nice find, and an interesting report. Worth reading through the translated study paper for clarifications. The study shows correlation not causation. Even granting causation, the theory that nicotine is the key factor is an educated guess based on known effects of nicotine, not on data in the study. Finally, the proposed research is (as also mentioned in the Marketwatch piece) to test the use of nicotine patches.
You've nailed fearless leader's keen powers of observation. He will see no need to read beyond the statement that smokers have lower incidence of COVID-19 (assuming he reads anything). Send those cartons out, *cough*, indeed.
Time for a third party.
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"Why the !@#%%^&* did they go through impeachment process when they knew they didn't have the votes? Every time Trump gets off scott free it makes them stronger. Not to mention Dems have really not fended an electable candidate for a while now."
They impeached him because he is a criminal. The majority in the Senate is enabling that criminal. Anyone who cannot see that belongs to Hillary's class of "deplorables."
So, please keep it up, open more false investigations, more Lib media anger and lies and...watch the best reality show I have seen for years.
In the past, I voted both Dems and GOP but it's a delight to hear the Dem's anger, lies and out of control comments for another 4 years.
And who blocked them at every opportunity to get the relevant and necessary documents needed to make their case?
The problem with thinking you know more than the experts
I said it months ago and it's worth repeating, 'Trump and eat shit and die and everyone who supports him can eat shit and die.'
Do I make myself perfectly clear?
and so it goes,
peace and flatten the curve,
rono