The German European: how Ursula von der Leyen rose to become EU president - New Statesman
Tuesday, August 20, 2019Leyen spent much of her time managing a large government bureaucracy with cultural baggage. Evidence of extremist views in the Bundeswehr (the German armed forces) — a far-right lieutenant posing as a Syrian refugee and plotting terror attacks, Nazi memorabilia found in a barracks — drew a sharp response from von der Leyen, who alleged in 2017 that the military suffered from an “attitude problem” and a “weakness of leadership”. Some in the military hierarchy felt she went too far and resented the remarks.
Von der Leyen is also under fire for awarding, without proper justification, lucrative defence ministry contracts to outside consultancies with which she had personal connections. A Bundestag committee is still investigating the matter.
Many military analysts, however, take a positive view of her tenure, pointing out that she increased the defence budget after years of cuts, improved troops’ equipment, and enabled Germany to play a key role in both Nato missions and the establishment of EU initiatives such as the European Defence Fund. The network of Europe-wide contacts von der Leyen built up in the job likely helped her secure the nomination.
Her calls for an “army of Europeans” — Nigel Farage called her a “fanatic” for wanting one — should be understood as a desire to make member state militaries more interoperable, rather than one to create a military juggernaut commanded from Brussels. In von der Leyen’s vision, national parliaments would still have the final say about deployment.
Chancellor Angela Merkel, for one, is a fan. Merkel brought von der Leyen into her first cabinet in 2005, just two years after the latter became a minister in the state of Lower Saxony. In fact, for a while Merkel appeared to be grooming von der Leyen as her successor. (Merkel’s actual chosen successor and CDU party leader, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, will take over at the defence ministry.)
But von der Leyen never truly had enough allies in her own party to succeed Merkel in the Chancellery, perhaps because she was always something of an outsider, personally and ideologically. She joined the CDU at the relatively late age of 32 and spent years working as a doctor and taking care of her family before her rapid rise as a member of Merkel’s team.
That’s not to say von der Leyen is especially popular with Germany’s other major parties. All of the Social Democratic MEPs broke with their European colleagues to reject von der Leyen in the confirmation vote. The German SPD even distributed a letter in Brussels stating that she was an “inadequate and inappropriate candidate”. The Greens in Europe — the party is surging in Germany and could take over the Chancellery at the next election — also whipped to vote against von der Leyen, though their opposition is not all personal, but rather due to the fact that she is not a Spitzenkandidat (the lead candidate put forward by each parliamentary bloc in the European elections).
The German public are not fans either. According to the most recent SPON poll, 68 per cent are unsatisfied with her work as defence minister. Defence minis...https://www.newstatesman.com/world/europe/2019/07/german-european-how-ursula-von-der-leyen-rose-become-eu-president
Beyond Rosa Luxemburg: five more women of the German revolution you need to know about - The Conversation - UK
Sunday, March 3, 2019Marxist revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg was brutally murdered in Germany. On January 15 1919, she was beaten and killed by the anti-revolutionary Freikorps. Her body was thrown into the Landwehr Canal in Berlin, only emerging six months later.
Fluent in Polish, French and German, a revolutionary theorist, economist and leading opponent of militarism, Luxemburg was an outstanding figure in the German revolution that helped bring World War I to an end in November 1918 and established the first democracy on German soil.
She remains a powerful symbol of resistance today. Her claim that freedom must always include the freedom of those who think differently has been used as a slogan by protesters across the world.
There have been many films, books and even a graphic novel celebrating Luxemburgs life and commemorating her death. But as our research has highlighted, there were other women who played an active role in the German revolution in cities across the country. Their names are far less known and many were written out of history even as they were making it.
Young revolutionaries
Martha Riedl.
SPD-Ratsfrau der ersten Stunde, CC BY...http://theconversation.com/beyond-rosa-luxemburg-five-more-women-of-the-german-revolution-you-need-to-know-about-109209
Der Komponist, der das Gras wachsen hört
Thursday, June 21, 2018Kirche sagt und tut. Aber er ist keine
Karteileiche, von Geburt an gewissermaßen und aufgrund einer Taufe, gegen die man
sich nicht wehren kann, sondern ein praktizierender Katholik, der regelmäßig in die
Kirche geht. Was ist ihm wichtig? Das läuft wie bei vielen, die Probleme mit der Institution
haben, auf die Botschaft der Bergpredigt hinaus: „Die Nächstenliebe ist mir wichtig.
Und dass sie nicht nur ein abstraktes Bekenntnis ist, sondern dass man sie auch lebt.
Tag für Tag.
Beinahe wäre er Priester geworden
Dabei hätte nicht viel gefehlt und er wäre Priester geworden. Zwar wurde er in Ingolstadt
geboren, in die Schule jedoch ging er in Salzburg. In einem Gymnasium, das von Ordensleuten
geführt wurde. „Aber schon im zweiten oder dritten Jahr haben sie uns beruhigt. ,Ihr
müsst nicht Priester werden. Wir wollen euch nur zu vernünftigen Menschen erziehen.
Vernünftig, das kann auch heißen: rebellisch.
Das Bild zeigt Sepp Frank mit seiner Band „The Waves 1969 in Salzburg. Foto: altrofoto/
privat
Sepp Frank war noch in seiner Schulzeit ein Mitglied von „The Waves. Das „the ist
verräterisch. So hießen damals die Beat-Bands: „The Beatles, „The Rolling Stones,
„The Who, „The Kinks. Und es gibt Fotos aus dieser frühen Zeit. Da sehen Sepp Frank
und seine Kollegen aus wie klassische Beat-Band-Members: kein Hippie-Look, keine langen
Haare oder Flower-Power-Klamotten, dafür hochgestellte Krägen, Seidentücher, schmucke
Hosen. Wenn man ganz genau hinschaut, kann man auf dem Auftritts-Foto der „Waves
sogar ein Bild von Richard Wagner erkennen, das an der Wand hängt. „Th...https://www.mittelbayerische.de/panorama-nachrichten/der-komponist-der-das-gras-wachsen-hoert-21934-art1654356.html
Brautmode und Abendmode von Brautmoden Tegernsee
Thursday, March 15, 2018Traumkleid.1997 Ausbildung und autodidaktische Weiterbildung zum Traumberuf2001 Kreation und erste Entwürfe für die eigene Brautmodenkollektion2002 Erstes eigenes Brautmodengeschäft im südbadischen Wehr2003 Umzug ins südbadische Schopfheim und Ausbau der Brautmodenboutique2006 Gründung des Modelabels TaliBoelt® Couture in München2011 Erste eigene Manufaktur und Fertigung von Unikaten und Kleinserien2013 Gründung des Modelabels Dirndleria® by Tali Amoo2014 Eröffnung Dirndleria® by Tali Amoo Markengeschäft im bayerischen Tegernsee2014 Die Glockenrüsche® by Tali Amoo ergänzt das Produktangebot.2017 Eröffnung Brautatelier mit eigener Brautmanufaktur am Tegernsee2017 Integration der Marken Dirndleria®, TaliBoelt®, Glockenrüsche®, by TaliAmoo2017 Unter BlossomValley Flower Girls werden handgefertigte Accessoires angeboten2018 Vergrößerung des Brautmodenateliers mit eigener Brautmodenmanufaktur in Tegernsee2018 Angebotserweiterung Abendmode und KommunionBrautmoden TegernseeBrautatelier & ManufakturRosenstraße 19 l D-83684 TegernseeTel. +49 (0)8022 70 56 877info@brautmoden-tegernsee.dewww.brautmoden-tegernsee.de...http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=AB1841C69D684A6BB9AE4108445FCE7C&url=https%3a%2f%2fwww.inar.de%2fbrautmode-und-abendmode-von-brautmoden-tegernsee%2f&c=5570751975389521761&mkt=de-de
Germany's second-highest traffic bridge opens - DW (English)
Sunday, January 26, 2020Mosel River in western Germany. Within Germany, the new bridge in the Rhineland-Palatinate is second only to the 185-meter-high Kochertal bridge in the southern state of Baden-Württemberg. Read more: World's longest pedestrian suspension bridge opens in Germany's Harz region Authorities expect about 25,000 vehicles a day to cross the bridge that now provides a direct link between the regions of Eifel and Hunsrück. Several hundred people gathered for the bridge's opening on Thursday. Over the weekend, thousands of pedestrians crossed the bridge by foot as part of the opening festivities. "Today is a good day for the Rhineland-Palatinate," said State Premier Malu Dreyer. She added that she was convinced "that the bridge will help advance our economically strong state even further and will strengthen ties between the people in Eifel and Hunsrück." Europe's largest construction project The controversial building project kicked off eight years ago. Some critics argued that the massive bridge would destroy the area's idyllic vineyard landscape, while environmentalists argued it would pollute the ground water. Others spoke out against the cost. The building of the bridge was part of a greater road project that included the construction of an additional 25 kilometers (16 miles) of federal highway. The total project is estimated to havecost €483 million ($535 million), with €175 million dedicated to the bridge alone. Read more: Everything you need to know about the German ...https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-second-highest-traffic-bridge-opens/a-51355455
The Pesticide Industry's Playbook for Poisoning the Earth - The Intercept
Sunday, January 26, 2020The study produced results that echoed what the Americans had found.
Drifting clouds of neonicotinoid dust from planting operations caused a series of massive bee die-offs in northern Italy and the Baden-Württemberg region of Germany. Studies have shown neonicotinoids impaired bees’ ability to navigate and forage for food, weakened bee colonies, and made them prone to infestation by parasitic mites.
In 2013, the European Union called for a temporary suspension of the most commonly used neonicotinoid-based products on flowering plants, citing the danger posed to bees — an effort that resulted in a permanent ban in 2018.
In the U.S., however, industry dug in, seeking not only to discredit the research but to cast pesticide companies as a solution to the problem. Lobbying documents and emails, many of which were obtained through open records requests, show a sophisticated effort over the last decade by the pesticide industry to obstruct any effort to restrict the use of neonicotinoids. Bayer and Syngenta, the largest manufacturers of neonics, and Monsanto, one of the leading producers of seeds pretreated with neonics, cultivated ties with prominent academics, including vanEngelsdorp, and other scientists who had once called for a greater focus on the threat posed by pesticides.
Syngenta AG’s headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, on Feb. 4, 2015.
Photo: Philipp Schmidli/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesThe companies also sought influence with beekeepers and regulators, and went to great lengths to shape public opinion. Pesticide firms launched new coalitions and seeded foundations with cash to focus on nonpesticide factors in pollinator decline.
“Position the industry as an active promoter of bee health, and advance best management practices which emphasize bee safety,” noted an internal planning memo from CropLife America, the lobby group for the largest pesticide companies in America, including Bayer and Syngenta. The ultimate goal of the bee health project, the document noted, was to ensure that member companies maintained market access for neonic products and other systemic pesticides.The planning memo, helmed in part by Syngenta regulatory official John Abbott, charts a variety of strategies for advancing the pesticide industry’s interests, such as, “Challenge EPA on the size and breadth of the pollinator testing program.” CropLife America officials were also tapped to “proactively shape the conversation in the new media realm with respect to pollinators” and “minimize negative association of crop protection products with effects on pollinators.” The document, dated June 2014, calls for “outreach to university researchers who could be independent validators.”
The pesticide companies have used a variety of strategies to shift the public discourse.
“America’s Heartland,” a PBS series shown on affiliates throughout the country and underwritten by CropLife America, portrayed the pollinator declines as a mystery. Onea href="https:/...https://theintercept.com/2020/01/18/bees-insecticides-pesticides-neonicotinoids-bayer-monsanto-syngenta/
The perfect destination foHere is why Germany is the perfect destination for your next holidayr your holiday! Discover nature in Germany - Emirates Woman
Sunday, January 26, 2020Black Forest National Park, Baden-Württemberg, South GermanyPerfect for cleansing your lungs. The remarkable feature of this national park is that some areas have been able to develop for more than 100 years without human intervention. This means that all the animals and plants that are found here live in authentic, natural surroundings.You can use Deutsche Bahn trains all over Germany, where it uses 100% green energy. In addition, you can take the InterCity Express for a unique experience, as it is a high-speed train that connects all major cities in Germany with speeds of up to 300 km / hour, and this is one of the fastest ways to reach between Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne!Check out their Instagram: GermanyTourismAr, and Facebook: Germany Tourism Arabia– For more about Dubai’s lifestyle, news and fashion scene straight to your newsfeed, follow us on Facebook Media: Supplied...https://emirateswoman.com/germany/
'Flower Power': Photovoltaic cells replicate rose petals: Scientists increase the efficiency of solar cells by replicating the structure of petals - Science Daily
Tuesday, August 20, 2019Scientists at the KIT and the ZSW (Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg) now suggest in their article published in the Advanced Optical Materials journal to replicate the outermost tissue of the petals of higher plants, the so-called epidermis, in a transparent layer and integrate that layer into the front of solar cells in order to increase their efficiency.
First, the researchers at the Light Technology Institute (LTI), the Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT), the Institute of Applied Physics (APH), and the Zoological Institute (ZOO) of KIT as well as their colleagues from the ZSW investigated the optical properties, and above all, the antireflection effect of the epidermal cells of different plant species. These properties are particularly pronounced in rose petals where they provide stronger color contrasts and thus increase the chance of pollination. As the scientists found out under the electron microscope, the epidermis of rose petals consists of a disorganized arrangement of densely packed microstructures, with additional ribs formed by randomly positioned nanostructures.
In order to exactly replicate the structure of these epidermal cells over a larger area, the scientists transferred it to a mold made of polydimethylsiloxane, a silicon-based polymer, pressed the resulting negative structure into optical glue which was finally left to cure under UV light. "This easy and cost-effective method creates microstructures of a depth and density that are hardly achievable with artificial techniques," says Dr. Guillaume Gomard, Group Leader "Nanopothonics" at KIT's LTI.
The scientists then integrated the transparent replica of the rose petal epidermis into an organic solar cell. This resulted in power conversion efficiency gains of twelve percent for vertically incident light. At very shallow incidence angles, the efficiency gain was even higher. The scientists attribute this gain primarily to the excellent omnidirectional antireflection properties of the re...https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160624110028.htm