Conservative Conversation and Community
Should we be worried about its completion? Are sanctions an appropriate and effective response? From Radio Free Europe: More
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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are glad to see France, Germany, and the UK conclude that Iran attacked Saudi Arabia earlier this month and that there is no other plausible explanation. They also groan over the political circus about to begin as House Democrats appear to be moving en […]
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Two news items caught my eye this weekend, both of them in Stars and Stripes. One story was from Korea, and the other from Germany. Together, they told a story of rebalancing our forces in the world.
The first story is about the activation of a group of new Army Reserve units in Europe. This was a growth in the total number of units or end strength in the Army Reserve. Instead, this was a relatively typical rebalancing of types of units in different parts of the world.
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A group of regulators from Germany published in the British Medical Journal a recommendation on how drug companies should design clinical trials. These “recommendations” curiously align with Germany’s unwillingness to pay for efficacious drugs.
There are two regulatory bodies in Germany that check whether a new drug is better than an old treatment and pay accordingly, IQWiG and the G-BA. Not surprisingly when the Germans decided to check most new drugs they found that a majority of them (56%) showed “no added benefit.” Notwithstanding the obvious conflict of interest with the German government both approving and paying for new drugs, there are two major problems with Germany’s approval process. The unnecessary cost they are asking the drug companies to absorb and the capricious way they judge whether a drug is efficacious.
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I think we should have an ongoing effort (can’t be one topic) to offer suggestions for the “most brainless but likely to be troublesome” human behavior story of the week or month. Mine is below, about German protestors at a coal facility, of the “climate change is urgent, so to hell with democracy or common […]
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Mohammad Morsi, who was elected president of Egypt leading an Islamist party, died in court late Monday. He had been deposed by the military after imposing an Islamist constitution and showing his ties to the Muslim Brotherhood more clearly. The military acted after a second wave of popular unrest showed people wanted change, but not quite the change Morsi seemed to be delivering.
France24 reports Morsi was buried Tuesday, in keeping with the custom of burial as soon after death as possible:
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There is a new Donnersmarck movie, Never Look Away, a brilliant successor to the famous The Lives Of Others, so we are getting the team back together. @FlaggTaylor and Carl Eric Scott join me on the podcast for a long, wide-ranging discussion about art and tyranny, about the relationship between beauty and politics, and what great movies can offer by way of meditation on our search for freedom. Flagg and Carl co-edited the book on Donnersmarck’s marvelous, Oscar-winning debut, The Lives of Others.
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The afternoon of 20 March 2019, President Trump rocked out with a group that makes real heavy metal. The event was different from other presidential appearances, but featured many of the same themes. Two themes, American defense revival and energy dominance, stood in stark contrast to news from Germany. In the midst of the prepared remarks, with the usual riffs, President Trump elaborated on his criticism of the politician John McCain, who the appointed Senator from Arizona, Martha McSally, is unconditionally defending, raising questions about her viability or suitability in 2020. President Trump’s visit to the Lima Army Tank Plant was a great political messaging success on several levels.
The setting:
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A 9-year-old boy lobbied successfully to get his town’s ban on snowball fights overturned. Reminded me of some comments by Goethe, circa 1828. He observed that when Englishmen came to town, they were invariably a hit with the local women. Indeed, when one of them came to visit, Goethe found it necessary to brace himself […]
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U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell on Iran Sanctions Snapback, America’s Energy Competition with Russia in the EU, Chancellor Merkel U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell occupies one of the most critical positions in American diplomacy, not only because Germany represents the EU’s largest economy and has disproportionate influence on the continent, but because of […]
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From Rorate Caeli: Der Spiegel is the most important center-left weekly in Europe. Created in post-war Germany, it provides every week the “acceptable view” for liberal minds in the Federal Republic and, therefore, in all of Europe. It is the essential “Gutmensch” media source. More
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For this week’s Big Ideas with Ben Weingarten podcast, I had nationally syndicated radio host, columnist, author of numerous books, teacher, film producer and co-founder of PragerU, Dennis Prager, on the podcast to discuss among other things:
You can find the episode on iTunes, everywhere else podcasts are found, download the episode directly here or read the transcript here.
MoreGeneral Electric has fallen on hard times, but it has some valuable assets. Of those operations that will remain following the spinoffs and divestitures, the crown jewel is, by general agreement, the jet engine business. I’m reminded of Gerhard Neumann, who played a major role in creating that business and who wrote a wonderful memoir.
This is the autobiography of a man who was born to a Jewish family in Germany, apprenticed as an auto mechanic, attended engineering school, moved to China in 1938, was interned by the British as an enemy alien in 1939, transferred to the American forces, joined Claire Chennault’s Flying Tigers, repaired the first Japanese Zero fighter to be captured in potentially-flyable condition, became a U.S. citizen by special act of Congress, and went on to run GE’s entire jet engine business, which he played a major role in creating. (The preceding may be the longest single sentence I’ve ever written in a blog post.) The book should be of interest to those interested in aviation, technology, management, social history, the WWII era, and/or China.
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The cancer of anti-Semitism hasn’t been cured; it’s only gone into remission. These days it’s making a notable re-entry worldwide. By looking at France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, we can get a pretty good idea of the reasons for the increase; we can also take a look at the problem in the United States. And we can’t fool ourselves into thinking that there’s going to be a quick or easy cure.
There are 500,000 Jews living in France:
MoreThe good news for Angela Merkel is to be re-elected to a fourth term as German chancellor. The bad news is fashioning a working coalition of political parties divided over taxes, immigration, and climate policy. Hoover Institution senior fellow Russell Berman examines the options available to Germany’s chancellor, including any changes to her roles on […]
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I’m talking about Germany’s of course. The Braut and I are sitting here watching the news and the moderator just referred to the sentence “Vote Schulz (SPD)” as an example of “Galgenhumor”, “Gallows Humor”. The SPD is in the “Umfragenkeller”, “polling basement” and the CDU and Greens have also dropped off in support in the […]
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Hoover senior fellow Russell Berman, a specialist in the study of German literary and cultural politics, takes us through the aftershocks of the French presidential election. Is German chancellor Angela Merkel breathing a sigh of relief or, despite the nationalist setback in France, does her future and that of the European Union remain in doubt? […]
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Admittedly, I’ve been pressed for time this week and have not had a chance to review U.S. media extensively, but from what little I have seen, the U.S. media seems not to have noticed a serious diplomatic incident between Israel and Germany this week. It was precipitated by the ill-advised decision of German Foreign Minister […]
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Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America groan as conservative House Republicans are reportedly prepared to be less demanding on reining in spending once Trump is in office. They also shake their heads as more revelations suggest the Germans should have had the Berlin terrorist out of the country a long time ago. And they discuss three hate crime allegations that turned out to be hoaxes – the latest in a series of fake news.
MoreJim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America shudder at the public assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey and the truck attack at a Christmas market in Berlin. They also unload on the 10 faithless electors in Monday’s Electoral College vote. And they get a kick out of Pres. Obama urging Donald Trump to take it easy in issuing executive orders.
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