The era Merkel
W e write the year 2008
Germany is in 2008 an important partner for the Greats of the world as before. Also America has thus a reliable friend, a friend of loyalty, but also a friend who has sometimes an own view of the resolution of certain problems.
Today the biggest problem of Germany itself is the welfare system, especially the problem of the state old-age pension. And whats the reason for this problem? Its only the demographic factor. By the demographic factor, which takes into consideration the growing-old people in Germany, is put this system at risk.
Germanys social system is known. So there is the legal pension scheme as above mentioned. Employee and employer have to pay into this scheme; so there is the unemployment, heath and old age nursing scheme, also here employee and employer have to pay into. There are also other schemes for aid, so the social security for poor people, who received money for their rented flat, for cost of living, for furnishings and for clothing. Persons who cannot pay the rent for the flat because of lack of money get an allowance; homeless persons get food and clothing by local authorities.
The old age nursing scheme belongs to a new scheme. All old people who are ill, disable or are in need of nursing receive care night and day, if necessary also young people by way of exception. Not only nursing belongs to the care, but also housekeeping aid, food service at home (food gets taken home) or mobility aid in the everyday life.
Germany is partner and helper in the world, especially in Africa. The cooperation with African states, the German development aid, has many aspects, political, economic and personal. Because it counts especially for the necessity of aid for people who are in need of help the development projects, Germany is very active in this field. Germany supports African governments, which tries to take the democratic way. So the people of other African regions are supposed to see, that its worth living in a democratic country.
In June is the American president George W. Bush in Germany again. It should be a farewell visit. In Berlin he met with a friendly reception. Mrs Merkel, the German chancellor, called him good friend of the Germans.
Angela Merkel. She was born on 17 July 1954 in Hamburg. Her original name was Angela Dorothea Kasner. She grew up in the GDR. Since 2005 she is Chancellor of Germany.
On 15 September the new economic and financial crisis began. The American investment bank Lehman Brothers announced its solvency, the competitor, Merrill Lynch, was bought up by the Bank of America. The result was that the credit market froze up and the rates at the stock exchange were going downfall. Now also the collapse of the real estate market followed caused by possessors who had got into debts which were too high for them. Many people had also overdrawn their accounts too much. That was mainly caused by means of credit cards which led them to go too much on shopping sprees. Because many German banks were business partner of the Lehman Bank like other banks all over the world, they were drawn into the (financial) whirlpool too. Only state aid could help so that many generations have to pay the state debts back now. With the financial crisis came the economic crisis. Germany is the export country No. 1 in the world; therefore it was hard hit by the worldwide recession, which was caused by the financial crisis, now. But the German government tried to lessen this recession by special state programmes.
Germans is the country of new technology too. Germany participates for example in the space research by the ESA , E uropean S pace A gency. So there are many projects. One of these projects is the exploration of the gravity fields of the earth by satellite Goce , G ravity field and steady-state o cean c irculation e xplorer. Goce is five metres long and orbits the earth in a height of 260 kilometres. It is in a polar circulation. Two Ions engine holds it permanently on course so that it doesnt lose height.
The research scientists expect much of new discoveries by this mission. So they want to realize better the water circulation of the oceans, to improve models for the prediction of earthquakes and to observe the rise of the sea level.
A new technological invention is the German robot Justin. Justin was constructed by the German aerospace company (Deutsches Zentrum fr Luft- und Raumfahrt) and can serve tea, can clean and dance. In the head this boy has sensors, stereo cameras, laser scanner and a light cut projector by which he can find out clear glass too. Justin heaves 14 kg with each arm also drinks boxes are no problem.
Justin is sensitive as opposed to other robots. Justin grasps not only, he feels what he holds in the hand by means of sensors. If Justin touches unintentionally anything then he would react properly: He breaks immediately off exercise or asks the question: What shall I do? If someone shows Justin the cleaning of the table by pressing a rag into his hand then he imitates the movement and finished the work.
Justin is a real hard-working boy; he can help in household and industry and even in the outer space. Today Justin already helps in the production of automobiles and his arms get tested on the outside covering of the international space station ISS.
W e write the year 2009
This year began with the situation there was at the end of the year before, economic and financial crisis. But there was the hope for improvement and Germany was on the way to recovery some months later indeed. But there was also another problem, the war in Afghanistan. Although the German troops are stationed in the north, in the socalled quiet zone, Germany has to deplore victims by the attacks of the Taliban there.
Early in September the Taliban had planned an attack with two stolen tankers in the zone of the Germans. But they were discovered in time by the German Bundeswehr there. Now the commander of the German Armed Forces gave the orders to destroy the tankers by an air raid. The bomb attack was carried out by the allies. The result of this attack was not only two destroyed tankers but also many dead men, amongst them more than 50 rebels of the Taliban are said to have been killed.
