These two have nothing to do with each other except that they both got promoted today and I don't want to put up two posts about promotions.
Angela Merkel was elected to become the chancellor of Germany:
In a ceremony mixing solemnity with a bit of humor, Germany's parliament today elected the conservative party leader Angela Merkel to the post of chancellor, making her the first woman to head a German government and the first chancellor to grow up under the Communist regime of the former East Germany.
The German election results were unusual in that neither candidate for the chancellor got a clear majority. The government will now be based on a grand coalition; the American equivalent would be an administration of both Democrats and Republicans. I predict that Merkel will not have a fun time trying to govern Germany under these circumstances.
Kathleen Uhl is the new director of the Office of Women's Health in the Food and Drug Administration:
Kathleen brings a breadth of professional experience, as well as a strong science background and passion for women's health, to her new position," acting FDA Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach said in a statement.
A family physician and clinical pharmacologist by training, Uhl joined the FDA in 1988 and has held a variety of jobs reviewing the safety of drugs, devices and other products. Most recently, she has been leading an office that is trying to improve warning labels for women who are pregnant or lactating.
At least she is not a veterinarian like one of the earlier appointments to this post.