Michael Abrams

Griesheim

Photographer for Stars and Stripes. Have photographed in Europe, Africa, Afghanistan and the Middle East for S&S. Following, RTs and links ≠ endorsement.

Articles

Designing for Emergence: How to Navigate Complex Systems when We Can’t Control Them

1 month ago | medium.com | Michael Abrams

Michael Abrams·Follow9 min read·--The Control ParadoxWe live in a world obsessed with control. Strategic plans map out the next five years in detail. Project managers track milestones with precision. Leaders promise specific outcomes. This mechanical view of change seems reasonable: if you want predictable results, design predictable processes. Yet as we explored in our previous article on complex systems theory, the most profound social transformations rarely follow linear, predictable paths.
Towering legacy of old brewery lives on at modern eatery in Frankfurt

1 month ago | stripes.com | Michael Abrams

Handkäse tartar with apple chutney on roasted homemade bread, foreground, and an oven-fresh pretzel with Bavarian obatzda at Henninger am Turm in Frankfurt are good snacks to go with a beer or be ordered as a small appetizer before your main course. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes) Henninger am Turm is a brewhouse in Frankfurt serving Henninger beer on what was once the brewery’s grounds.
Update on COVID-19 Vaccination

1 month ago | citizen.org | Michael Abrams

Health Letter, March 2025 By Michael Abrams, M.P.H., Ph.D., Public Citizen's Health Research Group As one of his last actions as Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner, Robert Califf, M.D., posted an essay entitled “Vaccines for COVID-19: A personal reflection.”[1] Califf, a cardiologist who served as FDA commissioner under Presidents Obama (2016-2017) and Biden (2022-2025),[2] concluded his essay in bold text: The question for the individual is: “If I take the vaccine, will I be...
Amid overdose crisis, Marylanders need health care, not handcuffs

2 months ago | baltimoresun.com | Michael Abrams

We have been here before. In the face of heightened public concern about the consequences of drug use, policymakers looking for solutions turn to the criminal law. Like past scares over heroin, "crack" cocaine or "crystal meth," today Marylanders are rightly concerned about the potent opioid drug fentanyl, which is one cause of the past decade's dramatic increase in overdose deaths.
Op-Ed: FTC Adds Fuel to the Fire for PBMs. Will Congress Deliver Real Reform?

2 months ago | pharmacytimes.com | Michael Abrams

The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) latest report on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) is the third salvo in its campaign against the PBM industry.
From Individual to Collective Consciousness: Mapping humanity’s next leap

Jan 19, 2025 | medium.com | Michael Abrams

Michael Abrams·Follow5 min read·--Are we witnessing the emergence of a new form of human consciousness? The World Wide Web has been with us for three decades and in that time it has transformed our global civilization. We now live in a different world than we did only a generation ago with opportunities to connect with others that we could have barely imagined. This transformation is perhaps best exemplified by one of the Internet’s most remarkable achievements.
The Bull and Bear restaurant in Frankfurt is a worthy return on investment

Dec 5, 2024 | stripes.com | Michael Abrams

A blue cheese burger, served with fries and coleslaw at Bull and Bear restaurant and bar in Frankfurt. Gorgonzola cheese gives the burger a tangy zip. In the background is the Asian glass noodle salad. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes) The Bull and Bear restaurant in Frankfurt gets its name from the statues in front of it representing the stock market’s booms and busts, befitting its location by the German financial capital’s stock exchange.
After 12 years, art is back at Darmstadt’s world-class Mathildenhoehe

Oct 24, 2024 | stripes.com | Michael Abrams

The Wedding Tower, the newly renovated Exhibition Hall and the Russian Chapel on the Mathildenhoehe in Darmstadt, Germany, glow in an autumn sunset. The Wedding Tower and Exhibition Hall were built in 1908, the Russian Chapel in 1899. (Michael Abrams/Stars and Stripes) Four-three-two-one, finished. Finally. After being closed for 12 years for renovation, the Exhibition Hall on Darmstadt’s Mathildenhoehe is open again for art enthusiasts.
The New Zeitgeist: A way forward for education

Oct 13, 2024 | medium.com | Michael Abrams

Michael Abrams·Follow12 min read·--For more than two centuries global civilization has been making the transition from an agricultural to an industrial way of life and thought. In the past half century many societies have been making a further transition, to an information civilization. The dominant mode of production — agricultural, industrial, and now informational — has profound consequences for a society’s worldview and, consequently, for its culture and its educational system.
Key Elements for Success in Pharma M&A Integration

Oct 1, 2024 | pharmaceuticalcommerce.com | Michael Abrams

In some industries, mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are relatively infrequent, single events. Not so in the pharmaceutical world, however. The relationship between Big Pharma and the smaller companies that populate the pharma ecosystem is synergistic. With the pace of technological development increasing and the need for new products a constant driver of investment, M&A in the sector is a routine and essential part of the business.