Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Lab instruments inside Curiosity eat Mars rock powder

Feb. 25, 2013 ? Two compact laboratories inside NASA's Mars rover Curiosity have ingested portions of the first sample of rock powder ever collected from the interior of a rock on Mars.

Curiosity science team members will use the laboratories to analyze the rock powder in the coming days and weeks.

The rover's Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) and Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instruments received portions of the sample on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 22 and 23, respectively, and began inspecting the powder.

"Data from the instruments have confirmed the deliveries," said Curiosity Mission Manager Jennifer Trosper of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

The powder comes from Curiosity drilling into rock target "John Klein" on Feb. 8. One or more additional portions from the same initial sample may be delivered to the instruments as analysis proceeds.

During a two-year prime mission, researchers are using Curiosity's 10 science instruments to assess whether the study area in Gale Crater on Mars ever has offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life.

More information about Curiosity is online at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/msl , http://www.nasa.gov/msl and http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/ .

You can follow the mission on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/marscuriosity and on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/marscuriosity .

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/TFvKVl-JZCI/130225185603.htm

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Civil Society Groups Help Make Electricity Affordable and Sustainable

Worldwide, one out of every five people lacks access to modern electricity. Affordability, quality of service, and social and environmental impacts pose great challenges in providing people with the power they need for lighting, cooking, and other activities. Good governance involving open and inclusive practices is essential to overcoming these pressing obstacles.

This is part one of a four-part blog series, ?Improving Electricity Governance,? which explores the key components involved in making electricity decision-making more open, inclusive, and fair. The series draws on the experiences of WRI?s Electricity Governance Initiative, which are documented in a new report, ?Shining a Light on Electricity Governance.?

Access to electricity poses major challenges in India. Service varies considerably across the country. In some regions, fewer than 40 percent of people have access to electricity, while half of all rural households lack access to power. These issues will become more challenging as demand for energy is expected to double by 2020. The country will need to figure out how to provide affordable, reliable power in ways that benefit both people and the planet.

But India has a powerful ally in overcoming these electricity challenges: civil society organizations (CSOs).

People?s Monitoring Group of Electricity Regulation Steps In

In the state of Andhra Pradesh, the People?s Monitoring Group on Electricity Regulation (PMGER), a partner with WRI?s Electricity Governance Initiative (EGI), acts as an advocate for affordable, reliable power. The organization is a consortium of NGOs whose constituencies include farmers? organizations, environmental and development advocacy groups, electricity advocacy groups, workers? unions, and research organizations. PMGER ensures that Andhra Pradesh?s electricity decisions are fair, effective, and made with citizens? best interests in mind.

PMGER initially advocated for equitable electricity tariffs, but now participates in other important regulatory areas, such as power purchase agreements and ensuring quality of power supply for various consumer groups. Recently, PMGER analyzed key energy policies in Andhra Pradesh?including the state?s wind energy policies?to identify where gaps may exist in development and implementation processes.

Through this analysis, PMGER determined that shortfalls in the state?s renewable energy development are attributable to unclear timelines and lack of proper reporting and monitoring processes, among other issues. The group then organized public meetings with government officials, disseminating information about the policy?s strengths and limitations and discussing implementation challenges. All of this analysis and work has increased transparency in Andhra Pradesh?s electricity sector, as well as helped other stakeholders make more informed interventions and seek improvements in the policy. PMGER is now using its expertise to build the capacity of other organizations in the area.

CSOs and Better Electricity Governance

Similar to PMGER?s example in India, other EGI partner experiences demonstrate the importance of CSO participation in improving the electricity sector. For example:

  • Kyrgyzstan?s Civic Environmental Foundation (UNISON) has been able to establish itself as a credible stakeholder in electricity decision-making processes. It was appointed co-chair of the government?s new Fuel and Energy Security Transparency Initiative (FESTI) in early 2011. The initiative has increased the government?s engagement with civil society groups, and the electricity sector has begun to show signs of progress. With improved transparency and stakeholder participation, transmission line costs have been reduced by millions of dollars, and electricity distribution losses have been reduced.

  • The Indonesian Centre for Environmental Law and other CSOs led a campaign that was able to convince Indonesia?s Parliament to endorse the 2008 Public Disclosure Act. ICEL provided input to the development of the law, which enhances public access to information and participation in the country?s electricity sector.

Improving Civil Society?s Participation in Governance

As cases in India, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, and numerous other countries make clear, CSO participation is a critically important component for improved governance in the electricity sector. CSOs like PMGER are important for helping the public express concerns and opinions in the decision-making processes that directly impact them. In short, they?re a key component in the challenge to make electricity affordable and accessible.

  • LEARN MORE: For more information about how EGI has been involved CSO capacity-building, please refer to our outcomes report or contact Sarah Lupberger at slupberger@wri.org.

Source: http://insights.wri.org/news/2013/02/civil-society-groups-help-make-electricity-affordable-and-sustainable

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Friday, February 22, 2013

NASA deciphering the mysterious math of the solar wind

Feb. 21, 2013 ? Many areas of scientific research -- Earth's weather, ocean currents, the outpouring of magnetic energy from the sun -- require mapping out the large scale features of a complex system and its intricate details simultaneously.

Describing such systems accurately, relies on numerous kinds of input, beginning with observations of the system, incorporating mathematical equations to approximate those observations, running computer simulations to attempt to replicate observations, and cycling back through all the steps to refine and improve the models until they jibe with what's seen. Ultimately, the models successfully help scientists describe, and even predict, how the system works.

Understanding the sun and how the material and energy it sends out affects the solar system is crucial, since it creates a dynamic space weather system that can disrupt human technology in space such as communications and global positioning system (GPS) satellites.

However, the sun and its prodigious stream of solar particles, called the solar wind, can be particularly tricky to model since as the material streams to the outer reaches of the solar system it carries along its own magnetic fields. The magnetic forces add an extra set of laws to incorporate when trying to determine what's governing the movement. Indeed, until now, equations for certain aspects of the solar wind have never been successfully devised to correlate to the observations seen by instruments in space. Now, for the first time, a scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., has created a set of the necessary equations, published in Physical Review Letters on Dec. 4, 2012.

"Since the 1970s, scientists have known that movement in the solar wind often has the characteristics of a kind of wave called an Alfv?n wave," says Aaron Roberts, a space scientist at Goddard. "Imagine you have a jump rope and you wiggle one end so that it sends waves down the rope. Alfv?n waves are similar, but the moving rope is a magnetic field line itself."

The Alfv?n waves in this case tended to have great consistency in height -- or amplitude, which is the common term when talking about waves -- but they are random in direction. You might think of it like a jump rope twirling, always the same distance from center, but nonetheless able to be in many places in space. Another way scientists have envisioned the waves is as a "random walk on a sphere." Again, always the same distance from a given center, but with a variable placement.

Such metaphorical descriptions are based on what instruments in space have, in fact, observed when they see magnetic waves go by in the solar wind. But it turns out that the equations to describe this kind of movement -- equations necessary to advance scientific models of the entire system -- were not easily found.

"The puzzle has been to figure out why the amplitude is so constant," says Roberts. "But it's been very difficult to find equations that satisfy all the characteristics of the magnetic field."

Similar waves are, in fact, seen in light, known as polarized waves. But magnetic fields have additional constraints on what shapes and configurations are even possible. Roberts found a way to overlap numerous waves of different wavelengths in such a way that they ultimately made the variation in amplitude as small as possible.

To his surprise, the equations Roberts devised matched what was observed more closely than he'd expected. Not only did the equations show waves of constant amplitude, but they also showed occasional random jumps and sharp changes -- an unexplained feature seen in the observations themselves.

"Overlapping the waves in this way gives us a way of writing down equations that we didn't have before," says Roberts. "It also has this nice consequence that it is more realistic than we expected, since it shows discontinuities we actually see in the wind. This is important for simulations and models where we want to start with initial conditions that are as close to the observed solar wind as we can get."

Of course, having an equation doesn't yet tell us the reason why the waves in the solar wind are shaped in this way. Nonetheless, equations that describe how the waves move open the door to increasingly accurate simulations that may well help explain such causes. By alternately improving models and improving observations, scientists continue the cyclic nature of such research, until just what physical action on the sun causes these curiously-shaped Alfv?n waves someday becomes clear.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by NASA.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. D. Aaron Roberts. Construction of Solar-Wind-Like Magnetic Fields. Physical Review Letters, 2012; 109 (23) DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.231102

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/space_time/astronomy/~3/C8_zf6cWoDw/130221214615.htm

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Who are you wearing? USPS launching clothing line

Move over Northface, The U.S. Postal Service is dropping Saturday mail delivery and picking up a new line of clothing. On Tuesday, USPS announced plans to launch a new line of all-weather apparel and accessories.

The line, which is expected to launch in 2014, will include all-weather jackets, headgear, footwear and clothing which accommodates devices such as iPods.

Isaac Crawford, CEO of Wahconah Group, Inc. tells ABC News that this is going to be an "Image-concious, first class, high end line."

Crawford says that there is a two sided phase to this "Rain Heat & Snow" all weather line.

"One side represents the legacy, the romanticism of the postal service, the idea they started the same time that the country did."

He continues, "We are looking at carrying some of that forward but we are also trying to be innovative? We want to make it into something that everyone will be interested in today."

Steven Mills, Postal Service corporate licensing manager, said in a statement that the agreement is intended to put the Postal Service on the "cutting edge of functional fashion."

Read More About The Postal Service Here

The Postal Service has entered a licensing agreement with Cleveland- based Wahconah Group, Inc., a design and manufacturing firm. The designs will be displayed in a showroom in the Garment District in New York City. The line is initially geared to target men but will eventually aim to create a line for women as well.

In 2012, the USPS suffered a $15.9 billion loss. Now, cash-strapped agency is in the midst of a major restructuring and is using its "Rain Heat & Snow" brand to bring in profit and stay relevant.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/usps-launches-apparel-line-162656585--abc-news-politics.html

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Public's View of Marco Rubio Mixed

The public's view of Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., is mixed, according to a new poll conducted in the days after the Florida senator delivered the Republican response to President Obama's State of the Union address.

A Pew Research Center poll released today shows 26 percent of those polled viewed Rubio favorably, while 29 percent held an unfavorable opinion of the Florida senator. Forty-six percent said they were unable to offer a rating for Rubio.

Rubio, 41, garnered a higher favorability rating - 49 percent - from those who identified as Republican, while GOPers who align themselves with the Tea Party gave him a much higher favorability rating: 70 percent.

The poll was conducted Thursday through Sunday, days after the Feb. 12 State of the Union.

Rubio has gained plenty of attention since his response to the address, in large part because of the sip of water he took mid-speech. While he has served as fodder for the late-night comedy circuit, Rubio was able to turn the mishap into a financial boon, raising $160,000 by selling more than 5,000 Rubio water bottles through his PAC, Reclaim America, in just one week, a source close to Rubio said.

The Florida senator, who many consider to have presidential ambitions for 2016, has also played a large role in the Senate's push for immigration overhaul. Over the weekend, Rubio described Obama's leaked draft on immigration overhaul as "dead on arrival."

Rubio recently criticized the White House for not reaching out to him to discuss immigration, but the president called Rubio and other Republican senators who are working on an immigration plan Tuesday.

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/publics-view-marco-rubio-mixed-poll-shows-183656348--abc-news-politics.html

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Saturday, February 16, 2013

2013 Starts Off Strong for Sellers: Home Prices & Sales Both Way ...

February 15, 2013

The Redfin Real-Time Price Tracker is a monthly report on home prices, sales and inventory across 19 U.S. markets, published weeks before any other index, based on the local databases used directly by real estate agents to list properties and record sales.


Home sales got off to a strong start this year, rising 12 percent from a year ago and marking the strongest January in at least four years. Prices were up as well, 10 percent higher than January 2012, while listings continued to struggle, losing more than a third from last year?s already anemic level. Meanwhile, the percentage of homes that were under contract within two weeks of their debut shot up from 26 percent in December to 30 percent in January?the highest point since we began tracking this number in January 2010.

The key metrics across 19 major metropolitan markets are:

  • Home sales fell 20% from December, but had the strongest January in at least four years, rising 12% from a year ago.
  • Home prices in January increased 10% year over year, but fell slightly month-over-month, losing 2.5% from December (a dip in prices is common this time of year).
  • The number of homes for sale declined 33.4% from January 2012 to January 2013 (slightly worse still than the 33.0% drop in December), and fell by 0.9% since December.
  • After ten months in the 26%-27% range, the percentage of listings that were under contract within 14 days of their debut shot up to 30.3%.

Despite the fact that selection is still slim and has not yet shown any sign of making gains this year, buyers are already out in force. With January data this strong, it looks like we?re going to be in for a spring homebuying season even more hectic than last year.

Sales Volume Begins 2013 With Double Digit Gains Over 2012

Home sales dropped between December and January, as they always do. More importantly, sales shot back up to double-digit year-over-year gains, coming in 12 percent above 2012.

Fifteen of the 19 markets we track saw sales increase from a year ago. No markets saw a month-over-month gain in sales.

January 2013 Changes in Closed Sales of Single-Family Homes
Metropolitan Statistical Area # of Houses Sold Yearly Change Monthly Change
Austin 1,284 35.3% -24.6%
Baltimore 1,084 3.0% -23.0%
Boston 1,875 40.2% -28.1%
Chicago 4,354 49.8% -11.3%
Denver 2,245 41.1% -15.6%
Inland Empire 4,441 5.1% -11.8%
Las Vegas 2,642 -11.7% -18.0%
Long Island 1,662 19.8% -16.5%
Los Angeles 5,901 18.4% -28.4%
Philadelphia 2,186 18.8% -20.0%
Phoenix 5,749 -8.4% -13.4%
Portland 1,677 22.1% -21.9%
Sacramento 1,425 -31.5% -23.5%
San Diego 1,907 21.9% -23.0%
San Francisco 2,587 14.0% -17.7%
San Jose 787 -7.0% -39.0%
Seattle 2,604 30.9% -22.3%
Ventura 467 13.1% -31.3%
Washington 2,602 14.4% -18.0%
National 47,479 12.1% -19.9%

Home Prices Up from 2012 in 17 of 19 Cities

Nationally, home prices in January were 10.1 percent higher than a year earlier. This is the tenth month in a row that national prices have increased year-over-year. National prices fell again month-over-month, losing 2.5 percent from December. Eight of the 19 metro areas that Redfin measures saw month-over-month increases in January, up from seven metros showing an increase in December.

Phoenix and Las Vegas lead the pack in year-over-year price increases, gaining 31 percent and 26 percent, respectively. Long Island and Philadelphia both lost ground from 2012, dropping 1.9 percent and 0.3 percent.

January 2013 Changes in Median $/Square Foot, Single-Family Homes
Metropolitan Statistical Area Median $/SqFt Yearly Change Monthly Change
Austin $104 8.7% -2.0%
Baltimore $164 8.1% 2.7%
Boston $197 1.9% -3.4%
Chicago $99 1.6% -2.0%
Denver $143 9.4% -0.9%
Inland Empire $113 18.2% 1.1%
Las Vegas $82 25.5% 3.0%
Long Island $240 -1.9% -4.5%
Los Angeles $259 12.0% -2.0%
Philadelphia $126 -0.3% -0.6%
Phoenix $93 31.0% 2.0%
Portland $144 12.7% 1.1%
Sacramento $134 27.1% 0.6%
San Diego $222 12.7% 0.1%
San Francisco $268 14.8% -9.1%
San Jose $347 18.9% -6.8%
Seattle $150 11.6% -4.7%
Ventura $241 10.3% 2.1%
Washington $176 6.7% -3.4%
National $177 10.1% -2.5%

Inventory Starts the Year Down a Third From 2012

The selection of homes on the market shrank yet again in January as the total number of homes for sale fell 33.4 percent compared to a year earlier. Inventory has now been dropping year-over-year for 23 months in a row. The one silver lining in this month?s data is that the December to January drop was ?only? 0.9 percent.

January 2013 Changes in Number of Single-Family Homes for Sale
Metropolitan Statistical Area # of Houses for Sale Yearly Change Monthly Change
Austin 4,361 -29.7% -7.1%
Baltimore 5,426 -23.0% -3.1%
Boston 6,570 -43.3% -14.9%
Chicago 26,989 -13.0% -3.1%
Denver 4,712 -36.1% -5.9%
Inland Empire 8,344 -54.7% 4.5%
Las Vegas 12,832 -28.1% -1.6%
Long Island 12,316 -19.6% 0.4%
Los Angeles 9,821 -57.3% 10.7%
Philadelphia 18,020 ? -1.0%
Phoenix 16,768 -2.5% 1.0%
Portland 5,830 -29.5% -3.8%
Sacramento 2,753 -70.0% 3.8%
San Diego 3,323 -52.4% 9.1%
San Francisco 2,266 -63.7% 15.3%
San Jose 792 -61.2% 22.8%
Seattle 6,692 -44.5% -0.7%
Ventura 818 -60.3% 11.4%
Washington 8,049 -30.8% -4.5%
National 156,682 -33.4% -0.9%

Sudden Spike in Percent of Listings Selling Within Two Weeks

From January 1 through 27 (14 days before the data was collected), 30.3 percent of new listings were under contract in two weeks or less, a sudden jump of four percentage points over December. This number is likely to increase even more over the next few months, leading to an intense spring for homebuyers.

% of Listings Under Contract in 14 Days
Metropolitan Statistical Area % Sold within 14 Days of Debut
Austin 38.2%
Baltimore 23.5%
Boston 4.2%
Chicago 11.7%
Denver 40.9%
Inland Empire 43.2%
Las Vegas 13.2%
Long Island 7.1%
Los Angeles 45.7%
Philadelphia 8.1%
Phoenix 30.9%
Portland 31.0%
Sacramento 8.5%
San Diego 42.9%
San Francisco 54.6%
San Jose 62.9%
Seattle 36.3%
Ventura 47.4%
Washington 39.1%
National 30.3%

About the Real-Time Home Price Tracker

Redfin?s monthly report on home prices, inventory levels and sales volume is an up-to-date, accurate portrait of the U.S. real estate market, coming weeks or months ahead of other market reports. As a broker with access to dozens of Multiple Listing Services (MLSs) used by real estate agents to list properties and record sales, Redfin gets data within minutes of a sale, pending sale or listing activation, well before any government, media or analytics organization. Using MLS fields, Redfin is able to distinguish houses from condominiums and townhouses ? which often sell for less money.

To validate the accuracy of the data and to account for sales not handled by a real estate agent, Redfin compares MLS data with county records as they become available, using sophisticated algorithms to identify and resolve disparities about square footage or price for each address. Full data may be downloaded in a spreadsheet, and the report methodology is available as an Adobe document.


Source: http://blog.redfin.com/blog/2013/02/2013_starts_off_strong_for_sellers_home_prices_sales_both_way_up.html

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Friday, February 15, 2013

Personality plus: Researchers find link to energy rates

Feb. 14, 2013 ? People with a more resilient personality profile are more likely to have greater energy levels.

That's one of the conclusions from a four-year research project led by Antonio Terracciano, associate professor of geriatrics at the Florida State University College of Medicine. His findings are outlined in "Personality, Metabolic Rate and Aerobic Capacity," published in PLOS ONE, a peer-reviewed, open access journal.

With funding from the National Institute on Aging (NIA), Terracciano, College of Medicine Assistant Professor Angelina Sutin and NIA colleagues studied the relationship between personality, metabolic rate and aerobic capacity.

Past studies have demonstrated that personality traits and cardiorespiratory fitness in older adults are reliable predictors of health and longevity. But Terracciano wanted to know more about the link between psychological traits and cardiorespiratory fitness. Could it be that certain personality traits predict the extent of a person's cardiorespiratory fitness?

Or, to take it a step further, are certain personality traits more desirable when it comes to leading a longer, healthier life?

"We tested implicit assumptions that individuals with certain personality dispositions have different metabolic and energetic profiles," Terracciano said. "For example, do those who are assertive and bold expend more energy? Do those who are depressed or emotionally vulnerable have a lower aerobic capacity and less energy? And do conscientious individuals with an active and healthy lifestyle have more energy?"

The answer, on all counts, appears to be yes.

The results indicate that a person's basic rate of metabolism is mostly unrelated to their personality traits. However, a resilient personality profile makes a difference when it comes to aerobic capacity or maximal sustained energy expenditure. The study involved 642 participants, ages 31 to 96, all part of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging, an ongoing multidisciplinary study at the NIA.

Terracciano and his team assessed personality traits to include measures of neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness. Lower scores on neuroticism and higher scores on the other four dimensions are thought to be a more resilient personality profile.

Subjects were tested to measure their energy expenditure at rest and at normal and maximal sustained walking speeds. Those identified as more neurotic required a longer time to complete the walking task and had lower aerobic capacity.

Conversely, those who scored lower for neuroticism and higher for conscientiousness, extraversion or openness had better aerobic capacity and required less energy to complete the same distance.

"Those with a more resilient personality profile were not just faster and with greater aerobic capacity, but they were also more efficient in their energy expenditure while walking," Terracciano said. "That is, they could go faster while using relatively less energy.

"Of the five domains of personality, we found no association with agreeableness," Terracciano said. "This is somewhat surprising given that antagonistic individuals are likely to engage in health risk behaviors, such as smoking, and they tend to have thicker arteries and are at greater risk of cardiovascular disease."

The results may indicate that aerobic capacity is one mechanism through which our personality traits contribute to better health and longevity. Also, greater aerobic capacity in an individual may be a factor in shaping his or her personality, especially when it comes to behaviors that require a higher level of energy, such as extraversion.

Furthermore, the findings suggest potential pathways through which our personality is linked to health outcomes, such as obesity and longevity.

Terracciano said the results highlight the links between personality traits and cardiorespiratory fitness in older adults.

"Both are powerful predictors of disability and mortality," he said. "I believe this study is informative on the role of psychological traits in lifestyles that are associated with successful aging."

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Florida State University, via Newswise.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.


Journal Reference:

  1. Antonio Terracciano, Jennifer A. Schrack, Angelina R. Sutin, Wayne Chan, Eleanor M. Simonsick, Luigi Ferrucci. Personality, Metabolic Rate and Aerobic Capacity. PLoS ONE, 2013; 8 (1): e54746 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0054746

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/KNU3pTMgad8/130214120516.htm

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Y!: Hamilton admits to juicing -- veggies, not PEDs

(AP)Slugger Josh Hamilton reported to Los Angeles Angels spring training Tuesday for the first time since coming over from the Texas Rangers via free agency. Hamilton and Albert Pujols in the same camp ? in the same lineup! The power. When they met, it must have been like the manly embrace that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers shared at the beginning of "Predator." Just glistening biceps, legal testosterone and vaguely uncomfortable brotherly admiration.

And, at age 31, Hamilton has come in at least 20 pounds lighter than usual, reports Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. How'd he do it? Juicing, of course:

The weight loss began as part of a fast Hamilton underwent for his church, he said. He gave up bread.

"The Lord kept waking me up in the middle of the night over a month and every time I'd wake up there'd be a doctor on [TV] talking about what you put in your body and how it makes you feel," Hamilton said. "And then the juice lady was on. It was like, all right, I always pray the Lord will help me feel better. Well, that's all great, but am I doing my part? Now its time for me to do my part."

[Also: King Felix gets his contract; Clay Buchholz gets hurt]

By juicing, he meant fruit and vegetable juice, not PEDs. Phew. No need for a spit take. Hamilton could have just had a V8, but why stop at one?! And by "juice lady," Hamilton might literally mean "The Juice Lady," noted nutrition author Cherie Calbom. Based on the themes of this infomercial ? spirituality and healthy eating ? it seems that two of Hamilton's worlds have collided:

Did you watch the whole thing? Of course you did. It lines up perfectly for Hamilton, a deeply spiritual recovering addict, in the post-rehab stage of his life. It might seem like a strange revelation for an experienced professional athlete like Hamilton ? "Hey, I need to come into camp in shape!" ? but it's a good sign that he's aware of his limitations increasing as he gets older. Maybe this health kick will head off a future injury that Rangers fans had gotten used to seeing.

And here's that "Predator" scene (mildly NSFW). Pujols, you son of a gun!

Pitchers and catchers are reporting!
Follow @AnswerDave, @MikeOz, @Townie813 and @bigleaguestew, on Twitter,
along with the BLS Facebook page!

Fantasy Baseball video from Yahoo! Sports

Other popular content on Yahoo! Sports:
? Kentucky's Nerlens Noel has torn ACL, out for season
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Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/josh-hamilton-thanks-juice-lady-infomercial-god-weight-190624506--mlb.html

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Native name
Conventional long nameFederal Republic of Germany
Common nameGermany
National mottoUnity and Justice and Freedom
National anthemThe third stanza of Song of the Germans
Image coatCoat of Arms of Germany.svg
Map caption
Official languagesGerman
DemonymGerman
Ethnic groups81% Germans,7% other Europeans,4% Turks,2% Asian,6% others
CapitalBerlin
Largest citycapital
Government typeFederal parliamentary constitutional republic
Leader title1President
Leader name1Joachim Gauck
Leader title2Chancellor
Leader name2Angela Merkel
Leader title3President of the Bundestag
Leader name3Norbert Lammert
Leader title4President of the Bundesrat
Leader name4Winfried Kretschmann
Legislature
Upper houseBundesrat
Lower houseBundestag
Sovereignty typeFormation
Established event1Holy Roman Empire
Established date12 February 962
Established event2Unification
Established date218 January 1871
Established event3Federal Republic
Established date323 May 1949
Established event4Reunification
Established date43 October 1990
Accessioneudate25 March 1957
Euseats99
Area km2357,021
Area sq mi137,847
Area rank63rd
Area magnitude1 E11
Percent water2.416
Population estimate81,799,600
Population estimate year2010
Population estimate rank16th
Population estimate rank16th
Population density km2229
Population density sq mi593
Population density rank57th
Gdp ppp year2012
Gdp ppp$3.194 trillion
Gdp ppp rank5th
Gdp ppp per capita$39,059
Gdp ppp per capita rank17th
Gdp nominal$3.367 trillion
Gdp nominal rank4th
Gdp nominal per capita rank19th
Gdp nominal year2012
Gdp nominal per capita$41,168
Hdi year2011
Hdi 0.905
Hdi rank9th
Hdi categoryvery?high
Gini27
Gini year2006
Gini categorylow
CurrencyEuro (?)
Currency codeEUR
Time zoneCET
Utc offset+1
Time zone dstCEST
Utc offset dst+2
Drives onright
Cctld.de
Calling code49
Iso 3166-1 alpha2DE
Iso 3166-1 alpha3DEU
Iso 3166-1 numeric?
Alt sport codeGER
Vehicle codeD
Aircraft codeD
Footnote1 Danish, Low German, Sorbian, Romany and Frisian are officially recognised by the ECRML.
Footnote2 The .eu domain is also used, as it is shared with other European Union member states. }}

Germany (; ), officially the Federal Republic of Germany (, ), is a federal parliamentary republic in west-central Europe. The country consists of 16 states, and its capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of and has a largely temperate seasonal climate. With 81.8?million inhabitants, it is the most populous member state in the European Union. Germany is one of the major political and economic powers of the European continent and a historic leader in many theoretical and technical fields.

A region named Germania, inhabited by several Germanic peoples, was documented before AD?100. During the Migration Period, the Germanic tribes expanded southward and established successor kingdoms throughout much of Europe. Beginning in the 10th century, German territories formed a central part of the Holy Roman Empire. During the 16th century, northern German regions became the centre of the Protestant Reformation while southern and western parts remained dominated by Roman Catholic denominations, with the two factions clashing in the Thirty Years' War, marking the beginning of the Catholic?Protestant divide that has characterized German society ever since. Occupied during the Napoleonic Wars, the rise of Pan-Germanism inside the German Confederation resulted in the unification of most of the German states in 1871 into the German Empire, which was Prussian dominated.

After the German Revolution of 1918?1919 and the subsequent military surrender in World War I, the Empire was replaced by the parliamentary Weimar Republic in 1918, and some of its territory partitioned in the Treaty of Versailles. Despite its lead in many scientific and artistic fields at this time, amidst the Great Depression, the Third Reich was established in 1933. The latter period was marked by fascism and World War II. After 1945, Germany was divided by allied occupation, and evolved into two states, East Germany and West Germany. In 1990, the country was reunified.

Germany was a founding member of the European Community in 1957, which became the EU in 1993. It is part of the Schengen Area and since 1999 a member of the euro area. Germany is a great power and member of the United Nations, NATO, the G8, the G20, the OECD and the Council of Europe, and took a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2011?2012 term.

Germany has the world's fourth largest economy by nominal GDP and the fifth largest by purchasing power parity. Germany is the second largest exporter and third largest importer of goods. The country has developed a very high standard of living and features a comprehensive system of social security; the country has the world's oldest universal health care system. Germany has been the home of many influential philosophers, music composers, scientists and inventors, and is known for its cultural and political history.

==Etymology== The English word Germany derives from the Latin Germania, which came into use after Julius Caesar adopted it for the peoples east of the Rhine. The German term Deutschland (originally diutisciu land, "the German lands") is derived from deutsch, descended from Old High German diutisc "popular" (i.e. belonging to the diot or diota "people"), originally used to distinguish the language of the common people from Latin and its Romance descendants. This in turn descends from Proto-Germanic *?iudiskaz "popular" (see also the Latinised form Theodiscus), derived from *?eud?, descended from Proto-Indo-European *tewt?h?- "people".

History

Germanic tribes and Frankish Empire

The Germanic tribes are thought to date from the Nordic Bronze Age or the Pre-Roman Iron Age. From southern Scandinavia and north Germany, they expanded south, east and west from the 1st century?BC, coming into contact with the Celtic tribes of Gaul as well as Iranian, Baltic, and Slavic tribes in Central and Eastern Europe. Under Augustus, the Roman General Publius Quinctilius Varus began to invade Germania (an area extending roughly from the Rhine to the Ural Mountains). In AD?9, three Roman legions led by Varus were defeated by the Cheruscan leader Arminius. By AD?100, when Tacitus wrote Germania, Germanic tribes had settled along the Rhine and the Danube (the Limes Germanicus), occupying most of the area of modern Germany; Austria, southern Bavaria and the western Rhineland, however, were Roman provinces.

In the 3rd century a number of large West Germanic tribes emerged: Alemanni, Franks, Chatti, Saxons, Frisii, Sicambri, and Thuringii. Around 260, the Germanic peoples broke into Roman-controlled lands. After the invasion of the Huns in 375, and with the decline of Rome from 395, Germanic tribes moved further south-west. Simultaneously several large tribes formed in what is now Germany and displaced the smaller Germanic tribes. Large areas (known since the Merovingian period as Austrasia) were occupied by the Franks, and Northern Germany was ruled by the Saxons and Slavs.

Holy Roman Empire

On 25 December 800, the Frankish king Charlemagne was crowned emperor and founded the Carolingian Empire, which was divided in 843. The Holy Roman Empire resulted from the eastern portion of this division. Its territory stretched from the Eider River in the north to the Mediterranean coast in the south. Under the reign of the Ottonian emperors (919?1024), several major duchies were consolidated, and the German king was crowned Holy Roman Emperor of these regions in 962. The Holy Roman Empire absorbed northern Italy and Burgundy under the reign of the Salian emperors (1024?1125), although the emperors lost power through the Investiture Controversy.

Under the Hohenstaufen emperors (1138?1254), the German princes increased their influence further south and east into territories inhabited by Slavs, preceding German settlement in these areas and further east (Ostsiedlung). Northern German towns grew prosperous as members of the Hanseatic League. Starting with the Great Famine in 1315, then the Black Death of 1348?50, the population of Germany plummeted. The edict of the Golden Bull in 1356 provided the basic constitution of the empire and codified the election of the emperor by seven prince-electors who ruled some of the most powerful principalities and archbishoprics.

Martin Luther publicised The Ninety-Five Theses in 1517 in Wittenberg, challenging the Roman Catholic Church and initiating the Protestant Reformation. A separate Lutheran church became the official religion in many German states after 1530. Religious conflict led to the Thirty Years' War (1618?1648), which devastated German lands. The population of the German states was reduced by about 30%. The Peace of Westphalia (1648) ended religious warfare among the German states, but the empire was de facto divided into numerous independent principalities. In the 18th century, the Holy Roman Empire consisted of approximately 1,800 such territories. From 1740 onwards, dualism between the Austrian Habsburg Monarchy and the Kingdom of Prussia dominated German history. In 1806, the Imperium was overrun and dissolved as a result of the Napoleonic Wars.

German Confederation and Empire

Following the fall of Napoleon, the Congress of Vienna convened in 1814 and founded the German Confederation (Deutscher Bund), a loose league of 39 sovereign states. Disagreement with restoration politics partly led to the rise of liberal movements, followed by new measures of repression by Austrian statesman Metternich. The Zollverein, a tariff union, furthered economic unity in the German states. National and liberal ideals of the French Revolution gained increasing support among many, especially young, Germans. In the light of a series of revolutionary movements in Europe, which established a republic in France, intellectuals and commoners started the Revolutions of 1848 in the German states. King Frederick William IV of Prussia was offered the title of Emperor, but with a loss of power; he rejected the crown and the proposed constitution, leading to a temporary setback for the movement.

Conflict between King William I of Prussia and the increasingly liberal parliament erupted over military reforms in 1862, and the king appointed Otto von Bismarck the new Minister President of Prussia. Bismarck successfully waged war on Denmark in 1864. Prussian victory in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 enabled him to create the North German Confederation (Norddeutscher Bund) and to exclude Austria, formerly the leading German state, from the federation's affairs. After the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, the German Empire was proclaimed in 1871 in Versailles, uniting all scattered parts of Germany except Austria (, or "Lesser Germany"). With almost two-thirds of its territory and population, Prussia was the dominating constituent of the new state; the Hohenzollern King of Prussia ruled as its concurrent Emperor, and Berlin became its capital. In the period following the unification of Germany, Bismarck's foreign policy as Chancellor of Germany under Emperor William I secured Germany's position as a great nation by forging alliances, isolating France by diplomatic means, and avoiding war. Under Wilhelm II, however, Germany, like other European powers, took an imperialistic course leading to friction with neighbouring countries. As a result of the Berlin Conference in 1884 Germany claimed several colonies including German East Africa, German South-West Africa, Togo, and Cameroon. Most alliances in which Germany had previously been involved were not renewed, and new alliances excluded the country.

The assassination of Austria's crown prince on 28 June 1914 triggered World War I. Germany, as part of the Central Powers, suffered defeat against the Allies in one of the bloodiest conflicts of all time. An estimated two million German soldiers died in World War I. The German Revolution broke out in November 1918, and Emperor Wilhelm II and all German ruling princes abdicated. An armistice ended the war on 11 November, and Germany was forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles in June 1919. The treaty was perceived in Germany as a humiliating continuation of the war, and is often cited as an influence in the rise of Nazism.

Weimar Republic and Nazi Regime

At the beginning of the German Revolution in November 1918, Germany was declared a republic. However, the struggle for power continued, with radical-left Communists seizing power in Bavaria. The revolution came to an end on 11 August 1919, when the democratic Weimar Constitution was signed by President Friedrich Ebert. Suffering from the Great Depression of 1929, the harsh peace conditions dictated by the Treaty of Versailles, and a long succession of unstable governments, Germans increasingly lacked identification with the government. This was exacerbated by a widespread right-wing , or stab-in-the-back legend, which argued that Germany had lost World War I because of those who wanted to overthrow the government. The Weimar government was accused of betraying Germany by signing the Versailles Treaty. By 1932, the German Communist Party and the Nazi Party controlled the majority of Parliament, fuelled by discontent with the Weimar government. After a series of unsuccessful cabinets, President Paul von Hindenburg appointed Adolf Hitler as Chancellor of Germany on 30 January 1933. On 27 February 1933 the Reichstag building went up in flames, and a consequent emergency decree abrogated basic citizens' rights. An enabling act passed in parliament gave Hitler unrestricted legislative power. Only the Social Democratic Party voted against it, while Communist MPs had already been imprisoned. Using his powers to crush any actual or potential resistance, Hitler established a centralised totalitarian state within months. Industry was revitalised with a focus on military rearmament.

In 1935, Germany reacquired control of the Saar and in 1936 military control of the Rhineland, both of which had been lost in the Treaty of Versailles. In 1938, Austria was annexed, and in 1939, Czechoslovakia was brought under German control. The invasion of Poland was prepared through the Molotov?Ribbentrop pact and Operation Himmler. On 1 September 1939 the German Wehrmacht launched a blitzkrieg on Poland, which was swiftly occupied by Germany and by the Soviet Red Army. The UK and France declared war on Germany, marking the beginning of World War II. As the war progressed, Germany and its allies quickly gained control of most of continental Europe and North Africa, though plans to force the United Kingdom to an armistice or surrender failed. On 22 June 1941, Germany broke the Molotov?Ribbentrop pact and invaded the Soviet Union. Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor led Germany to declare war on the United States. The Battle of Stalingrad forced the German army to retreat on the Eastern front. In September 1943, Germany's ally Italy surrendered, and German troops were forced to defend an additional front in Italy. D-Day opened a Western front, as Allied forces advanced towards German territory. On 8 May 1945, the German armed forces surrendered after the Red Army occupied Berlin.

In what later became known as The Holocaust, the Third Reich regime had enacted policies directly subjugating many dissidents and minorities. Millions of people were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust, including several million Jews, Romani people, Jehovah's Witnesses, Slavic people, Soviet POWs, people with mental and/or physical disabilities, homosexuals, and members of the political and religious opposition. World War II was responsible for more than 40?million dead in Europe. The Nuremberg trials of Nazi war criminals were held after World War II. The war casualties for Germany are estimated at 5.3 million German soldiers millions of German civilians; and losing the war resulted in large territorial losses; the expulsion of about 15?million ethnic Germans from former eastern territories of Germany and other formerly occupied European countries; mass rape of German women; and the destruction of numerous major cities.

East and West Germany

After the surrender of Germany, the remaining German territory and Berlin were partitioned by the Allies into four military occupation zones. Together, these zones accepted more than 6.5 million of the ethnic Germans expelled from eastern areas. The western sectors, controlled by France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, were merged on 23 May 1949 to form the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesrepublik Deutschland); on 7 October 1949, the Soviet Zone became the German Democratic Republic (Deutsche Demokratische Republik, or DDR). They were informally known as "West Germany" and "East Germany". East Germany selected East Berlin as its capital, while West Germany chose Bonn as a provisional capital, to emphasise its stance that the two-state solution was an artificial and temporary status quo.

West Germany, established as a federal parliamentary republic with a "social market economy", was allied with the United States, the UK and France. The country enjoyed prolonged economic growth beginning in the early 1950s (). West Germany joined NATO in 1955 and was a founding member of the European Economic Community in 1957. East Germany was an Eastern Bloc state under political and military control by the USSR via the latter's occupation forces and the Warsaw Pact. Though East Germany claimed to be a democracy, political power was exercised solely by leading members (Politb?ro) of the communist-controlled Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED), supported by the Stasi, an immense secret service, and a variety of sub-organisations controlling every aspect of society. A Soviet-style command economy was set up; the GDR later became a Comecon state. While East German propaganda was based on the benefits of the GDR's social programmes and the alleged constant threat of a West German invasion, many of her citizens looked to the West for freedom and prosperity. The Berlin Wall, built in 1961 to stop East Germans from escaping to West Germany, became a symbol of the Cold War, hence its fall in 1989, following democratic reforms in Poland and Hungary, became a symbol of the Fall of Communism, German Reunification and Die Wende.

Tensions between East and West Germany were reduced in the early 1970s by Chancellor Willy Brandt's . In summer 1989, Hungary decided to dismantle the Iron Curtain and open the borders, causing the emigration of thousands of East Germans to West Germany via Hungary. This had devastating effects on the GDR, where regular mass demonstrations received increasing support. The East German authorities unexpectedly eased the border restrictions, allowing East German citizens to travel to the West; originally intended to help retain East Germany as a state, the opening of the border actually led to an acceleration of the Wende reform process. This culminated in the Two Plus Four Treaty a year later on 12 September 1990, under which the four occupying powers renounced their rights under the Instrument of Surrender, and Germany regained full sovereignty. This permitted German reunification on 3 October 1990, with the accession of the five re-established states of the former GDR (new states or "neue L?nder").

German reunification and the EU

Based on the Berlin/Bonn Act, adopted on 10 March 1994, Berlin once again became the capital of the reunified Germany, while Bonn obtained the unique status of a Bundesstadt (federal city) retaining some federal ministries. The relocation of the government was completed in 1999. Since reunification, Germany has taken a more active role in the European Union and NATO. Germany sent a peacekeeping force to secure stability in the Balkans and sent a force of German troops to Afghanistan as part of a NATO effort to provide security in that country after the ousting of the Taliban. These deployments were controversial since, after the war, Germany was bound by domestic law only to deploy troops for defence roles. In 2005, Angela Merkel became the first female Chancellor of Germany as the leader of a grand coalition.

Geography

Germany is in Western and Central Europe, with Denmark bordering to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, France and Luxembourg to the southwest, and Belgium and the Netherlands to the northwest. It lies mostly between latitudes 47? and 55? N (the tip of Sylt is just north of 55?), and longitudes 5? and 16? E. The territory covers , consisting of of land and of water. It is the seventh largest country by area in Europe and the 62nd largest in the world.

Elevation ranges from the mountains of the Alps (highest point: the Zugspitze at ) in the south to the shores of the North Sea (Nordsee) in the northwest and the Baltic Sea (Ostsee) in the northeast. The forested uplands of central Germany and the lowlands of northern Germany (lowest point: Wilstermarsch at below sea level) are traversed by such major rivers as the Rhine, Danube and Elbe. Glaciers are found in the Alpine region, but are experiencing deglaciation. Significant natural resources are iron ore, coal, potash, timber, lignite, uranium, copper, natural gas, salt, nickel, arable land and water.

Climate

Most of Germany has a temperate seasonal climate in which humid westerly winds predominate. The climate is moderated by the North Atlantic Drift, the northern extension of the Gulf Stream. This warmer water affects the areas bordering the North Sea; consequently in the northwest and the north the climate is oceanic. Rainfall occurs year-round, especially in the summer. Winters are mild and summers tend to be cool, though temperatures can exceed .

The east has a more continental climate; winters can be very cold and summers very warm, and long dry periods are frequent. Central and southern Germany are transition regions which vary from moderately oceanic to continental. In addition to the maritime and continental climates that predominate over most of the country, the Alpine regions in the extreme south and, to a lesser degree, some areas of the Central German Uplands have a mountain climate, characterised by lower temperatures and greater precipitation.

Biodiversity

The territory of Germany can be subdivided into two ecoregions: European-Mediterranean montane mixed forests and Northeast-Atlantic shelf marine. the majority of Germany is covered by either arable land (34%) or forest and woodland (30.1%); only 13.4% of the area consists of permanent pastures, 11.8% is covered by settlements and streets.

Plants and animals are those generally common to middle Europe. Beeches, oaks, and other deciduous trees constitute one-third of the forests; conifers are increasing as a result of reforestation. Spruce and fir trees predominate in the upper mountains, while pine and larch are found in sandy soil. There are many species of ferns, flowers, fungi, and mosses. Wild animals include deer, wild boar, mouflon, fox, badger, hare, and small numbers of beavers.

The national parks in Germany include the Wadden Sea National Parks, the Jasmund National Park, the Vorpommern Lagoon Area National Park, the M?ritz National Park, the Lower Oder Valley National Park, the Harz National Park, the Saxon Switzerland National Park and the Bavarian Forest National Park. More than 400 registered zoos and animal parks operate in Germany, which is believed to be the largest number in any country. The Zoologische Garten Berlin is the oldest zoo in Germany and presents the most comprehensive collection of species in the world.

Politics

Germany is a federal, parliamentary, representative democratic republic. The German political system operates under a framework laid out in the 1949 constitutional document known as the Grundgesetz (Basic Law). Amendments generally require a two-thirds majority of both chambers of parliament; the fundamental principles of the constitution, as expressed in the articles guaranteeing human dignity, the separation of powers, the federal structure, and the rule of law are valid in perpetuity.

The president is the head of state and invested primarily with representative responsibilities and powers. He is elected by the Bundesversammlung (federal convention), an institution consisting of the members of the Bundestag and an equal number of state delegates. The second-highest official in the German order of precedence is the Bundestagspr?sident (President of the Bundestag), who is elected by the Bundestag and responsible for overseeing the daily sessions of the body. The third-highest official and the head of government is the Chancellor, who is appointed by the Bundespr?sident after being elected by the Bundestag.

The chancellor, currently Angela Merkel, is the head of government and exercises executive power, similar to the role of a Prime Minister in other parliamentary democracies. Federal legislative power is vested in the parliament consisting of the Bundestag (Federal Diet) and Bundesrat (Federal Council), which together form the legislative body. The Bundestag is elected through direct elections, by proportional representation (mixed-member). The members of the Bundesrat represent the governments of the sixteen federated states and are members of the state cabinets.

Since 1949, the party system has been dominated by the Christian Democratic Union and the Social Democratic Party of Germany. So far every chancellor has been a member of one of these parties. However, the smaller liberal Free Democratic Party (which has had members in the Bundestag since 1949) and the Alliance '90/The Greens (which has had seats in parliament since 1983) have also played important roles.

Germany has a civil law system based on Roman law with some references to Germanic law. The Bundesverfassungsgericht (Federal Constitutional Court) is the German Supreme Court responsible for constitutional matters, with power of judicial review. Germany's supreme court system, called Oberste Gerichtsh?fe des Bundes, is specialised: for civil and criminal cases, the highest court of appeal is the inquisitorial Federal Court of Justice, and for other affairs the courts are the Federal Labour Court, the Federal Social Court, the Federal Finance Court and the Federal Administrative Court. The V?lkerstrafgesetzbuch regulates the consequences of crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes, and gives German courts universal jurisdiction in some circumstances. Criminal and private laws are codified on the national level in the Strafgesetzbuch and the B?rgerliches Gesetzbuch respectively. The German penal system is aimed towards rehabilitation of the criminal and the protection of the general public. Except for petty crimes, which are tried before a single professional judge, and serious political crimes, all charges are tried before mixed tribunals on which lay judges () sit side by side with professional judges.

Constituent states

Germany comprises sixteen states which are collectively referred to as L?nder. Each state has its own state constitution and is largely autonomous in regard to its internal organisation. Due to differences in size and population the subdivisions of these states vary, especially as between city states (Stadtstaaten) and states with larger territories (Fl?chenl?nder). For regional administrative purposes five states, namely Baden-W?rttemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia and Saxony, consist of a total of 22 Government Districts (Regierungsbezirke). Germany is divided into 403 districts (Kreise) at a municipal level; these consist of 301 rural districts and 102 urban districts.

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Foreign relations

Germany has a network of 229 diplomatic missions abroad and maintains relations with more than 190 countries. it is the largest contributor to the budget of the European Union (providing 20%) and the third largest contributor to the UN (providing 8%). Germany is a member of NATO, the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the G8, the G20, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It has played a leading role in the European Union since its inception and has maintained a strong alliance with France since the end of World War II. Germany seeks to advance the creation of a more unified European political, defence, and security apparatus.

The development policy of the Federal Republic of Germany is an independent area of German foreign policy. It is formulated by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and carried out by the implementing organisations. The German government sees development policy as a joint responsibility of the international community. It is the world's third biggest aid donor after the United States and France.

During the Cold War, Germany's partition by the Iron Curtain made it a symbol of East-West tensions and a political battleground in Europe. However, Willy Brandt's Ostpolitik was a key factor in the d?tente of the 1970s. In 1999, Chancellor Gerhard Schr?der's government defined a new basis for German foreign policy by taking part in the NATO decisions surrounding the Kosovo War and by sending German troops into combat for the first time since World War II. The governments of Germany and the United States are close political allies. The 1948 Marshall Plan and strong cultural ties have crafted a strong bond between the two countries, although Schr?der's vocal opposition to the Iraq War suggested the end of Atlanticism and a relative cooling of German-American relations. The two countries are also economically interdependent: 8.8% of German exports are U.S.-bound and 6.6% of German imports originate from the U.S.

Military

Germany's military, the Bundeswehr, is organized into Heer (Army), Marine (Navy), Luftwaffe (Air Force), Bundeswehr Joint Medical Service and Streitkr?ftebasis (Joint Support Service) branches. , military spending was an estimated 1.3% of the country's GDP, which is low in a ranking of all countries; in absolute terms, German military expenditure is the 9th highest in the world. In peacetime, the Bundeswehr is commanded by the Minister of Defence. If Germany went to war, which according to the constitution is allowed only for defensive purposes, the Chancellor would become commander-in-chief of the Bundeswehr.

the Bundeswehr employs 183,000 professional soldiers and 17,000 volunteers. The German government plans to reduce the number of soldiers to 170,000 professionals and up to 15,000 short-term volunteers (voluntary military service). Reservists are available to the Armed Forces and participate in defence exercises and deployments abroad. , the German military had about 6,900 troops stationed in foreign countries as part of international peacekeeping forces, including about 4,900 Bundeswehr troops in the NATO-led ISAF force in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, 1,150 German soldiers in Kosovo, and 300 troops with UNIFIL in Lebanon.

Until 2011, military service was compulsory for men at age 18, and conscripts served six-month tours of duty; conscientious objectors could instead opt for an equal length of Zivildienst (civilian service), or a six-year commitment to (voluntary) emergency services like a fire department or the Red Cross. On 1 July 2011 conscription was officially suspended and replaced with a voluntary service. Since 2001 women may serve in all functions of service without restriction, but they are not subject to conscription. There are presently some 17,500 women on active duty and a number of female reservists.

Economy

Germany has a social market economy with a highly skilled labour force, a large capital stock, a low level of corruption, and a high level of innovation. It has the largest and most powerful national economy in Europe, the fourth largest by nominal GDP in the world, the fifth largest by PPP, and was the biggest net contributor to the EU budget in 2011. The service sector contributes approximately 71% of the total GDP, industry 28%, and agriculture 1%. The official average national unemployment rate in May 2012 was 6.7%. However, the official average national unemployment rate also includes people with a part-time job that are looking for a full-time job. The unofficial average national unemployment rate in 2011 was 5.7%.

Germany is an advocate of closer European economic and political integration. Its commercial policies are increasingly determined by agreements among European Union (EU) members and by EU legislation. Germany introduced the common European currency, the euro, on 1 January 2002. Its monetary policy is set by the European Central Bank. Two decades after German reunification, standards of living and per capita incomes remain significantly higher in the states of the former West Germany than in the former East. The modernisation and integration of the eastern German economy is a long-term process scheduled to last until the year 2019, with annual transfers from west to east amounting to roughly $80?billion. In January 2009 the German government approved a ?50?billion economic stimulus plan to protect several sectors from a downturn and a subsequent rise in unemployment rates.

Of the world's 500 largest stock-market-listed companies measured by revenue in 2010, the Fortune Global 500, 37 are headquartered in Germany. 30 Germany-based companies are included in the DAX, the German stock market index. Well-known global brands are Mercedes-Benz, BMW, SAP, Siemens, Volkswagen, Adidas, Audi, Allianz, Porsche, Bayer, Bosch, and Nivea. Germany is recognised for its specialised small and medium enterprises. Around 1,000 of these companies are global market leaders in their segment and are labelled hidden champions.

The list includes the largest companies by turnover in 2009. Unranked are the largest bank and the largest insurance company in 2007:

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style="text-align:center;" Rank Name|| Headquarters Revenue(Mil.??) Profit(Mil.??) Employees(World)
1 Volkswagen AG || Wolfsburg 108,897 4,120 329,305
2 Daimler AG || Stuttgart 99,399 3,985 272,382
3 Siemens AG || Munich/Berlin 72,488 3,806 398,200
4 E.ON AG || D?sseldorf 68,731 7,204 87,815
5 Metro AG || D?sseldorf 64,337 825 242,378
6 Deutsche Post AG || Bonn 63,512 1,389 475,100
7 Deutsche Telekom AG || Bonn 62,516 569 241,426
8 BASFBASF SE |>style="text-align:left;"| Ludwigshafen || 57,951 4,065 95,175
9 BMW AG || Munich 56,018 3,126 107,539
10 ThyssenKrupp AG || Essen/Duisburg 51,723 2,102 191,350

Infrastructure

With its central position in Europe, Germany is a transport hub. This is reflected in its dense and modern transport networks. The motorway (Autobahn) network ranks as the third largest worldwide in length and is known for its lack of a general speed limit. Germany has established a polycentric network of high-speed trains. The InterCityExpress or ICE network of the Deutsche Bahn serves major German cities as well as destinations in neighbouring countries with speeds up to 300?kph (186?mph). The largest German airports are Frankfurt Airport and Munich Airport, both hubs of Lufthansa, while Air Berlin has hubs at Berlin Tegel and D?sseldorf. Other major airports include Berlin Sch?nefeld, Hamburg, Cologne/Bonn and Leipzig/Halle. Both airports in Berlin will be consolidated at a site adjacent to Berlin Sch?nefeld, which will become Berlin Brandenburg Airport in 2013.

, Germany was the world's sixth largest consumer of energy, and 60% of its primary energy was imported. Government policy promotes energy conservation and renewable energy. Energy efficiency has been improving since the early 1970s; the government aims to meet the country's electricity demands using 40% renewable sources by 2020 and 100% by 2050. In 2010, energy sources were: oil (33.7%); coal, including lignite (22.9%); natural gas (21.8%); nuclear (10.8%); hydro-electric and wind power (1.5%); and other renewable sources (7.9%). In 2000, the government and the nuclear power industry agreed to phase out all nuclear power plants by 2021. Germany is committed to the Kyoto protocol and several other treaties promoting biodiversity, low emission standards, recycling, and the use of renewable energy, and supports sustainable development at a global level. The German government has initiated wide-ranging emission reduction activities and the country's overall emissions are falling. Nevertheless the country's greenhouse gas emissions were the highest in the EU .

Science and technology

Germany's achievements in the sciences have been significant, and research and development efforts form an integral part of the economy. The Nobel Prize has been awarded to 103 German laureates. For most of the 20th century, German laureates had more awards than those of any other nation, especially in the sciences (physics, chemistry, and physiology or medicine).

The work of Albert Einstein and Max Planck was crucial to the foundation of modern physics, which Werner Heisenberg and Max Born developed further. They were preceded by such key physicists as Hermann von Helmholtz, Joseph von Fraunhofer and Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit, among others. Wilhelm R?ntgen discovered X-rays and was the first winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901. Otto Hahn was a pioneer in the fields of radioactivity and radiochemistry and discovered nuclear fission, while Ferdinand Cohn and Robert Koch were founders of microbiology. Numerous mathematicians were born in Germany, including Carl Friedrich Gauss, David Hilbert, Bernhard Riemann, Gottfried Leibniz, Karl Weierstrass, Hermann Weyl and Felix Klein. Research institutions in Germany include the Max Planck Society, the Helmholtz Association and the Fraunhofer Society. The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize is granted to ten scientists and academics every year. With a maximum of ?2.5?million per award it is one of highest endowed research prizes in the world.

Germany has been the home of many famous inventors and engineers, such as Johannes Gutenberg, credited with the invention of movable type printing in Europe; Hans Geiger, the creator of the Geiger counter; and Konrad Zuse, who built the first fully automatic digital computer. German inventors, engineers and industrialists such as Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, Otto Lilienthal, Gottlieb Daimler, Rudolf Diesel, Hugo Junkers and Karl Benz helped shape modern automotive and air transportation technology. Aerospace engineer Wernher von Braun developed the first space rocket and later on was a prominent member of NASA and developed the Saturn V Moon rocket, which paved the way for the success of the US Apollo program. Heinrich Rudolf Hertz's work in the domain of electromagnetic radiation was pivotal to the development of modern telecommunication.

Germany is one of the leading countries in developing and using green technologies. Companies specializing in green technology have an estimated turnover of ?200 billion. Key sectors of Germany's green technology industry are power generation, sustainable mobility, material efficiency, energy efficiency, waste management and recycling, and sustainable water management.

Demographics

With its estimated population of 81.8?million in January 2010, Germany is the most populous country in the European Union and ranks as the 16th most populous country in the world. Its population density stands at 229.4 inhabitants per square kilometre. The overall life expectancy in Germany at birth is 80.19 years (77.93 years for males and 82.58 years for females). The fertility rate of 1.41 children born per woman (2011 estimates), or 8.33 births per 1000 inhabitants, is one of the lowest in the world. Since the 1970s, Germany's death rate has continuously exceeded its birth rate. The Federal Statistical Office of Germany forecast that the population will shrink to between 65 and 70 million by 2060 (depending on the level of net migration).

Germans by nationality make up 91% of the population of Germany. , about seven million foreign citizens were registered in Germany, and 20% of the country's residents, or more than 16 million people, were of foreign or partially foreign descent (including persons descending or partially descending from ethnic German repatriates), 96% of whom lived in the former West Germany or Berlin.

In 2010, 2.3 million families with children under 18 years were living in Germany, in which at least one parent had foreign roots. They represented 29% of the total of 8.1 million families with minor children. Compared with 2005 ? the year when the microcensus started to collect detailed information on the population with a migrant background ? the proportion of migrant families has risen by 2 percentage points.

Most of the families with a migrant background live in the western part of Germany. In 2010, the proportion of migrant families in all families was 32% in the pre-unification territory of the Federal Republic. This figure was more than double that in the new L?nder (including Berlin) where it stood at 15%.

Families with a migrant background more often have three or more minor children in the household than families without a migrant background. In 2010, about 15% of the families with a migrant background contained three or more minor children, as compared with just 9% of the families without a migrant background.

The United Nations Population Fund lists Germany as host to the third-highest number of international migrants worldwide, about 5% or 10?million of all 191?million migrants. As a consequence of restrictions to Germany's formerly rather unrestricted laws on asylum and immigration, the number of immigrants seeking asylum or claiming German ethnicity (mostly from the former Soviet Union) has been declining steadily since 2000. In 2009, 20% of the population had immigrant roots, the highest since 1945. , the largest national group was from Turkey (2.5?million), followed by Italy (776,000) and Poland (687,000). About 3?million "Aussiedler"?ethnic Germans, mainly from the former eastern bloc?have resettled in Germany since 1987. Most ethnic minorities (especially those of non-European origin) reside in large urban areas like Berlin, Hamburg, Frankfurt Rhine-Main, Rhine-Ruhr, Rhine-Neckar and Munich. The percentage of non-Germans and immigrants is quite low in rural areas and small towns, especially in the former East German states of Brandenburg, Saxony and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Ethnic makeup as of 2010:

! Ethnic Group ! % of Germany's population ! population
88.0 71,935,000
Ethnic German 80.7 65,970,000
2.0 1,654,000
former Soviet Union (primarily Russian Germans, Russians in Germany 1.7 1,400,000
3.6 3,000,000
5.2 4,260,000
4.0 3,260,000
[[Arab League 1.2 1,000,000
[[Asians in Germany 2.0 1,634,000
1.0 817,150
2.0 1,634,000
Other groups (primarily [[the Americas) 1.8 1,470,000
Total population 100 81,715,000

Germany has a number of large cities. The largest conurbation is the Rhine-Ruhr region (11.7?million ), including D?sseldorf (the capital of North Rhine-Westphalia), Cologne, Bonn, Dortmund, Essen, Duisburg, and Bochum.

Religion

Christianity is the largest religion in Germany, with around 51.5?million adherents (62.8%) in 2008. Relative to the whole population, 30.0% of Germans are Catholics, 29.9% are Protestants belonging to the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD), and the remaining Christians belong to smaller denominations each with less than 0.5% of the German population. Protestantism is concentrated in the north and east and [[Roman Catholicism in Germany|Roman Catholicism]] is concentrated in the south and west; 1.6% of the country's overall population declare themselves Orthodox Christians.

The second largest religion is Islam with an estimated 3.8 to 4.3?million adherents (4.6% to 5.2%), followed by Buddhism with 250,000 and Judaism with around 200,000 adherents (0.3%); Hinduism has some 90,000 adherents (0.1%). All other religious communities in Germany have fewer than 50,000 adherents. Of the roughly 4?million Muslims, most are Sunnis and Alevites from Turkey, but there are a small number of Shi'ites and other denominations. German Muslims, a large portion of whom are of Turkish origin, lack full official state recognition of their religious community. Germany has Europe's third largest Jewish population (after France and the United Kingdom). Approximately 50% of the Buddhists in Germany are Asian immigrants.

Germans with no stated religious adherence make up 34.1% of the population and are concentrated in the former East Germany and major metropolitan areas. German reunification in 1990 greatly increased the country's non-religious population, a legacy of the state atheism of the previously Soviet-controlled East. Christian church membership has decreased in recent decades, particularly among Protestants.

Languages

German is the official and predominant spoken language in Germany. It is one of 23 official languages in the European Union, and one of the three working languages of the European Commission. Recognised native minority languages in Germany are Danish, Low German, Sorbian, Romany, and Frisian; they are officially protected by the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. The most used immigrant languages are Turkish, Kurdish, Polish, the Balkan languages, and Russian; 67% of German citizens claim to be able to communicate in at least one foreign language and 27% in at least two languages other than their own.

Standard German is a West Germanic language and is closely related to and classified alongside English, Low German, Dutch, and the Frisian languages. To a lesser extent, it is also related to the East (extinct) and North Germanic languages. Most German vocabulary is derived from the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family. Significant minorities of words are derived from Latin and Greek, with a smaller amount from French and most recently English (known as Denglisch). German is written using the Latin alphabet. German dialects, traditional local varieties traced back to the Germanic tribes, are distinguished from varieties of standard German by their lexicon, phonology, and syntax.

Education

Over 99% of Germans age 15 and above are estimated to be able to read and write. However, a growing number of inhabitants are functionally illiterate. Responsibility for educational oversight in Germany lies primarily with the individual federated states. Since the 1960s, a reform movement attempted to unify secondary education in a Gesamtschule (comprehensive school); several West German states later simplified their school system to two or three tiers. A system of apprenticeship called Duale Ausbildung ("dual education") allows pupils in vocational training to learn in a company as well as in a state-run vocational school.

Optional kindergarten education is provided for all children between three and six years old, after which school attendance is compulsory for at least nine years. Primary education usually lasts for four years and public schools are not stratified at this stage. In contrast, secondary education includes three traditional types of schools focused on different levels of academic ability: the Gymnasium enrols the most gifted children and prepares students for university studies; the Realschule for intermediate students lasts six years; the Hauptschule prepares pupils for vocational education.

The general entrance requirement for university is Abitur, a qualification normally based on continuous assessment during the last few years at school and final examinations; however there are a number of exceptions, and precise requirements vary, depending on the state, the university and the subject. Germany's universities are recognised internationally; in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) for 2008, six of the top 100 universities in the world are in Germany, and 18 of the top 200. Nearly all German universities are public institutions, charging tuition fees of ?50?500 per semester for each student.

Health

Germany has the world's oldest universal health care system, dating back to Bismarck's social legislation in 1883. Currently the population is covered by a fairly comprehensive health insurance plan provided by statute. Certain groups of people (lifetime officials, self-employed persons, employees with high income) can opt out of the plan and switch to a private insurance contract. Previously, these groups could also choose to do without insurance, but this option was dropped in 2009. According to the World Health Organization, Germany's health care system was 77% government-funded and 23% privately funded . In 2005, Germany spent 11% of its GDP on health care. Germany ranked 20th in the world in life expectancy with 77 years for men and 82 years for women, and it had a very low infant mortality rate (4 per 1,000 live births).

, the principal cause of death was cardiovascular disease, at 41%, followed by malignant tumours, at 26%. , about 82,000 Germans had been infected with HIV/AIDS and 26,000 had died from the disease (cumulatively, since 1982). According to a 2005 survey, 27% of German adults are smokers.

Culture

From its roots, culture in German states has been shaped by major intellectual and popular currents in Europe, both religious and secular. Historically Germany has been called Das Land der Dichter und Denker ("the land of poets and thinkers"), because of the major role its famous writers and philosophers have played in the development of Western thought and culture.

The federated states are in charge of the cultural institutions. There are 240 subsidised theatres, hundreds of symphonic orchestras, thousands of museums and over 25,000 libraries spread in Germany. These cultural opportunities are enjoyed by many: there are over 91?million German museum visits every year; annually, 20?million go to theatres and operas; 3.6?million per year listen to the symphonic orchestras. As of 2012 the UNESCO inscribed 37 properties in Germany on the World Heritage List.

Germany has established a high level of gender equality, promotes disability rights, and is legally and socially tolerant towards homosexuals. Gays and lesbians can legally adopt their partner's biological children, and civil unions have been permitted since 2001. Germany has also changed its attitude towards immigrants; since the mid-1990s, the government and the majority of Germans have begun to acknowledge that controlled immigration should be allowed based on qualification standards. Germany has been named the world's second most valued nation among 50 countries in 2010. A global opinion poll for the BBC revealed that Germany is recognised for having the most positive influence in the world in 2011.

Arts

Numerous German painters have enjoyed international prestige through their work in diverse artistic styles. Matthias Gr?newald, and Albrecht D?rer were important artists of the Renaissance, Caspar David Friedrich of Romanticism, and Max Ernst of Surrealism. Architectural contributions from Germany include the [[Carolingian architecture">Carolingian and Ottonian styles, which were precursors of Romanesque. The region later became the site of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque art. Germany was particularly important in the early modern movement, especially through the Bauhaus movement founded by Walter Gropius. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe became one of the world's most renowned architects in the second

Source: http://article.wn.com/view/2013/02/14/Collins_earns_Football_Ferns_call_up/

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