Florists in Bitz Germany

German authorities take aim at far-right party's youth wing

Andreas Kalbitz , a member of the party's national leadership, accused other political parties of panicking in the face of AfD's electoral success. AfD's rise since its founding five years ago has shaken Germany's establishment and called into question the country's post-World War II consensus that far-right parties have no place in the mainstream. The party, bolstered by widespread unease in Germany about the influx of more than 1 million refugees since 2015, placed third in last year's national election. Officials are particularly concerned about its strategy in eastern Germany. Kalbitz said the party hopes to become the strongest force there after state elections next year. Saxony - where Chemnitz is located - has an entrenched neo-Nazi scene and seen strong support for AfD. The party encouraged last week's protests, which drew thousands following the Aug. 26 slaying of 35-year-old carpenter Daniel Hillig in Chemnitz. Some of the demonstrations erupted into violence between far-right marchers and counter-protesters. A 22-year-old Iraqi citizen and a 23-year-old Syrian citizen were arrested on suspicion of manslaughter in Hillig's death, police said. Speaking publicly for the first time since her husband's death, Hillig's widow told Germany's daily Bild newspaper that "Daniel would have never wanted" the protests triggered by his killing. "Daniel was neither left nor right," the widow, identified by Bild only as Bianca T., told the newspaper. Expressing shock at how far-right groups exploited her family's loss with protest rallies and a "mourning march" over the weekend, she said: "I looked at the events on Saturday night - this was not about Daniel at all." "All we want to do right now is mourn him in peace," she said. Government officials urged Germans who are upset over the killing to distance themselves from the neo-Nazis who performed the stiff-armed "Hitler salute," chanted "Foreigners out" and harassed journalists covering the demonstrations. "If one doesn't think this way, it would be good to draw a clear line and distance oneself from those who are doing that," said Steffen Seibert, Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman. In an organized response to the far-right marches, tens of thousands of people gathered Monday in Chemnitz for a free, open-air concert by some of Germany's best-known bands. The show was part of efforts to encourage young German...https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/crime/article/Thousands-expected-to-German-concert-against-far-13200978.php

Maren Ade's 'Toni Erdmann' gets 6 German Film Award Nominations ... - Hollywood Reporter

Peter Simonischek. Ade also picked up a Lola nomination in the best screenwriting category. Two films: Chris Kraus' The Flowers of Yesterday, which picked up eight nominations, and Nicolette Krebitz' Wild, with seven noms, technically beat out Toni Erdmann, but neither has garnered the universal critical or audience acclaim in Germany of Ade's film.In the past, the Lolas have often been dominated by male directors, but this year, three of the four best director nominees were women. In addition to Maren Ade, Anne Zohra Berrached was nominated for her drama 24 Weeks, which looks at the struggle of a young couple contemplating aborting their unborn child, and actress-turned-director Nicolette Krebitz picked up a Lola best director nomination for Wild, a drama about a young woman and her wolf that wowed the critics at its premiere in Sundance last year. Chris Kraus was the only male director to pick up a best directing nomination, for his latest, The Flowers of Yesterday.Wild, 24 Weeks and The Flowers of Yesterday were also nominated in the best film category, alongside Toni Erdmann, Fatih Akin's coming-of-age drama Tschick and Welcome to the Hartmanns, a refugee-comedy from director Simon Verhoeven.German culture minister Monika Grutters noted that she has pushed to have more women among on film subsidy boards, the groups that decide which German films to finance."When more woman are on the boards that are making the decisions is a good first step forward," she said. So far, however, Germany has not gone the way of the Swedish and British film subsidy systems and pushed for a de facto quota for female directors.The 1,800 members of the German Film Academy will vote on the winners of this year's Lolas, which will be announced in Berlin on April 28. This year's lifetime achievement award will go to German editor Monika Schindler, whose work includes Free Fall, Night Shapes and The Policewomen. The Lola for the most commercially successful German film of 2016 will be given to Welcome to the Hartmanns.http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/maren-ades-toni-erdmann-leads-german-film-award-nominations-986644

Germany's second-highest traffic bridge opens - DW (English)

Mosel River in western Germany. Within Germany, the new bridge in the Rhineland-Palatinate is second only to the 185-meter-high Kochertal bridge in the southern state of Baden-Württemberg. Read more: World's longest pedestrian suspension bridge opens in Germany's Harz region Authorities expect about 25,000 vehicles a day to cross the bridge that now provides a direct link between the regions of Eifel and Hunsrück. Several hundred people gathered for the bridge's opening on Thursday. Over the weekend, thousands of pedestrians crossed the bridge by foot as part of the opening festivities. "Today is a good day for the Rhineland-Palatinate," said State Premier Malu Dreyer. She added that she was convinced "that the bridge will help advance our economically strong state even further and will strengthen ties between the people in Eifel and Hunsrück." Europe's largest construction project The controversial building project kicked off eight years ago. Some critics argued that the massive bridge would destroy the area's idyllic vineyard landscape, while environmentalists argued it would pollute the ground water. Others spoke out against the cost. The building of the bridge was part of a greater road project that included the construction of an additional 25 kilometers (16 miles) of federal highway. The total project is estimated to havecost €483 million ($535 million), with €175 million dedicated to the bridge alone. Read more: Everything you need to know about the German ...https://www.dw.com/en/germanys-second-highest-traffic-bridge-opens/a-51355455

The perfect destination foHere is why Germany is the perfect destination for your next holidayr your holiday! Discover nature in Germany - Emirates Woman

Black Forest National Park, Baden-Württemberg, South GermanyPerfect for cleansing your lungs. The remarkable feature of this national park is that some areas have been able to develop for more than 100 years without human intervention. This means that all the animals and plants that are found here live in authentic, natural surroundings.You can use Deutsche Bahn trains all over Germany, where it uses 100% green energy. In addition, you can take the InterCity Express for a unique experience, as it is a high-speed train that connects all major cities in Germany with speeds of up to 300 km / hour, and this is one of the fastest ways to reach between Berlin, Hamburg and Cologne!Check out their Instagram: GermanyTourismAr, and Facebook: Germany Tourism Arabia– For more about Dubai’s lifestyle, news and fashion scene straight to your newsfeed, follow us on Facebook Media: Supplied...https://emirateswoman.com/germany/

The Pesticide Industry's Playbook for Poisoning the Earth - The Intercept

The study produced results that echoed what the Americans had found. Drifting clouds of neonicotinoid dust from planting operations caused a series of massive bee die-offs in northern Italy and the Baden-Württemberg region of Germany. Studies have shown neonicotinoids impaired bees’ ability to navigate and forage for food, weakened bee colonies, and made them prone to infestation by parasitic mites. In 2013, the European Union called for a temporary suspension of the most commonly used neonicotinoid-based products on flowering plants, citing the danger posed to bees — an effort that resulted in a permanent ban in 2018. In the U.S., however, industry dug in, seeking not only to discredit the research but to cast pesticide companies as a solution to the problem. Lobbying documents and emails, many of which were obtained through open records requests, show a sophisticated effort over the last decade by the pesticide industry to obstruct any effort to restrict the use of neonicotinoids. Bayer and Syngenta, the largest manufacturers of neonics, and Monsanto, one of the leading producers of seeds pretreated with neonics, cultivated ties with prominent academics, including vanEngelsdorp, and other scientists who had once called for a greater focus on the threat posed by pesticides. Syngenta AG’s headquarters in Basel, Switzerland, on Feb. 4, 2015. Photo: Philipp Schmidli/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesThe companies also sought influence with beekeepers and regulators, and went to great lengths to shape public opinion. Pesticide firms launched new coalitions and seeded foundations with cash to focus on nonpesticide factors in pollinator decline. “Position the industry as an active promoter of bee health, and advance best management practices which emphasize bee safety,” noted an internal planning memo from CropLife America, the lobby group for the largest pesticide companies in America, including Bayer and Syngenta. The ultimate goal of the bee health project, the document noted, was to ensure that member companies maintained market access for neonic products and other systemic pesticides.The planning memo, helmed in part by Syngenta regulatory official John Abbott, charts a variety of strategies for advancing the pesticide industry’s interests, such as, “Challenge EPA on the size and breadth of the pollinator testing program.” CropLife America officials were also tapped to “proactively shape the conversation in the new media realm with respect to pollinators” and “minimize negative association of crop protection products with effects on pollinators.” The document, dated June 2014, calls for “outreach to university researchers who could be independent validators.” The pesticide companies have used a variety of strategies to shift the public discourse. “America’s Heartland,” a PBS series shown on affiliates throughout the country and underwritten by CropLife America, portrayed the pollinator declines as a mystery. Onea href="https:/...https://theintercept.com/2020/01/18/bees-insecticides-pesticides-neonicotinoids-bayer-monsanto-syngenta/

'Flower Power': Photovoltaic cells replicate rose petals: Scientists increase the efficiency of solar cells by replicating the structure of petals - Science Daily

Scientists at the KIT and the ZSW (Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research Baden-Württemberg) now suggest in their article published in the Advanced Optical Materials journal to replicate the outermost tissue of the petals of higher plants, the so-called epidermis, in a transparent layer and integrate that layer into the front of solar cells in order to increase their efficiency. First, the researchers at the Light Technology Institute (LTI), the Institute of Microstructure Technology (IMT), the Institute of Applied Physics (APH), and the Zoological Institute (ZOO) of KIT as well as their colleagues from the ZSW investigated the optical properties, and above all, the antireflection effect of the epidermal cells of different plant species. These properties are particularly pronounced in rose petals where they provide stronger color contrasts and thus increase the chance of pollination. As the scientists found out under the electron microscope, the epidermis of rose petals consists of a disorganized arrangement of densely packed microstructures, with additional ribs formed by randomly positioned nanostructures. In order to exactly replicate the structure of these epidermal cells over a larger area, the scientists transferred it to a mold made of polydimethylsiloxane, a silicon-based polymer, pressed the resulting negative structure into optical glue which was finally left to cure under UV light. "This easy and cost-effective method creates microstructures of a depth and density that are hardly achievable with artificial techniques," says Dr. Guillaume Gomard, Group Leader "Nanopothonics" at KIT's LTI. The scientists then integrated the transparent replica of the rose petal epidermis into an organic solar cell. This resulted in power conversion efficiency gains of twelve percent for vertically incident light. At very shallow incidence angles, the efficiency gain was even higher. The scientists attribute this gain primarily to the excellent omnidirectional antireflection properties of the re...https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/06/160624110028.htm