Germany is a medium size country in central Europe. It is close to France, Austria, Poland, and many other smaller countries. To the north, is the North Sea, the Baltic Sea, and to the south lay Switzerland and Austria. The Netherlands are to the west. Germany is known for its great Universities, World Wars, and the great cultural diversity.

Germany is made up of 16 states, which make up the whole federation of the nation. It has a democratic parliamentary. The country was turned into or rather unified as a nation state around the year of 1870. Germany is currently a member of the United Nations, NATO, the G4, and the G8, nations. It also played a role in the formation of the European Union. As a side note, it is the most economically powerful state of the European Union.

In fact, lately, the German economy is showing strong signs of recovery and new growth. The current tax revenue is more than eleven times higher, than this month, last year. That is quite an improvement.

The value added tax is supposed to rise by three percent later this year. It will go from sixteen to nineteen percent. This in turn, will cause more people to buy goods, in order to avoid paying the higher tax later on. For the last five years, the biggest economy in Europe has relied on exports to grow alongside the domestic spending. This is due to the high unemployment rate in the country.

So what else is new in Germany these past few months? Well as you probably know, Madonna has launched her concert and tour in Germany. A German prosecutor attended the first two concerts in Germany, but said that the crucifixion scene that has upset Christians did not break the law. Kind of strange he would say that.

He was quoted as saying that there would be no inquiry into or against Madonna and that even though the show was extremely provocative, there was no action which was or could be punishable. There were reports of a possible arrest of the singer. These reports were later dropped.

Lutherans and Catholics have both voiced their opinion and outrage over the musical performance. The outrage comes in a response to the portrayal of Madonna wearing a crown of thorns and being raised up on a silver glitter cross.

The Lutheran bishop of Hanover Germany said that by portraying herself as Jesus is megalomaniac. The Catholic archdiocese of Cologne Germany is urging people to stay away from this concert. Even Madonna fans have stated that after seeing the show, they understand why the Church is so offended. Until next time my friends, have a good day.