Living in the countryside can be beautiful – and not just because of green meadows and the simple life. Six hand picked farm girls show us what the country has to offer, sharing a glimpse into their lives, as we take a look behind the scenes of the 2010 Jungbäuerinnen Calender together with München-TV.

Thomas Raudnitzky is awarded the Metropolitan Prize for hosting the popular magazine RheinMain Szene.

Singer Christina Aguilera has joined the judging panel of America’s next TV talent show The Voice. Copyright: Deutsche Presse Agentur [The German Press Agency]

The worldwide Occupy Movement doesn't halt in Frankfurt either. Angry citizens take to the streets to protest against short selling, derivative and options trading.

Pope Fransiscus: The New Pope Has a Lot to Do. That's putting it lightly! Here's a brief overview of the new pope's first weeks in office as the new church leader. In this informative report from Rome, you'll see that a very busy schedule awaits the Catholic Church's 266th pontiff. Copyright dpa

“Floh”, a female eagle owl, is a proud mother. Oddly enough, however not of baby eagle owls, but rather of baby chickens! She sat on the chicken eggs for 21 days in her hutch in Saarburg’s Greifvogel Park [birds of prey]. When the little ones hatched, she accepted them as her own. Viel Spaß!
Copyright: Deutsche Presse Agentur [The German Press Agency]

Stiff necks and sore backs - many office workers know all about them! In this clip, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Occupational Medicine in Dortmund provides some helpful tips for relaxing during one's daily routine. Copyright: Deutsche Presse Agentur [The German Press Agency]

All-day schools are required to provide meals for their students. However, one frequently hears complaints of bland food of poor quality. Now, star chef Johann Lafer wants to change all of this with a project of his own. Nationwide the project is one of a kind. Learn more about it at food@ucation. Copyright: Deutsche Presse Agentur [The German Press Agency]

The European Fountain Society, with its seat in Karlruhe in southwestern Germany, is committed to the preservation and care of historical fountains and emphasizes the importance of water for man and culture.

We know that cities use machines to clean the streets, but did you know that specially-designed sidewalks can clean the air we breathe? Learn about the new way that the city of Frankfurt is working to improve the environment in this fascinating report from Rhein-Main TV. Umweltverschmutzung? Nein danke!

In a refreshing change from the decades-old trend of building out suburban strip malls while the inner city decays, the city of Griesheim in Hesse has found a brilliant means of improving the streets for its residents old and young: Lots of play areas for the kids and seating areas for the adults. Winning prizes throughout Europe for urban innovation, see this video to find out how Griesheim became the most playable and sittable city in Europe!

The "Sternsinger School":www.kgs-longericher-hauptstr.de/ in Cologne is "going to the dogs," and what could be better than that? See how the Border Collie Felix and the Toy Poodle Mo help kids to develop social and verbal skills. Even taking the dogs for a brief walk helps the kids to focus better on their work, a lesson in the value of taking a break now and then. Enjoy!

Do you consider yourself big-hearted? Well, the Westphalian Museum of Natural History in Münster has a working replica of a sperm whale heart that is the size of a compact car! For more about the fascinating whale exhibition at the museum, watch this news report. Copyright: Deutsche Presse Agentur [The German Press Agency]

In many cities around the world there are groups of tourists running around on these strange, silent two-wheeled things that look more like pogo sticks than a means of transportation. Welcome to the Segway, a two-wheeled, self-balancing, battery-powered electric vehicle. This video report from the Darmstadt-South-Hesse Magazine gives us a Segway driving lesson and takes us on a Segway tour of some of the beautiful tourist attractions in Darmstadt. Gute Reise!

Kitsch or cult? Since the major role of a garden gnome in the (ironically French) film Amélie, and the trial of artist Ottmar Hörl for his garden gnome giving a Nazi salute, gnomes have been a constant presence in the media. Protest gnomes giving the middle finger or baring their behind have led to court trials, and judging from a few of these dirty little gnomes in the video, you can see why! Viel Spaß!

Imagine discovering an old animal footprint in a rock, and then finding out it is 316 million years old! An amateur geologist in North-Rhine Wesphalia was out walking with his kids and discovered exactly that: the footprint of a pre-dinosaur, which when it lived was about the size of a pig. This sensational discovery will be exhibited soon in Bochum’s German Mining Museum. (Video copyright dpa)

Not too long ago, American actress and film producer Katherine Heigl, best known for her work in Grey's Anatomy, visited Esslingen, the birthplace of her grandfather. Now she is back visiting Germany, where she particulary prizes the food: bratwurst, sauerkraut, and above all, spaetzle. Guten Appetit! Copyright: Deutsche Presse Agentur [The German Press Agency]

It is not known for nothing as the most important automotive exhibition in the world: the International Automobile Exhibition is underway yet again in Frankfurt and includes a record number new models from the manufacturers.

The German insult "stupid hen" is apparently doing an injustice to chickens, since poultry are teaching animal trainers at the Scheuerhof Animal Academy!

Copyright: Deutsche Presse Agentur [The German Press Agency]

Promoting mulled wine this winter, Sabine Braunert has been named the German Mulled Wine Queen. From November 27th, she will be raising the glass of mulled wine in her new official capacity. Copyright: Deutsche Presse Agentur [The German Press Agency]

After the scandal about horse meat in European restaurants, there was a new scandal about dioxin-contaminated eggs. This video shows you how the labeling on EU-produced eggs works. Or is supposed to work, presuming the codes haven't been forged. I wish that I could wish you a guten Appetit!

The "Femeiche" oak tree in North Rhine-Westphalia may well be the oldest living tree in Germany, dating from the first millenium AD. (video copyright dpa)

The next time you are waiting for your baggage at Frankfurt Airport and feel something sniffing the back of your leg, remember to be polite: it may be an official from the German Customs — in the form of a highly trained dog! A dog trainer from the German Customs explains what qualities they look for in their future canine employees. (video copyright dpa)

Two businessmen shake hands, have a meeting, and both fall ill the next day. What did they do wrong? According to this report, they should have kissed each other on the cheek instead of shaking hands! A doctor in Berlin also tells us about the effectiveness of herbal teas... Gesundheit! (video copyright dpa)