Organ donation: to opt-in or opt-out
Timothy Potenz asks you whether you think Germans should have to register to become organ donors, or the other way around.
What Is The Situation?
In recent months, the system of organ donation here in Germany has been discussed and, to an extent, reformed. It is hard to argue that these reforms are uncalled for. With 12,000 critically ill patients on the waiting list for organ transplants and three of these people dying every day, the system seems to be in need of significant revitalisation.
The problem with the system, put at its simplest, is that not enough Germans are donating their organs. With only 25% of Germans holding an organ donor card, Germany ranks behind 14 other countries in...
Lovell's Lowdown
I used to have the (dubious) pleasure of living next to Bayern Munich's training grounds. I say dubious because there is something suspicious about teenagers earning a million a year for doing anything, let alone for becoming demigods, which I would have thought would be reward enough. After all, every one of us who ever got picked first for his best mate's team in the school lunch break knows that it could have been any one of us up there, if it hadn't been for a series of unfortunate mishaps. But such is destiny.
On the other hand, it was kind of fun seeing the stars drive past before and...
Facebook, Twitter and Co.
I love Fridays. I really do. Not for the reasons you might assume. It's media-related - my reason. I really enjoy the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) Magazin that comes in Friday's edition of the paper. It's both cleverly written and aesthetically pleasing.
Each week, I quickly flip through the pages to look at the beautiful photos, and then I go back and read nearly every page. Carefully. A bit like I read the New Yorker magazine when I was a teenager. Later I lived in Oak Park (a suburb of Chicago), and the New Yorker would arrive (I think it came on Friday, as well), and I'd perform a comfortable...
Lovell's Lowdown
Only a few days into the 2012 Olympics and the first cases of doping have already hit the headlines - a gymnast from Uzbekistan, a sprinter from a Caribbean island and an Albanian weightlifter.
In my opinion, these 'low profile' offences from 'less advanced' athletic powerhouses will pretty much be par for the course. The way I see it only the poorer or more naïve athletes have an increased risk of being exposed.The less-privileged athletes will more than likely be the ones in the dock, those that, for example, do not have access to the very latest masking agents.
The International Olympic...
A Summer of Sport
First of all, a very warm welcome to the first print edition of The Munich Times.
We take a look back on an exciting Euro 2012 where Spain racked up a third consecutive major tournament success. Surely 'La Roja' are the greatest team in history?
Talented young writer Bernie Reeves reviews an ultimately disappointing tournament for Germany. It's now 16 years since the Germans won a major title. What went wrong for Joachim Löw's charges?
Domestically, as we move forward there's plenty on offer to keep our English-speaking readers fully up-to-date with all sports happenings in and around...
Prawn sandwich brigade descends on Munich
The biggest game of the European club calendar is finally upon us with tickets for the clash at the Allianz Arena like gold-dust. The UEFA Champions League final kicks off tonight at 20.45 with home heroes Bayern Munich taking on English side Chelsea from West London. It is the hottest ticket in town.
Ground capacity at the stadium built for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany has been reduced by 3,500 for this game to only 62,500. Each club has been allocated 17,500 tickets for distribution amongst their loyal fans. A further 7,000 were sold by UEFA on the open market and the rest (20,500)...
Lost in a Bavarian Laundrette
I thought I had quite a good grasp of German. Until I moved to Munich, that is.
I had spent months diligently copying verbs tables, and listening to German language podcasts. I knew how to order a coffee in 'Hoch-Deutsch'; how to say that I'd enjoyed an action film and how to book a doctors appointment in rather a rigid, robotic manner (with no banter, naturally.)
But I was woefully unprepared for the logistical nightmare of washing my clothes in a Bavarian laundrette (a 'Waschsalon' for those of you still resolutely sticking to our mother tongue.) Months of German learning, I was to...
I had spent months diligently copying verbs tables, and listening to German language podcasts. I knew how to order a coffee in 'Hoch-Deutsch'; how to say that I'd enjoyed an action film and how to book a doctors appointment in rather a rigid, robotic manner (with no banter, naturally.)
But I was woefully unprepared for the logistical nightmare of washing my clothes in a Bavarian laundrette (a 'Waschsalon' for those of you still resolutely sticking to our mother tongue.) Months of German learning, I was to...
Spitz saves '72 and more
Being a child of the mid-sixties, most of my first real memories came to me in the early 1970s, with the exception of the first lunar landing (my mother was so happy she cried) in 1969. I was at the Grand Opening of Walt Disney World in October of 1971 because my father had transferred from Disneyland a few months earlier. Disney has become an empire. Early in 1972, I recall Nixon shaking hands with Chairman Mao. For many these were earth shattering events, and don't get me wrong they were big. The 1972 Olympics here in Munich were also huge. There was a dark tragedy, the kidnappings and...
Lovell's Lowdown
Sports fans worldwide, not just in Great Britain, should be freely able to revel in Bradley Wiggins' stunning success in the Tour de France. But are we allowed this privilege?
The 32-year-old became the first Briton to win cycling's premier road race. A remarkable feat for Britain and a big boost ahead of the Olympics - with his team-mate Chris Froome supporting him unselfishly all the way as Team Sky sealed a 1-2.
Unfortunately for me there will always be an element of doubt over any success in events such as the Tour de France because of the massive shadow of doping hanging over the race...
The 32-year-old became the first Briton to win cycling's premier road race. A remarkable feat for Britain and a big boost ahead of the Olympics - with his team-mate Chris Froome supporting him unselfishly all the way as Team Sky sealed a 1-2.
Unfortunately for me there will always be an element of doubt over any success in events such as the Tour de France because of the massive shadow of doping hanging over the race...
The week in review: 14.05-20.05 A thud, a whack, a strike and a blast
What a week it was. It started out with so much promise for the inhabitants of Munich and then it just went thud. Bastian Schweinsteiger's penalty kick foreshadowed it all so perfectly. He didn't just miss, he hit the post. So tantalizing. As I was watching the final penalty shootout I had a stark realization which made me extremely sad. If I live another 50 years, I'll never see the USA in a World Cup final. There is no chance. No American would accept the penalty shootout as a proper way to end what had been up to that point, a marathon. How can such a beautiful spectacle of flowing form end...
Church, State and Media Empires Get Buzzed
Social media is finding its voice and redefining the pecking order in global power institutions.
Michael Comte, a columnist with TMT, recently made an interesting comparison between the abusive and falsely benign appearance of the Catholic Church in the middle ages, to what mainstream media has become today. He postulated that the church professed to represent and support the common person against the tyranny of state oppression. That the masses willingly succumbed to this Holy See-promulgated idea of the church being a moral guardian, acting on behalf of them and in their interests...
| Will the new Alternative for Germany party find significant backing? by Timothy | May 03, 2013, 01:44:04 PM |
| Should Turkey be allowed into the EU? by Timothy | May 03, 2013, 01:42:36 PM |
| Are Bavarian politicians overpaid? by Timothy | May 03, 2013, 01:41:42 PM |
| Should emigrants have a vote? by Timothy | May 03, 2013, 01:40:46 PM |
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