Arts

Asparagus, so much more than a vegetable

Ah yes, 'Spargelzeit' (asparagus season). Nothing seems to captivate the Germans, the Bavarians even more so, than those 8 weeks that end on June 24th. And the fascination runs across all generations, genders and socio-economic strata. The health benefits of asparagus are many and well-documented, but the love of it goes well beyond that. But why? The history of the vegetable goes back around 4,000 years and it is grown throughout the world. Most people eat the green variety but the white type...

New Rodent Discovered, could lower Termite Population

A new species of rodent was discovered in 2001, in Africa, but has only been announced by the discoverers last week, for fear that they would become endangered very quickly due to their remarkable talents in finding and consuming termites. The extremely small animal, with a maximum length of 4 cm, and a weight of 20 grams, was discovered by some scientists from The National Geographic along the Kenyan-Ugandan border. It seems as if the mostly nocturnal animals have an innate ability to smell...

The Countdown has begun

After a few false starts, reassessments and restructurings, we here at The Munich Eye is progressing ever so closer to a "Launch". The random and sometimes haphazard articles we have posted so far have been an attempt by us to garner feedback, work out some bugs and to show some formatting to potential advertisers and partners. We are rapidly approaching the day when everything goes live. Our intention at The Munich Eye is to create a newspaper that is geared towards everyone, but no one group...

Smoking and Drinking Bans in Munich Accomplish Little, Set an Ugly Precedent

Bans on smoking and drinking in Munich's public places ineffectual, and perhaps, should be over-turned. When Deutsche Bahn announced recently that the drinking of alcohol on Munich's S-Bahn trains would take effect on December 11th, 2011, most people applauded the decision. Nearly every regular passenger has been confronted at some time or another by unruly teenagers who are drunk, or well on their way to drunkenness, in one of Munich's trains. The old adage that nothing good ever happens...

This week in Munich : Lenny Kravitz in town

December is almost upon us and instead of snow, we're currently experiencing intense bouts of fog in Munich. But we're not letting that dampen our spirits or cloud our vision (ho ho); there's a bunch of exciting events going on in Munich this week. Monday we recommend you check out Bombay Bicycle Club at the Freiheizhalle. The London band released their third studio album in August and are currently on tour in Europe to promote it. 

German chanteuse Annett Louisan is at the Kleine...

Thriller Live 2012, Munich

Long-time legend Michael Jackson should have been there to watch this. His forty year career meticulously played back by four different people. Fantastic performers. Fantastic dancers. Fantastic vocalists. With tickets ranging from 34 to 74 Euros, the Thriller Live show which premiered on Tuesday, the 28th of February 2012 in Munich, comes to an end this Sunday, the 11th of March, with a double performance at 1500hrs and 1900hours respectively. The European tour goes on. The Jackson Five's ABC...

Some Things to Ponder, part 2

In my first article, Some Things to Ponder, part 1, I looked at some of the many benefits of today's modern technology, mostly smart devices. In the short time since then there have been many new developments including the new iPad 3, the fact that for the first time ever more mobile phones in the US are of the smart-phone variety than not, and a host of others.  But at what cost? As we rapidly continue in the Age of Information many questions arise. Here are but a few of these...

I Wanna Rock!

As a product of America, one of the things that I grew up with which seems to be in very short supply here in Munich, is real Rock music. I'm not talking about Bon-Jovi, or Bryan Adams. AC/DC is OK, but their best days are behind them. Please no more Styx or Foereigner! There is a real dearth of good driving guitar-based Rock here in Munich. Why? Mention Rammstein here and eyes mostly roll (Rammstein is one of the few German bands-if only band-that can sell out large arenas in the US. And most...

Friends with Benefit Concert

The "Friends with Benefit" Concert is a unique experience for students and young people to realize their power to make a difference through their talents. In an effort to combine the musical skill of undiscovered bands and solo artists throughout Munich, as well as donating money to a great cause, the Benefit is a fun and new way to influence the youth culture of today and encourage and motivate others to follow on the same path of helping the less fortunate. SOS Kinderdorf is an extremely...

This week in Munich

Toronto four-piece Azari & III hit the Feierwerk on Monday 14th November, with their dark disco sounds. The sound channels hedonistic nostalgic house and their debut was released in August of this year to much acclaim (and opened an interesting debate on 'eighties house revival' - are we really recycling culture so quickly?).Support from ice-cool Danes When Saints Go Machine.

Kaiser Chiefs are back in Munich this Monday, playing in Backstage at 8pm. You would be forgiven for thinking the...

Third time charm for Meryl Streep

Meryl Streep solidifies her standing as one of the best actresses ever, and in the process helps redefine what movie goers want. She won her third Academy Award Sunday night to the shock (how!) of many. In the history of motion pictures there have been all types of stars. Some stars so beautiful that they stopped traffic. There are others who immersed themselves so deeply into their characters that it took years off their lives in the process. There have been some who could sing and others who...

Some Things to Ponder, part 1

The Information Age is here. There is little doubt about that. A major question remains: "How long will it continue and what are the costs?" Here is a look at the future of smart devices. Keep in mind that it is only one side-without any consideration of the raw materials needed, environmental/cultural impact, health issues, etc. Tim Cook, the new CEO of Apple Computers, recently said in an interview that in two years, Apple sold 55 million iPads. To put that into context it took Apple three...