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May 2004

Taking Note

Write and tell us what you think of the magazine

So you would like to submit your letters for publication in MUNICH FOUND? And perhaps find out what other readers have to say? One of the most popular requests in our recent Reader Survey was for a letters page, or at least a letter section, and this is something we would gladly introduce, provided, of course, we actually receive some printable material from you. Don’t get me wrong, we are often sent brief missives in the form of emails, postcards and short letters, either praising or chastising us for something we have written. On the whole, though, this material is too epigrammatic to be printed and, we assume, not intended for publication.

If there is something you wish to write to us about, send your letters to the postal address below or email us at info@munichfound.com. Please state that what you have written is intended for publication and remember that we may have to edit letters for reasons of space. Since its inception in 1989 MUNICH FOUND has printed readers’ letters, though not on a regular basis. We recently spent some time looking through old issues of the magazine to see what moved you to write in the past. Interestingly the most heated letter—unfortunately we do not have permission to print it here—was sent to us in March 2002. Our then editorial assistant, Homa Rastegar, who had once been employed by the indomitable Martha Stewart, had written a humorous editorial about the working atmosphere at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia in Manhattan—whereupon an incensed reader wrote, not just one but a number of letters in ardent defense of America’s (former) first lady of homemakers. Where are you now incensed reader? Ms Stewart may be glad of your support.

Naturally we are always happy to receive letters of praise. Correspondence along the lines of “I enjoyed very much reading the article on the Mathäser …” or “I have been a faithful reader from the beginning …” is, not surprisingly, our favorite kind. On the other hand, as we are constantly working to improve the magazine, if you discover errors or omissions please let us know. Reader Jerry Kallman noted that in our piece on English-speaking writers in Bavaria, “Letter Heads” (February 2003), we had omitted to mention American author Thomas Wolfe and his novel The Web and the Rock, which contains some excellent descriptions of Munich. Whoops, thank you Jerry—and we’re pleased to see how carefully you read the articles. In the February 1998 issue, reader Carmen Lanoway chastised us for not explaining the difference between a dental hygienist and a dental assistant in Germany, informing us that “there is no formal training for this job [hygienist] in Germany.” Is this still the case? Does anybody out there know?

If you look through the magazine this month, you’ll find our new sports feature (see page 32)—rock-climbing is the choice for May—and a movie review section (see page 15). We have, of course, had a film review section in MUNICH FOUND before and this was also a popular topic of readers’ letters. One such letter was from Munich resident Edward Blackburne, who wrote to us criticizing author Stephanie von Buchau’s review of the film Philadelphia as “short, shallow and unbalanced,” before going on to praise Tom Hanks for his great performance. Well, as such reviews are by their very nature subjective, you are sure to disagree with the views of our authors occasionally. Love it or dislike it, we look forward to hearing your opinions.

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