Patrick, that is a truly hilarious article. We just got back from a beach holiday in Indonesia, and the legal status of towels on unoccupied loungers was a constant topic of conversation amongst my party (And there were no Germans there, either, so clearly other nationalities must also have this tendancy!!)

Funny article. I just sent the link to my German father-in-law and German relatives.
FYI, car thieves are enjoying their best season ever at beach resorts. The new electronic car keys are the reason...thieves steal the keys from unattended belongings on the beach (they know where people tend to "hide" their keys, in their shoes, etc.). In the old days, they had to try one car after another to find which one the keys fit. Now, they just stroll the parking lots, pressing the buttons on the key cards (they keep the key cards in their pockets so nobody sees that they're hunting). The beep and flashing lights tell them when they've found the right car and they just casually drive off as if they were the rightful owner, with no one the wiser.