Angelika After Trump's victory, many people in San Francisco and California, where over 60% of voters cast their ballots for Hillary Clinton are in a kind of shock. On Wednesday morning after the election on November 10th, the election result was the topic of conversation everywhere. During parent-teacher conferences at my social groups, I had to let each person get rid of a comment about the election before we could talk about the children and their progress. Of course you've seen the German news and read the newspapers about the demonstrations all over the US, so I won't go into that and instead focus on some lesser-known events.

Angelika One of the greatest achievements of the Obama administration might not survive the Trump presidency. The Affordable Care Act or Obamacare, which has provided health insurance for millions of Americans, is in a precarious position. This is not just due to Trump, but mainly because the Senate and House of Representatives now have a Republican majority. Republicans have been opposed to Obamacare since it was enacted and have continuously proposed measures to repeal it. The plan is to repeal Obamacare on the first day of Trump's term in office.

Angelika During his tenure, Obama frequently used executive orders for implementation. "Executive Orders" are presidential directives that would otherwise lack a majority to obtain through Congress or the Senate due to lack of consensus. Examples during the Obama administration include the Paris Climate Agreement, the issuance of work permits for individuals who entered the country as children illegally with their parents, or even the ban on drilling in the Arctic Ocean.

Angelika The question that everyone asks: What can, wants and will Donald Trump actually implement from his election promises? One thing is certain: through him, the Supreme Court of the United States will experience a stronger conservative swing, as in the event of new appointments to the nine highest judicial positions, the president plays an important role.

Angelika To blame foreigners, asylum seekers and immigrants in the election campaign is a well-known strategy, because these population groups are always easy to scapegoat for everything that is going wrong. Trump has particularly targeted people who live and work illegally in the US, 11 million people. It's true that this problem needs to be solved sensibly at some point. Bush tried to do so and would probably have succeeded if 9/11 had not occurred during his term. Obama focused on Obamacare and left the issue of illegal immigrants untouched.

Michael For some time now, I have been carefully cutting every single paper document upon receipt, scanning it with a document scanner, saving it digitally and then throwing the paper into the recycling bin. For example, annual reports from mutual fund companies are often sent by mail and I have to first free them from their bindings before cutting them into individual pages using a paper cutter.

Michael When we moved to the USA in 1996, we brought our bed frame and mattress set with us from Germany. It measured 2 x 1.60 meters. From our experience with numerous hotel stays, we knew that American Queen-size beds (203cm x 152cm) were slightly narrower than our German bed, and King-size beds (203cm x 193cm), which can be booked at additional cost, offer significantly more comfort.

Michael That we as Germans living in America suggest watching a German TV production may seem absurd to you, but the 8-part series "Germany 83" from 2015 is relatively unknown in Germany, yet has become very popular here in the US.

Michael I remain true to my passion for surfing and often make a quick trip to our nearest beach . I quickly pack the surfboard into the elevator, go down to the garage, out onto Highway 280 and within 18 minutes arrive at the so-called "Linda Mar" beach. But will the waves be worth the drive today? That's often the question, because when the wind is blowing strongly towards the beach, the Pacific Ocean turns into churning unsurfable white foam there, and that's bad for surfing.

Michael With the whole Trump hullabaloo, it's easy to miss another groundbreaking political change: The result of the much anticipated vote on the legalization of marijuana smoking in California. After two unsuccessful attempts in 1996 and 2010, California voters actually approved the so-called "recreational use of marijuana" in 2016, i.e. smoking for private enjoyment. "Medical Marijuana" has been available to Californians for a long time, where sales of your THC-containing cannabis product are legal at the officially operated "Dispensories" stores, all you had to do was go to some doctor and get a prescription for mysterious "back pain", then register as a purchaser in a state database, and then smoke until your brain hit the ceiling.