Autonomous Driving as a Reality

Once I saw that on the opposite lane of a two-lane but not particularly wide street, a cyclist was coming towards me, behind him a Waymo vehicle followed by a line of cars that didn't dare to overtake because the road was too narrow. I drove a bit further to the right on my side to make room, and suddenly the Waymo car came over, crossed the center line by half a meter and overtook the cyclist safely and smoothly. No driver in San Francisco, would have dared to do that, and I was surprised that it had been taught to the driving computer. Hats off!

You can also hire the driverless vehicles as cabs. Download the app "Waymo-One" or the competitor's "Cruise" onto your phone and then book the ride like with Uber or Lyft. However, this business is currently only allowed to the two companies in the middle of the night. The city of San Francisco has only issued the permit between the hours of 10 pm and 5 am.

It is a bit creepy to get into a driverless car, but friends have told me that they arrived safely at their destination after booking a ride. Self-driving cars, by the way, take strange routes through the city. Because it is technically easier to turn right than left, they do not choose the shortest routes, but those without left turns. So they take detours that a human driver would probably not choose.

So far there has been not a single serious accident. As usual, some old-fashioned hippies in our city are up in arms against the innovation, as recently when there was a shootout with nine injured in San Francisco's Mission district. In the aftermath, a self-driving car stopped and didn't go any further in the vicinity of the crime, even when an ambulance demanded to get through. Left-leaning city councils took to their Twitter accounts and were more upset about the car than the shooting itself!

Recently, a Waymo car ran over a dog that had broken away from its owner and had run out onto the street from behind a car. Well, that happens, even with human drivers, but when it comes to robotaxis, the complainers start complaining. The technology will still come anyways, and it rest assured that it has my blessing.

Social Studies in California

Angelika As attentive newsletter readers know, I work as a behavioral therapist in a fourth grade class. In social studies, fourth grade is all about the state of California. As someone from northern Germany, I learned in my elementary school years about the Wadden Sea and the North Sea. Here in California, it's about the missions, the indigenous people of California, the gold rush, the expansion of the railroad, and the influx of immigrants.

Children in our school are also learning about the geographical regions in California, all about the capital Sacramento, and how the California government is structured. We also did the so-called mission project in our class. Everyone who has attended elementary school in California knows what that entails. In fourth grade, you build one of the many mission churches that span the state. Then there is a lot of crafting. Some children create 3D models, others paint the mission of their choice on a canvas or make a podcast about the topic.

One of my students built a virtual mission in the video game "Minecraft". Interestingly, this project seems to always evoke sentimental reactions from the parents, because at every parent meeting we are asked when the mission project in the fourth grade will finally start and whether we will do it. Since 2017, the California school board has rather discouraged it. Especially the reconstruction of the missions in model form is problematic, because they say there's the risk that the missions could be glorified without taking into account the oppression of the Indians at the missions. Now I have to say that maybe fourth graders are underestimated here, because at that age they have a pronounced sense of justice and the exploitation of the Indians in the missions is indeed addressed in the curriculum.

We also included a trip to the capital city of Sacramento to deepen what we had learned. So we packed our fourth graders into a minibus and drove off, quite an effort for a day trip, since Sacramento is about two hours away (by car) from our school. First we visited the "State Capitol", the building where California legislators gather to pass laws and shape the fate of the state of California. The building is relatively old by American standards, as it was completed between 1861 and 1874. When we were there for the tour, many politicians were buzzing around the halls, waiting for the elevators or chatting with their colleagues.

Then we continued to "Sutter's Fort". John (formerly: Johann) Sutter was a Swiss immigrant who built the fort and operated it from 1839 to 1949. He named his colony "New Helvetia" and traded as a large landowner and oversaw agricultural land being cultivated. The sawmill in Coloma also belonged to him. One of his employees, James Marshall, found gold there in 1848, triggering the California Gold Rush, ironically leading to the downfall of the fort, as John Sutter's workers left to pan for gold. The fort is now a museum and very child-friendly, with various performances, to show how the blacksmith worked or how flour was milled and bread was baked.

The last stop of our trip was the Railroad Museum in Sacramento. Trains still have a lot of appeal to today's generation of children. My students and I especially liked the old trains that we could go into, and we admired the post office, the sleeping car, and the dining car. At the Railroad Museum, we didn't even have to pay admission, because with fourth graders in tow, who are studying California history in school, no admission is charged. Since September 2021, families with a fourth grader can apply for an annual pass, the so-called "California State Adventure Park Pass", which gives them free admission to 19 California State Parks. An interesting idea!

The Price of Ice Cream

Michael I recently heard that the scoop of ice cream in Germany now costs two euros. That's shocking for a dinosaur like me, who can still vaguely remember a time when a scoop of ice cream with a cone once cost 10 pfennigs, but that's nothing compared to the murderous ice cream prices in America.

Ice cream has always been incredibly expensive in America, and that has nothing to do with the fact that the production of treats here would be more expensive than in Germany (quite the opposite), but rather that Americans are simply used to spending absurd amounts of money on such snacks.

At Mitchell's, an established ice cream parlor in San Francisco, people line up for twenty minutes in nice weather to get an ice cream for a whopping five dollars a scoop. It costs 75 cents more with a cone, and the sales tax adds about 10% on top of that. Also, the servers there also expect tips, like thirsty camels in the desert approaching a water hole. It's not a fancy store by any means, with mostly working-class customers, and you have to wonder how crazy you'd have to be to spend a third of your hourly wage on ice cream.

You also need to know that ice cream in America is not even particularly good, nor are the scoops significantly larger than in Germany. Okay, the aforementioned store "Mitchell's" has flavors like "Mexican Chocolate" that I don't think even Sarcletti in Munich has, but the ice cream quality is absolutely on par. As always, the price does not depend on how expensive the production and distribution of a product is, but solely on how much the consumer is willing to pay for it in the free market.

Presidential Campaigns Have Begun

Angelika We hadn't really thought that it would come to this again, but now both Trump and Biden want to try one more time and stand for election as President in 2024. The election campaign in America has already begun. Trump had always said that he wanted to run again, but nobody really believed it. The hope was that Trump would be forgotten with the passage of time. Unfortunately, that is not the case. His base remains loyal to him. Biden had also promised to retire after one term, but apparently he can't stay away from the White House either.

Many Democratic voters are not enthusiastic about this. They would have liked another, and above all younger, candidate. Everyone gets tired quickly in the office of the President, as we could already observe with Obama, who suddenly became grey, but Biden seems to be ignoring all doubts about his age. Nobody can really warm up to Kamala Harris, whom Biden wants to have by his side again. Many are concerned that Biden may not be able to last another four years, as he already looks frail, and that Kamala Harris will then have to take over the office.

So far, it seems that no one in the Democratic Party is daring enough to really challenge Biden, at least there are no serious candidates. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., son of the murdered politician Robert Kennedy and nephew of John F. Kennedy, has jumped into the race, but with his conspiracy theories and anti-vaccination campaigns, he is not doing well with typical Democratic voters. Then there is Marianne Williamson, author and former spiritual advisor to Oprah Winfrey, but I would dare to say that no one is giving her any chances. The rumor mill keeps bringing up Gavin Newsom, our current governor of California, but although everyone knows he has ambitions for the White House and would be a serious candidate, he is hesitating for some reason.

Among Republican candidates, it's hard to keep track of them all. The field is large. In addition to Trump, there is the Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis. In my opinion, he is a would-be Trump, one of the younger politicians in the race at 44 years old. However, DeSantis is very conservative and known for getting involved in various culture wars that seem very outdated in times of climate crisis and other hotspots in the world. DeSantis is however considered to have the best odds in the primaries against Trump. However, he has the charisma of a sleeping pill. Furthermore, the Republican Party is represented by the following candidates: Nikki Haley, former Governor of South Carolina and former UN representative under Trump; Vivek Ramaswamy, entrepreneur and author; Asa Hutchinson, former Governor of Arkansas; Larry Elder, a conservative radio personality; Tim Scott, Senator from South Carolina; Mike Pence, Trump's former Vice President; Chris Christie, former Governor of New Jersey; Doug Burgum, Governor of North Dakota, Francis Suarez, Mayor of Miami, and Will Hurd, former Texas Congressman. Those who know the American system of primaries know that this field will quickly thin out.

The exciting question remains: what will happen if Trump is actually convicted in the pending case regarding the secret documents? The Constitution does not prohibit someone who has been convicted and sentenced from being President. It is also unlikely that the proceedings will be completed before the presidential election begins. I think it is rather unlikely that Trump will have to serve a prison sentence. Comedians are currently playing up the prison scenario, but the Secret Service must guard the President at all times and in all places and no one knows how to do this logistically in prison. It would certainly be unthinkable to conduct the official business from prison, but this situation has never existed in the US, so no one really knows what would actually happen. An impeachment procedure would be one possibility if the President cannot fulfill his duties in prison. Another possibility would be that Trump pardons himself if he is convicted. Here too, opinions differ as to whether this is legally possible at all. Trump of course uses the whole thing mercilessly to portray himself as a victim and mobilize his base. Some malicious voices even claim that he has not handed over the secret documents despite several requests, in order to play out this scenario, because if he had given back the documents, the case would most likely have fizzled out quietly. Madness!

Earth Roamer: The Monster RV

Michael Americans love to cruise around in huge recreational vehicles (RV) on the freeways, park it at a campsite in the evening, and then expect to find all the comforts of home.

The luxury of "glamping" (for "glamorous camping") is also defined by the spaciousness of the vehicle used, with motorhomes up to 15 meters in length not being uncommon, and some even offering extendable side walls that can turn the interior into a loft-style living space.

Recently, when I was taking a walk with an ex-colleague through San Francisco, I noticed an unusual monster RV parked in front of a luxury villa that looked like a mix of a military spy tank and an American school bus (Figure 13). My ex-colleague, an admitted car enthusiast, immediately knew that it was a so-called "Earth-Roamer", an insanely expensive luxury RV.

So I immediately took a picture of it and when I got home, I swiftly looked it up online -- and was shocked. I knew that RV enthusiasts were willing to spend $200,000 for a rolling living room, but the Earth Roamer is more than three times as expensive: the base price is $695,000, and with some extras, the rustic glamping mobile already costs close to a million.

The chassis of the vehicle consists of the most popular American monster truck, the Ford F-550, of course off-road capable with hydraulics, including a classic engine winch in the front, if it gets tough. And of course you can't skimp on the interior. In a Demo-Video for the Earth-Roamer on Youtube the layman can marvel at the dining table set featuring distressed leather seats and extremely solid looking cupboards made from expensive wood.

Whoever thinks that such a vehicle can't possibly be so expensive, can take a look at the Earthroamer pricelist online. Look at the website and start saving. Once again, it is confirmed that there is a significant number of people in San Francisco who are so flush with money that it starts burning a hole in their pockets. Well, if you already have a house for six million, you might just as well get an outdoor RV for a million. You only live once.

Bad inflation, everything is getting more expensive!

Michael It's certainly not escaped your notice that everything is getting more expensive, and you're probably eager to find out if it's the same in the US as it is in financially-strapped Germany. To that I can say that certain goods have always been absurdly expensive here by international standards (cheese, butter, good bread, wine, beer, ice cream), while clothes or beef are definitely cheaper here.

For the past 20 years, prices have crept up almost imperceptibly year after year, and while a burrito at a Mexican restaurant cost about $6 in 1997, the price of this fast food eventually surpassed the $10 mark by 2015, which is actually a relatively acceptable increase due to unavoidable inflation. Then came Corona and within two years the price suddenly jumped to $16. And if you want beef on it, add another $2 because beef has suddenly become scarce and expensive (Figure #3)!

Looking at a table of official US inflation rates by year, it appears that 2023 had the highest recent rate at 8%, similar to Europe where it was 9.2% in 2023. It also shows that the US had even higher rates in the 80s, around 14%, and that was for several years.

If you, like me, regularly go to the supermarket to buy groceries, you know that the inflation rate is currently far from 8%. It is much higher! One reason for this is that the published numbers are reduced from official sources using interesting methods. For example, if a car used to cost $10,000 and now costs $20,000, it is not assumed that there has been a 100% increase in price. No, the statisticians argue that the car is now much more modern and has smarter functions, so the car is now much more valuable than the old vehicle. The consumer is lucky to be able to buy this progress at a higher price! The inflation calculation is then based on an appropriately adjusted base price, not the previous price. That the consumer might be satisfied with the old function and would rather buy a less sophisticated but cheaper car does not matter. Those interested can read how the government agency "Bureau of Labor Statistics" (BLS) calculates inflation as the "Consumer Price Index" (CPI) and reduces prices with the so-called "Hedonic Quality Adjustment".

Eating out at restaurants has become more expensive for us too, since there are hardly any people willing to work in the low-wage sector right now. You have to pay around 25 dollars for a cheap main course in San Francisco, or more than $40 for something meaty. However, I was shocked to find out during our visit to Germany this summer that German menus have also reached this level! One thing that is still cheaper in Germany is beer. While a "pint" at "Zeitgeist", one of the few beer gardens in San Francisco, now costs 9 dollars (plus 2 dollars tip), hardly any shop in Germany charges more than 6 euros.

Traveling in Times of Climate Change

Angelika The last winter and spring finally brought a lot of rain and snow to the higher elevations of California, which hopefully will help our drought-stricken state get through the fire season better. Of course, a good winter can't make up for years of drought, but it certainly helps. So the water reservoirs have been filled again (8 out of 12 are back to 75% according to official sources). The snow cover in the mountains has grown back to a healthy level and only 5% of California's land area is left in drought conditions.

In California it is now actually so that one has to plan their leisure activities around the extreme weather phenomena. In the hotter months we often hear: "We actually want to go hiking and camping, but we don't know exactly where yet, because we have to see where the forest fires will happen this year." My brother and sister-in-law, who visited us last September, for example, could not go to Lake Tahoe because a forest fire nearby had so badly deteriorated the air quality that staying in the open air was classified as extremely hazardous to one's health. When we then took advantage of the rebooked short trip a in May of this year, it was still snowing in Lake Tahoe, and at the same time the snowmelt had set in, which led to flooded hiking trails. Crazy new world. However, the crowds of people who usually populate Lake Tahoe were notably absent from the attraction, and we almost had the beach and lake with the still snow-covered mountains all to ourselves.

Top Product: Chinese Burn Balm

Michael I am known to cook a lot at home, often Bavarian home-style cooking, since it is not so easy to get here in California. Recently, when I elegantly slid a breaded schnitzel into the bubbling pan of fat, it splashed back, burned my skin a bit on my forearm, and left a burn mark not unlike Gorbachev's bald spot (illustration 24 above).

Severe pain set in! Fortunately, I have the right medicine for such accidents on hand, namely the Chinese miracle balm "Ching Wan Hung", readily available in our bathroom cabinet. It can be bought at any local drug store or on Amazon. It's inexpensive, comes in a small tin. It's rust-brown and interestingly scented, feels like chain fat and smells of oriental essential oils. Once applied, it cools the burn and the pain will slowly subside.

Moreover, it seems to accelerate the healing process of the skin and prevent scarring, because even the schnitzel fat-related bad spot on the forearm crusted within a week and beautiful pink new skin grew underneath. After two weeks, it had completely disappeared. Of course it would be better to avoid such accidents when cooking in the first place, but if something happens, I highly recommand this balm. Top product!

Electric Car Cables On the Sidewalk

Michael If you asked attentive drivers in our Bay Area which car brand is most dominant on the roads, "Tesla" would likely be one of the frontrunners. Californians also like to buy other electric cars, but the lack of charging stations, which is often lamented in Germany, is also a problem here.

However, this does not seem to bother the eco-conscious, as employers often provide charging stations that can be used during working hours, or they can simply charge at home. However, many houses here in San Francisco either do not have a garage, or the garage is full of clutter from the last move, or people have more than one car.

As a pedestrian, you often see breathtaking electrical installations, with a cable running from the house to a car parked on the street in front of the door. Once I even saw a cable running through a window on the second floor, down a tree to the gutter! Of course, this is all illegal and dangerous, and the thick cables draped over the sidewalk may be annoying to wheelchair users or stroller pushers, but you see them everywhere. Surely the bureaucrats of San Francisco will soon find a way to fine these electric car fans, so that the empty city coffers can be filled again!

Greetings from San Francisco!

Mike and Angelika