Angelika We have been following with surprise how American "Halloween" celebrations are enjoying growing popularity in Germany. According to rumors, on October 31st in Germany, there were not only Halloween parties but also children going through neighborhoods trying to collect sweets. Until now, I actually thought that there were enough holidays in Germany. I know that the festival dates back to the Celtic Druids, who celebrated the god of darkness on the night of October 31st to November 1st more than 2000 years ago, and that Christians later transformed the pagan custom into All Saints' Day. The festival eventually came to America with Irish and English immigrants in the mid-19th century.

Angelika And since I'm already on the topic of holidays, I'll also explain what "Thanksgiving" is all about. In the USA, Thanksgiving takes place on the fourth Thursday in November. Although many countries have "harvest festivals" on their calendars, the American one has a special significance. The Pilgrims, who came from England to America across the Atlantic in 1620, had an indescribably hard first year in the New World. The local Native Americans then showed them how to cultivate corn and other grains, resulting in an exceptionally bountiful harvest the following year. The recipe for popcorn is also said to have originated from Native Americans. In gratitude, the Pilgrims held a feast for the Native Americans. Today, "Thanksgiving" is one of the most important holidays in America. Families come together, which has led to the time around Thanksgiving being the peak travel season in the USA. Roads are congested, flights are fully booked. Additionally, the majority of workers not only have Thanksgiving off but also the following Friday, which, when combined with the weekend, gives most people four days off. A real luxury in America!

Angelika And now a few words from me on the State of the Nation: The Senate has now ratified the anti-terrorism laws here (I briefly mentioned it in my last newsletter). The package of laws has the resounding name "Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism," abbreviated as U.S.A. P.A.T.R.I.O.T., so you immediately know where the wind is blowing from.

Michael Due to the tightened security regulations in air travel, the "Süddeutsche Zeitung," whose Friday edition we have subscribed to, unfortunately no longer arrives on time. As we recently learned from a note from distributor, the printed material now has to spend 24 hours in a compression chamber along with other air freight to ensure that the sharply written articles, with their concentrated journalistic impact, do not blow up an airplane. Oh man! Hopefully, the ladies and gentlemen at the FAA or whoever issues these ridiculous regulations will attend a proper security training session to distinguish between blind activism and sensible security measures. An excellent article by a security guru in the field of computing, Bruce Schneier, can be found here .

Michael Now, that the legendary era of Silicon Valley is slowly coming to an end, I need to quickly write a sentimental report about what kind of smart life we software developers had when things were still in full swing.

Michael While companies in Silicon Valley are groaning under the crisis, there seems to be an even harsher shortage of computer experts in Germany. How else could one explain that the "Stuttgart Region" is calling back the computer superheroes who had taken off to the USA and are now enticing them with all sorts of amusing gimmicks like a "free city tour"?

Michael And here comes DJ Mike again with the brand new "CD of the Month." This time: "Spike" by the Japanese pop sensation "Puffy Ami Yumi." Angelika gave me the record for my birthday, and since then I've been listening to it day and night--it's sheer madness. However, I've learned from a Japanese colleague that in Japan, only female teenagers are totally into "Puffy Ami Yumi" and even copy their hairstyles. The style is a mix of the Beach Boys and Green Day--a kind of department store punk. Those who know the French "Les Rita Mitsouko" will know what I'm talking about. The short, clipped vowels typical in Japanese, which words end with, sound so funny and pleasant, and sometimes I even understand fragments like "hitori de" = alone and "watashi mo" = me too! A mega record, buy it immediately at a specialty record store of your choice!

Michael And here is my new series: The most useless sports items in America. As you might know, Americans don't engage in natural sports like soccer; instead, they put on suits of armor and helmets, carry the ball with their hands, and foul like there's no tomorrow. Mysterious America! I will never understand the rules of this sport. But since we always have sports equipment catalogs available for reading in our bathroom, today I will introduce the two most useless items I found there: First, the small stand that holds an egg-shaped football upright (Figure 1).