Michael As the esteemed readership may know, during their stay in the USA, the intrepid newsletter reporters have so far only explored two of the six inhabited Hawaiian islands: Kauai, Maui, Big Island, Oahu, Lanai, and Molokai. They have yet to explore the main island of Oahu (with the capital Honolulu and Waikiki Beach) and the rather secretive Lanai, where only the super-rich and famous are supposedly vacationing. This year, we deemed it necessary to visit both islands, as we do not tolerate any blank spots on our map.

Angelika For most people, the island of Oahu is synonymous with Hawaii, which strictly speaking is not true, because only the volcanic island "Big Island" is officially called Hawaii.

Angelika I have never introduced a Rundbrief Top Product before, as experienced newsletter readers know. But with the sun screen "Maui Babe," I couldn't hold back any longer. The name itself is brilliant. The product promises an even tan without burning the skin. I believe such a thing is commonly referred to as tanning lotion. However, "Maui Babe" contains no chemicals and is free from artificial dyes. The balm is mixed according to an old family recipe using Hawaiian natural ingredients (including Kona coffee - that can only be good).

Michael With aging rock musicians, it's a bit of a mixed bag: Paul McCartney, for example, is a bit of a joke. Well, according to my personal theory, the face-lifted vegetarian was always an empty shell, and only John Lennon was the genius behind the Beatles. Cheap Trick? They were good until the end. Mick Jagger? Well, he's okay. Pink Floyd? So-so. The Who? They're alright. And where the hell is Udo Lindenberg? Recently, I saw "Up" by Peter Gabriel on the shelf. Not bad at all for the old chap.

Michael As I might have mentioned before, Americans engage in strange sports. Baseball is one such case. Today, let's go ober the rules.

Michael People keep asking: How do you take such great pictures? Answer: With cheap cameras and a bit of experience. I get frustrated when I hear that yet another vacation photographer buys an expensive camera and, of course, produces equally bad pictures with it. Expensive cameras are useless. Anyone who pays more than 250 euros for an SLR (body), or more than, let's say, 400 euros for a digital camera is throwing their money away. If you don't spend five hours a day taking photos and making a living from it, the additional features are completely unnecessary. I am a big fan of so-called point-and-shoot cameras that produce a 35mm negative and do everything automatically. You can get quite far with them, but the automatic settings fail in situations with difficult lighting. Those who know what they're doing can outsmart and correct them. Today's digital cameras in the aforementioned price range are roughly at this level.

Angelika On November 5th, Americans elected a new Congress and Senate. As you already know, Republicans (the conservative party to which Bush belongs) not only expanded their majority in Congress but also regained control of the Senate. Although with an extremely narrow majority, it's still a victory. For the next two years, we now have to endure not only a Colt-waving President but also live with the rightward shift that has occurred in both political institutions.

Angelika I was surprised by how much the German newspapers reported on the "poisoned atmosphere" between Bush and Schröder due to their differing views on the Iraq war. Some comments, especially in the Süddeutsche Zeitung, which I usually hold in high regard, were so pro-Bush that I mentally composed several letters to the editor and wondered what was going on in the Süddeutsche Zeitung's editorial office.