Michael If someone is arrested for a crime in America, there is the possibility, as in Germany, that the examining judge will release the prisoner on bail until the actual trial. If there is no direct risk of flight, this is quite common. For minor offenses like marijuana possession, about $5,000 must be deposited with the court, but for more serious crimes, the amount can quickly reach $100,000. In the case of Michael Jackson, it was recently $3 million. The bail is returned if the defendant appears for the trial.

Michael One of the most beautiful achievements in San Francisco is the international atmosphere. Within half an hour, you can travel from Japan through Italy and China to South America. The latter neighborhood is just around the corner from us, and when you descend from our Noe Valley into the colorful Mexican "Mission," you can hardly believe your eyes and ears: everybody suddenly is speaking Spanish, people drive rundown cars, more trash lying in the streets, and Mexican oom-pah music blares from apartments and bars. One taqueria after another offers tacos, burritos, fajitas, and chile relleno.

Michael And here's another comment on the topic: Why Germans give up their rights as consumers and let themselves be led by the nose by the industry. The record industry is currently in quite a predicament worldwide because people prefer to download free pirated copies from the internet instead of buying CDs. What is the response of the German record distributors to this? CDs that can no longer be stored on the computer. This scam is called "copy-controlled." Folks, okay, I know you're not there yet, but try to listen to me anyway: In a few years, no one will be handling silver discs to listen to music. Do you start your cars with a crank, perhaps? Are your cell phones as big as bricks? Playing music CDs will seem just as ridiculous to you in a few years. I've been playing music exclusively through the computer on the stereo system for some time now. And, of course, only music that I have legally purchased beforehand--I have no problem with that. This way, I can choose from tens of thousands of songs at the push of a button, play them randomly, or rate them based on their romantic or intense factor and make my selection according to the situation. On a single computer, you can store more than 5,000 CDs. For your Stone Age method, you'd have to rent an extra room. I can play songs on portable devices that are as small as a matchbox (e.g., the "MP3 Player MuVo" and deliver stereo system quality. Even if you drop them on the floor -- because no rotating silver disc is necessary. Angelika has one of these devices and is very satisfied with it. Or has anyone heard of the iPod? Once you've experienced all of this, you can only laugh at the obvious idiocy of the poor CD players.

Michael About two and a half years ago, I introduced the TiVo box here ( Rundbrief 05/2001 ), Rundbrief 05/2001 the device that has caused a second Big Bang in the history of television in the USA. I would estimate that by now almost 50% of all Americans know what a TiVo is. Do you know? If not, I would suggest that you quickly look it up in the old newsletter, otherwise you might miss the revolution.

Michael The CD of the month is: "Welcome Interstate Managers" by "Fountains of Wayne". I discovered it because "Stacey's Mom" is currently being played non-stop on the radio. But, beware: for those who aren't 18 at heart like I am, this song by the four New Yorkers might seem incredibly childish. However, the album has more to offer: "Bought for a Song" or "Supercollider" are reminiscent of the fabulous British band Oasis, while others, like "Fire Island," recall the brilliant compositions of John Lennon. It's fantastic, buy it immediately!

Michael During our visit to Japan last year, we noticed "Andersen Bakery" right in the center of Hiroshima, which sold baked goods of German standards. Such a thing happens in the USA only about every three thousand miles. We were all the more delighted to see that a "Andersen" also opened in San Francisco's "Japantown." The saleswoman there admitted to us that she would like to visit the main store in Hiroshima herself.

Angelika We are known to love traveling and do not tolerate any blank spots on our map. As some of you know, we both met back in the day at a car rental company in Las Vegas and traveled with a spontaneously assembled group of 8 people through the national parks of the American West: Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands, Arches. Zion National Park was also on the itinerary back then, but time was running short and a winter storm was approaching, so we only drove through this particular park briefly. I believe we took some photos, but my memory of this park had faded significantly. That needed to change: So, at the beginning of November, we boarded a plane to Las Vegas, stayed for two nights at the MGM Grand Hotel, and then continued from there with a rental car to Zion National Park.

Angelika After we had just recovered from the shock that "Mr. Terminator" is now governing the state of California, another election campaign started in San Francisco. The city is looking for a new mayor, because Willie Brown, who had steered the city's affairs for eight years, has to step down, as required by reelection laws. San Francisco has always been an island in the American sea: liberal, a little quirky, firmly in Democratic hands, so to speak, a Bush-free zone.