Michael Have you seen the movie "Independence Day"? Do you remember the scene with the secret lab where researchers are examining a UFO that accidentally landed on Earth in the 1960s? There are plenty of such conspiracy theories in America: Americans attribute almost anything to the government. Including the idea that aliens have long since landed on Earth, but the nasty political crew in Washington is keeping this fact a secret from the population and is secretly studying their UFO technology.

Michael On our wedding anniversary, we are known to enjoy going to Las Vegas because that's where we met a long, long time ago. Ten years ago, you could still find super-luxury hotel rooms there ( Rundbrief 01/2001 ) and rent without causing much stress to your credit card.

Michael In America, if you need a certified copy of a document, you don't go to a government office, but instead look for a so-called Notary Public . In California, these are completely ordinary people who have completed a six-hour crash course, passed a test, obtained a certificate, and can then notarize documents with a stamp and their signature for two years.

Michael And here are some acronyms that have emerged in the internet age, which you probably don't know if you're not very familiar with the internet. These acronyms are mainly used in chat sessions, but they also frequently appear in emails.

Angelika No, there was no power outage in San Francisco, and we were not sitting in the dark. Rather, the actors of the campaign Lights Out" were called upon to voluntarily dim the city. For one hour, the lights went out at prominent buildings such as the Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Transamerica Pyramid, the Coit Tower, the Ferry Building, and City Hall (Civic Center). Some restaurant owners also participated in the event (including the East German pub Walzwerk) and served guests while illuminating the dark restaurant with candlelight.

Angelika We have often mentioned in the newsletter that the American Social Security system is one of the few mandatory government insurance programs. It is a true exception in the USA, which is otherwise characterized by private and market-based systems.

Michael Hold on a moment... the photo with Grandpa Meume and the cigar lit with a dollar bill in the last post wasn't from the editorial team's private collection! And the photo with the Jim Carrey lookalike in this section probably isn't either! That's right, because now iStockPhoto.com offers stock photos that can be purchased for little money to promote products or, for that matter, visually enhance articles about pension insurance.

Michael If you are among the regular newsletter readers, you have surely noticed that the newsletter is now also available as a book. The 462-page tome is titled "The First Decade," professionally bound in a rock-hard cover. As a bonus, the book even contains a little more than ten years of newsletters, from November 1996 to October 2007, to be precise. The great thing about the self-publishing platform lulu.com is that the book is only printed when someone orders it. And it is printed exactly where it was ordered. If someone orders a copy in the USA, it is printed and shipped there. If someone in Germany clicks the order button, the printing press starts up there, and the printed work is sent to a German address for just a few euros.

Angelika Since 1981, the so-called Fleet Week has taken place every October in San Francisco to honor the men and women of the Navy and Coast Guard. It's a somewhat unusual celebration for the pacifist, left-leaning San Francisco. Large warships dock at the piers and allow naval officers in amusing sailor uniforms to come ashore. The Blue Angels, a Navy unit, are considered the highlight of the festivities for many, with their air show featuring six F/A-18 Hornet jets. For others, they are the biggest nuisance, as their daredevil maneuvers over the rooftops of San Francisco are considered dangerous and too loud.