Michael Recently, Obama took the credit card industry to task. The monstrous card contracts, written in almost unreadably small print and understandable only to partially trained lawyers, which almost every American accepts without reading, must now be formulated in clear English by the card companies. Additionally, the companies committed to ceasing some of the more brazen methods they use to extract money from people through hard-to-understand clauses.

Michael In August, we decided to go to Palm Springs, about 100 km east of Los Angeles, because Angelika had read about it in one of her subscribed travel magazines. Located in the middle of the desert, it offers burnt-out film executives from the studios around Los Angeles the opportunity to hang out by the pool, throw extravagant parties, and cruise around the area in their luxury cars. With our rented Kia Rio, we certainly felt like we were from another planet.

Michael Anyone who, like me, enjoys snacking from time to time--a few peanuts here, an apple there--will surely also appreciate dried fruits. Now, dates are typically more common around Christmas time, but since they are grown in California, the Costco supermarket here offers them for sale all year round.

Michael In our series "American for Professionals" today, a word that Americans use to elegantly lump together foreign currencies: "Durka Durka." In German, it roughly translates to "camel moss," and with it, Americans somewhat disparagingly refer to currencies that are relatively worthless compared to the American dollar.

Angelika Around the San Francisco Peninsula, as is well known, there is water, and bridges ensure that drivers can reach various directions without too much hassle. Everyone knows the Golden Gate Bridge to the north, but nowadays the Bay Bridge, which leads east towards Oakland, is also frequently mentioned in the news. A part of this bridge collapsed during the earthquake of 1989, 20 years ago. More precisely, a piece of the upper deck fell onto the lower deck. Although the bridge was patched up at the time, it was clear to everyone that it wouldn't withstand a second major earthquake. Since 280,000 cars drive over the bridge daily to reach the so-called East Bay area, experts urged that the bridge be made earthquake-proof. After years of disputes over the financing and design for this major project, which is humorously documented in a satirical manner The Bridge So Far - A Suspense Story , there have now been efforts underway for over five years to realize the project.

Angelika Anyone who has known me for a while knows that, besides Bahlsen peanut flips, I am an absolute fan of potato chips. I'll just casually mention here that for my 30th birthday, I had received a garland made of 30 bags of potato chips. That says it all, doesn't it? However, I am also known for being a bit picky about quality, so I only like certain kinds, because not all potato chips are the same. In Germany, only those from Funny Frisch made it to the table. By the way, I've already passed quite a few blind tests.

Angelika Despite having lived here for almost 13 years, we still occasionally notice things that are just different. For example, part of my job involves creating materials for the autistic children I work with. We've been playing the so-called guessing game for some time now, and since we make symbol cards for everything, I made one with a question mark on it. However, when I showed the card to my colleague, she innocently asked if I always drew such funny question marks.

Angelika Over the years, more and more stuff gradually and steadily accumulates in the household. In Germany, the attic or the basement is typically used for storing this clutter, provided one owns a house. However, in America, houses are generally built without basements or attics, and the double garage usually houses two cars. So, where does the clutter go?

Michael The monthly electricity bill in America is usually not charged as a flat rate, but is actually read from a meter and billed per kilowatt. Since our heating, foolishly enough, operates electrically (!), the amount to be paid in winter is about twice as high as in summer.

Michael In the USA, it is quite common for people with good health insurance to pay for certain services themselves. I'm not just talking about a $10 copay, but amounts that the patient often pays as a deductible under their contract or services that the insurance company excludes from the outset or covers only to a small extent, such as dental crowns. Over the course of a year, these costs can easily add up to hundreds or even thousands of dollars, and with a trick, you don't pay taxes on them. In California, if someone earns a high income, that can quickly be 30 or even 40%, as we explained to you in Rundbrief 11/1999 .

Michael Not only animal sounds are in English are fundamentally different from German, as mentioned before in Rundbrief 07/2006 , but also the onomatopoeic descriptions for all sorts of sounds. For example, when someone clears their throat, it is written as "Harumph!" (pronounced "huh-rumph!"). If a hammer comes crashing down on something in a comic strip to flatten it, "Thud!" is written in large letters next to it. The squealing tires of an accelerating car make "Wheee", a sound also used by excited children sliding down a slide or sarcastically by adults feigning enthusiasm: "Whee, I got a watch for 10 years of service!"