Angelika I have already reported once that San Francisco has an extensive recycling program ( Rundbrief 02/2006 ). In the meantime, it has been further improved, and all kinds of container lids, like bottle caps and jam jar lids, now also go into our blue recycling bin. Most plastics as well, so we no longer have to look for the numbers under the plastic containers or bottles.

Michael In California and most other states, as is well known, the police do not simply set up speed traps to then greedily send out payment notices for fines by mail. Instead, the officer conducting the radar measurement boldly turns on the light bar and siren of their Ford "Crown Victoria," revs the engine, and chases after the speeder to force them to stop. When the speeder pulls over to the right on the shoulder, the officer parks their car just behind, gets out, usually approaches the passenger window, and asks for "License and Registration," meaning driver's license and vehicle documents. Tip: Never forget your driver's license at home. If you can't show it, the officer is allowed to have the car towed immediately! However, they will only do this in exceptional cases, because if it later turns out that the vehicle was driven by a legitimate license holder, the police department must reimburse the costs. After the uniformed officer has identified the driver, he then proceeds to ask questions, and manually fills out a "ticket" form in a process that takes about 15 minutes.

Michael You also have to watch out for traffic police officers on motorcycles, but only when the sun is shining. In the seventies, a TV show aired in America (and in 1989 in Germany), called "CHiPs" , in which two traffic police officers on motorcycles take down traffic offenders one after another. The three capital letters 'CHP' in 'CHiPs' stand for 'California Highway Patrol,' the official designation of the California highway police.

Angelika Michael has indeed in Rundbrief 11/2009 reported on the somewhat medieval methods still being used to read electricity meters in San Francisco. However, modernization is already in full swing, as so-called "Smart Meters" are gradually replacing them not only in San Francisco but throughout California.

Michael At the end of October, we were drawn to Canada, to the city of Toronto. The city, known for its multicultural image, is located far in the east, very close to the border with the USA and the state of New York.

Michael Niagara Falls, the magnificent natural spectacle where three million liters of water rush down a 54-meter-high wall every second, should not be missed. However, twelve million visitors think similarly each year, and the touristy surroundings in the town of "Niagara Falls" in the Canadian province of Ontario are quite bizarre. Fortunately, by the end of October, it was already the off-season, and the hustle and bustle had subsided, but many stalls and restaurants were also closed.

Angelika Christmas is just around the corner, and the season of eggnog is beginning. On supermarket shelves, cartons labeled "Egg Nog" suddenly appear, not far from the milk. The slightly yellowish-looking drink is made from milk, liquid cream, sugar, eggs, and spices like nutmeg. It is served both cold and hot, and can be enhanced with rum, whiskey, or brandy.

Angelika In the age of emails, Twitter, Facebook, mobile phones, and electronic greeting cards, we hardly get any handwritten letters in the mail anymore. Letter writing seems to be on the brink of extinction, just like vinyl records and film photography.