Angelika We are often asked here what we miss from Germany, and when I answer "the washing machines," I either get looks that question my sanity or I am met with incomprehensible laughter. But unfortunately, it's the sad truth: American washing machines are junk.

Michael Every now and then, the American version of the Red Cross shows up at our workplace and organizes blood donation drives. It's quite a useful thing; you can donate quickly and painlessly. After all, one would be grateful if they ever had an accident and needed a quick transfusion!

Michael Due to the great success of the traffic section in the newsletter at the end of last year, I am now presenting a special edition on absurd Californian traffic regulations. For example, according to the Californian traffic code, it is prohibited to let the tires be screeching excessively loud during acceleration. This so-called "Exhibition of Speed" is punished with hefty fines and can be punished by suspending your driver's license.

Angelika Recently, I myself fell into the trap of the American traffic sign jungle. How did that happen? In California, a driver's license is valid for five years, after which it can be renewed without a new test for a fee of $31. Usually, this can be done quite painlessly by mail or over the internet. However, for the third renewal, the DMV requires a vision test, which, of course, can only be completed in person on-site.

Michael Recently, Angelika drove home with a nearly flat car tire, which had picked up a nail. Fortunately, our car has a $15 pump from China in the trunk, which I plugged into the cigarette lighter. After making a hellish noise for 10 minutes, it brought the tire back to normal pressure. With that, I drove to the giant supermarket Costco, which, according to the internet, repairs tires purchased from them for free.

Michael When forming a carpool, children and teenagers often start bickering about who gets to sit in the front passenger seat and who has to sit in the back. That's why in America, it's common for the person who first calls out "Shotgun!" to be allowed to sit in the front seat. There are different regional rules, but usually, it's only permitted to call "Shotgun!" when the car is within sight. In case of a dispute, the caller must prove this by pointing to the parked car.

Michael A crackling fire in the fireplace spreads cozy warmth and a comfortable atmosphere. However, instead of logs, we tend to burn 4-hour Duraflame logs from the supermarket ( Rundbrief 11/2004 ) because burning wood not only involves work in obtaining it, but also requires constant replenishing.

Michael Stock investors in this country enjoy surprisingly generous tax regulations. For example, on stock gains, the investor only pays the moderate Long Term Capital Gains Tax . Regardless of their income tax bracket, lucky stock market winners only pay a maximum of 15% if at least twelve months pass between the purchase and sale of a stock.

Angelika It is accomplished: On March 23, Obama signed the "Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act," thereby sealing, in a historic step, the (almost) national health insurance. This also ended months of arguing, hair-pulling, and debating. Although the law is not perfect, as it includes many poor compromises, it at least stipulates that starting in 2014, almost all Americans and legal residents must have health insurance.

Angelika There is no citizen registration requirement in the USA, so in practice, the government has no idea who lives where. However, it is quite important to know how many residents live in a particular region or state, because government funds are often distributed proportionally to population density. This is why every ten years, the state counts its sheep ( Rundbrief 05/2000 ). This year, too, and I dutifully filled out the questionnaire and sent it back immediately. A few days later, a reminder card even arrived for those who were late in filling it out.