Michael The World Cup is indeed long over, but I still wanted to report on how such an event unfolds in a country where soccer is a completely exotic sport. The World Cup matches were broadcast almost exclusively on the sports channel ESPN, which we unfortunately don't have due to frugality. Fortunately, the Spanish channel also aired them, and this even had the advantage of not having to listen to the uneducated comments of the American soccer commentators. In Rundbrief 07/2002 we have already reported that South Americans always shout "Goooool!" when a goal is scored. Do you want to hear it live? This time we present the goal commentary as an MP3, listen in: TV sound during the 1-0 in the Germany vs. Portugal match .

Angelika San Francisco is notorious for its natural air conditioning, namely the cool air and fog. This makes many tourists, dressed only in T-shirts and shorts, shiver during the summer months. The fog forms because the hot air from inland flows towards the ocean, which is quite cold, and -- voila -- everything is enveloped as if in cotton. The meteorologists amongst you may forgive me for this simplified explanation.

Angelika The myth that anyone who wants to live and work in America is immediately handed a green card upon arrival is indestructible. But that's false, America has not kept its doors wide open for everyone for a long time. If you want a work permit, you not only have to navigate the thicket of bureaucracy but also win the race against the quota, as typically only a certain number of work visas or green cards are issued in various categories each year.

Michael Through a service introduced in the second-to-last newsletter, named onlinetvrecorder.com , we can now also receive German television in San Francisco. So I watch the Tagesschau almost every day now, and Angelika watches her beloved Tatort.

Michael In San Francisco, the streetcars are known to run according to a fantasy schedule. The train doesn't arrive at a specific time; instead, the schedule literally states "approximately every X minutes," with X varying between 10 to 30 depending on the time of day.

Michael When installing a ceiling light in Germany, a so-called Lüsterklemme" is often used. This is a plastic piece with small screws and holes, into which you insert the stripped wire strands from the back and front and then secure them with a screwdriver.

Michael Every language translates animal sounds slightly differently. Sometimes, something similar comes out, like with the cow, which goes "Muh" in German and the similar-sounding "moo" in English. But did you know that the sound for a horse neighing is "neigh" (pronounced "neehii")? By the way, in America, you don't urge a horse on with "Hüh" and stop it with "Brr," as you do in Germany. Instead, you start it with a double tongue click in the side/back of the mouth, similar to how you might attract a horse or cow in Germany when holding a carrot. A horse is stopped with "Whoa!" The latter is also the warning sound you make when you would say "Achtung!" in German, like when a piano is about to fall on someone's head.

Michael We have often reported on our neighboring district, the Castro. Hardly any other district is as typical of San Francisco, and few are as tidy and picturesque. The area, formerly known as "Eureka Valley," became the center of the gay movement in the early 1970s. Harvey Milk, a political activist and later the first openly gay city supervisor of San Francisco, opened a camera shop in the Castro at that time. He was later shot by a homophobe, and the "Harvey Milk Photo Center" still commemorates him today, where Angelika often develops her pictures in the darkroom.

Angelika And here's a quiz question: Which is the American holiday (apart from December 25th and New Year's) that is always celebrated on the same date? Correct, Independence Day on July 4th, which is why it's commonly referred to as "4th of July." Other American holidays are based on the weekday in a specific month, such as "Labor Day" on the first Monday in September or "Thanksgiving" on the fourth Thursday in November.

Michael The terms "home" and "grilling" are inseparably linked in America. A home is not complete until there is a so-called barbecue (BBQ) in the garden. The head of the family stands at it and prepares hamburgers or steaks for the whole family. Important: Grilling is a man's job.

Michael As loyal newsletter readers, you surely know the video website youtube.com, as we've mentioned it a few times before. A revolution is currently taking place there, with more and more people creating their own TV shows. A young lady named 'Brookers' has apparently influenced an entire generation of young people with her self-made clips: Video with the Brookers story . Of course, it's on YouTube, and now the lady is supposedly going to get her own TV show.