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| Angelika/Mike Schilli |
TODO
Michael We went on vacation again. Since we already know Hawaii inside and out, this time we flew in the other direction. First across the continent to New York and then another 2 hours further east. There lies the English colony of Bermuda, a tropical island only 3 km wide and 35 km long with turquoise water and long, secluded sandy beaches.
Bermuda is located about 800 miles off the east coast of America in the Atlantic. On the map in illustration 2, you can see that the three corners of the so-called Bermuda Triangle point to the American city of Miami in Florida, the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico, and the island of Bermuda in the northeast. Numerous legends about lost ships are associated with this part of the Atlantic.
In Bermuda, only about 65,000 people live, but there isn't much space there either. According to travel guides, Bermuda's population density is only surpassed by metropolitan areas like Hong Kong. Tourists are not allowed to rent cars, only scooters, or they rely on the relatively well-functioning public transportation. However, asking the cashier at the supermarket if she could call a taxi and then waiting for 20 minutes in the parking lot with five large paper bags can be quite annoying, so we rented a small moped.
That was fun! Angelika was sitting on the back, and as you know, I rode motorcycles in my youth, so after some hairy maneuvers in left-hand traffic, it actually went quite well. The Bermudian also drives quite briskly in the car, but that might be because after ten years in California, we've slowed down a bit and tend to be somewhat nonchalant in traffic. In any case, the bus drivers drive like maniacs, and when you have a huge salmon-colored bus on your tail while on a moped, it can make you feel a bit uneasy!
If every adult resident of Bermuda owned a car, traffic would come to a standstill in no time. That's why each household is assigned an "Access Number," and only one car per Access Number is allowed. A second car is not permitted. If the spouse or teenagers living at home want a vehicle, they can only get a low-powered moped, which costs a dizzying $4,000! By the way, the registration for a mid-sized car costs $1,200 per year. And a family member must always be in the car. Anyone caught lending their car will get into trouble. Tourists can ride the moped without a driver's license, but locals must apply for a permit, which they can obtain from the age of sixteen after passing a driving test.
The young moped owners, however, drive like madmen. They're constantly in the fast lane, and quite a few accidents occur. The landlady of the place we had settled into checked every day to see if the moped was still intact and praised our accident-free driving. Apparently, tourists often come home with abrasions and dented vehicles.
Angelika When looking at oceans and taking long walks on the beach, I always start to philosophize: How does the salt get into the sea? Why is the sand white? In Bermuda, I was plagued by two questions: Why is the sea such a beautiful turquoise, and why does Bermuda's tourism industry advertise the pink beaches? Because at first glance, the sand shimmers in the finest yellowish-white tones, with no trace of pink. But upon closer inspection, you get to the bottom of it. Scattered throughout the sand are small pink shell particles that make the sand appear partially pink. They come from a sea-dwelling creature called "foraminifera," which has a reddish shell. When this organism dies, the waves crush the shell into tiny pieces and wash them onto Bermuda's beaches. Depending on the weather, the sand can appear more or less pink. The beautiful water color is due to the fact that there is hardly any phytoplankton in the ocean around Bermuda. Phytoplankton are small plant organisms that float around in the water. Without them, the sun's rays can hit the sandy bottom unimpeded and be reflected, making the water appear turquoise.
And another thing that catches the attentive tourist's eye: All the roofs of the houses in Bermuda shine brilliantly white and have a funny stepped shape. There is a very pragmatic reason for this. Drinking water is scarce on the island because there are no rivers or lakes, so rainwater is collected with the help of the special roof construction. The built-in steps in the roof are a sophisticated system of rain gutters.
Behind the white paint is a special coating that ensures the precious rainwater collected on the roof doesn't get dirty. Very clever! Now you might be wondering how often it rains in Bermuda. Since these are subtropical and not tropical islands, the rain falls fairly evenly throughout the year. The temperatures drop in the winter months (November to April) and hover around 20 degrees Celsius, while in the summer months from July to September, the thermometer climbs to 30 degrees. For the locals, the water in May is still too cold at 18 degrees, but we swam every day.
Michael Large cruise ships primarily visit Bermuda, docking at the three main piers at Dockyard, in Hamilton, and in St. George. These ships each release hordes of 2,000 people into the small towns for a few hours. If you avoid these behemoths, you will often find yourself completely alone, especially in the early season.
In the country's museums, you can marvel at old cannons and all sorts of treasures that have been recovered from shipwrecks stranded around Bermuda. A coral reef belt surrounds Bermuda, on which countless ships have run aground. Much to the delight of the residents, who then set about salvaging the wrecks.
A remarkably large number of people in Bermuda have the last name "Tucker." There is also a "Tucker's Town," but according to our taxi driver, who incidentally was also named "Tucker," it is not named after a famous Bermudian diver named Teddy Tucker. Teddy Tucker, the Bermudian national hero and wreck diver, recovered countless treasures from sunken ships, including a 16th-century golden cross adorned with gemstones. This cross was displayed in the museum until 1975, when someone stole it and replaced it with a plastic replica, so now a plastic cross stands in the glass case, which is quite laughable!
Furthermore, during the time of the slave trade, Bermuda was directly involved in the gruesome business. The museum at the Dockyard features a detailed exhibition about how slaves were taken from Africa and then transported under inhumane conditions on slave ships to Europe and America. Bermuda was one of the first ports of call before the ships continued on to America. Many Bermudians are descendants of former slaves. It was interesting to note that the topic was presented very thoroughly and candidly, whereas in the USA it is usually brushed aside quickly.
The location of the Bermuda Triangle varies according to different sources, but it is usually understood to be the area shown on the map above. The island of Bermuda is at the apex of the triangle. Strange things are said to happen in this area, such as a report of a flight that entered the region and lost all radio contact for 15 minutes. When the plane later landed in America, it was discovered that the control tower had not noticed the loss of connection, and the clocks of the crew and passengers were 15 minutes ahead! Under the... The text you provided is a URL and a brief description in German. It translates to:
"Entry 'Bermuda Triangle' on Wikipedia"
You can visit the link to read the Wikipedia article about the Bermuda Triangle in English. You can read more documentation of strange occurrences. However, the two newsletter reporters got away unscathed.
The upscale restaurants in Bermuda require their guests to adhere to certain dress codes. In some fine establishments, you are only allowed to dine with a tie and jacket! However, we learned from our landlady that some owners had to relax the rules because the overly strict British nonsense was annoying the predominantly tourist guests.
And of course, no one who is somewhat fashion-savvy wears the typical Bermuda shorts for men with long black knee socks. The restaurant whose sign in illustration 14 requires "smart casual," which in our opinion meant something like leather shoes and a polo shirt, let me in without any issues in my typical outfit of a gangster rapper T-shirt and software developer cargo shorts.
The prices in Bermuda are really adventurous. It's not uncommon for a main course in a relatively normal restaurant to cost $30. Compared to that, even San Francisco is inexpensive! The food didn't really blow us away, although some of the restaurants recommended in the travel guide were quite good. Additionally, the waiter adds a 15% tip to the bill without asking, which is particularly unpopular with Americans.
Angelika Bermuda comes across as quite British. Michael already mentioned the left-hand traffic and the dress codes. Our landlady also warned us right away that we wouldn't get anywhere in Bermuda if we didn't display British politeness. Simply throwing a "Excuse me, is this the bus to the Dockyard?" at the bus driver would be considered rude. No, it must first be "Good afternoon. How do you do?" before you can get to your actual request. Michael, of course, rebelled a bit against this stiff formality, as he has spent 10 years in laid-back California.
How did the English even manage to discover Bermuda? The Spanish captain Juan de Bermudez, after whom the islands are named, sailed around the islands as early as 1503 but showed no interest in colonizing the uninhabited islands. In 1609, the English Admiral George Somers, who was sailing on behalf of the British "Virginia Company," ran his ship "Sea Venture" onto one of the reefs off Bermuda on his way to Jamestown, Virginia. He and his crew had to stay on Bermuda to build new ships and left a few men behind when he set off again for North America. The "Virginia Company" liked the idea of claiming the hitherto uninhabited Bermuda and sent 60 settlers there in 1612. However, the British pound did not establish itself as the currency. There is the Bermuda Dollar, which is traded at a 1:1 rate with the American Dollar. The US Dollar is an equivalent means of payment, as we were able to use our green American bills everywhere. It is common to receive both Bermuda Dollars and US Dollars as change. This is also the practice among the island's residents. Only the ATM exclusively dispenses Bermuda Dollars.
Bermuda is an expensive place because, as is common on islands, everything has to be brought in from far away. Additionally, Bermuda imposes high tariffs on imported goods. Most of the groceries in the supermarket come from the USA. However, we also found British products, which often seemed cheaper due to the lower tariffs on certain products from England. The Irish butter, for example, was incredibly affordable.
Living space is scarce and in high demand in Bermuda due to the lack of space. Rents, as various taxi drivers informed us, are extremely high, easily comparable to those in San Francisco. Additionally, every wealthy individual builds fancy vacation homes (or rather villas) in Bermuda, which remain empty for most of the year. For example, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones have a house on the island. Since Bermuda is a tax haven for companies, many have their nominal headquarters here. Despite the high cost of living, the standard of living is high, as everyone proudly tells you.
Michael We made the most of our one week of vacation and flew out on Friday evening at 10 PM. The next morning (with a four-hour time difference), we were on the island. We returned just over a week later, on Sunday, and the next day we were back at work with a nice tan. Oh yes, we already miss the German vacation conditions...
Michael The German word "Im" translates to "in the" in English. It is a contraction of "in dem," which is used in the dative case. Rundbrief 07/2005 We have previously reported that there is no TÃV (Technical Inspection Association) in America, but there is a biennial emissions test. And since everything is available on the internet nowadays, the authorities in California thought: Let's put all the results online, including the license plate and the vehicle identification number of each car.
On theInternet Now, one can publicly admire the emissions tests of Californian cars. You can search by license plate or by the vehicle identification number (VIN). If you search by license plate, the website conveniently provides the VIN along with the emissions values. This means you can then search by the VIN and obtain all the license plates that the vehicle has had over the years. According to a report, car thieves are using this service. Report onSnopes.com Sometimes it involves ordering replacement keys for some car on the street. Often, all that is required for this is the vehicle registration number. Just enter "PERLMAN" and then you can see that our good old PERLMAN has passed all smog tests with flying colors since 1993!
Addendum: As can be seen in Figure 21, the DMV blocked the issuance of the VIN shortly after the publication of the article.
Lichtschutzfaktor Sonnencreme" translates to "sun protection
factor sunscreen" in English.
Michael Have you ever been to America, bought SPF 20 sunscreen, laid on the beach, and ended up with a patchy sunburn? Ha! That happened to us too. Obviously, it wasn't a "real" SPF 20.
Funnily enough, only speculative nonsense can be found on the internet about this topic. Some claim that the German sun protection factor (LSF) and the American sun protection factor (SPF) are determined using the same method. Others report drastic discrepancies, stating that the American value is exaggerated by 50% to 100%. There are no serious scientific reports -- the medical clowns of the world obviously haven't published their dissertations on the internet yet. Hello, wake up!
However, we are not naive either. Supported by long-term research projects on the world's most important beaches, we put on our white lab coats today and boldly claim: The "SPF" indicated on American sunscreen packages corresponds to a "sun protection factor" that is about 30% lower. So if you buy a 20 SPF in America, you effectively have a 12 SPF by German standards. I wouldn't lie on any Californian beach with that, as a sunburn is inevitable.
Recently, Costco had a deal on two tubes of Neutrogena sunscreen (see image 22) with SPF 55 (which is roughly equivalent to SPF 35 by German standards) for $13.99. A bargain price! Neutrogena makes one of the best sunscreens in the world. Not chalky at all, as is usually the case with sunscreens in the higher protection range. Silky on the skin and not greasy at all! I had to stock up immediately.
Angelika Michael has in However, the sentence seems incomplete. Could you provide more context or the rest of the sentence for a more accurate translation? Rundbrief 11/2006 The throat patch Sudafed PE was indeed rated as a junk product. Back then, we thought the poor quality was due to its administration as a strip instead of the proven pill form. Recently, however, a colleague of Michael mentioned that he was getting tired of always having to show his ID when buying the original "Sudafed" to combat his chronic sinus problems. Hmm, that made us suspicious, and I went to the drugstore chain "Walgreens" to get to the bottom of it.
First, you need to know that neither Sudafed nor Sudafed PE are prescription drugs in America. Over-the-counter medications are typically available on the shelves in drugstores and supermarkets in America, just like toothpaste. The customer grabs the medication and goes to any checkout counter in the store to pay. For prescription medications, however, you need to hand over the doctor's prescription at a counter, and the medication is retrieved by employees from shelves behind the counter, similar to German pharmacies. But now back to my Walgreens research. So, I diligently searched the aisles with the medications for Sudafed and quickly found Sudafed PE in box form. However, for the original Sudafed, there was only a card in the shelf, which stated that you should take it to the "pharmacy counter." I handed the card to the friendly lady behind the counter, who then asked me for an ID. So, I dug out my California driver's license, which she swiped through the register using the magnetic strip. Then she typed something into the computer, I had to sign, and finally, I was allowed to pay for and take the Sudafed with me.
Now you might be wondering what all this nonsense is about. The active ingredient is the key to the mystery. The original Sudafed contains "pseudoephedrine," which can be relatively easily used to produce the drug methamphetamine (also known as meth or crystal), while Sudafed PE contains the active ingredient phenylephrine, which cannot be used for that purpose.
To prevent meth addicts from buying large quantities of Sudafed to brew their drug in the back room, the purchase of products containing pseudoephedrine or ephedrine has recently been regulated in the USA. The law, "The Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act," made this possible on a national level after some states had already been practicing similar regulations for some time. Since September 2006, each customer is allowed to buy only 3.6 grams of pseudoephedrine or ephedrine per week or 9 grams per month. Hence the fuss about showing my ID and registering how much Sudafed I bought and when. The drug "meth" has spread epidemically in the USA. It has a strong stimulating effect and causes large amounts of the neurotransmitter "dopamine" to be released, leading to euphoric states of happiness. The problem is that people become addicted to the stuff and can no longer experience feelings of happiness without the drug because the dopamine receptors in the brain are damaged. Strokes, nerve damage, psychoses, and rotting teeth are also not uncommon with prolonged abuse. As a deterrent, television here often shows photos of meth addicts. If nothing easily fazes you, take a look at the... The Wikipedia page onthe topic "Meth Mouth The German phrase "Mahlzeit!" can be translated to English as "Meal time!" or simply "Enjoy your meal!" It is often used as a casual greeting around lunchtime in German-speaking countries.
Michael Riding a bicycle through San Francisco requires the utmost attention. According to my personal statistics, 70% of the driving population lacks the technical skills to drive. These are people who hit the curb while turning, can't keep their car in the lane, and run red lights because they can't accurately judge the timing of the traffic lights changing. If such a person is also on their phone, double caution is advised.
For such people, as a cyclist, you have to make decisions for them to prevent an accident. If they are driving behind you and want to overtake, but there is obviously no space to complete the maneuver safely, you simply ride in the middle of the lane as a cyclist until the situation is resolved. However, constantly turning around to see what's going on is uncool and even dangerous, so I bought a helmet mirror a few months ago.
This makes you look like a "Borg" from Star Trek, but the mirror helps so much in assessing the road situation that I don't even know how I would manage without it!
There are many different helmet mirrors, but I chose the model... Take ALook" by the company "Bike Peddler Translation: "Bought from Colorado. It is extremely simple in design, makes an extremely stable impression, and is easy to adjust. Cost: $15. Top product!
Angelika The Californian winter of 2006/2007 brought us too little rain, so the water reservoirs were not sufficiently filled. In the summer, this can lead to water shortages, especially in Southern California. That's why we recently received a... Brochure from theWaterworks into the house, which contained tips for saving water.
You know, installing water-saving showerheads, only running the dishwasher when it's fully loaded, not leaving the tap running while brushing your teeth. Dry winters have occurred more frequently in California. However, I found it interesting when reading the brochure that it pointed out global climate change, which scientists say will bring us drier winters in the future. Ha, didn't I already announce in the last newsletter that the topic of global warming has become socially acceptable in the USA? Even Bush couldn't help but grudgingly acknowledge climate change as a fact at the G-8 summit in Heiligendamm, even though he had denied it until recently. Now, this doesn't immediately make him a Greenpeace activist, but every beginning is difficult.
Angelika In the last Rundbrief 04/2007 I reported that San Francisco was the first city in America to ban plastic bags. But San Francisco is not only ahead in terms of environmental protection, but also when it comes to social achievements. Since February of this year, everyone working in San Francisco must be paid for sick days. San Francisco is once again the first city in America to legally mandate paid sick leave at the local level. There are no binding legal regulations on this matter at the national level in America. It is estimated that almost half of full-time employees in the USA (according to the press, about 57 million) do not receive a salary when they call in sick. Those most affected are people working in low-wage jobs, even though they can least afford the loss of income. Better companies generally grant paid sick days, with different models depending on the company. Some employers, for example, grant 1 to 2 days per month, which can be accumulated up to a certain maximum limit. Yahoo allows its employees short-term absences (a maximum of 5 consecutive days) due to their own illness or the illness of a family member (e.g., children) up to 5 times in 12 months. If an employee at Yahoo is sick for a longer period, the so-called "Short-Term Disability Insurance" kicks in, which is paid for by Yahoo for the employees. Other companies do not differentiate between vacation, illness, or absence due to doctor visits. The employee receives a so-called "Paid Time Off" account (Paid Time Off = paid absence), and they decide for themselves how to use the accumulated hours (vacation or illness). San Francisco's model works as follows: Everyone working in San Francisco (regardless of where the company is based) receives one paid hour of sick leave for every 30 hours worked. The accumulated time can be used for personal illnesses, necessary doctor visits, or caring for sick relatives or partners. It does not matter whether the employee is full-time, part-time, or temporarily employed. The same rules apply to workers without work permits and papers ("Undocumented Workers"). If you work for a small company (up to 10 full-time or part-time employees), you can accumulate up to 40 hours; otherwise, 72 hours. The hours do not expire at the end of the year, but once the maximum limit is reached (40 or 72 hours), no more hours accumulate until a sick leave occurs and the hours are reduced. After that, the account can grow again up to the limit. It sounds complicated, but honestly, it is well thought out. A cheer for San Francisco.Bezahlte Krankheitstage" translates to "paid sick days" in
English.
Michael When you walk through the Mexican neighborhood "Mission" just around the corner from us, you often hear a kind of oom-pah music coming from passing cars or open apartment windows, which is not unlike German folk music. If you look closer, these are just regular people who enjoy this seemingly totally crazy music. You never know! I thought that only existed in Germany at the Musikantenstadel.
Recently, we were at a Spanish restaurant in the Mission District, and just as we were about to order, three Mexicans in traditional costumes came in. One had a guitar, another an accordion, and the third a double bass (cf. "Three Chinese with the Double Bass"). After briefly asking the owner for permission and receiving it, the three began their loud Humpa-Dumpa music. I turned on my digital recorder to document the scene as the waitress came to take our order. And so today, you get to enjoy a rarity: A Order in aSpanish restaurant with polka music playing as MP3
Americans usually call Mexican musicians "mariachis," not knowing that the musicians in the San Francisco Mission are mostly "jarochos." While mariachis wear round sombreros and play with trumpets and violins, jarochos wear cowboy hats and mostly play bass, guitar, and accordion. So, if you hear lyrics like "See the vegetable man / In the vegetable van / With a horn that's honking / Like a mariachi band" by the well-known rock musician Beck in the future, you'll know the difference.
Apropos Beck: He not only recently... At Yahoo in front of thecafeteria The translation to English is: "played, but a few years ago in a cheap but good Taqueria around the corner from us Unfortunately, we missed the surprise event, and apparently most of the guests didn't even recognize Beck, as they were into Humpa-Dumpa music and were busy devouring the store's legendary good burritos!
Always up close with the stars:
The translation of "Angelika und Michael" to English is "Angelika and Michael.
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