Yeah, what you are doing would be illegal in Germany, even by current laws - as long as the contract allows private use of communication equipment (so phones, email..). If private use is allowed (it is in my company for example) you are breaking the law if you read (as in - filter by hand or electronic means, read the messages) mail for example or keep mails from reaching a user - this also applies to spam filtering. I am allowed to do spam filtering, I am just not allowed to dispose of mails that the filter deemed "spam".. the only thing I'm allowed to do is to mark them as spam (as in set the X-SPAM flag) and let the user decide to configure a local filter rule to move so-marked Mails to their respective spam folders. The same applies to follower regulations - I need a written permit from the user that I am allowed to read his mail or forward his address to another person after his departure/if he is on holidays, etc. Just doing it would be an invasion into his privacy and I would be held responsible by law. (For clarification, I'm head of IT over here)

No, not so far as I know.. but they are currently closing the loop hole that one can lose his license permanently in germany, and just travel to another EU-Country like poland and just get another license there..

Yeah, you can trade in some US Licenses, but sometimes have to take a test too. And I strongly suggest getting your license here, since driving (safely) in europe is a whole different matter than in the US.. oh, and german licenses are divided by manual and automatic shifters.. so if you learn on automatic, you are only allowed to drive those at all.

Yeah, I can. To get your Drivers License in Germany, you have to attend to around 15 - 20 Hours of theoretical classes, take a written test on them, have around 25 - 30 hours of guided driving until your driving instructor deems you fit for driving, and then have to take an approximately hour-long driving test (including: city driving, highway driving, interstate driving, parking, vehicle safety) with a state-provided inspector additional to your driving instructor - and if you don't pass, you have to take a few driving lessons and try again. (each try - including the mandatory lessions - comes you at around 300 - 400 $ extra).. expect to pay around $2.500 - $3.000 for your german license if you are an average learner.

Oh, and just to add another bit of Information - if you are into this kind of Science Fiction, I can highly recommend a book series by John Varley - Red Thunder (followed by Red Lightning and Rolling Thunder) where the invention of "Bubble Drive" enables a few off-the-shelf people to build a rocket out of Junkyard scrap and come to the rescue when the "real" mission by nasa goes poof.. It is a highly interesting read and continues nicely in the following Novels: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Thunder_(novel)

That Show would be http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvage_1

Yes, we have that concept of birth certificates too - followed by Acceptance of Fathership (if in doubt) etc., all of which have to quote your full name - those papers are 25 years old in my case and the only ones besides my ID Card that state my full Name.

.57$ per Gallon? you lucky guys.. over here (germany) the gas tax makes up for 79% of the Money you pay,
e.g. every Euro contains 79 eurocent taxes.. (Gallon Price is around 7$ US, Liter price around 1.40 Euro
(~1.80$ US)

But tax controls for people "smuggling" in gasoline inside the country.. thats just insane.