Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with USA

Drug test questions

Anonymous — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:11:32 -0800

I have a question about being hired as a contractor for the Department of Justice and having to take a drug test. I applied for an entry-level position at the US Attorney's office in my city. I was brought in for an interview, and before it started I sat down with a woman from HR. She explained that if I were hired it would be as a contractor and not as a federal employee, which meant that my benefits would be provided by an outside company. She told me that I would have to get a security waiver, which meant a background investigation. She told me, without being asked, that there would be no drug test. I was glad to hear that, since I use marijuana most days.

The next day she called and said that they were offering me the job and I could start once my security waiver went through. They sent me forms to fill out. One of the questions on the form asked whether I have used any illegal drugs in the past 7 years, and I answered no. I submitted the form and went in for fingerprinting. They told me it would be a couple of weeks before it went through and then I could start.

Today I got a phone call from someone at USIS/Labat-Anderson, whom I recall the HR person saying would be the company providing my benefits, but with whom I had had no contact so far. The guy on the phone told me that he'd sent me something in the mail I'd have to sign and fax back to him. The package I received contained USIS/Labat-Anderson's substance abuse policy and a memo stating that the substance abuse policy was "referenced in the conditional offer letter of employment that you have received. As you acknowledged by signing your conditional offer, all applicants for employment with USIS are subject to pre-employment drug screening." The memo also says that I will have to take the drug test within 48 hours of receiving the notice. The aforementioned offer of employment, which I had never seen before, was also in the package.

Here's what I'd like to hear from anyone who has actual experience here:

1) Is there any way to salvage this job opportunity?
2) If not, how should I proceed?
3) Would failing the drug test mean more than just not being offered the job? Would it mean e.g. I would face penalties for lying on the security form?

An Australian iPhone in the US of A

robcorr — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:30:49 -0800

I'm an Australian who is holidaying in the US and Canada in December -- from Sunday! I have an iPhone and I would like to know whether I can use it for 3G data while I'm there. I've waded through a number of telephony and travel forums to try to piece this together myself, but they're contradictory and circumstances seem to change constantly.

Let me set out what I *think* is the simplest way to do this, and hopefully you can provide either confirmation or corrections.

1. Network unlock my phone. (Done -- restoring as we speak.)

2. Change my credit card's address to my hotel address.

3. Buy an AT&T GoPhone Pay As You Go sim pack.

4. Put the sim into a phone -- not the iPhone.

5. Visit the AT&T activation site, entering the other phone's EMEI and my hotel's address.

6. While I'm at the AT&T site, buy a $20/100MB data pack.

7. Using wifi, visit one of the sites that allows me to patch the US carrier details into my iPhone.

8. Transfer the AT&T sim to my iPhone; cross my fingers.

Is this right? Does this mean I need to buy a throwaway phone just to activate the SIM? Is there an easier way?

For instance, some people say that T-Mobile has a better prepaid data offer that doesn't require hoop-jumping to activate in the iPhone (albeit Edge rather than 3G), but others say it's no longer available.

And finally, I'll be in Canada for about a week. I won't bother trying to get a Canadian sim for such a short period, but it'd be nice to know whether the US plan will work there.

Thanking you in advance.

Free money for USA kids abroad. Scam?

Joe in Australia — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:56:06 -0800

My wife's from the USA and she got this on a mailing list she reads. I know nothing about US tax law or benefits. Is it a scam, or is Uncle Sam just waiting to shovel buckets o'cash into my pockets? U.S. CITIZENS LIVING OUTSIDE OF THE US are eligible to receive $1000+ per child every year (sometimes up to $3,000 per child)
This is even if only one spouse is a US citizen as long as the children have social security numbers. We specialize in US benefits for citizens abroad and will help you receive this money as soon as possible. We can also make sure that all U.S. citizens living in/out of America are receiving the full benefits that they are entitled to, including the President’s new stimulus packages

Propitious places to move to & unusual living situations for having 3 or 4 days a week free to work on personal project

cotesdurhone — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 21:39:38 -0800

I'm working on a project that requires at least 3 or 4 full days attention each week. What are some places in the US or world I could move to, &/or unusual living situations, that would give me a good chance of doing this? Other considerations:

• Part-time job terminating Jan 1, and definitely want to move elsewhere (currently live in Boston)
• Have $5000 savings. Will probably also be able to continue receiving unemployment (about $1,000 month) if I move out of state (but not country, obviously)

• Age 30. US Citizen.
• Languages: English, Russian
• Skills: Writing and editing, visual art, Russian translation (but no graduate-level degrees to show this)
• BA from Liberal Arts college + semester (2 terms) at Oxford

Any and all reasonable options considered.

• Preferred urban environment: vibrant arts scene, inspiring architecture, not overrun with college students or sports fanatics, ethnically and age-ally diverse
• 'Ideal' destinations: Montreal, France
• Hypothetical order of preference: 1. Montreal & France (tie) 2. EU, Scandinavia, & Turkey 3. Eastern Europe 4. USA & Canada 5. South America 6. Asia 7. Australia/New Zealand 8. other

• Preferred rural environment: the more (interesting) people around, the better

• "unusual living situations" = housesitting - caretaking - living in some cabin - (earnest) meditative community - collective farm - kibbutz - teaching abroad - or anything else

• If it's helpful to know— the project is of a literary nature (a novel and other writings)

Finally, what are the very best resources (books, websites, magazines, etc) that might be of help?

Shalom, kitties!

pointystick — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:48:47 -0800

Asking for a friend: Does anyone know where to find authoritative information on requirments for pets moving to the USA from Israel? Asking for a friend: A US citizen & her Israeli spouse are moving back to the USA from Israel. They have 2 indoor cats who have had regular vet visits & certificates of good health. They have not had rabies shots as that is not required locally as they are indoor only.
Cat mom is panicking that she is not getting consistent information about what documents are required. The US embassy is saying rabies shots not required which seems odd. They don't have any info on quarantine. Who should they (the humans) call? What should they (humans again) read?

They are flying into Orlando next week.

Friend thanks the hivemind in advance!

What has America received as gifts from other nations?

Tomorrowful — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 21:24:57 -0800

What publicly owned items/monuments/etc in the US were gifts from other nations? Curiosity brought on by finding out that the current US Senate gavel was provided by the Republic of India when the old one broke under Nixon's hand. The Statue of Liberty's well-known as a gift from Revolutionary France, and most Presidents have used the Resolute Desk, gifted by Queen Victoria. What else is there that's in public/ceremonial/governmental use that other nations gave to the USA? I don't just mean things that have been donated/gifted and are now part of, say, the Smithsonian's archives; I'm looking for things like the gavel and Resolute Desk that have been integrated into the normal proceedings or ceremonies of government, or public monuments and the like.

Psychotherapy? Psicoterapia? Psychothérapie? психотерапия?

Keter — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:50:35 -0800

With regards to psychotherapy, a common opinion I've noticed on MetaFilter is that Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is perceived as being the most efficient way to go, in addition to being one of the very few therapies likely to be reimbursed by health insurance. However, this may be coming from a largely American perspective. As such, I'm curious: What are some major features of psychotherapy in countries other than the United States? What are modes of therapy with which Americans might be familiar that are more popular elsewhere than they are in the US, and why are they more common in other places? Are there any psychotherapeutic traditions I as an American would be unlikely to have heard of or considered? Similarly, are there any therapeutic modalities that are distinctly American (or, in a less absolute sense, are more commonly found in the US or in Anglophone countries)? Within therapeutic modalities that might be familiar to us (CBT, psychodynamic, psychoanalytic), are there any schools or features of those modalities in other countries that may not be common in the United States? (For the last question, I have the general impression that French psychoanalysis is hella Lacanian, but have absolutely nothing of substance to back that up.)

On another train of thought: Who goes to get therapy—and who pays for it when they do? Are there places where psychotherapy is viewed with more or less stigma than it is in the United States?

I realize these are many, many questions, and I certainly don't expect to have all—or even most—of them answered. All-in-all, I'm just interested in learning more about how psychotherapy is perceived, researched, and practiced in places other than my home country... and why these psychotherapeutic landscapes may differ.

(For what it's worth, my own attempts to answer these questions have been rather fruitless, though I haven't the faintest of where to look. Some random searching on MeFi found me an interesting thread suggesting that psychoanalysis is really huge in Argentina. I also seem to recall an assertion I'll paraphrase as something like: "In France, psychoanalysis is therapy.")

Is it worth the trouble/effort to buy IKEA in Canada and drive it back into the US?

davertron — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 08:11:19 -0800

Anyone with experience buying and bringing IKEA stuff from Canada into the US? I want to drive up to the IKEA in Montreal to purchase some furniture because it's the closest IKEA to where I live here in Vermont (about 2 hours away). I'm guessing that you probably have to deal with import procedures when coming back into the states if you spend a certain amount of money or are bringing back a big truck full of stuff. Does anyone have any experience with this? Do you think I could avoid it if I had a van vs. a Uhaul or something similar? What would this procedure involve? Would the current exchange rate make it worth the trouble?

I'm planning on buying some bigger items, so it might be difficult to sneak through unnoticed, but I might be able to borrow a decently sized van or something if needs-be.

Mysterious sign, perhaps no longer in production?

RedReplicant — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:36:32 -0800

I can't for the life of me find a picture of a particular road sign, which I consistently misunderstood as a child. It's a traffic sign in North America that I saw many times as a kid but almost never any more. It was a yellow-orange sign with a "no" symbol and some random-looking detritus behind it, which I later understood to be a crumpled can. Probably a "no littering" sign, but a search on that or like terms seems to turn up nothing! A pretty silly question, I know! I ask partly because when I was a kid, I thought the item behind the "no" sign was a mouser from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

WTB: 1 Young American Operating Manual, pref Canadian translation

256 — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:50:36 -0800

Young Canadian couple is expecting to have a newborn American added to their family. Wonders if the child will need any special care above and beyond what would be given to a newborn Canadian. So, my wife and I are currently living in the USA on a three year work visa. My wife is pregnant with our first child, and we fully expect that the baby will be born here in the States. I understand that this would entitle him/her to American citizenship.

We don't intend to immigrate to the USA. In fact, it is our hope to be back in either Canada or the EU (where we have lived before and where my wife has citizenship) well before our child reaches school age.

We would, however, like to do everything we can to make it so that, should our son or daughter later want to make use of their American citizenship, it is easy for them to do so.

To be clear, I'm not looking for legal advice or visa-related advice for the present. We already have access to an immigration lawyer to answer those questions for us. Also, we're not particularly looking for general baby advice, we have plenty of family, friends, literature and doctors already quite happy to provide that.

What we're really looking for is particular gems about non-American parents having a baby with multiple citizenship which includes American. I can't provide a really good example of the sort of thing I'm looking for because, by definition, I'm not in a position to know it. Okay, here's an example: Make damn sure that the circumstances surrounding the child's legal right to American citizenship is well documented because it passing snuff now won't prevent people from wanting to go over it with a microscope should our child choose to run for political office in America some time down the road.

I'm hoping that there are more interesting tidbits than that but, hive mind, I'm leaving it in your hands to determine what it is you think we need to know.

Relocating to the US, health insurance advice needed!

hibbersk — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 08:12:36 -0800

I'm relocating to the US (from the UK) in a couple of weeks and having concerns about health insurance. My husband's employer covers health insurance for him, but to cover me as well we must take out the 'family policy' for $500 per month (if we had 4 kids this would be a great deal, but apparently it's the same price for the whole 'family' even if that's just me. This seems crazy to me, not sure if it is normal!). Is my alternative plan crazy? Health insurance companies confuse and scare me! To simplify things, assume that I'll be there for a year, and I will not have a job that includes insurance. I'm on the H4 (nonimmigrant) visa. However the year will be split into chunks where I'll be back in the UK - for example a month from mid-Dec to mid-Jan, a couple of weeks in April, and a few weeks in June/July. So the chunks of time when I'll be in the US will be 2-3 months each.

My idea is to get premier single trip travel insurance through my regular provider STA Travel, for £134 (2 months) to £172 (3 months). The coverage is outlined on the link above and is all quite standard as far as travel insurance goes. The policy is single entry, so I'd buy a policy with each return flight to be covered for all the time I am in the US. This is clearly much better value than the $500/month policy offered through husband's employer. I assume the travel insurance wouldn't cover routine checkups etc and I'm ok with that; I can get those done when I'm back in the UK every few months courtesy of our wonderful NHS. Worst case scenario, the savings we'd make from not going with the $500/month policy would easily cover a flight home for a non-emergency, non-covered but necessary medical consultation. The travel insurance has other benefits too, such as emergency dental treatment (dental isn't covered at all in the employer's policy), legal costs, theft, etc. But I'm also totally paranoid about the US healthcare system, and don't want to be caught out or bend the rules to such an extent that the travel insurance policy wouldn't pay up in an emergency because I'm classed as being a US resident or something, because if insurance companies can find a way not to pay out, they usually do in my experience! So mefites, is this a sensible plan of action or am I missing something?

Magically delicious.

cobain_angel — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 15:39:28 -0800

Help me send my friend in Ireland some very American things. Bobby's birthday is coming up, and I would like to send my dear Irishman some mail-resistant stuff that he wouldn't be able to find in Ireland in a store. An example is Lucky Charms, which he informs me, is NOT available in Ireland.

Any ideas?

Are the taxes on an American sweepstakes win by a Canadian worth our while?

stungeye — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 08:28:22 -0800

SweepstakesFilter: My wife (a Canadian like myself) recently won a large number of travel rewards points from an American chain of hotels. Help us determine if the prize is worth keeping considering what we'll have to pay in taxes to the IRS. We have confirmed the legitimacy of the prize. (The contest was handled by ePrize and we've been in direct communication with a rep from the hotel chain.) To redeem the prize we have been asked to fill out an IRS W8BEN Foreign Status form. The instructions for the form state that "Foreign persons are subject to U.S. tax at a 30% rate on income they receive from U.S." Unlike casino winnings (for which the 30% tax can be recouped by a Canadian winner) I cannot find any information on the foreign tax liability for points-based sweepstakes.

When asked about taxes, a representative from hotel chain said the following:

"Although I cannot provide you with tax advice, it is likely that your tax liability will not be based on the published retail value of the points, but instead based on internal costs to provide the points."

The published retail value of the points was $35,000 and we've been told that the internal cost will be around $15,000. The points can be cashed in for approximately 12 round-trip overseas flights, or (for the sake of monetary comparison) converted into $10,000 worth of Amazon gift-cards.

So here are my questions:

Have you been in a similar situation? Care to share your "Canadian winner of US sweepstakes" taxation experience?

Can you suggest a firm to contact that will know how to deal with this situation? (So far the Canadian tax advisers we've contacted haven't been overly helpful.)

Should we accept the prize, even if it means paying $4,500 to $10,500 USD? (The former being tax on internal costs, the later being tax on the retail value of the points.)

If we accept the points and are surprised with a giant tax bill (say the full $10,500) can we return the prize to avoid the taxation?

How do I get my package that's been "Inbound Into Customs" in NY for 12+ days?

gemmy — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 21:37:48 -0800

My perfectly boring package from Sweden has been listed as "Inbound Into Customs" since September 4. How can I find out what the problem is? Can I get it cleared somehow? I purchased some Swedish foods (some soft thinbread, a tube of cheese, a box of pearl sugar, a container of baking molasses, and two bags of licorice candy) from an online retailer - a mom & pop type shop that I've used successfully several times before. They shipped the package from Sweden on September 2, and the USPS tracking tool shows it arriving in New York on September 4. Since then, however, the package status has been "Inbound Into Customs" with no further updates. (Compare with my last three orders from them, which got to me in 4-5 days.)

I asked the store if they knew what was up - they say that they have never had this happen before, and their local post office doesn't know why it's been delayed so long. I talked to my postman and to a clerk at my post office, and neither of them had any suggestions or insights. Searching online for others in the same situation, my case seems a bit odd because a) it's taking more than 4-5 days to clear customs, b) the package doesn't contain even possible contraband of any kind, and c) it doesn't contain enough of anything to make them suspect that it's for re-sale.

I'm extra pissed about the whole thing because the bread and cheese would have been fine after five or six days in transit, but will be stale/spoiled now. And I craved it so...

Have you had this happen to you, and if so how did it turn out? Will they send me some sort of form to explain what happened to my package, and if so when? Can I find out what the problem is? Can I get it cleared somehow by explaining the contents? Any idea why this very boring package would be stuck in customs so long? Any help would be appreciated.

3G USB for US and Australia?

obiwanwasabi — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:05:54 -0800

Which 3G USB key/stick thingy should my Mom buy if she wants to be able to use it in Australia and the US? She'll probably want a prepaid solution in both countries rather than a plan.

US Civil War life?

imjustsaying — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 04:48:53 -0800

Books on everyday civilian life during the US Civil War? I've just finished reading The State of Jones, by Sally Jenkins and John Stauffer, and The Widow of the South, by Robert Hicks.

These have prompted an interest in the day to day life of people during the US Civil War and the years of reconstruction which followed.

Are there any suggestions for other books on this subject which I might like? The two I've mentioned are historical novels, as opposed to pure non-fiction.

Ik heb... financialaidie?

zvs — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 07:43:21 -0800

NetherlandsFilter: As a Dutch citizen, am I eligible for financial aid for school in the United States? I'm a US-Dutch dual citizen, and I'm starting grad school in the US soon. I was applying for FAFSA when I realized there's probably an equivalent program in Holland.

But I can barely read Dutch, let alone Google effectively in it. Has anyone successfully done this?

Are there any programs for a 30yr old English guy to work in the USA for a year or so?

Not Supplied — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 04:24:32 -0800

Are there any programs for a 30yr old English guy to work in the USA for a year or so? I like the look of somewhere like Austen, but pretty open minded really.

Similarly with the type of work...I have a lot of interests and feel that I could turn my hand to most things. Would be nice if it was involving, but if it has to be bar work then it has to be!

Presidential time-usage in pictures

paisley — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:28:02 -0800

Who spent more of their Presidency on vacation, Dubya or Bush, Sr.? Who travelled more, Clinton or Reagan? It seems to me, there's got to be some organization somewhere that tracks this kind of Presidential time-utilization info, and organizes it into pretty charts and graphs. Help me find the information visualization I seek!

I want the biggest and smallest. The rest can suck it.

rileyray3000 — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:37:42 -0800

Where can I find a list of the smallest things (and for that matter) the biggest things in America? I've got some time off coming I have to take and I'm thinking of taking a trip with my new camera to photograph some of these things. I'm thinking of stuff like the smallest bar in America. The biggest hamburger. The breeder of the smallest dogs. The biggest shoes. Stuff like that.

The only thing that would be ideal (but not entirely necessary) is that there's some sort of designation of some kind. Like a sign that says "Smallest town in Texas" or "Biggest shoe in Tulsa."

If someone has one of these lists somewhere please help me find it. If not, feel free to list anything you personally know about.

Parvovirus: odds of a puppy getting it?

zippy — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 23:34:45 -0800

I understand the danger parvovirus poses to puppies, but what are the odds of a puppy contracting the disease in the US (specifically Alameda County, California)? I have been reading about parvovirus in dogs (including this discussion), and understand how serious the illness is.

What I can't seem to find is any indication of risk or prevalance. What are the odds a dog will get parvo, and how many cases of it are there a year in my area?

The more mathematical and bounded the answer, the better. I know I can't be assured to the fifth decimal place about anything, but I want to know: Parvo, this terrible disease, are the odds 1%, 10%, or 100%?

More details below, in the hope that they may allow more exact bounding of the answer.

My dog is five weeks old. He was one of the larger dogs in the litter (with two or three brothers and a sister), which I understand tends to confer longer maternal immunity. I intend to start him on a full vaccine series for parvo.

He's 3/4 Australian Cattle Dog, 1/4 Fox Terrier. He was born in a remote rural area of Humboldt County, California, and as of a few days ago now lives in a semi-urban area in Alameda County.

I keep him mostly indoors, with trips to the back and front yard for exercise. I understand that completely preventing exposure to parvo is impossible (as the virus hardy and survives for long periods in the soil), but also that minimizing exposure to parvo greatly reduces the chances for infection.

I would like to know:

How common is parvo in Humbolt County and in Alameda County? Or, if these specific numbers aren't available, then whatever numbers are available for California or the US. A link to numbers of cases per year would be ideal.

What are the odds of a puppy getting parvo between the ages of 5 and 16 weeks if he's allowed to socialize with a: known dogs (with shots), or b: occasionally visit parks and meet other non-wild dogs.

Links to scholarly papers are fine, and links to the dog equivalent to the CDC would also appreciated.

If this is too specific, or if there isn't enough information, please let me know. Also, I do know how bad the illness itself is.

Where to get the best exchange rate to buy a big USD bank draft in Toronto?

winston — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:05:47 -0800

How do I get the best exchange rate when I have Canadian dollars in hand and want to make a large payment in US dollars? I'm in Toronto and the recipient is not flexible with regards to payment methods so I need to end up with a certified cheque or bank draft to send. The money is currently in a President's Choice account and they can get me a USD draft but their premium on the exchange rate seems to be 2.5%. Currency exchange businesses usually advertise better rates than that but is there someplace I can walk into with a draft in CAD and walk out of with a draft in USD? Or is there some other option? I'll only need to do this once.

Let's go to Little Canada!

Korou — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 13:15:40 -0800

A few months ago I read about French-Canadian immigration into the U.S. from the 1840s to 1930s. Evidently, some of these immigrants established "Little Canadas." I'd like to learn more about them. Are they still established in some form, like Little Italys or Chinatowns? How did their culture change from when they lived in Canada to living in the U.S.? What resources cover this topic? (there are some sources mentioned on the page I read)

I had never heard about this type of immigrant community, and hadn't ever considered their existence. What other little covered, niche, or surprising immigrant groups came/are coming to the States?

What US food has this Brit never tried?

Nufkin — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 00:49:22 -0800

My first trip to the US is coming up; having been brought up with American films and American TV shows, I am compiling a list of all the things we just don't have in the UK (mostly food) to try. Only my list isn't too long at the moment. Can any MeFites help? Examples of what I am talking about:

Eating a Chinese takeaway from a square white box with a folding lid (al la Roseanne's intro sequence)
Peeps (Not even sure what these are, but they have been mentioned in a lot of American TV shows over the past couple of years)
Twinkies (No idea again)

If it helps, I will be spending a week in Las Vegas and a week in San Francisco.

Constitutionality of US federal death penalty

East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:34:03 -0800

How would a more qualified person refute my dumb legal theory regarding the death penalty? Article II, Section 2 of the US Constitution states that the President "shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offences against the United States". The Supreme Court has interpreted this language to include the power to grant pardons, commutations of sentence, remissions of fines and forfeitures, and amnesties.

The death penalty unnecessarily infringes on this executive power by killing the inmate. The inmate’s punishment can no longer be reprieved (and arguably no legitimate pardon can be issued). Therefore the federal death penalty is unconstitutional, and the Bureau of Prisons has an obligation to attempt to keep prisoners alive so that the President can decide to issue a reprieve of their punishment.

Has this argument or a related one been dealt with in court?