Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with UnitedStates

All I want for Christmas is my yum smoked meat.

nosila — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:19:12 -0800

I'm traveling to Dallas on Northwest Airlines from Montreal Pierre Trudeau Airport tomorrow morning. I just bought three pounds of smoked meat that is NOT shrink wrapped. Can I take it? Can I carry it on? I just spoke with someone from Travelocity and someone from U.S. Customs at the New York border. Both said to put it in my luggage and it should be fine. I wasn't planning on checking a bag. Obviously, I CAN check a bag, and I will if I have to, but does anyone have any experience doing this, either in checked luggage or carry-on? Thanks!

Which US government programs are managed well and why?

shivohum — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:26:58 -0800

What are the best well-written and scholarly (read: thoughtful and well-researched, not partisan or propagandistic) books or reports on which US government programs are managed effectively and which poorly, and why?

Aerial Maps of the United States

cashman — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:02:22 -0800

Is there a list of good US aerial maps, on government websites, by state? I'd like an alternative to Google maps. I'm looking for sites like this one for Maine. Sites that behave like Bing maps or Google maps, where you can move to the left and right or any direction on an aerial map. I want to be able to zoom to the level where I can tell if streets have sidewalks or not. Thank you hive mind!

Roaches in buildings

emilyd22222 — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 15:35:42 -0800

Are there roaches in every U.S. building? I distinctly remember hearing from a credible source (may have been the New Yorker) that every building in the U.S. has roaches in it. This was probably a qualified statement, like "every large building" or "every building over 10 years old" or something. Now I'm trying to settle an argument with a friend, who claims that there aren't roaches in the 8-floor, 30 year old university building in which we work. Help me, Hive Mind! Is there any data about the extent of roach infestation?

Hey, can I Yelp your faction?

evil holiday magic — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:02:43 -0800

Where to find upcoming protests in Los Angeles? I don't want to delve too deeply into a specific movement at this point (call me a dilettante, though I've been there, and done that), but I'm interested in lending my presence to left wing protests and rallies (anti-privatization, pro-gay marriage, pro-socialized medicine etc.) in Los Angeles.

The ("Anonymous") anti-Scientology protests were organized and scheduled (at least in part) via an online forum. Is there something like this for other subjects, or even a site that compiles many different upcoming political demonstrations according to area?

How destructive are current U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals relative to their maximum levels?

Joe Beese — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 14:54:02 -0800

How destructive are current U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals relative to their maximum levels? For simplicity's sake, we can define "destructiveness" as combined gross megatonnage, unless you have a better idea. I'm also assuming that it makes sense from a political/military perspective to consider weapons stored in former Soviet Union countries as belonging to Russia's maximum arsenal but not to its current arsenal, but correct me if I'm wrong.

Bonus points if you can find a link to a widely circulated graphic from the early-80s freeze movement. It represented the world's nuclear stockpile with dots placed in a rectangular matrix. Each dot represented one Hiroshima bomb, I think. One group of 3 dots was circled to indicate all the explosions in World War II - or something like that. And above them were dots and dots and dots...

Where to go for a Humble Retirement

Anonymous — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 08:41:29 -0800

In twenty-five years i'll be retiring with my minimal social security benefits and medicare to keep me briefly going. I've got no savings right now, but I'm almost done paying my debts. I rent. I want somewhere tiny, a bungalow with a kitchen, perhaps a tiny garden, stonking bandwidth, maybe near a lake, maybe near a wood, but really not so much. I just want to whittle sticks, greet neighbours, not climb stairs, and hack on code. I don't mind renting again until i die. Where should I move in the US, and when? (My daughter will be grown up and, touch wood, supporting herself by then. My parents will almost certainly be dead and will have left me a $100,000 or so, I imagine.

Am I technically a Malaysian citizen?

Anonymous — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:36:09 -0800

Help me solve a mystery about myself: Am I an unknowing citizen of Malaysia? The kerfuffle over President Obama's birthplace has me wondering about my status, and whether I may be an unknowing dual citizen of both the US and Malaysia. I was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 1979, a circumstance that enabled my US-born brothers to make me cry by telling me I couldn't be President of the United States of America. Although I was born in Malaysia, I am a US citizen jus sanguinis, and assume I am a "natural born citizen" à la John McCain.

The Department of State notes the following:
Dual Nationality: Malaysia does not recognize or permit dual nationality. If Malaysian authorities learn that an American citizen is also a citizen of Malaysia, they may require that the dual national either renounce U.S. citizenship immediately or forfeit Malaysian citizenship. Dual American/Malaysian citizens should consider this issue seriously before traveling to Malaysia.

However, that seems to mean that if I am a Malaysian citizen, I would remain so until I revoked that status.

Pertinent information:
- My parents were both U.S. Citizens who had relocated the family to Malaysia because one was a Peace Corps director.
- My family lived in Malaysia for about 2 years prior to my birth, but my parents don't know whether they had permanent residency status there.
- The family stayed something like 6 months after my birth before moving back to the States.

My US birth certificate (Form FS-545 1-73) header reads:

Department of State
Foreign Service of the United States of America
Certification of Birth Abroad
of a Citizen of the United States of America

The report of birth was recorded on March 28, 1979.

I also have a barely legible copy of the Malay document used to register my birth with the USFS. A chunk of the text is typed out below, with the number at the top (E 000000) fudged for obscurity, as it seems unwise to broadcast all my birth info across the Internets.

E 000000

(B. & M. 21)

BORANG A
NEGERI-NEGERI TANAH MELAYU
PERAKUAN BERANAK
(Salinana untuk Orang yang memberitahu)
Ordinan Pendaftaran Beranak dan Mati, 1957
[Seksyen 14, Aturan 7]

WILAYAH PERSEKUTUAN

Kawasan Pendaftaran [something illegible stamped/written here]

Kawasan-kecil [ My name, etc...]

[Here, information about dates, addresses, parents]

Diperakui sebagai cabutan yang benar dari catitan dalam
Daftar Beranak.

[signature]

Tandatangan dan Lawatan [illegible]

Some Mefites would recognize my story because I told it to them in person; thanks in advance for not outing me online. :)

Welcome to the Land of Opportunity! ...Or, at least, the Land of Hotdogs.

Ms. Saint — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 10:56:12 -0800

My British step-father has just become a US citizen. Given this, what would be a good way for us to celebrate the 4th of July? I usually live about a 1000 miles away, but I'm already planning to come home for the 4th of July. And given that it is the holiday about US/British relations, I can't imagine a better way to celebrate his coming over to the rebel's side of things. I want an all-out American extravaganza.

Now, of course, we'll have to celebrate with a feast of hotdogs and apple pie.... But, beyond that, we're all kind of blanking about what quintessentially American stuff we can add into a day's activities. Fireworks are illegal where he lives, so nothing too explosive can be involved.

Have any suggestions? I'm willing to consider anything from the painfully sincere to outright kitschy. Anything that specifically plays on the differences between British culture and American culture is especially appreciated.

Road trip through Western US

donajo — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:22:01 -0800

What is there to see on I-80 in the Western US? In a few weeks, I will be on a road trip from San Francisco to Kansas City, helping my sister move her worldly belongings in a minivan to her new home city. There will be three of us going, and we figure that it's about a three day trip along I-80. This isn't a vacation, but none of us has been to this part of the country before and we'd like to find interesting things to stop at along the way to break up the monotony of the highway.

Our route takes us through Sacramento, Reno, Salt Lake City, Cheyenne, WY, and Lincoln, NE. What are some cool/interesting/historical sites to see along the way?

Looking at the map, I see that if we get off of I-80 in Sacramento and take US-50 to Carson City and then connect back up to I-80 in Reno, we'll pass Lake Tahoe and add one more state capital to the trip (we'll be passing through the capital of every state we hit, except Missouri). Are there any other detours that will might add interest but won't add more than an hour or two to the entire trip?

What do you get when you become a US citizen?

John Kenneth Fisher — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 19:21:35 -0800

Is there some kind of... "welcome to US Citizenship" gift basket? I was wondering if, when people become US Citizens (or as part of the process), what, if anything, they are given as... keepsakes, or "what you should know" or whatever.

For example... Do they get copies of the founding documents? If so, are they nice copies, or just a pamphlet with the text?

Does it vary by location? Are there organizations hat distribute such things?

How does a consumer-based economy generate wealth?

wastelands — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 15:21:13 -0800

Economics newb asks: how does a consumer-based economy generate wealth? I hear things like, "70% of the U.S. economy is based on consumer spending." It seems like if this were the case, then money would just be "recycled." How is there a net gain or production of wealth for the country if most of it is a result of people spending money internally? I must be missing something simple...

How much US land is controlled by foreign states?

Plutor — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 08:18:20 -0800

How much US land does not fall under the jurisdiction of US laws? Diplomatic missions such as embassies and consulates enjoy extraterritoriality, as do military bases. Is there any kind of accounting of how much land those places take up? I understand that embassies and the like aren't "foreign land" in the same sense that actual foreign land is, and that the relationship between the jurisdiction of host and guest states is often fuzzy. For the sake of this question, let's pretend it's not.

Followup: How much non-US land falls under the jurisdiction of US laws? Guantanamo, et al.

I say he's crazy; therefore, he must go through an evaluation.

metalheart — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 09:37:51 -0800

Australian (and U.S.) Mental Health/Legal Filter. Can you just go and talk your GP into having someone put through a psychiatric evaluation? One of my close friends is studying medicine here in Melbourne, Australia, and in one of his various internships, a psychiatrist told him that anyone can recommend someone get a psychiatric evaluation, through their GP. In other words, if you wanted to, you could go through the process against another person, like so:

Go to your local GP. Talk to him about the person you consider to be mentally ill, and, if the GP agrees with you that this sounds like a mental illness that could cause harm to that person or those around him, that person must, by law, go through a psychiatric evaluation.

Psychiatrist telling him this or not, I call bullshit on it--at least some of it. It seems like, surely, there must be some evidence (other than words/hearsay) that a random individual has to provide for a GP to sign this off. Moreover, it would seem the GP would actually have to see said mentally ill individual, not just hear what some other person has to say about him.

If not, I can very easily imagine people doing this just to disturb someone they don't like/broke up with/fired, etc. It seems too easy: pick a mental illness, go speak with a GP, get him to agree with you, and in no time at all, the person you're saying is mentally ill has to go in for an evaluation. Talk about stressing someone out, if you're lying!

Is this true? If so, under what law? I've not been able to find it through searching. I'm looking for laws and policies, if possible, though anecdotal evidence is okay, too.

Extra Question: I know a bit about involuntary commitment and the like under U.S. law, and I know that a doctor himself can recommend involuntary commitment for one of his own patients that he deems a danger to himself or others, but is there anything similar to the above?

If these laws do exist in either or both countries, what provisions are there to protect individuals from being evaluated wrongfully? I.e., suing doctors and the like.

What brand of clothing should I send to my pen pal in Scotland?

kindachris — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 18:38:00 -0800

What brand of clothing should I send to my pen pal in Scotland? We're exchanging not-quite-holiday gifts this year ... he's going to send me a t-shirt from there, and I'm going to send him a shirt from here.

What would be a good brand to send? Like, I wouldn't send Gap, 'cause they have it there ... but what about Abercrombie? Have a better idea?

He's 20somehting, if it matters.

Thank!

How Does My American System Work?

minicloud — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 22:29:37 -0800

I'm looking for a good book that will help me learn more about how the American government actually works. Specifically, how lobbyists influence Congress, how House committees work, etc. Now that a new administration (that I'm really happy about) is coming in, I want to really understand what's happening in Washington (or at least how its worked in the past).

Looking for a historical US atlas

BradNelson — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:35:22 -0800

Can you recommend a good historical atlas of the United States? I'm looking for a book version of this. But with more detail and more maps.

I do not necessarily need maps of battles/wars, the underground railroad, and presidential elections, et cetera, but I would not mind having those. I guess the ultimate tome is this book but I do not want to spend $145.

Also, I would much prefer a book that has all matching (custom-drawn) maps, not a mishmash of maps hand-drawn 150 years ago.

Move this Aussie from down under to up yonder.

metalheart — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 13:26:04 -0800

Immigration Law! Help me get my bagged Aussie into the U.S. and A. Disclaimer: Know you're probably not a lawyer, and if you are, you aren't giving official advice. It's cool. :)

Okay, background: I am a 21-year-old American chick who moved down under in 2006 to live and study. Met a nice guy at paintball (yes, lawl) in mid-2007, fell for him, living together since late 2007. Engaged now. Wanting to move to the States--Las Vegas, NV area--in late 2009, when my study ends and visa in Australia expires. Australia is too expensive, in terms of cost of living and taxation and traveling internationally, for me to stay here; oh, and immigration is a friggin' bitch--much tighter for me to get in here, than for my fiance to get into the States, it seems.

The issue for us is that my fiance is self-employed (web developer), and so a work sponsorship is out of the question. We are looking at fiance and marriage visas now...but my God, there are so many to choose from! There are K1's (fiance) and K3's (marriage), and we have been told that the CR1 (think that's right) is also a marriage visa, but that it's faster than the K3. Everything is more complicated, since I am sponsoring his entrance into the country, but I am actually out of the country now, myself.

Essentially, we need a few things:

1) An immigration lawyer. Anyone know of one? We are happy to correspond via phone and email with someone who knows his or her stuff. (And yes, many things we could do ourselves--and we plan to still do that with any/all paperwork--but we have some questions about getting over his mother at some point, as well.)

2) To know which visa to get. We have begun filing papers for the K1 fiance visa, which would get him into the country, and then we'd marry within 90 days of his landing. We plan to send this off in December/January, so we'll hopefully get the visa in time and not have it expire by the time we can leave in September 2009.

3) Advice! I have posted on a few US immigration sites, and I've gotten good advice there, but we are always looking for more. If any of you have been in this situation, please share personal stories; we'll appreciate them!

Thanks so much ahead of time!

So, when will we know who won this thing, eh?

goodnewsfortheinsane — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:13:44 -0800

How does projecting the winner of the US presidential election work? And what is the earliest time at which the election may be called? To clarify, I'm asking about television networks -- let's define these as ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News, PBS for the sake of this question -- not other news sources such as the AP.

Now, let's break this down into several more specific questions:

(1) Is it possible that a network calls a state before all of its polls are closed, e.g. California for the Democratic candidate or Utah for the Republican, based on the assumption that it almost certainly will not break the other way? If not, is this a direct result of 2000 or has it always been this way?

(2) Extending the previous question, is it possible that a network calls the election before it has made 270 Electoral Votes worth of per-state calls for any candidate? For example, if at any given time the Democratic candidate has accumulated a projected 200 EV from states east of the Mississippi, will a network call the election based on the assumption that the West Coast's 73 EV will break for the Democrat? (A similar scenario could of course be constructed for the Republican candidate.)

(3) Are poll closing times this year identical to those in 2004?

(4) Based on the answers to (1), (2) and (3) and any other information, what is the earliest time the election could possibly be called?

I remember 2000 and 2004, and I understand that in close elections it can take a long time before a winner is projected. But I am too young to remember 1996 and earlier, and I can find very little convincing historical information online.

It logically follows that for this question I'm assuming a not-so-close election, or at least one that might allow for an earlier call than the last two times around. But I feel compelled to note that I am not necessarily assuming the 2008 election as it stands today. I'm asking about what is possible, not what's likely this time: in other words, this question should basically be equally applicable to 2012 or any hypothetical election, not specifically the 2008 election as it stands today.

Lastly, it goes without saying, but I would ask you to kindly refrain from political discussion -- this is about how election night calls work and what is possible, not about who you want to win or think might win.

-----------

Historical bonus questions:

(5) For past presidential elections during the television era, what time was the earliest network call (for the presidency) made?

(6) Can you point to any video of this online, or any text accounts?

-----------

Let's assume ET for the sake of clarity. And more general information on specific broadcasters' policies, historical examples etc. would also be very welcome.

I'm sorry if this seems convoluted or like multiple questions for the price of one, but since the answer to one question essentially determines the other, I felt I had to break it down like this.

Let me know if anything's unclear, and thank you ever so much for any insight you might have. Thanks!

How many states have nuclear bans?

aaronetc — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:52:45 -0800

How many US states have bans on the construction of new nuclear power plants? A research group I'm a part of is doing a study about perceptions of news coverage of nuclear power and other non-coal sources, and we're having a hell of a time figuring out how many states have moratoriums on building new plants. Any help?

I really don't want to take it all with me.

tip120 — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 05:04:27 -0800

What is the most secure and cost effective way to start moving a small number of things to the US from France? Last year, I moved to France for a job. Hooray. I'm not renewing my contract and moving back to New York. Yay!

I brought more clothes that I should have, and I have some books and things I would like to send back before I move home. I will be traveling a bit before returning to the States and don't particularly relish the idea of lugging my crap around with me.

While I will be doing some local pruning of the clothes, I know there will still be stuff to send back. What is the best way to send it back from France?

All the other posts on Ask that I saw dealt with moving from the US, not to. They also typically dealt with furniture and larger amounts than I am dealing with.

Is my best bet to load up a few boxes of clothes at La Poste and ship them back? Or is there another, cheaper yet just as safe alternative?

Does Katie Couric get to pick which news item opens the broadcast?

goodnewsfortheinsane — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 17:05:27 -0800

What kind of influence do US network anchors have on the news selection and editing process? My friend claims American network news anchors are effectively editors-in-chief; I'm willing to entertain the notion that they are in a position to exert influence over the process and carry more responsibilities than Dutch newsreaders (who are essentially mere presenters), but I don't buy that they can preside over every aspect of the process.

So which is it?

How do I become a teacher?

Anonymous — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:13:49 -0800

I have several general (and some specific) questions about teaching high school in the U.S. My situation: I graduated university in the U.S. in the early 90s with a degree in English, with a minor in German. I worked in customer service/tech-ish jobs out of college, and since 2002, I've been living and working in Japan teaching English. I've taught at private schools, mostly teaching adults, and for the past 3 years I've been teaching English at a few rather exclusive Tokyo high schools.

I'm planning on moving back to the United States and teaching at a high school, but there are some (probably painfully ignorant) questions I have:

1) Do I need to get a Masters in Education or Teaching Certification to be qualified to teach at a high school in the U.S.? Are they the same thing? Is it possible to be hired without a Teaching Certification? Where/how is a good route to get a T.C.?

2) I have eclectic interests and would feel comfortable teaching a number of subjects--English literature, history, languages such as German and Japanese. Do some schools "take a chance" on a new teacher teaching a subject that he/she is knowledgeable of, but one that doesn't necessarily show up on resumes or college transcripts? Do some schools allow teachers to teach more than one subject, a sort of switch-hitter?

3) I would like to move to a nice area of the country, perhaps Washington State, and probably the West Coast. What state has a good reputation for progressive schools, competitive teacher salaries, etc.?

I know it seems weird this is anonymous, but there's a good reason for it I won't bore you with--prying eyes, and all that. I've set up a throwaway email at teacherinwaiting@gmail.com for those generous enough to ask followup questions and comments. Thanks to all in advance.

US-election filter: are felons allowed to vote?

krautland — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 05:08:06 -0800

US-election filter: are felons allowed to vote? I saw a movie last night in which the protagonist implied he had previously committed at least one felony. ("that's right, I'm down to one. just one more felony away from child services taking you.") he, a resident of new mexico, then went on to vote in a presidential election.

I was under the impression that many US states prevent felons from voting and that this could either be until reinstated after a certain number of years or for life.

am I mistaken or did the screenwriters (Richman, Stern - I'm looking at you) miss a hole in their plot?

Best Activities to do in Western USA

benji — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 08:54:30 -0800

What really fun, random, and cheap activities can I do with a bus full of thirty 16-year olds thoughout the western USA? Starting this Sunday, I will be staffing a teen travel trip throughout the Western united states. We take a bus from Michigan and travel all the way to Cali and back.

We are a non-profit summer camp and need some fun, cheap and random/goofy ideas to entertain the kids while we aren't camping or in the backcountry.

Anyone have any ideas or recomendations? I will take any suggestions. The more goofy the better. Thanks.

Here is our general itinerary:

Scott Country, IA
Estes Park, CO
Buena Vista, CO
Moab, Utah
Springdale, Utah
Twenty Nine Palms, CA
Santa Monica, CA
Sierra Nevada, CA
Lake Tahoe, Nevada
Salt Lake City, Utah
Jackson, WY
Yellowstone Park, WY
Wall, SD
Luverne, MN
Back to Michigan

Some ideas that we had were:

Pig Wrestling at a fair
Roller Derby
Water Parks
A Mine Tour
Juggling Lessons
Baseball games
Etc.

Thanks for all your help! I appreciate it.