Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with unitedstates and usa

an AskMe named Desire

threeants — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 22:25:35 -0800

I'd like to read about the extensive streetcar networks that serviced most US cities in the late 19th / early 20th century. Any recommendations? This could be nonfiction expressly about US streetcars. This could also be well-researched fiction, or nonfiction ostensibly on a separate topic, that relates what it was like to have the streetcars as part of the urban fabric or of one's life. I'm not looking for writings that are chiefly about the demise of the streetcar and the shift into automobile predominance, though if that's just one part of a text that otherwise satisfies what I'm looking for, go for it.

Thanks in advance!

Help me live in my own country (USA) with my Canadian wife! AAAH!

Jim On Light — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 10:02:19 -0800

I came to Canada on a visa (NAFTA treaty visa, technical writer) and I met the love of my life and married her. I'm the breadwinner in Canada, and I have been since shortly after we moved in together. How on EARTH do I move her home with me??? I'm a US Citizen, on a visa in Canada, and I met the love of my life. We've lived together for now almost a year. I quit the visa gig and I'm coming back home to the US. It is really, really unclear as to the process, and it seems like the right route is to get a lawyer. WTF - does anyone who has to deal with the government anymore have to go to a lawyer?

I'm going to be the one working (I do just fine for us), and I am the one who will be providing for both of us. I will be the one paying rent and taking care of both of us. My wife has been living with me now for 8 months, we've been seeing each other for a month before that, and I have always been the breadwinner here in Canada for us.

What's the right answer here? Since I'm doing the money making, it doesn't seem like I need to file for Form I-130, and it doesn't really seem that I need to file for a green card for her, I'm the one who's working.

What have any of you awesome MeFi'ers done successfully? Who do I call? What do I do?

I really appreciate the help. If I've overlooked something, please let me know.

Candidate positions, distilled?

killdevil — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 18:22:36 -0800

Help me be an informed voter in my local (U.S.) Senate and Congressional races tomorrow! I'd like to key in my ZIP code and get a concise, impartial overview of the platform and positions of all the candidates on the ballot. Direct me to site(s) that may serve, Metafilter.

Tell me about Modern Weird America.

Kattullus — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 21:34:56 -0800

Tell me about Modern Weird America. I was listening to an interview with Neil Gaiman about American Gods where he talks about moving to America and finding it a weird place (starts at about 6:20). He mentions the nuclear sub by the side of the road in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I'm interested in knowing about more such examples of American high weirdness, such as said nuclear sub, House on the Rock or drive-in signs that are silhouettes of male genitalia.

I'm also interested in blogs, essays, or books about American weirdness, especially by foreigners who've lived in the US, like Gaiman, or returning expats, e.g. Bill Bryson.

Moving To the USA

ChrisR — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 06:24:28 -0800

I am possibly moving to the United States from Canada for a job, and I'd like to get some insight into some aspects of the immigration process. I am considering a job offer that will require me to move to Seattle, bringing along my wife, son, two cats, and two gerbils. The employer indicates that they'll arrange a work visa for me, but my wife is a medical professional here and would like to be able to work as well. What steps must we take in order to ensure that -- if she can find a job -- she'll be eligible to work in the US?

If it makes a difference, she's an X-Ray tech/CT tech with a significant amount of experience.

Additionally, I've heard that our pets may present a problem at the border. What do I need to do there?

Lastly, what are the unknown unknowns for my situation? It seems straightforward, but what parts of this move can come up and bite me in the ass?

Name this spider, please!

pemberkins — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 20:46:09 -0800

What is this spider? (1,2,3,4) This fellow was hiding out inside my dishwashing gloves, much to my surprise when I went to clean up after dinner.

Travel from Canada to the US with a passport expiring in < 6 months

Pruitt-Igoe — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 16:37:16 -0800

Will I be able to enter the US with a Canadian passport that expires in 4 1/2 months? Much of the information online about passport requirements is outdated, but I did manage to find some documents on the US State Department website:

From 9 FAM 41 NONIMMIGRANT VISAS:
The document "9 FAM 41.104 PASSPORT REQUIREMENTS" says that the passport must be more than 6 months away from expiry (requirement INA 212(a)(7)(B)(i)(I)). However, the document "9 FAM 41.104 NOTES" mentions that there are countries (listed in "9 FAM 41.104 EXHIBIT I") for which there is an agreement to extend the validity of the passport by 6 months for the purposes of section INA 212(a)(7)(B)(i)(I). Canada is one of these countries.

According to the law, as I understand it, I should be OK. What I'm worried about is, will the customs agent give me a hard time or not let me in at all? Basically, has anyone tried this recently and been admitted to the US?

Looking for a comfortable green bed in the US

filthy light thief — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:06:18 -0800

My wife and I are looking for an environmentally friendly queen-sized bed, ideally from the US to cut down on shipping costs/impacts. Also, what's the best thing to do with an old bed? Details and thoughts inside. 1) We have an old bed, and we'd like to do anything besides chucking it in the local dump. It's beat to hell, so we agreed that posting it for free on Craigslist is less than kind. Could/Should we still post it on Craigslist and clarify we don't think people would be comfortable if they slept on it, but it could serve for soundproofing a large garage for band practice (I've seen it done).

2) We'd like something new and comfortable, but also something we won't chuck in a landfill when it's old and worn out, or if we do, there's some vague possibility it will break down (I realize landfills are generally great dry tombs of human refuse) or can be broken apart to be recycled / composted / whatnot. If nothing else, having it made of recycled parts and renewable resources sounds feasible.

Details: we'd like a queen bed, we're in California, and the potential price depends on the qualities.

The downfall of the United States.

reductiondesign — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 15:14:14 -0800

In what way(s) might the United States cease to be, how likely are those scenarios, and what would happen as a result? I'm looking for fact-based conjecture or realistic fiction, primarily, but I'd like to hear the opinions of various MeFites as well. The more in-depth, the better.

I expect that there are many, many ways the U.S. might collapse, and many more things that might happen afterwards. How likely is each scenario? I'm interested in what could happen now; please, no alternate WWII or Cold War scenarios.

Thanks as always, MeFi!

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!

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?

Are there any current visual fact books about the United States?

daninnj — Sat, 26 May 2007 12:24:50 -0800

Are there any current visual fact books about the United States? I have this book which features many topics concerning the US shown in colorful maps and charts, much like the cover. Some of the topics include immigration, abortion, AIDS, gay rights, capital punishment, taxes, religion, the media, poverty, farming, trade routes, etc. It's very interesting and fun to read, but it's from 1994 and outdated.

I've looked online and the publisher has a more current one about the world out, but not the US. It looks like they are publishing one about the US but it seems it's more about how the US affects the world and not on issue of the US itself.

Are there any current books out there like this one?

Good books on history of US foreign relations?

Malad — Fri, 08 Dec 2006 15:36:49 -0800

Anyone have any suggestions for insightful, well-written books on the history of U.S. foreign relations?

I really don't want CATSA to throw it out.

oaf — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 13:56:53 -0800

If I am separated from booze, the terrorists have won. I was looking to get some Screech from Newfoundland and take it to New Jersey. With all liquids being banned from anything other than checked baggage, I'm not even sure if I can get it all the way there, and as such, I haven't even bought any yet.

I don't know what to do. As far as I can tell, I have the following options:

Pack it in carry-on baggage and pray that it doesn't get smashed into a million pieces.
Ship it to the U.S. via a method not involving the United States Postal Service, which doesn't ship alcohol. More specifically, attempt to FedEx it from somewhere in Newfoundland or Nova Scotia (possibly Halifax, which has the only FedEx Kinko's east of Ontario) to the United States. The problem with this one is that I now have to show up three hours before my flight, because lines at YHZ are reportedly very long, and that basically requires me to leave downtown Halifax very soon after the store opens.
Attempt to FedEx it to Toronto, where someone else would eventually bring it to me in the United States.
Send it via Canada Post to Toronto. Canada Post's web site seems to indicate that I would need the permission of the LCBO to do this.

If one of these is feasible, I'm completely open to buying it at NSLC instead of NLC if they've got it, or if either corporation will ship to the U.S., I could do that.

Does anyone have any idea which of these is the best option, or if there's a better option? I'm currently in Newfoundland.

Give me your modals, your prepositions, your phrasal verbs yearning to breathe free

mdonley — Fri, 02 Jun 2006 10:15:09 -0800

How do I teach 10 or so Indonesian academics and postgraduate students how to "ace" their US Embassy visa interviews and "prep" for life in the US? Personal experiences with the US immigration process? What are some interview strategies you can pass on to my students? I am three months into my first year as a (CELTA-certified) TEFL teacher, and this assignment seems an order of magnitude or five more difficult than what I've done so far - I've never *designed* a class from *nothing.*

I don't know who these people are aside from what's in the original question, how well they know each other, what their English abilities are, what they're researching, how long they'll be there, if they plan to move there permanently, if any of them have been there before, or where in the US they'll be going.

They *may* all attend the same university; none of them need TOEFL assistance (perhaps because it's not required for their programs, or perhaps because they have an existing score). Why these people need our school's extra help when (I hope) they've got perfectly legitimate reasons to go to the States and their institutions working for them is a mystery.

Worst of all, I have no idea what they expect or how this "class" was sold to them. "American Culture 101," "Brush Up Your English Conversation," "Learn to Fool American Visa Officers"?

The root of the question is this: how do I create a class that accomplishes the dual goals of getting them through the stress of obtaining the visa itself *and* making them confident (lingusitically, culturally, socially) enough to start a new life abroad?

Finally, I would be so grateful if anyone shared their personal experiences about navigating the US visa process - something I've never done as a US citizen.

Thank you so much!

What "Thread Level" systems do other countries use?

josephtate — Tue, 01 Feb 2005 18:31:24 -0800

Some "Threat Level" questions: do countries have a similar system? Are other countries planning to implement such a system? Also, is the American system based on an existing model? I'm not so interested in the threat aspect of it as much as I'm interested in learning where the color-coded system originated and if it's being borrowed. This version, I'm certain, was a later iteration.

The National Debt's APR?

gsteff — Thu, 04 Nov 2004 12:02:22 -0800

What interest rate does the U.S. pay on the national debt, and is that number likely to change as the debt increases?

Can I fly from the United States to Canada without a passport?

jjg — Thu, 28 Oct 2004 12:12:53 -0800

Can I fly from the United States to Canada without a passport?

Ways for an American to become a permanent resident or citizen of the UK?

Mayor Curley — Tue, 26 Oct 2004 06:56:11 -0800

UK immigration: My cousin (an American) is investigating ways that she can become a permanent resident or citizen of the United Kingdom. Does the UK have a repatriation scheme? I have records to prove that she's the direct descendent of a dozen English-born people, but the real number is at least in the hundreds and can be documented with a little legwork. Unfortunately, they came to the Massachusetts Bay Colony nearly 400 years ago.

We have another cousin who will eventually be a citizen through marriage, but that's probably years away. Could the naturalized cousin eventually sponsor the cousin in question?

Or is there a better option than either of these?

US Intelligence Agencies

drezdn — Wed, 21 Jul 2004 12:30:13 -0800

On the radio yesterday there was talk of forming a Spy Czar to oversee the 15 different intelligence agencies. I can name maybe 7 different intelligence agencies. What are all 15?

Ameica the vast

MiguelCardoso — Wed, 07 Apr 2004 17:59:22 -0800

Here's what could be called an urgent question for Europeans who make their living writing (amongst other things) about the United States. How do you explain to intelligent Europeans that "America" is actually as big and varied a proposition as "Europe"? If not more. [More inside.] Just as Americans have no idea of how diverse Europe is, Europeans think "America" is a collective noun of Republican cowboys interspersed with old-style Anti-Vietnam hippy protesters. They have no idea of the enormous geographic and cultural diversity of the U.S. New York; Washington; California; the Midwest - that's about as far as even the most sophisticated analysts will go. What good arguments can a European journalist give to show that America is a big country, where everyone is just as opposed to everyone else as in all the countries of Europe?

Where are great museums in the American Southeast?

auzten — Mon, 12 Jan 2004 05:25:19 -0800

Can anyone suggest any really great art museums in the Southeast US? The girlfriend and I both have a long weekend coming up and need something to do. Specifically thinking in the states of TN, NC, SC, GA, VA...