USA holidays, measurin,' Sizes, List of National holidays, Regions of the US, electric, and more pt 2

The United States is made up of many diverse ethnic groups and its culture varies greatly across the vast area of the country and even within cities - a city like New York will have dozens, if not hundreds, of different ethnicities represented within a neighborhood.
Despite this difference, there exists a strong sense of national identity and certain predominant cultural traits.
-General traits
Generally, Americans tend to believe strongly in personal responsibility and that an individual determines his or her own success or failure, but it is important to note that there are many exceptions and that a nation as diverse as the United States has literally thousands of distinct cultural traditions. One will find Mississippi in the South to be very different culturally from Massachusetts in the North.

-US mail, US embassies, Banks, Federal Reserves Closing
First, if you are a foreigner who needs to apply for a US visa, it is important to note the federal holidays. All US embassies worldwide close on those days and are unable to process applications on those days, in addition to holidays observed by their host country.
Second, United States Postal Service retail counters are closed on federal holidays, and in high-crime areas, the entire post office stays closed. Self-service kiosks at post offices in relatively safe areas with 24/7 lobby access remain operational through holidays. However, mail deposited at a post office or in a mailbox will not be processed until after the holiday is over.
Other federal services like national parks and airport security operate 365 days a year regardless of federal holidays.
Many state governments also observe official holidays of their own which are not observed in other states or by the federal government.

-Holidays
The United States has a number of holidays — official and/or cultural — of which the traveler should be aware.
--Note that holidays observed on Mondays or Fridays are usually treated as weekend-long events. (A weekend consists of a Saturday and a Sunday.) Meaning if the holiday is a Monday, Monday is an extra day off. If the holiday is friday the extra day off is friday, back to work monday. These are called "Three Day Weekends"
--Federal holidays; holidays observed by the federal government. If a federal holiday with a fixed calendar date (such as Independence Day which is always July 4th) falls on a weekend, federal and most state offices will be closed on the nearest non-weekend day. If it's a Saturday, Friday is when they'll be closed. If it's a Friday, Thursday they'll be closed.
Since the early 1970s, several federal holidays, including Memorial Day and Labor Day, have been observed on a certain Monday rather than on a fixed date for the express purpose of giving federal employees three-day weekends.
--Due to the number of major holidays in close proximity to each other, most Americans refer to the period between Thanksgiving in late November and New Year's Day as simply "The Holidays."
School and work vacations are commonly taken during this period. Vacation meaning a break from school or work and usually not an actual vacation where you go to a place, other than maybe visiting family who live elsewhere.
--New Year's Day (1 January) — most non-retail businesses are closed. Parades in nearly every big city dance the streets. Many people gather for brunches and American football parties.
--Martin Luther King Day (third Monday in January) many government offices and banks closed; speeches, especially on African-American history and culture.
--Chinese New Year (January/February — varies based on the Chinese lunar calendar) — Chinese cultural celebration not celebrated as a whole country. Every business except maybe those owned by Chinese are open.
--Super Bowl Sunday (usually the first Sunday in February) The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of the NFL American football league and the most-watched sporting event of the year; supermarkets, bars, and electronics stores busy, big football-watching parties at friends or family's houses.
---Football playoffs, for the ultimate 2 teams to prevail (leading up to the Superbowl), "brackets" are made to guess the winner and loser for any two teams playing. Either based on stats or on whoever a personal thinks is better and will win. The teams a person chooses to move on as the winner, (the winner is the team one game closer to getting to play in the Superbowl) is who they ultimately predict will play in the Superbowl. These brackets usually aren't just for fun, there's usually a "pool of money" which consists of the participants entry fee. Whichever person's bracket has the most accurate predictions wins the pool of money. This prediction bracket is also very well known during "March Madness" which pertains to College team Basketball, which goes on to end with the NBA playoffs.
--(St.) Valentine's Day (14 February) Just called simply Valentine's Day in the US. Mosly for Americans this is a celebration of romance and love unique to the individual. The love between Husband and wife mostly but for their children too. Most restaurants are crowded for the dinner hours. Finer restaurants may require reservations made well in advance. Flower shops are usually slammed and may require placing an order in advance. Boxes of chocolates are often given, along with flowers, and sometimes a mushy love card (Hallmark brand cards are popular in The US and have a card for nearly any event, sold in most all stores) as gifts to women. Sometimes jewelry is given as a gift but that's more likely on a couple's anniversary. Children often receive stuffed animals holding hearts or candy. Valentine's heart candies with various sayings printed on them are very popular. These are made by the nicko wafer brand. In elementary schools, they celebrate by having Valentine's Day parties where "Valentine cards" are passed between classmates. These are in most all stores in the weeks leading up to Valentine's Day and usually have depictions of known childhood characters from movies saying something that rhymes or something cute pertaining to Valentine's day. Young kids often get very giddy about asking another child "Will you be my Valentine?"
Middle and high schools have school dances, Valentine/love themed with heart shaped cookies and decorations.
--Presidents Day (third Monday in February; officially Washington's the first president's Birthday) Many government offices and banks closed; many stores have sales.
--St. Patrick's Day (17 March) Oddly unlike St. Valentine's day being just Valentine's Day, St Patrick's Day is called just that. Sometimes shortened to St. Patty's Day. Irish themed parades and parties. Expect bars to be crowded. It's considered the busiest bar day of the year. They will often feature themed drink specials including the moat popular drink special you'll see on this day is GREEN beer. Also specials on irish liquor or drink and Irish beer. The wearing of green or a green accessory is common and most of the time, overdone. In the past decade the custom of pinching someone who isn't wearing green has faded a bit but children going to school on St. Patrick's day better be wearing something green! Hockey season is underway and many American teams dye their ice green for the night.
--Easter (a Sunday in March or April) — Christian/Catholic religious observances. Widely celebrated by families with or without strong religious ties. Big family based holiday to get together with whole family and have dinner. Many places of local business, churchs, and even families hold "Easter Egg Hunts" in the days before Easter. Kids run around trying to find plastic eggs filled with candy or sometimes coins and put them in a basket they're carrying. Depending on location, many restaurants, including franchised outlets of major national chains, may close. Major retailers generally open; smaller shops may or may not close. Children often "Color Easter eggs" in the days before where dye is bought and dissolved in vinegar or water to dip hard boiled eggs in. Children wake up the morning of Easter eager to see what "The Easter Bunny" has brought them. This is almost always a basket or bucket of some sort filled with goodies and candy. Sometimes other things too. The Friday before Easter is known as Good Friday.
--Passover (varies based on the Jewish calendar, eight days around Easter) Jewish religious observance. Rarely celebrated by non Jewish. All business' open except maybe Jewish owned business'.
--Cinco de Mayo (5 May) A minor holiday in most of Mexico often incorrectly assumed to be Mexican independence day, but nevertheless a major cultural celebration for Mexican-Americans. But is recognized by Americans. As with St. Patrick's Day, expect bars to be very crowded, frequently with themed drink specials. Especially on Mexican beer and also Tequila.
--Memorial Day (last Monday in May) most non-retail businesses closed; banks closed. Most gov buildings closed. some patriotic observances. Trips to beaches and parks; traditional beginning of summer for many schools who only have school until around June 5th before summer vacation or "summer break" for many places, marks beginning of tourism season.
--Independence Day / Fourth of July (4 July) Most non-retail businesses closed. Airports and highways crowded; patriotic parades and concerts, cookouts are especially common and happen within almost all families or group of  friends. Trips to beaches and parks, being outside nearly all day, (weather permitting) fireworks at dusk in every state, and most every town. Beaches and lakes are often crowded because of the excellent fireworks shows, typically launched from a boat and exploding over the water at dusk and in the dark night. There are fireworks being set off nearly everywhere by city councils who orchestrate firework shows (which is just a series of different colored and different shaped explosions one right after another lasting from around 20 minutes to 45 minutes) or even at people's own houses and their neighbor's houses. Fireworks are generally not expensive depending on where you buy them. The big big intricate fireworks are generally expensive, about 20-40 dollars each. In some states such as Indiana it's legal to sell and buy fireworks all year long, and other states only for an amount of time before and shortly after The 4th of July. Some small towns or villages have laws stating that even on Independence Day, fireworks can not be set off right in town but outskirts of towns or villages it is allowed. That is often times to prevent fast moving fires that could devastate a small town (as it's size is so small with houses in close proximity) that can be caused by firework explosions. Surrounding towns usually have a fireworks show only around usually 10-15 minutes away. Firework injuries are huge every year especially with the drinking associated with all day cookouts.
--Labor Day (first Monday in September) most non-retail businesses closed. Government offices and banks closed. cookouts and trips to beaches and parks.
---In Michigan it is customary for it's lower peninsula residents who live farther south in the state go "Up North" for camping, campfires, and drinking. Many residents of lower Michigan own property or a cabin up north. Generally people from southern Michigan consider "up north" to still be the northern parts of the lower peninsula This custom is serious in Michigan. Many southern Michigan restraunts are not busy, most friends and/or relatives are up north, and many camp sites up north are booked solid sometimes months in advance. Many stores across the US have sales. Traditional ending of summer tourism season.
--Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (varies based on the Jewish calendar, September or early October) Jewish religious observances. Not widely known and not really celebrated among non Jewish Americans.
--Columbus Day (second Monday in October) — many government offices and banks closed. Some stores have sales. Columbus Day can be controversial, especially among Native Americans, and is not as widely observed as it was in the past.
--Halloween (31 October) trick-or-treating in costumes. Some parades, and costume parties in the days leading up to Halloween but usually not on Halloween night which is more family based with taking children Trick-or-treating. Some families get together and have dinner and watch the little ones get ready and family members hand out candy. It is a custom that if they have a light on by the door either outside or inside then that means you're giving out candy. Dark houses should be skipped. School parties and dances. Days leading up to Halloween many families carve pumpkins to make Jack o lanterns. Families decorate their houses and yards. Also many American channels show horror movies or scary family-friendly movies. The US sells/buys 5 million dollars worth of candy in October. Some traditions have changed from trick-or-treating to safer alternatives. One being "Truck or treat" where kids go from car to car collecting candy as going house to house has been dangerous in the past decade. All candy your children collect should be checked for tampering. In the past children have been poisoned by their Halloween candy collection from some sick-o passing out candy they tampered with. The night before Halloween has been deemed as "Devil's Night" for it's mischief of teenagers going around covering houses in Toilet Paper, (Called "T.P.ing or T.P.d") smashing pumpkins, etc. Never let your child go Trick-or-treating alone. That is not a safe practice anymore. All business' and government buildings open.
--Veterans Day (11 November) government offices and banks closed; Widespread patriotic observances. Especially for war monuments like The Washington Monument. Many fallen soldiers past and present honored.
--Thanksgiving Day (fourth Thursday in November) Almost all businesses closed, including grocery stores, most gas stations, and most restaurants. Family dinners. Airports and highways are very crowded. To avoid this many people have begun to travel a few days ahead of time and stay with family. Traditional Thanksgiving dinners involve Turkey, mashed potatoes, squash, corn, gravy, and some sort of bread. For dessert, traditionally a pie, or a few pies. Most common include pumpkin and apple. More modernly people have added or substituted a large Ham or chicken amoung many other foods.
This day is celebrated to give thanks especially to family and to God too, and also to remember the Pilgrims who first set sail on The Mayflower and landed at Plymouth Rock. This day celebrates a feast between the Pilgrims and the American Indians who taught these early settlers how to maintain life in their new land.
---The evening before Thanksgiving is the second biggest bar night of the year.
---The day after Thanksgiving, is known as "Black Friday" major Christmas shopping traditionally begins. Many non-retail employees are given Friday off or take it as a holiday.
----Cheapest sales of the entire year. You get a pile of advertisements for black Friday sales in your local newspaper for nearly every surrounding area store's amazing sales that leave even electronics sometimes 75% off, or even more. Most stores open anywhere from 3 in the morning to 5am. This means long lines of over 100-200 people have already been standing in line for sometimes hours before the store opened to ensure they get exactly what they are out for. Generally an hour before opening is the time you should arrive to a certain store, hopefully earlier. Once the inventory of a product is gone it's gone and you've missed out on the sale. It's hard to get all the deals you want to give as Christmas presents because some stores open at the same time. Thus the ridiculous lines of people outside before the store opens almost ensures that while you're at another store shopping, the item you really want at the other store is gone by the time you arrive. This is why the women in a family split up and go to different locations and get eachothers items as well as their own. (Most black Friday shoppers are women. On Thanksgiving as the family is already together, the women look through the ads and make lists) The lines to "check out" or pay are as ridiculous as the lines outside before opening. Often resulting in standing in line just to pay, average of an hour and a half-two hours! Around 11am most all sales are over. A few stores will leave out the left overs that didn't sell for the rest of the day, at sale prices. Movies are sold on Black Friday for sometimes 99 cents! Under a dollar! Some new releases are sold for about $1.99-$2.99 so if you ever wonder why people are crazy enough to shop early morning on black Friday, those are the kind of price differences. Sometimes it gets crazy between shoppers fighting, pushing, knocking down other shoppers etc.
--Hanukkah/Chanukah (varies based on the Jewish calendar, eight days usually in December) Jewish religious observance, often culturally associated with Christmas. Many Americans know about Hanukkah and it's story and/or practices, even if they don't celebrate. Since The USA is a melting pot of different ancestry cultures it has become more proper to say "Happy Holidays" all through out (but mostly toward the end) December instead of "Merry Christmas." This is trying to get rid of opinions of people who DO celebrate Christmas about the people who do NOT celebrate. In the past those people who belonged to different religions or who excluded the practice  or traditions of Christmas were seen as being weird, strange, or abnormal as the US had ratified/tweaked/modified the holiday into the ways it's practiced in America today, and in some parts of the entire world who've also adapted those ideas. Some school's started implementing the use of Happy Holidays  because this outlook many people shared made Jewish kids or kids who celebrate Kwanzaa or anything else besides Christmas teased at school. Also because "The Holidays" is used to refer to October-January months' many holidays including Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New years Eve and New years Day. Much of the USA-businesses, stores, restaurants, even government buildings still decorate primarily for Christmas.
--Christmas (25 December) — almost all businesses, grocery stores, gas stations, and almost all restaurants closed the evening before around 5-8pm and all day in the morning. Some places reopen Christmas Day in the evening but most don't bother. Airports and highways are very crowded the days leading up to Christmas, however on Christmas day many roads are vacant with just a fee cars of relatives making a short trip to their family's houses.
---Airlines have the cheapest fares/tickets for flights on Christmas Day because so many people have reached their destinations and are with family.
Christian/Catholic religious observances. Many people attend church services for Christmas on Christmas eve although services are also held on Christmas. Some families spend Christmas eve as a whole family, exchanging gifts and having a large meal while other families do this on Christmas day. The reason for celebration on Christmas Eve is for extended family--aunts, uncle's, cousins, grandparents etc, Then the families go home and wake up Christmas morning to spend the time opening presents and to eat breakfast with just immediate family--Mom, Dad, brothers, sisters. Some households will have family visit during the day on Christmas day.
---In the usually 3 weeks leading up to Christmas children visit Santa at shopping malls and write him letters. Christmas classics are played on TV channels all the time.
Kwanzaa (26 December-1 January) — African-American cultural observance.
New Year's Eve (31 December) — many restaurants and bars open late; lots of parties, especially in big cities.
From a foreign traveler's point of view, there are two major services affected by federal holidays: visas and mail.

Regions
The United States is composed of 50 states, as well as the city of Washington, D.C., a federal district and the nation's capital. Below is a rough grouping of these states into regions, from the Atlantic to the Pacific:
--Regions of The United States of America and states included and states excluded 
NEW ENGLAND REGION-
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont
Home to gabled churches, rustic antiques, and steeped in American history, New England offers beaches, spectacular seafood, rugged mountains, frequent winter snows, and some of the nation's oldest cities, in a territory small enough to tour (hastily) in a week. The small town environments have managed to maintain a large degree of autonomy for centuries.
MID-ATLANTIC REGION-
Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania
Ranging from New York in the north to Washington, D.C., the Mid-Atlantic is home to some of the nation's most densely populated cities, as well as historic sites, rolling mountains, the New Jersey Pine Barrens, the Lehigh Valley, and seaside resorts like the Long Island beaches and the Jersey Shore. Bridging New England and the South, the Mid-Atlantic includes some of the most cosmopolitan areas in the world as well as small enclaves of American history.
SOUTH REGION-
Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia
The South is celebrated for its hospitality, down-home cooking and its blues, jazz, rock 'n' roll, and country music traditions. A distinct literature, southern accents, and religiosity help distinguish Southerners as well. This lush, largely subtropical region includes cool, verdant mountains, agricultural plantations, and vast cypress swamps.
-FLORIDA
Northern Florida is similar to the rest of the South, but is not so in the resorts of Orlando, retirement communities, tropical Caribbean-influenced Miami, the Everglades, and 1,200 miles of sandy beaches. An extremely popular tourist attraction, Florida includes some of the nicest attractions that the United States has to offer and is conveniently located in the Caribbean, facilitating travel to exotic islands.
MIDWEST REGION-
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin
The Midwest is home to farmland, forests, picturesque towns, industrial cities, and the Great Lakes, the largest system of freshwater lakes in the world, forming the North Coast of the US. Midwesterners are known for their simplicity and hospitality.
-TEXAS
The second biggest state in the nation is like a separate country (and in fact, once was), with strong cultural influences from its Spanish and Mexican past. The state is also a nexus of Southwestern and Southern cultures. The terrain ranges from southeastern swamplands to the cattle-ranching South Plains to the sandy beaches of South Texas to the mountains and deserts of West Texas.
-GREAT PLAINS REGION-
North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma
Travel westward through these supposedly flat states, from the edge of the eastern forests through the prairies and onto the High Plains, an enormous expanse of steppes (shortgrass prairies) nearly as desolate as in the frontier days. You can enjoy serenity and a beautiful expanse that's impossible on the coasts.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN REGION-
Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming
The spectacular snow-covered Rockies offer hiking, rafting, and excellent snow skiing as well as deserts, and some large cities. Tourist cities include some of the nicest amenities for hundreds of miles and some parts of the Rockies are virtually untouched by man.
-SOUTHWEST REGION
Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, Utah
Heavily influenced by Spanish and Mexican culture, this area is home to some of the nation's most spectacular natural attractions and some flourishing artistic communities. Although mostly empty, the region's deserts have some of the nation's largest cities. Additionally, a strong Native American influence can be felt throughout as this region includes many large reservations and sovereign territorial lands.
CALIFORNIA
Like the Southwest, California has a history under Spanish and Mexican rule and is heavily influenced by Spanish and Mexican culture in addition to massive immigration from around the world. California offers world-class cities, deserts, rainforests, snowy mountains, and beautiful beaches. Northern California (around the San Francisco Bay Area) and Southern California (around Los Angeles) are culturally distinct.
-PACIFIC NORTHWEST  REGION
Washington, Oregon
The pleasantly mild Pacific Northwest offers outdoor pursuits as well as cosmopolitan cities. The terrain ranges from spectacular rain forests to scenic mountains and volcanoes to beautiful coastlines to sage-covered steppes and deserts. In minutes, you can travel from a high-tech metropolis to a thick forest or a mountaintop.
ALASKA
One-fifth as large as the rest of the United States, Alaska reaches well into the Arctic, and features mountainous wilderness. Some areas have preserved a unique Inuit culture as well.
HAWAII
A volcanic archipelago in the tropical Pacific, 2,300 miles south west of California (the nearest state), laid-back Hawaii is a vacation paradise. The indigenous Polynesian population are known for being accommodating and fun-loving.

Politically, the US is a federation of states, each with its own rights and powers (hence the name). The US also administers a motley collection of non-state territories around the world, the largest of which are Puerto Rico (which has the special status of a "commonwealth") and the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean plus American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands in Oceania.

-Units of measure
The United States is the only industrialized country that has still not adopted metric units of measure in daily life (it still uses customary units mostly similar to the British imperial system but typically with smaller units as one of the major differences) except for scientific, engineering, and military applications.
This can be frustrating to tourists and immigrants.
-All road signs and speed limits are posted in miles and miles per hour respectively.
-Automotive fuel prices AND the capacity of liquid products like milk and juice are quoted and sold per gallon, quart, or ounce.
-Gas/fuel for cars are listed as the price per one gallon.
-Temperatures are reported in Fahrenheit only;
--32 degrees is freezing and not at all warm.
-The good news is that most cars on the road in the US have both miles and kilometers indicated by their speedometers (good for trips to Canada and Mexico), and --almost all groceries and household items sold in stores are labeled in both systems. You'll get used to being able to associate your unit of measure with the equivalent in the us.
The vast majority of Americans, though, have little day-to-day exposure to the metric system (apart from having studied it a little in school) and will assume some understanding of customary measures.

-Clothing
The US government does not regulate apparel or shoe sizes. Although there are informal standard sizes, they are not strictly enforced.
The only thing you can count on is that sizes tend to be consistent within the same brand. If you plan to shop for apparel or shoes, you will have to do some trial-and-error for each brand to determine what fits, because you cannot rely on any brand's sizes as equivalent to another's. Every clothing store, and most all stores who sell clothes have a "dressing/fitting room" you'll have to try things on. Especially jeans. It could be fun!
--Some American clothing stores or sometimes it's employees know generally the sizes of jean measurements and their American equivalent. Some stores in shopping malls such as "The Buckle" or the "Silver Jeans Brand" sell their jeans in european sizes.
If all else fails, Google or use a search engine to find your "size" jeans and it's American equivalent. Charts are available online for free.

-Electricity
This is a boring section if I do say so myself. Purchase an adaptor.
Electricity in the United States is provided to consumers in the form of 120 V, 60 Hz alternating current, through wall outlets that take NEMA 1 or NEMA 5 plugs. (NEMA stands for National Electrical Manufacturers Association.)
--NEMA 1 plugs have two flat blades, one of which may or may not be polarized (slightly larger than the other), to ensure that the hot and neutral blades are inserted correctly for devices for which that matters.
--NEMA 5 plugs add a round grounding pin below the blades. --All US buildings constructed or renovated after the early 1960s are required to have three-hole outlets that accept the two blades and one pin of NEMA 5 plugs, as well as both polarized and unpolarized NEMA 1 two-blade plugs.
Confusing I know. You just have to buy an adapter or learn as you go. It's always easier to learn better with experience.
-All of North America and nearly all of the Caribbean and Central America follows the same US standards for electricity and plugs.
If you are arriving from outside of those areas, you will need to verify whether your electrical devices are compatible with US electricity and plugs.
The rest of the world uses 220-230 V at 60 Hz, for the simple reason that they began large-scale electrification at much later dates than the US and after wire insulation technology had significantly advanced.
This meant they could select a higher voltage and lower frequency, which required less conductor material (meaning less use of expensive metals) but at the expense of more insulation and larger, more heavily insulated plugs.
--Most consumer electronics, computers, and shavers are already designed as "dual voltage" devices capable of accepting voltages from 110 V up to 230 V and between 50-60 Hz.
For those devices, an adapter is sufficient.
--Purchase your adapter at home before you depart!!!! Most US stores carry adapters designed to adapt NEMA plugs to other countries' outlets, not the other way around.
The differences in voltage and frequency are primarily an issue for travelers with hair long enough to require the use of a hair dryer. Foreign visitors regularly find their hair dryers to be starved for power in the US; conversely, Americans' hair dryers are regularly burned out and destroyed by high voltages overseas. Apart from doing without or waiting an annoying long time to dry one's hair, the solutions are to either
--(1) buy a high-wattage transformer capable of stepping up 120 V to 220 V
-- (2) buy a cheap US hair dryer for use during your trip; (3) book hotels that cater to international travelers and place hair dryers in the rooms for this reason. Alot of hotels have this dryer in the bathroom. A hair dryer can be purchased at most stores for about 10-20 dollars depending on location.

--Differences in prices between primarly the north and south states, are somewhat crazy! Gas especially. It is almost a dollar cheaper in southern states, sometimes more!
It's known as "The Cost of Living" and it varies from state to state. In rich well populated states such as New York and California, prices for groceries are extremely different-higher than states with less of a population. A gallon of milk in California is way more expensive than in Montana or Michigan.

USA Tourism. Geography touch, quick, laws, government, climate differences and warnings, Tourist Pt. 2&3

The United States of America is a large country in North America, often referred to as the "USA" the "US" the "United States" "America" (which is sometimes unbeknownst to it's citizens, people from South American countries sometimes become angry at the term "American") or simply "the States"
It is home to the world's third-largest population, with over 310 million people. It includes both densely populated cities with sprawling suburbs, and vast, uninhabited and naturally beautiful areas.
With its history of mass immigration dating from the 17th century, it is what is called in The USA as a "melting pot" of cultures from around the world and plays a dominant role in the world's cultural landscape.
It is famous for its wide array of popular tourist destinations, ranging from the skyscrapers of Manhattan and Chicago, (New York and Illinois) to the natural wonders of Yellowstone and Alaska, to the warm, sunny beaches of Florida, Hawaii and Southern California.

-Tourism
The US federal government sets foreign policy, while the states deal with tourism.
As such, the federal government provides the best information about legal requirements for entry, while information about places to visit and see is best provided by state and local tourism bureaus.
At state borders, highway rest stops sometimes feature visitor centers and often offer travel and tourism information and materials, almost all of which is also available on-line or can be requested in advance by mail.
Nearly every rest stop has a posted road map with a clearly indicated "You Are Here" marker. Some also offer free paper road maps to take with you.
Note that government tourism bureaus and their Web sites tend to be rather indiscriminate in their recommendations, since for political reasons they cannot be seen as overly favorable towards any particular area within their jurisdiction. Thus is Why it's better to do research for tourism by the states you'll be visiting. each state has it's own website with information.

Government and politics

The United States is a federal republic comprising 50 states, the District of Columbia (Washington DC), and several dependent areas overseas. The federal government derives its power from the Constitution of the United States, the oldest written constitution in the world in continuous use. Although federal law supersedes state law in the event of an express or implied conflict (known in legal jargon as "federal preemption"), each state is considered to be a separate sovereign, maintains its own constitution and government, and retains considerable autonomy within the federation.
State citizens enjoy the power to vote for federal representatives, federal senators, and the federal President.
By way of contrast, the District of Columbia and the overseas territories have limited federal representation, as they can only elect "delegates" to the federal House of Representatives who cannot participate in votes by the Committee of the Whole on the House floor. (D.C. does, however, get three electoral votes with respect to the election of the federal President.) Because they lack state sovereignty, the governments of D.C. and the territories exist at the mercy of the federal government, which theoretically could dissolve them at any time.
State and territorial laws can vary widely from one jurisdiction to another, meaning that the US actually consists of at least 54 separate legal systems with regard to any area of law not within the purview of federal law. State and territorial laws are quite uniform in some areas (eg, contracts for sales of goods) and extremely divergent in others (eg, "real estate," the American term for immovable property). If this was not confusing enough, sovereign Native American tribes are allowed to operate their own legal systems separate from both federal and state law.

-Geography
The contiguous United States (called CONUS by US military personnel) or the "Lower 48" (the 48 states other than Alaska and Hawaii) is bounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west, with much of the population living on the two coasts.
Its land borders are shared with Canada to the north, and Mexico to the south. The US also shares maritime borders with Russia, Cuba, and the Bahamas.
--Mountains
The country has three major mountain ranges:
-The Appalachians extend from Canada to the state of Alabama, a few hundred miles west of the Atlantic Ocean. They are the oldest of the three mountain ranges and offer spectacular sightseeing and excellent camping spots.
-The Rockies are, on average, the highest in North America, extending from Alaska to New Mexico, with many areas protected as national parks. They offer hiking, camping, skiing, and sightseeing opportunities.
-Sierra Nevada and -Cascade (combined) ranges are the youngest. The Sierras extend across the "backbone" of California, with sites such as Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park; the Sierras transition at their northern end into the even younger volcanic Cascade range, with some of the highest points in the country.
-The Great Lakes
The Great Lakes define much of the border between the eastern United States and Canada. More inland seas than lakes, they were formed by the pressure of glaciers retreating north at the end of the last Ice Age. The five lakes span hundreds of miles, bordering the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York, and their shores vary from pristine wilderness areas to industrial "rust belt" cities. They are the second-largest bodies of freshwater in the world, after the polar ice caps.
The state of Michigan is the peninsula with the great lakes surrounding the borders of the state on 3 sides. This state is often seen on a map as a mitten looking shape.
-Climate
The overall climate is temperate, with notable exceptions. Alaska is cold and dominated by Arctic tundra, while Hawaii and South Florida are tropical.
The Great Plains are dry, flat and grassy, turning into arid desert in the far West and Mediterranean along the California coast.
--Winter
In the winter, the northern and mid-western major cities can see as much as 2 feet (61 cm) of snowfall in one day, with cold temperatures.
Southern states however barely get snow compared to northern states. When they do, states such as South Carolina close down business' and schools which is humorous to the northern and mid western states.
Desert states such as the south west Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico barely EVER see snow.
School closings are listed on local news channels and local news websites. On the local news, most places have two or more different local news channels these closings relevant are displayed at the bottom of the screen, in the morning as usually by county. Colleges rarely close down even if most or all surrounding schools close, but on occasion, college institutions do close for extreme winter conditions sometimes including below 0°F temperatures.
Most families in the south do not own a snowblower, or have snowplow companies as that business would generate too little income. They actually rarely sell snow shovels! Thus, business and school's close down.
Icy roads are dangerous and even some of the states who have heavy snowy winters will cancel school because of the dangers of the education transport system--School Busses driving on icy roads. However many residents of northern states are quite well adapted to "black ice" on roads but the accident rate every year due to icy roads is still high.
School districts who have students living on "back roads" often meaning dirt roads or unpopulated country roads do not get plowed at the [Sometimes nearest]  town's expense.
Locals however often times plow these roads for their fellow citizens so that cars can more easily get out.
Many people have a detachable snow plow for their trucks.
--Summer 
Summers are humid, but mild. Temperatures over 100°F (38°C) sometimes invade the Midwest and Great Plains.
Some areas in the northern plains can experience cold temperatures of -30°F (-34°C) during the winter! Temperatures below 0°F (-18°C) sometimes reach as far south as Oklahoma.
The climate of the South also varies. In the summer, it is hot and humid, but from October through April the weather can range from 60°F (15°C) to short cold spells of 20°F (-7°C) or so. Just because it's freezing cold sometimes it does not mean it will snow.
The Great Plains and Midwestern states also experience tornadoes from the Early & late spring to early fall, earlier in the south and later in the north.
States along the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico, may experience hurricanes between June and November. These intense and dangerous storms frequently miss the US mainland, but evacuations are often ordered and should be heeded. If there's an evacuation issued for your area, whatever the reason-hurricanes, volcanic eruption, earthquake prediction, take the warning seriously and leave. Many shelters open up including red cross shelters within reasonable distance from the warning/evacuation site if a person or family has no where to go. Evacuations aren't exactly common, so when it's ordered, get out. Many lives can be saved.
Tornados do not call for evacuation. Actually, the opposite. Nearly all towns have "tornado sirens" when you hear these go off, or see a tornado WARNING on local channels, it means that a tornado HAS hit the ground in your area or very close surrounding area. Get to the basement--Lowest level of a house (many southern states don't even have a basement!) and wait. When the sirens turn off, or stop ringing, it's OK to come out. Be aware though that they may be going off again soon. If you do not have a basement, go to the lowest level of your house/residence, as being up higher, obviously, with the vicious winds that can exceed 100 miles per hour, the high part of a house or residence will be the first to be blown away. If possible without a basement, it's recommended you get in a bath tub on the lowest level.
If you hear sirens do NOT get in your car and drive. If you're already driving and hear sirens and spot a tornado (it will be visible before being right next to you) pull over and get into the nearest ditch. If the sirens are going off (or car radio has the emergency alert--you will know when you hear it) and you see larger sized hail, pull over and wait. You can seek shelter in any gas station, store, or even restraunt. If all else fails, find a ditch or a place of lower ground than the surrounding terrain.
A tornado watch is issued when funnel clouds have been spotted in your area or close surrounding areas. It is ideal to have a cheap battery powered radio for such emergencies as if you're outside of town, in whats known as the "country" you may not be able to hear the sirens and you'll have to rely on the local news when the weather is bad. When you're in the basement obviously most will rely on their battery powered radios as electricity may be out. (Also known as "power is out")
--The Rockies are cold and snowy. Some parts of the Rockies see over 500 inches (12 m) of snow in a season. Even during the summer, temperatures are cool in the mountains, and snow can fall nearly year-round. It is dangerous to go up in the mountains unprepared in the winter and the roads through them can get very icy.
Most common state for snow in the mountains is Colorado. Colorado is notorious for the hobbies/sports of snowboarding and skiing. Many MANY places in Colorado offer lessons, as especially snowboarding, is not the easiest thing to teach yourself. These activities are very fun for tourists, often on their "Bucket List"
--The deserts of the Southwest are hot and dry during the summer, with temperatures often exceeding 100°F (38°C). Thunderstorms can be expected in the southwest frequently from July through September. Winters are mild, and snow is unusual. Average annual precipitation is low, usually less than 10 inches (25 cm)
--Cool and damp weather is common in the coastal northwest (Oregon and Washington west of the Cascade Range, and the northern part of California west of the Coast Ranges/Cascades). Rain is most frequent in winter, snow is rare, especially along the coast, and extreme temperatures are uncommon.
Rain falls almost exclusively from late fall through early spring along the coast.
--East of the Cascades, the northwest is considerably drier. Much of the inland northwest is either semi-arid or desert, though altitude and weather patterns may result in wetter climates in some areas.
--Northeastern and cities of the Upper South are known for summers with temperatures reaching into the 90's (32°C) or more, with extremely high humidity, usually over 80%. This can be a drastic change from the Southwest.
High humidity means that the temperature can feel hotter than actual readings.
--The Northeast also experiences snow, and at least once every few years there will be a dumping of the white stuff in enormous quantities.

A brief history of The United States of America, tourist information pt 1

What is now the United States was initially populated by indigenous peoples who migrated from northeast Asia.

Today, their descendants are known as Native Americans, or American Indians. Although Native Americans are often portrayed as having lived a singular, usually primitive lifestyle, the truth is, that prior to European contact, the continent was densely populated by many sophisticated societies.
The Cherokee, for example, are descended from the overarching Mississippian culture which built huge mounds and large towns that covered the landscape, while the Anasazi built elaborate cliff-side towns in the Southwest.

As was the case in other nations in the Americas, the primitive existence attributed to Native Americans was generally the result of mass die-offs triggered by Old World diseases such as smallpox which spread like wildfire ahead of the early European explorers. That is, by the time most Native American tribes directly encountered Europeans, they were a post-apocalyptic people!

During the 16th and 17th centuries, multiple European nations began colonizing the North American continent. Spain, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Russia established colonies in various parts of what would become the USA.
Of those early settlements, it was the original British colonies in Virginia and Massachusetts that formed the cultural, political, legal and economic core of what is now known as the United States of America. However while traveling the United states, you will realize different ancestral cultures often attribute depending on the state in which you visit. Sometimes cultural differences, although usually minuscule, vary even from town to town within a state!

Massachusetts was first settled by religious immigrants—Puritans—who later spread and founded most of the other New England colonies, creating a highly religious and idealistic region. Its neighbor to the southwest, Rhode Island, was founded by refugees from the religious fanatics of Massachusetts. Other religious groups also founded colonies, including the Quakers in Pennsylvania and Roman Catholics in Maryland.
Today however, you can find all religions in most every state. Pennsylvania is known today for it's vast majority of Amish and Mennonites. These groups flow into Indiana, and  Ohio as well as a few other states too. While in Michigan, it's town of Dearborn is known for being the Muslim capital of the USA.
If you'd like more information on which religions or a religion in particular are found in the state/states you'll be visiting, just ask! As I've said there is a religious sanctuary ie churches, etc in almost every state!

Virginia, on the other hand, became the most dominant of the southern colonies. Because of a longer growing season, these colonies had richer agricultural prospects, especially for cotton and tobacco.
As in Central and South America, African slaves were imported and forced to cultivate large plantations. Slavery became an important part of the economy in the South, a fact that would cause tremendous upheaval in the years to come.
There are also certain towns/states where many certain nationalities migrated. Such as the Polish, Italian, Hungarian, and German. We know these from the Census' collected as it listed place of origin/birth for each person in a household.
By the early 18th century, the United Kingdom had established a number of colonies along the Atlantic coast from Georgia and on north into what is now Canada.

On 4 July 1776, (Or July 4th as the date is read in the United States) colonists from the Thirteen Original Colonies, frustrated with excessive taxation and micromanagement by London and encouraged by the ideals of Enlightenment philosophy, declared independence from the U.K. and established a new sovereign nation, the United States of America. Today this is a national holiday, often called the 4th of July or Independence Day, but more on The United States' own holidays later!
Be sure to read that because many places in The United States WILL be closed for national holidays that you probably have never heard of.

The resulting American Revolutionary War culminated in the surrender of 7,000 British troops at the Battle of Yorktown in 1781.
This forced the British government to initiate peace negotiations that led to the Treaty of Paris of 1783, by which the victorious Americans assumed control of all British land south of the Great Lakes between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mississippi River.
British loyalists, known as Tories, fled north of the Great Lakes into Canada, which remained [stubbornly] loyal to the British crown and would not become fully independent, as Canada, it's own country, until 1982.

Although the Thirteen Colonies had united during the war in support of the common objective of getting rid of British tyranny, most colonists' loyalties at the end of the war lay with their respective colonial governments.
In turn, the young country's first attempt at establishing a national government under the Articles of Confederation was a disastrous failure.
The Articles tried too hard to protect the colonies from each other by making the national government so weak it could not do anything to intervene.

In 1787, a convention of major political leaders (the Founding Fathers of the United States) drafted a new national Constitution in Philadelphia.
After ratification by a supermajority of the states, the new Constitution went into effect in 1791 and enabled the establishment of the strong federal government that has governed the United States ever since.

George Washington, the commanding general of American forces during the Revolutionary War, was elected as the first President of the United States under the new Constitution. Although he is not the first technical   president, education in the USA deems him as the first since the constitution kind of marks the birth of the nation as it is today.
By the turn of the 19th century, a national capital had been established in Washington, D.C. not to be confused with the state of Washington which is clear across the country on the far north west side.

As American and European settlers pushed farther west, past the Appalachians, the federal government began organizing new territories and then admitting them as new states.
This was enabled by the displacement and decimation of the Native American populations through warfare and disease. In what became known as the Trail of Tears, many Native American tribes in what is now the southeastern United States were forcibly relocated to lands in present-day Oklahoma, which was known as "Indian Territory" until the early 20th century.

The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 brought French-owned territory extending from the Mississippi River to parts of the present-day American West under American control, effectively doubling the country's land area.

The United States fought the War of 1812 with Britain in an attempt to reassert its authority and to capture Canada.
Though dramatic battles were fought, including one that ended with the British Army burning the White House, which is the "home of the current president" Capitol, and other public buildings in Washington, D.C., the war ended in a virtual stalemate.
Territorial boundaries between the two nations remained nearly the same.
Nevertheless, the war had disastrous consequences for the western Native American tribes that had allied with the British, ending in the United States acquiring more and more of their territory for white settlers.
Actually the Native Americans were treated terribly. Most
Educational agendas in America (each state has a slightly different curriculum) on the extent of "the Indians" obviously varies depending on state.
States with a rich Native American background or with Native American "Reservations" go into the extent much more as school's students can travel or have "a field trip" to museums or other institutions ran by the current day Native Americans.
Each state was established as a state in different years.
Each state has it's own "governor" along with it's own capital, state flower, bird, flag, etc. Whatever is indigenous to the state. More information is available a pon request!

Florida was purchased in 1813 from Spain after the American military had effectively subjugated the region.
The next major territorial acquisition came after American settlers in Texas rebelled against the Mexican government, setting up a short-lived independent republic that was absorbed into the union.
The Mexican-American War of 1848 resulted in acquisition of the northern territories of Mexico, including the future states of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico.

After 1850, the borders of the continental United States reached the rough outlines it still has today. Many Native Americans were relegated to reservations by treaty, military force, and by the inadvertent spread of European diseases transmitted by large numbers of settlers moving west along the Oregon Trail and other routes.
The Oregon trail is the most famous. Explorers Lewis and Clark were led by the Native American named Sacagawea who was only 16 years old. To learn more, just ask!

Tensions between the US and the British government administering Canada continued to persist because the border west of the Great Lakes was ill-defined because The Oregon Treaty of 1846 failed to adequately address the complex geography of the region; the boundary dispute remained unsettled until 1871.

Meanwhile, by the late 1850s, many Americans were calling for the abolition of slavery.
The rapidly industrializing North, where slavery had been outlawed several decades before, favored national abolition.
Southern states, on the other hand, believed that individual states had the right to decide whether or not slavery should be legal.
In 1861, the Southern states, fearing domination by the North and the avowedly anti-slavery President Abraham Lincoln, seceded from the Union and formed the breakaway Confederate States of America.

These events sparked the American Civil War. To date, it is the bloodiest conflict on American soil, with over 200,000 killed in combat and a overall death toll exceeding 600,000.
The bloodiest of all battles is said to have been the battle at Gettysburg where president Lincoln would later give the infamous "Gettysburg Address" speech, as you may have heard the introduction "four score and seven years ago..."

In 1865, Union forces prevailed, thereby cementing the federal government's authority over the states. The federal government then launched a complex process of rehabilitation and reassimilation of the Confederacy, a period known as Reconstruction.
Slavery was abolished by constitutional amendment, (which as of today has many different amendments, numbered in accordance to the order they were implemented) but the former slaves and their descendants were to remain an economic and social underclass, particularly in the Southern states.

The United States purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867, and the previously independent Hawaii was annexed in 1898 after a brief revolution fomented by American settlers.

After decisively defeating Spain in the Spanish-American War, the United States gained its first "colonial" territories:
-Cuba (granted independence a few years later)
-the Philippines (granted independence shortly after World War II)
-Puerto Rico and Guam (which remain American dependencies today)

During this "imperialist" phase of US history, the US also assisted Panama in obtaining independence from Colombia, as the need for a Panama Canal had become palpably clear to the US during the Spanish-American War.

In 1903, the new country of Panama promptly granted the United States control over a swath of territory known as the Canal Zone.
The US constructed the Panama Canal in 1914 and retained control over the Canal Zone until 1979.

In the eastern cities of the United States, Southern and Eastern Europeans, and Russian Jews joined Irish refugees to become a cheap labor force for the country's growing industrialization.
Many African-Americans fled rural poverty in the South for industrial jobs in the North, in what is now known as the Great Migration.
Other immigrants, including many Scandinavians and Germans, moved to the newly-opened territories in the West and Midwest, where land was available for free to anyone who would develop it.
A network of railroads was laid across the country, accelerating development.

With its entrance into World War I in 1917, the United States established itself as a world power by helping to defeat Germany and the Central Powers.
However after the war, despite strong support from President Woodrow Wilson, the United States refused to join the newly-formed League of Nations, which substantially hindered that body's effectiveness in preventing future conflicts.

Real wealth grew rapidly in the postwar period. During the "Roaring Twenties," stock speculation created an immense "bubble" which, when it burst in October 1929, known as the stock market crash, contributed to a period of economic havoc.

The 1930s were terrible times for citizens, life savings, everything, gone. This was known as The Great Depression. The Depression was brutal and devastating, with unemployment rising to 25%. Everyone was poor or had absolutely nothing. No food nothing and suicide rates were crazy.
On the other hand, it helped forge a culture of sacrifice and hard work that would serve the country well in its next conflict.
President Herbert Hoover lost his re-election bid in 1932 as a result of his ineffective response to the Depression. People blamed him, with the classic "Hard times are Hoovering over us."
The victor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt ("FDR") pledged himself to a "New Deal" for the American people, which came in the form of a variety of aggressive economic recovery programs.
While historians still debate the effectiveness of the various New Deal programs in terms of whether they fulfilled their stated objectives, it is generally undisputed that the New Deal greatly expanded the size and role of the US federal government.

In December 1941, the Empire of Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, an American military base in Hawaii, thus plunging the United States into World War II, which had already been raging in Europe for two years and in Asia since 1937.
In alliance with the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union, the United States helped to defeat the Axis powers of Italy, Germany, and Japan.

By the end of World War II, with much of Europe and Asia in ruins, the United States had firmly established itself as the dominant economic power in the world; it was then responsible for nearly half of the world's industrial production.
The newly developed atomic bomb, whose power was demonstrated in two bombings of Japan in 1945, made the United States the only force capable of challenging the Communist Soviet Union, giving rise to what is now known as The Cold War.

After World War II, America experienced an economic resurgence and growing affluence on a scale not seen since the 1920s. Meanwhile, the racism traditionally espoused in various explicit and implicit forms by the European-American majority against the country's African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic-American, Native American and other minority populations had become impossible to ignore. While the US was attempting to spread democracy and the rule of law abroad to counter the Soviet Union's support of authoritarian Communist governments, it found itself having to confront its own abysmal failure to provide the benefits of democracy and the rule of law to all its citizens.
Thus, in the 1960s a civil rights movement emerged which ultimately eliminated most of the institutional discrimination against African-Americans and other ethnic minorities, particularly in the Southern states.

A revived women's movement in the 1970s also led to wide-ranging changes in gender roles and perceptions in US society, including to a limited extent views on homosexuality and bisexuality.
The more organized present-era US 'Gay rights' movement first emerged in the late 1960s and early 70s.

During the same period, in the final quarter of the 20th century, the United States underwent a slow but inexorable transition from an economy based on a mixture of heavy industry and labor-intensive agriculture, to an economy primarily based on advanced technology (the "high-tech" industry) retail, professional services, and other service industries, as well as a highly mechanized, automated agricultural industry.

In the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, millions of US manufacturing jobs fell victim to outsourcing, In a phenomenon since labeled "global labor arbitrage" revolutionary improvements in transportation, communications, and logistics technologies made it possible to move manufacturing of most goods to Asian factories which did not have to pay US minimum wages, observe US occupational safety standards, or allow the formation of unions.
Prior to 1960, it was necessary for US executives to take months off work to tour overseas operations by steamship or propeller aircraft, they had only minimal visibility into such operations through expensive international long-distance telephone calls, telegraphs, or telex transmissions, and goods were shipped in "break bulk" form on individual pallets or in crates.
By the 1980s, US executives could race overseas and back in a handful of days via jetliners, closely monitor overseas factories via fax, cheap long-distance calls, and early online services, and ship goods in bulk on huge container ships.
The outsourcing revolution was devastating to many cities, particularly in the Midwest and Northeast, whose economies were overly dependent upon manufacturing, and resulted in a group of hollowed-out, depressed cities now known as The Rust Belt. One city in particular is that of Detroit, Michigan. Where the automotive industry once made the city flourish and rich is now filing Bankruptcy.

During this time, the United States also assumed and continues to maintain a position of global leadership in military and aerospace technology through the development of a powerful "defense-industrial complex" although as of the turn of the 21st century, its leadership is increasingly being challenged by the European Union and China.
US federal investments in military technology also paid off handsomely in the form of the most advanced information technology sector in the world, which is primarily centered on the area of Northern California known as Silicon Valley.
US energy firms, especially those based in petroleum and natural gas, have also become global giants, as they expanded worldwide to feed the country's thirst for cheap energy.

The 1950s saw the beginnings of a major shift of population from rural towns and urban cores to the suburbs.
The postwar rise of a prosperous middle class able to afford cheap automobiles and cheap gasoline in turn led to the rise of the American car culture and the convenience of fast food restaurants.
The Interstate Highway System, constructed primarily from the 1960s to the 1980s, became the most comprehensive freeway system in the world, at over 47,000 mi in length. It was surpassed by China only in 2011, although the US is believed to still have a larger freeway system when non-federal-aid highways are also included.

In the late 20th century, the US was also a leader in the development and deployment of jetliners. Cheap air transportation together with cheap cars in turn wrecked US passenger rail, although freight rail remained financially viable.
In 1970, Congress authorized the formation of Amtrak to enable the railroads to shed themselves of their remaining passenger routes (which would now be operated by Amtrak over the railroads' tracks).

During the 20th century, the US Retail Sector became the strongest in the world. US retailers pioneered many innovative concepts that later spread around the world, including:
-inventory bar codes to ease the tedium of accurately tallying purchases,
-"big box" chain stores
-factory outlet stores
-warehouse club stores
-modern shopping centers.
American consumer culture, as well as Hollywood movies and many forms of popular music, books, and art, all established the United States as the cultural center of the world. Which is actually disputed by some, that The United States has no REAL culture, that our culture is mostly a collection of various immigrants.
With the aid of generous federal funding as part of the defense-industrial complex and later, under the Higher Education Act, American universities established themselves as the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Among those are Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. Which are called "Ivy League."
Today, they are rivaled only by a handful of universities in the UK, mainland Europe, and Asia.

SO there you have it...a brief yet extensive history of The United States of America! I'm sure most tourists, including those who avidly visit The USA, will not care all too much about it's history.
However if you're planning to become a citizen much of The USA's history must be learned as you will be tested!
This is only part 1 of USA tourist/Immigration information.

Have you ever wondered how the world sees America/americans..This will make you think. what our media doesnt tell us

I do have different intensions of this, my personal blog, than throwing out conspiracy theories. However, I have recently become a member of "Interpals.com" it's a global spot where people come from all over the world in the idea of having pen pals. Aside from the "thirsty creeps" who message you, where they offer non stipulated messaging to anyone, it's actually a great site for people who are interested in travel and culture and who would like to discuss such with the country of interest's natives.

Every person I've talked to (mostly from countries in Europe) have given me information that I've either vaguely seen on our trusted news sites and channels in America such as CNN, Fox News, CBS, whatever, or have not seen reported at all. I am an avid watcher and reader of news and foreign affairs prompted by eariler this year hearing of North Korea's growing [possible] nuclear testing and their threats to South Korea and those who support their enemy. Not the first time in history as they're notorious for their threats, but this time it's different. Why? ....because they are conducting nuclear testing, rebuilding nuclear warehouses, etc. This is scary because we have no idea as to what they're doing and what they've got.Hearing about that reminded me of the last years we've spent...
Almost like the basis for "Bush's war" in the accusation of weapons of mass destruction. What people failed to remember was that after desert storm, Afghanistan, or rather it's deciders of surrender agreed to keep up with the UN about their weaponary in warehouses. Repeatedly they broke that agreement and after 9/11 Why wouldn't we assume they had more planned, the old question raised was if you have nothing to hide, Why not prove it to us.

Do I agree that we should just cowboy relentlessly start bombing their country? No, however it was fishy on their part.

Where am I going with this? Well after all that and now early this year the information regarding North Korea and it's expansion that we know nothing about it had me thinking we were moving down the same path as we had that started after September 11th. I wanted to know everything I could and have been on that quest ever since.


After talking with people from Europe they sort of introduced.me to all sorts of things that or media ISN'T reporting... and that our media is leaving out that we SHOULD know...


In America people who raise such questions or believe this shit are called conspiracy theorists and are "nuts" however there is without a doubt a truthful aspect to some of it and it's scary.
It's a supposed known fact to the word (and Yes, slightly reported on CNN) that our homeland security has been caught by Germany as tapping cell phones of world leaders. Even more, I read on a Canadian news site that a month ago Canada had caught serious spy ware in the building they'd already announced as the future home of their defence... are they related? Possibly. Canada could not figure out who could have set their spy ware into place...or Why their own citizens would need to..
Maybe I'm just more paranoid now and looking to tie anything together I can.
These people I've talked to online give more information and to me it's possible further truth our media is intentionally not reporting ALL of the stories.
The woman gunned down in Washington last week that had severe mental issues according to CNN and an obsession with president Obama (who had "postpard. Depression" after she had a daughter coincidentally born in the exact amount of time from when Obama actually met this woman who was a dental hygienist at a dentist Obama had to go to before giving a speech for a graduating class after some emergency tooth problem having to do with a pistachio shell.) Had been saying prior that she was being monitored by certain branches of the government. FBI, CIA. They were recording her every move, stalking her. She had told close family she was afraid for her life.
Could she have been crazy? Perhaps but it's fishy right? And Why would the collective media NOT touch on these allegations? Even if in the proving her insanity? Because they don't want us to get any ideas.
It's known in America that homeland security's "ballistic" regulations are for our safety right?
What IF our branches of government have more planned??
We all know from history that anyone who went against the NYPD or suggested corruption was thrown in an asylum.
Do you remember the former LAPD officer who raised allegations of corruption and was completely ignored by even higher branches of the courts than LA.... and they fired him and he eventually went on a killing spree.
Surely he was crazy right? In his "manifesto" he'd written before going on a shooting spree to target and damage police officers and their families what he was accusing of our government...a former Navy seal...and wrote things encouraging the investigative journalists to do some research...and listed specific things to look into.
Did they? Nope. Because he was just a loon. A quack who spent his life in the navy and police departments.
I've personally read his manifesto and he raises some serious perfectly SANE points. Anyone who kills is fucked up...but his reputation job everything was destroyed and he snapped.
I watched on TV the man hunts and the eventual identification of his location... gun shots were heard. They were. period. Yet the officers deny that they shot him at all. Reporters that were on scene reported shots fired and officers said no shots from them or him were fired. The bunk he was in was set ablaze. Then all of a sudden he shot himself and set fire to the place!? But no officers heard shots? Yet reporters and witnesses did? CNN reporter who was present reported that same day that it didn't exactly add up but that was it. Nothing further was said and no journalist seemed to care about investigating his allegations..because he was a serious threat to our own security as well as officers'
This REALLY bothered me...if above nothing else to be believed about any corruption, then this story in particular should be. At least investigate for yourself.
What, just what IF he's on to something?

The Boston bombings... sure those two men could have done it. Our government SAYS they did it, so they did right? Probably honestly I do believe that although with the crowds of people in attendance it seemed impossible to be able to find who. But they did.
The night they were chasing them in a rural Boston town at like 4 something in the morning, I happened to be awake and watching it live. CNN had reported they both had been captured. I saw what was the older brother as identified by CNN and the police running then get down on the ground hands up in surrender. I saw him handcuffed live right there on TV. When I woke up in the later morning hours it had reported the older brother had been killed, accidently, at the hands of his brother. Wait what?? I saw that shit...I heard what was going on. At like 4 something in the morning when most people are asleep yet the story is different hours later reported on the news. I tried to find what the cause of the mix up was but couldn't find anything. On Facebook I posted the conflictions and a friend had told me that it was some other guy they only thought was him...but I still didn't find anything online. Have not looked since around that time so I need to make a note of it.

JFK, the movie, if you've never seen it, you seriously have to. It's no documentary, just a movie with ALOT of facts that do NOT completely add up.  Same as Marilyn Monroe, related to the whole conspiracy theory, whom I have a serious LOVE for and have read and watched everything possible about her and specifically about her death. Things that didn't add up.
This doesn't just happen to people in power who have their own agenda but to everyday people.
People who actually are, many years later, found innocent who'd been in prison for something that they are proven later to not have had anything to do with! Does this happen often? Probably not but it happens. The DA and police and who ever the fuck else are so eager to keep the peace by naming someone who is responsible and putting them away. "Evidence" that either doesn't make sense, or is unrelated to the crime, or maybe is just coincidental and not fully investigated. Or that is and pieces of information are left out when in court for the trials.
An example would be Larry King. Not the infamous one but the gay kid who was shot point blank in the head by a classmate. There was bullying going on from both of them starting with the other kid aimed at Larry for being gay and flamboyant. As a defense Larry had in turn bullied back trying to attempt humility on the other kid. Asking him out in front of his Jock friends, smacking his lips, making sexual passes at him which enraged the kid with disgust and credibility with fellow students about his own sexuality.
He brought a gun to school and shot Larry twice, who died. The next few days police found a copy of Mein Kampf and alot of nazi information and decided this was a hate crime. Never mind the fact that his English teacher (the teacher of the class in which Larry was shot) told multiple investigators that she had just assigned a WWII project and he got the book from the school's library. This information and series of facts was never brought up in court. Instead the DA dug into the lives of the kids family and found his brother had a room mate for a whole month back in the day who was for white supremacy. Because of that connection they charged the boy ad an adult with premeditated murder AND a hate crime. The kids best friend since he was young was black. This isn't exactly the best example government officials leaving certain bits of information from "witnesses'" out in open trial (to sway a guilty verdict in this case) that doesnt add up to the complete set of ALL the information but it's the one I know for a fact. Why even have a trial in the court of law if every single thing from an investigation--ie witnesses statements or knowledge isn't going to be available?
A girl is accusing a well known area guy and felliw member of the school she was attending of rape after her family had moved there. I believe it was the jude or DA threw the case out and feminists across America are banning together for justice..
These examples are to just back up my thoughts that if our very small branches of government can be even in the least bit crooked, why is it hard to imagine that our most elite governmental groups and courts aren't relatble with absolute truth!?
I know these examples are long shots to prove solely based on their information that our government tries proving their idea of who's responsible who's guilty for crimes or blatenly withholds evidence from it's public to make us think we are safe or to ensure our media doesn't report things that will cause doubt in the government?
There are many examples from history suggesting governmental groups even possibly kill people who know too much or who will expose the truth. What would that kind of information do if it were made public in America? Think about how it would cause it's people to rebel against it's government..
Is it so crazy to think There's things going on that we aren't told? Many countries around the world are given facts that America doesn't release...
Think about what we do know. The government can legally spy on our internet history--searches, email, texts, anything and Why? Why can they invade privacy like that? If you're thinking: well Why can't they? To prevent terrorists from acting out another September 11th... in the name of homeland security? So Why is our CIA spying on world leaders? In the name of homeland security?
Please give me all opinions. And read on a full description of this conspiracy theory below.
Do I believe it all? No but I do believe that many nations are upset and just sick of our government as a whole.
When john Kerry was all over my TV giving his speeches of Why America needs to attack Syria because of their chemical weapon use I'm sitting here like what the fuck are you doing? Shut the fuck up trying to lead us into a war...Why is he seriously advocating it? Just as I wonder Why Obama is so set on obamacare and won't budge about dropping it even to the point of shutting down the government to get his way? I also listened to his speech after the sandy hook inspired gun control laws...he was legitimately mad exactly what he wanted wasn't set into place. I could tell and anyone watching it could too....but Why? Well anyways here's a link to read further.


http://thecommonsenseshow.com/2013/10/11/the-three-stages-of-us-martial-law

After post add in/edit: If you're implying that I should not have negative things to say because I live in America... I really don't know what to say to that other than to ask, who's more qualified for judgment here? An Americans or someone who isn't living in America?
It's one thing when the rest of the world isn't fooled by a country's hidden agenda, but it's a whole different thing when a country's own citizens aren't even fooled anymore...
In addition, it is not essential to tap into the personal cell phones of world leaders and certainly not of leaders who belong to our allies. We can do so on our OWN turf because of 9/11 our government can encrypt certain words or phrases from just about any form of communication we have as protected under homeland security laws. Where is the line drawn? As long as our respected government branches say it's for security purposes, they can do whatever. With no punishment... at least in America. Canada was moving their department of national defense to another building and mistakenly announced it beforehand. Guess whaaaaat spyware was found later embedded so deep it had passed by inspection, and no culprits have been named.
With this recent crap how can we prove it wasnt from us? Our closest neighbor...what if your next door neighbor was caught having robbed a series of houses..a month after your house had gotten robbed. Wouldn't you accuse him?
Our media reports squat compared to what america is actually involved in. Even better, it's basically brainwashed its citizens to believe the things theyre doing are for their own good. Other things though they just keep us in complete dark on.
Like the mysterious blob on the radar map in Alabama which would indicate an enormous storm when it was perfectly sunny...after pressure we were told it was a military experiment and given no more information. We are supposed to accept that explanation? Obviously the military has to keep things quiet but no lol. Not in a populated state with tons of residents who could be affected by their experiments. this picture was taken from many different angles to rule out certain causes and well many think it was a chemical. Although we aren't told.
We can have a ton of birds just drop out of the sky at once and believe in this day in age our government has absolutely no idea why. Okay you mean to tell me you can drill into a prehistoric polar ice cap and run tests on every inch and be able to tell the temperature of the climate of each phase since the beginning of time but you can't give us a reason why theres a floating mass hovering part of our home and you cant explain why birds just drop out of the sky dead just decided to magically commit suicide, is that it? Lol there are sooo many more examples of us being keptbin the complete dark and why? Well basically because no one wants to ask. Or they accept answers that are actually insulting to us, thinking we are THAT stupid to believe.

The point of it all...

Okay, although this isn't my very FIRST blog experience, my only other blog history was Xanga. When I was probably 13. That really requires no further explanation on just how out to date I am with my blogging knowledge. Unless of course you use Xanga currently in which case you must live in a place that is culturally behind about 10 years and if that may be the instance, I'm sorry for poking fun. Haha.

The reason for this blog is not solely to embellish my own personal knowledge of world history, my own personal travel experiences, and to dissect particular travel destinations composed to make [the longest] bucket list ever but to also discuss (hopefully not just with myself) cultural differences. I welcome and encourage comments from EVERYWHERE. If you live on earth, I'm interested in hearing your input, have it be opinions, knowledge, or experience!
Cultural differences, at least in America, are different in every state you visit. Perhaps even from town to town, so it goes without saying there's so much information to learn...maybe just for fun, maybe because we have a thirst for knowledge, or because we plan on traveling to a country and would like information from natives or people who've already experienced this place of topic and who have suggestions or more information to add.
Read my blog, check back, comment.
I will cover places I've traveled to, don't worry because I was quite the spoiled youngest and only daughter still living in the house most of my life lol obviously being the youngest of 4 sisters, having an age gap of 6 years between the "closest in age" sister, my parents had been working their asses off for so many years combined with a possible touch of midlife crisis, I got to tag along as they wanted to see the world.
I'll start with the obvious, the place I know the absolute most about; America!
Stay toned(: