Magazine subscriptions in the US are insanely cheap. Once I realized this, I subscribed to half a dozen magazines within hours. Of course, US magazines are cheaper here than getting them in Australia, but its better than that. There are discount websites that sell subscriptions very, very cheaply. You wonder how they make any money.
Just search somewhere like www.magazinepricesearch.com and it's incredible how cheap they are.
National Geographic Kids is $15 for ten issues. You'd have a hard time finding two issues for $15 in Australia.
The New Yorker: $40 for 47 issues -- less than $1 an issue!
Mother Jones: $5 for 6 issues.
Rolling Stone: $20 for 26 issues.
There are a few catches. There are introductory offers, so they may not continue after the first year. But when it's so cheap you can try lots of magazines out for a year and then only renew the best ones. Which bring up the other thing to watch out for. Some of these subscriptions automatically renew at the end of the subscription period. I've avoided getting those, even if they are a bit cheaper to make sure I don't end up paying for a magazine I don't really want to keep getting.
Unfortunately, these crazy prices are no good if you want something that doesn't come from the US. You can't find the UK mag New Scientist, for example, on any of these sites.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Cycling
How riding a bike in the US is different to Australia:
* bike lanes on the road are much narrower, sometimes narrower than the bicycle
* people routinely ride the wrong way in bicycle lanes, forcing the rider going the correct way into the traffic (I have never had this happen in Australia, but twice in one week here.)
* cars can turn right on a red light, so if you are on a bike stopped at a red light you are where the cars behind you want to go to turn right. However...
* at least where I am, drivers are very polite and do not mind that you are preventing them turning right. Drivers stop and wave me past them at intersections where actually I should be giving way to them. The general courtesy of drivers to bicycles and other drivers is very different from big cities in Australia.
* bike lanes on the road are much narrower, sometimes narrower than the bicycle
* people routinely ride the wrong way in bicycle lanes, forcing the rider going the correct way into the traffic (I have never had this happen in Australia, but twice in one week here.)
* cars can turn right on a red light, so if you are on a bike stopped at a red light you are where the cars behind you want to go to turn right. However...
* at least where I am, drivers are very polite and do not mind that you are preventing them turning right. Drivers stop and wave me past them at intersections where actually I should be giving way to them. The general courtesy of drivers to bicycles and other drivers is very different from big cities in Australia.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Seven business days
My US bank allows you to pay bills via the Internet. So I put in the details of my cable TV account, and then it said "payment will be sent by check, please allow 5 to 7 business days for payment". Unbelievable as it is, the US still uses cheques for a lot of payment. Even an automatic payment via Internet banking may very well be mailed by cheque and take over a week.
I found this hard to believe and have since joined a credit union which will pay many bills within a day. But even that has a strange twist. To pay off a credit card at another bank takes one day from the credit union "checking" account. However, to transfer money from my credit union checking account to my credit union Visa account takes three days for the payment to clear with Visa. It is quicker to pay my visa bill at another bank than make a transfer to the credit union Visa account.
Why does this all seem so old fashioned and really a bit ridiculous? Because in November 1997 all the Australian banks got together and agreed to introduce BPay. A single system for payments between billers and banks. A few years later it moved from phones to the Internet and means that Australians don't need give a minute's thought to how they will get money from one account to another or how they will get money to a biller. In the US you can often get by with credit cards, but for some things like rent and school excursions, you can only pay by cheque.
I found this hard to believe and have since joined a credit union which will pay many bills within a day. But even that has a strange twist. To pay off a credit card at another bank takes one day from the credit union "checking" account. However, to transfer money from my credit union checking account to my credit union Visa account takes three days for the payment to clear with Visa. It is quicker to pay my visa bill at another bank than make a transfer to the credit union Visa account.
Why does this all seem so old fashioned and really a bit ridiculous? Because in November 1997 all the Australian banks got together and agreed to introduce BPay. A single system for payments between billers and banks. A few years later it moved from phones to the Internet and means that Australians don't need give a minute's thought to how they will get money from one account to another or how they will get money to a biller. In the US you can often get by with credit cards, but for some things like rent and school excursions, you can only pay by cheque.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Cheese and Peppers?
Went to the Pizza take away last night to pick up a cheese pizza and some sort of combo pizza. The woman gives them to me and says:
"Cheese and Peppers?".
"Sorry?", I say.
"Cheese and Peppers?", she says.
"Cheese and Peppers?", I say.
"Cheese and Peppers?", she says.
I know I'm getting a cheese pizza and the other pizza does have capsicum on it, but I wouldn't call it a "pepper pizza", so I say:
"Cheese and Peppers? I'm sorry, I don't know what you are asking me."
Being in a fast food place she is in a hurry, so she just grabs two small containers of parmesan cheese and two of dried chilli flakes and puts them in with the pizzas.
Who would have thought that you could add parmesan cheese to pizza, which already has quite a substantial cheese base. Even more confusing when the menu charged $1.50 for adding any one of a whole host of specified extras.
"Cheese and Peppers?".
"Sorry?", I say.
"Cheese and Peppers?", she says.
"Cheese and Peppers?", I say.
"Cheese and Peppers?", she says.
I know I'm getting a cheese pizza and the other pizza does have capsicum on it, but I wouldn't call it a "pepper pizza", so I say:
"Cheese and Peppers? I'm sorry, I don't know what you are asking me."
Being in a fast food place she is in a hurry, so she just grabs two small containers of parmesan cheese and two of dried chilli flakes and puts them in with the pizzas.
Who would have thought that you could add parmesan cheese to pizza, which already has quite a substantial cheese base. Even more confusing when the menu charged $1.50 for adding any one of a whole host of specified extras.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
TV is Real
On the first visit to the Main St of my city I was struck by how much it resembled a movie set. The buildings were too bright and clean. The shop fronts looked fake. Smooth square buildings confidently asserting their business.
This was not seeing the unfamiliar as unexpected, but rather, seeing the familiar and not expecting it. Things I had seen before on TV but dismissed as totally unrealistic: too clichéd, too lacking in irony to actually be real. But no, that is how it is over here.
This was not seeing the unfamiliar as unexpected, but rather, seeing the familiar and not expecting it. Things I had seen before on TV but dismissed as totally unrealistic: too clichéd, too lacking in irony to actually be real. But no, that is how it is over here.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Forms
When I filled out my social security application form it had spaces for my parents' social security numbers. They had spent some time in the States and I had a copy of their SSNs so I filled them in. However, after reading the page of instructions I found out that I didn't need to fill that out unless I was a minor.
So here is the big difference between US and Australian forms: NOTHING ON THE FORM ITSELF TOLD ME NOT TO FILL THIS OUT. The boxes were there on the form and looked like all the other boxes I had to complete.
The thing is, you are never supposed to just read a form and fill it out. In the US you must always read the accompanying instructions first.
Forms in Australia lead you through them. You read what you have to do as you fill them out. They tell you which parts to fill out, which parts to leave blank. You know when to skip questions and when to stop.
US forms are not like this. To someone from Australia, they can look deceptively simple. There is the temptation to just fill them in. However, this is foolhardy and will result in you doing the wrong thing.
After the form there are always instructions with way too many words in dense type. These instructions tell you which parts of to fill out and which parts to leave blank. Without reading these, you have no idea that often you are supposed to leave much of the form blank. It can be a challenge matching up the instructions with the questions. Maybe one day they will put the instructions next to the questions, like in Australia, but until then you have to play the game of matching the instructions with the questions.
At the end of all the forms is a section about The Paperwork Reduction Act telling you how long it should have taken you to fill out the form. If you find this number inaccurate there is an address you can write to. There is no form to complete for this.
So here is the big difference between US and Australian forms: NOTHING ON THE FORM ITSELF TOLD ME NOT TO FILL THIS OUT. The boxes were there on the form and looked like all the other boxes I had to complete.
The thing is, you are never supposed to just read a form and fill it out. In the US you must always read the accompanying instructions first.
Forms in Australia lead you through them. You read what you have to do as you fill them out. They tell you which parts to fill out, which parts to leave blank. You know when to skip questions and when to stop.
US forms are not like this. To someone from Australia, they can look deceptively simple. There is the temptation to just fill them in. However, this is foolhardy and will result in you doing the wrong thing.
After the form there are always instructions with way too many words in dense type. These instructions tell you which parts of to fill out and which parts to leave blank. Without reading these, you have no idea that often you are supposed to leave much of the form blank. It can be a challenge matching up the instructions with the questions. Maybe one day they will put the instructions next to the questions, like in Australia, but until then you have to play the game of matching the instructions with the questions.
At the end of all the forms is a section about The Paperwork Reduction Act telling you how long it should have taken you to fill out the form. If you find this number inaccurate there is an address you can write to. There is no form to complete for this.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Freeway Ramps
I followed the signs to get onto a freeway. I went along the on ramp, but before I reached the freeway, signs pointed me to an exit. Following the exit led me to another freeway. This was the freeway I wanted to be on.
Such navigation is common in America and I don't know how people got around before GPS devices. In Australia an on ramp is an on ramp and an off ramp is an off ramp. They are well spread out and clearly marked. In America an on ramp can become on off ramp. They can split and merge. And if you are not careful you can end up back on the freeway you just left.
Exits on freeways can be marked by exit number, the road or route number or the destination. Usually two of these appear, but you are never sure which two, so you have to remember all three. Or use a GPS.
Entrances to freeways can be well marked, but often are just a small sign with the route number and arrow right at the on ramp. Use a GPS.
When merging on to the freeway the entrance lane often quickly becomes an exit lane and if you don't get out of it you'll leave the freeway. As you try and merge left, you have to deal with the traffic merging right to leave. Fortunately, the lane is often twice the width of a normal lane, so this merging is somewhat easier. I wouldn't mind these wide lanes in Australia.
When leaving the freeway the exit can turn quickly so you often need to reduce your speed before you enter the off ramp.
Where I am everyone speeds on the freeway by about 5 mph. I've been told the police don't care unless you are going much faster. Quite different from the "Speed Kills" campaigns and cameras and fines I was used to in Australia.
Such navigation is common in America and I don't know how people got around before GPS devices. In Australia an on ramp is an on ramp and an off ramp is an off ramp. They are well spread out and clearly marked. In America an on ramp can become on off ramp. They can split and merge. And if you are not careful you can end up back on the freeway you just left.
Exits on freeways can be marked by exit number, the road or route number or the destination. Usually two of these appear, but you are never sure which two, so you have to remember all three. Or use a GPS.
Entrances to freeways can be well marked, but often are just a small sign with the route number and arrow right at the on ramp. Use a GPS.
When merging on to the freeway the entrance lane often quickly becomes an exit lane and if you don't get out of it you'll leave the freeway. As you try and merge left, you have to deal with the traffic merging right to leave. Fortunately, the lane is often twice the width of a normal lane, so this merging is somewhat easier. I wouldn't mind these wide lanes in Australia.
When leaving the freeway the exit can turn quickly so you often need to reduce your speed before you enter the off ramp.
Where I am everyone speeds on the freeway by about 5 mph. I've been told the police don't care unless you are going much faster. Quite different from the "Speed Kills" campaigns and cameras and fines I was used to in Australia.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Excuse me, keep to the right.
Americans abroad have a reputation for being loud and obnoxious. But in their native habitat they are incredibly polite. To an unnerving extent for an Australian.
I noticed this when I first went to the supermarket. I had to half squeeze past someone in an aisle and they loudly said "excuse me". Now in Australia someone would only say that to you to tell you off. But in the States they are genuine. It is what is said in that situation and it is said very formally. I'm still not sure what I'm meant to say back. Probably say "excuse me" as well.
When you first arrive this will happen to you a lot, because Americans drive on the right hand side of the road. This means they naturally walk past each other on the right side. Australians naturally pass on the left. I didn't believe that I did that until I came here and kept nearly running into everyone I passed. "Excuse me" they would say politely as we nearly collided.
I noticed this when I first went to the supermarket. I had to half squeeze past someone in an aisle and they loudly said "excuse me". Now in Australia someone would only say that to you to tell you off. But in the States they are genuine. It is what is said in that situation and it is said very formally. I'm still not sure what I'm meant to say back. Probably say "excuse me" as well.
When you first arrive this will happen to you a lot, because Americans drive on the right hand side of the road. This means they naturally walk past each other on the right side. Australians naturally pass on the left. I didn't believe that I did that until I came here and kept nearly running into everyone I passed. "Excuse me" they would say politely as we nearly collided.
Monday, April 30, 2012
You must be married
I rented a car once in the US in my name. I was with my partner and I asked if we both needed to show our licences to drive the car. "Are you married?", I was asked. This sounded a rather personal question to an Australian. However, for married couples, the partner did not need to show their licence!
There are not many situations where de facto relationships are treated differently to marriage in Australia. This is not the case in the US.
In fact the term "de facto" is not used in the States at all. (As I type this, my American spell checker underlines those words in red as misspelled words!)
Insurance forms, car rentals, hotel bookings, etc, all assume that if you are together you will be married. You won't see terms like "partner".
When a couple puts in a joint tax return, they put it in as "Married, filling jointly". Quite different from Australia, where "partner" is used (e.g. on the Family Tax Benefit website) to cover both married and de facto couples. The ATO uses "spouse", but defines it to include de factos.
A bigger effect is getting a Visa. Australians can get an employee sponsored E3 visa to live and work in the States. This is better than the H1B visa given to other foreigners because your husband or wife is allowed get an E3D visa and work in any occupation. But if your are de facto, they can't get an E3D. You have to actually have a marriage certificate.
There are not many situations where de facto relationships are treated differently to marriage in Australia. This is not the case in the US.
In fact the term "de facto" is not used in the States at all. (As I type this, my American spell checker underlines those words in red as misspelled words!)
Insurance forms, car rentals, hotel bookings, etc, all assume that if you are together you will be married. You won't see terms like "partner".
When a couple puts in a joint tax return, they put it in as "Married, filling jointly". Quite different from Australia, where "partner" is used (e.g. on the Family Tax Benefit website) to cover both married and de facto couples. The ATO uses "spouse", but defines it to include de factos.
A bigger effect is getting a Visa. Australians can get an employee sponsored E3 visa to live and work in the States. This is better than the H1B visa given to other foreigners because your husband or wife is allowed get an E3D visa and work in any occupation. But if your are de facto, they can't get an E3D. You have to actually have a marriage certificate.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Currency
For a capitalist nation American has a strange relationship with its currency. They have notes and coins that are rarely used. And if you give them anything over a twenty, they'll treat you like a criminal.
I know the 50 cent coin and the $2 note exist, but I've never seen one. What sort of strange conspiracy makes that work? Shop keepers don't get them from the bank, so never give them out as change, so no one ever has one. The same goes for the $1 coin, although I have got some from vending machines occasionally. Meanwhile, my wallet fills with $1 notes.
Schools teach children how to add and give change using pictures of quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies - but half dollars, not so much.
And it's not just the small denominations. I once tried to pay a $10 admission fee with a $50 note. The attendant was most put out. She looked at it and huffed and puffed. I think I was meant to react somehow, but I was just surprised by her antics. I mean, her till was full of $10 and $20 notes. It's not like she didn't have any change. She scratched it and held it up to the light before begrudgingly giving me four $10 notes as change.
This is not a once off. Whenever you try and pay with a fifty it will get scratched, because we all know that counterfeiters use ink that just rubs off.
So don't be surprised if you withdraw $500 from an ATM and get a handful of $20 notes. Anything bigger and you'd only have to go inside the bank to change it for notes you could spend.
I know the 50 cent coin and the $2 note exist, but I've never seen one. What sort of strange conspiracy makes that work? Shop keepers don't get them from the bank, so never give them out as change, so no one ever has one. The same goes for the $1 coin, although I have got some from vending machines occasionally. Meanwhile, my wallet fills with $1 notes.
Schools teach children how to add and give change using pictures of quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies - but half dollars, not so much.
And it's not just the small denominations. I once tried to pay a $10 admission fee with a $50 note. The attendant was most put out. She looked at it and huffed and puffed. I think I was meant to react somehow, but I was just surprised by her antics. I mean, her till was full of $10 and $20 notes. It's not like she didn't have any change. She scratched it and held it up to the light before begrudgingly giving me four $10 notes as change.
This is not a once off. Whenever you try and pay with a fifty it will get scratched, because we all know that counterfeiters use ink that just rubs off.
So don't be surprised if you withdraw $500 from an ATM and get a handful of $20 notes. Anything bigger and you'd only have to go inside the bank to change it for notes you could spend.
Traffic Lights
The US has far fewer traffic lights than we have in Australia. OK, not fewer overall, but fewer at each intersection.
In Australia there are always traffic lights facing you on both sides of the intersection. When they are red, you stop the car pretty much level with the lights. This is not the case in the US, and can be quite dangerous for newcomers.
In the US often the only traffic lights are on the far side of the intersection. This can take some getting used to, particularly at night. If you stop level with these lights you end up going through the middle of the intersection and stopping just before you leave it. This is incredibly dangerous and not recommended.
So what should you look for? There are usually pedestrian crossing lines on the road before you enter the intersection. Keep a look out for those and you'll be right.
In Australia there are always traffic lights facing you on both sides of the intersection. When they are red, you stop the car pretty much level with the lights. This is not the case in the US, and can be quite dangerous for newcomers.
In the US often the only traffic lights are on the far side of the intersection. This can take some getting used to, particularly at night. If you stop level with these lights you end up going through the middle of the intersection and stopping just before you leave it. This is incredibly dangerous and not recommended.
So what should you look for? There are usually pedestrian crossing lines on the road before you enter the intersection. Keep a look out for those and you'll be right.
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