Susita

I'll say regional stereotypes can be very true. I remember reading "You know you're from Buffalo if..." and being slightly embarrassed because about 90% of it was true of me. The truth hurts hahah

My husband found the NY stereotypes to be false. It helps that I explained to him that most people find New Yorkers rude, but those people are usually visiting Manhattan and stopping random strangers on the street for directions. These strangers are usually on their way to or from work, when I worked in lower Manhattan, some mornings I'd get stopped 2 or 3x on my way to work and get asked "Can you tell me how to get to blah, blah, blah place?" It gets old! And your boss usually isn't very understanding about you being late because you gave out directions all morning.

Other than that, we have a quickness to us that comes off as rude to people that aren't from here, and misunderstand us. It's fast paced here.

My wife is surprised how many blacks and hispanics there are in the US.

Americans come in every color

We paid in cash for all steps during DCF in Lima, but that was in 2010. It may be different now.

Did they send you to Banco de la Nación to pay there & bring a voucher to the embassy? That's how they charge the visa fees there. That's why I was assuming this is what they'd have him do.

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p970.pdf

Theres the education information straight off the irs.gov

How are tax credits a "capitalistic trick?"

Another thing, why aren't there ANY relaxation of rules for children of US fathers (and alien mothers) born abroad. In a study conducted by ACA in the 1980s, 10% of children of US citizens were denied US citizenship because of very "ancient" technicalities

That's crummy. I didn't even know that.

Obviously you have a brain. Unfortunately, not everyone does.

Seriously, the person I am most worried about, once had a trip planned to Dallas from Amarillo. The apartment they were staying in, was a one bedroom of office workers who would be continuing to work each day of the visit. The traveler and her family (2 kids, one husband) showed up with....

ducks.

Yes. Honestly. She couldn't imagine why the apartment dwellers were upset.

She also once took pets rabbits to Six Flags, gifted a very pregnant woman in the airport with two huge plants to carry on board with her (pre 9/11), showed up at my house around 3am from Florida during finals week, invited my family to stay with hers for a planned trip but didn't show up back home for the first day of the trip so we were stuck waiting outside her home in the country, etc. I love her, but there is no "hinting" going on in that part of the family.

I am tempted to serve duck and hasenpfeffer at the wedding.

I assume you are related to this person? Otherwise, why would you invite her to your wedding? For entertainment purposes

I haven't heard anyone here say 'too bad' to those who lose their job and have no coverage. Anyone who would say that is just an #######.

They wouldn't say it to their face, they say it on the internet.

who pays for that massive reduction in rates.

Maybe not pay health insurance & pharmaceutical execs. astronomical salaries and bonuses. I don't know, it's just a start. But I'm sure it would absorb a bit of the expense, don't ya think?

15 Executives Who Get Paid Millions to Deny You Healthcare Coverage

If I pay nothing for car insurance, how much coverage do you think I should get?

Owning a car is a privilege, healthcare is a human right.

Article 25 of the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) reads:

Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

I think healthcare costs in this country are way out of whack. I'm not sure how I feel about socialized medicine, but I also don't think it's OK to profit off of someone NOT having a necessary surgery, etc. Do I think it should be free? No. Even socialized medicine isn't free (TAXES)! When the healthcare industry's #1 goal is profit, and not the best interest of the patient, then we have a problem.

Capitalist Case for Nonprofit Health Insurance

I thought this article was interesting, read it a while back.

We lost the positive aspects of affiliation health insurance starting in the 1960s and through the 1980s when Wall Street discovered there was money to be made turning nonprofit health insurers, hospitals and nursing homes into investor-owned companies. What we got was a massive conflict-of-interest--profit vs. public good--that has culminated in a dysfunctional health delivery system that has undermined our economy, reduced our national wealth and torn our social fabric.

That's because we feel compelled to buy things we don't need with money we don't have to impress people we don't like.

This is the problem. You have no idea how often I've been told that I should get a new minivan. Mine's not "up to date" enough, apparently. It works fine! It's a 2005.

Good luck Ray! Let us know if you ever need any Peru-related advice!

I would love to comment on this but, nm.

I think it has to do a lot with where you live, and if you actually cook.

The hubs has gained like 15 lbs. since he moved here but he's still really skinny! Lucky guy, his metabolism is insanely fast.

I'm from NY, born and raised, and have an Italian-American granny, as well as an Irish-American one. I was raised on home cooked meals, going out to Friendly's or Mickey D's was a treat when I was a kid. Because of this, I cook, and I cook a lot. I make Peruvian food & American food, and anything else I can try and make successfully. One day a week we order pizza or Chinese (only because the kids beg me and also, I just need a BREAK!)

My husband thought we were all about "Hamburgers, hot dogs & french fries" until one trip to Peru when I made a traditional American (Northeast) BBQ for everyone with homemade macaroni salad, cole slaw, potato salad, BBQ babyback ribs, baked beans, grilled chicken, some grilled shrimp skewers, roasted corn on the cob, etc. He's still impressed with our Thanksgiving and Christmas spread too.

After nearly 3 years in the US, me and my wife can't wait to move to Scotland. America has it's pro's but it seems to have more con's.

Good luck in your eventual move.

After attempting to move (unsuccessfully) many times, me and the hubs are sticking it out up here in New York. There are some cons (cost of living is one of the big ones), but all those cons can't possibly outdo the pro of having my entire family (especially mom & grandma) within 5 miles of me. They're totally worth staying for.

My in-laws are in Peru, and we really love it there, but we made the decision not to live there for a few reasons like job prospects, safety & education.

If this behavior is normal where the original poster lives

Everything is normal in New York When I'm in Manhattan my #1 thing to say is "You can't make this sh*t up." 'Cause you can't. Then I go back to Long Island & giggle.

We are planning to use this site to customize each one individually with a name

http://www.says-it.com/concertticket/

Each person will have one and we plan to make it very clear that no ticket means no entry. I am hoping that the subliminal message of this looking official will help. Plus, it might be a cool souvineer for some of them.

Cool!!

I don't know if you can publicly (on FB or emails) start sending videos of unsupervised kids at weddings causing problems and lament about it. Example: "Oh no! I met this lady and I an terrified of any kids at my wedding after seeing this. It was her favorite niece and is always so well behaved. The stress just got to her!"

Of course, some people CAN'T figure out a hint. It might be worth a shot.

I wouldn't go posting videos, that's pretty offensive (I have 3 kids), and most of that is just kids being kids. But anyway, I'm sort of intelligent and if my kids' names weren't on the invitation or it didn't say "& family" I'd get the hint!! Plus, how can I have fun if I'm chasing after 3 kids?

Just make it clear. "Adult event or reception" or something like that. Also remember to just put individual names on the envelope, no "& family." I also think it would be good to put something like this on the response card: "Although the bride and groom love children, this celebration is only appropriate for those 21 years of age or older."

Five states adopted provisions mandating that a woman obtain an ultrasound prior to having an abortion.

They weren't previously doing this? At my first OB appointment for all 3 of my pregnancies, I was scheduled for an ultrasound for "dating" purposes. Basically to find out more accurately how far along I was and what my due date was in all 3 cases.

Isn't this important info to know if a physician is going to provide an abortion?

a new South Dakota law would have required a woman to obtain pre-abortion counseling in person at the abortion facility at least 72 hours prior to the procedure

I also don't think the counseling sessions are out of line, as many may not know exactly what they're getting themselves into. Trying to influence the patient one way or the other is wrong, but giving them information is fine IMO. I mean, a friend of mine had to undergo psych counseling & pre-bariatric surgery counseling and she was just getting the lap band put on. I think it would be acceptable to at least have one meeting with the patient and explain the positives, negatives, side effects, etc.

This is specifically for the people in Peru. I'm ready to do the DCF and file the I-130. As my spouse and I are physically in Peru, how do I go getting a "US Bank drawn check or money order"? What did you people do? I could have my parents that are back in the states send a check to me via DHL but that would take some time and is not real reliable in my opinion. Any suggestions?

I would seriously reccommend that you call the Embassy in Lima or go walk-in during citizen hours and ask them what's required. On the USCIS website it says "Please check with the consulate before submitting a petition. For more information, see the U.S. Department of State website." The instructions for submitting the I-130 will be different depending on the consulate. I have a strong feeling you will be told to make a payment to the Embassy at a Peruvian bank and provide a voucher, but that's just what I'm thinking.

Wheres your fiancee from? Understand, it way not be something that's accepted in his culture and maybe that's why he has a problem with it.

My hubs is pretty laid back, but he probably wouldn't be ok with it either.

Nm