I've had several stories from friends over the years receiving: Corn Potatoes Stones Soft drink cans In their and their kids Halloween baskets. What unusual items have you heard of or seen been given out?

A few days ago my husband and I passed through a small town in upstate New York and we went to a diner. It was packed full of people and supper time. My husband and I spoke a bunch but I noticed that no one else was talking and you could hear a pin drop. Is that normal? It was my first time visiting a diner in the US.

My hunch is maybe in New Orleans, but nowhere else. Could very easily be wrong

Good afternoon everyone. I’m from Northern Ireland, we hear a lot of American news, and I have come across Americans in person.

Whilst there are various accents in the US there is much less diversity for the size of the country. Obviously you have got southern accents and New York etc.

But in general American accents aren’t drastically different.

There are some accents though such as Minnesota or Chicago which are rather different.

To me the Minnesota accent sounds quite distinctive and is immediate identifiable.

Even the pronunciation of the specific words is completely different. For example, divisive becomes “deh viz ive” instead of “deh vi sive”.

Is there a reason for these accents being so distinct?

I noticed that it is common for young Southern and Eastern European men (Poles, Italians, Spaniards) and many men from South America especially Brazilian men to wear earrings, neck silver chains and wrist silver chains more than American men why?

Also I noticed that it is popular for Southern European men to have high fade haircuts more than American men while low fade haircuts are more popular among American men.

I like low fade haircuts more than high fade haircuts just asking.

I have a lot of dreams one of them is creating TV shows, characters using American art style animation.

I originally wanted to be a video game developer but I decided to switch to animation because creating video games takes more time than creating animation and it would break my back because it takes years to develop a video games even with large teams.

My SO and his aunt likes my plot ideas, my characters, my premises.

So my question do immigrants to the USA find it easier to get typical jobs than entertainment jobs?

A few years ago I was in a place called, I think, Crossriver and was totally lost. I saw the mailwoman, or Postie to me, so I tried to ask her where we were. She said “I can’t talk to you right now, go and ask in a store”. Is this normal? Did she fear being robbed? A UK postie will always speak to give directions or pass the time of day. Did I do something wrong? This was before smartphones and the like.

TL;DR Do US postal workers engage with the public?

Where I come from, teachers have studied usually two subjects and and finish said study with a state examination. After that, a job is basically guaranteed. They get bureaucritized and are considered one of the better paying jobs. I think scociety views them as valuable and respectable as in, it's "impressive" if you are a teacher. Maybe not as impressive as being a lawyer or a doctor but it is still in those spheres.

When I read about teachers in the US, I always get a bad image of the job. Is it really that bad?

For example the Cajun accent in Louisiana was highly influenced by French immigrants. Any similar cases in your state such as English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, etc?

What are you (or your kids) dressing up as for Halloween?

Its like a job interview, you have to sit infront of your teacher and a censor (Some random teacher that is there to make sure your teacher grades you fairly once you're done). You then present the text you have been given prior, one you've had a certain amount of time to study (usually an hour or less) and then you have to present the text, genre, theme and answer any questions asked.

Hello everyone!

Well, one thing I realized in the United States is that there are specific names and codes for every public administration proceeding, you know, bureaucratic processes.

For example, for income tax, there are names such as Form 1040. For immigration and visas, there are names such as "DS-160" and "DS-260". The green card's name is I-551. The returning resident visa's name is SB-1, but its form's name is DS-117.

My question is: how are these names created and what do they mean? Why is there this tradition of naming documents like this?

Thanks for attention!

I'm writing an alternate history scenario set in the US and this is a question that pop in my mind

Basically it’s when passengers in public transport try to avoid paying fares by sneaking in or out.

I was in Berlin last month and I was amazed by how many fare dodgers were caught in the metro.

Even in countries where there is a gate to tap in or out, I’ve seen passengers enter or leave by asking someone else to tap for them.

In Rome, some people would just enter and leave buses without validating their card/pass.

Update: so many commenting there’s no public transport in their area. Okay.

I guess I should have reworded the title as “…public transport in major cities”.

My SO is white American and he is learning Arabic.

he told me that he likes a lot of things about Middle Eastern cultures like incense burners, calligraphy, traditional music, traditional clothing for men and women and he also said he wants to travel to Middle Eastern countries and India.

Or maybe it just actors and singers who like Indian culture and Middle Eastern culture?

For example, if someone went bankrupt or launched a business that didn’t become successful, how would they be treated?

Gravity's Rainbow and Boardwalk Empire are each set in the 40s and 20s and it felt very modern in how openly and frequently Americans swear. It got to the point I forgot I was reading and watching historical pieces.

That said, how true is it do Americans swear like this in the past?

Hi, Aussie here. I'd like to ask about the economic, social and cultural differences between North & South Carolina. Thx.

I enjoy using Google Maps' Streetview to explore cities and compare photos of houses over time. It’s fascinating how homes can change dramatically, going from maintained to abandoned and even demolished. Though sad, it's an absorbing experience.

I often browse Flint and Detroit, MI. I’d love more suggestions on places to explore.

I’m not from the US, so I appreciate any recommendations. Please excuse my English and/or tone.

EDIT: Thank you all for the suggestions! I’ll def check them all out!

I'm thinking small towns (like <5k for sure) where a big chunk of the population is working in the same industry (big city is slightly too far away to commute to) and the main industry isn't tourism. Curious as to some examples! Like I know of mill towns for instance, but curious about other examples like that particularly in the midwest. Are there fishing towns in the midwest like there are on the east coast? Thanks!

My passport will be expiring after the new year but I’d like to hold onto it if I can because I feel that it very well may be one of the last that has actual physical country entry stamps in it due to all of the digitizing of the border entry process. This is my first renewal and I’m sure I could simply Google this, but I was already here.

Or is it just my school that's weird like that. If we forget it too many times we get detention. Everyday some kid (usually the same kid) will get yelled at for not wearing their badge.

I'm in the process of creating a time zone conversion spreadsheet for my wife as she's now working for someone in the US and this person has clients right across the US. Being in Australia it can be a challenge getting used to the time difference! I read just now that quite a few states were pushing for permanent daylight saving. Has this been implemented or still only discussion?

Say you're a consultant at MBB. You've been working at the firm for 3 years and want to get an MBA.

The firm allows you to get your MBA. They expect you to return, and you expect to return to the firm. First question, is this agreement to return consummated by signing a legal contract that you will return - or is it just verbal?

Next, say you're now at your MBA program and in your second year. Is the firm liable (and to what extent) to keep their word to employ you after you've finished your MBA?

I know movies are movies, but I know how common it is for employee rivalry.

I am thinking of the scenario where the boss says "One of you will be promoted to the senior position" and people boycott/talk trash/try to burn each others clients bridges in order to get ahead.

Have you seen/experienced such a thing?