Nov 23 2009
Autocomplete Me: do Americans … ?
Let’s have more fun with autocomplete, shall we? First we looked at “do Malaysians…?“, now let’s see about Americans!
… and a malaysian abroad will once again add her two cents’ worth…!
Do Americans need a passport to go to Canada?
Yes. It used to be that US citizens only needed some form of valid government issued ID (like a driver’s license), but as of June 1, 2009, everyone from every country arriving in Canada by air, land and sea needs a passport or equivalent travel document; so there!
Do Americans need a visa for [insert country here]?
Wikipedia claims that US citizens can visit 155 countries without a visa or with visa on arrival; they are indicated in the two shades of green in this map:
Once again assuming travel for touristy reasons, here’s the short answer for those countries suggested by the autocomplete:
- Australia: yes (get online)
- Puerto Rico: no (actually US citizens don’t even need a passport!)
- France: no (90 days)
- Brazil: yes
- Turkey: yes (available at airport)
A great resource for US citizens on this subject is the Department of State’s International Travel site, btw.
Do Americans want universal health care / reform / a public option?
It depends on who you ask. I’d say that in general most Americans want some sort of health care reform, although many Republicans cry that the system ain’t broke and don’t need fixin’. From something that seemed to be common sense, reform, and the public option, has morphed into a threat of Socialism. Or something. I admit, I’ve not been paying too much attention. I just know that the situation as it exists is ridiculous. And the political mileage certain parties want to make out of this, instead of thinking about THE PEOPLE, is also ridiculous.
One insurance plan we had didn’t cover preventive measures like getting a tetanus shot: it would cover the cost if I was rushed to the Emergency Room and needed the shot.. now that’s reactive, not preventive care. It didn’t even allow for annual check-ups (the doc had to say I came in complaining about something or other to justify the usual pee and blood tests!)! When Kosh was jobless, the COBRA payments to maintain the same coverage as when employed was a ridiculous amount! The hassle of shopping for self-paid insurance was such a pain too: my as yet not properly identified allergies were an excuse for rejection. Fun. We are fortunate to once again be covered by virtue of his work. I know not everyone is as fortunate. Which is why I do hope that this health care system reform happens. Properly.
Do Americans have Accents?
Yes! Just don’t ask what they are and how many, nor how accent is different from dialect! For a great place to get samples of how differently people from different states speak, look no further than the International Dialects of English Archive.
My most recent run-in with accents/pronunciations was with a Chicago librarian who could not for the life of her understand that the copier wasn’t working (she needed me to say KAHpier!). Another common stumbling block is water: I tend to say woh-der, many understand WAHder.
How about you?
