Lets hope this works -
Thanks for all the help so far although i still need some more questions answered.

What's redeye gravy ? What are corndogs and sloppy joes ? Whats a diorama ?
Do you have to pay a toll when driving from state to state ?
Does sales tax differ wildly/at all from state to state ?
What's the drink/drive law in America ?
How well are the speed limits enforced,because they see so low ?
How many different types of police do you have ? It's a little confusing for me because we have one type only.Will some help with only certain matters and not give assistance to matters outwith their remit ?
Thank you

WOW! Well, I am going to answer the question I know best since I am married to a law enforcement officer, and talk to you about the police. Unlike European countries, we do not have one national police force. Each state has its own police force. Then each county may have one as well as each town. For example, I live in Montogomery County, Maryland. We have the Maryland State Police. We also have the Montgomery County Police. Now, my town does not have its own police force (Montgomery County has jurisdiction over me), but many in the county do, such as the city of Rockville. To make things more confusing, there are also federal police forces. For example, in Washington, DC, in addition to the city's police, Metropolitan Police, there are forces such as the U.S. Park Police and the U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division, though those are not the only federal law enforcement branches. They are full police officers who have full police authority to make routine traffic stops, arrests, etc. in addition to the duties for which they were hired. In addition, they have the authority to carry out their law enforcement duties around the country. The agencies help each other and work together. FBI is also considered federal law enforcement. With so many police agencies, jurisdictions can get muddled. For example, the National Air and Space Museum sits on Independence Avenue in Washington. The Park Police have jurisdiction for the Mall area, including the museum, and up to the edge of the sidewalk. Once you step up off the sidewalk, Metropolitan Police have jurisdiction. Then, there are police forces such as the Metro Transit police which have jurisdiction over the transportation system in Washington. Confusing? You bet. I'll stop here because I think we are going to have brain overload and I am not sure I am making any sense anymore. Let me know if you have any more questions, and I can try to make this a bit more clear.

Don't cry Tony..... here are a few answers... others are sure to follow.

1) Corndog = a hotdog dipped in a cirn batter which is then deepfried and served on a stick. Sloppy Joes are made of browned ground beef, simmered in a sweetened thin tomato based sauce. Typically served open faced on a hamburger roll - they are too "sloppy" to pick up and eat like a hampburger. Rarely made from scratch these days. Most people buy a can of "Manwich" sauce in the grocery. It's a quick easy meal and kids particularly enjoy them (as well as countless adults like me)

2) Redeye gravy? Can't answer - I'm a Yankee (from the Northestern US)

3) Sales tax can be levied on a state, county, or even city level, thus it varies. In most places the TOTAL sales tax is 5 - 7% (NYC is tops at 10% total). New Hampshire has no sales tax at all but in many states it does not apply to certain things, e.g. food, medicine or sometimes clothing. There is often an additional "tax" on certain things, e.g. hotel rooms or rental cars. This varies but is typically found in bigger cities or tourist areas such as NYC or Florida. Chicago even has a special tax on carbonated beverages! The good news is that there is no VAT or GST.

4) Always obey the speed limits in small towns or on two lane highways. Small toens and rural areas are agressive about speeding tickets. On major (limited access) highways,if the limit is 55 most cars move at 62-65. on roads with a 65mph limit, most traffic moves at 68-72. When in doubt, stay with the flow of traffic or just a bit slower. On some roads and in certain areas, traffic moves MUCH faster.

5) Law enforcement includes city/town/village police, county sherriff agencies and statewide police. Typically, their jurisdictions do not overlap. State police handle certain types of criminal investigations as well as speed enforcement on all interstate highways within their state. Other agencies handle these duties within their own areas. E.g., a county sherriff will police roads anywhere in the county but not within a town or village that has its own police department.

6) Law enforcement is paid for by our taxes. The ONLY remittance you should EVER pay to a police agency in the US is for violations (e.g. speeding tickets).

Hope this helps.... I'm sure others have more to offer

I just want to clarify some things for poor Tony that I said in my first post. After reading it, I realized what an idiot I sounded like. First, I mentioned the FBI. While we all realize that it is a federal law enforcement branch, I should not have lumped it in with the agencies mentioned. It is not uniformed and does not have the same authority. Second, I fear I gave you, Tony, the impression that the United States, particularly Washington, DC, is a police state. Please do not think that federal police officers who can use their authority around the country just indiscriminately arrest people wherever they go and step on the toes of other police forces. My husband, who is one of those officers, only does it when necessary within the confines of his job (however, if you are speeding through Washington and he sees you, he can and will pull you over!). I am sorry for any weird or wrong impressions I may have given you or anyone else.

One thing I forgot... others are sure to corrct me if I misunderstand it -

A diorama is usually a display (typically in a museum), sometimes life size and sometimes done to scale. It generally incorporates 3 dimensional objects such as stuffed animals, scale model buildings, mannequins etc., but also includes a two dimensional element such as a backdrop or background that often lends an enhanced sense of dept or reality to the display.

Hi Tony,
Here's my two cents...you don't pay for going from state to state unless you happen to be on a toll road or a bridge or tunnel where tolls are collected. Sometimes this means the only way to cross from one state to another, like New York to New Jersey, is by paying a toll. I'm sure there are many state lines where it will seem like you're paying to enter the state, but it's just a coincidence. Sometimes they get you a few miles later...New Hampshire collects a toll about half way between Massachusetts and Maine, unless you get off the highway and take Route 1 which is toll-free. There are more tolls collected within states than between states, and some states are more expensive than others.

A diorama can also be a small-scale three-dimensional model, such as a child might do for a school project.

I think nobody mentioned the drink and drive laws, which also differ from state to state--remember, The United States is a union of sovereign states, which retain jurisdicton over some things, like schools, driving laws, roads, etc., while the federal government in Washington has its own concerns, ie, social welfare programs, foreign relations, etc. Legal intoxication is usually defined as a blood alcohol level of .08 to .10. Enforcement could be better and penalties are not as severe as in some European countries.

Why are you asking all of these questions? We gave you perfectly good responses to your two, earlier posts and this is what we get in return? More questions? Are you planning to speed across this fair land, a sloppy joe in one hand and a corn dog in the other, in search of a diorama in a low-sales-tax state?

I found only one piece of mis-information in the above posts: the New York City sales tax is 8 1/4 percent, and I believe the combined state/city tax in Chicago is higher at 9 1/2 percent.

One does not drink and drive in America. Those who do go to jail. No kidding. In most jurisdictions, you are considered legally drunk at 0.8 percent alcohol in your system, or the equivalent of three beers.

Ilisa has painted an entirely accurate picture of law enforcement in and around Washington DC. She only neglected to mention the special parking enforcement police; the one branch of the government of the District of Columbia which functions at 100 percent efficiency. When in D.C., do not park at a headless meter. It is a capital crime.

States do not charge entrance and exit fees, although some have probably toyed with the idea. However, certain interstate highways in America are toll roads. They are shown in gold on highway maps. For example, to drive the length of the New Jersey Turnpike costs $4.60, a relative bargain given the alternatives.

Finally, you asked, "Will some help with only certain matters and not give assistance to matters outwith their remit ?" Since this question has apparently been phrased in Scottish, the answer is "haggis."

Redeye gravy is southeastern US specialty usually served on ham. The key difference is using brown sugar intead of flour. If you do a Yahoo{R} search for "redeye gravy", you will find a recipe for it at

sunsite.auc.dk/recipes/english/o0320112.html

Tony, if you find the speed limits too low and the sales taxes too high, you may want to spend a lot of time in Montana, where the day time speed limit is "reasonable and proper" and there is no sales tax - and I don't think they have any toll roads either.

Just in case the corndog answer was not clear, this is corn as in maize, not corn as in wheat.

Tony,
With regard to speed limits, if you must speed get yourself a radar/laser detector when you get here. They are illegal only in Virginia and Connecticut, I believe. It could save you hundreds of $ in speeding fines. If you aren't planning on speeding try not to go 50 MPH in the left lane on the interstates. We hate that. Have a great trip.

Neal Sanders - I am REALLY sorry if i am annoying you asking all these questions (remind me what a forum is for again?).It's hard to know how to take your comments - whether you were truly being informative ( if so then sorry ) or were you exasperated at my ignorance of the United states ?
Finally my last sentence makes complete sense,to say that it's typed in Scottish is a little demeaning.

Oh Tony! What you started. I don't think Neal meant any harm! We are just not used to seeing diorama, corn dog, cops and sloppy joes's all in the same place. But honestly, I didn't understand that last question either. Save yourself some grief--don't speed, go with the flow of traffic, and don't drink and drive. Half your problems are now over. As to the sales tax, whatever. Sometimes you pay, sometimes you don't. Pay more attention to where you put your wallet. Don't eat corn dogs and sloppy joes with redeye gravy at the same meal. Dioramas. The last one I did was in the third grade with clay lemmings and cottonball snow in a shoe box. Can't help you there.

Our speed limits just seem low but, remember, ours are in miles per hour (mph), not kilometers per hour (kph)

I'm not a southerner but well traveled. My understanding of redeye gravy is that when cooking country ham (very salty, by the way) add coffee to the frying pan after the ham is cooked. It deglazes the pan and gets the flavor of the ham drippings. This is the way people in the south have cooked. You waste nothing, not even leftover coffee.

Tony...Just when is it that you're going to be visiting?

Expect most of the toll roads to be in the Northeastern states. Once you get south of Baltimore, MD you won't find too many!

As others have said, sales tax differs greatly from state-to-state and city-to-city. It's even confusing for those of us natives...so we just pay it.

Red-eye gravy will probably only be offered to you on restaurant breakfast menus in the south.

I've mentioned your trip to a Scottish friend who lives in Minneapolis and he said that there is a very strong Scottish community there and would love for you to hook up if you go thru there!

Tony, there are no "dumb" or "stupid" questions--just dumb or stupid answers, or people who are insensitive. Most of the answers here were very intelligent and informative - except one. When ever we have been lucky enough to travel abroad (mostly to Central & S. America) I have run across many questions about local customs, sayings, foods, and wish I had had a place to go. When we got to Costa Rica we found wonderful people who were very willing to help and explain. We just spent a week with some "internet timeshare" friends in New Orleans from England and we were answering questions all the time for them. Ask away Tony, some of us will try to help. And if you plan on being in South West Ohio, email me and maybe my husband & I can meet with you. Have fun when you come over.

Please, Tony, don't drink and drive while here in the states. The consequences simply aren't worth it. We want you back in one piece so you can report to us about your wonderful trip.

Larry - Our roads are also calibrated in miles per hour (mph) unlike mainland Europe. 55mph just seems so slow when it is perfectly ok to travel up to 80mph in the UK before the police will give you a second glance.

Carol - I intend to visit next summer/fall for 3 months with the intention of visiting all 48 lower states (see previous posting entitles 'visiting all 48 lower states')

Ilisa - I wasnt intending to drink and drive as it's never a good idea but especially on unfamiliar roads/terrains etc. I will, of course, provide an edited version of my trip report for all fodors readers but I'm afraid you will have to pay for the whole thing at the local bookstore !!!( i can recommend it before it's written )

thanks for all the help from everyone - i will be emailing all you people who have offered me further help soon
Tony

Tony,
Aha! Now the truth comes out! You see a book writing opportunity in your intended travels throughout America. More power to you! I'm doubtful that the following really belongs on Fodor's forum, but it might prompt other relevant suggestions from contributors that may be of value to you. There are any number of authors who have written of their experiences after traveling through all or parts of the United States, beginning most famously and authoritatively with de Toqueville in the early 19th century. I doubt that Scottish libraries or bookstores will help you with this recommended reading list but thought you might be able to pick up one or more in your travels in this country for reading on a rainy day that's not conducive to travel.

John Steinbeck's book "Travels with Charley" relate his cross-country trip by car in the early 60s with his poodle "Charley". William Least Heat Moon (a Native American writer) has a fascinating book entitled "Blue Highways". He writes of his adventures and encounters on the small rural roads in the South that appear on our maps as a thin blue line; consider them not as secondary roads but rather as "tertiary" roads if there is such a thing. (Native American is a politically correct euphemism for American Indian. Indians are no more native than we Anglo-Saxons are; they just got here sooner.) Edwin Way Teale, a naturalist rather that tourist, has written a series of books involving following the seasons across America, starting with a 17,000 mile journey "North with the Spring" along our east coast from Florida to Maine and following with "Autumn Across America" "Journey into Summer" and "Wandering through Winter". You may know Teale, he wrote a similar book entitled "Springtime in Britain".

Our regional writers can provide fascinating insights into the diversity of our cultures.
Ivan Doig writes of the sheep farmers and Basque herders of Montana. Teale of his boyhood growing up in the sand dune country of northern Indiana; K. C. Constantine, a mystery writer, writes of the economically depressed small coal towns of western Pennsylvania. Larry McMurtry captures the flavor of Texas and Texans; Ferrol Samms, his rural upbringing in central Georgia's farmlands. John Berendt's "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" gives extraordinary insights into the mentality and foibles of Savannah's and the South's supposed aristocracy. Tony Hillerman, another mystery writer, delves into the culture and traditions of the Native Americans of northern Arizona and New Mexico. Studs Terkel has any number of books that are oral histories of our times and of the Chicago, Illinois area related primarily by elderly blue-collar workers. Carl Hiaasen writes of southern Florida and Miami. Welsh writer Jan (or James) Morris has some extremely insightful books on American cities and states, "Among the Cities", "Manhattan '45" among them.

If you can latch on to any of these, many of your questions will be answered; many more will be posed, I'm sure.