What do you wish people knew?

[fireheart]

-No, we do not live in igloos in Alaska
-No, we do not have polar bears walking through downtown (black bears however)
-No, I do not have a pet penguin (although that would be cool), wrong end of the Earth

I could say the same about Australia:

-No we do not ride kangaroos to school, nor do we have them as pets.
-No, not all Australians speak like Steve Irwin. (or Paul Hogan for that matter)
-Yes, it does get hot around here at times, but not all Australian men wear singlets, stubbies and boots, and Akubras with the corks around the edges.
-Yes, you are allowed to shoot rabbits in Australia. (not pet rabbits)
-A "pie floater" does not mean what you think it means.
-Frog cakes are not made out of frogs.
-Not all Aussies eat Vegemite or damper, although both are yummy. (not together)
-

[Cazzi]

Use the right words for the job!

It's should have, not should of...
Chords are musical, not electrical...
A pool cue isn't a queue...
I saw you there, not I seen you...

And the rest

[Divra]

Arrogance =/= confidence
Humility =/= weakness

And there are no polar bears in Sweden. Brown bears, yes. Polar bears, no. Scandinavia is quite comfortably temperate, in spite of the fact that Stockholm is only marginally further south than Anchorage.

[Eireann]

The word is "voila". It is pronounced "vwah-lah", and it is the French word for "there".

It is not spelled "wah-lah", "wallah", "walla", or anything in that vein.

[thansal]

My big one is that I think animal handling and care should be a part of the basic education that everyone receives growing up.

The number of people attacked (or who think they have been attacked) by domestic animals because they instigated a terrible situation is disturbing.

Hell, the number of people that don't have a CLUE as to how to approach an animal is terrible.

And if you have allergies? Fine, you get a special course that is how you deal with animals from your point of view (how to safely avoid and disengage without causing a bad situation for the animal).

This should also cover at least some basic level of how to deal with wild animals as well (especially ones around where you live).

kay

</rant>

:P

[draggar]

Chords are musical, not electrical...

I once had a ticket that said "power chord is not working"

I told him to drop the third and add an octave for much better results.

[Divra]

BWAHAHAHAHA! Nicely done!

[fireheart]

One I forgot to add to my list:

-Yes, when someone is referring to thongs down here, they are referring to flip-flops. NOT underwear. People do not walk around wearing panties on their feet.

[Gizmo]

People have little sympathy for you for this reason: One day you are whining about not having enough money to even feed the kids. The next you have a brand new high-brand appliance, gadget or Iphone and are shoving it in everyones faces.

It would be easier to feel sympathy for you if you didn't do this once every few weeks. *I* don't have the funds to live life as high as you do and don't have any debts.

[dalesys]

-Yes, when someone is referring to thongs down here, they are referring to flip-flops. NOT underwear. People do not walk around wearing panties on their feet.

You haven't seen the Temple U football team nut squad, have you?
[/COSBY]

[Jester]

Yes, this is Key West. Yes, you came here on vacation. Yes, it is raining. Why is it raining? Because Key West and the rest of the Florida Keys are IN THE FUCKING TROPICS. And as anyone with even the most rudimentary knowledge of weather and climate will tell you, it tends to RAIN in the tropics. A LOT. If you want to go to a place that is almost guaranteed for it to not rain, go to a desert resort location. Like parts of Arizona, Nevada, and Southern California. Oh, it rains there, too. Just not as often or as frequently as in, say...THE TROPICS.

And yes, Key West is part of Florida. Which means it is part of the U.S. as well. Which means we are bound by all of Florida's state laws, and all U.S. federal laws. Surprising to a lot of people, sadly.

Yes, I am from the desert. No, I am not from the boonies. Phoenix is the FIFTH LARGEST CITY in the United States by population. Which means if you are from a city that is not New York, L.A., Chicago, or Houston, you are from a city smaller than where I'm from. (Obviously, this one is directed only at fellow Americans.)

There are only FIFTY states. There are not 51 or 52. We have not added any new states since we added Hawaii and Alaska over 60 years ago. Also, for the record, Chicago is not a state, it is a CITY, and is in the STATE of Illinois.

The absolute worst way to get free drinks from a bartender is to walk up to the bar and immediately ask for free drinks. Actually, no, I'm wrong. That is the second worst way. The worst way is to walk up to the bar and DEMAND free drinks. Pretty much a guarantee that the bartender will charge you for every little thing you order, within the rules of course, and will cut you no slack whatsoever on anything. Good luck after you try a stunt like that, pal.

I have beaten this one like a dead mule, but I must insist on hitting it again: adoption IS a viable option for people who want children, and yes, children you adopt WILL BE "your own." Ask any adopted kid.

5: that NASA was "shutting down" with the end of the shuttle program

Apparently NASA gets this one a lot, as we heard various versions of "yes, we're still going, and look what we have planned for the future" when we visited Johnson Space Center in Houston last month.

Not to mention Cuba is a has-been country for the last 20 years. The quality is no longer what it was.

The same is absolutely true for rum as well.

And as for things I wished more people would know, on this subject I have a few:
--Yes, the U.S. still has an embargo on Cuba.
--Yes, that means it would be illegal for us to carry any Cuban rum.
--Yes, that means we DON'T carry any Cuban rum.
--No, not even "under the bar."
--Or in our "private stash."
--Not even if you ask real nice.
--No, the bar you go to at home doesn't have it either.
--Even if they told you they do.
--Unless they are really stupid and are blatantly and openly violating federal law. But most likely you are either highly misinformed, really stupid, or they are lying to you. Or probably some combination of the three.

"Where are the Cubans?"

Most likely on a raft at sea, on a beach in Florida, or living in Miami.

PLEASE, stop wasting money on big, manly cigars because they're big and manly. Get something that suits your face, taste and wallet. If you're a beginner, buy two small cigars instead of one big one.

It is never manly to look like a jackass who's trying to either prove something or compensate for something.

I have figured out my tastes in cigars over the year (the few I smoke, anyway), and I know I like either small or medium sized cigars with mostly mellow flavor. Which is why I don't look like an ass when I smoke a cigar, because I am smoking one I enjoy. (Well, I don't look like any MORE of an ass that I normally do, anyway.)

[fireheart]

Mental illness is not contagious.

Many mentally ill people are not obvious - I don't exactly advertise it so most people have no idea.

Yes, I have a university degree and work in a sub shop - but unlike some people I didnt expect high paying jobs to just show up on my doorstep the day after I convocated. Money doesn't grow on trees and bills have to be paid somehow! Until something better comes along I won't be going broke.

I 100% agree with you on the first two.

As for the last one, I can put a sub-version on that: just because you went to a private school, does not mean that you are automatically going to get into university or get a job immediately. Nobody cares whether you went to incredibly snobby posh private school. Plus, some private school folks I know wound up being tradies while some public school folks have become lawyers. Hmm....(on top of that, our PM went to a public school )

[RealUnimportant]

Knowledge is not a bad thing. Trying to learn is not a bad thing. There is a finite limit of TV time available for those willing to parade their ignorance, everyone else has to know things to survive.

[Kittish]

Mental illness is not contagious.

Rather tongue in cheek response to this bit.... Yes, actually, it can be, depending on the 'illness'. My family and friends all maintain that I am not sane in the conventional, socially acceptable sense. I agree. I tried sane, and crazy is more fun. And part of my mission in life is to infect as many other people as I can with my version of craziness. I know beyond any reasonable doubt that I have succeeded in at least two instances.

On a more serious note, I am NOT making fun of or attacking any mental illness or anyone unfortunate enough to suffer one or more. My own brain has a few crossed wires and shorts in it, not to mention at least one occasionally major chemical imbalance. I cope. It's about all any of us can really do.

[dragon_wings]

Rather tongue in cheek response to this bit.... Yes, actually, it can be, depending on the 'illness'. My family and friends all maintain that I am not sane in the conventional, socially acceptable sense. I agree. I tried sane, and crazy is more fun. And part of my mission in life is to infect as many other people as I can with my version of craziness. I know beyond any reasonable doubt that I have succeeded in at least two instances.

One of the reasons I get along so well with some of my closest friends and my coworker J is cause we're all really crazy.
And yes I do have mental illnesses. So does my roommate. We know therefore we can use the knowledge to deal with the illnesses the best we can. Roomie has anti anxiety meds. She's not yet to the point were she will take them when she needs them. I often have to remind her. But there's more going on there then just the anxiety. I myself don't take anything. I probably should but after some horrible experiences as a child I'm hesitant to go to a doctor for help or meds. But that doesn't stop me from working full time. (my roommate and I are a study in opposites in how mental illness effects how we interact with the world.)