First of all here's pet peeve #2056.
When saying the word "human" there is an "h" in the word and it is not silent. It's not "you-man". This goes for words like "Houston" or "huge". Newscasters seem particularily prone to this. Must be something they teach the lemmings at Columbia School of Broadcasting.
How different a word can be in different parts of the country.
Back in my home state of Virginia the word "flurry" (as in snow)is used like "is it snowing? Nah, just flurries". In Georgia? "ohmygawd there might be flurries! do we have enough milk and bread?" And they will send some poor reporter along with their silent "h"'s out in to BFE somewhere waiting on the sighting of a flurry. I've been here for years and I still am just fascinated by this.
Staying with the "it's all about words" theme here, what about this whole Conan and Canada thing? If I have this straight (if I ever have anything straight) the Canadian government is upset by the comments of a sock puppet. Oh Canada.
I read some of the comments by the offending sock and the sock mostly seemed to proclaim French-Canadiens "fat and smelly". Did anyone check the passers-by to see if well, maybe they were fat and smelly? Maybe not all French-Canadiens smell but these people could have.
My Gawd but people need to lighten up out there. Once again this was a sock puppet. It does point out a serious lesson though. Although conservative/religious groups are infamous for chipping away at free speech (and rightly so) don't forget that the radical left do the same thing. You can't criticize a sacred cow or even call a sacred cow a cow. (is that not the most insane sentence? heh and now all this talk about cows has made want a chick-fillet biscuit damned advertising)
So those of us that fall into the middle, need to keep our peripheral vision vigilant to the Left and the Right I tell you. An opinion no matter how vile is just an opinion for goshsakes. Ahhh free speech, we hardly knew ya.
As my Grandfather used to tell me. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but a good shot of whiskey can never hurt you.
Okay so my Grandfather never said that. I'm a liar, so sue me. But one day I'll be a grandfather and I'll say just that to my grandkids. On those rare ocassions their allowed to visit me in the home that is.
"Why does Grandpa have a padded room?"