> > > > am/are/is = be
> > > > there = thar
> > > > where = whar
> > > > pay attention = avast
> > > > be careful = avast
> > > > watch out = avast
> > > > ! = ! Aaarrr!
> > > > friend = matey
> > > > hello = ahoy
> > > > r = rrrrr
> > > > And you could do a bunch more stuff like that, and you could change various insults (loser, idiot, pathetic) to various pirate-sounding insults (scum, swab, scurvy) and a bunch of other stuff
> > > ALSO:
> > > R = Rrrrr
> > > dollar = doubloon
> > > die = go to Davey Jones' locker
> > > you = ye
> > > your = yer
> > > for = fer
> > >
> > > You could also do something like a Euphemism dialect or some such.
> > >
> > > -Dr. Morris Cecil "THWACK!" Glalet, Th.D.
> > > Fri 10 Dec A.D. 1999
> >
> > I've enjoyed all of your comments about Disneyland, Doc, and naturally, it reminded me of something. I'm a traveler and I'm always amazed when I talk to non-travelers, and find out how little they know about places beyond their horizon. For example, most non-travelers don't realize that Disney World and Disneyland are two different locations. Some of them don't know the difference between Florida and California. Maybe it's because Disney World and Disneyland both have Space Mountain and Pirates of the Carribean. And Florida and California are both far-away, warm, sunny places. It's difficult, if not impossible to explain to a non-traveler that Hawaii is a state made up of islands, one of which is also named Hawaii. Even if you call it "The Big Island," they still think Pearl Harbor and Waikiki are there. Mention that you have been to New York and all they can think of is the Statue of Liberty and skyscrapers. You should see the blank looks you get if you mention Albany, or the Finger Lakes. And try to explain to a non-traveler that New Mexico is part of the United States! I once told a non-traveler that he would probably like Alaska, and he replied that he didn't think he would want to travel in foreign countries. And they have no concept of how big California is. They think you can see all of it in a few days. Maybe Disney was wrong. Maybe for some people, it isn't such a small world after all.
> > Howard
>
> Wow, no wonder foreigners think Americans are such idiots when it comes to geography.
>
> This reminds me of a Dave Barry column that lists reasons why the US should attack Canada. One of them was: "it's one of the only countries most Americans can locate on a map".
>
> -M"Dave Barry, you know? From that small caribbean country 'Miami'?"el

It only takes a few idiots to make a whole region look bad. I live in Tennessee. It's a beautiful, up to date, modern place with excellent highways and large areas that retain their natural beauty. We have a number of large universities, and a system of smaller state universities and communitiy colleges. Much of our industry is based on state of the art technology, HOWEVER.... Americans from a couple of states away, usually to the north, have no concept of what Tennessee is like. They think we are barefoot hillbillies, who live in cabins on the side of a mountain and sell moonshine for a living. There were small pockets of such things about a century ago, and movies and comic strips kept the image alive.
On the other hand, we do have people who don't know their geography. In the eighth grade I found that if I mentioned a volcano, a glacier, a canyon, a river, an ocean, etc. I had to get out a world map and point out the general part of the world where it was located. Then I used different scale maps to further locate the feature and often had to point out pictures to clarify what a volcano, glacier, etc. was. Finally, geography lesson over, I could teach earth science.
My school had a lot of second and third generation welfare people, and was not typical of Tennessee schools. Thank goodness for that.
Howard