Ah, Alberta.

[theweaselking]

Because "the other half of Texas" thought the press the American TSA were getting was something they needed in on.

Warning: Comments contain internet commenters, Albertans.

Comments

[sparkindarkness.livejournal.com]

It amuses me that "Albertans" is a warning :)

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

"The other half of Texas" is not an idle descriptor. Alberta would be an American state if it could, and then it would promptly collapse because all the services Albertans depend on would stop and they would be eating each other within three months. One month, in winter.

(Also: "Everything is bigger in Texas!" - yeah, no. Texas is a medium-sized Province, like Alberta. It's teeny next to large places.)

[maelorin]

yup.

texans tell everyone that 'everything is bigger in texas'. (frankly, shows how much they get out :p) here is aus, we've got gaps on our map bigger than texas ...

[faeriemuriel.livejournal.com]

That doesn't terrify the hell out of you? = P

[maelorin]

nope ^_^

lived in -or travelled through - too much of it, too often, to be scared.

wary, mindful. sure.

after all, this is australia we're talking about :D

[but, then i'm an aussie. so i grew up thinking all this space was normal ...]

[maelorin]

also, i used to collect snakes (live ones, mind) during my teens. the bity, hurty ones. specifically because they were bity, hurty.* to milk and sometimes for the making of little, tiny baby bity, hurty snakes.

but i made damn sure i killed the bity, hurty spiders. them things are nasty.** [terry pratchett and douglas adams have both had a few things to say about our wonderful wildlife!]


* i've caught and/or handled the inland taipan, the eastern brown, tiger snake, common brown, death adder, copperhead, red-bellied black, and a bunch of pythons.
** http://www.spiders.com.au/ NOTE: do not follow this link if you're arachnophobia!

[theweaselking.livejournal.com]

I've been to Saskatoon. Leaving aside that the entire city smelled like dog food, the MOSQUITOS ALONE were bigger than Texas.

[maelorin]

i can believe that.

some of our mozzies are quite big, especially up north in the tropics, but they're *all* of them vicious little bastards. (well, technically, bitches - since it's the girls that do the biting and the blood-sucking - but we can let that slide for now.)

[flemco.livejournal.com]

WITH NOTHING IN THEM.

"A big void" does not count as "something that's bigger." It's a big lack of anything.

However, I must say that the Ozzies I've met who transplanted here have convinced me they speak truly when they say Aus is like Texas, if Texas were designed by The Devil.

i'm inclined to agree

[maelorin]

lol.

it's hard to have so many nasty beasties if they're not living out there somewhere :D

desert =/ void, desert = not a lot of (obvious) landmarks to put on a map. it's easy to get lost out there. with nothing to help the average traveller figure out where they are of which way to go.

i grew up in and around desert and arid land in the central south of australia. all that 'nothing' has a lot of 'somethings' in it ... even if most of them are flies ^_^

having been to texas, i have to say that it's not a bad place. you don't have to drive too far to the next steakhouse. there are places in australia that are texas apart. you can drive for days here without seeing any sign of human habitation - or visitation.

that said: some aussies talk the place up, just as texans do. we're the most urbanised population anywhere. few of us really know what much of our country is really like, having grown up and lived in cities and large towns.

but we *do* have a lot of places - and things - of which to be worried.

the state capital city i live in regularly sees days, weeks of temperatures in the 30+C (90-100F) with days in the 40+C (105-115F) range as well during summer. (and this is a *coastal* city.)

some of our most dangerous wildlife lives in and around our cities. snakes are collected from inner suburban homes every year. and then there are the spiders ... O.o

our beaches are home to sharks, and jellyfish, venomous octopus, stonefish, and so on. leaving aside riptides and the like.

just to keep with the theme: kangaroos, koalas, and other cute furry things can also be lethal ...

mind you, kangaroo is great with plum sauce. emu is very lean. as is crocodile. if there's a way to eat the damn thing, we'll give it a go. but then, aussies tend to have the attitude that if something *can* be done, we'll give it a red hot go.

i like to think our wildlife has the same attitude :D

[maelorin]

this.

[glenn-3.livejournal.com]

"CATSA is apologizing, but has yet to actually reach Strecker."

So in other words, they're apologizing...just not to her.

[maelorin]

they're sorry.

for being in the media this way?
just not for the way they treated her?

though, to be fair, they may not want to admit fault in case some smartass thinks to talk to a lawyer ... ?

[also, 'pr' is a weird, and vicious, game. some of my colleagues might call it 'brand management'. but then i call them all propagandists. they don't like that label much.]

[gebkivistik.livejournal.com]

"The Calgary Airport Authority couldn't confirm or deny this, saying it doesn't keep track of such complaints."

Yeah, who cares what the citizens think anyway? Just shut up, stay in line and do as you're told.