Little bits of knowledge that oughta be beaten into people, if necessary

1. Lose and loose are different words with different meanings.

2. Barack Obama is not black, and is not our first African-American president. He's bi-racial, being 50% white and 50% black.

3. The thing in the middle of the road is not a medium. It's a median.

4. Using cliches when speaking to people and expecting them to act surprised at your originality or intelligence should be punishable by law.

5. Negative people suck (keep in mind, the rules listed here aim toward making a more positive world by lifting the moods of all of us).

6. Don't bring your drama to work. Ever.

7. Stop trying to "teach" your kid by their early 20's, and accept them for who they are. If it doesn't pain you, too much, give them encouragement and praise. (Sarcasm was necessary).

8. When people ask how you're doing, spill your guts sometime. They'll probably never ask again.

9. Racists and sexists suck.

10. Just because Obama won doesn't mean black people are "beating whitey."

11. If Obama loses, it will not mean white people are "beating blackey." Get past race, people; nobody gets to choose which color they will be, and none are "better" than another. If you must judge, judge people as individuals.

12. You can't prove your religion is right and that another is wrong, so stop shoving it down other people's throats and accept that all you really have is faith and hope that you are right.

13. Don't preach about any religion that you can't even follow the rules of.

14. Cheating on your other half is the most painful thing you can do. For most, that "act" is one of trust and intimacy, and if you break it, you have broken everything. Plus, if you have to cheat, are you with the right person?

15. The Washington Capitals will eventually win a Stanley Cup.

16. Just because somebody is family doesn't mean they should necessarily own your acceptance and respect without earning it. Family or not, if they are negative, condescending, or judgmental, cast them out of your life (unless they are your child; that's the only exception). If someone's life is half wrecked already, they sure shouldn't be criticizing the life choices of another family member.

17. Pot is not harmless.

18. Alcohol is as dangerous and deadly as any poison out there; stop down-playing it.

19. Men are biologically, by design, prone to "dominating the gene pool." It is only the most civilized among us that can say "no" to this natural tug in order to respect our partner. Women also cheat way more often than the statistics will show.

20. Women are biologically, by design (or eventual biological progression) better able to multi-task (I'm a huge follower of evolutionary psychology even though I believe evolution itself is a farce): imagine the cavewoman for thousands of years that had to hear the baby, listen/smell for local food, and deal with the horny caveman on her rump all at the same time. It stuck.

21. Just because men aren't as likely to be able to multi-task doesn't make them "dumb." Men can focus laser-sharp in areas where women typically cannot (the multi-tasking strength can become a curse, just as the focus can for men).

22. If you just FOLLOW the natural, legal order of traffic on the road, things will move more quickly than if you decide to stop and wave on another person. Those with solid green lights do not yield. Those turning right have priority over those turning left, all other things being equal. SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT. Turn signals are as much a courtesy as a law. Take it easy on the brakes, gas, and turns.

23. Don't close your mind on any subject, or you have killed any chance to gain further education on that subject. Leave a "working truth" in your mind, subject to change based on convincing evidence.

24. No invisible guy is better than any other invisible guy, and if your religion promotes killing or harming others, then your religion can kiss my hairy, white caboose. If your belief in your religion has no reasoning other than you were "brought up" that way, you should be ashamed. Know why you believe what you believe, and if you can't disprove another religion, don't dismiss it. You have a right to believe in your faith and practice it to perfection, but you do not have a right to punish others for not believing what you believe.

25. There are 7 billion people in the world; you are not THAT important, but you do matter, as does everybody else.

26. You are no better than any other human.

27. Legacies are created by deeds, not beliefs (making a note).

28. The world is not out to get you. Nor does the world revolve around you or exist to serve you. You are a part of it, and that's that. You make do with what you have and what you can get, or you don't make do at all.

29. Global warming is real. And if you say, "It was 10 degrees on a late spring day, and they say there's global warming!" you really, really, really need to educate yourself on the issue before speaking again.

30. You can't do it alone.

Your comments are welcome! Please add to my list; it will be a book, sooner rather than later.

Kev