# Mini rants **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 8, 2005, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rants/320695 "2005-09-08T19:35:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rants/320695/181 "2005-09-22T18:43:38Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > I’ll be astonished if this isn’t completely illegal. What would you do in an emergency, wait for someone to show up with the keys? Storage in the stairway is probably completely illegal too, for the same reason of impeding emergency exits. The fire alarm unlocks the doors automatically, either that or the alarm is tripped by opening the door. Or it could be what **FatBaldGuy** says. I’ve never tried (because I don’t think the whole building should need to evacuate just because I need to pee in a hurry), I just know that you can’t use the stairs unless it’s an emergency. It was even worse in the last (also government) office I worked in. For one thing it was 25 floors instead of 4, and our offices were split up on floors 15 through 17. And so we had to take the elevators CONSTANTLY. but at least there were bathrooms on every floor One day the fire alarm went off. It was just in the “alert” phase, where you’re supposed to stand by and be prepared for a full alarm. (I guess that’s somewhere between “go about your business” and “collect all your personal belongings and get ready to run like hell.”) And guess what happened? As soon as the “alert” phase started, our OFFICE DOORS locked automatically! Forget the stairs, we couldn’t even get out into the hallway! ---
**Author:** ![The\_New\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@The\_New\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_New_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rants/320695/182 "2005-09-22T20:02:49Z")
> [@cowgirl](#): > > **People who listen to I-pods while riding their bikes and don’t check to make sure they’re not about to crash into me.** I have been watching you from the moment I knew you had to come into my lane because of the asshole who’s parked in the bike lane in front of you. I knew you were going to go right in front of me without checking over your shoulder. I know you are completely clueless that I have to either slam on my brakes or swerve into a streetcar track to avoid you. I can only ring-a-ling my little bell so loudly, asshole. And if I snap and murder you they’ll probably say it’s MY fault. I don’t get this one. You refer to “ringing your bell”, so I’m guessing you’re also on a bike (since cars generally have horns, not bells). So why would you be in a different lane? If there’s a bike lane, wouldn’t you _both_ be in the bike lane? ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rants/320695/183 "2005-09-22T20:30:10Z")
Pardon me for not ranting, but I don’t get mad, I just get tired. I received this e-mail today from someone who ought to have known better: > [@](#): > > From watching the News about Hurricane Katrina in the last two weeks i have > learned ; > > 1. The hurricane only hit black family’s property. > 2. New Orleans was devastated and no other city was affected by the > hurricane. > 3. Mississippi is reported to have a tree blown down. > 4. New Orleans has no white people. > 5. The hurricane blew a limb off a tree in the yard of an Alabama resident. > 6. When you are hungry after a hurricane steal a big screen TV. > 7. The hurricane did 23 billion dollars in improvements to New.Orleans: > now the city is welfare, looters and gang free and they are in.your city. > 8. White folks don’t make good news stories. > 9. Don’t give thanks to the thousands that came to help rescue you, > instead > bitch because the government hasn’t given you a debit.card yet. > 10. Only black family members got separated in the hurricane rescue efforts. > 11. Ignore warnings to evacuate and the white folks will come get you and > give > you money for being stupid. > 12. Darn it I feel so sorry for all those black folks. > 13. Oh, and it is all George Bush’s fault. ---
**Author:** ![The\_New\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@The\_New\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_New_Guy)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2005, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rants/320695/184 "2005-09-22T21:55:31Z")
Wow. I never realized they were lying about how many black people were left in New Orleans. It must have been hard to photoshop all those white people out of the huge crowds of people we saw on the news. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2005, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rants/320695/185 "2005-09-23T03:46:07Z")
Yes, the problem resolution lady and I are getting along great. I went downtown to drop off the paper copy of my netfiled tax return yesterday (after calling team leader and problem resolution lady {PRL in future rants} and getting told a different story about the need for my receipts from both of them), went to the receptionist as instructed, and was told they never, ever, EVAR accept returns at the reception desk. I went out and dumped it in the blue box to send it to the tax centre in Winnipeg. There may have been swearing. Went home and left message for PRL. Fast forward to this morning - get a call from PRL at 8:45 am. She managed to rescue my paper copy from the blue box, and has researched my tax situation, and assures me that my taxes were done September 20, and I’ll be getting my notice of assessment in the mail shortly. I called them on Sept. 1 and Sept. 20 - by total coincidence, my taxes were started manually on Sept. 1, and finished on Sept. 20. Really. So, the story is back to my taxes are done and will be in the mail soon. If I was expecting a refund that is four and a half months late, I’d be a helluva lot more irritated than I am already, and I’m pretty darned irritated. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mini-rants/320695.md?page=9)