Look Back and Laugh: The difference between Al Qaida and Alcoa

I'll admit it, I am no expert when it comes to world affairs. I have a hard enough time keeping the details straight in my own home, so if it is happening around the globe it's pretty much out of my league. So that's the first disclaimer explaining why I told people that my dad worked for Al Quida. One other thing I should mention in my defense is that this little error took place many years ago when the war in Iraq had just begun.
With that said, here is what happened;

I had a great opportunity as a budding photographer to work on a local ad campaign. I was nervous enough as it was and when making small talk with the graphic artist I mentioned that my dad worked for Al Quaida. He didn't react at all so maybe he didn't even hear me, but later (days later) I realized that I may have made a huge mistake. So I went straight to the source to check with my dad about his employer and he said he worked for ALCOA. I then realized the magnitude of my blunder.

Al Quida- a Sunni Islamist terrorist organization whose fatal techniques include suicide attacks and simultaneous bombings of different targets.

Alcoa- world's leading producer and manager of primary and fabricated aluminum, and is active in all major aspects of the industry.

One time I asked for Pomeranian sauce at Chic Fila when what I really wanted was Polynesian. How can words sound so similar and yet have such different meanings. Of course this kind of mix up is expectant from someone just learning the language, but I am not fortunate enough to have that excuse. In conclusion I want to be clear that my dad is not a terrorists and luckily the feds never showed up to make any arrests.