content: I always rip the ground off of plugs in the US. It basically just keeps you from getting shocked if there's a short and the appliance has metal casing. Funny enough in sitting next to my metal space heater that didn't have a ground in the first place. I did rewire it though so the fan always stays on instead of turning on and off with the heating element. It hasn't blown up yet.  I may be learning about PLCs at my next job so maybe I'll be able to make killer robots soon.