Archive: July 26, 2009 - August 1, 2009
BritNews RoundUp: Aerial Thong Edition
In my weekly BritNews RoundUp I normally include only a brief precis of the story in question and provide a link to the original source. Today, however, I feel compelled to quote a larger chunk of this delightful story from...
By John Kelly | July 31, 2009; 9:00 AM ET | Comments (0)
Photo Flashback: Feline Assistant Edition
I've run two dog photos in this feature and now the cat people are clamoring for equal time. How about this one: It ran in The Post on Jan. 2, 1945, accompanying this story: "Minnie," feline rat exterminator of the...
By John Kelly | July 30, 2009; 9:46 PM ET | Comments (0)
Score a Win for the Horse Massager
When, as an old man, I look back on the favorite things I encountered during my years as a big-time Washington Post journalist, certain to rank near the top will be hearing a Circuit Court judge ask of an attorney...
By John Kelly | July 30, 2009; 2:31 PM ET | Comments (0)
American Idiots: The NSO Experiments With Texting
What can pop-punk superstars Green Day teach the National Symphony Orchestra about the sanctity of performance? Quite a lot it turns out. I was at the Green Day/Kaiser Chiefs show at Verizon last night and a better example of the...
By John Kelly | July 30, 2009; 10:00 AM ET | Comments (9)
Talking to the Hand: Bemoaning Modern 'Manners'
I was about halfway through Lynne Truss's book "Talk to the Hand: The Utter Bloody Rudeness of the World Today, or Six Good Reasons to Stay Home and Bolt the Door" when I came across a very good point....
By John Kelly | July 29, 2009; 11:00 AM ET | Comments (2)
Can Kindness Be Mandated? Howard County's Civility Experiment
Is Howard County nicer than it used to be? After all, in 2006 the county launched its "Choose Civility" initiative, a campaign inspired by the work of Johns Hopkins professor P.M. Forni. Has that made a difference in the quality...
By John Kelly | July 28, 2009; 10:00 AM ET | Comments (3)
The Terrible Ten: P.M. Forni's Top Rudenesses. And Yours?
Earlier today I blogged about P.M. Forni, the Johns Hopkins professor who for the last decade has devoted himself to the cause of civility. In his latest book, "The Civility Solution," Dr. Forni tries to offer advice on defusing rude...
By John Kelly | July 27, 2009; 11:30 AM ET | Comments (14)
Meet Howard County's Mr. Nice Guy
"Abandon hope all ye who enter here." Those are the words the Italian poet Dante Alighieri found carved above the gates of Hell during his field trip to the underworld. They might as well be carved above the doors to...
By John Kelly | July 27, 2009; 9:00 AM ET | Comments (2)
