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May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
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The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
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Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
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Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
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Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
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May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
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The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
Dec. 22, 2006
/ 1 Teves, 5767
Error Message! When e-mails go bad
By
Gene Weingarten
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
One evening a few weeks ago, I was multi-tasking. Involved were a football game, a beer and simultaneous e-mail conversations with two people: my daughter and Garry Trudeau, the "Doonesbury" cartoonist.
You possibly know where this is going. In signing off with my daughter, I informed her, somewhat stiffly, that I'd get back to her soon with an answer. Trudeau received this: "Goodnight, Stinky."
As these things go, that was rather tame. Accidentally mis-directed e-mails are legion, particularly in my line of work. Newsrooms tend to be places of unfettered communication among professional cynics, fault-finders, wiseasses and malcontents. When messages go astray, they are often highly amusing. So the stakes are high.
The most famous of these occurred at The Post a few years ago. In an e-mail, Reporter A complained to Reporter B about how tough Editor Z had been on her story. Reporter A and Reporter B were cubs. Rookies. Green as an eyeshade. Wet behind the ears, like early Arkansas dew-kissed corn. (When telling newsroom stories, it is important to use colorful cliches.) Editor Z was a top cheese, a big kahuna, as crusty as a melanoma and twice as scary.
So, anyway, in a return e-mail, Reporter B tried to console Reporter A by informing her not to worry about big, bad, ol' Editor Z, who was, after all, an "ass."
Now, I know what you are thinking. You are thinking that Reporter B accidentally sent that message to Editor Z, right? That would have been real bad, but it is not what happened. No, Reporter B accidentally sent that message to EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THE NEWSROOM.
For this column, I, too, sent an e-mail to everyone in the Post newsroom, asking people for their memories of accidentally misdirected e-mail. (And, yes, several people sent me back some variation of: "What a jerk that Weingarten is, getting us to do his work for him.")
One writer recalled an e-mail apologizing to the wrong person for having "fallen asleep last night" at an apparently inopportune moment. Another writer got a message from a guy she barely knew informing her that she'd left some things at his house the previous night. When she dryly informed him that she'd never been to his house, he ran over and begged her to forget she'd ever heard from him.
Another colleague has a personal e-mail account name that includes the word "editrix." Apparently, there are other editor-women who have similar e-mail addresses, because occasionally she'll receive messages clearly intended for someone else. One of these misdirected e-mails came from a man slavering in anticipation over an upcoming assignation: "He was fantasizing about what I would be wearing, but not for long." When she e-mailed back to point out the error, the guy was chagrined and contrite, a condition that lasted for at least several minutes. Then he e-mailed her his picture, and asked for hers.
The dangers of e-mail errors in a newsroom are so great and the risks so thrilling that I once devised a game to take advantage of it. The game was called "E-mail Roulette." Here is how it is played:
There are two contestants. Each goes to the other's computer and types a particularly colorful, potentially career-ending e-mail message to the other guy's boss, all set up and ready for delivery. Then each party returns to his own desk. They take turns flipping quarters across the room toward the other guy's "Enter" key. It's a great game, but, for some reason, I never got anyone to play it with me.
My favorite e-mail story happened when I was an editor at the Miami Herald. I was sitting at my desk one day when a message flashed on my computer. It was from Richard Capen, the publisher of the newspaper. Mr. Capen was a man of enormous dignity and stolid bearing, a man who would soon actually become the U.S. ambassador to Spain. The message from Richard Capen, on my computer screen, was a simple directive of the sort that one would not think of as ambassadorial. It is not publishable. It read, in its entirety: [Verb] my [noun].
Only later did I learn that Capen had been in his office talking to Dave Barry, and had momentarily stepped from the room, unwisely leaving his computer unattended.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
Gene Weingarten writes the Below the Beltway humor column for The Washington Post. To comment, please click here.
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