Free Republic

Hilarious music video about self-absorbed phone zombies in public.WATCH: PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN

A boozy Brooklyn man was hit with hate crime charges Sunday for pouring beer on a newlywed neighbor, calling her an "Arab terrorist" and pummeling her husband, police sources said. Following the seemingly unprovoked attack Saturday night in Mill Basin, Simchon Schwartz, 46, hid in a local synagogue and tried to fight off cops when they came to arrest him, sources said. The Hasid even kicked out a window of a police cruiser as he sat inside, whining that "the cuffs are too tight," a source said. "F---ing Arabs! F---ing terrorists!" Schwartz screamed when he grabbed his neighbor, Selda Turan,...

How to Address Priests and Religious:Titles and Signs of Respect Marian Therese Horvat, Ph.DIn times past every Catholic used to know some of the simple rules that have been set aside from disuse. The general protocol was taught by sisters in grade school, but more often was learned as in osmosis from everyday practice. No one dreamed of calling Father O’Reilly by the nickname “Bill,” or, addressing Sister Margaret Mary as “Maggie.”Everyone knew you rose as a sign of respect when a priest or religious entered the room. Speaking before a gathering that included clergy or religious, a Catholic...

Old Rules Flummox Young Hipsters; 'I'm Wearing an $80 Fedora!' Hector Ramirez sort of knows, from watching old movies, that men are supposed to take off their hats when indoors. But the 19-year-old Brown University student wears fedoras in class—with jeans—anyway. "If I'm wearing a hat and it's part of my look, I don't think I should have to take it off," he says. On a recent trip to New York, an usher at a church had to remind him to take off his fedora. "I was wearing it all day and I guess I kind of just forgot I...

Less than an hour ago, while watching the NBC nitely news covering the French President's visit to our whitehouse, they had a camera angle directly between Obama and Sarkozy to three flags on stands in the distance. The AMERICAN FLAG was hanging down so low it was touching the floor so plainly that one could see the bottom 4 to 6 inches were deflected by the floor in plain sight!!! Did anyone else see or capture this disgusting display of disrespect "as seen on TV"??? I sure hope so and I hope a big huge stink is made about it....

Can something as simple as good manners help to stem the coarsening of our culture? Yes! Cord Ivanyi, a Latin teacher at a Phoenix high school, was tired seeing the boys in his class subject the girls to vulgar words and behavior. The behavior was disrespectful, and disrupting to his classes. So Ivanyi decided to give the boys an example in chivalry. When a girl got up to go to the restroom, Ivanyi stood as a sign of respect. When she came back to class, Ivanyi held the door for her. [...] Christians need to resist the slide into vulgarity...

In addition to the three R’s, boys at one Arizona public high school have spent the past year learning to open doors for girls, pull out chairs for their female classmates and stand when a girl enters a room. Incorporating etiquette lessons into the classroom was the brainchild of Cord Ivanyi, a Latin teacher at Gilbert Classical Academy, a public college prep school 30 miles east of Phoenix. Courtesy of Cord Ivanyi Male students in Cord Ivanyi’s Latin class at Gilbert Classical Academy high school have learned such etiquette techniques as seating the girls at their desks. “I teach old-fashioned...

IT was a dark and stormy night — actually four stormy nights — when Jayme Otto, 31, and her husband, Ryan Otto, 33, drove 1,200 miles from their home in Boulder,Colo., to her parents’ house in Cleveland for Christmas. “We traveled all this way to bring our yellow Labrador, Cody Bear, home to spend time with his grandparents,” Ms. Otto said, “grandparents” being dog-person-speak for her parents. Besides wanting Cody Bear “to participate in his favorite yearly activity of unwrapping gifts and destroying all the boxes,” as Ms. Otto put it, they wanted the dog to meet her brother’s fiancée....

Our mission here at the International Center for Bathroom Etiquette is to improve the bathroom going experience for everyone by educating people about proper bathroom etiquette. Every day across the world millions of people are unsatisfied with the way their trip to the bathroom turned out, and we believe that it doesn’t have to be that way.

Stephanie Kahn wanted to bask in her engagement for a few hours before diving into the task of calling aunts, uncles and good friends with the big news. And even before she could call them, she had a surprise party to attend, one that her fiance had set up for their parents and her "closest group of girlfriends." That party was when Kahn lost control of her news. Some of the guests took photos and were "uploading them on Facebook before I could even post anything," Kahn said from Smyrna, Ga., where she lives. "Of course the next morning I...

Four of the most powerful business leaders in America arrived at the White House one day last month for lunch with President Barack Obama, sitting down in his private dining room just steps from the Oval Office. But even for powerful CEOs, there’s no such thing as a free lunch: White House staffers collected credit card numbers for each executive and carefully billed them for the cost of the meal with the president. The White House defended the unusual move as a way to avoid conflicts of interest. But the Bush administration didn’t charge presidential guests for meals, one former...

Word For The Day, Monday, 5/4/09 In order that we might all raise the level of discourse and expand our language abilities, here is the daily post of "Word for the Day". objurgate to reproach or denounce vehemently; upbraid harshly; berate sharply. Other forms: ob'jur·ga'tion n., ob·jur'ga·to'ri·ly (�b-jûr'gə-tôr'ə-lē, -t�r'-) adv., ob·jur'ga·to'ry (-tôr'ē, -t�r'ē) adj. Etymology: 1610–20; < L objūrg�tus, ptp. of objūrg�re to rebuke, equiv. to ob- ob- + jūrg�re, jurig�re to rebuke, equiv. to jūr- (s. of jūs) law + -ig-, comb. form of agere to drive, do + -�tus -ate 1 Rules: Everyone must leave a post using...

I'm just curious. Does it matter that to anyone that I don't fill in the "source" part of posts? Is it not enough that I give the URL? Does anyone except pissant give a damn? Get off my back, pissant! Just trying to do my part to save conservatism and fight Obamunism. Your pettiness about formatting gives this whole site a bad name. Not trying to start a fight; but get over yourself with the "proper posting" crap already!

President and Mrs. Obama will meet the Queen of England later today. This video talks about the etiquette rules they are supposed to follow when meeting the Queen. There are an awful lot of "do's and don'ts." Should be interesting to see if they get it all right. . . . . . (Watch Video)

“They belch, vomit, copulate, litter, and barge their way through public spaces, dressed like hookers and louts, defying the police without shame or modesty. British expatriates are some of the worst: overpaid, oversexed, and all over the place.” This is how Minette Marrin, writing in the Times, describes the British abroad, and with some justification. Marrin is responding to the case of well-heeled expatriates Michelle Palmer, 36, and Vince Acors, 34, who had drunken sex on a beach in Dubai and insulted a policeman who tried to caution them. The “couple” — or rather “copulating pair,” for they had only...

These days, it's difficult for a gentleman to know whether holding a door for a lady is a polite gesture...or a real insult.

Don't laugh at Dear Leader, SKorean athletes warned Wed Aug 20, 4:14 AM ET South Korean Olympic athletes have been given detailed guidelines to avoid friction with their North Korean counterparts in Beijing, officials said Wednesday. Contestants should not point or laugh at badges or portraits depicting North Korea's "Dear Leader" Kim Jong-Il or his late father Kim Il-Sung, the (South) Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) says in a handbook. "Refrain from pointing, touching or laughing at badges, portraits and remarks idolising the father and son," the booklet advises. Athletes should also avoid using names like "South Korea" and "North Korea"...

Etiquette must, if it is to be of more than trifling use, include ethics as well as manners. Certainly what one is, is of far greater importance than what one appears to be. A knowledge of etiquette is of course essential to one’s decent behavior, just as clothing is essential to one’s decent appearance; and precisely as one wears the latter without being self-conscious of having on shoes and perhaps gloves, one who has good manners is equally unself-conscious in the observance of etiquette, the precepts of which must be so thoroughly absorbed as to make their observance a matter...

For anyone who finds the very prospect of carving a turkey tomorrow brings them out in a sweat, help is at hand. A 200-year-old book has recently been discovered detailing the traumas faced by the head of the table when preparing and carving the bird, and giving crucial advice on how to get it right and impress your guests. It says manners and etiquette are vital, and the ability to carve with "ease and grace" gains great respect among fellow diners. advertisementOn no account must the carver stand up while doing the deed, but must always have a chair high...

MISS MANNERS It's best to ignore strangers who shout their prejudices Judith Martin Miss Manners November 8, 2007 Dear Miss Manners: This evening I found myself waiting in line with two young men who proceeded loudly to proclaim at least five different countries they would like to bomb, and advocated reintroducing the draft so that everyone else would have to share their "sacrifice." They then loudly branded several political figures they disapproved of with a crude word. I bit my tongue and waited quietly. Then the people in front of me joined in and, incredibly, they all complained about how...

"I could hardly breathe. I was gulping for air. I wanted to wring his neck." So writes Hillary Rodham Clinton, U.S. Senator and former First Lady, in her autobiography "Living History." This particular passage recounts the bitter moment when her husband, then president Bill Clinton, confessed to her his relationship with Monica Lewinsky, a White House intern. Hillary's public retelling of her reaction came a full five years after the 1998 incident. During that time Hillary stood by her husband, famously reaffirming her love for him as he endured impeachment proceedings in the wake of the Lewinsky scandal. Motivated in...

What part of "Body of Comment" underneath the "Body of Thread" when you're posting an article don't you understand? How many times have I logged onto FR and see the main page, only to be greeted with threads such as "Democrats challenge Bush on Iraq" (Thanks again cut-and-run conservatives!) or "Giuliani addresses crowd in California" (GO RUDY! THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN BEAT HILLARY!)? Isn't it annoying? (Expected FReeper responses: "Then don't click on the threads then moron!" or the "Aw Geez, not this s--t again picture.") OFFICIAL USE OF PARENTHESIS IN THREAD TITLE ETIQUETTE (1) Location. Listing the...

Mind your P's and Q's and teas BY DAVE BARRY (This classic Dave Barry column was originally published Feb. 15, 1998.) Recently, I took part in a High Tea, which is a ritualistic British type of light meal involving a large quantity of etiquette. Generally, I do not get involved with any level of tea, even Low Tea. Generally, when I am in the market for an afternoon beverage ritual, the one I select is Cold Beer. But in this case I had High Tea, because I was invited by famous etiquette expert Marjabelle Young Stewart, who is on a...

"Stop laughing. It's not funny." Those were the solemn words of Jerry Seinfeld during his visit with David Letterman in his effort to rehabilitate the image of his co-star, Michael Richards, aka "Kramer." Richards, as you know, flipped out at an L.A. comedy club and began screaming racial epithets at some black patrons. It was an ugly scene captured on video, and the actor has been apologizing ever since – doing his public penance for a truly shameful exhibition. Watch 'Kramer' grovel on Letterman show The "act" has ignited a national debate on the use of the "N-word." But, having...

Four years have passed since our country was brutally attacked on a quiet September morning. On that day, thousands of innocent lives were taken from us. The victims and the families who lost loved ones remain in the hearts and prayers of our Nation. We also remember the courage of the firefighters, police officers, emergency rescue personnel, and scores of private citizens who showed us the true meaning of heroism and demonstrated our resolve to the world. The mission that began on September 11, 2001, continues. Today, we see the virtue of the September 11th heroes embodied in our military...

'WOMEN ARE equals now. They can fend for themselves. To offer a perfectly healthy woman a seat simply because she is a woman, however well-intentioned, is creepy. At best, she'll think you're from another country; at worst she'll feel old, or overweight enough to be perceived as pregnant." And that is a lesson in modern manners, according to the new issue of GQ (with Clive Owen on the cover). Glenn O'Brien and other GQ scribes weigh in on e-mails, cellphones, gym etiquette, dressing for travel, how to handle chatty seatmates, sleeping with your friend's ex, online dating, wedding gifts and...

For Cindy Nooney's 3-year-old twin boys, playing with the Thomas the Train set at their local bookstore in Southern California is a major thrill. Jack and Sam push Thomas, Arthur and friends down the track, they run around the table, jump up and down — and, of course, they squeeeaal. Nooney expects as much in the children's section of the store. But on a recent afternoon, she was surprised by an employee who confronted her, calling her darling Jack a tyrant. "He was a little loud but this is a children's section," says Nooney. "They run a noisy, cavernous bookstore...

I have studied the U.S. Flag code for many years but the code itself is not complete and there is much room for interpretation and misunderstanding including which law enforcement agency is responsible for enforcing the U.S. Statues protecting the Flag.

Hi everyone, it's been awhile since we had a refresher course on the posting guidelines. We've had a lot of newbies sign up. Welcome Aboard! The more the merrier! And it doesn't hurt you longtimes to re-read this. As always, we're here to help. Ask questions, we'll do our best to answer. Are you ready maggot? SEARCH If it's a breaking news topic, check breaking news first, it's probably already posted. Check the breaking news sidebar first. Don't try to be the first one with the story, you've already been beaten by about eight threads. To avoid duplicate posts, please...

You and your iPod are just rude By NAHAL TOOSI, Associated Press Published May 20, 2006 The "Podheads'' are everywhere . . . in the mall, at the beach, in Starbucks. As the iPod phenomenon has grown (more than 50-million sold), we need to lay down the etiquette rules. * Take both earbuds off when we're having a conversation. This is about as basic as it gets. Paying partial attention to someone who's talking to you is about as good as paying no attention at all. * If people are tapping their feet along to your music, IT'S TOO LOUD!...

New Yorkers are known to throw things onto the field at Yankee Stadium when the Red Sox are in town. At times they boo their own mayor at parades. Some refuse to surrender their seats to pregnant women on the subway, while others cut in line and never apologize. But somehow a city whose residents have long been scorned for their churlish behavior is now being praised for adopting rules and laws that govern personal conduct, making New York an unlikely model for legislating courtesy and decorum. From tighter restrictions on sports fans and car alarms to a new $50...

New paint blocks out cell phone signals ROCHESTER, N.Y., March 1 (UPI) -- A Rochester, N.Y., company has developed paint that can switch between blocking cell phone signals and allowing them through. "You could use this in a concert hall, allowing cell phones to work before the concert and during breaks, but shutting them down during the performance," said Michael Riedlinger, president of NaturalNano. Using nanotechnology, particles of copper are inserted into nanotubes, which are ultra-tiny tubes that occur naturally in halloysite clay mined in Utah. Combined with a radio-filtering device that collects phone signals from outside a shielded space,...

AN Australian tourist has been charged with assault after telling a Texas woman to stop talking on her mobile phone at the movies. Pauline Clayton was enjoying a matinee screening of Brokeback Mountain in a Texas cinema when her day suddenly turned ugly. The former Sunshine Coast councillor said about halfway through the movie, a mobile phone started ringing nearby, a woman answered it and started talking. "I put one finger up to my mouth to shoosh her," Ms Clayton said. "She ignored me - I then leaned across and touched her with three or four fingers on the top...

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Dec. 17 (UPI) -- The National Association of Theater Owners wants the Federal Communications Commission to allow the blocking of cell phone signals in theaters. John Fithian, the president of the trade organization, told the Los Angeles Times theater owners "have to block rude behavior" as the industry tries to come up with ways to bring people back to the cinemas. Fithian said his group would petition the FCC for permission to block cell phone signals within movie theaters. Some theaters already have no cell phone policies and ask moviegoers to check their phones at the door,...

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Two teenagers stole and burned a rainbow-colored American flag representing gays and lesbians that was displayed outside a store, police said. The 17-year-old boys took the flag from outside of David Wade's culinary supply store, called Inner Chef, according to Bloomington police. Wade said the flag, called the "New Glory," shows that all Americans are welcome at his business. A witness saw the boys take the flag and took a picture of their license plate with a cell phone camera. Police later tracked the plate and questioned the boys, who said they burned the flag because they...

Business etiquette coach Barbara Pachter likes to tell the story of a financial executive who, dining with a potential client, licked his knife clean at the end of the meal. "It was a $30 million dollar lick," she said at a recent etiquette seminar in Goshen, New York, referring to the value of the deal the executive lost by offending the potential customer. Businesses are turning to etiquette training to boost their bottom line, according to the coaches who train employees on everything from shaking hands to buttering bread. Simply put, better-behaved employees are more valuable than brutish oafs, they...

Tiger Woods was playing No. 9 at Pinehurst, a 175-yard par 3. He hit his tee shot short, on the fringe. Putting through the fringe, he rolled his birdie attempt well past the hole. On his 12 to 15 foot par putt, he missed. He then DRAGGED his putter blade 5 feet down his line toward the hole, ragging the grass noticeably. After retrieving his ball, he made a half-hearted attempt to smooth the green, but the ruffling was still visible.

No national reaction to nose-blowingNorway's national soccer coach Åge Hareide has no intention of dropping controversial striker John Carew, who is now the focus of an investigation in Turkey, accused of blowing his nose on an opposing player.Carew has admitted to blowing, but not aiming. He has also claimed that photographs of the incident are manipulated, and display an unnatural amount of material being expelled toward an opponent, 19-year-old Turk Aytar Ac.Crew, currently at top Turkish club Besiktas, faces punitive action from the football federation there, where the incident has become a full-blown scandal.For the time being Norwegian football officials...

Funeral organist Isabel Ball, who usually plays Rock of Ages without percussion, was understandably surprised by the unexpected accompaniment of gunfire. After the smoke and the shooter had departed, Ball said her boss, Jerry Spears Jr., told her: "Isabel, if that ever happens again, you get down under the organ." "If there’s trouble, it’s going to come out then," the 88-year-old Valleyview organist said of final rites. Funerals often witness a convergence of grudges and guilt that spill out in the midst of keening and grief. "They’ve had to call the police to separate the family. They will fight right...

I just got an e-mail from a long-time member of Free Republic, gently chiding me for using the term "Free Republican" rather than the term 'FREEper.' No particular argument with anybody, but I am wondering why the slang term is acceptable, and the formal term is not. Of course, there are Free Republicans who are not members of the Republican Party (for the record, I am one of the most fervent members of the Republican Party one can hope to meet), but one generally assumes most on Free Republic make the distinction--that a Republican (a member of that political party)...

ZACHARY -- A program to teach etiquette and respect for others will begin this spring in the Zachary school system and eventually extend to parents and the business community. The Bank of Zachary is underwriting the cost of providing schools with the "Manners of the Heart" curriculum developed by Jill Rigby of Baton Rouge. "This is about building a foundation with our children," School Superintendent Warren Drake said during a gathering of school and city officials and business leaders Monday. Although the etiquette program is widely used in schools and other settings across the country, Zachary is the first community...

Here are some parameters for tipping valued-or not so valued-employees.

Bob Gay/The Dominion Post Showing the effects of wind and weather, this tattered and faded flag still flutters in the breeze at a grave site in East Oak Grove Cemetery. BY KATHY PLUM The Dominion Post KINGWOOD -- Americans love their flag, but many don't know how to display it, honor it or to dispose of it after it is retired. "We have skipped a couple generations where we have not taught" flag etiquette, said 1st Sgt. Rick Bloom, of the Preston High School JROTC. "We normally don't have to tell a cadet more than once what you have...

Yes, I'm a "Newbee". But I have been reading Free Republic for almost a year now. I recently started posting. I want to be a part of this Blog but don't want to do as so many Newbee's have done and not follow the rules. I think I have a grasp on HOW to post and WHERE to post. My question now is about some of the terms used. Hence: Bump,Ping..ect. Is there a list's of Free Republic...or ANY "Blog terminology" I can go to for these questions? Thanks.

It is unfortunate that civilisation has taken a firm position against the institution of public scratching. Apes do it, lions do it, squirrels do it with abandon. In this context, I am happy to report that the Indian Man, particularly the North Indian variety, has refused to submit to the arcane ways of civilisation and continues to scratch away at himself with some diligence. In his case, the scratching is localised in a part of the anatomy that occurs frequently in his conversation, often with reference to some close relatives. To the lay eye, there are three distinct ways of...

Nothing makes me madder than seeing the American Flag on the ground. Today I picked up my tenth car window flag up off of the street from being driven over by dirty tires. I don’t know much about protocol, but I do know that you NEVER let the Flag of the United States EVER touch the dirty ground. I remember when I was younger watching my older brother watch the TV Series Tour of Duty. My older brother was really into military and the Tour of Duty show and there’s one very serious thing that I learned from him is...

Don't mean to be rude? Read rules DAVE BARRY OK, here are the rules: 1. If there's a line, you get at the end of the line, and you wait your turn. 2. You own ONE place in the line. You do NOT have the right to invite friends to join you in the line. This is rude to the people behind you, who got there before your friends, and will now have to wait longer. If you want to be with your friends, you can join them at the back of the line. And, no, it's not enough to...

Miss Clarke, a teacher at a Christian school in northern Virginia, described the reaction from her students when she began teaching etiquette. “When we got to the section about table manners,” she said, “the students were completely perplexed. ‘People do that?’ they said to me.” She observed that etiquette at the dinner table and elsewhere is foreign to kids because they’re coming from homes where everyone’s on a different schedule and the families rarely sit down together for meals. Even in these Christian homes, there was no regular time and place to learn good manners. Judith Martin, also known as...

<p>Bullies and boors beware: Men behaving badly are getting their comeuppance from Emily Post's great-grandson.</p> <p>Peter Post has written a guide to the most vexing etiquette matters from the masculine world.</p> <p>"Essential Manners for Men: What to Do, When to Do It and Why" is meant to be a reasoned, succinct approach to manly manners and the benefits of civility.</p>

I had established the foundations of philosophically verifiable etiquette in the Public-Private Ethical Distinction, which is explicated in an essay of the same name. Etiquette is thoroughly grounded in rational egoism; it is a scientific classification of the instances and categories of action which are best for an individual to keep solely to himself or within a self-defined delimited circle of pertinent associates and which it is to his advantage to seek the cooperation and contribution of others toward. That former treatise had addressed with considerable specificity the alternative of withholding or disclosing and how profoundly it permeates all public...