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An apparent argument over not saying “thank you” for opening the door of a Brooklyn smoke shop ended with a 37-year-old man fatally stabbed late Tuesday. It happened around 10:20 p.m. at Park Slope Convenience on 4th Avenue in Park Slope. “It was just about not saying ‘thank you’ for opening the door for him,” employee Kharef Alsaidi said as he reopened the bodega. Alsaidi said the victim opened the door for the suspect and then asked, “Why don’t you say, ‘Thank you for opening the door’?” The suspect responded, “I didn’t tell you to open the door for me.”...

Obama Is Gold Standard of Manners, Says Post April 06, 2010 05:11 PM ET | Paul Bedard | Permanent Link | Print By Paul Bedard, Washington Whispers President Obama might not be up to everybody's standards when it comes to his politics or policies, but you've got to agree, at least he conducts himself with style and grace. So says Anna Post, the great-great-granddaughter of the world's queen of etiquette, Emily Post. The younger Post, who is the spokesperson for the Emily Post Institute, says the president is not only a student of good manners, but should also be seen...

'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...

SAN DIEGO (UPI) -- A California psychologist says young people have become increasingly indifferent to the impression they make on others. Jean Twenge, the author of "Generation Me," teaches at San Diego State University. She gathered data from surveys taken between 1958 and 2001 by more than 40,000 youngsters. They featured questions aimed at whether the respondents always said "please" and "thank you" or were careful to dress appropriately. Twenge says that 76 percent of children aged 8 to 12 in 1999 were indifferent to social approval, up from 57 percent in 1970. Among those who were already in college...

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,...

For the past several months, fate has conspired to keep me away from the computer. I haven't posted nearly as much on FR as I used to. With the holidays, though, I've had an opportunity to catch up a bit. What I found on my return is a bit disconcerting. While there's always been an element here that refuses to reason and does little more than insult Democrats and RINOs, it seems that this mentality has taken over a large portion of our membership. I've encountered more shrill, radical nonsense in the past couple of days than I had in...

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