Miss Manners would approve: A parent asks a family psychologist if it’s a good idea to add “please,” to an instruction to a child, such as “Please, pick up your toys.” John Rosemond says manners are important to model, but using “please” can confuse young children and make them think they have a choice.
But Uncle Buzz thinks you can be clear and polite at the same time. Try: “Please, pick up your toys. Now, dammit.”
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Must have lost our invitation in the mail: The guest list and seating chart for Friday’s royal wedding are set. Elton John, David Beckham and Joss Stone are in. President Obama, as a political head of state, is out. But of the 1,900 invited, about 1,000 will have only a limited view of the altar at Westminster Abbey.
But for those with an obstructed view, Westminster recently installed a Jumbotron screen for instant replays, even though clergy won’t be using it to review controversial calls.
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Don’t know much about history: On this day in 1507, German cartographer Martin Waldseemueller produced a world map showing the first known use of the term “America,” honoring Italian navigator Amerigo Vespucci.
Waldseemueller intended to use the name “Vespuccia,” but couldn’t remember if it was one “c” or two.
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