Websites with Auto-Run Video are FAIL!

There's something to be said about rich content.  

Vids of Will Ferrell getting yelled at by his pint-sized landlord?  Yes please!  

YouTube creations splicing together the best of Family Guy's Quagmire?  Awesometastic.

But we could really give a flying flick about your in-house pundit spewing their perspective unbidden.  

That's what the "Play" button is for.  So's we can choose to play.  Y'know...if we want to.  Just don't make that decision for us.  That's just plain rude.

Editor's Note: We're lookin' at you, ESPN Fantasy Football - stop busting us out at work!  We're down for some Matthew Berry / Starfania Bell commentary as much as the next guy, but not when the boss is within earshot, dammit!

Politically Incorrect: the "September Madness" Current Events Bracket!

This was far too funny to pass up.  Well, funny with a side of sad really.  But funny nonetheless!

(too large to post in its entirety and still be readable, so bear with the split-bracket action...)

Voicemail Faux Pas: Identify Yourself!

"Hey it's me...call me back!"

FYI for all the me's out there: there are quite a few of you so do us a favor and identify your freakin' self!

Unless:

1. You're a significant other
2. You're a family member / best friend we grew up with
3. You have a voice so unique you're immediately identifiable...

...don't assume we know you by voice alone! Sorry. Maybe we're just not that into you. Or maybe we just don't know your hangover gutterals that well. Perhaps we simply don't speak fluent Klingon.

Whatever the case, you probably don't realize you're doing it so - fair warning - leave more than a clue about who you are and you'll stand a much better chance of receiving communication in kind.

If you should choose not to heed said warning and insist upon leaving quizzical messages replete with "hit me back"'s and "call me"'s, you hereby forfeit any and all claim to anger / frustration / attitude toward unrequited correspondence.

DO:

Call your favorite pal, colleague, lover etc and whisper sweet nothings into their messaging system.

DO NOT:

Whisper a sweet nothing about who the hell you are!

*Special thanks to the always-hilarious Jenna McCarthy on this one - speak the Truth, sista! When does that book drop again?? ;^)

Zoiks! Like, which asshole didn't leave his name this time, Scoob?

Chivalry: Little Old Lady at the Bus Stop

Chivalry Lives, folks. Classic example witnessed just today in downtown Chicago:

There was an old lady who walked in big shoes.
With many a bunion, knew not what to do.
Approaching the bus stop walker in-hand,
Barred from passage by a crowd and a man.

While others brushed past, little thought to the hag,
Our hero did pause and offered-hold of her bag.
Groceries packed too large full of cans and cat food
Yet finding her eeking along in bright mood.

In a world of "me-first," "my turn" and "it's mine"
Young squire did'st transport her back to old times
With a wink and a smile and polite courtesy
A gentleman, sure, made the day of this little lady.

New Section: Chivalry Lives

Urban Etiquette is proud to present a new section dedicated to those citizen knights who go out of their way to make everyday life that much easier and more enjoyable for all:

Chivalry Lives

These people understand the weight of a simple gesture and relate to the fact that they are not the only ones who matter. Here, in this space, you are no less than gods.

To the Metropolitan-Mannered, the City Citizens, the Courteous Cosmopolite:

We Salute You!

Twitter Etiquette 101: The Re-Tweet

I'd say half the people I know are hip to the Twitter. Although the other half of you still haven't caught the Twitter-bug, there are some things you should know about how it works.

That's why I started a new blog over at:

http://twitterbeginners.blogspot.com/

If you're new to Twitter or just want to know more about how to optimize / expand / use it (or how NOT to use it!), feel free to check it out!

Example:

Twitter Etiquette 101: The Re-Tweet

Go ahead and post a twitter entry that you found on someone else's page...but give credit where credit is due! Click here for the low-down so's you don't catch the smack-down.

Unrelated: Brett Favre vs. Green Bay Packers

Selfish. Whiner. Cry-baby. Waffler. Trouble-maker.

These are a few of the adjectives being applied to Brett Favre by the blogosphere, message boards and Twitter-topia.

In case you don't follow, the Green Bay Packers' hall-of-fame-bound quarterback retired last March, but recently decided he wants to play after all. Whether or not that will be with the Pack, elsewhere, or at all remains to be seen.

But although this site is far from a sports blog in any sense, I couldn't help but make a single point that I think is being overlooked by the critics out there - both media & sports fan alike:

Brett Favre has earned the right to negotiate whatever he deems to be a fair shake out of an organization whose heritage he has not only embraced, but furthered into the halls of football legend.

To those of you who insist that Favre is a whiner:

Shut your hole and step aside as a living NFL legend works out a well-earned deal. I'm tired of hearing people berate Favre for politicking for the first time in...how many consecutive starts??

Whether you like him or not, Favre has never been a whiner. He's never made waves for personal gain. He has demonstrated, time and again, a sheer grit and determination that is largely devoid in professional sports - a fact that neither fans nor detractors can refute.

Case-in-point: this unique perspective from ArmsDistance on Favre's iconic connection to Chicago.

And as the unequivocal leader of the Green Bay Packers through 16 years and 253 consecutive starts, Favre continues to play with the passion and enthusiasm of the recess playground and the professionalism of a true sportsman.



There is no "maneuvering" involved here. He doesn't have a damned thing to prove that he hasn't already given in years of dedication - quite literally - blood, sweat and tears.

Get off the guy's back. You critics couldn't hang there even if you tried.