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February 13, 2012
Binyamin Rose: Back to the Bunker: How a life-risking act by a Christian family during the Holocaust saved a family and built a thriving community a world away
Menachem Wecker: Business Schools Teach Real Estate Despite Troubled Housing Market
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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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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