Tipping points

To get a good old-fashioned Thursday flame war warmed up, we could bring up one of the standard “controversial topics” — abortion, the existence/non-existence of God, libertarianism, Kirk/Picard, etc.

Or we could really stoke the fire by linking to this: “10 Handy Rules for Tipping,” by the L.A. Weekly’s Jonathan Gold (via Off the Kuff). Here’s Gold’s first rule:

Tip 20 percent. Every time. … the idea that a tip is optional, or variable, is a useful fiction, even when the soup goes tumbling into your lap. The owner gets to pretend her prices are lower, the busboy makes rent, and you get to feel like a philanthropist. A win-win for all.

This is going to sound like a joke from a 1978 Bob Hope special — “I tell ya, folks, there’s two big reasons you’re gonna love my next guest …” — but it’s not. Waking Up Now explains — with audio — why you should like Dolly Parton twice as much as you already do.

I’m pleased with the quality of my wireless service but not pleased with the cost of it. Those are my main considerations in evaluating that service. It hadn’t occurred to me to ask if they really, truly love me. Consumerist reports: “Sprint loves you, kinda creeps you out.”

My favorite new blog name: “Have You Heard the One About the Gay Jew in the Trailer Park?”

Wajahat Ali cautions non-Muslims like myself not to put too much stock in “the usual Ramadan Wikipedia” blog posts. The holy month, he writes, is more about striving to achieve “A Ramadan State of Mind” — well, that and some “bomb-ass iftars.”