Buzzing outside the box

America loves business, and business loves buzzwords.

These days, with the Internet economy booming right along, new words buzz their way into the language every day. Even people who have no connection with dot-coms find themselves spewing the geekspeak of computers…

Eating meeting

Child-rearing experts tell us it’s important that families share meals.

Dinnertime should be a ritual, they say, a time for gathering together, sharing school news, discussing current events. A time of glowing cheeks and hot food and table settings worthy of…

Hello? Who’s calling?

First call of the day:

“Hello, Mr. Brauer?”

“That’s Brewer.”

“Hello, Mr. Brewer. My name’s Mindy. You can consolidate all your bills into one monthly payment–”

“Sorry, Mindy, I’m not interested. Thanks, anyway. Bye.”

Third call of the day:

“Mr. Browner?”

“Brewer.”

“Hi, my name’s Pat, and I…