Book excerpt: A witty, sophisticated guide to the new principles of modern social behavior, by a psychologist and popular alternative-etiquette-and-ethics guru This is no rule book about forks and calling cards. As a child, Robin Abrahams was bitterly disappointed when her parents forced her to have a lemonade stand rather than a booth for dispensing advice. In Miss Conduct's Mind over Manners, Abrahams, now a psychologist and the popular "Miss Conduct" columnist for The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine, tackles the perplexing social dilemmas of our time: - Is it polite to say "Bless you" to a sneezing atheist? - Should a foreign person's name be pronounced in his native accent? - Does knitting at a meeting display a lack of attention or superior multitasking? - Can a restaurant these days still be so fancy that you cannot request a doggie bag with dignity? - What's a nice vegetarian to do if Gypsies give her bread smeared with lard? Bringing to bear the insights of psychology, Abrahams outlines eight steps to more graceful living that can be applied to uncertain situations-and for handling the inevitable mistakes-involving food, religion, children, pets, health, sex, money, and more. With humor, compassion, and gusto, Miss Conduct's Mind over Manners delivers thoughtful and thought-provoking advice for everyone navigating the complex world of modern human interaction.