Three members of the Hempfield Area School Board in Pennsylvania are in hot water for spending more than $9000 of school district funds on a junket to the National School Boards Association convention in San …
May 20, 2009
North America
Lap of luxury
Half Pennies, Finger Muscles, Foot the Bill
Hey, Matt: Is it true that there used to be half pennies? If so, who was the president on that coin? — Jay, via email Yeah, I guess a half penny seems sorta useless in …
March 18, 2009
Be There!
The Box takes next week off, so regard this column as your March Madness early-bird primer. Clip and save. The 2009 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament goes off on March 17 with games scheduled …
March 11, 2009
Green money
Leaders of those two local environmental groups who just cut a deal with San Diego mayor Jerry Sanders not to oppose a sought-after waiver of federal sewage-treatment requirements are making pretty decent money. According to …
January 28, 2009
At Last
Deep in the fourth quarter, when Donovan McNabb reared back and threw his fourth consecutive incomplete pass, things turned suicidal at NBC headquarters in Manhattan. The hideous stomach-dumping nightmare had become fact. To wit: the …
January 21, 2009
Pittsburgh
The Chargers play Pittsburgh on Sunday at their place, Heinz Field. The way San Diego has been playing lately, taking six points is tempting. I was born in Pittsburgh, Mercy Hospital, at 3:06 in the …
January 7, 2009
Hedonistic
The line, maybe 400 people long, ran back along Seventh Avenue from the entrance to the Hillcrest Whole Foods. An unusual sight for a winemaker bottle-signing, which made sense, because it was an unusual winemaker …
House Money
Gentlemen, please remove your hats. For the first time in Sporting Box history, I am pleased to offer congratulations to the A-R-I-Z-O-N-A C-A-R-D-I-N-A-L-S. Funny how that name rolls awkwardly off the tongue, making a strange, …
December 10, 2008
Spanish slang expert grew up near Avenida Revolucion
Spanish slang connoisseur Roxana Fitch grew up in Tijuana, birthplace of some of the most distinctive slang words — or jergas — in the entire Spanish-speaking world. The proximity of Tijuana, and of Mexico's entire …
August 6, 2008
I'onte Mut Know
I’m originally from Birmingham, Alabama, and all my slang is dirty South. “I’onte mut know,” is something that you say if you don’t know an answer. Like if someone asks you if you’re going to …
Volaris, Avolar, Alma de México take over flights from TIjuana
Every year, my mother-in-law stays with us for a month or two when the weather in her home state of Connecticut is at its coldest and wildest. During this last visit she decided to go …
April 23, 2008
Surreal Estate
A typical conversation went like this: “Excuse me, do you offer home mortgages?” “Well, yes.” She seems startled. “What sort of customers borrow from your bank?” “People who have no other choice.” On April 25, …
March 21, 2008
Melinda in Greenville, Ohio
Moving Day Dear Noah, You found out today that the girls next door are moving. You are very upset about this. You told me you would have to say goodbye to them forever, all the …
November 15, 2007
Junky's Wife in Charlotte, North Carolina
Ramen Mmmmm. Poverty food. Tonight's dinner will be Ramen, that freeze-dried Eastern delicacy, flavor "Oriental." I will transport myself into the mystical realm of the ancient Orient, enjoying the delights of potassium carbonate, tocopherols and/or …
September 27, 2007
Junky's Wife in Charlotte, North Carolina
Why I don't leave When our eyes met, I felt that I was growing pale. A curious sensation of terror came over me. I knew that I had come face to face with someone whose …
September 20, 2007