The definition of pornography, and phenomenal food odors explained.
July 18, 2012
Straight from the Hip
Archived articles
Pornography in a Nutshell
Word Origins: "Blackmail," "Nothing to Sneeze At," and "Spitting Image"
Origins of “blackmail,” “nothing to sneeze at,” and “spitting image”...and whereabouts of the Del Mar Fair’s “Fairest of the Fair.”
July 4, 2012
Beijing Duck, Mumbai Gin, and Other Name Changes
Heymatt:Who made the decision that Peking should be called Beijing and that Bombay should be Mumbai? Will we eventually see Beijing duck on a menu, or Mumbai gin in the liquor store? I’m assuming someone …
June 27, 2012
Room to Swing a Cat, Found Marbles on O.B. Pier, Vanishing Arco Stations
“There’s not enough room here to swing a cat.” Who came up with that one? And what’s the story on the mysterious marbles of the Ocean Beach Pier? And why are all the Arco gas stations shutting down?
June 20, 2012
Local TV News is Non-News
Local TV news under the microscope after being declared “non-news” by a letter writer to Matthew Alice.
June 13, 2012
Can’t grow a meth plant. Killer tomatoes, however...
Can you grow a smokable crystal-meth plant by sprinkling the “devil’s dandruff” on an ordinary plant while it grows? Can you, can you?
June 6, 2012
Why the fat lady sings best; how to build a chocolate-covered cherry
Your Mattness: Why are opera singers fat? Maybe they’re not all fat, but some of the old school ones were whales, though they do sound better than whales. Is there some advantage to all that …
May 30, 2012
Chickens, Breasts, and Cancer: Discuss
Gross: Do chickens get breast cancer tumors? Grosser: Can you catch cancer from eating chicken breast tumors? New subject: how about that phantom electricity?
May 16, 2012
More Phone Numbers, More Problems
When your telephone rings at 3:30 a.m., it’s the phone company. They won’t say so, but it’s true.
May 9, 2012
How smart were we back in the Stone Age?
Birds, bees, cave-babies in the Stone Age. Also, answers pertaining to left-handedness and the so-called average American.
May 2, 2012
Where Ants Go When It Rains
Where do ants go when it rains? Can man and woman live on milk and potatoes alone? Why is Antarctica a continent, but the Arctic isn’t?
April 25, 2012