Oh wise one: Why does Disney kill off one or both of the main character's parents? Or a parent is presumed dead/missing at the beginning of every story? Snow White's mom is dead, dad marries …

Hey Matt: I always look for the biggest eggs I can buy in the store. I was wondering, with all the turkeys raised to feed our once-a-year habit, why don't poultry producers make turkey eggs …

Okay, Matt: Everyone has heard those incredible stories where someone's pet cat or dog wanders 3000 miles to find their home again, but I discovered something fascinating right here in Clairemont. Not liking to crush …

Heymatt: Why is it that I can balance myself on a bicycle when it's moving, but I can't when it's stopped. When you think about it, that doesn't make sense. Or does it? -- Bikeman, …

Mattdog: As a starving student, I always hate withdrawing money from the ATM because I hardly ever need the entire $20 but feel compelled to spend it anyway. Any reason as to why ATMs only …

Hey Matt: I went up to Mammoth a few weeks ago and experienced the same thing I and most everyone I go up there with have experienced every time we go. We call it the …

Heymatt: How do I get to be a member of the electoral college? -- Smokeless, the net Good SATs and four years of glee club? No�let's try a $2000 suit, $500 shoes. Plenty of friends …

Mattski: My impeccably mannered girlfriend from the Far East has one flaw, and it's a doozy. A matter-of-fact throat-clearing operation that punishes like a stealth fighter hitting a cheap window. My nerves being that cheap …

MATT!!! We work at Ogden's Dry Cleaners. We spend most of our day cutting things out of the Reader and doing crossword puzzles. We have been very disturbed by this question for a while. We …

MA of Reader: I just got a phone with caller ID. About once a week I get a call from (999) 999-9999. That number never leaves a message, and once when I picked it up, …

Heymatt: Is there a law against owners dumping their dog's waste in other people's trash cans? Most evenings one of my cats gets chased down the street by a dog, while its owner looks on, …

Hey Matt: This morning I walked out my front door to go to work and I nearly walked into a three-foot-diameter web with a big ugly spider in the middle of it. Somehow this spider …

Mattie: Why in cartoons do you always see an outhouse with a crescent moon cut in the door? -- Gotta Go, San Diego Well, maybe because there were actual outhouses with crescent moons cut in …

Matt: I recently (like two weeks ago) stated surfing and ended up swallowing a lot of "red tide" water... not that it will keep me from the surf, is it very harmful? I'm fine today …

Hi Matt: Can you explain how they make marshmallows? -- Pat Paul R., the net Oh, of course I can. Did you even have to ask? They melt sugar, then they blow it up. Then …

Hey Matt: I watch CBS News real early in the morning Monday through Friday. Every morning at exactly 4:28a.m., whatever news story is on gets cut off and a commercial plays. Its been bugging me …

Mr. Alice: Are there really dead bodies permanently resting in the concrete of Hoover dam? It is said that workers fell into the wet concrete and couldn't be rescued, so they are still there today. …

Dear Matt: Name the five most outrageous popular misconceptions that we Americans hold as self-evident truths. -- Mark Schimming, Oceanside Umm, well, there are people buried in concrete in Hoover Dam. That's a start. And …

Heymatt: Why is it when I open the little paper package that Breathe Right strips come in they give off a bright fluorescent light? They are packaged similarly to the kind of adhesive bandage that …

Heymatt: One of my family members is running for a school board seat. Why is such a group called a "board"? Is it political? Social? -- PWaggen, the net No, it's furniture. The board in …

Greetings Matt Honey. What's up with it? Nearly every container of it I've bought over the years has turned into a crystallized, difficult-to-use mess. Why does the sugar tend to crystallize out of solution? My …

Matt: I bought one of those wireless doorbells for my home a few days ago. A neighbor three houses down apparently bought one too, and whenever someone rings their doorbell, mine rings. Last week a …

Hello, Matt: My H disappeared off the trunk lid of my '93 Honda Civic coupe. All that's left are two small holes and some black rubber seal where my beloved H used to reside. Was …

Heymatt: If Gray Davis is recalled and Cruz Bustamante wins the election, could Bustamante appoint Gray Davis as Lt. Governor? Then could Bustamante resign and make Gray Davis governor again? Wouldn't that be a nice …

Yo Matt! What does it take for a state to secede from the US of A? I've been told that there is no constitutional requirement for a state not to secede, and it seems to …

Dear M.A.: I recently heard that flamingos are pink because they eat shrimp as their main diet. But shrimp are only pink after they're cooked. Who cooks shrimp for flamingos? Sounds sketchy to me. -- …

Heymatt: Walkie-talkies have a range of up to five miles, but cordless phones have a range of only up to about 100 yards. Why can't those geniuses at the big electronics companies figure out how …

Earthling: I was wondering why they don't use normal handguns in space movies instead of fancy ray guns. Would a handgun fire in a vacuum? If you fired it on the moon, say, would the …

Mr. M.A.: Where the heck did the phrase "going to hell in a handbasket" come from? It's bad for business. -- Handbasket Makers of America The original place people were inclined to go in a …

To Whom It May Concern: Why can the smell of popped popcorn be smelled farther away than any other food? Is there a fact behind this question, or is it just a phenomenon? -- JS, …

Dear Matthew: Why do dogs cock their heads to the side when they are confused or intrigued? This is a serious question. A puppy did this to my wife recently when she spoke to him …

Hey, Einstein: Why do I have three buttons on the sleeves of my sports jacket but don't have three buttonholes or any possible reason to want three buttons on my jacket sleeves? Let's see you …

Matthew: Why do we always turn the pillow to the cool side? -- Snoozer, the net Sorry, Snoozer. That's not the name you signed. We put your question under our pillow to see if the …

Matt: Can you tell me why people get into the 10-item-or-less line in the grocery store, right under the big sign, the one that says "No Checks," then put their 15 items on the counter …

Hey Matt: I remember reading somewhere that primitive people didn't have as many names for colors as we have today. Was everything I olden times less colorful than it is today? -- M. Cook, elsewhere …

Dear Matthew Alice: Say I trap a fly in my car when I go down the highway going 70 miles an hour. Why doesn't the fly get smashed against the back window, assuming flies can't …

Hey Matt: The Mission Hills residential area south of Washington to about Chalmers or Vine is sometimes referred to as "Five Points." Is Five Points technically part of Mission Hills or just an informal name …

Mighty Matt: We have an election coming up. Which gets me to wondering, can felons vote in California? — Good Citizen, Vista When was the last time you saw a candidate detour the campaign bus …

Hey Matt: When I lived in Northern California there was never a problem with people swimming in the lakes and reservoirs, but down here I find that it's illegal to swim in our lakes and …

Hey Matty: Why does my dog lick my face? It is because she loves me, or does she just love the salt and oil on my face? Does she do it because she just licked …

Red means stop. Green means go. Why? Why? Why? -- L., Leucadia You'd prefer maybe a nice Navajo white and, say, maybe a deep mauve? Spare us designer traffic lights, please. If you want the …

My man, Matt: Is there a phobia named for fear of going to the bathroom in public? -- Mr. Zip-it, the net Jeez, not even the French pee in public anymore, Zip. Pissoir phobia's what …

Dear Matthew: I recently saw a documentary about kangaroos. When they're first born, they're very tiny and they crawl into the mother's pouch to drink milk and grow. They said the baby spends about six …

Heymatt: Do you know about funny noises? Whenever I get on the I-8 in Mission Valley, my car is much quieter. Why is that? -- Robert Frantz, the net Perhaps your car is tiptoeing through …

Dear Matthew: Could you please tell us if the huge, thick, gray, billowing clouds of smoke that seem to be two to three miles from Interstate 8, between Seeley and El Centro, are set on …

Hey Matt: Where did the giant turd go? I used to enjoy including Scripps Clinic on local sightseeing tours. What work of public "art" can possibly take the place of this goofy installation? -- Bob …

Matt: Where did the term "hog heaven" come from? I have heard that it has to do with breeding pigs, that when the hog reaches sexual bliss, it lasts for several minutes. Can you clarify? …

Dear Ma: I recently took an online traffic school course. Is it true that newer vehicles must have their lights on in the daytime? And our local recycling guy objects to my bare feet. He …

Matt: Some ladies I work with have been discussing which bra straps give the best support. Some say regular, some say racerback. Can you help? I know which I prefer… -- A Guy in the …

Matt: Lizards aren't bodybuilders. Why do they do so many pushups? -- Greg G, San Diego They're yelling, "Hey, look at me! I'm big and tough and if you don't get out of my territory, …