http://www.cityweekly.net/utah/articles.sec-212-1-syndicated-columns.html By Roland Sweet

Curses, Foiled Again ttPolice summoned by a neighbor who suspected a burglary in an upstairs apartment in Hilton Head Island, S.C., arrested Isaac Talavera Jr., 25, whose getaway was slowed by having to call his mother to come pick him up and drive him...]]> By Cecil Adams

I’ve come across several references recently to the alleged fact that the introduction of federal automobile fuel efficiency standards in the United States has increased the number of automobile deaths. The only sources cited are “free-market”...]]> By Roland Sweet

Curses, Foiled Again ttFour men surrounded a man in a parking lot in Sumter, S.C., and threatened him with a poisonous snake. The victim was unharmed, however, because the attackers fled after the snake bit one of them, according to police Chief Patty...]]> By Cecil Adams

In Chinese restaurants I always see statues of Buddha with long earlobes. I sometimes ask the folks who work there what significance this has. So far, even the Buddhists (three now) have no idea. Do you? 'Eric Bottos, via e-mailnnLong ears are part of...]]> By Roland Sweet

Curses, Foiled Again ttWhen sheriff’s deputies stopped a man for speeding in Goliad, British Columbia, Canada, they pointed out that the name on his driver license didn’t match the name tattooed on his back. He produced another license with...]]> By Cecil Adams

You MICR, You Brought HernttWhy did banks settle on that very ’70s futuristic'and downright awful looking'font as the standard typeface for the routing and account numbers on checks? Is there something inherently superior about it? If so, why isn’t...]]> By Roland Sweet

Curses, Foiled Again ttWhen a man demanded $5,000 from a bank teller in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada, she informed him she could give him only $200 and that he’d have to pay a $5 transaction fee because he wasn’t a regular customer. He then...]]> By Cecil Adams

Everyone’s always talking about how great home-field advantage is in sports, but how important is it really? The mindless stats everyone repeats about how NFL teams with home-field advantage do better in the playoffs drive me crazy'the teams earned...]]> By Cecil Adams

I’ve seen history shows about the Salem witch trials and the accusing girls’ hysteria, but the narrative usually ends with the end of the trials. What happened to the accusers later? Did they recant or insist they told the truth? Were the...]]> By Roland Sweet

Curses, Foiled Again ttPolice identified Steven Clay Stephenson, 34, as the suspect they say tried to rob a convenience store in Inwood, W.Va., by covering his face with women’s blue panties and brandishing a pistol-shaped cigarette lighter. The...]]> By City Weekly Staff

Now that the Tribune has left for The Gateway and will no longer be fouling our air at Murphy’s or Monk’s, can you give them some heartfelt suggestions as to where they can now hang out or nosh?Ben Fulton: Everyone who’s ever ventured...]]> By Cecil Adams

I’m getting mixed signals on a story about the great Native American leader Geronimo. According to various references, his bones were stolen from his grave in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where he was a prisoner until his death. Some accounts claim they...]]> By Roland Sweet

Curses, Foiled Again Sheriff’s deputies in Yavapai County, Ariz., reported that a man who was housesitting for his father encountered an intruder standing naked in an upstairs room holding two rifles belonging to the homeowner. The man said that...]]> By Cecil Adams

I was reading a Wikipedia article about two-time Medal of Honor winners the other day, one of whom was General Smedley Butler. He claimed to have unmasked the “business plot,” also known as the “White House putsch,” a scheme to...]]> By Roland Sweet

Curses, Foiled Again Sheriff’s deputies in Lancaster County, Neb., had few leads in a rural home burglary until IBM called two weeks later to report that someone had called its toll-free technical-support number for help booting up a ThinkPad....]]> By Cecil Adams

Is it true the Mayflower landed at Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620 because the ship ran out of beer? I have been told that barrels of beer were the most voluminous and important item in the hold because water couldn’t stay drinkable on a ship for...]]> By Cecil Adams

With shows like Lost and Gilligan’s Island, movies like Cast Away and Swiss Family Robinson, and books like Robinson Crusoe, I’ve been wondering: Are there documented cases of a person or persons being shipwrecked on an uncharted, deserted...]]> By Roland Sweet

A police officer investigating a shoplifting at a supermarket in Stuart, Fla., recognized fugitive Ari Rayvon Stanberry, 22, who bolted and hid in the store’s freezer. By the time he was located, according to police Sgt. Marty Jacobson, “The...]]> By Cecil Adams

Why is it that ancient Greek and Roman paintings, sculptures, and other works of art depict males with such small genitalia? My first thought was that the artists wished to draw the viewer’s attention to other, more important, aspects of the work....]]> By Roland Sweet

More hospital operating rooms play music, and the person usually charged with choosing the tunes is the anesthesiologist. Dr. Doug Reinhart, an anesthesiologist in Ogden, Utah, surveyed 301 members of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, who mentioned...]]>