March 21,1997(Friday, 7a.m. to 3p.m.) ... and including, The Tale of the Palm (Act II): The Fiat is not to be seen when first I peek this morning, it remains in the driveway and the …

When she first visited my office, Joanne was Mary, and I was not surprised when she told me that not long before she had been Mark. She had a linebacker’s 5´10˝, 246-pound blocklike frame and …

Matmail: If a female ballet dancer is called a ballerina, what's a male ballet dancer called? I've always wondered. -- J. Sorensen, the Net I hope you have a new wonderment waiting offstage, because you …

Dear Mr. Alice: Why is it that when a TV commercial comes on, the volume is automatically raised to a seemingly ridiculous level? What is the network's position on this? Are there stations that will …

Dear Matthew: All the TV commentators made it abundantly clear that Nagano is pronounced NAG-a-no. In my Random House Unabridged, 1971 edition, the verdict: Na-GAN-o. Merriam-Webster dictionary on the Internet, the verdict: Na-GA-no. I have …

Larry Lawrence, the late owner of the Hotel del Coronado and Bill Clinton's one-time ambassador to Switzerland, achieved posthumous ignominy when it was revealed that his purported wartime service in the Merchant Marine was a …

My computer monitor lights up with a picture of a bare-chested, buffed-up, tattooed male, maybe 30 years old, with black hair and mustache. Alongside the photo is a headline announcing "Jeff Rendall's Personal Message to …

When La Jolla-based Copley Newspapers this past weekend suddenly shuttered the Santa Monica Outlook, the move set off rumors among staffers at the Union-Tribune. Ever since the San Diego Evening Tribune was merged with the …

Dear Matt: I got the enclosed editorial from the House of Onyx, which, incidentally, makes its profits from selling gems to well-heeled anti-government types. When I read it, I got a twinge of concern for …