According to Heloise, when moving to a new home, it’s best to introduce cats to one room at a time.

The character Ben Grimm — otherwise known as the Thing (of Fantastic Four comic book fame) — is Jewish, and artist Jack Kirby once drew him with a yarmulke and prayer shawl.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology is developing a new atomic clock that will measure a Mercury ion that cycles one quadrillion times a second.

Italy’s Prime Minister, Silvio Berlusconi, is a botanical buff.

Doing the tarantella used to be a privilege reserved only for Mafia godfathers.

Happy 14th birthday to me! Mr. Smarty Pants Knows has appeared weekly in The Austin Chronicle since Sept. 23, 1988.

This article appears in September 20 • 2002.

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