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Are you glad the Yankees won the World Series? Bob, Knoxville

Not especially. Growing up in Detroit, home of the Tigers, I was taught from a young age to dislike the Yankees. Back then, it was usually the Tigers and the Yankees battling it out for the pennant down the home stretch. The Yankees always won. The Tigers always choked. Some things never change. Plus I usually go see the Phillies in Spring Training down in Clearwater so I know them a little better. It was a good series.

You had a story on where you asked people for the cliches they hated most. What's yours? Sandra, Knoxville

I have several, as you might imagine. First there's the word "green", a word that's come to symbolize environmentalism. It's totally (another overused word) overused. And it's become a marketing tool for corporations that want to appear environmentally responsible. How many commercials have you seen using the phrase "we're going green!!!!!!!!!!!!" I just googled that phrase and got 826,000 reponses. And while I'm in a complaining mood, what's the deal with people who are being interviewed but end up interviewing themselves? "Do I think the economy is improving? Yes. Do I think it's where it ought to be? No. Are we doing everything we can? "Yes." etc. Does that person get on my nerves? Heck yes!!!

I'm seeing Christmas stuff all over the place. Is my calender slow? Jerry, Knoxville

You've noticed? I just went to www.lowes.com to look up a product and saw an elf peeking out from behind the logo and the words "Your Christmas Destination". At least they said "Christmas". As for the earlier and earlier start, I have mixed feelings. On the negative side, by the time the Christmas season really does get here, some of us are tired of it. On the plus side, shopping early for Christmas is good in that it frees up December to actually enjoy the season.

	ken i would love to have a dvd of all of your positively schwall shows. do you have plans to make one? bob , maryville
	That comes up every once in a while and we've considered it. But it ain't going to happen. The main reason is a shortage of space to store all the unsold copies. But thanks anyway.

Did I hear on one of your stories that Mountain Dew started in Knoxville? Kyle, Farragut

Yes you did. At least the soda pop version. The real stuff started in a much more rural part of East Tennessee. The stuff to which you refer began in Knoxville back in the 40's or 50's. It was a regional drink until going national in the early 60's. Now it's the fourth best selling soft drink in the country. A Mountan Dew knock off called Mellow Yellow is sold in several areas. I've noticed that MOUNTIAN DEW is now MTN DEW on the label. I guess that looks cooler to the younger demographic. Kind of like KFC.

Have you ever noticed those strange warning labels they put on products? My sister says she saw a warning on the box containing an iron that said "do not iron clothes on body". Joey, Maynardville

Blame the legal system. Manufacturers feel they have to cover their rears to avoid losing millions of dollars in a lawsuit. There's an organization by the name of Foundation for Fair Civil Justice that compiles lists of silly warning labels...labels they say represent a huge problem in America. This year's silliest was found on a portable toilet for hunters and other outdoorsmen. It attaches to your trailer hitch. The warning label says "not for use on moving vehicles"! The group's website is www.legalreforminthenews.com

If you could go see any singer or band you wanted, who would it be? Pam, Knoxville

That depends on if you mean just ones who are alive or "of all time". If it's "of all time" that would be the Beatles. One of my biggest regrets is giving away my two tickets to see the Beatles at Olympia Stadium in Detroit on September 6, 1964. I've kicked myself ever since. After seeing the newsreels of young girls screaming at the tops of their lungs at previous Beatle concerts, I decided not to put myself through that. Besides, my thought process went, in another year or two, no one would even remember the Beatles. Thanks for reminding me.

	I get a lot of emails that contain stories that I sometimes doubt whether they're true. How can I tell if something's true or just made up? Courtney, Maryville
	If it was taken from the pages of the New York Times, it was probably made up. Aide from that, there's alway www.snopes.com where they expose so-called Urban Legends. I would never pass along an email story without first checking with Snopes. I heard about one guy who did, and his head exploded the very next day!

	I keep hearing that Jay Leno's new show isn't doing well. I think he's hilarious, don't you? John, Halls
	He's on WBIR-TV so, yes!

	You're probably not going to dress up for Halloween...but if you were, what or who would it be? Fran, Vonore
	I know it's popular to dress up as a celebrity, but choosing one would be hard. I went through some catalogues and decided on a few I would NOT go as. They include Disgraced Investment Guru Bernie Madoff, Disgraced Governor Rod Blagojevich, Disgraced Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad...and David Letterman.

Do you think President Obama will get a health care bill passed? I don't think it's looking too good. Larry, Sweetwater

With the house bill nearly 2,000 pages long and the Senate bill probably near that, I have no idea how it's looking. And politics ain't my area of expertise. But my favorite line about health care reform comes from Conan O'Brien who said "President Obama says he will not support a health-care plan where the government gets to decide whether to, quote, 'pull the plug on Grandma'. Apparently, Obama's plan calls for the much quicker pillow option."

	I see that WBIR is asking people to name the best place to work in East Tennessee. Are you going to nominate WBIR? TIm, Sevierville
	It's a pity, but WBIR is disqualified from the competition due to a conflict of interest. However, were that not the case, I'm sure that WBIR would come in first...just ahead of the Knox County Workhouse.

It's seems to be pumpkin time again...I've passed several place that sell them by the hundreds. When did the pumpkin become part of Halloween? Henry, Dandridge

There are several theories about that. Apparently the Celts had a tradition going back centuries where they carved scary faces out of turnips for lanterns during their fall holiday. When the Irish moved to America and found Pumpkins, they figured they should turn away more evil spirits than those little turnips. So blame the Irish. By the way, this year's world record pumpkin weighed in at 1,725-pounds in Stark County, Ohio.

Do you feel Al Gore's global warming theory is a bit off, or is Al "a bit off"? Chris from Canastota, NY,

Now, now...is that really called for? Don't forget, Young Albert (as he was called back then) was one of our local congressmen back in the day. I found him to be a nice, friendly guy. But then he ascended onto the national stage...changed his rightward leanings to leftward leanings and the rest is history. As for Global Warming, according to a new Pew Research survey, fewer American voters think it's a big problem (35% as opposed to 44% last year). There seems to be a lot of evidence surfacing that puts the whole G-W deal in doubt. As for Mr. Gore, he may be "a bit off" but it's allowed him to become "a bit rich!"

	Who are you endorsing in the Knoxville City Council race? Rita, Knoxville
	No one. And for a couple of reasons. Mainly because my endorsement would be the kiss of death to a candidate. Any voter with any sense at all would view any candidate I support as suspect. So would I. Plus the fact that I don't live in Knoxville.

What's your favorite fast food? Sandra, Knoxville

That's a good question. And it's almost lunchtime, too. It all depends on where I am and whether I'm on a diet. My overall favorite fast food place is probably Chick-fil-A. That's because if you add up their cool billboards, food and pleasant customer service, it scores pretty much at the top. But just about every fast food place has something going for it. Taco Bell is filling and cheap. McDonalds has those great McDoubles, great fries and the best sweet tea this side of heaven. And I never met a Wendy's Double I didn't like. I love Philly Cheesesteaks so I go to Charley's Grilled Subs at West Town Mall. I'd list more, but I'm going to lunch. Somewhere.

	The story on the fudge lady stopped before I could get the address. Would you please send it to me? Evelynn , Clinton
	The place you're looking for is It's All About The Fudge, 6901 Asheville Highway. But for future reference, we put the names, addresses etc. of businesses we visit on our website somewhere in the vicinity of where you're reading this answer.

At what age do you think a teenager should have a cell phone? I keep asking my parents if i can get one and they keep saying no. Dana, Maryville

To answer your question...a teenager is old enough to have a cell phone when his or her parents say they can. The question of how old? is one that society is still struggling with. According to an MSN-Zogby poll, 47% say a kid should be in high school, 26% say middle school and 5% say fifth grade or even younger. However, 14% say a kid should be in college before carrying a cell phone. Normally, I'd say that no kid needs a cell phone, but you have to be realistic. These days, parents spend a lot of time "otherwise occupied" and not with their kids. And kids are a lot more mobile than they used to be. So parents want to at least be able to call and see how the kids are doing. But there should be limits...again, up to Mom and Dad. Things like texting, ting and running up huge phone bills complicate their decision.

	I recently saw a TV special about the best lines in the history of films. Mine is from "The Godfather"..."I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse". What's your's? Terry, Knoxville
	My favorite is from "O Brother Where Art Thou?". Tommy Johnson says "I had to be up at that there crossroads last midnight, to sell my soul to the devil." And Everett replies: "Well, ain't it a small world, spiritually speaking. Pete and Delmar just been baptized and saved. I guess I'm the only one that remains unaffiliated."

I can't remember, is coffee good for us now or bad for us. It seems to change all the time. Ron, Sevierville

I've spent a lot of time this morning researching the question. During that time, I've consumed just about a pot of coffee. (Right now, I'm typing at a rate of 200 words per minute.) I find that coffee get's mixed reviews. Seems it prevents some diseases but causes others. It's a source of antioxidants (good) and caffeine (good and bad). It appears that, like anything else, coffee in moderation is just fine. I did find one little tidbit of information that I should pass along. You should not give coffee to a parrot.