Carl Pettit is a writer and editor with interests ranging from international relations and political humor to the arts and modern media.
Carl Pettit
10 Tips Guaranteed to Turn a Beginner Hunter into an All-Star Hunter
New to hunting? Then you've come to the right place. Every type of game and terrain requires a different strategy, and a different set of skills. There is an awful lot of knowledge and advice out there about this sport, and plenty of people who love to hunt. You
...
What’s the Real Story About Why We Flip Someone the Middle Finger?
We're not talking about giving someone a parakeet for his or her birthday. We're talking about flipping someone the bird, or the middle finger -- a time-honored insult that has been around for thousands of years.
Here’s a little more information about how this very telling gesture got started, in all its variations.
Aussie Olympian Might Have to Wear ‘Mankini,’ A La Borat, To London Games
A bet can be lots of fun, especially if you happen to come out on the wining side, but when you lose, the fun goes away awfully fast.
Perhaps that was what Russell Mark, an Australian Olympic gold medalist in shooting, was thinking when he made his particular wager.
What’s the Real Story Behind the History of Mother’s Day?
There seems to be a holiday for every member of the family these days, but none is probably more important than Mother’s Day.
What daughter or son would dare forget the woman who gave birth to them? With that in mind, here are a few historical tidbits about the origins of Mother’s Day.
Strange But True — It’s Illegal to Jump Off a Building in New York City
There are a lot of crazy laws out there that don’t make a lot of sense at first glance. One such law is a statute in New York against jumping off of a building more than 50 feet tall. And what's the penalty for such an infraction?
What’s the Real Story Behind the Phrase ‘Cutting Through the Red Tape’?
When you have to ‘cut through the red tape,’ it means your have to slog through lots of bureaucratic mud in order to achieve the goals you set out to achieve.
How did tape -- colored tape at that -- come to represent the headaches that mounds of paperwork, unpleasant clerks and by-the-book functionaries cause us when we’re trying to get something done?
The Real Story Behind Throwing Rice at Weddings
When a newly married couple exits a church, a synagogue, a courthouse or wherever they’ve just tied the knot, people often shower them with rice (not the sticky kind, of course). Most of us have seen this in the movies or in real life.
If you’re wondering how this grain-throwing tradition came about, don’t fret. We’re going to tell you.
The Real Story Behind the Merry-Go-Round
One of the first rides parents usually let kids enjoy by themselves is the gentle horse carousel, or merry-go-round. Carousels, which seem very safe and wholesome, have drawn families in for years. For many of us, they bring back fond childhood memories.
But how did they first come into our lives?
The Real Story Behind Zombies – Ant Zombies, That Is [VIDEO]
For fans of the AMC show ‘The Walking Dead,’ and everything having to do with zombies, take heart. Zombies really do exist in the natural world, and they’re a terrible menace -- to our little friends, the ants.
The Real Story Behind the Phrase ‘Break a Leg’
When you tell someone to "break a leg," you’re not referring to the literal sense, unless you secretly get the utmost satisfaction over watching that person fail. Breaking a leg hurts a lot, which makes it all the more curious as to why this particular phrase became associated with wishing someone good luck.