Tom Dwyer knows how to do a newsletter! When he assembled the staff for “Your Car Matters” he asked “Do you want to read about bugs from your exterminator every month? How long will you read an accountant’s newsletter if he only talks about depreciation?” We got the message. If we want to stay off your spam list (and we do!) then we’ve got to give you something you WANT to get every month! That’s why, along with monthly articles about your vehicle’s needs, we also cover politics, humor, health, sociology, books, ecology, economics, science, and more. There oughta be SOMETHING in here to interest EVERYONE! Don’t believe us? Then just click any of the pictures below for a sample of the most unique reporting available from any source on the planet.
The Funny Page
We’ll start you off with the FUNNY PAGE! It’s one long page, going back a couple years, full of jokes, memes, cartoons, and more. (Click here to check out the entire treasure trove of twitters!) If you’re in desperate need of a smile, something, somewhere on this page should make you happy. But let us direct you to two of our monthly Funnies that really set us apart…
“What NOW?!! Toons” by Keith Tucker
As far as we know, we’re the only automotive shop in the world with our own political cartoonist. An emmy-award-winning effects artist and cartoonist for decades, Keith has drawn most of the animated heroes you’ve loved since your youth. Now, he brings his slightly left-leaning pen to Your Car Matters every month.
“Word Around and Find Out” puzzles by Jen Rombach
We don’t just have our own political cartoonist, but we’re also the only automotive shop in the world with our own hand-cut-paper-word-puzzle artist! Jen Rombach’s one-of-a-kind puzzles combine word puzzles, hand-cut paper art, and a subtle sense of humor into a totally new type of brain stretcher. Skip the damn Wordle, check out Jen’s lush and charming puzzles (and their solutions) every month on the Funny Page!
Our Feature Articles
From the Crumple Zones that keep you safe to the Propaganda that puts you in danger, our Feature Articles run the gamut from sublime to ridiculous. We try to have one ‘automotive’ and one ‘non-automotive’ article each month, but sometimes we’ll drop a third one on you if there’s more to talk about. Whatever the subject, we try to bring you something that won’t waste your time. Click any one of the pix below to dive in!
Our Popcorn Shorts
We like to do deep dives into important subjects, but not every story takes a thousand words to understand. Sometimes directing you to the insights of others is the way to go. Our Popcorn Shorts run the gamut of just about everything, from weird stories to local events to internet info-munchies. Each month we bring you four things that caught our eye, and it seems to resonate… Popcorn Shorts is consistently one of our most-read columns!
Tom’s Tidbits
Tom’s Tidbits- There’s something I’d like to brag about…
Tom’s Tidbits- No, you don’t have to be a fraud to be in business
Tom’s Tidbits- YOU know when investigations should start. And when they should stop.
Tom’s Tidbits- To fight misinformation with information, we should narrow our focus
Tom’s Tidbits- Don’t do it because you should. Do it because you can.
Tom’s Tidbits- Portland Summer Fun
Tom’s Tidbits- Sellwood’s Summerville
Tom’s Tidbits- How To Seize Political Power
Tom’s Tidbits- We finally got what we wanted… what now?
Tom’s Tidbits- What happens after this election? I’ve made my decision.
Tom’s Tidbits- Will murderous ‘heroes’ bring us the healthcare we need?
Kyle’s Kitchen
Kyle’s Kitchen- Italian Chopped Brussels Sprouts Salad Kyle’s Kitchen- “Marry Me” Cheesy Chicken Tortellini
Kyle’s Kitchen- April Fools Day Chocolate Bunny
Kyle’s Kitchen- Angel hair pasta with spring veggies
Kyle’s Kitchen- Watermelon salad, and how to pick a good melon
Kyle’s Kitchen- Old Glory Fruit Pizza
Kyle’s Kitchen- Grilled Chicken Thighs with Peach and Cherry Salsa
Kyle’s Kitchen- Southwestern Chipotle Quiche
Kyle’s Kitchen- Roasted Merguez Sausage with Apples and Onions
Kyle’s Kitchen- Brain food for your Halloween
Kyle’s Kitchen- (Leftover) Turkey Noodle Casserole
Kyle’s Kitchen- 2-Ingredient Banana Pancakes
Shop Talk
Shop Talk- How much diagnostic time do Technicians need?
Shop Talk- When and how to check for recalls on your vehicle
Shop Talk- Why would we EVER post our Bad Reviews?
Shop Talk- Do you have senior or veteran discounts?
Shop Talk- Referral Reward is coming soon!
Shop Talk- Toyota eclipsed as most reliable auto maker
Book Spotlight
Book Spotlight- “Parable of the Sower” by Octavia Butler
Book Spotlight- Why reading books should be your priority
Book Spotlight- “Profiles In Ignorance”
Book Spotlight- Women Behind the Wheel: An Unexpected and Personal History of the Car
Book Spotlight- “The Discovery of Global Warming” by Spencer Weart
Book Spotlight- It’s not a book, but it’s about books… “Protecting the Most Benign Institution”
Book Spotlight- “The Confidence Game” by Maria Konnikova
Book Spotlight- Two books on the psychology of politics
Haunted Portland, Oregon: Ghost Hunting in the City of Roses
Book Spotlight- “We Are Free to Change The World” by Lyndsey Stonebridge
Book Spotlight- “Left Adrift” by Timothy Shenk
Health Notes
Health Notes- What’s the root cause of obesity?
Health Notes- Tai Chi lowers blood pressure more than cardio
Health Notes- Learning from Essential Oil fan fiction
Health Notes- Help for those who can’t sleep… and those who can.
Health Notes- What drinking diet soda does to your body and brain
Health Notes- What drinking diet soda does to your body and brain
Six easy ways to reduce the sugar and salt in your diet
Health Notes- How old is your body?
Your arm position skews blood pressure tests
Health Notes- Is it OK to keep reheating leftovers?
Health Notes- Transplanted pig kidneys offer hope for life without dialysis
