Ask Mr Smartypants Author:Lane Filler Call him Ceiling Fan Man. Call him Sticker-Shock Guy. Or even Ignacio Finkelstein, Roller-Rink King. Lane Filler, columnist for the Spartanburg Herald-Journal, is all this and more in his new Hub City book, Ask Mr. Smartypants. Filler is, quite simply, one of the funniest newspaper columnists writing in America today, a feat made more impressive... more » by the fact that he is not, strictly speaking, a humorist. He is also one of the most innovative political and philosophical thinkers around, a feat made more impressive by the fact that he injects mirth into nearly every topic, no matter how serious. When Filler addresses parenting or marital relations Man vs. Household the laughter comes fast and furious, but an insightful observation or a sobering reminder often lurks, as well camouflaged and as powerful as a knockout punch. By the same token, when Filler takes on a political giant or a sacred cow, he nearly always grants us a hint of humor to help make the medicine go down. And he is fearless. When a mass-marketed mouthwash begins turning his teeth black, Filler makes Crest go on the record explaining why. Readers will find it heart-stoppingly funny.« less