There is no more vile, despicable thing in nature than the man who runs from his demons. — Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad Some people wear everything on their sleeves, they’d run naked through a …

I explain about Frank Salazar and his position in the office up the hill. I say he gave me permission, but she says, “He can’t tell you that. You have to go through the whole tribal members.”

Wander into the hills of Carlsbad between 5:30 and 6:35 a.m. and you might encounter a legendary man walking through the streets. He's pigeon-toed, so he'll appear to be walking sideways, but his gait will …

Hey, Matt: What exactly is plasma? I don't mean the stuff that comes from our bodies, but the fourth state of matter. Cosmic stuff. The stuff that ex-X-man Havock shot out of his chest and …

Dear Matthew Alice: Why are the bases of some trees (mostly palm trees) painted white? — Michelle S., Chula Vista This mysterious arboreal graffiti actually has a practical purpose. In hot climates, white latex exterior …

Mexicali has changed a lot in recent years. No longer sleepy, it now has clubs, bars, and restaurants that feature live music with sophisticated lighting systems, wide-screen TVs, and satellite dishes. The last official census …

If you clip a cat's whiskers, will this cause a permanent loss, or will the stubs grow out again to their proper length? Or will each stub fall out and a new bristle grow in …

At lunch she is joined by her husband, Louis Welsh, whose parents, Frances and John Lloyd Wright (son of Frank Lloyd Wright), both now deceased, lived next door. Pat and Lou eat in the garden if it’s sunny.

Matthew Alice: As the mother of young children, I’ve always wondered, why do small children and infants sweat only on their scalps? — Sherry Valencia, San Diego Um, didja peek into the Dr. Dentons and …

Dear Matthew Alice: My friends and I have discovered we all have something in common: frequent anal itching. My roommate explained to me this was caused by bugs that could be seen if a piece …

Today in Mission Hills’ neighborhoods a few blocks north and south of Fort Stockton Drive, Sunset Boulevard, and Juan Street, alleys have a different feeling than straight alleys in Pacific Beach.

Dear Matthew Alice: I have a shirt that has a pocket on the left upper front that has a buttonhole and stitches down one side (top to bottom) about the width of a pencil. I’ve …

Pulling out a chair for Peggy, I notice there is a rank smell, and it’s coming from the kitchen. “I’ll be right back,” I mumble and roll over to the doorway. THERE’S A GREASE FIRE!

I’d heard the news by 9:00 a.m. Jerry Garcia had been found dead of natural causes at a rehab center in Marin. A former roommate who currently lives in L.A. had called me to gloat …

“The rich school district gets the best teachers. That has not changed. Except here on Coronado we had a rich district with a poor tax base and citizens too mean to raise them."

Dear Matthew Alice: A few years ago, some of our socially prominent La Jolla citizens were sent to the slammer for running a Ponzi scheme, which pays off early investors with money from new investors. …

Matt: Has surfing ever been or will it be an Olympic sport? — [email protected] Funny you should ask, mhfractal. Just this past April the International Olympic Committee gave provisional recognition to a spate of sports, …

Dear Matt: Exactly what is shock therapy, and does it work? If so, how? What is it supposed to fix? — Bill Hunt, [email protected] Shock therapy? Well, just last week we took Ma Alice to …

Walter Anderson, Jr., who runs the landmark Anderson Nursery on Pacific Coast Highway, said he remembers a photograph in the San Diego Union, circa 1970, of Teresa standing on Harbor Drive between a bulldozer and a palm.

SOME HORRORS CANNOT BE IMAGINED, and when told, barely comprehended. Only those who have lived with murders of the flesh and spirit or faced absolute evil can know the terror. Three San Diegans have such …

Dear Matt: Why does “the hair of the dog” theory work for hangovers, and where did the expression come from? — Dog-bit Don, El Paso, TX Howdy, stranger. Take that homespun theory to its logical …

Matthew Alice: When did we start using time zones, and before time had a phone number, how did we know what time it was? — Jamie, El Cajon Since 1883 the world has had 24 …

Dear Matthew Alice: Last weekend I went with my significant other to one of those night entertainment spots where they have quite a few of those "black,lights,” the ones that give off a purplish glow …

On the last night of her life, Jennifer Lea Evans didn’t want to leave the party. She was drawn to the good-looking Navy SEAL. So she told her girlfriends to go on while she stayed …

This is not precisely about music. Rather, it’s about a strange swamp our love of music seems to drag us into, the sticky question of our relationship with the rock star. “I wanna die wasted, …