Matt: About 40+ years ago, the Uniform Code of Military Justice had Article 86 as the absence without permission. I remember asking where someone was and getting the answer, "He 86'd over the weekend." I …
November 22, 2000
Straight from the Hip
Archived articles
What does the slang term, "86'd" mean?
Is there a smell that repels bears?
Howdy, Matt and the Elves: I'm planning a trip to Yosemite and reading up on safety in bear country. Apparently the main reason bears encounter humans in the first place is because their sense of …
November 9, 2000
Why does every juice concentrate, except for grape juice, stay frozen until you get home from the store?
Dear Matt: Grape juice. When you buy frozen juice concentrates at a store they generally stay frozen until you get them home -- except for grape juice. Frozen grape juice concentrate frequently starts getting sloshy …
November 9, 2000
Why don't people get ill from eating liver, an organ full of poisons?
MA: I was enjoying a hefty helping of liver and onions the other day, and I began to wonder how people can safely eat that organ. I know the human liver filters out poisons from …
November 2, 2000
What is the deal with five and six legged spiders?
Dear Matthew Alice: What's the deal with all these five- and six-legged spiders in my house? I've been seeing them for years. -- Sue Beckman, Del Mar Greetings from the East Coast: ...where the ragweed …
November 2, 2000
What is in the building at the corner of Ash Street and Fourth Avenue?
Hey, Matt: At the corner of Ash Street and Fourth Avenue there is a strange-looking, Gothic-style building. I've never seen anyone go in or out. Over the front door it states "SDG&E." What goes on …
October 19, 2000
What's the deal with the house on the corner of Chateau and Verley in Clairemont?
Mr. Alice: In beautiful Clairemont, behind the DMV on Chateau Drive, there's a strange-looking triangular building at the corner of Verley Court. It's encircled by a fence and has security screen doors at either end. …
October 19, 2000
How does a house in Mission Valley still stand in office-building land?
Dear Matthew Alice: On my drive home, I pass by a house that's in a weird spot. It's a yellow house that sits between Camino del Rio South and Interstate 8, just east of where …
October 19, 2000
What is the deal with the name "Oliver" spelled out with white rocks off I-8, above Adobe Falls in Del Cerro?
Dear Matthew Alice: Off I-8, above Adobe Falls in Del Cerro, there is a house with an assortment of white rocks that spell out the name "Oliver." This landmark has been visible from the freeway …
October 19, 2000
Who owns the gigantic yellow biplane at Montgomery Field, and why is it there?
Hey, Matt: At Sandrock Road and Aero Drive, on the Montgomery Field light aircraft parking lot there stands a gigantic yellow biplane with a four-blade prop. It's big enough to carry maybe 15 passengers and …
October 19, 2000
How long will it take for the sugar in my hummingbird feeder to ferment?
MA of Reader: I was just looking at a hummingbird feeder outside my window, and I began to wonder if the sugar mixture would eventually begin to ferment. If so, how long would it take? …
October 5, 2000