Shirley Starr has lived with fear for more than two years, ever since she looked into the eyes of a man she believes had just killed someone. In the summer of 1993, Starr, an active …
February 29, 1996
Thursday, February 29
San Diego packs heat
Robert White owns Rose Kennedy bathing suit but not JFK assassination suit
Matthew Alice: Who, specifically, was driving the car when JFK was assassinated? What was his name? What happened to the car? How about the items that were in JFK's pockets? And his suit? Just need …
February 29, 1996
How we infantilize our pets
Dear Matthew: Why do dogs cock their heads to the side when they are confused or intrigued? This is a serious question. A puppy did this to my wife recently when she spoke to him …
February 29, 1996
The anatomically grotesque 38-18-33 Barbie
Matt: If Barbie was a real person, what would her measurements be? — DJ, Del Mar Thirty-seven-year-old Barbie is still 5'6" tall, nearly 50 percent leg, and measures an anatomically grotesque 38-18-33, same as she …
February 29, 1996
John Updike's In the Beauty of the Lilies
"I took the wrong turn in New Jersey and got under the Pulaski Skyway instead of on it. I finally had to call Mr. Shawn from a pay phone to say I was going to be late."
February 29, 1996
Thursday, February 22
Janne Cafara stripped at the old Hollywood Theater (F Street and Third Avenue) for 18 years
“What was the first thing you took off?” “Your beautiful gown. Then you had what is called a panel, something like a little teddy, and then you took off your brassiere and knit pants. On …
February 22, 1996
Railroad tracks sticking up next to I-5 and Mission Bay
Dear Mr. Alice: When I was but a tyke, an observant friend pointed out a strange sight, one I always look for even to this day. We were heading south on 5, between 52 and …
February 22, 1996
The weight of helium
Dear Matt: Does an empty tank of helium weigh more than a full one? Tanks. — Vik, La Mesa Now that you’ve gotten that weighty question off your mind, is your head a little lighter? …
February 22, 1996
Thursday, February 15
Here at the Golden Palms nursing home
Six o’clock in the morning. “Help me! Help me!” "Hi, Miss Bue. Let me wipe your chin. What do you want? "I want to go home!” "You are home, dear." "No! I want to go …
February 15, 1996
The size of king-size beds changed after WWII
A queen-size bed is 60 inches wide by 80 inches long. A standard king-size bed is 78 inches wide by 80 inches long. You gain a whole foot and a half of stretch-out room. A …
February 15, 1996
Thursday, February 8
San Diegans married 50 years
The first lesson I learned in church was that a finger thins itself to hold a wedding ring, making a bed for the metal that slips back and forth all day, smooth and familiar and …
February 8, 1996
Friday, February 2
The Beat Farmers were hardy survivors
Yeah, it does seem like everybody has a Country Dick story to tell,” says Beat Farmers fan Chris Nilsen. “And they’re still telling them, will be for a long time. You’re right, it’d take a …
February 2, 1996
Thursday, February 1
Revolucion: Big Curio Store, Long Bar, Hotel Nelson, Foreign Club, Sara's, Maxim's, Caesar's Hotel, Jai Alai
Avenida Revolucion begins at the boundary of the United States and Mexico, at the junction with Avenida Internacional where, at rush hour, cars come racing around the corner onto Revolucion. At the very bottom of …
February 1, 1996
Nothing odd about a scream in a song called “Rollercoaster”
Oh One of Endless Knowledge: In a recent musical-intellectual discussion, it was brought to our attention by a colleague that in the song “Love Rollercoaster” by the Ohio Players there can be heard a blood-curdling …
February 1, 1996
Monty Python fans invented spamming
Matmail: Where did the term “spamming” come from? I assume it has something to do with the canned meat, but what? — Marika, San Diego “Spamming,” for you pencil-pushers, is the mass distribution of an …
February 1, 1996
The connection between bugs and jelly on toast
Dear Matthew Alice: Why is it that when I bomb my house for bugs, the dead ones are always on their backs? — J.A., La Mesa Those bombs attack the bugs’ nervous systems, and they …
February 1, 1996
Death by guillotine vs. electrocution or injection
Matt: If someone is executed by guillotine, would he retain consciousness for a short time after the blade fell? Would he see the basket rushing toward his face? Would he have a hell of a …
February 1, 1996
Anywhere you looked around Otay, Chula, National, you’d find charred vatos
As I drove through the small maze of ramps leading from 805 to Holy Cross Cemetery, I realized again how much San Diego has changed. On every corner of the intersection, facing every possible direction …
February 1, 1996