Dear Matthew Alice: What causes the “black holes" of radio reception at the international border (Tijuana-San Ysidro) and on top of Mt. Soledad? I travel frequently to both places, and my radio goes berserk every …

Dear Matthew Alice: As someone who has always lived in the city, I was ill equipped to answer the following agricultural questions my teenager asked after he looked at an orange juice container. First, what …

Dear Matt: Let’s say you bought a lottery ticket. You, like me and thousands of fools, forget to check if you’re a winner. Days pass to weeks and months have gone by. Because you never …

Dear Matt, My question is about killer bees. If these bees came from Africa originally, why is it we never heard about thousands of Africans being killed by them before they got over here? It …

Dear Matthew Alice: Why do Disney characters such as Mickey Mouse, Pluto, Goofy, and Chip ’n Dale have only three fingers instead of four? I know Donald Duck has a wing, so that can be …

Dear Matthew Alice: There is a phenomenon that is occurring in our freezer at work that cannot be explained, at least not by us. When we fill the ice tray with water, within hours tiny …

Matt: I was contemplating my parakeet the other day at the same time my wife was cooking something very aromatic. And it occurred to me, can birds smell? I've never seen Woody sniff his dish …

Matthew Alice: Always did want to have my own railroad car. An old sucker with red velvet upholstery, Tiffany lamps, etc. I see where I can buy a caboose for around $4000. Does Amtrak allow …

Dear Matthew Alice:How come some people are ticklish and others aren't? My boyfriend claims it is simply mind over matter. If so, am I mentally weak for being ticklish? — S.J., Chula Vista Maybe mentally …

Dear Matthew Alice: Why does my dog have a tendency to bury his bones? Do they like to bury all bones or just certain types? Do all dogs do this? — S. Benson, San Diego …

Dear Matthew Alice: How exactly does the gas helium make the pitch of your voice change? — Dave R., San Diego That intriguing cartoon character effect isn’t caused by any strange workings of helium on …

Dear Matthew: My friend tells me that he read that scientists can figure out from somebody's spit whether or not a person is likely to be a criminal when they grow up. I think he's …

Dear Matt: Somewhere I seem to have heard that sneakers tied together and thrown over telephone lines have some kind of meaning. Has something to do with drugs, but nobody I've talked to is quite …

Mighty Matt:I've seen her name mentioned in an issue of the Reader a few weeks ago. Matt Groening has also mentioned her name in the first issue of "Simpson Comics." Last week I saw her …

To His Royal Mattjesty: PhDs, MDs, ODs, DCs, etc., are all customarily referred to as "Doctor." Why aren't JDs? After all, a D is a D, isn’t if? — David A. Pomerantz, MA, BA, AS, …

Dear M.A.: Why do staplers have two settings on the base plate for the direction in which the staple bends? Everyone (I know of) uses the setting that bends the staple inward. What is the …

Dear Matthew Alice: I recently rode a San Diego municipal bus, which was a loathsome and hideous experience. While riding, I noticed a sign that listed activities that are prohibited by law. The sign stated …

Dear Matthew Alice: Why does a newspaper tear straight vertically, but not horizontally? Also, why do the tongues of tennis shoes always slip over to the outer side of the shoes when you wear them? …

Dear Matthew Alice, Why is it, when people can't answer a question, they reflexively scratch their heads, as if it helps them think? Can scratching your head really improve your ability to answer any simple …

Dear Matthew Alice, When the tide goes out, where does it go? — Jennifer in P.B. You were expecting maybe the movies? Dancing? Well, strictly speaking the tide doesn’t go in and out so much …

Dear Matthew Alice: On a bottle of Heinz ketchup it says there are “57 varieties.” What are the other 56? — Dave R., San Diego I can only hope that Matthew Alice doesn’t have to …

Dear M.A. and His Research Slaves: Why is it that you can't buy the magazine National Geographic in any stores? How much do you think one of my mother-in-law’s old National Geographics from the '60s …

I’ve just returned from a vacation in the Bahamas. After almost killing myself and my girlfriend while driving, I began to wonder why there and in England, etc., the steering wheel is on the right …

Dear Matthew Alice: I have a question all the way from the shores of Lake Erie: What is the largest body of fresh water on the planet? — Bill Gordon, Cleveland, OH Trying to trip …

Dear Matthew Alice: Please settle a bet between my friends and I. Which actor has made the most movies in their career, John Wayne or Clint Eastwood? And which actor or actress has made the …

Dear Sir. I always felt a sense of pride that, of all the words for excrement in all the world’s languages, it was the Spanish word caca that had come to transcend language barriers and …

Dear Matthew: Here’s a question that I have considered since high school, have done extensive research on, have asked law enforcement officers about, and have received many different answers to. Is it illegal to possess …

Salaam to thee, O Enlightened One! A while ago, a friend of mine, an interior decorator, was hired to redo a living room for a semiinvalid lady who was living alone. The drapes in the …

Dear Matthew Alice: My roommate claims that some 75 percent of household dust is made up of dander — tiny flakes of dead human skin. I say that household dust is at least 90 percent …

Dear Answer Person: If a weather forecaster says there is a 10 percent chance of rain today, 20 percent tonight, and 30 percent tomorrow, what happens if it rains early today? Does it stay 20 …

Dear Matthew Alice: My Siamese cat discovered a healthy catnip plant in my patio last week. Now every night when I come home from work he is waiting by the patio door. When I let …

Dear Matthew Alice: Why do scarecrows scare crows? — Michelle, Sarah, and Corrie, East San Diego When the first humanoid stuck the first seed in the ground and waited for it to sprout, somewhere in …

Dear Matthew Alice: Why don't fish have eyelids? — D.D., El Paso, TX Well, we've got ’em to help keep our eyeballs moist. Fish certainly don’t have that problem. They don’t sleep the same way …

Oh Supreme Purveyor of Knowledge: Is sea level the same all over the world, or is the actual elevation different in some areas? — YUG, Clairemont Truth be known, the ocean is as lumpy as …

Dear Matthew Alice: Why does my husband twitch so much when he's falling asleep? It drives me crazy because it wakes me up and then I’m insomniacal! (Is that a word? It sounds pretty good.) …

Dear Matthew Alice: What does the law say regarding nonalcoholic beer and wine? Is it legal to drink it while driving? Is a license required to sell it? Can it be purchased and consumed by …

Dearest Matthew Alice: Driving past the main post office on Midway one day, the sign out in front said something about it being National Letter Writing Week. How would one go about designating such a …

Dear Matthew Alice: Any rime you see judges portrayed on TV, they’re always whamming away on their desks with their gavels. I’ve never ever seen a real judge use one. Do real judges ever use …

Dear Matthew Alice: Is it true that the smoke detector, installed by the builders of my condo in '79, has a radioactive element in it? If so, is it strong enough to be harmful in …

Dear Matthew: Although I was very interested to read your article dispelling the myth of Dillinger's penis [being on display in a medical museum in Washington], there is another “bit" of anatomy you might check …

Oh Great God of Useless Information: On a recent Beavis and Butt-Head show, our two favorite metalheads are at a tractor pull. One of the tractors goes out of control, knocking over outhouses and releasing …

Matt: Maybe you can help me regain my $5. Say you’re on the coast of Baja, there’s no fresh water or medical services around, and you’re stung by a stingray. I’ve been told the best …

Dear Matthew Alice: When we're feeling good, why do we say we’re on cloud 9? What about clouds I through 8? Could things ever get so good that we'd be on cloud 10 or 12? …

Dear Matthew Alice: I thought my new boyfriend was shy because he wouldn’t take off his shirt for the first five months we were dating. Then I learned the reason. He has a diminutive nipple …

Dear Matthew Alice: My co-worker and I are having a friendly discussion. It’s my understanding that after a person dies, their hair and nails continue to grow, at least for a short time. My co-worker …

Dear Matthew (Doc) Alice: My Frau is a recent transplant from Germany. She believes that the frequent temperature swings we experience in San Diego’s autumn (often compelling her to add or remove extra clothing several …

Dear Matthew Alice: What are all of the ingredients in cigarettes, and why aren't the tobacco companies legally required by the FDA to list those ingredients on the backs or sides of their packages like …

Dear Matthew Alice: When I opened my wallet this morning (Christmas morning, no less), I pulled out a dollar bill that had a little star on it — right after the serial number, where a …

Dear Matthew Alice: You know that horrible feeling when you need to sneeze but can't? If you look at a light just at that difficult moment the sneeze comes. Why? — Ron King, El Paso, …

Hey, Matt: If anybody can answer this one, it's you. Why do all ventriloquists’ dummies look alike? And why do they all look so goofy? — No Dummy, North Park Thanks, pal. I’m not sure …