Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 14, 1993 TAG: 9302140315
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: D-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BETTY PARHAM and GERRIE FERRIS COX NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NEWS
Q: Has anyone been named to replace Ron Brown as chairman of the Democratic Party?A: On President Clinton's first day in the White House it was announced that David Wilhelm succeeded Ron Brown. At 36, Wilhelm is the youngest chairman of a major party in more than 30 years. He earned his stripes as a local organizer in Ohio and Chicago, then was Clinton's campaign manager and transition team political director.
Q: What is the largest number of people ever to gather in Washington for a march or event. How many converged for the 1963 March on Washington?
A: The National Park Service says Lyndon B. Johnson's inauguration in 1965 holds the record, with an estimated 1.2 million, and the Bicentennial gathering in 1976 comes in second with 1 million. The Desert Storm homecoming parade attracted an estimated 800,000, the same number estimated to have attended Clinton's inauguration. The July 4, 1985, Beach Boys concert attracted 625,000. The biggest event classified as a demonstration was the Vietnam War Moratorium rally on Nov. 15, 1969, with an estimated 600,000. The 1963 civil rights march attracted an estimated 250,000.
Q: What is "Setsubun" (Feb. 3)?
A: A Japanese festival that marks the end of winter on the lunar calendar. Throngs gather at temple grounds and throw beans to drive away devils.
Q: What is the history of the musical notes do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, do?
A: They are nearly 1,000 years old, the work of Guido d'Arizzo, an Italian musician, singing teacher and Benedictine monk. Around 1040, he based the first six notes on six lines of a Latin hymn to St. John the Baptist, which happened to form the scale. Over the years the syllable ti was added to the scale, and two centuries ago do joined it in English.
Q: When and in what context was the term "baby boomer" first used?
A: The first use of the term that we could find took place in 1953, when it appeared in a report to President Harry Truman from the commissioner of immigration and naturalization. The report was written by Harry Rosenfield, a lawyer, but he doesn't claim to have coined the expression.
Q: For years, there were many early-warning systems to detect incoming missiles aimed at the United States. Since the Soviet Union is no longer a threat, are any of these systems still operational? What about the B-52s that circled the globe 24 hours a day?
A: The B-52s no longer are circling the globe, and some other detection systems, including those of the Strategic Air Command, have been diverted to other purposes. But the North American Aerospace Defense Command still has the mission of maintaining 24-hour vigilance in looking for incoming missiles and aircraft. With sophisticated radar detection sites throughout the United States and Canada, NORAD is run by a "binational command," staffed with personnel from all the military services of both countries.
Q: What prompted the ban on gays in the military in the first place? Was there a specific incident?
A: There was no specific incident, but rather the policy changes seem to reflect society's changing attitudes. Until the end of World War II, commanders had the authority to dismiss personnel who exhibited undesirable behavior. The policy specifically stated that personnel could be returned to service if they were rehabilitated. In 1947, a new directive required court-martial or discharge for personnel with "homosexual tendencies," even if no acts were documented. In 1950, "sodomy" was outlawed specifically, and it applied to both sexes. In an easing in the 1970s, "tendencies" again were left to the commanding officer's discretion. But in 1981, a directive took out "tendencies" and stated the criteria for dismissal: someone engages in or attempts to engage in homosexual acts, marries a person of the same sex or admits he or she is gay.
Q: How do other countries that permit gays in the military handle sharing bathrooms, close living quarters and other such situations?
A: Since late last year, the Canadian military has been complying with a court order permitting Canadians to serve regardless of sexual orientation. So far, there has been no need to address any problems concerning living quarters, showers, etc., because no incidents have been reported. "There has been very little reaction, and no turmoil at all," said a National Defense Headquarters spokesman in Ottawa. "There have been no public declarations of homosexuality, no gay bashing or homophobic activities reported," he said, "and there have been no resignations. We expect our members' sexual lives, whether homosexual or heterosexual, to be private. It cannot affect their work performance in any way and has no place in the workplace."