Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 27, 1994 TAG: 9403290140
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: D-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Cox News Service
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
A: In spite of the spate of attention Keiko the killer whale received as a result of the movie, the beast is still stuck in the small tank at the run-down Reino Aventura sea park in Mexico City, where the movie was filmed. It's not that nobody tried. After revelations about the cramped quarters and general health of Keiko were revealed, thousands of schoolchildren and save-the-whale folks of every stripe came forward and set up funds and toll-free phone numbers to try to get Keiko into a better situation.
Although his health is not assured, there has been some improvement. As a result of all the attention, the owners of the park have installed refrigeration, filtration and salinization equipment to improve the tepid water that was a factor in the whale's deteriorating skin condition. Ken Balcomb, a marine biologist with the Center for Whale Research at Friday Harbor, Wash., phones the sea park frequently for information on Keiko and to keep up the pressure on the owners. Although the owners have entertained some offers from other sea parks, according to Balcomb, the whale was not freed as of last week.
Q: Why are there 360 degrees in a circle? Why not more? Why not less?
A: The division of the circle into 360 parts dates back to Babylonian astronomy a few centuries before Christ and probably is related to the fact that it takes the Earth a year (365 days) to travel around the sun, according to Bill Hartkoff of Georgia State University. So why 360 and not 365? The Babylonian mathematical system was centered on several numbers - but most importantly the number 60. It's not clear exactly why, but may have had to do with the fact that 60 can be divided by so many other numbers. Sixty coins or portions of grain could be divided evenly among 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20 or 30 people.
Q: With three of John Grisham's novels - ``The Firm,'' ``The Pelican Brief'' and ``The Client'' - having been made into movies, is he writing a new novel, and when would it come out?
A: Yes. It's called ``The Chamber.'' Look for it in late May or June. It's about a civil rights advocate whose offices are bombed in 1967 in Mississippi, killing two of his sons.
Q: Is Jerry Brown's sister, California gubernatorial candidate Kathleen Brown, married?
A: Yes - to Van Gordon Sauter, former president of CBS News and now head of the Fox Network's news division. She has three children by a former marriage.
Q: Where does the word alibi come from?
A: It's a Latin word that has been used in criminal law for centuries. It means ``elsewhere.'' Many a toga-clad defense attorney in ancient Rome said his client was alibi at the time of the crime. The word's meaning has changed very little through the ages.
Q: What provisions have we set up in Somalia to ensure that the country does not revert back to how it was before U.N. intervention and force U.S. troops to return?
A: With Somalia, there are no guarantees. The original idea was for the United Nations to create a 10,000-man police force to be handed over to a new democratic government, but efforts to create that government have largely stalled. Meanwhile, lawlessness is increasing as the United States and other nations withdraw their troops from the U.N. peacekeeping mission.
According to a recent Associated Press report, the United Nations, with a lot of U.S. help, is spending millions of dollars to recruit, train and arm a new national police force. But with no government in sight to direct it and some powerful faction leaders questioning its legitimacy, the force's ability to keep the peace is questionable.
So far, 8,000 policemen have been recruited, many of whom served in the national police of Mohammed Siad Barre, the dictator who was overthrown in January 1991. The United States has donated $15 million in military equipment, including trucks, guns and ammunition, even handcuffs. Some $22 million more in cash and equipment has been pledged for training, salaries and establishing civilian courts. Norway and Britain have contributed $1.3 million in cash, and six other countries have pledged a total of $18.6 million.
Q: How common are mail bombings in the United States?
A: An average of 16 mail bombings a year have occurred over the past 10 years, according to the FBI, but it's a declining trend. In 1992, there were 10 instances of bombs delivered in the mail; in 1991 there were 17; in 1990, 19; and in 1989, 21.
Q: Why is it that the chicken I buy that is labeled ``fresh'' often has ice on it and appears to have been frozen? What does the term ``fresh'' mean as it pertains to chicken?
A: The U.S. Agriculture Department dictates that, once chicken has been exposed to freezing temperatures and the muscle tissue freezes, it must be called ``frozen.'' The water used in packing the chicken may freeze, producing ice around the chicken, but the chicken can still be labeled ``fresh'' because the muscle tissue was never frozen. But, ``There is no danger in refreezing frozen chicken that is thawed when purchased'' from a refrigerated bin, said Phil Tybor, University of Georgia Extension Service food scientist. Refreezing is not recommended, however, if the bird has been thawed to room temperature.
Q: How is it that a banana or other fruit can spoil in an enclosed room or container and fruit flies will appear? Are they somehow formed in the decaying part of fruit? Where do fruit flies come from?
A: Fruit flies come from only one place, and that's other fruit flies. When fruit starts to decay, the fly maggots - which is what the immature stage of all flies are called - begin to feed on the yeast produced. If you have fruit that has decayed in an enclosed container and fruit flies are present, you have to assume that the eggs or larvae were there when you bought it.
Q: What does ``walking the cat back'' mean?
A: It means to carefully and delicately retrace your steps, as cats are known to do.
Q: Recently I've written to both my U.S. senators and my Congress member regarding a very important topic to me, and not one has bothered to even acknowledge my letter. Is this a normal response from elected officials?
A: It sounds normal only for officeholders who don't care whether they get re-elected.
Q: When the Soviet Union broke up, what happened to the national airline, Aeroflot? Did the republics divvy up the planes?
A: No. Most of the planes and equipment were in Russia at the time of the breakup and remained there. Russia kept the Aeroflot name. But all the other former Soviet republics snapped up the Aeroflot aircraft on their turf and used them to create their own national carriers. Some have proved to be pretty rickety.
by CNB