Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, July 9, 1995 TAG: 9507100024
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: F-6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: COX NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
A: That stern-face figure in the stovepipe hat with his finger pointing at YOU became symbolic of American patriotism when he appeared on posters urging enlistment in the U.S. Army during World War II. The figure in the poster was painted by James Montgomery Flagg. The name Uncle Sam appears to have derived from the initials U.S., which were stamped on barrels of provisions provided to the Army by Samuel ``Uncle Sam'' Wilson of Troy, N.Y. In 1813, the term appeared in print in a Troy newspaper, and in 1816 it appeared in a book title, ``The Adventures of Uncle Sam.'' Uncle Sam's costume, decorated with stars and stripes, originated in cartoons of the 1830s and 1840s. In 1961, Congress passed a resolution saluting Wilson as the person who inspired America's national symbol.
Q: I take aspirin for headache and Advil for swelling and have been taking them together without any problem. But a co-worker said I shouldn't do that. What do the experts say?
A: Some people - the emphasis is on some - could suffer adverse effects such as gastrointestinal bleeding, according to the pharmaceutical services department at Emory University Hospital. In doc-talk, here's the word: ``Salicylates should be used cautiously with non-salicylate NSAIAs.'' To the rest of us, that means you should be careful when using aspirin (a salicylate) with a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agent (such as Advil).
Q: It was well worth it, but what was the cost of rescuing Capt. Scott O'Grady in Bosnia?
A: No dollar figure applies, a Navy spokesman said, because all the helicopters, planes and personnel involved in the June 8 mission were already on board the USS Kearsage and other ships operating in the Adriatic Sea. Nor was any special training required, said Lt. Cmdr. Kenneth Ross. The rescue mission was one of about 18 specific types of missions that Marines train for every time they are deployed overseas.
Q: There were 11 states in the Confederacy, but 15 slaveholding states. Which states permitted slaves to be held but didn't fight on the side of the Confederacy?
A: The World Book Encyclopedia lists 16 slaveholding states in 1860 - New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri and Texas - plus the Nebraska Territory. New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky and Missouri did not fight on the Confederate side, although Maryland, Kentucky and Missouri had many residents who did.|
Q: I just saw the movie ``Quiz Show.'' What has happened to Charles Van Doren, the real quiz show character?
A: A writer, editor and publisher, he was a vice president of Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc. from 1973 to 1982 and now is chairman of Bradford Mountain Book Enterprises. He lives in Falls Village, Conn. He reportedly refused to cooperate with the producers of ``Quiz Show.''
Q: What's the difference between poison ivy and poison oak?
A: The former is Rhus radicana; the latter is Rhus toxicodendron. Poison ivy may grow as a plant, bush or vine; it has three shiny leaflets on a stem. Poison oak is similar except for the three leaflets, which resemble oak leaves. If you touch either radicana or toxicodendron - or, for that matter, poison sumac, which has two rows of leaflets opposite each other and a leaflet at the tip - an oily substance on the leaves gets on your skin and can cause an itchy, oozing rash. You may unintentionally spread the rash all over your body, creating considerable discomfort, if you don't wash the oily plant substance off. The medical term for the rash is contact dermatitis. Another word for it is ``ouch.''
Q: What was the breakdown on the Supreme Court vote on the congressional redistricting issue?
A: Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote for the majority. He was joined by Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justices Sandra Day O'Connor, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. Dissenting: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, John Paul Stevens, David Souter and Stephen Breyer.
Q: Buildings are constantly getting hit by lightning. Don't people use lightning rods any more?
A: In most cases, at least in urban areas, they're a thing of the past. Bob Krohmer Sr., president of A-All Construction Co. in Atlanta, said he used to install lightning rods when he lived in Ohio, but he hasn't had a call for them in 18 years in Atlanta. ``Cities are so congested that lightning rods wouldn't do much good,'' he said. Years ago, people installed lightning rods on barns and houses in rural areas because, as the highest points, they were most vulnerable. Now, with cable services virtually universal, it's possible for lightning to send a surge of electricity almost anywhere - city or country, Krohmer said.
Q: I've often heard the expression ``Beyond the pale.'' What does it mean?
A: It has nothing to do with pale as in pallid, which comes from the Latin pallidus. Pale in this context comes from the Latin palus, ``a stake or boundary marker driven into the ground with others to fence off a territory under the rule of a certain nation.'' Pale or picket fences (often termed palings) were erected all over Europe from Roman times to designate territory belonging to a certain country. ``Beyond the pale'' first meant simply to be outside the boundaries or jurisdiction of a nation, but by extension, and with the aid of Rudyard Kipling's ``Beyond the Pale,'' it came to describe a dismal place to which social outcasts were dispatched in the belief that they were beyond the bounds of moral decency.
Q: When the Supreme Court announces a decision that isn't unanimous, a justice will write for the majority opinion. How does that work?
A: Congressional Quarterly's ``Supreme Court A to Z'' explains the process: After the justices have voted in conference on a case, a justice who voted with the majority is assigned to write the majority opinion, or the opinion of the court. If the chief justice has voted with the majority, the chief justice makes the assignment. If the chief justice is in the minority, the senior associate justice voting with the majority assigns the job of writing the majority opinion. Any justice, however, may decide to write a separate opinion. Justices who agree with the outcome of a case, but not with the majority's reasoning, may write concurring opinions. Justices who disagree with the outcome may write dissenting (minority) opinions. Justices may concur with, or dissent from, all or only a part of the majority opinion.
by CNB