Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, November 26, 1995 TAG: 9511250018
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: F-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
A: Egyptian President Sadat was involved in peace negotiations after Egypt and Syria launched a joint invasion of Israel that began the Arab-Israeli war of October 1973. Sadat visited Israel Nov. 19-20, 1977, to place his plan for a Mideast peace settlement before the Knesset (Israeli parliament), initiating a series of diplomatic efforts that Sadat continued despite strong opposition from most of the Arab world and the Soviet Union. Together with then-Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Sadat was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978 after the Camp David accords. Their continued political negotiations resulted in the signing on March 26, 1979, of a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, the first between Israel and any Arab nation.
On Oct. 6, 1981, Sadat was viewing a military parade in Cairo when Islamic extremists dressed in Egyptian military uniforms sprayed machine gun fire and hurled grenades at the reviewing stand. Sadat and at least eight other government officials and foreign dignitaries were killed; dozens were wounded.
Sadat and his half-English wife, Jihan, had four children; Sadat had three by a previous marriage. Jihan Sadat lives in Cairo and in the United States, a spokeswoman said, and lectures about peace at colleges and large corporations.
Q: A TV sportscaster said he received his ballot to vote on the Heisman Trophy winner. Who votes, and how are they selected?
A: There are 921 ``electors'' nationwide. Of those, 870 are members of the media and the other 51 are previous Heisman winners, said Sean Ingram at the Downtown Athletic Club in New York, the Heisman sponsor. This year's trophy will be presented Dec. 9 at the club.
Q: Several months ago, Italian mountain climber Reinhold Messner started a walk across the North Pole. What happened?
A: In March, Messner and his brother were forced to turn back only two days and 11 miles into their planned 90-day, 1,200-mile walk from Siberia across the North Pole to Canada. Fierce winds, a temperature of 42 degrees below zero and cracking ice swallowing their supply sleds caused them to send a frantic SOS. A Russian military helicopter plucked them to safety March 9. At last report, in late July, Reinhold Messner was recovering in a hospital in Italy from an unrelated incident. He broke a bone in his heel when he fell at his home in the Italian mountain region of Alto Adige.
Q: How did the University of Notre Dame's football team get the nickname ``Fighting Irish''?
A: Notre Dame competed under the nickname ``Catholics'' during the 1800s. There are several stories about the origin of Fighting Irish. One suggests that it was born in 1899 with Notre Dame leading Northwestern 5-0 at halftime during a game in Evanston, Ill. The Wildcat fans supposedly began to chant, ``Kill the fighting Irish'' as the second half began. Another tale has the nickname originating at halftime of the Notre Dame-Michigan game in 1909. With his team trailing, one Notre Dame payer yelled to his teammates - named Dolan, Kelly, Glynn, Duffy and Ryan - ``What's the matter with you guys? You're all Irish and you're not fighting worth a lick.'' Notre Dame came back to win and reporters, after hearing the remark, wrote that the game was a victory for the ``fighting Irish.'' The nickname was made official in 1927.
Q: I'm always seeing the phrase ``knee-jerk liberal.'' Why is it always applied to liberals?
A: It needn't be. Knee-jerk is a common term for what, in medicine, is the patellar reflex. The usage you refer to means an unthinking intellectual and is an attack phrase on the automatic support of causes favored by the political left, as explained by Safire's New Political Dictionary. It has been applied to conservatives and other shades in the political spectrum as well, but it remains linked with ``liberal,'' just like the more militant ``flaming liberal.''
Q: Where can I get a bottle of the Winston Cup Champagne signed by Jeff Gordon after the NAPA 500 race at Atlanta Motor Speedway?
A: Winston provided 42 bottles, which were ``strictly for the celebration,'' a speedway spokesman said. They weren't intended for sale.
Q: How can I subscribe to the conservation newsletter Use Less Stuff?
A: Write Use Less Stuff, P.O. Box 130116, Ann Arbor, Mich. 48113; or call 313-668-1690. Publisher Robert Lilienfeld said it's free ``and I'm trying to keep it that way.'' He'll mail the newsletter or send it to an e- mail address. Internet information: http://cygnus-group.com
Q: I'm curious about an old James Bond movie. A TV station said the 14th film in the series was ``Never Say Never Again,'' with Sean Connery. But he was in the earliest ones, before Roger Moore. Will you clarify?
A: Connery launched the series and was in six Bond capers from ``Dr. No'' (1962) to ``Diamonds Are Forever'' (1971). Then Moore took over in seven films, from ``Live and Let Die'' (1973) to ``A View to a Kill'' (1985). Connery reprised the role in 1983 in ``Never Say Never Again,'' a remake of his 1965 ``Thunderball.'' Others who packed a Walther PPK and sipped vodka martinis: George Lazenby in ``On Her Majesty's Secret Service'' (1969); Timothy Dalton in ``The Living Daylights'' (1987) and ``Licence to Kill'' (1989); and a host of Bonds in the spoof ``Casino Royale'' (1967). Pierce Brosnan plays the role in ``Goldeneye,'' the new one.
Q: What is the Overseas Private Investment Corp., and how can I contact it?
A: It's an independent federal agency created in 1971 to help Americans who want to establish businesses overseas. Spokeswoman Allison May Rosen said the agency provides long-term political risk insurance and direct loans and guarantees to people trying to start businesses in ``emerging markets'' such as the Dominican Republic, Armenia and Romania, but not to those with ``established economies'' such as Germany, France and Canada. In addition to helping the host country develop, the investments create jobs in the United States by generating exports. OPIC makes a profit - $167 million last year - from interest and fees paid on its loans and premiums paid on its insurance. ``We just completed our fiscal year and will have exciting numbers soon,'' Rosen said. Information: 202-336-8799.
Q: Years ago, I read about an organization that recycles greeting cards. Do you have information? How much do recycled cards cost?
A: St. Jude's Ranch for Children in Nevada is the place. The ranch, a home for abandoned, abused and troubled children, began the recycling program more than 25 years ago, and recycles as many as half a million cards a year, a spokeswoman said. The children create all-occasion cards with no message and Christmas cards with religious and nonreligious messages. Mail the fronts of your old cards to: St. Jude's Ranch for Children, 100 St. Jude's St., Boulder City, Nev. 89005. To order a package of 10 recycled cards and envelopes, send $6.50 to the same address; postage and handling charges are included. Information: 702-293-3131.
by CNB