ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, December 17, 1995 TAG: 9512150110
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: F-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: cox news service
Q: News accounts reported a record 3-foot-plus snowfall in 24 hours Dec. 10 at Buffalo, N.Y. Is that the most snow on record anywhere in the United States within a 24-hour period? How did it compare with previous one-day snowfalls there?
A: The 24-hour record was 78 inches on Feb. 7, 1963, at the remote Mile 47 Camp, Cooper River Division, Alaska, according to the Guinness Book of Records 1995. Buffalo's previous high 24-hour snowfall totals have been 25.3 inches in January 1982, 24.3 inches in December 1945 and 19.9 inches in November 1955.
Q: What ever happened to the Turner Network Television film about Andersonville, the Confederate Civil War prison in Georgia? It was made some time ago but has never been shown.
A: TNT plans to air the four-hour miniseries in two parts, March 3-4 from 8 to 10 p.m. It will be repeated several times, TNT said.
Q: Is anything being done to monitor railroad crossings on highways? Accidents happen all too often, but no one ever does anything about it.
A: In the wake of the deadly collision of a train and a school bus near Chicago in October, the U.S. Transportation Department has launched a task force to study the safety of grade crossings and recommend improvements. The task force is asking the public to send comments, suggestions and reports of dangerous crossings by mail, fax or Internet. Computer users can find out about the study and send comments by dialing the department's home page at: http://www.dot.gov. From the home page, go to general information and click on the grade crossing task force. Or write Grade Crossing Safety Task Force, Room 10126, Department of Transportation, 400 7th St. S.W., Washington, D.C., 20590. Or send faxes to 202-366-8999.
Q: When did the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier change its name to the Tomb of the Unknowns, and why?
A: The name was pluralized on Memorial Day 1958, when an unknown American from World War II and another from the Korean War were buried beside the remains of an unknown soldier from World War I. It had been known as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier since its dedication on Armistice Day (Nov. 11) 1921. On Memorial Day 1984, an unknown serviceman from the Vietnam War was buried between the World War II and Korean War unknowns.
Q: What does the Library of Congress do?
A: With three buildings in the Capitol complex in Washington and repositories around the nation, the Library of Congress is the world's biggest library. A spokesman said that its collection, which increases constantly, numbered 107,824,509 items at the end of fiscal 1994, the latest reckoning available. In addition to millions of books, maps and pieces of music, the library has a vast stock of photographs (1.2 million) and 360,605 prints and drawings. Visitors of any age can visit the library, and anyone over high school age can use its materials. (High school students also may do so if they have a letter from their school principal saying that searches for material elsewhere have been unsuccessful.) The library also hosts concerts.
Q: Do all states have a winner-take-all electoral college vote in the presidential election? Will we ever change to a popular vote?
A: Every state follows the same procedure, as spelled out in Article II of the Constitution. By custom or law, each state's electors vote for their party's choices for president and vice president. In some elections, however, Electoral College members from the same state have voted for different candidates, but it's infrequent. In 1988, for example, West Virginia's electors gave 5 votes to Michael Dukakis and 1 to Lloyd Bentsen. In 1976, Washington state's electors gave Gerald Ford 8 and Ronald Reagan 1. Frequent proposals have been made for abolishing the Electoral College and for direct election of the president, but it hasn't happened yet.
Q: Are South African gold Krugerrand coins still sold in the United States?
A: Yes. An import restriction placed on Kruggerands during South Africa's apartheid period has been removed. Even when the ban was in effect, the coins were freely traded in the United States, said Glen Kirsch of International Financial Consultants in Gaithersburg, Md. IFC is a recommended dealer listed by Reusch International Financial Services; Reusch, recommended by the South African Embassy, doesn't handle precious metals in any of its offices. The coins can be ordered by IFC in Maryland: 800-831-0007.
Q: What's the tallest Christmas tree on record?
A: If you mean a cut tree, it's believed to have been a 221- foot Douglas fir erected in December 1950 at Northgate Shopping Center in Seattle. Even taller was the General Grant Tree in General Grant National Park, Calif. The 267-foot tree was designated the first ``nation's Christmas tree'' in 1925.
Q: Television reported that the White House has more than 330 Christmas trees. What was the cost to taxpayers?
A: No direct taxpayer money is involved, said White House spokeswoman Julie Green. And the number of trees in the White House complex is 33, not ``more than 330.'' The official White House Christmas tree, displayed in the Blue Room, is always donated by the National Christmas Tree Association, Green said. This year's was provided by a grower in West Jefferson, N.C. The other 32 trees weren't purchased from retailers, but were donated by the National Park Service. The national parks are maintained by taxpayer money, so in an indirect sense, scrooges might contend that the trees were paid for with taxpayer money. After the holidays, the trees will be turned into mulch, so nothing is wasted.
Q: I heard a reference to a ``drive-by shooting'' but it was in a political context, not as in street crime. What does that mean?
A: The term was popularized in 1992 for the wholesale and perhaps random ousting of members of Congress by disgruntled voters.
Q: I have a relative who sincerely believes that it's OK to wash dishes in cold water or just rinse them off before putting them back in the cabinet. Are there any guidelines about how hot the dishwater should be for safety?
A: You can't kill food bacteria with cold water. The ideal way to clean dishes is with a dishwasher, especially one with a sanitizing cycle, said Judy Harrison, food safety specialist with the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service. But if you're washing them by hand, use hot, soapy water, as hot to the touch as you can stand. Rinse them thoroughly with hot water, and allow them to air dry. Gloves will allow you to use hotter water. For cutting boards, counters or utensils having contact with raw meat, you may want to use a sanitizing solution of 1 tablespoon of chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of warm water for at least a minute, then air dry.
Q: I understand there are two inland waterways going to Florida, the intercoastal and the intracoastal. What's the difference?
A: Both are intracoastal. The 1,200-mile Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway stretches from Massachusetts to Key West, Fla. The 1,065-mile Gulf Intracoastal Waterway links Brownsville, Texas, to Carrabelle, Fla.
Q: How can I contact the Hemlock Society, the right-to-die movement?
A: National headquarters: Hemlock Society U.S.A., P.O. Box 11830, Eugene, Ore. 97440-3900; 800-247-7421 or 503-342- 5748.
Q: Labor Secretary Robert Reich was supposed to announce a list of retailers that are considered ``good stores'' for consumers who want to avoid products produced in sweatshops. What are the stores?
A: The Labor Department's Fair Labor Trendsetters List of retailers ``actively engaged'' in eliminating garment industry sweatshops was released a few days ago. These are the companies: Abercrombie & Fitch, Baby Superstore, Bath & Body Works, Bergner's, Boston Stores, Brylane, Cacique, Carson Pirie Scott, Dana Buchman, Elisabeth, Express, Galyans Trading, Gerber Childrenswear, Guess Inc., Henri Bendel, Jessica McClintock, Lands' End, Lane Bryant, Lerner New York, Levi Strauss & Co., Limited Too, Liz Claiborne Inc., Mast Industries, Nicole Miller, Nordstrom's, Patagonia, Penhaligon's, Structure, Superior Surgical Manufacturing, The Limited and Victoria's Secret. Reich said the companies chosen are committed to labor law compliance and cooperate with law enforcement officials. They also educate their suppliers about legal requirements and monitor working conditions.
Q: How can I get information about patents? How do I know if a product has been patented?
A: For general information, call 703- 308-4357 and request a free copy of Basic Facts About Patents, a publication of the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. And call 800-786-9199, an automated information message system that answers many questions about patents and patented items. A patent attorney can research more thoroughly whether a product has been patented.
Q: The IRS is not mailing out tax forms to people who are having someone else prepare their returns. Is this done to save money?
A: The program began several years ago, said Internal Revenue Service spokesman Eric Roberts. If a person uses a tax preparer one year, the taxpayer receives only a postcard the next, not all the forms and publications. It eliminates waste and does save money. Roberts said he had no statistics on the projected amount of savings, ``but it's definitely cheaper to mail a postcard than a tax package.'' A taxpayer choosing not to go back to a tax preparer can get forms by following information on the postcard.
Q: When a judge enters a courtroom, why is everyone instructed to stand? Would a person who fails to do so be subject to penalty?
A: The order to stand does two things: It gets everyone's attention by stopping courtroom chatter and it establishes decorum. Instructing people to stand sets up a procedure of respect and courtesy. People who fail to obey can be held in contempt of court.
Q: Are any women in the Army's 1st Armored Division, which is sending troops to Bosnia?
A: Yes. Pentagon spokesman Maj. Tom Rheinlander said women serve in various ``support personnel roles,'' but are not inside the tanks.
Q: What is team handball?
A: Team handball was created by Scandinavians as an off-season training exercise for soccer players. The fast-paced sport, which features frequent possessions and scoring, also combines elements of basketball and hockey. Players dribble and pass the ball to advance into opponents' territory. The object is to score by throwing past a goalkeeper and into a goal that is about 10 feet wide and 6 feet high. U.S. teams are training for the 1996 Olympics. The U.S. Team Handball Federation has its office in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Q: Where and when will the Democratic and Republican nominating conventions be held next year?
A: The Republican National Convention will be Aug. 12-15 in San Diego. The Democratic National Convention will be Aug. 26-29 in Chicago.
Q: A report on countries participating in the 1996 Olympics listed Israel among European nations. Isn't it actually in Asia?
A: Israel hasn't moved. It's still on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea in southwestern Asia. A spokesman for the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne, Switzerland, explained that the designation had nothing to do with geography. ``Israel has always been part of the European sports bodies,'' said Denis Echard, ``and is also part of the EBU, the European Broadcast Union. But for obvious political reasons, it's very difficult for Israel to be part of what is geographically Asia.'' The IOC also classifies Turkey as European. The Israeli Consulate in Atlanta said Israel is not in Asia or Europe, but the Middle East. That's geography, not politics.
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