ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 21, 1996 TAG: 9601190096
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: F-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: COX NEWS SERVICE
Q: I understand that people with programmable scanners can listen to transmissions between space shuttles and NASA controllers. What is the frequency?
A: Ham radio repeaters often rebroadcast the NASA shuttle audio picked off the relay satellite. Try radio frequency 146.655 MHz. When the shuttle is directly overhead, try frequency 114.295.
Q: I've heard about people being able to adopt babies from China. Where can I get information?
A: The Atlanta chapter of Families With Children From China is a good place to start: Call 770-955-9237. It's a nonprofit, nonreferral organization of families who are adopting babies from China or are considering it. ``We consider ourselves the best disseminator of nonbiased information on the subject, and we're also a social organization,'' said Dr. Robert Robbins of Families With Children From China. FCC has 25 chapters throughout the United States, and has a list of more than 30 approved, accredited U.S. adoption agencies that work with people hoping to adopt a baby from China.
Q: Who is J.D. Power, whose company rates everything? What is his background?
A: Not everything; basically just cars. James David Power III has spent more than 36 years in the automotive industry. His name has become synonymous with measuring the quality of cars based on owner satisfaction, not on manufacturers' claims. He was born in Worcester, Mass., graduated in 1953 from Holy Cross College, served four years aboard a Coast Guard icebreaker and earned an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Finance in 1959. He then joined Ford Motor Co. as a financial analyst and later served with Marplan, a division of the marketing research company Communications Affiliates, for seven years as a research consultant for GM's Buick and GMC Truck and Coach divisions. He launched J.D. Power and Associates in 1968.
Q: My asphalt roof is stained by some sort of fungus. What causes the stain, and how can it be removed by a homeowner, not a professional cleaning service?
A: The stains can come from algae or moss growing on the roof or from rain dripping through the trees. Try spraying a solution of one pint of Clorox per gallon of water on affected areas. If it drips onto shrubbery underneath, wash it off as soon as possible. If that doesn't remove the stain, it may be permanent, and nothing short of reroofing will give your roof a fresh appearance.
Q: I'm curious about Keith Lockhart, the new conductor of the Boston Pops. I saw him on a Christmas program and he looked awfully young. What's his background?
A: Lockhart, 35, first took the baton from outgoing Pops conductor John Williams in February, then opened the season with the Pops in May. Lockhart is entirely the product of American musical training. He played clarinet in the band at his public high school in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. He holds degrees from Furman University at Greenville, S.C., where he switched majors from prelaw to music and German, and from Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He was so successful at the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Institute for Young Conductors, he was engaged immediately for concerts at the Hollywood Bowl. After stints as conductor of the Pittsburgh Civic Orchestra and assistant conductor of the Akron (Ohio) Symphony Orchestra, he was appointed associate conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony and of the Cincinnati Pops in 1992. In recent years, Lockhart also has appeared with the orchestras of Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto and Indianapolis. .
Q: What states are involved in the manufacture of the B-2 bomber?
A: The parts come from ``several thousand suppliers'' across the nation, said Ed Smith, a spokesman for Northrup Grumman Corp. The final assembly point for major components is Palmdale, Calif.
Q: I'm a basketball fan and am curious about the nicknames of several teams. What's a Jayhawk? What's a Hoosier?
A: A Jayhawk, the symbol of the University of Kansas, is a mythical bird derived from a Civil War regiment, the Independent Fighting Jayhawks. A KU spokeswoman said the name was adopted by the university because it stands for ``courageous fighting qualities.'' (A Jayhawker, by the way, is a historical name for a person who fought to make Kansas a free state rather than a slave state.)
A Hoosier is more of a mystery. Indiana is ``the Hoosier State,'' Indiana residents are Hoosiers, and it's the nickname for Indiana University, but that doesn't tell us much. Historians don't agree on the origins, with most theories attributing it to a slang expression such as ``Who's yer?'' (for ``Who's here?''); ``husher'' (for someone who could hush a brawl); or ``hoozer'' (meaning hill).
Q: Should warm or hot foods be cooled before being put in a refrigerator?
A: It's best to store food in the refrigerator or freezer as soon as possible after it's no longer being served. Connie Crawley, food and nutrition specialist at the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service, says health is more important than possible increased expenses of running the refrigerator a bit more. If you're concerned about heat inside the refrigerator, put the food into a shallow container, which will allow it to to cool more quickly and evenly. Deep containers that hold too much food will cool slowly and the center will remain warm too long, Crawley said, increasing the risk of bacteria that could create food poisoning.
Q: I see that 470 votes were cast for inductees into the Baseball Hall of Fame this year. But does that mean 470 people had one vote each, or do people have more than one vote?
A: Here's how it works. Members of the Baseball Writers Association do the voting. The association has between 500 and 600 members, said a spokesman for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, N.Y. All are eligible to vote and all received ballots. A total of 470 members returned ballots. Each person could cast as many as 10 votes - or no votes.
Q: Do any islands in Alaska's Aleutians chain cross the International Dateline?
A: The dateline follows the 180th meridian most of the way but zigzags in several places to prevent having two different calendar dates on the same day in a country. One of the zigzags is where part of the Aleutians chain extends west of the meridian. The dateline veers at that point, leaving all the Aleutians east of it.
Q: What were Mohandas Gandhi's seven deadly sins?
A: (1) wealth without work; (2) pleasure without conscience; (3) knowledge without character; (4) commerce without morality; (5) science without humanity; (6) worship without sacrifice; and (7) politics without principle.
Q: What is ``liberation theology''?
A: A Duke University Divinity School spokesman called liberation theology ``a certain type of theological reflection that identifies the struggle of the poor with Jesus' role as Messiah.'' The term was coined in the late 1960s in Latin America. ``A New Handbook of Christian Theology'' says three facets are involved and must be considered in the context of the poor, especially in Latin America. The first is that actual daily, ordinary life has precedence over theology (i.e., a starving person may not strictly follow communion ritual for theology's sake, but to get some bread). The second is that all theologies are based on a person's singular life experiences, not universal experiences. And the third is that theology is not an intellectual task, but the result of a faith shared by a community of believers.
Q: How much can a working mother with two children earn and still be eligible for welfare?
A: Basic formulas don't apply in every case. Anyone seeking assistance should discuss the situation in person with consultants at the Aid to Families With Dependent Children office in their home county.
Q: How can I get an up-to-date review of my contributions to Social Security?
A: Easy. Call 800-772-1213 and ask for a Request for Personal Earnings and Benefit Estimate Statement. You'll be sent a form to complete and return. A statement will be mailed to you showing your Social Security earnings history and an estimate of future benefits.
Q: Why is the film ``Othello'' playing only at one theater in major cities instead of all over town?
A: Films like ``Othello'' and ``Sense and Sensibility'' are termed ``platform releases'' in the movie industry. Such films, ``leaning toward art,'' open in an exclusive arrangement before going into wider distribution several weeks later, according to a spokeswoman for Castle Rock, the studio that produced ``Othello.''
Q: What was the first buffalo nickel produced, and what is its history?
A: The coins were minted from 1913 through 1938. The ``Indian head'' or ``buffalo-type'' 5-cent coin was designed by James E. Fraser, and the F beneath the date is his initial. The depiction of the head of the Indian on the obverse is a composite he created from three models. The buffalo, or bison, on the reverse was modeled after Black Diamond in the New York Zoological Gardens.
Q: What happened to the three black female backup singers for Elvis Presley? Reruns of his concerts on TV featured them.
A: The Sweet Inspirations originally were Myrna Smith, Sylvia Shemwell, Estelle Brown and Cissy Houston (mother of Whitney Houston). Houston left the group to go solo after the first gig with Elvis in the late '60s. Their first hit single, ``Sweet Inspiration,'' caught Presley's attention. He signed them to be an opening act and provide backing vocals for the 1969 Las Vegas engagement marking his official return to the stage after his ``68 Comeback'' TV special. The ``Sweets'' worked with Elvis for the rest of his life in Vegas, on his national concert tours and on recordings. Smith, Shemwell and Brown stayed together through the Elvis years but eventually went their separate ways. They reunited recently and are performing and recording again with a new member, Portia Griffin.
Q: Are any statistics available relating higher speed limits to traffic deaths nationally? Are such statistics published?
A: There's no question but that there is a correlation between higher speeds and accidents, said Judie Stone, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety in Washington. ``When speeds go up, accidents and associated injuries and deaths go up as well.'' Such numbers are both a calculation and a prediction, Stone said, but statistics documented by the federal government may shed some light. In 1987, when speed limits were allowed to be raised to 65 mph on rural interstates, the number of highway deaths shot up 35 percent. You can obtain statistical information by fax by calling 202-408-1711 or by accessing the Internet's World Wide Web at http://www.saferoads.org
Q: What is the lowest temperature ever in North America?
A: The National Weather Service says North America's bone-chillingest temperature was 81 degrees below zero, recorded in February 1947 at Snag, a lonely airport in Yukon Territory.
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