ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, June 30, 1996 TAG: 9607020018
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: 4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: COX NEWS SERVICE
Q: Is polygamy legal in Utah?
A: Congress passed a law forbidding polygyny (the practice of marrying more than one wife) in 1862. But some families, especially in the West, still are believed to follow the custom. Many consider themselves to be following the original Mormon customs. The Mormon church outlawed polygyny in 1890.
Q: When did Savion Glover start tap dancing? Was he ever on ``Sesame Street''?
A: Glover, 22, who won the choreography prize at this month's Tony awards for his work in ``Bring in 'da Noise, Bring in 'da Funk,'' has been dancing since early childhood. When he was 7, he studied show tap at the Broadway Dance Theater in New York. He then studied tap for a year with choreographer Henry Le Tang, who put him in ``Black and Blue,'' a tap revue Le Tang first mounted in Paris in 1987. At the age of 11, Glover appeared on Broadway in ``The Tap Dance Kid,'' and at 15 he played opposite Gregory Hines and Sammy Davis Jr. in the film ``Tap.'' Among his many credits of shows, films and special engagements was a five-year stint on ``Sesame Street.'' Glover appeared in the musical ``Jelly's Last Jam'' last year at Atlanta's Fox Theatre.
Q: Sheila Stanback recently disappeared from broadcasts on CNBC. She came back, then disappeared again. What's the story?
A: She was ill and was out for about a month, but she's back now, a CNBC spokesman said. She's a contributor to ``Steals and Deals,'' a consumer program from 7:30 to 8 p.m. weekdays.
Q: My sister-in-law sent me an article from a Chicago newspaper saying twice as many Vietnam veterans had committed suicide as had died in the war. Is that true?
A: No. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, people have speculated for years that veterans, particularly Vietnam veterans, have an abnormally high suicide rate. Studies have shown that the incidence of suicide for veterans is the same as for the general population, the VA said. However, the risk of suicide among Vietnam veterans appears to increase with the seriousness and number of combat wounds they sustained, the VA added.
Q: I've heard about a program to help first-time home buyers with closing costs. Is this true? Where can I get information?
A: The National Homeownership Strategy is a nongovernmental public-private partnership. To mark the program's first anniversary, President Clinton proposed that the Federal Housing Administration discount the upfront mortgage insurance premium for qualified first-time home buyers. Clinton said he would ask the FHA to reduce the premiums from 2.25 percent of the loan balance to 2 percent for buyers who successfully complete an accredited home buyers' education program. The reduction would amount to a savings of $200 on the average FHA loan ($80,000). The FHA says the education program is important because those who complete home buyer education are better prepared for homeownership and therefore less likely to default on mortgage payments. Topics include selecting the right house and mortgage, household budgeting, managing credit and home maintenance and repair.
To locate an accredited counseling program, a potential home buyer can call the Department of Housing and Urban Development, 800-569-4287. For a free FHA brochure about homeownership and FHA mortgages, call 800-225-5342.
Q: If Bob Dole loses his presidential bid and later wins back a Senate seat, would he regain his previous seniority?
A: No. Dole, who quit the Senate on June 11, would have to start over as a freshman senator.
Q: Susie Maroney covered 89 miles in 39 hours in her attempt to swim from Cuba to Key West, Fla. How does that compare with other long-distance swims?
A: In 1978, American swimmer Walter Poenisch started from Havana and arrived at Little Duck Key, Fla., 24 hours and 15 minutes later. His distance was 128.8 miles. The greatest recorded distance ever swum is 1,826 miles down the Mississippi River from Ford Dam, near Minneapolis, to Carrollton Avenue, New Orleans. The feat wasn't accomplished all at once. Fred P. Newton of Clinton, Okla., did it between July 6 and Dec. 29, 1930. He was in the water a total of 742 hours.
Q: What should I do with a worn-out flag?
A: Here's what the Flag Code says: ``The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning.'' Many Boy and Girl Scout troops and American legion and VFW posts will accept donated worn-out flags for ceremonies and proper disposal.
Q: Is there any inscription on hockey's Stanley Cup?
A: It's inscribed at the top of the bowl on one side with the name Lord Stanley of Preston and on the other with the name Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup. The Stanley Cup was donated by, and named after, Frederick Arthur, Lord Stanley of Preston, the governor general of Canada and son of the Earl of Derby, in 1893. It originally was known as the Dominion Hockey Challenge Cup, but now is known only as the Stanley Cup. The names of the winning team, coaches and players are added each year to an extension at the bottom of the cup. .
Q: I've read about a list of the 10 worst professions in America. Selling insurance is one of them, I believe. Will you print that list?
A: Selling insurance is not among Jobs Rated Almanac's 10 worst jobs (based on pay, security, work enrvironment, growth outlook, physical demands and stress). These are the 10 worst: lumberjack; dancer; construction worker; cowboy; roustabout (deckhand or waterfront laborer, circus laborer, transient worker on a ranch or oilfield, that sort of thing); taxi driver; fisherman; roofer; automobile painter; and seaman. And here the 10 best: actuary; software engineer; computer systems analyst; accountant; paralegal assistant; mathematician; medical secretary; computer programmer; parole officer; and medical records technician. .
Q: How can I contact Ralph Nader?
A: To reach him personally (or his staff), write: Ralph Nader, P.O. Box 19367, Washington, D.C. 20036-0367. His consumer advocacy organization is Public Citizen, 1600 20th St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009 (202-588-1000).
Q. A Georgia man has been arrested for growing poppies. My mother used to grow poppies, and I have some poppy seeds. What's this all about?
A. The poppy that is illegal is the opium poppy, the plant of the species Papaver somniferum. Ted Golden of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration said the illegal poppy, whose seeds are imported from Southeast Asia and Colombia, produces an alkaloid that is present only in opium. The poppies your mother grew - and the ones with brilliantly colored blossoms often seen beautifying highway rights of way - are not this species. ``This one (Papaver somniferum) produces opium when it's allowed to bleed, and the seeds of the plant can be boiled and made into tea,'' Golden said. ``The people who import these seeds know what they're doing, and they know it's illegal.''
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