Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 7, 1993 TAG: 9303070248
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: B-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BETTY PARHAM and GERRIE FERRIS COX NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
QUESTIONS ABOUT THE NEWS
Q: New York Gov. Mario Cuomo has said the World Trade Center attack is the first attack on U.S. soil. Is this true?A: It's not the first or the deadliest in U.S. history, but it's the worst in recent years, and probably will set a record for economic damage. From 1987 through 1991, there were 34 terrorist incidents in the states and territories - documented by the FBI - in which property was destroyed but with no loss of life. In 1991, there were four in Puerto Rico, where military vehicles and a plane were damaged. Also in 1991, in Fresno, Calif., Dean Harvey Hicks led a group called "Up the IRS" that set explosive devices on the IRS building's roof and parking lot. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 years.
Q: Has there ever been discussion about changing the name of the NAACP to make it more in tune with the times?
A: "Periodically, the idea of changing the organization's name has been raised," said an NAACP spokesman. "We have always taken the position that the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is a name so well known and represents so much of historical importance, and has been around for so long (80 years), that we have no plans to change it."
Q: What are Rush Limbaugh's background and credentials? What makes him an expert on anything?
A: The 320-pound Cape Girardeau, Mo., native's expertise, which is to attract large numbers of people to tune in to his radio broadcasts, apparently does not come from experience in politics (he has none, save discussions with his conservative Repubican lawyer father, whom he idolized), or journalism (none here, either) or academe (early on, he flunked out after a year at a local college). Rather, it comes from an early and lonely fascination with radio broadcasting. At age 16 he took a six-week course and earned a broadcasters license. From there it was one low-paying radio DJ job after another, with a foray into public relations. His big break came in 1983 when he filled controversial talk-show host Morton Downey's shoes after he was fired from a Sacramento, Calif., radio station.
Q: How does former education secretary and drug czar William Bennett make a living these days?
A: He's with the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank in Indianapolis, and makes paid appearances on TV issues shows. He, along with other out-of-work and out-of-power Republicans, has formed Empower America, a sort of shadow government that plans to put out periodic report cards on the Clinton administration.
Q: Please explain why the government still subsidizes the tobacco industry when the health hazards are so obvious for so many people.
A: Direct government subsidization of tobacco ended in 1983, not because of health concerns but because of the budget deficit. Faced with an Office of Management and Budget threat to end price supports, the Agriculture Department forced tobacco-farming cooperatives to assess growers a yearly fee to cover the program's cost. The present price support program works through the cooperatives, and growers in the program agree to limit tobacco production. If a grower's tobacco fails to bring an auction bid of at least 1 cent a pound above the support price, the grower is eligible for a government-backed loan at the support price. The tobacco is taken as loan collateral by the cooperative and stored for future sale. When the co-op sells the tobacco, the loan is repaid to the government with interest.
Q: Why is the tax rate on single individuals so much higher than on married couples?
A: It's always been that way, said an Internal Revenue Service spokesman, because of the belief that a married couple and their children needed more money. And, in the past, it was usually just one person working. The Reagan tax reform package brought some change. This year there is no difference in the rate when filing "single," "head of household" or "married filing jointly" for up to $21,450 of taxable income. At higher levels, it increases for the single person.
Q: A story said there were three preseason indications that upcoming hurricanes would be more frequent and intense, but the reasons weren't specified. What are they?
A: Quasi-biennial oscillation, which has to do with the direction of stratospheric winds over the equator, is one indicator. The other two, which are just as meteorologically esoteric, have to do with the characteristics of West African monsoons in the Gulf of Guinea region and warm-water events off the Peruvian coast.
Q: Since the gold in Fort Knox, Ky., does not back our currency, what is it used for? How much is there? Can it be used to pay off the nation's debts?
A: The gold in Fort Knox just sits there. It is considered an "asset" of the United States. None has been sold off, and it has not been added to in recent years. The Mint says there are 147.3 million fine troy ounces of gold at Fort Knox. Even at about $330 an ounce, it's worth less than $50 billion - about one-fourth of one year's additions to the national debt. Visitors have not been permitted see the gold since Fort Knox was built in 1936.
Q: What is the job of the majority whip and the minority whip in the House of Representatives?
A: The primary job of the whip is to "whip" party members into line and persuade them to follow the party leaders' program. The whip is in charge of polling members about their views on issues being discussed on the floor, so that the leader will know whether to push or adjust a proposal in order to get enough votes. Each party's whip is elected by members of that party. The term is borrowed from fox hunting. The person who helps the hunters handle hounds is the "whipper-in," who keeps the hounds from straying by whipping them back into the pack. In the mid-19th century, the British Parliament adopted the term to designate the member whose task was to keep party members in line.
Q: Please explain how many millions are in a billion, how many billions make a trillion, etc.
A: One thousand thousands make a million. One thousand millions make a billion. One thousand billions make a trillion. After trillion come quadrillion, quintillion, sextillion, septillion, octillion, nonillion and decillion - all of which don't hold a candle to a googol. Googol is a term popularized by American mathematician Edward Kasner to indicate a really big number: 1 followed by 100 zeros. Kasner said the term was coined by his 9-year-old nephew, Milton Sirotta. But even more worrisome would be a deficit of googolplex proportions. A googolplex is equal to a 1 followed by a googol of zeros.
Q: Why is the red spot on Jupiter getting smaller?
A: Dennis Marks, the head of Valdosta (Ga.) State College's department of physics, astronomy and geology, explained that the red spot is a hurricane, three times the size of Earth, that has been observed for 300 years. Like earthly hurricanes, it is fed from heat inside the planet. It's not disappearing, however, only fluctuating.
Q: Has there been a reduction in deaths by starvation in Somalia yet?
A: Deaths from starvation have declined dramatically in most areas of Somalia, according to the U.S. State Department. The decline started before the troops arrived. It is estimated that 250 people a day were dying in September; now it's fewer than five a day. The primary cause of death now is disease.
Q: During President Clinton's speech, leaders from all branches of government were present. What would happen if there were a national disaster then and all died? Who would have become president?
A: Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt, who was out of town. It is customary to agree to the Secret Service suggestion that one Cabinet member be absent from such events before joint sessions of Congress. Babbitt, who is eighth in the line of succession to the presidency, was chosen this time. Cabinet members take turns on such occasions.