ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, July 28, 1996 TAG: 9607300120
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: 5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: COX NEWS SERVICE
Q: How does the government determine the first three numbers on your Social Security card?
A: The first three digits of the number are what the Social Security Administration calls the area number. That number indicates what state the number holder lived in when the number was issued, or the state the individual lived in when the number was first applied for. When the Social Security system became operational in 1937, that area number indicated the specific district office that the Social Security number was issued from, said Suzanne Bouldin, assistant district manager of the SSA's Atlanta office.
Q: Why can't some type of screening be put on the front of an airplane to prevent birds from flying in?
A: When a Boeing 767 is flying at 500 mph, said Delta Air Lines spokeswoman Kim King, a bird hitting even a strong screen could potentially break the screen, causing bits of it, as well as the bird, to enter the engine. This could be even worse than the bird alone. Tests of various screens show that the high-speed air flow and engine flutter would cause the screens to deteriorate over time. As a deterrent, some engines have circular patterns painted on them as a way to disorient birds.
Q: I'm wondering about the resignation of Arkansas Gov. Jim Guy Tucker. Lt. Gov. Mike Huckabee had threatened to call an emergency session of the Legislature to have Tucker impeached if he didn't resign. Can the lieutenant governor of Arkansas call a special session? Here in Alabama, only the governor can do that.
A: In Arkansas, as in Alabama, only the governor can call a special or emergency session of the Legislature. Tucker said before his conviction in the Whitewater trial that he would resign if he was convicted, and convicted he was. But Tucker later reneged and formally notified the secretary of state that he would not resign but step aside and take ``disability to serve'' status while he ran through the appeals process.
Automatically, Lt. Gov. Mike Huckabee, a Republican, became acting governor, and became able to call a special session. In fact, he immediately met with the speaker of the House and president pro tem of the Senate to discuss the options. Technically, the special session went into effect at the meeting when they all decided to challenge the governor's disability-to-serve move. At the same time, Tucker had rescinded his stand-down status and announced he was resuming full power as governor. But it was too late by then, and he had no option but to bow to the pressure of being impeached.
Q: Recently, I saw on TV a shot of the New York Stock Exchange with the Israeli flag standing next to the U.S. flag. Since then I have seen only the U.S. flag being displayed. Why was the Israeli flag present?
A: The Israeli flag was displayed there on July 11 because Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the stock exchange that day for a speech and a view of the trading floor. Ray Pellecchia, a spokesman for the NYSE, said that is ``commonly done for the visit of a head of state,'' and that flags of other nations also are displayed when a foreign-based company is first listed on the exchange.
Q: How can I obtain a copy of Richard Nixon's funeral service? I liked the eulogy the Rev. Billy Graham made.
A: Contact the Richard M. Nixon Library and Birthplace, 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd., Yorba Linda, Calif. 92686. Or phone 714-993-5075.
Q: I'd like to know who Jason Carter is. The newspaper says he's a grandson of former President Jimmy Carter. How many grandchildren do the Carters have?
A: The Carters have four children: sons Jack, Chip and Jeff, and daughter, Amy. Jack's children are Jason, 20, and Sarah, 17. Chip's children are James Earl IV, 19, and Margaret, 8. Jeff's three sons are Joshua, 12, Jeremy, 9, and James, 5. Jason is a political science major at Duke University and is interning this summer at the Carter Center.
Q: My daughter says people in her office read in a New York newspaper that O.J. Simpson owned 80 percent of the Honey Baked Ham Co. I've never heard this. Is there any truth to it?
A: The Honey Baked Ham Co. is family-owned and -managed, with 250 retail stores across the United States. Simpson is a minority shareholder in four retail stores in Los Angeles, according to Linda Elliott, president of the Original Honey Baked Ham Co. of Georgia.
Q: If the Federal Reserve Bank is a private organization, why is it necessary that the Senate confirm the chairman of the board?
A: The Federal Reserve is a quasi-public organization, as an independent entity within the government. It is accountable to Congress for its monetary policy as highlighted by Chairman Alan Greenspan's biannual appearances on Capitol Hill pursuant to the Humphrey-Hawkins Act. Moreover, the Federal Reserve System was founded by an Congress in 1913, with the bill being signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson. The Senate has the authority to confirm the president's appointments to the Fed's board of governors. The Federal Reserve does not receive any appropriations from Congress, however. It supports itself in the private sector through financial services to banks and from the sale of Treasury securities on the open market.
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