Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 6, 1994 TAG: 9402060195
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: FROM WIRE REPORTS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
A. The tradition of exchanging Valentine's Day cards originated in the early 1800s, following centuries of exchanges in other forms, usually as gifts or poems. In 1847, Esther Howland of Worcester, Mass., became one of the first manufacturers of Valentine's Day cards in the United States after seeing one that had been produced in Britain.
Q. What is the origin of the name Ku Klux Klan?
A. It's believed to be from the Greek word kuklos, "circle," and an arbitrary spelling of "clan." It may have been suggested by Kuklos Adelphon, a Southern college fraternity of the 1800s. The word "circle" appeared in many secret Civil War-era societies supporting the Confederacy.
Q. What will we call the first decade of the next century, like we call this one the '90s?
A. Two futurists interviewed predicted either "the aughts" (also spelled "oughts") or "the naughts" (also spelled "noughts"). "Naught" means the numeral zero, and "aught" has come to mean the same thing, by the mistaken conversion of "a naught" into "an aught."
The World Future Society polled its members on this very question. Here are terms that were suggested for the 2000-2009 decade, followed by the percent who supported them:
The two thousands - 64 percent
The twenty-ohs - 9 percent
The oh-ohs - 5 percent
The double oh's - 5 percent
The zeros - 4 percent
Other - 13 percent
Write-in candidates included, with varying spellings, the aughts, the naughts, the aughties and the naughties.
Other survey results: For the decade following, 2010 to 2019, 69 percent favored "the teens." On the question of how to pronounce the year 2001, 62 percent favored "two thousand one," 18 percent preferred "two thousand and one," and 10 percent liked "twenty oh-one."
Q: Is it true that the major TV networks refuse to sell air time to the National Rifle Association?
A: ABC, CBS and NBC do not accept NRA advertising or public service announcements, said an NRA spokesman, though CBS made one exception when it permitted the NRA to sponsor a spot congratulating the U.S. Olympic shooting team during the 1992 Winter Olympics. The NRA was turned down by all three networks when it wanted to run a spot congratulating U.S. troops after the Persian Gulf War. CNN takes NRA spots, as does Nickelodeon, which runs spots, geared to children, warning of the dangers of guns.
The mainstream print media also have refused more NRA ads than they have run. But there has been a recent loosening of that policy at Family Circle, Cosmopolitan, People, Woman's Day, Ladies' Home Journal, Redbook and McCall's. Those magazines have run regional ads for the NRA's "Refuse to Be a Victim" program, a firearms education project for women.
Q: What is the St. Jude chain letter? Is it legal?
A: It's a chain letter that promises you good luck if it's kept going. It's legal because it doesn't ask for an exchange of money. When a chain letter asks you to send money, it's considered an illegal lottery. In popular Roman Catholic belief, St. Jude is the patron saint of lost causes - an appropriate symbol for the Postal Service's futile efforts to stop this and other chain letters over the decades. It's also fortunate that everyone who ever received a St. Jude letter didn't follow up on it. If 20 letters were sent as instructed, and then each of those recipients sent 20 letters within four days and everyone down the line did the same, by Day 57 there would be 25.6 billion sheets of luck wafting around the planet. By Day 92, there would be 81.9 quadrillion letters, or enough 8 1/2-by-11-inch pieces of paper to cover the entire country 634 sheets deep. Not to mention envelopes.
Q: When was the Endangered Species Act passed, and what prompted it?
A: It was passed Dec. 28, 1973, in response to precipitous declines in such species as the bald eagle and peregrine falcon.
Q: What is the meaning of the term "aggravated" when used to describe such crimes as "aggravated child molestation?"
A: The word "aggravate" means "to make more grave." When used to describe a crime, it refers to circumstances during the commission of the crime that increased its enormity or added to its injurious consequences beyond the elements of the crime itself.
Q: Many times on TV, they show someone with a camera stuck in their face who doesn't want to be shown on TV. It seems that someone's permission would be required before they could be shown on TV or pictured in the newspaper. What are the laws concerning this?
A: Essentially, no permission is needed to photograph, film or videotape someone when they are in a public place. Privacy issues arise when the location is a private one.
Q: Is there any scientific explanation as to why pets "freak out" before earthquakes? Are they hearing something or what?
A: Tales of strange animal behavior before earthquakes have been around for centuries, with some dating back to ancient Greece. But after all this time, scientists cannot pin down the reason. There are plenty of theories, though, ranging from changes in electromagnetic fields, infrasonic or subsonic sounds that humans are unable to hear, the venting of ground gas and changes in the groundwater table and atmospheric pressure. Bill Bakun, seismology chief at the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, Calif., said, "If we understood what these creatures were responding to, we could build an instrument to measure that phenomenon."
Q: Why does February have just 28 days?
A: According to legend, the first calendar used by the ancient Romans had only 10 months. But around 700 B.C., the ruler Numa Pompilius reportedly added January and February, with February the last month of the Roman year. Februare means to purify, and Romans got into their purifying mode about the time the calendar decision was made. February had 28 days until the time of Julius Caesar, who gave it 29. Then Emperor Augustus took one day away from February, adding it to August, the month named after him, instead. On leap year, though, February is bumped up to 29 days again.
Q: What was the purpose of the Leaning Tower of Pisa when it was built?
A: It was built as a bell tower for the Cathedral of Pisa in 1173. Called a campanile, it is one of three buildings that make up the cathedral complex: the church, the baptistery and the bell tower.
Q. What is the status of Manuel Noriega?
A. Panama's ex-dictator was sentenced in 1992 to 40 years in prison for drug trafficking, racketeering and money laundering. He is at the Metropolitan Correctional Center south of Miami, where he has been since his capture by U.S. troops in 1990. He will be eligible for parole in 2002. A Justice Department official, commenting last year on Noriega's wish to return to Panama to face murder charges, said, "We expect he'll stay here until he finishes his sentence, by which time we expect he'll be dead."
Q: Does the Russian parliament have any women members?
A: Yes. The lower house of Russia's new parliament, the 450-seat Duma, is 12 percent female; the 178-seat upper house, the Federation Council, is 5 percent female.
Q: Were any of the Enola Gay's backup B-29s carrying atomic bombs in reserve?
A: No. Of the five B-29s flying with the Enola Gay, which dropped the bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, three were weather reconnaissance planes and two were carrying observers. Two bombs had been built for the raid. If trouble occurred with the first one, the plan was to land on Guam and switch planes and crews - but that wasn't necessary.
by CNB