Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, February 19, 1995 TAG: 9502180001
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: G5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: COX NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
A: If you call the Kool-Aid Soft Drink Hotline number printed on the back of a Kool-Aid package - 800-367-9225 - and wend your way through myriad voice prompts, you'll get a live person who will tell you this: ``We don't recommend eating the powder; we recommend following the directions on the package, which call for adding the powder and 1 cup of sugar to 2 quarts of water.''
No warning is printed on the package. These are the ingredients listed: citric acid (for tartness); salt; red food coloring 40; calcium phosphate (to prevent caking); maltodextrin (from corn); artificial flavor; ascorbic acid (vitamin C); and titanium dioxide (for color).
Q: I've heard that families can have their name inscribed on a wall at Ellis Island in New York Harbor for $40. Where can I get details?
A: Write the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, P.O. Box Ellis, New York, N.Y. 10163, or call 212-883-1986. Time is a factor. And it costs more than $40.
Ellis Island is where many immigrants to America arrived and were processed. In 1988, the Ellis Island Immigration Museum started taking names for its American Immigrant Wall of Honor. The 6521/2-foot-long, double-sided semicircular wall will be completed late this year. Since registration opened, 480,000 names have been registered by family members interested in honoring their heritage. Space remains for only 20,000 more names. ``If anyone wants to add their family name, they should act soon, before the spring deadline,'' said Stephen Briganti, foundation president.
With a contribution of $100 or more, donors can place the name of their choice on the wall. ``It doesn't matter through which port that person immigrated,'' a spokeswoman said. ``They didn't have to pass through Ellis Island to be honored.''
Q: Why do wine companies put sulfites into wine, when many people are allergic to them? Sulfites were taken off salad buffets because people were having severe allergic reactions.
A: Sulfur dioxide is added to most wine to prevent oxidation and bacterial spoilage, ``thereby enhancing the taste, color and stability,'' according to the Wine Institute in San Francisco. But some wineries produce organic wines with no added sulfites. The word ``added'' is important, the Wine Institute contends, because sulfites occur naturally as a byproduct of fermentation.
All wines bottled and sold in the United States since Jan. 9, 1988, must bear the wording ``Contains Sulfites'' or similar wording unless the wine contains less than 10 parts per million of sulfites. To avoid added sulfites, look for organic wines from these California makers: Bellrose Vineyard; Coturri; Frey Vineyards; Fetzer Vineyards; Lolonis Winery; and Hidden Cellars.
Q: How old is Martha Stewart? Where is she from? What is her background that makes her an expert in all the areas she writes about?
A: The 54-year-old Stewart, divorced and the mother of a grown daughter, was born Martha Kostrya in Nutley, N.J. The oldest daughter in a family of six children, Stewart put herself through Barnard College by modeling. She went on to become a stockbroker and a caterer before turning to writing books on cooking, gardening and home decorating and to making TV spots and various endorsements.
``I took what people do every day - what they have to do every day - and turned it into a successful business,'' she said in a 1992 interview. In addition to her numerous books, a magazine in her name, a TV show of her own and frequent appearances on other TV shows, she consults for Kmart and was tapped by American Express to do the first commercial for its Optima True Grace card.
Q: An article about radio stations said AM radio can be inherently limited by red clay in the ground interfering with signals. What does red clay have to do with airwaves?
A: It has everything to do with the poor transmission of AM radio signals. FM signals travel only by air, but AM signals travel by ground and air. If the soil contains iron rust, iron oxide, clay, granite and other signal-inhibitors, it could create a problem.
``At standard broadcast frequencies, we have a mirror signal,'' said WGST-AM engineer Julian Clark in Atlanta. ``When energy comes out of the antenna, it flops over to the ground and finds its way back into the antenna in a constant cycling. The resistance of the soil reduces the signal every time it cycles through and back to the antenna.''
Clark said AM broadcast signals can be measured on a scale of 1 to 30. The nationwide average is between 8 and 15. Stations in Texas and Arizona measure 30, while signals in Atlanta range from 0.25 to 1, sometimes reaching 2, he said.
Q: What is supply-side economics?
A: ``Safire's New Political Dictionary'' explains: The theory emphasizes the use of tax cuts to stimulate production and growth. This emphasis on supply, or potential output, counters the traditional theory of the need to stimulate demand by consumers. The traditional demand theory - emphasizing consumption over production - calls for increased government involvement in the economy. Supply-siders say less government intervention is preferred.
Liberal politicians lean toward demand-side economics, with its government activism; conservative politicians prefer supply-side economics, which is closer to laissez-faire.
Orthodox economists remain dubious of the theory, while Democrats in the 1990s denounced it as the source of deficits. Republicans responded that increased spending, not tax cuts, raised the national debt.
Q: What is the numerical scale for IQ testing?
A: The original IQ (intelligence quotient) was a number representing a person's mental age, as determined by intelligence tests, divided by the chronological age and multiplied by 100. Example: A 4-year-old with a mental age of 6 had an IQ of 150 (6 divided by 4 equals 1.5, multiplied by 100). Since 1960, all IQ tests have determined IQ by assigning a value of 100 to the average score of those tested; then the testers assign values above and below 100 to the other scores, depending on how much above or below average the score is.
With anything so abstract, problems are inherent. Is everyone equally exposed to the subject matter used in testing? Is a child who has always spoken English more likely to score higher on a test given in English than one who was raised speaking Spanish? Does a child whose family has a tradition of reading and traveling do better on an IQ test than one whose family has not, for whatever reason? Is malnutrition in childhood a factor? All are legitimate concerns when it comes to assigning numbers and scores.
by CNB