Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, August 20, 1995 TAG: 9508180091
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: D5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: COX NEWS SERVICE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
A: Sources disagree. The World Book Encyclopedia says tropical rain forests are found in Africa, Asia, Central and South America and on Pacific islands, with no mention of the Caribbean. But a brochure from the Puerto Rico Tourism Co. describes the 28,000-acre Caribbean National Forest, known locally as El Yunque, as ``the only tropical forest in the U.S. National Forest System.'' And although Puerto Rico is a self-governing commonwealth, it's not a state. Its citizens do not pay federal income tax on income earned from local sources, nor do they vote in U.S. national elections.
Q: How long has TV newscaster Forrest Sawyer been with the networks? How old is he?
A: Sawyer was at WAGA/Channel 5 in Atlanta from 1980 to 1985, and moved to an anchor position at CBS-TV from 1985 to 1987 before joining ABC News in 1988. He has anchored ABC's ``Day One,'' and filled in for Peter Jennings on ``World News Tonight'' and Charlie Gibson on ``Good Morning America.'' ABC publicist Martin Blair said Sawyer's bio listed no age, but he earned a B.A. degree from the University of Florida at Gainesville in 1971.
Q: What does it mean when a company lists itself as being in ``Chapter 11''?
A: It's a way for companies facing bankruptcy to get their financial house in order and continue doing business. Under the Federal Bankruptcy Act, a company can file for Chapter 11 protection when it no longer can pay its creditors or when it expects future liabilities it cannot hope to pay - such as staggeringly high product-liability damage awards. Provisions of Chapter 11 allow for court- supervised reorganization of the filing company. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the provisions of bankruptcy law that permit corporations to reorganize while continuing to operate also are available to individuals.
Q: A friend of mine who lives in Alabama said he heard that nerve gas is leaking at the Anniston Army Depot. Is it the same kind of gas that was used in the Japanese subway attacks?
A: Yes. The leaking nerve gas sarin, identified by the Army as ``chemical agent GB,'' is the same gas used in several Tokyo subway attacks this year. Monitors picked up traces of the deadly nerve gas, which the Army says leaked from old M55 rocket shells last week, resulting in the evacuation of 60 workers. They say the public is not at risk. The stockpile at Anniston, one of the nation's chemical weapons storage sites, is scheduled to be destroyed through incineration this year.
Q: Five Cubans landed on the Dry Tortugas recently. Are those islands part of the United States, and where did the name come from?
A: Spain ceded the Dry Tortugas to the United States when it relinquished Florida in 1819. The small coral islands, 60 miles west of Key West, were first explored and mapped by Ponce de Leon. The legend is that he named the islands after many turtles in the area and the fact the islands' humped up shapes resembled tortugas. Some say he called them Dry Tortugas because they were above sea level. Others say ``Dry'' was added later to warn sailors the island contained no fresh water.
Q: If you see lightning on the horizon, does that mean rain is on the way?
A: Not necessarily. Most thunderstorms move from west or southwest to east. If the lightning bolt is to the east or north, chances are you won't get wet.
Q: Where was the Japanese surrender signed, and who signed the document?
A: Two documents were signed Sept. 2, 1945, aboard the battleship Missouri in Toyko Bay - one for the Allies and another for Japan. Signing on behalf of Japan and the emperor were Foreign Minister Mamouri Shigemitsu and Gen. Yoshijiro Umezu, the army chief of staff. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, supreme commander of the Allied powers, signed. Witnessing his signature were two officers just released from prison camp: Lt. Gen. Jonathan Wainwright, defender of Bataan and Corregidor in the Philippines, and Lt. Gen. Arthur Percival, the British commander of Singapore. Representatives from China, Britain, Soviet Union, Australia, Canada, France, Netherlands and New Zealand also signed the documents.
Q: What percentage of people in the United States goes to church regularly?
A: A Gallup poll this year reported that 41 percent of those questioned nationwide said they had attended a church or synagogue in the preceding seven days, and 55 percent said they belong to a church, synagogue or other house of worship.
Q: It was reported that Miami averages a bank robbery a day. Does this make Miami the bank robbery capital of the nation?
A: No. The Los Angeles metro area has a higher bank robbery rate than Miami and is considered the nation's bank-robbery capital. About 2,600 bank robberies were reported there in 1993.
Q: How many people were at the recent Elvis conference in Oxford, Miss., and what did it cost to attend?
A: Like Elvis' concerts, the conference was a sellout: 150 people paid $350 to attend Ole Miss' international weeklong conference.
Q: An expert has predicted more hurricanes this year than in previous years. What data does he use, and what is his accuracy rate?
A: William Gray, atmospheric sciences professor at Colorado State University, uses several factors to predict hurricane activity, including rainfall, temperature and air current measurements in West Africa as well as wind direction along the equator. Gray, who has been predicting storms since 1984, said this year will end with 16 major storms, nine of them hurricanes. In eight of the past 11 years, he has accurately predicted the number of hurricanes and tropical storms within two. Five of those years he was correct on either the number of hurricanes or tropical storms.
Q: I've attended three weddings of grandchildren this summer. In two, no one threw anything at the couple, and in the other they threw birdseed. My granddaughter said the traditional rice kills birds. What is the significance of throwing things at a bridal couple? I remember my grandmother telling me that when she was married people threw old shoes at them.
A: Let them throw cake! The French invented the wedding cake to toss at the bride to ensure maximum fertility. Feet, and therefore shoes, in many cultures, are symbols of fertility. They're often tied to newlyweds' cars to wish the couple many children. Grains like rice and wheat are showered on bride and groom so they'll be fruitful and multiply. But rice can swell in birds' stomachs and kill them.
Q: What was Walt Disney's first film?
A: Mickey and Minnie Mouse debuted in ``Steamboat Willy,'' Disney Brothers Studio's first animated film with sound effects and dialogue, on Nov. 18, 1928. The studio was founded by Walter E. and Roy O. Disney in 1923.
Q: Why do we say somebody's crying crocodile tears when they're pretending to be sad? Do crocodiles cry?
A: Crocodiles can't cry, but the myth rose in early times that they moaned and cried to attract the sympathetic, then snatched and ate their savior while ``wepynge,'' as British adventurer Sir John Maundeville recorded the legend around 1400. Shakespeare used the term several times meaning feigned sorrow.
by CNB