ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, July 7, 1996 TAG: 9607080144
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: 5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: COX NEWS SERVICE
Q: What became of Newt Gingrich's first wife?
A: Jackie Gingrich lives in Carrollton, Ga., where she is a high school math teacher.
Q: What are meteorologists predicting for this year's hurricane season in the Atlantic?|
A: There is a statistical relationship between certain climatological variables and the level of hurricane activity in a given season. Based on that, here's the latest prediction from William Gray, a professor of atmospheric sciences at Colorado State University in Fort Collins: 10 named storms will occur, six of which will become hurricanes, two of which will become major hurricanes.|
Q: I know that the term ERA in baseball is an acronym for earned-run average, but what does it mean, and how is it calculated?|
A: It's a pitcher's statistic representing the average number of runs legitimately scored from his deliveries per full nine-inning game (27 outs). The statistic is usually carried to two decimal points. It is calculated by multiplying the number of earned runs (runs scored without the aid of an error, passed ball, obstruction or interference, and charged to the pitcher) by 9, then dividing by the number of innings pitched. For example, if a pitcher has worked 20 innings and has given up 8 runs, his ERA is 3.60 (8 multiplied by 9 is 72; 72 divided by 20 is 3.60).|
Q: A number of movies starred Audie Murphy, the World War II hero. When and how did he die?|
A: Murphy and five other men were killed in late May 1971 in the crash of a twin-engine Aero Commander in a mountainous, heavily wooded area near Roanoke, Va. The pilot, Herman Butler, radioed his last message shortly after 11 a.m. May 28, saying he intended to land at Roanoke's Woodrum Field. The men's bodies were found May 31, several hours after a Civil Air Patrol search plane located the wreckage. The cause of the crash was not stated in initial news reports, but a light drizzle was falling in the area at the time, so it was presumed to be weather-related. Murphy and his companions had boarded the chartered plane in Atlanta.|
Q: What is added to gold to make it contain fewer karats?|
A: Most gold used in jewelry is alloyed with silver, copper and a little zinc to produce various shades of yellow gold or with silver, nickel, copper and zinc to produce silver-colored white gold. Alloys with platinum or palladium also are used in jewelry. The content of gold is always expressed in 24ths, called karats. A 12-karat gold alloy is 50 percent gold, and 24-karat gold is pure. Despite the name, the metal in ``solid'' gold jewelry is mostly 10- to 21-karat gold.|
Q: How can I find out if the FBI has a file on me? If there is one, how can I get a copy?|
A: Unless a person has been the subject of an investigation for some criminal violation, or has applied to a federal agency for security clearance, it's unlikely that there is a file, said FBI spokesman Jay Spadafore. To find out if you have one, send a notarized request with your full name and date and place of birth. Write Freedom of Information on the envelope and address it to the FBI office where you think the file might be maintained (the FBI office in Atlanta, for example, serves all of Georgia, but would not have information on someone whose file might be maintained in Florida or California or anywhere else).|
Q: There was another woman who turned the ``Wheel of Fortune'' letters before Vanna White. Who was she, and what happened to her?|
A: Susan Stafford turned the ``Wheel of Fortune'' letters when the show began in 1975. She left in 1982 and was replaced by White.|
Q: A recent article quoted aides of President Clinton as saying that he had appointed a ``record number of openly gay and lesbian Americans to high-profile federal posts.'' Will you list the names and positions of some of these people?|
A: White House spokeswoman Julie Green listed these Clinton appointees: Bob Hattoy, White House liaison to the Interior Department; Bruce Lehman, assistant secretary of Commerce and commissioner of patents and trademarks; Paul Richard, senior adviser at Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; Roberta Achtenberg, now former assistant HUD secretary for fair housing and equal opportunity; and Richard Socarides, White House liaison to the Labor Department.|
Q: Has there been any follow-up on baseball player Brett Butler's condition and the cause of his cancer?|
A: The Los Angeles Dodgers and former Atlanta Braves outfielder, who was diagnosed with throat cancer and underwent surgery May 21, has just completed seven of his 32 radiation treatments. Atlanta Radiation oncologist Dr. David Holladay says Butler is responding to the treatments very well and doctors are hoping he'll be back in a Dodgers uniform by September. Holladay said the cause of Butler's cancer has not yet been determined. But Butler chewed tobacco for a few years in the late '70s and contracted the Epstein-Barr virus in 1989. Of tobacco, Butler has said, ``It could've been a factor. I've got two deceased parents who were living proof tobacco is bad for you.''|
Q: What percentage of a pro golfer's winnings does the caddie receive?|
A: There's no set percentage. According to the Professional Tour Caddies Association in Jacksonville, Fla., the amount is negotiated between the player and the caddie. In addition to a weekly salary of $500 to $700, a caddie receives, on average, 4 to 7 percent of the pro's winnings, an association spokeswoman said. If the pro wins a tournament, the caddie may get a bonus of 10 percent of the prize money, she added.|
Q: Which interstate highway is the busiest in the United States, not including circular beltways.|
A: It's a segment of I-10 near Los Angeles, with an average of 333,100 vehicles a day.|
Q: What would happen if a president were held in contempt of Congress?|
A: The punishment can range from a fine to imprisonment, said Loch Johnson, regents professor of political science at the University of Georgia. No president has never been charged with contempt, he said.|
Q: When a judge enters a courtroom, everyone is told to stand. If someone refuses, would he or she be held in contempt of court? Could the person challenge it on legal grounds?|
A: It would be up to the presiding judge to determine if that person would be held in contempt. And yes, a person could challenge a contempt charge in court.|
Q: For party-planning purposes, what are the times of the Opening and Closing Ceremonies for the Olympics?|
A: 8:30 p.m. EDT July 19; 9 p.m. Aug. 4.|
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