ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, December 29, 1996 TAG: 9612310072
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: 5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: COX NEWS SERVICE
Q: What is the difference between an eagle, a hawk and a falcon?
A: They're all raptors (birds of prey). Although all three are related, belonging to the order Falconiformes, the difference is in their scientific sub-classification. Within that order, there are five families: Accipitridae, Cathartidea, Falconidae, Pandionidae and Sagitaridae. Hawks and eagles belong to Accipitridae. Within that family, the larger species generally are called eagles and the smaller ones hawks or buzzards, but there's no rigid distinction. True falcons, making up the genus Falco, belong to the family Falconidae. The similarities between the three are striking. The falcon is closely related to the hawk, with a hooked beak and powerful feet with strong talons (claws). Eagles also have large, strong, hooked beaks and powerful legs, feet and talons.
Q: How can I write to the Guinness world record book? I have something unusual to report that should be listed.
A: The correct name is the Guinness Book of Records. If you're proposing a record to be published for the first time, or if there's an existing published record that you think has been broken, put the information in writing and mail to: Mark Young or John Hanson, Guinness Media Inc., 6 Landmark Square, Stamford, Conn. 06901.
Q: What is the meaning of ``greensleeves'' in the Christmas carol ``What Child Is This?''
A: Oxford English Dictionary defines ``green-sleeves'' as the name given to ``an inconstant ladylove,'' the subject of a ballad published in 1850. ``What Child Is This,'' set to the traditional English tune ``Greensleeves,'' followed in 1865, with lyrics by William Chatterton Dix.
Q: What is Frank Sinatra's address? I want to write to express my gratitude to him.
A: Write: Sinatra Enterprises, 9100 Wilshire Blvd., 455, Beverly Hills, Calif. 90212-3415.
Q: A recent TV show about the life of Frank Sinatra said he had three children. I know about Frank Jr. and Nancy. Who is the third?
A: Christina Sinatra was the third child born to the singer and his first wife, Nancy Barbato.
Q: What is the meaning of ``hell-bent'' for something, as in ``hell- bent for leather''?
A: The idea is that anyone ``hell-bent'' for something is recklessly determined to get it, regardless of the consequences, even if they include hellfire and damnation. The ``leather'' part is obscure, but might refer to riding or driving - presumably on a saddle or leather seat of a motorcycle - with the utmost speed.
Q: When we bought our Christmas tree this year, we asked if the Douglas fir was named for a person, and no one knew. Do you? And if it was named for someone, whatever happened to him or her?
A: The name comes from David Douglas (1798-1834), who discovered the fir (or spruce as it's sometimes called) that bears his name. Formerly a gardener at Glasgow Botanical Gardens, Douglas came to the United States from Scotland in 1823 to study American plants and to collect specimens for the Royal Horticultural Society. The Douglas fir, which he first observed in 1825, is botanically a member of the pine family. Douglas died in a strange way. He was killed by a rampaging wild bull while visiting the Hawaiian islands in 1834.
Q: Who replaced Jocelyn Elders as U.S. surgeon general? What is that person's background?
A: Dr. Audrey Manley, who has served in several key leadership positions in the U.S. Public Health Service during her 20-year career as a PHS officer, is deputy surgeon general and the acting surgeon general. These are among her many roles: associate administrator for clinical affairs, Health Resources and Service Administration; director, National Health Service Corps; director, genetic services, Bureau of Maternal and Child Health; principal deputy assistant secretary for health; member, UNICEF/WHO Joint Committee on Health Policy; and deputy assistant secretary for intergovernmental affairs responsible for 10 Public Health Service regional offices. She has held faculty positions at medical schools at the University of Illinois, University of Chicago and Emory University. She received an AB degree from Atlanta's Spelman College, a medical degree from Meharry Medical College in Nashville and a master of public health degree from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. She is married to Albert Manley, president emeritus of Spelman.
Q: How many illegal immigrants are there in the United States? What are the countries most of them come from?
A: The Immigration and Naturalization Service estimates that 4.3 million illegal immigrants live in the United States. The top five countries, according to INS spokesman Russ Bergeron, are in this order: Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Canada and Poland.
Q: About the Navy's Tailhook sex scandal several years ago: I never saw an explanation of where the name comes from. Can you tell me?
A: A tailhook is the device on a plane's tail that catches a cable strung across an aircraft carrier's deck, bringing it to a quick halt. The group involved in the 1991 Navy scandal was the Tailhook Association, which for years held an annual convention in Las Vegas. Wild partying was said to have been a convention tradition before the problems were so widely reported.
Q: Where can I send a contribution to help needy Palestinian children?
A: Make a check out to Palestine Red Crescent Society and send it to that organization at 1730 K St. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20006.
Q: How can I seek payment in the price-fixing lawsuit against the makers of Infamil and Similac?
A: Attorneys general in several states have reported ``tons of rumors and lots of misinformation'' nationwide concerning money that many parents hoped to collect in a settlement of class-action lawsuits against several baby formula manufacturers. In Oklahoma, for instance, despite the fact that those who purchased the formulas were not eligible for the settlements, hundreds of people lined up at a post office in Tulsa hoping to beat a presumed deadline to mail their claims. Several states were involved in the class-action settlement. In some of them, including Alabama, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada and North Carolina, the manufacturers agreed to donate infant formula to food banks. In others, cash payments have been involved.
For those who think they might be eligible for a settlement, an official claim form can be obtained by sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Settlement Administrator, Infant Formula Litigation, P.O. Box 1602, Minneapolis, Minn. 55440-1602. On the outside envelope, write the state where the formula was purchased. Claims must be postmarked no later than Jan. 31. Information: 800- 585-1151. A recording listing states involved says that if cash payments are made, most will range from $5 to $45, not the widely rumored $1,500.
Q: My husband is a resident alien with a green card. People have told me that when they come back to the United States from other countries, they discover that their green card has expired. Do they have an expiration date?
A: Certain versions of the Alien Registration Receipt Card (green card), issued before 1976, have been declared invalid, according to Russ Bergeron of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. People who have them must replace them immediately or they may have trouble getting back into the United States if they leave. The current green card is valid for 10 years from the date of issuance.
Q: I am 31 and drink milk and consume dairy products for calcium. I was told that after a person is 4 or 5 years old, the body no longer processes dairy products, so I'm getting no calcium benefits. Is that true?
A: No. According to The American Dietetic Association, your body constantly breaks down and rebuilds bone, so you need to consume calcium- rich foods throughout your life. Calcium not only builds strong bones and teeth, but also helps regulate heartbeat and muscle contractions. The amount of calcium you consume in childhood and adolescence influences the strength of your bones when you reach adulthood, but it's never too late to get enough calcium. In addition to being in dairy products, calcium also is found in broccoli, canned sardines and salmon (with bones), as well as calcium-fortified juices.
Q: In a column about Alger Hiss, George Will said the statute of limitations ``saved him from espionage charges.'' But a recent Wall Street Journal article about the arrest of a man accused of spying in the mid- 1960s said ``there is no statute of limitations.'' Which is correct?
A: Both are correct. Different sections of the espionage law apply in different cases, said John Russell, spokesman for the Justice Department. Section 794 of the law, dealing with the gathering or delivering of defense information to aid a foreign government, does not have a statute of limitations, Russell said. But Sections 795 and 796, dealing with photographing and sketching defense installations or the use of photography of defense installations, have a 10- year statute of limitations. Another factor is premeditation, he added. So each case has to be judged on individual circumstances.
Q: How much are Cabinet members such as Attorney General Janet Reno paid? Will she get more money for her second term than for her first? Do any Cabinet members get more salary than President Clinton? Are there other benefits?
A: Cabinet members are paid $148,000 a year - $52,000 less than the president. She won't get any more for a second term. The only way Reno and other Cabinet members can get a raise is through an act of Congress. Cabinet members share the same benefits as other federal employees, either through the Civil Service Retirement System or the Federal Employee Retirement System. Cabinet members also have allowances for travel and a personal staff.
Q: I attended a Neil Diamond concert and noticed several vaporizers being used. What were they for?
A: Diamond's press secretary, Sherri Levy, said they may have looked like vaporizers, but they were theatrical smoke machines. ``He doesn't use medicinal vaporizers,'' she said. ``They're used to create smoke effects, and it's purely for showmanship.''
Q: When President John F. Kennedy was sworn in in 1961, there was a man holding the Bible for Kennedy who never is identified in photos. Who was he?
A: James Browning, a Supreme Court clerk, was the person standing between Kennedy and Chief Justice Earl Warren.
Q: How is wind chill calculated?
A: Weather experts use a complicated equation to determine heat loss (wind chill). A chart is used to match temperatures and wind velocity to produce the ``chill'' factor. For example, a temperature of 25 above zero with a 10-mph wind ``feels'' like the temperature is 10, not 25. So the wind chill is 10.
Q: Where does the term ``whip'' in politics come from, as in party whips?
A: It was borrowed from Britain's Parliament and was first used in the U.S. Congress in 1897. It comes from the fox-hunting term ``whipper-in,'' meaning the person assigned to keep hunting dogs in a pack. Whips are selected by each party. The whips, ranking after the majority and minority leaders, try to keep party members in line on their leaders' programs.
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