ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, January 26, 1997 TAG: 9701290004
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: 5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: COX NEWS SERVICE
Q: I recently heard a reference to ``fire jumpers'' in connection with forest fires. What does that mean? Whom do these people work for? How does one apply for such a job?
A: Fire jumpers are trained ``wild land firefighters'' who parachute into areas behind forest fires to help fight them from that direction while others fight from the front. They work for the U.S. Forest Service and/or the Bureau of Land Management. Many are seasonal workers who are called upon on demand when regular forest service firefighters need to be augmented.
It's not possible for inexperienced people simply to sign up to be fire jumpers, said Bill Dickson of the fire and aviation division of the Forest Service's Atlanta regional office. Considerable training is involved, and applicants must be physically fit and ``young enough'' for the physical tasks involved. They then go through basic entry-level firefighting training and work their way up.
There are training schools in the western United States. When regular firefighting teams must be supplemented, ads are placed in newspapers and state employment agencies in the areas where people are needed, Dickson said.
Q: Former Sen. Bob Packwood, R-Ore., is affiliated with American Business Is Local Enterprise ABLE, designed to get estate tax relief for U.S. citizens. How can I contact him?
A: You can write Packwood at his lobbying firm, Sunrise Research, 2201 Wisconsin Ave. N.W., Suite C-120, Washington, D.C. 20007; or call 202-965-9810.
Q: Is there a difference between American cheese and American cheese food? Products are labeled both ways in the dairy case.
A: They are similar but there is a difference, said nutrition expert Connie Crawley of the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service. The main distinction is that cheese food has less cheese, and more nonfat milk or whey solids and water added, which leaves it with a slightly higher moisture content and lower milk fat content. It's usually less expensive, too. Regular processed cheese is a blend of fresh and aged natural cheese, which has been shredded and mixed with an emulsifier, and then pasteurized. Pasteurization stops the ripening and allows the cheese to blend and develop a uniform flavor, body and texture.
Q: Ethel and Julius Rosenberg were executed in the 1950s for spying for the Soviet Union and passing military secrets. Why wasn't Aldrich Ames, who passed military secrets to the Russians and caused people to die, also executed?
A: Ames was not executed because recent Supreme Court rulings have rendered espionage a noncapital offense, said John Russell of the U.S. Justice Department. The Rosenbergs - the first spies ever executed in the United States on orders of a civil court - went to the electric chair 10 minutes apart on June 19, 1953, at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, N.Y.
Q: Does President Clinton still have his old Ford Mustang? Where does he keep it?
A: Clinton still owns the 1967 Mustang convertible. It's on display at the Museum of Automobiles atop Petit Jean Mountain in Morrilton, Ark. Clinton bought the car from his half-brother, Roger, before he became president, and had it restored, said White House spokeswoman Julie Green. When he left Arkansas for the the White House, the car stayed behind in Little Rock. Clinton plans to retrieve it from the museum when his presidency ends, Green said.
Q: What is the origin of the expression ``caught red-handed''?
A: In ancient times, ``to be taken with red hand'' was to be caught in the act, like a murderer whose hands were dripping with the victim's blood. The use of red hand in this sense dates to 15th-century Scotland and Scottish law. Sir Walter Scott's ``Ivanhoe'' contained an early print reference of ``taken red-handed,'' meaning someone apprehended in the act of committing a crime. It evolved into ``caught red-handed.''
Q: When will the knighting ceremonies for Paul McCartney be held in London? Will they be open to the public? Where can fans write him?
A: No date has been announced. The Buckingham Palace ceremonies will be at a mutually agreeable time to McCartney and the palace, and they will be private, according to the British Embassy in Washington. Such ceremonies often aren't even announced until after the fact. Write to Paul McCartney, c/o MPL Communication Ltd., 1 Soho Square, London, England, W1V 6BQ.
Q: I once read an article about pet insurance, but the veterinarians I have contacted don't have any information. Have you?
A: You're talking about Veterinary Pet Insurance of Anaheim, Calif., which describes itself as the leading U.S. insurer of pets. Founded in 1980, the company underwrites about 75,000 dogs and cats and is licensed in 45 states. VPI has five accident and illness plans with varying deductibles and premiums. Major Medical Plan 40, for example, with a $40 deductible, has annual premiums of $49 for puppies and kittens, $59 for pets 1 to 4 years old, and $79 for those 5 to 8. Subject to policy terms, the insurance covers office calls, injections, prescriptions, treatments, lab fees, X-rays, surgery and hospitalization. Information: 800-872-7387.
Q: I'm reminded of the old ``rat pack,'' that Frank Sinatra used to lead. Who were its members? Didn't they make some movies?
A: In addition to Sinatra, the bon-vivant group of Hollwood actors in the ``pack'' included Joey Bishop, Tony Curtis, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Dean Martin and Henry Silva. Various members appeared in several movies together, including ``Oceans Eleven`` (Warner, 1960), ``Sergeants Three'' (United Artists, 1962), ``Johnny Cool'' (United Artists, 1963), ``Robin and the Seven Hoods'' (Warner, 1964), ``Salt and Pepper'' (United Artists, 1968) and ``One More Time'' (United Artists, 1970). Actress Shirley MacLaine also has been mentioned as an occasional rat packer, but she wasn't in the core group.
Q: Will you refresh my memory about the ethics charges against former House Speaker Jim Wright that resulted in his resignation?
A: Wright, D-Texas, who was elected to the House in 1954, became majority leader in 1976 and served as speaker from 1987 to 1989, resigned as speaker and as a member of Congress after the House Committee on Standards of Official Conduct accused him of breaking a number of House ethics rules. One charge was that he had accepted about $145,000 worth of gifts from a Texas real estate developer who was in a position to benefit directly from legislation over which Wright had influence. The committee also accused Wright of earning more income from outside sources than House rules permitted by disguising it as earnings from the sale of Wright's book, ``Reflections of a Public Man.'' Other improprieties included Wright's reported use of a Dallas businessman's jet for a three-day campaign trip in Texas in 1985; his insertion into the Congressional Record of remarks promoting a videotape program being sold by Pacific Institute, a Seattle company that was paying his wife a $36,000 annual salary; and the payment by 10 special interest groups of as much as $30,000 each to a longtime Wright associate to fund opinion polls. On June 30, 1989, little more than six weeks after the committee had charged him with 69 violations, Wright announced his decision to step down.
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