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Since You Ask
SINCE YOU ASK
We will attemp to find answers for all serious inquiries submitted by our
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editors. All replies posted on this web page or by e-mail are the opinions of
our staff. This project is for entertainment purposes only. We request that do
your own research in any matters of importance.For health related questions
you can also try: goaskaliceGo Ask
Alice! is the health question and answer Internet site produced by Alice!,
Columbia University's Health Education Program—a division of the Columbia
University Health Service.For specific information from Johns Hopkins White
Papers you can still ask us.
Please try our favorite search engine first, we like google.com because they have an "advanced
search" and seem to get more responses than some others.
Selected previous questions.For the answers and related links, click on
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each answer. We noticed that some links do not return you correctly, so please
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1. Is
there a solution to the increasing violence among our young people? What can we
do to make schools safer for our children?
2. How
can we improve the flow of traffic in congested areas?
3. Is
there a cure for migraine headaches?
4. How
can I be a better parent?
5. What
causes the reaction to Poison Ivy & what is the best treatment?
6. Are
there respected scientists who believe that we are on the verge of being able to
live forever? Thank you
7. Why do
so many people fear psychological therapy and act like everyone who sees a
therapist has leprosy?
8. How
can I get rid of the common little bee?
9. To
what extent does history shape society, and to what extent does society shape
history?
10.
What exactly is amorphophallus konjac and how is it related to weight loss? Is
it safe? Does it have any side effects?
11.
What automobile was marketed as having a stainless steel body that never needed
painting?
12. How
do you determine the private capacity of a person?
13. Hi,
I am 10 yrs old. Is there anything that can help me lose 10 pounds in 2
weeks?
14.
What are the top ranked colleges/universities in the US for a major in marine
biology?
15. I
have a sister-in-law who has a 12 month old and a 2 year old. She spanks both of
them. I am very uncomfortable with this and the way she yells at them. For
example, one day the 12 month old touched something he shouldn't have, she told
him no. He laughed and continued touching it. She kept saying no and if he
didn't he would get a spanking. He continued to copy what she was saying. She
grabbed him, held on to him and told him not to argue with her. This is a 1 year
old. Any suggestions?
16. I
have heard stories of people who cured their cancer by changing their diet. Can
this work, or are these just stories?
17. Is
it true that spouses can't be compelled to testify against each other, no matter
what? I thought this was only true if the incident happened during the marriage.
Isn't it true that if it happened before the marriage the spouse can be made to
testify?
18. I'm
29 years old. I have a sister who is 17. My dad and stepmother recently divorced
and she was put in the middle of it. She was once a girl who loved school, loved
to read etc.. Now she has a boyfriend who has a record, she has pierced her
nose, she lies, does drugs and it is getting so bad. Her parents have taken away
her car, kicked her out and now she is living in a hell hole with a guy who is
no good. My heart is breaking, what to do?
19. How
do I find the format for papers to sign away parental rights on the
internet?
20.
Whatever happened to ASKME.COM ?????
21. How
can I tell when a product in my pantry is too old to use?
22.
Planning a trip to Victoria, BC, Canada, cannot find any references for the
Empress Hotel there. What happened to it? It supposedly had a $45,000,000
restoration in 1988.
23. I
understand that snakes, birds and lizards usually devour their prey as a whole
and therefore I have the following questions :a. How is the prey prevented
from biting the stomach of the snake? Do the prey become paralyzed even from the
non - poisonous snakes?b. I also hear that some non-poisonous snakes, like
the python, devour poisonous snakes?c. I want to know as to whether the
bones, teeth, nails and hair are digested too? Won't they damage the digestive
system in the process?d. I am also eager to know whether the animals are
affected if they prey on infected animals?
We will reply by return e-mail as time permits. We may post answers and/or
links on this site. Click on the question in which you are interested. If you do
not recieve the answer, that means we have not gotten to it.
Links:CyberTipline Report child abuse,
molestationor use of the internet to meet children Heart Information All about your
tickerMigraine Page
Feverfew cures it for manyFree
Trade PublicationsScam
Busters Protect yourself from the latestMovie Reports Read the content of
moviesTraffic
The cure for rush hour traffic
More links:Goodkids A basic guide to
parentingNational Center for
Missing an Exploited Childrenor call 1-800-THE LOST Beginner's Guide to HTML Art in the San Antonio International
Airport HungerSite.org
Classes The cure for
child abuse and violenceSouthwest
School of Art & Craft
1. Violence:There is a system that can change the escalating
violence, but it will need support from a lot of people to get it implemented:
See: Classes.Back
2. Traffic:Another simple solution, but it must be widely
promoted to be put into effect. See: Traffic.Back
3. Migraine:Try feverfew, for some it works quite rapidly,
others have had to try it for weeks and use different brands to achieve relief.
We have reports that Nature's Way brand works well. For more information see: migrainepage.com.Back
4. Parenting:Take parenting classes, it helps to learn all
you can and see: theparentingpage.com. Back
5. Poison Ivy:For relief, the best product we have found
is IVYREST, it has twice the Benadryl and almost twice the Calamine. For more
information see: FDA
Poison Ivy Page. Back
6. Living Forever:Yes. One of the leading groups working
on this is the Methuselah
Foundation, spearheaded by Cambridge University PHD Aubrey
de Grey. His talks at the TED
Conferences are quite interesting. Back
7. Therapy:Denial. Many people would rather live in misery
than admit they could use some help. These same people put down therapists and
patients as a defense mechanism. This is a red flag that they know they have a
problem, but they try to hide it. I was like that for many years. I went through
6 different types of therapy before getting to real security and happiness. You
must never give-up, all therapists are not good therapists. Just because one
does not help you, that does not mean that the next one will not help you. The
same is true of doctors. Do you know what they call the person who finished at
the bottom of their medical school graduating class? The one who was so dumb
that they just barely made the cut? They call that person "Doctor". With therapy
there are many alternatives. 12 Step for
Codependency was one of the best,
and it was free. I also liked the Landmark Education program. I did
their entire "Curriculum for Living". The end result was my first web page:
Goodkids. Back
8. Bees:The most efficient way to get rid of bees is with
a soap and water spray. We are in Texas and have had problems with "Killer Bees"
from South America. The city comes with a truck that sprays them with soap and
water. If you have honey bees in a swarm, a local beekeeper will usually come
and retrieve them for free just to get the bees. A third method involves
planting only flowers that do not attract bees. You should be able to get a list
of such plants from a local nursery.
Keep in mind that bees are normally harmless. They will not sting unless
provoked. I was in Arkansas last Saturday and one landed in a friend's hair, I
gently untangled the critter and it rested on my hand until I blew on it to fly
away. Unless you are allergic to bee venom, their sting is minor and has been
used to cure various ailments including arthritis. The Killer Bees can be
aggressive and they are dangerous because many of them can sting you in an
encounter. It usually takes something to set them off, either loud
noises/vibrations or you attack them. I have sprayed a nest of Killer Bees with
pesticide. But I was prepared to run and I did. They either gave up the chase in
about 50 feet or they dropped dead in flight. An agile person can outrun them,
so if you see more than one coming at you, run.Back
9. We do not want to do a thesis for anyone, but:History
shapes society to the degree that we are able to learn from the past. If what we
learn from the past is incorrect, evil, stupid or just bad, society suffers.
Society shapes history when new thought emerges. New thought is continually
emerging in the fields of technology. It is this arena which has brought the
most advances to humankind.
One premise concerns the extent of technological development that people have
been able to achieve versus the understanding of human behavior that we have
been able to achieve. The natural conclusion is that the people who first put us
on the technological trail were correct in their beginning assumptions, while
those who started our behavioral studies were wrong in their initial premises.
Thus the history of an ancient Greek society has continuing effects on our
society today. When someone puts us back on the correct line of thought, we will
be able to radically alter our history for future generations. The onus of
accepting this new line of thought will be on the society in which it emerges.
Should that society quash this correct line of thought, they will be responsible
for the continuing decay of humankind and a more negative history for future
generations.
I believe that correct line of thought exists today. It seems to be a
difficult concept to grasp as many who study it have a hard time "getting it".
It involves teaching everyone the ages at which children are capable of
different levels of rational thought. Adults use suggestion, commentary,
criticism, allusion, insinuation, innuendo, ad infinitum, to deal with children
who do not grasp such concepts. This causes children to become insecure, which
causes fear, which causes anger and frustration. About the time they reach the
age of thirteen, they come to believe that their parents are either idiots or
mean people. From there they grow into adults and continue the family tradition
in a downward spiral. This could go into an entire book, but I will stop for
now. Read Goodkids and pass it on, you
could change history. Learn it and you can change the future of your own
family.Back
10. Amorphophallus Konjac:This is the plant from which
Glucomannan is obtained. According to advertising: "Glucomannan is a natural
dietary, calorie free, high fiber powder which is obtained from the root of the
'Amorphophallus Konjac'. The capsules absorb liquid up to 50 times their weight
giving a feeling of fullness, therefore suppressing your appetite. This natural
food does not contain harmful drugs or stimulants."
However, according to: goaskalice"bulk-producing
agents, such as methylcellulose, psyllium, and agar, are supposed to produce a
sense of fullness in the gastrointestinal tract, thus suppressing appetite, and
are often added to diet products. These agents swell when mixed with water and
are much more effective as laxatives than as weight reducers. Glucomannan, a
bulk-producing starch derived from konjac tubers, is often touted by health food
enthusiasts as a 'natural' weight loss method. There is no evidence that
glucomannan or any other bulk producer reduces appetite or produces weight
loss."
These products are said to be helpful in regulating blood sugar levels, but
for healthy weight loss, the only thing that really works is changing your
tastes. Stop eating fried foods, dairy products, cheese and snacks other than
fruit and vegetables. Go cold turkey for three weeks, eat as many wonderful
other foods as you like. Once you have changed your tastes, you can gradually
cut back on the amount of food you consume if you think that is necessary. In a
couple of months you can be on the way to a permanently healthy, reasonable
dietary lifestyle. This was the only thing that worked for me. As long as I
chased fad diets, I was doomed to obesity. Once I "got it", I was cured forever.
I also knocked my cholesterol down from 250 to 150 without medication. I am 57
years old, trim and healthy. For more information see: preventivecare.com Back
11. Stainless car:You are seeking information on the
DeLorean DMC-12. Planned for1978, the De Lorean Sports Car was not available
until 1981. The car had a PRV-6 engine by Renault of France, but has Volvo
written all over it. The transmission is also from Renault. The car had gullwing
doors, a rear-mounted engine, and 304 grade stainless steel body panels. The
interior had leather seats, power windows and mirrors, an adjustable steering
wheel, air conditioning.
According to the De Lorean Owners Association, 6539 cars were produced in
1981, 1126 in 1982, and 918 in 1983. But many employees in Belfast state that
they assembled well over 10,000 cars. DMC's records are long gone. With this
varying information, perhaps no one knows for sure exactly how many De Loreans
were built. For more information go to: delorean.comBack
12. Private Capacity:"Private capacity" refers to the
actions of a person on a particular matter as a private citizen. It is used to
note that a person who could be acting in an official manner is acting only as a
private citizen. This would apply to government officials, military personnel or
employees of a company, etc. Should there be no possible official capacity, the
person is assumed to be acting in a private capacity and such designation is not
required.Back
13. Diet:No! It is very unhealthy to lose too much weight
in a hurry; you will be doomed to gaining it back and more. The only way to
successfully lose weight is to eliminate the major offenders from your diet
forever. Just tell yourself that for the rest of your life you will never eat
anything that has been deep-fat fried. That includes: fried fish, fried chicken,
fried onions, french fries and all chips. Everyone over 5 years old should avoid
all dairy items, especially CHEESE. Never drink sodas (especially "diet sodas"). All "diet" products make you
crave fats. Fruit and other sweets can be eaten only on an empty stomach (If fats are present
with sugar, the body will burn the sugar and store the fat).Learn to snack on fresh
vegetables and fruit, but only two servings of fruit per day and no fruit
juices. Do not skip meals, your body will think it
is starving and store fat when you do eat. Eat Cream of Buckwheat, quinoa,
millet or amaranth for breakfast. Drink eight glasses of purified water
every day. Avoid bread and other starches.
Show this to your parents, it will be necessary to get some help from them to
accomplish your goal. Do not get too thin, it is not attractive or healthy. You
may not lose ten pounds in two weeks, but before you realize it, you will be
where you want to be and feel good about it. You can eat just about any other
food that you want, but learn to read the labels and stay away from anything
that gets more than 30% of the calories from fat.Back
14. Marine Biology:Try these sites for the top ranked
colleges and colleges with marine biology programs. Print each and compare the
lists.http://life.bio.sunysb.edu/marinebio/mbcolleges.htmlwww.usnews.comCaltech
is always a highly ranked school. They do not show a major in Marine Biology,
but they have a Marine Biology lab: Kerckhoff Marine Laboratory
ResourceYou can contact them and find if they have a program that might
appeal to you.Back
15. Parenting:Your sister-in-law is having problems
because she is not consistent. She has made the yelling, spanking, and grabbing
into a game. Spanking children is acceptable only if it is not accompanied by
yelling. The children have learned the game as the means of getting affection
from their mother. If you have a dog that you kick everyday, that dog will love
you dearly. Children and dogs have no way of knowing that violence is not
accepted behavior. If that is the only thing they know, they assume it is
normal. You are viewing the scene as an adult who knows the difference. If you
wish to help, print a copy of Goodkids
and find a place they can go for parenting classes. Give the information to her
husband. Ask him to not tell her that he got it from you. People who were raised
with dysfunctional values can be rebellious. They must agree to use the Goodkids
system and go to classes without influence from a third party relative. If they
do not change their method of dealing with their children, it is your duty to
report them to your local Child Protective Services agency. They should require
both parents to take classes in dealing with their children.Back
16. Cancer Cure:I have personally known people who have
cured themselves of cancer, Crohn's, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, COPD,
chronic back pain, arthritis, nasal allergies and diabetes after being told they
could not be cured by allopathic medicine. All did it by learning to eat healthy
and I am convinced that what you eat can make you well no matter the disease.
How? First eliminate all harmful addictive drugs like tobacco, alcohol, coffee,
tea, milk, cheese, eggs, beef, pork and starchy foods. Yes all of those items
are harmful addictive drugs. Wheat is probably the number one disease causing
drug, because gluten destroys the lining of the intestines. The swollen belly on
many people is caused by inflammation of the intestines from eating wheat. The
intestinal damage prevents the body from absorbing the nutrients required to
keep the immune system healthy. The casein in dairy products also causes similar
destruction. Continuing to eat the bad foods without sufficient quantities of
goods foods causes malnutrition. As the intestinal walls are eroded away it
we must increase flood the digestive tract with super healthy foods all
day long to strengthen the immune system; then your body will be able to cure
itself. Replace the old toxic foods with massive amounts of green leafy
vegetables like chard, collards, kale and spinach. Eat 15 servings of raw and
lightly steamed vegetables every day. The raw items may be pulverized with
purified water in a blender; this will enable you to consume greater quantities.
For more details see www.appetitetraining.com
and the book A Cancer Battle Plan by Anne E. Frahm, Back
17. Spousal Privilege:It is known as "The Spousal
Privilege" and it does apply to matters prior to the marriage. If someone
witnesses a murder, for example, and then marries the murderer, they can not be
forced to testify. If a divorce occurs after an incident, the spouse can be
required to testify. In other words, it applies to being married at the time of
testimony, rather than the time of the incident. A spouse can voluntarily
testify anytime. It is merely a privilege that can be invoked, similar to the
Fifth Amendment right to not incriminate oneself. Note also that in all
testimony, a person can merely say "I do not remember" and no other evidence can
disprove such a statement. Check with your attorney for specifics.Back
18. Runaways:Young people leave home for places that are
seemingly worse for a combination of three reasons: 1. Home is worse. 2. To try
and control the parents who are making major mistakes. 3. To exact revenge on
one or both parents.
Number 3 has the worst consequences and is the hardest to overcome. I have
counseled families and individuals with #3 who became prostitutes or
homosexuals, harmed themselves in any way possible and even committed suicide in
vain attempts to get back at lousy parents. Try to get her parents to study the Goodkids paper and adapt a strict but
fair attitude with her. If that fails, or even if it succeeds, you must get her
into a counseling program.
We tend to think of our parents as normal, because we have no concept of what
a normal parent really is. The truth is that many of us have bad parents. We
know that the world is full of bad people and there is no law that prevents bad
people from becoming parents. Some of us have to face the fact that we got
ripped off in the parent department. Once she realizes that, she must make the
decision to continue the family legacy and pass it on to her children or stop
the cycle and learn to be a good person who becomes a good parent.
This is virtually impossible without third party help. It took me years of
therapy to "get it". Fortunately, there are "12-step" programs for every
problem. Look into local programs for "co-dependency", that is what helped me
the most. The entire program is free. There was a basket by the door to donate
$2.00 each week for copies, video rentals, etc.
You should begin going on your own first and then get her to come into it
with you. If she does not, you will learn many things that will help you deal
with her and improve your own life also.Back
19. Parental Rights:No form is available on the internet,
each state has different forms which must be obtained from the court. Call or
visit the local court where the matter would be handled. They will provide you
with the forms required. If you have problems with the procedure, ask them for
assistance from "Legal Aid".Back
20. Askme.com: I am sorry to see that it is gone. I
suppose it went the way of many sites with good ideas. It takes a lot of time
and effort to keep these things going. Sinceyouask.com gets more questions now
than I have time to post on the site. I still try to answer all I can by email.
So far I just do it for fun, but most sites count on revenue from advertising.
If that revenue is not sufficient to justify the time required for maintenance,
they close. My site is in a similar situation, unless I get commercial
with it, I cannot handle a large volume of questions. So far, I only get handful
of questions every day. If I promote the site, run ads, etc., it will take more
time to maintain and it would have to be run like a business. I love all the
free stuff on the Internet, luckily somehow most sites are able to bring in
enough money to keep going. Back
21. Out of Date Products:A simple method is to write the
date with a sharpie marker when you buy an item you don’t plan to use the day
you buy it. All products have codes that tell when they were made. Many are easy
to find amid the product codes. They will be date – month – year or year-month -
date
Examples: 1) 080215XX Obviously, year – month – day; the item
was manufactured 2008 February 15, all additional letters and numbers are
manufacturer codes.
2) PPP 031008 12:00 D 02 The first
three letters are product code. The next 6 digits are day – month – year; the
item was manufactured 10 March 2008. The second line shows the time the can was
filled, the plant where it was made, and the production line. The month should
be in the middle, if you need absolute confirmation, you must call the company
and ask them to verify their code.
3) Julian Code: 867C3B The first number is the last digit of the
year the item was made. The next three digits are the day of the year in Julian
code. This item was made in 2000, on the 67th day (March 7).
4) Letter Code: A = June, B = July, C = August, D = September, E = October,
F = November, G = December, H = January, I = February, J = March, K = April, L =
May
5) PPPBest By DDMMMYY(b)TTTTF(L)Expiration date codes: These
codes are clearly marked and identifiable as such. They will say: “use by” or
“best by” Usually 2 years from the date of manufacture. The case will be coded
with the same date.1st Line: Case Code, where PPP = Product Code,
2nd Line: DD = Day of Production, MMM = Month of Production, YY = Year
of Production, (b) = Empty Space, TTTT = Time of Production, F = Plant
Code, (L) = Line Number SAMPLE: Natural Choice Lamb & Rice Dog Food made
on March 1, 2008: NDN Best By 01MAR08 TTTTF(L)Back
22. British Columbia:It is listed as the Fairmont Empress
Hotel. Here is their website: http://www.fairmont.com/fa/en/cda/home/hotels/abouthotel/cdhotelhomepage/0,2993,property%255fseq%3d100128,00.html
The toll free number is: Fairmont Reservations: 1-800-441-1414 Back
23. Snakes:a. Many factors come into play with these
animals. Some kill the prey prior to eating it. Others are immune to the venom.
When a snake eats another snake it is from the rear. A larger snake eats a
smaller one. It happens very fast. The snake's digestive tract runs straight
from the mouth to the anus, so the predator consumes the entire prey in one
piece. It would be very difficult for the smaller prey to be able to turn and
penetrate the tough skin of the larger snake. Rattlesnakes and other pit vipers must open
their mouths 180 degrees to strike. That is why they are a danger to humans,
they can hit a flat target. They do not see or hear very well. They sense their
prey from movement vibrations and heat. When several people walk past a
rattlesnake, they sense the movement of the first person, but ignore it. When
the second and third person walk past, the snake does not realize it is
different people, but thinks it is the same one repeatedly attacking. It will
strike at the third, fourth or fifth person. Coral snakes run from everything.
Their mouths do not open very wide. They have to get their mouth on a finger or
toe to inject venom. b. Any animal that consumes a poisonous snake is
immune to venom that is eaten. The venom is only toxic if it gets to the
blood stream. The stomachs of animals use highly acid or alkaline chemicals to
digest food. These kill and neutralize all sorts of potentially toxic
substances. (People can consume the Aids virus and it will be killed in the
stomach.)c. The digestive system of a snake dissolves bones, teeth,
skin, hair, etc. I recently killed a coral snake in my back yard. My wife
skinned it and tanned the skin for a hatband. It had the partially digested
remains of three other snakes inside, one was a smaller coral snake. It was
about two feet long, the consumed snakes were each six to eight inches long. The
closer to the rear, the more digested they were. d. As I mentioned
above, infected animals are not usually a problem because of the digestive
system. However, certain parasites and other infective entities are immune to
digestive juices.The other day my wife saw a snake with the leg of a
frog in its mouth, the frog was much larger than the snake. She struck the snake
with a shovel to make it release the frog. I told her that the snake would
probably die if she broke the skin. They have very tough skin, but if it is
broken it does not always heal. She does not like snakes, although we know they
are usually harmless. I only killed the coral snake because of the danger it
poses to children. We live next door to an elementary school playground.
Children have been known to carry them in their pockets as pets. One of the
adults at my home the day I killed the Coral snake told me she had done that as
a child. As I said, they are not aggressive and seldom bite. If they do bite,
their venom is very toxic. It is not true that they must chew on you to inject
venom. If they can get their mouth around any part of your body, they can inject
you. Children are at risk because they have more small parts than adults.
Non-poisonous snakes can hurt you also. A five foot long Rat snake was
in the yard one day when I was visiting a friend. They had a one year old, so I
thought it better to take the snake to a more rural setting. I thought I grabbed
him close enough to his head, but he still managed to nick my finger. The cut
was like a razor, very minor, but I bled like crazy. I put him in a trashcan and
took him to a rural area a few miles away. Do not try this unless you are
prepared to take a hit. Even people who do it frequently sometimes get bitten
and you will almost certainly get bitten and cut while learning to do
it.Strangely, I was unable to find any good reference websites on the
digestive topic. I knew these things from books I have read because of my rural
environment. Back
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