Answers to your questions about the news.

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• Do Jet Stowaways Ever Survive? The dangers of traveling beneath business class.
  Brendan I. Koerner Dec. 31, 2003
  
• Which Movie Critics Really Matter? Year-end awards to heed and ignore.
  Brendan I. Koerner Dec. 29, 2003
  
• How Are 9/11 Victims Paid? Why some get $500, while others get $7.9 million.
  Brendan I. Koerner Dec. 23, 2003
  
• Why Is Qaddafi Still a Colonel? Why Libya's leader hasn't changed his stripes.
  Eric Umansky Dec. 23, 2003
  
• Outbreaks vs. Epidemics Whether it's time to freak about the flu.
  Brendan I. Koerner Dec. 19, 2003
  
• Do Special Envoys Get Paid? What James Baker III earned on his trip to Europe.
  Brendan I. Koerner Dec. 18, 2003
  
• How Is MIA Status Changed? What Saddam might know about the first Gulf War's only MIA.
  Brendan I. Koerner Dec. 16, 2003
  
• What's a Spider Hole? And since when do spiders dig holes, anyway?
  Andy Bowers Dec. 15, 2003
  
• Why No More Flu Vaccine? For one thing, there's a shortage of chicken eggs.
  Ed Finn Dec. 12, 2003
  
• Are Dean and Gore Related? No Relation No. 18: Gore, Dean, and Gore Dean.
  Josh Levin Dec. 11, 2003
  
• How Do You Fix a Wild Bear? First, do no harm. Then, use pig membranes.
  Brendan I. Koerner Dec. 8, 2003
  
• Where Do War Criminals Do Time? Plus, who will jail Yugoslavian offenders.
  Brendan I. Koerner Dec. 5, 2003
  
• How Productive Are You? The ways the government keeps tabs on American workers.
  Brendan I. Koerner Dec. 3, 2003
  
• What Happens to Cheating Soldiers? Draconian military punishments for adultery.
  Brendan I. Koerner Dec. 1, 2003
  
• Is Miss Universe Miss World's Boss? Which beauty queen reigns supreme and where Miss America fits in.
  Brendan I. Koerner Nov. 26, 2003
  
• What's With Georgia's Flags? One of them isn't in the encyclopedia.
  Brendan I. Koerner Nov. 25, 2003
  
• Who Gets Jacko's Bail Money? Plus, what happens if he goes on the lam.
  Brendan I. Koerner Nov. 21, 2003
  
• What's a State Visit? Is Bush's trip to the U.K. really the first?
  Andy Bowers Nov. 20, 2003
  
• Did Jackie O.'s Priest Betray Her? How private Catholic confessions really are.
  Michael McGough Nov. 19, 2003
  
• How Radical Is the Gay-Marriage Ruling? Why the Massachusetts decision breaks new ground.
  Josh Levin Nov. 19, 2003
  
• Who Gave Britney a Hollywood Star? How celebrities get their names on the Walk of Fame.
  Brendan I. Koerner Nov. 18, 2003
  
• When Do Judges Sequester Juries? Plus, why the accused Beltway sniper's judge did not.
  Brendan I. Koerner Nov. 14, 2003
  
• Can Miami Really Ban Giant Puppets? Plus, why police say they're a menace.
  Brendan I. Koerner Nov. 12, 2003
  
• Are You a Coward? When being afraid is a crime.
  Charles Duhigg Nov. 7, 2003
  
• What Fuel Does Voyager 1 Use? Plus, why it will run out in 2020.
  Brendan I. Koerner Nov. 6, 2003
  
• How Big Is Rhode Island? Plus, why the state is the nation's yardstick.
  Andy Bowers Nov. 5, 2003
  
• Why Are Kenyans Fast Runners? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Nov. 3, 2003
  
• What Does the ELF Want From Us? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Oct. 31, 2003
  
• GM's Accident Report 
  Brendan I. Koerner Oct. 29, 2003
  
• Geomagnetic Storms 
  Brendan I. Koerner Oct. 24, 2003
  
• Is Mother Teresa's Miracle for Real? 
  Charles Duhigg Oct. 22, 2003
  
• Why Put Roy's Skull in His Stomach? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Oct. 21, 2003
  
• Which Implants Look Fake? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Oct. 16, 2003
  
• Can Sonar Kill Whales? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Oct. 14, 2003
  
• How Are Nobel Prizes Awarded? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Oct. 10, 2003
  
• First Amendment: Liar-Proof? 
  Laura Hodes Oct. 9, 2003
  
• What Giant Reptile Can You Own? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Oct. 8, 2003
  
• How Do You Train a Tiger? 
  Ed Finn Oct. 6, 2003
  
• How Do You Pick a Pope? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Oct. 3, 2003
  
• Who Used Mustard Gas in WWII? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Oct. 1, 2003
  
• How Deep Is CIA Cover? 
  Ed Finn Sept. 30, 2003
  
• Why Not Import More Non-OPEC Oil? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Sept. 26, 2003
  
• When Do Soldiers Face Execution? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Sept. 24, 2003
  
• What Exactly Is a "Stalking Horse"? 
  Ed Finn Sept. 23, 2003
  
• How Are Ticker Symbols Allotted? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Sept. 18, 2003
  
• Why Don't Hurricanes Hit L.A.? 
  Andy Bowers Sept. 18, 2003
  
• What's Up With "Rogue States"? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Sept. 17, 2003
  
• Is French Toast Really French? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Sept. 16, 2003
  
• What Is Intelligence Chatter, Anyway? 
  David Joachim Sept. 12, 2003
  
• Is It Easier To Bust MDs or Terrorists? 
  Ed Finn Sept. 11, 2003
  
• Can Wham-O Sue Over Dickie Roberts? 
  Ed Finn Sept. 10, 2003
  
• Which Depressions Become Hurricanes? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Sept. 5, 2003
  
• Did the Supremes OK Truth Serum? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Sept. 3, 2003
  
• Can Kobe Bryant Pay Off His Accuser? 
  Julie Hilden Sept. 2, 2003
  
• Can You Help Dole Out the Grammys? Or the Tonys, or the ESPYs, or the Golden Globes?
  Brendan I. Koerner Aug. 29, 2003
  
• Why North Koreans Were Kidnappers 
  Brendan I. Koerner Aug. 27, 2003
  
• How Protective Is Protective Custody? 
  Julia Turner Aug. 25, 2003
  
• How Did Sharia Get to Nigeria? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Aug. 22, 2003
  
• How Will Libya Pay Pan Am Families? A primer on the Bank for International Settlements.
  Brendan I. Koerner Aug. 21, 2003
  
• Does Your Car Have a Black Box? Event data recorders know when you've been speeding, and when you've hit the brake.
  Paul Boutin Aug. 20, 2003
  
• Why Texas Has Its Own Power Grid 
  Brendan I. Koerner Aug. 18, 2003
  
• Missile Defense for Commercial Jets? 
  Ed Finn Aug. 14, 2003
  
• FAQ: How Will the Recall Work? Your nagging questions answered.
  Ed Finn Aug. 7, 2003
  
• What are Israel's Loan Guarantees? 
  Ed Finn Aug. 6, 2003
  
• Explainer Mailbag: Count the Allies A few more countries with troops in Iraq.
  Brendan I. Koerner July 31, 2003
  
• Can You Recall Your Governor? Which states allow voter recalls.
  Andy Bowers July 30, 2003
  
• What Weird Futures Can You Buy? A guide to online prediction markets.
  Brendan I. Koerner July 29, 2003
  
• Why All the Stilted New Campaign Ads? How McCain-Feingold will shape candidates' spots.
  Brendan I. Koerner July 28, 2003
  
• Which Allies Have Troops in Iraq? A postwar roster of men on the ground.
  Brendan I. Koerner July 25, 2003
  
• Were Odai and Qusai Assassinated? The legalities of killing Saddam Hussein's sons.
  Brendan I. Koerner July 24, 2003
  
• What Is Yellowcake, Anyway? Milled uranium oxide, yours for $10.90 a pound.
  Brendan I. Koerner July 18, 2003
  
• Do Troops In Iraq Get Hazard Pay? How battlefield compensation works.
  Brendan I. Koerner July 17, 2003
  
• How Do You Pronounce "Niger"? 
  Avi Zenilman July 16, 2003
  
• Who Can Recall a Rollover-Prone Car? 
  Brendan I. Koerner July 15, 2003
  
• What's the Skinny on Fats? How trans and saturated fats differ.
  Ed Finn July 15, 2003
  
• Where "Ratline" Comes From 
  Brendan I. Koerner July 11, 2003
  
• Who Must Register as a Foreign Agent? 
  Brendan I. Koerner July 10, 2003
  
• What Do Brits Mean by "Horlicks"? 
  Brendan I. Koerner July 8, 2003
  
• What Health Benefits Do Congressmen Receive? 
  Brendan I. Koerner July 3, 2003
  
• Was Liberia Founded By Freed U.S. Slaves? 
  Mary Kay Ricks July 3, 2003
  
• Why Can't the IAEA Scour Iran for Nukes? 
  Brendan I. Koerner July 1, 2003
  
• How Are State Balanced Budget Laws Enforced? 
  Brendan I. Koerner June 27, 2003
  
• Does Iran's Parliament Have Any Clout? 
  Brendan I. Koerner June 26, 2003
  
• Is a Paint Bomb Dangerous? 
  Brendan I. Koerner June 24, 2003
  
• What is the Council of Europe? 
  Brendan I. Koerner June 20, 2003
  
• When Can a Defendant Be Tried in Absentia? 
  Brendan I. Koerner June 19, 2003
  
• Is a Canadian Same-Sex Marriage Valid Here? 
  Brendan I. Koerner June 17, 2003
  
• What Exactly Does Freddie Mac Do? 
  Brendan I. Koerner June 12, 2003
  
• What Is Narcissistic Personality Disorder? 
  Brendan I. Koerner June 10, 2003
  
• Why Geld a Racehorse Like Funny Cide? 
  Brendan I. Koerner June 6, 2003
  
• How Does Corking a Bat Help a Hitter? 
  Brendan I. Koerner June 4, 2003
  
• Did Eric Rudolph Really Live on Lizards? 
  Brendan I. Koerner June 3, 2003
  
• What Is Kabbalah, Anyway? 
  Ed Finn June 2, 2003
  
• How Do Basque and Spanish Differ? Basque separatists speak one of the planet's most unusual languages.
  Brendan I. Koerner May 30, 2003
  
• Where Do "Blue Chip" Stocks Come From? 
  Brendan I. Koerner May 28, 2003
  
• Who Uses Fact Checkers, Anyway? 
  Brendan I. Koerner May 23, 2003
  
• How Much of Our Food Is Bioengineered? 
  Brendan I. Koerner May 22, 2003
  
• What's Worse, a Virus or a Worm? 
  Brendan I. Koerner May 20, 2003
  
• Tuna's Getting Scarce. Why's It So Cheap? 
  Brendan I. Koerner May 15, 2003
  
• How Do Cell Phones Reveal Your Location? 
  Brendan I. Koerner May 12, 2003
  
• Why Do Americans Living Abroad Get Tax Breaks? 
  Brendan I. Koerner May 9, 2003
  
• Could Bill Bennett Really Break Even Playing Slots? 
  Brendan I. Koerner May 6, 2003
  
• What Is the Paris Club? 
  Brendan I. Koerner May 5, 2003
  
• What Kind of Terrorism Does North Korea Sponsor? 
  Brendan I. Koerner May 1, 2003
  
• How Can I Get Involved in Redesigning Our Nation's Nickels? 
  Brendan I. Koerner April 29, 2003
  
• How Does Reprocessing Fuel Rods Help Build Nuclear Bombs? 
  Brendan I. Koerner April 25, 2003
  
• What Happens to Your Social Security Number When You Die? 
  Brendan I. Koerner April 22, 2003
  
• Where Was Abraham Born? 
  Bruce Feiler April 21, 2003
  
• When Did Andy Card Become a Secretary? 
  Ed Finn April 17, 2003
  
• Does Pfc. Jessica Lynch Own the Movie Rights to Her Life? 
  Eugene Volokh April 14, 2003
  
• Who Buries Dead Iraqi Soldiers? 
  Brendan I. Koerner April 9, 2003
  
• How Could We Identify Saddam's Body? 
  Brendan I. Koerner April 8, 2003
  
• Why Isn't the "Fertile Crescent" More Fertile? 
  Christopher Shea April 7, 2003
  
• Do Surgical Masks Stop SARS? 
  Jon Cohen April 7, 2003
  
• Why Are Baghdad Landmarks Named "Rashid"? 
  Brendan I. Koerner April 4, 2003
  
• Where Do "Cakewalks" Come From? 
  Brendan I. Koerner April 3, 2003
  
• Do Judges Read Amicus Curiae Briefs? 
  Brendan I. Koerner April 1, 2003
  
• Why Is Iraqi Anti-Aircraft Fire Visible on TV? 
  Avi Zenilman March 28, 2003
  
• How Are Army Divisions Numbered? 
  Phillip Carter March 28, 2003
  
• What Does a "Thumbs Up" Mean in Iraq? 
  Brendan I. Koerner March 28, 2003
  
• Why Are U.S. Troops Wearing Dark-Green Camouflage? 
  Brendan I. Koerner March 26, 2003
  
• What Is the Geneva Convention? 
  Brendan I. Koerner March 24, 2003
  
• Why Do Surrendering Soldiers Wave White Flags? 
  Brendan I. Koerner March 21, 2003
  
• Are Kurdish Soldiers "Facing Death" or "Seeking Death"? 
  Brendan I. Koerner March 21, 2003
  
• How Do You Extinguish an Oil-Well Fire? 
  Julia Turner March 20, 2003
  
• How Can We Tell If That Was Saddam on TV? 
  Brendan I. Koerner March 20, 2003
  
• Who Will Try Iraqi War Criminals? 
  Ed Finn March 19, 2003
  
• Soldiers and Their Backward Flags 
  Brendan I. Koerner March 18, 2003
  
• Do Terrorist Informants Have To Pay Taxes? 
  Brendan I. Koerner March 13, 2003
  
• Can You Bypass a U.N. Security Council Veto? 
  Brendan I. Koerner March 12, 2003
  
• Why Can Shopping Malls Limit Free Speech? 
  Dahlia Lithwick March 10, 2003
  
• Does Saddam Impose a Mustache Mandate in Iraq? 
  Brendan I. Koerner March 5, 2003
  
• Where Do Mardi Gras Beads Come From? 
  Brendan I. Koerner March 4, 2003
  
• How Will Saddam Destroy His Missiles? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Feb. 28, 2003
  
• What Is De-Nazification? 
  Julia Turner Feb. 27, 2003
  
• What Is the United Nations Seizing, Anyway? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Feb. 27, 2003
  
• How Can a College Professor Lose Tenure? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Feb. 24, 2003
  
• Is Carol Moseley-Braun a Crook? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Feb. 19, 2003
  
• How Do You Measure Snowfall? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Feb. 17, 2003
  
• What Are the Rules for Naming a Prize Pooch? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Feb. 14, 2003
  
• Why Is Gangs of New YorkNominated for the Best Original Screenplay Oscar? 
  Julia Turner Feb. 13, 2003
  
• Why Is the Muslim Hajj So Dangerous? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Feb. 12, 2003
  
• Why Isn't Talk to Her Nominated for the Foreign-Language Oscar? 
  June Thomas Feb. 11, 2003
  
• What's So Important About the Washington, D.C., Circuit Court of Appeals? 
  Julia Turner Feb. 7, 2003
  
• Why Do We Need Saddam's Permission To Fly Spy Planes Over Iraq? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Feb. 7, 2003
  
• Could Ejection Seats Have Saved the ColumbiaAstronauts? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Feb. 3, 2003
  
• Did Witnesses Really Hear the ColumbiaSplit Apart? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Feb. 3, 2003
  
• Can You Patent Common Features of the Internet? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Jan. 30, 2003
  
• Did Shania Twain Lip-Sync Her Super Bowl Halftime Songs? 
  Julia Turner Jan. 28, 2003
  
• Why Are We Still Using Spy Planes? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Jan. 27, 2003
  
• What Happens When a Foreigner's Visa Expires? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Jan. 21, 2003
  
• Why Does It Cost So Much To Live in Gabon? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Jan. 16, 2003
  
• Where Does the Phrase "Pie in the Sky" Come From? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Jan. 15, 2003
  
• What's a Nuclear-Capable Missile? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Jan. 9, 2003
  
• What Kind of Sanctions Could We Impose on North Korea? 
  Julia Turner Jan. 9, 2003
  
• Is Ritalin "Chemically Similar" to Cocaine? 
  Brendan I. Koerner Jan. 6, 2003