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Stump
Me Questions Answered in August 2005
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Q.: 1)
In what year did the Concorde's first commercial service begin?
2) What is the unit of currency of Israel?
- Jenny P. |
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A.: 1) January 21,
1976. Air France Flight 085, which left Paris for Rio, was
Concorde's first commercial flight. As a symbol of
thirteen years' collaboration, a British Airways Concorde took
off at exactly the same time from London Heathrow for its first
flight to Bahrain. 2) The shekel, which is equal to about
$0.22 in U.S. currency. |
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Q.: Someone
at work the other day told me that Mountain Dew contains cow
placenta and it is listed in the ingredients under some long
chemical name so they wouldn't offend people. She seemed
completely convinced it was true and I couldn't find any way to
prove her wrong. Any chance you could help me here?
- Chris E.
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A.: There's little
that can be done to convince a woman she's wrong. You can
just take heart in knowing that you're right. Now, as for
the question, well...uh, whoever "someone" is is seriously out
of her mind. Honestly, I ashamed to even be answering this
one. Does she really believe that the FDA would allow such
a thing? And just imagine the marketing campaigns... |
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Q.:
Is it true that Jell-O is made of horse hooves or bones or
something to that effect ? I remember hearing something a few
years ago on a Howard Stern show about this.
- Mike B. |
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A.: It's not
hooves, it's the bones and hide that's used to make gelatin. The
following comes from Snopes:
The production of gelatin starts with the boiling of bones,
skins and hides of cows and pigs, a process that releases the
protein-rich collagen from animal tissues. The collagen is
boiled and filtered numerous times, dried, and ground to a
powder. Because the collagen is processed extensively, the
final product is not categorized as a meat or animal product by
the federal government. Very strict vegetarians avoid
gelatin entirely, but more permissive vegetarians have no
problem including JELL-O in their diets.Popular belief has it
that gelatin comes from horses' and cows' hooves. Kraft, the
maker of JELL-O, asserts that hooves do not contain the
necessary collagen and therefore are not used in the production
of their JELL-O brand gelatin product. |
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Q.: What
was the original filling of a Twinkie made of? When was it
changed? What is the shelf life of one today (this has
been debated)?
- Ryan B. |
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A.: Twinkies
originally started out with a banana filling, but was changed to
vanilla cream when World War II caused a stoppage in the trade
of bananas. According to the labels, the shelf life is
about 20-25 days (probably because there's no dairy product
involved in its production). |
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Q.: Okay,
once and for all, which is better: Coke or Pepsi
- No Name Given |
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A.: Coke. Pepsi
tastes too flat. I loves me some carbination! |
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Q.: How
exactly are Twinkies made? I hear that they are a reaction
more than a bakery product.
- Thaneda S. |
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A.: They start
with the sponge cake first, then inject the cream filling
(notice the three holes on the bottom?). |
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Q.: Is
coffee really good for you to drink after you get drunk?
Why or why not?
- Mateo |
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A.: That depends
if you want to be an alert drunk. Studies have proven that
the only thing that will physiologically help a drunk become
sober is time and, to a much lesser extent, food. But
either way, your body needs time to break down the alcohol.
Food will just help the body absorb it, but it will still take
time to break it down. |
