Do you have a question about the news? The Q&A Team will try to get an answer. Email q&a (AT) ajc.com (include your name and city). Sorry, individual responses are not possible.
Q: How many children did Atlanta Braves broadcaster Skip Caray have? I've heard about his sons, but did he have a daughter?
A: Skip — Harry Christopher Caray Jr. — died at his home Aug. 3 after a battle with a variety of ailments related to diabetes. He was 68. He is survived by two sons and two daughters.
Eldest son Chip is a Braves announcer and the play-by-play announcer for TBS' Major League Baseball coverage. Younger son Josh calls games for the Braves' Class A affiliate in Rome, Gerorgia. His two daughters, Shayelyn Woodbery and Cindy Hines, both live in Atlanta.
Caray, son of the legendary Chicago Cubs broadcaster Harry Caray, called Braves games for 33 years.
Q: What became of the balloonist who disappeared? I haven't heard anything further about him.
A: Japanese hot air balloonist Michio Kanda remains missing after disappearing in February. Kanda vanished off the Alaska coast while flying solo from Tochigi, Japan, to Portland, Ore. The U.S. Coast Guard searched for him unsuccessfully for two weeks over 40,000 square miles.
Kanda holds the world record of 50 hours, 38 minutes for the longest-duration hot-air balloon flight, according to the World Air Sports Federation. At the time of his disappearance, he was attempting to break world endurance and duration records.
Q: What has happened to John Daly of the PGA?
A: John Daly has been battling injuries and a drinking problem that have taken their toll on his golf game. Daly has no playing status on the PGA Tour and is ranked 692nd as of Aug. 17 in the Golf World rankings. He played a dismal second round 19-over-par 89 at the British Open in July.
During the PODS Championship in March, Daly ducked into a corporate tent during a rain delay and emerged with Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden as his new caddie. Shortly after that incident, Daly was disqualified from the Arnold Palmer Invitational when he missed his 8:40 a.m. pro-am tee time.
On the European PGA Tour, Daly missed the cut in Spain, Russia and Germany. He hasn't won a tournament in almost four years, and his best finish so far this season is 60th.
Q: Randy Pausch, the author of "The Last Lecture," was only given a few months to live. Can you give an update on his health?
A: In September 2006, Randy Pausch was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, the deadliest of cancers. The Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist and professor delivered his last lecture in September 2007. The lecture, "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," was made into the best-seller "The Last Lecture," co-authored with Wall Street Journal writer Jeffrey Zaslow and published in April.
In the meantime, Pausch underwent surgery and participated in an experimental, highly toxic radiation and chemotherapy regimen. Initial tests showed him cancer-free, but by August 2007, the cancer had returned and by May had spread to his lungs and some lymph nodes in his chest. Pausch died July 25.
Q: What is SIDS and what causes it?
A: Sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS is the sudden, unexplained death of an infant younger than 1 year old. It is the leading cause of death for this age group. It is also known as "crib death" because many babies who die of SIDS are found in their cribs.
While the cause of SIDS remains unknown, the risk of SIDS can be reduced by placing a baby on its back to sleep; using a firm sleep surface; keeping soft objects and loose bedding away from sleep area; maintaining a smoke-free environment; and making sure the baby doesn't get overheated.
Q: When did the Olympics change from amateur athletes to professional?
A: In 1974, the International Olympic Committee decided to eliminate the term "amateur" from the Olympic charter, allowing "all the world's great male and female athletes to participate." In 1986, the IOC adopted rules that permit the international federation governing each Olympic sport to decide whether to permit professionals in Olympic competition. Professionals in ice hockey, tennis, soccer, and equestrian sports were permitted to compete in the 1988 Olympics, although their eligibility was subject to some restrictions. The most visible professional presence of recent years was the American "Dream Team" of NBA stars that won the gold medal in basketball in 1992.
Q: Where is Hoda Kotb on NBC News from and where can I write to her?
A: Hoda Kotb was born in Oklahoma and grew up in Morgantown, W. Va., and Alexandria, Va. Her parents were born in Egypt, and she has lived overseas, in Egypt and Nigeria.
Kotb began her broadcast career with CBS News as a news assistant in Cairo, Egypt, in 1986. She joined NBC in 1998 as a correspondent on "Dateline NBC." She was named co-anchor of the fourth hour of "Today" in August 2007.
Kotb has received numerous awards, including the 2008 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award and the prestigious Peabody in 2006. The four-time Emmy nominee also won the 2004 Headliner Award, 2003 Gracie Award and the 2002 Edward R. Murrow Award.
You can write to her at: Today, NBC News, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112.
Q: Where did the name "coleslaw" originate? I know there are a variety of slaws, but I was wondering where did coleslaw get its name?
A: Coleslaw, not cold slaw though it is served cold, comes from the Dutch word "koolsla." "Kool" is Dutch for cabbage and "sla" an abbreviated word meaning salad. Coleslaw is shredded cabbage mixed with mayonnaise and other ingredients. Though there's no cold slaw, there's a hot slaw that's often served on barbecue sandwiches and hot dogs.
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