Q: With all the voting problems in Afghanistan, what has been the role of the Carter Peace Program? Has it been involved at all and, if so, in what way?
A: The Carter Center has not been involved in the Afghanistan elections in any way, said David Carroll, director of the Carter Center's Democracy Program.
He said the center decided not to pursue involvement for reasons including its ongoing election observation commitments in other countries and the "especially difficult security conditions" in Afghanistan.
Q: With Sen. Ted Kennedy's recent death, we've heard a great deal about his life. There is ample press coverage of his second wife, Victoria Reggie Kennedy. Whatever happened to Kennedy's first wife, Joan Kennedy?
A: Joan Kennedy, 72, attended the Mass on Thursday at the Kennedy compound in Massachusetts and the Saturday funeral, according to abcnews.com.
A report by the network said Joan Kennedy, who has fought alcoholism, has been sober since entering rehab in 2005, the same year a court awarded her children guardianship.
The couple divorced in 1982 after 24 years of marriage.
Her 1985 biography was titled "Living With the Kennedys: The Joan Kennedy Story."
Q: Is there widespread swine flu in Southern Hemisphere countries now?
A: The Associated Press reports that hospitalizations and deaths from swine flu in the Southern Hemisphere seem to be lower than average for seasonal flu. But the large U.S. predictions by a presidential advisory group that 30,000-90,000 could die could be related to factors including that flu cases were stronger than normal during the summer, the AP reported.
Worldwide, at least 209,438 people have caught swine flu, contributing to 2,185 deaths, according to the World Health Organization.
Q: After the hygienist cleans my teeth, I pay an additional $40 for a two-minute examination by the dentist. I'm told this is the law. Is this true?
A: In Georgia, dentists are legally required to examine patients after the hygienist completes a cleaning, according to a Georgia Board of Dentistry rule created in 1965.
"It's not checking the hygienists' work," said Martha S. Phillips, executive director of the Georgia Dental Association. "It's performing an examination of the patient." The cost varies by dentist.
The American Dental Association reports that this practice is required by law in nearly every state where a dentist is involved in the treatment of the patient.
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