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Ask the Times

By Staff and wire reports
Published October 18, 2006

How many times has Hawaii been hit by an earthquake?

According to data from the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, the islands have experienced eight destructive tectonic earthquakes before the one Oct. 15. They ranged in magnitude from 6.2 to 7.9, which caused 81 deaths in April 1868.

The islands experience numerous small ones each year as a result of eruptions and magma movement.

In baseball, what happens if a player is injured running the bases, leaving him unable to walk or crawl to a base to which he is entitled without assistance?

Baseball rules grant such a runner assistance.

Rule 5.10 c (1) reads, "If an accident to a runner is such as to prevent him from proceeding to a base to which he is entitled, as on a home run hit out of the playing field, or an award of one or more bases, a substitute runner shall be permitted to complete the play."

Whatever happened to the man who propped the head of his ex-girlfriend's new boyfriend on the hood of his car after decapitating him with a machete?

Dennis George Roache, a diagnosed schizophrenic with a long criminal history, killed Gregory Shannon, then 18, on Feb. 4, 2002. Roache displayed Shannon's head on the windshield of his car in view of a 10-year-old neighbor.

Judges twice have declared Roache incompetent to stand trial. Both times, the hospital has sent Roache back to the Pinellas County Jail after hospital officials determined he was competent. He is scheduled to go to trial in December.

Did I hear correctly that the residents of Alaska receive a check for oil royalties? How will the recent shutdown of the BP pipeline affect that?

Alaskans receive a yearly dividend based on how much oil revenue is generated by Prudhoe Bay. This year, it had been expected to be about $1,000, but the shutdown may result in a smaller payment, London's Financial Times reported earlier this summer.

To submit a question, e-mail answers@tampabay.com or call (727) 893-8179, toll-free 1-800-333-7505, ext. 8179.

[Last modified October 18, 2006, 10:09:07]