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Ask the Times

By Staff and wire reports
Published October 20, 2006

Has Israel ever gotten back the two soldiers kidnapped before the Lebanese war?

No. Ehud Goldwasser, 31, and Eldad Regev, 26, are the Israeli army reservists captured in a Hezbollah raid that sparked the Middle East's latest war. As of Oct. 16, the Jerusalem Post reported the men have not been released. No proof has been offered that they are alive.

My husband was formerly married under common law. When I tried to apply for spousal benefits through the Veterans Administration, I was told that since a divorce was never recorded from his first marriage, I am not eligible. How are common law marriages dissolved?

Although only 10 states allow common law unions, all states recognize unions that were legally contracted in the state the union took place. There is no such thing as common law divorce. Once a marriage is validly contracted, by statute or common law, the marriage can be dissolved only by a legal proceeding in the pertinent trial court.

There are some tall construction cranes popping up in my area. How do the crane operators reach the top each day? Also, how do they handle daily issues such as lunch and restroom breaks?

Rick Baker, vice president of operations for Atlanta-based Phoenix Crane Rental Co., said operators of hammerhead tower cranes climb a long ladder to get into the cockpit. Once elevators are installed in the high-rise buildings alongside the crane, they can ride up to the proper height and use a catwalk to access the crane.

Operators stay in the cockpit their entire shifts, he said. That means they take their lunch up with them and eat it in the air.

When an operator must urinate, he uses a funnel attached to a long hose that runs to a portable toilet below. Should another level of nature call, "You go in a bucket," Baker said.

"When you're 600 feet in the air, you don't have to worry about somebody watching you."

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

[Last modified October 20, 2006, 05:35:54]