Now that sex addiction has found its poster child in Tiger Woods, more people are familiar with the affliction. Yet how it’s treated remains a mystery to many.

Curiosity about just what goes on at a sex addiction clinic inspired one of the questions in this edition of “Ask AP,” a weekly Q&A column where AP journalists respond to readers’ questions about the news.

If you have your own news-related question that you’d like to see answered by an AP reporter or editor, send it to newsquestions@ap.org, with “Ask AP” in the subject line. And please include your full name and hometown so they can be published with your question.
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Was IceSave, the Iceland-based Internet bank that collapsed in 2008, in any way backed by the home government? Were deposits insured? Will the recent “no” referendum vote to reimburse depositors in England and the Netherlands through new taxes on Icelanders really prevent such taxes from being imposed?

Edward Hamilton
Seymore, Tenn.

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All domestic deposits of Icesave, and its parent Landsbanki, were guaranteed under Icelandic law. However, that guarantee did not extend to foreigners with deposits in Icesave. When the bank collapsed (along with most of Iceland’s banking sector), Britain and the Netherlands agreed to loan Iceland the money to compensate savers in their countries. Those depositors lost more than $5 billion.

The recent “no” vote rejects a repayment deal for the loan that had been approved by the Icelandic Parliament, but it doesn’t get Iceland out of repaying Britain and the Netherlands altogether. Iceland has stressed it will live up to its obligations, particularly as it probably won’t receive much-needed money from the International Monetary Fund to fix its broken economy until the matter is resolved.

The next step is for the three countries to return to the negotiating table to find a repayment plan that will be acceptable to opposition parties – and the public – in Iceland. That’s likely to include a lighter interest rate on the repayments, which would ease some of the tax burden on ordinary Icelanders.

Jane Wardell
AP Writer
London

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I have noticed several celebrities linked to sex addiction recently, most notably Tiger Woods. For those who enter sex addiction clinics, what sort of treatment do they receive?

Bill Mahl
Peoria, Ill.

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Sex addiction treatments resemble those for alcohol or drug addiction. Patients often undergo weeks of inpatient therapy and their aftercare can last several years.

Typically, patients’ days are filled with lectures and group sessions. Patients must dress a certain way, address each other a certain way and, most importantly, can never touch another patient without permission. Cell phones are left at home.

Spouses are encouraged to join some of the therapy because they are considered part of the overall problem.

“These kind of programs are very structured,” Maureen Canning, a clinical consultant for sexual compulsive programs at the Meadows treatment facility in Arizona, told the AP in January. “It’s basically a 12-hour day every day, plus homework.”

Once back home, patients’ lives remain very structured so they don’t have the urge or opportunity for unhealthy sex. Usually that involves having someone around to make sure patients stay out of trouble and keep up with their aftercare.

At Pine Grove Behavioral Health and Addiction Services in Hattiesburg, Miss., one of the nation’s leading sex addiction clinics, treatment is based on a 12-step program with intense study of such topics as sexual abuse and trauma, addictive relationships and cybersex.

Woods has said he’s undergoing therapy, and though it’s been widely reported that he was treated at Pine Grove, he hasn’t ever acknowledged receiving sex addiction therapy.

The American Psychiatric Association does not list sex addiction as a diagnosable mental disorder, and there are no real statistics on how many people it might affect or the cure rate.

Tim Dahlberg
AP Sports Columnist
Las Vegas

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Toyota recently recalled approximately 8 million vehicles. How and where do they fix such a great number of vehicles? Is every one of them getting checked? What’s the estimated cost of the fixes for Toyota?

Fernando Morales
Peoria, Ill.
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Toyota has recalled more than 8.5 million vehicles worldwide – more than 6 million in the U.S. – because of floor mats that can trap accelerators, gas pedals that can become stuck and brake problems on its Prius hybrid. As with any recall, the repairs are being conducted at Toyota dealerships, with Toyota covering the cost. Every vehicle covered by the recall will be getting a fix, Toyota says, but the automaker is staggering the repairs over time because the recall is so large.

The automaker has estimated that repairs for the gas pedal recall and lost sales will cost it $2 billion.

Dan Strumpf
AP Auto Writer
New York
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Have questions of your own? Send them to newsquestions@ap.org.

    With Tiger Woods announcement that he is going to play the Masters, there is only one thing that I thought: Finally!

    I know Tiger has lost a lot in the eyes of the public, and deservedly so.  He’s a cheater, womanizer, a cad, and a maybe even a misogynist to a certain extent.  That being said, I never looked towards him for marital advice or as a familial role model.   I didn’t even care what type of clothing he wore, razor he shaved with, car he drove, drink he drank or where he invested his money.  I only wanted, and still want, one thing from Tiger: to watch him play golf.

     Entertainment.  That is the only thing that Tiger is good for to me.  I could care less what his personal life it like, as long as I get to see him work his magic in a final round and win another major championship.  It’s not that I give his personal life a pass, it’s just that it doesn’t affect how I watch the sport. 

     I cover athletes for a living, and the stories I hear that I can’t report would make your hair stand on end, and ruin your faith in many well known players.  Not all of them are the same, but enough are like Tiger for me to ignore the entire group as people I look up to for how to live my life.  I think Charles Woodson is cool (see my other blog post) but I’m not taking cues from him how to act.  I just enjoy the cool.  With Tiger, I enjoy the golfing drama.

      Woods belongs on the golf course for him to matter.   When he finally gets back, I will be happy to see him, and I hope he’s as good as he was before he left.  I’m just in it for the entertainment.

By The Associated Press

Saving people’s lives, of course, is an airline’s top priority whenever a plane crashes. But later on, what’s the procedure for trying to save their luggage?

Curiosity about who’s ultimately responsible for air travelers’ belongings inspired one of the questions in this edition of “Ask AP,” a weekly Q&A column where AP journalists respond to readers’ questions about the news.

If you have your own news-related question that you’d like to see answered by an AP reporter or editor, send it to newsquestions@ap.org, with “Ask AP” in the subject line. And please include your full name and hometown so they can be published with your question.

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During the 1994 Lillehammer Olympics, there was much coverage of a Scandinavian skier whose brother skied off into the woods and disappeared. Was the brother ever found?

Jan Conavay
Jerome, Ill.
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In October 1993, Ketil Ulvang, the older brother of Olympic cross-country champion Vegard Ulvang, vanished in a snowstorm while jogging through the mountains near their hometown of Kirkenes, an Arctic village of about 5,000 people.

The younger Ulvang left training in Italy to search for Ketil, a physical therapist for Norway’s national ski team. Hundreds of volunteers joined one of the biggest searches in Norwegian history, but found not trace of Ketil.

In June 1994, days after the snow had melted and the search resumed, Ketil’s body was found floating in a shallow mountain lake. Kirkenes police spokeswoman Trude Danielsen said he most likely got lost in the snowstorm and fell through the ice.

Competing in the Lillehammer Games, Ulvang won a silver medal as part of the Norwegian 40-kilometer cross-country relay team. Two years prior, at the Albertville Games, he won three gold medals.

Ian MacDougall
AP Writer, Oslo, Norway

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After a plane crash, what happens to passengers’ luggage? I’m thinking of the Hudson River splashdown, for example. Does the airline attempt to recover and deliver these belongings? Is returning bags or belongings considered a responsibility of the airline?

Alfonso Corona
Miami
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There is a voluntary process developed by the National Transportation Safety Board in conjunction with air carriers for returning baggage and other personal belongings to passengers or their families after airline accidents. How much baggage can be retrieved depends on the extent of damage in the accident. After accident investigators go through everything, airlines usually hire a third party to clean baggage and other belongings. Airline wreckage is considered a biohazard site.

If belongings are intact, they can be delivered to passengers or family members. If the ownership of recovered belongings isn’t known, airlines often make photos available to passengers and family members so that they have an opportunity to claim their items. The airline is responsible for returning belongings, not the NTSB.

In the case of US Airways Flight 1549 – which collided with Canada geese shortly after takeoff from LaGuardia Airport in New York on Jan. 15, 2009, and ditched into the Hudson River – the airline hired a contractor to recover, sort, clean and restore more than 30,000 passenger belongings.

Joan Lowy
AP Writer, Washington

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Under what circumstances was The Associated Press founded?

Jonathan Plotz
Frankfurt (Oder), Germany
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The Associated Press sprang from Americans’ thirst for news from the Mexican War.

War dispatches originated in Veracruz, crossed the Gulf of Mexico by boat, and landed at Mobile, Ala., where they encountered delays in waiting for the Great Southern Mail, the postal route through the South. During the spring of 1846, the publisher of the New York Sun, Moses Yale Beach, hit on a scheme to speed the process.

Beach hired Pony Express riders to carry the dispatches from Mobile to Montgomery, where they could rejoin the mail for the journey to Richmond, the nearest telegraph head. From there, the dispatches could be wired to Washington and on to New York. Beach did not pay the riders unless they gained a 24-hour edge over regular mail – which they routinely did.

Beach’s further innovation was to offer an equal share in the pony venture to other New York daily papers. Thus was born the Associated Press of New York.

An inventor with a list of patents to his name, Beach doubtless understood that the cooperative arrangement would soon hinge entirely on the telegraph, as the wires enabling instantaneous communication spread across the country.

Valerie S. Komor
Director, AP Corporate Archives, New York
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Have questions of your own? Send them to newsquestions@ap.org.

Toxic pet food. Lead-painted toys. Hazardous baby cribs. The sheer volume of recalled products makes you wonder: What happens to all that stuff after it’s ordered off the shelves?

Curiosity about disposing of recalled goods inspired one of the questions in this edition of ”Ask AP,” a weekly Q&A column where AP journalists respond to readers’ questions about the news.

If you have your own news-related question that you’d like to see answered by an AP reporter or editor, send it to newsquestions@ap.org, with ”Ask AP” in the subject line. And please include your full name and hometown so they can be published with your question.

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I have a few questions regarding tax credits for homebuyers. When is the deadline to apply? How do you apply? What type of documents do you need? If you bought your home in December 2008, do you qualify? What if you purchased your home in another state? Does that make any difference?

Joyce Hollowell
Cleveland
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The deadline is approaching for the federal tax credit of up to $8,000 for first-time homebuyers and up to $6,500 for current homeowners. To qualify, a buyer interested in either credit must sign a binding sales contract by April 30, and complete his or her home purchase by June 30.

You can claim the credit on your federal income tax return, the Internal Revenue Service says. You should fill out IRS Form 5405 to determine your credit amount. Then, you should claim that total on line 67 of the 1040 income tax form for 2009 returns, line 69 for 2008 returns.

Also, buyers must attach a copy of their HUD-1 settlement statement to Form 5405. A HUD-1 settlement form lists the costs and charges for a borrower in a home purchase. It also lists the names of the parties involved, and the property’s address, sales price and purchase date. If no HUD-1 form was used, then a certificate of occupancy or an executed retail sales contract should be submitted.

In addition, buyers who claim the current homeowner credit must show they’ve lived in their old home for at least five consecutive years during the past eight years. Acceptable documents to establish that include mortgage interest statements, property tax records or homeowner’s insurance records.

People who purchased a home in 2008 do not qualify for either tax credit. However, first-time homebuyers who bought between April 8, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2009, can qualify for a tax credit of up to $7,500 that must be paid back, much like an interest-free loan.

And, as long as the buyer uses the newly purchased home as his main residence, there are no geographical limitations within the United States for the tax credits.

Adrian Sainz
AP Real Estate Writer, Miami

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Over the last year there have been many recalls of Chinese-made and other products. Where do all these items go after they are taken off the shelves?

Sara Schreiber
Corvallis, Ore.
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It depends on the nature of the recall.

Some products are repaired and sent back to consumers or retailers. Other products are destroyed by the recalling company. Some companies that recall products hire outside collectors, which must safely dispose of recalled products.

Recalled products that contain hazardous metals or chemicals, such as lead, must be destroyed in a way that is in keeping with state and local environmental laws.

For a small number of products, the company recalling the item might be allowed by the government to export the goods back to the country where they were made or to another country for disposal.

Sometimes the hardest thing is getting all products pulled off the shelves at chains that might have hundreds of stores.

Some retailers have a ”lockout” option in their computer systems that won’t let shoppers buy a product that has been recalled, even if it’s still on the shelves.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says this is often true of toys, children’s clothing, electronics and other goods sold at major toy stores and box retailers.

Mae Anderson
AP Retail Writer, New York

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How many NHL and non-NHL players were on the American and Canadian Olympic men’s hockey teams? And which NHL teams do the pros play for?

Tom Jeffs
Edison, N.J.
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All the players on the U.S. and Canadian squads were NHL players.

The U.S. players and their NHL teams:

Goalkeepers: Ryan Miller, Buffalo Sabres; Jonathan Quick, Los Angeles Kings; Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins. Defensemen: Tim Gleason, Carolina Hurricanes; Erik Johnson, St. Louis Blues; Jack Johnson, Los Angeles Kings; Brooks Orpik, Pittsburgh Penguins; Brian Rafalski, Detroit Red Wings; Ryan Suter, Nashville Predators; Ryan Whitney, Anaheim Ducks. Forwards: David Backes, St. Louis Blues; Dustin Brown, Los Angeles Kings; Ryan Callahan, New York Rangers; Chris Drury, New York Rangers; Patrick Kane, Chicago Blackhawks; Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks; Phil Kessel, Toronto Maple Leafs; Jamie Langenbrunner, New Jersey Devils; Ryan Malone, Tampa Bay Lightning; Zach Parise, New Jersey Devils; Joe Pavelski, San Jose Sharks; Bobby Ryan, Anaheim Ducks; Paul Stastny, Colorado Avalanche.

And the Canadian team:

Goalkeepers: Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks; Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins; Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils. Defensemen: Duncan Keith, Chicago Blackhawks; Shea Weber, Nashville Predators; Brent Seabrook, Chicago Blackhawks; Drew Doughty; Los Angeles Kings; Chris Pronger, Philadelphia Flyers; Dan Boyle, San Jose Sharks; Scott Niedermayer, Anaheim Ducks. Forwards: Brenden Morrow, Dallas Stars; Patrick Marleau, San Jose Sharks; Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames; Dany Heatley, San Jose Sharks; Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks; Michael Richards, Philadelphia Flyers; Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks; Eric Staal, Carolina Hurricanes; Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks; Patrice Bergeron, Boston Bruins; Ryan Getzlaf, Anaheim Ducks; Rick Nash, Columbus Blue Jackets; Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins.

Mike Stewart
AP Production Editor, New York

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Have questions of your own? Send them to newsquestions@ap.org.

   I love the Olympics.  I get into every single part of the games.  From the opening ceremony to the closing, I watch as much as I possibly can.  If it’s the winter, I’ll watch Denmark vs. Norway in curling, check out the finals of the 5,000 speedskating between the Netherlands and Italy, and all of the events in between.  However, as a broadcaster, I sometimes have to watch between fingers draped over my eyes while shouting at the TV, not because of the competition, but because of the quality of the broadcast.

    I know this is something that may only interest me, but as I have watched the hours of television produced by NBC for these Olympics, I have come to realize that two things- competition flow and game day directing- must be at a premium, because the network doesn’t seem to have a high enough opinion of either to make the games as enjoyable experience as I think it could be.

     First of all let’s talk competition.  I get how the network, which says it is losing money on the Games (though not as much as “The Marriage Ref” will lose.  Did you see that show after the closing ceremony?  Holy Moly that was horrible television)  wants to pump up the tension to create better television and keep people tuned in, but I cannot abide the continuous splitting up of events.  If you aren’t going to show them live, and NBC has very little live coverage, then at least give me a beginning middle and end in that order.  Continually starting and stopping events by weaving them together made for fractured viewing, and sent many, including myself, to the internet to find out the winners.

     Now about game day directing.  OK, I’m a tough, tough critic here because I’m in the business.  However, during the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as a number of the events, I noticed the shot choices by the director (the man in the truck who decides which camera we see when) perplexing at best, and enfuriating at worst.  Examples were many, but let me focus on just a couple.  During the opening ceremony, which is a stage show that encompasses an entire stadium, the director felt that the public were much more interested in the reaction of the few recognizable US athletes as they watch it unfold than in the ceremony itself.  At one point, we were watching Shaun White and his snowboarder buddies react enthusiastically to what was going on in the stadium, while being denied the chance to see that part of the event itself that was so amazing to the athletes.  Television is supposed to bring you to places you can’t go yourself.  If I want random athlete reaction, I’ll check the Twitter accounts.   This was repeated in the closing ceremony, and once again left me disappointed (Though not as much as “The Marriage Ref”.  That really is bad TV).

    Is this like pointing out a small scratch on an otherwise pristine car, or a mole on a timeless beauty?  Perhaps.  But to paraphrase Seinfeld himself, it doesn’t upset me as a viewer, it upsets me as a broadcaster!