Is it possible to make a car that runs on water?
No, not some sort of amphibious station wagon with inflatable bumpers – a car that relies on water as the fuel that makes the engine go. It’s an idea that showed up in a magazine more than seven decades ago. But can it really work?
That’s 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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What happened to the bodies of the three pirates killed by Navy snipers as they were holding the captain of the Maersk Alabama?
Dan B.
New Mexico
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The bodies of the three slain pirates remain in the morgue aboard the USS Boxer, Navy Cmdr. Jane Campbell says. The bodies were transferred to the Boxer, a large amphibious assault ship, from the smaller USS Bainbridge, the ship from which Navy SEAL snipers shot and killed them.
The Pentagon has been working with officials in Puntland, a peaceful region of Somalia, and the International Committee of the Red Cross in hopes of either finding their families or otherwise disposing of the bodies of the Muslim men in a respectful way.
Lara Jakes
Associated Press Writer
Washington
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I was reading an article from Modern Mechanix dated December 1935 about G.H. Garrett inventing a car engine that ran on water. It says he used an electrolytic carburetor that broke up water into gases and then forced the hydrogen into the combustion chambers for fuel. It also says the only thing that needed to be changed on the engine was adding an oversized generator.
Is this just a hoax, or is this real? If it’s real, why aren’t the auto manufactures expanding on this?
Mike Durand
Sunset, Texas
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Hydrogen has been used for years in the transportation sector. Astronauts used it to visit the moon; buses chug through today’s cities powered by it; and the Hindenburg used it to float (though we know how that ended).
G.H. Garrett did get his device to work, and he reportedly rode it around his hometown of Dallas. But splitting hydrogen from water requires power, and the power output from this device is usually equal to the power needed to get the hydrogen out of the water.
In other words, you’d need just as much energy to power your car as you do now. You’d just have a slightly different type of engine, and you’d have to bring along some water.
Today, the closest thing to Garrett’s invention is likely an HHO generator, which splits a combination of water and other chemicals into a type of gas – mostly hydrogen – that can supercharge an internal combustion engine’s efficiency.
Car owners can outfit their engines with the devices using any number of kits, most of which are available on the Internet.
The physics and chemistry of the process, though, tend to be inefficient and some users report they do little to improve a gasoline engine’s performance. That’s why major automakers haven’t used the technology more.
(Be careful if you decide to install one of these devices, as tampering with your engine could void your car’s warranty.)
Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe and it’s a great energy source. That hasn’t been lost on automakers, which have been actively developing a fleet of cars powered just by hydrogen, bypassing Garrett’s design altogether.
The latest technology uses fuel cells, and mixes hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity for a motor. The only emission is water.
Hydrogen isn’t found alone on Earth, and it’s best separated from other elements commercially and in large batches. Hydrogen refueling stations, akin to gas stations, have popped up in some states, most notably California.
The difficulty of getting more hydrogen cars on the road is not just the lack of a distribution network, but also public perception. Most Americans can’t shake the image of the Hindenburg exploding over a New Jersey airfield, and are reluctant to use the same fuel that led to the dirigible’s demise.
Of course, most people drive around sitting on gallons of gasoline. That fuel is certainly flammable, too.
Ernest Scheyder
AP Energy Writer
New York
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We see many numbers about the mortgage crisis but not a total picture. How many residential properties have mortgages that are over 50 percent paid, 25 to 49 percent paid, zero to 24 percent paid, and less than zero percent paid (aka “upside down”)?
Jon Boston
Marshalltown, Iowa
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The mortgage crisis does not involve every homeowner in America, because about 30 percent of them do not have a mortgage. Although homeowners who paid cash for their property or have paid off their mortgage have been indirectly affected because the rash of mortgage defaults and foreclosures have pushed down home values in much of the nation.
Of the residential properties with first mortgages in the U.S., 92 percent of homeowners had less than 50 percent equity in their homes as of the fourth quarter of 2008, Moody’s Economy.com reports.
Nearly 27 percent of homeowners with first mortgages were “upside down,” meaning they had no equity in their home, according to Moody’s Economy.com.
Adrian Sainz
AP Real Estate Writer
Miami
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Have questions of your own? Send them to newsquestions@ap.org.

If you’ve ever watched the movie “Twister” (1996), you’ve probably heard of tornadoes described as an F1, F2, etc. However, when tornadoes are on the ground, it wouldn’t be accurate to call them an F1 or an F2.

Tornadoes are rated based on damage. After a tornado passes through an area, the National Weather Service will survey the damage and rate the tornado based on the Fujita Scale. The Fujita Scale was developed in the early 70s, and each category F0 – F5 is assigned to a different level of damage. Each category is also given an estimate of the wind speeds that occurred in the tornado.

In 2007 the scale was adjusted to provide more accurate estimated wind speeds and it is now called the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

Below are examples of tornado destruction which have all been rated based on the Fujita Scale.

1. EF0, Estimated Wind Speeds 65 – 85 mph

2. EF1, Estimated Wind Speeds 86 – 110 mph

EF0 and EF1 tornadoes are the weakest and most common. They usually last under 10 minutes and cause 5 percent of tornado deaths.

3. EF2, Estimated Wind Speeds 111 – 135 mph

4. EF3, Estimated Wind Speeds 136 – 165 mph

EF2 and EF3 tornadoes can last over 20 minutes and account for 30% of tornado fatalities.

5. EF4, Estimated Wind Speeds 166 – 200 mph

6. EF5 Estimated Wind Speeds Over 200 mph

Only 2 percent of tornadoes are an EF4 or EF5. They account for 65 percent of tornado deaths.

Until Next Time,

Meteorologist Andrew Thut

In light of severe weather awareness week I decided to take a look at the costliest tornadoes in Wisconsin history, while taking inflation into account. A countless number of tornadoes have cost more than a million dollars in damage, and I have narrowed it down to the top 3.

3. Stoughton Tornado

This is the most recent tornado on the list. It occurred on August 18^th of 2005, about 10 days before Hurricane Katrina. This was an F3 Tornado with estimated wind speeds over 150 mph. Unfortunately, one man was killed and 23 other were injured from the tornado which passed through rural Stoughton, just southeast of Madison. 89 buildings were destroyed or heavily damaged, and the estimated cost of destruction was $38.3 million.

2. Oakfield Tornado

This tornado is one that is remembered well here in Northeast Wisconsin. It struck on July 18^th, 1996. The twister was rated as an F5 with wind speeds over 250 mph. Wisconsin, since, has not seen a tornado of that magnitude. Fortunately, Oakfield residents took precautions and only 17 people were injured. A number like that is hard to believe considering the tornado destroyed 66 buildings and damaged 130 others. The estimated cost of damage was $55.7 million.

3. Barneveld Tornado

The Barneveld tornado struck on June 8^th of 1984, and destroyed 90 percent of the town, leaving almost everything to rubble except the town’s water tower. The violent tornado claimed 9 people’s lives and injured almost 200 others. The twister was rated an F5 and was on the ground for 36 miles. The estimated cost of damage was $84.1 million.

While these tornadoes cost millions of dollars worth of damage, the dollar amount doesn’t even compare to the costliest tornado ever to strike the United States. In 1966, a tornado struck Topeka, Kansas causing an estimated $1.6 billion.

Until Next Time,

Meteorologist Andrew Thut

Hey everyone. Hope you got a chance to see the show. Michael Perry was here. 4 minutes of funny! You should really check out one of his appearances today at the Fox Cities Book Festival. Can’t wait for his new book Coop to hit the stores. April 21st. Check out his blog at www.sneezingcow.com.

And Jess Riley in person was not the Jess Riley of the Riley’s Ramblings blog. So sweet in person. But if you want to get to know what REALLY makes this writer tick then check out her blog. She’ll be talking about her book “Driving Sideways” this Saturday at 12:30 at the Kimberly library.

Lots of reading to do. So little time. Well it’s a GOOD DAY for the zoo.. So that’s where I’m headed.

Movin' On Up!

For 15 years every Thursday I put on my pj’s, grab a spot on the couch, and watch ER.
And for 15 years every morning I’ve been coming to work at my desk in the basement of WLUK-TV.

Both of those came to an end for me this week. I finally got around to watching the two hour finale last night. It was okay. The episode a few weeks ago when George Clooney made an appearance was much better. But it was a good ending to a GREAT run. It was fun watching clips from the old shows and seeing the old characters like they were my real friends. Some of the doctors’ kids were on. They aren’t kids anymore. Time flies.

And today.. I moved into my new desk in our brand new Newsroom at FOX 11.   I’ll have to contact some of my former co-workers. They won’t believe it. For decades, the news department has operated out of the basement. It’s an old building, so use your imagination. The only windows we had, were television screens. As the staff grew, the desks got closer and closer. We always made it work — with new technology replacing the old. New carpet replacing the old. But no matter how fancy the “stuff” got.. A basement is still a basement.

You should see us now. Wow! Too many windows to count. The TV screens are bigger.. And better.. And the desks are so shiny and clean.

Speaking of desks. I just cleaned mine out. YEARS of stuff — pictures and letters and tapes. It’s fun to go through. Sad, too. Pictures of friends I don’t see anymore. I came across a picture of the cast from “THAT 70′s SHOW”. Yep, Ashton Kutcher was here! That was a good memory. I found a tape where I interviewed Brett Favre. In 1996! We both had bad hair.

I wonder if any of the shows I’m watching will make it 15 years. Maybe CSI. Probably not Grey’s Anatomy. Just a hunch.

And I wonder if I’ll still be here in 15 years. And I wonder, if in 15 years, I’ll look back at my hairstyle and say “what was I thinking?!”

So go through your old drawers.. Your old photos.. Your desk..
It can be emotional. But it’s cleansing and that’s a good feeling.
Now I have room in my desk drawers.
And an open hour on Thursday nights.

Today, April 2, marks the three year anniversary of a historic tornado outbreak across the central United States. On today’s date in 2006, there were 67 total tornadoes that spawned as a result of a cold front triggered by a deep low pressure system. A warm and humid air mass ahead of the front along with high wind shear helped produce super cell thunderstorms throughout the region. What made this outbreak even more historic is that it was the second major tornado outbreak to affect the area in the season.

Illinois was hit with the most tornadoes which ranged from F0 to F2. While these twisters produced a significant amount of damage, the most intense and devastating tornadoes were in Tennessee. An F3 tornado, with estimated winds up to 200 mph, ripped through the northwestern portions of the state and caused 16 deaths. There were 27 total, deaths from the tornado outbreak which affected 7 different states. Aside states that have been mentioned already, tornadoes also affected Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Indiana.

Are tornadoes in the month of April common? The answer is in the image below which displays tornadoes in the month of April since 1959.

Today in our $20 Tuesday segment my family of four went out to eat. We went to Julie’s Café on Green Bay’s west side. We did it! We ate, and ate well, for just under 20 bucks. That included tax and tip. But you know what?? It took some work! We spent a lot of time figuring out what to order so that it would fit into our BUDGET and not necessarily picking something we were in the MOOD to eat.

But, hey, these days a lot of people are doing a lot of things they wouldn’t necessarily do just to get by.

If eating out is your thing and you still want to do it while you are on a budget — let your fingers do the walking. Check out these websites:

www.kidseatfree.com

www.kidsmealdeals.com

They are a just a couple I found that list places where kids eat free, or for 99 cents, on certain days. Remember, I found these on the internet — so no guarantees that it’s all accurate. (Be sure to call ahead!)

We also got a few emails from our viewers:

From Eva in Manitowoc:

Ponderosa on Tuesdays from 4pm to 7pm

All you can eat buffet includes dessert. Kids eat free only pay for drink

From Alissa:

Kid’s eat free Tuesday nights at Red Robin and they also have the Red Robin mascot walking around in costume and handing out balloons for the kids, so it is lots of fun!

Fazoli’s also has a kids eat free night either Tue or Wed (I don’t remember which).

Let’s keep the conversation going!

   With the final four now set, your bracket may or may not be still alive.  Regardless, I think this year’s final four includes four of the best the NCAA has to offer.

    While some folks love the Cinderella stories from time to time in the NCAA pool, I like to see those stories in the first week, maybe into the 16.  But once we are headed to the venue for the final four, give me the best athletes, the best teams, and the best coaches so I can get quality basketball.  Remember when George Mason went to the final four a few years ago?  That was fun to think about, but their final four game wasn’t really that competitive.   This year’s teams, however, seem to be peaking all at the same time.  I would be good with any of them for a national champion. 

    Who do I think is going to win?  I’ve had North Carolina all along, and I don’t plan to change that now.  I still think they have the best inside/outside combination, and with Lawson on the court, they are the best team left in the competition, though Connecticut is also tough.

      What are your thoughts?

That’s right. I’m blogging about my boots.

My rain boots are getting a lot of attention these days. Maybe it’s because they have POLKA DOTS on them!! They are super cute and apparently “all the rage” in New York City.

I started looking for them after talking with Pete on the show about his “galoshes.” Stylish – no. Or so I thought until Pete’s wife Sarah told me EVERYONE was wearing them in NYC and that there were cute ones at Target. So that’s where I went. First online.. And they had DOZENS of really cool designs to choose from.

I ran to the store right after work. I was a little disappointed to find out that the store only had 2 designs. But I do like the polka dots.. And they match the umbrella I bought a few years ago.

So you would think that would be the end of my story. Oh no. Now I needed to find some for my daughter. I couldn’t find any in her size (that were cute enough) at a local store. So I went online and found some cuties at Zappos. They arrived yesterday — and I was the BEST MOM EVER. She has already given them the splish splash test. I wonder when, if ever, she’ll outgrow that?

Anyway. Boots can be cute. Happy splashing.