Straight Answers

Q. I recently received an e-mail from someone named Tony Atlaw concerning an estate in England where I was the beneficiary. It involves the recently departed Scott Kennedy and $23.2 million. The bank involved is the Royal Bank of Scotland. Can you please tell me if anyone else has received this sort of e-mail and is it legitimate? - S.B.

A. Many people have received such e-mails because this is a common scam. In fact it has existed since long before the computer age; e-mail just makes easier for scammers to reach more potential victims.

The aim of the scam is usually to lure the victims into sending money to cover fees associated with claiming the "inheritance."

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service has a write-up about the "Phony Inheritance Scam" - and a depressing array of other scams - on its Web site at http://www.usps.com/postal inspectors/fraud/

It advises:

"You can protect yourself by checking other sources before sending funds in response to an 'estate locator' solicitation. Checking with relatives about recent deaths in the family is one approach. In addition, you can check with the local Better Business Bureau, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, or State Attorney General's office to see if there have been any investigations into the activities of the person or firm making the solicitation.

"Remember, legitimate law firms, executors of wills, and others who have been named to distribute estate funds to rightful heirs normally do not request you to pay a fee to find out about your share of the estate."

Q. Several friends of mine have received e-mails from people claiming to help them process the IRS stimulus checks. What should we do if we receive such scams? - H.A.

A. The Internal Revenue Service is warning people about the several different types of scams people have reported receiving, that are related to the Economic Stimulus Rebate checks.

There several different e-mail scams out there, including some that link to "mirror" sites that appear to be the IRS's Web Site when in fact they are just a way to extract personal information from you, a process known as "phishing."

Mark Hanson, a spokesman for the IRS, said that the agency very rarely communicates with citizens via e-mail or telephone.

"The very best thing to do is to just type in our Web site's address into your browser," Hanson said.

"Under no circumstance should you open any e-mails that claim to link to our site. I don't think I've ever seen a nonpress-related e-mail that 'links' to us."

The Web address is www.irs.gov. That site also has more information about different scams and what you can do if you receive such e-mails.

The IRS did send two separate letters out to the public regarding the checks they would receive.

The first letter was an advance correspondence reminding people when they would receive the checks. It was more general in nature, and the second letter more specifically dealt with the type of rebate that an individual would receive.

Finally, you can forward any suspicious looking e-mail to phishing@irs.gov.

Q. When did people start clapping to show their approval for a team or a good performance? What are the origins of applause? - G.R.

A. It is difficult to say exactly how applause to express public approval started. Its history appears to go all the way back to the dawn of human history - or even before.

As Steven Connor of Birkbeck College London writes, "It is to be supposed that clapping among humans may have evolved from the action of slapping and cuffing the body, often accompanied by jumping and stamping, which is characteristic of primates in states of excitement."

In an article about applause, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review quotes James Houlik of Duquesne University as saying of applause: "I think it's intrinsic. If something good happens to a 3-year-old, they'll clap their hands joyfully. I think it's just part of the deal."

But applause is not always spontaneous. It is said that the Emperor Nero of ancient Rome paid listeners to applaud his singing. And theaters in France employed professional applauders called "claques."

But, as The New York Times said in 1911, "applause continues to be to the musician and the actor the wine which stimulates and cheers. Without it, he is hopelessly at sea. And if it is withheld for any length of time he begins to doubt himself, to wonder if his skill is growing less, if he is on the down grade."

Q. Where did Hank Williams Jr. get the nickname "Bocephus"? - Y.H.

A. Williams, a country-music star, is the son of Hank Williams, the country-music icon. According to Hank Jr.'s official Web site, www .hankjr.com, "His father nicknamed him 'Bocephus' after the ventriloquist dummy used by country comedian Rod Brasfield."

Brasfield is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, which says that "from 1947 to 1958, Rodney Leon Brasfield was the premier comedian at the Grand Ole Opry and very likely in country music." He frequently worked with Minnie Pearl, poking good-humored fun at country life. Brasfield also appeared as Andy Griffith's sidekick in the 1957 movie A Face in the Crowd.

Q. Someone mentioned recently that comedian Lewis Black appeared in an episode of the TV show Homicide. I don't remember that. Is it true? - C.S.

A. According to the Internet Movie Database, at www.imdb.com, Black appeared in one episode of Homicide: Life of the Street, in 1997. He played a character named Laslo "Punchy" Deleon in an episode titled "Deception." Fans may remember that as the episode in which longtime villain Luther Mahoney was killed.

Incidentally, Black is a graduate of UNC Chapel Hill. His biography on Comedy Central's Web site says, "During his tenure at UNC, Lewis first ventured into stand-up, performing at Cat's Cradle in Chapel Hill."