Informer: 'Veteran' driver's license law effective Aug. 1
Last Modified: Friday, July 27, 2012 7:45 PM
By Andrew Perzo / American Press
Was there anything passed in the Legislature concerning putting the “veteran” designation on driver licenses?
Yes.
The designation was the subject of two measures — House Bills 133 and 499, both of which made it to Gov. Bobby Jindal’s desk. The governor signed one, H.B. 499, and vetoed the other.
Under H.B. 133, by Rep. James K. Armes, D-Leesville, veterans would have received the designation if they submitted a copy of their official military release record — DD Form 214 — and it listed “a discharge status of ‘honorable’ or ‘general under honorable conditions.’ ”
“Whereas House Bill No. 499 allows a veteran to prove his or her veteran status by presenting a DD Form 214 or by presenting documents that are the equivalent of a DD Form 214,” Jindal wrote in vetoing Armes’ measure, “House Bill No. 133 restricts the ability of a veteran to prove his or her veteran status to submittal of the DD Form 214.
“There are other forms that serve the same function as the DD Form 214 and serve as adequate proof of veteran status. The flexibility provided by House Bill No. 499 will prevent a true veteran without a DD Form 214 from being denied the ‘VETERAN’ designation on their driver’s license or state identification card.”
The new law, which takes effect Wednesday, contains no provision on discharge status.
Online: www.legis.state.la.us.
Whales get water from their food
Since a whale is a mammal, does it develop a thirst just like land mammals where it has to have water to survive? If it does have to drink water, how can it tolerate saltwater?
Whales get the water they need from the food they eat — both from the creatures they ingest (water being the main ingredient of krill and fish) and (because water is a byproduct of metabolism) from the breaking down of that food.
“A fish is a great source of water for a whale, because the water in a fish’s body isn’t salty. Krill, however, is quite salty,” reads a page at HowStuffWorks.com.
“But whales have kidneys that are especially adapted to separating out the excess salt that enters the whales’ blood from
its food. This salt is then released in their urine.”
Savant IQ based on test taken as child
Every Sunday I read the article by Marilyn vos Savant. Just exactly what is her IQ?
Back when Guinness World Records listed IQ scores, its authorities accepted hers as 228 — a number reportedly based on Savant’s performance on a test she took at age 10. But not everyone lends the number any credence.
In his book “IQ Testing 101,” psychologist Alan S. Kaufman says the test Savant took — an old version of the Stanford-Binet assessment — “does not permit IQs to rise above 170 at any age, child or adult.”
“Marilyn vos Savant has always been unusually bright, amazingly gifted, and an extremely funny and entertaining columnist and author. Her ‘Ask Marilyn’ column is often witty and brilliant,” Kaufman writes.
“However, the psychologist who came up with an IQ of 228 committed an extrapolation of a misconception, thereby violating most every rule imaginable concerning the meaning of IQs.
“Does an IQ of 228 make any sense? For an expert opinion, ‘Don’t Ask Marilyn.’ ”
The Informer answers questions from readers each Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. It is researched and written by Andrew Perzo, an American Press staff writer. To ask a question, call 494-4098, press 5 and leave voice mail, or email informer@americanpress.com
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