In all fairness, Bill Gates did not leave Microsoft, he has simply shifted his participation in daily events. He is still a member of the Board, he still has controlling stock interest and he still maintains an office as an employee. From The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/technology/27soft.html on June 27, 2008: Bill Gates is retiring, sort of. He is still only 52, and he is going off to spend more time guiding the world?s richest philanthropy, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He will still be Microsoft?s chairman and largest shareholder, but Friday is his last day as a full-time worker at the software giant, marking the unofficial end of his career as a business leader. Although Mr. Gates will spend one day a week at the company, it will be up to his successors, led by Steven A. Ballmer, the chief executive, to master the challenges of the Internet or watch Microsoft?s wealth and stature in the industry steadily erode.

With only minimal exceptions, Northern Hemisphere tornadoes spin counterclockwise and Southern Hemisphere tornadoes spin clockwise. Here's a full explanation from Chris Cappella, Weather Team writer for USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/weather/resources/askjack/wasktorn.htm Tornado research has found that about 99% of all tornadoes spin counterclockwise, or cyclonically, in the Northern Hemisphere. It's important to understand that this is the direction of motion you would see if you could fly a plane over the tornado and look down on it. It also is the direction in which big, mid-latitude weather systems, such as snowstorms, as well as hurricanes spin when viewed in satellite loops. Looking up from the ground at a typical tornado would reveal a clockwise spin, but that's not how a tornado's turning motion is defined. Keeping that in mind, barely 1% of Northern Hemisphere tornadoes spin clockwise, or anticyclonically. Despite their rarity, tornado chasers have managed to film a few that spin in the opposite direction, which is how it is known they exist. Tornado chasers also learned that tornadoes that spin counterclockwise? the usual way ? can be accompanied by small tornadoes or just funnel clouds that spin in the opposite direction. These so-called satellite tornadoes don't always occur, yet their existence points to complexities researchers face in trying to unravel the mystery of tornado formation. By the way, most tornadoes spin clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere, just like that hemisphere's larger middle latitude storms and tropical cyclones (what hurricanes are called called south of the equator). Since weather systems typically spin in the opposite direction south of the equator, the unusual tornado there is one that spins counterclockwise.

Believe it or not, there is actually an International Fainting Goat Association http://www.faintinggoat.com/breedinfo.php They have everything you would ever want to know about fainting goats and give the following breed information: Myotonia is the condition that causes Fainting goats to stiffen and/or fall over when startled. This condition is caused by a combination of recessive genes. Fainting goats can show varying degrees of myotonia. When startled some will fall to the ground with their entire bodies perfectly stiff and rigid. Others will only stiffen in their limbs and not fall to the ground. The condition lasts for ten to fifteen seconds after which time the animal will rise and walk off stiff, still showing a noticeable degree of stiffness in their back limbs. After a short time this stiffness will disappear and they will walk and act like any other goat. This condition only affects their external muscles so while in a myotonic state the animal is fully conscious and aware of its surroundings. In no way does this condition affect their life span and with proper care they will live just as long as any other breed of goat. Their origin has been sought after by a number of people but it only traces back to the early 1800's when a farm worker appeared in Marshall County, Tennessee, with three does and a buck that fainted. It was thought by his dress that he might have come from Nova Scotia. He was a quiet man and wouldn't talk to anyone so whatever he knew will remain a secret forever. He eventually parted from Marshall County but before he did he sold his goats to Dr. H. H. Mayberry. Fortunately Dr. Mayberry propagated them and tried his best to research their history. He could find no evidence of such a breed anywhere else in the world. He was convinced they were a breed because their unique traits are hereditary. We have lots of goat breeders in Texas and I feel sorry for all goats. People driving by goat herds like to honk at them to see if they'll fall over. Obviously, only the fainting goats will drop, but all goats must be getting tired of being honked at!

No, Nicolaus Copernicus was not awarded a Nobel Prize, nor would it ever be possible based on rules of nomination. The Nobel Foundation was created in 1900 and the first Prizes were awarded in 1901. A complete overview of Statues of The Nobel Foundation and complete lists of all winners can be found on their website. http://nobelprize.org/index.html According to the site: Work produced by a person since deceased shall not be considered for an award. If, however, a prizewinner dies before he has received the prize, then the prize may be presented. From MSN Encarta Encyclopedia http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761571204/copernicus.html Nicolaus Copernicus was a Polish astronomer, best known for his astronomical theory that the sun is at rest near the center of the universe, and that the earth, spinning on its axis once daily, revolves annually around the sun. Copernicus was born on February 19, 1473, in Thorn (now Toruń), Poland and died on May 24, 1543.

The US Department of State has a very extensive site detailing every aspect of Federal, State, and Local government. http://usinfo.state.gov/products/pubs/abtamerica/state.htm Here are some highlights of the text that defines States as self governing entities. As a federal system of government, the United States has several layers of government ranging from the federal government at the national level, to state and local governments. Two of these layers?the national and state?are addressed in the U.S. Constitution. State governments are not subunits of the federal government; each state is sovereign and does not report in any constitutional way to the federal government. The U.S. Constitution and federal law, however, supersede state constitutions and state laws in areas where they are in disagreement. The U.S. Constitution guarantees each state a republican form of government ? that is, a government run by popularly elected representatives of the people. State governments generally mirror the federal government: In each state there is an elected head of the executive branch (the governor), an independent judiciary, and a popularly elected legislative branch. As sovereign entities within the framework of the U.S. federal system, each state has its own constitution, elected officials, and governmental organization. States have the power to make and enforce laws, levy taxes, and conduct their affairs largely free from intervention from the federal government or other states.