Ask Mr. Know It All

By Gary Clothier

Q. Betty White received a lot of attention for her 90th birthday in January. She was married to Allen Ludden until he died. Ludden was previously married and had several children. What became of them?

K.J.H., Owosso, Mich.

A. Allen Ludden and his first wife, Margaret McGloin, were married in October 1943. They remained together until her death from cancer in October 1961. They had three children: David, Martha and Sarah. I have not been able to find any details about them. Perhaps a reader knows and will share the information?

Ludden and Betty White married in June 1963. They were married until his death in June 1981.

Q. The amount of the national debt is staggering — beyond my comprehension. How much is it per person?

J.C., Stowe, Vt.

A. According to Jill Schlesinger of CBS MoneyWatch, the United States national debt is $15.3 trillion, which amounts to $49,030 per every man, woman and child in the country, or $135,773 per taxpayer.

Q. What has happened to the three young men who played the sons of Tim Allen in the TV series “Home Improvement”?

M.R. Robinson, Ill.

A. “Home Improvement” was an incredibly popular TV series that ran from 1991-99. It starred Tim Allen and Patricia Richardson.

Zachery Ty Bryan (born October 1981) has maintained an active television career, primarily in guest roles. In addition to Zach’s on-screen presence, he writes and co-owns the popular Hollywood bar Big Wangs.

Jonathan Taylor Thomas (born September 1981), who played middle son Randy Taylor, was the heartthrob of the show. He left “Home Improvement” in the seventh season to pursue his education. JTT graduated from Columbia University in 2010.

Taran Noah Smith (born April 1984) played the youngest of the three Taylor children, Marcus “Mark” Jason Taylor. In a 2001 interview, Smith said, “When I was 16, I knew that I didn’t want to act anymore.” In 2001, at the age of 17, he married Heidi Van Pelt, who was 16 years his senior. In 2005, he and Van Pelt formed a California-based nondairy cheese manufacturer and restaurant, Playfood, which specialized in vegan and organic foods. The couple divorced in 2007. After a protracted legal battle after their divorce Smith took control of the company. ù

Q. I was listening to my shortwave radio one night; a caller to the show said she was from Kits. From the conversation, I got the impression she was from the Vancouver area. I’ve been to Vancouver several times, but I’ve never heard of Kits. I got out my map and could not locate it. Can you help me out?

H.J., Louisville, Ky.

A. Kits refers to Kitsilano, an upscale section of Vancouver. The name Kitsilano is derived from a local chief of the Squamish people.

Q. My wife is from Southern California. One of the things she misses is See’s Candies. It’s an unusual name. Can you tell me the origin of the company?

D.N.H., Elmira, N.Y.

A. Charles See arrived in Los Angeles from Canada in 1921 to try his hand at the confection business; he used his mother’s recipes to start his operation. The image of Mary See is on every box of candy. The first See’s store was designed to resemble Mary See’s home kitchen. By the 1950s, shops were open all over California. In 1972, the See family sold the company to Berkshire Hathaway Inc., presided over by Chairman Warren Buffett.

Why not treat your wife to a taste of home? You can call the company for a catalog (800-895-7337), or visit sees.com to order the candy.

Q. I heard part of a TV news story about brown rice — or maybe it was brown rice sugar — being dangerous for you. I’ve never heard of this type of sugar. Why is it dangerous?

R.L.L., Orlando, Fla.

A. ABC News’ chief medical editor, Dr. Richard Besser, broke the story about brown rice syrup. According to Besser, researchers at Dartmouth College found high levels of potentially toxic arsenic in organic baby formula containing brown rice syrup. The syrup is also used in organic cereal and energy bars, which have been found to have high levels of the cancer-causing poison.

Brown rice syrups are made by fermenting brown rice with special enzymes that break down the natural starch content. After being strained, the liquid is cooked until the desired consistency of the syrup is reached. Before eliminating brown rice syrup from your diet, I strongly suggest you consult with your doctor or food nutritionist.

DID YOU KNOW?

Actress Bo Derek owns her own pet care line, Bo Derek’s Bless the Beasts. The pooch-pampering products include nourishing dog shampoos and conditioners, fragrances and fur polish.

Q. I have a collection of Wells Fargo belt buckles. Where can I find the value of them?

O.M., Whittier, Calif.

A. Since you sent me a letter, I assume you do not have a computer. Go to the public library — most have computers you can use. Do a search of online auctions. I found about 50 buckles ranging in price from a few dollars to $25.

DID YOU KNOW?

Priscilla Presley turned down the part of one of the angels in the TV series “Charlie’s Angels” (1976).

Q. This is an unusual paragraph. I’m curious as to just how quickly you can find out what is so unusual about it. It looks so ordinary and plain that you would think nothing was wrong with it. In fact, nothing is wrong with it! It is highly unusual though. Study it and think about it, but you still may not find anything odd. But if you work at it a bit, you might find out. Try to do so without any coaching!

C.B., Reading, Pa.

A. The letter “e,” which is the most common letter used in the English language, does not appear once in the paragraph. Regular readers of this column might recall this is called a lipogram.

Astute readers might have noticed this column was written without using the letter “z.” You’re not impressed, I can tell!

Send your questions to Mr. Know-It-All at AskMrKIA@gmail.com or c/o Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

2012 Gary Clothier