Q: Am I burning my coffee water? When I add my cup of boiling water from the microwave, it foams up out of the cup and makes a mess. When I add boiling water from the tea kettle the coffee blends perfectly and has better flavor. Does the microwave have a certain action on the water that alters its composition?

A: According to the Food and Drug Administration's consumer information Web site, microwaving water too long can result in superheated water - heated past the point of boiling - that doesn't appear to be boiling. The FDA suggests people be sure to follow the recommendations in the microwave's owners' manual or perhaps experiment with the time needed to heat the water just enough. Or just keep using your tea kettle.

Q: What makes warts?

A: According to www.familydoctor.org, warts are a type of infection caused by viruses in the human papillomavirus family. There are more than 100 types of HPV viruses. Some will go away on their own, and others won't.

Q: What type of violin does Andre Rieu play?

A: The Dutch musician plays a 1667 Stradivarius violin, according to his Web site.

Q: Have they stopped making Plymouth automobiles?

A: Yes. The last Plymouths were assembled in 2001.

Q: What makes some people have one brown eye and one blue eye?

A: The condition is called heterochromia iridium, according to the Scientific American Web site, and it's rare in humans. Researchers say it can be caused by a change in one of the genes that contributes to eye color, injury around the time of birth or later in life, some medications or a few rare diseases.

Q: Is there a road that runs along the Mississippi River where someone can bike from Iowa all the way down to the Gulf?

A: The Mississippi River Trail is a 3,000-mile series of roads and multi-use pathways that goes from Itasca, Minn., to the Gulf of Mexico. It first crosses from Minnesota into Iowa at New Albin. When it reaches the Quad Cities, the trail becomes part of the RiverWay system. For maps, details and tips, check www.mississippirivertrail.org.

Q. Who purchased the old St. Mary's School in Waterloo?

A. It was purchased by Henry L.N. Anderson of Los Angeles along with the former church building, rectory and St. Mary's Villa. Anderson is president of City University Los Angeles, an online school incorporated in Alabama. No plans for the property have been made public.

Q. Do the Cedar Falls and Waterloo school bus drivers collect unemployment during the summer months?

A. Waterloo Community Schools bus drivers are employed by First Student Inc., a private transportation company. According to Karl Hartman, manager for First Student, under the unemployment laws of the state of Iowa, drivers are eligible for unemployment when work is not available.