Good Question: Reply All: Ambassadors, Lottery Tickets & 'Oh Boy!'
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Caroline Kennedy was sworn in as the ambassador to Japan on Tuesday. So, that had Wendy from Eagan wondering: What does being an ambassador entail?
According to the U.S. State Department, a U.S. ambassador is the president's highest-ranking representative to another country. That person's main role is to coordinate the Foreign Service office and the staff that serves under him or her.
An ambassador is nominated by the president, but must be approved by the Senate. Some ambassadors are long-time diplomats, and others have been political friends or allies.
In this case, Caroline Kennedy is a well-known person from prominent political family who will fill a high-profile ambassadorship.
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Charity from Minneapolis had this Good Question: Why can't you buy lottery tickets with credit cards?
In some states you can. But in Minnesota, it's against the law.
According to Ed Van Petten, executive director of the Minnesota Lottery, the main reason is so people with gambling problems don't rack up unmanageable debt.
He also says retailers don't necessarily like it because the receive 5.5 cents for every lottery dollar spent. If credit cards were used, the retailers would have to give about 3.5 cents to the credit card company.
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Harvey from North St. Paul asked: Where does the old saying "Oh boy" come from?
Etymologist Carol Pozefsky thinks it probably originated from comic books in the 40s, which were centered on surprise and discovery.
Then like a lot of terms, it's just became part of the language.
