What are the classic or noble grape varieties used in making wine?

Q: What are the nine classic or noble grape varieties used in making wine?

A: Depends on which wine expert you ask.

Here are the nine most common grape varieties referred to as classic: Cabernet sauvignon, Chardonnay, Chenin blanc, Merlot, Pinot noir, Riesling, Sauvignon blanc, Semillon, Syrah

There's also a more exclusive group referred to as "noble" grape varieties, of which there are six.

White noble grapes: Sauvignon blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay

Red noble grapes: Pinot noir, Cabernet sauvignon, Merlot

What's the most livable country in the world?

Q: What's the most livable city in the world?

A: According to The Economist magazine's rankings of the most livable cities, Vancounver in Canada is the best place in which to live.

The Economist is a British magazine. Among the criteria in its evaluation were stability, health care, culture, environment, education and infrastructure.

What is the most livable city in the United States?

What's the most livable city in the country?

Q: What's the most livable city in the United States?

A: According to The Economist magazine's rankings of the most livable cities, Pittsburgh is the best place in which to live in the United States

The Economist is a British magazine. It took into account stability, health care, culture, environment, education and infrastructure in its evaluation.It ranked Pittsburgh the world's 29th most livable city, the highest placer among American cities.

President Barack Obama recently chose Pittsburgh to host the G-20 summit in September, calling it a symbol of economic recovery.

What's the most livable city in the world?

What's the roller coaster with the most loops? How many?

Q: What's the world record for the most number of loops in a roller coaster?

A: If by loop, you mean an inversion that turns riders upside-down and then rights them, then the record goes to the Colossus roller coaster at Thorpe Park in England.

The Colossus has 10 inversions or loops, the most of any roller coaster in the world.

What is the world's longest roller coaster? How long is it?

Q: What is the world's longest roller coaster? How long is it?

A: The record of being the longest roller coaster in the world belongs to the Steel Dragon 2000, which opened in 2000 at Nagashima Spa Land (Mie Prefecture, Japan)

Length: 8,133 feet

It is also one of only two Gigacoasters in the world.

What is a giga-coaster or Gigacoaster?

Q: What is a Gigacoaster?

A: Also spelled hyphenated as giga-coaster, a Gigacoaster is a complete-circuit roller coaster with a height of between 300 feet (91 meters)and 399 feet (122 meters). What does that mean? It's very big! Giga!!!

There are only two gigacoasters in the world: Millenium Force at Cedar Point (Sandusky, Ohio, USA) and Steel Dragon 2000 at Nagashima Spa Land (Mie Prefecture, Japan).

The term Gigacoaster was coined in 2000 by Cedar Point to describe Millennium Force, the first roller coaster to break the 300-foot (90-meter) threshold.

What is the height of the world's tallest roller coaster?

Q: What is the tallest roller coaster in the world? How high is it? Where is it located?

A: The tallest roller coaster in the world is the Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, USA. Height: 456 feet (139 meters).

Kingda Ka opened in 2005.

What's the speed of the world's fastest roller coaster?

Q: What's the name of the world's fastest roller coaster? Where is it located? How fast does it go?

A: No longer the Kingda Ka at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey, which had been the world’s fastest roller coaster since it opened in 2005.

The Ring Racer, a Formula 1-themed thrill ride that goes 134.8 miles per hour, is set to open in July 2009. It is faster than Kindga Ka by 6.8 miles per hour.

ring°racer is a Formula 1-themed roller coaster located at the Nürburgring race course in Germany. It features a pneumatic launch. The roller coaster accelerates from 0 to 134.8 miles per hour (217km/h) in 2.5 seconds.

How many Obama czars are there? Names list.

Q: How many 'czars' has the United States President Barack Obama appointed to serve in the government? Who are they?

A: The highest number mentioned of such executive appointees referred to as 'czars' is 26.

Here's a developing list of the names of the 'czars' by Obama:

1. Compensation Czar aka Pay Czar: Kenneth Feinberg, Special Master for TARP Executive Compensation.

2. Health-Care Czar: Nancy Ann DeParle, Counselor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Health Reform. Appointed in March 2009.

3. Urban Czar: Aldolfo Carrion, Jr.

4. Great Lakes Czar: Cameron Davis, Chicago-based environmentalist

5. Iran Czar: Dennis Ross (aka Persian Gulf / Southwest Asia Czar)

6. Middle East Czar: George Mitchell

7. Energy Czar / Climate Czar: Carol Browner, former EPA chief

8. Pakistan Czar / Afghanistan Czar: Richard Holbrooke

9. Bank-Bailout Czar aka TARP Czar: Herb Allison

10. Border Czar: Alan Bersin, former DOJ official

11. Drug Czar: Gil Kerlikowske, former Seattle police chief, now head of the Office of National Drug Control Policy

* The term "Drug Czar" was first used by Joe Biden in 1982.

12. Cyber-Security Czar: Melissa Hathaway - resignation effective August 21
- they're having a hard time finding a new cyber czar

13. WMD Non-Proliferation Czar: Gary Samore

14. Faith-Based Czar: Joshua DuBois

15. Regulatory Czar: Cass Sunstein, Harvard Law Professor

16. Car Czar: Dr. Ed Montgomery, head of the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry

*The other "car czar" Steve Rattner was reportedly forced to step down in July 2009 after he became embroiled in a corruption scandal involving a kickback scheme at New York state's pension fund.

17. War Czar: Army Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute (carryover from President Bush)

18. Stimulus-Accountability Czar aka Stimulus Watchdog Czar: Earl Devaney, former Secret Service agent, RAT board chairman

19. AIDS Czar: Jeffrey Crowley, Head of the Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP)

20. Energy Czar / Climate Czar / Global-Warming Czar: Carol Browner

21. Green-Jobs Czar: Van Jones, Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). Announced his resignation over Labor Day weekend. He had been under fire for calling Republicans "assholes" in a video taped before he was called to head up Obama's green jobs program.

22. Guantanamo Base Closure Czar: Daniel Fried

23. Terrorism Czar: John O. Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism

24. Infotech Czar: Vivek Kundra, Chief Information Officer of the United States

25. FCC Diversity Czar: Mark Lloyd, Associate General Counsel and Chief Diversity Officer at the Federal Communications Commission. Appointed on August 4, 2009.

26. Manufacturing Czar: Ron Bloom, Senior Counselor for Manufacturing Policy. Appointed on September 7, 2009.

More czars to come!

Q: By the way, what is a czar?

A: Czars are presidential appointees who are not required to undergo Senate confirmations hearings.

The most recently updated list is here.