Outside of the Low Countries, it is the native language of the majority of the population of Suriname, and also holds official status in the Caribbean island nations of Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten. Historical minorities on the verge of extinction remain in parts of France and Germany, and in Indonesia,[n 1] while up to half a million native speakers may reside in the United States, Canada and Australia combined.[n 2] The Cape Dutch dialects of Southern Africa have evolved into Afrikaans, a mutually intelligible daughter language[n 3] which is spoken to some degree by at least 16 million people, mainly in South Africa and Namibia.[n 4]

Dutch is one of the closest relatives of both German and English[n 5] and is said to be roughly in between them.[n 6] Dutch, like English, has not undergone the High German consonant shift, does not use Germanic umlaut as a grammatical marker, has largely abandoned the use of the subjunctive, and has levelled much of its morphology, including the case system.[n 7] Features shared with German include the survival of three grammatical gendersalbeit with few grammatical consequences[n 8]as well as the use of modal particles, final-obstruent devoicing, and a similar word order.[n 9] Dutch vocabulary is mostly Germanic and incorporates more Romance loans than German but fewer than English.[n 10] What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. Who was on the verge of extinction?
2. Where at?
3. What language is closer to German and Englist\h?
4. Outside of what?
Answer: 1. Historical minorities
2. France, Germany, and Indonesia
3. Dutch
4. unknown

Tom Hanks ranks as one of Hollywood's most popular actors. Moviegoers eagerly anticipate in the opening of his new pictures. If you're a Hank fan, you don't have to wait much longer. Hank's newest film, Cast Away, opens this winter.

Tom Hanks plays Chunk Noland, a FedEx executive who lives by the clock. He carefully plans every minute of both his professional and personal time. But on his way home for the holidays, the small plane he's in crashes in the Pacific Ocean. Only Noland survives. He ends up alone on a tropical island and begins a battle for survival. In the process, his view of success and life itself change dramatically .

This role may be the most physically-challenging of Hank's career. The actor lost 53 pounds for the part. Director Robert Zemeckis shot the first section of the film with Hanks weighing more than 225 pounds. The filming took a break for a year while Hanks lost weight. To take off the pounds, Hanks ate little and exercised a lot.

The movie may surprise some of Hank's fans. It's not an upbeat comedy like Sleepless in Seattle or You're Got Mail. In fact, Hanks spends a large part of the movie not speaking. After all, who is there to talk to when you're alone on an island? What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. Who was Chunk Noland?
2. What movie is he from?
3. Who is he played by?
4. What did Hanks have to do for the role?
5. How much?
6. What did he weigh at the beginning?
7. How did he drop the weight?
8. Why would this film be unique to fans?
9. How come?
10. What happens on Noland's flight home?
11. Where?
12. Where does he end up?
13. How many others survived?
14. What personal views of Noland's are changed?
15. What is said about the physical demands of this film?
16. Who directed the film?
17. How long did it take for Hanks to lose the weight?
18. Does he talk a lot for this movie?
19. Why not?
20. When does the movie premiere?
Answer: 1. a FedEx executive
2. Cast Away
3. Tom Hanks
4. Lose weight
5. 53 pounds
6. more than 225 pounds
7. Hanks ate little and exercised a lot.
8. It's not an upbeat comedy
9. It's about a battle for survival.
10. the small plane he's in crashes
11. in the Pacific Ocean
12. on a tropical island
13. No one else survives
14. his view of success and life itself change dramatically .
15. This role may be the most physically-challenging of Hank's career.
16. Robert Zemeckis
17. a year
18. No
19. He's alone on an island
20. this winter

(CNN) -- Some long-time Cuba watchers expressed skepticism Tuesday over a report by a former Mexican foreign minister that Communist leader Raul Castro removed two top-ranking officials earlier this month because they were plotting to overthrow him with the support of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Fidel Castro, beset by illness, ceded power to his younger brother, Raul, pictured, last year.

Jorge G. Castaneda, who served as Mexico's foreign minister from 2000 - 2003, wrote in the March 23 issue of Newsweek, which became public Saturday, that Deputy Prime Minister Carlos Lage Davila and Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque were concerned that Raul Castro would make concessions that would betray the 50-year-old Cuban Revolution.

"For at least a month or so, Lage, Perez Roque and others were apparently involved in a conspiracy, betrayal, coup or whatever term one prefers, to overthrow or displace Raul from his position," Castaneda wrote. "In this endeavor, they recruited -- or were recruited by -- Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, who in turn tried to enlist the support of other Latin American leaders, starting with Leonel Fernandez of the Dominican Republic, who refused to get involved."

The Venezuelan Embassy in Washington did not answer a verbal and written request for comment.

The Dominican Republic Embassy in Washington did not answer telephones calls at various numbers.

Robert Pastor, who served as a Latin America National Security adviser for President Jimmy Carter in the late 1970s, returned Saturday from a weeklong visit to Cuba.

Pastor said he wrote Castaneda a letter upon his return expressing his disbelief in Castaneda's contentions. What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. Who is Raul Castro?
2. Who was the president of Venezuela?
3. Who plotted to overthrow Castro?
4. When was Castaneda a foreign minister?
5. How long was the conspiracy?
6. Who was Raul's brother?
7. Who did Chavez attempt to get support from?
8. Like who?
9. From where?
10. Did he help?
11. Who wrote a letter to Castaneda?
Answer:
1. a communist leader
2. Hugo Chavez
3. Lage, Perez Roque
4. 2000 - 2003
5. at least a month
6. Fidel Castro
7. other Latin American leaders
8. Leonel Fernandez
9. the Dominican Republic
10. no
11. Robert Pastor