What is the shelf life of a Twinkie? If I found a Twinkle packed way with my college stuff from 15 years ago, can I still eat it?

Your better run if you find a Twinkie next to your "Top Gun" poster and lava lamp in the dusty box marked "College" that's sat behind the water heater in your basement's nether region since the Reagan administration.

It's not going to be pretty.

"The preservatives in Twinkies prohibit mold growth for about 21 days," said a spokesman for Hostess, who wished to not be identified. "Contrary to the popular myth out there, Twinkies don't last for years and years."

We don't understand why the spokesperson didn't want to be identified. He - oops! did we reveal too much? - didn't reveal launch codes for our nuclear warheads. Maybe there's a larger conspiracy at work regarding the life of a Twinkie.

Some believe it. All sorts of myths and urban legends abound about Twinkies lasting for years. Some hint the scrumptious yellow snack has a half-life and could survive nuclear fallout.

There is no good reason to keep a Twinkie any longer than about five minutes. Eat it, or give it away and make someone's day. You can always get more.

According to http://www.twinkies.com, the official Web site of Hostess Twinkies, Hostess Bakeries produce up to 1,000 Twinkies each minute and injects 52,000 an hour with its gooey white mystery frosting.

The snack cake is baked in more than 17 bakeries nationwide, and we as a nation eat more than 500 million each year.

Incidentally, the White House millennium time capsule includes a Twinkie, which it trumpets as "an object of enduring American symbolism."

Former President and first lady Bill and Hillary Clinton dedicated and sealed the time capsule on Dec. 31, 1999. It's to be opened in 100 years.

And just what do you think that Twinkie will look like? Check the Jan. 1, 2100, edition of "Glad You Asked" and you'll know.

Can you explain what a cousin once removed and a second cousin are? I don't know how they are related. Can you explain?

Geneaology.com provided the answer.

Let's first discuss what cousins are.

First cousins are those family members with whom you share two of the same grandparents. They're the children of your aunts and uncles.

Second cousins share the same great-grandparents, but not the same grandparents. This applies to the children of your cousins.

"Removed," when used to discuss relationships, refers to different generations.

You and your first cousins are in the same generation.

"Once removed" implies a difference of one generation. Your mother's first cousin is your first cousin once removed.

Your mother's first cousin is one generation younger than your grandparents and you are two generations younger than your grandparents. This generation difference means the two of you are "once removed."

"Twice removed" is a difference of two generations. You are two generations younger than a first cousin of your grandmother, so you and your grandmother's first cousin are first cousins, twice removed.

What is Glad You Asked?

Glad You Asked finds answers to questions. Selected questions and their answers will be published in this column.

Call (262) 631-1758 to submit a question, or do so by e-mail: ask@journaltimes.com

You may also submit questions online at: http://www.journaltimes.com