Multicolumns and floats

[AlterEgo Qasars <quasar@econ.muni.cz>]

Dear friends.

I need to typeset in more columns and put floats at certain places. Mr.
Hagen provided me with some examples how to use columnsets some time ago,
but I can't learn some stuff:

1) how to ballance the columnset (the last page is unballanced)?

2) there are blank lines before and after the figure even in the cases
when the float is at the top of the page or at its bottom -- how can this
be solved?

3) what are real rules for float placement? where I need to place the
figure in the source file to be placed on the right page? how can the page
be influenced?

4) does positional graphics work even with these floats? (I saw an
interesting design where defined word in a paragraph was connected with a
line with its definition placed in a float.)

5) in one case I'vo got two text over themselves (I can provide some
example). how this could be avoided? or put it in a different way, how can
columnsets be incorporated in a section definitions?

Many thanks for your kind help.
M.K.