Musings of a Dead Parrot

THIS WEEK'S QUIZ
1. What elite military force was long headquartered in Sidi-Bel-Abbes, Algeria? French Foreign Legion
2. Why did headlines this month refer to Mia Hamm as the "Jerry West of women's soccer"? her silhouette/profile is being used in the logo for the new women's professional soccer league
3. What was a career for Sir Edmund Hillary and an avocation for Sherlock Holmes? beekeeping
4. What future journalist was crowned "America's Junior Miss," representing Kentucky, in 1963? Phyllis George
5. What expression meaning "everything" derives from the three main parts of a musket? lock, stock and barrel
6. What title activity of a 1982 song began "as soon as the shareef had cleared the square"? rock the casbah, rock the casbah
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these famous people? Milton Berle, Steve Earle, Eminem, Melanie Griffith, Stan Laurel, Joe Louis, Frida Kahlo, and Lana Turner.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What movie begins with the 2027 stabbing of "Baby Diego" in Buenos Aires? Baby Diego is Earth's youngest human in 2006's Children of Men--great movie, by the way. "Baby Diego was a wanker," mumbles Clive Owen. Have not seen it. Guess I should.
2. What color is children's poison control mascot Mr. Yuk? Green. Pukey green was a good guess. Correct.
3. In 1835, what French scientist discovered a force affecting the motion of objects in a rotating system? Gaspard-Gustave Coriolis, discoverer of the Coriolis Effect, though he never applied his new namesake force to the rotation of the Earth.
4. In Greek myth, the hundred-eyed Argus was punished by the gods by being transformed into what animal? Argus's eyes became the eye-shaped spots on the tail of the peacock. Readers pointed out that I got the story wrong: the peacock got Argus's eyes as a tribute from Hera, not a punishment from Zeus.
5. In what country is the language Monegasque spoken? Monaco. "Monegasque" sounds to me like a word Popeye would say. correct
6. What clothing retailer is named for a phrase coined by O. Henry to describe the country of Honduras? O. Henry coined the phrase "Banana Republic." correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared these famous people? Muhammad Ali, Warren Buffett, Thomas Edison, Joan of Arc, Mickey Mantle, H. L. Mencken, Ted Nugent, Jean-Claude Van Damme. Not so hard this week, I hoped. All have or had a well-known nickname that refers to their city of (at least some period of) residence. The Commerce Comet, the Maid of Orleans, the Wizard of Menlo Park, and so on. I got a Q7 correct! May be only my second one ever.

Earlier today I attended a meeting of Stanford alumni leaders from the LA area. We get together periodically to plan and coordinate local alumni events. Someone there told a great story about the Stanford-USC football game that I had not heard before.

A very popular class among Stanford athletes (including football players) is Ancient Athletics taught out of the Classics department by Professor Patrick Hunt. It can't be too easy since the course syllabus I saw includes Homer, Virgil and Plato.

When the class met on Monday, October 9th after the Stanford win over USC, Professor Hunt placed laurel wreaths on the heads of all of the football players in the class accompanied by a reading in Greek about their accomplishment. I am sure that someone in the class pointed out that the Trojans lost the Trojan War too.

Serendipitous moment - the scheduled topic for that Monday's lecture was "Plato’s Republic as an Ideal Arena." Was Professor Hunt thinking of the Coliseum when he planned the course? Hmm.

On Jan. 25, 1915, the inventor of the telephone, Alexander Graham Bell, inaugurated U.S. transcontinental telephone service.

On Jan. 25, 2008, my phone service went out. Alexander Graham Bell and the phone users in 1915 had more capability than I do now.

My neighbors' phones work, so it is just a problem at my house. Probably something got wet in the rain. Verizon recorded my service call and promised to fix it by 6 pm Tuesday. That is over 100 hours from now. I am hoping this is a case of underpromise and overdeliver.

THIS WEEK'S QUIZ
1. What movie begins with the 2027 stabbing of "Baby Diego" in Buenos Aires?
2. What color is children's poison control mascot Mr. Yuk? I have never seen this character. Where does he appear? Is he pukey green?
3. In 1835, what French scientist discovered a force affecting the motion of objects in a rotating system? Coulomb? I know now that is wrong. Coulomb came earlier. Correct answer is Coriolis of Coriolis effect fame. Never thought of him as French.
4. In Greek myth, the hundred-eyed Argus was punished by the gods by being transformed into what animal? this would be a better question if it said "the gods had the hundred eyes of Argus preserved forever as the tail of what animal?" when you hear the answer is peacock it makes so much sense
5. In what country is the language Monegasque spoken? Monaco
6. What clothing retailer is named for a phrase coined by O. Henry to describe the country of Honduras? sure sounds like Banana Republic
7. What unusual distinction is shared these famous people? Muhammad Ali, Warren Buffett, Thomas Edison, Joan of Arc, Mickey Mantle, H. L. Mencken, Ted Nugent, Jean-Claude Van Damme. I may have a guess at a Q7 this week. Several of these folks have nicknames that incorporate a place name - The Motor City Madman, Oracle of Omaha, Virgin of Orleans, the Louisville Lip, the Muscles from Brussels, Wizard of Menlo Park

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What's the first name of Coach DiCrescenzo, the Olympic steeplechase hopeful and Bryn Mawr track coach who inspired a hit 2007 single? The Plain White T's song "Hey There Delilah" is an unrequited love note to amateur track star Delilah DiCrescenzo. never heard of it
2. The Purple Heart medals currently being awarded by the U.S. military were all originally manufactured for what war? The military is still giving out a huge stockpile of Purple Hearts that was manufactured during World War II, in anticipation of a costly assault on the Japanese home islands that never happened. one of my final guesses so I'll call this correct
3. What sport is played with a ball called a "pallino"? A pallino is a bocce ball. I thought the Italian-sounding word would help here, but got a lot of guesses of "jai alai" anyway. Jai alai ball is called a pelota. My limited imagination could not think of an Italian ball game in time.
4. Who was the only regular of Frasier Crane-era Cheers never to appear on the spin-off Frasier? Kirstie Alley, as Rebecca Howe, never visited Frasier's Seattle. (Neither did Nicholas "Coach" Colasanto, but he had a better excuse.) Diane was my incorrect guess.
5. In the summertime, it's called estivation. What's it called when it happens in the winter? Estivation is warm-weather hibernation. this is the most interesting thing I learned this week
6. Buchanan is the second largest city in what world nation? Just like the capital, Buchanan shares its name with a U.S. president (it was named for James Buchanan's brother). The answer is Liberia, whose capital is named for James Monroe. Correct
7. What unusual distinction (unusual for a literary classic, anyway) is shared by these classic novels? Alice in Wonderland, All Quiet on the Western Front, Catch-22, Kidnapped, Little Women, Things Fall Apart, The Three Musketeers, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. It's not an unusual distinction nowadays, but it's pretty uncommon among Great Novels: each of these classics is followed by one or more sequels.

I am often curious to see how advertisers use music when they incorporate well known songs into their pitches. I try to determine the message or connection between the song and the product or service. For some, you have to wonder either what the creative people were thinking or whether the audience is paying attention.

Example - CBS has been promoting its broadcast of the 50th Grammy Awards on a lot of the NFL games I've watched. The ads begin with the iconic guitar riff that starts the Rolling Stones' Satisfaction. That riff is almost guaranteed to cause the audience to pay attention. Admit it - as you read this, you hear it in your head. Maybe you are even singing the guitar intro out loud.

But what is the connection between the Stones and the Grammys? Not much. In their illustrious career, the band has won a grand total of one Grammy (in 1995 for Best Rock Album for Voodoo Lounge) plus a lifetime achievement award. The Grammys have a history of ignoring groundbreaking and trend-setting performers with the Stones as a prime example. So of course their music is a perfect fit for promoting the Grammys.

A side observation - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will play at halftime of the Super Bowl this year. I would love to hear them play two songs whose lyrics honor the NFL and its players:

• Century City - "Sometimes I wanna leave here" then "We're gonna live in Century City, Go ahead and give in (Century City) like modern men, And modern girls, we're gonna live in the modern world." (in recognition of the lack of teams in the LA area)
• Listen to Her Heart- "You think you're going to take her away, with your money and your cocaine."

THIS WEEK'S QUIZ
1. What's the first name of Coach DiCrescenzo, the Olympic steeplechase hopeful and Bryn Mawr track coach who inspired a hit 2007 single? Superman? that's the only hit single from 2007 I can think of
2. The Purple Heart medals currently being awarded by the U.S. military were all originally manufactured for what war? Vietnam? WW 2?
3. What sport is played with a ball called a "pallino"?
4. Who was the only regular of Frasier Crane-era Cheers never to appear on the spin-off Frasier? I could say Coach but that is because Nicholas Colosanto died after the first season of Cheers. I'll say - Diane. Lots of guessing this week.
5. In the summertime, it's called estivation. What's it called when it happens in the winter?
6. Buchanan is the second largest city in what world nation? my guess is Liberia since the largest city is Monrovia
7. What unusual distinction (unusual for a literary classic, anyway) is shared by these classic novels? Alice in Wonderland, All Quiet on the Western Front, Catch-22, Kidnapped, Little Women, Things Fall Apart, The Three Musketeers, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What is the knife called an "izmel" specifically used for? It's used by the mohel in a Jewish circumcision, or bris. oy, vey!
2. What world leader officially holds only the rank of colonel, despite being commander-in-chief of his nation's military? Muammar Qadhafi of Libya (however you want to spell it) never promoted himself above colonel, to demonstrate, he says, that all power in Libya really belongs to its people. hmm. what is Chavez's rank?
3. What mountain of Centre County, Pennsylvania still has a famous name today because of the mountain lions that lived there until the 1880s? Those are the "Mount Nittany Lions" that Penn State named its teams for. correct
4. What city is often threatened by the acqua alta? The acqua alta, or "high water," is the periodic flooding that sometimes put much of Venice underwater. correct
5. What Greek philosopher founded a secret society of followers called the Mathematikoi, whose members were forbidden to eat beans? Pythagoras was the anti-beanite. His guys also weren't allowed to touch a white rooster, or look into a mirror by candlelight. this is a non-Euclidean answer
6. What street is conspicuously missing from Washington, D.C.'s street grid--as a stab at a Supreme Court Chief Justice, according to one popular myth? There is no J Street--but it's not really a slam at John Jay, as is sometimes claimed. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these movies? Blade Runner, Chicken Little, ConAir, Hard Boiled, I Am Sam, The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Pearl Harbor, and Red Dragon. All these movies belong in the same fold, as it were, because they all feature origami. Deckard is a replicant! bad question - origami??? I don't know all these movies but I have watched The Manchurian Candidate several times and don't recall where origami is featured.

THIS WEEK'S QUIZ
1. What is the knife called an "izmel" specifically used for?
2. What world leader officially holds only the rank of colonel, despite being commander-in-chief of his nation's military? didn't Pervez Musharraf step down from the military? If so, this could be Hugo Chavez
3. What mountain of Centre County, Pennsylvania still has a famous name today because of the mountain lions that lived there until the 1880s? Nittany Mountain (for the PSU Nittany Lions)
4. What city is often threatened by the acqua alta? sounds like it could be Venice
5. What Greek philosopher founded a secret society of followers called the Mathematikoi, whose members were forbidden to eat beans? never heard of this one so I'll guess a Greek philosopher who also is know to math students - Euclid
6. What street is conspicuously missing from Washington, D.C.'s street grid--as a stab at a Supreme Court Chief Justice, according to one popular myth? J Street (the clue leads me to Chief Justice John Jay)
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these movies? Blade Runner, Chicken Little, ConAir, Hard Boiled, I Am Sam, The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Pearl Harbor, and Red Dragon.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. The Empire State Building extinguished its lights for fifteen minutes in August 2004 to mourn the death of what Canadian-born woman? Fay Wray, who dangled from the building back in 1933's King Kong. arrrgh. could not come up with this
2. What common item is tracked by the website Where's George? The "George" is George Washington--the website tracks dollar bills (and other US paper currency). this falls into the "I did not know that" category
3. What nation is home to the militant nationalists called the Tamil Tigers? The Tamil Tigers want independence from Sri Lanka. correct
4. What's the only single in the history of the Billboard Top Ten to share its name with a book of the Bible? ("Theme from Exodus" is NOT a biblical book.) Elton John's "Daniel" is the only exact match I could find. correct
5. LDL and HDL are the two main types of what substance? LDL = "bad" cholesterol. HDL = "good" cholesterol correct
6. Who's the only coach in NBA history to lead seven different teams to the playoffs? Larry Brown has coached seven different NBA teams in the last 25 years, none for longer than six seasons. Maybe Larry needs some Ritalin for that attention span of his. my guess Lenny Wilkins has not been peripatetic enough
7. What color comes last in this list, and why? Gold, silver, green, copper, blue, purple, ____. I thought this might be hard, and it was. Still, I though the fact that there were seven items in the list might help people out. I thought the metallic colors might help people out. I thought the fact that tens of millions of American have these very colors on their bookshelves might help people out. Those are the colors of foil on the covers of the first six Harry Potter books (in US hardcover), which makes the seventh one "red." Sorry, non-US readers.

Happy, 2008! January 1st is the perfect time to project who will die during the year. This seems quite macabre, but that is the philosophy behind The Death List. For the past 20 years, the UK-based publishers have guessed the names of 50 living celebrities or other well-known people from politics, the arts, history, etc. who might die in the coming year. Each death is called a "success" in the sense of "2007 was a disappointing year with ten successes so we will be looking to the 2008 list to give a better showing."

Have a look at the 2008 Death List. You'll be surprised to learn who is still alive. You will also become a more diligent monitor of the obituaries.

THIS WEEK'S QUIZ
1. The Empire State Building extinguished its lights for fifteen minutes in August 2004 to mourn the death of what Canadian-born woman?
2. What common item is tracked by the website Where's George? Which George? George Bush? George Hamilton? George of the Jungle? Hmm. Is Air Force One considered a common item?
3. What nation is home to the militant nationalists called the Tamil Tigers? Sri Lanka
4. What's the only single in the history of the Billboard Top Ten to share its name with a book of the Bible? ("Theme from Exodus" is NOT a biblical book.) Daniel (by Elton John)
5. LDL and HDL are the two main types of what substance? cholesterol
6. Who's the only coach in NBA history to lead seven different teams to the playoffs? I am tempted to say Larry Brown but I don't think he has coached seven different teams. I think it is Lenny Wilkins.
7. What color comes last in this list, and why? Gold, silver, green, copper, blue, purple, ____.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Where did the Beagle 2 crash and disappear on Christmas Day 2003? The Isidis Planitia on Mars. (In the spirit of the season, we accepted just "Mars.") correct
2. What was the first name of eight-year-old Miss O'Hanlon, who wrote a famous letter to the New York Sun in 1897? Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. Oddly, she wrote the letter in September. correct
3. "White Christmas" playing on Armed Forces radio was the secret signal for what 1975 event? The evacuation of Saigon. (In April--that wouldn't be such a good code in December.) correct
4. According to PNC Bank's "Christmas Price Index," what would cost a record $19,507.19 in 2007? All the gifts from "The Twelve Days of Christmas," from one on the first day all the way up to seventy-eight (no, really--do the math) on the last one. correct
5. At the age of eleven, who accidentally discovered the true identity of his baseball pitcher father while searching his mother's closet for hidden Christmas presents? Not to make light of Tim McGraw's childhood traumas, but yikes. That sucks. Don't peek at your presents early, kids. correct
6. Why might you want to avoid the Christmas party of Japan's Nakatomi Corporation? Because what if self-styled terrorist Hans Gruber were to crash it and hold everyone hostage while he broke into the vault for bearer bonds as he does in the 1988 film Die Hard? (In the spirit of the season, we accepted anything even remotely along these lines.) correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these Christmas carols? "Christmas in Killarney," "The Christmas Song," "A Holly Jolly Christmas," "I'll Be Home for Christmas," "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree," "This Christmas." They're the only popular Christmas songs I can think of that mention mistletoe. "The Most Wonderful Time..." gets extra credit for using it as a verb.

6 out of 7 correct - a record for me! Must have been holiday charity.