Musings of a Dead Parrot

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What common household item typically contains 138 cubic centimeters of an argon-nitrogen gas mixture? sounds like an aerosol can, but I just looked in my kitchen and noticed something else. A home fire extinguisher. Argon-nitrogen sounds like a good fire retardant.
2. One of the "Bond girls" in the new 007 film is named in honor of which Beatles song? I can barely name the new movie much less answer a question about who is in it. But let's try to guess. I can think of Julia, Rita, Eleanor. With help, I add Prudence, Martha and Sadie. Of those six, I will guess Prudence. Even though Eleanor is a lovely name, what parent would name a child in honor of someone who is so forlorn?
3. What did Ramon Mercader do with an ice axe in Mexico City on August 20, 1940? sounds like someone he might do to kill Leon Trotsky
4. With a 3-9 season ending Michigan's 31-year streak, what's now the only school to have appeared in a college football bowl game every year for the last two decades, with a 26-year streak running? excellent question and I admit that I have not read the answer anywhere yet. I will have to guess - Florida State. I know it is not Miami, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Penn State, USC. All had lean years over the last three decades. I don't think Bowden has been below .500 in many years.
5. What is the both the oldest and the largest single-stone statue in the world? I am guessing that Mount Rushmore or Stone Mountain or the Crazy Horse monument don't count. In Kamakura, Japan, I saw a giant daibatsu - image of Buddha. It seemed to be sculpted from a single stone. Maybe that? Or another Buddha in Japan?
6. What author wrote four of the top five books on the USA Today best-selling fiction chart last week? I am guessing the author who wrote Twilight though I don't know her name. It's part of a series.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by each of these organizations? American Airlines, Anheuser-Busch, Barclays, D.C. United, Emporio Armani, Flexible Flyer, the National Rifle Association, and the U.S. Post Office? Nothing coming to me yet. All I can get is - the next organizations in line for a federal bailout. Maybe something to do with advertising characters?

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. How many film frames per second are captured by a typical movie camera? As Jean-Luc Godard once said, "Cinema is truth twenty-four times per second." As you can see, it's impossible to begin a sentence with "As Jean-Luc Godard once said..." without sounding like a pretentious tool. correct
2. Which two of the three so-called "Low Countries" don't border each other? The Netherlands doesn't touch Luxembourg--Belgium's in the way. C'mon Belgium. Don't be such a c-blocker. correct
3. What 1974 weapon did inventor Jack Cover acronymically name after an electric rifle invented by his boyhood hero, Tom Swift? Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle is now just called a TASER. Don't Tom Swift me, bro! correct
4. What historic class (not nationality) of people observed a moral code called "bushido"? The Japanese samurai were followers of bushido--for two more months. Then it's Obama-ido all the time, baby. not correct
5. What two pop megastars, with rhyming names but born on different European islands, collaborated on the songs "I've Seen It All" and "Nattura"? Bjork and Radiohead's Thom Yorke collaborated on both singles. And yes, the umlaut over Bjork means it actually rhymes with "jerk" in Icelandic, but I'm pretty sure English-speakers almost universally use the Yorke-rhyming pronunciation. ha! No way I was ever getting this.
6. What food product does the U.S. government classify as Grade A Light Amber (or "Fancy"), Medium Amber, and Dark Amber? That's maple syrup, though when I was a kid we couldn't afford the good stuff and had to use Grade D ("Bits of Maple Bark and Termite") on our waffles. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these actresses? Julie Andrews, Cate Blanchett, Joan Crawford, Pam Grier, Katharine Hepburn, Diane Keaton, Julia Roberts, and Ginger Rogers. They all played a first-and-last-name title character of a film: Mary Poppins, Veronica Guerin, Mildred Pierce, Jackie Brown, Alice Adams or Sylvia Scarlett, Annie Hall, Mary Reilly or Erin Brockovich, and Kitty Foyle. This is a lot less common for female title characters than it is for males...I had a hard time coming up with eight. Can you suggest others? this seemed too easy but there it was for the taking. I could not get it.

2008 was a very busy year in music concert-wise. I saw 17 shows.

1. Dave Alvin with Chris Gaffney (one of Gaff's last shows)
2. Todd Snider
3. Peter Case at the Getty
4. Dan Bern at the Magic 8 Ball show
5. Colin Meloy solo
6. John Doe at McCabes
7. REM
8. I See Hawks in LA and the Chapin Sisters
9. Ray Wylie Hubbard
10. Reckless Kelly
11. Dave Alvin & The Guilty Men, Peter Case, Hacienda Brothers, The Cold Hard Facts at the Dog and Pony Show (benefit show)
12. Michael Franti and Spearhead, Lila Downs and Ozomatli at the Bowl
13. Dave Alvin and Greg Liesz
14. John Doe and Kathleen Edwards
15. Rodney Crowell
16. Lucinda Williams and Buick 6
17. The Decemberists

New CDs that I really liked:

1. DeVotchka - A Mad and Faithful Telling
2. The Baseball Project - Vol 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails
3. Rodney Crowell - Sex and Gasoline
4. Lucinda Williams - Little Honey
5. Lila Downs - Shake Away
6. Reckless Kelly - Bulletproof
7. My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges
8. Mudcrutch
9. Colin Meloy Sings Live
10. REM - Accelerate

I did not hear the albums, but loved these songs

1. Boots of Chinese Plastic - The Pretenders
2. Freeway - Aimee Mann
   

Music from earlier years that I discovered in 2008 and really enjoyed. This show from John Doe opening for Wilco really turned me on to his songs and how compelling he is as a performer.

1. John Doe - A Year in the Wilderness
2. The Modern Sounds of The Knitters
3. Lucinda Williams - World Without Tears

In 2009, I am already looking forward to new CDs from Wilco, The Decemberists and Bruce Springsteen. Dave Alvin's Chris Gaffney tribute album should be out soon. Maybe also something from Arcade Fire? And I will finally get to see The Pretenders and Trombone Shorty!

Finally, an observation. Though Warren Zevon has been dead for a few years, he wrote a song that summed up the current global economic and political situation pretty well.

At last week's game between Occidental and Whittier College, fans heard the following cheer - "We have Barack. You've got Dick. Oxy Oxy Oxy. Block that kick!"

I think that is pretty good.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. How many film frames per second are captured by a typical movie camera? if I recall correctly from what Andrew Bradburn taught me about film making, 24 frames per second
2. Which two of the three so-called "Low Countries" don't border each other? Belgium and the Netherlands definitely border. So the question is which one does not border Luxembourg? I will guess that the Netherlands does not border Luxembourg.
3. What 1974 weapon did inventor Jack Cover acronymically name after an electric rifle invented by his boyhood hero, Tom Swift? taser
4. What historic class (not nationality) of people observed a moral code called "bushido"? a guess - kamikazes (this is a foolish answer - I don't think they are an historic class. Probably samurai)
5. What two pop megastars, with rhyming names but born on different European islands, collaborated on the songs "I've Seen It All" and "Nattura"? did some research. Minelli and Bocelli does not work. They were not born on European islands. Neither were Domingo or Pavarotti. No idea here. Cannot think of other Italian pop megastars.
6. What food product does the U.S. government classify as Grade A Light Amber (or "Fancy"), Medium Amber, and Dark Amber? maple syrup
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these actresses? Julie Andrews, Cate Blanchett, Joan Crawford, Pam Grier, Katharine Hepburn, Diane Keaton, Julia Roberts, and Ginger Rogers. The first two give me a guess - film actresses who dressed as men to play characters. Need to see if that works for the others.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What empire was united by a king named Shaka during the early 19th century? Shaka is often called "Shaka Zulu" after his native tribe. correct
2. In September, what graying rock band had their fifth consecutive album debut atop the charts, a Billboard record? Metallica's Death Magnetic debuted at number one, just like its four predecessors. Not even the Beatles ever managed that. a lucky guess
3. Because of its famous mineral water, what British town lent its name to the chemical salt magnesium sulfate? Epsom salts are named for the Surrey town of Epsom, famous for the nearby race course at Epsom Downs. correct.
4. What beer was advertised by the famous "Whassup?!" TV ad campaign of 1999? "Just watching the game, having a Bud." correct
5. What's the only U.S. state on the Atlantic that also extends into the Central Time Zone? Only Florida stretches that far west--as you might recall from recent election nights, voting stays open later in the panhandle. correct
6. What leading lady of TV and movies called her autobiography Knock Wood, in memory of her father? Candice Bergen, the daughter of ventriloquist Edgar Bergen. as Alex noted, I would not characterize her as a leading lady of the movies. I can't name one in which she appeared. That was a red herring clue.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these nations, and no others? Afghanistan, Argentina, Brazil, China, Congo, Egypt, Great Britain, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Japan, Madagascar, Mongolia, Peru, Ukraine, Venezuela. These are the current world nations that also name territories on the Risk gameboard. at this Q7 seems fair even though I had no idea.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What empire was united by a king named Shaka during the early 19th century? was that the Zulu empire - Shaka Zulu?
2. In September, what graying rock band had their fifth consecutive album debut atop the charts, a Billboard record? Ken Jennings gets a lot of questions from the Billboard charts. If I wanted to do better on his trivia quizzes, I would study the charts. The graying bands I follow (REM, Bruce and the E Street Band, Flaming Lips, U2) have not released new albums lately. I don't think that Pearl Jam has released a new album lately so I'll guess Metallica.
3. Because of its famous mineral water, what British town lent its name to the chemical salt magnesium sulfate? Epsom
4. What beer was advertised by the famous "Whassup?!" TV ad campaign of 1999? Bud-weis-er
5. What's the only U.S. state on the Atlantic that also extends into the Central Time Zone? I think that a tiny bit of Florida extends into Central time. This delayed the reporting of the Florida election results since they had to wait an extra hour for the Central time polls to close.
6. What leading lady of TV and movies called her autobiography Knock Wood, in memory of her father? is this an idiosyncracy of the actress's father? a play on words? I have not heard this before. The only Wood I can think of is Natalie Wood.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these nations, and no others? Afghanistan, Argentina, Brazil, China, Congo, Egypt, Great Britain, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Japan, Madagascar, Mongolia, Peru, Ukraine, Venezuela.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Where might you commonly see the collection of characters PRND21? On the shift level (or dashboard) of a car--they're the "gears" (well, automatic transmission modes) Park, Reverse, Neutral, and so on. Your pattern may vary, depending on make and model, but it's probably not too far off. correct
2. What chemical compound found in yogurt is also the substance that causes rigor mortis in corpses? Lactic acid in the muscles is what makes a stiff, uh, stiff. close enough
3. In what African country could you take an "Alex Haley cruise" up its namesake river? In Haley's Roots, Kunta Kinte was a native of the Gambia. This one was harder than I thought. What, the kids don't love Roots anymore? Roots was broadcast in 1977. That was a long time ago to remember a singular detail.
4. What movie director has been using the same font--Windsor EF-Elongated--for the credits of all his films since Interiors? Woody Allen needs Adobe Fonts! correct
5. What American politician shares the same nickname that models Heidi Klum and Elle Macpherson have recently tussled over in the media? Macpherson was ticked when Klum started calling herself "the Body" in press releases, so the answer is Jesse "The Body" Ventura (who has not had to tussle with either supermodel yet, sadly for Jesse). after researching this "tussle," I learned that it occurred in 2006. That's not very recent. Plus Jesse Ventura's nickname does not arise from his life as a politican. Very tricky question.
6. In what field did Eugene Fodor, Karl Baedeker, and Arthur Frommer all make their fame? Travel writing--popular series of guidebooks are named for all three. correct
7. Based on the unusual distinction they all share, name a Shakespeare work that could be added to this list of plays, and tell why. The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Godspell, J.B., Man of La Mancha, Marat/Sade, The Producers, The Real Thing, The Seagull. All feature a play within a play, so we accepted Hamlet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and The Taming of the Shrew. In the event of a show-off, we were even prepared to accept Love's Labour's Lost, but it didn't come up. If they had included Rosenkrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, I would have got this one. But I only knew The Producers out of the list.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. Where might you commonly see the collection of characters PRND21? I would have thought of this sooner if I had a manual transmission car. These are the gears on most cars - park, reverse, neutral, drive, 2nd gear, 1st gear.
2. What chemical compound found in yogurt is also the substance that causes rigor mortis in corpses? yogurt has lactobacillus. Is that it?
3. In what African country could you take an "Alex Haley cruise" up its namesake river? namesake river makes me think of Niger
4. What movie director has been using the same font--Windsor EF-Elongated--for the credits of all his films since Interiors? Woody Allen
5. What American politician shares the same nickname that models Heidi Klum and Elle Macpherson have recently tussled over in the media? Maverick? The Hammer? Tip? Ike? I have no idea.
6. In what field did Eugene Fodor, Karl Baedeker, and Arthur Frommer all make their fame? travel writing
7. Based on the unusual distinction they all share, name a Shakespeare work that could be added to this list of plays, and tell why. The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Godspell, J.B., Man of La Mancha, Marat/Sade, The Producers, The Real Thing, The Seagull.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Which Muppet has a wife named Astoria? Crotchety old Waldorf, the balcony kibitzer, is married to Astoria--get it, Waldorf-Astoria? Astoria was just the Statler puppet in drag, which, to me, definitely adds a weird level to their friendship. Like, what if that WAS Statler, who just dresses up as his "wife" on weekends sometimes? Weirdos. correct
2. A community at Sabbathday Lake, Maine, is today home to the last remaining members of what group? The once-thriving Shaker religion. Turns out your celibates-only religions have a harder time hanging in there than the have-a-million-kids ones do. I think of the Shakers along with the Amish as coming from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Iowa. I was on the right track though thinking of simple living people.
3. What did TV Guide magazine do on October 17, 2005 that Rolling Stone later did on October 30, 2008? Both switched to traditional magazine size with those issues. TV Guide grew, while Rolling Stone shrank. correct
4. What number followed the name of all of the spacecraft capsules flown by the Mercury astronauts? They were all "7"s: Friendship 7, Liberty Bell 7, etc. This started out as an accident of prototype numbers, but wound up as a salute to unity among the seven Mercury astronauts. correct.
5. What famous woman is the sister of Oregon State basketball coach Craig Robinson? Michelle Obama. And I have to say, for the first time in my life, I'm proud of the Oregon State basketball program. correct. More Pac 10 sports please.
6. Pashmina wool comes from a breed of what animal? Pashmina is a kind of cashmere wool, and all cashmere comes from goats. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these celebrities? Sarah Ferguson, Morgan Freeman, Harrison Ford, Arnold Palmer, Ron Paul, John Travolta, Chuck Woolery, Steve Wozniak. You'll believe a man can fly! These are among the famous folks who have pilot's licenses. I was going to include Lorenzo Lamas, but then I remembered that I'd used the word "celebrities" in the question. hey I got another Q7 correct.