Musings of a Dead Parrot

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. Who returned to the screen for the first time in 21 years to star in the Milos Forman film Ragtime? I believe this was Edward G Robinson
2. In order to use it, what would you do to a joss stick? turn on the power? I don't know what a joss stick is
3. What disease was the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation created to treat? Warm Springs --> FDR--> polio
4. What country banned the latest Guns N' Roses album in late November 2008? China
5. What number is used in journalism to mark the end of a wire service story? I have heard this one time but really don't remember. 13? 30? 40? I'll guess 30.
6. Which of the four major North American sports organizations currently includes the most teams? MLB - 30; NFL - 32; NBA - I think about 30; NHL - less than 32. I'll say NFL
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these television shows? The Andy Griffith Show, Arrested Development, Californication, Ed Edd and Eddy, It's Garry Shandling's Show, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Lassie, The Smurfs. Again, the internet is your friend. I think they all had theme songs that featured whistling.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Who lives at the famous address 24 Sussex Drive? The Prime Minister of Canada resides at this iconic Ottawa address. As of last Sunday night, that was Stephen Harper, but who knows if that'll have changed by the time you read this Tuesday morning. That nutty parliamentary system! I would not consider this address "famous" unless you live in Canada
2. What TV show has produced soundtrack albums like 2008's Beyond Hamsterdam, and has a cast that includes Grammy-winning musicians Steve Earle and Method Man? HBO's late, great The Wire spawned two soundtrack albums in its final season. The game is the game, yo. correct
3. What's the result of raising any positive or negative number to the zero-th power? Any number to the zero (except zero itself) gives you one, weird as it sounds. Math is hard! correct
4. What did Alexei Pajitnov develop on an Elektronika 60 in 1985, though he never saw a penny because the Soviet Academy of Sciences onwed the rights? Pajitnov never got a kopek out of his baby Tetris...though I'm sure he's done just fine since then on various post-Soviet follow-ups. Is this the floating puzzle piece game?
5. What's the only U.S. state whose entire southern border is formed by a namesake river? Ohio. correct
6. What futuristic premise was first portrayed on film in the 1972 James Earl Jones vehicle The Man? The Man's high concept is an African-American president--just 36 years ahead of schedule. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these works of literature? Bless Me Ultima, "The Dead," Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Far from the Madding Crowd, Fences, Go Tell It on the Mountain, The Man Who Was Thursday, and--sort of--The Satanic Verses? They all have a main character named Gabriel...except for The Satanic Verses, whose protagonist is named "Gibreel," the Arabic equivalent. correct. I think 5 out of 7 right is pretty good.