Musings of a Dead Parrot

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What quantity do scientists measure with "candelas"? sounds like candles or foot-candles. Do candelas measure brightness or luminosity?
2. What music group recently refused a PETA request to rename itself the "Rescue Shelter Boys"? Pet Shop Boys
3. Runners from what nation have won 16 out of the last 20 Boston Marathons (Men's Open division)? Kenya
4. Despite its Swiss location, the tiny Alpine town of Meiringen, near Reichenbach Falls, is home to a museum dedicated to what British literary character? Sherlock Holmes
5. What actress began her career doing stand-up using the last name "Cushon"? Is that supposed to be a hint?
6. What are the two vegetables most commonly used to make succotash? lima beans and corn (though aren't lima beans considered a legume, not a vegetable?)
7. What is the significance of this list of U.S. states (and the District of Columbia), in this order? D.C., D.C., D.C., New York, Wisconsin, Florida, D.C., Texas, California, California, D.C. Looks like a ranked order list. DC has a lot of museums, sports teams, universities. Wisconsin is a curious appearance. What is there - Milwaukee, Green Bay? I thought this might have something to do with pandas. But the only US pandas are in DC, San Diego, Atlanta and Memphis.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What are the Septuagint, the Targum, and the Vulgate? Translations of the Bible. lesser referenced translations I guess
2. What famous TV pair first met at MGM in 1939 after one left the Harman-Ising studio and the other left Terrytoons? That was William Hanna and Joe Barbera of Hanna-Barbera fame, who directed dozens of Tom and Jerry shorts for MGM before moving to TV with their own production company. correct
3. "Velvet" is the soft skin that covers what kind of animal appendage? Deer antlers are covered in "velvet" until they finish growing. correct
4. What company was named in 1972 to refer to the music-industry inexperience of its now-famous founder? That's why Richard Branson called his tiny mail-order LP company "Virgin Records." correct
5. What object, which inspired the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," is currently buried on a farm near Lake Placid, New York? Lake Placid is apparently where John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave. I am still learning (or re-learning) American history.
6. What nation's traditional formal garment is the "barong Tagalog"? Tagalog is a major language and ethnic group of the Philippines. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these film actors? Marlon Brando, Nicolas Cage, Jimmy Cagney, Johnny Depp, Tom Hanks, Charles Laughton, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Anthony Quinn, Frank Sinatra. They each directed exactly one movie each. Some of these are minor classics (like Brando's One-Eyed Jacks or Laughton's The Night of the Hunter). Others, like Nicolas Cage's Sonny...not so much. Q7s have been brutally tough lately

THIS WEEK'S (HOPEFULLY LESS FLAWED) QUESTIONS
1. What are the Septuagint, the Targum, and the Vulgate? Sept- means 7 - seven seas, seven dwarves, seven deadly sins. No idea on Targum. Vulgate sounds like vulpine but I don't think that is what it means.
2. What famous TV pair first met at MGM in 1939 after one left the Harman-Ising studio and the other left Terrytoons? famous TV pair ---> could be Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. But Terrytoons? How about Hanna and Barbera.
3. "Velvet" is the soft skin that covers what kind of animal appendage? horns
4. What company was named in 1972 to refer to the music-industry inexperience of its now-famous founder? I was going through in my head synonyms for newbie - rookie, tyro, beginner, innocent, naif - when I hit on what must be the right answer - Virgin. Richard Branson's ubiquitous company.
5. What object, which inspired the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," is currently buried on a farm near Lake Placid, New York? When American flags are no longer useable, they are supposed to be burned and the ashes buried. Is this an American flag?
6. What nation's traditional formal garment is the "barong Tagalog"? Tagalog --> Philippines
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these film actors? Marlon Brando, Nicolas Cage, Jimmy Cagney, Johnny Depp, Tom Hanks, Charles Laughton, Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Anthony Quinn, Frank Sinatra. A few thoughts - pirates, marooned, mutinies, officers, something about their Oscar nominations

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. The only two amputees ever to make the Summer Olympics both competed in what sport? Ken screwed up this question. He was only thinking of leg amputees but there have been others, including Jim Abbott. So he accepted all answers! You could have insisted on tennis, yachting, or boxing amputees, it didn't matter. It was Everybody Gets a Trophy Day at Ken-Jennings.com. He did intend for the answer to be swimming so I did provide the answer he was originally looking for.
2. Name the two U.S. states each of whose two most populous cities both begin with the same letter that the state does. I was sort of surprised that two states qualify here. Pennsylvania (Philadelphia and Pittsburgh) is one; Hawaii (Honolulu and Hilo) is the other. And yes, I know that Hilo isn't officially incorporated as a city. I'm okay with that. Hakuna matata, as they say in Hawaii. correct
3. What cult ABC sitcom from 1986 tried to use a Peter Gabriel song as its theme but couldn't afford the rights? The awesome detective-spoof Sledge Hammer! couldn't afford Peter Gabriel as their "Sledgehammer." Though he insisted he wanted to be. I forgot all about this show. Never saw it and have never heard of the stars - David Rasche and Anne-Marie Martin.
4. What man's "second rebellion" was the Rum Rebellion, an uprising that deposed him as governor of New South Wales in 1808? William Bligh, late of the mutiny on the Bounty, just didn't learn from his mistakes. correct
5. The "maser" was originally so named because it amplified what kind of radiation, not optical light? The original masers used microwaves, which gave it the 'M' in its acronym. Today's masers emit other kinds of radiation as well, so the 'M' now stands for "molecular." of course! I am a moron.
6. Who recently became only the second woman ever to appear on the cover of O, the Oprah Magazine in its nine years of publication? Michelle Obama appears with Oprah on this month's cover. Coming up next: Ellen DeGeneres will be cover girl #3. correct! a lucky guess since I have not seen the magazine in question
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these famous people? John Quincy Adams, Marlon Brando, Robert Frost, Art Linkletter, Karl Marx, Carroll O'Connor, Gregory Peck, Danielle Steel, Walter Winchell, Bobby Womack. In the tradition of other great morbid Question Sevens in Tuesday Trivia history (celebrities that killed behind the wheel! people run over by streetcars!) comes...this list of famous people who lost children to suicide. I was surprised to see a U.S. president on that list, by the way. News to me. This Q7 was supposed to be easier than last week's?

Claque - a group of people hired to applaud a performer at a show.

I like that claque (French for "clapping") almost rhymes with crap. Would you use this word also to describe the staged audiences that politicians organize for their public appearances?

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. The only two amputees ever to make the Summer Olympics both competed in what sport? I seem to recall an amputee competing last summer in a swimming heat.
2. Name the two U.S. states each of whose two most populous cities both begin with the same letter that the state does. HI (Honolulu and maybe Hilo); PA (Pittsburgh and Philly)
3. What cult ABC sitcom from 1986 tried to use a Peter Gabriel song as its theme but couldn't afford the rights? cult ABC sitcom. Mork and Mindy was earlier. Family Matters was later. Maybe Perfect Strangers. But what Peter Gabriel song would they be looking for? Sledgehammer? In Your Eyes? Big Time? Shock the Monkey?
4. What man's "second rebellion" was the Rum Rebellion, an uprising that deposed him as governor of New South Wales in 1808? second rebellion in quotes. hmm - Captain Bligh.
5. The "maser" was originally so named because it amplified what kind of radiation, not optical light? x-rays, gamma rays, ultraviolet rays, infrared rays. It's not coming to me.
6. Who recently became only the second woman ever to appear on the cover of O, the Oprah Magazine in its nine years of publication? I have no idea so I will guess - Michelle Obama.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these famous people? John Quincy Adams, Marlon Brando, Robert Frost, Art Linkletter, Karl Marx, Carroll O'Connor, Gregory Peck, Danielle Steel, Walter Winchell, Bobby Womack.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. Some scientists now believe that Alzheimer's is actually "Type 3" of what disease? A 2005 study linking Alzheimer's to insulin levels in the brain has led some researches to refer to the disease as "Type 3 diabetes." correct
2. What TV character was originally going to have the surname Masciarelli, the real last name of his creator, Garry Marshall? Arthur Fonzarelli, aka the Fonz, was at one time going to be Arthur Masciarelli. Ayyyy! correct
3. What thirty-part series began in 1933 with "On the Bank Crisis" and ended in 1944 with "Opening Fifth War Loan Drive"? Those were FDR's Depression-era "Fireside Chats." Not THIS Depression, that other one. The one with the hoboes. correct
4. The seven most visited museums in the U.S. are all in what two cities? New York City and, because of the Smithsonian, Washington, D.C. 1/2 right
5. What painter's most famous work was inspired by watching Camembert cheese on a hot day? That's where the melting pocket watches in Salvador Dali's The Persistence of Memory came from. correct
6. Where did "What's on your mind?" recently replace "What are you doing right now?" That's the new prompt from the recent Facebook redesign. I am a Facebook user and I never have seen either phrase on the site. Where does this prompt show up?
7. What is the significance of this group of pop artists, listed in this order? Muse, the B-52s, Bryan Ferry, John Mayall, Editors, Adam Ant, Michael Jackson, Randy Newman, Sam & Dave, Jewel, the Allman Brothers Band. Okay, in hindsight I think this one was way too hard. These artists all released songs with the names of consecutive Summer Olympics cities in the titles. Some of the songs are pretty famous, but others...um, not so much. In order, they were: "Stockholm Syndrome," "Roam," "Tokyo Joe," "Mexico City," "Munich," "Montreal," "Stranger in Moscow," "I Love L.A.," "Soul Man" (uh, see "Roam," above), "Barcelona," and "Hot 'Lanta." Don't worry, this week's Question Seven should be a little easier. Yes, Ken, this was too hard.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. Some scientists now believe that Alzheimer's is actually "Type 3" of what disease? I can only think of one disease that has type 1, type 2 - diabetes.
2. What TV character was originally going to have the surname Masciarelli, the real last name of his creator, Garry Marshall? Garry Marshall created both Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley. Arthur Fonzarelli.
3. What thirty-part series began in 1933 with "On the Bank Crisis" and ended in 1944 with "Opening Fifth War Loan Drive"? 30 part series? I think 1933 and 1944 are clues. These could be FDR's fireside chats.
4. The seven most visited museums in the U.S. are all in what two cities? probably five or six in Washington DC and one or two in one other city. I'll guess Chicago with the Field Museum and the Art Institute.
5. What painter's most famous work was inspired by watching Camembert cheese on a hot day? Salvador Dali. Persistence of Memory.
6. Where did "What's on your mind?" recently replace "What are you doing right now?" this sounds like an advertising slogan. But I do not know for what product.
7. What is the significance of this group of pop artists, listed in this order? Muse, the B-52s, Bryan Ferry, John Mayall, Editors, Adam Ant, Michael Jackson, Randy Newman, Sam & Dave, Jewel, the Allman Brothers Band. when he says "in order," what does this mean? earliest to most recent? alphabetic order? birth order? I guess that would give away the answer, but I find these questions to be cryptic.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. In a 1996 April Fool's Day hoax, a Mexican-food chain caused outrage by announcing that they'd purchased what national symbol from the U.S. government? Taco Bell claimed to have bought the Liberty Bell. (Yo quiero Liberty Bell!) correct
2. What's the current name of the large world nation known for almost 200 years as "New Holland"? Australia, which was first sighted and settled (well, ignoring the aboriginal inhabitants, as was the style at the time) by Dutch sailors. I guess I did not know that Australia was first settled by Dutch sailors (Abel Tasman - duh). I thought first of Captain Cook who was not Dutch.
3. Who's the only woman to have earned both an Emmy Award and a spot in the World Golf Hall of Fame? Dinah Shore was an avid golfer, and one of the LPGA's "majors" is still named for her. correct
4. What's the common name for a Cydia moth larva in a seed of the Sebastiana shrub? Those are "Mexican jumping beans," as the seed often twitches and hops when the moth eggs hatch. this is my favorite question in a while. I actually learned something.
5. In what movie does a selection from Sonny & Cher's song "I Got You Babe" play on the soundtrack nine separate times? That's the song that awakens Bill Murray every morning in Groundhog Day. correct
6. A recent bestseller revealed what fictional villain's given name to be "Elphaba," a nod to her original creator? That's the Wicked Witch of the West, in the book and musical Wicked. "Elphaba" is a phonetic respelling of "LFB," the initials of Oz creator L. Frank Baum. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these U.S. cities, in this order? Ann Arbor, Seattle, Denver, New York City, Albuquerque, Cincinnati. All six (in order of recency) have announced closures of newspapers over the last few years. There will certainly be more additions to that list in months and years to come. Who's next...Tucson? San Francisco? I knew about Seattle and Denver but not the others. He listed them in reverse order. The Ann Arbor News announced it would close March 23, 2009. Cincinnati Post on December 31, 2007.

I love sports so I take note of the quirky ones, like the Rock Paper Scissors championship. I was not surprised to learn that you could make money playing Beer Pong.

For those males who love the Lingerie Bowl, I bring you an official Girls Pillow Fight League. Yes, girls fighting with pillows following official rules. I trust that the prize money will increase once ESPN realizes the potential audience for this kind of competition.