Musings of a Dead Parrot

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. First and second place ribbons are traditionally red and blue, respectively. What color ribbon is awarded for third place? white
2. What unusual former occupation is shared by the current mayors of Sacramento and Detroit? they use to be pro basketball players
3. What Best Picture-winning film was sarcastically called "Kevin's Gate" for much of its troubled production? Dances With Wolves
4. What product did three New Yorkers named Bradley, Voorhees, and Day team up to manufacture in 1876? I am ready for the acronym question this time! BVD --> underwear
5. What was repaired this month for the final time, since it's due to be replaced in 2014 by the JWST? the Hubble space telescope
6. In much of the world, motorcycle helmet laws are written to exempt male members of what religion? Hell's Angels. Just kidding. Sikhs commonly wear a turban that would not fit under a motorcycle helmet.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these TV series? Heroes, How to Boil Water, Kitchen Confidential, Once and Again, The Shield, thirtysomething, Trapper John M.D., The Waltons.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What kind of product has its effectiveness measured in terms of "SPF"? SPF is the "sun protection factor" of a sunscreen. correct
2. What English phrase means "potato" when translated into French, and names a famous historical globe when translated into German? "Earth apple" is "pomme de terre" in French, and "Erdapfel" in German. I will count this as correct (I said "apple of the earth"). But who uses the phrase "earth apple"?
3. What group's upcoming album The E.N.D. was influenced by the Australian techno sound one of its members heard while filming the Wolverine movie last year in Sydney? Since will.i.am was in Wolverine, you might suspect that this is the Black-Eyed Peas. And you'd be right. Have not seen the movie so I guess I missed that clue.
4. What do you call a rhombus whose angles are all right angles? Rhombuses (rhombi?) have four equal sides, so a rhombus with four right angles is a square. correct
5. What Brooklyn landmark is named for the rabbits that had overrun it in the 17th century when the Dutch first landed there? Coney Island, since "coney" is another word for "rabbit." I think I learned this word when I was about six--thanks, Lord of the Rings!--and haven't used it since. correct
6. What TV show killed off a beloved character in the 1975 episode "Abyssinia, Henry"? That's the M*A*S*H episode where Henry Blake gets shot down over the Sea of Japan. Oh, stop sniffing. You know Harry Morgan was better. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these political leaders, past and present? Jimmy Carter, Winston Churchill, Benjamin Disraeli, Newt Gingrich, Saddam Hussein, and Benito Mussolini. They all wrote novels! I think Gingrich's had more sex scenes than Saddam's.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What kind of product has its effectiveness measured in terms of "SPF"? sun block
2. What English phrase means "potato" when translated into French, and names a famous historical globe when translated into German? potato in French is pomme or pomme de terre. But apple is also pomme. "Apple of the earth"
3. What group's upcoming album The E.N.D. was influenced by the Australian techno sound one of its members heard while filming the Wolverine movie last year in Sydney? E.N.D. makes me think of a band that spells its name that way - N.E.R.D.
4. What do you call a rhombus whose angles are all right angles? I believe that is a square. "Be there or be rhombus" just does not resonate.
5. What Brooklyn landmark is named for the rabbits that had overrun it in the 17th century when the Dutch first landed there? Brooklyn landmark? I can only think of two - the bridge and Ebbets Field which has not existed for about 50 years. Wasn't the stadium named after a person? Wait -I got it now! Coney Island for the coneys.
6. What TV show killed off a beloved character in the 1975 episode "Abyssinia, Henry"? M*A*S*H. RIP Henry Blake.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these political leaders, past and present? Jimmy Carter, Winston Churchill, Benjamin Disraeli, Newt Gingrich, Saddam Hussein, and Benito Mussolini.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What's by far the best-selling genre in American publishing, accounting for over half of all paperback sales? Romance novels! See, this is why Fabio has, like, ten houses, and you and I don't. My first thought was right this time. I should have stuck with it.
2. Last week, Afghanistan officials quarantined the country's only what? The country's only pig, a star attraction of the (somewhat down-market) Kabul Zoo. They thought about slaughtering the pig to prevent a swine flu outbreak, but were persuaded merely to quarantine it instead when excerpts from the Qur'an began to appear in a nearby spiderweb. correct
3. The first verse of what 1985 rap hit begins, "Well, they call me Sweetness, and I like to dance"? "Sweetness" is the late great Walter Payton, the first member of the Chicago Bears to try out his skills at the mic in the classic sports rap "The Super Bowl Shuffle." Hey, at least Payton turned out to be a better MC than Jim McMahon. correct
4. There are two movies in which Peter Fonda plays a character inspired by a Marvel Comics character. Both those movie titles share what word in common? Peter Fonda played "Captain America" in Easy Rider, and a comic-book demon in Ghost Rider. I might have had a chance if I had ever watched Easy Rider.
5. In 1952, the landlocked province of La Pampa was renamed for what woman? La Pampa, as you might guess by the name, is in Argentina, and was briefly known as "Eva Peron" in the years after Evita's death. correct
6. Which color of visible light in the rainbow has the longest wavelength? Red's the longest, violet the shortest. I know, I always get these backwards too. I was wrong, but at least KJ is with me in reversing which is longest.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these fictional characters? Holly Golightly, Strawberry Shortcake, Tom Sawyer, and Yogi Bear. They all have "huckleberry friends"--Holly Golightly sings about hers in "Moon River," and the other three know Huckleberry Pie, Huckleberry Finn, and Huckleberry Hound, respectively. correct

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What's by far the best-selling genre in American publishing, accounting for over half of all paperback sales? my first thought is romance; 2nd thought is kid's literature. But when you look at best seller lists, you see James Patterson, Dan Brown and other detective/mystery fiction authors.
2. Last week, Afghanistan officials quarantined the country's only what? I saw this in the paper - they quarantined their only pig
3. The first verse of what 1985 rap hit begins, "Well, they call me Sweetness, and I like to dance"? 1985 and Sweetness --> Chicago Bears and Walter Payton --> the Super Bowl Shuffle
4. There are two movies in which Peter Fonda plays a character inspired by a Marvel Comics character. Both those movie titles share what word in common? Peter Fonda? I can only think of Ulee's Gold and Easy Rider. Neither based on anything related to Marvel as far as I know.
5. In 1952, the landlocked province of La Pampa was renamed for what woman? La Pampa --> Argentina --> 1952 --> Eva Peron
6. Which color of visible light in the rainbow has the longest wavelength? I may have it backwards, but I believe that red has the shortest and violet has the the longest wavelength
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these fictional characters? Holly Golightly, Strawberry Shortcake, Tom Sawyer, and Yogi Bear. KJ said that Q7 this week is really easy. I will feel even dumber than usual if I can't get it, but I did find that they each are connected to a character named Huckleberry - Huckleberry Finn, Huckleberry Hound, Huckleberry Pie.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What jazzman wrote and first recorded the standard "Ornithology"? Charlie Parker. Get it, "Bird"? "Ornithology"? correct
2. What legendary character was the son of Uther Pendragon? Daryl Dragon, of the Captain and Tenille. We also would have accepted "King Arthur." correct
3. When 19th-century gangs called "crimps" kidnapped men and impressed them as sailors, their most famous and frequent destination was what foreign city? Today, this practice is commonly called "Shanghai-ing," because that's where they used to take the poor victims. yes, of course
4. The "Department of Heuristics And Research on Material Applications" appears on what TV series? This would have been a lot easier if I'd told you that this lengthy name is a "back-ronym" for the DHARMA Foundation, on Lost. Maybe the capital 'A' on "And" should have clued you in. I am red faced at not making the connection here. I even have a DHARMA t-shirt!
5. The last two baseball teams to reach the World Series in their first-ever winning seasons both hail from what state? The Rays and Marlins are both from Florida. At first I thought these were the ONLY two teams ever to achieve this kind of turnaround, which would have made for a better trivia question, but I forgot about the Miracle Mets. correct
6. Lomond, Ness, Awe, and Morar are the four largest what? Lochs in Scotland. Fun fact: Loch Lomond is the biggest by area, but Loch Ness holds more water, being much deeper. Even when you subtract monster volume. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these things? Bridegrooms, butterflies, ears, feathers, knots, peppercorns, spindles, turnips. When translated into Italian, these are all types of pasta. To wit: ziti, farfalle, orecchiette, penne, gnocchi, acini di pepe, fusilli, and ravioli. In the future, when Question Seven is about pasta, we can substitute a different side dish for any subscribers who are doing Atkins. Good get, Alex. I had no idea of the connection between ravioli and turnips and between ziti and bridegrooms.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What jazzman wrote and first recorded the standard "Ornithology"? better be Charlie "Bird" Parker
2. What legendary character was the son of Uther Pendragon? Arthur, King of the Britons
3. When 19th-century gangs called "crimps" kidnapped men and impressed them as sailors, their most famous and frequent destination was what foreign city? thinking of where sailors would be going in the 19th century. Caribbean - Nassau; Mediterranean - Tripoli; Pacific - Tahiti, Australia, Hawaii; Indian - Bombay. I'll guess Bombay.
4. The "Department of Heuristics And Research on Material Applications" appears on what TV series? there are many geeky dramas that could include such a department - Bones, House, Fringe, Heroes. I don't think that is from Lost. Even a comedy - The Big Bang Theory about some geeky scientists. I'll guess Fringe.
5. The last two baseball teams to reach the World Series in their first-ever winning seasons both hail from what state? Florida - the Marlins in 1997 and the Rays in 2008
6. Lomond, Ness, Awe, and Morar are the four largest what? Lochs
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these things? Bridegrooms, butterflies, ears, feathers, knots, peppercorns, spindles, turnips.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What quantity do scientists measure with "candelas"? The brightness of light--or "luminous intensity," if you want to be all science-y about it. correct
2. What music group recently refused a PETA request to rename itself the "Rescue Shelter Boys"? The Pet Shop Boys have obviously been taking payoffs from Petco. correct
3. Runners from what nation have won 16 out of the last 20 Boston Marathons (Men's Open division)? Kenya is kicking butt, marathon-wise. But Ethiopia is making a move, with wins in 2005 and 2009. correct
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 "died" there in 1893's "The Adventure of the Final Problem," which is pretty much the town's only claim to fame. Other than the fact that Meringen also claims to have invented "meringue." True story. correct
5. What actress began her career doing stand-up using the last name "Cushon"? That was an early stage name of Whoopi Goldberg. Get it? Whoopi Cushon? Ah, the same sophisticated level of humor she brought to the Oscars. too clever for me
6. What are the two vegetables most commonly used to make succotash? Lima beans and corn are traditional, based on what little I know of Narragansett Indian cuisine. (None of the really good Narrangansett places near my house do take-out.) correct (although I don't think of legumes as vegetables)
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. These are sites of U.S. presidential assassination attempts up through John Hinckley, Jr. Yes, the list includes some iffy cases like presidents-elect and ex-presidents as well. clever, but also brutally tough. Assassination attempts was not one of the possibilities I had thought of.