Musings of a Dead Parrot

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. Who was the only one of the Spice Girls to be named for an actual spice? Another one of those questions that might be asked at the Quiz where I hand the paper to someone else. Not an area that gets any attention from me. I recall Posh and Scary. Was there a Nutmeg, Clove, Mace Spice? Cumin, Oregano, Basil? How about Cinnamon Spice
2. What famed European and Nobel laureate spent the last forty years of his life in the city of Lambarene, Gabon? Albert Schweitzer
3. What is the (innocuous) f-word referred to in the title of Gordon Ramsay's hit TV series The F Word? could this be as simple as "food"
4. What are the only two U.S. states never to have a battleship named after them? now this is trivia. I have no idea but I will take a guess - Alaska and Hawaii.
5. Harold Schonberg's classic book The Lives of the Great Composers includes chapters on two different classical composers with what same last name? another guess - Bach
6. What director's first movie was the independent 1968 short film Amblin'? I believe that the logo for Amblin Entertainment is a kid riding a bike with ET. Steven Spielberg
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these teams in the four major North American professional sports, and (as far as I can tell) no others? The Buffalo Sabres, the Chicago White Sox, the Houston Rockets, the Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Yankees, the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Toronto Maple Leafs? this one is going to take some research

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. All but one of the six U.S. coins in circulation are primarily made of what metal? Ironically, the penny is now the only U.S. coin *not* mostly made of copper. (It's almost entirely zinc.) I would have thought that the mint was using a cheaper metal.
2. "Pon Farr," "Red Shirt," and "Tiberius" are the first in a new line of fragrances inspired by what? Finally, Star Trek perfume. I thought the "Eugenics Wars" of the late 1990s were going to wipe out the wimpier edge of humanity...and now we're helping them smell better so they can reproduce? What would Khan say? (WWKS?) correct
3. What kind of animal shares title billing in an ancient fable with Androcles? Androcles is the guy who pulled the thorn out of the lion's foot, thus teaching antiquity an important lesson: if you are going to be thrown to lions, try to arrange to be thrown to the one who will remember an earlier chance meeting and random act of kindness! So many lives have been saved by following this great advice. correct
4. Who died in April 1947 at his sprawling estate of Fair Lane? Ford Motor Company named its Fairlane cars (and therefore a TOTALLY CLASSIC Andrew Dice Clay film) after its founder, Henry Ford's, Dearborn estate. correct
5. What is surrounded by the Ross, Weddell, Bellingshausen, and Davis Seas? Antarctica. Also the Amundsen Sea, but that seemed a little easy. correct
6. What word did M. Night Shyamalan drop from the title of his next movie to avoid confusion with James Cameron's next movie? The Cameron movie is called Avatar. The Shyamalan movie is an adaptation of the Avatar TV show, but it WON'T be called Avatar. Confused yet? correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these musical artists? The Beatles, the Jimi Hendrix Experience, No Doubt, OutKast, Paul and Paula, Pink Floyd, Plain White T's, Hank Williams. I hoped this would be a fizzy, refreshing rest for your overheated brain during the dog days of summer: these were all bands with "Hey" hits ("Hey Jude," "Hey Joe," "Hey Baby," etc.) But don't get cocky. This week's Question Seven is a real piece of work. correct