Musings of a Dead Parrot

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. In a nod to his middle name, what American general was affectionately nicknamed "Cump" by his men? Guess I need to watch more History Channel to keep up with KJ. Cump. Cumpston? Was this the middle name for Patton?
2. The Billboard Catalog Chart ranks the sale of albums that aren't new releases. During 2009, what two acts each had an unprecedented nine of the top ten albums on a weekly chart? The Beatles and Michael Jackson
3. Who is now the only man currently hosting one of the three major U.S. network prime time newscasts? Brian Williams on NBC
4. What Persian poet is best known for a thousand "ruba'i" stanzas he wrote around 1100 AD? Omar Khay'yam. It was his rubiyat.
5. Seventeen of the twenty most attended sports or entertainment events in the world are held by what organization? The IOC does not sponsor enough events to seem like a reasonable answer. I would say FIFA. But NCAA football games draw huge crowds too. Still, I understand that soccer stadiums in South America are even bigger than Michigan Stadium. What about the entertainment part of the question? The U2 concert at the Rose Bowl for example was epic in size. But it was not put on by a specific organization.
6. What part of the body can be replaced using gingival grafts? gingivitis is a gum disease. Gum grafts?
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these U.S. states, and no others? Alaska, Hawaii, Indiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Virginia? I have looked at a lot of different angles but nothing is catching so far. I wonder if it is some detailed item like none have a county or city named Lincoln. Inclusion of Alaska and Hawaii has me leaning that way.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. How many ghosts visit Ebenezer Scrooge during his fateful night in Dickens' A Christmas Carol? I guess I was sneakily hoping you would forget Marley's ghost and say three. Nope, four in total. Marley counts. correct
2. Which of Santa's eight reindeer shares his name with two failed TV sitcoms? Remember "Cupid"? With Jeremy Piven, and then, uh, that Cuban-Italian guy from Third Watch? Yeah, me neither. correct
3. What city, and future industrial center, did Moravian settlers found on the banks of the Lehigh River on Christmas Eve, 1741? That's how Bethlehem, PA got its name. I'm not sure if the rock band Nazareth formed on Christmas Eve as well, but I sure hope so. correct
4. What has a Nun, a Gimel, a Hei, and a Shin on its four sides? A dreidel, or possibly someone dressed like a dreidel, or a giant dreidel balloon in some alternate universe where all the Macy's parade balloons are Hanukkah-themed. correct
5. What Christmas carol is used to ironic effect in the Simon and Garfunkel song "7 O'Clock News"? The song is actually called "7 O'Clock News/Silent Night." Not exactly SUBTLE political satire, but, hey, it was a simpler time. correct
6. According to the New Testament, which of the substances brought by the Magi to the infant Jesus was also present at Jesus' crucifixion and burial? There was no gold and frankincense on hand, but myrrh, whatever myrrh is, was anciently used to anoint dead bodies. As usual, I guessed wrong between two alternatives.
7. What more specific distinction is shared by these holiday-set favorites? All That Heaven Allows, A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Christmas Story, Christmas with the Kranks, Lethal Weapon, Surviving Christmas, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, When Harry Met Sally. All these Christmas classics have a scene where someone buys a Christmas tree. Yep, even Mel Gibson tries to buy a tree at that crooked tree lot before he busts that drug dude in the first Lethal Weapon. yuk. A stinker of a Q7.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. How many ghosts visit Ebenezer Scrooge during his fateful night in Dickens' A Christmas Carol? 4 - Marley plus ghosts of Xmas Past, Present and Future. We have had this before.
2. Which of Santa's eight reindeer shares his name with two failed TV sitcoms? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen?? I'll guess Cupid.
3. What city, and future industrial center, did Moravian settlers found on the banks of the Lehigh River on Christmas Eve, 1741? Lehigh River is in eastern PA. Given the season, I would guess Bethlehem.
4. What has a Nun, a Gimel, a Hei, and a Shin on its four sides? a dreidel
5. What Christmas carol is used to ironic effect in the Simon and Garfunkel song "7 O'Clock News"? a brilliant contrast between news of the Vietnam War and other conflicts (both domestic and foreign) and Silent Night
6. According to the New Testament, which of the substances brought by the Magi to the infant Jesus was also present at Jesus' crucifixion and burial? myrrh or frankincense. I'll guess frankincense because it sounds like incense.
7. What more specific distinction is shared by these holiday-set favorites? All That Heaven Allows, A Charlie Brown Christmas, A Christmas Story, Christmas with the Kranks, Lethal Weapon, Surviving Christmas, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, When Harry Met Sally.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What two co-stars in an upcoming film have hosted Saturday Night Live a record 29 times between them? I am not a 45-year-old woman, so it's not on my calendar, but I hear that It's Complicated opens in the U.S. this week. And it features SNL vets Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin fighting over Meryl Streep. (Baldwin and Martin will be hosting the Oscars this spring as well.) correct
2. What best-selling author calls his New Hampshire estate the "Isle of Langdonia"? Robert Langdon is the studious, poorly drawn protagonist of the bajillion-selling historical thrillers of Dan Brown. The same Entertainment Weekly piece from which I lifted this factoid calls Langdon "Ken Jennings with a shot of adrenaline." It's true, give me a little chemical stimulus and all I do is babble on about the mysteries of the Freemasons and crap like that. Shoot me up at a party and watch me go. I like to take my adrenaline right to the heart, like Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction.
3. What country controls part of each of the world's two largest "divided islands"--that is, islands shared by two different nations? Borneo and Papua New Guinea both belong in part to Indonesia--but, as many pointed out, Borneo is divided among *three* nations, not between two. Everyone forgets Brunei! Poor Brunei. KJ means that *New Guinea* is part owned by Indonesia
4. A 27-foot red cube mounted in front of the Tycho Brahe Planetarium was the centerpiece of what recent news-making event? Even if you haven't seen the photos, you might have remembered that Brahe was a Danish scientist, and surmised that the cube was part of the recent Copenhagen climate conference (or Kopenhagen klimate konference, if you prefer the Krusty the Klown version). The cube represents the amount of carbon that an American generates driving a Hummer to Wal-Mart every weekend, or something. correct
5. What kind of body part takes its name from the same Greek root as a mythical monster who guarded an entrance? Your sphincter is named for the Sphinx! Both words come from a Greek word meaning "to choke." The Sphinx choked its victims, and your sphincters choke off, uh, whatever's trying to get out. nice question even if I got it wrong. But I do not think of the sphinx as a monster.
6. After all the attempts made on his life, what finally turned out to be Rasputin's official cause of death? The "Mad Monk" survived poison, multiple revolver shots, a beating, and an impromptu castration...only to die by drowning. Talk about an anticlimax. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these Beatles songs? "Baby's in Black," "Norwegian Wood," "She's Leaving Home," "This Boy," "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," and, to a lesser degree, "I Me Mine," "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," and "A Taste of Honey." They were all in triple meter or triple time. I would have needed help from someone who knows music to get this.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What two co-stars in an upcoming film have hosted Saturday Night Live a record 29 times between them? As I was coming out of the grocery store, I just saw an ad for this movie. Hope that is not considered cheating. Alex Baldwin and Steve Martin. That reminds me to re-watch the Pete Schweddy sketch.
2. What best-selling author calls his New Hampshire estate the "Isle of Langdonia"? New Hampshire leads me to think of John Irving. But I have not read enough of his works to know whether or not Isle of Langdonia refers to one of his books.
3. What country controls part of each of the world's two largest "divided islands"--that is, islands shared by two different nations? Malaysia and Indonesia share one of those islands (Java? Sumatra?). So the answer has to be one of those two. What is the other divided island? Singapore Island? If so, then I guess the answer is Malaysia.
4. A 27-foot red cube mounted in front of the Tycho Brahe Planetarium was the centerpiece of what recent news-making event? the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen
5. What kind of body part takes its name from the same Greek root as a mythical monster who guarded an entrance? Cerberus ---> cerebellum
6. After all the attempts made on his life, what finally turned out to be Rasputin's official cause of death? I recall that his enemies tried to shoot, stab and poison him. But I think that he drowned.
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these Beatles songs? "Baby's in Black," "Norwegian Wood," "She's Leaving Home," "This Boy," "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," and, to a lesser degree, "I Me Mine," "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds," and "A Taste of Honey." KJ went deep into the catalog and found some obscure Beatles songs.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. From what language did English borrow the word "sauna"? It's the only common English word borrowed from Finnish. And I'm not sure we're giving it back. correct
2. What U.S. state was the original setting for the TV shows The Fugitive, The Jeff Foxworthy Show, and Parks and Recreation? I didn't remember this about The Fugitive or Foxworthy either, but I do know that Parks and Recreation is set in fictional Pawnee, Indiana. And since The Office and 30 Rock are sort of sucking this year, I thought I'd give Parks and Rec a little shout-out. wrong midwestern state. Iowa not equal to Indiana.
3. Qin Shi Huangdi was the first man ever to hold what title? A surprising number of guesses for "WWF Intercontinental Champion"...maybe you were thinking of Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. No, this guy was the first emperor of a unified China. You know, terra cotta warriors and all that. correct
4. What unusual object, a calling card of the Lone Ranger, was also used to kill Lon Chaney's character in a 1944 movie? Werewolves would be no match for the Lone Ranger, who used silver bullets. correct
5. The first chalkboards hung in classrooms were made of what mineral? The first chalkboards were an extension of children's writing slates, and were also made of slate. Unfortunately, I goofed: slate is a rock (a conglomeration of minerals), not a mineral. It's a semi-technical distinction, but that's the kind of thing we try to get right here...especially since trivia fans tend to be, uh, detail-oriented people. I am considering this to be correct since I said "slate" and even knew that it is not a mineral
6. Who sang "Take My Hand, Precious Lord," at Martin Luther King's 1968 funeral, and then had it sung at her own 1972 funeral by Aretha Franklin? That gospel standard was the signature song of the queen of gospel music, Mahalia Jackson. The other MJ
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these nations, in this order? Panama, Mexico, France, Great Britain, Italy, Vatican City, Belgium, Canada, Cuba, Haiti, Colombia. I hoped that "Panama" first and the plethora of Latin American states that follow might have given you a glimmer: these are the first dozen foreign countries visited by a sitting U.S. president, in order visited. The very first such visit didn't happen until 1906, believe it or not, when Teddy Roosevelt went to see how the Panama Canal was coming along. well what do you know. No sitting president ever left the country until 1906! Surprised that Canada came so late too. This is actually a factoid that I enjoyed learning.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. From what language did English borrow the word "sauna"? My first instinct would be to guess Finnish. But Sana is the capital of Yemen. Sauna is close to Sana. Sauna is not Arabic, is it? I just cannot think of saunas in the middle east where it already is hot as can be.
2. What U.S. state was the original setting for the TV shows The Fugitive, The Jeff Foxworthy Show, and Parks and Recreation? I don't know about The Fugitive and Jeff Foxworthy, but I believe that Parks and Recreation is set in Iowa
3. Qin Shi Huangdi was the first man ever to hold what title? Chinese history. Jerome would know this for sure. Was Qin Shi Huangdi the first emperor? That's the only title that makes sense since Mao was the first to hold all important titles in modern China.
4. What unusual object, a calling card of the Lone Ranger, was also used to kill Lon Chaney's character in a 1944 movie? a silver bullet
5. The first chalkboards hung in classrooms were made of what mineral? Slate is a rock that is made up of a number of minerals. Is it considered a mineral itself? What about shale? Similar to slate.
6. Who sang "Take My Hand, Precious Lord," at Martin Luther King's 1968 funeral, and then had it sung at her own 1972 funeral by Aretha Franklin? When did Billie Holliday pass away? That cannot be right because Diana Ross played her in a movie in 1971 or 72. Dinah Washington? Josephine Baker? Maybe someone who was not African American like Judy Garland? What did KJ just see that might have inspired this question?
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these nations, in this order? Panama, Mexico, France, Great Britain, Italy, Vatican City, Belgium, Canada, Cuba, Haiti, Colombia.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What military unit was named in 1898 after the members of Buffalo Bill's famous Wild West show? I hoped the year might help you pin this down to the Spanish-American War: Teddy Roosevelt's famed cavalry unit from San Juan Hill was named for Buffalo Bill's "Rough Riders." correct
2. The address of Turner Field, where the Braves play, is what appropriate number on Hank Aaron Drive? I figured baseball fans would know to guess "755" for this one, since Hammering Hank's record* career home run total makes marginally more sense than "714" (the number of Aaron's Babe-beating homer) or "44" (his retired Braves uniform number). correct
3. The Tora Bora mountains lie on the border between what two countries? Afghanistan and Pakistan--and they were back in the news last week, again for what coalition troops were unable to do there back in 2001. correct
4. What can be "gibbous" when it isn't full? "Gibbous" means "bulging," especially in the case of a planetary body more than halfway lit by its sun. Technically any of the planets can be gibbous from Earth, but if you can see that, your eyes are better than mine. Generally it's the gibbous moon we talk about, when it's somewhere between half and full. correct
5. What director of a hit 1984 sci-fi film also played the title character, despite not being listed in the opening cast credits? For some reason, we watched this over Thanksgiving, and the question occurred to me. Leonard Nimoy is NOT in the opening cast list of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, presumably to keep some pretense of suspense about the ending. Spoilers: they find him. I just do not think of the Star Trek movies when I read "sci-fi." The whole franchise seems too mainstream at this point. A blind spot, I guess.
6. What British music star did fashion critic Mr. Blackwell describe as "Exploding beehives above...tacky polka-dots below...part 50's car-hop horror" in his final worst-dressed list, in 2008? Amy Winehouse took third place on the list for her carhop look...Victoria Beckham was first, if I remember right. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these classic books? Breakfast of Champions, Flatland, The Hobbit, The Little Prince, The Prophet, Songs of Innocence and Experience, Trilby, Vanity Fair. They were all published with illustrations by the author. In some cases, these were just authors scribbling with a fountain pen, like Vonnegut. Others had genuine talent, like Blake. Thackeray is an interesting case--he illustrated all his own novels, but started out as an artist. He didn't even turn to long fiction until after Charles Dickens had turned him down as an artist--he had hoped to illustrate Dickens' early novels, like The Pickwick Papers. It would have helped if I had gone to a library to actually see these works.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What military unit was named in 1898 after the members of Buffalo Bill's famous Wild West show? I struggled with this until I noted the year - 1898 ---> Teddy Roosevelt and the Rough Riders rode up San Juan Hill. Rough Riders.
2. The address of Turner Field, where the Braves play, is what appropriate number on Hank Aaron Drive? 755
3. The Tora Bora mountains lie on the border between what two countries? Afghanistan and Pakistan
4. What can be "gibbous" when it isn't full? a "gibbous" moon
5. What director of a hit 1984 sci-fi film also played the title character, despite not being listed in the opening cast credits? I can think of a lot of hit sci-fi films, but they were not 1984. ET (1982). Aliens (1986). Tron was 1984 (I think) but it was a game, not a character. Poltergeist (1983). Howard the Duck was 1986 and definitely not a hit. Was Willow in 1984? Is this George Lucas? Or Ron Howard?
6. What British music star did fashion critic Mr. Blackwell describe as "Exploding beehives above...tacky polka-dots below...part 50's car-hop horror" in his final worst-dressed list, in 2008? Amy Winehouse
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these classic books? Breakfast of Champions, Flatland, The Hobbit, The Little Prince, The Prophet, Songs of Innocence and Experience, Trilby, Vanity Fair.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What U.S. comic strip had to change its name slightly in 1960 after objections by a popular women's magazine? The Family Circus used to be called "The Family Circle" (a pun on the shape of its circular panel) until the magazine of the same name complained. I just now noticed that I shouldn't really have called The Family Circus a "comic strip" since it's a single panel, not a strip. Who to blame? I'm going to go with Not Me or Ida Know. correct! thanks, Cris
2. "NiCd," "NiMH," and "Li-ion" are different types of what common technology? Those odd acronyms stand for nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal hydride, and lithiu atm-ion, and all are types of (rechargeable) battery. correct
3. Show creator Bruce Geller played the hand that lights the match during the iconic credits to what TV series? That match lights the fuse that runs throught the Mission: Impossible credits. correct
4. The Arctic Circle runs through more of what nation than any other? One of those questions that tests your general geographic feng shui, rather than something you would know outright. Nearly half of the Arctic Circle runs through northern Russia, more than twice the segment that runs through Canada. ahh, rats. I was going to go 7 for 7 if this had been correct
5. Who was the intended target of Operation Spark, the 20 July Plot, and Operation Foxley? Boy, did some people not like Hitler much. Spark and Foxley were British operations; the "20 July" plot was the Germany military plot recounted in the Tom Cruise movie Valkyrie. correct
6. Why has the tiny logging town of Forks, Washington seen a 600% tourism increase in the last four years? Forks has been besieged by besotted teenaged girls and others who read at that grade level, because it's the setting for Stephenie Meyer's uber-popular novels about gloomy vampires. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these teams in the four major North American sports leagues, and no others? Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rockies, Denver Nuggets, Florida Marlins, Houston Astros, Miami Dolphins, Milwaukee Brewers, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays. They all play in a stadium or arena named for a beverage or beverage company: Pepsi, Coors, Tropicana, Miller, etc. Mix all these drinks up: it's a new cocktail I've just invented! It's called the Question Seven, and boy does it cause a headache the next day. correct. More sports #7s please.