Musings of a Dead Parrot

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1. What national capital is the oldest European-founded city in the Western Hemisphere? Santo Domingo, DR
2. What actress wrote a 1987 memoir subtitled "How I Went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind"? I would guess a reference to the African Queen. Katherine Hepburn
3. Kali is the consort of which Hindu god? Vishnu? Shiva? Rama?
4. Now that the Texas Rangers are in the World Series, name either of the two remaining major league teams that have never played in one. Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals and the Seattle Mariners
5. The annual Orionid and Eta Aquariid meteor showers owe their existence to what well-known astronomical body? Kuiper Belt?
6. A person can be described as "tow-headed" if they are very what? blond
7. What unusual distinction is shared by these albums? The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd, Diamond Dogs by David Bowie, Hotel California by the Eagles, Like Water for Chocolate by Common, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel by Mariah Carey, Please by Pet Shop Boys, Seal II by Seal, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by the Beatles, Solitude Standing by Suzanne Vega, A Song for You by the Carpenters. I am first going to look at the songs on each album. Previously he did artists who performed songs whose titles included opposites. After a perusal of the tracklists, they all seem to include one song that is a reprise of another. That's kind of a weak "unusual distinction."

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1. What three numbers make up the smallest "Pythagorean triple"? A "Pythagorean triple" is a trio of whole numbers that can represent the side lengths of a right triangle. If you're already confused/bored by that sentence, you may not know or care that the answer is 3, 4, and 5.
2. What's the only country in the world that includes territory where drivers drive on the right *and* some territory where drivers drive on the left? Hong Kongers still drive on the left, even after the colony's re-absorption into right-driving China. In hindsight, I could have easily phrased this better to avoid countries like the U.S. or Britain that may still control other-side-driving territories overseas. But since the question specified "the only country," China is clearly the best answer. correct
3. What does a "wildcatter" spend his days looking for? Not wildcats! You are thinking of Kim from 24. A "wildcatter" drills for oil. correct
4. What English entrepreneur, who made his millions by inventing "penny packets" of garden seeds, donated a gold trophy in 1927 to encourage his fellow golfers to play at the same level as top Americans? The Ryder Cup is named after garden-seed millionaire Samuel Ryder. correct
5. What identical song title appears shortly before "My Best Friend" on Jefferson Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow LP, and shortly before "You're My Best Friend" on Queen's Greatest Hits? Thanks to my dad, for pointing out the "Somebody to Love" coincidence that led to this question. correct
6. Of whose death did Robert E. Lee say, "I have lost my right arm"? It was a reference to Stonewall Jackson, who lost his *left* arm shortly before his 1863 death. Did you see what General Lee did there, with that "arm" thing? Clever. correct
7. What unusual distinction is shared by all these movies? The Born Losers, First Blood, In the Heat of the Night, Love Story, Pitch Black, A Shot in the Dark, The Silence of the Lambs, and True Grit. These are all movies that weren't named after their protagonist, but had sequels that were: respectively Billy Jack, Rambo, They Call Me Mr. Tibbs, Oliver's Story, The Chronicles of Riddick, Inspector Clouseau, Hannibal, and Rooster Cogburn. Yes, I'm considering the terrible Alan Arkin Inspector Clouseau movie a sequel. Who's going to remember it if I don't? close enough. correct