Musings of a Dead Parrot

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1.  What famous American explorer died under mysterious circumstances at a Tennessee inn in October 1809?  Tennessee - Daniel Boone?
2.  What fictional baby spoke his first words on June 21, 1938, remarking, "Well, blow me down"?  Popeye
3.  In Greek mythology, what nymph dies pining away for her beloved Narcissus, leaving nothing but her voice behind to haunt the earth?  Echo
4.  Pitchfork Magazine's recent "The People's Top 200 List" of its readers' favorite albums of the last fifteen years was topped by two albums--one from 1997 and the other from 2000--both recorded by what band?  Sounds like Radiohead to me
5.  What was the more familiar baronial name of Victorian scientist William Thomson, famed for his calculations regarding absolute zero?  Lord Kelvin
6.  What TV hit used a Tootsie Pop for the letter 'O' in its title in the marketing materials for a brief 2005 revival?  Tootsie Pop ---> Kojak
7.  Based on the unusual distinction shared by these cities and no others, what city is missing from the beginning of this list?  Mexico City, Paris, Versailles, Berlin, Paris, San Francisco, Vienna, and Moscow.   Versailles on a list makes me think of treaties.  Cities in which the US has signed treaties?

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1.  What 1984 movie, after becoming a surprise hit (the #5 box office success of the year) spawned a sequel set almost entirely in Okinawa?  That was The Karate Kid, and the Okinawa-set sequel was an even BIGGER hit.  Sweep the leg, Hiroki!  correct
2.  Between 1958 and 1978, the United States released 13 unmanned probes out into the solar system and beyond that shared what name?  There were ten Pioneer probes.  not correct
3.  Most of the greatest works of architect Antoni Gaudi are found in what city, where he died in 1926?  His ornate brand of surrealism can be seen in landmarks like Parc Guell and the Sagrada Familia in his beloved Barcelona.  correct
4.  What word that originally referred to Helicoverpa zea, a moth larva that attacks corn crops, has more recently come to refer to a hard-to-forget song or melody?  Helicoverpa zea, like "Call Me Maybe," is an earworm.  correct
5.  What Asian country is home to over 2% of the world's population despite a smaller area than the state of West Virginia?  This question, as Ed Toutant and others have pointed out to me, is in error.  Bangladesh *is* the only Asian country that populous with such a small area; it's dramatically denser than the other contenders here (Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam).  But I mixed up my square miles and square kilometers when it came to comparing areas.  Bangladesh is much bigger than West Virginia--closer in size to Iowa, actually.  Tuesday Trivia regrets the error.  I still got it correct
6.  The latest installment in the Elder Scrolls video game franchise is set in what titular province of Tamriel?  That game is better known by its subtitle: Skyrim.  meh

7.  What unusual distinction is shared by these albums?  All Things Must Pass by George Harrison, Electric Ladyland by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, 19 by Adele, Orange Blossom Special by Johnny Cash, Turn! Turn! Turn! by the Byrds, Up-Tight by Stevie Wonder, Use Your Illusion II by Guns N' Roses, The White Stripes by The White Stripes.  These records all have one prominent (or more, in a couple cases) song that's a Bob Dylan cover.  (I guess this is in honor of Bob's 35th album, out next month, said to be based around a 14-minute ballad about the sinking of the Titanic!)  This isn't a SUPER-rare distinction, obviously, but I tried to pick some of the most prominent examples so that rock snobs could zero in on the trend.  You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.  correct!

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1.  What 1984 movie, after becoming a surprise hit (the #5 box office success of the year) spawned a sequel set almost entirely in Okinawa?  The Karate Kid
2.  Between 1958 and 1978, the United States released 13 unmanned probes out into the solar system and beyond that shared what name?  Voyager?
3.  Most of the greatest works of architect Antoni Gaudi are found in what city, where he died in 1926?   Barcelona
4.  What word that originally referred to Helicoverpa zea, a moth larva that attacks corn crops, has more recently come to refer to a hard-to-forget song or melody?  ear worm.  Wow, there is a real worm with that name?
5.  What Asian country is home to over 2% of the world's population despite a smaller area than the state of West Virginia?  7 billion people on the planet means a country of 140 million people crammed into a small area.  Indonesia has a large population too.  But with 1000 islands in the country, you would expect the sum total area to be larger than WVa.  Bangladesh?
6.  The latest installment in the Elder Scrolls video game franchise is set in what titular province of Tamriel?  I pass on all video game questions
7.  What unusual distinction is shared by these albums?  All Things Must Pass by George Harrison, Electric Ladyland by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, 19 by Adele, Orange Blossom Special by Johnny Cash, Turn! Turn! Turn! by the Byrds, Up-Tight by Stevie Wonder, Use Your Illusion II by Guns N' Roses, The White Stripes by The White Stripes. Competitors for the KJ prize are not supposed to do online research for Q7.  I am under no such restriction.  All albums appear to include a Dylan cover.

LAST WEEKS' ANSWERS
1.  What part of the body can have an "epicanthic fold"?  The eye--or the eyelid, to be more precise.  This is the fold of skin that sometimes covers the upper inner part of some people's eyelids, most associated with people of Asian descent but present in all races to some degree.  not correct.  Two weeks in a row with questions about eye related anatomy.
2.  What public figure is the title star of the new Lifetime reality series subtitled "Life's a Tripp"?  Tripp Palin is the son of Lifetime's own Bristol Palin.  correct
3.  Australia's Rod Laver was the first person ever to become a career millionaire in what field?  Professional tennis.  correct
4.  What title object did John Keats call a "sylvan historian," an "Attic shape," and a "still unravish'd bride of quietness"?  These are cute little pet names for his famous "Grecian urn."  Answers that came back with some variant of the old "Oh, about 20 drachmas an hour!" joke were counted wrong, burned, and then the ashes were re-burned just to be on the safe side. correct
5.  Name one of the two American candidates since the Civil War to lose a presidential election both as president and vice president on a major-party ticket.  Only two men have lost as vice president and then again as president, and both are fairly recent: Walter Mondale and Bob Dole.  correct
6.  What macabre term do newspaper and magazine publishers use for the room where they store back issues and other old reference materials?  That's a newspaper's "morgue," even if the old newsprint doesn't roll out on slabs.  I guessed graveyard which is close but not close enough
7.  What unusual distinction is shared by these entertainers, and no others big names that I can find?  Jeff Bridges, Sofia Coppola, Joshua Jackson, Bruce Lee, Hayley Mills, Liza Minnelli.  Some, but not all, are offsprings of showbiz families.  Some, but not all, were child actors.  But all started their filmographies before they started potty-training.  All made their screen debuts as babies.  correct!

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1.  What part of the body can have an "epicanthic fold"?  brain?
2.  What public figure is the title star of the new Lifetime reality series subtitled "Life's a Tripp"?  Sarah Palin?  or is this Bristol Palin?
3.  Australia's Rod Laver was the first person ever to become a career millionaire in what field?  tennis
4.  What title object did John Keats call a "sylvan historian," an "Attic shape," and a "still unravish'd bride of quietness"? a Grecian urn
5.  Name one of the two American candidates since the Civil War to lose a presidential election both as president and vice president on a major-party ticket.  Bob Dole?
6.  What macabre term do newspaper and magazine publishers use for the room where they store back issues and other old reference materials?  graveyard?
7.  What unusual distinction is shared by these entertainers, and no others big names that I can find?  Jeff Bridges, Sofia Coppola, Joshua Jackson, Bruce Lee, Hayley Mills, Liza Minnelli  They all appeared in movies as a baby or infant?  That is famously true of Sofia Coppola.  Maybe for the others too.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1.  Developer Tim Bray has suggested what appropriate number to be the Web's error code for pages "Unavailable for Legal Reasons" like government censorship?  After Ray Bradbury's death, Bray proposed "Error 451" as the censorship code, as a node to Fahrenheit 451.  not correct, but I like the answer
2.  What occupation is practiced by the title characters of TV's "Bunheads"?  They are (mostly bun-wearing) ballet dancers. correct
3.  What's the lowest-numbered card in a pinochle deck?  A pinochle deck is ace through nine. I reversed the cards that are thrown out
4.  What scientist is depicted in bronze, holding a compass and an armillary sphere, in front of the Staszic Palace in Warsaw?  Copernicus, who developed a namesake sun-centered model of the Solar System, was Polish. correct
5.  Since it was first proposed to Congress in 1983, "New Columbia" has been the name typically suggested for what?  That was the proposed name for the District of Columbia, should the nation's capital ever become the nations's 51st state.  I'm in favor, if it means the District will get rid of those annoying "Taxation Without Representation" license plates.  correct
6.  The band that has toured (for legal reasons) as Manzarek-Krieger actually performs nothing but hits from what rock group?  Ray Manzarek and Robby Krieger are two of the surviving members of the Doors.   There is apparently no one alive who can write bad enough poetry for them to record *new* songs.  correct
7.  What unusual distinction is shared by these birds and no others?  Dove, eagle, kookaburra, owl, and swallow?  They're the only birds that have ever been Olympic mascots.  It's not too late for Rio to pick a parrot though!  Stay tuned.  correct!

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1.  Developer Tim Bray has suggested what appropriate number to be the Web's error code for pages "Unavailable for Legal Reasons" like government censorship?  Error Code 1 (for the First Amendment)?
2.  What occupation is practiced by the title characters of TV's "Bunheads"?  ballet dancer
3.  What's the lowest-numbered card in a pinochle deck?  I believe that pinochle throws out the lower numbered cards.  Is 10 the lowest card?
4.  What scientist is depicted in bronze, holding a compass and an armillary sphere, in front of the Staszic Palace in Warsaw?  Polish scientist and astronomer --> Copernicus
5.  Since it was first proposed to Congress in 1983, "New Columbia" has been the name typically suggested for what?  I don't think it has anything to do with the space program because there already was a space shuttle Columbia in 1983.  The 51st state?
6.  The band that has toured (for legal reasons) as Manzarek-Krieger actually performs nothing but hits from what rock group?  The Doors
7.  What unusual distinction is shared by these birds and no others?  Dove, eagle, kookaburra, owl, and swallow?  With a little research help, these birds have been Olympic mascots

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1.  What title group from a popular 1957 song has "110 cornets close at hand"?  In Broadway's The Music Man, they come right behind the "76 Trombones" but right ahead of the "rows and rows of the finest virtuosos," whatever they are.  correct
2.  Name one of the four U.S. presidents who adopted children.  I thought Reagan was probably the easy one, and trivia types might recall that George Washington, despite being the father of his country, never had any biological kids of his own but adopted a few.  The other two are Andrew Jackson and (oddly) James Buchanan.    not correct.  I again demonstrate my lack of knowledge of (and interest in) Presidential trivia
3.  What ten-layered anatomical structure has a densely-packed pit called the fovea at its center?  That's the retina: the fovea lets you see sharp detail at the very center of your field of vision.  an eye has 10 layers?
4.  What comedy movie features Del Griffith, a shower curtain ring salesman who ends up selling his entire inventory as earrings?  Griffith was played by the late, great John Candy in Planes, Trains and Automobiles.  missed this one too
5.  In what country is Central America's largest bank, Banco del Istmo, headquartered?  That's Spanish for "Bank of the Isthmus," so the country is Panama.  correct
6.  What two hit TV series debuted in late October 2011 and each aired a "Little Red Riding Hood" episode just days apart?  The two fairy tale-themed hits on network TV now are Grimm and Once Upon a Time.  But what about the short-lived 1987 sitcom The Charmings?  No love for The Charmings?  Anybody?  correct!
7.  What unusual distinction is shared by these countries and, depending on your definitions, no others?  Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Spain, and Turkey.  These are all the nations that span two different continental mainlands (disregarding overseas territories and islands).  I guess so.  I always assumed that Azerbaijan, Georgia and Kazakhstan were fully in Asia (per the convention of the UN and the CIA world factbook).

THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS
1.  What title group from a popular 1957 song has "110 cornets close at hand"?  76 Trombones
2.  Name one of the four U.S. presidents who adopted children. I am pretty bored with presidential trivia.  But this question has a bit of intrigue.  Did Lincoln adopt?
3.  What ten-layered anatomical structure has a densely-packed pit called the fovea at its center?  human anatomical structure?  plant structure?  something like an artichoke?
4.  What comedy movie features Del Griffith, a shower curtain ring salesman who ends up selling his entire inventory as earrings? no idea.  Current movie?  Older movie?
5.  In what country is Central America's largest bank, Banco del Istmo, headquartered?   Istmo ---> isthmus ---> Panama?
6.  What two hit TV series debuted in late October 2011 and each aired a "Little Red Riding Hood" episode just days apart?  Definitely Once Upon A Time is one of them.  Is Grimm the other?
7.  What unusual distinction is shared by these countries and, depending on your definitions, no others?  Azerbaijan, Egypt, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Russia, Spain, and Turkey.  I am guessing that the subject has something to do with the Bible or ancient times.  Something like places claiming the final resting place of Noah's Ark.

LAST WEEK'S ANSWERS
1.  What 2011 best-seller by Ernest Cline about 1980s geek culture takes its title from the phrase that opened many old coin-operated video games?  This novel--a must-read for '80s refugees, and now in development at Warner Bros.--is called Ready Player One.  ok
2.  A tachyon is, by definition, a hypothetical particle that possesses what unusual ability?  It can sing a killer karaoke version of "Vision of Love" by Mariah Carey.  It can also travel faster than the speed of light.  we had this question once at the Dreambuilders quiz.  I should know this.
3.  The 2018 Winter Olympics are scheduled to be held at Pyeongchang, in what country?  South Korea, hosting its first Olympic Games since the 1984 games in Seoul.  correct
4.  An 1878 dispute near present-day Williamson, West Virginia, over the distinctive notches in a hog's ears was one of the earliest flare-ups in what American conflict?  A hog's ear helped ignite the Hatfield-McCoy feud, as History Channel viewers may be aware.  correct
5.  BAO, the Benny Anderssons Orkester, is the latest project for a musician who owes his entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to his membership in what other band?  Benny Andersson was one of the two guys in ABBA (the beard, not the mullet). correct
6.  What country currently has the only pregnant CEO of any on the Fortune 500? Google's Marissa Mayer, hired this month by Yahoo!, will also become a mom in early October.  correct

7.  What unusual distinction is shared by all these TV characters?  Bamm-Bamm on Flintstones, Dexter on Dexter, Kutner on House, Lindsay on Arrested Development, Locke on Lost, Rachel on Glee, Rose on The Golden Girls, Steve on 90210, Sylar on Heroes, and Worf on Star Trek.  All were adopted.  Not by the same family, sadly--that would have been an awesome series.   correct