Sacre Bleu! – Er, Make That Red White And Bleu!

July 10, 2015June 30, 2015 fasab Crime, Current Events, Factoids, Politics, Rants a petit oui, America and France, America's snooping, American, American interventions in the Middle East, American people, americans, an official protest, apologizing, arrogant behavior, Conseil de la Défense, Current Events, damning, diplomatic maneuvers, disgraceful, do not represent, documents, education, Edward Snowden's revelations, emergency meeting, espionage, facts, Files, financial catastrophe, France, France’s ambassador to the US, France’s current head of state, Francois Hollande, french, French government ministers, French presidency, French Presidents, French readers, further reaction, Germany, Greece, Greek economic crisis, groveling, illegal and bad behavior, implicate, information, intelligence agencies, intelligence briefs, international issues, invasion of Iraq, iraq, Israeli-Palestinian dispute, Jacques Chirac, jointly monitor, Libya, mutual concern, National Security Agency, national security forum, Nicolas Sarkozy, no one is surprised any more, non-cooperation, NSA, NSA spying operations, Opinion, Oui, personal communications, politics, President Obama, President of France, protocol, published, Rants, Red White And Bleu, reputations of Americans, ruled France, Sacre Bleu, senior officials, spying, stronger response, syria, targeted, the American ambassador to France, the Ukraine, Thoughts, timely and important revelations, top secret intelligence reports and technical documents, trouble, United Nations, United States government, US, US spy agencies, veto, WikiLeaks

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

There has been a lot of activity in France lately concerning the United States government spying on three French Presidents.

The current President of France even called an emergency meeting of the Conseil de la Défense, the country’s highest national security forum to discuss the emergence of documents that appear to implicate the US National Security Agency (NSA) – now who’da guessed that? – spying on Jacques Chirac and Nicolas Sarkozy, who ruled France from 1995 to 2012.

The documents further indicate that the NSA may have also targeted the personal communications of Francois Hollande, France’s current head of state.

The files were published by WikiLeaks, which described them as “top secret intelligence reports and technical documents”, detailing NSA spying operations against the French presidency, as well as espionage directed at several French government ministers and at France’s ambassador to the US.

The documents include intelligence briefs, which detail the thoughts and diplomatic maneuvers by French presidents and other senior officials, on subjects such as the Greek economic crisis, the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, and the United Nations.

This is further evidence of more disgraceful and arrogant behavior by US spy agencies.

The thing is, however, no one is surprised any more.

Since Edward Snowden’s revelations the world has come to expect illegal and bad behavior from Americans. It is as simple as that. And for the reputations of Americans it is as bad as that. Which is a great pity because these activities do not represent in any way the vast majority of the American people.

So, if they aren’t a surprise to anyone, will the latest revelations cause trouble between America and France? I think the undoubted answer is “Oui”, but only a “petit oui”.

As befits normal protocol in these kinds of things, the American ambassador to France was summoned for what was called ‘an official protest’, but little or nothing more happened apart from President Obama getting on the phone with the French President, groveling and apologizing and assuring him in no uncertain terms “that the US is no longer spying on France”.

No, I don’t believe him either, but there it is.

There was no need for America’s snooping. As with Germany, French and American intelligence agencies cooperate with each other regularly. They jointly monitor international issues of mutual concern, such as what is happening in Syria, Iraq, the Ukraine, Libya, and even the financial catastrophe that is Greece.

For now that will continue, but the road ahead looks bumpy.

Wikileaks has already made good on its promise that its “French readers can expect more timely and important revelations in the near future”.

The latest release from the whistleblower website contains more documents that indicate that the National Security Agency (NSA), under orders from Washington, were tasked with collecting secret information not only about the economic policies of the French government and the country’s financial sector, but on export contracts by French companies.

In fact every French-registered company involved in negotiations for international projects or other sales contracts valued at over $200 million, like car makers Peugeot and Renault and financial institutions like BNP Paribas and the agricultural credit union, were also subjected to US government secret snooping.

Washington’s pathetic statements that none of this information is ever used to benefit American companies competing for international contracts rings mighty hollow with the French, and the rest of the world come to that.

This latest information is a lot more damning and may necessitate a much stronger response from the French – even if it is just to save face.

Like their attitude over the invasion of Iraq, I think any further reaction would include little or no cooperation in any future American interventions in the Middle East and maybe the use of a veto or two in the United Nations.

We might be at the start of a new meaning to the term “non” cooperation?

=======================================

No More Quizzes – Not This June Anyway. (Except For This One!)

June 29, 2015June 24, 2015 fasab Questions, Tests America, ballet dancer, Bewick, bird, Black, books literature, born, British prime minister, calfskin, Calvados, canada, chief lawyer, city, classics of American literature, Colombia, countries, dancer, died, discoveries, distilled, dracula, education, Entertainment, Euxine Sea, FIFA, France, French city, fruit, general knowledge, Geography, history, Hooper, Idaho, Illinois, invented, inventions, Joan of Arc, leader of the Soviet Union, modern ballet, movies, music, nature, Nobel Prize, non-fiction, novels, organization, People, places, popular sports, published, Pulitzer Prize, put to death, questions, quiz, quizzes, rabies vaccination, Radar, represent, Russian, Saruman, Scaramanga, science, Scooby, Scooby-Doo, sea, short story collections, South America, sport, test, tests, The City Of The Kings, U S government, United States, Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, wrong reasons

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

Welcome to final fasab quiz for June 2015.

Half the year almost gone, but not before you get the chance to try out these questions.

As usual, if you get stuck, you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating.

Enjoy and good luck.

Q. 1. What was bought by the United States from France in 1803?

Q. 2. ‘Black’, ‘Hooper’ and ‘Bewick’ are all types of what bird?

Q. 3. What city in South America is known as ‘The City Of The Kings’ ?

Q. 4. Very recently in the news for all the wrong reasons, what organization do the letters ‘FIFA’ represent?

Q. 5. Who was the leader of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953?

Q. 6. What did Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discover by accident on November 8 1895?

Q. 7. He was born in Illinois and died in Idaho and during his lifetime he published seven novels, six short story collections, and two non-fiction works, and was awarded a Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize for Literature. Many of his works are considered classics of American literature. Who was he?

Q. 8. What name is given to calfskin, dressed and prepared for writing on?

Q. 9. Which sea is sometimes called the Euxine Sea?

Q. 10. What is the name given to the person who is appointed the chief lawyer of the U.S. government?

Q. 11. Name the famous Russian ballet dancer who changed the face of modern ballet?

Q. 12. Who invented the rabies vaccination?

Q. 13. Who is the current (2015) British Prime Minister?

Q. 14. Big points opportunity. How many countries lie between Canada and Colombia? (A point for the correct number and a bonus point for each one you can name correctly.)

Q. 15. What fruit is ‘Calvados’ distilled from?

Q. 16. What is ‘Scooby’ short for in the name ‘Scooby Doo’ ?

Q. 17. What does ‘RADAR’ stand for?

Q. 18. In which French city was Joan of Arc put to death?

Q. 19. What are the seven most popular sports in America? (A point for each correct answer and a bonus point if you can name them in the correct order.)

Q. 20. He was famous as ‘Dracula’, ‘Scaramanga’ and ‘Saruman’. Who was he?

ANWERS

Q. 1. What was bought by the United States from France in 1803?

A. 1. The Louisiana territory (828,000 square miles).

Q. 2. ‘Black’, ‘Hooper’ and ‘Bewick’ are all types of what bird?

A. 2. Swans.

Q. 3. What city in South America is known as ‘The City Of The Kings’ ?

A. 3. Lima, Peru. (Ciudad de los Reyes)

Q. 4. Very recently in the news for all the wrong reasons, what organization do the letters ‘FIFA’ represent?

A. 4. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association, the international governing body of association football, futsal and beach soccer.

Q. 5. Who was the leader of the Soviet Union from the mid-1920s until his death in 1953?

A. 5. Joseph Stalin.

Q. 6. What did Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discover by accident on November 8 1895?

A. 6. X-rays.

A. 7. Ernest Hemmingway.

Q. 8. What name is given to calfskin, dressed and prepared for writing on?

A. 8. It is known as ‘Vellum’.

Q. 9. Which sea is sometimes called the Euxine Sea?

A. 9. The Black Sea.

Q. 10. What is the name given to the person who is appointed the chief lawyer of the U.S. government?

A. 10. He/she is known as the ‘Attorney General’.

Q. 11. Name the famous Russian ballet dancer who changed the face of modern ballet?

A. 11. Rudolf Nureyev.

Q. 12. Who invented the rabies vaccination?

A. 12. Louis Pasteur.

Q. 13. Who is the current (2015) British Prime Minister?

A. 13. David Cameron.

Q. 14. Big points opportunity. How many countries lie between Canada and Colombia? (A point for the correct number and a bonus point for each one you can name correctly.)

A. 14. There are 9 countries that lie between Canada and Colombia – they are The United States, Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama.

Q. 15. What fruit is ‘Calvados’ distilled from?

A. 15. Apples.

Q. 16. What is ‘Scooby’ short for in the name ‘Scooby Doo’ ?

A. 16. Scoobert.

Q. 17. What does ‘RADAR’ stand for?

A. 17. ‘RADAR’ stand for ‘Radio Detection and Ranging’.

Q. 18. In which French city was Joan of Arc put to death?

A. 18. Rouen.

Q. 19. What are the seven most popular sports in America? (A point for each correct answer and a bonus point if you can name them in the correct order.)

A. 19. 1. American Football 2. Baseball 3. Basketball 4. Ice Hockey 5. Soccer 6. Tennis and 7. Golf

Q. 20. He was famous as ‘Dracula’, ‘Scaramanga’ and ‘Saruman’. Who was he?

A. 20. He was the wonderful actor Sir Christopher Lee.

======================================

Some Baby Facts Included Today.

April 28, 2015April 19, 2015 fasab Factoids, Unusual 209 N Weber Street, American writer, americans, Anne Parish, Anne Parrish, Asia, babies, Boromir armor, browsing, chopped down, Colorado, Computers, continent, Crichton, crying sounds, directed by Steven Spielberg, education, England, Entertainment, er, ER movie, Europe, expert in computers or science, fact, Fact day, factoid, factoids, facts, fathered, fear of flying, first modern lighter, fool, four-wheel drive utility vehicle, France, geek, genetic legacy, geneticists, Genghis Khan, German chemist, global demand for toilet paper, government, Greek idea, harem, helicopter ride, hiked, husband, iconic, Indonesia, information, invented, Jack Frost and Other Stories, Johann Wolfgang Dobereiner, John Walker, Jurassic Park, Lord of the Rings, loved the book when she was a child, match, military vehicles, newspaper, northern Britain, number of children, overcrowding on the roads, Paris bookstore, Poor people, Professional Hitchhiker service, restricted some lanes of traffic, Sean Bean, separation from Asia, Soviet Union, tears, The Atlantic Daily Bulletin, the mountains of New Zealand, thousands of women, Titanic, trees, trivia, tweaked the meaning, UK, unsociable and over-diligent student, US, Willys MB Jeep, WWII, Y-chromosome

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

Yes, baby facts and a lot of grown up facts too in this selection.

Hope you find something of interest.

Enjoy.

In spite of their crying sounds,

babies tears don’t begin to flow until they

are around 4 to 13 weeks old.

Anne Parrish, an American writer was browsing

in a Paris bookstore one day when she came across

a book called, ‘Jack Frost and Other Stories’.

She began to tell her husband how she loved

the book when she was a child.

He took the book, opened it,

and inside the cover were written the words

“Anne Parish, 209 N Weber Street, Colorado”.

The Titanic had its own newspaper

called The Atlantic Daily Bulletin.

The term ‘Geek’ first showed up in northern Britain

in 1876, when it was used to refer to a fool.

Americans tweaked the meaning and by 1957 it meant

‘an unsociable and over-diligent student’.

Of course, once computers turned up in the 80’s,

‘geek’ took on a second meaning as

‘an expert in computers or science’.

The first modern lighter was invented by

German chemist Johann Wolfgang Dobereiner in 1823,

three years BEFORE the match was invented

by John Walker in England.

One of the most iconic military vehicles of all time has to

be the Willys MB Jeep, manufactured from 1941 to 1945.

This small four-wheel drive utility vehicle has

a maximum speed of up to 65 mph (105 km/h)

and an operational range of 300 miles (almost 500 km).

It was used by several countries in WWII,

including the US, UK, France and the Soviet Union.

Technically Europe is not a continent,

it’s separation from Asia was actually a Greek idea.

While filming Lord of the Rings

in the mountains of New Zealand,

Sean Bean refused a helicopter ride to a set

that was high in the mountains

due to his fear of flying.

He instead hiked up to the set

in his full Boromir armor

every day that they shot up there.

In Indonesia the government has restricted some

lanes of traffic to only cars with 3 or more people

to try to cut down overcrowding on the roads.

Some poor people from the city outskirts

take advantage of this law by offering drivers a

Professional Hitchhiker service,

so they can drive in the fast lanes.

Genghis Khan believed that a man could be measured

by the number of children he fathered

and consequently his harem included thousands of

women with whom he had a great many children.

So many, in fact, that geneticists have found

that roughly 8% of men in Asia carry his genetic legacy

in their Y-chromosome.

127,000 trees are chopped down every day

in order to keep up with the global demand

for toilet paper.

Holy S***!!!

The original ER movie was to be directed

by Steven Spielberg until he became more interested

in another of Crichton’s projects: Jurassic Park.

================================

Grab A Cup Of Coffee And A Croissant, It’s Quiz Time!

April 27, 2015April 26, 2015 fasab Questions, Tests A Woman of Substance, Academy Awards, actor, best-selling debut novel, big bang, black and white face mask, book, breakfast delicacy, bushy tail, business organization, color, Croissants, cryogenics, director, education, England, Entertainment, European city, first English novel, France, general knowledge, Geography, Grendel’s mother, hematite, history, history of the EU, hydrated magnesium sulphate, jersey, John Walton Sr, killed Grendel, largest eye of any animal, limonite, literature, Lord of the Rings trilogy, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, Magnetite, major treaty, metal, motorways, movie sequels, movies, music, musical, Nebraska, North American mammal, ores, People, phonetic alphabet, Pilot, places, questions, quiz, quizzes, rings, Roman emperor, Saint Paul’s Cathedral, science, sea creature, seasons, series, siderite, spring, state capital, Surrey, television, test, tests, The Forbidden City, The Waltons, Tour de France, town, wide acceptance, worn by the winners of each stage, writer

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

A cup of coffee and a croissant is pleasant at any time, but particularly on the first morning of the week if you have a quiz to try.

The usual wide range of questions, some rather difficult in this selection.

But remember if you get stuck you can always find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating!

Enjoy and good luck.

Q. 1: What is ‘The Forbidden City’ better known as?

Q. 2: What is the connection between the Academy Awards and the Phonetic Alphabet?

Q. 3: Where are the breakfast delicacy of Croissants originally from?

Q. 4: What sea creature has the largest eye of any animal? .

Q. 5: What is studied in the science of cryogenics?

Q. 6: What are motorways called in France?

Q. 7: What business organization underwent a “big bang” in 1986?

Q. 8: Which musical Roman Emperor was originally named Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus?

Q. 9: ‘A Woman of Substance’, published in 1979, was a best-selling debut novel for which well-known writer?

Q. 10: Named after a town in Surrey, England where a spring containing it was discovered, how is hydrated magnesium sulphate better known?

Q. 11: Who killed Grendel and Grendel’s mother?

Q. 12: What North American mammal has a black and white face mask and a bushy tail with between five and seven rings?

Q. 13: Saint Paul’s Cathedral is in which European city?

Q. 14: Who played John Walton Sr. in season 1 thru 8 and the six movie sequels of The Waltons? (Five bonus points if you can name the actor who played the role in the pilot for the series.)

Q. 15: Where was a major treaty in the history of the EU signed in February 1992?

Q. 16: In literature which 1719 book has gained wide acceptance as ‘the first English novel’ ?

Q. 17: What is the state capital of Nebraska?

Q. 18: Magnetite, hematite, limonite and siderite are ores of which metal?

Q. 19: What color jersey is worn by the winners of each stage of the Tour De France?

Q. 20: Name the director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

ANSWERS

Q. 1: What is ‘The Forbidden City’ better known as?

A. 1: Beijing.

Q. 2: What is the connection between the Academy Awards and the Phonetic Alphabet?

A. 2: Oscar.

Q. 3: Where are the breakfast delicacy of Croissants originally from?

A. 3: They come from Vienna, Austria, NOT Paris, France.

Q. 4: What sea creature has the largest eye of any animal?

A. 4: The giant squid.

Q. 5: What is studied in the science of cryogenics?

A. 5: Very low temperatures.

Q. 6: What are motorways called in France?

A. 6: Autoroutes.

Q. 7: What business organization underwent a “big bang” in 1986?

A. 7: The London Stock Exchange.

Q. 8: Which musical Roman Emperor was originally named Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus?

A. 8: Nero.

Q. 9: ‘A Woman of Substance’, published in 1979, was a best-selling debut novel for which well-known writer?

A. 9: Barbara Taylor Bradford.

Q. 10: Named after a town in Surrey, England where a spring containing it was discovered, how is hydrated magnesium sulphate better known?

A. 10: Epsom salts.

Q. 11: Who killed Grendel and Grendel’s mother?

A. 11: Beowulf.

Q. 12: What North American mammal has a black and white face mask and a bushy tail with between five and seven rings?

A. 12: A Raccoon.

Q. 13: Saint Paul’s Cathedral is in which European city?

A. 13: London.

Q. 14: Who played John Walton Sr. in season 1 thru 8 and the six movie sequels of The Waltons? (Five bonus points if you can name the actor who played the role in the pilot for the series.)

A. 14: Ralph Waite was the actor who played John Walton Sr. in seasons 1 thru 8 and the six movie sequels. For your five bonus points, Andrew Duggan played the role in the pilot.

Q. 15: Where was a major treaty in the history of the EU signed in February 1992?

A. 15: Maastricht.

Q. 16: In literature which 1719 book has gained wide acceptance as ‘the first English novel’?

A. 16: Robinson Crusoe.

Q. 17: What is the state capital of Nebraska?

A. 17: Lincoln.

Q. 18: Magnetite, hematite, limonite and siderite are ores of which metal?

A. 18: Iron.

Q. 19: What color jersey is worn by the winners of each stage of the Tour De France?

A. 19: Yellow.

Q. 20: Name the director of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

A. 20: Peter Jackson. .

============================= .

Make Sure You Smile – It’s Fact Day.

March 31, 2015March 29, 2015 fasab Factoids, Unusual 18th century, 9 volumes, accomplishments, affairs with women, animal attacks on humans, attentive seducer, ban on frowning, best-selling truck, best-selling vehicle in America, Casanova, cuddle hormone, deaths, Dickens, dog, eaten alive, education, Entertainment, equator, Europeans, executing people by guillotine, eyes, eyes blink, fact, factoid, factoids, facts, fake bookcase, fake books, fine, first black astronaut, first black astronaut in space, Florida, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, ford, Ford F-150, Ford's F-150, found the last survivor, France, funerals, German Shepherd, Giacomo Casanova, Guion Bluford, happier, history, history’s most heroic animals, hospital visits, infested, information, International Space Hall of Fame, island, Italian adventurer, Italian city, Japanese troops, Keystone Heights, lecher, legal requirement to smile, Massive Ordinance Air Blast bomb, Middle Ages, Milan, MOAB, most powerful non-nuclear bomb, Mother of All Bombs, movie theatres, nobleman, pet, petting an animal, Pinon Road, Ramree Island, releases oxytocin in our brains, Robert Henry Lawrence Jr, saltwater crocodiles, secret door, September 11, serious injuries, seven hours of equal length, shelves, smile all the time, speaks more than one language, Star Wars A New Hope, summer, summer days, survivor detection dog, The Life of a Cat, time, Trakr, trampolines, trivia, turtles, United States Astronaut Hall of Fame, US. Military, winter, winter hour, World Trade Center attack, world’s greatest disaster, world’s population, WWII

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

It’s not that the facts today are particularly funny, in fact some of them are the exact opposite.

But if you are in Milan and reading this post I bet you are smiling anyway.

Find out why.

Enjoy.

Trakr, a German shepherd survivor detection dog,

made history when he became the dog that found the

last survivor of the World Trade Center attack on September 11.

For his accomplishments, Trakr was named

one of history’s most heroic animals by Time.

Trakr died in 2009 at age fourteen.

75% of the world’s population

speaks more than one language,

but 75% of the world’s population

speak no English.

Having a pet makes you happier

because petting an animal

releases oxytocin in our brains,

which is sometimes known as

the “cuddle hormone”.

The eyes blink on an average of

17 times per minute,

that’s 14,280 times per day

or 5.2 million times a year.

In the early Middle Ages,

Europeans divided the day

into seven hours of equal length and,

because summer days are longer than winter ones,

a winter hour was about sixty minutes,

but a summer one was about 150 minutes.

A little bit confusing I think.

Trampolines contribute to at least

two deaths and numerous serious injuries

each year.

Giacomo Casanova was an 18th century

Italian adventurer and nobleman famous for

his numerous elaborate affairs with women.

Today, if a man is referred to as a ‘Casanova’,

it can mean anything from an

attentive seducer to a mere lecher.

In January 2012, dozens of turtles

were found dead in Keystone Heights, Florida,

at the end of Pinon Road.

No one, including the

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission,

has been able to figure out what happened.

The most powerful non-nuclear bomb

ever created by the US military is the

Massive Ordinance Air Blast bomb,

better known as ‘MOAB’.

It is also more popularly known as

the “Mother of All Bombs”.

Charles Dickens’s house had a secret door

in the form of a fake bookcase.

The fake books on its shelves included

titles such as ‘The Life of a Cat’

in 9 volumes of course.

Ford’s F-150 has been the best-selling

vehicle in America for the past 33 years

and the best-selling truck since 1977.

Ford have sold over 34,000,000 of them

since they started production in 1948.

Last year alone they sold 753,851,

which is an incredible 2,065 a day,

or one every 35 seconds.

If you parked every Ford F-150

ever made side by side,

they would stretch for 49,802 miles (80,150 km),

the equivalent to twice around the Equator.

The first black astronaut was Robert Henry Lawrence Jr.,

but he died before he could travel to space.

The first black astronaut in space

(spending more then 28 days there)

was Guion Bluford in 1983.

He was inducted into the

International Space Hall of Fame in 1997 and into

the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2010.

The world’s greatest disaster suffered

as a result of animal attacks on humans

happened on Ramree Island during WWII.

The island is infested with saltwater crocodiles

and nearly 500 Japanese troops were eaten alive there.

When Star Wars: A New Hope was

first being shown in movie theaters

France was still executing people by guillotine.

Ending today’s facts on a happy note,

if you want to visit Milan, Italy,

make sure to smile all the time as the

Italian city has imposed a ban on frowning.

It is a legal requirement to smile at all times,

except during funerals or hospital visits.

If you don’t you can face a fine.

===============================

Don’t Beam Me Up Just Yet, Scotty!

March 24, 2015February 1, 2015 fasab Factoids, Unusual Adolf Hitler, airplane tickets, airport security, American soldiers, American Telephone and Telegraph Company, American women, Ancient Egyptians, ancient toothpaste, bad luck, Beam me up Scotty, beautifully bound. brief impression, bitter, bizarre hospital-themed restaurant, bleeding gums, cell phone, Champagne, China, Chinese tradition, cleaning powder, cold weather, craigslist, Daniel Defoe, Denomination of Origin, dissolved into particles, dog, Don’t judge a book by its cover, dressed as nurses, dried iris flowers, drinks, DS Music Restaurant, education, english, Entertainment, exam, fact, Fact day, factoid, factoids, facts, Ferdinand Porsche, first spacecraft to carry an animal, flavors, fluent in French, France, George Eliot, German National Prize for Art and Science, Guanajuato, Hello Girls, hospital beds, human body, humans, information, IV bottles, Jalisco, Laika, Matter, Mexican state, Mexico, Michoacan, Mint, Mr Tulliver, music, Nayarit, New York Times, Nikola Tesla, Nobel Prize, oldest-known formula for toothpaste, outward appearance, pepper, Pershing’s forces in Europe, pregnant, pregnant Chinese woman, prolong battery life, quantum physics, rock salt, Russian, salty, savory/meaty, science fiction, scientific study, shopping for baby things, side effect, sour, Soviets, space, specific receptor areas, Sputnik 1, Sputnik 2, star trek, stressing, stroller, sweet, tables, Taipei, Taiwan, Tamaulipas, telephone operators, teleporter, Tequila, test, The History of the Devil, The Mill on the Floss, tongue, transmit messages via personal devices, trivia, umami, US Army, USSR, veteran benefits, Volkswagen Beetle, waitresses, war medals, west, wireless communication devices, women, world’s first hybrid car, WWI, X-ray scans, YouTube

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

You will get what the title is all about later. Let’s just say for now I’ll still be buying my airplane tickets and enduring the rigors of airport security for a few years longer.

As for now it’s Fact Day so have a look at the current offerings.

Enjoy.

In cold weather keeping your cell phone

as close to your body as you can,

or in the inside pocket of an insulated base layer

will help keep it warm and prolong battery life.

In the West women usually start shopping for baby things

as soon as they discover they’re pregnant

but in China a pregnant Chinese woman will avoid

getting a stroller before her baby is born because

according to Chinese tradition it’s considered

bad luck to have an empty stroller in the house

while you’re pregnant.

The world’s oldest-known formula for toothpaste

was created by the ancient Egyptians

who used crushed rock salt, mint, dried iris flowers,

and pepper and mixed them to create a cleaning powder.

Research suggests this ancient toothpaste was more

effective than formulas used as recently as a century ago,

although it did have the unfortunate side effect

of causing bleeding gums.

A scientific study has suggested that if you

are stressing over an important test or exam,

writing down your feelings on a piece of paper

before an exam will allow you to achieve higher scores.

Contrary to many theories,

the tongue does not have specific receptor areas

for bitter, sour, salty, and sweet flavors.

In fact, there is a fifth taste (umami, for savory/meaty flavors)

and all zones of the tongue can sense all flavors.

After banning the Nobel Prize,

Adolf Hitler developed his own version

– the German National Prize for Art and Science.

Ferdinand Porsche was one of the awardees

for being the man behind the world’s first

hybrid car and for the Volkswagen Beetle.

In a statement he gave to the New York Times in 1909,

Nikola Tesla predicted that it would soon be possible

to transmit messages via personal devices.

Today, we have wireless communication devices

that we bring with us anywhere we go.

A month after the USSR sent Sputnik 1 into space,

they sent Sputnik 2, which was the first spacecraft

to carry an animal (a dog named Laika) into space.

However, despite the Soviets initially claiming that

Laika had survived in orbit for a week,

decades later official Russian sources revealed

that Laika lived only a few hours

before dying from overheating.

Brave little doggie though.

During WWI “Hello Girls,” as American

soldiers called them, were American women

who served as telephone operators for

Pershing’s forces in Europe.

The women were fluent in French and English

and were specially trained by the American

Telephone and Telegraph Company.

In 1979, the U.S. Army finally gave war medals

and veteran benefits to the few Hello Girls who were still alive.

In its early days YouTube’s founders used

Craigslist to try to popularize the site

by offering $100 to attractive girls who would

post ten or more videos of themselves.

Unfortunately, they didn’t get a single response.

The phrase ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’

goes back to at least the mid-nineteenth century

as found in George Eliot’s ‘The Mill on the Floss’ (1860),

where Mr. Tulliver uses the phrase in discussing

Daniel Defoe’s ‘The History of the Devil’,

saying how it was beautifully bound.

Its general meaning today, of course, is that

we shouldn’t judge or make a decision about

someone or something based on a brief

impression or outward appearance.

Wise advice.

Just as true champagne must hail from France,

tequila has Denomination of Origin,

meaning that it has to be produced in Mexico,

mainly in the western Mexican state of Jalisco.

The states of Guanajuato, Michoacan, Nayarit,

and Tamaulipas are also acceptable.

Located in the city of Taipei in Taiwan, the

D.S. Music Restaurant has nothing to do with music at all.

In fact, it is a bizarre hospital-themed restaurant

where waitresses are all dressed as nurses,

tables are made from metal hospital beds,

drinks are served in IV bottles and

walls are decorated with X-ray scans.

Remember the teleporter Star Trek?

Well, it’s no longer science fiction because now

matter can be dissolved into particles, transported

and reassembled at another location.

However, it won’t be available for use on humans

in the near future because at the moment,

whilst it is indeed possible to scan every molecule

in the human body and reassemble it in another area,

according to Quantum physics, scanning and

reassembling changes the entire object.

You can’t make an exact copy.

So don’t beam me up just yet, Scotty!

======================================

Lots Of Names In Today’s Quiz.

March 16, 2015February 1, 2015 fasab Questions, Tests 19th century, 49ers, accredited, American football, animal, art, body, central characters, Chemical Element, city, Crimean War, education, Eliza Doolittle, end to the First World War, Entertainment, Entomology, famous painters, fashion capital of the world, fictional character, first human heart transplant, first man in space, France, general knowledge, Geography, George Bernard Shaw play, Ghillie, history, Hollywood musical, Ibex, impressionist movement, insulin, King of Scotland, literature, longest bone in the human body, longest rail tunnel in the world, movies, music, Na, Name, nature, organ, Paris, periodic table, piste, play, Prince Albert, Professor Henry Higgins, Queen Victoria, questions, quiz, quizzes, Roger Fenton, Scone, Seikan rail tunnel, sentenced to death by hanging, significant impact, skiing, spacecraft, sport, squire, surnames, T S Eliot, test, tests, The Murder in the Cathedral, tilted at windmills, treaty with Germany, Tristan da Cunha, two islands, United States, victim, vowel, Yuri Gagarin

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

Yes, lots of names in today’s quiz, either as the answers or as part of the questions.

Some easy and some quite difficult, but you’ll have to have a bit of knowledge of various subjects to answer them all correctly.

And as usual, if you get stuck, you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating!

Enjoy and good luck.

Q. 1: In which city does the American football team the ’49ers’ play?

Q. 2: These two men had the same name, one was sentenced to death by hanging in the United States in 1859 and the other was a Ghillie who became close to Queen Victoria after the death of her husband Prince Albert – what was their name?

Q. 3: And still on the subject of names, separated only by a vowel, what were the surnames of two famous painters born in Paris, France during the 19th Century who had a significant impact on the ‘impressionist’ movement? (There is usually a point for each correct answer in questions like this, but in this case if you get one right you’ll get them both right, so just one point up for grabs.)

Q. 4: What type of animal is an Ibex?

Q. 5: Who and what is ‘Tristan da Cunha’ ? (A point for each correct answer.)

Q. 6: Which treaty with Germany brought a formal end to the First World War?

Q. 7: What city is known as the ‘fashion capital of the world’ ?

Q. 8: ‘Entomology’ is the study of what?

Q. 9: In which organ of the body is insulin produced?

Q. 10: As well as skiing, which other sport takes place on a piste?

Q. 11: Who had himself crowned King of Scotland at Scone in 1306?

Q. 12: Who performed the first human heart transplant?

Q. 13: Who is the victim of ‘The Murder in the Cathedral’ in T S Eliot’s play of that name?

Q. 14: In the Crimean War, Roger Fenton was the first person to be accredited in what capacity?

Q. 15: What fictional character famously ‘tilted at windmills’ and who served as his ‘squire’ ?

Q. 16: Which chemical element, number 11 in the Periodic table, has the symbol ‘Na’ ?

Q. 17: What is the longest bone in the human body?

Q. 18: In which spacecraft did Yuri Gagarin become the first man in space?

Q. 19: In which country are two islands linked by the Seikan rail tunnel, the longest rail tunnel in the world? (Two bonus points are available if you can also correctly name the islands.)

Q. 20: ‘Professor Henry Higgins’ and ‘Eliza Doolittle’ central characters in which George Bernard Shaw play and which Hollywood musical?

ANSWERS

Q. 1: In which city does the American football team the ’49ers’ play?

A. 1: San Francisco.

A. 2: John Brown.

A. 3: They are Édouard Manet (born 23 January 1832) and Oscar-Claude Monet (born 14 November 1840).

Q. 4: What type of animal is an Ibex?

A. 4: A Mountain Goat.

Q. 5: Who and what is ‘Tristan da Cunha’ ? (A point for each correct answer.)

A. 5: ‘Tristan da Cunha’ is the name of a famous Portuguese navigator and the name of an island in the South Atlantic that he first sighted it in 1506.

Q. 6: Which treaty with Germany brought a formal end to the First World War?

A. 6: The Treaty of Versailles.

Q. 7: What city is known as the ‘fashion capital of the world’ ?

A. 7: Milan.

Q. 8: ‘Entomology’ is the study of what?

A. 8: Insects.

Q. 9: In which organ of the body is insulin produced?

A. 9: The Pancreas.

Q. 10: As well as skiing, which other sport takes place on a piste?

A. 10: Fencing.

Q. 11: Who had himself crowned King of Scotland at Scone in 1306?

A. 11: Robert the Bruce. (Think back to the final scene in the movie Braveheart.)

Q. 12: Who performed the first human heart transplant?

A. 12: Doctor Christian Barnard.

Q. 13: Who is the victim of ‘The Murder in the Cathedral’ in T S Eliot’s play of that name?

A. 13: Thomas Beckett.

Q. 14: In the Crimean War, Roger Fenton was the first person to be accredited in what capacity?

A. 14: War Photographer.

Q. 15: What fictional character famously ‘tilted at windmills’ and who served as his ‘squire’ ?

A. 15: Don Quixote and his squire was Sancho Panza. (From the Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra.)

Q. 16: Which chemical element, number 11 in the Periodic table, has the symbol ‘Na’ ?

A. 16: Sodium.

Q. 17: What is the longest bone in the human body?

A. 17: The femur, or thighbone, either answer gets you the point.

Q. 18: In which spacecraft did Yuri Gagarin become the first man in space?

A. 18: Vostok 1.

Q. 19: In which country are two islands linked by the Seikan rail tunnel, the longest rail tunnel in the world? (Two bonus points are available if you can also correctly name the islands.)

A. 19: The country is Japan, and for your two bonus points the names of the islands are Honshu and Hokkaido.

Q. 20: ‘Professor Henry Higgins’ and ‘Eliza Doolittle’ central characters in which George Bernard Shaw play and which Hollywood musical?

A. 20: The play is called ‘Pygmalion’ and the movie version ‘My Fair Lady’.

===============================================

Movies, Monkeys And Mezcal, Fasab’s February Facts Continue.

February 10, 2015February 9, 2015 fasab Factoids, Unusual afterlife, agave plants, Albert II, Amsterdam, Ancient Egyptians, animals in space, auto-brewery syndrome, basketball court, birds, blue agave, budget, building the ship, business class seats, Cannabis Cup, Cartoon Network show, Cher Ami, Chicago, competition, competitions, conspiracy theory, Croix de Guerre, Donna Lange, drunkenness, earning money, education, Entertainment, Everett, fact, factoid, factoids, facts, filmed, first primate sent into space, flooded basement scene, France, French government, gallows, GoldenEye, hangman’s noose, heart attack, high school, Home Alone, information, James Bond, James Cameron, Japanese doctors, Johnny Bravo. predicted 9/11, Lost Battalion of the Allies, male rhesus monkey, mescal, monday morning, movie, O'Hare International Airport, Paris, Parisian airport scenes, Pierce Brosnan, pig grunting imitation, Pig Grunting World Championship and Agricultural show, pyramids, school's swimming pool, smithsonian, smothered her boyfriend with her breasts, statistically, taxidermist, Tequila, Titanic, transport important messages, trivia, US Army Signal Corps, Washington, world´s largest cannabis festival, WWI, YouTube videos

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

Yes, from movies to monkeys to mescal, an intoxicating collection of facts for you today.

Hope you find something interesting in this lot.

But whatever you do….

Enjoy.

Statistically you are more likely to

have a heart attack on Monday morning

than any other time.

Congratulations,

you’ve made it to Tuesday.

In the movie Home Alone

the Parisian airport scenes

were actually filmed in

Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport,

the luxurious business class seats were

built on a basketball court of a local high school

and the flooded basement scene

was filmed in that same school’s swimming pool.

James Bond has killed 352 people over 22 films.

Pierce Brosnan was the deadliest Bond.

In GoldenEye alone, he killed 47 people.

Believe it or not,

there are several competitions

in pig grunting imitation.

The Pig Grunting World Championship

and Agricultural show held annually in Paris

is among the most popular one.

Another unusual competition

held every November in Amsterdam,

is the Cannabis Cup

which is the world´s largest cannabis festival,

where judges from around the world

sample and vote for their favorite marijuana varieties.

The Ancient Egyptians buried their nobility

in the pyramids with burial goods that

ranged from everyday objects to the most

expensive items such as jewelry.

They believed the dead would use it in the afterlife.

What’s the difference between mezcal and tequila?

The main difference between the two is the plant.

All tequila must be produced using blue agave,

whereas a variety of agave plants can

be used to make a single mezcal batch.

The budget for the James Cameron film Titanic

was actually higher than the budget

spent on building the ship in real life.

After fruit flies successfully paved

the way for animals in space,

Albert II (a male rhesus monkey)

was the first primate sent into space.

Successfully making it to 83 miles (134 km)

above the Earth’s surface on June 4 ,1949,

Albert II tragically died when the parachute

on his recovery capsule failed upon re-entry.

(He was preceded by Albert I who failed

to attain the international standard of height

for being in space.

Albert I did not survive the launch.)

More than one million creators

from over thirty countries

are earning money

from their YouTube videos,

while nearly half of them are

making a living from that.

During WWI Cher Ami was one of the

many birds used by the US Army Signal Corps

in France to transport important messages

from commanders in the battlefield.

In one of the missions Cher Ami was shot

by German troops after he took flight,

but the wounded bird continued flying

and heroically managed to deliver the

important message he carried.

As a result, a Lost Battalion of the Allies was saved,

and Cher Ami later was awarded the Croix de Guerre

by the French government.

After he died in June 1919,

the famous bird was preserved

by a taxidermist and

put on display at the Smithsonian.

Japanese doctors have observed patients

with “auto-brewery syndrome,”

in which high levels of candida yeast in the

intestines churn out so much alcohol

that they can cause drunkenness.

Not that they are used so much nowadays,

but in a traditional hangman’s noose

there are 13 twists of the rope

and 13 steps to the gallows.

This is fact 13 today!

I can’t make up my mind if this is

a terrible death or a great way to go,

but Donna Lange, 51, from Everett, Washington,

smothered her boyfriend with her breasts

after passing out on top of him.

Witnesses said they heard the man pleading

with her to get off of him.

Lange, who was heavily intoxicated, told the

police she had no idea how the man had died.

She was charged with second-degree murder.

Some people believe an episode of the

Cartoon Network show Johnny Bravo predicted 9/11.

In a scene from Johnny Bravo

that aired on April 27, 2001,

a movie poster shows a burning tower

with a smoke cloud with the words

“COMING SOON.”

I remain unconvinced by this conspiracy theory.

In fact, the fact that it’s a theory is a fact,

not the fact that it is a fact. If you see what I mean!

================================

The Quadling Country Quiz!

January 19, 2015January 19, 2015 fasab Questions, Tests amino-acids, Archimedes' Screw, below sea level, biology, body, book, britain, canton, chemical, CL, counties, country, curd, Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, dogs, education, Entertainment, field, food, fought, France, fruit crops, fruits grow on palms, general knowledge, Geography, Gillkin Country, halyard, history, ippon, Ireland, Knesset, land, landlocked sea, L’etat c’est moi, legislature, metals, Monarch, movies, music, nature, news, Northern Ireland, pewter, Piedmont, poisonous, political entities, politics, Quadling Country, questions, quiz, quizzes, Republic of Ireland, Russia, sailing, science, singer, species of animal, sport, symbol, test, tests, Turkey, War, waza-ari, Whey, Winkie Country, wolves, Yas Marina Motor Racing Circuit, yuko

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

You will find out what the title means later in the quiz.

For now get your thinking caps on and have a go at the following twenty questions in this week’s fasab quiz.

As always, if you get stuck, you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating!

Enjoy and good luck.

Q. 1: The terms ‘curd’ and ‘whey’ are associated with making what?

Q. 2: Which species of animal contains the most poisonous animal in the world?

Q. 3: Which two metals are used to make pewter?

Q. 4: What two fruits grow on palms? (A point for each correct answer and a bonus point if you are able to name both correctly.)

Q. 5: What would you use ‘Archimedes’ Screw’ for?

Q. 6: Amino acids are essential for the formation of what in the body?

Q. 7: What can dogs do that wolves cannot?

Q. 8: A ‘canton’, ‘halyard’ and ‘field’ make up what item?

Q. 9: What are the two largest fruit crops on earth? (A point for each correct answer and a bonus point if you are able to name both correctly.)

Q. 10: Which chemical has the symbol ‘CL’?

Q. 11: Who wrote the famous book ‘Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire’?

Q. 12: Ireland is divided into two political entities, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, how many counties comprise each part? (A point for each correct answer.)

Q. 13: In what sport can you score a ‘waza-ari’, ‘ippon’ and ‘yuko’?

Q. 14: The Knesset is the legislature of which country?

Q. 15: What landlocked sea is 422m (1385ft) below sea level?

Q. 16: Which monarch observed “L’etat, c’est moi”? (The language should give you a clue.)

Q. 17: Where is the Yas Marina Motor Racing Circuit?

Q. 18: The name was mentioned in the news a lot towards the end of 2014, which war was fought by Britain, France, Turkey and Piedmont against Russia between 1853 and 1856?

Q. 19: In what land are ‘Quadling Country’, ‘Winkie Country’ and ‘Gillkin Country’ to be found?

Q. 20: Which singer was ‘sailing’ in 1975?

ANSWERS

Q. 1: The terms ‘curd’ and ‘whey’ are associated with making what?

A. 1: Cheese.

Q. 2: Which species of animal contains the most poisonous animal in the world?

A. 2: Frogs.

Q. 3: Which two metals are used to make pewter?

A. 3: Tin and Lead.

Q. 4: What two fruits grow on palms? (A point for each correct answer and a bonus point if you are able to name both correctly.)

A. 4: Coconuts and dates.

Q. 5: What would you use ‘Archimedes’ Screw’ for?

A. 5: Lifting water to a higher level

Q. 6: Amino acids are essential for the formation of what in the body?

A. 6: Proteins.

Q. 7: What can dogs do that wolves cannot?

A. 7: Bark.

Q. 8: A ‘canton’, ‘halyard’ and ‘field’ make up what item?

A. 8: A flag.

Q. 9: What are the two largest fruit crops on earth? (A point for each correct answer and a bonus point if you are able to name both correctly.)

A. 9: Grapes, followed by bananas.

Q. 10: Which chemical has the symbol ‘CL’?

A. 10: Chlorine.

Q. 11: Who wrote the famous book ‘Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire’?

A. 11: Edward Gibbon. (You may have the point if you gave the surname only.)

Q. 12: Ireland is divided into two political entities, the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, how many counties comprise each part? (A point for each correct answer.)

A. 12: The Republic of Ireland has 26 counties and Northern Ireland 6.

Q. 13: In what sport can you score a ‘waza-ari’, ‘ippon’ and ‘yuko’?

A. 13: Judo.

Q. 14: The Knesset is the legislature of which country?

A. 14: Israel.

Q. 15: What landlocked sea is 422m (1385ft) below sea level?

A. 15: The Dead Sea.

Q. 16: Which monarch observed “L’etat, c’est moi”? (The language should give you a clue.)

A. 16: Louis XIV.

Q. 17: Where is the Yas Marina Motor Racing Circuit?

A. 17: Abu Dabi.

Q. 18: The name was mentioned in the news a lot towards the end of 2014, which war was fought by Britain, France, Turkey and Piedmont against Russia between 1853 and 1856?

A. 18: The Crimean War.

Q. 19: In what land are ‘Quadling Country’, ‘Winkie Country’ and ‘Gillkin Country’ to be found?

A. 19: The Land of Oz, from The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz.

Q. 20: Which singer was ‘sailing’ in 1975?

A. 20: Rod Stewart.

================================

FAREWELL 2014

December 31, 2014December 30, 2014 fasab Factoids 2014, A N R Robinson, Acker Bilk, actor, Adolfo Suárez, adopted the Euro, Aiken, Air Algérie Flight 5017, air campaign, AirAsia flight QZ8501, airstrike campaign in Syria, Alabama, Alaskans, Albert Reynolds, Alfredo Di Stéfano, American actor, American actress, American actress and singer, American astronaut, American boxer, American businessman, American comedian, American film director, American politician and diplomat, American professional wrestler, American radio host, American singer, American television producer and writer, American tennis player, Anatoly Berezovoy, Andrea de Cesaris, Andriy Bal, annexation of Crimea, Arab partners, Argentine-Spanish footballer, Ariel Sharon, Atlanta, Augusta, Augusta National Golf Club, Australia, Australian race car driver, Austrian-Swiss actor, bag of macadamia nuts, Baghdad, Basketball, BBC Sports Personality of the Year, Beijing, Belgium, Billie Whitelaw, Birmingham, Björn Waldegård, blanket of snow, BMW PGA Championship, Bob Hoskins, Boeing 777, Boko Haram, Brazil, Brazilian footballer, British actor, British bass guitarist, British comedian, British driver, British jazz clarinetist, British novelist, British peer, British politician, British rock bassist, British writer, Bubba Watson, Bureau of Meteorology, Bureau of the Assembly, business, Business and Technology, California, canada, Casey Kasem, Cho Hyun-ah, civil unrest, coldest winter, Columbia, Comet 67P, commercial, commuter chaos, conflicting claims, Conflicts, conspiracy, Crimean crisis, currency, cyber attack, degrees Celsius, degrees Fahrenheit, departures, detonated bombs, diarist, diplomat, diplomatic, Donetsk, driest, Duke of Marlborough, Dutch astronaut, east-central Georgia, eastern Japan, Ebola virus epidemic, economic sanctions, economic sanctions against Russia, economist, Eduard Shevardnadze, education, Efrem Zimbalist Jr, Eisenhower tree, Elaine Stritch, Eli Wallach, England, English actor, English actress, English footballer, English Premiership, English singer, Entertainment, Europe, European Champions League, European Space Agency, Eurozone, Eusébio, events, facebook, fact, facts, Fedex, Fernandão, FIFA World Cup, film director, First Minister of Northern Ireland, Florida, Florida Panhandle, foreign domiciled businesses, forgotten, Formula 1, France, free fall, G8, Gamboru Ngala, Gaza Strip, Georgia, Germany, girls and women abducted, Glen A Larson, Glenn Cornick, golf, Gough Whitlam, ground invasion, Gulf Coast, Gulf of Thailand, Hamas, Harlingen, Harold Ramis, health, health scare, held hostage, Henry Hartsfield, Howard Baker, Ian Paisley, ice hockey, Indian Ocean, information, inversion deals, Iraqi capital city, Irish Taoiseach, Irishman, ISIL, ISIS, ISIS militants, Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, Israel, Israeli filmmaker, Israelis, Italian actress, Italian race car driver, Italy, Jack Brabham, Jack Bruce, James Garner, James R Schlesinger, January, Japan, Japan's Antarctic whaling program, Japanese actor, Japanese Prime Minister, Jean-Claude Duvalier, Jimmy Ellis, Joan Rivers, Joe Cocker, John Spencer-Churchill, Johnny Winter, Jos, Ken Takakura, kidnapping and murder, Kiev, killed, King Felipe VI, King Juan Carlos I of Spain, Korean Air Lines, Korean ferry, Kronos, Kuala Lumpur, Kumagaya, Ladies Singles Champion, Latvia, Lauren Bacall, León, legalize euthanasia, Lewis Hamilton, life peer, literature, los angeles, Los Angeles Kings, Louise Brough, Louisiana, Low country of South Carolina, Luhansk, Mae Young, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, Malcolm Glazer, Mali, Manchester City, Manchester United, Marin Čilić, Martin Kaymer, Masters Tournament, Maximilian Schell, Menahem Golan, Men’s Singles Champion, Mickey Rooney, Midwest, militants, mining accident, missile strike, MLB World Series, motor racing champion, movie, Movies & TV, music, musician, MV Sewol, National Climatic Data Center, Nelson Frazier Jr, New South Wales, NHL, Nicholas Romanov, Nicolás Maduro, Nigeria, Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan, NOAA, North Carolina, northern Iraq, Northern Ireland man, Nouri al-Maliki, Novak Djokovic, Obama administration, oil and gas prices, Oleksandr Turchynov, Olympic champions, Olympic triple champion, Open Championship, Operation Protective Edge, P D James, PACE, PACE Presidential Committee, PACE Standing Committee, Palestinian, Panama, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Pensacola, People's Republic of Poland, Pete Seeger, Petra Kvitova, PGA Championship, Philae probe, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Players Championship, playwright, political unrest in Thailand, politician, politics, Polly Bergen, Portuguese footballer, President Barack Obama, President of Georgia, President of Haiti, President of Trinidad and Tobago, President of Venezuela, President Viktor Yanukovych, Prime Minister, Prime Minister of Australia, Prime Minister of Israel, Prime Minister of Spain, Prince of Russia, pro Russian forces, pro-Russian, profit centers, Quantitative Easing, Queensland, Real Madrid, recollections, record, record hottest day, remember, resumption of normal relations between the US and Cuba, revenge killing, Richard Attenborough, Richard Kiel, Rik Mayall, Robin Williams, Roger Lloyd-Pack, rory mcilroy, Rosetta, Royal Thai Army, Russia, Russian Federation, Russian President, Ryder Cup, San Antonio Spurs, San Francisco, San Francisco Giants, San Jose, school in Nigeria, Seattle Seahawks, Serena Williams, severe Atlantic winter storms, severe snow storms, Shane Lowry, Shiite government, Shinzo Abe, ShipMatrix, Shirley Temple, Sid Caesar, smartphone application, soccer, Sochi, songwriter, Sony, South Carolina, South Korean, southern Australia, southern hemisphere, southern states, Soviet cosmonaut, space, Space Exploration, spacecraft, Spanish throne, sport, Sue Townsend, Sunni militant group, super-bowl, Swedish rally driver, tax friendly location, Team Europe, Team USA, technology, technology buys, television host, temporarily suspended, tennis, terrorism, Terrorists, Texas, The Interview, the Russian Ruble, Thoughts, three Israeli teenagers, Tokyo, Tom Finney, Tony Benn, tragedies, Turkey, Ukraine, Ukrainian football player and coach, Ukrainian parliament, Ukrainian sailor, Ukranian forces, United Kingdom, United Nations International Court of Justice, United States, United States military, UPS, US companies, US Open, Valentin Mankin, Valeri Kubasov, Venezuelan government, Virna Lisi, Vladimir Putin, warmest, Warren Clarke, wars, weather, weather extremes, well known people, West Africa, WhatsApp, Wilmington, Wimbledon Tournament, winter storm, Winter Storm Pax, world champions, world oil price plunge, world sporting events, writer, Wubbo Ockels, XXII Olympic Winter Games, Zbigniew Messner

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

Hi folks,

Last day of this year and time for my recollections of 2014’s main events.

As always this is by no means meant to be a complete coverage of all the events that happened during 2014, just a personal blog post about some of the things I remember, and a few that I had forgotten until I started to compile this list.

I hope you enjoy.

The Weather

We will start off with the weather since so many of us seem to be obsessed with it.

In the United States there were weather extremes. In California, for example, January was the warmest and driest on record in San Francisco, San Jose and Los Angeles. Only four other Januaries since 1878 had been completely dry in Los Angeles until January 2014. Alaskans experienced their third warmest January in 96 years of record, according to NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center.

In many parts of the Midwest, on the other hand, 2014 was the coldest winter since the late 1970s or early 1980s. And some southern states of the US became the victims of, firstly, winter storm Kronos which brought a rare blanket of snow as far south as Louisiana, and sleet as far south as Harlingen, Texas and Pensacola, Fla. in late January, and then, just days later, a second winter storm, Leon, hit many of the same areas causing commuter chaos in both Birmingham, Ala. and Atlanta. Leon also spread ice and sleet to the Gulf Coast, including the Florida Panhandle, and the Low country of South Carolina.
And worse was on the way. Winter Storm Pax deposited an inch or more of ice in a swath from east-central Georgia into South Carolina, including Augusta, Ga. and Aiken, S.C. Pax was the second heaviest ice storm dating to 1947 in Wilmington, N.C. The accumulation of ice from Pax claimed the famed “Eisenhower tree” at the Augusta National Golf Club. Pax marked the first time since January 1940 that Columbia, S.C. saw snowfall for three straight days.

In complete contrast, the week after Pax, Columbia, S.C. tied its all-time February high of 84 degrees. Augusta, Ga. warmed into the 80s two straight days on Feb. 19-20.
Elsewhere in the world, severe Atlantic winter storms took their toll on many parts of England which in 2014 experienced storms and rain not seen since the late 19th century.

In Tokyo, Japan, which usually averages only about 4 inches of snow each year, there were also severe snow storms. In February, snow blanketed the city with 11 inches of snow in less than a week, the heaviest snowfall in 45 years for Tokyo and in 60 years for the city of Kumagaya, northwest of Tokyo. The following weekend, parts of eastern Japan, including parts of the Tokyo metro area, received another round of snow. Some smaller communities were isolated by more than 3 feet of snow.
And in the southern hemisphere, Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology reported that more than 10 percent of Queensland and almost 15 percent of New South Wales experienced their record hottest day on Jan. 3. A second heat wave hit parts of southern Australia in mid-January, with temperatures peaking above 41 degrees Celsius (just under 106 degrees Fahrenheit) for four straight days from Jan. 14-17, and reaching a sizzling 43.9 degrees C (111 degrees F) on both Jan. 16 and 17.

Business and Technology

In the world of business and technology 2014 was the year the Obama administration decided to stop inversion deals, where US companies bought foreign domiciled businesses and moved their profit centers to a much more tax friendly location.
In technology buys, one of the largest was Facebook’s purchase of smartphone application WhatsApp for $19 Billion.

In other sectors 2014 saw world oil price plunge to around $50 per barrel, good news for consumers, not so good for producers.
Under pressure from the fall in oil and gas prices, along with the economic sanctions imposed by the west because of the ongoing situation in the Ukraine, the Russian Ruble went into free fall in December.

Also in 2014, in March, the United Nations International Court of Justice ruled that Japan’s Antarctic whaling program was not scientific but commercial and refused to grant further permits.
With Quantitative Easing having been ended in the US (for the moment anyway) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced plans for a new $29 billion fresh stimulus, including subsidies and job-creating programs, to help pull the world’s third-largest economy out of recession.

After their embarrassing foul up last Christmas, this year both FedEx and UPS managed to deliver more than 99 percent of express packages as promised on Dec. 22 and Dec. 23, according to shipment tracker ShipMatrix.
South Korean prosecutors arrested a government official who allegedly leaked information about an investigation into former Korean Air Lines executive Cho Hyun-ah, who forced a flight to return over a bag of macadamia nuts. Most of the rest of the world tends to think that the idiot executive should suffer the consequences of her stupidity, not the whistleblower.

And finally, after their embarrassing hack attack and cringe-worthy capitulation to what amounted to a terrorist cyber attack which was rightly criticized publicly by President Obama, Sony finally decided to release its movie ‘The Interview’.

Conflicts, Wars & Terrorism

Unfortunately 2014 saw many conflicts and acts of terrorism.

In April an estimated 276 girls and women were abducted and held hostage from a school in Nigeria. The following month, Boko Haram militants killed approximately 300 people in a night attack on Gamboru Ngala and terrorists in Nigeria detonated bombs at Jos, killing 118 people.

June saw the emergence of a Sunni militant group called the ‘Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant’ (also known as the ‘ISIS’ or ‘ISIL’). It began an offensive throughout northern Iraq, with the aim of eventually capturing the Iraqi capital city of Baghdad and overthrowing the Shiite government led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. The group has been responsible for beheading of hundreds of people including several from the United States.

In July and August tensions between Israel and Hamas grew following the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers in June and the revenge killing of a Palestinian teenager in July. Israel launched ‘Operation Protective Edge’ on the Palestinian Gaza Strip starting with numerous missile strikes, followed by a ground invasion a week later. In 7 weeks of fighting, 2,100 Palestinians and 71 Israelis were killed.
Also in July, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, a Boeing 777, crashed in eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 souls on board. There are conflicting claims as to who was responsible, some blaming pro Russian forces for a missile strike and others blaming Ukrainian forces.

In August and September the United States military began an air campaign in northern Iraq to stem the influx of ISIS militants and the following month the United States and several Arab partners began an airstrike campaign in Syria.

Expect more on these stories during 2015.

Departures

During 2014 we said farewell to many well know people from various walks of life. Here is just my selection of those I remember.

From Literature

Sue Townsend

British novelist and playwright (b. 1946)

P. D. James

British writer and life peer

(b. 1920)

From Movies & TV

Roger Lloyd-Pack

British actor

(b. 1944)

Maximilian Schell

Austrian-Swiss actor

(b. 1930)

Philip Seymour Hoffman

American actor

(b. 1967)

Shirley Temple

American actress and diplomat

(b. 1928)

Sid Caesar

American actor

(b. 1922)

Harold Ramis

American film director,

writer, and actor

(b. 1944)

Mickey Rooney

American actor

(b. 1920)

Bob Hoskins

British actor

(b. 1942)

Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.

American actor

(b. 1918)

Rik Mayall

British comedian,

writer and actor

(b. 1958)

Casey Kasem

American radio host

and voice actor

(b. 1932)

Eli Wallach

American actor

(b. 1915)

Elaine Stritch

American actress and singer

(b. 1925)

James Garner

American actor

(b. 1928)

Menahem Golan

Israeli filmmaker

(b. 1929)

Robin Williams

American actor and comedian

(b. 1951)

Lauren Bacall

American actress

(b. 1924)

Richard Attenborough

British actor and film director

(b. 1923)

Joan Rivers

American comedian, actress,

and television host

(b. 1933)

Richard Kiel

American actor (b. 1939)

Polly Bergen

American actress

(b. 1930)

Ken Takakura

Japanese actor

(b. 1931)

Warren Clarke

English actor

(b. 1947)

Glen A. Larson

American television producer

and writer

(b. 1937)

Virna Lisi

Italian actress

(b. 1936)

Billie Whitelaw

English actress

(b. 1932)

Luise Rainer

Golden Age actress

“The Great Ziegfeld”

(b. 1910)

From Music

Pete Seeger

American singer, songwriter,

musician, and activist

(b. 1919)

Johnny Winter

American singer and guitarist

(b. 1944)

Glenn Cornick

British bass guitarist

(b. 1947)

Jack Bruce

British rock bassist

(b. 1943)

Acker Bilk

British jazz clarinetist

(b. 1929)

Joe Cocker

English singer

(b. 1944)

From Politics

Zbigniew Messner

9th Prime Minister of the

People’s Republic of Poland

(b. 1929)

Ariel Sharon

11th Prime Minister of Israel

(b. 1928)

Tony Benn

British politician and diarist

(b. 1925)

Adolfo Suárez

138th Prime Minister of Spain

(b. 1932)

James R. Schlesinger

American economist and politician

(b. 1929)

A. N. R. Robinson

3rd President of Trinidad and Tobago

(b. 1926)

Howard Baker

American politician and diplomat

(b. 1925)

Eduard Shevardnadze

2nd President of Georgia

(b. 1928)

Albert Reynolds

Irish Taoiseach (prime minister)

(b. 1932)

Ian Paisley

British politician and

First Minister of Northern Ireland

(b. 1926)

Nicholas Romanov

Prince of Russia

(b. 1922)

Jean-Claude Duvalier

41st President of Haiti

(b. 1951)

John Spencer-Churchill

11th Duke of Marlborough,

British peer and educator

(b. 1926)

Gough Whitlam

21st Prime Minister of Australia

(b. 1916)

From Space Exploration

Valeri Kubasov

Soviet cosmonaut

(b. 1935)

Wubbo Ockels

Dutch astronaut and physicist

(b. 1946)

Henry Hartsfield

American colonel and astronaut

(b. 1933)

Anatoly Berezovoy

Soviet cosmonaut

(b. 1942)

From Sport

Eusébio

Portuguese footballer

(b. 1942)

Mae Young

American professional wrestler

(b. 1923)

Louise Brough

American tennis player

(b. 1923)

Tom Finney

English footballer

(b. 1922)

Nelson Frazier, Jr.

American professional wrestler

(b. 1971)

Jimmy Ellis

American boxer

(b. 1940)

Jack Brabham

Australian race car driver

(b. 1926)

Malcolm Glazer

American businessman,

owner of Manchester United

(b. 1928)

Valentin Mankin

Ukrainian sailor, Olympic triple champion

and silver medalist

(b. 1938)

Fernandão

Brazilian footballer and manager

(b. 1978)

Alfredo Di Stéfano

Argentine-Spanish footballer

(b. 1926)

Andriy Bal

Ukrainian football player and coach

(b. 1958)

Björn Waldegård

Swedish rally driver

(b. 1943)

Andrea de Cesaris

Italian race car driver

(b. 1959)

Health

The big health scare of 2014 that dominated the headlines was the of the Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa in February, that initially infected over 19,000 people and killing at least 7,000, the most severe both in terms of numbers of infections and casualties.

In other news, also in February, Belgium became the first country in the world to legalize euthanasia for terminally ill patients of any age.

Politics

On January 1, Latvia officially adopted the Euro as its currency and became the 18th member of the Eurozone.
In February, the Ukrainian parliament voted to remove President Viktor Yanukovych from office, replacing him with Oleksandr Turchynov, after days of civil unrest that left around 100 people dead in Kiev. The pro-Russian unrest lead to the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation and an insurgency in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

In March, Nicolás Maduro, the President of Venezuela, severed diplomatic and political ties with Panama, accusing it of being involved in a conspiracy against the Venezuelan government.
Also in March, an emergency meeting, involving the United Kingdom, the United States, Italy, Germany, France, Japan, and Canada temporarily suspended Russia from the G8.
In April, also in response to the Crimean crisis, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) passed a resolution temporarily stripping Russia of its voting rights; its rights to be represented in the Bureau of the Assembly, the PACE Presidential Committee, and the PACE Standing Committee; and its right to participate in election-observation missions.
The same month, United States President Barack Obama began new economic sanctions against Russia, targeting companies and individuals close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In May the Royal Thai Army overthrew the caretaker government of Niwatthamrong Boonsongpaisan after a failure to resolve the political unrest in Thailand.
Back in Europe, in June, King Juan Carlos I of Spain abdicated in favor of his son, who ascended the Spanish throne as King Felipe VI.
And the political year ended on a positive note, with U.S. President Barack Obama announcing the resumption of normal relations between the U.S. and Cuba after more than half a century.

Space

The major space event of 2014 happened in November when the European Space Agency’s Rosetta Philae probe successfully landed on Comet 67P, the first time in history that a spacecraft has landed on such an object.

Sport

The two major world sporting events of 2014 were the XXII Olympic Winter Games, held in Sochi, Russia in February, and the 2014 FIFA World Cup held in Brazil, and won by Germany, during June and July.

In American sport the Super Bowl was won by the Seattle Seahawks, the MLB World Series winners were the San Francisco Giants and in basketball the San Antonio Spurs came out on top.
Ice Hockey had three champions in 2014, Canada becoming Olympic champions, Russia world champions and in the NHL the Los Angeles Kings were the victors.
In tennis at the world famous Wimbledon Tournament in England Novak Djokovic became Men’s Singles Champion and Petra Kvitova Ladies Singles Champion, while the men’s and women’s winners of the US Open were Marin Čilić and Serena Williams respectively.

In Soccer, as noted above, Germany won the 2014 World Cup. The European Champions League winners were Real Madrid and the English Premiership was won by Manchester City.
The Formula 1 motor racing champion for 2014 was British driver Lewis Hamilton, who also picked up the award of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year.
In golf’s major championships, the Masters Tournament, held in April, was won by Bubba Watson by three strokes. It was his second Masters championship.
May saw the BMW PGA Championship where young Northern Ireland man Rory McIlroy birdied the 18th hole to win by one stroke over Irishman Shane Lowry, who also birdied the 18th hole.

In June, U.S. Open winner was Martin Kaymer who won by eight strokes to become the first German player to win the U.S. Open, and the first player to win the Players Championship and the U.S. Open in the same year.
In July, the Open Championship Northern Ireland man Rory McIlroy, was on top again winning by two strokes over Rickie Fowler and Sergio García. It was his third career major championship, and his first Open Championship. With the win, he became the fourth player ever of 25 years old or under to have won at least three majors.
In August, McIlroy was back, winning the PGA Championship by one stroke over Phil Mickelson. He was having quite a year, it was his fourth career major and his second PGA Championship.
Then in September, in the Ryder Cup, Team Europe (also including McIlroy) defeated Team USA by a score of 16½ – 11½. It was the third consecutive Ryder Cup victory for Europe, and also Europe’s fifth consecutive home victory in the Ryder Cup.

Tragedies

In March Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, a Boeing 777 airliner en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur, disappears over the Gulf of Thailand with 239 people on board. The aircraft is presumed to have crashed into the Indian Ocean.
In April Korean ferry MV Sewol capsized and sunk after an unmanageable cargo shift. More than 290 people were killed, mostly high school students.

In May hundreds of workers were killed in mining accident in Turkey.
In July, Air Algérie Flight 5017 crashed in Mali, killing all 116 people on board.
And just a few days ago AirAsia flight QZ8501 crashed, wreckage has been found off the coast of Indonesia’s Kalimantan coast.