It seems there is no end to the political hypocrisy that has taken over our well surveilled world.
I wrote a post a few days ago about the Belgian government wanting Skype to hand over confidential customer data. I called it ‘Taking A Swipe At Skype’ (if you want to read it click here )
In a previous post called, ‘What Is The German Word For Hypocrite?’ (if you want to read that one click here) I had a bit of rant against the hypocrisy of Germen Chancellor Angela Merkel who professed great anxiety publicly about the Americans snooping in on her phone calls while she and her intelligence agencies were in cahoots with the US to spy on other European countries.
Now a week or so later the two stories have merged with yet another piece of hypocrisy, this time by the Belgians who have announced that they are starting an official investigation into allegations that Belgium’s telecommunications networks were spied on by a consortium of German and American intelligence agencies.
In other words, it is okay for the Belgians to snoop on Skype users, but not okay when someone else wants to snoop on the Belgians.
If that’s not another good example of hypocrisy I don’t know what is.
Specifically the targets in Belgian sights are the United States National Security Agency and Germany’s Bundesnach-richtendienst (BND) and an operation that they referred to as ‘EIKONAL’.
The Belgians found out about the snooping when Austrian politician Peter Pilz blew his whistle at a press conference in Bern, Switzerland, saying that EIKONAL had targeted European telecommunications carriers for at least four years, from 2005 to 2008.
Spokesmen for the Belgian government have said that if the alleged espionage is confirmed, it would have “not only legal implications, but will also affect relations between Belgium, Germany and the US”. It also threatened to “take appropriate action” but didn’t specify what that would be – they probably don’t know yet.
Needless to say, the governments of Switzerland and the Netherlands were not amused by the revelations either and immediately launched their own investigations into this thing called ‘EIKONAL’.
It’s all turning into what they call “a right old mess”.
I think I prefer the final one the best because of its irony and the fact that it illustrates that people can sometimes delude and convince themselves into believing they saw what the really didn’t.
Anyway, here they are, so choose your own favorite, but whatever you do….
Enjoy.
.
.
The US Constitution contains many
spelling and grammatical errors.
.
.
The term ‘Lunatic’ is derived from the Latin word ‘luna’ meaning ‘moon’.
It originated from the belief that insanity is caused by changes in the moon.
.
.
Thirty-three light years away there is an
exoplanet completely covered in burning ice.
.
.
James Stephen “Steve” Fossett was an American businessman,
and a record-setting aviator, sailor, and adventurer
who, in 2002, became the first person to
fly solo nonstop around the world in a balloon.
.
.
At its peak the Roman Empire
stretched for 2.51 million square miles,
but it was only the 19th largest empire in history.
.
.
Throughout the 1800s people were buried alive so often
that coffins included mechanisms to allow those people
to ring a bell in the graveyard.
.
.
Homer and Langley Collyer, two compulsive hoarders,
were found buried beneath a collapsed pile of
the things they had stored in their house over the years.
.
.
The last time a cavalry charge was used on the battlefield
was during WWII when a Mongolian cavalry division
charged a German infantry division.
Two thousand Mongolians were killed
and not a single German died.
.
.
In ancient Egypt some servants were covered in honey
to attract flies away from the pharaoh.
(I suppose it’s better than the alternative!)
.
.
June 28, 2014 was the 100 year anniversary of the assassination
of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria,
heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne,
who was killed in Sarajevo along with his wife Duchess Sophie
by Bosnian Serb Gavrilo Princip.
This was the incident that led to the Great War,
also now known as World War I.
.
.
Although several notable people died on the toilet,
one of the most famous is probably Elvis Presley.
Doctors attributed his death to too many prescription drugs.
.
.
When pizza deliveryman Brian Wells
was stopped by the police in the middle of a bank robbery
no one believed his story that he had been forced to do it
by some people he had delivered pizza to.
He kept on pleading with the officers saying that
the necklace he was wearing was a bomb.
Unfortunately for him though,
the bomb squad didn’t show up early enough.
.
.
Almost one-seventh (840) of all the languages on Earth
are spoken in one country…
Papua New Guinea.
.
.
When it was first built,
Disney’s Tomorrowland
was supposed to represent
the far off future year of 1986.
.
.
A famous proponent of healthy eating and organic farming,
Jerome Irving Rodale died of a heart attack
while being interviewed on the Dick Cavett Show in 1971.
Some of his last words were that [he] would
“live to 100, unless [he was] run down by a a sugar-crazy taxi driver”.
Appearing fast asleep during the show, Dick Cavett joked
“Are we boring you, Mr. Rodale?”
before discovering that his 72-year-old guest had indeed died.
Holiday or not, no place to hide from the fasab weekly quiz.
Let’s see how you cope with today’s challenge.
As usual, if you get stuck, you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating!
Enjoy and good luck.
.
.
Q. 1: What does the ‘K’ in K-mart stand for?
.
.
Q. 2: Which way does a “no smoking” sign’s slash run?
.
.
Q. 3: During WWII, what popular food in the U.S. was dubbed “Liberty Steaks” to avoid a German-sounding name?
.
.
Q. 4: Do books have even # pages on the right or left side?
.
.
Q. 5: What is the name of Britain’s highest mountain?
.
.
Q. 6: The Triumph TR 6, Aston Martin DB6, Ferrari Dino and the early 1970s Ford Mustang all had which kind of tail or back?
.
.
Q. 7: Who was awarded the 1993 Nobel Peace Price along with Nelson Mandela?
.
.
Q. 8: What is the collective term for a group of tigers?
.
.
Q. 9: Who is responsible for saying “You’re Fired” in the American and British versions of The Apprentice? (A point for each correct answer.)
.
.
Q. 10: On which card in a deck is the cardmaker’s trademark?
.
.
Q. 11: This small, war torn, country’s name translated means white, its Capital is divided by the ‘green line’, Dan Brown’s ‘The Da Vinci Code’ was banned there and it hosted the 2009 Asian Winter Games. What is it?
.
.
Q. 12: What were the early occupations of the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini? (A point for each correct answer.)
.
.
Q. 13: The name of which country means ‘go and milk it’?
a) Italy b) India c) Somalia d) Brazil
.
.
Q. 14: What Nobel Prize winning writer was In Dubious Battle with The Grapes Of Wrath, East Of Eden?
.
.
Q. 15: Which President of the United States of America regularly bought slaves in Washington, D.C. and quietly freed them in Pennsylvania?
.
.
Q. 16: Towards the end of World War II, the Allied forces dropped the first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima and a second, an H-bomb, on the city of Nagasaki. If it had been necessary to drop a third nuclear device what was to be the target city?
.
.
Q. 17: What is the longest chapter in the Bible?
.
.
Q. 18: In Mel Brooks’ ‘Silent Movie,’ who is the only person who has a speaking role?
.
.
Q. 19: Who wrote ‘A Clockwork Orange’?
.
.
Q. 20: Which letter of the alphabet links Boney People?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
ANSWERS
.
Q. 1: What does the ‘K’ in K-mart stand for?
A. 1: The K stands for founder Sebastian S Kresge.
.
.
Q. 2: Which way does a “no smoking” sign’s slash run?
A. 2: Towards the bottom right.
.
.
Q. 3: During WWII, what popular food in the U.S. was dubbed “Liberty Steaks” to avoid a German-sounding name?
A. 3: Hamburgers.
.
.
Q. 4: Do books have even # pages on the right or left side?
A. 4: Left.
.
.
Q. 5: What is the name of Britain’s highest mountain?
A. 5: Ben Nevis.
.
.
Q. 6: The Triumph TR 6, Aston Martin DB6, Ferrari Dino and the early 1970s Ford Mustang all had which kind of tail or back?
A. 6: Kamm (Kamm tail, K-tail or Kammback).
.
.
Q. 7: Who was awarded the 1993 Nobel Peace Price along with Nelson Mandela?
A. 7: Former South African President Frederik Willem de Klerk.
.
.
Q. 8: What is the collective term for a group of tigers?
A. 8: An ‘Ambush’.
.
.
Q. 9: Who is responsible for saying “You’re Fired” in the American and British versions of The Apprentice? (A point for each correct answer.)
A. 9: Donald Trump in the US version and Lord Alan Sugar in the British version.
.
.
Q. 10: On which card in a deck is the cardmaker’s trademark?
A. 10: On the Ace of spades.
.
.
Q. 11: This small, war torn, country’s name translated means white, its Capital is divided by the ‘green line’, Dan Brown’s ‘The Da Vinci Code was banned there and it hosted the 2009 Asian Winter Games. What is it?
A. 11: Lebanon.
.
.
Q. 12: What were the early occupations of the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini? (A point for each correct answer.)
A. 12: He had been a teacher and journalist.
.
.
Q. 13: The name of which country means ‘go and milk it’?
a) Italy b) India c) Somalia d) Brazil
A. 13: c) Somalia.
.
.
Q. 14: What Nobel Prize winning writer was In Dubious Battle with The Grapes Of Wrath, East Of Eden?
A. 14: John Steinbeck.
.
.
Q. 15: Which President of the United States of America regularly bought slaves in Washington, D.C. and quietly freed them in Pennsylvania?
A. 15: James Buchanan.
.
.
Q. 16: Towards the end of World War II, the Allied forces dropped the first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima and a second, an H-bomb, on the city of Nagasaki. If it had been necessary to drop a third nuclear device what was to be the target city?
A. 16: Third city to be targeted was Tokyo.
.
.
Q. 17: What is the longest chapter in the Bible?
A. 17: The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119.
.
.
Q. 18: In Mel Brooks’ ‘Silent Movie,’ who is the only person who has a speaking role?
A. 18: Typical of Mel Brooks’ humor, the only person with a speaking role in ‘Silent Movie’ is the famous mime Marcel Marceau.
.
.
Q. 19: Who wrote ‘A Clockwork Orange’?
A. 19: Anthony Burgess.
.
.
Q. 20: Which letter of the alphabet links Boney People?
A. 20: The letter is ‘M’ as in ‘Boney M’ and ‘M People’.
First of all congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks who won their first Super Bowl by crushing the Denver Broncos 43-8, in a rather one-sided game yesterday.
Today it’s the super quiz and this won’t be so easy.
Yes, another random selection of questions, a lot of which will set you a challenge I think.
As usual if you get stuck the answers can be found waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating!
Enjoy and good luck.
.
.
Q. 1: Who won a best actor Oscar for his portrayal of an anthropophagus?
.
.
Q. 2: The Komodo dragon takes its name from as island in which country?
.
.
Q. 3: Which car company built the classic ‘1962 250 GT Berlinetta Boxer’ automobile?
.
.
Q. 4: Name the country from which the soup ‘Gazpacho’ originated?
.
.
Q. 5: Name the fictional detective associated with ‘Miss Felicity Lemon’?
.
.
Q. 6: In which famous movie would you find a robot called ‘Marvin’?
.
.
Q. 7: ‘Winter’, ‘Secret’, ‘Dirty’, ‘Pastry’, ‘Cola’, ‘Pig’, ‘Honey’, ‘Football’, ‘Rif’ and ‘Cod’ are all examples of what?
.
.
Q. 8: What sauce is made from the plant ‘Armorica rusticana’?
.
.
Q. 9: Which of these is a comic character who appears in three plays by Shakespeare?
a) Rifle b) Musket c) Pistol
.
.
Q. 10: Rather appropriately for this month, the following line ‘February made me shiver‘ is found in which song?
.
.
Q. 11: Contestants from which South American country have won the most Miss Universe titles?
.
.
Q. 12: Which of these actors has won the most Best Actor Oscars?
a) Tom Hanks b) Kevin Spacey c) Daniel Day Lewis d) Jeff Bridges
.
.
Q. 13: John James Audubon is famous for his paintings of what?
.
.
Q. 14: Which large sea in the south-western Pacific Ocean is named after a German?
.
.
Q. 15: ‘Monique Delacroix’ was the mother of which debonair hero?
.
.
Q. 16: What is the name and the color of Jim Henson’s most famous creation?
.
.
Q. 17: This word is the name for a magnificent palace, a variety of apple and a person or thing without equal, what is it?
.
.
Q. 18: Name the movie in which Michael Caine plays ‘Lt Gonville Bromhead’?
.
.
Q. 19: What does a woman raise and hold up in a ‘Pabana’?
.
.
Q. 20: Which very famous soothing English song uses the melody from Mozart’s ‘Ah! Vous dirai-je, Maman’?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
ANSWERS
.
Q. 1: Who won a best actor Oscar for his portrayal of an anthropophagus?
A. 1: Anthony Hopkins in ‘The Silence of the Lambs’, an anthropophagus is a cannibal.
.
.
Q. 2: The Komodo dragon takes its name from as island in which country?
A. 2: Indonesia. (Probably because of the name a lot of people guess Japan.)
.
.
Q. 3: Which car company built the classic ‘1962 250 GT Berlinetta Boxer’ automobile?
A. 3: Ferrari.
.
.
Q. 4: Name the country from which the soup ‘Gazpacho’ originated?
A. 4: Spain. (You also get a point if you said Portugal.)
.
.
Q. 5: Name the fictional detective associated with ‘Miss Felicity Lemon’?
A. 5: Hercule Poirot.
.
.
Q. 6: In which famous movie would you find a robot called ‘Marvin’?
A. 6: ‘A Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy’.
.
.
Q. 7: ‘Winter’, ‘Secret’, ‘Dirty’, ‘Pastry’, ‘Cola’, ‘Pig’, ‘Honey’, ‘Football’, ‘Rif’ and ‘Cod’ are all examples of what?
A. 7: They are all names of different wars.
.
.
Q. 8: What sauce is made from the plant ‘Armorica rusticana’?
A. 8: Horseradish.
.
.
Q. 9: Which of these is a comic character who appears in three plays by Shakespeare?
a) Rifle b) Musket c) Pistol
A. 9: c) Pistol. (Pistol (fict) is a follower of Sir John Falstaff in Henry IV, Part 2 and The Merry Wives of Windsor. He is married to Mistress Quickly, and is a soldier in conflict with Fluellen, in Henry V.)
.
.
Q. 10: Rather appropriately for this month, the following line ‘February made me shiver‘ is found in which song?
A. 10: American Pie (Don McLean).
.
.
Q. 11: Contestants from which South American country have won the most Miss Universe titles?
A. 11: Venezuela (6, in 1979, 1981, 1986, 1996, 2008 and 2009).
.
.
Q. 12: Which of these actors has won the most Best Actor Oscars?
a) Tom Hanks b) Kevin Spacey c) Daniel Day Lewis d) Jeff Bridges
A. 12: c) Daniel Day Lewis
.
.
Q. 13: John James Audubon is famous for his paintings of what?
A. 13: Birds. (An original copy of his book ‘Birds of America’ sold in London at Sotheby’s for a record £7,321,250 (approximately $11.5 million) on 6 December 2010.)
.
.
Q. 14: Which large sea in the south-western Pacific Ocean is named after a German?
A. 14: The Bismarck Sea.
.
.
Q. 15: ‘Monique Delacroix’ was the mother of which debonair hero?
A. 15: James Bond.
.
.
Q. 16: What is the name and the color of Jim Henson’s most famous creation?
A. 16: Kermit the Frog and he is green.
.
.
Q. 17: This word is the name for a magnificent palace, a variety of apple and a person or thing without equal, what is it?
A. 17: Nonsuch.
.
.
Q. 18: Name the movie in which Michael Caine plays ‘Lt Gonville Bromhead’?
A. 18: Zulu.
.
.
Q. 19: What does a woman raise and hold up in a ‘Pabana’?
A. 19: Her skirt. The Pabana (or Peacock dance) is a solemn and stately Spanish dance.
.
.
Q. 20: Which very famous soothing English song uses the melody from Mozart’s ‘Ah! Vous dirai-je, Maman’?
Yes folks, this being Christmas week we have a bumper Christmassy edition of the quiz.
All the questions have a Christmas theme and there are plenty of them this week, so this quiz should keep you going over the holidays.
As usual, if you get stuck, you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but NO cheating please!
Merry Christmas and enjoy.
.
.
Q. 1: If you were born on Christmas day, what would be your Zodiac sign?
.
.
Q. 2: In which century was Christmas first celebrated?
.
.
Q. 3: What significance is holly in celebrating Christmas?
.
.
Q. 4: In the familiar song ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’, what is the gift on the fourth day?
.
.
Q. 5: In the 1998 movie what actor whilst out Christmas shopping suddenly finds himself an “Enemy of the State”?
.
.
Q. 6: Who discovered Christmas Island in 1777?
.
.
Q. 7: Who wrote the song “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas”?
.
.
Q. 8: Plus or minus one year, how long does it take a Scotch Pine Christmas tree to reach a typical retail height of 6 to 7 feet?
.
.
Q. 9: One of the most popular floral gifts at Christmas is the Poinsetta, but what country did Poinsettias originally come from?
.
.
Q. 10: At the end of the war in Vietnam, when Saigon fell, the signal for all Americans to evacuate was what song by Bing Crosby being played on the radio?
.
.
Q. 11: What was Scrooge’s business partner called?
.
.
Q. 12: When exactly is ‘The Twelfth Night’?
.
.
Q. 13: Why was Boxing Day so named?
.
.
Q. 14: Who composed the music for the festive season ballet ‘The Nutcracker’?
.
.
Q. 15: Which Italian cake, popular at Christmas, belongs to Tony?
.
.
Q. 16: What job was first taken by James Edgar in 1890?
.
.
Q. 17: In which celebrated movie does James Stewart attempt suicide one Christmas?
.
.
Q. 18: The Bible doesn’t say when Jesus was born. Pope Julius I made this decision in which year?
a) 50 AD b) 350 AD c) 750 AD d) 1250 AD
.
.
Q. 19: Mr and Mrs Hilton had a little boy who was born on Christmas Day 1887, and went on to found of one of the world’s largest Hotel chains, but what was his first name?
.
.
Q. 20: The names of which two reindeer mean ‘Thunder’ and ‘Lightning’?
.
.
Q. 21: What is the name of the fruit sauce which is a traditional accompaniment to the Christmas Turkey?
.
.
Q. 22: The American ad writer Robert L. May invented which colorful Christmas character in 1939?
.
.
Q. 23: The German Christmas song ‘Tannebaum’ is translated into English as what?
.
.
Q. 24: What does the word ‘Bethlehem’ mean?
.
.
Q. 25: Before Pope Julius I decided that December 25th was the day Jesus was born, on which day did early Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus?
.
.
Q. 26: Coca Cola made our modern Father Christmas for an advertising campaign, but prior to that, what color robes did he wear?
.
.
Q. 27: Which ‘Christmas’ word means ‘turning of the sun’?
.
.
Q. 28: Complete the title of each of the following Christmas movies.
a) Holiday… b) We’re No… c) The Bells of… d) It’s A Wonderful…
.
.
Q. 29: What was the name of Scrooge’s clerk in a Christmas Carol?
.
.
Q. 30: Advent candles are a popular Christmas tradition in many cultures. What does the word advent mean?
.
.
Q. 31: Which nickname for Hollywood sounds Christmassy?
.
.
Q. 32: Which pudding with a misleading name was banned by English Puritans because it was deemed to be ‘sinfully rich’?
.
.
Q. 33: The Greek word for ‘Messiah’ was ‘Xristos’(Christ). What do all of these words mean translated?
.
.
Q. 34: In the movie ‘Die Hard 2’, which airport did the terrorist take over on Christmas Eve?
.
.
Q. 35: Many people claim that the first unofficial football (soccer) international between Germany and a Scotland-England side was played on a Christmas Day. The pitch or playing field was found between what?
.
.
Q. 36: In which country does an ugly old witch named ‘Bafana’ deliver presents on the 6th of December?
a) Australia b) Austria c) Italy d) Mexico
.
.
Q. 37: There are two ‘Christmas islands’, in which oceans are they located?
.
.
Q. 38: In which city is Kevin left ‘Home Alone’ at Christmas? (the first Home Alone)
.
.
Q. 39: “Good King Wenceslas looked out on the feast of Stephan”. What is the name of the country where Wenceslas was king? (Will accept either the ‘old’ or ‘modern’ name of the country.)
.
.
Q. 40: Which Christmas tradition, said to have originated in Germany, was banned in the Soviet Union until 1935?
.
Q. 41: In which country is St. Nick called ‘Sinterklaas’?
.
.
Q. 42: Which Christmas gift of the very highest quality, also known as ‘Oil of Lebanon’, comes from Oman?
.
.
Q. 43: Why was December 25th chosen as Christmas Day?
.
.
Q. 44: Who said, “You’ll want all day tomorrow, I suppose “?
.
.
Q. 45: Which popular poem did Clement Clark Moore write for his six children in 1822?
.
.
Q. 46: The following all mean ‘Merry Christmas’ in which language? (A point for each!)
a) Hyvaa joulua b) sung tan chuk ha c) froehliche weihnacten
d) mele kalikimaka e) god jul f) boas festas g) kala christouyenna
.
.
Q. 47: Superstition dictates that when making mince pies for Christmas one should always stir in which direction?
.
.
Q. 48: Which Christmas tradition did the very busy Sir Henry Cole introduce in 1843?
.
.
Q. 49: The Christmas movie ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ has been remade many times. Who won a best supporting actor Oscar for the role of Kris Kringle in the original 1947 movie and which two time Oscar winner played Kris in the 1994 remake?
.
.
Q. 50: Which song begins with “Are you hanging up your stocking on the wall”?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
ANSWERS
.
Q. 1: If you were born on Christmas day, what would be your Zodiac sign?
A. 1: Capricorn.
.
.
Q. 2: In which century was Christmas first celebrated?
A. 2: In the 4th century.
.
.
Q. 3: What significance is holly in celebrating Christmas?
A. 3: The early church banned mistletoe, so holly was substituted.
.
.
Q. 4: In the familiar song ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’, what is the gift on the fourth day?
A. 4: 4 Calling Birds.
.
.
Q. 5: In the 1998 movie what actor whilst out Christmas shopping suddenly finds himself an “Enemy of the State”?
A. 5: Will Smith
.
.
Q. 6: Who discovered Christmas Island in 1777?
A. 6: Captain Cook.
.
.
Q. 7: Who wrote the song “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas”?
A. 7: Irving Berlin.
.
.
Q. 8: Plus or minus one year, how long does it take a Scotch Pine Christmas tree to reach a typical retail height of 6 to 7 feet?
A. 8: 7 years.
.
.
Q. 9: One of the most popular floral gifts at Christmas is the Poinsetta, but what country did Poinsettias originally come from?
A. 9: Mexico.
.
.
Q. 10: At the end of the war in Vietnam, when Saigon fell, the signal for all Americans to evacuate was what song by Bing Crosby being played on the radio?
A. 10: White Christmas.
.
.
Q. 11: What was Scrooge’s business partner called?
A. 11: Jacob Marley.
.
.
Q. 12: When exactly is ‘The Twelfth Night’?
A. 12: The evening of the 5th of January.
.
.
Q. 13: Why was Boxing Day so named?
A. 13: After the custom of giving Christmas Boxes/Tips to workmen/tradesmen.
.
.
Q. 14: Who composed the music for the festive season ballet ‘The Nutcracker’?
A. 14: Tchaikovsky.
.
.
Q. 15: Which Italian cake, popular at Christmas, belongs to Tony?
A. 15: Panettone. (Anthony or Tone’s bread).
.
.
Q. 16: What job was first taken by James Edgar in 1890?
A. 16: He was the first department store Santa.
.
.
Q. 17: In which celebrated movie does James Stewart attempt suicide one Christmas?
A. 17: It’s A Wonderful Life.
.
.
Q. 18: The Bible doesn’t say when Jesus was born. Pope Julius I made this decision in which year?
a) 50 AD b) 350 AD c) 750 AD d) 1250 AD
A. 18: Answer b) 350 AD.
.
.
Q. 19: Mr and Mrs Hilton had a little boy who was born on Christmas Day 1887, and went on to found of one of the world’s largest Hotel chains, but what was his first name?
A. 19: Conrad.
.
.
Q. 20: The names of which two reindeer mean ‘Thunder’ and ‘Lightning’?
A. 20: Donner and Blitzen.
.
.
Q. 21: What is the name of the fruit sauce which is a traditional accompaniment to the Christmas Turkey?
A. 21: Cranberry.
.
.
Q. 22: The American ad writer Robert L. May invented which colorful Christmas character in 1939?
A. 22: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.
.
.
Q. 23: The German Christmas song ‘Tannebaum’ is translated into English as what?
A. 23: Christmas Tree.
.
.
Q. 24: What does the word ‘Bethlehem’ mean?
A. 24: House of meat (Arabic) or House of bread (Hebraic)
.
.
Q. 25: Before Pope Julius I decided that December 25th was the day Jesus was born, on which day did early Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus?
A. 25: The 6th of January or feast of the epiphany. (Greek for appearance or revelation).
.
.
Q. 26: Coca Cola made our modern Father Christmas for an advertising campaign, but prior to that, what color robes did he wear?
A. 26: Green. (As a sign of the returning Spring.)
.
.
Q. 27: Which ‘Christmas’ word means ‘turning of the sun’?
A. 27: Yuletide (Yule means wheel in old Norse language).
.
.
Q. 28: Complete the title of each of the following Christmas movies.
a) Holiday… b) We’re No… c) The Bells of… d) It’s A Wonderful…
A. 28: a) …Inn b) …Angels c) …St. Marys d) …Life
.
.
Q. 29: What was the name of Scrooge’s clerk in a Christmas Carol?
A. 29: Bob Cratchit.
.
.
Q. 30: Advent candles are a popular Christmas tradition in many cultures. What does the word advent mean?
A. 30: Arrival.
.
.
Q. 31: Which nickname for Hollywood sounds Christmassy?
A. 31: Tinseltown.
.
.
Q. 32: Which pudding with a misleading name was banned by English Puritans because it was deemed to be ‘sinfully rich’?
A. 32: Plum pudding. (Incidentally, there are no plums in plum pudding, just sugar, raisons, suet, flour and various spices boiled in a bag till ‘plum’)
.
.
Q. 33: The Greek word for ‘Messiah’ was ‘Xristos’(Christ). What do all of these words mean translated?
A. 33: The ‘annointed’ one.
.
.
Q. 34: In the movie ‘Die Hard 2’, which airport did the terrorist take over on Christmas Eve?
A. 34: Dulles International Airport (Washington DC).
.
.
Q. 35: Many people claim that the first unofficial football (soccer) international between Germany and a Scotland-England side was played on a Christmas Day. The pitch or playing field was found between what?
A. 35: Between the trenches in no mans land, Christmas 1914. (No match report is available but it seems the Germans won 3-2.)
.
.
Q. 36: In which country does an ugly old witch named ‘Bafana’ deliver presents on the 6th of December?
a) Australia b) Austria c) Italy d) Mexico
A. 36: Answer c) Italy.
.
.
Q. 37: There are two ‘Christmas islands’, in which oceans are they located?
A. 37: The Pacific and Indian oceans.
.
.
Q. 38: In which city is Kevin left ‘Home Alone’ at Christmas? (the first Home Alone)
A. 38: Chicago.
.
.
Q. 39: “Good King Wenceslas looked out on the feast of Stephan”. What is the name of the country where Wenceslas was king? (Will accept either the ‘old’ or ‘modern’ name of the country.)
A. 39: Bohemia, now known as the Czech Republic.
.
.
Q. 40: Which Christmas tradition, said to have originated in Germany, was banned in the Soviet Union until 1935?
A. 40: Christmas trees.
.
.
Q. 41: In which country is St. Nick called ‘Sinterklaas’?
A. 41: Holland.
.
.
Q. 42: Which Christmas gift of the very highest quality, also known as ‘Oil of Lebanon’, comes from Oman?
A. 42: Frankincense.
.
.
Q. 43: Why was December 25th chosen as Christmas Day?
A. 43: To compete with a pagan celebration.
.
.
Q. 44: Who said, “You’ll want all day tomorrow, I suppose “?
A. 44: Scrooge to Bob Cratchit in Dicken’s ‘A Christmas Carol’.
.
.
Q. 45: Which popular poem did Clement Clark Moore write for his six children in 1822?
A. 45: A visit from St. Nicholas (The night before Christmas) “It twas the night before Christmas when all through the house……”
.
.
Q. 46: The following all mean ‘Merry Christmas’ in which language? (A point for each!)
a) Hyvaa joulua b) sung tan chuk ha c) froehliche weihnacten
d) mele kalikimaka e) god jul f) boas festas g) kala christouyenna
A. 46: Answers a) Finnish b) Korean c) German d) Hawaiian e) Norwegian
f) Portugese and, g) Greek
.
.
Q. 47: Superstition dictates that when making mince pies for Christmas one should always stir in which direction?
A. 47: In a clockwise direction.
.
.
Q. 48: Which Christmas tradition did the very busy Sir Henry Cole introduce in 1843?
A. 48: The sending of Christmas wishes on mass produced Christmas cards. The first cards depicted a family toasting an absent friend with the words “Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you”.
.
.
Q. 49: The Christmas movie ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ has been remade many times. Who won a best supporting actor Oscar for the role of Kris Kringle in the original 1947 movie and which two time Oscar winner played Kris in the 1994 remake?
A. 49: Edmund Gwenn and Richard Attenborough.
.
.
Q. 50: Which song begins with “Are you hanging up your stocking on the wall”?
fasab 