You hear now and again on the media about criminal masterminds. And Hollywood is prone to making movies showing these master criminals pulling off some incredible heist or other, like the Ocean’s movie trilogy starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt.
What that says about the police whose capture rate for small time criminals is depressingly low is itself depressing.
Sometimes though, the criminals are so dumb that they catch themselves.
Such was the case recently in Dublin, Ireland when a blundering bomber attempted to place a bomb underneath a Volvo SUV belonging to a local businessman. I don’t know the reason for the attempted bombing and for the purposes of this post it doesn’t really matter.
What does matter is that the dunce planting the bomb under the vehicle was caught in his own explosion because….
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the bomb went off sooner than he expected since he had forgotten about the Daylight Saving Time change in Ireland last weekend and didn’t put his watch forward.
The injured criminal idiot was apparently seen stumbling from the scene “dripping in blood” and getting into a taxi on the junction of New Street and Clanbrassil Street in Dublin.
You can’t really make things like this up – and actually with morons like this on the lose you don’t have to.
One for the Darwin Awards if he has the decency to expire and remove himself from the gene pool.
Another month and another quiz to get it off to a challenging start.
One or two relatively easy ones today, but I think most of them you will find tough enough.
As usual, if you get stuck, you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating!
Enjoy and good luck.
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Q. 1: What is the official language of Brazil?
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Q. 2: Which wife of a politician said in 1981, ‘Woman is like a teabag: you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in the hot water’?
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Q. 3: Many expanses of water of varying sizes are designated as ‘seas’ such as the Mediterranean Sea, the Dead Sea, etc. But what is the only such sea in the world that does not have a coastline?
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Q. 4: What book was Denzel Washington protecting in the 2010 movie?
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Q. 5: What is both unusual and famous about the restaurant in Volterra, Italy called “Fortezza Medicea”?
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Q. 6: In which city is the music recording company Motown based?
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Q. 7: The official country retreat of the President of the USA, Camp David, is located in which mountains?
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Q. 8: Where did the Incas originate?
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Q. 9: What was the name of the Cuban President over thrown by Fidel Castro in 1959?
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Q. 10: Although the United States has Roswell and Area 51, and Hollywood has pushed out a unending stream of movies based on them, the government does not officially recognize the existence of UFOs. However three well known countries do formally recognize the existence of UFOs, can you name them? (A point for each and a bonus point if you can name all three.)
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Q. 11: Who was coming to dinner with Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn in 1967?
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Q. 12: Who was dubbed “Lenin’s left leg” during the early stages of Russia’s Marxist movement?
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Q. 13: In which US city was the first skyscraper built in 1883?
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Q. 14: A double question with multiple points. The US State Department currently recognizes 194 different countries in the world, but how many take up approximately half of Earth’s land area?
HINT: It is a relatively small number of the 194 total and there is a bonus point for each of them that you can name.
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Q. 15: What phrase is the unlikely link between Barbara Streisand and Bugs Bunny?
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Q. 16: What is the only state in the Middle East in which there is no desert?
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Q. 17: What former Soviet state is currently experiencing massive civil unrest and upheaval?
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Q. 18: Which river has the largest delta?
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Q. 19: Whoopie Goldberg played one in a movie and Patricia Arquette played another in a television series, what were they? (And bonus points if you can name the movie and the tv series.)
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Q. 20: Which movie other than ‘The Bodyguard’ featured the song “I Will Always Love You”?
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ANSWERS
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Q. 1: What is the official language of Brazil?
A. 1: Portuguese.
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Q. 2: Which wife of a politician said in 1981, ‘Woman is like a teabag: you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in the hot water’?
A. 2: Nancy Reagan.
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Q. 3: Many expanses of water of varying sizes are designated as ‘seas’ such as the Mediterranean Sea, the Dead Sea, etc. But what is the only such sea in the world that does not have a coastline?
A. 3: The Sargasso Sea in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean is surrounded by ocean currents and no land and therefore has no coast.
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Q. 4: What book was Denzel Washington protecting in the 2010 movie?
A. 4: The Book Of Eli. You also get a point if you said The Bible.
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Q. 5: What is both unusual and famous about the restaurant in Volterra, Italy called “Fortezza Medicea”?
A. 5: “Fortezza Medicea” is a maximum security prison – the cooks and waiters are all doing sentences of at least seven years.
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Q. 6: In which city is the music recording company Motown based?
A. 6: Detroit.
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Q. 7: The official country retreat of the President of the USA, Camp David is in which mountains?
A. 7: Appalachians.
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Q. 8: Where did the Incas originate?
A. 8: Peru.
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Q. 9: What was the name of the Cuban President over thrown by Fidel Castro in 1959?
A. 9: General Batista.
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Q. 10: Although the United States has Roswell and Area 51, and Hollywood has pushed out a unending stream of movies based on them, the government does not officially recognize the existence of UFOs. However three well known countries do formally recognize the existence of UFOs, can you name them? (A point for each and a bonus point if you can name all three.)
A. 10: France, Italy and Chile have all formally recognized the existence of UFOs.
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Q. 11: Who was coming to dinner with Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn in 1967?
A. 11: Sidney Poitier.
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Q. 12: Who was dubbed “Lenin’s left leg” during the early stages of Russia’s Marxist movement?
A. 12: Joseph Stalin.
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Q. 13: In which US city was the first skyscraper built in 1883?
A. 13: Chicago.
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Q. 14: A double question with multiple points. The US State Department currently recognizes 194 different countries in the world, but how many take up approximately half of Earth’s land area?
HINT: It is a relatively small number of the 194 total and there is a bonus point for each of them that you can name.
A. 14: Seven countries take half of the Earth’s land area and they are Russia, Canada, USA, China, Australia, Brazil and Argentina.
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Q. 15: What phrase is the unlikely link between Barbara Streisand and Bugs Bunny?
A. 15: “What’s up, Doc?” is Bugs’ catchphrase and the name of a 1972 comedy/romance movie starring Barbara Streisand and Ryan O’Neill.
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Q. 16: What is the only state in the Middle East in which there is no desert?
A. 16: Lebanon.
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Q. 17: What former Soviet state is currently experiencing massive civil unrest and upheaval?
A. 17: The Ukraine.
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Q. 18: Which river has the largest delta?
A. 18: The River Ganges.
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Q. 19: Whoopie Goldberg played one in a movie and Patricia Arquette played another in a television series, what were they? (And bonus points if you can name the movie and the tv series.)
A. 19: They played ‘mediums’, Whoopie Goldberg in the movie ‘Ghost’ and Patricia Arquette in the hit tv series ‘Medium’.
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Q. 20: Which movie other than ‘The Bodyguard’ featured the song “I Will Always Love You”?
A. 20: ‘The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas’, a movie starring Dolly Parton who wrote the song.
Hi, and welcome to another week and to start it off, another quiz.
The usual selection of random questions to test your knowledge.
And, as usual, if you get stuck you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please, NO cheating!
Enjoy and good luck.
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Q. 1: This one is the name of a famous city and also the man who ran away with Helen?
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Q. 2: What is the highest mountain in Africa?
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Q. 3: On which river does the city of Vienna stand?
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Q. 4: Who was the Empress of India in 1876?
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Q. 5: In which South American country did the ‘bossa nova’ originate?
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Q. 6: The so-called “Pastry war” of 1838 was fought between which two nations?
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Q. 7: Which capital city features in the name of a movie starring Sabu and based on the Arabian Nights?
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Q. 8: What started in a bakery in Pudding Lane in 1666?
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Q. 9: To which country does the island of Madeira belong?
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Q. 10: It’s almost time for the Hollywood Academy Awards again, but who won the Academy Award for best actress two years in a row in 1967 and 1968? (Bonus points if you can also name the movies.)
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Q. 11: How old was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart when he died in 1791?
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Q. 12: What U.S. President committed an unpardonable sin by kissing Britain’s Queen Mother on the lips?
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Q. 13: On which small island did the USA first test their H bomb in 1954?
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Q. 14: Most people have heard of the phrase “Crossing the Rubicon” meaning to pass a point of no return, but who was the source of the phrase when he crossed the Rubicon and who was his opponent? (A point for each.)
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Q. 15: What make of car did Lenin and Stalin have one of that Brezhnev had three of?
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Q. 16: Which country seceded from Colombia in 1903?
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Q. 17: Which famous movie title is the Mexican name for the river known in the USA as ‘Rio Grande’?
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Q. 18: in 1984 who were Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis?
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Q. 19: What mythological creature did Britain’s King George V have tattooed on his right arm?
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Q. 20: Versions of this popular song have been recorded by Julie Covington, Madonna, Sarah Brighman, Elaine Paige, Sinead O’Connor, Susan Erens and The Carpenters, among others, what is it?
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ANSWERS
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Q. 1: This one is the name of a famous city and also the man who ran away with Helen?
A. 1: Paris.
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Q. 2: What is the highest mountain in Africa?
A. 2: Mt. Kilimanjaro.
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Q. 3: On which river does the city of Vienna stand?
A. 3: The River Danube.
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Q. 4: Who was the Empress of India in 1876?
A. 4: Britain’s Queen Victoria.
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Q. 5: In which South American country did the ‘bossa nova’ originate?
A. 5: Brazil.
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Q. 6: The so-called “Pastry war” of 1838 was fought between which two nations?
A. 6: Mexico and France.
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Q. 7: Which capital city features in the name of a movie starring Sabu and based on the Arabian Nights?
A. 7: Baghdad, the name of the movie is “The Thief of Baghdad”.
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Q. 8: What started in a bakery in Pudding Lane in 1666?
A. 8: The great fire of London.
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Q. 9: To which country does the island of Madeira belong?
A. 9: Portugal.
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Q. 10: It’s almost time for the Hollywood Academy Awards again, but who won the Academy Award for best actress two years in a row in 1967 and 1968? (Bonus points if you can also name the movies.)
A. 10: Katharine Hepburn, in 1967 for ‘Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner’ and in 1968 for ‘The Lion In Winter’.
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Q. 11: How old was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart when he died in 1791?
A. 11: Only 35 years old.
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Q. 12: What U.S. President committed an unpardonable sin by kissing Britain’s Queen Mother on the lips?
A. 12: President Jimmy Carter.
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Q. 13: On which small island did the USA first test their H bomb in 1954?
A. 13: Bikini.
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Q. 14: Most people have heard of the phrase “Crossing the Rubicon” meaning to pass a point of no return, but who was the source of the phrase when he crossed the Rubicon and who was his opponent? (A point for each.)
A. 14: The phrase originated when Julius Caesar crossed the River Rubicon to fight Pompey.
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Q. 15: What make of car did Lenin and Stalin have one of that Brezhnev had three of?
A. 15: Rolls Royce.
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Q. 16: Which country seceded from Colombia in 1903?
A. 16: Panama.
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Q. 17: Which famous movie title is the Mexican name for the river known in the USA as ‘Rio Grande’?
A. 17: Rio Bravo
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Q. 18: in 1984 who were Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis?
A. 18: They were the ‘Ghostbusters’, a group of misfit parapsychologists Peter Venkman (Bill Murray), Raymond Stantz (Dan Aykroyd), and Egon Spengler (Harold Ramis).
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Q. 19: What mythological creature did Britain’s King George V have tattooed on his right arm?
A. 19: A Dragon.
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Q. 20: Versions of this popular song have been recorded by Julie Covington, Madonna, Sarah Brighman, Elaine Paige, Sinead O’Connor, Susan Erens and The Carpenters, among others, what is it?
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.
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Q. 1: If you were born on Christmas day, what would be your Zodiac sign?
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Q. 2: In which century was Christmas first celebrated?
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Q. 3: What significance is holly in celebrating Christmas?
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Q. 4: In the familiar song ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’, what is the gift on the fourth day?
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Q. 5: In the 1998 movie what actor whilst out Christmas shopping suddenly finds himself an “Enemy of the State”?
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Q. 6: Who discovered Christmas Island in 1777?
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Q. 7: Who wrote the song “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas”?
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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?
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Q. 9: One of the most popular floral gifts at Christmas is the Poinsetta, but what country did Poinsettias originally come from?
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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?
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Q. 11: What was Scrooge’s business partner called?
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Q. 12: When exactly is ‘The Twelfth Night’?
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Q. 13: Why was Boxing Day so named?
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Q. 14: Who composed the music for the festive season ballet ‘The Nutcracker’?
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Q. 15: Which Italian cake, popular at Christmas, belongs to Tony?
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Q. 16: What job was first taken by James Edgar in 1890?
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Q. 17: In which celebrated movie does James Stewart attempt suicide one Christmas?
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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
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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?
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Q. 20: The names of which two reindeer mean ‘Thunder’ and ‘Lightning’?
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Q. 21: What is the name of the fruit sauce which is a traditional accompaniment to the Christmas Turkey?
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Q. 22: The American ad writer Robert L. May invented which colorful Christmas character in 1939?
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Q. 23: The German Christmas song ‘Tannebaum’ is translated into English as what?
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Q. 24: What does the word ‘Bethlehem’ mean?
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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?
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Q. 26: Coca Cola made our modern Father Christmas for an advertising campaign, but prior to that, what color robes did he wear?
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Q. 27: Which ‘Christmas’ word means ‘turning of the sun’?
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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…
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Q. 29: What was the name of Scrooge’s clerk in a Christmas Carol?
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Q. 30: Advent candles are a popular Christmas tradition in many cultures. What does the word advent mean?
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Q. 31: Which nickname for Hollywood sounds Christmassy?
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Q. 32: Which pudding with a misleading name was banned by English Puritans because it was deemed to be ‘sinfully rich’?
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Q. 33: The Greek word for ‘Messiah’ was ‘Xristos’(Christ). What do all of these words mean translated?
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Q. 34: In the movie ‘Die Hard 2’, which airport did the terrorist take over on Christmas Eve?
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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?
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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
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Q. 37: There are two ‘Christmas islands’, in which oceans are they located?
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Q. 38: In which city is Kevin left ‘Home Alone’ at Christmas? (the first Home Alone)
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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.)
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Q. 40: Which Christmas tradition, said to have originated in Germany, was banned in the Soviet Union until 1935?
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Q. 41: In which country is St. Nick called ‘Sinterklaas’?
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Q. 42: Which Christmas gift of the very highest quality, also known as ‘Oil of Lebanon’, comes from Oman?
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Q. 43: Why was December 25th chosen as Christmas Day?
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Q. 44: Who said, “You’ll want all day tomorrow, I suppose “?
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Q. 45: Which popular poem did Clement Clark Moore write for his six children in 1822?
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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
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Q. 47: Superstition dictates that when making mince pies for Christmas one should always stir in which direction?
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Q. 48: Which Christmas tradition did the very busy Sir Henry Cole introduce in 1843?
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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?
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Q. 50: Which song begins with “Are you hanging up your stocking on the wall”?
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ANSWERS
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Q. 1: If you were born on Christmas day, what would be your Zodiac sign?
A. 1: Capricorn.
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Q. 2: In which century was Christmas first celebrated?
A. 2: In the 4th century.
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Q. 3: What significance is holly in celebrating Christmas?
A. 3: The early church banned mistletoe, so holly was substituted.
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Q. 4: In the familiar song ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’, what is the gift on the fourth day?
A. 4: 4 Calling Birds.
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Q. 5: In the 1998 movie what actor whilst out Christmas shopping suddenly finds himself an “Enemy of the State”?
A. 5: Will Smith
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Q. 6: Who discovered Christmas Island in 1777?
A. 6: Captain Cook.
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Q. 7: Who wrote the song “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas”?
A. 7: Irving Berlin.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Q. 11: What was Scrooge’s business partner called?
A. 11: Jacob Marley.
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Q. 12: When exactly is ‘The Twelfth Night’?
A. 12: The evening of the 5th of January.
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Q. 13: Why was Boxing Day so named?
A. 13: After the custom of giving Christmas Boxes/Tips to workmen/tradesmen.
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Q. 14: Who composed the music for the festive season ballet ‘The Nutcracker’?
A. 14: Tchaikovsky.
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Q. 15: Which Italian cake, popular at Christmas, belongs to Tony?
A. 15: Panettone. (Anthony or Tone’s bread).
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Q. 16: What job was first taken by James Edgar in 1890?
A. 16: He was the first department store Santa.
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Q. 17: In which celebrated movie does James Stewart attempt suicide one Christmas?
A. 17: It’s A Wonderful Life.
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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.
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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.
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Q. 20: The names of which two reindeer mean ‘Thunder’ and ‘Lightning’?
A. 20: Donner and Blitzen.
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Q. 21: What is the name of the fruit sauce which is a traditional accompaniment to the Christmas Turkey?
A. 21: Cranberry.
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Q. 22: The American ad writer Robert L. May invented which colorful Christmas character in 1939?
A. 22: Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.
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Q. 23: The German Christmas song ‘Tannebaum’ is translated into English as what?
A. 23: Christmas Tree.
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Q. 24: What does the word ‘Bethlehem’ mean?
A. 24: House of meat (Arabic) or House of bread (Hebraic)
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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).
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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.)
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Q. 27: Which ‘Christmas’ word means ‘turning of the sun’?
A. 27: Yuletide (Yule means wheel in old Norse language).
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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
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Q. 29: What was the name of Scrooge’s clerk in a Christmas Carol?
A. 29: Bob Cratchit.
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Q. 30: Advent candles are a popular Christmas tradition in many cultures. What does the word advent mean?
A. 30: Arrival.
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Q. 31: Which nickname for Hollywood sounds Christmassy?
A. 31: Tinseltown.
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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’)
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Q. 33: The Greek word for ‘Messiah’ was ‘Xristos’(Christ). What do all of these words mean translated?
A. 33: The ‘annointed’ one.
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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).
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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.)
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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.
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Q. 37: There are two ‘Christmas islands’, in which oceans are they located?
A. 37: The Pacific and Indian oceans.
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Q. 38: In which city is Kevin left ‘Home Alone’ at Christmas? (the first Home Alone)
A. 38: Chicago.
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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.
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Q. 40: Which Christmas tradition, said to have originated in Germany, was banned in the Soviet Union until 1935?
A. 40: Christmas trees.
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Q. 41: In which country is St. Nick called ‘Sinterklaas’?
A. 41: Holland.
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Q. 42: Which Christmas gift of the very highest quality, also known as ‘Oil of Lebanon’, comes from Oman?
A. 42: Frankincense.
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Q. 43: Why was December 25th chosen as Christmas Day?
A. 43: To compete with a pagan celebration.
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Q. 44: Who said, “You’ll want all day tomorrow, I suppose “?
A. 44: Scrooge to Bob Cratchit in Dicken’s ‘A Christmas Carol’.
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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……”
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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
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Q. 47: Superstition dictates that when making mince pies for Christmas one should always stir in which direction?
A. 47: In a clockwise direction.
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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”.
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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.
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Q. 50: Which song begins with “Are you hanging up your stocking on the wall”?
Another twenty random questions, with the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below.
But please, NO cheating!
Good luck and enjoy.
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Q. 1: Which epic Hollywood film was the most expensive movie made during the 1960s?
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Q. 2: Polynesia means ‘many islands’. What does Melanesia mean?
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Q. 3: Which Beatles song title is mentioned in Don McLean’s hit song ‘American Pie’?
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Q. 4: Which female tennis player won a record 62 Grand Slam titles?
a) Billie Jean King
b) Steffi Graf
c) Martina Navratilova
d) Margaret Smith Court
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Q. 5: What was unusual about the Roman Senator Incitatus?
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Q. 6: What two countries signed the so called ‘Pact of Steel’ on May 22, 1939?
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Q. 7: Who travels from Spain to the Netherlands by steamboat in late November?
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Q. 8: In what prison drama movie, based on a Steven King book, does Morgan Freeman play a starring role?
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Q. 9: The scientific name for which animal is ‘Ursus arctos horribilis’?
a) Grizzly bear
b) Great White shark
c) Grey wolf
d) Killer whale
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Q. 10: What was the name of the German engineer who invented the first rotary engine?
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Q. 11: Formerly called ‘Tsaritsyn’ and then ‘Stalingrad’, what is it called today?
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Q. 12: Lutz, Axel and Camel are terms associated with what sport?
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Q. 13: What is the name for a treat with currants squashed between two thin, oblong biscuits/cookies?
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Q. 14: Name the French cartoon skunk that is madly in love with a reluctant cat?
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Q. 15: What is an ice hockey puck made from?
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Q. 16: On the Voyager 1 spacecraft there is a golden record with greetings in different languages and a collection of various Earth sounds. There is also a 90 minute recording of music from many cultures. Which two composers appear the most on this record?
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Q. 17: The name of which popular US band from the 1970s is an aboriginal expression used to describe an extremely cold evening?
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Q. 18: Which four of the following seven Grand Slam winners were leftys?
a) Rod Laver
b) Jimmy Connors
c) Bjorn Borg
d) John McEnroe
e) Martina Navratilova
f) Boris Becker
g) Pancho Gonzales
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Q. 19: What is the name for a Google search query consisting of exactly two words (actual words found in a dictionary) without quotation marks, that returns exactly one hit?
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Q. 20: Which catchy hit song beginning with the words “Once upon a time there was a tavern” is an English version of a melancholic Russian gypsy song?
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ANSWERS
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Q. 1: Which epic Hollywood film was the most expensive movie made during the 1960s?
A. 1: Cleopatra
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Q. 2: Polynesia means ‘many islands’. What does Melanesia mean?
A. 2: Black islands
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Q. 3: Which Beatles song title is mentioned in Don McLean’s hit song ‘American Pie’?
A. 3: Helter Skelter (“Helter Skelter in the summer swelter”)
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Q. 4: Which female tennis player won a record 62 Grand Slam titles?
a) Billie Jean King
b) Steffi Graf
c) Martina Navratilova
d) Margaret Smith Court
A. 4: d) Margaret Smith Court
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Q. 5: What was unusual about the Roman Senator Incitatus?
A. 5: Incitatus was a horse.
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Q. 6: What two countries signed the so called ‘Pact of Steel’ on May 22, 1939?
A. 6: Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.
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Q. 7: Who travels from Spain to the Netherlands by steamboat in late November?
A. 7: Sinterklaas / Santa Claus / St. Nicholas
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Q. 8: In what prison drama movie, based on a Steven King book, does Morgan Freeman play a starring role?
A. 8: The Shawshank Redemption
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Q. 9: The scientific name for which animal is ‘Ursus arctos horribilis’?
a) Grizzly bear
b) Great White shark
c) Grey wolf
d) Killer whale
A. 9: a) Grizzly bear
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Q. 10: What was the name of the German engineer who invented the first rotary engine?
A. 10: Wankel (the Wankel Rotary engine)
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Q. 11: Formerly called Tsaritsyn and then Stalingrad, what is it called today?
A. 11: Volgograd
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Q. 12: Lutz, Axel and Camel are terms associated with what sport?
A. 12: Figure skating
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Q. 13: What is the name for a treat with currants squashed between two thin, oblong biscuits/cookies?
A. 13: Garibaldi
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Q. 14: Name the French cartoon skunk that is madly in love with a reluctant cat?
A. 14: Pepe le Pew
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Q. 15: What is an ice hockey puck made from?
A. 15: Rubber
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Q. 16: On the Voyager 1 spacecraft there is a golden record with greetings in different languages and a collection of various Earth sounds. There is also a 90 minute recording of music from many cultures. Which two composers appear the most on this record?
A. 16: Bach and Beethoven
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Q. 17: The name of which popular US band from the 1970s is an aboriginal expression used to describe an extremely cold evening?
A. 17: Three Dog Night.
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Q. 18: Which four of the following seven Grand Slam winners were leftys?
a) Rod Laver
b) Jimmy Connors
c) Bjorn Borg
d) John McEnroe
e) Martina Navratilova
f) Boris Becker
g) Pancho Gonzales
A. 18: a) Rod Laver
b) Jimmy Connors
d) John McEnroe
e) Martina Navratilova
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Q. 19: What is the name for a Google search query consisting of exactly two words (actual words found in a dictionary) without quotation marks, that returns exactly one hit?
A. 19: A ‘Googlewhack’. Published googlewhacks are short-lived, since when published to a web site, the new number of hits will become at least two, one to the original hit found, and one to the publishing site.
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Q. 20: Which catchy hit song beginning with the words “Once upon a time there was a tavern” is an English version of a melancholic Russian gypsy song?
I remember on this day last year starting out with great intentions of doing a Star Wars based post in tribute the day that has become known to many as ‘Star Wars Day’ because of the pun on the memorable phrase coined in the movie series “May the force be with you”.
Unfortunately I failed miserably last year because the post ended up as one about a guy who had built himself a really cool looking laser gun based on the phasers from Star Trek, not Star Wars. (Here’s the link if you missed it – click here)
So time to make amends.
Taken together the Star Wars series of movies has to be one of the most watched and highest grossing ever in the history of the cinema, if not THE greatest. The original 1977 movie itself has been estimated to have taken $2,710,800,000 in today’s inflation adjusted terms.
On top of that it has spawned a plethora of merchandising material from t-shirts to robots to gadgets to almost everything that could be seen in the movies themselves, and then some!
Top of everyone’s list has to be a lightsabre – I have never met anyone who has seen Star Wars who didn’t want to be the proud owner of a light sabre, including me.
From the first time you saw the flash of light and heard that ‘hummm’, way back in 1977, in Obi-Wan Kenobi’s bungalow, even though you didn’t really know what it was, you still knew you wanted one – needed one!
Well for a bit north of $100 now you can own one, the Star Wars Force FX Lightsaber! It has the light, it has the sound, and it looks the part – well almost.
From the sublime, however, we also have the ridiculous.
Somewhere out there is that great Universe you just know that at least one moron has subjected their poor dog to the indignity of a Star Wars suit. Poor mutt, even the look on its face says it all.
And there are lots of other stuff in between, including these
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Finally, an interesting little piece of trivia that would just as easily have taken its place in one of my ‘Did you know factoids’.
Star Wars fans were not the first to introduce the line “May the fourth be with you”. When the recently deceased Margaret Thatcher was elected Britain’s first female Prime Minister on May 4, 1979, her party placed an advertisement in The London Evening News that said “May the Fourth Be with You, Maggie. Congratulations.” This reading of the line has also been recorded in the UK Parliament’s Hansard.
When I was putting together yesterday’s post about crooks who had either been smart enough to get away with it or police who had been too dumb to catch them, the name Danny Ocean cropped up in relation to a heist in Belgium.
That put me in mind of the very popular movie remake of Ocean’s Eleven starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, et al.
Ocean’s Eleven
The Clooney version of Ocean’s Eleven was a good piece of work. (We’ll not talk so much about the sequels!) Without spoiling the whole thing for those who haven’t yet seen the movie, basically the plot is to simultaneously steal $150 million from the Bellagio, Mirage and MGM Grand casinos in Las Vegas, all belonging to ruthless entrepreneur Terry Benedict (Andy Garcia). The money is being held in a state-of-the-art safe seventy yards underneath the Las Vegas Strip, with loads of hi-tech surveillance, laser beams, motion detectors and alarm systems to protect it.
Clooney/Ocean puts together a team of experienced professionals, proficient in skills from magic, pickpocteting, pyrotechnics, a card sharp, an electronics and surveillance expert and even a Chinese acrobat!
The movie is full of special effects and great looking sets with hosts of electronic gadgets that are there to prevent people stealing the casino’s money, and loads of other gadgets that Ocean and his crew have assembled to defeat the former.
Even getting into the surveillance and restricted areas of the casinos is a huge problem that takes sophisticated planning and equipment and well worked plot lines.
casino security
But that’s Hollywood.
This blog is about reality.
I have spent quite a bit of time in Vegas, mostly on business but I enjoy playing in the casinos too.I even ended up in Federal Court there on one occasion, but that’s a story for another day. Suffice to say here that I like the place and the buzz that it has. Perhaps living there all the time would get to you, but for a visit I highly recommend it (take some money with you though!).
It just so happened that I was in Las Vegas about the time the Ocean’s Eleven movie was doing the rounds, probably 2002. One evening I found myself standing outside the Bellagio watching the fountain show (a great spectacle, see video) and of course my thoughts turned to the movie and all that had transpired. In my mind’s eye I could see Danny Ocean and the others in this very same place. It was a pleasant evening.
Me, Danny and the crew outside the Bellagio
Within a couple of days of that, however, I discovered that my cell phone was missing. Had I mislaid it, had I dropped it, had it fallen out of my pocket in a restaurant or taxi, or had I had my pocket picked by one of Danny Ocean’s men? I thought the possibility of the latter was highly unlikely so I put it down to my own carelessness.
I was staying in one of the casino hotels, I won’t say which one, because I am sure things have changed a lot in the intervening ten years. But after checking my room for the phone I decided the next best thing to do was to ask the security guys in the hotel in the unlikely event that someone had found it and handed it in. It wasn’t an expensive phone, so I wasn’t too bothered, but one feels obliged to go through the motions when something like that happens.
So I made my way down to the casino on the ground floor and found one of the security guys. He pointed me in the direction of what I presumed was his superior and he in turn pointed me towards a rather non-descript single door on the other side of the casino floor.
After a long walk, circumnavigating numerous roulette and blackjack tables, I got to the door and pressed a buzzer on the intercom affair. To my surprise no one answered, but the door simply clicked open. I wasn’t sure what I should do, but always ready for an adventure I opened the door and went inside.
Man, talk about a disappointment. My crest was fallen on several levels!
Rather than being pleased with myself at the ease with which I had been able to dismantle the multi-million dollar security, I was actually disappointed that it hadn’t been a lot more difficult. I can talk my way (or blag, some people have said) into most places if I choose to do so, and I had been rehearsing various things that I was going to say when questioned. But here I was right in the heart of the casino surveillance system and no one had even spoken to me let alone challenge why I was there.
I was disappointed also by what I saw. Sure there were loads of cctv screens all showing different parts of the casino, different gambling tables and all that sort of thing. And a few obligatory computers. But it wasn’t like the movies. The equipment was clearly not new and the décor left a lot to be desired too, not quite tatty but showing a few years of wear and tear.
I wandered around for a minute or so taking it all in. If Ocean had picked me for his crew I would have had everyone tied up and the place taken over by now, I thought. But then the movie would have been about fifteen minutes long and very little tension and excitement (and box office takings) would have been generated.
Then one of the security guys detected my presence. He didn’t speak, just gave me one of those “Where the f*** did you come from?” looks.
I too was silent, I knew what he wasn’t saying, so I put my right hand inside my jacket and went for my silenced 9mm Walther PPK in its concealed shoulder holster. Well, no, not quite. I just retrieved my room keycard and ID which I thought might be required when everyone came to their senses.
It was. And I explained why I was there and who had sent me. After their initial surprise the guys in the security room were very friendly, but no phone had been handed in and they didn’t hold out much hope of me ever seeing it again, so after a bit of conversation I bid them farewell. I think it took longer to get me buzzed out than buzzed in, but hey that’s life.
Later that evening I again found myself leaning up against the front wall at the Bellagio watching the fountains. But this time Danny and the crew weren’t there, not even in my head. After what had happened earlier, it just wasn’t the same. It hasn’t been ever since!
Just me this time
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Ocean’s eleven trailer
End sequence
Video taken from Paris Casino’s Eiffel Tower Observation Point, on March 11,2007
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