May The 4th Quiz Be With You.

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

.

I don’t know what it is, but I can’t resist using that “May The Force Be With You” thing on this date. Sorry, but you’ll probably see another version of it next year if we’re all still around in the blogshpere.

But to get on with today’s real business, I do have another quiz for you.

The usual random selection and also as usual you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating.

Enjoy and good luck.

.

quiz01

.

Q.  1:  What word links vacations to the phonetic alphabet?

.

.

Q.  2:  What is the collective noun for a group of owls?

.

.

Q.  3:  ‘PL’ is the international car registration for which country?

.

.

Q.  4:  What city is also known as the ‘City of 72 Nations’ ?

.

.

Q.  5:  What is the highest score that can be awarded by a figure-skating judge?

            a) 2            b) 4            c) 6            d) 8            e) 10

.

.

Q.  6:  For what operation on the brain was Antonio de Egas Moniz of Portugal awarded the Nobel prize for medicine in 1949?

.

.

Q.  7:  Who was prime minster of China under Chairman Mao?

.

.

Q.  8:  Which literary characters set out on a journey from the Tabard Inn, Southwark?

.

.

Q.  9:  What is the brightest star in the night sky?

.

.

Q. 10:  Spain has many famous ‘costas’. A point for each one of the following you can name correctly the four below and a bonus point if you get them all.

 

Costa   _  _  _  _  _  _

Costa   _  _  _  _  _

Costa   _  _  _  _  _  _

Costa   _  _  _      _  _  _

.

.

Q. 11:  What name links the writers Kipling, Conrad and Heller?

.

.

Q. 12:  As well as being a girl’s best friend Diamonds are a form of which chemical element?

.

.

Q. 13:  What is the difference in paddles between canoeing and kayaking?

.

.

Q. 14:  In which country is Liberation of Saigon Day on April 30 a public holiday?

.

.

Q. 15:  What is created when the loop of a meander of a river is cut off and the river diverted on a different course?

.

.

Q. 16:  The number of voting representatives in the House of Representatives was fixed by law in 1911 at what number?

.

.

Q. 17:  What color is a Welsh poppy?

             a)  Blue            b) Yellow            c) Red            d) White

.

.

Q. 18:  How many valves does a trumpet have?

.

.

Q. 19:  Which is the only American state to begin with the letter ‘P’ ?

.

.

Q. 20:  Which band were Living Next Door to Alice in 1976?

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

ANSWERS

.

Q.  1:  What word links vacations to the phonetic alphabet?

A.  1:  Hotel.

.

.

Q.  2:  What is the collective noun for a group of owls?

A.  2:  A parliament.

.

.

Q.  3:  ‘PL’ is the international car registration for which country?

A.  3:  Poland.

.

.

Q. 4: What city is also known as the ‘City of 72 Nations’ ?

A.  4:  Tehran.

.

.

Q.  5:  What is the highest score that can be awarded by a figure-skating judge?

            a) 2            b) 4            c) 6            d) 8            e) 10

A.  5:  The correct answer is c) 6.

.

.

Q.  6:  For what operation on the brain was Antonio de Egas Moniz of Portugal awarded the Nobel prize for medicine in 1949?

A.  6:  Prefrontal lobotomy.

.

.

Q.  7:  Who was prime minster of China under Chairman Mao?

A.  7:  Chou En-Lai (or Zhou Enlai).

.

.

Q.  8:  Which literary characters set out on a journey from the Tabard Inn, Southwark?

A.  8:  The pilgrims in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.

.

.

Q.  9:  What is the brightest star in the night sky?

A.  9:  Sirius (The Dog Star).

.

.

Q. 10:  Spain has many famous ‘costas’. A point for each one of the following you can name correctly the four below and a bonus point if you get them all.

Costa  _  _  _  _  _  _

Costa  _  _  _  _  _

Costa  _  _  _  _  _  _

Costa  _  _  _    _  _  _

A. 10:  The correct answers are Costa BLANCA, Costa BRAVA, Costa DORADA, and the Costa DEL SOL

.

.

Q. 11:  What name links the writers Kipling, Conrad and Heller?

A. 11:  The answer is ‘Joseph’. Joseph Conrad, Joseph Heller and although he was much better known as Rudyard Kipling his first name was also Joseph.

.

.

Q. 12:  As well as being a girl’s best friend Diamonds are a form of which chemical element?

A. 12:  Carbon.

.

.

Q. 13:  What is the difference in paddles between canoeing and kayaking?

A. 13:  Canoe paddles have a single face and Kayak paddles a double face.

.

.

Q. 14:  In which country is Liberation of Saigon Day on April 30 a public holiday?

A. 14:  Vietnam.

.

.

Q. 15:  What is created when the loop of a meander of a river is cut off and the river diverted on a different course?

A. 15:  Oxbow Lake.

.

.

Q. 16:  The number of voting representatives in the House of Representatives was fixed by law in 1911 at what number?

A. 16:  The number of voting representatives in the House of Representatives was fixed by law in 1911 at no more than 435, proportionally representing the population of the 50 states.

.

.

Q. 17:  What color is a Welsh poppy?

             a)  Blue            b) Yellow            c) Red            d) White

A. 17:  The correct answer is b) Yellow.

.

.

Q. 18:  How many valves does a trumpet have?

A. 18:  A trumpet has 3 valves.

.

.

Q. 19:  Which is the only American state to begin with the letter ‘p’?

A. 19:  Pennsylvania.

.

.

Q. 20:  Which band were Living Next Door to Alice in 1976?

A. 20:  Smokie.

.

.

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

.

Chocolate And Burnt Wine Are On The Fact Menu Today.

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

.

Yes chocolate and ‘burnt wine’ are just two of the delicious facts on today’s menu.

So time to tuck in and….

Enjoy.

.

facts 04

.

About 40 percent of almonds

and 20 percent of peanuts

produced in the world are

made for chocolate products.

chocolate covered almonds

.

.

The word “brandy“ derives

from the Dutch word “brandewijn“,

which means “burnt wine“.

brandewijn

.

.

On May 2, 2011,

a well-trained Malinois dog named Cairo

accompanied the US Navy SEALs

who killed Osama Bin Laden.

Even though there aren’t many details

about this secret but successful operation,

every member of the team guarantees that

the outcome might not have been as

successful if Cairo wasn’t present to help.

Malinois SEAL dog Cairo

.

.

After alcohol, marijuana is

the second most popular recreational

or mood-altering substance in the world.

marijuana plant

.

.

The first human space fatality was

Vladimir Komarov (a close friend of Yuri Gagarin)

who commanded the Soyuz 1 mission on April 2, 1967.

After a successful stay in space,

Soyuz 1 re-entered the atmosphere,

but when its parachutes failed to deploy,

the impact led to his death.

Vladimir Komarov

.

.

J.K. Rowling,

author of the ‘Harry Potter’ series,

is the first person to become a

billionaire (U.S. dollars)

by writing books.

J.K. Rowling

.

.

The term “First Lady” was used first in 1849

when President Zachary Taylor called

Dolley Madison “First Lady” at her state funeral.

It gained popularity in 1877 when used

in reference to Lucy Ware Webb Hayes.

Most First Ladies, including Jackie Kennedy,

are said to have hated the label.

dolley_madison_stamp

.

.

There is a popular myth that the

Great Wall of China is visible from the Moon,

however, since it would be like viewing a

human hair from a distance of about 2 miles,

this myth is not true.

earth great wall from the moon

.

.

In Australia

the town Coober Pedy is underground,

made from old abandoned mines.

In the extremely hot, sunny days

of the Australian summer it provides

a cool environment or its inhabitants.

coober_pedy_house

.

.

A muscular person has a higher alcohol tolerance

than someone with more body fat.

Water-rich muscle tissues absorb alcohol more effectively,

preventing it from reaching the brain.

So if you plan to get Arnold Schwarzenegger drunk it’ll cost you!

arnold-schwarzenegger-movies__span

.

.

At 4:05 P.M. Moscow Time on

Wednesday, September 7, 2011,

Yak-Service Flight 9633,

carrying the players and coaching staff

of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl professional ice hockey team,

crashed near the Russian city of Yaroslavl.

The aircraft ran off the runway before lifting off,

struck a tower mast, caught fire and crashed

2 km (1.2 mi) from Tunoshna Airport

at the Volga River bank.

Of the 45 on board, 43 died at the crash site,

one of the two rescued from the wreck, Alexander Galimov,

died five days later in hospital,

and only the avionics flight engineer,

Alexander Sizov, survived.

Alexander-Sizov-44-fatalities

.

.

Ants can “enslave“ individual ants

from other ant species,

keeping them captive and making

them do work for the colony.

ant-slavery

.

.

Once a month, Clothing Optional Dinners,

a dining club in Manhattan, New York,

founded by nudist activist John J. Ordover,

hosts a naked dinning party.

Diners must bring something to sit on

(for example a towel),

the staff, however, must always stay clothed.

Clothing-Optional-Dinners-Manhattan

.

.

In 1841 Edgar Allan Poe wrote a short story now

considered to be the first modern detective story.

It was called “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”

and the key character was a detective named Mr. Dupin.

The story, has served as a model for

many subsequent fictional detectives

including Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot.

Edgar ALlan Poe - The Murders in the Rue Morgue

.

.

The ‘High heel race’, held in cities such as

Sydney, Paris, Moscow or Amsterdam,

is a running event in which the participants

must overcome a distance of 80 meters (around 260 feet)

running on high heels

that have to be at least 7 cm (2.8 inches)high.

.

.

And here are a few more high heel disasters to enjoy….

.

.

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

.

 

 

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon – What It Means To Be Governed.

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

.

I had intended to indulge myself today with a bit of a Sunday Sermon about the increasing intrusiveness of government.

But then I found a quote from a Frenchman named Pierre-Joseph Proudhon and I decided to let him use my pulpit on this occasion.

He didn’t know about the “En ess a” snoopers who have been listening to our phone calls, reading our emails, and spying on the leaders of nations that are supposed to be friends and allies of the United States, because he was speaking about what it means to be governed more than two hundred years ago.

Nevertheless, his words ring eerily true.

Nothing, it seems, has changed.

In fact today’s technology has made things far worse.

This is what he had to say all those years ago….

.

To be governed is to be

watched over,

inspected,

spied on,

directed,

legislated at,

regulated,

docketed,

indoctrinated,

preached at,

controlled,

assessed,

weighed,

censored,

(and) ordered about,

by men who have neither the right, nor the knowledge, nor the virtue.

.

To be governed is to be at every operation, at every transaction,

noted,

registered,

enrolled,

taxed,

stamped,

measured,

numbered,

assessed,

licensed,

authorized,

admonished,

forbidden,

reformed,

corrected,

(and) punished.

.

It is, under the pretext of public utility, and in the name of the general interest, to be

placed under contribution,

trained,

ransomed,

exploited,

monopolized,

extorted,

squeezed,

mystified,

(and) robbed;

.

Then, at the slightest resistance, the first word of complaint, to be

repressed,

fined,

despised,

harassed,

tracked,

abused,

clubbed,

disarmed,

choked,

imprisoned,

judged,

condemned,

shot,

deported,

sacrificed,

sold,

betrayed;

and, to crown all,

mocked,

ridiculed,

outraged,

(and) dishonoured.

.

That is government; that is its justice; that is its morality.

.

The man knew what he was talking about.

.

——————————

.

Portrait_of_Pierre_Joseph_Proudhon_1865

Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, (1809 – 1865) was a French politician, the founder of Mutualist philosophy, an economist and a libertarian socialist. He was the first person to declare himself an anarchist and is among its most influential theorists. He is considered by many to be the “father of anarchism”. He became a member of the French Parliament after the revolution of 1848, whereupon and thereafter he referred to himself as a federalist.

(Bio source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre-Joseph_Proudhon )

.

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

.

 

I’m Beginning To Feel I’m Bean Stalked!

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

.

Yes, it’s pun day, the day we all love  –  well most of us do anyway.

Enjoy this latest selection!

.

.

When does a cow make the most noise?

When she’s feeling moooooody!

moody-cow_design

.

.

I recently found a round, black piece of plastic, with

a hole in the middle and grooves on both sides.

I picked it up and threw it.

It flew for more than 300 yards.

I’m sure that must have been a record.

vinyl-record

.

.

There was a ghost at the hotel,

so they called for an inn spectre.

ghost hotel

.

.

Me and my friends are in a band called Duvet.

We’re a cover band.

Cartoon_Rock_Band

.

.

Messing with your computer’s memory chip

can have lasting RAMifications

memory chip ram

.

.

My girlfriend got sacked from work and then lost her appeal.

I only found her appealing because she had a well paid job.

trump-youre-fired

.

.

 

This one is just messed up.

messed up

.

.

I sell balloons for 10p each or if you want them blown up it’s 15p.

I’ve adjusted the price to allow for inflation.

balloon seller cartoon

.

.

A picture may be worth a thousand words,

but it uses up three thousand times the memory.

a_picture_is_worth_1000_words

.

.

I lost my mood ring.

I don’t know how I feel about this.

Mood-Chart-Color

.

.

I beat my wife up this morning.

She got up at 7.30, I was up at 7.

sleeping_wife

.

.

Why did I divide sin by tan?

Just cos.

sin divided by tan

.

.

With her marriage she got a new name and a dress.

wedding cartoon

.

.

I was recently asked about my views on euthanasia.

I said they all look the same to me.

Youth-in-Asia

.

.

Nostalgia.

It’s not what it used to be.

nostalgia

.

.

I just received an envelope marked – Photographs Do Not Bend.

The Mailman has, however, proven that they do.

Photos Do Not Bend

.

.

I fell on my arm and had to have an operation on my funny bone.

I was in stitches for two weeks.

stitches

.

.

I’ve just got my son a flat piece of cardboard for Christmas.

Although what he wants with an ex box I’ll never know.

cardboard box flat

.

.

A man goes home to his wife and shows her his

latest tattoo of a spreadsheet on his chest.

“You’ve really Excelled yourself this time!” she says.

tattoo-non-vat-spreadsheet

.

.

When a hospital runs out of maternity nurses

do they have a mid-wife crisis?

Midwife-Crisis

.

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

.