As the title suggests today there are a lot of questions concerning countries.
But don’t worry, they are related to different subjects, not necessarily geography.
And there is the usual random selection to go along with them, so why not have a go?
As usual the answers are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but NO cheating!
Enjoy the challenge.
.
.
Q. 1: In Venice, what is a ‘vaporetto’?
.
.
Q. 2: What is the difference between venom and poison?
.
.
Q. 3: Which country appeared in a record 23 consecutive Davis Cup finals between 1946 and 1968?
.
.
Q. 4: ‘Milk’, ‘Oyster’, ‘Magic’, ‘Death Cap’, ‘Hedgehog’, ‘Maitake’ and ‘Paddy Straw‘ are all examples of what?
.
.
Q. 5: What are the five largest countries in the world with a population density of 15 people or less per square mile? (One point for each correct answer.)
.
.
Q. 6: Kurgan is the bad guy in which movie?
.
.
Q. 7: How many rows of stars are there on an American flag?
.
.
Q. 8: The name of which world famous ship translated means ‘short chemise’ or ‘short undergarment’?
.
.
Q. 9: Which country is the largest wine producer in South America?
.
.
Q. 10: Campanology is very popular on festive occasions. What is campanology?
.
.
Q. 11: What was designed by Childe Harold Wills and was colloquially known as the “Tin Lizzie” and the “Flivver”?
.
.
Q. 12: ‘Trapper’, ‘Hawkeye’ and ‘Radar’ appear in which TV program?
.
.
Q. 13: What does the Greek root ‘adelph’ mean?
.
.
Q. 14: What was the name of the 1783 treaty that formally ended the American Revolutionary War?
.
.
Q. 15: The answer to this one is just three letters and they mean a river of southern Italy, an Indo-Chinese language and the initials of a very popular and long running American police procedural legal drama television series, What are the three letters?
.
.
Q. 16: How many normal size wine bottles would you have in a Methuselah?
.
.
Q. 17: What would the waiter bring to your table if you ordered ‘priest choker’ in an Italian restaurant?
.
.
Q. 18: Which accurate sport term is also the name of Bill Sikes’ vicious dog in the novel ‘Oliver Twist’?
.
.
Q. 19: What number do the Roman numerals ‘XL’ represent?
.
.
Q. 20: And finally, spell that atrocious and precocious word from the movie ‘Mary Poppins’.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
ANSWERS
.
Q. 1: In Venice, what is a ‘vaporetto’?
A. 1: A ‘vaporetto’ is a Venetian Waterbus
.
.
Q. 2: What is the difference between venom and poison?
A. 2: Venom is injected, poison is ingested or inhaled.
.
.
Q. 3: Which country appeared in a record 23 consecutive Davis Cup finals between 1946 and 1968?
A. 3: Australia
.
.
Q. 4: ‘Milk’, ‘Oyster’, ‘Magic’, ‘Death Cap’, ‘Hedgehog’, ‘Maitake’ and ‘Paddy Straw’ are all examples of what?
A. 4: Mushrooms
.
.
Q. 5: What are the five largest countries in the world with a population density of 15 people or less per square mile? (One point for each correct answer.)
A. 5: Mongolia (4 people per sq. mile), Canada (8), Australia (8), Libya (9) and Kazakhstan (15)
.
.
Q. 6: Kurgan is the bad guy in which movie?
A. 6: Highlander
.
.
Q. 7: How many rows of stars are there on an American flag?
A. 7: 9
.
.
Q. 8: The name of which world famous ship translated means ‘short chemise’ or ‘short undergarment’?
A. 8: Cutty Sark
.
.
Q. 9: Which country is the largest wine producer in South America?
A. 9: Argentina
.
.
Q. 10: Campanology is very popular on festive occasions. What is campanology?
A. 10: Bell ringing.
.
.
Q. 11: What was designed by Childe Harold Wills and was colloquially known as the “Tin Lizzie” and the “Flivver”?
A. 11: The Ford Model-T automobile
.
.
Q. 12: ‘Trapper’, ‘Hawkeye’ and ‘Radar’ appear in which TV program?
A. 12: M*A*S*H
.
.
Q. 13: What does the Greek root ‘adelph’ mean?
A. 13: Brother (as in Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love)
.
.
Q. 14: What was the name of the 1783 treaty that formally ended the American Revolutionary War?
A. 14: The Treaty of Paris
.
.
Q. 15: The answer to this one is just three letters and they mean a river of southern Italy, an Indo-Chinese language and the initials of a very popular and long running American police procedural legal drama television series, What are the three letters?
A. 15: LAO (Law and Order)
.
.
Q. 16: How many normal size wine bottles would you have in a Methuselah?
A. 16: 8
.
.
Q. 17: What would the waiter bring to your table if you ordered ‘priest choker’ in an Italian restaurant?
A. 17: Pasta (Strozzapreti pasta, means ‘priest choker’)
.
.
Q. 18: Which accurate sport term is also the name of Bill Sikes’ vicious dog in the novel ‘Oliver Twist’?
A. 18: Bulls Eye
.
.
Q. 19: What number do the Roman numerals ‘XL’ represent?
A. 19: 40
.
.
Q. 20: And finally, spell that atrocious and precocious word from the movie ‘Mary Poppins’.
Yes, time to put the fears behind us. This is the final selection of curious and sometimes amusing fears and phobias that affect some people. Irrational but very real to them. Irrational and very silly to the rest of us.
So here we go, ‘T’ thru ‘Z’.
Enjoy.
.
.
Tachophobia ……….fear of speed.
Taijin Kyofusho ……….a phobia which occurs most typically in Japan, is the fear of offending others by one’s inappropriate social behavior or appearance
Taeniophobia or Taeniophobia ……….fear of tapeworms.
Taphephobia Taphophobia ……….fear of being buried alive or of cemeteries.
Tapinophobia ……….fear of being contagious.
Taurophobia ……….fear of bulls.
Technophobia ……….fear of technology.
Teleophobia ……….fear of 1) definite plans; 2) religious ceremony.
Telephonophobia ……….fear of telephones.
Teratophobia ……….fear of bearing a deformed child or fear of monsters or deformed people.
Testophobia ……….fear of taking tests.
Tetanophobia ……….fear of lockjaw, tetanus.
Teutophobia ……….fear of German or German things.
Textophobia ……….fear of certain fabrics.
Thaasophobia ……….fear of sitting.
Thalassophobia ……….fear of the sea.
Thanatophobia or Thantophobia ……….fear of death or dying.
Theatrophobia ……….fear of theatres.
Theologicophobia ……….fear of theology.
Theophobia ……….fear of gods or religion.
Thermophobia ……….fear of heat.
Tocophobia ……….fear of pregnancy or childbirth.
Tomophobia ……….fear of surgical operations.
Tonitrophobia ……….fear of thunder.
Topophobia ……….fear of certain places or situations, such as stage fright.
Toxiphobia or Toxophobia or Toxicophobia ……….fear of poison or of being accidently poisoned.
Traumatophobia ……….fear of injury.
Tremophobia ……….fear of trembling.
Trichinophobia ……….fear of trichinosis.
Trichopathophobia or Trichophobia ……….fear of hair. (Chaetophobia, Hypertrichophobia)
Triskaidekaphobia ……….fear of the number 13.
Tropophobia ……….fear of moving or making changes.
Trypanophobia ……….fear of injections.
Tuberculophobia ……….fear of tuberculosis.
Turophobia ……….fear of cheese
Tyrannophobia ……….fear of tyrants.
Uranophobia or Ouranophobia ……….fear of heaven.
Urophobia ……….fear of urine or urinating.
Vaccinophobia ……….fear of vaccination.
Venereophobia ……….fear of catching a venereal disease.
Venustraphobia ……….fear of beautiful women.
Verbophobia ……….fear of words.
Verminophobia ……….fear of germs.
Vespertiliophobia ……….fear of bats.
Vestiphobia ……….fear of clothing.
Virginitiphobia ……….fear of virgins.
Virginitiphobia ……….fear of rape.
Vitricophobia ……….fear of step-father.
Vokephobia ……….fear of returning home.
Walloonphobia ……….fear of the Walloons.
Wiccaphobia ……….fear of witches and witchcraft.
Xanthophobia ……….fear of the color yellow or the word yellow.
Xeniaphobia ……….fear of foreign doctors, usually having to do with strong foreign accents making it difficult to understand their English. Also, if travelling in a foreign country, the fear that doctors may have inadequate medical skills.
Xenodochiophobia ……….fear of foreign hotels that could include the fear that there won’t be soap, the kind of toilet paper that you like, clean towels, or good maid service.
Xenoglossophobia ……….fear of foreign languages.
Xenonosocomiophobia ……….fear of foreigners who are pick-pockets.
Xenophobia ……….fear of strangers or foreigners.
Xerophobia ……….fear of dryness.
Xeroxophobia ……….fear of using anything made by Xerox, or fear of office equipment in general.
Xylophobia ……….fear of 1) wooden objects; 2) Forests.
Today we have the third of my three-part series highlighting some of the stupid laws that have been made by the stupid politicians and bureaucrats that we have allowed into positions of power.
So here are some more of the lesser known laws that govern the good citizens in the United States (listed by state alphabetically, part 1 covered A to L, part 2 covered the M’s and N’s, this week it’s O to W.).
Enjoy (or cringe, perhaps).
.
.
OHIO
Women are prohibited from wearing patent leather shoes in public. (I hope that’s no reflection on them.)
It is illegal to fish for whales on Sunday. (And immoral any other day.)
It is illegal to get a fish drunk. (Would Sir like some water with that?)
The Ohio driver’s education manual states that you must honk the horn whenever you pass another car. (But I want to ‘beep’.)
If one loses their pet tiger, they must notify the authorities within one hour. (That’s greeeaaaatttttt!)
.
.
OKLAHOMA
It is illegal for the owner of a bar to allow anyone inside to pretend to have sex with a buffalo. (And the real thing is okay???)
Dogs must have a permit signed by the mayor in order to congregate in groups of three or more on private property.
It is illegal to have the hind legs of farm animals in your boots. (That reminds me of a joke about…… no, better not.)
People who make “ugly faces” at dogs may be fined and/or jailed. (What happens if you just have a ugly face to begin with?)
Cars must be tethered outside of public buildings.
Oral sex is a misdemeanor and is punishable by one year in jail and a $2,500 fine. (Well, blow me, that’s expensive!)
It is illegal to conceal the birth of a child that would be a bastard. (But you never know how they are going to turn out until they get a bit older???)
.
.
OREGON
Babies may not be carried on the running boards of a car. (That’s okay, you need both hands to hang on to the car anyhow.)
It is illegal to whisper “dirty” things in your lover’s ear during sex. (So where do you whisper them?)
Ice cream may not be eaten on Sundays. (Ridiculous!)
It is illegal to buy or sell marijuana, but it is legal to smoke it on your own property. (To pot with that!!)
You cannot eat a doughnut and walk backwards on a city street. (Well, maybe YOU can’t, but….)
Juggling is strictly prohibited without a license. (And quite difficult even with one.)
It is a crime to publicly scrape clean a skeleton in a cemetery. (And let’s make no bones about it.)
.
.
PENNSYLVANIA
It is illegal to sleep on top of a refrigerator outdoors. (This is another one of those ‘how many people were doing this that a law was needed against it’ kind of things.)
Any motorist driving along a country road at night must stop every mile and send up a rocket signal, wait 10 minutes for the road to be cleared of livestock, and continue.
A special cleaning ordinance bans housewives from hiding dirt and dust under a rug in a dwelling. (Ya hear that one ladies?)
In Harrisburg it is against the law to wear lead nipple shields. (I bet Superman goes there – a lot!)
You may not sing in the bathtub.
You may not catch a fish by any body part except the mouth. (I don’t think I could catch a fish with my mouth.)
.
.
RHODE ISLAND
No one may bite off another’s leg. (Ears, noses, arms, etc., are okay?)
Any marriage where either of the parties is an idiot or lunatic is null and void. (I’m saying nothing.)
One must make a loud noise before passing a car on the left. (Can do!)
The penalty for biting off another’s limb is twenty years in jail, but only if it was intentional. (Whoops, sorry, there’s your leg back. I didn’t mean it.)
It is illegal to wear transparent clothing. (Clearly!)
You may not sell toothpaste and a toothbrush to the same customer on a Sunday.
.
.
SOUTH CAROLINA
It is considered an offense to get a tattoo. (I just consider it stupid.)
Horses may not be kept in bathtubs. (I guess there’s no room, what with all the donkeys in there.)
It is perfectly legal to beat your wife on the court house steps on Sundays.
It is a capital offense to inadvertently kill someone while attempting suicide. (You mean if you are attempting suicide or you can’t kill the person who is attempting suicide?)
.
.
SOUTH DAKOTA
It is illegal to lie down and fall asleep in a cheese factory. (But is there a law about cutting the cheese?)
If three or more Indians are walking down the street together, they can be considered a war party and fired upon.
In Huron it is an offence to cause static. (Shocking law that one.)
Otherwise illegal explosives can be set off in sunflower fields.
.
.
TENNESSEE
It is a crime to share your Netflix password in Tennessee. (Is it okay in English?)
It is illegal to use a lasso to catch a fish. (And very difficult.)
“Crimes against nature” are prohibited.
Skunks may not be carried into the state. (Yeah, let the little stinkers walk.)
. .
TEXAS
It is illegal to take more than three sips of beer at a time while standing. (What sort of a guy ‘sips’ beer? Come on!)
Up to a felony charge can be levied for promoting the use of, or owning more than six dildos.
It is illegal to milk another person’s cow. (Is that a double entendre?)
The entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned in Texas because it contains a formula for making beer at home.
In Dallas it is illegal to possess realistic dildos.
.
.
UTAH
It is illegal not to drink milk.
It is illegal to detonate any nuclear weapon.
Birds have the right of way on all highways.
In Salt Lake County an official milkman is limited to casual contact with his customers. (What’s all this about milk in Utah?)
A husband is responsible for every criminal act committed by his wife while she is in his presence.
No one may have sex in the back of an ambulance if it is responding to an emergency call. (So turn the sirens off??)
It is illegal to cause a catastrophe. (So are these laws not breaking this law?)
.
.
VERMONT
Women must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth. (By gum!)
At one time it was illegal to tie a giraffe to a telephone pole.
All residents shall bathe every Saturday night.
.
.
VIRGINIA
Not only is it illegal to have sex with the lights on, one may not have sex in any position other than missionary. (Just how did the people who thought this one up think that they were going to enforce it?)
It is illegal to tickle women. (You just said that, see above!)
A man may face 60 days in jail for patting a woman’s derriere. (How long for a good slap?)
Women must wear a corsette after sundown and be in the company of male chaperone.
.
.
WASHINGTON
The harassing of Bigfoot, Sasquatch or other undiscovered subspecies is a felony punishable by a fine and/or imprisonment. (Do tell how exactly do you harass an ‘undiscovered’ species? Wouldn’t you have to discover it first, and once discovered it is no longer ‘undiscovered’ and therefore can be harassed?)
All lollipops are banned. (This law really sucks.)
People may not buy a mattress on Sunday.
In Washington it is a misdemeanor to sell poison without a license.
In Seattle possessing an electro-magnetic wave generator is a crime.
It is illegal to pretend that one’s parents are rich. (Can you pretend that they are poor?)
You may not carry a concealed weapon that is over six feet in length. (And where would you be able to conceal it anyway?)
.
.
WEST VIRGINIA
It is legal for a male to have sex with an animal as long as it does not exceed 40 lbs. (And I would imagine dangerous if it does!)
It is illegal to snooze on a train.
One may not walk a lion, tiger or leopard, even on a leash.
Firemen may not whistle or flirt at any woman passing a firehouse.
.
.
WISCONSIN
Condoms were considered an obscene article and had to be hidden behind the pharmacist’s counter.
At one time, margarine was illegal.
It is illegal to kiss on a train.
It is illegal to cut a woman’s hair. (People from Brazil please take special note.)
The government may not prohibit manual flushed urinals. (That’s handy.)
Cheddar cheese must be “highly pleasing”.
Followers of the Ho-Chunk religion may hunt deer without a license.
It is illegal to produce baby Swiss cheese without well-developed eyes. (Otherwise how could you see what you were doing… Duh!!)
.
.
WYOMING
If one is drunk in a mine, he or she could land in jail for up to a year. (Prospects aren’t good then?)
It is illegal for women to stand within five feet of a bar while drinking. (Iron or wooden?)
You may not take a picture of a rabbit from January to April without an official permit. (That really bugs me.)
It is illegal to charge for the use of a toilet. (No sh**!)
Yesterday the subject of my blog post was a rather nice story about a farmer in England who had put a lot of thought, time and effort into creating a memorial tribute to his late wife. I called it “Well done Winston Howes, Who Says Romance Is Dead?”.
A bit out of character for this blog perhaps, but I admire people who do things that are just that little bit above and beyond the call of duty.
Today, however, you could say that “normal service” has been resumed. You could probably tell from the title, “Hard Luck Mr Scott, The Romance May Dead But Your Wife Isn’t!“.
This is a story about another Englishman. This time a Mr Peter Scott from Southsea who has gone down in history as the least successful husband at trying to murder his wife!
All in all Mr Scott made seven attempts to kill his wife.
And the strangest thing of all was that she never once noticed that anything was wrong.
It all started in 1980 when he took out an insurance policy on his good lady that would pay out a quarter of a million British pounds in the event of her accidental death.
insurance money
Shortly afterward, he made his first attempt to cash in when he placed a lethal dose of mercury in her strawberry flan. Unfortunately for Mr Scott the heavy mercury all rolled out.
Strike attempt # 1.
strawberry flan
However, not wishing to waste this deadly substance, he next stuffed a mackerel with the entire contents of the bottle. This time, to his delight, his wife ate it, but, to his dismay, with no side effects whatsoever.
Strike attempt # 2.
mackerel
Warming to the task, he then took his better half on holiday to Yugoslavia. Recommending the panoramic views, he invited her to sit on the edge of a cliff, but she declined to do so, prompted by what she later described as some “sixth sense.”
Strike attempt # 3.
cliff
He tried the same type of thing a few weeks later when he urged her to enjoy the view from Beachy Head, the famous 500 feet high chalk headland in the south of England.
Strike attempt # 4.
Beachy Head
Then, when his spouse was in bed with chicken-pox he started a fire outside her bedroom door, but some interfering busybody put it out.
Strike attempt # 5.
Would-be Arsonist
Undeterred, Mr Scott started another fire but only succeeded in burning down the entire apartment. The target of his arsonist adventures escaped uninjured.
Strike attempt # 6.
burning apsrtment
On yet another occasion he asked her to stand in the middle of the road so that he could drive toward her and check if his brakes were working.
Strike attempt # 7.
Road Rage
Unbelievably, at no time did Mrs. Scott feel that the magic had gone out of their marriage. She must have been sooooo dumb!
Finally, since it appeared that nothing short of a small nuclear bomb would have alerted this good woman to her husband’s intentions, he eventually gave up and confessed everything to the police.
arrested
After the case, a detective said Mrs. Scott had been “absolutely shattered” when told of her husband’s plot to kill her.
fasab 