The statement in the title is not true, except that it is.
If you are a little confused stay with me and let me clarify.
The United States used to be the industrial power house of the world. Its industries generated unprecedented wealth for the country, creating the world’s first self-made billionaires and productive wealth creating jobs galore for everyone. The whole country prospered.
Today, however, the United States has become the world’s second biggest importer of goods. Worse than that, even though America still exports billions of dollars’ worth in oil, consumer goods and automotive products, it imports even more. This creates a trade deficit ($471 billion according to recent figures).
So what are all these imports into the US?
Well, they include industrial machinery and equipment ($681 billion), automotive vehicles, parts, and engines ($309 billion), miscellaneous private services, primarily financial services ($201 billion), cell phones ($90 billion), travel passenger services ($86 billion), pharmaceuticals ($84 billion), computers ($65 billion), chemicals ($61 billion), other transportation services ($59 billion), computer accessories ($57 billion), telecommunications equipment ($54 billion), royalties and license fees services ($42 billion), apparel ($49 billion), petroleum products ($48 billion), fuel oil ($44 billion), industrial supplies ($29 billion), U.S. Government service imports primarily defense ($25 billion), fish ($18 billion), fruit ($13 billion), and vegetables ($11 billion).
If you are a bit shell-shocked by all those figures let me phrase it a bit differently using as examples the types of goods you would tend to buy.
100% (almost) of the shoes bought in the U.S. come from China, Vietnam, Indonesia and Mexico;
90% of white goods (washers, fridges, etc.) and consumer electronics are imported;
85% of household furniture is imported;
80% of cars on U.S. roads come from Canada (31%), Japan (24%), Germany (16%) and Mexico (12%); and,
65% of U.S. clothing is imported from China (37%), Vietnam (9.4%), Indonesia (7.2%) and Bangladesh (6.7%).
Probably the saddest part is that even things you thought were “American” are now actually made overseas and imported.
I remember while on a business trip to the US many, many years ago I bought a gift for the young son of a friend of mine. He was a big sports enthusiast so I reckoned that one of the most iconic symbols of sport from America would be a baseball. I bought one in Wal-Mart. It was marked with all the different holding positions for the various ways to throw a baseball (fast ball, curve ball and all that). The perfect gift.
I gave it to him on my return feeling ever so pleased with myself. The kid opened it, showed momentary delight, then looked up at me accusingly. “It says ‘Made in China'” he told me.
But it’s not only baseballs. Similar types of product that you would think are all-American, like Converse All Stars, Levi’s, Huffy bicycles, televisions, Monopoly, Etch-a-Sketch, Radio Flyer wagons, Barbie dolls, and last but by no means least, most of those American flags just ain’t American no more.
It really doesn’t have to be this way. Apple, for example, doesn’t have to become the richest company in the world by manufacturing its products in China and storing its vast hoards of cash overseas.
Or does it?
Everything on the lists above could still be made in the US and surpluses exported to other countries. But the US government and its moronic bureaucrats are spending their time and our money thinking up new ways, not to help American businesses, but to add ever-increasing amounts of rules, regulations and bureaucracy on to American companies.
American businesses can no longer compete, because their own government has ensured that the deck is stacked against them.
In the mind of a bureaucrat losing a million productive wealth creating jobs, for example, in the automotive industry, and replacing them with a million more administrative jobs that cost the country money evens things out.
It doesn’t. Simple math will tell you that. Every time it happens things get worse and America gets poorer.
So America just can’t make it anymore, but not because China has stolen the jobs. It’s because the US government bureaucrats gave them away.
I’ve done ‘peanut butter‘ and ‘chocolate‘ and ‘coffee‘ in other posts. Today it is another fasab food favorite, the curry.
A curry, properly made, has to be one of the most delicious foods in the world.
I have spent many happy evenings with friends enjoying this delicacy in one form or another. Personally I like it with some naan bread or sometimes with rice. Either way is socially acceptable and extremely tasty.
Mouth watering already?
Very good, let’s get straight to the facts.
Enjoy.
.
.
The word curry comes from a Tamil word ‘kari’ or ‘karil’, meaning spices or sautéd vegetables.
.
.
The meaning changed when Portuguese traders used it for the sauces with which rice was served.
.
.
Essentially, the term curry was invented by the English administrators of the East Indian Trading Co. and later continued by British government employees.
.
.
The British army in India further changed the meaning as its liking for hot sauces introduced the modern idea of curries being hot.
.
.
Surprisingly, the term ‘curry’ isn’t used very much in India. There are many types of curry-style dishes, which have their own characteristic regional variations.
.
.
Curry Powder is a mix of spices, rather than a spice in its own right. It usually consists of turmeric, coriander, cardamom, cumin, sweet basil, and red pepper.
.
.
Some of the most common types of curry are ‘Korma’, ‘Massala’, ‘Dhansak’, ‘Phall’, ‘Rogan Josh’, ‘Dopiaza’, ‘Madras’ and ‘Vindaloo’.
.
.
Curry is said to have a number of valuable health benefits, including the prevention of cancer, protection against heart disease, reducing Alzheimer’s disease symptoms, easing pain and inflammation, boosting bone health, protecting the immune system from bacterial infections, and increasing the liver’s ability to remove toxins from the body.
.
.
In addition to being an established and firm favorite in Britain. and increasing popular throughout Europe and the United States, curry forms a major element of the diets of several Asian countries including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Maldives, Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Japan and Fiji.
.
.
Chili (or Chilli) is the most popular spice in the world and can help combat heart attacks and strokes and extends blood coagulation times preventing harmful blood clots.
.
.
Contrary to common western belief, curries are not always ‘hot’, they can be mild, medium and hot.
.
.
The earliest known curry was made in Mesopotamia in around 1700 BC, the recipe for meat in a spicy sauce appearing on tablets found near Babylon.
.
.
The Scoville scale is the measurement of the pungency (spicy heat) of chili peppers or other spicy foods.
.
.
The ‘Bhut Jolokia Chilli Pepper’ (also known as the ‘Naga Jolokia’), is the hottest pepper in the world, accompanied with its own health warning! This pepper is also known as the ‘Ghost Chilli’ or ‘Ghost Pepper’, and is grown in the Indian states of Assam, Nagaland and Manipur.
.
.
The first commercial curry powder appeared in about 1780.
.
.
In Britain Indian food now surpasses Chinese food in popularity, with Indian restaurants outnumbering Chinese restaurants by two to one.
.
.
The word ‘balti’ means bucket. Balti is more a style of cooking than one particular curry.
.
.
In specialist ‘Balti Houses’ the balti is a meal in itself which contains both meat and vegetables and is eaten straight from the karahi using curled up pieces of naan bread. In standard Indian restaurants the balti is more of a stir-fried curry containing plenty of fried green peppers and fresh cilantro (also known as coriander).
.
.
South Indian food is more spicy than North Indian food.
.
.
The first curry recipe in English appeared in Hannah Glasse’s ‘The Art Of Cookery’ in 1747.
.
.
The world’s biggest ever curry was a 13 tonne Biryani, including 187lb of chilies and 6600lb of rice. It took 60 chefs to make in New Delhi in June 2008. And required three cranes to move the container and a 3ft high furnace to cook it!
.
.
In Western Europe and the U K, curry powders available contain more turmeric than anything else, and tend to be toned down to palates used to bland food.
.
.
The tallest poppadom stack in the world stands at a massive 282 poppadoms. The record was set by a chef from the Jali Indian Restaurant in Blackpool.
.
.
In 2008, Bath and North East Somerset Council advised a man to sprinkle curry powder on his wife’s grave to keep squirrels and deer away.
.
.
Tim Stobbs, aged 42 years, currently holds the world record for munching an impressive 15 poppadoms in 5 minutes! The annual World Championships, in aid of Cancer Research UK Scotland, is held every year at St Andrews University.
.
.
There are about 10,000 Indian restaurants serving curry in the UK, the vast majority of which are run by people from Bangladesh, not India.
.
.
To make a ‘hot’ curry mild, just add some coconut milk.
.
.
The word ‘masala’ means spice mix.
.
.
In 1846, William Makepeace Thackeray wrote ‘A Poem To Curry’, as part of his Kitchen Melodies.
.
.
Britain’s first curry house, called the Hindustani Coffee House and located in London’s Portman Square, opened in 1809. Now there are more curry houses in London, England than in Mumbai, India.
.
.
Chili can help combat heart attacks and strokes.
.
.
One of the hottest curry dishes ever made is known as the Bit Spicy 3 Chili Phall which is even hotter than the infamous ‘Chicken Naga’, made with a high volume of Naga pepper seeds. More than 100 times hotter than jalapeño peppers!
.
.
People crave a curry because the spices arouse and stimulate the taste buds.
.
.
Vindaloo was originally a Portuguese dish which took its name from the two main ingredients which were ‘vinho’, wine/wine vinegar, and ‘alhos’, garlic. Over time it was spiced up, hotted up and otherwise changed by the indigenous peoples of the ex-Portuguese colony of Goa.
.
.
The ‘Big Jim’, a large chili hailing from New Mexico, currently holds the world record for the largest chili ever grown. This plant frequently produces chilies that are over a foot in length, which is hugely impressive considering that the plant itself never grows more than two feet!
.
.
The town of North Curry is in Somerset while West Curry is in Cornwall.
.
.
Madras and pathia are both hot and sour dishes. Kashmiri a more subtle and creamy dish usually made with lychees or bananas – or both.
.
.
Scientists at Nottingham Trent University have discovered that people begin to crave for a curry because the spices arouse and stimulate the taste buds.
.
.
One in seven curries sold in the UK is a chicken tikka masala, making it the most popular Indian restaurant dish in the UK. It is thought to have originated in Britain after an enterprising Indian chef had the idea of adding a tomato and onion paste to the grilled chicken to satisfy the British preference for food that isn’t dry.
.
.
The largest naan bread ever made was a whopping 2.75m in diameter and contained meat dumplings – the equivalent of 167 normal sized naan breads. The bread took over ten hours to finish and required twelve chefs, 30kg mutton, 125kg flour, 16kg onion and 90kg of water to cook it.
.
.
Southeastern Asian cultures have always mixed a number of spices to flavor their dishes, usually according to recipes handed down from generation to generation.
.
.
A common way to categorize Thai curry is by the color of the curry paste used to make the curry dish. Green and red curry paste are the most typical. Yellow and sour curries (also sometimes known as orange curry, gaeng sohm) are also well known. Each has its own particular combination of herbs and spices to make up the curry paste that makes it unique.
.
.
‘Panang’ and ‘masaman’ curry are probably the most popular Thai curries in the West, because of their rich tastes.
.
.
Finally, if you are eating a curry which is just too hot for you, don’t drink water, that only makes it hotter!
The usual mixture of subjects including geography, history, science and nature, so something for everyone perhaps.
And remember, as always, if you get stuck, you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating!
Enjoy and good luck.
.
.
Q. 1: Which gas is the main element in the air that we breathe?
.
.
Q. 2: What is the link between the females of the following: Antelope, Deer, Hamster, Mouse, and Squirrel?
.
.
Q. 3: Every year around this time the President of the US pardons a turkey and it goes to a public farm called Frying Pan Park, Herndon, VA., to live out its days, but which President is believed to have been the first to start this annual tradition?
.
.
Q. 4: What do the terms ‘NASA’ and ‘ESA’ stand for? (A point for each correct answer.)
.
.
Q. 5: What type of creature is a ‘gadwall’?
.
.
Q. 6: Who was the first American President of the United States?
.
.
Q. 7: Which physical property allows a needle to float on water?
.
.
Q. 8: Name the Capitals of the following countries. (A point for each correct answer.)
a) Australia b) Iceland c) Syria d) Uruguay e) Vietnam
.
.
Q. 9: And a related question, which country has three Capital cities? (A point for the correct answer and a bonus point for each one you name correctly.)
.
.
Q. 10: In what year did the first Macy’s Thanksgiving/Christmas parade take place?
a) 1924 b) 1927 c) 1931 d) 1935
.
.
Q. 11: What is represented by the chemical symbol ‘Sn’?
.
.
Q. 12: In Roman Mythology, who was the messenger of the Gods?
.
.
Q. 13: When is the next leap year that will begin on a Friday?
.
.
Q. 14: What does a ‘dendrologist’ study?
a) Hair b) Trees c) Teeth d) Plants
.
.
Q. 15: What two famous Shakespearean characters appear in the phonetic alphabet? (A point for each one you name correctly.)
.
.
Q. 16: Which is the largest planet in the solar system?
.
.
Q. 17: Which English scientist discovered Sodium, Potassium, Barium, Calcium, Magnesium, and designed a famous lamp?
.
.
Q. 18: Where would you find an ‘ISBN’ number?
.
.
Q. 19: Which city was sacked by the Visigoths in 410 and the Vandals in 455?
.
.
Q. 20: Who was going like ‘a bat out of hell’ in the late 1970s?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
ANSWERS
.
Q. 1: Which gas is the main element in the air that we breathe?
A. 1: Nitrogen. (By volume, dry air contains 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.039% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases.)
.
.
Q. 2: What is the link between the females of the following: Antelope, Deer, Hamster, Mouse, and Squirrel?
A. 2: They are all called ‘Doe’.
.
.
Q. 3: Every year around this time the President of the US pardons a turkey and it goes to a public farm called Frying Pan Park, Herndon, VA., to live out its days, but which President is believed to have been the first to start this annual tradition?
A. 3: President Harry Truman in 1947.
.
.
Q. 4: What do the terms ‘NASA’ and ‘ESA’ stand for? (A point for each correct answer.)
A. 4: NASA is the North American Space Agency and ESA is the European Space Agency.
.
.
Q. 5: What type of creature is a ‘gadwall’?
A. 5: A duck.
.
.
Q. 6: Who was the first American President of the United States?
A. 6: The first President of the United States, born in the United States after July 4th, 1776, and therefore American, was Martin Van Buren (born in 1782).
.
.
Q. 7: Which physical property allows a needle to float on water?
A. 7: Surface tension.
.
.
Q. 8: Name the Capitals of the following countries. (A point for each correct answer.)
a) Australia b) Iceland c) Syria d) Uruguay e) Vietnam
A. 8: The correct answers are
a) Canberra b) Reykjavík c) Damascus d) Montevideo e) Hanoi
.
.
Q. 9: And a related question, which country has three Capital cities? (A point for the correct answer and a bonus point for each one you name correctly.)
A. 9: South Africa – Pretoria (executive), Bloemfontein (judicial) and Cape Town (legislative).
.
.
Q. 10: In what year did the first Macy’s Thanksgiving/Christmas parade take place?
a) 1924 b) 1927 c) 1931 d) 1935
A. 10: The correct answer is a) 1924.
.
.
Q. 11: What is represented by the chemical symbol ‘Sn’?
A. 11: ‘Sn’ is the chemical symbol for Tin.
.
.
Q. 12: In Roman Mythology, who was the messenger of the Gods?
A. 12: Mercury.
.
.
Q. 13: When is the next leap year that will begin on a Friday?
A. 13: 2016. (It’s easier than you think, any leap year starting on Friday, January 1, should be divisible by 28, such as 1932, 1960, 1988, or 2044.
.
.
Q. 14: What does a ‘dendrologist’ study?
a) Hair b) Trees c) Teeth d) Plants
A. 14: The correct answer is b) trees.
.
.
Q. 15: What two famous Shakespearean characters appear in the phonetic alphabet? (A point for each one you name correctly.)
A. 15: Romeo and Juliet.
.
.
Q. 16: Which is the largest planet in the solar system?
A. 16: Jupiter.
.
.
Q. 17: Which English scientist discovered Sodium, Potassium, Barium, Calcium, Magnesium, and designed a famous lamp?
A. 17: Sir Humphrey Davy.
.
.
Q. 18: Where would you find an ‘ISBN’ number?
A. 18: On a book.
.
.
Q. 19: Which city was sacked by the Visigoths in 410 and the Vandals in 455?
A. 19: Rome.
.
.
Q. 20: Who was going like ‘a bat out of hell’ in the late 1970s?
I’ve been saying it for a long time – and now the President of the United States agrees with me – he doesn’t know WTF he’s doing!
I can’t say as I take much satisfaction from his admission though.
The US President is the most powerful man in the world and he has at his disposal the most powerful military organization in the world.
Yet he doesn’t know what to do with it, when to do it, or even who to aim it at!
A bit of it, belatedly and half-heartedly, is now pointing at ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria. Yes, you’re right, they are the very same Islamic terrorists he was funding for a while in Syria! He says he wasn’t, but in practice he was.
Confused?
You should be.
Because the Obama Administration certainly is!
Indeed Obama’s team of idiots have confused themselves to the degree that they don’t know what to do and are afraid to do it even if they did!
The situation is not being helped by the noise coming from the equally ill-informed politicians in the Republican camp either. Some cynics would say they are doing a lot of it with the November elections in mind!
As I’ve said before on this blog, America has never been good at foreign policy. There are so many examples over the years to prove this beyond any and all doubt (Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, now Syria). But this latest debacle could turn out to be foreign policy failure on a grand scale.
This is simply down to the fact that, even yet, the Obama administration clearly does not understand the severity of the problem. They haven’t managed to process the long term threat that a well armed, well supported and well funded group like ISIS can become.
Everyone – except the President and his people apparently – knows that these terrorists will not be content even if they are allowed to establish a fundamentalist Islamic state in the Middle East. Their hatred of anything and everything in the West is total.
In fact, as we have seen in Iraq and Syria, their hatred even extends to fellow Muslims who they do not consider to be ‘militant enough’ and they have attacked and murdered them in just the same ways as they have attacked and murdered Christians.
In Syria, which is none of our business, the Obama team thought they wanted the Assad regime removed, and to get that done they thought they could support ISIS (or the anti-Assad fighters of whom ISIS were always destined to be a big part).
Now the US may well find itself on the same side as Assad in a fight against the terrorists. And that may be the crux of the US Administration’s problem. They made the wrong move, at the wrong time, in the wrong place, for all the wrong reasons and correcting the mistake will require a major volte face and sizeable portion of humble pie.
Twenty more random questions to test you knowledge, some easy and some difficult, but there are a few multi-pointers in to help you with your score.
As usual the answers can be found waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating.
Enjoy and good luck.
.
.
Q. 1: How many ‘contiguous’ states are there in the United States of America?
.
.
Q. 2: In which movie would you find the robot or cyborg known as the ‘T-800’?
.
.
Q. 3: The 2014 Winter Olympics are being held next month (February 2014) in what country? (A bonus point is available if you can also name the City.)
.
.
Q. 4: Where were the previous (2010) Winter Olympics held and what location has been chosen for the next Winter Olympics in 2018? (A point for each and bonus points if you can also name the Cities.)
.
.
Q. 5: Which company built the ‘1972 911 Carrera RS’ classic automobile?
.
.
Q. 6: In what country did the soup known as ‘Miso’ originate?
.
.
Q. 7: Name the fictional detective associated with ‘Mrs. Hudson’.
.
.
Q. 8: What kind of mixed drink takes its name from the Hindi or Sanskrit word for ‘five’?
.
.
Q. 9: What is the common name for the garden flower ‘Helianthus’?
.
.
Q. 10: ‘Thimpu’ is the capital of what country?
a) Nepal b) Bhutan c) Bahrain
.
.
Q. 11: Where was Super Bowl XLVII played on February 3, 2013?
.
.
Q. 12: In the late 1960s and early 1970s Leonard Nimoy starred in two classic television series, what were they? (Yes, a point for each correct answer and bonus points for the names of the characters he portrayed.)
.
.
Q. 13: ‘Rosalind’, ‘Portia’ and ‘Ophelia’ are moons of which planet?
.
.
Q. 14: A picture of Betty Grable wearing a white bathing suit made her the most popular pin-up of which war?
a) WWI b) WWII c) Korea d) Vietnam
.
.
Q. 15: Scandinavia is a large region of Northern Europe. What are the four mainland countries and one island nation that are generally collectively known as ‘Scandinavia’? (A point for each correct answer.)
.
.
Q. 16: As of the end of 2013, who has won the Academy award for Best Actor the most times? (Bonus points if you can name the movies too.)
.
.
Q. 17: What sort of creature is a whinchat?
a) fish b) insect c) bird d) mammal
.
.
Q. 18: ‘Columbo’, ‘Morse’, ‘Magnum’, ‘Bergerac’, and ‘Nash Bridges’ were all television detectives and policemen who had one thing in common apart from their jobs, what was it?
.
.
Q. 19: With one word complete the following Acme Corporation inventions in ‘The Roadrunner’.
a) dehydrated _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ and, b) portable _ _ _ _ _
.
.
Q. 20: Released in 1954, a single by Bill Haley & His Comets became one of the best selling songs of all time with sales of 25 million. What was it?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
ANSWERS
.
Q. 1: How many ‘contiguous’ states are there in the United States of America?
A. 1: 48.
.
.
Q. 2: In which movie would you find the robot or cyborg known as the ‘T-800’?
A. 2: Terminator.
.
.
Q. 3: The 2014 Winter Olympics are being held next month (February 2014) in what country? (A bonus point is available if you can also name the City.)
A. 3: The 2014 XXII Winter Olympics will be held in Sochi, Russia.
.
.
Q. 4: Where were the previous (2010) Winter Olympics held and what location has been chosen for the next Winter Olympics in 2018? (A point for each and bonus points if you can also name the Cities.)
A. 4: Vancouver, Canada in 2010 and Pyeongchang, South Korea in 2018.
.
.
Q. 5: Which company built the ‘1972 911 Carrera RS’ classic automobile?
A. 5: Porsche.
.
.
Q. 6: In what country did the soup known as ‘Miso’ originate?
A. 6: Japan.
.
.
Q. 7: Name the fictional detective associated with ‘Mrs. Hudson’.
A. 7: Sherlock Holmes.
.
.
Q. 8: What kind of mixed drink takes its name from the Hindi or Sanskrit word for ‘five’?
A. 8: Punch.
.
.
Q. 9: What is the common name for the garden flower ‘Helianthus’?
A. 9: Sunflower.
.
.
Q. 10: ‘Thimpu’ is the capital of what country?
a) Nepal b) Bhutan c) Bahrain
A. 10: b) Bhutan.
.
.
Q. 11: Where was Super Bowl XLVII played on February 3, 2013?
A. 11: At the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana.
.
.
Q. 12: In the late 1960s and early 1970s Leonard Nimoy starred in two classic television series, what were they? (Yes, a point for each correct answer and bonus points for the names of the characters he portrayed.)
A. 12: Mr. Spock in Star Trek (1966-1969, 79 episodes) and Paris in Mission Impossible (1969-1971, 49 episodes).
.
.
Q. 13: ‘Rosalind’, ‘Portia’ and ‘Ophelia’ are moons of which planet?
A. 13: Uranus.
.
.
Q. 14: A picture of Betty Grable wearing a white bathing suit made her the most popular pin-up of which war?
a) WWI b) WWII c) Korea d) Vietnam
A. 14: b) WWII
.
.
Q. 15: Scandinavia is a large region of Northern Europe. What are the four mainland countries and one island nation that are generally collectively known as ‘Scandinavia’? (A point for each correct answer.)
A. 15: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland.
.
.
Q. 16: As of the end of 2013, who has won the Academy award for Best Actor the most times? (Bonus points if you can name the movies too.)
A. 16: Daniel Day-Lewis. (In 1990 for ‘My Left Foot’, in 2008 for ‘There Will Be Blood’, and in 2013 for ‘Lincoln’.)
.
.
Q. 17: What sort of creature is a whinchat?
a) fish b) insect c) bird d) mammal
A. 17: c) bird.
.
.
Q. 18: ‘Columbo’, ‘Morse’, ‘Magnum’, ‘Bergerac’, and ‘Nash Bridges’ were all television detectives and policemen who had one thing in common apart from their jobs, what was it?
A. 18: They all drove classic or distinctive cars.
.
.
Q. 19: With one word complete the following Acme Corporation inventions in ‘The Roadrunner’.
a) dehydrated _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ and, b) portable _ _ _ _ _
A. 19: a) dehydrated boulders and, b) portable holes
.
.
Q. 20: Released in 1954, a single by Bill Haley & His Comets became one of the best selling songs of all time with sales of 25 million. What was 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.
.
.
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 