- or so it would seem. Case in point. I won’t lie to you, there are times at work when I do allow myself to get sidetracked by some of the pupils at work, especially when they come up with something interesting or intriguing, which does actually happen more often than you might expect. Yesterday I was challenged by one of them to invent a new sport. Don’t ask how the topic came up, it’s a long and not very interesting story. Still, asked to invent a new sport I was, and the best I could come up with was extreme quizzing.
You must have heard of extreme ironing a few years back. In fact , as far as I know its still going strong, and you may well recall that when the M1 was closed back in April by Mill Hill a clip was posted on Facebook of a guy ironing on that stretch. If you’ve never heard of extreme ironing, well, that’s it in a nutshell basically. Taking your board, and getting yourself photographed or even better, filmed in the most unusual and preferably dangerous place you can think of. Substitute quizzing for ironing, and that’s it. Extreme quizzing.
Warming to my idea, and seeing visions of my new sport growing, and maybe even one day being a demonstration sport in the Olympics I went googling when I got home. You can imagine my chagrin when I discovered that ‘my’ new sport is not mine at all, and nor is it new. I’ve been beaten to it. Apparently there’s a whole Facebook group devoted to it. I couldn’t be bothered to check it out, but nonetheless, there we are, another dream of glory gone up in smoke.
Shame , though. I look back on my two and a bit decades of quizzing, and I can’t say that I have really lived dangerously at all. In fact, if you asked me the most unusual place I’ve ever played a quiz, the honest answer would be Pantyffynon.
Thursday, 30 June 2011
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Shock News - Some People Cheat in Quizzes !
I try to do the papers every morning, and at the same time keep one eye on the BBC Breakfast News - ah , Susanna Reid - and this morning I was surprised by a couple of things. Firstly, that they mentioned pub quizzing at all, and secondly, that they seem to think the idea that people cheat in pub quizzing using their phones is in any way 'news'.
I don't know if you happened to catch the item at all or not. If not, you can find it here : -
BBC News - Time Called On Pub Quiz Cheats
I don't know, see what you think, but as well as being a non story, the report also seemed to me to be a nice little plug for Redtooth Quizzes. ( "We would probably never do the question - what's the capital of somewhere - unless it was something like what's the capital of Trumpton ? " I can well believe that.) You might recall that Martin Green of Redtooth wrote to me some time ago when he found a comment that I made a couple of years ago saying that I didn't like Redtooth quizzes. I don't like Redtooth Quizzes. That's my opinion and I'm entitled to it. If you play in them and enjoy them, then good luck to you. In it he said,
"Hi David
My name is Martin Green and I write pop culture and trivia questions for the 4,000 pubs and clubs that play one of 23 different quizzes produced each week by Redtooth.
Our main objective is to stop the smartest quiz teams from winning and killing the quiz nights.
You are living proof that this is working."
Bloody cheek !
So you can appreciate that it makes one just a little irritated to see them being held up as some kind of saviours of pub quizdom.
I don't know if you happened to catch the item at all or not. If not, you can find it here : -
BBC News - Time Called On Pub Quiz Cheats
I don't know, see what you think, but as well as being a non story, the report also seemed to me to be a nice little plug for Redtooth Quizzes. ( "We would probably never do the question - what's the capital of somewhere - unless it was something like what's the capital of Trumpton ? " I can well believe that.) You might recall that Martin Green of Redtooth wrote to me some time ago when he found a comment that I made a couple of years ago saying that I didn't like Redtooth quizzes. I don't like Redtooth Quizzes. That's my opinion and I'm entitled to it. If you play in them and enjoy them, then good luck to you. In it he said,
"Hi David
My name is Martin Green and I write pop culture and trivia questions for the 4,000 pubs and clubs that play one of 23 different quizzes produced each week by Redtooth.
Our main objective is to stop the smartest quiz teams from winning and killing the quiz nights.
You are living proof that this is working."
Bloody cheek !
So you can appreciate that it makes one just a little irritated to see them being held up as some kind of saviours of pub quizdom.
Sunday, 26 June 2011
Quiz Trippers Trailer
Once again Brian Pendreigh has come up trumps for me, and I am in his debt. Here is a link he sent me to a trailer for Channel 4's new show Quiz Trippers - its a minute or so long. Just click on this link
Quiz Trippers Trailer
Oh, and just in case anyone suggests it, I have no vested interest in promoting the show at all, I'm just interested to see how it turns out, having been invited to audition, but been unable to make the commitment to do so.
Quiz Trippers Trailer
Oh, and just in case anyone suggests it, I have no vested interest in promoting the show at all, I'm just interested to see how it turns out, having been invited to audition, but been unable to make the commitment to do so.
News Questions
Another set of questions culled from this week’s papers : -
Who or what are : -
Ryan Cleary
Clarence Clemons
James “Whitey” Bulger
HMS Protector
Terenia Taras
The Carlyle Group
Feliciano Lopez
Pauline Nyiramasuhuko
George Davies
Peter Flanagan
Happy Feet
Hu Jia
Bill Lacey
Mark Rowley
Mark Serwotka
Art Uncut
Last week it was announced that which vocalist will sing with the re-formed Faces ?
Which actor was given a posthumous star on the Hollywood walk of fame ?
Which british location came 6th on the list of National Geographic’s top 10 must see destinations for 2011 ?
Artist Ai Weiwei was freed after how many days imprisonment ?
A first edition of a book by Charles Darwin was returned to a library in Sydney after how many years ?
Which NATO country called for an end to the bombing of Libya ?
Who has threatened to roll naked down Murray Mount/Henman Hill if Andy Murray wins the Wimbledon Men’s Singles ?
What did the British Library unveil plans to do last week ?
Whose show did Aung San Su Kyo last week say was once her favourite on the world service ?
What is golfer Rory Mcilroy’s home town ?
Which Dragon’s Den star has faced allegations involving mismanagement of government funds ?
Barack Obama has pledged to pull how many troops out of Afghanistan ?
Footballer Ashley Young is being transferred from where to where ?
Which IT bank was unable to enable customers to access their accounts for periods last week ?
What is the name of Charles Dickens’ former holiday home, which went up for sale ?
Last week a sensational story claimed that a crash diet can cure type 2 diabetes in a week ( I’m type 2 myself, and I don’t believe this for one minute ) How many calories a day did it claim that you needed to eat ?
Which 83 year old actor died last week ?
Which Ice Hockey team won the Stanley Cup ?
How much have Chelsea to pay Porto for compensation for signing Villas Boas as their new manager ?
Which retailer went into administration last week ?
Who was sent back to jail in the US over corruption charges again last week ?
A project to build a controversial road in Africa was scrapped last week. Where exactly was it to have been sited ?
The first ever script of which soap opera is to be auctioned ?
Last week backbench conservative MPs defeated the government on which issue ?
Customers’ details were stolen when hackers raided which hotel group last week ?
Which American singer has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s ?
Daniel Craig married which 41 year old actress ?
Who is the PM of China, visiting the UK ?
Which car company will be making the new pope mobile ?
What is the name of Levi Bellfield’s daughter, who wrote to the Dowler family ?
Some MPs are refusing to contribute to a specific present from MPs for the Queen’s diamond jubilee in 2012. What specifically is this present ?
There was speculation this week that which Australian sportsman may have had a facelift ?
What was the name of the judge who has faced some criticism over his handling of the Levi Bellfield trial ?
Who or what are : -
Ryan Cleary
Clarence Clemons
James “Whitey” Bulger
HMS Protector
Terenia Taras
The Carlyle Group
Feliciano Lopez
Pauline Nyiramasuhuko
George Davies
Peter Flanagan
Happy Feet
Hu Jia
Bill Lacey
Mark Rowley
Mark Serwotka
Art Uncut
Last week it was announced that which vocalist will sing with the re-formed Faces ?
Which actor was given a posthumous star on the Hollywood walk of fame ?
Which british location came 6th on the list of National Geographic’s top 10 must see destinations for 2011 ?
Artist Ai Weiwei was freed after how many days imprisonment ?
A first edition of a book by Charles Darwin was returned to a library in Sydney after how many years ?
Which NATO country called for an end to the bombing of Libya ?
Who has threatened to roll naked down Murray Mount/Henman Hill if Andy Murray wins the Wimbledon Men’s Singles ?
What did the British Library unveil plans to do last week ?
Whose show did Aung San Su Kyo last week say was once her favourite on the world service ?
What is golfer Rory Mcilroy’s home town ?
Which Dragon’s Den star has faced allegations involving mismanagement of government funds ?
Barack Obama has pledged to pull how many troops out of Afghanistan ?
Footballer Ashley Young is being transferred from where to where ?
Which IT bank was unable to enable customers to access their accounts for periods last week ?
What is the name of Charles Dickens’ former holiday home, which went up for sale ?
Last week a sensational story claimed that a crash diet can cure type 2 diabetes in a week ( I’m type 2 myself, and I don’t believe this for one minute ) How many calories a day did it claim that you needed to eat ?
Which 83 year old actor died last week ?
Which Ice Hockey team won the Stanley Cup ?
How much have Chelsea to pay Porto for compensation for signing Villas Boas as their new manager ?
Which retailer went into administration last week ?
Who was sent back to jail in the US over corruption charges again last week ?
A project to build a controversial road in Africa was scrapped last week. Where exactly was it to have been sited ?
The first ever script of which soap opera is to be auctioned ?
Last week backbench conservative MPs defeated the government on which issue ?
Customers’ details were stolen when hackers raided which hotel group last week ?
Which American singer has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s ?
Daniel Craig married which 41 year old actress ?
Who is the PM of China, visiting the UK ?
Which car company will be making the new pope mobile ?
What is the name of Levi Bellfield’s daughter, who wrote to the Dowler family ?
Some MPs are refusing to contribute to a specific present from MPs for the Queen’s diamond jubilee in 2012. What specifically is this present ?
There was speculation this week that which Australian sportsman may have had a facelift ?
What was the name of the judge who has faced some criticism over his handling of the Levi Bellfield trial ?
Saturday, 25 June 2011
Answers to the news questions
Who or what are : -
Diageo
Drinks firm paying for training of midwives
Christina Kircher
President of Argentina – criticized Cameron over his pronouncements on the Falklands
Owais Dar
Shopkeeper who took boy who stole from his shop home to the boy’s parents, and was taken to court over unlawful imprisonment, to have case thrown out by the judge.
Larry
The Downing Street cat photographed with Barack Obama, who looked distinctly uncomfortable holding him.
Karen Gordon
Third wife of Earl Spencer
Andrew Symeou
Released after 2 years in a jail in Greece
Moya Greene
Head of Royal Mail, criticized over pay
Jamie Stewart and Joanne Fraill
First people to be convicted of internet based contempt of court, each contacted other on Facebook during trial where one was defendant, and the other a juror.
Spiderman – Turn off the Dark
Most expensive musical in Broadway history – opened again last week.
Sean Murphy
He was convicted of a firearms offence after using a 12 bore to try to blast a wart off his finger
David Abraham
Head of Channel 4 , who defended Frankie Boyle’s comments about Katie Price’s son Harvey
Fame and Glory
Horse that won the Ascot Gold Cup
Kevin Hart
Caught growing a very large indoor cannabis farm – claimed that he thought it was sage.
Anthony McErlean
Man who faked own death, and then claimed on his life insurance
Kevin O’Hare
New director of the Royal Ballet
Arun Nayer
Divorced after 4 years of marriage to Liz Hurley
Crystal Harris
Called off engagement to Hugh Hefner
Equateq
Company that bought the Castaway Island of Taransay
Pottermore
JK Rowling’s new website
Which is officially Europe’s most gridlocked city ? ( London is 3rd )
Brussels
Which London Borough refused to make Bob Dylan a Freeman ?
Haringey
Panorama had to apologise over ‘faked’ footage of what ?
Child labourers making goods for Primark
What were stolen from a museum at Seogram Ashram in India ?
Gandhi’s spectacles
On which course is this year’s US Open being played ?
Congressional
An outcry has forced the government of Austria to scrap plans to sell off what ?
2 mountains
Which ground staged its first ever test match ?
Rose Bowl, Hampshire
Who was sacked as manager of Terek Grozny ?
Ruud Gullit
To whom did Christine Bleakley become engaged ?
Frank Lampard
Which 85 year old played the Glastonbury Festival ?
B.B.King
Who captained Sri Lanka in the third test ?
Sangakkara
Alan Shearer turned down an offer to manage which football club ?
Cardiff City
Where did the Royal Ballet perform for the first time last week ?
The O2 Arena
Off the coast of which Cornish town was a dangerous shark reported last week ?
St. Ives
Cecilia Mcdowall has composed a choral piece of music based on what ?
The Shipping Forecast
Which 2 teaching unions voted for a strike on June 30th ?
NUT and ATL
Which games company are the latest to have been hacked into ?
Sega
The Anglican church is set to allow the ordination of gay bishops – on which condition ?
They remain celibate
Which piece of music came top of the vote for Desert Island Discs by the general public ?
The Lark Ascending – Vaughan Williams
Which college was stopped from using a kettle as a mascot in a recording for the next series of University Challenge ?
Goldsmith’s College ( my alma mater !)
A recent study has shown which hobby to be the most conducive to good health ?
Quilting
Again, a recent study has revealed that which accents are a) the most helpful – and b) the least helpful to candidates in interviews for jobs ?
a) Essex and Cambridge b) Glaswegian
Damning documents from whose time in ministerial office were revealed last week ?
Ed Balls
Who knocked Rafael Nadal out of Queens’ ?
Jo Wilfred Tsonga
Which welsh rugby player has been suspended by the WRU following an altercation in a Cardiff street ?
Mike Phillips
Which athlete announced his decision not to compete in the European team athletics championship on Twitter ?
Phillips Idowu
Women in Saudi Arabia have been protesting over which issue ?
At the moment all women are banned from driving in Saudi Arabia
Anne Robinson was criticized over a question she asked vicar Peter Hayler on The Weakest Link. What was the question ?
“Is that a gay shirt ?”
Which new A Level grade is to come in above A* ?
A * Distinction
What is the name of the BBC’s new X-Factor style talent show, announced for next year ?
The Voice
What was allowed to be worn in the Ascot Royal Enclosure for the first time this year ?
Wellington Boots
DC Comics have revealed that Superman is going to lose his what ?
Distinctive red underpants
Which stage race was won by Bradley Wiggins ?
Criterium du Dauphine
Schools in which British town have found out that they are in fact twinned with schools in Abbotabad ?
Blackburn
The descendants of Jacques du Molay have petitioned the Vatican for a pardon. Jacques du Molay was the last head of which organization ?
The Knights Templar
Diageo
Drinks firm paying for training of midwives
Christina Kircher
President of Argentina – criticized Cameron over his pronouncements on the Falklands
Owais Dar
Shopkeeper who took boy who stole from his shop home to the boy’s parents, and was taken to court over unlawful imprisonment, to have case thrown out by the judge.
Larry
The Downing Street cat photographed with Barack Obama, who looked distinctly uncomfortable holding him.
Karen Gordon
Third wife of Earl Spencer
Andrew Symeou
Released after 2 years in a jail in Greece
Moya Greene
Head of Royal Mail, criticized over pay
Jamie Stewart and Joanne Fraill
First people to be convicted of internet based contempt of court, each contacted other on Facebook during trial where one was defendant, and the other a juror.
Spiderman – Turn off the Dark
Most expensive musical in Broadway history – opened again last week.
Sean Murphy
He was convicted of a firearms offence after using a 12 bore to try to blast a wart off his finger
David Abraham
Head of Channel 4 , who defended Frankie Boyle’s comments about Katie Price’s son Harvey
Fame and Glory
Horse that won the Ascot Gold Cup
Kevin Hart
Caught growing a very large indoor cannabis farm – claimed that he thought it was sage.
Anthony McErlean
Man who faked own death, and then claimed on his life insurance
Kevin O’Hare
New director of the Royal Ballet
Arun Nayer
Divorced after 4 years of marriage to Liz Hurley
Crystal Harris
Called off engagement to Hugh Hefner
Equateq
Company that bought the Castaway Island of Taransay
Pottermore
JK Rowling’s new website
Which is officially Europe’s most gridlocked city ? ( London is 3rd )
Brussels
Which London Borough refused to make Bob Dylan a Freeman ?
Haringey
Panorama had to apologise over ‘faked’ footage of what ?
Child labourers making goods for Primark
What were stolen from a museum at Seogram Ashram in India ?
Gandhi’s spectacles
On which course is this year’s US Open being played ?
Congressional
An outcry has forced the government of Austria to scrap plans to sell off what ?
2 mountains
Which ground staged its first ever test match ?
Rose Bowl, Hampshire
Who was sacked as manager of Terek Grozny ?
Ruud Gullit
To whom did Christine Bleakley become engaged ?
Frank Lampard
Which 85 year old played the Glastonbury Festival ?
B.B.King
Who captained Sri Lanka in the third test ?
Sangakkara
Alan Shearer turned down an offer to manage which football club ?
Cardiff City
Where did the Royal Ballet perform for the first time last week ?
The O2 Arena
Off the coast of which Cornish town was a dangerous shark reported last week ?
St. Ives
Cecilia Mcdowall has composed a choral piece of music based on what ?
The Shipping Forecast
Which 2 teaching unions voted for a strike on June 30th ?
NUT and ATL
Which games company are the latest to have been hacked into ?
Sega
The Anglican church is set to allow the ordination of gay bishops – on which condition ?
They remain celibate
Which piece of music came top of the vote for Desert Island Discs by the general public ?
The Lark Ascending – Vaughan Williams
Which college was stopped from using a kettle as a mascot in a recording for the next series of University Challenge ?
Goldsmith’s College ( my alma mater !)
A recent study has shown which hobby to be the most conducive to good health ?
Quilting
Again, a recent study has revealed that which accents are a) the most helpful – and b) the least helpful to candidates in interviews for jobs ?
a) Essex and Cambridge b) Glaswegian
Damning documents from whose time in ministerial office were revealed last week ?
Ed Balls
Who knocked Rafael Nadal out of Queens’ ?
Jo Wilfred Tsonga
Which welsh rugby player has been suspended by the WRU following an altercation in a Cardiff street ?
Mike Phillips
Which athlete announced his decision not to compete in the European team athletics championship on Twitter ?
Phillips Idowu
Women in Saudi Arabia have been protesting over which issue ?
At the moment all women are banned from driving in Saudi Arabia
Anne Robinson was criticized over a question she asked vicar Peter Hayler on The Weakest Link. What was the question ?
“Is that a gay shirt ?”
Which new A Level grade is to come in above A* ?
A * Distinction
What is the name of the BBC’s new X-Factor style talent show, announced for next year ?
The Voice
What was allowed to be worn in the Ascot Royal Enclosure for the first time this year ?
Wellington Boots
DC Comics have revealed that Superman is going to lose his what ?
Distinctive red underpants
Which stage race was won by Bradley Wiggins ?
Criterium du Dauphine
Schools in which British town have found out that they are in fact twinned with schools in Abbotabad ?
Blackburn
The descendants of Jacques du Molay have petitioned the Vatican for a pardon. Jacques du Molay was the last head of which organization ?
The Knights Templar
Friday, 24 June 2011
More on Quiz Trippers
LAM reader Brian Pendreigh posted this link to channel 4's website on the BQA forum earlier this week, and I take the liberty of reproducing it here : -
Quiz Trippers
It debuts next month, and its probably only fair to reserve judgement until I've actually seen it.
Quiz Trippers
It debuts next month, and its probably only fair to reserve judgement until I've actually seen it.
Thursday, 23 June 2011
Specialist Equipment
In the teaching profession INSET , or in-service training, is a fact of life. When you’ve put a few years service in, you’ll have taken part in many INSET days, and I think that all of us, whichever school we work in, can tell stories about some pretty rum sorts we’ve had in from outside to talk to us on different occasions. One of the more successful days I can recall was when we were visited by a GP , who specialized in advising various professions on ways of dealing with stress. His first observation was that almost all men have a thing. Ooh , matron. What he meant was that men are far more likely to have a consuming interest than women. Women , being to be honest far more sensible than men, get interested in things, but manage to keep a sense of proportion about them, in a way in which men don’t. I don’t say that I agree, and I don’t say that I disagree- this is just what he told us. However I do agree that men certainly do tend to have their ‘thing’ – and of course, one of mine is quizzing. Its quite likely that one of yours is too, unless , that is, you’re reading this blog by mistake.
As well as being a very good quizzer John is also a keen angler. Which is fine by me, considering the fact that John loves catching trout but neither he nor Lynne eats them , while Mary and I love eating trout, but wouldn’t even know which end of a fishing rod to hold. A neat , rather Jack Sprattish turn out of events , as it happens. Still, the appeal of a hobby such as angling to me would be that it necessitates that you have a certain amount of equipment. Not unlike golf, come to think of it. Apart from a couple of goes on the putting course in Gunnersbury Park I have never lifted a golf club in anger, but many of my colleagues in the school are keen golfers, and I must confess that I do get a little envious when I hear workfriends telling tall tales of the rounds they have managed during the weekend, and in particular the latest thing they have purchased in pursuit of improving their games.
Don’t misunderstand me in this. Most of the time I love the fact that quizzing doesn’t require the purchase of tons and tons of specialist equipment. What I spend on quizzing tends to go on less obvious things, more like hidden costs , if you will . Cost of entry, transport to and from venues – drinks during the evening, that sort of thing. I did once try to work out an estimate of how much I actually spent out on quizzing for a six month period, but it all got quite fiddly, especially once I had to subtract from the total the value of the things I won during the period. So I gave it up, but I’d imagine that the amount that I spend on ‘my thing’ probably isn’t huge. Which is nice, but just once in a while I find myself giving way to a childish wish that we, the quiz fraternity, could have our own set of specialist equipment to reward ourselves with occasionally. I mean, I like to use a nice parker pen when I do a quiz, but even so we’re not talking huge expense here, especially when you consider that I use my pens for work as well.
As well as being a very good quizzer John is also a keen angler. Which is fine by me, considering the fact that John loves catching trout but neither he nor Lynne eats them , while Mary and I love eating trout, but wouldn’t even know which end of a fishing rod to hold. A neat , rather Jack Sprattish turn out of events , as it happens. Still, the appeal of a hobby such as angling to me would be that it necessitates that you have a certain amount of equipment. Not unlike golf, come to think of it. Apart from a couple of goes on the putting course in Gunnersbury Park I have never lifted a golf club in anger, but many of my colleagues in the school are keen golfers, and I must confess that I do get a little envious when I hear workfriends telling tall tales of the rounds they have managed during the weekend, and in particular the latest thing they have purchased in pursuit of improving their games.
Don’t misunderstand me in this. Most of the time I love the fact that quizzing doesn’t require the purchase of tons and tons of specialist equipment. What I spend on quizzing tends to go on less obvious things, more like hidden costs , if you will . Cost of entry, transport to and from venues – drinks during the evening, that sort of thing. I did once try to work out an estimate of how much I actually spent out on quizzing for a six month period, but it all got quite fiddly, especially once I had to subtract from the total the value of the things I won during the period. So I gave it up, but I’d imagine that the amount that I spend on ‘my thing’ probably isn’t huge. Which is nice, but just once in a while I find myself giving way to a childish wish that we, the quiz fraternity, could have our own set of specialist equipment to reward ourselves with occasionally. I mean, I like to use a nice parker pen when I do a quiz, but even so we’re not talking huge expense here, especially when you consider that I use my pens for work as well.
Sunday, 19 June 2011
News Questions
Who or what are : -
Diageo
Christina Kircher
Owais Dar
Larry
Karen Gordon
Andrew Symeou
Moya Greene
Jamie Stewart and Joanne Fraill
Spiderman – Turn off the Dark
Sean Murphy
David Abraham
Fame and Glory
Kevin Hart
Anthony McErlean
Kevin O’Hare
Arun Nayer
Crystal Harris
Equateq
Pottermore
Which is officially Europe’s most gridlocked city ? ( London is 3rd )
Which London Borough refused to make Bob Dylan a Freeman ?
Panorama had to apologise over ‘faked’ footage of what ?
What were stolen from a museum at Seogram Ashram in India ?
On which course is this year’s US Open being played ?
An outcry has forced the government of Austria to scrap plans to sell off what ?
Which ground staged its first ever test match ?
Who was sacked as manager of Terek Grozny ?
To whom did Christine Bleakley become engaged ?
Which 85 year old played the Glastonbury Festival ?
Who captained Sri Lanka in the third test ?
Alan Shearer turned down an offer to manage which football club ?
Where did the Royal Ballet perform for the first time last week ?
Off the coast of which Cornish town was a dangerous shark reported last week ?
Cecilia Mcdowall has composed a choral piece of music based on what ?
Which 2 teaching unions voted for a strike on June 30th ?
Which games company are the latest to have been hacked into ?
The Anglican church is set to allow the ordination of gay bishops – on which condition ?
Which piece of music came top of the vote for Desert Island Discs by the general public ?
Which college was stopped from using a kettle as a mascot in a recording for the next series of University Challenge ?
A recent study has shown which hobby to be the most conducive to good health ?
Again, a recent study has revealed that which accents are a) the most helpful – and b) the least helpful to candidates in interviews for jobs ?
Damning documents from whose time in ministerial office were revealed last week ?
Who knocked Rafael Nadal out of Queens’ ?
Which welsh rugby player has been suspended by the WRU following an altercation in a Cardiff street ?
Which athlete announced his decision not to compete in the European team athletics championship on Twitter ?
Women in Saudi Arabia have been protesting over which issue ?
Anne Robinson was criticized over a question she asked vicar Peter Hayler on The Weakest Link. What was the question ?
Which new A Level grade is to come in above A* ?
What is the name of the BBC’s new X-Factor style talent show, announced for next year ?
What was allowed to be worn in the Ascot Royal Enclosure for the first time this year ?
DC Comics have revealed that Superman is going to lose his what ?
Which stage race was won by Bradley Wiggins ?
Schools in which British town have found out that they are in fact twinned with schools in Abbotabad ?
The descendants of Jacques du Molay have petitioned the Vatican for a pardon. Jacques du Molay was the last head of which organization ?
Diageo
Christina Kircher
Owais Dar
Larry
Karen Gordon
Andrew Symeou
Moya Greene
Jamie Stewart and Joanne Fraill
Spiderman – Turn off the Dark
Sean Murphy
David Abraham
Fame and Glory
Kevin Hart
Anthony McErlean
Kevin O’Hare
Arun Nayer
Crystal Harris
Equateq
Pottermore
Which is officially Europe’s most gridlocked city ? ( London is 3rd )
Which London Borough refused to make Bob Dylan a Freeman ?
Panorama had to apologise over ‘faked’ footage of what ?
What were stolen from a museum at Seogram Ashram in India ?
On which course is this year’s US Open being played ?
An outcry has forced the government of Austria to scrap plans to sell off what ?
Which ground staged its first ever test match ?
Who was sacked as manager of Terek Grozny ?
To whom did Christine Bleakley become engaged ?
Which 85 year old played the Glastonbury Festival ?
Who captained Sri Lanka in the third test ?
Alan Shearer turned down an offer to manage which football club ?
Where did the Royal Ballet perform for the first time last week ?
Off the coast of which Cornish town was a dangerous shark reported last week ?
Cecilia Mcdowall has composed a choral piece of music based on what ?
Which 2 teaching unions voted for a strike on June 30th ?
Which games company are the latest to have been hacked into ?
The Anglican church is set to allow the ordination of gay bishops – on which condition ?
Which piece of music came top of the vote for Desert Island Discs by the general public ?
Which college was stopped from using a kettle as a mascot in a recording for the next series of University Challenge ?
A recent study has shown which hobby to be the most conducive to good health ?
Again, a recent study has revealed that which accents are a) the most helpful – and b) the least helpful to candidates in interviews for jobs ?
Damning documents from whose time in ministerial office were revealed last week ?
Who knocked Rafael Nadal out of Queens’ ?
Which welsh rugby player has been suspended by the WRU following an altercation in a Cardiff street ?
Which athlete announced his decision not to compete in the European team athletics championship on Twitter ?
Women in Saudi Arabia have been protesting over which issue ?
Anne Robinson was criticized over a question she asked vicar Peter Hayler on The Weakest Link. What was the question ?
Which new A Level grade is to come in above A* ?
What is the name of the BBC’s new X-Factor style talent show, announced for next year ?
What was allowed to be worn in the Ascot Royal Enclosure for the first time this year ?
DC Comics have revealed that Superman is going to lose his what ?
Which stage race was won by Bradley Wiggins ?
Schools in which British town have found out that they are in fact twinned with schools in Abbotabad ?
The descendants of Jacques du Molay have petitioned the Vatican for a pardon. Jacques du Molay was the last head of which organization ?
Friday, 17 June 2011
News Answers
Here’s the answers to the last set of news questions : -
Who or what are : -
David Days
The hypnotist who knocked himself out before he could wake up members of his audience he’d put under.
Andrew Bridgen
MP for North West Leicestershire arrested over claims of sexual assault. Charges have since been dropped I believe.
Francisco Sosa Wagner
Spanish EMP who waved cucumber in European Parliament
Bobby Bradley
Youngest ever person to fly solo in a hot air balloon
Dancing Rain
Horse that won the Oaks
Tea Obreht
Won the Orange prize with the book The Tiger’s Wife
4CMENB
Vaccine for the most deadly strain of meningitis
Julia Donaldson
Author of The Gruffalo – new Children’s Laureate
Peter Smedley
Millionaire whose assisted suicide at Dignitas was filmed
James Ward
Other British tennis player to reach the semis at Queens
Roy Skelton
Died – best known as voice of Zippy in Rainbow
Michael Dean
Finally graduated from Open University – first began his degree 34 years ago
Shrek
New Zealand’s most famous sheep - died
Puyehue
Chilean volcano erupted
Judge Bolton
Judge from Northumberland convicted under Dangerous Dogs legislation
Jai McDowell
Winner of Britain’s Got Talent
Mickael Barzalone
Won the Derby on Pour Moi
Fijit
Squishy robot tipped as this year’s Christmas ‘must have’ toy
Ali Abdullah Saleh
Fleeing president of Yemen
Reg Bailey
Head of the Mother’s Union
Who is the new manager of Fulham FC ?
Martin Jol
Josephine Hart died . What was the title of her famous first novel ?
Damage
Protestors against A.C.Grayling’s plans for a private university set off a smoke bomb where ?
Foyles
Leicester Council replied to a freedom of information request that they do not have a contingency plan for which emergency ?
A zombie attack
In the new film of the Dambusters, what will Guy Gibson’s dog be called ?
Digger – to avoid the N word
Who knocked Nadal out of Queens’ ?
Jo Wilfred Tsonga
Which title did the Queen give to Prince Philip to celebrate his 90th birthday ?
Lord High Admiral
Who has been named the worst reviewed actress in Hollywood over the last 25 years ?
Jennifer Love Hewitt
A pie of which flavor, at which football club won the title of the supreme champion at the British Pie Awards ?
Chicken Ham and Leek - Morecambe
Who became the first politician to be expelled from the Privy Council for 90 years ?
Elliot Morley
What has been compared to a golden loofah and a cheese grater ?
The prototype torch for the London Olympics
Bryan Robson resigned as coach of which country’s national football team ?
Thailand
Who won this year’s Rear of the Year ?
Carol Vorderman
What happened at Barclay’s Bank in Leigh on Sea ?
It was left unlocked, and had to be guarded by customers until the police arrived
What is the name of Apple’s new online storage system, announced last week ?
The i Cloud
What is the title of the new document from the Scout Organisation last week ?
Its OK to be gay and a scout
The University of Chicago finally completed a dictionary they have been working on for 90 years. In which language ?
Akkadian
After a gaffe she made, supporters of Sarah Palin hacked into Wikipedia to try to alter an entry on which figure of American History ?
Paul Revere
Who was the joint author on an academic paper on the human brain ?
Colin Firth
Who used the C word on The News Quiz on Radio 4 ?
Sandi Toksvig
Scientists in CERN succeeded in capturing antimatter and holding it for how long ?
15 minutes
Who became the first footballer from Britain or Ireland to score 50 international goals ?
Robbie Keane
On June 2nd which country celebrated its 150th anniversary of its independence ?
Italy
Who admitted that she had an operation for curvature of the spine at the age of 12 ?
Princess Eugenie
In which oil refinery in West Wales did a disastrous explosion cause tragedy ?
Chevron Refinery in Pembroke Dock
Where is Europe’s first solar powered rail tunnel ?
Antwerp
Who or what are : -
David Days
The hypnotist who knocked himself out before he could wake up members of his audience he’d put under.
Andrew Bridgen
MP for North West Leicestershire arrested over claims of sexual assault. Charges have since been dropped I believe.
Francisco Sosa Wagner
Spanish EMP who waved cucumber in European Parliament
Bobby Bradley
Youngest ever person to fly solo in a hot air balloon
Dancing Rain
Horse that won the Oaks
Tea Obreht
Won the Orange prize with the book The Tiger’s Wife
4CMENB
Vaccine for the most deadly strain of meningitis
Julia Donaldson
Author of The Gruffalo – new Children’s Laureate
Peter Smedley
Millionaire whose assisted suicide at Dignitas was filmed
James Ward
Other British tennis player to reach the semis at Queens
Roy Skelton
Died – best known as voice of Zippy in Rainbow
Michael Dean
Finally graduated from Open University – first began his degree 34 years ago
Shrek
New Zealand’s most famous sheep - died
Puyehue
Chilean volcano erupted
Judge Bolton
Judge from Northumberland convicted under Dangerous Dogs legislation
Jai McDowell
Winner of Britain’s Got Talent
Mickael Barzalone
Won the Derby on Pour Moi
Fijit
Squishy robot tipped as this year’s Christmas ‘must have’ toy
Ali Abdullah Saleh
Fleeing president of Yemen
Reg Bailey
Head of the Mother’s Union
Who is the new manager of Fulham FC ?
Martin Jol
Josephine Hart died . What was the title of her famous first novel ?
Damage
Protestors against A.C.Grayling’s plans for a private university set off a smoke bomb where ?
Foyles
Leicester Council replied to a freedom of information request that they do not have a contingency plan for which emergency ?
A zombie attack
In the new film of the Dambusters, what will Guy Gibson’s dog be called ?
Digger – to avoid the N word
Who knocked Nadal out of Queens’ ?
Jo Wilfred Tsonga
Which title did the Queen give to Prince Philip to celebrate his 90th birthday ?
Lord High Admiral
Who has been named the worst reviewed actress in Hollywood over the last 25 years ?
Jennifer Love Hewitt
A pie of which flavor, at which football club won the title of the supreme champion at the British Pie Awards ?
Chicken Ham and Leek - Morecambe
Who became the first politician to be expelled from the Privy Council for 90 years ?
Elliot Morley
What has been compared to a golden loofah and a cheese grater ?
The prototype torch for the London Olympics
Bryan Robson resigned as coach of which country’s national football team ?
Thailand
Who won this year’s Rear of the Year ?
Carol Vorderman
What happened at Barclay’s Bank in Leigh on Sea ?
It was left unlocked, and had to be guarded by customers until the police arrived
What is the name of Apple’s new online storage system, announced last week ?
The i Cloud
What is the title of the new document from the Scout Organisation last week ?
Its OK to be gay and a scout
The University of Chicago finally completed a dictionary they have been working on for 90 years. In which language ?
Akkadian
After a gaffe she made, supporters of Sarah Palin hacked into Wikipedia to try to alter an entry on which figure of American History ?
Paul Revere
Who was the joint author on an academic paper on the human brain ?
Colin Firth
Who used the C word on The News Quiz on Radio 4 ?
Sandi Toksvig
Scientists in CERN succeeded in capturing antimatter and holding it for how long ?
15 minutes
Who became the first footballer from Britain or Ireland to score 50 international goals ?
Robbie Keane
On June 2nd which country celebrated its 150th anniversary of its independence ?
Italy
Who admitted that she had an operation for curvature of the spine at the age of 12 ?
Princess Eugenie
In which oil refinery in West Wales did a disastrous explosion cause tragedy ?
Chevron Refinery in Pembroke Dock
Where is Europe’s first solar powered rail tunnel ?
Antwerp
British Student Quiz Championships
The British Student Quiz Champiionships were held last Saturday, and I'm indebted to Hugh Bennett for sending me this link, where you can see the final on YouTube.
YouTube - British Student Quiz Championships
YouTube - British Student Quiz Championships
Those Bundle Moments
Sometimes you can be asked things in a quiz, where the answer seems so far fetched that you just can’t believe it. I like to think of these occasions as my Bundle moments. I will try to explain.
My aunt had a talking dog. Actually that’s not really true. She was my great aunt, not my aunt. Now, when I say talking, you will appreciate that we’re not exactly talking the Gettysburg Address here. His vocabulary was strictly limited, and his diction left a lot to be desired.
I only actually encountered this prodigy , whose name was Bundle, on one occasion. Not long after my eldest daughter was born, Auntie Vera ( Auntie V. for short ) knitted a very pretty pram blanket for her, so Mary and I took her round to show her off. As we were having coffee, Auntie V’s dog entered the room, and sat down expectantly at her feet. Bundle was a schnauzer, a breed I’ve always liked. Auntie V took a biscuit – which I believe was one of Mr. McVitie’s most excellent HobNobs – from the packet, and looked down at Bundle, and casually asked him ,
“Bundle , do you want one ? “
To which Bundle, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, looked up, and said ,
“I want one.”
Well, I say that he said “I want one.” The truth is that he didn’t say anything, he whined something, and it was much more like “ Hiiii wwoorrrnnn wuuunnn.” As I said, the amazing thing wasn’t that he spoke well – it was that he even sounded as if he was speaking in the first place. I guessed from Auntie V’s reaction that it was something of a party piece, as she looked up triumphantly from him, and across at us. If she expected us to be amazed she wasn’t disappointed. I looked at Mary, she looked at me, and we both looked at Auntie V.
“Good Lord !” I said , or words to that effect. “Did he just say ‘I want one.’?”
“Oh yes, “ replied Auntie V. “He does that. “
“How on earth, “ I asked , “ did you ever get him to do that ? “
“I didn’t .” she replied, and then she began to tell us the whole story.
Auntie V. always had dogs. Now, there was a comprehensive school not far from her house, and a large number of the kids would pass by on the way home, so Auntie V. would let her dogs out the front in the afternoon so that they’d be there to bark at the kids as they went past. It takes all sorts. One day, about 5 o’clock in the afternoon there was a ring on the doorbell. Auntie V. opened it to find a man standing there with two boys, one maybe 11, and the other a little older.
“Excuse me missus, “ the man said, “ but my boys have been telling me about your talking dog, and I wonder if I could come in to see it. “
Well, according to Auntie V. she was sniffing his breath at this point to see if he’d been drinking, but then one of the boys piped up with .
“You know, the little grey one. When you go past, if you offer him some crisps or a biscuit, he says “I want one.”
At this Auntie V. invited them in, whipped out the biscuits, and called Bundle. He sat down, sensing that something good was in the offing, and she asked the question ,
“Bundle, do you want one ?”
“Hiii wooorrnnnn wuunnn !”
Of course, Bundle wasn’t really talking, and I doubt very much that Bundle had any idea of exactly what he was doing. But somehow he had once, whether by accident or design, made that sound , and seen the reaction that it got from the kids going past. He was smart enough to know that if someone’s holding out something nice to you, then that’s the noise to make.
When I tell you that my eldest daughter is now in her mid twenties, then you’ll understand that this all happened a long time ago. Bundle passed away. When I first heard Bundle I did suggest to Auntie V. that Bundle had it within him to become a minor sensation. This was long before the age of YouTube, but only a few years after a dog became a national celebrity when its owner manipulated its jaw so that it sounded like it was saying “Sausages” on the TV show That’s Life. Over 40s may well remember this, and under 40s can possibly find it on YouTube. As I saw it, Bundle scored doubly over the sausages dog because a) he could manage a whole phrase, and b) you didn’t even have to cheat by moving his jaws with your hands. Auntie V. wasn’t exactly horrified by the suggestion, but she informed me that she’d never dream of doing such a thing. As far as she was concerned it was just a funny little thing that Bundle did. When it amused friends and family, all well and good, but as for making him a source of amusement for complete strangers, forget it.
There’s no great moral, or quizzing link to this story. I mention it because in the quiz last night there was a question about the old sitcom Mr. Ed. – the one with the talking horse. One of the boys made a comment about it being a load of far fetched rubbish – no disagreement from me there – but this led to me regaling them with the story about Bundle. To which they responded – yeah, right, good story. You should write that one down . Which is why I did. Well , that and the fact that it does do to keep an open mind – sometimes the unusual or far fetched answer is actually ever bit as true as the question master says that it is. And that is why, dear friends, I call such moments of doubt, where I need to sit back and suspend my disbelief of an answer my Bundle moments.
My aunt had a talking dog. Actually that’s not really true. She was my great aunt, not my aunt. Now, when I say talking, you will appreciate that we’re not exactly talking the Gettysburg Address here. His vocabulary was strictly limited, and his diction left a lot to be desired.
I only actually encountered this prodigy , whose name was Bundle, on one occasion. Not long after my eldest daughter was born, Auntie Vera ( Auntie V. for short ) knitted a very pretty pram blanket for her, so Mary and I took her round to show her off. As we were having coffee, Auntie V’s dog entered the room, and sat down expectantly at her feet. Bundle was a schnauzer, a breed I’ve always liked. Auntie V took a biscuit – which I believe was one of Mr. McVitie’s most excellent HobNobs – from the packet, and looked down at Bundle, and casually asked him ,
“Bundle , do you want one ? “
To which Bundle, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, looked up, and said ,
“I want one.”
Well, I say that he said “I want one.” The truth is that he didn’t say anything, he whined something, and it was much more like “ Hiiii wwoorrrnnn wuuunnn.” As I said, the amazing thing wasn’t that he spoke well – it was that he even sounded as if he was speaking in the first place. I guessed from Auntie V’s reaction that it was something of a party piece, as she looked up triumphantly from him, and across at us. If she expected us to be amazed she wasn’t disappointed. I looked at Mary, she looked at me, and we both looked at Auntie V.
“Good Lord !” I said , or words to that effect. “Did he just say ‘I want one.’?”
“Oh yes, “ replied Auntie V. “He does that. “
“How on earth, “ I asked , “ did you ever get him to do that ? “
“I didn’t .” she replied, and then she began to tell us the whole story.
Auntie V. always had dogs. Now, there was a comprehensive school not far from her house, and a large number of the kids would pass by on the way home, so Auntie V. would let her dogs out the front in the afternoon so that they’d be there to bark at the kids as they went past. It takes all sorts. One day, about 5 o’clock in the afternoon there was a ring on the doorbell. Auntie V. opened it to find a man standing there with two boys, one maybe 11, and the other a little older.
“Excuse me missus, “ the man said, “ but my boys have been telling me about your talking dog, and I wonder if I could come in to see it. “
Well, according to Auntie V. she was sniffing his breath at this point to see if he’d been drinking, but then one of the boys piped up with .
“You know, the little grey one. When you go past, if you offer him some crisps or a biscuit, he says “I want one.”
At this Auntie V. invited them in, whipped out the biscuits, and called Bundle. He sat down, sensing that something good was in the offing, and she asked the question ,
“Bundle, do you want one ?”
“Hiii wooorrnnnn wuunnn !”
Of course, Bundle wasn’t really talking, and I doubt very much that Bundle had any idea of exactly what he was doing. But somehow he had once, whether by accident or design, made that sound , and seen the reaction that it got from the kids going past. He was smart enough to know that if someone’s holding out something nice to you, then that’s the noise to make.
When I tell you that my eldest daughter is now in her mid twenties, then you’ll understand that this all happened a long time ago. Bundle passed away. When I first heard Bundle I did suggest to Auntie V. that Bundle had it within him to become a minor sensation. This was long before the age of YouTube, but only a few years after a dog became a national celebrity when its owner manipulated its jaw so that it sounded like it was saying “Sausages” on the TV show That’s Life. Over 40s may well remember this, and under 40s can possibly find it on YouTube. As I saw it, Bundle scored doubly over the sausages dog because a) he could manage a whole phrase, and b) you didn’t even have to cheat by moving his jaws with your hands. Auntie V. wasn’t exactly horrified by the suggestion, but she informed me that she’d never dream of doing such a thing. As far as she was concerned it was just a funny little thing that Bundle did. When it amused friends and family, all well and good, but as for making him a source of amusement for complete strangers, forget it.
There’s no great moral, or quizzing link to this story. I mention it because in the quiz last night there was a question about the old sitcom Mr. Ed. – the one with the talking horse. One of the boys made a comment about it being a load of far fetched rubbish – no disagreement from me there – but this led to me regaling them with the story about Bundle. To which they responded – yeah, right, good story. You should write that one down . Which is why I did. Well , that and the fact that it does do to keep an open mind – sometimes the unusual or far fetched answer is actually ever bit as true as the question master says that it is. And that is why, dear friends, I call such moments of doubt, where I need to sit back and suspend my disbelief of an answer my Bundle moments.
Thursday, 16 June 2011
Quiz Affective Disorder
Well, I’d like to thank everyone who wished me a happy birthday yesterday. 47, thanks for asking. Actually that makes me think. I have been playing in pub quizzes , and league quizzes for that matter since 1988, before I turned 24. So actually I can truthfully say that I have been a pub and league quizzer for pretty much half my life now.
Obviously I shall be celebrating this very fact in tonight’s quiz in the rugby club. Its not my turn to do the questions, though, since I did it last week. Tonight its Dai Norwich ( so called because a) his name is David, and b) he’s from Norwich. ) I’ll be honest, I’ve often inwardly scoffed when I’ve heard people, whether it be on the box, the radio, or in the flesh, saying that their hobby is not so much a hobby for them as a way of life. But now that I come to think of it , its pretty much that way with me with quizzing.
Here’s a question ? How do you measure out time ? No, I’m not being funny, or philosophical, it’s a genuine question. I measure time in three ways. Firstly, there’s the day to day minute to minute time I measure out with my watch. Stunning observation there. However I also , in the larger sense measure out time in units of the teaching I do. I might not be able to tell you what the precise time of day is, but I can tell you exactly where I am in a lesson, and how long it is to go until the next break/lunchtime/ hometime. In the larger cycle of teacher time, I can tell you exactly where we are in the term, and how long it is to go until the next holiday ( to which question the correct answer is always – too long. )
Its true to say, though, I also find myself measuring out time in units of quiz time . At any given point in the week I have a sense of just how long I’m going to have to wait until the next quiz. My nearest and dearest have made the observation that they would never need a calendar to tell them its Thursday night, for example, because they can always gauge it from the mood I’m in. Tuesday – generally a grumpy sod because there’s no quiz – especially so at the moment while there’s no quiz at the Duke of Wellington in Cowbridge at the moment. Wednesday – slightly better – Thursday usually a lot more full of the joys of Spring because - hooray - its the quiz in the rugby club, and Friday not too bad because the weekend is coming anyway.
Is there a name for this ? Maybe not, although I bet that even in this day and age you could get funding to research it. Quiz Affective Disorder – QUAD for short ? Maybe I’m not quite such a hopeless case as I think. Time was , when I started going to the club in 1995 that I used to enjoy playing in the quizzes, but I absolutely loved compiling the questions and being question master, so much that given carte blanche to do so ( which I was not ) I would have produced the quiz myself every week. I still enjoy being question master, but I don’t mind going four or five weeks between stints if need be now. I’m not exactly sure why.
Obviously I shall be celebrating this very fact in tonight’s quiz in the rugby club. Its not my turn to do the questions, though, since I did it last week. Tonight its Dai Norwich ( so called because a) his name is David, and b) he’s from Norwich. ) I’ll be honest, I’ve often inwardly scoffed when I’ve heard people, whether it be on the box, the radio, or in the flesh, saying that their hobby is not so much a hobby for them as a way of life. But now that I come to think of it , its pretty much that way with me with quizzing.
Here’s a question ? How do you measure out time ? No, I’m not being funny, or philosophical, it’s a genuine question. I measure time in three ways. Firstly, there’s the day to day minute to minute time I measure out with my watch. Stunning observation there. However I also , in the larger sense measure out time in units of the teaching I do. I might not be able to tell you what the precise time of day is, but I can tell you exactly where I am in a lesson, and how long it is to go until the next break/lunchtime/ hometime. In the larger cycle of teacher time, I can tell you exactly where we are in the term, and how long it is to go until the next holiday ( to which question the correct answer is always – too long. )
Its true to say, though, I also find myself measuring out time in units of quiz time . At any given point in the week I have a sense of just how long I’m going to have to wait until the next quiz. My nearest and dearest have made the observation that they would never need a calendar to tell them its Thursday night, for example, because they can always gauge it from the mood I’m in. Tuesday – generally a grumpy sod because there’s no quiz – especially so at the moment while there’s no quiz at the Duke of Wellington in Cowbridge at the moment. Wednesday – slightly better – Thursday usually a lot more full of the joys of Spring because - hooray - its the quiz in the rugby club, and Friday not too bad because the weekend is coming anyway.
Is there a name for this ? Maybe not, although I bet that even in this day and age you could get funding to research it. Quiz Affective Disorder – QUAD for short ? Maybe I’m not quite such a hopeless case as I think. Time was , when I started going to the club in 1995 that I used to enjoy playing in the quizzes, but I absolutely loved compiling the questions and being question master, so much that given carte blanche to do so ( which I was not ) I would have produced the quiz myself every week. I still enjoy being question master, but I don’t mind going four or five weeks between stints if need be now. I’m not exactly sure why.
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
Business, Pleasure or Charity ?
One piece of advice which I’ve been given by more than one person is this : - if you can make your hobby into your business, then you’ve cracked it. Its something I can well believe is true, but its not something I have ever been able to put into practice.
I do know a few people who make their living through running quizzes, and writing questions. However I can’t imagine that it can be an easy thing to do. The people I know are all dedicated quizzers, who love their quizzes, who have put a lot into building up their reputation and their clientele, and put a great deal of care and effort into their work, not necessarily for a huge amount of remuneration either. I should imagine that there’s quite a bit of competition out there too, and when you consider how cheaply you can pick up a set of quiz questions off the net, the chances of someone being able to start up on their own on the cheap and make a go of it seem pretty slim.
This is not to say that I haven’t ever sold a quiz. I did once sell a quiz I’d put together for the rugby club, on ebay ,just to see if a) there was a market for it, and b) if it was worth the effort of selling it. To be honest after you’d taken into account the time and effort put into making the quiz, and the cost of the seller’s fee, printing it and posting it, you weren’t making much of a profit. Still it was interesting to go through the process once.
This is not to say that I haven’t made some money from a quiz. In fact I did just that two weeks ago – just not for me. I produced a fund raising quiz evening for the school. Charity and fund raising quizzes are things that I’ve put on occasionally at different times in the last few years, but I’ve done more in the last 3 years than in the previous 20 years put together. I suppose that this might in part be due to the Mastermind thing. I don’t know that being able to put ‘Quiz Master – Mastermind Winner etc. etc. “ on the poster ever enticed anyone through the doors, or ever put an extra pound in the till, but I did have more requests after my final was shown than I’d had before.
I mention fund raising quizzes because today a colleague asked me if he could have the set of questions I used in the fund raising quiz a couple of weeks ago to use in an event he is involved in . Which was quite flattering, especially considering that one of my fellow governors asked me just the same thing last week. Its not impossible that this set of questions could do the rounds, and that somewhere down the line in the next 12 months or so I might actually find myself in a one off quiz where that very same set of questions are asked. It has happened once before. Still, that’s not really why I write.
The two requests seem to confirm my feeling that I am actually getting better at putting together this kind of evening. What have I learned over the last 12 months or so ? Well, here’s just a few observations : -
Up to quite recently I thought that giving value for money for the people paying the entrance fee meant providing tons of questions – that is, a full ‘rugby club’ style quiz of 8 rounds of 10 questions, with a handout as well. The thing is though, that the majority of people I get attending charity evenings aren’t people who normally play in quizzes every week. Doing a shorter quiz of 5 rounds of 10 questions seems to work a lot better. There’s enough questions to get your teeth into, but not so many that you lose the non quizzers.
Conversely, two different handouts – one of pictures, lets say, and one of cryptic clues tend to work better than just one.
Again – up to fairly recently I thought that you shouldn’t make it too easy. What I try to do now is make sure that there’s enough gimmes that each person in each team can answer something – even if it means that there are some very high scores in the quiz. What we might think of as old chestnuts would effectively be new questions to people who never actually play in quizzes.
People like prizes – and they don’t necessarily have to be expensive prizes. Case in point. In my school fund raising quiz I provided three prizes – a bottle of wine for the top adult or adult/child combined team. Cost – nothing , I’d won it in a quiz 2 nights before. The top pupil only team won a box of chocolates – something like 2 boxes for £5 . The other box I used as a spot prize. I asked a question with a numerical answer – anyone could then pay 50p , and write their guess on a piece of paper , and the closest to the correct answer would receive the chocolates. That spot prize alone raised £25 on the night, which was 5 times the cost of all 3 prizes together.
Its probably fairer, and more lucrative, to set the entry at £1 per person, rather than a flat rate per team.
If you explain where the money’s going, and what its in aid of right from the start of the quiz, people are usually very supportive, and forgiving if you drop any clangers during the evening.
When you actually get started, make it clear that you’re going to have a break at the halfway stage. You’ll want that to sell refreshments. ( If you don’t do this you’re missing a chance to push up the money you can make in the evening ). When you’re actually doing the quiz, though, don’t drag it out. Crack on , and keep it moving.
The best thing about the evening is people tend to be really grateful , yet you have actually been doing something you really enjoy . Everyone's a winner.
I do know a few people who make their living through running quizzes, and writing questions. However I can’t imagine that it can be an easy thing to do. The people I know are all dedicated quizzers, who love their quizzes, who have put a lot into building up their reputation and their clientele, and put a great deal of care and effort into their work, not necessarily for a huge amount of remuneration either. I should imagine that there’s quite a bit of competition out there too, and when you consider how cheaply you can pick up a set of quiz questions off the net, the chances of someone being able to start up on their own on the cheap and make a go of it seem pretty slim.
This is not to say that I haven’t ever sold a quiz. I did once sell a quiz I’d put together for the rugby club, on ebay ,just to see if a) there was a market for it, and b) if it was worth the effort of selling it. To be honest after you’d taken into account the time and effort put into making the quiz, and the cost of the seller’s fee, printing it and posting it, you weren’t making much of a profit. Still it was interesting to go through the process once.
This is not to say that I haven’t made some money from a quiz. In fact I did just that two weeks ago – just not for me. I produced a fund raising quiz evening for the school. Charity and fund raising quizzes are things that I’ve put on occasionally at different times in the last few years, but I’ve done more in the last 3 years than in the previous 20 years put together. I suppose that this might in part be due to the Mastermind thing. I don’t know that being able to put ‘Quiz Master – Mastermind Winner etc. etc. “ on the poster ever enticed anyone through the doors, or ever put an extra pound in the till, but I did have more requests after my final was shown than I’d had before.
I mention fund raising quizzes because today a colleague asked me if he could have the set of questions I used in the fund raising quiz a couple of weeks ago to use in an event he is involved in . Which was quite flattering, especially considering that one of my fellow governors asked me just the same thing last week. Its not impossible that this set of questions could do the rounds, and that somewhere down the line in the next 12 months or so I might actually find myself in a one off quiz where that very same set of questions are asked. It has happened once before. Still, that’s not really why I write.
The two requests seem to confirm my feeling that I am actually getting better at putting together this kind of evening. What have I learned over the last 12 months or so ? Well, here’s just a few observations : -
Up to quite recently I thought that giving value for money for the people paying the entrance fee meant providing tons of questions – that is, a full ‘rugby club’ style quiz of 8 rounds of 10 questions, with a handout as well. The thing is though, that the majority of people I get attending charity evenings aren’t people who normally play in quizzes every week. Doing a shorter quiz of 5 rounds of 10 questions seems to work a lot better. There’s enough questions to get your teeth into, but not so many that you lose the non quizzers.
Conversely, two different handouts – one of pictures, lets say, and one of cryptic clues tend to work better than just one.
Again – up to fairly recently I thought that you shouldn’t make it too easy. What I try to do now is make sure that there’s enough gimmes that each person in each team can answer something – even if it means that there are some very high scores in the quiz. What we might think of as old chestnuts would effectively be new questions to people who never actually play in quizzes.
People like prizes – and they don’t necessarily have to be expensive prizes. Case in point. In my school fund raising quiz I provided three prizes – a bottle of wine for the top adult or adult/child combined team. Cost – nothing , I’d won it in a quiz 2 nights before. The top pupil only team won a box of chocolates – something like 2 boxes for £5 . The other box I used as a spot prize. I asked a question with a numerical answer – anyone could then pay 50p , and write their guess on a piece of paper , and the closest to the correct answer would receive the chocolates. That spot prize alone raised £25 on the night, which was 5 times the cost of all 3 prizes together.
Its probably fairer, and more lucrative, to set the entry at £1 per person, rather than a flat rate per team.
If you explain where the money’s going, and what its in aid of right from the start of the quiz, people are usually very supportive, and forgiving if you drop any clangers during the evening.
When you actually get started, make it clear that you’re going to have a break at the halfway stage. You’ll want that to sell refreshments. ( If you don’t do this you’re missing a chance to push up the money you can make in the evening ). When you’re actually doing the quiz, though, don’t drag it out. Crack on , and keep it moving.
The best thing about the evening is people tend to be really grateful , yet you have actually been doing something you really enjoy . Everyone's a winner.
Saturday, 11 June 2011
Quiz Trippers
You may recall back on 24th February I posted a call from Channel 4 for quizzers to take part in a new show. I was just over on Daniel Fullard's Quiz Addict blog - link in my recommended links on the side of the page - and I noticed that Daniel had posted this link to a press announcement about it from Channel 4 - which I take the liberty of reproducing here : -
Quiz Trippers
I'll be honest, I was invited to audition for the show, but it didn't fit in with school holidays unfortunately. So I'll be very interested to see what they actually make of it. The idea is that a team of committed quizzers tour parts of Scotland on a bus, trying to win various pub quizzes on their itinerary. From the original email I received it came across as something of mix of pub quiz, along with the Coach Trip and the Weakes Link. Oh well, as I say , I'll be interesting to see just how fair they are to the principals involved.
Quiz Trippers
I'll be honest, I was invited to audition for the show, but it didn't fit in with school holidays unfortunately. So I'll be very interested to see what they actually make of it. The idea is that a team of committed quizzers tour parts of Scotland on a bus, trying to win various pub quizzes on their itinerary. From the original email I received it came across as something of mix of pub quiz, along with the Coach Trip and the Weakes Link. Oh well, as I say , I'll be interesting to see just how fair they are to the principals involved.
News Questions
Once more unto the breach , dear friends . . . or put it another way, here’s the latest set of in the news questions. Usual caveat applies – there are no guarantees that all, or indeed, any of these will come up in a quiz near you, but you never know.
Who or what are : -
David Days
Andrew Bridges
Francisco Sosa Wagner
Bobby Bradley
Dancing Rain
Tea Obreht
4CMENB
Julia Donaldson
Peter Smedley
James Ward
Roy Skelton
Michael Dean
Shrek
Puyehue
Judge Bolton
Jai McDowell
Mickael Barzalone
Fijit
Ali Abdullah Saleh
Reg Bailey
Who is the new manager of Fulham FC ?
Josephine Hart died . What was the title of her famous first novel ?
Protestors against A.C.Grayling’s plans for a private university set off a smoke bomb where ?
Leicester Council replied to a freedom of information request that they do not have a contingency plan for which emergency ?
In the new film of the Dambusters, what will Guy Gibson’s dog be called ?
Who knocked Nadal out of Queens’ ?
Which title did the Queen give to Prince Philip to celebrate his 90th birthday ?
Who has been named the worst reviewed actress in Hollywood over the last 25 years ?
A pie of which flavor, at which football club won the title of the supreme champion at the British Pie Awards ?
Who became the first politician to be expelled from the Privy Council for 90 years ?
What has been compared to a golden loofah and a cheese grater ?
Bryan Robson resigned as coach of which country’s national football team ?
Who won this year’s Rear of the Year ?
What happened at Barclay’s Bank in Leigh on Sea ?
What is the name of Apple’s new online storage system, announced last week ?
What is the title of the new document from the Scout Organisation last week ?
The University of Chicago finally completed a dictionary they have been working on for 90 years. In which language ?
After a gaffe she made, supporters of Sarah Palin hacked into Wikipedia to try to alter an entry on which figure of American History ?
Who was the joint author on an academic paper on the human brain ?
Who swore using the C word on The News Quiz on Radio 4 ?
Scientists in CERN succeeded in capturing antimatter and holding it for how long ?
Who became the first footballer from Britain or Ireland to score 50 international goals ?
On June 2nd which country celebrated its 150th anniversary of its independence ?
Who admitted that she had an operation for curvature of the spine at the age of 12 ?
In which oil refinery in West Wales did a disastrous explosion cause tragedy ?
Where is Europe’s first solar powered rail tunnel ?
There we are. Same as always – answers in a few days, email me if you can’t wait.
Who or what are : -
David Days
Andrew Bridges
Francisco Sosa Wagner
Bobby Bradley
Dancing Rain
Tea Obreht
4CMENB
Julia Donaldson
Peter Smedley
James Ward
Roy Skelton
Michael Dean
Shrek
Puyehue
Judge Bolton
Jai McDowell
Mickael Barzalone
Fijit
Ali Abdullah Saleh
Reg Bailey
Who is the new manager of Fulham FC ?
Josephine Hart died . What was the title of her famous first novel ?
Protestors against A.C.Grayling’s plans for a private university set off a smoke bomb where ?
Leicester Council replied to a freedom of information request that they do not have a contingency plan for which emergency ?
In the new film of the Dambusters, what will Guy Gibson’s dog be called ?
Who knocked Nadal out of Queens’ ?
Which title did the Queen give to Prince Philip to celebrate his 90th birthday ?
Who has been named the worst reviewed actress in Hollywood over the last 25 years ?
A pie of which flavor, at which football club won the title of the supreme champion at the British Pie Awards ?
Who became the first politician to be expelled from the Privy Council for 90 years ?
What has been compared to a golden loofah and a cheese grater ?
Bryan Robson resigned as coach of which country’s national football team ?
Who won this year’s Rear of the Year ?
What happened at Barclay’s Bank in Leigh on Sea ?
What is the name of Apple’s new online storage system, announced last week ?
What is the title of the new document from the Scout Organisation last week ?
The University of Chicago finally completed a dictionary they have been working on for 90 years. In which language ?
After a gaffe she made, supporters of Sarah Palin hacked into Wikipedia to try to alter an entry on which figure of American History ?
Who was the joint author on an academic paper on the human brain ?
Who swore using the C word on The News Quiz on Radio 4 ?
Scientists in CERN succeeded in capturing antimatter and holding it for how long ?
Who became the first footballer from Britain or Ireland to score 50 international goals ?
On June 2nd which country celebrated its 150th anniversary of its independence ?
Who admitted that she had an operation for curvature of the spine at the age of 12 ?
In which oil refinery in West Wales did a disastrous explosion cause tragedy ?
Where is Europe’s first solar powered rail tunnel ?
There we are. Same as always – answers in a few days, email me if you can’t wait.
Thursday, 9 June 2011
Answers to News Questions
Here’s the answers to the last set of news questions.
James Brown
Celebrity hairdresser who made racist comments to TV presenter Ben Douglas at BAFTAs
Tracy Crouch MP
MP very angry because she is not allowed to play for House of Commons football team . since she is a woman.
George Atkinson
Youngest person ever to scale the highest peak in each of the continents
Dan Wheldon
British driver who won the Indianapolis 500
Geordie Shore
MTV reality show which has angered locals with the portrayal of the people of the north east it gives
Born this way
Lady Gaga’s new album
Storm Stocker
Baby whose parents insist on keeping gender a secret
Wayne Bishop
Burglar freed so that he can look after his 5 kids
Chris Hutcheson
Gordon Ramsey’s father in law
Donald Tusk
Prime minister of Poland, under fire for sexist comments made during interview
HMS Flake 99
An amphibious ice cream van
Sacha Hall
She was convicted of stealing food which Tesco had thrown out
Charlie Wilcox
The misbehaving mum on the TV show who claimed to have smoked 3,500 cigarettes during her pregnancy
Karen Mulliner
Prison officer who committed suicide after a relationship with a former prisoner, who she alleged was going to blackmail her
Taransay
The island in the TV show Castaway, up for sale at £2 million
Lord Taylor of Warwick
Peer jailed for expenses fraud
Professor John Beddington
Government’s newly appointed ‘Ash Tsar’
Release
Campaign group backed by Judi Dench et al calling for reform to drug laws
Saffron Pledger
3 year old looking to become youngest ever member of Mensa
How many years has it been since Swansea City were last in the top division in English football ?
28
How many spectators attended the spectacular 5th day of the first test in Cardiff ?
922
How many new laws were passed in 2010 – a record number.
3506
Which gimmick has been introduced by the National Trust in many of its properties ?
Talking Benches
Who denied sleeping with Tony Blair ?
Carol Caplin ( I don’t think Cherie denies sleeping with him )
Which football team qualified for the Europa League through the Fair Play league ?
Fulham
Where in Norfolk was a public toilet on the seafront sold to make a luxury holiday home ?
Sheringham
An Anchor from which ship was raised last week ?
The Queen Anne’s Revenge ( Blackbeard’s ship )
Which company currently sponsor the Derby ?
Investec
Whose son managed Peterbrough United to success in the League one play off final ?
Sir Alex Ferguson
Which two players had a one hole play off in the Wentworth PGA ?
Luke Donald bt Lee Westwood
Which country voted yes in a referendum on the issue of legalizing divorce ?
Malta
Which country won the Nations Cup in football ?
Republic of Ireland bt Scotland
Which country announced that it plans to close all of its nuclear plants by 2022 ?
Germany
Who or what has been sued by South Tyneside council ?
Twitter
Barbara Mills passed away last week. Which very important position did she once hold ?
Director of Public Prosecutions
Last week Egypt opened its border where ?
Gaza Strip
Which sportsman announced that he is suffering from Motor Neurone Disease ?
Joost van der Westhuizen
Which 2 players will contest the final of the Women’s singles in the French Open ?
Sciavone and Li Na
An armed siege took place in a cooperative bank in which town ?
Watford
Hackers operating in which country hacked into Google email accounts ?
China
On June 2nd which country celebrated the 150th anniversary of its unification ?
Italy
Muttiah Muralitharan has played his first game for which county ?
Gloucestershire
Why was Moreton Hall estate in Bury St. Edmunds in the news ?
Apparently if you’re born there you have a long life expectancy
What went missing on Radio 4 on 31st May ?
The pips
Australia announced plans to force tobacco companies to do what to cigarette packets ?
They must be olive green – the least attractive colour to smokers apparently
What can the jobless now do, that only the homeless could do up to now ?
Sell the Big Issue
What is the name of the Bristol Care Home which featured in a Panorama investigation ?
Westbourne View
Where did a beached sperm whale die ?
Redcar
Who is England’s Cricketer of the Year ?
Jonathan Trott
Why was Boris Johnson disappointed ?
He wasn’t allocated any Olympic tickets
Who called his birthplace of Weston Super Mare “a tedious little place “ ?
John Cleese
What happened in the Church of St. John the Divine near Ripon ?
Bellringers were locked in by disgruntled neighbor following a marathon three hour session
Which is the most popular town in England in which to get married ?
Windsor
James Brown
Celebrity hairdresser who made racist comments to TV presenter Ben Douglas at BAFTAs
Tracy Crouch MP
MP very angry because she is not allowed to play for House of Commons football team . since she is a woman.
George Atkinson
Youngest person ever to scale the highest peak in each of the continents
Dan Wheldon
British driver who won the Indianapolis 500
Geordie Shore
MTV reality show which has angered locals with the portrayal of the people of the north east it gives
Born this way
Lady Gaga’s new album
Storm Stocker
Baby whose parents insist on keeping gender a secret
Wayne Bishop
Burglar freed so that he can look after his 5 kids
Chris Hutcheson
Gordon Ramsey’s father in law
Donald Tusk
Prime minister of Poland, under fire for sexist comments made during interview
HMS Flake 99
An amphibious ice cream van
Sacha Hall
She was convicted of stealing food which Tesco had thrown out
Charlie Wilcox
The misbehaving mum on the TV show who claimed to have smoked 3,500 cigarettes during her pregnancy
Karen Mulliner
Prison officer who committed suicide after a relationship with a former prisoner, who she alleged was going to blackmail her
Taransay
The island in the TV show Castaway, up for sale at £2 million
Lord Taylor of Warwick
Peer jailed for expenses fraud
Professor John Beddington
Government’s newly appointed ‘Ash Tsar’
Release
Campaign group backed by Judi Dench et al calling for reform to drug laws
Saffron Pledger
3 year old looking to become youngest ever member of Mensa
How many years has it been since Swansea City were last in the top division in English football ?
28
How many spectators attended the spectacular 5th day of the first test in Cardiff ?
922
How many new laws were passed in 2010 – a record number.
3506
Which gimmick has been introduced by the National Trust in many of its properties ?
Talking Benches
Who denied sleeping with Tony Blair ?
Carol Caplin ( I don’t think Cherie denies sleeping with him )
Which football team qualified for the Europa League through the Fair Play league ?
Fulham
Where in Norfolk was a public toilet on the seafront sold to make a luxury holiday home ?
Sheringham
An Anchor from which ship was raised last week ?
The Queen Anne’s Revenge ( Blackbeard’s ship )
Which company currently sponsor the Derby ?
Investec
Whose son managed Peterbrough United to success in the League one play off final ?
Sir Alex Ferguson
Which two players had a one hole play off in the Wentworth PGA ?
Luke Donald bt Lee Westwood
Which country voted yes in a referendum on the issue of legalizing divorce ?
Malta
Which country won the Nations Cup in football ?
Republic of Ireland bt Scotland
Which country announced that it plans to close all of its nuclear plants by 2022 ?
Germany
Who or what has been sued by South Tyneside council ?
Barbara Mills passed away last week. Which very important position did she once hold ?
Director of Public Prosecutions
Last week Egypt opened its border where ?
Gaza Strip
Which sportsman announced that he is suffering from Motor Neurone Disease ?
Joost van der Westhuizen
Which 2 players will contest the final of the Women’s singles in the French Open ?
Sciavone and Li Na
An armed siege took place in a cooperative bank in which town ?
Watford
Hackers operating in which country hacked into Google email accounts ?
China
On June 2nd which country celebrated the 150th anniversary of its unification ?
Italy
Muttiah Muralitharan has played his first game for which county ?
Gloucestershire
Why was Moreton Hall estate in Bury St. Edmunds in the news ?
Apparently if you’re born there you have a long life expectancy
What went missing on Radio 4 on 31st May ?
The pips
Australia announced plans to force tobacco companies to do what to cigarette packets ?
They must be olive green – the least attractive colour to smokers apparently
What can the jobless now do, that only the homeless could do up to now ?
Sell the Big Issue
What is the name of the Bristol Care Home which featured in a Panorama investigation ?
Westbourne View
Where did a beached sperm whale die ?
Redcar
Who is England’s Cricketer of the Year ?
Jonathan Trott
Why was Boris Johnson disappointed ?
He wasn’t allocated any Olympic tickets
Who called his birthplace of Weston Super Mare “a tedious little place “ ?
John Cleese
What happened in the Church of St. John the Divine near Ripon ?
Bellringers were locked in by disgruntled neighbor following a marathon three hour session
Which is the most popular town in England in which to get married ?
Windsor
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
A Return to the Toolshed of Lost Dreams
Mrs. Jessie Chart wasn’t my real auntie, in fact she wasn’t a relative of mine at all. She was one of my grandmother’s best friends, and this is why I always called her Auntie Jessie. She lived not far away from us in Midhurst Road in Ealing, and I remember visits to her house with Nan when I was very little with great affection. Auntie Jessie’s house was full of delights. For one thing there was always a glass of ribena there waiting for you, and none of this reduced sugar nonsense they have nowadays. No sir, this was the full sugar syrupy stuff which could trigger cavities in your teeth from five feet away. There were three things I particularly loved about Auntie Jessie’s house. The first was her breakfast bar in the kitchen. I suppose it was very much a thing of its time, but then I thought that it was the absolute height of sophistication . And this, mark you, at a time when I couldn’t even say sophistication, let alone spell it. The second was the ornamental pond in her back garden. Which, I might hasten to add, I managed never to fall into. The third, though, and in its own way the most wonderful of all, was the shed at the end of the garden.
Do not ask me why, but this shed was an object of huge fascination to me. It belonged to Auntie Jessie’s husband – and it shames me to think that I can not recall his name at all . I remember it as a place where wonderful sounds of power tools, and wonderful smells of sawn wood would emerge at regular intervals. It was a place of awe, and I longed to look inside it. Yet I never did.
I mentioned this years later to a friend, who had been waxing philosophical, and he sagely offered me this piece of wisdom.
“Not going in was the best thing you could have done,” he said. “ Here you are , years later, and you still look back on that toolshed as a place of mystery and wonder. Suppose you’d actually gone inside it. What would you have found ? Dirty old tools, and possibly a grumpy geezer who didn’t want some snotty nosed kid banging around like a bull in a china shop, and spilling ribena all over his Black and Deckers. “ Fair play, he had a bit of a way with words, my mate.
There is a point to all of this. Last night was the Wales and West of England regional heat of the CIU quiz competition. Not bragging – well, not much – but my team were lucky enough to win it for the last two years. Our luck ran out a little bit last night, and we came third, well behind our friends from Maesglas, and only just pipped for second place on the last question. Oh well, at least the third place means that we have still qualified to play in the national final in Derby in September. And it is this very tournament, or rather a win in this very tournament, that I now realize has become my modern day version of Auntie Jessie’s toolshed. I think I’ve been playing in the CIU for about 8 or 9 years now. The very first time I played in the national finals we lost by a point. Since then I’ve been 3rd, 4th, and nowhere on more than one occasion. And if I’m honest, I would just love to win the tournament once, just once, and I feel a similar longing to achieve this, as I once did to enter the toolshed.
And if our efforts in recent years in the finals are anything to go by, I dare say that it will have the same outcome. Which ain’t necessarily a bad thing. There are worst places to be than bombing down the motorway on a Sunday morning in September towards Derby, with no real expectation of doing any better than usual, and yet always the faint glimmer of hope in your heart that maybe, just maybe, that little rub of the green is going to come your way, and it turns out to be your year.
Ah, a man can dream .
Do not ask me why, but this shed was an object of huge fascination to me. It belonged to Auntie Jessie’s husband – and it shames me to think that I can not recall his name at all . I remember it as a place where wonderful sounds of power tools, and wonderful smells of sawn wood would emerge at regular intervals. It was a place of awe, and I longed to look inside it. Yet I never did.
I mentioned this years later to a friend, who had been waxing philosophical, and he sagely offered me this piece of wisdom.
“Not going in was the best thing you could have done,” he said. “ Here you are , years later, and you still look back on that toolshed as a place of mystery and wonder. Suppose you’d actually gone inside it. What would you have found ? Dirty old tools, and possibly a grumpy geezer who didn’t want some snotty nosed kid banging around like a bull in a china shop, and spilling ribena all over his Black and Deckers. “ Fair play, he had a bit of a way with words, my mate.
There is a point to all of this. Last night was the Wales and West of England regional heat of the CIU quiz competition. Not bragging – well, not much – but my team were lucky enough to win it for the last two years. Our luck ran out a little bit last night, and we came third, well behind our friends from Maesglas, and only just pipped for second place on the last question. Oh well, at least the third place means that we have still qualified to play in the national final in Derby in September. And it is this very tournament, or rather a win in this very tournament, that I now realize has become my modern day version of Auntie Jessie’s toolshed. I think I’ve been playing in the CIU for about 8 or 9 years now. The very first time I played in the national finals we lost by a point. Since then I’ve been 3rd, 4th, and nowhere on more than one occasion. And if I’m honest, I would just love to win the tournament once, just once, and I feel a similar longing to achieve this, as I once did to enter the toolshed.
And if our efforts in recent years in the finals are anything to go by, I dare say that it will have the same outcome. Which ain’t necessarily a bad thing. There are worst places to be than bombing down the motorway on a Sunday morning in September towards Derby, with no real expectation of doing any better than usual, and yet always the faint glimmer of hope in your heart that maybe, just maybe, that little rub of the green is going to come your way, and it turns out to be your year.
Ah, a man can dream .
Saturday, 4 June 2011
Urban Myth - Ambiguous Questions
I mentioned Brian’s excellent quiz in the rugby club on Thursday night in one of yesterday’s posts. One thing which I didn’t mention was the reappearance of a couple of contentious questions. I’ve certainly mentioned one of these before in my “The Question Master Is Always Right” series of posts a couple of years ago. This one was : -
Charles Manson had an audition for which 1960’s TV show ?
I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve even been asked this question before yourself. If you hear the question asked, then the answer that the question master requires is The Monkees. However the consensus of opinion about this one is that its an urban myth, and that Manson was actually serving a term of incarceration when the auditions were taking place. What’s interesting is to consider how the urban myth started. I mean, who first stated this as a fact, and did they do so as a deliberate hoax ? If so it’s a work of near genius. Examples of this kind of deliberate hoax which have entered the world of accepted quiz trivia are the myths that Bob Holness played the saxophone on Baker Street – which I believe has been claimed as the brainchild of Sturart Maconie, and that Captain Pugwash ever contained characters called Master Bates etc., which I believe has been claimed as the work of Victor Lewis Smith. Of course the truth may be more prosaic and boring, that its just a genuine mistake – a case almost of wishful thinking - taking something which COULD have happened, and saying that it actually DID happen. A good example of this one is the persistent myth that Stan Laurel was Clint Eastwood’s father. Not true in the least – his father was Clint Eastwood Sr. – but you can understand where the myth came from since Clint was born in the same year as Stan Laurel’s son, who sadly died. Its such a good story that the fact that there’s no truth in it tends to be overlooked.
The other question was of a different sort , and this one was : -
What was the name of the dog in the Tom and Jerry cartoons ?
The problem with this question is that there are three possible answers. Firstly, that there were two dogs who appeared in quite a number of cartoons, namely, Spike the Bulldog, and his son Tyke. (Dat’s ma boy !) Alright, that’s fairly easily cleared up with a question to the QM – do you mean the main dog, or the puppy ? But then there’s a more difficult problem. You see, and I’m sure that you already know this, Spike is actually called Butch in some of the cartoons. So which do you go for ? Spike is more often given as the answer, but I’ve been given wrong for that in the past when the QM has Butch written down. If you write both down you are really throwing yourself on the mercy of the marker, and if the marker doesn’t actually know that there are 2 possible names for the dog, then they will probably mark you wrong for putting two answers down anyway. I don’t blame Brian for the question for one minute. He is not a devotee of Tom and Jerry – doesn’t know what he’s been missing IMHO – and he can only go on the answers in the books.
There are other questions which pose similar problems. One which we had in a quiz a while back was this one : -
Which was the last album by The Beatles ?
If you’re a fan of the Fab Four – or even if you’re not, but you know a bit about them , then you can see the problem with the question. After all – the last album to be released was Let It Be – which didn’t come out until after they had split. However the last album to be recorded was Abbey Road, which was recorded after Let It Be . So which is the right answer ? If the question master doesn’t actually say that it was the last one recorded, then Let it Be is probably a better bet – but its still a gamble.
I’ll be interested to hear anyone else’s recent experiences with similar questions.
Charles Manson had an audition for which 1960’s TV show ?
I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve even been asked this question before yourself. If you hear the question asked, then the answer that the question master requires is The Monkees. However the consensus of opinion about this one is that its an urban myth, and that Manson was actually serving a term of incarceration when the auditions were taking place. What’s interesting is to consider how the urban myth started. I mean, who first stated this as a fact, and did they do so as a deliberate hoax ? If so it’s a work of near genius. Examples of this kind of deliberate hoax which have entered the world of accepted quiz trivia are the myths that Bob Holness played the saxophone on Baker Street – which I believe has been claimed as the brainchild of Sturart Maconie, and that Captain Pugwash ever contained characters called Master Bates etc., which I believe has been claimed as the work of Victor Lewis Smith. Of course the truth may be more prosaic and boring, that its just a genuine mistake – a case almost of wishful thinking - taking something which COULD have happened, and saying that it actually DID happen. A good example of this one is the persistent myth that Stan Laurel was Clint Eastwood’s father. Not true in the least – his father was Clint Eastwood Sr. – but you can understand where the myth came from since Clint was born in the same year as Stan Laurel’s son, who sadly died. Its such a good story that the fact that there’s no truth in it tends to be overlooked.
The other question was of a different sort , and this one was : -
What was the name of the dog in the Tom and Jerry cartoons ?
The problem with this question is that there are three possible answers. Firstly, that there were two dogs who appeared in quite a number of cartoons, namely, Spike the Bulldog, and his son Tyke. (Dat’s ma boy !) Alright, that’s fairly easily cleared up with a question to the QM – do you mean the main dog, or the puppy ? But then there’s a more difficult problem. You see, and I’m sure that you already know this, Spike is actually called Butch in some of the cartoons. So which do you go for ? Spike is more often given as the answer, but I’ve been given wrong for that in the past when the QM has Butch written down. If you write both down you are really throwing yourself on the mercy of the marker, and if the marker doesn’t actually know that there are 2 possible names for the dog, then they will probably mark you wrong for putting two answers down anyway. I don’t blame Brian for the question for one minute. He is not a devotee of Tom and Jerry – doesn’t know what he’s been missing IMHO – and he can only go on the answers in the books.
There are other questions which pose similar problems. One which we had in a quiz a while back was this one : -
Which was the last album by The Beatles ?
If you’re a fan of the Fab Four – or even if you’re not, but you know a bit about them , then you can see the problem with the question. After all – the last album to be released was Let It Be – which didn’t come out until after they had split. However the last album to be recorded was Abbey Road, which was recorded after Let It Be . So which is the right answer ? If the question master doesn’t actually say that it was the last one recorded, then Let it Be is probably a better bet – but its still a gamble.
I’ll be interested to hear anyone else’s recent experiences with similar questions.
Friday, 3 June 2011
Urgently seeking quizzers 18 - 30 for TV Pilot
I received an email this afternoon from Bidhan Ganguly at Silverriver TV, appealing for quizzers aged between 18 - 30 to appear in a pilot of a new show. As I told him I'm a couple of decades outside that age group myself, but I'd put his email up on the blog - show willing, that sort of thing. So here it is: -
Hey there,
I was wondering if you could help me. I’m looking for young quizzers to take part in a quiz pilot that I am currently casting for Channel 4. The types of people we are after are in the 18-30 age bracket. I am writing to see if you might know anyone who would be able to take part. The broad premise of the quiz is that it’s a ‘Brains v Brawn’ contest – where two teams face off against each other in a series of physical and quiz related challenges.
Our filming day is this Wednesday (8th June) and the studio is in Clapham. There will be a £100 prize split between the team as a reward for winning. If you do know anyone who springs to mind, then please give them my telephone number which is 02079073419 or this email address.
Thanks for your time and I hope to hear from you soon.
Regards
Bidhan
The email address is Bidhan.Ganguly@Silverriver.tv - drop him a line if you are interested.
Hey there,
I was wondering if you could help me. I’m looking for young quizzers to take part in a quiz pilot that I am currently casting for Channel 4. The types of people we are after are in the 18-30 age bracket. I am writing to see if you might know anyone who would be able to take part. The broad premise of the quiz is that it’s a ‘Brains v Brawn’ contest – where two teams face off against each other in a series of physical and quiz related challenges.
Our filming day is this Wednesday (8th June) and the studio is in Clapham. There will be a £100 prize split between the team as a reward for winning. If you do know anyone who springs to mind, then please give them my telephone number which is 02079073419 or this email address.
Thanks for your time and I hope to hear from you soon.
Regards
Bidhan
The email address is Bidhan.Ganguly@Silverriver.tv - drop him a line if you are interested.
Latest News Questions - Daniel's Blog - QMs and phones
Well, I’m going to try to keep this going for a while with the weekly news questions. So if you’re ready, eyes down and here we go : -
Who or what are : -
James Brown
Tracy Crouch MP
George Atkinson
Dan Wheldon
Geordie Shore
Born this way
Storm Stocker
Wayne Bishop
Chris Hutcheson
Donald Tusk
HMS Flake 99
Sacha Hall
Charlie Wilcox
Karen Mulliner
Taransay
Lord Taylor of Warwick
Professor John Beddington
Release
Saffron Pledger
How many years has it been since Swansea City were last in the top division in English football ?
How many spectators attended the spectacular 5th day of the first test in Cardiff ?
How many new laws were passed in 2010 – a record number.
Which gimmick has been introduced by the National Trust in many of its properties ?
Who denied sleeping with Tony Blair ?
Which football team qualified for the Europa League through the Fair Play league ?
Where in Norfolk was a public toilet on the seafront sold to make a luxury holiday
home ?
An Anchor from which ship was raised last week ?
Which company currently sponsor the Derby ?
Whose son managed Peterbrough United to success in the League one play off final ?
Which two players had a one hole play off in the Wentworth PGA ?
Which country voted yes in a referendum on the issue of legalizing divorce ?
Which country won the Nations Cup in football ?
Which country announced that it plans to close all of its nuclear plants by 2022 ?
Who or what has been sued by South Tyneside council ?
Barbara Mills passed away last week. Which very important position did she once hold ?
Last week Egypt opened its border where ?
Which sportsman announced that he is suffering from Motor Neurone Disease ?
Which 2 players will contest the final of the Women’s singles in the French Open ?
An armed siege took place in a cooperative bank in which town ?
Hackers operating in which country hacked into Google email accounts ?
On June 2nd which country celebrated the 150th anniversary of its unification ?
Muttiah Muralitharan has played his first game for which county ?
Why was Moreton Hall estate in Bury St. Edmunds in the news ?
What went missing on Radio 4 on 31st May ?
Australia announced plans to force tobacco companies to do what to cigarette packets ?
What can the jobless now do, that only the homeless could do up to now ?
What is the name of the Bristol Care Home which featured in a Panorama
investigation ?
Where did a beached sperm whale die ?
Who is England’s Cricketer of the Year ?
Why was Boris Johnson disappointed ?
Who called his birthplace of Weston Super Mare “a tedious little place “ ?
What happened in the Church of St. John the Divine near Ripon ?
Which is the most popular town in England in which to get married ?
There you go. Usual thing , answers in a few days, but if you can't wait, then email me. Enjoy.
While we're on the subject , I've been to three quizzes this week. One of them, the Sunday quiz in the Dyffryn Arms, doesn't often contain in the news questions. But the other two always have between 8 and 10. The two questions which came up in both quizzes were about Denmark banning marmite, and Je Ne Regrette Rien being the number one non classical choice on Desert Island discs.
Have you been to Daniel Fullard's new blog , Quiz Addict, yet ? There's a link amongst my recommended links. A post on it yesterday mentioned Marcus Berkmann's "Brain Men" - and if you haven't read it yet, can I strongly recommend it to you ? It reminded me of a comment that Marcus Berkman makes in the book, to the effect of any quiz you win is work of rare genius, while any quiz you lose is deeply flawed - only he put it in a much more funny way than that. I know where he's coming from, and blaming the questions when you lose is always a useful default position. However I have to say that I've been to three quizzes this week, and the one that I lost was certainly as good as the two I won, and possibly even better.
It is possible to play in a quiz you win and not enjoy it, and to play in a quiz you lose, and still enjoy it. Case in point. The CIU Wales and West of England is coming up next week. Now I first played in the CIU back in about 2002, I think it was. I've won the regional a few times, but I've never won the final in Derby. In my first final we came close runners up, and I have to say that I loved the day. I had a great time. It was a very good quiz, and I was very pleased with the way that I played.There have been other times when that has happened as well, although not always in such a big and prestigious event as the CIU.
On the other hand there have been times when I've played in teams that have won quizzes, and come out of it feeling distinctly cheesed off. A lot of it comes down to boring or pointless questions. There's nothing wrong with old chestnuts, and they're an important staple. But not when the whole quiz is made up of really familiar easy stuff. ( Yes, I know that this seems to be flying in the face of what I said in my post about old TV quizzes - I didn't express myself well there at all. Sorry ) Likewise, I'm really sorry if this upsets anyone who likes this sort of thing, but I cannot stand Family Fortunes type questions. If I'm honest, I'm none too fussed about - in a recent survey - type questions either, but there we are, that's my problem and I have to live with it.
----------------
Phones. Its a topic I just don't seem to be able to get away from for any great length of time this year. Chatting with Brian after his excellent quiz in the rugby club last night, I informed him that 6 of his 8 in the news questions were all items I'd marked down as potential questions. He asked me how many news questions altogether I'd written down for May. When I replied that its slightly more than 400 he replied - well you'll be alright for the New Year quiz in January then. - I don't know which inner demon prompted me to say this, but I just couldn't keep the next comment in, and I said something like - well, not really if you let those *&!!"s cheat with their phones again like you have done for the last 2 years. - Brian replied that he doesn't really mind them cheating in the new year quiz at all, and in fact its all to the good if it means somebody else wins for a change.
We agreed to differ over this issue.
Who or what are : -
James Brown
Tracy Crouch MP
George Atkinson
Dan Wheldon
Geordie Shore
Born this way
Storm Stocker
Wayne Bishop
Chris Hutcheson
Donald Tusk
HMS Flake 99
Sacha Hall
Charlie Wilcox
Karen Mulliner
Taransay
Lord Taylor of Warwick
Professor John Beddington
Release
Saffron Pledger
How many years has it been since Swansea City were last in the top division in English football ?
How many spectators attended the spectacular 5th day of the first test in Cardiff ?
How many new laws were passed in 2010 – a record number.
Which gimmick has been introduced by the National Trust in many of its properties ?
Who denied sleeping with Tony Blair ?
Which football team qualified for the Europa League through the Fair Play league ?
Where in Norfolk was a public toilet on the seafront sold to make a luxury holiday
home ?
An Anchor from which ship was raised last week ?
Which company currently sponsor the Derby ?
Whose son managed Peterbrough United to success in the League one play off final ?
Which two players had a one hole play off in the Wentworth PGA ?
Which country voted yes in a referendum on the issue of legalizing divorce ?
Which country won the Nations Cup in football ?
Which country announced that it plans to close all of its nuclear plants by 2022 ?
Who or what has been sued by South Tyneside council ?
Barbara Mills passed away last week. Which very important position did she once hold ?
Last week Egypt opened its border where ?
Which sportsman announced that he is suffering from Motor Neurone Disease ?
Which 2 players will contest the final of the Women’s singles in the French Open ?
An armed siege took place in a cooperative bank in which town ?
Hackers operating in which country hacked into Google email accounts ?
On June 2nd which country celebrated the 150th anniversary of its unification ?
Muttiah Muralitharan has played his first game for which county ?
Why was Moreton Hall estate in Bury St. Edmunds in the news ?
What went missing on Radio 4 on 31st May ?
Australia announced plans to force tobacco companies to do what to cigarette packets ?
What can the jobless now do, that only the homeless could do up to now ?
What is the name of the Bristol Care Home which featured in a Panorama
investigation ?
Where did a beached sperm whale die ?
Who is England’s Cricketer of the Year ?
Why was Boris Johnson disappointed ?
Who called his birthplace of Weston Super Mare “a tedious little place “ ?
What happened in the Church of St. John the Divine near Ripon ?
Which is the most popular town in England in which to get married ?
There you go. Usual thing , answers in a few days, but if you can't wait, then email me. Enjoy.
While we're on the subject , I've been to three quizzes this week. One of them, the Sunday quiz in the Dyffryn Arms, doesn't often contain in the news questions. But the other two always have between 8 and 10. The two questions which came up in both quizzes were about Denmark banning marmite, and Je Ne Regrette Rien being the number one non classical choice on Desert Island discs.
Have you been to Daniel Fullard's new blog , Quiz Addict, yet ? There's a link amongst my recommended links. A post on it yesterday mentioned Marcus Berkmann's "Brain Men" - and if you haven't read it yet, can I strongly recommend it to you ? It reminded me of a comment that Marcus Berkman makes in the book, to the effect of any quiz you win is work of rare genius, while any quiz you lose is deeply flawed - only he put it in a much more funny way than that. I know where he's coming from, and blaming the questions when you lose is always a useful default position. However I have to say that I've been to three quizzes this week, and the one that I lost was certainly as good as the two I won, and possibly even better.
It is possible to play in a quiz you win and not enjoy it, and to play in a quiz you lose, and still enjoy it. Case in point. The CIU Wales and West of England is coming up next week. Now I first played in the CIU back in about 2002, I think it was. I've won the regional a few times, but I've never won the final in Derby. In my first final we came close runners up, and I have to say that I loved the day. I had a great time. It was a very good quiz, and I was very pleased with the way that I played.There have been other times when that has happened as well, although not always in such a big and prestigious event as the CIU.
On the other hand there have been times when I've played in teams that have won quizzes, and come out of it feeling distinctly cheesed off. A lot of it comes down to boring or pointless questions. There's nothing wrong with old chestnuts, and they're an important staple. But not when the whole quiz is made up of really familiar easy stuff. ( Yes, I know that this seems to be flying in the face of what I said in my post about old TV quizzes - I didn't express myself well there at all. Sorry ) Likewise, I'm really sorry if this upsets anyone who likes this sort of thing, but I cannot stand Family Fortunes type questions. If I'm honest, I'm none too fussed about - in a recent survey - type questions either, but there we are, that's my problem and I have to live with it.
----------------
Phones. Its a topic I just don't seem to be able to get away from for any great length of time this year. Chatting with Brian after his excellent quiz in the rugby club last night, I informed him that 6 of his 8 in the news questions were all items I'd marked down as potential questions. He asked me how many news questions altogether I'd written down for May. When I replied that its slightly more than 400 he replied - well you'll be alright for the New Year quiz in January then. - I don't know which inner demon prompted me to say this, but I just couldn't keep the next comment in, and I said something like - well, not really if you let those *&!!"s cheat with their phones again like you have done for the last 2 years. - Brian replied that he doesn't really mind them cheating in the new year quiz at all, and in fact its all to the good if it means somebody else wins for a change.
We agreed to differ over this issue.
Thursday, 2 June 2011
Answers to the News Quiz Questions
Its that time again. Here are the answers to the last set of news questions I posted. See how you did : -
Who or what are : -
George Groves
First man to beat James di Gale in a professional boxing match
Richard Scott
The doctor criticized for talking about Christianity with his patients
Daniel Rigby
He won the BAFTA for best TV actor, for his role in Eric and Ernie
John Hemming
MP who named Ryan Giggs in parliament
Heather Watson
1st British woman to win a match at the French Open for many years
Terence Malick
Director who won Cannes Palme d’Or for “The Tree of Life”
Santre Sanchez Gayle
Britain’s youngest ever hitman – jailed for life last week
Michael Tucker
Publican who committed murder and hid body in the freezer
Justine Thornton
Long-time partner of Ed Milliband – they married on 27th May
Sharon Shoesmith
Former head of Children’s services in Haringey , who received court judgement that she was unlawfully sacked
What date has US evangelist Harold Camping now set for the start of the Apocalypse ?
21st October
Lady Gaga demanded 200 what in order for her to appear in Radio 1’s Big Weekend ?
Coat hangers
According to the 2012 University Guide, which is now the best university in the UK ?
Cambridge
Who took pole in the Spanish Grand Prix, and in which position did he eventually finish ?
Mark Webber – 4th
Which TV show won Best Drama at the BAFTAs ?
Sherlock
Who became the first person to win BAFTAs for black and white, colour, and High Definition TV shows ?
Sir David Attenborough
Golf – who beat whom in the final of the World Matchplay ?
Ian Poulter bt. Luke Donald
What is the name of the village where Barack Obama’s Irish forebears came from, which he visited ?
Moneygall
Who will be choosing Desert Island discs on June 3rd ?
The general public
Which record is the most popular non-classical music choice on Desert Island Discs ?
Je ne regrette rien – Edith Piaf
Which chain are taking over Iceland stores ?
Morrison
How much exactly did Princess Beatrice’s wedding hat sell for ?
£81,001
Name the town devastated by the deadly twister in Missouri ?
Joplin
In New Zealand, the good people of Wellington complained about plans to put up a sign. Which sign ?
Wellywood
An unfinished draft of a Jane Austen novel is to be auctioned. What is the title of the unfinished novel ?
The Watsons
Who is the new manager of Swindon Town ?
Paolo di Canio
Who finally had his 1974 conviction overturned ?
George Davis ( turns out he really was innocent )
Which country has banned Marmite ?
Denmark
Which company have been refused permission to trademark the name Navy Seals Team Six ?
Disney
A stuffed toy animal caused a security alert in Hampshire. Which animal ?
A white tiger
Who received the Best Actress award at Cannes ?
Kirsten Dunst
In which town or city is the G8 summit taking place ?
Deauville
Who or what are : -
George Groves
First man to beat James di Gale in a professional boxing match
Richard Scott
The doctor criticized for talking about Christianity with his patients
Daniel Rigby
He won the BAFTA for best TV actor, for his role in Eric and Ernie
John Hemming
MP who named Ryan Giggs in parliament
Heather Watson
1st British woman to win a match at the French Open for many years
Terence Malick
Director who won Cannes Palme d’Or for “The Tree of Life”
Santre Sanchez Gayle
Britain’s youngest ever hitman – jailed for life last week
Michael Tucker
Publican who committed murder and hid body in the freezer
Justine Thornton
Long-time partner of Ed Milliband – they married on 27th May
Sharon Shoesmith
Former head of Children’s services in Haringey , who received court judgement that she was unlawfully sacked
What date has US evangelist Harold Camping now set for the start of the Apocalypse ?
21st October
Lady Gaga demanded 200 what in order for her to appear in Radio 1’s Big Weekend ?
Coat hangers
According to the 2012 University Guide, which is now the best university in the UK ?
Cambridge
Who took pole in the Spanish Grand Prix, and in which position did he eventually finish ?
Mark Webber – 4th
Which TV show won Best Drama at the BAFTAs ?
Sherlock
Who became the first person to win BAFTAs for black and white, colour, and High Definition TV shows ?
Sir David Attenborough
Golf – who beat whom in the final of the World Matchplay ?
Ian Poulter bt. Luke Donald
What is the name of the village where Barack Obama’s Irish forebears came from, which he visited ?
Moneygall
Who will be choosing Desert Island discs on June 3rd ?
The general public
Which record is the most popular non-classical music choice on Desert Island Discs ?
Je ne regrette rien – Edith Piaf
Which chain are taking over Iceland stores ?
Morrison
How much exactly did Princess Beatrice’s wedding hat sell for ?
£81,001
Name the town devastated by the deadly twister in Missouri ?
Joplin
In New Zealand, the good people of Wellington complained about plans to put up a sign. Which sign ?
Wellywood
An unfinished draft of a Jane Austen novel is to be auctioned. What is the title of the unfinished novel ?
The Watsons
Who is the new manager of Swindon Town ?
Paolo di Canio
Who finally had his 1974 conviction overturned ?
George Davis ( turns out he really was innocent )
Which country has banned Marmite ?
Denmark
Which company have been refused permission to trademark the name Navy Seals Team Six ?
Disney
A stuffed toy animal caused a security alert in Hampshire. Which animal ?
A white tiger
Who received the Best Actress award at Cannes ?
Kirsten Dunst
In which town or city is the G8 summit taking place ?
Deauville
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
Thanks Ben - Interesting Article
I'm indebted to regular reader Ben Dutton, who posted this link on a comment- in case you haven't seen it I'll reproduce it here. This links to an interesting article on phone cheating on the BBC News website : -
Phone Cheating
Phone Cheating
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