Well, its been a busy week since last we met. I had a phone call from the doyen of South Wales quiz setters, Trevor Parry, on Tuesday evening, informing me that the Birmingham Mega Quiz was taking place earlier this year, in fact last night. For the last couple of years its been held in November. In fact last year, through some oversight, it was scheduled on the same night as Children In Need. Still, no such scheduling issue last night, and 63 teams lined up at the starting gate.
We won the quiz in 2009 and 2010 - although if you read my post about it last year you'll recall that we still don't really know how we managed to sneak the win at the death after having trailed for the whole quiz. Still, a win is a win, and it occured to me to ask whether we got to take the Joseph Chamberlain Clock Tower home with us for keeps if we won. Mind you, that would have been temting fate , so we said nowt.
The three previous times I've played in the Mega Quiz the question master has been TV's Nick Owen - once of TVAM. From a comment that the Lord Mayor made in her introduction I can't help wondering whether old Nick has priced himself out of the market. Whatever the case, last night our host was Professor Carl Chinn, and I quote his wikipedia page here, he is an " English historian, writer, radio presenter, magazine editor, newspaper columnist, media personality, local celebrity, and famous Brummie, whose working life has been devoted to the study and popularisation of the city of Birmingham in England. " I felt slightly better about never having heard of him before when I saw that the page makes it clear that he is a local celebrity.
Well, what he lacked in National celebrity he made up for with enthusiasm, I can give him that. Still, he got on our wick a little bit when he gleefully pointed out after four or five rounds that "The Team from Phill ( sic ) Harriers who've won it for the last two years are really struggling, " because we were in about 8th place, totally oblivious of the fact that all the teams ahead of us had already played their joker. Still, we ground on with the quiz, but were only tying for the lead going into the last round. Which was all about Birmingham.
Yeah, yeah, alright. No, of course we didn't win. But the team who won, Utopia Ltd. have always pushed us all the way every time we played in the quiz, and for all we know they might well have beaten us by a couple of points whatever the subject. They had already pulled back the whole of a three point lead we established at one point.
So many congratulations Utopia Ltd. , and thanks, Birmingham, for a good fun evening anyway. For the record we were second ( prize - another tankard and a meal with the Lord Mayor in the Lord Mayor's parlour ) . And yes, Trev, Richie and Gordon , if you invite me next year I am definitely up for it again !
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Since I introduced the subject in the last post, I guess I'd better share the humiliation with you in this one. I would like to tell you that sales of "The Quiz Show Quiz Book" are sluggish. I'd like to tell you that, since the word sluggish implies that there is some movement, however slow. The fact is though that Amazon has registered not one sale since the book was published online on Tuesday. Now, Amazon are sometimes slow in updating your sales information , and I'd like to think that this is the reason. But I doubt it.
Should the moribund volume in question begin to show signs of life, I will let you know.
Friday, 30 September 2011
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
The Quiz Show Quiz Book
I know that this is hypocritical of me. I’ve always said all along that LAM is not something I will allow other people to use as a commercial opportunity. This doesn’t mean that I haven’t publicized things when I think they’ve been worthy of it. But it does mean that I’ve never gone down the route of ‘monetising’ the blog by signing up with Adsense, or other such. Occasionally I’ve had people post comments with links to other sites, and I’ve always deleted them , rather than risk any reader being led up the garden path. I’ve been known to comment on occasion words to the effect of – this blog is not a commercial opportunity for you – or for me either -.
Here’s where the hypocrisy comes in. You see, this is a plug. Oh , the shame of it. I bet you can feel the heat of my embarrassment coming through the screen. The thing is this, you see
I’ve written a little quiz book.
Its called “The Quiz Show Quiz Book” , and basically it does exactly what it says in the tin. It gives you more than 500 questions on your favourite quiz shows – some you maybe didn’t like that much – maybe some you’ve never even heard of. I’ve tried to be true to my own feelings about quiz books – e.g. that explanations of answers are important, and should have detail when necessary.
Its an ebook, and you can obtain it for the Kindle from Amazon . For some reason it won't let me link to Amazon on a post of this blog, and so you can click on the link to The Quiz Show Quiz Book on my recommended links.
Alternatively its also available to you on CD ROM, if you click on Web Store in my Recommended Links.
I am sorry to interrupt your enjoyment of an otherwise harmless blog for this shameless plug.
Here’s where the hypocrisy comes in. You see, this is a plug. Oh , the shame of it. I bet you can feel the heat of my embarrassment coming through the screen. The thing is this, you see
I’ve written a little quiz book.
Its called “The Quiz Show Quiz Book” , and basically it does exactly what it says in the tin. It gives you more than 500 questions on your favourite quiz shows – some you maybe didn’t like that much – maybe some you’ve never even heard of. I’ve tried to be true to my own feelings about quiz books – e.g. that explanations of answers are important, and should have detail when necessary.
Its an ebook, and you can obtain it for the Kindle from Amazon . For some reason it won't let me link to Amazon on a post of this blog, and so you can click on the link to The Quiz Show Quiz Book on my recommended links.
Alternatively its also available to you on CD ROM, if you click on Web Store in my Recommended Links.
I am sorry to interrupt your enjoyment of an otherwise harmless blog for this shameless plug.
Only Connect - Round One - Match 7
The Rowers v. The Linguists
Well, I will admit that I didn’t know anyone on last night’s show. That proves nothing. I don’t know everyone. The Rowers – whose connection with each other does exactly what it says on the tin – were Jason Gray, Dominic Guinness and captain Chris Harrison. Their opponents, the Linguists – again another team whose name seemed totally appropriate going by what Victoria told us about them – were Joanne Edwards, Jo Moore, and captain Charlie Lythgoe.
Round One – What’s the Connection ?
The Linguists kicked off with Twisted Flax. They were given 1970 Australian Nickel, 1846 Railways , and 1637 Tulips. Oh, they leapt right in with a wrong answer, I’m afraid, and when given 2000 Internet companies the Rowers were happy to take a bonus with bubbles that burst. Ah yes – I thought it was after railways – George Hudson the Railway king and all that. Still , early days. Given SS.GB behind Water I have half an inkling that the rowers might well have had a five on it – they certainly knew all about SS.GB, even if not about the other titles. Still, when they unearthed Peace in Our Time – The Man in The High Castle – Fatherland they worked their way round to the answer that these were all fictional works where the Nazis won world war II. The Linguists found the picture lurking behind the lion, and they might have had it after two , seeing a flower, and then a lotus car. Still, a point in the hand is much better than a bonus going over to the other side, and they knew once the lotus position came up in the 4th picture that they were all lotuses. Neither team took the next set. Ippon – His Nob – came out from the two reeds, and the rowers gambled early – wrongly as it happened. Given the letter z in scrabble – and this clue – the linguists couldn’t get it either. All are worth one point. Having unearthed the pictures previously, this time they gathered in the music, which emerged from the viper. Some chanting, and then some jazz piano followed. Thelonius Monk ? I wondered – monks chanting. I didn’t know the third bit, but Boney M’s much underrated Rasputin ( There was a cat that really was gone , you know ) confirmed it. Not for the Linguists, but for the Rowers who took a bonus. A tricky little set waited behind the Eye of Horus. Whore – Hell – Were and Cant stumped both teams. Cant did it for me. Put an apostrophe in the right place in any of them, and you’ll get another word. So, not the highest scoring round we’ve seen, and the Rowers led by 3 to 1.
Round Two – What comes Fourth ?
I thought that both teams would need to play a bit more cannily in round two, which I think is trickier than wound one by some distance. Linguists found quite a gentle set behind Eye of Horus – Mutsuhito – Yoshihito – by which time they were on the right lines – then Hirohito. Yes, they knew it was successive emperors of Japan, but didn’t know who the current one is. The Rowers did. It’s just the way that it is. If your general knowledge has some gaps – then OC will find them out for you. Still, things were about to look up for the Linguists. Lion looked easy at the start . 4th Yangtze – and the Rowers might have been forgiven for leaping straight in with Nile. It would have been wrong to do so, though, for it became clear that this was not about length. I think they knew, but guessed that 1 would be Nile. It wasn’t. The Linguists then did what any good quizzer should do when they don’t know the answer – play the percentages. If it’s not the Nile, then try the Amazon. They did, and it brought them a bonus – for the amount of water it discharges into the ocean. Thus emboldened they capitalized on their success with a good shout on the set behind twisted flax. They saw that A – H and I are all symmetrical, and so the next would be M. Mind you , I was impressed with the Rowers , who knew that Proportion – Therefore – Ratio would be followed by a decimal point. All to do with the number of dots in mathematical signs. Cracking answer. Neither team knew that Suggestion – Psychology – Misdirection are three parts of Derren Brown’s recipe for his act, the 4th being showmanship. Finally a lovely set of pictures for the Rowers behind Horned Viper. They realized at the same time that I did that they had pictures of a cook, a thief, and therefore the 4th would be his lover – Peter Greenaway film, you see. So at the last they had stretched out their lead further, with 8 to the Linguist’s 4
Round Three – The Connecting Walls
The Rowers took Lion, and it’s all in the eye of the beholder , I know, but they picked a wall which for me would have been a stinker. Sunshine – Millions – 127 Hours and The Beach they swiftly identified as Danny Boyle Films, then Galaxy – Scenic – Picasso and Alhambra followed suit – MPVs. That was it, though, Even when given World 64 – Land and Bros they couldn’t see Mario Games. This was my hang your head in shame moment – for I LOVE Mario 64 , but still didn’t get it. Note – Absolute – Fixative and Soliflore are all terms from perfume making. So with only 4 the door was open a little for the Linguists.
The water wall proved a tough ask for the Linguists, though. They did untangle the Irish playwrights Wilde – Beckett – Murphy – Shaw. That was it though. When revealed, they could see that Hyacinth – Sheridan – Daisy and Violet are all characters from Keeping Up appearances .I’ll admit, I didn’t get that you can be under the radar – the rose – the thumb and the weather – I think under the rose messed me up there. Finally Caley Thistle – Jam Tarts – Jags – Bairns are all the nicknames of teams in the Scottish football league.
So a tough round saw the lead edged out a little further, as the rowers now had 12 to the Linguist’s 7.
Round Four – The Missing Vowels
Right – I will try to put this carefully. I had a funny feeling about the Linguists, going into this round. I’ve always said that there are no mugs on OC, and I stick to that. Up to this point, without wanting to be horrible, the Linguists, although obviously highly intelligent, had not shown the level of general knowledge we often see from teams on the show. So I reckoned that chances were they might have something more to show us in the vowels round. And make no mistake, if they got a spurt on, then the Rower’s lead was by no means unassailable. So they got a spurt on . TV spin offs – 2 nil to the Linguists. 14 – 17. Regions of the world – 3 -1 to the linguists – 17 – 18- things that can be spiked – the Linguists took the first – all square ! Then the Rowers steadied themselves and took the next two, from this category, and the next – fishing equipment. That was that – game to the Rowers by 16 to 14. So well done Linguists. You could have been forgiven for being downhearted after the wall, but a very valiant fight back which made for an exciting climax.
But congratulations to the Rowers. There are some very strong teams in this year’s series – as always – and making it through to round two is nothing to be sniffed at. Well done.
Well, I will admit that I didn’t know anyone on last night’s show. That proves nothing. I don’t know everyone. The Rowers – whose connection with each other does exactly what it says on the tin – were Jason Gray, Dominic Guinness and captain Chris Harrison. Their opponents, the Linguists – again another team whose name seemed totally appropriate going by what Victoria told us about them – were Joanne Edwards, Jo Moore, and captain Charlie Lythgoe.
Round One – What’s the Connection ?
The Linguists kicked off with Twisted Flax. They were given 1970 Australian Nickel, 1846 Railways , and 1637 Tulips. Oh, they leapt right in with a wrong answer, I’m afraid, and when given 2000 Internet companies the Rowers were happy to take a bonus with bubbles that burst. Ah yes – I thought it was after railways – George Hudson the Railway king and all that. Still , early days. Given SS.GB behind Water I have half an inkling that the rowers might well have had a five on it – they certainly knew all about SS.GB, even if not about the other titles. Still, when they unearthed Peace in Our Time – The Man in The High Castle – Fatherland they worked their way round to the answer that these were all fictional works where the Nazis won world war II. The Linguists found the picture lurking behind the lion, and they might have had it after two , seeing a flower, and then a lotus car. Still, a point in the hand is much better than a bonus going over to the other side, and they knew once the lotus position came up in the 4th picture that they were all lotuses. Neither team took the next set. Ippon – His Nob – came out from the two reeds, and the rowers gambled early – wrongly as it happened. Given the letter z in scrabble – and this clue – the linguists couldn’t get it either. All are worth one point. Having unearthed the pictures previously, this time they gathered in the music, which emerged from the viper. Some chanting, and then some jazz piano followed. Thelonius Monk ? I wondered – monks chanting. I didn’t know the third bit, but Boney M’s much underrated Rasputin ( There was a cat that really was gone , you know ) confirmed it. Not for the Linguists, but for the Rowers who took a bonus. A tricky little set waited behind the Eye of Horus. Whore – Hell – Were and Cant stumped both teams. Cant did it for me. Put an apostrophe in the right place in any of them, and you’ll get another word. So, not the highest scoring round we’ve seen, and the Rowers led by 3 to 1.
Round Two – What comes Fourth ?
I thought that both teams would need to play a bit more cannily in round two, which I think is trickier than wound one by some distance. Linguists found quite a gentle set behind Eye of Horus – Mutsuhito – Yoshihito – by which time they were on the right lines – then Hirohito. Yes, they knew it was successive emperors of Japan, but didn’t know who the current one is. The Rowers did. It’s just the way that it is. If your general knowledge has some gaps – then OC will find them out for you. Still, things were about to look up for the Linguists. Lion looked easy at the start . 4th Yangtze – and the Rowers might have been forgiven for leaping straight in with Nile. It would have been wrong to do so, though, for it became clear that this was not about length. I think they knew, but guessed that 1 would be Nile. It wasn’t. The Linguists then did what any good quizzer should do when they don’t know the answer – play the percentages. If it’s not the Nile, then try the Amazon. They did, and it brought them a bonus – for the amount of water it discharges into the ocean. Thus emboldened they capitalized on their success with a good shout on the set behind twisted flax. They saw that A – H and I are all symmetrical, and so the next would be M. Mind you , I was impressed with the Rowers , who knew that Proportion – Therefore – Ratio would be followed by a decimal point. All to do with the number of dots in mathematical signs. Cracking answer. Neither team knew that Suggestion – Psychology – Misdirection are three parts of Derren Brown’s recipe for his act, the 4th being showmanship. Finally a lovely set of pictures for the Rowers behind Horned Viper. They realized at the same time that I did that they had pictures of a cook, a thief, and therefore the 4th would be his lover – Peter Greenaway film, you see. So at the last they had stretched out their lead further, with 8 to the Linguist’s 4
Round Three – The Connecting Walls
The Rowers took Lion, and it’s all in the eye of the beholder , I know, but they picked a wall which for me would have been a stinker. Sunshine – Millions – 127 Hours and The Beach they swiftly identified as Danny Boyle Films, then Galaxy – Scenic – Picasso and Alhambra followed suit – MPVs. That was it, though, Even when given World 64 – Land and Bros they couldn’t see Mario Games. This was my hang your head in shame moment – for I LOVE Mario 64 , but still didn’t get it. Note – Absolute – Fixative and Soliflore are all terms from perfume making. So with only 4 the door was open a little for the Linguists.
The water wall proved a tough ask for the Linguists, though. They did untangle the Irish playwrights Wilde – Beckett – Murphy – Shaw. That was it though. When revealed, they could see that Hyacinth – Sheridan – Daisy and Violet are all characters from Keeping Up appearances .I’ll admit, I didn’t get that you can be under the radar – the rose – the thumb and the weather – I think under the rose messed me up there. Finally Caley Thistle – Jam Tarts – Jags – Bairns are all the nicknames of teams in the Scottish football league.
So a tough round saw the lead edged out a little further, as the rowers now had 12 to the Linguist’s 7.
Round Four – The Missing Vowels
Right – I will try to put this carefully. I had a funny feeling about the Linguists, going into this round. I’ve always said that there are no mugs on OC, and I stick to that. Up to this point, without wanting to be horrible, the Linguists, although obviously highly intelligent, had not shown the level of general knowledge we often see from teams on the show. So I reckoned that chances were they might have something more to show us in the vowels round. And make no mistake, if they got a spurt on, then the Rower’s lead was by no means unassailable. So they got a spurt on . TV spin offs – 2 nil to the Linguists. 14 – 17. Regions of the world – 3 -1 to the linguists – 17 – 18- things that can be spiked – the Linguists took the first – all square ! Then the Rowers steadied themselves and took the next two, from this category, and the next – fishing equipment. That was that – game to the Rowers by 16 to 14. So well done Linguists. You could have been forgiven for being downhearted after the wall, but a very valiant fight back which made for an exciting climax.
But congratulations to the Rowers. There are some very strong teams in this year’s series – as always – and making it through to round two is nothing to be sniffed at. Well done.
University Challenge - Round One - Match 13
St. Anne’s Oxford v. Pembroke, Cambridge
Yes, it’s another Oxbridge match – and that often provides us with some good entertainment, doesn’t it. Last night St. Anne’s Oxford and Pembroke, Cambridge entered the lists. I may be wrong, but I think that I read that Clive James once lost Pembroke a UC match on a tie break – he certainly played in the series in the mid-60s. Still, enough of such things. St. Anne’s, which was a single sex establishment until the late 70s, was represented by Eve Phillips, Rachel Duffy, Oliver Moody and captain Robin McGhee. The Pembroke team consisted of Edward Bankes, Ben Pugh, Imogen Gold and their captain Bibek Mukherjee. On with the show.
Oliver Moody struck first for St. Anne’s. He knew his minor counties when he heard them. They didn’t manage to capitalize by taking any of a set of bonuses on Van Gogh – regular quizzers may have noted the old chestnut about the Red Vineyard rearing its hoary head among them. Not for the last time in the show Ben Pugh struck the buzzer quickly for the next starter, knowing that the Queen Mother ( Gawd Bless ‘ Er ) amongst others achieved the feat of becoming centenarians. 2 bonuses were taken on a set labeled ‘multi-tasking’. Imogen Gold buzzed in quickly on a starter about the Ministry of Defence and UFO sightings, and for the second time in a row Pembroke took 2 out of 3 bonuses, this time on deaths in the novels of E.M. Forster.St. Anne’s were a little unlucky with the next. Asked what is combined with Keiselghur to make dynamite, they buzzed in with ‘glycerin’ in a classic – close but not cigar moment, and thereby lost 5. Given the full question Ben Pugh supplied the correct answer – nitroglycerine. 1 bonus followed on William Henry Bragg. Ben Pugh followed this up with the picture starter. This showed us the makeup of a cabinet table with only the PMs name missing. Seeing the name William Whitelaw St. Anne’s twitched first and went with Margaret Thatcher. Ben Pugh knew it was Edward Heath. More of the same followed in the bonuses. Oliver Moody – for whom things were going to start looking up very shortly buzzed in too early with the name Nicodemus, when really he meant Nostradamus. Edward Bankes had it, although Pembroke failed to capitalize on this with any of the bonuses on islands and archipelagos. At the ten minute mark Pembroke had established a very significant lead, of 90 to 5.
Had St. Anne’s shrunk into their shells at this stage it would have been understandable. However Oliver Moody buzzed straight back, knowing that Carol Anne Duffy combined the name of Achilles with David Beckham. A full set of 3 impressive bonuses on anachronisms in Shakespeare helped as well. Pembroke, perhaps momentarily rattled, didn’t know that “The Moon and Sixpence” is based on the life of Gauguin. Oliver Moody did. Again, a full set of 3 bonuses on silver anniversaries followed. It was time for someone to steady the ship on the Pembroke bench, and captain Bibek Mukherjee stepped in. He knew that the caribou was the north American member of the reindeer family, and this brought up a bonus on magnesium. The music starter caused some amusement when a stunningly quick buzz from Ben Pugh identified the timeless classic “Sound of the Underground “ by Girls Aloud. This brought up 3 songs which mention London Underground stations. Which is another little irony when you think of what I said about last Thursday’s handout at the rugby club. They had to give both station and line. I identified Warwick Avenue and Bakerloo line. That was the only station any of us knew, but Pembroke didn’t have the line. Tough set. Still. Ben Pugh was back in the groove, and took the next starter correctly identifying Florence Nightingale’s sister. A single bonus was managed on Holyrood House. A rarely seen starter treble was completed by the impressive Mr. Pugh when he identified that if Mercury was Hydrogen, then Mars would be Beryllium. Alright – not the most tricky, but try beating the other team to the buzzer to get it, because that , my friends, is the name of the game in UC. A set on Booker prize winning novels showed the team a clean pair of heels. Neither team knew that Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner. Ben Pugh got close with the Stars and Stripes, but no cigar, I’m afraid. A nice starter followed, literally, with an African river and a French city with only one letter’s difference in their names required, Nile and Nice. See what I did there ? Alright, please yourselves. Oliver Moody took it, and this brought up one bonus on environmental agencies. So St. Anne’s had actually outscored Pembroke during this second stage of the contest, but still trailed by 75 to 145.
I’d almost have said that JP had been down the bookies to put a few bob on both of these teams getting through, such was the mighty gallop he stirred himself to for this last part of the contest. He was going like the clappers ! The second picture starter showed a Mayan stele, and Oliver Moody knew what it was. St. Anne’s took two bonuses on other stelae. Ben Pugh struck again , on Louis Pasteur, and for once Pembroke managed a full set of bonuses on mononyms – e.g. – Voltaire and Collette. Skipper Robin McGhee played a captain’s innings by taking the next starter for St. Anne’s, knowing that Queen Victoria’s daughter Victoria was crown princess of the German empire. The team couldn’t take a bonus on shrouds. Bibek Mukherjee showed that anything his opposing skipper could do, so could he, by buzzing in to say that the Cretaceous period comes after the Jurassic. Quite so. One bonus was taken on the King James bonus. Game effectively over, but St. Anne’s still looked just about capable of making a run at a repechage place. Oliver Moody stepped up, he knew that Grayson Perry has an alter ego called Claire. 1 bonus on terms which are a bit like ebullience but have something to do with Science stuff followed. Imogen Gold buzzed in for Pembroke for the next starter on electricity, and the team was happy to take 2 bonuses on philosophical movements. Not giving up yet eve Phillips took the next s=for St. Anne’s , a good question, knowing that two and owt are anagrams of each other. 2 bonuses followed on Hot Spots. Robin McGhee knew what the lowest point on the surface of Mars is, but there was no time for a bonus. At the gong, Pembroke had won with 205, and St. Anne’s had finished with 140.
As JP said, they are really on the cusp, and you wouldn’t necessarily expect it to be good enough. However , that score was almost totally achieved in the last 17 minutes or so. Oliver Moody was particularly impressive. Even more impressive, though was Ben Pugh, whose buzzer work was terrific. Well played Pembroke.
Jeremy Paxman Watch
Really only one thing of note at all. JP couldn’t help laughing at the speed of Ben Pugh’s response to the first half note of the Girls Aloud song, and when he’d recovered himself he added,
“It’s a little undignified to be so keen to show that sort of knowledge !” Well, maybe. Now – I like dignity. I like winning too. But which is better ? There’s only one way to find out . . .
Interesting Fact Of The Week That I Didn’t Already Know
The decision to go ahead with the Channel Tunnel project was authorized through the Treaty Of Canterbury.
Yes, it’s another Oxbridge match – and that often provides us with some good entertainment, doesn’t it. Last night St. Anne’s Oxford and Pembroke, Cambridge entered the lists. I may be wrong, but I think that I read that Clive James once lost Pembroke a UC match on a tie break – he certainly played in the series in the mid-60s. Still, enough of such things. St. Anne’s, which was a single sex establishment until the late 70s, was represented by Eve Phillips, Rachel Duffy, Oliver Moody and captain Robin McGhee. The Pembroke team consisted of Edward Bankes, Ben Pugh, Imogen Gold and their captain Bibek Mukherjee. On with the show.
Oliver Moody struck first for St. Anne’s. He knew his minor counties when he heard them. They didn’t manage to capitalize by taking any of a set of bonuses on Van Gogh – regular quizzers may have noted the old chestnut about the Red Vineyard rearing its hoary head among them. Not for the last time in the show Ben Pugh struck the buzzer quickly for the next starter, knowing that the Queen Mother ( Gawd Bless ‘ Er ) amongst others achieved the feat of becoming centenarians. 2 bonuses were taken on a set labeled ‘multi-tasking’. Imogen Gold buzzed in quickly on a starter about the Ministry of Defence and UFO sightings, and for the second time in a row Pembroke took 2 out of 3 bonuses, this time on deaths in the novels of E.M. Forster.St. Anne’s were a little unlucky with the next. Asked what is combined with Keiselghur to make dynamite, they buzzed in with ‘glycerin’ in a classic – close but not cigar moment, and thereby lost 5. Given the full question Ben Pugh supplied the correct answer – nitroglycerine. 1 bonus followed on William Henry Bragg. Ben Pugh followed this up with the picture starter. This showed us the makeup of a cabinet table with only the PMs name missing. Seeing the name William Whitelaw St. Anne’s twitched first and went with Margaret Thatcher. Ben Pugh knew it was Edward Heath. More of the same followed in the bonuses. Oliver Moody – for whom things were going to start looking up very shortly buzzed in too early with the name Nicodemus, when really he meant Nostradamus. Edward Bankes had it, although Pembroke failed to capitalize on this with any of the bonuses on islands and archipelagos. At the ten minute mark Pembroke had established a very significant lead, of 90 to 5.
Had St. Anne’s shrunk into their shells at this stage it would have been understandable. However Oliver Moody buzzed straight back, knowing that Carol Anne Duffy combined the name of Achilles with David Beckham. A full set of 3 impressive bonuses on anachronisms in Shakespeare helped as well. Pembroke, perhaps momentarily rattled, didn’t know that “The Moon and Sixpence” is based on the life of Gauguin. Oliver Moody did. Again, a full set of 3 bonuses on silver anniversaries followed. It was time for someone to steady the ship on the Pembroke bench, and captain Bibek Mukherjee stepped in. He knew that the caribou was the north American member of the reindeer family, and this brought up a bonus on magnesium. The music starter caused some amusement when a stunningly quick buzz from Ben Pugh identified the timeless classic “Sound of the Underground “ by Girls Aloud. This brought up 3 songs which mention London Underground stations. Which is another little irony when you think of what I said about last Thursday’s handout at the rugby club. They had to give both station and line. I identified Warwick Avenue and Bakerloo line. That was the only station any of us knew, but Pembroke didn’t have the line. Tough set. Still. Ben Pugh was back in the groove, and took the next starter correctly identifying Florence Nightingale’s sister. A single bonus was managed on Holyrood House. A rarely seen starter treble was completed by the impressive Mr. Pugh when he identified that if Mercury was Hydrogen, then Mars would be Beryllium. Alright – not the most tricky, but try beating the other team to the buzzer to get it, because that , my friends, is the name of the game in UC. A set on Booker prize winning novels showed the team a clean pair of heels. Neither team knew that Francis Scott Key wrote the Star Spangled Banner. Ben Pugh got close with the Stars and Stripes, but no cigar, I’m afraid. A nice starter followed, literally, with an African river and a French city with only one letter’s difference in their names required, Nile and Nice. See what I did there ? Alright, please yourselves. Oliver Moody took it, and this brought up one bonus on environmental agencies. So St. Anne’s had actually outscored Pembroke during this second stage of the contest, but still trailed by 75 to 145.
I’d almost have said that JP had been down the bookies to put a few bob on both of these teams getting through, such was the mighty gallop he stirred himself to for this last part of the contest. He was going like the clappers ! The second picture starter showed a Mayan stele, and Oliver Moody knew what it was. St. Anne’s took two bonuses on other stelae. Ben Pugh struck again , on Louis Pasteur, and for once Pembroke managed a full set of bonuses on mononyms – e.g. – Voltaire and Collette. Skipper Robin McGhee played a captain’s innings by taking the next starter for St. Anne’s, knowing that Queen Victoria’s daughter Victoria was crown princess of the German empire. The team couldn’t take a bonus on shrouds. Bibek Mukherjee showed that anything his opposing skipper could do, so could he, by buzzing in to say that the Cretaceous period comes after the Jurassic. Quite so. One bonus was taken on the King James bonus. Game effectively over, but St. Anne’s still looked just about capable of making a run at a repechage place. Oliver Moody stepped up, he knew that Grayson Perry has an alter ego called Claire. 1 bonus on terms which are a bit like ebullience but have something to do with Science stuff followed. Imogen Gold buzzed in for Pembroke for the next starter on electricity, and the team was happy to take 2 bonuses on philosophical movements. Not giving up yet eve Phillips took the next s=for St. Anne’s , a good question, knowing that two and owt are anagrams of each other. 2 bonuses followed on Hot Spots. Robin McGhee knew what the lowest point on the surface of Mars is, but there was no time for a bonus. At the gong, Pembroke had won with 205, and St. Anne’s had finished with 140.
As JP said, they are really on the cusp, and you wouldn’t necessarily expect it to be good enough. However , that score was almost totally achieved in the last 17 minutes or so. Oliver Moody was particularly impressive. Even more impressive, though was Ben Pugh, whose buzzer work was terrific. Well played Pembroke.
Jeremy Paxman Watch
Really only one thing of note at all. JP couldn’t help laughing at the speed of Ben Pugh’s response to the first half note of the Girls Aloud song, and when he’d recovered himself he added,
“It’s a little undignified to be so keen to show that sort of knowledge !” Well, maybe. Now – I like dignity. I like winning too. But which is better ? There’s only one way to find out . . .
Interesting Fact Of The Week That I Didn’t Already Know
The decision to go ahead with the Channel Tunnel project was authorized through the Treaty Of Canterbury.
Monday, 26 September 2011
A little irony
Ah, little ironies are just one of the many threads which make this life such a rich and vibrant tapestry. Or if that’s a little too philosophical for this time on a Monday evening, then let’s just say that a couple of the events at the quiz last night made me chuckle a little.
If you were with me yesterday and read my last post, you’ll remember me mentioning the handout round on London tube stations in the rugby club quiz last Thursday. My point being that , nice as it was for me, it probably wasn’t the best thing to ask in that time in that place. Now, see if you can guess what the theme of the 5th and last round of last night’s quiz was ? No, not the London Underground, just London in general. Which as I say, is fine by me, but not necessarily to the majority of people’s tastes. Its funny how themes do the rounds and recur sometimes. As far as I know I was the only person to play in both of these two quizzes.
The upshot of it all was that I did win playing as a singleton last night. This seemed to impress the nice young couple who were playing on the table opposite me. They hadn’t been there before, and hadn’t come for the quiz, but being there and being asked if they’d like to have a go by Graham, the question master last night, they thought why not. They were opposite me and they marked my paper, and partly because of the London round I had a really good night – 48 correct answers out of the 50 questions. At one point the lady said words to the effect of “You should go on Mastermind “. I smiled , but didn’t enlighten her any further. A good evening.
If you were with me yesterday and read my last post, you’ll remember me mentioning the handout round on London tube stations in the rugby club quiz last Thursday. My point being that , nice as it was for me, it probably wasn’t the best thing to ask in that time in that place. Now, see if you can guess what the theme of the 5th and last round of last night’s quiz was ? No, not the London Underground, just London in general. Which as I say, is fine by me, but not necessarily to the majority of people’s tastes. Its funny how themes do the rounds and recur sometimes. As far as I know I was the only person to play in both of these two quizzes.
The upshot of it all was that I did win playing as a singleton last night. This seemed to impress the nice young couple who were playing on the table opposite me. They hadn’t been there before, and hadn’t come for the quiz, but being there and being asked if they’d like to have a go by Graham, the question master last night, they thought why not. They were opposite me and they marked my paper, and partly because of the London round I had a really good night – 48 correct answers out of the 50 questions. At one point the lady said words to the effect of “You should go on Mastermind “. I smiled , but didn’t enlighten her any further. A good evening.
Sunday, 25 September 2011
Going Underground
I know its not the first time that I’ve said this, but the fact is that it is a bad Thursday when there’s no quiz at the rugby club. Thankfully, like jockey’s legs, these occasions are few and far between.
The rugby club quiz, like many social quizzes you’ll find, has a handout as well as the regular rounds. In our quiz the handout is given at the start of the quiz, and doesn’t have to be handed in until the end of round 6. If there’s 7 teams, then the team with the highest score gets seven points, and so on down. In the event of two teams scoring the same, the team who handed in first out of the two get the higher score. You get how it works, I’m sure. Now, most of the time the handout round is a picture round. I have no axe to grind about this. Personally I’m just not very good at this. I know some people who are excellent at recognizing faces, but I’m just not. There, the secret is out. Still, most people who come to the quiz absolutely love the picture handouts, so I normally put a picture handout in when I compile the quiz for the club. Altogether now – when you compile a quiz you’re not doing it for yourself, you’re doing it for everyone who’s playing, to try to give them the most enjoyable evening you can.
So, on Thursday night I was a little surprised when we weren’t given a picture handout. Hallo – I said – things are looking up. – Normally whatever is given instead of pictures – we’ve had dingbats – Ask the family type arithmetic problems – 24 H in a D , that sort of thing in the past, well , whatever is given we normally tend to do a lot better with them than the pictures. Still, even given that I was expecting to do quite well, I wasn’t expecting what we actually were set. Dai Norwich – so called because a) his name is also David , and b) he’s from Norwich – had printed off a page with the names of London landmarks and places of interest. The task was to name the closest Underground stations to them, as given by LRTs own website.
OK, it’s a quarter of a century since I lived in London. However when I was a kid I absolutely loved the tube. To me, the tube meant days out, and visits to interesting places, and even when things happen like I get stuck waiting in a tube train for half an hour , with a 3 hour drive to Wales ahead of me, even when that happens I’ve never lost my enthusiasm for it. I think that I should add that there was not another Londoner in the quiz on Thursday night, and to the best of my knowledge there never normally is. Which is why I write really. Don’t get me wrong, I am not the kind of man to look a gift horse like this in the mouth in a quiz, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I have to say that it did cross my mind whether a whole handout on the London Underground was the best choice for a social quiz in Port Talbot- which is over 150 miles away from London. As it was it didn’t make a huge amount of difference, because of the scoring system used. We had more than a dozen more correct answers in the handout than the team who had the next highest score in it, but we only scored 1 point more than they did, which is just as well. I have been to quizzes in a few places where you could comfortably win five or six general knowledge rounds, yet lose the whole quiz by a mile because of one handout round which particularly suits one of the teams, when each answer on the handout earns a point.
-----------------------
Looking forwards to tonight, my best mate John is having an operation today on his shoulder, and so I’m going to be on my own this evening. Strictly speaking I could honourably give it a miss tonight. John’s missed three or four Sunday quizzes this year, and I’ve managed to squeak home on my own in each of them. To try it again may well be tempting fate. On the other hand, sod it, it’s a quiz, its Sunday, and I’m going. After all, its what John would have wanted.
The rugby club quiz, like many social quizzes you’ll find, has a handout as well as the regular rounds. In our quiz the handout is given at the start of the quiz, and doesn’t have to be handed in until the end of round 6. If there’s 7 teams, then the team with the highest score gets seven points, and so on down. In the event of two teams scoring the same, the team who handed in first out of the two get the higher score. You get how it works, I’m sure. Now, most of the time the handout round is a picture round. I have no axe to grind about this. Personally I’m just not very good at this. I know some people who are excellent at recognizing faces, but I’m just not. There, the secret is out. Still, most people who come to the quiz absolutely love the picture handouts, so I normally put a picture handout in when I compile the quiz for the club. Altogether now – when you compile a quiz you’re not doing it for yourself, you’re doing it for everyone who’s playing, to try to give them the most enjoyable evening you can.
So, on Thursday night I was a little surprised when we weren’t given a picture handout. Hallo – I said – things are looking up. – Normally whatever is given instead of pictures – we’ve had dingbats – Ask the family type arithmetic problems – 24 H in a D , that sort of thing in the past, well , whatever is given we normally tend to do a lot better with them than the pictures. Still, even given that I was expecting to do quite well, I wasn’t expecting what we actually were set. Dai Norwich – so called because a) his name is also David , and b) he’s from Norwich – had printed off a page with the names of London landmarks and places of interest. The task was to name the closest Underground stations to them, as given by LRTs own website.
OK, it’s a quarter of a century since I lived in London. However when I was a kid I absolutely loved the tube. To me, the tube meant days out, and visits to interesting places, and even when things happen like I get stuck waiting in a tube train for half an hour , with a 3 hour drive to Wales ahead of me, even when that happens I’ve never lost my enthusiasm for it. I think that I should add that there was not another Londoner in the quiz on Thursday night, and to the best of my knowledge there never normally is. Which is why I write really. Don’t get me wrong, I am not the kind of man to look a gift horse like this in the mouth in a quiz, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, but I have to say that it did cross my mind whether a whole handout on the London Underground was the best choice for a social quiz in Port Talbot- which is over 150 miles away from London. As it was it didn’t make a huge amount of difference, because of the scoring system used. We had more than a dozen more correct answers in the handout than the team who had the next highest score in it, but we only scored 1 point more than they did, which is just as well. I have been to quizzes in a few places where you could comfortably win five or six general knowledge rounds, yet lose the whole quiz by a mile because of one handout round which particularly suits one of the teams, when each answer on the handout earns a point.
-----------------------
Looking forwards to tonight, my best mate John is having an operation today on his shoulder, and so I’m going to be on my own this evening. Strictly speaking I could honourably give it a miss tonight. John’s missed three or four Sunday quizzes this year, and I’ve managed to squeak home on my own in each of them. To try it again may well be tempting fate. On the other hand, sod it, it’s a quiz, its Sunday, and I’m going. After all, its what John would have wanted.
Saturday, 24 September 2011
News Questions
Who or what are the following, and why are they in the news ?
1) Raymond Jacob
2) Joseph Williams
3) Michael Winner
4) Stephen Meakin
5) Tennare Ramesh
6) Lisa Bradley
7) Rital and Ritag Gaboua
8) Earl Henry
9) Gazanging
10) Alexander Lebedev
11) Tim Farron
12) Vincent Cooke
13) Natalie Ayres
14) Ryan Donovan
15) Lin Cheung
16) Thomas Waldron
17) Portrait of the Hound
18) Vivek Baliga
19) Michael Sata
20) Luke Matthews, Johnno Jonson, Hannah Palmer, Damian McQueen
21) Eddie Shah
22) Bruce Scott and Lesley Norris
23) Helen Vincent
24) New McCowans
25) Richard Madeley
26) Greenlands Labour Club Preston
27) Valentina Matviyinko
28) Israel Dagg
29) Hicks and Healey
30) Lord West of Spithead
31) Ocean’s Kingdom
32) Death Comes to Pemberley
33) Bill Oddie
34) Timothy Bradley
35) Andy Newman – Kerri Cooper
36) Michael Flaherty
37) Stewart Mungall
38) Victoria Jones
39) Martin Luther
40) Owen Hargreaves
In Other News –
1) Australian style schooner glasses are to be introduce to British pubs. How much beer do they hold ?
2) What did a guest in the Bath Central Travelodge find in her room ?
3) Stuart Manley and Mark Coop are engaged in a fight over which trademark ?
4) A survey shows that women derive most shopping pleasure from buying which item ?
5) How many pupils currently attend the Glyn school in Brynamman, near Neath ?
6) Who will captain England for the T20 series against the West Indies ?
7) What is the venue for the Solheim Cup ?
8) Which is the most popular song on MP3 players in the UK ?
9) Name the US satellite which fell to earth recently ?
10) The boxing federation of which country has been accused of bribing Olympic officials ?
11) How many people on average have been caught by the speed camera on Rhwbina Hill in Cardiff ?
12) Whose war diary is going on sale for the first time ?
13) Which council have banned loud rag and bone men ?
14) What have been banned in Harewood Junior School in Gloucester ?
15) Which company apologized for its links with the 3rd Reich ?
16) A large gas field has been found outside which UK resort ?
17) Whose autobiography appeared last week despite his own attempts to suppress it ?
18) Who are bidding for statehood currently at the UN ?
19) Name the british rider who won a silver medal in the time trial event in the world road cycling championships
20) Which country have Britain drawn for their next match in the Davis Cup ?
21) Which band announced that they are to split after 31 years ?
22) What is the UKs slogan for 2012 ?
23) It was announced finally that compensation will be paid for what ?
24) What will not appear this Christmas ?
25) Scotland Yard dropped its court case against which newspaper ?
26) What does Southwark Council plan to call the Guy Fawkes night celebrations ?
27) The new portrait of the Queen by Darren Blake has been commissioned to commemorate the 90th anniversary of what ?
28) The Bishop of Bradford says the teaching of what in Britain is deplorable ?
29) Max Moseley is currently pursuing a court case against the News of the World in which country
30) Which TV presenter is currently suing over a property venture ?
31) Which London attraction will reopen in Easter 2012 ?
32) Who was accused of landing illegal blows to win his world boxing championship match against Victor Ortez ?
33) Who was the captain of the victorious Britain and Ireland team in the Solheim Cup ?
34) Which county won the CB40 final ?
35) Which two countries will contest the Davis Cup Final
36) Which company have been criticized for their adverts and idents during the new series of Downton Abbey ?
37) Scottish rugby fans have been banned from using what at world cup matches ?
38) Kate Winslet won an Emmy for her role in what ?
39) Australian foreign minister Kevin Rudd found customs officials trying to stop him bringin what into the US ?
40) Lu Lin launched which shape of teabags ?
41) Who called for an end to the teaching of creationism in Science classes ?
42) What was the christian name of Ginger McCain, who died aged 80 ?
43) The new Times Atlas of the World was critics for making which claim ?
44) What type of fruit has overtaken apples as the UKs favourite ?
1) Raymond Jacob
2) Joseph Williams
3) Michael Winner
4) Stephen Meakin
5) Tennare Ramesh
6) Lisa Bradley
7) Rital and Ritag Gaboua
8) Earl Henry
9) Gazanging
10) Alexander Lebedev
11) Tim Farron
12) Vincent Cooke
13) Natalie Ayres
14) Ryan Donovan
15) Lin Cheung
16) Thomas Waldron
17) Portrait of the Hound
18) Vivek Baliga
19) Michael Sata
20) Luke Matthews, Johnno Jonson, Hannah Palmer, Damian McQueen
21) Eddie Shah
22) Bruce Scott and Lesley Norris
23) Helen Vincent
24) New McCowans
25) Richard Madeley
26) Greenlands Labour Club Preston
27) Valentina Matviyinko
28) Israel Dagg
29) Hicks and Healey
30) Lord West of Spithead
31) Ocean’s Kingdom
32) Death Comes to Pemberley
33) Bill Oddie
34) Timothy Bradley
35) Andy Newman – Kerri Cooper
36) Michael Flaherty
37) Stewart Mungall
38) Victoria Jones
39) Martin Luther
40) Owen Hargreaves
In Other News –
1) Australian style schooner glasses are to be introduce to British pubs. How much beer do they hold ?
2) What did a guest in the Bath Central Travelodge find in her room ?
3) Stuart Manley and Mark Coop are engaged in a fight over which trademark ?
4) A survey shows that women derive most shopping pleasure from buying which item ?
5) How many pupils currently attend the Glyn school in Brynamman, near Neath ?
6) Who will captain England for the T20 series against the West Indies ?
7) What is the venue for the Solheim Cup ?
8) Which is the most popular song on MP3 players in the UK ?
9) Name the US satellite which fell to earth recently ?
10) The boxing federation of which country has been accused of bribing Olympic officials ?
11) How many people on average have been caught by the speed camera on Rhwbina Hill in Cardiff ?
12) Whose war diary is going on sale for the first time ?
13) Which council have banned loud rag and bone men ?
14) What have been banned in Harewood Junior School in Gloucester ?
15) Which company apologized for its links with the 3rd Reich ?
16) A large gas field has been found outside which UK resort ?
17) Whose autobiography appeared last week despite his own attempts to suppress it ?
18) Who are bidding for statehood currently at the UN ?
19) Name the british rider who won a silver medal in the time trial event in the world road cycling championships
20) Which country have Britain drawn for their next match in the Davis Cup ?
21) Which band announced that they are to split after 31 years ?
22) What is the UKs slogan for 2012 ?
23) It was announced finally that compensation will be paid for what ?
24) What will not appear this Christmas ?
25) Scotland Yard dropped its court case against which newspaper ?
26) What does Southwark Council plan to call the Guy Fawkes night celebrations ?
27) The new portrait of the Queen by Darren Blake has been commissioned to commemorate the 90th anniversary of what ?
28) The Bishop of Bradford says the teaching of what in Britain is deplorable ?
29) Max Moseley is currently pursuing a court case against the News of the World in which country
30) Which TV presenter is currently suing over a property venture ?
31) Which London attraction will reopen in Easter 2012 ?
32) Who was accused of landing illegal blows to win his world boxing championship match against Victor Ortez ?
33) Who was the captain of the victorious Britain and Ireland team in the Solheim Cup ?
34) Which county won the CB40 final ?
35) Which two countries will contest the Davis Cup Final
36) Which company have been criticized for their adverts and idents during the new series of Downton Abbey ?
37) Scottish rugby fans have been banned from using what at world cup matches ?
38) Kate Winslet won an Emmy for her role in what ?
39) Australian foreign minister Kevin Rudd found customs officials trying to stop him bringin what into the US ?
40) Lu Lin launched which shape of teabags ?
41) Who called for an end to the teaching of creationism in Science classes ?
42) What was the christian name of Ginger McCain, who died aged 80 ?
43) The new Times Atlas of the World was critics for making which claim ?
44) What type of fruit has overtaken apples as the UKs favourite ?
In the News Answers
Who or what are the following, and why are they in the news ?
1) Ray
2) Altitude
3) Jed Whinfindale
4) Adam Kleeburger
5) Sheikh Raed Salah
6) Kinde Durkee
7) Kweku Adoboli
8) MS Nordlys
9) Esther Freeborn
10) Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal
11) Grimsville UK
12) Kathryn Roach
13) The Connors family
14) Paul Hopes
15) Sean Duffy
16) Sue Sim
17) James Byrne
18) Tyler Perry
19) Katherine Goldberg
20) Rob Hull
21) Greenacres
22) Oliver Golding
23) The Abril Family
24) Barbara Glen
25) Thomas Grant
26) My Heart
27) David and Judith Tebbut
28) Wayne Barnes
29) Jacolyn Ansell
30) A.N.Wilson
Answers
1) English Speaking forest boy with amnesia in Germany
2) The New Zealand Club frequented by the England Rugby Team
3) He won compensation from his local authority after a bullying incident at school
4) The impressively bearded Canadian rugby player at the world cup
5) Banned preacher who got into the UK due to a Home Office blunder
6) Financial consultant who stole millions from top Californian democrats
7) Rogue Trader accused of losing £1.3 billion for UBS
8) Arctic Cruise ship suffered a blaze
9) First ever female bandmaster of the Life Guards
10) US Hikers supposedly about to be released in Iran
11) Nickname that US Newsweek Magazine gave to London
12) Teacher who sent explicit texts to a pupil
13) Accused in relation to the Greenacres caravan site
14) Toys R Us executive who allegedly stole money for a prostitute
15) He was jailed for ‘trolling’ – leaving abusive messages on Facebook tribute pages
16) Chief Constable of Northumbria , very upset about jibes about her hair
17) Man whose big toe was used as his new thumb in surgery
18) Highest paid man in Hollywood
19) Accused of being drunk on a plane and demanding sex with steward whom she sexually assaulted
20) He has entered the Guinness Book of Records for having the world’s largest collection of Daleks – 571
21) Caravan park at the centre of slavery accusations
22) Player who won the US Open Boy’s Tennis singles
23) Family that used to own Machu Picchu – now claiming compensation
24) Former girlfriend of James Dean – his letters to her are on sale
25) Youngest ever person to cycle from Land’s End to John O’Groats – 11 years old
26) Title of new album released by Doris Day
27) Husband and wife – he was tragically killed, and she was kidnapped in Kenya
28) English referee who did not give James Hook’s penalty v. South Africa
29) Convicted of stalking a married policeman
30) He said that the Downton Abbey version of history was bollocks on Radio 4 Today show.
In Other News
1) Who is suing his stepson for conning him out of millions of dollars ?
2) Which musician has been ordered to remove a beach hut from the driveway of his home ?
3) The world’s biggest sperm bank, in Denmark, has stopped accepting donations from which group of people ?
4) Which council has agreed to pay back £1 million in parking fines ?
5) Neil Kinnock’s Daughter in Law is the leader of the Social Democrats in which country ?
6) Which singer attacked Britain’s racial intolerance ?
7) What is James Dyson’s new product ?
8) NASA announced plans to build a new Mars rocket – how much did it say this would cost ?
9) Which song saw Tony Bennett duet with the late Amy Winehouse ?
10) Who became the oldest man ever to score a goal in the champion’s league ?
11) Which venue is hosting the Seve Cup ?
12) Who won the cricket county championship ?
13) Who has been asked to write the Further Tales of Peter Rabbit ?
14) What is the name of the mine near Pontardawe in South Wales where several men tragically lost their lives ?
15) Which judge of Strictly Come Dancing criticized Blackpool ?
16) A law against praying in the streets of which capital city has been passed ?
17) Which two counties have been relegated to the second division of cricket’s county championship ?
18) Which occupation celebrated their 125th anniversary last week ?
19) Who received an honorary OBE for his work for dyslexic children ?
20) How many fewer MPs will there be in the House of Commons once boundaries have been redrawn ?
21) What topped the pole as the healthiest cartoon series of all ?
22) 8 hours of interviews with whom were made public last week ?
23) The Dahl family received criticism for launching an appeal to renovate the late writer’s hut. How much is the appeal for ?
24) Which former French presidential candidate was last week implicated in the bribes from Africa scandal ?
25) What was found in an art gallery in Berlin last week ?
26) Who said “ I am an elephant – not a monster “ ?
27) Which retailer removed ‘misogynistic ‘ T Shirts from sale following public pressure last week ?
28) Which dynasty of British monarchs feature on a set of Royal Mail stamps issued last week ?
29) The Heinz company have been told that they must alter the recipe of what ?
30) How many kicks did Johnny Wilkinson miss in the match against Argentina ?
Answers
1) Mickey Rooney
2) David Gilmour
3) Men with red hair
4) Richmond upon Thames
5) Denmark
6) Kelis
7) A bladeless room header
8) $35 billion
9) Body and Soul
10) Ryan Giggs
11) Versailles
12) Lancashire
13) Emma Thompson
14) Gleision
15) Bruno Tonioli
16) Paris
17) Yorkshire and Hampshire
18) Avon Ladies
19) Henry Winkler
20) Fifty
21) Scooby Doo
22) Jackie Kennedy
23) £300,000
24) Jean Marie le Pen
25) Berlin
26) Gerard Depardieu – excuse for urinating on floor of plane to Belfast
27) Top Man
28) Hanoverians
29) HP Sauce
30) 5
1) Ray
2) Altitude
3) Jed Whinfindale
4) Adam Kleeburger
5) Sheikh Raed Salah
6) Kinde Durkee
7) Kweku Adoboli
8) MS Nordlys
9) Esther Freeborn
10) Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal
11) Grimsville UK
12) Kathryn Roach
13) The Connors family
14) Paul Hopes
15) Sean Duffy
16) Sue Sim
17) James Byrne
18) Tyler Perry
19) Katherine Goldberg
20) Rob Hull
21) Greenacres
22) Oliver Golding
23) The Abril Family
24) Barbara Glen
25) Thomas Grant
26) My Heart
27) David and Judith Tebbut
28) Wayne Barnes
29) Jacolyn Ansell
30) A.N.Wilson
Answers
1) English Speaking forest boy with amnesia in Germany
2) The New Zealand Club frequented by the England Rugby Team
3) He won compensation from his local authority after a bullying incident at school
4) The impressively bearded Canadian rugby player at the world cup
5) Banned preacher who got into the UK due to a Home Office blunder
6) Financial consultant who stole millions from top Californian democrats
7) Rogue Trader accused of losing £1.3 billion for UBS
8) Arctic Cruise ship suffered a blaze
9) First ever female bandmaster of the Life Guards
10) US Hikers supposedly about to be released in Iran
11) Nickname that US Newsweek Magazine gave to London
12) Teacher who sent explicit texts to a pupil
13) Accused in relation to the Greenacres caravan site
14) Toys R Us executive who allegedly stole money for a prostitute
15) He was jailed for ‘trolling’ – leaving abusive messages on Facebook tribute pages
16) Chief Constable of Northumbria , very upset about jibes about her hair
17) Man whose big toe was used as his new thumb in surgery
18) Highest paid man in Hollywood
19) Accused of being drunk on a plane and demanding sex with steward whom she sexually assaulted
20) He has entered the Guinness Book of Records for having the world’s largest collection of Daleks – 571
21) Caravan park at the centre of slavery accusations
22) Player who won the US Open Boy’s Tennis singles
23) Family that used to own Machu Picchu – now claiming compensation
24) Former girlfriend of James Dean – his letters to her are on sale
25) Youngest ever person to cycle from Land’s End to John O’Groats – 11 years old
26) Title of new album released by Doris Day
27) Husband and wife – he was tragically killed, and she was kidnapped in Kenya
28) English referee who did not give James Hook’s penalty v. South Africa
29) Convicted of stalking a married policeman
30) He said that the Downton Abbey version of history was bollocks on Radio 4 Today show.
In Other News
1) Who is suing his stepson for conning him out of millions of dollars ?
2) Which musician has been ordered to remove a beach hut from the driveway of his home ?
3) The world’s biggest sperm bank, in Denmark, has stopped accepting donations from which group of people ?
4) Which council has agreed to pay back £1 million in parking fines ?
5) Neil Kinnock’s Daughter in Law is the leader of the Social Democrats in which country ?
6) Which singer attacked Britain’s racial intolerance ?
7) What is James Dyson’s new product ?
8) NASA announced plans to build a new Mars rocket – how much did it say this would cost ?
9) Which song saw Tony Bennett duet with the late Amy Winehouse ?
10) Who became the oldest man ever to score a goal in the champion’s league ?
11) Which venue is hosting the Seve Cup ?
12) Who won the cricket county championship ?
13) Who has been asked to write the Further Tales of Peter Rabbit ?
14) What is the name of the mine near Pontardawe in South Wales where several men tragically lost their lives ?
15) Which judge of Strictly Come Dancing criticized Blackpool ?
16) A law against praying in the streets of which capital city has been passed ?
17) Which two counties have been relegated to the second division of cricket’s county championship ?
18) Which occupation celebrated their 125th anniversary last week ?
19) Who received an honorary OBE for his work for dyslexic children ?
20) How many fewer MPs will there be in the House of Commons once boundaries have been redrawn ?
21) What topped the pole as the healthiest cartoon series of all ?
22) 8 hours of interviews with whom were made public last week ?
23) The Dahl family received criticism for launching an appeal to renovate the late writer’s hut. How much is the appeal for ?
24) Which former French presidential candidate was last week implicated in the bribes from Africa scandal ?
25) What was found in an art gallery in Berlin last week ?
26) Who said “ I am an elephant – not a monster “ ?
27) Which retailer removed ‘misogynistic ‘ T Shirts from sale following public pressure last week ?
28) Which dynasty of British monarchs feature on a set of Royal Mail stamps issued last week ?
29) The Heinz company have been told that they must alter the recipe of what ?
30) How many kicks did Johnny Wilkinson miss in the match against Argentina ?
Answers
1) Mickey Rooney
2) David Gilmour
3) Men with red hair
4) Richmond upon Thames
5) Denmark
6) Kelis
7) A bladeless room header
8) $35 billion
9) Body and Soul
10) Ryan Giggs
11) Versailles
12) Lancashire
13) Emma Thompson
14) Gleision
15) Bruno Tonioli
16) Paris
17) Yorkshire and Hampshire
18) Avon Ladies
19) Henry Winkler
20) Fifty
21) Scooby Doo
22) Jackie Kennedy
23) £300,000
24) Jean Marie le Pen
25) Berlin
26) Gerard Depardieu – excuse for urinating on floor of plane to Belfast
27) Top Man
28) Hanoverians
29) HP Sauce
30) 5
Wednesday, 21 September 2011
Only Connect - Round One - Match 6
The Listeners v. The Steel City Singers
If you’re a regular viewer of University Challenge – and if not, then why not ? – you may well have recognised the Steel City Singers. They were none other than Tom Thirkell, our own Hugh Bennett, and Andy Bolton, who represented Sheffield University so well in last year’s tournament. No Tristram Cole, unfortunately, being as OC is for teams of three. I noticed that whereas Tom had been captain on UC, it was Andy who took the helm here. The lads’ opposition was The Listeners , a formidable team in he shape of Andrew Lyman, Jane Teather and Dave Tilley. I have it in my head that Andrew is a Mastermind semi-finalist, and it may well have been in Shaun’s series in 2004. Dave is a good quizzer, and a Masterminder as well, from Geoff’s series in 2006. Although I don’t know Jane I have no reasons to cast any doubts over her ability. So the Singers certainly looked to have their work cut out for them.
Round One – What’s the Connection ?
The Listeners kicked off with the twisted flax. They found Ken Kesey – Juliet Capulet – John Stonehouse , at which they went for people who faked their own suicide. After a bit of manoeuvring Victoria accepted this, with the answer required being that they faked their own deaths. Close enough, and a good start. The Singers took Lion, and they found – right – well, fact is I didn’t get it all down. First clue was a Spanish title, anyway – then Paso doble – then Act 4 of Carmen ( I had it here ) – Death in the Afternoon. The Singers punted with Seville, but the Listeners supplied the correct answer with bullfighting. Eye of Horus brought up the music connection for the Listeners. They heard Mint Juleps, Orange Juice and Hot Chocolate and knew full well that we were dealing with drinks. Water brought the Singers the pictures, and they found a type of deer or antelope, a cuckoo, and they went for a long shot at goal with words that have repeated elements. I see what they meant – the first was a dik dik. But no, sadly. The Listeners were then shown Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and some crackling, and they couldn’t get it. A little surprised about that, since with all four you could see that they all took their names from the noise they make. Mind you, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was the first film I saw at the Odeon in Northfields Avenue, so I would remember it very clearly, I suppose. Anyway, the Listeners continued their points building with the set behind two reeds. Playing Kubbadi – Aiming a gun accurately – Trying to cure hiccups. Quite rightly they said they were all things you should hold your breath to do properly. So , left with Viper, my boys had yet to show us their full mettle. Pavement – Ousegate were enough to put the correct idea into their minds, but bearing in mind their previous set they correctly made sure by taking the next – the Whip Ma Whop Ma Gate. That confirmed that these were all streets in York. So the score was now 7 to the Listeners, and 2 to the singers.
Round Two – What Comes Fourth ?
I wasn’t panicking yet, since I knew that my boys had the nerve to be able to come back. An opportunity was presented in the Listeners’ first set behind Horned Viper. The Fourth – The Fifth – The Minor Fall – the Listeners had a go, but it took the Singers to explain that the next would be the Major Lift. The sequence coming from Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. Rather appropriate really, since this round would see something of a resurrection of the Singers’ chances. Behind Water the Singers found 4th – Statue of Zeus – 3rd – Temple of Artemis – and worked out that we must be talking about the 7 wonders of the Ancient World. If we were also talking about them in order of age, then the answer would have to be 1st – The Pyramids. We were, and it was. Looking to take their first points in the round, the Listeners opted for Twisted Flax, and found Forelock – Poll and Crest. Both teams knew what we were talking about , but neither team quite managed to work their way round to the withers. Behind Lion the singers found a bit of a stinker. Pro – Meta – Ana are all phases of cell division. I think that the answer was telo , but since neither team got it we can move on to two reeds. This was much more to my liking. Frazier – Norton - and by this time I was shouting LARRY HOLMES !!!!!!!! at the screen – then Spinks. Both teams offered heavyweight boxers, but not the right ones. These were the first three men to defeat Ali. Holmes was the 4th, and the late Trevor Berbick the last. A small crumb of comfort fell to the Listeners. Eye of Horus brought the Singers a set they understood – with pictures of a mini – a shuffle of a deck of cards – a Bulgarian chappie whose name was Nano. Yes, ipods was right, but it was the Listeners who supplied us with touch for a bonus. So at the end of the round the Listeners still led with 8, but the Singers were hot on their heels with 6.
Round Three – The Connecting Walls
Good performances from both teams followed in this round. The Singers opted for water, and untangled all four of their sets. Bath – Beard – Harem and Shrewd they knew were all words which had been created by adding a letter to the name of a mammal. Harrow – Roller – Plough and Tiller were all farm implements used in cultivating fields. Ice – Field – Street and Air they knew as forms of hockey. This only left Wells - Chard – Wellington and Frome , and as they knew , these are all Somerset towns and cities. A well earned 10 points, and a classy showing.
No better than the Listeners themselves, though. They first untangled Rock – Hoe – Gin and Brethren , as all being linked to Plymouth. Jane said that they were lucky they got Plymouth first. Maybe, but you still had to get it, Jane, and that’s good play. Canasta – Nixon – Zenon and Blaine gave them magicians. Well done to Dave for remembering Chan Canasta – that one could have messed the whole board up for you. Spade – Brush – Tongs and Poker all belong to a fireside companion set. Finally Hearts – Euchre – Skat and Bridge are all card games with tricks. Incidentally I think my university friend KD Johnson learned the meaning of futility when he tried to teach me the rules of skat , however I digress. With a well earned maximum as well, there was hardly anything in it going into the last round, with the Listener’s leading by 18 to 16.
Round Four – Missing Vowels
We kicked off with party games. The Listeners managed three of them, but dropped a point when mistaking London Bridge for London’s Burning. Its easily done. Still, this was the only one that the Singers managed. Non human literary characters proved tricky. The Listeners managed a couple, but Great Uncle Bulgaria and Moominmamma ( try saying that pair of names when you’ve had a couple ) were just too quick and escaped without injury. Historical time periods saw the Listeners take two, but drop one , identifying the mauve decade as the movie decade. I’ve never heard of either. Finally horticultural spaces gave the Singers a chance for just one last hurrah, and then it was over. The result ? A win for the Listeners by 23 to 19. A good match, and as Victoria rightly pointed out, a good score by both teams. Well done the Listeners – I’ll look forward to seeing you in the next round. But well done Tom, Andy, and of course Hugh. You played well , and have nothing to be ashamed of. LAM salutes you !
If you’re a regular viewer of University Challenge – and if not, then why not ? – you may well have recognised the Steel City Singers. They were none other than Tom Thirkell, our own Hugh Bennett, and Andy Bolton, who represented Sheffield University so well in last year’s tournament. No Tristram Cole, unfortunately, being as OC is for teams of three. I noticed that whereas Tom had been captain on UC, it was Andy who took the helm here. The lads’ opposition was The Listeners , a formidable team in he shape of Andrew Lyman, Jane Teather and Dave Tilley. I have it in my head that Andrew is a Mastermind semi-finalist, and it may well have been in Shaun’s series in 2004. Dave is a good quizzer, and a Masterminder as well, from Geoff’s series in 2006. Although I don’t know Jane I have no reasons to cast any doubts over her ability. So the Singers certainly looked to have their work cut out for them.
Round One – What’s the Connection ?
The Listeners kicked off with the twisted flax. They found Ken Kesey – Juliet Capulet – John Stonehouse , at which they went for people who faked their own suicide. After a bit of manoeuvring Victoria accepted this, with the answer required being that they faked their own deaths. Close enough, and a good start. The Singers took Lion, and they found – right – well, fact is I didn’t get it all down. First clue was a Spanish title, anyway – then Paso doble – then Act 4 of Carmen ( I had it here ) – Death in the Afternoon. The Singers punted with Seville, but the Listeners supplied the correct answer with bullfighting. Eye of Horus brought up the music connection for the Listeners. They heard Mint Juleps, Orange Juice and Hot Chocolate and knew full well that we were dealing with drinks. Water brought the Singers the pictures, and they found a type of deer or antelope, a cuckoo, and they went for a long shot at goal with words that have repeated elements. I see what they meant – the first was a dik dik. But no, sadly. The Listeners were then shown Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and some crackling, and they couldn’t get it. A little surprised about that, since with all four you could see that they all took their names from the noise they make. Mind you, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was the first film I saw at the Odeon in Northfields Avenue, so I would remember it very clearly, I suppose. Anyway, the Listeners continued their points building with the set behind two reeds. Playing Kubbadi – Aiming a gun accurately – Trying to cure hiccups. Quite rightly they said they were all things you should hold your breath to do properly. So , left with Viper, my boys had yet to show us their full mettle. Pavement – Ousegate were enough to put the correct idea into their minds, but bearing in mind their previous set they correctly made sure by taking the next – the Whip Ma Whop Ma Gate. That confirmed that these were all streets in York. So the score was now 7 to the Listeners, and 2 to the singers.
Round Two – What Comes Fourth ?
I wasn’t panicking yet, since I knew that my boys had the nerve to be able to come back. An opportunity was presented in the Listeners’ first set behind Horned Viper. The Fourth – The Fifth – The Minor Fall – the Listeners had a go, but it took the Singers to explain that the next would be the Major Lift. The sequence coming from Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. Rather appropriate really, since this round would see something of a resurrection of the Singers’ chances. Behind Water the Singers found 4th – Statue of Zeus – 3rd – Temple of Artemis – and worked out that we must be talking about the 7 wonders of the Ancient World. If we were also talking about them in order of age, then the answer would have to be 1st – The Pyramids. We were, and it was. Looking to take their first points in the round, the Listeners opted for Twisted Flax, and found Forelock – Poll and Crest. Both teams knew what we were talking about , but neither team quite managed to work their way round to the withers. Behind Lion the singers found a bit of a stinker. Pro – Meta – Ana are all phases of cell division. I think that the answer was telo , but since neither team got it we can move on to two reeds. This was much more to my liking. Frazier – Norton - and by this time I was shouting LARRY HOLMES !!!!!!!! at the screen – then Spinks. Both teams offered heavyweight boxers, but not the right ones. These were the first three men to defeat Ali. Holmes was the 4th, and the late Trevor Berbick the last. A small crumb of comfort fell to the Listeners. Eye of Horus brought the Singers a set they understood – with pictures of a mini – a shuffle of a deck of cards – a Bulgarian chappie whose name was Nano. Yes, ipods was right, but it was the Listeners who supplied us with touch for a bonus. So at the end of the round the Listeners still led with 8, but the Singers were hot on their heels with 6.
Round Three – The Connecting Walls
Good performances from both teams followed in this round. The Singers opted for water, and untangled all four of their sets. Bath – Beard – Harem and Shrewd they knew were all words which had been created by adding a letter to the name of a mammal. Harrow – Roller – Plough and Tiller were all farm implements used in cultivating fields. Ice – Field – Street and Air they knew as forms of hockey. This only left Wells - Chard – Wellington and Frome , and as they knew , these are all Somerset towns and cities. A well earned 10 points, and a classy showing.
No better than the Listeners themselves, though. They first untangled Rock – Hoe – Gin and Brethren , as all being linked to Plymouth. Jane said that they were lucky they got Plymouth first. Maybe, but you still had to get it, Jane, and that’s good play. Canasta – Nixon – Zenon and Blaine gave them magicians. Well done to Dave for remembering Chan Canasta – that one could have messed the whole board up for you. Spade – Brush – Tongs and Poker all belong to a fireside companion set. Finally Hearts – Euchre – Skat and Bridge are all card games with tricks. Incidentally I think my university friend KD Johnson learned the meaning of futility when he tried to teach me the rules of skat , however I digress. With a well earned maximum as well, there was hardly anything in it going into the last round, with the Listener’s leading by 18 to 16.
Round Four – Missing Vowels
We kicked off with party games. The Listeners managed three of them, but dropped a point when mistaking London Bridge for London’s Burning. Its easily done. Still, this was the only one that the Singers managed. Non human literary characters proved tricky. The Listeners managed a couple, but Great Uncle Bulgaria and Moominmamma ( try saying that pair of names when you’ve had a couple ) were just too quick and escaped without injury. Historical time periods saw the Listeners take two, but drop one , identifying the mauve decade as the movie decade. I’ve never heard of either. Finally horticultural spaces gave the Singers a chance for just one last hurrah, and then it was over. The result ? A win for the Listeners by 23 to 19. A good match, and as Victoria rightly pointed out, a good score by both teams. Well done the Listeners – I’ll look forward to seeing you in the next round. But well done Tom, Andy, and of course Hugh. You played well , and have nothing to be ashamed of. LAM salutes you !
Tuesday, 20 September 2011
University Challenge - Round One - Match 12
Leeds University v. Goldsmiths College, University of London
I’ve been waiting for a very long time to watch Goldsmiths on UC, and when I heard some time ago that they’d made it on to the current series I was filled with pride, but also not a little trepidation. After all, finally getting onto the show, could I take the guilt if the curse of support from the Clark sofa were to strike them down ? Well, its not something I have any control over, I’m afraid. Enough nonsense. Leeds fielded the youngest of all 24 teams in the competition, in the shape of Lucy Bennett, Peter Hufton, Christian Mannsåker, and captain Lewis Mills. Goldies’ team consisted of Adam Fenton, Julie Tanner, Wes Pauline and skipper Tom Bush.
Leeds struck first. Christian Mannsåker, not for the last time in the contest, buzzed in with Television,and earned a bonus on foreign policy doctrines. Goldies struck right back with Wes Pauline who knew well that the ‘vulcan neck grip’ is nothing other than another name for the command – ctrl – alt – delete. Alas, bonuses on property proved hard to come by. I’ve always found property hard to come by as well. The captain, Tom Bush buzzed in impressively early on the Butterfly Effect for the next starter, and this time thy managed a bonus on English words borrowed from Arabic. The first picture starter showed us the insiginia of a rank in the army . Christian Mannsåker recognised the insignia of a colonel when he saw it, and the team managed another one of the same as a bonus. Wes Pauline knew that it was Ivor Novello who achieved fame with Keep the Home Fires Burning, , but the bonuses were still not flowing as a set on Romulus and Remus showed the team a clean pair of heels. Captain Tom Bush took another starter, on Max Planck, and the team took a bonus on the pollination of flowers. At the ten minute mark things weren’t looking too bad for my guys, who led by 55 to 30. Although ever the pessimist I did wonder if they would come to rue those missed bonuses.
That man Mannsåker immediately cut the deficit with the next starter, knowing that it was Pizza that an Italian king used to slip out of his palace in mufti to enjoy. This brought us a first full set of bonuses on semi autobiographical works of literature. Thus encouraged, Christian Mannsåker was happy to take a second consecutive starter, knowing that Krook in Bleak House spontaneously combusted. Well, if you will insist on wearing a vest every day. 1 bonus was taken. The first starter to be missed by both teams followed, on a quote by Camille Pagila. JP having stressed Goldies’ international reputation in the visual and expressive arts, it was only natural that Adam Fenton should recognize a description of the work of Giacometti, and a bonus on Geography was taken. Skipper Lewis Mills of Leeds took a very good buzz at the next starter, knowing that it was Estonia that joined the Euro zone in 2011. Neither team knew that a Times article had compared Agatha Christie to Enid Blyton. Lucy Bennett took the next, and one bonus on events of the 1990s brought the scores level at 105 apiece at the 20 minute mark. Putting it into perspective, both teams could have made it through at this stage, with a good last few minutes. All the momentum was with Leeds, though. Lewis Mills took another good shout with the Gang of Four. This brought a single bonus on invasive species. Wes Pauline struck back , identifying the second picture starter as a portrait of Queen Mary of Teck. Alas, that curse on the bonuses would not allow the team to correctly identify any more of the same. Peter Hufton knew that JP’s next starter required the answer of a metre, but the bonus drought had now struck Leeds again, and they too failed to answer any on widows. Lewis Mills knew that it is Henry V that begins “O for a muse of fire . . . “ and the set of bonuses that followed were all taken. The skipper, with the finishing line clearly in view, doubled up with the next starter on the 404 error message, and one bonus was taken on railway stations with the word – Junction – in them. Neither team knew the astronomer Kuiper. Christian Mannsåker knew that the Orinoco rhymes with rococo – who used to play rugby for the All Blacks, didn’t he ? I digress. A couple of bonuses were taken on archaeologists. By now Goldies had been shut out for a long period, and Leeds were over the event horizon. Peter Hufton and Lucy Bennett took the last two starters, and in the end Leeds finished with 220, to Goldsmiths’ 115.
Very hard lines, Goldies. No disgrace at all. Sometimes it works like that – and if you don’t know the answers, all you can do is guess. Sometimes guesses come off – sometimes they don’t. Them’s the breaks. Well done for getting on the show, and I hope we’ll see the college back in the near future. Well done to Leeds ! Good luck in round two.
Jeremy Paxman Watch
There were a few fragrant nosegays from the master in this last show of round one. Firstly he was highly amused at Lewis Mills’ attempt to nominate Lucy Bennett to answer an early bonus . “She doesn’t WANT to be nominated !”
Then there was this little innuendo, which could have come straight out of the Two Ronnie’s repertoire – when explaining about the Italian king slipping out to Domino’s , he added “His wife didn’t let him have it – the pizza that is. “ Ooh, matron !
Finally I enjoyed the way he seemed almost personally insulted when Goldies didn’t know that it was Mr. Macgregor who owned the field/garden where Peter Rabbit’s father was killed.
Interesting Fact Of The Week That I Didn’t Already Know
Estonia Joined the Euro Zone in 2011
Its getting late, so it'll be tomorrow before I post about our own Hugh Bennett's first round appearence on Only Connect - something for you all to look forward to.
I’ve been waiting for a very long time to watch Goldsmiths on UC, and when I heard some time ago that they’d made it on to the current series I was filled with pride, but also not a little trepidation. After all, finally getting onto the show, could I take the guilt if the curse of support from the Clark sofa were to strike them down ? Well, its not something I have any control over, I’m afraid. Enough nonsense. Leeds fielded the youngest of all 24 teams in the competition, in the shape of Lucy Bennett, Peter Hufton, Christian Mannsåker, and captain Lewis Mills. Goldies’ team consisted of Adam Fenton, Julie Tanner, Wes Pauline and skipper Tom Bush.
Leeds struck first. Christian Mannsåker, not for the last time in the contest, buzzed in with Television,and earned a bonus on foreign policy doctrines. Goldies struck right back with Wes Pauline who knew well that the ‘vulcan neck grip’ is nothing other than another name for the command – ctrl – alt – delete. Alas, bonuses on property proved hard to come by. I’ve always found property hard to come by as well. The captain, Tom Bush buzzed in impressively early on the Butterfly Effect for the next starter, and this time thy managed a bonus on English words borrowed from Arabic. The first picture starter showed us the insiginia of a rank in the army . Christian Mannsåker recognised the insignia of a colonel when he saw it, and the team managed another one of the same as a bonus. Wes Pauline knew that it was Ivor Novello who achieved fame with Keep the Home Fires Burning, , but the bonuses were still not flowing as a set on Romulus and Remus showed the team a clean pair of heels. Captain Tom Bush took another starter, on Max Planck, and the team took a bonus on the pollination of flowers. At the ten minute mark things weren’t looking too bad for my guys, who led by 55 to 30. Although ever the pessimist I did wonder if they would come to rue those missed bonuses.
That man Mannsåker immediately cut the deficit with the next starter, knowing that it was Pizza that an Italian king used to slip out of his palace in mufti to enjoy. This brought us a first full set of bonuses on semi autobiographical works of literature. Thus encouraged, Christian Mannsåker was happy to take a second consecutive starter, knowing that Krook in Bleak House spontaneously combusted. Well, if you will insist on wearing a vest every day. 1 bonus was taken. The first starter to be missed by both teams followed, on a quote by Camille Pagila. JP having stressed Goldies’ international reputation in the visual and expressive arts, it was only natural that Adam Fenton should recognize a description of the work of Giacometti, and a bonus on Geography was taken. Skipper Lewis Mills of Leeds took a very good buzz at the next starter, knowing that it was Estonia that joined the Euro zone in 2011. Neither team knew that a Times article had compared Agatha Christie to Enid Blyton. Lucy Bennett took the next, and one bonus on events of the 1990s brought the scores level at 105 apiece at the 20 minute mark. Putting it into perspective, both teams could have made it through at this stage, with a good last few minutes. All the momentum was with Leeds, though. Lewis Mills took another good shout with the Gang of Four. This brought a single bonus on invasive species. Wes Pauline struck back , identifying the second picture starter as a portrait of Queen Mary of Teck. Alas, that curse on the bonuses would not allow the team to correctly identify any more of the same. Peter Hufton knew that JP’s next starter required the answer of a metre, but the bonus drought had now struck Leeds again, and they too failed to answer any on widows. Lewis Mills knew that it is Henry V that begins “O for a muse of fire . . . “ and the set of bonuses that followed were all taken. The skipper, with the finishing line clearly in view, doubled up with the next starter on the 404 error message, and one bonus was taken on railway stations with the word – Junction – in them. Neither team knew the astronomer Kuiper. Christian Mannsåker knew that the Orinoco rhymes with rococo – who used to play rugby for the All Blacks, didn’t he ? I digress. A couple of bonuses were taken on archaeologists. By now Goldies had been shut out for a long period, and Leeds were over the event horizon. Peter Hufton and Lucy Bennett took the last two starters, and in the end Leeds finished with 220, to Goldsmiths’ 115.
Very hard lines, Goldies. No disgrace at all. Sometimes it works like that – and if you don’t know the answers, all you can do is guess. Sometimes guesses come off – sometimes they don’t. Them’s the breaks. Well done for getting on the show, and I hope we’ll see the college back in the near future. Well done to Leeds ! Good luck in round two.
Jeremy Paxman Watch
There were a few fragrant nosegays from the master in this last show of round one. Firstly he was highly amused at Lewis Mills’ attempt to nominate Lucy Bennett to answer an early bonus . “She doesn’t WANT to be nominated !”
Then there was this little innuendo, which could have come straight out of the Two Ronnie’s repertoire – when explaining about the Italian king slipping out to Domino’s , he added “His wife didn’t let him have it – the pizza that is. “ Ooh, matron !
Finally I enjoyed the way he seemed almost personally insulted when Goldies didn’t know that it was Mr. Macgregor who owned the field/garden where Peter Rabbit’s father was killed.
Interesting Fact Of The Week That I Didn’t Already Know
Estonia Joined the Euro Zone in 2011
Its getting late, so it'll be tomorrow before I post about our own Hugh Bennett's first round appearence on Only Connect - something for you all to look forward to.
Sunday, 18 September 2011
CIU Finals
Well, the last act of a very busy week's quizzing has just strutted and fretted out its hour upon the stage. Or to put it another way, today was the CIU Final in Derby.
I have something of a mixed record in this event over the years, having placed 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and on more than one occasion, nowhere. You never set out to a quiz without at least hoping that you can win. Even if you know that there are better teams and better players than you who will be there you always feel that tiny flame of hope that this will be the year when you get that huge rub of the green you'd need to be successful. Mind you, it was a very small flame of hope indeed for us this year, especially since one of our team had to drop out yesterday due to sickness. Get well soon, Rob.
Dave Cornish, question master for the day, and all round good chap, was heard telling someone that he thought that this was a particularly hard quiz this year, and I have to say that I tend to agree with him. Still, many congratulations to the two teams, Radford Road from Coventry and Gosforth Empire from Newcastle, who were head and shoulders above all of the other teams today, and could only be seperated by tie breaker, with Gosforth Empire taking the honours. A special congratulation to LAM reader Mike Foden from Gosforth, a regular reader for several years now.
For the record our friends from Maesglas, Wales and West Champions and last year's winners, after a tricky mid section of the quiz they came back strongly to win the bronze. Us ? Well, we did finish in a position we haven't finished in before, unfortunately 6th rather than 1st.
Oh well, there's always next year. Good day.
I have something of a mixed record in this event over the years, having placed 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and on more than one occasion, nowhere. You never set out to a quiz without at least hoping that you can win. Even if you know that there are better teams and better players than you who will be there you always feel that tiny flame of hope that this will be the year when you get that huge rub of the green you'd need to be successful. Mind you, it was a very small flame of hope indeed for us this year, especially since one of our team had to drop out yesterday due to sickness. Get well soon, Rob.
Dave Cornish, question master for the day, and all round good chap, was heard telling someone that he thought that this was a particularly hard quiz this year, and I have to say that I tend to agree with him. Still, many congratulations to the two teams, Radford Road from Coventry and Gosforth Empire from Newcastle, who were head and shoulders above all of the other teams today, and could only be seperated by tie breaker, with Gosforth Empire taking the honours. A special congratulation to LAM reader Mike Foden from Gosforth, a regular reader for several years now.
For the record our friends from Maesglas, Wales and West Champions and last year's winners, after a tricky mid section of the quiz they came back strongly to win the bronze. Us ? Well, we did finish in a position we haven't finished in before, unfortunately 6th rather than 1st.
Oh well, there's always next year. Good day.
Saturday, 17 September 2011
News Questions - Week up to 17th September
Who or what are the following, and why are they in the news ?
1) 'Ray'
2) Altitude
3) Jed Whinfindale
4) Adam Kleeburger
5) Sheikh Raed Salah
6) Kinde Durkee
7) Kweku Adoboli
8) MS Nordlys
9) Esther Freeborn
10) Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal
11) Grimsville UK
12) Kathryn Roach
13) The Connors family
14) Paul Hopes
15) Sean Duffy
16) Sue Sim
17) James Byrne
18) Tyler Perry
19) Katherine Goldberg
20) Rob Hull
21) Greenacres
22) Oliver Golding
23) The Abril Family
24) Barbara Glen
25) Thomas Grant
26) My Heart
27) David and Judith Tebbut
28) Wayne Barnes
29) Jacolyn Ansell
30) A.N.Wilson
In Other News
1) Who is suing his stepson for conning him out of millions of dollars ?
2) Which musician has been ordered to remove a beach hut from the driveway of his home ?
3) The world’s biggest sperm bank, in Denmark, has stopped accepting donations from which group of people ?
4) Which council has agreed to pay back £1 million in parking fines ?
5) Neil Kinnock’s Daughter in Law is the leader of the Social Democrats in which country ?
6) Which singer attacked Britain’s racial intolerance ?
7) What is James Dyson’s new product ?
8) NASA announced plans to build a new Mars rocket – how much did it say this would cost ?
9) Which song saw Tony Bennett duet with the late Amy Winehouse ?
10) Who became the oldest man ever to score a goal in the champion’s league ?
11) Which venue is hosting the Seve Cup ?
12) Who won the cricket county championship ?
13) Who has been asked to write the Further Tales of Peter Rabbit ?
14) What is the name of the mine near Pontardawe in South Wales where several men tragically lost their lives ?
15) Which judge of Strictly Come Dancing criticized Blackpool ?
16) A law against praying in the streets of which capital city has been passed ?
17) Which two counties have been relegated to the second division of cricket’s county championship ?
18) Which occupation celebrated their 125th anniversary last week ?
19) Who received an honorary OBE for his work for dyslexic children ?
20) How many fewer MPs will there be in the House of Commons once boundaries have been redrawn ?
21) What topped the pole as the healthiest cartoon series of all ?
22) 8 hours of interviews with whom were made public last week ?
23) The Dahl family received criticism for launching an appeal to renovate the late writer’s hut. How much is the appeal for ?
24) Which former French presidential candidate was last week implicated in the bribes from Africa scandal ?
25) What was found in an art gallery in Berlin last week ?
26) Who said “ I am an elephant – not a monster “ ?
27) Which retailer removed ‘misogynistic ‘ T Shirts from sale following public pressure last week ?
28) Which dynasty of British monarchs feature on a set of Royal Mail stamps issued last week ?
29) The Heinz company have been told that they must alter the recipe of what ?
30) How many kicks did Johnny Wilkinson miss in the match against Argentina ?
1) 'Ray'
2) Altitude
3) Jed Whinfindale
4) Adam Kleeburger
5) Sheikh Raed Salah
6) Kinde Durkee
7) Kweku Adoboli
8) MS Nordlys
9) Esther Freeborn
10) Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal
11) Grimsville UK
12) Kathryn Roach
13) The Connors family
14) Paul Hopes
15) Sean Duffy
16) Sue Sim
17) James Byrne
18) Tyler Perry
19) Katherine Goldberg
20) Rob Hull
21) Greenacres
22) Oliver Golding
23) The Abril Family
24) Barbara Glen
25) Thomas Grant
26) My Heart
27) David and Judith Tebbut
28) Wayne Barnes
29) Jacolyn Ansell
30) A.N.Wilson
In Other News
1) Who is suing his stepson for conning him out of millions of dollars ?
2) Which musician has been ordered to remove a beach hut from the driveway of his home ?
3) The world’s biggest sperm bank, in Denmark, has stopped accepting donations from which group of people ?
4) Which council has agreed to pay back £1 million in parking fines ?
5) Neil Kinnock’s Daughter in Law is the leader of the Social Democrats in which country ?
6) Which singer attacked Britain’s racial intolerance ?
7) What is James Dyson’s new product ?
8) NASA announced plans to build a new Mars rocket – how much did it say this would cost ?
9) Which song saw Tony Bennett duet with the late Amy Winehouse ?
10) Who became the oldest man ever to score a goal in the champion’s league ?
11) Which venue is hosting the Seve Cup ?
12) Who won the cricket county championship ?
13) Who has been asked to write the Further Tales of Peter Rabbit ?
14) What is the name of the mine near Pontardawe in South Wales where several men tragically lost their lives ?
15) Which judge of Strictly Come Dancing criticized Blackpool ?
16) A law against praying in the streets of which capital city has been passed ?
17) Which two counties have been relegated to the second division of cricket’s county championship ?
18) Which occupation celebrated their 125th anniversary last week ?
19) Who received an honorary OBE for his work for dyslexic children ?
20) How many fewer MPs will there be in the House of Commons once boundaries have been redrawn ?
21) What topped the pole as the healthiest cartoon series of all ?
22) 8 hours of interviews with whom were made public last week ?
23) The Dahl family received criticism for launching an appeal to renovate the late writer’s hut. How much is the appeal for ?
24) Which former French presidential candidate was last week implicated in the bribes from Africa scandal ?
25) What was found in an art gallery in Berlin last week ?
26) Who said “ I am an elephant – not a monster “ ?
27) Which retailer removed ‘misogynistic ‘ T Shirts from sale following public pressure last week ?
28) Which dynasty of British monarchs feature on a set of Royal Mail stamps issued last week ?
29) The Heinz company have been told that they must alter the recipe of what ?
30) How many kicks did Johnny Wilkinson miss in the match against Argentina ?
Busy Week - Muriel Williams - Get Connected - Vote Bremner !
Right, well, you remember me mentioning that I was playing catch up with my homework for a lot of this week. Or maybe you don’t. Anyway, the fact is that it has been a very busy – and enjoyable week.
On Monday night we had the Muriel Williams’ trophy quiz in Bridgend. This is the traditional curtain raiser to the Bridgend Quiz League season, which is commencing at the beginning of October. A good quiz – we won last year , and thought quite a bit of our chances on Monday, since we had a full team out. In the end we were beaten by the Royal Oak Nomads, who were runners up in the league last year. I would say that this is proof that the league is going to be every bit as tough to win this coming year as it was last season. But I think we knew that anyway. Well done to Steve and the guys from the Nomads – very well played.
----------
On Tuesday night we had one of the highlights of my quizzing year. Last year I was invited to take part in the fund raising quiz for the Get Connected Charity . I would always try to help out a good cause anyway, but the fact is that being a teacher, who works with young people every day of my working life, it’s a charity particularly close to my heart. Get Connected is the national helpline for young people under-25 and has been providing free, confidential help for over 10 years. Last year Jesse Honey , Phil Tufnell and I , among others, were auctioned off at the start of each round , where a team could pay for our help to answer the questions just in that one round. It was a fantastic evening, topped off when Stacey Solomon performed for us all after the quiz.
Well, I didn’t see that the evening would be topped this year. I was wrong. Held once again in Floridita in Wardour Street, the lovely Alex who organized the event pulled out all the stops, and assembled a collection of Brainiacs ( their word, not ours ) consisting of the last 4 Mastermind Winners , 2 Chasers , 1 Egghead , and the skipper of the mighty Crossworders, of Only Connect fame. Or to put it another way, Ian Bayley , Jesse Honey, Nancy Dickmann, me, Mark Labbett, Anne Hegerty , Barry Simmons and David Stainer.
Thankfully there was no swimwear section after the initial acution here
Thankfully there was only one round where I wasn’t bid on, which salvaged my ego a little bit. I don’t know the exact figure, but I believe that the money raised by bids for the brainiacs alone was in excess of £10,000.
Thanking one of the teams whose generosity made the evening such a success
As I said, a great evening. It was lovely catching up with Nancy and Anne again, and Mark is always entertaining company. I didn’t really get a chance to chat much with Ian, David or Jesse. I’ve met Barry before on a couple of occasions, most notably during Are You An egghead, but we had a good old chat this time, during which he was kind enough to endorse the in the news questions on this very blog. We compared notes on quiz books. We both love them, but Barry has a library of them which dwarfs mine. A point I lost no time in informing Mary the minute I got home. Her reply was, if I remember her exact words correctly – “ Shut up you stupid git, and get in bed, its half past three. “
Barry, it was a pleasure talking with you, and I hope that I see you again soon.
A last point about the evening. Our host was Rory Bremner, who was on very good form . You know me by now, I speak as I find. I went up to him and asked if I could have a photograph with him, which he kindly agreed to. Sadly the camera didn’t work, - the pictures on this post all come from the Get Connected site. Still, he made a point of having a chat with me about quizzing, and said that he has been approached for Celebrity mastermind. Rory, go for it ! I found him to be a very nice guy indeed, and so , wary as I am of damning his chances with the curse of the Clark sofa, I respectfully ask any readers who are also devotees of Strictly Come Dancing to please, Vote Bremner !
On Monday night we had the Muriel Williams’ trophy quiz in Bridgend. This is the traditional curtain raiser to the Bridgend Quiz League season, which is commencing at the beginning of October. A good quiz – we won last year , and thought quite a bit of our chances on Monday, since we had a full team out. In the end we were beaten by the Royal Oak Nomads, who were runners up in the league last year. I would say that this is proof that the league is going to be every bit as tough to win this coming year as it was last season. But I think we knew that anyway. Well done to Steve and the guys from the Nomads – very well played.
----------
On Tuesday night we had one of the highlights of my quizzing year. Last year I was invited to take part in the fund raising quiz for the Get Connected Charity . I would always try to help out a good cause anyway, but the fact is that being a teacher, who works with young people every day of my working life, it’s a charity particularly close to my heart. Get Connected is the national helpline for young people under-25 and has been providing free, confidential help for over 10 years. Last year Jesse Honey , Phil Tufnell and I , among others, were auctioned off at the start of each round , where a team could pay for our help to answer the questions just in that one round. It was a fantastic evening, topped off when Stacey Solomon performed for us all after the quiz.
Well, I didn’t see that the evening would be topped this year. I was wrong. Held once again in Floridita in Wardour Street, the lovely Alex who organized the event pulled out all the stops, and assembled a collection of Brainiacs ( their word, not ours ) consisting of the last 4 Mastermind Winners , 2 Chasers , 1 Egghead , and the skipper of the mighty Crossworders, of Only Connect fame. Or to put it another way, Ian Bayley , Jesse Honey, Nancy Dickmann, me, Mark Labbett, Anne Hegerty , Barry Simmons and David Stainer.
Thankfully there was no swimwear section after the initial acution here
Thankfully there was only one round where I wasn’t bid on, which salvaged my ego a little bit. I don’t know the exact figure, but I believe that the money raised by bids for the brainiacs alone was in excess of £10,000.
Thanking one of the teams whose generosity made the evening such a success
As I said, a great evening. It was lovely catching up with Nancy and Anne again, and Mark is always entertaining company. I didn’t really get a chance to chat much with Ian, David or Jesse. I’ve met Barry before on a couple of occasions, most notably during Are You An egghead, but we had a good old chat this time, during which he was kind enough to endorse the in the news questions on this very blog. We compared notes on quiz books. We both love them, but Barry has a library of them which dwarfs mine. A point I lost no time in informing Mary the minute I got home. Her reply was, if I remember her exact words correctly – “ Shut up you stupid git, and get in bed, its half past three. “
Barry, it was a pleasure talking with you, and I hope that I see you again soon.
A last point about the evening. Our host was Rory Bremner, who was on very good form . You know me by now, I speak as I find. I went up to him and asked if I could have a photograph with him, which he kindly agreed to. Sadly the camera didn’t work, - the pictures on this post all come from the Get Connected site. Still, he made a point of having a chat with me about quizzing, and said that he has been approached for Celebrity mastermind. Rory, go for it ! I found him to be a very nice guy indeed, and so , wary as I am of damning his chances with the curse of the Clark sofa, I respectfully ask any readers who are also devotees of Strictly Come Dancing to please, Vote Bremner !
Answers to News Questions
Yes, here they are, the news question answers. I'm far too vain to pass up the chance of mentioning that the news questions on LAM are personally recommended by no lesser light in the quiz world than Barry Simmons of Eggheads. More about that later. Meanwhile,
Who or what are the following, and why are they in the news ?
1) Nathan Hageman
2) Harbour
3) Kirani James
4) Murdo Fraser
5) Kevin Bloom
6) Sophie Tyler
7) Aaron and Abbie
8) Ned Kelly
9) Katie McNeil
10) Darren Flood
11) Katia
12) Cliff’s Law
13) Mohamed Ibrahim
14) Flavia Panetta
15) Hannah England
16) Ortis Deeley
17) Rebecca Leighton
18) Julie Krone
19) Cecil Coley
20) George Kiejman
21) Abdel Hakim Belhaj
22) Margaret Moran
23) Talas
24) David Bathurst
25) Tiffany Porter
26) Carol Klein
27) Simon Negus
28) Dr. Ruth Coppard
29) Lillian Bettencourt
30) Maria Chappini
31) Candida Albicans
32) Aaron Ramsey
33) Peter Twiss
34) Georgie Thompson
35) Egypt
36) Munir Farooki
37) Blackwater
38) Chris Fox
39) Craig Williams
40) Jenny Bessant
41) Andrew Lindo
42) Lynette Freeth
43) Judit Nagy
44) VITOL
45) Colin Adlard
46) Robert Ormesher
47) Patrick Digby
48) Clare and Paul Baker
49) Gina Rinehart
50) Lindsay Doyle
51) Alberto Colto
52) Danny Roberts
53) Robin Haase
Answers
Who or what ?
1) The controversial winner of Red and Black, who had served a jail sentence
2) Joined the Guinness book for the longest ears of any dog
3) Athlete from Grenada who won the men’s 400m at the world championships
4) Candidate for leadership of Scottish conservatives who wants to scrap them if he becomes leader, and form a new party
5) Dutch referee who awarded a controversial penalty to Czech Republic v. Scotland
6) Teenager from Risca paralysed when an epidural was left in too long
7) The 2 names which teachers find most difficulty spelling correctly
8) Famous outlaw whose remains were identified in Melbourne
9) New fiancée of Neil Diamond
10) Brother in Law of Victoria Beckham, allegedly sacked for not using his connection with them
11) Hurricane, the tail of which was due to hit UK
12) It extends music copyright to 70 years from 50 years
13) Teacher from Brent who has become the deputy PM of Somalia
14) Player who beat Maria Sharapova in the US Open
15) Won silver in women’s 1500m in Daegu
16) Dropped as anchorman on Channel 4’s coverage of the world athletics championships after a series of alleged gaffes
17) Nurse freed from jail after case over saline drips in Steepings Hill hospital was dropped
18) Most successful female jockey of all time, who had a win at the St. Leger meeting
19) Pensioner arrested over death of a man carrying out burglary at his shop – will not be charged
20) Lawyer for Jacques Chirac
21) CIA rendered him to Libya after information was provided to them by MI6
22) Last MP to face criminal charges over expenses
23) Latest typhoon to hit Japan
24) He fell unconscious while trying to break the world record for reading out loud
25) The American, so-called ‘Plastic Brit , who came fourth in the women’s 100m hurdles in Daegu
26) The host of Gardener’s World who has been forced to close her nursery
27) Former chief of Microsoft UK in the High Court on sexual assault charges
28) Radio 4 psychologist accused of abusing patient trust
29) A French judge claims that she gave money to Nicolas Sarkozy
30) She was arrested for breaking up a village cricket match when balls kept being hit into her garden
31) A new drug resistant fungus invading hospitals
32) Captained Wales in their narrow defeat to England in football
33) The first man to break 1,000 mph, who passed away last week
34) Sky TV presenter banned for driving over the limit
35) He is a Newfoundland dog who is the first animal to get a busking license – in Doncaster
36) Jailed for life for running a terrorist ring in the north of England
37) Security firm accused of shooting 200 people in Iraq
38) Lib Dem chief executive who has announced he will stand down
39) HE drove his Vauxhall Frontera to the top of Snowdon
40) She has been banned from her local, the Nutley Arms, for life for asking for a diet lemonade
41) Teacher who killed his partner and hid her body in a suitcase
42) Nurse struck off for threatening to stab a patient
43) She was killed when her G-WIZ electric car imploded in a crash
44) Company associated with Alan Duncan MP, which faces questions over oil deals with Libyan Rebels.
45) He killed his wife, allegedly over a row about mashed potato
46) A punch and Judy man who has been accused of hitting a 12 year old autistic girl at a party
47) He was named as the 1959 Notting Hill race killer in a new book.
48) The couple who have been banned from fostering a child because he admitted having smoked cigars
49) Australia’s richest woman currently being sued by her daughter
50) BBC Midlands presenter given drink driving ban
51) He set a new world record for mental calculation
52) An escaped prisoner who went to a police station to hand himself in, to be told that the police were too busy to arrest him.
53) Player who took Andy Murray to five sets in 2nd round of the US Open
In other News
1) Where is the Walker Cup being played ?
2) Which soup has been banned in California ?
3) How long in miles is David Walliams’ attemped swim along the River Thames ?
4) Where did Brazil beat Ghana in a friendly ?
5) Which unfinishable job will finish on October 9th ?
6) Wines from which country have just gone on sale in Waitrose ?
7) A performance by which orchestra caused demos in London ?
8) Which town will be taking over repatriation from Wooton Bassett ?
9) Who won the Mercury Music prize, with which album ?
10) Which tobacco company is trying to use Freedom of Information legislation to gain access to research from Stirling University into teens’ smoking habits ?
11) Which has been voted the ugliest new building in Britain over the last 12 months ?
12) Who was conducting the BBC Radio interview which Oscar Pistorius stormed out of ?
13) Which brand of cider has been recalled because of exploding bottles ?
14) Who was criticized for lowering the tone by using the word “w*nkers” during his speech at the GQ Men of The Year awards ?
15) Who won a record breaking 6th title at Burghley ?
16) Who will face whom in the Clydesdale Bank 40 over competition ?
17) Where was the world’s biggest ever crocodile caught ?
18) Who has made the Booker Prize shortlist for the 4th time ?
19) What are McDonalds now putting onto all of their menus ?
20) What is the title of Alastair Darling’s autobiography ?
21) What have Waterstones ended ?
22) Who called Italy ‘a Sh*t country ‘ ?
23) What is now Britain’s favourite fish ?
24) Which country won the Copa America ?
25) Whose diary will be auctioned at Christie’s ?
26) What distinction is claimed by Burton Road in Eastborne ?
27) Which chocolates did the makers now admit contain fewer sweets per box than previously ?
28) Records were retrieved from which notorious prison in Tripoli ?
29) Who is the manager of the Bulgarian football team, beaten by England in a qualifier ?
30) Which actor ruled himself out of ever standing for US president ?
31) Owen Hargreaves signed a one year deal with which club ?
32) Who scored England’s only goal against Wales ?
33) What species of whale was trapped in Immingham Docks near Grimsby ?
34) Who wrote and directed the much derided film W.E. about Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII ?
35) Which country launched its first ever luxury cruise ?
36) Why did the Royal Mail reuse to deliver CDs of a reading of the Gospel of St. Mark to churches in Jersey ?
37) Why was Timothy Spall reused entry to a Thames River festival with his barge ?
38) Who is the coach of Japan in the Rugby World Cup ?
39) Which is the first county to ban second home owners from voting in local elections ?
40) Who was it revealed stood as godfather to one of Rupert Murdoch’s daughters ?
41) What are the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham giving to patients to distract them ?
42) Which club has signed Joe Cole ?
43) Prom goers have been annoyed by the removal of what from the Albert Hall ?
44) In which event did Oscar Pistorius win a world athletics championship medal ?
45) Who warned that nurses with poor English put patients at risk ?
46) Jailed rioters have swelled the prison population in Britain to a new high – at what figure ?
47) Old Boys have protested about the scrapping of what at Abingdon school ?
48) David Cameron wants which establishment to fund a free school ?
49) Whose work will be exhibited in the Bigger Picture exhibition ?
50) A set of royal mail stamps is to celebrate 100 years of what ?
Answers
1) Royal Aberdeen Golf Course
2) Shark fin soup
3) 140 miles
4) Craven Cottage
5) Painting the Forth Bridge
6) India
7) Israel Philharmonic
8) Carterton in Oxfordshire, nr. RAF Brize Norton
9) P.J. Harvey – Let England Shake
10) Phillip Morris
11) BBC Media City at Salford Quays
12) Rob Bonnett
13) Stella Artois Cidre
14) George Osborne
15) William Fox-Pitt
16) Surrey ( bt Sussex ) Somerset ( bt Durham )
17) Philippines
18) Julain Barnes ( for the Sense of An Ending )
19) Calorie Count
20) Back from the Brink
21) 3 for 2 deals
22) Silvio Berlusconi
23) Salmon
24) Uruguay
25) Captain RF Scott
26) Britain’s sunniest street
27) Roses and Heroes
28) Abu Salim
29) Lothar Matthaus
30) George Clooney
31) Owen Hargreaves
32) Ashley Young
33) Minke Whale
34) Madonna
35) North Korea
36) It was deemed to be offensive material
37) His wife listed their barge as an 800ft battleship
38) John Kirwan
39) Cornwall
40) Tony Blair
41) Ipads
42) Lille
43) A fountain
44) Men’s 4x400m relay
45) Lord Winston
46) 86,842
47) Saturday Lessons
48) Eton
49) David Hockney
50) Air Mail
Who or what are the following, and why are they in the news ?
1) Nathan Hageman
2) Harbour
3) Kirani James
4) Murdo Fraser
5) Kevin Bloom
6) Sophie Tyler
7) Aaron and Abbie
8) Ned Kelly
9) Katie McNeil
10) Darren Flood
11) Katia
12) Cliff’s Law
13) Mohamed Ibrahim
14) Flavia Panetta
15) Hannah England
16) Ortis Deeley
17) Rebecca Leighton
18) Julie Krone
19) Cecil Coley
20) George Kiejman
21) Abdel Hakim Belhaj
22) Margaret Moran
23) Talas
24) David Bathurst
25) Tiffany Porter
26) Carol Klein
27) Simon Negus
28) Dr. Ruth Coppard
29) Lillian Bettencourt
30) Maria Chappini
31) Candida Albicans
32) Aaron Ramsey
33) Peter Twiss
34) Georgie Thompson
35) Egypt
36) Munir Farooki
37) Blackwater
38) Chris Fox
39) Craig Williams
40) Jenny Bessant
41) Andrew Lindo
42) Lynette Freeth
43) Judit Nagy
44) VITOL
45) Colin Adlard
46) Robert Ormesher
47) Patrick Digby
48) Clare and Paul Baker
49) Gina Rinehart
50) Lindsay Doyle
51) Alberto Colto
52) Danny Roberts
53) Robin Haase
Answers
Who or what ?
1) The controversial winner of Red and Black, who had served a jail sentence
2) Joined the Guinness book for the longest ears of any dog
3) Athlete from Grenada who won the men’s 400m at the world championships
4) Candidate for leadership of Scottish conservatives who wants to scrap them if he becomes leader, and form a new party
5) Dutch referee who awarded a controversial penalty to Czech Republic v. Scotland
6) Teenager from Risca paralysed when an epidural was left in too long
7) The 2 names which teachers find most difficulty spelling correctly
8) Famous outlaw whose remains were identified in Melbourne
9) New fiancée of Neil Diamond
10) Brother in Law of Victoria Beckham, allegedly sacked for not using his connection with them
11) Hurricane, the tail of which was due to hit UK
12) It extends music copyright to 70 years from 50 years
13) Teacher from Brent who has become the deputy PM of Somalia
14) Player who beat Maria Sharapova in the US Open
15) Won silver in women’s 1500m in Daegu
16) Dropped as anchorman on Channel 4’s coverage of the world athletics championships after a series of alleged gaffes
17) Nurse freed from jail after case over saline drips in Steepings Hill hospital was dropped
18) Most successful female jockey of all time, who had a win at the St. Leger meeting
19) Pensioner arrested over death of a man carrying out burglary at his shop – will not be charged
20) Lawyer for Jacques Chirac
21) CIA rendered him to Libya after information was provided to them by MI6
22) Last MP to face criminal charges over expenses
23) Latest typhoon to hit Japan
24) He fell unconscious while trying to break the world record for reading out loud
25) The American, so-called ‘Plastic Brit , who came fourth in the women’s 100m hurdles in Daegu
26) The host of Gardener’s World who has been forced to close her nursery
27) Former chief of Microsoft UK in the High Court on sexual assault charges
28) Radio 4 psychologist accused of abusing patient trust
29) A French judge claims that she gave money to Nicolas Sarkozy
30) She was arrested for breaking up a village cricket match when balls kept being hit into her garden
31) A new drug resistant fungus invading hospitals
32) Captained Wales in their narrow defeat to England in football
33) The first man to break 1,000 mph, who passed away last week
34) Sky TV presenter banned for driving over the limit
35) He is a Newfoundland dog who is the first animal to get a busking license – in Doncaster
36) Jailed for life for running a terrorist ring in the north of England
37) Security firm accused of shooting 200 people in Iraq
38) Lib Dem chief executive who has announced he will stand down
39) HE drove his Vauxhall Frontera to the top of Snowdon
40) She has been banned from her local, the Nutley Arms, for life for asking for a diet lemonade
41) Teacher who killed his partner and hid her body in a suitcase
42) Nurse struck off for threatening to stab a patient
43) She was killed when her G-WIZ electric car imploded in a crash
44) Company associated with Alan Duncan MP, which faces questions over oil deals with Libyan Rebels.
45) He killed his wife, allegedly over a row about mashed potato
46) A punch and Judy man who has been accused of hitting a 12 year old autistic girl at a party
47) He was named as the 1959 Notting Hill race killer in a new book.
48) The couple who have been banned from fostering a child because he admitted having smoked cigars
49) Australia’s richest woman currently being sued by her daughter
50) BBC Midlands presenter given drink driving ban
51) He set a new world record for mental calculation
52) An escaped prisoner who went to a police station to hand himself in, to be told that the police were too busy to arrest him.
53) Player who took Andy Murray to five sets in 2nd round of the US Open
In other News
1) Where is the Walker Cup being played ?
2) Which soup has been banned in California ?
3) How long in miles is David Walliams’ attemped swim along the River Thames ?
4) Where did Brazil beat Ghana in a friendly ?
5) Which unfinishable job will finish on October 9th ?
6) Wines from which country have just gone on sale in Waitrose ?
7) A performance by which orchestra caused demos in London ?
8) Which town will be taking over repatriation from Wooton Bassett ?
9) Who won the Mercury Music prize, with which album ?
10) Which tobacco company is trying to use Freedom of Information legislation to gain access to research from Stirling University into teens’ smoking habits ?
11) Which has been voted the ugliest new building in Britain over the last 12 months ?
12) Who was conducting the BBC Radio interview which Oscar Pistorius stormed out of ?
13) Which brand of cider has been recalled because of exploding bottles ?
14) Who was criticized for lowering the tone by using the word “w*nkers” during his speech at the GQ Men of The Year awards ?
15) Who won a record breaking 6th title at Burghley ?
16) Who will face whom in the Clydesdale Bank 40 over competition ?
17) Where was the world’s biggest ever crocodile caught ?
18) Who has made the Booker Prize shortlist for the 4th time ?
19) What are McDonalds now putting onto all of their menus ?
20) What is the title of Alastair Darling’s autobiography ?
21) What have Waterstones ended ?
22) Who called Italy ‘a Sh*t country ‘ ?
23) What is now Britain’s favourite fish ?
24) Which country won the Copa America ?
25) Whose diary will be auctioned at Christie’s ?
26) What distinction is claimed by Burton Road in Eastborne ?
27) Which chocolates did the makers now admit contain fewer sweets per box than previously ?
28) Records were retrieved from which notorious prison in Tripoli ?
29) Who is the manager of the Bulgarian football team, beaten by England in a qualifier ?
30) Which actor ruled himself out of ever standing for US president ?
31) Owen Hargreaves signed a one year deal with which club ?
32) Who scored England’s only goal against Wales ?
33) What species of whale was trapped in Immingham Docks near Grimsby ?
34) Who wrote and directed the much derided film W.E. about Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII ?
35) Which country launched its first ever luxury cruise ?
36) Why did the Royal Mail reuse to deliver CDs of a reading of the Gospel of St. Mark to churches in Jersey ?
37) Why was Timothy Spall reused entry to a Thames River festival with his barge ?
38) Who is the coach of Japan in the Rugby World Cup ?
39) Which is the first county to ban second home owners from voting in local elections ?
40) Who was it revealed stood as godfather to one of Rupert Murdoch’s daughters ?
41) What are the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham giving to patients to distract them ?
42) Which club has signed Joe Cole ?
43) Prom goers have been annoyed by the removal of what from the Albert Hall ?
44) In which event did Oscar Pistorius win a world athletics championship medal ?
45) Who warned that nurses with poor English put patients at risk ?
46) Jailed rioters have swelled the prison population in Britain to a new high – at what figure ?
47) Old Boys have protested about the scrapping of what at Abingdon school ?
48) David Cameron wants which establishment to fund a free school ?
49) Whose work will be exhibited in the Bigger Picture exhibition ?
50) A set of royal mail stamps is to celebrate 100 years of what ?
Answers
1) Royal Aberdeen Golf Course
2) Shark fin soup
3) 140 miles
4) Craven Cottage
5) Painting the Forth Bridge
6) India
7) Israel Philharmonic
8) Carterton in Oxfordshire, nr. RAF Brize Norton
9) P.J. Harvey – Let England Shake
10) Phillip Morris
11) BBC Media City at Salford Quays
12) Rob Bonnett
13) Stella Artois Cidre
14) George Osborne
15) William Fox-Pitt
16) Surrey ( bt Sussex ) Somerset ( bt Durham )
17) Philippines
18) Julain Barnes ( for the Sense of An Ending )
19) Calorie Count
20) Back from the Brink
21) 3 for 2 deals
22) Silvio Berlusconi
23) Salmon
24) Uruguay
25) Captain RF Scott
26) Britain’s sunniest street
27) Roses and Heroes
28) Abu Salim
29) Lothar Matthaus
30) George Clooney
31) Owen Hargreaves
32) Ashley Young
33) Minke Whale
34) Madonna
35) North Korea
36) It was deemed to be offensive material
37) His wife listed their barge as an 800ft battleship
38) John Kirwan
39) Cornwall
40) Tony Blair
41) Ipads
42) Lille
43) A fountain
44) Men’s 4x400m relay
45) Lord Winston
46) 86,842
47) Saturday Lessons
48) Eton
49) David Hockney
50) Air Mail
Only Connect - Round One - Match 5
The Fantasy Footballers v. The Antiquarians
Well, if we were waiting for a noticeably weaker team to turn up on OC this season, we went away unsatisfied again on Monday night. In all other respects though this was a great contest, between the Fantasy Footballers, hereafter referred to as the Fants, and the Antiquarians, hereafter referred to as the Ants. The Fants consisted of Heidi Shaw, James Bedworth and captain Jonathan Shaw, while the Ants were Simon Belcher, Debbie Challis and Will Howells.
Round One – What’s the Connection ?
The Ants kicked off with The Eye of Horus, and scored their only real own goal of the whole show. Given Bob Hope Impersonator, Physician to inject Vitamin B12, 20 white kittens, and the real giveaway , M&Ms ( no brown ones ) they couldn’t see a connection. The Fants knew that these were famous and less famous celebrity riders. They then opted for Twisted Flax, finding On the Harmful Effects of Tobacco – Shirley Valentine – Krapp’s Last Tape and Tell Me On A Sunday. We don’t often see a team allowing the clock to run down without having a wild guess, but that’s what the Fants did. The Ants knew that these were all one person stage shows. The Ants, now warming to their task, found behind Lion – Achievement through great effort – Gentle way – Empty Hand. I think it was dawning on them with gentle way, but empty hand confirmed that we were dealing with English translations of the names of martial arts. The Fants took water, not literally, mind, and were given the music clues. Three were enough to give them the connection of prayer. Horned Viper gave the Ants Anarchy – Dry clean petroleum solvent – and these two were enough to give them symbols with a circle containing a letter. Lovely set that, and a good shout. Left with two reeds the Fants found pictures of a fish, a pair of dice, and the head of Fabien Barthez. All things you might kiss for luck, as they well knew. So after a bright and brisk first round, the Ants had a slight lead of 6 points to 5.
Round Two – What comes Fourth ?
Its not that often that we see every round two questions correctly answered by one or other of the teams, but it happened in this show. The Ants took Eye of Horus, and given Chuck, Ribs and Loins worked out that the next cut of the beast would be rump. The Fants had a lovely set with Surrey – Tuk Tuk – Segway, and knowing that we had 4 wheels, 3 wheels, and 2 wheeled vehicles, then the last should be unicycle. Lion revealed Laetare – Passion and Palm for the Ants, and they supplied Easter. Given the picture set behind Twisted flax, the Fants saw 4 strawberries, 3 plums and two pears. Working on a fruit machine theme they offered 1 bar. Given a try, the Ants answered 1 apple correctly also working on the same theme. It was an apple, but these were all things eaten in sequence by the Very Hungry Caterpillar. Mind you, the Fants were able to claim back the bonus, when the Ants were given Carson – Leno – O’Brien. They knew it was talk show hosts, but really didn’t know who took over the Tonight show from Conan O’Brien. The Fants knew that it was Jay Leno again. Finally The Fants couldn’t unravel 120 – 24 – 6. The Ants , though, knew that these were Factorials. Over which I will draw a dignified, and dare I say it, an ignorant silence, and observe that this had extended the Ants lead to 12 over 8.
Round Three - The Connecting Walls
The Fants kicked off with a wall which they managed to completely unravel before the time was up. They knew that America – Tonight – Cool – Maria were all songs from West Side Story. After a wee smidgen of a prompt from Victoria they correctly answered that Korea – Dakota – Shields and Atlantic can all be both North and South. They were pretty close on Mctwist – Shifty – Wildcat and Fakie Ollie . I thought that these were all rejected nicknames for the Spice Girls, but no, they were snowboarding terms. Finally they knw that a tomahawk – chopper – adze and ono were all types of axe. 7 points well earned.
So although they didn’t know it, the Ants’ lead was under some pressure. They too solved the wall before the end of the time. They knew that Corden – Horne – Steadman and Lamb are all actors in the regular cast of Gavin and Stacey. The second line – Finishing – Dance – Grammar and Sunday they knew were all schools. Corner – Page – Profit and Deaf Ear were all things that you might turn. Finally they worked out that Rape – Lathe – Hundred and Riding are all subdivisions of counties. A maximum score, which meant that they went into the missing vowels with a healthy lead of 22 to 15.
Round Four – The Missing Vowels
The Fants began like an express, taking the first three of Cities which were purpose built as capitals. They stumbled with the last – Abuja – giving away a hard earned point, and letting the Ants in to add one to their total. The Ants seized on this to build a buffer by taking three on legumes, with only one falling to the Fants. A herculean effort followed from the Fants, as they took the next six points , with a shut out on tallest birds on continents, and 2 points to nothing on footballers wives. In the end the effort fell a little short, but it made for a close finish, as the Ants won by 27 to 24.
Another good show, and another very handy looking team through to the quarters.
Well, if we were waiting for a noticeably weaker team to turn up on OC this season, we went away unsatisfied again on Monday night. In all other respects though this was a great contest, between the Fantasy Footballers, hereafter referred to as the Fants, and the Antiquarians, hereafter referred to as the Ants. The Fants consisted of Heidi Shaw, James Bedworth and captain Jonathan Shaw, while the Ants were Simon Belcher, Debbie Challis and Will Howells.
Round One – What’s the Connection ?
The Ants kicked off with The Eye of Horus, and scored their only real own goal of the whole show. Given Bob Hope Impersonator, Physician to inject Vitamin B12, 20 white kittens, and the real giveaway , M&Ms ( no brown ones ) they couldn’t see a connection. The Fants knew that these were famous and less famous celebrity riders. They then opted for Twisted Flax, finding On the Harmful Effects of Tobacco – Shirley Valentine – Krapp’s Last Tape and Tell Me On A Sunday. We don’t often see a team allowing the clock to run down without having a wild guess, but that’s what the Fants did. The Ants knew that these were all one person stage shows. The Ants, now warming to their task, found behind Lion – Achievement through great effort – Gentle way – Empty Hand. I think it was dawning on them with gentle way, but empty hand confirmed that we were dealing with English translations of the names of martial arts. The Fants took water, not literally, mind, and were given the music clues. Three were enough to give them the connection of prayer. Horned Viper gave the Ants Anarchy – Dry clean petroleum solvent – and these two were enough to give them symbols with a circle containing a letter. Lovely set that, and a good shout. Left with two reeds the Fants found pictures of a fish, a pair of dice, and the head of Fabien Barthez. All things you might kiss for luck, as they well knew. So after a bright and brisk first round, the Ants had a slight lead of 6 points to 5.
Round Two – What comes Fourth ?
Its not that often that we see every round two questions correctly answered by one or other of the teams, but it happened in this show. The Ants took Eye of Horus, and given Chuck, Ribs and Loins worked out that the next cut of the beast would be rump. The Fants had a lovely set with Surrey – Tuk Tuk – Segway, and knowing that we had 4 wheels, 3 wheels, and 2 wheeled vehicles, then the last should be unicycle. Lion revealed Laetare – Passion and Palm for the Ants, and they supplied Easter. Given the picture set behind Twisted flax, the Fants saw 4 strawberries, 3 plums and two pears. Working on a fruit machine theme they offered 1 bar. Given a try, the Ants answered 1 apple correctly also working on the same theme. It was an apple, but these were all things eaten in sequence by the Very Hungry Caterpillar. Mind you, the Fants were able to claim back the bonus, when the Ants were given Carson – Leno – O’Brien. They knew it was talk show hosts, but really didn’t know who took over the Tonight show from Conan O’Brien. The Fants knew that it was Jay Leno again. Finally The Fants couldn’t unravel 120 – 24 – 6. The Ants , though, knew that these were Factorials. Over which I will draw a dignified, and dare I say it, an ignorant silence, and observe that this had extended the Ants lead to 12 over 8.
Round Three - The Connecting Walls
The Fants kicked off with a wall which they managed to completely unravel before the time was up. They knew that America – Tonight – Cool – Maria were all songs from West Side Story. After a wee smidgen of a prompt from Victoria they correctly answered that Korea – Dakota – Shields and Atlantic can all be both North and South. They were pretty close on Mctwist – Shifty – Wildcat and Fakie Ollie . I thought that these were all rejected nicknames for the Spice Girls, but no, they were snowboarding terms. Finally they knw that a tomahawk – chopper – adze and ono were all types of axe. 7 points well earned.
So although they didn’t know it, the Ants’ lead was under some pressure. They too solved the wall before the end of the time. They knew that Corden – Horne – Steadman and Lamb are all actors in the regular cast of Gavin and Stacey. The second line – Finishing – Dance – Grammar and Sunday they knew were all schools. Corner – Page – Profit and Deaf Ear were all things that you might turn. Finally they worked out that Rape – Lathe – Hundred and Riding are all subdivisions of counties. A maximum score, which meant that they went into the missing vowels with a healthy lead of 22 to 15.
Round Four – The Missing Vowels
The Fants began like an express, taking the first three of Cities which were purpose built as capitals. They stumbled with the last – Abuja – giving away a hard earned point, and letting the Ants in to add one to their total. The Ants seized on this to build a buffer by taking three on legumes, with only one falling to the Fants. A herculean effort followed from the Fants, as they took the next six points , with a shut out on tallest birds on continents, and 2 points to nothing on footballers wives. In the end the effort fell a little short, but it made for a close finish, as the Ants won by 27 to 24.
Another good show, and another very handy looking team through to the quarters.
University Challenge - Round One - Match 11
King's,Cambridge v. Queen's, Oxford
I don’t blame you if you’re feeling neglected, honestly I don’t. I really can’t say that much in my defense, other than it has been a very busy week, of which more later, and I had to choose between catching up on planning and marking, or putting the blog first. I know, even I get it wrong sometimes. Still, here we are again, and let me at least try to start making amends.
On with the show then. The producers put together an interestingly symmetrical show on Monday. On one side, King’s Cambridge , and on the other Queen’s Oxford. King’s were represented by Andrew Tindall, Bryoney Bates, Phil Davies and captain Joshua Newton. Queen’s ( and J.P. made a point of reminding us that properly speaking it should be The Queen’s ) team consisted of Peter Sloman, James Kane, Layla Hill, and their skipper, Matthew White.
The first question asked for a linking phrase, and it was first Lady, as James Kane well knew. The first set of bonuses on sporting venues were all gladly accepted. Not to be outdone King’s got off the mark themselves with the next starter, as Phil Davies answered that the word atmosphere was originally erroneously applied to the moon. One bonus was taken on National Nature reserves. Peter Sloman gratefully supplied us with the title “The Wisdom of Crowds to give Queen’s their second starter, and this brought up a tricky set on locations in novels of the 20th century. I had the first, but that was it for me. Layla Hill leapt in to provide us with the S.I. Unit the Becquerel. Already 3 members of the Queen’s team had correctly answered a starter, and skipper White wouldn’t be too long in joining them For now, though the team took a bonus on Medicine. This brought up the picture starter, and the captain of Queen’s buzzed in first to identify the volcano shown on a map as Mount St. Helens. More of the same followed as bonuses, and Queen’s took 2 of them. Matthew White was on a roll, and took the next starter on a quotation relating to the potato. A full set of bonuses followed on American Universities. Byrony Bates struck back for King’s with the writer Montaigne, and a good full set on JM Keynes reduced arrears so that the score at the 10 minute mark was 100 to Queen’s , to 40 for King’s.
This gap was further reduced when Bryony Bates answered a UC special for the next starter, recognizing that hermaphrodite comes from the deities Hermes and Aphrodite. 2 bonuses were managed on pairs of similar sounding ancient greek names – eg, Hero and Hera. Nobody fancied the next starter on Biology, but James Kane knew that James Scott was connected with the welsh town of Monmouth, being the famous duke thereof. A full set was taken on linear algebra. I don’t know what the bonus conversion rate was for this show, but I bet it was quite high. A great question on Shelley’s poem Ozymandias was answered by Phil Davies for the next starter. Again, a full set of bonuses was taken, with words containing all 5 vowels. The music starter saw the teams asked to identify who was singing Ave Maria. Matthew White offered Pavarotti, correctly. However the team were unable to identify any of the other three singers of versions of the song which we heard. A good starter followed for James Kane, who knew that the word Oriental is part of the full name of Uruguay. Queen’s were on a roll now, as Layla Hill took the next starter on the term degenerate as it applies in quantum physics. No, I don’t either. The next starter, on the musical term scordatura stumped both teams, but Peter Sloman knew that Lord Liverpool’s ministry lasted through from 1812 for the next few years. 2 bonuses on dates in novels gave Queen’s a healthy, and frankly , winning lead of 195 to 80.
The question of the week followed. The teams were shown a kiwi fruit, and then invited to spell out the four letters of its name using the names of the elements which the letters symbolize – K = potassium etc. Sounds complicated ? It is, but Layla Hill took it, and then working feverishly as a team Queen’s took 3 more of the same. Not 4 letter ones either ! Watercress and cauliflower were in there too ! I think that this took too much out of them , mind you, since neither team could answer either of the next two starters. Layla Hill, who missed nothing on Science all night, or so it seemed to me, knew all about how many of a male’s descendants would inherit his Y chromosome – or something like that. 2 more starters went begging. The second of these was a really good question, asking about which three countries have the longest borders with EU countries. Norway and Russia came to me, but amazingly Switzerland didn’t. Anyway, back to the show. Queen’s took another science starter, and amazed JP by getting two out of three bonuses on knitting right. Phil Davies managed a final flourish for King’s , knowing that BV in Dutch is the equivalent of e.g. in English. 2 bonuses followed on genetic engineering. Peter Sloman knew that the thing that Nils Bohr says is terrible difficult to predict Is the future. Time enough for 2 bonuses on codes, but that was it. Queen’s won by 280 to 95.
I take slight issue with JP on his comment that King’s had no chance to show us what they could do. They were comprehensively beaten on the buzzer, yes, but you could see enough to see that their modest score is surely not an accurate reflection of their ability. It happens. Certainly no need to take what JP called ‘the slow bus of shame back to the campus”.
As for Queen’s – well at one stage they looked very good for a 300 plus score. Even though they didn’t quite manage that, I thought that they were very good value for their win. They have a team – as I was watching I had the distinct feeling that this is a quiz team, who function as a team and not just 4 talented individuals. There’s a lovely balance in this team. I’m not going to scupper their chances by making any predictions right now, but I think that Queen’s could go far this year.
Jeremy Paxman Watch
JP is a Cambridge man himself, so it was nice to see him enjoying a bit of a rapport with the Oxford side, Queen’s, especially over the fruit n’ elements questions. His high pitched “Well done !” when Layla Hill answered the kiwi fruit question was genuine.
When Matthew White offered Pavarotti, JP replied “ If that was a guess it was a good one. “ Well, any guess that is right is a good one. But its also a percentage answer. Even now, several years after he passed away, Pavarotti is still a good cold answer to an opera question when you haven’t got a Scooby.
Interesting Fact Of The Week That I Didn’t Already Know
Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote ‘Ozymandias’ in competition with his fellow poet Horace Scott. JP only recited the first part of Scott’s own poem . It wasn’t McGonagall, but it would never have made the top 40.
I don’t blame you if you’re feeling neglected, honestly I don’t. I really can’t say that much in my defense, other than it has been a very busy week, of which more later, and I had to choose between catching up on planning and marking, or putting the blog first. I know, even I get it wrong sometimes. Still, here we are again, and let me at least try to start making amends.
On with the show then. The producers put together an interestingly symmetrical show on Monday. On one side, King’s Cambridge , and on the other Queen’s Oxford. King’s were represented by Andrew Tindall, Bryoney Bates, Phil Davies and captain Joshua Newton. Queen’s ( and J.P. made a point of reminding us that properly speaking it should be The Queen’s ) team consisted of Peter Sloman, James Kane, Layla Hill, and their skipper, Matthew White.
The first question asked for a linking phrase, and it was first Lady, as James Kane well knew. The first set of bonuses on sporting venues were all gladly accepted. Not to be outdone King’s got off the mark themselves with the next starter, as Phil Davies answered that the word atmosphere was originally erroneously applied to the moon. One bonus was taken on National Nature reserves. Peter Sloman gratefully supplied us with the title “The Wisdom of Crowds to give Queen’s their second starter, and this brought up a tricky set on locations in novels of the 20th century. I had the first, but that was it for me. Layla Hill leapt in to provide us with the S.I. Unit the Becquerel. Already 3 members of the Queen’s team had correctly answered a starter, and skipper White wouldn’t be too long in joining them For now, though the team took a bonus on Medicine. This brought up the picture starter, and the captain of Queen’s buzzed in first to identify the volcano shown on a map as Mount St. Helens. More of the same followed as bonuses, and Queen’s took 2 of them. Matthew White was on a roll, and took the next starter on a quotation relating to the potato. A full set of bonuses followed on American Universities. Byrony Bates struck back for King’s with the writer Montaigne, and a good full set on JM Keynes reduced arrears so that the score at the 10 minute mark was 100 to Queen’s , to 40 for King’s.
This gap was further reduced when Bryony Bates answered a UC special for the next starter, recognizing that hermaphrodite comes from the deities Hermes and Aphrodite. 2 bonuses were managed on pairs of similar sounding ancient greek names – eg, Hero and Hera. Nobody fancied the next starter on Biology, but James Kane knew that James Scott was connected with the welsh town of Monmouth, being the famous duke thereof. A full set was taken on linear algebra. I don’t know what the bonus conversion rate was for this show, but I bet it was quite high. A great question on Shelley’s poem Ozymandias was answered by Phil Davies for the next starter. Again, a full set of bonuses was taken, with words containing all 5 vowels. The music starter saw the teams asked to identify who was singing Ave Maria. Matthew White offered Pavarotti, correctly. However the team were unable to identify any of the other three singers of versions of the song which we heard. A good starter followed for James Kane, who knew that the word Oriental is part of the full name of Uruguay. Queen’s were on a roll now, as Layla Hill took the next starter on the term degenerate as it applies in quantum physics. No, I don’t either. The next starter, on the musical term scordatura stumped both teams, but Peter Sloman knew that Lord Liverpool’s ministry lasted through from 1812 for the next few years. 2 bonuses on dates in novels gave Queen’s a healthy, and frankly , winning lead of 195 to 80.
The question of the week followed. The teams were shown a kiwi fruit, and then invited to spell out the four letters of its name using the names of the elements which the letters symbolize – K = potassium etc. Sounds complicated ? It is, but Layla Hill took it, and then working feverishly as a team Queen’s took 3 more of the same. Not 4 letter ones either ! Watercress and cauliflower were in there too ! I think that this took too much out of them , mind you, since neither team could answer either of the next two starters. Layla Hill, who missed nothing on Science all night, or so it seemed to me, knew all about how many of a male’s descendants would inherit his Y chromosome – or something like that. 2 more starters went begging. The second of these was a really good question, asking about which three countries have the longest borders with EU countries. Norway and Russia came to me, but amazingly Switzerland didn’t. Anyway, back to the show. Queen’s took another science starter, and amazed JP by getting two out of three bonuses on knitting right. Phil Davies managed a final flourish for King’s , knowing that BV in Dutch is the equivalent of e.g. in English. 2 bonuses followed on genetic engineering. Peter Sloman knew that the thing that Nils Bohr says is terrible difficult to predict Is the future. Time enough for 2 bonuses on codes, but that was it. Queen’s won by 280 to 95.
I take slight issue with JP on his comment that King’s had no chance to show us what they could do. They were comprehensively beaten on the buzzer, yes, but you could see enough to see that their modest score is surely not an accurate reflection of their ability. It happens. Certainly no need to take what JP called ‘the slow bus of shame back to the campus”.
As for Queen’s – well at one stage they looked very good for a 300 plus score. Even though they didn’t quite manage that, I thought that they were very good value for their win. They have a team – as I was watching I had the distinct feeling that this is a quiz team, who function as a team and not just 4 talented individuals. There’s a lovely balance in this team. I’m not going to scupper their chances by making any predictions right now, but I think that Queen’s could go far this year.
Jeremy Paxman Watch
JP is a Cambridge man himself, so it was nice to see him enjoying a bit of a rapport with the Oxford side, Queen’s, especially over the fruit n’ elements questions. His high pitched “Well done !” when Layla Hill answered the kiwi fruit question was genuine.
When Matthew White offered Pavarotti, JP replied “ If that was a guess it was a good one. “ Well, any guess that is right is a good one. But its also a percentage answer. Even now, several years after he passed away, Pavarotti is still a good cold answer to an opera question when you haven’t got a Scooby.
Interesting Fact Of The Week That I Didn’t Already Know
Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote ‘Ozymandias’ in competition with his fellow poet Horace Scott. JP only recited the first part of Scott’s own poem . It wasn’t McGonagall, but it would never have made the top 40.
Sunday, 11 September 2011
News Questions - Sept 1 - 10
Who or what are the following, and why are they in the news ?
1) Nathan Hageman
2) Harbour
3) Kirani James
4) Murdo Fraser
5) Kevin Blom
6) Sophie Tyler
7) Aaron and Abbie
8) Ned Kelly
9) Katie McNeil
10) Darren Flood
11) Katia
12) Cliff’s Law
13) Mohamed Ibrahim
14) Flavia Panetta
15) Hannah England
16) Ortis Deeley
17) Rebecca Leighton
18) Julie Krone
19) Cecil Coley
20) George Kiejman
21) Abdel Hakim Belhaj
22) Margaret Moran
23) Talas
24) David Bathurst
25) Tiffany Porter
26) Carol Klein
27) Simon Negus
28) Dr. Ruth Coppard
29) Lillian Bettencourt
30) Maria Chappini
31) Candida Albicans
32) Aaron Ramsey
33) Peter Twiss
34) Georgie Thompson
35) Egypt
36) Munir Farooki
37) Blackwater
38) Chris Fox
39) Craig Williams
40) Jenny Bessant
41) Andrew Lindo
42) Lynette Freeth
43) Judit Nagy
44) VITOL
45) Colin Adlard
46) Robert Ormesher
47) Patrick Digby
48) Clare and Paul Baker
49) Gina Rinehart
50) Lindsay Doyle
51) Alberto Colto
52) Danny Roberts
53) Robin Haase
In other News
1) Where is the Walker Cup being played ?
2) Which soup has been banned in California ?
3) How long in miles is David Walliams’ attemped swim along the River Thames ?
4) Where did Brazil beat Ghana in a friendly ?
5) Which unfinishable job will finish on October 9th ?
6) Wines from which country have just gone on sale in Waitrose ?
7) A performance by which orchestra caused demos in London ?
8) Which town will be taking over repatriation from Wooton Bassett ?
9) Who won the Mercury Music prize, with which album ?
10) Which tobacco company is trying to use Freedom of Information legislation to gain access to research from Stirling University into teens’ smoking habits ?
11) Which has been voted the ugliest new building in Britain over the last 12 months ?
12) Who was conducting the BBC Radio interview which Oscar Pistorius stormed out of ?
13) Which brand of cider has been recalled because of exploding bottles ?
14) Who was criticized for lowering the tone by using the word “w*nkers” during his speech at the GQ Men of The Year awards ?
15) Who won a record breaking 6th title at Burghley ?
16) Who will face whom in the Clydesdale Bank 40 over competition ?
17) Where was the world’s biggest ever crocodile caught ?
18) Who has made the Booker Prize shortlist for the 4th time ?
19) What are McDonalds now putting onto all of their menus ?
20) What is the title of Alastair Darling’s autobiography ?
21) What have Waterstones ended ?
22) Who called Italy ‘a Sh*t country ‘ ?
23) What is now Britain’s favourite fish ?
24) Which country won the Copa America ?
25) Whose diary will be auctioned at Christie’s ?
26) What distinction is claimed by Burton Road in Eastborne ?
27) Which chocolates did the makers now admit contain fewer sweets per box than previously ?
28) Records were retrieved from which notorious prison in Tripoli ?
29) Who is the manager of the Bulgarian football team, beaten by England in a qualifier ?
30) Which actor ruled himself out of ever standing for US president ?
31) Owen Hargreaves signed a one year deal with which club ?
32) Who scored England’s only goal against Wales ?
33) What species of whale was trapped in Immingham Docks near Grimsby ?
34) Who wrote and directed the much derided film W.E. about Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII ?
35) Which country launched its first ever luxury cruise ?
36) Why did the Royal Mail reuse to deliver CDs of a reading of the Gospel of St. Mark to churches in Jersey ?
37) Why was Timothy Spall reused entry to a Thames River festival with his barge ?
38) Who is the coach of Japan in the Rugby World Cup ?
39) Which is the first county to ban second home owners from voting in local elections ?
40) Who was it revealed stood as godfather to one of Rupert Murdoch’s daughters ?
41) What are the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham giving to patients to distract them ?
42) Which club has signed Joe Cole ?
43) Prom goers have been annoyed by the removal of what from the Albert Hall ?
44) In which event did Oscar Pistorius win a world athletics championship medal ?
45) Who warned that nurses with poor English put patients at risk ?
46) Jailed rioters have swelled the prison population in Britain to a new high – at what figure ?
47) Old Boys have protested about the scrapping of what at Abingdon school ?
48) David Cameron wants which establishment to fund a free school ?
49) Whose work will be exhibited in the Bigger Picture exhibition ?
50) A set of royal mail stamps is to celebrate 100 years of what ?
1) Nathan Hageman
2) Harbour
3) Kirani James
4) Murdo Fraser
5) Kevin Blom
6) Sophie Tyler
7) Aaron and Abbie
8) Ned Kelly
9) Katie McNeil
10) Darren Flood
11) Katia
12) Cliff’s Law
13) Mohamed Ibrahim
14) Flavia Panetta
15) Hannah England
16) Ortis Deeley
17) Rebecca Leighton
18) Julie Krone
19) Cecil Coley
20) George Kiejman
21) Abdel Hakim Belhaj
22) Margaret Moran
23) Talas
24) David Bathurst
25) Tiffany Porter
26) Carol Klein
27) Simon Negus
28) Dr. Ruth Coppard
29) Lillian Bettencourt
30) Maria Chappini
31) Candida Albicans
32) Aaron Ramsey
33) Peter Twiss
34) Georgie Thompson
35) Egypt
36) Munir Farooki
37) Blackwater
38) Chris Fox
39) Craig Williams
40) Jenny Bessant
41) Andrew Lindo
42) Lynette Freeth
43) Judit Nagy
44) VITOL
45) Colin Adlard
46) Robert Ormesher
47) Patrick Digby
48) Clare and Paul Baker
49) Gina Rinehart
50) Lindsay Doyle
51) Alberto Colto
52) Danny Roberts
53) Robin Haase
In other News
1) Where is the Walker Cup being played ?
2) Which soup has been banned in California ?
3) How long in miles is David Walliams’ attemped swim along the River Thames ?
4) Where did Brazil beat Ghana in a friendly ?
5) Which unfinishable job will finish on October 9th ?
6) Wines from which country have just gone on sale in Waitrose ?
7) A performance by which orchestra caused demos in London ?
8) Which town will be taking over repatriation from Wooton Bassett ?
9) Who won the Mercury Music prize, with which album ?
10) Which tobacco company is trying to use Freedom of Information legislation to gain access to research from Stirling University into teens’ smoking habits ?
11) Which has been voted the ugliest new building in Britain over the last 12 months ?
12) Who was conducting the BBC Radio interview which Oscar Pistorius stormed out of ?
13) Which brand of cider has been recalled because of exploding bottles ?
14) Who was criticized for lowering the tone by using the word “w*nkers” during his speech at the GQ Men of The Year awards ?
15) Who won a record breaking 6th title at Burghley ?
16) Who will face whom in the Clydesdale Bank 40 over competition ?
17) Where was the world’s biggest ever crocodile caught ?
18) Who has made the Booker Prize shortlist for the 4th time ?
19) What are McDonalds now putting onto all of their menus ?
20) What is the title of Alastair Darling’s autobiography ?
21) What have Waterstones ended ?
22) Who called Italy ‘a Sh*t country ‘ ?
23) What is now Britain’s favourite fish ?
24) Which country won the Copa America ?
25) Whose diary will be auctioned at Christie’s ?
26) What distinction is claimed by Burton Road in Eastborne ?
27) Which chocolates did the makers now admit contain fewer sweets per box than previously ?
28) Records were retrieved from which notorious prison in Tripoli ?
29) Who is the manager of the Bulgarian football team, beaten by England in a qualifier ?
30) Which actor ruled himself out of ever standing for US president ?
31) Owen Hargreaves signed a one year deal with which club ?
32) Who scored England’s only goal against Wales ?
33) What species of whale was trapped in Immingham Docks near Grimsby ?
34) Who wrote and directed the much derided film W.E. about Wallis Simpson and Edward VIII ?
35) Which country launched its first ever luxury cruise ?
36) Why did the Royal Mail reuse to deliver CDs of a reading of the Gospel of St. Mark to churches in Jersey ?
37) Why was Timothy Spall reused entry to a Thames River festival with his barge ?
38) Who is the coach of Japan in the Rugby World Cup ?
39) Which is the first county to ban second home owners from voting in local elections ?
40) Who was it revealed stood as godfather to one of Rupert Murdoch’s daughters ?
41) What are the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham giving to patients to distract them ?
42) Which club has signed Joe Cole ?
43) Prom goers have been annoyed by the removal of what from the Albert Hall ?
44) In which event did Oscar Pistorius win a world athletics championship medal ?
45) Who warned that nurses with poor English put patients at risk ?
46) Jailed rioters have swelled the prison population in Britain to a new high – at what figure ?
47) Old Boys have protested about the scrapping of what at Abingdon school ?
48) David Cameron wants which establishment to fund a free school ?
49) Whose work will be exhibited in the Bigger Picture exhibition ?
50) A set of royal mail stamps is to celebrate 100 years of what ?
Saturday, 10 September 2011
Anniversary - Busy Week - New Book
Its been a very busy week. I say this by way of an excuse for having posted nothing in the way of questions, or anything other than the reviews of OC and UC this week. The first week of the new school year is always hectic. Alright, so I was actually back in school on the 1st, but we didn’t have the children back until Monday, and so to all intents and purposes its been the first week.
Not only that, but it was Mary’s birthday on Thursday, and today is also our silver wedding anniversary. Hence the fact that I am writing this first thing in the morning before Mary gets up. Fair play to her, she has earned one quiz-free day after twenty five years.
Also I’ve published a book on Kindle this week. It’s been a bit of an ambition of mine for as long as I can remember. I’ve always been writing little bits and pieces, but never had the guts enough to put anything ‘out there’ as they say. The kind comments I’ve had about some of the things I’ve written in the blog have encouraged me enough to go for it.
Still, its back to the metaphorical quiz grindstone this week. Tomorrow I need to find time to compile the quiz for the rugby club for Thursday. On Monday evening we have the Muriel Williams, which is the traditional curtain raiser for the Bridgend Quiz League. There’s the Get Connected Charity quiz. Then my quiz in the rugby club. Then a week tomorrow is the CIU final in Derby. I’m delighted to say that its all go for the quiz obsessive.
Not only that, but it was Mary’s birthday on Thursday, and today is also our silver wedding anniversary. Hence the fact that I am writing this first thing in the morning before Mary gets up. Fair play to her, she has earned one quiz-free day after twenty five years.
Also I’ve published a book on Kindle this week. It’s been a bit of an ambition of mine for as long as I can remember. I’ve always been writing little bits and pieces, but never had the guts enough to put anything ‘out there’ as they say. The kind comments I’ve had about some of the things I’ve written in the blog have encouraged me enough to go for it.
Still, its back to the metaphorical quiz grindstone this week. Tomorrow I need to find time to compile the quiz for the rugby club for Thursday. On Monday evening we have the Muriel Williams, which is the traditional curtain raiser for the Bridgend Quiz League. There’s the Get Connected Charity quiz. Then my quiz in the rugby club. Then a week tomorrow is the CIU final in Derby. I’m delighted to say that its all go for the quiz obsessive.
Tuesday, 6 September 2011
Only Connect - Round One - Match Four
Joggers v. Technologists
Lets start with the Joggers. David McGaughey, and Ronald Stewart were captained by Lesley Brewis. Any relation to my conqueror from last year, and all round good egg David Brewis, from the Epicureans ? Their opposition, the Technologists were Simon Jelly, John Loveluck and skipper Bruce Lin. On with the show.
Round One – What’s the Connection ?
The Joggers won the toss, and elected to put the Technologists into bat. A good start they made, too. Picking Water they found three paintings, and correctly deduced that they all had the word night in their title, for example , Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch”. Well taken points. The Joggers put their marker down with horned viper. Defender of London – Discoverer of Niger – South Korean Red Devil –( I had it at this stage ) and Wallace and Gromit gave them Park – Keith – Mungo – Ji Soon and Nick. Safe points well taken. Again, the Technologists took only three clues for twisted flax. JLS – Full size snooker table – Sleipnir gave them a connection of 8, and when pressed for more by Victoria, captain Bruce correctly answered that all of them possess 8 legs. Well , not each member of JLS, you understand. Mind you, I’d pay to watch them if they did each have 8 legs, but I digress. The Joggers picked up their pace with the next, taking it off 3 clues. Mickey Mouse – The Queen – Tokyo Subway attendants led them to give the answer that all of them wear white gloves, and they were correct to do so. Lion rather tripped the Technos up. This was the music set. They were rather at sea, and the grateful joggers revealed that each piece was connected by captains – Beefheart – and Tennille – Beaky and Sensible. However the Joggers failed to capitalize , when they couldn’t unravel Peshitta – Hexapla – Codex Alexandria and Vulgate. I may be wrong but I thought that one of the Joggers did actually mention the word Bible during the discussion. Still , its not the answer that they gave Victoria. Neither team knew these were early versions of the Bible. So at the end of a good first round both teams had 4 points.
Round Two – What Comes Fourth ?
Behind Lion the Technos uncovered Perth – Darwin – Adelaide, and correctly answered Melbourne. Whether they quite had the rationale worked out they were right – working west to east, the next Australian capital would be Melbourne. The Joggers found pictures behind water. These showed Lennie Henry, Tracey Ullmann – David Coperfield , who were three of a kind – then a racing circuit straight, then a loo flush. Working on poker hands, the next would be a full house. No, I’m afraid I didn’t have it any more than either team did. Neither team fared any better with Man City – Mexico – Cote d’Ivoire. I would have actually had this one on the full. They were teams managed by Montgomery C. Goran Ericson, the next being Leicester City. However the Joggers were saving something special for us. Given Quartic, they needed no more to be able to say that the answer would be linear . Quite right for a full 5 points. It’s a mathematical thing. Quartic is to 4 as linear is to 1. Great answer, and very significant for the score, especially considering that neither team knew the Technos next – Product – Price – Place - . Both knew what it was getting at , but neither could supple promotion for the points. So the Joggers could increase their lead if twisted flax would permit it. Indeed it would. Pike was followed by Jones, and so thank you very much, the 4th would be Mainwaring – Dad’s Army ranks. Private , lance corporal , sergeant captain. Yes alright, perhaps a little easier than some, but then that’s the luck of the draw. Whatever the case the Joggers were looking good value for their lead at this ateg, with 12 to the Techno’s 6.
Round Three – The Connecting Walls
The Joggers chose the Lion wall. Fairly quickly they unraveled two sets – Dollar – Roxette – Erasure and Inner City ( a good shout that one. Like Victoria, I hadn’t heard of them ). Pop duos. Then Precinct – Sector – Ghetto – Quarter, all areas of a city. However they just couldn’t untangle the other two sets. Wishbone – Nickel – Dime – and Shotgun was one of those you either knew, or wouldn’t guess, I think. All are American Football formations. They did know that Police – Steam – Slide and Penny are all whistles.
So, the door was at least ajar for the Technos to narrow the gap on the scoreboard with a good wall. Which they were happy to oblige with. Mecca – Lumbini – Fatima – Jerusalem all gave them places of pilgrimage. Breaker – Judge – Training and Diagram can all follow the word circuit. Mercy – Lourdes – Rocco and David are Madonna’s children. Finally copy – handle – rubber duck – Smokey are all CB terms. Was it my imagination, or did one of the chaps give a rather rude interpretation of what the term rubber duck meant ? Whatever the case a full set of 10 meant that they trailed the Joggers by just one point, with 16 to their 17.
Round Four – Missing Vowels
All to play for. The first set, Literary forms and genres, fell to the Technos by 2 to 1. So it was all square. The Technos achieved the relative rarity of a 4 point shut out with the next category , things discovered by Nobel Prize winners. It didn’t help the Joggers’ cause when they miscued on one of the next set , on alcoholic spirits and liquers, which fell 3-1 to the Technos. The last set, biopics about musicians was shared 2 apiece.
So what we witnessed really was a game of 2 halves. The Technologists ran out convincing winners by 27 to 19,but the score for once does not tell the whole story. The Joggers were well beaten on the missing vowels, but before that it had been a good contest, and they have nothing to be ashamed of. But its the Technos who go through, and although they might have missed some gettable stuff in the first 2 rounds, the fact is that their wall and vowels performances were extremely impressive. Ladies and gents, we may well have found a dark horse.
Lets start with the Joggers. David McGaughey, and Ronald Stewart were captained by Lesley Brewis. Any relation to my conqueror from last year, and all round good egg David Brewis, from the Epicureans ? Their opposition, the Technologists were Simon Jelly, John Loveluck and skipper Bruce Lin. On with the show.
Round One – What’s the Connection ?
The Joggers won the toss, and elected to put the Technologists into bat. A good start they made, too. Picking Water they found three paintings, and correctly deduced that they all had the word night in their title, for example , Rembrandt’s “The Night Watch”. Well taken points. The Joggers put their marker down with horned viper. Defender of London – Discoverer of Niger – South Korean Red Devil –( I had it at this stage ) and Wallace and Gromit gave them Park – Keith – Mungo – Ji Soon and Nick. Safe points well taken. Again, the Technologists took only three clues for twisted flax. JLS – Full size snooker table – Sleipnir gave them a connection of 8, and when pressed for more by Victoria, captain Bruce correctly answered that all of them possess 8 legs. Well , not each member of JLS, you understand. Mind you, I’d pay to watch them if they did each have 8 legs, but I digress. The Joggers picked up their pace with the next, taking it off 3 clues. Mickey Mouse – The Queen – Tokyo Subway attendants led them to give the answer that all of them wear white gloves, and they were correct to do so. Lion rather tripped the Technos up. This was the music set. They were rather at sea, and the grateful joggers revealed that each piece was connected by captains – Beefheart – and Tennille – Beaky and Sensible. However the Joggers failed to capitalize , when they couldn’t unravel Peshitta – Hexapla – Codex Alexandria and Vulgate. I may be wrong but I thought that one of the Joggers did actually mention the word Bible during the discussion. Still , its not the answer that they gave Victoria. Neither team knew these were early versions of the Bible. So at the end of a good first round both teams had 4 points.
Round Two – What Comes Fourth ?
Behind Lion the Technos uncovered Perth – Darwin – Adelaide, and correctly answered Melbourne. Whether they quite had the rationale worked out they were right – working west to east, the next Australian capital would be Melbourne. The Joggers found pictures behind water. These showed Lennie Henry, Tracey Ullmann – David Coperfield , who were three of a kind – then a racing circuit straight, then a loo flush. Working on poker hands, the next would be a full house. No, I’m afraid I didn’t have it any more than either team did. Neither team fared any better with Man City – Mexico – Cote d’Ivoire. I would have actually had this one on the full. They were teams managed by Montgomery C. Goran Ericson, the next being Leicester City. However the Joggers were saving something special for us. Given Quartic, they needed no more to be able to say that the answer would be linear . Quite right for a full 5 points. It’s a mathematical thing. Quartic is to 4 as linear is to 1. Great answer, and very significant for the score, especially considering that neither team knew the Technos next – Product – Price – Place - . Both knew what it was getting at , but neither could supple promotion for the points. So the Joggers could increase their lead if twisted flax would permit it. Indeed it would. Pike was followed by Jones, and so thank you very much, the 4th would be Mainwaring – Dad’s Army ranks. Private , lance corporal , sergeant captain. Yes alright, perhaps a little easier than some, but then that’s the luck of the draw. Whatever the case the Joggers were looking good value for their lead at this ateg, with 12 to the Techno’s 6.
Round Three – The Connecting Walls
The Joggers chose the Lion wall. Fairly quickly they unraveled two sets – Dollar – Roxette – Erasure and Inner City ( a good shout that one. Like Victoria, I hadn’t heard of them ). Pop duos. Then Precinct – Sector – Ghetto – Quarter, all areas of a city. However they just couldn’t untangle the other two sets. Wishbone – Nickel – Dime – and Shotgun was one of those you either knew, or wouldn’t guess, I think. All are American Football formations. They did know that Police – Steam – Slide and Penny are all whistles.
So, the door was at least ajar for the Technos to narrow the gap on the scoreboard with a good wall. Which they were happy to oblige with. Mecca – Lumbini – Fatima – Jerusalem all gave them places of pilgrimage. Breaker – Judge – Training and Diagram can all follow the word circuit. Mercy – Lourdes – Rocco and David are Madonna’s children. Finally copy – handle – rubber duck – Smokey are all CB terms. Was it my imagination, or did one of the chaps give a rather rude interpretation of what the term rubber duck meant ? Whatever the case a full set of 10 meant that they trailed the Joggers by just one point, with 16 to their 17.
Round Four – Missing Vowels
All to play for. The first set, Literary forms and genres, fell to the Technos by 2 to 1. So it was all square. The Technos achieved the relative rarity of a 4 point shut out with the next category , things discovered by Nobel Prize winners. It didn’t help the Joggers’ cause when they miscued on one of the next set , on alcoholic spirits and liquers, which fell 3-1 to the Technos. The last set, biopics about musicians was shared 2 apiece.
So what we witnessed really was a game of 2 halves. The Technologists ran out convincing winners by 27 to 19,but the score for once does not tell the whole story. The Joggers were well beaten on the missing vowels, but before that it had been a good contest, and they have nothing to be ashamed of. But its the Technos who go through, and although they might have missed some gettable stuff in the first 2 rounds, the fact is that their wall and vowels performances were extremely impressive. Ladies and gents, we may well have found a dark horse.
University Challenge - Round One - Match 10
University College London v. York
UCL are traditionally one of the strongest of the London University colleges in this competition, and last night they were represented by Howard Carver, Patrick Cook, Tom Andrews and captain Jamie Karran. York’s team were Rob Miller, Greg Melia, Heather Powell and captain Andrew Rose.
First to score were York, when skipper Andrew Rose knew that up until a relatively short time ago it was believed that the whole Universe just consisted of the Milky Way. Now we know that you could eat one and still not ruin your appetite. This brought bonuses on authors and History, of which they managed 2. A little surprisingly neither team knew that “Frost at Midnight “ and “Christabel” among other poems were written by S.T. Coleridge. Patrick Cook took UCL’s first points, knowing that if it’s a work by J.K. Galbraith, if you say that it’s the Affluent Society you’ll be right far more often than you’re wrong. No bonuses were taken on silk. Still , Howard Carver took UCL’s second starter knowing that the three anagrams referred to were serve- sever and verse. 2 bonuses followed on film quotations and years. Patrick Cook doubled up his tally with the next starter on an American writer whose name I didn’t quite catch. Not to worry. A tricky set of bonuses on Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty proved elusive. Tom Andrews continued UCL’s good work with the picture starter, where he recognised the skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. More of the same followed in bonuses, and the only one that UCL didn’t recognize was that of a velociraptor . Have they never seen Jurassic Park ? So at the 10 minute mark UCL had shown by far the more nimble fingers in the buzzer race, though a slight profligacy with bonuses meant that they only led by 60 to York’s 20.
A gap which was immediately reduced with the next starter when Greg Melia knew that a particular specialized computer language is ADA, a good early buzz. 3 good bonuses on metals were taking, and the gap had shrunk. When Andrew Rose took the next starter, and the team took a bonus on winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature the gap had disappeared completely as the teams were all square. Tom Andrew opened it up again, knowing that a mathematician referred to was Necker. One bonus was taken on toads. Captain Jamie Karran took a brave early buzz on a difficult literature question, and lost 5 – neither team knew the term Myosis. Howard Carver knew and anagram of Salvador Dali when he heard it, though, and this introduce a set of bonuses on Italian buildings. This was very much to UCL’s liking as they managed all three. The music starter followed in short order, but neither team knew a little bit of Liszt when they heard it, although they may have recognized, as I did, that it came from a well known Tom and Jerry cartoon. So the music bonuses, on other pieces of classical music used in cartoons of the 40s and 50s followed after a neat arithmetical question , which involved thinking in both binary and ternary. I am not up to such mental acrobatics, but Howard Carver certainly was, and all three musical bonuses were taken. Patrick Cook completed a virtual shut out for UCL by taking the next starter on a type of Japanese riddle, and the team managed a single bonus on dances. So at the 20 minute mark UCL’s lead of 135 to 60 looked decisive.
Tom Andrews recognized a description of Primal Scream Therapy. All well and good if you like that sort of thing. This brought bonuses on petrochemical companies. Neither team fancied the look of da Vinci’s uncompleted Adoration of the Magi for the 2nd picture starter, and so the picture bonuses rolled over. Greg Melia knew what the Golden Rule was, and so this gave them a crack at the pictures, which escaped them . Me too. Neither team knew a quotation from King Lear.Again, neither team knew that Funafuti is the capital of Tuvalu. Still, Greg Melia did know that if submarines were U-Boats, then torpedo boats were E-Boats. A set of oriental phrases commonly used in English passed York by, I’m afraid. There remained enough time for three more starters. Neither team knew that Isaak Walton wrote about angling. UCL took the other two , with Dijon mustard and nucleic acids. That was it. The final score was a win to UCL by 185 to 105. Not a classic show, by any means. However look on it this way. A run of the mill University Challenge is still way better than most other shows.
Jeremy Paxman Watch
It was Uncle Jez again tonight. There was a brief moment when he raised my hopes of something more, when UCL confused the witches of Pendle – a Mastermind SS last year – with the Tolpuddle Martyrs. “Tolpuddle ?!” spluttered JP in his very best, Lady – Bracknell – a – Handbag ? ! – mode. Other than that he seemed to be rather enjoying himself. York were commiserated with, and reminded that 105 was a perfectly respectable score. Indeed it is. Then UCL he hailed as ‘a very entertaining team ‘.
Interesting Fact Of The Week That I Didn’t Already Know
The phrase ‘conventional wisdom’ was first coined in Galbraith’s “The Affluent Society”.
UCL are traditionally one of the strongest of the London University colleges in this competition, and last night they were represented by Howard Carver, Patrick Cook, Tom Andrews and captain Jamie Karran. York’s team were Rob Miller, Greg Melia, Heather Powell and captain Andrew Rose.
First to score were York, when skipper Andrew Rose knew that up until a relatively short time ago it was believed that the whole Universe just consisted of the Milky Way. Now we know that you could eat one and still not ruin your appetite. This brought bonuses on authors and History, of which they managed 2. A little surprisingly neither team knew that “Frost at Midnight “ and “Christabel” among other poems were written by S.T. Coleridge. Patrick Cook took UCL’s first points, knowing that if it’s a work by J.K. Galbraith, if you say that it’s the Affluent Society you’ll be right far more often than you’re wrong. No bonuses were taken on silk. Still , Howard Carver took UCL’s second starter knowing that the three anagrams referred to were serve- sever and verse. 2 bonuses followed on film quotations and years. Patrick Cook doubled up his tally with the next starter on an American writer whose name I didn’t quite catch. Not to worry. A tricky set of bonuses on Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty proved elusive. Tom Andrews continued UCL’s good work with the picture starter, where he recognised the skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. More of the same followed in bonuses, and the only one that UCL didn’t recognize was that of a velociraptor . Have they never seen Jurassic Park ? So at the 10 minute mark UCL had shown by far the more nimble fingers in the buzzer race, though a slight profligacy with bonuses meant that they only led by 60 to York’s 20.
A gap which was immediately reduced with the next starter when Greg Melia knew that a particular specialized computer language is ADA, a good early buzz. 3 good bonuses on metals were taking, and the gap had shrunk. When Andrew Rose took the next starter, and the team took a bonus on winners of the Nobel Prize for Literature the gap had disappeared completely as the teams were all square. Tom Andrew opened it up again, knowing that a mathematician referred to was Necker. One bonus was taken on toads. Captain Jamie Karran took a brave early buzz on a difficult literature question, and lost 5 – neither team knew the term Myosis. Howard Carver knew and anagram of Salvador Dali when he heard it, though, and this introduce a set of bonuses on Italian buildings. This was very much to UCL’s liking as they managed all three. The music starter followed in short order, but neither team knew a little bit of Liszt when they heard it, although they may have recognized, as I did, that it came from a well known Tom and Jerry cartoon. So the music bonuses, on other pieces of classical music used in cartoons of the 40s and 50s followed after a neat arithmetical question , which involved thinking in both binary and ternary. I am not up to such mental acrobatics, but Howard Carver certainly was, and all three musical bonuses were taken. Patrick Cook completed a virtual shut out for UCL by taking the next starter on a type of Japanese riddle, and the team managed a single bonus on dances. So at the 20 minute mark UCL’s lead of 135 to 60 looked decisive.
Tom Andrews recognized a description of Primal Scream Therapy. All well and good if you like that sort of thing. This brought bonuses on petrochemical companies. Neither team fancied the look of da Vinci’s uncompleted Adoration of the Magi for the 2nd picture starter, and so the picture bonuses rolled over. Greg Melia knew what the Golden Rule was, and so this gave them a crack at the pictures, which escaped them . Me too. Neither team knew a quotation from King Lear.Again, neither team knew that Funafuti is the capital of Tuvalu. Still, Greg Melia did know that if submarines were U-Boats, then torpedo boats were E-Boats. A set of oriental phrases commonly used in English passed York by, I’m afraid. There remained enough time for three more starters. Neither team knew that Isaak Walton wrote about angling. UCL took the other two , with Dijon mustard and nucleic acids. That was it. The final score was a win to UCL by 185 to 105. Not a classic show, by any means. However look on it this way. A run of the mill University Challenge is still way better than most other shows.
Jeremy Paxman Watch
It was Uncle Jez again tonight. There was a brief moment when he raised my hopes of something more, when UCL confused the witches of Pendle – a Mastermind SS last year – with the Tolpuddle Martyrs. “Tolpuddle ?!” spluttered JP in his very best, Lady – Bracknell – a – Handbag ? ! – mode. Other than that he seemed to be rather enjoying himself. York were commiserated with, and reminded that 105 was a perfectly respectable score. Indeed it is. Then UCL he hailed as ‘a very entertaining team ‘.
Interesting Fact Of The Week That I Didn’t Already Know
The phrase ‘conventional wisdom’ was first coined in Galbraith’s “The Affluent Society”.
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