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
Saturday, 24 September 2011
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
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