In the News
Who or what are the following, and why have they been in the news?
1. Lord Feldman
2. Tim Peake
3. Time
4. Tumblr
5. Emmelie de Forest
6. Neville Neville
7. Joe Farman
8. Forget Me Not Garden
9. Julian Stevenson
10. Encke
11. Kenton Cool
12. Bolt
13. Michael Wilshaw
14. Sir David Nicholson
15. Tim Cook
16. Eddie Braben
17. Dominique Venner
18. Bradley Davies
19. Lydia Davis
20. Eric Joyce
21. John Anthony Downey
22. Francisco Schettino
23. Michael Adebolajo – Michael Adebowale
24. Ingrid Loyau-Kennett
25. H7N9
26. South Lakes Wild Animal Park – Dalton in Furness
In Other News
1. What unwanted distinction is held by the inhabitants of Elbridge in South West London?
2. Which team did Arsenal defeat to take the 4th slot in next season’s Champions League?
3. An incident with a pig’s head made the news in which football club
4. Who played his last ever game for Liverpool FC?
5. Who took 7 wickets for England in the 2nd innings of the First Test v. New Zealand?
6. What was the score in the play off to earn a spot in The Championship?
7. Who won the World Matchplay in Golf
8. What was the score in the Heineken Cup Final?
9. Who is the European Rugby Player of the Year
10. Who was booed when accepting a Milestone Award?
11. Which film prop was found in a car boot sale?
12. A gas blast destroyed a house in which Nottinghamshire town?
13. Where did the Ark Royal set sail to in order to be scrapped?
14. Who was named as being far more successful than any other performer, living or dead, last week?
15. Which club did Jose Mourinho leave last week?
16. Who is to play Super Mario on film?
17. Name the Oklahoma town at the centre of last week’s tornado tragedy
18. Last week Pope Francis performed his first public what as pope?
19. Which team did Tony Pulis leave last week?
20. What was banned in golf from 1/1/2016?
21. Name the two cabinet ministers who voted against the Marriage ( Same Sex Couple) Bill
22. Which TV presenter said that he had actually heard senior Conservatives using the phrase “Swivel eyed loons”?
23. The world’s tallest what was unveiled in Xinghzi China last week?
24. What was the Azerbaijan voting scandal all about last week?
25. Who is returning to tennis in time for the French Open?
26. Which former professional wrestler passed away at the age of 85 last week?
27. Which former Man Utd. FA Cup winning player passed away aged 60 last week?
28. Who became the first woman to win the Gerschwin Prize for Song?
29. Which company are recalling 800,000 cars?
30. Which prominent French politician is facing fraud charges concerning tycoon Bernard Tapie?
31. Sergio Garcia was widely condemned for a remark he made about Tiger Woods, concerning which foodstuff?
32. Who was fined a reported £15,000 for a tweet about Lord McAlpine?
33. Where was the destination of the British Airways Airbus A319 which had to return after a cowling blew off one of its engines?
34. Which organization has voted to allow gay members?
Answers
Who or what Are the Following and Why have they been in the news?
1. Conservative Party Chairman who denied calling party activists ‘swivel eyed loons’
2. Britain’s next astronaut
3. Rod Stewart’s Number 1 album
4. Blogging website bought by Yahoo
5. She won the Eurovision Song Contest for Denmark with the song Only Teardrops
6. Father of footballers gary and Philip Neville facing alleged sexual assault charges
7. Scientist who discovered the hole in the ozone layer – passed away
8. Charity garden Prince Harry heavily involved with in Chelsea Flower show
9. Killed his young sons in the South of France
10. The St. Leger winner which has tested positive for steroids
11. 1st person to scale the three peaks of Everest and 2 sister peaks in one climb
12. Belgian racing pigeon sold for £264,000
13. Head of Ofsted who warned that performance related pay will result in higher class sizes
14. NHS Chief Executive who resigned last week
15. Apple CEO who defended his company’s tax arrangements in the USA
16. Writer of classic BBC1 Morecambe and Wise shows, passed away
17. Far right historian who killed himself in Notre Dame cathedral in Paris
18. Announced as captain of Wales RFU tour to Japan
19. Won the Mann Booker International
20. MP arrested over a fracas at Edinburgh airport
21. Man accused of the 1982 Hyde Park bombing
22. Captain of the Costa Concordia – to be tried for manslaughter
23. Arrested over the Woolwich killing
24. Cub leader praised for speaking calmly to the killers while police were on the way
25. New bird flu virus which can be transmitted through the air
26. Woman keeper was mauled to death in the tiger enclosure
In Other news
1. They have the highest average income tax bills in the UK
2. Newcastle United
3. Stoke City
4. Jamie Carragher
5. Stuart Broad – 7 for 44
6. Yeovil 2 – Brentford 1
7. Graeme McDowell
8. Toulon 16 – Clermont Auvergne 15
9. Johnny Wilkinson
10. Justin Beiber ( quote “I’m an artist and should be taken seriously”)
11. The Geiger counter watch from “Thunderball”
12. Newark
13. Izmir
14. Michael Jackson
15. Real Madrid
16. Antonio Banderas
17. Moore
18. An exorcism
19. Stoke City
20. Belly Putter
21. David Jones and Owen Patterson
22. Jeremy Paxman
23. Buddha statue
24. IN the Eurovision Russia came second in the phone poll in Azerbaijan, yet they gave no points to Russia
25. Heather Watson
26. Mick McManus
27. Brian Greenhof
28. Carole King
29. Nissan (Micra)
30. Christine Lagarde
31. Fried Chicken
32. Sally Bercow
33. Oslo
34. The Boy Scouts of America
Friday, 31 May 2013
Monday, 27 May 2013
Only Connect Round One Match 3 - Francophiles v. Festival Fans
Francophiles v. Festival Fans
The policy of first round matches being contested by teams whose names both start with the same initial continued tonight. The Francophiles were Ian Clark , Sam Goodyear, and captain Mark Walton. Would that be the same Ian Clark who reached the grand final of Brain of Britain 2012, I wonder? Good quizzer if so. Their opposition, the Festival Fans, were Ed Dovey, Stewart McCartney and captain Marianne Fairthorne. Let's get on with the show.
Round One – What’s The Connection?
The Francs kicked off with Lion. Behind this one they found Hirst’s ‘Cupric Nitrate’ - Mr. Tumble’s Bag – Pudsey’s bandage – Twister Mat. I’ll be honest, I didn’t get it until the last clue, as did the Francs, who now saw that these were all spotted. The Fans chose eye of Horus, which gave an early airing to the music set. From the first three clues the Fans could see that the artists are all titled Mr. something. I don’t know whether to be pleased or disappointed that the eponymous Mr. Blobby was not part of the set. The Francs picked Horned Viper, and again I was pleased to see Mark voicing the second vowel of Horned. Just adds a little class to the show, I think. Aglaia, Euphrosyne and Thalia came first. The 3 Graces? I wondered. Peep-Bo , Pitti Sing and Yum-Yumnext. 3 little maids from school, I considered, ransacking my feeble stock of Gilbert and Sullivan knowledge. Olga, Masha and Irina were, I knew, Chekhov’s Three Sisters, so I guessed that groups of three sisters was exactly what we had. The Francs didn’t use the word sisters, or the idea, despite being given another bite at the cherry, allowing the Fans to see the last set – Regan, Goneril and Cordelia. That brought them a bonus. For their second set they picked Two Reeds. This brought up Wiccan Initiation – hmmm – Assets become Long Term – Hmm hmm – Legal limit for murder pre 1996 hmm hmm hmm and The length of the Owl and the Pussycat’s journey. Well, I knew that they sailed away for a year and a day. Which turned out to be the right answer, since they all take ( at least ) a year and a day. Twisted Flax gave the Francs pictures. Now, they were in very quickly after seeing a still from the Man Who Shot Liberty Vallence, and a picture of the longer lasting Pop Stars group Liberty X, to give the connection as Liberty. Good shout that. Left with Water the Fans had a small one horse carriage – Anglo-Indian very good – Former Finnish currency and that was enough to give them words ending with kka. Chukka from polo would have completed it. A good round for the Fans that, then, and they led by 6 to the Francs’ 4.
Round Two – What Comes Fourth?
The Francs again went first, and this time elected to open the Eye of Horus. Given New and Crescent they knew that they were dealing with Moon Phases. They elected to take the third, which was first quarter, but their answer of half was wrong. The Fans couldn’t take it, but I had heard the Francs earlier mention then throw away the correct answer – gibbous. Hard lines there. The Fans courted disaster when Marianne chose not to voice the second vowel of Horned Viper – but then each to their own. This revealed Donaghy, Buena, Buchanan – and here Stewart recognized these as members of the Sugababes. He’s a better man than I am. Buena, Buchanan, Range followed, which seemed to confirm the hypothesis. Buchanan, Range, Berrabah was the third, then Stewart came to the conclusion that the original line up had reformed, so offered Donaghy, Buena and Buchanan. Good thinking, but not the answer. The Francs couldn’t get it either. The correct answer was Range, Berrabah and Ewen. The point being that none of the original members remained by the time of this line up. You pays yer money . . . The Francs took the Twisted Flax and kicked off with 3125. Now this was followed by 256.The third was 27, which made the Francs think in terms of cube numbers , and go for 8. Incorrect. The Fans came in with 4, and scooped the bonus. We were dealing with numbers to the power of themselves – 5 to the power of 5, 4 to the power of 4, and so on down. Fiendish but gettable. Not having chosen Lion up to this point that’s exactly what the Fans did next. Lanzarote suggested Canary Islands in increasing or decreasing order of size.Gran Canaria followed, then Fuerteventura. I bet the Francs were sorry that they hadn’t picked up this relatively gentle set, since the Fans could easily see that Tenerife completed the set. They picked two reeds for their own last set, and this opened up with 2200: Candidate Master. They had chess right from the start, but took the next – 2300: FIDE Grand Master, which led them to go for the logical 2500: Grand Master. Quite right. Left with only Water the Fans had pictures, and we saw someone with big ears, and then someone looking through a magnifying glass, giving her big eyes and a big nose. Little Red Riding Hood? - I wondered – which would end with big teeth. The third picture showed someone with ridiculously distorted big hands. The Fans missed it, but the Francs had it, same as I did. That rather helped the Francs, since now the Fans led by just 1 point, with 9 to the Francs’ 8.
Round Three – The Connecting Walls
The Fans had to go into bat first and they plumped for water. They isolated a set of magic words quite logically, these being Shazam – Expelliarmus – Sim Sala Bim and Abracadabra. I could see a set of Bette Midler films there, but the Fans isolated Eve – Izanami – Embla and Pandora next. These were all women in creation myths. Good shout that one. They froze the wall with three incorrect attempts. When it was resolved at first they couldn’t see that Beaches – Hocus Pocus – Stella and The Rose were all Bette Midler films. Not fans of the Divine Miss M, I guess, but they squeezed the answer out right at the death. They did know that Angry Birds – Vine – Instagram and Fruit Ninja are all mobile popular apps. 6 points altogether.
The Francs had the Water Wall, and quickly isolated a set of mythical birds – not as easy as it looks since there were too many of them. They took out Garuda – Roc – Harpy and Thunderbird. I saw a set of acting families there. The Francs could see actors, but it took them a moment or two to get the family connection – with Wilson – Phoenix – Arquette and Baldwin. From Mark’s reaction the resolution of the wall they managed soon after came as something of a surprise. Who cares – they all count. The third set – Phantom – Interceptor – Dignity and Equus they didn’t get. All of them are luxury cars. The final set I’d worked out as things you can burn – calories – bridges – CDs and Rubber. They just couldn’t see it, I’m afraid. This meant that they earned 6 points too. So we were all set for a grandstand finish in the final round.
Round Four – Missing Vowels
The first category of seats fell to the Fans by 2 – 1, with neither team recognising pillion. The second category was female tennis players, and with the Francs winning this set 3 – 1 we were all square in the match. Top 20 Great British Designs was a terrific category to follow, and this fell to the Francs by 2 – 1. For the first time since the very first set, the Francs were actually in the lead. The last category – films about nuns – gave them another 3 points to the Fans’ 1, and that was enough to see them win by 23 – 20. It's fair to say that this one was another show that vindicates the decision to give each of the teams more than one match this year. Well played both.
The policy of first round matches being contested by teams whose names both start with the same initial continued tonight. The Francophiles were Ian Clark , Sam Goodyear, and captain Mark Walton. Would that be the same Ian Clark who reached the grand final of Brain of Britain 2012, I wonder? Good quizzer if so. Their opposition, the Festival Fans, were Ed Dovey, Stewart McCartney and captain Marianne Fairthorne. Let's get on with the show.
Round One – What’s The Connection?
The Francs kicked off with Lion. Behind this one they found Hirst’s ‘Cupric Nitrate’ - Mr. Tumble’s Bag – Pudsey’s bandage – Twister Mat. I’ll be honest, I didn’t get it until the last clue, as did the Francs, who now saw that these were all spotted. The Fans chose eye of Horus, which gave an early airing to the music set. From the first three clues the Fans could see that the artists are all titled Mr. something. I don’t know whether to be pleased or disappointed that the eponymous Mr. Blobby was not part of the set. The Francs picked Horned Viper, and again I was pleased to see Mark voicing the second vowel of Horned. Just adds a little class to the show, I think. Aglaia, Euphrosyne and Thalia came first. The 3 Graces? I wondered. Peep-Bo , Pitti Sing and Yum-Yumnext. 3 little maids from school, I considered, ransacking my feeble stock of Gilbert and Sullivan knowledge. Olga, Masha and Irina were, I knew, Chekhov’s Three Sisters, so I guessed that groups of three sisters was exactly what we had. The Francs didn’t use the word sisters, or the idea, despite being given another bite at the cherry, allowing the Fans to see the last set – Regan, Goneril and Cordelia. That brought them a bonus. For their second set they picked Two Reeds. This brought up Wiccan Initiation – hmmm – Assets become Long Term – Hmm hmm – Legal limit for murder pre 1996 hmm hmm hmm and The length of the Owl and the Pussycat’s journey. Well, I knew that they sailed away for a year and a day. Which turned out to be the right answer, since they all take ( at least ) a year and a day. Twisted Flax gave the Francs pictures. Now, they were in very quickly after seeing a still from the Man Who Shot Liberty Vallence, and a picture of the longer lasting Pop Stars group Liberty X, to give the connection as Liberty. Good shout that. Left with Water the Fans had a small one horse carriage – Anglo-Indian very good – Former Finnish currency and that was enough to give them words ending with kka. Chukka from polo would have completed it. A good round for the Fans that, then, and they led by 6 to the Francs’ 4.
Round Two – What Comes Fourth?
The Francs again went first, and this time elected to open the Eye of Horus. Given New and Crescent they knew that they were dealing with Moon Phases. They elected to take the third, which was first quarter, but their answer of half was wrong. The Fans couldn’t take it, but I had heard the Francs earlier mention then throw away the correct answer – gibbous. Hard lines there. The Fans courted disaster when Marianne chose not to voice the second vowel of Horned Viper – but then each to their own. This revealed Donaghy, Buena, Buchanan – and here Stewart recognized these as members of the Sugababes. He’s a better man than I am. Buena, Buchanan, Range followed, which seemed to confirm the hypothesis. Buchanan, Range, Berrabah was the third, then Stewart came to the conclusion that the original line up had reformed, so offered Donaghy, Buena and Buchanan. Good thinking, but not the answer. The Francs couldn’t get it either. The correct answer was Range, Berrabah and Ewen. The point being that none of the original members remained by the time of this line up. You pays yer money . . . The Francs took the Twisted Flax and kicked off with 3125. Now this was followed by 256.The third was 27, which made the Francs think in terms of cube numbers , and go for 8. Incorrect. The Fans came in with 4, and scooped the bonus. We were dealing with numbers to the power of themselves – 5 to the power of 5, 4 to the power of 4, and so on down. Fiendish but gettable. Not having chosen Lion up to this point that’s exactly what the Fans did next. Lanzarote suggested Canary Islands in increasing or decreasing order of size.Gran Canaria followed, then Fuerteventura. I bet the Francs were sorry that they hadn’t picked up this relatively gentle set, since the Fans could easily see that Tenerife completed the set. They picked two reeds for their own last set, and this opened up with 2200: Candidate Master. They had chess right from the start, but took the next – 2300: FIDE Grand Master, which led them to go for the logical 2500: Grand Master. Quite right. Left with only Water the Fans had pictures, and we saw someone with big ears, and then someone looking through a magnifying glass, giving her big eyes and a big nose. Little Red Riding Hood? - I wondered – which would end with big teeth. The third picture showed someone with ridiculously distorted big hands. The Fans missed it, but the Francs had it, same as I did. That rather helped the Francs, since now the Fans led by just 1 point, with 9 to the Francs’ 8.
Round Three – The Connecting Walls
The Fans had to go into bat first and they plumped for water. They isolated a set of magic words quite logically, these being Shazam – Expelliarmus – Sim Sala Bim and Abracadabra. I could see a set of Bette Midler films there, but the Fans isolated Eve – Izanami – Embla and Pandora next. These were all women in creation myths. Good shout that one. They froze the wall with three incorrect attempts. When it was resolved at first they couldn’t see that Beaches – Hocus Pocus – Stella and The Rose were all Bette Midler films. Not fans of the Divine Miss M, I guess, but they squeezed the answer out right at the death. They did know that Angry Birds – Vine – Instagram and Fruit Ninja are all mobile popular apps. 6 points altogether.
The Francs had the Water Wall, and quickly isolated a set of mythical birds – not as easy as it looks since there were too many of them. They took out Garuda – Roc – Harpy and Thunderbird. I saw a set of acting families there. The Francs could see actors, but it took them a moment or two to get the family connection – with Wilson – Phoenix – Arquette and Baldwin. From Mark’s reaction the resolution of the wall they managed soon after came as something of a surprise. Who cares – they all count. The third set – Phantom – Interceptor – Dignity and Equus they didn’t get. All of them are luxury cars. The final set I’d worked out as things you can burn – calories – bridges – CDs and Rubber. They just couldn’t see it, I’m afraid. This meant that they earned 6 points too. So we were all set for a grandstand finish in the final round.
Round Four – Missing Vowels
The first category of seats fell to the Fans by 2 – 1, with neither team recognising pillion. The second category was female tennis players, and with the Francs winning this set 3 – 1 we were all square in the match. Top 20 Great British Designs was a terrific category to follow, and this fell to the Francs by 2 – 1. For the first time since the very first set, the Francs were actually in the lead. The last category – films about nuns – gave them another 3 points to the Fans’ 1, and that was enough to see them win by 23 – 20. It's fair to say that this one was another show that vindicates the decision to give each of the teams more than one match this year. Well played both.
Sunday, 26 May 2013
New Posts and Lucky Pens
Maybe last week didn’t quite live up to the highs of the previous one quiz-wise, but it made up for it in other ways, and even in narrow quiz terms it certainly wasn’t lacking in interest.
Half term week is now upon us, and I won’t say that I’m extremely sorry about that. My year group for this academic year is Year 11. It’s always a strange time, preparing to say goodbye to a group of children you’ve worked with really closely for four years, and in the last few weeks we’ve had all of the excitement of preparing for their leaving the school, organizing revision sessions, etc. etc. It’s been a busy time. Then, rather out of the blue, during the last week the Head came and asked me to take over as Head of English from the coming September. Given the choice I would have preferred that it hadn’t come about in the circumstances that it has, and it’s really not my place to go into any detail about them, but if I said that I’m not very happy to be taking the job on, and relinquishing my Head of Year post, then I’d be lying. The Governors happened to be meeting later that day, and the appointment was ratified before I went home that evening. I’m sure it’s going to be a steep learning curve, but I’m already really looking forward to it.
Well, that’s all outside of quizzing anyway. As for quizzing, well, I only played in a couple of quizzes last week. On Sunday in the Dyffryn Arms the landlord introduced a sound round to the quiz, with 10 speaking voices to identify. I’m afraid that I’m a bit pants at this sort of thing, and so when that round played out it ended our chances of a win. Oh well, can’t win ‘em all. I won’t be winning it tonight either since it’s my turn to be question master tonight.
On Monday night we were back in the Pill Harriers. When you get out of the habit of going to a quiz like this one you can easily forget what a terrific quiz it actually is. Maybe I’m mellowing in my old age, but even though we didn’t manage to win this time, the fact is that I really enjoyed the quiz. We might have won, but we covered ourselves in shame on the handout. There’s normally between 50 and 60 points available on the list handout, and I’m afraid that we were rubbish on the list of films that won the Oscar for Best Picture which begin with the letter A. OK – we messed it up, but you’ve got to admit, it’s a pretty good question to put in a handout, isn’t it.
As for Thursday, well, since neither Brian nor I was question master we had what passes for a full team. Lemurs, the strongest team in the club, were missing two members, and this gave us our second win in a row – and this is a rare occurrence for us. Alwyn, the QM, used a four part question to end each round, and I’m guessing that this probably exaggerated the margin of victory. What is more worthy of note is that we won the picture quiz. I say worthy of note, because we never win the picture quiz. In fact we never outscore Lemurs in the picture quiz. So I have to make the most of it, because it will probably never happen again.
-------------------------------------------------
Do you have a lucky pen? I’ve had a lucky shirt for several years now, but never really a lucky pen. I’d better explain this.
If you’re a regular you’ll know how important Mastermind is to me. Well, three or four weeks ago I saw on eBay (LAM would like to remind you that other internet auction sites are available) that a production assistant who worked on the show in the mid 80s was selling a couple of items she’d picked up during her time working on the show. One of them was a pen. It’s a black ballpoint, which has the BBC logo, and the word Mastermind in the font they used for the titles in the mid 80s. On the cap is a wee silhouette of the chair. I bought the lot, and when it all arrived I bought a new refill, and put it in the pen. I’ve used it for every quiz I’ve played in since, winning 5, drawing 1 and losing 3. Is that enough to qualify it as a lucky pen? Probably not. I’m not quite so sad that I keep a strict record of my wins, losses and draws, but I wouldn’t be that surprised if these results are broadly in line with my results from the pre-pen era. Still, if it does turn out that the pen actually lacks the power to materially influence the results in a quiz, then there’s always the power of the shirt to fall back on . . .
Half term week is now upon us, and I won’t say that I’m extremely sorry about that. My year group for this academic year is Year 11. It’s always a strange time, preparing to say goodbye to a group of children you’ve worked with really closely for four years, and in the last few weeks we’ve had all of the excitement of preparing for their leaving the school, organizing revision sessions, etc. etc. It’s been a busy time. Then, rather out of the blue, during the last week the Head came and asked me to take over as Head of English from the coming September. Given the choice I would have preferred that it hadn’t come about in the circumstances that it has, and it’s really not my place to go into any detail about them, but if I said that I’m not very happy to be taking the job on, and relinquishing my Head of Year post, then I’d be lying. The Governors happened to be meeting later that day, and the appointment was ratified before I went home that evening. I’m sure it’s going to be a steep learning curve, but I’m already really looking forward to it.
Well, that’s all outside of quizzing anyway. As for quizzing, well, I only played in a couple of quizzes last week. On Sunday in the Dyffryn Arms the landlord introduced a sound round to the quiz, with 10 speaking voices to identify. I’m afraid that I’m a bit pants at this sort of thing, and so when that round played out it ended our chances of a win. Oh well, can’t win ‘em all. I won’t be winning it tonight either since it’s my turn to be question master tonight.
On Monday night we were back in the Pill Harriers. When you get out of the habit of going to a quiz like this one you can easily forget what a terrific quiz it actually is. Maybe I’m mellowing in my old age, but even though we didn’t manage to win this time, the fact is that I really enjoyed the quiz. We might have won, but we covered ourselves in shame on the handout. There’s normally between 50 and 60 points available on the list handout, and I’m afraid that we were rubbish on the list of films that won the Oscar for Best Picture which begin with the letter A. OK – we messed it up, but you’ve got to admit, it’s a pretty good question to put in a handout, isn’t it.
As for Thursday, well, since neither Brian nor I was question master we had what passes for a full team. Lemurs, the strongest team in the club, were missing two members, and this gave us our second win in a row – and this is a rare occurrence for us. Alwyn, the QM, used a four part question to end each round, and I’m guessing that this probably exaggerated the margin of victory. What is more worthy of note is that we won the picture quiz. I say worthy of note, because we never win the picture quiz. In fact we never outscore Lemurs in the picture quiz. So I have to make the most of it, because it will probably never happen again.
-------------------------------------------------
Do you have a lucky pen? I’ve had a lucky shirt for several years now, but never really a lucky pen. I’d better explain this.
If you’re a regular you’ll know how important Mastermind is to me. Well, three or four weeks ago I saw on eBay (LAM would like to remind you that other internet auction sites are available) that a production assistant who worked on the show in the mid 80s was selling a couple of items she’d picked up during her time working on the show. One of them was a pen. It’s a black ballpoint, which has the BBC logo, and the word Mastermind in the font they used for the titles in the mid 80s. On the cap is a wee silhouette of the chair. I bought the lot, and when it all arrived I bought a new refill, and put it in the pen. I’ve used it for every quiz I’ve played in since, winning 5, drawing 1 and losing 3. Is that enough to qualify it as a lucky pen? Probably not. I’m not quite so sad that I keep a strict record of my wins, losses and draws, but I wouldn’t be that surprised if these results are broadly in line with my results from the pre-pen era. Still, if it does turn out that the pen actually lacks the power to materially influence the results in a quiz, then there’s always the power of the shirt to fall back on . . .
Only Connect - Round One Match 2 - Celts v. Cartophiles
Only Connect Round One Match 2 – The Cartophiles v. The Celts
You know, back in the day when Gary, Lisa and I were originally applying for the 3rd series of OC, we originally thought we’d make Celtic roots our connection. Then we couldn’t make the auditions, Lisa couldn’t make the 4th series, so we recruited Neil and we dropped the Celtic thing. So it was nice to see another team picking up the idea and running with it. The Celts were University of Wales graduates Beverley Downes, Huw Pritchard and David Pritchard. As for their opponents, the Cartophiles, they were Colin Kidd, Mark Cooper and Josh Mandel. Colin is a Masterminder, so has some TV pedigree. Victoria reminded us that it will be au revoir rather than goodbye to both teams at the end of the show, since everyone gets to play again, and even teams that lose their first game can still make it to the semi finals, and then we were off.
Round One – What’s the Connection?
The Celts elected to take the first set behind two reeds. This was a picture set – showing the Alhambra, which means the red one in Arabic – The Red Fort – then the Moulin Rouge, and at this they had the connection that they were all called the Red something. The last would have been Red Square. Good start. The Carts picked Twisted Flax, and saw Mariah Carey +11, Princess Anne +5, Sam Taylor-Johnson +23, and this was the giveaway for me as well as the Carts. These represented the difference between these ladies’ ages and that of their spouses. The Celts picked Lion, which gave us Music. We heard Blue Velvet – Boogie Nights – and we both had the answer at the same time. The songs share their titles with films. A relatively gentle one that, but only if you knew the names of the songs. Water gave the Carts - His physiognomy is so grammatical – O, he will dissolve my mystery – He is the very pine-apple of politeness – and here I was thinking of Mrs. Malaprop – and so it turned out were the Carts. A good round for both teams so far. The Celts picked Horned Viper for ‘Civilization V’ – Chicken Wire – Graphite Crystal and Blockbusters Board. The last one made it clear that they were all hexagonal. One point which proved that it can often be worthwhile keeping your heads until the last clue is revealed. The Eye of Horus gave Puyi – Wilhelm II – which were clearly last Emperors of China and Germany respectively. Both of the teams had showed knowledge and tactical awareness, with neither team throwing away points by wading in too early, or by being too cautious. It was looking like a good match, and at this stage the Carts led with 7 to 6. Good round.
Round Two – what comes fourth?
The Celts began with Eye of Horus. This was 4: Freedom from Unreasonable searches. Then we had 3: Protection from quartering of troops. 2: The right to bear arms. They had it figured out that we were dealing with the US Bill of rights, and gave 1: Freedom of Speech . Good enough. The Carts followed this by opting for Two reeds. This was a picture set, and showed us the National Gallery. - Not "You’re the tops", again, surely? I wondered. No, the second was The British Museum – the third the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art , which made this the list of the world’s most visited Art Museums, and so the Louvre completed the set for a Celts bonus. For their own next set they opted for water. Alberto Contador led me to think about taking a flyer with Bradley Wiggins. The second , Andy Shleck looked good. If the third was Cadel Evans, then I was in the money. It was, and I had my best answer of the day. The Celts had it off two, and were looking very good value for this round. Lion gave the Carts some pictures. We saw a set of what it transpired were teletubies aerials! Kudos to the setter for that one! It beat both teams, but I’ll guess not a lot of people at home. The Celts chose twisted flax, and saw Receptacle – Ovary – Style. Hmm, I’ll admit that I was struggling here. The Celts had no idea. The Carts knew it was central parts of a flower, but they zigged with stamen when they should have zagged with stamen. Very bad luck, that one. To finish the round the Carts had horned viper. 0=Green – 1=Red made me think roulette wheel , which would mean 3= red. I was right! So were the Carts, who took the full set and this confirmed the answer for them. Even so this just meant that they had narrowed the Celts’ lead slightly, as they now led by 12 – 9.
Round Three – The Connecting Walls
The Carts went first, and given the choice they opted for Lion. I saw a set of named weapons at first. The Carts could see parts of a ship, and musical terms. The chip parts unraveled first, then they saw the weapons and took them out of the game as well. With some careful working out they unraveled the last two sets on the first go. Good work that. So they knew that Bilge – Hold – Galley and Wardroom were parts of a ship. The weapons were Mjöllnir, Sting, Hrunting and Excalibur. Victoria really wanted Magical weapons but she gave them it – quite right too. Cadenza – Coda – Bridge and Movement they knew were parts of a piece of music. This left Half-pass – Flying change – Passage and Piaffe. I’ll b e honest, I didn’t think it was quite ballet, which the Carts offered, but I didn’t have dressage movements either. Still, a good 7 points for the Carts meant that the Celts needed to do well on their own wall.
Given the Water wall to solve the Celts saw several categories fairly quickly. However they took a while to unravel their first set – Wallace – Burton-Race – Hollywood and Leith – all TV cookery judges. Then Portobello – Morningside – Jopp and Davidson’s Mains, which are all places in Edinburgh. Oyster – Black trumpet – Beefsteak and Blewit fell almost immediately, a set of edible fungi. This left Home – Lost – Everything –Haven’t Met You Yet which are obviously Michael Bublé singles. The Celts, then were obviously more than equal to the challenge. Their lead was now extended to 6 points, 22 to the Carts’ 16.
Round Four – Missing Vowels
The first set was Nuts and Seeds. The Carts took two to the Celts’ one, but they also lost a point for an incorrect buzz. Films starring Audrey Hepburn fell 2 apiece. Ten letter occupations went 2 – 1 to the Carts. Poisonous substances went the other way – 2 -1 to the Celts. The Carts took another two points on religious movements, but it wasn’t enough, as the Celts won 28 – 22. This was a good show between two quality sides, and it makes you glad that both will get another chance later on in the series.
You know, back in the day when Gary, Lisa and I were originally applying for the 3rd series of OC, we originally thought we’d make Celtic roots our connection. Then we couldn’t make the auditions, Lisa couldn’t make the 4th series, so we recruited Neil and we dropped the Celtic thing. So it was nice to see another team picking up the idea and running with it. The Celts were University of Wales graduates Beverley Downes, Huw Pritchard and David Pritchard. As for their opponents, the Cartophiles, they were Colin Kidd, Mark Cooper and Josh Mandel. Colin is a Masterminder, so has some TV pedigree. Victoria reminded us that it will be au revoir rather than goodbye to both teams at the end of the show, since everyone gets to play again, and even teams that lose their first game can still make it to the semi finals, and then we were off.
Round One – What’s the Connection?
The Celts elected to take the first set behind two reeds. This was a picture set – showing the Alhambra, which means the red one in Arabic – The Red Fort – then the Moulin Rouge, and at this they had the connection that they were all called the Red something. The last would have been Red Square. Good start. The Carts picked Twisted Flax, and saw Mariah Carey +11, Princess Anne +5, Sam Taylor-Johnson +23, and this was the giveaway for me as well as the Carts. These represented the difference between these ladies’ ages and that of their spouses. The Celts picked Lion, which gave us Music. We heard Blue Velvet – Boogie Nights – and we both had the answer at the same time. The songs share their titles with films. A relatively gentle one that, but only if you knew the names of the songs. Water gave the Carts - His physiognomy is so grammatical – O, he will dissolve my mystery – He is the very pine-apple of politeness – and here I was thinking of Mrs. Malaprop – and so it turned out were the Carts. A good round for both teams so far. The Celts picked Horned Viper for ‘Civilization V’ – Chicken Wire – Graphite Crystal and Blockbusters Board. The last one made it clear that they were all hexagonal. One point which proved that it can often be worthwhile keeping your heads until the last clue is revealed. The Eye of Horus gave Puyi – Wilhelm II – which were clearly last Emperors of China and Germany respectively. Both of the teams had showed knowledge and tactical awareness, with neither team throwing away points by wading in too early, or by being too cautious. It was looking like a good match, and at this stage the Carts led with 7 to 6. Good round.
Round Two – what comes fourth?
The Celts began with Eye of Horus. This was 4: Freedom from Unreasonable searches. Then we had 3: Protection from quartering of troops. 2: The right to bear arms. They had it figured out that we were dealing with the US Bill of rights, and gave 1: Freedom of Speech . Good enough. The Carts followed this by opting for Two reeds. This was a picture set, and showed us the National Gallery. - Not "You’re the tops", again, surely? I wondered. No, the second was The British Museum – the third the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art , which made this the list of the world’s most visited Art Museums, and so the Louvre completed the set for a Celts bonus. For their own next set they opted for water. Alberto Contador led me to think about taking a flyer with Bradley Wiggins. The second , Andy Shleck looked good. If the third was Cadel Evans, then I was in the money. It was, and I had my best answer of the day. The Celts had it off two, and were looking very good value for this round. Lion gave the Carts some pictures. We saw a set of what it transpired were teletubies aerials! Kudos to the setter for that one! It beat both teams, but I’ll guess not a lot of people at home. The Celts chose twisted flax, and saw Receptacle – Ovary – Style. Hmm, I’ll admit that I was struggling here. The Celts had no idea. The Carts knew it was central parts of a flower, but they zigged with stamen when they should have zagged with stamen. Very bad luck, that one. To finish the round the Carts had horned viper. 0=Green – 1=Red made me think roulette wheel , which would mean 3= red. I was right! So were the Carts, who took the full set and this confirmed the answer for them. Even so this just meant that they had narrowed the Celts’ lead slightly, as they now led by 12 – 9.
Round Three – The Connecting Walls
The Carts went first, and given the choice they opted for Lion. I saw a set of named weapons at first. The Carts could see parts of a ship, and musical terms. The chip parts unraveled first, then they saw the weapons and took them out of the game as well. With some careful working out they unraveled the last two sets on the first go. Good work that. So they knew that Bilge – Hold – Galley and Wardroom were parts of a ship. The weapons were Mjöllnir, Sting, Hrunting and Excalibur. Victoria really wanted Magical weapons but she gave them it – quite right too. Cadenza – Coda – Bridge and Movement they knew were parts of a piece of music. This left Half-pass – Flying change – Passage and Piaffe. I’ll b e honest, I didn’t think it was quite ballet, which the Carts offered, but I didn’t have dressage movements either. Still, a good 7 points for the Carts meant that the Celts needed to do well on their own wall.
Given the Water wall to solve the Celts saw several categories fairly quickly. However they took a while to unravel their first set – Wallace – Burton-Race – Hollywood and Leith – all TV cookery judges. Then Portobello – Morningside – Jopp and Davidson’s Mains, which are all places in Edinburgh. Oyster – Black trumpet – Beefsteak and Blewit fell almost immediately, a set of edible fungi. This left Home – Lost – Everything –Haven’t Met You Yet which are obviously Michael Bublé singles. The Celts, then were obviously more than equal to the challenge. Their lead was now extended to 6 points, 22 to the Carts’ 16.
Round Four – Missing Vowels
The first set was Nuts and Seeds. The Carts took two to the Celts’ one, but they also lost a point for an incorrect buzz. Films starring Audrey Hepburn fell 2 apiece. Ten letter occupations went 2 – 1 to the Carts. Poisonous substances went the other way – 2 -1 to the Celts. The Carts took another two points on religious movements, but it wasn’t enough, as the Celts won 28 – 22. This was a good show between two quality sides, and it makes you glad that both will get another chance later on in the series.
Saturday, 25 May 2013
Only Connect - New Series - Match One - Corpuscles v. Cat Lovers
Right – I’m sorry that I’m so late with my review of the first show of the new series. There is an explanation, but let’s get on with the show for the moment. Episode One then, pitted the Corpuscles – Paul Taylor – Seb Page and captain Sam Kay against the Cat Lovers – Roger Johnson – Jean Upton and Captain Jim Crozier. Now, a word about Sam Kay. he is none other than the Sam Kay who was the unwitting cause of all the controversy in the 2008-9 series of University Challenge. Sam was a team mate of Gail Trimble in the magnificent Corpus Christi team who were disqualified after the grand final because Sam had in fact finished his studies and moved on ( I think ) by the time that the Final was played. Well, I said my views about this at the time. Why I bring it up is to say that Sam at least had quiz show pedigree going into the show.
Right, so what’s new? Well, carrying on with the UC theme, our Jeremy often mentions the labyrinthine, if it were not to say Byzantine complexity of the rules of qualification for the semi finals. Actually they really aren’t that complicated. Well, the good people at OC have taken a leaf out of their book. Basically a loss in round one does not mean automatic elimination. As I understand it you have to win twice in order to qualify for the semis. Lose twice, and you’re out of there. Or something like that. Anyway, it means that all of the teams in the first round will get to play again. Let’s get on with the show.
Round One – What’s the Connection?
The Corpuscles were put into bat by the Cat Lovers, and they chose to kick off, if you’ll pardon the mixed metaphor – or to take strike if you won’t – with or from water. Cyrus the Younger’s Mercenaries meant little to me – Eyes watching Casey at the Bat ( a popular American narrative poem ) little more – but Mo Farah’s first Olympic Gold strongly suggested 10,000. Alas, the Corpuscles zigged with 5000 when they should have zagged with 10000. I predicted the Grand Old Duke of York would be the last clue, but no, it was myriad. That was enough for the Cat Lovers. For their own first set they chose Lion and the Music set. The first was Monsoon singing Ever So Lonely. I didn’t remember the second. The third was All Saints with Never Ever and the last was Oasis with Wonderwall. Hmm. Monsoon – Lush – All Saints and Oasis all share their names with High Street Retailers. Which just goes to show how much I know about High Street Retailers. Neither team managed that one. The Corpuscles picked Twisted Flax. I didn’t know On St. Geoffrey’s Day. However On The Greek Calends, if you’ve read “I,Claudius” was a favourite saying of the Emperor Augustus, and it means never, for there was no Greek Calends. In The Reign of Queen Dick and When Dover and Calais meet confirmed it. Respect to Jim the Cat Lover Captain for voicing the second vowel in Horned Viper as he asked for it. Pictures were revealed of a position in American Football, and the Humphrey Davy Miners Lamp. Great thinking from the Cat Lovers saw them answer that the connection was Safety. Soon as they said it I could see it, but my mind certainly hadn’t been running along those lines up till then. Eye of Horus gave the Corps The Green Knight – Electric Toothbrush – Kryten – ( at which I was thinking they all had removable heads – Kryten and the Green Knight did ) Worzel Gummidge confirmed it. The Cat Lovers earned the bonus. They said that they can all change their heads – not strictly true since although the Green Knight was equally happy whether his head was on his shoulders or not, he didn’t actually swpa it for another – but it was close enough. Two Reeds finished the round for the Cats. Now, Harry Bailey was the landlord of the Tabard Inn in the Canterbury Tales. Mistress Quickly was an innkeeper in The Merry Wives of Windsor. I would probably have gambled on the Canterbury Tales and gone wrong for the first, but when she came up it became pretty clear. Neither Monseiur and Madame Thenardier nor Barliman Butterbar from the Lord of the Rings brought an instant response, but Roger Johnson saw it first, and thus a point was saved. This completed a profitable first round for the Cats, who led the Corps by 6 – 1.
Round Two – What Comes Fourth?
The Corps kicked off, and sadly Sam Kay opted not to voice the second vowel in Horned Viper. We saw a picture of a green rosette with a number 4 in the middle, then a yellow one with 3. The Corps came out with an ingenious answer related to the 2010 General Election, which would logically end with a blue rosette with a 1 in it. Not correct. In fact the next was a blue rosette with 2. The Cats guessed it would be red rosette with 1. Apparently the Corps had it with the first clue, but didn’t pursue it. The connection was rosettes in horse show competitions. Eye of Horus gave the Cats 17: 3 and 2 – 18: 1 and 4 – 19: 7 and 3 -. Me? No idea. I don’t think the Cats knew either, as their guess failed to hit the mark. So did the Corps. I’ll be honest, this was egg on face moment 1 of the series, since I once played darts for the long demolished Duke of Cambridge in Lewisham. So of course it would be 20: 5 and 1. I think Jim, who slapped his forehead, felt like I did. The Corps found pictures in Lion. We saw a pair of glasses – would looked like a cutaway drawing of the human male reproductive system, paying particular attention to the testes – and that was it! The Coprs buzzed immediately with watch – spectacles – testicles – wallet and watch. What a great set! Kudos to the setter who came up with that one. Two reeds gave the Cats Staff – Clef – and I knew we were probably in the realm of musical notation here. The Cats gambled with key Signature, but that was next, not fourth. The Corps offered Time Signature, and that was enough for the bonus. It was rapidly becoming a good round for the Corps. They took Twisted Flax for their last set in the round. Delta: Secondary Electrons – oh dear, Science, thought I – Gamma : Short Electromagnetic Waves came next. I toyed with making something up for Alpha radiation, but decided that discretion was the better part of valour and sat this one out. The Corps knew it – Alpha : Helium Nucleii – which Victoria hailed as a perfect answer. I’ll be honest, the last set, which awaited the Cats behind Water, was much more my level. Orville and Abraham led me to confidently predict Bart , as in successive generations of the Simpson family. Homer in third clinched it for the Cats. SO that point was enough to ensure that they finished the round 1 point ahead with 9 to the Corps’ 8.
Round Three – The Connecting Walls
The Cats picked the Lion Wall. By a great and logical process of elimination they found the set of Toy Story Characters – Etch – Hamm – Rex and Woody.They knew that there was a set of detectives there, but time ran out, and they didn’t unravel another set. When it was resolved they saw Viral – Buzz – Live In and Guerilla and Jim offered types of campaign. I don’t know if he meant marketing, but that was accepted by Victoria. Corbis, Getty, Magnum and Alamy I didn’t get, and neither did the Cats. They are picture agencies. This left our Detectives – Marlowe – Spade – Queen and Poirot. So a total lf 4 then for the Cats.
The Corps took water. Quickly they found Clegg – Eden – Butler and Atlee – all Deputy PMs at one time or another. Babylon – Kew – Versailles and Monet they could see all had famous gardens. They could see a set of things you can pass, and I could see that this left Nobel Prize winners for Literature. They fancied Buck for something to pass, though, when it would only work with her in the Nobel group. This they seemed to work out for themselves, and resolved the wall with time to spare. They didn’t get the Deputy PMs, opting for party leaders. They had the gardens and the things to pass, but despairingly plumped for members of the Doors for the Nobel laureates. 6 points were gained from a wall which had promised more, but nonetheless this gave them a 1 point lead of 14 to 13 going into round four.
Round Four – Missing Vowels
The Corps took first blood in the vowels round. The category of sausages though fell to the Cats by 3 – 1. Cats led by one. Films with colours in the title was the next category. The Cats took the first two. Then the Corps were unlucky because they didn’t say the A at the start of A Clockwork Orange. Harsh but correct adjudication. Soylent Green gave the Corps a point back, but with the score at 19 – 15 it was looking good for the Cats. Countries that have gained Independence since 1990 promised most for the team with the better general knowledge. Now, the Corps took the first two. Then the Cats lost a point for buzzing and hesitating. If the Corps could get it, then I reckoned it would be all square. But they couldn’t, and that was it. The Cats won by 18 – 17. A good show.
Well, as Victoria said at the start, we’ll see the Cats again – but we’ll also see the Corps.Good stuff.
Right, so what’s new? Well, carrying on with the UC theme, our Jeremy often mentions the labyrinthine, if it were not to say Byzantine complexity of the rules of qualification for the semi finals. Actually they really aren’t that complicated. Well, the good people at OC have taken a leaf out of their book. Basically a loss in round one does not mean automatic elimination. As I understand it you have to win twice in order to qualify for the semis. Lose twice, and you’re out of there. Or something like that. Anyway, it means that all of the teams in the first round will get to play again. Let’s get on with the show.
Round One – What’s the Connection?
The Corpuscles were put into bat by the Cat Lovers, and they chose to kick off, if you’ll pardon the mixed metaphor – or to take strike if you won’t – with or from water. Cyrus the Younger’s Mercenaries meant little to me – Eyes watching Casey at the Bat ( a popular American narrative poem ) little more – but Mo Farah’s first Olympic Gold strongly suggested 10,000. Alas, the Corpuscles zigged with 5000 when they should have zagged with 10000. I predicted the Grand Old Duke of York would be the last clue, but no, it was myriad. That was enough for the Cat Lovers. For their own first set they chose Lion and the Music set. The first was Monsoon singing Ever So Lonely. I didn’t remember the second. The third was All Saints with Never Ever and the last was Oasis with Wonderwall. Hmm. Monsoon – Lush – All Saints and Oasis all share their names with High Street Retailers. Which just goes to show how much I know about High Street Retailers. Neither team managed that one. The Corpuscles picked Twisted Flax. I didn’t know On St. Geoffrey’s Day. However On The Greek Calends, if you’ve read “I,Claudius” was a favourite saying of the Emperor Augustus, and it means never, for there was no Greek Calends. In The Reign of Queen Dick and When Dover and Calais meet confirmed it. Respect to Jim the Cat Lover Captain for voicing the second vowel in Horned Viper as he asked for it. Pictures were revealed of a position in American Football, and the Humphrey Davy Miners Lamp. Great thinking from the Cat Lovers saw them answer that the connection was Safety. Soon as they said it I could see it, but my mind certainly hadn’t been running along those lines up till then. Eye of Horus gave the Corps The Green Knight – Electric Toothbrush – Kryten – ( at which I was thinking they all had removable heads – Kryten and the Green Knight did ) Worzel Gummidge confirmed it. The Cat Lovers earned the bonus. They said that they can all change their heads – not strictly true since although the Green Knight was equally happy whether his head was on his shoulders or not, he didn’t actually swpa it for another – but it was close enough. Two Reeds finished the round for the Cats. Now, Harry Bailey was the landlord of the Tabard Inn in the Canterbury Tales. Mistress Quickly was an innkeeper in The Merry Wives of Windsor. I would probably have gambled on the Canterbury Tales and gone wrong for the first, but when she came up it became pretty clear. Neither Monseiur and Madame Thenardier nor Barliman Butterbar from the Lord of the Rings brought an instant response, but Roger Johnson saw it first, and thus a point was saved. This completed a profitable first round for the Cats, who led the Corps by 6 – 1.
Round Two – What Comes Fourth?
The Corps kicked off, and sadly Sam Kay opted not to voice the second vowel in Horned Viper. We saw a picture of a green rosette with a number 4 in the middle, then a yellow one with 3. The Corps came out with an ingenious answer related to the 2010 General Election, which would logically end with a blue rosette with a 1 in it. Not correct. In fact the next was a blue rosette with 2. The Cats guessed it would be red rosette with 1. Apparently the Corps had it with the first clue, but didn’t pursue it. The connection was rosettes in horse show competitions. Eye of Horus gave the Cats 17: 3 and 2 – 18: 1 and 4 – 19: 7 and 3 -. Me? No idea. I don’t think the Cats knew either, as their guess failed to hit the mark. So did the Corps. I’ll be honest, this was egg on face moment 1 of the series, since I once played darts for the long demolished Duke of Cambridge in Lewisham. So of course it would be 20: 5 and 1. I think Jim, who slapped his forehead, felt like I did. The Corps found pictures in Lion. We saw a pair of glasses – would looked like a cutaway drawing of the human male reproductive system, paying particular attention to the testes – and that was it! The Coprs buzzed immediately with watch – spectacles – testicles – wallet and watch. What a great set! Kudos to the setter who came up with that one. Two reeds gave the Cats Staff – Clef – and I knew we were probably in the realm of musical notation here. The Cats gambled with key Signature, but that was next, not fourth. The Corps offered Time Signature, and that was enough for the bonus. It was rapidly becoming a good round for the Corps. They took Twisted Flax for their last set in the round. Delta: Secondary Electrons – oh dear, Science, thought I – Gamma : Short Electromagnetic Waves came next. I toyed with making something up for Alpha radiation, but decided that discretion was the better part of valour and sat this one out. The Corps knew it – Alpha : Helium Nucleii – which Victoria hailed as a perfect answer. I’ll be honest, the last set, which awaited the Cats behind Water, was much more my level. Orville and Abraham led me to confidently predict Bart , as in successive generations of the Simpson family. Homer in third clinched it for the Cats. SO that point was enough to ensure that they finished the round 1 point ahead with 9 to the Corps’ 8.
Round Three – The Connecting Walls
The Cats picked the Lion Wall. By a great and logical process of elimination they found the set of Toy Story Characters – Etch – Hamm – Rex and Woody.They knew that there was a set of detectives there, but time ran out, and they didn’t unravel another set. When it was resolved they saw Viral – Buzz – Live In and Guerilla and Jim offered types of campaign. I don’t know if he meant marketing, but that was accepted by Victoria. Corbis, Getty, Magnum and Alamy I didn’t get, and neither did the Cats. They are picture agencies. This left our Detectives – Marlowe – Spade – Queen and Poirot. So a total lf 4 then for the Cats.
The Corps took water. Quickly they found Clegg – Eden – Butler and Atlee – all Deputy PMs at one time or another. Babylon – Kew – Versailles and Monet they could see all had famous gardens. They could see a set of things you can pass, and I could see that this left Nobel Prize winners for Literature. They fancied Buck for something to pass, though, when it would only work with her in the Nobel group. This they seemed to work out for themselves, and resolved the wall with time to spare. They didn’t get the Deputy PMs, opting for party leaders. They had the gardens and the things to pass, but despairingly plumped for members of the Doors for the Nobel laureates. 6 points were gained from a wall which had promised more, but nonetheless this gave them a 1 point lead of 14 to 13 going into round four.
Round Four – Missing Vowels
The Corps took first blood in the vowels round. The category of sausages though fell to the Cats by 3 – 1. Cats led by one. Films with colours in the title was the next category. The Cats took the first two. Then the Corps were unlucky because they didn’t say the A at the start of A Clockwork Orange. Harsh but correct adjudication. Soylent Green gave the Corps a point back, but with the score at 19 – 15 it was looking good for the Cats. Countries that have gained Independence since 1990 promised most for the team with the better general knowledge. Now, the Corps took the first two. Then the Cats lost a point for buzzing and hesitating. If the Corps could get it, then I reckoned it would be all square. But they couldn’t, and that was it. The Cats won by 18 – 17. A good show.
Well, as Victoria said at the start, we’ll see the Cats again – but we’ll also see the Corps.Good stuff.
News Questions
In the News
Who or what are the following, and why have they been in the news?
1. Lord Feldman
2. Tim Peake
3. Time
4. Tumblr
5. Emmelie de Forest
6. Neville Neville
7. Joe Farman
8. Forget Me Not Garden
9. Julian Stevenson
10. Encke
11. Kenton Cool
12. Bolt
13. Michael Wilshaw
14. Sir David Nicholson
15. Tim Cook
16. Eddie Braben
17. Dominique Venner
18. Bradley Davies
19. Lydia Davis
20. Eric Joyce
21. John Anthony Downey
22. Francisco Schettino
23. Michael Adebolajo – Michael Adebowale
24. Ingrid Loyau-Kennett
25. H7N9
26. South Lakes Wild Animal Park – Dalton in Furness
In Other News
1. What unwanted distinction is held by the inhabitants of Elbridge in South West London?
2. Which team did Arsenal defeat to take the 4th slot in next season’s Champions League?
3. An incident with a pig’s head made the news in which football club
4. Who played his last ever game for Liverpool FC?
5. Who took 7 wickets for England in the 2nd innings of the First Test v. New Zealand?
6. What was the score in the play off to earn a spot in The Championship?
7. Who won the World Matchplay in Golf
8. What was the score in the Heineken Cup Final?
9. Who is the European Rugby Player of the Year
10. Who was booed when accepting a Milestone Award?
11. Which film prop was found in a car boot sale?
12. A gas blast destroyed a house in which Nottinghamshire town?
13. Where did the Ark Royal set sail to in order to be scrapped?
14. Who was named as being far more successful than any other performer, living or dead, last week?
15. Which club did Jose Mourinho leave last week?
16. Who is to play Super Mario on film?
17. Name the Oklahoma town at the centre of last week’s tornado tragedy
18. Last week Pope Francis performed his first public what as pope?
19. Which team did Tony Pulis leave last week?
20. What was banned in golf from 1/1/2016?
21. Name the two cabinet ministers who voted against the Marriage ( Same Sex Couple) Bill
22. Which TV presenter said that he had actually heard senior Conservatives using the phrase “Swivel eyed loons”?
23. The world’s tallest what was unveiled in Xinghzi China last week?
24. What was the Azerbaijan voting scandal all about last week?
25. Who is returning to tennis in time for the French Open?
26. Which former professional wrestler passed away at the age of 85 last week?
27. Which former Man Utd. FA Cup winning player passed away aged 60 last week?
28. Who became the first woman to win the Gerschwin Prize for Song?
29. Which company are recalling 800,000 cars?
30. Which prominent French politician is facing fraud charges concerning tycoon Bernard Tapie?
31. Sergio Garcia was widely condemned for a remark he made about Tiger Woods, concerning which foodstuff?
32. Who was fined a reported £15,000 for a tweet about Lord McAlpine?
33. Where was the destination of the British Airways Airbus A319 which had to return after a cowling blew off one of its engines?
34. Which organization has voted to allow gay members?
Who or what are the following, and why have they been in the news?
1. Lord Feldman
2. Tim Peake
3. Time
4. Tumblr
5. Emmelie de Forest
6. Neville Neville
7. Joe Farman
8. Forget Me Not Garden
9. Julian Stevenson
10. Encke
11. Kenton Cool
12. Bolt
13. Michael Wilshaw
14. Sir David Nicholson
15. Tim Cook
16. Eddie Braben
17. Dominique Venner
18. Bradley Davies
19. Lydia Davis
20. Eric Joyce
21. John Anthony Downey
22. Francisco Schettino
23. Michael Adebolajo – Michael Adebowale
24. Ingrid Loyau-Kennett
25. H7N9
26. South Lakes Wild Animal Park – Dalton in Furness
In Other News
1. What unwanted distinction is held by the inhabitants of Elbridge in South West London?
2. Which team did Arsenal defeat to take the 4th slot in next season’s Champions League?
3. An incident with a pig’s head made the news in which football club
4. Who played his last ever game for Liverpool FC?
5. Who took 7 wickets for England in the 2nd innings of the First Test v. New Zealand?
6. What was the score in the play off to earn a spot in The Championship?
7. Who won the World Matchplay in Golf
8. What was the score in the Heineken Cup Final?
9. Who is the European Rugby Player of the Year
10. Who was booed when accepting a Milestone Award?
11. Which film prop was found in a car boot sale?
12. A gas blast destroyed a house in which Nottinghamshire town?
13. Where did the Ark Royal set sail to in order to be scrapped?
14. Who was named as being far more successful than any other performer, living or dead, last week?
15. Which club did Jose Mourinho leave last week?
16. Who is to play Super Mario on film?
17. Name the Oklahoma town at the centre of last week’s tornado tragedy
18. Last week Pope Francis performed his first public what as pope?
19. Which team did Tony Pulis leave last week?
20. What was banned in golf from 1/1/2016?
21. Name the two cabinet ministers who voted against the Marriage ( Same Sex Couple) Bill
22. Which TV presenter said that he had actually heard senior Conservatives using the phrase “Swivel eyed loons”?
23. The world’s tallest what was unveiled in Xinghzi China last week?
24. What was the Azerbaijan voting scandal all about last week?
25. Who is returning to tennis in time for the French Open?
26. Which former professional wrestler passed away at the age of 85 last week?
27. Which former Man Utd. FA Cup winning player passed away aged 60 last week?
28. Who became the first woman to win the Gerschwin Prize for Song?
29. Which company are recalling 800,000 cars?
30. Which prominent French politician is facing fraud charges concerning tycoon Bernard Tapie?
31. Sergio Garcia was widely condemned for a remark he made about Tiger Woods, concerning which foodstuff?
32. Who was fined a reported £15,000 for a tweet about Lord McAlpine?
33. Where was the destination of the British Airways Airbus A319 which had to return after a cowling blew off one of its engines?
34. Which organization has voted to allow gay members?
Answers to News Questions
In the News
Who or what are the following and why have they been in the news?
1. Stephanie Bottrill
2. Ben Watson
3. Philip Patterson
4. Cash Lady
5. Nawaz Sharif
6. Ricky Burns
7. Bloodhound SSC
8. Chris Hadfield
9. Stuart Hazell
10. Arnold Peters
11. Barbara Walters
12. Long Live the King
13. Philip Hensher
14. Jamie Filan
15. Colin Brewer
16. Cuidad Blanca
17. Peter Ericksson
18. Loic Remy
19. Joyce Brothers
20. Ryan Fogle
21. Sylvain Georges
22. Instead
23. James Wharton
24. Mark Moraghan
25. Steve Harper
26. Eric Schmidt
27. Believe in Me
28. Michael Le Vell
29. Peter Fulton
In Other News
1. Who was tagged after his release from prison last week?
2. Which film was finally allowed to be shown in cinemas in China?
3. Which Cabinet Minister said he would vote for Britain to leave the EU in a referendum?
4. Which was voted the Best sitcom in the BAFTAS?
5. Who won the Spanish Grand Prix
6. Which team did Northampton beat to reach the Premiership Final in rugby union?
7. Which team did Leicester beat to win the other semi final?
8. Which Man Utd. player retired from football last week?
9. Who was evicted from HSBC HQ while making a protest film?
10. Where is the G8 summit to be held?
11. Which English rugby club have been playing tapes of their head coach making his half time team talk to scare birds away from the pitch?
12. Which US TV show is returning after a 4 year absence?
13. IN the USA who is in court asking for a retrial?
14. Who was sacked after finishing second last week?
15. How many pit stops were there in the Spanish GP last week?
16. Who is the ECB Cricketer of the Year for 2012/13?
17. Which grand slam winner did Laura Robson defeat last week?
18. Which two teams will contest the Championship play off final?
19. How much money have the EU pledged to help Mali?
20. Which two firms have been accused of fixing petrol prices?
21. What was the score between Wigan and Arsenal that saw Wigan relegated days after winning the FA Cup?
22. What was score between Man City and Reading?
23. What did Angelina Joli tell the world about last week?
24. Which British boxer had to pull out of his comeback fight?
25. Who was the UK’s highest earning musician last year?
26. Which comedian and TV presenter was arrested on suspicion of taking part in a drunken brawl in Cornwall allegedly?
27. Last week a breakthrough was announced in the field of human cloning, using which cells?
28. What was the score in the Europa League final?
29. Who scored the winning goal?
30. Who has returned to advertise Calvin Klein after a gap of 20 years?
31. A factory for ASICS products had its roof collapse in which country last week?
32. Which Hi de Hi actor passed away last week at the age of 72?
33. MP Margaret Hodge called who or what ‘evil’ last week?
34. Which World War II operation saw its 70th anniversary?
35. Which former head of both Ford ( UK) and the CBI passed away last week?
36. Newsnight issued an apology to which charity last week?
37. Who won his 100th and 101st races during the Giro d’Italia?
38. Which manager was suspended by Brighton and Hove Albion?
39. How many caps did David Beckham – who retired from football last week – win for England?
40. Who walked out of an interview with BBC Radio Scotland after branding Scots as ‘racists’?
41. Which teams are contesting the Division 2 play off?
Answers
Who or what are the following and why have they been in the news?
1. Committed suicide because she couldn’t afford to pay the ‘bedroom tax’
2. Scored Wigan’s winning goal in the FA Cup Final
3. He has just finished copying out the King James Bible by hand
4. Company whose original Kerry Katona adverts for payday loans were banned as misleading – new ones made instead
5. Won the election in Pakistan
6. Defended his WBA Lightweight title against Jose Gonzalez
7. Car designed by Richard Noble consortium to break world land speed record, at 1000mph if possible
8. Made a video singing Space oddity on the International Space Station
9. Admitted murdering Tia Sharp – jailed for 38 years
10. Passed away aged 87 – he had played Jack Woolley in The Archers
11. Long serving US TV personality announced her retirement
12. New novel by Fay Wheldon
13. Won the Ondaatje Prize for “Scenes from Early life”
14. Stole jewellery from Jose Mourinho – jailed for 31 months
15. Councillor who compared disabled children to deformed lambs
16. Lost city found in Honduras
17. Quit job as head of UK Athletics
18. QPR striker arrested over alleged sexual assault
19. US TV Psychologist passed away - 86
20. Alleged CIA agent caught in Russia
21. Tested positive for banned substances during the Giro d’Italia
22. New schools inspection service being launched by Headteachers as alternative to Ofsted
23. Youngest Tory MP bringing in Private Members Bill about an EU Referendum
24. New voice of Thomas the Tank Engine
25. Newcastle goalie retired
26. Google Executive Chairman humiliated by Public Accounts Committee
27. Bonnie Tyler’s Eurovision Song Contest Entry
28. In corn court denied sex offence charges
29. James Anderson’s 300th test victim
In Other News
1. Chris Huhne
2. Django Unchained
3. Michael Gove
4. Twenty Twelve
5. Fernando Alonso
6. Saracens RFC
7. Harlequins
8. Paul Scholes
9. Bill Oddie
10. Fermanagh
11. Bath RFC
12. 24
13. OJ Simpson
14. Roberto Mancini
15. 79
16. Matt Prior
17. Venus Williams
18. Watford and Crystal Palace
19. 500 million Euros
20. BP and Shell
21. 1 - 4
22. 2 - 0
23. She has had a double mastectomy , having the gene that gives her a higher than 80% chance of developing breast cancer
24. David Haye
25. Dr. Dre – he is behind the ubiquitous Beats Headphones
26. Rory McGrath
27. Skin Cells
28. Chelsea 2 – Benfica 1 29. Bronislav Ibrahimovich
30. Christy Turlington
31. Cambodia
32. Paul Shane
33. Google
34. Operation Chastise – the Dambusters raid
35. Sir Terence Beckett
36. Help for Heroes
37. Mark Cavendish
38. Gus Poyet
39. 115
40. Nigel Farrage
41. Bradford and Northampton Town
Who or what are the following and why have they been in the news?
1. Stephanie Bottrill
2. Ben Watson
3. Philip Patterson
4. Cash Lady
5. Nawaz Sharif
6. Ricky Burns
7. Bloodhound SSC
8. Chris Hadfield
9. Stuart Hazell
10. Arnold Peters
11. Barbara Walters
12. Long Live the King
13. Philip Hensher
14. Jamie Filan
15. Colin Brewer
16. Cuidad Blanca
17. Peter Ericksson
18. Loic Remy
19. Joyce Brothers
20. Ryan Fogle
21. Sylvain Georges
22. Instead
23. James Wharton
24. Mark Moraghan
25. Steve Harper
26. Eric Schmidt
27. Believe in Me
28. Michael Le Vell
29. Peter Fulton
In Other News
1. Who was tagged after his release from prison last week?
2. Which film was finally allowed to be shown in cinemas in China?
3. Which Cabinet Minister said he would vote for Britain to leave the EU in a referendum?
4. Which was voted the Best sitcom in the BAFTAS?
5. Who won the Spanish Grand Prix
6. Which team did Northampton beat to reach the Premiership Final in rugby union?
7. Which team did Leicester beat to win the other semi final?
8. Which Man Utd. player retired from football last week?
9. Who was evicted from HSBC HQ while making a protest film?
10. Where is the G8 summit to be held?
11. Which English rugby club have been playing tapes of their head coach making his half time team talk to scare birds away from the pitch?
12. Which US TV show is returning after a 4 year absence?
13. IN the USA who is in court asking for a retrial?
14. Who was sacked after finishing second last week?
15. How many pit stops were there in the Spanish GP last week?
16. Who is the ECB Cricketer of the Year for 2012/13?
17. Which grand slam winner did Laura Robson defeat last week?
18. Which two teams will contest the Championship play off final?
19. How much money have the EU pledged to help Mali?
20. Which two firms have been accused of fixing petrol prices?
21. What was the score between Wigan and Arsenal that saw Wigan relegated days after winning the FA Cup?
22. What was score between Man City and Reading?
23. What did Angelina Joli tell the world about last week?
24. Which British boxer had to pull out of his comeback fight?
25. Who was the UK’s highest earning musician last year?
26. Which comedian and TV presenter was arrested on suspicion of taking part in a drunken brawl in Cornwall allegedly?
27. Last week a breakthrough was announced in the field of human cloning, using which cells?
28. What was the score in the Europa League final?
29. Who scored the winning goal?
30. Who has returned to advertise Calvin Klein after a gap of 20 years?
31. A factory for ASICS products had its roof collapse in which country last week?
32. Which Hi de Hi actor passed away last week at the age of 72?
33. MP Margaret Hodge called who or what ‘evil’ last week?
34. Which World War II operation saw its 70th anniversary?
35. Which former head of both Ford ( UK) and the CBI passed away last week?
36. Newsnight issued an apology to which charity last week?
37. Who won his 100th and 101st races during the Giro d’Italia?
38. Which manager was suspended by Brighton and Hove Albion?
39. How many caps did David Beckham – who retired from football last week – win for England?
40. Who walked out of an interview with BBC Radio Scotland after branding Scots as ‘racists’?
41. Which teams are contesting the Division 2 play off?
Answers
Who or what are the following and why have they been in the news?
1. Committed suicide because she couldn’t afford to pay the ‘bedroom tax’
2. Scored Wigan’s winning goal in the FA Cup Final
3. He has just finished copying out the King James Bible by hand
4. Company whose original Kerry Katona adverts for payday loans were banned as misleading – new ones made instead
5. Won the election in Pakistan
6. Defended his WBA Lightweight title against Jose Gonzalez
7. Car designed by Richard Noble consortium to break world land speed record, at 1000mph if possible
8. Made a video singing Space oddity on the International Space Station
9. Admitted murdering Tia Sharp – jailed for 38 years
10. Passed away aged 87 – he had played Jack Woolley in The Archers
11. Long serving US TV personality announced her retirement
12. New novel by Fay Wheldon
13. Won the Ondaatje Prize for “Scenes from Early life”
14. Stole jewellery from Jose Mourinho – jailed for 31 months
15. Councillor who compared disabled children to deformed lambs
16. Lost city found in Honduras
17. Quit job as head of UK Athletics
18. QPR striker arrested over alleged sexual assault
19. US TV Psychologist passed away - 86
20. Alleged CIA agent caught in Russia
21. Tested positive for banned substances during the Giro d’Italia
22. New schools inspection service being launched by Headteachers as alternative to Ofsted
23. Youngest Tory MP bringing in Private Members Bill about an EU Referendum
24. New voice of Thomas the Tank Engine
25. Newcastle goalie retired
26. Google Executive Chairman humiliated by Public Accounts Committee
27. Bonnie Tyler’s Eurovision Song Contest Entry
28. In corn court denied sex offence charges
29. James Anderson’s 300th test victim
In Other News
1. Chris Huhne
2. Django Unchained
3. Michael Gove
4. Twenty Twelve
5. Fernando Alonso
6. Saracens RFC
7. Harlequins
8. Paul Scholes
9. Bill Oddie
10. Fermanagh
11. Bath RFC
12. 24
13. OJ Simpson
14. Roberto Mancini
15. 79
16. Matt Prior
17. Venus Williams
18. Watford and Crystal Palace
19. 500 million Euros
20. BP and Shell
21. 1 - 4
22. 2 - 0
23. She has had a double mastectomy , having the gene that gives her a higher than 80% chance of developing breast cancer
24. David Haye
25. Dr. Dre – he is behind the ubiquitous Beats Headphones
26. Rory McGrath
27. Skin Cells
28. Chelsea 2 – Benfica 1 29. Bronislav Ibrahimovich
30. Christy Turlington
31. Cambodia
32. Paul Shane
33. Google
34. Operation Chastise – the Dambusters raid
35. Sir Terence Beckett
36. Help for Heroes
37. Mark Cavendish
38. Gus Poyet
39. 115
40. Nigel Farrage
41. Bradford and Northampton Town
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