Trivia at Kozak's

End of Trivia at Kozak's

2006-08-10T20:15:00.000-07:00

As you may have heard, Monday the 7th of August was the final trivia night at Kozak's. Unfortunately, due to some changes in place it was no longer feasible to continue. I've had a lot of fun Quiz-Mastering these last few months and I thank everyone who has joined in, both at Kozak's and through this blog.

I don't currently have plans to start hosting trivia anywhere else; however, I certainly wouldn't rule it out. If I do decide to start again, I'll post information on this blog and send a short note out to the trivia mailing list (subscribe here; no spam, restricted posting) so those would be the best ways to find out.

Thanks again for all of your support!

Night 19: August 7th, 2006

2006-08-08T11:38:00.000-07:00

Note: Monday the 7th of August was the final trivia night at Kozak's.

Category 1: Current Events
1. Which actor took out an ad in Variety magazine, pledging “to never work with Mel Gibson – actor, director, producer and anti-Semite”?
A: >Rob Schneider<
2. How many consecutive defeats have the Mariners suffered this season at the hands of the Oakland A’s?
A: >Twelve<
3. Tens of thousands of people from around the world gathered on Sunday to remember what World War II event on its 61st anniversary?
A: >Bombing of Hiroshima<
4. In recent polls, Ned Lamont was leading the incumbent senator by about six points in what state’s democratic primary?
A: >Connecticut<
5. The Blue Angels buzzed Seattle this weekend as part of the annual Seafair festivities. During the performance, do any of the aircraft pass Mach 1?
A: >No (fastest speed is about 700mph, just below Mach 1)<

Category 2: Company initials
What do (or did) the following company names stand for?
1. IBM
A: >International Business Machines<
2. GEICO
A: >Government Employees Insurance Company<
3. B&O (railroad)
A: >Baltimore & Ohio<
4. AT&T
A: >American Telephone & Telegraph<
5. UPN
A: >United Paramount Network<

Category 3: Finales
1. Which character was killed in the series finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer but was later resurrected as part of the spin-off series Angel?
A: >Spike<
2. In the final scene of the series finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Captain Picard for the first time joins the senior staff in what activity?
A: >Weekly poker game<
3. At the end of the final episode of Sex and the City, the audience learns that Mr. Big’s first name is what?
A: >John<
4. Which character confessed to cheating during “The Contest” in the series finale of Seinfeld?
A: >George<
5. The finale of what show is the top network telecast of all time in the US, with 60.2% of households watching?
A: >M*A*S*H<

Category 4: Classical music
Name the composer.
1. Piano Sonata, Op. 27, No. 2 (Moonlight); 1st movement
A: >Ludwig van Beethoven<
2. The Planets, Op. 32; Mars, the Bringer of War
A: >Gustav Holst<
3. Toccata and Fugue in d minor, BWV 565
A: >Johann Sebastian Bach<
4. La donna è mobile from Rigoletto
A: >Giuseppe Verdi<
5. The Four Seasons; Autumn, Concerto in F major, op. No. 3; 3rd movement
A: >Antonio Vivaldi<

Category 5: Better known as…
I’ll give you someone’s real name, you tell me by what name they’re more famously known.
1. Singer Paul Hewson?
A: >Bono<
2. Musician Jayceon Terell Taylor?
A: >The Game<
3. Nobel Prize winner Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu?
A: >Mother Teresa<
4. Writer Eric Arthur Blair?
A: >George Orwell<
5. Singer Faroukh Bulsara?
A: >Freddie Mercury<

Category 6: Royalty
1. Which French king held the longest reign of any European monarch, at 72 years?
A: >Louis XIV (The Sun King)<
2. The House of Windsor is the current Royal House of the United Kingdom. Who was the first monarch of the House of Windsor?
A: >George V<
3. Which country has the longest currently reigning monarch, at 60 years?
A: >Thailand (King Bhumibol Adulyadej aka King Rama IX)<
4. Prince Charles is first in the line of succession to the British throne. Who is second?
A: >Prince William<
5. According to the Act of Succession of 1810, which country’s monarch must come from within the House of Bernadotte and must be a Christian?
A: >Sweden’s<

Category 7: Last lines
I’ll quote the last line of a movie, you tell me what movie it’s from.
1. “After all, tomorrow is another day.”
A: >Gone With The Wind<
2. “Sure, I could have stayed in the past. I could have even been king. But in my own way, I am king. Hail to the king, baby.”
A: >Army of Darkness<
3. “This is Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off.”
A: >Alien<
4. “You finally really did it. You maniacs! You blew it up! God damn you! God damn you all to hell!”
A: >Planet of the Apes<
5. “You have no idea what I'm talking about, I'm sure. But don't worry: you will someday.”
A: >American Beauty<
6. "Say friend, you got any more of that good sarsparilla?"
A: >The Big Lebowski<

Category 8: Audio mystery category…
Name the artist.
1. Cry Me A River
A: >Justin Timberlake (2004 – Best Male Pop Vocal Performance)<
2. Happiness In Slavery
A: >Nine Inch Nails (1996 – Best Metal Performance)<
3. Ready to Run
A: >Dixie Chicks (2000 - Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal)<
4. If I Ain’t Got You
A: >Alicia Keys (2005 – Best Female R&B Vocal Performance)<
5. Crawling
A: >Linkin Park (2002 – Best Hard Rock Performance)<
Bonus: What do all of these songs have in common?
A: >They are all songs that have won Grammy Awards.<

The best average score was 23 points by Frown Huggers, a three person team. Beer Spill #1 took second place with 26 points while Deflated Maus took first place with a total of 28 points. Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to everyone who has participated over the last 19 weeks!

Night 18: July 31st, 2006

2006-08-03T12:00:00.000-07:00

Category 1: Current Events
1. What movie took the number one spot at the box office this weekend?
A: >Miami Vice<
2. The Clerics on Malaysia’s National Fatwa Council have banned that country’s Muslims from using what wrinkle remover for fear that it may contain some substances derived from pigs?
A: >Botox<
3. Which actor was arrested in California on Friday for a DUI and allegedly made several anti-semitic remarks to sheriff’s deputies?
A: >Mel Gibson<
4. A couple in Massachusetts have been charged with practicing medicine without a license after a woman died undergoing what procedure in her home?
A: >Liposuction<
5. Lance Bass recently outed himself and indicated that his boyfriend is Reichen Lehmkuhl, the winner of which reality TV show?
A: >Amazing Race (4th season)<

Category 2: Debunked Science
1. It is understood now that light does not need a medium through which to travel. Prior to this discovery, what was the name of the substance thought to be the medium?
A: >Ether<
2. The germ theory of disease was preceded by a belief that diseases such as cholera and the Black Plague were caused by a noxious form of bad air known as what?
A: >Miasma<
3. Hippocrates believed that the balance of four substances – blood, black bile, yellow bile and phlegm – determined the health of the body. What is the collective name for these four substances?
A: >The Humours<
4. The Steady State theory was introduced by Fred Hoyle, Thomas Gold and others in 1948 as an alternative to which widely accepted theory?
A: >The Big Bang Theory<
5. The Phlogiston Theory held that phlogiston was a substance without color, odor, taste or weight that could be liberated from a material by what process?
A: >Burning it<

Category 3: Coaches
1. Prior to coaching the Seahawks, Mike Holmgren was head coach of what NFL team?
A: >Green Bay Packers<
2. Which World Series winning manager started his playing career with the Montreal Expos in 1981 and also spent time with the Cubs, Reds, Indians and Brewers during his 10-year playing career?
A: >Terry Francona<
3. Who is the head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes?
A: >Wayne Gretzky<
4. John Madden is most well known as a color commentator. Which team did Madden coach from 1969-1978 including a win at Superbowl XI?
A: >Oakland Raiders<
5. Which coach was selected as one of the ten greatest coaches in the NBA’s 50th Anniversary All-Star team and has been head coach for five championships – 4 with the Lakers and 1 with the Heat?
A: >Pat Riley<

Category 4: Word Puzzles
1. What type of tree, native to the US, contains all five vowels?
A: >Sequoia<
2. There is a seven letter word made up solely of the letters A, E, R & S. Take away all the “R”s and you are left with a five letter word that can mean “alleviates”. From this word, take away the “E”s and you are left with a three letter word that informally describes a body part or perhaps someone who is an idiot. Remove the “S”s and you are left with a one letter article. What is the initial seven letter word?
A: >Erasers (Eases, Ass, A)<
3. What Oscar winning movie would spell your phone number, if your phone number were 244-2246?
A: >Chicago<
4. Take an eight letter word which means “brings to life”. Removing one letter and reversing the remaining letters gives a word meaning “enduring strength”. What was the original eight letter word?
A: >Animates (Stamina)<
5. Take a seven letter word which means “come from within”. Move the first letter of the word to the end and you now have a word which describes an aquatic mammal. What is the first word?
A: >Emanate (Manatee)<

Category 5: Gay Celebrities
1. How many members of the Indigo Girls are openly gay?
A: >2 (or both of them – Amy Ray & Emily Saliers)<
2. Which singer, frontman of heavy metal band Judas Priest, came out in 1998?
A: >Rob Halford<
3. Which British actor who came out in 1989 played Julia Robert’s gay best friend in My Best Friend’s Wedding and Madonna’s gay best friend in The Next Best Thing?
A: >Rupert Everett<
4. Which avant-garde composer, famous for his aleatoric pieces, was life partner to choreographer Merce Cunningham?
A: >John Cage<
5. Which tennis player who won Wimbledon this year came out in 1999 following the semi-finals of the Australian Open?
A: >Amelie Mauresmo<

Category 6: Presidents
1. Which president went on to become Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?
A: >William Howard Taft<
2. Which two presidents are the only ones to have been impeached, both unsuccessfully?
A: >Andrew Johnson & Bill Clinton<
3. What is the greatest number of former presidents alive at any time in American history?
A: >Five (for example, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr, & Clinton from 1/20/01 to 6/5/04)<
4. Which former president was elected as vice-president and succeeded Zachary Taylor following Taylor’s death; did not run for the presidency following his term in office; and then four years later ran for president as the Know Nothing Party candidate, finishing third in the voting?
A: >Millard Fillmore<
5. Who is the only person to have held two non-consecutive terms as president?
A: >Grover Cleveland<

Category 7: Mystery Category
1. What was the callsign for Lieutenant Pete Mitchell in the movie Top Gun?
A: >Maverick<
2. The amount of thermal energy necessary to change one gram of a substance from solid to liquid is known as its heat of what?
A: >Fusion<
3. If you were born on May 19th, what would your star sign be?
A: >Taurus<
4. At the 2006 Winter Olympics, which type of skiing was made up of four events – men’s & women’s moguls & aerials.
A: >Freestyle<
5. Which Journey album, released in 1981, features the track “Don’t Stop Believin”?
A: >Escape<
Bonus: What do all these answers have in common?
A: >They are all models of Ford cars<

Category 8: “Weird Al”
I’ll play a Weird Al track, you tell me the artist he’s parodying.
1. A Complicated Song
A: >Avril Lavigne (Complicated)<
2. I Think I’m A Clone Now
A: >Tiffany (I Think We’re Alone Now) [Originally by Tommy James & The Shondells]<
3. Pretty Fly for a Rabbi
A: >The Offspring<
4. She Drives Like Crazy
A: >Fine Young Cannibals<
5. You’re Pitiful
A: >James Blunt<

The best average score was 24 points for Groundhogs, a two person team. Second place was claimed by The Goatses with 31 points. The first place winners were B Tests with 32 points. Congratulations to the winners and thanks everyone for playing!

Night 17: July 24th, 2006

2006-07-25T16:14:00.000-07:00

Category 1: Current Events
1. Who won the Tour de France this year?
A: >Floyd Landis<
2. Which actor joked that he’d met his “first stalker” after a woman at a taping of the tonight show approached him and told him, “I’ll see you in court”?
A: >Colin Farrell<
3. Space Adventures, a company that has already sent three people to the International Space Station for touristic purposes, recently announced that future customers can add what to their trip for an additional 15 million dollars?
A: >A spacewalk<
4. A study at the University of Vienna showed that sharing a bed with a partner had what effect on men?
A: >It produces “temporary mental setbacks” – makes them stupider.<
5. Which former mayor of Spokane who was recalled from office following an internet sex scandal, died this weekend following complications from cancer surgery?
A: >James West<

Category 2: Poisonings
1. During what country’s 2004 elections was politician Viktor Yuschenko poisoned with dioxin?
A: >Ukraine<
2. Scientists at the Argonne National Laboratory outside Chicago declared that they believed which famous composer died of lead poisoning?
A: >Ludwig van Beethoven<
3. Which Renaissance Italian noble, daughter of the future Pope Alexander VI, is renowned as one of the most famous poisoners of all time?
A: >Lucrezia Borgia<
4. The Peoples Temple cult committed mass suicide on November 18th, 1978, by drinking cyanide laced KoolAid at their compound in what town in Guyana?
A: >Jonestown<
5. Socrates was sentenced to death by drinking a cup of what?
A: >Hemlock<

Category 3: Horror!
1. Which director of the Nightmare on Elm Street series also directed the Scream series, parodying many of the horror movie clichés that he helped make popular?
A: >Wes Craven<
2. Which actress got her first big break as Laurie Strode, the youngest sister of Michael Myers?
A: >Jamie Lee Curtis<
3. The Texas Chainsaw Massacres alleges to be a true story based on which serial killer?
A: >Ed Gein<
4. Ed Wood created several cult classic low budget horror films. Who directed the 1994 biopic of his life?
A: >Tim Burton<
5. Which 1968 black and white horror film directed by George Romero was placed by the Library of Congress on the National Film Registry along with other films considered “historically, culturally or aesthetically important”?
A: >Night of the Living Dead<

Category 4: Combinames
The answer will be a combination of two peoples names with one person’s last name being the other person’s first. For example, “Author of Get Shorty & Beautiful Losers” would be Elmore Leonard Cohen.
1. Top American tennis player who directed the Pink Panther movies.
A: >James Blake Edwards<
2. Beverly Hills actress and top selling country artist.
A: >Jennie Garth Brooks<
3. American patriot who said, “Give me liberty or give me death,” and went to live by Walden Pond.
A: >Patrick Henry Thoreau<
4. Astronaut with a famous recording of the Goldberg Variations.
A: >John Glenn Gould<
5. US President during World War I who wrote the hit song “In The Midnight Hour”.
A: >Woodrow Wilson Pickett<

Category 5: Charlie Sheen
1. Which actor did Charlie Sheen replace on the sitcom Spin City?
A: >Michael J Fox<
2. Which actress initiated divorce proceedings from Sheen in April 2006?
A: >Denise Richards<
3. Charlie Sheen has acted alongside his brother Emilio Estevez in 5 films. Name 2 of them.
A: >Loaded Weapon I; Men At Work; Never on Tuesday; Wisdom; Young Guns<
4. In the movie Major League, Sheen plays pitcher Rick Vaughn. What baseball team does he play for?
A: >Cleveland Indians<
5. Charlie Sheen was cast in the movie Wall Street, directed by Oliver Stone. Stone apparently considered Sheen for a role in his next movie but wound up giving the role to Tom Cruise. What movie was this?
A: >Born on the Fourth of July<

Category 6: Swimming
1. Mark Spitz holds the record for most gold medals won during a single Olympic Games, with seven. During which Olympics (year & city) did he achieve this?
A: >Munich, 1972<
2. In 1998, Benoit Lecomte became the first man to swim across what body of water?
A: >The Atlantic Ocean<
3. Which swimming stroke was considered a variant of the breaststroke until accepted as a separate style in 1952?
A: >Butterfly stroke<
4. What is the acronym for the world governing body of competitive swimming?
A: >FINA (Fédération Internationale de Natation)<
5. Which swimmer, born in 1982 and recognized as one of the greatest middle-distance swimmers, has won five Olympic gold medals, more than any other Australian?
A: >Ian Thorpe (Thorpedo)<

Category 7: Political Scandals
1. Which mayor of Washington, DC, was forced to leave office during his third term due to his arrest and conviction on drug charges, but later returned to serve a fourth term?
A: >Marion Barry<
2. Who were the two reporters at the Washington Post who were instrumental in uncovering the Watergate Scandal?
A: >Bob Woodward & Carl Bernstein<
3. The Iran-Contra affair under President Reagan involved the illegal selling of arms to Iran and the use of the proceeds to fund the Contras in what Central American country?
A: >Nicaragua<
4. One of the first major scandals in American politics occurred during the adminstration of Warren G. Harding. Harding’s Secretary of the Interior, Albert Fall, leased the rights to the emergency oil reserves to Mammoth Oil with no competitive bidding, in exchange for substantial gifts from the oilmen. What is the name commonly given to this scandal?
A: >The Teapot Dome Scandal<
5. In 1985, operatives of the French foreign intelligence services sank a ship in Auckland, New Zealand. The ship was the flagship of what organization?
A: >Greenpeace<

Category 8: Circles!
Name the artist:
1. Round & Round
A: >Ratt<
2. Circles
A: >Mariah Carey<
3. Circle of Life
A: >Elton John<
4. Judith
A: >A Perfect Circle<
5. You Spin Me Right Round
A: >Dead or Alive<

The best average score was an astonishing 28 points, achieved by the one man team, Team Jonathan. Two teams were tied for first with 31 points so there was a sudden death runoff. Two representatives from each team were asked the same question.

Q: In what year was the Battle of Hastings?
A: >1066<

Team Emo answered the question correctly and won first place. The Great Triviadini therefore finished in second place. Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to everyone for playing!

Night 16: July 17, 2006

2006-07-17T22:59:00.000-07:00

Category 1: The 16th century

1) On January 23, 1556, the deadliest earthquake in recorded history killed more than 800,000 people. In which modern-day country would one find the quake's epicenter?
A: >China<
2) Sir Thomas More, one of the greatest literary figures of the 16th century, coined a term that's still used regularly to this day. The term involves a little bit of wordplay: it simultaneously suggests Greek terms for 'no place' and for 'good place'. What is the term?
A: >'Utopia'<
3) One of the most supremely cynical works of political philosophy was published during the 16th century. This work, entitled The Prince, is in many ways an instruction manual for dirty politics, and even today many politicos turn to it for inspiration. Who was the author of The Prince?
A: >Niccolo Machiavelli<
4) The 16th century saw the initiation of contact between Japan and modern Europe, beginning with the arrival in 1543 of trade ships blown off course en route to China. From which European nation did these traders hail?
A: >Portugal<
5) One of the most colorful characters of the 16th century was Henry VIII, famous as much for his six marriages as for any of his governmental accomplishments. After his first divorce, Henry famously married Anne Boleyn. Who was it that he divorced in order to marry Anne?
A: >Catherine of Aragon<

Category 2: Arr! Pirates!

1) The novel Treasure Island is the source of many popular ideas about pirates and piracy; among other things, the novel introduced the idea of a treasure map with X marking the spot, as well as the saying "Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum". Who was the author of this seminal adventure novel?
A: >Robert Louis Stevenson<
2) One of England's most celebrated mariners actually began his career as a pirate, raiding Spanish holdings throughout the Caribbean and even at one point capturing Spain's Silver Train. He went on to become the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe, claiming huge parts of western North America along the way; later, he was instrumental in Britain's annihilation of the Spanish Armada. What was this former pirate's name?
A: >Sir Francis Drake<
3) In November 2005, the American luxury cruiseliner The Seabourn Spirit was attacked by a band of pirate speedboats off the coast of a particular African nation. Which nation was this?
A: >Somalia<
4) The latest Pirates of the Caribbean film - Dead Man's Chest - recently set the all-time record for opening weekend ticket sales, taking in over $135 million dollars in its first three days. Which 2002 film was the previous record holder, with sales of nearly $115 million in its first three days?
A: >Spider-Man<
5) A number of professional sports teams around the world include pirate-related themes in their names or logos. In the Big Four American professional sports leagues, three teams have images of pirates in their official logos. One of these teams is baseball's Pittsburgh Pirates. What are the other two?
A: >Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Oakland Raiders<

Category 3: Prime ministers

1) Which country's prime minister stepped down this past April after more than one third of his country's voters opted for 'none of the above' on their ballots?
A: >Thailand<
2) In many countries, the prime minister's official title is, sensibly enough, a term derived from the country's official language. In which country is the prime minister known as the 'Taoiseach'?
A: >Ireland<
3) Which nation's president has found himself in hot water in recent weeks after he appointed his identical twin brother to the post of prime minister?
A: >Poland<
4) The office of prime minister of India has been utterly dominated by a single family since India achieved independence. The first prime minister of India served for more than 16 years; later, one of his children served as prime minister, followed by one of his grandchildren. All told, the first prime minister and his descendents have held the office of prime minister for more than half of India's history. What was the name of the first prime minister of India?
A: >Jawaharlal Nehru<
5) One of the United Kingdom's best-known prime ministers, and its only one of Jewish descent, was a well-known literary figure long before his ascent to the top ranks of politics; his works included the romance novels Sybil and Vivian Grey. What was his name?
A: >Benajamin Disraeli<

Category 4: Disemvowelled words

Five words have been stripped of their vowels (a, e, i, o, u, y). Using the consonants (which are given in order) and the given lengths, reconstruct the original words by adding back the missing vowels.

1) cff (6 letters)
A: >coffee<
2) sll (7 letters)
A: >usually<
3) vrn (8 letters)
A: >everyone<
4) prtn (9 letters) (Note: a mea culpa is in order here. When I asked this question, I said that the answer had 8 letters. There is no eight-letter word that fits the bill. Profound apologies to all of the teams who racked their brains during the break trying to come up with a non-existent word.)
A: >operation<
5) ngh (6 letters)
A: >enough<

Category 5: Mystery category

1) Which single, which reached the top 20 in the United States and the top 10 in Britain, is considered to be Madonna's first true hit song?
A: >Holiday<
2) Which flower is the national flower of the United States?
A: >Rose<
3) What was the skateboarding nickname of Mark Rogowski, the former professional skater who, following a conversion to evangelical Christianity, brutally murdered a long-time fan and acquaintance, a crime for which he's currently serving a 31-year prison sentence?
A: >Gator<
4) In the 1985 film Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Pee-Wee is told by a psychic that his beloved bicycle is hidden in the basement of a particular historical building; Pee-Wee, on arriving at this building following a lengthy journey, discovers to his shock and dismay that the building does not in fact have a basement. What was this historical building?
A: >The Alamo<
5) Which color was worn by those Ukrainians protesting the widespread fraud and corruption marking Ukraine's 2004 presidential election?
A: >Orange<
Bonus) What's the common thread linking all of the answers in this category?
A: >They're all names of major NCAA bowl games.<

Category 6: Traitors

1) One of the most infamous traitors of World War II was a Norwegian fascist politician, nicknamed "the Hitler of Norway", who announced during a news program that he was staging a coup d'etat against the Norwegian government. This man's name has subsequently been adopted into the English language as a synonym for 'traitor'. What was his name?
A: >Quisling<
2) Which convicted traitor is sometimes described by cynical British people as "the only man to enter Parliament with honorable intentions"?
A: >Guy Fawkes<
3) The soldiers of the High Priest Caiphus, who were sent to arrest Jesus following Judas's betrayal, required Judas's help in determining which man it was they were to arrest. Which gesture did Judas use in order to identify Jesus to the soldiers?
A: >A kiss<
4) One of the most infamous incidents of anti-semitism in modern French history involved the wrongful conviction for treason of a Jewish artillery officer serving in the French army. This officer was eventually exonerated; many credit this outcome largely to writer Emile Zola, who famously published an open letter entitled "J'accuse!" which brought the issue worldwide attention. What was the name of the Jewish officer who was the target of this injustice?
A: >Albert Dreyfus<
5) According to Dante, in his epic poem The Divine Comedy, one of the nine levels of Hell is reserved for traitors. Which level is this?
A: >The 9th, or bottommost, level.<

Category 7: TV shows within TV shows

1) Joey, everyone's favorite character from Friends, was an actor who seemed to be perpetually unlucky in landing choice roles. At one point, however, Joey managed to land a role on Days of Our Lives. What was the name of Joey's character on that show?
A: >Dr. Drake Ramoray<
2) An Invitation to Love was an overwrought soap opera popular among some characters on a 1990s mystery-drama show. Which show was this?
A: >Twin Peaks<
3) Which TV character appeared on TV shows as diverse as "Alien Nose Jobs", "Let's Save Tony Orlando's House", and "Out with Gout '88"?
A: >Troy McClure<
4) Which television show featured the character of Rob Petrie, a comedy writer for the fictional New York TV series The Alan Brady Show?
A: >The Dick van Dyke Show<
5) Which popular and long-running comedy show saw one of its main characters host Vermont Today, a local TV talk show featuring interviews with a number of eccentric guests?
A: >Newhart<

Category 8: Bond themes

For each James Bond theme song, name the artist who performed it.

1) Song 1
A: >Live and Let Die, performed by Paul McCartney and Wings (either individually is also acceptable)<
2) Song 2
A: >Tomorrow Never Dies, performed by Sheryl Crow<
3) Song 3
A: >Thunderball, performed by Tom Jones<
4) Song 4
A: >Nobody Does It Better, performed by Carly Simon<
5) Song 5
A: >Goldfinger, performed by Shirley Bassey<
6) Song 6
A: >A View to a Kill, performed by Duran Duran<

This week's winning team was The Great Triviadini, a team of four with a score of 34 out of a possible 41 points. Second place went to Mike and the Tri-State Mechanics, a team of five with a score of 32. The prize for highest average score went, after a thrilling sudden-death runoff, to Ippiki Ookami, a one-man team with an impressive score of 17. Congratulations to the various winners, and thanks to everyone for playing. And apologies again for this week's frustrating slip-up; with regular host Colin's return, we'll be back to first-rate trivia. See you next week!

Night 15: July 10th, 2006

2006-07-11T17:13:00.000-07:00

All of tonight's questions somehow involved the World Cup or the nations that participated. If the answer to a question is a country, it will be one of the 32 countries involved in the 2006 World Cup.

Category 1: Current Events
1. Italy won the 2006 World Cup. What was the score of the final match?
A: >1-1 (Italy beat France on penalties after extra time)<
2. Italy is also in the throes of a football match-fixing scandal. Which team’s former general manager, Luciano Moggi, is at the center of the allegations?
A: >Juventus<
3. Junichiro Koizumi, the Japanese Prime Minister, recently visited George Bush. What American landmark did they become the first sitting world leaders to visit, at the Prime Minister’s request?
A: >Graceland<
4. Which nation’s election results are being contested by the two candidates since there appears to be less than a percentage point difference between them?
A: >Mexico<
5. The Wimbledon men’s singles final was contested yesterday by Roger Federer & Rafael Nadal, citizens of which two World Cup nations?
A: >Switzerland & Spain<

Category 2: National Facts
1. Which World Cup nation has the smallest population?
A: >Trinidad & Tobago<
2. Which World Cup nation has the most southerly point?
A: >Argentina<
3. Accra is the capital of which World Cup country?
A: >Ghana<
4. Which World Cup country’s currency is the Riyal?
A: >Saudi Arabia<
5. Which of the following countries is not a member of the European Union: Czech Republic; Poland; Sweden; or Switzerland?
A: >Switzerland <

Category 3: History
1. Which former colony of Portugal played Portugal in the opening round of the World Cup?
A: >Angola<
2. In what century did Australia gain its independence from the UK?
A: >20th<
3. Which two nations were involved in the Falklands War in 1982?
A: >England (UK) & Argentina<
4. The Koreas were famously divided by the US & the Soviet Union at what parallel?
A: >The 38th Parallel<
5. Which US president authorized the CIA to assist British Intelligence in overthrowing the Iranian prime minister and re-installing the Shah?
A: >Eisenhower<

Category 4: National Anthems
I'll play a national anthem, you tell me which country has it played before their World Cup games.
1. Anthem 1
A: >United States<
2. Anthem 2
A: >Germany<
3. Anthem 3
A: >France<
4. Anthem 4
A: >Brazil<
5. Anthem 5
A: >England<

Category 5: What’s My Country?
I’ll name a player for a World Cup team, you tell me what country he plays for.
1. Hernan Crespo
A: >Argentina<
2. Zlatan Ibrahimovic
A: >Sweden<
3. Carlos Bocanegra
A: >United States<
4. Michael Essien
A: >Ghana<
5. Mark Viduka
A: >Australia<

Category 6: Germany
1. What city was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990?
A: >Bonn<
2. In what place did Germany finish in the 2006 World Cup?
A: >3rd<
3. Who succeeded Gerhard Schröder as the German Chancellor?
A: >Angela Merkel<
4. What German quartet, founded in 1970 by Florian Schneider-Esleben and Ralf Hütter, released an album titled Autobahn and are credited with significant contributions to the development of electronic music?
A: >Kraftwerk<
5. Richard Wagner was born in what city, the only former East German city to host games during the latest World Cup?
A: >Leipzig<

Category 7: The World Cup
1. Whose goal against England in the 1986 World Cup was voted as the greatest World Cup goal of all time?
A: >Diego Maradona<
2. In what year did the US host the FIFA World Cup?
A: >1994<
3. Which player received the Golden Ball at the 2006 World Cup?
A: >Zinedine Zidane<
4. How many times have Italy won the World Cup?
A: >4<
5. Which player has scored the most ever World Cup goals?
A: >Ronaldo<

Category 8: Name the Country
I’ll play a song, you tell me which World Cup country the artist or band is from. Bonus point for naming the artist.
1. Torn
A: >Australia (Natalie Imbruglia)<
2. Twiggy Twiggy
A: >Japan (Pizzicato Five)<
3. La Puerta Negra
A: >Mexico (Los Tigres del Norte)<
4. Hate To Say I Told You So
A: >Sweden (The Hives)<
5. Mas Que Nada
A: >Brazil (Tamba Trio)<

The best average score was an impressive 20 points by the one-man team, Vault 13. In second place with a score of 34 (despite some erroneous information from the trivia host) was Super Karate Monkey Death Car. First place was won by Les Nacheaux with 36 points. Congratulations to the winners and thanks to everyone for playing! Less World Cup next week!

Night 14: July 3, 2006

2006-07-04T01:36:00.000-07:00

#1: The 1400s

1) We all learned in school that Christopher Columbus first set foot in the Americas in 1492. But on which island did Columbus first land?
A: >San Salvador<
2) Shakepeare's play Henry V, which treats the events of the Battle of Agincourt of 1415, includes one of the Bard's best-known monologues, which begins "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; / For he to-day that sheds his blood with me / Shall be my brother". This monologue is delivered on the feast day of a particular saint. Which saint is this?
A: >St. Crispin<
3) In May of 1453, the Ottoman Empire, led by Sultan Mehmed II, finally took the city of Constantinople. Which country did the Ottomans take Constantinople from?
A: >Byzantine Empire<
4) For over thirty years during the 1400s, the House of York and the House of Lancaster fought over the rights to the English throne. By what name is this intermittant civil war known today?
A: >The War of the Roses<
5) The 1400s saw the emergence of one of the more colorful characters in Romanian history, namely Vlad the Impaler, a crusading Christian prince with a reputation for savagery. By what name do we know Vlad the Impaler today?
A: >Dracula<

#2: Rocket science

1) Which American physicist and member of the committee investigating the Challenger disaster famously demonstrated the problem with the Shuttle's O-rings by placing a small O-ring into a glass of ice water?
A: >Richard Feynman<
2) When sending probes into the outer reaches of the Solar System, NASA often employs trajectories which bring the probes very near to one or more planets. The practical effect of this is to substantially accelerate the probes as they pass those planets, allowing them to reach the outer solar system more rapidly. What is the common name for this technique?
A: >Gravitational slingshot<
3) What is the term describing the minimum speed an object must be traveling if it is to indefinitely move away from the source of a particular gravitational field?
A: >Escape velocity<
4) Which German scientist, despite being a member of the SS and having been heavily involved in the design of the German V-2 rocket, went on to become director of NASA, after being granted U.S. citizenship under Operation Paperclip?
A: >Wernher von Braun<
5) Author Arthur C. Clarke is credited with popularizing the idea of placing communications satellites in a particular type of orbit in which objects remain fixed above a certain point on the earth's surface. What is the name for this type of orbit?
A: >Geosynchronous orbit<

#3: Interesting failures

1) Richard Hatch, winner of the original US version of Survivor, won, in addition to his million dollars, a new Pontiac SUV. This SUV went on to become one of the greatest failure stories in recent automotive history, largely because of its appalling looks; one Pontiac executive remarked that it looked like an 'angry appliance'. What was the name of this SUV?
A: >Aztek<
2) The Macintosh was not the first Apple computer to feature a mouse and a graphical user interface. Two years before the Macintosh was introduced, Apple released a computer which reteailed for nearly $10,000, and featured a 5Mhz chip and a whopping 1 MB of memory. This computer turned out to be an absolute flop. What was its name?
A: >Apple Lisa<
3) One of the greatest failures in sporting history occurred during the sixth game of the 1986 World Series, when a ground ball rolled between the legs of Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner, leading to a Mets victory. Who hit the ball that rolled between Buckner's legs?
A: >Mookie Wilson<
4) Geraldo Rivera in 1986 hosted a two-hour syndicated television special, the most widely watched show of its kind, in which he hoped to reveal the secrets of one of the twentieth century's most notorious men by opening that man's secret vault. Inside, before a vast TV audience, Geraldo found little more than some dust and a glass bottle. Whose vault was it that Geraldo opened?
A: >Al Capone<
5) One of the more spectacular dot-com failures involved a company whose business consisted of, incredibly, the free delivery, in less than an hour, of a variety of small-ticket items, such as DVDs and snacks, to addresses in roughly ten major urban areas. This amazingly dubious business model nonetheless managed to attract around a quarter of a billion dollars of venture capital; the company quickly burned through this pile of cash before closing its doors in April of 2001. What was the name of this company?
A: >Kozmo<

#4: Palindromes (each answer is a palindrome)

1) What an aspiring band might drop off at the offices of the Sub Pop record label.
A: >Some demos<
2) A beer fit for a king.
A: >Regal lager<
3) A possible motto for a union of seamstresses.
A: >We sew.<
4) Made off like a bandit.
A: >Stole lots<
5) Someone who really enjoys a good uprising.
A: >Revolt lover<

#5: Mystery category

1) Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle describes the plight of a Lithuanian family working in the Union Stock Yards of which major U.S. city?
A: >Chicago<
2) Which man, who ranked number 2, behind Albert Einstein, on Time Magazine's list of people of the 20th century, spent his college years at University College London training to be a barrister?
A: >Gandhi<
3) Which U.S. military figure, nicknamed "Old Blood and Guts", believed that he was the reincarnation of a Roman legionnaire as well as of the ancient Carthaginian general Hannibal?
A: >Patton<
4) Which Shakespeare play is the origin of the well-worn phrase "To thine own self be true"?
A: >Hamlet<
5) What's the smallest army unit that's led by a commissioned officer?
A: >Platoon<
Bonus) What's the common theme among all the answers in this category?
A: >They're all titles of winners of the Academy Award for Best Picture<

#6: Famous addresses

1) Which well-known fictional character lived at 221b Baker Street?
A: >Sherlock Holmes<
2) Whose official residence is Number One Observatory Circle?
A: >The Vice President, Dick Cheney<
3) Who lived for a time at 263 Prinsengracht, Amsterdam?
A: >Anne Frank<
4) Which fictional character lived at 7 Eccles Street, Dublin?
A: >Leopold Bloom<
5) The official residence of the Prime Minister of the UK is 10 Downing Street. Whose official residence is 11 Downing Street?
A: >The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown<

#7: Dramatis Personae (name the fictional work in which these characters appear)

1) Jack Torrance, Wendy Torrance, Dick Hallorann
A: >The Shining<
2) Winston Smith, Emmanuel Goldstein, O'Brien
A: >1984<
3) Lucy Honeychurch, George Emerson, Charlotte Bartlett
A: >A Room with a View<
4) Josef K, Frau Grubach, Fraeulein Buerstner
A: >The Trial<
5) Alfred Lambert, Enid Lambert, Gary Lambert
A: >The Corrections<

#8: Theme songs (identify the corresponding TV show for each theme song)

1) Click here to listen to song 1
A: >Peter Gunn<
2) Click here to listen to song 2
A: >Doogie Howser<
3) Click here to listen to song 3
A: >Dawson's Creek ("I Don't Want to Wait" by Paula Cole)<
4) Click here to listen to song 4
A: >Doctor Who<
5) Click here to listen to song 5
A: >Perry Mason<
6) Click here to listen to song 6
A: >Charmed ("How Soon Is Now?" by Love Spit Love)<

This week's winning team was I'll Wear My Lederhosen, a team of six with a score of 35 out of a possible 42 points. Second place went, after a tense and action-packed playoff round, to Double Tree Team, a team of five with a score of 28. The prize for highest average score went to Vault 13, a one-man team with an impressive score of 13. Congratulations to the various winners, and thanks to everyone for playing. See you next week!

Night 13: June 26th, 2006

2006-06-26T23:47:00.000-07:00

#1: Thirteen

1) What is the term for the fear of the number 13?
A: >Triskaidekaphobia<
2) The current official motto of the United States - In God We Trust - contains 12 letters. The original official motto of the United States, in what may have been a deliberate symbolic gesture, contained 13 letters. What was this original motto?
A: >E Pluribus Unum<
3) Five different basketball teams - the Warriors, the Globetrotters, the Lakers, the Kansas Jayhawks, and the 76s - retired jersey number 13 in honor of one particular basketball great. Who was this great player who wore unlucky 13 throughout much of his career?
A: >Wilt Chamberlain<
4) Four states - New Jersey, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Delaware - rejected the 13th Amendment when it was initially up for ratification; those same four states later reversed course and ratified the amendment, the last of them doing so in 1995. What is the subject matter of this controversial amendment?
A: >The abolition of slavery<
5) The poem Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird begins with the lines: "Among twenty snowy mountains / The only moving thing / Was the eye of the blackbird." Which American modernist poet wrote this piece?
A: >Wallace Stevens<

#2: Etymology

1) This term, which comes to us from the Old French for "cover fire", originally denoted the custom of sounding a signal, such as a bell, to indicate that all of the fires in a village should be extinguished for the night. What is this term?
A: >Curfew<
2) Which word, somewhat out of step with its current usage, is from a Latin term meaning "to punish every tenth person"?
A: >Decimate<
3) Which animal's name comes from the Spanish term for "the lizard"?
A: >Alligator<
4) This term, denoting a seemingly unstoppable force, comes from the Sanskrit for "Lord of the Universe", one of the names of Krishna. The term originates from the observations by British missionaries of an annual chariot procession from one of Krishna's temples, in which a 45-foot-tall multi-ton chariot is wheeled along. What is this term?
A: >Juggernaut<
5) This term, used to describe someone you share an experience or journey with, comes from the Old French term for "one who breaks bread with another". What is the term?
A: >Companion<

#3: The Northwest on film

1) What local natural feature and landmark features prominently in the opening credits of David Lynch's series Twin Peaks?
A: >Snoqualmie Falls<
2) Name the 1989 movie, filmed largely in Portland, which follows a group of junkies as they rob hospitals and pharmacies in an effort to support their habits.
A: >Drugstore Cowboy<
3) The movie My Own Private Idaho features Keanu Reeves as Scott Favor, son of the wealthy mayor of Portland. Which Shakespearean character is Scott Favor based on?
A: >Prince Hal, or Henry V<
4) On the subject of Shakespeare, which 1999 film based on The Taming of the Shrew prominently featured Tacoma's Stadium High School?
A: >10 Things I Hate About You<
5) Set in Seattle, John Woo's 2003 film Paycheck was based on a 1953 short story of the same name. Name the writer of this story.
A: >Philip K. Dick<

#4: Mystery category

1) Name the breed of dog which, with a top speed of up to 45 mph, is among the fastest of all land mammals.
A: >Greyhound<
2) What's the popular name of the Scottish outlaw hero who was granted a full pardon in the wake of the publication of the novel Highland Rogue, a fictionalized account of his life written by Daniel Defoe?
A: >Rob Roy<
3) Which magazine in 1988, while under the editorship of Helen Gurley Brown, controversially claimed that women having sex with HIV-infected men were at little risk of contracting the disease, and further claimed that HIV could not be transmitted via sex in the missionary position?
A: >Cosmopolitan<
4) What's the term for a skilled craftsman who works on large-scale iron fabrication, including the construction of bridges and blast furnaces?
A: >Boilermaker<
5) What is the popular name of the British paramilitary force, formally known as the Royal Irish Constabulary Reserve Force, which was infamous for its brutal suppression of the Irish Republican movement?
A: >Black and Tans<
Bonus) What's the theme of this category?
A: >All of the answers are names of alcoholic beverages.<

#5: Fine cuisine

1) The Michelin Red Guide, arguably the world's most highly-regarded restaurant guide, awards stars to those restaurants it regards as truly outstanding. What's the maximum number of stars a restaurant can be awarded by Michelin?
A: >3<
2) What is the term chefs use to refer to the thymus and pancreas of piglets and calves?
A: >Sweetbreads<
3) Auguste Escoffier is regarded by many as the father of modern French cuisine. One of his primary contributions was his identification of the six basic sauces of French cooking. Which of Escoffier's basic sauces consists largely of milk whisked into a white roux made from butter and flour?
A: >Sauce Bechemel<
4) Which great delicacy, which grows in the wild at the base of oak trees, was traditionally sought with the help of pigs?
A: >Truffles<
5) Which prominent chef spent nearly all of the 1960s working as the director of research and new development for Howard Johnson's?
A: >Jacques Pepin<

#6: West Africa

1) From which West African nation does UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan originally hail?
A: >Ghana<
2) Three different West African nations competed in the World Cup for the first time in 2006. Name any two of these three countries.
A: >Ghana, Togo, Cote d'Ivoire<
3) Which ex-warlord and former Liberian president has been charged by the UN with war crimes and was recently sent to the Hague to await trial?
A: >Charles Taylor<
4) Which nation, Africa's smallest, is surrounded on three sides by Senegal?
A: >The Gambia<
5) Which Nigerian author is perhaps best-known for his book Things Fall Apart, which has been translated into around 50 languages and has sold over 10 million copies worldwide?
A: >Chinua Achebe<

#7: Medical history

1) One particularly influential ancient medical hypothesis held that disease was caused by an imbalance in a patient's four humours. Name any two of the four humors.
A: >Blood, yellow bile, black bile, phlegm<
2) Which slang term for a British person derives from a practice in the Royal Navy intended to help sailors ward off scurvy?
A: >Limey<
3) Which ailment, termed "sweet urine disease" by ancient Chinese doctors, was diagnosed, by those same doctors, by observing whether ants were attracted to the urine of patients thought to suffer from it?
A: >Diabetes<
4) Which term describes the once-common medical practice of removing small pieces of bone from the skull?
A: >Trepenation<
5) Edward Jenner devised the smallpox vaccine after observing that women who engaged in a certain occupation were substantially less likely to develop the disease than the general population. What was the occupation of these women?
A: >The women were milkmaids.<

#8: Guest artists (name the guest artist on each of these songs)

1) Click here to listen to song 1
A: >Money for Nothing by Dire Straits, featuring guest artist Sting<
2) Click here to listen to song 2
A: >The Girl Is Mine by Michael Jackson, featuring guest artist Paul McCartney<
3) Click here to listen to song 3
A: >You Got Me by The Roots, featuring guest artist Erykah Badu<
4) Click here to listen to song 4
A: >E-Bow the Letter by R.E.M., featuring guest artist Patti Smith<
5) Click here to listen to song 5
A: >Protection by Massive Attack, featuring Tracey Thorn<

This week's winning team was Quattro Formaggi, a team of four with a score of 34 out of a possible 41 points. In second place was Jake's Sweaty Friends, a team of five with a score of 28. The prize for highest average score went to Occam's Toothbrush, a team of two with an impressive score of 27. Congratulations to the various winners, and thanks to everyone for playing. See you next week!

Twelfth night: June 19th, 2006

2006-06-19T16:50:00.000-07:00

#1: People who write plays

1) One of Shakespeare's best-known works is Hamlet. In 1966, a Czech-born dramatist wrote Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead, which follows the exploits of two minor characters from Hamlet. Who was this dramatist?
A: >Tom Stoppard<
2) Which famed British dramatist won last year's Nobel Prize in Literature?
A: >Harold Pinter<
3) How do you spell the word /plā'rīt'/ (the word for a person who writes plays)?
A: >'playwright'<
4) One of the most famous plays of the twentieth century begins with the character Estragon saying "Nothing to be done". Name the play, and the Irish dramatist who wrote it.
A: >Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Beckett<
5) One of the best known works by the ancient dramatist Aristophanes is an anti-war comedy in which a group of woman attempt to end the Peloponnesian War by withholding sex from their husbands and lovers until peace is secured. What is the name of this play?
A: >Lysistrata<

#2: Second place

1) We all know that Mt. Rainier is the tallest mountain in Washington. But what's the second-highest peak in the state?
A: >Mount Adams<
2) Russia is the largest country in the world by area. Which country is the second-largest?
A: >Canada<
3) With over 15 million copies sold, The Joshua Tree is U2's best-selling album. Which of U2's albums has sold the second-most copies?
A: >Achtung Baby<
4) Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway holds the record for most career victories by a quarterback. Which NFL quarterback has the second-most career victories?
A: >Dan Marino<
5) In soccer, Brazil has won the most World Cups, with five. Which country has the most second-place finishes?
A: >Germany, with 4<

#3: Russia

1) Many Russians like to top their bread with thin slices of raw pork fat. What do the Russians call this delicious bread topping?
A: >Salo<
2) What was the name of the last tsar of Russia, who was forced to abdicate in 1917 and was killed by the Bolsheviks the following year?
A: >Nicholas II<
3) Which Russian writer, after being forced to stand blindfolded in freezing conditions waiting to be shot by firing squad, saw his sentence commuted to several years of hard labor in Siberia?
A: >Fyodor Dostoevsky<
4) The first human in space was a Russian man named Yuri Gagarin. The first woman in space was also a Russian. What was her name?
A: >Valentina Tereshkova<
5) The Disney movie Fantasia features a number of pieces by Russian composers, including one by Modest Mussorgsky. What's the name of the famous Mussorgsky piece which appears in the film?
A: >A Night on Bald Mountain<

#4: Death and the movies

1) In 1992, Brandon Lee, son of Bruce Lee, was accidentally killed on set when a gun thought to contain only blanks turned out to have a bullet still in its chamber. Which movie was it that Lee was filming when this accident occurred?
A: >The Crow<
2) A 1990 movie, Julia Roberts's first after Pretty Woman, told the story of a group of medical students who experimented with near-death experiences by killing and then resuscitating one another. What is the name of this film?
A: >Flatliners<
3) Considered by many to be among the greatest films ever made, 1957's The Seventh Seal includes a famous scene in which the personification of Death plays a game of chess against a medieval knight. Which famed European director wrote and directed this film?
A: >Ingmar Bergman<
4) In the 1989 film Batman, The Joker falls to his death from a very tall building, following a lengthy battle with Batman. Which building is it that The Joker falls from?
A: >Gotham Cathedral<
5) For years, an urban legend has circulated which claims that actress Shirley Eaton died on set of skin suffocation during the filming of a James Bond film. Which 007 film was this?
A: >Goldfinger<

#5: Trivia about trivia

1) Robert Redford's film Quiz Show tells the real-life story of rigging and corruption behind the scenes of a popular 1950s TV game show. Name the show.
A: >Twenty-One<
2) Which American advice columnist initially rose to prominence after a very successful run on the game show The $64,000 Question?
A: >Dr. Joyce Brothers<
3) Scott Abbott and Chris Haney, creators of the board game Trivial Pursuit, formed a company in order to publish and sell their creation. What is the name of this company?
A: >Horn Abbot<
4) In 1999, John Carpenter became the first person to win a million dollars on the American version of the show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, correctly answering a million-dollar question about U.S. presidents. Which 20th-century president was the correct answer to this million-dollar question?
A: >Richard Nixon<
5) In 1950, a small town known as Hot Springs decided to change its name to Truth or Consequences as ploy to get the popular quiz show Truth or Consequences to film an episode there. (The effort was successful.) In which U.S. state can you find Truth or Consequences?
A: >New Mexico<

#6: Chemistry

1) Which chemical compound, which consists of six carbon atoms and six hydrogen atoms, is known for its ring-shaped structure?
A: >Benzene<
2) What is the term for a chemical reaction that requires a net input of energy?
A: >Endothermic reaction<
3) Albertus Magnus, a 13th century Dominican friar and eventual Catholic saint, was the first known discover of a chemical element, with all previous elements having been discovered anonymously in antiquity. Which highly poisonous element did Saint Albert manage to isolate?
A: >Arsenic<
4) Which American chemist, one of only two people to have won a Nobel prize in two different subject areas, spent much of his life campaigning against nuclear testing and advocating the consumption of massive doses of vitamin C?
A: >Linus Pauling<
5) In 1897, two German researchers synthesized a chemical compound known as acetylsalicylic acid. This chemical is used extensively even to this day; in fact, you may very well have some of it in your home. What is acetylsalicylic acid better known as?
A: >Aspirin<

#7: Your favorite TV shows, in other countries

1) Which 1980s American TV show found considerable success in Mexico airing under the title "El Coche Fantastico"?
A: >Knight Rider<
2) The American show The Office stars Steve Carrell as a hapless boss at a paper company in Pennsylvania. Which actor played the equivalent character in the original British version of The Office?
A: >Ricky Gervais<
3) Which bleak American sitcom has found some success in Romania, where it airs as Familia Bundy?
A: >Married... With Children<
4) Which popular American TV show, which premiered in May 2000, got its start in Sweden under the name "Expedition: Robinson"?
A: >Survivor<
5) Trading Spaces is by now a fixture of American reality TV. But the show wasn't developed in the US; instead, it was based on a British reality program. What was the name of this British show?
A: >Changing Rooms<

#8: Cover me (name the original performer)

1) Song 1
A: >Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon, originally performed by Neil Diamond, performed here by Urge Overkill<
2) Song 2
A: >Enter Sandman, originally performed by Metallica, performed here by Apocalyptica<
3) Song 3
A: >(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, originally performed by The Rolling Stones, here performed by Devo<
4) Song 4
A: >Paranoid Android, originally performed by Radiohead, here performed by Brad Mehldau<
5) Song 5
A: >It's My Life, originally performed by Talk Talk, here performed by No Doubt<

This week's winning team was Hell in a Handbasket, who scored 31 out of a possible 40 points. In second place was The New Menu, with a score of 30. The prize for highest average score went to Billsville, a team of one with an extremely impressive score of 16. Congratulations to the various winners, and thanks to everyone for playing!

Night 11: June 12th, 2006

2006-06-13T11:22:00.000-07:00

Category 1: Soon forgotten: last year's news

1) The Dallas Mavericks and the Miami Heat are currently squaring off in this year's NBA Finals. Which team won the 2005 NBA Finals?
A: >The San Antonio Spurs<
2) In 2005, surgeons in France broke new ground in human transplantation. What was it that they transplanted?
A: >A human face<
3) Which 2005 hurricane set the record for lowest barometric pressure ever recorded in an Atlantic hurricane?
A: >Hurricane Wilma<
4) The 2005 Nobel Peace Prize was jointly awarded to a person and an organization. Name one of them.
A: >International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Mohamed ElBaradei<
5) A man named Mark Felt was in the news in 2005. What was his claim to fame?
A: >He was Deep Throat<

Category 2: Architecture

1) Very controversial when they were initially built, the glass pyramids outside Paris's Louvre are now among the most iconic buildings in Europe. Name the architect who designed these pyramids.
A: >I. M. Pei<
2) There's no Nobel Prize for architecture. However, in 1979, a prize was created that many today see as essentially equivalent to a Nobel Prize in architecture. What's the name of this prize?
A: >The Pritzker Prize<
3) One of architect Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous buildings is Fallingwater, a rural residence built atop a waterfall. In which U.S. state can you find Fallingwater?
A: >Pennsylvania<
4) Which prominent American architect, born in Poland to survivors of the Holocaust, won the competition to create a design for the reconstruction of the World Trade Center?
A: >Daniel Libeskind<
5) Upon completion in 1931, the Empire State Building became the tallest building in the world, beating out a different skyscraper completed just a year earlier, in 1930? What was this other building?
A: >The Chrysler Building<

Category 3: Golf

1) What term describes holing the ball two strokes under par?
A: >Eagle<
2) In 1930, a single golfer won the U.S. Open, the U.S. Amateur, the Open Championship, and the British Amateur, thereby becoming the first and only player to have earned golf's Grand Slam. What was this player's name?
A: >Bobby Jones<
3) Tiger Woods isn't the only major golfer to have been nicknamed after an animal. What's the real name of the golfer known as The Great White Shark?
A: >Greg Norman<
4) What's the term golfers use to describe a shot by a right-handed player that curves to the right?
A: >Slice<
5) Which golf film included cameos by NHL stars Joe Sakic and Todd Bertuzzi?
A: >Happy Gilmore<

Category 4: Easy trivia

1) How many times are refried beans fried?
A: >Once<
2) What molten black substance do the La Brea Tar Pits contain?
A: >Asphalt<
3) In which month does Cambridge University host its annual May Ball?
A: >June<
4) From which country do Panama hats originally come?
A: >Ecuador<
5) Name any two of the three ingredients in a Brooklyn egg cream.
A: >Chocolate syrup, seltzer water, milk<

Category 5: Emperors

1) In which religion is Haile Selassie, the last emperor of Ethiopia, held to be God incarnate?
A: >Rastafarianism<
2) The Oscar-winning 1987 film The Last Emperor is a biopic about Puyi, the last emperor of China. Which famed director directed the film?
A: >Bernardo Bertolucci<
3) Which U.S. television show has featured rulers as diverse as Emperor Zorn the Stagnant, and Emperor Al Gore of the Moon?
A: >Futurama<
4) In the second half of the twentieth century, a man named Joshua Norton declared himself 'Emperor of These United States'. From which western U.S. city did His Imperial Majesty rule his vast empire?
A: >San Francisco<
5) In the Star Wars movies, what was the name of the first Emperor of the Galactic Empire?
A: >Palpatine<

Category 6: Woody Allen

1) Allen is a very proficient jazz musician. Which instrument does he play?
A: >Clarinet<
2) According to Mia Farrow, when Allen was found to be having an affair with Farrow's adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn, a prominent American crooner offered to have Allen's legs broken. Who was this singer?
A: >Frank Sinatra<
3) What was the first feature film Allen appeared in?
A: >What's New, Pussycat?<
4) Allen claimed to have been kicked out of college because, in metaphysics class, he looked into the soul of the boy sitting next to him. Which college was he kicked out of?
A: >NYU<
5) Allen has been married three times, which pratically makes him a bachelor, by Hollywood standards. Name any one of his three wives.
A: >Harlene Rosen; Louise Lasser; Soon-Yi Previn<

Category 7: Superstition

1) Many visitors to southern Ireland kiss a particular piece of rock, in the belief that it will endow them with the gift of gab. What's the name of this rock?
A: >The Blarney Stone<
2) Many people in the Western world believe 13 to be an unlucky number. In Japan, a different number is seen as inauspicious. Which number is it?
A: >4<
3) Some Jewish people in Europe and North America customarily exclaim Keyn aynhoreh! after good news has been spoken aloud. What is this expression intended to ward off?
A: >The evil eye<
4) According to the Roman writer Plutarch, a soothsayer warned Julius Caesar: "Beware the Ides of March." The soothsayer's warning was well-founded, as the Ides of March saw Caesar murdered. On our modern calendar, which day corresponds to the Ides of March?
A: >March 15th<
5) Many baseball fans believe that the Boston Red Sox were cursed for over 80 years as a result of their trade of Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees. What was the popular name of this curse?
A: >The Curse of the Bambino<

Category 8: Beatles songs

1) Name this Beatles song. (click here to listen)
A: >Helter Skelter, performed by U2<
2) Name this Beatles song. (click here to listen)
A: >While My Guitar Gently Weeps, performed by Jake Shimabukuro (on a ukulele)<
3) Name this Beatles song. (click here to listen)
A: >Blackbird, performed by Arturo Sandoval<
4) Name this Beatles song. (click here to listen)
A: >Happiness Is a Warm Gun, performed by The Breeders<
5) Name this Beatles song. (click here to listen)
A: >Dear Prudence, performed by Brad Mehldau<
Bonus) What do these songs all have in common, besides the fact that they're Beatles songs?
A: >All of these songs are from the 'White' album.<

Chic, Handsome, Heroic, All-Around Awesome, Devilish, Debonair placed second with 29 points while Children of Trogador took first place with 30 points. Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to everyone for playing!

Guest host for next 4 weeks

2006-06-06T17:27:00.000-07:00

If you were at Kozak's on Monday night you may have heard me mention that I will be out of town at the World Cup in Germany for the next few weeks. During that time, however, Monday night trivia will continue (the mere lack of my presence is not enough to derail the juggernaut of trivia!) under the very able command of Chad. Fret not then, my fellow trivia seekers, and be at Kozak's on Monday to further tax your minds!

Night 10: June 5th, 2006

2006-06-06T09:59:00.000-07:00

Category 1: Current Events
1. Which country, formerly part of Yugoslavia, declared its independence on Saturday after a May 21st referendum?
A: >Montenegro<
2. Which comedian won the Generation Award (for lifetime achievement) at this year’s MTV Movie Awards?
A: >Jim Carrey<
3. The final men’s singles match of this year’s French Open is expected to be contested by Roger Federer and which Spanish tennis player who won last year’s competition?
A: >Rafael Nadal<
4. Alan Garcia won Sunday’s presidential election in what South American country?
A: >Peru<
5. Which two teams will meet Thursday night for the first game of the NBA finals?
A: >Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat<

Category 2: Michael Jackson
1. Which Michael Jackson album is the top-selling album of all time?
A: >Thriller<
2. In1985, Michael Jackson had a falling out with a famous friend because Jackson bought the rights to almost the entire musical catalog of what band?
A: >The Beatles<
3. Which director was hired to direct the video for Bad?
A: >Martin Scorsese<
4. For which song did Michael Jackson win his first solo Grammy?
A: >Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough<
5. Which guitarist played the solo on the song Beat It?
A: >Eddie Van Halen<

Category 3: Populists
1. What is the nickname of the current president of Brazil?
A: >Lula<
2. Which brothers collected German folklore to “gather the Teutonic spirit” and help create a German identity?
A: >Brothers Grimm<
3. Juan Perón was hugely popular with the people of what country, where he served as president for three terms?
A: >Argentina<
4. Aung San Suu Kyi is a non-violent pro-democracy activist who has been under house arrest off and on since 1989 in what country?
A: >Myanmar/Burma<
5. Which former KKK leader, who was imprisoned in 2003 for tax evasion and mail fraud, ran for president in 1988 as the Populist Party candidate?
A: >David Duke<

Category 4: Hinky Pinky
In this category, the clues given describe an answer that is a pair of rhyming words with the same number of syllables. For example, “seafood spread” could be “clam jam”. I’m not going to tell you the number of syllables for each question though…
1. A person who lives in the basement
A: >Cellar dweller<
2. A Norseman on wheels
A: >Biking Viking<
3. Apian patellae
A: >Bee’s knees<
4. The White House
A: >President’s residence<
5. Onion boat
A: >Scallion galleon<

Category 5: Food
1. By what name are the thymus and pancreas of cattle usually known when they are served as food?
A: >Sweetbreads<
2. If you order “unagi” in a Japanese restaurant, what type of animal will you be eating?
A: >Freshwater eel<
3. What Scandinavian specialty is made from air-dried whitefish and lye?
A: >Lutefisk<
4. Which one of the following is considered a “true” berry by botanical standards: Blueberry, grape, raspberry, or banana?
A: >Grape<
5. Madagascar is the world’s largest producer of what flavouring, derived from the seedpods of a specific genus of orchids?
A: >Vanilla<

Category 6: The World Cup
1. Who won the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea?
A: >Brazil<
2. In what country was the first World Cup held? A bonus point if you can name the year.
A: >Uruguay, 1930<
3. What is the acronym for the confederation to which the US belongs?
A: >CONCACAF<
4. How many people are estimated to have watched the final of the 2002 World Cup: 550 million, 820 million, 1.1 billion, 1.6 billion?
A: >1.1 billion<
5. Name one of the two countries that have won 3 World Cups.
A: >Germany, Italy<

Category 7: The WB
1. What show, created by Josh Whedon and which premiered in 1997, was the first big hit for the WB and also helped launch the career of Sarah Michelle Gellar?
A: >Buffy the Vampire Slayer<
2. What hidden camera show featuring characters such as Brad “B-Rad” Gluckman and Virginia Hamm would tell victims that they’d been “X’ed” when it came time to reveal the gag?
A: >The Jamie Kennedy Experiment<
3. In January 2006, what supernatural WB program in its eighth year became the longest running show ever with all-female leads, surpassing Laverne & Shirley?
A: >Charmed<
4. Which actor played Dawson Leery on Dawson’s Creek?
A: >James Van Der Beek<
5. Which WB drama, currently in its fourth season and which has not been renewed for the fall, follows characters in a small fictional town in Colorado?
A: >Everwood<

Category 8: Songs about places
Name the artist.
1. Beverly Hills
A: >Weezer<
2. Aenima
A: >Tool<
3. Private Idaho
A: >B-52s<
4. California Dreaming
A: >The Mamas and the Papas<
5. NYC
A: >Interpol<

East Coast Offense, a team of two, won the best average score prize tonight with a total score of 28. The_Underscores placed second with 31 points while Mostly Good Girls took first place with 32 points. Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to everyone for playing!

Night 9: May 29th, 2006

2006-05-30T11:35:00.000-07:00

Category 1: Current Events
1. CBS settled out of court with which radio personality, following a breach of contract dispute?
A: >Howard Stern<
2. Angelina Jolie gave birth Saturday to a baby girl. To what country did she and Brad travel in order to avoid the paparazzi?
A: >Namibia<
3. Which famous site in Poland, where he spoke and led prayers, was Pope Benedict’s last stop on his tour of the country?
A: >Auschwitz<
4. The prestigious journal, Science, published two papers last week describing theoretical methods for creating what kind of sci-fi-seeming device?
A: >Cloaking device<
5. Barry Bonds is now ranked 2nd in career home runs in the major leagues. Who is ranked first?
A: >Hank Aaron<

Category 2: Puppets
1. What famous puppet made his first appearance in 1955 on a TV show called Sam & Friends?
A: >Kermit<
2. What show consisted largely of two sock puppets, voiced by Matt Crocco & Liam Lynch, having bizarre and meandering conversations, interspersed with recurring segments such as Rock Facts and A Word With Chester?
A: >Sifl and Olly<
3. What satirical British program, which ran from 1986 to 1994, showed often scathing puppet caricatures of public figures?
A: >Spitting Image<
4. What are the names of the two old men who sit in the box seats on The Muppet Show and heckle the performers? (2 points – one point each)
A: >Statler and Waldorf<
5. Which Sesame Street character has a pet worm Slimey, a pet elephant Fluffy, and lives in a garbage can?
A: >Oscar the Grouch<

Category 3: Prize winners
1. Who won the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the photoelectric effect, helping to further explore the wave-particle duality of light?
A: >Albert Einstein<
2. Which actress has the most Academy Award nominations, with 13, and two wins (for Kramer vs Kramer & Sophie’s Choice)?
A: >Meryl Streep<
3. Which Hugo & Nebula award winning African-American writer was the first sci-fi author to receive the MacArthur Foundation “Genius” grant?
A: >Octavia E. Butler<
4. Which actress surprised many in 2005 by accepting in person the Golden Raspberry, or “Razzie”, award for Worst Actress while also clutching her 2002 Best Actress Oscar?
A: >Halle Berry<
5. Which humourist won the Pulitzer Prize for Commentary in 1988?
A: >Dave Barry<

Category 4: Celebrity Anagrams
1. Narcoleptic (music)
A: >Eric Clapton<
2. Docile or paranoid (acting)
A: >Leonardo DiCaprio<
3. Presbyterians (music)
A: >Britney Spears<
4. No aliens, darling (acting)
A: >Gillian Anderson<
5. No real charm beneath (acting)
A: >Helena Bonham Carter<

Category 5: Memorial Day
1. What is the earliest date in May that Memorial Day could be observed?
A: >May 25th<
2. The town of Waterloo in what state is generally considered the birthplace of Memorial Day?
A: >New York<
3. Memorial Day was formerly known as Decoration Day and honoured soldiers killed during which war?
A: >The US Civil War<
4. Memorial Day is a US holiday - many other countries honour their war dead on Remembrance Day. What date does it fall on, the same as Veteran’s Day in the US?
A: >November 11th<
5. A Congressional measure to return Memorial Day to its previously fixed date of May 30th has been introduced repeatedly since 1999 by Senator Daniel Inouye, the senior senator from which state?
A: >Hawaii<

Category 6: Chemistry
1. Freezing, for example, is the change of state from liquid to solid of a compound. What state change occurs in deposition?
A: >Gas to solid<
2. Which chemist won two Nobel Prizes – one jointly in Physics in 1903 for research into radiation phenomena and the other in Chemistry in 1911 for the discovery of the elements polonium and radium?
A: >Marie Curie<
3. If a solution is acidic, will it have a high or a low pH?
A: >Low (<7)<
4. Which element gets its symbol from the Latinized Greek word hydrargyrum, meaning “watery silver”?
A: >Mercury<
5. How many carbon atoms are found in a molecule of butane?
A: >4<

Category 7: The 50 States
1. What is the capital of Michigan?
A: >Lansing<
2. Which state’s nickname is the Granite State?
A: >New Hampshire<
3. Which state is the most populous, based on 2005 US Census estimates?
A: >California<
4. How many states share a land border (including rivers, not including lakes) with Canada?
A: >11 (WA, ID, MT, ND, MN, MI, NY, VT, NH, ME, AK)<
5. In which state is the geographic center of the 50 states?
A: >South Dakota (just west of Castle Rock)<

Category 8: Songs with Whistling
1. Walk Like An Egyptian
A: >The Bangles<
2. There It Go (The Whistle Song)
A: >Juelz Santana<
3. Patience
A: >Guns N’ Roses<
4. Games Without Frontiers
A: >Peter Gabriel<
5. Winds of Change
A: >The Scorpions<

The best average score was 22 points for a team of 2 people and was won by Katie & Kat. The second place team was Vrooooooooom with 29 points. First place was won by MC Escher with 30 points. Congratulations to the winning teams and thanks to everyone who played!

Night 8: May 22nd, 2006

2006-05-23T13:18:00.000-07:00

Category 1: Current Events
1. Which is the only Canadian team in the final four of the NHL playoffs?
A: >The Edmonton Oilers<
2. Which new double-decker aircraft arrived safely at Heathrow airport last week for its first flight into the UK?
A: >The Airbus A380<
3. Barbaro’s injury overshadowed Bernadini’s win in which Triple Crown race, run on Saturday?
A: >The Preakness<
4. Who won the mayoral election in New Orleans?
A: >Ray Nagin<
5. Which singer kicked off her world tour, titled “Confessions,” on Sunday night at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California?
A: >Madonna<

Category 2: Astronomy
1. What is the Latin name for the constellation also known as the Big Dipper or the Plough?
A: >Ursa Major<
2. Which is the closest star system to our solar system?
A: >Alpha Centauri<
3. Which of the following stars is brightest when viewed from Earth: Betelgeuse, Rigel, Sirius or Vega?
A: >Sirius<
4. Which Western astronomer is generally credited with reviving the theory of heliocentrism in the 16th century?
A: >Nicolas Copernicus<
5. What astronomical unit is defined as the distance from the Earth to a star that has a parallax of one arcsecond and is roughly equal to 3.16 light years?
A: >A parsec<

Category 3: Name that show
Name the TV show in which each of the following characters appear:
1. Bender
A: >Futurama<
2. Chrissy Snow
A: >Three’s Company<
3. Margaret J. Houlihan
A: >M*A*S*H<
4. Luke Danes
A: >Gilmore Girls<
5. Wilbur Post
A: >Mr. Ed<

Category 4: African geography
A map of Africa was provided with 5 countries marked 1-5. Participants were asked to identify the countries.
1. Sudan
2. Ivory Coast
3. Algeria
4. Kenya
5. Angola

Category 5: Sports cities
I’ll name a team, you tell me what city they’re associated with.
1. The Red Bulls
A: >New York (MLS)<
2. The Flames
A: >Calgary (NHL)<
3. The Falcons
A: >Atlanta (NFL) – also, Newcastle (Rugby)<
4. The soccer team Lazio
A: >Rome<
5. The Shock
A: >Detroit (WNBA)<

Category 6: The Military
1. Which rank is higher in the US Army: Captain, Colonel or Major?
A: >Colonel<
2. Which country has the largest number of active troops (as of 2004)?
A: >China (with 2,255,000)<
3. What is the highest military decoration awarded in the US?
A: >The Medal of Honor<
4. Who is Colonel-in-Chief of several military regiments, including the Royal Dragoon Guards, the Black Watch, the Royal Gurkha Rifles, The Royal Canadian Dragoons, and The Royal Winnipeg Rifles?
A: >Prince Charles<
5. Which Central American country was the first to constitutionally abolish its military?
A: >Costa Rica<

Category 7: Video games
1. Which video game featured the characters Johnny Cage, Raiden & Sub-Zero?
A: >Mortal Kombat<
2. In which early video game does Mario need to jump over barrels thrown by a giant ape?
A: >Donkey Kong<
3. Which video game system had Bonk, the “Cave Dude with an Attitude,” as its most visible and principal character?
A: >Turbografx 16<
4. Which video game consists of Samus Aran infiltrating Zebes and attempting to destroy Mother Brain?
A: >Metroid<
5. According to Strategy Analytics, which company dominates the worldwide video game console market with a 66% share?
A: >Sony<

Category 8: Music - Grunge
Name the artist.
1. Verse Chorus Verse
A: >Nirvana<
2. Hunger Strike
A: >Temple of the Dog<
3. Rusty Cage
A: >Soundgarden<
4. Touch Me I’m Sick
A: >Mudhoney<
5. Nearly Lost You
A: >Screaming Trees<

The best average score prize was won by Driving While Asian, a team of two with a total score of 30. First place was awarded to Tractorhead with a score of 34; California, Here We Come finished second with 31 points. Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all who played!

Night 7: May 15th, 2006

2006-05-15T22:37:00.000-07:00

Category 1: Current Events
1. Which country recently elevated two bishops without papal approval, widening the rift between the country and the Vatican?
A: >China<
2. Which singer, widely expected to win this year, was surprisingly voted off of American Idol last week?
A: >Chris Daughtry<
3. Which gas-guzzling vehicle did GM announce they would be retiring with its 2006 model?
A: >The Hummer H1<
4. What girl’s name was, for the 10th year running, the most popular name given to daughters in 2005?
A: >Emily<
5. Apple Corps Ltd, the Beatles’ record company, sued Apple Computer for allegedly breaching a 1991 agreement between the two companies and the judge’s verdict was handed down recently. On which company’s side did the judge rule?
A: >Apple Computer<

Category 2: Season Finales
1. Malcolm In The Middle showed its series finale yesterday. Which university is Malcolm headed to?
A: >Harvard<
2. As The West Wing came to a close, which character was sworn in as the new president?
A: >Matt Santos<
3. Who was the winner of this season’s Survivor: Panama?
A: >Aras Baskauskas<
4. Will & Grace will end its run this week after how many seasons on the air?
A: >8<
5. Which two characters kissed to close the season finale of The Office?
A: >Jim & Pam<

Category 3: Company Origins
1. Which Japanese company, whose name roughly translates to “three water chestnuts” and is now most famous as a car manufacturer, was established in 1870 as a shipping company?
A: >Mitsubishi<
2. What US airline was formed when Boeing Air Transport was split off from its parent company due to the Air Mail Act of 1934?
A: >United Airlines<
3. Which tobacco company started in the 1860s by a London tobacconist selling hand-rolled cigarettes under the brand names “Oxford” and “Cambridge Blues”?
A: >Philip Morris<
4. Which Japanese electronics company was founded in 1889 as a manufacturer of playing cards?
A: >Nintendo<
5. When the French car company Peugeot was founded in the late 19th century, what did they manufacture?
A: >Bicycles<

Category 4: Spelling!
Spell the following words: (note: this is not particularly effective online - it's better if you hear me say them) :)
1. They’re; as in “It’s Thursday morning and they’re going to the market.”
2. Cemetery; as in “We’re going down to the cemetery to do some grave rubbings.”
3. Misspelled; as in “That word is commonly misspelled.”
4. Supersede; as in “The needs of the many supersede the needs of the one.”
5. Minuscule; as in “The portions at that restaurant were minuscule.”

Category 5: Natural disasters
1. In 1931, a natural disaster in China killed up to 4 million people, making it the deadliest natural disaster in recent recorded history. What type of disaster was it?
A: >A flood (of the Yellow River)<
2. Mount Tambora erupted in 1815, killing approximately 92,000 people. What country was that in?
A: >Indonesia<
3. The town of Parkfield is very popular with seismologists because earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 and greater regularly strike every 22 years or so. Directly over which fault line does the town sit?
A: >The San Andreas Fault<
4. Which ocean is most prone to producing tsunamis?
A: >Pacific<
5. With what term would you describe a tropical cyclone that developed in the northwest Pacific with wind speeds of 95 mph?
A: >A Typhoon<

Category 6: Miscellaneous sports
1. Which baseball team turned a triple play last night, the first in the majors for over a year?
A: >The Chicago White Sox<
2. Name one of the NHL teams that will be playing in the Eastern Conference championship.
A: >Carolina Hurricanes & Buffalo Sabres<
3. Which is the largest US city without an NFL franchise?
A: >Los Angeles<
4. Which NBA player broke the record for number of 3-pointers in a season, with 269?
A: >Ray Allen<
5. What sport does the Berlin Thunder play?
A: >American football<

Category 7: Writer’s follies
1. Harvard student Kaavya Viswanathan has been accused of plagiarizing which author in her book, “How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, And Got A Life”?
A: >Megan McCafferty<
2. James Frey was torn to shreds by Oprah for lying in his memoir, “A Million Little Pieces”. What is the name of the equally fictional follow-up to that book?
A: >My Friend Leonard<
3. Jayson Blair resigned from which newspaper in 2003 after it was discovered that he had repeatedly plagiarized and faked quotes in his articles?
A: >The New York Times<
4. Writer Harlan Ellison won a suit against James Cameron in which he alleged that one of Cameron’s movies plagiarized episodes he had written for the TV show, The Outer Limits. What movie was Ellison referring to?
A: >The Terminator<
5. William Swanson wrote a book called, “Swanson’s Unwritten Rules of Management,” which was found to have been largely plagiarized from other sources. Of which company is Swanson CEO?
A: >Raytheon<

Category 8: Music – Solo Artists
Bonus point round! Name the artist (one point) and the group that they were a part of prior to going solo (one point).
1. Crazy Train
A: >Ozzy Osbourne (from Black Sabbath)<
2. Look At Me
A: >Geri Halliwell (from the Spice Girls)<
3. Walking on Broken Glass
A: >Annie Lennox (from the Eurythmics)<
4. Let Me Ride
A: >Dr. Dre (from N.W.A.)<
5. Irish Blood, English Heart
A: >Morrissey (from the Smiths)<

The best average score tonight was achieved by Empty Thought Balloons with 26 points divided among 3 people. Second place was 31 points by Scratchel, Rajagolesco and Kearney, LLC and first place was 32 points by Yellow Submarines. Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to everyone who played!

Night 6: May 8th, 2006

2006-05-08T22:18:00.000-07:00

Category 1: Current Events
1. What is the name of the horse that won the Kentucky Derby this year?
A: >Barbaro<
2. In a recently released report, which pharmaceutical company – the world’s largest – was found to have illegally tested an unapproved drug on children in Africa?
A: >Pfizer<
3. Who announced his resignation as director of the CIA on Friday?
A: >Porter Goss<
4. Which baseball team has the best win-loss record so far this season?
A: >Chicago White Sox<
5. Which South African archbishop will be appearing in Seattle this week?
A: >Desmond Tutu<

Category 2: Cartoons
1. What was the name of Barney & Betty Rubble’s adopted child?
A: >Bamm-Bamm<
2. What legendary voice actor voiced Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester the Cat and many others?
A: >Mel Blanc<
3. In 2005, Forbes released a list of the 15 richest fictional characters. Which was the wealthiest animated cartoon character (in third place): C. Montgomery Burns, Richie Rich, or Scrooge McDuck?
A: >Richie Rich (Burns was 5th and Scrooge McDuck was 6th)<
4. Who was Dudley Do-Right’s archnemesis?
A: >Snidely Whiplash<
5. On what show did The Simpsons get its start as a series of animated shorts?
A: >The Tracey Ullman Show<

Category 3: Parallels and Meridians
1. Through which three South American countries does the equator pass?
A: >Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil<
2. Is the Pacific island nation of Kiribati located east or west of the International Date Line?
A: >West<
3. Does the Tropic of Cancer pass through any portion of the US?
A: >Yes – through Hawaiian waters<
4. The area north of the line marking the Arctic Circle is known, obviously, as the Arctic. What is the area immediately to the south known as?
A: >The Northern Temperate Zone<
5. Through what English town does the Prime Meridian famously pass?
A: >Greenwich<

Category 4: Bond villains
Using the photos provided, name the villains from the James Bond movies.
1.
A: >Auric Goldfinger<
2.
A: >Jaws<
3.
A: >Dr. Julius No<
4.
A: >Ernst Stavro Bloefeld<
5.
A: >Odd Job<

Category 5: Celebrity marriages
1. Who was Julia Roberts’ first husband?
A: >Lyle Lovett<
2. To which director/writer/actor has Jamie Lee Curtis been married since 1984?
A: >Christopher Guest<
3. How many times was Elizabeth Taylor married?
A: >8<
4. How many wedding ceremonies did Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale have in 2002?
A: >3 – At an Anglican church in London; at the home of Jimmy Iovine in Los Angeles; and in an L.A. cathedral.<
5. Musician Tommy Lee has been married three times. To whom was he married the longest?
A: >Heather Locklear (1986-1993)<

Category 6: Name that poet
Name the author of each of the following excerpts from poems.
1. “Let us go then, you and I / When the evening is spread out against the sky / Like a patient etherised upon a table.”
A: >T. S. Eliot (The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock)<
2. “I met a traveler from an antique land / Who said: - Two vast and trunkless legs of stone / Stand in the desert.”
A: >Percy Bysshe Shelley (Ozymandias)<
3. “it may not always be so;and I say / that if your lips,which I have loved,should touch / another's,and your dear strong fingers clutch / his heart,as mine in time not far away;”
A: >E. E. Cummings (Sonnets – Unrealities XI)<
4. “’Twas brillig, and the slithy toves / Did gyre and gimbal in the wabe: / All mimsy were the borogroves, / And the mome raths outgrabe.”
A: >Lewis Carroll (Jabberwocky)<
5. “It is an ancient Mariner, / And he stoppeth one of three. / `By thy long beard and glittering eye, / Now wherefore stopp'st thou me?”
A: >Samuel Taylor Coleridge (The Rime of the Ancient Mariner)<

Category 7: For the Birds
1. In biological taxonomy, what class do birds belong to?
A: >Aves<
2. What is the collective noun for a group of ravens?
A: >Unkindness, murder and conspiracy are all valid.<
3. What is the Washington State bird?
A: >The Willow Goldfinch (aka the American Goldfinch)<
4. What jazz saxophonist was nicknamed “Bird”?
A: >Charlie Parker<
5. Which is the largest flightless bird?
A: >The ostrich<

Category 8: Goth
Name the artist for the following song excerpts.
1. Love Will Tear Us Apart
A: >Joy Division<
2. March of the Pigs
A: >Nine Inch Nails<
3. Love Song
A: >The Cure<
4. Kiss Them For Me
A: >Siouxsie and the Banshees<
5. Bela Lugosi’s Dead
A: >Bauhaus<

The winning team tonight was Flying Vomit Things That Attack Spock with 27 points. The second place team was Where's Tim with 22 points. The best average score went to Celtic United, a one person team with a score of 8.

Congratulations to the winning teams and thanks to everyone for playing!

Night 5: May 1st, 2006

2006-05-01T23:53:00.000-07:00

Category 1: Current Events
1. What is the name of the holiday that falls on May Day, commemorating the Haymarket Riot of 1886?
A: >International Worker’s Day<
2. Nintendo announced that it was changing the name of its upcoming console from “Revolution” to what? Spelling counts!
A: >Wii<
3. Katie Holmes gave birth to a baby girl who she and Tom named “Suri”. What does Suri mean in Persian?
A: >Red rose<
4. Woodland Park Zoo recently had to euthanize what kind of animal due to advanced, age-related kidney disease?
A: >Snow leopard<
5. Which CBS soap opera won the most Daytime Emmys this year, with 4 awards?
A: >Guiding Light<

Category 2: Oscar-winning movie taglines
I’ll give a movie tagline – you tell me what Oscar winner it’s from.
1. “Love is a force of nature.”
A: >Brokeback Mountain<
2. “Whoever saves one life, saves the world entire.”
A: >Schindler’s List<
3. “With the right song and dance, you can get away with murder.”
A: >Chicago<
4. “Brace yourself for Melvin.”
A: >As Good As It Gets<
5. “In search of wine. In search of women. In search of themselves.”
A: >Sideways<

Category 3: Media
1. What newspaper’s slogan is “All The News That’s Fit To Print”?
A: >The New York Times<
2. Which media conglomerate is the world’s largest, owning HBO, CNN, New Line Cinema, and People magazine, among many, many other companies?
A: >Time Warner<
3. Which network made the first coast-to-coast colour broadcast, showing the Tournament of the Roses parade on January 1st, 1954?
A: >NBC<
4. Which American newspaper has the largest circulation?
A: >USA Today<
5. Which company owns the most radio stations in the US?
A: >Clear Channel<

Category 4: Science
1. Carbon can appear in three elemental forms, one of which is Buckminster Fullerene. What sport ball does the structure of Buckminster Fullerene resemble?
A: >Soccer ball<
2. What was the name of the discredited science for determining character and personality traits based on the shape of an individual’s head?
A: >Phrenology<
3. In the equation E=mc^2, what constant does the letter c stand for?
A: >The speed of light (~3x10^8 m/s)<
4. What is the name for the dangly mass of tissue that hangs down the back of your throat?
A: >Uvula<
5. What is the molecular formula for common table salt?
A: >NaCl<

Category 5: NFL draft
1. Prior to the NFL draft, college players perform physical and mental tests as part of a three-day showcase called what?
A: >The Combine<
2. In which city is the NFL draft held?
A: >New York City<
3. Which three time Super Bowl MVP was the 82nd pick in the 1979 draft?
A: >Joe Montana<
4. Who was the first pick in this year’s NFL draft, signing with the Houston Texans on a six-year, $54 million contract?
A: >Mario Williams<
5. John Elway was the number one pick in the 1983 draft. Which team selected him?
A: >Baltimore Colts<

Category 6: Hai-clue
1. Red-headed actress / She really enjoys her flute / Yells “Say my name bitch?”
A: >Alyson Hannigan<
2. Before Tony Blair / There was a different PM / Now what was his name?
A: >John Major<
3. I would like to know / A fact about Syria / What’s its capital?
A: >Damascus<
4. From Washington state / How many folks represent / Us in the Congress?
A: >11 (2 Senators, 9 Representatives)<
5. There is a movie / Called Gorillas In The Mist / Who is it about?
A: >Dian Fossey<

Category 7: The US Constitution
1. The first amendment guarantees five freedoms – freedom of speech, freedom of the press and the right to petition the government for the redress of grievances are three of them. What are the other two?
A: >Freedom of religion, freedom of assembly.<
2. How many amendments are there to the Constitution as it currently stands?
A: >27<
3. Which amendment forbids the use of “cruel and unusual punishments”?
A: >The 8th.<
4. Which state cast the greatest number of “Nay” votes for the ratification of the Constitution?
A: >Massachusetts<
5. The first three articles of the Constitution establish the three branches of government. Which article describes the executive branch?
A: >Article 2<

Category 8: The Moog Cookbook
All songs are covers performed by The Moog Cookbook. Please name the original artist. A movie file (~3.7MB) with excerpts from each of the songs is available here.
1. >Green Day<
2. >R.E.M.<
3. >Pearl Jam<
4. >Neil Young<
5. >Soundgarden<

A two-person team, FTY won the "best average score" prize with 11.5 points per person.

After 40 questions, two teams (The Teuchters and 250 Sharp Teeth)were tied for first with 33 points. Two members of each team were nominated to participate in a run-off challenge. The players were asked a question, could deliberate for a moment and then each had to whisper me an answer. If both or neither team had the correct answer then another question was asked.

Run off:
1. Who voiced Jessica Rabbit in the movie “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”?
A: >Kathleen Turner<
The Teuchters answered this question correctly and were awarded first place. 250 Sharp Teeth received second.

Congratulations to all and thanks for playing!

Night 4: April 24th, 2006

2006-04-24T22:27:00.000-07:00

Category 1: Current Events
1. At around 2:05 Saturday afternoon, a few dozen folks gathered in Westlake Plaza to engage in what activity?
A: >A pillow fight<
2. The 20th anniversary of what toxic event is this week?
A: >The Chernobyl disaster<
3. The movie version of The DaVinci Code will be released soon. What is the name of the conservative Catholic organization that serves as the book’s principal villain?
A: >Opus Dei<
4. What movie, released on Friday, was number one at the box office this weekend?
A: >Silent Hill<
5. Which actor was charged Friday with threatening and abusing his estranged wife and their children?
A: >Charlie Sheen<

Category 2: Art
1. Rodin’s famous sculpture, The Thinker, is intended to represent which 13th & 14th century writer of allegory?
A: >Dante<
2. What is the name for the style of painting most commonly associated with Georges Seurat consisting of small dots of primary colours used to create a sense of other colours?
A: >Pointillism<
3. An exhibition just opened at the Henry Art Gallery of which artist, renowned for designing the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, DC?
A: >Maya Lin<
4. Which American artist is usually credited with inventing the “drip” or “pour” method of abstract painting, in which the brushes are used as implements for dripping paint on a canvas on the floor?
A: >Jackson Pollock<
5. In which country was Vincent van Gogh born, and in which country did he die?
A: >Born in the Netherlands, died in France<

Category 3: Famous moments in sports
1. For what feat is Roger Bannister remembered?
A: >Breaking the 4-minute mile.<
2. When Michael Jordan was drafted by the Bulls in 1983, what overall pick was he?
A: >Third<
3. What Romanian gymnast was the first to score a perfect 10 at the Olympics back in 1976?
A: >Nadia Comaneci<
4. Which baseball team threw the 1919 World Series?
A: >The Chicago White Sox<
5. In what controversial manner did Diego Maradona score a goal against England in the 1986 World Cup?
A: >With his hand<

Category 4: Puzzles
1. Aside from the fact that they all have 6 letters, what do the words “almost”, “biopsy”, and “chintz” have in common?
A: >The letters appear in alphabetical order<
2. What are two words that have a double u – that is, two consecutive us?
A: >Vacuum, continuum, muumuu, residuum (there are probably others…)<
3. What are the next three letters in this sequence: OTTFFSS?
A: >ENT (the letters represent the first letters of numbers – One, Two, Three, etc)<
4. Aside from the fact that they all have 5 letters and contain the letter “a”, what do the words “laser”, “cobra” and “scuba” have in common?
A: >They are all acronyms (Light Amplification by the Stimulated Emission of Radiation; Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act; Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus).<
5. What word can be associated with each of the following words: Brain, free, bath?
A: >Bird (and possibly others…)<

Category 5: Beverages
1. Which French vodka styles itself as “The World’s Best Tasting Vodka”?
A: >Grey Goose<
2. What cocktail is the most popular method for consuming tequila?
A: >Margaritas<
3. Which one of the following celebrities has not endorsed Pepsi at some point: Christina Aguilera, David Bowie, Avril Lavigne, Tina Turner?
A: >Christina Aguilera<
4. In what country is Grolsch beer brewed?
A: >The Netherlands<
5. Tonic water contains a compound that is effective in the treatment of malaria. What is the name of the compound?
A: >Quinine<

Category 6: Better known as…
By what names are we familiar with the following individuals?
1. Singer Gordon Sumner
A: >Sting<
2. Actor Marion Morrison
A: >John Wayne<
3. Singer Noah Kaminsky
A: >Neil Diamond<
4. Writer Charles Dodgson
A: >Lewis Carroll<
5. Genocidal despot Saloth Sar
A: >Pol Pot<

Category 7: Wars
1. How long did the 100 Years’ War last?
A: >116 years<
2. Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture commemorated an unsuccessful invasion of Russia by whose army?
A: >Napoleon’s<
3. The Peloponnesian War started in 431 BC between the Athenian Empire and the Peloponnesian League. Which city-state led the Peloponnesian League in the war?
A: >Sparta<
4. What is the name given to the civil war between the houses of Lancaster & York in 15th century England?
A: >War of the Roses<
5. World War II is the war with the greatest overall loss of life. Which country suffered the most deaths during WWII?
A: >Soviet Union (USSR)<

Category 8: Old-school jukebox favourites
Name the artist
1. More Than A Feeling
A: >Boston<
2. Born to Be Wild
A: >Steppenwolf<
3. You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet
A: >Bachman Turner Overdrive<
4. (Don’t Fear) The Reaper
A: >Blue Öyster Cult<
5. The Boys Are Back In Town
A: >Thin Lizzy<

After 40 questions, two teams were tied for first with 34 points. Two members of each team were nominated to participate in a run-off challenge. The players were asked a question, could deliberate for a moment and then each had to whisper me an answer. If both or neither team had the correct answer then another question was asked.

Run-off:
1. In what state was Bill Murray born?
A: >Illinois<

Both teams answered this question correctly.

2. What is the smallest living member of the biological order of primates?
A: >Mouse Lemur<
Neither team answered this question correctly.

3. What was the name of Giovanni Ribisi’s recurring character on Friends?
A: >Frank Buffay Jr<
One team answered this question correctly and were awarded first place. The other team received second.

Congratulations to all and thanks for playing!

Night 3: April 17th, 2006

2006-04-17T22:05:00.000-07:00

Category 1: Current events
1. Which member of the US Cabinet is currently under fire in the press, with calls for his resignation coming from several retired generals?
A: >Donald Rumsfeld<
2. It’s tax day in the US! Is the federal income tax generally considered a progressive or regressive tax?
A: >Progressive (those with a higher income pay a higher tax)<
3. An outbreak of what disease, for which a vaccine is available, is currently spreading through the midwest?
A: >Mumps<
4. Multiple choice: Exxon CEO Lee Raymond’s tax return indicates that his “total compensation package” for 2005 was $190,915 a month, a week, a day or an hour?
A: >A day (for a total of $69.7 million)<
5. Who narrowly defeated Berlusconi to be announced as the new prime minister of Italy?
A: >Romano Prodi<

Category 2: Easter
1. Easter is a movable feast. In Western Christianity, it falls on the Sunday after the first full moon on or after what?
A: >The Vernal Equinox (first day of spring)<
2. What popular Easter treat’s ingredients include marshmallow, sugar, gelatin & carnauba?
A: >Peeps!<
3. What dice game is played as an Easter tradition in Norway?
A: >Yahtzee<
4. In the Czech Republic and Hungary, what do men traditionally do to women on the morning of Easter Monday?
A: >Whip them<
5. Easter Sunday marks the end of Lent. What is the name of the day on which Lent starts?
A: >Ash Wednesday<

Category 3: Ah-nold
1. Arnold was elected Governor of California in the 2003 recall election. What was the name of the governor who was recalled?
A: >Gray Davis<
2. In what movie did Arnold star with another future governor, Jesse Ventura?
A: >Predator<
3. How many Conan movies did Arnold star in?
A: >2 (Conan the Barbarian, Conan the Destroyer)<
4. In Total Recall, Arnold plays Douglas Quaid. Who plays his wife Lori?
A: >Sharon Stone<
5. In what year was Kindergarten Cop released?
A: >1990<

Category 4: Baseball
1. What movie contains the famous line, “Are you crying? There’s no crying in baseball!”
A: >A League of Their Own<
2. What sport has surpassed baseball in popularity in terms of television rankings?
A: >American football<
3. In what year did Jackie Robinson sign for the Brooklyn Dodgers?
A: >1947<
4. Last season, Ichiro Suzuki had the highest batting average of all Mariners who played at least 20 games. Who ranked second on the team?
A: >Raul Ibanez<
5. Prior to their move to Washington, DC, what were the Nationals previously known as?
A: >The Montreal Expos<

Category 5: Passover
1. What unleavened bread is a traditional symbol of Passover?
A: >Matzo<
2. Families traditionally gather on the first night of Passover for a special dinner called a what?
A: >Seder<
3. Outside of Israel, Passover ends at sundown on what date this year?
A: >April 20th<
4. What are firstborn males expected to do on (typically) the day prior to Passover to commemorate the salvation of the Israelite firstborns during the plague in ancient Egypt?
A: >Fast<
5. When the Holy Temple was standing, what animal was sacrificed and eaten during Passover?
A: >Lamb<

Category 6: The Number 12
1. There are 12 signs of the zodiac. If you were born on August 24th, what sign would you be?
A: >Virgo<
2. Jesus had 12 apostles. A gospel dating back to 300 AD written by which one was recently translated into English and released by the National Geographic Society?
A: >Judas<
3. There are 12 months in the year. After which two-faced Roman god is the first month named?
A: >Janus<
4. What beloved chef was born on August 15th, 1912 and died two days before her birthday in 2004?
A: >Julia Child<
5. “The Twelfth” is an annual protestant celebration falling on July 12th that commemorates the Battle of the Boyne in 1690. In what country did it originate?
A: >Ireland<

Category 7: Bad Predictions
1. Charles Duell said, in 1899, “Everything that can be invented has been invented.” Where did he work?
A: >The US Patent Office<
2. In 1955, Variety magazine claimed, “It will be gone by June.” What were they talking about?
A: >Rock & roll<
3. Which Briton said, back in 1969, “It will be years – not in my time – before a woman will become Prime Minister.”
A: >Margaret Thatcher<
4. Back in 1861, Lt. Joseph Ives said, “Ours has been the first expedition, and doubtless the last, to visit this profitless locality.” What now-famous American site was he talking about?
A: >The Grand Canyon<
5. What future president, around 1820 while he was the governor of New York, wrote a letter reading, in part, “Dear Mr. President: The canal system of this country is being threatened by a new form of transportation known as 'railroads' ... As you may well know, Mr. President, 'railroad' carriages are pulled at the enormous speed of 15 miles per hour by 'engines' which, in addition to endangering life and limb of passengers, roar and snort their way through the countryside, setting fire to crops, scaring the livestock and frightening women and children. The Almighty certainly never intended that people should travel at such breakneck speed.”
A: >Martin Van Buren<

Category 8: Songs from Top 10 Albums for the Week of April 20th, 1996
What is the name of the artist?
1. No Woman, No Cry
A: >The Fugees (from The Score; #3)<
2. Don’t Look Back In Anger
A: >Oasis (from (What’s The Story) Morning Glory; #8)<
3. Trippin’ on a Hole in a Paper Heart
A: >Stone Temple Pilots (from Tiny Music… Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop; #5)<
4. How Do U Want It?
A: >2Pac (from All Eyez On Me; #9)<
5. You Oughta Know
A: >Alanis Morissette (from Jagged Little Pill; #1)<

First place tonight was 29 points. Second place was 26 points. Congratulations and thanks to all the teams who played!

Night 2: April 10th, 2006

2006-04-10T22:04:00.000-07:00

Category 1: Current events
1. What recently retired Mariners’ catcher was honoured with a pre-game ceremony on Saturday evening?
A: >Dan Wilson<
2. In what country was Abdul Rahman, who converted to Christianity and is now living in asylum in Italy, sentenced to death under Sharia?
A: >Afghanistan<
3. The prime minister of what country announced last Tuesday that he would step down following civil unrest and months of protest?
A: >Thailand<
4. Gwyneth Paltrow gave birth to a boy over the weekend, her & Chris Martin’s second child. What name did they give him?
A: >Moses<
5. What author was recently cleared of charges that his best-selling novel “appropriate the architecture” of an earlier work of non-fiction?
A: >Dan Brown<

Category 2: Bill Murray movies
1. Which cat did Bill Murray voice in a recent movie?
A: >Garfield<
2. Bill Murray has starred in 3 movies directed by Wes Anderson. Name two of them.
A: >Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou<
3. What is the only sequel that Bill Murray has starred in?
A: >Ghostbusters II<
4. What Bill Murray movie based on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol was released in 1988?
A: >Scrooged<
5. What Shakespearean character has Bill Murray played in film?
A: >Polonius (from 2000 release of Hamlet)<

Category 3: Natural products
1. What is the last name of Tom & Kate, the founders of Toms of Maine?
A: >Chappell<
2. Produce in the supermarket is labeled with a 4 or 5 digit number. With what number do all organic produce codes start?
A: >9<
3. As of 2003, organic products accounted for what percentage of all food sales? +/- 2%.
A: >1-2% (accept 0-4%)<
4. What do the letters PCC stand for in the local natural food store chain?
A: >Puget Consumers Coop<
5. What bottled juice & smoothie making company, which was founded in Santa Cruz, California and had an e-coli scare in the mid-90s with their unpasteurized apple juice, is now owned by Coca Cola?
A: >Odwalla<

Category 4: Comic strip characters
Name the following characters from the comics:

1.
A: >Susie Derkins (from Calvin & Hobbes)<
2.
A: >Luann (from Luann)<
3.
A: >Woodstock (from Peanuts)<
4.
A: >Nermal (from Garfield)<
5.
A: >Milquetoast (from Bloom County/Outland)<

Category 5: Who said?
1. Which comedic actor and later game show host said, “Outside of a dog, a book is a man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.”
A: >Groucho Marx<
2. Which actress, born in 1893 and renowned for her wit and innuendo, said, “It's not the men in my life that count, it's the life in my men.”
A: >Mae West<
3. Which literary character said, “Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.” I want the character, not the author…
A: >Ford Prefect<
4. Which influential and revered author - credited by William Faulkner as being “the first truly American writer” - said, “Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to.”
A: >Mark Twain<
5. Which model & actress had her signature quote, “That’s hot,” trademarked?
A: >Paris Hilton<

Category 6: Science!
1. What kind of symmetry is exhibited in starfish?
A: >Radial<
2. What does a sphygmomanometer measure?
A: >Blood pressure<
3. A recent study published in the American Heart Journal demonstrated that what had no effect on the outcome of coronary artery bypass surgery?
A: >Prayer<
4. What is the term for the change of a solid directly into a gas, skipping the liquid phase (such as dry ice)?
A: >Sublimation<
5. The first astronaut from what country recently returned to Earth from the International Space Station?
A: >Brazil<

Category 7: The American Revolution
1. In what town in Massachusetts was the first musket shot of the war fired?
A: >Lexington<
2. What was the name of the treaty that formally ended the revolutionary war?
A: >Treaty of Paris<
3. Other than the Americans, three other countries fought on the side of the revolutionaries. Name two of them.
A: >France, Netherlands, Spain<
4. George Washington was the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and was later elected president. Who served as his vice-president?
A: >John Adams<
5. Whose signature was the first to grace the Declaration of Independence?
A: >John Hancock<

Category 8: Country of Origin
I’m going to play an excerpt from a song. Tell me what country the group or individual is from.
1. Vökuró – Björk
A: >Iceland<
2. Darts of Pleasure – Franz Ferdinand
A: >Scotland<
3. Khoomei – Huun Huur Tu
A: >Tuva<
4. Neighborhood #2 (Laika) – The Arcade Fire
A: >Canada<
5. Barbie Girl - Aqua
A: >Denmark<
Bonus. O Pastor – Madredeus
A: >Portugal<

Tonight's winning score was 35 points (out of 41 possible). Second place was 30 points. Thanks to all the teams who played!

Night 1: April 3rd, 2006

2006-04-03T22:57:00.000-07:00

Category 1: Beginnings
1. The League of Nations was the predecessor to the United Nations. At the time of its founding, in 1919, what were the two official languages?
A: >English & French<
2. Who is the football player widely credit with inventing the “spike” touchdown celebration?
A: >Homer Jones<
3. What was the name of the first Mickey Mouse cartoon with sound?
A: >Steamboat Willie<
4. In what city was the first season of The Real World set?
A: >New York<
5. Romulus and Remus are the mythical founders of ancient Rome. Which, according to Livy, served as the first King of Rome?
A: >Romulus<

Category 2: Poland
1. Which Polish-born composer wrote this piece? (piece played was Grande Valse Brilliante).
A: >Frederic Chopin<
2. In what year did Poland join the European Union?
A: >2004<
3. Although Poland is part of the EU, it has not yet adopted the Euro as its currency. What is the Polish currency?
A: >Zloty<
4. What is the name of the Polish national airline?
A: >Lot<
5. Pope John Paul II was Polish. Where was his predecessor from?
A: >Italy<

Category 3: Alcohol
1. When we talk about drinking alcohol, we’re referring to ethanol. What is the molecular formula for ethanol?
A: >C₂H₅OH<
2. What liquor did the US congress declare to be “America’s Native Spirit” in 1964?
A: >Bourbon<
3. Prohibition in the US was enacted by the 18th Amendment to the Constitution. Which amendment repealed it?
A: >21st<
4. What berry is distilled with white grain spirit to produce gin?
A: >Juniper<
5. In the brewing of beer, one of the stages consists of an unfermented solution of cereal sugars. What is the term for this mixture?
A: >Wort<

Category 4: Reality TV
1. American Idol has made a few people household names. In which season of the show were Americans introduced to William Hung?
A: >Season 3<
2. One of the key precursors to modern reality TV was the show COPS. What year did it debut?
A: >1989<
3. Name three members of the Fab Five on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and what their specialty is. First names only is fine.
A: >Jai (culture), Ted (food), Kyan (grooming), Carson (fashion), Thom (interior design)<
4. Jim Carrey starred as Truman Burbank in “The Truman Show,” a movie about reality TV taken to the next level. What was the name of the town/island where Truman lives?
A: >Seahaven Island<
5. In episode seven of season two of Project Runway, the contestants were asked to design a dress for which figure skater?
A: >Sasha Cohen<

Category 5: Combinames
The answers in this category will be a combination of two people’s names. For example, the answer to “The author of Get Shorty & Beautiful Losers” would be “Elmore Leonard Cohen”, combining Elmore Leonard and Leonard Cohen.

1. A Pulitzer Prize winning conservative journalist and a Fresh Prince.
A: >George F. Will Smith<
2. A country singer with his own brand of biodiesel who was instrumental in defeating apartheid.
A: >Willie Nelson Mandela<
3. Robin Hood’s friend and a Jacobean composer of sonnets.
A: >Little John Donne<
4. Supreme Court Justice blinded by science.
A: >Clarence Thomas Dolby<
5. Partner of Oscar Wilde who penned the adventures of Arthur Dent.
A: >Lord Alfred "Bosie" Douglas Adams<

Category 6: Africa!
1. On March 29th there was a total solar eclipse. Over what African country was it at its maximum?
A: >Libya<
2. South Africa has three capitals – an administrative, a legislative and a judicial. Name 2 of the 3.
A: >Capetown, Pretoria, Bloemfontein<
3. What country contains the Easternmost point in Africa?
A: >Somalia<
4. There are two types of African elephant – the Forest Elephant and the Savanna Elephant. Which is generally larger?
A: >Savanna<
5. Madagascar is an island nation of the East coast of Africa. Is it the 3rd, 4th or 5th largest island in the world?
A: >4th largest<

Category 7: Sports
1. For many years, the Summer & Winter Olympics were held in the same year (albeit in different locations). Which year was the first in which only the Olympic Winter Games were held?
A: >1994 - Lillehammer<
2. Which team knocked the Huskies out of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament?
A: >UConn<
3. Opening day is here! How many seasons has Jamie Moyer now been with the Seattle Mariners?
A: >11 seasons<
4. In the movie Slapshot, what is the surname of the three brothers who join the team and start fights at every opportunity?
A: >Hanson<
5. Who won the men’s singles tennis title at the Australian Open this year?
A: >Roger Federer<

Category 8: New Wave (audio category - song was played, answer is the artist)
1. Our House
A: >Madness<
2. I Melt With You
A: >Modern English<
3. I Ran (So Far Away)
A: >Flock of Seagulls<
4. Metro
A: >Berlin<
5. Hold Me Now
A: >Thompson Twins<

The winning score tonight was 32 points. Second place was 25 points. Congratulations and thanks to all who played!

Trivia at Kozak's!

2006-04-03T22:51:00.000-07:00

Greetings! This is the official blog for Monday night trivia at Kozak's Bar and Grill on Capitol Hill in Seattle, WA. This blog will have the questions (and answers) from past trivia nights as well as information about upcoming events.

Trivia information:
WHERE: Kozak's Bar & Grill (332 15th Ave E)
WHEN: Monday nights. Sign up starts at 7:30PM, trivia begins at 8PM.
TEAM SIZE: Maximum of 6 people per team. No cell phones, PDAs, etc!
PRIZES: First place gets 20% off their tab; second place gets 10% off.
COST TO PLAY: None!

Kozak's has a fabulous selection of beers and liquors for very reasonable prices. Additionally, there is an extensive food menu including tasty burgers and various items with the house-smoked meats and cheeses. Monday nights are also all-you-can-eat ribs night!

If you have any questions, please leave a comment!