WWTBAM Bored

Steve Osher
Baldwinsville, NY

$100 Which of these games requires that players repeatedly write the letters “X” and “O” on a grid?
A. Backgammon
B. Tic-tac-toe
C. Chinese checkers
D. Moxonopoloxy

$200 To avoid mishaps in the water, competitors often secure their boards with a “leash” when participating in what activity?
A. Cycling
B. Rock climbing
C. Surfing
D. Cross-country skiing

$300 What major Russian city is believed to be named after one of the twelve apostles?
A. Saint Petersburg
B. Volgograd
C. Kazan
D. Moscow

$500 In the media, what company is often jokingly referred to as the “Mouse House”?
A. Merrill Lynch
B. Disney
C. IBM
D. Ford

$1K A 2,029-foot-long reflecting pool on the National Mall shows the reflection of which of these D.C. landmarks?
A. Washington Monument
B. White House
C. Supreme Court building
D. Capitol building

$2K The word “grappler” is frequently used to refer to competitors in what sport?
A. Fencing
B. Swimming
C. Archery
D. Wrestling

$4K What famous American composer’s songs commonly featured lyrics written by his brother Ira?
A. Irving Berlin
B. Cole Porter
C. George Gershwin
D. Jerome Kern

$8K In the 2005 thriller “The Constant Gardener,” an activist meets a suspicious end while working in what country?
A. Kenya
B. Algeria
C. Cambodia
D. Syria

ATA

62% A. Kenya
5% B. Algeria
16% C. Cambodia
17% D. Syria

commercial break

$16K When threatened, skunks are notorious for emitting a foul-smelling spray of what color?
A. Gray
B. Yellow
C. Pink
D. Green

PAF – Jerry, Steve’s brother

Jerry says he would go with yellow, but that is just a guess.

50/50 leaves B. Yellow and C. Pink.

horn

Steve will return for tomorrow’s show.

Answers:
$100 B. Tic-tac-toe
$200 C. Surfing
$300 A. Saint Petersburg
$500 B. Disney
$1K A. Washington Monument
$2K D. Wrestling
$4K C. George Gershwin
$8K A. Kenya
$16K B. Yellow

BBTranscriptTeam wrote:Steve Osher
Baldwinsville, NY


$1K A 2,029-foot-long reflecting pool on the National Mall shows the reflection of which of these D.C. landmarks?
A. Washington Monument
B. White House
C. Supreme Court building
D. Capitol building

Is this really common knowledge? I grew up in the DC area, and I have visited this area a lot and I know this, but a $1,000 question should be something that 'everyone' knows, and I am wondering, does 'everyone know' that the Washington Monument is reflected in the Reflecting Pool?

As it happens, there are several other reflecting pools, one of which (the Capitol Reflecting Pool) reflects the Capitol Building... which is at the end of the National Mall (the Washington Monument is close to the middle of the National Mall, with the Capitol Building at one end and the Lincoln Memorial at the other).

wintergreen48 wrote:
Is this really common knowledge? I grew up in the DC area, and I have visited this area a lot and I know this, but a $1,000 question should be something that 'everyone' knows, and I am wondering, does 'everyone know' that the Washington Monument is reflected in the Reflecting Pool?

I think most everyone knows this. I did. I've never even been to Washington, D.C. (My mom won't drive me there.)

It's been photographed a lotlotlotlotlot of times.

$8K: Never seen the movie. Initial instinct was Syria, but I would ATA anyway.

BBTranscriptTeam wrote:Steve Osher
Baldwinsville, NY

Back to the parade of WE®s, I guess.

BBTranscriptTeam wrote:$100 Which of these games requires that players repeatedly write the letters “X” and “O” on a grid?
A. Backgammon
B. Tic-tac-toe
C. Chinese checkers
D. Moxonopoloxy

Meredith had trouble pronouncing "Moxonopoloxy" and Steve commented, "That's easy for you to say," eliciting laughter from the audience.

BBTranscriptTeam wrote:$8K In the 2005 thriller “The Constant Gardener,” an activist meets a suspicious end while working in what country?
A. Kenya
B. Algeria
C. Cambodia
D. Syria

ATA

62% A. Kenya
5% B. Algeria
16% C. Cambodia
17% D. Syria

No idea, so I'd ATA also.

BBTranscriptTeam wrote:$16K When threatened, skunks are notorious for emitting a foul-smelling spray of what color?
A. Gray
B. Yellow
C. Pink
D. Green

PAF – Jerry, Steve’s brother

Jerry says he would go with yellow, but that is just a guess.

50/50 leaves B. Yellow and C. Pink.

Good result from the 50/50. It's a shame he didn't trust his PAF, although his PAF didn't give him good reason to do so.

wintergreen48 wrote:

BBTranscriptTeam wrote:Steve Osher
Baldwinsville, NY


$1K A 2,029-foot-long reflecting pool on the National Mall shows the reflection of which of these D.C. landmarks?
A. Washington Monument
B. White House
C. Supreme Court building
D. Capitol building

Is this really common knowledge? I grew up in the DC area, and I have visited this area a lot and I know this, but a $1,000 question should be something that 'everyone' knows, and I am wondering, does 'everyone know' that the Washington Monument is reflected in the Reflecting Pool?

As it happens, there are several other reflecting pools, one of which (the Capitol Reflecting Pool) reflects the Capitol Building... which is at the end of the National Mall (the Washington Monument is close to the middle of the National Mall, with the Capitol Building at one end and the Lincoln Memorial at the other).

That's a good point. My first thought was the reflecting pool near the Capitol building, but the size was wrong.

Would've had to ask the audience on the movie question.

start the music, he's one & done...

wintergreen48 wrote:

BBTranscriptTeam wrote:Steve Osher
Baldwinsville, NY


$1K A 2,029-foot-long reflecting pool on the National Mall shows the reflection of which of these D.C. landmarks?
A. Washington Monument
B. White House
C. Supreme Court building
D. Capitol building

Is this really common knowledge? I grew up in the DC area, and I have visited this area a lot and I know this, but a $1,000 question should be something that 'everyone' knows, and I am wondering, does 'everyone know' that the Washington Monument is reflected in the Reflecting Pool?

As it happens, there are several other reflecting pools, one of which (the Capitol Reflecting Pool) reflects the Capitol Building... which is at the end of the National Mall (the Washington Monument is close to the middle of the National Mall, with the Capitol Building at one end and the Lincoln Memorial at the other).

There are at least two reflecting pools on the mall as you note but the one between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington monument is the better known I believe. Think of the many speeches (the "I have a dream" speech comes to mind) held near there. I seem to recall that when it was designed and built in the 20's one of the purposes was to provide a dramatic reflection of the monument from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.




But the heck with that question! I want to know if the next one is common knowledge!

$16K When threatened, skunks are notorious for emitting a foul-smelling spray of what color?
A. Gray
B. Yellow
C. Pink
D. Green

I suppose of the options available gray and yellow make the most sense. But I would have thought (had I bothered to give it any thought at all!) that it would have been colorless, or maybe milky white. If I had to answer this question without any help I might have said gray so good thing that wasn't part of the 50/50!

And I sure don't want to ever have to find out for myself!

I wonder if this is why I have a vague association with yellow (as in cowardly) with "being a skunk" in the general sense. As in "you yeller skunk, you!"

Hmm...

16K: I don't think you can really tell its yellow 'til it hits something. By which time it it usually TOO LATE.

How many people have actually seen it to determine the color?

I know I sure haven't and can't say I know anyone who has.

How many people have actually seen it to determine the color?

I know I sure haven't and can't say I know anyone who has

lol - I had a 'near' encounter once, the one and only time I let my cousin take me duck hunting. [why, oh, why would anyone find it fun, entertaining, whatever, to freeze one's ass off waiting for ducks to show up?] Luckily for us (if not the skunk) he got a shot off at the skunk before the skunk - who had assumed the position - got one off at us.

Luckily for me, I did not get the chance to determine color...

t.

kayrharris wrote:How many people have actually seen it to determine the color?

I know I sure haven't and can't say I know anyone who has.

Actually, you do. Irish, the wonder whippet, takes no guff from black-and-white critters and lets them know it. As a result, she takes spray, usually in the face and chest, about every three or four years.

Somebody has to take her directly to the shower.

Most dogs would learn after the first time, but she's too busy trying to control the universe to remember anything she ever learned.

kayrharris wrote:How many people have actually seen it to determine the color?

I know I sure haven't and can't say I know anyone who has.

Many chemists, myself among them, have. I used to work with the active ingredient as a chemical marker for an analytical test.

For future reference: it's a mercaptan, a sulfur-containing compound. Organic sulfur compounds tend to be yellow. Most sulfur compounds smell terrible (think rotten eggs; the smell there is from hydrogen sulfide).

Thus endeth the chemistry lesson for today. Leave your homework on the desk on your way out.

gsabc wrote:

kayrharris wrote:How many people have actually seen it to determine the color?

I know I sure haven't and can't say I know anyone who has.

Many chemists, myself among them, have. I used to work with the active ingredient as a chemical marker for an analytical test.

For future reference: it's a mercaptan, a sulfur-containing compound. Organic sulfur compounds tend to be yellow. Most sulfur compounds smell terrible (think rotten eggs; the smell there is from hydrogen sulfide).

Isaac Asimov told a story once about submitting one of his short stories to John Campbell. Campbell returned it with a chemical formula written on it. Asimov recognized it as being the formula for methyl mercaptan, which he knew was one of the ingredients in skunk scent. He knew Campbell would know Asimov would recognize it, and also what it meant - the story was a real stinker.