Monday 26 April 2021

Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 26-4-2021: Chernobyl.

26th April, 2021.


Right … I’m up stupidly earlier.

Or, at least, comparatively stupidly early … for me.

There’s a reason for that.

If you’ve been read Nik Nak’s Old Peculiar for a while, you’ll realise I’m job hunting.

For some time, now.

You’ll also be aware that I have to report in to the local job centre: by phone, for the past few months.

And that I’ve been signed up to a Work and Health Programme run by the Shaw Trust: that’s also, usually, been a set of phone meetings.

I was expecting my next phone meeting with the Shaw Trust, today.

At least I was … until yesterday, when I got my most recent reminder.

That told me my next meeting, today’s meeting, is a face to face one in the community centre in Knights Way.

At the VERY last minutes: and with no details of whether my bus fare would get refunded.

I’ll be going to the thing: I’d face sanctions if I didn’t.

But I’ll be honest, I’m not happy I’ve been told about a change: at the last minute.

~≈Ç≈~

Let’s move on, shall we?

Yesterday’s Teaser saw Olga*, Mum†, Debbi‡ and Edith^ putting in their answers: with Olga, and Debbi scoring ten out of ten, and Mum and Edith on nine.

Let’s see how everyone does with today’s questions, shall we?

Here they are, along with the How To, License and video … 

Q1)        26th April, 1986, saw a nuclear disaster at a Nuclear Power plant in Chernobyl.   Plant and city were in which country: the USSR, the USA or the UK?.

Q2)        The accident was in Reactor Number what: Four, Five or Six?

Q3)        The reactor was hit by two explosions.   After a bungled what: safety test, or fuel top-up?

Q4)        Lieutenant Volodymyr Pravyk and his crew, were some of the first on the scene.   Were they policemen, miners or fire-fighters?

Q5)        Finally … ?   Reactor #2 was shut down in 1991.   Reactors #1 and #3 were shut down, when: 1995, 1996 or 1997?
Here’s yesterday’s questions and answers … 

Q1)        25th April saw the birth of Ella Fitzgerald: in which year?
A1)        1917.

Q2)        She was known as the First Lady of what?
A2)        Song.

Q3)        Ella was also known as the Queen of what: Jazz, Jive or Jump?
A3)        Jazz.

Q4)        From the age of fifteen, she lived with her aunt.   In which US city: New York, New Orleans or Newport Pagnall?
A4)        New York. (Apparently, in the Bronx.)

Q5)        She played in the Savoy Ballroom.   The Ballroom is where: Harlem, East Harlem or the Upper West Side?
A5)        Harlem.

Q6)        Ella signed with her first record label: in 1935.   Which label: Decca, HMV or Chess?
A6)        Decca.

Q7)        1956 saw Ella signing with which label: Elektra, Verve or Virgin?
A7)        Verve.

Q8)        1936 saw Ella record a version of My Melancholy Baby with Teddy Wilson.   Teddy played what: the piano, bagpipes or trumpet?
A8)        Piano.

Q9)        Ella released The Muffin Man in 1941.   A muffin is a type of what: cake, sandwich or potato?
A9)        Cake. (The muffins the Muffin Man of Drury Lane would sell, are what Americans would call an English muffin.   Apparently?   Bell ringing by muffin men was criminalised by Parliament in the 1840s).

Q10)        Finally … ?   1945 saw Ella recording a version of Flying Home.   The song saw her do what: rap, scat or chant?
A10)        Scat.   (Ella was famed for her scatting: as was the late Cleo Laine.   I can’t help but notice Dr Teeth’s bassist and guitarist are left handed …)
Here’s a thought … 
“It is considered the worst nuclear disaster in history both in terms of cost and casualties, and is one of only two nuclear energy accidents rated at seven—the maximum severity—on the International Nuclear Event Scale.”
From the Wikipedia entry on the disaster.
And a song …


Today’s questions will be answered in tomorrow’s Teaser.

Feel free to share today’s video Teaser.

As a final thought? I’ve seen the TV: released by HBO and Sky, in 2019. It’s a beautiful series: but very grim. But I get the impression it’s not as grim as the real life story it’s telling.

Have a good day.



*        As you mentioned cakes, Olga, I let you have that … !   But, yeah: we’ve got a lot of words for bread.   And baps.   And cobs.   And butties.   And rolls … and so on!   I’d imagine Jordi and little Anna would be very confused!
And, yes: M:TG can be fiddly … but no fiddlier — I think — than using Word.   Or playing Go, the old Chinese game.   I think that’s why there’s so many games.   If we find one fiddly, we’ll find another easy: literally, a piece of cake.

†        Hello, Mum!   Glad you liked yesterday’s!

‡        I notice Trevor’s vanished, Debbi!   We need Sam, back!

^        Cheers for sharing that, Edith: that’s got a great guitar sound!  And Mark’s got my foot tapping: always a sign of a good song, I think.

5 comments:

Olga said...

Q1) The USSR

Q2) Four

Q3) Safety test (One would imagine a safety test would be, well... safe? One of the worst misnomers ever, I’m sure. Fate, or whatever, has a pretty dark sense of humour sometimes, unfortunately).

Q4) Fire-fighters.

Q5) Finally … ? Reactor #2 was shut down in 1991. Reactors #1 and #3 were shut down, when: 1995, 1996 or 1997? I’m a bit confused by this. I’ve found in several places that reactor #3 was shut down in 2000 (according to Wikipedia in a ceremony where the then president turned it off and closed down the plant officially), so I don’t know if there is something wrong with the data (I’ve found similar information in other places). Unit 1, on the other hand, was shut down in 1996, so it might have been an issue of misreading the information, perhaps (or the news item writer had forgotten a coma?) See here: https://world-nuclear-news.org/Articles/Chernobyl-1-3-enter-decommissioning-phase
I hope you get to the meeting OK. Yes, annoying to say the least. Sometimes people seem to think that everybody else should be able to drop everything and change their plans to suit them, but, hey...

trev-v said...

A1 Ukrainian SSR under the thumb of the USSR.
A2 Number 4
A3 safety test
A4 fire-fighters
A5 No 1 in 1996. On 15 December 2000, then-President Leonid Kuchma personally turned off reactor No. 3 in an official ceremony, shutting down the entire site.

You are only 3 Bus stops away from me at the community centre in Knights Way.

I have eaten Muffins and when I was young I watched Muffin the Mule on the BBC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spQY2FbCUtM

And YouTube followed that with this 1953 classic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6zNwBTLSWU

Great Innocent programs for us 5 year-olds back then and all in black and white.

Freda said...

1 USSR
2 5
3 SAFETY TEST
4 FIRE FIGHTERS
5 1995

Debbi said...

With any luck, maybe she'll return. I'm just not sure exactly when. Or where? :)

1. USSR
2. Four
3. safety test
4. fire-fighters
5. 1996

Edith said...

1. U.S.S.R.
2 6
3.safety test
4. Firefighters
5.1995