The Daily Teaser — 18-12-2012

I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably say it again, at some point: Radio 4 is a wonderfully civilised thing.

ESPECIALLY at this time of the morning.

OK, granted, they’re doing a piece on fox-hunting — which I’ve always thought was a touch nasty — but the Today show was just covering the fact that the Queen is attending a Cabinet meeting, today, as part of the 2012 Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

Which is what came in for discussion: the BBC’s generally taken the view that this is the first such visit since Queen Victoria’s day.   Which is where they tame Royal historian and a former cabinet secretary weighed with with a disagreement: and claims that the last visits were in the 1770s, when cabinet meetings were chaired by George 3rd*.

You’ve GOT to love a show that does that, haven’t you … ?

~~~~~

Let’s move on, shall we?

Yesterday’s Teaser saw Debbi putting in her answers: along with telling us exactly what she thinks of the Second Amendmentº, ALSO bagged 4 out of five.

Let’s see how she — and you — do with today’s questions, shall we?

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

Q1) 18th December, 2006, saw elections held for the first time: in which country … ?

Q2) 18th December, 1973, saw the founding of the Islamic Development Bank: in which Middle Eastern country is that bank headquartered … ?

Q3) More to the point, Islamic Banks try to work according to Islamic Holy Law: what name is given to Islamic Holy Law … ?

Q4) 18th December, 1997, saw the legal blueprints for the Scottish parliament unveiled by the then Scottish Secretary.   Who was he … ?

Q5) 18th December, 1956, saw which country join the United Nations … ?

Q6) And finally … 18th December, 1946, saw the birth of director, Steven Spielberg.   Which of his early films was — famously — about a killer shark … ?

And here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 17th December 1903 saw the Wright Brothers make the world’s first heavier than air flight.   Give either of the pair’ first names’.

A1) Wilbur and Orville.

Q2) More to the point, what was the name of the brother’s first plane … ?

A2) The Wright Flyer.

Q3) That first flight took place in the Kill Devil Hills, four miles away from which North Carolina town … ?

A3) Kitty Hawk.

Q4) The Wright Brother’s original plane is on display in the National Air and Space Museum, in the US: the National Air and Space Museum is part of which institute … ?

A4) The Smithsonian Institution.

Q5) And finally … Portions of that plane were taken to the Moon, by which Apollo mission … ?

A5) Apollo 11.

Enjoy those, everyone.

As it’s Keith Richards’ birthday, today, I’ll leave you with this tune, co-written by him … 

And with this quote from fellow birthday boy, Michæl Moorcock …

“It is almost impossible to have a baseless snobbish opinion of the General Theory of Relativity.”

Micheal Moorcock, born 18 December 1939

*        Yes, before you ask: the mad one.   Although his sketchy plans for Members of Parliament to wear their underpants on their heads does have SOME appeal … 

º        That was near enough the parallel I was thinking of, Debbi: I’m no expert, but I believe the UK’s Human Rights Act 1998 — which is the bill the puts the European Convention on Human Rights into force in the UK — makes exactly that point clear in Article 10.   (That we have a clear right to freedom of expression, subject to various restrictions.)