The Daily Teaser — 10-10-2014: World Mental Health Day

Hello … 

That’s upset the apple cart … 

I don’t know if you watch UK politics, at all.

But the right-leaning — extremely right leaning — UK Independence Party have been gaining popularity over the past few years: especially with their anti-European chance.

Last night, though … ?   Last night* saw them win their first by-election: when their man, Douglas Carswell, was elected as Clacton MP, and the party’s first seat.   They also came in a VERY close second in the by election in Manchester’s Heywood and Middleton seat: reducing Labour’s majority to some six hundred or so.

Personally … ?   Personally, I don’t know if I could ever vote Ukip.   They’re a touch too right leaning for my comfort: and I can’t see myself benefitting under a Ukip-lead government.

But, frankly, even I will admit the Ukip leader, Nigel Farage has a lot of charisma.    Ukip also seems to genuinely offer change at Westminster.   And the party’s very existence has raised the many in the UK want to talk about.

“Let’s leave the EU.”   Or, at least, have a Scottish style in-out referendum about it.

Personally, I think that’s a much needed referendum.   We — the people of Britain — should have our say about it.

Ukip look like the only party offering to put that referendum into place.

~≈ß≈~

But let’s move on, shall we?

Yesterday’s Teaser saw Debbi† putting in her answers: and scoring ten out of ten.

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

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

Q1) Manic Depression is now better known as what condition?

Q2) More to the point, who — in 1967 — wrote a song called Manic Depression?

Q3) Which star of Jaws suffers from Manic Depression: Roy Schneider, Robert Shaw or Richard Dreyfus?

Q4) That star admitted he had the condition after being interviewed by which celebrity fellow sufferer and comedian?

Q5) Which birdwatcher — and former Goody — suffers with Depression?

Q6) He famously shares that condition with Ian Curtis, the late lead singer of Joy Division: what was the name of the 2007 film about Ian Curtis’s life?

Q7) How did former British PM, Winston Churchill, refer to his depression?

Q8) Which British businessman — and former balloonist and record company owner — has been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder?

Q9) More to the point, which famously naked TV chef has ALSO been diagnosed with the condition?

Q10) And finally … Gary Numan, the singer behind Cars, and Are Friends Electric, suffers from what?

Here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 9th October saw the birth of John Lennon.   In which year?

A1) 1940.

Q2) More to the point, in which city?

A2) Liverpool.

Q3) His Aunty Mimi — famously sceptical about his childhood musical ambitions — told Lennon that “The guitar’s all very well, John, but you’ll never make a … ” what?

A3) Living: or “Living at it,” if you want the full quote.

Q4) What was the name of the skiffle band Lennon formed, in 1956?

A4) The Quarrymen.   (Three out of the five original founding members are still performing as The Quarrymen.)

Q5) Lennon’s better known, second band, The Beatles, were formed in 1960.   The name was suggested by the band’s original bassist: what was his name?

A5) Stuart Sutcliffe.

Q6) More to the point, the name was a nod to which classic US rock and roll band?

A6) Buddy Holly and The Crickets.

Q7) The Beatles early gigs were played in clubs in and around which German city?

A7) Hamburg.

Q8) Moving on … What was the name of Lennon’s debut solo album?

A8) John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band.

Q9) In an interview three days before his death, Lennon was quoted as saying that he’d “I’ve selected to work with only two people.”   Name either of those people.

A9) Beatles song-writing partner, Paul McCartney and wife and conceptual artist Yoko Ono.

Q10) Finally … released three weeks before his murder in New York, what was the name of the last album John Lennon released, during his lifetime?

A10) Double Fantasy.

I’ll leave you with this tune … 

And this thought …

“Insanity is relative. It depends on who has who locked in what cage.”

Ray Bradbury.

Enjoy your day … 

*        Way back when I can distinctly remember the Labour Party — under Tony Blair, and in the run up to the 1997 election — telling us that Labour wouldn’t make promises: no.   They’d make categorical pledges.   Indeed, they released a pledge card!   But throwing around the word pledge … ? Got me thinking of Orwell’s chocolate ration in Nineteen-Eighty-Four.   The PArty, at one point, reduces the chocolate ration: whilst previously having issued a categorical pledge that they’d do no such thing^.   Radio Four’s Today programme has just interviewed Grant Shapps, the Conservative Party Chairman: who stressed that voting for Ukip was a vote for Labour.   It got me thinking about Orwell’s Animal Farm.   The Pigs — who evolves into the book’s villains — consistently would tell their  fellow animals, “We don’t want Jones to come back!”.   Shapps was starting to sound like those pigs …

†        I was always fond of Ringo, myself, Debbi!   (Oh, tomorrow’s Dr Who is a whodunnit.   Took me a while …)

‡        Those of us in the UK can learn how to access NHS mental health services through this link: here.   You can find you local branch of Mind, here.   Or you can look — here — for your local branch of Rethink.   From the little I know, Mind and Rethink have been doing fantastic work for many years.

^        Winston, the novel’s hero, has to rewrite parts of his country’s history: in order to show that the Party had warned the ration may have to go down.