Nik Nak’s Daily Teaser — 9-7-2018: Anyone for …

9th July, 2018.

Yep: it’s Monday, it’s a Monday morning … 

And the quiet patch that was the slow news weekend?

Has been broken.

Yep: we’ve got Thai junior football teams getting dug out of holes, we’ve got at least one pro-Brexit government minister handing in his resignation* … 

And a death in Amesbury.

You possibly remember that Sergei Skripal, and his daughter Yulia, were poisoned, in March: with a nerve agent called Novichok.

A poison that’s usually only made by government labs: and one apparently only made in Russia.

An English couple — Dawn Sturgess, and Charlie Rowley — were poisoned by the same nerve agent, at the end of June.

Apparently?   After picking up something that contained it.

Current thinking?

1. Is, apparently, that the Skripals were poisoned with it.
2. That the nerve agent was disguised in an innocent looking container.
3. That the container was left somewhere where someone could find it.
4. It got found by Sturgess and Rowley: who believed it was an interesting looking, but innocent, container.

Dawn Sturgess died this morning, after being exposed to the poison.

Now … 

Outside of any Health and Safety implications† — which seems a pretty pointless argument, when you’re talking about chemical weapons! — I’m assuming the Russian who did this was more worried about getting out of the UK, or being caught, than anything else.

At any rate?

Someone who wasn’t involved with spying on Russia, who didn’t work for the KGB, or MI6, or any other intelligence agency, got killed.

Because someone wanted a Russian double agent dead.

Even if we call Dawn Sturgess’s death ‘collateral damage’?

There’s possibly a good argument for calling it murder.

~≈§≈~

Let’s move on, shall we?

Yesterday’s Teaser saw Olga‡ and Debbi^ putting in their answers: with both scoring five out of five.

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

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

Q1) 9th July, 1877, saw the start of the first Wimbledon championship.   The club and tournament, are in which English City?

Q2) What sport’s being played?

Q3) What surface is the Championship played on: clay, grass or concrete?

Q4) The game played at the championship is played by hitting a ball … with a what?

Q5) Finally … ?   Wimbledon is famous for one sport.   But what other game is played at the club?

Here’s yesterday’s questions and answers … 

Q1) The world’s first Rugby Union test match — or international match — between Australia and South Africa took place: on 8th July, 1933.   Name either of the teams.   (The two national sides have names.)

A1) The Australian Wallabies or the South African Springboks.

Q2) The 1980 State of Origin game took place on 8th July, 1980: between Queensland and New South Wales.   What sport were they playing?

A2) Rugby league.   (I’m not a huge sports fan: but I’m told the two codes of rugby are as different as Canadian and American rules football.)

Q3) The Saadabad Pact was signed on 8th July, 1937.   Name any one of the four countries that signed it.

A3) Turkey, Iran, Iraq or Afghanistan.

Q4) Two men were killed in Northern Ireland, on 8th July, 1971.   In which Northern Irish city?

A4) Londonderry: or Derry, for those of us of a Republican persuasion.

Q5) Finally … The USS Jeanette left port on 8 July, 1879.   On an ill omened voyage, where … ?

A5) The Arctic.   (Where the North Pole is.)

Here’s a thought …

“I didn’t serve and volley until I got to Wimbledon in ’77.”

John McEnroe.

And a song …

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

Have a good day.

*        The Brexiteering Brexit Secretary, David Davies.   Personally?   The fact we’re leaving is still something I believe is stupid: and bad for the country.   The huge divisions it’s thrown up in the Cabinet?   Is just one reason it’s bad.   We have a seriously malfunctioning group in charge of the negotiations.

†        Health and Safety precautions, and safe disposal, were possibly the last thing on the mind of whoever poisoned the Sergei and Yulia Skripal.   Obviously.

‡        Yeah, Eric and Ernie could knock out a good one, in their time, Olga.   Remind me to try and dig up their take on Singing’ in the Rain!   Oh, I think I know the programme you mean: it was made by BBC Wales, wasn’t?   They did ones about Coronation Street and Dr Who, as well!   You can guess which one Debbi and I have seen … 

^        Yes, I did read it, Debbi, kept meaning to leave a comment!   :D   And yep, I got one: after I tried appealing.   I took the clip down, eventually, but, BOY, it’s frustrating.   I get the impression a few bloggers have managed to successfully fight this sort of case … but … … !   (Oh, strictly, it was rugby league in yesterday’s second question.   Rugby Union fans will probably give you a look.)  And finally … ?   Happy Birthday!