The Daily Teaser — 17-10-2013: Vaticanology

It HAS to be said, Stephen Fry’s a VERY watchable presenter.

The notably bipolar, Jewish, Mac using comedian and actor is also Gay: and has done a two part series — Out There — about the gay community, and how it’s affected across the world.

As a southpaw … ?   I can sympathise: as left handers have seen something — although maybe not to as great an extent — of the prejudices faced.

Personally … ?   I’d suggest watching the series: it’s quite something to watch.

Any way … Let’s get moving on, shall we?

~≈Ç≈~

Yesterday’s Teaser saw Debbi* putting in her answers: and bagging eight and a half† out of ten.

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) 17th October, 1980, saw the Queen make the first state visit by a British monarch, to Vatican City.   Who’s the head of state of Vatican City … ?

Q2) Who was head of State, at the time of the Queen’s visit?

Q3) Who’s the current — and 266th — holder of the office … ?

Q4) Vatican City’s head of state is also the Bishop of … where … ?

Q5) Finally … the Vatican City’s head of state is ALSO head of the Holy …  what … ?

Here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 16th October is World Food Day.   What’s this year’s theme: fighting hunger, food security or small farmers … ?

A1) Food security: especially as it relates to sustainably food systems.

Q2) In which year of the 1980s was World Food Day first observed … ?

A2) 1981.

Q3) Delia Smith, Rick Stein, the Hairy Bikers, Two Fat Ladies, and the Galloping Gourmet are all TV … what … ?

A3) TV chefs.

Q4) Stewed haricot beans in a tomato and sugar sauce are better known as what … ?

A4) Baked beans.

Q5) Some eighty-seven percent of all grain is one of three different types: rice, maize — also known as corn — and what else … ?

A5) Wheat.

Q6) If you’re an ovo-lacto vegetarian, your diet excludes meat, but includes two things.   Name either.

A6) Milk and dairy products, and eggs.

Q7) Kosher food is — obviously — Jewish.   What’s the Islamic equivalent … ?

A7) Halal food.

Q8) Buddha’s Delight is a vegetarian dish that has its origins in which Eastern country … ?

A8) China.

Q9) The chapati is a well known flatbread: from where?

A9) India: and Pakistan.

Q10) Finally … Jewish immigrant, Joseph Malin, was one of the first people to open what kind of takeaway, in 1860s London?

A10) A fish and chip shop.   (The first recorded one in England was opened in Oldham, Greater Manchester.)

Enjoy those.

I’ll leave you with this question.

“If you hack the Vatican server, have you tampered in God's domain?”

Aaron Allston.

And with this tune

Have a good day.

*         Can I make a confession, Debbi … ?   Writing a book seems more and more appealing: I’ve several years worth of blog posts I can recycle, and half a TON of quiz questions I can reuse.   (And I’m thinking Bruce could do with a kid sister … )

†        Is that OK, Debbi … ?   (Question 8, I’m afraid: the answer I had was China, rather than what’s now one specific part of it.)

Vatican Skulduggery

Right, ok ...

The Windoze version of Google Chrome won't let me save a post ...

If other tabs are open: that's something of a flaw.

At least, I think so.   I just hope that anyone from Google's who's reading this paying attention!

Anyway, yes, I know: I'm posting from the library again.   But I do have the excuse that my doctor insists I take have an hour's exercise.

Trolling up Warley Hill to get here to post counts, just.

Where I was going to highlight some news that floated past me, earlier: that a senior Vatican cleric has been arrested over money laundering scandals in the Vatican Bank, the  Istituto per le Opere di Religione, or Institute for Religious Works.

Hmmm ...

Can I make a confession, here?   Which is sort of an irony, when speaking of the Roman Catholic Church.

At any rate, I'll be frank: and confess I'm not Catholic.   But the affairs of the Church have always interested me: religion can be an interesting subject to someone who's fairly agnostic, at heart.

And, many years ago, I read In God's Name, by author, David Yallop: an investigator whose work Id read before, and who had managed to highlight various issues in the case of the Yorkshire Ripper, Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle and the 'Let Him Have It' case.

Fascinating reads, I should add: and ones that convinced me of Yallop's abilities.

In God's Name was Yallop's investigation into the death - after 33 days in office - of Pope John Paul 1st.

Covered all sorts of territory.

But highlighting the late pontiff's desire to investigate fraud and corruption within the Vatican Bank: and it's links to the Mafia.

Yallop's assertion - one I found convincing - was that John Paul 1st had been poisoned* by any one of a number of figures in order to prevent this.

◊◊◊

Now ...

Since reading In God's Name, back in the day ... ?

I've kept following the Vatican's public activities.   So the recent election of Pope Francis has been interesting, certainly.

Especially since I've found him reminiscent of Yallop's description of John Paul 1st.

And can't help but wonder, if he's (quietly) condoning this investigation, amongst other things, what else he'll be getting up to.

*        Yallop proposed Digitalis as the poison.