The Daily Teaser — 26-1-2014: Australia Day

Hang on … 

What … ?

I have to admit, I’ve got the Radio Four News on, at the moment: and something’s just caught my ear.

Seemingly … ?   It’s now illegal to buy tobacco cigarettes for under-age children: bringing the law into line with that on alcohol sales.

Which is all good.

Here’s where I’m curious.   I used to work in an off-license: a liquor store, for my US readers.

Which, as many places, ALSO sold tobacco.   As with every other shop that sold alcohol and tobacco, there were big signs around, warning both staff and customers about buying alcohol and tobacco for underage people.   (And mentioning the fines for doing so.)

Which always got me thinking that such things were already legislated against.

So hearing that … ?

Gets me, at least, wondering what’s going on … !

~≈Ì≈~

Moving on … yesterday’s teaser saw  Debbi† and the Duke* putting in their answers: with the Duke bagging sic out of six and Debbi scoring four‡.

Let’s see how they — and you — do with today’s Teaser, shall we?   Here’s the very Australian questions, along with the How To, License and video …

Q1) 26th January is Australia Day.   What’s the capital city of Australia … ?

Q2) What’s Australia’s largest city … ?

Q3) What name do Indigenous Australians give Australia Day … ?

Q4) Australia has six states, and two territories.   Name either of the territories.

Q5) Name any of the six states … 

Q6) Which Australian marsupial famously eats a heck of a lot of eucalyptus leaves … ?

Q7) The monotremes are an order of egg laying Australian mammals that include four species of Echidna, or spiny anteaters.   The only other monotreme in Australia is the duck-billed what … ?

Q8) The Hunter Valley, Margaret River and Barossa Valley are noted producers of Australian … what … ?

Q9) The (very) Australian pie floater consists of a meat pie — with a named meat, if you’re feeling posh — upside down in a bowl of soup made from what vegetable … ?

Q10) Finally … which Oscar winning Australian is also a current artistic director of the Sydney Theatre Company … ?

Here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 25th January is Burns Night: celebrating the life and work of Robert Burns.   What pudding is traditionally eaten at a Burns night supper … ?

A1) Haggis.

Q2) What vegetables traditionally go with that … ?

A2) Mashed turnips and potatoes. (Also known as Neeps and tatties.)

Q3) 25th January is also the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, The Apostle.   Paul famously had his conversion on the road to which Syrian city … ?

A3) Damascus.

Q4) 25th January saw the opening of the first Winter Olympics: in Chamonix, France.   In which year of the 1920s … ?

A4) 1924.

Q5) 25th January, 1993, saw five CIA agents shot, near the CIA’s head-quarters.   In which US state is that HQ … ?

A5) Virginia.

Q6) Finally … 25th January, 2006, saw three different observation teams announce the discover of a rocky, extra-solar, what … ?

A6) An extra-solar Planet, or exoplanet: called OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb, I should add.

I’ll leave you with these lines …

“In joyful strains then let us sing,
‘Advance Australia fair!’”

From Advance, Australia Fair, the National Anthem …

And with this tune … 

Enjoy the day … 

*        Paul O, I know that’s you … !!!!!!!!!!!

†        Debbi, I read your post, saying about how some photos and hadn’t transferred: if you’ve still got the old PC, you should be able to use Migration Assistant to transfer the last ones.   If all else fails, you can stick the loose ones onto a flash memory stick and drag and drop them into your iPhoto library.

‡        I’d not worry too much, Debbi: haggis is fairly obscure, until you first come across it … !

The Daily Teaser — 25-1-2014

Hmmm … 

Looks like I’ve some work cut out for me!

I’ve some videos to do for the blog.

And a little write up on something, that I’m going go ask some friends to look at, before I think about posting it.

And you know what … ?   I’m very probably going to take a stroll, wet as it is, out there.

I don’t know about you, but I could do with the exercise … !

~≈∏≈~

But let’s move on, shall we?

Yesterday’s Teaser saw Debbi* putting in her answers: along with letting us know Americans also complain, she also bagged five 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) 25th January is Burns Night: celebrating the life and work of Robert Burns.   What pudding is traditionally eaten at a Burns night supper … ?

Q2) What vegetables traditionally go with that … ?

Q3) 25th January is also the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, The Apostle.   Paul famously had his conversion on the road to which Syrian city … ?

Q4) 25th January saw the opening of the first Winter Olympics: in Chamonix, France.   In which year of the 1920s … ?

Q5) 25th January, 1993, saw five CIA agents shot, near the CIA’s head-quarters.   In which US state is that HQ … ?

Q6) Finally … 25th January, 2006, saw three different observation teams announce the discover of a rocky, extra-solar, what … ?

Here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 24th January, 1984, saw the original Apple Mac go on sale: the first commercially successful computer to use a graphical user interface, and mouse.   How many buttons did that original mouse feature … ?

A1) Just one.

Q2) 24th January, 41AD, saw the assassination of Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus.   ‘Caligula’, the name we know him by, was a childhood nickname that meant ‘Little’ … what: toga, pants or boots?

A2) Boots.   (His father, germanicus, used to take his family with him on military campaigns.)

Q3) 24th January, 1946, saw the UN General Assembly pass the resolution to set up the UN body that oversaw what: help to refugees, world health or atomic energy?

A3) Atomic energy: the body in question is the United Nations Atomic Energy Commission.

Q4) Three years earlier, 24th January, 1943, saw Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill finish a wartime conference in which North African city … ?

A4) Casablanca.

Q5) Finally … 24th January, 1986, saw the Voyager 2 probe pass within 50, 000 miles of which planet … ?

A5) Uranus.   (Which is a rather attractive shade of duck-egg blue: the colour is at complete odds with the actual atmosphere, consisting of methane and tons of petrochemicals.)

Enjoy those.

As it’s Burns Night, I’ll leave you with this thought from the Man, himself …

“On ev’ry hand it will allowed be,


He’s just—nae better than he should be.”

Robert Burns, 25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796

And with this tune … 

Have a good day … !

*        I don’t think you’ve got anything to complain about, with that score, Debbi!   100% … !

The Friday Question Set — 24-1-2014

Now, it has to be said, SOMETIMES … ?

Sometimes, you see unusual stuff.

And sometimes you don’t.

Which sounds a bit obvious, not I come to think of it.

I mean, there’s things out there that … 

OK, OK, to cut a long explanation short, I’ve managed to buy an incredibly odd looking potato from the fruit and veg stall in Brentwood High Street.

They’re cheap, cheerful, there come rain or shine …

And do three decent sized baking potatoes for a pound.

To be frank, I’m now turning ONE of those into roast potatoes.

After all … ?

It’s practically two spuds, as it stands …

~≈Â≈~

At any rate, today — as you’re no doubt already aware — is Friday.

Which, as regular readers will realise, means it’s time for the Friday Question Set.

Here’s this week’s, covered by the usual Creative Commons License …

Online 236
ROUND ONE.   GENERAL KNOWLEDGE.

Q1) Which Girls took Sound of the Underground to No.1?
A1) Girls Aloud.

Q2) How many fish make up the star sign, Pisces?
Q2) Two.

Q3) What’s the fruity name of Gwyneth Paltrow’s daughter?
A3) Apple.

Q4) With which branch of medicine is Franz Mesmer associated?
A4) Hypnotism.

Q5) Which Labour politician was nicknamed ‘Thumper’, after having an egg thrown at him?
A5) John Prescott.

Q6) In the nursery rhyme, what did Tom, Tom, the farmer’s son, steal?
A6) A pig.

Q7) What’s the  English name for the game the Americans call Chequers?
A7) Draughts.

Q8) What is Finland’s national flower?
A8) Lily of the Valley

Q9) What do entomologists study?
A9) Insects.

Q10) What tree does the date grow on?
A10) Palm.

ROUND TWO.   SOAP & FLANNEL.

Q11) What’s the name of the pub, in EastEnders?
A11) The Queen Victoria.   (Accept ‘Queen Vic’)

Q12) Which Emmerdale family include Sam & Delilah?
A12) Dingle.

Q13) What, exactly, was Trevor Jordache buried under, in Brookside?
A13) The patio.

Q14) In which street is Neighbours set?
A14) Ramsey Street.

Q15) In Coronation Street, what was Cilla’s surname, before she married Les Battersby?

A15) Brown.

Q16) In which soap is there a pub called The Bull?
A16) The Archers.

Q17) Which British soap was set in a motel?
A17) Crossroads.

Q18) What was the name of the first major soap in the USA?
A18) Peyton Place.

Q19) When she left Albert Square, which country did Michelle Fowler go to?
A19) The USA.

Q20) What was the name of Jason Donovan’s character, in Neighbours?
A20) Scott Robinson.

ROUND THREE.   ON THE ROCKS.

Q21) Which cocktail would you find in a toolbox?
A21) A screwdriver.   (Vodka & Orange.)

Q22) Which grain is the Russian drink, kvass made from: rye, wheat or barley?
A22) Rye.

Q23) Drambuie is traditionally made from Scotch whiskey, and what else?
A23) Honey.

Q24) What spice is used in a whisky sling?
A24) Nugmeg.

Q25) Three ingredients are used in a Harvey Wallbanger: name one of them.   (Bonus point for one of the other two, three points for all three.)
A25) Vodka, Orange Juice, and Galliano.

Q26) What liqueur is added to brandy to turn it into a sidecar?
A26) Cointreau.

Q27) The cocktail made of rye whiskey, Angostura bitters, and vermouth, is named after which New York district, Queens, Manhatten, or Harlem?
A27) Manhatten.

Q28) The Talisker distillery is where, the Isle of Skye, the Isle of Mann or the Isle of Wight?
A28) The Isle of Skye.

Q29) Two fruit juices are used to make a whisky sour: name one of them.   (Bonus point for both.)
A29) Orange and lemon.

Q30) What type of plant is tequila made from?
A30) A cactus.

ROUND FOUR.   SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY.

Q31) What drug is Alexander Fleming famed for discovering?
A31) Penicillin.

Q32) Röntgen discovered which rays?
A32) X-rays.

Q33) What nationality was scientist and philosher, Aristotle?
A33) Greek.

Q34) Marie Curie was one of the two discoverers of radium: what was her husband’s name?
A34) Pierre.

Q35) Which Thomas invented the lightbulb?
A35) Thomas Edison.

Q36) George Stephenson invented what type of engine?
A36) The steam engine.

Q37) What’s the name of the BBC’s Technology show, on BBC News?
A37) Click.

Q38) Which Italian painter drew early designs of the helicopter?
A38) Leonardo Da Vinci.

Q39) Who first developed shorthand: Isaac Newton, Isaac Pitman or Isaac Hayes?
A39) Isaac Pitman.

Q40) The Penny Black was the world’s first adhesive stamp.   In what way was the Penny Red a first?
A40) First stamp with perforated edges.

ROUND FIVE.   THE WEATHER.

Q41) Which country has the driest inhabited area, on the planet?
A41) Egypt.

Q42) Which Cornish village suffered a freak flash flood, in 2004?
A42) Boscastle.

Q43) What name is given the day of the year, when the Equator is furthest from the sun?
A43) The Winter Solstice.

Q44) Which county of England is the wettest?
A44) Cumbria.

Q45) What travels faster, a cold front, or a warm front?
A45) A cold front.

Q46) Which sea, and shipping area,  is to the immediate south of Ireland?
A46) Fastnet.

Q47) Over which North American mountain range does the Chinook blow?
A47) The Rockies

Q48) Which 1990’s Eurovision winner shares their name with a devastating hurricane?
A48) Katrina, of Katrina and the Waves.

Q49) The name of which type of cloud is also the Latin word for a lock of hair?
A49) Cirrus.

Q50) What is the Fata Morgana, & in which European country would you see it?
A50) A mirage.   Italy.   (I knew there was SOMETHING I meant to edit, yesterday.   You possibly want to double check this …)

ROUND SIX.   GENERAL IGNORANCE.

Q51) Who is the famous son of Uther Pendragon
A51) King Arthur.

Q52) Who was the last Queen to inherit the throne of the UK, prior to Queen Elizabeth 2nd?
A52) Queen Victoria.

Q53) What is the term for a fear of enclosed spaces?
A53) Claustrophobia.

Q54) What consortium runs the National Lottery?
A54) Camelot.

Q55) Which day of the week is named after the Norse god, Thor?
A55) Thursday.

Q56) What can be upside down, Ginger or Dundee?
A56) A cake.

Q57) Who said, “Am I dying beyond my means”?
A57) Oscar Wilde.

Q58) What metal melts at 30°C: Selenium, Gallium or Thorium?
A58) Gallium.

Q59) How many Sisters make up the Pleiades?
A59) Seven.

Q60) ‘Muster’ is the collective name for a group of which bird?
A60) Peacocks.

Enjoy those: I’ll see you next time …

The Daily Teaser — 24-1-2014

What on EARTH is going on … ?

Really … ?

You’ve probably worked out I’m an normally — normally — happy with BT.

Normally!

Ok, back in the early days of my internet connection, there WAS that issue of the Hub BT issued me dropping its signal.

This seems different, however: this is a case of both the usual Teaser Poster, to the right, taking a touch longer than usual.

And as I write … ?

As I write, the day’s Teaser video has some twenty minutes or so left, before it finishes uploading.

Frankly … ?   I think something’s going on.

Lord know’s what, though … !

~≈€≈~

But let’s move on, shall we … ?   Yesterday’s Teaser saw Debbi* putting in her answers: and, along with letting us know it’s looking bad in Baltimore, ALSO managing to bag ten 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) 24th January, 1984, saw the original Apple Mac go on sale: the first commercially successful computer to use a graphical user interface, and mouse.   How many buttons did that original mouse feature … ?

Q2) 24th January, 41AD, saw the assassination of Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus.   ‘Caligula’, the name we know him by, was a childhood nickname that meant ‘Little’ … what: toga, pants or boots?

Q3) 24th January, 1946, saw the UN General Assembly pass the resolution to set up the UN body that oversaw what: help to refugees, world health or atomic energy?

Q4) Three years earlier, 24th January, 1943, saw Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill finish a wartime conference in which North African city … ?

Q5) Finally … 24th January, 1986, saw the Voyager 2 probe pass within 50, 000 miles of which planet … ?

Here’s yesterday’s questions and answers …

Q1) 23rd January, 1570, saw the first assassination by gun.   The target was James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray.   Which Scottish King was he the regent for: James 4th, James 5th or James 6th?

A1) James 6th.

Q2) That Scottish king was also known as which English king … ?

A2) James 1st.

Q3) How many US presidents have been assassinated … ?

A3) Four..

Q4) Name one of those presidents … 

A4) Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy.

Q5) Which of those presidents was in office, during the US Civil War … ?

A5) Abraham Lincoln .

Q6) Which Russian revolutionary leader was assassinated — with an icepick — in Mexico?

A6) Leon Trotsky.   (Possibly the ONLY Russian Revolutionary to get a mention in a Stranglers number … )

Q7) Which famous Roman was assassinated by his friend, Brutus, and the subject of a play by William Shakespeare?

A7) Julius Cæsar.   (Gaius Julius Cæsar, to use his full name.   He never achieved the post of Emperor, but WAS the most powerful politician in the Rome of his day: the belief that he was aiming for monarchial powers was his assassins’ motivation.)

Q8) The third Roman Emperor was the first Roman Emperor to be assassinated.   Was he Tiberius, Caligula or Claudius?

A8) Caligula.

Q9) Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by a Serb nationalist on 28th June, 1914: this triggered which war … ?

A9) World War 1.

Q10) And finally … Jean Bastien-Thiry and his fellow members of the OAS attempted to assassinate which French leader?

A10) General Charles De Gaulle.   (The attempt is what formed the basis of the story ‘The Day Of The Jackal’.)

As today it the birthday of noted musicologist — and ex-Squeeze member — Jools Holland, I’ll leave you with he and Dr John’s somber analysis of four-handed boogie-woogie piano riffs … 

And with these words, originally ascribed to Emperor Hadrian …

“One great mistake is to try to extract from each person virtues which he does not possess, neglecting the cultivation of those which he does have.”

Words ascribed to Emperor Hadrian, 24 January, 76 AD – 10 July, 138 AD.

Enjoy your day … 

*        Mind you, Debbi: you DO know that, by complaining about the weather … ?  You’re becoming a Brit … ?   (Britain’s other national sports are Football, Cricket, Rugby, horseracing and snooker.   The one that doesn’t get as much coverage as the others … ?   Is complaining about the weather … )

The Musketeers: Episode 1

22nd January, 2014.

You know there are times when it’s a pleasure, just to write about something.

Something other than the usual run of things: or, in my case, the Daily/Gazette/Friday Question Sets, what have you.

Much as I love doing them, it has to be said, they’re a job of work: and one that means if there’s anything I like the look of on TV, it’s rare — unless I specifically make time — to catch up on a series that looks interesting.

Agents Of SHIELD, for example?

Great little series, from what I saw of it: but given Channel Four’s habit of delaying the series by a week, every so often, and my on beavering away on assorted Teaser slideshows meant I could never give it the attention I felt it deserved.

I really couldn’t tell you if it’s on, off, on again, or cancelled!

At ANY rate … ?

At any rate, some thing I know had grabbed my eye, when the BBC announced they were airing it … ?

Was the BBC’s new take on Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers: called, simply, The Musketeers.

~≈®≈~

Now, I’ll have to admit, I’ve never read Dumas’ original novel of The Three Musketeers: it never actual appealed, believe it or not.

Why, I don’t know.

I think it’s enough to say that I’d been vaguely interested in reading them: to get a hopefully more more accurate feel for Dumas’s story than any of the many film versions would give.   But never actually interested enough to go and look them up in Brentwood Library.

One day, maybe … !

At ANY rate … ?   I’d grown up — as many others in the UK — with a vague believe that when the BBC does an adaptation of a well known novel, it tries to do as accurate a translation as possible.

Much like their 1981 version of Day Of The Triffids.

So knowing they were airing their take on The Three Musketeers … ?   One with Peter Capaldi as the villainous Cardinal Richelieu … ?

Well, the fact I could read the book without going near the library seemed to make watching it a useful thing to do … 

~≈®≈~

23rd January, 2014

So … Given I was busily helping my sister, Ruth, make a wardrobe on Sunday: and with one of two other things, as well?   I actually decided to record The Musketeers.   To a USB memory stick plugged into my TV one USB port, I should add.

With the reasoning that, so long as I made sure not to delete it, I could watch it later*.

I’m glad I did.

Let me tell you about this one episode, though: to see if I can use that to tell you why … 

~≈®≈~

Opening on the road to Paris, Episode 1 of The Musketeers shows us a very young D’Artagnan — played by Luke Pasqualino — with his father, to petition the king to lower taxes.

Whilst heading there … ?

The pair are attacked by a group of men, claiming to be a squad of Kings Musketeers led by Athos, Count de la Fère.

D’Artagnan senior is killed: but not before telling his son the name of the man who’s killed him.

D’Artagnan† junior Decides there’s only one thing a dutiful son can do: head for Paris … and seek vengeance … !

Meanwhile … ?

Meanwhile, the three musketeers, themselves — Athos, Porthos and Aramis — have been ordered back to Paris, to help investigate the disappearance of some missing fellow soldiers.

They have some immediate problems.

Their Captain is SERIOUSLY hacked off with them: as the king’s ordered an enquiry into the Musketeers

The rival military force run by Cardinal Richelieu is looking SERIOUSLY nasty.

They’s a young chap from Gascony, at the door, screaming — literal — blue murder.

Oh … 

And Athos, the lead Musketeer … ?

Is going to be executed in the morning … 

~≈®≈~

Now … 

Did I enjoy this opening episode of The Musketeers … ?

Absolutely … !

This was, quite simply everything a historical adventure could be: full of scheming villains, heaving cleavage, big beards … 

And outright non-stop fun.

I don’t know if it’s persuaded me to read the book: I’ll have tot let you know about that.

It HAS persuaded me that watching the rest of the series is worth my time.

Possibly … ?   It’s worth yours, as well.

*        I should add, at this point, that — given my TV saves such files as MPEG2 transport streams — I can use a combination of vlc and Handbrake to recode a show for later viewing.

†        It seems Dumas based D’Artagnan on the real world Charles Ogier de Batz de Castelmore, Comte d'Artagnan.   So you know …