The Wombat File Is Yours to Keep

Today's first quiz was answered quite swiftly thanks to a time-zone advantage, so here's a spattering of geo-brainteasers to amuse those of you just rubbing the sleep sand out of your eyes:

1. Which U.S. state boasts the largest AND the second largest incorporated municipalities -- as defined by area within the incorporated city limits? Which state has the third-biggest city by this standard?

2. Name all four U.S. states which are or have exclaves (that is, can be reached only by crossing water or passing through a foreign country). Hawaii, being an island, doesn't count.

3. Among nations which share a land border with only one other country, Canada is the largest (in terms of area). What country is No. 2? Also, name the smallest sovereign nation in Africa, and the only country it borders.
   

No Googling. Each comment may include one guess per question (or part of question); but you may comment as often as you like. (Although simply running through the nations of the world in an endless stream of posts will make you unpopular...)

Posted by BT at 09:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)

The wombat is keen for sleep, so there'll be little lead-in to this week's skull-spelunker. Let's get right to it.

Born in Kentucky in 1810, his nickname was "The Lion of Whitehall." He was a cousin of -- and shared a surname with -- one of the most well-known politicians of his day. President Lincoln offered him the post of Ambassador to Spain, but he declined the appointment. He did take up the post of Minister to Russia, and was part of the negotiations for the annexation of Alaska. But he is most remembered for his strong beliefs, espoused by his Lexington, Kentucky paper The True American, and earning him the monicker "The Lion of Whitehall."

A man born many years later who was no relation, but shared the surname, was named after The Lion of Whitehall in commemoration, and that man passed the name down (with a "Jr." attached) to his son. The son became more famous than either his father or the original namesake -- though his greatest renown came after he had discarded the name he was born with.

What was his birth name?

First correct answer posted to comments wins a set of signed, first-edition courtroom sketches of Tim Russert in the witness box. The eyes are particularly expressive. No Googling or calling in a favor at the Juneau Historical Society -- trust me, you want to sit on that one until you really need it. One guess per comment but oh! how you'll comment, and comment again.

Posted by BT at 12:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

From a New York Times article on the furor among librarians over a word in the new Newbery Medalist for children's fiction, The Higher Power of Lucky.

Andrea Koch, the librarian at French Road Elementary School in Brighton, N.Y., said she anticipated angry calls from parents if she ordered it. "I don't think our teachers, or myself, want to do that vocabulary lesson," she said in an interview....

"At least not for children," she added.

More words pre-empted from the useful "quality literature for children" category:

• "consenting" (followed too often by "adults," not very often by "to stay for an additional serving of green bean casserole")
  
• "Epidermalicious"
  
• "as-yet-un-lubed"
  
• "Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop"*
  
• "slattern" (not actually obscene, but it really sounds like it should be)
  
• "perineum" (if you thought the vocabulary lesson on scrotum would be difficult...)
  
• "codex" (rhymes with "sex", also too likely to be in a book in which Mary Magdalene and Jesus do it)
  
• "evolution" (consult your local school board)
  

*Sole exception: Nancy Drew and the Motor Booty Affair, which is also controversial because of its inclusion of way too much Electric Spanking of War Babies.

Posted by BT at 06:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today's cocoanut-milker has been shipped directly from the steel-and-trivia forges of Pittsburgh, PA, thanks to Guest Quizmaster Errata. The Sage of Shadyside himself will adjudicate this one in the comments.

Here's the scoop:

A 19th century French merchant is credited with first popularizing a well-known commodity in the United States. His successful marketing efforts even earned him an alliterative nickname in New York high society (the nickname was the title of both his biography by fellow countryman Joseph Henriot as well as a 1989 Canadian-French biopic in which Hugh Grant portrayed the merchant). He was later imprisoned during the American Civil War under suspicion of being a spy for the French government and the Confederacy, sparking an international incident between France and the U.S. Upon his eventual release, he returned to France demoralized and bankrupt.

In 1863, he acquired as a gift a number of deeds comprising one-third of the then-small village of Denver, Colorado. The burgeoning town allowed him to quickly turn over the Deeds for a hefty profit, an opportunity that financed his entrepreneurial rebound. The French company bearing his name still sells the commodity today, and the entire industry's current annual sales volume tops 300 million units worldwide.

What is the popular product with which this man is associated? Bonus: Who is the merchant, and what was his nickname?

First correct answer posted to comments wins your very own alliterative nickname, by which you will be forever known. No Googling or burgeoning. And I mean from right now, mister. The burgeoning stops here. One guess (per main answer and both parts of the bonus) per comment, but comment as often as you like.

Posted by BT at 09:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (28)

Lovely Bollywood bizarrie. (Via MeFi).

Posted by BT at 10:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

"81g of fossil fuels, 720g of water, and 153g of GHGs per bottle delivered to the US from Fiji."

Posted by BT at 11:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Following on Rory's link to this.

I desperately want someone to make a film, a devastatingly effective film.

Exposing this.

And this

And this.

Back on the subject of health, I would like to see this word stricken from the language. It's incapable, at this point, of doing any good whatsoever.

.

Posted by BT at 11:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

We hereby turn the proceedings over to Guest Quizmaster Gavin, who is just the right guy to turn up the volume on a grey Friday in Wombatland (OK, it's actually sunny outside, but it feels grey enough in here).

Take it away, Mr. Edwards:
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

And now for something completely different.

I've put up twenty short clips of pop and rock songs of various stripes, spanning multiple decades, at http://www.rulefortytwo.com/game13.zip . A few are obscurities, but most of the songs should be familiar to most of you, and many of them are well-known hits. (That doesn't mean that I've excerpted the opening notes or the most famous lick, of course… cue evil laughter.)

Listen to the clips and then name that tune!

A few ground rules, which are different from the usual Wombat rules of the road:

1. Each guesser is limited to =three= guesses between each of my updates (so everyone gets a chance to play). If you guess more than three times, I'll just pay attention to the first three.

2. I need an artist and title for each song, not "oh that one with the woodblock that goes dum-la-de-diggidoo." (I won't be a hardass about the exact title if you get close.)

Depending on the speed of the guessing, this could extend through the weekend; I'll give clues later in the game if it becomes necessary.

Posted by BT at 12:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (50)

Tomorrow's quiz will be provide by a Guest Quizmaster to Be Announced Later.

In the meantime, let me just say that the radio silence in these parts will be coming to a conclusion shortly. We apologize for appearing to be a dead Wombat.

It's just that it's so freaking cold in this room that my fingers are kinda too stiff to type. Also, the baby is waking up a wee bit more than I'd expect her to still be doing. And I'm trying to occasionally write. And cook food at home more than ordering out. And read books again.

More (and a quiz from someone -- yours truly if necessary, as I've come across one I wish I'd had for the Q.U.I.Z.) tomorrow.

Posted by BT at 11:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

After their victory earlier this month, at the conclusion of the almost-endless 2006-2007 mind-meld that was the Q.U.I.Z., the unstoppable cranio-syndicate The Whiskey Rebels have nominated bootsy3000, a.k.a. The Lady B. Yogurt, a.k.a. Laura, to take the reins this week and stump us all in good old-fashioned post-yer-best-guesses Friday fashion. No points, no teams, and no excuses. Fail at your peril.

Straight from the source:

This common object was first used in the 1920s, and its target demographic was car owners, but the concept was articulated in 1887 by Edward Bellamy and described in his novel Looking Backward. In 1950, a the market for these objects was consolidated by the formation of a company still in existence today. In 1966 a widely known British corporation launched the UK version of this sub-breadbox-sized item. In the US, many states require a parent's signature to use this thing.

What is it?

First correct answer posted to comments wins a bowl of Three-Sean-Bean salad, in which the tasty legumes come in the form of various endearing and nutritious Sean Bean characters from Sharpe to The Hitcher. Actually, because it's only Three-Sean-Bean salad, you really only get one other character, and unfortunately it's the traitorous and megalomaniacal ex-M.I.-6 agent from Goldeneye and not the more nuanced fake-S.A.S. dude from Ronin. At least you don't have to sink your teeth into Bean's overcooked Irish terrorist from Patriot Games, although you'll probably wind up catching it on TNT one night. No Googling or watching TNT (the latter has nothing to do with the Quiz, but it's probably for the best, anyway). You may comment a gadzillion times, honestly, but please, only one guess per comment.

Posted by BT at 12:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (22)