A couple of announcements before we get to today's cortical destimulant --
First: prepare ye, o former Quiz laureates, for the Wombat File Quizvitational, to be held in December. More details to come soon, but all previous victors -- there are almost two dozen of you to date -- are eligible to play in this multiweek tournament. I'll post a list of the previous winners (and their total number of victories) soon, and I'll seek to contact everyone by email if possible.
If you've never thrown your hat into the ring, a November quiz win gets you in the door to this non-historic competition, this super-forgettable battle-royal of the truly trivial. Don't miss out. Mentally muscle your way in today, o ye lurkers!
Second: following this celebration of the pointlessly remembered detail, the Friday Quiz will lay down its weary head, at least for a while. Not to worry -- a similarly inane diversion is being prepared to take its place. Stay tuned.
Now, on to today's aid-in-not-reading-the-horrible-horrible-newspapers....
There are currently several hereditary monarchs in Europe -- the Queen of England being one, of course. At this time, all hereditary heads of state in Europe hold the royal title of King/Queen or Prince/Princess.
Less than a decade ago, however, that was not the case. Who was the exception -- until abdication in 2000? (The person's title and place of "rule" will be sufficient.)
Related bonus question: What European state besides the Vatican has an ordained member of the Catholic clergy as head of state?
UNRELATED DOUBLE-BONUS GEOGRAPHY QUESTION: After the recent demonstration of God's Will in the United States of America, many who resist the divine plan have spoken about the beauties of our northern neighbor, Canada. An act of mass relocation to this paradise of beer and bilingualism is not, after all, unthinkable, as it is the 8th least-densely populated nation on the planet (measured in persons/sq. mile). But if elbow room is important, maybe the No. 1 nation on that list should be considered. What is the least-densely populated nation?
First correct answer to the main question posted to comments wins a one-way bus ticket to Windsor, Ontario and a used DVD of Bowling for Columbine. (Bonus winners get a leftover Jolly Rancher retrieved from the bottom of a plastic jack-o-lantern). No Googling or changing horses. One guess at each question per comment please (i.e. you may not guess multiples for either main or bonuses in one comment, but may include a guess at each).
Bonus: Poland?
Double bonus: Australia?
Bonus: Belgium?
Double bonus: Saudi Arabia?
Bonus: Czechoslovakia?
Double bonus: New Zealand?
And I just want to say that I love abdications. If somebody wrote The Big Book of Abdications, I'd buy a copy.
Posted by: Gavin on November 5, 2004 10:19 AMLots of bonuses but nothing for the main Q, eh? Sorry, not the right answers.
Posted by: BT on November 5, 2004 10:21 AMPrince Ranier of Monaco
1. The Dauphin of Moravia
2. Portugal
3. Greenland
Extra unrelated double-bonus geography guess, given the shrinking population and the 11 time zones (or is it 9 or 8 now?): Russia
Nothing yet (teenidol, I know my convoluted question was hard to follow, but I specified that the answer is neither a king/queen nor a prince/princess).
Posted by: BT on November 5, 2004 10:31 AMD'Oh. I guess Prince Ranier includes the word "Prince" in it.
Count Chocula
RBQ: Lichtenstein
UDBGQ: Russia
this is what I get for clicking Post too slowly
Posted by: teenidol on November 5, 2004 10:37 AMHagar the Horrible.
Posted by: Scott on November 5, 2004 10:37 AM1. Duke of Andorra
2. Andorra
3. Denmark (including Greenland)
Posted by: boxjam on November 5, 2004 10:38 AM>Extra unrelated double-bonus geography guess,
>given the shrinking population and the 11 time
>zones (or is it 9 or 8 now?): Russia
I never really studied that up.
http://www.asklyrics.com/display/Time_Zones_LYRICS/13783
Question #1 has not been answered correctly, although one near miss has landed.
Boxjam gets the bonus correct: Juan Marti Alanis, Bishop of Seu d’Urgell, Spain, is the co-head of State (along with the President of France) of Andorra.
The extra bonus is still wiiiiiide open.
Posted by: BT on November 5, 2004 10:46 AMNew Big Prinz
Latvia
Iceland
7
1. Count of Monte Cristo (yo boxjam - love the Bananas reference)
3. Peru
Posted by: Jonathan on November 5, 2004 11:08 AMMain question: Denmark
Double Bonus: Ukraine
Uh - that is the Duke of Denmark. I guess. Badly.
Posted by: Garthmeister J. on November 5, 2004 11:35 AMMain Question: Duke of Norway
Double Bonus: Mongolia
Double Bonus: Atlantis (I so totally have that one nailed)
Main Question: let me get back to you on that.
The Garthmeister returns and gets the extry-double-bonus question: Mongolia is the least-crowded country we were looking for.
As for the main question: there has been one achingly close guess. But we demand, in our royal haughtiness, a touch more precision.
Posted by: BT on November 5, 2004 12:10 PMFreddie Prinz
Posted by: teenidol on November 5, 2004 12:12 PMDuchess of San Marco.
Posted by: boxjam on November 5, 2004 12:24 PMThe Duke of Doubt
Posted by: teenidol on November 5, 2004 12:28 PMWoo! Well, may as well throw in the counterparts to my guesses for the main question: Duchess of Denmark.
Posted by: Garthmeister J. on November 5, 2004 12:30 PMDuchess of Norway.
Posted by: Garthmeister J. on November 5, 2004 12:30 PMDuchess of Norway.
Posted by: Garthmeister J. on November 5, 2004 12:31 PMNope.
One hint: the country has been identified. It's the title that needs adjusting.
Posted by: BT on November 5, 2004 12:44 PMThe Count of Luxembourg.
Posted by: Garthmeister J. on November 5, 2004 12:50 PMOK...a small correction...apparently the abdication in 2000 didn't end the country's hereditary line of heads of state. He abdicated not in favor of no successor, but in favor of his son, who now holds the title.
Oops.
But it doesn't really change what we're looking for: what's the title? And which country? Nobody's quite struck on it yet.
Posted by: BT on November 5, 2004 01:37 PMWas it Sinahouk (sp?) of Cambodia?
Posted by: The Lady B. Yogurt on November 5, 2004 02:29 PMIn looking up a wrong answer I think I found the correct one. So I gives up.
Posted by: teenidol on November 5, 2004 02:30 PMSince I have limited the options to Europe, Cambodia is right out -- unless the ambitions for an an even newer New Europe are really far-reaching!
Since the interest seems to be waning, I will say that unless a correct answer appears by 5 PM EST, we'll award this one to the nearest near-miss.
Posted by: BT on November 5, 2004 03:21 PMCount of San Marco.
Posted by: boxjam on November 5, 2004 03:28 PMEarl of Luxembourg.
Posted by: boxjam on November 5, 2004 03:29 PMI'm the Duke of Earl
Posted by: teenidol on November 5, 2004 03:47 PMIt's soooo much trouble to read the WHOLE quiz AND all the comments. How 'bout the patriarch of Greece?
Posted by: The Lady B. Yogurt on November 5, 2004 04:13 PMViscount of Fredonia
Posted by: Jonathan on November 5, 2004 04:58 PMOK, I'm calling it -- Boxjam gets the credit on this one: the GRAND Duke of Luxembourg is the sub-princely sash-wearer we were looking for. The current GDOL is Henri, son of Jean, who abdicated in his favor in 2000. Apologies for the confusion caused over my error in the question wording.
Anyway, Boxjam's early guess of "Duke of Luxembourg" almost brought me to declare him a winner, but I wanted to wait until those last ballots were...okay, that analogy is both lame and depressing. Never mind.
Anyway, as part of our preparation for the glorious Quizvitational, the Total Victory Points earned by all WFile players thus far will appear shortly, in a fresh post on the main page.
Posted by: BT on November 5, 2004 05:19 PMI wish there was a country ruled by a Lesser Duke.
It'd be like the Haverford sports teams: the Little Quakers.
Not just pacifists--tiny pacifists! Fear their athletic might!
Posted by: Gavin on November 6, 2004 02:21 PM