Mark Brader
2023-11-15 13:48:04 UTC
Oh sheesh. I prepared the current-events rounds from Games 5 and 6
for posting two weeks ago, but never actually posted that set.
Okay, I guess the simplest way to recover is to make a single
posting with current-events rounds from *four* weeks. Please answer
whichever ones you like, and *if you do not answer all four rounds,
then include the Game/Round header lines*. (Erland, this means you!)
These questions were written to be asked in Toronto on the dates
indicated, and should be interpreted accordingly. If any answers
have changed due to newer news, you are still expected to give
the answers that were correct on that date.
On each question you may give up to two answers, but if you give
both a right answer and a wrong answer, there is a small penalty.
Please post all your answers in a single followup to the newsgroup,
based only on your own knowledge. (In your answer posting, quote
the questions and place your answer below each one.) I will reveal
the correct answers in about 3 days.
All questions were written by members of the Usual Suspects and
are used here by permission, but have been reformatted and may have
been retyped and/or edited by me. The posting and tabulation of
current-events questions is independent of the concurrent posting
of other rounds. For further information please see my 2023-05-24
companion posting on "Questions from the Canadian Inquisition
(QFTCI*)".
* Game 5 (2023-10-23), Round 1 - Current Events
1. Which Canadian tennis player won the singles championship at
the 2023 Hong Kong Open, her first title win in 19 months?
2. Two of Donald Trump's motley crew of lawyers pleaded guilty
last week to charges related to meddling with the 2020
presidential election results for the state of Georgia.
Name either one.
3. Which movie recently took in an estimated $95-97 million (US
dollars) at the box office in its opening weekend?
4. Who is the actress who starred in "The Hustler", "Carrie", and
"Twin Peaks", and died last week at age 91?
5. Which Latin American nation just elected as its new president
Daniel Noboa, the 35-year-old son of the richest man in the
country?
6. Which European country held an election last week that apparently
means the end of the incumbent right-wing populist government?
7. A social media company and a Canadian bank last week each
announced that they would be laying off about 3% of their
workforce. Coincidence? We assume so. But name either
organization.
8. A 6-year-old boy named Adonis just released his own rap track
and music video named "My Man Freestyle". At the risk of
throwing shade on one of such tender years, the phrase "nepo
baby" comes to mind. Who is his famous father?
9. Which country's supreme court declined last week to accept a
petition to legalize same-sex marriage, opting to kick the
matter over to the legislature?
10. Which Toronto condo mega-development just went into receivership
at the request of its major lender? Give its name or street
address.
* Game 6 (2023-10-30), Round 1 - Current Events
1. Early last week China was accused of ramming two ships from
what other country during an encounter in the South China Sea?
2. Which Ontario MPP was censured in the legislature and kicked
out of the NDP caucus for not retracting comments made after
the Hamas attacks on Israel?
3. An off-duty pilot was charged with attempted murder last week
for attempting to turn off the plane's engines in mid-air on
a flight belonging to which airline?
4. Also in airline news, Air Canada has apologized to a British
MP on account of aggressive questioning before he boarded flights
to and from this country, allegedly because of his first name,
which is what?
5. Why was Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir on strike?
6. Who is the Alberta judge who was just selected by the prime
minister to fill the vacant seat on the federal Supreme Court?
7. Which Canadian swimmer just won seven medals, including five
golds, at this year's Pan Am games in Santiago, Chile?
8. Bobi, who at the time of his death held the record for the
oldest dog ever, died recently in Portugal at what age?
(Human years, please.)
9. Which actress not named Smith has just revealed that she and
her husband have been living in Splitsville for the past 6 years?
10. He was "the cat who won't cop out when there's danger all
about". Name the 81-year-old star of "Shaft" who died last week.
* Game 7 (2023-11-06), Round 1 - Current Events
1. What is the new minimum age in Ontario for non-high-risk patients
to self-refer for a mammogram?
2. Treasury Board president Anita Anand announced this week that
two software apps were banned for use on government devices on
account of security concerns. Name *either* app.
3. After being hired to restructure the company 10 years ago, but
with the stock price considerably lower now than when he started,
John Chen left the CEO job at which Canadian corporation
last week?
4. Also in business news, the TSX had its best day in months last
Thursday. How many points did the index gain that day, within
10% of the true number in either direction?
5. The Prime Minister recently appointed former BC premier John
Horgan as ambassador to which country?
6. King Charles went to Africa last week for the first time
as monarch. To which country did he pay a 4-day visit?
7. Which well-known entertainer dropped in for a visit to the
Montreal Canadiens dressing room last week when the team was
in Las Vegas?
8. Name the new Beatles single that was released last week, using
a vocal track recorded by John in the 1970s, guitar work by
George from the 1990s, and later contributions by Paul and Ringo?
9. Which person's membership in the Order of Canada was terminated
last week at their own request, following questions about their
claims of Indigenous ancestry?
10. Which team went hitless through 6 innings, but eventually scored
and went on to win the fifth and last game of the World Series
last week, for the first championship in the franchise's
63-year history? (Place name or team name.)
* Game 8 (2023-11-13), Round 1 - Current Events
1. In *which German city*'s airport did a hostage-taking situation
end last week with the suspect under arrest and the hostage --
his daughter -- rescued unharmed?
2. An explosion -- so far unexplained -- inside the compound of
the Canadian High Commission in *which country* killed two
people last week?
3. A fire last week in *which GTA municipality* destroyed a group
of 40 townhouses under construction, as well as a fire-department
ladder truck?
4. Three residents of the National Zoo in Washington, DC, left
for good last week. What species do they belong to?
5. A tour bus for *which Canadian singer* overturned in Saskatchewan
last week, sending 13 people to hospital? The singer was not
on board.
6. So-called off-year elections were held in several US states
on Tuesday. In *which red state* did a referendum pass to add
abortion rights to the state constitution?
7. The SAG-AFTRA actors' strike ended last week after how many days,
within 10% of the true number in either direction?
8. Which former US astronaut died last week at age 95? He flew
on Gemini 7 and later commanded Apollo 8, the first manned
flight to lunar orbit. (Or as they now want us to say, crude
though it sounds, "crewed" flight.)
9. Music from which movie soundtrack just received eleven 2024
Grammy nominations, including five for a single song by Billie
Eilish?
10. Surgeons at New York University announced last week that they
had performed the first-ever human transplant of which organ,
as part of a larger procedure?
for posting two weeks ago, but never actually posted that set.
Okay, I guess the simplest way to recover is to make a single
posting with current-events rounds from *four* weeks. Please answer
whichever ones you like, and *if you do not answer all four rounds,
then include the Game/Round header lines*. (Erland, this means you!)
These questions were written to be asked in Toronto on the dates
indicated, and should be interpreted accordingly. If any answers
have changed due to newer news, you are still expected to give
the answers that were correct on that date.
On each question you may give up to two answers, but if you give
both a right answer and a wrong answer, there is a small penalty.
Please post all your answers in a single followup to the newsgroup,
based only on your own knowledge. (In your answer posting, quote
the questions and place your answer below each one.) I will reveal
the correct answers in about 3 days.
All questions were written by members of the Usual Suspects and
are used here by permission, but have been reformatted and may have
been retyped and/or edited by me. The posting and tabulation of
current-events questions is independent of the concurrent posting
of other rounds. For further information please see my 2023-05-24
companion posting on "Questions from the Canadian Inquisition
(QFTCI*)".
* Game 5 (2023-10-23), Round 1 - Current Events
1. Which Canadian tennis player won the singles championship at
the 2023 Hong Kong Open, her first title win in 19 months?
2. Two of Donald Trump's motley crew of lawyers pleaded guilty
last week to charges related to meddling with the 2020
presidential election results for the state of Georgia.
Name either one.
3. Which movie recently took in an estimated $95-97 million (US
dollars) at the box office in its opening weekend?
4. Who is the actress who starred in "The Hustler", "Carrie", and
"Twin Peaks", and died last week at age 91?
5. Which Latin American nation just elected as its new president
Daniel Noboa, the 35-year-old son of the richest man in the
country?
6. Which European country held an election last week that apparently
means the end of the incumbent right-wing populist government?
7. A social media company and a Canadian bank last week each
announced that they would be laying off about 3% of their
workforce. Coincidence? We assume so. But name either
organization.
8. A 6-year-old boy named Adonis just released his own rap track
and music video named "My Man Freestyle". At the risk of
throwing shade on one of such tender years, the phrase "nepo
baby" comes to mind. Who is his famous father?
9. Which country's supreme court declined last week to accept a
petition to legalize same-sex marriage, opting to kick the
matter over to the legislature?
10. Which Toronto condo mega-development just went into receivership
at the request of its major lender? Give its name or street
address.
* Game 6 (2023-10-30), Round 1 - Current Events
1. Early last week China was accused of ramming two ships from
what other country during an encounter in the South China Sea?
2. Which Ontario MPP was censured in the legislature and kicked
out of the NDP caucus for not retracting comments made after
the Hamas attacks on Israel?
3. An off-duty pilot was charged with attempted murder last week
for attempting to turn off the plane's engines in mid-air on
a flight belonging to which airline?
4. Also in airline news, Air Canada has apologized to a British
MP on account of aggressive questioning before he boarded flights
to and from this country, allegedly because of his first name,
which is what?
5. Why was Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir on strike?
6. Who is the Alberta judge who was just selected by the prime
minister to fill the vacant seat on the federal Supreme Court?
7. Which Canadian swimmer just won seven medals, including five
golds, at this year's Pan Am games in Santiago, Chile?
8. Bobi, who at the time of his death held the record for the
oldest dog ever, died recently in Portugal at what age?
(Human years, please.)
9. Which actress not named Smith has just revealed that she and
her husband have been living in Splitsville for the past 6 years?
10. He was "the cat who won't cop out when there's danger all
about". Name the 81-year-old star of "Shaft" who died last week.
* Game 7 (2023-11-06), Round 1 - Current Events
1. What is the new minimum age in Ontario for non-high-risk patients
to self-refer for a mammogram?
2. Treasury Board president Anita Anand announced this week that
two software apps were banned for use on government devices on
account of security concerns. Name *either* app.
3. After being hired to restructure the company 10 years ago, but
with the stock price considerably lower now than when he started,
John Chen left the CEO job at which Canadian corporation
last week?
4. Also in business news, the TSX had its best day in months last
Thursday. How many points did the index gain that day, within
10% of the true number in either direction?
5. The Prime Minister recently appointed former BC premier John
Horgan as ambassador to which country?
6. King Charles went to Africa last week for the first time
as monarch. To which country did he pay a 4-day visit?
7. Which well-known entertainer dropped in for a visit to the
Montreal Canadiens dressing room last week when the team was
in Las Vegas?
8. Name the new Beatles single that was released last week, using
a vocal track recorded by John in the 1970s, guitar work by
George from the 1990s, and later contributions by Paul and Ringo?
9. Which person's membership in the Order of Canada was terminated
last week at their own request, following questions about their
claims of Indigenous ancestry?
10. Which team went hitless through 6 innings, but eventually scored
and went on to win the fifth and last game of the World Series
last week, for the first championship in the franchise's
63-year history? (Place name or team name.)
* Game 8 (2023-11-13), Round 1 - Current Events
1. In *which German city*'s airport did a hostage-taking situation
end last week with the suspect under arrest and the hostage --
his daughter -- rescued unharmed?
2. An explosion -- so far unexplained -- inside the compound of
the Canadian High Commission in *which country* killed two
people last week?
3. A fire last week in *which GTA municipality* destroyed a group
of 40 townhouses under construction, as well as a fire-department
ladder truck?
4. Three residents of the National Zoo in Washington, DC, left
for good last week. What species do they belong to?
5. A tour bus for *which Canadian singer* overturned in Saskatchewan
last week, sending 13 people to hospital? The singer was not
on board.
6. So-called off-year elections were held in several US states
on Tuesday. In *which red state* did a referendum pass to add
abortion rights to the state constitution?
7. The SAG-AFTRA actors' strike ended last week after how many days,
within 10% of the true number in either direction?
8. Which former US astronaut died last week at age 95? He flew
on Gemini 7 and later commanded Apollo 8, the first manned
flight to lunar orbit. (Or as they now want us to say, crude
though it sounds, "crewed" flight.)
9. Music from which movie soundtrack just received eleven 2024
Grammy nominations, including five for a single song by Billie
Eilish?
10. Surgeons at New York University announced last week that they
had performed the first-ever human transplant of which organ,
as part of a larger procedure?
--
Mark Brader | "Writing that used both upper-case and lower-case
Toronto | characters became fashionable many centuries ago.
***@vex.net | It continued... until FORTRAN was invented." --Peter Moylan
My text in this article is in the public domain.
Mark Brader | "Writing that used both upper-case and lower-case
Toronto | characters became fashionable many centuries ago.
***@vex.net | It continued... until FORTRAN was invented." --Peter Moylan
My text in this article is in the public domain.