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As some of us still use ScaRatings more than BadBart, and because it is easier to ask forgiveness than to get
permission, I am taking the liberty of posting BLZBUB's update here. Mea Culpa, BLZBUB:
The team was in fine fettle for this week’s game. After celebrating International Workers Day by frolicking around the May Pole, most of us were too tired to do anything but settle into our punishing waffle-bottomed patio chairs on the deck of the BWW on Gibson Blvd way out in the hinterlands of this great nation.
There would be 12 triviots assembled by game time, and we managed to scrounge up 14 working Playmakers (no thanks to the gang at BUZZHEAD HQ who still have not returned the additional SEVEN that were sent back for refurb over a month ago.)
Anyway, the Ragged Rascals are resigned to the fact that this appears to be the “new normal” in BUZZLAND. Speculation abounds as to how long Buzztime can continue to survive in THEIR new normal where online phone apps are drawing over a million views a day.
Worn-up Round
1. On a road, a bend with a very acute angle is called a ___ turn. HAIRPIN.
2. This volcano in the Cascade Range is located in Washington state: MOUNT RAINIER.
3. The late Winnie Mandela was an activist from: SOUTH AFRICA.
4. Before Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg developed: FACEMASH.
5. Which classic film is 50 years old in 2018? 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.
6. A person who does a lot of joking and clowning around would most likely be called a: BUFFOON.
7. The Huracan is a prized sports car made by this Italian auto manufacturer: LAMBORGHINI.
8. In which decade was chiropractic conceived and first practiced? 1890’S {DOH! That one nearly broke our backs.}
9. Which street in New York is known as the ‘Avenue of the Americas’? SIXTH AVENUE.
10. In 1847, ___ declared its independence from the American Colonization Society. LIBERIA.
Okay, nine of ten in the first round is a good start.
Ground-down Round
1. Alistair Maclean was the author of such military tales as ‘The Guns of Navarone’ and: WHERE EAGLES DARE.
2. The Taronga Zoo is one of many attractions in this city founded in 1788: SYDNEY. {We unfortunately took the AUCK-ward choice, due to BLZBUB’s meddling.}
3. Tisha B’av is an annual fast day in this religion: JUDAISM.
4. The city of Newton is the home of ___ Speedway. IOWA. {Third-clue save.}
5. 18-8, Type 304, and Type 316 are grades of: STAINLESS STEEL. {BLZBUB.}
6. To see Tsushima Island, you have to sail to the ___ Strait. KOREA {BLZBUB.}
7. This weapon was created by the U.S. in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s: NEUTRON BOMB. {BRICK beat the old Air Force officer to this answer.}
8. The ostrich is said to have the largest ___ of any land vertebrate. EYE.
9. ‘Dragon Teeth’ is a novel by ___ that was published posthumously in 2017. MICHAEL CRICHTON. {BLZBUB flubbed again by calling for Carl Sagan, but was saved by the third clue.}
10. The Rio Grande Gorge is a geographical feature of: NEW MEXICO. {Please note that none of the other four choices given are even touched by the Rio Grande. But thanks anyway to the Buzzheads for the shout out to this corner of the hinterlands.}
11. In language, aporia refers to expressions of real or feigned: PERPLEXITY. {This one was another third-clue save.}
12. The national flower of Nepal is this woody plant in the heath family: RHODEDENDRON (sic, Buzzie, sic. It’s rhodOdendron). {good call, MEERA.}
The team got 8 of 12 correct without the third clue rescue.
Scatology Round
S1. CURRENT SPORTS v The Bible
The annual NFL draft was held last week in: ARLINGTON, TEXAS. {Calls for Dallas put the Greek chorus close enough to the true venue.}
S2. VOCABULARY v archaeological finds
A stubborn person would best be described as: OBSTINATE. {BRICK}
S3. Canadian companies v REVOLUTIONS
What leader was deposed by the People Power Revolution? FERDINAND MARCOS. {BRICK}
S4. Archaeological finds v CURRENT SPORTS
The Cleveland Indians and Minnesota Twins played a two-game series in ___ last month. PUERTO RICO. {REAPER, although oddly enough LOONEY and BRICK were speculating what this question might be before it appeared, and this series in P.R. was mentioned.}
S5. REVOLUTIONS v Vocabulary
The Cuban Revolution of 1933 is also known as ‘The ___ Revolt.’ SERGEANTS’ {Third-clue rescue.}
S6. THE BIBLE v Canadian companies
In the Bible, the prophet Nathan reproaches __ for his adultery with Bathsheba. KING DAVID. {DUFF}
The crew got 5 of 6 correct without the third clue rescue.
Frightening Round
1. The town of Hanga Roa serves as the capital of ___ Island. EASTER.
2. One of the first groups to popularize electronic rock music was West Germany’s: KRAFTWERK.
3. The Beast is a superhero whose real name is: HANK MCCOY. {Are you folks sure it was not Joel Suzuki? He was on this list.}
4. A riparian zone is land located near a: RIVER OR STREAM.
5. Which of these words contains all five main vowels? CAULIFLOWER. {We got it, but it was uncommonly difficult, this time.}
6. What winter favorite won an Academy Award for best song of 1949? BABY IT’S COLD OUTSIDE. {Many were distracted by ‘Frosty the Snowman.’}
7. Patriot’s Day is an annual holiday in: MAINE. {BRICK got it, based upon the logic that Maine was considered part of the Massachusetts Colony.}
For this round, the team mowed through all the questions, except for that 2-way split on F6. It must be noted that time nearly ran out before the proper calls were made on F1 and F5, however. Only 5 boxes made it through with 7 for 7 correct.}
Py-Ram-It Round
P1. This English composer lived during the Baroque Period in the 17th Century:
Choices: William Walton, Henry Purcell, Arthur Sullivan, Benjamin Britten, Thomas Watson
A: HENRY PURCELL. {Good old-date-maven, DUFF, suggested this name as a pre-call, and Bingo, there it was when the 5 choices appeared.}
P2. Macadamia nuts come from trees indigenous to this area:
CHOICES: Arabia, Eastern Europe, Africa, India, Australia
A: AUSTRALIA. {BLZBUB waived off pre-calls for Hawaii, and correctly call Down Under.}
P3. The Palais Garner in Paris, France, is more commonly known as the:
Choices: Palace of Justice, National Library, Opera House, City Hall, Convention Center
A: OPERA HOUSE. {MEERA pre-called this answer.}
P4. Celesteville is an imaginary city founded by this character from children’s literature:
Choices: Kermit the Frog, Babar the Elephant, Winnie the Pooh, Raggedy Ann, The Grinch
A: BABAR THE ELEPHANT {Usually questions on kid-lit leave this team in silent puzzlement, like the dog in the RCA Victor phonograph adverts. However, this time BLZBUB remembered that Babar’s lady-love was named Celeste and “I’m going to go out on a limb and call Number 2.” When this proved correct, he was awarded with a very rare round of applause from the Rascals.}
P5. Born in Trinidad in 1812, Stephen Mallory etched his name in history with the:
Choices: Confederate Navy, Catholic church, Pony Express, Prohibition Movement, Panama Canal
A: CONFEDERATE NAVY. {CHILL, our resident Civil War buff, didn’t remember this, so it was a difficult question for us. We tried to run eliminations based upon his date of birth, but this was to little avail. We wound up on the dreaded 5-way split.}
Only two of the team’s boxes finished on 5 for 5 on this round. Ten others finished with 4 for 5 correct.
FINAL TRAGEDY
Topic: CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS
About 90 percent of this item consists of calcium carbonate:
1. Diamond
2. Balsa Wood
3. Topaz
4. Feldspar
5. Pearl
The order of the eliminations was 4, 1, 2, and 3, leaving #5, PEARL as the correct answer. A couple of people intuitively went to this choice. The vast majority of the team didn’t get onto the correct answer until CROEM made the definitive call. By then 15 to 30 percent of the points they had wagered had decayed into pearl dust.
The top individual scores for the night were 56157, 52395, 48339, 46615, 46197, and 45679 points.
The team’s average score for this game was 49,230 points.
The Ragged Rascals’ systemwide ranking was THIRTEENTH Place.
This was another game that favored the teams with little silicon buddies to aid their play. The top score and the fourth slot on the Top Ten were stolen by Borg collectives, as were the eighth and tenth places. {BLZBUB is unsure if Halftime Sports of Gig Harbor, WA, in the ninth spot, is playing wetware or Borg.}
Top Honors in the wetware-only division go to the Fellowship, at the BWW in Kent, OH with their 54080 points.
Second: Tilted Kilt of Scottsdale , AZ with 53792 points
Third: Four Corners, Chapel Hill, NC with 52411
4: Teaser’s of Chicago, IL with 52164
5: BWW Tallahassee, FL with 51548
6: ?Halftime Sports, Gig Harbor, WA with 50775?
7. Mad River, New York City with 49513
8. CK’s Tavern of Phoenix, AZ with 49399
9. The Ragged Rascals, BWW in ALBUQUERQUE with 49230
10. Fab Ferns of Minneapolis, MN with 48564
And in a note of recognition…the team at the BWW in Arlington, VA has gone back into hibernation mode, placing Forty-second with a score of 38589 points.
Congrats to any and all teams that eschew the use of laptops, cell phones, and research tools to pollute the game we real triviots love.
_________________
Anon
"He may seem like Mr. Rogers but a dark spirit lies beneath."
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