Happy Birthday, Sir Thomas Sean Connery!

Did you know Sir Connery is 80 today? For 80 great facts on our favorite knight, check out this article from The Independent.


Here are my personal top fifteen:

1. His first bed was the bottom drawer of the family wardrobe.
2. He writes poetry (but won't let anyone see it).
3. He left school at the age of 12 – three years after taking up smoking.
4. He once worked as a nude model for art students.
5. In 1953 he entered Mr Universe, coming third in the tall men category.
6. His first acting role was in the male chorus of South Pacific at the Drury Lane Theatre in London.
7. He passed on the role of Gandalf in Lord of the Rings allegedly because he had difficulty understanding the novels.
8. He turned down $5.5 M to play 007 in Live and Let Die.
9. After the Navy he trained as a French polisher, working on the finishes for pianos and coffins.
10. In 1993 he appeared on US TV to deny news agency reports that he was dead.
11. He grew up in a tenement in Edinburgh with no hot water or electricity.
12. As 007, his hair was always a wig.
13. Steven Seagal once broke Sean's wrist during a martial arts lesson.
14. Of the six actors to play the role of Bond, he is the only one to serve in the Navy like Bond himself.
15. He was considered for the part of Captain von Trapp in The Sound of Music (1965).

Call for Volunteers

Volunteers are needed for next Sunday’s (the 13th), air force cycling classic: www.airforcecyclingclassic.com.

Volunteers will help with registration type in the morning and hospitality in the afternoon.

It’d be a great day to spend giving back to the community.

You can email Dana directly at danawilliams66@yahoo.com if you are able to help. Even a few hours would be very much appreciated!

The Ig Nobel Prize

Betcha never heard of the Ig Nobel Prize before...

The Ig Nobel Prizes are an American parody of the Nobel Prizes and are given each year in early October for ten achievements that "first make people laugh, and then make them think". The awards are organized by a scientific humor magazine called the Annals of Improbable Research or AIR. The group that selects the recipients are presented by a group that includes genuine Nobel Laureates.

The first Ig Nobels were awarded in 1991, at that time for discoveries "that cannot, or should not, be reproduced". Ten prizes are awarded each year in many categories, including the Nobel Prize categories of physics, chemistry, physiology/medicine, literature, and peace, but also other categories such as public health, engineering, biology, and interdisciplinary research. With the exception of three prizes in the first year (Administratium, Josiah Carberry, and Paul DeFanti), the Ig Nobel Prizes are for genuine achievements.

The prizes are awarded most often given to draw attention to scientific articles that have some humorous or unexpected aspect. Examples range from the discovery that the presence of humans tends to sexually arouse ostriches, to the statement that black holes fulfill all the technical requirements to be the location of Hell, to research on the "five-second rule," a tongue-in-cheek belief that food dropped on the floor won't become contaminated if it is picked up within five seconds.

Via Wikipedia.

Let Me Make It Up To You

My apologies, we'v been falling down on the job a little bit posting the all important Question of the Week. Please accept this trivia extra with our love:

Tonight's trivia mentioned Darkwing Duck, the best known of the two Duck Tales spin off. The other?


Quack Pack! This animated series debuted in September 1996 and, unlike other Disney Afternoon shows, was aimed at teens aged 13 to 18. This did not work and the show only lasted for one season that comprised 39 episodes.

Quack Pack centers on Donald Duck and his nephews, Huey, Dewey, and Louie. The boys are shown as teenagers who speak in conventional (aka non duck) voices and participate in typical teenage activities.



Thanks, as always, to wikipedia.

Bad Blogmistress

Hello all!

Just a quick note from your friendly blogmistress to apologize for the huge gap in content. Neil and I got married on the 19th so the week before and after that are mainly a blur. To make it up to you, please enjoy the below sampling of the questions we asked as part of our rehearsal dinner trivia last Friday. I will post answers next week, but feel free to leave your guesses in the comments.


1. What DC landmark recently reopened after major renovation following a large fire, and is a favorite place for the couple to spend a Saturday?

2. According to the “Arlington Rap”, what footwear is most common for the gentlemen of Arlington?

3. “Adirondacks” is an Anglicized version of the Mohawk “ratirontaks” meaning what?

4. Lake Placid hosted the Olympics in which two years?

5. What is the New York state motto?

6. What US President was in the Adirondacks when he technically took over the office?

7. What is the name of the highest of the Adirondack High Peaks, also the tallest point in New York State?

8. What famous award is named for Coach John, the first full-time coach and athletic director at Rice University in Houston?

9. Although the yellow rose of Texas is very well known, what is the actual state flower?

10. What is the Texas state motto?

11. What six flags have flown over Texas?

12. What soft drink was invented in Waco, Texas in 1885?

13. Texas possesses three of the top ten most populous cities in the United States. What are they?

14. Who was the officiant at the opening ceremonies of the 1980 Olympic Games, held in Lake Placid?

15. Who was the only athlete to win 5 gold medals at the 1980 Olympics?

16. Lake Placid is one of only two cities in the United States with an active bobsled track. What other city has this honor?

Bonus!!!

According to Homer Simpson, how does Webster’s Dictionary describe a “wedding”?

Complete this quote by the great religious thinker, Rev. Timothy Lovejoy; “…it would've never happened if the wedding would've been inside the church with God, instead of out here in the cheap showiness of __________.”

In Honor of the Reopening

Eastern Market was designed by Adolf Cluss and was in continuous operation as a public market from 1873 until April 30, 2007 when it was damaged in a fire. It was the first in a larger city-owned public market system. The Market was expanded in 1908 with the addition of the Center and North Halls designed by Snowden Ashford. At the start of the 20th century, the Eastern Market was recognized as the unofficial "town center" of Capitol Hill. It is the last of the city's public markets still in operation.

The market nearly closed because of competition from grocery store chains and a decline in neighborhood investment. Local residents fought to keep it open, and the area has since been revitalized. Eastern Market continues to host a thriving farmers' market including fresh cuts of meats, baked goods and cheeses. Artisans and antiques dealers also sell their goods outside the market on weekends, making Eastern Market.

Eastern Market was badly damaged by an early-morning 3-alarm fire on April 30, 2007. The heaviest damage was in the South Hall of the market, the portion occupied by vendors' stalls, where the roof suffered a partial collapse. Following the fire, Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty promised to rebuild the market. The outdoor weekend market was disrupted but never closed. Many of the food vendors re-opened for business within weeks of the fire, selling their products outside of the building. In August 2007, the city completed a temporary market annex, known as the "East Hall," on the opposite side of 7th Street, on the grounds of Hine Junior High School. This housed the vendors until the reopening of the market building, with a ribbon-cutting on June 26, 2009.

This weekend Eastern Market will be hosting a celebration of the reopening this Saturday from 10am to 5pm with live music and other events.

As always, thanks to Wikipedia.

The Checkers Speech

- The Checkers speech was an address made by then United States Senator and Republican vice presidential candidate Richard Nixon on television and radio on September 23, 1952.
- Senator Nixon had been accused of improprieties relating to a fund established by his backers to reimburse him for his political expenses.
- His place on the Republican ticket now doubt, the senator flew to LA and delivered a half hour television address in which he defended himself, attacked his opponents, and urged the audience to contact the Republican National Committee (RNC) to tell it whether or not he should remain on the ticket.
- During the speech, he stated that regardless of what anyone said, he intended to keep one of his gifts - a black-and-white dog named Checkers - thus giving the address its popular name.
- Nixon's speech was heard by about 60 million Americans, and led to an outpouring of public support for him.
- Nixon was of course retained by the ticket, which swept to victory in November 1952, and Nixon would be elected President 16 years later.
- The Checkers speech was an early example of a politician using television to appeal directly to the electorate, but has since sometimes been mocked or denigrated.
- "Checkers Speech" has come more generally to mean any emotional speech by a politician.

More on Tricky Dick at Wikipedia.

Today's Random Film Clip

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. is a 1953 musical fantasy film. The film is best known for being the only feature film ever written by Dr. Seuss who was responsible for the story, screenplay, and lyrics.



The film tells the story of Bart Collins, who believes his hated piano lessons to be evil and, while hammering away at his lessons, the boy dozes off and enters a fantastical musical dream, similar to that in The Wizard of Oz.

More at IMDB and Wikipedia.

Here's a Kick Start for You...

New Year's Related Tid Bits

* "Auld Lang Syne" was at least partially written by Robert Burns in the 1700's and first published in 1796 after his death. Early variations of the song were sung prior to 1700 and inspired Burns to produce the modern rendition.

* An old Scotch tune, "Auld Lang Syne" literally means "old long ago," or simply, "the good old days."

* Celebrating the new year is the oldest of all holidays and was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4,000 years ago.

* Originally, the new year was celebrated after the first day of spring. The Romans continued to observe the new year in late March, but since their calendar was continually tampered by emperors the senate voted in 153 BC to declare January 1 as the beginning of the new year.

* Using a baby to signify the new year began in Greece around 600 BC. At the time, you could celebrate Dionysus, the god of wine, by parading a baby in a basket to represent the annual rebirth of the god.

* The early Babylonian's most popular resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment.

* In 1904 the first rooftop celebration atop One Times Square, complete with a fireworks display, took place produced by The New York Times to inaugurate its new headquarters.

* The first Ball Lowering celebration at One Times Square was held on December 31, 1907 and is now seen via satellite by more than one billion people worldwide each year.

* The original New Year's Eve Ball weighed 700 pounds and was 5 feet in diameter. It was made of iron and wood and was decorated with 100 25-watt light bulbs.

* In many parts of U.S. it is tradition to eat black-eyed peas on New Year's which have been considered good luck in many cultures. Cabbage is another "good luck" vegetable as it is a sign of prosperity and paper currency.

Merry Christmas! Have Some Trivia!!!

* The Nutcracker is a fairy tale-ballet by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, composed in 1891–92.

* The ballet was based on the story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" written in 1816 by E. T. A. Hoffmann.

* Tchaikovsky was less happy with The Nutcracker than with The Sleeping Beauty, finished beforehand.

* The of The Nutcracker story has been published in many book versions including colorful children-friendly versions. The plot revolves around a German girl named Clara (sometimes called Marie).

* The work opens with a brief "Miniature Overture" which sets the fairy mood by using upper registers of the orchestra exclusively. The curtain opens to reveal a Christmas Eve at Clara's house. She is given a nutcrakcer by her godfather, Herr Drosselmeyer, which is promptly broken by her brother Fritz.

* After the party ends, Herr Drosselmeyer repairs the nutcracker. Clara then awakens and, at the stroke of midnight, Clara becomes entangled in a fight to help the nutcracker - now alive - defeat the Mouse King.

* In the original story by E.T.A. Hoffmann, the Prince is actually Drosselmeyer's nephew, who had been turned into a Nutcracker by the Mouse King. All of the events following the Christmas party have been arranged by Drosselmeyer in order to break the spell.

* Clara and the Prince travel to a world where dancing Snowflakes greet them and fairies and queens dance, welcoming Clara and the Prince into their world. The score conveys the wondrous images by introducing a wordless children's chorus. The curtain falls on Act I.

For more on all things Nutcracker, see wiki.

Beaker Wishes You a Merry Christmas

Strangest Christmas Tradition Ever

The “Caganer”
In Catalonia, Spain as well as in the rest of the country (and throughout much of Italy), traditional Christmas decorations include a large model of the city of Bethlehem. This are similar to Nativity scenes popular throughout the English-speaking world but show the entire city rather than just the manger scene. These scenes include the caganer who is often tucked away in a corner of the model, typically nowhere near the manger scene. The reason for his position relates to the direct translation of "caganer" which is Catalan for "pooper". Yes and that is exactly the little statue is doing; defecating.


Suggested reasons for this traditional excreting man being included in the religious scene include:
* Tradition
* Humor
* The game of "Finding the Caganer"
* The Caganer, by creating feces, is fertilizing the Earth
* The Caganer represents the equality of all people. After all, regardless of status, race, or gender, everyone defecates.
* The idea that God will manifest when s/he is ready, whether human beings are ready or not.
* The caganer reinforces that Jesus is God in human form. And that includes all the bodily functions.

Of course, you can now purchase Caganers that look like the rich and famous. See Caganer.com

You're a Mean One, Mr Grinch

* How the Grinch Stole Christmas! was first published in 1957 and was adapted into as a short animated film in 1966.

* Frankenstein’s Monster himself, Boris Karloff, provided the voice of the Grinch and the narration for the movie.

* Dr. Seuss was initially uninterested in animating this or any of his books, but Chuck Jones managed to persuade him.

* The two voice parts sound a bit different because the sound people went back to the Grinch’s parts and removed all of the high tones in Karloff’s voice.
* Tony the Tiger (Thurl Ravenscroft) is the voice behind “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch.” He received no credit on screen causing Dr. Seuss to write to newspapers all over America to let them know exactly who had sung the song.

* Dr. Seuss wrote the lyrics to all the songs.

* The lyrics to the song "Fahoo Forays" were made to imitate classical Latin. After the special aired, the studio received letters asking for a translation from people who believed them to be real Latin.

* The Grinch's green color was decided by director Chuck Jones' experiences renting cars in the Washington-Baltimore area which he claimed always turned out to be the exact shade.

* After the Grinch's "change of heart", his pupils change from red to blue.

For all things movie, see IMDB

Fight! Skate!!

Never Gets Old

Presidential Trivia

Presidents Who Were Related to Each Other
* John Adams was the father of John Quincy Adams.
* James Madison and Zachary Taylor were second cousins.
* William Henry Harrison was the grandfather of Benjamin Harrison.
* Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a fifth cousin of Theodore Roosevelt.
* George W. Bush is the son of George Bush.

Before I Became President...
* Twenty-six Presidents were lawyers before becoming president.
* Twelve presidents were generals: Washington, Jackson, W. Harrison, Taylor, Pierce, A. Johnson, Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, B. Harrison, and Eisenhower.

George Washington's salary as president was $25,000. Bush's salary is $400,000.

George W. Bush is our 43rd president, but there actually have only been 42 presidents: Cleveland was elected for two nonconsecutive terms and is counted twice, as our 22nd and 24th president.

Eight Presidents were born British subjects:
* Washington
* J. Adams
* Jefferson
* Madison
* Monroe
* J. Q. Adams
* Jackson
* W. Harrison

Nine Presidents never attended college:
* Washington
* Jackson
* Van Buren
* Taylor
* Fillmore
* Lincoln
* A. Johnson
* Cleveland
* Truman

The college that has the most presidents as alumni (six in total) is Harvard. Yale is a close second, with five presidents as alumni.

18 Presidents Never Served in Congress:
* Washington
* J. Adams
* Jefferson
* Taylor
* Grant
* Arthur
* Cleveland
* T. Roosevelt
* Taft
* Wilson
* Coolidge
* Hoover
* F. Roosevelt
* Eisenhower
* Carter
* Reagan
* Clinton
* G. W. Bush.

The most common religious affiliation among presidents has been Episcopalian, followed by Presbyterian.

The ancestry of all 43 presidents is limited to the following seven heritages, or some combination thereof: Dutch, English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Swiss, or German.

The oldest elected president was Reagan (age 69); the youngest was Kennedy (age 43). Theodore Roosevelt, however, was the youngest man to become president—he was 42 when he succeeded McKinley, who had been assassinated.

The tallest president was Lincoln at 6'4"; at 5'4", Madison was the shortest.

Fourteen Presidents served as Vice Presidents
* J. Adams
* Jefferson
* Van Buren
* Tyler
* Fillmore
* A. Johnson
* Arthur
* T. Roosevelt
* Coolidge
* Truman
* Nixon
* L. Johnson
* Ford
* George H.W. Bush.

Four presidential candidates won the popular vote but lost the presidency:
Andrew Jackson won the popular vote but lost the election to John Quincy Adams (1824); Samuel J. Tilden won the popular vote but lost the election to Rutherford B. Hayes (1876); Grover Cleveland won the popular vote but lost the election to Benjamin Harrison (1888); Al Gore won the popular vote but lost the election to George W. Bush (2000).

James Buchanan was the only president never to marry. Five presidents remarried after the death of their first wives—two of whom, Tyler and Wilson, remarried while in the White House. Reagan was the only divorced president. Six presidents had no children. Tyler—father of fifteen—had the most.

Presidents Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, and Kennedy were assassinated in office.
Assassination attempts were made on the lives of Jackson, T. Roosevelt, F. Roosevelt, Truman, Ford, and Reagan.

Eight Presidents died in office: W. Harrison (after having served only one month), Taylor, Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, Harding, F. Roosevelt, and Kennedy.

Presidents Adams, Jefferson, and Monroe all died on the 4th of July; Coolidge was born on that day.

Kennedy and Taft are the only presidents buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Random Trivia Friday: Cartoons!

9 Legendary Cartoon Voices

Nancy Cartwright
Nancy Cartwright, AKA Bart Simpson, has also been the voice of Rufus on Kim Possible, Kip Kangaroo on Shirt Tales and, for a few episodes, Chuckie on Rugrats.

Billy West
For five shows, Billy West gave Stimpy a voice on Nickelodeon’s Ren and Stimpy; he’s been Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Pepe Le Pew and Elmer Fudd on various projects since the 1996 movie Space Jam; and he was the voice of Philip J. Fry, Professor Farnsworth, Dr. Zoidberg, Zapp Brannigan, Leo Wong and President Richard Nixon’s Head on Futurama. He’s also the current voice of Buzz, the Honey-Nut Cheerios Bee.

Eleanor Audley
Eleanor Audley is the voice of the psychic whose head is floating in the crystal ball at the Magic Kingdom’s Haunted Mansion. In addition, she supplied the voice for Maleficent in Sleeping Beauty and Lady Tremaine, the wicked stepmother, in Cinderella.

Verna Felton
Verna Felton is another voice actress the Disney company frequently employed. She was one of the fairy godmothers in Sleeping Beauty (Flora), Aunt Sarah in Lady and the Tramp, the fairy godmother in Cinderella, and the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland.

Patrick Warburton
Patrick Warburton has played Kronk from The Emperor’s New Groove, Joe Swanson, the cop on Family Guy, Brock Samson from the Venture Brothers, Buzz Lightyear in Buzz Lightyear of Star Command.

Daws Butler
Daws Butler is probably best known for being the voice of Yogi Bear, but he was also Elroy Jetson, Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw, Snagglepuss, Peter Potamus and Wally Gator. He also provided the voices for both Cap’n Crunch and Snap of elf trio Snap, Crackle and Pop. For a time he held an actor’s studio out of his home, where one of his students was none other than Nancy Cartwright.

Tress MacNeille
Chip and Gadget, of TV's Rescue Rangers, were both voiced by the same person – Tress MacNeille. She now voices more than 17 characters on The Simpsons including Mrs. Skinner, Dr. Hibbert’s wife, Apu’s wife, the crazy cat lady, Lunchlady Doris and Plopper, and the pig from The Simpsons Movie. She was also Babs the Bunny on Tiny Toon Adventures and Dot on Animaniacs.

Information from the ever fabulous Mental Floss

Halloween Trivia: The Originial Frankenstein Film

* Released in November of 1931

* Bela Lugosi was offered the role of the monster, but refused on the grounds that his character would not speak (he eventually played the role in 1943).

* After bringing the monster to life, Dr. Frankenstein uttered the famous line, "Now I know what it's like to BE God!" When the movie was re-released in the late '30s, censors demanded it be removed on the grounds that it was blasphemy. A loud clap of thunder was substituted on the soundtrack.

* Boris Karloff (who play the monster) offered to remove his partial bridgework as part of the monster make-up process to create the sunken cheek look.

* The machines used to show sparks flying over the monster were later used in the comedy Young Frankenstein (1974).

* The method of animating the creature is never discussed in Mary Shelley's novel; Dr. Frankenstein refuses to divulge how he did it so no one can re-create his actions. However, the use of lightning to resurrect the monster has become the accepted methodology and appears in virtually every Frankenstein movie since.

* At one point the movie was to have included a line of dialogue giving the Monster the name Adam. This was cut when audiences began referring to the monster by the name Frankenstein.

* The Monster in this film does not physically resemble Mary Shelley's character. It was make-up artist Jack P. Pierce who came up with his characteristic movie look. He did keep one detail from the book: the monster was to have yellow skin.

* What are commonly called bolts on the neck of the monster are in reality electrodes.

* The movie's line "It's alive! It's alive!" was voted as the #49 movie quote by the American Film Institute (out of 100).

* Director James Whale happened to spot Boris Karloff in the Universal commissary and offered him a screen-test. Karloff later joked that he was offended by being viewing as such an ugly character, especially since that day he had been wearing his most elegant suit.

* The monster make-up design by Jack P. Pierce is under copyright to Universal through the year 2026, and licensed by Universal Studios Licensing, Inc.

For more, visit IMDB.

Armadillo Facts

Least you think badly of them:
-Contrary to popular belief, the nine-banded armadillo cannot roll itself into a ball to escape predators; only one of the twenty-odd varieties of armadillos (three-banded) is able to roll up. The other types are covered with too many bony plates to allow them to curl.
-Armadillos always give birth to four identical young and are the only mammal known to do so.
-All four young develop from the same egg and share the same placenta.
-Female armadillos can delay implantation of the fertilized egg during times of stress. -Armadillos like to swim, and are very good at it. When they need to float, they gulp air into their intestines to make them more buoyant.
-Like most insect eating mammals, armadillos have a very long, sticky tongue to slurp up bugs as quickly as possible.
-Armadillos have a very low metabolic rate, which means they don't waste a lot of energy producing heat.
-Baby armadillos have soft shells, like human fingernails. They get harder as the animal grows, depositing bone under the skin to make a solid shell.

Information thanks of Armadillo Central