Valley Quiz Bowl

Vuvuzela

2010-06-14T19:11:00.002-04:00

Narrow plastic horn (used by fans in South Africa during the World Cup)

turkey info

2009-11-28T14:22:00.002-05:00

The fleshy appendage that hangs over the top of the turkey's beak = the snood.

The appendage that hangs from the turkey's neck = the wattle.

( A philtrum is the indentation between the human nose and upper lip.)

Male turkeys are called toms; females are called hens. Turkey hatchlings are called poults.

Benjamin Franklin favored the turkey over the eagle as the national bird.

The substance in turkey that has been suspected of making diners sleepy after a big Thanksgiving meal is tryptophan.

Thirty percent of the typical commercially grown Thanksgiving turkey is dark meat.

source The Columbus Dispatch November 26, 2009

Nobel Peace Prize - U.S. Presidents

2009-11-15T20:42:00.001-05:00

Theodore Roosevelt
Woodrow Wilson
Jimmy Carter
Barack Obama

Shahnameh

2009-11-01T11:10:00.002-05:00

The epic story of Iran

source The Columbus Dispatch, section E, November 1, 2009

Acc to Wikipedia poetic opus by Persian poet Ferdowsi @1000 AD
national epic of Persian speaking world
tells mythical and historical past of (Greater) Iran from creation of the world until Islamic conquest of Persia in the 6th century

Chile

2009-08-18T15:17:00.004-04:00

In the north is the Atacama Desert, the driest place on Earth.

At the southern tip of Chile's mainland is Punta Arenas, the southernmost city in the world.

Tierra el Fuego is an island divided between Chile and Argentina.

The southernmost point of South America is Cape Horn, a 1,390-feet rock on Horn Island in the Wollaston group, which belongs to Chile.

Chile also claims sovereignty over 482,628 sq. miles of Antarctic territory; the Juan Fernandez Islands (about 400 miles west of the mainland); and Easter Island (about 2,000 miles west)

source: Infoplease.com

highest point

2009-08-16T13:33:00.002-04:00

The highest point in Ohio is Campbell Hill in Logan County - 1,549.81 feet

states surrounding Ohio
West Virginia - Spruce Knobb - 4,863 feet
Kentucky - Black Mountain - 4,039 feet
Pennsylvania - Mount Davis - 3,213 feet
Michigan - Mount Arvon - 1,979 feet
Indiana - Hoosier Hill - 1,257 feet

source: The Columbus Dispatch, August 16, 2009
for further info on state high points, visit www.highpointers.org

Acropolis

2009-06-23T18:59:00.002-04:00

New Acropolis Museum designed by architect Bernard Tschumi

click here

acronyms

2009-06-23T18:12:00.002-04:00

ALS = Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis known as Lou Gehrig's Disease

Progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord

Amyotrophic comes from the Greek language.
"A" means no or negative.
"Myo" refers to muscle.
"Trophic" means nourishment.
No muscle nourishment.

source ALS Association

anaerobes

2009-06-23T18:05:00.001-04:00

Germs that live without oxygen

First women

2009-06-22T21:53:00.002-04:00

In June 1963, Valentina Tereshkova, a Soviet cosmonaut, became the first woman to fly in space when she orbited Earth 48 times in the spacecraft Vostok 6. A crater on the Moon is named in her honor.

First American woman in space = Sally Ride, 1983

First American woman to earn a medical degree = Elizabeth Blackwell, 1849

First woman to practice law before U.S. Supreme Court = Belva Ann Lockwood, 1879

First woman named U.S. four-star general = Ann Dunwoody, 2008

First woman to run for U.S. president = Vicotria Woodhull, 1872

First African-American woman elected to Congress = Shirley Chisholm

First African-American woman to run for U. S. president = Shirley Chisholm

see: infoplease.com/spot/womensfirsts

Juneteenth

2009-06-22T21:50:00.002-04:00

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, commemorates the announcement in Texas in 1865 if the abolition of slavery, two years after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation.

Trivia

2009-06-06T14:00:00.003-04:00

What is a doula?
The word doula is derived from ancient Greek meaning "a woman who serves." The term refers to a trained and experienced professional who provides physical, emotional and informational support to a mother during and just after childbirth.
http://www.dona.org/

At what age did Beethoven become deaf?
Ludwig van Beethoven notified friends of his growing deafness in a letter dated 1801, making him about 31. His deafness increased until, in 1818, he started his "conversation books." which he used for communication with friends.
http://www.lvbeethoven.com/

Why do so many racetracks have "Downs" in the name?
Downs indicates "the treeless, undulation chalk uplands of the south and southeast of England, serving chiefly for pasturage." The names of tracks are apparently influenced by such terrain.
(Oxford English Dictionary)

Where did the names of the scale originate?
"Do re mi fa sol la ti" correspond to the seven notes of the Western diatonic scale. Despite changes through time, the English syllables are traced to about 1000 - when they were developed by monk Guido d'Arrezzo.
(World Book Encyclopedia)

What does the phrase "a cappella" mean?
The style of singing without instrumental accompaniment comes form Italian, meaning "in chapel style."
(Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary) see November 16, 2008 post

source the Columbus Dispatch June 6, 2009

Easter Island

2009-06-03T09:46:00.003-04:00

Polynesian island in the relative far east of the Pacific Ocean. 2,360 miles from South America

residents are citizens of Chile

Rapa Nui = name of island

Rapanui = people

Isla de Pascua = Spanish name of the island

Moai = carved figures mad between A.D. 1000 and 1600, busts average 13 feet tall known to islanders as the "living faces"

source The Wall Street Journal May 16-17, 2009 & Wikipedia

Trivia

2009-06-01T12:01:00.002-04:00

1. MEDICINE: Which vitamin is essential in blood clotting?
2. U. S. STATES: Which U. S. state has a license plate that proclaims, "Land of Lincoln"?
3. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: Which one of the seven dwarfs in the film "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" did not have a beard?
4. LITERATURE: who wrote the novel "Interview With the Vampire'?
5. LANGUAGE: What were known as "liberty steaks"during World War I in America?
6. ANIMAL KINGDOM: How many arms does a squid have?
7. HISTORY: Who tried to assassinate George Wallace while he was campaigning for president in 1972?
8. GAMES: What is also known as skeet?
9. MOVIES: How many roles did Peter Sellers play in the movie "Dr. Strangelove"?
10. MEASUREMENTS: How may tablespoons are in one-fourth cup?

1. Vitamin K 2. Illinois 3. Dopey 4. Anne Rice 5. Hamburgers 6. 10 7. Arthur Bremer
8. Trapshooting 9. Three 10. Four

source Kinf Features Synd., Inc. 2009 (Fifi Rodriguez)

Benjamin Netanyahu

2009-06-01T11:56:00.003-04:00

Current Israeli prime minister (since March 2009). He also held the position 1996-99 and is the first (and to date only) Israeli prime minister born after the State of Israel's foundation. Netanyahu is chairman of the Likud party. Known as Bibi.

source Time magazine May 18, 2009

NASA

2009-05-29T08:35:00.002-04:00

agency's first black administrator retired astronaut Gen. Charles Bolden
the second astronaut to run NASA in its 50-year history (first was Adm. Richard Truly)
appointed May 23, 2009

source The Columbus Dispatch May 24, 2009

APGAR

2009-05-29T08:10:00.004-04:00

A score given to a newborn a minute after birth to assess how well an infant makes the transition from womb to room. Babies are assigned a score of 0, 1, or 2 to each of the five categories.
Appearance
Pulse
Grimace
Activity
Respiration
Named for Virginia Apgar ( b. 1909 d. 1974) who developed the test in 1949. Dr. Apgar never made any money from the test. She helped to build anesthesiology into a medical specialty. Dr Apgar became a senior medical official at the March of Dimes in 1959. She wrote a book on birth defects with Joan Beck - Is My Baby All Right?

source - The Wall Street Journal May 26, 2009

The World's 10 Worst Dictators (Parade magazine)

2009-04-18T15:47:00.002-04:00

1. Robert Mugabe - Zimbabwe
Age: 85 In power since 1980
Last year's rank: 6

2. Omar al-Bashir - Sudan
Age: 65. In power since 1989
Last year's rank: 2

3. Kim Jong-Il - North Korea
Age: 67 In power since 1994
Last year's rank: 1

4. Than Shwe - Burma (Myanmar)
Age: 76. In power since 1992
Last year's rank: 3

5. King Abdullah - Saudi Arabia
Age: 85 In power since 1995
Last year's rank: 4

6. Hu Jintao - China
Age: 66 In power since 2002
Last year's rank: 5

7. Sayyid Ali Khamenei - Iran
Age: 69 In power since 1989
Last year's rank: 7

8. Isayas Afewerki - Eritrea
Age 63 In power since 1991
Last year's rank: 10

9. Gurbanguly Berdymuhammedov - Turkmenistan
Age: 51 In power since 2006
Last year's rank: Unranked

10. Muammar al-Qaddafi - Libya
Age: 66 In power since 1969
Last year's rank 11

source: Parade magazine March 22, 2009
(Parade.com/dictators)

The American Academy of Arts and Letters

2009-04-18T15:35:00.002-04:00

The academy was founded more than a century ago, with a mission "to foster and sustain an interest in literature, music and the fine arts." New members are elected after previous members die. There are 250 members.

Current members include Edward Albee, Philip Glass and Toni Morrison.
Past members included Henry Adams, Mark Rothko and Mark Twain.

May 2009 new members are: fiction writers T. Coraghessan Boyle (Drop City, World's End and Richard Price (Clockers, Lush Life); poets Jorie Graham and Yusef Komunyakaa; composers Stephen Hartke, Frederic Rzewski and Augusta Read Thomas; visual artist Judy Pfaff; and architect Tod Williams.

source: The Columbus Dispatch, April 2009

Pi

2009-04-04T19:40:00.001-04:00

Pi - which, as the ratio indicating the circumference of a circle divided by its diameter, is rounded to 3.14 - was calculated to 206,158,430,000 digits in 1999 by a supercomputer at the University of Tokyo.

(www.math.com)

The U. S. President's cabinet

2009-04-04T19:35:00.002-04:00

The cabinet consists of the vice president as well as the heads of 15 executive departments - the secretaries of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, State, Transportation, Treasury, and Veterans Affairs - and the attorney general.

www.whitehouse.gov/administration/cabinet

the term "blue blood"

2009-04-04T19:32:00.002-04:00

During the five-century reign of the Moors in Spain, from 700 to 1200, lighter-skinned aristocrats from the Castile region dubbed themselves "blue bloods" to distinguish themselves from the darker-skinned Moors. The reason: Their lighter skin made their veins look blue.

Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins

INITIALS

2009-04-04T19:31:00.003-04:00

CS. Lewis = Clive Staples

J.R.R. Tolkien = John Ronald Ruel

W.H.Auden (British poet 1907-1973) = Wystan Hugh

T.S. Eliot (1888-1965 poet, playwright, literary critic, born in U.S. 1888, moved to U.K. 1914, became British subject 1927) = Thomas Stearns

A.N. Wilson (b.1950 English writer known for critical biographies, novels and works of popular and cultural history) = Andrew Norman

Santo domingo, the Dominican Republic

2009-03-27T16:29:00.002-04:00

Bartholomew Columbus, brother of Christopher, founded Santo Domingo in 1496, making it the oldest city established by Europeans in the Americas.

St. Augustine, Florida, is the oldest city in the United States. First visited by Ponce de Leon in 1513. Settled in 1565 by Pedro Menendez Aviles.

Mudejar

2009-03-27T16:24:00.002-04:00

Antonio Gaudi's Parc Guell, with its organic, asymmetrical forms and brilliantly patterned surfaces, is representative of the architect's eclectic style combining elements of mujedar (Spain's characteristic Christian-Muslim amalgam), Gothic and baroque architecture.

La Mezquita Mosque in Cordoba, Spain, is a breathtaking example of the mujedar style of architecture.
The red and white striped pattern of brick and stone in the arches gives a unity and distinctive character to the whole design. There are more than 80 colored granite jasper and marble pillars in total.

Stieg Larsson 1954-2004

2009-03-12T20:22:00.003-04:00

Swedish political activist and journalist. An international study based on best-seller lists ranked Larsson the No.2 fiction writer in 2008 - after Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.

The Millennium Series = Men Who Hate Women (2005)
The Girl Who Played With Fire (2006)
Castles in the Sky (working title) (2007)
All three have film adaptations in the works.

John Gilligan, Kathleen Sibelius

2009-03-03T22:08:00.002-05:00

The only father-daughter governors in U.S. history.

John Gilligan - Ohio governor 1971-1975

Kathleen Sibelius - Kansas governor 2003-2009
current - Secretary of Health and Human Services

Femtocell

2009-02-22T07:16:00.002-05:00

Small base station that plugs into a home Internet connection to improve the speed and clarity of cellphone connections inside the building.

Femto is a decimal prefix that denotes one quadrillionth. The femtocell is so called because it is smaller than the picocell (which denotes a trillionth), which is used to improve indoor coverage in a larger area like a shopping mall.

Feng shui

2009-02-18T20:55:00.001-05:00

A Chinese system of beliefs in the influence of stars, geography and the location of objects on people's lives.

Spirit of 76

2009-02-17T20:51:00.001-05:00

painting known as Yankee Doodle by Willard (from Ohio)

first exhibited at Columbian Exposition 1876

The Great Gatsby artwork

2009-02-17T20:45:00.002-05:00

novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald first published 1925

covert art Celestial Eyes by Francis Cugat

Celestial Eyes is most celebrated and widely disseminated jacket art in 20th century American literature. The artist's image preceded the finished manuscript.

Cugat - born in Spain 1893, raised in Cuba, death date unknown
brother of orchestra leader Xavier Cugat
no other Cugat jackets have been identified
one man show in New York in 1942

anniversaries

2009-02-08T19:20:00.005-05:00

Abraham Lincoln, 16th American president, born February 12, 1809

Charles Darwin, British naturalist, born February 12, 1809
published The Origin of Species 1859

Edgar Allan Poe, American writer and poet, born January 19, 1809

Felix Mendelssohn, German composer, born February 3, 1809

Miami University (Ohio) established February 17, 1809

The Gilded Age

2009-02-08T10:45:00.002-05:00

The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today 1873 a novel by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner satirizes greed and political corruption in post-Civil War America.

The term "gilded age", commonly given to the era, comes from the title of this book. Twain and Warner got the name from Shakespeare's King John (1595).

The book is remarkable for two reasons 1) it is the only book Twain wrote with a collaborator 2) it's title quickly became synonymous with graft, materialism and corruption in public life.

source Wikipedia

How fast does a compact disc rotate?

2009-02-07T16:32:00.002-05:00

A disc spins at about 500 rpm when read near the center, decreasing to about 200 rpm when read near the circumference - producing a linear velocity equal to 3 to 8 rpm.

(Vinyl records spin at rates of 33,45 and 78 rpm.)

rpm = revolutions per minute

source The Columbus Dispatch February 7, 2009 (Encyclopedia Americana)

First female judge to swear in a president

2009-02-07T16:29:00.002-05:00

Sarah T. Hughes, a U.S. District Court judge from Texas, administered the oath of office to Lyndon B. Johnson on Nov.22, 1963, aboard Air Force One.

source The Columbus Dispatch February 7, 2009

Who are the four US presidents who did not deliver a speech on inauguration day?

2009-01-28T09:43:00.004-05:00

John Tyler (1841-45)
Millard Fillmore (1850-53)
Andrew Johnson (1865-69)
Chester Arthur (1881-85)

source The Wall Street Journal January 20, 2009

What is the largest port complex in the United States?

2009-01-27T16:52:00.001-05:00

The twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach

source The Columbus Dispatch August 31, 2008

Presidents by birth-state

2009-01-27T11:59:00.005-05:00

Virginia - 8 - George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, William Henry Harrison, James Madison, James Monroe, John Tyler, Zachary Taylor, Woodrow Wilson

William Henry Harrison
9th president March 4-April 4, 1841
Whig
came to Ohio early 1790's to fight Indians
Represented Ohio in House of Representatives 1816-1819
Served as Ohio senator in U. S. Senate 1825-1828
"Keep the ball rolling" "Tippecanoe and Tyler too"
First president to die in office (shortest term)
Record for longest inaugural speech (one hour 45 minutes)
Grandfather of a president

Ohio - 7 - Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, William McKinley, William Howard Taft, Warren Harding

Ulysses Simpson Grant
18th president - March 4, 1869 - March 3, 1877
Republican
Born in Pt. Pleasant, Ohio
First president to run against a woman (Victoria Claflin Woodhull from Ohio - nominated by the Equal Rights Party for 1872 election)

Rutherford Birchard Hayes

19th president - March 4, 1877 - March 3 188

Republican

Born in Delaware, Ohio

First president to use oval office desk (gift of Queen Victoria)

James Abram Garfield

20th president March 4 - September 19, 1881

Republican

Born in Orange, Ohio

Could write Greek with one hand at same time he wrote Latin in other

Brigadier general in the Civil War

Shot July 2, 1881, and died Sept 19 from infection and internal hemorrhage

Benjamin Harrison

23rd president - March 4, 1889 - March 4, 1893

Republican

Born in North Bend, Ohio

Grandson of William Henry Harrison

Only president to be preceded and followed by same person (Cleveland)

Had first Christmas tree in White House (1889)

First to have electricity in White House (1891)

William McKinley

25th president - March 4, 1897 - Sept 14, 1901

Born in Niles, Ohio

First president to campaign by phone (1896)

Foreign policy dominated administration

Assassinated by deranged anarchist at Buffalo Pan-American Exposition

William Howard Taft

27th president March 4, 1909 - March 3, 1913

Republican

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio

Largest US president (6'2" 333 lbs.

Started tradition of president opening baseball season

ONLY PRESIDENT TO BECOME CHIEF JUSTICE OF SUPREME COURT (appointed by Harding 1921)

Warren Gamaliel Harding

29th president

Republican

Born in Corsica, Ohio

Newspaper publisher

First presidential election where women voted nationwide

First president who could drive a car

Died while in office - heart attack in San Francisco

Massachusetts - 4 - John Adams, John Quincy Adams, John F. Kennedy, George H. W. Bush

New York - 4 - Martin Van Buren, Millard Fillmore, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt

North Carolina - 2 - James Polk, Andrew Johnson

Texas - 2 - Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lyndon B. Johnson

Vermont - 2 - Chester A. Arthur, Calvin Coolidge

Fourteen states - 1 - Arkansas Bill Clinton; California Richard M. Nixon; Connecticut George W. Bush; Georgia Jimmy Carter; Hawaii Barack Obama; Illinois Ronald Reagan; Iowa Herbert Hoover; Kentucky Abraham Lincoln; Missouri Harry S. Truman; Nebraska Gerald Ford; New Hampshire Franklin Pierce; New Jersey Grover Cleveland; Pennsylvania James Buchanan; South Carolina Andrew Jackson

source The Columbus Dispatch January 25, 2009

Broadway Musical "Rent"

2009-01-19T19:42:00.002-05:00

Rent closed in New York on Sept. 7, 2008, after 5,124 performances, making it the seventh-longest-running show in Broadway history. Written by Jonathan Larson who died shortly after Rent began its life 0ff-Broadway. The musical is based on Puccini's classic 1896 opera La Boheme. It tells the story of young bohemians who move to the city to pursue their artistic dreams. (The story of young artists in New York's East Village.)

Kentucky

2009-01-18T20:57:00.000-05:00

First state to be carved out of the frontier west of the Appalachian Mountains 1792

American poets

2009-01-18T20:30:00.003-05:00

First American poet laureate Robert Penn Warren
Current American poet laureate Kay Ryan

Only 4 poets have read at US presidential inaugurations
1. Robert Frost John F. Kennedy 1961
2. Maya Angelou Bill Clinton 1993
3. Miller Williams Bill Clinton 1997
4. Elizabeth Alexander Barack Obama 2009

States (source "Columbus Dispatch")

2008-12-14T14:39:00.007-05:00

Some information about the states

click here http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/now/index.html

Olympics

2008-12-14T12:09:00.002-05:00

In the 2008 Summer Olympics India (second biggest population in the world) won its FIRST INDIVIDUAL GOLD MEDAL in AIR RIFLE.
source "Time" magazine Dec. 22, 2008

Zimbabwe

2008-12-14T10:54:00.003-05:00

officially the Republic of Zimbabwe (formerly Southern Rhodesia, the Republic of Rhodesia and Zimbabwe Rhodesia)

landlocked country in Africa
official language is English but majority speak Shona
dictated by Robert Mugabe since elections in 1980

currently facing a political and humanitarian crisis

source "Parade" magazine Dec 14, 2008, Wikipedia

click here http://http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zimbabwe

Lou Gehrig

2008-12-11T19:21:00.000-05:00

Who was the first athlete to be on the Wheaties cereal box? Lou Gehrig

Seven Deadly Sins

2008-11-24T08:09:00.002-05:00

pride, gluttony, melancholy (which was dropped in the 17th century in favor of sloth), lust, greed, envy, anger

opera

2008-11-24T08:03:00.002-05:00

"La Traviata"
Verdi's opera is the story of the beautiful Parisian courtesan, Violetta, who falls in love with Alfredo. They set up house together, but his family's disapproval forces them apart. In the end, the lovers are briefly united, only to be separated again by death.

"Madame Butterfly"
Puccini's opera takes place at the turn of the 20th century in the pretty harbor town of Nagasaki. Cio-Cio-San marries a United States naval lieutenant, who then leaves her for three years. In the meantime, she has their child and names him "Trouble," waiting for the day when Lt. Pinkerton will return, and she will rename their son "Joy."

Some Ohio "Firsts"

2008-11-22T18:35:00.002-05:00

In 1967 what Clevelander became the first black elected mayor of a major American city?
Answer: Carl B. Stokes (Cleveand)

Who in 1669 is believed to have been the first European explorer to visit the Ohio area?
Answer: La Salle

In 1922 she was the first woman in the nation to sit as a judge on a state supreme court.
Answer: Florence E. Allen

Native American Heritage

2008-11-22T18:18:00.003-05:00

Ohio was home to five major American Indian tribes - the Delaware, Miami, Ottawa, Shawnee and Wyandot - plus several smaller tribes.

some names and their native ties:

Erie - From the Erie Indians, whose name means"cat" or "wildcat."

Miami - For the Miami tribe, whose principal village, Pickawillany, was in western Ohio

Scioto - From an Indian word "scionto" meaning "deer."

Chillicothe - The Shawnee word "Chalahgawtha" translates as "principal town" or "town at the leaning bank."

Ohio - From an Iroquois word for "beautiful river."

source The Columbus Dispatch November 19, 2008

Distinguished 18th century Shawnee chief Keigh-tugh-qua was known by what name to the white settlers? Answer: Cornstalk

In 1763 what Ottawa chief unsuccessfully attempted to unite Indian tribes in Ohio country to wipe out the whites west of the Alleghenies? Answer: Pontiac

Seneca John, chief of the Senecas, was executed in 1828 for what crime against his brother, Cornstalk? Answer: "Witchcraft murder"

What Mohawk Indian leader, born in Ohio Country in 1742, became a colonel in the British Army? Answer: Thayendanega, or Joseph Brant

Mersenne

2008-11-18T14:33:00.005-05:00

A Mersenne number is a number that can be expressed in the form 2 to the nth -1. Searching for higher and higher Mersenne primes is the unofficial national sport of mathematicians. The 45th and 46th Mersenne primes were found in 2008. The 46th has almost 13 million digits.
source Time magazine November 10, 2008.

Svalbard Global Seed Vault

2008-11-18T14:30:00.004-05:00

Opened 2008 on Norwegian island of Spitsbergen. It keeps seed samples. Even if the facility loses power, the Arctic climate should keep the seeds viable for thousands of years.
source Time magazine November 10, 2008

A Cappella

2008-11-16T12:15:00.003-05:00

Italian "in chapel style" ancient form of singing without instrumental accompaniment.

see June 6, 2009, trivia

Acronyms

2008-11-16T12:02:00.004-05:00

ICANN International Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers

MRI magnetic resonance imaging
a. possible to make pictures of almost all the tissue in the body
b. possible to take pictures from almost every angle

PET position emission tomography
type of nuclear medicine imagery

CT computerised tomography
shows pictures only horizontally

HMMWV (humvee) High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (debuted in 1985)

TARP Troubled Asset Relief Program
program proposed by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson in fall 2008
(way for government to take bad mortgages off the loans of the nation's financial institutions)
(U.S government to purchase assets and equity from financial institutions)

U.S. Presidential Succession

2008-11-15T17:23:00.002-05:00

1. President
2. Vice President
3. Speaker of the House
4. Senate Pro Tem
5. Secretary of State
6. Secretary of the Treasury
7. Secretary of Defense
8. Attorney General

American Involvement in Wars from Colonial Times to the Present

2008-11-08T21:40:00.005-05:00

(1.) DATES (2.) WAR in Which American Colonists or
United States Citizens Officially Participated
(3.) MAJOR COMBATANTS

July4, 1675- August 12, 1676 King Philip's War New England Colonies vs.
Wampanoag, Narragansett, and Nipmuck Indians

1689-1697 King William's War The English Colonies vs. France

1702-1713 Queen Anne's War The English Colonies vs. France

1744-1748 King George's War The French Colonies vs. Great Britain

1756-1763 French and Indian War The French Colonies vs. Great Britain
(Seven Years War)

1759-1761 Cherokee War English Colonists vs. Cherokee Indians

1775-1783 American Revolution English Colonists vs. Great Britain

1798-1800 Franco-American Naval War United States vs. France

1801-1805; Barbary Wars United States vs. Morocco, Algiers,
1815 Tunis, and Tripoli

1812-1815 War of 1812 United States vs. Great Britain

1813-1814 Creek War United States vs. Creek Indians

1836 War of Texas Independence Texas vs. Mexico

1846-1848 Mexican War United States vs. Mexico

1861-1865 Civil War Union vs. Confederacy

1898 Spanish-American War United States vs. Spain

1914-1918 World War I Triple Alliance: Germany, Italy, and
Austria-Hungary vs. Triple Entente:
Britain, France, and Russia. The
United States joined on the side of
the Triple Entente in 1917.

1939-1945 World War II Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan
vs. Major Allied Powers: United
States, Great Britain, France and
Russia

1950-1953 Korean War United States (as part of the United
Nations) and South Korea vs.
North Korea and Communist China

1960-1975 Vietnam War United States and South Vietnam
vs. North Vietnam

1961 Bay of Pigs Invasion United States vs. Cuba

1983 Grenada United States Intervention

1989 US Invasion of Panama United States vs. Panama

1990-1991 Persian Gulf War United States and Coalition Forces
vs. Iraq

1995-1996 Intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina United States as part of NATO acted peacekeepers in former Yugoslavia

2001 Invasion of Afghanistan United States and Coalition Forces vs.
the Taliban regime in Afghanistan to fight terrorism.

2003 Invasion of Iraq United States and Coalition Forces vs. Iraq

Source: The New York Public Library DeskReference, 3rd Edition

2008-11-02T09:52:00.011-05:00

Some Pseudonyms and Pen names

Mary Ann Evans b. 1819 pen name George Eliot wrote Silas Marner and other novels

Clive Staples Lewis known as C.S. Lewis author of The Chronicles of Narnia

Charles L. Dogson pen name is Lewis Carroll author of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland published in 1865

Samuel Clemens b. 1835 known as Mark Twain author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and other
Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) used pen name Sieur Louis de Conte for his fictional biography of Joan of Arc

Leonard Slye known as Roy Rogers b. Cincinnati raised in Scioto County

Theodor Geisel 1904-1991 pen name is Dr. Seuss

Marshall Mathers b.1972 American singer known as Eminem

David Cornwell pen name is John Le Carre author of popular spy novels

Stephan King pen name Richard Bachman for many of his early works including The Long Walk and Roadwork

James Oliver Rigney, Jr.b.1948 is the real name Robert Jordan best known for Wheel of Time fantasy series

William Sidney Porter 1862-1910 pen name is O. Henry

Benjamin Franklin 1706-1790 used the pen name Silence Dogood for some of his publications
Benjamin Franklin first published Poor Richard's Almanac in 1732 under the name Richard Saunders

Nora Roberts b. 1950 (romance novelist) writes In Death novels (futuristic science-fiction police procedurals) under the pseudonym J. D. Robb
Also writes under the name Jill March and by error was published in the UK as Sarah
Hardesty

2008-11-02T09:46:00.003-05:00

What is the difference between All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day?

All Saints' Day, also called Allhallows or Allhallowmas, is observed Nov. 1 by Protestants and Roman Catholics in celebration of Christian saints - particularly those who don't have their own feast days. All Souls' Day is recognized Nov. 2, mainly by Catholics, in remembrance of the dead.

source Columbus Dispatch Nov. 1, 2008, - (Holidays, Festivals and Celebrations of the World Dictionary)

Ambitious parents

2008-10-11T18:27:00.005-04:00

When Alexander the Great ascended the throne following the assassination of his father, Philip II, in 336 B.C., his mother Olympias, his fervent promoter, arranged to have his potential rivals killed. Some evidence suggests Olympias, one of several wives to Philip, arranged for Philip's murder when he began turning against his son. Alexander went on to conquer most of the known world, and is credited with spreading Greek civilization.

Leopold Mozart insisted that his children become musical virtuosi at a very early age. Leopold was the first teacher for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) and Maria Anna, called Nanneri, and eventually gave up his own musical career to showcase their talent in European tours.

Though Edward Barrett Moulton encouraged the education of his daughter Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861),he "did his best to limit her private life." He forbade the renowned poet and her siblings from marrying, for unclear reasons, and never spoke with Elizabeth again after she eloped with Robert Browning, at the age of 40.

Mama Rose gained notoriety as the ultimate stage mother in the Broadway musical "Gypsy," based on the 1957 memoir of her daughter, Gypsy Rose Lee. In the play, Mama Rose pushes her daughters into the spotlight. After her daughter June runs away, Mama Rose transforms the mousy teenaged Louise (Gypsy Rose Lee) into a feted stripper.

Earl Woods started teaching his son Tiger (b. 1975), to play golf when he was 2 years old. Mr. Woods used to try to break his son's concentration by dripping a bag of clubs during his swing. By the time Tiger was a teenager, he'd been touring all over the country under his father's strict guidance. Mr. Woods has won 14 major tournaments and is expected to be the first athlete to earn more than $1billion in prize money and endorsements.

source Wall Street Journal October 4-5, 2008

DOBRO & OUD

2008-10-11T18:00:00.005-04:00

The dobro is a resonating guitar with the "hubcap" top. It was introduced in the late 1920's for playing oozing Hawaiian music. The dobro is used in country and bluegrass music and has even moved into jazz.

source Wall Street Journal Oct. 9, 2008

The oud is a stringed Arab instrument that, after it was brought to Andalusian Spain in the eighth century spawned the European lute, guitar and mandolin.

Today's ouds are usually walnut or rosewood, and have a pear-shaped shell, a short neck with no frets - allowing the musician a broader tonal range - and typically one single bass and five double strings. When expertly plucked, the oud emits an earthy sound with a hint of melancholy, eliciting an emotional response similar to that of the cello. Played in the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey for centuries, it continues to be integral to Arabic orchestras and ensembles.

source Wall Street Journal March 31, 2009

2008-10-05T19:29:00.003-04:00

Do women still ride sidesaddle?

The interest in "riding aside" is actually growing, with the choice made for many reasons - such as a desire for style and elegance but also a result of religious beliefs, or injuries. In face, "Properly constructed and ridden, the aside seat is so secure that some therapeutic riding programs use them for disabled riders."

source The Columbus Dispatch Oct. 4, 2008 (International Side Saddle Organization,www.sidesaddle.com; http://www.equisearch.com/)

2008-10-05T19:26:00.003-04:00

Why is the European country called both Holland and the Netherlands?

The Netherlands, a small nation on the North Sea, is often dubbed Holland, but the latter officially refers only to the western part. The people of the Netherlands call themselves Nederlanders. They are also known as the Dutch.

source The Columbus Dispatch oct. 4, 2008 (World Book Encyclopedia)

2008-10-05T19:18:00.004-04:00

Who was the last serving senator to be elected president?

John F. Kennedy was the last senator to move directly from the Senate to the White House - in 1961.

source The Columbus Dispatch October 4, 2008 (http://www.senate.gov/)

click here

2008-10-05T19:16:00.003-04:00

Do hummingbirds fly backwards?

They fly backward as well as up, down, forward and sideways. They flap their wings 60 to 70 times a second, making a humming sound. The smallest birds in the world , most reach 2 to 6 inches in length.

source The Columbus Dispatch Oct. 4, 2008 (World Book Encyclopedia)

2008-10-05T19:12:00.004-04:00

Does the Internet run faster in some places?
A site called the Internet Traffic Report lists the response time and "packet loss" for specific locations by continent, assigning each a rating from zero to 100. As of midday yesterday (October 3, 2008), for example, various routers in North America showed scores ranging from 98 in Las Vegas and Los Angeles to a low of 71 in Cincinnati.

source The Columbus Dispatch Oct.4, 2008 (http://www.internettrafficreport.com/)

2008-10-05T19:07:00.004-04:00

When did the naming of hurricanes begin?

Before 1950, hurricanes were usually given the names of women and of saints of both sexes - although a formal system hadn't been set. From 1950 to 1952, they had names from the military alphabet (Baker, Charlie, etc.) The World Meteorological Organization initiated the use of only female names in 1953, adding male names in 1979. Before they become hurricanes, tropical storms are christened - in alphabetical order each season - from lists of names popular in the nations affected.

source The Columbus Dispatch October 4, 2008 (World Book Encyclopedia)

Some Western Legends

2008-08-26T21:23:00.003-04:00

1813-1890
John Charles Fremont
Nicknamed "the Pathfinder," Mr. Fremont made trail-blazing expeditions west of the Rockies. He later served as one of California's first senators and ran, unsuccessfully, as the first Republican candidate for president in 1856.

1837-1876
Wild Bill Hickok
James Butler Hickok helped bring order to frontier towns as a lawman, and earned a reputation as a top-notch gunfighter. He found wide-spread fame after publications like Harper's New Monthly Magazine gave accounts (some fictionalized) of his exploits.

1848-1929
Wyatt Earp
The lawman and gunslinger is best known for taking part in the gunfight at the O.K. Corral in 1881, which pit the Earp brothers against Ike Clanton's gang in Tombstone, Ariz. Three of Clanton's gang were killed; the Earps survived.

1860-1926
Annie Oakley
The expert markswoman could hit coins tossed in the air and cigarettes from a person's lips, and became a star attraction in Buffalo Bill Cody's Wild West Show. (Born in Ohio.)

1902
The Virginian
The title character of the book, by Owen Wister, is considered the first fully realized cowboy hero in American literature. His most famous quote:"When you call me that, smile." The story was made into several films, including a 1929 version starring Garry Cooper.

1907-1979
John Wayne
The "Duke" acted in more than 175 movies, including "The Searchers" and "Red River." His legacy lives on: His name will appear on a home decor line of wooden signs and hat racks.

1911-2004
Ronald Reagan
The former president appeared in more than 50 films, including several stints playing a cowboy - an association he cultivated in his political life, helping him win the election for governor of California in 1966 and, in 1980, the presidency.

1930
Clint Eastwood
Mr. Eastwood first rose to fame on the TV series "Rawhide," and then as the star of Sergio Leone's Western trilogy. He briefly brought his tough image to a political role, serving as mayor of Carmel-by-the-Sea, in Calif., in the '80's.

Taiwan

2008-08-19T19:50:00.004-04:00

1895 China cedes Taiwan to Japan

1912 Establishment of Republic of China, headed by Sun Yat-sen of the Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang

1925 Chiang Kai-shek succeeds Sun as head of Nationalists

1945 Civil war between Nationalists and Communist Party

1947 Rebellion on Taiwan against Nationalists. Brutal suppression with thousands dead

1949 Chiang's Nationalists lose civil war; 2 million Nationalist soldiers and civil servants flee to Taiwan. Although the Nationalist government claims to be the sole representative for all of China, it only controls Taiwan and a few outlying islands

Mao Zedong announces founding of the People's Republic of China, with capital Beijing

1950s Taiwan develops export-oriented industries; beginning of Taiwan economic take-off

1971 People's Republic of China (Beijing) takes over China's seat in the United Nations. Taiwan, or Republic of China, leaves U.N.

1987 Martial law lifted on Taiwan, slow democratization under way

1992 Talks between Taiwan and China over how to define Taiwan's status end in stalemate. Other meetings in 1993 and 1998 yield no result

First democratic election of the Legislative Yuan, Taiwan's parliament

1996 First democratic election for president. Lee Teng-hui elected

China fires missiles toward Taiwan to warn Taiwan against seeking independence

U.S. deploys carrier Nimitz to emphasize its commitment to defend Taiwan

2000 Lee retires. New election won by Chen Shui-bian

2004 Chen wins presidency again. Term limit means his term expires in 2008

2008 Ma Ying-jeou elected president

Severo Ochoa (RNA)

2008-08-09T16:10:00.004-04:00

Severo Ochoa is best known for being the first to synthesize ribonucleic acid (RNA) outside the cell. He also discovered several important metabolic processes. For his work with RNA he received half the 1959 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine. (Shared with Arthur Kornberg - US).

born in SPAIN 1905
immigrated to US 1941
became US citizen 1956

2nd Spaniard to become a Nobel winner in science. Ochoa's scientific hero, Santiago Ramon y Cajal, was the first in 1906.

click here

vice presidents trivia

2008-08-04T11:26:00.003-04:00

Name two vice presidents who shot people while they were in office.

Aaron Burr, v p under Thomas Jefferson, shot Alexander Hamilton to death in a duel July 11, 1804. Burr was a candidate for governor of New York at the time. He lost the election.

Dick Cheney, v p under George W. Bush, accidentally wounded friend and hunting companion Harry Whittington on Feb. 11, 2006. Whittington recovered.

Why was John Tyler the vice president with the shortest term in office?

Because he became president upon the death of William Henry Harrison, who served the shortest term as president.

What did Vice Presidents Elbridge Gerry, Thomas Hendricks, Henry Wilson, Garret Hobart, George Clinton, William King and James Sherman have in common?

They all died in office.

How many vice presidents have become president upon the death of a president?

Eight, starting with John Tyler; Millard Fillmore succeeded Zachary Taylor; Andrew Johnson succeeded Abraham Lincoln; Chester Arthur succeeded James Garfield; Teddy Roosevelt succeeded William McKinley; Calvin Coolidge succeeded Warren G. Harding; Harry Truman succeeded Franklin Roosevelt; and Lyndon Johnson succeeded John Kennedy.

How many vice presidents have held the office for less than 90 days?

Four, Tyler for 31 days, Andrew Johnson for 42 days and Truman for 82 days, all became presidents upon the deaths of presidents. William R. King, vice president under Millard Fillmore died of tuberculosis, April 18, 1853, after only 45 days in office.

What two vice presidents were not elected to the office?

Following adoption of the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, which allows for appointment to fill the office if it becomes vacant, Gerald Ford was appointed by Richard Nixon to replace Spiro Agnew, who had resigned. When Ford became president after Nixon resigned, he appointed Nelson Rockefeller to the vice presidency.

NAACP

2008-07-15T19:17:00.004-04:00

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was started on Feb.12, 1909, in a small apartment in New York City by a multi-racial group of social activists and progressive thinkers in response to racial unrest that was taking place in Springfield, IL, the boyhood home of Abraham Lincoln. The date is significant in that it was Lincoln's birth date. Their original name for the organization: The National Negro Committee.

Today it is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization, boasting thousands of members. Ensuring equal treatment and access to education, the legal process and voting for people regardless of their race is a main goal. The activists have included Rosa Parks, W.E.B. Du Bois (one of the founders), Medgar Evers and Thurgood Marshall.

The 2008 convention was held in July in Cincinnati.
http://www.naacp.org/home/index.htm
click here

What makes a pepper hot?

2008-07-10T15:08:00.006-04:00

Some peppers are hot due to a class of chemical compounds called capsaicinoids. One way to measure capsaicins in a pepper is using the Scoville Heat Unit scale.

Capsaicinoids are not soluble in water, but are soluble in fats, oils and alcohol. This is why drinking water after eating a hot pepper will not take away the burning sensation. Try drinking milk or eating ice cream instead.

Johann Strauss, Jr.

2008-06-25T08:02:00.010-04:00

Austrian composer
b. Oct 25, 1825 Vienna
d. June 3, 1899 Vienna

In Vienna, Johann Strausss, Sr., and his sons wrote much of the greatest dance music composed during the 19th century. The elder Strauss, the son of a poor tavern-keeper, apprenticed his son to a bookbinder, but the lure of the music was great. With a few violin lessons and a smattering of music theory, he worked his way up from a performer and composer of dance music to the directorship of the Imperial Court Balls in Vienna.

Johann, Jr., wrote 500 pieces of dance music and more than a dozen operas and operettas. He was greatly admired by the "serious" composers of his time. He might almost have been called "the Polka King," because he wrote about 150 of these lively dances.

His operatic masterpiece Die Fledermaus ("The Bat") of 1874 has spouses and lovers, masters and servants, nobility and workers, jailers and prisoners - all dancing the polka until dawn. The polka originated in Poland and arrived in Austria via Czechoslovakia. By the younger Strauss's time, it was danced in Vienna in several different versions, including the polka-mazurka, polka-quadrille, French polka and the fast polka. Most of the Strauss polkas are closest to this last style, and many are orchestrated with clever, novel effects.

John Adams, president

2008-06-24T18:48:00.004-04:00

John Adams second president of the United States

Term: 1797-1801, Federalist

Born 1735, Died 1826

VP - Thomas Jefferson

father to John Quincy Adams 6th president of United States 1825-1829

Nobel Peace Prize 2007

2008-06-24T16:41:00.007-04:00

Albert Gore shared the prize with Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

IPCC is a scientific body tasked to evaluate the risk of climate change caused by human activity. The panel was established in 1988 by the World Meterological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), two organizations of the United Nations.

Related info:

1992 - adoption of the Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) - major step in tackling global warming

Yet greenhouse gas emission (GHG) levels continued to rise.

KYOTO PROTOCOL - an international agreement linked to the existing treaty, but standing on its own. Adopted at the third Conference of the Parties to the UNFCC (COP3) in Kyoto, Japan, Dec. 11, 1997.

Major distinction - The convention encouraged developed countried to stabilize GHG emissions. The Protocol commits them to do so.

Detailed rules for implementation were adopted at COP7 in Marrakesh in 2001 and are called the "Marrakesh Accords."

Nepal

2008-06-14T19:27:00.004-04:00

World History
Nepal - capital= KATMANDU (KATHMANDU)

modern state formed last part 18th century
until 2006 - only nation with Hinduism as official religion; now a secular country

Dec 2007 declared a Federal Democratic Republic
June 2008 King Gyanendra handed over crown & scepter (last in line of monarchs)
View Larger Map

Seven Elements of Art

2008-06-11T13:31:00.002-04:00

1. Line the type or quality of movement between 2 points
2. Shape
3. Space a line that is enlarged and connected (generally refers to a 2 dimensional object)
4. Color
5. Texture the quality or character of the surface (giving it 2 dimensional qualities even if the surface is only 2 dimensional)
6. Value
7. Form

(#1, #3, #5 asked in competition 2007-2008)

Ohio Government Leaders Feb 2008

2008-06-11T12:37:00.004-04:00

Governor - TED STRICKLAND
Lt. Governor - LEE FISHER
Auditor of State - MARY TAYLOR
Attorney General - NANCY H. ROGERS
Secretary of State - JENNIFER BRUNNER
Treasurer of State - RICHARD CORDRAY

State Representative - TODD BOOK democrat 89th district
State Senator - TOM NIEHAUS republican 14th district (Majority floor leader)

Representative to Congress - JEAN SCHMIDT republican 2nd congressional district

Senator to Congress SHERROD BROWN democrat
Senator to Congress GEORGE VOINOVICH republican

Chief of Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court THOMAS J. MOYER (since 1987)

Nobel

2008-06-10T11:29:00.000-04:00

Check Nobel Laureate Facts and Women Nobel Laureates click here