Sunday, October 16, 2011

Quizzical



All the answers are on Google!
QUIZZICAL
1.What is epistaxis? The name sounds rather grim!
2.You all know Ted Turner, but who married him?
3.Which sort of dog type has a Scottish breed?
4.Who wrote 'Dear Fatty', a success story indeed?
5.Soda, lime and silica; what do they create?
6.King Henry V111 older brother  died; do you know the date?
7.What is a cassowary? Hint; it's not a cat!
8.What's produced in a ginnery? Can you answer that?
9.How old was Shakespeare's Juliet when, in the play, she died?
10. What actress, very nearly, ended up as Tarzan's bride?
11. Who created Wikipedia, something we all use?
12. When Columbo chose a breed of dog what sort did he choose?
13. Where is Thomas Hardy's heart? (It isn't in his chest!)
14. In heraldry, what colour's 'gules'? Picture it on a crest.
15. In 'Pop Goes the Weasel' what is meant by 'Pop'?
16. Chaparral Cock! What is it? It's a bird, but does it hop?
17. What three letters did they use before they had SOS?
18. Perfect eyesight's numeric term? Go on, have a guess!
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If you get all eighteen right it means you're very wise.
What a pity that Rinkly wont be giving you a prize!

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APPLAUSE!

I'm fascinated by applause.
I imagine that's because
I'm an amateur researcher
Of Nature when compared with Nurture.
When did humans start to clap?
Did it start out as a slap?
Did caveman Dad smack his little boys
And find he rather liked the noise?
Or did he chance on a friendly seal,
And find that claps had some appeal?
Seals and sea-lions clap their fins;
So is that where applause begins?
Or maybe Dad would be out hunting,
Facing a mammoth! (Quite confronting!)
And did he clap to scare the beast,
Not wanting to be a mammoth's feast?
Or was it Mother, with her baby,
Wanting to pacify him, maybe,
Who clapped his fat hands, one on one,
Turning it into a bit of fun?
The strange and curious world of memes
Has much to answer for, it seems.
For certainly clapping became the rage,
Used down the ages at each stage.
But when did it become applause,
With appreciation as the cause?
I'd love to find out, if I could,
When first it came to mean 'That's good!'
Was it spontaneous I wonder,
Growing into a claps like thunder?
It's almost part of our natures now;
To clap when an artiste takes a bow.
And I admit, to the performer,
No sound's pleasanter or warmer.
But my illustration lacks some gaiety;
Not a lot of spontaneity!
Yes, at times we find some flaws
When we're considering applause.

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