News Quiz

No. 302: “It’s Back”

“It’s back, and we used it this summer. But they don’t want us to use it too much. It’s not going to be a big deal.” Who said this about what?

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Send your answer by noon ET Tuesday to {{newsquiz@slate.com#2:mailto:newsquiz@slate.com}}.

Thursday’s Question (No. 301)–“Army Men”:

Fill in the blank as Professor Charles Stevenson of the National War College assesses a new study of military and civilian beliefs. It is “scary,” he said, to have “an officer corps so overwhelmingly _____________.”

“Made up of people merely using the experience as a steppingstone for starting their own militias.”–Matt Sullivan

“Unable to say the phrase ‘humanitarian mission’ without giggling.”–Matthew Heimer

“Subscribing to the utilitarian beliefs of disturbing yet guilt-inducing philosopher Peter Singer.”–Norman Oder

“Indebted to the Chinese government for loans to buy their homes.”–Eliot Cohen

“Prone to sudden bleeding and speaking in scary voices!!! (Promotional fee paid by Stigmata © 1999).”–Jennifer Miller

Click {{here#34581}} for more answers.

Randy’s Wrap-Up

Banana Republicans. If Time magazine were half the trend-spotter it thinks it is, that’s the banner it would run to mark the triumph of Reaganism, transforming the United States into the kind of South American nation we used to deride. We now have the essentials–a huge army dominated by leaders far to the right of the rest of society, a vast chasm between a tiny rich minority and everyone else, and the proliferation of soap operas in prime time, despite the counterrevolutionary snubbing of The Sopranos at Sunday night’s Emmy Awards.

FunFacts:

  • The wealthiest 1 percent earned as much after taxes as the poorest 100 million Americans.
  • That ratio has more than doubled since 1977.
  • The poorest 80 percent of the country now earns a smaller percentage of the national income than they did 20 years ago.
  • Ninety percent of America’s economic growth has gone to the richest 1 percent of the population.
  • Patricia Duff’s first name easily substitutes for the name “Evita,” making it possible to do a new version of the musical without cluttering up the elegant rhythm of the songs.
  • Ricky Martin.

If anyone wants me, I’ll be in the mountains–probably the Catskills–growing my beard.

RightFace Answer

It’s scary to have “an officer corps so overwhelmingly Republican.”

Professor Stevenson was commenting on a study conducted by the Triangle Institute for Security Studies, comparing the social and political views of the military elite with those of prominent civilians. The study concluded that the soldiers are far to the right of the general society.

ScaryFacts:

  • Sixty-four percent of the military officers but only 30 percent of the civilians surveyed are Republicans.
  • Sixty-seven percent of the military officers but only 32 percent of the civilians call themselves “conservative.”
  • Forty-five percent of the military officers but only 17 percent of the civilians would bar homosexuals from military service.
  • Seventy-four percent of the officers but only 46 percent of the civilians favor school prayer.
  • Only 10 percent of the officers but 37 percent of the civilians think capital punishment should be banned.

“In the 19th century officers frequently had political alignments,” Stevens said, “but they did not favor a single party consistently.”

Defense Secretary William Cohen said it would be a major challenge for him “to somehow prevent a chasm from developing between the military and civilian worlds.” News Quiz host Randy Cohen, his wife of 35 years, said, “Too late. And, actually, no relation.”

OtherQuizzes, Other Rooms Extra

So that none of you play because of a lack of alternatives, here are actual questions found by looking for “News Quiz” through various search engines, along with comments pointing out how much better things are right in your own backyard.

{{JacksonvilleTimes-Union#2:http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/052897/0528news.html}}

The Jacksonville sheriff’s office had to close which park to vehicles after it filled to capacity on Memorial Day?

Westside Regional Park

Hanna Park

Mandarin Park

Metropolitan Park

Comment: Questions may be overly local.

{{KET News Quiz#2:http://www.ket.org/Education/CC/NQ/NQquestions.html}}

True or false? The Newport Aquarium is home to animals that live in and around water.

Comment: Unless this is some kind of trick question, they’re talking to us like we’re idiots. Are we going to take that?

{{Christian Science Monitor#2:http://www.csmonitor.com/puzzlers/quiz/newsquiz/p-quizindex.html}}

What is nicknamed the government’s fourth branch?

The FBI

NATO

The U.S. Federal Reserve

Comment: Admirable use of quiz form to slyly denigrate the military-industrial complex, although the fourth choice might have been “Bill Gates.”

{{Topeka Capital-Journal’s CJ KidsZone News Quiz#2:http://www.cjonline.com/quiz/}} (in coordination with the public school system of Topeka)

What is making the Gwinch’in tribe lose their ancient ways?

Laws

Other tribes

Money

Television

Comment: I can’t prove it, but I suspect that an early draft included fifth answer: “attacked by dinosaurs just 800 years ago.”

{{colorado.now#2:http://www.krma.org/colorado.now/newsquiz.html}}

Test your “NQ” with this week’s array of questions, dreamed up by the colorado.now staff.

The Colorado Division of Wildlife wants to spend as much as $8 million to fight “whirling disease,” which afflicts what species?

Black bears

Whooping cranes

Deer mice

Trout

Comment: There’s no such thing as “whirling disease.” (Although little whirling deer mice would look adorable.) Colorado.now staff should have “dreamed up” ways to smoke less pot.

{{The Old, Pre-Java CNN Quiz#2:http://maya.ctr.columbia.edu:8088/spider/local/2202.html}}

Travel through the world of current events with today’s quiz!

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, at least how many children have choked to death on children’s products since 1980?

17

259

753

1,030

Comment: If you read between the lines, it’s pretty clear CNN thinks the best answer is “not nearly enough.” Heartless bastards.

{{Philanthropy in the News#2:http://www.foundationcenter.org/onlib/quiz/quiz.html}}

This quiz is based on news articles abstracted in this week’s issue of Philanthropy News Digest. To view the full abstracts, go to the {{Digest#2:http://www.foundationcenter.org/pnd/current/index.html}}.

Who narrates the “Learn & Live” film produced by the George Lucas Foundation?

James Earl Jones

George Lucas

Robin Williams

Comment: Focus pretty narrow, but not narrow enough to exclude reference to Robin Williams.

{{Test Your Pesach IQ#2:http://www.ou.org/jewishiq/pesach/pesachb.htm}}

At the Seder we drink four cups of …

Hot chocolate

Wine

Olive oil

Comment: Author of quiz too insecure about his place in American life to include possible answer “blood of Christian children.”

{{Rochester Business Journal#2:http://www.rbj.net/issues/1996/December/27/quiz27.htm}}, Dec. 27, 1996

The Midtown Plaza B. Forman Co. store closed for a second time. Name the store’s owner.

Kodak named this executive vice chairman; later in the year, he announced his retirement. Name him.

What Rochester Top 100 firm faced charges in a suit filed under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act?

In June, the Rochester Business Journal ceased to be a weekly. Why?

What Buffalo-based company says it lost $1 million in RTS funds?

Which leading area realty firm filed for bankruptcy?

Name the Kodak veteran turned consultant who was accused of stealing trade secrets.

What local family was rocked by a $225 million legal feud?

Comment: Most depressing set of questions I’ve ever read. The quiz format may not be the ideal way to chart a town’s economic collapse. And couldn’t they at least get out of bed long enough to update the thing now and then? And shave? And put on clean clothes?

Clarification

The president’s gun buy-back plan does not include a proposal to eliminate the middleman and funnel the $15 million directly to Smith & Wesson.

CommonDenominator

Don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t kvetch.