According to Rep. John Doolittle, R-Calif., “Sometimes it’s barbecue; sometimes it’s fried chicken, sometimes it’s pizza; frequently it’s more than one of those things.” What is?
Send your answer by noon ET Tuesday to newsquiz@slate.com.
Thursday’s Question (No. 321)–“World Series”:New York, Bombay, Sao Paulo, Mexico City–what comes next in this series? Why?
“Levittown. And I think you know why.”–Larry Amoros
“Sodium chloride, if you ask a public school student.”–Michael S. Gilman
“Perhaps Las Vegas should reconsider the themed-hotel trend.”–Neal Pollack
“What, do I look like Marilyn vos Savant to you?”–Richard Nikonovich-Kahn
“Tel Aviv. The principal sites for resumed U.S. nuclear weapons testing under a Pat Buchanan administration.”–Charles Kenher (Tim Carvell, Floyd Elliot, Matthew Heimer, and Chris Hammett had similar answers.)
Click for more answers.
Randy’s Wrap-Up
The temptation is to write a sneering comparison of rural and urban life. You know: fresh air/fresh ideas; you have to drive at least 20 minutes to get anywhere/you already are somewhere; Pizza Hut/pizza–that sort of thing. (And, incidentally, sneering comparisons are a big part of the next round of SATs. Bring a No. 2 pencil and a look of disdain.)
Another way to go was present you with an old favorite series or two, like this O, T, T, F, F, S, S …; and this 14, 18, 23, 28, 34, 42, 50 …
A third plan was to note that the city of New York refused to grant a permit for an anti-Klan rally because, since it had just banned a Klan rally, there was no need for anyone to express an opinion on the Klan. This would have been hard to tie in to the Series of Cities question, but no harder than it was for the city to tie it in to the First Amendment. I’m pretty sure we both could have pulled it off through some kind of sneering comparison. But it sort of takes the edge off my urban boasting.
(For answer to series, turn your monitor upside down. Or see bottom of page.)
Over 6 Billion Served Answer
Tokyo completes the list in ascending order of the world’s five largest metropolitan areas, coming in with more than 28 million people.
Population buffs know that last week marked the arrival of the world’s 6 billionth child. (So if you had Oct. 12, 1999, Slovenca Vladic, Sarajevo, in the pool, come by and collect your prize.) Some population fun facts from Earth Action Network:
- It took all of human history to 1800 to reach the first billion.
- The world’s population has doubled since 1960.
- Baby No. 5 billion was born in 1987, and he still leaves his stuff all over the floor, unless he was born in Africa or Asia, in which case he probably has no stuff. And no floor.
- Twenty percent of the world’s population owns 80 percent of its wealth, a gap that is widening.
- Rates of growth are declining except in the poorest parts of the world, particularly Africa.
- In Africa, half the population is under 18.
- Africa has one doctor for every 10,000 people.
- Family planning has been successful in slowing the rate of growth, but there is resistance from America where some Republicans oppose these programs. Congressman Christopher Smith, R-N.J., calls birth control pills “baby pesticides.”
Augmented Quotations Extra
(Each final sentence added by News Quiz.)
- “When you mention that it’s a Christian game, people assume there’s no violence. So I remind them about the Crusades and the Inquisition, then I set them on fire: The witch must die.”–Robin Westmoreland, designer of “The War in Heaven,” a violent Christian computer game
- “Remember that magical moment when your daughter’s eyes widened to meet her favorite characters live on stage? With all that delight and wonder, it’s an experience you’ll both remember for the rest of your lives. And now that unforgettable power and emotion of a live show is available to you and your company as an extraordinary new marketing tool. That’s right: At last there’s a way to turn her delight and wonder into real money!”–full-page ad for SFX Entertainment
- “Let’s face it, when you have angels fighting demons, it is going to be controversial. Particularly if the angels are topless babes with machine guns, like in the Bible.”–Andrew Lunstad, chief programmer for “The War in Heaven”
- “The changes are unbelievable. People keep talking about crime and corruption and not about the amazing things that have happened here. You can’t believe the merchandise in the stores and the shopping centers. And that more than makes up for the collapse of the health-care system, the declining life expectancy, the resurgent anti-Semitism, the militant nationalism, and the fighting in Chechnya.”–Donald Kendall, the man who brought Pepsi Cola to the Soviet Union, applauding the transition to capitalism
- “As you progress down the evil path, you have to do things that are more and more distasteful, from blasphemy to striking a praying angel. Actually, the angel is so stuck-up and holier-than-thou that it’s kind of fun to kick his goddamn ass.”–Andrew Lunstad, again, describing some details of his God-inspired computer game
- “I truly feel that God called me to do this. And to make those drunken rambling midnight phone calls to Bea Arthur: The temptress must die!”–More from that Andrew Lunstad, who is also one of the co-founders of the software design firm Eternal Warriors
Signs That the ‘60s Are Finally Over Ongoing Extra
“The Who Join Together for Corporate Event”–Reuters headline
Participants are invited to submit other actual news items that drive the final nail into the coffin of that turbulent decade. Results to run Thursday, if there are results, which I’m not so sure, because this may be too narrow a question, but we’ll see.
Common Denominator
The anti-Hillary backlash, assuming there ever was a, you know, lash.
More Series
First initial of each number counting up from One. Stops on the Broadway local.
