Worst Things First

By Randy Cohen

by noon ET Tuesday to e-mail your answer to newsquiz@slate.com .

Thursday's question (No. 156)--"Buff, Buffer, Buffest":

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9^th Circuit ruled that a city in Washington may legally require a 10 foot buffer zone. Around what? Why?

"The country club, to keep out those jerks from the 8^th circuit."--Chris Smith

"Abe Hirschfeld's business partners, for their own protection."--Dan Simon

"Cedar trees, to prevent snow from falling on them, per David Guterson's innovative copyright."--Jennifer Miller

"Let's see, it's Washington state, so I'll have to guess it has something to do with the Brawny paper towel guy, his A-frame, and his ex-life partner, Geoff."--Chris Kelly

"Strippers (or, as we like to be called, erotic dancers), to keep the customers' paws away. Let me tell you, it has hurt my tips considerably."--Matt Sullivan

Click here for more responses.

Randy's Wrap-Up
To most News Quiz players, Washington means gay, grunge, ecology, and Microsoft. But it's so much more. Get to know today's Washington, or at any rate, 1960s Washington, as that's the edition of the World Book I've got handy. So say, "Hi, how about a cup of coffee!" to "Washington, America's Proud No. 2!"
"Washington produces more flower bulbs than any other place in the world except The Netherlands. Only California raises more pears. Interesting features of eastern Washington are its coulees and scablands. Around twenty counties have rural bookmobile library service. The popular book The Egg and I was written by a Washingtonian, Betty MacDonald. Other writers include Vernon Parrington, J. Allen Smith, Archie Binns, and Allis McKay. Washington also has many small fur-bearing animals, such as beavers, martens, minks, muskrats, rabbits, skunks, western bobcats, and several kinds of squirrels. Grand Coulee Dam is the second greatest single source of water power in the world. Alaska is the only state that cans more salmon than Washington. Today it has the second largest number of people among the states west of the Rocky Mountains. Only Oregon produces more filberts." (All quotations accurate; many interstitial sentences removed.)

Laptop Answer
As Matt Sullivan, Chris Kelly, and others know, Kent, a Seattle suburb, may restrict nude dancers to performing no nearer than 10 feet from their customers.
Club owners argued that this ordinance would destroy table dancing as a form of erotic expression and would keep dancers too far from customers to ask for tips. The court said dancers could be kept at a distance to thwart solicitations for drugs or sex, and that lost tip income could be made up in higher salaries, which might be stuffed into the dancer's G-strings to maintain a proper tone of contempt. (Everything after the word "salaries" added.)

Online Shopping Extra
A few sites for last minute holiday purchases.

• Republican National Committee (rnc.org)

• Richard Nixon Library & Birthplace Foundation (nixonfoundation.org)

• The International Bowling Museum and Hall of Fame (bowlingmuseum.com)

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