Your Quizmaster — Home of the Quizmaster of Sudwerk Brewing Company in Davis

Here are five questions from last week’s quiz:

1. Mottos and Slogans. What soft drink billed itself as The Uncola?

2. Internet Culture. A new version of the Xbox video game Halo will be available this coming November 6. What number Halo will it be? Hint: It’s not Halo I.

3. Newspaper Headlines. John Edwards was found not guilty on one count, and the jury was hung on the others. How many charges, total, was Edwards facing?

4. Four for Four. Which of the following pop songs, if any, rhyme the word “swagger” with the name “Jagger”? Black Eyed Peas’ “The Time “ (sometimes called “Dirty Bit”); Cher Lloyd’s “Swagger Jagger,” Kesha’s “Tick Tock,” Maroon 5’s “Moves Like Jagger.”

5. College Towns that Start with the Letter A. What largest city in eastern Alabama was named by US News and World Report to be among its top ten list of best places to live in United States for the year 2009?

The Rebuked Poet Laureate Edition of the de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz Newsletter

by yourquizmaster on June 4, 2012

Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,

Feeling brave, this past weekend I took my son Jukie to see and meet the US Poet Laureate, Philip Levine. America’s working-man’s poet came to American River College to participate in a reading and a day of workshops as one of his final acts as Poet Laureate. Levine is a genial and self-effacing man. In fact, the only people he will efface more than himself would be his former faculty colleagues and, evidently, the US Congress. We discovered this when Levine told the story of the time he responded to a reporter by comparing a public meeting of Congress unfavorably to the self-importance and pettiness that Levine had seen at faculty meetings. Evidently word of Levine’s remarks traveled quickly, for someone from the Library of Congress (which appoints the Poet Laureate) called Levine within the hour to ask for corroboration and further comment and explanation. At 84, Levine was not used to being rebuked, so he opted for just a single term in his honorary position.

Here is one of the poems Levine read Saturday night, a Central Valley poem called “Our Valley”:

Our Valley

by Philip Levine

We don't see the ocean, not ever, but in July and August

when the worst heat seems to rise from the hard clay

of this valley, you could be walking through a fig orchard

when suddenly the wind cools and for a moment

you get a whiff of salt, and in that moment you can almost

believe something is waiting beyond the Pacheco Pass,

something massive, irrational, and so powerful even

the mountains that rise east of here have no word for it.

You probably think I'm nuts saying the mountains

have no word for ocean, but if you live here

you begin to believe they know everything.

They maintain that huge silence we think of as divine,

a silence that grows in autumn when snow falls

slowly between the pines and the wind dies

to less than a whisper and you can barely catch

your breath because you're thrilled and terrified.

You have to remember this isn't your land.

It belongs to no one, like the sea you once lived beside

and thought was yours. Remember the small boats

that bobbed out as the waves rode in, and the men

who carved a living from it only to find themselves

carved down to nothing. Now you say this is home,

so go ahead, worship the mountains as they dissolve in dust,

wait on the wind, catch a scent of salt, call it our life.

Tonight’s Pub Quiz will feature questions about soft drinks, video games, Mick Jagger, unpopular people, Cher Lloyd, the best places to live in the US, new Davis institutions, tall women, college football, astronomy, UC Davis, famous doctors who have not yet begun to practice, slopes and snakes and blood, gladiators, classical composers, teens who have been moonshot, fictional characters, figurative cradles, correct pronunciations, unusual morning traditions, famous transporters, secretaries and neighbors, beautiful futures, Irish literature, underperforming films, Brits, the institution of marriage, human anatomy, election day, baseball, and Shakespeare. There will be some simple math on tonight’s Pub Quiz (addition).

Rumor has it that a couple of my in-laws will be accompanying my lovely wife to this evening’s Pub Quiz, so I should apologize ahead of time about the additional raucous noise tonight. Rumor also has it that schools and colleges everywhere will be letting out soon for the summer, and that scads of former Davis High grads will be descending upon our fair city, looking for entertainment on a Monday evening. If you know such people, please invite them to join us.

Your Quizmaster

Here are five questions from last week’s rare Tuesday-evening quiz:

2. Internet Culture. Starting with the letter “S”, what is the name of the Swedish music streaming service offering selected music from a range of major and independent record labels?

3. Newspaper Headlines. We learned recently that the first woman to serve as U.S. Secretary of State (before Clinton or Rice) will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Name her.

4. Four for Four. The first episode of which of the following TV shows, if any, premiered in the 1990s? Alf, Dragon Tales, Power Rangers Teletubbies.

5. Three of These Things are Just Like the Others. The comic book character Jugghead, the second greatest hero of all time according to the American Film Institute, and the cat from the film Alien all share a last name. What is that name?

6. California. What storied California city of 35 thousand people is the most musical city in America, with 3.14 musicians per thousand people (of the 50,000 top musical artists in the country). Name the city. Hint: San Francisco and Nashville are the second and third cities on this list.

P.S. Speaking of poets, As you can see at the website Poetry in Davis, Troy Jollimore will be the featured reader at the Thursday night edition of the Poetry Night Reading Series. Widely published and regarded, Jollimore will join us from CSU Chico.

P.P.S. Don’t forget to vote tomorrow!

The Brimming with Musicians Micro-Edition of the de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz Newsletter

by yourquizmaster on May 29, 2012

Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,

I really hope you can join us tonight for the Tuesday evening Pub Quiz experiment. Tuesdays at work are much busier for me than Mondays, so I will abscond from my regular newsletter duties (fascinating stories, plugs for upcoming cultural events, apt quotations, and sustaining words of wisdom), and inform you instead that tonight’s Pub Quiz at de Vere’s Irish Pub will feature questions on companies with nationwide appeal, Swedish streams, accomplished women, Teletubbies, freedom, American heroes, aliens, romances, children’s books, crosses, the American Film Institute, storied California cities, prominent Republicans, unexpected wins by the underdog, musicians, the NBA, indie music, favorite trees, people born in Mexico, words that repeat themselves, disasters, Tina Fey, fabrics and textiles, Pacifists that make you say “ouch,” showtunes, Elton John, Sesame Street, Celtic culture, South America, people who are older than Melissa Etheridge, seismology, first novels, famous battles, and even more musicians. Really, tonight’s quiz will literally BRIM with musicians!

I’m thinking of ways to reward Pub Quiz competitors who retweet and otherwise share my updates and newsletters via Facebook and other media. Would it be fair to provide a single answer to a question to members of our Pub Quiz community who spread the word in various ways. Let me know what you think.

See you tonight for a special Tuesday night Pub Quiz!

Your Quizmaster

Here are five questions from last week’s quiz:

1. Great Americans. Denzel Washington and John Travolta were born the same year as the Brown v. Board of Education decision. Name the year.

2. Unusual Words. What verb beginning with the letter B means “to explain, worry about, or work more than is necessary”?

3. UFOs. The Roswell UFO Incident took place during what decade?

4. Pop Culture – Television. What former cast-member of the TV show Taxi has a rare mental condition that allows her never to forget any moment of her life?

5. Film. In the film Despicable Me, what are the little bright yellow guys called?

P.S. I’d like to recognize the efforts of the Davis Shakespeare Ensemble, and thank the DSE leaders for what they do in the city of Davis.

The Irrelevant City Council Handicapping Edition of the de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz Newsletter

by yourquizmaster on May 21, 2012

Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,

The Davis City Council election is right around the corner, so I think it’s my duty to inform you the extent to which, if any the candidates for election or re-election have participated in the de Vere’s Irish Pub Quiz. I don’t see why this information would have any bearing on the choices that you make in the voting booth, but I did want to publicly thank the public officials who spend time solving anagrams and arguing about Australian species of lizard with their teammates.

1) Lucas Frerichs. Lucas Frerichs has the second most difficult name to pronounce of all the regulars at the de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz (after New York Times best-selling author John Lescroart). Not only has Lucas attended the Pub Quiz more than other candidates for the Davis City Council, combined, but he also did so long before considering a run for elected office. I should add that Lucas has a delightful wife named Stacie who, like Lucas, appreciates art in downtown Davis (or so I learned at Flourish Davis this past Saturday night).

2) Dan Wolk. Dan has attended the Pub Quiz on occasion, and he was also an active participant in this year’s Pub Quiz-themed fundraiser for local Rotary Clubs. He joined his mom on the winning team this year, thus raising sizeable bank for local charities. He plans to attend more often after the election. Many people think he will make it to the winners’ circle this election cycle.

3) Sue Greenwald. I remember Sue attending a Pub Quiz a few years’ back. She also stayed latest at my March 12 post-Quiz birthday celebration, which I appreciate, for she spent at least a few of those hours entertaining my Mom. Rather than trivia, Sue’s game of choice is Scrabble, and she can often be seen playing with her Scrabble buddies Wednesday nights at another restaurant. Especially well-read, Sue would make a great addition to any team.

4) Stephen Souza. Steve Souza also attended my birthday party, and he has also been spotted in de Vere’s after the Quiz, sharing a brew with friends. I look forward to a regular team recruiting Steve to participate in the Quiz. He’s a hard worker, so perhaps 7pm is too early for him?

5) Brett Lee. When I wrote Brett to inform him that I’d be talking about City Council candidates in today’s newsletter, he responded immediately with regrets that he works in the Bay Area on Monday nights. He offered to make amends, so I recommended Poetry Nights. I was impressed with the quality of his writing, and look forward to see how Brett does in the coming election.

While I especially appreciate Lucas Frerichs’ ongoing participation in the Quiz, as an impartial Quizmaster (and a journalist), I won’t be formally endorsing anyone in this election, though I’d be curious to know which candidates you support.

Tonight’s de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz will feature questions about cleansers, mythical creatures, musicians, seadragons, annoying people, Ohio cities, spinners and spitters, the music of 2011 (remember 2011?), stadia, kitchens, oblate spheroids, The Taking of Pelham 123, long explanations, unfair math problems, Revolutionary War heroes, the SCOTUS, aliens, taxicabs, humorous helpers, gnawing pugs, David Letterman, men in black, ferocious dogs, A-List actors, cable TV shows that I don’t watch, Ashton Kutcher films, people born at Times Square, The Avengers, Columbus, Europe, Texas, anatomy, Republicans, the letter “T,” the San Francisco Giants, and Shakespeare!

See you tonight.

Your Quizmaster

Here are five questions from last week’s quiz:

1. Internet Culture. Today is the birthday of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. With a one year margin of error, how old is he today?

2. Newspaper Headlines. It was announced today by the BBC that Americans consume what percentage of the world’s painkillers? Is it 20, 40, 60, 80, or 100%?

3. Four for Four. Which of the following countries, if any, are found within the area called “The Fertile Crescent”? Bulgaria, France, Iraq, The United States.

4. Film. In the 2011 film Colombiana, a young woman, after witnessing her parents' murder as a child in Bogota, grows up to be a stone-cold assassin. What actress played the title role?

5. Unfair Math Problems Involving Sheep. Why do white sheep eat more than black sheep?

P.S. Congratulations to Fred Wood of UC Davis. Fred has just been named the new Chancellor of University of Minnesota, Crookston!

The Shakespeare as Professional Development Edition of the de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz Newsletter

by yourquizmaster on May 7, 2012

Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,

I got to play the roles of both parents today, the one who gets to attend meetings on topics as diverse as SmartSite, social media policies for UC Davis, and supporting the arts in our home town; as well as the parent who gets to feed the three kids, prepare them for the trip to school, and then collect them again at the end of their school days. And then, this afternoon, I get to attend more meetings! This diversity of parental experience is made possible, in part, by my wife Kate attending a conference all day in Sacramento. Ironically, while I sometimes question the purpose (and especially the number) of the meetings I attend, as does anyone who attends many of them, I love attending conferences, especially if they support a cause I believe in (as will be the case of the Flourish Davis event that I linked to earlier), or if they offer some sort of professional development. With regard to professional development, UC Davis has named “Preparation for Lifelong Learning” as one of the seven Educational Objectives for Students decided upon by a large group of faculty (including myself) at the 2001 Chancellor’s Fall Retreat, and since then I’ve made a point of modeling curiosity and discovery for the students I teach. I suppose the Pub Quiz allows me to extend that practice, to enact a practice of lifelong learning that might appeal to a broad range of locals, without regard to how many years it has been since they sat in a formal classroom.

Tonight, for instance, we will share and learn microlessons on a variety of substantive and trivial topics, topics such as cold remedies, online communities, political change in France, The Avengers, large margins of victory, well-stocked libraries, museums, basketball, the tongue as razor, home states, bugs, the SCOTUS, making things undecipherable, Latino culture and heroes, auteurs, party music, solid footing, names of cities that you have seen but never visited, William McKinley, jays, non-fiction novels, Oscar-nominated actors, Irish culture, faraway capitals, favorite continents, Ron Paul and his minions, CEOs, breakfast cereal, and Shakespeare.

Speaking of Shakespeare, the man responsible for the largest Shakespeare tour in American history, Dana Gioia, will be coming to Davis on May 17^th for a noon reading and Q+A at the John Natsoulas Gallery as part of the Poetry Night Reading Series. I keep plugging these events because I create and organize them, and because you feel compelled to read these bonus paragraphs, looking for stray Pub Quiz clues. Gioia is former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, and current Judge Widney Professor of Poetry and Public Culture at the University of Southern California. His new book of poetry is called Pity the Beautiful.

See you tonight at 7 for the Pub Quiz!

Your Quizmaster

Here are five questions from last week’s quiz:

1. Mottos and Slogans. What company whose five-letter name begins with L uses the slogan “The relentless pursuit of perfection”?

2. Internet Culture. What is the name of the electronic-book reader developed by American book retailer Barnes & Noble?

3. Newspaper Headlines. The same film topped the box office for the second weekend in a row. It has four words in its title, which is one more than The Hunger Games. Name the film.

4. Four for Four. Which of the following animals, if any, are members of the weasel family? Ermine, Polecat, Skink, Stoat.

5. Mitt Romney’s BFFs. With which 62 year-old current world leader is Mitt Romney closest friends? Hint: Back to the 1970s, both were young hotshots at the Boston Consulting Group.

The Happy Birthday to Ian MacKaye Edition of the de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz Newsletter

by yourquizmaster on April 30, 2012

Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,

I read today on the website for radio station WTOP that my old friend Ian MacKaye was recently treated to a surprise 50^th birthday party. Ian is a central figure in the Washington DC punk rock scene, having founded the groups Teen Idles, Minor Threat, and Fugazi, so a number of his old friends came out to fete him, some of whom hadn’t seen Ian in years. Ian was an influence on me as a child because of his patience and kind heart, rather than because of his music (which my brother Oliver loved). Ian’s brother Alec introduced me to Ted Nugent, for which he should be forgiven, and Queen, for which he should be celebrated. Ian was older than me (obviously), but he would sometimes attend the musical performances that we would put on in our house, just a half block from his own. One time he accused our band The Headaches of being a rip-off of The Monkees (perhaps because our signature song began “Hey, Hey, We’re the Headaches”).

Ian introduced me and many other young people to the “straight edge” movement, a sub-genre of the punk phenomenon. Taking its name from one of Ian’s songs, followers of the straight edge philosophy abstained from alcohol, drugs, smoking, and violence. Some, like Ian, chose also to be vegans. Staying away from alcohol was a challenge to teenagers in Washington DC where the drinking age was 18, but I managed to do so until I was, say, about 23 (thanks, Kate). I never did pick up those other vices. Now I attract people to the joys of Guinness in a pub with my clever questions and loud humor. I wonder what Ian would say.

Tonight’s Pub Quiz will feature questions on alcohol of various sorts, as well as bookstores, perfection, popular movies, weasels, world leaders with friends in high (American) places, islands where Gilligan never lived, rock bands, milk sickness, baseball, chemical elements that you need or you get sick, rich people, southerners with big smiles, notable deaths, killer politicians, Disney, people named Alex, educations, adventures, champs, hookers, country music (as I do at least once a year), Gaga, the best minds of my generation, even more Disney (too much, really), energy policy, big republics, married co-stars, physics, children’s literature, radio stars, Democrats, humor, basketball, and Shakespeare.

Thanks to all of you who supported KDVS last week. They have almost reached their pledge goal, and they have plenty of premiums left if you want to help.

See you tonight!

Your Quizmaster

Here are five questions from last week’s quiz:

1. Newspaper Headlines. In what country did the recent Secret Service prostitution scandal take place?

2. Four for Four. Which of the following presidents or candidates for president married their cousins? Michael Dukakis, Rudy Guiliani, Thomas Jefferson, Franklin D. Roosevelt.

3. Bottled Water. The U.S. is the largest consumer market for bottled water in the world. China is the third largest, followed by Brazil. What is the second?

4. Film. What 2008 film stars James McAvoy, and features previous Academy Award winners Angelina Jolie, and Morgan Freeman?

5. Pop Culture – Music. From 1995-2000, American singer-songwriter and record producer Ben Folds was the frontman and pianist of what alternative rock band?

P.S. Carlos Reyes reads his poetry Thursday night at 8 at the John Natsoulas Gallery. I hope you can join us! The after-party takes place at de Vere’s.

The KDVS Fundraiser Edition of the de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz Newsletter

by yourquizmaster on April 23, 2012

Dear Friends of the de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz,

Usually my radio show is engaging, but sedate. I interview newsmakers in the worlds of poetry, technology, and innovation, and enjoy unhurriedly discussing my guests’ new projects and interests. This Wednesday’s show, however, will sound in tone and energy much more like a Pub Quiz, for the KDVS fundraiser is upon us. Please note: Starting this morning, the almost 50 year-old campus and community radio station will betaking this entire week to implore and cajole its listeners and members of the family to support a station that has stood for independent and fiercely self-determined approaches to music, news, and public affairs. I’ve been hosting my public affairs show, “Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour,” since the year 2000, and during that dozen-year volunteer stint I have interviewed a number of Davis public officials, technology wonks from a variety of fields, local and traveling performers and authors, as well as creative professionals all over the country and the world via the telephone. Sherman Alexie, Margaret Atwood, Ian MacKaye, Ralph Nader, Gary Snyder, Steve Westly are among the many notable people have joined me to talk about their literary concerns and aspirations. This year on my fundraiser show I plan to raise $1,000 towards the station’s total goal of $60,000. I hope you will tune into 90.3 FM this coming Wednesday at 5 and be ready to share a tax-deductible donation. You’ll receive a swell thank-you gift; preview the premiums at http://fundraiser.kdvs.org/.

In addition to the hints I just reviewed, expect questions tonight on sleep aids, South America, presidential hopefuls, water, Angelina Jolie, alternative rock bands from the 1990s, college football, universals, Chicago, M*A*S*H, inaugurations, gratitude, Star Wars, Canadian performers, Abraham Lincoln, Hawaii, TV personalities, Asia, card games, flowering plants, rodents, soft drinks (or one of those last four), vice-presidents, India, genetics, American forts, baseball, and the entirety of the works of Shakespeare. I hope you can join us tonight for all the fun.

I’d like to congratulate de Vere’s Irish Pub for keeping our favorite hangout a safe place for revelers to congregate on Picnic Day. There were neither altercations nor arrests at one of the popular places in town, partly perhaps because de Vere’s chose not to open early, and to carefully restrict access. I’m proud to host my Pub Quiz in such a classy location.

I hope you can join us tonight for all the fun!

Your Quizmaster

Here are five questions from last week’s quiz:

1. Mottos and Slogans. What company calls itself "The World's Online Marketplace"?

2. Internet Culture. As of February of 2012, what company founded in 1998 has the most followers on Twitter?

3. Newspaper Headlines. Inexperienced participants in a major annual sporting event were told to wait until next year because of the unseasonably high temperatures in New England today. Name the event.

4. Four for Four. Which of the following actors, if any, played Mousketeers in the 1990s? Christina Aguilera, Ryan Gosling, Keri Russell, Justin Timberlake.

5. New York Geography. One of the outer barrier islands adjacent to the south shore of Long Island, New York is named after one of the ancient elements. Name the island.

P.S. You are invited to listen to KDVS (90.3 FM) all week at http://www.kdvs.org/

The Peacocks in Davis Edition of the de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz Newsletter

by yourquizmaster on April 16, 2012

Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,

Having recently finished working with our tax preparation professional, I realize now that I can deduct the cost of an increasing number of my purchases, for I always find myself doing research for the Pub Quiz and for other outstanding writing projects. As I might ask you and your team a poetry question at any moment, I can certainly deduct the cost of the poetry books I purchase. One such book that I purchased recently was The Paper Garden by poet Molly Peacock. Voted one of the top 20 books of 2010 by a number of magazines and journals (see the press, here), Peacock’s non-fiction account of the genesis and history of collage intrigued and attracted many readers. Peacock is also received broad acclaim for her six books of poetry, having been named an honorary fellow at The Johns Hopkins University, having served as Poet-in-Residence at The American Poets' Corner, Cathedral of St. John the Divine, in New York City, and having served as President of the Poetry Society of America. Peacock has also performed her one-woman show in poems, The Shimmering Verge, Off Broadway and throughout North America.

Peacock is coming to Davis this coming Wednesday night at 8 for a free performance at the John Natsoulas Gallery. I get to introduce her, and I’m really looking forward to seeing what she will share with us. We welcome to Davis authors of Ms. Peacock’s prestige only occasionally, so I hope you will consider coming by Wednesday night to see the show.

Two other shows are coming up this weekend: Picnic Day, of course, and the KDVS Fundraiser. I’ll share more on both those topics in next week’s newsletter. Tonight’s show will feature questions about internet companies, Patriots’ Day, Ryan Gosling, fire and ice, do-gooders, people whose names are portmanteaux, hitters of home runs, favorite presidents, Frank Sinatra, Senators, Japanese words, automobiles, music from the 1980s, people who are filled with genuine class, famous relatives, Dick Cavett, National Lampoon, people named Jones, abandoning football for acting, red eyes, the British, fowl, people who can no longer cry for Argentina, Germany and Greece, the Equator, the Tiber River, American heroes, and Shakespeare. If I remember, I might also ask you if the fundraiser edition of KDVS radio show “Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour” takes place on April 25^th at 5pm, with a one-hour goal of $1,000 in tax-deductible donations.

See you soon!

Your Quizmaster

Here are five questions from last week’s quiz:

1. Mottos and Slogans. American by Birth, Rebel by Choice. Name the 108 year-old company.

2. Internet Culture. According to the latest internet meme, what woman in sunglasses has been confidently texting President Obama and other key political figures?

3. Newspaper Headlines. In what US state is Mitt Romney planning a refurbished house with a car elevator?

4. Four for Four. As announced today, which of the following was sold for a billion dollars? 800 patents from AOL to Microsoft, Instagram, The Rights to Raise the Titanic, The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus.

5. The History of Disobedience. What American poet and essayist who lived from 1817 to 1862 once wrote, “Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty”?

The Journey is Like a Marriage Edition of the de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz Newsletter

by yourquizmaster on April 9, 2012

Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,

One of the best decisions I ever made was studying abroad. From time to time we should excuse ourselves from our familiar and comfortable surroundings, and explore strange and wonderful cultures elsewhere. Doing so takes a certain amount of bravery in the undergraduate – typically a junior in college – but less so today because of the ways in which our world is so networked. I recently worked with an intern who resolved to phone her mother at least three times a day when living in London (in addition to the texts, the tweets, and the Facebook messages). I love my Mom, but to me that would seem like a heavy bonus assignment on days when my family would rather have me out seeing the sites and meeting the people of my host country, rather than talking endlessly on the telephone. Luckily, for me, when I lived in London, calls home cost a prohibitive pound sterling (or about $1.86 at that time) per minute, so I wrote letters, a couple per day. I saw letters home as a daily gift that I could bestow upon faraway friends, but the greatest gift to me was my roommate in London, a statuesque woman named Kate who has made me laugh more than anyone else I have ever met. Of course, she and I have been roommates for the last 21 years, so statistically, she has a big advantage over the rest of you. The moral of the story? If you are still an undergraduate, study abroad. Surely the benefits will last you a lifetime.

That said, when I lived abroad I learned an important lesson summed up by this quotation from John Steinbeck: “A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.”

Tonight’s Pub Quiz will feature questions on faraway places (such as an African country, the city of Edmonton, as well as the island of Ireland), strong women, disobedience, the circus, the state of California, a mosquito, a rock, geology, US Presidents, the 8^th century BC, fish, April 8, the late Mike Wallace, mentalists, the Muppets, linen aviaries, music from the 1980s, Selma, people named Zach, friends, glacial boots, elves, sports that most of us have not played, the streets of Davis, great poems (April is National Poetry Month), UC Davis news, conjoined twins, chemistry, consumer products that are made of pigments and waxes, musical autobiographies, many more music questions than usual, and Shakespeare tragedies.

By the way, I recently received a stack of fliers from my colleague Eric Schroeder (Faculty Director; Quarter Abroad and Summer Abroad) about the Internship and Writing Program in Sydney Australia. If you know an undergraduate student at UC Davis who would benefit from participating in such a program, and thus completing most of the units needed for a Writing Minor, (and really, that includes all of them), direct that student to the UC Davis Education Abroad Center.

See you tonight for the Pub Quiz! If you recruit a new team to join us, I would be glad to feature you or your charitable cause in a future newsletter.

Your Quizmaster

Here are five questions from last week’s quiz:

1. Mottos and Slogans. The drug Zolpidem has a trade name that starts with the letter A, and the commercial slogan of “Works Like a Dream.” Name the drug.

2. Internet Culture. The 20th most visited website in the United States is the first most-visited general news site in the US. Name the website.

3. Newspaper Headlines. The title of the second book of the surprise co-host of this morning’s episode of the Today show was America by Heart. What is her name?

4. Four for Four. Which of the following superheroes, if any, are Marvel superheroes? Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Scarlet Witch, Yellowjacket.

5. Unexamined Acronyms. If you DARE to keep your kids off drugs, what do the letters in DARE stand for?

P.S. Molly Peacock will be reading at the John Natsoulas Gallery on April 18^th at 8pm. Google her to discover why that is such a big deal.

The Remembering Rex Edition of the de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz Newsletter

by yourquizmaster on April 2, 2012

Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,

Back in the early days of “Dr. Andy’s Poetry and Technology Hour,” the KDVS (90.3 FM) radio show that I began hosting in 2000, I paid special attention to obituaries and anniversaries, hoping that they would give me enough material to string together the sort of fascinating commentary, recorded poems, and read poems for my listeners to enjoy. These days, because of the work of my producer and assistant, Pia Baur, my show is overrun with guests who themselves are promoting projects or books. I’m guaranteed at least two engaging conversations a week: the one I have with a table of Pub Quiz aficionados before the Quiz begins, and another on the radio Wednesday afternoons at 5 with the guests that Pia finds me.

Because the show is no so busy, I will barely have time this coming Wednesday to say more about the passing of the great feminist poet and Stanford Professor, Adrienne Rich, who died last week at the age of 82. I saw Rich read at UC Davis in about 1991 – it was fascinating to hear the crowd’s murmuring voices at a higher octave than a more typically mixed-gender throng of poetry fans. She was an excellent craftswoman, as you can see by reading and hearing some of her poems at her page at the Academy of American Poets website. The other great loss last week was that of the world’s foremost banjo player, Earl Scruggs. My wife Kate happened to be listening to some banjo music (by or influenced by Scruggs, no doubt) in the hospital on the day that Truman was born, and she remarked that banjo music always made her happy. (Pete Seeger once said of the banjo that “This machine surrounds hate and forces it to surrender.”) Anyway, Truman was soon born, aaand Banjo was his middle name (O).

But mostly I want to take a moment to remember Rex Babin, the editorial cartoonist of the Sacramento Bee who passed away this weekend at the much-too-young age of 49. Babin was a member of the Manly Man Movie Club of Davis (which I happen to run), as well as a consistent and spirited friend to KDVS, your local free-form radio station. Just about every year Rex would donate original drawings to the KDVS fundraiser, drawing everyone’s attention to one of the last independent voices in radio. I didn’t know him terribly well, but he always made me smile when he came to one of our dinner and movie nights, and when he would take on then Governor Schwarzenegger in the Sacramento Bee. My thoughts are with his family. If Rex were still with us, he’d probably also ask me to remind you that the KDVS fundraiser begins April 22.

In addition to poetry and music, tonight’s Pub Quiz at de Vere’s Irish Pub will include questions on prominent Republicans, somnolence, US news, superheroes, drugs and more drugs, Glee, dreams, basketball players, youth, food and drink, colors other than silver, religiosity, thieves, island residents, magic, American composers, cookbooks, those tiny fitted dresses that starlets wear at LA nightclubs, zoos, The Nobel Prize, other things I learned in LA this weekend, Frisbees, college basketball, Roman Polanski, Africa, baseball, Telly Savalas movies (not again!), Barry Manilow, second-favorite planets, rich people, absurd people, closed doors, famous Europeans, Los Angeles, problem plays, the rain, and Shakespeare.

Thanks to editor Justin Cox and the folks from Davis Patch for providing the swag last week, prizes for fourth and a rare fifth place. Davis Patch also shares this newsletter with its growing number of readers.

See you this evening!

Your Quizmaster

Here are five questions from last week’s quiz:

10. Textiles and Clothing. What do we call the soft woven fabric that is commonly used to make tartan clothing, blankets, bed sheets, and sleepwear?

11. Unusual Words. What five-letter monosyllabic verb starting with the letter P and with a Scrabble score of 10 means “to render peevish, that is, to annoy”?

12. Pixar. Which Pixar film features the greatest number and variety of mentions of food?

13. Pop Culture – Television. Who anchored the ABC television program World News from 2006 to 20009, at which time he was replaced by Diane Sawyer?

14. Another Music Question. Released in 1971, what is the three-word title of the most requested, and the most played album-oriented rock FM radio song?

P.S. Scot Siegel and Laurie Glover are reading their poetry this coming Thursday night at the John Natsoulas Gallery. See http://poetryindavis.com/ for more details.