Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,
Always researching questions for the Pub Quiz, I visited one of Ireland’s most popular websites this weekend, http://rte.ie, to find out what the website of Raidió Teilifís Éireann has to say about Myanmar’s release of the activist Aung San Suu Kyi after seven years of unwarranted house arrest. Not surprisingly, the paper featured an interview on the musician and human rights activist Bono. Here’s what Bono said about the good news: “I’m very excited, very thrilled at the possibility that this might be the beginning of some sort of rational discussion with the people of Burma by the military junta.” Most musicians don’t spend much time pondering Burmese juntas. He then said, “She is kind of the Mandela of our moment. She’s a character of great grace. Maybe that’s what she has in common with Nelson Mandela.” I was thinking the same thing when I heard the words of Aung San Suu Kyi, not because of her grace, but because of her lack of resentment. Both Nobel Peace Prize winners publicly proclaimed that they did not resent their jailers, something that distinguishes them from most of the rest of us if any of us were to be imprisoned for years for our political beliefs. Of course, the similarities between Suu Kyi and Mandela may stop there because of political differences between their home countries. As Maung Zarni, a Myanmar research fellow at the London School of Economics put it last week, “This is not exactly a Mandela moment, because the regime is not prepared for reconciliation.” Still, it’s encouraging to encounter some good news once in a while.
In other news, there will be a Pub Quiz this evening, and you are invited to join us. Tonight you can expect questions on “fun” commercial slogans, favorite websites (x2), famous living Brits, conspiracies, the Roman Coliseum, a famous saxophonist, Lawrence Olivier, basketball (x2), body parts, the words “altitudinally,” six-letter monosyllabic words, rock and roll music (x2.5), sanctioned collaboration, The Simpsons, best-sellers, the Commonwealth of Virginia, The Beatles, three-word titles, odes, film quotations, race relations in America, loners, allotropes, the US Congress, football, and Shakespeare.
I hope you can join us this evening. Remember that any team of first-time players will enjoy a complimentary bottle of wine or order of sweet potato fries. Furthermore, if you recruit such a team, you will enjoy the same treat. Therefore, feel free to forward this message to any interested parties. See you tonight!
Your Quizmaster
https://www.yourquizmaster.com
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P.S. This coming Thursday night at 8 the John Natsoulas Gallery the Poetry Night Reading Series will feature the release party of the new print edition of the UC Davis undergraduate literary journal, Nameless Magazine. Join us Thursday if you would like to experience some of the best in undergraduate prose and poetry. An open mic will follow the featured readers, so you could come practice your karaoke skills (if you dare). To find out more about this event, or register your intent to join us, see http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=107194789350027 .
Friends of the Pub Quiz, and those curious about all the fun and fuss associated with the Pub Quiz, should come to de Vere’s Irish Pub in Davis (217 E Street), the highly esteemed pub and restaurant that fills up every night because of the superb quality of food, drink and company that can be found there. The de Vere’s Irish Pub Pub Quiz takes place every Monday at 7pm, though players are encouraged to arrive early to claim a table. As always, find out more about the Pub Quiz by visiting https://www.yourquizmaster.com. For more on de Vere’s Irish Pub, visit http://deverespub.com/.