Random Question (August 26, 2013)

Q. This one needs some thinking, not quizzing skills per se. What are [X] and [Y]?

A. For the answer, the unexpurgated cartoon is shown below.

Perhaps people were misled by the setting, which I agree has nothing to do with the caption, but then I didn't draw this. 

Random Question (August 22, 2013)

Q. Here's one for lovers of classic rock. This compilation has clips from 15 of the greatest rock songs of all time (someone's personal selection, not mine). Simply identify all 15 songs and musicians (post a numbered list).

A. Here's the list:
1. Every Breath You Take -- The Police/Sting
2. Hotel California -- The Eagles
3. Won't Get Fooled Again -- The Who
4. All Along The Watchtower -- Jimi Hendrix
5. Good Vibrations -- Beach Boys
6. Layla -- Derek and the Dominos/Eric Clapton
7. Smells Like Teen Spirit -- Nirvana
8. Kashmir -- Led Zeppelin
9. Light My Fire -- The Doors
10. Hey Jude -- The Beatles
11. Comfortably Numb -- Pink Floyd
12. Bohemian Rhapsody -- Queen
13. (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction -- Rolling Stones
14. Stairway to Heaven -- Led Zeppelin
15. Imagine -- John Lennon

Random Question (August 14, 2013)

Q. Which entity's new-look logo is this?

A. American Airlines

Given below is what it used to look like till earlier this year.

Random Question (August 8, 2013)

Q. This item recently came up for auction on eBay, with a starting price of $3 million. The accompanying text reads: "This exceedingly rare original __________ ____ is the only one ever on the market. It emanates from the family of Itzhak Stern, __________ accountant and right hand man ... There are 3 others known which are in institutional hands. It is 14 pages in length and lists 801 male names, dated April 18, 1945. It is guaranteed authentic." What is it? 
(Note: The overall answer is made up of the two words that fit in the first two blanks; the third blank is the same as the first. Some other words have been left out of the description.)

A. One of four Schindler's Lists known to exist.

In case you didn't know this, the list is named for German businessman Oskar Schindler, who compiled the 801 names of workers he deemed essential for his enamel factory, thus sparing them from concentration camps. The story was made into an Academy Award-winning film by Steven Spielberg in 1993. Ben Kngsley played the role of Itzhak Stern in the film (Liam Neeson played Schindler).  In 2007, the American Film Institute ranked the film 8th on its list of the 100 best American films of all time.

Random Question (July 29, 2013)

Q. Two parts to this question – who's the guy in the middle, and what is the name of the thing he is sitting on?

A. George R.R. Martin sitting on the Iron Throne from the hit television series 'Game of Thrones', based on his books.

The picture shows cast and crew members of the show – Michelle Fairley, Maisie Williams, Sophie Turner, Kit Harington, executive producer George R.R. Martin, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Peter Dinklage, Lena Headey, co-creator/executive producer David Banioff and co-creator/executive producer D.B. Weiss at The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' presentation of An Evening With "Game of Thrones" at TCL Chinese Theatre on March 19, 2013 in Hollywood, California.

Random Question (July 21, 2013)

Q. Easy one, if you've been reading the news. A partner at a law firm indiscreetly revealed it to his wife's best friend, who then tweeted the tasty secret. The Sunday Times got hold of it, and did some software sleuthing for confirmation. At the end of this chain of events, who stood revealed as the real author of this book?

A. J.K. Rowling

Random Question (July 15, 2013)

Q. For all you cricket buffs... Seven men have scored a century in their 100th Test match and, neatly, seven also in their 100th one-day international. Two questions: 
a. Who is the only man on both lists? To help you narrow it down, let me reveal that he hit 102 not out in his 100th ODI against Pakistan in Sharjah in October 1988, and marked his 100th Test in April 1990 with 149 against England in St John's.
b. Which of the former seven hit two centuries in his 100th Test? One of the greatest batsmen and captains of the modern era.

A. a. Gordon Greenidge b. Ricky Ponting

Random Question (July 4, 2013)

Q. On the US's Independence Day, a question about that country: the people who put up this monument believe it's the first of its kind on government property in the United States. What does the 'A' stand for?

A. Atheism.

A group called American Atheists unveiled a monument to their non-belief on June 29 to sit alongside a granite slab that lists the Ten Commandments in front of the Bradford County courthouse in Florida. "When you look at this monument, the first thing you will notice is that it has a function. Atheists are about the real and the physical, so we selected to place this monument in the form of a bench," said David Silverman, president of American Atheists.

American Atheists sued to try to have the stone slab with the Ten Commandments taken away from the courthouse lawn in this rural, conservative north Florida town. The Community Men's Fellowship erected the monument in what's described as a free speech zone. During mediation on the case, the atheist group was told it could have its own monument, too.

Random Question (June 26, 2013)

Q. This statue of a Scottish educationist stands outside a Delhi school named after him. This gentleman, besides founding some of India's well-known schools, also raised a number of orphaned children from Partition days. One of those kids converted to Christianity and took this man's surname, and eventually brought it some considerable notoriety. What is the surname?

A. Tytler. The statue is of J.D. Tytler, in whose honour Jagdish Kapoor changed his last name. 

James Douglas Tytler was a Scottish educationist who, among other things, founded the Delhi Public School and Summerfields School. This statue sits in front of the J.D. Tytler School. 

Random Question (June 21, 2013)

Who is this? She gained some prominence as a result of a moving speech she gave in 2006. Also, it might help to know that she gets her name not from an Indian fashion accessory but from the name of a crocodile.

A. Bindi Irwin, daughter of TV animal wrangler Steve Irwin, who famously delivered an eulogy at her father's funeral seven years ago. She was named after a favourite crocodile of Steve's at the Australia Zoo run by the Irwin family. Her name supposedly means 'young girl' in an Australian Aboriginal language.