As I prepare to reformat a recent game for this column space, my siblings are on their way from the airport. I thought I’d let you know why there has been a sudden and rather odd change in the atmospheric pressure. You see, any time my brother, in particular, arrives in town, his whirling dervish manner of moving wreaks havoc on the current wind patterns.
Now that I’ve explained what is happening, I shall gently, yet effectively, move into the game portion.
Several weeks ago in the lounge we celebrated a person with the user name “This Old Stonerd.” The “D” at the end of the word is on purpose, although I don’t really know why. Mother and I get a charge out of the user names on YouTube and this is certainly one of them that has me smiling. (I shall call him “TOS” for the purposes of this piece.)
TOS was born on September 20, 1957. As usual, the questions will have to do with the date of birth, hobbies, interests, etc.
One: This is a 1999 American science fiction action comedy film that is a parody of science-fiction films and series, especially Star Trek and its fandom. The film depicts the cast of a defunct cult television series who are suddenly visited by actual aliens who believe the series to be an accurate documentary, and become involved in a very real intergalactic conflict.
Two: This television psychologist shares a birthday with TOS but was born in 1928. Her last name puts one in the mind of a male sibling. Three: This man, who shares a birthday with TOS but was born in 1878, is probably responsible for the Meat Inspection Act in 1906 due to his book detailing the hideous conditions in the meat packing industry.
Four: On September 20, 1973 what was dubbed “The Battle of the Sexes” took place between Billy Jean King and Bobby Riggs. King defeated him, by the by. Where did this take place? Five: This person is famous for being in the group Pink Floyd but these days has taken up the cause of the plight of the Palestinian people. He has become an activist who tells the truth about Israel.
Six: In Star Trek which of these best describes “Pon Far?” 1) a mating ritual 2) a fasting ritual for period of 7 days, or 3) the marriage ceremony. Seven: Which classic rock group reminded us that the monkeys seem willing to strike up the tune? It’s one of TOS’ fave groups.
Eight: In what movie, which is another fave of our birthday man, did we first hear Arnold say, “I’ll be back?”
Nine: When Spock does the live long and prosper sign with his hand, he is borrowing from this religious tradition in doing so. Ten: TOS’ YouTube channel doesn’t really have anything to do with his user name as he focuses on music and THIS which is described as the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form.
Eleven: TOS has been experimenting with this type of implement in order to carry out abstract art on his videos. It is NOT a brush. Sometimes Bob Ross would do this as well. Twelve: This is a water-based fast-drying paint widely used by artists since the 1960s. It can be used thickly or thinly depending how much water is added to it.
Thirteen: Who was the Prime Minister of the UK when TOS entered the world? Think of a TV show from back in the day, where a husband and WIFE teamed up to solve crimes. Fourteen: Of these choices, what was the average cost for rent in 1957? A) $125 a month B) $75 or C) $90.
Fifteen: What happened in 1957 that caused many American “higher ups” to clutch pearls and jump aboard the “space race?”
Sixteen: In 1957, the first one of these things which whizzes through the air in the manner of a UFO, hit the market for purchase. Seventeen: The National Guard, on the order of Governor Orval Faubus, was used to prevent nine African American students from entering Central High School in Little Rock on September 4, 1957. Shortly after, Federal troops charge defiant protesters with fixed bayonets to ensure nine African American Students could attend Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas. What is the “nickname” of this event, for lack of a better way to ask?
Eighteen: This 1957 epic war film, which was based on a novel of a similar name, used the historical setting of the construction of the Burma Railway in 1942-43. The cast included William Holden, Jack Hawkins and Alec Guinness to name a few.
I need to explain this next one to you. I do a version of Wheel of Fortune called Lounge of Fortune where I hold up a phrase but without vowels. These last two questions are going to be visual aids “Lounge of Fortune” style, here goes. Nineteen: LCMTV BRTH BY JTHR TLL. Twenty: ACSTC GTR.
That’s it for the week. Hopefully the visit with the siblings will lead to my gathering some wild and crazy fodder for this column space.
Answers: One, Galaxy Quest. Two, Dr. Joyce Brothers/Brothers/Dr. Joyce. Three, Upton Sinclair.
Four, Houston Astrodome/Houston/Astrodome. Five, Roger Waters. Six, 1) A mating ritual more info: Pon Far is a Vulcan term for their mating cycle. Every seven years, the adult Vulcan undergoes an extreme and erratic physical and psychological imbalance, which can be fatal if the mating ritual is not carried out.
Seven, Jethro Tull. Eight, Terminator.
Nine, Judaism More info: This gesture represents the Hebrew letter Shin which means Shaddai “Almighty God.” More info: This gesture is still used today by orthodox Jews of the Kohanim (KO HA NEEM), which are priests descended from Ahron by the patrilineal line. These Kohanim form a subset of the descendants of the priestly Levite tribe. The Kohanim use the Shin gesture during a blessing ceremony or the “Priestly Blessing”, that accompanies the prayer service. The actual Jewish blessing is done with both hands, not just one, extended outward. In this gesture, the arms are then held at a roughly 45 degree angle, level with the shoulders, as opposed to the completely vertical salute fashion in the “live long in prosper” version of the gesture. Nimoy first saw this when he was a boy and attended synagogue with his grandfather.
Ten, Art. Eleven, Pallet Knife. Twelve, Acrylic. Thirteen, Maurice Harold Macmillan /Macmillan/Supermac (nickname).
Fourteen, C) $90. Fifteen, Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1/Sputnik launched.
Sixteen, Frisbee More info: The most common origin story for the name of the flying disc is that college students would throw empty pie tins from the Frisbie Pie Company in Connecticut in the late 1800s. Inventor Walter Frederick Morrison got the idea for a flying disc in the late 1940s and developed a plastic version, specifically designed to fly easily. He originally named it the Pluto Platter, hoping to cash-in on the alleged flying saucer U.F.O sightings at the time. The toy company Wham-O bought the Pluto Platter, changed its name to the Frisbee, and it soon became a wildly popular toy.
Seventeen, The Little Rock Nine/Little Rock Nine. Eighteen: The Bridge on the River Kwai. Nineteen, “Locomotive Breath” by Jethro Tull. Twenty, Acoustic Guitar.
THE END (Interstate Crosscheck, “War is a Racket,” by General Smedley Butler, Michelle Gibson YouTube Channel)