Question for April 26, 2012

France has most number of representations with representatives from this country attending 4 times. Bhutan, Mauritius and USSR/Russia are next with 3 representations. 7 nations have sent representatives 2 times, while 27 other nations have sent representatives once. Representation to this event is by invite only. Generally, only one invite is sent each year. However, two were sent in 1968 and 1974, while in a further 11 years, none were sent. Some of the more famous names to have attended include Queen Elizabeth II, Joseph Tito, Jacques Chirac, John Major, Vladimir Putin, Nicolas Sarkozy and Yingluck Shinawatra, who is also the most recent invitee. Only King Wangchuck of Bhutan and Jacques Chirac of France have attended twice.

Which event is described here?

Question for March 29, 2012 - PS

Hey all,

Here's an attempt to revive our quiz blog. 

Question for today: What does the graph below depict?

Question for September 5, 2011

Connect the following:

• Cooch-Behar (India) – Bangladesh
• Baarle Nassau (The Netherlands) – Belgium
• Nahwa (UAE) – Madha (Oman)
• Puducherry (India) – Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh (all India)
• Liberty Island, Ellis Island (New York, USA) – New Jersey (USA)
• Dadra (Dadra and Nagar Haveli, India) – Gujarat (India)

Obviously, the list is not exhaustive. However, there is something special about the first three entries in the list. Bonus points for identifying it.

Question for July 19, 2011

A's invasion on the territory B held by C was used as a precedent for X's similar invasion on territory Y, also held by C, almost 15 years later. There were some similarities to both invasions, with both A and X claiming that the territories were historically connected to them, and C claiming that the military action was an assault on their soverignity. Both invasions earned condemnations from other parts of the world, and resolutions were tabled at the United Nations Security Council demanding withdrawal of troops from B and Y respectively.

The differences were in the nature of support obtained for the actions from other countries. The Soviet Union vetoed the UNSC resolution against A, effectively offering support for A's action. The United States was one of the nations that tabled the resolution against A; however, it did not speak out against X as it considered the nation as the most important ally in the region. Where the two invasions differed dramatically was in the aftermath. While B was successfully integrated as part of A, Y was mired in a long and protracted bloody war with X, which eventually ended with Y gaining independence from X more than 25 years later.

Identify (A, B); (X, Y); and C.

Hint: C is a former colonial power. Y obtained independence from X in the 2000s.

Question for Jul 12

What does the visual depict?

Dewan > Maharaja

C. P. Ramaswamy Iyer, or Sir CP as he was called, served as the dewan to the maharaja of X from 1936 to 1947. He was instrumental in X's resistance to assimilation in the Indian Union and it was believed that the he had the Maharaja under his thumb. After an attempt on CP's life, X did eventually agree to join independent India. X was joined with another princely state (Y) and a part (Z) of the Madras province of British India to form a new state which united areas that spoke a common language. Identify X. Bonus points for Y and Z.

Question for June 22, 2011

X is an organism organized in a hexagonal crystal shaped structure. It requires pure energy for growth which it uses with high efficiency, producing no excretory waste. While green in colour under normal circumstances, it changes to a purplish colour during mitotic division. X can grow only under a highly specific set of conditions. The pH range required for its growth is 7.39 to 7.43. The best conditions are under ultra-violet light with the air rich in carbon dioxide while the worst conditions are under infra-red light with the air rich in oxygen.

When introduced in the human body it immediately coagulates the entire blood stream resulting in near instant death. In certain cases it attacks the brain resulting in insanity leading to death. While extremely deadly at the time it was discovered, it has since mutated into a relatively harmless organism with the ability to "eat" through rubber, and is believed to have migrated to upper space.

Identify X.