From: stephen.w.perry@gmail.com   
      
   On Thursday, May 18, 2023 at 3:49:06 AM UTC-4, Mark Brader wrote:   
   > And now, current-events Questions from the Canadian Inquisition    
   > by Bloor St. Irregulars in 2023! (I'll update my introductory    
   > companion posting later, but I wanted to get this set out as    
   > fast as possible.)    
      
   *squee!*   
      
   >    
   > These questions were written to be asked in Toronto on the dates    
   > indicated, and should be interpreted accordingly. If any answers    
   > have changed due to newer news, you are still expected to give    
   > the answers that were correct on that date.    
   >    
   > On each question you may give up to two answers, but if you give    
   > both a right answer and a wrong answer, there is a small penalty.    
   > Please post all your answers in a single followup to the newsgroup,    
   > based only on your own knowledge. (In your answer posting, quote    
   > the questions and place your answer below each one.) I will reveal    
   > the correct answers in about 3 days.    
   >    
   > All questions were written by members of Bloor St. Irregulars and    
   > are used here by permission, but have been reformatted and may have    
   > been retyped and/or edited by me. The posting and tabulation of    
   > current-events questions is independent of the concurrent posting    
   > of other rounds (currently tagged RQFTCICR14).    
   >    
   >    
   > * Game 1 (2023-05-08), Round 1 - Current Events    
   >    
   > 1. Let's start things off with that which brought us to a screeching    
   > halt three years ago. On Friday, the WHO declared the COVID    
   > emergency over. However, what is the name of the current    
   > subvariant of interest, which has been associated with pink-eye?    
      
   arcturus (aka xbb.1.16)   
      
   > 2. It was announced this week that U of T professor and AI pioneer    
   > Geoffrey Hinton quit his job, warning, "It is hard to see how    
   > you can prevent the bad actors from using it for bad things".    
   > Which employer did he leave?    
      
   google   
      
   > 3. Canadian Tire was certainly in the news last week. They    
   > announced both a partnership with Petro-Canada, and that they    
   > were acquiring the leases for 10 locations formerly occupied    
   > by what American retailer, which filed for bankruptcy earlier    
   > this year?    
      
   bed, bath & beyond   
      
   > 4. The fallout from the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank continued    
   > this week. Which bank was seized on Monday by regulators and    
   > sold to JPMorgan Chase?    
      
   first republic bank   
      
   > 5. The Calgary Flames fired their head coach this week. Who was he?    
   > It was his second stint with the Flames. He has also won two    
   > Stanley Cups as head coach of the L.A. Kings, in the 2011-12    
   > and 2013-14 seasons.    
      
   darryl sutter   
      
   > 6. The 149th edition of the Kentucky Derby was not without    
   > controversy. A record number of horses, including the favorite,    
   > were scratched from the main race; and in the week leading up to    
   > the race, a number of horses died, some from mysterious causes.    
   > Within 1, how many horses died in the week leading up to the    
   > Kentucky Derby?    
      
   7   
      
   > 7. The inductees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class of 2023    
   > were announced on Wednesday. Please name any one on the list    
   > from the Performer category -- the main category.    
      
   kate bush ; willie nelson   
      
   > 8. Sundown came this week for what 84-year-old Canadian    
   > singer-songwriter? He was a pioneer in folk, rock, pop, and    
   > country music who wrote hundreds of songs for himself and many    
   > other artists, but arguably he will be best remembered for the    
   > tale of a Lake Superior shipwreck.    
      
   gordon lightfoot (twas the witch of november come stealin')   
      
   > 9. On Tuesday, which Saskatchewan community became the first of    
   > the Dakota First Nations to sign a treaty with Canada? This    
   > treaty formally recognizes the community as Indigenous people of    
   > Canada, and acknowledges their inherent right to self-governance?    
      
   whitecap dakota?   
      
   > 10. The signature dish served at coronation of the late    
   > Queen Elizabeth II was Coronation Chicken, a chicken salad    
   > which became ubiquitous in England. Only time will tell if    
   > King Charles III's choice of signature dish for his coronation    
   > will achieve a similar status. Name that dish.    
      
   quiche   
      
   > After completing the round, please decode the rot13: On the first    
   > question, the answer is a subvariant of Omicron. So if you said    
   > Omicron, please go back and be more specific.   
   >    
   >    
   > * Game 2 (2023-05-15), Round 1 - Current Events    
   >    
   > 1. On Saturday, Sweden won the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest. Name    
   > the singer, who became the first woman to win the prize *twice*.    
      
   loreen   
      
   > 2. The video game "Tears of the Kingdom" was released on May 12,    
   > with devoted fans everywhere lining up days before to get their    
   > copy. This is the 29th entry in this beloved, 37-year-old,    
   > Nintendo-only series of games. Name this franchise.    
      
   legend of zelda   
      
   > 3. The NHL draft Lottery was held on Monday night. Like previously    
   > named "Connor McDavid" and "Auston Matthews" drafts, this year's    
   > draft was named after what hot commodity?    
      
   connor bedard   
      
   > 4. The Leafs are out of the playoffs again, losing game 5 in    
   > overtime. Name the Florida Panther who scored the goal that    
   > ended the Leafs' season.    
      
   nick cousins   
      
   > 5. On Monday, the Federal government revealed the new design for    
   > the Canadian Royal Crown that sits atop the Canada Coat of Arms.    
   > It replaces religious symbols like crosses and fleur-de-lis    
   > with more traditional Canadian symbols. Name one of the two    
   > prominent new symbols.    
      
   maple leafs ; snowflake   
      
   > 6. This week, Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei was declared persona non    
   > grata due to alleged attempts to intimidate a Conservative MP.    
   > Name that MP.    
      
   chong   
      
   > 7. Earlier this week, the Globe And Mail reported that Canada is    
   > interested in joining what currently trilateral security pact?    
      
   aukus   
      
   > 8. On Wednesday, every province except Alberta and Quebec    
   > participated in a test of Canada's national public-alert system.    
   > What is the name of the system?    
      
   alert ready?   
      
   > 9. On Monday, what Juno-winning Canadian band announced they are    
   > breaking up after 27 years? They will finish their current    
   > tour and release a final double album, after which we'll just    
   > have to see how their individual parts fare.    
      
   sum 41   
      
   > 10. Ah, Internet theories! An untitled book known only as "4C    
   > Untitled Flatiron Nonfiction Summer 2023" was hovering around the    
   > top of some major US sales/presales charts. Its rapid rise was    
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)