From: pete.gayde@gmail.com   
      
   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.)   
   >   
   >   
   > 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?   
      
   Rotavirus   
      
   >   
   > 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?   
   >   
   > 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?   
   >   
   > 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.   
      
   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.   
   >   
   > 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   
      
   >   
   > 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?   
   >   
   > 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.   
   >   
   > After completing the round, please decode the rot13: Ba gur svefg   
   > dhrfgvba, gur nafjre vf n fhoinevnag bs Bzvpeba.  Fb vs lbh fnvq   
   > Bzvpeba, cyrnfr tb onpx naq or zber fcrpvsvp.   
   >   
   >   
   > * 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*.   
   >   
   > 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.   
   >   
   > 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?   
   >   
   > 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.   
      
   Tkachuk   
      
   >   
   > 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 Leaf   
      
   >   
   > 6. This week, Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei was declared persona non   
   >     grata due to alleged attempts to intimidate a Conservative MP.   
   >     Name that MP.   
   >   
   > 7. Earlier this week, the Globe And Mail reported that Canada is   
   >     interested in joining what currently trilateral security pact?   
   >   
   > 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?   
   >   
   > 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.   
      
   Rush   
      
   >   
   > 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   
   >     attributed to a rumor that it was written by which pop artist?   
   >   
      
   Pete Gayde   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)