From: gallaxial@gallaxial.com   
      
   IRC travia thru irc://gallaxial.com      /join #TraviaBot   
      
      
   On Tue, 03 Feb 2026 11:30:58 +0000, msb@vex.net (Mark Brader) wrote:   
      
   >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 would be a small   
   >penalty if the questions were being scored.  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 Unnatural Axxxe, 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.  For further information please see my 2024-08-30   
   >companion posting on "Questions from the Canadian Inquisition   
   >(QFTCI*)".   
   >   
   >   
   >* Game 3 (2026-01-26), Round 1 - Current Events   
   >   
   > 1. Well, I guess that one-child policy worked.  It was revealed   
   >    last week that China's birthrate has plunged to its lowest   
   >    level in a very long time.  Name the last decade when it   
   >    was lower.   
   >   
   > 2. An Austrian cow named Veronika and a broom were the   
   >    focus of a study at Vienna's University of Veterinary   
   >    Medicine.  The study is the first scientifically documented   
   >    account of what behavior in cows?   
   >   
   > 3. The financial services firm Jefferies last week announced   
   >    that the 4 largest U.S. air carriers could soon together   
   >    save as much as $580 million in fuel usage per year -- a   
   >    fringe benefit that can be attributed to passengers' use of   
   >    what?   
   >   
   > 4. A sewage pipeline break in Maryland on Monday has been   
   >    dumping 60,000,000 gallons of waste-water a day into this   
   >    river which connects Maryland and Washington DC.  Name the   
   >    river.   
   >   
   >5. Finish this one-liner from Prime Minister Carney's widely   
   >   applauded speech in Davos last week.  "If you're not at the   
   >   table..."   
   >   
   >6. Brooklyn-born entrepreneur David Rosen died last week at age 95.   
   >   A photo-booth business he'd started in Japan morphed over the   
   >   years into a worldwide videogame giant.  What company was it?   
   >   
   >7. Dallas Pokornik of Toronto, a former flight attendant, was   
   >   arrested in Hawaii, and faces up to 20 years in prison for fraud.   
   >   What had he been allegedly doing for the last 4 years?   
   >   
   >8. New York City's legal department launched a lawsuit last week   
   >   over "Behind the Badge", a reality-TV series being shot about   
   >   policing in the city.  The producer is a TV personality who's   
   >   not really a doctor.  Name the defendant.  Surname, please.   
   >   
   >9. Name the former Olympic snowboarder from Thunder Bay who was   
   >   arrested in Mexico last week for running an international   
   >   drug ring.   
   >   
   >10. This colorful author died of apparent suicide in 2005, but his   
   >   widow convinced Colorado authorities to reopen the case   
   >   last year.  On Friday, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation   
   >   concluded the death was indeed a suicide.  Name that author.   
   >   
   >   
   >* Game 4 (2026-02-02), Round 1 - Current Events   
   >   
   >1. Free-climber Alex Honnold -- who once climbed the CN Tower --   
   >   scaled a 101-storey building last week, in which city?   
   >   
   >2. What was significant about the recovery of Master Sergeant Ran   
   >   Gvili's body in Gaza last week?   
   >   
   >3. Last week, federal Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson   
   >   conditionally approved the export to the US of the last whales   
   >   being held in captivity in Canada.  What kind of whales are they?   
   >   
   >4. Statistics Canada last week released a high-growth prediction   
   >   for Canada's population in 2075.  Within 6,000,000, what is it?   
   >   
   >5. Air Miles members will need new cards this summer, as BMO,   
   >   which bought the loyalty program for $160,000,000 in 2023,   
   >   revamps it and changes its name -- to what?   
   >   
   >6. The Melania Trump documentary reportedly left many theaters in   
   >   its London debut with zero tickets sold.  It opened nationwide   
   >   on the weekend to scalding reviews.  Name the billionaire woh   
   >   paid the freight for this vanity project.   
   >   
   >7. After decrying killings by ICE,, the Somali-born Democratic   
   >   representative for the 5th District of Minnesota was attacked   
   >   at the podium by a man spraying a foul-smelling liquid at her.   
   >   Hame her.   
   >   
   >8. Already on the launch pad, Artemis 2 has until February 8 to   
   >   meet its first potential launch window to the Moon.  Meanwhile,   
   >   in Toronto, February 8 is being touted as the launch date for   
   >   another long-awaited transportation milestone.  What is that?   
   >   
   >9. Fleetwood Mar's 1975 song "Landslide" passed the 1,000,000,000   
   >   streams mark on Spotify, joining "The Chain", "Everywhere",   
   >   and "Go Your Own Way".  Only one of their singles has hit   
   >   2,000,000,000, though.  Name that one.   
   >   
   >10. Waterfront Toronto released a report last week on the   
   >   feasibility of a new public transit service.  What does it   
   >   involve?   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)