WWTBAM Bored

Thom Slattery
West Orange, NJ

When Thom got the call he thought it was a scam - he thought the time had passed for him to be on the show, so he called the number back to make sure it came from ABC.

$100 - What government agency publishes a booklet titled "Helping Your Child Succeed in School"?

A - Dept. of Veterans Affairs
B - Dept. of Education
C - Dept. of Transportation
D - Dept. of Overbearing Parents

$200 - A person adopting an honorable or morally correct stance is said to be "taking the" what?

A - high road
B - long road
C - wide road
D - flat road

$300 - Which of these items is typically made differently for left-handed and right-handed users?

A - magnifying glass
B - frying pan
C - scissors
D - colander

$500 - Which of these varieties of flowers shares its name with a vivid shade of yellow?

A - rose
B - lavender
C - daffodil
D - lily

$1K - How many U.S. states are not part of the area known as the conterminous United States?

A - 2
B - 3
C - 4
D - 5

$2K - "Get A Clue" is a tagline for which of these 2007 movies?

A - Blades of Glory
B - Rush Hour 3
C - Meet the Robinsons
D - Nancy Drew

$4K - Which of these fabrics is named for a variety of goat found in a hilly region between India and Pakistan?

A - denim
B - cashmere
C - velvet
D - suede

Thom goes with his gut and says, "B".

$8K - In math, a 30-60-90 triangle is what kind of triangle?

A - obtuse
B - equilateral
C - right
D - isosceles

Thom's sister is a math teacher and would be disappointed if Thom didn't get this correct.

Commercial break

$16K - If the '70s pop duo Captain & Tennille was "promoted" one rank in the U.S. Army, what would be its new name?

A - Colonel & Tennille
B - Major & Tennille
C - Brigadier General & Tennille
D - Warrant Officer & Tennille

Thom says this is a good time for him to ask the audience.

ATA results:
A - 17%
B - 78%
C - 3%
D - 2%

Thom says that's a very good number and he goes with the audience's answer.

$25K - Which of the following is the name for a type of bean and not a type of pasta?

A - lumaconi
B - mostaccioli
C - gemelli
D - borlotti

Thom wants to call his friend Sarah Jane. He reads the question, Sarah Jane sighs and asks him to read the first two again. The only one Sarah Jane knows is a pasta is gemelli. Thom then asks for the 50/50, leaving C and D. Since that's the one Sarah Jane knew was a pasta, Thom is going to trust her and make "D" his final answer.

Commercial break

Thom is an IT administrator. His wife Lisa is in the relationship seat. They have a new house and a lot of bills - they've had to replace the boiler and other things. He'd like to bring home the million to pay off the debt and get some new things.

$50K - In the human body, where is the zonule of Zinn located?

A - under the tongue
B - on the brain stem
C - in the eyeball
D - in the large intestine

Thom says it sounds like some sort of invader that came down and went for the eyeball. He decides to switch the question.

$50K (STQ) - Which of these famous lines is associated with a president who was a Democrat?

A - The buck stops here
B - A chicken in every pot
C - Speak softly and carry a big stick
D - A return to normalcy

Thom says that "The buck stops here" was said by Truman and he thinks Truman was a Democrat. He waits, then says, "I'm waiting for some gasps." After he makes that his final answer, Meredith gives him one. "I can't believe it came to me!" Thom remarks.

$100K - At the All English Club, the site of Wimbledon, the players' entrance to Centre Court bears the inscription of a quote by whom?

A - Rudyard Kipling
B - John Milton
C - P.G. Wodehouse
D - Evelyn Waugh

Thom would love to go home with $100K but going home with $50K is not a bad day. It would be a total shot in the dark if he were to guess. He thinks it might be something from Milton, but he decides to walk away.

THE HORN!!!!!

ANSWERS:
$100 - B (Dept. of Education)
$200 - A (high road)
$300 - C (scissors)
$500 - C (daffodil)
$1K - A (2)
$2K - D (Nancy Drew)
$4K - B (cashmere)
$8K - C (right)
$16K - B (Major & Tennille)
$25K - D (borlotti)
$50K - C (in the eyeball)
$50K (STQ) - A (The buck stops here)
$100K - A (Rudyard Kipling)

WE®


OK, before the Spelling Police® even think about making a ruckus over this question, it must be said that there is no spelling error. "Conterminous" is an acceptable alternate spelling of "coterminous".

$16K: I want to say major, but I want to PAF just to be sure. I didn't think that the audience would know this one.

$25K: I know that B and C are pastas. I was afraid that 50:50 would leave A and D, so I would've used ATA and hoped for the best. Assuming they got it right...

$50K: Yeah, right. STQ.

$50K #2: No hesitation here.

$100K: I'm between Kipling and Wodehouse. 50:50 and see if Wodehouse goes away. If so, I have $100K and no lifelines. If not, I walk with $50K.

CindyBAM doesn't air on the ABC affiliate in Louisville, so this wouldn't have helped Thom over his fear of a scam had he called from here.



I've heard of "continguous" and "coterminous". According to Mirriam-Webster "coterminous" and "conterminous" are not quite the same thing.



Does anyone know why the region is spelled "Kashmir" but the fabric is "cashmere"?



I confess, I'm a fan of C&T.



I know that B and C are pastas, so I'd go with the 50/50 here.



I don't have enough anatomical knowledge for this one, so it's time to use a lifeline. Let's STQ like Thom did. How funny that he should allude to the eyeball.



Bingo! Good choice.



My first thought was "Dante" (as in "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here"), which elwing thought was funny. I thought it might be Kipling, but at this level it's time to try another lifeline - going to a Google PAF. Turns out the lines are from Kipling's "If":

“If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two impostors just the same”

Thom did a good thing by walking away. I'd be going for $250K with only the ATA still available.

_________________
"Elen sila lumenn omentielvo...A star shines on the hour of our meeting."

<sigh>

Wish I had had that problem before the flushed me from the pool...





Yikes! A WWOQ for $25K! Gemelli was the only one I'd heard of. Thom was very lucky that Sarah gave him just enough to salvage the question with a fortunate 50/50.



That's a shout-out to our MM "Invader Zim" isn't it?

And another WWOQ, as far as I'm concerned.



Now, this is a reasonable question! All famous lines, from which one can logically connect them to the proper presidents.

And I had no clue on the Wimbledon question, which would have burnt another lifeline.

That was a rare and curious reference to the fifth lifeline.

And then Mere had to warn him that he should never trust any such outbursts from the audience.

Used to be surprised how many people didn't know military ranks. Not so much anymore. Having been both this was pretty easy for me though!
&#@$% food questions. No clue.

Now that's a gimmie!


Relatively easy as the 50K STQ question often seems to be. But wouldn't have needed it here.


That is some pretty tough trivia. I used to know "If" by heart but didn't know it had two of its lines inscribed there.

_________________
If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.
~Mark Twain

Some people are like a Slinky. They are not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you shove them down the stairs...
~tanstaafl2

Nullum Gratuitum Prandium
Ne Illegitimi Carborundum
Cumann na gClann Uí Thighearnaigh

Used to be surprised how many people didn't know military ranks. Not so much anymore. Having been both this was pretty easy for me though!

You were both the Captain and Tennille??

_________________
"Elen sila lumenn omentielvo...A star shines on the hour of our meeting."

I'm glad I resisted the urge to post that joke.

Woulda been redundant.

I'm trying to discover my humorous side - with the next J! online test in the offing, I need to start finding new facets to my personality.

_________________
"Elen sila lumenn omentielvo...A star shines on the hour of our meeting."

We seem to have a departure from the pattern ear noticed about STQ.

Also, I think a new MM is about to make his debut.

_________________
Enough already. It's my fault! Get over it!

That'll be $10, please.

It's not every time, but it does seem to be more often than chance might dictate.



I can't wait.

_________________
"Elen sila lumenn omentielvo...A star shines on the hour of our meeting."

Hate to keep ear waiting, so here he is! This sounds so much like a cross between a really lame MM and a Super Hero.

Also, I picked a very tasteful avatar, unlike some others we could name...

Welcome, Dr. Zinn.

So, Wikipedia tells me that the Zonule of Zinn is "a ring of fibrous strands connecting the ciliary body with the crystalline lens of the eye." But I still done understand what a "zonule" is. Are there any other zonules, besides your own?

According to an online dictionary a zonule is "a small zone, as of a ligament". Not very helpful, and the only example listed is the zonule of Zinn.

_________________
"Elen sila lumenn omentielvo...A star shines on the hour of our meeting."

Well, you're a pretty accomplished gentleman. Not only do you have a Zonule, you've also got an Annulus! Not to mention the Zinnia being named in your honor.

And...if Wikipedia is to be believed, you also know how to have a good time! Or should I question that particular line for lacking proper references?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Gottfried_Zinn

Thanks, friend. My work here is done. But I stay ever vigilant, and just in case I'm not around if a situation like this arises again, please feel free to call on my trusted sidekick, tanstaafl.

Hi-yo, up, up, lantern's might!

Yes, and I have the legs to prove it!

No, not Toni, I am refering to Daryl...

On a completely unrelated side note perhaps the best A cappella version of the National Anthem I can ever remember hearing was sung by Toni Tennille in the 1982 NLCS.

_________________
If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.
~Mark Twain

Some people are like a Slinky. They are not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you shove them down the stairs...
~tanstaafl2

Nullum Gratuitum Prandium
Ne Illegitimi Carborundum
Cumann na gClann Uí Thighearnaigh

Well, given the rather unique embryology of the eye, and the lens in particular, the zonules may well be unique. But rather than being similar to a ligament, which connects bone to bone, the zonule is perhaps more like a tendon, which connects muscle to bone. Except the zonule performs the rather unique function of attaching a muscle to the capsule of the lens, which is neither muscle nor bone, but rather a unique ectodermal structure that has been kept somewhat distinct from the rest of the body such that the body would and does react to it as a foreign substance if and when it escapes the confines of that rather interesting capsule or basement membrane of collagen. The zonules allow that ciliary muscle to influence the shape of the lens resulting in our ability to accomodate.

But thats a whole nuther kettle of ectoderm...

This then is the zonule of Zinn.

If you squint really hard, thus putting your zonules at maximal relaxation, you can see where it points out the zonules of Zinn near the center of this picture!


The zonules are the wispy appearing grayish area between the arrows extending away from the lens




You all find this fascinating, right?

_________________
If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.
~Mark Twain

Some people are like a Slinky. They are not really good for anything, but you still can't help but smile when you shove them down the stairs...
~tanstaafl2

Nullum Gratuitum Prandium
Ne Illegitimi Carborundum
Cumann na gClann Uí Thighearnaigh

Well, hey, the question writers think we should know this stuff!

16K: ATA & hope they're a lot less clueless about this than I am. I guessed right, but would never have gone with it, alone.

25K: Like the contestant's PAF, the only thing I was sure of here was that gemelli was pasta. PAF my sister.

50K: I also have never heard of this. STQ

STQ 50K: EZ

100K: No idea. Would 50/50 just to "have used it", but would not take the bet.

It would be nice if they had given us the actual line, wouldn't it. Author's style, might recognize line itself, etc.