Dear Friends of the Pub Quiz,
Happy Memorial Day. This morning I was honored to take part in a ceremony honoring the war dead of the City of Davis, of Yolo County, and of California. Songs were sung and played, names of the Davis fallen were read, and I read a poem from my book In the Almond Orchard: Coming Home from War (available for purchase at the Avid Reader on 2nd Street). Everyone’s favorite part of the morning ceremony was the remarks prepared by Imelda “Mel” Russell, the local historian who works out of the Davis branch of the Yolo County Library. Russell told stories about her own connection to World War I (as someone born in London), and our city’s connection to The Great War. One hundred years ago 900 people of a population of about 14,000 were chosen to serve. Many didn’t return home.
Ms. Russell read a poem that is familiar to those who have studied WWI literature, as I have, “In Flanders Fields” by John McRae:
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
As you reread this poem, please join me in reflecting on the lives and deaths of those who have sacrificed for our country.
Tonight’s Pub Quiz will feature questions on some of the above topics, but also on dried meats, spirits, distracting crashes, that which is unknown, identical twins, first-timers, weekly morning philosophers, a brigade of secretions, courage, hazards in New Zealand, addressing ADHD, the place for women, important treaties, Metacritic raves, thoughts on hope, judges, qualifications for peace, OJ, country music stars whom I can stomach, horrid soups made with adverbs, renewable energy, falling trees, The Bible, west wings, odd legs, first-person, anniversaries, ancient Greeks, sleep aids, and Shakespeare.
Having rested this holiday, I bet you will be ready to join us tonight before 7! See you then.
Your Quizmaster
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Here are three questions from last week’s quiz:
- Internet Culture. What does the acronym IoT stand for, where the O is lower case?
- Feeling Prideful. In what year did the United States Supreme Court rule in that state-level bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional?
- Pop Culture – Music. What is the mononym of the rapper and actor who had a role in the film for which he won an Academy Award for Best Song, titled “Glory”?
P.S. Poetry Night this coming Thursday features Lawrence Dinkins, one of my favorite Sacramento poets. He will be taking a train to Davis to perform for you, but only if you show up to the John Natsoulas Gallery on June 1 at 8!