The content in this page ("Clever, eh?" by Harrison George) is not produced by Prachatai staff. Prachatai merely provides a platform, and the opinions stated here do not necessarily reflect those of Prachatai.

Clever, eh?

The following questions are designed to test the efficiency of your intelligence and memory.  A high score indicates that you suffer from a chronic inability to distinguish between the important and the trivial.  A career in journalism or politics beckons you. 

There are 23 questions because I was trying to do 2 per month but, well, nothing much happened in January.  Answers next week.

1. FALCON, SEA-ME-WE 4 and FLAG were all damaged within 3 days of each in late January and early February.  What are they?

2. Who had to give up his overseas job in February when the newspapers leaked what he was up to?

3. When a foreign president arrived in London in March, British newspapers showed a picture of his wife in the nude.  Who was the president?

4. A man who owns a football club, and whose business empire has made him the richest person in his country, won an election in April.  In which country?

5. In which country did the military have to run away from a surprise attack in April, because they were carrying no ammunition?

6. In which Asian country did private ownership of mobile phones become legal in May?

7. Which country’s president has warned that text-messaging is ruining the national language?  (Examples: A2M1, JTM, JTM+)

8. Who announced in June that he was giving up his job for the rest of the year because of injury, just after he earned 1.3 million dollars for a week’s work?

9. On July 4, the United States opened a new embassy on a site that used to be the US Embassy 69 years ago.  In which capital city is this embassy?

10. In which city was the subway closed temporarily in July because there were too many passengers after half the cars were banned from the streets?

11. Mark Chapman’s fifth request for parole for a murder that he committed in 1980 in New York was rejected in August.  Who did he kill?

12. Who was heard but not seen in August, because her teeth aren’t straight?

13. Which country elected as president someone with the nickname of Mr 10% in September?

14. Which lucky country was promised one billion dollars from the US, half a billion euros from the EU, and a loan of 750 million dollars from the IMF in September?

15. Thailand lost a Prime Minister who liked appearing on TV cooking programmes.  Which country in September appointed a Prime Minister who likes appearing on TV cooking programmes?

16. Who in October was told by a President ‘You are gorgeous’ and then replied ‘You are so nice, thank you.’?

17. Which country’s Prime Minister couldn’t attend an international meeting in October because a shortage of paper meant he couldn’t get a passport?

18. In October, the leader of a European country was accused of crimes against humanity 36 years after his death.  Which country did he rule?

19. Which country elected an alleged Muslim Arab Socialist as its leader in November?

20. A man who is the son of one Prime Minister and the nephew of another appeared likely to become Prime Minister himself in November despite involvement in cases of murder, corruption and the silencing of witnesses.  Which Southeast Asian country was enjoying this scandal?

21. A former alcoholic and cocaine addict with a history of professional failure was appointed to a national level position in November.  Who is this and what is his current job?

22. Why was the Swiss Embassy expecting far fewer visa applications after December?

23. Where did a pair of size 10 shoes suddenly become worth $10 million in December?

 

 

About author:  Bangkokians with long memories may remember his irreverent column in The Nation in the 1980's. During his period of enforced silence since then, he was variously reported as participating in a 999-day meditation retreat in a hill-top monastery in Mae Hong Son (he gave up after 998 days), as the Special Rapporteur for Satire of the UN High Commission for Human Rights, and as understudy for the male lead in the long-running ‘Pussies -not the Musical' at the Neasden International Palladium (formerly Park Lane Empire).

And if you believe any of those stories, you might believe his columns.

 

Since 2007, Prachatai English has been covering underreported issues in Thailand, especially about democratization and human rights, despite the risk and pressure from the law and the authorities. However, with only 2 full-time reporters and increasing annual operating costs, keeping our work going is a challenge. Your support will ensure we stay a professional media source and be able to expand our team to meet the challenges and deliver timely and in-depth reporting.

• Simple steps to support Prachatai English

1. Bank transfer to account “โครงการหนังสือพิมพ์อินเทอร์เน็ต ประชาไท” or “Prachatai Online Newspaper” 091-0-21689-4, Krungthai Bank

2. Or, Transfer money via Paypal, to e-mail address: [email protected], please leave a comment on the transaction as “For Prachatai English”