Quiz 22

The quiz was contributed by Manazir Wasi from Delhi. Answers to be scrapped as comments on this page or mailed to manazir dot wasi at gmail dot com

1. This company started as a result of a merger between two Silicon Valley startups, Confinity and x dot com. According to a study it attracted at least 260 million visitors annually by 2008. Many of its employees have went on to start new ventures. This trend prompted The New York Times to publish a story entitled "It pays to have pals in Silicon Valley". Some of the illustrious companies started by its employees are Tesla Motors', Yelp, Youtube etc. Which company?

2. This casino resort developer's daughter Kevyn was kidnapped and he had to pay $1.45 million in ransom for her safe return. But the kidnappers were apprehended when one attempted to buy a Ferrari in Newport Beach, California with the ransom money. This story was obliquely referenced in the year 2001's hit movie Ocean's Eleven. He has an impressive art collection that includes paintings by Vincent van Gogh, Édouard Manet, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol, and Johannes Vermeer. This multi faceted personality is also an inductee in the American Gaming Association Hall of Fame. Who is this tycoon also known as Mr. Las Vegas for pioneering the Casino business in the Vegas Strip?

3. Mohammed Ali met Frazier in the ring on March 8, 1971, at Madison Square Garden for the fight that came to be known as "The Fight of the Century". It was one of the most eagerly anticipated bouts of all time and still remains one of the most famous. At the beginning of the match both boxers were undefeated. A very famous personality was unable to acquire a ringside seat so he took photos of the match for Life magazine. Identify the personality?

4. What is the claim to fame of this strucure: (pic)

5. This company lists the following 10 reasons why you should work for it:

1.Lend a helping hand.

2. Life is beautiful.

3. Appreciation is the best motivation,

4. Work and play are not mutually exclusive.

5. We love our employees, and we want them to know it.

6. Innovation is our bloodline.

7. Good company everywhere you look.

8. Uniting the world, one user at a time.

9. Boldly go where no one has gone before. 10._________________________________

Which company and what is the tenth reason?

6. This iconic figurine was a result of a 13 year affair between Lord Montagu of Beaulieu and his secretary Eleanour Thornton. For his part, Montagu was so infatuated with Thornton that he asked her to model for this iconic emblem. A mutual friend, Charles Sykes, who was an artist and sculptor, crafted a figure of her in fluttering robes, pressing a finger to her lips to symbolise the secret of their love. Which emblem resulted?

7. He was one of the original NASA Project Mercury astronauts and the second American to fly in space. He was the backup command pilot for Gemini 6 when he shifted to the Apollo program and was assigned as commander of AS-204, which was meant to be the first manned Apollo flight. Had he been alive he was surely going to be the first man on moon. But he died in an accident along with two fellow astronauts. This accidents along with a few other freak accidents killing about 10 astronauts, (which was about an astounding 15% of NASA's total astronaut strength) led many conspiracy theorists including his son to believe that they were all murdered as they were not party to the NASA's 'fake' moon landing mission. Who was this not to be hero?

8. He commands the fourth largest standing army in the world and his people officially refer to him as the "Dear Leader". According to his official biography his birth was foretold by a swallow, and heralded by the appearance of a double rainbow over the mountain and a new star in the heavens. After his father's death he was not replaced as President because the active position has been abolished in deference to the memory of his father. Subsequently, his Defense Commission position was declared to be "the highest post of the state" and he became head of state. His fav movies include James Bond, Godzilla, Rambo. Identify?

9. "Early in my acting career, I realized the only way I would ever prove myself was to create my own role in my own script. On my 29th birthday, I had $106 in the bank. My best birthday present was a sudden revelation that I had to write the kind of screenplay that I personally enjoyed seeing. I relished stories of heroism, great love, dignity, and courage, dramas of people rising above their stations, taking life by the throat and not letting go until they succeeded. But I had so many ideas in my head, I couldn't focus on any one. To cheer myself up, I took the last of my entertainment money and went to see the Ali-Wepner fight on closed circuit TV. Chuck Wepner, a battling, bruising club fighter who had never made the big time, was having his shot. It wasn't at all regarded as a serious battle. But as the fight progressed, this miracle unfolded. He hung in there. People went absolutely crazy. Wepner was knocked out in the 15th and final round, almost lasting the distance. We had witnessed an incredible triumph of the human spirit and we loved it. That day, _____ ______ was born". Fill the blanks.

10. He was assistant to Frank Reijkaard at the Euro 2000, when he lost his bag during preparation camp on a Swiss camping site. According to the victim the bag contained some telephone numbers, notepads, soap and some Tablorene bars. During this year's Euro, the bag was found at the entrance of the the site where Dutch team was based. The notepads and the soap remain in the bag, to which a message was attached requesting the bag be returned to its owner. The bag snatchers wrote: "We ate the chocolates but have replaced it with new bars". They signed the note "the dumb thieves from Geneva".
To which great player did the bag belong?

11. Which is the first Indian rock band to be nominated for a Grammy award?

12. Connect:

Answers:

1. Paypal

2. Steve Wynn famous for casinos like the Mirage, Treasure Island and Bellagio.

3. Frank Sinatra

4. Vesey Staircase/Survivor's staircase its is the last visible structure above ground level at the World Trade Center site.

5. Google. The 10th reason is free lunch!

6. The Spirit of Ecstacy/ The Whisperer

7. Virgil Ivan Grissom a.k.a. "Gus" Grissom.

8. Kim Jong Il of North Korea

9. Rocky Balboa. This is Sylvester Stallone talking.

10. Johan Neeskens

11. Pralay a band based in Mumbai who made it big with their album Urban Reality.

12. Professor Shonku ( a fictional scientist created by Satyajit Ray who fetaured in a series of sci fi books).

Feluda the sleuth ( another fictional character created by Satyajit Ray).
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon (a character that appeared in the Simpsons as a tribute to Satyajit Ray ).
The connection is Satyajit Ray.

Scores:

Bharath 2.5

Arun AS 5.5

Anand Shankar 3.5

Jose Joseph 4

Chandrakant Nair 7

Arianne 6

VIK 1

Nipun 1

Ankit 6

Anoop V Raj 9

Sreeram Iyer 5.5

Hrishi 4

Albert John 1