General Knowledge Quiz

[Calthrop]

I knew about the Cossack geezer; but my lack of interest in / knowledge of pop, is boundless. Resorted to Google -- for a wonder, the number concerned was known to me; couldn't, though, have made the connection for myself. I'm disqualified, thus.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Dont let me be misunderstood - The Animals ?

 

[martinsh]

Those Were The Days - Mary Hopkins

 

[Jimbob52]

Not 'Don't let me be misunderstood' nor 'Those were the days', fine records though they were.

The writer of the lyrics had a famous sister.

 

[John Griffiths]

Is it The Seekers? I know I can't google, but the one that goes "lalala, LA la lalala, lalala, la la la la... , I will love you till I die". Or something like that.

 

[perryman]

Is it The Seekers? I know I can't google, but the one that goes "lalala, LA la lalala, lalala, la la la la... , I will love you till I die". Or something like that.

AKA The Carnival Is Over.

Your rendition made it easy for me to work out...

 

[John Griffiths]

I do have drink taken!

 

[Jimbob52]

AKA The Carnival Is Over.

Your rendition made it easy for me to work out...

Many of The Seekers' songs went 'La, la la, la, la la' but I was about to give it to John Griffiths. However, perryman has provided the correct answer with 'The Carnival is Over' so the floor is his.

As an aside, I heard Judith Durham sing The Carnival is Over on The Seekers' farewell tour. There was not a dry eye in the house.

 

[perryman]

Many of The Seekers' songs went 'La, la la, la, la la' but I was about to give it to John Griffiths. However, perryman has provided the correct answer with 'The Carnival is Over' so the floor is his.

As an aside, I heard Judith Durham sing The Carnival is Over on The Seekers' farewell tour. There was not a dry eye in the house.

It is a lovely tune, and she has a fabulous voice. Re the answer, thanks but I would never have got it from the clue so please, can it go back to @John Griffiths and his bottle/can/glass of whatever.

 

[Jimbob52]

It is a lovely tune, and she has a fabulous voice. Re the answer, thanks but I would never have got it from the clue so please, can it go back to @John Griffiths and his bottle/can/glass of whatever.

Of course. Over to you, John.

 

[John Griffiths]

Too tired... Thanks to Perryman for his gracious offer but I defer to him.

 

[perryman]

Here we go:

Clue 1: This station has more than 4 platforms.

 

[GRALISTAIR]

Here we go:

Clue 1: This station has more than 4 platforms.

That ain’t much of a clue!

 

[Strat-tastic]

Is it general knowledge?

OK, Birmingham New Street.

 

[perryman]

I'm so sorry, I thought I was in another thread... and no drink involved.

If I may still be allowed:

Which two countries share the world's shortest international land border, and how long is the border? That's two answers please - the two countries, and the border length.

Clue - it's not Birmingham New Street.

 

[341o2]

Would that be Vatican City, basically the Pope's residence within Rome, Italy

 

[MotCO]

I'm wondering about any countries in the isthmus between North and South America, or maybe the Caribbean where islands are divided, but don't have any specifics.

 

[perryman]

No to both answers.

 

[MotCO]

How about Monacco / Italy?

 

[Calthrop]

Probably, greatly "reaching" -- and not right: but, Russia and China? Not their long mutual border in the far east (Manchuria area); but further west, at the countries-almost-four-corners-point of Russia / Mongolia / China / Kazakhstan: where (guessing here) Russia and China share a very short border -- I'll opt for 2 km. -- and the other two, "by a whisker", don't ??

 

[perryman]

I think Monaco is an French enclave, so shares no border with Italy (or any other country except France).

One thing I will add is that with questions such as these, there can be more than one answer, depending on interpretation. So, in order not to be shouted at down the line, these two countries do share other land borders but this particular border is the world's shortest land border.

 

[perryman]

Not Russia and China, @Calthrop.

 

[Calthrop]

Not Russia and China, @Calthrop.

I didn't really think so ! -- if it's not, as per previous post, Italy and the Vatican, then -- ???? (I'd been thinking perhaps, stuff in the Middle East; but it seems not.)

 

[perryman]

I didn't really think so ! -- if it's not, as per previous post, Italy and the Vatican, then -- ???? (I'd been thinking perhaps, stuff in the Middle East; but it seems not.)

No, not Italy and the Vatican. Remember, the two countries concerned share more than one instance of a land border with each other (not including maritime borders here, purely land).

 

[John Griffiths]

Is it Namibia and Zambia - Namibia's Caprivi strip extending eastwards and just touching Zambia. It is a point where the two touch but has no length.

 

[perryman]

It's not Namibia and Zambia as their border is quite long.

However, Zambia and Botswana's only border is the shortest single border in the world at around 150 metres. As mentioned above, the two countries concerned with shortest land border full stop have more than more instance of a land border.

 

[xotGD]

I know that there is an island shared by Germany and Denmark, so I'll go with that. Maybe just 1 km long?

 

[perryman]

No, it's not a German/Danish thing. The land border concerned is between 74 and 85 metres in length, depending on which source you take.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

Is it Sudan and South Sudan?

 

[Calthrop]

I suppose it wouldn't be Lithuania and Russia (the latter's Kaliningrad Enclave) -- which have a quite long normal "mainland" border; and a short one about half-way along the Curonian Spit -- the long tongue of land which separates the Baltic Sea, from its "sea-loch"-kind-of feature called the Curonian Lagoon?