Introducing www.kiva.org

Hi All,

So this Christmas, my family was really struggling with what to buy for one another. Even more pronounced this year was our sense that, in reality, we really have everything that we truly need to life our lives in quite an adequate fashion.

Especially given that we are in the midst of an economic downturn, the true impact and severity of which remain largely unquantifield, it just didn't seem appropriate to hit up the local big box stores simply to put some parcels under the tree.

Enter www.kiva.org. I discoverd Kiva thanks to Bill Clinton's recently published book "giving", and am most happy that I did.

In a nutshell, the site matches third world entrepreneurs with lenders from all around the world through microfinancing. In principle, the concept is not appreciably different from traditional loaning processes. In this case, you can review a portfolio of entrepreneurs looking for funding and then choose which you would like to loan to. For as little as $25, you can help make a significant difference in the lives of someone trying to start and/or grow their business. Keep in mind that this is a loan, not a donation, thereby meaning that the recipients pay it back on a preset schedule, and when fully paid back the lender(s) can choose to reinvest or pull their monies out.

In our case opted to support the following entrepreneur:

Mrs. Alicia Tumapon is 59 years old and lives at Polo, Dapitan City. She has three married children. She has been faced with many challenges. Her husband, Francisco, passed away from diabetes. Mrs. Alicia is a business-minded person. She opened a sari-sari (variety) store in 2004 with PHP 3,000. The business runs smoothly and has become her primary source of income. She heard of Paglaum MPC and decided to join in 2005. She has taken several loans and has expanded her business successfully. Now she is borrowing PHP 14,500 to purchase cases of soft drinks and canned goods for her sari-sari store. In the future, Mrs. Alicia wants to operate a mini grocery store.

The fit was great for us as some of us have had the chance to visit the Phillipines and have been looking for a way to give back, even just a little, for some of the great hospitality we were shown while visiting.

So, if you have a little leftover money after the holidays, why not consider kiva? Also, when gift giving, you might consider giving a kiva gift certificate, thereby allowing the recipient choose who to contribute to.

That's about all for tonight ......

Advent Calendar Quiz - Final Post

Hey Quizzees,

I hope you all had a wicked Christmas!

Well, we have come to the end of the 2008 Advent Calendar Quiz. I hope it provided at least a bit of amusement over the past 25 days, and thanks to everyone for playing along – much appreciated!

In the end, Chris H. finished strong and wins first place, but many other drinks are to be doled out in 2009 and I look forward to meeting with each of you for drinks next year.

As we move into the New Year, I extend to each of you the very best wishes for a rich and prosperous 2009.

Now, for answers to the final questions:

Question #24
________________Question #24_______

Although this was a touch question, the group rose to the challenge, as usual, and provided answers for many of the images. The correct answers were:

#1. Capital One - Financial Services for Small Businesses
#2. Johnny Walker - Scotch Whiskey - The caption removed read “..and he/she drinks Johnny Walker”.
#3. FIM - Financial Services - The big nose makes reference to the fact that the company will help you get a nose for where the money is.
#4. Hiltl - Vegetarian Restaurant - The caption removed read “there’s a vegetarian in every football player”.

The winners were as follows:

Capital One – Chris H. – 2 drinks

Johnny Walker – Chris H. – 2 drinks
FIM – Aaron G. – 1 drink for rhinoplasty as the closest guess (really tough call)
Hiltl – Chris Hamade – 2 drinks

Question #25
________________Question #25____________
Some great guesses were submitted for this question, but one exact definition was submitted, by Rob R., so he gets credit for answering the last question of 2008.

The correct answer was a corn husker for cutting corn stalks without having to bend over.

Advent Calendar - Day 24 + 25

Hey All,

For those that are celebrating, Merry Christmas! I hope you are enjoying your time with your family.

Thanks to all for some excellent guesses to last night’s quiz. By and large people got most of the events correct, but the dates were a little off in some cases. Based on what I could find, here were the answers I came up with – if anything seems amiss, let me know.

· Fall of the Berlin Wall – 1989
· Challenger Disaster – 1986
· First man on the moon – 1969
· Macintosh released – 1984 --- see commercial at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R706isyDrqI
· Pan Am 103 blows up over Lockerbie, Scotland – 1988
· Chernobyl explosion – 1986
· Lee Harvey Oswald arrested for JFK assassination – 1963
· Hindenburg crash – 1937
· First Blackberry is released - 1988

So the winner was Paul Sander who threw out the right answer at 8:00am this morning – within an hour of the question going out! Well done Paul.

Check out the latest leader board at: http://vbstwocents.blogspot.com/. Although Chris H. is in the lead, tonight is a double question day, with nine drinks up for grabs, meaning the race is still on. I am also going to take Christmas day off, so I won’t look at answers until the 26th or so, so extra days are available for thinking.

So, let’s go!

Question #24
________________Question #24___________
One of the things I find incredibly interesting is the amount of money that companies will spend on advertising campaigns. Sometimes they are totally on the mark and resonate with people, and other times, well not so much.

So for today’s quiz I have found four images, stripped the branding, and challenge you to find out what is being sold. Today I will split up prizes, and one drink will go out for the closest product guess for each photo and a bonus drink for any company correctly identified.

Question #25
________________Question #25__________
It’s Christmas, so let’s keep it simple…..what is the item pictured in the attached photo?

Advent Calendar Quiz - Day #23

Now, Question #23

The attached image highlights some significant events that have happened in our world. For each, identify the event and the year each happened. Best of luck!

Advent Calendar Quiz - Day 22

Hey All,

Good guesses again, including Celine Dion Avenue in Las Vegas, Washington DC, and New Orleans. Several of you hit the nail on the head with Alcatraz in San Francisco. C and D are references to blocks within the prison and the street is actually the corridor between the two blocks.

Determine a winner last night was a challenge as two submissions came in at the exact same date/hour/minute. In the end though, a winner was declared by looking at the seconds stamp. So, Winnie wins again and moves into a tie for second place with only three days left.

Now, onward to Question #22.

____________Question #22___________

So, I had a request for a math-based question. As I know math questions are far from everyone’s favourite deal, I decided to do a question that everyone could take a stab at no matter much you love/hate math.

So here it is. In the attached image, what option gives the largest number? If you don’t know, throw out a guess, as the first submission wins!

See the last group of questions and an updated leader’s table at: http://vbstwocents.blogspot.com/

Advent Calendar Quiz - Day #21

Hey All,


Great guesses all around for last night’s audio clip. The correct answer was a salad spinner, and Chris H. continues to add to his lead with another correct answer.

Now, Question #21.


_____________Question #21___________
Okay, let’s do a where is this question. The attached photo is somewhere in continental North America, but where is it?


Hint: It has been home to some unsavory folks over the years.

Advent Calendar Quiz - Day 20

Hey Quizzees,

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend!

Firstly, an apology is warranted. The answer to the leaders quiz was provided by Neil M. I elected to copy and paste his submission largely as it was more detailed than my own, and in particular, I thought the group might like to see the Arabic version of Gaddafi’s name. Given the hour of the night, I neglected to give credit where it was do, a big oversight on my part!

Last night’s quiz was possibly a bit tough, but Rob M. came through and got all questions correct - except for bonus question.

The complete answer set was:

· 747

· Antonov – 225

· British Airways

o BA painted a set of unique 747 tails, many of which fly or used to fly into Vancouver on a regular basis.

· Kittihawk – 1903

o First powered flight

· Spruce Goose

o Aircraft with largest wingspan

· Osprey

· British Red Arrows

· The Canadian Snowbirds

· SR-71

o Mach 3.2 top speed – fastest jet aircraft

· Turkish Stars

· Bonus: April 10, 2008 – Netherland Antilles.

o This was a tough question as the winner pretty much had to find the exact photo I shared. On the surface this may seem impossible, but thanks to www.airliners.net, it can be done. You can search by airline, aircraft type, registration #, date, etc. In this case a search for the airline and 747 would have pointed you in the right direction.

Now, Question #20.

_________________________Question #20__________

The idea for tonight’s question comes from a local radio station. Z95.3 used to run a game on the radio called the “Z Effect” wherin they would play an audio clip on the air and ask people to call in and guess what the sound was.

So, attached to tonight’s email is a .wav file with an audio clip recorded with a household item. The question tonight is very simply, what is the item? Sadly, the audio clip is only available on email as I could not attach it here!

Advent Calendar Quiz - Day 19

Hey Participants,

Well, last night's question was a bit different, and well received. Most of the answers submitted were bang on, and the correct answer came in within 30 minutes.

Last night's winner was Kim L., his first win – well done Kim!

Here were the answers:
1. Ernesto "Che" Guevara - Argentinean with links to Guatemala and Bolivia but most well known for links to Cuba
2. Idi Amin - Uganda
3. Muammar Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (معمر القذافي ‎in Arabic) - Libya
4. Joseph Stalin - USSR - Russia
5. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi - Opposition leader in Burma
6. Pierre Trudeau - Canada
7. Nelson Mandela - South Africa
8. King of Thailand (Bhumibol Adulyadej) - Thailand
9. Margaret Thatcher - UK
10. Mao Zedong - China

Please see the attached jpg for an updated winner's chart.

Now, Question #19
.__________________________Question#19_______________________

Tonight's question is aviation themed, and consists of ten mini questions plus a bonus question. As I think the bonus question is a bit much, it will be worth 2 drinks and will be treated separately from the main question! To win the bonus question, I need the location and the exact date of the photo. If nobody gets all the answers, the one who gets the most will win.

Vern's Advent Calendar Quiz - Day #18

_______________Question #18__________________________

I have been asked to do a history question. Well, that is a tough deal in terms of finding something that cannot be Googled. So, instead, I have identified ten figures that have been significant at some level in the world's history. Tonight's challenge is to identify the person and the country they are associated with.

Vern's Advent Calendar Quiz - Day #17

__________________Question #17_________________________________

What number, when you multiply it by 5 and add 6, then multiply that result by 4 and add 9, gives you a number that, when you multiply it by 5 and subtract 165, gives you a number that, when you knock of the last 2 digits, brings you back to your original number?

Vern's Advent Calendar Quiz - Day #16

_________________________Question #16 ______________________



Okay, an entirely new concept with today's quiz --- there is no one right answer, but there will be one winner. Draft a caption for the attached photo of the outgoing US president. That which makes me laugh hardest wins. Happy captioning!

Vern's Advent Calendar #15

__________________Question #15__________________

Again, with a new theme tonight. The attached image contains a sentence made up of words from a variety of languages. The closest translation to the intended meaning wins. Disclaimer: Neither Vern, nor his advent calendar quiz, are to be held liable for damages unintentionally inflicted on any particular language as a result of its use in this riddle ;)

Vern's Advent Calendar Quiz - Day $14

________________ Question #14 _____________

Which NBA player is shown in the attached photo? A bonus drink if you name his most infamous dunk (pictured here).

Vern's Advent Calendar Quiz -Day. #13

_______________Question #13 ________________________

In the spirit of the "how many jelly beans in the glass jar" question variety, I present the following question. In the attached picture, how many round bulb ornaments are present?

Vern's Advent Calendar Quiz - Day #12

______________Question #12 ___________________________

If Bus is worth 113, Son is 31, what is the value of Coin? Happy puzzling!

Vern's Advent Calendar - Day #11

___________Question #11_____________________

Welcome to VernistanVernistan is a fictitious far away land home to a very small colony of beings that have taken a vow of communicative silence. That is to say that Vernistan citizens do not communicate with one another in any way, shape, or form. Another peculiarity of the land is that there are absolutely no reflective surfaces of any kind (lakes, mirrors, etc.).

Once annually, a physician visits Vernistan to assess the health of the colony. This year, upon inspection of the population, the doctor was horrified to learn that the group had been infiltrated by a rare fatal disease. The only disease symptom is a single black dot that appears on the forehead of infected people. There is no cure for the disease, and it takes approximately one week to spread from one person to the next.

The doctor notes that some members of the colony are already infected, whereas others are not. He wishes to act quickly so as to prevent the spread of the disease. To do so, he assembles the entire population and makes the following statement:

A terribly serious disease has hit the colony, and I must ask for your assistance. This will not be easy, but drastic times call for drastic measures. This disease is fatal, and some of you are already infected. In the best interest of the colony, I must ask those infected to sacrifice themselves by committing suicide at midnight of the day they realize they are infected.

On the fourth night, shots ring out throughout the colony.

How many shots are fired? The answer will need a number as well as an explanation.

Points of interest:·

Vernistan citizens are very bright.·
During the course of a given day, each citizen will see every other citizen.

Happy Riddling…………..

Vern's Advent Calendar Quiz - Day #10

_____________________Question #10 _______________________

Alright, time for an entirely new type of question. Listen to the attached wav file and tell me the name and artist of each of the three songs. I have mixed genres so as to not give anyone an undue advantage. Happy Listening.

Advent Calendar Quiz - Day #9

___________________Question #9 _____________

Okay, Sudoku time! Fill out the attached puzzle.

Vern's Advent Calendar Quiz - Day #8

__________Question #8 ___________________

Okay, let's do our first sports quiz question. Which sports celebrity am I pictured with in the attached photo (for those who may not know, I am the one on the left). The photo has been blurred a bit to make it more challenging. Hint: Although likely unfamiliar to a great many of you, he enjoys Michael Jordan ish status in his sport.

Vern's Advent Calendar Quiz - Day #7

_________Question #7 _________________________

I figured it was about time to introduce a riddle to the Advent Quiz, so we go! Consider this a warm up to the December 11th riddle which should will be a good time.

All About the Light Bulbs Ya'll!·

• You are walked down a hall and shown a room that is empty except for a single table.
• Screwed into the surface of the table are three individual light bulbs.
• You are told that each of the light bulbs are connected to an independent, active electrical circuit. You are then walked out of the room, and shown that on the wall outside there are three light switches, each of which will turn on one light bulb.
• The door is then closed, all the light switches are in the off position, and you are asked to figure out which switch corresponds to which light.
• The door must remain closed, but you are allowed to open it, and enter the room on one occasion.
• You can turn each switch on or off as many times as you want.
• You have thirty minutes to accomplish the task at hand.

How do you do it?

This is a legit question, meaning:
· You do not have X-ray vision, and Superman is otherwise occupied.
· You cannot break down the wall and take a peek.
· You cannot send someone in to tell you what light is on.
· You cannot ask to see wiring schematics
·Etc.
·Etc.
·Etc.

Vern's Advent Calendar Quiz - Day #6

___________Question #6 ______________

Time for a Christmas theme! What Christmas song is being referred by each of the descriptions below?

• Expectation of arrival to a populated area by a mythical masculine perennial gift giver.
• An emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good given the terrestrial sphere.
• Embellish the interior passage ways.
• Move hitherward the entire assembly of those who are loyal in ther belief.

Vern's Advent Calendar Quiz - Day#5

_____________Question #5 ________________________

Okay, as last night's question may have been a bit much, let's tone it down a bit, and have a little fun. In 2008, Dancing Matt danced in two Canadian cities – what cities were they?

Vern's Advent Calendar Quiz - Day #4

________________Question #4 _____________________

Identify the expression represented by each of the puzzles in the attached image.

Vern's Advent Calendar Quiz - Day#3

_________________Question #3_______________________

Okay logophiles, time for get your word freak on!

Given the attached board and tile set, what is the maximum word score you can create? To validate any entry, it must be be found here: http://www.dictionary.com/. Beyond that, all words are fine to keep it easy.

When submitting your answer, please provide the following information:

• Word Score:



• Placement: (e.g. Horizontal using the "H" in birthday)



• Total Letter Value:



• Double Letter Bonus (if applicable):



• Triple Letter Bonus: (if applicable):



• Double Word Bonus (if applicable):



• Triple Word Bonus (if applicable):



• Additional Word Scores (if applicable):



• Using all tiles bonus (if applicable):



• Total
  

Vern's Advent Calendar - Day #2

So now, here is Question #2.

What's special about this number, and how does it relate to corporate America?

10000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000.

Vern's Advent Calendar Quiz - Day #1

Hey All,

To kick off the Christmas season this year, I have decided to create an Advent Calendar Quiz. Like the calendars themselves, there will be a small prize available each day, albeit in this case, delivery may be deferred til 2009. So get your thinking caps on, and let's roll.

In a nutshell, here is the deal:

For each of the first 25 days of December, I will email out a quiz question for you to ponder.

The first correct response that I receive via email for a given question will yield a prize/goodie. As I am financing the prizes myself, each correct answer will give a person a free drink of their choice, paid for by yours truly.

I will make every effort to buy said drink(s) in 2009, even for those for those of you who are far afield. So, in essence, you may be helping to govern my travel plans for 2009. If no correct answers are received for a given day's question, the prize will carry over to the next day and will be added to that day's prize. In short, the longer we go without a correct answer, more drinks to be awarded when a correct answer is ultimately provided. I will announce the previous day's winner when the next question goes out.

If you want to submit a pic and/or description of yourself to gloat and/or amuse the rest of the participants, feel free to do so. Naturally, self deprecating versions are ideal! As the participant field varies wildly in terms of education, ethnicity, age, and background, I have tried to build questions from a variety of subject areas, and have also tried to create questions that are not easily Googled. If you don't want to receive the remainder of the Advent Calendar Quiz questions, just let me know, and don't worry, I will take no offence to the removal request. Also, if you have an alternate email address that you would prefer that I use, please let me know. And, so without further ado, here is question

#1. Who is the individual pictured standing in the attached photo? Hint: He is best known for playing a motion picture character of few words.