History is made!

A few words about the election, and then the quizzing.

We won! And by "we," I mean the American people. We looked past the lies and slander, and of course the all-too-real race problem, and decided that there was an issue we cared more about than whether a man knew another man a long time ago, or what he may or may not have heard in church. And that issue was: having a house and eating. Congratulations, America. We won.

I am very glad all my nay-saying and fretting about the election proved ill-founded. However, we're certainly going to deal in the next for years with a lot of misguided rage from ignoramuses who don't know what logic is. (Just look at some of the comment boards on www.foxnews.com for examples.) The right wing hated Clinton with a passion. Some conservatives think Clinton is as bad as Hitler. Can you even imagine how they're going to hate Obama? They'll hate him like...

Well, there's no analogy that says it all. They'll hate him like a black Hitler.

McCain gave a great concession, very graceful. As opposed to his knuckle-dragging followers, who angrily booed the idea of working with the President of the United States. At times, McCain gives flashes of the old politician who entranced a lot of moderates back in the day. His campaign was just run poorly, and his VP choice turned a lot of people off. It contrasted starkly with Obama, who like Jackie Robinson, dealt with the mud-slinging and hate with placid magnaminity. He was just there to play ball.

***

And now, trivia, courtesy of Ken Jennings.

From last week:

1. Waldorf is married to Astoria.
2. Yes, it's the celibate Shakers who live at Sabbathday, Maine, as the Impressively Informed Michael5000 and Churlita both figured out.
3. TV Guide and Rolling Stone switched to standard magazine size those days. I never, ever would have guessed that. Ever.
4. Seven, which was my other guess, but not the one I went with.
5. Michelle Obama, as the Smugly Sophisticated Michael5000 informed me.
6. Pashmina comes from goats. I shall endeavor to remember that sir!
7. Take off, hoser.

New questions!

1. Where might you commonly see the collection of characters PRND21?

Don't know!

2. What chemical compound found in yogurt is also the substance that causes rigor mortis in corpses?

Don't know!

3. In what African country could you take an "Alex Haley cruise" up its namesake river?

What a fantastic question! But don't know! Nigeria?

4. What movie director has been using the same font--Windsor EF-Elongated--for the credits of all his films since Interiors?

This one I would have known even if the last two words had been left off. Woody Allen.

5. What American politician shares the same nickname that models Heidi Klum and Elle Macpherson have recently tussled over in the media?

James "The Body" Ventura.

6. In what field did Eugene Fodor, Karl Baedeker, and Arthur Frommer all make their fame?

Traveler's guides.

7. Based on the unusual distinction they all share, name a Shakespeare work that could be added to this list of plays, and tell why. The Caucasian Chalk Circle, Godspell, J.B., Man of La Mancha, Marat/Sade, The Producers, The Real Thing, The Seagull.

Another uncommonly easy Question Seven. Plays within plays. "Hamlet" (for "The Mousetrap") or "Midsummer Night's Dream" (for "Pyramus and Thisbe").