Useless Trivia - 1st one to answer gets to ask

Well, since it's probably not 49 (that being the answer to the other part) and you said it's not nine, I'll take a speculative guess at three.

 

Yes, three active volcanoes is the correct answer.
All three are at alert level 1 at this moment.
You can view their status here:
GeoNet – Current Activity

I note that the Auckland field is still listed as Active...

 

PS -- It's your turn now Daniel...

 

Well, that was pretty easy since the other plausible answers were already eliminated.

Okay. Please no consulting the internet on this one:

After signing into law the bill that prohibited him from financing or supporting the terrorist Contras who were fighting against the Sandinista government in Nicaragua, President Reagan illegally financed the Contras by illegally selling weapons to the terrorist government of Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran.

What unlikely profession discovered the hanky panky and forced Reagan to admit to the criminal activity of his government (though he denied personal involvement)?

Again, the question is What profession discovered the scandal?

 

Man, I was really young and not paying attention to politics at the time.

Uh....accountants?

 

Wasn't a cargo handler named Hasenfus who was shot down in a CIA airplane over Nicaragua responsible for blowing the whistle on the deal?

 

Not an accountant. Gosh, Godiva, I thought you were my age. However, the source of the discovery was not as big a news item as the scandal itself. And since Reagan himself went on TV and announced the scandal (claiming he had just learned of it, and denying responsibility, blaming Oliver North, who testified in return for immunity) the source was never a big news item.

There was a fellow shot down over Nicaragua, but that was not how the whole circle of the Iran weapons sales was discovered. (Weapons sales to Iran financing the supply of weapons to the Contras.) We knew weapons were being supplied to the Contras by the U.S. But the government was still denying involvement.

 

Well, I'm surprised nobody got it. The answer is pistachio dealers.

The cargo company that Reagan's band of criminals used to fly the illegal weapons to Iran didn't want to fly the planes back empty, so they bought pistachio nuts in Iran, believing nobody would know. They brought the nuts back to the U.S. and sold them, claiming they were from Turkey. But the pistachio dealers could tell the difference. Apparently to a trained dealer, Turkish and Iranian pistachios are as different as cats and dogs. They began asking how all the Iranian pistachios were getting into the U.S., and from there it all pointed back to the White House.

Once the cat was out of the bag, Reagan did damage control: He broke the news himself, claiming that he had just found out and had not known about any of it previously. With Reagan admitting that arms were going to both Iran and the terrorist Contras in Nicaragua, the question of how it had all come to light never became a big news story.

 

Interesting. I love pistachios. I like them shelled better than in the shell. They hurt my thumbs after while. Does anyone know why some of them are painted red? Not the next trivia question, just a question.

 

No reason at all. I hate it when they do that and I never buy those. I agree that the ones in the shell cause pain under the thumbnails after a while. But out of the shell I'd eat them far too fast.

 

The only information I could find about the red dye is that they used to do it to cover stains from picking them. Since they are now harvested by machine, there is no use for the red dye. They are dyed red now for aesthetics. When I want to treat myself, I got to Sam's Club and get a 2 pound bag of shelled pistachios for about 12 bucks. I put them in smaller ziplock bags and eat them as a tasty snack. Are you doing the next question Daniel?

 

I'm on the verge of leaving for my next trip. Someone else will have to ask a trivia question.

 

One of the few things Daniel and I agree on! :hug:

 

Pistachio: The Nut of Peace and Love

 

Good memory, Dan! or do you have an assistant names Wikipedia?
Don't forget the part about Daniel Ortega's designer eyeglasses, or Fawn Hall's 15 minutes of fame.

 

*Peeks around....all quiet on the trivia front*

I'll toss out a question.

Q: What was Phil Hartman's first voice-acting role/appearance on The Simpsons? Bonus geek points if you can name the episode and season.

 

Troy McClure?
No idea what season, year, or planet.

 

Nope.

 

I know, I know, but only after looking at IMDB...

Calling all Simpsons fanatics.

 

Ok, my second guess has to be Lionel Hutz.