Notes from the Newsroom NewsOK.com Blogging Community

It’s time to see how much attention you’ve been paying to the news in the past week or so. From The Oklahoman’s news copy editors and designers, here’s a quiz.

1. Attorney General Drew Edmondson is warning of charity scams. Which of these is NOT among his advice:
a) Be familiar with the group.
b) Ask for written information.
c) Don’t give unless you benefit personally.

2. How many tattoo artists are licensed in the state?
a) 29.
b) 299.
c) 2,900.

3. Some Oklahoma County jail inmates are now wearing this:
a) Black and white stripes.
b) Regular clothes, as it promotes responsibility.
c) Pink underpants and socks.

4. The leaders of Pacific Rim countries got a new wardrobe for a summit photo op:
a) Red ties.
b) Peruvian baby alpaca ponchos.
c) Pink underpants and socks.

5. Advice from experts about Christmas shopping on a budget does NOT include:
a) Stick to your list
b) Pay with cash.
c) Shop the last-minute sales.

6. A 30-year study suggests these people watch about 20 percent more TV:
a) Unhappy people.
b) Fat people.
c) TV researchers.

7. Ohio State University researchers say elements of this may be good for aging, possibly stimulating new brain cells:
a) Orange juice.
b) Good retirement savings.
c) Marijuana.

8. Vindicating generations of children, research has found this may be harmful because of its Vitamin A content:
a) Broccoli.
b) Homework.
c) Cod liver oil.

9. As a safety measure, banks are asking customers to watch:
a) Their retirement investments.
b) Where they park.
c) What they wear.

10. The Government Accountability Office says the U.S. Agriculture Department made $50 million in farm subsidy payments to people who didn’t qualify because they are:
a) Dead.
b) Too rich.
c) Not farmers.

How did you do on the quiz? Here are the correct answers:
1-C, 2-B, 3-A, 4-B, 5-C, 6-A, 7-C, 8-C, 9-C, 10-B.

It’s time to see how much attention you’ve been paying to the news in the past week or so. From The Oklahoman’s news copy editors and designers, here’s a quiz.

1. A record crowd is expected to see President-elect Barack Obama take the oath, easily eclipsing the previous record set for this president’s inauguration:
a) Lyndon B. Johnson.
b) Ronald Reagan.
c) Abraham Lincoln.

2. A time capsule was buried for the state’s sesquicentennial containing:
a) Souvenirs from the state’s centennial.
b) Land run photos.
c) A 2008 Chevy truck.

3. Oklahoma County sheriff’s deputies are using underage volunteers to test:
a) Deputies’ Taser training.
b) Effectiveness of anti-drug programs.
c) Adherence to drinking age laws.

4. Some say eliminating the dollar bill in favor of the dollar coin could save the government:
a) $500 million.
b) $5 billion.
c) $50 billion.

5. Computer rankings from six sources make up this much of the formula that determines the BCS standings:
a) One-quarter.
b) One-third.
c) It’s all done with computers and mirrors.

6. Next June, Bricktown will be host to a convention of 15,000:
a) Pizza restaurant owners.
b) Software gurus.
c) Harley-Davidson owners.

7. The Cirque du Soleil cast brings with it:
a) 1,200 costumes and 250 pairs of shoes.
b) Their own organic, athletic menu.
c) A 20-piece orchestra and chorus.

8. A state legislator wants Oklahoma to join 11 other states in tracking students’:
a) Math expertise.
b) Route to college.
c) Body mass index.

9. Doctors have given a Colombian woman this, grown from her own stem cells:
a) Heart.
b) Windpipe.
c) Left big toe.

10. A shuttle astronaut let go of this during a space walk, and it was irretrievably lost:
a) Toolbag with exploded grease gun.
b) New toilet to be installed on the space station.
c) Replacement robotic arm.

How did you do on the quiz? Here are the correct answers:
1-A, 2-A, 3-C, 4-A, 5-B, 6-C, 7-A, 8-C, 9-B, 10-A

It’s time to see how much attention you’ve been paying to the news in the past week or so. From The Oklahoman’s news copy editors and designers, here’s a quiz.

1. President-elect Barack Obama has asked Rep. Dan Boren to:
a) Help fill federal positions in the state.
b) Review pending oil and gas rules.
c) Take a place in the House leadership.

2. Fall leaves are valuable because they are a rich source of:
a) Plant nutrients when composted or mulched.
b) Work, when you’d rather be watching football.
c) Clean-burning natural gas.

3. Yum Brands Inc. says it will eliminate several hundred jobs. Yum Brands sells:
a) Oreos and ice cream.
b) Marshmallows and chocolates.
c) Chicken, tacos and pizza.

4. Three years behind schedule and $360 million over budget, this is to open in December:
a) A parking lot in Bricktown.
b) The U.S. Capitol Visitor Center.
c) A tribal casino in north Texas.

5. New research has discovered that heart surgery:
a) Is better on Tuesdays between 8 and 10 a.m.
b) Is too expensive for the benefit.
c) Can help even 90-year-old patients.

6. In comparison with some police in the region, Oklahoma City officers’ salaries are:
a) Higher.
b) Lower.
c) Average.

7. President-elect Barack Obama saw this for the first time:
a) The Oval Office.
b) The bills for his campaign.
c) His daughters’ parent-teacher conferences.

8. A Cleveland grandmother has just done this for her daughter:
a) Bought her home out of foreclosure.
b) Collected $1 million for surgery.
c) Given birth to triplets.

9. This quarter has just been issued to complete the states program:
a) Alaska.
b) Hawaii.
c) Puerto Rico.

10. These are expected to be in short supply in January:
a) Snowflakes.
b) Yarn, due to a worldwide alpaca famine.
c) Hotels rooms in Washington, D.C.

How did you do on the quiz? Here are the correct answers:
1-A; 2-A; 3-C; 4-B; 5-C; 6-A; 7-A; 8-C; 9-B; 10-C

It’s time to see how much attention you’ve been paying to the news in the past week or so. From The Oklahoman’s news copy editors and designers, here’s a quiz.

1. Analysis of the Dow between Election Day and the end of November has found this president-elect was the most lucrative for investors since 1960:
a) Bill Clinton.
b) Ronald Reagan.
c) Richard Nixon.

2. According to a traffic safety survey, most drivers say distractions are a problem but 14 percent admitted to:
a) Going right on red.
b) Reading or sending text messages.
c) Talking back at the radio.

3. The presidential candidates raised a record amount of campaign cash:
a) $1 billion.
b) $10 billion.
c) $100 billion.

4. Teenagers who watch TV shows with sexual content such as “Sex in the City,” are more likely to turn up:
a) Fat.
b) Fatuous.
C) Pregnant.

5. Amid Mexico City’s urban sprawl, experts are trying to save the Axoloti, which is:
a) A slimy-tailed foot-long salamander.
b) The ruins of an Aztec city.
c) A chocolate made from a rare kind of cocoa pod.

6. Among the degrees Texas Tech’s Mike Leach has earned are:
a) Medicine and P.E.
b) Law and American studies.
c) Film and football.

7. Delta Airlines has joined other major carriers and will charge $15 for this:
a) One checked bag.
b) One bag of peanuts.
c) One seat assignment.

8. The weak economy has caused some people to put off cosmetic surgery, but demand for these has jumped 73 percent:
a) Starvation diets.
b) Minimally invasive procedures like Botox.
c) Items from the cosmetics counter.

9. In developing countries, this amount of fruits and vegetables may spoil during shipping:
a) One-tenth.
b) One-quarter.
c) One-half.

10. Oklahoma City schools are testing a system to notify parents of emergencies, cancellations and other important information using:
a) Telephones.
b) E-mail.
c) Text messages.

11. Guthrie wants Bank of Oklahoma to return:
a) $5.45 million invested with Lehman Brothers.
b) Its canceled checks.
c) A bit of real estate where a branch was planned.

12. Which of these things are panhandlers allowed to do:
a) Follow someone.
b) Touch someone.
c) Explicitly ask for money.

13. A study has found that pedestrians are three times more likely to be killed:
a) In the month after a time change.
b) During football season.
c) At Christmastime.

14. U.S. demand for gasoline has dropped this much in the last four weeks:
a) 23 percent.
b) 2.3 percent.
c) 230 percent.

15. This many Americans approve of the way President Bush is doing his job:
a) About one in five.
b) About one-third.
c) About half.

How did you do on the quiz? Here are the correct answers:
1-A; 2-B; 3-A; 4-C; 5-A; 6-B; 7-A; 8-B; 9-C; 10-A; 11-A; 12-C; 13-A; 14-B; 15-A

It’s time to see how much attention you’ve been paying to the news in the past week or so. From The Oklahoman’s news copy editors and designers, here’s a quiz.

1. Buddy Holly and The Crickets recorded the hit “Maybe Baby,” at the:
a) Officers Club at Tinker Air Force Base.
b) Petroleum Club at downtown Oklahoma City.
c) Faculty Club at Oklahoma State.

2. State law says boaters and others in the water must use a personal flotation device such as:
a) Life vest.
b) Ski belt.
c) Styrofoam helmet.

3. Every day, from July to September, this many Americans lost their homes to foreclosure:
a) 27.
b) 270.
c) 2,700.

4. Direct mail political advertising has been used since:
a) The 1920s.
b) The 1960s.
c) 2000.

5. As gas prices fall, which of these is NOT cited as a cause:
a) Falling demand and increasing supply.
b) Weakening dollar.
c) Stuttering economies.

6. Paw Park was named one of the nation’s best:
a) Off-leash dog parks.
b) Parking lot systems.
c) Places to see bears.

7. Electronic brachytherapy is:
a) A health therapy for a brachiosaurus.
b) A new, quicker way of treating breast cancer.
c) A widely used voting system.

9. If your kid is a slow reader or her eyes hurt during homework, you should:
a) Teach her to say, “Do you want fries with that?”
b) Hire a tutor.
c) Have her evaluated for convergence insufficiency of eye muscles.

10. A study of the newer, more expensive diabetes drugs has found:
a) Older, cheaper generics may save lives in ways newer drugs don’t.
b) They make no difference.
c) They save lives and are safer.

How did you do on the quiz? Here are the correct answers:
1-A; 2-A; 3-C; 4-A; 5-B; 6-A; 7-B; 8-A; 9-C; 10-A

It’s time to see how much attention you’ve been paying to the news in the past week or so. From The Oklahoman’s news copy editors and designers, here’s a quiz.

1. This part of the electorate is eligible to vote absentee:
a) One-tenth.
b) One-quarter.
c) One-third.

2. A Midwest City man is part of an online signature drive to change this:
a) The speed limit.
b) The ban on openly carrying a gun.
c) Rules on home schooling.

3. With competition fierce, some college admissions offices are receiving these:
a) Anonymous letters bashing some applicants.
b) Baked goods as bribes.
c) Stronger grade reports and recommendation letters.

4. Cleo Shamblin of Muskogee has won this title:
a) State champion at the Oklahoma bus operators Roadeo.
b) New competitor on American Idol.
c) Miss Congeniality in the Miss Oklahoma pageant.

5. This is the name of the Iraqi puppy an animal rescue group has brought to the U.S.:
a) Lucky.
b) Ratchet.
c) Yankee Doodle.

6. This popular youth star turns 20 this year:
a) Miley Cyrus.
b) Justin Timberlake.
c) Barney the purple dinosaur.

7. Sarah Palin impersonator Tina Fey has earned this for “Saturday Night Live”:
a) A lawsuit from the national GOP.
b) Hearings in the U.S. Senate.
c) Its best ratings in 14 years.

8. Officials in some states want to jam cell phone signals so convicts can’t plan crimes from behind bars, but it’s:
a) Technologically impossible.
b) Too expensive.
c) Against the law.

9. Geologists have discovered this in a site along the Arizona-Utah border:
a) A dinosaur “dance floor” jammed with tracks.
b) Oil and gas deposits to rival Texas’.
c) Parts of Noah’s ark.

10. The state’s smallest school district is:
a) Plainview.
b) Leonard.
c) Kaw.

How did you do on the quiz? Here are the correct answers:
1-C, 2-B, 3-A, 4-A, 5-B, 6-C, 7-C, 8-C, 9-A, 10A.

It’s time to see how much attention you’ve been paying to the news in the past week or so. From The Oklahoman’s news copy editors and designers, here’s a quiz.

1. State public safety officials are monitoring 14,000 drivers because:
a) They are driving under suspension.
b) Their parents have asked them to.
c) Medical issues may make driving questionable.

2. The money from car tags goes to:
a) The schools in the district where the tag was bought.
b) A fund that is divided among all the school districts.
c) Pay for new roads and bridges.

3. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson says the world needs more:
a) Isolationism.
b) Money.
c) Teamwork.

4. A U.S. military judge has ruled professed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed doesn’t need this in his cell:
a) Internet access.
b) Freedom.
c) Friends.

5. A Texas computer game designer has fulfilled a childhood dream to:
a) Go into space.
b) Eat 45 slices of pizza in 10 minutes.
c) Set the world record on PacMan.

6. The last state quarter will be issued in November with:
a) Alaska.
b) Hawaii.
c) Puerto Rico.

7. Hotdog chowhound Joey Chestnut’s new competitive eating title involved:
a) 45 slices of pizza in 10 minutes.
b) 12 kinds of mustard on 24 dogs.
c) 108 pickled jalapenos in five minutes.

8. The Arizona Cardinals became the first NFL team to score a game-winning touchdown by:
a) Blocking a punt.
b) Running backward.
c) Recovering a fumble.

9. A study has found that the higher your income and education levels are, the lower:
a) Your child’s chances of early death.
b) The number of calories in your dinner.
c) Your chances of shopping at Walmart.

10. Fewer than 17,000 kidney transplants are performed annually although this many people are on the national waiting list:
a) 7,000.
b) 77,000.
c) 777,000.

How did you do on the quiz? Here are the correct answers:
1-C, 2-B, 3-C, 4-A, 5-A, 6-B, 7-A, 8-A, 9-A, 10-B

It’s time to see how much attention you’ve been paying to the news in the past week or so. From The Oklahoman’s news copy editors and designers, here’s a quiz.

1. Things you may not wear when voting:
a) Candidate T-shirts, buttons and hats.
b) Flag pins, peace signs.
c) Political party paraphernalia.

2. More than 63,000 Oklahomans are due these, but have failed to put in for them:
a) Stock options.
b) Digital converter boxes.
c) Economic stimulus checks.

3. Among the top toys this season is:
a) A robotic lemur that perches on your shoulder.
b) A lifelike baby triceratops kids can ride.
c) Gymnastic Elmo.

4. A study found the average American worker wastes this much time at work every day:
a) Two minutes.
b) Twenty minutes.
c) Two hours, not including lunch and breaks.

5. A pediatricians’ group worried about salmonella is warning against preschoolers:
a) Keeping hedgehogs and other nontraditional pets.
b) Packing their own lunches.
c) Wearing dirty socks.

6. About one in seven Oklahoma babies are born:
a) Premature.
b) To single mothers.
c) In a neighboring state.

7. Tales say this part of the Governor’s Mansion may be haunted by the ghost of William “Alfalfa Bill” Murray:
a) The cereal shelf in the pantry.
b) The bookshelf by the door in the study.
c) The third step on the grand staircase.

8. About 73 percent of the people in this age bracket vote:
a) 18 to 30.
b) 31 to 54.
c) 55 to 74.

9. Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater says he’d like to offer this to jurors:
a) Counseling.
b) Valet parking.
c) One really good meal.

10. In the Neiman Marcus catalogue, you can purchase life-size versions of yourself, fashioned out of:
a) Wax by artists from Madame Tussaud’s.
b) Toy bricks by a LEGO-obsessed artist.
c) Virtual flesh.

How did you do on the quiz? Here are the correct answers:
1-A, 2-C, 3-B, 4-C, 5-A, 6-A, 7-C, 8-C, 9-A, 10-B.

Supergirl just made my day.

Yeah, being an investigative reporter is cool, but not as cool as seeing my name in the latest issue of the DC comic book.  While trying to hire Superman’s old girlfriend, Lana Lang, to work at the Daily Planet,  editor Perry White says ” … and since Nolan Clay retired, the business section’s been adrift. Rudderless.”

I’m a longtime comics nerd and buy my books from Speeding Bullet Comics in Norman. Supergirl writer Sterling Gates used to work there before he hit the big time. His slipping my name in was a big surprise and a big thrill. Thanks.

– Nolan Clay, Staff Writer 

It’s time to see how much attention you’ve been paying to the news in the past week or so. From The Oklahoman’s news copy editors and designers, here’s a quiz:
1. When Don Rickles won an Emmy last week, he said:
a) “At last.”
b) “It’s a mistake.”
c) Trick question: Who’d give Rickles an Emmy?
 
2. Anadarko’s Spring Fever Thrash Tournament is held for:
a) Skateboarders.
b) Boxers.
c) Wheat farmers.
 
3. In BMX lingo, the term “Barspin” means:
a) Spinning the handlebars 180 degrees while in the air.
b) A pirouette performed on the crossbar.
c) A brief trip to a place serving alcohol.
 
4. Traffic columnist Don Gammill listed the more absurd driving tips he has received. They don’t include:
a) We need a legal left turn on red.
b) Seat belts are unnecessary for adults.
c) Everybody ought to drive the speed limit.
 
5. Some Iraqis aren’t sending their kids to school because they’re waiting for:
a) The violence to ease.
b) The end of Ramadan.
c) More new schools.
 
6. If you haven’t done this in six years, you could find your name taken off the list of people who can:
a) See a doctor as a new patient.
b) Get a tax refund.
c) Vote. The deadline to register is Oct. 10.
 
7. Three masked men were caught on video breaking into a southeast Oklahoma City store to steal:
a) New low-salt potato chips and beer.
b) Lighters. They already had cigarettes.
c) The ATM.
 
8. With support from Elvis Costello and Bruce Springsteen, Oklahoma native Wanda Jackson could:
a) Join the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
b) Open a chicken-fried steak restaurant.
c) Win a court judgment over record royalties.
 
9. In a ranking of 50 cities and their efforts to go green, Oklahoma City is in last place in:
a) Air quality.
b) Metro transit ridership and land use.
c) Housing affordability.
 
10. With winter coming on, this is expected to be in short supply:
a) Flu vaccine.
b) Holiday cheer, as it’ll be warm-weather Christmas.
c) Salt for icy roads.
Go to NewsOK.com each weekday to take our interactive fivequestion news quiz.

Quiz answers: 1-B, 2-A, 3-A, 4-C, 5-B, 6-C, 7-C, 8-A, 9-B, 10-C