Winter 2016 LL ML and 1DS thread

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Re: Winter 2016 LL ML and 1DS thread

Post by boson »

This Is Kirk! wrote:
Mecca was an "of course" miss for me. I never realized there was a ginormous building right next to the Kaaba and that really threw me off.
Yup, an "of course" miss for me too. I did see the Saudi green and script on the clock and guessed Riyadh, but I found the resolution of the picture low and couldn't really see what the tower was with. I find it weird that I've never seen a picture like that before - I hadn't pictured Mecca as having a modern-looking skyline for some reason.
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Re: Winter 2016 LL ML and 1DS thread

Post by This Is Kirk! »

boson wrote:I hadn't pictured Mecca as having a modern-looking skyline for some reason.
I did some research today and it looks like that complex (the Abraj Al-Bait) was completed in 2012, so the skyline probably did look a whole lot different just a few years ago in most of the photos we would have seen.
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Re: Winter 2016 LL ML and 1DS thread

Post by Vermonter »

This Is Kirk! wrote:
boson wrote:I hadn't pictured Mecca as having a modern-looking skyline for some reason.
I did some research today and it looks like that complex (the Abraj Al-Bait) was completed in 2012, so the skyline probably did look a whole lot different just a few years ago in most of the photos we would have seen.
There was a solid New Yorker piece on Mecca that year: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/ ... dern-mecca

Some really important points in there, including how Saudi Arabia destroys old things for fear they'll become false idols
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Re: Winter 2016 LL ML and 1DS thread

Post by ElendilPickle »

Vermonter wrote:
This Is Kirk! wrote:
boson wrote:I hadn't pictured Mecca as having a modern-looking skyline for some reason.
I did some research today and it looks like that complex (the Abraj Al-Bait) was completed in 2012, so the skyline probably did look a whole lot different just a few years ago in most of the photos we would have seen.
There was a solid New Yorker piece on Mecca that year: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/ ... dern-mecca

Some really important points in there, including how Saudi Arabia destroys old things for fear they'll become false idols
I just finished a book called Unruly Places, which has a chapter on Mecca. Sadly, it wasn't illustrated; if it was, I might not have put Barad-Dur for my answer.
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Re: Winter 2016 LL ML and 1DS thread

Post by dhkendall »

ElendilPickle wrote:
Vermonter wrote:
This Is Kirk! wrote:
boson wrote:I hadn't pictured Mecca as having a modern-looking skyline for some reason.
I did some research today and it looks like that complex (the Abraj Al-Bait) was completed in 2012, so the skyline probably did look a whole lot different just a few years ago in most of the photos we would have seen.
There was a solid New Yorker piece on Mecca that year: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/ ... dern-mecca

Some really important points in there, including how Saudi Arabia destroys old things for fear they'll become false idols
I just finished a book called Unruly Places, which has a chapter on Mecca. Sadly, it wasn't illustrated; if it was, I might not have put Barad-Dur for my answer.
I had just finished reading about Mecca as well, on the weekend I found myself wondering how the "no Muslims in Mecca" rule is enforced, and looked around. I didn't quite get my answer (in fact, I found several sites that claim it isn't the case at all, non-Muslim tourists, they claim, are free to enter the city, just not the Grand Mosque where the Kaaba, the holiest site in Mecca and the nexus of the Hajj pilgrimage is. (And they didn't say how non Muslims being barred from entering the Grand Mosque is done either.) The NYT article Vermonter linked to covered a lot of the stuff I read, but I was fascinated by it as well (thank you, Keith!)
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Re: Winter 2016 LL ML and 1DS thread

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BigDaddyMatty wrote:
This Is Kirk! wrote:OK, what does the fact that I-35 splits around DFW have to do with getting to an answer of St. Paul? I'm confused.
I don't know if the split matters, but the fact that it passes through DFW gave me an idea of roughly the longitude of the correct capital.
It seems you got very lucky if this was your sole basis for answering St. Paul. Going due north from Dallas would have I-35 meet up with I-94...right around Bismarck, North Dakota, which was my answer. Turns out after crossing through Oklahoma and into Kansas, 35 turns sharply to the east into Missouri, then goes north through Iowa into Minnesota, rather than coming up through the Dakotas.
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Re: Winter 2016 LL ML and 1DS thread

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dhkendall wrote: I had just finished reading about Mecca as well, on the weekend I found myself wondering how the "no Muslims in Mecca" rule is enforced, and looked around. I didn't quite get my answer (in fact, I found several sites that claim it isn't the case at all, non-Muslim tourists, they claim, are free to enter the city, just not the Grand Mosque where the Kaaba, the holiest site in Mecca and the nexus of the Hajj pilgrimage is. (And they didn't say how non Muslims being barred from entering the Grand Mosque is done either.) The NYT article Vermonter linked to covered a lot of the stuff I read, but I was fascinated by it as well (thank you, Keith!)
I have a decidedly non-Muslim friend who went to Mecca and the Kaaba simply by saying he was a Muslim convert, knowing a few phrases, dressing appropriately, and having a Muslim tour guide. He's also gotten into the Dome of the Rock and gone on a full weeks long birthright trip to Israel simply by saying what he needed to stay and consistently sticking to his. He tells me next up is the Salt Lake Temple. Apparently none of it's very difficult with a bit of research and a lack of aversion to lying.
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Re: Winter 2016 LL ML and 1DS thread

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tjconn728 wrote:
dhkendall wrote: I had just finished reading about Mecca as well, on the weekend I found myself wondering how the "no Muslims in Mecca" rule is enforced, and looked around. I didn't quite get my answer (in fact, I found several sites that claim it isn't the case at all, non-Muslim tourists, they claim, are free to enter the city, just not the Grand Mosque where the Kaaba, the holiest site in Mecca and the nexus of the Hajj pilgrimage is. (And they didn't say how non Muslims being barred from entering the Grand Mosque is done either.) The NYT article Vermonter linked to covered a lot of the stuff I read, but I was fascinated by it as well (thank you, Keith!)
I have a decidedly non-Muslim friend who went to Mecca and the Kaaba simply by saying he was a Muslim convert, knowing a few phrases, dressing appropriately, and having a Muslim tour guide. He's also gotten into the Dome of the Rock and gone on a full weeks long birthright trip to Israel simply by saying what he needed to stay and consistently sticking to his. He tells me next up is the Salt Lake Temple. Apparently none of it's very difficult with a bit of research and a lack of aversion to lying.
I'm not LDS, but my understanding is that only those LDS members in good standing may be admitted to the Temple for legitimate purposes. The Temple is guarded and you must present yourself at a desk or check point where a list of Temple admitted eligible names are kept. I would think that you would need to show I.D. if your face is not familiar. So, I think if your friend wants to get inside the Salt lake Temple he is going to need to go the extra mile with his deception. Not that I approve of anything like that.
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Re: Winter 2016 LL ML and 1DS thread

Post by nightreign »

Ryno wrote:
tjconn728 wrote:
dhkendall wrote: I had just finished reading about Mecca as well, on the weekend I found myself wondering how the "no Muslims in Mecca" rule is enforced, and looked around. I didn't quite get my answer (in fact, I found several sites that claim it isn't the case at all, non-Muslim tourists, they claim, are free to enter the city, just not the Grand Mosque where the Kaaba, the holiest site in Mecca and the nexus of the Hajj pilgrimage is. (And they didn't say how non Muslims being barred from entering the Grand Mosque is done either.) The NYT article Vermonter linked to covered a lot of the stuff I read, but I was fascinated by it as well (thank you, Keith!)
I have a decidedly non-Muslim friend who went to Mecca and the Kaaba simply by saying he was a Muslim convert, knowing a few phrases, dressing appropriately, and having a Muslim tour guide. He's also gotten into the Dome of the Rock and gone on a full weeks long birthright trip to Israel simply by saying what he needed to stay and consistently sticking to his. He tells me next up is the Salt Lake Temple. Apparently none of it's very difficult with a bit of research and a lack of aversion to lying.
I'm not LDS, but my understanding is that only those LDS members in good standing may be admitted to the Temple for legitimate purposes. The Temple is guarded and you must present yourself at a desk or check point where a list of Temple admitted eligible names are kept. I would think that you would need to show I.D. if your face is not familiar. So, I think if your friend wants to get inside the Salt lake Temple he is going to need to go the extra mile with his deception. Not that I approve of anything like that.
Ex-Mormon here. You have to have a paper called a temple recommend in order to get in, and they check everyone. You would have to be baptized a member of the Mormon church and attend at least semi-regularly in order to get one. I really, really do not recommend this.
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Re: Winter 2016 LL ML and 1DS thread

Post by alietr »

I've been in the Dome of the Rock, am I most decidedly not Muslim. I don't remember any requirement (back then) that you had to be Muslim.

My hat is off to everyone who did well in the Travel championships. I never even heard of some of the answers, and quite a few of the rest of them I had heard at one point, but were well beyond my abilities to recall them.
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Re: Winter 2016 LL ML and 1DS thread

Post by sarisson »

I recognized the Mecca clock tower immediately; it's one of the tallest buildings in the world. Non-Muslims are prohibited from entering the city- there's an exit ramp for them on the highway leading in- and given Saudi Arabia's human rights records, I wouldn't dare try to sneak in.
I ended up winning my group with a 9-1-1 record, but that championship was extremely tough. I only managed one right, after losing a coin flip on Borneo/New Guinea.
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Re: Winter 2016 LL ML and 1DS thread

Post by This Is Kirk! »

sarisson wrote:I recognized the Mecca clock tower immediately; it's one of the tallest buildings in the world. Non-Muslims are prohibited from entering the city- there's an exit ramp for them on the highway leading in- and given Saudi Arabia's human rights records, I wouldn't dare try to sneak in
So, essentially it's like the Bizarro Donald Trump is running things there.

I managed a 63rd in the Travel championship and I'm pretty happy with that. I only got six correct, but all five of my monies. The champion got all 12 right. I can't even fathom that.
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Re: Winter 2016 LL ML and 1DS thread

Post by dhkendall »

This Is Kirk! wrote:
sarisson wrote:I recognized the Mecca clock tower immediately; it's one of the tallest buildings in the world. Non-Muslims are prohibited from entering the city- there's an exit ramp for them on the highway leading in- and given Saudi Arabia's human rights records, I wouldn't dare try to sneak in
So, essentially it's like the Bizarro Donald Trump is running things there.

I managed a 63rd in the Travel championship and I'm pretty happy with that. I only got six correct, but all five of my monies. The champion got all 12 right. I can't even fathom that.
Nor can I.

My greatest LL moment was tying the guy who wound up in third in that ML.

I did better in the Finals (playing along from the sidelines) than I thought, I got 5 of them (including the first 3, getting my hopes up) - which is my threshold for entering a One Day - and knew two others where the right answer lost out on a coin flip. (Also had "Pride Parade" for number 7, but I don't think it'd count). Loved this ML!
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Re: Winter 2016 LL ML and 1DS thread

Post by This Is Kirk! »

dhkendall wrote:I did better in the Finals (playing along from the sidelines) than I thought, I got 5 of them (including the first 3, getting my hopes up) - which is my threshold for entering a One Day - and knew two others where the right answer lost out on a coin flip. (Also had "Pride Parade" for number 7, but I don't think it'd count). Loved this ML!
I can confirm it would not have counted because that's what I put, too. I figured they needed something more specific, but it was worth a shot.
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Re: Winter 2016 LL ML and 1DS thread

Post by BigDaddyMatty »

nightreign wrote:
Ryno wrote:
tjconn728 wrote:
dhkendall wrote: I had just finished reading about Mecca as well, on the weekend I found myself wondering how the "no Muslims in Mecca" rule is enforced, and looked around. I didn't quite get my answer (in fact, I found several sites that claim it isn't the case at all, non-Muslim tourists, they claim, are free to enter the city, just not the Grand Mosque where the Kaaba, the holiest site in Mecca and the nexus of the Hajj pilgrimage is. (And they didn't say how non Muslims being barred from entering the Grand Mosque is done either.) The NYT article Vermonter linked to covered a lot of the stuff I read, but I was fascinated by it as well (thank you, Keith!)
I have a decidedly non-Muslim friend who went to Mecca and the Kaaba simply by saying he was a Muslim convert, knowing a few phrases, dressing appropriately, and having a Muslim tour guide. He's also gotten into the Dome of the Rock and gone on a full weeks long birthright trip to Israel simply by saying what he needed to stay and consistently sticking to his. He tells me next up is the Salt Lake Temple. Apparently none of it's very difficult with a bit of research and a lack of aversion to lying.
I'm not LDS, but my understanding is that only those LDS members in good standing may be admitted to the Temple for legitimate purposes. The Temple is guarded and you must present yourself at a desk or check point where a list of Temple admitted eligible names are kept. I would think that you would need to show I.D. if your face is not familiar. So, I think if your friend wants to get inside the Salt lake Temple he is going to need to go the extra mile with his deception. Not that I approve of anything like that.
Ex-Mormon here. You have to have a paper called a temple recommend in order to get in, and they check everyone. You would have to be baptized a member of the Mormon church and attend at least semi-regularly in order to get one. I really, really do not recommend this.
Temple recommend-holding Mormon here. A patron who shows up without a recommend in hand may be admitted, but that requires a call to his/her bishop (congregational leader) to verify the person's identity and standing. And recommends are bar-coded. In other words, the only way your friend is going to be able to get in is to steal someone's recommend and use it before they notice it's gone. That seems tremendously not worth it to pull a prank/satisfy a curiosity.
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Re: Winter 2016 LL ML and 1DS thread

Post by teapot37 »

I looked at the championship questions but completely forgot to submit my answers. I only would have gotten 1 correct so I'm not too terribly torn up about it.
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Re: Winter 2016 LL ML and 1DS thread

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I got 4 right in the Travel 2 championship match. Vesuvius was an instaget even without listening to the clip from "Funiculi, Funicula"; it helped that I had written the following in a blog post a few years ago: " At one time, sightseers were whisked to th[e] summit [of Vesuvius] by a funicular railway; that conveyance was immortalized in the popular Neapolitan song 'Funiculi, Funicula,' composed by Luigi Denza in 1880 . . . . Alas, the funicular was destroyed in the most recent Vesuvian eruption, in 1944, and was never rebuilt."

I hadn't known that Afrikaans was spoken in Namibia, so I went for what must have been the MCWA of South Africa, even though I felt sure that S. Africa must have had a World Heritage site before 2007. I also feel like the Tropic of Cancer one is something I ought to have known / been able to deduce. The remaining responses were names I hadn't heard of. Still, I finished 106th in a championship field of 201 people, which is my second-best finish ever, percentage-wise, in a mini-league.

And regarding Match Day 11, I'm mad at myself for not noticing the Arabic script or the Kaaba in the Mecca photo (although at the size that the image displayed on my screen, the Kaaba was really hard to make out).
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Re: Winter 2016 LL ML and 1DS thread

Post by Cat Hammarskjold »

Vermonter wrote:
This Is Kirk! wrote:Right, but how does knowing it splits around DFW help you know it splits around MSP? I'm guessing it splits to pass through Dallas and Fort Worth so the thinking is it might also split at the "Twin Cities" as well.
Sorry, I see now you were responding to another post. Your thinking for that is spot-on, I'd guess.

I knew those I-35 splits cold, but whenever interstates are dropped as hints, I can usually zero in on the answer based on the number since the values tend to go up as you go north and east. The inverse is true for U.S. routes (which came in handy on LL63 MD2Q4).
I remember that LL63 question. I thought, "US 31 goes through Indianapolis, US 60 goes through Virginia, where might the two intersect?", and got it right. I finished one point behind NelsonK in the travel final due to sub-optimal moneying. I thought that Millennium Island being in Kiribati was much less well-known.
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Re: Winter 2016 LL ML and 1DS thread

Post by MarkyMarkm »

tjconn728 wrote:
dhkendall wrote: I had just finished reading about Mecca as well, on the weekend I found myself wondering how the "no Muslims in Mecca" rule is enforced, and looked around. I didn't quite get my answer (in fact, I found several sites that claim it isn't the case at all, non-Muslim tourists, they claim, are free to enter the city, just not the Grand Mosque where the Kaaba, the holiest site in Mecca and the nexus of the Hajj pilgrimage is. (And they didn't say how non Muslims being barred from entering the Grand Mosque is done either.) The NYT article Vermonter linked to covered a lot of the stuff I read, but I was fascinated by it as well (thank you, Keith!)
I have a decidedly non-Muslim friend who went to Mecca and the Kaaba simply by saying he was a Muslim convert, knowing a few phrases, dressing appropriately, and having a Muslim tour guide. He's also gotten into the Dome of the Rock and gone on a full weeks long birthright trip to Israel simply by saying what he needed to stay and consistently sticking to his. He tells me next up is the Salt Lake Temple. Apparently none of it's very difficult with a bit of research and a lack of aversion to lying.
I'm decidedly skeptical your friend could have pulled this off easily. People who don't have or go by obviously Muslim names are often given extra scrutiny for visas and upon entry into the country. On top of this, visas are given to non-resident Muslims essentially only for religious pilgrimage and they're not cheap. These pilgrimages involve specific rites, and even though they're easily found out online, the degree of dissimulation involved with their execution in addition to the daily peccadilloes of Muslim customs would require not insignificant time spent in and among Muslim communities. And all that to gawk at true believers circumambulating a large cube? Hardly the worst offense in the annals of shitty tourist behavior, but still.
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Re: Winter 2016 LL ML and 1DS thread

Post by tjconn728 »

MarkyMarkm wrote:
tjconn728 wrote:
dhkendall wrote: I had just finished reading about Mecca as well, on the weekend I found myself wondering how the "no Muslims in Mecca" rule is enforced, and looked around. I didn't quite get my answer (in fact, I found several sites that claim it isn't the case at all, non-Muslim tourists, they claim, are free to enter the city, just not the Grand Mosque where the Kaaba, the holiest site in Mecca and the nexus of the Hajj pilgrimage is. (And they didn't say how non Muslims being barred from entering the Grand Mosque is done either.) The NYT article Vermonter linked to covered a lot of the stuff I read, but I was fascinated by it as well (thank you, Keith!)
I have a decidedly non-Muslim friend who went to Mecca and the Kaaba simply by saying he was a Muslim convert, knowing a few phrases, dressing appropriately, and having a Muslim tour guide. He's also gotten into the Dome of the Rock and gone on a full weeks long birthright trip to Israel simply by saying what he needed to stay and consistently sticking to his. He tells me next up is the Salt Lake Temple. Apparently none of it's very difficult with a bit of research and a lack of aversion to lying.
I'm decidedly skeptical your friend could have pulled this off easily. People who don't have or go by obviously Muslim names are often given extra scrutiny for visas and upon entry into the country. On top of this, visas are given to non-resident Muslims essentially only for religious pilgrimage and they're not cheap. These pilgrimages involve specific rites, and even though they're easily found out online, the degree of dissimulation involved with their execution in addition to the daily peccadilloes of Muslim customs would require not insignificant time spent in and among Muslim communities. And all that to gawk at true believers circumambulating a large cube? Hardly the worst offense in the annals of shitty tourist behavior, but still.
You're probably right for most people, but he works for the State Department, has a diplomatic passport, and was living in Cairo at the time, so I'm sure that helped matters. As far as the Salt Lake Temple entry, that does seem a whole lot more difficult, but he claims he'll find a way. I'll keep you all updated if it ever happens, but don't hold your breath.
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