Sunday, July 27, 2014

230 Quiz Answer

Puck flies around the earth in 40 minutes; the astronaut takes more than twice that, about 90.

(Also for Three Word Wednesday and ABC Wednesday: "c" is for "conniver")
The prompt this week reminded me that nations and clans of all kinds have a tendency to create long stories of their history, legends of their glistening, glorious past.

These sagas usually tell the story of an early leader, a hero of supernatural power.  Sometimes such a legend will include a sidekick of the ruler, a character known as the “trickster,” an imp or sprite who enjoys fooling around.
 
In Shakespeare’s day, this sprite was Puck, well known in British folklore.  When a farmwife came down in the morning and learned that the milk had soured long before it should have, it was natural for her to think that some sort of creature, some mischievous elf – Puck, in other words – had been responsible.

In “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” Puck plays an important part.  The best description of him would be: he's a conniver, always conniving, scheming, manipulating.  Officially he’s jester to the king, but he enjoys his remarkable powers for farce by screwing things up for people.

In the play there are several couples of young lovers; Puck gets a charge out of scrambling the arrangement so that the guys and the gals are no longer sure just who loves whom.  

Of course, one of Puck’s most famous achievements has to do with what he does to Nick Bottom, the weaver.  For Bottom it isn’t a fun job anyway - weaving stuff can be awful tedious – but it’s worse when a weird elfish prankster gives him the head of a jassack.


But he turns out to be lucky; the fact that this change somehow makes beautiful women fall madly in love with him makes up for it a bit.

 

Puck, as you might expect, brags a lot.  He claims he can fly around the world in a certain number of minutes.

Well, the folks over at NASA thought about this.  They had had astronauts circling the globe for years.  They knew, to a minute or so, just how long it took.  They wondered, would their guy win such a race, or would Puck?

So here’s your chance to win the huge cash award.  (Assuming I can find somebody to put up some cash – which doesn’t look likely.)

The question is, who would win, who would circumnavigate the globe faster?  Puck or the astronaut?

(The answer will be posted Friday)

 
:

        

25 comments:

Roger Owen Green said...

Evidently, Puck is pluckier, in that he'd take about 40 minutes. The ISS takes about 90.

Berowne said...

Congratulations, Roger Owen Green, who has provided us with the first correct answer.

Eddie Bluelights said...

Not able to qualify it yet but I think it must be Puck. Because astronauts must travel less than 25,000 miles and hour, which is escape velocity and the circumference is about that so they would take one hour to circumnavigate = 60 minutes.
Puck would not be happy with that - he would boast far less I think.


Enjoy these - Eddie

Kathe W. said...

Puck would win at 40 minutes versus NASA's astronaut at 90 minutes!

Berowne said...

Two more with the right answer: Eddie Bluelights and Kathe W.

Sasha A. Palmer said...

Puck would take the prize. He claims he can fly around the world in 40 minutes. It took Yurij Gagarin - the first man in space - 108 minutes to orbit the Earth.

Berowne said...

Sasha A Palmer is another with the correct answer.

Anonymous said...

umm puck!! id always bet on magic! ;)

Stafford Ray said...

Of course it had to be Puck. I doubt even Brick Bradford got his old rocket ship to much more than the 25,000 MPH one would need to do it in about an hour, much less, minutes! (The concept of Warp Speed came later).

Berowne said...

Stafford Ray and Anonymous have both coughed up the right answer.

Silent Otto said...

I would say Puck has been circling the globe for more millennia than any of us could imagine , in one guise or another ...whereas our Astronauts were like summer flies , who Buzzed briefly and gloriously for just one day before coming back to Earth , terrified , unable to relate to a collectively insane populace the awful truth they learned while connected to most slender Umbilicus , drifting in space !
Now as money and energy runs low , those monuments we have lofted drift slowly among the ancient sunlight , perhaps one day during some future space race some intrepid explorer will scratch the dust of the compliance plate mysterious craft discovered by radar , turn to his mate and ask " can anyone read Ancient Sumerian ?

Altonian said...

Puck reckoned he could do it in 'forty minutes', so that would make him about twice as fast as an astronaught.

Berowne said...

Kudos to Altonian - another right answer.

21 Wits said...

I would say Puck, he says he could travel around the world in forty minutes!

Berowne said...

A correct answer from Karen S.

Leslie: said...

Apparently, it took Puck 3 or 4 minutes, and I think it takes longer for a spacecraft. So Puck wins...I think....lol

Leslie
abcw team

Anita Sabat said...

Astronaut or Puck!
Whoever plays better on D-day wins :)
Just like the Hare & the Tortoise story!

Berowne said...

Leslie is the latest with the correct answer.

Sheilagh Lee said...

Puck because he can circumvent
the earth in 40 minutes

Jae Rose said...

The astronaut since in Shakespeare's time the world was flat?

Berowne said...

Jae Rose has an answer. Don't think it's the right one, but she makes a well-reasoned argument for it.

Old Egg said...

Puck was a speedy chap that did the journey in 40 minutes.

Sharp Little Pencil said...

Puck has supernatural powers. There is no doubt he would beat any astronaut in any vehicle. At least that's my opinion. Thanks, Berowne! Amy

Berowne said...

Three more with the correct answer: Sheilagh Lee, old egg and Sharp Little Pencil.

Anonymous said...

I'm trying to catch up and participate in your quizzes. Not even trying to cheat here, but Puck is the sure fire answer.
You met Dick Clark and worked at the same station?? Is that really how Bandstand came to be, just some everyday kids dancing to be on film? I think back to being young, we had 3 stations on a black and white set, 7, 10, and 13. When 27 came around, it was like MTV or something. lol. I enjoy your stories!!!

 
Blog designed by Blogger Boutique using Christy Skagg's "A Little Bit of That" kit.