Asia-Pacific Quiz - 2008, GDI Marketing Group, Auckland, New Zealand

It's the end of the year... How much can you remember about what's been happening in Asia and the Pacific in 2008? Here's your chance to find out!

When you've got your result, why not e-mail the quiz to your friends to see how they measure up?

Question 1

2008 saw a protracted confrontation between Thailand's then ruling party and anti-government protesters from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD). PAD supporters were often seen wearing the colour yellow - why?

A: In Thailand (and some other Asian countries) yellow signifies courage B: It symbolises the sun, and represents the protesters' desire to govern C: It represents Monday, the day of the week on which Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej was born D: It represents the Thai capital Bangkok, PAD's power base

Question 2

Which animals did researchers find had a 36% chance of being drunk on any given night?

A: Police sniffer dogs in Australia B: Elephants in Thailand C: Tree-shrews in Malaysia D: Przewalski's wild horses in Mongolia

Question 3

Which of the following was NOT said by Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso?

A: "Even people with Alzheimer's disease could understand" that Japanese rice is more expensive in China B: There are many doctors "who lack a fair degree of common sense" C: On the elderly: "Why should I have to pay for those who just eat and drink and make no effort?" D: On why tackling the falling birth rate was hard: "The number of birth-giving machines and devices is fixed"

Question 4

Who or what are Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii, Sex Fruit, Keenan Got Lucy and Yeah Detroit?

A: Children's names blocked by a New Zealand judge B: The titles of pop songs supposedly created by the Flight of the Conchords – the fictional band featured in the hit New Zealand TV comedy show of the same name C: The names of the year's best-selling novels on the Cook Islands – all written by a former islander D: The names of cocktails on offer at a surrealism-themed bar in Astana, Kazakhstan

Question 5

In August Beijing hosted an Olympics to be proud of, topping the gold medal table and providing state-of-the-art facilities and extravagant displays. But what went wrong at the opening ceremony?

A: The little girl who sang a solo was actually found to be miming B: Pro-Tibet protesters staged a large demonstration on the roof of the stadium C: One of the 2,008 drummers was out of synch with the others D: Spectators couldn't see the action properly due to the high pollution levels

Question 6

In February, people in China and many other parts of Asia celebrated the Lunar New Year and welcomed in the Year of the Rat. But why did 2008 not prove so lucky for the rodents themselves?

A: Thieves in China tried to cash in by selling stuffed rats to welcome in the new year B: Vietnam banned people keeping hamsters as pets, after sales rose to celebrate the Year of the Rat C: Malaysia began taxing owners of pet mice and rats D: Japanese diners started to follow the South American trend of eating guinea pigs as a delicacy

Question 7

Why are Australians being urged to eat kangaroos?

A: There are too many wild kangaroos in Australia, and they are eating farmers' crops B: Kangaroos do not produce as much methane as sheep and cows, and are therefore better for the environment C: Kangaroo meat is low in fat, and much better for you than other types of red meat D: Kangaroos drink less water than other animals, and Australia faces a prolonged drought

Please click for the answer. GDI Marketing

Virgen Maria Gave Birth to Baby Jesus, Peru, Virgin Mary

A Peruvian woman called Virgen Maria, who is married to a carpenter, has named her son Jesus Emanuel after giving birth on Christmas Day.

Twenty-year-old Virgen Maria Huarcaya Palomino had not been due to give birth on Thursday, but went into labour early and underwent a Caesarean operation.

Her husband, who shares the same profession as Saint Joseph, is in fact called Adolfo Jorge Huaman.

He said the couple had been planning to name their son after a football player.

"But thanks to a happy coincidence this is how things ended up," he said.

Baby Jesus was born at 0220 local time (0720 GMT) on 25 December at the National Perinatal Institute in Lima and weighed 3.32kg.

His mother said: "I am so happy to give birth on such a special date. I didn't think that my baby was going to be born today and now that I have him in my arms I am very happy."

Virgen Maria means Virgin Mary in English. She told local television that her grandfather, a devotee of the Virgin Mary, had chosen her own unusual name, with which, until now, she had not felt comfortable. "In school they made fun of my name," she said.

At 20:28 HRS, 28-12-2008; 6,287 visited this blog.

Most Stupid New Zealand Criminals Revealed 2008

Source: NZ Herald

As well as the murders and assaults police investigated in 2008 they were also faced with less serious offences - some of which bordered on being down-right stupid.

Napier chef Sarron John Malot led the way when he was nicknamed "the Piddler on the Roof" after being caught on security camera urinating into parking meter on July 5.

He said he had been out with friends and wanted to urinate. When they wouldn't let him do it against their car, he chose the parking machine instead.

Police dubbed him The Piddler on the Roof because the meter was on the second-floor. They said in a statement: "He pees up in the air in a big arc, so it goes in the coin slot and out the hole where people collect their tickets".

Malot pleaded guilty in court to a charge of intentionally damaging the meter. He was offered diversion by police but had to pay $200 to the city council.

German tourist Jan Philip Scharbert, 28, was in trouble for a more traditional form of property damage after he was caught tagging the Franz Josef Glacier on the West Coast.

English tourists caught Scharbert on camera as he spray-painted graffiti on the rocks and ice face of the glacier in February.

Scharbert, from Munich, was arrested and ordered to clean up the graffiti. It took him one and a half days, but he escaped a wilful damage charge when DOC was satisfied with his repair job.

Motorists also provided periods of mental lapses - especially the drunk ones.

A Christchurch man denied being drunk in charge of his car after it became stuck in the sea. He said he had a few beers to "celebrate", after the car went in the sea.

Hayden Tibbotts, 29, and a friend became stuck in the surf at Canterbury's Waikuku Beach after taking his 1988 Ford Laser for a drive along the sand.

As the waves got bigger they left the car, rang police for help, and sat on the shore drinking and "watching the waves smash into the car".

"We had been there four or five hours. We thought we may as well have a drink to celebrate the sinking of the ship.

"We weren't doing anything stupid, it doesn't sound right that I'd ring the cops myself if I was drunk driving."

Getting in touch with the cops while drink-driving is exactly what one Hastings woman did.

Bridgil Bayliss, 57, was almost two-times over the legal alcohol limit on September 23 when she was arrested after driving to the police station to ask for help with a flat tyre.

Officers smelt alcohol on her breath and a breath test showed she had 700 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath. The legal limit is 400mcg.

She pleaded guilty to drink-driving when she appeared in Hastings District Court.

A Westport man's visit to the police station also landed him in trouble.

Eptai Taiwhanga, 19, walked into Westport police station drinking alcohol and carrying cannabis resin.

Unsurprisingly, except to him perhaps, he was hit with breaching Westport's liquor ban and possessing a Class B drug.

Judge Jane McMeeken said Taiwhanga was "incredibly stupid" and fined him $400.

"You had cannabis in your pocket and drew attention to yourself by drinking in a police station."

A Gisborne man did a better job of hiding the evidence of his crime - when faced by fisheries officers for paua poaching he ate all the paua.

Ivan Harrison, 51, was seen by fisheries officers carrying sacks of seafood to his vehicle at Kaiti Beach near Gisborne in July.

The officers visited his home, but Harrison had thrown the sack from his vehicle as he left the beach.

A search of the beach failed to locate the sack because Harrison had returned and consumed its contents while the fisheries officers were getting a warrant.

Harrison was convicted of obstructing a fishery officer, sentenced to 100 hours community service and ordered to forfeit his vehicle.

A Hawke's Bay man desperate to raise money to pay off a prostitute was less subtle; he thought flashing his erect penis at an unsuspecting woman would help bring in cash.

Matenga Timoti Mason, 25, a Dannevirke sickness beneficiary, knocked on a stranger's door on October 2 and when the 49-year-old woman opened it he began begging her for money.

Mason told the woman his gang was after him for not paying a prostitute and would slit his throat if he didn't come up with the money.

When she refused to let him inside he said "I want to show you something...I want to show you this," displaying his erect penis.

He pleaded guilty to indecent assault and obscene exposure when he appeared in Dannevirke District Court.

While a number of criminals made stupid decisions, often the police proved not so bright themselves.

A 25cm cannabis plant grew for two months outside Timaru's courthouse and police station before being discovered by a policeman.

It was growing at the base of a table, likely to have started life after someone lit up a joint and discarded the butt there. It was plucked and destroyed.

Note: 6.250 visitor to this blog, 18:39HRS, 27-December-2008. Please visit my blog at wordpress.com