Smells Like Team Spirit - A Guild Tribute Quiz

Answer: Japan

Considering how short a time it took Japan to rebuild its industrial might after World War II it's obviously a culture that takes this proverb to heart. Japanese companies build on the Japanese cultural premise that family and community are more important than the individual members of a family or community. Employees of Japanese companies are part of the company's 'family'. It is understood that they will embody the corporate spirit by wearing the corporate uniform, and participating in regular group activities - morning exercises (complete with singing the company song), team competitions within the company structure and with other companies, taking part in cultural festivals as members of their particular company. In most Japanese companies, lifetime employment is guaranteed, thereby assuring the loyalty of the employee and making the company a stronger unit.

The sage Cymruambyth provided this pearl of wisdom before leading the Guild in our team sing-along.

Answer: Benjamin Franklin

One of the great Renaissance men of history, Franklin was respected as an inventor and scientist (engineering the Franklin stove and conducting early experiments with electricity) as well as a civic figure (founding early libraries, postal services, and fire departments) notwithstanding his abilities as a diplomat (serving as ambassador to France during the American Revolution) and a writer. The above quote was his admonition to the Second Continental Congress at the signing of the Declaration of Independence; Franklin knew full well that failure likely meant execution for treason.

The question, but not the threat, came from Guilder mr_lusk.

Answer: Endurance

The Endurance was the ship that carried Shackleton and his men as part of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition that left Plymouth in the UK in August 1914. The aim of the expedition was to make the first complete crossing of the Antarctic continent by land. However the expedition became a feat of endurance when, in January 1915, the ship became trapped by pack ice in the Weddell Sea.

Despite an extraordinary daily team effort to release the ship from its bounds, after nine months of hard work the decision was finally taken to abandon ship. All supplies that could be rescued were, over the course of a few days, removed from the ship before Endurance finally succumbed to the ice and sank below the surface in early November.

After the loss of the Endurance, the crew were, in the words of Shackleton, "drifting on a piece of ice at the mercy of the winds"; their best hope being the ocean's currents taking the ice floe towards land. Frank Worsley, the ship's captain, noted in his diary that "I don't think we have a genuine pessimist amongst us", and this outlook, combined with the camaraderie of the group, and the efforts put in by Shackleton at keeping morale high meant that they kept faith in each other's abilities to see them through the situation when the apparent bleakness of it might have destroyed lesser men.

Despite having food enough for just three months, the crew survived on the ice floe until mid-April before they were able to make land upon Elephant Island. Realising that prospects were no better on the island, Shackleton and Worsley and four other men made an extraordinary 800 mile journey across the Southern Ocean to South Georgia in a 22 foot (7 metre) long boat with only a sextant to guide them. That they made it is a testament to the skill and perseverance of all those on board and the survival of the entire group is a lesson to us all in what can be achieved with good teamwork and strong team spirit.

Guild member Snowman provided this question and congratulations on your endurance if you made it through to the end of the interesting info!

Answer: Slimer

Slimer, a floating, neon green ghost with arms and hands but no legs, first appeared in the 1984 hit movie "Ghostbusters," which followed the adventures of four New Yorkers who started a ghost-catching business. In that film, he was decidedly unfriendly, wreaking havoc in a luxury hotel as he gorges himself on its food; the Ghostbusters managed to catch him, but not before Bill Murray was slimed. Slimer also showed up in "Ghostbusters II," zooming out from behind the Statue of Liberty in time for one last cameo before the closing credits.

As has been the case for so many, the gluttonous ghost achieved his greatest fame by uniting with his former enemies. The animated show "The Real Ghostbusters," which ran from 1986 to 1991, featured Slimer as a beloved member of the team. He still loved to eat, but now he could talk as well, and he was often given the task of cheering up the human ghostbusting team -- especially his best friend, Ray.

The other answer choices are all related to the "Ghostbusters" universe. Gozer was the name of the ancient god who tried to destroy New York in the original "Ghostbusters" film, taking the form of a giant, malevolent Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man. Janine, meanwhile, was the Ghostbusters' wisecracking human receptionist in both films as well as the spin-off TV shows.

The spritelike CellarDoor was the author of this spooky question.

Answer: Severance

Starring Danny Dyer, Toby Stephens and Tim McInnerny, "Severance" starts as a comedy about a group of employees of an arms manufacturing company on a team-building weekend in the mountains of Eastern Europe. However, it soon turns to horror as a group of mysterious locals start picking them off one by one in increasingly gruesome ways.

Guilder stedman is responsible for this question, and if the Guild membership takes a sudden decline, you now know why.

Answer: England

Both Scotland and Wales declined to play at Lansdowne Road in 1972 (leading to an unresolved Championship), but England turned up the following year (the two teams walked out together) to a five minute standing ovation. England were soundly beaten 18-9, but as the England captain John Pullin said "We might not be very good but at least we turn up" - a fitting motto for all Quiz teams! Italy did not turn the Five Nations into the Six Nations until 2000.

Quiz_Beagle boldly steps forward to face her responsibilities and provide this question.

Answer: George Gipp

George Gipp played in the backfield for Notre Dame during the years of World War I. He was a great player and selected as an All-American. He was the subject of Knute Rockne's famous "Win one for the Gipper" speech. George Gipp died tragically during his senior year of university of a strep infection. This excerpt from the 1940 MGM movie "Knute Rockne- All American" is found in the archives of Notre Dame University at http://lamb.archives.nd.edu/rockne/speech.html:

ROCKNE:
Well, boys ... I haven't a thing to say.
Played a great game...all of you. Great game.
[He tries to smile.]
I guess we just can't expect to win 'em all.
[Rockne pauses and says quietly.]
I'm going to tell you something I've kept to myself for years --
None of you ever knew George Gipp.
It was long before your time.
But you know what a tradition he is at Notre Dame...
[There is gentle, faraway look in his eyes as he recalls the boy's words.]
And the last thing he said to me -- "Rock," he said -
"sometime, when the team is up against it -- and the
breaks are beating the boys -- tell them to go out there
with all they got and win just one for the Gipper...
[Knute's eyes become misty and his voice is unsteady as he finishes.]
I don't know where I'll be then, Rock", he said - "but
I'll know about it - and I'll be happy."
[There is a hushed stillness as Rockne and the crowd of boys look at each other. In the midst of this tense silence, Rockne quietly says "Alright," to the men beside him, and his chair is wheeled slowly out of the dressing room.]
PLAYER # 12
Well, what are we waiting for?
[With a single roar, the players throw off their blankets and rush through the doorway.]

Curly Lambeau was a team-mate of Gipp's who founded the Green Bay Packers. Amos Alonzo Stagg was a Yale Divinity student who coached at the University of Chicago during the Gipp years at ND.

The inspirational sidnobls is author of this question.

Answer: Same Spirit-Two Teams: Youngblood was traded after the first game and played for a second team in the same day.

After getting the game winning single for the New York Mets at Wrigley Field in an afternoon game against the Chicago Cubs, Youngblood was traded to the Montreal Expos. He flew to Philadelphia quickly enough to get a hit in that night's game against the Phillies.

Youngblood was an unusually versatile player, playing every defensive position except pitcher during his 14-year career with the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals, New York Mets, Montreal Expos, and San Francisco Giants. Versatility, on the other hand, did not necessarily translate into skill at all the positions. Handed the third base job in 1984 for the Giants, Youngblood had one of the worst defensive seasons in history, his fielding percentage of .887 being the lowest of any regular player since 1905.

Eauhomme was the author of this question. The Guild currently has no plans to trade him.

Answer: Fluffy/flute

In 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' aka 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' the Hogwarts students must get past the three headed canine and Hagrid had given Harry a flute that would put Fluffy to sleep. Earlier in the story, Professor Quirrel used an enchanted harp. Orpheus used a lyre in the Greek myth to put Cerberus to sleep. In any case our team learned that "music hath sounds that charm" in this episode and a great lesson in teamwork.

The melodious Bruyere brought you this magical question.

Answer: The Angel's Share

The 'breathability' of the casks (mostly oak, often previously holding sherry or bourbon) means a certain portion is lost by evaporation - or is it drunk by the angels?

Quiz_Beagle provided the question but denies any responsibility for the missing whisky.