Mr. Write's Page

The Questions…

1. Chinese okra, aka elephant okra, is a zucchini-like vegetable that is edible only when the plant is young and tender. What happens when Chinese okra matures on the vine?

2. In 1994, two U.S. postage stamps were issued honoring journalist Edward R. Murrow and musician Robert Johnson. In 1999, another stamp was issued to honor artist Jackson Pollock. What is the odd connection between those three stamps?

3. The popular e-commerce website Etsy, purveyor of handmade and vintage items, was founded in 2005. Where did the name Etsy come from?

4. What is the world’s oldest continually-inhabited city?

5. The Antarctic ice sheet, the largest single ice mass on Earth, covers 98 percent of Antarctica. How much of the planet’s fresh water is stored in the ice cap?

The Answers…

1. If left on the vine, a pod of Chinese okra becomes a loofah, a natural cellulose sponge.

2. The designs of all three stamps were based on photos showing the individuals smoking or holding cigarettes. The coffin nails were airbrushed out.

3. CEO Robert Kalin was watching the Fellini film “8-1/2,” and a term that popped up frequently in the dialogue was “Eh, si!” which in Italian means “Oh, yes!” Kalin had wanted a nonsense word as the name of the new company, so he converted “Eh, si” into Etsy.

4. Damascus, Syria, which predates Rome by thousands of years. Damascus was inhabited as early as 8,000 to 10,000 B.C.

5. About 70 percent. Oddly, Antarctica is the driest place on the planet, with humidity lower than the Gobi Desert. Some Antarctic valleys haven’t had rain in two million years.