JGT Power Rankings Return

Ok, first time in a while. This is an overview of our best teams over the past month, really.

#1 Steak Em Up. A win this past week over 150 teams in Austin puts them at the top of the list. Of course, they’ve been dominating lately in Philly as well.

#2 Duane’s World. Nobody could knock off Steak Em Up in Austin, but one team did in Philly last week. A huge win for the World at Black Sheep, their 2nd in a row.

#3 The Jams. The Vous was pretty wide open for a while, but lately the Jams have been running s***. 5 wins in the last 6 weeks at the Vous, including 3  in a row.

#4 L. Ron Hubbard’s Diabetics. Another red hot team on the rise, the Diabetics have won 3 in a row at UA. Can they be stopped this week?

#5 Mister Lippers. A pretty big drop off from #4 to #5, but this team has the skills to make a move up the rankings this year. They’ve finished in the top 3 the past 3 weeks at O’Neals, including a win this past week.

#6 Some Douche Stole My Bike. Nobody hits more arenas than these guys. A win at Black Sheep 3 weeks ago. A win at North Star 4 weeks ago. A win at O’Neals 5 weeks ago. A 2nd place finish at UA two weeks ago, and a 3rd place finish there this past week. This could be the breakout team of 2012.

#7 Beer Goggles. These guys play under a bunch of different names at both CTH and Bards, and always seem to finish in the Top 3. They’re one nerd away from being a contender.

#8  Team Not in the Corner. I’m intrigued by these guys, a new addition to the scene. A win at O’Neals 3 weeks ago, and a 4-point loss this past week. They could be for real.

#9 Trivia Newton Jon. Quizzo veteran Palestra Jon is back…at least he was this past week, along with this daughter Sarah, who will be on College Jeopardy this Friday. They pulled off an impressive win at the Bards.

#10 Philliez Nutz. Give them credit for consistency. Until taking a week off this past week, they had finished 2nd to the Steak for three straight weeks.

Quizzo Bowl VIII: Caribbean Quiz!

Goodtimes Vs. Greattimes from Johnny Goodtimes on Vimeo.

WHO: You, me, a calypso band, and 300 of our closest friends. Oh, and some punks from Denver and Philly’s new quizmaster darling, Johnny Greattimes.

WHAT: Quizzo Bowl, the most prestigious quizzo event in the country.

WHEN: February 18th, at 7:30 p.m. Doors will open at 6:30, show will start at 7:30 sharp. (Unless the scoring computer crashes right before the show like it did last year.)

WHERE: World Cafe Live. 30th and Walnut.

WHY: Because you like hanging out with your friends, drinking beer, listening to music, and trying to make yourself a quizzo immortal.

HOW MUCH ARE TICKETS? HOW DO I BUY THEM? Tickets are $25  a pop if you buy them from me or $28 a pop if you buy them online. You can buy them from me at each of my regular quizzos or buy them online here.

WHAT KIND OF ENTERTAINMENT WE GOT? We’ve got the Cavatina Calypso Band performing between rounds, we’ve got Fastball Bob Gutierrez acting as my co-host, and there are rumors of my arch-rival, Johnny Greattimes, making an appearance and trying to sabotage the show. As for halftime, we’ve got breakdancers from Rennie Harris Puremovement.

IS THERE A DRESS CODE? Yes, please wear something tropical. Aloha shirts and flowery dresses, and of course grass skirts.

WHAT WILL THE FORMAT BE? There will be 5 rounds of 10 questions each. There will be an easy round, a surprise round, a celebrity round, a music round, and an impossible round. Point values will go up by 1 in each subsequent round.

WHAT WILL THE QUESTIONS BE ABOUT? It will be like a regular quizzo, with various general knowledge questions. Someone asked me the other day if it was all questions about the Caribbean. No, though I’m sure there will be a few. But like I said, this will be a general knowledge quiz, though since most teams will be playing with a full squad, the questions will be a little bit harder than usual.

IS THIS REALLY THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS QUIZZO EVENT IN THE WORLD? You damn right.

HOW LONG WILL IT LAST? It lasts a little longer than the normal quiz. I’d say that normally we come in at around 3-3 1/2  hours. There is an extra round, and grading 40 teams papers ain’t all that easy, so it’s a little longer than usual. But the live music and entertainment will make it go by quickly.

CAN WE JUST WATCH AND NOT PLAY? No, there’s no reason to just watch. Why not join the fun? My goal is for the team in last place to have as much fun as the team in first place, so don’t worry if your team isn’t comprised of rocket scientists. You’ll still have a good time. Promise.

WHAT CAN I WIN? I have $1500 worth of prizes for our top 4 finishers, as well as numerous gift certificates to give away over the course of the night. Of course, if you take first place, more important than the prize will be the fact that you will become a quizzo immortal, and your team name shall ring from the mountaintops, forever exulted by nerds across this great nation. Furthermore, we’re going to be having our annual raffles, though this year with a twist: this year we’ll pick two people, who will them compete in a little nerd faceoff for the gift certificates.

HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN BE ON A TEAM? The max is 8 people. If you have a team of 5 or fewer, there is a decent chance I will team you up with another small team. (We’ve got to maximize space, plus it gives you a better chance to win.)

CAN I BUY MY TICKETS AT THE EVENT THAT NIGHT? Probably not. The last 7 of these have sold out. I doubt there will be any tickets left by that night.

IS THERE AN AFTERPARTY? Yes, it will be at JG Domestic. They’re going to hook us up with happy hour specials.

If you have any more questions, please contact me on facebook or leave them below in the comments. Oh, and do me a favor and click “Like” below so we can spread the word. Grass roots as always. We’re going to have a hell of a time. Don’t miss it!

 

Messin’ With Texas

Two teams from Philly are headed down to Austin this weekend to participate in Geek Bow VI. This will be our 3rd appearance. In 2010 we finished 4th and in 2011 we finished 3rd (both of those were held in Denver). Well, this year, it’s being held in Texas, and we decided to go for all the marbles. Carl (Specific Jawns) and I humbly accepted a demotion to the B-team so that Phil (Jams) and Kenney (Steak) could join the A-team, and give Philly it’s best chance for a title. We will be playing with the wives and girlfriends team, which is kind of like being traded from the LA Lakers to the Washington Generals, and Carl and I are both thrilled to be playing alongside our wives.

As some of you who have followed this little shindig for the past few years are aware, while those nerds do this thing to answer questions, I do it to talk smack. Last year I unleashed a vicious diss rap of Denver. This year I decided to make an educational video. I understand that a lot of people in Philly don’t know a lot about Texas, so I thought I’d teach you a little bit about the state and its customs and people.

 

If you want to follow us this weekend to see how we do, you can follow me on twitter and facebook. I’ll be updating all weekend (much to the chagrin of my wife.)

Even More North Korea Awesomeness

Last week I posted a bunch of fun stuff about North Korea (Yeah, I’m obsessed). This week I interviewed an American who travels there annually for the Philly Post named Ray Cunningham. The interview is really interesting. However, due to space and time considerations, we had to leave out part of it. I thought I’d post below. Also thought I’d post a few more cool photos Ray took while he was there as well (You can check out all of his North Korea photos here). I really think North Korea is the most fascinating country on earth, and the more I read and learn about it, the more  intrigued I am. It’s really the last bastion of Stalinism (though there is a tremendous black market in North Korea apparently, just as there was in Soviet Russia). So for people my age who were in their teens when the Berlin Wall came down, and can never understand the fear that our parents had for communism, it serves as an example of what people feared of a repressive communist regime. That said, like anywhere else, the story doesn’t begin and end with political ideology. In fact, the real story here is how people have adapted to their lives in such a political system. I had a few more questions for Ray that were more about his personal experiences and less about general travel there. I think you’ll be interested in his answers.

What is the biggest misconception Americans have of North Korea?

Most Americans have a view of North Korea through the lens of the Cold War, the Korean War, the media, and the North Korean media projection of themselves. What they know of the inside of the country is nothing – save for a few photos of a strange leader, goose stepping soldiers, and a missile launch. Korea pulled up the draw bridge and went into isolation so everyone is to blame for this.

To understand North Korea is to first understand Korea. What you are seeing is not Communism but a form of Confucian extremism. We stopped the bus one day on a rural farm road to use the bathroom which turned out to be a corn field and on the road was a sign. The propaganda banner read “We do things the Korean way.” I questioned our Worker’s Party of Korea member on the bus about what this meant. After being enslaved by the Japanese and freed by the efforts of Kim Il-sung the Korean people won their freedom and they must make their way in the world under their own efforts and with their own means. They want a country that gives them the right “to be Korean.” This regime has more to do with the Koryo dynasty of the past than Karl Marx. Another thing to remember is that the Koreans are fiercely nationalistic – a response in part to being oppressed by the surrounding nations. Isolation, nationalism, an ideology of self-reliance (Juche), and a view of the past (right or wrong) of what a Korean state should be has led to a nation state very different from anything on the planet. Studying Korean culture is the first step in understanding why things are the way they are in North Korea.

This is not to condemn Korean culture. The Korean diaspora worldwide is one of hard work and success. The Republic of Korea rapidly moved into the world community and there is no reason to view a unified Korea as anything but a successful and prosperous country.

If North Korea was some mountain kingdom in the Himalayas where the founding deceased king was worshipped with eternal devotion and his son, the prince, was followed you might find it quaint. With red flags, parades, tanks, missiles and nuclear weapons it is much less desirable.

What were you most surprised by during your experiences there?

The one thing that has surprised me was how friendly people are. The Korean people we meet are genuine and friendly. One might think they would be angling for a gift or a favor as people often did in Eastern Europe during the Cold War. This is not the case. The contrast in their lives and ours is so startling that we cannot help but leave a flashlight, batteries, soap, food or something practical for them to have. One man was fascinated with a glow stick that I was using on a road at night and I gave it to him. The Koreans love to look at our technology items and it is not surprising that iPods are the item most left by tourists in North Korea.

What was the most interesting thing you did while in North Korea?

Most all of the activities that we do as tourists are arranged and choreographed. As much as the North Koreans try sometimes things do not quite go as planned. It was a busy summer season in Pyongyang and the number of foreigners in town was quite high and the available hotel rooms were full. Our group was taken to a hotel in a smaller town that was obviously not used for westerners. This town was what I would call “the real North Korea.” Tourists do not often get to see how people live in the smaller towns and this was a valuable lesson. Music and propaganda blared from loudspeakers until 11pm. At 5am the speaker began with the national anthem and propaganda. “Be sure to keep the Dear Leader in your thoughts today” was one part of the message. It is fascinating to see glimpses of the society that others do not see. At other locations we had to haul our water or live in the dark. To see the society as the people live it is a rare opportunity.

 

You Write the Questions Round

I know how good you nerds are at answering questions. Let’s see how good you are at writing them. Here’s how it works: Send me a message on facebook or by sending me an email (johnny@johnnygoodtimes.com) with 1-3 trivia questions in it. I will take the best 10 questions I receive (no more than one per team) to make up the wild card round tomorrow night. They can be on any topic. Just send me a message with the questions and your team name. Let’s see what you got.

Right Now in Sports

Things are rocking over at Phillysportshistory.com, where this piece I did on the eerie similarities between the 2011 Eagles and the 2007 Eagles was discussed by Cuz and Glenn on WIP on Friday and then posted on the 700 Level yesterday.

We’re also asking for your suggestions…who are the most underrated athletes in Philly sports history?

In the “In case you missed it” file, here are 5 insanely awesome Dr. J photos.

Join us on facebook and follow us on twitter.

And who predicted a Broncos win over the Steelers? This guy.

Everything You Need to Know About Kim Jong-Il and North Korea

Last week, we had our Kim Jong-il and Kim Kardashian Round. Well, there is nothing interesting about Kim Kardashian, but there is plenty that’s interesting about Jong-il and his country. Here are a few of my favorites.

  • Kim Jong-il looking at things. A blog that is exactly what it claims to be…pictures of the Supreme Leader looking at everything from circular saws to toilet paper.

The Donspiracist Presents…Is Santa Claus Real?

We live in a society deep in denial ruled by a government that likes secrets. The elite who control our world love to suppress information, especially if it involves messages of hope, love and peace. Their reach knows no bounds-religion, family, school and even Santa Claus. The common mainstream portrayal of him as a myth and a cute legend for children is designed to obfuscate the facts-that the real Santa poses a power and an influence that the ruling elite find inconvenient. Just as they ignore Ron Paul, they are doing the same with Father Christmas.

Continue reading “The Donspiracist Presents…Is Santa Claus Real?”

The JGT Power Rankings Return

Ok, they’re back. Sorry I’ve been such a slacker the past few weeks, but this will get us caught up, and I’ll try to keep these going and in the future post them on Mondays. Standings are based primarily on performance over the past month.

1. Steak Em Up (City Tap and Bards). No surprise here. They’ve already won twice this week and have been on fire since their Autumn Invitational win. Nobody is even close.

2. Jams (Locust Rendezvous). Incredibly, we’ve had so much parity lately that only one team besides besides Steak Em Up has won more than once in the past 3 weeks. That team is the Jams, who have won two out of 3 at the Vous. Can they make it 3 of 4 tonight?

3. Mister Lippers (O’Neals). A dramatic come from behind win last night, making it 2 wins in the past month at O’Neals. They also teamed with the #4 team to finish 2nd at the Spring Invite.

4. Missing Heads (North Star). Two wins in the past month, they have established themselves as the team to beat at North Star.

5. Duane’s World (Black Sheep). Duane’s World got hot in November (3 wins in 4 weeks) but have cooled off in December, as they’re still looking for their first W.

6. Philliez Nutz (Bards). In the midst of a fairly monumental streak, they have finished 2nd at the Bards for 4 consecutive weeks. Got to give them credit for consistency. They also finished 3rd at the Invite.

7. Ruby Tuesday (Ugly American). 2 wins in the past month and a 4th place finish at the Invitational makes them the team to beat at UA.

8. Wee-Beys Kids (Ugly American) Almost knock off the Steak two weeks ago, then come in last week to the Ugly and take first place. This is a team on the rise.

9. Some Douche Stole My Bike (O’Neals). A 2nd place finish at Black Sheep last month plus a win at O’Neals last week gets them into the mix.

10. Angel’s Pujols (Bards). Every once in a great while, this team jumps up and makes some noise at the Bards. Last week was one of those great whiles.

11. Gobblers (Black Sheep). A big win last week at Black Sheep for these regulars. Can they keep the momentum going this week?

12. Magnus ver Magnusson (Locust Rendezvous). A first and two thirds over the past 3 weeks at the Vous, they remain the most consistent team at the Vous not named the Jams.