I’m pleased to tell you that Andy will be in Rundle A next season of Learned League, if he gets one more win. That makes him the cream of the crop. (J! contestant coordinators, can he still get a Toronto audition?)
I got an e-mail from a lady at National Geographic Society, letting me know Mr. Trebek was honored at their 125th Anniversary Gala last night. With their permission I’m posting the article they attached:
WASHINGTON (June 14, 2013)—Six exceptional individuals were honored last night at the
National Geographic Society’s 125th Anniversary Gala celebration for their efforts to lead exploration, advance scientific understanding, conserve natural resources and expand knowledge of the world.
At the sold-out event held at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., National Geographic Society CEO and Chairman John Fahey presented the Hubbard Medal — the Society’s highest honor — to explorer and filmmaker
James Cameron, oceanographer
Sylvia Earle and scientist and author Edward O. Wilson. Cameron and Earle were recognized for their critical efforts in ocean exploration and conservation, and Wilson was honored for his lifelong commitment to the planet’s rich diversity through his research and writing. Fahey presented the Chairman’s Award to philanthropist and humanitarian
Howard G. Buffett for his contribution to conservation, the Adventurer of the Year Award to BASE jumper Felix Baumgartner for his 2012 feat of accelerating through the speed of sound in freefall to advance aerospace research, and the Alexander Graham Bell Medal to
National Geographic Bee moderator and “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek for his 25 years of service to the Bee and his commitment to geography education. Cameron also received the Explorer of the Year Award for his record-setting solo dive to the deepest point of the ocean in 2012.
“Exploration for our founders in 1888 was driven by a desire for knowledge and adventure,” said Fahey. “Today we have the same goals, but our explorers — and those who support them — are driven by a deeper purpose. In this new age of exploration, they want to help navigate the increasingly complex relationship between humanity’s needs and the natural world that sustains us.”
The gala was presented by Rolex, FOX Networks Group and RBC. Co-chairs for the evening were Lucy and Henry Billingsley, Rosemary and Roger Enrico, Julie and Lee Folger, Gayle and Ed Roski Jr., Tricia and Frank Saul and Donna and Garry Weber.
The evening’s theme, “A New Age of Exploration,” echoed the yearlong celebration of the Society’s 125th anniversary. The gala was attended by global leaders in science, exploration and conservation, including oceanographer
Robert Ballard, award-winning wildlife filmmakers and conservationists
Dereck and Beverly Joubert, paleontologist
Louise Leakey, population geneticist
Spencer Wells, marine ecologist
Enric Sala and conservationist
Mike Fay, all National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence. Also in attendance was former Hubbard Medal winner Capt. Don Walsh, who, with late Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard, was the first to reach the ocean’s deepest point, the Mariana Trench, in 1960.
The evening concluded with an announcement of philanthropic commitments from nine families and one organization in support of the work of the National Geographic Society. These contributions and additional proceeds from the gala are part of $35 million in new gift commitments since Jan. 1, 2013, to honor the Society’s 125th anniversary and support a wide range of individuals leading research, exploration and conservation efforts that are fueling new discoveries and innovations. These commitments include a $1 million pledge by Alex Trebek to create an endowment for the National Geographic Bee, a competition he hosted for the last 25 years.
The gala featured an original music arrangement of National Geographic’s theme song played by the Washington Symphonic Brass, Washington’s critically acclaimed, award-winning orchestral brass ensemble; extraordinary videos projected in high definition on 80-foot screens — set design components never before seen in the United States; and custom-made dining tables featuring topographical maps, compasses and live plants. The menu was designed by renowned chef and National Geographic Fellow
Barton Seaver. All the food was created with ingredients sourced from sustainable farms. Wine was provided by Iron Horse Vineyards, which is donating proceeds from each publicly sold bottle of its 2008 Ocean Reserve Blanc de Blancs to National Geographic’s initiative to restore the ocean’s health and productivity.
Additional support for the gala was provided by Bank of America, Fox International Channels, GEICO, Cengage Learning, National Geographic Channels, PetSmart, Southwest Airlines and SVM Foundation.
The gala was the culmination of the two-day National Geographic 2013 Explorers Symposium, #LetsExplore, an annual gathering of National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence, Fellows, Emerging Explorers, grantees and others affiliated with the Society to share updates of their research and fieldwork. This year, the National Geographic Society celebrates its 125thanniversary and its evolution from a small scientific body founded in 1888 “to increase and diffuse geographic knowledge” to one of the world’s largest educational and scientific nonprofit organizations, committed to inspiring people to care about the planet.
Yesterday, Matt Noble edged his opponents for his first win. Will he win, and more than 12K today?
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Eric Maitland
(I think Mr. Trebek was as surprised by his voice as I was.) |
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| Matt |
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| John Kimball |
John found the Daily Double “very early” according to Mr. Trebek, in Having Fun around the World . He’d gotten 2 right and had 1000. Eric too had gotten 2 right and had 400. John wagered everything on this clue: “Visiting the ‘Anne of Green Gables’ house in this smallest Canadian province.” He earned respect from me by getting it right!
Matt looked like he was having trouble ringing in. But by the first break he’d gotten 4 right and had 3200. John got 4 right since his Daily Double and had 4800. Eric got 2 right and had 1200.
John’s my kind of guy, but I have a feeling they’ll be screaming on the Sony boards – He seems to have a sweet tooth just like mine, and he spends a day eating whatever he can get his hands on. And he lost 25 pounds that way. See, you can be thin and have it your way.
At the end of the round, Matt had gotten 4 right and had 5400. John got 5 right and had 7000. Eric got 6 right and had 5200. (This is counting the one they’d originally negged him on.)
Eric found the first Daily Double of the Double Jeopardy round, in something they kept calling Authors. (The game isn’t archived yet, and I’m having trouble reading the categories and contestant dollar amounts on my parents’ non-HD TV.) He had gotten 4 right and one wrong, and had 10000. John had gotten 3 right and had 8200. Matt had gotten 3 right and one wrong and had 7400. Eric wagered 3000 on this clue: “Born in 1917 in England; died in 2008 (not 2001) in Sri Lanka.” Eric got this right.
You can tell the contestants were doing much better today than yesterday. And they kept getting clues I had no idea on.
Eric found the other Daily Double too, in Violin Music. He’d gotten 5 right and one wrong since his last one, and had 15800. John had gotten 2 right and had 12200. Matt had gotten 4 right and had 13000. Eric wagered 2500 on this clue: “This style of violin playing with short strokes of the bow follows ‘Hora’ in the title of a famous piece.” He got it right!
Each contestant got one more right before the end of the round. Matt ended with 14200, John with 12600, and Eric with 20300. I like these scores.
The Final Jeopardy category was The United Nations. This is the clue: “Of nations in the World Almanac, 3 are not U.N. members: Taiwan, Vatican City & this European one that gained independence in 2008.” And there went my chance for a 5/5 week on Finals. 🙁 All 3 contestants got this! John added nothing !, Matt added 1000 and Eric added 8101. We’ll see him next week.
My Coryat today was 17800 (18600 without negs).
