EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK -- MARY BETH P. ADOMAITIS

Someone always has to come in last place.

Think about it. In any competition with at least three teams, there’s

a first place and usually a second place. And you can always count on

someone coming in last.

Friday night, three members of the Independent’s staff found out --

again -- what it is like to come in last place during the 2001 Community

Trivia Challenge for Literacy at the Huntington Beach Library.

This event, which has been held for the last 10 years, was sponsored

by the Literacy Volunteers of America. It was for a good cause -- even if

we didn’t come in first place.

The Independent Thinkers -- a name chosen years ago by previous team

members -- consisted of Huntington Beach reporter Tariq Malik, columnist

Ron Davis and myself. We were ready for this challenge. Or so we thought.

Obviously one of our challengers, Councilman Ralph Bauer, didn’t think

too highly of our team as he let out a cynical “boo” when our team was

announced. Tsk, tsk.

There were 14, three-member teams who had to answer questions in a

variety of categories from history, people and places, entertainment,

sports and science. Each team had 15 seconds to answer each question, and

if they couldn’t, someone in the audience could pay $5 and answer it for

them.

Sounds simple, right?

We were fifth in line for our first question. We were ready. People

and places couldn’t be that hard of a category.

“In 1901, what country produced half of all the world’s oil?” I recall

the question being asked by Kent Johnson, master of ceremonies and the

library theater director.

Our team huddled . . .

Russia? Iran? Geneva? Israel? Georgia?

We answered Russia. Seemed pretty obvious to us.

Wrong.

“The answer is Azerbaijan,” Johnson stammered, trying to pronounce the

country as everyone else was trying to figure out where it was located.

Come on. You remember where Azerbaijan is at. It’s in southeast

Caucasus and borders the Caspian Sea.

I’ll never forget that.

The next question we had -- albeit I don’t quite remember what is was

-- we did get right. I know the answer was Vietnam.

It didn’t take long for the Independent Thinkers to lose control of

their 10th-place lead. In the entertainment category, we were actually

given an easy question -- something we really didn’t see much of during

the evening.

It had something to do with which of the “Seven Dwarfs” came in last

if they were lined up alphabetically.

We knew this. It’s too simple.

“Sleepy.”

Wrong, as some sighs of disappointment came from the audience.

“The answer is ‘Sneezy.”’

Oh yeah, him.

Other questions we received and didn’t know the answers to included

which General Motors car translates into “the floating bull” and in the

1994 Winter Olympics, how many representatives were from Israel?

Again, we were in awe of not knowing these answers. We are

journalists. We went to college, received degrees, took numerous classes

relating to everything. How could we not know the answers to these

questions?

Sigh.

Those answers by the way were Toranado and one.

Overall, our team garnered 105 points. Not too bad. At least we had a

good showing for last place, unlike some of our predecessors at the

Independent who also came in last place, but didn’t receive any points.

Those were sad times.

Over the years, the Independent Thinkers did do well. In fact, in

1997, they came in first place. I can prove it too. The trophy is in our

office ... somewhere.

The Lions of Literature, a group of library folks, came in first place

Friday night with 175 points, followed by CUMC’ers and the Clever

Commish, who both received 160 points. Congrats to all three.

Other teams that showed some promise were the Surf City Sensations,

which consisted of Bauer, Councilwoman Connie Boardman and Mayor Pam

Julien Houchen, Gallagher’s United with Stan and Pat Cohen and former

Councilman Dave Sullivan, and the Trivia Heads, which was made up of city

department heads Bill Workman, Ross Cranmer and Ron Hagan.

The Titans of Trivia, which took first place the last two years in a

row, did great, but not good enough for three in a row.

Altogether, the 2001 Trivia Challenge for Literacy raised about

$10,000 for the library’s literacy program. More than 300 attended this

event.

For coming in last place, we received the book “5087 Trivia Questions

& Answers.”

Just wait until next year.

* MARY BETH P. ADOMAITIS is the Independent’s city editor. She can be

reached at o7 marybeth.adomaitis@latimes.com.

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