NEW CADET CHALLENGE

Congratulations to Cadet Roberto Soriano who, with very little help, figured out the puzzle below.  (He had, however, a bit more trouble with the "Ants on a Stick" puzzle.)

Here, with a suitably nautical flavor, is the latest cadet challenge. This challenge will expire at 0730, Monday, 22 August.   Hint:  This puzzle is not too hard, but you will need a methodical, analytical approach.  I recommend setting up a table (a table such as you will set up is properly called a "matrix").  The first correct submission will recieve a prize yet to be determined.  Good luck.

The Puzzle of Good Hope

The weather at the Cape of Good Hope makes it a notorious location where many ships have been lost to the sea. Philip Wood, the famous diver, has discovered four ships that sank in the same spot, one on top of each other.


With some skill, Philip was able to determine the name, captain, cargo, destination and year each ship was built. The question is, can you?

1. During his first exploration of the site, Philip determined there were four ships - the Red Rover, the ship built in 1743, the ship captained by Quigley and the ship carrying tea that was bound for North America.

2.The ship that carried a cargo of saffron was built after the ship that carried a cargo of tea.

3. An entry in one ship's log found at the site indicated that the ship built in 1522 was carrying a valuable cargo of gold.

4. One ship was carrying botanical specimens to France. Philip determined that this was not the Royal Bride.

5. The Scarlet Queen, a pirate ship, was certainly built before the nineteenth century but not as early as the sixteenth. The captain of this ship was the famous rogue Clubfoot.

6. The Wanderer was built after the Royal Bride. The Royal Bride's cargo was not tea and the Royal Bride was not travelling to the South Seas.

7. Captain Bolton's ship was built before Clubfoot's and before The Royal Bride.

Ships: Red Rover, Royal Bride, Scarlet Queen, Wanderer



Year Built: 1522, 1688, 1743, 1817


Captain: Bolton, Clubfoot, Quigley, Vickers


Cargo: Gold, Saffron, Specimens, Tea


Destination: England, France, North America, South Seas

Hint:  The Royal Bride's destination was England.

NEW CHALLENGE

Here's a simple one:

Tropical storms originating over the Pacific Ocean are called monsoons.  True or False?

NEW CHALLENGE

It's been awhile since I last issued a cadet challenge.  It's been even longer since a cadet successfully answered a cadet challenge.  Here we go:

• For new seniors:  What is the announced name of the newest carrier in the United States Navy?  (This ship is being built now, it will not be commissioned for some time.)  The correct answer is "John F. Kennedy."  The Kennedy, which will be launched later in the decade, will carry be the second super carrier to bear the name of President John F. Kennedy.
• For new juniors:  What is a "rabbit"?  (The quotation marks should tell you that the correct answer has nothing to do with small, furry creatures.)  No winner--although Samantha Migliori came close.
• For new sophomores:  We are organized as a company now.  If we have a larger unit next year, we may organize as a battalion.  What is the next echelon up from a battalion?  (In other words, two or more battalions make up a ____________.)  Congratulations to Cadet Ferguson, who apparently will be repeating sophomore year.
• For incoming freshman:  Nothing--yet!

The winner of each challenge will receive a candy bar.  Regulation size, not extra-large.  The challenge expires 0830 24 June 2011.  Good luck.

NEW CHALLENGE AND A REMINDER

First, the reminder:  Tickets are on sale for the Military Ball, which will be held at Brookside Manor on Friday, 25 March.  The tickets are $38 each and the evening will most definitely be "an affair to remember." (For a candy bar, name who starred in that movie!).  RSVP by Friday, 18 March.

Now here's the challenge, and it's a tough one:  You are at the airport ready to leave a most peculiar island and fly home. Before being allowed on the plane, you must pass a final test. You are introduced to two residents, Charles and Earl. Charles says, "Earl is a Knight." Earl says, "Charles is not a Knight." One is telling the truth, but is not a Knight. Who is it?


Fact list:

Knights always tell the truth.

Knaves always lie.

Normals sometimes lie, and sometimes tell the truth.

Either Charles or Earl is a truth-telling Normal.

Charles says, "Earl is a Knight."

Earl says, "Charles is not a Knight."

OPEN CHALLENGE

Here's challenge open to any cadet:

You have a set of salt and pepper shakers; i.e., you have one salt shaker full of salt and one pepper shaker full of pepper.  You open the pepper shaker, and take a teaspoon of pepper and put it in the salt shaker.  You mix it up thoroughly.  You then take a teaspoon of that mixture and introduce it into the pepper shaker.  Is there more salt in the pepper shaker or more pepper in the salt shaker?

What will the winner get?  I'm betting there won't be one!

NEW WEEKLY CHALLENGE

Here's the new weekly challenge:

For NS4 cadets:  Prove to me that you've seen the president's National Security Strategy. 

For NS3 cadets:  What is the first point of Aries and what is its significance?

For Tiffany Parker:  If you have two apples and find two others, how many apples do you have?  Congratulations to Tiffany, who correctly answered "four."  I think she guessed.

For NS2 cadets:  Describe the New York congressional delegation in terms of size and composition.

For NS1 cadets:  At what position do you fall in?

The first cadet in each category to answer the question correctly will receive a small prize.  This challenge will expire 0730 Friday, 21 January 2011.

The WOD for 20 and 21 January is sanction.  Sanction is a verb meaning to approve or to ratify.  Example:  Nothing could convince the teacher to sanction Fedorka's research paper by giving him a passing grade.  The first person who tells me the WOD gets a candy bar.

NEW WEEKLY CHALLENGE

This challenge is is open to all cadets until 0730 Friday, 7 January:  How old was Diophantus when he died?  Since this is not a terribly difficult challenge, the successful cadet must show his or her work.

Rest in Peace, Diophantus.  Incidentally, the WOD for 4 and 5 January is disparity.  Disparity is a noun meaning a difference or condition of inequality.  Example:  Their is an evident disparity between Fedorka's opinion of himself and reality. 

WORD OF THE DAY AND CADET CHALLENGE

The WOD for 16 and 17 December is condone.  Condone is a verb meaning to overlook; to forgive; to give tacit approval; or to excuse. Example:  Unlike others who condoned Fedorka's inappropriate behavior, the NJROTC instructors were constantly correcting him. 

Here's a one-size-fits-all challenge:  Who was the only officer to hold five-star rank in both the Army and Air Force?  (Hint:  It wasn't General MacArthur!)  The winner of this challenge will receive 2 cadet bonus points.  Congratulations to Cadet Daniel Levien who answered correctly that General of Army (and later General of the Air Force) was the only officer to hold that rank in both services.

On behalf of the Middletown High School NJROTC in Middletown, NY, welcome to our friends in the Netherlands, Slovenia, Croatia, and everywhere else around the world!

CHALLENGE

Here's the weekly challenge for the week of 13 December:

For seniors:  Name the first of three colonels we have discussed in class.  What type of motivational technique did he employ?

For Juniors:  Who won the famous Longitude Prize?  How did he do it?  (Note that by using the pronoun "he," I have simplified your problem by removing roughly half of the possible answer--could I make it any easier?)

For FROSH:  How far can you walk into a forest?

This challenge will expire at 0730 17 December.  The winner for each class will receive a handsome, suitable for framing, certificate.  Good luck.

CONGRATULATIONS C/CPO ROBERT FERGUSON

Cadet Ferguson correctly answered three of the five questions asked below.  The correct answers are provided in red. 

1.  You are the navigator on the USS Neversail. Why would you send one of your quartermasters to get a can of relative bearing grease? ("RBG")  Relative bearing grease, like HT punches, boxes of grid squares, and mail buoys do not exisit.  Hence, you might send a new sailor to find a can of RBG as a gentle joke on the new guy.

2.  Is there such a thing as left-handed monkey wrench?  Yes there is, Richard Mckenna made one--see his short story the "Left Handed Monkey Wrench."

3.  I ask "How long have you been a Cadet"? What do you answer?


All me bloomin' life, sir! Me mother was a mermaid, me father was King Neptune. I was born on the crest of a wave and rocked in the cradle of the deep. Seaweed and barnacles are me clothes. Every tooth in me head is a marlinspike; the hair on me head is hemp. Every bone in me body is a spar, and when I spits, I spits tar! I'se hard, I is, I am, I are.  [The correct answer may be found in the Rocks and Shoals page of our unit website.]



4.  Why are there no crow's feet on ships? (At least in theory--in practice, of course, there are often many.)

A crow's foot is a device used to turn a sticking or tight valve hand wheel.  Theya re illegal because they could damage the valve. [This was a gimme.]

5.  What would you find in the ship's manger?  Anchor chain.  [This was a hard one.]

Good luck!

AN OPEN CHALLENGE

Here is a challenge open to all.  The challenge is open-ended, there is no time limit--at least none imposed now.  I can afford to be generous, because none of you will be able to claim the prize!  Before I present the challenge itself, here are the rules:
- The challenge is, as mentioned, open to all, but only a MHS NJROTC cadet may actually receive the prize.  An outside winner will simply receive a public acknowledgement.  There is but one prize.
- The challenge will run until I grow weary of your feeble attempts to win.
- There are five questions.  The first person to correctly answer any three wins.
- Scoundrels who attempt to guess will be disqualified.

Here are the challenges:

1. You are the navigator on the USS Neversail.  Why would you send one of your quartermasters to get a can of relative bearing grease?  ("RBG")
2. Is there such a thing as left-handed monkey wrench?
3. I ask "How long have you been a Cadet"?  What do you answer?
4. Why are there no crow's feet on ships? (At least in theory--in practice, of course, there are often many.)
5. What would you find in the ship's manger?

Good luck!

DAILY CHALLENGE

Here's a question for any cadet--a "video daily double"--what's wrong with the following picture:

For Sheme!

By the way, the WOD for 1 and 2 December is dogmatic.  Dogmatic is an adjective meaning opinionated, arbitrary, or doctrinal.  Example:  We tried to discourage Scroggins from being so dogmatic, but could never convince him that his opinions might be wrong. 

ROBERT FERGUSON MEMORIAL WEEKLY CHALLENGE

Congratulations to C/CPO Robert Ferguson who correctly identified the Jack o' the Dust as the petty officer in charge of breaking food out of the ship's reefer (deep freeze). 

Here's this week's weekly "one size fits all" challenge:  Describe the duties of the Jack o' the Dust.  This challenge expires at 0730 Friday, 19 November.  There will be a prize.  First come, first served.

Don't forget the Name the Ugly Baby Contest.

NEW WEEKLY CHALLENGE

Here's the new weekly challenge for the week of 18 OCT through 22 OCT.  This challenge is now CLOSED.

Seniors:  Who wrote "The Laws of the Navy"?  Congratualtion C/LCDR Justin Lucchese, who correctly answered that Rear Admiral Hopwood, RN, penned the poem "The Laws of the Navy" as a humorous set of instructions and warnings for officers.   

Juniors:  Who was the highest ranking American naval officer ever?  It is not FADM Halsey!  Keep trying.
Sophomore:  Who was the youngest captain in the American Navy, ever?  Nice try, Jessica, but the answer must be properly pronounced.  This question is still in play.

Fresman:  Who was Dan Daly?  Congratulations Jonathan Gomez, who correctly identified Sergeant Major Dan Daly, USMC as a double Medal of Honor recipient for heroic actions in both WWI and the Haiti intervention. 

The prize this week is a brand-new shiny MHS NJROTC pen.  The challenge expires 0730, Friday, 22 October 2010.

NEW WEEKLY CHALLENGE

NO WINNERS THIS WEEK!  (Answers in RED.)

Here are a set of new challenges:

For Seniors: A ship is making 21 knots good against a head current of 3 knots. How far will it travel in 18 minutes? (RTQ.)  If your ship is making 21 knots good then your speed over ground is 21 knots and the 3 knot head current is irrelevant (I threw that in jsut to see if you were paying attention).  In 6 minutes at 21 knots you will go 2.1 NM's; therefore, in 18 minutes you will go three times that far, or 6.3 NM's.

For Juniors: From what mast do we fly the Union Jack when underway? (Careful.)  Trick question.  The Union Jack is NEVER flown underway i the United States Navy.

For FROSH: Describe the battle flag of the brig Niagara. Who was its captain and what is he famous for? The battle flag proudly proclaimed the dying words of CAPT Stephen Lawrence, "Don't Give Up the Ship!"  The captain of the brig Niagara was CAPT Oliver Hazard Perry, CAPT Lawrence's best friend.  CAPT Perry is famous for defeating the British in the Battle of Lake Erie (1813) and thus preserving the old Pacific Northwest for the United States.

The first cadet in each category with the correct answer will win a soft drink from the MHS vending machine of their choice. This offer expires at 0735 Monday, 27 September 2010. You must see CDR Wall with the correct answer by then--NO GUESSING!