Author: Buttons

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Weekly Quiz: 37

RESULTS:  Three Members found the solution to this incredibly difficult bit of arcane Canonical trivia:Michael Ellis “Lobo” was first-in, followed by Denny Dobry “Kirby” and Beth Gallego “Selena” who provided the most complete answer:

Yule is (was) Sir Henry Yule, co-author of Hobson-Jobson: The Definitive Glossary of British India. The other half of the writing team was Arthur Coke Burnell. The glossary contains, among other terms, “Penang lawyer”, the type of walking stick that appears at the beginning of HOUN.

The reference is found as the last entry of the Bibliography of Jack Tracy’s The Encyclopedia Sherlockiana.
Congratulations to the three people in the world who knew this answer!

Question:
Buttons is a bit squishy this week with work on the journal.  Have an easy week and see if you can solve this single question:

Half the team was Yule who understood Colonial Indian culture referred to in the Canon.  Who and what? Who was the other half of the team?

Submissions may be sent up to 12 Noon on Wednesday, 17 September 2014. Email to buttons@johnhwatsonsociety.com

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Weekly Forum: 9 September 2014

Now for Something Entirely Different

This week we will let you decide what the Weekly Forum topic will be. Please comment on the topic of your choice and let’s see if others respond. Any Canonical topic is acceptable.  Be creative and have fun.
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September 08th, 2014

Rereading my books, I found this piece. You may call it old-fashioned, but it is what it is. I enjoy others being passionate about their new versions and I wish them well. For me, with writings like this, I am and always will be an 1895 Sherlockian.

“Chips”


Sonnet on Baker Street

Quick, Watson, quick! (he says) the game’s afoot:
Perhaps it’s only Scandal in Bohemia,
Or maybe Speckled Band, or Devil’s Root,
Or famous sleuth who’s dying of Anaemia–
The Dancing Men, Chicago’s smartest crooks
Have given us the code: we’ll fool that party —
These are not merely episodes in books,
But the Crusade of Holmes and Moriarty.

So bring the fiddle and the dressing gown,
And Mrs. Hudson, and brave Scotland Yard,
And Watson by the jezail bullet lamed–
We rattle in a hansom back to town.
If this is fancy, history’s debarred:
If this is fiction, let fact be ashamed.

                  —Christopher Morley; On Sherlock Holmes.

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Weekly Quiz: 36

RESULTS:  You DO like simple and fun!  So many more players this week!  Buttons was overwhelmed.

Michele Lopez “Reggie” from Italy’s Uno Studio in Holmes was first in with 100%.
He was followed in just minutes by Melissa Anderson “Faith” with 100%.  Denny Dobry “Kirby” was next with 100%.  Sheila Holtgrieve “Daisy” was next with 100%. Michael Ellis “Lobo” came next with 100%. Beth Gallego “Selena” finished with another 100%.  Everybody got Honours!  And nobody picked up on the reference in the set-up to “jeopardy.”  This quiz was modeled after Ken Jennings’ weekly quiz in Parade magazine where he has five things that are all the same. Answers below.

After the grueling and exhausting Treasure Hunt, we return to our Weekly Quiz with a fun and simple one this week having to do with similarities.  Please submit solutions by 7 PM EST, Wednesday, 10 September 2014. You’ll get these fast without any jeopardy.

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Download Week 36 Questions and Answers

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Treasure Hunt Honours

The Second Annual John H Watson World Invitational Canonical Treasure Hunt was held during the entire month of August, 2014. Individuals from the Society and non-members competed and, for the first time, Teams from France, Italy, and the US took part in the Treasure Hunt.

Team Category

The Team category High Honours this year went to Team SOB of Seattle’s Sound of the Baskervilles comprised of Melissa Anderson JHWS “Faith,” Margie Deck JHWS “Gwen,” Sheila Holtgrieve JHWS “Daisy,” and Ariana Maher JHWS “Carla.” This team were first in with 100% correct answers; in fact, they developed numerous additional answers to the questions which were equally correct to the original solutions. Team SOB has members Margie Deck and Sheila Holtgrieve who achieved High Honours in last year’s Treasure Hunt. Ariana Maher and Melissa Anderson added talents in both  Canonical knowledge and research to this year’s competition.  It is reported by the Team that they invested nearly 400 hours collectively in finding the solution to the Hunt. Well Done, Seattle Sound of the Baskervilles!

Team Uno Studio in Holmes from Italy achieved Honours and was comprised of Michelle Lopez, JHWS “Reggie,” Stefano Guerra, JHWS “Lucus,” Enrico Solito JHWS “Devon,” Alessandra Calanchi, JHWS “Bianca,” Roberto Vianello, Gabriele Mazzoni, and Ambrose Scott.

Team La Fayette of La Société Sherlock Holmes de France comprised of Alexis Barquin JHWS “Olivier,” and Thierry Saint-Joanis JHWS “Tristan” achieved Honours. 

Individual Category

The Individual category High Honours went to Denny Dobry “JHWS “Kirby” of Reading, Pennsylvania who successfully repeated his 2013 High Honours. Denny also found numerous additional answers to the questions and reached the solution after many hours of tenacity and superb work.  Well Done, “Kirby.”

Other participants gave it a great effort but were unable to complete the grueling 150 question romp through the Canon.

Congratulations to All

We congratulate all who were successful and all who participated. Both the Individual and Team High Honours will be presented with attractive commemorative awards.

The announcement of the 2015 Third Annual World Invitational Treasure Hunt has been posted on the Treasure Hunt page of the website.  The Game is Afoot!

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Weekly Forum: 2 September 2014

The Diurnal/Nocturnal Holmes and Watson

Have we ever thought empirically about the division of the Canonical adventures as per the time of day? Does the case activity take place primarily in the day or in the night? Is there a pattern to the Canon? Is Holmes more or less diurnal or nocturnal than Watson; does Watson run on a similar or different internal clock to Holmes?

If we add to the equation body type (somatotype), we can think in terms of Holmes as the ectomorph and Watson as the mesomorph or possibly endomorph. What does that portend for their diurnal/nocturnal characteristics, if anything?

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 The John H Watson Society Second World Invitational  Canonical Treasure Hunt is Over!   Results on the Quiz Page on Wednesday, September 3rd.

We are delighted to announce the successful completion of the second annual World Invitational Treasure Hunt. Teams from the US and Europe and individuals from around the world contended for the honours in what has been called the most difficult quiz ever!

The results will be listed on the Quiz Page on Wednesday, September 3, 2014 pending review and confirmation of all answers.

The answers to the 2014 Edition have been posted on the Treasure Hunt page of the website and the announcement of the 2015 Treasure Hunt with revisions has been posted for all to review.  The 2015 Game is Afoot!

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Just a Quick Observation

Buttons wanted to observe:

The recent earthquake was “Situation Room Breaking News” for six hours; a disaster for reporting for one day; an afterthought on clean up and damage estimates for one day; and GONE by the third day.

This is the biggest earthquake to hit the US since 1989, and it did about $4 billion in damage, injured a score of people, and destroyed about 10% of the California wine inventory.

How quickly we forget what takes place this week. But, how long we remember and tell over and over all of the adventures of Holmes and Watson.  Buttons LIKES 1895! Please Mr. Verne, get me out of 2014!

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Excitement!

To All:

The following are my most exiting sequences in the Canon in The Sign of Four:

“Fire if he raises his hand,” said Holmes, quietly. We were within a boat’s-length by this time, and almost within touch of our quarry. I can see the two men now as they stood: the white man with his legs far apart, shrieking out curses, and the unhallowed dwarf with his hideous face and his strong, yellow teeth gnashing at us in the light of our lantern. It was well that we had so clear a view of him. Even as we looked he plucked out from under his covering a short, round piece of wood, like a school-ruler, and clapped it to his lips. Our pistols rang out together. He whirled round, threw his arms in the air, and, with a kind of choking cough, fell sideways into the stream. I caught one glimpse of his venomous, menacing eyes amid the white swirl of the waters.

And this one:

“See here,” said Holmes, pointing to the wooden hatchway. “We were hardly quick enough with our pistols.” There, sure enough, just behind where we had been standing, stuck one of those murderous darts which we knew so well. It must have whizzed between us just at the instant we fired. Holmes smiled at it and shrugged his shoulders in his easy fashion, but I confess it turned me sick to think of the horrible death which had passed so close to us that night.”

Anyone have a favorite you would care to share?

“Chips” aka Ron

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Weekly Forum: 26 August 2014 & Napa CA Earthquake

The Earthquake

We have heard from The Chair and our Editor, the good Drs Yates and they are okay. No damage at their home north of Napa at St Helena. Apparently other members in Napa and American Canyon (the epicenter) are–we hope– also okay; there has been no grapevine bad news as yet.  The Society has about 15 Members in the immediate earthquake area and we have had a number of emails from other Members asking if everyone is okay.We also heard from Vamberry at 221B Cellars in Kenwood, Sonoma Valley. He said one bottle of wine broke and two glasses, but the barrels came through completely undamaged.  Whew! That’s a relief!

The Weekly Forum

Our “Chips,” Ron Lies, writes in Chips’ Tid Bits this week expressing his heartfelt affection for the two friends and colleagues, Doctor Watson and Sherlock Holmes. For “Chips” their friendship has been a life-long joy and inspiration for him.  And, as he always does, “Chips” has expressed his appreciation of the many hours of pleasure he has found from the friends in a way that makes us think and reflect.Where does the “Magic Moment” in the friendship of these two occur for you? For Buttons it has to be the only time the mask is stripped away and Holmes is revealed as having affection and emotion:  when Watson is accidently shot.But the Canon is full of subtleties between the two. Perhaps you have observed those subtleties and have thoughts about their relationship, both the surface one and the one that exists much deeper.

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A Life and a Friend

The Magic That Touches Us All

To All:

A quote from the story that first convinced me of the friendship and partnership of Watson and Holmes. Watson could have said. ‘Forget it,’ and rolled over in the covers and gone back to sleep. But he did not, and thus became one of my best friends who just happens to be fictional.

Enjoy,

“Chips” aka Ron 

‘Come, Watson, come!’ he cried. ‘The game is afoot. Not a word!  Into your clothes and come!’ 

–Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure of the Abbey Grange

 

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Weekly Forum: 19 August 2014

Undeveloped Characters in the Canon

The Undeveloped Characters

Like Mrs Turner, there exist other undeveloped and often completely unexplained characters in the Canon. 

One of these is Mercer, a member of Holmes’s agency, described as his    “. . . general utility man who looks up routine business . . . .”  And, there is the other Mercer, the second mate of Gloria Scott, who is also named as Mereer in some editions. 

Mercer would seem to have had a significant function in the agency activities (and apparently in the creative mind of Doctor Watson), but we have little or nothing of him to give further clarification.  Perhaps you have thoughts on this character (or other characters) that exist only in the Canonical shadows.

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The Bond of Two Friends

“So it was, my dear Watson, that at two o’clock today I found myself in my old armchair in my own old room, and only wishing that I could have seen my old friend Watson in the other chair which he had so often adorned.”

Reading those words remind me of the level of affection Holmes had for Watson. Are there any other quotes that any of you wish to share?

“Chips”

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Weekly Forum: 12 August 2014

The Income of the Firm

The Firm, with its headquarters at 221B Baker Street, was–in today’s terminology–a closely-held, limited liability corporation, or LLC; otherwise it would likely not have been called “The Firm” by Holmes.

What was the attitude toward income, profit and wealth-building (the primary, if not only, objectives of a corporation)? We perhaps think of Holmes as above such things, but in fact was he?  Do we find either direct comments or written, narrative by Doctor Watson regarding Holmes’ income motives? Does Holmes provide clues as to his opinions of money and wealth?

Then, contrast the income, profit and wealth-building attitudes of the other professional in the household: Doctor Watson. What evidence do we have that he either was concerned or not concerned with his practice’s income?  How do they reconcile their individual views about money and wealth? 
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Weekly Forum: 6 August 2014

Buttons is a bit late; sorry, busy you know.

This week’s Forum concerns the Canonical novels:  How do the American settings of VALL and STUD influence your opinion of the novels?  Contrast your feelings about those two novels to your feelings about HOUN and SIGN.

We encourage all to join in the discussion. The recent Weekly Forums have been exceptionally well-received and have created the greatest level of Member participation of any activity.  Thank you!

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Deadline for October Journal Submissions Nearing

We are fast approaching 15 August, the deadline for submissions for the October issue of The Watsonian. We encourage all Members and non-members who wish to have an article or paper considered for publication to send their manuscript to the editor, Dr Joanne Yates  publisher@johnhwatsonsociety.com .

As always, we are interested in student papers and articles and ask that Members try to encourage and guide a student in the valuable skills of research and writing. Perhaps nothing is more significant to the future of our hobby and the development of their skills.

The Society is also delighted that at least two papers are in the works as a result of the new Weekly Forum topics. Both are joint-efforts as a result of the blog threads from the lively discussions. This is unique and may be an historic event in Sherlockian/Watsonian experience as these may be the first papers ever published from blog posts.

There is always room for your research, thoughts, ideas and creativity. The Society is an inclusive group; we desire interested Watsonians to take part and to approach the Society with innovative projects. Whether you are a first time author is not important; that you try is what counts.

It is sometimes helpful to reflect that, if Doctor Watson had not sat down and written A Study in Scarlet, we would not have his priceless legacy nor would we have discovered Mr Holmes. And, John Watson was not a writer, he was a half-pay former medical officer with few prospects. There are, in all of us, hidden talents and abilities waiting to be  explored and fulfilled. Go for it!

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Treasure Hunt Began 1 August 2014 at Noon (US/EST)

The Second Annual John H Watson Society World Invitational Treasure Hunt began at noon 1 August 2014.  The questions are available to download on the Treasure Hunt page.  A questions post is available on the Quiz Page and will be the central point for communications, questions and clarifications. Good Luck!