10-Question Quiz: 'Fresh Air'
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Brian Lehrer: It's The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC. Good morning again, everyone. In our spring membership drive trying to reach our goal of 10,000 donations by Thursday. Thank you for making one of them if you can. You know our philosophy on this show during membership drives, if we need to do the whole pledge week thing, let's have some fun with it. Once again, this drive we're doing a 10-question quiz every day after the news. Guess two in a row right and win a Brian Lehrer Show Baseball Hat or Brian Lehrer Show mug, your choice. Who wants to play? 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. You can get in line now.
Each quiz during this drive has a topic derived from the name of a different public radio show. We did The New Yorker Radio Hour on day one with questions about New Yorkers and radios and hours. We did 1A, which was all First Amendment questions because that's what that show is named after, 1A. We've done some other ones. Today it's "Fresh Air", so it will be questions about the outdoors in the greater New York area. Who wants to play? Who knows what you'll get but get two in a row right and you'll win a Brian Lehrer Show baseball hat or Brian Lehrer Show mug. Your choice.
Questions about the "Fresh Air" around here. 212-433-WNYC, 212-433-9692. Who wants to play? Joe in Staten Island, you are ready to play? Hi Joe.
Joe: Hi, Brian. Yes, please. I'm actually donating right at the same time. Got the webpage up and everything.
Brian Lehrer: Now, that's multitasking. Okay. Question number one, in recent years, New York City has struggled with a shortage of what kind of worker who you might see in the summer while sitting on your new WNYC beach towel?
Joe: Lifeguards.
Brian Lehrer: Lifeguards is exactly right. In fact, Mayor Adams made waves last week when he said new migrants to the city were in many cases excellent swimmers, and suggested they could fill the gap of the lifeguard shortage. That did not go over well. The mayor was also trying to make a point that the federal government should let people work legally quickly.
Joe: Agreed.
Brian Lehrer: Question number two for that hat or that mug. Earlier this month, the City Parks Department announced 600 new items were installed in bathrooms in the park meaning about 90% of Parks Department bathrooms are now equipped with some very helpful equipment for certain parents. What is it?
Joe: Baby changing tables.
Brian Lehrer: Absolutely right. Now, if only the city could work on more public bathrooms for everybody, but that's a different show. Joe, you want a hat or a mug?
Joe: I'm going to go with a hat, Brian.
Brian Lehrer: The Brian Lehrer Show baseball cap. Hang on Joe, we'll take your address so we can send you that. From Joe on Staten Island, we go to Jennifer on Roosevelt Island. Hi Jennifer, ready to play?
Jennifer: Hi. Yes, I am.
Brian Lehrer: Okay. 10-Question Quiz, question three. This popular Zoo has been closed for about eight months after flooding from the remnants of tropical storm Ophelia damaged its critical infrastructure, but it will be reopening very soon, this Memorial Day weekend. The reopening has been in the news, it's news about Zoos. Which New York City Zoo are we talking about?
Jennifer: Prospect Park Zoo.
Brian Lehrer: Absolutely right. No animals were injured in the floods from what I've read, but the floods sent 25 feet of water into the Zoo's basement. It'll be opening with some new animals according to Gothamist because some new ones were born during the closure period. Although one headline I saw on the reopening, a species returns to the Prospect Park Zoo, humans. That's this weekend. That's one question right. Question number four, the view from this popular New Jersey State Park includes the Manhattan skyline, the Statue of Liberty. That's a hint. It also has a science museum right inside this New Jersey Park. What's the park called?
Jennifer: Oh, I know it, but I can't think of the name, Liberty?
Brian Lehrer: It is Liberty State Park. You picked up on that little clue there, Jennifer. Hang on. We'll see if you want a Brian Lehrer Show baseball hat or Brian Lehrer Show mug. We're going to go on to Eddie in Manhattan in our 10 Question Quiz. Eddie, ready to play?
Eddie: I'm ready, Brian. Thank you.
Brian Lehrer: Okay. Again, the theme of the quiz is "Fresh Air", and it's all about the outdoors in our area. Question number five, last summer, something happened to a swimmer on Rockaway Beach for the first time in decades. What was it?
Eddie: Shark attack.
Brian Lehrer: It was, somebody actually got bitten by a shark August of last year. The New York Times reported the biting was the first confirmed shark attack in New York City since the 1950s. This brings us to question six for the mug or the hat. While overall worldwide shark bites are not necessarily increasing, shark bites are becoming more common in coastal waters off the coast around here in the northeast. Why is that? This is a multiple-choice question.
A, it's because different types of sharks are swimming north to our waters, which are warming because of climate change, two, bait fish that sharks like to eat have been increasing in the water around here and hang out close to shore, another climate change impact, three, improved water quality generally, or D, I know I'm mixing letters here, or D, all of the above.
Eddie: I would say all of the above.
Brian Lehrer: It is all of the above. Just like that, we have another winner. You want the Brian Lehrer Show baseball cap or the Brian Lehrer Show mug?
Eddie: Yes, a mug. I have one of yours already. Now I have two for me and my girlfriend, so that'd be great.
Brian Lehrer: Nice Eddie, hang on. We'll take your address off the air and we'll go on next to Alex in Park Slope. Hi Alex. Ready to play?
Alex: Ready to play.
Brian Lehrer: Question number seven, the New York State Park system is celebrating a big birthday this year. How old is it?
Alex: Ooh, that's a hard one, but I'm going to say 100 years old.
Brian Lehrer: 100 years old is right. If you needed a hint I was going to say it's the same birthday as WNYC. We'll be celebrating this summer. Stay tuned for programming on that. We've got our centennial year in progress. Question number eight, according to New York state officials, last year was a record year for State Park attendance. It appears the COVID pandemic was very good for New York State Parks.
Now, can you name the New York State Park with the most or second most visitors? This may be the hardest question in the quiz. We'll give you one hint. The hint is they are at opposite extremes of New York state geographically. What are the first or second most visited New York State state parks last year?
Alex: Again this is a tough one, but I think is Niagara Falls State Park?
Brian Lehrer: That absolutely is right. The one other hint that I had ready to go is tourists experiencing the most visited park often wear raincoats. There you go. Niagara Falls amazingly 9.4 million visitors last year. Second was Jones Beach with 8.6 million. Jones Beach is a State Park too.
Alex: I had no idea, wow.
Brian Lehrer: It set its record attendance last year. Alex, hang on, we'll see if you want a Brian Lehrer Show baseball cap or Brian Lehrer Show mug. How about Ed in Belmar, you're on WNYC for our last two questions. Hi Ed.
Ed: Hello Brian.
Brian Lehrer: Oh, but everybody else hang on because if he gets this question wrong, another of you will get a shot at question 10.
Ed: Oh, come on.
Brian Lehrer: Question nine, speaking of Niagara Falls, this landscape architect, there are actually two, either name is acceptable, was the visionary and designer of Niagara Falls State Park as well as both Central Park and Prospect Park. What was this landscape architect's name or his partner who gets some of the credit but not quite as much?
Ed: Gosh, I have no idea. That's brutal.
Brian Lehrer: Ah, sorry. You're going to go, oh, those guys, when you hear the answer which is Frederick Law Olmsted and his partner was Calvert-- I think it's pronounced Vaux, V-A-U-X, Olmsted and Vaux, who designed Central Park and Prospect Park. Also, I did not know that until today when my producer Mary Croke produce this quiz for me. Also Niagara Falls. All right. Let's see. Too bad Ed didn't get this last question number 10, because it's a New Jersey question. Instead it's going to go to Josh in Astoria, who's up next. Hi, Josh. Ready to play?
Josh: Hi, I am. Let's roll.
Brian Lehrer: Okay. You get the privilege here since we only have one question left. If you get this one question right, you'll win a hat or a mug. This classic Jersey Shore town and beach will forever be associated with Bruce Springsteen, who named his 1973 debut album after it. What shore town are we talking about?
Josh: Greetings From Asbury Park.
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Brian Lehrer: You got it.
Josh: I just saw Bruce Springsteen last month in Albany. It's nice to have that continuity. I'll take the mug, please. Oh, it was fantastic.
Brian Lehrer: Where did you see him in Albany?
Josh: Oh, at the MVP Times Union, Knickerbocker, whatever it's called now.
Brian Lehrer: Oh, that's the arena there.
Josh: Yes.
Brian Lehrer: I once had the incredible pleasure of seeing Bruce Springsteen play at the Palace Theater in Albany. The Palace Theater is just like a-
Josh: Nice, it's such a great venue.
Brian Lehrer: -2,000, 3,000 seat hall, an intimate place and not a stadium to see Bruce, which was unbelievable. Josh, glad you got it right. Glad you got to see Bruce. Hang on. We're going to give you a hat or a mug, your choice. We'll take your address off the air. Listeners, that's our 10-Question Quiz for today, based on the name of the public radio "Fresh Air". We've got another one tomorrow based on another public radio show's name. Stay tuned for that, and more to come today. Stay with us.
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