Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers blog

This week the user we are congratulating is The Gunners, a recently retired Community Nurse from Wales and also a pub Manager. Currently standing at level 6, The Gunners has built up over 22,000 points with 40% of his answers being chosen as best answer.

Although his interests vary, he has become one of the Top Contributors in the Music category, mainly due to his familiarity with artists and song titles. We all know the feeling when a song in an advert takes our fancy, but we don’t know who sang it. Well, from a food advert to a mobile phone ad, The Gunners has reunited many people with their preferred soundtracks.

There doesn’t appear to be a time limit to his musical mastery either. He was able to give a quick answer to user searching for a song from 1965, while similarly providing a useful response for a vintage vinyl lover wanting to track the history of his collection.

“My interests are varied,” The Gunners explains. “I love most types of music, amateur dramatics and sport, especially football. I have managed junior football teams for over 30 years. I chose ‘The Gunners’ as my Avatar name for two reasons: my father was a Gunner in the Royal Artillery and I support Arsenal F.C.”

Judging from the thought that went into his username, The Gunners seems to enjoy the mystery behind monikers well. He was ready with a bit of Rugby knowledge when a fellow user wondered why a trophy is named ‘wooden spoon.’

His passion for sport shines through in his answers too. There is no shortage of football fans in the Answers community, but not all will be so ready with snippets of its history. This is not the case with The Gunners: did you know Notts County are the oldest football team in England?

When a person researches so well, it’s easy to understand how his knowledge spreads. From music, to sports, to art, The Gunners has managed to extend his wisdom yet further as he provides answers about famous paintings.

Referring to his research and Yahoo! Answers, The Gunners says: “I take great satisfaction in answering questions, always making sure I do my research thoroughly, and through this site I have also learnt a great deal from other users”

Since Answers is about sharing, it’s always pleasing to know that our experts are learning from other users as well as helping out. Thank you for your great contributions The Gunners: long may they continue.

– Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers team

“How could fans and clubs work together to improve security and fair play in football?”
– Patrick Vieira

“What areas of football matches could benefit from new technologies and how?”
– Rudi Völler

“How could the offence of penalty diving be punished after games?”
– Anders Frisk

The heat was on in Europe’s flagship club competition as we entered the final stages of the UEFA Champions League. The semi-final second legs came to the boil this week, with three English teams still involved. Manchester United took on AC Milan while Chelsea met fellow Premiership rivals Liverpool . In the end the dream of an all-English clash was not realised, with Liverpool booking a date with AC Milan to contest the final.

To celebrate the event, Yahoo! Answers has teamed up with three Feel Football legends to pose some topical and poignant questions to the Answers community. The three personalities posing questions are:

• Current Inter Milan midfielder Patrick Vieira
• The German World Cup winning star Rudi Völler
• Former international referee Anders Frisk

Last week, the three of them asked some topical questions on Answers. In an age where every angle of every game is televised, boots are computer engineered and athlete’s diets scientifically monitored, Vieira’s question is timely. Part of what has made football known as the “beautiful game” is its flowing, organic qualities. Would technology ruin all the passion and tension? By contrast Rudi Völler’s question is perhaps timeless, as no one has ever cared for cheating in the game.

As a former international referee, Anders Frisk used to have to preside over players seeking unfair advantage, but on Answers he turns his attention to the coaches and their heightening of match atmosphere. All three will be asking further throughout the different phases of the competition, so be sure to look out for each of them for the chance to contribute your knowledge on the world’s game.

Known as the European Cup until 1992, the competition began on the 2nd March 1955. Real Madrid initially claimed the tournament as their own by winning the first five finals, and then adding further to their early victories in the 65/65, 97/98, 99/00 and 01/02 legs giving them a colossal total of nine wins in the history of the competition. It is an achievement rivalled by no other team thus far.

Uncle James asked the Answers community who had been the most successful English club in the tournament’s history, and HeLLboY rightly pointed out that after five wins in the cup, Liverpool’s record is enviable. They claimed four victories between 1977 and 1984, but their greatest moment nevertheless has to be their win against AC Milan in 2005 when they came back from three down to win the epic game on penalties. Just two years on, this final will be repeated again in 2007.

So as the teams prepared for the semi finals, the question on everyone’s lips, including Emma b’s was “will [it] be an all English champions league final?” As it turns out, it was not to be. One thing is certain however, that come May 23rd, Athens will be awash with fans of the beautiful game hoping that their team will be leaving the Greek capital with the much coveted UEFA silverware.

– Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers team

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre originally uploaded by DuncanC.
April 23rd is a day for celebration within British culture. It is the English national day of St George which marks the death of the countries’ patron saint. George was the British soldier forever immortalised in the tale of George and the Dragon. The day also serves to mark the birth of arguably the most famous English playwright, the Bard that is William Shakespeare. Hugely prolific and widely acclaimed, the playwright and poet wrote a staggering 38 plays and 154 sonnets in his lifetime.

Shakespeare was a master of combining comedy, tragedy, love and loss – sometimes all within one act of his plays. Examples of his talent can be seen in the works of Twelfth Night and The Two Gentlemen of Verona. Curious asked on Yahoo! Answers just “how does Shakespearean comedy entangle mental and visual love” and fortunately Kat was on hand to provide a great commentary on the love triangle seen in Twelfth Night.

Shakespeare’s talent has been held in the highest of regard throughout the ages and the fact that it is still studied in schools is a testament to the Bard’s greatness. Valerie W posed the question “why should students study Shakespeare in school” to which Sonyack of the answers community responded with great clarity, surmising and reinforcing Shakespeare’s brilliance thus:

“Great writers are studied in school so that the student will see how English is used in the hands of experts, primarily. Seeing and discussing how experts use one’s language teaches one how to use language better and more effectively”.

If you are a fan of William Shakespeare’s or a theatre fan in general then you, like HB, might be interested to know where you can catch a performance of Shakespeare productions in the UK. Luckily for HB, Sirjulian was able to advise on contacting the New Globe theatre – a reconstruction of the venue where Shakespeare famously staged and performed much of his work. .

And if you’re an avid follower of the Shakespearean oeuvre then why not visit Shakespeare’s place of birth, Stratford-Upon-Avon, this Monday (April 23rd). Once there you can take a step back in time to relive and celebrate the writer’s timeless literary works and glorious historical legacy.

– Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers team

In 1979 the former Olympic champion Chris Brasher had the dream of recreating the multi-cultural carnival atmosphere he had experienced at a festival in New York in his home city of London. The festival was not a musical or performance related celebration but rather a gathering of like-minded people running a fixed distance to raise large sums of money for charity. He was enchanted by the coming together of people of all nations and backgrounds, united under one common cause and wanted the same atmosphere to be achieved in London. The Flora London Marathon returns to the capital’s streets this Sunday, April 22nd.

“In which year was the London marathon first held?” asks Pudtiggy on Answers. Helpfully, Rooney is on hand to explain that it was on March 29th 1981 that Brasher’s dream was realised. With the help of a ₤50,000 donation from Gillette, the 7,747 runners set off on their run for charitable advantage through personal exhaustion.

Training for the 26 mile run is a rigorous and draining affair even for those that are not planning on racing through the course. Runners of all levels (and even the walkers) follow strict training plans that are implemented many weeks before the race and take in everything from specialist diets to making sure that professional equipment is used. Avoiding injury is of primary concern for all runners, as can be seen by the anxious request from Griff to the answers community: “how often do you need to change your running shoes when you are training for a marathon?” Griff was able to receive honest and reliable advice from the community that could possibly have prevented him suffering an injury.

If you’re not planning on running the race this Sunday you can still actively get involved and do your bit (without busting a gut in the process) by sponsoring people that are. There are numerous charities that are still taking sponsorship including the Yahoo! For Good charity page where you can find out more about the race and even sponsor some of the Yahoo! employees that are taking part in the Marathon.

If you live in or around the capital – or even if you don’t – you could also come down to the event and support the runners by cheering them on at most points along the London roads. You can even find out the best place to stand thanks to the Answers community, after Ruby Shoes posed the question: “where is the best place to watch the London marathon from?”

So if you’re running the marathon this year, watching from the roadside or even watching the event on the TV from the stitch-free comfort of your own home, make sure you get involved in the money raising spirit of the day. And if you’re really keen like Answers user KP, why not find out when entry for the 2008 London marathon opens. Sounds like its time to get in training already.

– Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers team

In 1971 US Senator and environmental activist Gaylord Nelson founded Earth Day, and it’s celebrated again this coming Sunday, April 22nd. As environmental issues become an increasing concern to the general public, Earth Day as an event takes on more and more significance.

It aims to unite people over environmental issues such as global warming or pollution, to promote ecological ideas and educate people to help preserve what we tend to take for granted: our environment.

Earth Day is an opportunity for everyone to really think about the their contribution to the planet – just as climate change campaigner Al Gore asked on Answers last year - and to learn how to make changes to our attitudes towards the planet by being more eco-friendly. Even Yahoo! is doing its bit this year with a question from the our co-founder David Filo about going carbon neutral.

But you don’t need to be a big organisation to try to make a change. We can all, as individuals, start making small differences, just as botanist and national hero David Bellamy asked last year on Answers. Simple examples include: driving less and using public transport, buying local and organic products, recycling when possible. We can switch off appliances when not using them, and just by changing to energy-efficient light bulbs, you’re helping as they last longer. They’ll even save you money. Little things, yes, but these are the things that really do matter and make a difference if adopted on an ever expanding scale.

So, if you’re not yet converted to the green way, perhaps Sunday is the day to start making small changes, whether it’s getting involved in a community project planting a tree, cleaning the streets or just picking up rubbish from the beach.

For more information, visit our Earth Day section on Answers for more information on what you can do for this special event, or use the Environment & Ecology category to ask the Answers Community for advice and tips on how to be environment-friendly in your everyday life.

More Earth Day questions on Answers:

• What are the impacts of global warming?
• Conservation and “Green” awareness?
• How can we realistically bring global warming under control?
• How can we make air transport (by plane) more environmentally friendly/greener?
• How can we convince people that reducing rubbish is better than recycling?
• How can we create sustainable communities so we stop using up resources faster than they can be replaced?
• Whose responsibility is it to manage the world’s resources?
• How could we ensure access to clean water for everyone in the third world?

– Yahoo! UK & Ireland Answers team