QI Competition Winners

All of the things listed are also towns in America (Alabaster Township in Michigan, Belgium Township in Minnesota, Cactus City in California, Desmans Camp in Alabama). Except for Whitstable...

Jonathan Riches, 15

They are the first names of gardeners who never quite made it as famous as Capability Brown: Alabaster Wilkins, Belgium Potterington, Cacti McGroodle, Blind Desmans Farthingworth, and Whitstable Whitstable.

Paul Davies, Doncaster

All roads lead to... Belgium.

In 1607 religious writer William Alabaster (1567-1640) published his "Apparatus in Revelationem Jesu Christi" in the Belgian city of Antwerp.

The ELK (europese landen konferentie) in Blankenberge (Belgium, of course) is "the place to be in Europe for cacti and succulents enthusiasts". It's the biggest conference and plants sale of its kind in Europe.

The Whitstable brewery (in Maidstone) offer two Belgium style wheat beers (witbier): Whitstable Wheat Beer and Whitstable Raspberry Wheat.

Desmans translates into Dutch (Flemish) as 'watermollen'. They can be found in Belgium's neighbouring country France (in the Pyrenees). Neighbouring Belgium in the north the Netherlands are home to another big family of moles. Best known member of this family is media tycoon John de Mol. There are no 'watermollen' (desmans) in Belgium but quite a few 'watermolen' (water mills).

Jan P Werning, (Hans Mof)

Alabaster - not necessarily consisting of alabaster. Even other materials could be used for fabricating alabastra, vessels for ointments and perfumes as mentioned in the gospels. Alabaster seems to be not a Roman Catholic, but a distinctly Anglican material. After all, Cambridge scholar William Alabaster (1567-1640) finally reverted to Anglicanism after a brief Catholic interlude. Pliny the Elder (Natural History, XXI,14) compares the shape of alabaster unguent boxes to that of a rosebud. Which provides an excellent opportunity to switch from alabaster to cacti and quite unchristian thoughts of revenge.

In Germany, cacti can be used to work off tensions betweens young husbands and their mothers-in-law: The Golden Barrel Cactus (Echinocactus grusonii), resembling a large chair cushion, is commonly known as "Schwiegermuttersitz" in German, which translates as "mother-in-law's seat".

Apropos tensions between sons- and mothers-in-law or different sexes in general: Since the Pyrenean Desman (Galemys pyrenaicus) lacks sexual dimorphism, it is almost impossible to distinguish male and female animals. Spanish scientists recently reported, however, that the two sexes may be discerned by close observation of their external genitals (Acta Theriologica 48:4 [2003], p. 571-573). Like most other species of the family Talpidae (like moles), desmans possess a very special configuration of mechanosensory receptors called "Eimer's organ" on their rhinarium. Among the talpids, however, only the semi-aquatic desmans have tiny sensory hairs interspersed with their Eimer's organs, probably in order to sense water currents. (Cf. Kenneth C. Catania: Epidermal sensory organs of moles, shrew-moles, and desmans: A study of the family Talpidae with comments on the function and evolution of Eimer's organ. In: Brain, Behaviour and Evolution 56:3 [2000], p. 146-174.)

The relationship of Desmans to literary critic Paul de Man (1919-1983) is certainly not closer than that to any other human beings. But since de Man was born in Antwerp, this thought leads us to Belgium. Which is the only existing sovereign state in the world that has an English name ending with -um. If one took Latin endings too seriously and ignored the concept of genus naturale, one might be inclined to think, that in Julius Caesar's time, all Belgians used to be female ("Gallia est omnis divisa in partes tres, quarum unam incolunt Belgae...").

Without Belgians, there would be no Saxophone nor modern human anatomy (as both Adolphe Sax and Andreas Vesalius were Belgian). Despite his name, even Renaissance composer Orlando di Lasso was actually Belgian as he was born in Flanders. He is rumoured to have been kidnapped thrice as a boy due to his beautiful singing voice - I could not find any reliable sources confirming this, however. There are no truly reliable and interesting sources for Whitstable either to be found at my local library. Therefore will not start babbling unverified nonsense about train tunnels or the world's first season ticket (supposedly issued for use on the Canterbury & Whitstable Railway in 1832). It is quite interesting to note, however, that Whitstable does not start with an E and thus spoils the alphabetical order of the terms given in your original question. Which I have just done, too, by the way.

Cornelia Rémi

Galemys pyrenaicus is the "Desman of the Pyrenees", otherwise known as the Pyrenean or Iberian Desman. Living in the Pyrenees mountains on the border of France and the Iberian peninsula (hence the name), it is the only species of the genus Galemys. It uses its long, flexible snout to hunt for insects and small crustaceans in streams, rivers, and lakes. This unusual nose gives it yet another name, the "trumpet rat". These small mammals are so shy that naturalists didn't discover the species until 1811. The adults are solitary animals and normally monogamous, with a female's territory completely encompassed by that of the male.

By contrast, the Russian Desman (Desmana moschata) is much more sociable with as many as eight individuals living in the same den. Known to naturalists right from the time of Linnaeus, the Russian Desman is also, like its pyrenean cousin, the only species of its genus; Desmana. Russian Desmans were extensively hunted until the practise was banned in Russia in 1929 and attempts were made to breed the species in captivity. They were highly prized for their fur and their musk glands, which were used in perfume production.

In the ancient world, perfumed oils were often contained in elongated, narrow-necked flasks known as 'alabastrons'. These containers can be found made from a variety of materials such as glass or pottery, but the name derives from the early Egyptian examples of the form which were made from alabaster.

Alabaster is a soft, white stone used for decorative carving. More easily carved than marble (it measures just 2.5 on the Mohs scale), it is particularly suited to intricate decoration. It also has the unusual property of being capable of being dyed. By nature a porous stone, alabaster can be made to absorb any colour simply by being completely immersed in dye at a certain temperature. Alabaster is still the basis of a thriving industry in Italy, and example of which can be seen here: HYPERLINK "http://www.oasisalabastro.com/public/prodotti/latte_te_biscottini.jpg" target="_blank" http://www.oasisalabastro.com/public/prodotti/latte_te_biscottini.jpg Though I'm not convinced that teaspoon is made of alabaster! The word "alabaster" almost certainly comes from Egypt and probably derives from the Egyptian city known to the Romans as "Alabastron" (not to be confused with the narrow-necked flasks of the same name (though whether the

flasks took their name directly from the city or simply because of the connection with the stone they're made from (if you see what I mean) is unclear (Argh! Too many parentheses))).

Sir John Gardner Wilkinson, considered by many to be the founder of British Egyptology, identified Alabastron as the Egyptian city of Amarna after visiting excavations there in 1824 and 1826. Amarna was the capital city of the "Heretic" Pharaoh Akhenaten. Founded in his 6th year, the city was abandoned shortly after his death. Doubtless many interesting facts could be written about both Sir John Gardner Wilkinson and Akhenaten, but they're not really part of this competition's remit.

In a different vain, "The Alabaster Society" is not, as you might think, a group of enthusiasts of carved stone from Italy and Egypt, but rather a society of people possessing, or otherwise interested in, the surname Alabaster. They have their own website and claim to have more than 100 members from all over the world and data on more than 3,000 Alabasters dating back to the 15th century. Their treasurer, Robin Alabaster, is also a member of the British Cactus and Succulent Society and has written several articles on the subject of cacti (how's that for a seamless link?!).

Flowering succulent plants of the family Cactaceae, cacti take their name from the Greek word kaktos meaning "thistle" or "prickly plant". The fact that the name is derived from a Greek word has lead some to argue that the correct plural noun should be cactuses, but cacti (based on the fact it is now Botanical Latin) has become the common term in English.

Cacti are distinguished by the adaptation of their leaves into spines which are grouped on areoles (a radial arrangement of spines on pad-like buds from which flowers and new shoots can grow). These spines are an adaptation to life in arid environments. They not only help to slow down any wind as it passes over the surface of the cactus (thereby reducing water loss by evaporation), but they also increase the surface area of the cactus. This is important during dry seasons when their only source of water is moisture in the air which will condense on the spines as dew during the night. The fact that sharp spines prevent animals from taking a crafty bite out of them can't hurt either (unless you're the animal trying to take a crafty bite).

While other plants may have adapted their leaves into spines, in particular euphorbias (family Euphorbiaceae), they are not arranged in areoles. It is this particular arrangement of spines that is typical of the cactus. Another way to tell a euphorbia from a cactus is to examine the sap. Euphorbia sap is thick, white and sticky while cactus sap is clear and watery.

Be careful when you're testing the cactus sap, however. The sap of some cacti has a narcotic effect and has been used in religious ceremonies. Other cacti, for example the Pitaya Agria (Stenocereus gummosus), have highly poisonous sap. This has lead to their rather surprising use as a method of fishing. Apparently, to fish with a cactus, natives of Northern Mexico crush the stems of the cactus and throw them into a lake or stream. The poisonous sap is then released which stuns the fish. The stunned fish (nah,they're not *dead*! They're just stunned. Beautiful pluma...err..scales!) are then easily pulled out of the water by hand.

Cacti can also be dangerous if you're the type of rednecked hick who enjoys trying to chop them down by firing a gun into them repeatedly whilst being too stupid to stand far enough back to prevent them falling on you and crushing you to death, as expanded upon at snopes.com.

And also, of course, there's the doctor of botany, opuntiad scholar (whatever that means) and the world's only winner of the Happy Prick Award, Congo Cactus Joe without whom no discussion of cacti would be complete. (Well, OK, I guess it probably would, but I was getting desperate for a link here and I couldn't tell whether the stamps issued in 2003 with pictures of cacti on them were from the "Republic of the Congo" or the "Democratic Republic of the Congo" which are, confusingly, two completely separate (if neighbouring) countries and only one of them has a link to Belgium).

Speaking of "Congo" (he said seamlessly), the Democratic Republic of the Congo was once the first ever Belgian colony (the only other Belgian colony being Ruanda-Urundi; modern day Rwanda and Burundi. This was taken over from German rule by a League of Nations mandate after the German defeat in World War I). Belgian Congo, as it was known, was an area 76 times the size of Belgium itself and was ceded to the Belgian parliament in 1908, against their initial reluctance, due to international pressure. Prior to this, the country had been the personal property of King Leopold II of Belgium.

Leopold reigned from 1865 to 1909 and was convinced that overseas colonies were the key to a nation's prosperity. Because of this, he worked hard to acquire colonial territory for Belgium. Sadly, however, neither his government nor his people were particularly bothered about having a colony, so Leopold decided to get a colony for himself as a private citizen. He set up a holding company, which he claimed was primarily pursuing humanitarian aims and sent the famous explorer Sir Henry Morton Stanley to conduct explorations of the area. He then set about playing various governments off against each other.

Initially Britain supported an older claim to the country by Portugal, partly to stop the French gaining control. Leopold promised the British the same "favoured nation" status in trade agreements as the Portuguese would have, whilst at the same time promising the Germans that no one nation would have special status and German traders would be as welcome as anyone else.He promised the French that, if his personal fortune was not enough to maintain the colony, it would revert to French rule, and he told the Americans that he would administer the country for the good of its people and hand over power once the locals were ready for such responsibility.

So it was that, at the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885, Leopold II was formally granted personal ownership of the Congo Free State (as he christened it). He set about extracting a profit from it by means of one of the most brutal regimes known in Africa (which is saying something) and generally acted like a particularly horrible person.

It's a shame he couldn't be a bit more like his Dad. Leopold I was the first "King of the Belgians" (as the constitution puts it) and was installed as head of state in 1831 when the revolution (which had started the year before) declared independence and was recognised by the international community. All except The Netherlands who carried on fighting for another 8 years before they finally recognised the state and signed a peace treaty in 1839.

Leopold I was known as a cultured man and strived to encourage science, education, and the arts during his reign. He tried, unsuccessfully, to pass laws regulating female and child labour. However his big success was his construction of the first railway in continental Europe which opened the Brussels to Mechelen line in 1835. For Leopold, this was the fulfilment of a long-held dream.

Of course, railway firsts is something that Belgium has in common with Whitstable. In 1830 the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway (nicknamed locally the "Crab and Winkle" line, due to its initials) opened and became the first railway line in the world to regularly transport passengers using steam engines. The more famous Stockton & Darlington railway was certainly the first line to transport passengers by steam power, however, after the first demonstration run, for the first few years of the service only the freight wagons were pulled by steam locomotives while the purpose built passenger coach, named "The Experiment" (would *you* ride in a coach called The Experiment?!), was pulled along by horses.

The Canterbury & Whitstable Railway was incorporated in 1825 and, after William James, a leading promoter of railway schemes at the time, had finished his surveying of the area, three routes were proposed of which the most direct was chosen despite its need for tunnelling and its steep gradients. George Stephenson was appointed chief engineer for the project but he only visited the line a couple of times and, instead, left the job up to his son Robert who supervised construction work for the 4 years the project lasted. The steep gradients meant that locomotives were not a practical solution for moving the carriages and so large, fixed steam engines (at Tyler Hill and Clowes Wood) were used to haul the carriages along the lines by means of attaching them by rope. For the last stretch of the journey into Whitstable, the carriages *were* pulled by a locomotive, the Invicta (modelled on the Rocket) which became the first locomotive to regularly transport passengers. Sadly, however, the Invicta proved unable to pull carriages up the incline from Whitstable Harbour to Church Street, and so a third fixed steam engine was installed at the top of Church Street while the Invicta stayed on the mile-long flat part of the track. Eventually, however, the Invicta was put up for sale in 1839 as it was decided that the three stationary engines were adequate to power the entire line.

As well as being the first regular passenger steam line, in 1834 the Railway issued the first railway season tickets, a fact that is commemorated on a plaque at Canterbury West railway station (although wikipedia claims this happened in 1832. Would someone mind popping along to Canterbury West railway station to check out the plaque? It's a bit far for me to go).

Other interesting things about Whitstable? Well, there must be very few people left on the face of the Earth who are not yet aware that Peter Cushing used to live there.

1885 was the momentous year when the first recorded football match in Whitstable occurred when the local team, Whitstable Town FC (at the time playing under the name "Whitstable United"), took on a team from Whitstable College; this was, of course, the same year that Leopold II took personal ownership of the Congo Free State (remember? Pay attention at the back, there!).

It's fair to say that Whitstable Town FC have never reached the giddy heights of top-flight football. However, they have achieved some success, and in 1929 they won the Kent Amateur Cup. Coincidentally, 1929 is the same year that the authorities banned the hunting of Russian Desmans which were under threat from hunters keen to sell their fur and musk glands.

The Russian Desman (Desmana moschata) is the only species of the genus Desmana and is a sociable creature with as many as eight individuals living in the same den..."

Rob Blake, AKA "Dr Bob".

They are all connected, in one form or another, to the English county of Kent.

Alabaster Passmore and Sons Ltd are a printers' company in Maidstone, Kent.

The Channel Tunnel directly links Kent to the city of Brussels, the capital city of Belgium.

Connoisseurs' Cacti is a nursery for cacti (yes, really) situated at Woodlands Farm, Shire Lane, Farnborough, Kent.

The Durrell Endangered Species Management Graduate Certificates (DESMANs) are awarded by The University of Kent.

And, of course, the town of Whitstable, which is in Kent.

Incidentally, QI's resident panelist, Alan Davies, attended the University of Kent, although I assume he did not pick up a DESMAN in his time there!

Glenn Reuben

WHITE is the key.

Alabaster's typical colour is white.

Belgium derives its name from a group of mostly Celtic tribes, Belgae, which means "white" or "shiny".

Desmans have fur which is grayish white with silvery sheen in the lower part of body.

Cacti have white flowers.

Whitstable is a city in U.K. The name comes from 'the meeting place of the white post'.

Alexander Iurovetski

They're all drinks => beers:

Alabaster: Alabaster Ginger Beer:

Belgium: Lots of Beer.

Cacti: Cactus Queen Ale.

Desmans: Moles Brew 97. "Offensively bitter and malty, with an elusive earwax aftertaste.".

Whitstable: Whitstable Wheat Beer (which is a Belgian white beer...)

Esse B.

The most interesting thing about Alabaster, Belgium, Cacti, Desmans and Whitstable is that the entire Viking Empire was built on them. Desman musk from the two species in Russia and the Pyrenees, and Egyptian alabaster jars and boxes, were brought together in Belgium to make perfumes and unguents. The primary trade route was across the Channel to Whitstable. In return, the Mediterranean world received Scottish thistles, also known as cardoons or cacti.

Dan Crisp