question: It is generally considered that the Pacific War began on 7/8 December 1941, on which date Japan invaded Thailand and attacked the British possessions of Malaya, Singapore, and Hong Kong as well as the United States military bases in Hawaii, Wake Island, Guam and the Philippines. Some historians contend that the conflict in Asia can be dated back to 7 July 1937 with the beginning of the Second Sino-Japanese War between the Empire of Japan and the Republic of China, or possibly 19 September 1931, beginning with the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. However, it is more widely accepted that the Pacific War itself started in early December 1941, with the Sino-Japanese War then becoming part of it as a theater of the greater World War II.[nb 9] 

The Pacific War saw the Allied powers pitted against the Empire of Japan, the latter briefly aided by Thailand and to a much lesser extent by its Axis allies, Germany and Italy. The war culminated in the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and other large aerial bomb attacks by the United States Army Air Forces, accompanied by the Soviet invasion of Manchuria on 8 August 1945, resulting in the Japanese announcement of intent to surrender on 15 August 1945. The formal and official surrender of Japan took place aboard the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945. Following its defeat, Japan's Shinto Emperor stepped down as the divine leader through the Shinto Directive, because the Allied Powers believed this was the major political cause of Japan's military aggression and deconstruction process soon took place to install a new liberal-democratic constitution to the Japanese public as the current Constitution of Japan.
1. What country was invaded at the onset of the War?
2. Who were the allied against?
3. And who aided their enemy?
4. What was the culminating point of the war?
5. Which is the only country to ever drop atomic bombs?
6. And how many times did they do this?
7. And where did they drop these destructive atom bombs?
8. What did Japan do after this?
9. On which day was the formal white flag flown?
10. Where did it happen?
11. What was Japan's emperor forced to do?
12. Who was the was on July 7, 1937 between?
****
answer: 1. Thailand
2. the Empire of Japan
3. Thailand, Germany, and Italy
4. the atomic bombings
5. the United States
6. twice
7. Hiroshima and Nagasak
8. they surrendered
9. 2 September 1945
10. aboard the USS Missouri
11. step down
12. Japan and China


question: (CNN) -- An interview with a choreographer for the Miss Universe pageant spurred controversy Wednesday over alleged claims that Donald Trump personally selects some of the finalists. 

Donald Trump is at the center of a brewing controversy over the Miss Universe finalists. 

The Q&A with Michael Schwandt, which appeared on Guanabee.com, quotes him as saying that "it's just kind of common knowledge that [Trump] picks six of the top 15 single-handedly." 

"And, his reason for doing so, as he told me and he's told the girls before, is that he left it all up to preliminary judging in the past, and some of the most beautiful women, in his opinion, were not in the top 15, and he was kind of upset about that," the story quotes Schwandt as saying. "And he decided that he would pick a certain number and let the judges pick a certain number." 

Via e-mail, Schwandt said that he "was speaking in hypothetical jest" when he said Trump picks some of the finalists and said the mogul has never spoken to either him, or any of his team, about the selection process. 

"The story posted on that site contains many misquotes and [is] highly inaccurate," Schwandt wrote. "I would like to disassociate myself from it completely and anything negative in regards to Miss Universe or even suggesting that Donald Trump 'rigs' his event. I'm perplexed as to why Guanabee.com would run a story such as this when they are aware that it is inaccurate." 

Daniel Mauser, publisher of Guanabee, said his site stands by the story, which resulted after Schwandt was contacted about his role choreographing both the pageant and a much talked-about performance by reality-star-turned-singer Heidi Montag. 
1. What was the controversy over the Miss Universe pageant?
2. Who said said it was him?
3. What was Trump's reason for picking them?
4. Where was this story posted?
5. Who's the publisher of the site?
6. What is Schwandt's job?
7. How many of the top 15 does Trump pick?
8. Is this considered common knowledge?
9. How was the interview conducted?
10. What did Schwandt say about the story posted?
****
answer: 1. Donald Trump personally selects some of the finalists.
2. Michael Schwandt
3. some of the most beautiful women, in his opinion, were not in the top 15,
4. Guanabee.com
5. Daniel Mauser
6. choreographer
7. six
8. it's just kind of common knowledge
9. Q&A
10. highly inaccurate


question: Moscow (CNN) -- The Bolshoi Ballet says the allegations swirling around one of its dancers -- that he choreographed an attack to blind the artistic director -- are "absurd." 

Even an alleged confession in the case does nothing to convince the cast and crew that Pavel Dmitrichenko could be behind the attack that severely burned and nearly blinded Sergei Filin, the Bolshoi employees said in an open letter Wednesday. 

"Unfortunately, the history of our country and our society knows many examples" when results were achieved by "illegal methods, and evidence and proof often turned out to be a fiction," the letter said. 

The group called for an independent commission to probe the attack. 

Moscow police struck back, saying its "investigators do their job honestly." 

Ballet 'villain' arrested: Story in 4 Acts 

The plot laid out by authorities pits Dmitrichenko as the central villain, lashing out against Filin -- a man who often cast Dmitrichencko as the villain in productions. 

What neither side disputes: Someone threw sulfuric acid into Filin's face in January as he entered his Moscow apartment. 

Police say Dmitrichenko had two co-conspirators, one of whom threw the acid. 

Local newspapers had quoted ballet members as saying Dmitrichenko was angry because he thought Filin was stifling the career of Anzhelina Vorontsova -- Dmitrichenko's girlfriend. 

"For everyone who knows Pavel Dmitrichenko, even the idea that he could be the mastermind and the customer of the crime committed in such a brutal form, is absurd," the Bolshoi's cast and crew said in their letter. 
1. Where does this story occur?
2. WHat famous organization is from that country?
3. Are some of their dancers involved in the crime?
4. Who?
5. WHat is he accused of?
6. Who?
7. How does the story describe the accused dancer?
8. Is that ironic in anyway?
9. How so?
10. What did the victim do for a living?
11. where?
12. Did the victim and accused know each other?
13. Who is accusing the dancer?
14. What do they say the motivation was?
15. DO they have any evidence?
16. what?
17. Does everyone believe it?
18. why not?
19. What does everyone agree on?
20. WHen?
****
answer:
1. Moscow
2. The Bolshoi Ballet
3. yes
4. Pavel Dmitrichenko
5. an attack that severely burned and nearly blinded someone
6. Sergei Filin
7. as a 'villain'
8. yes
9. he was oftencast as the villain
10. artistic director
11. The Bolshoi Ballet
12. yes
13. Police
14. unknown
15. yes
16. an alleged confession
17. no
18. many time results were achieved by illegal methods, and evidence and proof often turned out to be a fiction
19. Someone threw sulfuric acid into Filin's face
20. in January