google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday March 30, 2009 Donna S. Levin

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Mar 30, 2009

Monday March 30, 2009 Donna S. Levin

Theme: Ratings

17A: Franklin's almanac-writing alter ego: POOR RICHARD

27A: Young, promising fellow: FAIR-HAIRED BOY

48A: Beneficent biblical traveler: GOOD SAMARITAN

64A: F. Scott Fitzgerald title character, with "the": GREAT GATSBY

This is about customer satisfaction ratings, correct? Since credit card ratings are POOR, FAIR, GOOD and EXCELLENT.

I like "The GREAT GATSBY", a book that I actually can understand. Also like Robert Redford's role in the movie. Fitzgerald was born here in St. Paul, MN. The Fitzgerald Center, where Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion" is recorded, is named after him.

Nice theme answer sequence, from POOR to GREAT, very orderly. No clever "Little butter?" today though. Everything is so straightforward and simple. Kind of boring though. I aced.

Oh, I just learned that Chicago Tribune does not carry LA Times puzzle on their Sunday paper. Very strange. Is that the same with your local paper also? Can you come to the Comments section and tell me what puzzles are on your Sunday paper? Thanks.

Across:

11A: Chugalug's opposite: SIP. Knew "chug", did not know "chugalug". I pictured "chugalug" as something similar to quahog, the clam I did not know until you guys mentioned it a few months ago. Clams are strange, no head, no eyes.

16A: Cyberaddress, briefly: URL. Many of you find me every day by googling "Star Tribune Crossword Corner". I hope you just bookmark it. I might change the blog name someday, since our paper does not carry LA Times puzzle.

19A: "Right to bear arms" grp.: NRA. Charlton Heston served as NRA president from 1998 to 2003.

22A: Port in Yemen: ADEN. ADEN sounds like a young city to me. I was surprised to learn that "Aden may be as old as human history itself. Some also believe that Cain and Abel are buried somewhere in the city". So approximately how many years? I know nothing about Bible.

23A: Detroit labor org.: UAW. They are partly responsible for this Big Three financial mess.

25A: Furious: IN A RAGE

32A: Hosp. staffer: LPN (Licensed Practical Nurse). New abbreviation to me. Got it easily from down fills.

34A: Conspiring band: CABAL. Rooted in CABALA, which was clued as "Secret doctrine" in our puzzle last Thursday.

39A: Woman's golf garment: SKORT. SK(IRT) + (SH)ORT. Made famous by Natalie Gulbis. Vera Wang's idea I think. LPGA, so worried about its low spectator turnout, invited Wang to give players a talk on how to dress (sexily) in golf course. She suggested them to get rid of the belt. Bam! Every player started to wear SKORT, including Annika.

52A: Cocktail maker: BAR KEEP. I only know bartender.

54A: Actor Afflect: BEN. Which is your favorite BEN Afflect movie? I liked his "Pearl Harbor" the most. He should run for MA Governor/Senator someday.

55A: "__ brillig, and the slithy..." Carrol: 'TWAS. Pure guess. What does "brillig" mean? Brilliant?

56A: Beautiful, in Bologna: BELLA. All alliteration. Italian guys seem to like calling girls BELLA, even if they are not beautiful.

67A: Paris Hilton's sister: NICKY. NICKY Hilton is quite talented actually. She designed some cute handbags.

68A: Nigeria neighbor: BENIN. Its capital city is Porto-Novo. Portuguese for "New Port". Originally developed as a port for the slave trade, according to Wikipedia.

69A: Hospital VIPs: MDS

Down:

3D: Nebraska tribe: OTOE. Always thought they are a "Oklahoma tribe".

6D: "__ Ado About Nothing": MUCH. Ah, the epitome of double entendre. "Nothing" is not really nothing. It's the "O-thing".

7D: Labor Dept. arm: OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration). Created under the Nixon Administration. Nixon was quite respected in China due to his groundbreaking visit in 1972.

8D: Sweetheart: DEARIE. My husband never calls me "Sweetheart" or DEARIE. Always "Lao Po", Chinese for "wife".

10D: Leary's turn-on: LSD. No "tripping" wordplay.

11D: Church garb: SUNDAY BEST. New "garb" to me. I only go to church when there is a wedding or funeral.

12D: Flawed, as sale mdse: IRREG. Really? I thought it's IRR. I need to pay attention to those abbreviations.

22D: Clamorous: AROAR. Used to hate A* words. Now I like them.

24D: Sushi tuna: AHI. Yellowfin tuna. AHI means "fire" in Hawaiian. This sesame crusted AHI tuna looks so tasty. I like AHI sushi & AHI sashimi.

26D: "Dancing with the Stars" network: ABC. Easy guess. I've never watched that program.

29D: Blends together into a whole: INTEGRATES

31D: "Valerie Harper" sitcom: RHODA. Learned from doing Xword. "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" seemed to be a big deal.

38D: Fish catchers: HOOKS. Hmm, no golf? I think Rich Norris HOOKS.

40D: Dream state acronym: REM

46D: "Desert Storm" chow, initially: MRE. Why "Desert Storm"? Isn't it still called MRE now?

49D: Rubbish: DEBRIS. The plural form of DEBRIS is still DEBRIS, isn't it?

58D: Astronomical distance meas.: LTYR (Light-Year). Reminds me of Woody and Buzz Lightyear.

60D: Annapolis inst.: USNA. Might be a different clue had Sen. McCain won the presidency.

62D: Daly of "Cagney & Lacey": TYNE. Know her name. Not familiar with "Cagney & Lacey".

64D: Wildebeest: GNU. I've never understood why they change "Wild Beast" into "Wildebeest". Maybe GNUS know. Strange, isn't it? The babies and mother have so different body colors.

Full Answer Grid.

C.C.

106 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, C.C. and gang - Wow, it doesn't get much easier than this. I started this one fast, since I knew Mondays were gonna be easy, and finished in just under 4 minutes. No pauses, no unknowns, just a fast-as-I-could-write puzzle.

For those who don't know, 'MRE's are 'Meals, Ready to Eat'; they replaced C-rations in the military. Some of the C-rations we ate in Vietnam had dates in the late 1940s on the cases. Benin used to be called Dahomey. I liked seeing 'Reno' and 'ski' next to each other - Heavenly Valley, next to Reno, has some of the best skiing in the country.

Today is I am in Control Day, as well as Take a Walk in the Park Day.

Today's Words of Wisdom: "The man who works and is never bored is never old. Work and interest in worthwhile things are the best remedy for age. Each day I am reborn. Each day I must begin again." -- Musician Pablo Casals

And a few more fun facts(?):

- Red squirrels are being given rope bridges to help them cross busy roads in some British towns.

- A hibernating bear can go as long as six months without going to the bathroom.

- The Basenji, an African dog, is the only dog that does not bark.

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Dennis,
After having solved Rich Norris' puzzles for a week, I was expecting some kind of tricky wordplay. Surprised there is none. I still don't get the "Desert Storm" part, since the meal is still called MRE, isn't it? Those who serve in Afghanistan still eat MRE. FF #2 is made up.

TJ,
Tim Pawlenty should award you for your tireless effort in promoting LOON as the blog mascot.

Hugh,
Great explanation on "What a Wonderful World". Hope to see you on the blog often.

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Lee,
Lions/tigers/bears are all NOUNS. It's a very clever clue.

Cabrini,
Hey! Don't delurk. I'd love to hear more from you.

Lemonade,
Dana Carvey has impersonated many celebrities, including Sting.

Anonymous @11:00am,
Thanks for the great answers. Are you Frey?

Clear Ayes,
Why postal increase in May then? Why not April or June?

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Kazie, Sallie and Linda,
Wow, it seems that teachers are not well compensated, no matter where you go.

PromiseMe,
Genie is a character in the movie "Aladdin". Now you are obsessed with haole.

Calef,
Do you get LA Times puzzle? Have not heard from you for a long time.

Jimbo,
If I can get better, so can you. We are in the same boat.

Dennis said...

C.C., I think she just chose Desert Storm as a time-frame people would know. And FF#2 is true.

Off to the gym.

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Dennis,
Well, her clue makes me think that the chow was called MRE only during Desert Storm. Oh, #3 is wrong then. Hot dog does not bark either.

Argyle,
Re: RIGHT (Correct). This is the second time I noticed Rich Norris used this kind of could-be-verb, could-be-adjective style cluing. I rather like it. Beautiful LOON pictures, esp the Common LOON. Nobody seems to know your schoolteacher horse question, you'd better answer it on the blog.

Ink,
Your puzzle is from Newsday, which is carried in our Star Tribune also (Monday to Sunday). Good luck with your new project today.

Lemonade714 said...

After law school, I had a lady friend who recited "Jabberwocky" which I thought was impressive. Lewis Carroll.

Skorts have been around much longer than Vera Wang, but what is interesting is the word is a PORTMANTEAU, which is what Carroll's poem is all about.

C.C. you have to understand, all women are beautiful, just in different ways; this is what the Italians understand.

Happy Monday, and have a good week all.

Martin said...

Not too easy and not too hard. I finished without googling but there were a LOT of unknowns (OTOE, OSHA, AHI, POOR RICHARD, LPN, BENIN and SKORT) and I wanted ENRAGED for IN A RAGE. Did anybody write SKIRT for SKORT? I had RHODA first so I was very confused. I also thought the clue for IRREG was strange: IRREG would be short for IRREGular which does not mean "flawed". On top of that, I didn't know how to spell ADEN because I had it confused with OMAN.

A light year is the distance light travels in a year. As light travels almost 300 000 km every second, that would be that times 3600 x 24 x 365.25 which is whatever it is because the batteries in my calculator are dead. Anyway, it's a big distance.

Ratings for magazines, book etc. conditions would be POOR, FAIR, GOOD and mint.

I was surprised to learn that "Aden may be as old as human history itself."

Don't believe everything you read on the internet. Written history only goes back about 6000 years (at most) but humans were definitely around back during the ice age and there were no cities back then as everything would have been covered with ice.

My husband never calls me "Sweetheart" or DEARIE. Always "Lao Po", Chinese for "wife".

Lao Po is about the only Chinese word my wife knows: she picked it up when she heard people refer to her as "Lao Po" and realised they were talking about her. It's very informal, isn't it? Like when a British person calls his wife the "old lady", right?

Martin

Mainiac said...

Good Morning All,

This was a writing exercise which was quite the opposite of Saturday's grid. I spelled NICKI wrong so I had to erase to fit LTYR.

My son's Jr High School Jazz Band took second in the state festival this weekend. I have now fulfilled a life long dream of becoming a "roadie", volunteering as labor help for the event. The bonus was having an excellent view of the acts. I was really impressed with all of the bands. An unbelievable amount of talent in that age group.

Foggy, dreary day today. Seasonable in the forties.

Happy Monday!

Argyle said...

tell me what puzzles are on your Sunday paper?

Good Morning, to those that acually read the comments ;~)

My paper still has the Tribune Media Services' Observer Sunday puzzle. This weeks theme is "Making Music"

T. Frank said...

Good morning, C.C. & friends,

I guess we deserved a no-brainer after yesterday.

I believe MRE was changed in IRAQ but can't remember the new acronym.

Why would McCain change the name of the Naval Academy? He was a graduate, I believe (although his class standing was low).

windhover said...

Good morning, C.C.,
I believe the clue "Desert Storm chow, initially" is a double play on words. Initially, because "MRE" is an acronymn, and initially, because once the war was underway, MRE's were replaced by rather elaborate mess facilities. Clever clue in an otherwise fill-in-the-blanks Monday puzzle.
My paper, the Lexington Herald-Leader, carries only the NYT puzzle on Sunday. Yesterday they left out nearly half of the Down clues. A correction was printed today, but too late. I enjoyed the blog yesterday, anyway. Probably a little too much.
Dennis:
Nice fake, but this ain't your first rodeo.
Jeannie:
Thanks again. Seems like everyone was lining up to deliver the 69. It was yours for the taking. Amazing restraint.
PromiseMeThis:
With all due respect, your position on that topic is much like the pope's on birth control: "you no playa the game, you no maka the rules". So hold your piece, or get rich, my friend.
Windhover

lois said...

Good morning CC et al., First of all,CC, LOL great catch on FF #3.

Had a bivouac bday party for young Kenny and served MRE's..boys loved it, but we had backup pizza.

This puzzle was as Dennis said, fast-as-I-could write or FAICW, which boosted my morale after Fri's.However, 57D,LtYr wasn't the only thing that reminded me of 'Woody'. Holy Hotwick! Loin, stem, inch, Teabag, and flop. 'Sunday Best' takes on a whole new meaning when 'Poor Richard' turns into a 'good samaritan' with his 'great gatsby'. Certainly made me 'sit up'and pay attention. What a way to 'usher' in a new week!

Enjoy your day.

windhover said...

Looks like a consensus is emerging for the loon. Count me in. But maybe the kestrel could be official bird of the lurkers (circling high above, but occasionally diving in).

My comments on the teachers discussion from yesterday:

I believe the overall quality of teachers and teaching has declined since I was in school and you were teaching, but it is not the fault of teachers, it is the fault of a society that claims to value education but doesn't in the ways that matter. Not only do we not pay teachers enough, we don't spend enough on education in general. And too much of what we do spend I'd aimed at what I think of as vocational training. We only think of education as a means to an end; training kids to be employees rather than full-fledged persons. The fault is more with parents who don't have enough time to have a life of their own , let alone helping their children to learn. It's a vicious cycle (or circle) in many ways. A discussion of how this all came to be would be a critique of our entire culture, but my sympathies are with teachers.
Looking back on all the hell I gave my teachers back in the day, it's a wonder karma (payback) didn't lead me to be one.
Windhover

kazie said...

I also found this an easy one, but I didn't know OTOE and had forgotten POOR Richard--thought it might be French since Franklin spent so much time in France, so I just guessed POIR--not that it's a French word, just looks that way. Other than that all was good, no g's and no other cheating.

Who knew of all the double-entendres in Shakespeare? c.c.'s link gives a whole new DF meaning to the word "nothing".

Our paper still has the NYT on Sundays.

Crockett,
I liked your reference to networking at inservices last night, but I could only ever do that at conferences, since I was (for most of my years there) the only teacher of my languages in our small district. The Spanish teacher provided a sympathetic ear at times, but with limitations.

T. Frank said...

C.C.,

The Corpus Christi Caller Times announced six weeks ago that they were cutting staff salaries by 4%, eliminating the TV schedule and generally cutting back. The thickness of the paper has been reduced by half. When TMS discontinued its Tribune puzzle, they did not replace it with the LAT version, despite my urging the editor to do so. As a result, it only carries the NYT. I am fearful that it will go the way of the "Intelligencer" (sp.?)

SandbridgeKaren said...

Pretty much a quickie for me today (although I'm not in Dennis' sub-4 minute range)- I'd like it a little harder but it's difficult to argue with starting the day out being satisfied at finishing.
I enjoyed the cleverness moving from poor to great with some interesting clues in between. I started out doing the across clues, misread fashion show strutters for stutters; when I realized that it all fell into place and I blew thru. Either insufficient caffeine or I need stronger reading glasses. If I owned a skort I'd wear it today just to be in control - could we call this a 'Walk in the Park" Puzzle?

kazie said...

Windhover,
You are absolutely right. Sports are one thing I criticize--there's nothing wrong with good physical exercise, but when competition between schools is allowed to take kids out of the classroom regularly (same 8th hour class several times a week) to get to the venues on time, it's gone too far. Academics are way too low on the priority scale. You hit the nail right on the head about the utilitarian philosophy of education here. Nobody gets educated now--it's all training.

The quality of teachers has dropped because these days anyone with brains can't afford to be one, when they have other choices.

And why do we need sports teams at universities? My son was on a college soccer team, but finally gave it up because taking classes was more important to him, and they had to travel halfway across state to play.

Chris in LA said...

@CC:

In response to your inquiry, the New Orleans Times-Picayune carries the Newsday puzzle Monday thru Saturday & the LAT puzzle on Sunday.

Unknown said...

we get the NYtimes sunday puzzle and the Washington Post in the florida sun-sentinel

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your excellent help with cwp's in the past.

I'm confused. The Chicago Tribune Sunday puzzle is now different from the Sunday puzzle you worked on. Mine is by Gail Grabowski, titled "Let's Seat."

What paper do you use?

Anne

JIMBO said...

C.C.

My "San Angelo Standard Times" paper,apparently, will carry the LAT puzzle Monday thru Sunday.
They never made an announcement about the change, but this past week turned out to be right on par with your's.
I enjoyed this one because , for me, it was doable. Only miscued a couple of times. Did'nt know 39a "Skort" and wanted LVN for 32a.
Now I'm ready for the progression!!!!!

I have a bible that puts the creation of Adam and Eve at about 4000 BC. Approximately 6000 years ago. BTW neither of them had a "bellybutton".
Vaya con Dios

Elissa said...

Nothing to say about the puzzle. I breezed right through it.

My husband calls me 'cutie'. He is a Ham Radio operator, who call their wives XYL (ex-young lady), one of the code words from back when they communicated using morse code and wanted shortcuts.

The SJ Mercury News carries a weeks old Sunday NYT puzzle on Sundays. I never do it.

SKORTs have been around for at least 40 years, because, back in the dark ages when I was in high school and you wore 'school clothes' to school instead of play clothes, as they do today, we wore skorts that came to our just above our knees. Even in public school, girls were not permitted to wear pants (or heaven forbid, shorts), but because it looked like a skirt a skort was acceptable.

I don't think the quality of teachers is declining. But I think that many factors make school less effective, including the idea that every student must be rewarded for any little "success", parents think the teacher bears the whole burden of educating their children and don't do their part of the job, that priorities have changed from learning the subject to passing the test.

I could go on and on, but it is too beautiful a day and I have lots of errands, so I'm off.

Anonymous said...

Hi C.C.

It was an easy puzzle again for Monday. There are still some different answer words to get used to e.g. 12D: IRREG my wife said it used to be just IRR.

The San Jose Mercury News still carries the NYT Sunday puzzle which is almost impossible to do unless you've done the Mon through Sat puzzles first (IMO).

I found a wikipedia link for MRE.

;-)

--Warren

Southern Belle said...

Morning all - The Panama City (FL) News Herald uses United Features puzzles weekdays and has gone with the LAT on Sundays. I really enjoy the fact of getting the Sunday LAT online, because our paper delivery is 7 a.m. on weekdays and around 8 (if we're lucky). I now have the puzzle done before the paper is delivered!! It is Great!

C.C.: any of 'our gang' having trouble with the Red River?

Crockett1947 said...

Good morning, everyone. Had only one blip on the radar today -- had SERMON for SPEECH originally.

We Oregonians will have a week of the Sheffer crossword from King syndicates this week. Don't know if it's progressive or not. Today's was even easier than the LAT one. Interesting that they have a solution time posted. Today's was 24 minutes! That's a laugh. Doesn't seem to have a theme, either.

The Oregonian has the Sunday NYT and the Premier from Frank Longo.

Have a great Monday!!

Anonymous said...

LA Times crossword is not in the Star Tribune. They carry one of their own and also the New York Times crossword puzzle.

Thanks.

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All,It was a nice puzzle today with no surprises. I like the new easy to difficult puzzles as the week progresses.

Aren't "Sunday BEST" and "IntegRATES" also part of the theme? They seem like too much of a coincidence not to be.

Anonymous said...

CC,

Speaking of Ben Franklin did you know As a teenager, Franklin worked as an apprentice in his older brother (James Franklin)'s printing shop in Boston, where The New-England Courant was printed.

His brother never took him seriously and Franklin never got anything he wrote published, so, at age 15, Franklin created the persona of a middle-aged widow named Silence Dogood. Every night, he would leave a letter under the door of his brother's printing shop. A total of 14 letters were sent.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silence_Dogood

Cabrini said...

Good Morning C.C. and everyone-
Scranton Times/Tribune (PA) carries the LA Times Sunday Crossword.

Found today's puzzle very easy - completed it on first pass through.
I have been doing crosswords for about 5 years and to anyone just starting out - stick with it. They make more sense the longer you are solving. Local paper has 2 per day. I also try to do Washington Post on-line, Chicago Tribune (now LA Times) and Newsday. Find Newsday the most challenging.
Interestingly, after I quit smoking (3 yrs ago) could not complete a crossword for about 3 months. It took me that long to get out of the "nicotine fog." The first Sunday crossword I completed after quitting was celebrated. I felt that that meant I was done with cigarettes for good.
If you'll have me I would like to comment more on this wonderful blog that you have.
Like a lot of other people - I am now officially out of work. Worked 16 years in an MD's office and he has retired, so I should have more time on my hands.
Thomas - I agree with the Loons.

Linda said...

Morning all: Breezed through the "longies" and then my brain short-circuited and couldn`t remember the
name of sushi tuna and mis spelling murmur as "mermer"...didn`t help.
I`m a horrible speller! Puzzles are helping.

My paper does not carry "Themes" labels through the week...before I came on-line, I named it "Gradient Grades." Yesterday was our first Sunday grid and it did carry a title.

According to my Italian amico, "Bella Lugosie" roughly translates "beautiful legs".

My mother bought my sister and me little 45 rpm`s with stories on them..One was "Alice in Wonderland."
Because of that, I can sing the Jabberwocky`s" song, too, as well as the caterpiller`s "aaaeeee, e, i, o uuuuuuuuu" song.In fact, that`s how I taught my student`s the vowel names.

Jimbo: Are you familiar with the theory of a catastrophic world event happening between Gen. 1:1 and 1:2? (the rational being God never creates anything not perfect. Ergo, something messed up His creation.) If that is true...then eons could have transpired with all sorts of creatures living during the period...
You mentioned "no bellybuttons"...think about this...nothing putrid and no foulness could have happened in a perfect place. Hence: Our bodies must have had quite an overhaul when Sin came!

Anonymous said...

The Modesto Bee, a McClatchy owned newspaper publishes the LA crossword in their Sunday edition while using the Star Tribune crossword puzzles the rest of the week.

Anonymous said...

MRE contents
An MRE contains a main course, side dish, bread, dessert, and flameless ration heater.

General contents may include:

* main course (entree)
* side dish
* dessert or snack (candy bar) I usually got a snickers or m & ms
* crackers or bread
* spread of cheese, peanut butter, or jelly
* powdered beverage mix: fruit flavored drink, cocoa, coffee or tea, sport drink, or dairy shake.
* utensils (usually just a plastic spoon)
* flameless ration heater (FRH)
* Accessory pack:
o xylitol chewing gum (Chiclets)
o water-resistant matches
o napkin / toilet paper (smells like chocolate) The blue paper did.
o moist towelette
o seasonings, including salt, pepper, sugar, creamer, and/or Tabasco sauce

Many items are fortified with nutrients. In addition, DoD policy requires units to augment MREs with fresh food and A-rations whenever feasible, especially in training environments.

THE MONKEYS DEAD THE SHOWS OVER SUE YA!

Fred said...

C.C.
The Sunday Detroit Free Press gets The Boston Globe puzzle.

Anonymous said...

Read the Silence Dogood letter here:

http://franklinpapers.org/franklin/framedNames.jsp

ALL GRAVY NO GRIEF

Clear Ayes said...

C.C. About postal rates - The schedule for the date of rate increases is set by the Postal Regulatory Commission. I don't know why they pick the dates they do. BTW, the rate increases really have little to do with in service training. Training is just one of the many things that the public is usually not aware of. There is a whole lot that goes on between buying stamps at a counter and the letter or package being delivered at the other end of the line.

About "Brillig" - I got out my copy of Through The Looking Glass and, as I remembered, Humpty Dumpty defined brillig as "four o'clock in the afternoon - the time when you begin broiling things for dinner."

He (it?) goes on to define most of the remaining nonsense words in the first verse. For instance, "toves are something like badgers - something like lizards and they're something like corkscrews". Humpty says they "also make their nests under sundials, also they live on cheese". Things that make you go Hmmmmm.

Don't go running out to get a Basenji because you think it will be quiet. They are lovely dogs, but can be very noisy and somewhat difficult to train.

Anonymous said...

Anon@11, not the other Anons.

The Green Bay Press Gazette changed over to the LA puzzles all week, including Sunday. I was glad; I like the camaraderie and the way people here fill out the answers with explanations and links.

C.C.: No, not Frey, just a lurker.

Sorry for stepping on the teachers' (note the plural possessive apostrophe in the correct place) toes. I'm not blaming them but I have less sympathy for their situation myself, putting in 60-80 hours at my job year-round for only 40 hours salary and being on call (being woken up at all hours of the night and weekends) as well, plus not being able to take more than a week of vacation at a time, and still have to keep e-mail current every day when I do get "off" (OK, you can attack me for the longest run-on sentence ever.) I just don't see how the in service helps all that much and it reduces the days my kids actually get instruction. Half-days off for that still count as full school days. The kids do like it though.

crazyhorse said...

Hi CC and everyone

For those who do the puzzles in the Chicago Tribune, the SUnday LA times puzzle is in the book section of Saturday' paper I don't know where the Sunday puzzle comes from.

papajim said...

The Chicago Sunday Tribune is being done by Gail Grabowski, edited by Stanley Newman. Easy puzzle for a Sunday, kinda fun too.
Never had MRE's, but I had my fill of C-RATS & LRRP-RATS. Spaghetti was the best, (relatively speaking), the lima beans & ham to me were unedible. You could always find a trade though. My Dad talked about K-rations, dehydrated mystery powder. The eggs were the worst he said. Have a good day all and, uh, look forward to supper, with renewed memories of "MP'S"(meals past), I know I am!!

Jim

Anonymous said...

Dennis:
I used to feel guilty when you ended with "off to the gym." Now I feel motivated. Thankis.
Doreen

kazie said...

Anon@11,
Thanks for the explanation. I know some jobs are definitely more demanding than those others I described, but teachers do get a lot of undeserved flack through a lack of understanding of what it's like.

I personally come from a perspective of thinking all labor laws here are lacking with regard to vacation allottments for normal jobs. In most European countries and where I'm from, the minimum is more like four or more weeks annually. Overtime is a given too, unless you are on salary, and then I guess it's assumed you do extras for the love of the job, or the desire to be sure everything gets done properly.

Half days for snow also count as full school days. It all comes down to money for busses on any made up days. A lot more wasted time could be eliminated by not having study halls, which kids rarely use as such.

JD said...

Good morning from CA.... we just had a little eathquake, makes one alert.I was just reading Dennis's WoW and was contemplating how some people, like Pablo Casals, can really nail an idea perfectly.

Don't want to repeat, so must finish reading before posting.

Clear Ayes said...

Charles Dodson, aka Lewis Carroll, was a very good poet, in addition to writing wonderful stories. There has been speculation over the years about his fondness for young Alice Liddell, upon whom he based Alice In Wonderland. It will never be known for sure if he was sexually attracted to her, or if he was simply platonically fond of children in general, and especially Alice.

He did write this acrostic poem, which appears at the end of Through The Looking Glass. The letters of the first word of each line spell out the full name, Alice Pleasance Liddell.

A boat beneath a sunny sky,
Lingering onward dreamily
In an evening of July --

Children three that nestle near,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Pleased a simple tale to hear --

Long has paled that sunny sky:
Echoes fade and memories die:
Autumn frosts have slain July.

Still she haunts me, phantomwise,
Alice moving under skies
Never seen by waking eyes.

Children yet, the tale to hear,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Lovingly shall nestle near.

In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Dreaming as the summers die:

Ever drifting down the stream --
Lingering in the golden dream --
Life, what is it but a dream?

Lewis Carroll

Anonymous said...

OOps. Didn't proofread again. When will I ever learn. Sorry
Doreen

Anonymous said...

Hi again C.C.

Jabberwocky is my all time favorite poem, I even memorized it word for word when I was a kid.

Here are 2 links about it:
Jabberwocky

Jabberwocky with definitions of the words

;-)
--Warren

carol said...

Morning C.C. and all-
first I have to say WOW to SandbridgeKaren at 8:31a....what a 1st paragraph...you are going to send Lois out into the stratosphere with that!!

Back to the puzzle...super easy, only time I put my pen down was to slurp some coffee.

I heard (read?) somewhere that hibernating female bears give birth before waking up...could that be true??

C.C. when will you make your decision on our 'official' blog bird?

I just heard on the news (radio) that Oregon has now become the 'wintering' destination for all the geese in the universe (;)) seriously, I think it was 3 different species now winter here. 35 years ago, we had 25,000 geese over the winter - they say now it is @250,000...WOW, no wonder the grass farmers, etc are in such an uproar. They lose thousands of dollars each year in seeds and winter crops to say nothing of the ponds and waterways getting fouled by the fowl droppings. Don't know what they will do about it.

Jeannie said...

I'm with Dennis...since I do it on line, it was as fast as I could type to complete this one. I guess I was in control today. They are forecasting snow over much of MN tonight and into tomorrow. I am really sick of winter!

Being a distributor to Burger King, we are affected with the Red River flood as we deliver to most of the North Dakota stores. Most of them are closed now though as getting to them is a challenge. I feel for those people. I guess it crested this weekend so the worst is over, but there was a lot of flooding.

My favorite Ben Affleck movie was Good Will Hunting.

Linda said...

Anon @ 12:22: Having a husband who was either working or on call 24/7 for 12 years (his nerves still can`t take the sound of a telephone ring)...I can see both sides of the issue...I guess we just have to walk a mile in each other`s shoes. I`m guilty of even longer run-on sentences...but I do a lot of it just to annoy Kazzie! :)

(Kazzie, I`m just raggin` on a fellow teacher...)

JD said...

Good morning CC and all, so many new names since I've been gone,

1st day doing this LA puzzle, and the acrosses didn't come to me 1st time thru, like "in a rage." Most everything I knew came easily with the "downs".Cabal and MRE were the only new ones; needed no googling, just Bob, who does NOT call me dearie. That does not sound loving.

Had a lot of delicious ahi while
away.Roy's serves it as one of their signature dishes.

Clear Ayes, I loved your clip on Basenjis. I'd rather have a Golden Retriever.

I see that Karen has joined the "quickie" club.

I think our earthquake was kind of small, like a 4., not a biggie, just a welcome home kind of thing.

tobylee said...

Crockett,
The Oregonian puzzle for this week can be found on the Denver Post web site. I just thought I might need it by the end of the week. The end of last week killed me. I felt pretty simple minded. I found out it is named for Sheffer, as he is deceased. Maybe he is the Barry Silk of his time.

Clear Ayes said...

Sorry I missed Lemonade714's link to Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky earlier. I really do try to catch all the previous postings, but occasionally they are very slithy and gyre their way out of my field of vision.

My favorite Ben Afleck movie is Gigli. Sometimes, movies are so bad that they are just fascinating to watch....kind of like the slo-mo of a building demolition. Seriously, I don't think he is a particularly good actor. I know, Good Will Hunting, Hollywoodland and Shakespeare In Love were good movies, but he has made a lot more lousy ones. I did like Dogma...very weird and so un-P.C.

Thinking of Gigli reminded me, has anybody seen 88 Minutes? G.A.H. is a big Al Pacino fan and even after reading the critics opinions, figured, "A.P. is the star. How bad can it be?" We watched it on TV a couple of nights ago. That's almost two hours of our lives we will never get back again. Sometimes being a movie fan has its drawbacks. :o)

JD, We are on a base of pretty solid granite, so we didn't feel the earthquake here.

Check in later after art class.

Anonymous said...

Hi C.C and gang,
Back home after a month in Florida.
Had a great time, suffering from jet lag due to storms in Huston. Did not do a c/w while away.
Only on the net a couple of times.
Glad today was fairly easy as I'm not all with it yet.
Hope everyone here ok.
Best to all,
Geri

SandbridgeKaren said...

Carol, I was in Vancouver last year and on a tour the guide mentioned their surplus of Canadian geese and urged us to bring home as many as we could carry. Obviously we declined her kind offer. Clearly those Canadians must have found some way to send them to Oregon, at least for the winter. I've seen a field after a major flock of geese spent time resting there - not a pretty sight!!! I think geese somehow release more than they take in.

Anonymous said...

C.C.
The puzzles I have been doing in the Sun-Sentinel have been shown on your posts, including this one. I do not pay attention as to the source of the puzzle. Neither am I very interested in the style of most posts being done, so I read through quickly to see if there are words and definitions that I didn't get when doing the puzzle. Thanks for asking.
Calef.

Razz said...

CC - Yes, I linked the Popsicle Twins the other day...Why do you ask?


Things that make you go hmmmm!?!?!

+ Why do superheroes wear their underwear on the outside of their clothes?

+ If K.F.C Stands for Kentucky Fried Chicken, Why do they play sweet home Alabama on the commercials?

And in honor of a fill in today's xw

+ 186,000 miles/sec (300,000km/sec): Not just a good idea, it's the LAW!

+ So what's the speed of dark?

(By the way I don't want anyone to research these silly little things [unless you really want to use you time that way]...just for fun)

I have a feeling that we are sufficiently "broken in" on the LAT xw. Maybe normal progression will occur this week. As to today's... all of the dancers at the club are pouting cause I didn't need to pull on the string and insert $ ;~p

kazie said...

anon@11 and Linda,
I'm not worried about run-on sentences so much. I'm even guilty of a few myself. Most of my grammar knowledge comes from my German and they LOVE long sentences!

WM said...

Quick good morning...most everything has been covered...not a difficult puzzle, but it is Monday after all... I enjoy starting the week with success.

JD...you are really good... 4.3 near Milpitas/Alum Rock area. We are in the middle of the Calaveras and Hayward faults. The Calaveras quakes tend to roll and the Hayward and San Andreas tend to jolt...I really like the mild earthquakes...fun!

Jabberwocky is one of my most favorite poems and I can still recite most of it. A couple of other favorites: The Raven and Annabel Lee...

Jeannie...you need to go back and leave a post on yesterday...Crockett got it up to 68 and now it just needs you to finish it.

Gave myself a time limit today so have to go get busy. TTFN

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Calef,
Re: "Neither am I very interested in the style of most posts being done".
Can you explain to me a bit? I value your comments very much and will be very sad if I can't hear from you from time to time. Are some of the comments too risque? Of poor taste?

Carol,
OK, from now on, LOON is our mascot.

Geri,
Nice to see you back also. Hope you enjoyed your stay in FL.

JD,
Welcome back! How is AHI mostly served in Hawaii?

Crockett1947 said...

@tobylee Thanks for the Sheffer info. I already have it bookmarked.

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Lemonade,
Thanks for the portmanteau & 'TWAS poem connection.

Martin,
Oh, I completely forgot the MINT in magazine/baseball card rating. Strange that others call your wife Lao Po. Only husband calls their wife so.

Frank,
Re: USNA. I was pointing out at the clue, not the answer. I imagined the clue to be "President McCain's alma mater" had he won the election.

Jimbo,
How is LPN different from LVN? What do you mean by saying neither Adam or Eve has a bellybutton?

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Elissa,
Thanks for SKORTS. I did not notice anyone wore SKORTS in LPGA Tour until Natalie Gulbis came along.

Warren & Papajim,
I am surprised that each MRE only provides about 1,200 Calories. It's pretty low, don't you think so?

Southern Belle,
I think we have a fellow solver in Fargo area. But she has not commented here for a long time.

Democrat,
Thanks for Silence Dogwood link. I was not aware of that. Knew Ben Franklin apprenticed at his brother's shop though. Did you see the NORMA Jean photo (24D) I linked for you on Friday?

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Cabrini,
Yes, more please! I'd like to know more about you and your solving experience.

Linda,
There is no theme title in LA Times weekday puzzle.

THE MONKEYS DEAD...
What does A in A-Ration stand for?

Anon@11,
Can you pick you a name for yourself? It will be easier for others to respond to you.

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Clear Ayes,
Good observation on SUNDAY BEST/INTEGRATE. However, they don't really fit the other theme pattern, where every theme answer starts the phrase. RATE is not even an individual word. I like how you look at the puzzle structure and theme now.

Ink, Papajim and Anne,
Hope you read what Crazyhorse wrote @12:24pm and get your Sunday LA Times puzzle at Chicago Tribune Saturday's book section.

Razzberry,
Dennis said on Saturday that "Today is Something On a Stick Day". I replied "Hmmm, Popsicle, Razzberry!" Then I started to think I might be wrong.

Linda, Kazie, Sallie & Crockett,
Why didn't you change your career when you were still young?

Elissa said...

I memorized 'The Raven' and 'Annabelle Lee', as well. When I was teaching art to 7th graders and the kids working on art projects started to get loud, I would walk around the room quietly reciting 'The Raven.' The kids would stop talking to hear what I was whispering, which was usually when I would boldly intone "quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.'"

On my bike ride home from the gym today I had a butterfly flying with me at my shoulder for almost a mile. Never had that happen before. Very cool.

Jeannie said...

Sandbridgekaren, don't worry, those geese will be making their was to MN shortly. We get tons of geese.

Believe it or not, skorts are not part of our admitted office attire but tastefully skirts above the knee are!

Wolfmon, I added another post to yesterday. Kind of cheating don't you think?

Jeannie said...

Yeah, my Monday is now complete! Lucky number 69!

Lemonade714 said...

Jeanne:

Are you warming up in the on deck circle, waiting to pronounce a pithy pontification to entwine our minds, tickle our fancies and fancy our tickles?

WM said...

Jeannie...nope! It is difficult for right and central people to stay up with the left coast posters and we can often get in the last word after y'all have long since gone to bed...I felt it was only fair that you got that post as we tried to up the #'s for you...I still feel bad about usurping Lemonade's 100....

BTW...AHI is actually Yellowfin tuna, but I think I learned in a cooking class somewhere that they changed the name because AHI sounded better, foodwise. Ahi is replacing the seriously endangered Bluefin Tuna...sorta factoid for the day.

Razz said...

CC - The San Angelo Standard-Times continued with their Sunday LAT xw. That is what we have had on Sunday for a long time. Now the rest of the week matches!

Auntie Naomi said...

C.C.,
According to this timeline, Cain lived until approximately 3550 BCE. So that would mean he died roughly 5550 years ago. It may not be considered an accurate timeline by some, but it is surely considered inaccurate by many.

While Ben Affleck seems like a nice guy, I cannot say he has ever done much for me acting-wise. In all fairness, though, I have not seen very many of his movies. Of those I have seen, Shakespeare in Love was probably the best movie.

Much Ado About Nothing reminds me of the movie I linked a while back, "Ma Vie En Rose".

"I like AHI sushi & AHI sashimi."
Me, too! There is a place near here that will deliver me a salad with seared Ahi tuna on it. I am going to order one as soon as I post this.

I was thinking that perhaps Ms. Levin used Desert Storm for MRE's because that was the first US 'conflict' in which they were called that. I was wrong, though. The name was changed to MRE in 1981. The US invaded Grenada in 1983. This little fact brought to mind Gil Scott-Heron's characterization of Reagan:
"He's the gladiator invader of Grenada! There's millions more for El Salvador! and he's up to his 'Keisters' with the Sandanistas!"

I tend to think of DEBRIS as being only plural.

Do you really think I am obsessed with HAOLE?

I am aware of the presence of the genie in the Aladdin story. Yesterday's clue suggested that Aladdin was the genie.

Today's puzzle was extremely easy. I never even saw the clue for BENIN until I read it here.

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Warren,
Thanks for the Jabberwocky links. Unfortunately I could not understand the fun.

Tobylee and Crockett,
Sheffer for what puzzle? I thought you had Stan Newman's Newsday on Saturday. Your Universal puzzle this week is the same as Barry G's. It's edited by Tim Parker, who also edits USA Today Crossword.

Razzberry,
Is your Sunday LA Times puzzle edited by Rich Norris or Sylvia Bursztyn? I am lazy, what's the speed of dark?

PromiseMe,
Oh, I guess you are right about DEBRIS (Maybe Kazie/Sallie can confirm?). What's the connection between Nixon and HAOLE?

Linda said...

CC: Why didn`t you change your career while you were still young


For purely selfish reasons. The ONE, absolutely perfect thing about being a public school teacher is that you have roughly the same hours/days off as your children what ever their stage of education. I was also "on the scene" with them.
Other reasons, I found out early in life that I liked to "educate" and I wanted to make it fun to learn...as so many of my teachers had. There were always lots of children at our house and I knew I had the inclination. It was a decision made after weighing all the pros and cons...and remember, I was 30 before I returned to the campus. In all fairness...you do make some money...but not nearly as much as you could make in other professions requiring the same amount of education.

Auntie Naomi said...

"Hot dog does not bark either"
:)

Basenjis are neat dogs. It is believed that they are the dogs that are depicted in ancient Egyptian artwork. It was long believed that the depictions were of Greyhounds, but experts now believe that Greyhounds originated in Malta. The Basenji hails from the Congo. Apparently they were presented as gifts to Pharaohs.
I consider getting a Basenji after my sweet little Cocker had to be put down. However, after being introduced to one named 'Romeo', I decided against it. It turns out that they counter slide. Apart from that, Romeo took far too much interest in Dexter and Ami.

"Autumn frosts have slain July"
I love that. Thanks, ClearAyes!
Carroll was a pervert and Alice found out!

Razzberry,
Once when I was about 12, a friend of mine and I used to wash car windows at the entrance to a local drive-in theater. One night, after all the car were inside, we decided to amuse ourselves and calculate the speed of light using a rock to write in the paint on the drive-in's corrugated aluminum fencing. It was difficult writing like that but we knew the approximate distance of the Earth from the Sun and we knew how long it took its light to reach the Earth. I was pleased, after checking our results the next day, to find that we had calculated it correctly at 186,000 miles per second. I guess we were juvenile delinquent geeks.

Welcome back, Geri and JD :)

kazie said...

CC: Why didn`t you change your career while you were still young?

I taught for 3 years before leaving for 18 months in Europe, where I met my husband-to-be. He was enthralled that I was a teacher, and to be honest, I didn't think there was much else I could do with my two languages in Oz. After returning there and teaching another 2 1/2 years I was pretty confident about it, especially after the immersion experience I'd had. When we moved here, settled in this small town and had our family, the local school principal wanted to start a German program, and I was in the right place at the right time. I felt then, and still feel that I wasn't qualified to do much else, but it worked out, for the same reasons Linda gave, of being around for our own kids too, and I enjoyed it. I must still enjoy educating, as I volunteer in the GED tutoring here now.

Debris is a noun formed from the French verb débriser=to break into small pieces, and the "s" is part of both the singular and plural form in both languages.

c.c.,
I don't appreciate the jabberwocky thing much either, so don't feel too bad about it. We do know he was on drugs a lot of the time, don't we?

Anonymous said...

C.C.: The reasons I didn't look for employment elsewhere than teaching are: a)in 1952 there were few jobs for women other than nursing, teaching, or secretarial b)my husband was a college prof. (geology) and we moved five times in the first 10 years
c) I was good at teaching and liked it
d) with 2 little kids, not working when they weren't in school was important.
I wouldn't be good at it now because attitudes of parents and students have changed. My word was law back then. Not now!
But teaching is rewarding in what you do when you can do it.

Fellow teachers and bad spellers, I have always blamed my bad spelling as an adult on seeing so many misspelled words while teaching.

Had fun today with the puzzle because I could do it with only a few questions for my husband (like how to spell speech).

Razz said...

CC - I'll have to check and see on the xw for Sunday. Was so busy yesterday that I never got to it!

Oh and by the way do you know how to keep a blog master in suspense?

I'll answer that question about the speed of dark tomorrow.

Anonymous said...

In addition to the Boston Globe puzzle in the Sunday Detroit Free Press we also have the New York Times puzzle in different part of the paper.

Crockett1947 said...

C.C. The puzzle in The Oregonian is our fourth week of different puzzles. Last week was Newsday. Online it is referenced as King online, so I think it is from King Features syndicate in WA.

@razzberry You're so bad you're good!

Argyle said...

"A schoolteacher horse who can teach riders what they know is worth its weight in gold."


A second cousin of mine died some time ago and, in his obituary, was a mention that he was part owner of a schoolteacher horse. It took some asking around, even a lot of horse people didn't know the term, but I found that it is a prized horse at riding acadamy; a horse that can teach the student how to ride. The horse knows what to do, even if the student doesn't.

Jeannie said...

Here's a boost towards Lemonade's 100th post. I had quite the education this weekend on the birthing of horses. A friend of mine breeds them and somewhere between 6pm and 10pm his mare gave birth. He knows this as he has a camera feed that runs from the birthing barn to his house. I went to see the new little filly about 2pm Sunday afternoon. Amazing that this little thing born just 12-14hrs earlier was steady on her feet! Some facts I learned:

In three weeks you breed the mare again.

Justastion is 346 days

A colt is a male baby horse and a female is called a filly.

The stallion (stud) can sire upto 30 years of age and are quite spendy.

He had another mare that gave birth two weeks ago and that little colt was wild in the pasture kicking up his feet and running all around. His mom will be bred next week and I am invited to watch the procedure. I guess the stallion can get the shit kicked out of him if the mare isn't tied down. I am still not sure that I want to witness it, but knowing me I will! Ah, the things I have learned after moving out to the country!

Anonymous said...

C.C.
I learned the first year I left home for a full time job that I am not interested in fixing food. I have a poor sense of taste and smell and eating is to quench my hunger, not for the odors and taste sensations. So all the stuff people write about that sort or thing just doesn't interest me.
And the extensive comments about how they got this answer or that clue are interesting when they meet my shortcomings, but not when the person is just going on about their personal experience.

I tend to be academic, I guess. When I have something of that nature to offer I do so.

Relative to the belly buttons on Adam and Eve, those who interpret the Scriptures very litterally view these two as the initial humans created from earth and not begotten by a mother and father. Hence they would have no belly buttons because they were not born of a human mother. I am a Believer but I don't have to be so extremely literal in word by word interpretation.
Calef.

WM said...

Here's my post to move us closer to the magic #100...

Argyle: darn sneaky question...I was trying to think of a horse breed that would answer the question.

Jeannie...if you go to watch a stallion cover a mare be prepared...it can be very violent.

On the Shakespeare thing...I think that I mentioned once before that Shakespeare(whoever he really was) was a wordmaster. He used words in very new ways and it is one of the indicators that Shakespearean scholars use to try and figure out who he actually was...there are lots of theories. Based on the unique way he used and introduced new words into the Elizabethan vocabulary it is thought, based on some computer diagnosis of said usage, that he could have Elizabeth I, Edward de Vere(my personal favorite) and even possibly Christopher Marlowe as it isn't exactly a set fact that Marlowe was killed when it is thought. He was involved in some spying and conspiracies with some very wealthy patrons and there is a theory that his death was faked and he was spitited to Italy where he wrote some of the Italian plays.

There is a quite a bit of VERY interesting literature out there about who actually wrote all the plays and sonnets. The single largest collection of post-mortem printed manuscripts resides in a museum in Washington D.C. I am hoping to get to see some of them this fall when I go back to stay with a friend for a week...that, and the Korean War Memorial at night(only seen it in day light) and the Smithsonian American History Museum which was closed for rennovations last I was there.

Lemonade...I tried...

Auntie Naomi said...

C.C.,
Back when Nixon bought the farm, the chef at a local restaurant where I dined came up to me and said, "Did you hear that Nixon died?" I said "Yes." To which he replied, "What a shame, huh?" I said, "Yeah, it's a shame ..... it's a shame he didn't die twenty years ago the Son-of-a-B%$#@!"
The guy resigned in disgrace for a reason.

As for my remark about 'debris', apparently I inadvertently misled you. I did not mean to suggest that there actually was only the plural form. I just meant that I tend to think of it only in the plural. I cannot recall anyone who speaks American English ever using the word debris in its singular form without specifying the singular nature by preceding the word with 'piece of'. One would say 'a piece of debris' or 'a piece of the debris'. But I have never heard anyone say, "There is a debris lying there."

Wolfmom,
It is interesting that Francis Bacon was not included in your list of possible Shakespeares.

I'm doing my part, Lemonade ... since I'm not feeling rich.

Argyle said...

Warren said...@ 3:18 PM(but posted on yesterday's comments)

I kept looking for a dramatic reading of Jabberwocky and found there's a lot of versions of it on youtube.com

This is easily the funniest using muppet characters.

JIMBO said...

Linda.

Yes I do subscribe to the theory that between Gen1 and Gen2 there was an undetermined amout of time. I think,probably, Satan was kicked out of Heaven during that period and was "hurled to Earth" which may account for the Earth being without form and void; But from the time Adam and Eve were created, we have a lineage to go by. However, I am open to other interpretations.

C.C.

An LVN IS A "lICENSED VOCATIONAL NURSE". An LPN is a "LICENSED PROFESSIONAL NURSE". The information I have is that they are the same rank and do the same work which is to carry out orders from a "REGISTERED NURSE" or a "DOCTOR".

Also, Sunday's puzzle was edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis. Mine and Razzberry's paper, "The San Angelo Standard Times".

Vaya con Dios

Lemonade714 said...

You guys are the best, but Mondays are always going to be tough, because there is not enough controversy. So, for the closing topic of the day, we have the impending April Fool's Day. My favorite organized joke was when I was little, they showed the harvest of the Spaghetti Tree. It was done by BBC and so wonderfully silly. I also loved George Plimpton/s Sidd Finch article in Sports Illustrated. Any personal stories?

WM said...

Okay...this is four. Just for you Lemonade.

PMT...Bacon is definitely in the running, but the three I mentioned were more likely suspects based on the computer model word-usage. Part of the problem is that the plays were never actually "published" at the time they were performed, but much later. There were quite a number of variations in the printed versions...Curiously in the will of the BARD OF AVON guy, there is absolutely no mention of the plays which seems a bit odd.

I always kind of figured that no one really wants to prove that it was someone else because the tourist industry based around Stratford upon Avon is stupendous...there is too much money riding on the guy that lived in Stratford. I have about 6-8 books on the subject if you are interested.

Bacon is still a contender, but a bit further down the list. I just love stuff like this. Since they found that painting of an Elizabethan Gentleman, I keep hoping that some phenomenal piece of writing is still buried away. like in Lord Burghley's( that's the de Vere connection) house that will be uncovered and point to the real author...

Jeannie said...

Okay, Lemonade, here is my fourth...holding one in the rafters. Serious note, but it ties into the best April Fools joke. My best friend Mary just lost her 42 year old brother to esophagus cancer in Texas. We knew it was coming, but it is still a hard thing to fathom when you are the older sibling. To make matters worse, her Mom is dying from cancer as well and couldn't make the trip to TX.

Okay, the lighter note...Mary kind of raised Eric; and one April 1st she took down the cereal bowl, poured cat food in it with milk and served it to him (with the cat food box on the table). Being a little kid barely awake, he actually started reading the "cereal" box while eating his cereal before he knew what he was doing. Fond memory of Eric Halverson.

Clear Ayes said...

PMT, you are quite the stirrer-upper. Just because L. Carroll wrote:

"Still she haunts me, phantomwise,
Alice moving under skies
Never seen by waking eyes."

you call him a pervert. Just because he is haunted by her and dreams about her and...oh well...never mind.

On second thought, after having read your other posts, you are still definitely a stirrer-upper.

Jeannie, sorry to hear about your friend's brother.

Have a good evening all.

carol said...

Jeannie - I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your friend's brother and the illness of their mother. That is a very difficult thing for her and it's good you are there for her.

On the light side of your message, that was a hoot about the cat food cereal! I wish I had thought of that for my sister but we did not use dry cat food back then. Still, it is a good April Fool's trick to pull...and it won't poison anybody. But wait! Foods are still showing up on the list of what is now causing e-coli and other gut grinding problems.

Jeannie said...

Alright, Lemonade....still trying to boost the post number for you. I believe this might be my last post, but maybe C.C. will grant me truancy tonight. I don't know how to link...but can anyone find and post "Sailing away" as I had some fine sails with Eric. Actually Mary and Eric gave me some of the finer tips of sailing. Thanks for all the well wishes.

Jeannie said...

Okay, my last post...(and illegally I might add). I am pretty sure C.C. will grant me a stay tonight. C.C. since it was your idea that I command the 69th post, can that be a freebee? Dennis, what do you think? Comeon you westcoasters and night owls. Jeannie has to go to bed. Lemonade deserves her 100th post. Lemonade, if you are in bed and miss this one, I'll cover for ya.

Lemonade714 said...

Jeanne, Jeanne: Please tell me what made you think I was of the female persuasion? Maybe you missed my comments on Jane Fonda as Barberella, or Birigitte Bardot, and her famous response to what to wear to get a man's attention...but I appreciate the effort. I may be a Lesbian trapped in the body of a man, but it is a male body; what shall I post? Lois, I need your help….Well like your sunday/monday, maybe I will get my 100 in the am; good night all

Jeannie said...

Lemonade....just a slip...I know you are a manly man holding a fish in you picture!! 69, 69, 69!! Please don't sue me for slander!

Thomas said...

Hello C.C & all

Here's an assist to get to 100.

Jeannie, sorry for you and your friends grief.
Great 4/1 story!

It's official! LOON! Here, Here!

Jeannie said...

Going WAY OVER THE LIMIT now...there is a JEANNE and a JEANNIE. I was here first. I don't know when you question which one you are looking to answer who was in the "batting box" so to speak as I could have had a phishy answer today. Most of my luck is karma landing on the proverbial fun number for both sexes. I learned from last night that promise me doesn't agree...to each their own.

Anonymous said...

C.C. You asked why they changed 'wild beast' to "wilde beest". Wilde beest is Dutch and the Dutch probably were controlling the part of Africa where they live. Therefore, that name probably preceded the Anglicized name, Wild Beast.

(I see I've used a lot of probablies.)

Interesting comments about Gen.1:1 & 2. I always thought 1:1 was like the headline of a news story and then 1:2 through 1:27 gives the sequence of creation. I do think eons could have elapsed between each of the days, prior to the 14th verse because it was not until then (the fourth day) that the sun & moon were created to establish days, seasons, years, etc.
Dot

Anonymous said...

Evening all,
Just had some time to really read all the blogs.
Welcome to the new folks on board.
This place always bring a smile.
Got to get some sleep. Never experienced such jet lag before, ugh!
Best,
Geri

Jeannie said...

Oh, Lemonade, you must keep a "bead" on the target when it gets close...you actually lost to an anon Dot. Maybe in the future she will get a profile and read the previous posts.

Welcome, gentle soul Dot. We have a couple of quirky posters here. Never be the 69th post or the 100th. If you see that number come up, just wait a sec and then post after that post comes up.

I do mean to welcome you though. Where are you from?

Auntie Naomi said...

Awwww, Dot?
Oh well, I think Lemonade is asleep anyway.
Thank you for the interesting explanation of 'Wildebeest'. I am sure C.C. will appreciate it, too.

Jeannie,
'Sailing Away' by who? I have heard of 'Come Sail Away' by Styx and 'Sailing' by Christopher Cross, but I know of no song titled 'Sailing Away'.

BTW, the 'magic number' is fun for both sexes ... just not necessarily in the manner you meant.

Anonymous said...

Lemonade, I'm sorry I stole the 100th post. when I started writing there were only 97 and I thought I would help push the number up. Either I'm too slow at typing or the others were all working at the same time. Anyway, you should not have gone to bed so soon. Dot

JD said...

I have no idea what # I am posting, but I'm late as usual. We're between periods as the Sharks try to protect their standing.chomp, chomp,chomp

CC, we order our ahi seared rare, or blackened. Roy's serves it with a mustard sauce, and a beurre blanc sauce drizzled around the plate garnished with pickled ginger. Also, there are many sushi places to dine.
Promiseme, we also go to a restaurant every Friday that serves seared ahi on a salad with melon and pecans.
Kathleen and Elissa, that would be Double D's in L.G.

I missed the discussion on education. I loved every day of my 40 years of teaching, but I feel sorry for the new teachers coming into the field.We were taught how to teach the child, not the curriculum.Being a history major will not help a K-6 grade teacher become a teacher. We are pushed to teach to the test.Do you know that everyone has to take those tests? It deflates those students who have no English skills and those who just don't have it and will never have it. The last 5 years, my classes were anywhere from 32-35. About 7 of those were children identified with special needs:(wheelchairs,autistism,ADHD, emotional problems...). Another 7 were limited English speakers. There were always a few that didn't qualify for spec. help because they were working with what they had.CA has integrated almost all special needs students into the regular classroom, but have not lowered the class size (except in grades1-3) and most of us have an aide for maybe 1 or 2 classes that we teach.I retired at a good time. enough said. Sorry guys

Yeah Sharks!!!!

Linda said...

Lemonade 714: Here is my "help" in getting to 100 (posts not age!) Your comment about all women being beautiful, each in her own way, was very gallant.

Jimbo; People have said to me "How can a good God allow such suffering as is in the world?" I pondered that and came to this conclusion: it is because He created man with a free will...at great risk to Himself. Since He is God and cannot go back on His Word (or every atom would fly apart...Hebrews 1:3)He cannot make the molester stop...or the woman be faithful to her wedding vows...or stop any other wrong or horrible choice. Does it grieve Him? Certainly! . He meant for us to stay in that Garden and let Him provide for us. But choices always have consequences...good and bad.

I, too, believe we came from that Garden pair...and any humanoid or extinct animal evidence found that would carbon-date earlier came from beings on earth during that period between Gen1:1 and Gen1:2.

BTW, Genesis 1 also tells you where the watermarks on Mars and any other planet came from! Isaiah 40:22 talks about the "circle of the earth" when most scholars taught that the earth was flat! Perhaps true Science will finally catch up someday.

Jeannie said...

Promise me...styx version. Please.

Auntie Naomi said...

"Anyway, you should not have gone to bed so soon."
I am sure Lemonade will understand, Dot. However, hanging around until the 100th post is a pretty tall order.
Duerme con los santos, Lemonade :)

JD, I don't want to know about the Sharks. I am a few games behind on my TIVO because I have feared watching. Please be a dear and DO NOT tell me anything about the NHL. Oh, and my Ahi salad place ... looks like they're 'tits up'.
Which reminds me: I have received no response from Melissa Bee regarding the efficiency of her 'built in flotation devices'.

Jeannie, I'm sailing away :)

Argyle said...

I know it's not the one Jeannie was thinking of, but there is Chris De Burgh's - Sailing Away

Meanwhile, I'm "skating away, skating away, on the thin ice of a new day". - Jethro Tull