google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday September 30, 2009 Chuck Deodene

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Sep 30, 2009

Wednesday September 30, 2009 Chuck Deodene

66 comments:

  1. Good morning, C.C. and gang - fresh clues, enjoyable puzzle. I caught the theme after the second entry, 'handlebar', then thought I must be wrong when I got 'horseshoe'; never heard of a horseshoe mustache. I guess it's very close to a Fu Manchu. Great job of getting all the different types in.

    'Lait' is a recent repeat. I hadn't heard of the 'Oglala' tribe, but the perps filled it in quickly. Thought 'lay down the lawn' was extremely clever.

    C.C., I too liked the perping of 'uploads' and 'code'. Also, the classic line for villians in old movies was, "Curses, foiled again!". So the singular 'shout' is ok.

    Today is National Mud Pack Day.

    Today's Words of Wisdom: "The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares." -- Henri Nouwen

    And a couple more clever definitions:

    - Intellectual: someone who can listen to Rossini's 'William Tell' Overture without thinking of the Lone Ranger.

    - Karate: a form of martial arts in which people who have had years and years of training can, using only their hands and feet, make some of the worst movies in the history of the world.

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  2. Morning, All! This was a near perfect puzzle for me. Great words: GAMUT (3D), RASCAL (26D), AGHAST (62A) … Great clues: Whisperer’s target (43A): EAR, Hard rain: SLEET (37D), and the list goes on. The only mishap is ARCANE, which I, like CC, would define more like obscure than mysterious.

    John Waters, the director of some off-beat films including Hairspray and Pink Flamingos, has a classic pencil mustache.

    September 30 Birthdays:

    1928 ~ Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor, and writer. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986.

    1924 ~ Truman Capote (d. 2007), writer.

    1917 ~ Buddy Rich (d. 1987), Jazz Drummer.

    1898 ~ Renee Adoree (d. 1933), Silent film star and a recent crossword clue/response.

    1882 ~ Johannes Wilhelm Geiger (d. 1945), co-founder of the Geiger Counter. Unfortunately, his co-founder, Walther Muller, was his student, hence his name is lost to history.

    1861 ~ William Wrigley, Jr. (d. 1932), the chewing gum king. He was also the owner of the Chicago Cubbies, hence Wrigley Field.

    1207 ~ Rumi (d. 1273). Turkish poet and Islamic sufi mystic. His poetry is some of the most widely read in the world today. Perhaps Clear Ayes can find a good Rumi poem for us today. Rumi is also known as the founder of a sect of Whirling Dervishes. He is buried in Konya, Turkey. It is a major pilgrimage site. I visited Konya and Rumi’s tomb on my trip to Turkey a few years ago.

    QOD: Sometimes you have to look reality in the eye, and deny it. ~ Garrison Keillor

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  3. Good morning C.C. and all, I am back for another short visit and then off to Cabo San Lucas for a few days of off shore fishing. It was a very interesting little puzzle today with all the different types of mustaches and the creative cluing. There was only one hang up for me and it was the crossing of 50A and 42D. I did not know either “cel” or ‘Oglala” so I ended up with one blank.

    C.C., BTW pewter is comprised mostly of tin, 85%, and the remainder is usually copper or lead, but can be other materials as well.

    Hope you all have a great Wednesday

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  4. Hi,
    Good day yesterday and today. Couldn't
    post yesterday. Way too busy. No, I never heard of a HORSESHOE mustache either. But the rest were pretty easy. I liked SOD also. BUT, I did not like SLEET. SLEET is a "frozen" rain not just rain. So, I'm sorry, the answer is just wrong!!!
    Other than that one, a very good Wednesday offering, I thought. Going to the Dr to let him work on my 10d later.
    CY'all Later

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  5. Bill,
    "Hard" = frozen. Noticed the question mark in the clue?

    Warren,
    Ha ha, I found your Crossword Sources so informative that I added it to the Crossword Links sidebar yesterday. Thank you.

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  6. Jimbo,
    Read this. She is 100 years old, and she does crossword puzzles and Scrabble every day. Congratulations on your bowling award!

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  7. Good morning C.C. and all.

    C.C., why not stick with a baseball player's version of a handlebar mustache? Check out Rollie Fingers, the great A's reliever at: http://www.chicagotribune.com/topic/sports/rollie-fingers-PESPT002252.topic

    C.C., on the subject of baseball, I've been a rabid Twins fan for 49 years now. Can't wait for the crucial game tonight.

    Good day to everyone from the Big Sky State of Montana.

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  8. Happy Wednesday, another interesting puzzle, and one which was much easier starting in the SE. Like the rest, never heard of HORSESHOE, but then there is much to learn about MOUSTACHES which will always make me think of HERCULE POIROT.

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  9. No googling today. I got OGLALA from the perps.

    Martin

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  10. Loved this puzzle. Gave me a little more of a challenge without being too hard. Perfect Thursday. Was clueless on OGLALA, and at first wanted HAND BRAKE instead of HANDLEBAR. But managed to get the whole thing anyway. I agree that ARCANE was a little of a misclue. Lots of fun fills like CROAKS, AGHAST, CHORTLE, SPINAL, HOCKS and on and on.

    I didn't think that Brad Pitt in that mustache was so flattering. Another example of a good pencil mustache was David Niven. Hahtool, I don't think your link worked, but John Waters is on the Wikipedia page that Lemonade linked. That pencil is thin!

    CC, fabulous explanations of all the types of mustaches.

    Dennis, I think your version of an intellectual could also be someone under 30. Probably never heard of the Lone Ranger.

    Hahtool, at the ESPN Zone in Chicago, they have a miniature version of Wrigley Field made of Wrigley chewing gum wrappers. The picture doesn't do it justice, but it is very cool.

    Off and running. Very cool out today. Fall has set in. GO TWINS!!! Heartbreaking loss last night, but great win in the afternoon. Hopefully they can pull it out again tonight.

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  11. Good Morning All -

    Great puzzle today! I actually had to break down and seek help for a couple - the crossing of Oglala and Utahan threw me for a loop. Putting in waco instead of loco didn't help matters, and I even knew waco wasn't correct. Took awhile to figure out all the mustache types, but thought it was a fun and clever theme once I figured it out.

    Sadly, I read Lay down the lawn as Lay down the law, so was stymied there too... I may have to break down one of these days and get my first pair of readers... On the other hand, turning on the light at the kitchen table might be a good first step!

    Nice WOW today Dennis.

    Enjoy the day.

    Andrea

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  12. KQ: That's a neat link to the gum wrapper Wrigley Field miniature.

    It's finally beginning to feel like autumn here. Two days ago it was 95F and very humid. This morning when I stepped out to get my crossword puzzle (and newspaper), I was pleasantly surprised to find it a cool 57F. Later today it will reach the mid-80s, but with very low humidity, it will be very pleasant.

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  13. G'morning all!

    I had no slips today except for having NOTE at first for PASS, but it got fixed quickly by perps. perps also helped with OGLALA and UTAHAN, but other than that it was smooth sailing. I nailed the theme after getting HANDLEBAR and looking at the MUSTACHE clue and correctly guessing what it was.

    It makes sense that DAHL is Norwegian for valley, which is TAL in German--related language and the common d->t switch is the hint.

    John Waters was a guest on Bill Maher last week, and he's who I thought of immediately for a pencil mustache, though David Niven's comes close.

    The phrase "there oughta be a law" reminded me of the tongue-in-cheek Oz reference to people always saying "they oughta...", which is then shortened to "aorta" to refer to such people: "the great aorta".

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  14. Audi is headquartered in Ingolstadt, north of Munich on the road to Nuremberg. I looked for a long time for the "Audiwerke" in Munich, until the penny dropped and I realized I was thinking of BMW. The photo is their world headquarters next to the 1972 Olympic village in Munich. The tall office building represents engine cylinders, the round building at its base is the museum, and the factory is behind them.

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  15. Good Morning CC and All,

    Truly enjoyed this grid today. First time through left all kinds of holes. I kept plugging and finally got Fumanchu then Mustache fell. Cel, Oglala and Utahan sent me for red letter help. Ogden had my mind in Europe rather than the US. The only reason I got Kon Tiki was we still have a set of water skis at camp (avatar pic) my parents got with green stamps that have that name. I've replaced the bindings twice with mooring ball rubber and would still use them if I had a boat that would pull me. The kids insist on using the newer, stylish fiber glass skis. What do they know?

    RSD, Thanks for the AC/DC. I needed that pick-me-up this AM.

    Lois, Sounds like your having a fun time with your critters. I've had to take disciplinary action on my oldest for shenanigans prior to football practice the last couple of days. He took a kids apple sauce and ate it yesterday. Problem is if I don't make an example of him, the rest of the flock won't stay in line. I told his coach he needs to sit out tonight's game. Now the coach is freaking out but I'm holding my ground. The seventh and eighth graders are freaks this year. The parents are even worse.

    Sorry to vent folks. Onto happier things.

    Dennis, LOL on the Karate definition. Love those movies where the actor makes three mouth movements and the overdub rambles on and on.

    Have a great day!

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  16. Hi C.C.
    Interesting story of the 100 year old lady still doing crosswords. Gives me hope even though I have a long way to go.

    I realize the puzzles have been "toned down" somewhat, so I can't do any "bragging" yet, but I have been able to finish them off with very little help. Did all of last week's and kept looking for the "hammer" that never fell. Perhaps tomorrow?

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  17. Good Morning!
    Both yesterday and today's puzzle are enjoyable. Yesterday's one made me hungry with all the food and drink.
    Today's was exciting as there were so many fresh clues and answers.
    I did struggle at the intersection of OGLALA and CEL, took time to get CURSES and never knew LIST.
    I've never heard of FU MANCHU.

    Good links CC to show us all the diff moustaches.

    Dennis, the Karate definition made me chortle.

    Have a great Wednesday!

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  18. I've been doing the puzzles every day, but haven't posted in a while because the high holidays and volunteer activities have kept me very busy. But I loved today's puzzle. I had enough of the *ed entries to get MUSTACHE, which helped me get some of the theme answers I hadn't yet filled in.

    This put me in mind of a quote I learned years ago "Kissing a man without a mustache is like eating an egg without salt." My first husband had a handlebar mustache which he twirled with his fingers while thinking. And when my current husband shaved off his beard when it all went gray kept his mustache (which is the same type as Dennis') even though it is also mostly gray.

    I also thought LECH Walesa, who sports a walrus mustache, fit well with the theme.

    Finally, I am a big Jimmy Buffett fan and Pencil Thin Mustache is one of the songs that made me love him.

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  19. Oh, yeah, and Jimmy Buffett has a great mustache as well in that YouTube video.

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  20. Hi C.C. & gang, my wife and I quickly polished off today's puzzle without trouble in under 10 minutes.

    C.C. thanks for the note, I thought my link to crossword resources was a duplicate of yours and I deleted it.

    The Chortle clue made me remember the Jabberwocky poem again. Twas brillig...

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  21. Good Morning All, This is more like it! Today's puzzle was really fun. There were lots of great clues and fun fills.

    I always thought a FU MANCHU was a more droopy mustache with long "tails" on either side of the upper lip.

    Like most everyone else HORSESHOE was a new type of MUSTACHE for me, although GAH sported one for a while. 1981 GAH Don't CHORTLE too much, after all it was 1981!

    PENCIL MUSTACHE reminded me of Jimmy Buffett's song too. Thanks for the video, Elissa. Looks like Jimmy was working on his own version of a HORSESHOE.

    I am obviously not an intellectual...Hi Ho Silver!

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  22. Hulk Hogan Is a good example of a horse shoe mustache

    Philope

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  23. This is what I would consider to be the ultimate Fu Manchu.

    Hahtool, I have read a few Rumi poems. His poems seem to vary between erotic love and Godly love. This one is of a more earthly nature.

    A Smile and A Gentleness

    There is a smile and a gentleness
    inside. When I learned the name

    and address of that, I went to where
    you sell perfume. I begged you not

    to trouble me so with longing. Come
    out and play! Flirt more naturally.

    Teach me how to kiss. On the ground
    a spread blanket, flame that's caught

    and burning well, cumin seeds browning,
    I am inside all of this with my soul.

    Have a nice Wednesday everyone. I'm heading to a women's lunch with a gang of friends.

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  24. Here's a Blondie song that references a pencil mustache. The song makes me thing of this man.

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  25. I thought this was a very enjoyable puzzle even though I did have to hit the g-spot for Lech. I was actually happy that was my only outside help as I wouldn’t have gotten Aden, kon or Oglala without perp help. My favorite clue today was “sheet on the road” – ice. I too read “lay down the lawn” as “lay down the law”. Isn’t it funny how your mind just takes over and sees what it wants to see? Bill I agree with you on the sleet. To me a hard rain is more like it comes down in sheets, which is what I put in first.

    KQ you are in Minnesota right? If so, can today be my Thursday too? Just one day closer to the weekend that way.

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  26. P.S., Thanks for the Rumi poem, Clear Ayes.

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  27. Morning all,
    It's been awhile since I posted. Just been busy.
    I haven't had much trouble with any puzzle for the last two weeks. Amazing! Definitely must all be toned down.
    Any problems I had were solved by the perps.

    My husband had a mustache up until about 15 years ago. Took the kids a couple of days to even notice. I noticed it made him look about 10 years younger without it!! Now, if I could just tame his eyebrows!!

    Weather has cooled by about 23 degrees around here. Had a bit of rain. Cleared the smoke out of the valley.

    OK, on my way to get some quotes for supplemental medical insurance. We're sure my husband's job is going to disappear any time now. The next one probably won't offer insurance.
    Ah well, s--t happens!!

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  28. I don't know if this is completely true, but it certainly sounds reasonable:

    GAMUT: This word comes from the history of music. Guido d'Arezzo, an 11th century musician and former monk, devised a system of musical notation that was a precursor to our modern system of notes and staffs.

    D'Arezzo's system had a six-note scale, represented on a higher and lower staff. The first line on the lower staff he called by the Greek letter 'gamma'. The lowest note in the scale was called 'ut' and was placed on gamma. This first note was soon called 'gamma ut', which contracted to 'gamut'. At some point, French musicians began referring to the whole scale (by then an octave) as the 'gamut', a typical example of metonymy. The term was next extended to refer to the musical range of an instrument or voice. By the seventeenth century 'gamut' was further generalized to mean an entire range of any kind.

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  29. It's harvest time and fall is in the air. Here is a hearty soup I think you will enjoy.

    Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

    1 Medium butternut squash peeled seeded and diced
    2 cups of apples (I use macintosh) peeled, cored and diced
    1 cup of onions, chopped
    3 cups of chicken broth
    ½ cup of half and half
    4 Tblspn butter
    ¼ cup flour
    1 Tblspn curry powder
    Salt and pepper to taste

    Melt butter in soup pot. Add squash, apples, onion and curry. Saute for 5 minutes stirring frequently. Do not brown. Add flour and mix well. Cook with constant stirring for two minutes. Add the chicken broth and mix well. Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Puree in a food processor and add back to the pot with the half and half. Bring to a serving temperature, but do not boil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

    C.C., I know you don’t care for curry but it is essential in this soup as it really blends the flavors of the apples and squash together.

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  30. Good morning, CC and gang:

    Did the puzzle between funerals..(classmate`s husband and a another classmate`s sister...).no problems and no outside help. Baked three cakes for the family meal...we are in the South, you know. We still pull over to the shoulder/curb when a funeral procession passes.

    Wanted cough for "achoo" since sneeze wouldnt fit. Couldn`t remember how to spell "Lech", and "fumanchu". With the (drumroll) PERPASSISTS, I got er done!

    The Clan of the Cave Bear books had the tribe "Oglala." if I remember correctly.

    And, not too many do hat doffing any more...
    not even during the Pledge of Allegiance or prayers... Courtly good manners go a loooong way with me.
    We have a favorite roofer (simply because he does good work) who doffs his cowboy hat and bows at the waist when he meets a "lady." Other times, when he`s full of liquid cheer, he asks if he can "Pay half the rent." Our little German lady once told him, "You can pay half the rent, but you are NOT moving in here!." :) His tag read GDR...the last word is "roofer"...the other two you`ll have to figure out...funny he should be the "hat-doffer."

    Carry on!

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  31. Hahtool,
    Your link to "this man" is John Waters, whom I mentioned and linked @ 8:41 am.

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  32. Jeannie - thanks for the soup recipe. It's sunny but chilly here today, so the soup sounds perfect!

    Zoe went on her very first field trip with school this morning to an apple orchard, and they'll be learning about apples all week long - so it will be great to be able to include apples in our dinner. I also have a beautiful butternut squash just waiting to be used.

    As an aside, it was Zoe's first time on a school bus. She was so excited and grinned from ear to ear the whole time. My husband chaperoned, so we were able to get some very cute pix.

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  33. Wow, that was a fast one - less than 15 minutes with two interruptions. I knew the theme right away before I got to 64A. I knew "handlebar" and "Fu Manchu" although I didn't know some of the others.

    In the 40s, my dad liked to listen to the radio show "Name That Tune." One of the tunes was "William Tell Overture." It was on for at least three weeks before anybody got it because they thought of it as the theme from the Lone Ranger.

    Dennis, I like the Mouwen quote about being a friend. Sometimes all you want from a friend (or a husband) is someone to listen, not offer advice or try to "fix" it.

    Didn't there used to be a comic strip called "There oughta be a law"?

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  34. Hi C.C. and all -

    Enjoyed this puzzle! Cute clues and only a few 'head scratchers'. I had to laugh at myself when I was trying to fill in 64A. I had ----ache and kept thinking head-ache, then gradually filled in -ustache and wondered what it was that 'ached'. Got my V-8 can out and bam, I was no longer confused.

    Did not know Oglala either.

    D.Cannon - yes, there was a comic strip (I think it was a one frame comic) called There Oughta be a Law...the 'heroine' was Lil Iodine.
    I didn't Google it, but you probably can find it that way.

    Lots to do today - will check in later.

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  35. For Jeannie,

    I printed out both recipe's one for Basil/Tomato and 1 for Butternut Squash and Apple soup.

    Unless there's a special sale on tomato's or you have a garden full of them 15 tomato's sounds expensive?
    What size of tomato?

    The other one for Butternut Squash and Apple soup sounds perfect for our Christmas pot luck.

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  36. Hello all,

    Busy, busy day today. A lot to do before the trip to Campbell. The other xwords will have to wait.

    Was tempted to turn the furnace on
    be before taking a shower and shaving. Did get up about 3AM to put socks on. Hated leaving the warm bed.

    I keep my hair Boot Camp short with just enough on top to cover the thin spot. Old habit and hard to break. Did grow a beard once for Western Days in Phoenix. We were fined and the money went to the United Fund if we didn't.

    eddyB

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  37. Hi gang -

    SLEET is hard rain because it's frozen solid.

    Good puzzle today. Fine theme, and you have to love UVULA, GAMUT and WALRUS. SLEET, too. Could have been great is not for the TAINTS of flawed cluing for ARCANE, as has been pointed out, and "maligning sort" for ABUSER. Sorry, that does not cut it. And yes, I know there is such a thing as verbal abuse. Not fond of "thunderstruck" for AGHAST, either. Poor clue to fill correspondence = a FLUB.

    But: most of the fill is solid (iy you take fill as a collective) - or most of the fills are solid (if you take each fill as an individual.) Works either way, as long as the noun and verb agree.

    OK - I understand C.C. and the rest of the northern contingent being Twins fans - but the rest of you?!? C'mon - why, oh why must I suffer in solitude?

    Clouds are breaking up, and the sun started poking through in the last hour. Temp. dipped deep into the 40's O/N. Still only 50 degrees now. Great day for football. For baseball, though . . . we'll have to wait and see.

    A while back somebody mentioned that sonnets tend toward sappiness. Starting today on my blog and running through the last Wed of Oct will be a series of Wed sonnets that are decidedly not sappy, and will increase in weirdness between now and Holloween. Stop by and toss a tomato.

    Cheers!
    JzB the moustache-free trombonist

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  38. Very nice puzzle from Mr. Deodene. For today only I'll consider my beard simply as a run amok mustache. Yes, it MUST ACHE to have your MUSTACHE pulled.

    Loved CHORTLE,CROAKS, WALRUS, and OGLALA.

    Dumb and dumberer-
    Was FU MANCHU A FUN CHUM?
    I got A DUI in an AUDI
    It's EROTIC TO ERIC
    You can get CURSES from a CUSSER

    C.C.- The singular "Fill"

    Fred- I envy your ability to think of cluing as fun. I beg of you, please throw a bit of that enthusiasm this way!

    The conquerer always writes the history. All of us have heard of Colonel Custer and the 7th Cavalry.
    The Oglala? Apparently not. Beware, the following does not pass the "Breakfast Test".
    Most Oglala today live in the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota.
    Unemployment rate= 80%.
    Suicide- 4x the national average.
    Life expectancy- The lowest in the Western Hemisphere.
    Infant mortality- 5x national average.
    This... in America?

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  39. Linda,

    Sorry to hear of the funerals. Condolences.

    Funny story about your roofer. We call them Roofah's up here. My best friend is one and he's nine years older then me. Finally he admits his body is wearing out and he's started staying on the ground more doing carpentry and mechanic work. He bought an auto lift and I helped him set it up but he still roofs because he makes such great money at it. He roofed too much being liquified and finally quit drinking all on his own a number of years ago. He also does the puzzle everyday our local rag carries. A true friend. We rarely see each other now but when we do we catch up in minutes and have a great time. On the hair theme, he hasn't shaved or cut his hair for two years now. Its his silent protest against the wars. Quite a character whom I have great respect for.

    Thanks to the constructors who have chimed in. Great insight!

    Off to run the clock at a football game!!

    Have a great night.

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  40. Jerome:
    of course this is America, as it ever was.
    Article in today's Lex H-L, poverty rate in Ky is 17.7%, and that is Last Year's #, before the Depression started.
    But you do know that we are a classless society. Don't you?
    No health care reform for us, 'cause we're rugged individualists. Oh, and classless, too, in the Other sense of the word.
    But very soon, maybe as little as a couple years, a guy on a white horse is going to ride in and save our asses. Will his name be Newt, or Dick, or Jeb, maybe it'll even be a girl named Sarah, packing heat, of course. Armed for moose. I have a feeling that in 10 years or less, the intelligent, articulate black dude will look nostalgically good to a lot of currently angry white people.
    And that's the Windhover rant of the day. Free Gratis, as they say in the xwords.
    And I was having such a nice day.

    JzB,
    I could be a Tiger fan for a day or two, if Al Kaline were still around.

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  41. Guday, fellow puzzlers. Been following ya'all, but by the time I get to the comments, everything's been said. Same with today except Oglala.

    As Jerome mentioned, the Oglala Sioux we led by Sitting Bull when he knocked the fringe off of Custer's shirt (along with some more important things) at Little Bighorn. The battle site was in Montana on what is now the Crow Indian Reservation. Ironic, because the Crow were scouts for the U.S. Army and Custer. The stats on that reservation (when I was out there) we almost as bad as those Jerome quoted regarding Pine Ridge.

    MontanaMirage; Where in Mt. are you? I was in Billings for 12 years and still have family there. Used to take all my visitors to Custer Battlefield and Yellowstone.

    Jeannie; I have some summer squash. Can I use that instead of butternut?

    CA; GAH was "cool" in the 80's. I think he still is.

    Before you give somebody a piece of your mind, be sure you can spare it!

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  42. Testing. I just played the "William Tell Overture" for my 23 year old. I asked her what it reminded her of. She said the horse races. Then I asked her if she ever heard of the "Lone Ranger". Nope. Thought that was fun to do.

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  43. Jeannie: Your soup recipe sounds delicious and something so easy to make even I can do it!

    Linda: Sorry to learn of your losses. Two funerals in one day is very difficult.

    Kazie: I knew that "this man" was John Waters. It was the link I tried in my first post that didn't go through. That Blondie song reminds me of John Waters.

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  44. Hello All--I finished the puzzle while waiting for an appointment this A.M. The only real hangup was the spelling of Lech and Oglala. I got both with the perps, so that helped me finish without leaving any blanks.

    I didn't get the theme until I filled in the word Mustache, then had a chortle when I realized to what the starred words referred.
    I, too, have never heard of a Horseshoe mustache. Thank you C.C. for the links to the different kinds of upper lip decorations.

    I liked the clues Whisperer's target, Trotter's footwear item, and "Get off the Stage". I was thinking of the Trotter's Shoe Company when I first read that clue. I had an aha moment when I finally figured it out.

    Jeanne, your Butternut Squash recipe sounds delicious. We make a Jalepeno, butternut soup which is very good, also. My husband had it in a restaurant/bar in Colorado. They wouldn't give us the recipe, so my hubby came home and made one up. He says it is as close to the original as he could make it.

    Dennis thank you for WOW today. When sitting with a friend, sometimes you can hear the "silence" and it is golden.

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  45. Buckeye -

    Summer squash and butternut are quite different. I wouldn't be highly optomistic about the substitution in Jeannie's soup.

    Windhover -
    Alkaline is a recurring X-word fill. Does that help?

    Speaking of generational music knowledge (hmmmm - I might have told this story before, but Oh, well . . .) a couple of years ago at work I dropped the phrase "76 trombones" into casual conversation (it made some sort of sense at the time.) The guy I was talking to - born in 1970 - was clueless. We had a young lady in her mid 20's working with us, so I asked her what "76 trombones" might mean to her. After a thoughtful pause, "U of M Marching band?" was her guess.

    At that point, I gave up.

    Rehearsal tonight - Beethoven, Bizet, and List.

    Cheers!
    JzB - only one of 76 trombonists

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  46. JzB:
    What an acid comment.
    But WTH, go Tigers!

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  47. My wife once made a Butter Nut Squash pie for Thanksgiving that tasted just like pumpkin only sweeter.

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  48. Hi everybody. Good puzzle. Curses but I wasn't foiled again.

    A few weeks back, one of you recommended "Down the Long Hills" by Louis L'Amour. I just finished it and took it back to the library. Very enjoyable. Thanks.

    Also, I mentioned that I had run out of books by Robert B. Parker to read (a new one is coming out very soon) and several of you made suggestions of some new authors I might enjoy. I just got two authors from that list too. I am looking forward to them.

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  49. This was a fun puzzle today, with great clues! I would've gotten SOD sooner if I hadn't misread the clue as 'lay down the law' too.

    I got the AHA moment from 'hard rain' by the time I lifted my pen - loved it!

    My favorite generational music mis-understanding was listening to Jimmy Buffett and my niece asking me what a "pop top" was.

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  50. This is a delicious butternut squash pie with the flavors of brown sugar and cinnamon, and it's sure to bring a smile to your face. Try it instead of pumpkin pie at the next holiday dinner or get-together. Butternut Squash Pie

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  51. @CA, GAH'S pic looks a lot like many of of us from that era. I think I can find a pic of myself, from that era, and it looks similar to GAH. Guess it is just the hair and mustaches.

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  52. Jazzbumpa said: A couple of years ago at work I dropped the phrase "76 trombones" into casual conversation (it made some sort of sense at the time.) The guy I was talking to - born in 1970 - was clueless. We had a young lady in her mid 20's working with us, so I asked her what "76 trombones" might mean to her. After a thoughtful pause, "U of M Marching band?" was her guess.

    Aargh, one of my favorite musicals too. So many good songs.

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  53. BillG: If you enjoyed Robin Cook books, try Michael Palmer, especially "First Patient." Excellent medical knowledge, suspense and just a good story. If you enjoy period history, try "The House at Riverton." And that one about "The Guernsey Potato Peel Pie Society" is wonderful. So many books, so little time...(I may be the one who mentioned "Down The Long Hills.") Another great one by L`Amour is "The Californios". Depending on how often you read...I`ll have another group to suggest after Thanksgiving. AND, if you haven`t read "The Shack," you`re in for a thought-changing/provoking experience.

    I cried night before last while reading from my latest book "Redeeming Love" by Francine Rivers. It`s a modern telling of the story of Gomer and Hosea. Quite moving.

    Happy reading!

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  54. OK, You win on the HARD rain. But, all my life SLEET has been wetter and more like partially frozen rain. HAIL is the real deal! And THAT I would call hard rain.

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  55. Clear Ayes--thanks for the link to the ultimate fu manchu mustache. That's what I thought one looked like. Got the answer from the letters that filled in; didn't know he was an "evil Asian doctor in Sax Rohmer novels".

    Like someone else said, I got ACHE first, then struggled to get the theme answer. Couldn't figure out what a MUST ACHE was.

    I have another butternut squash and apple soup recipe without the half and half. I think it came originally from Martha Stewart. I'll try to copy it here:
    Apple and butternut squash soup

    1 TBS. unsalted butter
    1 diced onion
    1 butternut squash, about 2 lbs., peeled, seeded & chopped **
    4 apples, peeled, cored and chopped
    2 tsp. coarse salt
    1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
    1/2 tsp. coriander
    1/2 tsp. ginger
    1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper *
    1/4 tsp. black pepper *
    2 cups chicken stock

    Cook onion in butter until soft. Add and cook squash until soft (about 10 min.) Add all other ingredients and 2 1/2 cups water. Simmer until very soft, about 30 min. Puree in batches in food processor or blender.***
    Warm over low heat, thin with water if needed. Garnish with finely diced apple tossed in lemon juice and low fat sour cream. (Also good served plain.)

    *I thought this amount made the soup very peppery but people who like pepper thought it was good so adjust the amounts to taste.
    **An easy way to do this is to pierce the squash with a fork, place in a microwave dish with some water and cover with plastic wrap or lid. Microwave on high, turning as needed, until soft enough to peel easily but not cooked completely. Let cool and then peel, seed and cut in chunks.
    Can be purchased already prepared, fresh or frozen.
    ***I think the blender gives a smoother consistency than the food processor.

    A few years ago I made this for Thanksgiving dinner. Now everyone asks for it every year.

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  56. I remember the 1973 American Indian Movement (AIM)occupation of the town of Wounded Knee. AIM was joined by local Oglala Sioux from the Pine Ridge Reservation and were opposed by the full strength of the United States Goverment; the National Guard, the U.S. Marshal Service and the FBI.

    Many people might not know who Buffy Sainte-Marie is. She is a First-Nation Cree from Canada and she has long been a vocal supporter of native rights. Her 1966 song My Country Tis Of Thy People You're Dying made a lot of young second or third generation Americans aware of problems affecting the real first Americans.

    Tragically, the problems haven't been solved. They have only gotten worse.

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  57. Good evening CC et al., Loved this puzzle. It got me goin' when I saw horseshoe and hocks in the same puzzle, but I really got excited with Jason and erotic in with "Walrus". Holy Hotwick! I didn't just 'chortle', I outright guffawed remembering our conversation of the 'oosik' with drdad many months ago.

    Jason, a transplanted
    'Utahan' cowboy, was called 'The walrus' in OK, but I didn't know why then. I 'met' that 'rascal' playing pool one night. 'I-raq'ed
    'em and 'I-saac'ed 'em and practically beat 'im to 'espana' with no r'egret's. Made him 'loco'. His 'curses' ran the 'gamut' and he broke a tooth in the process. I h'ear'd that Jason refused gas and a shot for the 'aches' at the dentist's office, but did take a pill...a little blue Viagra pill. The dentist explained that he 'must-ache' but the pill will provide him with something to hold on to, giving, of course, a whole new dimension to 'handlebar'. The dentist now 'doffs' his hat to Jason whenever they 'pass', so I h'ear'.

    Enjoy your night.

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  58. Good evening, everyone.
    Chilly day in Chicagoland. Some people drag out the furs when it dips below 55 degrees....No comment!

    After work I "child sat" for good friends for a couple hours with their 2 kids, 9 y/o young gentleman & 11 y/o young lady, both wise beyond their years, funny, unfailingly polite and afficionados of all things science. We made "ice cream" with lofat chocolate milk, in a plastic bag inside another plastic bag jammed with salt. Lots of shaking involved and a stint in the freezer (for the milk, not the kids)-- pure magic in their eyes--they called after dinner to say how yummy it was. We also played with baking soda and vinegar, [who doesn't love things that fizz?!] and solved part of the puzzle "together." They knew LOCO, BOO, ANDES, and CHAI, and learned new favorite words, CHORTLE, FLUB and UVULA. I made sure we didn't solve for EROTIC or ABUSER.

    i came home, exhausted, with a bag of tomatoes from their garden, so I can make Jeannie's recipe.

    Very inspired clues today, and an original theme. C.C., your blogging gets better and better. Loved the explanations of the theme and the comment about "END" in 56D.

    @Kazie, "the penny dropped" is such a nice expression; is it Australian or something I just haven't noticed before?

    More, later.

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  59. Lois - LMAO - you are sooooooo good!!! (or baaaad) shame on ewe! :)

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  60. With my alkline and help from Windhover's acid, the Tiger's neutralized the Twins - for one game, anyway. They do it all one last time tomorrow. Magic number is 2. Another Tiger win takes it to 0!

    Kazie - "When the penny dropped" is new to me. Is than an AHA MOMENT?

    Cheers!
    JzB the salty-but-not-neutralized trombonist

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  61. PJB and Jazz,
    I think it could be British. It comes from the old days when you could get candy out of a machine by putting a penny in the slot. Sometimes, you know how coins stick and you get nothing? But then after a few kicks and "curses", the penny drops and you get what you wanted. Yes, it's now used for an "aha" moment.

    Hahtool,
    I'm sorry, I hadn't read the early posts very thoroughly this morning, as I was rushing then. I only saw your mention of John Waters later.

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  62. Time for a few shoutouts!
    @Kazie: thanks for the explanation! I shall do my best to spread the expression, because it's fresh and apt.

    @ClearAyes: wonderful Rumi poem. Ever thought of compiling an anthology? It wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if you already have, but if not, I think you have the deft touch to create something that many people would find accessible and enjoyable. I did teach my young charges this evening a couple short pieces of Ogden Nash. Apparently, they have put that on the list of authors to check out on their next trip to the library. [a word I pronounced wrong until I was about 10. Oops]

    @nocturnal amiga Jeannie: your squash soup sounds great. i make something similar with sausage that gets good reviews. Used to make pumpkin soup with orange cranberry swirl on top, but frankly I am too old and cranky to futz around with reducing orange juice, straining cranberry skins and peeling pumpkin, so I switched. Will scour the ole recipe file to see if it hasn't crumbled into dust.

    @Linda and Mainiac: great roofer stories! I'm accused, almost daily, of being "too proper" but I was schooled early on to hold doors and elevators for people, to use "Sir" and "Ma'am" with strangers, to remove a cap/hat in church or during the National anthem, and to send a thank you note after a dinner/party. I almost never arrive anyplace I've been invited empty handed. Call me an anachronism, but living in other countries (Thailand and France) and two "veddy proper" grandmothers taught me that small gestures open doors that otherwise might be closed.. Am far from sanctimonious about it, and often fall short of what I learned early on, but there really is magic in treating other people with respect.

    @Jerome: if you ever want a second set of eyes with cluing a puzzle you're building, count me in. I don't ask for a byline or a penny, just a chance to contribute to the field which has brightened many a day for me. I temporarily updated my blogger profile so that you can click through to my email address, if you' re so inclined. Last few times that my train to/from work got stalled, /i tried re-cluing a handful of puzzles. I won't say that I'm stellar at it, but am willing to try, if you're up for it! The host site of that address should rhyme with "kazoo," not "frugal."

    Finally holler @Dennis: Great WOW from Henri Nouwen, who I need to google. Long time ago, when I was a psychotherapist-in-training we had to submit tapes of sessions to our supervisor. He offered a coupon for a McDonalds meal to the first trainee to provide a tape where we allowed a full minute of silence to occur. Took every bit ounce of strength to overcome these XY chromosones and my natural bent--and to defeat the urge to jump in before the 60 seconds had elapsed but I won the dang burger anyway. Still use that motivator with people I look after at work, only now it's a coupon for a healthier restaurant! Magic does happen in silence. Thanks for the reminder.

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  63. darn, sorry that last post was so loooong. Had one cup of caffeine and apparently that causes logorrhea!
    mea culpa. "tomorrow is another day."
    pjb

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  64. Jackson State



    TNT is Turner Network Televison. As in Ted Turner he also owns TBS, CNN, The Altanta Braves & Atlanta Hawks.

    WELCOME BACK BUCKEYE,
    I see nurse Ratchet finally let you out of restraints.

    ALL GRAVY NO GRIEF

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  65. 76 Trombones from the Music Man

    MUSIC MAN

    I was the conductor in that play back in July.

    GCT

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