google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday June 28, 2010 Scott Atkinson

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Jun 28, 2010

Monday June 28, 2010 Scott Atkinson

Theme: Wild Kingdom - Animals described by two separate animal names and before someone says a spider or a shark isn't an animal, I see everything as animal, vegetable, or mineral and they aren't one of the last two.

17A. Hammerhead relative with stripes: TIGER SHARK. Image.

27A. Huge walrus relative: ELEPHANT SEAL. Image.

48A. Primate with spindly limbs: SPIDER MONKEY. Image.

63A. One of two in "The Twelve Days of Christmas": TURTLE DOVE. Image.

Argyle here.

What a straightforward puzzle. Hardly a tricky clue in the batch. Entries from across the board. This is the one you might give to people to get them started on crosswords.

Across:

1. Apple computers: MACS

5. Subsurface woodwork decoration: INLAY

10. Coffeehouse convenience for Web surfers: WI-FI

14. Give off, as light: EMIT

15. '80s Pontiac roadster: FIERO. Image.

16. Ruckuses: ADOs

19. Pulls, as a camper: TOWS

20. Visibly stunned: AGAPE

21. 1930s-'40s New York mayor La Guardia: FIORELLO. Mayor for three terms from 1934 to 1945. La Guardia ordered construction of the airport that bears his name after his TWA flight arrived at Newark, NJ, even though his ticket said New York.

23. Submarine weapon: TORPEDO

26. Orange Free State settler: BOER. The Republic of the Orange Free State (Dutch) was an independent Boer republic in southern Africa. Boer is the Dutch word for farmer.

32. Covert __: spy activities: OPS. OPS is short for operations.

35. Be untruthful: LIE

36. Sharpshooter Annie: OAKLEY

37. Supreme Court intern: CLERK

40. Antlered critter: ELK and 42. Plains grazer: BISON. Two bonus animals.

43. Cooking class, for short: HOME EC

45. "__ Miz": LES. A colloquialism for the 1980 musical production, Les Misérables

47. Curry of "Today": ANN. Image.

52. One-named Irish singer: ENYA

53. Pago Pago natives: SAMOANS. From the South Seas.

57. Talky gatherings: GABFESTS

61. Large wall picture: MURAL. What our WM is known to paint.

62. Eins, zwei, __: DREI. German 1, 2, 3.

66. Alda of "M*A*S*H": ALAN

67. Clarinetist Shaw: ARTIE

68. Words of understanding: "I SEE"

69. Oxen's harness: YOKE

70. Have a new __ on life: LEASE

71. Hanukkah moolah: GELT. The word gelt means money in Yiddish.

Down:

1. Convened in: MET AT

2. Compadre: AMIGO

3. "Close, but no __": CIGAR

4. Treeless Siberian tract: STEPPE

5. "No __, ands or buts": IFS

6. Fed. research org.: NIH. National Institutes of Health.

7. Fall faller: LEAF. An alliterate clue.

8. Speedy Gonzales exclamation: "¡ARRIBA!". Used as an exclamation of pleasure, approval, or elation. Speedy Gonzales is a Mexican cartoon mouse. Clip.

9. John Lennon's love: YOKO ONO. Her full name, for a change.

10. Ride behind a speedboat: WATER SKI

11. TV's "American __": IDOL

12. Chicks, ducks, etc.: FOWL

13. "That __ yesterday!": IS SO. Do they still call this Valley Speak?

18. Fishing line holder: REEL

22. Adjust a paragraph setting: RETAB

24. Biden's state: Abbr.: DEL.. Delaware.

25. Mayberry boy: OPIE

28. Phone call response: "HELLO?"

29. "Born Free" lioness: ELSA

30. Long, long time: AEON

31. Nashville's Loretta: LYNN. She was a Coal Miner's Daughter.

32. Folk legend Phil: OCHS. Philip Ochs(1940 – 1976) was an American protest singer (or, as he preferred, a topical singer) and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and haunting voice. He wrote "Draft Dodger Rag".

33. Sit (down) undaintily: PLOP

34. 18-wheeler: SEMI

38. Give new meaning to: REDEFINE

39. New Hampshire city: KEENE

41. Barbies' counterparts: KENS

44. Waterford product: CRYSTAL. A trademark brand of crystal glassware.

46. Caribbean music: SKA

49. Grown-up: MATURE

50. Plus-size supermodel: EMME. Image.

51. Cool cat's "Get it?": "YOU DIG?"

54. Cropped up: ARISE. (Correction: It's AROSE. Thanks, Tinbeni.)

55. Bellybutton: NAVEL

56. Winter hazard: SLEET

57. Melbourne greeting: "G'DAY". Kazie, are you there?

58. "The Motorcycle Song" singer Guthrie: ARLO. "I don't want a pickle, just wanna ride on my motorcycle"

59. Toucan's pride: BEAK. Here is a picture of a toucan's pride.

60. Mex. miss: SRTA

64. "__ the season ...": 'TIS

65. Jeans brand: LEE

Okay, I admit there may be an East Coast bias to this puzzle.

Answer grid.

Argyle

92 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang - definitely a Monday-level puzzle. This turned into a real speed run, right at 4 minutes. Actually, the one clue where I needed vertical perp help was 'Fiorello', 'cause I couldn't remember how to spell it.

Do they still have Home Ec. classes? I assume they're coed now, if they do. Matter of fact, they probably technically were, back in my day, but no guy would've had the nerve to enroll.

Nothing else comment-worthy; as Argyle said, one of the most straightforward puzzles we've seen.

Today is Insurance Awareness Day and Paul Bunyan Day.

Did you know:

- A black widow spider's poison is 15 times more powerful than rattlesnake venom.

- The first baseball team to pay its players was the Cincinnati Red Stockings. (Seen, did you know that?)

- A roll of coins wrapped in paper is called a rouleau.

And on the heels of Paolo's great question about when you got into crosswords, here's one for today: how did you discover this blog? Google, word of mouth, etc?

Lemonade714 said...

Hey Argyle, C.C., and class:

Well this was a classic easy Monday, but I did enjoy the FIERO, FIORELLO juxtaposition, and the use of double animals gave us lots of themeage. Throw in ELK, BISON (with a YOKE?), FOWL, ELSA the lion and YOKO ONO and we have many different animals on the loose. Also, music we have ARLO Guthrie and Phil OCHS, from the folk world, we have ARTIE Shaw and SKA; Loretta LYNN and ENYA. Spanish, AMIGO, ARRIBA, SRTA; geography STEPPE, DEL., KEENE and BOER and some SAMOANS; and we have the one and only EMME.

For ANON last night, ROGER is what a HAM radio operator says when he understands a message he has received (GOTCHA).

As always, wonderful job ARGYLE

Paolo said...

Guten Tag!

This is the one you might give to people to get them started on crosswords.

Couldn't agree more.

An easy romp, starting in the NW and proceeding clockwise. Ended up in the West after only 7 minutes and then (as sometimes happens) stalled for another whole 7 minutes trying to get one final letter (the H in HOMEEC). Just wouldn't come no matter how many times I re-checked the perps and ran through the alphabet. So, new to me: OCHS.

Don't get SKA, so will google that later.

Enjoyed, of course, all the foreign entries: AMIGO, ARRIBA, SRTA, LES, DREI, and GELT (which I briefly had as GELD).

Great write-up Argyle. Discovered the blog completely by accident while googling the LAT puzzle.

Paolo said...

Just want to practice entering a link. Hope this works:

Ska

Dennis said...

Paolo, yep, you got it.

Lemonade714 said...

Oh and I forgot YOKE and YOKO, KEENE and KENS. There was thought put into this grid, even if it was not difficult. Paolo, bene!

Like most I had an answer to a puzzle I did not understand, googled and this blog appeared, lurked for a while and then jumped in with both feet (often in mouth).

Mainiac said...

Good Morning Argyle, CC and All,

This was an exceptionally easy Monday. I needed perp help for Fiorello and Enya. Little embarrassed about Enya as its used in cross words regularly.

We were required to take Home Ec. Most of the guys worked it out so they could take it together. I volunteered and was the only male in the class! Sewing stunk, but there was plenty of after school help. ;)

Rain here for a couple of days.

Thanks Argyle.

Happy Monday!

Mainiac said...

Googling answers led to the blog. Read the write up for a number of weeks to get answers. Finally hit the comments button and lurked for a bit then jumped in. Lots of fun here.

Argyle said...

Googling got me here, too.

If you get a chance, check out Scott Atkinson's other puzzles and interview. He has puzzle days from through out the week and they are all good.

Seldom Seen said...

good morning all

who are the Red Stockings?!?

i have a interesting tale of crossword synchronicity...

i rarely, if ever, check the blog before i have done the puzzle. today was the exception. i was online to mapquest the address of my first service call of the day. it is at a new home construction site(yes, they are still building new homes, but barely!). well anyway, the new home is on a new street named... Turtle Dove Way!

here is an interesting and informative video. try to watch the entire video...little tidbits of trivia are throughout the video

now i'm late...thats why i never check the blog this early!

Seldom Seen said...

i need more coffee
try this

Dick said...

Good morning Argyle and All, a real peaceful walk in the park today and not much to comment about. Lemonade's comments covers most of my comments.

I was Googling for an answer to a clue from the old Chicago Tribune crossword and came upon this blog. I decided to jump in and hang around. That was about two years, or longer, ago.

Seldom Seen said...

i give up...i cant tell if the address has a 0 or a O or a o in it!

if you care anymore, go to yoube and search "history of ska". it should be the first video(the second one is good also).

this mistake allows me to respond to the poll....i discovered this awesome blog googling a clue just after our paper changed to the LATimes puzzle.

it was some obscure clue so the first link was to here....i was like.. "hey, whats this....hey, this is pretty cool..

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

Easy, breezy puzzle for me as well today. It helped immensely that I have finally committed to memory both EMME and OCHS, and the fact that I'm familiar with KEENE, NH, didn't hurt any. I had a brief pause trying to figure which of Speedy Gonzales's exclamations was being asked for 8D (I first thought of HIJOLE and then ANDALE), but that was about it.

Why would anybody say that sharks and spiders aren't animals??? Maybe you're talking about folks like my mother, who claims to be a vegetarian because she doesn't eat cow or pork. Chicken and fish are all right, though. I have to keep reminding her that, while fish and chicken may practically be vegetables, they are still considered "meat"... ^_^

Argyle said...

Seen, maybe it was a Q?

Ska

Anonymous said...

Good morning Argyle,C.C. and everyone.
I didn't know FIORELLO but it emerged by itself. My first thought of 4D was tundra. Overall a
typical easy Monday puzzle.

Paolo, I started doing crossword about 2 yrs ago when one day I saw a co-worker doing it. The next day I took a stab on it and had been hooked eversince. I started with 1
puzzle a day. Now I'm up to six. I do them all on-line.

Dennis, I came to find this blog googling for answers. The Philadelphia Inquirer carried the same puzzle as the Star tribune ( that was before the switch). I have been following the blog since then.

August

Raymond Bednarz said...

This was a very easy puzzle as are most of the early week puzzles. Finished in about 15 minutes. I found your blog while searching for answers, and have enjoyed it since. I have been working puzzles for about 30 years. Something my father did. I guess it's genetic. Tried to finish them every morning before I went to work. Most mornings I was on time. I live on the gulf coast, so am interested in the storm in the gulf. I enjoy your observations on the puzzles. e

Tinbeni said...

G'DAY one and all.
Argyle, in the write-up:
54D, Cropped up, AROSE, you have arise, which would make a Turtle Dove a dive?

Lately the Monday puzzles IS SO easy they would all be great for a beginner.
For us "old hacks" these have been an exercise in how fast can I print.
Like the easy two animals in a name theme.

Dennis, last October, one day I just thought there must be a place to check the grid before tomorrow's paper. I found the LA Crossword Confidential with Rex, Orange & Puzzlegirl. They have a link to also come here the LA Crossword Corner and "here" is posted earlier in the day.
I check and comment at both places.
They both have their moments.

Anonymous said...

Good morning Argyle, C.C., and all. I agree with all the Monday comments. This was a pretty easy one. I have a tough time with acronyms and geography, but most filled in from the perps (what does that mean, exactly?). Luckily 65D filled in for me, because my paper did not print the clue for it.

New fact learned today: Did not know of the plus-size supermodel Emme. She is very pretty.

I had "andale" for Speedy's exclamation, but figured out quickly it was not right. I love that character.

The Annie Oakley clue made me smile. I went to school with a young lady who was an excellent sharp shooter (won awards for it, even) and Mom used to call her by that name.

As for Valley Talk - I had issues with that in high school. Like, omigod, my Mom was all like if you say like one more time and I was all like, what? Yeah, it took me a while to stop doing it!

Paolo - Can't remember when I started doing crosswords. I remember my Grandmother doing the Search a Word things where you circle the words and I tried those, but didn't really like them. I know that my parents did the puzzle together for years. My Dad would start on it, then at some point he'd say something like "Okay, Myra, you can finish it now." My Mom would chuckle and work on it for a while. Dad was always the one to go to for political and baseball questions. Every now and then, I think he's talking to me when I get a BB clue right away. I always say "Thanks Dad" when it happens. (He has been gone since February 2009.)

Dennis - I am sure I found this blog by Googling a clue I couldn't figure out. That was back before the switch. I think that my Mom's paper must have made the switch around the same time, though because we still use it when I am there. I am so glad that my paper at home now carries the LA Times puzzle. I love a good challenge.

Have a great day, everyone. I am off to run errands and hope to get some beading done when my (almost) 3 year old takes her nap after lunch.

Crockett1947 said...

Good morning, everyone!

Easy peasy, pumpkin pie today. Argyle, I agree that this would be a great puzzle to introduce some to the fun of doing crosswords. Nice job on the write-up.

Got into crossword puzzle basically on my own. Only really started doing them daily after I retired, IFIC. Found the blog in it's infancy through the g-spot. Been here ever since.

Dennis, I'll bet Seen knows that. Anyone growing up in the area is well aware that the Reds were the first professional baseball team.

Dick, it was over two years ago. You're an "old timer" like Dennis and I.

Seen, now you're REALLY late! The clip of The Specials on that ska video is unreal! Just what sort of instrument is a tommy gun? How could you possibly sing with all of that jumping around? WOW!

Argyle, maybe you have the correct link.

Have a great Monday, all.

Crockett1947 said...

Vettedoe, "using the perps" means that the perpendicular word/s have given you enough toe-hold to parse the word needed for the fill. It's nice that doing the puzzle brings your Dad to mind.

Anonymous said...

Like everyone else, I found this blog googling for help with a clue over two years ago. I love the comments. This is the first time I have ever posted to a blog but felt you should know you have many silent followers

Anonymous said...

Crockett1947 - Thanks for the explanation. I knew what it meant, just didn't know that it was short for perpendicular. And yes, it is nice to have such fond memories of my Dad. He died young (60) and had lived with heart disease since he was about 36.

To everyone else - sorry for the rambling. I just looked back at my original post today and saw how long it is! Hope I didn't bore you all.

Bob said...

Supereasy Monday puzzle. 9 minutes to complete.

lois said...

Good morning Argyle, CC, et al., Fun speed run. Boosts the morale after attempting the wkenders. Loved seeing 'bison' and 'elk'
'gab fests' and 'water ski'ing as that is exactly what's been running around and happenin' here. Certainly not 'boer'ing in these here parts. My tan is coming along just fine.

Home Ec is called Living Skills in my school and is definately co-ed and proudly so. A lot of great male chefs.

Discovering this blog was the same for me as for most of you. Googled an answer and this site popped up. I was totally thrilled not to have to wait until the next day to find out what was what. The three D's (Dennis, Dick, DrDad) and Crockett were already here and it was high hilarity..and still is a good time-just miss DrDad's daily input. I love this blog! CC is my idol! Geeze, it's been about 2 yrs. Lot of uh..men? no...water under that bridge. Fun times!

Enjoy your day. It's raining here! One of the very few days in the year, so riding the open plains will have to be done in a truck w/hundreds of horses instead of on just one... called mudding
...or rethought altogether as an indoor activity. It's all good.

GarlicGal said...

Since you are all waiting with "bated breath" I'll admit I am from Gilroy - and we are busy getting ready for our 32nd Garlic Festival. A most delish time of year around here!
So not much to add to the Monday puzzle, 7 mins.
Off to work, but first I must call my Insurance Guy and wish him a Happy Insurance Awareness Day (?). Thanks for the heads up Dennis.

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers -

Yep, found the blog via Google, figured out how to work it, lurked for ages, and eventually read all the extra stuff that C.C. so helpfully provided (such as Roman numerals). Went blue roughly 6 months ago.

Back in '71, my Jr. High was brand new, and had all sorts of Shop and Home Ec equipment. Girls were required to take Wood Shop and Metal Shop, and boys had to take Cooking and Sewing - so we'd get exposure to unfamiliar things, I guess. These classes were not run co-ed, however. The cooking class was a bit lame in that everything
(except hot cocoa) was made with Bisquick. For sewing, I chose to try a stuffed alligator from a Simplicity pattern. I couldn't finish it (but a few years later, a cute girl gathered up pieces and finished it for me!).

ARBAON said...

Monday is the only day I can do all three puzzles before lunch! Love it!
Only problem was not knowing how to spell "steppe" which held up "elephant" for a while.

Found the blog through a former member`s direction.
Wonder who was the very first poster on your blog, CC (besides yourself)?

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, The only fill I didn't know this morning was 39D KEENE, New Hampshire. As is proper with a Monday puzzle, I had it filled in by the perps with no problem.

I am becoming more appreciative of the difficulty of construction. Monday puzzles must be just as tough to construct as a Friday or Saturday. It has to be simple....but not stupid. It has to have a challenge or two...but nothing obscure. Anything that is a little on the difficult side can't have an equally difficult cross. Hopefully, it will also furnish a smile or two.

Today's theme entries were great for a Monday. I think most people have heard of all the animals, both individually and in the "animal compounds" GTM (Grimace To Myself at the dopey pun). Scott Atkinson put them all together wonderfully.

I also found the blog with a google search for one of those more obscure Friday or Saturday clues. I didn't lurk for too long before I just had to say something.

Seen, it sounds like you retyped the You Tube address for your link. How about highlight, copy and paste. It will be right every time.

Good question, ARBAON. C.C., who was the first person to post a comment? How long did it take you to get comments on a daily basis?

Argyle said...

From the archives: First poster, Anonymous.

(Wouldn't ya' just know it.)

Argyle said...

CA, you gave me a great alternate theme title: EconoZoo, two animals for the price of one!

ARBAON said...

Argyle: Then who was the first brave enough to sign a name, of the early posters?

Argyle said...

Boomer (no surprise there)

First Blue, someone called Anna, long gone.

First Blue who is still blogging, Orange

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

Hello All,
Boomer just got me a Nikon Coolpix L22. Now, I don't have a memory card. And the instruction says "When a memory card is not inserted, the camera stores pictures in the internal memory (approximately 19MB).

I've only taken 4 pictures so far, the screen says "Out of Memory". How come? Four pictures already take the whole 19MB space?

Do I have to have a memory card?

carol said...

Good morning all -

Great Monday puzzle...easy and interesting.

I knew STEPPE from the 'Clan of the Cave Bear' book series.

First time I ever saw YOKO ONO - usually it's just her last name.

Did not know KEENE but it was easy to get with the perps.

Dennis, I didn't know La Guardia's first name OR how to spell it. I did have to look it up because I couldn't spell ARRIBA either. :)

I found the blog in 2008 by searching Google for an answer to a difficult (for me) clue. I lurked for a while and jumped in with a smile in July of that year.
As Lois mentioned, there was a lot of DF fun with the 3 D's back then. Dr. Dad is missed.

I took Home Ec in the 7th grade - it was required for girls then. I really disliked the sewing part, and have never sewn a thing since.
Took me FOREVER to put a skirt together - don't think I ever did put a hem in it. Funny thing though, my Mom could sew like a champ...I just never had the patience for it.

Lois, sorry it's raining on you and your cowboys. Watch out for twisters...wouldn't want you carried off to OZ.

Argyle said...

The earliest blogger in blue still around appears to be Crockett1947 on February 11, 2008 11:14 AM. If I missed someone, please correct me.

Dennis said...

Welcome to all the anons, whether lurking or posting.

I'm pretty sure I found this blog through Google as well, back in February 2008. I remember seeing listings for two crossword blogs, and following them both for a couple days. It seemed to me at the time that one was strictly a sterile discussion of the day's puzzle and the other had a personality, almost like a small group sitting around discussing the puzzle and life in general. So naturally I was drawn here, and this remains the only blog in which I participate. Truly an outstanding blog, and C.C. will forever have my admiration for creating such a great 'place' to visit.

I had an early (5:00) workout with the guys this morning, and when I got in the car, the outside temp was 85. Supposed to touch 100 today. Anybody else getting the extreme stuff?

Carol, I'll bet Lois has a few 'twisters' of her own going on.

vettedoe and other relatively new members/watchers: be sure to read 'To solvers' on C.C.'s front page for more information on terminology unique to this blog.

Argyle, I think you're correct about Crockett; I joined three days later.

CA, Argyle, loved 'econozoo' and 'animal compound'.

Annette said...

C.C., until you can get a larger memory card, try lowering your resolution to a little less clarity, and the size of the files will decrease. Unless you need portait quality, you can get by with much lower resolutions than the max your camera is capable of.

But do invest in a nice sized memory card as soon as possible, especially if you expect to take a lot of picture at a time between downloads. There's nothing worse than being on a trip and having to go through and delete photos because you're running out of space.

Dennis said...

C.C., yes, four pictures could use up 19MB. As Annette suggested, you should a)lower the resolution and b)buy the most memory you can afford; you'll use it.

Splynter said...

Good Afternoon all!

It was very recently that I came to this blog thru a Google search for a guy named Thieu...

Quick one, I think my record at 4:09. I didn't even look at the theme before coming here! I had to go back to the other tab to see what I thought my idea of the title should be - my first thought was something about Noah and pairs of animals, but Wild Kingdom works for me....and uh, I liked that chickens are only "barely" animals!

I did HOME EC(onomics) in junior high school, and I still have the killer whale stuffed animal that was my final sewing project - glad I stayed in "shop" instead!

Richie

Splynter said...

Dennis

Yeah, man, it's like 90d with 90%humidity up here on Long Island, most unpleasant and way too early in the season for me - this is third week of August misery....

Splynter

JD said...

Good morning Argyle, C.C. and all,

Welcome Raymond B. You found us the same way most of us got here.DH was pushing me to use Google for questions. I am a book person and still like to get lost in my handy reference section, but G really cuts down the time and keeps me somewhat focused.Although when you guys link a U tube, I usually listen to a few others.

Paolo, woo hoo-you linked! Ochs was my last fill too, but I wasn't patient enough and I looked him up. The perps gave me Keene, Fiorello, arriba and Fiero(don't know cars).

Loved animal theme and Argyle, you are terrific.

Later for Ano Nuevo web cam of elephant seals. I get to go to Cameron's 1st visit to pediatrician.

Annette said...

I discovered the blog a little over a year ago via googling a clue. Lurked for a couple weeks, then couldn't resist getting in on the fun, so I went blue.

Carol, my sewing experience was about as awful! My mother and 2 of my sisters made many of their own clothes, but I jammed the machine every time I tried to use it. Cooking was more fun. Wood/metal shop was okay, but I just didn't have enough imagination at the time for project ideas.

Sewing was also the only class I ever failed! I don't know why, but the teacher said I'd never turned my project in, so she gave me an "F". Once I brought it in to her, she revised the grade. I know it was done, so it must've just been a miscommunication.

carol said...

Dennis, yes, I am sure Lois is 'hunkered' down somewhere with her cowboys riding out (on) the storm.

Crockett1947 said...

Argyle, I actually first posted on February 9, 2008 at 11:25 AM but did so as an Anonymous because I had no clue how to sign up. Did get that figured out in the next couple of days.

Seldom Seen said...

Dennis: i bet you know i was joking about the REDS earlier.

Crockett: thank you for the link. that was the correct one...so is that a O, 0, or o?

does everyone write the linked address and retype it or can you highlight it and copy it to c.c.'s command that you have already copied(comprende)?

i am still late and trying to leave early so i can go watch my Reds beat the Phillies tonight.

p.s. yes, Redlegs history is conveyed at a very young age around these parts. i think it is on the preschool entrance exam!

Gunghy said...

Dennis,
Google. I was trying to find an answer, and this place was the first up. I then recommended it to a friend but avoided it for months as a big cheat. Then I made the mistake of reading the comments and that was that.

Argyle,
There used to be two kingdoms of living things, Plants and Animals. Some things, like slimemolds just don't fit, so there are about 5 more now, the most important of which are the protista, one-cell stuff. I used to tell my students, when they objectect to being called an animal, "Well, there are plants, animals, and germs. Take your pick."

C.C., You can probably set your camera for less definition or smaller pictures, which requires less memory. However, You'll still only get about 20 pictures on the card. You can get a 32 gig for under $25 on ebay and take several thousand pictures before offloading them.

For the rest, Birth order, showed up on the comepage of Comcast, my provider.

Click on the Video link and look for sail number 500

About the puzzle, Keene State U. was clued in the NYT yesterday. (So was HOT/IRED, ugh.) I didn't know ENYA or EMME, but I didn't see either until I read the comments here. Yeah, it was a speed job.

Bike's packed, I'm off, see you someday.

Anonymous said...

Dennis Thanks for mentioning the "to solvers" bit. I wondered what DF meant. About the weather: it is hot and humid here, but that is Louisiana for you. We only have two seasons - hot and not so hot. Although the winter this year was pretty cold. It just goes from cold to hot, though. We don't really get to have spring and fall. I don't know what the temp is here lately b/c I would rather not know. :)

Carol and Annette My sewing experience is much like yours. Mom who sews very well (she didn't know you could run a household without a sewing machine), as well as lots of other relatives who sew up a storm. I never learned. I have a machine now and even took a quilting class at the library, but am still not very good at it. Funny thing is, though, I make woven jewelry. I basically sew tiny little beads together with fishing line. My Godmother (who sewed pageant dresses for a while) is amazed at the work I do.

C.C. I agree with the others. Get a card with the most memory possible. Mine is 2GB and will hold almost 1,000 pictures unless I am shooting videos (video takes up a lot of memory). They are relatively inexpensive, and you will be glad you did if you plan to take a lot of pictures. I personally take hundreds and every now and then one of them comes out really good.

Gunghy said...

Comepage?? How about a less DF homepage.

Seen, copy and paste, dude; it's like way easier.

John Lampkin said...

A perfect Monday puzzle, and with warm upbeat coverage as usual. What fun!

C.C. Congratulations on your camera! Your life is about to change! By all means get a card. The Coolpix series is great, especially the macro mode. Always shoot at as high a resolution as possible, so that if you do happen to get a stunning shot, you can do something with it.

Among other pursuits, I'm a semi-pro nature photographer and what works for me is to always keep my laptop handy, and I download as I go throughout the day. On an average day, I'll shoot 1000 shots or more and keep the best 5 or so. It's all free, so shoot, shoot, shoot, then delete, delete, delete. Delete on your computer screen, not the camera.

Buy a high-speed card from a camera store. Not all cards are created equal.

If anyone cares to visit, here is a site dedicated to a book I did on Costa Rica:
http://web.mac.com/johnlampkin/iWeb/Site/Welcome.html

carol said...

Gunghy: You had me going there for a minute with your comepage - LOL.
Have a great trip and take pictures to share.

Kazie: you out there?

Surgery on my left eye tomorrow, it'll be so great to see 'clearly' with both. No more beige film :)

Dennis said...

Carol, what are they doing? You're not getting the surgery that makes things appear bigger than they are, are you?

John, absolutely stunning pictures! And your 'vipers' comment almost cost me my computer with diet coke spray. What camera(s) do you use?

Anonymous said...

C.C.
My father had a problem with his camera not recognizing the memory card was present. He would stick it in and the camera said it was not present. It turned out the door that closes over the card would not fully seat the card. We discovered this by seating the card before shutting the door.
Or it could be as many said, the photo's resolution.


i alos found this site through googlr and am still lurking and enjoying it.

John Lampkin said...

Dennis, I'm using a Nikon D80. But my first camera was a Coolpix which is why I'm excited for C.C. It literally changed my life and made me look closer at the natural world around us.

Lucina said...

AZnative8327G'day puzzle people.

Nice, Argyle. I like Wild Kingdom.

Berry G:
Hijole! I haven't heard that in years since I don't live in the 'hood. Brings back a flood of memories,though.

What a sprint through the park today. I couldn't print fast enough to keep up with myself.

It's nice to have an easy one after the weekend beatings, but I do love them so.

You early birds have already commented on the references, languages and other lessons. Good stuff.

My first encounter with this blog came through a Saturday Naddor killer puzzle. When googling I saw a link to the blog but did not bother with the comments section (silly me) until later in the week. Once reading, I was hooked but only lurked for a long time.

112 degrees here all week. Not like in 1990 though, when it reached 122 on the 26th and 118 the rest of that week. It's a dry heat, though. LOL

We had Home Ec starting in 6th grade and I instantly loved sewing, continued for most of my life and sewed many of my clothes and my daughter's for years.

I hope you are thoroughly enjoying your Monday.

Crockett1947 said...

Gunghy, thanks for sharing the video. Keeps the bugs off your windshield! See you on your return.

Speaking of return, where's Kazie? And Buckeye? Haven't hear from him in ages. Think he sneaked off to Oz with Kazie?

Seen, I don't know -- I copy and paste.Carol, good luck on your surgery. Hope it's as successful as the first one!

Lucina said, It's nice to have an easy one after the weekend beatings, but I do love them so. Sounds a bit kinky to me!

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

Annette et al,
I got a SanDisk 2GB memory disk and everything seems to work fine now. I loved our 12-year-old big & fat Sony Digital Mavica (with floppy disks). But the rechargeable battery died in a wedding on Saturday night.

John,
Thanks for the advice on deleting the photos from computer. I've been erasing them from the camera.

Bill G. said...

I enjoyed the relaxing puzzle today. Didn't need any red-letter help. As best I remember, I Googled something about a clue and answer months ago and ended up here.

Did any of you try the CrosSynergy CW today by Lynn Lempel? I finished the puzzle but don't understand the title and the theme.

Argyle said...

I learned to sew in the Marine Corps. Really! I was a parachute rigger and would have to make modifications at times. Learned to sew everything from ripstop nylon to heavy webbing.

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

This really would be a good introductory puzzle - easy, but still fun, with an engaging theme, (lots of animal magnetism - hey, that could be an alternate title!?!) and no dross at all.

Seems like I've done x-words on and off forever. I remember my dad doing them in the paper when I was a kid. OK. Papyrus.

I found this blog doing a googley search for an answer one day. that was in April '09. Lurked for a while, then started posting late in the mo. I think my first post was a tirade about a Saturday puzzle that I didn't enjoy. The rest is histrionics.

Emme is a very attractive plus size model. My Emmy, in contrast, is quite tiny.

Here is Artie Shaw playing My grandma Foley's favorite song. Wow - what a wonderful sound.

Hey - did anyone connect 54D to ARBAON?

Cheers!
JzB the old but not MATURE trombonist

Jerome said...

Bill G-

Pig Iron
" Headed
" Pen
" Skin
" Latin

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

Bill,
The starting word of each theme entry can follow Pig, hence "Pigtail".

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

Argyle,
That first Anonymous poster is actually Boomer. He did not have a screen name then. But I was truly shocked when some Anonymous answered my question on the second day when I blogged.

Among the regulars who still comment here, Crockett was the first to leave a message. Soon followed by Dennis. Can't remember exactly when Clear Ayes joined us, but she has been the Cal Ripken of our blog.

crazyhorse said...

I found this site like everyone else, while looking for an answer. I lurked for a long time, posted a few times and went back to lurking.

Dennis said...

crazyhorse, it's great that you enjoy the blog, whether interacting or lurking. Is there a reason you find lurking preferable?

Argyle said, I learned to sew in the Marine Corps.

And I learned to iron in the Marine Corps. Not exactly skill sets you'd expect from the Marines.

MN Doug said...

Where can I buy a memory card? I picked up the puzzle bug this last winter in AZ. A new memory card could really help my progress in completing harder puzzles. I have claimed occasionally to owning a half-decent size hard drive, but also possess a commodore 64 speed processer!

Lucina said...

Crockett:
You got it, amigo. It's all that animal magnetism.

Chickie said...

Hello All--Easy Peesy today. I could hardly keep up with the printing. I didn't even see some of the perp's answers until I came to the blog. I like these Monday ego trips. It helps after the weekend puzzles that whip me.

Gunghy, you and my husband think alike. He is a former Biology teacher and I think the comebacks to your students were taught in Teaching of Science 101 in College. Our daughters use to cringe when he pulled some of the comments on them.

Enjoy your trip and hopefully you have a full helmet mask to keep the bugs out of your teeth.

Good catch, Jazz on A-rose. I didn't see it. I wonder how many others did?

Home Ec was a required course, but only for the girls. However, my senior year several boys took the cooking classes and were even written up in our local paper.

Our district dropped Home Ec classes due to budget problems, and I think it was a big mistake. Shop, Auto and Woodworking classes were also dropped. Life skills are more than the three R's.

Jayce said...

Hello everybody. I'm late to the party today (as usual), having been watching the World Cup soccer game with my wife. Brasil beat Chile 3-0. Everybody played well and there was a minimum of fouling and play-acting injured, so it was a good game. Also, there were no bad calls by the referee, who seemed extremely comptetent and would put up with no nonsense by any of the players.

As an engineer, I just had to check on the Nikon Coolpix L22's specs. Nice camera! 12 megapixels comes to about 1.3 megabytes per photo plus overhead, so that would explain why you could only take about 4 photos before the memory got full, C.C. Glad the new memory card is working for you. I agree with Mr. Lampkin and others who suggest you shoot lots and lots of pics, knowing that maybe 5% or less of them will be worth keeping.

Oh, about the puzzle, I liked it. But hey, I almost always like the Monday through (thru?) Thursday puzzles. Well, I like them all, every day of the week, but sometimes feel like a blithering idiot doing the harder ones. Today the only entry I flat out didn't know was GELT. I wanted Tunguska for 'Treeless Siberian tract' but obviously that didn't fit, and because I usually associcate the steppes with Central Asia, Kazakhstan and all, and not Siberia, it only came after I had enough perps to reveal it.

I think the difficulty of the puzzle is largely determined by the clues rather than the fills. This probably could have been turned into a hard puzzle by cluing it with those ambiguous cluses used in the hard puzzles. And vice versa: hard puzzles would be much easier if they were clued more directly without the deliberate misdirection and ambiguity.

When I suggested we call our insurance agent and wish him happy Insurance Awareness Day, my wife just laughed. Needless to say, we didn't call him. We didn't know anybody to wish happy Paul Bunyan Day to, so I'll wish all of you a happy Paul bunyan Day.

I found this blog like so many others of you did, by looking up a crossword entry and having one of the search results be an entry in this blog. Our local paper publishes the LA Times crossword every day (except Sunday, darn it) and I started doing them in earnest about 6 months ago. I didn't read the fine print and therefore didn't know they were LAT puzzles. Once I stumbled across this blog I was hooked, and went blue just a few weeks ago. I procrastinated in going blue not because of any hesitations about this blog, but because it requires a Google account which I was loathe to get due to concerns about Google's use of account-holders' data. But I'm cool with it, and glad to be blue.

I learned to sew from my mother, who also (as I described in an earlier post) taught me how to make a bed, iron my clothes, do my laundry, and other useful skills that came in real handy when I went off to college.

Sorry to say I didn't connect 54D to ARBAON. CTM (Chuckling To Myself).

MN Doug, you can buy a memory card at any camera store. Probably better than buying one on-line.

Gawrsh, I'd better stop running off at the fingertips. Best wishes to you all.

dodo said...

Hi, Argyle, C.C., and friends,

I can't remember when I got into crosswording in a serious way. Maybe in the '70s, with the onset of the 'empty nest syndrome'. Since I lost my husband it has become almost an obsessioon, although I've cut down a bit. Now I'm just doing the LAT. Between that and the blog I spend an awful lot of time siiittttiiiinnnnggg! Not good. Gotta keep going at my age or God only know what might happen! Not that I don't love the lolling around!

Bill G, just because you mentioned it, I think I'll try that Cruciverb one.

As far as my joining the blog, it was just in January, this year that I started. I guess I read it for a short time before posting. This group is so superior to any other 'forums' I've investigated that I couldn't resist.

I'm missing Kazie, Buckeye, and Hahtool very much. Can we lure them back? Well, I feel Kazie is for sure, but I'd love to see the others return.

C.C. I'm really interested in what you and the others have to say about cameras. I've never been very good with one and now in my dotage I can't manage one that I have to close one eye to use (poor balance, y'know) so I think the digital is for me. Then I think what would I take pictures of? Maybe you're right, John; it might change my life!

dodo said...

Hi, Argyle, C.C., and friends,

I can't remember when I got into crosswording in a serious way. Maybe in the '70s, with the onset of the 'empty nest syndrome'. Since I lost my husband it has become almost an obsessioon, although I've cut down a bit. Now I'm just doing the LAT. Between that and the blog I spend an awful lot of time siiittttiiiinnnnggg! Not good. Gotta keep going at my age or God only know what might happen! Not that I don't love the lolling around!

Bill G, just because you mentioned it, I think I'll try that Cruciverb one.

As far as my joining the blog, it was just in January, this year that I started. I guess I read it for a short time before posting. This group is so superior to any other 'forums' I've investigated that I couldn't resist.

I'm missing Kazie, Buckeye, and Hahtool very much. Can we lure them back? Well, I feel Kazie is for sure, but I'd love to see the others return.

C.C. I'm really interested in what you and the others have to say about cameras. I've never been very good with one and now in my dotage I can't manage one that I have to close one eye to use (poor balance, y'know) so I think the digital is for me. Then I think what would I take pictures of? Maybe you're right, John; it might change my life!

Dennis said...

Speaking of the World Cup, here's an interesting take on the proceedings from one of my favorite humorists.

Jayce said...

Hiya "dot-dot",

Just a suggestion. Make sure the camera you buy has a viewfinder, one of those little peepholes that the film cameras had. Easier to frame your photo and keep your balance than trying to compose a picture with the LCD screen. Just my opinion :)

And get one that uses AA batteries, which are far easier to swap out, replace, and charge.

Best wishes.

Chickie said...

When I got stuck on the CW I would Google answers and found this blog would come up quite often as the first item in the Google series.

I started lurking for many months before I actually commented for the first time a little over a year ago.

I have found new friends on the blog--but also new friends here in San Jose who were on this blog before I became hooked. When strangers can get together and talk non-stop for three hours or more you know you've found a good thing. I know I have.

My day is diminishing quickly and I must get some more chores finished.

Have a great evening, everyone.

Crockett1947 said...

Jayce, I think MNDoug was looking for a personal memory card update.

lois said...

Forgot: Argyle, great job today as usual. I thought you were here way back in the beginning, but you were a lot quieter then, it seems to me. I just love the thought of you sewing...anything! There's just something about a man in uniform and there's even more 'just something' about a man who has a strong needle. Santa Baby, you rock!

Dennis: hilarious Dave Barry. Thanks for the laugh. You give 'pumping iron' a whole new dimension! Love it!

Carol: The sun is out and the bad weather is in Dallas area.. .
delaying family flights and causing turmoil for many. It's ok here though. We're going to out smart the bad weather and just play twister naked. Then we won't have to worry about losing the shirts off our backs. It's all good.

John Lampkin: in response to your comment days ago: I preferred your clue for 'sexes' in that puzzle, remember? I dislike the idea that the editors can do that w/out your approval, but wha'ya gonna do? I appreciate you explaining that. Now, my Coolpix camera had an annoying delay that made me miss my action shots. I dropped it in London (only about 7 inches) but it now has a lens problem so I need to get it fixed. It wasn't that big of a drop but it must've been hit just right. Anyway, just wondered if that delay is true for all coolpix.

CC: congrats on the new camera. You could become a real Annie Oakley and just aim and shoot in a different way. Happy trails!

dodo said...

Hey, Jayce, Thanks for the suggestion but that's the problem:
when I close one eye to look through the peephole, I tilt. YOU DIG? I think it's a spine thing. That's why I'm thinking a digital will take care of that.

Bill G. said...

Dodo, you are probably getting more advice than you need or want. Nikon, Canon, Olympus and many other companies make fine cameras. Get a small, easy-to-use one, a subcompact point-and-shoot model. Most cameras come with rechargeable batteries and they work fine if you keep them charged. I bought a second one as a spare. The LCD screen works great to frame your shots except maybe in bright sunlight. If you can find a camera with more than three-to-one zoom, that adds to the fun. You almost can't go wrong. After doing a little checking around, get whatever you can find on sale.

Anybody, can you name the three oldest baseball parks? One of them might be a surprise.

Jayce said...

Hey dodo, ah I dig. In that case, go for it :)

ARBAON said...

Dennis: Dave Barry is a fellow Floridian, and I`m not making this up!

BTW...from now on, I`m signing in as simply "Rose" (because I can`t spell "krisanthamin" :)

JD said...

John Lampkin...Wow!!! Those are beautiful pictures. I was lucky to get a Nikon D40 when someone upgraded to a D80.Is it that much more advanced than mine? I know, I can't take video.Good advice to delete on computer. Thanks!

carol said...

Dennis, thanks for a belly laugh at the Dave Barry piece...LOVED it! ps:
The surgery will not make things 'bigger'..that happens naturally around here.

Lois, glad the storms have passed and you are safely twisted in a
natural way. Nothing like orgasmic gardening. :)

Clear Ayes said...

I almost did a spit take when C.C. compared me to Cal Ripkin.
So kind, but I think my batting average leaves something to be desired. ;o)

As I remember I came on board in July of 2008, but I had lurked for several weeks before that. Crockett, Dennis, Argyle, Lois, Carol, DrDad, Jeannie (under another name), Barry G. and both the Bees were here, and made it seem like so much fun I couldn't resist. I haven't been disappointed. What a great group this is.

I learned to sew in 8th grade HOME EC. I also learned a little about cooking, but that skill came more with having it forced on me with marriage. I made most of my own clothes and my daughter's clothes when she was little. Now it is really not economical. Fabric and patterns are ridiculously expensive.

Dennis...a man who can iron. Wow, I'm impressed. Who cares if you do your own laundry?

Carol, good luck with the second cataract surgery. I'm sure you'll whiz right through.

Anonymous said...

Found this blog when googling for an answer. I lurk every day.

Dennis: There are no electives left at the high school where I taught except computer keyboarding. Also, the only foreign language left is Spanish, which isn't a foreign language at that school. French was dropped when I retired because the Principal wanted another English teacher to "help raise scores." Hasn't helped.


I liked my home ec classes in Jr. High. I learned to cook and sew and went on to make all the school dresses for my four daughters--until they became teenagers, that is.

Argyle: My grandmother used to by old parachutes at the army surplus store and make my grandfather's work shirts out of the material.

As for the weather, It's 75 in Los Angeles for more than a week with the same predicted for the rest of this week. We're still experiencing June Gloom.

Pet peeve on this blog: Anons who don't sign their names.

Doreen

Anonymous said...

Another pet peeve--not proofreading. I apologize.

My grandmother used to "buy" . . . .

Doreen

Dudley said...

Dennis, thanks for that funny Dave Barry piece! That's as close as I've come to ROFLMAO since...well, ever.

C.C. - Congrats on your new Nikon. I love their close-up ability; that's the reason I chose a Nikon for work, where we must often document this or that technical matter with close-up photos. The old Sony Mavica was grand in its day, but this is a new ball game.

Dodo - I think you're right, composing a shot using the screen is best, and when up close, it's essential (because the lens is usually off-center on the camera).

Lemonade714 said...

Well now I know everything there is to know about cameras; thank you all

Bill G. said...

Our middle school (before I retired) had three languages, home ec. and shop. They dropped shop because of safety concerns and replaced it with a computer assisted design program (an inferior option to getting your hands dirty and making something I thought.)

It's been a bit cooler than 75 in Manhattan Beach. I don't mind the June Gloom so much 'cause it keeps it cool and the skies get blue in the afternoon with a nice sea breeze. Anything is better than the Santa Ana winds and hot, dry weather (accompanied by fires) that we'll be getting later.

Doreen, I agree about the anons. Why don't you go blue? It's more fun that way.

Early digital cameras didn't impress me. Now, they are so versatile and high quality. You can go to Costco and get spectacular and inexpensive prints made. No more worries about wasting film.

kazie said...

Hi everyone!
Yes, I made it back over the weekend, but since I'd arranged for my computer to have surgery at the end of my absence (so DH could email right up till the almost end and I could get it back soon after my return), I didn't have a connection until this P.M.

I did the puzzle today too, but missed the Keene/oChs intersection like some of you.

Thanks for missing me, Argyle, Dodo and Carol. And Carol, good luck with your surgery tomorrow. I'm sure it will go well for you.

My trip to the Northern Territory was fantastic--it's another world up there. I haven't uploaded my photos yet, but when I do, I'll have some to share. There are over 600 of them. I did manage to see all the rellies (Oz short for relatives) and friends I planned to see, and had phone conversations with those who were too far away in Melbourne and Queensland. The only glitch was an hour delay coming back from L.A. to O'Hare which made me miss my flight to Madison Friday night, so I had to get the bus and arrived at 11:40 pm. My son and d-i-l still fed me before bed though, and despite having been up for over 32 hours straight, I was raring to go. Fortunately, their departure for Germany has been set back a couple of weeks, or else DH would have had to drive the 65 miles back here at that late hour.

It's good to be back here with you all too.

Marge said...

Hi all,
We were gone over the weekend and had no paper so I did the puzzle on line-it was really fun though it took me awhile.

I found the site whan a friend told me she looked up answers on line. I put L.A. Times in (on Yahoo) and many sites came up- I just happened to choose this one and have enjoyed it very much.

We were down in NW Mo.over the weekend and it was in the 90's. The closer we got to Wisconsin today the cooler it got-was 75 when we got home around 5:30 PM.

Have a good evening!
Marge

Clear Ayes said...

Cooling off from the 100 degrees plus today. Modesto CA was like an oven! It is supposed to be in the mid 80's for a couple of days. We'll take what we can get.

Kazie, welcome back fromThe Land Down Under. Hope your vacation was everything you wanted it to be. I'm looking forward to some photos too.

dodo said...

OOH, I really hate it when I get all done with a comment that I've given a little thought to and it gets WIPED OUT!

Anyway, I said thanx for all the camera help and remarked that the heat here is pretty bad: 102. I miss the ocean!

Kazie, I really envy you all the adventures you've had with your career and finding your soul mate and still making your way around the world! How simply wonderful!

Carol, I wish you the very best success with your operation.

Jayce, thanks much for your interest. It's so nice to have friends who want to help. That's what's so wonderful about this blog! C.C. many, many thanks for getting us all together! What a great group!