google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, September 14, 2010 Dan Naddor

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Sep 14, 2010

Tuesday, September 14, 2010 Dan Naddor

Theme: Take Your Medicine - Three phrases that end with a medicine delivery system followed by the provider of said systems.

18A. Historic cache for future millennia: TIME CAPSULE

25A. Investing largely in money markets, say: STAYING LIQUID

42A. Item for doodling or note-taking: WRITING TABLET

55A. Dispensers of the ends of 18-, 25- and 42-Across: PHARMACISTS

Argyle here.

Dan provided a test for a Tuesday. Interesting but not sparkling. We've been spoiled by Dan's heavy theme material. Three theme entries plus an unifier is pretty thin in his standard.

It's worth to note that the total word/square count are both quite low for an early week puzzle, and Dan gives us 16 entries of 6 letters or more non-theme fill.

Across:

1. Hydroelectric project : DAM

4. Makes improvements to : EMENDS. Although EMENDS and amends have similar meanings, EMENDS indicates improving text only.

10. California wine valley : NAPA

14. Ipanema's city : RIO. Ipanema is a neighborhood located in the southern region of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

15. "Anything you want" : "NAME IT"

16. Petri dish gel : AGAR

17. Geological span : EON

20. Take turns : ALTERNATE

22. Name of two presidents : ADAMS. The first father and son Presidents, number two and number six.

23. Fuel for big rigs : DIESEL

24. Geological span : ERA

32. Money market fund, e.g. : ASSET. A clecho of 25A.

34. Follows a recipe : COOKS

35. ___ Championship: August golf tournament : PGA.
Martin Kaymer won the US PGA Championship in a play-off after Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson both suffered penalty strokes on the final hole, creating a three-way tie.

36. Jordanian queen dowager : NOOR. Such intrigue in her life! As a dowager(widow of a king), she remains royalty but isn't a ruler.
Image.

37. Negative quality : MINUS

38. Beginning on : AS OF

39. Canal site : EAR

40. Ate sumptuously : DINED

41. Heads-up : ALERT

45. "Mighty" tree : OAK. "Mighty oaks from little acorns grow."

46. Power failure : OUTAGE

49. Really bad : AWFUL

52. "No way, José" : "NOT ON A BET!"

57. Lennon's widow : ONO

58. Emerald Isle : EIRE

59. Supplanter of the silent movie : TALKIE

60. Coffee holder : URN

61. Attracted a trooper, maybe : SPED

62. Mary Hartman portrayer Louise : LASSER. "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman", was a soap opera parody that aired in syndication from 1976 to 77. Produced by Norman Lear, the show's title was the eponymous character's name stated twice, because Lear and the writers believed that everything that was said on a soap opera was said twice.
Promo clip, Lasser is the one in pig-tails.

63. Your, in Tours : TES. Tours, France

Down:

1. Live in fear of : DREAD

2. Garlicky sauce : AIOLI

3. Education pioneer Maria : MONTESSORI. A gimme for a lot of you.

4. Ask on bended knee : ENTREAT. Propose just didn't work.

5. For the most part : MAINLY

6. John's partner in "The Avengers" : EMMA. John Steed and Mrs. Emma Peel.

7. Nair competitor : NEET. Hair removers

8. Cubes that are rolled : DICE

9. Where many commuters wait: Abbr. : STA.

10. Tech-heavy stock exchange : NASDAQ

11. Contents of un lago : AGUA. A lake & water, in Spanish.

12. Arboreal Miami sight : PALM. Trees.

13. Greek god of war : ARES

19. Louvre location : PARIS. Louvre Museum, Paris, France.

21. Fragrant compound : ESTER

24. BPO __ : ELKS. The Benevolent & Protective Order of Elks.

26. Cupcake topper : ICING

27. Nine-piece combo : NONET

28. Mild Dutch cheese : GOUDA

29. Distraught over : UPSET ABOUT

30. Composer Stravinsky : IGOR.
Tango for Piano.

31. Off one's rocker : DAFT

32. All over again : ANEW

33. Attract upward-looking onlookers : SOAR

37. Stole fur : MINK

38. Prince Valiant's wife : ALETA. From the comic strip; their son is Prince Arn. Note: While she is Queen of the Misty Isles, Valiant is only a prince.

40. Hitchcock's "__ for Murder" : DIAL "M"

41. Oldest driver to win the Indy 500 : AL UNSER. From the Unser family.

43. Went on the road : TOURED

44. Baby's footwear : BOOTIE

47. Country or folk : GENRE. Type of music or art, etc.

48. Preppy collars : ETONS

49. Mimics : APES

50. Lion tamer's handful : WHIP

51. Taxi rider or payment : FARE

52. March Madness org. : NCAA. College basketball.

53. Makes less squeaky, perhaps : OILS

54. Sounds of disapproval : TSKS

56. Part of NATO: Abbr. : ATL. North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Answer grid.

Argyle

65 comments:

Dennis said...

Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and gang - you know it's gonna be a fun ride when you see Dan's byline, and this one didn't disappoint. Not particularly difficult, but a good time nonetheless.

The theme started coming into focus with the second theme answer and was apparent with the third. As Argyle points out, the theme didn't live up to what we've come to expect from Dan. Not bad, just that the bar is raised when it's a Naddor puzzle.

As always, I liked the long nine- and ten-letter fills. The only place I needed a perpassist was with 'Aleta', a name I just can't remember although we've seen it numerous times. Other than that, a very straightforward fill with just the occasional hint of the Naddor wit.

Today is National Cream-Filled Donut Day.

Did You Know?:

- The most common name in the world is Mohammed.

- Experts at Intel say that microprocessor speed will double every eighteen months for at least ten years.

- Eagles mate while airborne. I wonder how many smack into trees, mountains, etc; I sure as hell would.

Dudley said...

Hello Puzzlers - What Dennis said. Couldn't remember ALETA on my own, needed perps. I actually convinced myself that ERA belonged in both "geological span" places until the D'Oh! light came on. Never heard of EMENDS, it's probably crosswordese.

It's nice to be reminded of Emma Peel (Diana Rigg) who was, well, pretty darn foxy in the day.

Barry G. said...

Morning, all!

I usually struggle with Dan's puzzles, mostly due to the bizarre (to me) cluing. Today's puzzle, however, seemed awfully dull in comparison. There were some struggles (it took awhile to figure out the spelling of MONTESSORI, and both ALETA and LASSER aren't exactly what I'd call household names), but everything else was rather straightforward.

Did anybody else think that ELKS was clued wrong at 24D? I've seen the organization referred to as "BPOE" or "Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks" but never "BPO ELKS."

Argyle said...

Here you go, Barry, now you can say you have seen it.

B.P.O. Elks 491, Olean, NY

Spitzboov said...

Good morning Argyle and all.

Fairly easy puzzle from Dan. One pass and then back to the top to get EMENDS and NAMEIT. For once I got the theme early and it helped me to get WRITING TABLET. NOOR was a WAG. She was born an American. Liked EAR. ALETA, was a gimme; I've been reading Prince Valiant since the 1950's.

Thanks to Jeff for stopping by yesterday.

Have a good day. Some states like NY have Primary Day today, so we will vote later.

Mainiac said...

Good Morning Argyle, CC and All,

I've only had time to lurk a little recently. Very busy at work and dealing with some family issues. Only getting to puzzle sporadically. When I saw Naddor today, I had to take the time to enjoy. Thunderstorms are helping ease the load today also.

Time Capsule fell first which led to getting Pharmacists. That helped solve the other theme answers. Needed help with Aleta and had to erase 17A and 24A thanks to NasdAq not NasdNq. A bit tougher Tuesday difficulty but fun just the same.

Have a great Tuesday.

kazie said...

Like most of you I found this nice and easy Tuesday. Pleased after starting to see Dan's name under it. Some fresh cluing for familiar answers too. I needed perps for Al Unser and Lasser, so guessed wrongly a T at the end of each. But I was glad it wasn't as name-heavy as Dan's can be at times.

Enjoy your Tuesday everyone!

Hahtoolah said...

Good morning, everyone. A nice Naddor puzzle. Easy theme, though.

34A - Follows a Recipe was apropos since that is what I failed to do yesterday with disasterous results.

QOD: If I rest, I rust. - Placido Domingo.

HeartRx said...

Good Morning Argyle et al.

Yeah, I missed "ALETA" too, as well as "AL UNSER" and 62A "LASSER". None of which helped me in the SW corner. Other than that, it was an easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy Tuesday for me.

My favorite clue was "Cubes that are rolled" - very clever!

@ Dennis - I'm running out to Dunkin Donuts right now!

Today is Primary day in MA, so we will be going to the polls later on. Most important ballot question is to repeal the sales tax on alcohol.
Tinbeni, Argyle- How do you think I should vote??? :-D

Have a great day everyone!

Nice Cuppa said...

Two more NOORs, both in the (Brit) news this year.

1. 11 Sep, 2010. NOOR Inayat Kahn (a descendant of Indian royalty). British secret agent during WWII. Awarded the George Cross (Top Brit Mil. Hon.) and the Croix de Guerre (Top hon. for foreigners) by the French for her role in organizing the Résistance. Executed by the Nazis, exactly 66 years ago (Sep 13, 1944). It was announced Sunday that a memorial (bust) will be erected near her home in London. Lest we forget.

2. 2 June 2010. "India demands return of Koh-i-NOOR diamond" Once the world's largest diamond, it was accepted as "tribute" following the defeat of the Maharaja of Punjab in 1849 (I wonder who he stole it from) and given to Queen Victoria. Last seen in the royal crown at the Queen Mum's funeral in 2002.

P.S. Always wondered about that Mr. Peel. Stay-at-home type I guess, but worth the wait...?

Crockett1947 said...

Good morning, everyone!

Thanks for the welcome back.

I returned to full-time employment to take an office supervisory position in Chess for Success, the educational organization I’ve been working for part-time for the past three years from September to March.

I enjoyed this puzzle from the great late Dan. I liked the “Stole fur” clue for 37D and learned my something new on 63A. I had TOI there originally.

Nice write-up, Argyle.

See you all later today.

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All, Rats...no time for the puzzle or comments this morning, but hopefully I'll be back this afternoon.

Dan Naddor puzzles are not to be missed and I don't intend to start today.

Nice to see the poem In Flanders Field again yesterday. I don't think it was mentioned that the poem is represented on the reverse side of Canada's $10 bill. "The $10 note features the first verse of John McCrae's poem, "In Flanders Fields", and its French adaptation, Au champ d'honneur, by Jean Pariseau, together with doves, a wreath of poppies, and a banner inscribed "N'oublions jamais — Lest We Forget." Together, these written and visual elements symbolize peace and commemoration. " Canadians take their Remembrance Day very seriously.

See you all later.

carol said...

Hi all -

Glad today is a Tuesday if I have to solve a Naddor puzzle :)
I always love his puzzles, but if it is a Thursday or later, I usually cannot do them....so I had fun this morning.

I put AMENDS in for 4A but quickly realized that was wrong.

For some reason, AL UNSER just popped into my head (41D). Funny how the brain stores tidbits you are not aware of. I put MUSIC in for 47D too but the perps untangled that mess.

Sadly, I think the Naddor puzzles must be running out.

Crockett, are you working full time on a volunteer basis? Sounds like an interesting job that would be very rewarding.

Tinbeni said...

Argyle, Excellent write-up.

FUN Tuesday level Dan Naddor puzzle. OK theme I'll quickly forget. Nothing AWFUL to get UPSET ABOUT.

Personally I liked the mini-theme COOKS with AIOLI, OILS, and GOUDA.

Two learning moments:
Maria MONTESSORI, the Education Pioneer.
Didn't know Prince Valiants had a wife, ALETA. (Always thought they were just dating).

Then again, my mind-set is stuck under that PALM in Jamaica contemplating my navel ... enjoying the local herbs and spicies. Everything just going "up in smoke" (like my fave NY Yankee's against my local Ray's. Gal-Pal and I picked a great game to attend last night).

Husker Gary said...

Good Morning! I echo Dennis's sentiments of low difficulty but a nice trip.

My wife eats her corn on the cob around the ear and I eat back and forth like a typewriter (for those of you who remember typewriters). With that as a template I seem to notice that some of you do all the across clues first and then come back and fill in. I tried that but my OCD prevented me from finishing. I went back up to the NW and worked out the corner and then finished like I always do. What strategy do all of you use?

No idea what AIOLI is and the AGE/ERA/EON troika was no real help but eventually got it.

EIRE/ERIN, CUP/URN and AMEND/EMEND? also had to be worked out but "No prob, Bob."

Nice Cuppa said...

@HeartRx

Re - taxes on alcohol. We call this "Sin Tax" in Brit-land - not heard the term here. Nice pun for the cruciverb, though:

The London Times might clue it: "Hearing on sentencing laws prompts government to seek additional charges for drug-users"

As to your vote, I am strongly in favor of a little proscribed but legal indulgence - naughty but nice!

No Tax, no Sin! Vote for Sin!

NC

Bill G. said...

Husker Gary, typewriter-style for me!

I always start with 1A and go from there. I think about the across clues first in the NW corner but as soon as I run into difficulty, I switch to the crossing downs. The down fill is often shorter and therefore, sometimes easier.

Hands up for Mrs. Peel.

Carol, I agree with you. Things often pop out of my brain and into a crossword puzzle, things that I didn't know were in my brain at all. I think the length of the word and maybe a couple of crossing letters triggers a subconscious response.

Tinbeni said...

HeartRx
Nice Cuppa put it perfectly!

Vote for "No Sin Taxes."

OK, don't want to start something about my "No Sin Taxes" stand. But if Avatar is going to be singled out (with the cigs) then I think we should tax the hell out of fast food, sugar and anything else that has caused this nation to become "completely out-of-shape" blobs.

(This is coming from someone who is 58yo, 5'10"
170 lbs. Who, like Dennis, hits the gym at least 6 times a week).

Oh, Nice Cuppa, they call them "sin-taxes" here too.

Lucina said...

Good morning, Argyle, C.C. and cyber friends.

Very nice blogging, Argyle.

What a lovely gift Dan Naddor has left us. His puzzles are just plain fun, even the easy ones like this one.

Barry G:
For elementary school educators especially, MARIA MONTESSORI is indeed a household name. Her schools abound throughout this area, anyway, as charter schools.

Correct me if I'm wrong, legal eagles, but isn't EMEND used to alter documents such as laws, bylaws, constitutions, etc.?

Fav clues:
cubes that are rolled, DICE
stole fur, MINK

Many other clever clues and answers in this xwd. Yea, Dan! We miss you so much.

My solving style is to fill the across then down as I go along; I developed this system to validate my first fill in a xwd as there are often so many variations of a word. Once I can cross them, that assures me I can proceed to the next.

Have a fabulous Tuesday, all.

Dilbert said...

Hi. Sin taxes are why I buy my
Marlboros on line from the Ukraine.
Seller pays taxes, duty and shipping.
41D was a gimmie. His birthday is
the day before mine.
Seemed too easy to be one of Dan's.
But, I liked it.

Dennis said...

Husker Gary, I usually try to hit both across and down clues as I go, unless it's obviously going to be a speed run; that way seems to prevent a lot of needless errors, for me anyway.

Dilbert/EddyB, what's the significance of the new name? And I assume you're going to 'play nice' this time?

HeartRx said...

Nice Cuppa and Tinbeni,
Thank you for all the helpful advice. I can now confidently go to the polls, and know that I am doing the right thing about sin taxes.

Tinbeni, you make a great point about a "Fat Tax". I also hit the gym, but only three times a week, with the other days reserved for walking / kayaking / hiking / playing golf/ or (in the winter) skiing! And it pains me so much to see teenagers who can't keep up with this (nearly) 60-year old lady! So, what's the answer? More government spending on health education? (Don't think so). Take away the TV and computer games? (Ain't gonna happen). If anyone has seen the movie "Wall-e", then you know what a frightening problem this could become. Any thoughts?
.

windhover said...

Let's see;
We buy our cancer sticks from the capitalistic communists, our prescription drugs from Canada, our stainless steel cookware and Viagra (everything shiny and hard) from India, and we don't want to pay sales tax on our beer and booze. Does anyone ever wonder why the damn country is broke?
Oh yeah, I forgot; because we spent half a trillion on two stupid, needless wars.
But, if you live here, you should spend your money (and pay your taxes) here. Like your parents told us in the sixties: "Love it or leave it".
I'll bet Dan Naddor didn't whine about taxes.
LTL: That OK?

JD said...

Good morning Argyle, C.C. and all,

Great to see you back, Crockett. What a wonderful organization!

I have worked all the xwd's, but haven't had any time to post. Helping out with the 3 grand sons is keeping me busy.Looked for Elissa and her scarves on Sunday at Mt. View wine/art show.

Loved the xwd with "Let's make a dill"

Today's xwd was easy for a Naddor, a harder Tues, and fun.Emends and agar were WAGS.Needed perps for Emma, ester, nonet and Al Unser. Oh, and Elks too!!Filling in pharmacists helped with liquid and tablet.Took a bit to fill in the last word of not on a ---
I had to look up Lasser and Aleta.

DAFT was by far my favorite..I love that word. Does it bring to mind the WallMart photos?

Bill, I use the same technique,both for corn and the xwd

Argyle,I always learn from your blogging. Now to go back and catch anything I missed, or forgot. LOL

Nice Cuppa said...

@ Bill G.

I've been trying to picture Mr. Peel. Must have been a stay-at-home type..... worth the wait, no doubt, lucky fella!

@Tinbeni

Thanks, and good to know we use the same language for the most important issues in life.

Tax No Sin? Sin No Tax? Tax Sin No? No Tax Sin? Sin Tax No?........No Sin Tax!


Out and over.

NC

creature said...

Good Day C.C.,Argyle and all,

Argyle, you are the 'answer man' and a very benevolent and protective one, at that.

If anyone had asked, Iwould have said "I know it". Well, someone did and I didn"t!-BPOE and NATO! You have oiled my brain. Thanks.
But if the North American Trade Org. needs an acronym....

Perps gave me Aleta and Emma and I was left with Al Unsel and _assel.

Still enjoyed it.
My favorite was 'off your rocker' daft- makes me smile-close to home.

Watched the International Space Station ,as it sped [4 minutes] across the sky last night. Local channels gave instructions for time and location. Quite a thrill!
WH- you're only 35+ mi.from Lou., so I guess you saw it also.

Jeff- can't wait for Sunday's puzzle! Thanks for your visits-such a treat. Its fun to be involved in your future-puzzles, books,etc. Your past sounds stellar besides. Good Luck!

Crockett and Tinbeni-you were sorely missed.Glad you both had good news to report.

Have a nice day everyone.

LTL said...

Windhover: Everything is just groovy.

Did you say "whine about taxes" or "taxes about wine"?

Chickie said...

Hello All--This was an easy Dan Naddor puzzle. I didn't have a problem with any of the fills, except the spelling of Montessori, but the perps tooks care of that.

I caught on to the theme after the second fill so I went to the bottom to find the unifier. Pharmacists helped with the bottom part of the puzzle.

Did anyone else notice the stock market connection with Staying Liquid, Asset, and Nasdaq?

My favorite fills today were "Mighty Tree"/Oak and Cubes that are rolled/ Dice.

Husker Gary, Per Lucina, I do the across and downs together.

My nephew's wedding reception was held in an Elk's hall in Nevada. There were stuffed Elk's heads lining both sides of the room, at least 12 in all. How do you decorate for a wedding? With crepe paper streamers and balloons tied to the antlers! There was no way to disquise those elk's heads so we just made do.

WikWak said...

Husker Gary, I always start in the NW. Do 1 across if I can, then all the downs from it, then finish anything missing in that corner before moving on to the next block and repeating the process. At least it works for me...

Dilbert said...

Dennis. I spent a lot of my working life in a cubicle and it is one of my favorite comic strips.

And yes, I'm asking for forgiveness. I learned a very hard lession. I'm very sorry for being an ass.

Chickie said...

OOPS! Disguise not Disquise. And I even proof read!

Husker Gary said...

Great to hear all the solving strategies and I want to elaborate on mine. Once I find a toehold, especially on Friday and Saturday, I start working out from that point in all directions. From the known to the unknown instead of looking at 8 empty cells and guessing what it might be. Tomaytoh/Tomahtoh?

On the food tax issue, I feel the fast food peeps are making an attempt. Our local Runza has great salads. If I were in the Ag department and in charge of food stamps, I would have all groceries reprogram their scanners so food stamps would only cover quality foods. Seeing a 350 pound mother buying a stack of TV dinners @ $5 a pop and each with at least 50% of RDA of fat, salt, etc is nauseating and more so because I am partially footing the bill. Get obese on your dime.

I am conservative but somewhat of a libertarian that believes I don't care what someone else does as long as it doesn't affect me and I don't have to pay or watch. Antigay people need to recite the phrase, "There but for the grace of God goes my child!"

I have enough problems with my own concept of morality to stick my nose into someone else's.

Barry G. said...

Here you go, Barry, now you can say you have seen it.

Thank you Argyle, I stand (sit) corrected.

For elementary school educators especially, MARIA MONTESSORI is indeed a household name. Her schools abound throughout this area, anyway, as charter schools.

Actually, I said that ALETA and LASSER weren't household names. MONTESSORI is familiar to me -- I just have trouble remembering how to spell it...

windhover said...

Creature:
I actually live about 85 miles from the River City, as the crow flies (there's an app for that, too), and I don't own a working TV, so I was unaware of the flyover. Maybe next time you can alert me here.
What type of horses do you board?

Dennis said...

creature, yeah, I think 'off your rocker' hits close to home for a lot of us.

JD, you mean the photos of Walmart shoppers? Priceless.

Dilbert, then Welcome Back. And I agree, Dilbert is one of my favorites as well; anyone who's worked in an office environment will appreciate it.

Husker Gary, very, very well said. If I were running the country, there'd be some type of mandatory 'boot camp' so kids could see how great they would feel when they're in shape.

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

I really enjoyed this puzzle, and didn't even see Dan's byline until I came here.

Remember what he told us about the trade off between themage and fill. Yeah the theme's a bit thin, but it's OK and the fill is terrific.

I sat staring at the upper middle for a long time - couldn't suss the NAME IT - MAINLY cross. V-8 can time with the letter A.

I'm pretty sure Mrs. Peel was a widow. She pops up occasionally, like an old friend. OK by me.

As for sin taxes - I have to believe those are the kind levied without representation.

Some echos of recent puzzles: ESTER, which prompted my over-the-top rant a while back, and EAR canal, which we had by implication, just last Friday.

Lot's to do today. IMBO.

Cheers!
JzB

Tinbeni said...

Dennis
When I was a kid we had a class called (I'm not making this up) ... Physical Education.

We would actually go outside. Learn and play different sports. Run and jump, work up a sweat.

From what I understand, in this area, by the time kids get to what we called Junior High, this is now an "elective." (Guess what most of the kids "elect" to do?)

Of course we didn't have computers, cell phone, video games, Malls to hang-out at.

So we played baseball, basketball, football, ran Track & Field. Went to the beach and actually went in the water, played way too much beach volleyball. In other words, we were outside ... moving.

I believe the kids of today are missing out on some great times.

Jayce said...

Hi everybody. I enjoyed the puzzle and the theme today. Only got stuck on the SE corner; wanted TOI or TON and couldn't see TES. Which made me wonder what a GENRO and an ETONI were.

If it's a sales tax, I would vote to keep it. If it's an additonal tax on top of sales tax, I would vote to get rid of it. I agree, though, that if we're going to use taxes to discourage people from buying certain types of products, tax the crap out of products with refined sugar and refined flour over a certain level, and all products that contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oil or high fructose corn syrup. These are the truly sinful ingredients.

Congratulations, Crockett. I trust you are enjoying the work.

My solving style is the same as Lucina's.

Dennis, I think the microprocessor speed prediction has something to with "Moore's Law." Gordon Moore was one of the founders of Intel. Thanks again and again for your "Did You Know" tidbits. Me, I'm gonna stay far far away from donuts today, today and every day :)

Best wishes to you all.

Jayce said...

Chickie,

Did anyone else notice the stock market connection with Staying Liquid, Asset, and Nasdaq?

Now that you mention it, I noticed that too. Good eye!

Tinbeni, I'm glad you are enjoying the sun, palm trees, cocktails, your navel, and all the other pleasures of your vacation there.

Love those WalMart photos! Man oh man hard to believe people actually go out in public like that.

Bill G. said...

Our middle school has a required physical education class. There is also one at high school that's not worth much since most of the students opt to take a sport instead.

Watching a flyover of the ISS is fun. I've even seen it once paired with the space shuttle, either a little ahead or behind.

Sin taxes are OK by me even though I pay some of them. We're never going to get the infrastructure repaired and maintained without everybody paying their fair share. One of the problems the Dodgers have these days is their owners who are in the middle of an expensive divorce. Even though they are worth many millions, I was disheartened to learn they have paid no taxes for the last eight years.

Jerome said...

Chickie, you've made my morning. I do hate to laugh at someone elses misery, but the elk heads in the wedding hall crack me up. I'm sure the guys didn't mind so much, but I'm picturing the gals looking in horror the moment they realized the occasion was to be shared by stuffed dead animals. No doubt the decorators were on the horns of a dilemma.

Lucina said...

Jerome, you crack me up! You can always find the humorous side to anything. It's a great gift.

Barry G, I do apologize. Fast reading, scant attention to detail on my part.

HeartRx said...

Thanks all for the great comments / thoughts about taxes. Since they are inevitable, I really don't complain too much. But Massachusetts already taxes liquor with an "Excise tax" to the distributors. Last year they increased the tax that consumers pay, from 5% to 6.25%. Liquor store owners argue that they are seeing a sharp decline in liquor sales, because a lot of people now go to NH and buy their liquor "Tax-free". It really is a matter of price elasticity of supply: People will pay just so much for any given commodity. Any more, and they will always seek alternatives.

Whew! I can't believe I got so long-winded. Sorry if I bent any ears !

BTW, I solve by starting with the acrosses. But if I see any gaping holes, I will peek at the downs to fill a section. Monday / Tuesday, usually I don't even see many of the "down" clues, and miss a lot of the cleverness of the constructor. Until I come to the blog, that is - great job everyone!

And finally:
Raise your hand if you ever heard your mother say to you "What are you doing in the house on such a beautiful day? Get on outside and PLAY!"

And I'm OUT ;-D

Jayce said...

I raise my hand; my mom was often telling us kids to go outside and play on nice days. Sometimes even on not-so-nice days. We spent far more time outdoors than in the house. Amazing how many miles we ranged.

Anonymous said...

Good afternoon Agryle, C.C. and all.
I did not get to yesteday's puzzle. Today's was pretty easy and I would have gotten it all with no help if I could only remember how to spell - DIESEL, MONTESSORI, AIOLI.

HG - I usually eat corn around the ear, but do the crossword across, then down. I do occasionally look at the perps if I have more than one possible answer for an across clue. Also, once I have looked at all the A and D clues, I will work one area at a time to try to get the job done.

Tinbeni - I don't think a tax on fast food, etc. would help. I heard my Daddy say many times "When cigarettes go up to X, I am going to quit." He smoked until he died at age 60 from heart problems that the smoking probably exacerbated.

Kazie - I love your avatar. What exactly is it? It looks like a beautiful bead (I do beadwork), but I can't tell the size from the picture so I guess it could be way bigger than it looks.

Have a great Tuesday, everyone.

Nice Cuppa said...

For the record:

Mr Peel "went missing while flying over the Amazon".

Foolish fellow.

NC

Chickie said...

Hahatool, QOD, If I rest, I rust.

I'm glad to finally know that it is rust that is causing my problems!

Husker Gary, "Hear, Hear." Our schools here in CA have had to drop many P.E. classes due to lack of funds. How in the world are we to get our children up and moving when even the school doesn't have a period for exercise, other than recess?

Jerome, I laughed out loud at your comment about our wedding venue. It was pretty much as you described!

Husker Gary said...

If you want to see the International Space Station go over you, find the time here ISS Sighting Opportunities.

The ISS or the Shuttle can only be seen just before sunrise or just after sunset. The space vehicle has to be in the Sun above the curve of the Earth but the Sun has to be just below your horizon so it is dark for you. Of course, this is because the ISS does not give off any light and like the Moon can only be seen in reflected sunlight.

Jazzbumpa said...

Bill G -

I had no idea Dodgers meant TAX Dodgers.

Taxation is something I think and have blogged about. While personal and corporate tax rates have gone down, down, down over the past 30 years, GDP growth has stumbled lower and lower, and wealth disparity has reached an all time high. I don't know of any evidence that tax cuts help or tax increases hurt the economy.

The payroll tax, OTOH, is high regressive.

Email me if you know something
different.

I eat corn typewriter-style, and solve puzzles sort of randomly. I start upper left, and look for easy fill - cherry-picking, if you will.

Usually, I go horizontal, but that's just a habit, and not a real method. I try to avoid filling in the unifier when there is one, so it doesn't spoil the fun of sussing the theme.

Cheers!
JzB

Gunghy said...

Well, the puzzle's been covered.

Dennis, Eagles climb really high, couple, and complete the act in freefall. Staying power is not a good thing. I've never seen eagles, but a pair of ospreys mate over my cabin each spring.

Husker, once I get a fill, I attempt to work out from it keeping everything connected until I finish. If I don't do that, my ADD has me jumping all over the place.

Dilbert, welcome back. I hope you get to stay this time. You often have good things to say.

Dudley, Emma was darned foxy in any day.

My take on sin taxes, from a nonsmoking, nondrinking health food nut: If the extra taxes are used to fund health facilities to partly offset my cost of caring for the obese, drunk, diabetic, cancerous abuser of those products, I'm for it. If they are trying to pay for the repairs to the infrastructure or fill the general fund, then its not right. I love the idea of limiting what foodstamps can buy. In CA, they can use them to buy candy!!

My mom never had to tell me to go out and play. If she caught me indoors, I got a list of chores. As often as possible, I was gone before she could catch me. Oh, and one time she caught us watching TV at an "inappropriate" time. She pulled the cord so hard, the plug snapped of. The "trip to the repair shop" took over a month.

Bill G. said...

I really enjoyed this story about the 16-year minor leaguer who got called up to the Dodgers last week. Heart warming.

creature said...

Husker Gary- I do across and down together..I will also hop around..same for eating corn.

WH- Husker Gary has a link for you to keep up with the ISS.
We are as close on 'sin taxes' as we are on a map. Hope this helps you. Thanks ,Husker, for that link.

We board pleasure riding horses- trail riding. One that just left was an Arab; There is a long term Missouri Fox Trotter here and I am reopening two slots for possibly more of same. I vacillate between boarding more again and just letting it slide. My horses have all died- last two in last six months and my heart hasn't been in it lately.

We do have a small mule here[ mother was a paso fino],and he runs the place, but old. He was a delight to ride when he was younger, and I used him to trail ride, when we needed another mount.

Thanks for asking.

Bob said...

Another easy one. 12 minutes to complete. No time right now for any further comment.

carol said...

Whew, just finished canning 21 pints of pears. Tomatoes and apricots are done too. Glad that is all over for the season...all will taste so good over the next 12 months.

I cringe like others over the Wal-Mart pictures and also wonder what sort of mind-set one would have to have to go out in public looking like that. As a society, we have reached a new low in attire (IMO).
Not too long ago, most of those 'people' would have been arrested for indecent exposure. Yikes!

Bob said...

Louise Lasser was married to Woody Allen between 1966 and 1969. Here's a scene of them together, from Allen's film, Bananas:


Louise Lasser

kazie said...

Finally back after a day away shopping.

Vettedoe,
My avatar is a darning egg I described a few days ago. Maybe you were gone that day.

Tinbeni,
Students here have to take at least two years of PE in high school too, or the equivalent in sports participation plus health classes.

I usually tackle the NW first too, and if it's easy, I go across until I get stuck, or if I need to verify one of a couple of choices, tackle the relevant perps as I go. But I usually switch to crisscrossing them all after I start using any perps. As someone said, the downs are often shorter and easier too.

Lemonade714 said...

I loved Bananas and all the early Woody Allen movies/

Dilbert said...

We even had two years of mandatory
PE and AF ROTC in college. My senior year the Army buses arrived
on campus and all had to go take
physicals. Needless to say very few
joined the Army and went to SE Asia.

Crockett1947 said...

Carol, they might have gotten me as a volunteer, but it's a paid position 5x more what I made from them last year.

Husker Gary, I usually do a quadrant at a time -- get the across answers and fill in the downs, but sometimes I have to make adjustments. Sounds like I solve like Lucina.

Thanks, JD. They're also a great group of people!

Thank you, creature. Jayce, yes, I'm enjoying it.

Nice Cuppa, thanks for the info on Mr. Peel. Pity.

Carol, you've been really busy in the kitchen. Good for you!

Dilbert, I also remember the PE requirement in the first two years of college. I remember I took bowling one semester.

See you all tomorrow.

JD said...

Chickie, funny story! It reminded me of when my daughter 1st got married, her husband said he'd like to have a "game room". He, being from WY, had a completely different picture in his mind of what constituted a "game room" She was thinking ping pong, darts, pool table...not ANTLERS!

Yes Dennis, those overexposed WallMart shoppers must be daft!

Tinbeni, CA has "standards" that must be met in PE. Our middle schoolers must participate so many minutes per week.In H.S., if you participate in school sport, you are excused from the P.E. class, but only for that semester or quarter.

dodo said...

Hello, good people,

Not much for me to comment on at this late hour. Re: solving method: I seem to have developed a routine of sttempting the top line accrosses. Then, whether I got them all or not, I start with the first right-hand down and do them all (if I can) back to #1A. Some times it works and sometimes not. After that, in any case, I fill more or less at random whatever looks like it will work. I really try to avoid putting anything in unless some perps seem to indicate that I'm right. I just play it safe for the rest of the grid. If it's really not working, I may go to the bottom SE and try working the downs back. Usually I can make it work without too many erasures. If it's really hard, I do all that I can and then if necessary, go to G.(mostly for sports names). If all else fails, I hit the blog!

It's fun to hear how everyone works it out. When I read the comments I sometimes think you are all entering answers from your memory alone. I love working out the answers little by little. There's so much satisfaction in creating a word from scratch, more or less. So many people aren't willing to do that and if they take a look and don't recognize much, they give it up, missing all the fun!

dodo said...

Queen Noor was Sharon Hallaby, whose father was one of the Presidents of PanAm,

Jerome, it's antlers, not horns!

MR ED said...

okay ARGYLE! what is 'clecho' (as in your comment at 32A)and where'd you come up with it??

Annette said...

MR ED, "clecho" is a new term coined recently by Dennis. It's a blending of the words "clue" and "echo". For example, if the clues for 1A and 14A both include the word "leotard", that would be a clecho.

The term was so well received by the blog that C. C. submitted it for inclusion in the
Urban Dictionary. Please follow the link and vote for it!

Way to go, Dennis! 77 thumbs up, 10 thumbs down

Anonymous said...

Name of two presidents : I thought of 41 and 43. instead of 2 & 6.

Stole fur had me stumped until I worked out MINK. I thought of SWAG as in stolen fur coat.

Had trouble with the theme also. I'm rusty and my brain needs a broom to sweep out the cobwebs.