17A. 57-Across best-seller made into a 1971 film, with "The" : "ANDROMEDA STRAIN". Discretion is advised.
26A. 57-Across best-seller made into a 1993 film : "JURASSIC PARK"
37A. 57-Across best-seller made into a 1995 film : "CONGO"
43A. 57-Across best-seller made into a 1997 film : "THE LOST WORLD"
57A. Doctor-turned-novelist born 10/23/1942 : MICHAEL CRICHTON
Argyle here. For some, this was a walk in the park and others, it was fill in the slats in the picket fence until you get the "A-Ha!". Thick corners and two spanners make for a good looking grid. A pangram.
Let the discussion begin.
Across:
1. Athenian with harsh laws : DRACO. The way I read the Wiki article, he instituted a better system but went overboard with the punishments.
6. Sink-cleaning brand : AJAX. Originally an abrasive scouring powder.
10. Greenish-blue : AQUA
14. Put one's feet up : RELAX
15. Olympics sled : LUGE. Ahh, relaxing with her feet up.
16. Expressions of disapproval : TUTs. and tsks.
20. Golf club now made of metal : WOOD. The long distance clubs.
21. Line on a graph : AXIS
22. Move crab-style : SIDLE
23. Heredity unit : GENE
25. Lake formed by the Aswan Dam : NASSER. The lake is named after Gamal Abdel Nasser, one of the leaders of the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, and the second President of Egypt, who initiated the High Dam project. (Wiki)
31. Japanese cartoon art : ANIME. The kids can tell you about it.
32. Exposes : OUTS
33. Shortest mo. : FEB.
36. Despicable : VILE
39. Tear go-with : WEAR
40. Chopper : AXE
41. Head of the manor : LORD
42. Windy City airport : O'HARE. Chicago. The airport took the name Orchard Field Airport, the source of its three-letter code ORD.
46. Across the sea : ABROAD
49. Accessories for a "Just Married" sign : CANS. To make as much noise as possible. (plastic containers won't work)
50. Plumbing woes : DRIPS
51. Not real : FAUX
53. Ref's call : "TIME!"
60. Concept : IDEA
61. Turn sharply : VEER
62. Stunned : DAZED. After taking the below, perhaps.
63. It may be standardized : TEST
64. "Don't get excited" : "EASY"
65. Sports page figures : STATS
Down:
1. Deadlock : DRAW
2. Gambling mecca near Carson City : RENO. You know, the city west of Los Angeles.
3. Fashion's Gucci : ALDO. Quite a few people's names in the Down section.
4. Bridge, e.g. : CARD GAME
5. Tic-tac-toe dud : O X O
6. Former Soviet premier Kosygin : ALEXEI. In office October 1964 – October 1980.
7. Dench of "Iris" : JUDI. I'm not familiar with "Iris"(2001) but, oh, the other roles she's had. IMDb.
8. "Jumpin' Jack Flash, it's __ ...": Rolling Stones lyric : A GAS. Clip.(3:35) I love the scene in the movie, "Jack Flash", where Whoopi is listening to this song and yelling, "Speak English, Mick".
9. Symbolic signatures : XES
10. Vulnerable : AT RISK
11. Campus courtyards : QUADS. Because the housing is laid out in quadrangles.
12. Practical : UTILE
13. Ed of "Lou Grant" : ASNER
18. Controls, as a helm : MANS
19. Nicholas and Peter : TSARS
24. Houston-to-Miami dir. : ESE
25. Bosnia peacekeeping gp. : NATO
26. Mud in a cup : JAVA. Add it to my collection from October 2, battery acid, brew, caffeine, café, café au lait, café noir, cappuccino, decaf, decoction, demitasse, espresso, forty weight, hot stuff, ink, jamocha, java, joe, mocha, mud, mud in a cup, perk, varnish remover.
27. Operating system on many Internet servers : UNIX. (from Wiki) In 1970, Peter Neumann coined the project name Unics (UNiplexed Information and Computing Service) as a pun on Multics, (Multiplexed Information and Computer Services). Unics could eventually support multiple simultaneous users, and it was renamed Unix. (Gee, I love a pun but...)
28. Agitate : RILE
29. Time-share unit : CONDO
30. Flat-nosed dog : PUG. "I'm ready for my close-up."
33. Dread : FEAR
34. Banjoist Scruggs : EARL. Unreal! Clip.(2:45)
35. Reared : BRED
37. Not just for males : COED
38. Basketball's Magic, on scoreboards : ORL. (Orlando Magic)
39. Question of identity : "WHO'S THAT?". "I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat."
41. Tibetan capital : LHASA
42. MYOB part : OWN
43. Astaire/Rogers musical : "TOP HAT". From RKO.
44. Flee, mouse-style : SCURRY
45. Curbside call : TAXI
46. Ticket word : ADMIT
47. Bouquet tosser : BRIDE
48. Reduces to small pieces, as potatoes : RICES. Pieces the size of a grain of rice, hence the name.
51. __ circus : FLEA
52. Hard-to-hit pitchers : ACES
54. Chichén __: Mayan ruins : ITZÁ
55. Champagne brand : MOET. "She keeps Moët et Chandon in a pretty cabinet..."
56. Finishes : ENDS
58. Holiday lead-in : EVE
59. DJ's assortment : CD's
Argyle
Notes from C.C.:
Here is a beautiful photo of JD's happy family. They celebrated Truman's 5th birthday on August 29.
Front Row (Left to Right: JD is holding grandsons Cameron (son of Shelby & Joe) & Grady (Son of Corie & Derek); Bob (JD's husband) is holding grandson Truman (big brother to Grady).
Back Row (Left to Right: Joe (Shelby's husband); Shelby (JD's oldest daughter); Corie (JD's youngest daughter) & Derek (Corie's husband)
Click here, you'll see most of the family photos JD has kindly shared with us.
Here is a beautiful photo of JD's happy family. They celebrated Truman's 5th birthday on August 29.
Front Row (Left to Right: JD is holding grandsons Cameron (son of Shelby & Joe) & Grady (Son of Corie & Derek); Bob (JD's husband) is holding grandson Truman (big brother to Grady).
Back Row (Left to Right: Joe (Shelby's husband); Shelby (JD's oldest daughter); Corie (JD's youngest daughter) & Derek (Corie's husband)
Click here, you'll see most of the family photos JD has kindly shared with us.
79 comments:
Morning, all!
I really love Michael Crichton's work and was so sad when he died at a relatively young age. In fact, the first "adult" book I ever read (at the age of 8, I believe) was "The ANDROMEDA STRAIN."
Anyway, once I got CONGO at 37A via the perps, I instantly figured out the theme and was able to fill in the rest of the theme answers with no hesitation. I hit a minor speed bump in the NW due to DRACO, OXO and ALDO, but nothing drastic. I also needed some perp help to remember NASSER and TOPHAT, but again, nothing drastic.
I liked this puzzle. First long fill was Jurassic Park and that gave me the the author right away and the theme answers followed rather quickly. I hit a little snag at 54D Itza and 6D Alexei, but other than that it was smooth sailing. It's just a rotten day here weather wise. It is supposed to rain all day. I guess it could be worse it could be snow. ( Yikes!!) Have a great day everyone!
Hello Puzzlers -
Hand up for being a Michael Crichton fan. Once I had enough letters to see Andromeda Strain, it was off to the races.
I never read Jurassic Park, sadly. I thought the movie stunk to high heaven. The acting was so bad I concluded that the budget must have been blown on the CGI.
My hat is off to SJSJ for another clever grid.
Good Morning, Argyle and friends. I got Michael Crichton first, which helped fill in the rest of the theme clues. I read some of his books and saw some of the films.
I misspelled Dame Judi's name. I wanted it to end in a "y ".
Nice family photo, JD.
Thank you SJSJ for a very nice and fascinating puzzle - enjoyed it immensely. I got the theme and it helped a lot. I think Michael Crichton's best book was 'The Great Train Robbery' . I absolutely loved that book, and have reread it many times....
I thought he also wrote 'The secret of Santa Vittoria' ... but no, it was written by ROBERT Crichton ( a relative perhaps ?) ... another one of my favorite books.
Thank you Argyle, for a lovely blog - so interesting to read. You make my day.
Lots of 'X's in the puzzle ... I wonder if it was a pangram.
Finally, .... Woman to her doctor: 'When I looked in the mirror this morning, I saw my hair was frizzy, my skin wrinkly, my eyes bloodshot - what is wrong with me ?'
Have a nice week, you all, and best wishes.
Hahtoolah, nice to have you back .... all is well with the world.
Good morning folks,
Well, as Argyle described it, I solved the puzzle filling in the slats in the picket fence. Michael Crichton is not an author I'm familiar with and while I heard of the theme clues, I needed heavy perp help to fill them in.
Adding to my woes today, I had three screw ups in a row. 50A LEAKS before DRIPS, 51A FAKE before FAUX, & 53A GAME before TIME.
Wasn't Lake Nasser another name previously? I thought it was something like Lake Victoria or is my geography askew again? Another ?????, I know BYOB, but what is MYOB?
In spite of my issues, I did enjoy the puzzle.
Thanks for the challenge Steven.
That will do it for today ... I've again proven my IQ factor is closely related to a horse's rear end.
Enjoy the day.
Good morning, folks. Thank you, Steven J. St. John, for a great puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for the great review.
Did not get DRACO off the bat, but had it a few perps later.
ANDROMEDA STRAIN popped up easily. JURASSIC PARK as well. Knew the theme and author. Have read many of his books, all of them great. Dudley, you should read Jurassic Park. Outstanding.
34D EARL Scruggs was easy. Flatt and Scruggs are my all time favorites. Foggy Mountain Breakdown, wow!
Did not know MOED for 55D. I don't drink much champagne.
Had DICES for 48D. RICES appeared with ABROAD. Hey, what's a couple write overs.
Well, my eye doctor, yesterday, decided to not do cataract surgery on me now, but to do an Iridotomy only in my right eye. 66761 I feel a little relieved about that.
Heading down to Paxton, IL, today. We host a banquet for the residents of a nursing home that we support.
See you tomorrow.
Abejo
thehondohurricane @7:22
Lake Nasser was formed by the Aswan dam so it's not likely to have been named something else.
MYOB - Mind Your Own Business
NIMBY - Not In My BackYard (thrown in extra)
Too easy, even for a Tuesday.
Barry:
were you also 8 when you made your first visit to the local Tool-n-Stool?
Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.
Great clips and fun facts today, Argyle. Hands up for being a fan of CRICHTON. I read Jurassic Park when it first came out, so all the fill was really easy. But I wondered how hard others might find it, if they were unfamiliar with the books. So it could range from Monday/easy peasy to Thursday/need every perp.
JD, your grandsons are growing by leaps and bounds. And so cute!!
Nice to have you back, Hahtoolah.
Hi all,
I don't think I've read anything by Chrichton, but I've seen some of his films. I also wasn't a fan of the Jurassic Park series due to the acting. The first film was such a big blockbuster, but I didn't get it.
Anno-Mousy: I assume you went through O'HARE yesterday?
I loved 26D: Mud in a Cup. I think I'll go get some.
Have a nice day.
Busy, Busy, Busy. Great job SJSJ and Argyle. Enjoyed it. Never read any of the books or saw any of the movies. Young David and Argyle did a great job yesterday as well. Gotta run. CYA later.
The Aswan High Dam, was financed mainly by the USSR and very little by the US ( in bleak hopes that the US could retain some semblance of political pull - ). This 1950, 1960-1974 was a very tense time in the Middle East.
The dam was ill advised because of the cost, and the ecological problems, but the UAR (Egypt) was determined to have it. It did have its benefits though, especially for preventing flooding, for soil irrigation and power devlop.
The moving of the temple, and the statues and monuments, at Abu Simbel, ...... which would have gone underwater, because of the water level rising, due to the dam, ..... was paid for entirely by the United Nations, because it was considered a heritage site, and a world monument. Probably UNESCO funds.
Good morning!
No problem with today's puzzle. I've read most of Crichton's books, so the theme was a gimme. I've got to admit that the books are better than the subsequent movies.
Hahtoolah, good to see you back. HeartRx, how are things with your new cat, or is that a touchy subject?
Argyle, I do remember that old geography quiz...which is further west, Los Angeles or Reno? Surprise! And you go south from Detroit to get to Windsor, Ontario. Who knew?
Mari, yes, I went through Ohare.
All's well - thanks for your enquiry.
I highly recommend you start reading Michael Crichton, esp. Train Robbery - the small facts he comes up with about 1800's England is fascinating !!!
1. It was commonly believed that having sex with a virgin could cure Syphillis !! Unfortunately, as we now know, the disease just spread further, through innocent victims.
2. The timed rat killing bouts by trained fox terriers, used for gambling.
3. Various security devices before burglar alarms etc.
4. How one tested the purity of a gold coin. You bit into it and examined your tooth marks; Gold being a soft, malleable metal.
I have spent many pleasurable hours engrossed in Crichton novels! As far as the movies are concerned, the scene where the dinosaurs first appear in Jurassic Park DAZED me.
Musings
-SSJ, this was a fun puzzle and with all the X’s, Z’s and a Q, panagram jumped into my head
-So that’s the origin of draconian
-A Chicago dog is always a highlight of going through O’Hare
-A player can request a TIME out but the ref has to grant it
-School teaching now is all about the state TESTs. It has a lot of my former colleagues anxious.
-Another RENO Industry that was famous for separating you from more than just your money.
-Bridge ain’t Bride (dang glasses) and so magazine didn’t cut it but BRIDE came later
-We have taken some trips to vacation spots where part of the deal was to listen to a high pressured sales pitch on time-share CONDOS. The deal never seemed good to us.
-BRED seems to me to be antecedent to being Reared.
-Ann Landers always famously advised to MYOB and to ask yourself the question, “Is anything better because I say/do this?”
-We had some mice SCURYing in our garage until some peanut butter baited traps got them and a new garage door bottom closed their entry point.
-Verlander is an ACE and is dating her
-Wonderful pix of your beautiful family, JD. This “lease don’t own” business with grandkids is wonderful!
Hi Y'all, Great puzzle, SJSJ! Fun commentary & links, Argyle! Fred Astaire didn't throw Ginger around like the dancers do on DWTS! I'd be happier if they didn't risk injury with those lifts and throws. Dance!
Reading a few clues, I thought this was going to be undoable for me, but pecking away, I got it. However, when I came to Argyle, I found some errors: AtE/AXE, TExT/TEST, STArS/STATS. Oh well, I thought the puzzle was clever.
The Michael Crichton connection sank in when I hit CONGO. I read all his books, but it's been a while. All the titles came easily once a few perps were in place. Hated all the movies. Liked the books.
Argyle: Nice write-up & links.
Esp. enjoyed the link for the ANDROMEDA STRAIN re-make, where the actors are talking about the movie they're making, like the story is unknown, and the 1971 movie was never made. lol
SJ-SJ: Thank you for a FUN Tuesday offering. Liked how you got your hometown, ORLando, in the grid.
My fave MICHAEL CRICHTON book was "Eaters of the Dead".
I prefer it when A-BROAD is only across the room.
Cheers to all at Sunset!
I kept thinking, "This is so hard for a Tuesday!" But then I finished it, and thought great puzzle for a Tuesday. I don't know what MYOB stands for either.
Good morning:
I have never read Michael Crichton but am familiar with his work. Great Tuesday offering, Steve, and great write-up, Argyle. Only write-over was teal before aqua.
Marti, please bring us up-to-date about the kitty. Welcome back, Hatoolah. JD, beautiful family! Argyle,loved the picture of the Pug.
Happy Tuesday.
Ok puzzle, could not get time share unit. Condo?.. I live in a condo by myself but why is it time share unit? ??? Thirty down (pug), just watched Leave It To Beaver where Mary Ellen Rogers tells Wally he has a pug nose. Then Wally buys a nose "unpugger" from a magazine. Hallarious.
SJSJ, welcome back with a very fun puzzle. You have to understand the audience for the film Jurrasic Park it was for young people; my then eight year old son and I watched it 15 times and he ended up an archaeology major, now with his Masters and nearing his PhD, inspired by the movie.
The books were all well crafted and researched. Maybe we will have a Robin Cook puzzle next?
Argyle your write up fit like a Velociraptors jaws around the theme, thanks.
Anon@10:26 -- Not all condos are time shares; yours obviously isn't. But almost all time shares are condos.
MammasitaM@10:00 -- see Argyle at 7:54.
Good morning everyone.
Very nice family picture, JD. Thanks for sharing.
This puzzle seemed to have more of a Wednesday feel. Also not that familiar with the theme entries, but the perps were adequate and the solve went well. Sort of a sub-theme with all the X's but I love a puzzle with X's. Only strikethrough - had 'mind' @ 18d before MANS. Was thinking of the command 'Mind your helm' for when a helmsman might become distracted. (I see now that the clue is given in the 3rd person singular). Nice engaging puzzle, (SJ)². Kudos.
Dennis, yesterday I forgot to ask if you were near the debate venue. I guess you answered it this morning :-)
Have a great day.
Nice puzzle.
I was stuck on ANDROMEDA thinking it was ANDROgEnA for a while.
And BYOB instead of MYOB, didn't affect answer.
Misremembered ALEXEI as ANDREI.
FYI - I've been told by youngsters that ANIME has 3 syllables.
I was thinking of a rather strange movie called Stanley and Iris with DeNiro and Fonda, in which a romance develops between a teacher and her illiterate student.
Another clue for 16A - multiple Boy Kings.
@Hondo - Part of the lake is called Nubia - but, that's for another puzzle.
Prostitution is not legal in Reno or Las Vegas. Any county with legal gambling does not also have legal prostitution. When my late brother-in-law lived in Sparks, he had regular customers who worked in legal brothels outside Washoe county and often cashed their checks. (His company was Sierra Snug-Top which retrofitted Rancheros and the like to serve as campers).
Here is a map depicting most of the Nile River. It shows both Lake Victoria and Lake Nasser. The White Nile, Blue Nile, and Lake Tana , shown, sometimes appear in some way in crosswords. I thought it is an informative map.
I just read the weekend blogs.
CC and Splynter: I knew of CEDANO, but I wanted Cesar Geronimo. I always confused them. Both were born in the Dominican Republic and both played for the Houston Astros before joining the Cincinnati Reds.(within a few years of each other)
Cedano probably had a better individual career but Geronimo got to play on one of the greatest teams of all time and won 2 World Series championships. Guess which one I would rather have been.
Also Crichton was born near O'HARE.
Well, even though I've never read MICHAEL CRICHTON, I breezed through this puzzle with ease and delight! So many thanks, Steve--you're becoming one of my very favorite constructors! And Argyle, I loved the photo of that sad little pug face!
My only near miss came when I almost put LAVA in place of JAVA. It looked weird to me, but then I thought, well, why couldn't you put LAVA into a cup? Duh!
Have a great Tuesday, everybody!
Yesterday I spent a good amount of time on American Airlines web site tracking my mother's flights from SUX to ORD to DAY. Lucky for her, the connection flight was delayed or she may have had to sleep in O'Hare. I did have to miss some baseball and football to go pick her up. She was so tired from the trip I decided not to take her on a guilty one.
Lemonade714 - great story about your son! I went into science myself and was first inspired by Isaac Asimov's books (though I ended up in neuroscience rather than astronomy).
There's a scene near the end of Jurassic Park where the teenager character sits at a computer terminal and says "Unix system! I know this!" I wanted that for the UNIX clue, but Rich Norris probably thought either it was too obscure or having asymmetrical answers relating to the theme wouldn't work well.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFUlAQZB9Ng
Most of the clues were Rich's today. I must not have had the Tuesday vibe when I wrote my clues, even though I knew if it was published, it would be on Tuesday, October 23 (Crichton's birthday).
Windhover: You asked the other day whether the Malawi visitors I interviewed could have been the same who visited kentucky. I can't find my story to date the encounter, but it would have been 1985-86 or 1989-1992. A man & woman from Malawi and a man from Mali came out from Kansas City with a field rep of Farmland Industries.
Farmland (which is now defunct) was owned by member coops throughout the midwest. I know they were affiliated with Land O'Lakes.
The interview was one of the most difficult I ever did although they spoke excellent English. I had never heard of either country so had to look it up in the atlas in the half-hour I was given from the time they called me to come. I would ask a question and they would just look at me and say nothing. The Farmland rep had been talking to them for several days, so he chimed in and got the conversations going. Without him, I would have had nothing which was unusual for me.
Jayce: I just read an article in the paper which said that an Italian court has convicted 7 scientists/experts of manslaughter for failing to warn residents of a 2009 earthquake. 300 people were killed. What do you and your colleagues think about this?
Lemonade: Is his archaeology phd the reason your son moved to Colorado? They have some of the greatest fossil fields in the western part of CO, don't they? I've always wanted to visit them.
@ Steven J: I had the same experience with my last puz - Rich tossed over half the clues. I wrote back saying "man, I must suck at cluing. Anything I should be doing different?". Nothing yet in terms of a reply :-)
Great puz BTW.
PK:
Thanks for the reply. I remember Farmland from magazine articles at the time.
I had a similar experience, though mine was not an interview. In 1996, as president of a relatively insignificant national farm group (NFFC), I attended the World Food Summit in Rome, organized by the FAO of the UN. Perhaps (mistakenly) impressed by the title "president", one of the organizers led me around the opening reception, introducing me to various people, one of whom was the agriculture minister of China. I asked him, "How many farmers have you brought to the meeting?" (A good portion of our delegation was actual farmers.) He looked at me in disbelief for a few seconds, and replied, "None". End of awkward conversation.
I think the Malawi visit was in the 90's. Our state university tobacco specialists, paid with Ky. taxpayer revenue but indentured to the tobacco companies, had been visiting there regularly to teach them how to grow our (economically) staple crop, and this visit was to view our production techniques first hand. At that time we had 160,000 growers, we now have (I think) around 10,000. C'est la vie.
Hello everybody. Fun puzzle today. As I started filling in the acrosses along the top, I was struck by how scrabbly the fill was: a J, a Q, and two X's right off the bat. I remember thinking this puzzle was going to be X-heavy. I liked it.
I have read many of Crichton's books, and frankly I thought some of them were not very good, such as Congo and Sphere. But maybe I'm thinking of the movies, which were terrible, and forgot that the books were not bad. Sometimes I'm more intrigued with the concepts of the novels more than with the execution of the narrative. Anyway, I was saddened by his untimely passing.
I noticed the crossing of CONGO and CONDO. I also noticed all the "AX" sounds in RELAX, AXIS, AXE, AJAX, and TAXI.
I can't tell the difference between anime, manga, hentai, etc.
"Money, ITZA gas..."
Hahtoolah, welcome back.
Best wishes to you all.
PK, my colleagues and I are extremely dismayed by the conviction in Italy of those seismologists. However, we forced ourselves to remember that they were not convicted of failing to predict the earthquake, but of failing to adequately warn the citizenry of the possibility of one. Apparently, as members of a committee tasked with determining the risk of an earthquake in the area, they supposedly failed to do their job. However, my colleagues and I cannot understand why the charge was manslaughter. In our opinion, they are guilty of nothing more than being wrong about the likely extent of the possible damage, if any. Heck, scientists are wrong all the time, sometimes with disastrous consequences. But it isn't manslaughter to be scientifically mistaken. Negligent? I don't know if they were or not.
None of the theme fill was difficult, I'm sitting here with "MICRO" next to me. That's his latest. It was finished by Richard Preston. But I swear SJSJ diabolically went through my mind to learn what wouldn't come quickly after that. I'm really glad that I chose to do this one online, because I had so many writeovers, the paper would have been one blob of ink.
4 hours until my root canal. Hate to say it, but I'm looking forward to it. It should end the constant pain. All the negatives about NSAIDs don't matter when you need them.
Windhover: Very interesting! Farming remains the basic unit of our economy. Armies, technology--nothing is as important in maintaining its might, as the United States' ability to produce enough food, etc. to feed its population. If "the powers that be" outsource food/fiber production, we are doomed.
Thus endeth the doom & gloom report for the day.
Greetings, all.
Thank you, Argyle. Thank you, SJSJ.
Fun puzzle which I sashayed through with ease and knew it was MICHAEL CHRICHTON almost immediately.
My daughter, 9 or 10 at the time, loved JURASSIC PARK and watched it dozens of times. Dinosaurs fascinated her.
I wasn't a fan but knew the good doctor wrote many best sellers and consulted on TV shows.
One Christmas my brother had champagne on his wish list and I bought MOET et Chandon for him. Pricey!
You all have a terrific Tuesday!
Just saw this video.
ITZA science teacher who has a bad IDEA to ignite A GAS and put several COEDs AT RISK and strike FEAR into their lives. "EASY" the teacher thought and told the DAZED administration to RELAX. Maybe next TIME he will ADMIT he should just give them a TEST.
Looking thru the posts, it seems that about 90% of the guys had read Michael Crichton's novels and only about 10 % of the women. I bet those same guys couldn't get their wives/girlfriends to go to the movies made from those novels. I usually had to trade my girlfriend/wife a chick-flick for it.
My two favorites: The Great Train Robbery, Rising Sun
Michael Crichton=total guy thing.
I had more problems than usual for a Tuesday. There were a lot more Xs than usual.
I agree with PK and Jayce. I didn't like most of the movies based on Michael Chrichton books. Everybody was hyped up for Jurassic Park but not me. I finally got around to trying it on cable. I didn't like it because the people seemed so shallow and one-dimensional. After a half hour or so, I found myself rooting for the dinosaurs instead of the people.
BTW, great pics. I hope to be posting my first with a grandchild in the next week or so.
Great pics, JD! damn I am old
JD:
Beautiful pictures of your family. Those boys are so darned cute! Thank you for sharing them.
SJSJ, Rich edits, I have seen his handiwork with others and you cannot have too much pride in authorship, but you can in the theme, which I adored. Asimov probably wrote a book on neuroscience as he wrote on almost every topic I could find. He was awesome and afraid of elevators and flying. Have there been puzzles dedicated to this genius?
My son who moved to Colorado is the musician/brewer. Aaron (and his pregnant wife and my soon to be born grandbaby) are in Buffalo.
My last post...
Jayce, I immediately thought of you when I saw the manslaughter convictions, in an Italian court, in L'Aquila, of the seven seismologists and other public officials, before the temblor in 2009... 'for failure to warn' ??
What utter stupidity !@!#@ Even meaningless cartoons use more logic than some of these judicial systems ! They might as well have been trying Galileo for sunspots, the drought, and global warming @@
While they were at it, they should have called for the arrest of the entire U.S. Geological Survey in Pasadena, CA. ... who monitor all the earthquakes, around the world, ....and should have charged them with 'a crime against humanity' - for good measure.... that way, they could have sued them for U.S. Aid !!
Remember, a french court had tried to indict an American airline, probably Continental, for not picking up a tire, that fell off,( after they took off ), at Orly Airport - and tried to pin the blame on them for the subsequent Concorde' disaster ? At least, that had some hint of logic.
Gary- After my first few published puzzles I asked Rich the same question about my cluing. His response was that there isn't any particular problems with my clues. I've always thought that was a polite way of saying he thought his were better. I agree with him. If we're honest about it when we match his rewrites against our originals his are usually clearer, more clever and phrased more elegantly. I've talked with many crossword writers about this. Some get pissed off when their clues are changed. Others could care less. As for me, I take the low road and tell no one those brilliant clues aren't mine.
Fun Crossword, the only thing that slowed me down was having "fake" before Faux. 45D "taxi" seemed obvious, but having lived in NYC i had to eliminate a lot of curbside calls that can't be printed here...
Jayce, Manga means comic book.
Anime refers to "animated" comics.
Hentai??? Well,, you will know it when you see it...
Pas De Chat, you mentioned 2 days ago that you were feeding a feral cat! As a fellow criminal, i salute you! Two years ago, the Draconian masterminds of our town council (Florham Park NJ) passed a law making it illegal to feed stray cats. The "brilliant" originator of this so called "law" said in open council session that he wanted his law to have some "teeth!" To feed a stray kitten in my town, it is now punishable by a fine of $500.00 per day!
Welcome to Florham Park N.J.! Draconian capital of the State...
Argyle! i am in the Spam Filter again! Can you get me out pls!
Dave,
You're out! Argyle and I have been bombarded with spams since last night.
Thanks CC!
I meant to ask you about last night, i never saw a msg like that before. What on earth is going on! (plus i would have liked to see some of this "Spam." - unless it was really bad...)
Anyway, that was weird! just because i linked a Google look up image page to "Hentai," i could not continue without submitting my phone number, wait for a call, & enter a verifying code! Talk about Draconian! It's just Art for Petes sake!!!
Unless,,, No, it couldn't be!
ACK! My town council is onto me!
i gotta go move to Florida before they start knocking on my door because i fed a stray cat!!!!
And yet they let some spam right next to you slide through. Maybe they got the wrong one.
Funny about your Hentai link; the results as I changed the search settings on Google. Strict didn't have ANY images.
Dave,
I suspect our misery is a result of a glitch in Google's spam filter system. The spams are mostly about hot Asian girls :-)
Bribe Argyle, he might let you know where to find them.
Jayce: Well, one thing for sure--those seven guys will not be able to use their expertise to warn anyone else for the six years they are in prison. Such a waste. How many other experts and aspiring novices in the field will leave the quake business for fear of persecution or prosecution, whichever you deem it?
Good afternoon all,
Delightful puzzle Steven! scurry and sidle...cute! Cuter yet-flea circus. I enjoyed the unusual dose of Q's and X's, although Alexei had to be perped.
I wonder how many novelists were doctors at one time. Tess Gerritsen has some terrific crime thrillers; there are probably others.
Did we all put in fake before faux?
O'Hare, the airport with the long walk...or run.
I will never give up my 5 WOOD.
Lemonade714 -
Asimov did write a nonfiction book called The Brain, but I've not read it. I have read about 35 of his books. Would love to do a puzzle for him, but I think it would be harder to pull off than a Chricton puzzle. With Crichton, even if you are not into science fiction you've at least heard of the Jurassic Park series. Much as I love Asimov's classics - The Caves of Steel, Foundation, Nightfall, The End of Eternity (I could go on and one), it would probably be a hard sell.
As for clues changing, I think there are 4 reasons a clue is changed by the editor:
1. The clue has been used recently. Can't feel bad about that.
2. The clue was too long to fit the space constraints of the puzzle. Can't feel bad about that.
3. The clue was too easy/too hard for the day of the week it appeared on. Since you don't pick the day of the week when you submit the puzzle (generally), can't feel bad about that.
4. It was a lousy clue.
You can feel bad about #4, but since you never really know if that's the reason, you can just choose to assume it was reason 1, 2, or 3!
PK and Jaycee,the article also said that in Italy convictions aren't definitive until after at least one appeal, so it is unlikely that they will go to jail immediately. In the meantime, their whole department resigned today over this conviction.
I'm sure most everyone is aghast over this.
Hi everybody. Have to laugh when someone says, "Late to the party". I'm ALWAYS late. I thought I was in trouble at first. Yikes, it's only Tuesday! But all worked out.
Wanted to LIVE in an Astaire/Rogers movie!
I don't get what all the spam talk is about.
Is CrossEyedDave to BLAME?? :-)
Wow CED ...$500 fine for feeding a stray? I had always thought highly of the people from New Jersey, seeing as how DH hails from there. What a buncha meanies in your town.
After her day missing, she has stuck around the back yard all day yesterday & today. Got a bed for her and everything. That would probably be another $500 fine.
Following SEEN's lead and putting up the Beistle Halloween cat from my youth.
What about Marti's cat and AriadneArts' dog??
Hand up for fake before FAUX.
Hot Asian girls???
Desper-otto and Irish Miss, thanks for asking about the kitty. Well, it has been almost a week and no one has claimed her. Sooooo…it looks like we will add a new member to our household. I loved all the name suggestions from the other day, but we kept calling her “little cat” whenever we referred to her. So somehow, the initials L.C. stuck. She is the same color as Elsie, and her paws are as big as a cow’s!
Gary and SJSJ, regarding Rich editing clues: I usually submit two (sometimes three, if I am feeling inspired) different clues for each answer. He usually finds one that fills the bill (maybe re-worded), so I “almost” get to keep the feeling that each puzzle was my own creation, not the editor’s. Does everyone else submit only one clue per answer? (Marti)
Jayce @ 12:33, I agree with you about the Italian seismologists. Heck, why don’t we charge the weather forecasters with murder if someone dies in a hurricane?
Orchard Field was the airport there before they built OHare.
Hi gang -
Just now got to the puzzle. Had some errands to run this morning.
Pretty clean puzzle, with a couple of grid spanners.
I liked flee - FLEA. What do you call that kind of an echo? Also amused by the CONDO - CONGO cross in the middle.
EXES - AXIS - AXE.
Take an imaginary ride in a FAUX TAXI
Warm here today, but overcast. Fighting a headache.
DRACO Malfoy is more well known these days.
Cool regards!
JzB
Sfingi,
I lived in Nye County NV and prostitution and gambling are both legal in Nye Co..
I had a tonneau cover on my Ranchero :)
Good puzzle... any puzzle that I can finish has to be a good puzzle... :) thanx to you all for many pleasant hours....
Doh....thanks for the Ranchero mention. I was racking my brain trying to think of the car that looks similar to the El Camino.
My dad had the El Camino.
Marti, glad you have a new member of the family. Can't think of a good name yet. She's white and has light gray markings and what looks like a heart on her chest. We also just call her the "little cat", but she needs a name.
pas de chat, isn't it amazing how these little creatures just endear themselves to you? They are so helpless, that it is in our nature to take them in.
You will know when the right name hits you...
That is a terrible fate for the Italian seismologists! But let's hope that their appeal results as it did for Amanda Knox.
Hot Asian girls?
After the debate last night I was certain the spam would be all about hot Syrian chicks. Well, actually, according to both candidates, they would be "moderately" hot, or else they could not be our friends. :)
Great puzzle.. I enjoyed his books. Enjoyed The Great Train Robbery the best, because I like historical fiction much better than science fiction..
So much I could comment on today...
Dracon - thanks for the link Argyle.
The Italian court, in this case is a joke. But we have our own share of significant blunders as well.
We'll eventually see what happens to the New England Compounding Center owners and operators. Over 300 cases of meningitis and counting, and 23 deaths. Clearly in violation of the law, "... are allowed only to compound drugs based on a specific prescription written by a physician for an individual patient...."
Such a disgrace that this should ever have happened. One could blame regulatory oversight, and any other number of factors. That they shipped these compounds in the first place, prior to getting the testing results is that much more disgraceful.
But the other factor that really perturbs me is that the hospitals and clinics ordered these compounds as supplies to have on hand, and not for individual patients. Low level administrators in those institutions will probably be "counseled."
We don't need draconian measures, but there should be a severe price to pay, especially by the owners, operators, and professionals at NECC.
pas de chat: for your cat`s name, what about "Feline" pronounced "Fuh-lean?
Marti, our cat is named Skamp, but she has a bit of an attitude, so I usually call her Little S$@&! Thus LS has been translated to Ellis. We rarely call her by her actual name.
Thanks for the response SJ. BTW love the word draconian
Marti, Yes, this skinny little thing came to our front yard and would lie under the orange tree when it was so hot. She picked us, so we went with it. Made homemade chicken soup last night and tonight's fare was canned cat food with heated chicken broth.
I don't think I'm spoiling her, do you? :-)
Anonymous at 7:24 That's a good name. Is there a Pheline? I remember Filene's basement in Boston.
Any good names for grey or white and grey in other languages?
Had an outdoor cat that we called Grigia (Italian)
Hot Asian girls?
Well, the spams started when you started talking about mangoes and melons.
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