google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Tuesday, October 30, 2012 Kevin Christian

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Oct 30, 2012

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 Kevin Christian

Theme: Soft Phoneme - 49A and 50A start with 'C' but they are hard C's. We are looking for soft C's and their homonyms.

17A. 2003 horse movie that won Best Picture : SEABISCUIT

28A. One who’s not on the honor roll : 'C' STUDENT

46A. “Yes, ma’am,” in Madrid : "SI, SENORA"

60A. Primer sentence : "SEE JANE RUN"

Argyle here. Hurrying to beat any power outage. Nice puzzle. Look a little closer and find some fun sidebars.

Across:

1. Well-constructed : SOLID

6. Formal agreement : PACT

10. Carried a balance : OWED

14. Boxing venue : ARENA

15. Turkish honorific : AGHA

16. Kolkata cover-up : SARI. Oh, Kolkata = Calcutta.

19. Early 11th century date : MXIV. 1014

20. Bunny gait : HOP.


21. Important bee : QUEEN

22. Runs easily : LOPES

23. Throw for a loop : ASTOUND

25. __ acid : AMINO

27. Suffix with neat or beat : NIK

31. Tee off : ANGER

34. Gets moving : HIES

35. Stick around : STAY

36. Pal of Piglet : ROO

37. Stress, as a key point : ITERATE. If needed, I can reiterate that.

40. DSL offerer : ISP. (internet service providers)

41. Banjo ridge : FRET

43. WWII females : WACS. The Women's Army Auxiliary Corps(WAAC) was converted into the Women's Army Corps(WAC) in 1943. Web site.

44. Like Stallone’s persona : MACHO

48. “Fresh Air” airer : NPR. (National Public Radio)

49. Colgate rival : CREST

50. Bench or Berra : CATCHER. Two of the greatest, Johnny and Yogi.

54. Manager who managed the Mets, Braves, Cardinals, Yankees and Dodgers : TORRE. Also played as a catcher.

56. ’70s sitcom family name : BRADY. What a bunch.


58. Firefighter’s tool : AXE

59. Antioxidant berry in fruit juices : AÇAÍ

62. Idle : LAZE

63. Cologne that sounds forbidden : TABU

64. Sidestep : ELUDE

65. About 5.88 trillion mi. : LT. YR.

66. Comical Laurel : STAN

67. Uses a stopwatch for : TIMES

Down:

1. Malia Obama’s sister : SASHA

2. Black-and-white treats : OREOS

3. Jumped : LEAPT

4. Having five sharps, musically : IN 'B'

5. Rum cocktail : DAIQUIRI. More "Cheers!"

6. Walked around the waiting room : PACED

7. Fluish feeling : AGUE

8. Waters near Hong Kong and Shanghai : CHINA SEAS. Hmm...China, not a hard 'C' or a soft 'C'.

9. One might have “Mom” in a heart, briefly : TAT

10. Utah singing family : OSMONDS. What a bunch.


11. Woo like Cyrano : WAX POETIC

12. New York’s __ Canal : ERIE

13. Parts of depts. : DIV's. (division)

18. Done for : SUNK

22. Lucy of “Kill Bill” : LIU

24. Small number : ONE

26. __ Helens, Wash. : MT. ST.

28. About, chronologically : CIRCA

29. “A bit of talcum/Is always walcum” poet : NASH

30. Proofreader’s pickup : TYPO

31. Fido’s greetings : ARFs

32. “Me neither” : "NOR I"

33. Flips out : GOES CRAZY

34. Chest pulsation : HEART BEAT

38. “Terrible” age : TWOS

39. Uncontested, like some hockey goals : EMPTY NET

42. Jack Russell or wirehair : TERRIER

45. Rainbow shape : ARC

47. Word before a maiden name : NÉE

48. Zilch : NADA

50. Like some Louisiana fare : CAJUN

51. __-scarum : HARUM

52. Radiate : EXUDE

53. Auberjonois and Russo : RENEs

54. Hard to believe, as a tale : TALL

55. One __: kids’ ball game : O' CAT. A lot of info, all different!

57. Singer McEntire : REBA

60. Rds. : ST's. (roads/streets)

61. Actor Wallach : ELI



Argyle

Note from C.C.:

1) Part V of JD's Italy trip: Cinque Terre. She said:

"Cinque Terre is made up of 5 little fishing villages built on the hills, covered with vineyards. Until recently one could only get there by boat. We visited 3 of the villages by boat, but left via train. Last year they experienced horrendous mud slides, but it has all been cleaned."



Click here for more pictures.

2) Just in. Lemonade's beautiful granddaughter Charlotte Perle, who was born yesterday. Lemonade said she's "6 pounds, 5 ounces 19 3/4 inch little dark haired bundle of joy".


91 comments:

  1. Morning, all!

    Well, we seem to have made it through the storm relatively unscathed. One more brief power outage last night, but that was it. The wind has died down, so I figured it was safe to fire up the computer and do the puzzle this morning...

    The puzzle was a fine Tuesday outing. I didn't get the theme until it was over, but that's OK since I didn't need it to solve anything. Struggled a bit in the NE corner with DIVS and the random collection of letters that made up the "early 11th-century date". Everything else went pretty smoothly, though. I even guessed TORRE right off the bat (pardon the pun).

    Hope everybody else is safe and sound!

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  2. 5:55. OCAT was the last word filled.

    I hope all who were affected by Sandy are okay. Here in the mid-Hudson valley the effects were widely and dramatically variable. I never lost power and the rain and wind were never heavy but a third of Ulster County is without electricity.

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  3. Barry,
    I'm glad you made it through.

    Lemonade,
    Congratulations! So is Charlotte Perle one name like Anne Marie?

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  4. Good Morning, Argyle and friends. I thought today's puzzles had a Louisiana theme with so many reference to the State. Of course there was the CAJUN fare, but other Louisiana references include:

    DAIQUIRI because you can find drive-through daiquiri shops in Louisiana.

    Former Governor Kathleen Blanco was known as the QUEEN Bee. She was often seen wearing a Queen Bee pin.

    Current Governor adopted the name Bobby from watching Bobby BRADY on The BRADY Bunch.

    NeatNIK and BeatNIK are polar opposites in the neatness arena.

    Glad to hear you made it through the storm unscathed, Barry. I hope we hear from others in the Sandy Area.

    Congratulations, Zayde Lemonade! Charlotte Perle is a beautiful name. I know you'll share photos soon.

    QOD: Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. ~ John Adams (October 30, 1735 ~ July 4, 1826).

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  5. Good morning. Hope all of our right coasters made it through OK and are warm and "lit" this morning.

    This was a pretty easy outing, but as Barry mentioned MXIV didn't immediately appear -- especially the "V".

    I didn't see the theme until I'd already finished the puzzle, but it wasn't necessary.

    Congrats, Lemonade.

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  6. Good morning folks,

    Surprisingly we made through without loss of power or serious damage. Tree limbs and assorted debris to clean up is about it here. Had a couple of blips, but nothing else. The CT shoreline got hammered really bad due to the high tides. All state roads are closed and will likely reopen this AM. But you have to really feel for the citizens in NYC & LI. What a mess.

    Todays puzzle was a fair Tuesday offering. My only hang up was the C in 59A & 55D. I was undecided between the C & a B. A flip of the coin gave me the C.

    Unless my "audit" is skewed, I think Kevin gave us a panagram.

    Now, let the clean up begin.


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  7. Thank you Kevin Christian for a nice, easy and wonderful puzzle - and Argyle for a sparkling commentary. Loved your 'bunny hop', .... I'm feeling upbeat already.

    I was momentarily flummoxed at Cyrano - I kept thinking of his long nose.
    By the time I got the theme, I had already filled in all the C grades.

    We lost power in Cleveland suburbs, for a short time, last night, ... have to reset all the clocks. Five years ago, I bought 2 dozen, hand held, dynamo- hand-cranked Chinese LED flashlights at a buck apiece. They were rejected by Sharper Image, because of some malfunctions. Last night, we pulled out a half dozen and played with them all night - until we fell asleep. Flea markets and pack ratting have their advantages....

    The stock market was closed, the politicking was off, the Congress took a break - why I do declare, our GNP actually went up in a uptick !!



    ALT QOD:- You're a winner. The tests of life are not meant to break you, but to make you. ~ Norman Vincent Peale.

    Have a good week, you all, and best wishes.

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  8. Loved the sports clues. SOLID puzzle. Thanks Mister Christian and Mr Argyle.

    17A SEABISCUIT. Because Secretariat (starring Diane Lane) didn't fit.

    31A was not DRIVE for clue Tee off. 37A, if she senses I'm not getting her point, DW will RE37A and RE37A and RE37A. I dare not use that three letter word. 40A I wanted ATT. 56A could have been clued NE QB TOM. 13D clue could have been AFC and NFC North... And 22A could be clued Dodgers ex 2nd bagger Davey _____

    Whatever 4D means...

    Best wishes to all of those affected by the storm.

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  9. Good morning everybody. Congrats Lemonade - we could use some good news around here.

    No C Level puzzle today. Some great words, including ITERATE, ASTOUND, and WAX POETICA.

    Stay safe!

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  10. Good Tuesday puzzle.

    "QOD: Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. ~ John Adams (October 30, 1735 ~ July 4, 1826)."

    ALT QOD 2: "We all know that people are the same wherever you go." From McCartney & Wonder's "Ebony & Ivory."

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  11. Amazingly no missteps for me today. I hesitated before wagging TORRE/OCAT, neither of which have ever crossed my path. That was my last fill.

    Congrats to Grampa Lemonade! We await our first January 15th.

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  12. Good morning everyone.

    Congrats to Lemonade and belated HBDY to Dodo.

    Didn't suss the theme, but got everything OK. LT YR seemed about right for the distance mentioned in the clue. Favorite fill was WAX POETIC. I guess REITERATE would be a higher degree of stress than ITERATE. TORRE was a CATCHER, too. Easy but bright puzzle.

    No storm issues here. Hope those in the highly affected areas are all safe.

    .

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  13. A nice puzzle from sea to shining si.

    Musings
    -SEA BISCUIT harkens back to when horse racing and boxing were big in America
    -C STUDENT – “right in that meaty part of the curve!” – George Costanza
    -His treat, so Romey OWED what Julie et
    -Who won the super bowl in MXIV?
    -The QUEEN bee runs our establishment here!
    -STAY
    -Joe TORRE was a true gentleman of the game, even in the Bronx Zoo
    -AXE is now heard as a verb as in, “I wanna AXE you a question.”
    -I always told my 8th graders that the light from Sirius that we see tonight left there when they were in Kindergarten, as it is 8 LT YRS away
    -Stop watch TIMES at track meets are always about .14 sec faster due to human reaction time
    -I am not going to tell the “hickory, DAIQUIRI, doc” pun!
    -We now have 3 TAT parlors in our little burg of 25,000. We’re so proud!
    -Mt. St. Helens and Harry Truman
    -TYPOs were a much bigger deal CIRCA 1964 with correction tape and whiteout
    -Song with fast HEART BEAT chorus
    -Congrats, Lemon! I don’t know what number grandchild this is for you, but they are the best!!

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  14. Hello Puzzlers -

    Well, the power is back on, branches are everywhere, but the roads are passable. Most important, the coffee shop is open!

    Still no life at Cruciverb. Did the puzzle elsewhere, an easy lope.

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  15. Fun romp on the puzzle. Not too easy, not too hard. Didn't even think to look for the theme, so that appeared when I got here.

    Glad to hear that those who have checked in weren't badly affected by the storm. Hope those that haven't aren't too long without power.

    Congrats Lemon. What a time to arrive!

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  16. Good morning Argyle, C.C. et al.

    I was wondering if you would be able to do the write-up today, but I see that you were able to get 'er done. Thanks for the blast from the past with all the music links today. Fun puzzle, with nary a nose wrinkler to be found. But I never looked for the theme, so thanks for "spelling" it out for me!

    We lost our internet, cable and phones last night, so I guess that's the disadvantage of bundling. But we never lost power, so we were among the lucky ones. I hope those less fortunate are able to get back to normal quicker than the last time, but it looks like the power companies were well-prepared with extra crews. We'll see.

    Congratulations Grampa Lemonade! Charlotte Perle is a beautiful name - I can't wait to see pictures!

    JD, lovely pictures of Cinque Terra. I was so happy to hear that they have recovered after those devastating mudslides. I hiked along the trail that runs between the towns when I was living in Italy. It is one of my favorite places ever, and seeing the pictures reminds me how much I would like to go back there.

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  17. Nice puzzle, but got a bit stumped in the SW corner. Correctly had GOES CRAZY but wanted LAZY instead of LAZE. TORRE and O' CAT and LT. YR. were new ones to me and so were no help as perps to one another! Oh well.

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  18. Hi all, tricky puzzle, never got the theme until Argyle enlightened me. Thank you too Argyle for 4D and 48A...never would have known those.

    I have never heard of ACAI or OCAT so that area suffered, but overall I had fun.

    26D (Mt.St.) was a gimmie. We live @60 miles south of that old rumbler. Took a trip up to it 2 years ago, quite a spectacular sight.

    Barry, I'm with you on 19A...I dislike Roman numerals too.

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  19. Sea Biscuit was a great movie. Made me go out and buy the book.

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  20. Good morning, folks. Thank you, Kevin Christian, for answer puzzle. Thank you, Atgyle, for the great review.

    Well, I tried Cruciverb and no cigar. So, I waited for the newspaper. No problem. Someone on the east coast must do the Cruciverb site. They probably have other things on their minds.

    Got started easily inn the NW. Had to pause for some perps in the NE.

    I guess will I have tomwatch that movie SEABISQUIT. It must be good.

    ERIE for 12D was easy, as always. That gave me the perp I needed for the NE.

    I had to wag the ACAI for 59A. Since I did not know O CAT. It worked.

    Wanted BUNKER for the 56A, but it would not fit. Settled for BRADY, which I never watched.

    Liked WAX POETIC. That was very good. You don't see those often.

    Congrats to grandfather Lemonade. From the other comments I figured out what occured. Have fun.

    Off to go car shopping with my daughter today. You may recall, hers was stolen in Milwaukee on the 13th, and then totaled.

    See you tomorrow.

    Abejo

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  21. Just to let you know. Sea biscuit did not win best picture at the oscars. It did win a British award and golden globe best picture (drama) if you count those awards as legit. Aren't these stump the chump questions better at the end of the week? The Lord of the rings won the Oscar!

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  22. Forgot to mention in my first pass - Thank you Argyle for services beyond the call of duty, for blogging in such desperate circumstances. You were sort of our lifeline out there.

    Congratulations, Lemonade, welcome, Grandpa, to the big leagues. Start stocking up on toys and baby furniture.

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  23. Hi Y'all, Fun puzzle! Fun links & comments, Argyle!

    Natick since I didn't know TORRE, ACAI, or OCAT. WAG was "ab". Wrong!

    The Bunny Hop was a school favorite when I was in high school. We'd have a conga line of dancers in white bucks, saddle shoes and penny loafers all around the gym.

    I bought a banjo once and it made me FRET because the chords are different than a guitar. I was
    messing up on the guitar so I quit the banjo.

    Hahtoolah, I always thought Bobby seemed like a strange name for your governor to have been given at birth. He doesn't look like a "Bobby".

    Glad you Easterners who reported in are all right. Wonder how Splynter fared on Long Island and how Yellowrocks is? Wish those weather reporters would get out of the surf during those storms. I'm waiting for one to get swept away during a live broadcast.

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  24. Good day to all! Thank you, Argyle, for hanging in there in the midst of a terrible storm.

    Fun puzzle today, thanks, Kevin Christian. I sashayed quickly and finished the entire west side before one cup of coffee.

    ACAI is a current fad so easily filled that.

    WEES about some really good fill. I liked WAX POETIC, DAIQUIRI (like to drink them, too) SI SENORA.

    HARUM scarum is fun on the day before Halloween.

    I'm very glad some of you weathered the storm safely and with minimum damage. I hope we hear from others soon.

    Have a great Tuesday, everyone!

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  25. Good morning to all and hoping everyone in sandys wake is ok. Fun puzzle and thanks to Argyle for your write up. I thought this one should have traded days with yesterday's .
    Congrats Lemonade what a beautiful name and best wishes to your family and the new addition.
    Have a great day to all RJW.

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  26. Good to hear that most of our East Coast friends are ok and able to enjoy this great puzzle and commentary.

    Mt. St. Helens erupted as we were on our way home from our west coast honeymoon. Our little pickup was covered in fine ash when we got home.

    Did many a bunny hop at wedding dances as a kid! That and the butterfly.

    I've never heard of ocat. or o'cat. Some great words here today: WAX POETIC, WACS, AGUE, HARUM, CIRCA. We've seen Ogden NASH quite a bit recently, haven't we? We can never get too much of his poetry, IMHO.

    Congrats to Lemonade on little Charlotte. Such a regal name, although the one I went to school with went by the nickname of Chuck!

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  27. Glad to hear Barry G. made it through a storm that came ashore a mere 340 miles from his home.

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  28. Hello all, The cycle of life continues as Charlotte joined this world at 9:12 PM yesterday midst howling winds and rain, a beautiful tiny dark haired girl; 6 pounds 5 ounces. Baby and parents are all doing well, if not sleeping much. I am not sure if it was even harder to not be there than the birth of my first. Anyway, thank you all for the wishes.

    I confess have not looked at the puzzle, but maybe soon.

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  29. Hahtool et al,
    I just put 2 pictures of Charlotte Perle on the blog main page. Man, she's so pretty! Lemonade said she's "6 pounds, 5 ounces 19 3/4 inch little dark haired bundle of joy",

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  30. Aargh! Undone on a Tuesday by a single letter: the C in ACAI AND OCAT. Never heard of either one and guessed B instead. Should have figured with a C theme, it was most likely a C. But still had fun with the puzzle, so thanks, Kevin. And you too, Argyle.

    Congratulations, Grandpa Lemonade!

    And so glad to hear from so many of you that last night wasn't as bad as feared. My dad and brother in PA were okay too the last time I checked, as well as other relatives including my ex-husband and family on the Chesapeake Bay.

    So here's to continued safety for everyone, and a great Tuesday!

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  31. Themk you, Lemon, for sharing pictures of your beautiful granddaughter and her parents. What a joy! There will be stories to tell about the day she was born,eh?

    I like the name, too. Charlotte Perle sounds regal.

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  32. If you want to look back in history, we did have O'CAT before in a Dan Naddor. 58 down I think

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  33. Yes Lucina, the barometric pressure drop coincided with the baby drop; we just wonder if her personality will be as volatile as Sandy. They all three look pretty sweet to me.

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  34. Good afternoon:

    This was a nice, easy romp with some great fill, such as wax poetic and daiquiri. The theme came early on and everything just fell into place smoothly. Thanks, Kevin, and thanks, Argyle, for your expo.

    We were very lucky to have had nothing more than some heavy rains and gusty winds, but no damage or loss of power, at least in my local area. Downstate is a different story, however, so thoughts and prayers go to those hit so hard.

    Cruciverb is still not working and that happened before the storm hit. I am so used to doing the puzzle on line that it's hard to go back to pen and paper.

    Beautiful baby and name, Lemonade. Congrats, again. And thanks, JD, for sharing those lovely pictures.

    Happy Tuesday.

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  35. Irish Miss,

    You might want to bookmark this page:

    Tribune Puzzles / Games

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  36. Hello everybody. Congratulations, Lemonade. Glad the power outages for most of you were less severe than they could have been. Good to be prepared, though.

    When I got SEABISCUIT and CHINA SEAS I did a double take, wondering if the appearance of "SEA" twice was deliberate or not. I began looking for a nautical theme. I agree that there was some ASTOUNDing fill today. I especially liked WAX POETIC and DAIQUIRI.

    Didn't like the SW corner so much. It almost seemed that the constructor had painted himself into a corner and was forced to use LT YR and OCAT. It was pure luck that I wrote O at the cross of TORRE and OCAT.

    I sorta recall that it was SPOT who did most of the running in the Dick and Jane stories, not JANE, but it was cute anyway and gives us a J.

    I always mispronounce RENE's last name as Aubernojois.

    Best wishes to you all.

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  37. http://www.annarbor.com/entertainment/comics-advice/

    This site has the LA Times crossword puzzle that prints off very well on one sheet of paper. Do not know what time they publish, never got up that early.
    Old Sage in Virginia Beach

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  38. TTP @ 12:15 - Thanks, but I can't get the puzzle from that site on my iPad; that's why I use Cruciverb. (When it's working!)

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  39. Good afternoon everyone.

    Belated happy birthday, Dodo. Hope it was memorable.

    What a beautiful baby, Lemonade. Nice looking parents too. Do they live near you?

    Puzzle was fun and just different enough to keep my attention. I wanted Spot, not JANE.

    My son and his family in NY have come through fine. He has been able to email me all along. His wife, an RN in Mt Sinai Hosp. is in the baby unit which is where the babies were taken when the hosp. didn't have power.

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  40. I'm not sure, but I think the reason you can't get the "usual" crossword on such sites as the Chicago Tribune, etc. on your iPad is because the puzzles are in Adobe Flash format and require Flash to be installed on your computer. The iPad, in fact all Apple products, do not have nor allow any Adobe products to be installed on them. That's why Apple created their own PDF viewer, also, because they don't allow the use of Acrobat Reader. When the iPad gets a Flash equivalent utility, you will then probably be able to enjoy Flash videos and puzzles. I think most videos on Youtube are in Flash format, too, which is why Apple provides it's own proprietary Youtube viewer, too.

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  41. Inaccuracy alert!!!

    SEABISCUIT did not win Best Picture, it was only nominated. Lord of the Rings: The Return of The King won.

    I'm shocked this is going right over everyone's heads.

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  42. Good morning Argyle, C.C. and all storm survivors,

    Good news for many of you. Hope everyone else from the Corner fared as well.

    Congrats Grampa Lemon..such a lovely bundle of joy.

    Everyone seemed to love wax poetic which meant I was alone in the dark- even wagged that a, and later looked up the meaning.

    acai- everyone and their bartenders are selling the "powerful healing juice", acai.This fad reminds me of those westerns where they sold tonic from a wagon.Not only did our roofer try to sell us a bottle, so did the guy who replaced our blinds, and yes... a bartender.

    This went much smoother than yesterday. Did have to perp Torre and one o' cat, both unknowns.

    Thanks for all the feedback on my photos.Not hard to get good pictures with all there was to see.

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  43. JD, had to laugh at your comment on the ACAI, I guess I've been under a rock, but I had never heard of this latest scam. Geez, I wish I had the 'brass' to think up this stuff, I'd be worth a lot more than I am now :)

    I thought it was all about Hydroxycut (sp) or Amberin....some people obviously will believe anything and happily part with their money. There is an old adage about "a fool and his money" soon being parted.

    Cute baby (and Mom and Dad) Lemonade! Glad everyone is safe.

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  44. I enjoyed the puzzle and the comments. WEES. I hope everybody is safe, including those we haven't heard from yet.

    I don't know that I'd call Acai berry juice a scam. It is probably healthy stuff. But the scam comes in the way it is marketed. It is often sold by folks who are part of a pyramid scheme. They can only make decent money, not by selling juice, but by getting other people to work under them as salespeople. The first time I ever experienced that was when two parents told me, in a parent conference, that their job was to help other people make money. When I inquired further, they insisted upon setting up another appointment. They both came in and gave me a pitch for Amway or something similar. I should have known better. I told them no thank you as quickly as I could.

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  45. I write a puzzle column for the local newspaper. Lately, I've been getting handwritten responses from a fellow. My wife suggested I get in touch with him. He doesn't have e-mail so I wrote him a letter and send him my phone number. He called back. We are heading out for lunch in a few minutes. I met a few other folks who responded to my column and I've enjoyed getting to know each of them. I hope today's lunch goes equally well. If you don't see any posts for me in the next couple of days, then...

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  46. Nick, here's another shock. Anon caught the mistake at 9:38. Nobody cared then either.

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  47. The Acai berry juice is marketed primarily by the MonaVie Co. and their minions, and is a multi-level marketing scheme - using and abusing the name of several celebrities like Oprah, Martha Stewart etc.

    A bottle of Acai berry blend tonic sells for about $ 40, depending on what 'level' of the marketing pyramid you are haplessly involved in.

    Among the claims made are ;

    1. Increased virility and sexuality - (male ? ofcourse - who cares about the other sex - )
    2. Fantastic weight loss 'possibilities'
    3. Complete cure and reversal of diabetes and certain other high level illnesses.
    4. expanding the size of the p----, see No. 1.
    5. Overwhelming ( over-bearing ?) anti-oxidant potency.
    6. (add your own - ).

    For those of you gullible enough to believe all this - please visit our web site, and you MAY make a lot of money. Trade enquiries especially welcome.

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  48. Hi to all. Hope to hear from all those who were in Sandy's path.
    Used to do the Bunny Hop. Thanks for the clip, Argyle, even though that bunch might be a little rhythmically-challenged :D
    No knowledge of O'CAT.
    TTP:@ 7:38. The key of B is notated with 5 sharps. All major scales must be spelled alphabetically. The root starts the scale, then the formula is
    ^whole (step)^whole step^half (step)^ whole^whole^whole^half.
    If I haven't put everyone to sleep yet,B major scale is:
    B C# D# E F# G# A# B.
    But as Argyle said @ 2:39 Nobody cared then either!LOL

    KEY SIGNATURES

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  49. Over the years I've been hit on by too many multi-level marketing promoters to count. Amway, Conklin, Shaklee, etc. I actually did sign up with Shaklee cuz I was on a vitamin kick at the time and wanted to get "distributor" pricing. Never once tried to recruit any other guppy, and got over it in a few months anyway.

    They're all the same. Promises of a hefty income, but nobody ever makes it to that level.

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  50. I'll confess that, after working in the Aerospace and Petroleum industries for a lot of years, I am incapable of thinking of Divisions being "part" of a Department. Departments were always the smaller subset of Divisions.

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  51. C.C., I actually do not know if they plan on calling her by her full name or not; seems like too many letters for such a tiny baba to have to carry. Coincidentally, her initials are CPC and she was born during the storm.

    They currently are in Buffalo, N.Y., in the middle of Sandy, where they each obtained their masters degree and Aaron is on his PhD. I am in South Florida, and my baby son is in Denver now.

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  52. Argyle: Great write-up. LOL @ your response to Nick @2:39.

    Michael H: I agree. I always thought Depts. were part of DIVisions. I guess this went over Nick's head. lol

    Kevin: Enjoyed your "C" theme ... seems appropriate for this C.C. crowd.

    Lemonade: She's a beauty!
    Hope you have as much FUN being a grandfather as Husker.

    Not a ACAI fan ... Pinch gets rid of my antioxidants just fine. LOL
    (And if it doesn't ... at least they have become "PRO"oxidants of Pinch).

    oops, almost forgot ... Thanks Lemon re:O'CAT. I knew I had seen that in an X-Word before.

    Salute to all at Sunset.

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  53. Hola Everyone, First, congrats, Lemonade on your new grand-daughter. She is truly beautiful.

    Now to the puzzle. The NE corner was a bear. I couldn't decide which year to enter II, IX, or IV. V filled in with Divs, so that was taken care of.

    But according to my Crossword dictionary the 2003 Best picture was The Lord of the Rings/The Return of the King. Seabuscuit emerged with the perps, and in my memory as a great picture. Even Googling didn't name it as winning Best Picture. It was nominated, but didn't win. Am I wrong?

    O'cat was a new game to me. I'm sure I've heard it before, but it wasn't in my little grey cells this morning.

    I haven't been able to read all of the blog, yet, but will get to that after my dentist appt.

    Be safe everyone in the path of Sandy.

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  54. LM714: Grandchildren are another chance to get it right, so spoil her unmercifully! With the "jungle out there," if Dad and Grandpa show her how she is supposed to be treated, jerks won`t have a chance!

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  55. Great looking baby girl, Lemon!

    I've been wondering today if Dennis has any former friends or neighbors affected by the storm. Has anyone heard from him? It really looks devastating in NJ.

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  56. Laughing my derriere off about the Seabiscuit comments :)

    Glad everyone in the proximity of Sandy seems to be relatively unscathed.

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  57. Congratulations on the beautiful little baby girl, Lemonade! May she have a blessed, long and joyous life.

    Argyle thanks for the write up. I was slow getting started on this one but once I woke up my brain it went down smoothly. I also filled in OCAT last. That was a new term for me.

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  58. Abejo 9:32 - it never occurred to me that Cruciverb might be run by somebody on the East coast. I just kinda guessed it was from California. I'll see if I can find out.

    Along with Irish Miss and others, I look forward to having Cruciverb back up and updated.

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  59. Kazie, Dennis is in Fla. I think he is ok, just unpacking from the move.
    I'm very sure he is thankful he moved out on NJ :)

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  60. pas de chat @3:10, Thanks for trying; I appreciate it. I read what you wrote, then read it again, and again. Then I linked to the Key Signatures link and studied the Circles of Fifths, read the explanation, and then all of that commentary. Then I studied it and reread it again.

    I think I now understand that I have no understanding of what I read. I'm illiterate. Not only that I can't play or read it... Did I mention that the choir teacher asked me to just mouth the words ?

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  61. Lemonade: Your new granddaughter is beautiful! (as are her parents)

    On a sad note, I just learned that a good friend of mine died suddenly of a heart attack. She was only in her early 50s and we spoke just a few days ago.

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  62. Solo we couldn't hear him singing.

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  63. TTP... still chuckling.... I just didn't want you to feel alone... :) my music teacher also came around and tapped me on the shoulder and told me not to sing... :) :) I haven't since...

    Nice puzzle - nice write up - beautiful baby and blessings to all...

    T

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  64. TTP @ 5:38 ROTFLMAO!
    Thanks for checking out the key signatures.
    If you think you're illiterate, check this out. I got to wondering what fermat prime meant, so I googled. Same exact result as you. Read it again and again and remembered why after Algebra 2 I just did not GET it.
    And they say music and mathematics are akin. Well, not in MY case.
    If you understand this, you're a better man than I am Gunga Din.
    or whatever.
    fermat prime
    Lemonade, Thank heaven for leetle girls. What a cutie!

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  65. pas de chat .. you are a hoot! So is TTP, I love your humor. I am envious, I can't understand music but I'm worse at math, what does that make me???? Oooooh,don't answer. I had to look up Fermat Prime too (a few years ago). I do have an artistic bent, I can draw, carve, paint but nothing to put in a gallery.

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  66. Could some one please explain why it is ok to have 2 sea(s) in the answer grid? Or maybe like seabiscuit no one cares?

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  67. You answered it; Seabicuit is one word.

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  68. pas de chat @ 6:38, I think I am going to have to be Gunga Din and take the bullet on that one. I have no clue on fermat prime, or the significance or practical application of it for that matter.

    aka thelma @ 6:22, I am glad I am not the only one. Actually, like Marissa Miller in those Buick commercials, "I can relate." In my case, better to the first day rejects on "American Idol."

    Carol @ 7:21, When Husker Gary linked Stay, it made me think of Jackson Browne and Stay which led me to another favorite The Pretender, and his line "I'm gonna be a happy idiot..."

    I hate to go long, but I have to explain it. When taking a new staff position 20 some years ago, the regional VP told me - upon my introduction to him - "Middle of the pack is not acceptable." That was the extent of the conversation. I walked away thinking "But that's my strong suit..." My motto ? Enjoy what matters to you.

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  69. Greetings!

    Fun puzzle and expo, Kevin and Argyle. Less time than yesterday. Learned One O'CAT through puzzles a long time ago.

    Am worried about YellowRocks.

    NOT true about Apple, Jayce. All of my computers have had several Adobe products. Have been using Illustrator since first incarnation (Illus. '88). You are thinking of peripherals only, significant impact beginning with iPad 1.

    Swimming girlfriend unable to leave Pittsburgh and return home. Planes grounded by 40 mph winds.

    Cheers!

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  70. I'm back from lunch. Ben was an interesting fellow. He and his girl friend live (kind of) off the grid. He doesn't have a computer or a cell phone. No cable TV. They still use an antenna. He was interesting and pleasant to talk to. I had the traditional Greek soup with chicken, rice and lemon, a Greek salad and Veal Piccata. I brought home some for Barbara.

    I'm beginning to think some people post before reading other posts.

    Steve Harvey was on the Ellen show and describing his experience with a family on Family Feud. The question was; name a word or phrase that starts with Pork. This one young man thought and enthusiastically answered...

    ... you pine.

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  71. We haven't heard from Yellowrocks or CEDave. Hope it is only a power outage issue.

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  72. TTP: am I to take from that (those) link(s) that I'm a "happy idiot"? ...don't understand.

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  73. Bill: You're just beginning to think that? (LOL)

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  74. Hi, this is Kevin, constructor of today's puzzle. Glad you all seemed to like it. Best of luck to those of you on the east coast who are dealing with the storm. Take care!

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  75. Hi Kevin,
    I think we all liked your x-word....Hands up?
    Thanks for making an entrance. I think it's cool when constructors make a cameo.
    You're a better man....
    Oh never mind.
    Congrats on a published puzzle. It was enjoyable.
    Ditto TTP@ 8:37
    "Enjoy what matters to you"

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  76. Carol @ 9:05, Did I mention that my aptitude tests all said I'd be better with "things" than with "people."

    Heavens no. I was just trying to relate that I long ago decided that there are going to be many subjects in my life that I am not going to understand, nor take the time to learn. Certain aspects of math and music among them, so I will remain a "happy idiot."

    Didn't intend to insult, but I see now how I could have conveyed that. My apologies.

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  77. TTP: Hey,no problem, thanks for the explanation. I learned that 'lesson' too and I don't mind that I cannot understand certain subjects. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, all of us are 'dumb' in spots as I like to say, but we all have our smart spots too.(just not in math and music for me :))

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  78. Good evening, gang -- just a quick check-in, as we've spent the past several days moving stuff from the condo to the new home. Last day here is tomorrow.

    Kaz, yes, I've been in frequent touch with several of my NJ buddies, and our area took some serious damage, but no flooding of the lakes, which was a big concern.

    Carol, you're right, no regrets about moving, although I hated missing a big blow like that.

    I've only skimmed the blog the past couple days, so I hope everyone's safe, happy and doing well.

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  79. Sallie: I was watching the east coast storm news this evening. They showed a blonde nurse holding a preemie baby they were evacuating while she worked a ventilator bag with one hand with great concentration. I wondered if that was your daughter-in-law?

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  80. Dennis! I just knew you would be out in your front yard with your 'front yard' checking the wind. Darn the storm passing by without any updrafts for you.

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  81. Carol,
    Thanks for answering, but I was just wondering if his friends were OK.

    Dennis,
    Thanks too, and I'm glad nobody you know was badly affected. I imagine you'd have been out helping as many as you could get to in a situation like that. Just wait for the next hurricane to hit in FL though. They are sure to be coming more frequently now.

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  82. Yahoo! I just checked Cruciverb and it's up to date!

    The world is (mostly) all right again. :-)

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  83. Dennis, I'm sure there will be more blows in your future.Do you have a porch?

    Bill, LMAO

    Hand up for me, Kevin.

    TTP and Carol, I'd love to join your happy idiot camp.I pondered heavily for about 3 seconds over the meaning of fermat prime with no success.Not making the honor roll this quarter.

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  84. Kaz, no doubt you're right about future storms.

    JD, no porch; why?

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  85. Ya know, I'll bet that if he had foreseen the "anonymous" effect, Al Gore would have thought twice about inventing the Internet.
    Paging Yellowrocks and CEDave, and hope we don't have to wait till Saturday to hear from Splynter.

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  86. Too soon?....sorry.

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  87. After enjoying baseball all of my life, (Well, following the Washington Senators as a kid growing up in Virginia might not be considering enjoying), I realize I don't really know how the honor of a Golden Glove is awarded. Who decides? What is it based on?

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