google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, August 11, 2014 Kevin Christian and Andrea Carla Michaels

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Aug 11, 2014

Monday, August 11, 2014 Kevin Christian and Andrea Carla Michaels

Theme: How are you? - “Everyone Is a House with Four Rooms, a Physical, a Mental, an Emotional, and a Spiritual.” Indian proverb

17A. What regular exercise helps maintain : PHYSICAL FITNESS

27A. Mindreader's claim : MENTAL TELEPATHY

44A. 1980 Rolling Stones hit : "EMOTIONAL RESCUE"

56A. Priest or lama, e.g. : SPIRITUAL LEADER

Argyle here, in the room with padded walls. Thank goodness Google was here to give me the theme. All four themes were grid spanners, too. The fill didn't suffer either. Our constructors should show some 38-Across for this offering.

Across:

1. Jiggly see-through dish : ASPIC

6. Character deficiency : FLAW

10. Cutting remark : BARB

14. Formal "will" : SHALL

15. 1970 Kinks hit : LOLA. Live(4:31)

16. Matty or Felipe of baseball : ALOU. Our usual baseball family.

20. Run __ of the law : A FOUL

21. Like very cheap merchandise : TRASHY

22. Part of CBS: Abbr. : SYStem

25. "__ voyage!" : BON

26. Solo who loved Leia : HAN

34. Delta rival, as it was formerly known : USAIR. US Airways now.

35. TiVo predecessors : VCRs

36. Actor Stephen : REA

37. Cocktail hour bowlfuls : DIPS

38. __ and joy : PRIDE. Often found in little bundles.

40. Corridor : HALL

41. Gun for a gangster : GAT

42. Completely closed : SHUT

43. Language of India : HINDI

48. Quaint lodging : INN

49. Author Fleming : IAN

50. Mini-albums, for short : EPs. An extended play (EP) is a musical recording that contains more music than a single, but is usually too short to qualify as a full studio album or LP.

51. Bob Marley's music : REGGAE

54. Signs on for another stint : RE-UPs

61. Start of Caesar's boast : VENI. "Veni, vidi, vici" ("I came, I saw, I conquered")

62. Jason's ship : ARGO

63. Religious belief : CREED

64. Black-eyed veggies : PEAs

65. Eat, as ribs : GNAW

66. "The Metamorphosis" writer Franz : KAFKA

Down:

1. Egyptian slitherer : ASP

2. "Pipe down!" : "SHH!"

3. Foot the bill : PAY

4. "Casablanca" heroine : ILSA

5. Energy-boosting organic snack brand : CLIF BAR


6. Show off shamelessly : FLAUNT

7. Lounge about : LOLL

8. Furry TV E.T. : ALF. (Alien Life Form)

9. "Sit tight while I get help" : "WAIT HERE"

10. Fruit often sliced onto cereal : BANANA

11. Tavern orders : ALEs

12. __ Hashanah : ROSH

13. Like bees or beavers : BUSY

18. Chilly : COOL

19. Snares : TRAPS

22. Mark from an old eraser : SMUDGE

23. "No, you're not" retort : "YES, I AM"

24. Stand at attention : SNAP TO

28. "__ the season to be jolly ..." : 'TIS

29. Musical set in Argentina : EVITA

30. HDTV feature : LCD. (liquid crystal display)

31. Hypnotic state : TRANCE

32. Delayed : HELD UP

33. New Haven Ivy Leaguers : YALIES

38. Series of voice mail messages, say : PHONE TAG

39. Beat a retreat : RUN

40. Old what's-__-name : HIS

42. Mount for Moses : SINAI

43. Nag, nag, nag : HENPECK

45. Baghdad's river : TIGRIS

46. Hide out : LIE LOW

47. __ Julia of "The Addams Family" : RAUL


51. "Let me know," on invitations : RSVP

52. Fencing sword : EPEE

53. Actress Gershon : GINA


54. Music from India : RAGA

55. "Nobody doesn't like __ Lee" : SARA

57. Coffee hour server : URN

58. Phone letters on the "3" button : DEF

59. Cartoon scream : "EEK!"

60. No. formerly on vitamin labels : RDA. (Recommended Daily Allowance)

I left out a lot of musical options; feel free to link your favorites. I'll be in the music room.


Argyle

Note from C.C.:

For those who missed the Andrea Carla Michaels interview I linked last time, here it is again.

75 comments:

  1. Hello Puzzlers -

    This was about as easy as it gets, but you gotta be impressed with four grid spanning theme answers!

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  2. Another fine Monday that did not start well as JELL O seemed so easy, but then I saw I was making an asp of myself. The gridspanners did not all jump to mind but the peeps were all fair.

    CLIF BAR took some work and seeing REGGAE and RAGA in the puzzle was interesting.

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  3. Morning, all!

    Delightful puzzle today. Mostly smooth sailing for a Monday, but I did hit a few bumps (waves?) along the way. Hand up for JELLO before ASPIC. Wasn't familiar with CLIF BAR. Couldn't think of SNAP TO for awhile. And Wasn't sure about GNAW without there being an "on" in the clue. Does anybody actually GNAW ribs instead of GNAWing on them? All very minor nits, however.

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  4. Marti,
    I goofed. In a hurry to leave the house. Also, I got a dozen fresh corn for $5 yesterday. The stand was a few minutes away from the farmer's corn field.

    Gary,
    Your mother-in-law sure scores high in all four aspects of today's puzzle. I can't believe she mows her own lawn at 92!

    Blue Iris,
    Are you using raw seeds/nuts for the Bird Seed Salad? I fiddled with your recipe a few times last week, my best result is with toasted seeds/nuts. I also sprinkled in some raisins. Delicious!

    Anon-T,
    I thought of your recent trip to New Orleans with your family.

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  5. Good morning!

    I did not find this to be an easy Monday. Not difficult, but several answers were slow to appear. Maybe my mind is still muddled from sleep.

    I distinctly disremember hearing of a CLIFBAR. And I realized I didn't know how to spell REGGAE -- had to do an alphabet run to get that first G.

    Maybe after I walk three miles things will be clearer.

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  6. It interesting to see Andrea so soon after Johanna Fenimore as they also have collaborated. She also was raised in Minnesota so she is part of C.C.'s circle. I don't believe we have had ACM since last November

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  7. Lots of fun for me today thanks!

    I keep waiting for "han" to be clued as "ella" often is, third person singular in a foreign language. It's "he" in Swedish. Maybe the origin of Han Solo's name. We are after all the inspiration for the Borg despite remarks to the contrary in First Contact. ("Definitely not Swedish.")

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  8. WEES for jello before aspic. Our house is full of runners, and Clif bars are always stocked up in the pantry for longer run days and meets. Reggae and Raga were fun clechos. In the medical field we are encouraged to think of our patients in all aspects so the theme was easy after the first one.
    Thanks, Argyle for the write-up

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  9. Hi gang -

    Fine Monday offering. Impressive grid spanners.

    JELLO, of course. Also lots of hunting, pecking, and perp help.

    Not an easy one today, but a satisfying start to the week.

    Cool regards!
    JzB

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  10. Good morning all. Thank you LEADER Argyle.

    Never heard of the Indian proverb. I was satisfied with "Compound words."

    Good Monday puzzle and a couple of good traps. I fell for jello, and LPs.

    EMOTIONAL RESCUE was also the album name. The prior album was "Some Girls." I have it. Those are LPs.

    Speaking of trashy... ah, play that steel guitar...

    AFOUL is a good A word.

    We like CLIF BARS.

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  11. Good morning everybody,

    Put me in the JELLO vs. ASPIC camp. It didn't take long to figure out there is no J in ASP.

    Everything else filled in nicely.

    Have a great day!

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  12. This was certainly interesting. The long fill coupled with relative ease allowed by the perps made for a pleasant Monday solve.

    Stayed out of the Jello trap by checking crosses. but did have two erasures changing cold to cool and ran to run. Did not know Clif Bar, and that shall might actually be shalt, but held off and opted for the L.

    Nice day here today. Predicted high of 80. And we got 1.18" of rain over the weekend on two shots! First decent rain in 6 weeks.

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  13. Ready for the first "groan" of the week?? And it seems to be the theme of WEES . . .

    Monday's crossword began with a tic,
    I used Jello instead of ASPIC!
    But I found my mistake,
    From the clue: "Cairo's snake";
    AND, it gave me today's limerick!!

    OK, OK . . . on to my "puzzling thoughts":

    This was a tougher Monday puzzle than most and I enjoyed it. Well done, Kevin and Andrea. In particular, I liked the down clues (22D SMUDGE - great word; 38D - PHONETAG - can't recall seeing that clue/solve before; 43D - HENPECK - part of the reason why so many of us guys have "selected hearing"!!; and 55D - SARA LEE 1:00)

    What Dudley said, the four grid-spanning theme answers made this puzzle. Lots of great clues and solves without having to cheat.

    Have a great week, all.

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  14. Good Morning:

    A great start to the week, with a tiny touch of chewiness. Only write-over was canon/creed which corrected itself quickly.

    Kudos to Kevin and Andrea and thanks to Argyle for enlightening us.

    Is Rory the new Tiger? Time will tell, I guess.

    Have a great day.

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  15. Good morning!

    Nope, didn't fall for the "J-E-L-L-O" trap. Whenever I see long theme entries going across, I start by solving the down answers first. So it was mostly smooth sailing with only a pause at CLIF BAR, and then SMear before SMUDGE.

    It is interesting that RAGA and REGGAE are totally different types of music. (Thanks for the license to link, Argyle!)

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  16. Greetings, Puzzling Friends.

    No MENTAL TELEPATHY needed for this fine puzzle. It filled nicely though I flirted with Jello but ASP required ASPIC.

    I've never heard of CLIFBAR so perped it all. Everything else was smooth and easy.

    Nice job, Kevin and Carla. You too, Argyle. Thank you all.

    Have a marvelous Monday, everyone!

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  17. Good morning all,

    a very enjoyable Monday offering...filled quickly even though I had more than my share of write overs: jello to aspic/ credo to creed/ smear to smudge, plus a few BAD spelling errors.

    Blue Iris, missed the salad recipe...what day should I go back to?

    Am thankful that the 2 hurricanes weren't as devastating as they could have been. In our area we just worry about fires...so dry.

    Have a wonderful week wherever you are.

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  18. Brilliant Monday puzzle, Kevin and Andrea--many thanks! Loved seeing (and getting) the four grid-spanners, and didn't mind a bit of crunch along the way--never heard of CLIF BAR and worried it was wrong. Nice to see KAFKA in a puzzle. And thanks for your always fun expo, Argyle. Enjoyed your proverb and especially appreciated the explanation for EP.

    Delightful limerick, Moe!

    Have a great week, everybody!

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  19. Good morning. Everything seemed OK to me. I was whelmed by the theme and most of the rest of the puzzle. Still a pleasant crossword experience as always around here. Thanks Kevin, Andrea and Argyle. Hand up for Jello instead of ASPIC. I've only had aspic once or twice years ago. I remember it being jiggly but not see-through. It was more opaque as I vaguely remember.

    TTP, I liked your trashy music. Odd, since I like that kind of music, that I don't remember hearing it before...

    Another repeat from 60 Minutes. What a scumbag that Tony Bosch was/is. Then the GoPro repeat. I would like to own some stock in that company but bought a few months back :>) We do own some Tesla stock.

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  20. Good afternoon everyone.

    Agree with the other comments. No searches needed.

    How would you like to repair this SPIRITUAL LEADER's statue?

    Also, a Brit vacuum ad

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  21. What HeartRx said.
    After getting PHYSICAL and MENTAL and seeing there were 4 theme answers, I guessed the theme was The Four Aspects of Wellness or Health, which helped a lot. I waited on a few crosses for the last one because sometimes the fourth is SOCIAL instead of SPIRITUAL, and sometimes all five are given.
    PHYSICAL
    MENTAL (INTELLECTUAL)
    EMOTIONAL
    SPIRITUAL and/or SOCIAL

    I never heard of CLIFBAR.
    Swenglish MOM, your HAN clue as ELLA would have totally baffled me.

    I agree Reggae and Raga were fun, almost clechos.

    The sentence, "The dog is gnawing a bone," is quite common and is sometimes used with ON and sometimes not. We can gnaw ribs or gnaw on ribs.

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  22. Kevin & Andrea: Thank you for a FUN Monday puzzle.

    Marti: Thanks for the RAGGAE link.
    I'm looking forward to Jamaica Sunsplash in a few weeks.

    The BarBeQue'ers around here do such a good job the meat just falls "right-off-the-bone" ...
    So I don't have to GNAW the ribs.

    VENI, vidi, veggie ... I came, I saw, I had a salad.

    For "Cocktail hour bowlfuls" instead of DIPS ... I really wanted something else. lol

    Hand-up for never heard of CLIF-BAR. A "learning moment" I'll forget by Sunset.
    Cheers!!!

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  23. Greetings!

    Was woken up very early. Will be a mess all day.

    Thanks, Kevin, Carla and Argyle. Nice work!

    Hand up for ASPIC blunder. Got cocky as it is Monday and didn't automatically check downs.

    Cheers!

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  24. What a delightful puzzle! Hand up for jello and ASP metamorphosing it into ASPIC. Like Bill G, I remember aspic as being quite opaque, not see-through. Maybe there is a see-through version also. ASP crossing ASPIC, hmm.

    I have a sneaky feeling that HAN Solo's name came from hand solo, maybe. Maybe I just need to stop being so TRASHY.

    I have had a crush on GINA Gershon ever since I first saw her. I still have it, the crush, that is.

    Ah, good ole character FLAWs.

    I remember being forced to read Kafka's Metamorphosis in a college world lit class. We all had to write a brief essay on the "significance" of the violin music. I didn't care then and I don't care now. Why ruin a perfectly good story by trying to read symbolic significance into everything? Is that what "literature" is all about, psychoanalyzing the author? So, maybe Han Solo is just Han Solo after all.

    Best wishes to you all.

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  25. Spitz, I loved your vacuum ad! All ads should aspire to be so clever.

    Jayce, good point about analyzing literature. I remember, in an American lit class at Cornell, the professor analyzing Huck's raft trip very extensively. I asked the professor if he thought Mark Twain really had all that stuff in mind. He said it didn't matter; the significance was there anyway, whether Twain intended it or not. Hmmm, and I was just enjoying reading about Huck's adventures on the river...

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  26. Fun Monday puzzle. Like many others, I immediately started to fill in JELLO. Agree with Jayce about ASPIC crossing ASP.

    Back to ALOU family today and not the ALOMARS. Also enjoyed seeing REGGAE and REGA. I am not familiar with CLIFBARs here. Wanted SHODDY before TRASHY.

    I thought of this song at 64A

    BlackEyedPeas

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  27. Hello everyone, Kevin here. Thank you all for your kind words. Thanks a million to Andrea collaborating!

    I think this is the 19th puzzle I've had published overall (in the LAT as well as other places), but this is my first collaboration. Andrea was great to work with.

    The theme idea was mine, but Andrea improved upon my original theme entry ideas, and was vigilant about the fill so we could make it Monday worthy.

    I always tell my friends, Monday puzzles are the easiest to solve, but the hardest to make, because the universe of answers you can use is much smaller than for other days of the week. In that sense, Andrea was the fill guru on this puzzle.

    Cheers. - KevinC

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  28. Jayce, how about this ANALYSIS .

    Kevin, thanks for stopping by; how did you end up doing this as a collaboration?

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  29. Lemonade, quite the analysis. Electromagnetic torus, indeed!

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  30. Hello everyone!

    Am I being paranoid, or is it possible that Rich Norris reworked the clue for 43d to read "Nag, nag, nag" to rebuke us for HENPECKing this past Saturday's 1d, as many felt that NAG NAG (for "Enough criticism!") fell one NAG short? I probably just read too much Thomas Pynchon.

    Last musing: I am surprised they have not made a sequel to "My Cousin Vinny" called "My Uncle Veni Vidi Vici." I am not sure if Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, or Sylvester Stallone should play the uncle.

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  31. Spitzboov @ 12:18, that was an incredible video of those workers repairing the statue! After he got out onto the end of the arm, I was just waiting for him to say, “Aw, s**t – I forgot my hammer!”

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  32. Kevin, great idea but all three should play the uncle(s)!

    C.C., it is so cool to see you here on a Monday.

    I thought Han, was just a variation of John.

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  33. Very enjoyable puzzle today. Thank you Kevin Christian and Andrea Carla Michaels. And thank you for an enlightening and entertaining expo, Argyle.
    Like most, my first thought for 1a was "jello", but as is my wont I checked the perps before committing an answer and quickly realized the correct answer was "ASPIC". Not familiar with CLIFBAR, but by the time I got to the downs, I only needed to fill in the "A"

    Anonymous T, regarding you comment late last night that hacking can take weeks to code/execute: I suppose it depends on the hacker. Tim McGee can hack some of the most sophisticated sites on earth in a matter of hours, about as long as it takes Abby get DNA results. I know it's true. I've seen them do it!

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  34. I've been studying up on accommodating IOLs (intraocular lenses) and there is a lot of information. Does anybody here have personal experience with them or know somebody who has?

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  35. Musings
    -A quartet of grid spanners and RAGA on a Monday! Mercy me!
    -No clue on CLIF BAR and SHALL/SHALT made for a Natick corner to start but “got ‘er done”
    -Two legs – ILSA, four legs – ELSA
    -Would a “jiggly see-through” dish seem to be TRASHY?
    -Remember the the bulky, old VCR cameras that didn’t word as well as my current iPhone
    -हैलो is hello in HINDI
    -I couldn’t REUP for the 43rd yr of teaching and now I can LOLL a little
    -The TORCH song I referenced yesterday sung by a fairly good singer
    -I watched a shuttle launch from the banks of the BANANA RIver
    -A hypnotist put our uptight librarian in a TRANCE in front of 1,500 kids and had him to an Elvis imitation. He was as mad as a wet hen afterwards and had the VCR tape destroyed.
    -You are dead-on right about my MIL, C.C.! She’s amazing!

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  36. Lemonade @ 3:03 - Ha, you are absolutely right! It should be "My Uncles Veni, Vidi, Vici." Now I really need to see that movie.

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  37. Jayce @ 1:17, I agree that much analysis of literature is "overthought". (That's a real word.) The analysis often goes far beyond the author's intentions. First and foremost, Mark Twain enjoyed telling a good yarn. He was wry and ironic and we need to look for that. But beyond that, much of the analysis of his work is overwrought.
    In Star Wars, some of the names do have meaning. Han SOLO is the quintessential loner in the beginning of the tale.
    Lemonade @2:45 is Han related to Hans or John ? Looking up baby names, I find that Han in Chinese can mean brave or fierce. That seems to fit. For the German origin of Han, Hahn or rooster is suggested.

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  38. Jayce & Bill G. - I once read an article by Leslie Fiedler called "Come Back to the Raft Ag'in, Huck Honey!" in which Fiedler argues that the homoerotic relationship between Huck and Jim exemplifies a recurrent theme in American literature. And he was actually serious. Though, now that I think about it, Han Solo and Chewbacca seemed to be a little too touchy-feely. So maybe Fiedler was on to something, or maybe he was just overly sensitive that his first name was Leslie... who can tell?

    As for me, being a college instructor who teaches literature and writing, I am simply content if the students actually buy the books, let alone read them.

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  39. Do you like artisan jewelry? I was looking for something made with Lapis Lazuli for a birthday present for Barbara and came across this website.

    Novica.com

    I really like their stuff and so does Barbara. They have all sorts of pretty and unusual stuff including lapis, jade and lots of other semi-precious stones.

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  40. Hi Y'all! Great puzzle! Great expo!

    To add to the conversation, I would like to share a poem I wrote many years ago.

    CRITIQUE

    There are those having little talent of their own
    Who are not content to leave well enough alone
    But must pick each meaty offering to the bone,
    Who without cleverness
    will paint beauty from the scene,
    flatter away compliment, thank away gratitude,
    Apologize away apology, and
    Explain away the music from a poem.

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  41. Hand up for Jello. The only ASPIC I ever had was tomato aspic and it was not clear. Not very tasty, either.

    Did anyone else have NUTS before DIPS? I was thinking of beer nuts on the bar.

    EPs were new to me, but I got CLIF BARS right away, as our son is Cliff and we used to say they were made for him!

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  42. PS Bill G, I also have some Tesla stock. I got it a while ago, and it has done well. Hope it keeps going now.

    Bluehen, I wish real science moved as quickly as it does on NCIS!

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  43. Qli @ 4:40 - Hand up for NUTS. I foolishly thought I could anchor the MW corner on a bunch of peanuts.

    PK @ 4:37 - Love the poem, very well said! I hope you don't mind if I photocopy it and slip it into a few of my colleagues mailboxes... not that they would get the hint: they would probably think it's about how Marxism has been de-reified by postmodern pastiche.

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  44. Lemon, your list of johns is incomplete. I see no LOO there.

    Bill G & Qli, I think it's time to sell. Tesla is near a 52-week high, and the whole market is scary. Of course, it's always scary.

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  45. Kevin@4:05: "I am simply content if the students actually buy the books, let alone read them."

    I'm sorry, but I must come out of my self-imposed exile to say that is the most ridiculous statement from an educator I have ever heard. Why don't you just give up the sheepskin and go work for Amazon!

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  46. PK, I like your poem. Thanks for writing and sharing it.

    A recurring theme in American literature? Of course! So are slavery, religious fanaticism, military might, war, love, family, honor, and dignity. Does listing those (and there are many more) make me a literary erudite?

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  47. Al Cyone @ 5:05 - Oh, I have said some far more ridiculous things than that; though, the statement you pointed out is certainly at the top of the list, insofar that it is very sloppily articulated. I am glad that you spoke up because I definitely don't want to come across as one of those indifferent, cynical, worn-out teachers who "checked out" a long time ago. On the contrary, I love my students dearly and do not look down upon them in the slightest. It took a few years, but I eventually had to learn to let go of my own self-importance and realize that I was not going to "convert" every student into a brilliant reader and writer. I think it was Jean Stafford who said, "Writing cannot be taught, but it can be learned." In this vein, my single most important point I try to convey to my students is that it is up to them; I am there to help, but they must do it for themselves. Unfortunately, we live in an age of entitlement where people expect things to be given to them; after all, we are bombarded daily with thousands of ads telling us that we deserve this product because we are special. So, in a way, if my students buy the books and read them, that makes me happy.

    I could spend a lot more time elaborating to defend myself, but it is much easier to say: Al Cyone, you are right and I stand corrected. Thank you! P.S. I am glad that you got your name back.

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  48. Robin Williams!

    What a gut punch.

    RIP

    :-(((((((

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  49. 14A: SHALL is not the "Formal 'will'," it is merely the future first person of the verb "be."

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  50. One of my favorite Robin Williams acting scenes.

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  51. Use of SHALL:
    "Many speakers do not differentiate between will and shall when expressing futurity, with the use of will being much more common and LESS FORMAL than shall. In many specific contexts, however, a distinction still continues.
    Shall is widely used in bureaucratic documents, especially documents written by lawyers. Due to heavy misuse, its meaning is vague and the US Government's Plain Language group advises writers NOT TO USE THE WORD." Wiki

    The usual ASPIC is a CLEAR jelly typically made of stock and gelatin and used as a glaze or garnish or to make a mold of meat, fish, or vegetables.
    I have made and eaten a spicy tomato aspic which is not clear and is made of tomato juice and gelatin. It tastes like a Virgin Mary. The spices make or break it. It is the only opaque aspic I know of.

    PK, I loved your poem @4:37. How true!
    Everyone, I am happy when you state the time when you reference past comments. I go nuts finding them otherwise. Thanks.

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  52. I had JELLO also. CLIFBAR had me as well. Everything else either perp'ed out or I had it.

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  53. Attention: Tuesday's puzzle has circles. Here is a link to the bare grid. Circles

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  54. Owen KL and Chairman Moe, I really enjoy your limericks, please keep the coming. I am not as gifted as you two at limericks, but in the spirit of CM's recent entry as a "groaner", perhaps I can enter a similar joke:
    A vulture decides to not fly south this year, but take an airline (OK, I know that vultures
    don't migrate. Stick with me for a while.) He walks up to the ticket station with a suitcase in one hand and a dead rabbit under the other. After getting his ticket and checking his bag, the agent looks down his nose and says
    "Will you be checking that, sir", referring to the dead rabbit.
    The vulture says "No, that's carrion".

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  55. Hi All!

    A wonderful Monday offering from Kevin & Andrea - such a so well done pzl. Argyle, you always shine.

    WEES - Jello almost got me. I had ASP__ for the longest time and finally when a neuron on the left hit a snaps on the right ASPIC / CLIFBAR fell. I also had issues w/ 61a - VEdI, VENI? aIAN (53d) made sense for a name and then fixed my poor spelling of REaGAE to find GINA!

    DW taught me about KAFKA via The Trial. Thumper....

    I did know CLIFBAR, I take a few every year on the MS150. However, I didn't know they were organic, so learning moment there (and I'm heathy too!)

    BlueHen... yeah, I read it on the internet too :-)

    Spitz - funny commercial.

    Ave Joe - DW told me about Robin right before dinner. I still am having a hard time believing it. Such a smart-funny guy.

    D-O did you catch any of this storm? Power flickered 6 times (only lost it for a few minutes). Fortunately dinner was done and we could GNAW on my basil pork-chops and veggies.

    I'm off to formalize my last SHALL and Testament.

    Cheers, -T

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  56. Argyle, I got "compound words" today. I don't think circles are going to help me. But thanks.

    Bill G, glad you liked it. I could link so many, but try "Queen of Memphis" or "Bubba Shot the Jukebox" by Mark Chestnut.

    Good one Spitzboov.

    Han is not Hans.

    And what Fermat said. Who looks for perp proof on Mondays ? I'll regret this, but the answer is... pencil/pen solvers ?

    Probably not Al Cyone again.

    Sweet corn here is 49c.

    Bluehen, Jethro just has to raise an eyebrow to get them to respond all that much quicker.

    Anon-T, your brother told me he had the sleepover gang stay up all that much later because you had the Amtrak train blow the horn by him at 4 AM.

    Tin, carrying on with the "probably going to regret this theme"... is the "fall off the bone" required or preferred in Florida ? :>)





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  57. Just read that Robin Williams is dead and probably from suicide! What a loss. I loved his humor, if sometimes a bit forced. The world will be a duller place. RIP, your struggles are over, my friend. Whatta loss.

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  58. The wife left a note on the refrigerator:

    "It's not working!! I can't take it anymore. I've gone to stay with my mother!"

    I opened the fridge, the light came on and the beer was cold.

    Who knows what the hell she was talking about?

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  59. PK, I loved your poem.

    I was very sad to hear of Robin Williams' death. I would love to link one of the funniest routines of his I've ever seen or heard about a Scotsman inventing golf. It brings tears of laughter to my eyes every time but maybe it's not appropriate right now.

    Bluehen, good joke!

    Speaking of humor, Jordan and I went for a bike ride this afternoon. Along the way, he told me a joke. I'll bet some of you might like it too.

    Q: Why can't you hear a pterodactyl going to the bathroom?

    A: Cause the Pee is silent.

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  60. Joyce because of my eye problems I had cataract surgery at 62 and an OIL implanted. The operation was so quick it was amazing.

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  61. If you have stock making new highs do not sell. If you get too nervous sell half. Picking tops and bottoms never is a good way to go. Ride the wave

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  62. Misty @ 11:13 : Thanks! And I was trying to recall, but somehow I remember that "Mock Turtle Soup" served in restaurants in and around the PA Dutch area resembled Aspic.

    Bluehen @ 8:21: it's my pleasure! BTW, I really liked your joke today. I sometimes wonder if certain words were created/invented just to provide us with puns?!

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  63. Thank you for your kind words about my poem "Critique". Kevin I'd be glad to have you pass it along to your colleagues. If it will prick one hot-air critique even a little, the effort will be worthwhile. I'm glad you see yourself as a facilitator.

    All the comments, jokes and links have been enjoyable today. Thank you everybody. (Well, except for the snarks.)

    Alas, poor Robin! We knew him well, but not at all. I saw him on a talk show some time ago, maybe Letterman. I think he had had a heart attack or by-pass surgery or both and was trying to cope with the aftermath. I don't think showing his zany sets would be disrespectful. He lived to make us laugh!

    Rory really roared to the finish line yesterday. I find it interesting that while he was engaged, his golf suffered. Now that he called off the wedding, his concentration on golf has paid off big. I don't think he's the new Tiger. One of those was enough. He is unique to himself.

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  64. Manac @ 8:54 - Is it possible that the wife was referring to the bottle opener? My wife often struggles with the corkscrew.

    To all of the others, I love the jokes. Robin Williams would certainly approve.

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  65. Good evening, folks. Thank you, Kevin and Andrea, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for a fine review.

    I am checking in late tonight. Great puzzle. Theme was outstanding with four grid spanners.

    Of course, I tried JELLO for 1A. That did not last long. ASPIC appeared.

    KAFKA was new to me.

    Tried NIT PICK for 43D, HEN PECK prevailed.

    RAUL was a perper.

    Anyhow, it is late. I am cashing in my chips. I missed the last few days to extensive activity at my 50th High School Reunion. It was fun. Travelled back to Illinois on Sunday.

    See you tomorrow from Illinois.

    Abejo

    (11712)

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  66. CED - Quintessential Robin Williams - everything all at once. George Carlin could tell KAFKA-esqe stories and Robin could blow the sh** up in 8 seconds. Richard Pryor was another great lost too soon as was Mitch. Bill Cosby & Newhart seem to be the only greats w/ their head screwed on straight.

    Manac - I love that old joke. Here's another oldie:

    Sex therapist to a couple: "So, do you smoke after sex?"

    The man paused to think for a second and replied,

    "I donno, I never looked"

    Cheers, -T

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  67. TTP - Funny... you had me going at 1st, though I couldn't figure out how my brother was at a pub talking about his dorky brother that blogs on an X-word site where you could overhear it :-)

    I was unfair mentioning Mitch Hedberg w/o a link. You may find the humour TRASHY, but I think it's dang funny.

    C, -T

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  68. Argg - I hate to be the DIP-S*** that posts back-to-back-to-back, but I thought everyone would enjoy Robin Williams on PBS' Charlie Rose - another take on CED's link with bleeps. C, -T

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  69. Just finished tomorrow's puzzle on the Trib site and as fate would have it there were a couple of shout-outs to our comedic compadre Robin.

    RIP

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  70. Attention: Tuesday's puzzle has circles. Here is a link to the bare grid. Circles

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  71. JD, Bird Seed Salad recipe was posted at 3:31 PM on Monday, August 4th.

    CC, I used roasted sunflower seeds, salted or unsalted. Silvered almonds are already slivered in pkg in the baking aisle at the store. Hope this helps. Your raisin idea sounds good to add a little sweetness.

    Late now, but enjoyed this Monday puzzle, Argyle's write-up, and everyone's links.

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