google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Monday, June 29, 2015 Patti Varol

Gary's Blog Map

Jun 29, 2015

Monday, June 29, 2015 Patti Varol

Theme:     V

20A. *Statue of Nike at the Louvre : WINGED VICTORY. The statue First theme entry has 13-letters, hence it starts at Row 4 rather than our normal Row 3.

37A. *Had street smarts : KNEW A THING OR TWO

51A. *Jesus, to Christians : PRINCE OF PEACE

29D. Hand gesture for the last word of the answers to starred clues : V-SIGN. Very middle column of the grid.

Argyle here. Puzzle there. Carry on. Thank you, Patti V.

Across:

1. Org. protecting people's rights : ACLU. (American Civil Liberties Union)

5. Petting zoo newborns : LAMBS

10. Huff and puff : BLOW

14. Box office bust : FLOP. Opposite of boffo.

15. Salty expanse : OCEAN

16. Parkway division : LANE

17. Biblical water-to-wine locale : CANA. "I'm going where the water tastes like wine."



18. "Little Rascals" girl : DARLA

19. Herb-infused cooking aids : OILS

23. Lucy's longtime spouse : DESI

24. Tease : KID

25. Tolerate : ABIDE

28. Month between mars et mai : AVRIL. (March, April, May)

31. HDTV brand : RCA

34. "Brighton Beach Memoirs" playwright Neil : SIMON

35. Smiley icon on a weather map : SUN

36. Fright : FEAR

41. Pulitzer-winning novelist Jennifer : EGAN. A Visit from the Goon Squad won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

42. Toupee : RUG

43. "__ to your health" : HERE'S

44. Triumphed : WON

45. Good, in Guadalajara : BUENO

47. Crystal-bearing rock : GEODE

48. Family members : KIN

49. Have an inkling : FEEL

57. James of "The Godfather" : CAAN

58. Golf great Palmer : ARNIE

59. Bossa __ : NOVA

61. Prilosec target : ACID

62. Cessation of fighting : TRUCE

63. Baby's bed : CRIB

64. Bic Cristal and uni-ball : PENs

65. Double curves : ESSes

66. Wriggly fish : EELs

Down:

1. New Eng. Patriots' org. : AFC. (American Football Conference)

2. Nail-removing hammer part : CLAW

3. Actress Anderson : LONI

4. Variable, like the stock market : UP AND DOWN

5. Mineral-rich deposits : LODEs

6. Maine national park : ACADIA
Cadillac Mountain Sunrise














7. "Jeopardy!" creator Griffin : MERV

8. Island near Java : BALI

9. Giving in to the munchies : SNACKING

10. Transfusion fluid : BLOOD

11. Cozy hideaway : LAIR

12. One and __: soul mate : ONLY

13. Director Anderson : WES

21. Actress Davis : GEENA. I wonder if Wes ever directed Geena.

22. Up to, on invites : 'TIL

25. Cockeyed : ASKEW

26. "You got that right!" : "BINGO!"

27. "See what __?" : I MEAN

30. Sprint : RUN

31. Nostalgically trendy : RETRO

32. Yelled at a scarecrow? : CAWED

33. Got out of bed : AROSE

36. Self-employed, as a writer : FREELANCE. Also free lance, free-lance, "medieval mercenary warrior," 1820 ("Ivanhoe"), from free (adj.) + lance (n.); apparently a coinage of Sir Walter Scott's. Figurative sense is from 1864; specifically of journalism by 1882. ~ Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

38. Cut short : TRUNCATE

39. Shade of color : HUE

40. "My goodness!" : "OH, GEE!"

45. Coal container : BIN

46. Cubicle setting : OFFICE

48. Types : KINDS

50. Olympics swords : EPEEs

51. Walk back and forth : PACE

52. Ball game ruiner : RAIN

53. Goofs up : ERRs

54. Burden : ONUS

55. Apple center : CORE

56. Wicked : EVIL

57. Mushroom top : CAP. Just the way I like them.

60. Six-pack muscles : ABs

Argyle


Notes from C.C.:

1) Joann told me yesterday that Husker Gary had meatloaf, whipped potatoes and green beans for lunch and strawberry yogurt for dessert. The first non-liquid meal he had in ages. He's coming home today. Thanks for your prayers and positive thoughts during the past two weeks. Thanks for keeping us updated, Joann!



2) Melissa's daughter placed 2nd in novice and 3rd in open for bikini division in National Physique Committee Championships held in San Jose yesterday. She was the cheerleader for San Jose Sharks last time Melissa talked about her. Maybe she still is.


3) Happy Birthday to dear Barry G, the Cal Ripken, Jr. of our blog. Barry started commenting on our blog shortly after I started and missed only a few days when he was traveling for work. Barry is an avid fisherman and a terrific chef. Check out his recipe for seafood linguini. I think he also has a secret pasta sauce recipe.


  Barry, his wife & son (Joshua)

45 comments:

  1. There once was a maid from the sea
    Who said, "All the sailors love me
    Till they notice my tail
    And let out a wail
    Because my legs can't make a V!"

    There once was a miss from Regina
    Whose beauty gave strong men angina!
    Her face, it was plain,
    And her figure the same,
    But oh!, what she did with her V...!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Morning, all!

    Glad to hear Gary's recovering, and one of these days I'll have to send CC an updated picture since I lost the beard years ago and Joshua is now 10 years old...

    Mostly a speed run this morning. Got held up a bit with the totally unknown EGAN and OILS (as clued), but everything else was smooth. Thankfully, AVRIL is a lot easier for me to guess than, say, AUIT (or whatever the French word for August is that I always manage to forget).

    The theme was cute.

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  3. Good morning!

    Insane. I managed a DNF on a Monday! I thought the Patriots were in the NFL and that gave me NCLU and LANA. Hey, it coulda been.

    Good to hear that Husker's headed home, and happy birthday to Barry G. Oh, and it's août.

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  4. Good Morning, Argyle and friends. Not the easiest start for a Monday. I had a few stumbles.

    37-Across reminds me of the old joke: A man walks into a bar and holds up 2 fingers and says "I want 5 beers."

    I wanted Pants instead of BLOW for Huff and Puff.

    Do you suppose James CAAN ever visited CANA?

    Like Desper-Otto, I wanted the Patriots to be in the NFL, but that messed up my down fills. I also thought of Veins instead of LODES for the mineral rich deposits.

    I have spent a lot of time in ACADIA National Park. It is truly beautiful.

    QOD: A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (June 29, 1900 ~ July 31, 1944)

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  5. Good Morning.

    Thanks, Patti, for a fun Monday run. Where would we be without Nike and Athena, victory and wisdom. We ought to listen to those gals a bit more. I loved "infused OILS. You'd think at my age, I'd KNoW A THING OR TWO, but . . . . That's why I hang out here so I can learn the rest from all of you.

    Thanks for the expo, Argyle--appreciated as always. The sunrise is especially beautiful. They have been few and far between during this cloudy summer in the Midwest.

    Happy Birthday, Barry!! Congrats on going home, Gary! Keep up your walking.

    Have a good day, everyone.

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  6. Hello Puzzlers -

    A bit trickier than a standard Monday. I got into trouble at the beginning with NFL instead of AFC. Another crossword coincidence, having Avril twice in a row.

    Happy Birthday Barry, and many returns of the day. Husker, it's good to hear you're on the mend! Keep up the good work.

    Morning, Argyle, thanks for 'splaining.

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  7. Gary, glad to see you are coming home. After I posted my comment I was worried it would offend.

    Great theme. I solved all and didn’t even notice the theme clue until I got to Argyle’s write up.

    Didn’t need Frawnch for April since we had AVRIL LAVIGNE in an earlier puzzle.

    OwenKL, you outdid yourself with a clever and naughty puzzle. Wasn’t there a Seinfeld episode with a girl’s name that rhymed with a “lady part”?

    Another bar joke: An infinite number of mathematicians walk into a bar.
    The first orders ½ pint of ale.
    The 2nd orders ¼ pint of ale.
    The 3rd orders 1/8 pint of ale.
    Finally, the bartender throws down 1 pint and yells,”You mathematicians, you just don’t know your limitss!”

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  8. Happy Birthday, Barry. Hope it's a good one with family and friends.

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  9. Good morning everyone.

    Happy Birthday to BARRY G.

    Easy Monday. Regular top to bottom progression. Liked the theme.
    ACADIA - When transiting the Gulf of Maine to the Bay of Fundy in 1963, I recall clearly seeing Cadillac Mtn. on the radar scope from 90 miles out. Quite a navigation aid in the days before GPS.

    Have a great day.

    HG - Good wishes on your return home.

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  10. Stuck in Florida for a week, with an IPad that will not display Flash, (Mensa site won't work), and the LA Times site gets stuck at the advertisement. There is a newspaper vending machine about a mile away, but it remains empty until November. (nuts!) so all I can do is lurk...

    Hmm, if only nations would solve their differences with Rock Paper Scissors...

    HBD Barry!

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  11. Fun puzzle today. Monday easy, but with some latter week fill such as Truncate. Lot's to like. And I also thought of the joke about the Roman ordering 5 beers.

    Happy Birthday Barry!

    And it's great to hear their setting you free today Gary. I imagine that was some of the best meatloaf you've ever tasted.

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  12. Musings
    -A Roman soldier ordering 5 beers?
    -Do you have an Inkling where the ACLU will be on this current issue?
    -Even with George Clooney Disney has a $140M FLOP on its hands
    -Stepping into that salty expanse while forgetting you have a small cut on your foot…
    -Lucy stayed with cheating DESI a long time
    -Too many good SIMON plays to name a fav
    --Jeremy Wade of Extreme Fishing allowing himself to be attacked by flesh eating EELS
    -GEENA’s role in A League Of Their Own really touched me
    -Frasier had to constantly remind Daphne to display his objets d’art ASKEW
    -I see these RETRO Chuck Taylor’s on kids all the time 50 years after I wore them in school
    -My daughter’s cubicle desk at State Farm now has an an adjustable height desk where she can stand or sit and she loves it
    -HBD Barry! How unfortunate that old gray haired guy is pictured along with Melissa’s beautiful daughter and Barry’s lovely family!

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  13. Happy Birthday Barry G.! Hope your day is wonderful. Great to see you back, HG! You have been missed. And congrats on your daughter's accomplishment, melissa - I can't imagine the work and discipline that must entail!
    ¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫¸¸¸.•*¨*♫♥♫

    Fun theme today, but the fill was a bit crunchy. I was surprised to see Initialisms at 1-A and 1-D on a Monday. And a lot of proper names (even though I knew them all) DARLA, DESI, SIMON, EGAN, CAAN, ARNIE, LONI, MERV, WES and GEENA. I hope the rest of the week stays easier!

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  14. This easy puzzle was a blessing for me on what will be a hard day. Rowland has been in the hospital since Thursday and sadly his MRI has discovered a new stroke. He's still alert and speaking and even able to answer easy crossword puzzle clues. But he's not eating and there may be other serious health issues that may require me to make a decision between skilled nursing and home hospice. I won't be able to check responses from the blog, but I know you will think of us and pray for us.

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  15. Good morning all,
    A mighty fun Monday to start off the week. luckily I knew a thing or two to speed right thru . 1D had me stymied. I wasn't sure if it was NFL or AFL, so I just put FL and then remembered Cana, so I was wrong to begin with but only ended up with that 1 write over.Truncate... Nice Monday word.
    I am always looking for geodes when traveling because the boys love rocks. I brought some back from Alaska a few weeks ago and they were the best we've opened. the boys love the hammer and goggles probably more than the rocks. LOL!

    Melissa, your daughter is a beauty. Is she still living in the area?

    Gary...CONGRATS...you must have walked that sucker out! So glad you are on the road to recovery.

    HB Barry G.... The most recent picture of your son was behind a mountain of snow last winter.

    Misty, am sending prayers and positive thoughts your way. Hard decision.

    Enjoy your week.

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  16. Hello, Friends!

    Happy birthday, Barry G! I hope you have a grand celebration.

    How clever of Patti V to construct a V puzzle! It was smooth sailing all the way except for PANTS before BLOW. All others fell in place. And luckily we had AVRIL yesterday or I would not have known it.

    Misty, I'm so sorry about your Rowland. Yes, I shall be praying for him and you both.

    And Melissa's daughter, how beautiful! But then she has the genes from her mother.

    Gary, congratulations on going home!

    Have a joyous Monday, everyone!

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  17. Good Monday puzzle.

    I, too, was incorrect, and put AFL for 1D. It took me awhile to remember CANA, but in the end I did.

    I put WIG instead of RUG, until perps showed me my error. EGAN was unknown to me, but the downs filled it in.

    Melissa... What a lovely daughter. You must be so proud.

    Gary...Glad to hear you're doing better.

    Misty....You're in my prayers.

    Owen..Naughty, but very nice.

    All in all, a fast romp and a cute theme.

    My best to everyone 'til tomorrow.

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  18. Thanks for the fun run, Patti. Loved the puzzle and the theme.

    Very nice write-up, Argyle. Loved the sunset. Can always count on you to put in pictures of the places clued.

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  19. Thanks to all for the birthday wishes.

    Kind thoughts heading toward Misty and Rowland.

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  20. I too hope things work out for Misty and Rowland!

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  21. Misty, sorry to hear your news. Wish the best for you and Rowland.

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  22. Good afternoon, folks. Thank you, Patti Varol, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Argyle, for a fine review.

    Donated blood this morning and did the puzzle after I was done while drinking juice, etc. Used their newspaper. It went quickly, being a Monday.

    Missed Sunday's puzzle due to all day activities. Slept a little late due to 1,000 mile trip on Saturday. Went to church, played in the Shrine band for Swedish Days Parade in Geneva, marched with the Knights Templar Drill Team in the evening. That killed the day.

    Puzzle was easy and I pretty much worked from the NW corner to the SE corner. Skipped around a little.

    V SIGN gave me AVRIL. Whatever works.

    CANA was easy. Remember the parable well.

    Took me a minute to get CAWED, but I did figure it out.

    I think I mentioned before, a long time ago, that I gassed up ARNIE Palmer's airplane when I worked at the Erie airport as a teenager. It was an Aero Commander.

    Misty: Good luck to you and Rowland.

    Husker Gary, sounds like you are on the mend. Congrats!

    Barry G: Happy Birthday to you. Always enjoy your posts. If I ever visit my sister in Melrose, I will contact you.

    I was going to work outside a while today, but it is raining again.

    See you tomorrow.

    Abejo

    ( )

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  23. Argyle:
    I forgot to thank you. I usually learn so much from your links and photos. Mmm, stuffed mushrooms! I also love them.

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  24. Today's puzzle went easily, with only NFL (rather than AFC) as a stumbling block. Got the reveal early, but it wasn't really needed.

    Happy Birthday, Barry G. ! Loved your comment yesterday that "CHAN was completely unknown, but easily guessable once I had four perps in place..."

    Glad you're on the mend, HG, and beyond the reach of hospital food.

    Misty, best to you and Rowland.

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  25. MelissaB, you've got a lovely daughter.

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  26. Hi Everone:

    Late to the dance due to a hectic schedule. Just now finished the puzzle which was an easy, peasy Monday romp. Wig before rug was the only w/o. Thanks Patti V and Argyle for starting the week off so nicely.

    Happy Birthday, Barry; hope your day is special.

    Gary, so happy they're setting you free. No more scares, please!

    Misty, I am so deeply sorry to hear about Rowland's condition. Many prayers are being offered for you both.

    My sister and niece are going to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center tonight to see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Should be quite an enjoyable evening.

    Enjoy the rest of the day.

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  27. Thanks, Patty V., for a great start to the week! Enjoyed the write-up, Argyle!

    Hand up for wiG/RUG. Other than that, smooth sailing.

    Congrats, H-G, on getting back home!

    Beautiful daughter, Melissa B! Congrats on her competition finish.

    Positive thoughts for Misty and Rowland. You're in my thoughts.

    I hope you all have a pleasant Monday!

    Pat

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  28. Hi All!

    Well, BLOW me down... While I KNOW A THING OR TWO, CANA is not one of them. I left AFL in place... OH GEE, it's ONLY a DNF on a Monday Gosh LAMB it...
    (worse, I thought if I got a DNF it was going to be due to the A in block 28!)

    Thanks Patti V for a fun puzzle and Argyle for writeup.

    I see my PENS I wanted for Sat's Ink __. WEES re: TRUNCATE - fun for a Monday.

    RETRO - Make love not war; >-- peace man...

    Fav - I'm going to go w/ the theme. A simple hand signal that means so much...
    CORE @55d was cute only 'cuz the answer wasn't Genius Bar...

    HG - Welcome home! I don't know what gray-hair'd guy you're talking about but the cool-cat in the top pic needs some tomato sauce on that meatloaf :-)

    HBD Barry G.!

    Misty - You and Rowland will be in the Corner's corner. Peace & Love.

    How I recalled DARLA (the 1st :20).

    And of course, the obligatory UPs AND DOWNs while the Dude ABIDEs.

    PEACE, -T

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  29. Hello Everyone, First Happy Birthday to Barry, and a welcome home to Gary--glad that you are on the mend.

    The puzzle was pretty straight forward. Any unknowns were filled in with perps. I didn't remember Avril and Acadia was new to me. Maine is a little out of our territory. Truncate was a little more than a Monday word, but filled in nicely.

    Melissa, A daughter doesn't fall far from the family tree! She is beautiful. Congratulations on her recent win.

    Misty, Thoughts and prayers are ongoing for you and Rowland. You have to make some very hard decisions in the coming days.

    Have a great afternoon and evening everyone.

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  30. When a PEACE-nik becomes an Officer of the PEACE.

    I was looking for the reverse V-SIGN where Rik says "Up yours Fascist," but no luck. Apparently, it's very rude across the OCEAN to flip two fingers back-handed. Anyones HERES watch The Young Ones? I recall it Sunday nights at 11p on MTV in the mid-80s.

    Another beyond the shores thing is counting begins w/ the thumb. I was in Germany & ordered 2 (V) beers via hand signals and got 3. The translator told me to hold up my thumb & forefinger if I wanted just two brews. I don't know if they were KIDding a young GI or if it's true but I liked getting 3 beers at a time (my friend was a slow sipper).

    Cheers, -T

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  31. Barry G, please excuse my oversight. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I hope it's the best one yet!

    Pat

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  32. Greetings!

    Thanks, Patti and Santa! Nice puzzle and interesting expo.

    So sorry about Rowland. Thinking positive thoughts.

    Barry--hope that you are having a swell birthday!

    Gary--so happy to hear your news!

    WIG before RUG. Loved TRUNCATE. Reminds me of my work with polyhedra.

    Cheers!

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  33. Thanks Patti and Argyle. I enjoyed all of everything.

    My very best wishes for Misty and Rowland. A very happy birthday wish for Barry.

    It seems as if we've had more than our share of people who need our good wishes. It's wonderful to be a little part of such a supportive group.

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  34. Lovely, easy Monday puzzle....and great expo, Argyle. I even got AFC not NFL. Yea me!

    Happy happy Barry G, and GREAT news Husker!

    Misty, prayers from here for you and Rowland.

    Owen, naughty...but fun!

    What a great group this is!

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  35. Barry G... hope your birthday has been grand... :) got a chuckle yesterday when you said how much your son likes minecraft... my grandson (11) is also an avid player... :) I get to watch a lot of minecraft... among others.. :)

    Husker G... so glad to hear you are home - I am still sending many prayers your way..

    Misty... I am so very sorry to hear of Rowland's set back... my thoughts and prayers will be with you both..

    Melissa you have a lovely daughter... bought back memories of my daughter's bikini contests many years ago in hawaii... :)

    Nice easy puzzle today.... thank you patti and thank you argyle for another great write up..

    thelma :)

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  36. Lucina- How come you read about stuffed mushrooms and think about a meal, and I see the phrase and think about crowded shelters for Iditarod sled dogs?

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  37. HBDTY HBDTY HBDDB and many more.

    Keep healing Gary

    Misty our best forRowland

    MelB you did a great job keeping the family tradition going

    The puzzle was ok

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  38. Well, guess what? Did you guess?

    It has been cloudy here the last several nights but the clouds gave way to mostly clear skies a few hours ago and I was able to see the conjunction of Venus and Jupiter. Very pretty. Tomorrow night, if it's clear where you are at about 8:30 pm to 9 pm, look to the west about halfway up from the horizon. They will look like two very bright white stars very close together. Cool!

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  39. Bill G. What ever I thought I saw the other night was not the conjunction. I did see it tonight while driving to the EZMart for a soda. Wow!!! I even got one lady behind the counter to come out and look. When I got home, I called Pop, and grabbed the kids to see it. Almost as cool as the grand alignment in the 80s...

    Someone has to do it... The EVIL CLAW. I like how they are mirrored in the puzzle.

    Cheers, -T
    P.S. Keep it up Owen - today's... priceless.

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  40. Jerome:
    Your agile and anagrammatic mind can do amazing things!

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  41. Heh heh! I didn't get it at first but Lucina's comment made me go back and look again. Clever as usual.

    AnonT, I'm glad you got a chance to see it. Here's what I found on CBSNews.com.
    "At the beginning of June, the two planets were 20 degrees apart in the sky, about twice the width of your fist held at arm's length. Week by week, Jupiter and the stars behind it have gradually slipped lower in the evening twilight. But Venus, due to its rapid orbital motion around the sun, has stayed high up. The resulting slow-motion convergence put them 6 degrees apart last week, setting the stage for Tuesday's awesome display.

    "Although the two planets appear very near one another in the sky, they're actually not. Venus is 58 million miles from Earth, and Jupiter is 12 times farther out at 565 million miles. The distance explains why the two planets will look roughly the same size even though Jupiter is far larger.

    "Sky & Telescope Contributing Editor Fred Schaaf points out that this current string of Venus-Jupiter conjunctions closely resembles a similar series between the years 3 and 2 B.C. It has been suggested that their joint appearance came to be known as the Star of Bethlehem."

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  42. Bill G - I read the same Sky&T article after the girls & I saw it... And three Magi from the East followed it West. Makes sense...

    The girls & I kept trying to determine if Venus or Jupiter were the brighter "stars". Finally, we all agreed it had to be the Morning goddesss. We WON!

    OK - here's another symmetry Ms V gave us - FREE LANCE work is UP AND DOWN. And BLOOD KIN x's our KINDS. Ok, I'm reaching there... I blame Jerome :-) 'TIL tomorrow, C, -T

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  43. AnonT, Venus, when it's up, is always the brightest planet. Right now it's especially bright because Venus and Earth are in the parts of their orbits where they are close together. Through a telescope, Venus looks like a crescent now because it's near us and is being lit by the sun from the back side. Jupiter is never quite as bright but always beautiful, especially in a telescope where you can see the same four moons that Galileo did. (I hope I'm not boring everybody...)

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  44. The "org" of the Patriots is the NFL. The division or conferernce AFC is NOT an organization.

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