google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015 Kurt Krauss

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Dec 9, 2015

Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015 Kurt Krauss

Theme: DIVESTITURES, being the opposite of mergers, in which companies come together.  For today's theme, they come apart. To make sense of this, let's part with tradition and start with the unifier.

38 A. Went different ways ... or what each of six sets of circled letters literally represents : PARTED COMPANY.   Anyone who has an Ex or two can relate. But here, COMPANY means a profit oriented business organization.  In the grid, COMPANY names are bookends in the theme fill, PARTED by the central letters.   The letters in the names are indicated with circles in the grid.  If you didn't get them, then the whole thing was probably baffling.

18 A. WWI aircraft : TRIPLANE.  A fixed wing aircraft with three vertically stacked wing planes.  TRANE COMPANY makes heating and air conditioning units for homes.

20 A. They may coordinate with floor mats : SEAT COVERS.  Automotive interior accessories.  SEARS is a chain of department stores founded in 1886

29 A. Bedstead part : FOOT BOARD.  Bedstead is a word you don't see every day.  It is the framework that holds the box springs and mattress.  At a minimum, there will be a head board, FOOT BOARD and side rails of some nature.  FORD is a venerable maker of automobiles and light trucks.

45 A. In the opposite order : VICE VERSA.  Silly me.  I thought this was about DF poetry.  But no, it's a reversal.  You can call me collect and VICE VERSA the charges.  VISA is an American-based multi-national financial services company.  Per Wikipedia, they "do not issue credit cards, extend credit or set rates and fees for consumers; rather, Visa provides financial institutions with Visa-branded payment products that they then use to offer credit, debit, prepaid and cash-access programs to their customers."   

58. Some deal closers : HAND SHAKES.  One of my musician friends just got stiffed on a HAND SHAKE agreement.  His advice, and I think our in-house legal staff would concur, is to always get it in writing.  HANES is probably best known for their undergarments, but they also make other types of clothing for men, women, and children.

62. Hit-by-pitch consequence : DEAD BALL.  Baseball.  DEAD BALL is a type of official time out, when the ball is not playable, and runners may not advance farther than they are forced.  In the hit-by-pitch situation, the hit batter is awarded first base.  A runner on that base advances to 2nd base, but no farther.  Runners on other bases stay put until play is again commenced.

Each company name consists of either 4 or 5 letters.  The 4 letter names are parted 2 and 2, while the 5 letter words are parted either 2 and 3 or 3 and 2 - as close to the middle as you can get.  The six theme entries are arranged symmetrically, with the unifier in the middle.  It's a pretty elegant construction.

Hi, Gang - Jazzbumpa here.  Let's see what else we can find.

Across:

1. Under the weather : LAID UP.  Ill and unavailable - probably in bed, laying down.  Thank you English language.

7. Like cotton candy : SPUN.  Cotton candy is spun sugar.

11. Fund-raising org. : PTA.  Parent Teacher's Association, with school fund raisers.

14. Provoke : INCITE.   From the Latin, in + citare, to arouse.

15. Subtle glow : AURA.

16. Trip segment : LEG.

17. Utopian : EDENIC.  Two versions of perfect, idealized existence.

22. Quarterback's target : END.   In American football, an eligible pass receiver.  Richard Rodgers is one for Green Bay.  I don't want to talk about it.

23. Payroll deduction : TAX.

24. Volcanic debris : ASH.  Last Thursday morning, crossword favorite Mt. Etna erupted, spewing ASH 10,000 feet into the sky.  The lava fountain was close to a mile high.  It was all over in less than an hour.

25. Big maker of chips : INTEL.   Computer innards.

27. Till compartment : ONES.   This had me scratching my head till I remembered that till was the cash register drawer, having separate compartments for different bill denominations.  Still seems a bit awkward.

33. MSN, for one : ISP.  MicroSoft Network is an Internet Service Provider.

36. Meander : ROAM.   Rove also fits.  Wander does not.

37. Under the weather : ILL.  Possibly LAID UP or laying down, and a genuine clecho.

42. Homer's path : ARC.  Where did Homer ROAM while writing the Odyssey?  Homer Simpson's path would likely take him to Moe's.  But the path of an air-borne struck baseball is an ARC, and a home run, aka HOMER, is one example.

43. Middle name on many patents : ALVA.   Thomas ALVA Edison [1947- 1931], holder of 1093 U. S. patents in a variety of technologies.  

44. BYU or NYU : SCH.  Brigham Young University and New York University are both Schools.

48. Modern address starter : HTTP.  HyperText Transfer Protocol, by which we communicate at The Corner and all over the net, represents the first 4 characters of a web-site address.

52. Tickle : AMUSE.  Have delightful fun.

53. __ in November : N AS.  Initially speaking.

56. Mama bear, in Madrid : OSA.  OSA, a bear, a female bear - En Español.

57. 1980s Peppard co-star : MR. T.  From the A-Team.

64. West Point students : CADETS.  At the U. S. Military Academy

65. Corner key : ESCape.  On our computer keyboard - but who would want to escape from The Corner?

66. Italian noble family : ESTE.  Dating from at least the 10th century, the elder branch produced German dukes, the British Hanover line, and Czar Ivan VI of Russia.  I read somewhere once that as early as the 12th century, European royalty was so inbred it was almost impossible to find someone to marry who wasn't a cousin.  These days if you're related to any European royalty, you're related to all of them.

67. Danish port named for a Norse god : ODENSE.  Denmark's 3rd largest city.  The name is derived from words meaning "Oden's sanctuary."  The site has been inhabited for over 4000 years.  The city celebrated its millennium in 1988.

68. Pen : STY.  For piggies.

69. Hammer-wielding god : THOR.  His name is derived from the same old Germanic root as our word thunder, and also gives us our name for the Day Thursday.

70. Got nervous, with "up" : TENSED.   In need of a massage or a stiff drink.  I like to relax by AMUSing myself with VICE VERSA. 

Down

1. Deliberately misinforms : LIES TO.  Why am I thinking of Pinocchio?

2. Like llamas : ANDEAN.   From the Andes mountains.  Though these new world humpless camel wanna-bes probably originated in the North American great plains 40 million years ago, they were gone from the homeland by the last ice age. 

3. Mountaineering aid : ICE AXE.  For chopping hand and foot holds.

4. Effort : DINT.  Originally a forceful blow, or the mark left by one, which does require some effort.

5. City in New York's Mohawk Valley : UTICA.    On RT. 90 between Syracuse and Albany.

6. Cowboy legend __ Bill : PECOS.   A fictional character of pseudo-folklore, invented by Edward O'Reilly and first published in Century Magazine in 1917.

7. Fill and then some : SATE.  Or simply filled to the maximum.

8. Run smoothly : PURR.  Like a well tuned engine.

9. "The Haj" novelist : URIS.  Leon.  This novel, published in 1984, relates the experiences of a Palestinian family caught up in the historical events of 1920's through the '50's.

10. Siesta : NAP.  En Español.

11. Often-fried tropical fruit : PLANTAIN.   Looks like an oversized banana.

12. With affection : TENDERLY.   Like this.


13. "Act your __!" : AGE.   Not me.  My motto is, "What I lack in youth, I make up for with immaturity!"

19. Fallon's predecessor : LENO.   Late night TV hosts.

21. TV channels 2-13 : VHF.  Very High Frequency.  Higher channels are Ultra High Frequency.

25. Computer debut of 1981 : IBM PC.  Needs no explanation.

26. Cholesterol initials : LDL.   Low Density Lipoprotein.   Lipoproteins transport lipids (fats, waxes, sterols) in the blood stream.  The High Density variety are more effective at moving cholesterol and fats.  The LDL's are more likely to allow these molecules to plate out onto the arterial walls causing atherosclerosis.  This gives rise to the confusing bad/good cholesterol concept.  You want to keep your LDL Low and your HDL High.   It's worth noting that - despite decades of misleading advertising - since cholesterol is produced in every cell of the body, there is absolutely no relationship between cholesterol in the blood stream and cholesterol in the diet.  Things that do matter are total fat intake, LDL (animal fat) to HDL (vegetable oil) ratio, and exercise.

28. Title for Noël Coward : SIR.   Like this flamboyant, witty English composer, playwright, singer and actor, I'd rather be knighted than benighted.

30. Seal-hunting swimmers : ORCAS.   Killer whales.

31. Valentine card hugs : O-O-O.  Symbolically speaking. ( O )

32. Flat hats : TAMS.

34. Barrel support : STAVE.

35. Soccer legend who turned 75 in 2015 : PELE.

38. Most like a schoolmarm : PRIMMEST.   It's "marm" that elicits the PRIM image, rather than a generic idea of a teacher

39. Precision : ACCURACY.  Sorry, but this is not ACCURATE.  ACCURACY is hitting the bull's eye. Precision is placing all your shots together, even if they miss the target.   A good shooter has both.

40. Device for binge-watching : DVR.  Digital Video Recorder.

41. "How relaxing!" : AHH.   Indulging in a 70A cure, perhaps.

42. Gardner of the silver screen : AVA.



46. Cornerstone abbr. : EST'D.   Established.

47. Furthermore : AND.  Also, too, additionally, to boot.

49. Arcade coins : TOKENS.  Did you ever present someone with an arcade coin of your esteem?

50. African threat : TSETSE.  Blood-sucking vermin and unpleasant carrier of sleeping sickness. It is refreshing to see the whole fly, though.

51. Got a C in, say : PASSED. Got by in a mediocre fashion.

54. Knotted neckwear : ASCOT.


55. Relief from the sun : SHADE.  Trees, umbrellas, tall buildings  .  .  .

58. Diner breakfast order : HASH.  With eggs, presumably.

59. Chorus line? : ALTO.    Alto is, of course, one of the voices.  A composer might write an ALTO part.  Line, though - that's a stretch, and I'm not fond of it.

60. Card or D'back : NLER.  National Leaguer in major league baseball.  One occasionally encounters NLER and it's counterpart ALER outside of crossword puzzles.  Though I love baseball,  I would like to not see them anywhere.

61. Yemeni seaport : ADEN.   On the gulf of Aden, the upper western arm of the Arabian Sea.

62. __ Moines : DES.   Originally, Fort DES Moines, the capital of Iowa and its largest city, nestled along the banks of the river for which it is named, possibly from the French for "River of the Monks."    


63. Wager : BET.

That wraps it up.  I had my nits, but overall, a pretty nice solving experience.  Hope you enjoyed it.

Cool regards!
JzB




P.S. Here's a bonus.  Since it's December 9th, and according to the song, it's OK to get that Christmas spirit into gear.   Happy Holidays!





Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to Hahtoola, who has given us so many inspiring quotes on the days she visits the blog. How are you doing, Hahtoola? Traveled to any exotic places this year?

The Corn Poppy

51 comments:

  1. Another one of those days when I ran across the reveal before I'd even started trying to figure out the scheme, but it was so simple and straightforward it didn't really matter.

    Today, no limericks; instead some haiku. Please read them slowly, pausing to picture them after each haiku.

    Cruel loss. Worked hard.
    Putting muzzle on Rex for
    the corgi's trainer.

    North wind: N wind, N
    AS IN NOVEMBER. Cold wind,
    freezing wind: North wind.

    Manufacturer
    of fine tooth combs, dePARTED,
    parting COMPANY.

    CRuel lOSS. WOrked haRD.
    PUtting muZZLE on rex for
    the CORgi's traiNER.


    ReplyDelete
  2. Greetings!

    Thanks, Kurt for interesting puzzle! Swell expo, Jazz! I noticed the same headscratchers as you did.

    No problems.

    Cold finally getting a little better.

    Also enjoyed yesterday's puzzle, but went to bed "early."

    Happy Birthday, Hahtoolah!

    Cheers!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Morning, all (and a Happy, Happy Birthday to Hahtoola)!

    I should just start assuming that anytime I'm working on a puzzle that seems to have no theme whatsoever that there are a bunch of circles that I can't see. It's a little frustrating, but at least knowing the theme wasn't required to solve any of the theme answers.

    A few minor bumps along the way (HEADBOARD before FOOTBOARD, SPITFIRE before TRIPLANE [wrong war, I know], no idea that DEADBALL was a thing, etc.), but nothing too bad.

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  4. Happy birthday and many more Hatoolah.

    A pretty easy puzzle for a Wednesday and as JzB said an elegant job. The only thing that could make it better would be to find companies that closed, really broke apart. ENRON PAN AM AMES come to mind as do TWA MCI and RCA....Of course KK' s are better known.

    Happy humping all

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  5. Happy Birthday Hahtoola!!! Always like your quotes!

    Jazz: Nice write-up & links. As always, very informative.

    Kurt: Thank You for a FUN Wednesday puzzle with a great theme.

    Didn't even notice, until the write-up, that I actually entered ICE-AXE ... but since it wasn't that 3-Letter-Word "_ _ _" I guess it was OK to fill in. LOL

    Hmmm, No-Booze-In-The-Grid ... so, No-Fave today. (Y'all know HOW I "Rate" puzzles. LOL

    Everything is back to normal. Another Sunny, Beautiful, 75-degree day.
    A "Toast-to-ALL" at Sunset.
    Cheers!

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  6. Good morning!

    Noticed the circles, but failed to look to see what was in them until after I'd finished. This one filled in normal Monday time; all of my first guesses turned out to be correct.

    JzB, you got so wrapped up in explaining the DEAD BALL that you forgot to tell us what DELL is. But I think we know. After being born in 1947, Thomas Edison looked around and then went back in time to invent all the stuff he'd seen at birth. Is that right?

    Should INTEL be included in a cw which has hidden company names? Seems odd. And is STAVE really a barrel support? I would think the hoops are the support; the STAVE is part of the barrel, itself.

    There are a few HANES in my closet, but most are Flute of the Rooms.

    Happy birthday, Hahtoolah! I miss your daily thoughts.

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  7. Good Morning!

    Happy Birthday, Hahtoola. I miss your QODs. Hope you are well and celebrating big time today!

    Thanks for a fun run, Kurt. It went pretty smoothly for me, but I worked without the circles, so I needed JazzB's informative walk through. Thank you, JB. My favorite was INTEL. I wanted either something in chocolate or potato. Fell for that misdirection.

    My brother played the trombone. It was a pretty cacophonous start. ;-)

    Have a wonderful day.

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  8. Been watching how OIL is now under $40 a barrel.
    (Quote for West Texas Crude, known as WTI, currently $ 37.70 a barrel).

    Well yesterday I filled up my gas tank at $ 1.899 per gallon.
    (With a Honda CR-Z Hybrid ... it took a whooping 5.5 gallons since I drove 200 miles between fill-up's)

    Just curious ... what are Y'all paying around the country for gas?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Stations around here are all in the 1.60's (except near the airport)-- saw 1.619 at one station yesterday. The consistently low oil prices have cost a lot of jobs around here, and the maximum pain isn't predicted to hit until the second half of 2016. Grim.

    ReplyDelete
  10. DINT = effort? No way. "By dint of" means "by force of," "by means of," "as a result of."

    VHF = 2-13? When we got our first TV in 1947, channels 2 through 6 were "low frequency," 7 through 13 were "high frequency," and UHF was not yet available.

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  11. 22A: Not Richard Rodgers. He was a musical composer of so many Broadway shows having teamed with Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammmerstein. The Packers' quarterback is Aaron Rodgers of "discount double check" commercials.

    59D: not usually referred to as a line but as a voice whether or not it's a vocal or an instrument. Not a good clue.

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  12. JzB- you made the same comment about PRECISION and ACCURACY that I was about to write.

    Kurt's puzzle is one of the few that I have ever completed that had no unknowns. I wasn't looking for the reveal in the circles and as I completed PARTED COMPANY I looked and saw TRANE , SEARS, and FORD. My house has two TRANE central air units, all my tools are Craftsman- guaranteed for life- and I am still driving a Mercury- made by FORD.

    DELL, IBM-PC, INTEL, & SEARS- computer and internet companies. SEARS you ask? SEARS and IBM started a joint online computer company named PRODIGY, would you believe over thirty years ago. IBM got out saying they couldn't see a future and SEARS could never do anything right. A late friend of my worked for IBM at the time and explained to me how it worked. Their biggest problems were the slow modems, copper lines of the phone companies, and they charged too much.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Fun run -since I had the circles I knew that it was something about companies, but need the reveal clue to get what it was. Very clever!

    @Magilla Go-Rilla - the Packers have, in addition to QB Aaron Rodgers, have a tight END
    Richard Rodgers who last Thursday made the game winning catch on a Hail Mary 61 yard pass to score a touchdown on the last play of the game. He shares the name with composer.

    Enjoyed the write-up JzB , especially the "Tenderly" music offering and the puzzle Kurt!
    Happy Birthday Hatoolah!

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  14. Hi gang -

    HBD Hatoolah, wherever you are.

    Well, now I'm a bit under the weather, though not LAID UP. Feel a cold coming on and I don't have time for it.

    Richard Rodgers
    Richard Rodgers

    Rodgers and Heart

    Cool regards!
    JzB

    ReplyDelete
  15. I agree with yesterday’s birthday boy’s summation! I also wonder what our “no circles available” people will have to say

    Musings
    -I’ve never seen TRIPLANES around here, but these aircraft are common
    -inrEVERSe was a brief hold up until it had to be AVA
    -Even among us golf friends, a HANDSHAKE is part of the end of a round
    -An unwritten rule of baseball: Never rub the spot when you get hit by a pitch
    -My Omaha flights to Orlando include LEGS to Houston, Chicago, Atlanta and Dallas
    -Two great tight ENDS. One is currently hurt and the other is in jail
    -An ominous line with the word AMUSE
    -LIES TO – Why am I thinking or an election year coming up?
    -Who’d turn down being knighted as a “SIR”?
    -Did you ever use TOKENS similar to these?
    -HBD, Hahtoolah! A QOD for our creative friend!
    -65˚F today. Hmmm… what to do? What to do?

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi Y'all! No circles. Didn't care. Too tired to wonder over it when I was doing the puzzle. Great fast fun fill, Kurt. Always AMUSING, JzB.

    I tried TRI motor, before TRIPLANE. I could see the TRImotor in my mind with the motor on the fuselage and one on each wing. I don't ever recall seeing pictures of a TRIPLANE which has three stacked wings. I looked it up. My learning experience for the day.

    We haven't heard from Hahtoolah for awhile. Happy Birthday, Hahtoolah! wherever you have gone.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Good morning everyone.

    Happy Birthday to Hahtoolah. - יוֹם הֻלֶּדֶת שָֹמֵחַ.

    Enjoyed Kurt's puzzle, but did not find sussing the circles necessary for the solve. Most of the solve went smoothly, but I had to shift down in the NW. Guessed at ICE AXE, and then finally saw LIES TO which allowed me to complete SEAT COVERS. So no searches needed.
    ODENSE - On the island of Funen; now the site of the longest suspension bridge outside of Asia. It's height permits an air draft of 213' for the largest cruise vessels transiting the Great Bælt to or from the Baltic. When we passed through, circa 1965, there was a still a ferry which took an hour to cross the Bælt.

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  18. I got it done, with circles, but didn't really think too much about the names being companies. I agree with the other comments on DINT, STAVE, ALTO and NLER, --I can never get my head around NLER or ALER being nouns. I had no idea what BYU or NYU were, and despite getting it, had no clue about the logic of NAS with November either.

    But hey, I have another newsletter off to the printer, so can spend more time thinking through the CW each morning now, until January anyway, when it starts all over again!

    HBTY Hahtoolah. Hope you are able to celebrate in style!

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  19. Jazz, I forgot to say I enjoyed the ASCOT link, but mainly for the ad that went with it--hilarious!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Good Morning:

    I enjoyed solving this very much and loved the theme and execution. Thought of CED at purr 🐈 and figured Tin would accept ice axe ⛏ to avoid a self-imposed DNF. Utica was a gimme.

    Good job, Mr. Krauss, and thanks to JzB 🎼 😟for an amusing 🤗 and informative expo.

    As of last week, gas ⛽️ here was $2.14-$2.16.

    Happy Birthday, Hatoolah. 🎂 🎉 🎈 Where have you been? We miss you and your QODs.

    Owen, clever, clever, clever! 📃

    Have a great day. 🍀

    ReplyDelete
  21. I must have been on the right wavelength, Kurt, because I raced through this one. Much fun! Didn't notice the circles and didn't need them.

    And, JazzB, your clever explanations told me things I didn't know I needed to know. TRIPLANE filled in with perps and I couldn't figure out what a TRIP LANE was. Thanks to you both for a good morning.

    Owen, another smile-making day. Thanks!

    Happy birthday, Hatoolah, wherever you are.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Forgot to say I paid $1.81 a gallon for gas yesterday.

    ReplyDelete

  23. Good morning and thank you Kurt and thank you JzB.

    Hahtoolah, Happy Birthday. Don't be a stranger.

    Liked that Ava Gardner short bio. That 'splained it to me. I never understood the acclaim.

    Yea, LAID UP and Stand Down. 'Tis indeed a funny language.

    Deadball and Dead Ball era (baseball), and Dead Ball Foul (football). Compare and contrast a Dead Ball Foul with an Untimed Down play. An example of an Untimed Down play occurred after a questionable facemask call in the Green Bay @ Detroit game last Thursday night. Prima donna players seem to get "the call" more often than not. Tyrod Taylor got facemasked and speared on one scramble and co call was made.

    Recent JzB reviews:
    Wednesday Dec 9th: 34. Barrel support : STAVE.
    Wednesday Nov 18th: 59. Wine barrel sources : OAKS. Strictly speaking, the source would be a COOPERAGE, OAKS provide the raw material.

    What next ? Bung Hole ?

    Intel and IBM at 25A & D. More than a few decades ago, I interviewed for employment with both companies in Austin in the same week. Neither extended an offer. I was disappointed, and had to regroup and try somewhere else. Ended up starting my career in Houston.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I was solving on the Mensa site and groaned when I got to the reveal clue and realized that I had NO circles. But they were not necessary to the solve and I was able to appreciate the PARTED COMPANies when I got here.

    Loved your brilliant haiku, OwenKL.
    HBD Hahtoolah.

    I suppose that a Canadian compartment till would be called a Loonies rather than a ONES.

    Two lightbulb moments today: realizing the split in N AS in November and ESC=corner key on the computer!

    Sears seems to be in trouble in Canada. Our local store closed and catalogue sales are down.

    Gas prices here have been around $.98/litre but yesterday some stations had lowered to $.88/litre. That is in Canadian dollars which are trading about $.35 BELOW the American dollar. So whatever calculator you use, your gas prices are much better than ours!!!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Ack! Totally messed this one up with one down,
    I put "Lied" to instead of lies to, which had me scrambling
    for obscure interior decorating... (Dian covers? Divan sounds familiar...etc...)

    Alas, we parted company...

    HBD Hatoolah.

    Jzb, yr 39D comment reminded me of a quote I saw recently.
    Talent hits a target no one else can hit.
    Genius hits a target no one else can see...
    Arthur Schopenhauer

    & Haloolah, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery...

    ReplyDelete
  26. Enjoyed this outing on the dead tree version replete with circles. Got the Ford and Trane fill before the reveal, so I wondered what they had to do with one another, but that didn't take long to figure out. No unknowns in any of the fill, but had to wait for perps in a few spots such as Mr T and OOO.

    Thanks for the expo, JazzB, and again Happy Birthday. And a Happy Birthday to you as well, Hahtollah. Stop in and say Hi!

    Gas: I haven't seen it in Lincoln for less than $2.06.9 yet, but the paper reports it is now below $2.00. Did buy a tank in Omaha 10 days ago for $1.95.9

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  27. Hello, friends!
    A very happy birthday to you, Hatoolah! I hope you are off enjoying yourself somewhere exotic.
    This birthday concludes the four of us on the Blog who are back to back Sagittarius.

    Thank you, Kurt Krauss, for a speedy grid to solve. And thank you, Jazzbumpa for interrupting your busy schedule to give us an elegant review.

    Have a great day, everyone!

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  28. Nice construction Kurt. Uber write-up, JB – I just had one nit-pick which I will save for my next post.

    We seem to be enjoying a week where elegance of construction trumps* inherent difficulty. That's fine with me. But I still fail to see why folks don't just use games.latimes.com to get their crossword, circles 'n' all.

    *One wonders if "trump" will become a non-PC word.

    Agree about DINT; and SATE can mean either FILL or OVERFILL. Talking of which, our "boutique" gas is around the $3+ mark here in Southern California. I had never seen "EDENIC" before, but wrote it in anyway. DVR = Device for binge-watching is a bit dated in the age of NETFLIX, etc.

    "ALTO" is also the "part written for an alto voice" – so on vocal sheet music, with all 4 voices provided, one below the other, "ALTO" would be one of the "LINES". Best I could do, Kurt.

    ACCURACY and PRECISION: My High School Physics teacher (a sort of male schoolma'am) drilled into me the difference between these two, so I will never forget, even 40 years on. So spot on, JB.

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  29. Well, an interesting puzzle with a bit of a bite from Kurt, but it was fun. No circles, but did not make a difference. My first thought for WW I aircraft was Sopwith Camel. Sorry Snoopy, it wouldn't fit.

    All entries were on the button, problem was a brain freeze in the NW corner. So, a DNF.

    Had Slipcovers for 18A and that caused 2,3,& 4 Down to remain blank. Was thinking IC Pixe for 3D...shows my lack of knowledge about mountain climbing. If I had seen SEAT instead of Slip, probably would have gotten me through.

    Enjoyed the write up Jazz.

    Gas ranging from $2.03 to $2.11 in CT. I'm pretty sure the State gas tax is close to the highest in the US. Too bad I can't offer my thoughts on Taxes in Ct.

    Happy birthday Hahtoola.

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  30. JB

    You state that "It's worth noting that - despite decades of misleading advertising - since cholesterol is produced in every cell of the body, there is absolutely no relationship between cholesterol in the blood stream and cholesterol in the diet."

    And then state that "Things that do matter are total fat intake, LDL (animal fat) to HDL (vegetable oil) ratio, [and exercise]."

    These 2 statements sound contradictory to me. Could you please explain?

    NC

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  31. Hi everybody, I haven't read the comments above yet but I wanted to chime in with a very little brag. I started the puzzle on Mensa. I got to the center OK and discovered there were supposed to be circles (that never show up on Mensa). At this point, I usually go to Cruciverb and fire up Across Lite to see a blank grid that shows me where the circles should be. But I said to myself, "Self, why don't you try to figure out the theme without the circles?" So I tried, and it worked. I found all of the companies. I did it!

    Gas here is about $2.80 a gallon. It's always higher than most other places. Dunno why.

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  32. My heart sank when I started this puzzle because I got almost nothing until I got to the bottom. But then I worked my way up slowly, slowly, although still couldn't get that darn NW corner. Took a break with a Sudoku, came back, and then miraculously that corner filled in. And, thank goodness, I had the circles or I might not have figured out what the COMPANY in the reveal referred to. But it all ended well, although really tough for a Wednesday, I thought. Thanks for the expo, JazzB.

    Have a wonderful birthday, Hatoolah. And have a great day, everybody!

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  33. NC, I think JzB is saying that cholesterol in your bloodstream is not the result of the cholesterol you consume in your diet, but the result of the fats you consume which your body converts to cholesterol.

    If a large chorus was performing on risers, I can see that there could be an ALTO line.

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  34. I found this puzzle quite easy. With SEARS and TRANE in the circles I realized we were talking about COMPANY which I filled in quickly. I needed partial perps for PARTED. Cute! Great explanations, JzB.
    Happy birthday, Hatoolah. Great to hear from you. With your newsletter put to bed maybe you will visit us more often. CED, I knew you would send her a cute cat.

    No problems, no unknowns,no nits with the puzzle. Quite a few nits with the nits.

    NC, that was my take on ALTO LINES, no prob.

    In re ACCURACY vs PRECISION: In non scientific parlance the thesuarus and dictionaries call them almost exact matches. As I said before,just thinking about a problem you are employed to solve is certainly work, although scientifically not much work is done. " "The work done by a force is defined as the product of the force and the distance moved by its point of application along the line of action of the force" or "the product of a force applied, and the distance through which that force acts."

    I kind of agree about DINT, but effort has to be involved. You can't say, "By dint of blowing on the feather I made it move.

    And more... I suppose chasing my tail after all the medical loose ends is making me picky and tense. Sorry.

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  35. In my earlier post, it shoulda been "...and no call was made."


    Yep, as crude prices fall, one man's pleasure becomes another man's pain.

    Supply is up and demand is down. Investments and explorations are down. Production slow downs are already well underway, all driven by low ROI. Houston feels the pain and it may be prolonged, especially if Iran overproduces and China's oil demands don't increase...

    Oil market flooding wreaked havoc and financially crippled Houston and the regional economy in the mid to late 80's... It was devastating to the nation's 4th largest city, it's primarily oil-driven economy, and it's people as the barrel fell to under $10 a barrel. Tens upon tens of thousands of jobs were lost, and an exodus of people and talent ensued.

    It's happening again, but hopefully it will turn around and not have the same significant downward spiral that it did then... I know the pain is already being felt across the region and industry.

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  36. WEES viz STAVE; never have liked NLER/ALER, but defer to the sports enthusiasts; was also surprised at the way DINT was clued, tho looked it and it's correct; ALTO I assumed meant the physical location of the singers, where the singers of each voice stand in a line separate from the others.
    BYU is one of my several alma maters -- tho technically, since I never got a degree from any of them, I don't have an alma mater -- poor orphan me. ;-(

    In Santa Fe, when I got gas last week, I think it was the refried beans. Uh, I mean I think it was $1.819, less the 25c/gal from my rewards card.

    One final haiku for the day:

    Do mats, SEAT COVERS
    match? Less interesting than
    carpets, draperies.

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  37. Thank goodness this town still has a few small independent stores. I went to one of the last of a dying breed and found several Christmas presents that I feel sure Barbara will like. If it gets to the point where I've got to go to the mall, she's going to have to do without. I like buying gifts online OK so long as I know what I want. But if I just need to browse and shop until inspiration strikes, I much prefer a little neighborhood store.

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  38. Another nit. I am a traditional Japanese haiku enthusiast. There are strict rules and protocols. After returning from my Japanese fellowship I had my students compose haiku. They were okay but not inspiring. However, I treasure only the tradition old fashioned haiku rules. The modern takeoffs leave me cold, in fact offended.

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  39. Kind of an easy puzzle even for a Wednesday. That's NOT a complaint.

    Nobody's gas is lower than here in SC. Unfortunately, this is also the home of the idiotic/moronic "all taxes are evil". So what you save in gas you spend on tires/wheels/alignments.

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  40. Offended by poetry?!?!

    Nose raised high in air
    Walking to market with list
    Look out for that pole!

    p.s. AnonPVX most state fuel-tax revenues are earmarked for non-road spending. Political discussion in a link so you don't have to read or be offended.

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  41. This was a FIW! I started off with the NW under dense fog. I did better on the rest of the puzzle and then the fog finally lifted. VHs/VHF gave me sOOTBOARD/sORD. Huh? AHs/AHH gave me sTTP. Huh? Rechecking my work would be helpful.

    Thanks for the fun puzzle,Kurt. Great expo, JzB.

    This week I've seen gas for $1.859. Of course, when I had to fill up last week it was $1.999. However, for 10-11 gallons of gas, it's peanuts.

    JzB--belated Happy Birthday wishes to you.

    Hahtoolah--Happy Birthday! Welcome back!

    OwenKL--Enjoyed the Haiku.

    Pat

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  42. Owen won't get an A in class.
    The primmest schoolmarm doesn't like his Haiku.
    She is an expert in that too.

    There are strict rules and protocol !
    No sexual innuendo !
    You have been warned !
    Hai !

    ReplyDelete
  43. Gas in my neighborhood is $1.93 though my family tells my that farther southeast where they live it's lower. That would be in Chandler and Gilbert.

    ReplyDelete
  44. You all know about Google, right?

    GasBuddy *

    This site will give you the current gas prices for just about every gas station in America.

    If you have a smartphone, just download their free app and launch. It will immediately give the gas stations near you complete with distance from you and current price. It will notify you when gas is going to jump in price(usually 12 hours before a price surge). I use it about twice a week in my travels and figure it saves me upwards of $250.00 a year. Not a lot but it works for me. Plus, I get to brag to my friends and family, "I paid x.xx for gas yesterday!" I know, simple pleasures...

    *did you notice the state lines defined by their fuel tax? I see Pennsylvania clearly outlined and can vouch their roads and bridges are no better than neighboring Ohio. In fact they are usually worse.

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  45. Nice puzzle; enjoyed it. No circles so I at first thought the theme was body parts (SEAT, FOOT, HAND).

    Thanks to You-Ron for your usual opinion-filled, fact-filled, and interesting write-up.

    Best birthday wishes to you, dear Hahtoolah, and may you have 29 more.

    ReplyDelete

  46. Jayce, on Hahtoolah,---- why limit her future birthdays to ONLY 29 more ??


    We worry about the gas
    but the need to drive
    continues unabated

    The journey of a thousand leagues
    starts with a single step
    an idea

    Haiku is not a 3 line poem
    but a concept
    whose time comes

    ReplyDelete
  47. Hi all!

    Thanks Kurt. I too was slow getting started but finished sans error. JzB - great write-up. If I ever need to dress macaroni, I can now tie an ASCOT :-)

    Wos - ODEsSa @67a and iDylIC [sic] @17a. ESPs - 9 & 61d.

    Fav:
    When you dial-up your ISP to HTTP
    on your INTEL-inside IBM PC
    hit ESC to END when
    your mom walks in.

    NAS (Network Attached Storage) could have been nerd-clued too.

    D-O & TTP know of what they speak. <$40 WTI is hurting folks. We just LAIDoff colleagues - again. It was sad to see them PART COMPANY. If it's still bad by June/July, all BETs are off AND we'll all be wringing our HANDS. VICE VERSA - $50+ WTI will provide a little AHH.

    Downstream friends, riddle me this - the regular price Sun was $1.90-ish but medium grade was $2.70ish. Isn't there usually a $0.1 to $0.3 spread between grades?

    Nice OKL :-)

    HBD Hahtoola! "Don't eat Chinese food today or you will be very ILL." - Fortune Cookie.

    Cheers, -T

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  48. Yellowrock, I'm really sorry my haiku fell short of your approval. I admit that two of them (PARTED & SEAT COVERS) were jokes that didn't really match haiku protocols (perhaps they should have a different name than haiku, say "lowku"), and all four were phrased to fit some aspect of the puzzle, but I really felt that despite that, the dog show disappointment and chiastic North wind chill both still managed to invoke emotional perceptions, which to my understanding is the true essence of haiku.

    Anonymous@3:57 -- I liked your, uh, lowku.

    Anonymous@4:30 -- Your effort didn't really follow rules or protocol, but I do applaud your DINT. The message was witty even if the form was lacking.

    Stoic@7:43 -- The syllable counts may be off, but I think you caught the spirit of haiku!

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  49. Owen, I LOVED the haiku!! And I think you can see that most of us did, too!?

    ReplyDelete
  50. FWIW, gas (87 octane) in Vacaville (between Sacramento and San Francisco), runs from $2.25-ish to 2.79 (Chevron, always the priciest: must be the Techron), with the normal raise per grade at 10 cents.

    Howsomever, if you go over to Marin County, or into San Francisco, you can easily find examples of what is called "regional pricing" -- i.e., notably higher.

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  51. Good Thursday morning, folks. Thank you, Kurt Krauss, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Jazzbumpa, for a fine review.

    Finished late last night and then went to bed.

    DEADBALL was my Achilles Heel. Oh well.

    The rest was not too bad. I have the circles in my newspaper, but I never checked out the theme until I came here. Clever.

    Since I am really stretched today, I will not hang around this morning. See you later today, or tomorrow.

    Hahtoolah, Happy Birthday, and many more.

    Abejo

    ( )

    ReplyDelete

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