Theme: Going around the block in my town.
Alex Vratsanos, has worked his way back to Friday after two Sunday and then two Saturday LATs. He also has been published on all 7 days by the NYT. C.C. posted his INTERVIEW last year. Today he gives us a visual puzzle that requires not filling in the word TOWN in each of the theme answers. The reveal tells us to look for the theme fill on the outside (outskirts) of the puzzle. The visual requires you 'see' the word TOWN metaphorically outside of the grid. This style is an extension of the rebus where multiple letters appear in a grid. This is actually the exact opposite of last week's puzzle where a four letter word was inserted into the fill. I thought the theme came very easily as Chinatown in San Francisco is very well known and had to be the solution to 1 across. Of course anytime a theme starts there it will be a challenge. I wonder if the grid-spanning reveal was the inspiration for the puzzle?
There are a few sparkly fill longer than the theme fill which will upset some, such as BASS SAX, I'LL TELL, SLITHER, , BARTLETT and SALES REP and a variety of six letter ones. Let's look it over.
1A. San Francisco section : CHINA TOWN. (5). A fun place to visit.
66A. Site of Cornwallis' surrender : YORK
13D. Textile production settlement : MILL
24D. Tourism hub : RESORT
51D. Historic Omaha suburb : BOYS
The reveal:
38A. Border area, which contains a hint to solving this puzzle's 12 border answers : OUTSKIRTS OF TOWN (15).
Across:
14. Laura Petrie catchphrase : OH ROB. Mary Tyler Moore to Dick Van Dyke.
15. Will's role in "Celebrity Jeopardy!" sketches on "SNL" : ALEX. (Trebeck) A bit of self shout out here. Now how do you work VRATSANOS into the grid?
16. Cultural opening? : AGRIcultrural.
17. Slip 'N Slide maker : WHAMO. Wham-O Inc. is a toy company in Woodland Hills, California, USA. They are known for marketing many popular toys in the past 50 years, including the Hula Hoop, the Frisbee, the Slip 'N Slide, the Super Ball, the Trac-Ball, Silly String, the Hacky Sack and the Boogie Board. Per wiki. The company was born in 1948, a really vintage year.
18. Singer Halliwell : GERI. We all remember Ginger Spice.
20. National alternative : AVIS. Rental cars.
22. Playground threat : I'LL TELL. We did not tolerate squealers.
24. Word with guilt or debt : RIDDEN.
27. Symbol of strength : STEEL.
29. Tennessee team, briefly : VOLS. Timely as former Tennessee Volunteer Peyton Manning preps for the Super Bowl.
31. Unveiling : DEBUT. It will be Cam Newton' s debut, number four for number 18.
35. It's double-hyphenated: Abbr. : SSN. xxx-xx-xxxx
36. South Asian garment : SARI.
37. Helical pasta : ROTINI. Sounds almost religious.
41. Get back : REGAIN.
42. Foot on a farm : HOOF. Hand: PAW Foot: HOOF
43. Fleur-de-__ : LIS.
44. Search casually, as for a bar pickup : TROLL. Anyone else think of this classic? MOVIE. (2:37)
45. Marathon prep run : TEN-K.
46. Found (on) : BASE. I think it should say upon.
47. Toon with an odd laugh : ELMER.
51. Big wind : BASS SAX. Three Esses....cool. You know what they say, even bass sax is good sax.
54. "Doggone it!" : HECK. Never hear this anymore.
55. General Bradley : OMAR.
56. Rao's competitor : RAGU. This is like suggesting a competitor for a Maserati is a Chevy.
58. Richard __, Pulitzer-winning author of "Empire Falls" : RUSSO.
62. Ranch neckwear : YOKE. Hopefully only for the livestock...
64. Root of the Progressive Era : ELIHU. An interesting MAN.
Down:
2. He lost to RMN : HHH. Hubert Horatio Humphrey. Also interesting.
3. Nest egg letters : IRA.
4. Migrants : NOMADS.
5. Like stars : ABOVE.
6. Witches : HAGS. Witches get such a bad rap.
7. Miss modifier? : OLE. As a school nickname....not easy to see.
8. Good qualities : MERITS.
9. Kick out : EXILE.
10. The 18th edition of his original work was published in 2012 : BARTLETT. The man and the quotations.
11. Type of arch : OGEE.
12. __-B : ORAL. What is your toothbrush, electric?
21. Without success : IN VAIN.
23. Opened : LED OFF.
25. Bank, cardwise : ISSUER. OOF.
26. Plea to remain : DON'T GO.
27. Move like ophidians : SLITHER. Fancy name (ok scientific name) for snakes. "It had to be snakes!"
30. "Catch-22" pilot : ORR. Our hockey star gets a rest for this supporting character in a wonderful book.
32. H.S. experiment site : BIO-LAB.
33. Reckless, say : UNWISE.
36. Tricks of the trade : SKILLS.
37. Annual award recipient : ROOKIE. Baseball rookie of the year probably.
39. Pitcher? : SALES REP.
40. Simba, to Sarabi : SON.
45. Company founded in Beaumont : TEXACO. Beaumont, TEXAS.
46. Scott of "NCIS: New Orleans" : BAKULA.
50. Common fastener : SCREW. This has so many possible twists and turns, all too risque for now.
52. Crazily : AMOK.
53. Munro pen name : SAKI. If you do crosswords you should know this.
54. Corn cover : HUSK. A CSO to Gary?
57. Canine warning : GRR.
59. Canine command : SIT. Nice pairing.
60. Seagoing pronoun : SHE. Yes ships are female.
Oh my we are into the second month of the year already. Luckily with online bill paying I do not risk writing 2015 on my checks. Anyway, I hope you checked out this fun puzzle and write up and see you next time. Lemonade out.
64 comments:
Lemony, thanks for the learning moment. I never knew that Yorktown was in PA.
Had to go to red for the SW, and found SIc was wrong, too. Possibly interesting stumble WOODY > GOOFY > ELMER. You remember all three of these character's laughs?
There once was an author named SAKI
Wrote tales that some thought were wacky,
Of open french doors
And views o'er the moors
And girls unusually yakky!
Imagine what a world this would be
If our culture was mainly AGRI-.
No belching STEEL MILL
No Internet evil --
An utter bore, I think you'll agree!
Morning, all!
Slept in a bit today since school is cancelled due to the storm and I don't have to rush to get the little guy up and out.
I happened to see the theme reveal early on, which made the gimmick clear and really helped a lot. Without knowing the theme, I'm sure I would have floundered a lot. Fortunately, I also knew all the various towns referenced, so that helped a lot as well.
I nearly bit it down south, however. I had SKILLS in place, but that gave me BASSS__ at 51A, which I knew had to be wrong because 51A was obviously BASSOON. I'm not familiar with RAO, but I had the final U of 56A and guessed RAGU. I didn't have much confidence in that answer, though. And I had no idea what company was founded in Beaumont (or even where Beaumont was located). MARVY is not a word as far as I'm concerned, so that didn't help. And the clue for VCRS was too tricky since I was thinking baseball players.
In the end, however, I eventually thought of BASS SAX, which instantly gave me TEXACO, which got me VCRS. I finally just gritted my teeth and entered MARVY to get the *TADA*. Ugh. I'm sure it will have plenty of defenders, but that just gave the entire puzzle a black eye for me.
Sorry Bluehen, add another typo to my resume VA not PA
I need an editor
Some nice wake up music for y'all. A couple of tunes were running through the brains this morning:
OUR TOWN (So many choices...)
and listen to the opening line:
OUTSKIRTS OF TOWN*
*Very much childhood evoking(for me) lyrics are posted in "comments" just below video
Good morning!
Toughie! Wasn't getting much traction until the reveal appeared. Then things started to click. Before then I thought a "settlement" would be an agreement. My guilt and debt were hIDDEN. Didn't know "Simba" and thought she could be a MOM to Sarabi. The whole thing turned into a Wite-Out workout. In retrospect, I'm surprised I got 'er done at all. Still don't understand the "Found (on)" = BASE answer.
LYS or LIS, only her perp knows for sure.
Yes, Lemon, my toothbrush is an ORAL-B, and it's electric.
Barry, you may have heard of the Spindletop "gusher" of 1901. That occurred in Beaumont in SE Texas, and was the beginning of the Texas oil boom. Not much booming going on these days.
Rats! Forgot to include this one:
BOOMTOWN
It's a good thing its Friday!
I did a nice July 4 five mile race in YORKtown last summer with my 10 year old granddaughter. Very nice historic course.
Good Morning, Lemonade and friends. I rather liked this tough, but fun All Around Town puzzle. I scratched my head at getting CHINA (through the perps) and HOME, but when I got to TINSEL, the light went on and I knew I needed to add the word TOWN. The unifier, however, didn't help me. Before I caught on to the town, however, I really wanted Weed for One Growing Up Fast.
Hand up for Bassoon before BASS SAX.
Although ISABEL Allende (b. 1943) is Chilean, she was born in Lima, Peru. I have read and enjoyed some of her books. I cant, however, read them in the original Spanish.
I knew ELIHU Root (1845 ~ 1916) because he makes frequent guest appearances in the puzzles.
Fleur-de-LIS are seen all over Louisiana.
I will be driving through Beaumont, TX later today on my way to Houston.
QOD: To act coolly, intelligently and prudently in perilous circumstances is the test of a man ~ and also a nation. ~ Adlai E. Stevenson, II (Feb. 5, 1900 ~ July 14, 1965)
Founded on. Based on. Present tense in the clue and answer.
Busy day today, I am the taxi driver for College auditions...
But having read last nites late night, I must add:
Anonymous T, if you don't post in 3 days, we will have some one check your roof!
(but I would be pro active & leave a 6 pack up there for emergencies...)
TTP, when you have one of those days, just study this picture & try to figure out what happened.
Then be thankful it was'nt you...
CED, pressure cookers put too much pressure on cookers, IMO.
Windover good to see you stop by always wondered why Smuckers did not use their name for the PB
Good Morning:
Crunchy but doable with patience and perseverance. Hand up for bassoon/bass sax. I thought some of the cluing was a little off, but all fell into place, eventually. I, too, was thinking of baseball for old players.
Thanks, Alex V., for a Friday workout and thanks, Lemony, for the detailed summary.
TTP, you are the poster child for Murphy's Law! 🆘. ❌ ‼️ Hope things get better! 👍
Have a great day.
TTP, thanx for that. I guess I've always heard it as "founded" -- never considered the present tense of it. Had to laugh reading your saga yesterday. I can see you're well on your way to a stress-free retirement. BTW, where in New Caney does your friend live? NC is an unincorporated area primarily defined by its zipcode. The "city" I live in is surrounded by NC and shares that zipcode.
Watertown is home to Fort Drum and the 10th Mountain Division. It is specialized cold weather training facility for the military and known to many for that reason.
I really loved this clever theme. I caught onto it quickly, but still the fill took quite a while, especially the SW corner. Finally I though of YOKE which helped me to remember SAKI and to fill in BOYS. The triple SSS for Bassoon almost did me in. I let the BASSSA- stand for a while and did an ABC run. AHA! TEXACO and SAX! I guess I have a little more patience today.
Thanks for the tips on Windows 10. In light of your posts I have about decided to have a tech in to hunt for my sound problem and for advice about upgrading to 10. (I now have 7, because I chose not to get 8.)I hate to have to learn a new version just now. I am at a point where I just want to glide along and not face any more challenges for a while.
TTP, your plight tells me things could be worse. I like the saying, "I cried because I had no shoes, and then I met a man who had no feet."
BTW for 46A FOUND (on) =BASE (on). They intended to FOUND their commune on the concept of free love. They intended to BASE their commune on the concept of free love.
Irish Miss, And it's not over yet. Having a cup of coffee after getting most of the prep work out of the way for the tank replacement. Heading to Menards in just a few minutes to get everything I need. Taking my list with me this time.
Desper-otto, they live off of Catacombs Dr.
Put it off long enough. It's not going to fix itself. Off to the home improvement store.
Shouldn't the correct word for clue 44A be trawl rather than troll?
One definition of TROLL is "to search for or try to get (something)." That is also one definition for TRAWL. They are pretty much alike.
Lemonade714 said @ 6:47 AM: "I need an editor"
Truer words have never been written.
That is the most intelligent post you have contributed to this blog.
I have driven through BOYS TOWN thousands of times over the years and after struggling to grok a four-letter Omaha suburb my mental waters parted and BOOM, I got it and the theme! What fun Alex!
Musings-
-His usual modus operandi was to SKIP TOWN
-Will Ferrell’s ALEX is a hilarious punching bag for Darrell Hammond’s Sean Connery (8:47)
-NFL officials have to make calls in REAL TIME and not in super slow-mo
-All STEEL playground threats are now plastic
-VOLS came to me second because shortening Tennessee Titans seemed gauche ☺
-My HOMETOWN is TEN-K east from where I am sitting
-OMG, BASE, BAKULA and RUSSO were right! Gimme a gold star!
-One GI detained OMAR Bradley during the Battle Of The Bulge because the General answered Springfield for the capital of Illinois and the sentry thought is was Chicago
-Two of these guys played for OLE Miss and the other was a VOL
-Baby, DON”T GO (3:11)
-Catch 22 - airmen mentally unfit to fly couldn’t do so but couldn’t be excused
-My BIO LAB with live goldfish was very popular
-Those HUSKS and stalks get this treatment now
Arggyle, thank you for the information on Watertown which help me remember that fill.
YR your choice of creed for your commune is suggestive....I am not trolling.
Lemonade- I'm still listening to George Strait because COW Town ended and George kept singing other songs. I got the theme in the odd NW because _HINA & _OW looked so odd. WHAMO- a good friend of mine was fortunate- his father was the WHAMO sales rep back in the 50s. Let's just say he made a lot of money.
The top and bottom filled easily with only BAKULA & BASS SAX the only hang ups. I had BASSOON and basically guessed MARVY although it sounded stupid. I originally filled WOODY woodpecker for the odd laugh. The cross of 44A & 36D made me think of someone trying to pick up a hooker. TROLL & 'Tricks of the trade'.
As far as 46A-'Round (on)'- I found it an odd clue. But I found the puzzle very challenging and I had to put it down and come back to finish the middle. But as I am listening to the George Strait medley, I will say goodbye. My wife's a Mardi Gras nut so there's three parades tonight- back to back. Endymion is tomorrow basically an all day event. Sunday? Bacchus will be parading while the Super Bowl is on but it's happened before and people have bring out televisions and generators. Some floats will have televisions on them. Peyton Manning grew ( and Archie still lives) a couple of blocks off St. Charles Ave.
Does George ever quit singing until you close out YouTube? It's still going after six songs.
Yeah, I was trying to understand how one commits a typo mixing up the letters P and V. One would use different hands and fingers to type those letters. Lemony just can't admit to a mental mistake and always blames something else for his errors.
YR- A couple of Windows tricks that many people don't know. With multiple TABS open I find it easier to switch holding Ctrl & Tab keys. To switch between 'multiple windows' hold the Alt & Tab keys and keep hitting the Tab key to get to the page you want. If you hit the 'Start key' and the Tab key at the same time EVERYTHING will show up on the screen and stay there- just click on the screen you want.
HG- I talked to Archie last year while he was watching his granddaughter May play tennis. He was on crutches after his knee replacement and I told him he wouldn't even notice it after a year because I didn't after mine. Six years later I still don't feel anything abnormal.
"Marvy" was lame. Otherwise, it was a good puzzle. I eventually figured out the theme, not helped at all by the fact that the Mensa version doesn't print the theme name. Might not of helped anyway.
Hi gang -
MARVY / VCR crossed me up.
Lots of good stuff here but I do NOT like the gimmick.
Got TINSEL with perp help, and that gave me the unifier, and hat gave me the rest of the border fill.
I see baritone saxes every week, but have never seen a BASS SAX in real life. Wanted to put in TEXACO, but couldn't imagine a word ending in X. Finally it clicked.
Would somebody with editing access please remove those awful ANON comments? It's the same damned thing every week and I am sick to the teeth of it.
Cool Regards to the rest of you.
JzB
Bill:
The LA Times does not get names from their constructors and none are ever printed except Sunday's puzzles. Our theme names are created by the puzzle bloggers.
Big Easy, I have never left You Tube open long enough to find out.
I had so much trouble with yesterday's Thursday puzzle that I gave up and felt too embarrassed to come to the blog. As a result I approached this morning's puzzle with angst and anxiety, and amazingly, amazingly I got the WHOLE THING without a single cheat or look-up. Yea! Hurray! Mind you, it took a fair amount of work and there were lots of unknowns (never heard of BARULA, e.g.), but I still got it! And I loved watching the theme fill in all around the edges of the puzzle--how clever! Feels wonderful, many thanks, Alex, and you too, Lemonade, for your always great write-up.
Have a terrific weekend coming up, everybody!
TTP, Catacombs, eh? That street is only a couple of blocks long. We don't live on it, but it's only a 2-minute walk from our front door. Small world.
I spent a good deal longer working this puzzle than I usually do. I needed the center reveal to tell me what was going on. I knew from 1A that there was some trickery afoot - after mentally running through Nob Hill, Embarcadero, Praecidio, Mission, Haight/Ashbury, Tenderloin and Chinatown and coming up with a 5-letter blank I knew to move on and wait for the lightbulb.
I was OK with MARVY, just because I don't know a word doesn't make it lame in my book.
@Anon-T - how did your last sous-vide effort last week work out? I'm just starting a couple of racks of ribs for Superbowl - 24 hours at 155F, then I can just sear them for 20 minutes in the oven on Sunday and voila!
Really nice puzzle. Thank you Alex. Enjoyed trying to suss out some of the "Town" names.
Thanks, Lemonade, for a great expo.
Lemon: Thanks for explaining my Rorschach Ink-Blot Test.
geez, What-A-Workout. Put-it-down and picked-it-back-up five times.
Kinda liked the Outskirts of Town theme.
Hmmm ... TROLL ... then later in the grid (going down) SCREW ... A mini-theme?
Cheers!
Tin, and I was called suggestive?
Marvy? I didn't realize we were expected to know slang from the what, the 1930's?
Otherwise a bit crunchy but typical for a Friday.
MARVY? Ugh. Let's try and use that in a sentence. This fill made me miss the reachable BASS SAX and VCRS and the subsequent BOYS town and clueless SAKI, which is not MARVY!
The funniest laughs in ELMERtoons come from Bugs Bunny.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPhCDLtr9h0
YR, if you were offended I am sorry. I thought it was humorous that you chose a commune and free love which were certainly staples of my generation. As far as any double entendre with words such as Tinbeni references, that was once a daily part of this blog. Times change, but suggestive will always be a bit funny.
Maybe BASE BAKULA BASSSAX and BARTLETT are a mini theme /meta with BA from the A-Team being the answer.
Lemon, not offended by you or Tin. I thought it was funny, too. That's why I wrote it.I was amused that my mild little sally was called suggestive.
I am more offended by your regular Friday troll nemesis. Can't someone please edit him out.
MARVY was a great companion for the clue, NEATO. Both are informal, both are dated. They still appear in period literature and old movies.
Hello, friends!
I found this puzzle MARVY! Had I felt well enough I would have done it much earlier and really enjoyed it unlike yesterday's which I found terrible and suitable for birdcage fodder, IMHO. Of course, being under the influence of oxycodone after a root canal didn't help.
Thank you, Alex! Even without the reveal it was fun to suss this, starting with one of my favorite authors ISABEL Allende. However, her latest book, The Japanese Lover, was somewhat disappointing. It lacked the depth and detail of Daughter of Fortune and House of Spirits. But maybe it's me.
Once the theme emerged I liked it even more although most of it was already finished. I loved the cluing for OLE, SKILLS, HOME and AVIS which I have slowly learned to relate to rental cars (ALAMO, BUDGET, etc.)
Living in a RESORT town can have some negative side effects such as increased traffic during peak season or the Cactus League and yet it's quiet and peaceful in our area, anyway.
Thank you, Lemonade, for your excellent expo from which I always learn something.
I hope everyone is having a fine day, except apparently TTP; whatever it is, I'm sorry to hear of it. I didn't read yesterday's comments.
Man oh man I was scratching my head trying to figure out what the heck was going on. Like Hahtoolah, it was TINSEL that opened it for me. I was thinking, "Just TINSEL? Shouldn't that be TINSEL TOWN?" *click* "Ohhhh." I shoulda had a V-8 this morning.
LW and I stocked up on beer and popcorn yesterday; we're now ready to watch the Superbowl game. I hope there's no power outage. Knock on wood. Neither of us is particularly rooting for either team; we just hope to see some high quality football playing.
ANONYMOUS @ 2:05 : Here is how to insert a LINK to a website in the comment page.
Ditto. Count me in and please delete those obnoxious anon comments!
My introduction to the social side of the Internet was on a First Class bulletin board located way back in Maine. It was populated with wonderful people, much like our little Corner. Their policy was that everyone use his/her own name, no aliases allowed. It made for more civil discourse. I would be OK with all anarky anons' posts being deleted as a matter of principle. (This doesn't apply to our AnonT of course!)
Because I settled for BASSOON, I missed MARVY and all its connected perps. Sadly, I missed it the first time it came around (was it ever in vogue?) and now again.
My first grasp of the theme was the very last clue, 61D, with OUR standing in for the entire title of that lovely old play, Thornton Wilder's Our Town. It happened also to be my first fill. The play was familiar to me because I once played the Stage Manager.
What I remember most about the part was learning to do a proper Yankee accent. I listened for hours to the old series of recordings titled Bert and I, voiced by the team of Marshall Dodge and Bob Bryan. An example of their ultra-dry wit is this classic story, the origin of a famous punch line.
I eased up on the accent for our audiences, but I still recall several of the old tales and could probably revive one or two at a party-- if in the right mood, of course.
PS. I caught the old movie version of Our Town on cable a few nights ago, the one with Frank Craven as the Stage Manager and young Martha Scott and younger William Holden as Emily and George. I thought it beautifully acted but a poorly conceived attempt (directed by Sam Wood) to translate Wilder's radical stagecraft to the screen. The worst aspect? (Spoiler!) Keeping Emily alive at the end. Yep. The screenplay showed much of the graveyard scene and some of the grief at the loss of Emily, but then treated it as if it were only a bad dream.
Ah, Hollywood...
OMG, my birthday girl is ALIVE!?!
HI Y'all! This puzzle was hard & tricky and somewhat short of MARVY, I'LL TELL you, but had its MERITS. Took some red-letter runs. Needed the reveal to make sense of the border clues. NW was the last to fill. Laura Petri was before we had TV so didn't know her catch phrase.
COW TOWN wasn't a "cattle raising district", but rather a receiving terminal for railroad shipment to beef butchering places before refrigerator cars. Didn't raise many cows in a town. Maybe a few milkers.
I've been to Beaumont, TEXAS so TEXACO was a gimmee and I backed into SAX and wanted "alto" before BASS. I saw/heard one once but they aren't common.
Phooey, I thought YORKtown was in New York not VA. I had an ancestor who claimed he "were there" to "see" Cornwallis surrender (on his pension application papers). Duh!
Hey, YR, run AMOK. Be suggestive! Under that proper schoolmarm demeanor... LOL!
Seen on the outskirts of town...
(& on the flip side...)
The puzzle defeated me, but I had to post to endorse the suggestion of JazzB, YR and Lucina and, I suspect MANY MORE, to delete the obnoxious and meaningless comments of our Anon troll. Coming here should be a pleasant experience!
Lemonade, I loved your write-up and links. Thanks.
Owen, the verses were spot on!
I've been absent today because I had to take a seminar in Omaha. Appropriately, about 2 miles from Boy's Town. Not sure I'd call it a suburb, but it is in the Metro area. Anyhow, I did work the puzzle this morning and found it tough but workable. Got the trick in the NW corner when all but the C were filled by perps and I suspected the game that was afoot. Still, it took too long to complete and I was on a short leash, so no time to comment earlier. Worth it though.
Enjoyed the nod to Iris with Our Town, Wolfman. Actually saw her last Saturday, and that was one of her encore songs......in Omaha.
I laughed out loud at Troll when it became obvious. There's a legend, told to me by the perpetrator from my home town, that once upon a time in the same college town where Husker Gary went to school, he tied a rope to the bumper of his car with an ear of corn attached and drove through the town. When the police stopped said offender and asked what he was doing, he replied: "Trolling for hogs!" I suspect it's true. Perhaps Gary can confirm.
I embrace anons. They add spice to an otherwise predictable blog. Who needs another regular poster expounding how they wrote JAM instead of JIF? Yes, they can be crude with their observations but many among us began our participation timidly as such. Also, I'm sure, many disparaging anons are likely regulars hiding behind the cloak of disguise to insult or call out another but such is the internet and it's underlying anonymity of it all. And, understand that we shouldn't disapprove of this tactic as many sensitive ones would alternately judge us for merely stating fact. As has been stated many, many times before; if you don't like a post, whether its about old age ills, the grand-children's latest picture or yesterday's dinner, just skip it and move on to the next appealing entry. Please don't delete the anons. Remember that censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance.
The vote to delete the anon was general, it was for one specific troll who bashes Lemonade each week. We've heard his rant and are tired of it. He/she/it adds absolutely nothing to our blog. I vote delete too.
The vote to delete the anon was NOT general. Pardon my error, I got emotional.
Yet Another Anon, you make some very good points.
Like you, I have suspected that some of the "Anons" are the regulars saying what they wouldn't say under their own names. And I also suspect we all started out as "Anons" before we chose names and/or Went Blue.
But that doesn't change the fact, and fact it is, that some of the posts are offensive and just plain stupid. It is those posts that should be removed because they poison the atmosphere. Most of us here just want to have fun.
It isn't that we don't disagree. I seem to remember that the discussion of the Oxford Comma got a bit raucous. That's good! We have opinions and need to express them.
But, we all need to remember our leader's admonition for "no personal attacks." We can disagree with out being disagreeable. That's what I object to: the disagreeable Anons who only want to say hateful things to be ...well...mean. The trolls who have no life and disrupt pleasant blogs are everywhere in this anonymous cybersphere. We just need to remove them....whoever they are....from our discussion here.
Very ironic PK that you chimed in about anons. Are you REALLY the original PK? No one knows for sure, now do they?(and I like it that way) Let's not get caught up in a playground game of blaming Bat for stealing my lunch money or Abigale for taking advantage of escrow accounts.
I was just getting ready to link another version of OUR TOWN that included footage of a Corner fave: Northern Exposure. It was the coda for the denouement and thus deserving of a post. But I came across this clip and it seemed more fitting in light of today's discussion. What a great show!
I'd be VERY surprised if ANY of our regulars are into bashing as anons. Our corner has always been respectful even when we didn't agree. OK, there were times that CC did some hand slapping, but it didn't continue. I feel that the Lemon basher is a very sad person with not many friends. Bashing must make "it" feel better .
I had a hard time with this puzzle for the longest time. Sometimes I don't get on the wavelength , and I was puzzled right away with China. It took awhile to click and then I thought it was very clever.
But...my last fill was marvy, crossing VCRs. I had to go thru the ABC's to fill it.
Lemon, thanks for a very thorough write up...the more the information, the more I learn. Enjoyed the Spice Girls movie preview. I never followed them, but knew they existed. See Mel B on AGTalent
Oh, young, naive JD...not only am I convinced that the Lemonade714's provocateur is a regular, I have a strong suspicion on who it is.
Anon at 8:03, I love the irony of your comment as it could be you who does the bashing and is also a regular. Sticks and stones...lack of respect is an epidemic and in deference to C.C.'s creation, vision and wishes this Corner should be a fun place with laughs, learning and links.
I appreciate the support and the opportunity to entertain and enlighten even though I make mistakes, get forgetful and can be unintelligible. It is all a game.
The majority of the Cornerites here are incredibly kind-hearted souls. If they were invited to a Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings, but were served cornbread and stadium mustard instead, they would praise the host for his hospitality and his wonderful generosity. And rave about how good the Jiffy mix was.
Some of us, however, choose not to ignore the Emperor's New Clothes.
Speak up! It's OK to be contrary, especially if done with a wink and a smile. And I know some of you are smiling.
Bravo Ergo! Who's up tonight?
Tuneagement Time:
More BOOMTOWN
Many here prolly don't know that the aforelinked group leader, head writer and all-around creative genius, Bob Geldof, has been knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.
I'm posting very late tonight so I imagine it will not be read by anyone, but I want to express my feelings: I've been a lurker for several years but recently posted under TX Ms, and I just want to say I have enjoyed and appreciated ALL of the Cornerites' personalities (I can usually identify them by their posts without their "aliases" :>0 ), family updates, personal illnesses, trials and tribulations (here's to you, TTP - please keep us advised, oh my), HG's informative links, both educational and comical. To me it feels like an email family united initially by a common love of crosswords. My message to the "anons"?: Go back to your sandbox! Thanks to all.
CORRECTION!!!: I do not enjoy/appreciate ..... "personal illnesses, trials/tribulations" but just wanted to comment on how everyone feels like family here and are open to sharing those bumps in the road. Sorry!
**Warning: Super Bowl Winner Prediction Alert**
**Do Not Open**
Solid lock
TxMs people read all the comments, maybe not until the next day but they get read.
Loved the prediction
Thanks
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