google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Wednesday, August 30, 2017, Jacob Stulberg

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Aug 30, 2017

Wednesday, August 30, 2017, Jacob Stulberg

THEME: VOWEL MOVEMENT REDUX

A Wednesday puzzle with a vowel progression? Put up the Husker Gary Signal, Commissioner! This is my third recent puzzle with this gimmick. I thought we'd take a new look at the VOWELS in ASL. How many did you know?




 Jacob's progressive vowel insertions were on three two-word phrases and one single word adjective and were placed to complete the sequence CR _ M.... 

Perhaps it's not necessary but here is his grid and since only very smart people read this blog, I only indicated the vowels employed in Jacob's exercise.




Let's check out Jacob's exhibition of VOWEL PLAY by looking at his sequential theme entries:
17. Student's all-nighter : CRAM SESSION - They pulled a big CRAM SESSION to try to pass Professor Kingston's class in 1973's The Paper Chase


25. Dessert with a caramelized top : CREME BRULEE - Breaking through that wonderful caramelized crust 


39. Course of study that may include forensics : CRIMINAL JUSTICE - Abby of NCIS is my favorite forensic scientist and part of my latest Netflix binge


48. Like a mid-17th century English government : CROMWELLIAN - I'll bet Puritan and Roundhead Oliver was the life of any party! (Picture corrected from earlier Thomas)


61. Car's impact-absorbing structural feature : CRUMPLE ZONE - The CRUMPLE ZONE of both cars gives way first as designed



Now let's see what else Jacob has CRAMMED into this Wednesday exercise:


Across

1. Brigantine's pair : MASTS - How'd they get that ship in there?



6. Necklace globule : BEAD

10. Touch gently : PAT

13. Sneezing sound : ACHOO - Response - Gesund (healthy) heit (hood) to wish good health

14. Grade for exceptional work : A-PLUS 

16. "Gross!" : UGH

19. Links figure : PAR - PAR for pros is usually one less than for me

20. Trek on a trail : HIKE - Wanna hike up Half Dome in Yosemite? Here's the trail:


21. Lots : A TON

22. Martini garnish : OLIVE

24. Keats' "__ on Indolence" : ODE - For this ODE to his own laziness, Keats used as an epigraph this passage from Matthew 26: "They toil not, neither do they spin" and we also had 56. Like noble gases : INERT

27. Verbal : ORAL

29. Former "Inside the NFL" host Dawson : LEN

30. Correctional : PENAL - Nebraska's PENAL system is at 150% of capacity

32. Issuer of bulls : POPE - Named for the leaden seal (bulla) affixed to the bottom of a Papal edict, uh, not the content


35. Bridge support : ARCH - For some reason the ARCHES shown here gave this bridge in Memphis the nickname "The Dolly Parton Bridge." Hmmm... It's a mystery to me


42. Trail : PATH

43. Sports figures : ODDS

44. __ fit: tantrum : HISSY

45. Tie-ending qtrs. : OTS - James White scoring the TD that decided the 2017 Super Bowl which was the first one to go into OverTime


47. Boot : KICK - The Falcons were KICKING themselves for letting the the Super Bowl above get away from them

54. Letter after upsilon : PHI

57. "Spider-Man: Homecoming" actress Marisa : TOMEI - She is a fine actress but she'll always be Mona Lisa Vito, the car expert in My Cousin Vinny to me


58. Je t'__: French "I love you" : AIME 

59. Cookware material : IRON 

60. Bygone U.K. record label : EMI

64. Suitable : APT

65. Comic/writer/activist Izzard : EDDIE - A British comedian known for dressing as a woman in his act


66. Solitary sort : LONER - I am an involuntary  LONER when eating lunch in faculty lounges

67. Ed.'s acquisitions : MSS - Manuscripts 

68. Italian wine region : ASTI

69. Latin clarifier : ID EST  - i.e. This might, uh, clarify the issue, i.e. explain the difference  




Down

1. Virile : MACHO - Many in this sport have their MACHO image enhanced pharmacologically 


2. Bitterly pungent : ACRID

3. Seal the deal : SHAKE ON IT - It can be complicated


4. Heavy reading? : TOME

5. Signal of distress : SOS - This became standard after the sinking of the Titanic and replaced CQD (Come Quickly Danger) (-.-.  --.-  -..)  which the doomed ship was sending as she sank

6. Moisten while roasting : BASTE

7. __ salts : EPSOM

8. Dress named for a letter : A-LINE

9. Electronic music's Daft Punk, e.g. : DUO and 47. Film critic Pauline : KAEL- I guess...

10. Dilation target : PUPIL - My good friend had this situation with his eyes


11. Tequila source : AGAVE

12. Red billiard ball : THREE - Its correct placement in the rack for 8-Ball


15. [Bo-ring!] : SNORE

18. Rank between marquis and viscount : EARL

23. __ fringe: fanatical extremists : LUNATIC

25. Colombian city : CALI

26. __ cheese : BLEU - Not a fan

28. Make emphatically, as a point : RAM HOME - I think this RAM made his point emphatically 


30. Angel dust, for short : PCP

31. Significant stretch : ERA

32. Sketchbook, e.g. : PAD

33. __ Navy: discount retailer : OLD

34. Comfy lounging wear : PJS - After one of my blogs i got an anonymous note from someone who said I put commas where they are not required. So, would PJ'S be out of place here or here 37. IV units : CCS - CC'S

36. Like aggressive investments : RISK PRONE - "Hello, Mr. Madoff, I'd like my money back"

38. "Listen up!" : HEY

40. Body part with a bridge : NOSE - You can alter that bridge


41. It's just over a foot : SHIN

46. __-baked potatoes : TWICE

48. Third-stringers : C-TEAM - Most would now say "Third on the depth chart"

49. Escapades : ROMPS

50. Passes over : OMITS - Why did Jacob omit CRY ME A RIVER? 😉

51. Praises highly : LAUDS

52. Maximum : LIMIT

53. Macao Science Center designer : I.M. PEI - Wow!


55. Sharpens : HONES

59. Polo maker that's a Polo rival : IZOD

62. Nutritional abbr. : RDA

63. Philanthropist Broad : ELI - A little obscure for a Wednesday?


It's no CRIME to have an opinion here:

50 comments:

  1. Greetings!

    Thanks to Jacob and Gary!

    Nice theme!

    Things that I didn't know: LEN, THREE, I. M. PEI (very peculiar building, not my cup of tea) and ELI.

    Spent most of yesterday at emergency hospital. Have new medicine to slow heart rate now. (No, don't eat any salt to speak of and blood pressure is OK.)

    Was second in the (English) world at Word Solitaire today. Hooray!

    Hope to see you all tomorrow!



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  2. Vowel Progression = Thumper.

    The Man in the Moon has a beard on his chin!
    His wife says it's MACHO, the rest of us cringe!
    Neath his NOSE, there's an ARCH?
    It's a 'stash with some starch!
    No doubt about it, he's got a LUNATIC FRINGE!

    PAT always says UGH, when I call her "Missy".
    She says that she's MACHO, not just some sissy!
    But I bet down inside
    I get under her hide
    And she wants to KICK out, and just throw a HISSY!

    {A+, B-.}

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  3. Just read yesterday's blog.

    Lucina: hope you get some relief for the pain.

    Hope things get better in the wake of Harvey!

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  4. Hi Y'all! Great puzzle, Jacob! Great expo, Gary! I would use 's in those circumstances.

    Caught onto the vowel progression on the 3rd one which helped with the other two. Probably wouldn't have got CROMWELLIAN otherwise.

    IRON/IZOD/IDEST was a natick. Didn't think of IRON cookware. Didn't know ID EST. Thanks for the explanation on that.

    Last to fill: PAR (and I watch golf). I thought "Links figure" would be a man's name. I couldn't get the "P" on my way down the puzzle. DUH!

    But I was proud to get POPE first try. "Cows" would have fit. Sorta.

    Does anyone have a C TEAM or is that the development league? Maybe the freshman team in HS.

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  5. SwampCat: I was touched by your Katrina story. I think Katrina touched every caring person in the U.S., even those not directly involved. That destruction and anguish of that magnitude can happen in NOLA & Houston, makes everyone feel vulnerable.

    Side note to Katrina: In an attempt to make a Red Cross donation then, I made a left-hand turn into a local bank and got into a fender bender. I was so angry that my attempt to do a good deed was interrupted. The dent was still in the bumper when I traded the car 11 years later as a reminder of how LITTLE I suffered in comparison.

    Boo: As a journalist, I had a very good experience with the Red Cross when we had a tornado in my home county. I usually donate to them. Last year my donation went directly to my BFF's granddaughter whose house was flooded in Ponchatula, LA.

    Fermatprime: Sorry to hear about your hospital visit yesterday. Hope you are okay. Take care, dear lady!

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  6. Hi All! Night River/Levee watchman says...

    Whew! I made it through. I was was headed to another DNF until the theme gave me CROMWELLIAN and got commonwealth (too long and the W was in the wrong spot) out of my head. That finished off KAEL & IM PEI. Thanks Jacob for a curiously-odd clue'd puzzle that I enjoyed.

    Thanks HG for the expo and parsing ID EST - I kept "seeing" ID(i.e.)ST.

    WO: CRUMbLE ZONE
    ESP: KAEL, IM PEI, IDEST, POPE (funny, HG, Papal bull :-))
    Fav: I found an ODE to the Ark from EDDIE Izzard. One of my fav bits of his - Death Star Canteen [this one in Legos]. [MA - Don't have a HISSY re: language.]

    Runner-up: CREME BRÛLÉE, only my favorite dessert when done right. Steve - got tips on that?

    {A PLUS, B}

    PK: C-TEAM; the first folks APT to get the BOOT during layoffs :-(

    Tawnya - Remember the Canadian one-hit-wonder Red Rider's LUNATIC Fringe?

    For all you following... Water has mostly receded and it looks, barring a levee break, I can get out of the 'hood tomorrow to re-provision re: sin-taxed goodies. TxMs - LOL'd at Winston run!

    Peg - How'd League City hold up after the last round of rains?

    I understand Beaumont got hammered today. Harvey just hit East of Port Author near Cameron, LA. BooL - How close is that to you? OK so far?

    Time for the penultimate IPA b/f I wake DW for her watch.

    Cheers, -T

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  7. AnonT: Thanks for the status report. Good luck! Glad you are still able to do a little sinning -- if supplies are able to reach your store.

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  8. Got up before the alarm and had time to do the puzzle before class. Didn't know KAEL, and so had soCK for KICK, SHoe for SHIN and CROMWELLIte for my four bad cells. Correction for Gary - The Corner is read by really smart people (and Jinx).

    No one objects to OT being a quarter? Not in the NFL - there it's sudden death (almost), but the game will end in a tie if the time limit expires before the tie is broken. If it was an OT quarter, wouldn't they always play the entire quarter and determine the winner (or tie) at the end?

    Thanks Gary and Jacob.

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  9. I am back from a brief birthday cruise to the Caribbean and would like to thank all who gave me your birthday wishes. It was a very fun trip with some family and friends. We are on baby watch with my d-i-l hoping she does not have to wait for her due date on Saturday.

    Puzzle was fine, and I always enjoy My Cousin Vinnie clips. Also liked the inclusion of TOMEI and TOME.

    Thank you Jacob and HG

    My prayers for all in the path of Harvey and I hope all our unscathed. Hahtoolah (Susan)and all of our Louisiana contingent check in please

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  10. Your picture for "Cromwellian" is the wrong Cromwell - you've got Thomas, not Oliver. Wrong century.

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  11. Actually the 3 ball and all others (except the 8) have no set position in an 8-ball rack. The 2 back corners do however require one solid and one stripe

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  12. Good morning all!

    Fun, easy Wednesday- thanks, Jacob! I missed the vowel progression until reading Husker Gary's marvelous write up. Maybe I'm not one of the smart ones that reads the blog, lol ;)

    HG- I actually know the ASL alphabet. A friend in grade school was fluent in sign language since both of his parents were deaf. He taught some of us so we could communicate in class without getting in trouble for "talking" Some used it to cheat on tests. I have no recollection of doing it myself ;) Anyway, it stuck with me all these years.
    Loved that you used "The Oatmeal" as an example for IDEST (i.e.). That cartoon always cracks me up.
    I also detest BLEU cheese; DH loves it.

    No real issues other that not knowing MSS and ELI

    Fermatprime- take care of yourself - hope the medicine helps :)

    Lemonade- sounds like a great way to celebrate your birthday! Happy belated birthday - I haven't had a chance to read the blog for several days. Good luck with DIL and new grandchild!

    AnonT- ha! I had a feeling you would reference Red Rider and LUNATIC Fringe :) Our local classic rock station plays it often; great song.
    Glad to know you and your family are ok.

    I've tried to check in here periodically since Harvey hit ( been so busy I haven't had time to comment) to see how our cornerites in TX are faring. Is DO the only one who hasn't checked in? I do hope he is safe and it's a matter of not having internet....

    My oldest and dearest friend ( went to grade school and high school together and she was my maid of honor) lives about 30 miles north of Houston. So far, they have been lucky with only some flooding in surrounding neighborhoods and none on her street.

    Thinking of all of you in TX and LA and wishing you safety. It's heartbreaking watching the impact and devastation on the news. However, seeing the people come together and help one another is a beautiful thing.

    Have a great day everyone ! I'm off to have breakfast with DD, Mom and nephew and enjoy their lovely company :)

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  13. Even without "sudden death" an OT would be a fifth, not a quarter.

    LAUDing is no higher than other praise.

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  14. After looking back over the puzzle for holes the vowel progression was easily spotted but I didn't notice it while solving the puzzle.

    I didn't know of the movie, Spider-Man's actress but perps took care of it. Was the big book she was reading TOMEI's TOME? Pauline KAEL, the DUO Daft Punk, and the extremely ugly woman EDDIE Izzard were also solved by perps. I had a little hiccup at 41D filling SHOE over a foot and then thought SACK for 'boot' before the V8 moment KICKed me in the head.

    And speaking about the LUNATIC fringe, the WSJ's editorial yesterday was about the 'anitfa' anarchists, who have labeled their actions: "anticipatory self-defense". Interest reading.

    Anon-T- you should always have enough 'sin-taxed goodies' just for emergencies.

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  15. If an OT would be a fifth, not a quarter, then all the segments would be fifths, right? There wouldn't be any quarters anymore.

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  16. Jacob, loved your puzzle.i think it takes me longer than most because most of the time I need at least one letter to get my brain on the right track.
    Gary, you always leave us with lots of smiles.

    Rain, rain,go away

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  17. Good morning everyone.

    Just the right difficulty. Got it w/o searches or erasures. Got all done, and reflected on what the theme could be. Saw it was the vowel progression in the CR_M lead-in.
    Liked TOMEI in Vinny, too.
    Favorite fill was CREME BRULEE which I had at BH's birthday dinner at a fancy restaurant on the Oneida's Turning Stone Casino one Thruway exit away.

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  18. Good Morning:

    I'm not a fan of vowel progression puzzles as they tend to practically shout out the theme before you've had a chance to enjoy solving. I much prefer a well-hidden theme that brings an Aha when it finally appears, ala most of CC's puzzles. I had Pro before Par and Sack before Kick. Learning moment was that a pool rack had to be set up in a certain order. Of course, I know as much about pool as I do about Quantum Physics.

    Thank you, Jacob, for a mid-week challenge and thank you, HG, for the bright and breezy summary.

    Ferm, hope you are feeling better.

    Lucina, please keep us posted and glad to hear the pain has subsided.

    Continued best wishes for the well being and safety of all affected by Harvey.

    Have a doctor's appointment later. Every time I have a check-up appointment, the nurse asks the same three questions: 1) Do you want a chaperone in the exam room?, 2) How tall are you? I guess this is to figure my BMI, and, recently, 3) Any feelings of depression? (I'm still formulating today's response to #3, so I don't come across as a smart Aleck or, worse yet, a Smart A _ _)

    Have a great day,

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  19. Good day to all!

    Catching on to the vowel progression early helped in the solve, especially for CROMWELLIAN. ELI Broad and Pauline KAEL were all perps. Favorite clue/answer was "It's just over a foot" for SHIN. Thanks for the thorough expo and links, Husker Gary.

    Lucina-- I hope you can resolve the pain issue with your legs. Best wishes.
    Fermatprime--So sorry you are facing health issues as well. Wishing you the best.
    JD--Thanks for the photo of Truman. It has been fun "watching" him and his cousins grow up.

    All in Harvey's way take care. Thanks for keeping all of us at The Corner updated of your status.

    Enjoy the day!

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  20. Thanks, Jacob, for a pleasant solve this am. Very nicely done!

    HG, great write-up. Liked the pics.

    As far as Harvey, we are doing fine. Sunshine this am! No further flooding.... only 3-4 inches of rain yesterday. Total so far.... 50 inches, give or take! Clear Creek is not expected to go back down to its normal level until Saturday. Need to try to find some cat food today or tomorrow! Stores are totally emptied of everything, and restocking stores hasn't started as yet.

    Take care all!

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  21. Speaking of sin-taxed goodies,...

    I often look for my local homeless friend who is sometimes camped out near a parking lot nearby my local coffee shop. I notice his occasionally smoking or with a beer can nearby. I think that bothers some people and they might think he shouldn't spend his scarce money supply on those things. OK, but in his situation, any small vice that makes him happier and takes his mind off his situation is OK by me. Dunno what it would take to help me get through a situation like his...

    Best wishes for those in need of them due to flooding or ill health or ...? I wish I could be helpful in a more concrete way.

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  22. Great to see HISSY FIT in the puzzle today! Wonderful fill.

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  23. I thought gesund meant good and heit
    meant health. Good write-up good puzzle.

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  24. Larry - Husker has it right. Gesund means helthy and heit is a suffix meaning 'status of' or 'hood as he stated. The opposite, Krankheit, means sickness. Freiheit is 'freedom'.

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  25. IVs haven't been measured in CCs for years, they're measured in MLs.

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  26. Thanks, Jacob, for the enjoyable puzzle. I would say I breezed through it, but with Harvey still hanging around, maybe any mention of wind should be avoided. I didn't see the vowel progression until HG 'splained it. Thanks.....and I see nothing at all wrong with your apostrophes. In the grid we just enter the letters, but in writing about it, if you don't indicate more than one OT is some way you end up with ots. What the dickens is an ot?

    I've enjoyed the debate over quarters and extra time periods. I have no opinion (a rarity!) except that I think fifths should always be of scotch. Jinx, I do agree an overtime period cannot be a quarter. It can be one play, if that play is a touchdown!

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  27. Thank you, Jacob Stulberg, for this entertaining and easy puzzle! I loved seeing HISSY fit and CREME BRULEE which I misspelled and being ignorant of anything to do with billiards. Drat!

    Gary, LOL at your BULL comment.

    KAEL is unfamiliar to me and I vaguely recall hearing of EDDIE Izzard. I love Marisa TOMEI and agree about her in My Cousin Vinny.

    AnonT and Peg, thank you for your reports. I hope we hear from the rest soon.

    Thank you all for your kind words. I'm happy to say that the leg is much, much better.

    Have a beautiful day, everyone! Every day is a gift.

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  28. PK, Our skies here are blue and the sun is shining. Not sure it will last, of course, but so far so good.

    Lemonade, welcome back!

    Owen, A+. A +

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  29. Enjoyable puzzle, Jacob and great expo, Gary. I didn't catch the vowel progression.
    I got hung up on brie vs bleu cheese until perps rescued me. I like both, any kind of cheese, in fact.
    KAEL and ELI were all perps.
    Eddie certainly does not have a women's face. Some men can pass for a women in the right getup, but not Eddie. Tootsie made a good woman.
    I prefer manly men to macho men.
    I need to cram alone. I found group sessions interfered with my focus. I had to study again afterwards. I need intense focus and making my own thought connections.
    Cromwellian came with just the WEL.
    I think LAUD is stronger than praise. Vocabulary.com says, "To laud someone means to praise them extravagantly — usually in a very public manner."

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  30. Ta- DA!

    Good solid pzl, Mr. Stulberg. Thank you!
    Great illustrations today, HuskerG!
    The CROMWELLIAN portrait probably does him more than justice. Is that all the warts the painter could find? HG's caption is APT; there are certainly no worse party types than Puritans. Who was it who defined a Puritan as "someone who lives in dread that somewhere at some time somebody might be happy"?
    Mmm... CREME BRULEE. I had a wonderful one for dessert at a restaurant last night.
    That MACHO image made me think that some physiques may be enhanced photoshopically.
    Loved the RAM HOME video. I don't know whether the girl deserved that butting, but for full effect it's always best to have a moment of delight or celebration just before the impact!

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  31. Jacob: Thank you for a FUN Wednesday puzzle. Enjoyed the theme.

    Needed ESP (Every-Single-Perp) to get the Film critic Pauline and KAEL ELI Broad. Both today's learning moments.

    Hot and sunny here today.

    Cheers!

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  32. Argyle @9:05 am

    I agree with your "Fifths" analysis ...
    I have a "history" with "Fifths" ... LOL

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  33. Good Wednesday CW. Thanks for the fun, Jacob and Husker Gary.
    I started strong and thought I was doing well but FIW.
    Like Jinx in Norfolk, I "Didn't know KAEL, and so had Sock for KICK, Shoe for SHIN and CROMWELLIte". Glad I wasn't the only one! I did see the vowel progression.

    I had a B Team before an A TEAM, Brie before BLEU (yes I like both), and Manly before MACHO.
    I noted ARCH, BOOT, SHIN (and my initial Shoe) and thought we had a mini-theme starting.

    KAEL, I.M. PEI and LEN Dawson required perps.

    Fermatprime, hope you are feeling better and new medicine works.
    Lucina, glad to hear the pain has subsided.
    Continued thoughts and prayers for those in TX and LA affected by Harvey.

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  34. Wow, all of you express yourselves so well I am at a loss to add to what you have already said. Hand up for BTEAM, SHOE, and SACK. Hand up for not knowing ELI Broad and Pauline KAEL. I don't the mind vowel progression gimmick because I usually don't notice it until after I've already finished all or most of the puzzle anyway. (By the way, do any of you say "anyways"? I confess I don't, and it hurts my ears to hear it and my eyes to read it.)

    Glad you had a good birthday, Lemonade. Glad all you in the Houston area are all right. May all the levees hold and all the pumps work in New Orleans! Best wishes to you all.

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  35. Well, sadly I had not one but two goof-ups on a Wednesday puzzle---aaaaarggggghhhh, Can't believe it--but not your fault, Jacob, and I really liked and got your letter progression theme. First problem came from putting ONION instead of OLIVE for that "Martini garnish." Hey, come on, I haven't had a martini in years and didn't remember how they were garnished. But that messed up three other items, including THREE. And then I put Pauline's last name as KEEL rather than KAEL, and forgot to go back and fix the spelling of CROMWELLIAN. No complaints if this had been a Friday, but a Wednesday! Not my best week. But I enjoyed your expo, Husker Gary, and am so happy to hear that Lemonade had a nice birthday cruise. That all helps.

    Sorry to hear about your hospital visit, Fermatprime--take good care of yourself.

    My thoughts and prayers continue for everyone in storm and flood zones.

    Have a good day, hopefully, everyone.

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  36. Bill Graham noted: "I wish I could be helpful in a more concrete way."

    What to do right now is kick in a few bucks, but wait until December to do some serious helping. The size of Harvey's effects remains unknown, and even once the totals are in, it is going to take a LOT of aid.

    Just for one example, there are square miles of flooded homes: replacing the soggy dry wall, alone, is likely to run into the low billions, and the press reports say that most people don't have flood insurance....

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  37. Here Come the Sun Doo-Baa-Doo-dooooo... [replace winter with hurricane :-)]

    I woke at noon and helped the neighbors shovel muck off the streets; [note: I tried to link Monty Python "How do you know he's a King?" / "He hasn't got sh** all over 'em" thus proving I'm not royalty but couldn't get YouTube to skip past the first bit which I feel is insensitive considering this week]

    Everything within a few miles is passable so DW went out for junk-food. One neighbor slinging muck w/ me really wanted some bread, Saltines and a Dr. Pepper. The store only had Dr. Pepper so we raided our supplies for the other goodies for her.

    The best news o' the day - the sin-store was open and fully stocked! Now, so am I :-)

    Misty - A 'martini' with an onion is a Gibson

    Lucina - good to hear your leg is better. Re "I know as much about pool as Quantum Physics." Derr, One's classic Newtonian and the other not... pshaw :-)
    Fermat sorry to hear about yesterday's ER visit... Can they even guess what's wrong?

    Welcome back Lem.
    Bunny M - glad you enjoyed Red Rider.

    IM - LOL re: response #3. Moi? I'd be a smart-a** and reply "Depends on what you say about my BMI."

    One thing we found to distract from the news - Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently. Not quite in line with the books but funny; and Gruesome (but funny).

    OKL - and I found that The Tick is on Amazon Prime.
    Can y'all tell I've been bored w/o a Paper?

    Peg - good to hear. I still hope to hear soon re: DO.
    To those still in Harvey's path - my thoughts are with you. We will not even speak of TS Irma yet...

    Cheers, -T

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  38. Misty, you forgot the "!!!" at the end of AAAARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!

    I've caught up on sleep. Fortunately I knew Pauline KAEL. A very influential reviewer. And controversial.

    I too only needed the WEL to get CROMWELLIAN. And, I had SHOE before SHIN.

    Now. Doesn't the onion in the martini have a distinct name. In the original book, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" I recall Bond wanted the martini stirred. Shaking seems pointless.

    Speaking of.. if Splynter's out there: Where in the 12&12 do we find "CLEAVAGE"?

    Staying on the subject: My last act in the Marine Corps was getting carried to the BOQ on the shoulders of two Bird Colonels.

    Martinis were not my friend. I stayed away from them.

    I wanted simply SCRUB for the CTEAM-er and SHAKE HANDs before running out of letters.

    I've asked this before but do any xworders recall the book or article on How to Write-over in crosswords? eg. How to change an a to an n etc. I use small and caps intermittently for no reason.

    Btw. A quarter in basketball is 12 minutes. Pros. OT is five minutes. They're all called periods.

    WC

    PS. Owen, you are indeed giving us A+ l'icks these days. However, don't throw away the LUNATIC FRINGE stuff that I love.

    PPS. Great write-up Gary and clever work Jacob.

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  39. Jayce: I occasionally use anyways, but more commonly say anywho as a conjunction, anyweighs.

    Tony: don't know why you mentioned The Tick, tho I've seen a promo for it, and would be looking forward to it. Sadly, I haven't any idea how to look at A', Netfix, Hula, or anything else that's not on my xfinity cable. I'm not even sure I'm getting all of those! For someone who was a guru in my 30's & 40's, demotion to ID-ten-T PEBCAK is humbling.

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  40. Gibson. That's the ticket. And I just realized that I had CRUNMBLE ZONE. I completely missed the perp for IM PEI.

    My EGO* has told me I don't need perps until Friday. I'll have to slow down.

    WC

    * EGO is so common it's a permanent Cap

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  41. OKL - 'cuz I know you're a Sci-Fi / comics guy; especially those that lean towards the quirky. As far as becoming a ID-ten-T; yeah, I just hand DW the XFinity remote (and the iTV and TV-TV remotes). I know I set all this up once but I forgot what I did and she plays with it more than I.. -T

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  42. Hi all!

    1st: I'm very relieved that our Texas friends are mostly OK. It has been very surreal following the news and Facebook status updates. I had a hard time fathoming the extent of the damage but with all the pictures freely posted, my vision is clear and my heart is aching for you all. Keeping you in my thoughts <3

    Anon-T beat me to the punch with LUNATIC fringe (years ago I lost an argument that the song was Pink Floyd so I knew it was Red Rider - some things you never forget!). And I spent a good 45 minutes giggling while searching for non-offensive Eddie Izzard and I couldn't find a thing! I did happen on a John Cleese interview so enjoy, -T :)

    I did a ride along in an ambulance on Monday and I can attest to the value of the CRUMPLE ZONE. I saw several car accidents and not a single person required medical care. Even the person going 70mph down the freeway that had a blow out, flipped, and crossed the median. Wear your seat belts, folks!

    F-Prime - sending positive vibes your way! Hoping the meds work and your ticker runs smoother now!

    Irish M - Love the questions asked! Most people over middle age don't care who sees what - it's all been seen before! Depression question is new because they are trying to combat this unsettling statistic: "Although they may not call prevention centers, people considering suicide usually do seek help; for example, 64% of people who attempt suicide visit a doctor in the month before their attempt, and 38% in the week before." Mental Health America

    @Anon 11:50. You are correct in that everyone is taught not use CC anymore. However, I promise you CC is used verbally everyday. I "grew up" using them interchangeably - but usually CC is in reference to the syringe size and mL is in reference to the quantity. For instance (e.g.?) "Hand me a 20cc syringe" and "I need 10mL of lidocaine." I don't notice whether someone uses mL or CC, but the new-to-the-medical-field people get a little confused because it wasn't taught to them. CC has gone the way of QD, BID, TID, QID - use of it can lead to confusion (and medical errors) so you aren't supposed to use it.

    I think that is all, my friends. Stay safe, Houston peeps. And watch out Louisiana people. Hoping Harvey peters out before causing more damage.

    t.

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  43. Houston, I hope you are feeling all the love heading your way. I just heard that the Mississippi State Univ Bulldogs have changed their helmet decals to a Bulldog superimposed over the state of Texas in support of your recovery. Who knew??

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  44. I was so excited to get my Houston Chronicle today................no delivery for the past
    two days.........too much water................
    and for me, no electricity for a couple of days...............

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  45. SwampCat: thanks for the weather report earlier. Hope sunshine prevails. This is late because I was INERT all day.

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  46. SwampCat, thanks for the Bulldogs report - now that is really touching coming from college football.

    Port Arthur, TX is getting hit with big-time flooding, but Harvey will be picking up speed soon, so I hope Louisiana won't be affected too much. I've not been watching the news because even the world news shows have been replaced with local news. I'm not being heartless, I am interested in fellow Texans, and their plight is certainly heartbreaking. I do have a problem with all the local news reporters going over and over what they said for the previous five minutes (=15 minutes), and this has been going on 24/7. I would like to see more of outlying areas; e.g.(?), I didn't know Crosby was flooded and a chemical factory there is anticipated within the next six days to either explode or catch on fire if the chemicals are not keep cool enough. I discovered this in an abbreviated Channel 11 world news segment. End of rant, sorry. I am VERY fortunate in that I had only 24", and my electricity was on the whole time. SO LUCKY!! I don't know how I would cope if my house had been flooded like those I've seen - I wouldn't even know where to start. Some of the poor families have been flooded now three times in three years. Unbelievably sad, but beyond our control. Well, it's within the city government's control - the permitting department just turns a blind eye to the greedy developers in Montgomery, Harris and Brazoria Counties and gives them the green light to do whatever. Sorry, I promise, END of rant.

    Sonia, where do you live? I've been starving for national and world current events, and I was so happy to see the Chronicle delivered mid-afternoon, Sunday's and today's! I hope your power comes on very soon - any word from CenterPoint?

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  47. Tx Ms.... I do understand what you mean about overdosing on news. Do what's comfortable for you!! There is no judgement!

    My granddaughter in college has roommates from Houston and feels she is uniquely placed to comfort them, having gone through Katrina as a small child.

    But......now her internal stress is coming out, in emails to grandma as she relives her own trauma in Katrina. We never really recover.

    Hang in there Houston!! It will pass. You will keep on keeping on. And years from now, when someone else suffers from a storm, you will be strong....but also remember your hurt.

    I suppose that's the purpose of life. We help each other, and learn to deal with our own hurts.

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  48. Anon T and Wilbur, many thanks for confirming that there is such a thing as a martini with an onion. And Wilbur your arrgghh is much better and more dramatic than mine!

    Husker Gary, I just looked at all your pictures again, and they are great! Thank you so much for posting them in your write-up!

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  49. Tawnya - thanks for EDDIE w/ CLEESE on his book "So Anyway" (prescient Jayce :-))

    TxMs - Yeah, up-river and down-river from me the Brazos is over it's banks. I'M LUCKY (so far); BIL's house (well, mine, he leases) is also in potential for Brazos water in the next 48hrs. So, I'm still on night-watch / pins & needles.

    Re: pins & needles: D-O, we're all waiting to hear from you.

    Sonia - The little things that mean normal. I still haven't received the Chron since Sat. And, may I be the second to welcome a new Space City Puzzle Pal to the Corner.

    Cheers, -T

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  50. Fun theme! Was there a deeper meaning to the CR-M progression?

    Never heard of TOMEI so I put CREAM/ROMEI.

    IM PEI was easy even though I never saw that building. He designed four buildings on our MIT campus and each was quite innovative and memorable.

    Unknowns: EDDIE, ELI, Daft Punk DUO, LEN

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