Husker Gary reporting today where our brilliant LA Times Blogspot mistress C.C. Burnikel has given us a lovely Sunday puzzle with a fun theme and always clever cluing! The title and gimmick she used reminded me of this famous tag line for Steve Martin. She has given us eight, two-word themers where the first word starts with "S" and the second with "QU" which amounts to eight SQU's or phonetically: SCUSE.
As you can see in the grid, six of the theme fills were horizontal and two more were vertical and intersected two of the horizontal fills. Last Sunday C.C. called this a "classic Gail Grabowski design".
There's no SCUSE to not enjoy this puzzle and so let's first look at C.C. theme answers:
23. It begins in , April : SECOND QUARTER - Ah April, where I can make my final 2016 payment and fill out another lovely form and my first payment for 2017.
33. Yahoo! Finance offering : STOCK QUOTE - On June 16, a STOCK QUOTE for Yahoo! Inc. would have been $52.59
49. Jamie Lee Curtis or Fay Wray : SCREAM QUEEN - Jamie Lee was a great SCREAM QUEEN in the Halloween franchise. Her mommy was also pretty good at this skill in a Hitchcock classic. Fay Wray only had to contend with an animal that went, uh, ape over her!
86. Test for trivia fans : SPORCLE QUIZ - Probably obscure for most of you but I knew this from subbing. Some teachers let their kids take fun and/or educational quizzes at this online site and they stay occupied. Yay! Below, you must type in as many of the nine countries starting with "L" that you can in 60 seconds. Go!
100. California prison town : SAN QUENTIN - Perhaps you'd like to try the 9 mile swim from SAN QUENTIN to the other famous prison in the neighborhood
117. Pielike veggie dish : SPINACH QUICHE - Looks yummy to me!
15. What screen icons exude : STAR QUALITY - This show calls it the X-Factor
67. Granite excavation site : STONE QUARRY - This wonderful 1979 movie featured characters (including 101. "Far from Heaven" actor : Dennis QUAID) who called their bike team the Cutters because of the STONE QUARRY industry in Bloomington, IN. They raced the Indiana University team. Guess who won.
Now let's look at the rest of the fill from this SUNDAY's QUEEN of the puzzle
Across
1. Mark Cuban's NBA team : DALLAS
7. Scene : LOCALE
13. Quaint light : GAS LAMP
20. Lizard with a "third eye" : IGUANA - The primitive white spot between his two eyes that only detects light and dark
21. Like grandfather clocks : ANALOG - Digital is just so wrong here
22. Tin mints : ALTOIDS
25. In an imposing manner : GRANDLY
26. Things on rings : KEYS
27. Lemons : DUDS
28. "__ Death": Grieg work : ASES - Åse's Death from Peer Gynt. Yeah, I knew that and did not need the crossings. 😅
30. Dot follower : ORG
31. Grips : CLASPS
38. Went for a bite? : FISHED - A statue of a very famous "Gone Fishin'" trip in Mayberry, N.C. Okay it's in Mount Airy, N.C. but still...
41. Review using stars : RATE
43. In __ of : LIEU and 99. Inscribed tablet : PLAQUE - I have received several PLAQUES IN LIEU of cash
44. Glob : WAD
45. Punk rock icon Smith : PATTI - She performed in a benefit concert in 2011 with crossword's favorite Beatle wife
46. Poetic measure : METER
47. Trac II cousin : ATRA
48. Like Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 : IN G
52. Steamed state : IRE
53. "Blue Sky" Oscar winner : LANGE - She made a controversial appearance before the House Agricultural Committee on the strength of her role in this 1980 film.
55. Bun contents : HAIR
56. Wish undone : RUE
57. Executed : DID
59. Legend in one's own mind : TIN GOD
60. Port of 79-Down : ADEN and 79. Nation across the gulf from Somalia : YEMEN
61. Brat's output : SASS
63. What some wallow in : SELF PITY
66. Give up the single life : WED
67. Prepared for a selfie : SMILED - This smile could be gone in a hurry
69. Dana of "Body of Proof" : DELANY
70. Smooching on the bus, for short : PDA - Have you ever chaperoned an adolescent dance?
73. Some studios : ATELIERS - Yeah, I knew that and did not need the crossings. 😅 400 sq. ft ATELIERS in the Robespierre district of Paris run about €800/month.
75. Titles of respect : SIRS
76. Bath buggy : PRAM - Lady Mary could drive from 1 hr. west from Downton Abby to Bath, England to get a PRAM for her baby
77. Lidocaine brand : ICY HOT
80. Sch. with a Harrisburg campus : PSU - Football scandals have rocked this fine school
81. Summer in Provence : ETE
82. Burial isle of many Scottish kings : IONA Yeah, I knew that and did not need the crossings. 😅
83. Ersatz fat brand : OLEAN
84. Activity-tracking letters : GPS - "Oh where, oh where has my little dog gone?"
90. Clyde cap : TAM - You might find one on IONA
91. Jacob's twin : ESAU
93. Poker pile : CHIPS
94. Charlotte __ : RUSSE - "Oh great! Another women's clothing store!" 😡
95. Is for two? : ARE - Stan is one but Stan and Ollie ARE two
96. Stop : QUIT
97. Lyon lover's word : AIME - Je t'aime (I love you)
98. Golf phenom Jordan : SPIETH - Where are the golfers with personality?
103. Pennysaver revenue source : AD SALE
105. American rival: Abbr. : UAL - Give me the cheapest fare. End of discussion
106. Topps figure : STAT
108. Historic Tuscan city : PISA - After teaching about Galileo at PISA for decades, I had a breathless moment when I walked through the arch and saw the leaning tower for the first time
109. Wikipedia entries : BIOS - Isn't C.C. about due to have an entry?
113. "Right on!" : I HEAR YA
120. Prisoner's restraint : LEG IRON - I'll bet you know what character is trying to rid himself of said restraints here
121. __ à trois : MENAGE - What were you thinking?
122. Sophisticated : URBANE
123. Pain reliever : ANODYNE - Yeah, I knew that and did not need the crossings. 😅
124. Think highly of : ESTEEM
125. Eldest Dashwood daughter in "Sense and Sensibility" : ELINOR
Down
1. Pancake shape : DISK
2. Pulitzer novelist James : AGEE - I wonder if C.C. and Boomer have this AGEE card in their collection.
3. "Peanuts" fussbudget : LUCY
4. Golden Triangle country : LAOS
5. Taylor of fashion : ANN
6. Seat at Churchill Downs : SADDLE - Pretty Spartan
7. Heaps kudos on : LAUDS
8. Living it up : ON A SPREE
9. Budget choice : CAR - Once again, show me the price on your rental CAR
10. Ski resort near Snowbird : ALTA
11. "How to Succeed ... " composer Frank : LOESSER - Ya gotta dig pretty deep to find Music and Lyrics by Frank LOESSER.
12. Everglades bird : EGRET
13. Practical joke : GAG
14. "Today" weather anchor : AL ROKER
16. Future sound? : LONG U - FYOO' CHER - The first "U". Love it!
17. Help out : AID
18. 16th-century date : MDL - July 7, 1550 is the traditional date chocolate is believed to have been introduced to Europe
19. Aspiring therapist's maj. : PSY
24. Squat beneficiary : QUAD - Wow!
29. Pool-heating option : SOLAR
31. __ seeds: omega-3 source : CHIA - From a silly gift to health food
32. Fill to the brim : SATE
34. Ticket for speeding, say : CITE - Oldest daughter got out of a speeding ticket in Lincoln but when the officer saw her then last name and said he liked me as a teacher. "Dad, that's the only time it's been worth knowing you!"
35. Being in debt : OWING
36. Latin ballroom dance : TANGO - Al Pacino and Gabrielle Anwar doing the TANGO in Scent Of A Woman
37. Barely beat : EDGED
38. False impression : FACADE
39. Words of resignation : I TRIED - no comfort when first words were 110. Volunteer's offer : I CAN
40. Strict : STERN
42. Looks after : TENDS
45. "Baloney!" : PSHAW
46. Granola cousin : MUESLI
50. Baseball mascot partner reintroduced in 2013 : MRS MET - They have both come and gone since the 1960's
51. California's state bird : QUAIL - You're my age if you know who sang, "Hey Bird Dog keep away from my QUAIL"
52. Remains in neutral : IDLES
54. "__ takers?" : ANY
58. Mil. roadside danger : IED - Improvised Explosive Device
59. Christmas strands : TINSEL
62. Escapes slowly : SEEPS
64. Mall handouts : FLIERS
65. Medicare program offered by private insurers : PART C
68. Hosp. employees : DRS - Many DRS around here have abandoned their private practices to be "employees" of our hospital for legal reasons
70. "In Search of Lost Time" novelist : PROUST -The Guinness Book Of World Records says it is the longest novel of all time
71. Breakfast pastry : DANISH
72. Blow away : AMAZE
73. "I knew it!" : AHA
76. Spark : PIQUE - These daily exercise never fail to PIQUE my curiosity
77. Tiny bits : IOTAS
78. Santa __ : CLARA
84. Dieter's setback : GAIN
85. Masters strokes : PUTTS
87. Strong cotton : PIMA
88. Where to see slanted columns : OP-ED PAGE - Where you might find Charles Krauthammer and Paul Krugman side-by-side
89. Lake bordering Ontario : ERIE - Last Sunday, Gail Grabowski's ERIES were The Cat Nation People
92. "Lolita" (1962) actress : SUE LYON - In ads the promo was, "How did they make a movie out of this?" The answer seems to have Nabokov's screenplay make Lolita 16 instead of 12 as in the novel and toned down the content
93. Happy hour offerings : CANAPES
98. Scout's accessory : SASH - His SASH runneth over
102. Response at the door : IT'S ME
104. Order to attack : SIC 'EM
107. Windshield option : TINT
109. Netanyahu of Israel, familiarly : BIBI
111. "This is horrible!" : OH NO - Ah, Mr. Bill!
112. Interpreter of signs : SEER
114. Egg source : HEN
115. Narcissist's problem : EGO
116. Hydrocarbon suffix : ANE
118. "Not gonna happen, lassie" : NAE - "Timmy is not in the well girl!"
119. Bing result : URL
Well, I SHOULD QUIT and let you guys hold forth with your pertinent and impertinent remarks.
38 comments:
Hi everyone!
Thanks to C. C. and Gary!
Sure a lot of Qs in this one!
No cheats (unlike NYT puzzle).
What does PDA mean here?
Hope to see you all tomorrow!
Urban Dictionary: PDA. Public Displays of Affection. We've had it before, quite sometime ago. I needed to look it up then, too.
FIW¡ I had so many WAGs I didn't even try to search when I got no ta-da, and was AMAZEd when only one letter turned red! SPORaLE QUIZ? The down perp could be any letter from A to D, so I went with the vowel, A. I swear, I have never in my life heard of SPORCLE.COM!
The theme was easy to see by the second themer, tho when I first read the title, I was expecting phrases with multiple Q's.
WARNING! {X!, M.}
There once was an equine from DALLAS
Who was seeking a holster for his phallus.
A knot-hole didn't work.
The SPINACH QUICHE, it was worse!
What that dumb donkey needs is a gal ass!
A Public Display of Affection
Has cost some sexters an election!
Come voting day
A candid P.D.A.
Must never include an erection!
Good morning!
Northern California -- that stretch from SAN QUENTIN to Alcatraz -- remained empty for the longest time. Until YEMEN gave me ADEN, actually. Looked at SUELYON for some time before parsing it correctly. Wasn't sure if the Medicare answer would be Part B or C...guessed C because SPORCLE looked better than SPORBLE, but neither looked very good.
Husker, before Timmy there was Jeff Miller (Tommy Rettig). Remember him? My young nephew, Jay, hadn't started talking. We were sitting down to Sunday dinner, and the music from Lassie came on the TV in the other room. "Wassie!" No "Mama" or "Papa" for that kid.
So, Husker, you think Frank was a "lesser" composer? And is that Yoda strung up on the pendulum of that digital grandfather clock?
Oh, forgot to mention the DNF! BIBe and ELeNOR. Rats!
I caught the theme early but couldn't complete the puzzle due to words I've never heard before and couldn't correctly WAG. PART-B,C, or D crossing 'SPORCLE'- knew the Medicare but not SPORCLE. SPORBLE & SPORDLE seemed just as reasonable to me so I put all three in the square. Plus the cross of ASES and LOESSER- never heard of either. Seems as though I not the only one not knowing ASES. ABES, ACES, ARES looked as good to me. Left that one blank. No red letters show up on the newspaper page.
QUAIL, QUAID, RUSSE, PROUST, ALTA, ELINOR- perps to the rescue.
SCREAM QUEEN- I got it but didn't know the term. I didn't know anybody had a 'franchise' on Halloween. Do they get franchise payments? And it crossed another unknown- MRS. MET
SUE LYON fill and 'Lyon lover's word' as a clue. Same puzzle? Whew, Rich didn't catch that.
ANODYNE- new to me. Have a chemistry degree and managed a wholesale pharmaceutical company for 28 years and never ran across that word.
Thanks H.G. and to C.C., who's been very prolific lately, SIC EM (the future puzzles).
I saw "How to Succeed" on Broadway when I was a tween, and it sparked my lifelong love of theater. I still know the words to most of the show's tunes. My favorite scene was when the "darling young man" (Rbt Morse) got in the office a few minutes before his boss, filled the ashtrays with butts and ashes from a jar he brought in, scattered adding machine tape (it WAS the early 60s) all over the floor, then laid his head down as if he had worked all night and was asleep at his desk. The boss (Rudy Vallee) came in and was totally taken by the charade. As a adult I saw similar scenes in real business life. The next time I saw Morse was in "Mad Men", where he played an old man's role similar to the one played by Vallee in "How to Succeed". BUT...I didn't know LOESSER, and the cross with ASES was a Natick that required consultation with Mr. Google.
My second cheat was getting Dennis QUAID (the sane brother) from DirecTV's Genie search facility. I was trying to force in Quinn, but the perps wouldn't allow it.
My final cheat was the Natick Part _ and SPOR_LEQUIZ. I knew about Medicare Advantage plans, but didn't know they were Part Cs. I should check that out. I have Part A, Part B and a Verizon-sponsored supplement, but the expensive supplement pays almost nothing. It is GREAT for prescriptions, however.
Erased dot com for ORG, noshed for FISHED, and halt for QUIT. Too many ESPs to mention. All around a clever and enjoyable puzzle; thanks CC. Thanks to Husker Gary for another fine write-up.
OwenKL: I object to the continual sexual references. "Gal ass"... really? Are these turns of phrase necessary? I am the last person anyone would call a prude - you'll have to believe me on that - but I do find these tacks offensive. This is not why I'm here... I neither need nor enjoy such tasteless allusions. Please stop it.
Good Morning:
Another clever and fun offering from CC and a super-sized Sunday, to boot. The theme was evident early on but didn't detract one bit from the pleasure of the solve. Sporcle was familiar but in what context is a mystery. Perps were needed in many areas but they were all fair, IMO. Ases looked odd and still does but I got my Tada, so I guess it's correct.
Thanks, CC, for an enjoyable challenge and thanks, HG, for the sparkling summary. I enjoy your pithy "asides" and your striking visuals.
I received an email this morning from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, following up on a previous notification regarding the $10.5 million dollars they're holding in my name. If I don't contact them immediately with the required information, I forfeit the money. All I can say is, if the grammar, spelling, and syntax, (not to mention, plain English) in this email are any measure of Mr. Tillerson's diplomatic skills, we are in BIG trouble.
Reminder, Prime Suspect starts tonight at 10:00.
Have a great day.
Good morning all
I've probably mentioned this before but my newspaper doesn't give the constructor's name, so I never know who it is until I read the blog. I correctly guessed it was our dear C.C. with such clever clues and inventive theme! Sunday QUeen, indeed :)
Husker Gary- your summary was brilliant as always. Thanks for being so informative and making me smile ( and often lol) while reading the blog!
I got the theme pretty early (by circling around in my usual manner) with SPINACHQUICHE. This helped with the other theme entries but I also thought the Medicare answer was PART B/D and had never heard of SPORCLEQUIZ, so was totally clueless on that one. Thanks, HG for the link- I've bookmarked it and will be trying out some of the quizzes. Looks like great fun!
No other issues really but a few unknowns gotten via perps: ATELIERS, IONA, LOESSER, ALTA, ASES, ILA, SUELYON and QUAIL.
Tried Fine/CITE , Tea/ARE and Noshed/FISHED.
Favorite was "Where to see slanted columns" >OPEDPAGE
Fun Sunday puzzle and great start to another beautiful day here.
Have a wonderful day everyone!
Being another retired teacher, SPORCLEQUIZ was a gimme. Loved seeing ANODYNE for the first time I can remember. Again with the retired teacher bit--PDA was another gimme. I didn't really catch the theme as Husker Gary explained it, but it was quickly obvious that there were going to be a buncha QU words, and that really helped. Never knew that ICYHOT contained lidocain; learning moment there.
I'm not sure which was the most fun--completing C.C.'s puzzle in my allotted time, or reading Husker's commentary. Thanks to both of you!
OK, time for bed. I was up all night operating the Morse code station for the yearly amateur radio Field Day, and I'm beat!
Anon from yesterday... I've been gone from the Bay Area for a while, but when I lived there, LAT Mon-Fri ran in a regular spot, then on Saturdays they would run the previous Sunday's NYT with the LAT Saturday repositioned. Sounds as if that's what you encountered.
Oops... lidicainE.
Musings
-By Halloween franchise I was merely using the common term applied to a series of movies with the same name or variations of that name which clearly applies here. Another would be the Star Wars franchise, et al
-Bird Dog/Quail (2:41) on vintage TV
-When I took 15-yr-olds to Orlando, I did have to monitor Public Displays of Affection in airport waiting areas, the buses, at the pool, etc. 13-yr-old presented much fewer issues.
Good day to all!
Thanks to C.C. for an enjoyable Sunday puzzle. I thought the placement of the theme answers made for an elegant grid. Many unknowns today, but the perps were friendly. Like BunnyM, my favorite clue/answer was "Where to see slanted columns" for OP-ED PAGE. Thanks for the wonderful expo, Husker Gary. It's always a pleasure to read your write-ups.
Enjoy the day!
Bunny-M "where to see slanted columns?" Pick a network, any network. Pick a newspaper, any newspaper. It doesn't need to be an OP-ED page.
That's why I don't watch any of the network news or pay attention to the biased writing in the newspapers ( I take three) or magazines ( subscribe to four). They are all FOS and you have to read between the lines to really sift out the garbage.
Wow, such a masterful puzzle! If there were a hall of fame for crossword constructors and you didn't have to be dead to be in it, I think C.C. would qualify. The same could be said of Husker Gary were there a hall of fame for bloggers; Argyle too.
I was never sure whether there even IS a Medicare Part C; we have Parts A, B, and D.
I learned about Popsugar from a C.C. puzzle, and now I have learned about Sporcle.
Hand up about PDA and for loving the OPED PAGE clue. I also agree with Big Easy about the mainstream news being FOS; either that or simply uninformative.
Best wishes to you all.
Sporcle ???
Ateliers
66 years of living. being present for the birth of the internet. Estimated 3000 books read. no more than a quarter of them math and science. I have never ever heard or read sporcle, atlier or pima for that matter. But pima comes up in scrabble and crosswords.
Calling PSU scandal a football problem is a big leap. It was pure evil followed by gross leadership failure and cowardice.
Big easy...NO POLITICS. and media bashing is 100% politics of one particular sort. Journalism is one of the most ethical professions in America !!! (plus they are dang good at crosswords)
Sunday funday with C.C. and Gary!
Today I printed the puzzle from the Mensa site as I eschewed the newspaper one which is becoming so increasingly minute I can barely read it. The printed copy was a tad better helped by the brightness of the white paper as opposed to newsprint. Whew!
The puzzle itself was delightful except, of course, for the many sports clues though I managed to WAG SPIETH, knew of Mark Cuban but not DALLAS until it perped. LOESSER was too long ago to recall so Google to the rescue.
I also guessed PROUST, knew ELINOR (Jane Austin!) and BIBI which was also a nickname for one of my cousins, growing up. Never mind why.
I guess SPORCLE came along after my retirement because I have no knowledge of it but it looks like fun as Bunny M. noted. We've seen ANODYNE before and it was Lemonade, I believe, who referenced it to one of Martha Grimes novels.
Much PIMA cotton is grown on the reservation east of where I live but more and more building are replacing agriculture so that may be a thing of the past.
Thank you, C.C. and Gary. It was a delight!
Have a special day, everyone!
I think Medicare Part C is for choosing an HMO option. I could be wrong.
Saying that the content of most mainstream media is junk and that it is necessary to read between the lines to really sift out the garbage is "media bashing"? And media bashing is politics? Sorry, but logic produces no correlation between the two. To express disappointment that a news organization is overly focused on producing sensationalism rather than facts is no more "political" than expressing disappointment that your favorite sports hero is only in it for the money and not for love of the sport or his team.
By pure coincidence, the editor-in-chief of the Washington Free Beacon, a fellow by the name of Matthew Continetti, just wrote an opinion piece in which he says, "I no longer believe what I read, unless what I am reading is an empirically verifiable account of the past." He also says in the same article what I have often felt myself, "The fact is that almost the entirety of what one reads in the paper or on the web is speculation. The writer isn’t telling you what happened, he is offering an interpretation of what happened, or offering a projection of the future." He also quotes Michael Crichton, who once said, "Like a bearded nut in robes on the sidewalk proclaiming the end of the world is near, the media is just doing what makes it feel good, not reporting hard facts. We need to start seeing the media as a bearded nut on the sidewalk, shouting out false fears. It’s not sensible to listen to it."
I'll give you an actual example. The Carrier company recently announced they are sending 600 jobs to Monterrey, Mexico. Dean Reynolds was interviewing an employee about that. Mr. Reynolds kept saying things like, "And you feel betrayed." (Voice inflection was more like a statement than a question.) Of course the interviewee replied, "Yes." I never did learn what the fate of that employee was: Is he going to be laid off? Required to move to Mexico? Who made the decision to move those 600 jobs and why? What professional areas were those jobs in? Manufacturing? Engineering? Administrative? None of those facts were ever addressed or asked about. The whole interview was a list of leading, pre-loaded questions about the interviewee's feelings, to which all the interviewee had to do was reply either "Yes" or "No." It reminded me of the frustration actor Mark Lenard, who played Mr. Spock's father in the Star Trek franchise, felt and expressed when asked, "How did it feel to wear those pointy ears?" Um, why don't you ask me something meaningful, fella?
Anyway, I could go on and on, but I must stop now.
Sunday stumper today. Thanks for the fun C.C. and Husker Gary.
I got the theme early which helped the solve but I still required some Google help.
This Canadian does not know any Medicaid parts.
I have seen Peer Gynt here but not ASES.
Hand up for Quinn before QUAID, noshed before FISHED, My LAMP was gas before OIL. RNS turned to DRS with perps.
I'll take a CSO with Ontario border for ERIE.
Thanks for explaining PDA Argyle. I did not know it either. I do remember now HuskerG giving us a SPORCLE quiz link previously but it had been forgotten.
LOESSER composed the music for Guys and Dolls. It was another of my possible choices at Stratford but I had seen it at the Shaw a few years ago and chose HMS Pinafore instead.
Have a great day.
My Blue Shield covers my Part B, I think. My second goof was guessing "Ares" for ASES. Tough puzzle.
Sunday Lurk say...
Wow! 2 C.C.'s in one week. Kinda wish I'd have played today but too many chores post-vacation to prep for work's return. I did get to vicariously enjoy through HG's sparkly expo. Thanks both.
{ :-) }
@9:07a - yes, but at least OKL TRIES. 'Gal ass' rhymes with Dallas and got 'em out of the corner OKL seems to have painted himself into. #MyTwoCentsAnd4BucksWillGetYouCoffee
NorthwestRunner Re: SF Chron. Yep, that musta been it. The second grid encountered in SF Chron went faster with less blemishes than my AZ Republic grid :-)
Big E - Yes, critical-reading is a skill. DW teaches her students how to read "between the lines" whether Chaucer, Shakespeare, or David Brooks.
Sidebar: I met some Kuwaitis outside of the St. Francis hotel after the bars closed. We were all Group-W Bench guys by then; smoking & laughing. Among other things (Oh yeah, the oldest of the group (50yro maybe?) was interested in geo-politics! We had a hoot solving the world's problems :-)) I asked what they thought about Bassem Youssef. The youngest of the group (28 maybe?) said Bassem was a sell-out because he will show up anywhere (including his place - he apparently knows him) for money [isn't that part of the gig?] but conceded that Youssef is a funny man. They also contend his arrest by EGY gov't was staged [things that make you go 'humm?']. I'm not sure if satire translates cultures but they didn't get from Bassem what I see. Oh, well, just a data point to make my world-view more clear/informed.
ChuckL. - To build on Jayce... I don't consider BigE's post 'media bashing.' For the most part, the business reality is, 24/7 news has to keep eyeballs so they show what sells. "If it bleeds it leads." They need your Dirty Laundry. Unless there's something BIG-NOW (see 9/11, elections, or CSPAN for hearings/giggles), I don't turn on the TV for news.
DW's Aunt [gotta pronounce Awnt - she's from Boston :-)] watches MSNBC constantly. That's one Slanted Column [brilliant C.C.!] but she needs to grit her teeth and look at Fox News once in a bit to get a fuller picture (she does read a paper; actually 4 a day - she has NYT, WaPost, SF Chron, and one other daily -- but they still don't talk about the conversation 1/2 the country has on Fox]
//hope that wasn't too much rant #UnderstandEachother
//full disclosure: I'm an NPR junkie but I know they're center/center-left so I drink the cool-aid with that fact.
Dryer is done and laundry's ready to fold... Y'all have a great Sunday!
Cheers, -T
one example using your personal opinion of a reporters tone of voice is hardly a good example of why its ok to bash the media. The story was widely reported and I never said you shouldn't second source. But there are parts of the country you could have fifty independent sources including the FBI and the CIA and these folks won't believe them. The Washington Post and the NY Times have made mistakes sure but I'll believe them over any politician.
You KNOW media bashing is political of a certain persuasion. You are disingenuous to deny it. I'll stop if you will !
Instead of purportedly engaging in media bashing, maybe I'll start Katy Perry bashing. Dare I comment on her tone of voice?
I'm gonna break radio silence and step in for a brief comment, and hopefully not step in it in the process.
What's playing out here today is a visceral manifestation of what's playing put across the country every day. No one is without a strongly held opinion. None are completely wrong. None are entirely right. A personal filter is essential, but that's incomplete without a recognition of one's own bias. If you can't read an article, regardless of source, and realize your own bias is infecting your perception, you're missing the point of informed consent. An open mind is a virtue, not a trap.
In my own effort to both limit and expand my sources of input, I've changed a few habits. One of those was participating in this blog. I do applaud the restrictions on political discussion. But constructive conversation about what is genuinely wrong shouldn't be stifled to an extent that solutions can't be found. IMO, that's what's wrong in D.C. these days. And it might be part of what's wrong here.
Hey Husker. Did Jordan Spieth show you any personality on that 19th hole today? Jumping outta the bunker to chest bump his caddy! Crowd going crazy feeding off his youthful exuberance! One for the ages. Better than tipping his cap and waving to a staid crowd politely clapping. Love these young golfers shaking it up...
Oh Nuts!
(I thought I could just lurk today...)
7PM & I just got back from NYC after dropping off
Daughter #3 at Daughter #1s Apt so she could access her Internship for the summer.
But then the whole crew went downtown to be part of a Christening of
DW's Godchild, (They fly to London tonight).
We were at the very 1st Saint Patricks Cathedral, on Mott street in
the Village! And (Woohoo! I got a parking spot!)
Then, on to a tapas restaurant to meet and greet new family!
(& WooHoo! I got another parking spot!)
(Getting home however was was an hour to go three blocks to get to the Holland Tunnel...)
& after all this merriment, I thought I could just read the Sunday Blog
and go to bed, instead of doing the puzzle. But No!....
It's a CC! And the 1st pic is Steve Martin!
(Aw Crap!)
Now I can't join in the festivities until I do the puzzle!
Thanks a lot CC!
Just know I will be trying to do the puzzle late into the night
in bed, while DW is yelling at me to turn out the *&*#^% light!
(You may have broken up my marriage...)
All kidding aside, Anonymous T,
Glad you enjoyed Yosemite!
When we did it, afterwards we drove over the Sierra Nevadas
to go to Lake Tahoe!
(I had my eyes closed half the time...)
Sheesh! Scaaaary!
But it was worth it to see where Bonanza was filmed.
And try to convince the dealers in Reno that a 5 card charlie was legal...
WJCS. The final nail in broadcast journalism's coffin was hammered in when Dan Rather broadcast as fact a report about W's national guard service. The report was printed on a computer printer that hadn't been invented, but ole trustworthy Dan couldn't be bothered to do the bare minimum sanity check of his data. Don Henley captured the nature of the beast with his "Dirty Laundry" in 1982. Makes me want to up, chuck.
Hello Puzzlers -
Thought I'd just pop in today because I did such a poor job with this puzzle - couldn't finish without red-letter help - and wanted to see if anybody else had trouble. Evidently, that's a big YES. Hardest Sunday I've ever seen, prolly.
Husker, I don't envy you having had to chaperone hormone-crazed kids!
Now for something completely different:
Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein". Somehow this 1973 piece got hold of my head today, and I had to take a nostalgic tour of the thing on YouTube. Wow, was that guy innovative! Synthesizers were new at the time, but Edgar seemed to know how to make them react. Adding to my sentimental journey was the memory of Frankenstein booming out over the outdoor speakers at my local swimming pool, a man-made pond with sandy beaches, our answer to the ocean. Ah, summer!
CED - we needed gas (car said 1/4 tank but only 60miles before we were out - Mountains!) so we went down the back-side of Yosemite. We thought "This is easy!" going down until after gas and hitting the "rugged foot-hills" of Sierra Navadas back to the town of Murphys. My white-knuckles illuminated the dark as we went down the 'squiglies [says 15mph I was doing 5]... At least I couldn't see how high up we were!
One thing we did do was stop at a turnoff to look at the stars. The girls were all like "I've seen this at the observatory- but it is real." Not a lick of light pollution. 2x Wow! They won't un-remember that.
Speaking of Murphys CA: There were three ladies at the table next to us at breakfast Wednesday. They were the epitome of what I think the California Coven looks like. Cute & spry ladies with books in tow. We weren't that far from Gilroy - was that you Garlic Gal?
Cheers, -T
AvgJoe: good to hear your sane voice of common sense again. Miss you.
As one who wrote for newspapers 20 years in a small community, I can't imagine the difficulty of getting things correct on a national basis in the short time they allow for fact finding. I considered myself the conscience of the area and wrote on controversial things that some people thought should be left alone. My favorite thing to do was listen to the rumors in the coffee shop, gather the facts and print them. People have a tendency to believe what they want to believe no matter what you tell them. The more facts printed against a politician, the more likely people are to vote for him/her. The voters end up paying more taxes because of this.
Late getting to the puzzle and blog. Quite a challenge today, C.C. Thanks! Thanks, Husker! All those SQU's were fun after I caught on. I had lots of white space where I needed the hint.
Jordan SPIETH should have been pumped! What little I saw, he almost lost it today after coming in ahead. Glad he pulled it off.
Thanks volumes to Avg Joe and PK! I thought this was a "no politics ... no personal attacks" blog which I enjoyed until tonight. I see enough of venomous slants on television and newspapers, so I do indeed "sift" so as to remain mentally and physically healthy.
PK, I particularly enjoyed your "coffee shop" vetting process - your articles must have been the talk of the town! Priceless! Thank you.
Oh hell;
0) PK - that's hard-nose news ;-). Good on you.
1) Ave Joe it's great to see your Ass around these parts injecting wisdom into silliness. You've been missed mate.
2). Dudley Edgar Winter Group just for you.
2a) I read a review on the book "The Show that Never Ends" re: Prod Rock and it's demise; A little mention of RUSH and none of EWG. Yes, Tull, Moody Bules and ELP are the go-to band in the article (also mentioned is The Beatles and Procol Harum). To those in the not-know: Prod is the fusion of Jazz and Rock. 'Tis Groovy++
Speaking of Groovy - we went to the Summer of Love museum in SFO. Pretty trippy... They had Filmore Doors and other posters that takes a slanted eye to "see"' And all kinds of groovy outfits on display... I swear my Mom modeled in something like 'em in '74-ish - she'll deny it today but I have the photos - Mom was a hippy-chick.
-T
Stupid spell-fixer: Prog not Prod Rock. Prod is a different genre- think Bowie. C, -T
Good morning. Thank you CC and thank you Husker Gary. Catching up. Fun puzzle and enjoyable review.
Agree with Big Easy that SPORCLE/PART C crossing was unfair.
PART B is also a private insurance supplement. (Holes were deliberately drilled in Medicare as a handout to the insurance industry.)
SPORBLE seemed just as likely.
My college girlfriend used to warn me we would get in trouble for PDA when we rode the Boston subway together. She was the only one I knew who used that term. Until now.
PIMA a learning moment, also unfairly crossed with SPORCLE. I have been to Arizona where PIMA is a tribe, so I did a WAG from that.
The rest of the puzzle was fun. But an unfair crossing really spoils the overall feeling for me.
Fun puzzle with lots of clever clueing. Two -- what are in my opinion true Nadicks -- were unfortunate downsides: Loesser & Ases at 28a & 11d and the already much discussed Sporcke Quiz and Medicare.
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