NPR Sunday Puzzle (Apr 21, 2013): Location, Location, Location...: Q: Name a geographical location in two words — nine letters altogether — that, when spoken aloud, sounds roughly like four letters of the alphabet. What is it?Hint: It's 261m.
Edit: The oil tanker "Aegean Sea" responsible for the oil spill in 1992 was 261 meters long.
A: Aegean Sea = AGNC
Here's my standard reminder... don't post the answer or any hints that could lead directly to the answer (e.g. via Google or Bing) before the deadline of Thursday at 3pm ET. If you know the answer, click the link and submit it to NPR, but don't give it away here.
ReplyDeleteYou may provide indirect hints to the answer to show you know it, but make sure they don't give the answer away. You can openly discuss your hints and the answer after the Thursday deadline. Thank you.
Currently "$31.80".
ReplyDeleteI wonder if this clue will have any currency next week. ;-)
DeleteI was finally able to take stock of your clue, Lorenzo. Very clever, gumba!
DeleteGrazie, amico!
DeleteThe tide would seem to have risen, as of yesterday.
DeleteCrimson clever, Ed. Could we please exchange more humor soon?
DeleteApply part of last week's puzzle to name an animal.
ReplyDeleteOh! I see.
DeleteAh - baloney!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI had thought car agency (RANC); however, that is not GEOGRAPHICAL!
ReplyDeleteBlaines' map is a giveaway!
ReplyDelete?. What do you mean.
DeleteJoe, Joe, Joe, benmar won't just tell you.
DeleteKudos on the self-policing though. ;-)
You don't have to be a Scholar to figure this out.
ReplyDeleteTrue. Actually, even if you are a Scholar, it still won't quite get you exactly there.
DeleteMy Brown graduate son figured it out right away.
DeleteI must have missed your son by a few years.
DeleteLorenzo, Brown '64.
He loved Brown & graduated in '11. He made it safely to Australia yesterday so it was a good day, mate!
DeleteGraduation was such a celebratory weekend, filled with enchanted dances, lovely ceremonies, and rowdy alums. Do you ever go back for reunions, Lorenzo?
Been back for my 25th and 40th. According to my calculations, my 50th (!) is coming up soon, and I plan to be there. The campus and College Hill have the same charm as in the 60s. The downtown revival is a dramatic improvement. Great memories of my 4 years there.
DeleteGorgeous campus and fun alums! My son lived in Perkins and made such loyal friends there.
DeleteIt seems your 50th and Brown's 250th will coincide. Brown plans an even bigger celebration than usual, according to new President Christina Paxson.
Ever true.
Agnostics will never see the answer.
ReplyDeleteBen -
ReplyDeleteGreat job!
Chuck
Better take your vitamins this morning.
ReplyDeleteGee?!
DeleteLook left and right, WW.
DeleteI just sat with a globe on my lap. Pretty soon decided what type of feature it had to be. Good clue, SZ. I'm thinking Snip is talking dealer, WW.
DeleteUJ - Yes, that is what I was referring to!
DeleteMany more of those on the East Coast, Snipper. Thought I was missing out on an essential vitamin ;-). Clever, though.
DeleteO.B.
ReplyDeleteCool, calm, and collected. Way to go. Did the process take one call or two? Even though it wasn't live I still cheered you on to victory.
I think your local travel agency would be happy to help get you to this location.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Zeke. It's two calls, basically.
ReplyDeleteA producer called at 3:05pm Thursday and said "Hi, this is Bebe Rebozo and I'm a Producer for Weakened Edition. You probably know why I'm calling."
Embarrassingly enough, I was busy prepping for an event on Friday and thought maybe they would be calling about that. But they were not.
He said get thee to a land line and Will & Rachel will call you at 4pm.
So I did. And they did. And that second call just flew by. I still haven't heard it yet. Audio posted at noon.
- B
Great job, Ben. If I didn't know better, I'd swear someone fed you the answers during the initial phone call. My only comment is that you were so awesome you should have told them where to stick the lapel pin and demanded a new Prius or a Mediterranean cruise. I'm just sayin'...
DeleteAnd yes, it may indeed be, Weakened Edition, but as Sunday news programming goes, it still beats Press the Meat.
The NPR on line version says, "sounds roughly like four letters of the alphabet". I had a solution yesterday based on Ben's version, but I had some doubt about which letter the initial syllable sounds like. Different dictionaries had different pronunciations. That "roughly" was what I needed. So I sent it in. It is certainly not consistent with Blaine's 261 m. clue!
ReplyDeleteMore like + or - 1 m.
Zoom into Blaines' clue & google the Interstate #s!
DeleteI used Other Ben's wording initially, but I've updated it to the official wording from the website now. I'm still not sure what Benmar12001 is seeing in the map; it was chosen for its look, not a clue.
DeleteHmm... perhaps I do now see what you think that points too, but is that nine letters?
DeleteIt quickly leads to the second word.
DeleteBlaine, here's a real overthinking time for you. I saw the pushpin on your map, thought Pushkin, then Russia. Looking for places in Russia 261 m above sea level got me to some cool Lat Long tools but not near the answer. But, I now know exactly where I am. ;-).
DeleteI know Will Shortz has his degree in Puzzles. Did you, perchance, get your degree in Obfuscation?
Actually, Blaine's pictue clue led me straight to the answer. After staring at it for 15 minutes and scratching my head, I finally said to myself, "It's all geek to me." Bingo!! Turns out it wasn't rocket surgery after all!
DeleteMaybe that was the problem. I made maps for the oil biz from aerial photographs and LANDSAT data for ten years. I see a map and I am completely and totally drawn in. A bird's-eye view thrills me. I love maps almost as much as my kids. Almost.
DeleteI heard this week that Obama has issued a presidential initiative challenging scientists to map the human brain. Good luck folding that baby!
DeleteBrain mapping by Sarah Bellum and Siri Brum. Yes, folding could be quite tough, AbqGuerrilla. Exciting, though.
DeleteI believe the map is of Texas, just north of San Antonio... so I thought Benmar might have been thinking of DLMO, but that's only 8 letters.
DeleteBen, very well done indeed! I doubt that NPR had to do much editing of your performance.
ReplyDeleteThe answer is a little greasy...
ReplyDeleteHow fortunate! We just happened to be eating Thanksgiving leftovers and watching Popeye cartoons dubbed in Dorian when the puzzle came on this morning! We solved it instantly. As Bluto would say, "Good luck you lilly-livered land lubbers!" (you'll need it.)
ReplyDeleteWhatchama call 'em?
DeleteAbqG, did they dub ya into the cartoons?
Other Ben, very well done, Jr. You were witty, current, human.
And you live in a pretty part of the world. My dad was born in Havestraw.
Please don't mention Dub Ya, WW. I'm still experiencing PTSD from his eight years in office.
DeleteAgreed. Did you read any of Molly Ivins writings about Shrub? She was such a hoot.
DeleteAgree on both counts. However, Kathleen Turner as Ivins in Red Hot Patriot was disappointing.
DeleteShe and Maureen are two of my favs. My current hero, however, is Liz Warren. I think she and Hillary could hit it outta the park if they run together come 2016. On a side note, if Hillary throws her bonnet into the ring, I plan to design a bumpersticker, "RUN, HILLARY, RUN." I think Dems would buy it for their back bumper and Repubs would paste it on their front bumper!" I should make a fortune!
DeleteJust realized your clever internet triple entendre, dub ya, dub ya, dub ya, AbqGuerilla.
DeleteHow about Liz Warren and Chelsea Clinton? She will be 35 by then. Or Hillary and Chelsea, first mother-daughter ticket!
Reminds me of my first mother-daughter ticket, WW. I was in my early 30's buying drinks for an attractive woman in her late 40's at a Denver club. As the place was closing she asked me if I might like to follow her back to her house in Lakewood for an of Ouzo nightcap and a little "mother-daughter" get together. Eager lad that I was, my eyes were glued to her taillights as I salivated like a sailor on shore leave the entire drive. When she opened the door to her place, she hollered up the stairs to her 81 y.o. mother, "Mom, fix your hair and put your nightie on. I've got another one!"
DeleteGot it! Question, though: Did Popeye ever actually go there?
ReplyDeleteOh, and another concern: If people there were to say those letters of the alphabet out loud, it would sound a lot more long-winded. I doubt it would sound like a location at all.
I don't think Popeye ever made it there, Wolfie, but Brutus (Bluto's successor) and Popeye's gurlfren are "roughly" from that area, or so it would seem.
DeleteYou can fool some of the people olive the time.
DeleteAnd Olive, the other reindeer, figured he was jus' bein' what he was meant to be.
DeleteI was a fan of Popeye. By contrast, I thought Bluto was a cretin.
ReplyDeleteChuck
Letters 1,2 and 4 may suggest the name of a company that can take you there.
ReplyDeleteHey, thanks, guys! Once again it's true - travel around the world with Blaine's crew, and sooner or later someone will point out the answer to you. I was only so far as places in New Jersey, when, d'oh!, there it was, even if a long and difficult journey away.
ReplyDeleteHmm…I wonder if we are thinking of the same organization. I just googled an acronym consisting of letters 1, 2, and 4, and two results stand out:
ReplyDeleteThe first one actually has multiple hits, indicating that organization probably has a physical presence somewhere near you (and near me, for that matter), but they don't seem too concerned about getting anybody anywhere out of their respective area.
The second one has a somewhat lofty name and professes to look all around where they are, and beyond the horizon. They only seem to have one physical location, though.
Wolf - perhaps we're not looking for an acronym.
DeleteNot to cut the rabbit in half or anything, Paisano, but it's not an acronym in this case. Since the abbreviation does not spell a pronounceable word (like, FEMA), it's simply an initialism.
Deletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acronym
Gotta jet! More hares to split!
OK, so we're not looking for one of those either.
DeleteMaybe we ought to call in Curtis, Resident Clump Expert.
DeleteHave a cup of tea and get back to your origins.
ReplyDeleteA cup of tea substituted for the 3rd?
DeleteI think too much.
Yes, correct, Paul. We all do, that's why we're here. ;-)
DeleteAlthough, having had coffee with my Serbian friends, I'd prefer that beverage.
So grab that hot beverage, change into your jeans, and enjoy all that thinking!
If you say so, WW, it must be true ... for you.
DeleteWW: You meant to say "coffee with your suburban friends," right?
DeleteThey are Serbian and they like their coffee strong. Coffee and men, good & strong!
DeleteGive me some men who are stout-hearted men
DeleteWho will fight for the right they adore.
Start me with ten, who are stout-hearted men
And I'll soon give you ten thousand more.
Oh! Shoulder to shoulder and bolder and bolder
They grow as they go to the fore!
Then there's nothing in the world can halt or mar a plan,
When stout-hearted men can stick together man to man! :|
You who have dreams,
If you act, they will come true.
To turn your dream to a fact
It's up to you.
If you have the soul and the spirit,
Never fear it, you'll see it through.
Hearts can inspire other hearts with their fire,
For the strong obey when a strong man
Shows them the way.
For Chrissakes.
DeleteI hear ya, Word Woman. I like me wimmin like I like my coffee, also. Bitter.
DeleteYeah, AbqG I'm with you. I like my women like I like my ale: cold, bitter, and with a lot of bottled up pressure.
DeleteAny particular psi?
DeleteJust high enough psi to pop the top...
DeleteHey Curtis! Leave the sexual innuendo to me, K?
DeleteVery avoirdupois of you deux.
DeleteCoffee and my wife: blonde and sweet.
DeleteZeke scores points :-)
Hey AbqG, just cuz I'm still married to my first wife doesn't limit my ability or right to innuendize. My brother, who just married number four (consecutively, not concurrently), I suppose has the right to four times as much innuendo.
DeleteBed & Breakfast dream name: Inn Uendo. We'll leave the Welcome Mat out for ya.
DeleteA friend is raving about the Black Sheep Cafe in Provo, AbqGuerrilla. Have you been there...er, is it named after you?
DeleteSince I am rather dark-complected, my kin refer to me as the white sheep of the family.
DeleteCurtis: Feel free to wax humorous. Just don't want to lose my job here. Sorry for my lack of contribution (humorous and otherwise) most of the week. We are traveling in the Bocas del Toro region of Panama. Got a great deal on a beach hut on Bastimentos Island. All meals included and full open bar for $80 a night (based on quadruple occupancy).
Bocas del Toro MUST be named after you. Just kidding. We have missed your wit, truly, AbqGuerrilla.
DeleteBlaine, there is one more spam entry after the first set of entries.
Thanks, Word Woman.
DeleteEven a target likes to be missed once in awhile.
GuerrillaBoy "Dispenser of Bull Wit"
I got the answer as the segment was finishing. It also has appeared as a riddle in a number of formats.
ReplyDeleteLMP
all this geek speak is too deep for me. SDB wherefore art thou
DeleteKeep thinking geek and deep.
DeleteI have a hunch RoRo is already there. And I just figured out the 261 m.
DeleteNo idea what 261m means. How about Roy Cooper?
DeleteThe cowboy, the actor, or the NC Atty General? You could get out your abbacus to figure this one out, Jan.
DeleteThe latter, officially.
DeleteThis week’s puzzle reminds me of an episode of an old Andy Griffith Show… (or maybe it was just a weird dream I had):
ReplyDeleteAndy Taylor, Helen Krump, Barney Fife, Thelma Lou, Aunt B and OP all pile into their Chevy GO Metro (no Ford Galaxy police cruisers apparently in this episode) and motor on over to Mt. Pilot’s county fair. They stroll the midway lured by siren songs from hucksters manning cotton candy and sno-cone kiosks, CD sideshow barkers (of the non-K9 ilk), KG carnies plugging their “games of skill,” and sundry other carnival cadgers.
While Aunt B is at the Judging Barn preoccupied with perusing baked goods, canned preserves and RT and crafty 4-H displays, OP ditches her and makes a beeline toward an RT and crafty tattoo purveyor named LN, asking her to “color a big ol’ brook trout and an Injun TP on my arms, up where my muscles are.”
Meanwhile, Barney has doffed his sports coat and is spitting into his palms, preparing to SA the old “swing the sledge hammer and ring the bell at the top of the pole“ scam. “I’m gonna win a QP doll for my QT,” he boasts to Andy, Helen and a blushing Thelma Lou. “This’ll be EZ!”
Alas, Barney comes up MT; the dinger limps only a third of the way up the pole. Andy notices that the fulcrum at the pole’s base has been rigged, resulting in a mechanical disadvantage for the hammer swinger. As Thelma Lou flashes an IC glare toward Barney, Andy flashes his sheriff’s badge to the carny in charge who subsequently scrambles to fix the fulcrum (and to “unfix” the game, so to speak).
Thelma snatches the sledge from her beau and with a burst of NRG bashes it against the freshly readjusted fulcrum, ringing the dinger resoundingly. KT bar the door! An abashed Barney storms off on over to the tattoo booth where LN is just finishing up etching OP’s brook-trout bicep. “Can you get rid of this dadblang ‘I love Thelma Lou’ tattoo across my backside?” he implores her. She can’t but, luckily for Barney, LN has been known to XL in the art of improvisation as well as tatootery. She promptly transforms “I love Thelma Lou” into “I love Thermal Long Johns.”
Just as Barney is pulling up his trousers, Andy, Helen, Thelma Lou and Aunt B all simultaneously arrive on this ODS scene. An NVS Thelma Lou watches as her man and LN traipse away hand-in-hand down the midway. With his free hand Barney begins scratching his backside.
Meanwhile, OP begins scratching his biceps. “It itches even worse than poison IV!” he whines. Barney’s new friend is quickly becoming NME material. Aunt B unlatches a jar of her blue ribbon-winning peach preserves and salves OP’s biceps with the gooey balm. She makes a mental note to send Barney a jar of her honorable-mention pickles in brine. Andy says to OP, “Son, we gonna have to have a long talk when we get home. Those drawin’s you done got there is a prima facie case of wretched etch-ed XS.”
… An episode that probably shoulda won an ME.
Is LegofLambda the only moniker we know you by? I B leave the story style is familiar. have we met B4?
DeleteGreetings from the H2O! Fortunately, I was not home Thursday night and Friday and missed all the activity happening within 1-7 blocks of my house. I was out and about Saturday and life is returning to normal, albeit with some lingering news cameras.
ReplyDeleteWhile out for a run yesterday, I passed a restaurant whose name bears part of the answer. This was not one of the restaurants – O-Sha, Strip-T’s, Stella’s Pizza, Friendly’s – that got some in-the-background news exposure Friday. I even ate at this restaurant two weekends ago, but not until late yesterday when I deciphered the $31.80 clue did I figure out the answer.
PS – If your getaway vehicle is a boat, make sure it’s ON water, not IN Watertown.
I say we give jsulbyrne the Papi Pass on this one. Glad all is well at your place, js.
DeleteMy brother was holed up in Cambridge Friday but went on a run to Watertown when the lockdown was lifted. He says Arsenal Plaza has a whole new meaning now.
BTW Snipper,
ReplyDeleteThx for the collosal clue, bromigo.
Zeke is on the road again.
Sorry RoRo, but I was busy all day yesterday checking out the best deals on car insurance at those places. If you think that was fun—it wasn’t. More on that later.
ReplyDeleteI have been wondering if anyone else is reminded of way back in the Sixties when a huge swarm of insects attacked a gas station in Germany where I was then living. It was all the buzz at the time and I witnessed it all as I was sitting at a sidewalk café in Essen, enjoying a spot of tiffin. It turned out that they were Esso Bees.
I fell back to sleep and missed hearing the on air puzzle, but did go and listen later on their site. Congratulations to Ben who did a sterling job. A bittersweet victory I suppose as now you have the rest of your life ahead of you and nothing to look forward to, but hang in there and don’t fall victim to the fate of other NPR pin winners who became despondent and took their lives. No statistics are yet available on the suicide rate among NPR Puzzle winners, but it is assumed it rivals that of those who fail at karaoke. Well, I suppose you could always try out for The Amazing Car Infomercial Race, but I can’t really see you joining those scampering idiots. Okay, I’m just kidding here, but just to be on the safe side, in the future it might be best to avoid karaoke bars.
Now, somewhere in all that there is a hint.
What's appropriate swimwear in the area - swimsuit, bikini, dip-thong, or nothing?
ReplyDeleteIt's always best, when unsure, to check with your host as to White Thong or Black Thong.
DeleteOr Red.
DeleteRot13 the four letters, rearrange, and you have a verb. Now add an S at the end, you now have a noun. The noun is in the plural, but it is never used in the singular!
ReplyDelete@EWA
DeleteMaybe if the "big guy" had this he would have had better suport to stand up to time. :-)
I have read/heard the noun as a singular in some ads that try to be classy but end up pretentious.
DeleteDavid, re: read/heard: Interesting article in today's CHE Lingua Franca about the use of slash as a word rather than punctuation mark. Example: I guffaw slash cachinnate at how funny life is sometimes. It has become one of the most popular slang words of the day slash time.
DeleteDo you think that is a good thing question mark
DeleteI donapostrophet exclamation point
/ and burn. ;-)
DeleteI've never scene a /er movie. They just don't cut it for me.
Delete@ David, I would agree with you whole-heartedly!
DeleteTo the slash starter: Punk, you ate our /;?:.'@/!
Just home from the gym and thought that I would stop by to read some of the great comments and conversations. I have to make it up to the mall to pick up some supplies before the snow leaves me stranded. It would be so beautiful if it were happening in November!
ReplyDeleteHelp. Im over thinking
ReplyDeleteSporadic issue, Joe? Please say more.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteJoe, have you met Blaine? You might be about to.
DeleteLOL WW you are probably right. But one can't always b sure. Sometimes Blaine becomes abzorbed in real life and may let some things slide.
DeleteRoRo, how R U? Have you seen NE good Streep movies lately?
DeleteToday was our 8th Monday in a row with snow. Happy Earth Day! Do you have flowers in your hair? ;-)
Happy Earth Day to you! Mucho flowers and supporting friends doing agnihotra. Haven't seen many movies lately, some plays. Sad about Richie Havens. Videotaped him back in the day at the "Home" in NY and dance troop opened for him about 3 years ago. Got to sit and chat a while. used his earth prayer in my dance therapy groups especially when I had to work on Thanksgiving
DeleteGlad you were able to talk and dance, RoRo. Ritchie seemed like such a great soul...And I was glad to hear about agnihotra...Keep on dancing, girl!
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteJan, have you met Blaine?
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought that was over the line, but I'll defer to your judgement. Just silver-plating the lily, IMHO.
Deletetnrte mbgsz ugsaa
ReplyDeleteReceived some snail mail from an old neighbor. His son finished the Boston Marathon 5 minutes before the initial blast. His daughter-in-law was across the street from the second blast. Fortunately she went to be by her husband's side and avoided harm.
ReplyDeleteZC
Alas, as the clock ticks, the only solution I've got is post-apocolyptic, generic and not likely the intended answer.
ReplyDeleteSorry, apocalyptic.
ReplyDeleteCan someone point me to the rules for the puzzle? There must be some somewhere. I submitted a second email with a second valid answer using the same name, email address, telephone number, etc. I did disclose that it was a second entry. To my surprise, it was accepted. Certainly you can't submit multiple entries, can you?
ReplyDeleteIt looks like almost everyone has the scholar answer. I'm not sure whether the Brown University crowd has the other or not, but I'm afraid that they don't.
Today Brown University folks mourn the loss of Sunil Tripathi, a Brown student who my son knew. He has been missing for over a month. His body was discovered in Providence. May his family find comfort.
DeleteMy wife submitted the wonslashone and I submitted the wryslashrye last weekslashSunday before last. :-)
ReplyDeleteFillip!
DeleteZekeCreek, just to be perfectly clear, the slash is written as a separate word slash clump. It is not scrunched together like the #hashtagthatusedtobeapoundsigninusabutcan'tbeanymoreduetotheBrits'currency. I think the separate slash is a step up slash definite improvement over that trend.
Evidently, to "hang a slash" is a good phrase to know in Australia.
DeleteThx 4 duh krcshn, ww. I developed the gnu southernslashillbilly clumpulism. :-)
DeleteYY U R
ReplyDeleteYY U B
I C U R
YY 4 ME
Most of you here know I enjoy being the first – or at least one of the first – to post the answers on Thursday. I couldn’t last week because I was out and away from my computer. Anyway, the same thing is likely to happen today. May the best man, or woman, win :)
Chuck
A fraternity? With a four-letter name?
ReplyDeleteAEGEAN SEA (AGNC)
DeleteMy first clue riffed off AbqG's mention of Doric (Whatcha ma column), to evoke Greek Columns.
Sporadic pointed toward the Sporades Islands in the Aegean Sea. ABBAcus was a deliberate misspelling to evoke the musical group featured in the Meryl Streep movie "Momma Mia," set on the island of Skopelos. I hope to visit and swim near Skopelos, Skiathos, and Alonnisos~~such beautiful waters!
Miami-Dade (IEDA)
ReplyDeleteBlaines map if googled re- I #s hit on Miami!
I don't get it!
DeleteWhat's there not to get?
DeleteJoe Furchi, told ya.
DeleteAEGEAN SEA > AGNC
ReplyDeleteMy Hint:
"Sorry RoRo, but I was busy all day yesterday checking out the best deals on car insurance at those places."
Those places are called insurance agencies. Agency is very close sounding to Aegean Sea.
Roy Cooper is the AG of NC.
ReplyDeleteThe clue I deleted mentioned silver cyanide's (AgNC) use in silver-plating.
My clues:
ReplyDeleteVitamin reference was to GNC retail stores.
Travel agency referred to "agency" sounding like aegean sea. (Similar to your clue SDB).
- Snip
" . . travel around the world with Blaine's crew, and sooner or later someone will point out the answer to you. I was only so far as places in New Jersey, when, d'oh!, there it was, even if a long and difficult journey away."
ReplyDeleteCrew, d'oh! for Homer, and long and difficult journey all suggest the Odyssey to me, which had to be near the Aegean Sea if not in it.
I really had thought of a New Jersey answer, C I L C T, Sea Isle City, even though it fails the puzzle's stipulations in two wazys!
Some alternative answers:
ReplyDeleteEmory Peak (in Big Bend National Park) > MREP.
I also thought Katy, Texas might work > KTXS.
My dictionaries say Aegean Sea would be i-g-n-c. Works either way.
ReplyDelete"31.80" was the stock quote for AGNC.
ReplyDeleteRotate the "C" 90 degrees to get: a gnu.
Ag C = Silversea (the cruise line).
How about Yellow Sea (ELO C)?
ReplyDeleteConman, as a member of the "Brown University crowd", I confess that I didn't think of your answer, but I certainly like it.
DeleteOh, AG & CT (tea) are the four amino acids in DNA.
ReplyDeleteBlaine, did your 261 m refer to the length of MV AEGEAN SEA which spilled oil off the Galician coast enroute to Spain in 1992?
Amino acids? Well, anyway, U looks like a cup.
DeleteMy bad, nucleic acids. RNA has the amino acids.
DeleteNope, RNA is nucleic acids also (that's the NA in DNA and RNA). Proteins have amino acids.
DeleteOf course. It's been awhile and I am not a biologist or a chemist. They are all nucleic acids. And proteins are made of amino acids.
DeleteHere is my question. If we are fundamentally made up of nucleic acid (CAGT for DNA and including Uracil for RNA), and cancer supposedly thrives in an acidic environment, are we (and all creatures with DNA & RNA) fundamentally created with a cellular environment which encourages the development of cancer?
We're not made of DNA & RNA; those are just the genetic part of the chromosomes & the protein synthesis machinery of our cells. And it's not true that cancer thrives in an acidic environment; the metabolism of cancer cells isn't too different from normal cells.
DeleteThis is an interesting Tropic of Discussion.
DeleteUh-oh, you don't want to give this guy too much latitude in the pun department...
DeleteJimmie Crack Capricorn and...I think I will go back to dropping acid on calcium carbonate rocks for awhile. ;-)
DeleteOK Jan, but cut me a little slack as I am getting a bit long in the tude.
DeleteAtta boy, Sdb. So glad you brought your etude. To a degree anyway. ;-)
DeleteI'm happy to be instrumental with this difficult passage.
DeletePerhaps so:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?86823
Interestingly, 261 is also how many Greek drachmas one US dollar is worth (approximately):
http://www.unitjuggler.com/convert-forex-from-USD-to-GRD.html
That's a neat trick, considering Greece dropped the drachma for the euro over a decade ago.
DeleteMaybe we should check our news feeds ... There was a lot of talk recently about Greece possibly withdrawing from the Euro Area . . .
DeleteYou got me. I should have been more precise.
DeleteInterestingly, another link between the number 261 and Greece is that the foreign exchange website I cited gives the value of one US dollar as 261 Greek drachma (rounded down), a unit of currency formerly used in Greece and appearing on the cited website and on Forex exotic currency quote pages (e.g., http://forex-markets.com/quotes_exotic.htm).
I too submitted Aegean Sea, but had second thoughts about it afterward when I looked up the pronunciation. It is "i-ˈjē-ən" with a short "i" and not "ā-ˈjē-ən" with a long "a." Then again, if you based your pronunciation on the "ae" in Aesop, you'd say "ē-ˈjē-ən." Oh well.
ReplyDeleteTo my ear, the starting sound of Aegean is the schwa (I don't have the upside-down e on my keyboard) which works with the "a."
Delete> ... and one with 5 letter names in 2 words with 10 letters, and one with 3 letter names in 2 words with 7 letters.
ReplyDeleteR-A-B-N C, R-L C
Your M-R-L- C-T comment way back when had me thinking of nu zee-ell-en.
DeleteAegean Sea, AGNC
ReplyDeleteLast Sunday I said, “I was a fan of Popeye. By contrast, I thought Bluto was a cretin.” Since others here had already snared Greece and Turkey as clues, the next thing of any interest around there was the island of Crete.
Sorry I couldn’t make it at the usual hour :(
Chuck
Chuck, wanted to give the antithesis of your clue as a conCrete clue...but couldn't figure out how to do it safely.
DeleteWe did miss you. Thought perhaps you'd be chatting with Bebe R.
Colossal clue for Zeke on the road again. The Colossus of Rhodes was one of the original seven wonders located in the eastern Aegean Sea off the coast of Turkey.
ReplyDeleteI posted on Mon Apr 22, at 12:33:00 PM PDT:
ReplyDeleteRot13 the four letters, rearrange, and you have a verb. Now add an S at the end, you now have a noun. The noun is in the plural, but it is never used in the singular!
A-G-N-C rot13s into N-T-A-P. Rearrange into PANT, a verb, something a dog does. Add an S at the end and you have PANTS, a noun in the plural that I've never seen in the singular, although David posted on Wed Apr 24, at 10:41:00 AM PDT:
I have read/heard the noun as a singular in some ads that try to be classy but end up pretentious.
I put my pant on one leg. . . and then I put my other pant on the other leg. I used a scissor to make it so (sew).
DeleteGod WW, you take so long, why just thinking of your effort left me panting. Personally I kinda like de-panting even though I can't really get into it, but you know what I mean.
DeleteI do, Sdb.
DeleteAnd technically you can make a pant (noise) so pant can be a perfectly good noun, yes, EWAF?
Back to those plural nouns: pants, trousers, scissors...Are there more?
Right. I like it when they noun too. At least noun again.
Delete;-).
DeleteNoisy pants: corduroy.
Ægean Sea starts with a diphthong,("dip-thong".)
ReplyDeleteAll week, so far anyway, this puzzle has had me thinking of delicious seafood in the Mediterranean style. For any of you who are into cooking and enjoy good seafood you might consider these two seafood authors:
ReplyDeleteAnne Chovee and Al Bacoure.
Alright. I hope enough time has passed for me to now use/slash post the two jokes I made up last week and not get too badly slammed.
ReplyDeleteWhat type of photos did the FBI post on the Internet in hopes of locating the Boston suspects? They were blow-ups.
They were surprised to discover the suspects were Chechen's and not from Finland as they expected. After all the bombs were placed near the Finish line.
You inVESTed way too much time on those. Half way in and your SHOOT didn't deploy.
ReplyDeleteZeke, always your obedient servant :-)
Without humor how do we make ot through
times like thesei
Once when I was living in a foreign country I had a servant. He was not good at doing what I was paying him to do, but very good at doing what he wanted. I called him my idiot servant.
DeleteGood thing I do this for free, bromigo. I wouldn't want this to reflect on you.
ReplyDeleteBy my way of counting, if you Rot13 AGEN you get RANT, not PANT. Just sayin'
ReplyDeleteChuck
My, we are a picky group. I believe we were ROT13ing AGNC, not AGEN, Chuck.
DeleteWW -
DeleteMy bad. So solly :)
Chuck
Watertown's finest Greek restaurant: http://www.aegeanrestaurants.com/aegean_004.htm
ReplyDeleteI had AEGEAN SEA also, but I object to the letters (AGNC) you gave. I think they should be E G N C. The pronunciation of AE (in AEGEAN) is ĭ. See: http://www.thefreedictionary.com/aegean However this sound is closer to the pronunciation of the letter E than that of A. Furthermore, the AE in words like AEGIS & AENEAS is pronounced ī or E.
ReplyDeleteHow about Æ G N C, Ron? Gotta love those gliding vowels!
DeleteThe AE in AEGIS & AETHER (all of Greek origin) is pronounced ē or E. The only AE words where the AE sounds like ā or A are AE words followed by an R as in AEROBIC and here AE is pronounced â (or the a in "care"). So all in all, I would go with E G N C for AEGEAN SEA. Æ is not a "recognized" letter, of course.
DeleteHey Blaine, does Blogger have a way to report comment spam? I found this form, but it seems to be for reporting spam blogs, not blog comment spam per se.
ReplyDeleteAnd, to the spammer, you should know that all links posted to Blogger are automatically given the rel="nofollow" tag, so the time you spend junking up Blainesville adds no boost to your website's PageRank. Your efforts are in vain.
My post apocalyptic answer was empty city. MTCT
ReplyDeleteI learned long ago that when I leave a post here, then everytime I refresh this page it goes straight back to my most recent post.
ReplyDeleteSo while I'm waiting for the new puzzle to come along....
AHA!! Another "double answer" result this week! But none of us seems to have thought of the alternate answer Will has accepted.
ReplyDeleteWell, I did think of NDNC, until I realized it was really NDNO-shun. But that did lead me to the real answer in fairly short order.
The new puzzle is up.
ReplyDeleteNext week's challenge from listener Matt Jones of Portland, Ore.: The first 12 letters of the alphabet are A to L. Think of a familiar, six-word proverb that contains 11 of these 12 letters. The letters may be used more than once, and you may use additional letters from the second half of the alphabet. What proverb is this?
Hmmm,... Will the followings lines fit?
─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼───┼───┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─
═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═══╪═╪═══╪═══╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═══╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═══╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═══
─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼───┼───┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼───┼
─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼───────┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼───┼
───┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼───────┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼───┼
───┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼───────┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼───┼───┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼───┼
───┼─┼───┼───┼─┼───────┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼───┼───┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼───┼
───┼─┼───┼───┼─┼───────┼─────┼─┼───┼───┼─┼─┼───┼───┼─┼─┼───┼─┼───┼───┼
───┼─┼───┼───┼───────────────┼─┼───┼─────┼─┼───┼───┼─┼─┼───┼─┼───┼───┼
───┼─┼───┼───┼───────────────┼─┼───┼─────┼─┼───┼───┼─┼─────┼─┼───┼───┼
───┼─┼───┼───┼───────────────┼─────┼─────┼─┼───┼───┼─┼─────┼─────┼───┼
─────┼───┼───┼───────────────┼─────┼─────┼─┼───┼───┼─┼─────┼─────┼───┼┼─┼
─────┼───┼───┼───────────────┼─────┼─────┼─┼───┼───┼─┼─────┼─────┼───┼
─────┼───┼───┼───────────────┼─────┼─────┼─┼───────┼─┼─────┼─────┼───┼
═════╪═══╪═══╪═══════════════╪═════╪═══════╪═══════╪═╪═════╪═════╪═══
─────┼───┼───┼───────────────┼─────┼───────┼───────┼─┼─────┼─────┼───┼
─────┼───┼───────────────────┼─────┼───────────────┼───────┼─────┼───┼
─────────┼───────────────────┼─────────────────────┼───────┼─────────┼
─────────────────────────────┼─────────────────────┼───────┼─────────┼
Ahhhh!!!!! Well, what I post Thursday won't look quite as good as the above, but shouldn't look too bad!
Ah, darn it!!! My above post looked better in the preview.
Delete3900(beep)
ReplyDelete─┬─┬─┬─┬─┬─┬─┬─┬─┬─┬─┬─┬─╥─┬─┬─┬─┬─
ReplyDelete═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╪═╬═╪═╪═╪═╪═
─┼─┴─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─╫─┼─┼─┼─┼──
─┼───┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┴─┼─┼─┼─╫─┼─┼─┼─┼──
─┼───┼─┼─┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─╫─┼─┼─┼─┼──
─┼───┼─┴─┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─╫─┼─┼─┼─┼──
─┼───┼───┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─╫─┼─┼─┴─┼──
─┼───┼───┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─╫─┼─┼───┼─
─┼───┼───┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─╫─┼─┼───┼──
─┼───┼───┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─╫─┼─┼───┼──
─┼───┼───┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─╫─┼─┼───┼─
─┼───┼───┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─╫─┼─┼───┼──
─┼───┼───┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─╫─┼─┼───┼─
─┼───┼───┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─╫─┼─┼───┼──
─┼───┼───┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─╫─┼─┼───┼──
─┴───┼───┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─╫─┼─┼───┼──
─────┼───┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─╫─┼─┼───┼──
─────┼───┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─╫─┼─┼───┼──
─────┼───┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─╫─┼─┼───┼──
─────┼───┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─╫─┼─┼───┼──
─────┼───┼─┼─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─╫─┼─┼───┼─
─────┼───┼─┴─┼─┼───┼─┼─┼─╫─┼─┼───┼──
─────┼───┼───┼─┼───┼─┼─┴─╫─┼─┼───┼──
─────┼───┼───┼─┼───┼─┼───╫─┼─┼───┼──
─────┴───┼───┼─┼───┼─┼───╫─┼─┼───┼──
─────────┼───┼─┼───┼─┴───╫─┼─┼───┼──
─────────┼───┼─┼───┼─────╫─┼─┼───┼─
─────────┼───┼─┼───┼─────╫─┼─┼───┼──
─────────┼───┼─┼───┼─────╫─┴─┼───┼──
─────────┼───┼─┼───┼─────╫───┼───┼──
─────────┼───┴─┼───┼─────╫───┼───┼──
─────────┼─────┼───┼─────╫───┼───┼──
─────────┼─────┼───┼─────╫───┼───┴──
─────────┼─────┴───┼─────╫───┼──────
─────────┴─────────┼─────╫───┼──────
───────────────────┼─────╫───┴─────.
───────────────────┼─────╫─────────
═══════════════════╪═════╩═════════
───────────────────┴───────────────<──────.
I believe that works better. Ok, my post Thursday won't look quite this good, but it shouldn't look too bad!