Sunday, November 06, 2016

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 6, 2016): No Vowel Left Behind

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Nov 6, 2016): No Vowel Left Behind:
Q: Think of a sign that's frequently seen around this time of year — two words of four letters each. Among these eight letters all five vowels — A, E, I, O, and U — appear once each, along with three consonants. What sign is it?


Edit: My hint was "LOVE MAUI" which uses the vowels in the same order as the answer.
A: VOTE AQUÍ

286 comments:

  1. Here's my standard reminder... don't post the answer or any hints that could lead directly to the answer (e.g. via a chain of thought, or an internet search) 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.

    You 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.

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  2. Replies
    1. Surely there must be a sign selling OAHU LEIS this time of year.

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    2. You're right; and we were expecting a shipment here in Seattle, but due to the weather there was a lei over.

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    3. Your puns have an air of poi, son.

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    4. And I suppose you are one of those who believe Hawaiian voters hold the answer in their palm.

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    5. Ono, now you are adopting a haole R than thou attitude I sea. Wai so kiki today, eco, is your coco nuts?

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    6. So SDB, are you voting for ST3???

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    7. ron:
      I voted last week and voted against it. I realize we need help with our traffic congestion problems, but this is not the answer. I simply cannot afford to have my taxes raised yet again for nothing in return. I normally have always voted for improvements, but now I am living off SS I have no choice but to vote no, which in this case I probably would anyway as it will not even be finished for more than twenty years. It is very flawed. I would be in my nineties when it opened and it would do me no good even then. Taxes in Washington are from sales tax and property tax. The people are too stupid to vote for an income tax, so the filthy rich can pay their fair share. The politicians all know it is what is needed, but are way too cowardly to do what is necessary to achieve it.

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    8. SDB: Let's hope we don't Kauai tomorrow.

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    9. I just got back home from downtown Seattle at the Westin Hotel where the Grand Ballroom held the Democratic Party election party. They didn't run out of alcohol, but they did run out of cyanide pills.

      Even if Clinton somehow pulls it off, it hardly matters with it being so close considering who Trump is. This country is on a one way slide into oblivion. It will not recover. This is one of the rare times where I am very unhappy when I get to say, "I told you so."

      Not here on this blog, but even here in Seattle I have been frequently surprised at the support Trump has had. Even among women of all ages. I see no hope at all for this country anymore.

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    10. SDB: I am just shaking my head in disbelief that, if he keeps this trajectory, America elected this lunatic. The saddest thing about electing Trump is that even if he gets voted out in four years, who knows what baggage will be left in the political machine after he leaves. What cronies will still be in office and for how long?
      Also, if Trump is elected, what will people lose before they realize their folly?

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    11. Just to add:
      - we had an existential war starting in the late 1770's
      - we had another one about 80 years later in 1861
      - and another one 80 years later in 1941.
      - so we aren't due for one until...

      The Civil War and WW II came close on the heels of an economic crash that followed an economic boom with easy credit and access to capital for the elites that led to irresponsible speculation. But that couldn't happen again.

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    12. Eco: Great observations. Aside from the financial hardships that I think are certain, it scares the heck out of me that he will be in charge of the nation's nuclear stockpile.
      I still think he will delegate the day to day decisions to Pence and he will take charge of the high profile, glamour jobs. This is where his incompetence will be glaringly obvious.
      It's getting late and I'm watching Trump make his acceptance speech... time to call it an evening.

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    13. I just watched the debacle. Hillery Clinton and her gigantic ego and the media and their dishonesty and the lack of education in this country, and the greed and the amazing stupidity of people who believe in polling and the incredible ignorance of the citizens of this country who have now destroyed it and they don't even know it. If you watched the acceptance speech, as I just did, you saw a repeat of Hitler and his goons taking the stage and power in what had up until that point been a democracy more so than ours ever was. Effectively it was destroyed in a moment, a moment that wreaked havoc for many years to come.

      Driving home tonight I listened to an idiot being interviewed on NPR who said although we had lost we must now get behind our new president. Well, we did that after the buffoon, Ronald Reagan took office, and we did it again after George W. Bush took office, and I have no doubt the Democrats will do it again after this conman takes office, but I ask you, how has it been working for you so far?

      Last Friday evening at a wine tasting I attended, one of the employees, a middle aged man originally from England, approached me with his smart phone in his hand. He was overly eager to show me the photo he had taken of his ballot where in the presidential column he had written in "Spot," his dog. He was beside himself thinking how funny it was. I wonder if he will still be laughing four years from now when he realizes finally that we are not going to survive as a species. Stupidity is not a value.

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    14. The character of Donald Trump was laid out by David Cay Johnson in his book, The Making of Donald Trump. Watch C-SPAN's interview. The conman was fully exposed long before this election.

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    15. I've seen people carrying the sign "Trump a EURO NAZI"

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  3. Tough to hint at without giving it away, but you will occasionally see one in the news, especially these days.

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  4. "Our mission is to be vague and somewhat humorous", was a great line from last week's blog. I think our other goal is to come up with clever alternate answers or hints that satisfy some, but not all of the puzzle criteria. So I started off trying to come up with any two 4-letter words that contain all 5 vowels. (Of course when thinking of minimalist words containing all 5 vowels, I always think of "sequoia", which is the shortest word in the English language that contains all 5, but that doesn't help here.) Somehow the first word pair I came up with seems to satisfy all of the criteria. But I'm finding it hard to believe I could have found the correct answer so quickly, maybe it's just because I'm up here in Massachusetts. I was tempted to post it as a clever alternate answer, but I need to wait to make sure.

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    Replies
    1. There is a word shorter than "sequoia" - EUNOIA. It is the shortest word in the English language that contains all 5 vowels.

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    2. There's a genus of sea sponges, that is just the 5 vowels: IOUEA

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    3. There was a genus of that name. They're extinct.

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    4. If it's not in OWL3, it doesn't exist.

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    5. Ah, my heart soars to hear of IOUEA once again. In paleontology class, I'd remember IOUEA with "I owe you everything, always."

      Got the puzzle answer after making 111 regional phone calls for Hillary Clinton today. Spoke to folks in Colorado, Arizona, and Nevada. Personal contact, especially listening, seems to be key for millennials, many of whom are still undecided.

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    6. Good for you on answering the puzzle and especially on helping HRC. Finally some good news today on that front!!

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    7. Yes! As soon as the original Comey letter came out, I said "Move along. Nothing to see here." Of course, that proved to be the way to look at the situation.

      Tomorrow, Pennsylvania calls!

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    8. Word Woman,
      After HRC is elected she ought to name you Secretary of Agateculture, or perhaps Secretary of Slate.

      LegoSays"GneissJobOnThosePhoneCalls"

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    9. It can be a shale game. Working in the slate department can lead to a gneiss job, if the local quartz rule appropriately. Sometimes you go through a lot of schist on the way. If there's too much pressure you can take it for granite.

      It would be a marble if I got that right, this is all distant memory in my mined, and I'll be crushed if I'm wrong.

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    10. eco, re: crushing: the jig is up!

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    11. Whoever loses the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is going to be in a bit of a predicament.

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    12. Just learned PA was a Commonwealth, Paul. 60 calls today to Keystone State voters. Still encouraged.

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    13. My phone didn't ring for you.
      Fear not.

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    14. How do you know? (Word Woman is not my real name.)

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  5. Two mistakes:
    - In the on-air puzzle Will said "Central American countries and Guatemala", and the answer was Costa Rica. El Salvador?

    - Blaine wrote the answer as "Earl" McMullin, not Evan.

    Not surprised by the first mistake, shocked at the second.

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    Replies
    1. What about "Senses, Taste" Sight?

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    2. I've never even heard of him, so my brain didn't notice I'd gotten the name wrong. It's fixed now though.

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  6. I have an answer that might be seen near a mall, but such a sign would exist all year, not just seasonally.

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    Replies
    1. My sister was able to answer this, pronto! So I can't take credit for answering this one.
      15-20 years ago, I might not have seen one of these as they are getting more and more common. Try not to think of this as a holiday type of 'seasonal' thing. This could lead down a wrong path. In fact, a drive around town this time of year may reveal one.

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  7. I hadn't thought of that comic strip in years.

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    Replies
    1. I always liked Foghorn Leghorn best.

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    2. The comic strip I recalled was DONDi. I looked through the funny papers one day and he wasn't there anymore. Where did he go?

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  8. I've thought of something, but it might be seen at a different time of year too. It's driving me crazy not really knowing! --Margaret G.

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  9. Remember, most of us have a civic duty to perform on Tuesday. Here's hoping everyone participates...

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  10. You could use Google to solve this puzzle.

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    Replies
    1. It helped, then confirmed it.
      A better challenge than last week.

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    2. What phrase did you use to Google it? I'm getting nowhere myself.

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    3. I didn't use any search terms at all.

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  11. We don't have such signs in our area.

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  12. I have an answer – two 4-letter words that jointly contain all the vowels once each. And the words go together. But I’m still not too happy with it. Would someone be kind enough to elaborate on the “sign” requirement?

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    Replies
    1. It's a real, physical sign that you might see in your neighborhood this time of year. It won't be there year-round.

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  13. two five letter words for this years election season: "utter chaos"

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    Replies
    1. I disagree, Jim. The biggest "I" of all, an egotistical, self-aggrandizing, admitted serial molester lurks amidst and permeates the "utter chaos" of this election.

      LegoWhoIsDepressedThatThis"IGuy"MightActuallyHaveAShotAtWinning

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    2. Jim's right: there isn't one.

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  14. And, the answer spilled into my head, as if an aquifer broke loose.

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    1. I saw the sign as I was pulling into a Quick-Trip, all while on my way home from buying my Sunday egg mcmuffin, with grape jelly, for only 39 cents.

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    2. A convenience store would be an odd place for this sign. And from what I'm hearing today, "quick trip" doesn't generally describe the experience.

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    3. Not odd in rural parts of Kansas where 68Charger lives and in many states west of the Mississippi!

      Agree on the quick trip, though.

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    4. Jan, you're right about the QT, not being the best way to describe today's pace.  

      WW, I am pleasantly surprised that KS lets people cast their ballots in advance. I was lucky enough to have done this last week. 

      The local news, shows wait times of less than 10 minutes on the KS side, today. Across the state line the wait is about an hour, if you're lucky. 

      As conservative as KS is, I always half expect that we will have to use charcoal sticks and stone tablets to participate.

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    5. I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for the voting system in KS to evolve. If you know what I mean.

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    6. Voting is mostly quick in CA, hardest part I had was those buses filled with illegal immigrants took the parking spaces at some of the polling locations!

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    7. In my town of 16,000 in suburban NJ, with 7 polling places, voting is embarrassingly fast. The only thing that takes time is chatting with people I know that I meet there. It's so unfair that people in some cities have to wait for hours.

      I get a chuckle from seeing my son's name on the registered voter book just above mine, since he hasn't lived here for 13 years. I checked the state voter registration website, and he's not listed, but I still wonder whether he could get away with voting twice?

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    8. I'm really confused. I thought everything was up to date in Kansas City.

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    9. Jan - That is interesting about your son's name still being on the list.
      I am watching the local news and they were just showing the line of people at a local MO polling place that had to be 1/4 to 1/2 mile long. It was hard to gauge because it snaked around the building and parking lot so much.

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    10. Paul - It doesn't seem like it in Brownbackistan!!

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    11. Paul:
      You are misinformed. They have gone about as fur as they can go.

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    12. I'm just gonna stand on the corner of 12th Street & Vine.

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    13. Paul:
      Don't tire yourself. See if you can beg a seat in a surry with some fringe on the top. Or get some of the fringe element to find you a chair.

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    14. "Chairman Bernie" certainly gives me a chuckle.

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    15. I'm really struggling! I'm new to this blog and I don't know how it works, but from what I'm gathering, the sign is perhaps weather-related and might have something to do with ice but that's as far as I can get. Am I even warm?

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    16. Nope. The many off-topic postings this week may be a clue.

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    17. Welcome aboard, the sign is not weather related, but there is a certain chill.

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    18. Oh boy, now I'm drowning. I'll be driving around after work looking at signs and hopefully no one will call the police and report a suspicious person!

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    19. Should've thought of that yesterday!

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    20. @frogdogs16 - If you are driving, keep your eyes on your driving; if you are walking, keep your eyes on your walking. Do not endanger anyone by looking for this sign in the wild!

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  15. It has to do with the election: outa lies!

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  16. We'll all have to be back here Thursday to find out. Here.

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  17. I was sitting, at a waterfront restaurant in San Diego, enjoying a very dry martini, when the answer hit me. In vino veritas?

    I can't say, for certain, that I have ever seen this sign, but I am quite OK with this puzzle.

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  19. Grrrr. James Comey, FBI, was "extremely careless" in the handling of the investigation of Hillary Clinton's e-mails.

    Go Hillary!

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    1. Now, all we need to do is get Michelle Obama to run next time. I think a lot of folks would get behind her for President, and we'd have our first black female President and first black First Dude.

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    2. Yeah, what will we call Bill after January 2017? First Gentleman?

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    3. I think First Gentleman is the generally accepted term. I would suggest First Bubba, but that might not go over well. Former office holders often retain their title after finishing their term, so First President Bill Clinton might be technically correct, but awkward.

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    4. If Hillary wins, whatever Bill is called may not set precedent, since the husbands of future presidents are not likely to be former presidents themselves. Apparently, "Mr. President" is only used for current presidents; exes are addressed as either "President Clinton" or "Mr. Clinton". "FGOTUS" isn't pronounceable, so I say call him First Lad, and keep the FLOTUS designation.

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    5. Edited for content: "When Hillary wins, whatever Bill is called may not set president ;-). . ."

      First PresiGent is growing on me.

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    6. Counting your chickens before they cross the road to vote?

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    7. After 111 calls over the weekend and 60 calls yesterday (and some other things, of course), yes, I am feeling confident about Madame President.

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    8. Of course Monica Lewinsky will most likely go down (pun intended) in history as just an over eager intern who tried to bite off more than she could chew.

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    9. WW, my wife has been making calls, too, for Rock the Vote. Where is your calling list from? We're surprised by how few people actually answer the phone; usually she just leaves a message. In any case, we certainly weren't left with any sense of having gotten a scientific sample. Nate Silver's pessimism makes her anxious; the best I can muster is guarded optimism.

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    10. Depends on what your definition of "gentleman" is.

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    11. My list is directly from the HRC campaign site, very well-organized with good follow-up. I could pick which states to call and prefaced my calls with a text asking if this was a good time to call, etc. It worked well with millenials. More response over the weekend, of course.

      Happy calling!

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  20. Replies
    1. I'm glad I never saw an Adios, Cure sign, though.

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  21. If only Ricardo Montalban were here, I could escape this election

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    Replies
    1. He would just be pulling another Khan game on us.

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    2. I would still grow fahtigued with this election.

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  22. I am struggling on this one, unless it's "TOUR IKEA"

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    Replies
    1. I like YOUR IDEA, but it lacks seasonality.

      BTW, when you kiss your a-- goodbye, is that the same as saying CIAO MULE?

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    2. It's IOWA BLUE chickens from PERU, IOWA. Or if you smoke, it's the MOSAIQUE EUPHORIA you receive from a GAULOISE when you are a EURO NAZI like Trump & don't HAVE IOUS.

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    3. I do have the answer and it's not that roadside sign at an off ramp that reads: AUTO EXIT.

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    4. Well, it is hunting season this time of year, and with HerShrilleryness about to assume the throne, one might want to look for a sign indicating where to acquire a SEMI AUTO before they are confiscated.

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  23. Did you hear about the hair dresser offering a "beau coif?"

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  24. Hey! Just got it, and without any help from comments. Not exactly kanban, but close!.

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    Replies
    1. Justin Thyme, famous chef, told you, eh, Bob Kerfuffle?

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  25. I am trying to stop reading blog posts about the election, especially those that report poll results. As Virgil told Dante, we should be satisfied with faith in our eventual salvation, rather than overthinking how we will get there or why it's been so damned hard.

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  26. Just a little over 24 hours to go, what will the TV and radio stations do when the political ads stop??
    I can't wait for this election to be over with!!

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    Replies
    1. TV and radio will return to the high standards of reporting, investigative journalism, and in-depth and well-considered analysis that they have been providing.

      Gotta go, past time to take my meds.

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    2. Bring on the Black Friday ads! As John Prine once wrote.."Blow up your t.v. throw away your paper. Go to the country, build you a home. Plant a little garden, eat a lot of peaches. Try and find Jesus on your own…

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  27. Parisian waiter, "May I bring you something to drink."
    Patron, "OUI, TEA."

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    Replies
    1. The best post ever!

      LegoBelievesThatSuperZeeRules.

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  28. Here we go! Happy Election Day, Blainesvilleans.

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  29. WW. Here's hoping your citizen's initiative 69 for Universal Single Payer Health Care passes and becomes a beacon for the nation and advances Bernie Sanders progressive agenda. Since nothing can be done at the federal level, the efforts must come at the state level.

    BTW, did you take your moniker from Colorado's poet laureate Rosemerry Trommer?

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    1. Shame on OHIO for turning off their security system for all their voting machines.

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    2. ron, I doubt 69 will pass; but it's a start to get it on the ballot.

      I did not know about Rosemerry Trommer until years after I chose Word Woman. So far, no lawsuits about my using the name. And none for Partial Ellipsis of the Sun . ;-)

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    3. More than a half million voters have lost their vote due to the SCAM of "crosscheck." See Greg Palast.

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  30. I just got back from my bike ride half an hour ago @ 2:30 and the temperature on this sunny day was 73 degrees F. We are having a record heatwave for Novembers in Seattle.

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  31. Anybody else feel like they're stuck in a hospital waiting room, hoping their relative survives cancer surgery, but won't know for a couple more hours? And the magazines are really lousy.

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    1. When I find myself in that situation I amuse myself by looking at the New Yorker cartoons. This time, since I don't have the magazines handy, I am Googling videos of Trump in order to get some laughs at a cartoon character.

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    2. eco, you have scintillating conversation here. . .And no loaded magazines.

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    3. Quote of the day: "I am a single-issue voter. My issue is humanity."

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    4. I think it's been sin-titillating conversation for the past year. But I guess we'll know a lot by 7 pm EST (NH, VA) and a strong sense by 8 pm.

      Beers all around, for celebration or remorse.

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  32. The Deplorables have saved the Republic.

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  33. Well there should be some good real estate deals available, with all the celebs moving out of the country or off the planet. Besides the 2020 Bench is warming up. Bernie and Liz kick off soon. There'll be others right behind. They're trying to keep California from seceding. These are historic times, eco. Power to the People!

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    1. I absolutely agree.

      Great Depressions bring all sorts of real estate deals.

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    2. I'm all for Power to the People. Hillary won the popular vote.

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    3. Time to bring up the The National Popular Vote jan mentioned earlier this election cycle.

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    4. I like your optimism! You still believe there's going to be an election in 2020.

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    5. Still too shocked to say much more now, eco.

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    6. I know the feeling, we've just learned the tumor is malignant and has engulfed our entire body.

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    7. Sure, I'm disappointed about Hillary losing but at this point I am very upset at who might be brought in as Cabinet members and various advisors. The names tossed around so far have been and should be, very troubling to working people all over, not to mention freedom loving people.

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    8. At 10 AM, Clinton leads by over 200,000 votes.
      I have gratefully missed all of the post-election BS speeches.
      I predict that Bozo will blow it in his first month, hopefully not nuclearly.

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    9. I find it, again, very disappointing that so all fools like Obama and Clinton and many others can say is to rave about the peaceful transfer of power and for us to get behind Trump. It did not work for Germany in the 1930s when Hitler took power over the will of the people and went on to unite those same people. It will not work for us either.

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    10. The irony is all the morons that voted for him are going to get screwed first, and worst. Well, after Mexicans and Muslims. And women.

      I can't even tolerate the idea of turning on the radio today. Right now I'm listening to Gorecki's Symphony #3, this little bit speaks volumes.

      And maybe after that this bright little tune. And after that perhaps Mahler's 5th.

      Other suggestions welcome.

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    11. How about "Bad Moon Rising"?

      I was wondering how much you'd have to pay the Marine Band to play Vader's Theme from "Star Wars" instead of "Hail to the Chief" next January?

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    12. ECO: I recommend The Beatle's "Mean Mr. Mustard"

      Mean Mister Mustard sleeps in the park
      Shaves in the dark trying to save paper
      Sleeps in a hole in the road
      Saving up to buy some clothes
      Keeps a ten-bob note up his nose
      Such a mean old man
      Such a mean old man
      His sister Pam works in a shop
      She never stops, she's a go-getter
      Takes him out to look at the queen
      Only place that he's ever been
      Always shouts out something obscene
      Such a dirty old man
      Dirty old man

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    15. Horst-Wessel-Lied - Wehrmacht Mar

      http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=nazi+song&view=detail&mid=B3B8BF493C43F9A31C68B3B8BF493C43F9A31C68&FORM=VIRE

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    19. No, I don't think it would be great inauguration music. Too much at stake here.

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    20. Yes, Hitler was very clever in how he used music to motivate Germans to "get behind him." I put those words in quotes because all day I have heard fools in this country tell us how we now need to get behind Trump. That is the last thing we should do.

      Gloria Steinem was asked this morning at the end of an NPR interview re: the election, if she would accept Trump as her president. She instantly replied: "No!"

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    21. Yes! Gloria Steinem, Smith College class of 1956.

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    22. Only thing missing for those happy little people on the sidewalks is "Make Germany Great Again" baseball caps.

      I am reminded that Hitler's taste in architecture tended towards over-the-top, grandiose, superficially impressive and dominating. History repeats, or at least has very bad reruns.

      I turn to the wisdom of Calvin and Hobbes.

      Different thought: I predict that if DT doesn't fly right with the GOP overlords and masters (note that none of these are elected people) they will order him impeached so they can have a very controllable Mike Pence. Note those overlords could not care less about social issues - abortion, gay rights, gun laws, etc. - they only care about money and eviscerating the power of government. They actually like illegal immigration, gives them a large pool of cheap labor to drive costs down.

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    23. eco, thank you for the wisdom of Calvin and Hobbes.

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    24. I agree, Hitler did indeed have rather odd architectural ideas, but on the other hand you have to admire his personal grooming with that cute haircut and mustache.

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    25. Stop! making me laugh at this time, sdb.

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    26. Put "Calvin and Hobbes Trump" into the search engine of your choice, click images, and you come up with
      remarkable and prescient results. Sorry WW, here's one case where Google's results are superior to DuckDuckGo.

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    27. It's ok,eco, I can get behind Google on that. Easier than the other. . .

      Everywhere I went today, people looked unhappy, even DT supporters. We are so divided.

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  34. For many voters it seems to have been a choice between saving the planet from global warming or saving the sanctity of our restrooms.

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  35. http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/10/20/1585200/-Rachel-Maddow-shows-a-prophetic-clip-of-Justice-Souter-forewarning-the-coming-of-someone-like-Trump

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  36. Earlier I referred to the new fool in chief as Bozo.
    Then I remembered Pennywise.

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  37. This is definitely worth reading:

    http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/donald-trump-president-wins-election-noam-chomsky-prediction-a7406831.html

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  38. SDB,WW, MJ, Eco, Jan, 68C and others - -
    Your comments have been a source of some comfort to us during this difficult time. We have moved past denial and are now alternating between rage and mourning. Looking ahead, it is unlikely that we can expect any progress or compassion from the new powers in DC, so we are committed to acting locally. As a small first step, we are reaching out to our immigrant friends, especially Muslims and Hispanics. Sharing a meal or just a cup of tea together helps to reassure them while bringing some solace to ourselves.

    Larry and Janice

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    1. While I like your post and thank you for it, I expect come January, or February at the latest, you both will be rounded up and taken away.

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    2. SDB:
      OMG! That sounds like something out of a classic Seinfeld! LMAO!!
      Larry and Janice: Hang in there. Trump sure talks big but let's just see what he can accomplish. I like your compassion, though!



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    3. And another thing, wait a minute I hear the doorbell...

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    4. I'm a white, straight male who expects to be rounded up due the fact that a gay couple, now my brothers-in-law, introduced me to my wife. And, years later, I attended and photographed that same couple's wedding. I'm doomed.

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    5. Curtis,
      I don't want to make light of your predicament, but I doubt it will be as serious for you as you assume. I suspect you may be let off with just spending a night with Chris Christie.

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    6. Thanks, Larry and Janice, for your wonderful, important acts. I am sure your friends are heartened. Good to know you are out there.

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    7. Quote of the year (actually 90 years ago):

      “No one in this world, so far as I know — and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me — has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby. The mistake that is made always runs the other way. Because the plain people are able to speak and understand, and even, in many cases, to read and write, it is assumed that they have ideas in their heads, and an appetite for more. This assumption is a folly.”
      - H.L. Mencken, Chicago Daily Tribune, September 19, 1926

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    8. Thanks for posting the actual quote, eco. I have always enjoyed it, but in its common form: "No one ever lost a dime underestimating the intelligence of the American public."

      Never more true than now.

      Trump will be blamed, but I see it as the collective country having made a decision to self-destruct. Obama kept telling us that Trump is unfit to govern, but now he has welcomed him into his (our) home and wants to do all that can be done to help him. The people who are out in the streets protesting are the only sensible coalition I think. Of course I am asking myself just how many of them actually voted for Clinton, or even voted at all.

      I have for many years now been warning people that we cannot keep doing these destructive things and keep recovering. One day it will implode. I believe that day has now come.

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    9. The last thing I remember from last night was answering the doorbell and being whisked to the Landru building dowtown.
      All I can say now is:

      "Peace and tranquility my Brothers and Sisters. There is joy now that we are of the Body. Let us live as one. Blessed be the body, and health to all of its parts. Joy be with you. Peace and contentment."

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    10. Did they give you a choice of flavors?

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    11. All they offered was grape so I declined!!

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  39. We're approaching both the 3:00 ET deadline and the 200 comment limit. A reminder to newcomers that more than 200 comments are posted, you have to click on "Load more" at the bottom of the page to load more.

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    1. VOTE AQUI

      "Got the puzzle answer after making 111 regional phone calls for Hillary Clinton today. Spoke to folks in Colorado, Arizona, and Nevada. Personal contact, especially listening, seems to be KEY for millennials, many of whom are still undecided." pointed toward states where VOTE AQUI signs were more likely to be seen. KEY referred to aQUI.

      "Just learned PA was a Commonwealth, Paul. 60 calls today to KEYstone State voters." was another nod toward aQUI.

      "tar" referred to VOTAR. Oy, Spanglish!

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  40. VOTE AQUÍ

    My hint was that I did not post, in reference to the lack of voter turnout. Private prisons are going to love the mandatory minimum two year jail sentences for undocumented immigrants. Apparently thinking in Spanish will be the first strike. There will even be a muslin ban, and chefs around the country are scrambling to come up with something else to strain their cheese. The next four years will be no Gouda.

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  41. VOTE AQUÍ
    -Photo 1.
    -Photo 2.
    -Photo 3.

    Of course, in correct Spanish, it's VOTA AQUÍ.
    -Photo 4.
    -Photo 5. This one is being shown round the world!
    Here is my favorite song by Nobel Prize winner Bob Dylan: "It's Alright, Ma (I'm only bleeding)" so appropriate at this moment in our history!

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  42. VOTE AQUI

    > Could make the difference!

    On Sunday, it looked like the Latino vote in Nevada might secure the state for Clinton.

    > The Moby Word List is of no help this week.

    It lists English words. (But the phrase "Vote Here" doesn't appear, either.)

    > You could use Google to solve this puzzle.
    > I didn't use any search terms at all.

    Here's the Google doodle that appeared on their home page earlier this week. No searching needed.

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  43. Now I know the answer I am not at all sorry I did not solve it. We vote by mail in Washington and I did not know AQUI was a word. It certainly is not English. I many times thought VOTE, but I could make nothing of AIU to make a word. I don't consider this to be a fair puzzle.

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  44. The answer VOTE AQUI came to me from I know not where on Monday, which is why I posted that I had it Justin Thyme (thanks, WW), that is, kanban, the Japanese "just in time" manufacturing system. But I was a bit chagrined when I actually voted, and the sign said "VOTE HERE / VOTO AQUI". And know I learn from

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    Replies
    1. And now I learn from @ron that the correct Spanish is "VOTA"!

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  45. I thought it was tough to clue this in without giving it away too easily.

    ReplyDelete

For NPR puzzle posts, don't post the answer or any hints that could lead to the answer before the deadline (usually Thursday at 3pm ET). If you know the answer, submit it to NPR, but don't give it away here.

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