Sunday, December 11, 2016

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 11, 2016): The Season of Shopping

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Dec 11, 2016): The Season of Shopping:
Q: Think of a two-word phrase commonly seen on signs in new businesses. Nine letters in all. Change the sixth letter to an N, and read the resulting letters in order: You'll get a new two-word phrase sometimes seen on humorous signs in classrooms and offices. What signs are these?"
You'll also see the first sign on established stores at this time of year.
A: NOW HIRING --> NO WHINING

189 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.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Interesting that this puzzle is sourced from Oregon which has a few offices that are sellers of a product that wouldn't hang the humorous sign.

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  3. I am coming up only with business signs like "Grand Opening" or "Open House," neither of which would have a chance of winning. Oh! I just found it! ---Rob

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  4. Not to complain Blaine, but you gave a way too much hint.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes. YOU'RE FIRED, YOU'RE FINED.

      Delete
    2. Just be grateful Garry - without complaining!

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    3. Not to complain, but I think it's "away".

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    4. I liked the original charmingly child-like phrasing.

      Now, if I could just see a sign, sign, everywhere a sign. . .

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    5. WW, the wording of my clue was exactly as I wanted, simplistic or otherwise. Good catch Ron.

      Delete
    6. Garry Rust, mais oui! Child-like phrasing is often full of truths, wit, and wisdom, as here. It's a great clue.

      Delete
  5. I've written down the answer to last week's puzzle , and read it aloud over and over but i still can't get it ! I'm going to be 74 in January and my memory is failing, but this is ridiculous !

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Take the phrase "TWO RS". Put an A in front and a T behind, and you have "AT WORST".

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    2. Two words in seven letters is eight characters, counting the space. The best I could do with that approach was something like 'I ARRIVE'.

      Delete
  6. Big Ron - don't worry. Dementia usually starts setting in around 73 and eleven months.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Loss of memory is the second sign of old age.
    Now, if I could only recall the first one...

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  8. In the middle of November this sign would have done well here :)

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  9. I have two answers and I will give my second answer, which is NOT the intended answer, now:

    OPENS SOON>>>OPENS NOON! The normal sign reads: OPEN SOON OR COMING SOON, not OPENS SOON.

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  10. I thought John showed himself well this morning.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, skydiveboy. I was a wreck. The editors at NPR made me sound smarter. I'll take it if the Sunday Puzzle microphone adds 20 pounds and 20 IQ points!

      Delete
  11. Times I have seen these signs: one many, many, the other never, ever.

    The PM actually praised an alternative answer!

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  12. Yes, I've never seen the second sign, either. But I did find images of it on the web.

    Good job this morning, John Campanelli!


    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Jan! Thank goodness the De___ C___ puzzle clue they cut was: "Governor of New York who built the Erie Canal." Humbling! (Now I will never forget the name Dewitt Clinton)

      Delete
    2. I had a copy of "The Kennedy Wit years ago. Had Hillary been elected, might that name be easier to remember?

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    3. Yes, John. You sounded great. You sounded very relaxed and natural. You must have a "people-person" type of job.
      And,they even left in your "...pry my lapel pin from my cold, dead lapel" quip.
      But "DeWitt Clinton?" Give me a break! That is beyond trivia in my book. When I played on-air, NPR's editing made me look much smarter than I actually am.

      LegoWhoAdmitsThatHeIsNotExactlyTheBrightestBulbOnTheChristmasTreeTheAcutestAngleInTheGeometryBookTheSagestSpiceOnTheRackTheSharpestCheddarInTheCheeseShopTheWisestOwlInTheParliamentTheSmartestWhipInTheDungeonTheMostOriginalRecipeInTheKFCBucketTheBrainiestStormOnTheBweatherMapTheSlyestFoxInTheHenhouseTheAptestPupilInTheEyeballTheKeenestPeachInTheBasketTheDeepestPocketInThePantsOrTheQuickestBrownFoxInTheLandOfTheLazyDogs

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    4. The only famous DeWitt I know is DeWitt Wallace, major benefactor of Macalester College in St. Paul and founder of Reader's Digest .

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    5. WW: That doesn't look like Obi.

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    6. You guys didn't grow up in New York State. Governor, Senator, 47th, 49th, and 51st Mayor of New York City, not to mention the early steam locomotive named for him, and all the towns, schools, parks, etc., named in his honor. I think a New Yorker could be excommunicated for not knowing the name.

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    7. If Joyce DeWitt moved in with Bill and Hillary would she be Joyce DeWitt Clinton?

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    8. 11thplace, right you are. It's Obi's long-lost ancestor, a feathered dinosaur, in honor of the recent discovery of 99 million year old dinosaur tail feathers preserved in amber.

      jan, yes, and all New York kids, had to take those Regents tests, right? Wonder if they still take them . . .
      and why they didn't name the Erie Canal the Clinton Canal. Although, a little Duckduckgoing just turned up Clinton's Folly and Clinton's Big Ditch.

      Oh, DeWitt here amazes some days ;-)

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    9. Speaking of amber discoveries, I was finally able to Shake A Tail Feather and get this answer in a high-energy way.

      Delete
    10. The only DeWitt with whom I am familiar is this one.

      LegoWhoIsNotExactlyDeWittiestBantererOnDisBlog

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    11. WW, DeWitt Wallace built the headquarters of Reader's Digest in Chappaqua, NY, which brings us back to Clinton, I supposed.

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    12. What about Rose DeWitt -Bukater, fictional Titanic character, who coincided with the highest popularity of the boy's name DeWitt in 1912. DeWitt means the White One.

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    13. When I attend a party I like to be DeWitt.

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    14. Can the letters of 'DeWitt' be rearranged to spell what our soon-to-be commander-in-chief just did ... again?
      Not quite.

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    15. jan, great to see that come full circle.

      DeWitt Wallace is quite famous at Macalester, having provided funds for a new namesake library and other buildings.

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    16. Paul, "twitted?" Yeah, almost. . .

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  13. For last week's puzzle - two "r"s in the middle - I had "rear end" with "are" and "r" in the middle and, "in the middle" meaning the middle of the body.

    At worst, I got it wrong.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You not only got two "R"s in the middle, but many English-speakers would read your answer as "arse," which sounds a lot like the plural of "R." You deserve some sort of medal for that.

      Delete
  14. Santa's coming. You better not pout!

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  15. To make up for my behavior last week, and since I have indeed solved the puzzle for this week, I am going to take the words of the latter sign to heart. So should anyone else who might be having trouble with it.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Let me guess, the sign's in Spanish.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't know why you'd think that. Granted I did take Spanish in school, but I don't need to remember any of it for this puzzle.

      Delete
    2. Sixth sense: sarcasm, i.e. "Sarcasm Aqui."

      Delete
  17. I hate to always be complaining, but sure took me a long time to solve this one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I never understand a single word you say, sdb.

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    2. Does this mean we now have an understanding?

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    3. Well, I suppose it depends on our concept of the dimension of time ...

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    4. I don't know about you, but I happen to prefer Daylight Saving Time. Talk about a concept.

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    5. Cut off one end of your blanket; sew it on the other end ... presto chango! ... longer blanket.
      http://iwastesomuchtime.com/28371

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    6. Back when I was born it was neither Standard Time nor Daylight Savings Time. Do you capisce?

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    7. The U.S. enacted the War Time Act sometime in January 1942, which was in place until the end of the war late in 1945. It mimicked Daylight Savings Time, but went year round in order to conserve resources. I was born during the war. I also died during the war, but that is another conundrum for you to consider.

      Delete
  18. DT Administration activity vs. advice for HerHillaryness?

    ReplyDelete
  19. New names in the news, this Sunday or next?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maybe this Sunday, since the following Sunday is Christmas Day.

      Your picks?

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    2. Kellyanne Conway for sure.

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    3. Paul,
      Do you mean "a canny wonky elle?"
      Or "a new nylon lackey?"

      Hint to this week's NPR puzzle: Perhaps the new business is in the business of bottling a particular brand name beverage.
      (Tell me if this is a giveaway clue. My giveaway radar has been lately on the Mondale-nickname.)

      LegoWhoPassesAlongHisProfoundestApologiesToJoniDemm

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    4. I'm trying really hard to get to the root of your problem about give away hints.

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    5. GR - May I suggest you have another beer?

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    6. Thanks for the suggestion SuperZee, but this early, maybe a Dr. Pepper would be better.

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    7. Damn Daniel and Chewbacca Mom if he goes the viral video route. And Ken Bone. He has such a good crossword puzzle name.

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    8. How about Tennessine, Ya Lun, and Xi Lun?

      Delete
    9. Alicia Machado, Khizr and Ghazala Khan. Evan McMullin again?

      Delete
    10. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    11. Sure, we can redo the McMuffin man. How about Kathleen Ledecky, Charizard, and Simone Manuel?

      Delete
    12. Lego? It's me pjb! Due to unforeseen circumstances I must now call myself "cranberry". Will explain tomorrow.

      Delete
  20. The first phrase came to me before I had gotten out of bed this morning. As for the second, I wonder if anyone here has ever seen it displayed in a school or office. I have not.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I've seen a lot of humorous signs in offices. I even had one I updated daily for a while about the number of days since a meltdown in an office where there had been a incident with a person who quit abruptly. I thought I'd get in trouble for the sign, but the department manager thought it was funny and let me keep it until I got bored with it. I even had a button with the quiz phrase dating back to the early 80s, but I don't think I've seen it in an office.

      Delete
    2. Chuck, I've not seen that sign but have seen this one:

      I can only help one person today.

      Today is not your day.

      Tomorrow doesn't look good either.

      Curtis, how many days til you were bored with it?

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    3. Will did say "sometimes". Maybe he has it is his office to keep his bases covered.

      Delete
    4. Again with the fat finger! Perhaps someone can shed light. How does one remove one's poorly-worded or grammatically defective post?

      Delete
    5. Just hit the delete button under your post. Unfortunately, Blogger does not have an edit function.

      Delete
    6. On your posts (only) there should be DELETE at the bottom, just at the left margin of your post. Click on it and you will be directed to a delete screen.

      However, Emily Post admonishes one to proof read one's post prior to posting. Good luck with that Emily.

      Delete
    7. WW - it took two or three weeks. And, I downplayed it in my previous comment. The person who quit went full-out delusional, and was accusing the entire IT staff - a group of fun, bright people - of conspiring against her, and say awful things about her behind her back. My wording was something closer to Days since a psychotic break. The humor of my sign was in poor taste, but my coworkers and managers apparently shared my poor taste.

      Delete
    8. Curtis, fun, bright people with poor (or at least questionable) taste? Are you sure it's not Blainesville? ;-)

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    9. I once had a boss who had a sign in his office that read (something like):

      Would you kindly take your silly-a** problem down the hall, perchance to find someone who gives a s**t.

      We didn't really get along all that well; I don't know why.

      Delete
    10. Paul, it sounds like a boss who might need the first sign often.

      Delete
    11. And someone who might want to become more familiar with the definition of "kindly."

      Delete
  21. Just read that John Roberts was appointed Fox News White House Correspondent.
    I thought he was CJOTUS.
    WTF?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Different people.
      The reporter is John D. Roberts.
      The Chief Justice is John G. Roberts

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    2. CJOTUS! This is the making of an anagram/substituted letter puzzle with a saucy answer!

      Delete
  22. Back in the U.S.S.R. (United States Serving Rex)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How is Trump going to get all these guys into that little car?

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    2. I wonder if it may have something to do with them having shiny brown noses.

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    3. Shiny people are happy people.

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    4. However many angels can dance on the head of a pin, it's still a lot more than the number of clowns you can get out of a little car. Trust me; I once took a course in this.

      Delete
  23. I think I am getting what the sign is about, but I am not coming up with anything that fits in 9 letters. Any clues out there for those of us still out of it? Thanks. And before Perry destroys all our energy?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And this raises the question: How do we parry Perry?

      Delete
    2. You may be a little leery about that clue, jutchnbev.

      Delete
  24. I am more ignorant about it than leery of it. I live in Las Vegas, though. Am I about to learn?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Vegas, hmmm. Not sure if Alpert ever brought the brass there.

      Presently,
      Word Woman

      Delete
    2. Lucy, I'm home! An' I can see right through your merry prank ... I thin'.

      Delete
  25. I must be dense this week. I just must have head fog after writing 200 letters to Electoral College members hoping to avert disaster. A Hail Mary's pass, to be sure, but I just don't want to "give up my shot."

    Apparently Mr. T is set to attack NPR, so maybe we will lose the Sunday Puzzle altogether-- and after years of playing, I still don't have have my lapel pin!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, jutchnbev, similar activity here on many issues/appointments with letters and phone calls.

      How about this? Hazel bovine.

      Delete
  26. Look what came in the mail today: https://twitter.com/johncampanelli/status/809109996470501376

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That looks nice, congratulations! It didn't take that long to get there!

      Delete
  27. John –

    I got mine about 10 years ago. An item to be proud of for sure. Turn the pin over and look at the very bottom of the back. In very tiny letters, you’ll see where it was manufactured :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The basement of the Trump Tower in NY?

      Delete
    2. NOW HIRING >>> NO WHINING

      "Speaking of amber discoveries, I was finally able to Shake A Tail Feather and get this answer in a high-energy way." >>> as in "high-energy" person wanted to HIRE.

      1. rye card (as in Peter Reichard, Ram Dass's son)

      2. You may be a little leery about that clue, jutchnbev

      3. Vegas, hmmm. Not sure if Alpert ever brought the brass there.

      Presently,
      Word Woman

      ^^^The above three clues refer to Ram Dass, aka Richard Alpert, who hung out with Timothy Leary. Ram Dass wrote Be Here NOW .

      Hazel bovine >>> Brown cow as in How NOW, Brown cow.

      Delete
  28. NOW HIRING & NO WHINING

    My Hint:

    "I hate to always be complaining, but sure took me a long time to solve this one." Hinting at my WHINING.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So, sdb, in what sense did you 'die' during the war?

      Delete
    2. Paul,
      I was a lieutenant in the Polish army.

      Delete
    3. Gee, Mark Scott doesn't sound Polish.

      Delete
    4. Mark Scott isn't Polish and neither am I.

      Delete
    5. Lots of spit and polish in the army. Maybe he's the other half?

      Delete
    6. Well I was in the U.S. Army for three years in the sixties and rarely bothered with any of that. I was not a model soldier.

      Delete
    7. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
  29. NOW HIRING

    NO WHINING

    “You're fired, you're fined” was meant to suggest that the letter, R, changed to an N.

    2nd Answer: OPENS SOON>>>OPENS NOON!

    ReplyDelete
  30. I wrote, 'I am coming up only with business signs like "Grand Opening" or "Open House," neither of which would have a chance of winning. Oh! I just found it!' "Winning" and "oh" anagram to "No Whining." ---Rob

    ReplyDelete
  31. Now Hiring, No Whining

    The first phrase came to me before I had gotten out of bed Monday morning. As for the second, I wonder if anyone here has ever seen it displayed in a school or office. I have not.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds is about Julian's drawing of his nursery school classmate, and that's ALL it's about. Lucille Ball (who cried 'Waaaah!' on occasion) was married to a guy who sang Babalu. Baba Ram Dass wrote a book about present-mindedness. He also experimented with LSD, as did the 'Merry Pranksters'. One street name for LSD is windowpane. You can see right through a windowpane, of course, unless there's a Help Wanted sign blocking your view. Such a sign might be illegible if printed on blotter paper; cardstock is preferred. I'm still not exactly sure how this pertains to this week's puzzle; I'm still thinnin' about it. I think, ergot I am.
    In other news, my comment Sunday morning about being able to see the fight from my seat was based on a spoonerism. I had to put up many Now Hiring signs in my previous job, and somewhere along the line I took the notion to spoonerize it (in my mind, not on the physical sign, of course). I know niring is not a word*, and I never really thought about what it could mean; it was just fun to say. So this puzzle provided the opportunity to remedy that situation:

    -I got us seats for the boxing match.
    -Great! How nigh ring?

    Groan.

    *Turns out it is a word, in Tagalog. Hmm.

    ReplyDelete
  33. NOW HIRING >>>> NO WHINING.
    My clue, “Didn’t Carrie Nation campaign for this?” was a reference to her opposition to all alcoholic beverages, as in NO WINING.

    ReplyDelete
  34. NOW HIRING -> NO WHINING

    > The "humorous" (?) sign would not appear in England.

    NO WHINGING

    ReplyDelete
  35. Replies
    1. No, I got the brown cow part, but couldn't get from that to now hiring. Like I said, I need to rest my brain. Thanks, though. A new puzzle comes in just 3 days. Let's hope I can de-obtusify by then.

      Delete
  36. Now that John Campanelli got his pin I suppose he is hanging out somewhere else these days.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Greetings from Trump Tower!

      Delete
    2. Well, he is from a swing state that went for Trump. Maybe Mad Dog Mattis was just a ruse, and John Campanelli will really be our next DEfense Chief (2-word phrase in which the first word starts DE- and the second word starts C).

      Delete
  37. Where is ecoarchitect this week?

    And where are many who have been away for a while -- MrScience, Ruth, TommyBoy, Abqguerilla and many more . . .?

    Checking in.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. California adopts a new building code Jan 1. So there's a mini-rush to get projects submitted under the old code.

      Also, I just didn't get the answer to this week's puzzle, so I didn't pay too much attention. And I don't bother to express my hatred to you all on this blog.

      Delete
  38. I just got home ten minutes ago to find a hand written envelop addressed to me from Car Talk Plaza.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Which puzzle did you win for?
    I have not been sure that the ongoing ones were not just repeats with no prizes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. They are repeats, and I am sure the announced winner each Sunday now is from the past, but they are also picking a new winner each week and sending a letter and a Car Talk Plaza numbered Staff Parking Pass. WOW! It don't get much better than this, especially after the election.

      Mine is #0055.

      Delete
    2. I forgot to add that it did not say which puzzler it is for, but it was written and mailed on Dec. 12. I think that is just after I sent in the answer to the current puzzler, but I did not answer the previous one, although I knew their answer, which BTW is totally bogus, and I wrote them a long note about that at the end of my answer for the current puzzler. The previous one was about the jet hijacking and three parachutes.

      Delete
    3. D.B. Cooper was also last seen in the Seattle area, wasn't he?

      Delete
    4. Too bad that parking pass is probably boooogus. Parking around their office in Harvard Square is really tough.

      I have a Sistine Wrench t-shirt that I won many years ago. I forget what the puzzler was, but I was surprised to hear my name on the radio while I was painting my deck.

      Delete
    5. I looked at several of those photos, but could not determine which church building they do the car repairs in. I guess they have to have some place for all the child molesters to live. I did think I noticed a guy on the sidewalk in one photo that looked like he could be D.B. Cooper though.

      Delete
    6. Hacker's Haven, Tom & Ray's DIY garage, evolved into The Good News Garage, at 75 Hamilton St, at the other end of Cambridge, nearer MIT. I've never been there, but I always like seeing the Dewey, Cheetham & Howe sign in the window at Harvard Square.

      Delete
    7. Some controversy up here regarding the building where Dewey, Cheetham & Howe is located (which, btw, I can see from out my office window): https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2016/12/7/curious-george-store-delay/

      Delete
    8. I too enjoyed seeing the sign. Never been to Boston though. Do they have restaurants there?

      Delete
    9. Yeah, and the Out of Town News stand across the street is threatened, too. Nothing ever stays the same. What do you do up in Your Fair City, jsulbyrne?

      Cambridge is not Boston, SDB. It's 364.4 smoots away, plus or minus one ear.

      Delete
    10. The photos looked nice, but I thought at least in one of them I Macy a parade.

      Delete
    11. I work at what Ray Magliozzi calls the World's Greatest University.

      We have several fine restaurants in the Boston area, SDB: Myers+Chang, Bondir, Sarma, and Branch Line to name a few. Oh, and Chicken & Rice Guys. Can't forget them.

      Delete
    12. I figured there might be a couple there. We here in Seattle have some too: McDonald's, Booger King, IHOP, Pizza Hut, Drunken Donuts, and for truly fine Italian dining we offer The Olive Garden, where we are all treated as family, much to our dismay. We were hoping for a little respect and flavor.

      Delete
    13. Oh, I forgot to ask you to say Hi to Noam for me.

      Delete
    14. I'm a fan of Mr. Bartley's Burgers and Area Four Pizza, though Myers + Chang in Boston is very good.

      Delete
    15. I haven't heard of those. Are they chains? I never, ever eat at fast food chains or chain establishments. I have never had a Big Mac either, and because of this I feel I am missing something, and I consider it a close call.

      Delete
    16. I actually passed Professor Chomsky in Harvard Square just a few months ago. He was wearing jeans and a simple black sweater - very minimalist. (Linguists will find that joke hilarious.)

      I'll have to take a detour and stop at this Olive Garden of which you speak if I make a now-more-convenient-than-ever road trip to Newport OR: http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/blog/2016/12/08/boston-newport-oregon-sign/
      Newport OR and Boston are separated by a mere 3,182,185 Smoots, for those keeping score.

      Delete
    17. I think you might enjoy this highway 20 even more:

      http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/passes/northcascades

      It might remind you of The Deer Hunter too.

      Delete
    18. So, that's the connection between the Beaver State and Tim, the MIT Beaver?

      Delete
    19. I don't recall having heard of a Smoot before, but I now see the MIT connection. However, years ago Jeff Smoot, now a Seattle attorney, was a climbing partner of mine and went on to becoming a well known climbing author.

      http://www.alibris.com/Climbing-Washingtons-Mountains-Jeff-Smoot/book/27949807

      Delete
    20. I never did think they looked like Pennsylvania mountains.

      Delete
    21. Robert De Niro also made This Boy's Life near there in Concrete, WA., but not as far North. Maybe others too, but I don't recall.

      Delete
  40. My blogger name is now cranberry. I am Patjberry, though. Due to a crash my Google account was wiped out, and I had to start all over again. Pain in the ass. And then autocorrect must have changed my name. No jokes, please.

    ReplyDelete
  41. They mailed you the prize on the day the puzzler was posted?
    Must have been for a previous one or for your treatise on the parachutes.
    I have sent several similar complaints to them (him) over the years with no reply (or prize).
    I realize now I should have thought of you on the parachute one. It was not one of my favorites, but I would like to hear your take.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. jan & Mendo Jim:

      The current puzzler was Saturday the 10th, not the 12th. It is almost certainly for the current puzzler.

      D.B. Cooper may have been last seen by black bears in SW Washington, but was actually last seen at SeaTac Airport. The puzzler a week ago was a similar tale where the hijacker demanded a mil and 3 chutes. One for him; one for the money in the suitcase and who knows about the third. The answer is he asked for three to indicate he might force a passenger or stewardess to jump too, and they would not take a chance on the innocent person getting the defective chute. Well, this is exactly what happened when Cooper demanded three chutes. The authorities, FBI etc. demanded three chutes from the Issaquah Parachute Center, where I later became chief instructor. They said they wanted one that would not work. Obviously they didn't give a shit about the innocents aboard. The only one used as designed was the one Cooper wore. The second one was opened and cut up in order to use some of it to attach the money to his body, it seems. The defective chute was left behind with what was left of the second chute. He died shortly after.

      Delete
    2. None of the authoritative reports I've read present any credible evidence that he "died shortly after". Only D.B. Cooper would say that, to throw us off his track.

      Delete
    3. jan:
      It was Thanksgiving Day; it was cold and raining all day; it was ten thousand feet altitude; it was a no moon night dive; it was wearing a business suit and oxford shoes while wearing a round chute. Some of the money was found after Mt. St Helens erupted. No other bills ever showed. He could not know where he was actually jumping over and could not judge when he would land either. I could go on and on and on, but I know I would not have survived and I am an extremely knowledgeable mountaineer and climber.

      Delete
  42. What are you talking about? It's me, PATRICK BERRY!

    ReplyDelete
  43. Replies
    1. Paul,
      Thanks for that. I hadn't heard, but then I have been absorbed in reading Chris Hedges' latest book, UNSPEAKABLE, which I highly recommend. So I looked into the story and discovered it was not a salmon that was dropped by a bird of pray, but a small package dropped by an Amazon.com drone.

      Did you lose interest in the reincarnation topic? Does it turn you off, or frighten you?

      Delete
    2. Oh, I see, you died before you were born. I had been thinking perhaps the U.S. Army or the CIA or whatever had ghosted an ID for you so you could spy on the commies.
      I'm agnostic on the topic of reincarnation.

      Delete
    3. I have been doing past life regressions for about 25 years now. I have always been amazed at how so many people buy into the idea that we only live once when there is not one bit of evidence to support this notion. On the other hand..... Well you can do your own research if you want.

      Delete
    4. SDB: Did you like what you found out about your past lives?

      Delete
    5. It is a good and fair question, but I am far better at helping others to recall some of their past lives than I am with discovering mine. I have discovered some which I would like to learn more about.

      Delete
    6. SDB: Oh..I forgot that you help others with their past lives. I did some regressions. Was interesting.

      Delete
  44. Unrelated to this week's puzzle, but smacking of Shortzianism:

    https://thekicker.com/new-nfl-team-logos-if-you-remove-one-letter-2/

    Might prove valuable in the future.


    I wish this one had made the cut: https://goo.gl/photos/vaA4Q9y96G6huv8L6

    ReplyDelete
  45. I just posted Puzzleria! for this week. Seven puzzles, including three of the Riffing/Ripping Off Shortz variety.

    LegoWhoIsPreparingHolidayPuzzlesForTheDecember23rdPuzzleria!

    ReplyDelete
  46. Uber has reached an agreement with the city of San Francisco on their use of self-driving cars. All of the cars will have a driver behind the wheel and a dog in the passenger seat. The purpose of the driver is to feed the dog. The purpose of the dog is to bite the driver if he touches the wheel.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Levandowski said. “Real-world testing on public roads is essential, both to gain public trust and to improve the technology over time.”

      I seem to recall my nephews once had a pet named Benjamin. Benjamin G. Pig.

      Delete
  47. My clue- "Interesting that this puzzle is sourced from Oregon which has a few offices that are sellers of a product that wouldn't hang the humorous sign." - was a reference to wineries in Oregon and included "sellers" as a homophone for (wine) cellars.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. And that answers my question "Why not?" which sounds more or less like "whine not"

      Delete
    2. I thought you were talking about pot at first.

      Just learned this last night:

      The term pot originates from a Mexican drink called potaciĆ³n de guaya (translated, it means "drink of grief") in which marijuana buds are steeped in wine or brandy. PotaciĆ³n got shortened to pot, which is where the slang comes from.

      No one in our champagne-drinking gathering of a dozen people in Colorado knew about the origin of the term.

      Happily, there are still many surprises out there!

      Delete
  48. My hint:
    Hint to this week's NPR puzzle: Perhaps the new business is in the business of bottling a particular brand name beverage.

    LegoThinks"ThisGun'sForHire"

    ReplyDelete
  49. Next week's challenge: A very elegant challenge this week, which comes from listener Janet McDonald of Baton Rouge, La. Take the initials and last names of two opposing historical figures. Add a C and mix all the letters together. You'll get the title and last name of another historical figure from approximately the same era. Who are these people?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No need to stand on one's head to solve this one.

      Delete
    2. The "title" of the third figure is not it's best known one, but it was correct at the time the three figures were together in one place.

      Delete
    3. This puzzle would have been more elegant if you didn't need to add that C.

      Delete
    4. That's the thing with anagrams. I'm sure J.K. Rowling was kicking herself for using the letter "V". Best she could come up with after that was "Marvolo". Pretty lame.

      Delete

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