Sunday, October 08, 2017

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 8, 2017): What did Henry Ford Do?

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Oct 8, 2017): What did Henry Ford Do?:
Q: Take the name of a country. Insert an E somewhere inside it. You'll get a phrase that answers the question: What did Henry Ford do?
Not to repeat myself, but I just like saying the name of the capital.

Edit: This puzzle wasn't that different from the "Just add Z" puzzle from 2014.
A: MADAGASCAR --> MADE A GAS CAR

275 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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    Replies
    1. This week the deadline is Wednesday at 3 p.m. EST.

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    2. That's 3 p.m. EDT, of course.

      But, why? Thanksgiving week, the deadline is always Wednesday. And this week (tomorrow) is Thanksgiving in Canada?

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    3. Correction: Wednesday at 3 pm

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    4. Oui! It is puzzling ;-). I am guessing Will will be on a trip.

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    5. Thursday is October 12. Maybe it is a holiday.

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    6. This comment has been removed by the author.

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    7. WS must have already found the puzzle he is reusing next week so he’s taking a long weekend to reward himself.

      (Please add an edit function!)

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  2. Either Will doesn't care that he's reusing puzzles, or he doesn't remember using them before. If the latter, what does that do to the popular myth that working crossword puzzles, etc, helps to protect the brain from the effects of aging?

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  3. "Over 900 correct entries" last week.

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  4. Who knows the answer to this week's puzzle? I'm sure there will be many!

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  5. Henry Ford built the Model T, which must have followed the Model S. I was following a Tesla Model S the other day, creeping at a snail's pace in bumper-to-bumper traffic, thinking, "Look at that S car go!"

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  6. I predict 15 million correct answers

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  7. I'll take "Ridiculously Easy Puzzles" for $200, Alex.

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    Replies
    1. Infinite palindrome entitled "How rumors spread."

      Idiot to idiot to idiot to idiot to idiot to idi...

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  8. Replies
    1. No, it was Chrysler, not Ford, who made the PT Cruiser, the answer to the April 7, 2013, puzzle.

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    2. My PT means something else, though. . .hint: geology.

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    3. Oops, I fell for it! Oh well, someone once said there's a sucker born every minute.

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    4. I think WW has a one track mind.

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    5. Ah! Rock reverence, rock reference, rock reverance, rock reference. . .

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    6. Actually I thought WW was referring to the P-T (pressure-temperature path) that is used to analyze the tectonic history of a place. But maybe I over analyzed.

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    7. And in case that wasn't clear, path = (one) track.

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  10. I don’t think I can say that capital name! LOL

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  11. We opened a box of chocolates yesterday; I am pretty sure the chocolate did not come from the answer country. In the center of the box were placed the solid chocolates, and at the edge, cremes.

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  12. I may be up a tree with this week's puzzle. I hope it's an isolated situation.

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  13. Some may say my thoughts are impure,
    When I tell you it ain't Kuala Lumpur.
    And others will call me obscure,
    If I don't tell you it's home to the...

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    Replies
    1. You all must be putting me on! I know you all have solved this puzzle and should know what is missing. If you really don't, when you do you will certainly know it, so please don't post it.

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    2. sdb, we know what's missing. . .

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    3. WW - Exactly as I thought. Also I did consider using demure at the end of the third line.

      jan - I was laughing out loud, really, at your cartoon. So suttle. (sic) Also I love that word: rotogravure, the Seattle Times used it for their glossy Sunday pictorial section when I was trying to grow up. I'm not sure if we outgrew it or it outgrew us.

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    4. Oh sure, rotogravure may be well and good for displaying a photo-spread of some hoity-toity Easter Parade... but if you've got shrubbery growing in your drainpipes your really need roto-rooteur

      LegoWhoIsIncapableOfWritingSonnetsAboutBonnets(OrEvenBalladsAboutSalads)

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    5. When I was in the 4th grade we used to put on (nearly) spontaneous plays. One of them had 3 witches shrouded in black, quoting very loosely from Macbeth, "Bubble, bubble, toilet trouble" followed by the roto rooter jingle as the "witches" swirled away into oblivion.

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    6. eco:

      My God! That is horrible. How is it with such a vulgar and base childhood you seem to have turned out to have survived unscathed? Well mostly, anyway.

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    7. I imagine your family flushed with pride every time, eco.

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    8. Or Tide maybe. They probably weren't flushed with cash.

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    9. Actually I don't think my family knew much about these exploits, some buddies and I did them at school for our classmates. We had a lot of Cheer, our Bold Biz was Fab for All, who would Gain before the teacher would Wisk us off to the principal.

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    10. I do remember us kids reciting: "Double, double, toilet trouble" over and over, but not around the teachers. We may have even had a bit more to it, but I'm not sure now. We usually were much more crude and obscene.

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  14. This one isn’t even worth hinting about :(

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  15. I think PM Shortz should refund whatever we paid him for this insulting "challenge."

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  16. I'd have solved this puzzle faster if I hadn't heard it on my helmet radio, while riding my motorcycle, in the rain.

    And before someone asks, "What do you do on a motorcycle when it rains?"

    I'll tell you, "You get wet, very wet."

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    Replies
    1. I’ve only rode once in the rain, and that was a complete accident caused by inattention to the weather reports. Scary slippery.

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    2. The problem was we were 350+ mikes from home, and we were trying to get home before hurricane Nate. We avoided him, but ran into another storm which was precisely matching our path home. After three miserable hours, pulled off and checked into a hotel.

      Our trip is about to resume. It’s dry now, but we may hit some showers later.

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    3. I'm surprised the hotel didn't have showers.

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  17. If I remember correctly, Blaine and family have been to this country.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I read one of his blogs about that visit.

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  18. Can Will be charged with plagiarism? I'm so mad I need a drink. I'm not even going to participate.

    Meanwhile, some bonus puzzles. Same rules: name a country, insert the letter indicated, and you'll get a phrase that answers the clue. No particular order, except I think they go from easier to harder. Note that a country may be used more than once.

    1. Insert a G: response to "Why didn't you call?"
    2. Insert a C (or P): soap container
    3. Insert an N: fully fitted
    4. Insert an R: dressed
    5. Insert an D: Ikea instruction?
    6. Insert a T: Facebook friend
    7. Insert a Y: bad review for a comedian
    8. Insert a D: club noise
    9. Insert an E: eggs go nuts
    10. Insert an R: green of the beet generation
    11. Insert an S: fate of Michael Flynn, Sean Spicer, Anthony Scaramucci, Stephen Bannon, Reince Priebus, and Tom Price
    12. Insert an S: Trump's favorite people
    13. Insert an A: former gymnast starts oath
    14. Insert an R: former ruler of that country
    15. Insert a T: recent nickname for Oregon city
    16. Insert a C: bikini clad person in Baywatch?
    17. Insert a T: Parisian claims Mexican food
    18. Insert an H: hipster wants Mexican snack
    19. Insert an E: waist full song
    20. Insert a J: blog regular visits California, according to former governor

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    Replies
    1. Don't insert anything: What Columbus said to his crew. (ICELAND)

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    2. ron, Very nice Iceland riff-off.
      eco, Every week, after I solve the NPR puzzle, I begin coming up with "riff-offs" for the coming Friday's Puzzleria! (Riffing-Off-Shortz puzzles have become a regular feature of the blog.) I've spent much of today trying to find puzzles like the 20 you pasted, and have found only about three usable ones. Also, alas, I have solved only five of yours: 1, 4, 9, 12 and 17. I might have 2. You ought to start a puzzle blog. You create plethorae of puzzles really quickly... compared to me, at least.

      LegoSendsAnOpenInvitationToBothronAndecoAllAllOtherCapablePuzzlePurveyorsToPostPuzzlesOnMyBlogAnyOldTime

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    3. Nonsense! What Columbus actually said to his crew was, "Vindaloo for dinner tonight!"

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    4. Hints to the 10 of eco's 20 puzzles that I think I might have solved:
      1. Also could be a response to a Lurch
      3. "A little bit softer now... A little bit louder now..."
      4. Needlefish? Tres bien!
      6. During my mile run I began falling back at lap ten.
      7. Someboby ought to pay jan for his excellent comments on this blog.
      9. Scullers obsession
      10. The rogue rapped a round-tripper and zipped around the bases.
      12. Anderson, Banks, Bruford, Kaye & Squire
      17. Mixed-up creature a Moondog might chase.
      20. Should-be professional blogger + contorted Ms. Korbut.

      LegoLurchingALittleBitLouderLambda

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    5. I think you've got them, Lego! Your #12 clue takes me back, though it's easily Googled, or Duckduckgo'd.

      As the time is nigh, I will add some clue clarity that might help:
      2. Insert a C: Could also contain beer Insert a P: bad beer review
      5. Insert a D: Might also be a yoga instruction
      8. Insert a D: Health club noise.
      11. Insert an S: Prisoners released?
      13 Insert an A and 14 Insert an R: For both of these it's their first name only.
      15. Insert a T: recent nickname for Oregon's largest city. Some may not think this is a "recreation".
      16. Insert a C: bikini clad background person in Baywatch?
      19. Insert an E: Could also be a song about a WWII battle.

      For those not following, the Redwood Fire in Mendocino County is huge, and the expectation is the winds will get worse later today for all the fires. I hope Mendo Jim is okay...

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    6. Thanks, eco.
      (Yes, my prayers go out for MJ and any Californians in the fiery path.)
      Those further clues of yours helped. Yoga gave me #5, for example, although I had no clue with Ikea.
      Here is an amazing coincidence: Yeasterday I finished off my own list of 20 Shortz riff-offs for Friday's Puzzleria! My clue for my #8 was; "(D) Loud noise at the mineral springs resort."
      #8!! I did not solve your #8 (which, of course is the same answer as mine) because I did not think of "club" as a "health club. When I saw your new "healthy" clue, I also saw the light.

      LegoWhoWillNowHaveToFindANew#8PuzzleAndClueForHIsPuzzleria!ShortzRiffOff!

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    7. Lego: I don't have to tell you it's hard to make up puzzles, I admire your consistency in keeping up with your blog. I could never do that.

      Yes, I was purposely obscure with "club noise", probably the result of too many cryptic crosswords where they purposely include ambiguous definitions.

      I also realized there is a kinder, gentler answer to #5, inserting a G instead of D.

      Delete
  19. I wonder why the deadline is moved up a day. I hope it has nothing to do with North Korea or Iran. In any case, they at least should post it correctly on their website.

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  20. Shouldn't it really be Karl Benz?

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    Replies
    1. The "history teacher" puzzle was 3 weeks ago. That's old news (who even remembers the golf ball hitting Hillary?) in the Trump era.

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    2. Speaking of history and our recent Viet Nam documentary discussions, Richard Gould's book was just published posthumously. Dick was a friend and a great writer.

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    3. Actually the same thought I had. The puzzle is only true in the most literal sense.

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    4. The puzzle wording tends to reinforce the ignorance this country embraces.

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    5. The puzzle didn't say Ford was the first to do this, only that he did it. I haven't been part of that cycle for over a dozen years.

      But what I really want to is know where the country of Embracnazi is?

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  21. Good old Henry Ford, he was a hardworking man
    He worked all night and all day
    I said, "Henry, watcha doin'?"
    And Henry, he said, "I'm inventing the Chevrolet"

    He said, "I've already built twenty-five models
    One for each letter from A to Z"
    I said, "Henry, you fool, there are twenty-six letters in the alphabet
    He said, "Good heavens, I forgot the Model T"

    And that was good advice, good advice
    Good advice costs nothing and it's worth the price
    It's fruitful as can be and it's absolutely free
    My good advice

    -- Allan Sherman

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  22. If you google the country, plus NPR Puzzle, you'll get a nearly identical puzzle that aired several years ago.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Will seems to be phoning it in lately. I haven’t been following long but this is the second repeat in a “Short” amount of time. Perhaps he needs to have guest puzzle makers, like Johnny Carson did.

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  23. I had just finished reading an article about this country, then checked in on the NPR website for this weeks puzzle. It was laughable(the answer, certainly not the article)!

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    1. I don't subscribe to any magazines, but I am becoming very interested in the articles of impeachment.

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    2. Tell us how you really feel, SDB! :)

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    3. SDB: I do not think enough people are subscribing to those articles yet.

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    4. Buck Bard - Better yet, how about I let Chris Hedges do it much better than I could:

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ycuw9Cvh6W4

      Natasha - If they don't like to read then they also should watch the above link.

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    5. Nice speech but nothing came of it.

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    6. Nice rhetoric but what actions are being taken? I find that not one plan has developed for action to counteract this situation we are in. Frustrating and disappointing.

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    7. Natasha, what you just watched is action. MLK wasn't effective at getting people motivated and willing to put themselves on the line without first using speech and rabble rousing to make it happen. Chris Hedges has also demonstrated and gotten arrested by handcuffing himself to the White House fence with Citizens United. He writes at least one major book a year, and weekly articles, along with going all over the country speaking to anyone who will listen in order to get us to revolt. He is action incarnate. It is up to us to follow his lead.

      Nothing will come of it unless we act.

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    8. Exactly. Not enough being done. Not his fault.

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    9. I once stood next to MLK at the new school in new york after a speech. Will never forget.

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    12. Who was giving the speech? You or MLK?

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    13. Mlk.lol...he had amazing eyes.
      He was in lobby..hallway near front door and body guard next to him. Limo out front. I missed his speech ..had a philosophy class at that time.

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    15. Interesting. Because now you have me contemplating the thought of MLK riding in the back of a limo, instead of the front. Where is Mel Brooks when we need him?

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    16. Rolls royce...not sure where he sat..

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    18. I was speechless. Did not expect to be standing there face to face with MLK. I could not get into his lecture. Came afterwards and found myself right there staring at him eye to eye. Did not know what to say. Just smiled at him.

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    20. Not sure where who sat? MLK or Mel Brooks?

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    21. What does Mel Brooks have to do with mlk?

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    23. Now that you mention it, probably not too much, unless he was driving.

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    24. I think Trump will remain as dems are fearful of the vpotus.

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    26. Yeah, Natasha, the vpotus wouldn't really be an improvement. So far, the only thing he's done is walk out on a ball game, and even that wasn't effective. You'll notice how reticent the vpotus and flotus are compared to Joe Biden and Michelle Obama. Maybe Mike and Melania are afraid the Donald will fire them if they actually do anything marginally effective.

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    27. Now, which true first lady are we talking about?

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  24. No one's got a movie or TV clue?

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    Replies
    1. Actually, I have three, possibly four.

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    2. That's just not how I roll.

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    3. That’s a bridge I’ve crossed before, or so says my friend Jeff.

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    4. "Alex" (see my idiotic comment, above) is a movie reference cleverly(?) diguised as a TV reference. Hence my "eye roll".

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    5. Ah, I see, Paul. It was not until today that I saw we were on the same TV page. {Go Austin!}

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  26. There was a movie, but if I provide any further information, I'll give it away.

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  27. What Henry did Volvo won't do pretty soon.

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    Replies
    1. Touché. Maybe a bit revealing....

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    2. Silly me, I was assuming someone needed help with this one!

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    3. Subaru means never having to say you're sorry.

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    4. I was reading up on Volvo automotive and didn't realize they are Chinese owned. Ford sold them to Geely, a Chinese entity, in 2010.

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    5. Almost everything you buy today has Chinese components, and some of the most iconic American brands (Budweiser, GE Appliances) are foreign owned. At one point a few years ago General Motors could have gone back to one of the largest corporations in the world by simply shutting down North America (the profits from everywhere else were enormous but dwarfed by US losses).

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  28. Why is it that indigenous people always appear to be right at home?

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    Replies
    1. Funny, because Skid Row, or Skid Road, is a Seattle term. It is where the logs were sent down Yesler Way into Puget Sound, but later was the center of where bums resided outside. Now the center of where they reside here in Seattle is my neighborhood.

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    2. Funny thing, over at the PEOTS blog we had a discussion last week about where to find the bums outside in San Francisco.

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    3. Nowadays, here in Seattle, we don't have to look for them, they look for us.

      Really, it is a national disgrace how this country treats its citizens. How is it such a rich empire is unable, or unwilling, to feed and house its citizens, especially those returned from wars to make those in power, and those who put them in power, richer? I'm not even going to mention the failure to provide health care, sorry jan.

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    5. I see I didn't give the right link, try this link to the PEOTS discussion on SF bums. Very different bums.

      But I don't disagree with you. It's especially embarrassing that we ask charities to help wounded vets, and add insult to the injured by seeing how corrupt they are (charities, not the vets).

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  29. If you get this right, you'll be VINdicated.

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  30. Mendo Jim: I hope you aren't in the path of the horrible fires up there. Let us know.

    I got a call earlier this evening, the first strawbale house I designed burned to the ground some time today. Fortunately the owners, now friends, weren't hurt, they escaped with their pets and little else.

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    Replies
    1. I had never heard of a strawbale house before, but I guess they have a matchless charm, although probably not suitable for a seamstress.

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    2. eco, sorry to hear of the loss of your first strawbale house. Glad to hear your friends and their pets are ok.

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    3. So sad about your first strawbale house. The best thing is that the owners and pets are safe. It is a stressful time for the people in that area. I went through the oakland fire and can relate.

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    4. I had heard there were some fires, but thanks to NPR's impossible to listen to fundraiser I have not been listening to the news as I do normally, but this morning I am now hearing just how horrible these fires are. Everything bad seems to be happening all at once. I hope we here where I live are not about to get our overdo earthquake.

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    5. My sister-in-law in Piedmont reports being awakened at 3:30 a.m. by the smell of smoke, and later said it was severely restricting visibility during her commute to Sacramento. All of these are a long way from the fires themselves.

      Don't overdue spellcheck, SDB...

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    6. jan - I looked at that word after I typed it and thought, "I wonder if that is right?" I should have checked, but I was overdue for breakfast.

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    7. Don't overdo being overdue: You won't be hardy without a hearty breakfast.

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    8. I can't Stan' faint praise. (But Oliver good pun!)

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    9. You could always get a kick outta Stan and Ollie. Or at least Ollie would.

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    10. Eco and I are lucky we have a couple of NPR stations. One that consistently has 3 week pledge drives and one that is blissfully “low impact.” Guess which one I give me dollars to?

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    11. I fully agree with Buck Bard, my money goes to the little station that does. My only complaint is their transmitter is weak, so I can't get them while traveling about.

      I also give to the other, non-NPR, first in the nation public radio station.

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    12. Classic KING-FM here in Seattle went public July 2011.

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  31. On the show Sunday WS asked: #14. "Am I the one who stirred the pot? I am!" It did not go out over the air nor is it in the transcript. Can someone tell me the world capital hidden within?

    Thanks.

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  32. Wow, this week everyone seems to be sticking to the dogma that we shouldn't let our friends down by making obvious hints. I'm impressed...

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  33. Getting back to the subject of wildfires, my brother and his wife went to California for two weeks to take their minds off my nephew's death, and last we heard they just had to evacuate due to a wildfire.

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    Replies
    1. Very unfortunate. Just this weekend, I heard on Radiolab about Tsutomu Yamaguchi.

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    2. Cranberry: Sorry to hear your family had to evacuate, I hope they are okay. The coast is lovely this time of year, though Big Sur has had major wildfires in recent years... You get hurricanes, we get earthquakes and fires.

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    3. eco: Are you expecting Trump to arrive on the scene soon, like in a week or two, and toss out rolls of paper towels, and call it a Bounty on the land?

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    4. He'd probably hand out (white) wine spritzers to help with the fires.

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    5. I'm not so sure about that, eco, he doesn't drink, you know. And just consider the cost! Take your roll of towels and suck it up is my advice. Of course squirt guns could be airlifted in by drone I imagine. I sure am glad he knows how to deal with these kinds of problems.

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    6. No cost is too great for him to try and look good. Over $250,000 for a 1 minute football stunt? No problem.

      Will he come to California? Given that he only visits states that voted for him - except NJ to golf, NY to tower, and MD/ DE for the military bases - it seems unlikely.

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    7. Though he does have an old flame in California. . .

      Stay safe in CA, Blainesvillians!

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    8. It smells like a campground all day here! Where’s the marshmallows?

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  34. If it wasn't for Trump you wouldn't believe this:

    http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/42218-charlottesville-victim-of-neo-nazi-beating-charged-with-assault

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    Replies
    1. Maybe one of the guys will also sue for the damage to his brass knuckles caused by DeAndre Harris' head? Also appalling that the FBI hasn't followed up on reviewing the pictures that the photographer offered...

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    2. Actually it's only just beginning. Hitler gained power the same way. It will keep escalating until we revolt.

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    3. Well he did repeatedly beat the man’s hand with his head. /SMH

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    4. I get the online N.Y.Times every day. Today they have this short video. It is only 12:45 long, but you will want it to go on forever.

      https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/10/opinion/auschwitz-israel-holocaust.html?emc=edit_th_20171011&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=59417925

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  35. Uh, in the interest of the Prime Directive, no one check, uh, a certain usually reliable Internet source, for the next 24 hours or so...

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  36. MADAGASCAR > MADE A GAS CAR

    My Hints:

    “Some may say my thoughts are impure,
    When I tell you it ain't Kuala Lumpur.
    And others will call me obscure,
    If I don't tell you it's home to the...” LEMUR. (as you all knew)

    “Shouldn't it really be Karl Benz?” He built the first car in 1885. I suspect he built it with his own hands, and I also suspect Henry Ford never built a car himself.

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    Replies
    1. Ford did actually build a prototype car, it was just after Benz did. So you can’t really say Ford invented it. Ford was probably the first on this side of the pond to do so. So technically Ford did “make a car” and he did “make cars.”

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    2. _____ _____, bo Beemer,
      Banana fana fo femur,
      Fee fie mo memer ...
      _____

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    3. I would not call eleven years (1896) "just after Benz." No comparison. But probably half the citizens of this country believe Ford invented the car, just like they believe the Wright Brothers invented the airplane, when in fact it was first done by a Brazilian, Alberto Santos-Dumont.

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    4. I’m just saying Ford did actually prototype a car. He “made a gas car” of this own design. The puzzle didn’t say who invented the car, but who made one.

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    5. I agree he made cars, as did others, but I would not consider it a prototype, and neither would Merriem-Webster:

      Definition of prototype for English Language Learners. : an original or first model of something from which other forms are copied or developed.

      Ford's first cars were simply copies of what Benz did several years earlier. My objection to the puzzle using Ford instead of who originated the object is that it reinforces the rampant ignorance that permeates this country. Benz deserves the recognition, not Ford, or Peugeot, or any of the others. Ford deserves recognition for his manufacturing innovations, not to mention being a good little Nazi.

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    6. I enjoyed learning about Karl Benz, sdb. Maybe the petrol car plans suffered the Benz on the way across the Atlantic so than at easy Fording was not afForded.

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    7. Who you callin rampunt ignant, boy?!?!? This is ‘Murika, we don’t need none of that new world order!

      LOL.

      The only thing sadder than ignorance that not only permeates but is celebrated in this country is the pride people shadow in it. But hey, don’t get me started....

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    8. I thought Canadians were ahead of us on the ignorance front until I discovered that many of them do not know who their Prime Minister is. I am not making this up.

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  37. MADAGASCAR → MADE A GAS CAR, is what Henry Ford did.

    This puzzle was used in a slightly different form (add a Z, instead of an E) on March 29, 2009. Click HERE for that puzzle and answer.

    SDB: Everyone knows that the missing word from your post is the LEMUR, native to Madagascar. The lemur is on the way to extinction due to loss of habitat, caused by illegal sapphire mining.

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    Replies
    1. ron - Yes, I knew all that, but why would lemurs be mining for sapphires?

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    2. Thanks for reinforcing my opinion of humankind. But, on the other hand, our First Lady needs her baubles.

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  38. Oops, forgot about the Wednesday deadline.

    > Uh, in the interest of the Prime Directive, no one check, uh, a certain usually reliable Internet source, for the next 24 hours or so...

    Today's featured article on Wikipedia is: Fork-marked lemurs (the genus Phaner) are primates native to Madagascar.

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  39. Gosh, it was a shock to see everyone jumping the gun on the answer, until I realized that the deadline is Wednesday this week.

    I wrote, "In the center of the box were placed the solid chocolates, and at the edge, cremes." "Edge cremes" is an anagram of Madagascar, if you substitute an E for each A.

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  40. MADAGASCAR >>> MADE A GAS CAR

    "PT" refers to Plate Tectonics. The prehistoric breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana separated the Madagascar–Antarctica–India landmass from the Africa–South America landmass around 135 million years ago. Madagascar later split from India about 88 million years ago, allowing plants and animals on the island to evolve in relative isolation. This isolation is what made Madagascar a lemur-loving environment.

    Madagascar being more closely related tectonically to India than Africa always blows my mind (unlike this puzzle).

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  41. My last post included dogma and friends, a reference to a movie featuring Chris Rock and the TV show featuring David Schwimmer, both of whom lent their voices to the movie Madagascar. It came across as stilted when I wrote it, but I lacked for a better way to hint at that movie without a blatant reference to it.

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  42. Bonus Puzzle Answers (I know you've been waiting):

    1. response to "Why didn't you call?" - I ran(g)
    2. soap container - Sud (c)an or Sud (p)an
    3. fully fitted - Tur(n)key
    4. dressed - Ga(r)b on
    5. Ikea instruction? - Ben(d) in I realized later that "beni(g)n" would have made a better puzzle.
    6. Facebook friend - Ne(t) pal
    7. bad review for a comedian - Ja(y) pan
    8. club noise - Spa (d)in
    9. eggs go nuts - Ro(e) mania
    10. green of the beet generation - Cha(r)d Chard is related to beets, fyi.
    11. fate of Michael Flynn, Sean Spicer, Anthony Scaramucci, Stephen Bannon, Reince Priebus, and Tom Price - Con(s) go Yes, I know the country's name is more complicated, but so is the Republic of Madagascar.
    12. Trump's favorite people - Ye(s) men
    13. former gymnast starts oath - I, N(a)dia as in Comăneci, for those under 45.
    14. former ruler of that country - Indi(r)a
    15. recent nickname for Oregon city - Po(t)land
    16. bikini clad person in Baywatch? - S(c)ene gal
    17. Parisian claims Mexican food - Mon (t)aco
    18. hipster wants Mexican snack - Mo' nac(h)o
    19. waist full song - Bulg(e) aria
    20. blog regular visits California, according to former governor - (J)an go LA, as only dah Ahnold could say it.

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    Replies
    1. Bravo, eco. Thanks for giving us twenty (!) more puzzles based on Will's offering.

      LegoWhoBelievesecoIsAnArchitectOfMystification

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    2. I'll check yours later, too many deadlines today...

      It's very, very smoky outside, visibility is probably a mile or so, and we're 40 miles from the fires.

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    3. Eco..I just got a text alert about fire alert for Berkeley Hills from 11 to night until 5 pm Thursday. I think you live in berkeley. I live in the hills.

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    4. Yes, Natasha, I live in Berkeley, but in the flats, no wild fires down here. Last night I heard there was a small fire in the hills, fortunately the fire crews were mobilized and just about to leave for Sonoma County, so they were able to put the fire out quickly.

      I'll trade dwellings if you want.

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  43. MADAGASCAR, MADE A GAS CAR
    Ecoarchitect had some tough variations on the theme, I thought. Sorta gave Legolambda a run for his money before the next Puzzleria! even comes out!

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  44. All this geologic talk! Will Shortz puzzles of late are like oceanic crust--he just recycles the old, dense gabbro crust after a few (million) years. Sial is (is) what we need instead (quite continental!)

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  46. Replies
    1. That shouldn't be all that surprising if they are destroying all the forests as ron pointed out. In any case we could mobilize and get Trump to send rolls of paper towels.

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  47. Oh, oh! Load More time strikes again.

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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.

You may provide indirect hints to the answer to show you know it, but make sure they don't assist with solving. You can openly discuss your hints and the answer after the deadline. Thank you.