Sunday, March 15, 2020

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 15, 2020): What Kind of Animal Is It?

NPR Sunday Puzzle (Mar 15, 2020): What Kind of Animal Is It?:
Q: Think of a well-known entertainer, six letters in the first name, four letters in the last. You can change the first letter of the entertainer's last name to name an animal. And you can change the first letter of the entertainer's first name to get what kind of animal that is.
Did you know this entertainer is one of 14?

Edit: She is the youngest of fourteen children.
A: CELINE DION, LION, FELINE

239 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. It is so nice to understand one of Blaine's clues for a change.

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  3. Finding the answer was not a Herculean task.

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    1. And that clue gave it to me. Although my first guess at the first name was the wrong six letter word

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  4. Over 1300 correct responses last week.

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  5. I'm afraid this week's puzzle is not too difficult.

    I'm also disappointed Will didn't mention *both* of the oddities of Pi Day. My clue last week (calling on STRAP) was a hint about rearranging 16-9-4-1-25 to make 1415926.

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    1. After an intensive emergency summit STRAP unanimously determined that number anagrams must also be Rejected, Renounced, Repudiated, Repulsed, Reviled, and Ridiculed.

      In appreciation of his ignoring this atrocity, STRAP is honoring the Puzzle master with temporary membership in this elite Society, which will doubtless be rescinded soon.

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    2. Here is a number anagram challenge for STRAP. Think of a seven digit-number. Rearrange the numbers to form a number double the original number. What is it?

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    3. I found a set of 7 different digits and was able to rearrange them into double, triple, 4 times, 5 times and 6 times the original.

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    4. Now think of a different seven digit-number. Add it to one of the first numbers and get a new eight digit number. Rearrange that into two different four digit numbers that are not the same as any other number we've come across. And then take a nap.

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    5. I am starting with the nap. . .

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    6. Take Blaine’s seven digit number, remove one digit, and then repeat the six digits, multiple times creating a 12, 18, 24 digit, or longer, number. Multiply, that number by 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 and the product will contain the original 6 digit sequence multiple times.

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    7. I can read your mind. Start with the 7-digit number you think Blaine found. Now take the other 7-digit number with the same property (rearranging digits gives double, ..., 6 times the original). Now add up the digits of that other number. Now add the two digits of that sum. Now let me guess what you got. You got, umm, umm, umm, you got 9. And I don't even know which number you think Blaine found.

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  6. I can admit that scanning a list of entertainers was the way I got this one.

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  7. Wasn't the first animal this person was called.

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  8. Replies
    1. Have you hit the wall with that one?

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    2. Well, were it a different entertainer, I might go with fuchsia.

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  9. This puzzle, as stated, sounds ambiguous to me. There are 10 letters in this entertainer's name. Are both of the answers 10-letter words? Or is one answer a 4-letter word, and the other answer a 6-letter word? I suspect the latter, but I'm pretty sure there have been puzzles where the names have been concatenated to form the answer.

    Also, I'm pretty sure that a tactic is different than a strategy.

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    1. I disagree that it's overthinking to ask for clarity. I assumed that the animal type was a 6-letter word. I started making a list, internet searches were little help, but eventually came across a word that could be changed into the first name of a famous person. Luckily, the last name, with the first letter changed, formed a 4-letter animal.
      That said, if the puzzle is asking for 10-letter words, then I solved a different puzzle.
      The puzzle wording could have been changed very slightly to make this non-ambiguous.

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    2. Sherric,
      I have not even solved this puzzle yet, but I can state with 99.99999...% certainty that we are seeking a 4-letter/6-letter solution.
      The puzzle reads:
      "... You can change the first letter of the entertainer's last name to name an animal. And you can change the first letter of the entertainer's first name to get what kind of animal that is."
      Granted, that can be interpreted in two ways. It could have been stated:
      "... You can change the first letter of the entertainer's last name to name a four-letter animal. And you can change the first letter of the entertainer's first name to get what kind of animal that is, in six letters."
      I realize that such a rewording adds only five words, but Will Shortz's "breakfast table" criterion (make puzzles accessible to radio listeners sitting around their breakfast table) tends minimize word counts. "Radio-friendly" puzzles are concise puzzles.
      I like this puzzle by Adam Cohen, and relish the idea of finding its solution. Were the answer a 10-letter/10-letter solution, however, it would be an utterly amazing puzzle!

      LegoWhosePuzzlesTendToBeRadioUnfriendly

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    3. Something like JAMMAL HOLT → COLT MAMMAL.

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    4. Solved it. Very nice puzzle.
      Hint: Write a Spanish word followed, without a space, by its English translation. Replace the first letter in the English translation with the next letter in the alphabet to form a 7-letter English word.

      LegoFromTheHinterlands

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    5. Tactics are used to carry out a strategy.

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  10. There was another answer to last week's puzzle. The letters of PIDAY are also spaced apart by a power of two in the alphabet, 2 (a-D),4 (D-I),6 (I-P),8 (P-Y).

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    1. If you mean multiples of 2, I concur. But you are just stating a fact about squares. The difference between consecutive squares is always the next odd number. Or stated your way, there would be an even number of intervening numbers.

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  11. Recent events might have made something associated with this entertainer unlikely.

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  13. Took me a while because I associate their work with a mosquito buzzing in a dark room.

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  14. I wonder who will be the first to have their post removed by the blog administrator.

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  15. This puzzle has me feeling all warm and fuzzy about adjectives...

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  16. It’s not Charo.

    (I am no fan of the entertainer. My husband says this will be the week I get the call.$

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    1. Has anyone told you your screen name is almost infectiously adoptable? I can't quite put my finger on it, at least I hope I don't.

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    2. Hope you get the call. I'm not a fan either.

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    3. Is your given name V. Iris Corona? But you couldn't stand people calling you Virulent, so you dropped the V? - Nathan Brunella

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    4. Elsewhere, my longtime screen name contains the name of the Egyptian mother goddess. These names have come back bite me.

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    5. Imagine the troubles of the Pollio Mozzarella Company or AYDS appetite suppressant. Corona Beer has now joined this unenviable list of Accidental Marketing Tragedies.

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    6. Corona is a beautiful name that conjures up the beauty of other Latin queens like Frieda Kahlo. Timeless- enchanting - forbidden. I imagine this to be the most popular girl's name of 2020. I love you Corona.

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    7. Well I'm on my way
      I don't know where I'm going
      I'm on my way
      I'm taking my time
      But I don't know where
      Goodbye to Rosie, the queen of Corona
      Seein' me and Julio
      Down by the schoolyard
      (Seein' me and the Holy Ghost
      Down by the schoolyard)

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    8. I (like most people?) had a Toyota Corolla, but never a Corona (which was replaced by the Camry).

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    9. I had a Toyota Corona as a second car long ago.

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    10. I came across the country in a covered wagon, a 1973 Toyota Corolla (named Michiko) that I had bought for $200. She ultimately succumbed to Upstate New York salted road disease.

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  18. This person had a huge career boost a number of years ago. It was great, just tremendous...

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  19. I am thinking of one member of a couple of famous 60s jazz trios who also has a movie namesake.

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  20. If you remove the letters of the "animal" from the entertainer's name, then rearrange, you'll have an event very important to this person's career.

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  22. I enjoyed the movie more than this puzzle.

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  23. Replace the first letter of the 6-letter type of animal with A, and replace the fourth letter with S. Add the 4-letter animal. Then, you can rearrange the letters into the name of a famous person that would like the Pi Day puzzle.

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    1. Aelsne Lion->Neil Sloane, a mathematician.

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  24. I stopped thinking, and it soon popped into my head!

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    1. The opposite for me. I was playing around with the letters of a different 4 letter animal and it suddenly popped in my head.

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    2. After rejecting: _nsect, _ammal, _odent, _anine, _arine, it finally came to me...

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  25. Plantsmith:
    King County libraries also closed down Friday at 6pm. I just read the notice online. Maybe I should go on a vacation to Venice, Italy and sit by the water and read some book by Thomas Mann.

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    1. Supposed to be some good deals on cruises too. Have you done the Alaska inside passage?
      I see you are still ahead in the Corona races with 772 cases.
      My son in NYC is still commuting. He is in education.

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    3. Plantsmith:
      Just this moment received this email notice:

      Dear Friends and Neighbors,

      Here’s the latest breaking news:

      To limit the spread of COVID-19, King County Executive Constantine and Dr. Duchin announced a new Local Health Order that directed public health actions effective Monday, March 16. Governor Inslee is expected to extend these rulings statewide. Gov. Inslee and Executive Constantine are scheduling a media availability for March 16 to discuss more about what King County is doing, and the Governor will explain statewide actions. Details to come.

      All gatherings with more than 50 participants are prohibited until further notice.
      All gatherings of 50 participants and below are prohibited until further notice unless previously announced criteria for hygiene and social distancing are met.
      Restaurants, bars, dance halls, clubs, theaters, health and fitness clubs, and other similar indoor social or recreational venues must cease operations until March 31, 2020.
      Restaurants and food service establishments may remain open only for drive-through, delivery, and pick-up only, until March 31, 2020.
      All other retail such as groceries, pharmacies, banks, gas stations, hardware stores, shopping centers, etc. may remain open provided they meet Public Health directives in the previous Local Health Order

      The Local Health Order was drafted in coordination with state health officials.

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  26. Given the concerns about cattle farming, methane, and global warming, I thought that the answer might have been MARTIN MULL...

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  27. I had once noticed this strange quirk about the entertainer's name before, but I never got around to submitting it as a possible challenge. Got it immediately with no long lists required.

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  28. Cranberry's clue is by no means out-of-line, but it gave me the answer.
    Too bad it was not tougher, since due to my advanced age I will be under house arrest until further notice thanks to the governor and COVID-19.

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  29. Trump and his physician both say he has taken the test and it came up negative. Does that mean he has not taken the test yet, or that it came up positive?

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    1. Or that he cheated on the test, then said it came out negative, then positive (because, channeling Roy Cohn he doesn't admit to negative things about himself), then negative again after Jared explained it to him, and then changed his mind in a tweet 5 minutes later, and now no one knows what the truth is, and 40% of Americans don't even care?

      This has been the longest presidential term in history.

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    2. It's hard to believe anything Trump or his many minions say. As an example, what was he talking about today regarding the press lying about Google's ability to process Covid-19 testing? That seemed like his usual hooey, almost from the very start of that news conference.

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  30. “It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” - Charles Dickens

    ^^^ This was Denver today. Good to breathe some fresh air at the park.

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    1. Same here. 39 degrees with blue skies, but windy.

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  31. Finally got it. Clue multiple births (With a little misspelling)

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  32. Surprised to see so many Blainsvillians (Blainiacs?) struggling with this puzzle.

    I wonder if some may be dealing in alternate facts...

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  34. Drop the first name to get another well-known entertainer.

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  35. Musical clue: Steely Dan, “Kid Charlemagne”

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    1. I dislike the entertainer whose name answers this puzzle almost as much as I dislike Steely Dan. When I said the correct answer, my husband said "Your favorite; this is the week you'll get the call."

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    2. I finally looked at some of the entertainer's work, and learned how much I haven't been missing all this time.

      I do like Steely Dan, interesting overlap with WW's Language is a Virus.

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    3. As a die-hard Steely Dan fan, I resent Iris's comment. Some folks just don't know good music when they hear it. That being said, I don't get their connection to the entertainer at all. I would certainly never put both acts in the same category!

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  36. Here in Seattle we are all hunkered down. I suspect this will become known as the hunkered around the world.

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  37. No words. Well, actually, plenty of words, just not many printable ones.

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  38. Imagine what would happen if Li'l Rocketman EMP'd us.

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    1. What brings this to mind? I haven't heard about any new North Korean threats recently.

      For those who spend their times worrying about other things. Electro-Magnetic Pulse is a side-effect of nuclear explosions that we explored back in the early 60s (cf, Starfish Prime). It would play havoc with satellites, cell phones, power grids, and the like, but wouldn't directly harm anyone. Sort of the opposite of the neutron bomb, which was thought by some to be the ultimate capitalist weapon (kills people, but leaves property intact, which isn't true). Maybe this would be the ultimate communist weapon (which isn't true either).

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  39. President Trump told governors Monday that states should work on getting respirators and ventilators, and not wait for the federal government to provide them.

    I remember when Presidents only said this sort of thing figuratively.

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    1. You have to ask: what was driving that Ford?

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    2. Remember, he was a man of LTD brain power (having played too much football without a helmet, per LBJ). Maybe he'd had a Pinto drink. Not sure I can Focus on this any more; might need to Escape.

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    3. Could it possibly have been Mercury poisoning?

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    4. He was certainly no Maverick.

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    5. Yes, but he seemed sometimes to be suffering from conFusion

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    6. (It Mustang-er some of our fellow Blainiacs when we do this.)

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    7. Damn, jan! I was about to post that.

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    8. They know we're just having a Fiesta.

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    9. I wonder if he may have had way too many dEdsels?

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    10. I knew I shouldn't have gotten started. This sort of thing fits you to a T.

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    11. If I were a younger man I'd be online looking for a Cougar now.

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    12. But the president said this was a Fal(se)con!!

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    13. More like a Marquis event. Do you still have that beast?

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    14. I have 2 of them now and need to sell one.

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    15. Any Porsche in a storm, I say. But then, Datsun old one. The quality of Mercedes is not strained. The butcher, the baker, the damned Studebaker. Praise DeLorean, pass the ammunition! Lexus all behave, and knock off all the Jeep shots. This does not set an Acura example for the other bloggers. Renault better than that. Perhaps the Daewoo finally come when we can Kiap comments like these to ourselves. Until then, be careful, or else Edsel Rolls. I should never have gotten inVolvo to begin with. Should've Dodged this whole Priustoric discussion from the start!



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    16. The best way to mercifully put these threadbare punfest threads out of their misery is to compose a comment that cannot be topped!
      Nice work, cranberry!

      LegoWhoIsGratefulThatOurGroaningBeGone!

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  40. Due to the plague, along with my being retired, I am now not working from home. So far I have not jumped 8 times today!

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    1. Speaking of plagues, Passover is a little over 3 weeks away. My cousin's gonna need a bigger seder table, if they're gonna keep everybody 6 feet apart. Come to think of it, they might have trouble slipping under the 50-person limit on gatherings. At least the binding effect of matzo might mitigate the toilet paper crisis.

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    2. Better six feet apart than six feet under.

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  41. With all this hunkering down,the only positive thing for me is that I'll spend more time in my pottery studio at the wheel with my radio on a classical music station. Come to think of it, that's great! Now all I'll be left with is nothing that winning the lottery wouldn't cure!

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  42. Now Tecate line from Shakespeare: "In fair Corona, where we lay our scene..."

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  43. "stay thirsty my friend." I hope Weird Al does a cover -"My Sharona."

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    1. I took a look at those lyrics several days ago and decided to pass.

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    2. I'm planning on binge-watching episodes of Coronation Street, which has been running for over 60 years so I believe has to be viewed in isolation.

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  44. Replies
    1. There are several versions of "My Corona" on YouTube.

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  45. I suspect this Jair Bolsonaro meeting with Trump could herald a major change in our political scene. I do not trust that Trump is not infected. Pence has been in close contact with Trump too. Stay tuned for further developments.

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    1. I'm just amazed that the WH spin machine couldn't even answer a simple question like "Was he tested?" without sowing more seeds of confusion.

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    2. The White House has a long history of hiding presidential health issues, such as Eisenhower's heart attack. Adding to this fact is understanding that honesty is not exactly one of Trump's many virtues.

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    3. You could add:
      - Woodrow Wilson's devastating stroke,
      - the circumstances behind Warren Harding's death (more theory than proven),
      - FDR's paralysis (in which the media was complicit in hiding),
      - JFK's Addison's disease (and the drugs used for treatments),
      - Nixon's drug use and near madness during the waning days (months, years?) of his presidency, and
      - Reagan's dementia.

      Did I miss anything in this land of, by, and for the people?

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    4. I was thinking of all those too, and Winston Churchill's serious health problems in WWII that were kept secret. After-all, his mother was American.

      And thanks for the LBJ link. I have been trying to forget that photo for years without success.

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    5. I hadn't forgotten that picture either, but eerie as it is, I prefer it to the scar pic.

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    6. My student from Viet Nam wants to return to his homeland now since we are going to remote learning next week.

      Considerations? Will he be allowed back to the U.S. in the fall to attend a prestigious American university?

      He is a brilliant math student and even more amazing writer who will study engineering starting in the fall.

      Tough decision for a 17-year-old not knowing what things will be like in the world in late August.

      I am hoping he will stay but I understand his homesickness is quite real. Not sure what I would have decided as a high school senior if faced with that big decision.



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    7. Funny, when I was a high school senior, I faced a big decision about going to Vietnam, too...

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    8. jan - I do have something positive to say about the photo of Pres. Johnson showing us his operation scar. He made it known that it was an open and shut case. Also, I am so overjoyed that he didn't have hemorrhoid surgery.

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    9. jan, interesting parallel, isn't it?

      . . .and not the 17th parallel North. . .

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  46. Replies
    1. I like Laurie Anderson's work more and more. This featured video is from 2015.

      eco, always a Steely Dan fan. . .

      This puzzle answer artist? A solid, solid meh.

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  47. Coincidences are always interesting to me. Last night while I was reading a new book on Radovan Karadžić, I came upon the name of the entertainer that answers the puzzle.

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  48. Since it's St. Paddy's Day, I hope everybody managed to find enough green food coloring to put in all the Coronas they've been hoarding. It pays to think ahead...

    D.E.

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    1. I am celebrating by being green with envy of those who are not like me, housebound, hunkering down, so I might later on get to enjoy a Corona with friends.

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  49. I have for a very long time found it shameful that we have never given a proper name to our country, but instead we are going by a description that is not unique, but also describes at least two other countries, and is usurping the rights of many others of legitimately describing themselves as Americans, which they are just as much as we.

    Well, I just got to thinking of how much what is happening in, and to, our country, run by a collective of fools and idiots, is corresponding to a famous Lewis Carroll story. I was thinking of posting something describing the remarkable correlation between our government and its people, such as how the minority rules, and no matter how outrageous our leaders act and rule, their many supporters cheer them on, while these acts of sloth and greed are going to destroy us all if allowed to continue, have in common with this story.

    I have been trying to come up with a suitable name for our country for years now without success. But now, much to my surprise, it has finally come to me. We should name ourselves Wonderland.

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    1. Well I'm Italian so I am down with Mr. Vespucci-Americus that is. Vespucci in Wonderland. Has a ring to it.

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    2. I think the Wampanoag should decide.

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    3. jan, agreed. I like "Three Sisters" to honor both the matriarchy of the Wampanoag as well as the three crops planted that were given that name: maize, squash, and beans.

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    4. Letting the Wampanoag decide has a decidedly New England snobbery to it. What about the opinions of the Seminole, Cree, Iroquois, Lakota, Pomo, or any of the over federally recognized 500 tribes? Not to mention the unrecognized tribes, like the Ohlone, who inhabited my little neck of the (former) redwoods.

      Hard to unify, I like "Turtle Island," except Moscow Mitch might think it was in his honor. Naming it after a natural element seems most most appropriate, but at the moment I can't get "Manure 'Merika" out of my head. And other terms more likely to be BA'd.

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    5. Well, it was the English invaders who ended up dominant and responsible for most of the displacement of the native population, and it was the Wampanoag who could've nipped it in the bud at Plymouth. But, sure, the Taino were the first victims (or first to drop the ball), so maybe they should get the naming rights.

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    6. Well correct me if I'm rong, but while "the Wampanoag who could've nipped it in the bud at Plymouth," failed to do that, didn't we Dodge that bullet?

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    7. Los invasores españoles establecieron la ciudad de San Agustín en Florida cien años antes del asentamiento en Plymouth Rock. Para los vencedores ingleses va la historia mimada.

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    8. Gracias por esto. Claro que si. Ayer ano fui a San Agustin a visitar los ruines alli. Desfortunado que nopodrien hablar Ingles.

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  50. Replies
    1. Won last years Razzie-worst actor.in Gotti
      This years was pict-worse was Cats. So Feline- lion.

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  51. I hope everyone got to listen to Trump just babble on and on saying nothing at his press conference that just ended. I learned that two hospital ships are going to be deployed, but they have no idea to where. But he did inform us of their cute names, and that they are big and painted white and have large red crosses painted on them. Nothing was said about if they have anchors though.

    He went on and on about self-swabs. I learned that they are self-swabbed by ourselves, but then he also said they will be administered to us. I also learned there are thousands of ventilators, but he failed to inform us of their color. We have no idea where they are either. We also now know that no one is responsible for this pandemic other than the Chinese who are responsible.

    In closing I want to say that this was a tremendous news conference of great magnitude. No one has ever heard a more informative news conference. It was incredible. We were even informed by our president that people used brooms to come in and sweep factory floors during WWII. I never knew that before.

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  52. SDB: I wonder about all those people standing so close to each other during that news session. Not sure they are giving the right message to the viewers.

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    1. It should be obvious to anyone who listened to that news conference that no one is in charge and things are very much out of control.

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    2. Donnie is "doing a heck of a job"!

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    4. I do not watch TV and have not heard of him. He may be wonderful, but he is not in charge. No one is in charge because we have idiots running the country, and more idiots allowing it to destroy itself.

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    5. I've seen him before & he does seem trustworthy.

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    6. Those others, I don't believe what many of them say.
      DJT just never gives up the chance to pat himself on the back.

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  53. A sign of the times???
    https://youtu.be/ghk1UTF0QeU

    There are a few of these out there on the web...

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    1. Antibiotics don't do anything at all to viruses. The only use for them in this case is to treat secondary bacterial infections.

      Steve Jobs is dead. Having been his doctor isn't much of a credential.

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  55. Sounds like: NaCl + 50's rocker.

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  56. Replies
    1. AS William (CDB) Steig would've said, "2 EZ, U R 2 LMN8 R E L BA U."

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  57. Recent quote in response to Senator Conyers remarks on China," Why can't we go back to a time it was not cool to be racist in public."

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    1. I assume you mean Senator John Cornyn, Repugnant of Texas, and his comment about Chinese eating bat soup? John Conyers died in Oct 2019, and has been eerily silent of late.

      But it is a good quote.

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  58. CELINE DION, FELINE LION

    "Heliotrope-magenta" >>> Apparently Ms. Dion recently wore a bright, Shocking Pink outfit that caused a stir. The Pink Panther clip did make me smile.



    "RN" = Roman Numerals >>> Céline Marie Claudette Dion's initials are all Roman Numerals.

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  59. CELINE DION -> LION, FELINE

    > Sounds like one of 5.

    Those other famous Canadians, the Dionne Quints.

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  60. CÉLINE DION —> FELINE + LION

    My clue: “Recent events might have made something associated with this entertainer unlikely.”

    A pandemic would have made the Titanic’s doomed voyage from the UK to the USA far less likely, and it was Céline Dion who sang “My Heart Will Go On,” the theme song from the film Titanic.

    I considered a musical Dion (DiMucci) clue, but my mind wandered.

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  61. Celine Dion --> feline lion

    Last Sunday I said, “I am thinking of one member of a couple of 60s jazz trios who also has a movie namesake.” Let’s see – there was Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. Then there was Lambert, Hendricks and Bavan. And then was “Lambert the Sheepish Lion,” a Disney animated short film nominated for an Academy Award.

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  62. CÉLINE DION → a LION is a FELINE, (Of or belonging to the family Felidae, which includes lions, tigers, jaguars, and wild and domestic cats).

    She is one of nine sisters. She has five brothers, a total of 14 siblings...

    ReplyDelete
  63. Replies
    1. I forgot the deadline today.

      My hint:
      "I enjoyed the movie more than this puzzle."
      This referred to the movie, LION, staring Dev Patel.

      Delete
  64. Celine Dion → Feline, Lion

    Wasn't the first animal this person was called. According to Wikipedia, "she was bullied at school and called "Vampire", owing to her teeth and skinny frame. Local tabloids even dubbed her "Canine Dion" in the teenage years of her career."

    ReplyDelete
  65. I wrote, “I can admit that scanning a list of entertainers was the way I got this one.” The hints were Can Admit That Scanning (CATS) and CAT scan.

    ReplyDelete
  66. After solving this fine puzzle (Celine Dion; feline, lion) I began the process of conjuring a hint. Alas, my sleepy Sunday-morning cerebrum somehow conflated the words "feline and female."
    (I remember thinking, "OK, I guess 'what kind of animal that is' could be female, although 'carnivorous,' 'predatory,' 'Detroit' or 'leonine' would be better. But I guess 'female' works... more or less.")
    Thus my hint:
    Write a Spanish word followed, without a space, by its English translation. Replace the first letter in the English translation with the next letter in the alphabet to form a 7-letter English word.
    The answer: Lioness (Spanish "lio" --> English "mess" -->lio+mess-->lio+ness-->lioness)
    It would be a fine hint if the answer were "lion, female," but was not such a fine a hint for the answer "lion, feline"!
    My justification for my conflation:
    FE+L+INE = FE+MIN+INE = FE+MaLE
    In other news, tomorrow's Joseph Young's Puzzleria (See Blaine's PUZZLE LINKS) will feature a puzzle created by someone who regularly posts comments both on Blainesville and Puzzleria! I don't reveal the person's identity but do provide a "mini-puzzle," the solution of which is the puzzle-maker's screen name.

    LegoWhoBelievesMenAreFromCanisWomenAreFromFelis

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Maizie, beloved canine, (and I quote), >>> "Huh?!"

      Delete
    2. Word Woman,
      My sincere apologies to Maizie, the "Wonder(Woman)Dog!" She is certainly a feminine canine. I was confused because most of my pets have been feminine felines (albeit of the domestic, not leonine, variety).

      LegoWhoObservesThatCatsAndDogsReign!

      Delete
  67. Celine Dion>>>Feline/Lion

    My clues:
    One of the Labors of Hercules was slaying the Nemean Lion.
    Dealers in Alternative Facts are often Lyin’..

    Blaine’s seven-digit number which when multiplied by 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 only uses the original digits is 1428570. If you drop the “0” and repeat the remaining 6 digits any number of times (i.e., 142857142857142857….) and multiply that number by 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6, the original sequence will reappear, after the first few digits, and will continue reappear, ad infinitum. And, if you multiply 142857142857142857…. by 7 the result will only contain 9’s.
    Example below:

    142857142857 * 2 = 285714285714
    142857142857 * 3 = 42857142857.
    142857142857 * 4 = 571428571428
    142857142857 * 5 = 714285714285
    142857142857 * 6 = 857142857142
    142857142857 * 7 = 999999999999

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The other 7-digit number meeting Blaine's criteria is 1429857. For both 1428570 and 1429857 the sum of the sum of the digits is 9.

      Delete
    2. Thank you, I wasn’t aware of second solution....but I do prefer the elegance of my repeating patterns, and the all 9’s result of 142857143857142857 x 7 = 9999999999999999999.

      Delete
    3. Well, 1429857 x 699370636364335734272727972097909091608461545455244825181818881188818182517552454546153916090909790279727273426643363637063007 = 999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999.

      But 142857 x 7 = 999999 is more elegant because 142857 is a 6-digit number as is 999999. For 1429857 x 699...007 = 999...999, 1429857 is a 7-digit number but 999...999 is 132 digits!

      That 7 x 142857 = 999999 is related to 1/7 = 0.1428571428571428... Also
      2/7 = 0.285714285714...
      3/7 = 0.428571428571...
      4/7 = 0.571428571428...
      5/7 = 0.714285714285...
      6/7 = 0.857142857142...

      For any positive integer n that is not divisible by 2 or 5, there is a positive integer k so that n evenly divides 10^k - 1. Of course 10^k - 1 is 999...999, with k 9's.

      Delete
  68. My musical clue was Steely Dan's "Kid Charlemagne." Celine Dion was born -- and grew up as a kid -- in the town of Charlemagne, Quebec, north of Montreal.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I thought it was the album cover with the biting- rat or Tasmanian devil? Good one

      Delete
  69. CELINE DION, FELINE, LION
    I actually can't help thinking I'd seen this puzzle on Puzzleria! a few years ago. What do you think, Lego?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. cranberry,
      Probably not, but perhaps. I just did a cursory check of my jerry-rigged Puzzleria! archives from circa 2017 to the present, but came up empty. But I don't keep very good records of the riff-off puzzles, where a Celine Dion/Feline Lion reference might have appeared. And, you mentioned earlier this week in this space that the puzzle's wordplay had already occurred to you, so perhaps you mentioned it in a comment on P!
      On the other hand, it took more that an hour to solve this puzzle Sunday morning, which leads me to believe it was not lurking in my subconscious. (But, of course, my subconscious is like a boarding house in which all the residents are hopeless hoarders!)

      LegoWhosePuzzleria!ArchivesAreCobbledTogetherWithBalingWireAndBubbleGum!

      Delete
    2. A Google (all hail!) search of Puzzleria & Celine yielded nothing, and what Google (all hail!) doesn't have cannot exist.

      This didn't take me that long; as with many WS puzzles I worked backwards, starting with 6 letter types of animals - mammal, canine, feline - DONE! Never got to insect or rodent.

      Delete
  70. Kind of funny, yesterday we were at the grocery store and had turned away from our cart while looking at some food on the shelf, and when we turned back around, our cart was gone. My wife went one way and I went the other to track it down. Sure enough, some older guy was on his way with our cart to who knows where. Fortunately, we stopped him and he was very embarrassed. I don't know if he was "all there", but he seemed harmless enough. With dwindling food supplies at the store, our first thought was that shoppers were getting pretty desperate to take our cart. We never did see what could've been his cart.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I went to the grocery store this morning and it was like everyone was playing "reverse bumper cars" trying to stay as far apart as possible. A weird feeling but it was comforting to see most everyone trying to keep at least a 6' "social distancing" space around them.

      Delete
    2. I just came back from the grocery store, and most people were not trying particularly hard to keep their distance. A lot of the shelves were empty or nearly so, especially in the frozen foods and bread section. Thankfully plenty of fresh vegetables, but no OJ.

      Delete
    3. Both of those are interesting. I have been staying at home other than walking in the 'hood for several days now. Today it was a great first day of Spring, with clear blue skies and warmer too. The gas prices had gone down quite a bit overnight and a place just off I-90 outside of Seattle near Snoqualmie Pass was the lowest and I decided a drive in the foothills would do me good and I could make it safe with wearing rubber gloves to obtain the gas, along with filling 4 gas cans. It worked very well.

      On returning to Seattle I couldn't put off donating some morning coffee any longer and realized I could park at Green Lake and use the restroom that always had the door opened, and that would be safe. As I was walking back to my car I saw there were many people walking around the lake, and many of them were grouped together as usual. Then I happened to see two girls around high school senior age or more walking side by side talking and smiling. Suddenly one girl turned slightly to face her friend and coughed without any attempt to cover her face or apologize. They both continued on, smiling as if nothing had happened. So many are not getting just how serious this pandemic is. I am afraid it will become way too apparent very soon.

      Delete
  71. Breaking news: southeast states want to break off from the US and form Republicanistan. Makes you wonder what Donnie Jr and Ivanka were up to...

    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.

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.