Crossword
A signal that is easy to miss
B4 — Sunday, Feb. 9, 2014
Absentee dad remains object of
young daughter’s curiosity
Bertrand Piccard from Switzerland
and Brian Jones from England were
DEAR ABBY: I have
would be crushing to her
the first to travel nonstop around
an extremely bright
to say that Jake isn’t inthe world in a balloon.
7-year-old daughter,
terested in her anymore,
Piccard said, “Very often, human
“Amy,” from a previous
but I also don’t want to
beings are living like on autopilot,
marriage. Her biological lie to her.
reacting automatically with what
father, “Jake,” and
How do you tell happens.”
I separated when
a 7-year-old she
Some bridge players count at the
she was an infant.
should just forget table almost without being aware
He lives across the
her biological
they are doing it. These experts are
country, so while
father because
on autopilot. That is good. There
we shared cushe’s never going to are many more players who are on
a different autopilot, following the
tody, Amy usually DEAR
be there for her?
typical “rules” of the game, which is
saw him only once ABBY
— ANXIOUS IN
occasionally not good.
a year. For a while
HOUSTON
In this deal, for example, how
I called him “Dad” when
DEAR ANXIOUS:
should the defenders play to defeat
talking about him to
Your daughter needs to
three no-trump after West leads his
her, but when it became
come to this realization
fourth-highest heart four?
apparent that he wasn’t
in stages, and her quesIn the auction, I disagree with
going to be involved in
tions should be answered
North’s
using Stayman, because his
her life (and because I
in an age-appropriate
doubleton
is so strong. He should
was going to be remarway. Understand that
just raise to three no-trump.
ried), we switched to
using his first name.
My current husband formally adopted
Amy last year, and she
couldn’t have been
happier. Now there’s a
baby sister, and Amy is
overjoyed.
Recently, though, Amy
has started asking me
why Jake never visits and
when she’s going to see
him again. I don’t know
what to tell her. I feel it
Amy may always be
interested in knowing
about her biological father, and by the time she
is in her teens, she will be
computer savvy enough
to search him out on the
Internet.
For now, tell your
daughter that the reason
Jake doesn’t visit is
because he is “busy,” and
you don’t know when
he plans to visit. It’s the
truth.
Arizona Daily Sun — azdailysun.com
We have all heard of “third hand
high.” And many Easts would not be
able to resist using it at trick one,
covering dummy’s heart five with
the seven — but it is the wrong play.
When third hand cannot contribute a nine or higher, he should give
count.
Here, with an odd number of
hearts, he should play the two.
Declarer will win with his jack,
cross to dummy with a spade to
the queen, and run the diamond
10. West, on winning with his king,
should cash the heart ace, knowing
that declarer will have to drop his
king. West will then run his suit for
down one.
If East plays the heart seven at
trick one, West should assume
East started with a doubleton and
shift to a club, trying to get East
on lead for a heart lead through
declarer’s king.
ASTROGRAPH
tunity that will improve your relationship with
the people you love most.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) — Don’t allow
someone’s stubborn attitude to stand in your
way. Put your differences aside and take part in
an activity or event that can help you re-establish your reputation or position.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) — Keep a level head
and pursue interests that will help you gain the
most ground personally or professionally. Physical work will bring you the greatest satisfaction.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) — Look for ways and
means to improve your life and your looks. Take
the initiative to try new things and to make new
connections. Sharing your findings will encourage friendships.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — A change of pace will
help to establish what you can and can’t accomplish. Don’t take on something that will hinder
your own dreams.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Take your time and
go over fine details that can give you a better
Adaptability will be what counts in the near
future. Adjusting to your surroundings will
make life easier and give you a better perspective regarding future possibilities. Building
greater confidence and belief in your abilities
will help you achieve a comfortable lifestyle.
Romantic encounters will improve your outlook.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Strive to be
more active. Join a gym or sign up for an activity
that will get you moving and motivated. Don’t let
your emotions interfere with your goals.
PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) — Listen to others’
suggestions and concerns. Channel your energy
into home-improvement projects or anything
that will raise the value of your assets or what
you have to offer others.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) — Take action and
do whatever you can to raise your profile or
encourage a better lifestyle. Look for any oppor-
view of a situation. Understanding what’s best
for everyone involved will help you make a good
decision.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) — Listen to suggestions and pick up information that can help you
put together a plan for success. Your ability to
reason will help you mediate a tough situation.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) — Look, see and do
your best to accommodate those requiring your
assistance. Lending a helping hand will ensure
that you continue to have a say in whatever personal or domestic decisions are considered.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) — Step out of
the spotlight if you don’t want to be judged by
what you say or do. An introspective approach
will help you get more done without interference
from others.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Consider all
your alternatives, but rely on your intuition when
it comes to making a choice. A personal relationship will improve if each party maintains equal
responsibilities.
CELEBRITY CIPHER
MR. KNOW-IT-ALL
TODAY’S CLUE: X equals K
“ WZ I B I W P H B, C D PZ H TA D F BS D, C M PZ H O H WC M CJ H
NIWPAB CD PZH TCNH AN ID CDOCJCOSIT IDO AN
D I P C A D M I T C X H .” — P Z H A O A B H B A A M H J H T P
KenKen® is a registered trademark of Nextoy, LLC. ©2014 KenKen Puzzle LLC. All rights reserved. Dist. by Universal Uclick for UFS. www.kenken.com
● Each row and each column
must contain the numbers 1
through 4 (easy) or 1 through 6
(challenging) without repeating.
● The numbers within the heavily
outlined boxes, called cages,
must combine using the given
operation (in any order) to
produce the target numbers
in the top-left corners.
● Freebies: Fill in single-box
cages with the number in
the top-left corner.
UNIVERSAL TRUTH
By Pawel Fludzinski
ACROSS
1 Gene splicer’s field
8 They have strings
attached
14 In __: sort of
20 Astronaut Fisher,
the first mother in
space
21 He played House
22 Spreads out
23 His number 95Across is now
permanently
retired
25 Scholar
26 Fit to __
27 Habituate
28 Move up and down
30 Piece of cake
31 Peruvian coin
34 Makes bubbly
36 It’s roughly 95Across kilometers
39 Busy co. on
Valentine’s Day
41 Short-lived 1765
statute
45 Hardly virtuous
46 Classical theater
48 Effervesce
49 Avoids detection
50 Pacific archipelago
53 In __ and out ...
54 Singer DiFranco
55 President number
95-Across
57 Gracile
58 Dog’s age
61 Op-ed pieces
62 Bridge coups
63 Tiller opening?
64 “Understood”
66 Bochco series
69 Gambler’s strategy
75 Pedicab, e.g.
79 Persian Gulf land
80 It contains 95Across crude
gallons
82 Wine: Pref.
83 Sean Combs’
stage name
85 Like some wine
glasses
86 Hosiery hue
88 Degree of
interest?
90 Biblical words
before and after
“for”
91 Bearing
92 Vulgar
94 Tarzan creator’s
monogram
95 Douglas Adams’
facetious answer
to the Ultimate
Question of Life,
the Universe, and
Everything
97 Arctic blast
99 Phil Collins gear
101 Like some
landings: Abbr.
104 But, to Brutus
105 Verdun’s river
106 Den __, Nederland
110 Aquarium favorites
112 Its first printing had
95-Across lines on
most pages
116 Hatch, as a plot
117 Increase gradually
118 Kind of watch or
warning
119 Funny blunder
120 Quakes
121 Cheaters, to
teachers
DOWN
1 Tijuana locale
2 Take __ the waist:
alter
3 Back in the day
4 Parting wish
5 Yale student
6 Checkered start?
7 Legalese adverb
8 Philatelist’s item
9 It has 95-Across
spots
10 Mysterious
character
11 Hosp. areas
12 Mournful mother of
myth
13 Spanish titles
14 Stubborn one
15 Distant traveler
16 King who died at
95-Across
17 Bread brushed
with ghee
18 Harmonize
19 O.T. book
24 Getting __ years
29 Night fliers
32 LAX postings
33 Columbus Blue
Jackets’ org.
34 Aphrodite’s love
35 Hit lightly
36 Taj __
37 Protein-building
acid
38 “The Gates of Hell”
sculptor
40 Pond ducks
42 “The Jungle Book”
pack leader
43 Lien, say
44 Contract
stipulations
46 Magic, on
scoreboards
47 Grandma
50 Brunch cocktail
51 Draft choice
52 Farm abode
55 Bridle part
56 Egyptian god of
the dead
59 95-Across appears
on street signs
near this Big Apple
landmark
60
62
65
66
67
68
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
80
81
84
86
87
89
91
93
95
96
98
100
101
102
103
105
107
108
109
111
113
114
115
Pull
NYSE overseer
Part of RSVP
Painter Fra
Filippo __
Makeup mogul
Elizabeth
Scottish
landowner
Revolutions,
perhaps: Abbr.
Arg. miss
High schooler
Iconic bull
Its atomic number
is 95-Across
Lean-__: sheds
Jazz title
Cartoon stinker
Part of un año
Impressionist John
Honorarium
Adorn
London gallery
Sometime it goes
Explosive
compounds
__ Butterworth
Brake neighbor,
informally
Melt together
Mobster’s code of
silence
Elicit
Hayseeds
Longing
First-century
emperor
Cassoulet, e.g.
Cousteau’s milieux
“This guy walks
into __ ...”
“M*A*S*H” star
Subj. for Euclid
Sun. delivery
Cable co. that
merged with AT&T
Poly- ending
Uplifting wear
Q: Why does someone
sit backwards in the first
row at Comerica Park behind home plate? — J.R.B.,
Queen Ann, Md.
A: Comerica Park is
the home of the Detroit
Tigers, a Major League
Baseball team. Although I
did not find anything official, I asked several fans
of the Tigers, and they say
it’s a security guard.
Q: I would like to know
what the “33” represents
on every bottle of Rolling Rock beer. — J.P. Pine
Grove, Pa.
A: Rolling Rock was
launched in 1939 by the
Latrobe Brewing Company
and marketed in Western
Pennsylvania. The number
33 has been printed on
the bottles for as long as
anyone can remember, but
no one remembers what
the significance is. There
are lots of theories — at
least 33, I’m sure. The one
that makes the most sense
to me is 1933 was the year
Prohibition was appealed.
Another theory is that the
quality pledge of the beer
has 33 words in it.
Q: Where does John
Drew Barrymore fit into
the family of actors?
— R.H.C., Peoria, Ill.
A: As you said, John
Drew Barrymore was
a member of the Barrymore family of actors,
which included his father,
John Barrymore, and his
father’s siblings, Lionel
and Ethel.
Los Angeles Times
Sunday Crossword Puzzle
Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis
CELEBRITY CIPHER SOLUTION: “Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nations alike.” — Theodore Roosevelt
2-9-14
BY GARY CLOTHIER