Los Angeles Times - 09.11.2019

E6 LATIMES.COM/CALENDAR

COMICS

ACROSS

1 Jacket whose earliest

version was created

for pilots

7 Saw the sites?

13 “The Conduct of Life”

essayist

15 Players on the road

16 Place to park a

whirlybird

18 Even though

19 More than is prudent

21 If-then-__:

programmer’s construct

22 Factor in club selection

23 Catches on the range

24 Drilling org.

25 First of a box set

28 DVR button

29 Crooked

30 Privileged group

33 Sign of fall

34 Comedy of errors?

35 “Speak up!”

36 Some smoke detector

batteries

37 Spruce (up)

41 “Over here!”

42 Groom carefully

44 Surly sort

45 Is in Spain?

46 Michigan national park

49 Sat on a sill, perhaps

51 Avoided a tag at

52 Minolta partner

53 Boards with a jump

54 Cunning

55 V11 vacuums, e.g.

DOWN

1 Take in

2 1978 horror sequel

3 Free-for-alls

4 Many a theatre

attendee

5 Gulf Canada

alternative

6 Whirlybird part

7 Halts

8 Business card letters

9 “I Spy” actor

10 They usually have

higher flash points than

kerosene

11 Dispatch

12 Discover

14 Baby shampoo product

line

17 Auditors’ follow them

20 Air freshener option

26 PBS cooking show

hosted by Mary Ann

Esposito

27 Pricey bar

29 Celestial ovine

31 Pinch

32 More than displeasure

33 Singer at Woodstock

with his “Family”

34 Big wind

35 Iotas

38 “Just you watch!”

39 Atlanta’s county

40 Trademarked

halocarbon products

42 March 14,

mathematically

43 Asked too much

47 Jazz singer Anita

whose stage name

is pig latin for

a slang word

for “money”

48 Performance anxiety

50 Luther opponent

Johann __

ANSWER TO

PREVIOUS PUZZLE

11/9/19

11/9/19

SUDOKU

BLISS By Harry Bliss

KENKEN

Every box will contain a number; numbers depend on the size of the grid. For a 6x6

puzzle, use Nos. 1-6. Do not repeat a number in any row or column. The numbers in each

heavily outlined set of squares must combine to produce the target number found in the

top left corner of the cage using the mathematical operation indicated. A number can be

repeated within a cage as long as it is not in the same row or column.

FAMILY CIRCUS By Bil Keane DENNIS THE MENACE By Hank Ketcham

ARGYLE SWEATER By Scott Hilburn MARMADUKE By Brad & Paul Anderson

CROSSWORD

By Joe Deeney © 2019 Tribune Content Agency

Edited By Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis

SPEED BUMP By Dave Coverly

Aries(March 21-April 19):
It is impossible to control
other people’s feelings. It’s
not even that easy to man-
age your own. Placing your-
self in healthy environments
is half the battle.
Taurus (April 20-May
20): Support systems aren’t
always people. They can also
be habits you establish to
make the right thing also the
easiest, most logical and
most convenient thing to do.
Gemini(May 21-June 21):
Your strengths will not erad-
icate your weaknesses, but
by leaning into them you can
overwhelm the situation so
your weaknesses have little
chance to show themselves.
Cancer(June 22-July 22):
When you sign up, you show
up. When you go in, you go all
in.
Leo (July 23-Aug. 22):
People will be extra sensitive
about the issues that hit
close to home. When you wit-

ness disproportionately

strong reactions, what

you’re seeing is a bit of his-

tory woven into the current

storyline.

Virgo(Aug. 23-Sept. 22):

You know what you’re good

at. The application itself will

grow your gifts.

Libra(Sept. 23-Oct. 23):

Relationships are not a con-

test about who gives more.

And yet, there’s an aware-

ness of the balance that

can’t be ignored and might

need to be adjusted.

Scorpio(Oct. 24-Nov. 21):

People can experience simi-

lar circumstances very dif-

ferently. You’ll live this to-

day.

Sagittarius (Nov. 22-

Dec. 21): Honor your needs

by setting time aside to re-

flect alone as well as time to

debrief together.

Capricorn(Dec. 22-Jan.

19): You’ll spend time and

money making your space a

better fit for the life you

want.

Aquarius (Jan. 20-Feb.

18): Because your smile is so

contagious, the quickest

way to bring someone up is

to expose him or her to that.

Pisces (Feb. 19-March

20): Assumptions lead to

borrowed trouble and un-

necessary work. It’s a good

time to double-check and

make sure that what weighs

on you is actually yours to

carry.

Today’s birthday (Nov.

9): Happy moments will

change you because you’ll

move things around in your

life in order to get more of

them. You’ll have a surge in

confidence. You’ll hold your-

self in higher esteem, and

then others will reflect your

attitude by paying you top

dollar and treating you bet-

ter. Sagittarius and Cancer

adore you. Your lucky num-

bers are: 9, 3, 38, 10 and 44.

Holiday Mathis writes her

column for Creators

Syndicate Inc. The

horoscope should be read

for entertainment.

HOROSCOPE

By Holiday Mathis

The best part of any ex-

pert’s game is a sound grasp

of fundamentals. He never,

and I mean never, makes ele-

mentary errors.

At today’s four spades,

South takes the ace of

hearts and counts four pos-

sible losers: a heart, a dia-

mond and two clubs.

He could try for a second

club winner (leading low

from dummy to his nine

would be the best chance),

but setting up the diamonds

with ruffs — a basic skill — is

better.

In case of a 4-2 diamond

break, South needs three

dummy entries: two to ruff

diamonds, one to cash the

good diamond. To preserve

his entries, South doesn’t

draw trumps; he ducks a dia-

mond at Trick Two. South

wins East’s club shift and

proceeds thus: diamond to

the ace, diamond ruff high,

K-A of trumps, diamond

ruff, draw trumps with the

queen, good diamond to

pitch a club.

A capable declarer will

make four spades in less

time than it takes me to tell

you about it.

Question: You hold: ♠A

Q7 ♥7 5 ♦A J 6 4 2 ♣8 5 2.

Your partner opens one

heart, you respond two dia-

monds, he rebids two hearts

and you try 2NT. Partner

then bids three diamonds.

What do you say?

Answer: Your partner’s

bidding suggests minimum

opening values and no de-

sire to play at notrump with

unbalanced distribution.

Pass. If he has a hand such as

4, A Q 8 6 4, Q 9 5, A 7 6 3, any

higher contract will be at

risk, and even nine tricks at

diamonds will not be cer-

tain.

South dealer

Both sides vulnerable

NORTH

♠A Q 7

♥7 5

♦A J 6 4 2

♣8 5 2

WEST EAST

♠ 6 ♠8 5 4

♥K Q 10 9 4 3 2 ♥8 6

♦Q 3 ♦K 10 9 7

♣K 10 7 ♣Q 6 4 3

SOUTH

♠K J 10 9 3 2

♥A J

♦8 5

♣A J 9

SOUTH WEST NORTH EAST

1 ♠ 2 ♥ 3 ♠ Pass

4 ♠ All Pass

Opening lead — ♥K

Tribune Media Services

BRIDGE

By Frank Stewart

Dear Amy: My partner and

I are house and dog sitting

for my parents. We asked our

friend to watch our own

house while we are gone.

We managed to clean the

house up, except for the

kitchen. We ran out of time

and left clean dishes in the

dishwasher and some dirty

dishes in the sink.

Our trash can also was

full, so there were two bags of

non-food trash by the back

door.

We’ve come to realize we

are the jerks in this situa-

tion. We know we should

have left a clean house.

Our friend is livid. She

went off on my partner via

text. I followed up with her

with an apology and an offer

to pay her for her time.

I said I was aware that

paying her wasn’t going to

fix the problem, and the offer

of payment was to be in addi-

tion to the conversation she

requested when we return.

I think being this angry

about dirty dishes after a

week might be overreacting,

but I can’t be sure because

I’m feeling so defensive.

I don’t know what this

conversation is going to look

like. If she intends to chew us

out, I might dissociate and

look like I don’t care.

How do I ask her to keep

her temper down?

Dirty House Owner

Dear Owner:I’m not sure

why you are waiting for this

face-to-face showdown,

rather than continuing to

communicate in order to try

to repair things now.

I take it that your friend

has unloaded via text, but an

actual phone (or Skype) call

is less passive (read:

chicken), and you and your

partner would be able to

both talk and listen.

Tell her, “We appreciate

what you are doing and we

feel terrible about the condi-

tion of the house. Everything

got away from us at the last

minute and we’re so sorry.

How are things going now?”

If you already offered to

pay her, follow through. A

gift box of goodies sent to

her attention and delivered

to the house might go the

rest of the way to respond to

her disappointment.

After this effort, you

should assume that you

have cleaned up your mess

from a distance. She will ei-

ther accept this, forgive you

and move on — or she won’t.

She doesn’t get to hold you

hostage over this mistake.

“Dissociating” during a

conversation should not be

an option for you. That’s

what toddlers do. Take this

out of your playbook.

Dear Amy: You seem to

think we should all just get

along. But how can one talk

to people who are OK with

ripping nursing babies away

from their mothers?

It is not possible to have a

rational conversation with

people who support a racist,

mentally unstable, mean-

spirited administration.

As a retired fireman, I

worked for 25 years with peo-

ple who were mostly conser-

vative. I’ve kept in touch

with some for 20 years.

They are immune to rea-

son and even to truth. I have

pointed out how they are be-

ing lied to and sent them ir-

refutable evidence. Not one

has changed their minds.

Frustrated Fireman

Dear Frustrated:I com-

mend you for trying.

In order to support an ad-

ministration they want to

believe in, some otherwise

decent people accept — or

allow you to think they do —

all of the behavior and beliefs

of those they voted for.

I do believe in the power

of friendship and communi-

ty to inspire and effect

change. I don’t think it is

your responsibility to insist

that people change their

minds for you, even if you are

right and they are wrong.

Send questions to Amy

Dickinson by email to ask

[email protected].

ASK AMY

2 ways to clean up a mess