PUZZLES Thursday, January 20, 2022 Planted Trees by Jules Markey Universal Crossword edited by Amanda Rafkin ACROSS 1 The “T” of MIT, informally 5 Tomb raider Croft 9 Block, like a river 14 Workplace inspection org. 15 Carded 16 Absinthe ingredient whose letters are all in the word “absinthe” 17 Assist in the gym 18 Trainer working on Peke performance? 20 Like some superheroes 22 Brand of cold brew? 23 Singer DiFranco 24 Adored person 26 Worked well together 30 Nobelist Sadat 32 Not much 34 Smelter’s material 35 Seemingly forever 36 Former U.S. Poet Laureate Dove 37 Squeak-stopping liquid 38 Insurer acquired by CVS Health 40 Secretly add to an email thread 41 What matching ends of magnets do 43 Sch. hidden in “walrus mustache” 44 Former Iranian ruler 46 Snoozefest 47 Assistance 48 Window frame filler 49 Counterpart of urban 51 Program for a future doc 53 “You’ve gotta be kidding!” 55 Low-___ image 57 Outflow’s opposite 59 ___ Vader of “Star Wars” 61 Piece containing a take 65 Disneyland attraction 66 Protrusion 67 Mimics 68 Name hidden in “rotten idea” 69 Deduce 70 “Insecure” star Rae 71 A long while 19 Point toward 21 “The People’s Princess” (... letters 5-9) 25 Some hold MD DOWN degrees 1 1900 Puccini 27 Stud alternative classic (... letters 4-7) 2 Nacion de 28 Southernmost Barcelona Great Lake 3 Practice piece 29 Big name in PCs by composer 31 Took the gold Frederic (In this clue’s answer, 33 ___-tac-toe see letters 4-7) 38 “Stat!” 4 Loathe 39 Qatari leader 5 Tupperware piece 40 Forbid 6 Marinated Filipino 42 Goof up dish 45 Wasn’t given a 7 Habitual visits choice to 25-Down (... 46 Dude letters 5-9) 50 Not bring up 8 Adderall might be again prescribed for it 52 Tiny fly 9 Purposefully 54 Viral GIFs, e.g. avoided, like an 56 Loses a coat? issue (... letters 58 Jai ___ 4-8) 60 Region 10 South American range 61 Kimono sash 11 “Cool” amount of 62 “Velcro ... what a money rip-off,” e.g. 12 ___ as directed 63 Seasonal worker? 13 “As ___ my last 64 Secretive org. email ...” Head of the Table by Trent H. Evans Universal Crossword edited by David Steinberg ACROSS 1 George Takei’s husband 5 Most-grown apple variety in the U.S. 9 Recuperates 14 Deliver a dull speech to, say 15 Bits of binary code 16 Improbable victory 17 Smart breakfast grains? 19 Biscayne Bay city 20 ___ out (secretly observed) 21 Number of Canadian provinces 23 “Are you serious?!” 24 Smart Thanksgiving side? 27 “Not this again!” 30 Pull 31 Constricting creature 32 Response to a sneeze 35 Looking stylish 39 Currency in Finland 40 UV-blocking stat 42 Princess who became a Jedi 43 Queens’ domains 46 Alternative to a fast pitch? 49 Mass, e.g., in Boston 50 48-Down genre 51 Biden’s home state: Abbr. 52 Smart dairy slice? 58 16, for 32 59 Its nail may be polished 60 Devil, in Spanish 64 Like owls and orioles 66 Grub that keeps you smart, and a theme hint 68 Publicly condemn 69 Take the bait 70 Like food truck orders 71 Foe 72 Gen Zer’s excited exclamation 73 Relative of a Heath bar DOWN 1 Occasions for outdoor smoking, briefly? 2 Win, and then some 3 Diva’s showpiece 4 Dealers shuffle them 5 Heroic fellow 6 Santa ___ winds 7 “Lady Bird” actor Tracy 8 CIA informant 9 Play a kazoo 10 Spectacular blunders 11 “Same for me” 12 Car to watch out for? 13 What a honeybee can do just once 18 Romantic poet John 22 Worn-down pencils 25 They may be inflated or fragile 26 Stylish dresser 27 Ride app 28 “Krazy” substance 29 Juno, to the Greeks 33 Green field? 34 Increases 36 Social media display 37 Lodge, as a complaint 38 Pronoun in Texas 41 Explorer SUV maker 44 NBA VIP 45 One may form after a schism 47 Trendy slimming strategy 48 “5 O’Clock” singer 52 Subtle criticism 53 Refuge 54 Restaurateur in an Arlo Guthrie song 55 Brewing beer or collecting coins, e.g. 56 Spine-chilling 57 Castaways’ constructions 61 Reserve on Vrbo 62 Business card image 63 Smell of a teen’s room, say 65 The Bronx Bombers, on scoreboards 67 Cleaned your plate East Oregonian A11 HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY MATHIS FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 2022 Lunar Twist Kurt Vonnegut said, “Everything is nothing with a twist.” Two such twists happen today as the moon favorably angles Uranus, then Venus to stir up some magic in the love department. For those who’ve been needing a lucky break, this is a small glint of magic to encourage you forward. ARIES (March 21-April 19). A social courtesy or deadline is causing you a measure of distress. Breathe and get to work. The task isn’t as difficult or as time consuming as it seems. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). The balancing act is between openness and vigilance. As it is with tightrope walkers, special tools, like the right shoes and a flexible horizontal rod, can help you maintain the equilibrium. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Creativity trumps pricey dining/entertainment every time. You have excellent ideas about how to whip up some inexpensive fun. Now all you need is the courage to follow through. CANCER (June 22-July 22). Take notice of what you feel. It may help to realize that the feeling is physical and lives somewhere in your body. Paying attention to emotions enhances health and puts you in contact with deeper intuition. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Quiet is precious. Enough of it pooled in one place becomes an ecosystem to attract things such as tranquility, inner peace and wisdom. Build barriers to ward off intrusions and protect the sanctity of this reserve. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Consider that your self- imposed limits might be far more stringent than any laid out in the rules of the game or by society at large. Does your strictness help matters or are you making things unnecessarily difficult on yourself? LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). No denying it: It’s easier to have fun around certain people, and those are the ones who usually have people around them. So, in some subtle way you’ll have competition, which keeps things interesting. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You’ll connect with friends. Loved ones will do the same. Since you have different friends, there’s a certain amount of trust extended here, and it’s faith well-invested. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). You’re throwing a form of tantrum right now -- a silent, internal and complex rebellion against something you’ve requested of yourself. It’s a chance to work on the parent-child dynamic within. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Think about your desired outcome, write about it and envision it. It’s too early to ask for it now, but in time you will see the path to getting what you want. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Money isn’t all- important, but it will be pretty hard to do the things on your list without it. Avoid judgments and attitudes that distance you from wealth. Be happy for the success of others, knowing yours is coming. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Conforming is appropriate at some stage of the game, but you’re far past it. All that time spent trying to fit in and it turns out you’re magnificent precisely because of the ways you are different from the others. TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Jan. 21). Your intuition feeds you a constant flow of legitimate information, sometimes coming in a strange and figurative form, and yet your feelings about things have their own trustworthy logic. You’ll meet and impress powerful people who can help you achieve your aims. Excellent offers and exciting deals are part of the fun. Virgo and Leo adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 7, 20, 1, 11 and 40. Universal SUDOKU SOLUTIONS HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY MATHIS SATURDAY, JANUARY 22, 2022 Moon Knots the Plot The moon tangles with Mars in Sagittarius before moving on to peaceful Libra. Feathers get ruffled, most likely by new ideas, fresh blood and the insecurity these things introduce to the status quo. The infractions will be small. Once everyone understands there’s no real threat, harmony is restored. ARIES (March 21-April 19). Establish boundaries in a developing relationship. Envision the direction you’d like this to go. You’re thinking hopefully and focusing yourself with optimism. The best is yet to come. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Your powers of observation are keen, and you’ll put together a puzzle that’s been mystifying you for some time. No spoilers. If you tell the others, you’ll diminish the pleasure of their discovery. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Someone admires you. You’ve known it on a subconscious level, but now it’s too obvious to subvert. Enjoy the attention. It’s well-earned. CANCER (June 22-July 22). It will take a bit of coaxing to get your mind flowing in the direction of gratitude, but when you really think about it, there’s enough good stuff in your current life to make you feel like the luckiest person on the planet Earth. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). The problem with putting your work to the test is that you would be hard-pressed to find a harsher judge than yourself. Show your work to at least 12 other people. There’s accuracy in the average of those opinions. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You don’t have to look at the clock to know if you are hungry. You ask your body, and it tells you. As you get still inside, you’ll be increasingly aware of other silent rhythms within you. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). It’s an imperfect world and you’ll see mistakes all around you: your own and other people’s. Even when it’s not your fault or your business, you’ll do what you can to help make things right. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Take action to benefit your future. This is different from trying to escape into the future. By endeavoring to make the future you more comfortable, healthy and happy, your present improves markedly. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). It’s dangerous to drive while reading or eating a sandwich. In some way you are trying to simultaneously take on incompatible tasks, but the fix is easy. Put something down. One thing at a time. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You’ll return a kindness paid to you long ago. Your actions will remind you of the way you felt back then, when the good deed was freshly bestowed on you. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Part of the appeal of travel is that you don’t know what to expect. You can choose your destination, but you can’t choose your adventure because much of it is out of your control. Plan your next trip. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). Like the boss that you are, you’re managing a scenario that is not so easily managed. The skills you need to be successful cannot be acquired overnight, so make a commitment to keep working at it. TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (Jan. 22). Your positive, upbeat and honest attitude turns situations to your favor. Your curious mind will keep finding opportunity. You’ll travel to accomplish a mission. You’ll feel like you have more knowledge of a person than your time together would add up to -- it’s your sixth sense pointing to a lovely, fated connection. Libra and Scorpio adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 8, 44, 31, 9 and 18. Universal SUDOKU SOLUTIONS