A10 PUZZLES East Oregonian Universal Freestyle 30 by John Ewbank Universal Crossword edited by David Steinberg ACROSS 1 One to watch 11 Minor untruth 14 Connoisseur 15 Not great, not terrible 16 “Something’s fishy” 17 Coffee dispensers 18 Gain’s opposite 19 Enchanted prince, perhaps 20 Say hello to 21 Insect that does in fact have knees 22 Pencil case items 24 Places to store sports gear 28 Refusals 29 Bonobo, e.g. 30 Tough HS English course 31 Where to find a green room? 33 Bit of bird food 34 Gives approval for 36 “I accept your terms” 37 It may involve the raising of tariffs 39 “Use the ___, Luke” 40 Sprinted 41 Singer ___ C 42 Less dense 44 Good time for beachcombing 46 Put a strain on 47 More achy 48 Family group 50 Spot for a date? 54 Beasts of burden 55 “NOT true!” 57 Peruse 58 Room that may be kept at 55 degrees Fahrenheit 59 Sound of disapproval 60 Magic words spoken by Ali Baba DOWN 1 Commuting option 2 “Were that the case ...” 3 People in a computer game franchise 4 Adds frosting to 5 Zippo 6 One seen on the green 7 Catches in a trap 8 Pacific root crop 9 Campaign manager? 10 Nonsense, to a Brit 11 Hotheaded entertainers? 12 What those on a yoga retreat may seek 13 Author’s dream 15 Sometimes-faux garments 20 Nasty cut 21 Wager 23 Down Under hoppers 24 Option for when you’re out of options 25 Exclusive spots in a theater 26 Complete separation 27 Captain ___ (pirate) 31 Musical ability 32 Stench 34 Was indebted to DOWN 1 Unruly groups 2 Belgian currency 3 Bit of choreography 4 Hide away 5 Long-haired ox 6 Kick, or something to kick with 7 In the past 8 Give an answer 9 Decorating, as Easter eggs 10 They carry many plates 11 Gravy container 12 Company that created a Sonic boom? 14 White, in French 17 Like some patches 22 Humanitarian Mandela 24 Grad 25 Miniature 26 Pool cue 27 “Me too” 28 Like Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” SUNDAY, JULY 24, 2022 Tense Aspects of Venus and Jupiter The astrological relationship of Jupiter to Venus has been equated to that of a paternal figure, mentor and other, though the current tension between these two planets suggests that the most apt signifier would simply be, “it’s complicated.” Power struggles will visit our realm of love and will also influence other kinds of interests and passions. ARIES (March 21-April 19). Because you’re feeling grounded and confident, everything gets simpler. You offer no explanations, excuses of apologies. Instead, you’ll stand behind your actions and act in a way you can stand behind. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You’ve a strong drive to make sense of contradictions and inconsistencies. In some instances, you’ll connect the seemingly unconnected. When you can’t do this, you’ll accept what is and experience peace. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Like a child building a fort with friends, you will delight in taking control of your surroundings and changing things up to create your own little world with good company. Enjoy this magical, if temporary, space. CANCER (June 22-July 22). There’s no time to waste complaining about any one of life’s ingredients. In coffee, chocolate, relationships and more, bitter pairs nicely with sweet. With the right balance, intense ingredients can make the recipe sing. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). A relationship you thought was mostly transactional in nature will surprise you with unexpected feeling and evidence that there’s more beneath the surface. You may even sense that you are mystically intertwined. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Not everything you desire would be good for you to have. Try to understand and address the core of what you want. There’s more than one thing that would satisfy your needs, so you may as well choose the healthiest route. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). You know where you want to end up, but you’ll need a map to get there. Find someone who’s been there and ask for specific directions, or, better yet, ask for a guided tour. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). You might be surprised how your friends and neighbors regard you. Your kindness and neighborly gestures will boomerang back to you, and you’ll feel the impact of your habits of conscientiousness. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Short presentations take longer to prepare than lengthy ones. That’s why you don’t have to work out the details of a casual conversation with your friend, but a brief meeting with a VIP will require craft and practice. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Doing what you said you would do may be hard. But it will only be hard the first time, and the next 10 times, and the 10 times after that. Then it ceases to be hard or be any effort at all. It just becomes who you are. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). Changing other people is nearly impossible, but the changes you make in yourself will inspire others and transform relationships. Eventually, you may even notice that everyone in the group has changed at least a little. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). People will take you seriously, so speak carefully and decide what’s worth expressing. This may require soul searching and/or taking stock in your beliefs. You’ve outgrown a few, though your values remain unchanged. TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (July 24). It’s not enough for you to get what you want. You prefer to obtain it with grace and high standards, which is exactly what happens this year. Social ties will bring you to new financial prospects and/or a professional breakthrough. Family makes you proud, if not a little famous. Free travel is part of the fun, too. Capricorn and Libra adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 27, 3, 38, 19 and 48. Universal SUDOKU 38 Arab ruler 39 Communication that may baffle millennials 42 New York City’s ___ Island 43 Doesn’t stay calm SOLUTIONS 45 Look after 49 Track assignment 50 Buddies 51 Milan’s Teatro ___ Scala 52 Hemsworth of “The Hunger Games” 53 Trifling 55 Number of syllables in “grammar” 56 Word before “red” or “the light” Universal Crossword edited by David Steinberg ingredient 37 “Break a leg,” e.g. 38 Route 39 Propelled a gondola 40 Toll, for bridge use 41 Place to apply deodorant 42 California 38- Down county 43 It doesn’t come with everything 46 Nine-digit ID 47 Windy City hub 48 Director Joel or Ethan 50 Kale concoctions 52 Knightly address 53 Estimate phrase 57 Traditional or Roth investment 58 They get people really high 61 Miles ___ gallon 62 Warning sign at a studio 63 Like ocean motions 64 Come out with 65 Gets a few winks 66 In ___ (before birth) HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY MATHIS 35 Healthy, crispy snack item Final Warning by Adam Simpson ACROSS 1 Like a pigsty 6 D&D class with a poetic name 10 Muscles in six- packs 13 “Straight ___ Compton” 14 Birdie plus two 15 Sturgeon eggs 16 Escapes 18 Vogue, e.g., in brief 19 ___ up (absorbs with bread) 20 Have curry, maybe 21 It’s made to be destroyed at a party 23 Goldie of “Death Becomes Her” 25 Muscly 26 L.A.-to-San Diego dir. 29 Following a CPR instruction, perhaps 33 “___: Maverick” (2022 action sequel) 35 Word after “tight” or “bitter” 36 Fruity gin cocktail Saturday, July 23, 2022 30 “Ode on a Grecian Urn” writer 31 Works by 30- Down 32 Family car 34 “Caught you!” 38 Red or white, but not blue 39 Raw fish dish 41 Assumed character 42 Nasal laugh noise 44 Large ___ Collider 45 Less friendly 49 Like a pitcher’s ideal inning 50 Nurses a cocktail 51 Type of rug that partially covers a floor 52 Gear at Aspen 54 Be a passenger 55 Exchange jabs 56 Norway’s largest city 59 Fez, e.g. 60 Name that sounds like a slow-cooked dish HOROSCOPES BY HOLIDAY MATHIS MONDAY, JULY 25, 2022 Rumble of Venus and Jupiter No decent promotor would pit the goddess of beauty in a match against the lord of largess, and yet Venus and Jupiter are oddly well-matched in the rumble that goes down today. Love and abundance are the themes. Anything can be loved too much or too hard. Everything we do can be overdone. “Easy does it” is the mantra to get us through. ARIES (March 21-April 19). Goals within your reach are somehow less appealing to you. Extraordinary aims will take considerably more time, and planning will involve risk, rejection, sweat and tears. You thrill to this kind of challenge. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). A plan, however informal it may be, will change everything. Forethought will make a difference in the plot of your day and, by extension, your life. Your focused energy will attract people to your side. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You’re creative now, though perhaps a bit scattered, too. You may have to chase around your own mind to bring it back to the task at hand. You will get the satisfaction of a small but significant breakthrough. CANCER (June 22-July 22). You prefer people to be direct with you. It saves you from having to puzzle out their motives, needs and wants. By showing an open and forgiving nature, you’ll make it easy for people to be honest with you. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Before a person can get on the inside of your life, you figure out how much you know, like and trust them. You have some contenders around you today. You’ll put people to the test, sometimes consciously, sometimes not. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). It’s like you were meant to lead. You’ll express yourself with an easy confidence. People step out of your way. Without being bossy or overbearing, you’ll just naturally run things. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). How people handle defeat and difficulty is very telling, and it’s even more telling how they handle success. Your character will be on display today as you modestly handle a win. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). This will be a day of interesting contrasts and conflicting interests, some of them existing inside of you. Part of you wants to comply; the other part wants to rebel. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). The difference between the ordinary and the extraordinary isn’t always effort, talent, positioning or anything else easily controllable. Sometimes it’s just a mood, a certain lighting or timing. The X-factor favors you today. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). Brain scans can tell us which part of the brain is firing off neurons, but they can’t show us the thoughts and visions that light up the ultimate privacy of the mind. Your private thoughts will be most amusing today! AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). It’s easier to understand a clear whisper than an unclear shout. You won’t have to be loud or showy to get your point across. Someone will pick up on your subtle and very well-articulated message. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). It behooves you to move beyond the transactional nature of a relationship and into a more comprehensive understanding of the other person. Learn who they are in contexts beyond the ones you already know. TODAY’S BIRTHDAY (July 25). You’ll benefit from many forms of excellent P.R. Your reputation will precede you. Fans and friends will sing your praises to the right people. You’ll learn to promote yourself in a way that feels natural, comfortable and honest. Other highlights: a cash prize and the sweet experience of making a difference to someone special. Aries and Gemini adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 30, 1, 18, 4 and 16. Universal SUDOKU SOLUTIONS