Puzzles

This has to be the most unlikable cast of "Survivor. " Ever. Is it just me, or were the previouslies super long tonight? Anyway, back from Tribal Council, Michael is very derisive about the Misfit Alliance voting out a "strong guy. " Yes, they should have kept Matt and just waited for your alliance to pick them off one by one. And Colton will be happy, because apparently Bill is on the block next, for having the one-two punch of being both likeable and...

Most political prognosticators forecast that Republicans will recapture the U.S. Senate in this fall's midterm elections. The GOP already holds the House, and the fact that Republicans control the lower chamber but not the upper one is actually something of a puzzle and an historical anomaly. First, the history: Republican Speaker John Boehner has now presided over a Republican House majority for two terms without a companion Senate Republicans majority. When was that last time the GOP controlled the House for two consecutive Congresses - four years - without controlling the Senate?

Lonni Sue Johnson spends every spare moment creating word puzzles superimposed on elaborate grids. The moment she puts one down, she starts on the next. In not quite three years, she has amassed a stack of paper that is 15 feet high. Family member say that's how she pins down time. "In order to grasp the present moment before it vanishes from her memory, Lonni Sue urgently writes and draws," says her sister, Aline Johnson. "As she works on her puzzles, her thoughts — which would otherwise be constantly slipping away — are held on the page, where she can build ideas.

Democrat Anthony G. Brown's campaign for governor distributes a mailer to voters questioning opponent Douglas F. Gansler's "puzzling priorities. " What the mailer says: It juxtaposes two issues that have surfaced in the June 24 Democratic primary. "Why does Doug Gansler want a $1.6 billion tax giveaway for corporations when he says we can't afford universal full day Pre-K?" the mailer says. The flier contains the words "reckless and irresponsible" in large block lettering and says Gansler, the state attorney general, "doesn't share our values" about full-day pre-kindergarten.

Gerald Fritz knows how to turn $100 into $1,000 in a matter of seconds.He's not a magician or an investment banker. While honing his skills as a wood carver, the Arnold resident created a three-dimensional puzzle that transforms a wooden $100 bill into a $1,000 bill with a flip of a few pieces.He also has crafted three-dimensional wooden puzzles in the shapes of crabs, fish, golf clubs, pyramids, the Naval Academy goat and terrapins. Each is carved, oiled and buffed in his Ulmstead Estate home.

Timothy E. Parker lives a puzzled life. But he does it on purpose. In fact, he enjoys making brainteasers for the millions of people who attempt to solve the crossword puzzles he designs for newspapers nationwide, including The Sun and USA Today. And recently, Parker published a book of games and puzzles directed at a new audience -- those seeking to learn more about the Holy Bible. King James Games -- a compilation of more than 200 Bible-based puzzles -- hit stores in February. "It's about 350 pages, and as you solve the puzzle, it teaches you the Bible," says Parker, who is an associate pastor at Tabernacle of Deliverance Christian Center in Baltimore.

I HEARD a story and saw a small miracle last week that combine to lift my spirits and restore my faith in reality as I once knew it.The story is of an uncle at a family gathering (not mine), who refused even to look at the game of solitaire on a computer screen, preferring instead to pull out a pack of "real cards" and amuse himself quietly in company for much of the day.The small miracle was my husband, doing a crossword puzzle for the first time in a couple of months. His former passion had been replaced, I feared forever, by computer solitaire and America Online.

The Sun now is offering daily sudoku puzzles. The brain-teasing puzzles will appear every day in The Sun's features sections - Mondays through Thursdays in Today; Fridays in Movies Today; and Saturdays in Go Today. Look today for a super sudoku with five interlocking grids inside A&E Today on Page 9. You'll also find the features Ask Amy and the horoscope on Page 10. Next week look for both Ask Amy and the horoscope in the Modern Life section.

CHECK OUT the new Just for Kids section filled with cool stuff to read, plus puzzles, games and a poster. Find it Wednesdays inserted in the A La Carte section.

It was to be a quiet, restive Christmas holiday at Puzzel Manor for Jack Tarrant and Maria Lethbury.But the cold corpse they found sprawled on the floor changed that. It would be a working holiday.Right from the start, "The Christmas Crimes at Puzzel Manor" has all the ingredients of a delicious murder mystery.The perfect setting: A blustering snowstorm covers the English countryside, isolating 12 strangers within the ancient walls of Puzzel Manor. There, centuries earlier, the Puzzel family was destroyed by the deadly insanity of the beautiful, young mother.

While he was once a top-10 selection in the NFL draft, Eugene Monroe might not be in Baltimore today if not for compensatory picks. Back in October, when the Ravens acquired the left tackle in a midseason trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars, they did not balk when the Jaguars insisted the Ravens surrender two draft picks. That's because while the Ravens covet draft picks, they figured they would have a couple to spare because they would be rewarded with four compensatory picks after losing several key free agents after their Super Bowl win. They also figured that if they were to lose Monroe, too, this offseason, they would likely receive a prime compensatory pick for him next offseason.

Comments and observations about the U.S. Olympic speed skating team should cover the gamut of possible influences as to the unexpected results of the competition ( "In Sochi, Under Armour skates into some sturm und drang," Feb. 15). It seems very strange to me that so many are quick to point to a very thin, sleek, and I am sure almost weightless, suit as being the culprit for outcomes that have not resulted in winning Olympic medals. I have competed in athletics for many years, not anywhere close to the Olympic level, but regardless of the level, I do know that for each and every sport there is a myriad of areas that influence outcomes.

Michael Maykrantz was on duty at a fire house on 74th street in Ocean City when the floor began to shake and the doors started to rattle. At Bart Rader's house in Ocean Pines, a loud boom “like somebody blew something up” preceded shaking so heavy that it rattled a 50-pound metal sculpture against the wall. Miles away in Annapolis, Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan was meeting in state Sen. James Mathias' office when he got a text message from his daughter: “What the heck was that?

Over the past two days, the Orioles have filled two needs -- signing right-hander Grant Balfour to become the new closer and trading for outfielder David Lough to help fill the team's need for a left-handed hitter in left field. I like the deal for Lough. It did cost the Orioles a capable hitter in Danny Valencia, who was one of the club's hottest batters over the final month of the 2013 season. And while Lough gave the Kansas City Royals some spark last season, he isn't yet the spark plug that Nate McLouth was atop the Orioles' lineup.

The parking lot across from Harborplace, once called the "last piece of the Pratt Street puzzle," sold this summer for $16.4 million. The brokerage representing seller UrbanAmerica Advisors LLC announced the sale to Chicago-based parking garage operator and developer Interpark Holdings in August without disclosing the sum. The sale of the property, located at 300 East Pratt Street and identified in state and city records as 301 East Lombard...

The man in the red turban is a mystery, and not only because his expression is grave, alert and slightly anxious. He is richly dressed, which clearly makes him a person of some importance. There weren't a lot of black people living in Europe in the 1600s, and even fewer displayed, as this man does, signs of princely favor. It's even more unusual that he was singled out for a painting of his own instead of being included as part of a larger group. Joaneath Spicer, the curator of Renaissance and Baroque art at the Walters Art Museum , thinks she might have uncovered subtle clues in the painting itself that might explain, if not the man's name, then his role, social status and even where he was born.

This week, The Sun expands its commitment to Reading By 9, a long-term campaign based on the assumption that children should become skilled readers by third grade.Every Sunday and Wednesday, the Today section will include a page designed to encourage parents and children to spend time reading together. The first page appears today on Page 4.Monday through Saturday, beginning tomorrow, the Today section will include a quarter page of activities for children. The schedule is as follows:* Monday: Yak's Corner, featuring games, puzzles and educational stories* Tuesday: www.4kids, a child's guide to the worldwide web* Wednesday: Sports Illustrated for Kids* Thursday: KidNews, a roundup of news aimed at children* Friday: Beakman, featuring science projects to do at home* Saturday: Katie's Wee Do Puzzles, visual word games for parents and childrenPub Date: 2/22/98

Halloween's still over a month away, but you can get into a spooky mood tonight at the Sena tor. Check out a screening of 1922's Nosferatu, A Symphony of Horror, with Boston-based rock band Devil Music Ensemble's orig inal live score. The film shows at 8 p.m. at the Senator Theatre, 5904 York Road. Tickets are $10. Go to senator.com or creativeallian ce.org. Note to readers Be cause of a production error yester day, the crossword, Jumble and some comics scheduled for Thurs day appeared in Wednesday's edi tions.

Something is killing the honey bees of Maryland. Close to 60 percent of the managed hives died last fall and over the winter - about twice the national average, according to the state bee inspector and local keepers. "I had a healthy hive that produced 50 pounds of honey last year, and we were anticipating another great year," said Stephen Christianson, a Mount Washington beekeeper of three years. "Then, they were just gone. It took my breath away. " Some blame inexperience on the part of the beekeepers, most of whom tend their hives as a hobby, coupled with a bad winter.

As an older American I find the thinking behind the Sunday's editorial supporting driver's licenses for illegal immigrants truly puzzling ("Driver's licenses for all drivers," Mar 31). I was raised to understand that if you violated the law, you could expect to go to jail. Now we rationalize that it is better for society to provide a license that is a privilege not a right to lawbreakers. We also notify the lawbreaker that the license will not be accepted at the airport, where you may be arrested.