user: Problem: Variety: Spiral - NYTimes.com

VARIETY PUZZLE — First, Happy Valentine’s Day to all the Wordplayers!

Oh boy, my second favorite variety puzzle, besides acrostics! Maybe third … I do love cryptics, too. But the Spiral, constructed by Will Shortz, is certainly up there among the puzzles I love.

You don’t really need me for this. The rules are quite simple: Use the clues and their numbering to fill in the spiral going both inward and outward. Every space will be used exactly twice, and it helps to work from both series of clues to complete the puzzle.

For example, the first entry I got was BABYSAT, for Inward 66-72’s “Tended the little ones, say.” Working the other way, I had the BAB- that helped me get BABY CARROTS for Outward “Processed vegetable often eaten raw directly out of a bag (2 wds.)”

That should get you started, or perhaps you can get yourself started in another location. Where did you get your toehold in this spirally puzzle?

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Summary: A breath of fresh air, with Will Shortz’s Spiral puzzle.


Problem: Nobu eyes a Palo Alto outpost

Photo By (Photo by Gabriel Bancora/Getty Images for SOBEWFF®)

Nobu. Photo: Gabriel Bancora/Getty Images

Nobu is coming to the Bay Area.

Since opening his first restaurants in the late 1980s/early 1990s — Beverly Hill’s Matsuhisa, followed by New York City’s Nobu — Nobuyuki Matsuhisa has gone on to create a global empire, which now consists of 32 restaurants and a collection of hotels, spanning the world from Vegas and Dallas to Moscow and Manila.

Over the years, the restaurants have proved wildly successful with high rollers and celebrities (the restaurant group even has Robert DeNiro as one of the business partners), and now, the restaurant has confirmed that Nobu will be heading to Palo Alto to court the moneyed tech crowd of Silicon Valley. The move would also be return to the Bay Area for Nobu partner Drew Nieporent, who closed San Francisco’s influential Rubicon eight years ago.

The Nobu team has confirmed that the restaurant is, in fact, planning to open somewhere in Palo Alto, though there are no additional details available yet as far as a timeline or even a location. That said, word on the street is that the restaurant group is looking to open in downtown Palo Alto boutique hotel, the Epiphany — which Larry Ellison (yes, that Larry Ellison) bought last fall. However, when asked to confirm the rumor, a spokesperson for the hotel had no comment.

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Summary: Nobu is coming to the Bay Area. Since opening his first restaurants in the late 1980s/early 1990s — Beverly Hill’s Matsuhisa, followed by New York City’s Nobu — Nobuyuki Mat…


Problem: Astros nail choreographed dugout dance; Georgia Salpa is Fox-y

Updated JUN 20, 2014 2:07p ET

How about we start the first weekend of summer with a little dancing? Check out the sweet moves that Astros teammates George Springer and Jonathan Villar showed off in the dugout during last night's game against the Rays. Even better than the dancing, though, may be the Astros broadcaster asking if they were doing karaoke. Huh?

There are few things more exciting in Major League Baseball than a walk-off grand slam. Nick Swisher hit one for the Indians yesterday to give them a 5-3 win over the Angels. You can watch the video below, but, more importantly, you absolutely should listen to the radio call by Cleveland play-by-play man Tom Hamilton.

The hottest item the World Cup-hosting country these days is a rum-flavored condom.

That is how Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips signed a baseball for a special fan on Wednesday night.

The A's have the best record in baseball (45-28), so it's all fun and games for their players and fans, as you can see with this picture from last night's win against the Red Sox.

Jason O. Watson-Getty Images North America

During batting practice last night, Rays DH Matt Joyce hit a ball INTO to the pitching machine, which quickly did its job and pitched the ball to Joyce.

Braves pitcher Gavin Floyd broke a bone in his right elbow during last night's game against the Nationals. The result was a truly gruesome image.

You should watch Don Draper try to convince LeBron James he should return to Cleveland.

Check out this couple who recently had an Air Jordan-themed wedding.

The Seahawks got their Super Bowl rings and partied with Usher last night

Model Georgia Salpa gets today's Fox-y Lady honors.

Got a link, comment or question? Email Jimmy.Traina@fox.com.

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Summary: Springer, Villar get down; Condoms a big hit at World Cup; Air Jordan wedding; more.


Problem: The New York Times

Facing criticism in the wake of the recent resignations of two important administrators, the president of Columbia University announced on Friday the appointment of an interim dean.

James Valentini, a chemistry professor and former chairman of that department, will serve as dean of Columbia College and vice president for undergraduate education, the university’s president, Lee C. Bollinger, wrote in a letter.

Michele M. Moody-Adams, the first female and the first black dean of the college, abruptly left her post last week. She is remaining at Columbia as a tenured professor in the philosophy department.

Her departure followed the resignation of the university’s provost, Claude M. Steele, in June. Dr. Steele, who is also black, is now the dean of the School of Education at Stanford.

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Summary:

assistant: The appointment came after criticism in the wake of the recent resignations of two important administrators.