Well, I was about to offer special Owl Chatter greetings from Maryland, the something state, and realized, to my shame, that I didn’t know the state nickname for Maryland. You know, like Florida is the Sunshine State and New York is the Empire State. So it turns out Maryland has much to be proud of, nickname-wise. Its primary nickname is the Old Line State and it was bestowed by George Washington, in lauding the state’s regular line troops for serving so courageously in the Revolutionary War. Bravo, Marylanders! And its secondary nickname is the Free State, relating to its abolishing slavery in its state constitution on Nov. 1, 1864, in celebration of which, under the direction of the Baltimore City Council, 500 guns were fired, bells were rung, and flags displayed.
Unrelatedly, here’s the view from my Best Western window.
Today’s puzzle was easy, after yesterday’s debacle. Actress Sela Ward was in it, not to be confused with Salma Hayek, as I usually do. Sela was an Alabama cheerleader a while back, and, of course, still roots for the Tide. She’s in the middle, below.
After hours of painstaking research on your behalf, Owl Chatter concludes that the Bama uniform has evolved over the years. This group was kind enough to pose for the Owl Chatter photographers. Hi Ladies!
117A was “Wear white to a chili cookoff, you might say,” and the answer was TEMPT FATE. It led Barbara S. to note: “The constructor must know me. Not that I’d ever be foolish enough to do such a thing, but I’m the champion spiller of staining foods on my clothing. I could rival any kid in a highchair. I remember the time in a restaurant that my cousin, who was sitting beside me, spilled red wine all over my white sweater. She felt awful but I just wanted to hug her because, for once, I hadn’t done it.”
It led me to post: On spilling wine, I forget which Rabbi said this, but the lesson was if you are the host of a Passover Seder and one of your guests accidentally spills red wine on your white tablecloth, you should “accidentally” do the same so that he or she doesn’t feel too bad. (Probably also best to avoid screaming “WHAT THE F**K, MURRAY?” if possible.)
Getting back to “tempting fate,” however, commenter Pete made my brain hurt a little with this point: “FATE, should it exist, exists on its own. You can’t tempt it. If something is alterable by someone’s actions, it isn’t inexorable, as is FATE.”
On the issue that arose yesterday: trans rights, triggered by a Harry Potter clue in the puzzle (JK Rowling has raised the ire of the trans community), Rex expounded today on why he always calls her out when that happens. Here’s what he wrote.
“A NYT article from yesterday that provides some context for my (recent, ongoing) intolerance of all anti-trans rhetoric; it details the politically popular and morally abhorrent legislative war on trans kids and their parents, a war which seeks to deny trans kids the gender-affirming care that keeps them healthy and in many cases saves their lives. Importantly, maddeningly, the medical care in question is unequivocally called for by medical science and supported by major medical associations (“When Parents Hear That Their Child ‘Is Not Normal and Should Not Exist’”). This is care that keeps trans kids from depression and suicide. The consequences of dehumanizing trans people are real, material, measurable, and widespread. Seems like people ought to be speaking out a hell of a lot more about this rather than (say) fear-mongering and lying about the alleged threat that trans women pose to “real” women. Lastly, there’s this article from The Onion, which gets to the heart of the matter better than I ever could (“It Is Journalism’s Sacred Duty To Endanger The Lives Of As Many Trans People As Possible”).”
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Here’s a picture of Debi Jackson, a self-described “army brat” who came to Kansas City, Mo., from Alabama — a faithful Southern Baptist, Rush Limbaugh devotee, straight-ticket Republican voter. She became a crusader for trans rights on behalf of her child. She’s fighting against anti-trans legislation in Missouri that would ban the medical treatment that saved her child.
“I’ve been ready for four years to walk up to those legislators with my hands out and say, ‘Just put the handcuffs on me now and throw me in jail,’” she said. “Because I will do anything I have to do to take care of my child.”
I read both articles Rex referenced and found them to be helpful on the topic.
I’m glad Rex, the commentariat, and my puzzling reached me under my rock to raise my awareness of the issue.
19A: “Presidential ‘pet’ that sprouts an Afro,” was CHIA OBAMA. It is a chia pet with an Obama base and you spread the little seeds on his head and a green Afro grows. The owner of the chia pet company, Joseph Pedott, is a Republican, but he came up with the idea sincerely to support Obama whom he felt entered office with an unusually full and difficult plate. But the minute it hit the stores it was viewed as racist and pulled from the shelves. Jesse Jackson approved of it, and Obama got a kick out of it when given one himself. “I’ve got green hair,” he laughed.
You can get one on eBay for about $25.
39D ruffled a lot of feathers. The clue was “Evidence derived from personal experience and observation rather than systematic research and analysis.” The answer was ANECDATA, like, from anecdotal. Some felt it was giving unscientific anecdotal evidence a scientific sheen. I think it’s just short for anecdotal evidence and have no trouble with it. But, as the commentariat likes to say — “Your mileage may vary.”
Second Sunday in a row with a whole bunch of tuchases in the grid, from the overt ASSES at 17D (clued as “Tushies”), to HIND at 38D (“Posterior”), and BUMS at 106D (clued, again, as “Tushies”). Plus a pair of hidden tuchases in GREEN AS GRASS and SMOOTH AS SILK.
Picked Nits: 34D “Big Ben hrs.” ANS: GMT
Comment: Big Ben does not reflect GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) per se. It reflects the city of London’s time. London recognizes daylight savings, therefore Big Ben’s clock changes when this occurs….thus differing from GMT by an hour. While it is true that during ‘standard’ time Ben equals GMT, it does not equal it in total.
Thank you. Noted.
Are you a fan of Kristen WIIG from SNL? Her breakthrough movie was “Bridesmaids,” though she was clued today as “Kristen of ‘Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar.’” If you’re wigging out over that seemingly extra “i” in her name, it’s because she’s of Norwegian descent and “Wiig” comes from the area of Vik in Sogn og Fjordane in Norway. Get this, her grandfather emigrated to the U.S. as a child, grew up in Rochester NY, and was a broadcaster for the Rochester Red Wings minor league baseball team. She’s married and has three-year-old twins, one of each flavor.
Here’s a nice shot of her.
One thing I enjoy in a puzzle is finding a fresh way to clue a simple “filler” word that’s appeared a zillion times. So I liked the clue for SAT today: “Succeeded at musical chairs.” I always sort of liked musical chairs. LMS, not so much. Here’s her take:
Ok. So about those musical chairs. I’m a lifelong sufferer of globophobia – a fear of balloons. But over the years I’ve come to realize that it’s a broader fear, the fear of being startled. The extreme anxiety when I know something is about to happen, I just don’t know when. The anticipation of that music stopping during musical chairs is as scary as waiting for a balloon to pop. I. DETEST. Musical. Chairs.
OK, Teach — sorry it came up.
Thanks for stopping by. See you tomorrow.
The Wellington Files 