Today’s puzzle is all about a HOT AIR BALLOON. First of all, look at the grid.
Next, the puzzle places you in it because four theme answers have you seeing things from way up in the sky. Girl: WEE LASS; Dwelling: TINY HOUSE; Vehicle: MINIVAN; Neighborhood: SMALL TOWN.
The clue for the HOT AIR BALLOON itself at 93A is “Whimsical method of transportation depicted in this puzzle’s grid.” Rex took issue with it:
“Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s … a HOT AIR BALLOON. Is a HOT AIR BALLOON a ‘whimsical’ method of transportation? Why? I think of it as just … a method of transportation? Whimsy not required. Where is the inherent whimsy? I don’t get it. The HOT AIR BALLOON the first successful method of human flight. I guess you can make it whimsical by turning the balloon into various novelty shapes, or by using it to race around the world in 80 days, but ‘Whimsical method of transportation’ seems odd, or oddly narrow, as a description here.”
Several commenters disagreed, noting that HABs are whimsical because you don’t know where you will land. Also, wouldn’t it be whimsical to go somewhere via a HAB? – who does that?
And, while we’re on the topic:
Connie: “Oh, Professor — you’re full of whimsy.”
Groucho: “Can you notice it from there? I’m always that way after I eat radishes.”
This story is from today’s Met Diary. It’s by Rayna Rapp.
Dear Diary:
It had been raining in the city for two days straight, and I was on my way to Times Square for the opening night of a film festival.
I waded into the Seventh Avenue subway at 14th Street, but the 1, 2 and 3 trains were all shut down because of flooding.
I splashed my way across to the Eighth Avenue trains. An A was waiting but delayed. The doors kept opening and shutting. I finally managed to squeeze inside a car tightly packed with riders.
Suddenly, the train lurched forward. A woman in the middle of the crowded car began to hyperventilate.
“Let me out!” she yelled. “I have to get out. I can’t stay here.”
Recognizing that she was having a panic attack, people sprang into action. Somehow, space opened up around her. Someone lowered a window. Someone else produced a bottle of water.
And then a man holding a wand jumped directly in front of the woman.
“Watch the wand closely,” he said. “I promise it will be OK. I’m just going to lightly hypnotize you.”
He kept the woman’s eyes focused on the wand as he talked to her quietly until we reached 34th Street.
When the train stopped there, everyone filed out in perfect order, helped the woman onto the platform and then packed back into the car for the trip uptown.
The tall and very beautiful KERI Russell dropped by today at 24A: “Actress Russell.” I watched all of the seasons of The Americans a few years ago — it was my go-to on the treadmill. Her hubby on the show was the Welsh actor Matthew Rhys. He won an Emmy for the role, and she a flurry of noms.
Actually, Keri’s 5′ 4″ — that’s average height. She just seemed tall in the show. And Rhys, who seemed short, is 5′ 11″. I had no idea they got married IRL too. They had a son in 2016. I loved it when Keri was accosted by some thug, sprung into action, and tore the poor guy to shreds. She’s 48 now and was born in California. At 15, her dancing landed her a role on The All-New Mickey Mouse Club. Other cast members were Ryan Gosling, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera. She took off from there.
Rhys is a supporter of Plaid Cymru, actively supporting Welsh independence. In 2008, Aberystwyth University honored Rhys as a fellow. (Gimme an A!) He was also honored in ’08 at the Welsh National Eisteddfod by being accepted as a member to the druidic order of the Gorsedd of the Bards for his contributions to the Welsh language and Wales. His bardic name in the Gorsedd is Matthew Tâf. (What?)
Here they are. What the hell is she wearing?
Ever hear of DALE Chihuly? Me neither. “Glass artist Chihuly.” He is 83 now and is well known in the field of blown glass “moving it into the realm of large-scale sculpture.” If you google him, you’ll see some amazing stuff. This is all blown glass.
Mark Allcroft of the Dull Men’s Club (UK) posts: I reckon if the minute hand on a clock was extended to 106,731,951 miles, the tip of the hand would be traveling at the speed of light. (In a vacuum)
Murray Atkinson: Sounds about right.
David Votomov: How would you fit something that long in a vacuum? My Dyson even struggles to pick up matchsticks.
David Thornton: At my old school, they had clocks that had a minute hand that only moved from one minute to the next. There wasn’t an in-between place it could point to. In theory, that minute hand on this clock would therefore break the speed of light…
Jeff Mang: How would you know what time it is?
Mark Allcroft: Stand well back.
Murray Atkinson: Have numbers near the middle?
Tony Moran: Please show us your “workings.”
Mark Allcroft: speed of light = 670,616,629.3844 mph. So the second-hand will move 670,616,629.3844 miles in one revolution. So the circumference off the clock is 670,616,629.3844 miles. Divide by 2 pi to get the radius i.e the minute hand length.
Tony Moran: Thank you. I concur.
Ken Irvine: wait a mo… doesn’t time shift as you get closer to the speed of light? The tip of your minute hand would be getting ahead, then behind, then ahead… dependent upon your PoV
Tony Moran then posted this:
In case you haven’t seen this, it’s from Roxane Gay’s op-ed piece in the NYT today:
Mr. Trump’s voters are granted a level of care and coddling that defies credulity and that is afforded to no other voting bloc. Many of them believe the most ludicrous things: babies being aborted after birth and children going to school as one gender and returning home surgically altered as another gender even though these things simply do not happen. [OC note: Don’t forget the pet-eating Haitians!] Time and again, we hear the wild lies these voters believe and we act as if they are sharing the same reality as ours, as if they are making informed decisions about legitimate issues. We act as if they get to dictate the terms of political engagement on a foundation of fevered mendacity.
We must refuse to participate in a mass delusion. We must refuse to accept that the ignorance on display is a congenital condition rather than a choice. All of us should refuse to pretend that any of this is normal and that these voters are just woefully misunderstood and that if only the Democrats addressed their economic anxiety, they might vote differently. While they are numerous, that does not make them right.
These are adults, so let us treat them like adults. Let us acknowledge that they want to believe nonsense and conjecture. They want to believe anything that affirms their worldview. They want to celebrate a leader who allows them to nurture their basest beliefs about others. The biggest challenge of our lifetime will be figuring out how to combat the American willingness to embrace flagrant misinformation and bigotry.
Georgie! Get that woman a Diet Shasta from the fridge!
I watched the first half of the Jets game and then, mercifully, went on a shopping run to Costco and missed the rest. The Jets fell behind 13-0 and were unable to muster even a single first down until a little over 2 minutes remained in the half. But they scored at that point and so trailed only 13-7. Then, as the game was winding down, they kicked a field goal to go up 27-22. OK! They just had to keep the Colts from scoring a TD with about 2 min to go. They couldn’t. Indy went up 28-27 with 40 seconds left. OK, now they just needed to get close enough for a field goal. Again, couldn’t. Another home loss to a mediocre team. Record is 3-8 now.
See you tomorrow!
The Wellington Files 