Here’s a New Year’s Eve poem for us, from today’s Writer’s Almanac. It’s by Jack Ridl and is called “The End of This Year.”
The best place to be is here,
at home, the two of us, while
others ski or eat out. It will be
quiet. We won’t watch the ball
fall, the crowd in Times Square.
They will celebrate while here
there is this night. Tomorrow
some will start over, or vow
to stop something; maybe try
again. Here the snow will
fall through the light over
the back door and gather
on the steps. We will hope
our daughter will be safe.
She will wonder what
the year will bring. Maybe
we will say a prayer.
Today’s puzzle included the American composer John Adams. The clue was “‘Nixon in ___’ (John Adams opera).” Wow — I’m very familiar with it, so I filled in CHINA right away. It was my go-to music thirty years ago when I painted a bunch of rooms in my house.
I heard John Adams on NPR once tell a story that stayed with me. When he was in his teens, he was a member of a community band that was terrible. You could barely discern what tune they were trying to bang out. But one day they were set to perform in a local mental institution as a goodwill gesture. As the band was setting up, the patients were brought in and they were in various states of disarray — drooling, staring into space, mumbling to themselves, and so on. And then the band began to play and it was as if their lights were turned on. They all turned to watch and listen in wonder. They slowly shuffled their way towards the band and encircled them, enraptured for the entire performance. Adams said he never saw anything like it and it was then that he decided to pursue a life in music. If it could reach such lost souls so deeply, he wanted to be part of it.
Here’s how commenter Gary described his experience with Saturday’s puzzle:
This puzzle pushed me to the ground, kicked sand in my face, pointed and laughed at me, and then took my girlfriend to dinner.
In yesterday’s puzzle, Rex and others (not me) were caught short at 18A. The clue was “Flower that reflects yellow when held under one’s chin.” The answer, of course, was BUTTERCUP.
One that did catch me was “‘All you need is love and a ___’ (old saying).” The answer was CAT. (Had no idea.)
Here’s Rex on them:
There were a couple of clues that just meant absolutely nothing to me. Why are you holding a BUTTERCUP (or any flower) under your chin? Like, why that location, specifically? Huge shrug there. Also, even huger shrug on the alleged expression, “All you need is love and a CAT.” Uh, what? Who said that, when? It’s an “old saying?” I’m old. And I have cats. Why haven’t I heard it? Look, here’s one of my cats now:
As many of you know, if you hold a buttercup under your chin and it reflects yellow onto said chin, you like butter.
Scientists have taken up the question (the reflection part, not the fondness for butter). Researchers discovered that the buttercup petal’s unique bright and glossy appearance is the result of the interplay between its different layers. In particular, the strong yellow reflection responsible for the chin illumination is mainly due to the epidermal layer of the petal that reflects yellow light with an intensity that is comparable to glass. They say it has nothing to do with whether the holder likes butter. (Bah — you’re no fun!)
Here’s commenter Gary again:
The clue for BUTTERCUP is weird. Who’s holding flowers under their chin? So I asked my wife and sure enough she brightened right up with a happy memory from her childhood. What other secrets is she keeping?
I learned a completely new meaning of SHIP from yesterday’s XW. Brace yourselves. The clue was “Wish for a romantic pairing between, in modern parlance.” Crazy, no? It all started back with the X-files TV show with the very attractive couple Mulder and Scully. Fans who were hoping they would hook up started being known (in the show’s fandom) as “relationshippers,” which was shortened to shippers. So the word “ship” has entered the language as stated in the clue. I’m not entirely certain how it’s used. I think you could ask: “Back in the early seasons of Friends, did you ship Ross and Rachel?”
Hey! Don’t look at me in that tone of voice!!
Those of you who don’t rely entirely on Owl Chatter for your news are likely to be aware of the infighting that’s broken out in Trumpworld. It’s over H-1B visas which allow companies to hire foreign workers for skilled positions. On one side are the Musk-ovites who favor the visas because their tech companies need the foreign engineers. That other dirtbag who’s working with Musk on killing Medicare and Social Security — Vivien Rimsky-Korsakov — agrees. Here’s Musk’s calm, reasoned position on the matter: “The reason I’m in America along with so many critical people who built SpaceX, Tesla and hundreds of other companies that made America strong is because of H-1B. Take a big step back and F*CK YOURSELF in the face. I will go to war on this issue the likes of which you cannot possibly comprehend.” (Musk’s Tesla was among the leading employers of those holding H-1B visas in 2024.)
But the right-wing MAGA-lomaniacs have never met an immigrant they didn’t want deported, so they are calling for elimination of the visa. Steve Bannon is in this wing, so it’s a movie like King Kong vs Godzilla. Here’s Bannon on it: “You can’t stop us, we’re relentless…. We’re never going to quit…. We’re a thousand times tougher than you guys are…. Keep coming after American citizens like you’re coming and you’re going to find out exactly how tough we are. We’re not going to tolerate this. Your trashing of the MAGA movement…. How dare you…. I don’t care how big a check you wrote.”
Later, Bannon doubled down: “We’re gonna get H-1B visas out, root and stem, and all the workers you brought in. Just like we’re deporting 15 million here, we want them deported, out…. And give those jobs to American citizens today…we demand they get reparations. You stole from them.”
What makes it all so delicious (and qualifies it as Owl Chatter fodder) is how Trump weighs in on it. In 2016 he said the H-1B program shouldn’t exist. And on June 22, 2020, he issued an executive order suspending H-1B visas because he said they were taking jobs from Americans.
He apparently has swung over to the Musk-ovites, but perhaps he’s a little confused? “I’ve always liked the visas, I have always been in favor of the visas. That’s why we have them. I have many H-1B visas on my properties. I’ve been a believer in H-1B. I have used it many times. It’s a great program.”
However, as historian Heather Cox Richardson notes: Trump appeared to be confusing H-1B visas with H-2A and H-2B visas, which cover temporary agricultural workers and seasonal workers in tourism, hospitality, and landscaping.
D’oh!
The larger question: Will Trump really go through with his deportation program once he learns farmworkers like this will be booted?
As the harpists say: Stay tuned! (Harpists, as the joke goes, spend half their lives tuning their harps, and the other half playing them out of tune.)
Happy New Year Chatterheads!! The owls, George, Philly, Ana, and I wish you nothing but utter nonsense in the coming year — SRSLY. See you next time!
The Wellington Files 