The puzzle started right off today with a gimme. At 1A the clue was “[blank] salad” and the answer, of course, was COBB.
Commenter Les S. More wrote: “Just what is a COBB salad? I’m not much of a salad fan to begin with – they seem to be an excuse to serve food without much thought and minimal prep skills – but I have seen them featured on menus. Never ordered one. For me to deliberately ask for salad it must be proceeded by the word Caesar (and, yes, include the anchovies) or be followed by the word Nicoise (with tuna, please).”
I try to be helpful, so I posted the following reply:
The Cobb salad memorializes the great ballplayer Ty Cobb. To a “field” of greens is added shavings from leathery old baseball mitts and bats. It’s topped with a pine tar dressing, and is almost exclusively served to in-laws.
At my age, if the offer is Danish women, I take the danish. But for those of you young single fellas out there who would love nothing more than to win the heart of a sweet Copenhagen lass (see below), there’s a great way to meet them: Join the army! Denmark has announced it will start drafting women into its armed forces. It’s part of its response to the growing threat of Russian expansionism.
Denmark’s population is 6 million, with about 16,600 in uniform. It’s seeking to increase annual recruits to 6,500, up from 4,700 last year. The decision to include women in the draft was needs-based, not in the service of “equality.” Women have been allowed to volunteer, and they make up around 10 percent of the armed forces.
So, fellas, if you play your cards right, Freja here could be your drool sergeant. I mean drill sergeant.
At 3D, the clue was “Step up from an upright piano,” and the answer was BABY GRAND. But it apparently got on the goat of one commenter who ranted: A BABY GRAND is not one step up from an upright; a SPINET is. Then comes a PETIT GRAND, then BABY GRAND. [Hrrrrrumph.]
In the constructor’s defense, the clue did not say “one” step up. But I should probably stay out of it. These Crossworld melees get ugly pretty fast. The last thing I need is a crazy cruciverbalist on my tuchas.
Here’s a little key-pounder who’s almost as cute as my Zoey.
I’m ashamed to hold a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania. And angry. Let’s go over it.
Lia Thomas is a helluva swimmer. Like, championship level. She’s also a transgender woman, so she was careful to follow the rules for the NCAA swim competitions when she was at Penn. The key test under NCAA guidelines was hormonal. Upon submitting to it, Lia was cleared to compete as a woman. I’m not going to go over her accomplishments: She set records and won championships, including a National title.
Of course, Trump’s hate-motivated campaign against the transgender community resulted in pressure on Penn to adopt an anti-trans stance and revoke Thomas’s achievements. Rather than fight the administration and maintain a principled stance, Penn has caved in to Trump lock, stock, and barrel. California, Minnesota, and others are fighting. Capitulation was not the only option. In fact, it should not have been an option. What would Penn have done if the order pertained to Blacks, Jews, Asians?
But it’s not just capitulation — it’s groveling, dishonest, and disgusting. In a statement required by the Department of Education as part of the agreement, Penn President J. Larry Jameson said Tuesday that, although the university’s rules during the 2021-2022 season complied with NCAA eligibility rules at the time, the university agreed to the resolution [stripping Thomas of her wins] so that current student-athletes could continue to compete. And Penn agreed to send personalized apology letters to every female swimmer “who experienced a competitive disadvantage or experienced anxiety because of the policies in effect at the time,” Jameson said.
What the f*ck! A kiss-ass apology?? I sent a letter to Jameson that contained one word: Disgraceful.
Get this: Jameson’s statement ended with: “Our commitment to ensuring a respectful and welcoming environment for all of our students is unwavering.”
Of course he means “for some of our students.” Penn’s motto is “Leges sine moribus vanae.” That translates to “Laws without morals are useless.” Where are the morals here?
It could not be more clear that the administration’s anti-trans campaign is motivated by, and feeds off of, hatred and cruelty. Et tu, Pennsylvania?
Here’s Lia. We’re with you, girl.
Thank God today’s poem in the Writer’s Almanac is by Ted Kooser. Maybe it will calm me down. It’s called “In the Corners of Fields.”
Something is calling to me
from the corners of fields,
where the leftover fence wire
suns its loose coils, and stones
thrown out of the furrow
sleep in warm litters;
where the gray faces
of old No Hunting signs
mutter into the wind,
and dry horse tanks
spout fountains of sunflowers;
where a moth
flutters in from the pasture,
harried by sparrows,
and alights on a post,
so sure of its life
that it peacefully opens its wings.
Nope. Still upset. See you tomorrow.
The Wellington Files 