google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday October 10, 2021 David Alfred Bywaters

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Oct 10, 2021

Sunday October 10, 2021 David Alfred Bywaters

Theme: "Moonlighting" - Each common phrase is rephrased as if the last word is a job held by the person in the clue.

22. Exec working as a lifeguard?: DIVING SUIT.

32. Sailors working as aromatherapists?: SMELLING SALTS.

49. Committee head working as a lead guitarist?: ROCKING CHAIR.

63. NBA players working as Instacart employees?: SHOPPING CENTERS.

84. Comics working as phone solicitors?: CALLING CARDS.

97. Author's rep working as a janitor?: CLEANING AGENT.

114. Football player working as a tailor?: FITTING END. Fitting end of the theme set. Nicely played.

The first words are all *ING form. Super consistent. Go to David's website if you want some extra every Saturday. He's a genius at letter addition/deletion/replacement themes.
 
We don't often see paralleled 10s in a Sunday puzzle. Today is an exception:

15. From every direction: ON ALL SIDES. And 16. In close opposition: NOSE TO NOSE.  69. Studier of signs: ASTROLOGER. 70. "I can't tell": IT'S A SECRET.

Across:

1. Milk consumer: CALF. Baby cow. Not BABY.

5. 2017 Dan Stevens fantasy title role: BEAST. "Beauty and the Beast".

10. Units of resistance: OHMS.

14. Stop running, with "out": CONK.

18. Like zeroes: OVAL.

19. Aerie occupant: EAGLE.

20. Heartless: CRUEL.

21. Shortly, once: ANON.

24. Speaks in Spanish: HABLA. "No habla espanol."

25. Stalwart political group: BASE.

26. "Accidents will happen," e.g.: ADAGE.

27. Accessory for Astaire: TAP. Fred Astaire.


28. .000001 meters: MICRON.

29. Head for the hills: FLEE.

30. Word of technique: HOW. How to say "I love you" in Chinese. Wo Ai Ni.


35. Narrow opening: SLIT.

38. Sole: ONE.

41. City near Nîmes: ARLES.

42. Rough words?: OR SO. Roughly speaking.

43. Truckload unit: TON.

44. Source of perfection, so they say: PRACTICE.

46. Crossword constructor's chore: CLUEING. Tough to come up with fresh, never-been-used clues.

51. Stimulate: FUEL.

52. Fawn's mom: DOE.

53. Bolt with great speed: USAIN.

54. Get a look at: SEE. Had a nice walk around the Lake Harriet with Andrea Carla Michaels & Tom Pepper last Tuesday. Beautiful weather. See more pictures here. Andrea grew up in Minneapolis. Tom grew up in Edina.

Andrea Carla Michaels, Tom Pepper and C.C.

55. Site of Napoleon's exile: ELBA.

56. "The __ is silence": Hamlet's last words: REST. Also 6. "It is the __, and Juliet is the sun": Romeo: EAST.

57. Good guy: MENSCH. Every Tom I know.

59. "To repeat ... ": AS I SAID.

62. Puts to work: USES.

68. Badly hurt: MAIM.

71. Not in time: TOO LATE.

72. "I'm not buying that!": NO SALE.

76. Bone: Pref.: OSTE. Like the painful osteoarthritis.

77. Inform: TELL.

78. St. with a panhandle: FLA.

81. "Uh-oh!": YIPES.

82. Rehab symptoms: DTS. Delirium tremens.

83. It might be on a stickie: MEMO.

88. Correction tools: ERASERS.

90. Traditional song with the line "Je te plumerai": ALOUETTE.


91. Call __ day: IT A.

92. Workplace standards org.: OSHA.

93. Sunlit lobbies: ATRIA.

95. "Gloria in Excelsis __": DEO.

96. Overdo the sweetness: CLOY.

101. Chic retreat: SPA. I saw a YouTube clip about Thermage. Wow, why would you want such pain?


103. Security device: LOCK.

104. Church official: DEACON.

105. "__ Dark Materials": HBO fantasy series: HIS. (Thanks, Big Easy!)



108. Sound: AUDIO.

112. Farm prefix: AGRI.

113. Hanukkah potato pancake: LATKE.

116. React to a shock: REEL.

117. Cultural values: ETHOS.

118. City map, sometimes: INSET. China's map looks like a rooster. See Shaanxi, the very middle? That's where Xi'an is.

119. Not just dislike: HATE.

120. Pretentious: ARTY.

121. Equine hue: ROAN.

122. Cleopatra's kingdom: EGYPT. Egypt-born Greek.

123. Walked: TROD.

Down:

1. Composition conclusion: CODA.

2. Ardent: AVID.

3. Volcanic output: LAVA.

4. Small sampling, as of various beers: FLIGHT. Never took one.



5. Implore: BEG.

7. Liquido claro: AGUA. Clear liquid.

8. Loses traction: SLIPS.

9. Asian festival: TET. I bought a Vietnamese mung bean cake from our local grocery store. So good. It's wrapped in banana leaves.



10. Expert in futures?: ORACLE. Great clue.

11. Overreaching self-confidence: HUBRIS.

12. Dieter's breakfast: MELON. I've got to have some real carb.

13. Much street talk: SLANG.

14. A subway rider might save it: CAB FARE.

17. Joints with caps: KNEES.

20. Scary story: CHILLER. New word to me.

23. Modernist: NEO.

28. Word of Gallic gratitude: MERCI. Xie xie!

31. Frayed: WORN.

33. Greek goddess for whom a spring month is named: MAIA. May.

34. "Divine Comedy" focus: SOUL.

35. Neither bow nor pick: STRUM.

36. Unsecured: LOOSE.

37. Like ancient Peru: INCAN.

39. Bugs: NAGS.

40. Pilate's "Behold!": ECCE. "Ecce homo".  Jesus had abs.


44. Small recipe quantity: PINCH.

45. With 100-Down, 1951 horror film whose title role was played by James Arness: THE. 100. See 45-Down: THING.  No idea. Horror movie.


46. Ark unit: CUBIT.

47. Heavy: LEADEN.

48. Comes into: GETS.

50. Affectionate invitation: KISS ME. And 58. More torrid: HOTTER.

51. Custard dessert: FLAN.

55. Salem-to-Boise dir.: ESE.

56. Nation in a Fleming title: RUSSIA. "From Russia With Love".

59. Santa __ winds: ANA.

60. Army NCO: SGT.

61. Cooling cubes: ICE.

64. Poe output, aptly: POEMS. Baltimore Ravens' mascot is named after Poe. We also have 73. National Poetry Month: APRIL.

65. Game played on horseback: POLO.

66. Badly: ILL.

67. Auto pioneering partner: ROYCE. Henry Royce. Charles Rolls

68. Fashion: MODE.

74. Brought about: LED TO.

75. Long exam answer: ESSAY. I took the challenging Gaokao (College Entrance exam) in 1990. Look at the acceptance rate that year. 21.55%. I lucked out.

78. Seasonal affliction: FLU. And 96. Came down with: CAUGHT.

79. Wasn't true: LIED.

80. Poker hand staple: ANTE.

83. Intend: MEAN.

84. Freighters' loads: CARGOES.

85. From far away (perhaps very far): ALIEN.

86. Bank offering: LOAN.

87. Pontiac muscle cars: GTOS.

89. With uncertainty: SHAKILY.

93. Mystery award namesake: AGATHA. The Agatha Awards.

94. Add at the end: TACK ON.

97. Philanthropist Barton: CLARA. She founded the American Red Cross.

98. Do-nothing: IDLER.

99. Cool kin: NEATO.

102. Critical critique: PAN.

106. Wee: ITSY.

107. Dance part: STEP.

109. Letter opening: DEAR.

110. Fond of: INTO.

111. Binged (on), as junk food: OD'ED.

114. "Shame on thee!": FIE.

115. Hairy Addams family member: ITT.

Extra notes:

1) I know it's hard to avoid politics or other sensitive issues on the blog. Please try your best. If I mention a potential Nobel Peace on a GRETA entry and you disagree, just ignore. No need to seize on my comment and prolong the discussions.

2) Good news on Agnes! Her oncologist said no bone marrow biopsy is necessary. The anomalies in her blood work were attributed to other health issues. She did have to visit ER last Thursday due to her  debilitating cough. She said the chest x-ray was inconclusive but viral pneumonia was a possibility. She's dehydrated because she can't eat or drink. But she's feeling better! Please continue to keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

C.C.

40 comments:

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

Got this one by dribs and DABs. No real problems, just steady progress. Even d-o managed to get the theme. Nice. Thanx, D.A.B. and C.C.

FLU: Got my annual jab Friday. Needed cash, and my nearest ATM is at the local Walgreens, so I killed two stones with one bird.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

Great news regarding Agnes. The rest of this stuff pales in importance.

FIR, but erased slot for SLIT, then slot again for DEAR, usane for USAIN, yikes for YIPES, moon for EAST, esse for ECCE, loaded for LEADEN, append for TACK ON, tsk for FIE, and shipping centers for SHOPPING CENTERS. DNK Nimes, HIS Dark Materials, MAIA, and that CARGOES had an "E".

My hand-written zeroes are round, not oval, but my printers all make them oval. Not to be confused with "O" val(ue).

Didn't know if poetry month was march or APRIL, so I filled in the "R" and waited. I did know POETS day as an alternative to TGIF - "Piss On Everything, Tomorrow's Saturday".

Thanks to DAB for another enjoyable puzzle, and to CC for the tour.

Boomer said...

So Happy to hear that Agnes will not be joining me in the Oncology clinic. CC missed a great quote by Bill Cosby today. First God "Noah, I want you to build an ark" Cosby. "Riiight!" "300 cubits it shall be long." Cosby "Riiight, What's a Cubit?"

ATLGranny said...

It's a good news Sunday! FIR for me and C.C. reporting what Irish Miss found out this week. So happy to hear it, Irish Miss. I hope you begin to feel much better.

The puzzle was a joy and the theme helped a lot. Thanks, DAB. And many thanks to C.C. WOs similar to Jinx's. And smiles at DO's wit. A pleasant Sunday to all of you!

Lemonade714 said...

I agree, the puzzle was great but the news about IM was the best. I pray she continues to get her strength back. Nice picture C.C.

So many things we hear and repeat as children like "Je te plumerai": ALOUETTE is not so gentille .

Our beer FLIGHT so we all should know it this time.

I did not know Mr. Rolls died so young. Oo makes, buys and eats many mung bean in sweet rice snacks. They are as Susan would say "Yummers."

Thank you David and Zhouqin

Linkster said...

Thank you for the Sunday diversion, DAB. I admire erudition and humor of strong constructors and C.C has the experience and guile to point out the finer aspects of the art. Thank you both.

LEADEN is used in the first line of Cream's Tales of Brave Ulysses. I do not recall it used anywhere else.

Interesting CLUEING including: "Neither bow nor pick" and "Stimulate". I had STRUM right off but FUEL took me three or four attempts.

Once I sussed the theme, the answers started to flow. All in all, enjoyable.

Spitzboov said...

Good morning everyone.

DAB's puzzles are usually entertaining and so was this one. Liked the theme. Not hard for a Sunday. Liked the grouped 10 letter downs, too.
FLIGHT - In the 80's and 90's, while in Chicag for meetings, always enjoy a fine repast at the Berghoff on Adams St. and to ssample their beers. Much GemĂ¼tlichkeit.
MENSCH - In German it simply means 'person'. But in Yiddish, it means a real good man.
CALF - Not just cow 'babies'. A partial list:
aardvark
antelope
bison.


bongo
buffalo
camel
elephant
elk
giraffe
gnu
hippopotamus
manatee
moose
ox
reindeer
rhinoceros
whale
wildebeest
yak

Good news on Agnes, C.C. Hope for a good outcome on the remaining issues.

I had a bone marrow biopsy last week to see why I'm exhibiting anemic conditions. Turns out I've developed a low lever Myelodysplastic Syndrome. (I don't think it's related to Polaris Extremis. :-)). Hemotologist put me on a Procrit regimen to increase red blood cell production. I see the Rheumatologist this week to start treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis which started flaring up last July. Hope the treatments play well together.

Have a good day, everyone.

Spitzboov said...

level vs lever

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-Rich had an “ING” format Friday as well
-FLIGHT as small beer samples also has reappeared
-5 TON truck hauling 10 TONS of parakeets? Keep half of them in the air at all times.
-There is no perfection in your future if you PRACTICE bad habits
-FLA was called for Al Gore in the 2000 election but the panhandle is in the Central Time Zone had a different BASE and it flipped the state
-Call IT A DAY – Quit while you’re behind
-The very hard, flat walls in our church make the AUDIO in our church terrible
-It is easy to find cocky ORACLES who predict football scores but barely get 50% right
-The Thing gave me nightmares for a long time.
-Yeah right, C.C., it was all luck! As if…
-Good for Agnes!
-Gotta run!

Unknown said...

What does a rapist have to do with this.

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Great puzzle & theme, D.A.B. Enjoyable challenge for a Sunday.

Great Expo, C.C. I especially like the map of China with all the different colors which helped get a better picture of sizes & locations. Shanghai isn't where I thought it was. Not surprised that you passed Gaokao. More than luck involved.

DNK as clued: BEAST, MICRON, ARLES, HIS, SOUL, FUEL, THE THING (I was 10 yrs old in 1951. My mom would not have driven us to a scary movie for anything.

Linkster: LEADEN skies is used to describe heavy gray overcast.

Spitz: Good luck on your treatment.

Dear Agnes: glad you got some good news about your condition. But we all know pneumonia is not fun at our age. Thinking a big hug and prayers for you.

Big Easy said...

Good morning all. DAB's puzzle was easier than usual for both him and Sunday. The 'mystery' theme was up after a couple of 'gerund jobs'. The only 'real' unknowns were Matt Dillon's "THE THING", HIS, and BEAST. Had to wait on a few perps to get HABLA and ARLES. Learned FLIGHT of beers from an earlier puzzle. EAST- A wag.

Only change was CAR FARE to CAB FARE to get BASE.
ASTROLOGER- they can be right or wrong but they still have you money.
CALLING CARD- if you have a dog, it's got one.
ROYCE- it was his car; Rolls was the salesman who had the rich connections.

C.C., Your photo of HIS DARK MATERIALS has BBC on the top, not HBO. When in doubt HBO (I don't subscribe) is always a good guess for a network.

Becky said...

FLN Lemony, on the contrary, I am always "Standing on the Corner, watching all the blogs go by." I just figure my opinions and thoughts aren't worthy enough to post, mostly.

C.C., I agree with those who posted that luck had nothing to do with your gaokao results. You have to be incredibly smart! A) for marrying Boomer and B) for starting this wonderful site!

Becky

Anonymous said...

Wow, zipped through this one in no time with nary a write-over (unusual for me). Remember reading somewhere that puzzle difficulty increases incrementally from Monday (easiest) to Saturday (most difficult) with Sunday coming in around a Thursday level (though larger of course). This one seemed like a Monday to me...not that I'm complaining - puzzle was very fun taking common phrases and tweaking the meanings.

Wendybird said...

The puzzle was so enjoyable today - after the bruising I experienced yesterday, it was balm to my wounds. Thank you, David, and thanks as always to C.C. for the tour and the gentle reminders about protocol. BTW, your haircut is lovely!

FLN thanks to friends who answered my query about “shade on a field”. Unlike Unknown, who was annoyed by words unknown to him/her, I am happy to expand my knowlege base. Also I, who have played guitar for years, am very familiar with “axe”.

I am happy that Irish Miss is doing well and wish her continued progress back to good wealth.

We watched Texas A&M beat #1 rated Alabama last night with 1 second left on the clock - what a great game! Several of our Texas family are Aggies, so joy reigned supreme.

MM - I’m in your time zone, and I’m raising my bloody Mary to you and Valerie!

General comment. As one of the less talented puzzle solvers on this blog, I am in awe of those who easily breeze through puzzles that I struggle mightily with. However, I continue to learn and get more competent. The onus is on me to stick with it - or not. The constructors are to be appreciated NOT criticized and carped at. The Thumper perspective should be the guideline. End of rant.

Have a great day, everyone. I had my second surgery last week on the other leg, and I’m off to take a long walk in the hills for the first time in over a year. Feeling lucky and happy.

waseeley said...

Thank you David for a Funday puzzle lit by a Full Moon. The light was bright enough for me to find my way to a FIR.

And thank you C.C. for another illuminating review.

5A BEAST. Surprisingly, he's not at all 20A.

10A OHMS. David's puzzle offered very little for a Sunday.

14A CONK. If you hold one to your ear you can hear the ocean ROAR.

25A BASE. Some these days are both nouns AND adjectives.

30A MERCI. Wo Ai Ni Was one of the phrases my son and I learned when we went to China to adopt a son (now the tallest member of the family, at age 17!). We also learned 28DD Xie xie!

41A In 1872 Alphonse Daudet wrote a play called The Woman of Arles (L’ArlĂ©sienne) and George Bizet wrote the incidental music for it. The play was a flop. The music was a hit. I bet you'll recognize this.

90A ALOUETTE = LARK.

92A OSHA. They ought to do something about the ODD jobs in this puzzle. They're PUNISHING!

104A DEACON. DEACON Fritz gave an inspiring homily at this morning's Mass, his subject being 11D.

118A INSET. Up North on the right in C.C.'s map of CHINA is an INSET for a city called Harbin, where we adopted Ray. Every year they have a month long ICE FESTIVAL. I'm sure BOOMER would love it.

40D ECCE. A hard working guy!

91D AGATHA. Must be a British Award. In America they're called EDGARS, after Edgar Alan Poe (see 64D), who BTW is buried in BALTIMORE.

A lot of cross pollination in this puzzle!

Cheers,
Bill

And thank you C.C. for the good news on Agnes! But as you said she still needs our prayers.

Misty said...

Neat Sunday puzzle, many thanks, David.

C.C., many thanks for the update on Agnes. We'll continue to pray for her full recovery.

Bit of religion in the puzzle today, with "Gloria in Excelsis Deo," Pilate's "Ecce Homo", and also a Greek goddess and a Noah's Ark unit (was it Noah's or another Ark)?
Perfectly appropriate for a Sunday!

Have a great weekend, everybody!

Malodorous Manatee said...

Good news about Agnes. Let's hope the trend continues.

Valerie did the vast majority of today's puzzle while I moonlighted as an ACTING COACH. I tried very hard to only rephrase clues and not give any actual answers but, for her, the CUBIT / ELBA crossing was a Natick. Boomer, I did try the Cosby "riiiight, what's a ________ ?" bit with the last word left out but she was unfamiliar with his routine. Still she was able to solve 85% OR SO oh her own which was very good. So, Wendybird your toast turned out to be right on target. MERCI. (Even though you went to DUKE, I add Go Blue. My daughter and son-in-law are both alumni - as is my checkbook).

Kelly Clark said...


DAB is amazing...loved every minute of this puzzle. Thank you, and thank you, C.C.

Prayers, of course, for Agnes.

Emile O'Touri said...

Nice puzzle,fun theme with just enough crunch to make it interesting. Way better than yesterday.

Jayce said...

Happy Double-Ten Day.

Anonymous T said...

Sunday Lurk say...

Thank you C.C. for the update on IM. I emailed her yesterday but hadn't gotten a response yet. God Speed Agnes!

Wendybird - It was less than two years ago that I needed to rely on Steve's grid for the last few squares on a Thursday (sometimes, I still need help). I wouldn't label you as a "less talented solver" 'cuz you're playing and learning. Just like me. :-)

Oh, also re: A&M game, I live in HOU but DW & I did grad-school at OU (and Eldest is there now finishing a double-degree [music & psyc]) so yesterday's win over UT - in dramatic fashion - was sweet.
//I have UT Alum buddies... Boy, do they gloat when UT wins at The Cotton Bowl.

@12:49 - Yes, it gets harder through the week. Saturdays are the most difficult. Sundays are usually Thursday hard clue-wise but there's a bucket-more words.

Boomer - It's probably un-PC to link Cosby's Noah bit, but I separate the man from the work.
I mean, we still like Wagner, no? :-)

Cheers, -T

sasses said...

Fun puzzle today. Thank you CC for the reference to the importance of national exams in China. One takes either Social Science or Natural Science. Impressive that all institutes of higher ed require the test. Millions take the test every year and the passing rate is up from ~ 10% to ~ 50%.

Vidwan827 said...

Thank you, Mr. Bywaters for an involved and appropriately long, Sunday puzzle. Most of the answers were decipherable, and I had no real trouble. Thank you.

Thank you, CC for the review blog. I read the Wiki article on the chinese competitive exams - Gaokao, in great detail. and it reflected to me the similarity of national exams for admission, also in India. Although most H.S. exams in India are state (province ) mandated, not national - except for the entrance exams for engineering, the JEE-Main - the exams, for entrance to engineering schools and for medicine and para-meds ( phy therapy, pharmacy, nursing and the like ... ) can be very competitive. In Bombay, there are less than 1,850 seats for admission, even now, for over 115,000+ applicants.

The following is meant to be read with tongue-in-cheek, facetiousness ...
Spitz, mentioned that Mensch in german meant just a 'person', whereas in yiddish, it means a 'real' man, or a refined, classy, noble gentleman. I am only familiar with the use in jewish litreature. But, the above may lead a person to believe, that a) either the germans had an overrated opinion of themselves, or b) the original jews in Germany had an overrated opinion of german 'persons' .... ;-) just a joke....

When the movie 'From Russia, with Love', was released in India, ... the USSR objected to the title of the movie, so the indian govt., at the time, mandated that the theater posters for the movie, read as 'From 007, with Love'. The movie itself was unchanged, but it was given an 'A' rating, to protect the young minds from the dangers of ... capitalism (?)

Have a good weekend, and a good week ahead,



desper-otto said...

Anon-T, I just realized you weren't talking about UTah.

PK said...

Vidwan, I am always amazed at the number of Indian doctors we find in American big city hospitals. Some are educated in India. Getting into American medical schools was very political when my brother tried to get in in the mid-1970's. Straight A student and good scores on the entrance exam. He ended up with a Phd. & did medical research with a distinguished career. A friend who had a C average but had political connections got into med-school but I don't know if he even finished.

Anonymous T said...

D-O: LOL! #RedRiverRivalry

I don't know anything about the China exams.
In the US, it was kinda easy. Take the ACT or SAT and, if your score is above 'moron' and you can afford (take out loans for) tuition, you're in.

Vidwan - shortly after moving to Houston's burb, I discovered An Indian in Cowboy Country. He wrote about growing up in India and getting into IIT and what that meant.
Pradeep lives nearby but I've never met him (well, maybe I have at Nimanz (my fav!) but didn't know it :-)

Cheers, -T

OwenKL said...

My apologies for a paucity of poetry of late. I've recently been afflicted with headaches and bouts of nausea. Reason unknown, but screen eye-strain is partially implicated. Ozymandias yesterday was conceived during possible delirium, and typed out during a short period of relief. The first half came out exactly as intended, but the second half fell far short. (Long, actually, two lines too long for a proper sonnet.) I have now rewritten that second half to my original ideal. I worked the puzzle this morning (FIR), but didn't have time to construct any timely verses on it.

"Ozymandias"
by Owen Laurion

I read a poet from an antique time
Whose words were printed in a book.
He wrote of a king in Saharan clime
Whose magnificence he sorely mistook.
For he had built a city so sublime
And at his every word, the people shook!
His statue gazed upon his realm divine.
That now was desert, so said the book.

I look up at the library where sits my armchair.
Bookcases crammed end to end with poetry to pedias.
When Omar Khyamm wrote of love, were you there?
Knew you the writers of the Eddas, or the Vedas?
Oh, Ozymandias, King of Kings, look on and despair!
For poets outlive kings, in books and other medias!

Jayce said...

I very much enjoyed this puzzle. I usually like Mr. Bywaters' puzzles. The only place I had trouble with was in the NE where I had BUS FARE then CAR FARE before finally getting CAB FARE.

Continuing to wish Agnes all the best.

Congratulations to you, C.C.

Wendybird, I used to be unable to solve Thursday and Friday puzzles because I found them to be too hard. As my skill and experience increased, as I'm sure yours will, I got better at solving. Of course there are still some puzzles that are too hard for me.

Take care, all.

Yellowrocks said...

Lost my puzzle AGAIN!I will try again tomorrow.

desper-otto said...

YR, at least you didn't lose your post! :)

Yellowrocks said...

Actually I lost my post, not my puzzle and this week,s was easier than most Sundays. FiR
I should remember to write in WORD.

Vidwan827 said...


Its actually quite late now, but Ima gonna give it a try and answer two posts that referred to my original post.

PK:: The presence of many indian medical doctors in some US hospitals is directly related to only 2 or 3 factors.
1. India has a large number of medical colleges, and a consequently, a large number of med graduates, hence the availability of a large pool of applicants applying to the US ....

2. All indian doctors have studied only in English, there is no teaching in med schools in any vernacular languages, hence they are ( supposed to be -) fluent in English. This helps them pass the AMA / US Med qualifing exams ... necessary even BEFore they enter the country ... which are in english, like the ECFMG the Educational Commission on Foreign Medical Graduates conducted exams .... NOW called the USMLE US Med Lic Exams ... Step 1, Step 2 CK Clinical knowledge, Step 2 CS Clinical Skills, and finally the Step 3. Also they have to pass the FLEX the Fed Licsng Exam.
Doctors from many other countries who studied in a vernacular like from China, Korea, Japan, Germany, France etc. obviously have a disabiity of language.

3. Finally, US Immigration Law gives preference only to med doctors and other para med professionals for immigration, and entry into the USA, as opposed to, say, engineers and IT professionals, and any other professions.

All this, and certain other factors, ( too much detail -) has caused this anomaly.

Vidwan827 said...


Anon-T, thank you for your recommendation of the book, An indian in cowboy country. I shall certainly try to get a copy, though I am leery whether I am going to learn something new... ;-o) Its always worth a read, although I suspect its going to be pretty much a rehash of my own life ....

Getting into the IITs the Indian Institutes of Technology IS a very big deal ...the JEE-Main exams etc. I did not make it, and it broke my heart, but I did get into another prestigious Chem Engg institute instead. Eventually, I did an MBA in the USA and became a CPA ... and eventually, like all folks, will become an MIA.

*******************

I notice.... a) you eat out a lot, and ..... b) you seem to like indian food.

I dont do a) because of my ( and my wife's ) nitpicky preferences, and indian food is not something I would eat out for. Maybe schezuan chinese.

Actually, I may not be a profession chef, but I love to cook fairly complicated indian dishes, and would have loved to have cooked for you. Unfortunately, my current ongoing medical conditions have put some severe restrictions on my intake, but I would have been more than happy to cook for other people, wihtout restrictions.

Good night all, and please pardon the long post.

Jayce said...

Vidwan, I love reading your posts. Never TMI.

Anonymous T said...

Vidwan:

Yes, living in a restaurant mecca, we do eat out / take-out a lot (2 or 3x a week?). And, living in one of the most diverse counties in America (Ft. Bend), we have real-deal cuisine: Thai, Vietnamese, middle-east (the Syrian guy that owns our favorite gyro joint is a hoot), Indian, and TX BBQ.

Ironically, the Chinese food here is MEH.*
//DW said the food was soooo much better (after 10 days) in China that she bought 3 cookbooks and a wok.
She says to me, "No, you still don't have it right" :-)

I understand you not eating out Indian food. I'm like that with Italian fare... I can usually do it better (unless I'm in Boston's NorthEnd or Italy :-))

Since Bluehen hasn't showed up in a while:
Tonight's dinner was pork-chops with an apple/honey/cinnamon reduction chutney atop (I usually over-cook pork so I need some "wet"), smashed-potatoes (w/ 1/2 stick-butter, white pepper, salt, cream), and a Caesar salad (bag mix; I'm lazy).

Cheers, -T
*there is one that's pretty good but they stopped delivering >8mi :-(

Wilbur Charles said...

Fln, thx -T for 'splain'n the LOL emoji.

Nice to have seen FLIGHT earlier this week. A CSO with FLA and another for INSET, my handy supply of the week's xwords(and jumbles)

MELON not MELba*, Gallic as in Gaul not Gaelic,CARGOES not CARtonS*, PINCH not ounCe*

And as Jinx did, ship<SHOP.

Matt Dillon! Famous trivia question. The fault lies not in the stars? Who said that OMK?

Becky, I've never seen anything but gold from your posts especially "Standing on the corner…" And who was the singer?

WA, so HUBRIS goeth before the fall?

IM, best wishes for a complete recovery

Relatively easy Sunday. Anon-T and Jayce said it well and same for me. PRACTICE leads to eventually solving even the dreaded Saturday monsters

WC


* these allow me to bypass autocorrect

Wilbur Charles said...

BTW, so much for Sirius in the loaner. Ww drove to Orlando and 50z lastesr 10 seconds. We ended up with Spa. Aarrrggghhhh!!!!

PK said...

Vidwan, thank you for the medical doctor info. One factor involved in the immigration allowance of Indian doctors is the shortage of doctors trained in the U.S. partly because of restrictions getting into med schools here. We only had one medical school in our state in 1976. A second medical school was opened not long after that. However, getting to see a doctor in my city now is ridiculous. They 1) aren't taking new patients. 2) don't take medicare patients. 3) have no openings for 3 mos. The last five doctors (3 women, 2 men) I went to have moved away or retired from practice. The men retired just after the pandemic became apparent. One dr. ran a walk-in clinic which was unbelievably busy.

Becky said...

Wilber Charles, The Four Lads. But I had to Google it. I remember singing it with my dad. OMG, the weather for the Buffalo Kansas City game is dreadful!!

Becky