Thanks for reaching out. The seed for this puzzle, which might be a NO BRAINER, was FREE BRITNEY.” Well over a year ago now, after seeing the story in the news again and finding myself shouting to no one in particular, “It’s her damn money, she can spend it however she wants!” I added FREE BRITNEY to my running list of seed entries. The rest of the puzzle eventually fell into place.
A few clues that didn’t make the cut — for 1-across I originally had, “Like Bob Dylan, controversially, at the 1965 Newport Music Festival.” And for 20-across, “Emulate the Scooby gang.” I’m particularly proud of “Order of magnitude” for SUPERSIZE, which made it in. There are a number of clues I can’t take credit for, but I'm thrilled to see so many women in the puzzle.
Also, this is my first themeless and my first puzzle for the LA Times, which is super exciting. Grateful to Patti Varol for helping to whip it into shape!
When I'm not making crosswords, I'm usually conserving books and paper at the archives for New York City, gardening, or taking silly pictures of my partner Steve and our cats.
10. "All good here!": I'M SET -Yup, I've got a nice Saturday puzzle to blog!
15. Order of magnitude?: SUPER SIZE - A precursor to being 24. __ shape?: IN BAD.
16. Not touch: LET BE.
17. Paleolithic innovation: STONE TOOL.
18. Turning points?: KNOBS - Ah, TV's and radios of my misspent youth.
19. British pound note featuring Jane Austen: TEN.
20. Horn in: MEDDLE.
22. Jettison: TOSS - The Saturn V rocket that took us to the Moon did jettison every part except the tiny, by comparison, Apollo CM (Command Module) which is the only part that returned to Earth
23. Take off: FLEE.
26. Hardly rosy: GRIM.
27. "Broaden your horizons!": GET A LIFE.
30. Bank security: LIEN.
31. Self-evident pick: NO BRAINER - Calling off this game looks like a NO BRAINER to me.
32. Top pick: FAVE.
33. Big name in Early American art: PEALE - Charles Willson PEALE's 1772 portrait of George Washington and 2. Gentileschi's "Self-Portrait as a __ Player":LUTE. Our retired art curator/constructor Jeffrey Wechsler would know both of these works.
34. Emmy winner Helgenberger: MARG - MARG got a big kick out of having her hometown of North Bend, NE co-naming Locust St. Helgenberger St. (Yes, we had MARG in Robyn's puzzle last Saturday)
35. Drunkenness: INEBRIETY - An inebriated person can be said to be in a state of INEBRITY. Not by me but...
37. Cut off: SAWN.
38. Backs: REAR ENDS.
39. Herb used in some Indigenous smudging rituals: SAGE - Smudging rituals
40. Life styles?: BIOTA - The flora and fauna of a region
41. Personal matter?: GENE - About as personal as you can get
42. Parking space: SPOT - Got that?
44. Fortified, with "up": SHORED - NFL teams are trying to SHORE UP their weak spots in this week's draft
46. Cool amount?: MIL - I had to get rid of LIL (diminutive of little) for "cool amount" because of 46. Nutmeg spice: MACE. Then it hit me, A million dollars is a Cool MIL. 😳
49. Sierra __: LEONE - Recent Saturday puzzles have had Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana and now...
51. Smell-O-Vision rival: AROMARAMA.
53. Source of intelligence: ASSET - With A _ _ _ T, I had AGENT first
54. Summary of top headlines: NEWSRECAP.
55. Prankster's declaration: GOT YA - or GOTCHA
56. Mail order?: DO NOT BEND.
Down:
1. Start of a library conversation, maybe: PSST.
3. Just after: UPON - UPON passing my driver's license, I immediately drove home
4. Mil. title: GEN.
5. Troublemaker: GREMLIN.
6. Prize: ESTEEM.
7. LED component: DIODE.
8. Hilfiger rival: IZOD - Preppy wear?
9. Pen name of journalist Elizabeth Cochrane Seaman: NELLIE BLY - What a fabulous woman!
10. Sort: ILK.
11. Element of some meditation exercises: MENTAL IMAGE.
12. Admired with quiet reverence, with "of": STOOD IN AWE - There's this woman in Minneapolis who runs our blog...
13. Goes back out: EBBS.
14. Crossword editor Harper in Hallmark's "Crossword Mysteries" series: TESS.
21. __ nous: ENTRE- Juste ENTRE NOUS, avez-vous apprécié ce puzzle? [Just BETWEEN US, did you enjoy this puzzle?]
23. Hashtag that went viral during a pop star's legal battle: FREE BRITNEY - Lindsey's seed
entry.
25. Ewe said it: BAA.
26. Elevate: GIVE A BOOST - Ya gotta love this video!
27. Kids on a farm: GOATS.
28. Plant that sparked the Victorian craze "pteridomania": FERN - Pterido is Latin for fern.
29. Indoor rower, for short: ERG - New to me
30. "Smallville" role for Durance: LANE 31. "You okay there?": NEED A HAND Lois?
Puzzling thoughts: Today's puzzle has a quartet of entries with no reveal. Each of the entries has a "B" (or "B's") in a place where a "P" would make a more plausible phrase. Here they are:
20-across. Group of apartments made of gingerbread?: EDIBLE COMPLEX. The more recognized phrase that is mimicked is: OEDIPAL COMPLEX. According to Brittanica dot com: "Oedipus (Oedipal) complex, in psychoanalytic theory, is a desire for sexual involvement with the parent of the opposite sex and a concomitant sense of rivalry with the parent of the same sex; a crucial stage in the normal developmental process. Sigmund Freud introduced the concept in his Interpretation of Dreams (1899). Well, isn't THIS the start to some "blue" blogging, Moe?? Would you just shake your head if I posted this song?
The punned version that Ryan and Doug chose as a clue implies this "EDIBLE"; albeit in the form of a group of these as in a condominium COMPLEX
35-across. Gang made up of very light eaters?: NIBBLE RING. In the punned version, the word "RING" can indicate a "gang". But in the non-punned sound-alike ... well, I guess you'll just have to imagine what THAT image would look like
The REASON you WON'T find an image for the NIPPLE RING is because (36-down. Two-piece piece: BIKINI TOP), covered it!
Moving right along ...
43-across. Logo designer's day-to-day existence?: SYMBOL LIFE. Unlike the other entries, this one did not feature a sound-alike that used "BLE". Instead, it used "BOL". Not sure why the editor would deviate, but that's why they're paid to edit, and I am NOT paid to blog. Designer's "SYMBOLS" are their iconic images that enhance the brand. I doubt any of them lead a "SIMPLE LIFE", though
And last, but not least, is: 53-across. Cute, furry problem for Captain Kirk?: TRIBBLE THREAT. Ahh yes, a Star Trek reference, although I wonder if our resident Trekkie, Picard is a fan of this episode from the "original series". But before I link a YouTube video, the un-punned phrase "TRIPLE THREAT" can mean several things:
a) perhaps an actor who can sing, dance, and act
(b) perhaps a running back in football who can run (duh!), block, and catch passes
(c) perhaps a basketball player who can pass, shoot, and rebound effectively ...
This is all I could find about the co-collaborator, Ryan Hecht. Doug Peterson is a 15+ year veteran cruciverbalist who's had at least 50 puzzles published in the NY Times, and who created the first puzzle edited by Patti Varol on April 18th of this year in the LA Times. Good job, gentlemen, though many of the clues were obscure to me - guess that is part of why this was a Friday selection. Here is the grid:
Let's see how the rest of the grid filled in ...
Across:
1. Swedish pop group with the 2021 album "Voyage": ABBA.
5. Gels: SETS.
9. Manhattan Project project, briefly: A-BOMB.
14. Moved smoothly: SLID.
15. Country that outlawed alcohol in 1979: IRAN. Learning moment for me. According to Amnesty dot org: "What happens if you drink alcohol in Iran?" Under Iran's Islamic Penal Code, consumption of alcoholic beverages is punishable by 80 lashes, and if an individual is convicted and sentenced three times, the punishment on the fourth occasion is death. And neither can tourists drink alcohol whilst visiting. Guess Moe can take that place off of his "bucket list" of places to visit ...
17. Throw hard: HURL. The word "HURL" has another meaning; perhaps if Ryan and Doug added the word "up" in the clue, between the words "throw" and "hard"
19. Like cellared wine: AGING. I guess this could be a CSO to yours truly. No "cellar" here in Arizona, but I do have a small (48 bottle) wine fridge that maintains a perfect temperature and humidity (55 degrees/70%) for AGING wine. I haven't added too many bottles to it that require much AGING, as my advancing years are limiting me to purchasing wine that can be drank now. It's also why I rarely buy green bananas ...
23. Fall for: BUY. See the last sentence in my previous comment. I am not "falling for" (BUYING) Bordeaux futures, e.g., as I'm not sure my palate would discern the enhanced quality of a wine I shouldn't drink for another 20+ years
24. Convention giveaway: TOTE. I put "SWAG" into this at first, which slowed me down considerably
25. Card game with a Pixar version: UNO. Another example of something to add to your minutiae list
28. Worship leader: IMAM. I'm pretty sure that none of these who reside in Iran imbibe
31. Trio for Bergman and Streep: OSCARS. Excellent clue
38. Keep hidden, perhaps: ABET. OK, is this ABET or A BET? Could it be both? I suppose when someone ABETs a criminal they would like to keep this fact "hidden". Likewise, if someone places A BET on some random sporting event, they may also want to keep that "hidden" from their partner, e.g. How did YOU interpret this?? Please place in the comment section, below
39. Skirt: AVOID. I would NEVER SKIRT my duties as a blogger ... OK, maybe this summer, when I'm on holidays
40. Letter from ancient Troy: TAU. The clue is "all Greek" to me
41. "Three Tall Women" playwright: ALBEE. A snippet from Wikipedia dot com: "Edward Franklin Albee III (/ˈɔːlbiː/ AWL-bee; March 12, 1928 – September 16, 2016) was an American playwright known for works such as The Zoo Story (1958), The Sandbox (1959), Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1962), A Delicate Balance (1966), and Three Tall Women (1994). Some critics have argued that some of his work constitutes an American variant of what Martin Esslin identified and named the Theater of the Absurd. Three of his plays won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and two of his other works won the Tony Award for Best Play
42. __ chic: GEEK. And why did I think this was TRES, instead?
45. Like some jokes: INSIDE. I tried fitting "DAD" something into this, but failed
47. "__ it obvious?": ISN'T. Well, this clue and entry were
48. Hard-to-prove skill: ESP. Here at the Crossword Corner, the term "ESP" means "EVERY SINGLE PERP"; which is also a hard-to-prove skill
49. Soft ball: NERF. Note the clue: had it been "Softball" (one word), the entry would've been different
51. Toon spinner: TAZ. Fitting that this entry falls "down under" the "equator" of the grid. Looney Tunes
59. Roadster since 1989: MIATA. From MAZDA
60. Part of a plot: ACRE. I was initially thinking that "plot" meant a part of a novel/book/movie. You?
61. Tarot's swords, e.g.: SUIT. This was a late fill. I read my daily Horoscope but have never had a session with Tarot cards. But it makes sense to me now
63. Heavy metal bar: INGOT. What would you think an INGOT of gold at Fort Knox is worth? Answer below
64. Crypto.com Arena statue honoree, familiarly: SHAQ. This one took ESP to solve, as I was unaware of the venue called: "Crypto.com Arena". And I consider myself a sports fan. Here's a photo; the Arena is the former "STAPLES CENTER" in Los Angeles. The name changed on December 25, 2021. And of course the honoree is SHAQuille O'Neal, a former basketball icon with the Lakers
65. Corner: TREE. EDGE and TRAP also fit; both were put into the puzzle grid by yours truly before the crossing words corrected me
66. Brownish gray: TAUPE.
67. Folk singer Axton: HOYT. HOYT Wayne Axton was a country folk singer, actor, and songwriter. So many songs to choose from, but this is one most all of you will know. Enjoy!
68. Simple cat toy: YARN. I am leaving this one for our resident feline friend Cross-Eyed Dave
Answer to 63-Across: How much is a standard gold INGOT worth? A typical 400 oz gold bar is quite large, weighing in at whopping 27.4 pounds, with a single bar valued at roughly $750,000 U.S. These gold bars are held and traded internationally by central banks and bullion dealers, and are not typically sold to the general public. So now you know
Down:
1. 2022 Australian Open winner Barty, familiarly: ASH. Per [Wikipedia]: "Ashleigh Barty is a former Australian professional tennis player and cricketer. She was the second Australian tennis player to be ranked No. 1 in the world in singles by the Women's Tennis Association after fellow Indigenous Australian Evonne Goolagong Cawley, holding the ranking for 121 weeks overall"
2. Bummed out: BLUE. So I chose a different meaning of the word "BLUE" as I described a few of the entries to this puzzle. BLUE: "[adjective] informal; (of a movie, joke, or story) with sexual or pornographic content"
3. Jay or oriole: BIRD. Had the "oriole" been capitalized, the clue might have a baseball reference
4. Surprise the director, maybe: ADLIB. Since there is "no script" when we blog, most all of what I type is ADLIBbed
5. "Wow, I am dumb!": SILLY ME. "Wow, do I revel in jocularity!" SILLY ME
6. Empire State county: ERIE. I lived in ERIE county New York (Grand Island) for a brief period of time back in 1975. Close to Buffalo
7. Puff stuff: TALC. As in TALCum powder; applied with a "puff" (cotton) ball, perhaps
8. Elitist: SNOOT. SNOB didn't have enough letters
9. Rolls with the punches: ADAPTS. I have been ADAPTing to the new editor here at the LA Times Crossword, as her clue usage is different than that of Rich
10. Taps, say: BUGLE CALL. Good fill; not often used in xword puzzles
11. Tony's cousin: OBIE. EGOT is short for: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony. Awards for TV, Music, Screenplay, and Broadway theater. So what's an OBIE? As the Tony Awards cover Broadway productions, the OBIE Awards cover off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions. So now you know
12. Tailless pet: MANX. As in a tailless cat
13. Not insignificant: BIG. Or, the name of one of Tom Hanks early movies, which also proved to be "not insignificant"; for him, anyway
21. Complete a LEGO set: BUILD. A Patti clue??
22. Synthesizer pioneer: MOOG. MOOG is again finding its way back into crossword puzzles
25. Kabayaki fish: UNAGI. Japanese for "freshwater eel"
26. Bond player in the original "Casino Royale": NIVEN. My last blog had a clue for the word "BOND" that referenced David NIVEN indirectly - he was one of seven actors to play the role
27. Yamaha products: OBOES. Yamaha may be known to some as a producer of motorcycles, but they are also well-known for their musical instruments, including OBOES and bassoons and pianos
29. Pretentious: ARTY.
30. Heat setting?: MIAMI. As in the MIAMI Heat NBA Basketball team
32. "Three Billboards ... " actress Cornish: ABBIE. [Wikipedia]: "ABBIE Cornish (born 7 August 1982) is an Australian actress. Cornish is best known for her film roles as Heidi in Somersault (2004), Fanny Brawne in Bright Star (2009), Sweet Pea in Sucker Punch (2011), Lindy in Limitless (2011), as Sarah in Geostorm (2017) and for her work with writer/director Martin McDonagh in Seven Psychopaths (2012) and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri(2017). For the latter, Cornish won her first Screen Actors Guild Award as part of the cast. In 2018, she portrayed Cathy Mueller in the first season of Amazon Video series Jack Ryan opposite John Krasinski. She also played Dixy in the film The Virtuoso (film) (2021) aside Anthony Hopkins
33. Sailing hazards: REEFS. BERGS also fits
34. Quite expensive: STEEP. PRICY also fits
37. Remnants in a crayon box: NUBS. Since my crayon box only came with 8 colors, they quickly became NUBS
41. Sacred stand: ALTAR.
43. Tesla, e.g.: SERB. As in Nikola Tesla, a SERBian-American inventor,
44. Hush-hush: ON THE Q.T.. "in a secret or quiet way All the arrangements were made on the q.t. This information is private, so keep it on the q.t. Q.T. is an abbreviation for "quiet"
46. Pre-election event: DEBATE. the word "PRIMARY" wouldn't fit
50. Superhero who taps into the Speed Force: FLASH. This dude
52. Hot: ZESTY. "SPICY" was my first choice here
53. Mother of Beyoncé and Solange Knowles: TINA. Her biography
54. Trattoria sauce: RAGU. RAGU is also a "brand name" for a spaghetti sauce, but it generally means: "(RAGU) a sauce that has more meat and minced elements, specifically minced carrot, celery and pancetta … also known as soffritto, and is made with wine, beef broth, and usually a little bit of heavy cream or milk poured in it to lighten the color and enrich the flavor". A "trattoria": the name comes from the French word “traiteur” which derives from “traiter” and respectively mean “host/caterer” and “to treat”. A trattoria is not a generic restaurant though: it always serves or is supposed to serve, traditional local food
55. Unoriginal reply: ECHO. Maybe the reply is "unoriginal", but the clue certainly IS original
56. DVD holder: TRAY. Most new PC's don't have one of these built in
57. Special glow: AURA. Fun fact I found: "How do you take a picture of your AURA?" First, you place your palms on a pair of metal plates, which are connected to a camera. When the photographer hits the shutter button, the plates send information about your energy to the camera. Colors corresponding to that energy then appear around your figure in a printed Polaroid photo. Sounds kinda special to me
58. Management level: TIER.
59. I.M. Pei's alma mater: MIT. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I.M. Pei (Ieoh Ming Pei) received his Bachelor's degree in Architecture here
62. Score half: TEN. As in "Four score and seven years ago ..." The word "score" refers to the number "twenty", of which half of that is TEN
What a delicious, double delight! My first review of a
C.C. Burnikel puzzle, edited by our new editor Patti Varol. And it has
everything: it's an eclectically clued, not too hard, not too easy Thursday puzzle, with an easily
sussed theme, circles, CSOs, lots of music, and of course lots of food!
Here are the themers:
3D. Revenue for
attorneys:LEGAL FEES. Right off the bat we have CSOs to our legal beavers Hahtoolah and
Lemonade. Lemony only recently RAISED my awareness about
vertical themes, e.g. those used in this puzzle. His tip was they are
usually a clue that there is a visual element to the theme. 7D. Garment associated with the Aran Islands:CABLE KNIT SWEATER.The
Aran Islands
are a group of three islands at the mouth of Galway Bay, off the west coast of
Ireland. These islands are however famous for much more than just
sweaters. Teri and I visited the largest island, Inishmore,
in the late 90's, drawn there by our much earlier viewing of a cult
classic "documentary" called Man of Aran. It depicted an heroic struggle for existence that had
long disappeared by the time the film was made in 1934, but drew waves of tourists to the island and changed the
way of life there even further. The film had a major impact on the islands and even
spawned a documentary about the documentary, revealing that it had actually been staged with photogenic, paid actors.
Here's a short trailer from the newer film revealing some of the mythical elements in the old film.
10D. Warrior with a light saber:JEDI KNIGHT. The light saber was the weapon that revolutionized ancient
combat in "a galaxy far, far away". Here Obi Wan Kenobi duels Darth Vader:
31D. Option clicked during a Zoom call:MUTE BUTTON. A failure to exercise this option can result in a
HOT MIC. I searched YouTube for some examples, but they always seem to involve
politics.
Oh yes, back to the theme. Here's the reveal
38D. Start to make more money, and what the circled letters do?:GET A RAISE. I think our constructor intends for us to read the themers
and the reveal itself from the BOTTOM UP and prefix the circled fill with the
phrase RAISE A. Reading the grid from left to right we get:
10. Preservers of preserves: JARS. Or using slightly cracked doors.
14. At any time: EVER.
Oxford Languages Dictionary
15. It's all in your head: BRAIN.
Or in your Mind. However, the preceding point of view may be 17A.
16. Géorgie, par exemple: ETAT. The state of Georgia, USA.
Today's French lesson.
17. Open to discussion: NEGOTIABLE. The number of negotiable
propositions seem to be on the decline these days (see e.g. 25D).
19. Wrapped up: DONE.
20. None whatsoever: NADA.
21. Deli sandwich with two vegetables: BLT. Common
crossword fare. We had one this past Sunday clued as "Club kin".
22. Burn slightly: SINGE. Singe another crossword staple
and you get:
Ahi tataki
23. First player to make a slam dunk in a WNBA game:
LESLIE. A
slam dunk, also simply a dunk, is a type of basketball shot that is performed
when a player jumps in the air, controls the ball above the horizontal plane
of the rim, and scores by putting the ball directly through the basket with
one or two hands. The first woman to perform this feat of legerdemain in
the WNBA was 6' 2"
Lisa Leslie
on
July 30, 2002. Here she is, showing off her stuff:
25. Maintenance: UPKEEP. IMHO the cumulative expense of UPKEEP
(bug fixes, routine changes, new releases, etc.) is rarely
included in cost/benefit analyses for the estimated useful life of
software systems. "Getting too expensive to maintain? We'll just write
a new one!"
26. Legolas, for one: ELF. This one doesn't live at the
North Pole (see 1A), but
rather in
Middle Earth.
28. Clock sound: TICK.
29. Backs with bucks: FUNDS. Or bucks with backs:
30. Appeared: SEEMED.
32. Osaka from Osaka: NAOMI. Naomi Osaka was born in Japan
to a Haitian father and a Japanese mother, Osaka has lived and trained in the
United States since age three. She came to prominence at age 16 when she
defeated former US Open champion Samantha Stosur in her WTA Tour debut at the
2014 Stanford Classic. Here's a biography for you tennis fans.
Naomi Osaka
34. "In __ of gifts ... ": LIEU.
35. Mix around: STIR. Also Brit for "prison".
37. Shakshuka ingredients: EGGS. Did not know this dish, which is said
to have originated in Tunisia.
Here's a recipe.
40. Concerning: AS TO.
42. Drive-thru devices: ATMS. Nowadays some crooks are driving through them, loading them onto trucks, and taking them home to plunder the cash.
44. Chick tenders: HENS. Cute clue. Hens not only tend
them,
but have them.
46. Olympic swords: EPEES.
48. Courteous acknowledgment: HAT TIP. AKA "doffing":
Oxford Languages Dictionary
50. Maguire of ''Seabiscuit'': TOBEY. Before Seabiscuit
there was Spider Man, which made
Tobey Maguire
a star. On the other hand no one expected Seabiscuit the horse to
be a star,
but he surprised everybody.
55. Campus job security: TENURE. A CSO to Misty and
Ol' Man Keith. Hand up anyone I missed?
56. Make beloved: ENDEAR.
58. Worshipper in dreadlocks, informally: RASTA. Here's some
history on
Rastafarianism. Many of us are most familiar with Rastafarianism through the songs of of
its musical ambassador Bob Marley. Here's his
Three Little Birds.
Bob Marley
59. Meadow bleat: BAA.
60. Rose Bowl org.: NCAA. March Madness is finally
over. Hand up if your team won.
62. Neglect to mention: OMIT.
63. "Way, way off!": NOT BY A MILE. As good as a miss.
68. Uruguay's Punta del __: ESTE. A seaside resort on the "east
tip" (Southeast actually) of the country, and today's Spanish lesson. Among other superlatives
it has been called the "Monaco of the South":
Punta del Este
69. Place with a tree guarded by a flaming sword: EDEN.
This weapon sounds a lot like that wielded by a 10D.
But this sword guarded the Tree of Life in the Garden ofEDEN, preventing the return of Adam and Eve after their fall from grace. Legend has it that the angel brandishing it was named Jophiel.
The Angel Jophiel banishing Eve and Adam
70. Black Panther's hat: BERET.
71. Close securely: SEAL. It's probably just my imagination, but
the homophonic Bobby SEALE was one of the founders of the
Black Panther Party
referred to in the previous clue.
5. Org. in "Judas and the Black Messiah": FBI. Rotten Tomatoes
reports that 97% of 345 critic reviews of this 2021 film were positive, with an average rating
of 8.2/10. The website's critics' consensus reads: "An electrifying
dramatization of historical events,
Judas and the Black Messiah
is a forceful condemnation of racial injustice.
11. Made things right: ATONED. To be forgiven is one thing, but to atone is not always easy.
12. Spans: RANGES.
13. Hard to climb: STEEP.
18. Aesthetic sense: TASTE.
22. Ocean froth: SPUME. Evocative of John Masefield's poem
Sea-Fever, set to music by composer John Ireland (Masefield's Lyrics):
24. 10-Across tops: LIDS.
25. Sci-fi spacecraft: UFO. Due to Congressional pressure, largely for reasons of national security, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence released a 9 page, unclassified report* in June of 2021 entitled Preliminary Assessment: Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP is the new PC for a 25D). This article contains a link to the DNI report in a downloadable PDF file. There are two main schools of thought on these sightings:
(1)
Visitation of the Earth by extra-terrestrials is impossible because of
limitations on interstellar travel that have been clearly demonstrated
by Einstein's theory of Special Relativity. Case closed!
(2)
The flight dynamics of such objects, as observed by veteran pilots and
which have been captured electronically, clearly violate other known
laws of physics. Open to discussion!
*
The report provides only summary findings for a small sample of the
large numbers of sightings made yearly. No detailed data regarding the
sightings is provided. Note that the report is based on 144 sightings,
143 of which were unidentified, i.e. those for which no satisfactory explanation could be found.
33. Vaccination spot, typically: ARM. I've gotten two in each ARM. I seem to get odd reactions to the odd shots.
36. Kim __-hyung: full name of the BTS singer known as V:
TAE. BTS also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band that was formed in 2010 and debuted in 2013. The septet—consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V,
and Jungkook—co-writes and co-produces much of their own output. Here
they are - V is the boy on the left: As of this writing I guess they're
not really boys anymore.
The Bangtan Boys
39. Cutting sound: SNIP.
41. Work with a score: OPERA. Opera originated in the
Renaissance and is still alive and well in the 21st Century, especially with masterpieces such as
Moby Dick by Jake Heggie, which premiered in 2010. Just as Melville's story of the whale-obsessed Captain Ahab is
considered by many to be the great American novel, IMHO with Heggie's work we finally have the great American opera. We were privileged to see it at
the Kennedy Center in D.C. a few years back in an amazing production with
innovative, digitally enhanced staging. Here's a trailer for the same
production staged by the San Diego Opera:
