google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Sunday August 14, 2022 MaryEllen Uthlaut

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Aug 14, 2022

Sunday August 14, 2022 MaryEllen Uthlaut

Theme: "Begging the Question" - Each theme entry is a question raised by the clue.

23A. York, Jersey, Mexico, etc.?: SO WHAT ELSE IS NEW?.

46A. R?: IS THAT RIGHT?.

70A. None, few, many, most, __?: WILL THAT BE ALL?.

96A. Ralph Emerson?: WHERE'S WALDO?.

122A. "Mice guys finish last"?: WOULDN'T IT BE NICE?.

16D. Sesa Street?: DID YOU MISS ME?. Same clue angle as 122A. Misspellings.

64D. Guess __?: WHO GOES THERE?.

I don't remember seeing a theme like this before. Fun and fresh. Varied clue angles.

Here's a short bio about MaryEllen. Noticed the second constructor Kelly Clark? That's the Kelly that comments on our blog frequently.

Across:

1. Sticky situation: BIND. In a bind.

5. Feeling no pain: NUMB.

9. Hard exterior: CRUST. I like the hard part.


14. Rock projection: LEDGE.

19. Field of study: AREA.

20. On a cruise: ASEA.

21. Adele chart-topper that won three Grammys: HELLO. I must have heard of this song a thousand times.


22. __ skeleton: AXIAL.

26. TV, radio, newspapers, etc.: MEDIA.

27. Minnesota twins?: ENS. The two letters in Minnesota.

28. Like modern farmhouse decor: RUSTIC.

29. Small chess piece: PAWN.
 
30. "Breaking Bad" star Cranston: BRYAN. He played Walter White.


31. More slippery: ICIER.

33. Legless reptile: SNAKE.

35. Muse of poetry: ERATO.

37. Swiped, in a way: SCANNED.

39. Doctrinal breakaways: SECTS.

42. "__ a virtue, if you have it not": Hamlet: ASSUME.

45. Vermicelli, e.g.: PASTA. This is sweet potato noodles. Very popular in China and Korea.



50. Dallas NBAer: MAV.

51. Midrange voice: ALTO.

52. Greek letter that seems like it should be last: ZETA.

53. Unaccompanied: SOLO.

54. Beethoven honoree: ELISE.

56. Neckwear pins: TIE TACKS.

60. Fasten, as buttons: DO UP. I've only used "button up".

62. NCAA pt.: ASSN.

63. Get dizzy with delight: SWOON.

65. Sierra __, Africa: LEONE. Without the "Africa", you might want MADRE.

67. Firmly decided: DEAD SET. Against.

69. "Amazing!": OOH.

74. Juilliard subj.: MUS.

75. Type of court concerned with wills: PROBATE.

77. Like a cold-weather jacket: LINED.

78. Western show: OATER.

80. Logician's "hence": ERGO.

81. Soccer period: HALF.

84. Generosity: LARGESSE. Super grid-friendly letter combo.

86. Barrels of laughs: RIOTS.

88. 1973 Toni Morrison novel: SULA.



90. Aptly named cooler brand: YETI.

91. Nick at __: NITE.

95. Smithwick's beer: ALE. Not a familiar brand to me.



100. Like corned beef: CURED.

101. Orderly method: SYSTEM.

103. Art studio stand: EASEL.

104. Impulse-conducting cells: NEURONS. Guess how many neurons are in your brain?

106. Lock of hair: TRESS.

108. Soul singer Baker: ANITA.

111. "__ you clever!": AREN'T.

112. Informal name for Google Talk: G CHAT. Now just Chat.

114. Old Dodge subcompact: OMNI.

117. Hopeless cases: GONERS. Like my eyebrows.

119. Hang loosely: SAG.

121. Naproxen brand: ALEVE.

125. Stuff to sell: WARES.

126. Respected figure: ELDER. Asian tradition: always respect your elders.

127. Seesaw sitter of classic tongue twisters: ESAU.

128. Not engaged: IDLE.

129. Lowered oneself?: KNELT. Some of you might find this incredible.


130. Like the sound of bagpipes: REEDY.

131. Mix together: MELD.

132. Scallion kin: LEEK.

Down:

1. Private home?: BASE. Military base.

2. Humorously twisted: IRONICAL.

3. Anchor venue: NEWSCAST.

4. "Lah-di-__!": DAH.

5. The great outdoors: NATURE. Beautiful weather here in Minnesota!

6. Puts to work: USES.

7. Softens: MELTS.

8. Washbowl: BASIN.

9. City with two MLB teams: CHI. Cubs and White Sox.

10. Has high regard for: RESPECTS.

11. Forearm bone: ULNA.

12. Whole bunch: SLEW.

13. "Chinatown" screenwriter Robert: TOWNE. I never watched "Chinatown".  Was it good?


14. Scold harshly: LAMBASTE.

15. Applies, as pressure: EXERTS.

17. Greek earth goddess: GAIA.

18. Lively spirit: ELAN.

24. Ice Capades setting: ARENA.

25. Cybercurrency: E CASH.

32. All things considered: IN TOTO.

34. Hawaii's Mauna __: KEA. or LOA.

36. Cheer-full message: RAH.

37. Health resort: SPA. 43. 37-Down staffer: MASSEUR.

38. Food regimen: DIET.

40. Stepped heavily: TROD.

41. Missile housing: SILO.

44. Goings-on: EVENTS.

47. Play for time: STALL.

48. "Be silent," in music: TACET.

49. Mild Dutch cheese: GOUDA.

52. Apex: ZENITH.

55. A.E. Housman's "A Shropshire __": LAD. Learning moment for me.



57. Sioux City state: IOWA.

58. Former German Chancellor Helmut: KOHL.

59. Algae-eating aquarium critter: SNAIL.

61. House speaker Nancy: PELOSI.

63. In a regretful manner: SORRILY.

66. Italian peak also known as Mongibello: ETNA.

68. "Such a pity!": ALAS.

69. Some musical works by Kaija Saariaho: OPERAS. She's a Finnish composer.


71. Rental document: LEASE. The people who live next door to us are renters. Quite a few houses in our HOA have changed hands during COVID and become rental units.

72. Emerald, for one: BERYL.

73. Nosed (out): EDGED.

76. CAPTCHA prey: BOT. I'm not a robot. I'm a Ninja.

79. Academic status: TENURE.

82. Entice: LURE.

83. Pet collar target: FLEA.

85. British school attended by many prime ministers: ETON.

87. Most saccharine: SWEETEST.

89. Attacked: ASSAILED.

92. Raymond Burr crime series: IRONSIDE.



93. Sci-fi monster's appendage: TENTACLE.

94. Mag managers: EDS.

97. "__ Pinafore": HMS.

98. Former Chinese Premier __ Jiabao: WEN (2003-2013). Succeeded by Li Keqiang.


99. Adjust, as car wheels: ALIGN.

100. Hex: CURSE.

102. Visit faraway places: TRAVEL.

105. Tiny headphone: EARBUD.

107. Seed scatterer: SOWER.

109. Sacred emblem: TOTEM.

110. Fennellike herb: ANISE. I've only used star anise.

112. Goggle: GAWK.

113. Extended family: CLAN.

115. Burrowing insectivore: MOLE.

116. Needing extra sunscreen?: NUDE. Ha.

118. Etc. kin: ET AL.

120. __ Squad: Best Buy tech support: GEEK.

123. Like unbuttered toast: DRY.

124. Zero, in soccer: NIL.

Boomer's PSA jumped to 742. It was 525 on 7/11/2022. So the oral chemo Olaparib  has not worked its magic yet. We'll continue for two more months hoping the number might drop as it has done so for a few other patients.

C.C.

 

35 comments:

Subgenius said...

Once I got the first themed answer, I understood the gimmick. After that, it was just a matter of applying the usual P and P until all was clear. FIR, so I’m happy.

OwenKL said...

FIRight, as opposed to that monster yesterday!

Guessed the general nature of the theme early. and forgot Sunday puzzles have a title, so didn't see that until after I was finished. Don't think it would have helped, since I saw the theme so early.

ERATO is my goddess, she holds me in thrall.
To reveal her verses, I give my ALL.
She dictates, I write
Almost every night --
About Ravens and Llamas and Meta et al.!

{B+.}

desper-otto said...

Good morning!

The Wite-Out got a rest today. Almost needed when Cranston didn't immediately pop to mind -- thought of former senator ALLAN at first, but knew that was wrong. Cute theme, MaryEllen. Thanx for the expo, C.C. (I hope Boomer's PSA starts to react to the new chemo.)

desper-otto said...

KOHL: The opposition had fun with his name. It means "cabbage" in German. So why do we spell it "Cole slaw?"

TTP said...


Good morning. Thank you, MaryEllen, and thank you, C.C.

C.C., that's exactly what I was thinking. I don't think I've ever seen a theme like this one. The clues were questions and the answers were questions about those questions. Neat. And funny. Where's Waldo was my favorite. Or maybe it was Did you miss me ?

Don't know why, but your pasta image made me think of Char Siu Pork. I love that sweet sticky sauce. I think I will try to make it. The recipes don't look difficult. One suggested using red food colouring (?) rather than red bean curd. When I order BBQ Pork to go, the meat always seems to be so dry, and tougher than I think it probably should be. That sauce is so good.

Not familiar with DO UP, but I get it. Might be regional.

Who did Beethoven write that composition für ?

There was a different Helmut in charge when I was there. Schmidt. Various polls have consistently ranked him as the best of all of the German Chancellors. KOHL's is a department store. There used to be one nearby in what used to be a mall.

I don't think gratitude education would fly here. Different worlds.

What D-O said. I hope that Boomer's PSA starts dropping.

PK said...

Hi Y'all! Thank you, Mary Ellen, for a doable challenge. Thank you, C.C., for a fine expo. Still praying for you and Boomer.

I've typed a lengthier comment three times and promptly lost it. Guess you didn't really need to know my problem areas: top tier & W central.

We always watched IRONSIDE. Could I remember the name? NO! Perps to the rescue.

BobB said...

Very easy Sunday.

Big Easy said...

Boomer, sorry to hear about your increased PSA.

Any questions today? NIL, not with his puzzle. But WHAT ELSE IS NEW? Just a few easily solved unknowns and a weird one- DOUP which I see as DO UP- never heard of it, just snap or fasten.

I found the theme fills too easy. I only had to make two changes today- JEWEL to BERYL and RODEO to OATER.
TOWNE, WEN, LAD, OPERAS, GAWK- filled by perps.

I wasn't familiar with the word 'goggle', only goggles.
"CHINATOWN" is a movie about people going after water in L.A. 100 years ago.

How long has had Joyce Lewis as the Editor? The Times Picayune still states "Edited by Rich Norris and Joyce Nichols Lewis". Maybe C.C. can send Joyce a note.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

FIR, but erased craig for LEDGE, erete for ERATO, rodeo for OATER, isis for GAIA and merch for WARES. And I just learned the term merch here at the Corner, too. I had a dozen unknowns, so I'll keep the rest of my ignorance to myself. But I did correctly WAG my Natick of BRYAN x GAIA, so I got that goin' for me.

It took me forever to understand the "mice guys" --> NICE guys themer. The others fell into place right away.

The shorter days are reminders that winter is coming. Let this be your first riddle of the winter season: Know what's great on toast, but terrible on your partner's lips? (Answer below)

Answer to CC - How many NEURONS do I have? After the abuse mine took during the first 65 years of my life, I'd say "not many."

Remember ZENITH's motto? "The quality goes in before the name goes on." I remember TV ads showing their point-to-point wiring, which they touted as being superior to printed circuit boards. Probably was, back in the early days of PCBs.

GAWKers are the bane of public NUDE beaches.

Thanks for the creative and challenging Sunday Special, Mary Ellen. And thanks to CC for the tour. My hopes and prayers are with Boomer.

Answer to the riddle: Crust.

Jinx in Norfolk said...

Barney Google was a big hit song by the Andrews Sisters.

The final verse:
"Barney Google, with the goo-goo-goo-ga-ly eyes.
Barney Google tried to enter paradise.
When Saint Peter saw his face, he said, "Go to the other place".
Barney Google, with the goo-goo-goo-ga-ly eyes."

Irish Miss said...

Good Morning:

As I’ve often mentioned, Sunday puzzles are rarely my cup of tea but today’s gets a strong nod of approval. The theme was fresh and clever and the very low three letter word count is most impressive (and appreciated) in a Sunday grid. In addition, there were very few proper names/nouns, none of which were unknown, and, most noticeably in a large grid, so little dreck (Mus, Ens, Do Up) that it’s hardly worth mentioning. Overall, a pleasant and truly enjoyable solve, emphasis on enjoyable. I echo TTP’s favorite themers, especially Where’s Waldo.

Thank you, Mary Ellen, for a very special Sunday solving experience and thanks, CC, as always, for your expert and professional views. Continued prayers and support for you and Boomer.

I hope we hear from Tony soon.

FLN

Wilbur, congrats to your uncle on his milestone birthday. 🎂. Have you had any 🦞 yet?

Have a great day.

Anthony Gael Moral said...

Aptly named cooler brand: YETI. Can anyone explain? Maybe the Yeti is in cold climes, in which case AUK or YAK would be as good.

I also don't get the WALDO-Emerson connection. Does it have to do with Waldon?

With IRONSIDE and IRONICAL we may have enough to make steel.

Husker Gary said...

Musings
-A wonderful puzzle! “DID YOU MISS ME?” was my fav.
-BRYAN’s alter ego in Breaking Bad was named Heisenberg
-Will scanning your palm soon replace swiping and using cash?
--Alternate for Hamlet quote on faking virtue.
-SWOON – Elvis, Sinatra and Beatles leap to my mind
-Credito, ERGO, sum: I shop, therefore I am.
-One of my doctors told me I should not use ALEVE; I can’t remember why.
-Situational and literary examples of IRONY
-STALL – An alternative if you have no idea what to say or do.
-My uncle went bankrupt in Sioux City because he didn’t have the political connections to get his Coors Beer distributorship going
-An administrator had better have a good paper trail if they want to deny TENURE

Anthony Gael Moral said...

IRISH MISS ---

Why are Sunday offerings not a favorite of yours --- themeless? I prefer themes but also like the 21X21 format.

billocohoes said...

Anthony Gael Moral, what's missing is the middle name of poet Ralph Waldo Emerson.

YETI is legendarily in the snowy high regions of the Himalayas, yaks are in habitable areas, and auks are sea birds, so not below freezing

Irish Miss said...

AGM @ 9:35 ~ I’m not crazy about many Sunday grids for several reasons, namely: they have a tendency to include an inordinate number of proper names/nouns, many of which are unknown to most solvers; they are oftentimes lacking in interesting or clever themes; they lean heavily on three letter words and abbreviations and “ gluey” fill. All of these annoyances, to me, are noticeably compounded in the larger Sunday grid and make the solve a slog rather than a joy. Of course, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. I will point out, however, that my earlier comments highlight exactly why I liked today’s puzzle so much, versus the ones that I’ve described here.

Yellowrocks said...


Dictionary:
DO UP means fasten, as in do up the buttons of a shirt.
"… an elderly lady with her jacket done up tightly against the wind …"
I have seen this before.

Sesa Street is missing the ME. SesaME Street. Hello Bert an Ernie.

Where's Waldo. The middle name has been omitted. Raplh Waldo Emerson

I liked this puzzle. Only the NE slowed me down a bit.

Anonymous said...

Took 14:07. Good puzzle.
Gotta run - my tablet's battery is about to....

CrossEyedDave said...

Found under
So what else is new...


Found under
Is that right...

Found under
Will that be all...

Cont...

CrossEyedDave said...

where's Waldo requires two posts...

found under where's Waldo...

Found under wouldn't it be nice,
don't blame me, I got sidetracked....

Cont...

CanadianEh! said...

Super Sunday. Thanks for the fun, Mary Ellen and C.C. (Thoughts and prayers for better results for Boomer).
I finished and saw the questions, but did not get the Tada. Resorted to red letters and discovered my error.
I had moved from Shell to Trunk, but CRUST was the answer. Sloppy of me not to notice that those crossing Downs for C, S, T, made no sense. I’ll blame it on not having a newspaper hard copy to do the puzzle in ink.

My favourite was DID YOU MISS ME - it’s Miss Piggy from Sesame Street’s line (along with MOI)..
WHERE’S WALDO was a close second.

The NW corner was the last to fall. I did not catch ENS (thinking of Fats). Sticky did not bring BIND to mind until I had some perps.
Wow changed to OOH.
We use the term DO UP your buttons in this part of the world. I will admit that DOUP looked strange, even for British spelling.

I couldn’t remember the meaning of AXIAL skeleton - LIUed and Wiki said
“The axial skeleton is the part of the skeleton that consists of the bones of the head and trunk of a vertebrate.”

Spoiler Alert: I LIUed - 86 billion! Wow fits better than OOH.
Our anatomy lessons for today.

We were Scolded and Excoriated yesterday, LAMBASTEd today. I hope we get a better rating from tomorrow’s CW.
Wishing you all a great day.



CrossEyedDave said...

Found under
did you miss me?
Actually, I haven't posted in a couple of days, because I had a tooth abscess. Got it pulled Thursday, but have been so miserable that I did not want it to influence my opinions on the puzzles. Side car really busted my chops, but I gotta admit it was a worthy puzzle. I think the clue reveal it was second of third part of fourths really fogged my brain, but it might have been the meds...


Which brings me to
who goes there?
( hmm, I guess whom feels silly again...)

Begging the question,
enter your own silly retort here...
(Mine would have been, "stop the world, I wanna get off...")
( all this revolving is making me dizzy.)

CrossEyedDave said...

And to Irish Miss,

If it helps...

I treat Sundays, as three, (sometimes four), ( pending the grid layout ) separate puzzles, and take breaks where needed.
More often than not, I need to continue to the next area to get answers...

It's never a slog that way, but if trying to find silly retorts is, then I just don't post...

:)

Malodorous Manatee said...

I.M., Jinx and several others have very nicely summed it up for me: Thanks for the creative and challenging Sunday Special, Mary Ellen. And thanks to CC for the expert tour. Continued prayers and support for you and Boomer.

Kelly Clark said...


Boomer, the prayers continue. Thanks C.C. for the write-up.

MaryEllen, fantastic puzzle. Had me laughing out loud -- especially the "Where's Waldo?" entry, but they're all good and the cluing is superb. Thank you!

waseeley said...

Thank you MaryEllen for a pleasant, if somewhat quizzical, Sunday stroll. Picked up on the questions in the themers right away, but didn't understand all the answers.

And thank you C.C. for explaining all the answers, especially 18D ('Sesa'). Didn't get the V8 until you pointed out the missing ME.

A few favs:

20A AXIAL. DNK this term.

30A BRYAN. SWAGGED BRIAN before perps changed it to BRYAN. I've never seen "Breaking Bad".

86A SULA. DNK this work.

69A OPERA. Thank you MaryEllen for introducing us to a new composer. This is not an OPERA, but rather a haunting ballade for piano here played here by Daria-Karmina Iossifova

95A ALE. ALES are like fashions, they come and go. I was introduced to Smithwicks (the Irish pronounce it "Smidicks") years ago by a dear deceased friend with the last name WICKS, who was married to lady nee SMITH. It used to come in a green carton. When it started to tank they switched to the red carton but I don't see it in the stores anymore.

101A SYSTEM. A METHOD yes, but not necessarily ORDERLY.

55D LAD. A. E. Housman's A Shropshire Lad, has inspired a number of composers, e.g. this beautiful rhapsody by George Butterworth.

Cheers,
Bill

C.C. We're sorry to hear about Boomer's setback and will pray for better results.

sumdaze said...

Quite the clever query quest! Just right for a Sunday session.

Jayce said...

I loved this puzzle and got rib-tickling chuckles from all the theme clues and answers. Brilliant!

Hand up for some of the same write overs that others have mentioned, for example ALLAN-->BRIAN-->BRYAN and RODEO-->OATER. (I like the answer RODEO better.)

Teeny weeny nose wrinkles at MUS, ENS, and CHI. But the good stuff in this puzzle far outweighs the clinkers.

I wasn't familiar with the term AXIAL skeleton, but now I have learned something I will likely remember.

We used to regularly watch and enjoy IRONSIDE. Our son, who was a little kid then, found the theme music to be frightening, and would run away and hide when he heard it. LW and I quickly decided to turn the volume all the way down at the beginning and end of each episode, to spare the poor kid the suffering. He liked to watch the rest of the show, however, even though I don't think he understood it.

Was "Chinatown" a good movie? We think it was.

CrossEyedDave, I loved your links today. Thank you for taking the time to find them.

There's an Irish pub in Tempe, Arizona, called Rúla Búla that we used to go to often. I once tried the "Smidicks" ale, but for some reason I didn't care for it. So it was back to Harps for me. I recently was saddened to learn it closed in June, 2021. The property was purchased by development company Wexford Developments, and they did not offer Rúla Búla's owners a formal opportunity to extend the bar's lease. A similar thing happened to a coffee shop that LW and I frequented very regularly: the property changed ownership and that coffee shop, as well as several other small businesses in that shopping center, had to close down because the new owners raised the rent too high. As of today, a number of those locations are still unoccupied and not generating rent.

Gosh, that PSA level sure is high! Here's hoping the medication starts working its magic. Love and good thoughts to you both.

And good thoughts to all the rest of you as well.

Jayce said...

LW and I are still wallowing in the pleasant afterglow of the wonderful celebratory get-together we participated in yesterday. What we expected to be a nice luncheon was indeed all that and much more: a gathering of numerous family members of the new bride and groom, all of whom were extremely friendly, sociable, and articulately conversational. Lots of mingling, hugging, handshaking, and picture taking. I really like the bride's mom (our son's new mother-in-law); she is witty, friendly, open-hearted, and generous. Since she also lives in Marin County, not far from where our son and his wife live, I know we will be seeing her again and again, which she has said she would like very much. The luncheon lasted about an hour and a half longer than the 2 1/2 hours scheduled, but the restaurant ownership and staff at Boulevard Restaurant in San Francisco was magnificently accommodating. After that, about 8 of us went up to J&L's home and spent the rest of the day visiting and getting to know one another. Altogether a highly pleasant and full day for LW and me and everybody. For that reason, I didn't do the puzzle yesterday, and am not sure at this moment whether I will bother to go back and do it.

By the way, the drive through the city of San Francisco, to get to and from our house and theirs, is horrible, but it's the only way to get there other than by boat or small plane or by going all the way eastward beyond Oakland and Berkeley and then northward from there. Only the great pleasure we all enjoy from our visits makes that crappy drive worth undertaking.

Best wishes to you all.

Picard said...

Late to the party; not sure anyone will see this. I was hiking with my friend Danielle.

Including out on this LEDGE above the start of Seven Falls.

I enjoyed the QUESTION theme. Not sure about the BEGGING PART?

CrossEyedDave Correctly noted my pet PEEVE. Do other Crossword Corner people understand the correct meaning of BEGGING THE QUESTION? That it has nothing to do with ASKING A QUESTION?

"BEGGING THE QUESTION is when you use the point you're trying to prove as an argument to prove that very same point. Rather than proving the conclusion is true, it assumes it. It's also called circular reasoning and is a logical fallacy."

Here are examples I found, but Google can give you many others:
"Everyone wants the new iPhone because it is the hottest new gadget on the market!"
"He is the smartest kid in the class because, of all the children, he is the most intelligent."
"Fruit is so nutritious because it is packed full of goodness."

Jinx Hand up for having trouble getting the MICE/NICE answer. I get it now.

Hand up learning moments about AXIAL SKELETON, DO UP. Has anyone heard of the ESAU SEESAW SITTER? New for me.

Anonymous said...

Yeti is a premium brand of cooler chests.

Picard said...

CC and Boomer I am very sorry to hear about the high PSA score. Good that you are sticking with the program. Hoping for good news going forward.

Acesaroundagain said...

Really enjoyed this puzzle. Good luck with the new drug Boomer. Positive thoughts and prayers coming your way. GC

Vidwan827 said...


Very late for the soving and the posting .... in my defense, I will say I was on the road for 10 hours from the East coast, and just got home, to Ohio.

Thank You Mary Ellen Uthlaut for a Sunday challenger, which had me pretty befuddled, but I solved it pretty much til the end.

Thank you CC for your review blog. I am sad and sorry the new clinical trial has not worked yet, and best wishes and prayers, that it may deliver the expected outcome, and the cure, and soon.

I had trouble with the long across answers, in that, some of them made little sense, but the perps were good and solid... so, I though, well ... there is something going on that I just dont understand .... probably above my pay grade...some sort of puns, like Ralph Waldo Emerson - which I actually knew, and Sesa -me street.

CC, .... Regarding the kow -towing and obeisance ... respect paid to your parents and your elders, is Very Common among most Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Muslims and even Christians, in India...

( .... Other religions in India, have picked up on the custom, because of syncretism )

..(syncretism - **Look it up in Wikipedia)

Without going into religion ... even Judaism has a saying ... " God could not be everywhere, therefore He made mothers" ...

In Hinduism, even inanimate objects can have a 'Godliness' about it or the spirit of godliness. Thus a chess player would pay respects to say, a chess board, before a match .... a programmer would kowtow to his computer, at the beginning of the day .... a scholar would bow to his textbooks, for they give him knowledge, and wisdom etc., .... and the blessings from your parents would be the important input of all, and would in turn, be given cheaply and willingly. There are kids who would bow and kneel to their school buildings, before entering them, every morning. To be grateful for the opportunity to learn. And this becomes an unconscious, automatic habit.

CED, Your links and pictures are a real delight every day ... and I so look forward to them.... !!!!

Picard your pictures really show prominently what a big Risk Taker, you are .... sometimes, I worry about you .... them are scary pictures !!!!


Have a nice evening, you all, and a great week ahead.

John Lampkin said...

It has been a VERY long time since I laughed out loud at every theme entry! This is what every Sunday should be--clever and tremendous fun.
Thank you, MaryEllen!