TWO DRUMS & A CYMBAL...
I
had a feeling this was not a "normal" 3- or 4-word 'theme with reveal'
when I scanned the grid before starting and saw two stacks of 8-letter
ACROSS fills ( and after-the-fact, I see Monday's puzzle had double Down 9-lettter fills ), but nothing close to grid spanning; I did not see the
13-letter-long DOWN fill at first. This took me longer than my typical
Wednesday solve time, due to the crummy crossing of a proper name and a
vague abbreviation. SIGH; the struggle continues. I did a search of
the blog, and found a puzzle of Michèle's from Nov 7
last year; thanks to her for today's clever construction. As the clue
for 14A states, the perimeter of the puzzle, in both the across and
down, are words ( highlighted ) that describe sounds - and the "reveal";
14. Audiophile's setup, and an apt description of the perimeter of this puzzle: SURROUND SOUND
YES~!
And Away We Go~!
ACROSS:
1. Half a sit-up: CRUNCH - I just thought this was a "harder" sit-up; here's a quick reference to what is different
7. Commercial tune: JINGLE - what's your most earworm-worthy ad~?
7. Commercial tune: JINGLE - what's your most earworm-worthy ad~?
13. "A Wrinkle in Time" novelist Madeleine: LENGLE - proper name fill #1, and I had no clue; the "G" got me
14. Timekeepers that don't work on a rainy day: SUNDIALS
I think the time is "beer-thirty"
16. How baked potatoes may be cooked: IN FOIL - meh, but it is certainly a way to cook a spud
17. Remove, as a seatbelt: UNFASTEN
18. Gina Boswell of Bath & Body Works, e.g.: Abbr.: CEO - I do the DOWNS first, just needed the "O"
19. Sequel to Puzo's "The Last Don": OMERTA
21. "Mean Girls" writer Fey: TINA - this proper name I did know
22. Underwater plant with gas-filled bladders: KELP
24. Wayward: ERRANT
26. Time out?: NAP
27. Playground retort: DID TOO - not the usual ARE too
17. Remove, as a seatbelt: UNFASTEN
18. Gina Boswell of Bath & Body Works, e.g.: Abbr.: CEO - I do the DOWNS first, just needed the "O"
19. Sequel to Puzo's "The Last Don": OMERTA
21. "Mean Girls" writer Fey: TINA - this proper name I did know
22. Underwater plant with gas-filled bladders: KELP
24. Wayward: ERRANT
26. Time out?: NAP
27. Playground retort: DID TOO - not the usual ARE too
29. Quirky habit: TIC
31. Cliche: TRITE
33. French noble: DUC - I haven't had Frawnche in a long time
35. Comprehend: GRASP
39. Eurythmics lead singer Lennox: ANNIE - one of my favoritest songs
31. Cliche: TRITE
33. French noble: DUC - I haven't had Frawnche in a long time
35. Comprehend: GRASP
39. Eurythmics lead singer Lennox: ANNIE - one of my favoritest songs
Here Comes the Rain Again
40. Go from 4x6 to 8x10, say: Abbr.: ENLarge
41. Totaled: RAN TO
42. Busy restaurant's notification device: PAGER
41. Totaled: RAN TO
42. Busy restaurant's notification device: PAGER
43. JFK predecessor: DDE - Dwight David Eisenhower - IKE - two days in a row; I would have
liked to have lived during his presidency, even with the threat of the
"reds" and nuclear war. I have "Ike", his biography,
and I do like to read about his role in WWII - and he was the man who
enacted the Interstate System; for an interesting take on the pros and
cons of that massive national project, I would suggest reading "Divided
Highways"
44. Like some purchases: IN APP - and - 62A. Are cast members of: APPEAR IN - sort of palindromic
45. "The __ is calm tonight": "Dover Beach" opening: SEA - with a blank grid, I pondered "AIR", but in retrospect, "Beach" might have been a give-away....
47. Mouths off to: SASSES
47. Mouths off to: SASSES
49. Amtrak stop: Abbr.: STAtion
52. Silky: SMOOTH
54. Guidelines: Abbr.: STandarDs
57. Ultimate: LAST
59. Creative works: OPUSES
61. Goal: AIM
64. Yukon neighbor: ALASKA - "UCONN" is my neighbor, too~!
57. Ultimate: LAST
59. Creative works: OPUSES
61. Goal: AIM
64. Yukon neighbor: ALASKA - "UCONN" is my neighbor, too~!
Ba - Dum - Tss
66. Prop for a rock singer: MIC STAND - drummers who sing
67. Watering hole in TV's "M*A*S*H": ROSIE'S - ah, yes, now I remember....
67. Watering hole in TV's "M*A*S*H": ROSIE'S - ah, yes, now I remember....
68. Unnerve: RATTLE
69. 1984 mermaid movie: SPLASH - Tom Hanks, WAY back in his career
DOWN:
1. Hit it off: CLICK
2. Zellweger of "Judy": RENEE - name #5, but I'm not counting....
3. Developing: UNFOLDING - great clue/answer/fill
69. 1984 mermaid movie: SPLASH - Tom Hanks, WAY back in his career
DOWN:
1. Hit it off: CLICK
2. Zellweger of "Judy": RENEE - name #5, but I'm not counting....
3. Developing: UNFOLDING - great clue/answer/fill
4. CARE, e.g.: NGO - I had to look this up after I solved the crossword; DAH~! I tried "NPO", for a Non-Profit Organization; nope - it's a Non-Governmental Organization;
not only that, but I was confusing it with GMO - genetically modified
organism, too - hey, it was early in the morning when I did this....
5. Sister of Erato: CLIO - I can never remember my muses....
6. Knight cap: HELMET - punny; that would be an accurate description of such head wear
7. Ruling faction after a coup: JUNTA - I could only think of CADRE or CABAL
8. Baby: INFANT
9. Contract that may prevent bad PR: NDA - Non Disclosure Agreement
10. Crux: GIST
11. Ancestor of the romance languages: LATIN- four years for me in high school, but it does help solving crosswords~!😜
12. Justice Kagan: ELENA
15. Button alternative: SNAP
20. Ate away: ERODED
23. Feels sorry for: PITIES
25. Fertile Crescent river: TIGRIS
7. Ruling faction after a coup: JUNTA - I could only think of CADRE or CABAL
8. Baby: INFANT
9. Contract that may prevent bad PR: NDA - Non Disclosure Agreement
10. Crux: GIST
11. Ancestor of the romance languages: LATIN- four years for me in high school, but it does help solving crosswords~!😜
12. Justice Kagan: ELENA
15. Button alternative: SNAP
20. Ate away: ERODED
23. Feels sorry for: PITIES
25. Fertile Crescent river: TIGRIS
28. Some combines: DEERES - John Deere. I want a tractor like this; I have 1-1/2 acres in CT to mow, the snow, a creek, and a LOT of big rocks
NOT a combine, NOT a John Deere
30. Origami birds: CRANES - SWANS was too short
31. Stout spout: TAP
32. Messenger molecule: RNA
34. Soccer equipment: CLEATS - SHIN PADS didn't fit
36. Youngest daughter of Nicholas II: ANASTASIA - mostly perps
37. Valvoline rival: STP
38. Dad: POP - we're missing "CRACKLE" for a Rice Crispies trifecta
46. Unscrupulous: AMORAL
31. Stout spout: TAP
32. Messenger molecule: RNA
34. Soccer equipment: CLEATS - SHIN PADS didn't fit
36. Youngest daughter of Nicholas II: ANASTASIA - mostly perps
37. Valvoline rival: STP
38. Dad: POP - we're missing "CRACKLE" for a Rice Crispies trifecta
46. Unscrupulous: AMORAL
48. Woolgathers?: SHEARS - the "?" suggested "DREAMS" was not the answer, but 50% correct
49. Poetry event: SLAM
50. Piglike rhino kin: TAPIR
51. Pet re-homing org.: ASPCA
53. Provide a view: OPINE - ah - that kind of view
55. Sea walls: DIKES
56. Huge success: SMASH
58. Assessment that may end with "Pencils down": TEST - dah~! Not EXAM
60. Unappealing food: SLOP
63. NFL passing stat: ATTempts
65. Communication syst. with hand motions: ASL - American Sign Language
53. Provide a view: OPINE - ah - that kind of view
55. Sea walls: DIKES
56. Huge success: SMASH
58. Assessment that may end with "Pencils down": TEST - dah~! Not EXAM
60. Unappealing food: SLOP
63. NFL passing stat: ATTempts
65. Communication syst. with hand motions: ASL - American Sign Language
Splynter
After I got the reveal, I went and looked back. And, sure enough, all the “sounds” were on there. A very clever “conceit” IMHO. Anyway, FIR, so I’m happy.
ReplyDeleteAnd, by the way, anybody who hasn’t read “A Wrinkle in Time” doesn’t know what they’re missing!
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteFaster than yesterday, but a few minutes longer than Yesterday. Heard all the sounds, even if d-o missed the reveal...again. Thanx, Michèle and Splynter. (That G was my final fill, too.)
Here's my offering for a commercial ear worm.
FIR, but erased are not for DID TOO, roi for DUC, and hst for DDE (any previous president with three letter initials would have worked.)
ReplyDeleteToday is:
NATIONAL SBDC DAY (Small Business Development Centers, coming to a Saturday crossword near you)
NATIONAL RAVIOLI DAY (my spoilsport doctor wants me to cut back on carbs)
NATIONAL NATIVE HIV/AIDS AWARENESS DAY (of the people diagnosed with HIV, 1% were among the American Indian and Alaska Native populations)
NATIONAL PROPOSAL DAY (Robert Redford made a memorable one to Demi Moore in that 1993 movie)
I've always liked guidelines that help folks avoid STDS.
I support our local SPCA, but the national organization doesn't have a good reputation.
Seems like saying STP is a rival to Valvoline is (crossword favorite) akin to saying McDonald's is a rival to Ruth's Chris Steak House.
Maybe I'm just grumpy because my back hurts, but I didn't much enjoy this puzzle. But thanks to Splynter, whose review I did enjoy. My most earworm worthy JINGLE is "You deserve a break today" by Mickey D's.
FIR. I too erased "did not" for "did too".
ReplyDeleteI got the reveal right off, but didn't see the sounds until almost the end.
Except for the NW, which gave me fits, this puzzle went smoothly and certainly faster than yesterday's.
Very enjoyable midweek romp.
I liked the surround sound gimmick. I had one bad cell. LEN_LE crossing N_O. I have read the book but forgot the author. I didn't know CARE. A Wrinkle in Time was read by another grade level.
ReplyDeleteI saw the 1956 movie "Anatasia" while I was in college. It is about an Anastasia imposter who tires to steal the Grand Princess's inheritance. I remember returning to the dorm with a very bad sore throat. Surprisingly, I didn't pass it on to my date. A crowd of couples used to kiss on the front porch of the dorm 15 minutes before curfew until the house mother flicked the light on and off.
Took 6:25 today for me burst this bubble.
ReplyDelete"Surround sound" came early on, I but didn't notice the sounds until I finished.
I knew today's actress (Renee) and would've known two, if Tina were clued as an actress rather than writer. I had to guess the "g" in today's other author (Lengle).
I don't care for the crossings of Sta & ASPCA, and Clio & Omerta.
Alaska is a wonderful place to visit.
SubG: good to still see you in the pole position.
Not a fan of all the abbreviated words today
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteIt's been ages since we've had this type of theme and I thought it was well done and enjoyable to solve. I was disappointed that I inadvertently saw the reveal very early on, but it didn't affect the solve one way or the other. The fill was pretty straightforward which meant only one w/o, Meat/Gist, and one unknown, Rosie's. The Splash/Smash crossing was fun as was the presence of our Renee and Anon T's Pop! My only quibble is the awkward partial, In Foil.
Thanks, Michèle, for a fun Wednesday and thanks, Splynter, for the overview and commentary. Loved your pun on UConn.
Have a great day.
Counted 22 proper names knew 9 some filled without issues. Didn't know Ngo nor poetry event. The question mark after woolgathers threw me.
ReplyDeleteLiked the quasi onomatopoetic SURROUND SOUND, clever, and requiring constructor skill. Makes up the usual array of PNs
ReplyDeleteBTW it’s OMERTÀ, accent on the last syllable so keep yers traps shut if yah knows what’s good fer yahs 😡
Inkover: inskin/inpeel/INFOIL, cantoo/DIDTOO
YR you didn’t mention that Anastasia was played by the incomparable Ingrid Bergman who won the 1956 best actress Oscar .
Heard ANNIE Lenox interviewed years ago. Surprised at her thick Scottish brogue considering her melodious singing voice. OPUS is a musical work, plural OPUSES should be “Opera” says Google.
STDS: “guidelines” on how to treat STDS? (Jinx)…. MICSTAND not “mike stand?”
Ultimate = LAST = Ultimo (It. Romance language from LATIN). SLOP wouldn’t be “unappealing” to a “Piglike” creature 🐷
Kellogg’s Tony met a ____ who was grrrrreat!….. TIGRIS
Where you eat BigMacs if you don’t wanna sit down….MICSTANDS
When tired during the day ____ ….INAPP.
Happy hump day 🐪
Thanks Michelle for a clever theme, well executed. I liked the way you WRAPPED UP this puzzle. Just one NIT (see "Not so fav" below).
ReplyDeleteThanks splynter for another splendid review!
Some favs:
13A L'ENGLE. Here she is.
31A TRITE. Cliche as an adjective?
43A IKE. I lived at the time of IKE, but not GEORGE, FRANKLIN, and ABE -- his peers. Those were the days my friends ...
43A IKE. He got the idea for an interstate system of divided highways from his German nemisis.
45A SEA. Here's the poem and here's some analyis.
67A ROSIES. My Mother was an English ROSIE -- she welded the fins on 500lb bombs, while IKE was planning DDAY.
2D RENEE. A CSO to our Monday maven!
5D CLIO. She was the muse of history and for reasons I still don't understand the name of the annual excellence in advertising award.
36D ANASTASIA. Assassinated by the Bolsheviks along with the rest of her family on 17 July 1918.
Not so fav:
59D OPUSES. The plural for OPUS is OPERA (works), at least in the language 11D. The collective noun for art works is OEUVRE.
Cheers
Bill
Subgenius @4:09 AM Thanks for the tip SG. A copy is on its way from Amazon.
No fun
ReplyDeleteFIW - Like Splynter, I thought it was a non-profit and not NGO, but Lenple had to be wrong. Not a sci-fi fan so I never read the L’ENGLE book that wiki reports won many awards.
ReplyDeleteMG, I like your clever puzzle and it was harder than the easy one yesterday, for me. Funny how each of us has different information stored in our brains. Are too,, did not, before DID TOO, RRS before STE.
Splynter - Thanks for explaining CRUNCH and all other unknowns. Growing up in the 50’s with DDE as President was idyllic for me.. With WW2 over, the general feeling in the country was of optimism and national pride. This was not everyone’s experience with lack of jobs, food shortages, strikes, housing problems, civil rights and equal rights denied. Some greatly felt the threat of nuclear war. Reading what I’ve written sounds like the TV drug commercials that recommend that the product will make you feel better and then tell you all the ways it can kill you.
Yellowrocks - What are your thoughts about DDE and the 50’s?
Happy day,all!
Good Morning! Thanks, Michele. I wasn’t sure I would finish as the NW was a challenge to get started, but gradually it all came together. RENEE was the only sure entry. LENGLE was unknown, and I would never bake a potato in foil – more steamed than baked and left with a soggy skin. and a WAG: CEO for the unknown Gina Boswell.
ReplyDeleteW/O: DID not -> TOO; yds -> ATT and oN APP -> IN
SUNDIAL: My mother had a sundial with the poem “Time Is” engraved on it. The poem read at Princess Diana’s funeral by her sister.
Time is too slow for those who wait,
Too swift for those who fear,
Too long for those who grieve,
Too short for those who rejoice,
But for those who love,
Time is eternity.
Note: can be seen at the YADDO GARDENS website from Saratoga Springs NY. Sadly, I could not find one for sale or I would have snapped it up in a heartbeat.
DDE: the tour of his and Mamie’s farm in Gettysburg is lovely.
Thanks, Splynter. Loved the ANNIE Lennox tune.
A Wednesday-appropriate puzzle, sez me.
ReplyDeleteThere were some names that slowed me down, like Eurythmics' LENNOX, LENGLE, and Gina Boswell, but I was able to navigate around them thanks to perps.
For 17A, I jumped right to UNBUCKLE, which thoroughly fouled up my NE for a bit. And then there was the East- Central region. For 41A--"totaled"--I couldn't get a bad car accident out of my mind. And right underneath that one was "like some purchases," which turned out to be INAPP, an expression foreign to me. But Anastasia and other helpful perps saved my East-Central area.
Hey, speaking of foreign, Michele, are you French? The reason I ask is because I lived in France for a couple years, and I note that you've got the accent grave over your first name, and your last name sounds French. If so, you've got a solid handle on English language expressions and idioms.
Apart from such details, I found this crossword fun and clever. I liked the Sensurround "snap-crackle-pop" noisily circling the entire puzzle.
And not to offend tapir-lovers, but I'd like to cast a vote for the tapir on the Ugliest Animal list.
Wonderful Wednesday. Thanks for the fun, Michele and Splynter.
ReplyDeleteI FIRed and saw the theme early (I was solving both Across and Down) which helped fill those sounds around the perimeter.
Several inkblots. I had Was TOO before DID TOO.
My Canadian/British Dykes changed to DIKES.
I waited for perps to decide which abbreviation for Station was being used today. STA won over STn.
Nile was too short, but TIGRIS fit.
I noted NAP/SNAP and SPLASH/SMASH (hi IM)
OPUSES caused a nose-wrinkle. Reminded me of Octopuses.
I recommend a great novel, I was ANASTASIA, by Ariel Lawhon.
Wishing you all a great day.
I really enjoyed this CW. I had fun coming up with the sounds since I got the reveal very early.
ReplyDeleteAs a child when at the sea shore at low tide I used to pick up brown KELP and had fun popping their gas-filled bladders.
Didn’t we have PAGER just the other day?
Thank you Splynter for a nice recap.
Musings
ReplyDelete-The solve went quickly and I really admired the gimmick.
-Ten famous JINGLES and some honorable mentions
-I can still recite the ingredients to a Big Mac
-Last summer we had a rain/hail event during which the SUNDIAL would have worked perfectly
-I was surprised/pleased to see Combines in the clue. John Deere Combines can RUN TO hundreds of thousands of dollars.
-The local high school put on this play last week
-Was I out of town when INAPP became a word?
-We ordered a new porch swing cover INAPP last week. It did not fit and when Joann contacted the seller they credited her card and said to not bother sending it back.
Swift solve for me today. DNK OMERTA or ROSIES, but perps were fair. Erased "oeuvre" for OPUSES. FIR and enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteMerci beaucoup, Michele et Patti. Thanks, Splynter.
I'm really annoyed (at myself) today...
ReplyDeleteI finished the puzzle, with difficulty, and echoing in my head, (not the Kars for Kids hells national anthem, as per The Good Place TV show) but Splynter's "crummy proper name crossing a vague abbreviation!" That I really lost track of my mind...
Well,
It might have been the 8 minutes of drummer jokes, that I watched, and enjoyed immensely more than the puzzle. So much so that I clicked on it to appear in YouTube so I could "like" it... which led to a YouTube short, that Made me think, this is pure serendipity!.
Then I read SubGenius,
All the sounds! For crikeys sake! I never saw them!
I missed out on an intrigueing puzzle, with sounds that could have helped me solve, all because I was obsessed with a crummy name crossing a vague abbreviation! Ack! I'm so mad at myself!
Anywho,
I looked for A Wrinkle in Time on YouTube, because, well, you know, I'm a vis7al sort of guy... and found the whole movie. But wait a sec, it's Disney? And it's been online for free for three years? So I started watching it, and it appears to be a remake of a remake that was severely cut and edited so badly that I can't believe that they still got an hour and 50 minutes out of it...
So, being cheap, (and also broke,) I found the original book, free, online, and can be read here: however, the first line reads, "It was a dark and stormy night..."
It all came down to the natick at 13A and 4D. I suppose I should have known L’Engle, so that’s not my gripe, although knowing it’s apostrophized would have helped. No, it was the NGO (“non-governmental organization”) that irritated me. That’s a mighty obscure acronym, Patti (and Michele). G was the most likely letter for the surname, but it wasn’t the most logical guess for the acronym. Come to think of it, this puzzle had way too many acronyms.
ReplyDeleteOther gripes: INAPP is NOT “in the language.” Nobody ever says “DID TOO,” just as nobody has ever used the word “so” in a playground retort since 1939. Let’s dispense with the alleged playground retorts altogether. . . . I’m tired of seeing STA as an abbreviation for station. I always get it right in crosswords, but I never see it in real life. I’ll accept stn.
SURROUND SOUND and the theme were pretty clever, and there was enough fresh fill, including ANASTASIA and OMERTA, so you hate to see the puzzle come down to an obscure acronym.
The cereal is Rice Krispies, not “Crispies.” This brings us to my favorite JINGLE of all time, from around 1960. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwO5W-VNVTM
A bit tougher effort for me today, and I somehow missed the theme. D'oh! Too many names for my taste, but the perps were very fair. So the whole shebang came as an enjoyable exercise. My experience growing up in the Eisenhower years was pretty idyllic. Some of that may be hindsight, but for me personally, that Era seemed a lot nicer than the present. YMMV.
ReplyDeleteHG @ 10:51 ==> "Two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, pickles, onions, cheese, all on a sesame seed bun" ... am I close??
ReplyDeleteI think it’s “two all beef patties special sauce lettuce cheese pickles onions on a sesame seed bun”
Delete"With some apps, you can buy additional content or services within the app. We call these "in-app purchases."
ReplyDeleteA few sources give both opera and opuses as plural for opus, but opuses is much more common. "Although the Latin plural of opus is opera, it has become customary to write 'opuses', to avoid confusion, just as in Italian 'opera' has become a singular noun." Personally, in books, articles and written material I have never come across opera as the plural of opuses.
I do see octopuses and octopi. Both are acceptable.
"You didn't touch base when you rounded second." "Did too!"
Did you ever watch kids' pick up games?
STA and STN are both very commonly used.
Back when every ad had a jingle, my students use to sing them for fun. They knew them all. Jingles made the brand names memorable.
Parsan, I agree about IKE and the fifties. My life in the fifties was idyllic. By the time I was more mature I became acquainted with the down side of the 50's. I still like Ike, although I am a Democrat. In those days we were not so polarized. Ike's star has risen for him to be rated among the better presidents.
Waseeley, yes. Clichéd is the adjective form to agree with trite.
Missed the NGO with NPO. I never heard of the author so no help there. All in all it was fun. GC
ReplyDeleteAnother easy-peasy Wed puzzle. Did I notice the SURROUND SOUND? No, but the clue for 14D was a gimme. After "Audiophile's setup" I didn't read the rest of the clue. Only CLICKed when I looked at the perimeter on Splynter's write up.
ReplyDeleteLINGLE, DUC, ROSIE'S-perps for those. Wanted ROI before Surround made that impossible.
I knew TINA, RENEE, and ANNIE and guessed CEO for the BBW's Gina.
IN APP purchase. Not an option I would use. I go directly to the website for the few things I purchase online. I don't buy anything using my phone, only my desktop.
Hola!
ReplyDeleteI liked how the words of sound SURROUNDED the grid. Very clever though not original. Still, fun.
L'ENGLE's A Wrinkle in TIME is a favorite with the elementary school crowd, especially middle graders, 4th, 5h, 6th.
ANASTASIA's fate is still a mystery a century later though many theories exist.
Two years of LATIN in high school have helped me in many ways, especially with crossword puzzles.
Thank you, Splynter! Have a wonderful day, everyone!
Witty Wednesday puzzle, many thanks, Michele. And always enjoy your commentary, Splynter, thanks for that too.
ReplyDeleteWell, I was delighted to see INFANT--I love babies--and hoped it might be part of a theme. But we only got its POP, and its need for a NAP--so it created some PITIES in me for the poor thing.
Hope it at least got some good care.
Have a great middle of the week, everybody.
H.Gary, some of those JINGLES were pretty good, but others were just meh to me. Not on the list but a lot better of some on the list was Big Mouth Billy Bass singing his theme, Take Me to the River.
ReplyDeleteEven though I panned the puzzle, I'll have to defend IN APP and NGO.
IN APP: If you look at the blurb in the Play Store (or the IFruit equivalent,) you will often see "IN APP purchases." E.G. free games that require you to pay to unlock something to make the game more fun. I don't download games, but i just used that as an example - I've seen it often in the time wasters I do download.
NGO: These are religious and other organizations that exist to support human concerns, such as food, clothing and medicine. Thew reason they are in the news is that some take money from the government to assist "illegal newcomers." For instance, Catholic Charities is paid about $1.5 billion yearly from taxpayers, expressly to help get people across our southern boarder without the benefit of process. Can sometimes look like a money laundering operation. It allows the politicos to say "Nooo, those aren't paid for by the gov'ment, that's an NGO's doing." (There are also many fine NGOs, including Doctors Without Borders.) We've seen what happens when the government tries to dole out benefits directly. Waste and theft are rampant. So the NGO, being closer to the need, are at least less likely to have the funds just evaporate, like a lot of the covid stimulus money that was paid directly by the feds.
Apropos of Catholic/charity/and immigrants . highly recommend a movie currently in theaters receiving excellent reviews, “Cabrini” about Frances Cabrini an Italian nun and her struggles to help Italian immigrants particularly children and orphans living in horrible slum conditions in 1890’s New York City. Definitely Oscar material
ReplyDeleteWell here’s another one who had trouble with that LEN__E/N_O/C_IO conflagration. Can’t believe my WAG turned out right and I got the FIR.
ReplyDeleteLove the theme though, it was like there was a cacophony of sounds coming off the page.
Also today’s first Jumble word was WHACK!
I enjoyed solving this puzzle and reading all your comments.
ReplyDeleteSome non-crossword thoughts on various comments:
ReplyDelete1) CARE is definitely an NGO;
2) Anastasia. I can't believe we're still talking about her a hundred years after she was slain. Hollywood--and Twentieth Century Fox TWICE-- have apparently successfully kept alive this romantic nonsense that the beautiful Anastasia somehow escaped the bloodbath in 1918, first through the glamor of Ingrid Bergman, and then Meg Ryan.
First, multiple witnesses documented in great detail the slaughter of the czar and EVERY member of his family. Secondly, not too many years ago, soon after the fall of the USSR, the remains of the imperial family were exhumed, each was identified including Anastasia, and then re-interred.
Case closed.
Thanks, Michele. I enjoyed your SURROUND SOUND gimmick!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the fun recap, Splynter! "Here Comes the Rain" is a favorite of mine, too. The drummer jokes were a hit!
; )
Hi everybody,
ReplyDeletePlease excuse my long absence. I've been suffering from an acute case of old age. I had a short stint in the local hospital and then a rehab facility. I'm using a walker and/or a cane to get around with a lot of help from from two wonderful long-term care helpers.
I just finished Monday's puzzle as an easier starting point. I got back in the groove slowly and read most of the comments. Things seem mostly the same even after my absence. I'll try to write more later. I hope all of you are doing OK.
Regards, Bill
Bill G
ReplyDeleteWelcome back! It's just great to see your post again! I'm sorry for what you have been going through and hope you are now much, much better.
Welcome back Bill G.
ReplyDelete