World Whale Day was started in 1980 on Maui. It reminds us of the challenges faced in our oceans across the globe. Observed annually on the third Sunday in February, World Whale Day celebrates these noble sea mammals.
My experience is limited to seeing Killer Whales in Sea World shows. The theme park has not obtained orcas from the wild for decades and now has also stopped breeding programs and theatrical shows with "Shamus" as well but will care for the ones remaining in their tanks as long as they live. Sea World and Orcas
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Christopher Adams
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The one odd take I have on Christopher's fun puzzle is that so many long fills were easy and helped with the shorter ones which he clued is some very unorthodox ways. I stared down the barrel of what seemed to be a Natick at AISH_/C_LDER but I correctly guessed the vowel that made the most sense. BTW, I will not say this was a whale of a puzzle and you can't make me.
Across:
1. High-tech accessory that may pose privacy issues: WEBCAM - Using these to communicate with our granddaughter during her semester in Grenoble was amazing to me! BTW, if you think you are not ever on a camera at any time...
7. Not quite aligned: OFFSET - A definite possibility on California's Hayward Fault
13. No-nonsense marker: SHARPIE
16. Leader of New Netherland before it was renamed New York: PETER STUYVESANT - The first very doable long fill
18. Caltech, e.g.: Abbr.: INST - A famous though fictional employee
19. The __ Man: Major Arcana card: HANGED - New learning for me. Major Arcana are the "picture cards" in a Tarot deck. All you need to know about the HANGED MAN
20. "Nixon in China" tenor role: MAO - Tenor John Duykers as MAO feels a song coming on
21. Multiple of LXVII: CCI - CCI is a multiple of LXVII because III x LXVII = CCI (67 x 3 = 201)
22. Mobile maker: CALDER - I wonder what Alexander would charge for this tiny one he is holding
23. Flirtatious bat: WINK - Christopher! Here we see WINKING or flirtatious eye batting!
24. 1983 Streisand film: YENTL.
26. Spy novelist Deighton: LEN - A frequent crossword author/fill
27. "Clerks" clerk: DANTE - A 1994 film. A slightly less literate cluing for DANTE
28. Gandhi family notable: RAJIV - India's 6th Prime Minister who took office after his mother Indira Ghandi was assassinated in 1984
30. Exposes: BARES.
31. "The Card Players" artist: PAUL CEZANNE - Another easy long fill. Hmmm... I thought it might be dogs on velvet
33. Positive: CAN DO - As in CAN DO spirit
34. Contract with a flat fee?: LEASE like 12. What letters need: TENANTS - Clever again! This is what an apartment LETTER in S.F. is charging a LETTEE (TENANT) for a studio apt.
35. Sweetly, in suites: DOLCE- dolce here means play this sweetly.
37. Secret targets?: ODORS - Another fun deception
41. Old senate setting: ROME - A senate scene in ROME on the Ides Of March, 44 A.D.
42. Japan, to natives: NIPPON - A derisive name for Japanese in WWII was Nips
44. Roof, e.g.: TOP
45. PC space bar neighbor: ALT - Every Windows user knows the Ctrl + ALT + Delete mantra
46. Homer, in baseball lingo: GO DEEP - To homer is to GO DEEP. Homer is a verb here
47. Pieces for one: SOLI - I have sung many a SOLI
48. Historical role played by Sally Field in 2012: MARY TODD LINCOLN - "Uh, Mrs. Lincoln we need to talk about your spending..."
51. Coral relative: ANEMONE - Coral and ANEMONE are both animals of the the group called cnidaria (from Greek knidē ‘nettle) and are found on and form reefs
52. Dr. Scholl's products: INSOLES.
53. Promo: TEASER - Some TEASERS for bad movies have the one, single funny scene in them
54. More adroit: NEATER - Adroit people can do much NEATER work
Down:
1. Word of origin: WHENCE - We love to travel but are always happy to return to the place from WHENCE we came
2. Dirties the dishes: EATS IN.
3. Poison frontman Michaels: BRET - If you're a fan, you know which one below is BRET
4. Bit of EMT expertise: CPR
5. "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" host Tyler: AISHA - Here she is
6. Like gong sounds: METALLIC.
7. Space shuttle gas: OXYGEN - The -300˚F Liquid OXYGEN was at the top of the orange External Tank when upright on the launch pad
8. Contagious enthusiasm: FEVER - Husker FEVER has already generated a sellout of 90,000 people for the Spring Game/Scrimmage in April
9. Couples of golf: FRED - Clever cluing for Freddie Couples
10. "Help wanted" sign?: SOS - I'll use any excuse to offer an ABBA song
11. Test taker: EXAMINEE - I was an Examiner for decades
13. Hot: SPICY.
15. Fuel: STOKE.
17. Like film in a camera: UNDEVELOPED - What? They still make film? 😏
22. Composer Debussy: CLAUDE - Claude provided spectacular music for the last scene of Ocean's 11
23. Put on notice: WARNED.
25. Blank state: TRANCE.
27. Ted of "The Good Place": DANSON - I suppose, but the only sitcom this physics teacher has watched in the last decade has been Big Bang Theory. 29. Eponymous 2001 pop album: JLO - Jennifer Lopez
30. Barnyard sound: BAA.
31. Coconut source: PALM TREE - The difference between PALM TREES and coconut trees
32. Early transatlantic flier: ZEPPELIN - Here is the LZ 129 Hindenburg (Luftschiff Zeppelin #129) whose fate we all know
33. Nuclear reactor need: COOLANT.
35. Golden Globes genre: DRAMA.
36. Potential stock buyer: BIDDER - Here are some potential BIDDERS for stock
38. 1962 Lawrence portrayer: O'TOOLE - Peter portrayed T.E. Lawrence
39. Painting supply: ROLLER.
40. Pleasant rides: SPINS - Convertibles are built to take out for SPINS
42. 2007 #1 hit for Alicia Keys: NO ONE - Here ya go
43. Put in one's two cents: OPINE - What we bloggers do here according to C.C.'s rules
46. Classic muscle cars: GTOS.
47. Andy Murray, by birth: SCOT - A proud son of Glasgow
49. Soprano Sumac: YMA - A stalwart songbird in the crossword choir
50. "The Puzzle Palace" org.: NSA
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