May 31, 2021

Title: END OF THE MONTH

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

VALERIE JUNE (16A: "You Can't Be Told" singer)

MILLION MOM MARCH (36A: National gun control rally on May 14, 2000)

COME WHAT MAY (58A: No matter the consequences)

Theme synopsis: The END word of each theme answer is the name of a MONTH.

Things I learned:

• EYES (19A: "___ on the Prize") EYES on the Prize is a 14-episode PBS documentary about the U.S. civil rights movement. The series originally aired from 1987 to 1990, and chronicles the time period between the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling (1954), and the 1983 election of Harold Washington as the first Black mayor of Chicago. The title of the series is from the folk song "Keep Your EYES on the Prize." I filled in this answer confidently, being familiar with the saying, but I was unaware of the documentary series.
• POE (40A: "Star Wars" pilot Dameron) I have seen (some of) the Star Wars movies, but am not good at keeping the names of all of the characters in my head. Therefore, I was thankful for crossing answers here. POE Dameron is an X-wing fighter pilot for the Resistance. He was introduced in the 2015 movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens. From 2016 to 2018, he was featured in his own comic book series: Star Wars: POE Dameron. Oscar Isaac played the role of POE Dameron in the movies. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• VALERIE JUNE (16A: "You Can't Be Told" singer) VALERIE JUNE is a singer-songwriter whose music is a mix of folk, blues, gospel, soul, country, and bluegrass. "You Can't Be Told" is a single from her 2012 album, Pushin' Against a Stone. I learned about VALERIE JUNE (and her dreads) from the January 2, 2021 puzzle. 
• MILLION MOM MARCH (36A: National gun control rally on May 14, 2000) Held at the Washington D.C. National Mall, the MILLION MOM MARCH was a grassroots movement begun by Donna Dees-Thomases following the Jewish Community Center shooting in Granada Hills, California in August 1999. Following the event, chapters of MILLION MOM MARCH were formed, and in 2001 the organization merged with the Brady Campaign, a nonprofit organization advocating for gun control and against gun violence.
• MEOW (41A: Cat's bellow) I hear this sound most mornings, and today
  
  was no exception. Some cats MEOW to be fed, but as Willow is free-fed, in her case it usually means, "Pay attention to me!"
• SPA (61A: Place for salt glows) A salt glow, or salt scrub, is a SPA treatment in which a combination of salt and oil is gently rubbed over your skin. The salt is rinsed off, and then lotion is applied. The purpose of a salt glow is exfoliation - removal of dead skin cells - to leave your skin softer and smoother.
• DOJOS (6D: Places for judokas) A judoka is a practitioner of judo. DOJOS are places for training.
• OSCAR (30D: Award won by "A Fantastic Woman") I wrote about A Fantastic Woman, or Una mujer fantástica, in April. The 2017 movie won an OSCAR Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
• MATCHA (45D: Popular mochi ice cream flavor) Mochi ice cream is a treat made by forming Japanese mochi (pounded sticky rice) around ice cream. Any flavor of ice cream may be used for the filling, including MATCHA (green tea) ice cream.
• LAWS (49D: The four ___ of thermodynamics) The branch of physics dealing with the relationship of heat to other forms of energy is known as thermodynamics. I'm always happy to see science references in the puzzle. I would quickly confuse myself and run the risk of offering false information if I attempted to discuss the four LAWS of thermodynamics. However, if you want to know more, check out this Live Science article, or this LibreText excerpt. 

Geography review: 

• TAIWAN (26A: Island with the most Little League World Series wins) TAIWAN is an island country in East Asia. Its capital is Taipei. The Little League Baseball World Series is held annually in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1947. TAIWAN has won 17 Little League World Series titles.
• KOSOVO (29A: Neighbor of Albania) The Republic of KOSOVO is a partially recognized southeastern European country. KOSOVO declared its independence from Serbia in 2008. Ninety-eight of the 193 member states of the United Nations (including the United States) recognize KOSOVO as an independent state. In addition to Serbia and Albania, the neighbors of KOSOVO are North Macedonia and Montenegro.
• ASIAN (42A: Hongkonger or Bangkokian) Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China. Bangkok is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. 

An appropriately-titled puzzle to celebrate May 31, the END OF THE MONTH. I appreciated that each theme answer represented a different category - a person, an event, and a saying. The non-theme answer of I'M SO OVER IT is a fun and sassy bonus. It's possible that sometimes when this phrase is ASSERTED, it's an IDLE THREAT. Solving this puzzle was a nice way to begin my Monday. Whatever else your plans for this Memorial Day are, thanks for including reading this blog.