January 13, 2022

Title: STOCK SPLIT

Constructor: Wendy L. Brandes

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

STANDING ROCK (20A: Reservation whose members established the Sacred Stone Camp)

START THE CLOCK (36A: "Begin timing me now!")

STICKER SHOCK (53A" Dismay at an astronomical price tag)

Theme synopsis: The word STOCK is SPLIT by each theme answer.

And now a word from our constructor:

Wendy: I really enjoyed making today's puzzle! When I submitted the query for this puzzle, Erik asked me to revisit one of my theme answers. I'm so happy he did, because it led to my realization that STANDING ROCK fit the STOCK SPLIT pattern and could serve as a replacement themer. Hat tip to Amanda for refining the clue for that one. One of my favorite parts of the puzzle was being able to celebrate Isabel WILKERSON. Her book "The Warmth of Other Suns" is an amazing chronicle of the Great Migration. I have cited it endlessly in my Law and Civil Rights class. It is pure genius. Finally, my son -- who tested the puzzle for me -- came up with the clue for PAD (yum!) Hope you enjoy!

Things I learned:

• EGG (58D: Oyakodon ingredient) Oyakodon is a Japanese rice bowl dish. The name of the dish translates to "parent-and-child rice bowl dish," and is a reference to the dish containing both chicken and EGG. Fun and clever.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• GPS (1A: Piece of direction-giving tech) GPS isn't infallible in its direction-giving abilities, but as one that remembers pre-GPS days of navigating by using a printed map and getting lost, or encountering an unexpected detour, or not being able to read the map quickly enough to give directions before passing up the necessary turn, I am always grateful for GPS. I still enjoy looking at maps, actually - they offer a big picture that GPS doesn't - but I'm grateful not to have to rely solely on maps for navigation anymore.
• STANDING ROCK (20A: Reservation whose members established the Sacred Stone Camp) Sacred Stone Camp was founded on April 1, 2016, by LaDonna Brave Bull Allard, STANDING ROCK's Historic Preservation Officer. The camp has been the base for a grassroots resistance movement to oppose the Dakota Access Pipeline.
• EAGLE (61A: Apex predator of the avian world) Apex predators, such as EAGLEs, are those animals at the top of a food chain that do not have natural predators. This answer reminded me of a previous puzzle with the title "Apex Predators."
• TERI (63A: Actress Polo) TERI Polo began her acting career with the role of Kristin Larsen on the soap opera, Loving. She played the role of Pam in the movies, Meet the Parents (2000), Meet the Fockers (2004), and Little Fockers (2010).
• ANGER (64A: Emotion often represented with the color red) This clue reminded me of the 2015 movie, Inside Out, which, as I have previously mentioned, is one of my two all-time favorite animated movies.
• SPAM (65A: Unwanted email) and SCAMS (50D: Fraudulent schemes) Not all SPAM is a result of SCAMS, but some is. Likewise, not all SCAMS are executed via SPAM, but some are. Interesting to see these two related answers cross.
• GHOSTS (1D: Haunted Mansion "residents") Haunted Mansion is the name of an attraction at Disney theme parks. During the ride through the Haunted Mansion, riders encounter various GHOSTS. The ride has inspired a comic and a video game. Two movies based on the ride have been made. Both movies are titled The Haunted Mansion; one was released in 2003, the other is scheduled to release this year.
• NAAN (5D: Bread served with dhal) The flatbread NAAN is a perfect accompaniment to the South Asian lentil dish, whether you spell that dish dhal, dal, dahl, or daal. 
• WILKERSON (9D: Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Isabel) Isabel WILKERSON won the Pulitzer Prize in 1994 for Feature Writing. She has written two books. The one Wendy mentioned in her notes, The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration (2010), discusses the migration of Black Americans from the southern United States to other sections of the country during the years 1915 to 1970. Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents (2020) discusses racism as a caste system.
• LYNN (14D: "Sweat" playwright Nottage) LYNN Nottage is one of only eight playwrights that have won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama more than once, and she is the only woman on the list. She won her first Pulitzer in 2009 for Ruined, a play set in a small mining town in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and centered on the lives of women in the midst of civil war. Sweat won LYNN Nottage her second Pulitzer Prize in 2017. Sweat takes place in a fictional bar in Reading, Pennsylvania, and is centered on the working class. 
• AVEC (25D: French preposition hidden in "rave culture") The word "AVEC" means "with" in French.
• SAME (36D: "___ Love" (song that 33 couples got married to at the 2014 Grammys) "SAME Love" is a song by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. It was recorded during the campaign for Washington Referendum 74, which legalized SAME-sex marriage in Washington State when it was passed in November 2012. When the duo performed the song at the 2014 Grammy Awards, at the end of the song Queen Latifah officiated the weddings of 33 couples. 
• PAD (40D: ___ see ew) PAD see ew is a stir-fried noodle dish that originated in Thailand.
• TEA (56D: Drink served with scones) I am currently drinking TEA, but alas I have no scones to accompany it. If you give a crossword blogger some TEA...she's going to want a scone to go with it. If she is blogging about this particular puzzle, she may also wish for some dhal and NAAN, PAD see ew, and oyakodon.

Geography review:

• ORLEANS (24A: The "O" in NOLA) New ORLEANS, Louisiana (NOLA) is located in the Mississippi River Delta, and is the most populous city in the state.

Three solid theme answers here that SPLIT the word STOCK. I also enjoyed the multiple food references (although they made me hungry!), and noticing that this puzzle may have some PENT UP ANGER that is making it BITTER. This puzzle was a great start to my Wednesday.

One more thing today. I have previously written about the American Values Club crossword (AVCX) Kickstarter campaign to fund an expansion. The campaign was successful, and AVCX is gearing up to expand its puzzle offerings. If you don't currently subscribe to AVCX, and would like to try it out, please let me know. I have one subscription to gift, and would be delighted to share it with you.