January 18, 2022

Title: BLOCKBUSTERS

Constructor: Doug Peterson

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

BLOW YOUR STACK (20A: Fly off the handle)

BIOLOGICAL CLOCK (36A: Timekeeper involved in jet lag)

BLACK GIRLS ROCK (52A: Women's empowerment group with a BET awards show)

Theme synopsis: The word BLOCK is BUSTed (split) by each theme answer, so that some of the letters are at the beginning of the answer, and the remaining are at the end.

And now a word from our constructor:

Doug: Hat tip to Brooke Husic for this one, as I used a theme generation method she espouses. Instead of dreaming up a theme and then finding a set of appropriate theme entries, I instead picked an entry I thought would be fun (in this case, 52-Across) and figured out what kind of theme I could build around it. I hope you enjoy the results!

Things I learned:

• REGION (25A: Kanto or Johto, in "Pokemon") The Pokémon REGIONs of Kanto and Johto are based on REGIONs in Japan. Kanto, based on the Kantō REGION of Japan, was the first of the video game's REGIONs to have its geography and culture based on a place in the real world. The Pokémon REGION of Johto is based on the Kansai, Tokai, and eastern Shikoku areas of Japan.
• OMAR (60A: Chef Tate) Chef OMAR Tate's cooking lifts up Black food culture. His pop-up takeout restaurant, Honeysuckle, is on 50 Best's list of "12 global restaurants and bars born out of the pandemic." Honeysuckle started as an experiential multi-course supper series in New York City that OMAR Tate described as a "portal to Blackness." When the COVID pandemic forced cancellations, OMAR Tate went back to his home in Philadelphia, and transitioned Honeysuckle into a takeout experience, still with the goal of elevating Black cuisine. Together with his wife, OMAR Tate is raising funds to turn Honeysuckle into a permanent location serving as a community grocery and farm. OMAR Tate was included in Time magazine's 2021 "Time100 Next List."

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• TYPO (14A: "Examlpe," for example) I always enjoy a good TYPO clue, and this is an excellent one.
• RACE (15A: Ijeoma Oluo's "So You Want to Talk About ___") Each chapter title in Ijeoma Oluo's 2018 book, So You Want to Talk About RACE, is a question about RACE in America. Topics include affirmative actions, cultural appropriation, intersectionality, micro-aggression, police brutality, and the school-to-prison pipeline.
• SKI (30A: Bit of biathlon gear) The winter sport of biathlon combines cross-country SKIing and rifle shooting.
• COIN (35A: Sacagawea dollar, for example) The Sacagawea dollar COIN was introduced in 2000. Also known as the "golden dollar," the COINs have a gold color and feature a profile of Sacagawea with her child, with various designs on the reverse side. The COIN has been minted in limited amounts, as its use has not caught on.
• BIOLOGICAL CLOCK (36A: Timekeeper involved in jet lag) When I first read this clue, I was trying to think of the name of a person known for being a timekeeper. Fun to figure out the answer and realize I was on the wrong track!
• BLACK GIRLS ROCK (52A: Women's empowerment group with a BET awards show) BLACK GIRLS ROCK! was founded in 2006 by author, DJ, artist, and TV producer Beverly Bond to showcase empowering images of women of color. In 2010, BLACK GIRLS ROCK! partnered with BET (Black Entertainment Television) to produce an awards show. Beverly Bond edited a 2018 book, BLACK GIRLS ROCK! Owning Our Magic. Rocking Our Truth, that highlights the stories of Black women. This is definitely a great entry to build a puzzle around.
• GATO (57A: Cat, in Spanish) When Willow realized this puzzle mentioned a cat, she decided to
  
  supervise my work. She was proud of me for being able to remember GATO means cat in Spanish.
• MYOB (2D: "Don't be so nosy!" initials) What does MYOB mean? Mind your own business!
• ACLU (7D: Org. with an "At Liberty" podcast) The weekly ACLU podcast, At Liberty "explores the most pressing civil rights and civil liberties questions of our time." Episodes include, "How to Win an Election From Jail," "Can the Government Wrongfully Spy on You and Get Away With It?" and "The Case for Optimism: 2021 Legal Wins at the ACLU."
• CHI (56D: "The ___" (Showtime drama)) The TV series, The CHI, centers on life in a South Side Chicago neighborhood. 
• EDITH (26D: Dr. ___ Irby Jones) I learned about physician and activist EDITH Irby Jones from the February 8, 2021 puzzle. 
• GOOSE (27D: Honking bird) It's been quite cold where I live. (I realize it is winter.) Last week, my husband and I went for a walk at a park along the Iowa River. The river was completely frozen over, and it was amusing to see the geese standing in a group on top of the icy river. As we were watching, a GOOSE came in for a landing. As it landed on the ice, it preceded to slide across the ice for a bit. My husband wondered what the geese think about landing on an icy river. Is it annoying to them, or do they enjoy their sliding landings?
• LUCY (28D: Actress and artist Liu) LUCY Liu's film and TV credits are numerous. I particularly enjoyed her in the role of Joan Watson in the TV series, Elementary. 
• HOMER (49D: Civil rights pioneer Plessy) Earlier this month, HOMER Plessy was posthumously pardoned by Louisiana's governor for his arrest in 1892. HOMER Plessy was arrested in 1892 for refusing to leave a whites-only railroad car. He was part of a group that hoped their actions would overturn state laws about segregation. Instead, HOMER Plessy became the plaintiff in the U.S. Supreme Court case, Plessy v. Ferguson, which resulted in a "separate but equal" legal doctrine that upheld segregation until the Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954.

Geography review:

• SAMOA (58A: Fiame Naomi Mata'afa's nation) Fiamē Naomi Mata'afa is the Prime Minister of SAMOA. She is the first woman to serve as Prime Minister for the Polynesian island country. Fiamē became the Prime Minister of SAMOA on May 24, 2021, after the resolution of a month-long constitutional crisis in which the previous prime minister refused to step down. In reading about this, I was interested to learn that SAMOA's Constitution requires that women hold at least 10% of legislative seats. Intriguing idea, though personally I think the percentage should be higher.
• APACHE (44D: White Mountain people) The White Mountains are located in eastern Arizona. Much of the mountain range is within the Fort APACHE Indian Reservation.
• DEL (46D: Marina ___ Rey) Marina DEL Rey ("Docks of the King" in Spanish) is the name of a harbor and the community in which it is located in Los Angeles Country, California.

I enjoyed this BLOCK-BUSTING trio of theme answers. Although we've seen Doug Peterson's name as constructor before, this is his first solo USA Today puzzle. I enjoyed the cluing voice. Some favorite examples: CLAP (5A: Sound of thunder), PATHS (9A: Corn maze options), and INKY (32D: Like fingers stained by a pen.). This puzzle was a great way to begin my Tuesday.