April 3, 2022

Title: UPVOTE

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

SYDNEY AIRPORT (4D: Australian travel hub)

HOCKEY ANALYSYT (14D: Person discussing the Whitecaps or Blue Jackets)

MONKEY AROUND (22D: Goof off)

Theme synopsis: Reading UP each vertical theme answer, we discover the word AYE.

Things I learned:

• DATE PASTE (48A: Ma'amoul filling) Ma'amoul is a butter cookie often filled with DATE PASTE.
• HOCKEY ANALYSYT (14D: Person discussing the Whitecaps or Blue Jackets) The Minnesota Whitecaps are a professional women's HOCKEY team. The team, which is part of the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF), is based in Minneapolis-St. Paul, and was established in 2004. The Columbus Blue Jackets are a professional HOCKEY team based in Columbus, Ohio. The team is part of the National Hockey League (NHL). I am clearly not a HOCKEY ANALYST.
• STOMP (51D: "___ the Yard") STOMP the Yard is a 2007 movie about a street dancer who becomes involved with competitive dancing in college. Actor and choreographer,  Columbus Short plays the role of DJ Williams.
• DON (64D: Cheadle who played Mouse) DON Cheadle played the role Mouse in the 1995 movie Devil in a Blue Dress. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• DNA (45A: Molecule researched by Marie Maynard Daly) Marie Maynard Daly was the first Black woman in the United States to earn a Ph.D. in chemistry, which she did at Columbia University in 1947. Dr. Daly's work on protein synthesis contributed to discoveries made about the structure of DNA.
• GENUS (11D: Felis for domestic cats) In addition to domestic cats, the GENUS Felis includes the European wildcat, the jungle cat, the African wildcat, the black-footed cat, the sand cat, and the Chinese mountain cat. Willow found this information so interesting she decided to take a nap.
  
• STATUE (34D: There's one of Kamehameha the Great in front of Ali'iolani Hale) Ali'iolani Hale in Honolulu, Hawaii is currently the home of the Hawaii State Supreme Court. Formerly, the building was the seat of government of the Kingdom of Hawaii. A gold-leaf STATUE of Kamehameha the Great, the monarch that founded the Kingdom of Hawaii, stands in front of Ali'iolani Hale.
• NOSE (38D: Facial feature that a Lego person lacks) I enjoyed this clue. It was just a few days ago that we saw the clue [Joint that a Lego person lacks] for the word KNEE.
• CIA (62D: Spy org. in "The Man Who Cried I Am") The Man Who Cried I Am is a 1967 book by John Alfred Williams. The best-selling novel narrates the lives of two writers, while depicting the lingering racism still prevalent in the post-civil-rights era. The book discusses a fictional CIA-led scheme called the "King Alfred Plan."

Geography review:

• CANYON (12A: Mesa Verde National Park sight) Mesa Verde National Park is located in
  
  southwest Colorado. Along the CANYON walls and on top of the mesa, there are more than 5,000 archeological sites preserving ancestral Puebloan dwellings. About 600 of those sites are cliff dwellings, built along the CANYON walls. Mesa Verde, whose name is Spanish for "green table," is an amazing place rich with history. I highly recommend visiting if you haven't been there. 
• SCOTS (1D: Glasgow residents) One of Glasgow, Scotland's nicknames is "The Dear Green Place," and its motto is "Let Glasgow Flourish."
• HANOI (2D: Capital home to the Bach Ma Temple) HANOI is the capital of Vietnam. The Bach Ma Temple is the oldest temple in HANOI, with parts of the temple dating back to the 11th century. "Bach Ma" means "white horse." The temple was originally built by Emperor Ly Thai to honor a white horse that led him to the site to build a city.
• SYDNEY AIRPORT (4D: Australian travel hub) The SYDNEY AIRPORT is the busiest airport in Australia. It serves as a primary hub for Qantas airlines.

The VOTES are in, and the AYEs have it. A classic theme type today with a title that let me know just what to expect. In addition to the theme and the answers I've highlighted, I also liked SECRET MENU, POST DOCS, and I DUNNO. This puzzle was an enjoyable way to begin my Sunday.

If you've been following along with my attempts to discover the theme to Friday's puzzle, I updated Friday's post again this morning with another insight. Always something new to discover, apparently!