May 17, 2022

Title: JUNIOR HIGH

Constructors: Malaika Handa & Matthew Stock

Editor: Amanda Rakfin

Theme Answers:

JOLLOF RICE (1D: Food central to a "war" between Ghana and Nigeria)

JOLLY RANCHER (7D: Fruit-flavored hard candy)

JACKIE ROBINSON (12D: Winner of the inaugural MLB Rookie of the Year award)

Theme synopsis: In each theme answer, the first word begins with a J, and the second word begins with an R. Since the theme answers are vertical, we have JR - the abbreviation for JUNIOR - HIGH in the puzzle.

Things I learned:

• ISRA (55D: Environmental activist Hirsi) When addressing crowds, environmental justice organizer ISRA Hirsi often reminds them that climate change "is the fight of my generation, and it needs to be addressed urgently." ISRA Hirsi co-founded and was the co-executive director of the U.S. Youth Climate Strike in 2019. Although it was written a few years ago, I found this essay written by IRSA Hirsi to be a worthwhile, and still relevant, read. IRSA Hirsi is the daughter of U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and Ahmed Abdisalan Hirsi.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• JOHN (12A: ___ Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021) Named for the civil rights activist and politician who died in 2020, the JOHN Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 was legislation approved by the House of Representatives, but that failed to pass the Senate. The Act was intended to strengthen the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
• MULLET (20A: "Business in the front, party in the back" hairstyle) Versions of the MULLET hairstyle - short in front and longer in the back - have been around for many years, dating as far back as first century AD. The term "MULLET" to describe the hairstyle, however, is much newer. The term was coined and popularized by the hip-hop group, The Beastie Boys. The group released a 1994 song called "Mullet Head" which contained a description of the haircut. A 1995 issue of the group's magazine, Grand Royal, contained a six-page article discussing the MULLET. If you rock a MULLET, you might be interested in the USA MULLET Championships.
• ASANTE (58A: Thank you, in Swahili) Swahili is an official language, often along with English, in a number of East African countries, including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. If you'd like to learn or brush up on a few more words in Swahili, check out this TripSavvy article.
• JOLLOF RICE (1D: Food central to a "war" between Ghana and Nigeria) JOLLOF RICE, made with RICE (of course!), tomatoes, tomato paste, onions, peppers, and spices, is a one-pot dish popular in many West African countries. For several years, Ghana and Nigeria have engaged in a (mostly lighthearted) "war" about which country's JOLLOF RICE is the best. The main difference between the JOLLOF RICE from the two countries is the type of RICE used. Nigerian JOLLOF RICE is made with long-grain rice, and Ghanian JOLLOF RICE is made with basmati RICE. The debate has played out at cooking competitions and online. Although a definitive winner may never emerge, the JOLLOF RICE "war" has benefited all of us in increasing the popularity of the dish.
• WHALES (3D: Sea creatures that "sing") WHALES use a variety of sounds to communicate. The series of repetitious sounds made by humpback WHALES is referred to as "singing." Fun fact: A 1970 album produced by bio-acoustician Roger Payne, called Songs of the Humpback Whale became the best-selling environmental album in history. Researchers have discovered that all male humpbacks in an ocean sing the same song, and that song changes over time. If you'd like to learn more about the "singing" of WHALES, this Wire article goes into more depth. And here's a link if you'd like to listen to WHALES "sing."
• JOLLY RANCHER (7D: Fruit-flavored hard candy) When Bill and Dorothy Harmsen founded the JOLLY RANCHER company in 1949, they chose the name to invoke images of a friendly, western company. Since 1996, JOLLY RANCHER is a part of The Hershey Company. According to the company, the most popular JOLLY RANCHER flavor is watermelon.
• JACKIE ROBINSON (12D: Winner of the inaugural MLB Rookie of the Year award) It was in 1947 that JACKIE ROBINSON, playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers, won the MLB (Major League Baseball) Rookie of the Year. JACKIE ROBINSON was the first Black player to play in the MLB. This happens to be sports information that I know!

Geography review:

• OSLO (58A: Capital near a fjord) A fjord is a long, deep inlet. Fjords are often situated in valleys with cliffs on either side of the water. OSLO, Norway is located on the appropriately named OSLO Fjord. Many places in Norway are near fjords, as the over 17,000 miles of coastline is made up mainly of fjords. For comparison, the baseline coastline (drawn in a straight line without following the fjords) is just over 1,500 miles.
• SAO (17D: ___ Paolo, Brazil) SAO Paolo, Brazil is the most populous city in Brazil, and the largest Portuguese-speaking city in the world. SAO Paolo is located in the southeastern part of Brazil, about 40 miles from the Atlantic Ocean.
• ACCRA (30D: Ghana's capital) Two mentions for Ghana in today's puzzle! Ghana is located in West Africa, and has coastline on the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean. ACCRA is located on the southern edge of Ghana on the Gulf of Guinea. ACCRA is the largest city in Ghana in addition to being the capital.

I am thankful that solving this puzzle did not actually require me to relive my JUNIOR HIGH days. (Hmmm, I wonder if we'll be promoted to SENIOR HIGH tomorrow?) A fun theme with three fabulous theme answers. Several clues I enjoyed were OLAY (13A: Skin care company whose name sounds like an exclamation), INTERN (52A: Future full-time employee, perhaps), and ARF (37D: Sound after a "Speak!" command). Thank you, Malaika and Matthew, for this puzzle that was a delightful way to start my Tuesday.