July 20, 2022

Title: WISE GUISE

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

NEWS AGENCY (17A: Press organization)

VANESSA GERMAN (28A: American artist known for her power figures)

AS A GENERAL RULE (57A: By and large)

Theme synopsis: The word SAGE, a synonym for WISE, is found in each theme answer.

Things I learned:

• VANESSA GERMAN (28A: American artist known for her power figures) VANESSA GERMAN is an artist and poet. Based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she utilizes found objects and mixed media to create sculptures known as power figures. VANESSA GERMAN's art is intertwined with her activism, using creativity as an act of restorative justice to shine a light on historical and ongoing racism, white supremacy, and heteropatriarchy, while also offering hope for healing and a way forward.
• NOEL (70A: "The Kings of Napa" star Ebonee) The Kings of Napa is a prime time soap opera that premiered on the Oprah Winfrey Network in January of this year. The show centers on the Kings, a wealthy wine industry family adjusting to new roles after the death of their father. Ebonée NOEL plays the role of August King, one of three King siblings.
• ARENA (12D: ___ football) ARENA football, also known as indoor American football, is football played indoors on a smaller field than that used for NFL games. The rules of ARENA football are adapted for play in a smaller area.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• OWEN (19A: Country singer Jake) In 2019, country singer-songwriter Jake OWEN covered Cher's 1998 hit, "Believe." When he debuted the song on his Instagram account, he commented, "Some of my closest friends and coworkers are part of the #lgbt community and I couldn't be more happy for the progress they have made. I'm inspired by people loving people no matter who you are. I BELIEVE the world needs more love. No matter where it comes from." When a commenter replied they felt sick that they had tickets to his concert that week, Jake OWEN invited them to come find him at the concert if they did attend so he could give them a hug since, "You need one." 
• LAS (23A: ___ Vegas Aviators) The LAS Vegas Aviators are a Triple-A baseball team located in Summerlin South, Nevada. They play their home games at LAS Vegas Ballpark, and are affiliated with the Oakland A's. The team has two mascots, Spruce the Goose and The Aviator.
• DAL (25A: ___ bhat (rice-and-lentil dish)) DAL are dried split legumes (lentils, peas, and beans), and "bhat" means "boiled rice" in a number of Indo-Aryan languages. DAL bhat is a traditional meal popular in many areas of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nepal.
• YOGURT (45A: Raita ingredient) Raita is seasoned YOGURT with raw or cooked vegetables, often cucumber and onion.
• ARROW (51A: Part of the Sagittarius symbol) Sagittarius is the ninth astrological sign, and is the sign of those born between November 23-December 21. The symbol for Sagittarius is an archer holding an ARROW. 
• RADON (64A: Hazardous noble gas) The six naturally occurring noble gases - helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and RADON - have low chemical reactivity, and under standard conditions are odorless and colorless. The radioactive noble gas RADON is a health hazard, as it is easily inhaled, and exposure to RADON has been linked to lung cancer. 
• HOLE (66A: Center of a Bundt cake) A Bundt cake is not linked to a specific recipe, but is used to refer to any cake baked in a specific pan resulting in a cake with a characteristic donut shape and a HOLE in the center. My favorite Bundt cake recipe is for chocolate pound cake which I haven't made in a long time. Thanks for reminding me of that recipe, puzzle!
• SEA (5D: Zooplankton's place) Zooplankton are organisms that drift in the SEA, or in bodies of fresh water. Many zooplankton are microscopic, but some, such as jellyfish, are visible.
• ARBOR (26A: ___ Day (tree holiday)) I have previously written about ARBOR Day.

Geography review:

• ASIA (55A: Borneo's continent) Borneo is the largest island in ASIA. Located in the southwest Pacific, it is home to the country of Brunei, part of Indonesia, and the Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah. 
• AMMAN (29D: Jordan's biggest city) In addition to being it's largest city, AMMAN is the capital of Jordan. At an archaeological site in AMMAN known as 'Ain Ghazal, evidence of a settlement dating back to the 8th millennium B.C. has been discovered. Items uncovered include the oldest large-scale representations of the human form.

In this puzzle, we have WISE appearing in the GUISE of the word SAGE, and SAGE is disGUISEd in the theme answers. My favorite theme answer today is AS A GENERAL RULE. I also enjoyed the answers GOSSIPY, NOW OR NEVER, NOT FOR SALE, and STREAMED. Thank you, Zhouqin, for this puzzle that was a WISE and fabulous way to begin my Wednesday.