August 5, 2022

Title: MIXING BEATS

Constructor: Erik Agard

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

OPEN BETAS (15A: Public test versions of software)

BELLY OF THE BEAST (34A: Lambda-winning Da'Shaun L. Harrison book)

DAISY BATES (57A: Civil rights leader known for her work with the Little Rock Nine)

Theme synopsis: The last word of each theme answer is an anagram of BEATS: BETAS, BEAST, BATES.

Things I learned:

• CREEK (21A: Like cvtvhakv) CREEK is a Muskogean language spoken by Muscogee and Seminole people. It took me quite a bit of searching to find the meaning of "cvtvhakv," but I finally discovered that it translates to "blue bread," a cornbread which is colored blue using a dye made from the hulls of purple hull peas.
• DAISY BATES (57A: Civil rights leader known for her work with the Little Rock Nine) The Little Rock Nine were a group of Black students enrolled at the racially segregated Little Rock Central High School in 1957. This was following the 1954 Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education that declared laws establishing segregated schools unconstitutional. DAISY BATES (1914-1999) and her husband owned the Arkansas State Press, a weekly newspaper. DAISY BATES  supported and advocated for the Black students in their efforts to attend Little Rock Central High School.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• OPEN BETAS (15A: Public test versions of software) The software release life cycle is a term used to describe the stages a piece of software undergoes during its development. The phase most familiar to the majority of computer users is the BETA phase, when the software is still in the testing phase, but relatively stable. BETA launches may be released to a select audience (closed BETAS), or to anyone interested (OPEN BETAS).
• PUTS (18A: "Nobody ___ Baby in a corner") I wrote about this iconic movie quote earlier this year when it was used to clue the word "corner."
• BELLY OF THE BEAST (34A: Lambda-winning Da'Shaun L. Harrison book) I filled in this answer right away, and then wondered how I knew it. I should have guessed that I had learned this information from a previous puzzle! Da'Shaun L. Harrison is a self-described "Black, fat, queer and trans theorist and abolitionist," and the author of Belly of the Beast: The Politics of Anti-Fatness as Anti-Blackness. The book won a 2022 Lambda Literary Award for Transgender Nonfiction. On their website, Da'Shaun L. Harrison says they write, "not only as a means of survival, but with the belief that if the marginalized wish for a future where there history is depicted accurately and their stories are told correctly then they must document them."
• NORTE (Direction opposite sur) "NORTE" is the Spanish word for "north," and "sur" is the Spanish word for "south."
• CLARINET (60A: Instrument with keys) and PIANO (49D: Instrument with keys) I enjoyed this repeated clue, and the fact that the answers intersect. I have played both of these instruments with keys. The CLARINET I played in junior high band, and never played well. The PIANO I still play occasionally, but only for my own enjoyment.
• MYSTERIES (9D: Stories with culprits) MYSTERIES are my favorite genre of stories, and I like my MYSTERIES like I like my sweaters...cozy. I don't mind culprits, but I prefer a minimum of gore. Agatha Christie is the queen of cozy MYSTERIES in my opinion. Some more contemporary MYSTERIES I am thoroughly enjoying (and recommending to everyone I know, passing on the original recommendation to me from my daughter) are the Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman. In fact, I realized while writing this that I've already recommended these books on the blog. It's a recommendation worth repeating! The books are set in a senior living community, and the main characters are residents of the community who are quirky, delightful, and obsessed with the topic of murder.
• EMPANADA (10D: A "domino" one is filled with black beans and cheese) An EMPANADA is a turnover that may be baked or fried. A domino EMPANADA, that originated in Venezuela gets its name from the black and white filling reminiscent of dominoes.
• STIM (16D: Hand-flapping or listening to a song on repeat, for example) A STIM is a self-stimulatory behavior often marked by repetitive action. 
• LOVEBIRD (36D: Animal that puts the "pair" in "parrot") LOVEBIRD is a common name for a certain group of parrots native to Africa. They are named for the long-term bonds they form, as well as their habit of spending long periods of time sitting together.

Geography review:

• ST. THOMAS (1A: Virgin island on which Charlotte Amalie is located) Charlotte Amalie, located on ST. THOMAS as the clue informs us, is the capital of the U.S. Virgin Islands. The city was originally named Taphus (meaning "beer house") when it was founded in 1666, but was renamed in 1691 after the queen consort to King Christian V of Denmark-Norway. Charlotte Amalie has a deep-water harbor, and is a popular port of call for cruise ships. In the past the harbor was a haven for pirates.
• CUBA (50A: "De Cierta Manera" country) De Cierta Manera, which translates to "One Way or Another," is a 1974 movie written and directed by Cuban filmmaker Sara Gómez. The movie takes place in a neighborhood in Havana, CUBA. Combining the styles of documentary and a fictitious love story, De Cierta Manera addresses issues of class, race, and gender in Cuban culture following the 1959 Cuban Revolution. Sara Gómez died of an asthma attack after editing the film; it was released posthumously and is her only feature-length movie. The movie was produced by the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry, for which Sara Gómez was the first woman director.
• INDY (55A: State capital with an annual auto race, for short) Indianapolis, or INDY for short, is the capital of Indiana. It is also the site of the INDY 500, held annually at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The INDY 500 was first held in 1911, and usually occurs in May on Memorial Day weekend. Although I don't follow the INDY 500, I always remember when it's held, as I explained in a previous post. 

It's another delightful anagram puzzle from Erik Agard. One of the most striking things about this grid is those corners of long entries. This puzzle has 68 words, a low word count we don't often see in USA Today puzzles. The grid is asymmetric by just one square to accommodate the theme answers of different lengths, OPEN BETAS and DAISY BATES. There are so many great answers here: SCUTTLES, ALIENATES, COHERENT, KATYDID, and HERE GOES, in addition to those I've already highlighted. Thank you, Erik, for this puzzle that was a fantastic way to begin my Friday.