October 12, 2022

Title: BREAKING STORIES

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

LOW PRESSURE (17A: Not very stressful)

LONG TERM CARE (46A: Service provided by a nursing home)

LOOKIE HERE (61A:"Check this out!")

Theme synopsis: The word LORE, a synonym for STORIES, is broken by each theme answer.

Things I learned:

• RICE (6A: The nasi in nasi goreng) Nasi goreng is one of the national dishes of Indonesia, and it is also popular in Malay-speaking communities. In both the Indonesian and Malay languages, nasi goreng means "fried RICE." It is often cooked with pieces of meat and vegetables. 
• USER (40A: The U in EULA) EULA stands for end-USER license agreement, those contracts we agree to with a click of the mouse after barely glancing at them. (Honestly, I try to read them, but they're not easy to understand, are they?) I know of end-USER license agreements, but was unfamiliar with the abbreviation.
• DAD (52A: Fa Zhou, to Mulan) In the 1998 Disney animated movie, Mulan, Soon-Tek Oh voiced the role of Fa Zhou, Mulan's DAD.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• URL (16A: www.roomtoread.org, for example) Room to Read is a global nonprofit organization whose vision statement reads, "We Believe that World Change Starts with Educated Children. ®" Room to Read collaborates with communities, partner organizations, and government agencies around the world to improve literacy and gender equality in education.
• LITTER (44A: Group of tiger cubs) and PAWS (3D: Tiger's feet) This was a fun way to link these two answers. Willow approves of the repeated mention of her big cat relative, the tiger.
  
• AGED (65A: Like most black vinegars) Black vinegar, which is used in Chinese cuisine, is AGED rice vinegar with a malty, smoky flavor.
• BEADS (67A: There are 108 of them on a mala) A mala is a string of prayer BEADS commonly used in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism.
• YALE LAW (26D: Alma mater of Anita Hill) I have previously written about lawyer, educator, and author Anita Hill, including telling you she has a JD degree from YALE LAW. (Reading Sally's Take every day gives you an advantage in solving crosswords!)
• VIRGO (28D: Beyonce's zodiac sign) Beyoncé's birthday is September 4, and that makes her a VIRGO, like all those born between August 23 and September 22.

Geography review:

• ISLAM (14A: Main religion in Somalia) Somalia is an East African country. It is located on the Horn of Africa, with coastline along the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden. Its capital is Magodishu. The official religion of Somalia is Sunni ISLAM.
• IOWA (51A: Dubuque's state) When I think of Dubuque, IOWA, the first thing that pops into my head is the catchy jingle from a Dubuque Ham commercial. ("Dubuque, Dubuque, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na, na...") Eventually I get around to thinking of my brother-in-law and sister-in-law who live in this IOWA city. Dubuque is located along the Mississippi River and is at the junction of IOWA, Illinois, and Wisconsin. If you ever find yourself in Dubuque, IOWA, I recommend visiting the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium. (You should also come visit me if you're ever in Dubuque, because its not that far away!)
• GULF COAST (10D: Region that includes Houston and Tampa) The GULF COAST of the United States is the coastline of the United States along the GULF of Mexico. The GULF COAST includes portions of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. Houston, Texas and Tampa, Florida are two major GULF COAST cities.
• ERIE (11D: Great Lake with a namesake city in Pennsylvania) ERIE, Pennsylvania is a port city on Lake ERIE. Our crossword-friend ERIE is making its first appearance this month.

A classic theme type today. My favorite theme answer was LOOKIE HERE. I also enjoyed ONION RINGS (which I enjoy eating), LATKE (yes, this puzzle made me hungry), and MIMOSA (and thirsty!). GADGET is a fun word as well. Thank you, Zhouqin, for this puzzle that was a great way to begin my Wednesday.