May 25, 2023

Title: MOUNTAIN TOPS

Constructor: Brooke Husic

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

CLIMBING GYM (2D: Place for indoor bouldering)

TIME TRAVEL (14D: Cause of some paradoxes in science fiction)

BIKE SHORTS (24D: Tight, knee-length bottoms)

LION OF JUDAH (26D: Rastafari symbol)

Theme synopsis: The TOP word of each vertical theme answer can follow the word MOUNTAIN to give us MOUNTAIN CLIMBING, MOUNTAIN TIME, MOUNTAIN BIKE, and MOUNTAIN LION.

And now a word from our constructor:

Brooke: there are just five days left of our third these puzzles fund abortion campaign -- donate at the link to get a pack of sixteen original puzzles, including ones by me, sally, and many other USA Today constructors.

Things I learned:

• MOIMOI (21A: Nigerian bean pudding) MOIMOI - also called moin-moin, moyi-moyi, mai-mai, or olele - is a bean pudding that is steamed or boiled. Originating in Nigeria, MOIMOI is a protein-rich staple food consisting of black-eyed beans (also known as black-eyed peas), onions, and red peppers. 

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• USPS (4A: Org. that issues Forever Stamps) The United States Postal Service (USPS) has been issuing Forever Stamps since 2007. Forever stamps are sold at the current first-class postage rate, and remain valid as first-class postage forever (thus the name!) regardless of postage rate increases. As one who remembers buying one, two, and three-cent stamps to pair with old first-class postage stamps following postage rate increases, I am a fan of Forever Stamps. Also, although I don't collect stamps, I do appreciate the variety of stamps issued by the USPS. I might need to order some stamps later today to take advantage of the current offerings of Toni Morrison Stamps, and Tomie dePaola Stamps.

  

  My advisor weighing
  in on stamp choices

  Willow is advising me to buy Love Stamps, because the current design features kittens and puppies.
• AMY (44A: Author Tan) I know of AMY Tan as the author of novels such as The Joy Luck Club (1989), The Kitchen God's Wife (1991), and TheValley of Amazement (2013). Today I learned she's written a couple of children's books, including one called Saga, the Chinese Siamese Cat. (Willow approves!) AMY Tan's memoir, published in 2017, is titled Where the Past Begins. Another thing I learned is that AMY Tan has Lyme Disease, which she writes about - informatively and elegantly, of course - on her website.
• I'M THAT GIRL (57A: First track on Beyonce's "Renaissance") Beyoncé's most recent album, Renaissance, was released July 29 of last year. As the clue informs us, "I'M THAT GIRL" is the album's first track.
• POLO (6D: Shirt with a collar) and TEE (59D: Shirt with no collar) Whatever your collar preference today, this puzzle has you covered.
• HBCU (12D: Spelman or Bowie State) HBCUs, or historically Black colleges and universities, are schools established prior to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, that were intended to primarily serve Black students. Two HBCUs are Spelman College, a women's liberal arts college in Atlanta (ATL), Georgia, and Bowie State, located in Prince George's County, Maryland. 
• NOEL (18D: "The First ___" (Christmas song)) Coincidentally, seven months from today is Christmas.
• LION OF JUDAH (26D: Rastafari symbol) The religion known as Rastafari or Rastafarianism developed in the 1930s in Jamaica. Rastafari is based on a specific interpretation of the Bible. Rasta beliefs include monotheism, a belief in one God, who is referred to as Jah. The LION OF JUDAH, which was a symbol of the Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie, is a prominent symbol in Rastafari. The LION is also a symbol of strength, kingship and pride.

Geography review:

• ATL (31A: Georgia's capital, for short) Atlanta - ATL for short - is the capital of Georgia, and the state's most populous city.
• HONG (35A: Kowloon, ___ Kong) Kowloon is an urban area in the southern part of HONG Kong. The former Chinese enclave known as Kowloon Walled City was located in this area. Prior to the demolition of Kowloon Walled City in 1993-94, it was one of the most densely populated places in the world, with 50,000 people living in a six-acre area. The site is now Kowloon Walled City Park.
• SLC (41A: Utah's capital, for short) Salt Lake City - SLC for short - is the capital of Utah, and the state's largest city.
• LOU (10D: The ___ (nickname for STL)) The LOU is a nickname for St. Louis - STL for short. The Missouri city is located on the eastern border of the state, across the Mississippi River from Illinois.
• EST (11D: Hartford time zone, for short) Hartford is the capital of Connecticut. The state of Connecticut observes Eastern Standard Time - EST for short. With the exception of HONG Kong, today's geography review has been all about being short!

I took a detour in discovering today's MOUNTAIN TOPS theme. After uncovering CLIMBING 

GYM and BIKE SHORTS, I wondered if the theme could be methods of reaching the MOUNTAIN TOP, such as to CLIMB or to BIKE. Discovering the theme answer, TIME TRAVEL, put an end to that train of thought! It took finding LION OF JUDAH for the "Aha!" moment to occur. This is me CALLING OUT this great set of theme answers. Thank you, Brooke, for this puzzle that was an excellent way to start my Thursday.

One more thing: I second the recommendation Brooke makes in her note. If you haven't yet checked out TPFA3, it's time to do so. You can support a worthy cause and receive fabulous puzzles - that's a win-win! We're quite close to raising $30,000!