tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post3303145878358729860..comments2024-03-29T08:57:48.742-04:00Comments on Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: THURSDAY, Feb. 5, 2009 - D.J. Kahn (Funnyman Robert / Moviemaking lamp / Bovine in old ads / Sister of Clio)Rex Parkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16145707733877505087noreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58407430305228678502009-02-06T04:59:00.000-05:002009-02-06T04:59:00.000-05:00This was a gimme crossword for me, and I was fairl...This was a gimme crossword for me, and I was fairly surprised by it being a Thursday puzzle - kept waiting for some trick. Love the double Xs of JAMIE FOXX and the double As of NAACP. I would much prefer HORSE to MOOSE, since it's one of my favourite bar jokes (along with: "Two men walk into a bar. You'd think the second one would've stopped.")<BR/><BR/>But then I suppose I'm right in the demographic for the type of person who would know all the people referenced in the answers. Much better than ASTA-type answers, IMO, much as I love my classic films.Darylhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04496381028501467886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-57863189314827109882009-02-06T02:27:00.000-05:002009-02-06T02:27:00.000-05:00The joke cited by George NYC is probably the best ...The joke cited by George NYC is probably the best and purest in history.<BR/><BR/>A horse walks into a bar<BR/>Bartender says "why the long face"<BR/><BR/>I was So pleased when HORSE seemed to fit the space. <BR/>Only after NAACP.. ..AWARDS, and the inside G of KLIEG, forced ..IMAGE.. into place was HORSE withdrawn for MOOSE(?)(!) That kind of made me sad.<BR/><BR/>Bit of snow / FLAKE I liked.<BR/><BR/>Not a fan of personal names in the puzzle. KLIEG and SEPIA are theatrical and cool. Liked the long center-down word, took a while to figure it out, with the weirdness of the double As and the likely N and C at the start of it.liquid el layhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00955796642605260715noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-89073539858625109992009-02-06T01:37:00.000-05:002009-02-06T01:37:00.000-05:00Hey, talking about diversity today, if you count u...Hey, talking about diversity today, if you count up the # of unique commenters today (I think 67) there must be some kind of record. Steve L at 7, Orange at 5, Ulrich/mac/Hazel at 3, and the rest at 2 and 1. <BR/><BR/>At least it was about something pithy like race relations and not about Spanish aunts and Farrah's shag....Doughttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10389790318218161090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-18580501630592550292009-02-05T23:15:00.000-05:002009-02-05T23:15:00.000-05:00Wow, you work a long day and get to do penance by ...Wow, you work a long day and get to do penance by reading 116 posts! <BR/><BR/>I'm actually glad that the discussion did not artificially stay away from what was on people's mind. It was interesting to read the varied and often very thoughtful perspectives on it. In spite of, or may be because of, being beige myself I never feel I have a full grasp of the race issue in the US, even after many decades of living here. So, it's fascinating to hear this conversation. <BR/><BR/> But one analogy I can make is to gender, which I feel I understand better. I started off being very purist about gender issues. I did not want to be held back because of being a woman, and fought hard against limits placed on me when I was growing up in a conservative culture. But I also did not want to be given any advantages simply for being a woman, because I felt it would confuse the issues, and would certainly confuse me about what I have, or have not, accomplished. In the olden days, I would have bristled at the idea of an award that, say, specifically recognizes a woman scientist. But I have come to understand something: Such awards, be they NAACP or Women's Achievement awards, are not about the awardee. They are about marking progress, about reflecting on the path we have traveled and the challenges ahead. They are for the young people who have not yet arrived. They are about hope for those who think it might be impossible, because, alas, the world is still not as fair as we would like it to be.foodiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13052189131129098616noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-20652725456444988142009-02-05T23:09:00.000-05:002009-02-05T23:09:00.000-05:00@Greene: as usual, a wonderful post!@Greene: as usual, a wonderful post!machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06794371617847975218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-58615274586875480182009-02-05T22:55:00.000-05:002009-02-05T22:55:00.000-05:00I thought this was a terrific puzzle. I had never...I thought this was a terrific puzzle. I had never heard of the NAACP IMAGE AWARD and didn't get the NAACP portion of the answer until the very end of the puzzle. To be honest, I didn't even make the connection between the race of the recipients until the very end of the puzzle. As I figured out each name from the crosses I merely thought "Well that's another fine singer, actor, director." I just thought it was an entertainment themed puzzle.<BR/><BR/>The real entertainment was reading through all the posts today. As you might expect, I've got a theatre story which ties today's racial discussion to the battle over the meaning of irony from a few days ago.<BR/><BR/>When casting was underway for the 1959 Carol Burnett musical show <I>Once Upon a Mattress</I>, there was difficulty in casting the pivotal role of Queen Aggravain. Actress Jane White was clearly the best performer who auditioned for the part, but she was black. Director George Abbott (ever the literalist) objected to having a black queen in a show set in medieval times, so while Miss White was ultimately cast, she was required to play the role in white makeup.<BR/><BR/>The kicker to the story is that Jane White was the daughter of Walter White, founder of the NAACP, who apparently voiced no objection to his daughter playing her role in whiteface!<BR/><BR/>I think even the divided readers of this blog can agree that here is a great example of both racism and irony. Fortunately, colorblind casting is the usual rule in theatre these days, mercifully consigning stories such as this to the dustbin of theatrical history.Greenehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10412634072650228847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-85678111937806523102009-02-05T22:15:00.000-05:002009-02-05T22:15:00.000-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.ziggy martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16637815636017381865noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-21081854582563207752009-02-05T22:09:00.000-05:002009-02-05T22:09:00.000-05:00Does anyone besides Will Shortz use "bean" for hea...Does anyone besides Will Shortz use "bean" for head?<BR/>I thought VEXERS would would get a nix from Rex. <BR/>And I was surprised that in a black-themed puzzle, the clue for WILLIE was from the white world of Disney.Jay Livingstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06652075579940313964noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-43287492688133364262009-02-05T21:44:00.000-05:002009-02-05T21:44:00.000-05:00INAPT just doesn't seem like it should be a word. ...INAPT just doesn't seem like it should be a word. Really.<BR/><BR/>"Extract from a French bean?" made me laugh out loud. Cute!<BR/><BR/>This is weird, but I just saw a commercial for the NAACP Image Awards - apparently it's going to be on Fox next Thursday!Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03724123173450107615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-46284492071728092112009-02-05T21:40:00.000-05:002009-02-05T21:40:00.000-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03724123173450107615noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-11473762593307536002009-02-05T21:22:00.000-05:002009-02-05T21:22:00.000-05:00Steve, Steve. Dr. Bob didn't say they were hiring ...Steve, Steve. Dr. Bob didn't say they were hiring people in order to diversify their workforce. He said: "Our hospital workforce is diverse, and we hire top surgeons, many are women and people of color. This has been our mission since the '90s." This doesn't mean lowering standards to hire less-qualified people. It means making sure you don't overlook good people who aren't white men. Diversity doesn't mean watering down the quality—it means working against ingrained habits that may reduce fairness in hiring. (It is too easy for people to feel more comfortable with people just like them—which perpetuates the problem.)<BR/><BR/>American society is not color-blind. If it were and everyone had equal opportunities, then your ideal would be lovely. But in reality, too many people of color and too many women get the shaft. They get unfair treatment, they face conscious and unconscious bias against them, they have an uphill climb just to try to get what men or white folks get much more easily.Orangehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12433254398377357737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-63282284859818324942009-02-05T21:17:00.000-05:002009-02-05T21:17:00.000-05:00I started off slowly, but once I figured out the t...I started off slowly, but once I figured out the theme finished very quickly.<BR/><BR/> I am having a hard time with how exercised everyone is getting about the theme of this puzzle. There have been all sorts of themes, the names in the puzzle are not particularly obscure for a Thursday and appear in the newspaper and on the web all the time, etc.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-40787744745308195822009-02-05T20:47:00.000-05:002009-02-05T20:47:00.000-05:00@orange--Let the record show that I didn't say tha...@orange--Let the record show that I didn't say that if Bob's hospital hired the most talented doctors, they'd all be white. I said that I'd rather the hospital hire the best doctors they could find, not a certain predetermined number of each race. That's hiring completely color-blind, and that's the least racist way to do it. <BR/><BR/>There was no implication that there would be fewer blacks than there should be. I have absolutely no idea who is at the top of their class in med school these days. Perhaps there would be more blacks than expected. But if there weren't, I'd still go with the method that picks the best doctors, not the one that satisfies someone's idea of political correctness.<BR/><BR/>Do the Knicks say, we need to hire two more white guys, a Latino and an Asian? Do the Rangers say, we have too many white guys, let's find someone who isn't? I think they select their players based on who they think can help their team win games.<BR/><BR/>Do you think Barack Obama won the presidency because he was black (or in spite of it) or because enough people thought he was the more intelligent and level-headed candidate?<BR/><BR/>My impression is that you tried to read something anti-black into a statement that was race-neutral and in favor of finding the best talent available, regardless of skin color, gender, eye color, size, shape, degree of attractiveness, or ability to balance plates on poles while riding a unicycle.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44461059724807674662009-02-05T20:29:00.000-05:002009-02-05T20:29:00.000-05:00Mickey Mouse clue while I'm at Disney World. Cool....Mickey Mouse clue while I'm at Disney World. Cool.<BR/><BR/>What are we talking about today?Jeffreyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01699404861773455504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-78687522632897794762009-02-05T20:01:00.000-05:002009-02-05T20:01:00.000-05:00This puzzle was really a remarkable feat of constr...This puzzle was really a remarkable feat of construction with 5 theme answers crossing a central 15 letter down entry with twin pillars in the NW and SE repesenting two more theme answers.<BR/><BR/>As Gomer Pyle would say, "Gahl-lee!".<BR/><BR/>Since I am not Catholic with no insight into 2nd Century Popes, I had to rely on crosses to get this particular YOTP. Unfortunately, I was thinking of hockey as the sport that 11D was asking for so I abandoned the NE for Flyover Country and inched northward, finally seeing *ROSSE and had a long delayed AHA moment and saw the light.<BR/><BR/>I still don't understand how LONG FACE=MOOSE. Would any large-headed animal fill the bill? And I agree with Rex that Maya would better suit 64A.<BR/><BR/>And I agree with the others who said this was the best puzzle of the week.<BR/><BR/>Whew - reading thru over a hundred comments is hard work!edith bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12048817959846956992noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-88586315907962617872009-02-05T19:30:00.000-05:002009-02-05T19:30:00.000-05:00To my surprised I managed the puzzle with only con...To my surprised I managed the puzzle with only confirmatory help from my friend Google (I allow myself to Google after Thursday when I get stuck).<BR/><BR/>But I hated the theme. Even after I had filled in all the squares I kept wondering why I had never heard of a singer called Fant Asia. Was that some sort of a type for Fat Asia or something?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-53901335039738502742009-02-05T18:24:00.000-05:002009-02-05T18:24:00.000-05:00Hi again (as I said, I can only post early and lat...Hi again (as I said, I can only post early and late, this one is my later).<BR/><BR/>Blog reads as an interesting day. Lot's of not-racest tap dancing, including Rex's 4:28 post.<BR/><BR/>BEFORE YOU GET ME WRONG, I see nothing racist in any entry today, nothing needing defending, only opinions (mine included earlier).<BR/><BR/>And as has been previously stated, opinions are never wrong,no matter how unpopular or contrary.<BR/><BR/>What I do find, however, is there is actually some puzzle specific comments posted. Keeps me grounded in the advertised subject of this blog.<BR/><BR/>@Rex<BR/><BR/>Your interview explains a lot of today's "Stuff"<BR/><BR/>../Glitch<BR/><BR/>PS: To the "regulars", less inside more outside may keep the roster growing.Glitchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14940000404613329056noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-69911498789722602482009-02-05T18:22:00.000-05:002009-02-05T18:22:00.000-05:00@hazel: Don't apologize--you're cool. I just have ...@hazel: Don't apologize--you're cool. I just have been waiting for the first opportunity to get this off my chest.<BR/><BR/>3 and out.Ulrichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02086202853174403008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-91527051836083738942009-02-05T18:12:00.000-05:002009-02-05T18:12:00.000-05:00@Ulrich - sorry. lame attempt at irony, I guess......@Ulrich - sorry. lame attempt at irony, I guess....hazelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04627015904603641109noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-7797401207142373422009-02-05T18:08:00.000-05:002009-02-05T18:08:00.000-05:00Thanx to D.J. Khan for a fine puzzle. Good attempt...Thanx to D.J. Khan for a fine puzzle. Good attempt by Rex and others (especially Orange)to keep the discussion intelligentStanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02681342234536407419noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-32149766868082863942009-02-05T18:07:00.000-05:002009-02-05T18:07:00.000-05:00@PuzzleGirl: The question remains as to whether a ...@PuzzleGirl: The question remains as to whether a leg that wouldn't stop ever hindered a Hawk wrestler.jeff in chicagohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10492964479021891094noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-44575811652919667132009-02-05T17:59:00.000-05:002009-02-05T17:59:00.000-05:00@hazel: As to the TIA embarrassment of yesterday: ...@hazel: As to the TIA embarrassment of yesterday: I think the 3 and out rule should be much strikter observed, if not enforced.Ulrichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02086202853174403008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-17786209713282279412009-02-05T17:57:00.000-05:002009-02-05T17:57:00.000-05:00In Mexico, race relations involve the car, the tra...In Mexico, race relations involve the car, the track and the driver. I wish it were true here and then the puzzle would get more attention.miguelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01635752811256776963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-59962391634540289482009-02-05T17:54:00.000-05:002009-02-05T17:54:00.000-05:00Thought the puzzle was good, had no problem with t...Thought the puzzle was good, had no problem with the answers.<BR/><BR/>Was very glad to see the NAACP Image Awards as the theme and recognition to some excellent performers, directors, etc.<BR/><BR/>There are still many awards' events that do not in any way adequately recognize African-American (nor Latino) performers and directors and their films. It happens very often that terrific actors and directors who are people of color do not get recognition.<BR/><BR/>That there are NAACP Image Awards is terrific.<BR/><BR/>Why does that take away from anyone else? It doesn't.<BR/><BR/>Also, agree with Orange and others about prevalence of racism in this society, in hiring, medical care, and many other areas. <BR/><BR/>Not only is it that doctors and other health care professionals are qualified, but they should be hired. They have a right to go to medical school and have jobs in their professions.<BR/><BR/>That's kind of basic.<BR/><BR/>Also, crossword puzzles are done by all sectors of the population.<BR/>Why not open up the themes and have them reflect the population as it is? The more themes, the more diversity, the better for everyone.<BR/><BR/>Life is better lived when one gets out of narrow constraints not to mention being inclusive for everyone's benefit.<BR/><BR/>Kathy D.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35115061.post-70744063012311218542009-02-05T17:39:00.001-05:002009-02-05T17:39:00.001-05:00I think this was the best puzzle of the week so fa...I think this was the best puzzle of the week so far, by far.archaeoprofhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17956231727789223463noreply@blogger.com