The Dream -- Henri Rousseau
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Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Puzzle by Nancy Salomon, edited by Will Shortz
SOIL (48A. Terra firma) is the sole bow to Earth Day in this Tuesday crossword -- other than that, it’s business as usual.
NETEARNINGS (17A. Fishing trawler’s haul?); CAPITALGAINS (28A. Seat of government’s acquisitions?); PAPERPROFITS (44A. Publisher’s windfall?); and GROSSINCOME (59A. Salary for selling insects as food?) are ordinary phrases in themselves, inter-related by the fact, and dressed up with twisted clues containing a faint trace of humor.
So, what does this crossword offer…diversion, I guess. HARDG (1A. What a gal has that a gent doesn’t?) is certainly the most outrageous entry/clue seen in a Times puzzle in a while, slightly ameliorated by it’s following entries, BABAR (6A. Elephant of children's literature) and PEW (11A. Church perch).
Pairs include AMEER & OMANI; AYE & YES; and I guess SPLURGE & FATTENUP. Lots of little stuff including AIR, AMI, ANT, ANY, APE, ARA, ART, CAN, CHE, DES, DIE, EON, ERN, LIS, MIN, PTA, RAE, REO, SAX, SEE, URI.
Longer entries are DEEPSIXES, PUMPSIRON, ANGRILY, GLADHAND, ICINGUP and DRIPPED, followed by BONSAI, FIRSTS, RIGGED, RISING, SAINTS, SEDANS and STARDOM.
Five-letter entries include the notorious HARDG -- AROAR, along with ADELE, DEKES, EGRET, FLOAT, HENCE, ONEND, PERSE, RATON, REAPS, REMUS, SINAIR, UHAUL, along with four-letter entries BAND, CAPE, ENYA, ERIE, HAAS, INTS, ISAY, MINT, NEAT, PORK, SOAP, SOTS, PORK and WIND.
At sunset yesterday, I went out to the oceanfront. As I walked along the water’s edge, I saw a tangle of thin ribbons and knew they were tied to a murderous object -- I planted my cane firmly in the sand and bent down to pick up the colorful but deadly item, for dangling from the end of the ribbons was a fragmented balloon.
Through ingesting plastic bags and balloons, approximately one billion seabirds and mammals die every year. I am only one of 6,500,000,000 -- I put it in my pocket, not sure if I made any difference at all, not sure where to dispose of it, not sure of anything.
My time on this Earth is nearly gone -- I will gladly go with the soon to be extinct, rather than weep in the coming storm. It is not someone else that must save our world -- it is us! Balloons and plastic bags? May God help us! There is so much more that is wrong -- take the time to view the following -- Earth Day 2008.
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Google has dedicated its' main page to Earth Day, with the above logo -- go to Google, or click on following: GOOGLE -- after you're there, click on their logo, which provides links to everything on the subject of Earth Day.
For today’s Earth Day cartoon festival, go to The Crossword Puzzle Illustrated.
