crossword #5

Pelle Pelle- urban clothing brand.

JoS A. Bank- classic menswear line.

Esso- the name used for ExxonMobil internationally. Deriven from the pronunciation of "S.O," Standard Oil. Interesting… Esso is the primary brand name for ExxonMobil outside the USA; it's only in the USA that their gas stations are called ExxonMobil.

Alaina Reed Hall- she played Olivia, one of the human characters on Sesame Street.

The Owlery- a room in Hogwarts Castle.

ete- French for 'summer'

Gibson SG- a solid-body electric guitar model, introduced in the 1960s, thinner and lighter than other Gibson Les Pauls. Les himself didn't like the guitar and wanted his name off the product; it was then renamed the SG (solid guitar.)

La Paz- the capital and cultural center of Bolivia. Among other things, the city is known for its thriving informal economy, with vendors and markets throughout the city, their highly successful football teams, and their status as the topographically highest capital city in the world.

myna- it's a type of bird. They are so fucking cool. Some of the species, as indicated, can mimic human language. Pretty adorable.

S*P*Y*S- a 1974 CIA spoof.

Stu Ungar- Absolutely fascinating character. A poker legend with a tragic penchant for self destruction.

orgone- probably the most bizarre concept that I've learned from these crosswords. A hypothetical form of energy, strongly associated with libido… like a sort of intensely sexual living energy. Articulated by psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich in the 1930s (including the sale of orgone accumulators), viciously denounced by the mainstream postwar United States, a subject of fascination among the beat poets and '50s counterculture, dismissed as an utterly fake science today. The article is far more fascinating than this description can muster.

NGOs- Non-Governmental Organizations, such as grassroots organizations or social movement organizations. They've played an important part in Globalization. Various categorizations/dichotomies of NGOs include advocacy vs. operational; and (among operational NGOs) relief-oriented vs. development-oriented; service delivery vs. participation; religious vs. secular; public vs. private oriented.

Aisha- Muhammad's favorite wife. After his death her father, Abu Bakr, was elected Caliph. Shi'ites believe that Muhammad wanted Ali to succeed him; Sunnis argue that Abu Bakr was elected by the public, in accordance with Muhammad's wishes. Aisha is revered as a role model and a great scholar, whose narrations contributed greatly to Shariah (Islamic Law.) She is beloved by Sunnis and held in a negative light by Shi'ites. This stuff is deeply fascinating and complicated and requires much more study.

Ali- the cousin (and son-in-law) of Muhammad. He ruled over the Islamic Caliphate from 656-661. Sunnis consider him the last of the four Rashidun (rightly guided Caliphs); Shi'ites consider him the first Imam and consider him and his descendants the rightful succesors to Muhammad. This disagreement led to the original split of the Muslim population (when it was time to pick Muhammad's successor, the Shi'ites saw only Ali as holding a legitimate claim.) He was assasinated, stabbed by a poisoned sword. He was a hugely influential man, deeply respected as both a warrior and an eloquent writer. I'll need to read a lot more about this guy and learn more about Islam in general.