crossword #6

aqui- Spanish for "here"

diez- Spanish for "ten"

oban- a single-malt Scotch whiskey brewed in the Scottish town of Oban.

oxalis- a genus of flower, some species of which are colloquially called "false shamrocks." (actual shamrocks are genus trifolium.)
S. Epatha Merkerson- actress best known for playing
href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKr3j0cXjoE">Lt. Anita Van Buren on Law and Order (and record holder for most appearances by an actress in a single show); best known by me for playing Reba the Mail Lady on Pee Wee's Playhouse.

Bela Fleck- the most famous banjo player in the world.

Irene Cara- actress/singer most famous for starring in the movie Fame (1980), and also for the title song for Flashdance, "What a Feeling."

Igbo people- (sometimes called Ibo) an ethnic group in southeastern Nigeria. Some of the monumental historical/culture forces that have affected them over time… the slave trade, British colonialism (they are overwhelmingly Christian as a result); they seceded from Nigeria form the tragically fated Republic of Biafra (1967-1970). "Things Fall Apart," one of the most famous African books, is written about the Igbo people.

Naha- capital city of Okinawa, and once upon a time the location of the capital of the Ryuku Kingdom (15th-19th centuries.)

Sabrina-the 1995 remake of a 1954 classic; the latter starring Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart; the former starring Harrison Ford (one of his few major commercial flops.)

Starman- a sweetly poetic and weeeeird 1984 scifi/fantasy film.

Lon Nol- leader of Cambodia's Khmer Republic (1970-1975). He originally took power after a situation that unraveled, beyond his intentions, into a coup. As leader he was erratic, emotional, mystical and increasingly authoritarian, and his regime relied heavily on American aid. The notorious Khmer Rouge took over after the collapse of Lon Nol's government.

runic alphabets- starting around 100-200 AD, until the adaption of the Latin alphabet (which followed in the wake of Christianization, 700 AD central europe, 1100 AD northern europe), the Germanic peoples used runic alphabets, the characters of which are called runes.