NYT Crossword April 25th, 2020

Gilda Radner

Gilder Radner was one of the first comedians on Saturday Night Live and played the character “Baba Wawa” (a parody of Barbra Walters) in the 1970s. In this skit she interviews Henry Kissinger

Henry Kissinger

Henry Kissinger was the Secretary of State for Richard Nixon. In his time he made many contributions to the geopolitical landscape. Opinions vary on whether those contributes were overall good or bad, particularly in regards to the world’s relationship with China. Regardless, he’s a notable figure and is still alive and in the news.

Shuttle Diplomacy, Anachronism

Shuttle Diplomacy is negotiations conducted by a mediator who travels between two or more parties that are reluctant to hold direct discussions. It’s similar to regular mediation, but it happens when the two parties are hostile towards one another and are not directly involved in negotiations. Perhaps a good day-to-day example might be a child trying to work out the differences between two parents who are getting divorced. This term was first applied to the efforts of Henry Kissinger in the Yom Kippur War.

An anachronism is a chronological inconsistency in some arrangement, especially a juxtaposition of persons, events, objects, or customs from different periods. Henry Kissinger used this word to comment on the current economic and political landscape - The return of the “walled city”. The idea that governments would lock down and reduce their involvement with other governments. That people would do the same in their personal lives. That business would do the same. A throwback to a time where people where very protective. It’s a very different landscape from the one we had just months ago where we largely had the free flow of people and goods and services across boundaries.

The Many Words for Outdoor Spaces

A Lanai is a general purpose word for a covered outdoor space like a patio, porch, or veranda. The words is of Hawaiian origin.

A porch is a covered outdoor space typically at the entrance of a building. A patio is a paved, uncovered space attached to a building. A veranda is a partially covered outdoor space. A balcony is an elevated outdoor space.