I like this one too.

I think this is Mr. Platt's second puzzle. He at least shares the initials of the creator of this puzzle from 2007:

www.xwordinfo.com/ShowPuzzle.aspx?date=10/11/2007
JimH | Homepage | 11.30.08 - 9:10 pm | #

I googled his name and a reference to Amy's blog came up. Platt had the Mon, March 12, 2007 Sun puzzle, co-constructed with Edward Alch.
Nancy Shack | 11.30.08 - 10:55 pm | #

I finally got a Sun subscription over the weekend... I thought Monday puzzles were easy? I hadn't heard of any of the 4 theme people, and I guessed wrong at 10D after putting in the first letter. The grid was actually really nice, especially as there's two 8s next to the theme answer in the top-left and bottom-right. I did have one red-triangle moment 50A & 30D. In my defense I'm not American! BTW is it normal that my time for the Mon Sun is like what I usually put for Wed or Thurs (if a good day) for the LAT!
Gareth Bain | 12.01.08 - 4:36 am | #

gareth, i think today's sun was unusually tough for a monday. there were actually five theme answers, and i had only heard of two of them (and i think even those two, AUGUSTWILSON and LEEMAY, aren't quite as famous as most crossword answers). plus, lots of clues felt mid-week in difficulty to me. but in general, mon sun ~ wed LAT seems about right to me.
joon | 12.01.08 - 8:44 am | #

hey guys this could be a coincidence unintended by Mr. Platt but looking at the theme a different way could make the puzzle make sense, however it is not something the typical monday puzzler would be able to catch. EMID is actually an acronym for an Electro-Magnetic Intrusion Detector. The clue is "what the insides of 17-, 27- and 43-Across do" and because they are designed to detect changes in a magnetic field they would detect the dime's presence and therefore,"turn on a dime." let me know what you think
david | 12.01.08 - 8:55 am | #

Gareth, in general, add a day to the calendar to measure the Sun's difficulty level. (Add two days sometimes—like today.) Editor Peter Gordon has in the past touted the Sun crossword as the country's hardest, so you should also expect a themeless Friday Sun "Weekend Warrior" to take a little longer than the typical Saturday NYT.
Orange | Homepage | 12.01.08 - 9:37 am | #

I actually think the NURSE MIDWIFE clue is demeaning, bordering on being flat-out wrong, but I suspect this is one of those specialist-knowledge things and I'm willing to accept that to laypeople it makes sense. My first though when I saw "birth mother's helper" was "doula", which is a very different job.
Jay | Homepage | 12.01.08 - 11:49 am | #

I'm curious to see if Peter loosens the restrictions of his Sun puzzles, now that there isn't a dead-tree version (limited to 15 squares across). Be nice to see a 16x16 if the theme entries warrant.
Evad | 12.01.08 - 2:27 pm | #

@ Jay -- Some states require a license for a nurse midwife, most in the U.S. don't recognize it as a profession In many other countries and cultures it's the norm!
ArtLvr | 12.01.08 - 4:17 pm | #

Jay,

I have never even seen or heard of the word DOULA after having four children.

Midwives have been around forever and usually mean an experienced birth helper, a nurse midwife is a trained and experienced helper.

It may be an age thing (my youngest is 20, my oldest is 38).

All I know is none of them showed up at the birth of my third and my wife and I delivered her ourselves (a very interesting and bonding thing).

I actually popped in to talk about a new word or two. I love the English language and how fast it evolves now.

You've probably heard the term fauxmosexual for woman who become temporary lesbians for publicity but a new one just sprang up for the Plaxico Buress incident: PLAXIDENT, meaning a self inflicted wound.

Love it.
rick | 12.01.08 - 6:36 pm | #

All right, here's my taxonomy:

A doula is an attendant whose job is to support the woman giving birth. She doesn't deliver the baby. In some cases, a doula helps out after the baby's home, too.

"Midwife" is a vague term. It ranges from traditional lay midwives, to midwives with specialized training, to certified nurse-midwives who often have a master's degree.

My routine care comes from a CNM; she's licensed to deliver babies and provide general ob/gyn care. In that role, does she provide help to a birth mother? Sure—in much the same way an OB/GYN with an M.D. degree does. A CNM isn't licensed to perform surgery, but can prescribe medications, perform nonsurgical procedures, etc.

Rick, kudos to you for delivering your third!
Orange | Homepage | 12.01.08 - 8:53 pm | #