AVCX Crosswords (Crosswords for the (not) faint of heart) recently sent out the following. Check them out at https://avxwords.com/subscribe/ if you are at all interested in crossword puzzles.
Subject: Revised AVCX editorial policy
In early 2017, AVCX announced a new, official editorial policy, namely that we as a feature would regard Donald Trump as an asshole when we referred to him in print. That, however, was eight years ago, and the matter seems worth revisiting now. Indeed, given the breadth of the coalition that voted for him - about one in five Americans! - many media outlets have approached Trump's second term differently from his first, leaving the defiance of the #resistance behind in favor of capitulation in advance, acceptance, appeasement, or even outright embrace. AVCX is a media company, too. We have asked ourselves how we should respond this time, as the world is now assuredly different.
So our revised editorial policy as of 2025 is that Donald Trump, his administration, and his allies can kiss our ass. No matter what powers they may possess or claim to possess, or which threats they may issue, they can just kiss our entire, collective ass. Every organization has an ass, a metonym for a shared, core center of identity, where the vulnerability of one is the vulnerability of all. Our ass is in part queer, nonwhite, expansively gendered, non-Christian, disabled, and many other modes of selfhood that Donald Trump has routinely mocked or abused. So, for the next four years and beyond, we will continue to treat him and his enablers in our puzzles as the inhumane assholes they have repeatedly proven themselves to be, factually, but we now add this important and timely addendum to provide clarity for our solvers.
No they can't. I don't want any of them anywhere near any part of my anatomy. Just go back please to what you called him 8 years ago and we will stick with that!
This is important. The winner of an old Invitational, to come up with a poem about someone in the news: The world's great mathematicians assembled for a lecture / To hear a rising star prove the Taniyama Conjecture / And the young man astounded those who did hear him / By also casually proving Fermat's Last Theorem! / And for this achievement, everlasting glory and acclaim / Will forever go to, y'know, whatsizname. (Charlie Steinhice, Chattanooga)
My most misspelled word (rather than mistyped, which would be "teh") used to be separate. I'd always stick an e in the middle rather than an a. My epiphany came, to my eternal shame, when the old 1970s cop drama Adam-12 had an episode with a misspelled report. One of the patrolmen had written seperate, and was told to remember "there's a 'rat' in ''separate." Of course, there's a "rat" in both the correct and incorrect spellings, but what the hell, it helped me.
And Adam-12 undoubtedly got this from "Anne of Green Gables," in which there is a spelling bee (in which Anne faces her nemesis and later husband Gilbert Blythe), and this mnemonic is put forward.
I got all those multisyllabic words down cold, but I am congenitaly incapable of correctly spelling the possessive its --- at least the first time around. Oh, and congenitally.
The threads attaching me to the Post are being snipped, one by one, faster and faster. It started, of course, when you were let go. Rubin's departure wasn't a big surprise, but the editorial about the Cabinet nominees was. Silly me, I guess. Petri is pretty much my last thread, but who knows what she'll do post-baby?
I suppose it's possible that Ms. Underwood will use her time at the microphone to issue a critique, so she is just kissing up right now as a way to get there. It's possible. I suppose.
When I saw her new Substack this morning, I commented that I hoped she’d work in concert with The Pist. Didn’t recall you’d interviewed her (hilariously). I am hopeful since you found she has a sense of humor.
I can see a whole host of logistical and financial reasons why that might not work. Better to have a friendly (?) rivalry. I have a paid subscription to both (hey, dropping that WaPo subscription opened up an opportunity in the budget), so this way I figure I’m entitled to tell both of them to dance for me and I’ll let you know how they score.
I guess my “in concert” means different things. I didn’t mean an actual business deal, I just thought the former WaPo folks could represent a truth and humor pact.
On my retirement from teaching about six years ago, a colleague gave me a shirt with CONTRARIAN printed on it. I am proud to share this title with new contrarian Jennifer Rubin.
Also, my all time misspelled word is “necessary”. It had to do with the number and order of Cs and Ss.
Strikes me with all the bowing, scraping and resultant excuse-making, there will be a need for more creative, if no more plausible, excuses. I don't know like, "The dog ate my background check."
Seems like an appropriate opportunity for this merry band of Wordies (like "Foodies," but less filling). Myers & Weingarten's Excuses-R-Us has a nice ring to it and might even give Jen Rubin's and Norm Eisen's Substack of the Stars a run for its money. And exactly how good is Laurence Tribe with limericks anyway, huh?
The depressing thing about Gene's dialogue with Jennifer is that, at the time, we all thought Trump was a big joke who had zero chance of winning the nomination, let alone the presidency (let alone a second term!).
I have been reading some of Gene's early chats, in which he opines that Dubya may come to be considered the worst president ever. I just keep thinking, "You ain't seen nothing yet!"
Is Carrie Underwood related to former President Underwood? That could indicate there are other more sinister motives to her appearance at the Grand Poobah coronation.
AVCX Crosswords (Crosswords for the (not) faint of heart) recently sent out the following. Check them out at https://avxwords.com/subscribe/ if you are at all interested in crossword puzzles.
Subject: Revised AVCX editorial policy
In early 2017, AVCX announced a new, official editorial policy, namely that we as a feature would regard Donald Trump as an asshole when we referred to him in print. That, however, was eight years ago, and the matter seems worth revisiting now. Indeed, given the breadth of the coalition that voted for him - about one in five Americans! - many media outlets have approached Trump's second term differently from his first, leaving the defiance of the #resistance behind in favor of capitulation in advance, acceptance, appeasement, or even outright embrace. AVCX is a media company, too. We have asked ourselves how we should respond this time, as the world is now assuredly different.
So our revised editorial policy as of 2025 is that Donald Trump, his administration, and his allies can kiss our ass. No matter what powers they may possess or claim to possess, or which threats they may issue, they can just kiss our entire, collective ass. Every organization has an ass, a metonym for a shared, core center of identity, where the vulnerability of one is the vulnerability of all. Our ass is in part queer, nonwhite, expansively gendered, non-Christian, disabled, and many other modes of selfhood that Donald Trump has routinely mocked or abused. So, for the next four years and beyond, we will continue to treat him and his enablers in our puzzles as the inhumane assholes they have repeatedly proven themselves to be, factually, but we now add this important and timely addendum to provide clarity for our solvers.
Thank you, The AVCX
No they can't. I don't want any of them anywhere near any part of my anatomy. Just go back please to what you called him 8 years ago and we will stick with that!
I can explain AND solve Fermat’s Theorem if you have a moment. I did go to a state university, so I could be mistaken.
This is important. The winner of an old Invitational, to come up with a poem about someone in the news: The world's great mathematicians assembled for a lecture / To hear a rising star prove the Taniyama Conjecture / And the young man astounded those who did hear him / By also casually proving Fermat's Last Theorem! / And for this achievement, everlasting glory and acclaim / Will forever go to, y'know, whatsizname. (Charlie Steinhice, Chattanooga)
Maybe a mathematics haiku contest?
I do have a proof but it’s too long to put here.
Sorry Jack. Who or what pray tell could you be mistaken for?
Gene.
To be honest I can’t spell any of those words … my cat is helping me write this.
In regards to the Washedup Po, it appears that the ship is leaving the rats.
T
I was playing bridge on line the other day, when one of my opponents disappeared. When they got back, they apologized for a “cat on the keyboard”.
My most misspelled word (rather than mistyped, which would be "teh") used to be separate. I'd always stick an e in the middle rather than an a. My epiphany came, to my eternal shame, when the old 1970s cop drama Adam-12 had an episode with a misspelled report. One of the patrolmen had written seperate, and was told to remember "there's a 'rat' in ''separate." Of course, there's a "rat" in both the correct and incorrect spellings, but what the hell, it helped me.
There’s “ARAT” in the word, not a “RAT."
And Adam-12 undoubtedly got this from "Anne of Green Gables," in which there is a spelling bee (in which Anne faces her nemesis and later husband Gilbert Blythe), and this mnemonic is put forward.
I got all those multisyllabic words down cold, but I am congenitaly incapable of correctly spelling the possessive its --- at least the first time around. Oh, and congenitally.
I think moving to the left has made her look younger and happier.
I used to have more trouble with the word “weird,” until I started using it more frequently in discussions of our president-elect and his followers.
The mnemonic there is, "WE are weird."
I always fall back on: I before E except after C, but not in weird society.
The threads attaching me to the Post are being snipped, one by one, faster and faster. It started, of course, when you were let go. Rubin's departure wasn't a big surprise, but the editorial about the Cabinet nominees was. Silly me, I guess. Petri is pretty much my last thread, but who knows what she'll do post-baby?
I suppose it's possible that Ms. Underwood will use her time at the microphone to issue a critique, so she is just kissing up right now as a way to get there. It's possible. I suppose.
I am hoping the same for the Village People-maybe they will show up in drag
When I saw her new Substack this morning, I commented that I hoped she’d work in concert with The Pist. Didn’t recall you’d interviewed her (hilariously). I am hopeful since you found she has a sense of humor.
If she agreed to be interviewed by Gene, she MUST have a sense of humor. Or else he told her he was holding her uncle hostage.
I can see a whole host of logistical and financial reasons why that might not work. Better to have a friendly (?) rivalry. I have a paid subscription to both (hey, dropping that WaPo subscription opened up an opportunity in the budget), so this way I figure I’m entitled to tell both of them to dance for me and I’ll let you know how they score.
I guess my “in concert” means different things. I didn’t mean an actual business deal, I just thought the former WaPo folks could represent a truth and humor pact.
Ah, got it.
Also, apparently “inoculate”
On my retirement from teaching about six years ago, a colleague gave me a shirt with CONTRARIAN printed on it. I am proud to share this title with new contrarian Jennifer Rubin.
Also, my all time misspelled word is “necessary”. It had to do with the number and order of Cs and Ss.
I couldn't answer the poll because I never have any trouble spelling any of those words--or most others. I'm a copy editor for heaven's sake!
Strikes me with all the bowing, scraping and resultant excuse-making, there will be a need for more creative, if no more plausible, excuses. I don't know like, "The dog ate my background check."
Seems like an appropriate opportunity for this merry band of Wordies (like "Foodies," but less filling). Myers & Weingarten's Excuses-R-Us has a nice ring to it and might even give Jen Rubin's and Norm Eisen's Substack of the Stars a run for its money. And exactly how good is Laurence Tribe with limericks anyway, huh?
The depressing thing about Gene's dialogue with Jennifer is that, at the time, we all thought Trump was a big joke who had zero chance of winning the nomination, let alone the presidency (let alone a second term!).
I have been reading some of Gene's early chats, in which he opines that Dubya may come to be considered the worst president ever. I just keep thinking, "You ain't seen nothing yet!"
Is Carrie Underwood related to former President Underwood? That could indicate there are other more sinister motives to her appearance at the Grand Poobah coronation.