I wish I could write stuff this good! Enjoy Larry David’s writing, though. Full story linked in the title; I found the story on today’s The Alt Media’s column. Among others, so go there, too. Maybe someone can get into the full essay on the NYWT, even, because I can’t. Still, this is entertaining in itself!
Essay describes a surprise invitation in 1939 to a previously vocal critic for dinner with the Nazi leader, where ‘suddenly he seemed so human’
Larry David has written a long spoof essay in the New York Times in response to Bill Maher’s recent glowing account of his dinner with President Trump in the White House.
The essay, entitled My Dinner With Adolf, purports to be written by someone who was “a vocal critic of his on the radio from the beginning, pretty much predicting everything he was going to do on the road to dictatorship”. But he agrees to dine with the Führer because he “concluded that hate gets us nowhere. I knew I couldn’t change his views, but we need to talk to the other side”.
The dinner proves an eye-opening success, with the author much tickled by Hitler’s jokes, struck by his warmth and humanity and impressed by his skills as an agony uncle. As he leaves, he tells Hitler he’s pleased he came. “‘Although we disagree on many issues, it doesn’t mean that we have to hate each other.’ And with that, I gave him a Nazi salute and walked out into the night.”
The late-night pundit Bill Maher had dinner with the president on 31 March, and many predicted it would have been a combative meeting. Both men have been frank about this dislike of each other, with Trump calling Maher a “lowlife” and his show “dead”.
But on the 11 April episode of his show, Real Time, Maher described the president as “gracious” and “much more self-aware than he lets on”.
“Everything I’ve ever not liked about him was – I swear to God – absent, at least on this night with this guy,” said Maher. “He mostly steered the conversation to, ‘What do you think about this?’ I know: your mind is blown. So is mine.”
He added: “A crazy person doesn’t live in the White House. A person who plays a crazy person on TV a lot lives there, which I know is fucked up. It’s just not as fucked up as I thought it was.”
In his essay, David closely mirrors Maher’s tone, saying that one of his own jokes “amused him to no end, and I realised I’d never seen him laugh before. Suddenly he seemed so human. Here I was, prepared to meet Hitler, the one I’d seen and heard – the public Hitler. But this private Hitler was a completely different animal. And oddly enough, this one seemed more authentic, like this was the real Hitler. The whole thing had my head spinning.” (snip-MORE)
A post made by country singer Morgan Wallen after walking off the SNL stage has become a much-mocked viral sensation.
If you’re anything like us (gay and deeply unwell), a certain five-word phrase has been echoing in your head since Saturday evening: “Get me to God’s country.” For those of blessed readers who have no idea what we’re talking about, allow us to explain. Country singer Morgan Wallen, who I had never heard of before this weekend, was the most recent musical guest on Saturday Night Live, with recent Oscar winner Mikey Madison serving as the show’s host. He abruptly walked offstage as the show was ending, still fully on camera, then proceeded to post a picture of a jet with the caption, “Get me to God’s country.”
Considering that this guy apparently called his neighbor the N-word in a highly publicized 2021 incident (for which he later apologized), it’s hard to place much stock in Wallen’s judgement about which American geography is holy and which isn’t. (Besides, a certain gay little website is headquartered in New York too, so it’s personal.) Thankfully, the gay internet immediately did what it does best and proceeded to meme the hell out of Wallen’s words. Below, scroll through some of our faves. (snip-I can’t possibly snag all of these! They’re a worthy click. -A)
The moon’s made of cheese now, so it’s time to find your dairy twin. Take this quiz inspired by When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi and embrace your inner cheese. 🧀 (snip-click through and have a little fun!)
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My Results:
“40% – You Are…Aged Cheddar!
“Sharp, dependable, with a bit of bite. You bring structure to the madness and probably have a Google Doc for surviving moon cheese events.”
In one snippet, a crosswalk hacked to sound like Mark Zuckerberg told individuals there was nothing they could do to stop progress of AI.
By Thomas Maxwell Published April 14, 2025
Over the weekend, crosswalk pedestrian signals in the backyard of Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk were hacked to play voices imitating their likeness. But they were not exactly kind to the billionaires, instead offering a commentary on the heightened polarization and distrust of the two leaders who have become more influential than ever in today’s society and Washington in particular.
In one video posted to TikTok, after the crosswalk button is pressed, it begins to say, “It’s normal to feel uncomfortable or even violated as we forcefully insert AI into every facet of your conscious experience.” It continues, “I just want to assure you, you don’t need to worry because there’s absolutely nothing you can do to stop it.”
Meta has been pushing AI heavily, inserting “Meta AI” buttons into search boxes across its apps and promoting the idea of interacting with AI characters tailored to a user’s interests in lieu of real humans. Recent surveying by YouGov found 44% of Americans are skeptical of AI over concerns ranging from invasion of personal privacy to the spread of misleading videos or deepfakes. But companies like Meta are betting that AI will enable more people to create content online and communicate with friends. (snip-MORE)
(As a person who mostly does smile, but is occasionally still told to do so, I appreciate this comic. Meanwhile, as to the bagel, see the first comment just now; or HuckleberryHiroshima’s comment.)
https://www.gocomics.com/freerange/2025/04/15
TAX DAY BONUS
I initially didn’t believe it was a word that wasn’t made up to cover some eccentricity or another. Enjoy the week’s words!
Dictionary lookups from Wall Street, Main Street, and politics
Lookups for courage were in the top ten on Monday morning, possibly because the word featured heavily in reporting on the “Hands Off” protests held across the country over the weekend.
Several thousand people turned out on an unusually warm April Saturday for a series of rallies across Hampton Roads to protest the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency moves to cut federal spending and roll back protections for minority groups. … “(My fellow service members) didn’t wait for someone else to solve the problem, we ran towards the fire … and now my friends, brothers and sisters in arms, and families who stood with us through it all, it is once again time to act,” Montiero said. “Not with weapons but with courage, not in the field of combat but in the public square.”
—Gavin Stone, The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), 6 Apr. 2025The size of the protests was bolstered by strong turnout in more conservative rural areas. Cheryl Campbell, who helped organize a gathering of about 300 in La Grande, said it’s easier to stay silent when the majority of those around you disagree with you. “It takes more courage to speak up here,” Campbell told the crowd on Saturday, “where many of our neighbors voted for Trump.”
—The East Oregonian (Pendleton, Oregon), 6 Apr. 2025
Courage refers to mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. The word entered Middle English from the Anglo-French curage, which in turn comes from quer or coer, meaning “heart.”
(snip: see all the words! Those include: Kafkaesque, facilitate, bear market, and …)
Thalweg refers to the middle of the chief navigable channel of a waterway (such as a river) which constitutes the boundary line between states. (snip-more about thalweg on the page. Happy Saturday!)
Also, I’m thankful it’s Friday.
I ran across this over the weekend, and emailed it to myself in case I thought I ought to post it. I’m not sure it’s a great post, but it’s cool if you turn the volume down a bit at the beginning. It’s one of those little shorts that is somehow satisfying and a little cleansing to watch. I know it’s morning, and I do not work for any pastry providers. It’s just a neat little vid.
I don’t even remember where I ran across this last night, but here it is; enjoy!
Scottie's Playtime 