Small Talk: The Desk

[David T. Cole]

The Small Talk topic is for:

 

• Introductions
• Off-topic chatter
• Having virtual tea with forum buddies

 

This is NOT a topic for actual show discussion. When you want to talk about the show:

 

1. Figure out the nature of the topic you want to talk about
2. Look for an existing topic that matches or fits
3. If there is NOT an existing topic that fits, CREATE ONE!

 

Examples of topics that populate show forums include (but by no means are limited to):

 

• Character topics
• Episode topics
• Season topics
• Spoiler topics
• Speculation topics
• In the Media topics
• Favourite X topics
• ...you get the idea

 

Happy trails beyond Small Talk!

[trow125]

I wasn't sure where to put this question, so I'll pose it here. Has anyone ever tried to get tickets for a taping of LWT? Apparently they're released on Sundays at 3 PM Eastern on this web site for the show four weeks from that date. I am going to give it a whirl this Sunday, as I'll be in NY in mid-August, but I figure it'll be difficult, as the volume of requests undoubtedly far outweighs the available tickets.

[Milburn Stone]

How did you fare, @trow125 ?

[trow125]

How did you fare, @trow125 ?

 

I got a form letter back thanking me for my request, saying that I'll hear approx. 2 weeks before the show if I will receive tickets. If I don't hear back, then I guess I didn't get tickets. Fingers crossed...! Of course, if I do wind up getting tix, I'll provide a taping report here.

[dcalley]

This seems like a series of articles that might interest some LWT viewers, particularly after the cheap fashion episode.
 
Part 1: The Price of Nice Nails

Sarah Maslin Nir spent 13 months investigating workplace conditions in New York City nail salons.
Manicurists are routinely underpaid and exploited, and endure ethnic bias and other abuse.

 
Q&A with the author
 
Part 2: Perfect Nails, Poisoned Workers

Some ingredients used in nail products have been tied to cancer, miscarriages, lung diseases and other ailments. The industry has long fought regulations.

Edited May 8, 2015 by dcalley

[possibilities]

Does anyone remember John's spat with the "Pom Wonderful" pomegranate folks? I was reading this article today:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4007340/

[attica]

The "Most Patient Man on Television" had to demonstrate said patience again.

[Totale]

I idly had an idea for LWT to explore, and went to see if they had a web page or any email address posted anywhere for comments or suggestions, and it appears they do not.  I guess I could get a message to them if I sign up for facebook or Twitter or something (none of which I use), and they appear to have a mostly unused forum on the HBO site, but it seems odd that they provide no direct means of communication.  They do not even a supply a corporate address to send physical mail. Can anyone supply one?

[trow125]

As someone who has attended a taping (Season 1, Episode 15), I can tell you that their studio address is 528 W 57th St., New York, NY. So you could try sending something there.

I have maintained a list of contact info for talk shows on my website for nigh on 20 years now, and I can tell you that over the past 4-5 years, they have pretty much ALL switched to Facebook/Twitter only. The only ones that have an email form that I know of are "Ellen" and "Tavis Smiley." I feel like trying to contact a show via its social media presence is akin to shouting into the void; most places probably monitor sort of generally what people are saying via hashtags or Facebook comments, but it's difficult to get someone to pay attention to your specific issue or concern.

[Victor the Crab]

Fuck Facebook. And Fuck Mark Zuckerburg with a prickly cactus.

[PrincessPurrsALot]

My brother sent me a link to this story:  https://www.wrcbtv.com/story/43002925/curious-koala-sneaks-into-australian-home-climbs-into-christmas-tree-becomes-adorable-ornament

Is it wrong that one of my first thoughts was I wonder if that Koala has chlamydia? 

[purist]

23 minutes ago, PrincessPurrsALot said:

Is it wrong that one of my first thoughts was I wonder if that Koala has chlamydia?

Yeah, it kind of is. I know we all laughed at the segment and the naming of the centre after John, but chlamydia is horrible for koalas. Here in Australia we're staring down extinction of koalas in our biggest state, New South Wales, due to loss of habitat and reckless government decisions about land development.

[Ceindreadh]

I saw a topic for the new season but couldn't find it on my TV guide.

Big sigh of relief when I realised it wasn't for another few weeks!

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Jon will be a Valentine's Day gift to us all!  Count down to season 8 . . . tick . . . tick . . . tick . . . 

[PrincessPurrsALot]

4 hours ago, kirkola said:

My initial response to the alligator story was "at least it's not in Florida, so we don't have to worry about her getting eaten by an alligator."  Imagine my shock when it ended with her getting eaten. 

Also, to be fair to Florida, alligators aren't stalking residents.  But every Florida resident knows that if there is a body of water, chances are better than average that an alligator lives in it.  When I was growing up, a local business built a retention pond, surrounded by a fence.   So picture a small pool with a concrete bottom, surrounded on all sides by a chainlink fence to keep kids out.  An alligator was discovered in it.  The working theory is that a bird caught a baby alligator and then dropped it while flying over the pond.  But I wouldn't put it past the alligator having climbed the fence because it was there.

So, I'm always shocked to hear alligator stories that don't involve Florida.  Apparently South Carolina has 'gator problems now.

Thinking of alligators, I was at a work conference in central Florida.  We had a colleague who was very over-reactive to everything.  One of our colleagues told her that alligators would line up at the side of the roads and wait until it was dark, then attack people.  He even convinced her that they purposefully put ditches/lower areas near the sides of roads so the alligators could nest there (because that makes so much sense 🙄).  She was so scared, she went back to her room before it was even dusk.  She couldn't make it through dinner most nights.  I sense he told her that because he found her annoying and it gave the rest of us more time to hang out without her.  

[peeayebee]

I checked the HBO site again yesterday and found all the episodes. I hate to think I've been an idiot and just missed seeing them there. Anyway, I watched the latest one (PACE) and saw the final image in the opening was an apparent tweet from HBO Max, though maybe I'm wrong. I was unable to do a screen capture. It says:

All Inboxes
[search box]
• HBO Max                                          8:31PM >
Integration Test Email #1
This template is used by integration tests only.

Can anyone explain this? 

ETA: Ah. If only I'd googled first. I found the explanation.

Edited June 27, 2021 by peeayebee

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Reminder: Only discuss legal ways to view the show.  Primetimer does not and cannot support the sharing of illegal access to any programs.  Thanks!

[Olivera T.]

Hello! I'm a Ph.D. student at Masaryk University and I'm doing research on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. I'd greatly appreciate it if you could spare 10 minutes to fill out the questionnaire below. The questionnaire is anonymous, more info in the link. Feel free to share it! https://forms.gle/cyTTs4d9Dg6Qyf5LA

[MaryMitch]

I took the survey; it took less than 5 minutes.

[JustHereForFood]

Me too, good luck with your project!

[ahisma]

I’ll put this here instead of the episode post as it’s slightly off topic… We have “Ice Break” in Arizona as well, run by various TV news outlets around the state. While Alaska and other northern states have people pick the date when their local body of water will unfreeze, in Arizona we pick the date the temperature first hits 100. We still call it Ice Break. 😄

[Victor the Crab]

HOO-BOY!!! Ollie’s gonna have something to talk about regarding the World Cup draw. England and the United States are drawn together in the same group again. As well as Iran and the winner of either Wales, Scotland, and Ukraine!

😳🤯😬

[paigow]

8 minutes ago, Victor the Crab said:

HOO-BOY!!! Ollie’s gonna have something to talk about regarding the World Cup draw. England and the United States are drawn together in the same group again. As well as Iran and the winner of either Wales, Scotland, and Ukraine!

😳🤯😬

Why not skip the games and give the trophy to Ukraine now... How can any team celebrate beating them?

[Sanon]

I am an employee with Wal-mart, and love Last Week Tonight. But I can't recall it ever being talked about. It's always Amazon and sometimes Target. Walmart is the biggest employer in the country, and from the start of Covid they've done nothing but treat us like garbage.

• They introduce an Online department while barely touching payroll, they just made everyone work more (significantly more, we've had employees having accidents and new medical conditions like crazy from the stress both mentally and physically).
• They got rid of middle ground promotion positions so fewer chances of advancement.
• They have almost zero oversight on management who get to do whatever they wish. They have an ethics department which often give out fake numbers for "Contacts" for employees to talk to.
• They put in covid standards but hold no employee to them, and if you complain about, say, people taking off masks. You are ignored.
• They increased wages, but also lowered annual raises.
• They also for a time removed bonuses, and seemingly brought them back but at a severely lowered rate. Partly because by removing none-self-service check out lines all stores have incredibly low ratings, which our bonuses are tied to. So the company still pays out less overall to employees.
• Cut the rate of time off gain.
• They just plain stopped training people and pushed that job on unqualified people who are outright not given time to train. And again, tied this to bonuses which is in effect removing bonuses.

Why is Walmart seemingly always ignored? Is it because we dont have a whacky Dr. Evil-esque CEO like Bezos? If that's the problem then make the leadership of Walmart, deservidly, a new villain. Focus on all the good they used to do until new management took over and immediatly removed time and a half holidays and cut bonuses company wide while smearing Sam Walton's legacy into the dirt. Since, despite being the number one employer in the country, they're treated as some kinda "90's evil" that no one wants to talk about for being the old thing.

[paigow]

On 4/4/2022 at 11:22 AM, Sanon said:

I am an employee with Wal-mart, and love Last Week Tonight. But I can't recall it ever being talked about. It's always Amazon and sometimes Target. Walmart is the biggest employer in the country, and from the start of Covid they've done nothing but treat us like garbage.

Not trying to minimize your grievances... but you probably get adequate washroom breaks during your shift - unlike some Amazon staff.