TDS 3.0: Season Three Talk

[ganesh]

No, Kelly told Tillerson to cut his Africa trip short and return back, and while he was traveling, there was the tweet, and he had the press conference. 

[possibilities]

I think this is what I was thinking of: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-tillerson/trump-fires-tillerson-a-moderate-replaces-him-with-hawkish-spy-chief-pompeo-idUSKCN1GP1NJ

At the State Department, a visibly emotional Tillerson said Trump called him around noon from Air Force One, hours after he was summarily dismissed via Twitter.

I knew the original announcement was made via Twitter, but I had understood that Kelly tried to tell him, he ignored it, then Trump did the tweet, and Tillerson continued to ignore it, until the phone call. But I can't remember where I got that impression, and a quick search didn't uncover any confirmation.

Either way, it's shitty behavior and totally in keeping with how he fired Comey, through the media and not face to face.

[sum]

7 hours ago, possibilities said:

I think this is what I was thinking of: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-tillerson/trump-fires-tillerson-a-moderate-replaces-him-with-hawkish-spy-chief-pompeo-idUSKCN1GP1NJ

 

 

I knew the original announcement was made via Twitter, but I had understood that Kelly tried to tell him, he ignored it, then Trump did the tweet, and Tillerson continued to ignore it, until the phone call. But I can't remember where I got that impression, and a quick search didn't uncover any confirmation.

Either way, it's shitty behavior and totally in keeping with how he fired Comey, through the media and not face to face.

Maybe it was Andrea Mitchell's report on The Rachel Maddow Show? 
Tillerson wouldn't take tweet for an answer, forces Trump call

[formerlyfreedom]

Let's get back to The Daily Show, please.

[possibilities]

I don't understand why they needed a twin study to assess the effect on genes of spending time in space. Why can't they just test all the astronauts before and after their time at the space station? The twin component seems irrelevant.

[kassygreene]

The twin study was about much more than DNA.  The "space gene" might even have been completely unexpected.  Identical twins are ideal candidates for certain kinds of physical "lab" testing - if, as in this case, the human subjects consent to being tested.  They are scientists and this is a very cool experiment that included space flight.

[ganesh]

Also, when you're presented with this opportunity of twins, and one being in space, you're going to want to test everything because you just don't want to pass up the rare opportunity. 

I didn't know much about the new economic guy, but when they showed all the clips of him braying on tv, it's clear why Trump wants him. 

[ChelseaNH]

12 hours ago, possibilities said:

Why can't they just test all the astronauts before and after their time at the space station?

Test what?  If you don't capture a particular data point before they go to space, you can't ever do the comparison.  But you don't know what questions to ask until you look at the comparison.  So having an available baseline is extremely helpful.

[Victor the Crab]

Trevor righteously smacking Tucker "Dick" Carlson down was a thing of beauty. When Trevor tells you "GTFO!", you know you've done some stupid shit.

[GHScorpiosRule]

5 minutes ago, Victor the Crab said:

Trevor righteously smacking Tucker "Dick" Carlson down was a thing of beauty. When Trevor tells you "GTFO!", you know you've done some stupid shit.

What was even more infuriating was TuckerthepunchablefaceCarlson was huffing and puffing and bloviating about these "kids" as if they were tweeners and middle school aged kids. But I was cheering Trevor.

Edited March 16, 2018 by GHScorpiosRule

[Hooper]

14 hours ago, possibilities said:

I don't understand why they needed a twin study to assess the effect on genes of spending time in space. Why can't they just test all the astronauts before and after their time at the space station? The twin component seems irrelevant.

3 hours ago, ganesh said:

Also, when you're presented with this opportunity of twins, and one being in space, you're going to want to test everything because you just don't want to pass up the rare opportunity. 

I was pretty disappointed in Trevor's, or his writers', explanation of the "space gene", although to be fair, most articles I've seen do a poor job of explaining what NASA actually found.  The idea of comparing the astronaut's DNA to his earthbound identical twin is that our DNA changes constantly.   DNA may only mutate in about 1 out of a million cell divisions, but we have a lot of cells that are dividing, so mutations do accumulate over time (therefore cancer, but I digress).  By having a twin to compare to, NASA could distinguish what changes were specifically due to space travel as opposed to changes that occur just due to the passage of time. A sample size of one is not very definitive, but as Ganesh pointed out, the chance to compare the effects of space travel in identical twins is pretty rare, so we won't get too picky about how statistically robust this study is. 

My bigger beef is that NASA did a lousy job of actually explaining what they found, and Trevor and his writers, along with lots of other commentators fell victim to the poor explanation provided by NASA.  It's not that the genes themselves changed - ie there was no greater mutation rate in the astronaut's DNA than in the earthbound twin's DNA.  What changed is that different genes were active in the twin in space compared to his earthling twin. That's not unexpected - different genes are active in different environments.  But of the changes in gene activity (expression) that were detected, 7 % of those differences in which genes were active in space conditions haven't reverted back to  the level of activity in the earthling twin.  Whether the change is permanent or not remains to be seen, but at least the changes in activity are long term enough that they have persisted even after the space-travelin' twin has been back on earth for a while. 

This article does a good job of explaining the study.

Also, maybe I'm the only one who didn't think of this immediately, but I kept thinking I had heard the name Mark Kelly (earth twin), but it took me a day or so to realize he is Gabby Gifford's husband, whose NASA career was cut short when he retired to care for her after she was shot. 

[ganesh]

1 hour ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

What was even more infuriating was TuckerthepunchablefaceCarlson was huffing and puffing and bloviating about these "kids" as if they were tweeners and middle school aged kids. But I was cheering Trevor.

He actually said they weren't American citizens. Appalling.

[CheezyXpressed]

I loved the interview with Christiane Amanpour. She seems like such a cool woman who can be series and still have fun. I haven't heard of her series, but I'll have to check it out.

While I didn't care for the last segment that Dulce and Desi did together, I really liked Shafted and hope there's more of that. It was funny, but still sad too.

I also found it funny that Trevor said why do you need to make knitting cool again if it's cool, only because Kristen was like, "Ah, ahh" It was cute and I'm happy she's successful, but I miss Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23 and want it come back. That show was everything.

Edited March 16, 2018 by CheezyXpressed

[GHScorpiosRule]

1 hour ago, ganesh said:

He actually said they weren't American citizens. Appalling.

Right! It’s beyond appalling.?????

[peeayebee]

18 hours ago, CheezyXpressed said:

I also found it funny that Trevor said why do you need to make knitting cool again if it's cool, only because Kristen was like, "Ah, ahh" It was cute and I'm happy she's successful, but I miss Don't Trust the B in Apartment 23 and want it come back. That show was everything.

I loved that show, too. She deserved at least an Emmy nom. I watched the first season of Jessica Jones -- man, that was long ago -- and I liked it, so when I make time, I'll watch S2.

[peeayebee]

I really enjoyed the interview with Mitch Landrieu. I don't think I've seen him speak before or in an interview. 

[ganesh]

His argument about 'rememberence' was really salient, and I hope more people see it. The whole 'erasing history' canard needs to be buried hard. How about, hear me out, there's a place you can go, no, actually two places, where you can see and learn all about the history you're worried might go away. They're all libraries and museums. Get this. They're free. In fact, and you won't believe this, the people that work there actually want to preserve all of that history, so your precious monument will actually be saved from weathering. How about that! 

The mayor made the argument a little bit better. 

[2727]

A lot of people seem to be bored by Third Month Mania, but I'm enjoying the segments of Roy and Michael sportscastering it up. I also take my votes seriously, y'all. Two seconds of judicious thought on each matchup.

[ganesh]

I'm not bored, but it's kind of sad when you think of all the ridiculous things that's been in the legit news since the election.

I used to do a lecture on the most impactful technological advancements of the 20th century, and someone always says access to clean water. FYI - if you search for the Stella chalice, it is being sold on amazon for $13 each. They have three different designs from local artists. I ordered the Mexican one. 

It didn't look like Matt Damon was expecting the question about the back tattoo and he seemed highly amused. On the front of the show, I sure hope the president is going to be mired in these lawsuits. 

I'm more surprised that people are surprised that the Cambridge Analytica data breach happened. Given how lax FB is/was during the election in not removing posts or deleting fake profiles, it's clear that they don't consider themselves accountable. I wasn't sure how this affected people's voting though, since trolls and bots are so obviously fake. But then I realize that we're such a low informed voting polity. This is kind of why I think voting should be mandatory. I think we'd make more an effort overall to be better informed. I mean, even when Trump was talking about 'drain the swamp' given who he surrounded himself with as the campaign and transition team, it was obvious he wasn't. 

Edited March 22, 2018 by ganesh

[izabella]

5 hours ago, ganesh said:

I'm more surprised that people are surprised that the Cambridge Analytica data breach happened. Given how lax FB is/was during the election in not removing posts or deleting fake profiles, it's clear that they don't consider themselves accountable. I wasn't sure how this affected people's voting though, since trolls and bots are so obviously fake. But then I realize that we're such a low informed voting polity.

I have no doubt that some large percentage of FB users have NO IDEA what went on during the election, and have no idea now what Cambridge Analytica is nor that their profile info had been stolen if they or one of their friends filled out a little fun survey on FB. 

[Victor the Crab]

As someone who proudly does not have a Facebook account, it warms me to see that punchable face Mark Zuckerberg squirm and sweat over the way his company handled giving Cambridge Analytical all that data while profiting off of it. I hope (but I doubt) that this is the beginning of the end of that gray t-shirted douchebag.

[Fable]

I disagree with Trevor that this is something new.  I have a FB account, though I rarely use it.  However, I’m not afraid of it because it is pretty clear our data has been being harvested since the dawn of the internet.  Who hasn’t typed in something in a search engine only to have it come back to haunt them in some way, shape or form? 

[Temperance]

I just want to say I was kind of surprised by the way the Ru Paul interview went. He's a fun guest and Trevor seemed depressed. I kept thinking "Why so serious?"

[ganesh]

11 hours ago, Fable said:

  I have a FB account, though I rarely use it.  However, I’m not afraid of it because it is pretty clear our data has been being harvested since the dawn of the internet.

I'm on nearly constantly. I have no doubt that it's been like this forever. That's why I said that people are naive for being surprised now. The ads really don't phaze me because I don't just buy stuff, I never had. The paid trolls and bots are so obvious it's not like I'm going to change my mind because of them. It's a tool. It has its uses. 

Edited March 23, 2018 by ganesh

[ganesh]

I think Zuckerburg only sees FB as a platform and doesn't think he's responsible for security. That's fair to a point. And Ronnie supplemented this well. I kind of feel like he could have said, "maybe if we were more informed as a voting body, then it wouldn't matter because you all could sift through the bs on FB." I mean, sure, I'm on some "real groups" for my job on FB to circulate our activities. I post on some news sites, but for the most part a lot of my FB is pics of my dogs, and teasing all my friends about stupid things. 

I've also met people from FB. It's totally fine, Ronnie.

I also forgot to add that Trevor's joke about Daft Punk killed me.

[DrSparkles]

On 3/23/2018 at 1:58 AM, Temperance said:

I just want to say I was kind of surprised by the way the Ru Paul interview went. He's a fun guest and Trevor seemed depressed. I kept thinking "Why so serious?"

I thought Ru seemed...off? Loved the MDS kids!

[ganesh]

I thought Desi's piece at the rally was a little too short. I would have liked to hear from more of the students. Shoving Jordan out of the way was a good gag. I wonder if they planned it ahead, or if she just ran into him and they decided to do the bit. 

Roy's piece was good, but wow am I sick and tired of hearing the same thing over and over again. If anyone is going to be accused of being "actors" it's people like the woman with the sunglasses. I mean, come on. Yes, they found the crisis actors who attended the same high school where they 'set up' the shooting. I can't believe she wasn't just trolling Roy. 

I would think that 'regular' gun owners out there who don't hold this out of reality view would be ticked off because everyone is going to think that this is who a typical gun owners are. Lady, if you honestly think the high school kids are paid by democrats, you shouldn't be allowed to even look at a gun, let alone own one. I can concede that people might honestly think more guns in schools is the answer; if you grew up around them, they probably think it's not a big deal. That's basically just the lack of a worldview and not entirely their fault. 

I'm also concerned about what's being taught in Montana schools because if that dude thinks that the second amendment would have 'disappeared' he also shouldn't be owning guns. 

I did like the irony of everyone not bringing their guns because of safety, but would have loved it if Roy was open carrying. 

[peeayebee]

56 minutes ago, ganesh said:

I mean, come on. Yes, they found the crisis actors who attended the same high school where they 'set up' the shooting. I can't believe she wasn't just trolling Roy. 

I'm sure she wasn't trolling him. I loved his question. That was great, and you could see how her brain nearly exploded. But instead of admitting that she may be wrong, she decided that just meant the conspiracy was even bigger. Egads, people. The contortions they do to hold onto their beliefs.

 

Quote

I did like the irony of everyone not bringing their guns because of safety, but would have loved it if Roy was open carrying.

I would be worried for Roy's safety if he did.

Trevor's line about Santorum believing children should be shot and not heard was apt. Again, a person (Santorum) is doing all sorts of contortions in order to hold onto his worldview. Don't confuse me with the facts!

[ganesh]

No, I think she knew the jig was up, but didn't want to admit on tv that she was an idiot. 

I don't think CC would go in on the insurance for Roy to open carry. Maybe he could have carried a fake one or something. 

[peeayebee]

2 hours ago, ganesh said:

Maybe he could have carried a fake one or something.

I don't know. Even carrying a cell phone could be dangerous.

[Hooper]

I'm always gobsmacked when I hear these interviews at Trump rallies and/or pro gun rallies, and Roy's visit to the Helena rally was no exception.  But I wonder why CC spent the big bucks to fly Roy out to Helena MT, when he could have just carpooled down to D.C. with Desi and Jordan and covered the march for gun rights counter-protest there. Since he was in Helena, perhaps he could have mentioned that along with the couple hundred people at the pro-gun rally (the Great Falls Tribune estimates the crowd size as 150), there was also an actual March for Our Lives rally in Helena that drew about 1000 participants.  That's about 3 % of the population of Helena, and proportionally not all that far off from the size of marches in all those big cities where the libruls live.

[ganesh]

I go further and say that since Desi's piece was so short that she and Roy should have just gone to Helena and just done all of that. Because now everyone is going to be thinking everyone in Montana is crazy. And it's a better story because you know the piece was going to be pro-gun, but there were other people marching. 

I mean, you find a woman like that who is so crazy you have to give her the air time, but it's not actually funny anymore. There had to have been someone at the rally that wasn't delusional. I know this is a comedy show and they shouldn't have a journalistic standard, but it's the same thing over and over.

[Lantern7]

Watched last night’s episode. Loved Trevor laughing at the n-bomb joke, as well as Roy & Dulce’s “Ask a Black” commercial. Sadly, we had an appearance of Comedy Central Trump. I had to delete a lot of DVR episodes, partially because I felt the actor did too good a job in irritating my ass.

Arm teachers and students with stones to deter shooters? Hey, why the fuck not?? ?

Edited March 28, 2018 by Lantern7

[peeayebee]

Heck, I thought it was the real Trump when he first walked out. I mean, I knew it couldn't be, but the guy embodies Trump so well. I've only watched one sketch from his show, but he always impresses me. I may have to watch that special.

I can't believe that deal with the bucket of rocks. The guy was serious! I. just. can't. But so perfect when Trevor said that the phrase also describes the intelligence of whoever came up with it.

Gepetto cosplayer John Bolton made me laugh quite a bit, but man I'm scared of him. Trump seems to be getting rid of all the "babysitters" and adults. I liked when Trevor circled around and said we should arm Bolton's staff with river rocks.

I've seen that Heineken ad, but the racial element bypassed me. I can certainly see it now.  Racist curling was a clever phrase. Niggas love this shit!

Yesterday I read a review of Sean Penn's book, including excerpts. Talk about pretentious. I thought it was pretty non-intelligible during the interview, too.

[Victor the Crab]

I enjoyed seeing the Anthony Atamanuik version of Drumpf last night. Of all the Drumpf impersonators out there, Atamanuik's is the best because he perfectly captures both Drumpf's buffoonery, and, more importantly, his childish dark side in a way others can't. I hope there's new episodes of The President Show soon. I find them much more preferable than that obnoxious loudmouth, Jim Jefferies.

That Heineken ad was just...wow! WTF, a-holes? Loved how Roy and Dulce helped sooth that sting with that fake ad of theirs.

Sean Penn. Great actor, ginormous douchebag.

[Lantern7]

Shit, why isn't the bit with Desi getting her Sarah Huckabee Sanders on up anywhere? Funny shit, and shade on SHS is never uncalled for.

[ganesh]

That piece was way better than her Washington, D.C. piece. The bits with the cart full of mayo and grabbing the baby's bottle killed. 

I thought it was scathing and absolutely on point. Obviously, it's expected that the press secretary will be speaking to promote the administration, but Sanders is beyond the pale. From the clips they showed in Desi's piece, not only has she flat out factually incorrect, but she's massively condescending. I like that the clips included the reaction shots of the journalists who were just incredulous at her lack of professionalism. 

[peeayebee]

I didn't really like Desi's piece. It wasn't very creative or perceptive to me.

That Alabama sheriff is.... wow. Talk about chutzpah. Maybe he has a point that the law just has to be changed, that he acted within the law. But, geez, that is sickening.

I was impressed with Chloe and Halle. I hadn't seen them interviewed before and expected them to be full of themselves, but they were humble and sweet and funny. 

[Lantern7]

I’m going to miss “Shafted.” Like Roy’s segments of black history in February, Desi and Dulche did a good job with bits that were low-rent yet humorous.

[ganesh]

Desi just nails the white girl gangsta persona. Cracks me up. 

[TV Diva Queen]

Desi's last few pieces have given me the perfect opportunity to leave the room and assemble my coffee pot for the morning.  No pause button either.....

[Hanahope]

On 3/30/2018 at 8:51 AM, Lantern7 said:

I’m going to miss “Shafted.” Like Roy’s segments of black history in February, Desi and Dulche did a good job with bits that were low-rent yet humorous.

I have really enjoyed those pieces.  Great bits of history, showing women who did good or bad acts and the men that did them afterwards that got all the credit.

[possibilities]

On 3/28/2018 at 7:49 PM, Victor the Crab said:

that obnoxious loudmouth, Jim Jefferies

I love Jim Jeffries! Really didn't expect to like him, but I think he's great.

I'm glad they're doing more "correspondent" pieces-- both in the studio and in the field. It's become a host-at-desk-only show to a much greater extent than it used to be, and while I love Trevor, I also like when they change things up.

[Temperance]

Tyra stuck her fingers in Trevor's Dimples!

Also Scott Pruitt is bad news. Wish he was out already.

Edited April 10, 2018 by Temperance

[ganesh]

I don't have a problem with people flying first class. It's way better and much less of a hassle. I fly first class as much as I can. But I pay for it myself. I mean, come on.  

I wish there was someone who knew why Pruitt was so paranoid. Did he actually have an incident in the past or something? I can't figure out how a bulletproof desk is helpful. With Carson, you can at least get the tenuous reasoning for a $31K dining set; you host VIPs, like mayors, governors, etc. The desk is baffling. 

I liked the joke about Pruitt wanting a cone of silence and then Trevor asking if he could just whisper instead. 

[peeayebee]

Trevor mischaracterized the bulletproof desk, though I'll give him some slack because that was funny. The desk in question was, I believe, the receptionist's desk at the EPA, with the glass panel being bulletproof. However, I figure there's other security, like at the door of the building, so this step seems unnecessary.

I don't think Pruitt is paranoid. I think he's just using "threats" as an excuse to fly first class and have lots of security around him so he feels like a big important man. Also, saying that you gets lots of threats makes you seem threatening, which is what the base loves. You know, drive those snowflakes crazy.

I think my favorite part of the show was about the CNN breaking news violinist going on and on and nearly losing it.

[ganesh]

I can't with all the taint. I don't know how I could go on the news and not completely lose it. 

[Victor the Crab]

Too much Michael Kostas for my liking last night. :P

Going back to Monday's show, Trevor perfectly grasped the reality of Scott Pruitt. Doesn't matter how slimy and corrupt Pruitt's behavior is over his fleecing of the public and his extravagant, nauseating lifestyle as head of the EPA, as long as he guts everything there - especially the stuff Obama put in place - Drumpf will be very pleased with what that prickhole is doing. Hell, he'd probably ask him for some grafter tips.

[peeayebee]

I love Hasan Minaj's segments. Great graphics, too. I noticed Saul Goodman was Trump's attorney in the impeachment hearings example.

[ganesh]

I'm not getting the point of Trevor questioning Comey's "credibility". He's a private citizen and can write whatever book he wants. He's not under investigation or running for office. It's not incumbent upon him to establish his credibility. So he is ticked at how he was treated and wants a piece? Yeah and?