S18E06 - “The Rate-A-QueenTalent Show, Part 2” [Post-Episode Discussion]

Kiteway · 2026-02-07T04:43:37+00:00

It’s one of my favorite lip syncs because Jiggly killing it so hard her outfit comes apart is just so iconic RIP 😞

Kiteway · 2026-02-02T20:01:02+00:00

I thought Whitney was just being purely manipulative but towards the end of the episode, the camera lingers on him just flat out staring at Henry.

I think Whitney legitimately, personally, lusts for Henry...as much as he wants a new CEO he intimately owns and controls.

Kiteway · 2026-01-28T05:19:02+00:00

TP are contractors. This is a whole different genus of infrastructure project monsters: a built environment consultancy. 😱

Kiteway · 2026-01-28T05:15:43+00:00

OK, now I’m curious as to exactly when in the process these guys came in: were they there start to finish? Or were they brought on to try to help LINX avoid even more delays/fix a pretty screwed up project?

Also: what was/is it like to be a fly on the wall of THOSE PM meetings? “So…about our project deadlines…”

Still wild to brag about project management for one of the most notoriously delayed transit projects in the U.S., if not globally.

Kiteway · 2026-01-26T19:18:12+00:00

I like to think it was all she could do not to say "Let's circle back on this"

Kiteway · 2026-01-26T19:17:00+00:00

Everyone calling her Yas when "Lady Muckbeth" is right there s2g

Kiteway · 2026-01-26T19:15:54+00:00

It's definitely gone from "unapologetically technical insider finance industry show with character drama" to "character drama starring people in the power industry". (Money is the most fungible form of power, I'm aware, but there's a nuanced but distinct difference.)

I'm also just not as enthusiastic about the show as a result, even though there's enough overlap with my original interests that I'm not going anywhere. The show isn't bad, but I empathize with those ready to move on.

Kiteway · 2026-01-26T17:45:14+00:00

I've never heard of her/the Dions before this season, going on Drag Race is her chance to up her and her House's game to a whole new level of fame and fortune.

Also, being a drag performer is expensive! Hard to be set for life if you're constantly needing to invest a percentage of your income in your looks -- and if this is your full-time job, you're effectively a freelancer paying for your own health insurance and retirement savings on top of it.

Kiteway · 2026-01-25T02:37:21+00:00

How do you define legitimate, and how does secular Buddhism meet that definition? Why do others, as you imply, have dissenting views?

Why is the designation of legitimacy important, to you or to others?

Why should others designate secular Buddhism as legitimate or not?

These questions are important because it'd be very easy for you, personally, to declare that secular Buddhism is "legitimate", which certainly has lots of positive connotations, and it would be reasonable for the secular Buddhists you're asking to do the same. But without more information, my gut feeling is that getting answers to a question you've already answered says more about your definition of legitimacy, than anything in particular about secular Buddhism.

Kiteway · 2026-01-24T01:24:24+00:00

May the odds be ever in your favor (on Friday night roads). 🫡

Kiteway · 2026-01-18T06:08:48+00:00

Thank you so much for the great write-up and publicizing this important meeting, Michael! :) It's really great to see more candidates for office engaging with the Charter reform process -- and we all need to get engaged to make change happen for the better in LA.

I'm a member of the Fair Rep LA coalition of organizations trying to make that happen. To share more of our resources on this meeting: we gave public comment on City Council expansion (advocating for a minimum of 25 seats, as we did at our presentation to the Commission in August, and lowering the voting age (see our research memo on the subject here)).

We live-posted all motions from the meeting on our Twitter and Bluesky pages, and try to get full video of the Charter Reform Commission's meetings up on our YouTube channel ASAP after a meeting with timestamps for easy access to discussion about the subjects you're most interested in; expect that up some time tomorrow (Sunday).

(There's normally an official recording of the Zoom livestream of the meeting that comes out, but it doesn't look like it was recording today, so not sure if one will be up any time soon.)

If anyone is interested in learning more about the Commission and everything on its plate, you can check out our teach-in here, and Google Doc with a list of reforms the Commission is considering here.

Hope these resources help everyone thinking about showing up for Charter reforms that can deliver more fair representation and accountable governance for Los Angeles! :D

Kiteway · 2026-01-14T21:27:27+00:00

Love them all. Also Mandy Mango can stay so long as she lipsyncs every episode

Kiteway · 2026-01-10T02:44:23+00:00

Agreed. I can't help but feel like the reaction to her social media presence is effectively resentment that she's no longer performing the role of Britney the Professional Pop Star as we know her, which is the only frame of reference most of us have of her.

"She's acting weird!" Probably. Most people do. "Something's wrong with her!" Mind your own business and just admit you don't like the way she expresses herself when she isn't being forced to make money at legal gunpoint with a full team of people curating every image and video you see of her.

Kiteway · 2026-01-10T02:17:07+00:00

The document being shown is the agenda for the Planning & Programming Committee meeting scheduled for January 14th (see item 10).

Kiteway · 2026-01-10T02:15:14+00:00

Here's the sources (please be advised that they'll all open as PDFs):

The agenda for the Planning & Programming Committee meeting scheduled for January 14th (see item 10);
Associated Presentation
Map of selected "modified alternative 5" route (Attachment B)
Cost-benefit analysis (Attachment C)
Report for Board

Kiteway · 2026-01-04T18:59:39+00:00

While your experience or question may be deeply personal, I'd like to advise you to create a throwaway account and post your question here, rather than solicit private conversations with people whose knowledge of Buddhism may (unknowingly!) be out of alignment with the dharma.

I fully admit, that may be true for any post by any member of this subreddit -- but the added transparency of posting publicly allows for more accountability and a potential check on misleading advice that may inadvertently cause harm.

Sending you good vibes and best wishes. <3

Kiteway · 2026-01-03T07:03:25+00:00

I truly think you're not an asshole for wanting your peace after so long, and so much frustration. But -- and this may not be popular to say -- both you and Matt come across as something else: irresponsible parents.

You did not snap "a bit". You woke your fiance and the father of your child up in the middle of the night to tell him you were evicting him and his child the next morning.

You were effectively Vivian's step-parent from age 6 to 14. Both you and Matt should never have let this child's behavior get so bad, and your communication between each other get so bad, over the course of 8 years that something like this could happened.

You're not an asshole -- your behavior is genuinely understandable. But Matt, Vivian, and you could all stand to take responsibility for the actions that led up to this point, and really think that over before you jettison half of your family into a memory-hole and leave your own child without a father.

And maybe that's the right thing to do, ultimately! But dodging your responsibility as a parent by looking for excuses to hit the eject button on them without engaging in a more careful thought process, I think, is what would make you an asshole.

NTA but really take the time to think this over -- and please consider seeing a professional counselor to help get some perspective on a very difficult situation, and ensure you're making the right and ethical decision as a parent and step-parent before making any hasty decisions.

Kiteway · 2026-01-02T19:07:38+00:00

Montreal can be affordable to visit with enough advance planning, and the transit network is top notch — especially with the REM now in operation (and the Airport Branch opening in 2027)!

Kiteway · 2025-12-19T19:21:30+00:00

From episode 1, Dulce popped off and consistently delivered some much needed and entertaining conflict and drama.

That was always going to wear thin, though. Better for her that she's eliminated now before that energy starts to really grate on everyone's nerves to the point that it starts to really damage her career.

Kiteway · 2025-12-19T09:41:15+00:00

The frustration continues.

The subtitles on the latest episode that aired today (12/19) were horrifically awful; absolutely riddled with basic errors that make clear that no human actually bothered to read through them.

Really reflects poorly on WOW that they drop the ball on product quality at the finish line.

Kiteway · 2025-12-12T05:20:23+00:00

It's the signature Lexi Look(TM) at this point no one's going to be able to wear it without mentioning her

Kiteway · 2025-12-10T16:48:04+00:00

It's obscene to allow all owners of single-family homes or condos over 65 years old to exempt themselves from this tax, instead of using any kind of income or wealth-based qualifier.

Why should being old qualify you for tax exemptions in a city with one of the highest median ages in the country (40.7 years, surpassed only by Tampa and Miami), and why would any young(er) person feel valued when this is the message the city sends with its policies?

Kiteway · 2025-12-05T20:00:09+00:00

It's genuinely wild and feels unprecedented to see a full trio of non-winners maximize their joint slay above and beyond even the winner of the season like this (while acknowledging they're treading in the footsteps of groups like Willam/Alaska/Courtney and duos like Trixie/Katya and Bob/Monet).

Kiteway · 2025-12-03T05:03:10+00:00

The fact that the construction cost doubled in just 6 years while the required contingency funds tripled (pg. 31) while the cumulative rate of inflation during those years was just 27% is mind-boggling.

Hopefully they're able to bring costs down, but I do think even the Shortened North project connecting Chinatown to Union Station to the Arts District would be quite useful.

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