Friday Links (nevertheless he perjured edition)

It’s Friday! And we’re already into March! The year is just zooming by!

Anyway, here are the links I found interesting this week, sorted into categories.

Links of the Week

Thieves Rappelled Into a London Warehouse in Rare Book Heist: The burglars made out with more than 160 books worth an estimated $2.5 million.

Just Let This Little Girl’s Wonder Woman Invisible Jet Costume Win Every Contest.

This Week in Restoring Our Faith in Humanity

Man Who Intervened In Shooting Of Indian Engineers Delivers Powerful Message Of Hope.

4-Year-Old Boy’s ‘Colorblind’ Haircut Goes Viral.

Muslim veterans offer to guard Jewish sites across US.

This Week in the Economy

Buying Coffee Every Day Isn’t Why You’re in Debt.

Trump’s $5 Trillion Attack On America’s Values And Reputation.

This week in what the Frak?

Giant Tunnel Boring Machine Under Seattle, Bertha, Stopped Because the Machine “May Be Several Inches Off” Tunnel Alignment, State Says. The tunnel is at least three-years behind schedule…

This week in awful news

Muslim teen found hanged in woods near Seattle; family seeks answers.

Fabulous, Darling!

89th Academy Awards: ‘Moonlight’ is first LGBTQ film to win Best Picture.

“Moonlight” is 2016’s best movie, but its impact on black storytelling is much more important.

What Moonlight’s Win Says About the Oscars’ Future: The stunning film’s unexpected triumph is part of a larger trend toward more small and intimate projects for the Academy.

News for queers and our allies:

The Epidemic of Gay Loneliness. A long read, but very enlightening information about the stress of the closet and how that still causes harm lang after a person comes out.

“Moonlight” is the first LGBT movie to win best picture. Here’s why it matters – The Oscars have long recognized movies where LGBT people were props or tropes. “Moonlight” makes us human.

This week in cool information

America divided into states with the population of England.

Science!

New study gives weight to Darwin’s theory of ‘living fossils’.

Siberia’s ‘doorway to the Underworld’ Is Getting So Big It’s Uncovering Ancient Forests.

China’s crazy smog-sucking vacuum tower might actually be working.

Cool NASA video shows dust devils whirling on Mars.

Giant Prehistoric Penguins Evolved During the Dinosaur Age.

New Imaging Method Helps Scientists Look Beyond Dinosaur Bones.

Scientists discover gigantic 400 million year old extinct worm in Canadian museum.

Chance Discovery Of New Fossil From Half Billion Years Ago Sheds Light On Life On Earth.

What’s in your chicken sandwich? DNA test shows Subway sandwiches could contain just 50% chicken.

It turns out methane CAN simply walk into Mordor.

Wolf Spiders Have Threesomes to Avoid Getting Eaten.

Why exactly are these turkeys circling a dead cat?

World’s oldest microfossils found, researchers claim.

Bad Astronomy: These strawberries aren’t red. Seriously. They aren’t..

Science Fiction, Fantasy and Speculation!

Eric von Dimpleheimer has assembled another masterpiece which you can download free. He explains: . “I began putting together an ebook of the various 2016 recommendation lists and sorting them by magazine (with some links to free stories), but as I kept coming across more recommendations, I abandoned the Sisyphean project. It is still useful (to me at least) and I thought others might be interested in it. I included two of Rocket Stack Rank’s annotated lists and Greg from Rocket Stack Rank is OK with me including them as long as the ebooks are free, which they are.”

Mind Meld: Fresh Perspectives on Common Tropes.

Shaun Duke: The 2017 Hugo Awards Reading / Viewing List.

Defying analysis: Sherlock S3-4..

Remembering Dad… by Adam Nimoy.

Magic Meat March: Hot fantasy dudes! Half naked wizards! Simpering elves! Men in skimpy armor!

‘Elvira: Mistress of the Dark’ Coming to Blu-ray in April.

Flash Fic Challenge – Construction Zone.

Hugo Award Nominee Recommendations

2017 Hugo Nomination Recommendations

2016 Locus Recommended Reading List

Rocket Stack Rank’s 2017 Hugo Awards

2017 Nerds of a Feather Hugo Award Longlist, Part 1: Fiction Categories

Jason Sanford: Info and links for Hugo Award nominations (including my Campbell Award shortlist)

This week in Writing

What Works For Me: Scrivener Color Coding Pt. 1. This looks really useful. I’m currently using the color coding a bit differently, but could easily see this working.

Scrivener vs Word for Writers.

This Week in Tech

Robert Mercer: the big data billionaire waging war on mainstream media and democracy. “Bots made up a third of all traffic on Twitter before Brexit–and they were all for Leave. Later, they were five-to-one in favor of Trump.”

FCC chief doesn’t plan to review AT&T–Time Warner merger.

Twitter users can finally filter out ‘egg’ accounts from their notifications.

Why Twitter users who swear at politicians might get put in a timeout.

U.S. appeals court tosses patent verdict against Apple.

This Week in Covering the News

Trump lied to anchors about immigration to get ‘positive press coverage’ in run-up to speech.

Tom Hanks buys new coffee maker for White House reporters.

This week in Health

Record STD rates drive syphilis in newborns.

A year old, but valuable supplemental information for that last story: The Return of Syphilis – Why are rates of the once-rare disease now climbing again?

This Week in Inclusion

Published in 2016: Books by/about Native peoples.

Culture war news:

This needs to be repeated: It Wasn’t Abortion That Formed the Religious Right. It Was Support for Segregation.

Transgender boy Mack Beggs wins girls wrestling title as Texas struggles with transphobic laws.

Supreme Court Instructs Liberty Counsel to Refer to Transgender Teen Gavin Grimm as Male.

Tennessee has declared war on same-sex families: Inside the legislation that would eradicate nearly all rights for LGBT couples.

This Christian Pastor is Furious That Someone Donated to Planned Parenthood in His Name.

The myth of the transgender boogeyman is as ridiculous as it is heartbreaking.

Former Evangelical Christian Explains How the Tea Party Pushed Him Further Away from the Faith.

Why A Seattle-Area Mosque Barred Anti-Trans Activists.

Anti-Trans Initiative Sponsor Fundraising Numbers Don’t Add Up.

This Week in the Resistance:

Oregon Governor Forbids ALL State Employees, Including Cops From Aiding ICE Agents.

Governor Jay Inslee Issues Executive Order Blocking State from Participating in Federal Immigration Raids, Religious Registry.

This Week Regarding the Lying Liar:

Issa: Trump-Russia probe requires a special prosecutor.

Why Donald Trump’s tweet about national debt decrease in his first month is highly misleading.

Yemen SEAL raid yielded no significant intel: report.

Donald Trump’s Call For Millions To Rally Fizzles.

Trump ignored new national security chief’s request not to rant about ‘radical Islamic terrorism’: report.

President Trump suggests anti-Semitic threats across U.S. are coming from within Jewish community.

News about the Fascist Regime:

Muhammad Ali Jr. questioned by immigration officials at Florida airport.

Passengers on a domestic flight deplaning in New York were asked to present ID by Customs and Border Protection agents—a likely unenforceable demand that nevertheless diminishes freedom.

George W. Bush speaks out on Trump’s war with the media, travel ban.

New Commerce Secretary at nexus of lucrative Trump Russian deal.

Jeff Sessions’ shifting, deceptive explanations for his secret meetings with Russia.

Sergey Kislyak, the least memorable man in the world.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions Recuses Himself From Investigations Into Russian Election Interference.

Why Jeff Sessions Must Resign as Attorney General – Whether or not he perjured himself on the Russia matter, Sessions must go.

This week in Politics:

Arizona leader kills protest bill after widespread criticism.

In response to New York Times ad, NRA accuses the media of arson.

Most states with largest insurance gains under Obamacare voted for Trump.

Donald Trump claims to have grown the Republican Party by millions. He didn’t.

Republican State Senator’s “business degree” turns out to be from Sizzler Steakhouse.

Pence used personal email for state business — and was hacked. Not even a private server – it’s an AOL account!

This Week in Racists, White Nationalists, and the deplorables

‘Things have changed’: White supremacists cite Trump in bomb threat targeting Muslim students.

This Week in Hate Crimes

Couple will spend years in prison for terrorizing family with Confederate flags, shotgun.

Bomb Threats Made Against Jewish Community Centers In 11 States.

Editorial: Trump’s silence on deadly Olathe shooting is disquieting.

No Jail Time For 19-Year-Old In Idaho Coat-Hanger Assault Case.

Four Mosques Have Burned In Seven Weeks — Leaving Many Muslims and Advocates Stunned.

Farewells

ETA: Bill Paxton fought Aliens and The Terminator, but he was always just a guy from Fort Worth.

ETA: Bill Paxton, ‘Aliens’ and ‘Twister’ Actor, Dies at 61

Things I wrote:

Weekend Update 2/25/2017: We have to have standards! (aka, Martinis for Science!).

Why Livejournal isn’t the best way to follow me.

Voting is our best weapon, but they’re trying to take that away, too.

What’s better than Bikini Armor Battle Damage? Magic Meat March!

Goal-darn age….

Destiny, prophecy, self-discovery, and love — more of why I love sf/f.

Videos!

Otter Enjoys Lettuce!:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Explosm Presents: Channelate – The Talk:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

NEW Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Trailer – WORLD PREMIERE:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

The Big Deal – #EqualLove:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)