Friday Links (we’re in the middle of the move edition)
It’s Friday!
I haven’t been posting much this week because we’ve been packing. My work week has consisted of going to work, coming home, loading the car up with as many packed boxes as will fit, driving to the new place (a 25-35 minute drive depending on traffic), carrying all the boxes in the car up a flight of stairs to the new apartment, then driving back home to pack some more until bed time. My husband is still in the recovery stage from surgery, and I’m not letting him lift anything until the doctor clears him (he sees the surgeon again next week, so, fingers crossed!). We’ve hired movers who will take care off all the big furniture and anything we’ve packed by then but haven’t moved, and we could let the movers do everything, except that we literally don’t have enough room here to pile everything once it is packed.
Anyway, here are the links I found interesting this week, sorted into categories.
Links of the Week
ADD YOUR GENDER PRONOUNS TO TWITTER. This post is from a couple of years ago, but the issue was only recently come to my attention. And I agree, cisgender people who consider themselves allies of the trans community should add their pronouns to their social media profiles because this normalizes the practice.
The Heart of Whiteness: Ijeoma Oluo Interviews Rachel Dolezal, the White Woman Who Identifies as Black. ‘I am beginning to wonder if it isn’t blackness that Dolezal doesn’t understand, but whiteness. Because growing up poor, on a family farm in Idaho, being homeschooled by fundamentalist Christian parents sounds whiter than this “silver spoon” whiteness she claims to be rejecting.’
Religion Is Just Common Sense With Added Bits of Nonsense. I don’t have a problem with the conclusion, but I quibble with the comedian’s example. He says all religions can be boiled down to five don’ts, four of which make sense and one is nuts, but then he lists five, of which only three make sense and two are nuts. Oh, well…
This Week in Seattle Area News
KUOW Employee Woke Up to Find Swastikas Painted on Her Cars, and Cars All Down the Block. Um, this is uncomfortably close to my new neighborhood…
Edmonds Police Backtrack Earlier Decision, Will Investigate Swastikas as “Possible Hate Crimes”. Ya think?
This week in the war on trans people
Change the Rating of “3 Generations” to PG-13.
This week in what the Frak?
Silicon Valley’s $400 Juicer May Be Feeling the Squeeze.
This Week in Difficult to Classify
More Dangerous Myths About Child Abuse.
This week in awful people who only have themselves to blame
Massachusetts Throws Out More Than 21,000 Convictions In Drug Testing Scandal.
News for queers and our allies:
Texas ordered to pay $600,000 to couples who fought gay marriage ban.
New Font Honors Rainbow Flag Creator Gilbert Baker.
Science!
A New “CRISPR Pill” Makes Bacteria Destroy Its Own DNA.
Microsoft is buying another 10 million strands of DNA for storage research.
Researchers use frog mucus to fight the flu.
Live, long and black giant shipworm found in Philippines.
This 17 Year Old May Have Revolutionized Brain Injury Treatment.
Scientists create negative-mass fluid that flows against the force.
Scientists Genetically Engineer Luminescent Bacteria to Detect Landmines.
Antarctic Scientists Go Chasing Waterfalls.
… and Proxima makes three: Alpha Centauri really is a triple star!
Science Fiction, Fantasy and Speculation!
How Wondercon Failed Disabled Attendees.
This Week in Tech
That Four-Star Rating You Left Could Cost Your Uber Driver Her Job.
HOW GOOGLE ATE CELEBRITYNETWORTH.COM.
Steve Ballmer Serves Up a Fascinating Data Trove. “The database is perhaps the first nonpartisan effort to create a fully integrated look at revenue and spending across federal, state and local governments.
Climbing Out Of Facebook’s Reality Hole.
Culture war news:
Lesbian Couple Sues Christian Courthouse Clerks After Being Harassed While Getting Marriage License.
Court upholds suspension of judge who abused his power to block gay weddings.
KING: Conservatives don’t hate a golfing President, but they hated an uppity Negro golfing President.
Words Which by Their Very Utterance Inflict Injury.
Robert Maginnis: Washington D.C.’s Gays And Witches Corrupt Politicians.
This Week in the Resistance:
Dan Savage resistance organization donates $100,000 to ACLU, Planned Parenthood and IRAP.
This Week Regarding the Lying Liar:
How Trump Is Trying to Govern America Like an Internet Troll.
A Trump district co-chair just called me: ‘I am off the train. We were trumped.’
Trump getting hot and bothered by protesters.
Trump admin pursues law-enforcement goals without U.S. attorneys.
News about the Fascist Regime:
Trump’s Camp Is Spending Millions On Legal Fees To Defend Against Allegations Of Illegal Behavior.
This week in Politics:
Nikki Haley: Detentions and Killings of Gays in Chechnya a ‘Violation of Human Rights’ That ‘Cannot Be Ignored’. That’s nice, Madama Ambassador, but could you tell your boss?
Justice Gorsuch Finds His ‘Easier’ Solution Has Few Takers On 1st Day.
This Week in Racists, White Nationalists, and the deplorables
Fear of Diversity Made People More Likely to Vote Trump.
Things I wrote:
Personal update: We’re moving to Shorelin.
Da, DA, da-da-da-DAAAA-da, da-da-da-DAAAA-da, dut-dut-da-daaaaaa! I love sf/f soundtracks.
Videos!
Dalai Lama: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO):
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Broadway Bares 2017: Strip U:
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Lana Del Rey – Lust For Life (Official Audio) ft. The Weeknd:
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A Farewell To Bill O’Reilly From Stephen Colbert And ‘Stephen Colbert’:
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