It’s Friday! And it’s the second Friday in July.

I really wish I could blame Camp NaNoWriMo on how little blogging I’ve been doing, but it’s all down to the string of more than 10-hour days as we zero in on yet another ridiculous deadline at work. And now the heat is back, and I don’t deal well when the weather gets hot.

Anyway, here I present this week’s Friday Five: the top five (IMHO) stories of the week, the top five videos, and a couple of notable obituaries (plus my blog posts).

Stories of the Week:

You don’t get to call me a sinner AND help yourself to my gay tax dollars.

Republicans Thought Peter Strozk Would Be a Punching Bag. He Just Knocked Them Out.

‘Ghost particle’ found in Antarctica provides astronomy breakthrough. And for more informationg: Why a 4-Billion-Year-Old Particle That Hit Antarctica Is Such a Big Deal.

Samsung phones are spontaneously texting users’ photos to random contacts without their permission.

How the Disposable Straw Explains Modern Capitalism , and related: Disposable Plastic Straws Suck. Try These Disability-Friendly Alternatives.

In Memoriam:

Hollywood film star known for Damn Yankees, The Burning Hills and his TV sitcom, The Tab Hunter Show.

Obituary – Tab Hunter, Hollywood golden boy forced to hide his sexuality.

Steve Ditko, Spider-Man Co-Creator and Legendary Comics Artist, Dies at 90.

Things I wrote:

Weekend Update 7/7/2018: White people who think the police are fugitive slave catchers.

Playing Piano on a Star’s Surface and Other Impossible Things — more of why I love sf/f.

Videos!

Gene Editing: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO):

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Steve Grand – “don’t let the light in” [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]:

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Cazwell – Cakes:

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Stephen Colbert: Red Hot Congressional Strzok Fest 2018:

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Youngr – Lost In Translation (Official Video):

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