It’s Friday! We have arrived at the first Friday in September, the month in which superior people are born. Where, or where has the year gone?

I meant to do another simple Friday Five this week, just five stories and no more. But then things happened. A lot of things, and the Constitutional crises are just piling up. There was also a lot of interesting science news and other cool stories, so there are several sets of five links below.

Which brings us to the Friday Five: the top five (IMHO) stories of the week, the top five science stories, five stories about things falling apart, five stories about people behaving badly, five videos, and notable obituaries (plus my blog posts).

Stories of the Week:

India just struck down a law banning gay sex.

Senator Tammy Baldwin Talks Equal Rights Under Trump & LGBTQ Representation.

Jury Fines Man $1 For Punching Charlottesville Rally Organizer.

Senate OKs bill expanding federal hate-crimes penalties that Mercer Island banker helped draft.

Volunteers fix mural vandalized on side of oldest Indiana gay bar.

Science stories:

The Truth Behind This Amazing Video from the Surface of a Comet.

These 8 Bird Species Have Disappeared This Decade.

Migration 101: It Doesn’t Come Naturally For Moose And Sheep.

Eating an asteroid a year helps a baby planet grow.

Dinosaur DNA clues unpicked by researchers at University of Kent.

Destruction of the Constitution:

This Is a Constitutional Crisis: A cowardly coup from within the administration threatens to enflame the president’s paranoia and further endanger American security.

It Wasn’t Me: Pence, Pompeo, Mattis and Mnuchin Deny Writing Anonymous Op-Ed.

Dear Anonymous Trump Official, There Is No Redemption in Your Cowardly Op-Ed.

Partisan brawl erupts after Booker releases Kavanaugh docs.

Conservative Writer Argues Trump Be Removed by 25th Amendment.

Other News of People Behaving Badly or the Aftermath:

Who the Hell Cares About Steve Bannon Anymore?

I Worked With Avital Ronell. I Believe Her Accuser.

Thousands of spiders, scorpions and more stolen from Philadelphia museum in ‘insect heist’.

Dorothy’s stolen ruby slippers from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ found by FBI after 13 years.

In Defense of Our College’s Mascot, Sir Racist Von Genocide.

In Memoriam:

Marie Severin, versatile Hall of Fame comic-book illustrator, dies at 89.

Russ Heath, Whose Comics Caught Lichtenstein’s Eye, Dies at 91.

Burt Reynolds, Movie Star Who Played It for Grins, Dies at 82.

Burt Reynolds’ Best Roles in a Genre He’s Not Known For: Science Fiction.

Burt Reynolds tribute: The closest the modern era came to producing its own Clark Gable.

Things I wrote:

Three-day Weekend Update: Words and Images.

Of the dead, speak nothing but truth… or, I refuse to whitewash this sepulcher.

Listen, buddy, there is no pumpkin in pumpkin spice, and if you don’t like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and such in your food or beverage, then don’t order it….

Confessions of an absent-minded misplacer, part 2.

Videos!

SNEAKIN’ AROUND (Dolly Parton & Burt Reynolds) ~ The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas 1982:

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Smokey And The Bandit Theme ( East Bound And Down ) by Jerry Reed:

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Boogie Nights clip (1997):

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Cannonball Run Outtakes:

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Calvin Harris, Sam Smith – Promises (Official Video):

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