Wow! Five Fridays in January! And here we are.

The wet weather I mentioned last week has continued. Almost every day this month had rain in the Seattle area. Several of the official National Weather Service sites in our side of the state have already reported breaking of matching records for the month of January this year. It’s really been amazing.

Meanwhile, welcome to the Friday Five. This week I bring you: the top five stories of the week, five of interest to queer people, five stories about writing/reading/genre, five stories about science, five stories about deplorable people, and five videos (plus notable obituaries and things I wrote).

Stories of the Week:

WHO declares China coronavirus a global health emergency.

U.S. states sue to demand recognition of Equal Rights Amendment for women.

Tempe Police Arrest Man Suspected of ‘Penis Man’ Graffiti Taggings.

Chipotle fined $1.3M over thousands of child labor abuses – Chipotle has been hit with a $1.3 million fine over more than 13,000 child labor violations at its Massachusetts restaurants.

State legislatures are filled with anti-LGBTQ measures, thanks to a religious right playbook .

This Week in News for Queers and Allies:

Wells Fargo pulls Florida voucher donations over anti-gay school policies.

Kentucky republican explains motivation behind conversion therapy ban- Being Gay “Can’t Be Fixed And Shouldn’t Be Fixed”.

Bowen Yang Opens Up About His Experience In ‘Gay Conversion’ Therapy – The “Saturday Night Live” star said he initially tried to adhere to his family’s “cultural value around masculinity” as a teen.

Sam Pancake’s Plea to ‘Respect Gay Elders’ Is a Cry From the Heart.

Iowa Bill To Legalize Anti-Trans Discrimination Is Dead .

Writing and Reading and Genre:

Confessions of a Hate Reader, or Bad Writing Habits I Picked up from Bad Criticism.

Comic Legends: The Surprising Possible Inspiration for Superman’s S Logo.

On Identity, Performing Marginalisations and the Limitations of OwnVoices; or “Why I can’t just repeat my uncle’s favourite joke about eating dogs”.

The Archetype of the Haunted House, Winchester Mystery House and Crimson Peak.

Real-life superhero ‘Phoenix Jones’ in super trouble, facing drug charges.

This Week in Science:

In which I try on an A7-L replica spacesuit, courtesy of Adam Savage.

Voyager 2 just missed a spin in interstellar space. But it should be fine, NASA says.

This is the highest-resolution photo of the sun ever taken.

Artificial intelligence-created medicine to be used on humans for first time.

Meteorite chunk contains unexpected evidence of presolar grains.

This Week in Deplorables:

Veterans criticize Trump’s downplaying of US troops’ brain injuries – Several US veterans’ organizations call for president to apologize for remarks about injuries suffered by service members in Iraq.

Trump border wall between US and Mexico blows over in high winds.

Sanders campaign defends accepting Joe Rogan support amid LGBTQ backlash.

NYT: Why Can’t Bernie Rein In His Abusive Supporters? Uh, because the abuse isn’t a bug, it’s a feature?

Conservative writer George Will explains why Democrats did the right thing impeaching Trump — even if he stays in office.

In Memoriam:

Nicholas Parsons, host of Just a Minute, dies aged 96.

Graham Norton and Neil Gaiman lead tributes to late broadcaster Nicholas Parsons – The broadcaster died aged 96 after a short illness, his agent confirmed.

Things I wrote:

“Remembrance” paints picture of a future full of regrets to be righted.

Time to tell the Rabbit Story, or, what happened the day I was born.

Videos!

Trump Lawyer Alan Dershowitz Shocks at the Impeachment Trial | The Daily Show:

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Philip Rucker and Carol Leonnig Reveal Trump Didn’t Know What Pearl Harbor Was:

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According To Alan Dershowitz, Anything Trump Does Is Legal If It’s Done In Pursuit Of His Reelection:

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NSFW Comedy Routine – Guy Fucks His Bully’s Dad:

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Noble Oak – Morning (Official Music Video):

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