Friday Five (breathtaking spike edition)

We’ve reached the final Friday in March.

Now not only am I working from home every single day, but my husband is also home because he has been furloughed. Like literally millions of other people. It is slightly amusing to see him go from his usual cheapskate mode to a new Super Cheapskate! Have to find the humor where we can, I guess.

Meanwhile, welcome to the Friday Five. This week I bring you: the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about the pandemic, five stories about deplorable people, and five videos (plus notable obituaries and some things I wrote).

Stories of the Week:

A Breathtaking 3 Million People Filed For Unemployment Last Week As Coronavirus Shutdowns Hit.

Topless Tongan is Hosting Fitness Classes on Olympics Instagram.

Giant Burmese python found on Australian woman’s porch.

Mammal study explains ‘why females live longer’.

Stop Hating on the Hoarders – These hogs are mostly harmless and they might even be doing us a public service.

This Week in News for Queers and Allies:

28 Oldest Gay Celebs (and Why We Still Love Them).

We Survived AIDS, We Can Survive This: Why You Should Listen to Your Gay Elders.

Library of Congress Inducts Village People’s Gay Disco Anthem ‘Y.M.C.A.’ Into National Recording Registry.

LGBTQ dance party goes digital amid coronavirus pandemic.

Teen Who Stabbed Grindr ‘Date’ 128 Times and Left Him to Die is Jailed for 24 Years to Life.

This Week in COVID-19:

What I Learned When My Husband Got Sick With Coronavirus.

AMA Denounces Doctors For Hoarding Malaria Drug.

Coronavirus and the Cocoanut Grove Effect .

Medical Worker: Seeing Terrifying Lung Failure Even in Young Patients Completely Changed My Perspective on COVID-19.

Coronavirus: Woman whose husband died from chloroquine says not to trust Trump .

This Week in Deplorables:

Virginia Pastor Who Said COVID-19 Was Anti-Trump “Mass Hysteria” Dies of Virus.

Man under investigation for plotting an attack at a hospital believed to be treating Covid-19 patients was killed during an FBI investigation.

It Took A CNN Interview And A Twitter Fight For IL Gov TO Get Mask, Ventilators From Trump.

Trump’s Bible study teacher says coronavirus was caused by gays & environmentalists.

Richard Burr’s troubles are not going away. So why isn’t he?

In Memoriam:

‘Desperately Seeking Susan’ star Mark Blum dead from coronavirus at 69.

The Beloved Kenny Rogers Runs Out of Aces.

Bill Rieflin Dead – Nine Inch Nails & R.E.M. Drummer Dies at 59.

Things I wrote:

Weekend Update: talk about insider trading and disaster profiteering.

Sunday Silliness: A couple of takes on the Quarantini.

“Et in Arcadia ego” finds Jean-Luc’s motley crew confronting mortality while wrestling moral dilemmas.

This post contains nothing momentous nor newsworthy.

I’ve already survived one plague where people said the victims weren’t worth saving… and now?

Thursday Tidbits: Reading about angry people while social distancing.

Italian coronavirus patient shares experience: ‘I wore a breathing helmet for six days’:

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

SOCIAL DISTANCE – A Randy Rainbow Song Parody:

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

Niall Horan – Put A Little Love On Me (Official):

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

Come Rain Or Come Shine:

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

Colorado Symphony’s Digital Ode to Joy:

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