It’s already the fourth Friday in April!

It has started raining again, and the pollen count has gone down a bit. So I am a bit less miserable and the last couple of days haven’t been quite so anxiously playing the “are my symptoms extreme hay fever or have I finally caught the COVID-19 virus” game? Which, may I say, might qualify as the worst game in the history of games!

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, and five videos (plus notable obituaries and some things I wrote).

Stories of the Week:

Poll: Don’t stop social distancing if coronavirus will spread – Only 10 percent of voters surveyed in a POLITICO/Morning Consult poll support ending social distancing to stimulate the economy.

Cecily Strong on Grieving a Loved One While Quarantined – I Don’t Know How to Tell This Story.

With humans shut in by the coronavirus, nature sees an opportunity.

Unemployment checks are being held up by a coding language almost nobody knows – States have been starved of modernization funding for years.

Archeology latest: Treasure trove of Assyrian kings discovered in ISIS excavated tunnels .

This Week in News for Queers and Allies:

The law “subjects all female athletes to the possibility of invasive genital and genetic screenings,” an American Civil Liberties Union attorney said.

Americans Aren’t Polarized on LGBTQ Equality, Survey Finds.

Actor J. August Richards Comes Out as Gay.

School allowed anti-gay abuse of teen, lawsuit claims – The suit alleges that the bisexual teen’s Detroit-area school district did little after he was subjected to persistent bullying and abuse.

Coronavirus closed down colleges – now some LGBTQ students fear an abusive “war zone” at home.

This Week in the Pandemic:

The rightwing groups behind wave of protests against Covid-19 restrictions- Protesters in Michigan and other states claim to speak for ordinary citizens, but are also supported by street-fighting far-right group specifically: 3 Far-Right, Pro-Gun Brothers Behind Anti-Quarantine Protests in Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York.

First US COVID Death Was Weeks Earlier Than Thought – Autopsy Reports Date First COVID-19 Bay Area Deaths to February.

More deaths, no benefit from malaria drug in VA virus study.

CDC director warns second wave of coronavirus is likely to be even more devastating.

Hospital delivers bodies to Philly medical examiner in the open back of a pickup truck. At Daring Fireball, where I found the link to this post, John Gruber noted: ” These aren’t bad people. No one wants to see dead bodies piled in the back of a pickup like bags of sand. This is the result of a system that is overwhelmed by the pandemic’s death toll.”

In Memoriam:

5-year-old daughter of two Detroit first responders dies from coronavirus.

Married Gay Couple Dies of Coronavirus Within Hours of Each Other, Leaving Live-in Mother to Deal with Grief Alone in Quarantine.

Things I wrote:

Weekend Update 4/18/2020: manbabies, misinformation, and racism.

Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it….

Talking to myself – it’s how some of us think, okay?

Tuesday Tidbits 4/21/2020: Discrediting, denying, and deceiving.

Invert the advice, see what happens?

The Stuff of Legend – loving sf/f and the illusion of logic.

Videos!

Meanwhile… The “I Need More Beer” Lady Rocks The Internet:

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Coronavirus IV: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO):

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Jimmy Kimmel’s Quarantine Monologue – Trump & Vegas Mayor Compete for Who’s Crazier:

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Lady Gaga – Stupid Love (Official Music Video):

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Orville Peck – Summertime (Acoustic):

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