It is the third Friday in August!

The heatwave came back, and it felt as if all week I was trying to keep cool and figure out things to cook for dinner that didn’t heat the house up worse than it was. The work week, meanwhile, felt more like a month squeezed into a week. On the other hand, the prescription issue I was still dealing with last week has been taken care of for now, so that’s a yay. Also, I enjoyed streaming the DNC convention, which gave me a few moments of hope.

Which brings us to this week’s Friday Five. For a while now I’ve had basically the same five categories of stories week after week, and it’s seemed harder than ever to not let all the outrage-worthy news predominate. So I’ve tried to shake things up a little bit. This week I bring you: the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories that are about good or funny or interesting things, five stories about awful people, and five videos (plus a notable obituary and something I wrote).

Stories of the Week:

Dolly Parton Steers Her Empire Through the Pandemic — and Keeps It Growing . This is an awesome interview! “As soon as you realize that [something] is a problem, you should fix it. Don’t be a dumbass. That’s where my heart is. I would never dream of hurting anybody on purpose.”

The Case of the Top Secret iPod.

Matriarch of Northwest apple industry passes away at age 194. Not a misprint.

Asteroid Makes the Closest Earth Flyby a Space Rock Has Ever Survived – The car-sized object zoomed by just 1,830 miles away.

Wolverines return to Mt Rainier for first time in more than 100 years.

This Week in News for Queers and Allies:

Waiter Has Message for Trump Supporters After Receiving $5 Tip with ‘Get Out of America, Fag’ Written on It.

‘It Has A Chilling Effect’: Some In LGBTQ Community Say Scrutiny Of Alex Morse Is Harmful .

Judge stops Idaho from enacting ban on transgender athletes – The ruling means transgender athletes wanting to participate in sports that match their gender identity can do so this fall.

I’m A Nurse Who Cares For Gender Surgery Patients. Here’s Why I Love It So Much – “It’s terribly lonely to have people know you as an incomplete or incorrect version of yourself.”.

Record Number of LGBTQ+ Delegates Make Voices Heard at Dem Convention.

This Week in I Need a Break From Bad News:

Cutie Jack Kennedy Schlossberg appeared at the virtual DNC with his mom.

Evangelical Coalition Urges Christians To Get COVID Vax Because “All Scientific Truth Is Ultimately From God”.

Florida mosquitoes: 750 million genetically modified insects to be released.

Earliest art in the British Isles discovered on Jersey.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Explained What Her “Shark Week, Motherfucker” Comment Meant And Made It Even Better – “It’s funny and it’s about women’s empowerment, and it makes me smile.”.

This Week in Deplorables:

New Senate Report Links Trump’s Business Partners To Russian Mob, Human Trafficking, And Putin.

Steve Bannon, Three Others Arrested In $25M Scheme To Defraud Donors To Private Border Wall.

Postal Service cuts imperil ladder to middle class for many Black Americans – Postal workers say DeJoy’s policies would make it nearly impossible to cope with sweeping changes that are affecting their jobs every day.

Thom Brennaman should be fired for his anti-gay slur – We know exactly who you are. Calling yourself a “man of faith” isn’t an excuse.

Squidbillies Star Stuart Baker Fired for ‘Extremely Offensive’ Facebook Posts. His long racist rant included calling Dolly Parton a freak and a slut for speaking out against racism, so, you know…

In Memoriam:

Chi Chi DeVayne dead: RuPaul’s Drag Race queen dies at age 34.

Things I wrote:

Sometimes we leap, sometimes we fall, sometimes we’re pushed….

Videos!

Watch Barack Obama’s Full Speech At The 2020 DNC | NBC News:

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Why You Shouldn’t Be Asking If Kamala Harris Is “Black Enough” | The Daily Social Distancing Show:

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Barack Obama’s Fiery, Emotional Speech Sets The Stage For Historic Kamala Harris VP Nomination:

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Billie Eilish debuts ‘My Future’ at the 2020 Democratic National Convention:

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Carly Rae Jepsen – Me And The Boys In The Band:

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