And here were are at the first Friday in September. September, the month when superior people are born.

We had a relatively cool week, though temps have been edging up into the range where I start to melt, and the long term forecast says we might be up in those insane temperatures late next week. Which is really weird, because September almost never gets that warm here. Speaking, my quest to find a replacement to local weather blog since my former favorite has, over the course of the last couple years: become a climate change denialist apologist, claimed that quarantines and other measures weren’t necessary to stop the pandemic, starting supporting Blue Lives Matter, and finally compared the Black Lives Matter protestors to Nazi Brownshirts. Fortunately a local nonprofit news blog noticed all of us searching and came out with a list of suggestions (only one of which I’d found before). So, yay!

It’s time for me to roll out this week’s Friday Five. This week I bring you: the top five stories of the week, five stories about science and sci fi, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about good things, five stories about the pussy grabber in chief and his enablers, and five videos (plus notable obituaries and some things that I wrote).

Stories of the Week:

The Destabilizing Loss of Chadwick Boseman: Chadwick Boseman Gave Us Something We Had Not Had Before – He brought King T’Challa to life in a way that transfixed the world and spoke uniquely to Black Americans.

Athletes’ Racial Justice Protest Last Week Made History. But It Wasn’t the First Wildcat Strike in Pro Sports.

How Robert Mueller failed America.

Becky Albertalli: I know I’m late. A very interesting tale about coming out, denial, and other topics…

An Ohio man built a backyard squirrel bar with seven varieties of nuts on tap.

This Week in Science Fact and Science Fiction:

The Midwest Sees a Spike as Covid-19 Cases Decline Elsewhere – In nine U.S. states, case numbers are still rising or setting records. The virus is pummeling the economies of India and South Korea. Hong Kong began a Beijing-backed testing program.

Another astronomical doomsday that doesn’t actually exist: The solar micronova.

Cosmic signal rattles Earth after 7 billion years.

Ugandan gorillas in Bwindi park have ‘baby boom’.

Star Trek will get its first transgender characters this year – Congrats to actors Ian Alexander and Blu del Barrio who will play the first-ever out transgender and non-binary characters on the 54-year-old sci-fi TV series.

This Week in News for Queers and Allies:

California’s legislature just passed a bill to treat LGBTQ & straight sex offenders the same – The bill’s sponsor got death threats for saying that LGBTQ people should be treated the same.

LGBTQ advocates notch legal win in fight against Trump health care rule.

Federal judge: State Department must recognize U.S. citizenship of gay couple’s daughter.

Jacob Blake’s Transgender Cousin Responds to Anti-LGBTQ+ Threats.

Dictionary.com just added a lot of LGBTQ words but will use “homosexuality” less.

This Week in I Need a Break From Bad News:

I’m not going to reopen my shuttered restaurant. I’d rather feed children in need.

‘We’ll take care of you’: Tennessee Kroger gives job to woman who slept in the store’s parking lot.

Man‘s Best Buddy is a Red Robin That Helped Him Through Trauma – Watch it Feed From His Hand.

Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones Raises $100,000 After GOP’s Anti-Gay Smear Effort – “Their efforts to attack an Air Force and Iraq War veteran who served under Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell clearly backfired,” said her campaign.

Cher raises $2 million for Biden at LGBTQ virtual fundraiser.

This Week in the Deplorable Thug Occupying the White House:

Operation Undermine 2020 at Full Throttle as Trump Again Suggests Voters Vote Twice.

New Study Shows Republicans Willing to Embrace Fascism to Preserve Dream of a White Nation.

Department of Health and Human Services Preparing to Launch $250 million Pandemic Propaganda Campaign- The proposed communications contract comes as the agency faces growing questions about its independence from the Trump White House.

Trump Flotilla Leader to be Charged with Felony, His Lawyer Says – The charge is “written threat to kill or bodily harm” and carried a potential sentence of up to 15 years. Gavidia previously served time for marijuana trafficking.

Facebook, Instagram Ban Pro-Trump Operative Jacob Wohl.

In Memoriam:

‘Black Panther’ star Chadwick Boseman dies of cancer at 43.

Remembering Actor Chadwick Boseman.

This 7-year-old boy held a heartbreaking memorial for Chadwick Boseman.

‘Black Panther’ Director Ryan Coogler Pens Emotional, Beautiful Tribute to Chadwick Boseman.

Chadwick Boseman visited terminally ill children during his own cancer battle.

‘We lost our own superhero.’ How Chadwick Boseman — as a Black superhero on the big screen — made families feel seen.

Things I wrote:

Weekend Update 8/29/2020: The virus and the fascism are the enemy, not the masks.

Dirty Deeds Coming Home to Roost, or, What’s Happening with those Evangelical Pool Boy Chasing Devils?

It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion….

Tread all to pow’rs of darkness down, or a queer ex-evangelical looks at circular reasoning.

Confessions of a Rambler, or, my blogging style is verbose, okay?

Videos!

RNC 2020 & Kenosha: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO):

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

Some Unconventional News | The Daily Social Distancing Show:

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

NO TIME TO DIE | Trailer 2:

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

Do you like PDA?:

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

The Boys in the Band | Official Trailer | Netflix:

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