We have reached the fourth and final Friday in December. This is also the final Friday in 2020, and year that I think everyone agrees needs to be over.
It also happens to be Christmas Day. In a normal year that would mean that likely most people wouldn’t be reading things online until later in the day, after much of the festivities are over. But most people should be staying home, opening presents over zoom or facetime or something.
Because it is Christmas Day, I had mixed feeling about what kind of stories I ought to include. In doesn’t help that every day there are worse and worse headlines about the crybaby-in-chief and his latest temper tantrum. But in the end, the news is what it is. So, this Friday Five I bring you: the top five stories of the week, five stories about science, five stories about people who definitely aren’t on Santa’s Nice List, five stories about the pandemic, and five videas (plus things I wrote and a notable obituary).
Stories of the Week:
Crying on the Clock Is the Best WFH Perk.
SolarWinds Adviser Warned of Lax Security Years Before Hack.
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Fetterman relentlessly trolls Dan Patrick seeking $1M voter fraud bounty.
Arizona GOP May Face Sanctions for Filing Lawsuit Contradicted by Audit, Judge Suggests.
Secret Service Has No Plan if Trump Refuses to Go, Sources Say. A more accurate headline would be, “Secret Service Will Not Say Whether They Hava a Plan if Trump Refuses to Go”
This Week in Science:
Aliens at Proxima Centauri? A New Radio Signal Raises the Question.
‘Beautiful’ dinosaur tail found preserved in amber.
Ancient wolf cub found ‘perfectly preserved’ in Canadian permafrost. We even know what it ate.
The year 2020 in space discoveries.
This Week in People Who Definitely Got Coal In Their Stockings:
Another Blow for QAnon as Voat (aka Alt-Right Reddit Knock-off) Announces a Christmas Shutdown.
Christians Invaded Native American Sacred Space to Pray Away “Dark Energy”.
This Week in the Pandemic:
Every US coronavirus death is preventable, health expert says.
U.S. to require all air passengers arriving from U.K. to test negative for COVID-19.
COVID-19: South African variant may be worse than UK variant.
Black doctor dies of COVID-19 weeks after turning to social media to chronicle racist treatment.
In Memoriam:
James E. Gunn, Science Fiction Author and Scholar, Dies at 97.
Things I wrote:
Playing catchup, virtual party, and counting down to Christmas.
A proper Christmas… however you define it.
Unintentional physics lessons, anniversary, and more.
We need a Rainbow Christmas—especially in quarantine.
Videos!
“Twas The Coup Before Christmas” A Late Show Animated Holiday Classic:
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Top Republican HUMILIATES Sidney Powell ON FOX NEWS:
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ARE YOU A DOUBLE DIPPER?:
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Steve Grand – I’ll be home for Christmas (Official Music Video):
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Tom Goss – Christmas 2020 – not all pandemic-themed holiday songs have to be melancholy (not that there’s anything wrong with that):
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Font Folly 