It has been getting colder and colder all week. We started getting snow Thursday. Overnight lows significantly below freezing, and much most snow is expected Saturday. And I live on a hillside with very steep hills the only way out of the neighborhood, so I probably won’t be leaving the house until next week when the temps are predicted to come back up.
Meanwhile, we have the Friday Five. This week I bring you: one story about why snow is such a catastrophe here, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about the pandemic, five stories about threats traitos, five stories about bad people getting their due, and five videas (plus things I wrote and some notable obituaries).
This Week In News Local to Me:
Stories of the Week:
8-Year-Old Calls Out NPR For Lack Of Dinosaur Stories.
They Stormed the Capitol. Their Apps Tracked Them. This story is not really about the murder mob, rather it is a fascinating and chilling example of what can be learned by aggregating anonymized ad network data. The graphics alone are worth the click.
KUOW – The last youth jail in the country moves to end contract with ICE.
Dozens of states see new voter suppression proposals after baseless fraud claims.
Essex academic’s imposter ‘copied work and tattoos’.
This Week in News for Queers and Allies:
Federal agency to crack down on LGBTQ housing discrimination.
C.D.C. Report: Gay and Bi People at Greater Risk for Severe COVID-19.
This Week in the Pandemic:
Vaccinated workers at Massachusetts hospital volunteer to sit with Covid-19 patients.
This Week in Seditious Traitors:
Trump-supporting evangelicals should share blame for January 6 insurrection.
Justice Department says an Oath Keepers leader waited for Trump’s direction before Capitol attack.
At Trump Impeachment II, the Republican Party Is Also on Trial .
This Week in Deplorable People Facing Consequences:
Twitter Suspends Right-Wing Activist Group Project Veritas, James O’Keefe.
Tim Eyman violated campaign finance law, judge rules, is barred from controlling political committees Eyman is a horse’s ass, a grifter, and man who has devastated local government budgets.
In Memoriam:
Mary Wilson, longest-reigning original Supreme, dies at 76.
Remembering Christopher Plummer for so much more than ‘The Sound of Music’.
Porn Mogul Larry Flynt, ‘Hustler’ founder and 1st Amendment champion, dies at 78.
Things I wrote:
WandaVision Goes Even More Meta in “A Very Special Episode…”.
Monday Update 2/8/2021: Infamy, Defamation… but also a bit of good news.
Ask the Next Question, or how SF/F has always been confronting social issue.
Bullying, gender, and the importance of horses – or, more of why I love sf/f.
Videos!
One Billion Years of Earth’s Evolution in 45 Seconds:
(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)
Dolly Parton on Funding Coronavirus Vaccine and Teaming up With Barry Gibb:
(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)
Reality Sets In After A Weirdly Normal Super Bowl Sunday:
(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)
Trump’s Impeachment Lawyers Are Very Bad: A Closer Look:
(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)
Never-Before-Seen Capitol Riot Videos Provide Damning Evidence Against Trump:
(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)