We’ve made it to the fourth Friday in August!
Work has been weird and stressful. I realize I say that a lot; yet then Thursday of this week good things happened. One of the good things was it was the the first time in well more than a week that my workday wasn’t interrupted by multiple calls from managers, directors, and veeps (both in and out of my chain of command) with emergencies that needed addressing now. I made more progress on my to-dos by midday than I had it the week proceeding. Make no mistake, I did lots of stuff during the last two weeks, it’s just that the majority were emergencies that hadn’t been on my to-do list at the time. There was also one piece of much appreciated good news, so even though I’d already been planning to make Pork Scallopini for dinner Thursday night — which, since 1/3 of a cup of wine is needed for the sauce that means that once I open the bottle I’m obligated to drink the rest — that first sip of wine felt very celebratory.
Anyway, it’s time for this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about hateful deplorabloe people, five stories about the pandemic, and five stories about the graveyard of empires (plus something I wrote and some notable obituaries).
Stories of the Week:
13 U.S. troops killed in ISIS attacks on Kabul airport – The bombings came just hours after defense officials warned about an increased terrorist threat from the Islamic State’s branch in Afghanistan – the rest of the Afghanistan news has its own section, "Graveyard of Empires" below.
Capitol Police officers sue Trump, allies over insurrection
It’s time to give Republicans the fight of their lives on voting rights
The first ‘murder hornet’ nest of 2021 has been destroyed in Washington Yes, we found more…
Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:
How LGBTQ+ Excellence Helped Shape Broadway
This Week in Deplorable People:
Trans teen required to undergo genital examination at airport & people are speaking out – Trans people called out TSA’s "sophisticated system of someone pressing a pink or blue button" after a mom sued the agency for demanding to see her daughter’s genitals because of an "anomaly." This is yet another reason why the TSA, which is 99.9% security theatre and not actually protecting anyone, needs to be disbanded.
Federal Judge Lets New York Attorney General Try to Sue Jacob Wohl and Jack Burkman for $2.75 Million This is separate from all voter intimidation criminal charges in several states.
This Week in the Pandemic:
US COVID-19 hospitalizations top 100,000 for first time since January
COVID Vaccines Show No Signs of Harming Fertility or Sexual Function
How to get the authoritarian far-right to cave in a hurry
This Week in the Graveyard of Empires:
Afghanistan News: ‘We Will Not Forgive,’ Biden Says, Vowing Retaliation for Kabul Attack
Planes, guns, night-vision goggles: The Taliban’s new U.S.-made war chest
Fearful LGBTQ Afghans can’t receive money raised for them through GoFundMe ‘due to Taliban control’
Hillary Clinton has been arranging charter flights out of Afghanistan for at-risk women, reports say
In Memoriam:
Charlie Watts, Rolling Stones Drummer, Dies at 80
Don Everly, Half Of The Quintessential Harmonic Duo The Everly Brothers, Dies At 84
Tom T. Hall, singer and ‘Harper Valley P.T.A.’ songwriter dies at 85