---

Welcome to the third Friday of October! Spooky season is is full swing!

Though that last couple of week’s it’s been smoky season. And the temps all this month have been more likt a typical August than October. We’ve also had almost no rain. Air quality ahs been so bad I’ve have scratchy throat and itchy eyes and occasianally a wheeze n my lungs. And I do my best to stay inside–I swapped out all the hepa filters on our air cleaners just six weeks ago. I’ve been wearing a N95+particulate maske anytime I go outside! We’re finally supposed to get some rain the next few days, but not sure how soon before the air quality improves.

Let’s move on to the Friday Five in which I bring you: a stand-alone story about a grifter getting grifted, the top five stories of the week you may not have seen because of everything else, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about cruelty, and five liars & deplorables (plus some notable obituaries).

This Week in Couldn’t Have Happened to a More Deserving Grifter:

Right-wing superhero movie ends ‘in disaster’ after $1 million in funders’ cash goes missing: report

Stories of the Week:

Smithsonian’s Baby Cheetah Cam Is the Warmest and Fuzziest Stream on the Internet This Week – You can check in on these newborn cheetah cubs via a 24/7 livestream

Accused of flirting, juror dismissed from Whitmer kidnapping plot trial – Judge Thomas Wilson announced Friday that the woman has been removed from the jury, two days after attorneys raised concerns the juror was having too much non-verbal communication with defendant Paul Bellar

The Closing Of The Lunar Frontier

‘Swift-footed lizard’ is named the Massachusetts state dinosaur

Watch: Chart-armed Katie Porter makes the case that corporate greed is the primary cause of inflation

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

New York Gov. Hochul signs bill to strengthen benefits for older LGBTQ

Trans people can now easily update their gender with the Social Security Administration – A person’s self-designated gender does not have to match their legal documents for them to be able to make the change

Out State Senator Tiara Mack has already made history in Rhode Island. She’s not finished yet. – "I lead with joy. I lead with laughter, and I lead with a fierce commitment to protecting the most marginalized communities through my campaign."

National ‘don’t say gay’ bill would force LGBTQ community to live by Republican lies

Conservative arrested for death threat against superintendent after district put on “watch list” – Charlie Kirk’s anti-LGBTQ organization Turning Point USA put the school district on a "radical" watch list. Then came the death threat

This week in Cruelty is the Point:

The Cop Car Has Become the Cop SUV – Nationwide, police car chases now kill more people than tornadoes, lightning, and hurricanes combined

How a Secret Rent Algorithm Pushes Rents Higher

‘Hate Is the Point’: CNN’s Tapper Says Gab Hosts ‘Racist’ Posts and ‘Nazism’ – Founder Claims It Has ‘Christian Content’

Kansas City Police Called Reports of Serial Killer Targeting Black Women ‘Unfounded.’ Then a Woman Escaped

The Religious Right and Fox News are Brainwashing People I Love

This Week in the Liars and Other Deplorables:

Trump’s legal troubles come to a head in New York

Trump spent $22 million to raise $24 million, filing shows – Trump Spent 91 Cents to Raise Each Dollar as Troubles Mounted – SMS, digital ads and lists ate up most of third-quarter haul

Tucker Carlson Edited Out Kanye West’s Antisemitic Rants, Leaked Footage Shows

Durham Blasted by Experts After New Acquittal: ‘Laughed Out of Court Twice’

‘Answer the question!’ Herschel Walker faces angry crowd as campaign event goes off the rails

In Memoriam:

Robbie Coltrane, Hagrid Actor in ‘Harry Potter’ Franchise, Dies at 72

Kate Bush Eulogizes Robbie Coltrane: “We’ve Lost One of Our Great Treasures” – Coltrane, who starred in Kate Bush’s 2011 “Deeper Understanding” music video, died last week at the age of 72

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and More ‘Harry Potter’ Stars Pay Tribute to Hagrid Actor Robbie Coltrane: ‘One of the Funniest People I’ve Met’

Eclipse the dog, known for riding the bus alone to the dog park, has died She was a very sweet dog. For a couple of years the bus I took to work was the one she rode to the dog park. I met her more than once.

Art Oberto, Seattle’s sausage and jerky king, dies at 95 I missed this one a couple of months ago…