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

White evangelicals are in precipitous decline — and the younger generation is pulling them in new directions

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:

Statue of trans icon Marsha P. Johnson erected in New York City park – It is considered to be the first monument of a transgender person in the city park system

A School Board Will Pay $1.3 Million To Gavin Grimm Over An Anti-Transgender Bathroom Polic – The decision ends a yearslong battle that brought national attention to the rights of students to use the facility that corresponds with their gender identity

‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’ is The Gay Coming-Of-Age Tale For Everyone With an Inner (and Outer) Drag Queen

Brothers Osborne’s TJ on Creating Safe Space for LGBTQ Fans: ‘That’s Worth More Than Anything’ – "I didn’t realize what a sense of purpose it would bring to my life to be here," the country singer said

How LGBTQ+ Excellence Helped Shape Broadway

This Week in Deplorable People:

Death sentence upheld for church shooter Dylann Roof – He was the first person in the U.S. to be sentenced to death for a federal hate crime

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.

School district may ban Pride flags after parent spots one inside a classroom & freaks out – "If a teacher is not even able to hang a flag which represents that protection, what does that say to the LGBTQ students in that community?"

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.

Josh Duggar wants his child pornography charges thrown out because of Donald Trump – Duggar’s attorneys are trying to get his charges dismissed because Homeland Security investigated him under the leadership of two Trump-appointed officials, both of whom were later deemed to have unlawfully held the positio

This Week in the Pandemic:

US COVID-19 hospitalizations top 100,000 for first time since January

100,000 more COVID deaths projected unless US changes its ways – Coronavirus case counts are once again rising across the US, near and far. Health officials are scrambling to vaccinate as the Delta variant takes hold

COVID Vaccines Show No Signs of Harming Fertility or Sexual Function

How to get the authoritarian far-right to cave in a hurry

Arkansas doctor under investigation for prescribing parasite pill thousands of times for Covid-19 despite FDA warning

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’

‘Let Me Explain to You How Our Process Works’: Psaki Derails Doocy’s Attacks on Administration’s Afghanistan Airlift

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

Things I Wrote:

That’s not what defines a complete story

Well, here we are at the third Friday in August!

The air cleared up and the temps went down this week. I had to turn the a/c back on for part of Thursday, but the daytime highs are supposed to be even cooler in the coming days.

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: two topics stories in each of two unusual topics, plus the top five stories of the week, five stories about the pandemic, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, and five stories about deplorable people.

This Week in Confused Angry White Men:

A Man Who Had Ranted Against Joe Biden Surrendered To Police After Threatening To Blow Up His Truck In DC- The man appeared to have been livestreaming and threatening President Joe Biden and Democrats before surrendering Thursday afternoon I feel it necessary to point out that while he did call for Biden and other Democrats to resign, he said they reason they needed to resign is because no one can afford health care any more… in other words, what motivated him to his act of terror was a Republican-caused problem…

‘The revolution is on’: Would-be D.C. truck bomber demands Biden’s resignation, then surrenders

This Week in the Graveyard of Empires:

Americans rank George W. Bush as the president most responsible for the outcome of the Afghanistan war: Insider poll

America’s Afghanistan occupation was always going to fail – The unfortunate disaster we’re seeing right now underscores how much the U.S.’s extended occupation of the country was always a mistake

Stories of the Week:

Column: We can’t blame the unmasked and unvaccinated for being irresponsible? Really? – As thousands of unmasked motorcyclists carouse in the streets of Sturgis, S.D.; as protesters greet vaccine and mask mandates with comparisons to Hitler; as vaccination rates lag and COVID caseloads climb, we’re also seeing — paradoxically — a wave of sympathy for those who have failed to behave responsibly.

US Capitol riot judges step up as the conscience of democracy

OnlyFans Says It Will Ban Sexually Explicit Content How to say you want to go bankrupt without using the work bankrupt…

Haiti quake death toll rises to 1,419, injured now at 6,000

T-Mobile Investigating Claims of Massive Customer Data Breach

This Week in the Pandemic:

Nearly 5,600 Hillsborough students isolated or quarantined one week into school year

Vaccine Outrage: Why the Delta Variant’s ‘Sudden Doom Effect’ Is Making Us Snap – We’ve tried being resilient. We’ve tried having rational conversations with friends and family members about the importance of vaccines and face masks. We are long out of f–ks to give

Texas requests five mortuary trailers in anticipation of Covid deaths – The state’s seven-day average of coronavirus deaths is at its highest since March 2021

Fox News Is Requiring Its Employees to Disclose Their Vaccination Status – Mask-wearing will also be required of everyone irrespective of vaccination status in certain in-office situations

An Alabama doctor watched patients reject the coronavirus vaccine. Now he’s refusing to treat them

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Winston-Salem, North Carolina Approves LGBTQ Rights Ordinance

Illinois expands legislation to protect LGBTQ service members

LGBTQ freedoms — all of our freedoms — depend on restoring voting rights – Our democracy has long been improved by marginalized communities pursuing a place in American life

How Lil Nas X Is Revolutionizing Hip-Hop as an Empowered Gay Star

Residents build giant Pride flag in view of high school after school board bans it – "I wish it could be 10 times bigger," one of the organizers said. The school board said that Pride flags are "divisive" because they don’t include straight students

This Week in Deplorable People:

Grand jury indicts Minn. GOP operative on child sex trafficking charges

Pharmacist Arrested for Selling COVID Vaccination Cards Online – A licensed pharmacist was arrested in Chicago on charges related to his alleged sale of dozens of authentic Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 vaccination cards on eBay

Oregon School Board Passes Motion to Ban Pride Flags, BLM Signs

‘A Big Win’: USPS Must Turn Over Docs About DeJoy’s Potential Conflicts of Interest – "The stench of corruption wafting up from Louis DeJoy’s office is so thick seagulls are flying in from the Jersey Shore and circling overhead."

Trump Gushed About Handing Afghanistan Over to the Taliban, Who Would Then ‘Kill Terrorists’

Well, here we are at the second Friday in August!

Heat. Poor air quality. Stress at work. All things I could talk about, but I don’t want to. Instead, I want to point out that my ongoing battle with one particularly persistent squirrel has entered a new stage. I was contemplating washing the bird feeder that has been hanging outside my window since the summer of 2017, and then coating several bags of bird seed with a more potent mixture of pepper-spray… when I realized that the plastic parts of that bird feeder had some cracks. So I ordered a completely different style of feeder which claims to be squirrel proof and I have since seen said persistent squirrel try few times to get to the seed, then give up, drop down to the deck, and pull food from the squirrel feeder. I am getting a LOT more birds at the feeder than I had during previous months, and also a whole lot more finches. So I think that so far this is a win!

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: two different stories that I think each deserve their own category, plus the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about deplorable people, plus discussion about a story that I think I must comment on, but I don’t really feel comfortable linking to.

This Week in It’s Not Over Yet!:

FDA set to authorize additional Covid-19 vaccine doses for certain immunocompromised people

This Week in Overcoming Oppression:

Congressional candidate’s campaign ad shows him being kicked out of the navy for being gay

Stories of the Week:

Hear Us Out: We Actually Need More Wildfires, Not Fewer The headline is VERY misleading. The experts interviewed call for more controlled burns, which are definitely NOT wild fires.

This terrifying ‘dragon’ was Australia’s largest flying reptile

‘Jeopardy!’: Mike Richards To Host Syndicated Show, Mayim Bialik To Host Primetime & Spinoff Series

A Carnivorous Plant Has Been Hiding in Plain Sight in North America – Triantha occidentalis is picky: It won’t eat insects heavy enough to be its pollinators

Marvel and DC face backlash over pay: ‘They sent a thank you note and $5,000 – the movie made $1bn’

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

How Howard Ashman (while dying of complications of AIDS) Forced Disney to Tell Queer Stories

A New Study Shows Queer Politicians Still Face “Electoral Discrimination” at the Ballot Box

Texas trans girl’s affirming mother gets full custody after father fails to pay child support – Luna Younger, now eight, has been the center of right-wing outrage over the existence and affirming of trans youth for the last two years. Her mother now has most parental rights

Heroic mom grabs phone from man following her trans son to the bathroom to take pictures of him – "What bathroom are you going to use, tranny?" the ex-trans activist shouted. That’s when mom intervened to protect her 17-year-old son

Smith College Alums Rally Funds for Gay Student Cut Off By Parents

This Week in Deplorable People:

Rand Paul discloses 16 months late that his wife bought stock in company behind covid treatment – An aide to the Kentucky Republican said he prepared the disclosure last year and only recently learned that it was never transmitted

Federal judge says Trump’s accountants must turn over tax records to House panel – The judge approved a subpoena for Trump’s records covering 2017 and 2018, but turned down most of the panel’s request for similar information dating back to 2011

Former U.S. attorney in Atlanta says Trump wanted to fire him for not backing election fraud claims

Dominion Lawsuits Against Sidney Powell, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell And Giuliani Can Move Forward, Court Rules

NJ conversion therapy “experts” lose big in court to tune of $3.5 million

This Week in Too Horrible to Link:

One of the news stories in my bookmarks for the week is truly horrific. So horrific that I have decided not to link to it. But it is an important news story, in no small part because I have seen a lot of people on the Progressive End of the political spectrum laughing at the people who believe the QAnon Conspiracy as it it is nothing more than a joke.

It is more than that.

So, I’m going to mention the story of the man who, having completely bought into the conspiracy theory, kidnapped his one very, very young children, ran off to Mexico, and murdered them. Because the theory convinced him that his wife wasn’t entirely human and the children would therefore be monsters. The conspiracy theory and the people who buy into it are NOT jokes. They are very really threats to the lives of innocent people, such as these two very young children. If you haven’t read the story, and think you can stomach it, then use Google to find the tale of the father murdered his down kids because of the QAnon theory.

OMG, it’s the first Friday in August!

I don’t want to talk about work. It’s been weird. Our weather had also been weird. Earlier this week I started to freak out because the squirrel who was very obviously pregnant a week and a half ago (and has clearly given birth since) has continued to insist on ignoring the squirrel feeder on our deck and jump up on the bird feeder to the point that I saw birds flying toward the feeder the seeing the squirrel and veer away–but the point is one day she ate birdseed so fast that she was out there hanging on the perch choking for air and for about a minute or maybe two I thought I would have to go out there and try to perform a tiny squirrel heimlich manuever… anyway, after she coughed up and started breeding again and left the feeder, while I was checking it I realized that it was nearly four years old and the main plastic tube had cracks in it. So I ordered a different feeder whose design is supposedly squirrel proof. It arrived late Thursday. I filled it and put it out on the veranda and also cleaned out and refilled the squirrel feeder with fresh food. So over the next few days we will see if the new feeder is, indeed, squirrel proof.

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, and five stories about deplorables (plus a post I wrote).

Stories of the Week:

After a DNA test, he told a stranger: ‘I think you might be my father’

Poll Shows Many Seniors Would Switch Parties For Lower Drug Prices

2 dads say teachers at a New York school blamed their gay son for the ‘horrific’ homophobic bullying he endured and now they are suing for ‘justice’

‘Nobody’s ever seen a number like this!’ New data reveals just how bad the Trump economy actually was

Covid Booster Shots Likely Offered Soon To People With Compromised Immune Systems — Fauci ; Priority Include People With HIV

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Lawsuit: Tennessee Anti-Trans School Restroom Law Is Unconstitutional

Megan Rapinoe leads Team USA to Olympic bronze medal in incredible comeback – Rapinoe scored twice, including a rare "olimpico" goal, and teammate Carli Lloyd broke a record for the most career Olympic goals

Teen punished for saying she’s a lesbian on the school bus gets actual justice – The bus driver and the school’s principal lost their jobs

Olympic Diver Jordan Windle Credits & Thanks Gay Dad For His Success

From ‘kiss of death’ to competitive edge: Out athletes finally score big endorsements – Coming out as gay in the ’90s was referred to as the “kiss of death” for sports endorsements, but LGBTQ athletes are slowly starting to snag some of the lucrative sponsorship market

This Week in Deplorable People:

Trolls harass drag queen & call her “pedo” for helping gay bar employees get vaccine – Vandals spray-painted "pedo bar" near her bar because she is giving her employees more time to get vaccinated against COVID-19

Federal judge tells Capitol riot defendant what he did was ‘not patriotism’

‘It doesn’t leave you’: the toxic toll of LGBTQ+ conversion therapy

Tucker Carlson praises murderous regime

Bi man ordered to pay ex-wife “emotional damages” for coming out… but that got overturned – She said she wouldn’t have married him if she’d known he was bisexual – and she somehow won her case. And then lost again

Things I Wrote:

Tuesday Tidbits 8/3/2021: Some thoughts on masks

We have reached the fifth and final Friday in July!

I feel as if I’ve just been playing catch-up at work all week. Our region has mostly avoided the heat this week, for which I am grateful.

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: a headline I felt needed its own topic, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about people who aren’t thinking, and five stories about haters and deplorables (plus two posts I wrote plus some notable obituaries).

This Week in Deserves Its Own Category!:

CDC wants vaccinated Americans to wear masks indoors in Covid hot spots – The announcement marks a sharp change in policy for the nation’s leading health agency

Stories of the Week:

Mysterious ‘Jetpack Man’ may have been spotted again in the skies near LAX – Air traffic controllers warned pilots that a person in a jetpack was spotted flying near LAX

This Man Does Not Make Poppers – For decades, poppers have been the go-to sex drug for gay men. But where do they come from? This is a very odd tale…

Some people in Missouri are getting vaccinated in secret to avoid backlash from loved ones, doctor says

These kids had questions about trans athletes. So they asked one. – Sometimes, the power of a simple conversation is all it takes to understand something you didn’t before

Lil Nas X’s New Video Is More Than a Homoerotic Prison Romp

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Stephanie Dolson is first out American athlete to win Olympic gold medal – With over 160 out athletes participating in the Tokyo Olympics, Dolson isn’t the first member of "Team LGBTQ" to win a gold medal, but she’s still a trailblazer

Illinois Decriminalizes HIV Exposure, Adds Gender-Neutral Birth Certificate Option And More As Pritzker Signs LGBTQ-Affirming Laws

Gay athletes more comfortable living their lives openly — and that’s a good thing – It’s not as though gay athletes suddenly appeared out of the blue. They’ve always been here, just hidden, fearful, living closeted lives while playing the games they love

Atlanta mayor hosts job fair for LGBTQ applicants

A Chicago suburb is finally repealing a law that bans people from wearing opposite sex clothing – The ordinance governed "obscene and immoral acts." And relics of old anti-LGBTQ laws like it are still on the books nationwide

This Week in What Were They Thinking:

Woman Charged After Viral Close Call With Grizzly – The woman videoed approaching within 15 feet of a Grizzly sow and her two cubs in Yellowstone National Park in May of this year has been charged with two citations. Investigators used tips and an investigation of social media posts to identify the Illinois tourist

Elizabeth Warren Schools Billionaire Over Social Security – Billionaire thinks he’s gonna get one over on Sen. Elizabeth Warren with "easy" question

Washington State Patrol’s toxicology lab ran tests in office contaminated by meth, possibly jeopardizing thousands of cases

Florida Man Hospitalized After Jumping Into Jaguar Exhibit at Zoo

Punk’d: Fox Airs Deep-Faked Story Stoking White Resentment – Fox should air a retraction since the "letter" they whine about turns out to be from a right-wing astroturf organization.

This Week in Deplorable People:

Trump Family Loses Big Appeals Court Fight to Force Fraud and Deceptive Practices Lawsuit into Secret Arbitration

Defrocked Cardinal Theodore McCarrick Is Charged With Sexually Assaulting A Teen

Former Virginia policeman charged in Capitol riot to stay in jail after buying guns – A federal judge called his purchases "a remarkable shopping spree for high-powered assault weapons."

11th Circuit strikes down Florida megachurch challenge to hate group label – An evangelical Christian ministry listed as an anti-LGBTQ hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center was not discriminated against when its application to fundraise through Amazon’s charitable website was denied, the court ruled

Gaetz Hastily Escorted Out of Press Conference as Reporter Repeatedly Asks: ‘Are You a Pedophile?’

In Memoriam:

ZZ Top Bassist Dusty Hill Dead At Age 72

Ron Popeil, ‘Set it and forget it’ infomercial star, dead at 86

Things I Wrote:

Miss Piggy was aggressively straight, yet it took decades to acknowledge the existence of Muppets who aren’t straight

Mid-week Update: Scared little boys playing soldier

And here we are at the fourth Friday in July!

The middle of my work week was once again stressful and frantic, though this week the day after we had two releases things were very quiet, rather than having a lot of drama. So, I guess that’s better.

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: a pair of headlines I felt needed each needed their own topic, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about the pandemic, five stories about traitors, and five stories about haters and deplorables (plus two posts I wrote plus some notable obituaries).

This Week in Trans Health Care:

Federal Judge Temporarily Halts Arkansas Transgender Youth Health Care Ban, Arguing It Causes ‘Irreparable Harm’

This Week in You Tell Him, Dr Fauci!:

‘You Do Not Know What You Are Talking About’: Fauci Destroys ‘Lying’ Rand Paul Over COVID Conspiracy Theory

Stories of the Week:

‘Fire clouds’ explode more than a mile high in Oregon wildfire now bigger than New York City – “The fire will continue to be extremely active with unstable air conditions and extremely dry fuels.”

Report: NFL Warns Teams of Possible Forfeits, More Penalties for COVID-19 Outbreaks in Unvaccinated Players – The NFL just informed clubs that if a game cannot be rescheduled during the 18-week season in 2021 due to a COVID outbreak among unvaccinated players, the team with the outbreak will FORFEIT and be credited with a loss for playoff seeding This is a very good thing and I hope sets an example. There is more.

Tenn. Man Died After He Was ‘Swatted’ by People Targeting Twitter Handle

U.S. Attorney General Garland bars prosecutors from seizing reporters’ records

Superbowl Champion Tom Brady trolls Trump – Jokes at White House: 40% of people "still don’t think we won" – Axios

This Week in the Pandemic:

Why fully vaccinated people get breakthrough COVID infections

Alabama Doctor: Dying Patients Beg For The Vaccine – ‘I’m sorry, but it’s too late’: Alabama doctor on treating unvaccinated, dying COVID patients

Fox has quietly implemented its own version of a vaccine passport while its top personalities attack them

Indiana University Can Require Covid-19 Vaccines, Federal Judge Says – Ruling by Trump=appointed judge deals setback to growing legal effort against compulsory inoculation at public educational institutions

How Republican Vaccine Opposition Got to This Point – In recent months, Republican skepticism of Covid vaccines and their rollout has grown louder: One recent poll found that 47 percent said they weren’t likely to get vaccinated

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Louisiana lawmakers fail to overturn veto of transgender ban

How Two ‘High School Musical’ Actors Brought Disney’s First Queer Love Song to Life

Here’s all the actions taken so far by the Biden-Harris administration to advance equality – We are officially halfway through the first year of the Biden-Harris administration. Here’s what they’ve done for LGBTQ rights

Judge orders West Virginia to allow transgender girl to join girls cross-country team – "Forcing a girl to compete on the boys’ team when there is a girls’ team available would cause her unnecessary distress and stigma."

Political Pundits Can Now Be Gay Black Men Who Wear Nail Polish

This Week in Haters, Hate Crimes, and Discrimination:

A high-ranking Alaska official called for a drag queen to be burned alive – State attorney Matthias Cicotte allegedly called a drag queen a "demon" who should "be burned to death" and called for "the death penalty" for people who support trans youth.

Liberty University ‘enabled on-campus rapes:’ 12 women file lawsuit

Guilty Plea In 2019 California Synagogue Mass Shooting

A Christian teacher demanded a religious exemption to using trans students’ names. A judge said no. – Music teacher John Kluge sued the school he used to work for, claiming that as a Christian he couldn’t be required to call trans students by their names. The judge was not impressed with his argument

2 LGBTQ Books Pulled From Elmbrook Schools After Daily Wire Story – Elmbrook Schools removed two LGBTQ resource books after the publication lied about children had access to sexual content

This Week in Seditious Traitors:

New Ad Hits Senator Ron Johnson Squarely In His Treasonous Face

Liz Cheney Spells Out Why Kevin McCarthy Is A Danger To Democracy – She said anyone who wanted to become speaker should show a commitment to the Constitution and the rule of law, and he has not done that

Pelosi: Jordan, Banks’ Actions ‘Made It Ridiculous’ To Be On 1/6 Commission Jordan and Banks are among the traitors, so…

Proud Boys Leader Guilty Of Burning Church’s Banner

Capitol rioter who breached Senate sentenced to 8 months in first riot felony sentencing

In Memoriam:

Gary Corbett Dies: Touring Keyboardist With KISS & Cinderella Also Co-Wrote Cyndi Lauper’s ‘She Bop’

Jerry Granelli, Vince Guaraldi Trio Drummer Behind A Charlie Brown Christmas, Dies at 80

Robby Steinhardt — Whose Group Kansas Notched Hits Like ‘Dust In The Wind’ — Has Died

William F. Nolan, Iconic Sci-Fi Author Who Co-Penned ‘Logan’s Run’, Dies at 93

‘She Rates Dogs’ podcast co-host Mat George dies at 26 after hit-and-run in LA

Civil Rights Pioneer Gloria Richardson Dies at 99: ‘She Was Born a Leader’

Charlie Robinson, ‘Night Court’ Star, Dies at 75

Things I Wrote:

A look at the latest Apple Remote

Again with the pastors sexually abusing people under their care

And here we are at the third Friday in July!

It was a very busy and frantic work week, and I am so glad to have today off!

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: a headline I felt needed its own topic, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about the climate, and five stories about haters and deplorables (plus one post I wrote plus a notable obituary).

This Week in Deserves Its Own Category!:

Pedophile Youth Pastor Denied Appeal Of 1008-Year Sentence – The Alabama Supreme Court has refused to review the case of a former youth pastor sentenced to more than 1,000 years in prison for sex crimes against young boys

Stories of the Week:

Tree DNA Helped Convict Washington Man Who Set Forest Fire – Prosecutors say the case marked the first time tree DNA had been introduced in a federal trial

Some U.S. politicians voice support for Cuba protesters as State Department calls for "calm"

Gay political donor Ed Buck finally goes on trial for deadly drug fetish after years of injustice – Buck allegedly got off on injecting other men with methamphetamine. Two Black men died at his hands, but the wealthy white Democrat kept escaping justice. Until now.

People With HIV Have Higher Death Risk From COVID-19

Black Teen Barred From Skating Rink After Facial Recognition Camera Misidentified Her

This Week in Climate:

Florida’s manatees are dying in record numbers, officials say

Extreme heat cooked mussels, clams and other shellfish alive on beaches in Western Canada

Power Up: Progressives ramp up climate demands as Manchin draws red line on eliminating fossil fuels

The moon’s natural wobble alters Earth’s tides. With climate change, that’s bad news

West on fire, East under water as climate change fuels extremes

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

The Emmy Nominations Are Out, and They Are Super Gay and Trans

Nick Wagman, headed to the Tokyo Olympics, talks for the first time about being a gay athlete, married to his husband

Joyful new documentary “Senior Prom” is a revolutionary portrayal of aging while queer – Senior Prom is about queer elders finding happiness, confidence, and desire in a world "where they just don’t feel that there’s room for them," filmmaker Luisa Conlon told LGBTQ Nation.

Hungary Gay and LGBTQ Activists Protest Latest Anti-LGBTQ Law with 30-Foot Rainbow Heart

More young people than ever identify as LGBT, and 1 in 4 are nonbinary

This Week in Haters and Seditious Traitors:

A federal judge skewered ‘Kraken’ lawyers for making ‘fantastical’ allegations of election fraud and failing to do the most basic due diligence

‘Absolutely Bizarre’: Lindsey Graham Torched for Declaring He Will ‘Go to War’ for What ‘Chick-fil-A Stands For’

Gaetz Hires Jeffrey Epstein’s Criminal Defense Lawyer

16 Members of Florida White Supremacist Group Hit With Major Charges

Rioter Who Rappelled Into Senate Pleads Guilty, Flips

In Memoriam:

Sally Gearhart, Veteran Activist and Academic, Dead at 90

Things I Wrote:

Loki “For All Times. Always.”

And here we are at the second Friday in July!

We’ve had a week of warm but not scorching weather, which is better. It’s still warmer than it used to be before July 12-ish. There are some smoke advisories but so far nothing close to us. Knock wood.

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s day late Friday Five in which I bring you: two headlines I felt needed each needed their own topic, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about haters and deplorables, and five stories about seditious traitors (plus one post I wrote plus a notable obituary).

This Week in Deserves Its Own Category!:

‘LOVE always wins’: Boise community steps up to replace stolen, damaged Pride flags – Boise Police have arrested someone suspected of stealing Pride flags in the Boise North End

Stories of the Week:

The amazing Hubble Telescope has suddenly stopped working

Higher Education Should Be a Fundamental Right

July 4th weekend shootings: More than 230 people fatally shot in shootings over the Fourth of July weekend

Black on Both Sides, Vol. 1– Thoughts on Black Personhood |

Trump is suing Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey. Here’s why they shouldn’t worry

This Week in the Pandemic:

Five undervaccinated clusters put the entire United States at risk

Pfizer says it’s time for a Covid booster; FDA and CDC say not so fast

Olympics Bans Spectators From Tokyo Events After State of Emergency Declaration – The Delta variant has spurred new COVID-19 concerns for the Olympics

Coronavirus FAQ: What’s The Latest Advice To Protect Kids In School And On Vacation?

24-year-old urges people to get vaccinated for COVID-19 after undergoing double lung transplant – He contracted COVID in April of this year after attending an indoor concert

In Memoriam:

Richard Donner, Director of ‘Superman,’ ‘The Goonies,’ ‘The Lost Boys,’ and ‘Lethal Weapon,’ Dies at 91

Hollywood Pays Tribute to ‘Lethal Weapon’ Director Richard Donner: “Gifted Across So Many Genres” – ‘The Goonies’ star Sean Astin, Steven Spielberg, Edgar Wright, Ben Stiller and James Mangold were among the first to share tributes to the iconic filmmaker

Things I Wrote:

Following Loki through his “Journey Into Mystery”

And here we are at the first Friday in July!

My vacation was less relaxing than it ought to have been, what with the reaching breaking all time high temperature records for several days in a row. For most of my adult life you didn’t really need air conditioning in your home in the Seattle region, because our usual definition of "hot day" was if the temperature got up in the 80s, and we seldom had more than three such days in a row. I personally have gotten by in most previous summers by owning a small roll out a/c unit that lived in the closet most of the year, keeping one room in the house cool giving us a place to retreat to. Those units aren’t really able to deal with outside temps in the upper 90s and higher. At least our a/c didn’t catch fire. A friend of ours reported two co-workers whose home a/c units overheated and caught fire–one burning down the entire house.

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s day late Friday Five in which I bring you: two headlines I felt needed each needed their own topic, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about haters and deplorables, and five stories about seditious traitors (plus one post I wrote plus a notable obituary).

This Week in Ha-Ha!:

The Trump Team’s New Social Media Platform Is Already Flooded With Hentai

This Week in Climate:

Blistering heat wave demolishes all-time records in northwestern US, Canada

Stories of the Week:

‘Sedition Hunters’: Meet The Online Sleuths Aiding The FBI’s Capitol Manhunt – Six months and 500 arrests into the Jan. 6 probe, a motley crew of online sleuths is generating leads, making connections, and keeping the feds on their toes

Rep. Adam Smith pushes back against private funding for National Guard deployment – The chair of the House Armed Services Committee criticized the move by South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem and said the Guard shouldn’t be treated like a “private militia.”

Missouri Hospitals Straining Under Delta Variant Surge – Health care ‘breaking point’: Cox confirms some Springfield COVID-19 patients transferred to St. Louis, Kansas City

YouTube Bans and Then Unbans Right Wing Watch, a Media Watchdog Devoted to Exposing Right-Wing Conspiracies

NYT Issues Astounding Minute-By-Minute Video Analysis Of The Cultist Insurrection At The US Capitol

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

U.K. Methodist Church allows same-sex marriages in historic vote – Marriage for the church is now also defined as “a lifelong union in mind, body and spirit of two people who freely enter into it."

Win For Trans Students As SCOTUS Rejects Appeal

Pride means knowing LGBTQ history — including that of Indigenous Two-Spirit people

Biden’s pro-LGBTQ stance comes with a surge of anti-LGBTQ misinformation

Court overturns gay bias verdict against ex-Iowa governor – The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled that former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad did not illegally discriminate or retaliate against a gay state official — overturning a landmark $1.5 million jury verdict

This Week in Haters, Hate Crimes, and Discrimination:

Georgia boy who had ‘gay’ shaved into head by family placed in protective custody

Queer valedictorian’s silenced LGBTQ identity speech may see federal civil rights review

Conservatives want to ban transgender athletes from girls sports. Their evidence is shaky

Catholic & Southern Baptist leaders are making faith more about their politics than God – America has become more secular and less religious. So religion has responded by becoming more political, and conservative causes are used as the litmus test

Marjorie Taylor Greene claims that learning about LGBTQ people is child abuse

This Week in Seditious Traitors:

Manhattan DA charges Trump’s company, CFO with tax fraud

An Oath Keeper Admitted His Group Stashed Guns Outside DC For Jan. 6 – Mark Grods testified before the grand jury as part of his plea deal

‘LIKE TWITTER BUT SH*TTIER’ – New MAGA Social Media Gets Less Than Warm Reception, Even From Trump

Brian Williams On Trump’s Flop Of A Rally – "You can still hear his voice in the background there as the president relitigated his loss in Arizona. As you saw, people’s thoughts turned to ‘where did we park?’" said Williams in his usual laconic style.

‘It’s a failure’: Arizona audit appears to be backfiring on Republicans – and could come back to haunt them at the ballot box

In Memoriam:

Mike Gravel, former Alaska senator and anti-war campaigner, dies aged 91

Things I Wrote:

Happy Freedom Day!