Welcome to the fourth Friday of February!

It has been another stressful week at work, but after working 16 hours on a single day, I took the next morning off and am feeling less stressed. Also, we got snow. Twice this week. After a lot of flowers and other plants and started sprouting because of a couple of weeks of warm weather.

Anyway, it’s time for an actual Friday Five in which I bring you: two stories about dealing with a war monger, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about haters, and five stories about traitors, and five stories about the pandemic. Plus some things I posted and a notable obituary.

This Week in Dealing with Warmongers:

U.S. to send 7,000 troops already on alert to Germany -U.S. official

Opinion | The Isolationists Are Wrong: The Pax Americana Is Worth Defending

Stories of the Week:

DNA evidence clears 500-pound California bear Hank the Tank – Bear avoids death, relocation thanks to DNA evidence implicated two other bears

Ukraine and Russia War, Biden and Putin: Live Updates – The New York Times

Hamsters’ Testicles Shrink After Being Infected With COVID, Study Finds

Canadian Official Issues Epic Rant On ‘Liberty’ As Blockade Is Cleared

US women’s soccer team reach landmark $24m settlement in equal pay battle

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Virginia Senate Rejects Anti-LGBT “Religious Freedom” Bill

To All the Gay Men I’ve Loved Before – An Advocate writer pays homage to her platonic friendships with some of the brightest and funniest men she’s known

Two Students Sue School District for Banning LGBTQ+ Books

5 Texas DAs defy Gov. Greg Abbott, won’t treat gender affirming care for trans youth as ‘child abuse’

College students keep LGBTQ+ clubs afloat during the pandemic

This Week in Homophobes, Haters, and Discrimination:

Hate church called for death to gay people. Now they’re getting what they deserve – "I would love it if every fag would die right now!" Pastor Jonathan Shelley preached last year. Now he’s getting evicted

Texas Gov. Abbott orders gender-affirming care reported as child abuse

The GOP crusade against trans youth health care is built on lies, medical experts say

5 shot, 1 dead in Portland mass shooting; suspect Ben Smith was right-wing extremist furry

Kyle Rittenhouse plans to sue Whoopi Goldberg other ‘celebrities, politicians and athletes’

This Week in Seditious Treason and Other Major Crimes:

U.S. Supreme Court formally ends Trump’s fight over Capitol attack records

Cawthorn Concedes He Might Be Kept Off NC Ballot

3 More Trump Supporters Arrested For Voter Fraud In Florida

GOP candidate colluded with Russian spies to unseat gay Rep. David Cicilline. He still failed

Oh look, the New York Times has finally deigned to notice that the wife of a Supreme Court justice is deeply embedded in a lot of extremist conservative movements, including the fantasy that the election was stolen from Donald Trump

In Memoriam:

Remembering June Knightly

Things I Wrote:

Saturday Six (pepperidge farm remembers edition)

The official name of the holiday is NOT President’s Day…

Welcome to the first Friday in February.

After last week’s extremely stressful work week, this week has been more manageable but I seem to have a cold or something. Every day has brought a new symptom.

Anyway, enjoy this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: one story about a conspiracy nut problem, the top five stories of the week and five stories about awful people. Plus one thing I posted and some notable obituaries.

This Week in Is Nothing Sacred:

Texas Butterfly Park To Close Indefinitely As Conspiracy Theorists Intensify Attacks – Trump-allied operatives have baselessly accused the National Butterfly Center of being involved with child trafficking.

Stories of the Week:

Domestic terrorist arrested by Capitol Police in October returns to street outside Supreme Court

How furries fought back against a mayor who demanded the library remove its LGBTQ books

The Biden administration is paying survivor’s benefits to victims of anti-gay discrimination

Philly Election Official Describes Working Under Violent Threats

St. Louis groups launch ‘banned book program’ to distribute challenged books

This Week in Haters, Traitors, and Other Deplorables:

Furry Panic is sweeping through Trump supporters, anti-vaxxers & the religious right

Jan. 6 committee member: Trump ‘absolutely’ tampering with witnesses

MO Dad Who Fought For LGBTQ+ Book Ban Arrested For Child Molestation Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!

GOP lawmaker admits that “the whole point of” religious exemptions is to allow discrimination

Katy TX Parent Demanded Michelle Obama Bio Get Removed from Library

Things I Wrote:

Very Very Late Friday Five (don’t ban books edition)

In Memoriam:

Holocaust survivor who lost his family in Auschwitz and successfully took shameful deniers to court in the 1980s after promising his father he would ‘tell what happened’ dies aged 95

‘Queen of Italian cinema’ Monica Vitti dies at 90

Jimmy Johnson, renowned Chicago bluesman, guitarist, dead at 93

Blues drummer Sam Lay, from Alabama, dies at 86; played with Dylan, Waters

Howard Hesseman, Dr. Johnny Fever on ‘WKRP in Cincinnati,’ Dies at 81 – The two-time Emmy nominee and improv veteran also played teacher Charlie Moore on ‘Head of the Class.’

Howard Hesseman’s WKRP character Dr. Johnny Fever moved the dial

This was supposed to post last week on the fifth Friday of 2022.

I was working on Friday Five for tomorrow, the first Friday in February when I found that I had never clicked "publish" last week. So I re-wrote this intro and here we go.

Anyway, enjoy what should have been last week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: two stories about someone putting his money where his mouth is, one poorly written essay that completely misses the point (I think), the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and out allies, and five stories about discrimination. Plus some notable obituaries.

This Week in Putting His Money Where His Mouth Is:

Neil Young’s Music Off Spotify After Joe Rogan Dispute Over Vaccines It is worth noting that Young knew which way Spotify would go, but he was willing to jeopardize what is reportedly the source of about 60% of his current income because he know that vaccines save lives. And he knows this in part because as a child he suffered from polio a few years before the first polio vaccine was available, and he was in a ward with other patients who weren’t as lucky as he was to survive it. Mr. Young put his money where his mouth was and took a stand against anti-vaccination lies.

Spotify Users Are Standing With Neil Young and Cancelling Their Subscriptions "Spotify shut down its live customer support page due to the huge numbers of people wanting to cancel their subscription" One thing the article gets wrong: it’s not just Neil Young’s fans. It is mostly a whole lot of people who barely remember Neil Young’s hits or even had to ask "who is Neil Young" but who didn’t realize how much money Spotify is channelling to anti-vaxxer Rogen until all the news outlets in the world carried the Neil Young ultimatum.

This Week in the Stories Whose Subheads Completely Miss the Facts:

The death of intimacy I’m not going to give you the sub-head… go read and decide…

Stories of the Week:

Orbital Insertion Burn a Success, Webb Arrives at L2 – James Webb Space Telescope

State says NYC restaurant can’t offer 25 cent drinks to fight January blues

The Devil in D.C.

Tennessee school board banned Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel ‘Maus’ from Holocaust curriculum I’v written before about how evangelicals’ support of the nation state of Israel does not mean they aren’t also anti-Semetic…

Documentary On History And Origins Of Music Of James Bond Pics In Works At Apple

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Lessons Learned as a Gay Son of Holocaust Survivors

People with older brothers are more likely to be gay according to experts

Florida lawmaker tells homophobic parent exactly what we all want to say I disagree with the headline. The lawmaker was way, way, way too nice…

Over 500 corporations back effort to support Equality Act. Does it matter? If they really supported the act, they wouldn’t donate money hand over fist to anti-gay politicians.

Cedar Rapids community rallies around inclusive statement after board member falsely connects it with child sex trafficking

This Week in Discrimination or Hate or…:

Ridgeland Mayor Demands LGBTQ+ Book Purge

Chasten Buttigieg: Florida’s Proposed Anti-LGBTQ Bill ‘Will Kill Kids’

Nick Kristof Wants to Be Governor. First, He Has to Be From Somewhere

Guilty Jan. 6 Plea for Michael Lee Hardin, Ex-Cop of the Year

Read the never-issued Trump order that would have seized voting machines

In Memoriam:

Meat Loaf Dead: ‘Bat Out Of Hell’ Singer, ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ Actor

Cher pays tribute to “Rocky Horror” actor & singer Meat Loaf

Welcome to the third Friday of 2022!

It was again a weird week for reasons that just are too weird to go into.

Anyway, it’s time for another Friday Five in which I bring you: one story about something a lot of us were already thinking, another about the majesty of the cosmos, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and out allies, five stories about traitors and similar criminals, five stories about haters, and five stories about the pandemic. Plus some notable obituaries.

This Week in Things a Lot of Us Were Thinking:

Howard Stern: Hospitals Should REFUSE to Treat Unvaccinated

This Week in the Universe is Awesome:

A Star-Producing, Cosmic Bubble Shrouds Our Solar System

Stories of the Week:

Opinion | An anti-Black backlash — with no end in sight

California salmon returning to old spawning grounds

Supreme Court rejects Trump’s bid to shield records from Jan. 6 committee

Here’s why some LGBTQ students in Utah say their health education is inadequate

Felony charges are 1st in a fatal crash involving Autopilot

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

64 things Joe Biden has done for the LGBTQ community during his first year in office

Jim Obergefell, who gave name to landmark Supreme Court case, to run for Ohio House

Andrew Blaser makes U.S. Olympic history as the first out gay man in this super fast ice sport

The writer behind the new bisexual Superman has turned death threats into donations for LGBTQ youth

Gilead says counterfeit HIV drugs ended up with patients

This Week in Seditious Treason and Other Major Crimes:

Jan. 6 Suspect James Grant Sent Back to Jail After DWI Arrest

Proud Boy "Tiny" Toese Goes to Jail

Trump Family Gets Late Night Love Note From New York Attorney General

Oath Keepers stockpiled 30 days of supplies, rifles ahead of Jan. 6

Five things to know about the New York AG’s pursuit of Trump

This Week in Homophobes and Other Haters:

Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters: ‘Gays recruit children’ – The intricate networking behind a simple but ugly lie

These groups are pushing an anti-LGBTQ agenda disguised as health care

YouTube Deletes Ex-Gay Torture Rant As Hate Speech

After DirecTV dropped the channel, OAN host asked viewers to dig up dirt on AT&T’s board chairman

MSNBC guest skewers Kyrsten Sinema as type of white person “Martin Luther King Jr. warned us about”

This Week in the Pandemic:

Vaccination protects against Covid-19 hospitalization significantly more than prior infection, according to CDC study

‘Back Alley’ Advice Is Making The Pandemic Worse

"They used us as an experiment": Arkansas inmates who were given ivermectin to treat COVID file federal lawsuit against jail

Supreme Court rejects bid to block mask mandate on airplanes

A record 9 million Americans are out sick as COVID rates surge

In Memoriam:

Raymond Washburn, who rescued 5 people during Oklahoma City bombing, dies

Yvette Mimieux Dead: Actress Who Starred In ‘The Time Machine’ Was 80

Welcome to the second Friday of 2022!

It has been a very exhausting week–for reasons that are way too complicated to go into at this juncture.

Anyway, it’s time for another Friday Five in which I bring you: two stories about so-called adults acting like spoiled toddlers, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and out allies, five stories about sex traffickers and similar criminals, and five stories about deplorables and traitors. Plus some notable obituaries.

This Week in Angry Toddlers:

Trump Rage-Quits NPR Interview After He’s Grilled on Election-Fraud Lies

Capitol rioter storms out of hearing after judge orders him back behind bars: ‘I’m done with this’

Stories of the Week:

Takeaways from the landmark sedition indictment against the Oath Keepers and why DOJ acted now

Supreme Court blocks Biden Covid vaccine mandate for businesses, allows health-care worker rule

UCLA-led team may have found way to kill HIV-infected cells

Stiffed Bartender Fingers Key West Landmark Arsonists – Bartender’s tip leads to arrest in Key West buoy burning

Democrat Cherfilus-McCormick wins Florida congressional seat, padding House Democrats’ slim majority

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Anti-trans legislation negatively impacted mental health of LGBTQ+ youth

As high court signals Roe v. Wade reversal, states eye same-sex marriage protections

Murder of gay, math genius finally solved after man admits guilt 34 years later

Early access to gender-affirming hormones linked to better mental health, study finds – Trans people who had access to hormones in their early teens had less than half the odds of past-year suicidal thoughts than those who didn’t.

Biden administration to officially recognize trans & non-binary veterans’ genders – Patients can also indicate a preferred name to be used on their medical records

This Week in Sex Traffickers and Abusers:

Jeffrey Epstein-Related Cases to Watch After Ghislaine Guilty Verdict

How Jeffrey Epstein’s Estate Shielded Ghislaine Maxwell From Lawsuits

Prince Andrew to face civil sex assault case after US ruling

Matt Gaetz’s ex-girlfriend testifies to grand jury in sex trafficking probe

Anti-LGBT Ex-Michigan House Speaker Accused Of Molestation – Chatfield under criminal investigation for allegedly molesting a teenager

This Week in Haters, Deplorables, and Seditious Traitors:

Armed Michigan woman who ‘wanted to talk’ to Capitol Police about Jan. 6 riot arrested in D.C. It was the stockpile of illegal weapons she had in her car that was the problem… and why do you bring a pile of loaded guns to a talk?

Oath Keepers Founder Stewart Rhodes, Ten Oath Keepers Arrested On Seditious Conspiracy Charges

Leader of Neo-Nazi Group Sentenced for Plot to Target Journalists and Advocates

He wants to burn books about LGBTQ topics. He just got elected school board president

Neo-Nazi group leader sentenced to 7 years in prison

In Memoriam:

To Sidney, With Love

Sidney Poitier, Oscar-Winning Icon, Dies at 94

When Sidney Poitier risked his life for civil rights

Ronettes Singer Ronnie Spector Dead at 78

Ronnie Spector made hit songs that were built to last

Bob Saget was both wholesome and transgressive

Bob Saget, beloved TV dad of ‘Full House,’ dead at 65

Welcome to the first Friday of 2022!

The snow finally melted in our neighborhood. I have not yet taken down the Christmas tree (ever since figuring out many years ago that having a cut tree in the house made my winter hay fever {in Seattle’s climate hay fever season is at least ten months out of every year} much much worse, I’ve always had artificial trees). I often leave it up until Twelfth Night/Three Kings Day/Epiphany… but that was earlier this week, so I definitely need to get put the decorations away this weekend.

Anyway, it’s time for the first Friday Five on the year, in which I bring you: the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and out allies, and five stories about what we ought to do with the seditious traitors. Plus one very unwelcome death and a couple of things I wrote.

Stories of the Week:

Report: The exploding meteor over Pittsburgh produced blast equal to 30 tons of TNT

Is That a Burning Bush? Is This Mt. Sinai? Solstice Bolsters a Claim

Meteorologist says transportation officials ignored forecasts, leading to I-95 disaster

Opinion | Jimmy Carter: I Fear for Our Democracy

A Day that Will Live in Infamy

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Out Democrat forced to pull bill that would ban genital surgery on minors that actually happens

Elvira lost thousands of “horny old men” fans after coming out

Judge rules trans inmate with severe dysphoria can’t be denied surgery in historic decision

Gay kiss-a-thon forced Six Flags to drop its homophobic anti-kissing policy

How a music video about a gay teen may have saved hundreds of lives

This Week in How Do We Handle Seditious Treason:

Stonekettle Station: Insurrection, One Year On

Jan. 6 Didn’t Set Off A Wave of Right-Wing Terrorism. Here’s What Happened Instead

One Year After 1/6, Media Still Refuse to Recognize Authoritarian Christianity

Why DOJ is avoiding domestic terrorism sentences for Jan. 6 defendants

Jan. 6 tracker: Analyzing Capitol riot guilty pleas and sentences

In Memoriam:

Betty White, ‘Golden Girls’ Star and TV Legend, Dies at 99

Longtime LGBTQ+ Ally Betty White has died at 99 – The beloved actress who was set to celebrate her 100th birthday on January 17, 2022 died overnight in Los Angeles

Betty White Understood Gay Men, and We Loved Her for It – I never felt ‘handsome,’ but when I met Betty, she made me feel like I was

Betty White defied racist demands with her 1954 variety show – Betty White Once Helped Launch the Career of a Black Tap Dancer by Hiring Him for Her Variety Show

Things I Wrote:

Good-bye Betty

My New Year’s Wish for You for 2022

We have reached the final Friday in December–which also happens to be the final Friday of 2021, and just happens to be New Year’s Eve.

We have been snowed in. Our particular neighborhood is bounded on all sides by hills that become difficult to drive on if we get ice and snow. Various government agencies were pleading with people all week not to drive if they could avoid it. Buses are on emergency routes. (Just Google "Seattle bus slides down snowy hill" and you’ll be taken to some truly terrifying videos and stories from past storms). My husband took the bus in to work two days, which involved him walking further to catch a bus because of the emergency route avoiding steep hills. After his scare ride home the second work day of the week, when more snow came down, he decided to take the day off.

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: two stories about fictional parents, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about discrimination, five stories about treason and deplorables, and five stories about the crime and punishment. Plus some notable deaths and a couple of things I wrote.

This Week in Fictional Parents:

The 2021 Darth Vader Parenthood Award for Outstandingly Horrible Fictional Parents

The 2021 Jonathan and Martha Kent Fictional Parent of the Year Award

Stories of the Week:

A 6th Grader Saves the Lives of Two People on the Same Day – Davyon Johnson, 11, has been honored for his Dec. 9 interventions but says he doesn’t understand the attention he’s drawn. It was “the right thing to do,” he said

Betty White’s Words of Wisdom at 100: ‘Avoid Anything Green’

Webb Space Telescope Got a Lucky Boost From Its Christmas Launch – The mission may have enough fuel to last over a decade, thanks to an ultra-precise launch

A pandemic-scarred year ends in darkness — but with hope on the horizon

21 most popular LGBTQ news stories of 2021 – This year’s most clicked on queer stories include a transgender Miss USA contestant, gay emperors, a nonbinary Olympian, lesbian bars and more

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Two California teachers were secretly recorded speaking about LGBTQ student outreach. Now they’re fighting for their jobs

Gay-Straight Alliance Wins Equal Rights After Judge’s Injunction

Gay Man’s Entire Family Helps Him Stand Up To Mom And Invite BF For Christmas

New Jersey Legislators Vote to Protect Marriage Equality

Colton Haynes shares photo he spent years trying to get wiped from internet

This Week in Discrimination:

Sodomy laws are still being used to persecute queer people

Pennridge School District removes LGBTQ books from libraries

Mom heartbroken by daughter’s suicide blames transphobic Republicans & health insurers

Oklahoma bill gives parents the right to have a book removed from a school library

Anti-Semitic Man Attacked Neighbor While Yelling Homophobic Slurs

This Week in Seditious Traitors and Other Deplorables:

‘Slow-motion insurrection’: How GOP seizes election power

A Lie Totally Devoid of Reality’: Venezuelan Businessman Sues Fox News, Lou Dobbs, Sidney Powell Over ‘Egregious and Sinister’ Claims Linked to 2020 Election

Rep. Liz Cheney hits back at Trump as Jan. 6 committee pushes Supreme Court to order release of White House records

Ex-Gaetz associate Joel Greenberg agrees to pay Seminole County nearly $2M in restitution

Jim Jordan ‘Committed a Felony’ With Text Message to Mark Meadows: Former Federal Prosecutor

This Week in Crime and Punishment:

Ghislaine Maxwell convicted in Epstein sex abuse case

Capitol rioters hit with severe sentences and sharp reprimands from judges – Some of the longest sentences have gone to rioters charged with ‘assaulting a police officer with a dangerous weapon’ I disagree with the headline. Four Puerto Rican nationalists who assaulted the capitol in the 1950s got sentences of 50 to 75 years for their crime. None of the convicted rioters — including those who assaulted capitol police — have been sentenced to more than 6 years.

Convicted of sex crimes, Jack Strain may have to pay costs of his prosecution, jailing – DA’s office also seeking restitution for former sheriff’s victims

A man convicted of killing four people in what authorities say was one of the most gruesome crimes in North Dakota history has been sentenced to multiple life prison terms without the possibility of parole

Non-Prosecution of Jeffrey Epstein Jail Guards Made Official

In Memoriam:

Desmond Tutu, South Africa’s ‘moral compass’ – Tutu, who died on Sunday at the age of 90, was considered ‘a thorn in the side of the apartheid government’

LGBTQ+ Rights Ally Archbishop Desmond Tutu Dies at 90

Harry Reid Didn’t Care What You Thought of Him

Harry Reid, former Senate majority leader and Democratic kingmaker, dies at 82

Gay Olympic Diving Star Ian Matos Is Dead at 32

John Madden, football legend, dies at 85

The final, beautiful goodbye of NFL legend John Madden

Things I Wrote:

We need a Rainbow Christmas more than ever!

On the seventh day of Christmas vacation…

We have reached the fourth Friday in December. This year also known as Christmas Eve. Or as Kermit once described it in song, the day before the night before Christmas.

I finally seem to be over whatever I was sick with, for what it’s worth. Thursday was my first day of a 12-day Christmas vacation, which means–of course–that things were crazy at work on Wednesday and I worked a few hours later than I would like.

Anyway, it’s time for this week’s Friday Five in which I bring you: one story about simple joy, two stories about the season, the top five stories of the week, five stories of interest to queers and our allies, five stories about deplorables, five stories about the pandemic, and five stories about the Hugo Awards. Plus some notable deaths and a couple of things I wrote.

This Week in Joy:

JOY: Watch This Third-Grade Teacher Make A Hail Mary Shot

This Week in Tis the Season:

Recommended listening: Louis Armstrong’s ‘The Night Before Christmas’

Lowland residents to get Christmas weekend snow, with dangerous cold to follow

Stories of the Week:

Hanukkah isn’t Jewish Christmas. Here’s the story of the holiday

One Year In, Joe Biden Has Confirmed More Lifetime Judges Than Decades Of Presidents

A New Record for Gorey Art at Auction

A dinosaur embryo has been found inside a fossilized egg. Here’s what that means

Astronomers discover largest group of ‘rogue planets’ yet

Stories of Interest to Queers and Our Allies:

Students sued their school for the right to form a Gay-Straight Alliance. They just won

Utah billionaire leaves Mormon church, donates $600,000 to LGBTQ group

Author of ‘Gender Queer,’ one of most-banned books in U.S., addresses controversy

It’s official: Washington Blade gets designated seat in WH briefing room – LGBTQ newspaper secures seat in WH briefing room for first time

Jennifer Coolidge reading the “The Night Before Christmas” is the present you need this year – She is making the Yuletide G-A-Y

This Week in Haters, Deplorable People, and Their Victims:

Thousands of Isreali LGBTQ people sent terrifying texts after dating site hack exposes personal info

Convicted Gay Trump Ally Brandon Straka Cooperating With Authorities

Trump Can Go To Hell. Why Not Jail?

Morning Joe: Mitch McConnell’s latest remarks about Jan. 6 probe shows GOP senators are done with Trump

Michael Flynn’s Request Thrown Out Of Court In ONE Day – The ink barely had time to dry on Flynn’s request for a temporary restraining order to prevent the January 6th Committee from accessing his phone records or demand testimony from him

This Week in the Pandemic:

I Got COVID Three Times – Don’t worry, you (probably) won’t become me. But yes, you can get COVID twice, and even more

Covid-19 was third leading cause of death in 2020, driving record rise in death rate and nearly two-year drop in life expectancy

With omicron, you need a mask that means business

Vaccines, pills and data offer some Christmas cheer in face of Omicron advance

Omicron Is Our Past Pandemic Mistakes on Fast-Forward

This Week in Hugo Awards:

Cora Buhlert: Some Thoughts on the 2021 Hugo Award Winners and the Ceremony in general

Camestros Felapton: Hugo 2021 first reactions

Doris V. Sutherland: 2021 Hugo Awards Celebrate Imagination, Wonder, and an Arms Manufacturer

Nicholas Whyte: 2021 Hugos in detail

Doug Merrill: Hugo 2021 and Me

In Memoriam:

Joan Didion, famed American essayist and novelist, has died

Thomas Kinsella, one of Ireland’s finest poets, has died, aged 93

Things I Wrote:

Murderbot Wins Two Hugos! And other reactions to this year’s results

A ’54 Convertible Too, Light Blue