Tag Archives: links

F/r/i/d/a/y/ Saturday Five (not losing is better than nothing edition)

(click to embiggen)
It’s the second weekend of Pride Month. If you don’t celebrate Pride (or at least understand why we do), maybe you should re-read this post from earlier this week.

Anyway, here I am posting the Friday Five on Saturday. I’ve been sick at least Monday, though I didn’t recognize the signs until after waking up with the cover and fever Tuesday morning. I felt much better Thursday morning, thought I was getting over it, and went into the office after sleeping through two sick days. Then Thursday night I was very scattered and the Friday Five assembly (which usually takes about an hour) drug on and I started dozing off at the keyboard so I went to bed. I figured it would only take fifteen minutes or in the morning to finish it and post; since I was going to be working from home anyway, it would be a good thing to do for a break, right?

I got up when the alarm went off, feeling worse than the day before, got my meds, set up the work computer, was logging into the work network… and I fell asleep for two hours. My fever was back and my brain was just sluggish. I had unmovable end of the day deadlines that were already behind because of the two sick days, so I was scrambling the rest of the day.

So this week it’s a Saturday Five: This week you get the top five (IMHO) stories of the week of interest to queer people, top five stories about people who are less-than-wonderful, top five general interest stories, and top five videos (plus notable obituaries and a recap of my blog posts).

Queer stories of the Week:

Court upholds Phoenix law over same-sex wedding invitations.
The ruling that the anti-gay folks were crowing about as a victory wasn’t; it wasn’t a victory for our side, either, but it contained some good things.

Sexual Assault and Silence Among Men in the Military During Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell: My boyfriend was sexually assaulted when we were in the navy. Then I made the mistake of speaking up.

Lee Pace Came Out Seven Times a Week on Stage. Then He Came Out for Real.

Where Are The Trans Men In Politics? Transgender visibility is on the rise — but not for all trans people.

Sam Smith helped me accept my queer and Catholic identities.

Stories about horrible people:

The Deadly Incel Movement’s Absurd Pop Culture Roots.

Head of Illinois NRA affiliate accidentally admits gun restrictions stop mass shootings.

Missouri governor’s lawyers and prosecutors struck an unusual deal: A resignation in exchange for a dropped felony charge.

Authors Guild and RWA Prevail in Court Defending Authors in “Cocky” Trademark Dispute.

Good Riddance Joseph Backholm, Washington’s Ultimate Anti-Gay Dipshit.

Other stories of the Week:

‘Sherlock’ Star Benedict Cumberbatch Saves Cyclist From Muggers.

Out of 52,179 homicides in 50 cities over the past decade, 51 percent did not result in an arrest.
The Washington Post is mapping unsolved murders, and updating their interactive database as they get more information from more cities.

The Quiet Rage Of Mazie Hirono.
I have a new hero: Hawaii’s Mazie Hirono is the only U.S. Senator who asks every nominee if they have ever been accused of sexual misconduct and whether they have ever signed a non-disclosure agreement.

The case for massively expanding the US House of Representatives, in one chart.

How the media ignored Puerto Rico, in one chart.

In Memoriam:

Jerry Maren, Last Surviving Adult Munchkin From ‘Wizard of Oz,’ Dies at 98.

William Phipps, Voice of Prince Charming in ‘Cinderella’ and Sci-Fi Movie Star, Dies at 96.

Anthony Bourdain saw the humanity in all of us.

Things I wrote:

Ode to the MacGuffin, or, moving the plot and subplots along.

Too much coffee, you say? Here, have some nice black tea….

Who will judge the judges?

That’s Dr. Freak to you — more adventures in dictionaries.

Videos!

Consumer Identity = Cultivated Identity (VERY IMPORTANT DOCS №11):

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Eli Lieb covers Celine Dion’s Ashes (from Deadpool 2):

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

How We Met by Anthony Bowens [Official Audio]:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

MNEK – Colour (Lyric Video) ft. Hailee Steinfeld:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Troye Sivan – Bloom:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Friday Five (Queer Pride begins baby edition)

(click to embiggen)
It’s the first Friday in June, and that means that it is now officially Pride Month! Wooooooo!

If you don’t celebrate Pride (or at least understand why we do), then I have no idea why you are reading my blog. But, it’s that time of year! Today I need to put out my rainbow flags to kick off a month a queer pride and remembrance.

It’s Friday! That means it’s time to present my Friday Five: This week you get the top five (IMHO) stories of the week of interest to queer people, top five stories about people who are less-than-wonderful, top five general interest stories, and top five videos (plus notable obituaries and a recap of my blog posts).

Queer stories of the Week:

“God Says Homosexuality is in” (click to embiggen)
Meet the first trans man to model for an Andrew Christian campaign.

Catholic diocese banned gay valedictorian’s speech so he took matters into his own hands.

Transgender student wins battle to hear chosen name said at graduation.

Straight People Don’t Exist, New Research Says: A recent study shows that human sexuality is fluid and women are hornier than you think.

The Phantom Defeating Homophobes with a Pride Flag Is the Greatest Thing Ever.

Stories about horrible people:

Lots of thins are harder to spell than ‘lies.’
Congressional Candidate In Virginia Admits He’s A Pedophile . He doesn’t just admit that he is both a pedophile and a person who has advocated violence towards women, he is PROUD of it!

White House Blasts Samantha Bee Over Ivanka Slur, Demands TBS Cancel Show.

What Happened to Jill Stein’s Recount Millions? All indications are the bulk has gone to Jill herself, and various luxuries of the staff, not to litigating. Surprised?

Cold-blooded attacker repeatedly stabs gay couple who were holding hands.

Nazis deface hundreds of headstones in St. Louis cemetery — swastikas painted on headstones decorated with Memorial Day flowers.

Other stories of the Week:

Ad-Hominems & the Post-premodern Right.

This researcher programmed bots to fight racism on Twitter. It worked.

Debunking the 6 biggest myths about ‘technology addiction’.

The FBI wants you to do this one thing to your home router, now.

“Bankrupt” Catholic Archdiocese Agrees To $210 Million Settlement With 450 Sexual Abuse Victims.

In Memoriam:

Gardner Dozois, pioneering, genre-defining science fiction editor who helped launch my career.

Gardner Dozois, 1947 – 2018.

Gardner Dozois, 70, acclaimed science-fiction editor.

Alan Bean, moon-walking astronaut and artist, dies aged 8.

The Forgotten True Story of Alan Bean’s Unlikely Journey to the Moon.

Navy vet and fourth man on the moon Alan Bean just died at 86.

Things I wrote:

Weekend Update 5/26/2018: Bad takes, small steps, and more to some stories.

Formerly known as Decoration Day, or Memorial for Grandma.

Videos!

Samantha Bee calls Ivanka Trump a ‘feckless c***’:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee Clip:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5f-uu1h8_w.)

Super Drags | Teaser [HD] | Netflix:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Kesha – Hymn (Official Video):

]
\
(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Jake Shears – Creep City (Official Video):

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Weekend Update 5/26/2018: Bad takes, small steps, and more to some stories

“If you're more angry at children for demanding change than the gun violence taking their lives, they your are the problem.”
(click to embiggen)
Once again I’m going to talk about some stories that either didn’t make it into this week’s Friday Five or that broke after I posted the weekly round up of links, or the add new information to something I’ve posted about before. Some of this stories feel awfully familiar. Because first up we have a few different news about school shootings. A topic that we all wish would stop being relevant, but I refuse to become ho-hum about them, so let’s get into this:

Suspect wounds teacher, fellow student in 23rd school shooting in 2018. So, we’re up to 23 of these for the year, and please note that that isn’t 23 mass shootings, it is specifically 23 school shootings. At least this one didn’t go as horrifically as some of the previous ones, I guess that’s good news? Teacher credited with disarming student in Indiana school shooting.

Moving back in time a mere week, there’s been some developments in the Texas school shooting: Texas school shooting victim family sues attacker’s parents. And I applaud this. Technically, they shouldn’t have to do this, because Texas already has a law on the books making the owner of a gun that’s used in a crime liable if they can’t prove that they adequately secured it. The problem is, that we have this really stupid mindset about parents whose kids get hold of guns. When a small child gets hold of a gun and it goes off, often killing the child, we never charge the parents. We say this stupid, “They’ve been punished enough.” No, no they haven’t. Because we refuse to treat those incidents at the acts of criminal negligence that that are, people think of them as senseless tragedies. As if an unsecured gun were the equivalent of on earthquake or some other natural phenomenon. If we started prosecuting this parents, it would change the perspective.

I’m especially in favor of this since the shooter’s father has been going on news shows and telling people that his son is the real victim here. No, that teen-ager harassed and stalked a girl for four months, then murdered her and nine other people. He isn’t a victim, he is a murderer. Of course it’s not just the father that I think needs punished. A lot of headline writers do, to. It isn’t that his victim refused his advances. The headlines should say, “Shooter Harassed His Victim for Months Before Killing Her.”

Meanwhile: Publix will suspend political donations after protest by Parkland students. Good. Donating to the NRA or to politicians who refuse to enact that laws such as universal background checks including for private sales (supported by 77% of gun owners, and 87% of people who do not own guns) or closing the boyfriend loophole should be a toxic act that gets you shunned from polite society.

“Self-hatred is NOT therapy”
(click to embiggen)
Let’s get away from depressing topics and move to some good news: Hawaii becomes 12th state to ban ‘conversion therapy’ for LGBTQ youth. Hurrah! This so-called therapy is actually torture, and has been proven to lead to suicide and self-destructive behavior. And it never works. State-by-state we’re getting this insanity banned. Which is sort of amazing given the current political climate. We need to keep this fight going!

Finally, an interesting series of developments in the case of the lone man who accused George Takei of sexual assault last year: Exclusive: George Takei’s Accuser Has Changed His Story of Drugging and Assault. And it’s not that he merely was inconsistent with details, he admits that he lied about several things. The story goes into great depth about things such as: the lack of additional accusers, the victim’s story isn’t consistent with medical facts about drugs available at the time, when that is explained to him by two doctors the victim agrees that there probably never was an assault, a prosecutor’s analysis of the victim’s story is that no assault occurred, and more. My favorite thing is that the accuser’s boyfriend at the time (who was also an acquaintance of Takei) said his boyfriend never mentioned it for years. Also, the four people other news sources mentioned (but never named) who “corroborated” some of the accusers story, well, not so much. “He’s been telling it like a joke for years that time the Star Trek actor made a pass at him.”

As the reporter points out, in other cases of accusations of sexual assault, once the first report was made, dozens or more other people came forward to tell similar tales, and even more people came forward to say that they had been warned about the harasser. Not one single person has come forward with a similar tale about Takei. No one. No whispers, no rumors.

And now the only accuser says it was all a misunderstanding…

Friday Five (NFL hypocrisy edition)

New York Daily News: NFL owners shame the national flag with new kneeling policy. (click to embiggen
It’s the final Friday of May!

The number of times this week that I and my boss commiserated about how crazy work has been for months and months now is just crazy. I’m looking forward to having this three-day weekend so much.

It’s Friday! That means it’s time to present my Friday Five: This week you get the top five (IMHO) stories of the week, plus the top five stories of interest to queer people, and top five videos (plus notable obituaries and a recap of my blog posts).

Stories of the Week:

Former NFL player lays waste to the league’s hypocrisy on the American flag with one perfect photo.

The Boys Are Not All Right.

The Definition of Insanity: Maybe it’s time to try a different approach to mass shootings.

The FBI’s mountain of uncrackable crimephones was nearly entirely imaginary.

There’s a Reason Conservative Christians Are So Bad At Fact-Checking the News.

News for Queers and our allies:

GLAAD just published its annual report on LGBTQ representation in movies, and… yikes.

Stop telling us about LGBT characters in blockbusters – show us instead.

Transgender kids’ brains resemble their gender identity, not their biological sex.

Updated: North Bend High School principal removed in ACLU settlement. I wrote about this earlier in the week. Alas, a friend who lives nearby reports that local news sources say this deplorable Principal has been reassigned to another job in the district, not actually fired.

More Americans Than Ever Support Same-Sex Marriage.

In Memoriam:

A Guide to the Many, Many Books of Philip Roth.

Bill Gold Dies: ‘Casablanca’, ‘The Exorcist’, ‘J. Edgar’ Poster Designer Was 97.

The Best of Bill Gold’s Movie Posters.

Things I wrote:

Sunday Funnies, part 29.

Wants to be rockstar, doesn’t want to make music, or How did he even get that gig?

Bigot Bulletin: Principal and Police Officer who harassed students at Oregon high school are both fired.

Don’t boo! Register to vote, confirm that you’re registered, show up, and vote!

Videos!

Ryan Amador – Loverboy (Official Video):

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Black and White – Adam Mac (Official Video):

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Stephen Colbert: Nice Try Deep State, Trump Has You Figured Out:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Stephen King Got Blocked On Twitter By Trump:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO): Mike Pence:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Friday Five (f– a silver lining edition)

(click to embiggen)
It’s the third Friday of May!

We had a couple days of much warmer than usual weather, then things went back to cooler… mostly. Unfortunately, the snowpack in the mountains is melting faster than usual because of this odd days. So some parts of the state are experiencing flooding, and it’s no longer certain we’re going to have plenty of water through the summer. Yeesh!

It’s Friday! That means it’s time to present my Friday Five: This week you get the top five (IMHO) stories of the week, plus the top five stories of interest to queer people, and top five videos (plus notable obituaries and a recap of my blog posts).

Stories of the Week:

Months After a Brutal Day in Charlottesville, a Tender Wedding.

How Do They Create The Sounds In Sex Scenes?

Now we know why Donald Trump “won” all four surprise swing states by the same one percent.

Boulder, Colorado, unanimously votes to ban assault weapons, high-capacity magazines.

Bitcoin’s energy use got studied, and you libertarian nerds look even worse than usual. In addition to being a scam, Bitcoin is actually a significant threat…

News for Queers and our allies:

Queer Teens Are Winning Prom, and These Pics Are Proof.

‘Patient Zero’: Correcting the Record on a Media-Made Gay Villain.

Too Many People Still Oppose Marriage Equality. That Could Spell Doom.

No, I Will Not Stop Talking About Queer Pride.

Mitch McConnell Appoints Hate Group Leader Tony Perkins to U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom.

In Memoriam:

Margot Kidder, ‘Superman’ Actress, Dies at 69.

Why MARGOT KIDDER Was the Best LOIS LANE Ever.

How Lois Lane became her own superhero.

Tom Wolfe, novelist and pioneer of New Journalism, dies at 88.

Tom Wolfe, Author of ‘The Right Stuff,’ Dies at 88.

Tom Wolfe’s ‘right stuff’ matters more than ever.

Things I wrote:

Weekend Update 5/12/2018: At least some good news.

Believability isn’t just about fiction, or Let me tell you about my Evil Grandmother.

Videos!

Panic! At The Disco: (Fuck A) Silver Lining (Audio):

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Sannie – Boys on Girls:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Sam Smith – Pray (Official Video) ft. Logic:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Years & Years – If You’re Over Me (Official video):

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Michael Medrano – Heal (feat. Steve Grand):

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Friday Five (financial consequences edition)

“Capitalists 'I'll employ workers for as low a wage as possible to maximize profits. 'Why don't people have enough money to buy all of my commodities?'”
(click to embiggen>
It’s Friday! And it’s the second Friday of May!

Most of the plants on the veranda are blooming and growing. I repotted one lavender that got drowned during the monsoon like weather we had in April and still waiting for it to recover. Knock wood. In its former pot I planted a rosemary plant last weekend which in a single week has gone from about three inches tall to ber eight, so that’s good! Alas, while I still love my flowers, my sinuses continue to hate all the pollen, so there’s been a lot of hay fever stuff going on all week.

It’s Friday! That means it’s time to present my Friday Five: This week you get the top five (IMHO) stories of the week, plus the top five stories of interest to geeky people, and top five videos (plus notable obituaries and a recap of my blog posts).

Stories of the Week:

Photos: Star Wars characters get Indigenized by Comox First Nation artist.

Boeing to lose $20B as Trump withdraws from Iran pact.

Professor Explores Dark Side of the Anti-Trafficking Movement.

Gay 17-Year-Old Leaves Behind A Heartbreaking Suicide Note. And is family asked the the note be shared with the public.

A megachurch pastor just went viral warning evangelicals that their Trump hypocrisy is “killing” their churches.

Geekery and Science!:

Why Pluto is a planet and many moons are, too.

Corals Are in Serious Trouble. This Lab Could Help Save Them.

Reader Request Week 2018 #6: The Fall(?!?!?) of Heinlein.

There’s six types of straight people who have same-sex experiences, expert says.

The Silurian hypothesis: would it be possible to detect an industrial civilization in the geological record?

In Memoriam:

[R.I.P.] Creature Performer Noble Craig Was an Unsung Horror Icon.

Things I wrote:

One year of being an ex-Seattleite.

Cocky romance author testing my ability to suspend disbelief.

Good, bad; I’m the guy with the gun — more of why I love sf/f.

Videos!

Jim Parsons: It’s Never ‘Too Late’ For Gay Representation On Film:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Shelby Earl – Strong Swimmer [OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO]:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Sam Smith – Pray (Official Video) ft. Logic:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

An Unforgettable Performance by Panic! At the Disco:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Ryan O’Shaughnessy performs ‘Together’ | Eurovision Song Contest | RTÉ2:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Friday Five (May the Fourth edition)

And we’re into May!

The weather is doing it’s usual May thing already: some days that hint at summer, interspersed with cooling and drizzle. And, oh! That is pollen everywhere! I’m maxing out on my allergy meds and it’s barely helping!

It’s Friday! That means it’s time to present my Friday Five: This week you get the top five (IMHO) stories of the week, plus the top five stories of interest to geeky people, and top five videos (plus notable obituaries and a recap of my blog posts).

Stories of the Week:

This 84-year-old Mayor, Bartender, and Librarian Is Her Town’s Only Resident.

White Supremacist Jacob Goodwin Found Guilty of Beating DeAndre Harris in Charlottesville Parking Garage.

Fake antifa posts reportedly tricked police into massive show of force for neo-Nazi rally.

LGBT Alarm As President Trump Signs ‘Religious Liberty’ Executive Order.

Police accidentally released this antigay terrorist from custody and now they can’t find him.

Geekery and Science!:

Gooey, Magma Ocean May Have Once Roiled Inside the Moon.

A new giant virus found in the waters of Oahu, Hawaii.

When You Should—and Should Not—Rescue Baby Birds.

Jenny and Maureen Solve the Genre Wars.

HOW THE CREATORS OF WICOMICON EXECUTED A BLERD CONVENTION IN A WEEK.

In Memoriam:

Charles Neville Of The Neville Brothers Dies At 79.

8-term Washington congressman Al Swift dies at 82. Best known for the Motor Voter law…

‘Golden Girls,’ ‘Partridge Family’ producer Paul Junger Witt dies at 77.

Things I wrote:

Weekend Update 4/28/2018: A lot going on here….

Now is the month of Maying….

A sneaky oral surgeon – or, adventures with the dentally anxious.

Videos!

Alt-right Proud Boy gets beat by sign. May Day in Seattle.:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Stephen Colbert (The Other One) On Michelle Wolf’s WHCD Speech:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Trump’s Michigan Rally Goes Off the Rails: A Closer Look:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Rudy Giuliani Fuels Trump’s Stormy Daniels Scandal | The Daily Show:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Céline Dion – Ashes (from the Deadpool 2 Motion Picture Soundtrack):

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Weekend Update 4/28/2018: A lot going on here…

© Tom Toles. Click to embiggen.

Ryan’s Dismissal Of House Chaplain Sparks Outrage And Suspicion. One of the chaplain’s prayer’s included the line: “May their efforts these days guarantee that there are not winners and losers under new tax laws, but benefits balanced and shared by all Americans.”

Yeah, the Republicans can’t stand that kind of radical religion!

Asking you to stop punching us in the face and stabbing us in the back isn’t being disrespectful… (click to embiggen)

NPR: Conservatives Are Sad Because No One Likes Them.

I’m just going to turn this one over to Dan Savage:

The “average American conservative” spends the day attacking women, people of color, gays and lesbians, illegal immigrants, legal immigrants, trans people, non-Christians, leftwing Christians, Democrats, progressives, liberals, sex havers, sex workers, people who’ve had abortions, people who use birth control, single moms, football players, basketball players, late night talk show hosts, teachers, actors, singers, Olympians, “Hollywood,” high school students who survived mass school shootings, the poor, the disabled, Gold Star parents, Gold Star widows, environmentalists, news reporters, cable news anchors who don’t work for Rupert Murdoch, rappers, college professors, college students, union members, scientists, non-scientists who believe in science, the elderly, “takers” on Social Security and Medicaid and Medicare, people who live in big cities and blue states… and then they run to NPR to whine about how nobody likes them. JESUS FUCKING CHRIST.

I don’t know how many times we have to say this: there aren’t “both sides” to this thing. One side is constantly attacking the other, and then insist that even if all we do is protest being constantly dehumanized and worse, that we’re the aggressors.

And it’s no longer just queer people they’re going after. Again, I’ll let Dan explain it:

I’m old enough to remember when most of the attacks were directed at queers. Or that’s how it felt in the 1980s, anyway, when I was a young queer. The AIDS Crisis, Robert Mapplethorpe, Anita Bryant, Jesse Helms, and Ronald Reagan. It felt like—what’s the expression? Oh, right: like we were being bombarded daily with murderous disrespect. That I can sit down and make list of the people being attacked daily by conservatives now and that list includes football players, to say nothing of late-night talk show hosts, teachers, and the FBI… it blows my fucking mind. They don’t like ANYBODY and they can’t figure out why no one likes them?

“Can you name all 59 women who came forward against Cosby? Can you name half of them? Can you name 5? Would you recognize them out of context? Do you want an autograph? Cool. So can we agree that women don't make rape accustions to become famous?”
(Click to embiggen)

Bill Cosby convicted on three counts of sexual assault.

Five universities revoke Bill Cosby’s honorary degrees after sexual assault conviction.

I used listened to some Cosby comedy albums my parents owned so much, that I could recite entire routines from memory, with appropriate pauses and verbal sound effects. After reading some of the stories of the 59 women who came forward… well, I can’t bring myself to listen to his voice.

Always shifting the blame… (click to embiggen)

The “Incel Rebellion” Is Misogynist Terrorism. So Why Do So Many People Still Put the Blame on Women?

The Toronto Van Attack Suspect Was Obsessed With Rejection From Women. He Is Not Alone Among Violent Men.

Why are ‘incels’ so angry? The history of the little-known ideology behind the Toronto attack.

Unfortunately society brews a toxic stew of slut-shaming women, telling young men that the only way to be a man is to never feel empathy or treat others with respect, and then we wonder why things like this happen. That’s not all that’s in play, here. It takes an incredibly big mass of hubris to keep insisting that nothing that is wrong in your life could possibly be your fault. Think about the cognitive dissonance that has to be going on: on the one hand most of these guys have embraced the notion that they are not as attractive as other men and so forth, but they also believe that they can do nothing wrong. It ought to make their heads explode.

Now, me bringing up the toxic double-standards of society is not to say, in any way, they these guys are victims. There comes a point where a person should learn to question their assumptions, to question and examine the things they’ve been taught, look around at the world and all the evidence in it, and ask themselves if maybe some of those things are f—ed up. It’s called growing up.

These guys have no one but themselves to blame.

That’s enough about that. I have errands to do and an Avengers movie to see. Time to go be productive!

One person can only do so much... or cross out the only, and One person can do so much.
(click to embiggen)

Friday Five (heroes edition)

Good guy without a gun (click to embiggen)
April is nearly over. Wow.

It has been a very weird month, weather-wise. First couple of weeks temperatures were about 10 degrees below normal and we had a whole lot more rain than usual for this time of year. Then it dried out and for most of this week temperatures were at least 10 degrees above normal. The rain is supposed to come back this weekend.

It’s Friday! That means it’s time to present my Friday Five: This week you get the top five (IMHO) stories of the week, plus the top five stories of interest to geeky people, and top five videos (plus notable obituaries and a recap of my blog posts).

Stories of the Week:

Man fought gunman: He ‘was going to have to work to kill me’. Waffle House Hero.

Man In Underwear Saves Woman From Kidnapping, Knocks Out Attacker’s Tooth. Boxer Short Hero

Wisconsin AG Brad Schimel admits Voter ID a scheme to suppress democratic voters.

The Truth About the 7,000: Why are there still so many AIDS-related deaths?

‘Imploding’: Financial troubles. Lawsuits. Trailer park brawls. Has the alt-right peaked? (Remember the rule of headlines that ask a yes/no question…)

Geekery and Science!:

Back to the wild! How letting Mother Nature reclaim prime farmland and allowing cattle and ponies to run free produced breathtaking results.

Scientists accidentally found this octopus nursery deep in the Pacific Ocean.

It Be Your Own People: On Universal FanCon and the Perversion of Community.

Scientists Genetically Engineered Flies to Ejaculate Under Red Light.

Space-Hopping ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ Raises The Stakes To Infinity — And Beyond. This is actually an NPR portal to a group of non-spoilery reviews they’ve targeted to people with varying degrees of geekiness. It’s an interesting idea…

In Memoriam:

My Best Friend.

Come Thou.

She spoke to the soul.

Things I wrote:

Weekend Update 4/22/2018: Attacking child survivors of school shootings.

My young man.

Water for the temple plants.

Oppressed Oppressors: Hateful, Angry Men.

Videos!

Homophobia In 2018 | Time For Love:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Seth Meyers: Trump’s ‘FOX & Friends’ Rant Was ‘the First Time a TV Show Had to Change Its Number Because of a Stalker’:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Patton Oswalt Talks About the Golden State Killer:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

‘We found the needle in the haystack’: Golden State Killer suspect arrested after sudden DNA match:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/c/embed/2fdfb162-48d2-11e8-8082-105a446d19b8

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

TOP POP, VOL. I MEDLEY – Pentatonix:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Friday Five (cheese cartel edition)

(click to embiggen)
It’s the third Friday in April.

I believe I have shaken off the virus, but this week has been stressful and sad. There are a couple of serious illnesses in my family. A very dear friend’s mother (who I was more than fond of) passed away. Other friends have similar things happening among their loved ones. It leaves one feeling helpless and dismayed. It took longer than usual to assemble this post, as I had a rather larger number of snarky or depressing links. But I think this is a better mix.

So, itt’s Friday, time to present my Friday Five: This week you get the top five (IMHO) stories of the week, plus the top five stories of interest to queer people, and top five videos (plus notable obituaries and a recap of my blog posts).

Stories of the Week:

This Proselytizer Gives Me The Validation My Parents Never Did.

The Canadian Cheese Cartel.

Donald Trump Takes Out Paul Ryan, and ‘It’s Going to Be a Civil War’.
“Ryan owns his share of the blame; too often, he behaved as if he was some deferential junior VP at a Trump resort and not the leader of the House of Representatives in a co-equal branch of government. The idea, popular among the House leadership, that a diet of ass-kissing and deference would make Trump into a normal president who didn’t need the political equivalent of Depends was always a strategic mistake.”

I spend a fair amount of time teaching women to kick men in the balls, and I’ve learned that this activity tends to generate controversy.

The Democrats Are the Party of Fiscal Responsibility.

For Queers and Allies:

How Britain Turned a Fourth of the World Anti-Gay, and What the Ultimate Colonizer Is Doing About It.

The Transgender Pseudo-Skeptics: The ravening hordes of anti-trans bigots screaming on YouTube are not the real problem.

Assembly Votes To Ban Ex-Gay Torture For Adults Too, List It As “Deceptive Business Practice”.

Teacher Says School Reprimanded Him After His Husband Sent Flowers, but that’s not the whole story, because then Parents took over a school board meeting to support a gay teacher & his husband.

‘Queer rights activist’ hosts ‘BGLTQ-accepting’ Bible reading at Harvard.

In Memoriam:

NPR Newscaster Carl Kasell Dies At 84, After A Lifelong Career On-Air.

Iconic NPR newscaster and voice Carl Kasell dead at 84.

TIMELINE: The Life And Legacy Of Newscaster Carl Kasell.

Harry Anderson, magic-loving star of sitcom ‘Night Court,’ dies at 65.

Remembering Harry the Hat: A Magician Hiding in Plain Sight.

Vel Phillips (1923 – 2018), civil rights pioneer: First black person elected to a Wisconsin statewide office.

R. Lee Ermey, Harsh Drill Instructor in ‘Full Metal Jacket,’ Dies at 74.

Obituary: Barbara Bush – former US First Lady and literacy campaigner.

Things I wrote:

Sunday Funnies, part 28.

One year later, way more than a few April showers.

Videos!

Ada Vox & Lea Michele Sing “Defying Gravity” from Wicked – Top 24 Duets – American Idol 2018 on ABC:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Deadpool 2: The Final Trailer:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Diner Lobster – SNL:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Alan Cumming Performs ‘Instinct: The Musical’:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)

Seth’s Favorite Jokes of the Week: Trump’s Nickname for Obama, a Four-Eyed Lizard:

(If embedding doesn’t work, click here.)