I save images and memes and such as possible illustrations to blog posts, but only use a fraction of them. We have a busy weekend including attending a barbecue with friends, so no time to do much writing or commenting on anything that’s happened since I put together this week’s roundup of links, so, here are some of my recently collected images/memes/what-have-you:
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Oh, and here’s a link I wish I’d had for yesterday’s post: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BEATRIX POTTER: AN ODE.
—Senator Mazie Hiromo
Work isn’t quite as grueling this week, but I’m still feeling a bit overwhelmed, and trying to spend what time and energy I have outside work on writing, rather than reading the news. So, again, not a really long collection of links this time.
Anyway, here are the links I found interesting this week, sorted into categories.
“Bipartisanship” Means “I Don’t Understand What Politics Is”. “Civility seems like a pressing matter when you already have everything else you require.”
Sen. Mazie Hirono Holds Back Tears During Impassioned Health Care Plea. She has Stage 4 cancer and flew back to D.C. after undergoing treatment to fight to save the Affordable Care Act – why isn’t this hero being recognized?
Domestic Violence Law Unfair to Gay South Carolina Couples, Court Rules.
Germany’s President Signs Gay Marriage Bill into Law; Will Come into Force October 1 at Earliest.
Robots to Livestream Washington’s Deep Sea Nightmares.
England Will Ban Prescriptions for Homeopathy and Other “Low Value” Treatments.
SPIDER-MAN, CIVIL WAR, AND THE POWER OF LOWERED STAKES IN MARVEL MOVIES.
The 2016 #BlackSpecFic Report.
A response to the #BlackSpecFic Report.
Midnight, Texas Is Magical Trash. But sometimes junk food is just what you need…
Doctor Who star John Barrowman undergoes emergency surgery after ‘collapsing in agony’. He had his appendix removed, and hours later was posting on Instagram.
Alabama lawyers say a 12-year-old rape victim shouldn’t be allowed to have an abortion.
Gay-beating church accused of running horrific underground slave operation.
Trump’s Transgender Ban Is a Legal Land Mine.
The Pentagon Thought Trump Was Announcing a Military Strike On North Korea.
Trump says it’s too pricey to have transgender troops. Here’s the truth.
Trump’s Mar-a-Lago trips cost more than trans soldiers’ health care.
Trump administration moves closer to undoing overtime pay rule.
A Veteran ICE Agent, Disillusioned with the Trump Era, Speaks Out.
In Court Brief, Trump Administration Says Anti-Gay Discrimination OK Under Federal Law.
Obamacare repeal fails again in the Senate in 49-51 vote.
Former Republican Majority Leader Admits Obamacare Repeal Was a Long Con.
More than 7,000 Sisters Sign NETWORK Lobby ‘Nuns’ Letter’ Against ACA Repeal.
Growing GOP backlash to transgender troop ban underscores Trump’s political miscalculation.
Congress sends Russia sanctions to Trump’s desk, daring a veto.
Before Trump banned transgender people from serving in military, here’s who praised him as pro-LGBTQ.
Oregon National Socialist Movement leader wants white separatism, repeal of sanctuary status, also “We’re actively volunteering for ICE “We are white separatists, I believe people have a right to exist to a point, I just prefer to exist separately. I live by the 14 words: ‘We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children,’” Dutton said. “That’s all it’s about.”
June Foray, Voice of ‘Bullwinkle Show’s’ Natasha and Rocky, Dies at 99.
Holding the reader’s attention—and keeping it.
‘L-G-B-T’ – James Corden Sings for Transgender Troops:
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Stephen Colbert Rips Draft Dodger Trump for His Lies About Fighting for the LGBT Community:
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John Barrowman Singing “Copacabana” at San Diego Comic Con Dressed in Sparkly Tardis Dress:
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Eli Lieb – Shangri La:
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This week has been another of very long hours at work, so the links round-up may be small.
Anyway, here are the links I found interesting this week, sorted into categories.
Why every office should scrap its clean desk policy.
The Cost of a Hot Economy in California: A Severe Housing Crisis.
Fact Check: Does Oregon CPS “Err” On Believing Kids Who Allege Abuse?
Parents Who “Gifted” Underage Daughters to “Prophet of God” Will Go To Prison.
“American Gods” Super-Producer Bryan Fuller Reveals How TV Studios Kept De-Gaying His Characters.
Queer Geek News Roundup: July 16, 2017.
Bosom Friends: The Gay Anne of Green Gables Scandal.
Six-Legged Giant Finds Secret Hideaway, Hides For 80 Years.
Dinosaur that looked like a massive bird discovered in Canada.
One of the greatest science fiction magazines is now available for free online.
Sleeps With Monsters: Stop Erasing Women’s Presence in SFF .
Before ‘Valerian,’ ‘The Fifth Element’ Subverted Sci-Fi Movies.
Local Japanese Americans remember their imprisonment during WWII.
Apple previews new emoji coming later this year.
Apple’s risky balancing act with the next iPhone.
Why I’m Leaving the Southern Baptist Convention .
The Late, Great Jimmy Breslin’s columns on Donald Trump.
A breakdown of the latest New York Times Trump interview.
Pope’s Confidantes Pen Blistering Critique Of Steve Bannon’s View of Christianity.
Why did Don Jr.’s emails surface? Because Robert Mueller is already changing Washington’s lying ways.
The GOP failure on health care is just a hint of what’s to come.
Vulnerable Republicans Just Showed Why Fighting For Trans Rights Is A Political Winner.
Colorado to require advanced post-election audits.
Why isn’t voter suppression considered political corruption?
Martin Landau Dead at 89: Oscar-Winning Actor in Ed Wood, Mission: Impossible.
George Romero, ‘Night Of The Living Dead’ Director, Dies At 77.
Being reactionary – bad rules and good expectations.
Definitions matter, except when they don’t — more adventures in dictionaries.
Christopher Marlowe was a Gay Atheist Spy (Yes, really.):
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Caught On Video: Bison On The Loose In Gilford, New Hampshire:
Can’t embed, so, click here.
Anyone who has ever dealt with an internet troll has seen this tactic.
Unfortunately, anyone who is paying attention to Seattle politics right now are witnessing a particularly loathsome use of the tactic. I’ve written before about the allegations that Mayor Murray hired teen-age prostitutes and/or sexually abused teens in his care 30-some years ago in Oregon. The allegations came to light because of a suspiciously timed lawsuit filed on behalf of an anonymous man, and the lawyer pressing the case behaved strangely—filing motions with the court that weren’t legitimate filings but rather press releases citing strange gossipy items about the mayor (leading the judge to both warn and fine the lawyer). The mayor decided not to seek re-election. When, not long after the filing deadline to run for mayor and one day before the first sworn answers to question were to be given by the plaintiff/accuser, the lawsuit was suddenly withdrawn, a lot of us thought that maybe there wasn’t anything to the allegations.
And since time immemorial, people have accused all queer people of being pedophiles or other kinds of sexual predators, so it was easy to see this as just another example of that prejudice, right?
Murray maintained that when the accusations came to light about 33 years ago and were investigated by both the police and other agencies, he had been cleared—investigators, he said, had all agreed that the accusations from the teens were unfounded. We knew the country prosecutor had declined to file charges. Oregon’s child protective services said that the case had been closed and that most of the files related to the case had been destroyed some years ago. Given how anti-gay the police and prosecutors in that part of Oregon were known to be in the 80s, it seemed that there must not have been any evidence to sustain the charges.
Well, now we know that’s not quite true.
Some of the records that were thought to be destroyed have been found. And after getting permission from the person who was the teen-age accuser at the time, redacted versions of the files have been released. Murray had been a foster parent at the time of some of these accusations, and one of the people who alleged he had sexually abused him was a foster teen in his care. The agency investigated and concluded that there was reasonable cause to believe abuse had occurred. Murray’s certification to be a foster parent was therefore revoked, with the agency officially finding that he should never be allowed to be a foster parent again.
The mayor’s response to this revelation has been to claim he had no idea of the finding and then argue that child protective services always errs on the side of believing the child, therefore the accusations shouldn’t be believed. There have been a series of statements from his lawyers in which the goalposts have been moved a few times while trying to draw a distinction between the criminal law standard of guilt of “beyond a reasonable doubt” and the standards adhered to by agencies like child protective services.
It is technically true that the standard for conviction in a criminal case is higher than the standard used by child protective services. But statistically it is absolutely not true that those sorts of agencies believe the kids all of the time, or even most of the time. The vast majority of the time when such accusations are investigated, the agencies determine that the allegations are probably unfounded. Unfortunately, other statistics indicates that they reach this conclusion erroneously more times than not.
We also now know that at least one prosecutor was convinced that Murray was guilty. She withdrew charges related to the foster child not because there was insufficient evidence, but because the troubled teen ran away from the group home he’d been moved to, and was literally unavailable to testify.
The teens were all kids who Murray had encountered because they were already troubled. They were in the system because of parental abuse, neglect, or abandonment. They had drug issues. They were exactly the sorts of kids that people wouldn’t believe. We know now from numerous studies that they are exactly the sorts of victims certain types of abusers seek out, precisely because of that lack of credibility.
When the agency concluded the allegations of abuse by the foster teen were founded, they were required to notify Murray that his certification was being revoked and offer him a chance to appeal the finding. Murray didn’t appeal. He instead left Oregon and returned to his home town, Seattle. Given the timing of his departure, I’m having a very hard time believing that he never received the notice and the offer of an appeal. So I don’t believe him when he says he never knew about the finding.
And that throws a shadow of doubt over the rest of his denials.
Each time the allegations were brought up to him over the years, his first reaction was immediately attack the credibility of each teen involved. Then it was to attack the credibility and question the motives of any lawyers or investigators who were looking into the allegations. And now, by asserting that child protective services always errs on the side of believing the accuser, he’s attacking the credibility of the agency.
And what makes it loathsome, is that each day he remains in the office of Mayor and gets away with attacking the credibility of the accusers, investigators, and agency charged with protecting kids has a chilling effect on other abuse victims out there. It sends a clear message that if they come forward, they will not be believed. If anyone believes them, those people will be discredited.
Whether Murray committed the abuse or not, the chilling effect helps abusers and hurts abuse victims.
So much time has passed and the waters have been so muddied that these allegations from 30-some years ago probably couldn’t be proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a criminal court (which we’ll never know because of the statute of limitations). But “charges dropped because the witness went missing” is not the definition of exonerated. And “reasonable cause to believe the abuse had occurred” sure as heck isn’t the definition of unfounded. It doesn’t have to reach the criminal law definition of Guilty for reasonable people to conclude Not Innocent.
It has been argued that the city council can’t impeach the mayor because the charter only allows them to do that if he commits a willful violation of duty, which in general meant violation of his duties as mayor while serving in office. But the charter also says the mayor may be removed over an offence involving “moral turpitude.” Turpitude, according to my dictionaries, is “an evil way of behaving.” Whether he committed the abuse or not, I certainly think his behaviors of lying about knowing that the charges had been found as probably true and attacking the standard of proof that a child protective agency should use could be described as evil, don’t you?
The tl;dr version: back in the ’70s and ’80s he was the Catholic official in charge of educational institutions and programs in a region of Australia that included the notorious St. Alipius Primary School, a place described later by investigators as “a pedophile’s paradise and a child’s nightmare.” When Father Gerald Ridsdale, one of the worst offenders at that place and similar places for decades before, was finally charged with sex crimes in 1993, then Auxiliary Bishop Pell walked with Ridsdale as he was escorted into court (in hopes that his appearance and support would get Ridsdale a more lenient prison sentence), which cemented in the minds of many his dismissive attitude about accusations of sex abuse.
Eventually Australian legal authorities began turning up more and more evidence of people who had reported the sexual abuse to Pell over the years. Pell conveniently was transferred to a job at Vatican City, and then when the Royal Commission summoned him to testify, he suddenly conveniently became too ill to travel. Eventually, bowing to political pressure, Cardinal Pell agreed to testify via video conference.
Finally, it seems, Pell’s past is catching up with him: Police statement: Cardinal George Pell charged with multiple sexual offences – video and The charges against Cardinal George Pell – explainer.
So, we don’t yet know what the charges are. It’s possible that the criminal charges are for not taking action when crimes were reported to him (at least one occasion of which he admitted to during the video testimony). We’ll have to wait and see. Personally, I hope he spends the rest of his life in prison.
While we’re on the subject of officials behaving badly, former Congressman Aaron Schock (of whom I’ve written about a few times) has recently asked, once again, that the court throw out the 24-count indictment for corruption against him. While continuing to proclaim his innocence, he filed a 44-page brief which basically boils down to a claim that House Ethics Rules aren’t laws, so the fact that he violated them can’t be prosecuted. That’s right, he says he’s innocent, and then he says that he did the things but because of legal technicalities he shouldn’t be charged: Schock Rips DOJ, Urges Toss Of ‘Defective’ Indictment.
There is so much I could say about this, but I think this time I’ll give the final word to the Editorial Board of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, who observed:
“Former U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Peoria, once known for his six-pack abs and $5,000 office chandelier, is due in court next month on 24 criminal counts, including theft of government funds, fraud and making false statements.
The German word, schadenfreude, meaning to take joy in the misfortune of others, must have been created for this. It was hard to like Schock, 36, who flaunted the good life, allegedly achieved by treating government and campaign funds as a personal piggy bank. He gaudily redecorated his office to look like “Downton Abbey,” modeled for the cover of Men’s Health and charged thousands of dollars to his government-funded office account for such things as private flights, new cars and tickets to the Super Bowl.
Schock, who was the youngest member of the House when he went to Congress in 2009, resigned on March 31, 2015, immersed in scandal.”
I didn’t get a weekly round up of links posted last week. The following list is both last week’s and this week’s. I’m doing some serious thinking about how much time I devote to assembling these posts when as far as I can tell only a fraction of my readers ever click on any of the links.
Anyway, here are the links I found interesting this week, sorted into categories.
Letters and Liquor illustrates the history of lettering associated with cocktails.
Man bring cyclists together mobile rest stop with Oklahoma Freewheel bike tour. The man profiled in the story is none other than my father-in-law. I think it’s a cool article, but I may be biased.
Hobby Lobby Purchased Thousands of Ancient Artifacts Smuggled Out of Iraq.
Hobby Lobby Funds ISIS, But Not Birth Control.
Why Is Hobby Lobby Buying Biblical Artifacts?
7 LGBTQ GEEK CONVENTIONS YOU CAN ATTEND ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
How the Supreme Court could overturn Obergefell v. Hodges.
How Americans Order Their Steak.
A couple flaws: 1) the big steakhouse chain they picked to use as the sample skews things more than a bit, survey left out Very Rare and Blue Rare (though that might be because the steakhouse doesn’t offer those)–aka, my choices.
Smelling Your Food Makes You Fat: UC Berkeley Study.
First Ever Cable-Free Elevator Can Move Horizontally and Vertically.
2nd Pack Of Gray Wolves Spotted In Northern California.
How to write pulp fiction that celebrates humanity’s essential goodness.
Merriam-Webster: Buses vs. Busses.
New book on killing of Jews in Poland exposes raw nerve.
DICKBARS DON’T WORK: NO SHARE BUTTONS ON MOBILE SITES (EXCEPT THIS ONE WEIRD CASE).
Kill sticky headers (aka Dickbars).
Comment: Some techies in the ‘iPad as laptop’ debate are forgetting how atypical we are.
Can the MacBook Pro Replace Your iPad?
(Brilliant. And the original title of the post is: “If Journalists Reviewed Macs Like iPads”)
The Life, Death, and Legacy of iPhone Jailbreaking.
Watch John Oliver’s Take on Sinclair Broadcast Group, Conservative Overlord of Local TV.
How Hostile School Climate Perpetuates the School-to-Prison Pipeline for LGBT Youth.
NBC exec: ‘Beneath my dignity’ to respond to Trump attacks on Mika Brzezinski.
Trump’s CNN Tweet Appears to Have Originated From Racist, Islamophobic, Misogynist Reddit Troll.
Trump’s team forgot to book a hotel, so they’re crashing on Hamburg’s couch for the G20.
Sean Spicer reveals how stupid he thinks you are in one tweet.
Who Is Running the US? Is It the Generals?
One of the few times that the usual rule about questions in headlines is not correct…
As Trump’s Tactics Fall Short, Pence Takes Lead on Health Care Bill.
How many people will die from the Republicans’ Obamacare repeal bills? Tens of thousands per year.
Elizabeth Warren Tries to Win Back Voters in Trump Country.
The GOP tried to troll Hillary Clinton. It backfired spectacularly.
‘Why waste time and money’: Maryland attorney general calls BS on Republican voter fraud commission.
‘Gays for Trump’ Holds Rally in D.C. After Trump Ignores Entirety of Pride Month.
Gay-organized Trump rally draws just 18 attendees.
Benham Brothers Freak Out Over Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Reading to Children at the Library.
New Jersey man accused of threats that closed Evergreen State College in Washington state last month.
NPR tweets Declaration of Independence, enrages Trump supporters.
Joan Lee Dead: Wife of Marvel Comics Legend Stan Lee Was 93.
Weekend Update 6/24/2017: Genders, Agendas, and so much more.
Stock characters exist for many reasons.
Portrait of the nerdy queer loudmouth as a child.
It’s the task that matters: catching up and assessing.
Finding a new equilibrium: writing, life, and more.
Beastie Boys | Sabotage | Sesame Street Mashup:
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Kesha – Praying (Official Video):
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IMAGINARY PARTIES by SUPERFRUIT:
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Come Home (Cardinal Pell) – Tim Minchin:
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It’s Friday. The fourth Friday in Pride Month. That means this weekend is when a lot of Seattle’s Pride Events are happening! Happy Pride!
We have a full schedule with Locus Awards Weekend, some Pride events, and fun things with friends.
Anyway, here are the links I found interesting this week, sorted into categories.
[Comic] Robot Hugs: There is no one right way to Pride.
It’s a joy to watch this guy’s Hot Wheels restoration YouTube channel .
European Court Condemns Russia’s Gay Propaganda Law.
From Oval Office, teacher of the year delivers a message on transgender rights.
Teenage boys wear skirts to school to protest against ‘no shorts’ policy.
Killing of Muslim teen stirs questions about hate crime prosecutions.
Manchester attack: Islamophobic hate crime reports increase by 500%.
Portland police investigate menacing letter sent to Islamic center as hate crime.
A Muslim Teen Was Kidnapped And Murdered Outside A Virginia Mosque.
‘Hero’ imam praises group that saved Finsbury Park suspect from angry crowd.
Being Offended by Black and Brown Stripes on the Pride Flag Proves Why They’re Necessary.
A wave of states consider legislation recognizing the nuances within gender.
This gay coach and his gay son marched together in Pride for Father’s Day.
Bathroom bill another way to ‘bully’ transgender kids, mothers say.
Standing Up for Our Communities.
After outcry, an LGBT survey question is restored by HHS.
Ryan O’Callaghan and Finding Life Beyond the Closet.
Openly Gay Skateboarder Brian Anderson Bares All in His First Zine.
LGBTQ teens share what Pride Month means to them in powerful campaign.
‘Strands For Trans’ Supports Transgender Community.
What LGBTQ Teens Wish Their School Knew About Them.
The Beauty and Terror of Passing as a Woman.
Chadwick Moore: LGBTQ People “Don’t Know What The Second Amendment Is”. Actually, it’s Moore who doesn’t know what the Second Amendment is, it’s history, it’s original intent, and so on.
KKK members protest LGBTQ pride march in Florence: Hate ‘reared its ugly head’ .
See how the world celebrates Pride .
Philadelphia Mayor Will Sign Bill Prompted by Gayborhood Racism Complaints Into Law.
‘Babadook’ Is Returning to Theaters, And Proceeds Are Going to LGBTQ Groups.
This Gay Couple Re-Created Their Pride Photo 24 Years Later And It Has People Emotional.
Three Men Become First ‘Polyamorous Family’ Legally Recognized in Colombia.
AMA approves resolution against anti-trans bathroom bills.
Why didn’t great painters of the past reach the level of realism achieved today by many artists? .
National Martini Day: The 10 Most Famous Martini Lovers.
7 gorgeous photos of redheads that challenge the way we see race.
What Is Space? – Issue 49: The Absurd.
Goodbye Planet Nine, Hello Planet Ten.
Researchers Are Using Viruses to Make Superbugs Commit Suicide.
Gangs of aggressive killer whales are shaking down Alaska fishing boats for their fish.
GEEKS OUT EMPOWERS LGBTQ+ GEEKS AT FLAME CON AND BEYOND.
Amazon’s move into groceries could squeeze Costco.
Idaho sequoia in way of expansion to be moved 2 blocks away.
Whichbook enables millions of combinations of factors and then suggests books which most closely match your need. Go try this site! You click on a few options, and it gives you a bunch of suggestions. It’s like a video game for book nerds!
Juneteenth: The Black American Holiday Everyone Should Celebrate but Doesn’t.
Apple accuses Qualcomm of double-dipping, wants end to pay-per-iPhone deal.
A Cyberattack ‘the World Isn’t Ready For.
‘Internet’ or ‘internet’? The Supreme Court Weighs in.
The myth of the ‘cool tech girl’ .
Movies Featuring Male Action Stars Faltering at Box Office This Season.
Seattle Police Officers Fatally Shoot 30-Year-Old Mother Near Magnuson Park.
No Religious Majority Backs Anti-Gay Discrimination by Business Owners Anymore.
Jesse Lee Peterson Says Democrats At Congressional Baseball Game Were Praying To Satan.
The Hoarding of the American Dream .
I believe Bill Cosby. He said he drugged women for sex. So why the mistrial?
Trump’s Carrier deal is not living up to the hype — jobs still going to Mexico.
The Fact Checker’s tally of Trump’s false claims since becoming president .
Democrats Seek Records On Jared Kushner As Administration Tries To Stifle Oversight.
The ACLU is suing the Washington, D.C., police for violating the rights of Trump inaugural detainees.
GOP Unveils Health Care Bill While Protesters Bleed and Scream: ‘The Government Wants to Kill Me!’.
Senate health care bill: watch Elizabeth Warren school lawmakers on Planned Parenthood.
The Senate health bill takes what Americans hate about Obamacare and makes it worse .
The Better Care Reconciliation Act: the Senate bill to repeal and replace Obamacare, explained.
Secret Government Report: Chelsea Manning Leaks Caused No Real Harm. And this surprised who?
Trump supporters and the empathy gap.
Trolls, hypocrites and performance artists are trying to hack our lives. Don’t let them.
The long, lonely death spiral of the anti-gay defenders of “traditional” marriage.
Queer Plus, or Intersectionality Isn’t Just a Noun — more adventures in dictionaries.
Beth Ditto – Fire (Official Video):
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Cazwell – Loose Wrists (Official Music Video):
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Really!?! with Seth and Amy: Julius Caesar Protests:
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Gay pride || Fight song:
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Taylor Swift – You Belong With Me (Gay Version):
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Matt Fishel – “Finally” (Official Music Video):
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Benny – Boys Will Be Boys (Official Video):
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Steve Grand – We Are the Night (Dave Aude Remix) (Official Music Video):
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Show Me Your Pride – By Miss Coco Peru – OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO:
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Anyway, here are the links I found interesting this week, sorted into categories.
The Surprising Controversy Surrounding A More Inclusive Pride Flag.
The Pulse “Kids,” and the Caretaker Who Watches Over Them in Orlando’s Greenwood Cemetery.
Commentary: Pulse, and the Beautiful, Sad, Joyful Tradition of Queer Grief
I Couldn’t Write About The Pulse Attack Until Today
A Letter to My Queer Family After Orlando
‘That’s our word, and you can’t have it back’: Ice Cube confronts Bill Maher for using the n-word.
Caelan Conrad On Obvious Queers and Missing Points.
Just A Bunch Of Really Good Parents Supporting Their Kids For Pride Month.
The Babadook as an LGBT icon makes sense. No, really .
‘Gay marriage’ bill will also see progress in rights for heterosexual couples.
Found: Never-Developed Photos of Mount St. Helens Erupting.
Endangered beluga rescued from N.B. river, returned to St. Lawrence Estuary.
If you can’t explain something in simple terms, you don’t understand it.
This Colossal Gas Filament in the Orion Nebula Is Some Kinda Cosmic Dragon.
Johns Hopkins researchers say they’ve unlocked key to cancer metastasis and how to slow it.
Baby Star’s ‘Crying’ Solves a Stellar Mystery.
Insect Walking Dead: How a Fungus Turns Beetles into Killer Zombies.
Some Asian Superwomen Films For After You’ve Seen WONDER WOMAN Several Times.
Wonder Woman’s Second Weekend Breaks Box Office Records.
There Is No Secret, There Is No Con.
Five Things about Writing Fictional Cultures.
Yes, You Can Use ‘Is’ Twice in a Row in a Sentence.
The billionaire GOP patron behind Trump’s social media bot army.
My Lawyers Got Trump to Admit 30 Lies Under Oath.
PP Polling: Voters Think Trump Lies, Want Him Impeached.
Trump’s lies and Russian propaganda become a potent and inseparable weapon.
Republicans are about to make Medicare-for-all much more likely.
I’ve covered Obamacare since day one. I’ve never seen lying and obstruction like this.
Yes, There Was a “March Against Sharia” In Downtown Seattle Today and It Was Incredibly Dumb.
Megyn Kelly turned to Alex Jones because her struggling show needs a viral moment.
Weekend Update 6/10/2017: Holy Wensleydale, Batman!
Sunday Update 6/11/2017: More words and pictures.
One year later, Pulse nightclub massacre is still a punch in the gut.
Why do I keep having to explain why we need Pride?
Seriously, it’s all Greek — more adventures in dictionaries.
Black Panther Teaser Trailer:
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Ice Cube Confronts Bill Maher Over Racial Slur. #IceCube #BillMaher @icecube @SymoneDSanders:
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Elle King – Ex’s & Oh’s (Official Video):
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Eli Lieb – Hollywood:
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Doug Locke – #ThisCouldBeUs:
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Lyon Hart – Falling for You:
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I’ve mentioned before that I collect images and memes and such as potential illustrations for Friday Links posts or political commentary, and I’m always collecting more than I wind up using. So every now and then I’m going to do a post like this where I just publish a bunch.
Peter Sallis, Who Voiced Wallace From ‘Wallace And Gromit,’ Dead At 96
Peter Sallis, Voice of ‘Wallace and Gromit’ Cartoons, Dies at 96
Adam West, TV’s ‘Batman,’ Dies at 88
Adam West, beloved actor and star of Batman TV series, dies at 88
It has been said in many interviews, including by West himself, that the reason why he got the role among the actors who were screen tested for it was because he was the only one who could deliver the dialog with a straight face. The series’ incredible blockbuster success typecast West, making it difficult for him to get work, but he eventually embraced the role, eventually calling his version of the Caped Crusader the Bright Knight (as opposed to the Dark Knight of later incarnations).
And while I appreciate some of the other versions of Batman, five-year-old me looked up to West’s Batman as a hero who stood for justice and compassion, who was willing to risk everything for others, and always ready to answer the call. It was West’s commitment to the role that made that version of Batman real. You’ve answered your final bat-signal, Adam West. Rest in peace, and thank you.
Font Folly 