Friday, February 17, 2017

Friday Links (lunatic fringe edition)

It's Friday! And while work remains crazy, the long hours have let up a bit this week, so I actually have enough energy to be happy that the week is nearly over!

I feel as is I bookmarked a more diverse set of links than I had in the last few weeks. I've much happier with the number of science stories and science fiction articles I linked to this time, for instance.

Anyway, here are the links I found interesting this week, sorted into categories.

Links of the Week


How the lunatic fringe conquered world politics.

A Love Letter To All My Gay Firsts. An adorable cartoon...

This Week in Difficult to Classify


What Percentage of Americans Are Gay? It’s Wildly Different Than What You’ve Heard.

If Kids Ran Juvie.

This week in awful people


Morning Crank: “We Are the Dakota Access [Pipe]line Tribe.”. Comparing people who ride buses to oil spills. You gotta love residents of super expensive suburbs!

JOSEPH BACKHOLM: DEFINITELY STILL A BAD PERSON. "He loves Jesus so much. Just so long as Jesus was white and also a massive homophobe."

Fabulous, Darling!


Germany sent a drag queen to elect their 'anti-Trump' president and it was glorious.

News for queers and our allies:


Most Americans oppose 'religious freedom' laws allowing for LGBTQ discrimination.

Washington State Supreme Court Says Florist Who Refused to Serve Gay Couple Violated Anti-Discrimination Law.

Science!


Why are people so incredibly gullible? - Our brains don’t let piddling little facts get in the way of a good story, allowing lies to infect the mind with surprising ease..

This Infographic Shows the Extraordinary Ancient Genes That Live on in Modern Populations.

Iron Age Potters Carefully Recorded Earth's Magnetic Field — By Accident.

Elusive triangulene created by moving atoms one at a time.

How NASA is planning to touch the sun.

Astronomers open massive database of stars to the public.

Here’s How Science Says to Achieve the Perfect Ketchup Pour.

These tiny beetles have evolved to ride ants like horses.

6 Possible Explanations for Gray Hair.

Extinct tortoise yields oldest tropical DNA.

India sets record launching 104 satellites aboard a single rocket.

Antibiotic resistance: Scientists 'unmask' superbug-shielding protein.

Early Mammal Relative Was the Oldest Venomous Animal on Earth.

Study finds that heel-down posture in great apes and humans confers a fighting advantage.

Want to repel mosquitoes? Don’t use citronella candles.

Science Fiction, Fantasy and Speculation!


Berlinale: China Film Boards European Sci-Fi Pic ‘Iron Sky: The Ark’.

How female characters existing and doing stuff became a modern feminist statement.

‘Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams’ TV Series From Ron Moore, Michael Dinner & Bryan Cranston Picked Up By Amazon.

‘The Expanse’ Isn’t Just Awesome TV—It’s Transforming TV.

Hugo 2017 Eligible Works.

Worldcon 75 Hugo Recommendation Spreadsheet.

Rocket Stack Rank: 2017 Hugo Awards.

This week in Words


Thagomizer and Four Other Invented Words.

Where Does the Word 'Trivia' Come From?

This Week in History


Europe’s Hypocritical History of Cannibalism.

50 years ago the first major gay rights demonstration happened in Silver Lake - A police raid at the Black Cat Tavern led to protests outside the gay bar.

That time a drunk Richard Nixon tried to nuke North Korea.

50 Years Later, The Biting Satire Of 'The Smothers Brothers' Still Resonate.

This Week in Covering the News


Opinion: Why fake news is a huge threat to democracy and both Apple and the rest of us need to respond.

This Week in Inclusion


"Having multiple queers isn't realistic." Me: *writes entire books with only a few cishet characters*. Nice twitter rant.

Yet another TERFy oversimplification of reality.

This Week in Police Problems


The NYPD Tasered A Pregnant Teenager, Video Footage Shows.

Culture war news:


Deluge of new state bills would curtail LGBT rights.

A US-born NASA scientist was detained at the border until he unlocked his phone.

This lesbian couple were left a vile homophobic note at a library.

Christian Writer Offers Three Horrible Reasons to Avoid Fifty Shades Darker.

Anti-LGBT legal organization designated a hate group.

The War on Women Returneth (It Never Wenteth Away).

This Week in Fighting Back in the Culture War:


It’s Time To Grab The GOP By Tom Price’s Seat.

YOUR LATEST DECLINE-TO-SIGN ORDERS: THE NEW TRANS BATHROOM BILL.

The fight to end poll taxes is back. Spread The Vote (STV) fights voter suppression by helping citizens of states with Voter ID laws get the IDs they need to vote.

This Week in the Resistance:


Trump can be held accountable for violating the Constitution, even if Congress doesn’t care.

This week in so-called Christians


The ‘Father’ of Ex-gay Ministry Dies. I vehemently disagree with the author. Worthen was NOT a good man. He did NOT love everyone. Saying you love people as you are bullying them literally to death is neither love nor being good.

This Week Regarding the Lying Liar:


The Laws of Gravity Catch Up to Trump.

Spicer: Trump Knew Flynn Lied for Weeks Before Asking for His Resignation.

Trump Administration Signals Retreat From Two-State Solution in Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.

Mike Flynn’s striking farewell from the Trump White House, according to cartoons.

Mike Flynn might be done – but Trump's nightmare has just begun.

U.S. Allies Conduct Intelligence Operation Against Trump Staff and Associates, Intercepted Communications.

In 77 Chaotic Minutes, Trump Defends ‘Fine-Tuned Machine’.

News about the Fascist Regime:


White House posts wrong versions of Trump's orders on its website.

ICE Backs Out Of A Meeting On Deportation Raids With Members Of Congress.

Mexican ‘DREAMer’ nabbed in immigrant crackdown.

This week in Politics:


Do voter identification laws suppress minority voting? Yes. We did the research..

Obamacare and Why Socialism Is Good For Business.

This Week in Racists, White Nationalists, and the deplorables



Study: racism and sexism predict support for Trump much more than economic dissatisfaction. I keep saying it!

Journalists Need to Stop Giving Bigoted Trump Supporters a Free Pass.

‘Kinder,’ ‘Gentler,’ ‘Totally Not Racist’ Missouri KKK Leader Murdered Real Dead.

Release Date for Dear White People is Announced, Pisses off White Nationalists.

Hate Groups Are Emboldened By Trump And Flourishing, Report Says.

Farewells:


Jazz Legend Al Jarreau Dead at 76.

Al Jarreau, Singer Who Spanned Jazz, Pop and R&B Worlds, Dies at 76.

Stuart McLean, CBC Radio host and award-winning humorist, dead at 68.

Stuart McLean, bestselling author and host of CBC Radio’s ‘Vinyl Cafe,’ has died.

Stuart McLean Dies, But His 'Vinyl Cafe' Stories Will Keep Canadians Laughing. Not just Canadians...

Things I wrote:


Weekend Update 2/11/2017: Cookies and retail realities.

Sunday Funnies, part 22.

Mugging around, hanging on, and letting go.

Not your typical romantic comedy storyline.

Remembering Doug.

Videos!


Trump vs. Truth: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver:



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OneRepublic - Let’s Hurt Tonight (Official Video):



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PWR BTTM - Big Beautiful Day:



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Blondie - Fun:



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Friday, February 10, 2017

Friday Links (astronaut on the runway editions)

Well, it's Friday.

It's been an extremely grueling week at work, with very long days scrambling as fast as we can to get an impossible amount of work done. Which means I've been doing less reading than usual. I was frankly surprised I had more one a few links saved this week!

Anyway, here are the links I found interesting this week, sorted into categories.

Links of the Week


Anti-Semitic Graffiti on NYC Subway Scrubbed by Riders in Viral Act of Kindness.

Meet Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the black woman who invented that rock and roll sound.

This dog has a guaranteed basic income, and look how eager he is to teach a yoga class anyway.

Happy News!


Kesha wins a legal battle over her producer, Dr. Luke, who she says sexually assaulted her. I'll take any good news, no matter how small...

This week in Where Do We Go From Here?


Your Guide to the Sprawling New Anti-Trump Resistance Movement.

How This Dictionary Became Twitter’s Favorite Burn Book In The Age Of Trump.

People Are Addressing 'President Bannon' on Postcards to White House.

This week in awful news


‘Shocking’ scale of Catholic Church sex crimes revealed.

Some notes on the worst-case scenario.

Trans Teen Takes Her Own Life Weeks After Giving Moving Speech on Acceptance.

Fabulous, Darling!


87-Year-Old Buzz Aldrin Slays The Runway At New York Fashion Week.

14 Times The Merriam-Webster Dictionary Was Shady AF.

Some say Hollywood is out of touch with America. 2017's Best Picture nominees say otherwise.

News for queers and our allies:


The Gay Couple Who Adopted My Baby Are Exactly The Parents I Wanted Him To Have.

There was a rally for LGBT rights outside of Stonewall, and we're so proud.

Surfing helped gay athlete come to terms with his sexuality.

Majority of Americans oppose religious-based service refusals to gay couples: Poll.

I Was Openly Gay On My High School Team And Heard Slurs All The Time.

James Baldwin's Queerness Was Inseparable from His Blackness.

Vermont, D.C., Massachusetts have highest number of openly LGBTQ people.

Science!


Experiment Reaffirms Quantum Weirdness.

This Is What Would Happen If An Asteroid Hit New York.

Tornado damages NASA facility in New Orleans.

Witness Me! Hubble Catches Fiery Death Of Red Giant Star.

Astronomers Discover A White Dwarf-Red Dwarf Binary System That Behaves Like A Pulsar.

Science Fiction, Fantasy and Speculation!


Ursula Le Guin on fiction vs. 'alternative facts': Letter to the editor.

Hugo Award “Finalists” and “Nominees”.

What REALLY Sold in 2016?

This week in Writing


The Key to Writing a Mystery Is Asking the Perfect Question.

As celebrity books boom, professional authors are driven out of full-time work.

This week in Words


Is it 'I Could Care Less' or 'I Couldn't Care Less'?

This Week in Tech


From Holocaust Denial To Hitler Admiration, Google’s Algorithm Is Dangerous.

Most smart TVs are tracking you — Vizio just got caught.

Culture war news:


Ordinary Americans carried out inhumane acts for Trump.

It’s Not Foreigners Who are Plotting Here: What the Data Really Show.

Hypocrisy isn’t the problem. Nihilism is.

Fake Medical Organization Publishes Lie-Ridden Manifesto Attacking Transgender Kids.

This Week in Fighting Back in the Culture War:


Shaun King: What just happened in Seattle is about to spark a nationwide movement in America’s largest cities.

Rabbis arrested outside Trump tower for protesting the Muslim ban.

How I Escaped Christofascism and Other FAQs From You, Answered.

Pink ‘Pussyhat’ Creator Addresses Criticism Over Name.

This Week Regarding the Lying Liar:


Videos Used To Claim Success Of Trump’s Yemen Raid Were Actually Posted To Internet Back In 2007.

Donald Trump: the making of a narcissist.

Yemen Raid Had Secret Target: Al Qaeda Leader Qassim Al-Rimi. And we didn't get him...

Pro-LGBT adviser already axed from Trump’s White House.

News about the Fascist Regime:


Trump and Staff Rethink Tactics After Stumbles. Highlights: - White House staff still hasn't figured out how to work the light switches in conference rooms, - White House staff is woefully smaller than the job requires - donald ends his work day every day at 6:30 NO MATTER WHAT - donald had Not Read Any Executive Orders Before Signing Them - when he went to Palm Springs for the weekend was the first time he heard from people he trusts that the protests and poll numbers are real, and now, only now, has he instructed his Chief of Staff to hire people to do admin jobs and said that he wants to read Executive Orders during the draft stage ... To quote donald from a few years ago, "Can we impeach someone for gross incompetence?"

Trump Administration Orders Clearing of Protesters at Standing Rock.

‘She is not a terrorist’: Iranian baby caught in travel ban is granted entry for heart surgery.

Inauguration Protesters Targeted for Facebook Searches.

Kellyanne Conway lashes out at ‘haters’ who won’t let ‘Bowling Green Massacre’ story die.

Bipartisan group of national security officials argue Trump’s Muslim ban makes America less safe.

The Muslim Ban: Everything You Need to Know.

This week in Politics:


Despite critics' claims, Dodd-Frank hasn't slowed lending to business or consumers.

‘Atheist Muslims’ could be the key to defeating Islamic terror.

Betsy DeVos and a Pay-to-Play Nomination.

Republicans fear for their safety as Obamacare protests grow.

Fight Over Congressional Redistricting Begins With Key Gubernatorial Contests.

The Republicans Are Off to a Pitiful Start.

This Week in Racists, White Nationalists, and the deplorables


What Gamergate should have taught us about the 'alt-right' - The 2014 online hate-storm presaged the tactics of the Trump-loving far right movement. Prominent critics of the president elect should take note.

Nazi Leader Celebrates Win Of “NFL’s Whitest Team”.

6 things Steve Bannon has declared war on.

Republican congressman says white terrorists are different.

Farewells:


Richard Hatch, Star Of Battlestar Galactica, Dies At 71.

RIP Richard Hatch, the Original Apollo and a Tireless Battlestar Galactica Advocate.

Richard Hatch's 10 best Battlestar Galactica moments.

Things I wrote:


Supplemental Links (again) a Day After a Friday.

This song is your song, this song is my song….

Why is it always my job to justify my existence?

Videos!


FACT-CHECKER, FACT-CHECKER 🎳💚 Randy Rainbow Song Parody:



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Oval Office Cold Open - SNL:



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