Friday Links (good-bye David and Alan edition)

Thank goodness it's Friday. Already the thirdd Friday of the new year and I haven't made much progress on any of my tasks for the month. Let's not talk about stress, or car accidents, or illnesses, or famous people we have admired most of our lives dying way too soon, eh?

Anyway, here are links to some of the interesting things I read on the web this week.

Link of the Week

The Man Who Buried Them Remembers. It's short, and a must-read.

This week in Words

2015 Word of the Year is singular “they.”

This week in Health

Why food allergy fakers need to stop: From gluten to garlic, diets and dislikes are being passed off as medical conditions. Chefs and real sufferers have had enough.

Flint Wants Safe Water, and Someone to Answer for Its Crisis.

Ten Things to Know About Vaccines: to raise awareness of another serious health issue: anti-vaxxers.

This week in People Doing Good Things

How to help with the water crisis in Flint, Michigan.

This week in People Panicking Based on Rumors

Jack squat: What iPhone 7 headphone rumors are based on.

This week in Difficult to Classify

ProPublica Launches the Dark Web's First Major News Site.

News for queers and our allies:

‘Teen Wolf’ Actor Charlie Carver Comes Out as Gay. It's a well-written, straightforward, not apologetic nor any hemming of hawing coming out, too!

On the other hand, speaking of another actor once on same show: When stars respond to questions about their sexuality with statements like, 'It shouldn’t matter,' they are doing more harm than good.

I Might Be Gay, But Please Don’t Call Me Your ‘Gay Best Friend’.

Nearly half of homeless youth are LGBTQ, first-ever city census finds.

Science!

How Much Light Is in the Universe?

Traces of the First Stars in the Universe Possibly Found.

The Entire Universe As We Know It In One Spectacular Photograph. So cool!

Science Fiction, Fantasy and Speculation!

Carrie Fisher Interviews Daisy Ridley - and it's a hoot!

A 51-Year-Old Gay Man's Response to The Force Awakens.

Star Wars: Men's rights activists claim boycott cost The Force Awakens $4.2m. Even if true (and the article pokes holes in the math of the bogus claim), that meant it took Disney a half hour longer to break the all-time highest grossing movie record than it would have.

This week in Writing

A Typical Traditional Book Publication in 20 (ish) Steps.

How Could The Winds of Winter Be Published In Only Three Months? Covers similar ground as the previous link and is much longer, but very informative.

Culture war news:

Perverting teen sexting laws: Laws that punish minors as sex offenders for perfectly normal behaviors harm teenagers.

Gay marriage order puts spotlight again on the 'Ayatollah of Alabama'.

GOP Dead-Enders Fight to Stay Anti-Gay: While most people listening to Nikki Haley’s rebuttal to the SOTU heard nothing but a rejection of Trump, gay-marriage advocates heard something very different: progress.

Archbishops 'treated like children' in church sexuality crisis talks. Well, they're acting children...

Kansas holds children of Colorado veteran who uses medical marijuana.

This Week in the Clown Car

Ted Cruz is not eligible to be president.

Gay Jeopardy! Star Louis Virtel Was Not Snapping for Republicans.

Ted Cruz Didn’t Report Goldman Sachs Loan in a Senate Race.

This week in Other Politics:

We’re onto the phony education reformers: Charter school charlatans and faux reformers take it on the chin.

Obama Was Optimist-in-Chief at State of the Union.

This Week in Racism

An antidote to Islamophobia.

This Week in Stupidity

Stolen, the problematic app that lets you buy and sell people on Twitter. Because of the uproar (it was a wonderful tool for harassing people, besides the creepiness of the basic idea) the app has been withdrawn.

This Week in Police Problems

WHAT DO I DO WITH MY FAVORITE TV COPS?

This Week in Misogyny

These Ridiculous Propaganda Postcards Warn Men About The Dangers Of Women’s Rights From The Early 20th Century.

Thank You Twitter - By Unverifying Milo Yiannopoulos, You Are Standing Up for Women Online.

Farewells:

David Bowie's last release, Lazarus, was 'parting gift' for fans in carefully planned finale.

Neil Gaiman Gives David Bowie a Proper Origin Story in “The Return of the Thin White Duke.”

David Bowie and My Queer Awakening.

Was He Gay, Bisexual or Bowie? Yes.

Brian Bedford dead: Voice of Robin Hood dies aged 80 after two-year cancer battle.

Emma Thompson, Helen Mirren and Tim Allen Among Stars Paying Tribute to Alan Rickman.

Remembering Alan Rickman’s Seminal Sci-Fi and Fantasy Roles.

Dick's Drive-In Founder Dies. (noooooooo! If you’re not from Seattle, you won’t understand. For nearly 62 years he's run a group of fast food restaurants that pay a living wage, provide full health coverage, and offers each employee up to $20,000 in tuition reimbursement. And their burgers and milk shakes are to die for!)

Things I wrote:

Confessions of a part-time jerk.

Confessions of the badly, madly distracted.

The Man Who Fell to Earth.

Videos!

Alan Rickman Answers Questions from Fans:

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Alan Rickman is scary as Snape is (but actually a sweetheart):



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David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust:



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David Bowie - Starman (Top Of The Pops, 1972):



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David Bowie - Putting Out Fire (Cat People) Music Video :



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David Bowie - Lazarus (released shortly before his death on his 69th birthday):



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Friday Links (powerful jedi edition)

Thank goodness it's Friday. Already the second Friday of the new year and I still haven't finished my year-in-review post or got up on my goals check-ins. I'm such a slacker. Or maybe just trying to keep up with things at work. At least my husband's doctor says his broken bone has healed nicely; he won't need surgery or physical therapy and he's graduated to a cane. Yay!

Anyway, here are links to some of the interesting things I read on the web this week.

Link of the Week

50 Wonderful Things From 2015. Several people shared this this week, all saying they don't normally like end-of-year lists, but this was better than most. And it is. For one thing, it isn't a slide show that you have to click, and click, and click. Just an article to scroll through.

Failing to learn from history

A ground zero forgotten: The Marshall Islands, once a U.S. nuclear test site, face oblivion again.

This week in All Generalizations Are Bad

Shhh! Keeping Quiet May Help You Achieve Your Goals.

GOALS: TO SHARE OR NOT TO SHARE?

This week in Geek

Twitter Isn’t Raising the Character Limit. It’s Becoming a Walled Garden.

George III’s huge map collection digitized.

This week in Health

Dogs thwart effort to eradicate Guinea worm: Epidemic in dogs complicates push to wipe out parasite.

This Week in Diversity

The Marriages of Power Couples Reinforce Income Inequality.

Hoist Your Nerd Colors, Ladies: How I Learned to Take Pride in My Nerdiness.

Aziz Ansari on Acting, Race and Hollywood.

THE IMPORTANCE OF AN ORIGIN STORY: LOOKING FOR MY MULTIRACIAL FAMILY.

Missouri Bill To Ban Racial Profiling Draws Attention For Including Gays: Legislation Inspired By Michael Brown's Murder Covers Race, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity.

A gay “Star Wars” hero could save lives in this galaxy: Why the lip bite that launched a thousand ‘ships matters.

This week in Evil People

Gay cult? ISIS leader who raped boy is excused while raped 15-yr-old is executed.

News for queers and our allies:

How Starbucks Helped Me Be OK With Being Gay.

Transgender people in Washington state to use restrooms based on identity, not anatomy.

A Christian Father’s Plea to Dads of LGBTQ Kids.

Many truths about bisexuality in adorable graphs!

Science!

Picking Your Narrative Matters: Kids Were Terrified of Getting MRIs. Then One Man Figured Out a Better Way.

How Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s words were freed from old floppy disks.

New research suggests sun's magnetic field may soon change. The headline ought to be "...sooner than the billions of years previously thought..."

NuSTAR Bringing the High Energy Universe into Focus.

Energy Drinks Are Basically Poison Says Science, Common Sense. There was any doubt?

6 Absurd Ways Modern Medicine Fails Because Of Sexism.

Turtle Fossils Shed Light On Rise Of Andes Mountains.

Huge Jurassic cliff landslide exposes hundreds of prehistoric fossils from 65 million years ago.

Marks of the Anthropocene: 7 signs we have made our own epoch.

Science Fiction, Fantasy and Speculation!

In defense of 'Star Wars' and other childish things.

...you want to see in the world.

Why does the misogynist & homophobic man behind 'Doctor Who' and 'Sherlock' still have a job?

Mary Robinette Kowal quotes from the requests sent by 83 of the 100 people she and other donors gave supporting memberships in the 2015 Worldcon. It's really amazing to read these!

Star Wars hero Poe Dameron: is Disney brave enough to make him gay?

No, Rey From 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Is Not A Mary Sue.

5 MARVEL HEROES FROM THE GUTTER OF OBSCURITY THAT MADE IT.

This Week in Hateful Fans

What We Talk About When We Talk About Lying Crazypants Liars Who Lie.

Sad Puppies: since gaming the hugo awards failed, let’s try goodreads.

This week in Writing

The Ugly Truth of Publishing & How BEST to Support Writers.

It Was Twenty-Two Years Ago Today.

This Week in History

Even in 1907, Seattle Couldn't Handle the Snow.

Culture war news:

So Now Muslims Can Be Fired for Praying?

State Senator Proposes Law That Would Criminalize Transgender Bathroom Usage.

2015: Year of the Arsonist.

Muslims, Homosexuals, Christians and Terrorists.

Dear Mormonism: Your LGBTQ Members Are Still Hurting, So What Happens Next?

Armed takeover of building in Oregon puts feds in tough spot.

Stolen Valor: Militiaman Working As Cliven And Ammon Bundy’s Bodyguard Was Never A Marine.

Georgia Republicans Want To Gay-Bang The Gays With Exciting New Religious Freedom Laws.

Florida Professor Who Cast Doubt on Mass Shootings Is Fired.

Oklahoma Wesleyan University President Says He is “Proud” to Discriminate Against Transgender People.

Georgia Republicans Don’t Want Anything to Do With Their State’s “Religious Liberty” Bill.

Godless New York Punishes Chick-fil-A With Health Code Violations.

FedEx Takes Needlessly Cruel Swipe At A Grieving Lesbian Widow.

Ten Women Sue Duggar Family Homeschooling Guru Bill Gothard For Rape And Sexual Abuse.

Alabama probate judges should obey US Supreme Court on gay marriage, federal prosecutors say.

Anti-Gay Marriage Dude Tries to Mansplain the Supreme Court to Megyn Kelly.

This Week in the Clown Car

Cruz & Trump could crater the GOP: A history lesson for a party on the brink of disaster.

Ben Carson's new campaign chairman speaks out against women, LGBT troops.

The Feud Between Donald Trump and Samuel L. Jackson Is Even Weirder Than You Can Imagine.

Huckabee: Hate Groups Won’t Endorse Me Because They Know I’ll Put Them Out Of Business by Giving Them Everything They Want.

Rubio Tries To Out-Jesus Everybody In New Ad.

This week in Other Politics:

Hillary Clinton says therapy to turn gay kids straight must be banned.

This Week in Racism

America’s real racial double standard: How the law — and white people — turn “race-neutral” into “pro-white”.

As a gay black ex-detective, this is what I think when I'm asked if black people should join the police.

‘Where White People Meet’ dating site billboard turning heads in Utah.

This Week in Hate Crimes

US Marine convicted of killing transgender Filipino appeals.

This Week in Misogyny

‘he had a remarkable gentleness and courtesy in his dealings with women’ – the Sherlock Christmas special.

Silence, exile and coming second: women writers get same raw deal as in theatre.

Farewells:

Natalie Cole, Singer of ‘Unforgettable’ and ‘This Will Be,’ Dies at 65.

Wayne Rogers, Trapper John on 'M.A.S.H.,' dies at 82.

Jason Wingreen, The Original Voice Of Boba Fett In ‘Star Wars’, Has Passed Away At Age 95.

Things I wrote:

Scarves, socks, and “man” colors.

“Finn heroically saving him…”.

Bikini armor madness.

Videos!

Much Ado Nothing About Something:



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India’s First Transgender Band Just Released Their First Song And It Will Leave You Speechless - Hum Hain Happy - 6 Pack Band:



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Craig David 'Love Yourself' Justin Bieber cover Live Lounge:



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HIGH-RISE - Official Trailer #2 (2016) Tom Hiddleston Movie HD (semi NSFW for obscured naked Tom Hiddleston; it's an adaptation of one of J.G. Ballard's more surreal sci fi stories):



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Marvel's Daredevil - Coming Soon, Season 2 - Only On Netflix [HD]:



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Friday Links (fire, floods, and giant squids)

Thank goodness it's Friday. It's the first Friday of a new year. Oy! Wait! I didn't finish everything I meant to do in 2015! Eek!

We had a pretty good Christmas. Okay, I think my husband called it "great" when we were driving back home late the night of the 26th after going to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens with some friends up north.

Anyway, here are links to some of the interesting things I read on the web this week.

Link of the Week

9 times Mister Rogers said exactly the right thing.

It's the end of the year as we know it...

Fuck Your “Life Hacks” - If you want to change, then change.

After a historic year for LGBT rights in US, 2016 may see backlash and complacency.

This week in Health

How I overcame my fears and saved my life from cancer.

Why Preventing Cancer Is Not the Priority in Drug Development.

How researchers dupe the public with a sneaky practice called "outcome switching".

This Week in Diversity

What to do when you're not the hero any more: From Star Wars to Mad Max, a new, more diverse kind of storytelling went mainstream this year - and the backlash shows how much it matters.

A more inclusive military won't matter if young people won't include themselves.

How I Unlearned the Bigotry My Father Taught Me.

What the Mainstream Can Learn From 2015’s Queer Indie Cinema.

2015 YEAR IN BLACKNESS REVIEW ACCORDING TO NARUTO.

Diversity report card: The film industry took 1 step forward, 2 steps back.

This week in Difficult to Classify

Dubai: Fire Engulfs 68-story Luxury Hotel Skyscraper.

Midwest flooding kills at least 20, shuts major interstate.

Texas Christian claims she diverted tornado to another neighborhood: ‘God had given us authority over the winds.’ So, god will kill your neighbors if you ask him to? What?

The Radical History of 1960s Adult Coloring Books.

News for queers and our allies:

Marriage Equality Almost Didn’t Happen: The Strange Tale Of How It All Started. "Here is the story of a camel hair coat, a horse meat bait-and-switch, two just-out-of-college conservative activists from liberal Brandeis University, a millionaire anti-gay publisher, a longtime lesbian activist who did not believe in playing by the rules, and a state senator who bluffed about her vote count and stood terrified on the state house floor waiting to see whether her colleagues would render her own family unequal."

Listen: 90 year old gay man talks of his long struggle with his sexuality.

Why This Gay Man With Cerebral Palsy Is Taking Off His Clothes.

Catholic Newspaper Names Same-Sex Marriage Plaintiffs 'Persons Of The Year'.

Kelly Clarkson didn’t know a gay couple would get engaged in her video.

THE TEN BEST QUEER FILMS OF 2015.

Science!

Could fast radio bursts be produced by collisions between neutron stars and asteroids?

Weird New Shark Glows in the Dark.

It looks like a worldwide coffee shortage is inevitable.

The Endangered Animal Comeback Stories of 2015.

Tales of the bedbug, one of the world’s most reviled insects.

What's So Special About the Human Brain?

The Siege of Miami: As temperatures climb, so, too, will sea levels.

Science has answered the question: Why do dogs love to sing?

Year in review: Fluke extinction surprises lab.

Why Some of the Worst Attacks on Social Science Have Come From Liberals.

Science Fiction, Fantasy and Speculation!

William Gibson: how I wrote Neuromancer.

Dune at 50: Good Night, Don’t Let the Sandworms Bite.

The Call of the Sad Whelkfins: The Continued Relevance of How To Suppress Women’s Writing.

10 Rey Star Wars toys and shirts you need in your life.

Did Star Wars: The Force Awakens introduce a gay romance without us realising? If my tumblr or twitter feeds are any indication, millions of us noticed...

WHY IS REY SUCH A GREAT HERO?

BLACK SPECULATIVE FICTION: THE VIEW FROM HERE.

Scalzi: I Ruin Everything But Mostly Science Fiction.

Culture war news:

Here Are 15 Of The Dumbest Things Said About The Queer Community In 2015. I had forgot a bunch of these...

Yearly reminder Salvation Army turns away the LGBT, some of the most at-risk homeless. Jennifer Gale froze to death on sidewalk outside Salvation Army shelter, turned away because she was trans.

Sweet Cakes Bakers Still Actively Fundraising, Cash Pouring In: A same-sex couple, not the Kleins, were the victims in the Sweet Cakes By Melissa case. The couple has not received a penny, the Kleins are still raking in the dough.

Although the next day: Homophobic Bakery Finally Repays Lesbian Couple.

Federer’s Absurd Attempt to Use Science to Prove Christianity.

Creationism Whistleblower: ‘Academic Freedom’ Is Sneak Attack on Evolution.

This Week in the Clown Car

Ben Carson's Campaign Is Crumbling, and Completely Victorious. "Ben Carson loses two top aides as his campaign flounders," reports the LA Times, still operating under the assumption that Ben's running a campaign for president rather than a get-richer-quick scheme.

This week in Other Politics:

The warning bell tolls for thee DNC.

In the end, 2015 saw no ‘war on cops’ and no ‘national crime wave’.

Meanwhile, The Number of Civilians Killed by Police on the Rise.

Special Report: Pentagon thwarts Obama's effort to close Guantanamo.

This Week in Racism

Cleveland Officer Will Not Face Charges in Tamir Rice Shooting Death.

White police are killing black kids: The cops get off, because the system protects the lives it values.

This Week in Hate Crimes

Since September, There Have Been 14 Assaults in Dallas' Gay Neighborhood.

This Week in Stupidity

Here Are 15 Of The Dumbest Things Said About The Queer Community In 2015. I had forgotten a bunch of these...

Farewells:

Robert Spitzer dies at 83; psychiatrist had homosexuality delisted as a disorder.

Things I wrote:

Weekend Update 12/26/2015: Boxing Day links.

Hokey Religions and Ancient Weapons – more of why I love sf/f.

Videos!

Panic! At The Disco: Death Of A Bachelor [OFFICIAL VIDEO]:



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A New Year's Wish:



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Giant squid guided back to sea by diver after swimming into Japanese harbour:



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Friday Links (Ho! Ho! Ho! edition)

Thank goodness it's Friday. And Christmas! Let this queer taoist wish you and yours a very, merry Christmas! And Happy Solstice! Joyful Kwanza! Happy Holidays!

I got all the presents wrapped last Friday before our big party. I finished my Christmas Ghost Story in the wee hours of the morning Saturday, and that night read the story while dressed as Grandfather Frost. My husband and I and a couple friends saw Star Wars: the Force Awakens on Sunday, and I've have a fun week of vacation, including a run down to see a bunch of the family. Given how grueling the previous two weeks at work had been, I'm really glad to have this time off this year!

Anyway, here are links to some of the interesting things I read on the web this week.

Link of the Week

I shared this web site earlier, but it deserves a repeat: Your Holiday Mom: OFFERING OUR LGBTQ YOUTH A VIRTUAL HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS.

This week in Geek

Winnipeg Free Press: Don't Ready the Comments?

'Tis the Season

Speaking to the Soul: Finding Stillness.

Where America's Christmas trees come from, in one map.

Lunch lady who was fired for giving a poor child a free meal offered job back.

The Real Reason for the Coffee Season.

The Only Holiday Decoration in the Florida Capitol Is a Rainbow Gay Pride Festivus Pole.

This week in Heart-wrenching

Why I Am Probably Going to Send the Drunk Driver Who Killed My Parents a Christmas Card: The 10th anniversary of my parents' death brings up many emotions. Hate isn't one of them.

A Christmas Themed Story. "No reindeer. No elves. I think you'll remember it though. You'll say "Safe Travels" and you'll mean it."

This Week in Diversity

Words that Need to Die in 2016.

6 Reasons Your Discomfort with They/Them Pronouns Reveals Unchecked Cis Privilege.

5 Ways Christian Privilege Shows Up During the Winter Holiday Season.

This week in Evil, Greedy People

Listen: whistleblower story that Marineland threatens to sue journalists for disclosing.

News for queers and our allies:

Scholarship Could Be Ray Of Hope For Rural LGBT Students.

My Day in Court.

Free Gay-Themed Holiday Indie Film: 'Red Lodge'.

US drops lifetime ban on gay men donating blood.

Obama Commemorates Fifth Anniversary Of 'Dont Ask, Don't Tell' Repeal.

Anti-Transgender Ballot Initiative Fails in California.

Science!

Astronomers Find New Object, Possible Super-Earth In Our Solar System.

Record heat hit East Coast on Christmas Eve.

HIV antibody curbs virus in trial: Dramatic reduction in circulating HIV produced in those not receiving antiviral drugs.

Science Fiction, Fantasy and Speculation!

How Bad Is the 1978 ‘Star Wars’ Holiday Special? (Even though I was around and a big fan when this aired, I refused to watch it, suspecting rightly that it would be awful)

George Lucas nearly wrote a perfect prequel trilogy. He just didn't notice.

Tales From The Four Color Closet: By The Force, Let Poe Dameron Be Gay.

TOLKIEN, THE FORCE AWAKENS, AND THE SADNESS OF EXPANDED UNIVERSES.

Culture war news:

Waivers Allowing Christian Schools To Ban LGBT Students Spike In 2015. Only two schools applied during the entire Bush administration, but 60 have applied in the last two years!

The Winner of The Stranger's Design a Christian Starbucks Cup Contest!

Most U.S. Christian groups grow more accepting of homosexuality. 54% of all U.S. Christians (including a majority of Evangelicals under the age of 35!)!

Atheist Display Will Force Removal of Nativity Scene. The headline is very misleading: the state allowed all groups to sign up for time periods when their holiday display will be up on public ground. This is the time period the Christian group signed up for, and their turn is now over, so the next group goes up.

Mennonite minister loses U.S. appeal of kidnapping case conviction. "...upheld the conviction of a Mennonite minister accused of helping a woman flee to Nicaragua with her daughter to evade court orders giving her former lesbian partner visitation rights."

Texas Gov. censors Bill of Rights; uses fake quotes and fraudulent history to claim atheists ‘promote ignorance and falsehood’.

Liberty Counsel: We Lost Every Legal Battle to Try to Stop Gay Rights, But Send More Money.

Home Arrests Texas Football Player Gets 20-Years In Prison For Killing Transgender…Girlfriend? [Video].

This Week in the Clown Car

Ted Cruz Vows To Break Up Historic Climate Change Agreement If Elected President.

Blood, Sweat and Trump.

Ted Cruz Can't Decide: Is Gay Marriage a Threat to Democracy, or Not a Priority?

Carson suggests campaign shake-up is coming.

Jeb Abandons Jeb! Trademark.

Donald Trump Signals Support for Vilest Anti-Gay ‘Religious Freedom’ Bill of Our Time: WATCH.

If Trump wins the nomination, prepare for the end of the conservative party. For the first time in a long time George Will has a couple of correct points. But his primary conclusion has a major flaw: the Democrats are the Conservative Party in the U.S., the Republicans are Radical Authoritarians, not Conservatives.

Back to Carson and Trump… and other ideal men!

Ronald Reagan’s Daughter Goes On Tirade Against GOP.

Marco Rubio Doesn't Like Being Called A Bigot For Acting Like A Bigot.

This week in Other Politics:

The Tunnel-drilling Machine Stuck Beneath Seattle for Two Years has Finally Moved--A Teeny Tiny Bit. The Real Test Will Be When the Machine Breaks Out of Its Access Pit and Into Seattle Soil Next Year..

The Justice Department just shut down a huge asset forfeiture program.

Many U.S. Citizens Will Have to Get a Passport to Fly Domestically. Only 22 states have complied with the post-9/11 Real ID act, and Homeland Security is starting to crack down.

The Thing The Atlantic Didn't Mention In Its Profile of Nick Hanauer.

Hillary Clinton Seizes on Donald Trump’s Remarks to Galvanize Women.

Farewells:

George Clayton Johnson, co-writer of Logan's Run and many science fiction TV scripts, has died.

Things I wrote:

Hang your stockings and say your prayers….

Past Christmas or Christmas Past?

Christmas Presence.

Not Yet Christmas.

Videos!

"All I Want For Christmas Is You" MUSIC VIDEO - Steve Grand:



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I Am NOT Black, You are NOT White:



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Bernie Sanders explains Trump's irrational reaction to learning that women go to the bathroom:



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Sean Hayes Gets a Sugar High and Lip Syncs Barbra Streisand’s ‘Jingle Bells’:

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Whitney Houston (and Bobbi Kristina) - Little Drummer Boy (HD):



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Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Ella Fitzgerald Jazz Collection:



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Billy Idol - 2007 - Winter Wonderland:



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The Christmas Can Can:



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Snoopy's Christmas:



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Friday Links (holiday frenzy edition)

Thank goodness it's Friday. Especially this Friday, because I'm on vacation now, and after the last few weeks I really, really need some time off! Christmas is only a week away, and even though I'm a gay taoist married to a bi wiccan, our house has a big tree covered with ornaments (this year lots of otters, seals, penguins, polar bears, mermen, and starfish) and lights. We're cooking today for a big holiday party we're hosting this weekend. And I'm still trying to finish my Christmas Ghost Story in time to read it at the party! Eek! And I have a gazillion presents yet to wrap. Where has the month gone?

Anyway, here are links to some of the interesting things I read on the web this week.

Link of the Week

The “War on Christmas” Cries Overshadow The Daily War On Christ—By Christians. 'Frankly, I’m tired of annual demands to “keep Christ in Christmas” by Christians who don’t seem particularly interested in keeping Christ in their Christianity the rest of the year (you know: caring for the poor, protecting the marginalized, alleviating suffering, shunning greed, championing equality). I think lots of people are.'

This week in Evil, Greedy People

The 4 worst patents of 2015.

Turing’s reviled Martin Shkreli arrested for alleged securities fraud. This is the jerk who bought a life-saving drug and raised the price 5000%...

How the Las Vegas Review-Journal broke news about its own sale.

This week in Topics Most People Can't Be Rational About

We Asked A Mass Shooter Why The Hell This Keeps Happening.

This week in Difficult to Classify

Atlantic Challenge: Four men, three legs and 3,000 miles.

The Elf on the Shelf is preparing your child to live in a future police state, professor warns. The article is from last year, and it isn't a crazy conspiracy, the academic paper referenced is talking about the very real psychological effects the Elf on the Shelf concept has on children. I thought they were creepy before...

Seattle's 4.5-Foot-Wide 'Spite House' Up For Sale.

News for queers and our allies:

Calgary parents update mom's tattoo to support their transgender son.

This is the story behind that weird gay Robert Dyas Christmas ad.

30 Moments That Made Us Proud In 2015.

LGBTQ: ‘There’s a Real Shift Happening’ in Christianity.

10 Superheroes Who Need to Come Out Right Now.

Happy News!

We Are Gay Atheists, and We Love Christmas.

Science!

Town rejects solar farm for many dumb reasons, including fear the solar panels are stealing energy from nearby trees and gardens.

DEBUNKING THE “CRIMINALS DON’T FOLLOW LAWS” MYTH 2.0: WHY GUN CONTROL WORKS. The problem, these studies show, isn’t that criminals don’t follow laws, but rather that criminals aren’t dissuaded by weak laws.

18 Hybrid Animals That Are Hard To Believe Actually Exist.

The ancestry of a 21st century multi-racial American family.

Butterflies remember a mountain that hasn't existed for millennia.

Debunking the myth that evolution can’t explain eyeballs.

Smithsonian Scientists Name New Species of Sperm Whale.

Could a Human Not in Our Species Still Exist?

Sail-Backed Dinosaur Fossil Found In Spain.

Science Fiction, Fantasy and Speculation!

Can we talk about Susan Pevensie for a moment?

And another take on the same thing (using the same quote for the title on the web page, but it is a different article) There comes a point where Susan, who was the older girl, is lost to Narnia because she becomes interested in lipstick..

The Quiet Gender Glass Ceiling in Fantasy.

C.S. Lewis Was a Secret Government Agent.

5 Things 'Star Wars' Fans Don't Understand About 'Star Wars'. A better title might have been: "You can love something while still understanding it's a product."

This week in Writing

Sad Puppies and The Goosebumps Rap: The Best and Worst Things to Happen to Literature in 2015.

ScrivenerVirgin Blog: Keeping track?

Red Pen is the home of writers who wish to polish their words ready for exposure to the world.

Writers--Give Yourselves a Break.

Culture war news:

Outrageous story about adopted baby taken from a lesbian couple and given to alleged child abusers.

Parishioners Terrified as Men Interrupt Catholic Masses by Shouting Religious Messages — and It’s All on Video. Note: these are Christians invading another Christian denomination's service and shouting this slogans.

Austinites turn out in droves for anti-gun 'mass farting' protest.

WTF????? Homeless Women and Children Booted by 'Christian' from Shelter to Keep Them From 'Tempting' Men.

Border Agents Detain U.S. Citizen For 3 Hours For Sketching In Her Notebook.

Unbelief As A Belief System: Core Tenet For Christians' Fight For Religious Rights.

This Week in the Clown Car

Trump's brazen rhetoric and willingness to run as an independent may be proof that he was bullshitting us all along.

Finished: Fiorina Iowa Town Hall Event Draws Only 14 People.

Trump Audience Member Yells Nazi Salute as Protester Removed From Las Vegas Rally.

Donald Trump supporter wants to burn a black man alive: “Light the motherf**ker on fire”. And Trump was egging the crowd on...

FACT CHECK: Do Tax Cuts Grow The Economy?

This week in Other Politics:

Deconstructing Israel's "Self-Defense" Claim and Its Campaign Against the ICC.

You’re more likely to be fatally crushed by furniture than killed by a terrorist.

This Week in Racism

White America’s toxic ignorance: Abigail Fisher, Antonin Scalia and the real privilege that goes unspoken.

Things I wrote:

Weekend update 12/12/2015: Man(un-)splainin’.

Getting nerdy as f— about things we love.

Of course Han shot first!

Videos!

Alton Brown reviews Amazon's dumbest kitchen gadgets (a lot of people have been sharing this, many arguing with it; I figure I have no room to criticize other people because I have owned numerous unitaskers: coffee maker, coffee grinder, krumkake iron, waffle iron, and so to a lot of people...):



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BEST NEWS BLOOPERS 2015 (I won't point out that we still have a few weeks of the year to go...):



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The Christmas Song with BLAKE and Dame Shirley Bassey:



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Santa Baby - Christmas Charity Single - Out of the Blue:



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Friday Links (epic trolling edition)

Thank goodness it's Friday. Even if I'm not really ready for the year to nearly be over! I'm certainly ready for this week to be over. Or at least for the last remnants of this cold to go away...

Anyway, Decorating Season is in full swing, and we're counting down days until Christmas. We're still behind, but making progress. I'm trying not to panic about my Christmas Ghost Story. But, meanwhile here are links to some of the interesting things I read on the web this week.

Link of the Week

The absolutely epic trolling letter Jeb Bush’s leadership PAC sent to Donald Trump’s lawyer. Seriously, this thing is hilarious!

This week in Geek

Dictionary.com chooses word of the year.

This Week in Diversity

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT BIRACIAL BLACKNESS.

15 things I learnt about Islam and British values being a gay boy living opposite a mosque.

News for queers and our allies:

I Can't Keep My Gay Kid Safe.

RainbowMan: Of Blackmail, Section 377 and Being Sexual Beings.

Carol and What It Was Really Like to Be a Lesbian in the 1950s.

Gay Superhero Joey Joins The Team On “Marvel’s Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

No Reason to Exclude Transgender Medical Care.

Family of former Victoria Police officer says homophobia contributed to suicide.

'No, seeing a transgender person is not a reason to call the police,' writes the American Civil Liberties Union.

Happy News!

There are more museums in the U.S. than there are Starbucks and McDonalds – combined.

Science!

Why Are There Gay Men?

Study: Homophobes May Be Hidden Homosexuals. I know this is nothing new, but it's yet another study confirming previous results.

The Bugs in Our Mindware - Many obstacles lie on the path to rational thought.

Fly Over Pluto’s Craters, Mountains, and Plains … at 80 Meters Resolution!

Concussion expert says children shouldn't play football until they turn 18.

Am I Just Not Attractive Enough To Date?

Science Says It’s More Than How You Look that Makes You Attractive.

‘tis the Seasoning: Bright Spots on Ceres Are Very Probably Salt.

“Resurrection plants” could offer hope as climate change decimates crops.

Fit to burst: Black holes can’t gobble up more than 50bn suns, scientist says.

Magician to Scientists: Don't Assume Infallibility.

Novel Chemical 'Washes Away' Alzheimer's Plaque in Mice.

Surprise: School That Is Tolerant of Anti-Vaxxers Suffers Massive Chickenpox Outbreak.

Shocking Maps Show How Bad U.S. Sex Ed Is.

Science Fiction, Fantasy and Speculation!

The case for Hayley Atwell to star in 'Doctor Who'.

Best science fiction and fantasy books of 2015.

How Isaac Asimov Went from Star Trek Critic to Star Trek Fan & Advisor.

Newly discovered WEB Du Bois science fiction story reveals more Afrofuturist history.

'X-Men' Star Shawn Ashmore Wants To Play Iceman As Gay. The character finally came out in the comics...

This week in Writing

FOREIGNERS, ACCENTS AND BROKEN ENGLISH.

Culture war news:

What Happened to Bullying?

These Pranksters Read Bible Passages to People, Telling Them It Was the Qur’an; They Were Shocked.

Human rights victory bittersweet, say parents of Toronto transgender boy.

Charlotte attorneys challenge law that allows magistrates to avoid performing same-sex marriages.

District 211 keeps deal on transgender student after heated debate.

Dear Media: Stop Using the Term 'Radicalized' Unless You Apply It to White Christian Extremists, Too.

Colorado Clerk’s Anti-Gay Marriage Sign Condemns Those Who “Choose to Violate God’s Written Word.”

Australia: God's warriors are locked in a barbaric, futile battle against marriage equality.

This Week in the Clown Car

Rubio: No-Fly List 'Shouldn't Be Used As Tool To Impede 700K' From Getting Guns. He's right, but for the wrong reasons.

After Making Enemies, Ted Cruz Tries to Make Friends.

Trump calls for ‘total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States’.

The Latest Embarrassing GOP Attacks on Climate Change Science.

Trump Supporter Busted For Lying On CNN About Her Own (R) Political Career.

GOP preparing for contested convention.

White supremacist groups see Trump bump: 'He has sparked an insurgency,' Stormfront founder says.

Members Of Donald Trump’s Christian Denomination Are Trying To See If They Can Kick Him Out.

This week in Other Politics:

Obama Offers Honest Words About Hard Truths: The president doesn’t have any magic solutions for defeating ISIS. And neither does anyone else.

This Week in Racism

Trump's Anti-Muslim Rants Undermine the Foundational Principles of American Democracy, And I'm Taking it Personally.

When a Mass Killer Is a White Christian, He's a Lone Lunatic, but When He's Muslim, He Represents All Muslims: The Logic of Prejudice and How It Works.

Scalia: Affirmative Action Sends Blacks To Schools Too Advanced For Them.

Farewells:

Transgender Warhol Superstar Holly Woodlawn Dies at 69.

Holly Woodlawn was a transgender inspiration. We mustn’t forget her achievements.

Are You Being Served? actor Nicholas Smith dies aged 81.

Things I wrote:

Making a list and checking it….

On our third anniversary….

Presents under the tree.

Videos!

Undies & Onesies: Holiday Spectacular (w/ CoCo Peru):



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Stephen Reveals How To Defeat ISIS:



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Macy Gray - All I Want For Christmas (Lyric Video):



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Phoenix - Alone on Christmas Day:



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Long Lost track: The Beach Boys - Alone On Christmas Day / 1977 Outtake (Correct Speed) Mike Love:



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Friday Links (British dessert edition)

Thank goodness it's Friday. Wait... is it really the first Friday in December? The year is nearly over? Oh, wow!

Anyway, Decorating Season is in full swing, and we're counting down days until Christmas and I spent a gazillion hours working on two novels last month, and no time working on my annual Christmas Ghost Story, so I'm just in another world of panic, here. But, meanwhile here are links to some of the interesting things I read on the web this week.

Link of the Week

C.S. LEWIS’ GREATEST FICTION: CONVINCING AMERICAN KIDS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TURKISH DELIGHT.

This Week in Food

British desserts, explained for Americans confused by the Great British Baking Show.

This Week in Diversity

The False Promise of Meritocracy.

Clementine Ford: Why I reported hotel supervisor Michael Nolan's abusive comment to his employer.

This week in Topics Most People Can't Be Rational About

Most Americans want gun owners, but not Muslims, to submit to a government registry.

KING: How would the U.S. react if the Planned Parenthood shooter was not a white male?

Sorry, Fox News, Pretty Sure Domestic Terrorism Was Already Political.

This week in Difficult to Classify

Indianapolis woman's car exploded twice in three months in suspected bombing attacks .

Retailers That Forced Employees To Work Thanksgiving Experienced Disappointing Sales.

Man held at Guantánamo for 13 years a case of mistaken identity, say officials.

This week in Heart-wrenching

Japan to kill 333 whales “for science” despite UN court ruling.

News for queers and our allies:

U.S. Marine found guilty of killing transgender woman in Philippines.

Mom of Transgender Child Says She Was 'Obsessed with Death' Before Her Transition.

What It's Like To Be a Gay Little Person.

These two gay divers have dated and supported each other since the U.S. Championships.

The Dishonest Dodge From Dominionists.

Imperial Court marks 50 years of outreach, activism.

These Federally Funded Religious Schools Received Title IX Waivers to Discriminate Against LGBT Students.

Science!

Cosmic Cryptology.

60 Years Ago Today: The Day a Meteorite Hit Ann Hodges.

Science Guy Bill Nye’s radically simple blueprint for ending climate change.

The last stand of the climate change deniers.

Two-Thirds Of Americans Want Binding Deal At Climate Change Conference In Paris.

Scientist have discovered new clues about the earliest known Americans.

MARS TO TRADE ITS MOON PHOBOS FOR A RING.

Apollo 16 Booster Crash Site Reportedly Located on Moon.

The little-known world of endangered plant poaching.

Science Fiction, Fantasy and Speculation!

AN OPEN LETTER TO J.J. ABRAMS.

characters for an epic tale UPDATED now with bunnies!.

No, J J Abrams – Star Wars was never “a boy’s thing.”

Marvel’s First Lesbian Tells All: Carrie-Anne Moss on Leaving ‘The Matrix’ with ‘Jessica Jones’.

Some Thoughts on Jessica Jones.

Gollancz Signs Stephen Baxter to Write Sequel to H.G. Wells’ THE WAR OF THE WORLDS. As one person commented: when you're a straight white man of a particular class and you write fanfic, it's called "art."

Another Word: On Reading, Writing, and the Classics.

Peter Jackson to Turkish court: Smeagol and Gollum are not the same.

This week in Geek

Here's How Much Data The Internet Generates In Just One Minute.

This week in Writing

Say what you mean….

Five Ray Bradbury Stories That Tell Us Everything We Need to Know About Writing.

The Real Reason We Need to Stop Trying to Protect Everyone’s Feelings.

Culture war news:

Antigay Activists Are Running Out Of Homophobic Places To Holiday Shop.

The right’s destructive anti-choice propaganda war: Why it’s time to fight back & how we can do it.

New York Times Decides Not To Use the Word 'Gentle' To Describe the Planned Parenthood Shooter, After All.

"Gentle loner" or "rabble-rouser"? Just don't call them terrorists.

The Terrorists Among Us: Forget Syria. The most dangerous religious extremists are migrants from North and South Carolina.

Rachel Maddow delivers a somber history of abortion clinic terror attacks in the U.S..

Why providing health care to women is dangerous.

Wisconsin School Cancels Book Reading About Transgender Teen After Lawsuit Threat.

Man arrested near hospital after he threatened to shoot surviving Planned Parenthood attack victim.

The other mass shooting that happened Wednesday in the United States.

This Week in the Clown Car

Senator Reid Blasts Trumpification Of GOP: Republicans Have Turned To The Politics Of Hatred.

Jeb’s new Iraq war: Continuing the family tradition of bloody Middle East quagmires.

Donald Trump May Not Be a Fascist, But He is Leading Us Merrily Down That Path.

New Indictment Renews Charges Against Ex-Ron Paul Aides.

Trump boasted about endorsement from 100 Black pastors for days. In the end, he got only one.

Republican Candidates, Emboldened by Trump, Are Telling Bigger Fibs than Ever.

Rubio’s slippery obfuscation: It’s becoming impossible to know what he really believes: On several different issues, Marco Rubio believes all things, and nothing, at the same time.

This week in Other Politics:

The Republican Donor Class Is Abandoning Its Opposition to Gay Rights. Will the Base?

Things I wrote:

Weekend Update 11/29/2015: You’re kidding me, right?

To absent friends….

Editing is not about understanding the semi-colon and similar arcana.

Grandma’s houses… and other things.

Videos!

[Official Video] That’s Christmas To Me - Pentatonix:



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Joy to the World Motown Christmas Cover ft Von Smith & Tambourine Guy:



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!!! - And Anyway It's Christmas:



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