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  • The omicron variant appears to be spreading "more than twice as quickly as Delta" in South Africa, according to scientists.
  • Also in COVID news, hospitals in upstate NY are being overwhelmed once again by new cases: "We are finding ourselves in a situation where the lack of staffing in the broader community, and in the hospital, is just creating a perfect storm.”
  • Here's a terrifying article about how Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to "reestablish a World War II-era civilian military force that he, not the Pentagon, would control."
  • It's not quite as good as the SnOasis story from last weekend, but some people were trapped inside an Ikea during a snowstorm in Denmark, and they made themselves comfy by sleeping in display beds.
  • Vox wrote a very relatable piece about how Americans’ "excessive and unpredictable work schedules are making us lonely, self-centered, and powerless."
  • The parents of the 15-year-old accused of killing four classmates in Michigan this week have been charged with involuntary manslaughter after they allegedly ignored warnings about their son and allowed him access to their gun—but police can't find them, though their lawyer says they just left town “for their own safety” and aren't fleeing.
  • There are new rules restricting costumed characters in Times Square going into effect, but comedy club vendors and CD sellers say they feel targeted as well.
  • 😂 was the most popular emoji 🤠of 2021, but in my heart ❤️, it was 🙃.
  • HAIM updated Adam Sandler's "The Chanukah Song" for 2021 with references to Maya Rudolph, the Dessners, Japanese Breakfast, Dan & Eugene Levy, and more.
  • Not a huge amount of new music for New Music Friday, but a couple recent releases or reissues I wanted to highlight: The National released their first new song in quite awhile, "Somebody Desperate." David Bowie's estate released the Brilliant Adventure box set covering his wild '90s era, and it included the really fun unreleased album Toy. R.A.P. Ferreira dropped The Light Emitting Diamond Cutter Scriptures. And Rosali released the very good No Medium earlier this year, which is an album I only just caught up on.
  • And finally, end your week with some puppy pool time: