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The Twist Podcast #292: Garden Goodness, Peanut Butter Possibilities, and an Interview with Filmmaker Dasha Brown
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we make the most of a dying empire, calculate the number of peanuts in a jar, and enjoy Rick’s interview with filmmaker Dasha Brown.
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Podcast Pick: Where Do Gays Retire, with Host Mark Goldstein – Why Nice, France is the Ultimate LGBTQ Destination With Jameson Farn
From the Where Do Gays Retire Podcast
In an insightful episode of Where Do Gays Retire, hosts Mark Goldstein and Jameson Farn delve into the enchanting world of Nice, France, and what it has to offer those in the LGBTQ community considering retirement. Farn, a seasoned resident and expert on the French Riviera, shares his journey and the reasons behind his long-standing love affair with this picturesque city. The discussion revolves around the unique blend of culture, safety, and community that Nice provides, making it a top choice for those seeking a welcoming environment in which to spend their golden years. Listeners are treated to a vivid description of the region’s stunning landscapes, vibrant nightlife, and the rich cultural experiences easily accessible in and around Nice.
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April Showers Bring May Workshops! Fiction Writing Essentials at the Grundy Library (Bristol, PA) – May 3
May 3 is just around the corner! It’s a busy workshop month for me, kicking off with Fiction Writing Essentials in Bristol, PA. Support your lo
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This Week’s Survey: Book Preferences – Virtual or Real Deal?
This week’s survey: How do you prefer your books? eBook, hardback/paperback, or sound surround? Weigh in with just a click.
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Savvy Senior: How to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft Scams
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
I am very concerned about Elon Musk and the so-called DOGE team getting access to my Social Security number and personal financial information through their government office raids. What can I personally do to help protect myself from this identity theft mess?
Worried Senior
Dear Worried,
It’s a great question! I’ve been hearing from many older readers around the country that are deeply troubled by the news that the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been granted access to millions of Americans’ Social Security records that include highly sensitive personal information.
The major concern among data privacy experts is what could happen if your Social Security number, bank account information or tax records somehow gets leaked or breeched in all the data shuffling. If your information gets in the wrong hands it could lead to identity theft, which means scammers could use your personal information to open credit card accounts, bank accounts, telephone service accounts, and make major purchases – all in your name.
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Health Beat: Bifocals Versus Progressive Lenses – Understanding Your Options for Vision Correction
Health Beat is a feature at LGBTSr highlighting health and wellness.
I recently had a regular eye exam. I knew my vision was getting slightly blurrier. It was impossible not to notice, since I spend a good three hours or more at my desk every day, between writing fiction, maintaining websites, and all the other things I’m doing in front of a computer screen. However, I’m also aware of being on a semi-fixed income: Social Security is about 80 percent of my income, with the rest coming from book royalties and writing workshops.
The question for me this time was: bifocals (the kind with a line across the lens), or another pair of progressives. The price difference is significant. My eye insurance covers some of it, and I knew bifocals were the more affordable option. So that’s what I got!
I don’t know yet if I regret not getting progressive lenses. Having spent $200 out of pocket for the bifocals, I’m determined to get used to them, but the difference is pronounced. Here are some things to think about.
What Are Bifocals?
Bifocal lenses have been a staple in vision correction for years. They feature two distinct optical zones: the upper portion for distance vision and the lower part for reading. This clear division is usually marked by a visible line separating the two segments, which is why bifocals are often referred to as “line bifocals.” Mine are for reading only, so the upper portion is set for reading a computer screen at somewhat of a distance, and the lower portion is for reading close-up text, such as a smart phone or book
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The Weekly Readlines April 20 (and a Weekly Readlines Survey
Let us know if you like The Weekly Readlines arriving in your virtual mailbox every week. Our imaginary reporters and one tireless editor would like to know. I’ll be adding more surveys in the coming weeks and even having some fun with them! – Mark
QUOTE:
“It is not for nothing that among the accusations listed in the Declaration of Independence is the charge that the king is guilty of “transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended Offences.”
– Jamelle Bouis, New York Times
From the Editor’s Desk: The cruelty and vengeance of the Trump regime is matched only by its incompetence. A week after trying to slap Harvard around and having the nation’s richest university slap back, the regime now claims it was all a misunderstanding. The lesson for all of the universities, law firms, media and others who have genuflected before the mad king is that when a thug wants your lunch money and you tell him no, he’ll walk away empty handed.
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S STOP STORIES
Sen. Chris Van Hollen Meets With Kidnap Victim In El Salvador
Finally a leaderHeckler Gets Taser Treatment at Marjorie Taylor Green Townhall
Political violence as entertainmentTrump Administration’s FEMA Cuts Off North Carolina Aid
Didn’t those folks vote for this? Dry my tearsHungary Passes Constitutional Amendment To Ban LGBTQ Public Events – NBC News
Coming to an America near youU.S. AND BEYOND
LGBT Community Center in Sacramento struggles amid federal budget cuts – YouTube
‘We Are All Afraid’: Murkowski Says Fear Of Retaliation From Trump Administration Is ‘Real’
The Bright Side: Mongolian LGBTQ Youth Use Art To Fight For Recognition – France 24
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Book Review: Books On Current Events (Various Authors)
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm SexBooks on Current Events by various authors
c.2025, various publishers $28 – $30 various page countsThe world seems to be moving at lightning speed.
You can hardly keep up with work and family, so current events sometimes goes on the back burner – which is why you need these great books on things that are relevant to your life now, today…
So you say that you simply cannot understand the politics of those on the other side of the debate. In “What We Value” The Neuroscience of Choice & Change” by Emily Falk (W.W. Norton, $29.99), you’ll see what goes into our thinking.
How can we know what choice is right? And if we pick wrong, why is it so darn hard to change? Read this fascinating book and see how your brain and your experiences affect who you are and how you make decisions, which will also offer insight on others’ thought processes. This is a gentle book with a path to compassion.
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Survey Says! Coming Soon to LGBTSr
Let us know if you like The Weekly Readlines arriving in your virtual mailbox every week. Our imaginary reporters and one tireless editor would like to know.
I’ll be adding more surveys in the coming weeks and even having some fun with them! It will go out with the weekly email and hopefully make opening it a bit of a surprise. And they’ll get more complicated as time goes on. For now I’ll be coming up with some simple multiple-choicers.
Joan Crawford or Bette Davis?
– Joan
– Bette
– An impossible choice
– Before my timeEventually I’ll make my way up to the 12st century. – Mark
I’ll also include these with my weekly Substack, Mark McNease on Topic. SUBSCRIBE HERE.
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Savvy Senior: Where Solo Agers Can Find Help
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
I’m a divorced 68-year-old childless cat lady and have been thinking a lot lately about who will look after me when I get older and my health falters. What resources are available to solo seniors like me, and where can I turn to find a reliable person to be my emergency contact, as well as lookout for my health, financial matters and living arrangements in my elder years?
Solo Ager
Dear Solo,
This is a very common concern for the 22 million solo agers across the United States who don’t have adult children or other family they can depend on to watch out for their well-being. Here are some tips and resources that can help you plan ahead.
Choosing Helpers & Decision Makers
While older adults who have children or are married usually name offspring or spouses as proxies/decision makers, solo agers most often choose a sibling, niece or nephew, or rely on a trusted friend or neighbor. Whomever you choose, talk to them first to make sure they’re up for the task.
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The Twist Podcast #291: Taser Treats, Vanishing Venezuelans, and an Interview with Madison’s Own Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we wade knee-deep in the MAGA madness, defend the Constitution, and enjoy Rick’s interview with Madison City Council’s Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford.
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The Weekly Readlines April 12
From the Editor’s Desk: Not long ago, when people said, “It can’t happen here,” we believed it. But now it sounds like parents telling their children there’s nothing under the bed just before a claw reaches up and pulls them under. That sound you hear is the crunching of their bones. It can happen here, and it is happening here. The police state has arrived. The American Stasi now abducts people off the street for their ideas, and uses the labels of sympathizer, terrorist or just gang member to obliterate their Constitutional rights. Meanwhile, for most of us our daily lives look normal, as if none of this is happening to us. But it is. All it takes now is calling us gang members, and we will vanish. We will be herded into psychological detention centers, if not literal ones, relegated to pockets of passivity while the United States as a country we recognize is obliterated. Take your pictures now. – Mark
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S STOP STORIES
Trump Tanks World Economy, Cashes In, Tanks It Again
A child this destructive would be sent to a reformatoryCDC’s Cruise Ship Inspectors Laid Off Amid Bad Year For Outbreaks
Washy washy! Bonus points if you know what that meansState Dept Launches “Anti-Christian Bias” Snitch Line
Snitches and witches everywhere nowSocial Security Admin Will Only Communicate with the Public on X
The agency has been taken hostage and no witnesses will be left alive