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Gardening for the Mind and Spirit
By Mark McNease
One of the things I’ve been proudest of achieving since we moved to our little house in rural New Jersey six years ago is setting up our raised-bed garden. It felt almost like an artwork, but a living one. It’s getting a little worn-down now, but we have at least one more year of a bountiful tomato, squash, zucchini, and (this year) lettuce harvest. I may tear it down and start over next year … or not. I’ll let nature and my own ambition tell me what to do next spring.
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The Weekly Readlines July 5
Quotes for the Week: “If any Arizonan believes that they have been the victim of discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), national origin, or ancestry in a place of public accommodation, they should file a complaint with my office. I will continue to enforce Arizona’s public accommodation law to its fullest extent.”
– Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes
“The court is part of a gang of reactionaries clawing back rights we already won, which means we can win them back.”
– Rebecca Solnit, on the current Supreme Court majority.
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
Civil rights groups sue Harvard to end affirmative action for kids of rich white alumni.
Cocaine was found in the White House, possibly left behind by Trump family or Hunter Biden, depending on your political affiliation.
And this July 3 was the hottest day ever recorded. Climate change? What climate change?
LGBTQ NEWS
Arizona AG Kris Mayes Tells Supreme Court To Take Their Discrimination Elsewhere
DailyKosGovernor Expands Spending Benchmarks to LGBT, Disability-Owned Businesses
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Video Trailer for ‘I, Warlock’ Drops Today! Book Arrives in July
I’m just about two weeks away from publishing the new book. So exciting! This video says it all, and there will be three books in the series.
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The Twist Podcast #231: SCOTUS Gone Wild, Food Mashups, a Guest Listicle, and an Interview with Actor and Comedian Jason Stuart
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we consider the Supreme Court’s recent flame throwing, debate what to call a ketchup mustard hybrid, and enjoy an interview with actor and comedian Jason Stuart.
JASON STUART is a prolific character actor & stand-up comic. Born in the Bronx and raised in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles, and now residing in Palm Springs and lives next door to his 85 year old Jewish mother Gloria, but does not live with her! Stuart is a self-described insecure Jewish kid who turned to theatre and performing to mask his emerging sexual identity. He confesses, “Barbra Streisand in “Funny Girl” saved my life”.
Hollywood began to take notice by casting him in films like “Kindergarten Cop,” “Vegas Vacation,” and TV shows like “The Closer” and “My Wife & Kids.” Frustrated by years of living in the closet, Jason chose to come out publicly on an infamous episode of Geraldo Rivera focused on “Unconventional Comedians.” He went on to guesting on shows as “Goliath” opposite J.K. Simmons, “Love” from comedy guru Judd Apatow, and indie films like “Tangerine” from filmmaker Sean Baker and “Love is Strange” opposite John Lithgow and Alfred Molina.
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Savvy Senior: Best Meal Delivery Services for Seniors Who Don’t Cook
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
Can you recommend some good healthy meal delivery options for seniors who don’t cook or get out much? My 80-year-old father, who lives alone, has a terrible diet and I worry about his health.
Concerned Daughter
Dear Concerned,
There are actually a wide variety healthy meal delivery options that can help non-cooking seniors who live at home. Here are several top options to check into.
Community-Based Programs
A good place to start, is to find out if there’s a senior home delivery meal program in your dad’s area. Meals on Wheels is the largest program that most people are familiar with, but many communities offer senior meal delivery programs sponsored by other organizations that go by different names.
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The Weekly Readlines Special Edition July 2: SCOTUS Turns the Clock Back
The Weekly Readlines (rhymes with headlines) is a round with news you can use every week. Today’s special edition is brought to you by a house on fire.
Quote for the Week: “The logic would be amusing if it weren’t so embarrassing.” – Justice Sotomayor, scorching Gorsuch in her dissent in the LGBTQ discrimination case.
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIESSCOTUS took a blow torch to freedom at the end of its term, slicing and dicing 50 years of affirmative action, gut-punching Bidens student debt relief effort, and greenlighting anti-LGBTQ discrimination as the cherry of top of their hate fudge sundae.
LGBTQ NEWSMoms for Liberty’s Conference Infiltrated by Activists Calling Out Its Hate
Advocate.comHouse Democrats organize against anti-trans bills across U.S. – Axios
AxiosLGBT Support Makes Good Economic Sense
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Cat Talk Radio with Molly DeVoss and Co-host Dewey Vaughn: How do you teach Animal Welfare?
A listener wrote in about her community and their lack of respect for animal welfare – especially to the community cats. She asked how do we raise awareness so that people treat their animals correctly and abide by the law? Great question and some good banter about this topic.
Cat Talk Radio is all about cats, what makes them do what they do, why they occasionally misbehave and what cat guardians can do to fix it. We educate you on how to modify unwanted cat behavior by providing the proper environment and stimulation, enabling cats to express their natural behaviors in ways that are preferable for both the humans and cats. You will learn how to have fun with your cat, fascinating cat facts and be inspired to try new things, which will lead to a happier relationship and closer bond with your cat. We’ll also call attention to the plight of cats in our country, feel compassion for their challenges and share the message.
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Fun New Video Promo for LGBTSr!
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So What’s All This About AI?
By Mark McNease
This seems like a good time to address our most recent bogeyman, or should I say bogeyrobot? AI (artificial intelligence) is all the rage these days, with a great deal of misunderstanding and fear around it. Like every new technology – and AI isn’t really new at all – it can be used for nefarious purposes, such as impersonating people, their voices and images in service to someone’s agenda, and it can be used for the good in innumerable ways.
When we ask Alexa or Siri or Google to research something, we are essentially using AI. The technologies in our cars are reliant on forms of AI. It is, frankly, already pervasive in our lives and has been for a long time, and it will only increase. Autocorrect. GPS. Word suggestions when we type. Algorithms everywhere. These are all forms of AI, and we’ve gotten used to them. We will get used to its other, newer, forms too. It’s all about adapting and, for me, embracing these new technologies.
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Savvy Senior: How to Locate Interesting Volunteer Opportunities in Your Area
By Jim Miller
Savvy Senior
Dear Savvy Senior,
Can you recommend some good organizations or websites for locating interesting volunteer opportunities? I’ve been doing some volunteer work since I retired last year, but most of the jobs I’ve tried haven’t been very fun or satisfying.
Retired Volunteer
Dear Retired,
For many retirees, finding a volunteer opportunity that meets your interests, utilizes your talents and fits your availability can be challenging. To help you find some interesting and satisfying volunteer opportunities, here are some tips and online tools that can help you search.
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Mark McNease Mysteries Podcast #65: Kill Switch: A Kyle Callahan Mystery (Chapters 31 – 41)
Fasten your headphones for the final ten chapters of Kill Switch: A Kyle Callahan Mystery. This was perhaps the darkest book in the series, in terms of its psychology. Kyle and his friend, retired homicide detective Linda Sikorsky, solve the cold case of a murdered teenage girl. As they reveal the truth, they bring answers to her grieving father, even as they bring down the New York City District Attorney. The shock waves will reverberate in the city for years to come.
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The Twist Podcast #230: SCOTUS Two for One Sale, Golf Grifting in the Governor’s Mansion, and a Guest Interview with Herbie J Pilato
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we combine our pennies for the next Supreme Court sale, offer DeSantis a mulligan for his golf payola, and enjoy Rick’s interview with the marvelous Herbie J Pilato.
Enjoy The Twist on Libsyn, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and TheTwistPodcast.com.
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