-
The Twist Podcast #289: American Gulag, Stuffed Pretzel Logic, and The Twist Goes Bi (Weekly) Through Summer
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we model the latest in detention chic, rave about stuffed pretzels, and come out as biweekly through the summer.
-
While You Wait: A Video Trailer for ‘Night Flight to Murder Town: A Marshall James Thriller (Book 4)’
After a long wait, ‘Night Flight to Murder Town: A Marshall James Thriller (Book 4)‘ is about to hit the runway. I’m just waiting for edits and a final polish, and then … liftoff!
It’s 1992 and Marshall has siezed an opportunity to get out of Los Angeles. After ten years in Hollywood and too many close calls with killers and cops, including the love of his life, LAPD Homicide Detective Mac McElroy, he boards a night flight to New York City. He expects a new life away from the ghost town that L.A. had become after AIDS laid waste to it. He lands in NYC only to discover, in his words, that “Death beat me to town on the red-eye.”
Money landering, high-profile criminals, drugs, the Chinese mafia, and a murder or two bring it all back in this fourth book in the series. But will it be his final curtain call? Stay tuned … releasing in April, 2025.
-
The Weekly Readlines February 23
From the Editor’s Desk:
“And now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revelers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall.” – Edgar Allan Poe, The Masque of the Red Death
And just like that, America has a king. Don’t take my word for it. Donald Trump coronated himself, to the delight of millions who can now admit openly that democracy is on life support and they’re yanking out the plug. The upside: we can stop pretending they’re not all fascists to the core, making the deaths of everyone who fought and died for this country meaningless.
And since you won’t read about it pretty much anywhere …an 11-year-old took her own life after classmates threatened to call ICE on her family. She deserves to be remembered long after Trump has returned to the bowels of hell.
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S STOP STORIES
Top Social Security Official Steps Down After Disagreement With DOGE Over Sensitive Data
Trump Delivers For Putin On Ukraine
Don’t Say Gay Comes To Kennedy Center With Multiple Cancelations
-
The Twist Podcast #287: Mad King Donald, Death Becomes the Tonys, and Another Rick Rose Interview
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we say goodbye to democracy, sing the praises of Broadway’s ‘Death Becomes Her,’ and listen to a great Rick Rose interview with Brett Malone. -
Savvy Senior: How Much Do You Have to Make to File Taxes in 2025?
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
What can you tell me about the IRS income tax filing requirements for retirees this tax season? My earned income stopped when I retired last March, so I’m wondering if I need to file a tax return this year.
Retired in 2024
Dear Retired,
Whether or not you are required to file a federal income tax return this year will depend on how much you earned last year, as well as the source of the income, your age and filing status.
Here’s a rundown of this tax season’s IRS tax filing requirement thresholds.
For most people, this is pretty straightforward. If your 2024 gross income – which includes all taxable income, not counting your Social Security benefits unless you are married and filing separately – was below the threshold for your filing status and age, you probably won’t have to file. But if it’s over, you will.
- Single: $14,600 ($16,550 if you’re 65 or older by Jan. 1, 2024).
- Married filing jointly: $29,200 ($30,750 if you or your spouse is 65 or older; or $32,300 if you’re both over 65).
- Married filing separately: $5 at any age.
- Head of household: $21,900 ($23,850 if 65 or older).
- Qualifying surviving spouse: $29,200 ($30,750 if 65 or older).
To get a detailed breakdown on federal filing requirements, along with information on taxable and nontaxable income, call the IRS at 800-829-3676 and ask them to mail you a free copy of the “1040 and 1040-SR Instructions for Tax Year 2024,” or you can see it online at IRS.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1040gi.pdf.
-
Speaking of Testimonials: A Few More ‘What They’re Saying’ From the Latest Workshop
From the most recent 2 hour autobiographical writing workshop:
“I had a blast! Mr. McNease’s workshop was a revelation. His ability to quickly break through writer’s inhibition and get you to simply write is refreshing. He quickly set my mind at ease! Highly recommend him.” – Al
“I thoroughly enjoyed your workshop for Guided Autobiography. The exercises were fun, and I enjoyed sharing with others in the group. I came away feeling less daunted about this sort of writing. It does not have to be a huge work. It can be fun and entertaining, a way to tell stories about life, that in the telling may unearth new thoughts and perspectives.” – Val
-
Another Workshop, Another Success
I conducted another 2 hour autobiographical writing workshop and they loved it! I’d donated this to the Uniteraian Universalist auction held several months ago for our congregation. It was at our friend Doris’s house. Our other friend Kathi, who only comes to visit once a year, was completely surprised: she had no idea we were doing this, and I even doubly suprised her by saying I was meeting with a client and had to go out for awhile when in fact I went to Doris’s house to prepare.
I keep getting very positive feedback on the workshops and my ability as a facilitator. My third (or fourth or fifth) act is going very well.
-
The Weekly Readlines February 16
From the Editor’s Desk:
Photo: the late Sylvia Rivera
The beauty of battle scars
You may know by now that the ‘T’ was removed from LGBT on the Stonewall Monument’s web page (surely they will rescind its designation altogether soon). I met Sylvia Rivera before her death. I interviewed her. We attended the same church, MCC New York, whose pastor, Rev. Pat Bumgardner, married me and my husband. Sylvia was the trans activist who was at Stonewall, along with others. She was a bottle-thrower and a fire starter. The idea that our progress, now under attack, happened without transgender people is a lie, and the hope some of us have that we’ll be spared without the ‘T’ is delusional. They are coming for us all, even if it’s one letter at a time. Throwing anyone under the bus will only get you crushed by the wheels.
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
In this continuing nightmare …
Trump Cabinet picks continued to be confirmed, one horrible nominee at a time.
The Trump administration continued to do Putin’s bidding, much to the delight of the Kremlin.
-
The Twist Podcast #286: Kennedy Center DOA, Apocalyptic Fun Facts, and a New Rick Rose Interview
Join Mark and Rick as we throw a rose on the grave of the Kennedy Center, serve up some fun facts about the apocalypse, and listen to Rick’s interview with Sowan Weaver.
-
The Weekly Readlines February 8
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
And just like that … the Kennedy Center gets knifed
We will be Hungary very soon at this rate. Trump claims he has fired most of the board of the Kennedy Center and is naming himself Chairman. None of this is legal, of course. Most of what they are doing it not legal, but in this new grotesque version of America, will we finally accept that ‘legal’ doesn’t mean anything to Trump and the architects of Project 2025? Nothing at all! I am weary of reading that ‘it’s not legal’ as if that is any reassurance. The rule of law is for suckers. It seems my late father fought in Germany for absolutely nothing.
LGBTQ
Impact Of Mass Deportations On LGBT People – Williams Institute – UCLA
The Hidden History Of Trans Health Care – Mother Jones
‘I Worry For Myself.’ Hundreds Debate Adding Abortion And LGBTQ Rights To CT Constitution
U.S. AND BEYOND
US Immigration Is Gaming Google To Create A Mirage Of Mass Deportations – The Guardian
Elon Musk’s Assault On US Government Prompts Muted Republican Disquiet – The Guardian
Trump Appears To Support Ending US Education Department And Says He Will ‘Wind Down’ Usaid
‘Am I Now A Walking Target?’ The Canadians Boycotting Travel To The United States Because Of Trump
Argentines March In Defence Of Diversity, Blasting Milei’s Anti-Woke Diatribes – France 24
-
The First In-Person Workshop of 2025
And yet, he persisted
This is the space at Bucks on Bridge Coffee Shop in Lambertville where I can now do in-person workshops! The collective Soupcon took it over and I joined. This is going to be a busy and exciting year for me. This was today’s 2 hour guided autobiography introductory workshop. They liked me (they really liked me)! But seriously, I learn so much from doing this, and it’s a privilege to have people share their lives in this process.
-
Savvy Senior: Driving with Dementia and Knowing When to Stop
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
When should someone with dementia stop driving? My 83-year-old father has some dementia issues but still drives himself around town pretty well.
Concerned Daughter
Dear Concerned,
Most doctors agree that people with moderate to severe dementia should never get behind the wheel, but in the early stages of Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia, driving performance should be the determining factor of when to stop driving, not the disease itself.
With that said, it’s also important to realize that as your dad’s driving skills deteriorate over time from the disease, he might not recognize he has a problem. So, it’s very important that you work closely with his doctor to monitor his driving and help him stop when it is no longer safe for him to drive. Here are some additional tips that can help you.