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LGBTSr Is Back on Facebook!
LGBTSr returns to Facebook! This page is a supplement to LGBTSR. com, “where age is embraced and life is celebrated.” We’ve come back from a long hiatus to share all the great things at the website that has been serving the community for 15 years. The Daily Readlines (rhymes with headlines) news roundup, columns, advice, tech talk, health beat, podcasts and more. We hope you like us as much as we like you. Give us a like and a follow sometime. – Mark McNease / LGBTSr
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Cold Nights, Dark Secrets: LGBTQ+ Mysteries & Thrillers Giveaway January 1 – 15
Start the year with new thrills in this BookFunnel giveaway featuring mystery maestros Marshall Thornton, Garrett Hutson, Victor Dain, Delilah Knight and more. This giveaway runs from January 1 – 15 only, so surf over and download these chillers packed with secrets, suspense, and bold voices you’ll want to hear again and again.
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New Twist Podcast Survey for 2026: Which Resolutions, If Any, Fit You Best?
Which Resolutions, If Any, Fit You for 2026? Multiple Answers Allowed
- No more news/politics than I need to stay informed
- Simplify everything: fewer commitments, less clutter, real and imagined
- Say yes to joy, fun, laughter and creativity
- Take better care of myself, mentally and physically
- Stay open to new experiences, projects, trips, habits and perspective
- I don’t make resolutions
- Name your own in the comments
- What other resolution(s) would you make for 2026?
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Fun Facts for 2026 (Foresight is 20-20)
There was admittedly a short supply of fun in 2025, unless you were able to completely ignore the insanity of the world we’re had forced on us. Hopefully we all were able to step back, at least now and then. So let’s look ahead at 2026 and see what the sure bets are.
Fun Facts for 2026 – In Case You Didn’t Know
- 2026 is not a leap year and has 365 days. In case you were wondering.
- People over the age of 60 outnumber teenagers in the United States. That’s they blame us for everything.
- Streaming services now release more original programming annually than traditional network television ever did.
- The average adult manages over 100 online passwords. This probably won’t change until it’s all face-recognition.
- Vinyl records continue to outsell compact discs. Not all that surprising since nobody feels nostalgic for CDs.
- Text messaging is the most commonly preferred form of communication among adults. And often the most annoying – especially group texts.
- Most people spend more time deciding what to watch than actually watching content. Very true. 500 options on Netflix and nothing to watch.
- Adults over 50 are increasingly taking up creative hobbies such as writing, art, and podcasting. Yes! Please do.
- Food safety–related searches remain among the most frequently Googled household questions. When in doubt, don’t eat it.
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Your LGBTSr Humorscope for the Year Ahead
🌈 Your LGBTSr 2026 Yearly Humorscope
The stars have spoken. They brought snacks.
2026 arrives with a mix of reflection, reinvention, and a strong collective desire to stop pretending we enjoy things we absolutely do not. This is a year of small joys, clearer boundaries, better naps, and saying “no thank you” without a follow-up explanation.
Here’s what the universe has in store for each sign.
♈ ARIES
Theme for 2026: Productive chaos
You’re still full of ideas, but this year you actually finish a few of them. The trick? Pacing yourself. The universe encourages bursts of energy followed by deliberate rest — yes, rest counts as an activity now.Sage advice: Not every hill needs to be charged.
♉ TAURUS
Theme for 2026: Comfort with intention
You refine your definition of “cozy” this year — emotionally, financially, and literally. If it doesn’t feel good, taste good, or support your peace, it slowly exits stage left.Sage advice: Invest in quality, not clutter.
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Tech Talk: Verizon’s Wi-Fi Backup – Is It Worth It?
Narration provided by Wondervox
By Mark McNease
Living where we do in rural New Jersey, power outages are fairly common. Any significant storm will cause them, or they sometimes just happen for no discernable reason. We have an all-house generator that takes care of that instantaneously, switching to an outside power source with just a moment of crossover. But sometimes we lose the internet, with or without the power, and that can be a major headache. Most of what I do, besides writing in Word documents, require an internet connect.
This happened a week ago, and the storms were so severe over a large area of the state that we were told to expect an outage lasting several days. While we were lucky to have lost the power for just a few hours, our internet connect stayed lost because the line is connected to one that serves other houses on the road. After living with it for 24 hours or so and using our antenna connection to watch TV, we went to the Verizon store in Flemington, NJ, to take them up on their offer of a Backup Wi-Fi unit for just $20 a month if you already have a Verizon mobile plan and autopay. Frank does (I switched to Visible a couple years ago). An hour later we were at home with a device that’s basically a large hotspot, and it worked like a charm. You get seven 24-hour cycles per month with the $20, after which it costs more, but we hope to never need it more often than that. So what is a backup wi-fi?
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The Twist Podcast #314: So Long 2025, and a Rick Rose Interview with Rose Parade Host Mark Steines
As 2025 heads for the exit, The Twist Podcast co-hosts Rick Rose and Mark McNease say a fond and farewell to the year that was, touching on pop culture, media moments, and our own post-holiday fun.
Then Rick flips the camera for a special interview with Mark Steines, longtime television host and familiar face to millions as the on-air host of the Tournament of Roses Parade. Steines talks about what it’s like guiding viewers through one of America’s most iconic New Year’s Day traditions, his career in television, and why the Rose Parade continues to capture hearts year after year.
With loads of snap, crackle and pop culture, this episode of The Twist Podcast blends year-end reflections with a great celebrity interview—perfect listening as we close the book on 2025 and start first-drafting the year ahead.
🎙️ Topics include:
• Saying goodbye to 2025 (with commentary)
• Pop culture and media reflections
• Behind-the-scenes stories from the Rose Parade
• A candid conversation with Mark Steines👉 Subscribe, listen, and twist into the new year with us.
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Book Review: Are You There Spirit? It’s Me, Travis: Life Lessons from the Other Side, by Travis Holp
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm Sez“Are You There Spirit? It’s Me, Travis: Life Lessons from the Other Side” by Travis Holp
c.2025, Spiegel and Grau $28.00 240 pagesYour dad sent you a penny the other day, minted in his birth year.
They say pennies from heaven are a sign of some sort, and that makes sense: you’ve been thinking about him a lot lately. Some might scoff, but the idea that a lost loved one is trying to tell you he’s okay is comforting. So read the new book “Are You There, Spirit? It’s Me, Travis” by Travis Holp, and keep your eyes open.
Ever since he was a young boy growing up just outside Dayton, Ohio, Travis Holp wanted to be a writer. He also wanted to say that he was gay but his conservative parents believed his gayness was some sort of phase. That, and bullying made him hide who he was.
He also had to hide his nascent ability to communicate with people who had died, through an entity he calls “Spirit.” Eventually, though it left him with psychological scars and a drinking problem he’s since overcome, Holp was finally able to talk about his gayness and reveal his otherworldly ability.
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MadeMark Media Lives: New Year (Almost), New Logos, New Adventures In Publishing
I started MadeMark Media over 15 years ago. It stepped into the background with my MadeMark Publishing imprint, but they’re both coming back full force in 2026. So exciting!
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The Twist Podcast #313: Kennedy Center Dishonors, Worst Holiday Movies Ever & An Interview with Author and Pop Culture Historian Herbie J. Pilato
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose for a quick take on the Kennedy Center desecration. From there we lean into the lighter side of the season with a spirited list of the worst holiday movies ever made, celebrating classic clunkers and festive films that missed the mark. The episode culminates in an engaging interview with Herbie J. Pilato, acclaimed pop culture historian and author, who joins Rick to talk classic television, celebrity legacies, media nostalgia, and why decades-old shows continue to resonate in today’s streaming-dominated landscape.
Copyright MadeMark Media
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The Twist Podcast Gets a New Intro for 2026!
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LGBTSr Fun Facts: The 8 Worst Holiday Movies Ever Made
Get ready for some holiday snark with our fun facts list of the worst holiday movies, a nostalgic look at Christmas films that missed the mark but still live rent-free in pop culture history. From famously bad Christmas movies to so-called classics people love to hate, this list explores why some seasonal films became notorious instead of beloved. Consider this your guide to festive cinematic disasters.
🎬🎄 The Worst Holiday Movies (According to Pop Culture, Critics, and Common Sense)
Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)
A truly baffling sci-fi/Christmas mashup where Santa is kidnapped by Martians. Slow, weird, and unintentionally hilarious — often cited as one of the worst movies ever, holiday or otherwise.The Christmas Shoes (2002)
Infamous for emotional manipulation. If you like your holiday movies subtle, this one is not for you. Frequently mocked for weaponizing sadness.Surviving Christmas (2004)
A wealthy man forces a random family to pretend to be his relatives for the holidays. Critics hated it, audiences were confused, and even the cast seems unsure what happened.