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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
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The Weekly Readlines February 2
A NOTE FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK:
America, we hardly knew ye. It’s been less than two weeks and already Trump and Project 2025 have taken a jackhammer to the country’s foundations. It’s a tragi-comedy in two acts: his first and second terms, and it’s not even intermission yet! But as horrible as it all is, remember that people have gone through worse. 400 years of slavery. Native genocide. AIDS. It’s why I cannot allow myself to shed tears only to have them savored by MAGA. We remain undefeated and unbowed.
Some Spectacular Lowlights
US Federal Websites Scrub Vaccine Data And LGBT References
Transgender People Removed From State Department Travel Page – Los Angeles Blade
CDC Researchers Ordered to Retract Papers Submitted to All Journals – MedPage Today
NOTE: “In the order, CDC researchers were instructed to remove references to or mentions of a list of forbidden terms: “Gender, transgender, pregnant person, pregnant people, LGBT, transsexual, non-binary, nonbinary, assigned male at birth, assigned female at birth, biologically male, biologically female,” according to an email sent to CDC employees (see below).”
Take a quick breather and keep reading for more news …
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
Following the first major plane crash in 16 years, Trump blamed “DEI,” Biden, woke-whatever, and Pete Buttigieg, whom he seems to think is still the Secretary of Transportation. He also responded to a question about visiting the crash site by saying, “What site? The water? You want me to go swimming?” Comforting words for the families of the deceased.
We learned that RFK Jr. enjoyed putting baby chickens and live mice in a blender to feed his hawks. Tuberculosis made a comeback in Kansas.
Leaked DoD memo shows halting of all non-white / Christian observances, including Holocaust Remembrance Day. (Nothing says “Never again” like erasing the Holocaust.)
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The Weekly Readlines January 25
A note from the editor’s desk: we’re not apolitical at LGBTSr. We have an agenda—being there for the aging and elderly among us. This is acutely important during these times of erasure of us and the escalating assault on all things LGBTQ. If you take offense at my worldview, please be assured: it’s not going to change.
I tried that whole “I’m not going to be political” thing a few times, and the ghost of every friend I had who died from AIDS screamed, “What is wrong with you?” I heard them clearly and I won’t be getting along to get along any time soon. – Mark
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
In less that a week in office, Trump and his administration have effectively erased every trace of LGBTQ people from federal websites and resources. But just because they can’t see us doesn’t mean we’re not here. Ditto for the Spanish-language White House website (gone), women’s health resources (gone), and anything remotely offensive to the the non-white “color blind” world Project 2025 is rapidly creating for a country founded on slavery and genocide.
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The Weekly Readlines January 10
TOP TAKES AND TIDBITS
The Readlines is a short ‘top takes’ roundup from the weekly news, delivered family style so you can take what you like. Garlic knots are an upcharge. – Mark
LGBTQ+ People Relive Old Traumas As They Age On Their Own (Daily Kos)
Ontario Premiere Offers to Buy Alaska and Minnesota
Justice Department To Release Part Of Trump Election Interference Report, Leaving Out Documents Case
Why Would Trump Want Greenland And The Panama Canal? Here’s What’s Behind U.S. Interest
Jimmy Carter Funeral: Biden And Four Former Presidents Attend Memorial Service – Latest Updates
Social Security Fairness Act Brings Retirement Changes For Some Pensioners – CNBC
Is Bird Flu The Next Pandemic? What To Know After The First H5N1 Death In The US
Lifelong Exercise Promotes Brain Health In Older Adults | National Institute On Aging
166 Million-Year-Old ‘Dinosaur Highway’ Discovered In Southern England
Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary Fame Dies at 86
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The Weekly Readlines December 15
A note from the newsroom: It’s been a year, hasn’t it? And it’s not over yet. We’ve seen gains, we’ve seen losses, we’ve felt hope and we’ve felt heartbreak. Kind of like every year, when you think about it.Two very recent losses brought my youth to mind: the death of poet and activist Nikki Giovanni, and the passing of Michael Cole, one of the three now-dead leads from Mod Squad (1968 – 1973). It wasn’t until I saw the headline about Cole’s death that I remembered him as one of my boyhood TV man-crushes. Some others were Robert Conrad on Wild Wild West (“Who is your tailor, Mr. Conrad? Such tight fitting blue suits”) and Bill Bixby on The Courtship of Eddie’s Father.Nikki Giovanni was among a handful of poets I devoured in high school, learning from them how to use words most effectively, and how to make sense of a world I generally found unwelcoming.She was 81, he was 84, I’m 66. We all take a licking and keep on ticking … until the clock stops. So long, you two, thanks for being part of the puzzle that is me. – Mark
QUOTE FOR THE WEEK
“There is always something to do. There are hungry people to feed, naked people to clothe, sick people to comfort and make well. And while I don’t expect you to save the world I do think it’s not asking too much for you to love those with whom you sleep, share the happiness of those whom you call friend, engage those among you who are visionary and remove from your life those who offer you depression, despair and disrespect.”
Poet and Activist Nikki Gionanni (1943 – 2024)
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The Weekly Readlines November 24
A note from the newsroom: I’ve been asked to facilitate a journaling group for LGBTQ participants, mostly older, who live in and around New Hope, PA (I already run an adult writers’ group at the library there). The reason given to me was that many of us are worried and maybe even frightened by the incoming administration and its plans for us. I said yes, of course. I’m not personally scared, but I am determined to be supportive and to not “get along” with people who would be delighted to see us silent or dead … and really, is there a difference?
A lot of us don’t have the luxury of not being political. I don’t live a life free from concern for others who aren’t like me. I lost dozens of friends and loved ones to AIDS. I was shaped by some amazing transgender people. I maintain a website for older LGBTQ readers. My life is political and always has been. – Mark
– Mark
THE WEEK IN HEADLINES
LGBTQ
Singer Khalid Comes Out As Gay After Being Outed: ‘I Am Not Ashamed’ – Pinknews
Trump Nominates AIDS Denier Kennedy for HHS Secretary – BBC
City That Placed $10,000 Bounty On Trans People Who Use Public Restrooms Makes Law Even Worse
LBTQ+ Afghans ‘Suffer Sexual And Physical Abuse’ In Detention Under The Taliban – PinkNews
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Dreamshaping: The ‘What If?’ List
All things are of the substance of dreams …
By Mark McNease
I’ve used a ‘What If?’ list in my fiction writing, especially when I feel stuck in the journey of a story. Where should it go? Where do I want it to go? How can I imagine the next turn in the road for these characters?
I don’t like to admit that I sometimes find myself unable to tell which direction a story should take, and that includes the story of my life. So when I recently found myself feeling indecisive, even to the point of thinking I couldn’t do much of anything, I wrote a ‘What If?’ list for myself.
WHAT IF I set aside the novel writing for 90 days or so?
WHAT IF I truly opened up that creative space and let something else come into it?
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Dreamshaping: An Inside Job
Narration provided by Wondervox.
Dreamshaping: On Shaping Reality and Living Our Dreams
By Mark McNease
It’s not the thing the emotion attaches to, it’s the emotion.
It’s not the person or event the anger attaches to, it’s the anger.
It’s not the thoughts around which the confusion swirls, it’s the confusion itself.When I’m consumed by an emotion, even something as simple as anger aimed at another driver on the road, it’s the emotion that generates my state of mind, not the other driver. So many people have a need to be angry, or even enraged, without ever comprehending that the object of their rage is not the issue: it is the rage, and the need for it, that lies at the heart of the experience.
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Web Watch: ‘Everyday Health’ Offers Healthy Advice for Everyday Living
Web Watch is a feature at LGBTSr offering online finds of interest.
The more I age, the more I’m interested in discovering ways to improve my physical, mental and spiritual health. Not long ago I happened upon a website that offers suggestions, advice and resources that address all three of those pillars of well-being.
Everyday Health has more information, about more topics, than you could probably ever read. They also offer email sign-ups for daily newsletters on specific topics. I’m signed up for their Daily Dose of Healthy Living, Permission to Breathe, and Mental Wellness. You can see all their newsletter offerings HERE. Between the stresses of daily life, the stresses of aging, and all the other things, real and imagined, that weigh on us, it’s good to have a resource like this.
Everyday Health’s passionate, award-winning editorial team is committed to supporting you in your journey to live a healthy life each and every day. By adhering to the highest standards for accuracy, objectivity, and balance, we create trustworthy content based on up-to-date, evidence-based health and medical information and real world patient and clinician experience to help inform you how to take control of your health. Our content, including articles, graphics, videos, tools, and more, is created by experienced and accredited health journalists with valuable input from our Health Expert Network.
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Dreamshaping: Mark the Dreamshaper Dreams of Vegetables (VIDEO)
I set up this raised-bed garden several years ago when we moved to our Jersey house full-time. It’s one of my proudest home achievements, but it’s made with inexpensive wood and I need to shore it up and/or make some replacements. We also want to expand it. So … stay tuned, there will be more as the garden takes shape. It will be fabulous.
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Dreamshaping: Seeds of Doubt
Enjoy an audio small plate. Her name is Bella, and she’ll be your server today.
It’s never too early to doubt yourself. While that’s unlikely to be spoken by the most advanced two-year-old, it seems to be one of the earliest concepts we learn. We teeter on our tiny feet, attempting to walk for the first time. The giants in our lives encourage us, cheering us on to put one foot in front of the other, and then … we tumble. Our faces scrunch up. We probably cry. We wait awhile, looking for signs of approval, and we try again.
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Dreamshaping Podcast #19: My Robot’s Name is Josh (Adventures in AI Narration)
This is my first adventure in AI, using a service called ElevenLabs voice synthesis. It’s frankly amazing, and it opens up a lot of new opportunities for me as a creator. Podcasts, blog posts, short stories, anything I wanted to have narrated can now be offered as audio. It’s very exciting, and I’m looking forward to new frontiers as a writer and podcaster.
This first one is called ‘When You’re Older, Son,’ and the Slippage of Time.’ As with all things Dreamshaping, it’s a look at the human experience and how we create and experience the ultimate dream of our lives.
‘When You’re Older, Son’ and the Slippage of Time
Are human beings the only animals aware of time passing? Do cats know they’re getting old? Do fish ever wish they’d swum in this direction instead of that one? Is a tree concerned at all with the number of years it has stood rooted in one spot?