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The Weekly Readlines December 9
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
Time Magazine named talent Taylor Swift as its Person of the Year, offering a refreshing break from politics and acknowledging the megastar of her generation. Haters gonna hate, she’s great.
Kevin McCarthy announced he’ll be leaving Congress at the end of this year, marking the abrupt close of a pointless political career. Hunter Biden was indicted in California on tax evasion charges, while multiple-indicted one-term president Donald Trump attacked a judge’s wife to the wild applause of his plant-based supporters everywhere.
And incumbent school board member Karen Smith in Central Bucks County (PA) was sworn in on a stack of banned books.
LGBTQ NEWS
Republican States Are Gayer Than You Think – Newsweek
NewsweekWisconsin governor vetoes anti-trans youth healthcare ban – Windy City Times
Windy City Times -
The Twist Podcast #246: Taylor Triumphant, Christmas Listicles, and An Interview with Lila Szyryj, Miss Wisconsin 2023
Join co-hosts Mark McNease and Rick Rose as we congratulate Time’s Person of the Year Taylor Swift, share some listener voice messages, consider the worst Christmas songs ever, and listen in to Rick’s interview with Lila Szyryj, Miss Wisconsin 2023.
The Twist Podcast is brought to you by Queer We Are where you’ll find a podcast, newsletter, merch and more in the Queer We Are shop.
Enjoy The Twist on Libsyn, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music, and TheTwistPodcast.com.
Copyright 2023 MadeMark Publishing
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Dreamshaping: Name Your Poison
Narration provided by Wondervox.
Dreamshaping: On Shaping Reality and Living Our Dreams is a feature at LGBTSr on the ways we create our lives.
Mark McNease
Observing the current cultural and political climate, I’m reminded of a scene from the westerns once so popular with American moviegoers. A bartender in a grimy, dusty saloon, says to a weary customer, “Name your poison.” The customer asks for whiskey—they all drank whiskey in the movies, with names like Rot Gut and Dead Eye—and the bartender serves him from a bottle on the shelf. The customer throws back a mouthful from a greasy shot glass, grimaces as it burns its way down his throat, then smiles, slaps the glass on the counter and orders another one. That sure felt good.
Today we have many things to choose from besides whiskey as we name our poisons. We have twenty-four hour cable news channels to make sure we’re alarmed, angry and indignant. We have addictions of a breathtaking variety, from sex to nicotine to apps making us feel special with every little balloon bursting on our smartphone screens, while data miners dig further and further into what remains of our privacy. But like that weary cowboy in that filthy saloon, we like the way it feels going down and we order another one.
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Savvy Senior: How to Ease the Winter Blues
Narration provided by Wondervox.
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
What can you tell me about seasonal affective disorder? I’ve always disliked winter, but since I retired and am home a lot more, the gray, cold winter months make me feel really blue.
Sad Sam
Dear Sam,
If you get depressed in the winter but feel better in spring and summer, you may indeed have seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, a wintertime depression that affects roughly 5 percent of Americans.
In most cases, SAD is related to the loss of sunlight in the winter months. Reduced sunlight can upset natural sleep-wake cycles and other circadian rhythms that can affect the body. It can also cause a drop in the brain chemical serotonin, which affects mood, and can increase the levels of the hormone melatonin, which can make you feel more tired and lethargic.
If you think you may have SAD, a trip to your doctor’s office is the best way to diagnose it or you can take a SAD “self-assessment” test at the Center for Environmental Therapeutics website at CET.org/assessments. If you find that you have SAD, here are several treatment options and remedies that can help.
Jim Miller Light therapy: The most effective treatment for SAD is sitting in front of a specialized light therapy box for 20 to 30 minutes a day, within the first hour of waking up in the morning. Light therapy mimics outdoor light to cause a change in brain chemicals linked to mood.
While you can buy a light box without a prescription, it’s best to use it under the guidance of a health care provider and follow the manufacturer’s guidelines. Most health insurance plans do not cover the cost.
The best light therapy lamps provide 10,000 lux of illumination, many times stronger than typical indoor light, and have a diffuser screen that filters out ultraviolet rays and projects downward toward the eyes.
Some top-rated light therapy products include the Carex Day-Light Classic Plus Bright Lamp ($145); Northern Light Technology Boxelite-OS ($205); and the budget friendly Verilux HappyLight Luxe ($70), all of which are available at Amazon.com.
Cognitive behavioral therapy: Even though SAD is considered to be a biological problem, identifying and changing thought and behavior patterns can help alleviate symptoms too. To help you with this, choose a therapist who specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy and who has experience in treating SAD. To locate someone in your area, Psychology Today offers a search tool at PsychologyToday.com/us/therapists/cognitive-behavioral-cbt.
Antidepressants: Some people with SAD benefit from antidepressant treatments too. Some proven medications to ask your doctor about are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and the extended-release antidepressant bupropion.
But keep in mind that it may take several weeks to notice full benefits from an antidepressant. In addition, you may have to try different medications before you find one that works well for you and has the fewest side effects.
Lifestyle remedies: Some other things you can do to help alleviate your SAD symptoms include making your environment sunnier and brighter. So, open up your blinds, sit closer to bright windows and get outside as much as you can. Even on cold or cloudy days, outdoor light can help, especially if you spend some time outside within two hours of getting up in the morning.
Moderate exercise such as walking, swimming, yoga and even tai chi can also help alleviate SAD symptoms, as can social activities.
Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.
Comments, suggestions or encouragement always welcome! We’re listening …
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Cat Talk Radio with Molly DeVoss and Dewey Vaughn: Feeding Your Senior Cat
Senior cats, those seven years and older, require a different diet than younger cats. With the right nutrition, cats can live long, healthy, happy lives. Tune in to find out what you should be looking for in your senior cat’s food.
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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Mark McNease Mysteries Podcast #70: A House in the Woods 2 (Chapters 1-3, Podcast Edition)
How exciting is this! I’m revving up the Mysteries podcast again, with all new audio offerings of my mysteries, thrillers and fiction. This week it’s the launch of my newest book, ‘A House in the Woods 2: The Devil’s Due.’ I’ll be offering three chapters every week, narrated by my very own Wondervox. No audiobook narrators were harmed in the production of this podcast! Fasten your headphones for weekly commentary, updates, and serialized fiction from yours truly. And now … we begin. Comments and encouragement are welcome! You can leave a voice message for me here. I’m listening!
About ‘A House in the Woods 2: The Devil’s Due’
A House in the Woods 2: The Devil’s Due picks up where A House in the Woods left off. Laurel Calloway is still in the mysterious town of Strickland, New Jersey, where nothing is as it appears to be. Two years have gone by, and they’ve been good to the Calloways. Laurel and her husband Jeremy have a new house, and a new family with baby Isabel about to celebrate her first birthday. Everything seems perfect, until Laurel begins to have dreams. Bad dreams. Something tells her these dreams could really be memories. But of what? Of whom, and of when?
Did she really run over a woman in the road at night? Had they once had a dog? Why are these things trying so hard to surface, swimming slowly up from her subconscious? The more she begins to tell the people around her about these dreams, the more convinced she is that they’re part of it, and that these nightmares aren’t really dreams at all. Page after page, the pace escalates as Laurel begins to learn the truth and plot her escape. But will she succeed? The Devil is in the details.
Mark McNease Mysteries Podcast Copyright MadeMark Publishing
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One Thing or Another Podcast #65: An Interview with Carlos Guillermo Smith, Senior Policy Advisor for Equality Florida
I had the pleasure of speaking with Carlos Guillermo Smith, Senior Policy Advisor for Equality Florida. Carlos was also a member of the Florida legislature for six years (D), and has extensive experience as an advocate for LGBTQ people in a state where anti-LGBTQ legislation has taken hold. I spoke with Carlos about life on the ground for LGBTQ people, how the laws are shaping reality for us and our allies, and what is being done to resist the forces working against us. Fasten your headphones for an engrossing conversation.
Carlos Guillermo Smith A graduate of the University of Central Florida, Carlos Guillermo Smith first joined Equality Florida in 2011 as a public policy fellow and returned in early 2015 as government affairs manager. Carlos previously served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2011-2012 as the chief of staff to former Democratic Representative Scott Randolph as well as one of Florida’s first openly gay state representatives Joe Saunders from 2012-2014. A twice-elected former chairman of the Orange County Democratic Party himself and longtime LGBT progressive activist, Carlos made history in November 2016 when he was elected to the Florida House as our state’s first openly LGBT Latino lawmaker. [Equality Florida]
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Now You Can Leave a Voice Message Directly for LGBTSr!
Now you can leave a voice message directly for LGBTSr, telling us what you like or making suggestions. Just CLICK HERE and record! It’s that simple. We hear you!
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Subscriber Giveaway! Enter to Win a LGBTSr Coffee Cup – the Perfect Stocking Stuffer
I’ll be giving away TWO LGBTSr branded coffee cups to two lucky subscribers. Enjoy your favorite beverage while you read your weekly LGBTSr email. All you have to do is subscribe HERE. I’ll be pulling two emails/names at random on December 25. It may take a week or two for shipping, but you’ll be cruising into the New Year with a lovely cup from a website dedicated to embracing age and celebrating life.
You can also browse all my branded merch at my MadeMarkShop.com site, should you wish to support all my projects with a purchase!
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One Thing or Another Column: So You Think That Hurts?
Narration provided by Wondervox.
A lighthearted look at life, aging, and the absurdities of it all.
By Mark McNease
Somewhere after our fiftieth spin around the sun our conversations begin to center less on our plans for the future, and more on our aches, pains, and possibly debilitating side effects of the medications many of us take. “What did you think of your weekend in the Poconos?” becomes, “Can this really cause crippling flatulence? My doctor said it’s rare.”
I never really wanted to know about sleep apnea, or bad cholesterol, or Restless Leg Syndrome. Yet here I am, finally enjoying the benefits of turning 65—Medicare card, Social Security, a near-complete indifference to the opinions of others—while I visit one specialist or another for all these ailments. Need a new CPAP machine? Have to get another sleep test! Wondering why my legs have ached for months? Here’s a prescription that probably won’t harm you in the short term. It’s also used for Parkinson’s, but I don’t have that, so no worries. It’s just twitchy, achy legs. And that cholesterol drug you’re only supposed to take for a few months? It’s been five years.
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The Weekly Readlines December 1
The Weekly Readlines (rhymes with headlines!) is a feature at LGBTSr offering news you can use every week.
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
Santa comes through early: Florida GOP Chair Christian Ziegler, husband of Bridget Ziegler, notorious co-founder of Moms for Liberty, has been accused of sexual assault … by the woman they’ve enjoyed a three-way with for years! Apparently no children were indoctrinated in the process.
Tiring of his own act, Tommy Tuberville has signaled he’ll lift his block on military promotions, with the exception of “woke” higher-ups, assuming someone can define a word no self-respecting woke person uses.
In her new book, Liz Cheney says Kevin McCarthy told her Trump knew he’d lost, and that his trip to Mar-a-logo shortly after the failed coup was an effort to get poor depressed Donald eating again.
The Koch network endorsed Nikki Haley, while the Mercers prepare to back Trump, guaranteeing Republican voters a choice between heinous and horrible.
Garden gnome-slash-Speaker of the House Mike Johnson declared Trump’s two impeachments “meritless,” and Hunter Biden agreed to testify before Congress providing it’s a public hearing. Fearing they’ll melt like vampires in the sun, Comer and his clown committee are not having it.
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Savvy Senior: Smart Home Devices to Help Seniors Age in Place
Narration provided by Wondervox.
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
I’ve been talking to my mobility challenged mother, who lives alone, about automating her house with some smart home products to make it more convenient. She’s very interested but we’d like to get your opinion as to which types of smart devices are most helpful for seniors aging in place.
Searching Daughter
Dear Searching,
If your mother is game, smart home products – such as smart lights, video doorbells and voice-activated speakers – can be very useful for aging in place. These devices can add safety and convenience to a home by providing voice and app-controlled operation, which is extremely helpful for seniors who have mobility issues or reduced vision.