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A Bit of Video Bombast for the New and Expanded Mark McNease Mysteries Podast
I love hyperbole, bombast, and confidence! If you’re gonna fall on your face, fall hard, I say. I’m very happy to have author Bruce W. Bishop lined up for this Sunday. We just met him in Halifax, and what a great guy he his! The books are terrific, too. Fasten your headphones!
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On the Map: Our Canadian Cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas (with Slideshow)
Narration provided by Wondervox.
By Mark McNease
We just got back from our third cruise to Canada, this time on Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas. We were joined by our friend Michael, who often cruises with us in his own cabin.
I have a great aversion to flying, so we take ships that leave out of Bayonne (NJ) or New York. Someday we’ll want an itinerary that requires the added hassle of a plane flight, but not quite yet.
I love sailing to Canada. It should be called something else, since we stopped in Boston, Portland, and Bar Harbor first, then on to Halifax, and finally Saint John. It had a bit of a whirlwind feel to it, with the first four ports done in four days.
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Savvy Senior: Top TV Remotes for Elderly Seniors
Narration provided by Wondervox.
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
Can you recommend some simplified universal television remotes for seniors? My 88-year-old dad, who lives in a retirement community, has some dementia and gets confused with all the buttons on his remote. As a result, he keeps accidently reprograming his TV set.
Searching Son
Dear Searching,
Most modern TV remotes – that come with dozens of unnecessary buttons – can be confusing for anyone to operate but can be especially challenging for elderly seniors. Fortunately, there are several universal TV remotes available that are specifically designed for older adults with vision, memory, or confusion issues, as well as those that are technologically challenged. These remotes have bigger buttons and paired down options that make them much easier to see and use. Here are three top choices to consider.
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MadeMark Publishing Now on Shopify!
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Halloween Books for Your Screaming Pleasure, by Various Authors
Narration provided by Wondervox.
By Terri Schlichenmeyer
The Bookworm SezHalloween Books for Your Screaming Pleasure
Various Authorsc.2023, various publishers
$12.99 – $27.00 various page countsWhat’s that noise?
Was it the scrape of a branch on the outside of your walls, or the brush of a wing or a fang or a talon? Was there a monster creeping outside your windows, or just the wind and leaves? This is a lousy time for the lights to go out, so grab a flashlight and one of these great new books…
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Savvy Senior: How to Find a Medical Escort After a Procedure
Narration provided by Wondervox.
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
Can you recommend some medical escort services that help seniors get home after a medical procedure? I need to have a colonoscopy, but my doctor’s clinic won’t schedule my appointment unless I supply them with a name and phone number of the person taking me home afterward. I live alone with no family nearby, and my friend doesn’t drive anymore. Any suggestions?
Need a Lift
Dear Need,
Good question! Finding “door-through-door” medical escort services for outpatient screenings and procedures that involve anesthesia can be challenging for older patients without nearby family or friends to rely on.
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The Weekly Readlines October 19
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
I worked at Reuters News for 11 years in the Editorial Department. They have a giant book in the lobby that has the photos and stories of journalists killed over the company’s long history while doing their jobs. They will be adding another one: Issam Abdullah was killed in an Israeli Airstrike. Professional journalists do not engage in fake news, no matter what anyone says.
President Biden visited Israel to show his support for the country at war with Hamas. A strike that killed hundreds at a Gaza hospital was first blamed on an Israeli airstrike, but later determined to have been fired from within Gaza by its own extremists.
Jim “See No Evil” Jordan continues to fall short of the votes needed to make him the worst Speaker of the House in the nation’s history. Perhaps those aging college wrestlers reminding people that he did and said nothing about their reports of sexual abuse has had an impact?
And Tommy Tuberville, who insists on being called Coach as if he’s the star in a bad sitcom, continues to knee-cap the military with his hold on promotions.
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Savvy Senior: Protecting Your Pets After You’re Gone
Narration provided by Wondervox.
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
What is the best way to ensure my pets are taken care of after I’m gone? I have two dogs and a cat that are my four-legged family, and I want to make sure they’ll be well taken care of after I die.
Solo Senior
Dear Solo,
It’s a great question. Every year, approximately 500,000 cats and dogs enter shelters when their pet parents experience an emergency or pass away. Without a proper plan in place for the future care of your pets, they are at risk of ending up in a shelter where they could be euthanized.
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Mark McNease Mysteries Podcast Returns! Show #68: Halloween Expert and Author Lisa Norton
I’ve taken the Mark McNease Mysteries Podcast out of cryo-storage. It was never dead, just taking a long nap. And now it’s back! More audio mysteries and fiction, announcements and giveaways, and this time with guest interviews, book and audiobook recommendations, and more!
Listen to this archive gem with Halloween expert and author Lisa Norton.
Lisa Morton is a screenwriter, author of non-fiction books, and award-winning prose writer whose work was described by the American Library Association’s Readers’ Advisory Guide to Horror as “consistently dark, unsettling, and frightening”. She is the author of four novels and 150 short stories, a six-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award®, and a world-class Halloween expert. She co-edited (with Leslie S. Klinger) the anthology Weird Women: Classic Supernatural Fiction by Groundbreaking Female Writers 1852-1923; forthcoming in 2020 is Calling the Spirits: A History of Seances. She is a six-time winner of the Bram Stoker Award®, a recipient of the Black Quill Award, and winner of the 2012 Grand Prize from the Halloween Book Festival. A life long Californian, she lives in Los Angeles.
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Health Beat: Is Cannabis Right for You?
Narration provided by Wondervox.
By Mark McNease
Once Upon a Gummy
I’ll be honest: I’m a cannabis guy. I haven’t had a drink for 9-plus years, but several years ago I wanted something to help with stress management. A friend gave me a cannabis gummy, and I took half of it. After years of apprehension, I discovered the sky did not fall, I didn’t want to run off to the nearest drug dealer or bar stool, and I quite enjoyed it.
After years with a clear head, I do not like feeling intoxicated by anything. I did that for decades as a young person, even having a reputation as a pothead in high school. That kind of misuse, of the psychotropic components of marijuana and of my own mind and body, holds no allure for me at this age and hasn’t for a long time.
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The Weekly Readlines October 12
BIG CUP: THE WEEK’S TOP STORIES
War in Israel. I have no words.
In a choice between horrible and worse, GOP Reps Jim Jordan and Steve Scalise are competing to be House Speaker. Expect a buffet of shutdown extortion, lies, and base-thrilling vengeance in either case. America, we hardly knew ye. Meanwhile, Marjorie Taylor Greene, classy as ever, says she won’t support Scalise because he has cancer.
And the cherry on top of the hate cake goes to Alabama, where a children’s book that has nothing to do with being gay and no gay characters, was flagged in a public library system because the author’s last name is Gay. If you’re not awake yet, queer folk, you better set your alarms!
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Savvy Senior: Do You Need Life Insurance After You Retire?
Narration provided by Wondervox.
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
Do I still need life insurance after I retire? I’ve been thinking about dropping my policy to escape the premiums. Is this a good idea?
Approaching Retirement
Dear Approaching,
It depends on your family and financial situation. While many retirees choose to stop paying their life insurance premiums when they no longer have young families to take care of, there are several reasons you may still want to keep your policy. Here are some different factors to help you decide.
