Saturday, October 31, 2009

THE PUZZLE CORNER: OCTOBER 31, 2009

Let's scare up a little Halloween fun with this quiz!
We are holding our own Mad Monster Party, akin to the 1967 Rankin-Bass film.
All you have to do is match the description of each party goer with the name on the guest list.
There is only ONE correct guest for each description.
So if you're not scared to take the challenge...

THE DESCRIPTIONS
01. He's expected, but never appears.
02. He never drinks wine.
03. Despite his appearance, he's friendly.
04. One has to wonder just how well he can play hockey.
05. A multi-faceted being.
06. Everyone is hoping she doesn't crash the party!
07. He might bring the music.
08. Complains about always having to sweep up afterwards.
09. Despite the name, he's not vampiric.
10. He may love Christmas, but Halloween is his night!
11. He tried to steal Christmas too.
12. Everyone goes to him for advice.
13. No one knows if he ever does show up.
14. The other guests complain that he's all wet and a social wallflower at parties.
15. Always wants to rap.
16. The Tally Man

THE GUEST LIST
a.) Batman
b.) Buffy
c.) Casper
d.) Count Von Count
e.) Creature From The Black Lagoon
f.) Dracula
g.) The Frankenstein Monster
h.) The Great Pumpkin
i.) The Grinch
j.) The Invisible Man
k.) Jack Skellington
l.) Jason
m.) The Mummy
o.) Witch
p.) Witch Doctor
q.) The Wolfman

The answers will be revealed in next week's ANSWER BOX, and hopefully we'll have the place cleaned up by then.
Meanwhile, here's the results from last week's Puzzle Corner:

TRIVIA TIME
Despite being enjoyed by costume manufacturers, candy makers, and children of ALL ages for generations; Halloween has never been officially recognized beyond its existence as October 31st in the United States.

THE LETTER SHUFFLE
So how many words can you make out of the letters in HALLOWEEN?
There is: all, allow, an, eel, eon, ha, hall, hallow, heal, heel, hell, hello, how, lawn, lawn, lea, lean, low, no, Noel, now, oh, wall, we, wean, wee, well, (and) well.
More might be possible than the 28 listed above.

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: OCTOBER 25-31, 2009

*Tonight is Halloween. Watch out for all the Trick or Treaters roaming about!
*Tonight is also when Daylight Saving Time ends. Don't forget to set your clocks back one hour or you'll be early to everything Sunday.
*Another 10 million anti-H1N1 vaccines are being prepared for distribution.
*Larry Winten may be the new owner of the Paragon Inn in New Mexico, but it seems like he has some old fashioned management techniques. It was recently revealed in an Associated Press report that he told all his Hispanic employees to Angelize their names (John for Juan, etc.) and to stop speaking Spanish while on duty. You can imagine the hassles he's received since then.
*The ads calling for "proper" health care reform from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have been joined by new petitions from a group calling themselves "Seniors over 60" who are not only targeting specific Senators and Congressmen, but claiming that whatever version of a health care reform bill does become law will rob Medicaid and Medicare to pay for it.
People, we have been over this before! The anti-health care reform propaganda can be easily debunked at www.snopes.com and other reputable websites!
*Just in time for Halloween, Forbes magazine has released its list of the richest dead celebrities, based upon how much their respective estates have made. The top five are:
5. J. R. R. Tolkien, based upon the Lord of the Ring movie franchise
4. Elvis Presley
3. Michael Jackson
2. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein for the revivals of some of their more popular Broadway musicals over the last decade, and
1. Yves Saint Laurent, whose fashion empire continues on without him.
*In Sports, the World Series moves to Philadelphia for Game 3 Saturday night, with the series tied at a game each between the National League Phillies and the American League New York Yankees.

For more news at any time, just scroll down to the IN OTHER NEWS feature at the bottom of the screen.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

THE SUNDAY FUNNIES: OCTOBER 25, 2009

Hello Everybody! Ms. Waxy Dragon here!
It's been a while since I've done this last, so let's fly around (easy to do if you're a dragon, or at least have wings) and see what's happening in the comics sections of your local newspapers.

Baldo is making it's annual homage to Hispanic Heritage month this October. While the results are always hit or miss depending upon the guest contributors, you cannot fault the strip's creative team of Hector Cantu and Carlos Castellanos for being proud of their community.

This past week was National Volunteer Week, where everyone was encouraged to give a little of themselves to help their local communities and those in need. Among the comic strips noting this event were: Adam @ Home, Archie, Baby Blues, B.C., Big Nate, Dilbert, Drabble, The Family Circus, Frazz, LuAnn, Mother Goose and Grim, Over the Hedge, Red and Rover, and The Wizard of Id. If I have missed anyone, I do humbly apologize.

And wedding bells may finally be in the future for Oola and her long time beau Alley Oop. The comic strip celebrated its 75th anniversary earlier this year and the couple have been dating almost as long.

That's all the time (and space) I have for this weekend folks.
Join me next weekend when we get to celebrate Halloween only a day late this year with some appropriate jokes for all the ghosts and goblins out there.
So until next time...
wd.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: OCTOBER 18-24

*Today concludes National Volunteer Week, whereupon people were encouraged to give of themselves to help others. But hopefully this a trend that will continue all year round.
*President Obama has declared the H1N1/Swine Flu situation a national emergency so that health officials can have the authority to act more quickly outside their traditional arenas (medical offices/hospitals) to help spread the vaccine and curtail a possible outbreak sooner.
*A massive Interstate drug bust was carried out earlier this week resulting in over 300 arrests.
*Before its official debut, software pirates beat Microsoft's street date on launching Windows 7 in China.
*Comedian and famed children's host Soupy Sales passed away earlier this week at the age of 83.
And in Sports, the National League's Philadelphia Phillies are waiting to see who their American League opponent will be in the 2009 World Series, for Game 6 of the playoff series between the Angels and Yankees was rained out in New York. The Yankees lead the best of seven series 3-2 and whichever American League team wins will have home field advantage during the World Series because of the AL's win in the 2009 All-Star Game.

For more news at any time, just scroll down to the IN OTHER NEWS feature at the bottom of the screen.

THE PUZZLE CORNER: OCTOBER 24, 2009

Another weekend, and you know what that means!
With Halloween next weekend, let's focus on that for awhile.

TRIVIA TIME
When did October 31 first become officially recognized as Halloween in the United States?

THE LETTER SHUFFLE
How many words can you make out of the letters in HALLOWEEN?

The answers will appear next weekend.
But for now, let's see what tricks or treats appear in THE ANSWERS BOX from last weekend's Puzzle Corner...

TRIVIA TIME
On M*A*S*H, Hawkeye's given name was Benjamin Franklin Pierce. The nickname came from his father's favorite book "The Last of the Mohican's".

REBUS
FA
IR is Fair and Square.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

THE SUNDAY FUNNIES: OCTOBER 18, 2009

Hello everybody! Ms. Waxy Dragon here!
Today, let's talk about the octopus.

Now first off, what is the plural of this animal? Octopuses, octopi, octopussies, octet?
(Don't worry, the last sentence is going to be about as risque as this column gets!)

Anyway, did you know that with enough time an effort, an octopus can open a jar? I'm pretty sure that would come in handy within a kitchen every now and then.

Once upon a time there was an aquarium that was wondering where all there fish were disappearing to after hours. After their installation, security cameras revealed that an octopus from a nearby tank was getting out of his confines, and going from neighboring exhibit to exhibit eating his fill along the way. Then the octopus would go back to his own tank before dawn with none the wiser. Needless to say that it soon faced the long arm of the law.

And do you know how to keep an octopus occupied? Give it a Rubik's Cube! They might not be able to solve it (who has?), but the fact is that they are dexterous enough to move the tiles around will keep them busy.

While I did crack a few jokes during this brief essay, the facts are true!
Just go to http://www.sierraclub.bc.ca/seafood-and-oceans/giant-pacific-octopus-an-intellectual-of-the-deep and read about it for yourself.

Meanwhile, I'll sea, I mean-- see everyone next weekend with more Sunday Funnies!--wd.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: OCTOBER 11-17, 2009

*Authorities are warning computer users of new Phishing scams designed to part the consumer with their private information and hard earned money.
*Model Filippa Hamilton was fired six months ago by Ralph Lauren because at 5'10 and 120 pounds she is allegedly over weight. The lady is now suing the company not over her dismissal, but because Ralph Lauren has been using altered images of her since then photo shopped to their specifications. At 5'10 and 120 pounds, they thought she was OVER weight? Is our perceptions of what a woman should look like that screwed up?
*The Dyson Corporation has developed a new, blade less fan. Although much safer than traditional fans, the starting retail price on the new model might make it cost prohibitive for the average household right now.
*Paleontologists in China believe they might have discovered the remains of a new species of dinosaur. Based upon the bones unearthed thus far, the new one may have been at least as big as a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
*After a frantic search and rescue effort earlier this week, authorities are now pondering whether the set up that young Falcon Heene of Colorado took an unplanned hot air balloon trip might have been a hoax.
*A Justice of the Peace in Louisiana caused a controversy earlier this week when he refused to marry an interracial couple. Aren't we long past such outdated beliefs?
*Legendary comic artist George Tuska passed away Thursday at the age of 93. From 1939 on, Tuska drew practically everything from Doc Savage to The Avengers to Superman. But perhaps he might be better known by some fans as the artist on the comic strips Buck Rogers and Scorchy Smith.
*Country music fans might be happy to hear that musician Garth Brooks is planning to come out of retirement, starting with an extended engagement in Las Vegas of all places. It's an even money bet that a new album will probably be announced by next spring.
AND IN SPORTS
*The second round of the 2009 Major League Baseball playoffs begin as the Philadelphia Phillies take on the Los Angeles Dodgers (National League) and the Whatever-they're-officially called Angels square off against the New York Yankees (American League) for the chance to represent their division and play against the other side in the upcoming World Series.

For more news at any time, just scroll down to the IN OTHER NEWS feature at the bottom of the screen.

THE PUZZLE CORNER: OCTOBER 17, 2009

Another weekend has arrived, so let's solve some puzzles!

TRIVIA TIME
In light of last week's question, a little equal time. On the television show M*A*S*H, what was Hawkeye's full name?

REBUS
A familair name or phrase is represented in the image below. Do you know what it is?

FA
IR

The answers will be revealed next weekend. But for now, let's look into THE ANSWERS BOX, for the results from October 10th's Puzzle Corner:

REBUS
Back in Business

TRIVIA TIME
Hawkeye spent most of one M*A*S*H episode questioning what B.J. stood for. But even after being told by his friend that he was named after his parents Bea and Jay, Hawkeye still didn't believe him. If there is another answer, it was never revealed during the course of the series.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

THE SUNDAY FUNNIES: OCTOBER 11, 2009

Hello Everybody! Ms. Waxy Dragon here!

If there is one goal everyone wants to accomplish in life, it's to be able to get through whatever adversities may come our way.

With that in mind, and the fact that Health Care Reform has been so much in the news of late, let's take a look at humor within the medical profession.

A man with a broken arm was being examined by his doctor. The doctor told him that within a few more weeks the bones would be healed and then the cast could be removed.
The man then asked the doctor if then he would be able to play the violin, to which the doctor replied that he didn't foresee any reason why he couldn't.
"That's funny," replied the man, "I've never been able to play it before."

Why did the doctor lose his temper?
Because he didn't have any patients.

What did one tonsil say to the other tonsil?
Get dressed. The doctor is taking us out!

Why did the rabbit go to the doctor?
Because he felt jumpy.

What's the difference between the Bird Flu and the Swine Flu?
For one you receive tweatment and the other you get oinkment.

And finally, one group's approach on how to deal with the swine flu.



Image courtesy of reader Ann Lopez.

Okay folks, see you next weekend with more Sunday Funnies!--wd.

Saturday, October 10, 2009

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: OCTOBER 4-10, 2009

*President Barack Obama has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his initiatives to reduce the nuclear arms race. Obama is the third active President of the United States (after Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt) and the fourth overall (after former President Jimmy Carter) to win the honor. The prize money associated with the award will be donated to charity.
*NASA has sent probes to the moon to explore for the existence (past or present) of water in that orbital body.

AND NOW, SEVERAL ITEMS FROM THE "BELIEVE IT OR NOT DEPARTMENT":
*After being dead for 160 years, famed author Edgar Allan Poe will receive a formal funeral Sunday in Baltimore, Maryland. Upon his death, which many fans of his literary works still question the cause of after all these years, Poe never received a formal funeral service, for a known rival of Poe's wrote the newspaper obituary notice, citing an inaccurate time and place amongst other false information. Then later, someone destroyed his grave's original head stone, leaving the exact site of his remains in doubt for years.
*Rush Limbaugh has been named the host of the 2010 Miss America Pageant.
*Of all the celebrities who could ever consider doing such a thing, Marge Simpson is allegedly going to be posing for a Playboy pictorial soon, and
*Not only does the "let's scare everyone over the health care debate" paranoia propaganda continue, but now there are ads allegedly sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Congress trying to convince people that whatever version of a health care reform act passes will astronomically raise taxes.
Listen up people: this has been covered before. Although Congress has yet to agree on a bill to present to the President, does anyone remember that Obama addressed Congress in a live telecast explaining what is and is not to be in any health care reform package that is sent for his approval. Feel free to go to www.whitehouse.gov or www.snopes.com for more information.

And for more news at any time, just scroll down to the IN OTHER NEWS feature at the bottom of the screen.

THE PUZZLE CORNER: OCTOBER 10, 2009

Another weekend, and something to ponder while you relax.

REBUS
A familiar phrase is represented in the image below. Do you know what it is?

BUSIBACHNESS

TRIVIA TIME
On the television series M*A*S*H, what was Captain B. J. Hunnicut's first name?

The answers will appear in next weekend's Puzzle Corner.
But now, let's look in THE ANSWER BOX, for last week's results.

TRIVIA TIME
The very first episode of The Twilight Zone to ever air was "Where Is Everybody?"

THE LETTER SHUFFLE
"In this day and age, a cheap (MISER) executor of a funds program (GRANT) might be considered this." A RINGMASTER. (MISER + GRANT)

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

SHOULD LIBRARIES DISCARD BOOKS?

An editorial.

To say that I love books is a serious understatement. I am always reading. So suffice to say I also visit my local library on a very regular basis.
On a recent visit, I happened to spot a lot of books piled up on a counter top there, with a sign at said "Free! Help Yourself."
Now I did not think much of this at first because the library is always getting donated copies of books that they already have in stock, although usually they sell those at a nominal fee akin to the price one might find a book at a garage sale, flea market, tag sale, etc.; to help underwrite their operating expenses.
But imagine my surprise when I discovered that the books in question this time were actually from the library's own shelves!
When I inquired about this, I was told that it was library policy every so often to check the inventory against consumer (reader/patron) interest and delete from stock any book that had not been checked out within the last seven years.
First off, you can imagine my shock at this revelation, but I acted quickly to rescue what discarded strays I could.
Amongst the rescued orphans, pictured below are three by Isaac Asimov: The Naked Sun, The Bicentennial Man (and other stories), along with The Gods Themselves. The other image with this post is to provide further physical evidence of this event, discreetly editing what library did this.

But the question before us is "Should libraries discard books?"
And to that I say a resounding "NO!"

What of all the classics of yesteryear whose pages may be lost to us now? Do we have all the works of Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Edgar Allen Poe, etc.; close at hand? Granted, with time and effort copies of most can be tracked down, and being in the public domain, some are perennially reprinted on a regular basis. But can we confirm that copies of everything created by these famous authors still exist?

Yet what of the works of such later day authors like Ellery Queen, Edgar Rice Burroughs, E.E. "Doc" Smith, Walter Gibson, etc.? The last time I checked, my local library had nothing by these gentlemen on their shelves! What of The French Powder Puff Mystery, Carson of Venus, The First Lensman, or The Shadow Strikes! (an example of each author listed, respectively.)

And what of today's wordsmiths? Another decade or two from now, how readily available will be the works of Isaac Asimov, Robert B. Parker, Sue Grafton, Tom Clancy, J. K. Rowling, etc.?

Some claim that the print media is a dying art form. In this computerized, electronic age; that might be a possibility that comes true.

Yet what is even more frightening is the possibility that reading itself becomes a dying art!
With all the budget cutbacks and other economic woes, there are already plenty of parents worried about the quality of education that their children are receiving.
What if someday those same children cannot read at all?

WHAT THEN WORLD?

My point is that while I do realize any one specific/individual library is limited on space and needs to be selective in its acquistions to better serve its (regional) patrons; a library should also know better than to discard books as something akin to old, worn out shoes.

As stated above, in the past, my library has sold donated copies that duplicated already on hand inventory to help defray operating expenses at nominal (cheap) prices, and I see no reason why they could not do so again now.
Or better yet, why not donate the books to a library that does not have them. Local libraries are affliated at least by city and/or county, if not region and/or state. Surely what one library does not want the other might need?

Imgaine if one day no one could read Huckleberry Finn (for example) any more because no one had a copy?
What if one day the works of Mark Twain were completely forgotten and lost to the sands of time?
THAT is what I am hoping to prevent here!

AND NOW THERE ARE EIGHT!

After the Minnesota Twins defeated the Detroit Tigers in their "sudden death" one game play off, the showdown to the 2009 World Series can begin in earnest.
The games, and the lineups are as follows:
The National League Wild Card Colorado Rockies will play against the National League Eastern Champion Philadelphia Phillies starting this afternoon.
Then the American League Central champion Twins face the American League East champion New York Yankees this evening; followed by the Saint Louis Cardinals representing the National League Central division facing NL West champions Los Angeles Dodgers on the West Coast later in the evening to wrap up the night.
Thursday night, the American League Wild Card Boston Red Sox have the late West Coast game against the (whatever they are being called this season) Angels in California.
In the first round, those winning the best three out of five games will advance to the second round to compete for the right to represent their respective League in the 2009 World Series.
Cable network TBS has all the first round coverage. Check local listings for time and channel.

Monday, October 5, 2009

BUT IT AIN'T OVER YET!

At this point within Major League Baseball, the regular season should be over as the remaining eight teams enter the post season competition to vie for the ultimate playoff position: representing their respective side in the World Series.
However the American League Central Division race ended Sunday with a tie between the Detroit Tigers and the Minnesota Twins, forcing a one game sudden death play off game between the two teams.
Yet instead of that game being played tonight, the National Football League either could not or would not reschedule the Monday Night game between the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings, causing MLB officials to delay the Twins-Tigers playoff game to Tuesday night.
The first round of the baseball playoffs will start Wednesday, October 7th.
More on this story as it develops.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

THE SUNDAY FUNNIES: OCTOBER 4, 2009

Hello everybody. Ms. Waxy Dragon here.
This weekend, let's salute (humorously of course) those valiant men and women within the world's police departments.

Why did the police go to the baseball game?
They heard someone had stolen a base!

Why did the book want to join the police force?
It wanted to go undercover!

What do you call a flying police officer?
A heli-copper!

Why are police officers so strong?
Because they can hold up traffic!

A bruised and battered turtle crawls into a police station. Upon reaching the officer on duty, the turtle gasped: "A gang of snails just beat me up!"
The officer replied, "Did you get a good look at them?"
"Well, no, it all happened so fast!"

See you next weekend for more Sunday Funnies!-wd

Saturday, October 3, 2009

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: SEPTEMBER 27-OCTOBER 3, 2009

*Scientists in Japan have developed a new anti-WIFI paint that will block the signals to keep unauthorized users from accessing your service from outside your residence or business. However the cost per gallon might be prohibitive for some people thinking about redecorating or using this precaution.
*The IRS has set up a Tipsters hot line and website for those who want to report people and companies who might allegedly be cheating on their returns.
*As the investigation into his death continue, early autopsy results for the late Michael Jackson reveal that he was in average health for a 50 year old man before his murder.
*Even after speeches from Oprah Winfrey along with Michelle and President Obama, Chicago, Illinois, USA; along with Tokyo, Japan and Madrid, Spain were ruled out of consideration for the 2016 Summer Olympics before the International Olympics Committee awarded the hosting honors to Rio De Janerio in Brazil.
In Legal News...
*Accused child molester Roman Polanski was arrested earlier this week after visiting a country that did have an extradition treaty with the United States. For years, the movie director had been living in a country without legal arrangements with the United States to avoid prosecution on the charges.
*Meanwhile, late night talk show host David Letterman publicly admitted to cheating on his girlfriend (before they were married) with members of the female staff on his show as part of his cooperation with police to avoid a blackmail attempt. The suspected person behind the blackmail attempt has been arrested.
For more news at any time, just scroll down to the IN OTHER NEWS feature at the bottom of your screen.

THE PUZZLE CORNER: OCTOBER 3, 2009

Okay, so let's get right to this week's conundrums.

TRIVIA TIME
October 2 marked the 5oth anniversary of the original Twilight Zone, created and hosted by Rod Serling. Your question is: What was the title of the very first episode ever aired?

THE LETTER SHUFFLE
Figure out the two five letter words hinted at in the clue below, and then rearrange the letters in them to get the overall answer. Ready?

In this day and age, a cheap executor of a funds program might be considered this.

The results will appear next weekend. But for now, let's open THE ANSWER BOX and see what the September 26's Puzzle Corner brought us.

TRIVIA TIME
The Mugwumps were an early name for The Mamas and The Papas.

COMMON BONDS
Although decades apart, both Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea and Alien Nation were movies before they were adapted into TV series.