Sunday, March 28, 2010

THE SUNDAY FUNNIES: MARCH 28, 2010

Hello Everybody! Ms. Waxy Dragon here!

Whenever I fly around, I always notice all the signs and billboards around town, especially when I have to avoid flying into them!
Geez, those things are multiplying faster than ants at a picnic!
I wonder if birds have as many problems as I do trying to navigate around cities.
Anyway, since there are so many of the darn things around, I thought I would share some of the funnier ones with you.

I saw this one advertising a foot doctor's services: TIME WOUNDS ALL HEELS.

This one was on a handyman's truck: I FIX TODAY WHAT YOUR SPOUSE TRIED TO YESTERDAY.

This sign was on the side of a plumber's truck: DON'T SLEEP WITH A DRIP. CALL ME!

I think a tire shop was hoping for an invite to my next birthday party, for the sign in their window said: INVITE US TO YOUR NEXT BLOWOUT.

A garage had this sign on the side of their building: WE DON'T CHARGE AN ARM AND A LEG. WE WANT YOUR TOWS.

I'm not sure if this is the right message for an electrician: LET ME REMOVE YOUR SHORTS.

Non-smoking areas are becoming more and more popular of late. But this warning might be taking things a tad too far: IF WE SEE YOU SMOKING, WE WILL ASSUME YOU ARE ON FIRE AND TAKE THE APPROPRIATE ACTION!

Do the entrances to maternity wards really need a sign that says: PUSH!

A taxidermist used this slogan on their billboard: WE REALLY KNOW OUR STUFF!

An eye doctor had this painted on his window: IF YOU DON'T SEE WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR, YOU'VE COME TO THE RIGHT PLACE.

Here's a sign of the times at a car dealership: THE BEST WAY TO GET BACK ON YOUR FEET? MISS A CAR PAYMENT!

Here's a sign for anyone who has pets and loves their privacy: TRESPASSERS WELCOMED! DOG FOOD IS EXPENSIVE.

This was actually written on the bottom of an electric bill: WE WOULD BE DELIGHTED IF YOU SENT IN A PAYMENT. BUT IF YOU DON'T, YOU WILL BE. (de-lighted)

A muffler repair shop must really need the business if they have this sign in their window: NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY. WE'LL HEAR YOU COMING.

A vet must be afraid of missing any customers, for whenever they're not in the office, you can read this sign in their window: BACK SOON! SIT! STAY!

But the local funeral parlor must not be in any hurry for customers, for this is what their latest billboard said: SLOW DOWN! HANG UP YOUR CELL PHONE! OBEY ALL THE TRAFFIC LAWS! WE'LL WAIT.

Yet I'm confused by the signs I saw in my local fine china shop. The first said: NO BULLS!
The other said: UNATTENDED CHILDREN WILL BE GIVEN EXPRESSO AND A NEW PUPPY.

And the fact that I'm at the bottom of my computer screen is the sign that I'm out of time and space for this weekend. So please return in just seven days for more Sunday Funnies!-wd.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: MARCH 21-27, 2010

*The biggest news this past week has been of course the passage of the Health Care Reform Act and President Barack Obama signing it into law. However all is not sunshine and rainbows from this point forward.
*The Republican Party has vowed to fight the passage of the supplemental bill needed to support the Health Care Reform Act.
*And the Republican State Attorney Generals of thirteen states have joined forces in a lawsuit against the Federal government and the Health Care Reform Act! It should be noted that while most of the states involved also have Republican Governors, Washington does not; and that Democratic Governor has already issued a statement stating that the actions of their AG do not reflect the people he is supposed to be serving!
*Whatever happens in the days and weeks to come, it will be mighty interesting come election season this fall.
MEANWHILE...
*Ayad Allawi won the parliamentary elections in Iraq.
*The non-profit group ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) has announced it will be folding April 1st due to lack of funding.
IN SPORTS...
*By the end of this weekend, both the Men's and Women's divisions of NCAA College Basketball will be down to The Final Four in their respective March Madness tournaments.
IN ENTERTAINMENT NEWS...
*Actor Robert Culp (I, Spy; The Greatest American Hero) has passed away at age 79 after complications from a fall.
*And it's been a mixed week for actor Dennis Hopper. On one hand he has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Meanwhile, it has been announced that he is suffering from untreatable prostate cancer.

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

THE PUZZLE CORNER: MARCH 27, 2010

Another weekend and more enigmas for your enjoyment.

REBUS
What familiar word or phrase is represented by the image below?

N
W
O
T

LOONEY LYRICS
The misheard lyric of a real song is below. But what is the actual tune?

"There's been owls hootin' in my head"

Next weekend we'll peek into THE ANSWERS BOX to see what is going on. Meanwhile, let's discover the results from last weekend's Puzzle Corner.

TRIVIA TIME
Although the M in M*A*S*H stood for Mobile (Army Surgical Hospital), there were no bug outs under Lt. Col. Henry Blake (McClean Stevenson). All were supervised by his replacement: Col. Sherman Potter (Harry Morgan).

WHO SAID IT?
George Carlin

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

THE REPUBLICAN CENSUS?

THE FOLLOWING IS AN ACTUAL EXCLUSIVE TO THE FREE CHOICE E-ZINE!

Ladies and Gentlemen:
Did you know that in light of recent events, the Republican Party is conducting its own version of the 2010 Census?
Except for the attempt to protect the identity of the person these forms were sent to, all the photos are completely unaltered!
You can click each one individually to enlarge the jpeg. Just read the actual forms and I'll let the images speak for themselves.
But it is definitely an interesting attempt at fundraising, in light of the fact that this was sent only to registered Republicans.

Lee Houston, Junior
Editor-In-Chief: The Free Choice E-zine.






















WTF: THE GOP VERSUS THE USA!

An editorial.

I'm sure everyone knows by now that the Health Care Reform Bill has not only passed its crucial House of Representatives vote (although every Republican member of that august body voted unanimously AGAINST it), but as of this morning, (Democratic) President Barack Obama has signed it into law.
Now, not only have the Republicans in Congress vowed to unanimously fight the passage of the supplementary bill necessary to support the long term goals of the Health Care Reform Act; but the Republican Attorney Generals of 13 states (thus far) have all joined forces to file a lawsuit against the Health Care Reform Act's enforcement.
The AG's of Florida, South Carolina, Nebraska, Texas, Michigan, Utah, Pennsylvania, Alabama, South Dakota, Idaho, Washington (although that state's Democrat Governor is not happy with this action), Virginia, and Colorado have a different opinion of Health Care Reform.


WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?

How can no banning a person with a "pre-existing condition" from obtaining medical insurance be a bad thing?
How can eliminating "lifetime coverage caps" on an insurance company's coverage for its policy holders be a bad thing?

Are the individual states mad that the Federal government had to step in to do something that they should have addressed ages ago?
Are the members of the Republican Party upset that the Democrats had to address a problem that has existed for years on end? One that a lack of a viable solution has hurt many of the citizens they, as elected officials, are supposed to be helping?
There is no question that the existing health care system was flawed. Before the current administration, the issue was last addressed during the presidency of Bill Clinton. The administration between the two Democrats never officially discussed the subject.

I do not know what is going through the collective mindset of the alleged Grand Old Party right now.
I am trying to be objective here, as a reporter, an editor, and as a person.
I do believe in and still support the concept of a two party system whereupon opposing viewpoints can be logically discussed and debated to reach a viable solution to a problem.

BUT COME ON PEOPLE!
American citizens without viable health care have suffered long enough!
It's about time this issue was addressed, let alone that a solution was finally developed.
In a country as prosperous as the United States of America, can't both sides remember that they are supposed to be working for the people who voted them in?

I sincerely hope that the members of the Republican Party realize that just like their mascot the elephant, voters DO have good memories.
And this Fall IS a major election year!

Sunday, March 21, 2010

THE SUNDAY FUNNIES: MARCH 21, 2010


Hello Everybody! Ms. Waxy Dragon here!

Now as I was saying last weekend, I just love cats. I think they are the most beautiful and intelligent creatures on the planet.

After Dragons, of course.

Now here's a kitten training to become an auto mechanic.
Of course it hasn't figured out how to get under the hood yet, but it's great at changing windshield wipers.






Meanwhile, this cat is checking out the car's wheel alignment and brakes.



Now to the untrained eye, it may just look like both cats have just found unique places to take a nap, but let's be honest here, not every feline can find a job as glamourous as the cat in our last photo.


Afraid that's all the time and space I have for this weekend folks.
But I'll be back next weekend with more Sunday Funnies!
-wd.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: MARCH 14-20, 2010

*Today is the first day of Spring!
*The White House expects a vote on the Health Care Reform Bill by Sunday night. More on this story as it develops.
*Pope Benedict the XVI has attempted to address the issue of sexual misconduct amongst religious personnel in the church hierarchy, but thus far his comments have met with less than favorable results in some areas.
*This week marks the seventh anniversary of the Iraq War, although it has passed without much notice.
*A Federal judge has ruled that the estate of Anna Nicole Smith is not entitled to anything from the estate of former husband J. Howard Marshall. But at this point, does it really matter?
*Congratulations to Dunkin Donuts on their 60th anniversary in business and the comic strip LuAnn by Greg Evans on celebrating its 25th anniversary this week.
*It is my sad duty to report that actor Peter Graves passed away Sunday at the age of 83. Amongst his credits are years of being a narrator on A & E's Biography, and of course originating the role of Jim Phellps on Mission: Impossible.
*By Sunday night, the NCAA College Basketball Tournaments will have completed their second rounds, knocking the competition from an initial field of 64 down to 16 teams in both the Men's and Women's divisions. For those wondering why I did not report on this sooner, it is because no one within my circle of friends is bothering to do the brackets this season other than rooting for their personal favorites.

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

THE PUZZLE CORNER: MARCH 20, 2010

Okay everyone, it's the first day of Spring and the new puzzles are in bloom!

TRIVIA TIME
The M in M*A*S*H stands for Mobile (Army Surgical Hospital). When a M*A*S*H unit was forced to move due to enemy action, it was called a Bug Out. Your question is: how many Bug Outs were during the command of Lt. Col. Henry Blake (McClain Stevenson) during the first three seasons of the TV show?

WHO SAID IT?
Another new feature to THE PUZZLE CORNER. In this game, a famous quote will be posted and you have to know "Who Said It?" Ready?
"By and large, language is a tool for concealing the truth."

The results will appear next weekend.
And now, let's peek into THE ANSWERS BOX for the results from our Daylight Saving Time themed Puzzle Corner last weekend.

TRIVIA TIME
Many people attribute Benjamin Franklin with originating the concept of Daylight Saving Time, but it was actually the idea of New Zealand entomologist George Vernon Hudson.

THE LETTER SHUFFLE
The following words can all be formed using just the letters in the word DAYLIGHT: A, Ad, Ah, At, Daily, Dial, Dig, Gal, Gay, Gait, Ha, Had, Hag, Hail, Halt, Hay, Hi, Hid, Hit, Id, It, Lad, Lag, Lay, Laid, Lid, Lit, Tad, Tag, and Tail. Other words than the 30 listed might be possible.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY! (2010)

Hello Everyone! Ms. Waxy Dragon here with a special Saint Patrick's Day edition of The Sunday Funnies.

I'll begin by telling our Editor-In-Chief's favorite (lone) Saint Patrick's Day joke.
What's Irish and stays out in your yard all the time?
Patti O'Furniture.

Now then, on to some real humor...

Father Murphy was conducting mass one Sunday and asked the first man he saw, 'Do ye want to go to Heaven?'
The man said, 'I do, Father.'
The priest said, 'Then stand over there against the wall.'
Then the priest asked a second man, 'Do ye want to go to Heaven?'
'Certainly, Father,' the man replied.
'Then stand over there against the wall,' said the priest.
Then Father Murphy walked up to a third man and asked, 'Do ye want to go to Heaven?'
But amazingly, that man said, 'No, I don't Father.'
The priest said, 'I don't believe this! Ye mean to tell me that when ye die, ye don't want to go to Heaven?'
Then the man said, with some great relief I might add, 'Oh, when I die , yes. But I was afraid ye were gettin' a group together to go right now.'

Gallagher opened the morning newspaper and was dumbfounded to read in the obituary column that he had allegedly died. In shock, he quickly phoned his best friend, Finney.
'Did ye see the paper?' asked Gallagher. 'They say I died!'
'Yes, I saw it!' replied Finney. 'Where are ye callin' from?'

Now, for better or worse the Irish do have the stereotype of enjoying their whiskey, so I hope not to offend anyone with this joke.

Paddy O'Toole staggered home very late after one night another evening with his drinking buddies, glad to be getting in before the storm clouds in the sky started raining.
He took off his shoes to avoid waking his wife, Kathleen, and tiptoed as quietly as he could toward the stairs leading to their upstairs bedroom. He managed to get upstairs, to his bedroom, and started to change clothes to go to bed when suddenly the room light came on!
"Aha! I caught ye!" declared his understandably angry wife.
Thinking quickly, Paddy said, "But me love, I'm just gettin' ready to go to work."
"Don't hand me that line of corned beef," replied Kathleen. "Besides, today is Sunday."
"Then I got up early to get ready for church."
Suddenly a bolt of lightning could be seen out their bedroom window, which was followed by a tremendous crash of thunder.
"Okay, okay. You're right. I just got home from the pub," admitted Paddy. "I didn't know you were on her side too, Lord."

May the road rise up to greet ye (safe travels), and we'll be back this coming weekend with another edition of the Sunday Funnies.
wd.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

THE SUNDAY FUNNIES: MARCH 14, 2010

Hello Everybody! Ms. Waxy Dragon here!
Today is March 14. Or 3.14. So happy Pi Day everyone!
Personally, I love a delicious chocolate meringue pie myself, especially if it's made from dark chocolate and a rich topping!
But anyway, you have to be really smart to know the full value of Pi. That number goes on forever!
And who do I think are the smartest beings on this planet?
CATS!
Think about it. They pretty much loll around all day and have their "owners" practically wait on them hand and foot! That's a neat racket the rest of the animal kingdom would love to get in on!
I know some cats that can use a computer too, although they do tend to get a bit hung up when you mention the mouse.

Now like I said, cats know where it's at.
Here's one (on the left) making sure it's first in line when it's time to make dinner!










Now cats do have other talents.
A lot of them are musically inclined. After all, don't you hear them singing at all hours of the night?
This cat on the left is learning how to play a guitar!
But being a young kitten, it does need to take more cat naps than an older feline.






But when they do rest, even the older cats just go limp and let it all hang out!


That's it for now, but join us this Wednesday for a special Saint Patrick's Day edition of The Sunday Funnies!
Until then....
wd.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: MARCH 7-13, 2010

*Remember to set your clocks forward one hour in America tonight as Daylight Saving Time begins Sunday.
*Did you celebrate or at least acknowledge International Women's Day earlier this week?
*After several aftershocks, Chile suffered another actual earthquake of a 7.2 magnitude during the inauguration of the country's new president Sebastian Pinera.
*The votes are now being tallied after national elections in Iraq.
*Although the Congressional Republicans are stubbornly digging in their heels on the issue, President Obama is hoping that there will be a final vote on a Health Care Reform package before Easter. Meanwhile, the Obama administration is now starting to look into another election promise: education reform, hoping to put the emphasis back upon actual education instead of just teaching students how to pass standardized tests.
IN OTHER EDUCATION NEWS...
*A mother in Buncome County, North Carolina is accusing a teacher of harassing her sixth grader by constantly calling her a loser, even to the point of deducting points off work and tests because of the perceived status. The local school board is calling it a personnel issue.
*After receiving a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union hoping they would honor the request, the Itawamba County School District in Mississippi decided to cancel the Ag School's prom when Constance McMillen wanted to bring her date (another female who would have worn a tux) to the dance. The local student body is apparently more upset with McMillen than the school board for canceling the prom. Meanwhile, Constance has approached a federal judge in hopes of getting the prom reinstated, but whether or not she and her date can or even will attend remains to be seen.
IN ENTERTAINMENT NEWS...
*Willard Scott celebrated his 60th anniversary with NBC and their Today show this week.
*The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will soon be inducting The Stooges, ABBA, Genesis, The Hollies, and Jimmy Cliff into their august ranks.
*Sony has announced that their Playstation System (the PS3 for sure) will have its own wireless controls akin to the Nintendo Wii available by this fall. There is no confirmation if the new accessory will also work on the PS2.
IN SPORTS...
*With the final contests concluding this weekend, the brackets for the annual NCAA College Men's and Women's college basketball tournaments (aka March Madness) will be determined and announced by Monday.
*Spring training is well underway, with the start for the 2010 Major League Baseball season scheduled for April 2.

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

THE PUZZLE CORNER: MARCH 13, 2010

Since it starts tomorrow, this weekend's Puzzle Corner is built around the theme of Daylight Saving Time.

TRIVIA TIME
Who originated the concept of Daylight Saving Time?

THE LETTER SHUFFLE
How many new words can you form using the letters in the word DAYLIGHT?

We'll have the answers next weekend. Don't forget to Spring Forward between now and then or you'll be an hour late everywhere you go.
Meanwhile, let's peek into THE ANSWERS BOX and get the results from last weekend's Oscar Quiz. May I have the envelope please...

1. The Oscars are administered by the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts, and Sciences.
2. Even taking this year's awards into account, THREE pictures are tied for winning the most Oscars. With 11 each: Ben Hur (1959), Titanic (1997), and The Lord of the Ring: Return of the King (2003).
3. To date, Bob Hope has the honor of hosting the most Oscar ceremonies. He was the lone host eleven times between 1939, 1940, 1942, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, and 1977 while was part of a co-hosting team in 1944, 1945, 1952, 1954, 1957, 1958, and 1974. The next closest (to date) is Billy Crystal with eight appearances between 1987, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1996, 1997, 1999, and 2003.
4. The Golden Raspberries (aka the Razzies), acknowledging the worst in cinema, are presented the night before the actual Oscars.
5. Paul Newman won his lone Oscar for The Color of Money (1986), which was the sequel to his 1961 film The Hustler, which did earn Newman one of his other nominations.

Monday, March 8, 2010

"MAY I HAVE THE ENVELOPE PLEASE..."

This past weekend, two awards ceremonies were conducted to honor the best and worst in film over the last year.

FOR THE 2010 ACADEMY AWARDS, THE OSCARS WENT TO:
*The Hurt Locker won for Best Picture, Best Director (Kathyrn Bigelow) and Best Original Screenplay.
*Jeff Bridges won Best Actor for Crazy Heart, while the movie also won for Best Original Song: "The Weary Kind".
*Sandra Bullock won Best Actress for The Blind Side.
*Christopher Waltz won Best Supporting Actor for Inglorious Basterds.
*Mo'Nique won Best Supporting Actress for her role in Precious, while the movie won for Best Adapted Screenplay.
*Up won for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score.
And for those interested, Avatar did win for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Visual Effects (`duh!).

Meanwhile, on the other side of the coin...
THE 2010 RAZZIES FOR THE WORST IN FILMS WENT TO:
*Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen "won" for Worst Movie of the Year, Worst Director (Michael Bay), and Worst Screenplay.
*The Jonas Brothers shared the Worst Actor Razzie for their 2009 3-D Concert film.
*Sandra Bullock was named the Worst Actress for her other 2009 movie All About Steve.
*Billy Ray Cyrus was named Worst Supporting Actor for his participation in Hannah Montana: The Movie.
*Sienna Miller was declared the Worst Supporting Actress for her role in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.

And the Razzie committee also picked the worst of the past decade, based upon the nominations and "winners" of their awards between 2000-2009.
Those "lucky" recipients are:
*Eddie Murphy for Worst Actor.
*Paris Hilton for Worst Actress, and
*Battlefield Earth (from 2000) as Worst Picture of the Decade.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

THE SUNDAY FUNNIES: MARCH 7, 2010

Hello Everybody! I'm Autumn the Puppy.
All you lovely readers of The Free Choice E-zine must have really enjoyed my guest appearances in past installments of The Sunday Funnies, for I have been asked to become a regular contributor! As you can see from my avatar image, I am just grinning from ear to ear over this!
But don't worry. Ms. Waxy Dragon is still here and will be back next weekend.
Now let's see what I can dig up for your entertainment today.
I'm sure a lot of you out there are getting sick of all the snow. Spring will hopefully show up eventually.
But there has certainly been a lot of snow!
Why there's been two feet of it in my area since my last appearance in this e-zine!
















Of course there are all kinds of problems associated with snow.
Traffic jams and bad driving conditions are just some of the things you face during the winter.
Some enterprising folks decide to car pool to overcome these obstacles, but as the photo on the left shows, there are times when even the best solution leads to other problems.
Now maybe the truck is stuck in the snow, and they can't decide the best way to push it.
Or maybe they're arguing over who gets to drive.
I can sympathize with that one. I have my dog license and yet my people won't let me behind the wheel of their car!
But whatever the problem was, I'm sure our Arctic odd couple worked it out. I've gotten several e-mails from the bear since this photo was first taken, but oddly none from the human.
Oh well...
As promised, Ms. Waxy Dragon will be back next weekend and I shall return in a future edition of The Sunday Funnies!--AtP.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: FEBRUARY 28-MARCH 6, 2010

*Although relief efforts continue in Chile, they are being hampered somewhat by how spread out some of the population is, especially along the coast. Because of this, an accurate tally of the dead and injured has not been completed. Meanwhile, infection and disease are now a growing concern in Chile as tons of dead fish, washed up from the recent tsunami, lie rotting in the open awaiting clean up and disposal.
*United States President Barack Obama still hopes Congress will pass some version of a much needed Health Care Reform Act, despite the fact that Congressional Republicans are now wanting to scrap what little has been accomplished on the matter and completely start over from scratch!
*Some individual states are warning their citizens that those expecting a refund from their state income tax returns may be waiting longer than they originally thought until funds can be secured to pay the refunds.
*The United States Postal Service is far from the only business that is trying to improve their financial health. Amongst the possible ideas for getting the organization back into fiscal shape are cutting back deliveries by either dropping Saturdays all together or a more serious measure of limiting deliveries to three days (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays) a week. It should be noted that the Postal Service has never maintained a profit margin since the days of its first post master general: Benjamin Franklin!
*An air traffic controller working at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport has been suspended by the Federal Aviation Authority pending the results of their investigation into his recent actions. It seems the controller honored the spirit of "Take Your Child To Work Day" by not only taking each of his children to work with him, but each sibling also got to radio instructions to planes preparing for take off!
*It's been reported that California Republican Senator Roy Ashburn was arrested for Driving Under the Influence (of alcohol) with a "male friend" in the car with him after the pair left a gay bar. This event is ironic since Ashburn has supported the state's Proposition 8 ban against same sex marriages and has voted against any pro-gay legislation since first taking office. No one directly connected with the case has commented publicly since the arrest, although a local radio station that Ashburn had a talk show on has since dropped him from their programming schedule and Republican Party officials will only say that the matter is under investigation.
*Scientists have finally agreed that it was probably an asteroid crashing into Earth that triggered what became the climate change known as the Ice Age that killed the dinosaurs.
IN SPORTS...
*The NCAA prepares for March Madness as the collegiate men's and women's basketball teams compete in the final tournaments to determine the brackets for "The Big Dance".
*The 2010 Winter Olympics have concluded in Vancouver, Canada. For those interested, the final medal tallies are: The United States with 37. Nine gold medals, 15 silver, and 13 bronze. Next was Germany with 10 Gold, 13 silver, and 7 bronze. Host country Canada had 14 gold, 7 silver, and 5 bronze. Athletes from Norway earned 9 gold, 8 silver, and 6 bronze; while Austria accumulated 4 gold, 6 silver, and 6 bronze.
*The facilities in Vancouver will next host the 2010 Winter Paralympic Games beginning March 12. Meanwhile the games of the 22nd Winter Olympiad will be held in Sochi, Russia during the month of February 2014.

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

THE PUZZLE CORNER: MARCH 6, 2010

Another weekend, and I'm feeling a bit generous since I celebrated my birthday yesterday.
So since the Oscars will be presented tomorrow night, I present to you now a brief Oscar quiz.

1. What exactly is the full name of the organization behind the Oscars? Hint: It has been mentioned within this e-zine within the last couple of weeks.
2. What movie has won the most Oscars?
3. Who has hosted the most Oscar telecasts?
4. What Oscar counterpart will be presented tonight? Hint: It has been mentioned within this e-zine within the last couple of weeks too
5. This performer has been nominated for an Oscar seven times, but their only win was for the 1986 sequel to their 1961 nomination. Who is it?

All will be revealed next weekend. But for now, lets peek into THE ANSWERS BOX for the results from the February 27 Puzzle Corner.

HOW SMART ARE YOU?
Forward, I am heavy.
Backward, I am not.
What am I?
The word TON. Not backwards.

REBUS
The picture visually represented The Underground Railroad, famous for moving slaves from the south to the north in the United States' checkered past up to the Civil War era.

Monday, March 1, 2010

CHILE COMMENTS

An editorial.

So far, rescue efforts continue apace in the earthquake strickened country of Chile. Between the initial quake itself, the resulting tsunami, and the after shocks; entire villages along the Chilean coast no longer exist.
As I post this, there are over 700 confirmed deaths in that South American country. Thousands more are in need of help as relief efforts are underway.
Meanwhile, while a tsunami alert was issued for much of the Pacific Ocean countries. It was a serious threat to land masses close to Chile, there were many alerts issued and evacuations made. Those amongst the Hawaiian Islands and the coast of Japan were the most concerned, but thankfully, as the wave spread out from Chile, the danger lessened. Australia, New Zealand, and others only experienced higher than normal tides.

I'm sure in time there pleas to the world's citizens will be issued asking those who can to contribute to the current relief efforts, but at least there has been no critics claiming the earthquake to be anything other than fact.

CAN NBC SURVIVE?

An editorial.

So far within the 2009-2010 television season, the National Broadcasting Company (NBC) has not been in the best of shape. Dedicating the last week night hour of prime time to a Jay Leno anchored program did not work out. Conan O'Brien taking over The Tonight Show did not translate into the major ratings coup it was supposed to, and the rest of the network's line up has varied in both quality and success.
The last two weeks of February has been spent covering the 2010 Winter Olympics, with other networks airing mostly reruns to prevent ratings losses and avoid seeming to be anti-American athletics. But after such a grand time, the Olympic games ended Sunday night with NBC dropping the torch on the closing ceremonies in an erroneous fashion by tape-delaying the broadcast of the grand finale to show the premiere of Jerry Seinfield's The Marriage Ref in the last hour of prime time.
Now, after a much publicized contract dispute, NBC has put Jay Leno back in place of hosting The Tonight Show after giving Conan O'Brien a huge contract buy-out (although to O'Brien's credit, part of the settlement did go to severance packages for his staff).
But can Leno accomplish anew the success he had as host before? And can NBC find quality programming to fill the voids created not only by the failure of the Leno prime time experiment, but the vacancy created on Sunday nights by the end of the National Football League's schedule for this past season?
At the moment, NBC's big plan seems to be extra episodes of existing series, news programs, "reality" shows, and reruns while it scrambles to fill those empty hours in its schedule. The only new program, the much acclaimed Parenthood, is set to debut in the last hour of prime time Tuesday night, but will be facing already established competition from the other networks.

Personally, I do not wish the NBC network any ill will. But they do have a long way to go and a lot of problems to overcome.
Whatever happens, it might actually be interesting to watch.