Sunday, October 31, 2010

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY!

Hello Everyone! Autumn the Puppy here!
Tonight is Halloween!
While Waxy Dragon was able to dig up more jokes for this week's Sunday Funnies in the post below than me, I would like to take a couple of minutes to share a few other tidbits with you. A canine friend of mine and his companions can been seen in today's Google logo! Meanwhile...

*Did you know that today marks the 60th anniversary of kids Trick or Treating for UNICEF?
While going out and about hoping to acquire Halloween candy, some children have also been collecting money for the United Nations (International) Childrens' Emergency Fund since 1950. A worthy cause if ever there was one.

And while all the costumed revellers are out and about tonight, I hope all you adults keep a wary eye out for the little ones so they can not only enjoy tonight safely, but are able to look forward to tomorrow and all the days afterwards.

Take care and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
AtP.

A Public Service Message of The Free Choice E-zine.

THE SUNDAY FUNNIES: OCTOBER 31, 2010

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYBODY!
Ms. Waxy Dragon here.
Or am I?
Tonight of all nights, I can dress up and be any body or any thing I want and go out and get lots of chocolate and other treats!
I still haven't quite figure out what to dress up as though. The wings do make it a bit tough to fit into what most people consider the "standard" costumes.
Anyway, while I'm getting ready to trick or treat, here's some treats for you readers.

Why did the skeleton refuse to go to the monsters' party?
Because he had no body to dance with.
Did you hear about the werewolf that swallowed a sheep?
He said he felt baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad about it afterwards.

Why do witches use brooms to fly?
Because vacuum cleaner are too heavy.

Why are mummies good at keeping secrets?
Because they keep them under wraps!

What is the tallest building in Transylvania?
The Vampire State Building.

What do werewolves say to each other before they eat?
Bone appetit!

What do you use to mend a broken jack-o-lantern?
A pumpkin patch

Why wasn't there any food left after the monster's party?
Because everyone was a goblin.

Why witches avoid traveling when they're angry?
Because they're afraid of flying off the handle!

What happened to the guy who didn't pay his exorcist?
He was repossessed.

When does a skeleton laugh?
When something tickles his funny bone.

What type of monster really loves dance music?
The boogieman!

What is a Mummy's favorite type of music?
Wrap!

What kind of makeup do female monsters wear?
Mask-scare-a.

What's it like to be kissed by a vampire?
It's a pain in the neck!

Why don't mummies take vacations?
They're afraid to relax and unwind.

Where does a ghost go on vacation?
Mali-boo.

What is Dracula's favorite holiday?
Fangs-giving!

How do you keep a monster from charging?
Take away its credit cards.

Where did the goblin throw the football?
Over the ghoul line.

What is a monster's favorite party game?
Hide-and-go-shriek

What's the ratio of a jack o'lantern's circumference to its diameter?
Pumpkin Pi.

Well, that's all for this weekend folks. I'm all dressed up and ready to go trick or treating tonight.
And I better get plenty of chocolate treats because otherwise you'll get tricked.
So if you see me flying about tonight, please be nice.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN everyone, and we'll be back next weekend with more Sunday Funnies!-wd.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: OCTOBER 24-30, 2010

*In an already heavily active Hurricane season, those in the Atlantic Ocean now have to worry about TOMAS, who has plenty of open water to traverse before a threat to any actual landmass.
*There is a serious cholera epidemic in Haiti with 292 confirmed dead!
*Citing improved conditions in that country, NATO plans to cut its peacekeeping force in Kosovo to half of its current strength.
*Sony Electronics has decided to stop selling the classic Walkman AM/FM/Cassette player domestically.
*Verizon will pay the United States Treasury $25 million dollar settlement for past overcharges to cellphone customers.
*18 year old Alexandria Mills of the United States of America won the 2010 Miss World title.

IN ENTERTAINMENT NEWS:
*Let's do the Time Warp Again! Despite being released in August of 1975, fans of the cult movie classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show celebrate its 35th anniversary this week.
*Just in time for Halloween, Forbes Magazine released their Top Deceased Money Makers. Based upon the earnings of their estates from memorabilia and other royalties, the highest ranked are:
01. Michael Jackson
02. Elvis Presley
03. J. R. R. Tolkien
04. Charles Schulz
05. John Lennon

IN SPORTS...
*Although the San Francisco Giants are two games ahead in the best 4 out of 7 World Series, Texas Rangers player Benjie Molina will be receiving a Championship Ring regardless of which team wins, because he started the baseball season with the Giants before being traded to the Rangers, and both teams acknowledge that they would have not made it to the World Series without his participation.

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 30, 2010

Velcome everyone! 'Tis the eve of Halloveen and it's time to play NAME THAT HALLOWEEN CHARACTER!

THE CLUES:
01. His biggest fan always expects him on Halloween night, but has yet to see him..
02. He never drinks 'vine'.
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. Every monster is hoping she doesn't have stake for dinner!
07. A human named after him loves music.
08. Despite the broom, she doesn't do housework.
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 allegedly goes to him for advice, but he's never had his own talk show.
13. No one would know he's there even in a crowded room.
14. This monster might be all wet and a social wallflower at parties.
15. Always wants to play rap music.
16. The Tally Man

THE POSSIBLITIES
a.) Batman
b.) Buffy the Vampire Slayer
c.) Casper the Friendly Ghost
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

Ve vill reveal all next veekend, and maybe I can stop talking in this silly voice by then. Meanvhile, let's peek into THE ANSWERS BOX for the results from last veekend's Puzzle Corner.

THE MISSING LETTER
1. Ghost
2. Witch
3. Broom
4. Bat

REBUS
TRICK OR TREAT!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

POLITICAL POINTERS FOR THE VEXED VOTER #5

THE FOLLOWING IS AN EDITORIAL.

To those who this applies:
Being a resident of the United States of America, this fall maybe one of the most important elections within your living history .
The 2010 midterm elections, so named because they fall within the middle of a President's current term in office, are being closely observed and analyzed from every conceivable angle as pundits wonder if the Democrats will still have the majority in Congress come 2011, since it is generally believed that these election results reflect the current position of the country.
Similar situations are taking place within a lot of the individual state governments as well, especially those with Congressional positions on their ballots.
Therefore, The Free Choice E-zine is proud to present the latest in a series of advice posts to (hopefully) create a more informed voter going to the polls November 2, 2010.

05. ARE THE CANDIDATES' ADS TELLING THE TRUTH?

Unfortunately, this is a question far easier to ask than to answer.
This must be judged on a case by case basis.
For example:
There are a lot of ads right now citing "facts" about the Health Care Reform Act that passed earlier this year in an attempt to lure voters away from the incumbent Congressional candidate who might have either worked on and/or voted for the measure and thus this allegedly makes them a bad representative of the people.

HOWEVER...

It should be pointed out that in a lot of cases, the so called "facts" are actually from EARLIER editions of the bill and NOT the final version that was presented before President Barack Obama for his consideration.
After all, THERE WERE several alternate takes on the matter between both the House of Representatives and the Senate before the two sides got together to create a unified document.

So if you have any doubts about a candidate's "facts", you can go to http://www.snopes.com/ , http://www.time.com/ , or any reputable news source.

The above is the latest in a series that will run between now and Election Day 2010 under the belief that a more informed voter is a wiser voter.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

POLITICAL POINTERS FOR THE VEXED VOTER #4

THE FOLLOWING IS AN EDITORIAL.

To those who this applies:
Being a resident of the United States of America, this fall maybe one of the most important elections within your living history .
The 2010 midterm elections, so named because they fall within the middle of a President's current term in office, are being closely observed and analyzed from every conceivable angle as pundits wonder if the Democrats will still have the majority in Congress come 2011, since it is generally believed that these election results reflect the current position of the country.
Similar situations are taking place within a lot of the individual state governments as well, especially those with Congressional positions on their ballots.
Therefore, The Free Choice E-zine is proud to present the latest in a series of advice posts to (hopefully) create a more informed voter going to the polls November 2, 2010.

04. JUST WHO ARE ALL THESE ADVERTISERS?

Every candidate advertises through the various media outlets available, and the respective parties also run additional supportive ads via such groups as the Democratic Congressional Committee, the Republican Congressional Committee, the Democratic Governors Association, and the Republican Governors Association.

But there are also a lot of ads from other groups such as "The Concerned Citizens Committee", "The Congressional Business Committee", "The Associated Action Network", etc.

So who are these people?

While it varies between the individual states and issues, unfortunately most of these Third Party Advertisers (not to be confused with the legitimate Third Parties such as the Libertarians and the Tea Party groups) are nothing more than lobbyists and special interests groups running advertising in hopes of clouding an issue to get the candidate they actually support elected.

Whether or not an ad is telling the truth is something that you the voter must figure out, but you don't have to go it alone.
There are places on the Internet such as http://www.snopes.com/ , http://www.time.com/ , and other reputable websites and news sources that specialize in confirming the truth over the rhetoric/mudslinging, and lies.
If you have doubts, look up the answer for yourself!

REMEMBER: The people running the ads are trying to get you interested in a specific position or opinion. It might not be the wrong position/opinion, but YOU are the only one who can decide if it's the right one for you!

AND NOW, FOR THOSE WHO MIGHT HAVE MISSED THE PREVIOUS INSTALLMENTS IN THIS SERIES...

01. WHICH SIDE IS CORRECT?

The Republicans are saying all kinds of things in regards to current events and the alleged (in)actions of certain people and their party. Of course the Democrats are taking a similar approach in some races, but the GOP is definitely the more vocal of the two.

Now The Free Choice E-zine unfortunately does not have the time nor the resources to examine every individual situation. But we can offer some free advice.

If you think nothing seems to be getting done by the incumbents and are considering the "oust the bums" approach, ask yourself this:

Is there genuinely no progress on a specific issue because there is true disagreement about how your (local, state, or national) government should proceed on the matter? OR
Is there no progress because one side/party is intentionally stonewalling/stalling/filibustering/delaying things to make the other side look bad and themselves appear to be good?


02. DEMOCRATS VERSUS REPUBLICANS

Without getting into a long, dragged out history lesson, basically there are two different political parties with opposing views on almost everything, supporting their respective slate of candidates across the United States within the upcoming elections November 2, 2010.
The Democrats are hoping to maintain the majority within the House of Representatives and regain it within the Senate. The official breakdown there at the moment is 48 Democrats, 49 Republicans, and one Independent.
The Republicans are hoping to regain the majority within both divisions of Congress, something they have not held since the days of the George W. Bush administration.
The final decision, of course, will be the voters.

There are also various fledgling third parties, such as the Libertarians, the Green Party, and the newborn Tea Party; but those have yet to establish themselves as well as the main two.

Some people prefer to vote by party instead of selecting individual candidates, yet some candidates are trying to avoid the "stigma" of being affiliated with one specific party and are not listing their party affiliation in their campaign ads.
Whether you decide to vote by party or will choose who you think is the best candidate for each position, when trying to decide who to vote for, The Free Choice E-zine humbly suggests asking yourself this:

Ignoring all the rhetoric, mud slinging, and campaigning, WHICH side has actually done WHAT in hopes to benefit you more and not themselves?

Granted, the above only works with incumbents or past office holders. But you can usually foresee a candidate's future in office by their past actions.

03. SHOULD A CANDIDATE HAVE MILITARY EXPERIENCE?

Regardless of what office they were running for, it was unheard of for most candidates not to have some military experience until the 1970s, when Selective Service replaced the draft in the United States.
Even now, there are some candidates who have volunteered to serve their country and are now considering that service as an asset towards their qualifications to hold whatever elected post they are seeking.
While such service can be considered beneficial under the right circumstances, by the same token, those running for office who have not served should not have that lack of service held against them.

In the end, regardless of the candidate and the position, ask yourself this:

Setting aside the military question, just what ARE a potential candidate's qualifications and are they the best one to receive your vote come Election Day?

The above is the latest in a series that will run between now and Election Day 2010 under the belief that a more informed voter is a wiser voter.

MY LATEST PROJECT

For those interested, may I humbly suggest Fantasy and Fear # 2 from Pro Se Productions, available from both the company's website (http://www.proseproductions.com/) and Lulu (http://www.lulu.com/).
While I am the editor of record and not a contributor to this magazine, we have some great stories in this issue including:
*The debut of the Sherringford Bell series by Ken Janssens
*"Hellhound" by Kevin Rodgers
*"Masquerra and the Storm Lord" by Nancy A. Hansen
*"Stigma" by B. C. Bell (no known relation to Sherringford)
*And 7 more fantastic stories with a cover featuring an interesting collection of characters getting ready for Halloween!

I sincerely hope you enjoy the creative efforts of everyone involved.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

THE SUNDAY FUNNIES: OCTOBER 24, 2010

Hello Everybody! Autumn the Puppy here. I think. I'm still trying to figure out how to post photos on The Free Choice E-zine and it's kind of bugging me. Oh well, at least it ain't fleas or ticks. Anyway, thought I'd share some funny photos with everyone this weekend. YOU CAN CLICK ANY IMAGE TO MAKE IT BIGGER.
First up, Dionne Warwick might ask "Do you know the way to San Jose?" and Bugs Bunny is ALWAYS missing that left turn at Albuquerque, but if you ever find yourself at this intersection, I hope you have a good GPS unit with you! I've once heard it said that men don't get lost, they just find alternate destinations. If you ever do have to stop and ask for directions, DON'T ask the people who hung these up!

On the left is a lovely beach scene, but I have never figured out if the person who posted this sign was a pessimist, an optimist, or just  plain nuts.
People in New York City are STILL trying to figure out what the image above is a photo of! Some say it's an unidentified flying object. Personally, I think it's the Yankees trying to sneak out of town after losing their chance to go to the World Series against the Texas Rangers. Guess it just goes to show that money can't buy everything. A TRUE FACT: the whole Texas payroll would only cover Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez's salaries for 2010! I guess if the Yankees want to see the World Series now, they will either have to buy a ticket or just watch it on TV like the rest of us.

 And believe it or not, this little fellow is a newborn porcupine! Just look at cute face! At this point in their young lives, the quills are soft, but as they get older, the quills will stiffen and grow harder so they can defend themselves and get the point across to their opponents.
Well, that's it for this weekend. Be back with us next weekend for our big Halloween Spook-tacular!
Have a great week everybody!
Atp.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

NEWS THAT MAKES YOU THINK: OCTOBER 23, 2010

THE FOLLOWING IS AN EDITORIAL.

*It was reported on Monday, October 18; that the United Arab Emirates' highest court ruled that a man CAN beat upon his wife and/or children to discipline them if necessary, provided he leaves no physical marks.

Come on. Seriously?

Domestic violence is, sadly, enough of a problem here within the United States of America as it is.
Granted, under the laws of their country, physical discipline is the last resort; provided verbal admonishing the offender(s) and withholding sexual relations from the wife do not work.

But still...

I was raised and taught that a (gentle)man NEVER hits a woman.

Maybe it's just cultural differences, but physically hitting a woman and/or child just doesn't seem right to me.
I honestly don't think I'm wrong.
But I sincerely cannot say that the United Arab Emirates' highest court is right either.

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

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: OCTOBER 17-23, 2010

*TYPHOON MEGI IS STILL ACTIVE IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN, having already attacked areas of Taiwan, China, and the Phillipines. PEOPLE IN THAT REGION OF THE WORLD ARE ADVISED TO TAKE THE APPROPRIATE PRECAUTIONS IF POSSIBLE.
*Strikes and disruption of services continue in France over a goverment proposal to alter the retirement age from 65 to 67 and push back early retirement to age 62.
*British Petroleum is planning to sell some of its assets in order to pay damages and expenses resulting from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill this year. There were eleven workers killed and over 200 million gallons of oil released into the Gulf of Mexico during that disaster!
*Connecticut residents have been asked NOT to wear any merchandise from or representing the World Wrestling Entertainment organization on or around any polling places come Election Day. Doing so has been declared a violation of the polling place neutrality zone since Linda Mcmanon is running against current State Attorney General Dick Blumenthal for a Senate seat to represent the Nutmeg State. Anyone in violation of this request will be asked to leave and come back without the offending merchandise.
*Another Toyota recall has begun in regards to potential brake fluid and fuel pump problems between various Lexus and Avalon models.
*WikiLeaks has released almost 400,000 field reports from the Iraq War.
*Astronomers announced the discovery of galaxy UDFy-38135539 as it becomes the most distant (known) object observed from Earth.

IN SPORTS...
*The Texas Rangers beat the New York Yankees to become the American League representative in the 2010 World Series. The National League representative has yet to be chosen between the San Francisco Giants and the Philladelphia Phillies. The fall classic of Major League Baseball is scheduled to begin October 27.

IN ENTERTAINMENT NEWS...
*Gary Trudeau's Doonesbury comic strip celebrates its 40th anniversary this month.

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

THE PUZZLE CORNER: OCTOBER 23, 2010

Another weekend, and Halloween draws near.

THE MISSING LETTER
All the following words are missing a letter to make them another word. And as you figure it out, you might notice a theme amongst the collection.

01. Host
02. Itch
03. Room
04. At

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

Check one: ( ) Trick ( ) Treat

We'll reveal all next weekend. But for now, let's look inside THE ANSWERS BOX for the results from October 16's Puzzle Corner.

THE LETTER SHUFFLE
As the leaves fall with the change of seasons, the following words can all be formed from the letters in the word LEAVES: A, ale(s), as, eel(s), lea(s), leave (remember: leaves was the given word), sale, save, sea, seal, see, vase, AND veal.
Other words besides the 16 listed above might be possible.

TRIVIA TIME
Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

POLITICAL POINTERS FOR THE VEXED VOTER #2 and 3

THE FOLLOWING IS AN EDITORIAL.

To those who this applies:
Being a resident of the United States of America, this fall maybe one of the most important elections within your living history .
The 2010 midterm elections, so named because they fall within the middle of a President's current term in office, are being closely observed and analyzed from every conceivable angle as pundits wonder if the Democrats will still have the majority in Congress come 2011, since it is generally believed that these election results reflect the current position of the country.
Similar situations are taking place within a lot of the individual state governments as well, especially those with Congressional positions on their ballots.
Therefore, The Free Choice E-zine is proud to present the latest in a series of advice posts to (hopefully) create a more informed voter going to the polls November 2, 2010.

02. Democrats versus Republicans

Without getting into a long, dragged out history lesson, basically there are two different political parties with opposing views on almost everything, supporting their respective slate of candidates across the United States within the upcoming elections November 2, 2010.
The Democrats are hoping to maintain the majority within the House of Representatives and regain it within the Senate. The official breakdown there at the moment is 48 Democrats, 49 Republicans, and one Independent.
The Republicans are hoping to regain the majority within both divisions of Congress, something they have not held since the days of the George W. Bush administration.
The final decision, of course, will be the voters.

There are also various fledgling third parties, such as the Libertarians, the Green Party, and the newborn Tea Party; but those have yet to establish themselves as well as the main two.

Some people prefer to vote by party instead of selecting individual candidates, yet some candidates are trying to avoid the "stigma" of being affiliated with one specific party and are not listing their party affiliation in their campaign ads.
Whether you decide to vote by party or will choose who you think is the best candidate for each position, when trying to decide who to vote for, The Free Choice E-zine humbly suggests asking yourself this:

Ignoring all the rhetoric, mud slinging, and campaigning, WHICH side has actually done WHAT in hopes to benefit you more and not themselves?

Granted, the above only works with incumbents or past office holders. But you can usually foresee a candidate's future in office by their past actions.
03. Should a candidate have military experience?

Regardless of what office they were running for, it was unheard of for most candidates not to have some military experience until the 1970s, when Selective Service replaced the draft in the United States.
Even now, there are some candidates who have volunteered to serve their country and are now considering that service as an asset towards their qualifications to hold whatever elected post they are seeking.
While such service can be considered beneficial under the right circumstances, by the same token, those running for office who have not served should not have that lack of service held against them.
In the end, regardless of the candidate and the position, ask yourself this:
Setting aside the military question, just what ARE a potential candidate's qualifications and are they the best one to receive your vote come Election Day?

The above is the latest in a series that will run between now and Election Day 2010 under the belief that a more informed voter is a wiser voter.

Monday, October 18, 2010

POLITICAL POINTERS FOR THE VEXED VOTER #1

THE FOLLOWING IS AN EDITORIAL.

This fall maybe one of the most important elections within your living history being a resident of the United States of America.
The 2010 midterm elections, so named because they fall within the middle of a President's current term in office, are being closely observed and analyzed from every conceivable angle as pundits wonder if the Democrats will still have the majority in Congress come 2011, since it is generally believed that election results reflect the current position of the country.
Similar situations are taking place within a lot of the individual state governments as well, especially those with Congressional positions on their ballots.
Therefore, The Free Choice E-zine is proud to present the first in a series of advice posts to (hopefully) create a more informed voter going to the polls November 2, 2010.

01. The Republicans are saying all kinds of things in regards to current events and the alleged (in)actions of certain people and their party. Of course the Democrats are taking a similar approach in some races, but the GOP is definitely the more vocal of the two.

Now The Free Choice E-zine unfortunately does not have the time nor resources to examine every individual situation. But we can offer some free advice.

If you think nothing seems to be getting done by the incumbents and are considering the "oust the bums" approach, ask yourself this:

Is there genuinely no progress on a specific issue because there is true disagreement about how your (local, state, or national) government should proceed on the matter? OR
Is there no progress because one side/party is intentionally stonewalling/stalling/filibustering/delaying things to make the other side look bad and themselves appear to be good?


The above is the first in a series that will run between now and Election Day 2010 under the belief that a more informed voter is a wiser voter.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

THE SUNDAY FUNNIES: OCTOBER 17, 2010

Hello Everybody! Ms. Waxy Dragon here.
Have you ever had writer's block?
Unfortunately it's a disease without a medical treatment, although I am in serious doubt any medical insurance would cover it to begin with. I can't even find it within any of the Operation! games that are on the market.
Anyway, I have been having a hard time trying to figure out what to write/post for this weekend's Sunday Funnies.
I tried looking in the dictionary for inspiration.
Under "funny", it said: Something that is considered humorous.
So I tried to look up "humor" and it said: Something that is considered funny.
Have you ever had one of those days?
Thankfully they are only 24 hours long. But if I wait until this day expires, then I'll be posting a BELATED Sunday Funnies, and none of us want that!
I'm so desperate for material, I'm even rummaging through the trash can, I mean: that special round file that's kept at the edge of the desk The Free Choice E-zine's master computer terminal sits on.
Let's see what's in here...
Empty chocolate wrappers, a couple of old receipts for the chocolate. Considering how much I eat and love the stuff, I wonder if I can write chocolate off as a business expense?
Ah! Here's something:

What has four legs and flies?
Well, me of course! DUH!

Hmmm... What has four wheels and flies?
A garbage truck.
Not during the traditional winter months of course, unless you live in a warm climate.
Anyway...

Why do birds fly south for the winter?
Because it's too far to walk.

Okay, I admit that's a bit obvious. Then again, why don't they just book a flight with one of the major airlines? They could get a group rate for the whole flock and would never have to worry about their luggage since they don't have any. No fears about the airline losing it and they certainly wouldn't get charged any baggage fees.
And the whole flock would probably take up just a row of seats in the back. Flying coach would definitely be cheaper than flying first class, let alone booking seats in the business class section.

Then again, they're birds. They have wings! Why would they need an airline to begin with!
It's late and I'm tired, but hey!
I managed to fill and post a column!
So join us back here next weekend for more Sunday Funnies!
Have a great week everybody!-wd.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

NEWS THAT MAKES YOU THINK: OCTOBER 16, 2010

AN EDITORIAL.

And now, another installment of our regular feature, taking a more in depth look at some specific news items.

*The Social Security Administration has announced that there will be no cost of living increase in social security benefits for 2011 since inflation has not risen high enough since the 2009 cost of living increase came into effect to warrant another one.
As the 2010 Presidential mid-term elections near, some Republican candidates are hopping on this issue as a sign that the Democratic policies and practices under the Barack Obama administration are not working.
But reread the above again folks!
THE SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION itself made the decision based upon facts, not any one specific party continuing any specific political practices.
You may not agree with the decision, especially if you are on social security, but you should at least be aware of the facts.

*Democrats versus Republicans
Do we really need to go into this one again?
You have two different political parties with opposing views on everything, supporting their respective slate of candidates across the United States with the elections November 2, 2010.
The Democrats are hoping to maintain the majority within the House of Representatives and regain it within the Senate. The official breakdown at the moment is 48 Democrats, 49 Republicans, and one Independent.
The Republicans are hoping to regain the majority within both divisions of Congress, something they have not held since the days of the George W. Bush administration.
The final decision, of course, will be the voters.
The Free Choice E-zine will be looking into the political arena more starting Monday October 18 and throughout the final days leading to the election.
But ask yourself this in the meantime dear reader:
Ignoring all the rhetoric, mud slinging, and campaigning, WHICH side has actually done WHAT in hopes to benefit you more and not themselves?

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: OCTOBER 9-16, 2010

We begin this week's news by celebrating the fact that the trapped miners in Chile have been rescued and all are expected to make a full recovery. The Free Choice E-zine was aware of the rescue efforts for quite some time, but was leery of reporting on this prematurely in case something went wrong, so erred on the side of cautious optimism.

LIU XIAOBO
We reported on this imprisoned Chinese dissident being awarded the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize last week. Since then, upon hearing of the award via his wife, Liu dedicated his award to the martyrs of the Tienanmen Square Protests from 1989. She has since been placed under house arrest!

ELSEWHERE...
*The Social Security Administration has announced that there will be no cost of living increase in social security benefits for 2011 since inflation has not risen that high since the 2009 cost of living increase came into effect.
*The ads and mudslinging in the upcoming Presidential elections heats up as Democrats, Republicans, and third party candidates step up their campaign efforts in hopes of being elected November 2.
*President Barack Obama wants to end the Bush Administration perks to companies for creating overseas jobs when those positions should be filled domestically. Meanwhile, the Republican want to push the issue of extending the Bush Administration tax cuts to a vote before the elections, while Democrats want to table the discussion until afterwards, since most of that legislation favored the upper class.

IN SPORTS...
*The Texas Rangers take on the New York Yankees to determine who will represent the American League while the San Francisco Giants face the Philadelphia Phillies for the National League title to see who will represent their respective side in the upcoming World Series of Major League Baseball.

IN ENTERTAINMENT NEWS...
We are sad to report the death of actress Barbara Billingsley, best known for her role of June Cleaver between Leave It To Beaver and the mid-1990s sequel Still The Beaver.

For more news at any time, feel free to scroll down to the IN OTHER NEWS FEATURE at the bottom of your monitor screen.

THE PUZZLE CORNER: OCTOBER 16, 2010

Another weekend as fall makes a strong appearance here in the United States, but we can take comfort in some puzzles.

THE LETTER SHUFFLE
Out of curiosity, since they are falling any way, just how many words can you make out of the letters in LEAVES before you rake and compost them?

TRIVIA TIME
While the days are becoming blustery and puzzles help keep the mind warm, who always commented about his "little grey cells"?

We'll reveal all next weekend, but for now let's peek into THE ANSWERS BOX for the results from October 9's Puzzle Corner.

TRIVIA TIME
In what is quickly becoming a tough new fall TV season here in America, Lonestar from FOX was the first canceled show, but it has been quickly followed by My Generation from ABC. There are at least eight other shows on the verge of being canceled if they cannot obtain better ratings soon.

REBUS
Throw in the towel.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

THE SUNDAY FUNNIES: OCTOBER 10, 2010

Hello Everybody. Ms. Waxy Dragon here!
Today is October 10, 2010; or 10-10-10 to some people.
Ten is an interesting number.
It is allegedly the best you can do in some sports competitions.
It is supposed to be the highest some people rate, although personally I think I'm an eleven.

But in any event, here are some great jokes that all rate a ten in my book.

01. Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The ceremony wasn't much, but the reception was excellent.

02. A jumper cable walks into a restaurant. The waiter said, "I'll serve you, but don't start anything."

03. Two peanuts walk into a bar, and one was a salted.

04. Two cannibals were eating a clown. One turned to the other and asked: "Does this taste funny to you?"

05. A man goes to see his physician and says, "Doc, I can't stop singing The Green, Green Grass of Home."
"That sounds like Tom Jones Syndrome," replied the Doctor.
"I've never heard of that before. Is it common?" asked the man.
"Well, it's not unusual..."

06. An invisible man married an invisible woman. The kids were nothing to look at either.

07. Deja Moo: The feeling that you've heard this bull before.

08. I went to buy some camouflage trousers the other day but couldn't find any.

09. I went to a seafood disco last week and pulled a mussel.

10. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. The one turns to the other and says 'Dam!'

11. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel and were standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories. After about an hour, the manager came out of the office and asked them to disperse.
"But why?" they asked, as they moved off.
"Because I can't stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer."

12. A woman had twins but gave them up for adoption. One went to a family in Egypt and was named 'Ahmal.' The other went to a family in Spain and they name him 'Juan.' Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal.
Her husband replied, "They're twins! If you've seen Juan, you've seen Ahmal."

13. There was a swami who walked barefoot most of the time, which produced an impressive set of calluses upon his feet. He also ate very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he suffered from bad breath. Although no one ever said it to his face, this made the swami... A super calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis!

14. There was a baby dragon who told 14 jokes, with the hope that at least ten of the puns would make people laugh. No pun in ten did.

Well, that's it for today everybody.
Oh, NOW you applaud!
Anyway, have a great week and we'll be back next weekend with more Sunday Funnies!-wd.

Saturday, October 9, 2010

NEWS THAT MAKES YOU THINK: October 9, 2010

An editorial.
From time to time there are news events that The Free Choice E-zine believes deserve more space for analysis and discussion.
This is just the latest post upon that subject.

*JOHN LENNON WOULD HAVE BEEN 70 TODAY.
There is a lot of speculation around the fact that if not assassinated in December 1980, entertainer John Lennon would have celebrated his 70th birthday today.
The songs unwritten/unrecorded.
The views of a generation unexpressed.
While one can only imagine (no pun intended) the possibilities, I honestly don't think Mister Lennon would have been too supportive of the commercialism surrounding his image and name.

*ROBERT GEOFFREY EDWARDS
He was recently awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine because of his role developing in vitro fertilization. But a Vatican official declared this "completely out of order", according to a BBC report.
Personally, I'm not sure all the couples who otherwise would be childless today actually agree with that statement.

*LIU XIAOBO
The imprisoned Chinese dissident awarded the Nobel Peace Prize is unaware of this, for news coverage of the event was blocked in China. Meanwhile, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu called the event a "desecration of the award" that might hurt relations between Norway and China.
I am far from an expert in foreign affairs and/or international relations/politics, but even simple man like myself can see how wrong this is on so many levels.

*HOW TO PAY FOR FIRE PROTECTION
Gene Cranick of Tennessee lost everything in a recent fire at his residence.
A tragic event to be sure, but one made worse considering the fact that although firefighters did respond to the emergency call, they stood around and did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING because Cranick had not paid the $75 municipal (subscription?) fee mandated by his local community government.
Now granted, fire departments do have expenses, although this is not quite as obvious in the more major metropolitan areas of the world, and even small community volunteer firefighters still have to have some way to cover their operating expenses.
But to respond and do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
Shouldn't they put out the fire first and then debated the financial arrangements later?

This has been another in a series of NEWS THAT MAKES YOU THINK.

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: OCTOBER 3-9, 2010

*Germany celebrates its 20th anniversary of being a unified nation once again.
*The White House has announced the impending installation of solar panels to help with its energy consumption.
*Upon his 79th birthday, Archbishop Desmond Tutu has decided to retire from public life.
*The town of Kolontar was evacuated while clean up, rescue, and containment efforts continue around the Ajka Alumina plant accident in Hungary. There are now environmental concerns about the Danube and Raba Rivers, along with the other affected areas.

THE NOBEL PRIZES...
*Robert Geoffrey Edwards of the United Kingdom has been awarded the Nobel Prize for medicine (and/or physiology) because of his role in developing what we know today as in vitro fertilization. The honor has caused one Vatican official to declare this "completely out of order", according to a BBC report.
*Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov from the University of Manchester share the Physics prize for their study of graphene.
*Author Mario Vargas Llosa was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature.
*Imprisoned Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. However news coverage of this event was blocked in China, so how many people, including the honoree, are currently aware of this is unknown. Meanwhile, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu called the event a "desecration of the award" and that this might hurt relations between Norway and China.
*Richard Heck, Ei-ichi Negishi, and Akira Suzuki share the Nobel prize for chemistry.
*A winner in the field of Economics has yet to be announced.

IN ENTERTAINMENT NEWS...
*The MGM Studios hope to reorganize under the Chapter 11 Bankruptcy laws in America.
*Today would have been John Lennon's 70th birthday.

IN SPORTS...
*Roy Halladay of the Philadelphia Phillies pitched a no hitter against the Cincinnati Reds, the first time this has been done in post season baseball since Don Drysdale pitched a perfect game in 1956.

For more news at any time, feel free to scroll down to the IN OTHER NEWS FEATURE at the bottom of your screen.

THE PUZZLE CORNER: OCTOBER 9, 2010

Another weekend and more puzzles. Isn't it nice to have some things you can depend upon in life?

TRIVIA TIME
Here in the United States of America, what was the first new show of the 2010-2011 TV season to be canceled?

REBUS
Can you guess what familiar word or phrase is represented by the image below?

ThisHROhersW

We'll reveal all next weekend. But for now, let's peek inside THE ANSWERS BOX to reveal the solutions to last weekend's Puzzle Corner.

THE LETTER SHUFFLE
Out of the letters in BASEBALL, one can form the following: A, Ab(s), able, baa, ball(s), base, babe(s) bell(s), ebb(s), el(s) which is an accepted form of the term elevated railways, lab(s), label(s), sable, sale, sea, AND sell. Other words might be possible besides the 24 listed.

COMMON BONDS
1. Actor Alan Young
2. Actor Mark Hamill
3. Actors who have found off screen careers in the entertainment industry.

Thursday, October 7, 2010

OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month here in the United States, although this and other forms of the disease are rampant throughout the world.
If you know of someone possibly at risk, have them get tested.
If you think you might be at risk, get tested!
If you know anyone currently fighting the disease, be supportive.
If you know anyone who has survived breast cancer, congratulate them.
If you know of anyone who lost their battle with breast cancer, think of their loved ones and those in the future who might be facing a similar situation and contribute to the fight if you can.


A public service message of The Free Choice E-zine.

PROJECTS I AM CURRENTLY INVOLVED WITH

For those wondering what I've been up to of late when not serving in my capacity as the Editor-In-Chief of this fine e-zine...
I have recently edited a three part comic book series for my good friend writer/creator Victoria Pagac called Raye Knight: Spellbound, with art and covers by Lou Manna.
About a young lady's coming of age who is not quite what she seems, it's available from Indy Planet http://www.indyplanet.com/ for $2.50 USD per issue.



Meanwhile, the second issue of (Pro Se Presents) Peculiar Adventures is now available from Pro Se Productions.
It's full of pulse pounding pulp goodness, with stories by: Robert Butt, Ken Janssens, Megan Smith, Barry Reese, Derrick Fergeson, Tommy Hancock, and others, including the debut of my own on going series within those pages called Wylde World.
Copies are available from either http://www.lulu.com/ (hard copy) or http://www.proseproductions.com/ (e-format) with all back issues still available from both sources.
And don't miss my Pro Se editorial debut with (Pro Se Presents) Fantasy and Fear #2, coming out just in time for Halloween!

This is the end of the shameless plug (for now) and we now return you to your regularly scheduled e-zine.

AND THEN THERE WERE EIGHT: 2010 BASEBALL EDITION

As we enter October here in America, the regular season is over, and now the eight remaining Major League Baseball teams compete to see who will go to the World Series and be declared the overall champion.
The Texas Rangers, the American League Western Division Champs are playing against the Eastern Division winning Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays. Meanwhile, the Central Division Minnesota Twins are battling the American League Wild Card New York Yankees.
In the end, the winners from those two match ups will compete against each other to see who will represent the American League against National League representative.
On that side, the Wild Card Atlanta Braves are competing against the San Francisco Giants while the Central Division champ Cincinnati Reds play against the Eastern winning Philadelphia Phillies.
All first round games can be seen on American cable station TBS or through MLB's own TV network.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

THE SUNDAY FUNNIES: OCTOBER 3, 2010

Hello Everybody! Autumn the Puppy here, and look at what I've dug up for your reading enjoyment this weekend.
Let's discuss the word UP.

Think about it.
This two letter English word has more meanings than any other two letter words you can think of.
It's listed in the dictionary as an adverb, preposition, adjective, a noun AND a verb!
It's easy to understand up meaning towards the sky or at the top of the list.
But when we awaken in the morning, why do we wake up? We're we sleeping down or in some other direction?
At a meeting, why does a topic come up?
Why do we speak up?
Why are the officers up for election?
Why is it up to the secretary to write up a report?
We call up our friends, brighten up a room, polish up the silver, warm up the leftovers, and clean up the kitchen.
We lock up the house and fix up the old car.

At other times, this little word has real special meaning.
People stir up trouble, line up for tickets, work up an appetite, and think up excuses.

To be dressed is one thing, but to be dressed up is special.

And this up is confusing: a drain must be opened up because it is stopped up.

We open up a store in the morning, but we close it up at night.

We seem to be pretty mixed up about up!

To be more knowledgeable about the proper uses of UP, look up the word UP in the dictionary.
In your average desk-sized dictionary, it takes up almost a fourth of the page and can add up to about thirty definitions

If you are up to it, you might try building up a list of the many ways up is used.
It will likely take up a lot of your time, but if you don't give up, you may wind up with a hundred or more possibilities.

When it threatens to rain, we say it is clouding up.
When the sun comes out, we say it is clearing up.
When it rains, it soaks up the Earth.
When it does not rain for awhile, things dry up.
One could go on and on, but I'll wrap this up for now, my time and space are almost up.

Oh, one more thing.
What is the first thing you do in the morning and the last thing you do at night?
Go up, remember?

Did that one crack you up?

Hopefully I didn't screw this up.
Whether or not your liked this post is up to you.
But whatever your opinion, come back next weekend for more Sunday Funnies.
Have a great week everyone, and I hope things look up for you.-AtP.

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: SEPTEMBER 26-OCTOBER 2, 2010

Well, unfortunately we were unable to get online before now due to the remnants of Tropical Storm Nichole knocking out our electrical service. The Free Choice E-zine apologizes for any inconvenience to our readers.

*Bob Dudley has succeeded Tony Hayward as the new CEO of British Petroleum.
*President Barack Obama's White House Chief of Staff Rham Emanuel has stepped down from that position in hopes of becoming the next mayor of Chicago, Illinois.
*Kim Jong-un, son of North Korea's current leader, has been appointed to two positions within The Workers' Party, a move which some pundits believe will help ease the eventual transfer of power from his father.
*Meanwhile, talks between the North and South Korean Militaries ended with no accords reached, although their governments have agreed to a plan to reunite families that were separated by the Korean War.
*The United Kingdom has declared Druids officially a religion under that realm's charity regulations.
*Pending final approval of the transaction, Southwest Airlines is scheduled to buy AirTrans Airways.

IN OUTER SPACE...
*NASA projects the new space capsule Orion to be ready for test flights by 2013.
*Astronomers have discovered twenty light years from Earth Gilese 587g, a planet similar to ours in physical form and appearance that might support life.
*China has launched the Chang'e 2, an automated lunar probe, to test developing space technology.

IN ENTERTAINMENT NEWS...
*The Flintstones recently celebrated their 50th anniversary while The Andy Griffith Show celebrates its now.
*Actress Gloria Stuart (Titanic), Actor Tony Curtis, and movie director Arthur Penn have passed away.

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

THE PUZZLE CORNER: OCTOBER 2, 2010

Well, unfortunately we were unable to get online before now due to the remnants of Tropical Storm Nichole knocking out our electrical service. The Free Choice E-zine apologizes for any inconvenience to our readers.

THE LETTER SHUFFLE
Since the regular season is ending, how many words can you spell out of my favorite sport: BASEBALL?

COMMON BONDS
The following groups have something in common. Do you know what it is?

01. {Wilbur Post, Scrooge McDuck}
02. {Kenneth W. Dantley, Junior; The Joker}
03. {Group 1 and 2}

We'll have the results for you (hopefully on time, weather permitting) next weekend. Meanwhile, let's peek into THE ANSWERS BOX for the results from last weekend's Puzzle Corner.

TRIVIA TIME
While the most points you can earn in the basic PC version of Solitaire is 745, the average score is 645 because it is a rare event to win without having to restart the deck at least once, which deducts 100 points from your score.

FAMOUS FIRSTS
The quote was the opening line from The Cat Who Could Read Backwards, the first book in THE CAT WHO series of mysteries by Lilian Jackson Braun.