Sunday, October 27, 2013

THE SUNDAY FUNNIES: THE WHOLE TOOTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TOOTH!

Proudly smiling for the camera!
Hello Everybody! Waxy Dragon here!
Recently, I had to go to the dentist for a check up.
Thankfully, the dentist found nothing wrong.
I brush and floss every day to take good care of my teeth.
But I do realize that going to the dentist can be a scary thing at times, especially for us little kids.
(Okay, I know I'm a dragon, but I AM a baby dragon!)
So I thought I'd give everyone some dental jokes to take the scare out of going to the dentist.
Ready?

Why did the dentist look so unhappy?
"Brush & floss daily for good dental health!"
He was down in the mouth.

What time do you need to go to the dentist?
Tooth-hurty (2:30)

The kid was told he was seeing a painless dentist but found out that was a lie.
The dentist screamed like crazy when the kid bit him.

What did the judge say to the dentist?
"Do you swear to pull the tooth, the whole tooth, and nothing but the truth?"

Please be nice to dentists. They have fillings too.

Why did the King go to the dentist?
To get his teeth crowned.

Why did the tree go to the dentist?
To get a root canal.
But I wonder if their bark is really worse than their bite?

And on that note, it's (sadly) time to say goodbye for a while.
Please take care of yourselves and be back here next weekend for more Sunday Funnies!-wd.

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: OCTOBER 20-26, 2013

Today is the National Day of Austria, and the Feast of Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki for those observing.
October 30th marks the 75th anniversary of the historic "War of the Worlds" radio broadcast.

Amongst events that have happened around the world this past week.
*The World Health Organization reports a polio outbreak in war torn Syria.
*The Toyota Corporation has recalled over 800,000 vehicles with electrical problems that could prevent the airbags from deploying.
*China and India have signed a mutual border defense agreement.
*Germany has accused the United States of "monitoring" their Chancellor's cell phone, although  no specific agency or reason(s) why have been cited. America denies the accusation.
*The Maldives Presidential election is now scheduled for November 9, 2013.
*Astronomers have confirmed "z8_GND_5296" as the farthest galaxy ever discovered at 30 billion light years from Earth!
*Civil unrest continues in Syria, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Nigeria.


WITHIN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA...
*The Federal Government is officially operating again, but the (Tea Party) Republicans are not only threatening another shutdown at the next budget deadline unless their demands are met, but are also vowing similar reactions when the issue of immigration reform appears on the Congressional agenda.
*Newtown, Connecticut has leveled the Sandy Hook Elementary School as the latest step to build a new school and put the tragedy behind them.
*New Jersey is now the 14th state of the union to allow same gender marriages.
*The American League's Boston Red Sox are competing against the National League's Saint Louis Cardinals to determine the winner of the 2013 World Series in Major LEague Baseball, which is currently tied at 1 game apiece going into tonight's match up.

THE FREE CHOICE E-ZINE WOULD LIKE TO THANK ITS READERSHIP FOR GIVING US OUR SECOND STRAIGHT MONTH OF OVER 2000 PAGE VIEWS AND OVER TWO STRAIGHT YEARS OF 1000+ PAGE VIEWS MONTHLY!

For more news at any time, either scroll down to our IN OTHER NEWS feature at the bottom of your screen or visit any other reputable news source.

Saturday, October 26, 2013

THE PUZZLE CORNER: OCTOBER 26, 2013

I was working in the lab, late one night...
This year marks the 195th anniversary of Mary Shelley's classic novel Frankenstein.
With Halloween fast approaching, I'd thought it appropriate to celebrate with a little quiz.

"Frankly, I didn't think anyone cared."

01. What is the subtitle of Shelley's novel?
02. What is the official name of our honoree?
03. Who was the very first actor to portray our honoree on the silver screen?
04. TWO actors have portrayed our honoree THREE times in movies. Can you name them both?
05. Who was the first actor to officially portray our honoree on television?
06. Who was the first actor to officially portray our honoree in a comedic role?
07. Who was the first actor to portray our honoree when the movies had the character cross paths with another monster?

We'll reveal all next weekend.
But for now, let's take a peek inside THE ANSWERS BOX and discover the results of our Puzzle Corner from October 19, 2013.

REBUS
Something very familiar is represented by the image below.  
Do you know what it is?

H I J K L M N O

H20, more commonly known as water.
The letters H to O are listed above.

FAMOUS FIRSTS
When was the very first concert featuring rock and roll music?

Alan Freed, the disc jockey accredited with coining the phrase, hosted the very first rock and roll concert on March 21, 1952. The Moondog Coronation Ball was held at the Cleveland Arena in Cleveland, Ohio USA; which is why the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum is there. Paul Williams (no, not that one) and his Hucklebuckers were to share the stage with 'Tiny' Grimes and the Rocking Highlanders, but the event never got to be completed due to the huge overcrowding of the venue.
Just goes to show how popular the genre is, even in its infancy.

Monday, October 21, 2013

A CHAT WITH AUTHOR JIM BEARD

Today, The Free Choice E-zine welcomes JIM BEARD, one of the creators behind Monster Earth; a book this blog previously reviewed (and liked), to discuss his forthcoming projects.
So Jim, besides the next volume in that series, what else do readers have to look forward to?

The author, hard at work
JIM: I just submitted SGT. JANUS RETURNS, the sequel to last year’s SGT. JANUS, SPIRIT-BREAKER. If all goes well, we’re hoping to have it out later this year, from Airship 27 Productions. Actually, to say it’s a sequel isn’t exactly right. This book is really the second half a larger story that began in the first book. At the end of SGT. JANUS, SPIRIT-BREAKER something happened to the intrepid Sgt. Janus, a late-Edwardian ghost-hunter, and the new book details the path to his return to active duty.

TFCE: So how did you make a sequel not a sequel, let alone your character stand out from others in his field?
JIM: Sgt. Janus was created as my ode to all the great occult detectives in the very early Twentieth Century pulps, most especially William Hope Hodgson’s Carnacki the Ghost Finder. Janus is cut from the same peculiar cloth; a tireless man who sets himself between the supernatural and the normal people vexed by it. My twist to the genre is that in the first volume, SGT. JANUS, SPIRIT-BREAKER is made up of eight short tales, each one told by a different narrator – Janus’ clients. The man himself is somewhat mysterious and each of his clients sees him in a different light and offers their own opinions on who Janus is and what he does…valiantly breaking the ties that hold the spirits of the dead to the Earth.
SGT. JANUS RETURNS is also constructed out of eight stories, but this time with a single narrator, a young lay about jazz admirer who stumbles into the company of a very strange person who may or may not bring about the good sergeant’s return. The stories are really more like chapters of a novel, the entire book threaded through with connective tissue between tales.

Cover art by Jeff Herdon
TFCE: You’ve referenced classic pulps, while the SGT. JANUS series is published under the “New Pulp” banner. Just what is New Pulp to you?
JIM: New Pulp, to me, is an opportunity to honor the past while creating the adventure fiction of the future. What I love about it is its scope – Pulp, regardless of when it is written or published, can encompass all genres – and with that in mind I try to craft projects that stretch out and invite all sorts of readers into our clutches.

TFCE: So, what lures you to the keyboard to write?
JIM: I write what I myself am interested in, or things that I won’t know if I’m interested in until I try them. One of my most favorite things to do is to take different building blocks and assemble them into new combinations while still honoring those incredible pulp writers who came before me.

TFCE: But what piques that interest and creates inspiration?
JIM: I suppose it’s a cliché to say that everything inspires me in my writing, but it tends to be true. One of the most incredible things that can happen to me as a writer is when I come upon something while reading or watching TV or surfing the net that launches me on some new flight of fancy. Ideas can literally come from anywhere at any time…I’ve been very lucky in that my inspiration seems to be flowing along quite nicely these days. If anything, I probably have too many ideas!

TFCE: And the inspiration that made you pursue an interest in writing was…?
JIM: Lester Dent. While I love so many of the Classic Pulp scribes, its Dent’s sparse prose and way with a catchy phrase that always entertains me every time I crack a Doc Savage novel. I passed my Airship 27 writing test because I channeled a bit of Lester in it…

TFCE: You’ve had quite an interesting career so far. Besides the aforementioned Monster Earth series, you’ve originated the Monster Aces anthology series, contributed to the Presidential Pulp, , and Black Bat anthologies; wrote the first straight prose Captain Action novel (Riddle of the Glowing Men), and have even dabbled in comics via a Ghostbusters anthology and a tribute to James Dean. With all that, do you have such a thing as a “dream” project?
JIM: I don’t know if this is odd or what, but many of my dream projects involve licensed characters and properties. My Number One Dream Project is to write an official Batman novel based on the 1966 TV series – in grand pulp style. That would be a perfect companion book to the work I did on Gotham City: 14 Miles, 14 Essays on WHY the 1960s Batman TV Series Matters. After that, I’d like to write new stories of the G.I. Joe Adventure Team, Planet of the Apes, the Justice Society of America…and a whole host of others. I can dream, can’t I?

TFCE: Sounds like you’re going to be very close to your keyboard for a while. Where do you see yourself in the next few years?
JIM: I’m going to be experimenting with some self-publishing as Flinch! Books, and I also have an idea for a shared fantasy realm that readers will be able to access through a series of online stories. Beyond that, I’d like to continue creating new anthology concepts for the existing pulp publishers and keeping my eye out for that one cool idea that will make one helluva pulp novel. I also want to keep writing Sgt. Janus books.

TFCE: Considering all you have done and plan to do, is there any aspect of writing you will not attempt?
JIM: Hmm, I don’t think anyone’s ever asked me what fiction genres I DON’T like or would never write before…if they did, I’m not sure how I’d answer that. Like I said, I want to try my hand at every conceivable genre to see what I feel I’m good at. I may say now that Westerns don’t light a fire underneath me, for example, but I’ve yet to try writing one. Same with sport stories. I’ll try anything once, except maybe erotica!

TFCE: So, to quickly recap; besides the next SGT. JANUS book, Jim Beard fans should also be on the look out for…?
JIM: The upcoming second volume of my MONSTER ACES with Pro Se Press, MONSTER EARTH 2 with Mechanoid Press, and CAPTAIN ACTION 2 with Airship 27. I’m also especially thrilled about another anthology I created for Pro Se called THE LEMON HERBERTS, concerning a 1960s musical group’s adventures around the world – look for that one early in 2014.

TFCE: Well, we better let you get back to work before we put you behind schedule.
JIM: Probably. But I enjoyed the chat.
TFCE: Any time.

Jim Beard's Sgt. Janus Blog  can be read at- http://sgtjanus.blogspot.com/
while his work and Amazon author's page are accessible at - http://www.amazon.com/Jim-Beard/e/B004UWVOPE/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1381790133&sr=1-2-ent

Sunday, October 20, 2013

SUNDAY FUNNIES: GONE FISHING!

Smells something fishy!
Hello Everyone! Autumn the Puppy here!
Now, there is one thing I have noticed over time that I have never figured out an answer for.
Meow?
How come there is no fish flavor(s) in dog food?
Now I know the fish bones are bad for us canines (and people too), but what about the fish itself?
Is this some kind of conspiracy to keep fish strictly on the menus of people and cats?
I know there are a lot of different varieties of fish, and I would love to see what a catfish tastes like; but where all this is leading to is some funny fish jokes. Ready?

Mary said to her neighbor, "Don't tell me you believe your husband's story that he spent all day fishing. You have no idea where he could have been. He didn't even come home with a single fish!"
"That's why I believe him," replied the neighbor.

"My summer vacation went just swimmingly!"
The young boy protested when his mother asked him to take his little sister fishing with him.
"But mom, the last time she went, I didn't catch a single fish!"
"I'll talk to her and make her promise not to make any noise," swore the mother.
"It wasn't the noise mom," said the boy. "She ate all my bait!"

A son asked his dad what the biggest fish he ever caught was.
The father replied, "You better go ask your mother. I forgot what I told her."

"I heard you went fishing in that dirty lake today. Catch anything?" one man asked another.
"I got plenty of left shoes, but the right shoes didn't seem to be biting."

"Sorry, I'm drawing a blank on that one."
A park ranger came upon a man fishing near the lake where a "No fishing" sign was posted.
The man swore he wasn't fishing, but attempting to teach worms how to swim!

A wife was planning dinner and asked her husband if he liked cod fish balls.
"I don't know," he replied. "I've never attended any."

And finally...
Why did the man call in sick from work so he could go fishing?
For the halibut on porpoise!

So on that note, have a great week everybody and please be back here next time for more Sunday Funnies!-AtP.

All fish images are from Free Stock/Clip Art sites.
No actual fish were harmed making this column.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: OCTOBER 13-19, 2013

ALBANIA HONORS MOTHER TERESA TODAY.

Amongst events that have happened around the world this past week...
*Chad, Nigeria, Chile, Lithuania, and Saudi Arabia were elected to join the United Nations Security Council, but the latter declined; based upon their opinion of the United Nations inability to stop the Ghouta chemical attack. The two year term for the others will begin January 1, 2014.
*Canada and the European Union have signed a free trade and copyright agreement.
*Eugene Fama, Lars Peter Hansen, and Robert J. Shiller won the Nobel Prize in Economic Science for their work in analyzing asset prices.
*New Zealand author Eleanor Catton won the 2013 Man Booker Prize for The Luminaries.
*Malala Yousafazi has been awarded Honorary Canadian Citizenship.
*Civil unrest continues in Syria, Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

WITHIN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
*The Federal government has officially reopened as Congress passed an emergency measure keeping the country financed until their winter break in December and able to pay bills until after their post-vacation return in January 2014. President Barack Obama, while thankful that they finally took action, pointed out that "there are no winners", considering the actual cost of the shutdown economically and morally.

AND THE FREE CHOICE E-ZINE WOULD LIKE TO THANK ITS READERSHIP FOR GIVING US OVER 1500 PAGE VIEWS FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER AT THIS POSTING, MAKING OVER TWO YEARS OF 1000+ PAGE VIEWS SINCE SEPTEMBER 2011!

For more news at any time, either scroll down to our IN OTHER NEWS feature at the bottom of your screen or visit any other reputable news source.

THE PUZZLE CORNER: OCTOBER 19, 2013

Depending upon where you live, it's kind of cool this weekend as the world enjoys fall. So let's keep warm with a few games.

REBUS
Something very familiar is represented by the image below.
Do you know what it is?

H I J K L M N O

FAMOUS FIRSTS
When was the very first concert featuring rock and roll music?

We'll reveal all next weekend. But for now, let's delve into THE ANSWERS BOX, and discover the results from the October 12, 2013 Puzzle Corner.

BEFORE AND AFTER
Two separate items have at least one word in common, allowing them to be combined to form a new item. Based upon the clue below, do you know what it is?

The story of a historic figure of the Revolutionary War in America, written by that person's famous great-grand-nephew over a century later.


This would be BETTY ZANE GREY.
Betty Zane (1765-1823) and Zane Grey the author (1872-1939)

NEXT?
It's been quite a while since we've played this. A sequence is started below. Do you know what the next item within it would be?

Under, Hand, Shake,      ?    

There are TWO possible answers.
Based upon the fact that you can make a compound word out of each sequence (Underhand, Handshake), the next item in the sequence would be either UP (Shakeup) or Down (Shakedown).
And if you want to be really sneaky, Down can be used with Under to bring the sequence full circle with Down Under, another term for Australia.

Sunday, October 13, 2013

SUNDAY FUNNIES: ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A FIRST GRADE DRAGON?

One smart baby dragon!
Hello everybody! Waxy Dragon here!
Now, even though I am only in the first grade, I am learning quite a lot in Dragon School. Like how to fly and how to breathe fire properly, two things every dragon should know. So unless you're a dragon in disguise, kids: don't try this at home!
Of course, I've also talked before about my meaner ancestors of the past, but (most) dragons today are a lot nicer than they were.
After all, we know that Humans are not crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

Anyway, one of my favorite teachers in school is a much older dragon by the name of Professor Hy I. Que; who is teaching us how to think.
Now this may seem odd, because after all, everyone thinks to some point, but when you're a little kid, no matter what age or species, everything seems hard to do at first until you get the hang of it.

Let me share Professor Que's last pop quiz with you and we'll see how it goes.
By the way, the Professor's pop is a nice guy, but this test isn't about him.

01. What kind of cheese is made backwards?
Edam!
MADE = EDAM. Haven't had any of it myself, but then again, I'll eat almost anything when it comes to
food, except Brussels sprouts! They can stay in Brussels for all I care.

02. What do you put in a toaster?
Bread!
The toaster makes bread into toast. Look at it this way, if you already had toast, why would you need the toaster?

03. What do adult cows drink?
Water!
Only the baby cows drink mommy's milk.

04.If a butcher is six feet four inches tall and thirty-five years old, what does he weigh?
Meat!
Otherwise, he wouldn't be a butcher.

Okay. How well did you do?
The important thing is that you had some fun thinking and that I'm not as dumb as I pretend to be sometimes!

Have a great week and please be back here next weekend for more Sunday Funnies!--wd.

Saturday, October 12, 2013

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: OCTOBER 6-12, 2013

OCTOBER 12 IS BOTH OUR LADY APARECIDA'S DAY and CHILDREN'S DAY IN BRAZIL, WHILE SPAIN CELEBRATES NATIONAL DAY.
MONDAY IS COLUMBUS DAY IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Amongst events that have occurred around the world this past week...
*Malala Yousasafzai has been announced as the winner of the 2013 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought for her efforts campaigning for women's rights and education in Pakistan. The United Nations will present the prize on Human Rights Day this December.
*North Korea has begun saber rattling again as it allegedly put its military forces on red alert after warning the United States of an "impending, horrible disaster".
*The British Broadcasting Corporation has confirmed the recovery of nine missing episodes from the 1960s era of the Doctor Who television series. The adventure known as "The Enemy of the World" is now complete, while "The Web of Fear" now only lacks part three of six. Both serials star Patrick Troughton as the second Doctor.
*Ilham Aliyev was re-elected President of Azerbajin, although allegations of voter fraud still have to be investigated.
*Mulatu Teshome has replaced Girma Wolde-Giorgis as President of Ethiopia.
*Civil unrest continues in Syria, Egypt, Iran, and Afghanistan.

THE NOBEL PRIZES
Medal example
The initial winners of the 2013 awards are:
*The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons was awarded the Peace Prize.
*The team of Martin Karplus, Michael Levitt, and Arieh Warshel won in Chemistry for their work in computational chemistry.
*The team of James Rothman, Randy Schekman, and Thomas C. Sudhof have won the Physiology/Medicine Prize for their work on examining transport systems in cells.
*The Physics Prize was awarded to the team of Peter Higgs and Francois Englert for exploring the origins of mass in subatomic particles.
*Author Alice Ann Munro has won the Peace Prize for Literature.
*A recipient(s) for the 2013 Prize in the field of Economics had yet to be announced as this article was posted.

WITHIN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
*The shutdown of the federal government continues, despite the fact many within the Republican party are now demanding its end too.
*President Barack Obama has nominated Janet Yellen as the new head of the Federal Reserve. The appointment has yet to be approved by Congress because of the shutdown.
*While the city is within the midst of its own financial crisis, former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick has been sentenced to a total of 28 years on multiple charges of fraud, racketeering, conspiracy, and tax crimes.
*NASA's Curiosity probe has found plenty of evidence supporting the theory that the planet Mars may once have supported some form of life as Human beings know it, but not at the present time.
*The 2013 Major League Baseball playoffs are down to four teams, as the Boston Red Sox face the Detroit Tigers to determine who will represent the American League, while the Los Angeles Dodgers compete against the Saint Louis Cardinals to determine who will represent each side in the World Series later this month.
*Scott Carpenter, an original member of the Mercury Space Program, has passed away.

FOR MORE NEWS AT ANY TIME, EITHER SCROLL DOWN TO OUR IN OTHER NEWS FEATURE AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SCREEN OR VISIT ANY OTHER REPUTABLE NEWS SOURCE.

All images courtesy of Wikipedia's Wikimedia Commons image use policy.

THE PUZZLE CORNER: OCTOBER 12, 2013

Greetings! Another weekend is upon us, so here is a fresh crop of puzzles for your enjoyment.

BEFORE AND AFTER
Two separate items have at least one word in common, allowing them to be combined to form a new item. Based upon the clue below, do you know what it is?

The story of a historic figure of the Revolutionary War in America, written by that person's famous grand-nephew over a century later.

NEXT?
It's been quite a while since we've played this. A sequence is started below. Do you know what the next item within it would be?

Under, Hand, Shake,      ?    

We'll reveal all next weekend. But for now, let's peek inside THE ANSWERS BOX and discover the results of our baseball themed Puzzle Corner from October 5, 2013.

FAMOUS FIRSTS
The first team to win two World Series titles in the 21st century is the Boston Red Sox (2004 and 2007)

TRIVIA TIME
Everyone (presumably) knows the classic Bud Abbot and Lou Costello baseball routine "Who's On First?", but do you remember the actual team roster?
We started you out, but it was up to you to complete the list.
While the set up for the routine changed with each telling to keep the sketch fresh, the roster always remained constant.

FIRST BASE: WHO
SECOND BASE: What
THIRD BASE: I don't know
LEFT FIELD: Why
CENTER FIELD: Because
PITCHER: Tomorrow
CATCHER: Today
SHORT STOP: I don't care (the last punch line in the routine)
And the Right Fielder was NEVER named!

But now, courtesy of You Tube, here's Bud Abbot and Lou Costello, performing the rendition of "Who's On First?" that was part of The Actor's Home episode from their television series in 1953.


Sunday, October 6, 2013

SUNDAY FUNNIES: COMPUTER CONSUMERS BEWARE!

One paw typist
Hello Everybody! Autumn the Puppy here.
Way back in March, I did a computer themed Sunday Funnies about the perils of tech support.
Since then, I have been asked to do more computer jokes, and have recently compiled enough material to (humorously) discuss the things that consumers must be aware of when purchasing a new system.

Now of course, there's the more obvious things like looking out for any physical damage to the unit or the box(es) before you buy it. Or that the manufacturer replaces the system with the newest model before you even get it home!

But what else is there to be wary of?

*Be cautious that your system requires electricity to operate. While laptops and smaller devices use rechargeable batteries; they do not require gasoline, propane, or alternate energy sources.

*Unless you are intentionally buying an antique for some reason, the external memory should NOT consist of a floppy disc or a notepad and a pen.

*The CD-Rom and/or DVD slots are not drink holders! And if you do insert a disk into your system, while it should disappear when the tray recloses, that action should NOT be followed by a loud burp!

*Also, when you eject a disc, it should not go flying across the room as it leaves the computer.

*The monitor screen should not be showing a blue background before you have even turned the computer on. Blue is the classic color that many early computer users dread seeing. It means your system is having problems, if not an outright crash. If your computer is having problems, suggest a good psychologist. To prevent a crash, take away its car keys and call your computer a cab.

*NOWHERE on the monitor frame should there be the words "Etch-A-Sketch"!

*If possible, ask to take a look at the operator's manual before buying your computer. If anywhere within the entire book(let) are the words "Good Luck!", then you definitely should consider a different system.

*The memory chip(s) within your computer should not be edible.

*The computer mouse should not squeak and eat cheese.

Well, that's it for this weekend. When making a major purchase like this, don't forget to compare and contrast systems and prices between retailers, and ALWAYS hang on to your receipts, just in case.
Have a great week, and please return next weekend for more Sunday Funnies!--AtP.

Saturday, October 5, 2013

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: SEPTEMBER 29-OCTOBER 5, 2013

THE FREE CHOICE E-ZINE APPLAUDS GATE HOUSE MEDIA FOR RECENTLY PRINTING ALL THEIR NEWSPAPERS ON PINK STOCK TO PROMOTE THE FACT THAT OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH.

Amongst events happening around the world this past week...
*An Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons team has entered Syria to begin dismantling that country's chemical weapons arsenal.
*Civil unrest continues in Iran and Afghanistan.

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA GOVERNMENT SHUT DOWN
*The radical side of Congressional Republicans intentionally failed to pass a budget and forced a governmental shutdown of all "nonessential" functions (closing national parks and museums, processing new Social Security claims, the Treasury Department being unable to pay previously approved bills, etc) because they wanted the Affordable Health Care Act, aka Obama Care either defunded or repealed. The joke is on them because the measure went into phase 2 October 1, financed independently of their efforts, and is now providing health insurance to those that did not have it before.
*Meanwhile, this action has allegedly torn the Republican Party apart internally, with many in office fearing that they will not be re-elected even if they did not have a direct/active role in recent events.
*The Pentagon has recently summoned all its furloughed employees back to work.
*The Republicans who started this chain of events have refused all requests to end the shutdown so far, even those of their own party!
*Pundits and analysts fear what might happen the longer the shutdown progresses. There are Federal bills due by October 17, and defaulting is possible if the shutdown isn't resolved in time.

ELSEWHERE IN AMERICA
*Twitter is making preparations to begin publicly offering stock.
*Author Tom Clancy (The Hunt for Red October, The Teeth of the Tiger, etc) has passed away.
*The 2013 Major League Baseball playoffs have begun; with the Los Angeles Dodgers taking on the Atlanta Braves while the Pittsburgh Pirates face the Saint Louis Cardinals to determine who will represent the National League in the annual World Series later this month. Meanwhile, the Boston Red Sox compete against the Tampa Bay Rays and the Oakland Athletics square off against the Detroit Tigers to determine the American League representative.

For more news at any time, either scroll down to our IN OTHER NEWS feature at the bottom of your screen, or visit any other reputable news source.

THE PUZZLE CORNER: OCTOBER 5, 2013

PLAY BALL!
The 2013 Major League Baseball playoffs have started, to see who will represent each respective side in this year's World Series. With that in mind, this weekend's Puzzle Corner is baseball themed.
Batter up!

FAMOUS FIRSTS
Who was the first team in the 21st century to win two World Series titles?

TRIVIA TIME
Everyone (presumably) knows the classic Bud Abbott and Lou Costello comedy routine "Who's on first"?
But do you remember who (no pun intended) the rest of the team members are?
We'll start it off, but it's up to you to finish the roster.

First Base: Who
Second Base:
Third Base:
Short Stop:
Left Fielder:
Center Fielder:
Right Fielder:
Pitcher:
Catcher:

We'll reveal all next weekend. But in the meantime, let's open THE ANSWERS BOX and reveal the results from the September 28, 2013 Puzzle Corner.

IN OTHER WORDS
"Understanding something after the fact comes with normal visual clarity" is a more formal way of saying "Hindsight is 20/20."

COMMON BONDS
01. {Dungeons and Dragons, Yahtzee} and yes, we know they are both games.

Both games require dice to play.
02. {Scarlett, Peachfuzz} Both are fictitious Captains. Scarlett was a creation of puppeteer Gerry Anderson while Peachfuzz always delivered Rocky and Bullwinkle to the wrong destinations.