THE WEEK IN REVIEW: FEBRUARY 23—MARCH 1, 2014

TODAY IS INDEPENDENCE DAY IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA.

Congratulations to The Hartford Courant of Connecticut, USA for celebrating 250 years of continuous publication as America's oldest newspaper.

AMONGST EVENTS HAPPENING AROUND THE WORLD THIS PAST WEEK...

*The 2014 Winter Olympics have concluded in Sochi, Russia; with the top medal winning countries being Russia, Norway, Canada, The United States, and The Netherlands.
*Pope Francis has taken steps to ensure financial responsibility in the Vatican by establishing a department of Economic Affairs with the power to audit any Vatican office if necessary.
*Israel has donated 300 books on the subject of Anne Frank to Japan after the vandalism attacks in public libraries reported there last week.
*Despite the growing political scandal(s) in her country, Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has said she will not be resigning.
*Discrimination against the LGBT Community is now legal in Uganda!
*Poet Michio Mado alas has written his last stanza.
*The Kepler Telescope has discovered (to date) 715 new planets!
*Civil unrest continues in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Syria.

In the Ukraine...
*In light of recent events, the Ukrainian Parliament has restored the country's 2004 constitution, freed previous Prime Minister and political prisoner Yulia Tymoshenko, and named Oleksandr Turchynov Acting President.
*Meanwhile, previous Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovych, claiming he is still officially President, is being sought for questioning over allegations of his actions while in office. However the United States of America is no longer recognizing him, saying "his past actions have undermined his legitimacy."
*The Berkut Police unit, blamed for protesters deaths, has been disbanded.
*The five-point red star has been removed from the top of the Parliament building as part of an overall plan for the country to distant itself from its Soviet Union past.
*President Putin and Russia allegedly want to reclaim at least part of the Ukraine, to the point of moving troops into the Crimea Region. President Obama, while not making any military promises, warned against violating Ukraine's sovereignty and "destabilizing the region".

From Australia...

*A 4.4 BILLION year old crystal in Western Australia has been confirmed as the oldest (known) fragment of the Earth's crust!
*The Queensland Museum has confirmed the discovery of two new species of goblin spiders in Australia's Darling Downs region.

Within the United States of America...
*The Washington Post reports that (allegedly) the only thing on the 2014 Republican Congressional agenda is the November elections and campaigning in hopes of maintaining control of the House of Representatives, if not gaining control of the Senate as well.
*Arizona Governor Jan Brewer vetoed a bill that would have allowed businesses to discriminate against the LGBT community on "religious principles".
*The Pentagon would like to reduce the size of the US Army to pre-World War 2 levels.
*The 2014 Razzie Awards (honoring the worst in movies) will be presented later tonight with the Oscars for the Best in movies awarded Sunday night.
*Actor, director, writer Harold Ramis (Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day) has left the stage.
*Former disc jockey and game show host Jim Lange (The Dating Game, Name That Tune) is no longer with us.
*Dale Earnhardt, Junior won NASCAR's Daytona 500 race February 23.

The Free Choice E-zine would like to thank its readership for closing out February 2014 with 2000+ pages views, our sixth straight month of increased reader support!

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