Sunday, February 7, 2016

CATCHING UP: THE WEEK IN REVIEW: JANUARY 31-FEBRUARY 6, 2016

BECAUSE OF THE RECENT SNOWSTORM AFFECTING OUR AREA, THE FREE CHOICE E-ZINE IS JUST NOW GETTING BACK ON LINE AND ABLE TO RESUME OPERATIONS. THE PUZZLE CORNER WILL RETURN FEBRUARY 13, MAKING THIS BELATED INSTALLMENT OF THE WEEK IN REVIEW OUR 1600th BLOGGER POST.

AMONGST EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD THIS PAST WEEK...
*The World Health Organization has issued an International Public Health Emergency bulletin, due to the rapid spread of Zika Fever in Latin America.
*North Korea has announced it is planning an "Earth observation rocket launch" in the near future, against United Nations' sanctions saying otherwise.
*Twitter claims to have closed down 125,000 accounts linked to ISIS/ISIL terrorists.

TERRIBLE TERRORIST ACTIVITIES...
*Suicide bombers are still the recent "weapon" du jour, with numerous incidents reported over the past week, killing many civilians as well as military "targets".

PASSING PARADE...
*Comedian Bob Elliot, the surviving partner of the famous comedy duo Bob & Ray, is no longer with us.
*Famous animation voice actor Joe Alaskey (too many credits to mention all) has taken his last bow on life's stage.
*Maurice White of Earth, Wind, and Fire has passed away.
*Edgar Whitcomb, astronaut aboard Apollo 14, is no longer with us.
*Television music composer Ray Colcord (The Facts of Life, Boy Meets World, Big Brother) has passed away.
*Noted San Franciscan musician Dan Hicks is no longer with us.

WITHIN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA...
POLITICALLY...
*The 2016 primary season kicked off with the Iowa Caucuses. Democratically, Hillary Clinton narrowly beat Bernie Sanders, and despite a persistent rumor since then, there were no "coin tosses" involved!
*On the Republican side, Ted Cruz came in first, while Donald Trump finished second; despite the fact the question of whether or not Cruz is even eligible to run because of his Canadian birth certificate remains unanswered.
*Meanwhile, Trump is accusing Cruz of "voter fraud".
*Since the Iowa Caucus, the other Democratic candidate Martin O'Malley has suspended his campaign. Republicans Mike Huckabee, Rand Paul, and Rick Santorum have suspended their campaigns as well, while Republican hopeful Ben Carson has (temporarily?) closed his campaign offices again.
*As part of his upcoming final Federal budget, President Barack Obama will allegedly propose raising the tax on crude oil by $10 a barrel in order to fund infrastructure spending.
ELSEWHERE...
*If you put any stock in such reports, Punxsutawney Phil did NOT see his shadow, allegedly meaning six weeks of good weather and an early spring.
*The 50th Super Bowl, to be held February 7th, will be between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers.

THE FREE CHOICE E-ZINE ended January 2016 with 2,841 page views, thus continuing our over 2 year streak!

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.

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