Monday, November 30, 2020

SHERLOCK HOLMES, CONSULTING DETECTIVE VOLUME 16 NOW AVAILABLE!

 With all the political🗹🗹🗹 and pandemic😷 posts of recent weeks, I never got the chance to mention that my latest creative endeavor is now available within the pages of SHERLOCK HOLMES, CONSULTING DETECTIVE Volume 16 from Airship 27!😀

Featuring the creative talents of
*I. A.—no known relation to Doctor—WATSON's "The Adventure of the Anarchist's Apprentice" (Who's raging havoc and destruction on London?)
*GREG HATCHER's two short stories "The Adventure of the Disappearing Diplomat" (a race against time to save Mycroft and a foreign dignitary) and "The Adventure of the Man Who Died Twice"  (did a widow really lose her husband twice?)
*ROB DAVIS' interior art, cover (based upon an illustration from the Italian adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Sign of Four), and formatting
*Along with MY NOVELLA "The Adventure of the Unimaginable" (can Watson solve a mystery alone when Sherlock's on holiday?)

Who could ask for anything more between the covers of this amazing volume?
The book is out now via Amazon in PRINT or KINDLE E-BOOK format.

HOPE YOU ENJOY EVERYONE'S HARD CREATIVE WORK, and thanks for allowing me this brief bit of self promotion.

Sunday, November 29, 2020

SUNDAY FUNNIES: BEWARE THE POULTRY-GEIST!

Hello Everybody! Editor-In-Chief Lee Houston, Junior holding down the E-zine fort as the ladies finish up the holiday weekend here in the United States.

I'm sure by now plenty of you are sick and tired of the one thing associated with the Thanksgiving holiday that hardly anyone is ever brave enough to discuss.
The dreaded Thanksgiving leftovers.🦃🦃🦃🦃🦃

Especially this year upon realizing you've overbought because it wasn't safe for your family and friends to travel during this pandemic😷, so how many turkey sandwiches, turkey dinners, turkey omelets and whatever else you might have can one person consume until you've exorcised the Poultry-Geists out of your kitchen by using up the last of your leftovers?

Well, your mileage might vary, but I'm exorcising mine by telling some leftover Thanksgiving jokes! Ready?

How did Turkeys reach the new world since they didn't travel on the Mayflower?
They came by Gravy Boat.

Why did the turkey cross the road?
To prove it wasn't chicken.

If a turkey commits a crime, is it guilty of fowl play?

Turkeys aren't great at sports. They always get the stuffing knocked out of them.

What do you call a live turkey after Thanksgiving?
Lucky!

And on that note, have a great week.
STAY SAFE!😷
And please be back here again next weekend for more Sunday Funnies!lh,jr.

Saturday, November 28, 2020

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: NOVEMBER 22-28, 2020


♫YOU SEE IT'S GETTING LATE.
OH PLEASE DON'T HESITATE.
PUT A LITTLE LOVE IN YOUR HEART.♫
Jackie DeShannon.





DECEMBER 1 MARKS THE 65TH ANNIVERSARY OF ROSA PARKS DEFENDING HER CIVIL RIGHTS ON THAT HISTORIC MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA BUS RIDE.
DECEMBER 4 MARKS THE 55TH ANNIVERSARY OF GEMINI 7.
DECEMBER 7 IS PEARL HARBOR REMEMBRANCE DAY.

AM😷NGST EVENTS AROUND THE W🌍RLD THIS PAST WEEK…
*Thanks to the pandemic, India's first recession in history!
*The G20 Virtual Summit concluded with the participants planning a united, anti-COVID 19 front while President Trump spent the weekend playing golf! (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)
*Shuggie Bain, Douglas Stuart’s debut novel, has won the 2020 Booker Prize.

THE TERRORIST REPORT…
*The Free Choice E-zine does not support terrorism, no matter what the “cause” or alleged “justification”. Thus we will only be posting news items in this section whenever terrorists are brought to justice.

😢PASSING PARADE…
*Country music singer-songwriter Hal Ketchum (numerous credits) has passed away.
*Former football🏈 player and coach Markus Paul is no longer with us.

WITHIN THE UNITED STATES🌎 OF AMERICA…
AFTER THE VOTES WERE (RE)COUNTED…
🗹🗹🗹
*Trump’s efforts to overturn Pennsylvania have been thrown out of court due to lack of factual evidence. Again. (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)
*Trump getting backlash over his actions. (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)
TRANSITION TIME…
*Trump claims he’ll leave office if the Electoral College confirms Biden’s victory but until then, the lawsuits and other shenanigans continue.
POLITICALLY…
SOCIAL (IN)JUSTICE…
😷THE US VERSUS COVID-19…
*The state of your state, from two different perspectives. (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)
TRUMP TWEETS…
IT’S FACT CHECK TIME!
MEANWHILE, IN CONGRESS…
*Will Trump’s comments concerning Georgia affect the January run off elections that decide the Senate’s membership composition???
ELSEWHERE…
😀AND FINALLY, SOME GOOD NEWS…

THE PUZZLE CORNER: NOVEMBER 28, 2020

😎FUN FACT
Although many radio stations have been playing Christmas🎄 music♫ since BEFORE Thanksgiving🦃, our holiday puzzles will not start until December 5.

AKA, ALSO KNOWN AS
Who do we know Calvin Broadus, Junior better as?

THE 50/50 CHANCE
Just like a regular TRIVIA TIME question, except there are just two possible answers, hence the even odds of getting it right. Ready?
TRUE OR FALSE: All 5 Marx Brothers (Groucho, Chico, Harpo, Zeppo, and Gummo) have appeared on film🎥 together.

We’ll reveal all next weekend but for now, let’s open up THE ANSWERS BOX📦 and discover the results from the November 21, 2020 Puzzle Corner.

NUMBER PLEASE
Get ready! We ask the question, but the answer is just a number.
How many Three Point Shots has Shaquille O’Neal successfully made in his professional basketball🏀 career?

THE LETTER SHUFFLE
With the holiday this week, how many new words can you form out of the letters in THANKSGIVING?🦃
A, aging, ah, akin, an, angst, as, at,
Gag(s), gain(s), giant(s), gas, gat(s) <old 1930's slang for guns>, gig(s), gin(s), gist, git(s) <Hillbilly slang for scram/get>, giving
Hag(s), haggis <a Scottish delicacy>, hang(s), has, hat(s), having, hi <short form of "hello">, hiking, hint(s), hit(s)
I, ink(s), in(s), inn(s), is, it, its
Kin, king(s), kit(s), knight(s), knit(s)
Nag(s), nigh, night(s)
Sag, saint, sank, sat, saving, shag <a type of carpeting>, sight, sighting, sign, signing, sink, sinking, sin, shin, shining, sit, skin, skit, snag, snit, stag, staging, stain, staining, stank, sting, stinging, stink, stinking
Tag(s), tan(s), tank(s), than, thank(s), thin(s), thing(s), think(s), this, tin, vain, vat(s), visit, Viking(s), (AND) vista.
Other words besides the 117 above might be possible. But IV (the medical term) didn’t count because it’s an abbreviation. The Roman numerals II and IV are debatable, but the cuss word for human waste was not listed since this is a family oriented E-zine.

Friday, November 27, 2020

BLACK FRIDAY 2020

 THE FOLLOWING IS AN EDITORIAL.

With COVID-19 and a global pandemic in effect, there is no denying that the start of the 2020 holiday shopping season is vastly different than this time last year.
No store opened before dawn, although many have been promoting online specials for days on end ahead of November 27.
Admittance into any business is limited and masks😷 are, or at least should be, mandatory.

It's not that The Free Choice E-zine, its staff or management, are anti-retail.
But we do maintain our firm belief against Christmas🎄 becoming as commercial as it is now and appears to be trending toward in the future.
There is much to hope and wish for than just the latest electronic gadget or whatever the latest fashion trend is.
While a viable vaccine, if not a cure, against this virus is certainly at the top of the list in 2020, the hope that someday bigotry, racism, war, famine, and all the other ills of this world are eradicated certainly fills out my Top 10.

In any event, while recent years have made it less viable with stores opening early Thanksgiving Night, provided they even bothered to close for the holiday at all, I've been asked whether or not my annual ODE TO BLACK FRIDAY will be posted once again, since it wasn't in 2019 because of conditions previously stated in this paragraph.

Well, I hate to disappoint our loyal readership, so...


SOME DARE BRAVE THE GLOOM OF BLACKEST NIGHT,
QUESTING FOR BARGAINS UPON THEIR TREK,
HITTING EVERY SALE BEFORE DAYLIGHT.

ME? I PLANNED WELL AHEAD.
NO NERVES, CREDIT, OR CAR SUFFERED WRECK.
JUST RESTFUL SLUMBER WITHIN MY OWN BED.

Take Care.
STAY SAFE!😷
Lee Houston, Junior
Editor-In-Chief, The Free Choice E-zine


THE ABOVE WAS AN EDITORIAL.

Thursday, November 26, 2020

THANKSGIVING 2020

 The following is an editorial.


Today is Thanksgiving, at least here in the United States, and with the COVID-19 pandemic in full swing, to say that this year's is different than previous ones is a serious understatement.
No one may be having the holiday celebration they want, but we should all enjoy the holiday we have safely and there is still a lot to be thankful for.

Doctors, nurses, scientists, medical staff.
Dedicated teachers, postal workers, and other essential personnel such as police, fire fighters, and those serving in the military both at home and overseas.
The fact that the incompetent narcissistic bigot will be replaced with a NEW President who will actually work for the people and not the rich by the end of January 2021...

Yes, there is no denying that 2020 has been a very rough year for all involved.
But above all...
If you are reading these words, be thankful that you are still alive!

Take care.
STAY SAFE!😷

Lee Houston, Junior
Editor-In-Chief: The Free Choice E-zine
Thanksgiving Day 2020

The above was an editorial.

Sunday, November 22, 2020

SUNDAY FUNNIES: THANKSGIVING TAKE OFF! (misc. holiday jokes)

Hello Everybody! Piper D. Katt here!
Now while this coming Thursday is my first Thanksgiving as a Free Choice E-zine correspondent, it isn't my first in the world.
I've been around the house a couple of times already, if you know what I mean.

Anyway, I've observed plenty already (and I'm not saying which one of my 9 lives I'm currently using, for a lady never reveals her real age!) and I'd like to share some of those thoughts with you. Ready?

You can tell when it's someone's first time cooking for Thanksgiving when the turkey's🦃 been in the oven for over 2 hours and it's still running around inside!

Scientists tried creating a 6 legged turkey for families who fight over the drumsticks. But the birds escaped the laboratory and no one can catch them!

Even if you're a new cook, DO NOT put popcorn within the turkey🦃 so you know when it's done!
The corn will pop a lot sooner than the meat is cooked and you risk inviting salmonella😖😵 to your dinner.
That is something you don't want to do because Sam and Ella are lousy dinner guests!🕱☠

You should always count your blessings on Thanksgiving and every other day of the year, even if your relatives outnumber them.

While there may not be much of it on TV📺 this year, the human males in my household think the Pilgrims had amazing foresight to invent both Thanksgiving and football🏈 on the same day.

You can tell you ate too much on Thanksgiving when you have to let your bathrobe out.

SERIOUSLY THOUGH FOLKS...
While this holiday season is going to be rough on everybody with the COVID-19 pandemic😷 not only still with us but apparently stronger than ever, you may not be able to have the holiday you want with your loved ones💑, but at least be thankful that you and your loved ones are still around to experience the holiday!

And on that note♫ take care.
STAY SAFE!😷
And please be back next weekend for more Sunday Funnies!PDK.

Saturday, November 21, 2020

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: NOVEMBER 15-21, 2020

♫YES WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS, MY FRIEND, AND WE’LL KEEP ON FIGHTING TILL THE END!♫
Freddie Mercury and Queen.




NOVEMBER 21 IS THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY
OF “BLOODY SUNDAY” IN IRISH HISTORY.
NOVEMBER 21 IS THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF
THE SILENT SCREEN VERSION OF THE LAST OF THE MOHICIANS.
NOVEMBER 22 MARKS THE 55TH ANNIVERSARY OF
THE MAN OF LA MANCHA’S BROADWAY DEBUT.
NOVEMBER 22 MARKS THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF
TOY STORY 1, THE FIRST FULL LENGTH CGI FILM.
NOVEMBER 26 IS THANKSGIVING.🦃
NOVEMBER 27 MARKS THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF
DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS’ VERSION OF THE MARK OF ZORRO.🦊
2020 IS PAC-MAN’S 40TH ANNIVERSARY.

AM😷NGST EVENTS AROUND THE W🌍RLD THIS PAST WEEK…
*Japan, Canada, Russia... Need we say more??? (There are 3/THREE separate links in this item.)
*The potential COVID-19 vaccine future: Pfizer versus Moderna.

THE TERRORIST REPORT…
*The Free Choice E-zine does not support terrorism, no matter what the “cause” or alleged “justification”. Thus we will only be posting news items in this section whenever terrorists are brought to justice.

😢PASSING PARADE…
*Former professional football🏈 players Kyle Morrell and Jake Scott have passed away. (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)
*Actor Michel Robin (The Triplets of Belleville, Farewell My Queen, more) has taken his last bow on life’s stage.
*Herbert F. Solow, the TV executive responsible for getting Star Trek, Mission: Impossible, Mannix, and more on the air is no longer with us.
*Voice actor Kirby Morrow (Inuyasha, Dragon Ball Z, more) has passed away.

WITHIN THE UNITED STATES 🌎F AMERICA…
AFTER THE VOTES WERE (RE)COUNTED…🗹🗹🗹
*“Why waste time and the taxpayers money?”—Biden on endless “investigations”.
*Arizona’s stand on anti-election antics and threats. (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)
TRANSITION TIME…
*Analysis: The Consequences of Trump not cooperating with the Biden Transition. (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)
POLITICALLY…
SOCIAL (IN)JUSTICE…
😷THE US VERSUS COVID-19… (separated from the purely political news)
*The state of your state, from two different perspectives. (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)
(There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)
*The potential vaccine future: Pfizer versus Moderna.
*Is Trump taking sides on which vaccine is better (or will be more profitable)???
TRUMP TWEETS…
IT’S FACT CHECK TIME!
MEANWHILE, IN CONGRESS…
*How is COVID-19 affecting Congress??? (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)
ELSEWHERE…
😀AND FINALLY, SOME GOOD NEWS…
*NCIS is scheduled to air their 400th episode November 24.
*The streak is saved! A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and A Charlie Brown Christmas will both air on PBS/broadcast TV this year after all!

THE PUZZLE CORNER: NOVEMBER 21, 2020

😎FUN FACT
For better or worse, Creedence Clearwater Revival holds the record for most songs reaching #2 without becoming a Number 1 hit.

NUMBER PLEASE
Get ready! We ask the question, but the answer is just a number.
How many Three Point Shots has Shaquille O’Neal successfully made in his professional basketball🏀 career?

THE LETTER SHUFFLE
With the holiday this coming week, how many new words can you form out of the letters in THANKSGIVING?

We’ll reveal all next weekend but for now, let’s open up THE ANSWERS BOX📦 and discover the results from the November 14, 2020 Puzzle Corner.


RHYME TIME
The clue to something is below, but no matter how long your answer is, each word within it must rhyme. Ready?
Nocturnal Beacon = Night Light.


REBUS: REMEMBERING ALEX TREBEK
We lost the long time host of Jeopardy! November 8. Among the other game shows he hosted over the course of his career was the 1987-1991 version of Concentration, the classic rebus game.
Can you solve the puzzle Trebek is posing with in this publicity photo on the left?
♫Torn Between Two Lovers♫
Torn (T + Oar + N) Between (Beet + Wee + N) Two (The playing card) Lovers (Loaf + Fur + Z)

Sunday, November 15, 2020

SUNDAY FUNNIES: HUMOROUS HEADLINES!


 Hello Everybody! Autumn the Puppy here!
Well, I'm just shaking my head in disbelief over all the recent news.
Not going to rehash any of it here, but you all know what I mean.
The reports not just locally, but nationally and internationally as well.

But hey! This is the Sunday Funnies, not one of those Sunday news programs. So let's have some fun by making fun of the news, so to speak.

IT'S HUMOROUS HEADLINE TIME!

COUNTY TO PAY $250,000.00 TO ADVERTISE LACK OF FUNDS
Well, the first thing I have to wonder is where they got the money to run the advertising.
Then I've got to ask why they spent that money when they need funds to begin with!

MOST EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE CAUSED BY SHAKING
Geez, you think?
Why don't buildings come with shock absorbers?
I'd suggest making them out Jell-O, but I know that isn't feasible.

FEDERAL AGENTS RAID GUN SHOP, FIND WEAPONS
Well, what were they expecting to find?

MISSING WOMAN UNWITTINGLY JOINED SEARCH PARTY LOOKING FOR HER
Did they find her?
And why did they think she was lost to begin with?
In any event, it was probably a short search.

MAN ACCUSED OF KILLING LAWYER RECEIVES NEW ATTORNEY
What happened to the previous one?
And who'd want that job to begin with?

SAFETY AWARENESS MEETING ENDS IN ACCIDENT
How?
Out of all the people you'd think would know better...

MOST ANIMALS ARE ILLERATE
I take umbrage at that accusation.
I'm technically an animal and VERY literate!

FORECASTERS CALL WEATHER FOR MONDAY
Really? What about the rest of the week?
And do you have the weather's phone number and contact info?
I'd love to order some more pleasant weather days than what might be coming this winter.

And on that note♫, have a great week everybody!
STAY SAFE!😷
And please be back with us next weekend for more Sunday Funnies!AtP.

Saturday, November 14, 2020

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: NOVEMBER 8-14, 2020

 




"IT IS TIME FOR THIS COUNTRY TO UNITE AND HEAL."
—US President Elect Joe Biden.









NOVEMBER 14 IS WORLD DIABETES AWARENESS DAY.
NOVEMBER 15 IS REPUBLIC DAY IN BRAZIL.
NOVEMBER 16 IS THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF QANTAS AIRLINES.
NOVEMBER 16 IS THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF CASPER THE FRIENDLY GHOST
NOVEMBER 21 IS THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY
NOVEMBER 21 IS THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF
THE SILENT SCREEN VERSION OF THE LAST OF THE MOHICIANS.

AM😷NGST EVENTS AROUND THE W🌍RLD THIS PAST WEEK…
*The latest pandemic news from Europe, Asia, and other parts of the world. (There are 3/THREE separate links in this item.)
*The latest pandemic global numbers. Scroll down that screen to see everything.
*November 20 is the 400th anniversary of Peregrine White, the first child of the “New World”, born aboard the Mayflower before it landed at Plymouth Rock.

THE TERRORIST REPORT…
*The Free Choice E-zine does not support terrorism, no matter what the “cause” or alleged “justification”. Thus we will only be posting news items in this section whenever terrorists are brought to justice.

😢PASSING PARADE…
*The innocent lives lost during Typhoon Vamco.
*Legendary TV personality Alex Trebek (Jeopardy!, Concentration, more) has passed away.
*Noted journalist Gordon Joseloff (CBS) is no longer with us.
*Actor Bert Belasco (Let’s Stay Together, more) has taken his last bow on life’s stage.
*Noted journalist Seymour Topping (The New York Times) is no longer with us.
*Actor Lawrence Clayton (The Color Purple, Dream Girls) has taken his last bow on life’s stage.
*Lucille Bridges, mother of Civil Rights Activist Ruby Bridges, has passed away.
*Former Nobel Physics Prize winner Masatoshi Koshiba is no longer with us.
*Country singer Doug Supernaw (♫I Don’t Call Him Daddy♫, ♫Reno♫, more) has passed away.
*Football🏈 Hall of Famer Paul Hornung is no longer with us.
*Former professional basketball🏀 player Terry Duerod has passed away.
*Former Ghana President Jerry Rawlings is no longer with us.

WITHIN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA…
THE BORDER WALL-KIDS-IMMIGRATION ISSUES…
*With families being separated upon apprehension, President Trump declared the lack of a border wall a “national emergency”. There have since been legal and legislative battles initiated over this. But what about the health/safety of all the “detainees”???
NOTE: While we are doing our best to provide coverage, the above is a serious, ongoing issue. Especially since no one has yet to discuss the costs of separating families and who is truly responsible for the deaths of FOUR “detainees” (known to date), let alone if anyone might actually be making a profit from this situation.
AFTER THE VOTES WERE COUNTED…
*As of November 10: a brief look at the undecided races. Even if Trump managed to win Alaska, Arizona (where Joe Biden is actually ahead), Georgia, AND North Carolina, that still wouldn't be enough Electoral College votes to be reelected.
*While it’s only worth 3 Electoral College Votes, Alaska still hadn’t finished counting their ballots as of November 11.
*As of November 14: NOW LET'S MAKE IT FINAL!
TRANSITION TIME…
*The “transition”, so far. As of November 12… (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)
POLITICALLY…
*Is Trump hoping to stack the Pentagon in his favor before somehow invoking the War Powers Act to keep his former job longer???
*With “Judge” Barrett on the bench, how will the latest Supreme Court case on Obama Care go???
SOCIAL (IN)JUSTICE…
*The gun brandishing Saint Louis Trump supporting couple that threatened Black Lives Matter protesters is suing the photographer who captured the moment!
😷THE US VERSUS COVID-19… (separated from the purely political news)
*The state of your state, from two different perspectives. (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)
*245,0000+ American deaths and still rising!😢
*Even though Trump is still pouting over losing reelection, we must continue the battle against COVID-19 NOW!
IT’S FACT CHECK TIME!
MEANWHILE, IN CONGRESS…
*Georgia’s Senators don’t think they’ll get a fair run-off election in January 2021. (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)
*Can outgoing, sore loser Trump affect the Georgia run-offs??? They supported him, but he won’t support them. (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)
*The future Senate balance at the moment is 50 Republican, 46 Democrat and 2 Independent, with January's run off results deciding the final ratios.
ELSEWHERE…
😀AND FINALLY, SOME GOOD NEWS…