Monday, May 27, 2024

MEMORIAL DAY 2024

 THE FOLLOWING IS AN EDITORIAL.


Once again it is Memorial Day in the United States of America.
I have written several of these editorials since The Free Choice E-zine started in 2008.

Last year's was one of the hardest.

While those who serve within the respective branches of any country's military, let alone the police and fire departments, expect and are prepared for danger, that doesn't mean the innocent bystanders that are served and protected to the best abilities of our men and women in uniform are.


America, let alone the world itself, is far from perfect.
The current situations in the Ukraine and the Middle East prove that, let alone all the "saber rattling" other countries are doing.

Although World Peace is unfortunately still a long way off from having any chance of being achieved, the United States Congress needs to take further action on creating additional gun responsibility than it has already managed to because the next time a major "reign of terror" event happens the survivors, let alone their families, will need more than "Thoughts and Prayers" to see them through!

Even after last year's Memorial Day editorial addressing this issue, there are still too many broken hearts and empty beds within this country as it is.


THE ABOVE WAS AN EDITORIAL.

Lee Houston, Junior
Editor-In-Chief: The Free Choice E-zine
All links were active at the time of posting.
*Denotes 2/TWO separate links within that sentence.

Sunday, May 26, 2024

SUNDAY FUNNIES: MERRY(?) MEMORIAL DAY 2024

Hello Everybody!
The Free Choice E-zine's Editor-In-Chief Lee Houston, Junior here because, since it's the Memorial Day Weekend in the United States of America, your regular Sunday Funnies hosts Piper D. Katt and Koda Canine have the holiday weekend off.
Now then, I'm not sure what the proper greeting is on such a somber occasion. I used Merry in the title of this installment just for the literation. After all, we pause to remember those who gave their life to protect this country and its people, let alone the free world.
In any event, you folks are here for entertainment, not a soap box oration, so let's get on with the jokes.

"In three words, I can sum up everything I learned about life: It goes on." ~~ Robert Frost.
♫Ob-la-di, ob-la-da.♫ ~~ The Beatles.

Life is a funny thing.
I don't mean funny "ha ha". I mean funny strange.
Everyone wishes they had more of everything.
Time. Money. Life.
The things that mattered more in childhood are less important in your adult life, yet a lot of the stuff you have to take care of in adulthood is nowhere near as fun as the things you used to do as a kid.

I thought getting old would take longer.
They claim time flies when you're having fun, but it certainly drags the rest of the day.
Especially when you're at work.
But in the end it's not what you live your life with, but how, and with who.

You will lose a lot of friends when you get serious about your life’s goals.
That is why a Lamborghini only has two seats and a bus has fifty.

When I show people my new tennis shoes, nobody asks If I can run fast in them any more.
Growing up was so stupid.

When I was a kid, I used to find cool rocks all the time, although most of them turned out to be worthless in the eyes of the world.
Nobody offers to show me a cool rock they found, unless they want to use it as a weapon in an attempt to rob me.

My furniture goes back to Louis the 15th, unless I pay him by the 14th.

If you drink alcohol, they call you an alcoholic.
I don't drink alcohol but when I drink FANTA, no one says I am Fantastic. 😒

Just who is Pete and why do we do things for his sake?

 I have yet to find out what ♫The Knights In White Sat In.♫

You can spend ages trying to work out the meaning of inconsequential before realizing that it isn’t important.

Man: “A woman, without her man, is nothing.”
Woman: “A woman: without her, man is nothing.”
Punctuation and personalities make a difference.

So on that note♫ take care.
Have a safe and happy Memorial Day, and one of our regular hosts will be back next weekend with more Sunday Funnies!—lh,jr.

Saturday, May 25, 2024

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: MAY 19-25, 2024: NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

SORRY FOR THE POSTING DELAY FOLKS, BUT FOR SOME REASON ALL OF BLOGGER'S SPECIAL FEATURES WILL NOT WORK AUTOMATICALLY, SO IT TOOK LONGER THAN USUAL TO FORMAT AND RETYPE THE NECESSARY TEXT IN COLOR MANUALLY, LET ALONE MAKE SURE ALL THE LINKS WERE PROPERLY APPLIED.
.
WE NEED MORE
GUN RESPONSIBILITY
NOW!

ALL INEQUALITY HAS TO STOP!

BAN BOOK BANS AND BURNINGS! 
WEAR YOUR MASK😷 WHEN NECESSARY
& BEWARE ANY VERSION OF

MAY IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH. 🎗
MAY IS ALSO ASIAN AMERICAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH.
MAY 25 IS AFRICA DAY & JORDAN'S INDEPENDENCE DAY.
MAY 26 IS NATIONAL SORRY DAY IN AUSTRALIA AND
INDEPENDENCE DAY FOR GEORGIA.
MAY 27 IS MEMORIAL DAY IN THE UNITED STATES.
MAY 31 IS WORLD PARROT DAY.
JUNE IS LGBTQ+ PRIDE MONTH.
JUNE 1 IS REEF DAY.
JUNE 1 IS THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF
STAR TREK 3: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK.

AMONGST EVENTS AROUND THE W🌍RLD THIS PAST WEEK…
*The COVID state of the world, as of May 25, 2024.
*Jack Jordan, the 2024 Lumberjack of the Year.

*There are 5/FIVE separate links in the header above.


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.

🌐THE CLIMATE CHANGE CHRONICLES...
*June 1 is World Reef Day.

🌌SPACE NEWS…
*May 26 is the 55th anniversary of Apollo 10 returning to Earth as NASA prepared for Apollo 11 and the first humans landing on the surface of the moon.

😢PASSING PARADE...
*Singer Frank Ifield (♫I Remember You♫, ♫Lovesick Blues♫, more and accredited with helping The Beatles at the start of their career) has passed away.
*Film composer Jan A. P. Kaczmarek (Oscar winner for Finding Neverland, Unfaithful, much more) is no longer with us.
*Actor Richard Foronjy (Serpico, Ghostbusters 2, much more) has taken his last bow on life’s stage.
*Doug Ingle of Iron Butterfly is no longer with us.
*Hall of Fame professional football🏈 player Jim Otto has passed away.
*Author Caleb Carr (The Alienist, The Angel of Darkness, more) is no longer with us.
*Documentarian Morgan Spurlock (Supersize Me, Comic Con IV: A Fan's Hope, more) has passed away.
*Actor/Screenwriter/TV Executive Darryl Hickman (The Grapes of Wrath, The Loretta Young Show, much more) has taken his last bow on life's stage.
*Award winning Songwriter Richard M. Sherman (too many great songs to list) has passed away.
*Former professional football🏈 player Bob Grant is no longer with us.
*Former professional baseball⚾ player John Upham has passed away.
*Professional golfer Grayson Murray is no longer with us.

WITHIN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA…
THE PAPERS CAPER…
POLITICALLY…
*West Virginia, Nebraska, Maine and Iowa will all get Federal Disaster Assistance. (There are 4/FOUR separate links in this item.)
🗹ELECTION 2024…
THE SUPREME COURT REPORT…
SOCIAL (IN)JUSTICE…
IT’S FACT CHECK TIME!
MEANWHILE, IN CONGRESS…
*June 2 is the 100th anniversary of Congress granting automatic citizenship to all Native American Indians, which is interesting considering they were in America first.
TRUMP’S TRIAL(S)…
The Florida Classified Documents Case...
The Hush Money Trial…
*The Prosecution and the Defense have finished presenting their respective cases. Closing Arguments and Jury Deliberation are both expected to begin after Memorial Day.
ELSEWHERE…
😀AND FINALLY, SOME GOOD NEWS...

THE PUZZLE CORNER: MAY 25, 2024

 😎FUN FACT
While nobody likes war, Monday May 27 is Memorial Day in the United States, honoring those who gave their life to defend America, its citizens, and its freedoms.

WHAT’S THAT SONG?
Words from a tune of the past are below. All you have to do is give us the song title. Ready?
♫Two little kings playing a game. They gave a war and nobody came.♫

THE LETTER SHUFFLE
How many new words can you spell out of the letters in MEMORIAL?

We’ll reveal all next weekend but for now, let’s open up THE ANSWERS BOX📦 and discover the results from the May 18, 2024 Puzzle Corner.

COMMON BONDS
The items in each subset below have something in common. Do you know what it is?
01. {Calamari, Squid} = Two different names for the same seafood.
02. {Ditalini, Farfalle} = Two different types of pasta.

TRIVIA TIME
Who invented Pasta?
While the exact name(s) are lost to history, Pasta originated during the Shang Dynasty of China, 1700-1100 BC.

Sunday, May 19, 2024

SUNDAY FUNNIES: DOGGING IT (misc. jokes)

 Before we begin folks, one quick note.
For whatever reason(s), Blogger's Text Coloring functions are not working at this time.
Now then...
Hello Everybody! Koda Canine here!
After teaming up for both Star Wars May 4 & Mother's Day May 12, Piper D. Katt and I had to search back through the archives and discovered that she had the last solo Sunday Funnies post.
So guess who's turn it is today? 😉
I'm just going to kick back, relax, and say whatever pop's into my head first.
Woof!
I mean, ready for some jokes folks?

Did you hear about the man who was planning to have a Staycation this year?
That's when you stay at home for whatever reason(s).
He told my owner that if he was feeling real adventurous this year, he might actually take a walk around the block!

A man walked into a Psychiatrist's and told the doctor he was afraid of random letters.
The Psychiatrist replied, "You are?"
That's when the man fainted.

How come most people licenses require a photo ID and a dog license doesn't?
Ain't I photogenic?
Just
It's a double bill at Nature's Theater!😉
look at that ruggedly handsome canine profile in my picture above.

The invention of the shovel was ground breaking, but the broom swept the world.

If people can grow their own food, then where are the dog food seeds?

I know birds fly south in the winter and back north in the Spring because it's too far to walk, but why should I have to pay for their airline tickets?

Why do E.M.T.s always work with a partner?
Because they are Pair-A-Medics.

Is it true some delivery people only go the extra mile when they miss their exits?

Some people don’t have Grey Hair.
They have Wisdom Highlights.

And remember. You can’t run through a camp ground.
You can only ran because it is past tents.⛺⛺
So on that note♫, take care.
STAY SAFE!
Have a great week, and please be back next weekend for more Sunday Funnies!—KC.

Saturday, May 18, 2024

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: MAY 12-18, 2024: NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

 THEY'RE NOT BEHAVING THE WAY THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO, BUT WE HAVE MANAGED TO ADD SOME OF THE INTENDED TEXT COLORS AFTER THE FACT.

WE NEED
MORE GUN
RESPONSIBILITY
NOW!

ALL INEQUALITY HAS TO STOP!

BAN BOOK BANS AND BURNINGS!
WEAR YOUR MASK😷 WHEN NECESSARY
& BEWARE ANY VERSION OF

MAY IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH.🎗
MAY IS ALSO ASIAN AMERICAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH.
MAY 18 IS INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM DAY.
MAY 18 IS ALSO FLAG DAY IN HAITI AND ASTRONOMY DAY.
MAY 19 IS ENDANGERED SPECIES DAY.
MAY 19 IS WORLD BAKING DAY.
MAY 19 IS THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF
STAR WARS, EPISODE 1: THE PHANTOM MENACE.
MAY 21 IS INTERNATIONAL TEA DAY.
MAY 22 IS INTERNATIONAL BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY DAY or, in Star Trek terminology: INFINITE DIVERSITY IN INFINITE COMBINATIONS.
MAY 23 IS WORLD TURTLE🐢 DAY.
MAY 23 IS THE 4OTH ANNIVERSARY OF
INDIANA JONES (2) AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM.
MAY 25 IS AFRICA DAY.

AMONGST EVENTS AROUND THE W🌍RLD THIS PAST WEEK
*Who tried to assassinate Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico??? (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)
*Singapore’s new Prime Minister is now in office. (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)
*The COVID state of the world, as of May 18, 2024.

*There are 5/FIVE separate links in the header above.

THE RUSSIAN REPORT...
*On the Russia-China Summit, including their position on nuclear war. (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)
*Russia has allegedly found a new oil and gas reserve, in environmentally protected British Antarctic territory.

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.

🌐THE CLIMATE CHANGE CHRONICLES…
*Summer 2023: The hottest, to date.
*Efforts to save the world honey bee🐝 population are so far successful.
*May 23 is World Turtle🐢 Day.

🌌SPACE NEWS…
*May 18 is Astronomy Day.

😢PASSING PARADE…
*World War 2 Triple Flying Ace Bud Anderson has passed away.
*Roger Corman, the King of the B Movies, is no longer with us.
*Author and 2013 Nobel Prize Laureate Alice Munro (too many credits to list) has passed away.
*Actor/playwright and producer Samm-Art Williams (Homes, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, much more) has taken his last bow on life’s stage.
*Jazz saxophonist🎷David Sanborn (worked with Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Carly Simon, David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, more) has passed away.
*Comic Book Artist Don Perlin (some DC work, co-created Moon Knight at Marvel and Bloodshot at Valiant) is no longer with us.
*Actor Dabney Coleman (numerous credits over a long career) has taken his last bow on life's stage.
*Drummer🥁John Barbata (Jefferson Airplane/Starship, The Turtles; Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young; more) has passed away.
*Songwriting guitarist🎸John Koerner (numerous credits over a long career) is no longer with us.
*Stuntman Tony McFarr (doubled for Chris Pratt and others) has passed away.

WITHIN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA…
POLITICALLY…
*While President Biden is cautious about sending more weapons to Israel, the House of Representatives thinks otherwise.
🗹ELECTION 2024…
*Although neither man has yet to be declared their party’s official candidate, President Joe Biden will debate Former President Donald Trump June 27 on CNN.
THE SUPREME COURT REPORT…
SOCIAL (IN)JUSTICE…
IT’S FACT CHECK TIME!
MEANWHILE, IN CONGRESS…
TRUMP’S TRIAL(S)…
ELSEWHERE…
*The last of the Francis Scott Key Bridge wreckage in Baltimore, Maryland has been removed, with all water lanes expected to be reopened before the end of May.
😀AND FINALLY, SOME GOOD NEWS…

THE PUZZLE CORNER: MAY 18, 2024

😎 FUN FACT
“The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking, you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.” – Julia Child.

COMMON BONDS
The items in each subset below have something in common. Do you know what it is?
01. {Calamari, Squid}
02. {Ditalini, Farfalle}

TRIVIA TIME
Who invented Pasta?

We’ll reveal all next weekend but for now, let’s open up THE ANSWERS BOX📦 and discover the results from the May 11, 2024 Puzzle Corner.


REBUS
Something familiar is represented in the image below. Do you know what it is?
MIDSTUCKDLE
♫Stuck In The Middle With You♫ a 1972 hit for Stealers Wheel.

FAMOUS FIRSTS🥇
Who was the first recording artist to win 4/Four Grammy Album of the Year awards?
Taylor Swift.

Sunday, May 12, 2024

SUNDAY FUNNIES: HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY 2024!

Meow Mommy!
Hello Everybody!
Woof! Mom!

Once again you are lucky enough to have both Piper D. Katt AND Koda Canine here as we celebrate MOTHER'S DAY!

That's right Piper! Mothers come in all shapes, sizes, and varieties. Whether biological, matrimonial, step, or adopted; any woman who cares about children is motherly.

We salute all mothers, whatever their qualifications and situation with the following humorous break from your otherwise busy schedules...

What did the mother bee🐝 ask the cranky baby bee to do?
Beehave.

What did the baby porcupine ask the cactus?🌵
Are you my mother?

Why is a computer💻 so smart?
Because it listens to its motherboard.

What did the mother broom🧹 say to the baby broom?
It’s time to go to sweep!

What did the momma horse🐎 say to her foal at night?
Its pasture your bedtime.

What kind of candy do moms love for Mother’s Day?
Her-she’s Kisses.

Who do flowers🎕 honor on Mother’s Day?
Their chrysanthemoms.💮💮

A mother is trying to get her son to eat carrots.🥕🥕🥕
“Carrots are good for your eyes,” she says.
“How do you know?” the son asks.
The mother replies, “Have you ever seen a rabbit🐰 wearing glasses?”

Daughter: "Mum, what’s it like to have the greatest daughter in the world?"
Mum: "I don’t know dear. You’d have to ask Grandma."😉

Two children ordered their mother to stay in bed one Mother’s Day morning.
As she lay there looking forward to breakfast in bed, the smell of bacon floated up from the kitchen. But after a good long wait with no food she finally went downstairs to investigate.
She found them both sitting at the table eating bacon and eggs.
“As a surprise for Mother’s Day,” one explained, “we decided to cook our own breakfast.”

I guess they haven't quite grasped the concept yet. Huh Koda?
Doesn't look like it Piper, but we have time/space for one more joke.

Why don’t they have Mother’s Day sales?
Because Mothers are priceless.

And on that note♫ have a great week.
Take care.
STAY SAFE! 😷
And one of us will be back next weekend with more Sunday Funnies!PDK and KC.

Saturday, May 11, 2024

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: MAY 5-11, 2024: NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

 
WE NEED MORE
GUN RESPONSIBILITY
NOW! 

ALL INEQUALITY HAS TO STOP!

BAN BOOK BANS AND BURNINGS! 
WEAR YOUR MASK😷 WHEN NECESSARY
& BEWARE ANY VERSION OF

MAY IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH.
MAY IS ALSO ASIAN AMERICAN & PACIFIC ISLANDER HERITAGE MONTH.
MAY 12 IS MOTHERS DAY IN AMERICA.
MAY 12 IS THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF MARVEL COMICS.
MAY 14 IS ISRAEL’S INDEPENDENCE DAY.

AMONGST EVENTS AROUND THE W🌍RLD THIS PAST WEEK…
*The COVID state of the world, as of May 11, 2024.

*There are 5/FIVE separate links in the header above.


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.

🌐THE CLIMATE CHANGE CHRONICLES…

🌌SPACE NEWS…

😢PASSING PARADE…
*The innocent lives lost to war.  
*Actor Bernard Hill (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Titanic, much more) has taken his last bow on life’s stage.
*Hall of Fame football🏈 player Jimmy Johnson (NOT the Dallas Cowboys owner) has passed away.
*Former professional football🏈 quarterback Bob Avellini is no longer with us.
*Stunt Woman Jeannie Epper has passed away.
*Dancer Sean Viator (American Idol, Billboard Music Awards, more) has passed away.
*Producer Ruth Landers (The Huggabug Club, more) is no longer with us.
*Author/journalist Shirley Conran (Lace, Tiger Eyes, more) has passed away.
*TV writer Bob Ellison (way too many credits to list) is no longer with us.

WITHIN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA…
POLITICALLY…
*May 13 is the 70th anniversary of then President Dwight Eisenhower signing the St. Lawrence Seaway Development Act into law.
🗹ELECTION 2024…
SOCIAL (IN)JUSTICE…
😷THE US VERSUS COVID-19…
*We have discovered that the links are no longer active and so have discontinued this portion of The Week In Review until further notice.
IT’S FACT CHECK TIME!
MEANWHILE, IN CONGRESS…
*But how long will Johnson remain Speaker??? (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)
TRUMP’S TRIAL(S)…
*Brief recaps of Defendant Trump in court this past week. (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)
ELSEWHERE…
*The Tesla Super Charger layoffs, from Elon Musk’s perspective.
😀AND FINALLY, SOME GOOD NEWS…