Saturday, October 31, 2026

THE PUZZLE CORNER: OCTOBER 31, 2026

 😎FUN FACT!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! 🎃

There is a big Halloween party👻 planned for tonight.
Based on the clues below, can you figure out whose coming?

01. He's expected, but never appears.
02. He never drinks wine.
03. Despite his appearance, he's friendly.
04. One has to wonder just how well he can play hockey.
05. A multi-faceted being.
06. Everyone is hoping she doesn't crash the party because she always brings the stakes!
07. He might bring the music.
08. Complains about always having to sweep up afterwards.
09. Despite the name, he's not vampiric.
10. He may love Christmas, but Halloween is his night!
11. He tried to steal Christmas too.
12. Everyone goes to him for advice.
13. No one knows if he ever does show up.
14. The other guests complain that he's all wet and a social wallflower at parties.
15. Always wants to rap.
16. The Tally Man.
17. No one wants him to make a house call.

THE GUEST LIST
a.) Batman
b.) Buffy the Vampire Slayer
c.) Casper
d.) Count Von Count
e.) Creature From The Black Lagoon
f.) Dracula
g.) The Frankenstein Monster
h.) The Great Pumpkin
i.) The Grinch
j.) The Invisible Man
k.) Jack Skellington
l.) Jason
m.) The Mummy
n.) Doctor Van Helsing
o.) Witch
p.) Witch Doctor
q.) The Wolfman
       
We’ll reveal all next weekend but for now, let’s open up THE ANSWERS BOX📦 and discover the results from the October 24, 2026 Puzzle Corner.

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?
♫But I’m dancing on the Valentine.♫
From “The Reflex” by Duran Duran.

AKA, ALSO KNOWN AS
Who do we know Ernest Evans better as?
Singer Chubby Checker.

Tuesday, October 27, 2026

IT'S TOO SOON! 2026 EDITION

 The following is an editorial.

Every year as the Christmas🎄 season approaches, The Free Choice E-zine readers send in notifications about Holiday decorations going up in stores across the country BEFORE Halloween!🎃

October 21 must have been a special day in the retail industry, for emails started coming into our office reporting sightings of Christmas merchandise on many store shelves throughout America.
However a couple of points about this must be noted.

01. All the emails only mentioned merchandise, with no word of actual Christmas displays or decorations being set up yet.
02. October 21 is the latest (to date) such reports have come in from our readership. In years past emails arrived usually BEFORE Columbus/Indigenous People Day, if not toward the end of September.

These 2/TWO points lead one to wonder how much of a negative impact the Trump/Republican regime will have upon the upcoming Christmas retail season, considering its effects on the economy so far.
But while there were many reports of Christmas merchandise being set up across America, only one email actually sent photographic proof too!
JL of Washington State says the above photo was taken at a local grocery store.
Research on my part shows that the image in the wrap around banner might have been used by the manufacturer of the desert snack before, although the slogan could be new, despite being a takeoff of an existing Christmas tune's lyrics.

In any event, with the world's higher prices and lower wages still active, it will be interesting to see how the 2026 Christmas retail season plays out.

Lee Houston, Junior
Editor-in-Chief: The Free Choice E-zine
27 October, 2026

The above was an editorial.

Sunday, October 25, 2026

SUNDAY FUNNIES: HAPPY HALLOWEEN 2026

PIPER D. KATT IN DISGUISE???
 HELLO EVERYBODY!
Today you have both Piper D. Katt AND Koda Canine here as we celebrate Halloween👺 on the Sunday Funnies, which technically isn't until this coming Saturday October 31.

That's right Piper, but if I have the calendar figured out right, NEXT YEAR we'll actually get to do this ON a Sunday! 😁



KODA CANINE IN DISGUISE???
OH BOY!
But in the meantime, we have some great Halloween themed jokes for everybody so let's get right to it.
Ready?

"I finally met someone who loves me for my brains."
"Are you dating a zombie?" 

Why are ghosts👻👻 so bad at telling lies?
Because you can see right though them.

For Halloween🎃, I am going to take my mask off and scare everybody.
You mean you haven't already?

Son: "Can we go to the haunted house this year?"
Father: "What's wrong with the one we are living in?"

If you put holy water in a humidifier, could you make any room a gas chamber for vampires?

Witch [sobbing] "I can't have children!!"
Friend Witch: "There there. There are ways to work around food allergies."

Why do ghosts👻👻 like elevators?
They lift their spirits.

As an undertaker, I always tie together the shoelaces of the dead. If the zombie apocalypse happens, it will be hilarious.

If you are ever having a bad day, just remember that Bruce Willis's character in the SIXTH SENSE found out he was dead and still going to work!

"Who is your favorite vampire?"
"The one on Sesame Street."
"He doesn't count."
"Oh, he most certainly does." 

So on that note♫, take care.
STAY SAFE! Especially if you go Trick or Treating Halloween night and please be back next weekend for more Sunday Funnies!—PDK and KC.

Saturday, October 24, 2026

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: OCTOBER 18-25, 2026: NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

 

WEAR A MASK😷 WHEN NECESSARY
& BEWARE ANY VERSION OF

OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS 🎗MONTH.
OCTOBER IS ALSO FILIPINO AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH.
OCTOBER 24 IS UNITED NATIONS DAY.
OCTOBER 25 IS INTERNATIONAL ARTIST DAY.
OCTOBER 27 IS THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF
IT’S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN.
OCTOBER 27 IS ALSO PUMPKIN🎃 DAY.
OCTOBER 28 IS WORLD LEMUR DAY, INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION DAY
AND MOTHER IN LAW DAY.
OCTOBER 29 IS REPUBLIC DAY IN TURKEY.
OCTOBER 31 IS HALLOWEEN.👻
NOVEMBER IS NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH.
NOVEMBER IS MANATEE AWARENESS MONTH.
NOVEMBER 3 IS SANDWICH🥪 DAY.
NOVEMBER 4 IS NATIONAL UNITY AND ARMED FORCES DAY IN ITALY.

AMONGST EVENTS AROUND THE W🌍RLD THIS PAST WEEK…
*The reported COVID state of the world, as of October 24, 2026. But why has there been no data from the United States since January 21, 2025???

IN THE MIDDLE EAST…
*Concerning Israel, Palestine, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Gaza Strip and more. (There are 4/FOUR separate links in this item.)

FACT BASED OPINION
THE RUSSIA UKRAINE WAR!
*Russia claims it will possibly resume peace talks around November 10, 2026; which would be one week after the American midterm election results are known. Yet they continue to attack. (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)


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, preferably through arrest and trial.

🌐THE CLIMATE CHANGE CHRONICLES…
*Indonesia is fighting drought conditions, canceled deforestation project early. (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)
*October 27 is Pumpkin🎃 Day.
*October 28 is World Lemur Day.
*November is Manatee Awareness Month.

🌌SPACE NEWS...

😢PASSING PARADE…
*The innocent lives lost to war.
*Actor Richard Riehle (many roles from 1977 until his passing) has taken his last bow on life's stage.
*Former professional football🏈 players Allen Bailey, Lawrence McCutcheon and Toya Jones are no longer with us. (There are 3/THREE separate links in this item.)
*Actor Tom Skerritt (many great TV and movie roles from 1962-2025) has taken his last bow on life's stage.
*Actor Michael Gray (active from 1969 until his passing but most noted for Shazam!) has taken his last bow on life's stage.
*Singer-songwriter John Anderson (♫Swingin’♫, ♫Wild and Blue♫, much more) is no longer with us.
*Former professional hockey🏒 player Ron Duguay has passed away.

WITHIN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA…


ELECTION DAY IS NOVEMBER 3!

WE NEED MORE
GUN RESPONSIBILITY
NOW!

ALL INEQUALITY HAS TO STOP!

BAN BOOK BANS!

POLITICALLY…
ON FOREIGN ISSUES…
THE TRUMP TARIFF TURMOIL AND THE ECONOMY…
*Video game producer Electronic Arts is closing Bioware Studios. This move lays off 400 employees while canceling the next Mass Effect game.
FACT BASED OPINION
ON IMMIGRANT ISSUES…
*Analysis: It should come as no surprise that the number of Green Card Holders becoming actual US Citizens has steadily declined under the Trump/Republican regime with the whole process now allegedly on hold until after the midterm elections.
ON DOMESTIC ISSUES...
FACT BASED OPINION
ACTUAL REPORT!


















*Speculation: Did Trump SELL a pardon??? (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)
THE 2026 MID-TERM ELECTIONS…
ELECTION DAY IS NOVEMBER 3!
IMPORTANT FACTS
*Trump has ordered the Department of Justice to cancel certifying the Alaska midterm Senate race unless the Republican candidate wins. But is this just the beginning of something bigger??? (There are 3/THREE separate links in this item.)
*Elon Musk is worried about any potential investigations if Democrats take over any part or all of Congress after the midterm elections.
*Opinion: Should campaign ads have limitations??? The ad against Amy Acton using her estranged mother is a good argument to do so. Many Democrats AND Republicans are against it, although Trump and JD Vance are for it while Acton's opponent Vivek Ramaswamy takes full credit for the ad his corporate sponsors are paying for. (There are 8/EIGHT separate links in this item.)
*Speculation: Is Trump bad for Republican candidates??? He might be promoting violence on the campaign trail. (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)
*NOTE: With the 2026 mid-term elections drawing near, the Trump/Republican regime is trying to make sure the Republican Party maintains control of the House of Representatives and the Senate to continue their agenda.
*FRIENDLY REMINDER: The individual states are responsible for their elections, NOT the Federal Government.
FACT BASED OPINION
THE BALLROOM BLITZ...
ALSO…
FACT BASED OPINION
THE JEFFREY EPSTEIN SITUATION…
*NOTE: Any possible crimes happened BEFORE his first Presidential campaign so as a potential civilian suspect, Donald Trump is NOT covered by the Supreme Court’s Presidential Immunity Ruling in The Jeffrey Epstein Situation.
MEDICAL NEWS…
FACT BASED OPINION
DEFENDING FREE SPEECH…
SOCIAL (IN)JUSTICE…
HISTORIC FACTS
✅IT’S FACT CHECK TIME!
*How long can you keep eggs🥚🥚 in your fridge???

FACT BASED OPINION
ELSEWHERE…
*The 2026 World Series⚾ is underway between the National League's Milwaukee Brewers, who currently lead the American League's Tampa Bay Rays 2/TWO games to none in the best of 7/SEVEN contest.
*Speculation: Are E-bikes safe???
😀AND FINALLY, SOME GOOD NEWS…

ALL MEMES COURTESY OF FACEBOOK.
OTHER IMAGES VIA PUBLIC DOMAIN SOURCES.

THE PUZZLE CORNER: OCTOBER 24, 2026

 😎FUN FACT
A train🚆 rescued from a Welsh scrapyard is the Hogwarts Express on HBO’s forthcoming version of Harry Potter.

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?
♫But I’m dancing on the Valentine.♫

AKA, ALSO KNOWN AS
Who do we know Ernest Evans better as?

We’ll reveal all next weekend but for now, let’s open up THE ANSWERS BOX📦 and discover the results from the October 17, 2026 Puzzle Corner.

COMMON BONDS
The items in each subset below have something in common. Do you know what it is?
01. {The Beatles, Davy Jones} and we’re looking for something specific before Davy became a Monkee.
Davy Jones appeared with the cast of Oliver! the night the Beatles made their American debut on The Ed Sullivan Show.
02. {April, May, June} and we know they are months of the year.
They are also lady’s names.

TRIVIA TIME⌚
What is an Isogram?
A word where each letter within it only appears once, no matter how long that word is.
There are 11/ELEVEN Isograms in the previous sentence.

Sunday, October 18, 2026

SUNDAY FUNNIES: WEEKEND PUPDATE: OCTOBER 2026

 AND NOW IT’S TIME FOR WEEKEND PUPDATE
WITH YOUR HOST KODA CANINE.

Hello Everybody!
I’m Koda Canine and Necessity is the mother of Invention. My family has weird first names.

Our top story:
Spam is considering making their own line of hot dogs.
WHY?😦

In other news...
The Universe has high standards. Earth🌍 is not currently meeting them.

Scientists got bored after watching the Earth turn for 24 hours, so they called it a day.

I wondered where the sun🌞 went at night, then it dawned on me.

The moon🌛 will be seen tonight. That won't happen again until tomorrow night, depending upon cloud cover.

“May you live in interesting times” is now considered a curse in 12/TWELVE different galaxies.
Thanks Earth!

The Earth has won all 74 Miss Universe beauty pageants, to date.
If this world wins the 75th scheduled for November 24, the rest of the universe is threatening military action.

And now, a word from our sponsor.

Our hair growth product is so good, it will grow hair on a billiard ball.
But who wants hairy billiard balls?
Call 555-WEWANTYOUR$
We guarantee the lowest prices in town, no matter how much more you have to pay.

Now, back to what passes for the news.
Historians claim ten minutes after Alexander Graham Bell made the very first phone☎ call in history, Bell received a call asking if he wanted to update his auto warranty.

This just in. There is a potato chip truck blocking the highway. Expect De-Lays.

The recent neck wear contest ended in a tie.

A new study reveals that Little Red Riding Hood wasn’t smart enough to recognize that her grandmother was just a wolf🐺 in drag.

Accordion to a recent survey, many people never notice that the wrong word was used in a sentence.

In Sports…
How many golfers🏌🏌 does it take to change a light bulb?
Fore!

Now it’s time for my editorial.
Why do bags of ice🧊 have nutritional labels?
For that matter, why buy ice when the recipe is just putting water in the freezer until it’s frozen solid.

And finally: 
It’s approaching November and thankfully no one has started singing
Christmas Carols🎄 yet.
But where are the Pumpkin🎃 Carols?

On that note♫, take care.
STAY SAFE!
Have a great week and please be back next weekend for more Sunday Funnies.
For Weekend Pupdate, I’m Koda Canine.

COMING OCTOBER 25:
Koda and Piper D. Katt team up for their annual Halloween👻 Hijinks!

Saturday, October 17, 2026

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: OCTOBER 11-17,2026: NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

 






WEAR A MASK😷 WHEN NECESSARY
& BEWARE ANY VERSION OF

OCTOBER IS BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH.🎗
OCTOBER IS ALSO FILIPINO AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH.
OCTOBER 18 IS WORLD ARCHAEOLOGY DAY.
OCTOBER 20 IS INTERNATIONAL SLOTH🦥 DAY.
OCTOBER 21 IS THE 55TH ANNIVERSARY OF PBS’ THE ELECTRIC COMPANY.
OCTOBER 22 IS INTERNATIONAL WOMBAT DAY.
OCTOBER 23 IS SNOW LEOPARD DAY.
OCTOBER 24 IS UNITED NATIONS' DAY.
OCTOBER 25 IS INTERNATIONAL ARTIST DAY.
OCTOBER 27 IS THE 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF
IT’S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, CHARLIE BROWN.
OCTOBER 27 IS ALSO PUMPKIN DAY.🎃
OCTOBER 28 IS WORLD LEMUR DAY, INTERNATIONAL ANIMATION DAY
AND MOTHER IN LAW DAY.
OCTOBER 29 IS REPUBLIC DAY IN TURKEY.
OCTOBER 31 IS HALLOWEEN.

AMONGST EVENTS AROUND THE W🌍RLD THIS PAST WEEK…
*The reported COVID state of the world, as of October 17, 2026. But why has there been no data from the United States since January 21, 2025???
*The 2026 Nobel Prize for Economics was awarded to Robert E. Hall and Michael Woodford for their work studying external factors on the economy.

IN THE MIDDLE EAST…
*Concerning Israel, Palestine, Hamas, Hezbollah, the Gaza Strip and more. (There are 4/FOUR separate links in this item.)

FACT BASED OPINION
THE RUSSIA UKRAINE WAR!
*Speculation: Who's side is Trump on??? He's waving sanctions against Russia while the Ukraine suffers. (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)

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, preferably through arrest and trial.

FACT BASED OPINION

🌐THE CLIMATE CHANGE CHRONICLES…
*October 18 is World Archaeology Day.
*October 20 is International Sloth🦥 Day.
*October 22 is International Wombat Day.
*October 23 is Snow Leopard Day.
*October 27 is Pumpkin🎃 Day.
*October 28 is World Lemur Day.

🌌SPACE NEWS...
*Is there really a GREEN star???

😢PASSING PARADE…
*Actor RJ Mitte (active from 2006 until his passing) has taken his last bow on life's stage.
*Video game designer Richard Gray is no longer with us.
*Television, movie actor/voice artist Michael Forrest (active from 1953-2020, noted for playing Apollo in two different Star Trek series) has taken his last bow on life's stage.
*Former professional baseball⚾ player turned coach Guy Conti has passed away.
*Former professional football🏈 player Jon Morris is no longer with us.
*Former professional football🏈 coach turned executive John Beake has passed away.

WITHIN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA…


ELECTION DAY IS NOVEMBER 3!

WE NEED MORE
GUN RESPONSIBILITY
NOW!

ALL INEQUALITY HAS TO STOP!

BAN BOOK BANS!

POLITICALLY…
ON FOREIGN ISSUES…
FACT BASED OPINION
THE TRUMP TARIFF TURMOIL AND THE ECONOMY…
FACT BASED OPINION
ON DOMESTIC ISSUES...
THE 2026 MID-TERM ELECTIONS…
ELECTION DAY IS NOVEMBER 3!
NECESSITY!
*Speculation: Another voter bribery attempt???
*NOTE: With the 2026 mid-term elections drawing near, the Trump/Republican regime is trying to make sure the Republican Party maintains control of the House of Representatives and the Senate to continue their agenda.
*FRIENDLY REMINDER: The individual states are responsible for their elections, NOT the Federal Government.
THE BALLROOM BLITZ...
ALSO…
THE JEFFREY EPSTEIN SITUATION…
FACT BASED OPINION

*NOTE: Any possible crimes happened BEFORE his first Presidential campaign so as a potential civilian suspect, Donald Trump is NOT covered by the Supreme Court’s Presidential Immunity Ruling in The Jeffrey Epstein Situation.
MEDICAL NEWS…
*Trump versus Jimmy Kimmel continues. Howard Stern supports Kimmel. (There are 2/TWO separate links in this item.)
*Speculation: Why is the Department of Justice investigating the networks that stood against the Trump/Republican regime's ban of CNN, MS Now and Politico's White House coverage???
SOCIAL (IN)JUSTICE…
*Opinion: Is Trump a racist???
✅IT’S FACT CHECK TIME!
FACT BASED OPINION
MEANWHILE, IN CONGRESS…
ELSEWHERE…
*The Florida Panthers have become the first team in hockey🏒 history to score a hat trick in 3/THREE consecutive games.
😀AND FINALLY, SOME GOOD NEWS…

ALL MEMES COURTESY OF FACEBOOK.
OTHER IMAGES VIA PUBLIC DOMAIN SOURCES.