BOOK REVIEW: FEAR THE LIGHT BY WILLIAM MASSA

Available for the Kindle

I bought this book solely upon the author's synopsis: Dracula has been killed and the remainder of the clan, gathered to investigate his murder, find themselves the next targets.

Granted, not an unique plot in the mystery genre, but the first time (to my knowledge) the scenario had ever been applied to vampires.

Author William Massa acquitted himself well with this novel. I was thoroughly engrossed from beginning to end, especially since the bulk of the action occurred realistically in just one day. There was a wide variety of personalities represented by the investigating vampire clan, and it's a shame more time couldn't have been spent with Angelique, Coraline, and Julian, the former priest. Yet while the whole cast was believable, Vincent was the "star" of the novel, and the one suspect at least the reader knew was innocent. If Hollywood ever comes a'calling, I can picture Hugh Jackman in this role.

I must admit that as an avid reader, I did foresee the main event of Chapter 9 before it actually happened, although to Massa's credit, I didn't figure out who the mastermind behind it all was until after Chapter 15 because I honestly didn't think it could be <?>.

While I won't spoil the solution, my only quibbles with this novel is that while Massa did establish a viable motive for the killer's actions (always a good thing in any mystery), a little detail into HOW the guilty party was able to accomplish everything would have been nice, and Massa did kind of write himself into a cliched corner with the remaining innocent bystander.

Overall, a good read and worthy of being in any Kindle; but be warned, while not a "mature" or "gory" book, this is not a "Scooby-Doo" type mystery either. At a strong PG-13, people and vampires do die.

FEAR THE LIGHT by William Massa is currently only(?) available for the Kindle through Amazon.com.

THE SUNDAY FUNNIES: SPRINGING FORWARD (2014 edition)

Hello all you lucky people!
You have both Autumn the Puppy and Waxy Dragon here today as the United States of America begins its annual Daylight Savings Time Observance.

A good watch dog. No ticks!

"Now then,"
began Autumn, "Congress decided to extend America's use of Daylight Savings Time by roughly two weeks in Spring and an additional week in October. Except for Arizona and Hawaii, the whole country

is now one hour ahead of where we were this time yesterday.
"Yet, while other parts of the world will soon join the party; Argentina, China, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Japan, Peru, Puerto Rico, Russia, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Taiwan, and Vanuatu don't participate either."

Flying to Spring, wherever it is.

"Odd," said Waxy Dragon, "but to each their own. I've always thought of Daylight Savings Time as the start of Spring, but since Congress changed things, it's still winter outside! I do hope Spring gets here soon! I miss seeing the flowers in bloom and leaves on the trees.
"In the meantime (no pun intended), here are the jokes folks!"

What time is it when the clock strikes 13?
Time to get a new clock!

Why did the man throw the clock out the window?
He wanted to see time fly!

"Grandpa, why don't you throw that broken clock away?"
"Because I paid good money for it. Besides, it's still right twice a day."

What kind of clock does a night owl never use?
A sun dial!

"If there are grandfather clocks, how come there are no grandmother clocks?" asked Waxy.
"Probably because women get it right the first time," answered Autumn.
"Right on!" said Waxy. "But is time travel possible?"
"It must be, because it's now a couple of minutes later than when everyone started reading this column!" replied Autumn.

And on that note, have a great week everybody and please be back here next weekend for more Sunday Funnies!
AtP and WD.

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: MARCH 2-8, 2014

TODAY IS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY!

A study by the University of California (USA) shows that Vitamin D increases the survival chances of breast cancer patients.

Amongst events happening around the world this past week...
*AUTHORITIES ARE STILL LOOKING FOR MALAYSIA FLIGHT 370, MISSING WITH 239 PEOPLE ON BOARD.
The plane, en-route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, disappeared over the Gulf of Thailand with no word of anything being amiss beforehand.
*Pope Francis has acknowledged that same gender civil unions is a matter that should be addressed by local governments for economic and health management.
*The 2014 Winter Paralympics begin in Sochi, Russia.
*Andrus Ansip has resigned as Prime Minister of Estonia.
*Venezuela has cut off diplomatic ties with Panama, claiming that country is "a lackey of the United States". Meanwhile, thousands of Venezuelan citizens took to the streets early March 8 to protest food shortages in that country.
*Civil unrest continues in Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Syria.

FROM THE UKRAINE AND CRIMEA
*Crimea allegedly wants to rejoin the Russian government willingly. A special referendum on the matter is scheduled to go to voters March 16th.
*United Nations envoy Robert Serry was ordered to leave Crimea at gunpoint!
*The Ukraine Navy's Commander-In-Chief has defected to Russia, but no ships or additional personnel went with him.
*Lithuania and Poland are both closely watching their borders with the conflict in progress, although Russian troops have been recalled to that country's current border.
*News anchor Liz Wahl resigned on-air in the middle of a news cast, saying she could not be part of the RT (Russia Today) network's "white washing of events".

PASSING PARADE
*Actress Shelia MacRae has left the stage.
*Actor and game show host Geoff Edwards is no longer with us.

Within the United States of America...
*Congress attempted, and failed, at their FIFTIETH attempt of repealing "Obama Care" this week, despite the fact that millions of Americans now have health care coverage under that plan who didn't have any insurance before.
*At the 86th Annual Academy Awards March 2 included 12 Years A Slave winning Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress (Lupita Nyong'o); Gravity winning Best Director (Alfonso Cuaron), Best Original Score, and Best Visual Effects; Dallas Buyers Club having the Best Actor (Matthew McConaughey) and Best Supporting Actor (Jared Leto); Cate Blanchett winning Best Actress for Blue Jasmine; and Frozen winning Best Animated Picture and Best Original Song ("Let It Go").
*Oppositely, at the 34th Golden Raspberry Awards presented the night before, Movie 43 was declared Worst Movie and also won Worst Screenplay and a joint Worst Director award for the 13 people accredited in that position; Jaden Smith and his father Will won for Worst Actor, Worst Supporting Actor, and Worst Screen Combo respectively for After Earth; Tyler Perry won Worst Actress for A Madea Christmas; Kim Kardashian won Worst Supporting Actress for Temptation: Confessions of a Marriage Counselor; and The Lone Ranger won for Worst Prequel, Sequel, Remake, or Rip-off.
*AND AMERICA "SPRINGS FORWARD" OVERNIGHT TONIGHT TO BEGIN ITS ANNUAL OBSERVANCE OF DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME.

FOR THE 31ST STRAIGHT MONTH IN A ROW, THE FREE CHOICE E-ZINE HAS RECEIVED 1000+ PAGE VIEWS FROM ITS READERSHIP!




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.

THE PUZZLE CORNER: MARCH 8, 2014

Hey Puzzle Fans! Since we missed celebrating the Oscars this past weekend, let's play catch up with a special Oscar Quiz!

01. He "painted" The Picture of Dorian Gray.
02. He was a smash on Broadway with Richard Rodgers.
03. Oscar is his baloney's first name.
04. The famous jazz pianist that fits our quiz theme.
05. "The Golden Boy" boxer.
06. He played professional basketball for the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks.
07. For who is the Oscar statuette named after?

For those expecting a movie quiz, well, there's always next year.
We'll reveal the results next weekend. But for now, let's open the envelopes from THE ANSWERS BOX and reveal the results from our March 1, 2014 Puzzle Corner.

TRIVIA TIME
By what more common names do we know the team of Rogers, Jones, and Blake?
Hint: There are two more members, but posting their surnames would give away the answer.
SHAGGY Rogers, FRED Jones, and DAPHNE Blake, joined by Velma Dinkley and Scooby-Doo are jointly known under the collective banner of "Mystery, Incorporated"; at least since the 2010 Cartoon Network series, if not earlier.

Scooby-Doo cast, circa 1969

Those that thought "The Scoobies" are obviously fans of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

REBUS
Something we are all hoping for is pictured in the image below.
Do you know what it is?

The answer is: 

Or, at least we hope it is. 

SUNDAY FUNNIES: DID YOU KNOW...?

An educated canine!

Hello Everybody! Autumn the Puppy here.
There is an old (Human) adage that says you can't teach an old dog new tricks.
Now personally, while I am not an old dog, I do beg to differ with that statement.
Us dogs learn new stuff all the time.
For example, did you know...

Try it and see!

This is a great math trick. The results are always a 6 digit number, unless your age is from 1-9, then it is just a 5 digit result, but the final display on the calculator is simply amazing!

A honey of a thought!

Now, I don't know whether or not Albert Einstein is right about this one (I hope he isn't); but I can tell you that if all the honey bees were to disappear, the world's honey shortage would be a much bigger and quicker occurring crisis than any potential apocalypse!

Strange, but true!

Can you imagine what the results might have been if the founder of Ferrari insulted the John Deere tractor company instead?
Imagine a fleet of sleek and sporty green and yellow vehicles!

If you don't believe, count them yourself!

I'll be the first to admit that I've never been able to solve a Rubik's cube for myself without either taking off and rearranging the stickers, or else taking the entire cube apart (which can be done) and reassembling it with the colors in the proper order.
However, I can tell you from first paw experience that Rubik's cubes make great paper weights, are okay door stops, but make lousy chew toys.

You're on your own deciding whether or not Rubik's cube made a good Saturday morning cartoon though.

Video, as usual, courtesy of YouTube via Google.

Well, that's it for this weekend folks. Thanks to long time reader Roger Stegman for the images.
Take care, stay warm, and please be back here next time for more Sunday Funnies!--AtP.

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!

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.

THE PUZZLE CORNER: MARCH 1, 2014

After some of our longer games the last couple of weeks, we turn to more "simpler" fare this time.

TRIVIA TIME
By what more common names do we know the team of Rogers, Jones, and Blake?
Hint: There are two more members, but posting their surnames would give away the answer.

REBUS
Something we are all hoping for is pictured in the image below.
Do you know what it is?

We'll reveal all next weekend. But for now, let's look inside THE ANSWERS BOX and reveal the results from our February 22, 2014 Puzzle Corner that featured our FAMOUS FIRSTS: PRESIDENTS' DAY QUIZ.

Who was the first President of the United States...

01. To have previously served as Vice President?

John Adams, during the George Washington administration.

02. To serve without a Vice President?

James Madison, from April 10, 1812 to March 4, 1813.

George Washington

03. To hold the office as an Independent? (And yes, it has been done.)

George Washington, for he never declared any political alliance, except to the fledgling United States of America itself. John Tyler has been the only other independent President (to date), resigning from the Whig party after disagreeing with their policies while in office.

04. To hold the office as a Democrat?

Andrew Jackson.

05. To hold the office as a Republican?

Abraham Lincoln.

06. To be born in the United States after it became an independent country?

Martin Van Buren. While everyone before him was automatically considered a citizen, he was the first born on American soil after the United States won its independence from Great Britain.

07. To not be born within the continental United States?

President Obama

Our current President, Barack Obama, hails from Hawaii, although the Republican Party tries to convince people otherwise.

08. To be born in a hospital?

Jimmy Carter, because his mother Rosalyn was on duty working in one when she went into labor with the future President. Otherwise, Richard Nixon would have been the first.

09. To physically live in the White House?

This unfortunately is a trick question. While technically this honor might be considered John Adams’, for he and his family took occupancy while the White House was still under construction, officially Thomas Jefferson was the first to occupy the structure during his entire administration.

10. To work in the Oval Office? (The West Wing, where it resides, was a later addition.)

William Howard Taft.

Adams photo, 1843

11. To remarry while in office?

John Tyler

12. To ever have his photograph taken?

This is another trick question. John Quincy Adams was the very first, but it was as a former President. James Buchanan is the first to be photographed IN office.

13. To ever use a telephone in office?

Rutherford B. Hayes. But Calvin Coolidge was the first to actually have a phone at his desk. Hayes made and received his calls at the White House switchboard, before direct lines were established.

F.D. Roosevelt

14. To ever speak on radio?

Woodrow Wilson, predating Franklin Delano Roosevelt's famous weekly "fireside chats".

15. To ever appear on television?

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, during a demonstration of the device during the 1939 World's Fair.

16. To make a coast to coast television broadcast?

Harry S. Truman, on September 4, 1953.

17. To delay delivering the annual State of the Union Address?

Ronald Reagan, because of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.