THE WEEK IN REVIEW: OCTOBER 18-24, 2015

OCTOBER 24th IS UNITED NATIONS DAY & ITS 75th ANNIVERSARY.

OCTOBER 24th IS ALSO INDEPENDENCE DAY IN ZAMBIA.

OCTOBER 25th IS RETROCESSION DAY IN TAIWAN.

OCTOBER 31st IS HALLOWEEN.

AMONGST EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD THIS PAST WEEK...
HURRICANE PATRICIA, THE STRONGEST STORM IN RECORDED HISTORY, HAS STRUCK THE PACIFIC COAST OF MEXICO! RESIDENTS ARE ADVISED TO SEEK SHELTER IF THEY CANNOT FLEE THE AREA, FOR HIGH WINDS AND RECORD FLOODING ARE EXPECTED.
THERE IS ALSO CONCERN THAT THE REMNANTS OF THE STORM MIGHT REFORM IF THEY REACH THE GULF OF MEXICO ON THE ATLANTIC SIDE OF THE COUNTRY.
*Justin Trudeau has been elected the new Prime Minister of Canada.
*Retaining control of Donetsk, separatists who hope the Ukraine returns to Russian rule have began governing the area under Russian laws and customs.
*The United States and Russia have established a "hotline" with Syria to coordinate aide efforts in that country.
*The American Academy of Pediatrics is now warning women everywhere to avoid alcohol completely during any pregnancy.

THE EUROPEAN REFUGEE SITUATION...
*Croatia has reopened its borders to refugees from Middle Eastern terrorism.
*The United Nations suspects the Czech Republic of illegally detaining refugees and robbing them of any valuables in their possession to pay for their detainment.
*There are reports of masked men disabling boats at sea to keep any nautical traveling refugees from reaching safe harbors.



TERRIBLE TERRORIST ACTIVITIES...
*There are unconfirmed reports that Taliban forces have gained control of Lashkar Gah in Afghanistan. The Taliban has since claimed to have overran Ghoryan.
*Bombs seem to be the weapon dujour this past week, with few reports of actual suicide bombers involved.

PASSING PARADE...
*Cory Wells of Three Dog Night is no longer with us.
*Actor Peter Baldwin (Coronation Street) has taken his last bow on life's stage.
*Comedian Marty Ingels (numerous TV appearances and voice acting roles) has passed away.
*Legendary comic book artist Murphy Anderson is no longer with us.
*Actress Maureen O'Hara (the original Miracle on 34th Streeth, How Green Was My Valley) has taken her last bow on life's stage.

WITHIN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA...
POLITICALLY...

*President Barack Obama has vetoed a military spending bill because it would establish a "slush fund" not affected by budget guidelines and restricted the transfer of prisoners from Guantanamo Bay. Meanwhile, the Republican controlled Congress has managed to pass a bill that would end all funding to the Affordable Health Care Act, aka "Obama Care", but the President is expected to veto that as well.
*An 11 hour witch hunt questioning of former Secretary of State and 2016 Democratic Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton concerning Benghazi has been ruled "inconclusive".
*Allison Hickley, the Under Secretary for Veteran Affairs' Benefits, has resigned her post.

*Former Senator Jim Webb and former Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee have announced they are no longer seeking the 2016 Democratic Presidential nomination.
*Vice President Joe Biden has announced that he will NOT seek the 2016 Democratic Presidential nomination, ending weeks of speculation as to his plans.
*2016 Republican Presidential hopeful Jeb Bush is reported to be cutting staff and reducing the pay of those still in his employ to help keep his campaign hopes alive.
*In a related story, after the lead Republican Presidential hopeful Donald Trump said events of September 11, 2001 were because of George W. Bush's incompetence (an issue NO Republican has EVER discussed!), Jeb Bush countered that his brother "inherited" the 9-11 disaster.

UNTRUE, but the former President's actions speak for themselves.
*Republican Paul Ryan has announced his intention to become the next Speaker of the House, replacing the soon to retire John Boehner.
*Texas has not only become the latest state to defund Planned Parenthood locally, but state officials are going to individual clinics demanding employee and patient records!
ELSEWHERE...

*Imprimis Pharmaceuticals has announced it will start making very inexpensive (as little as $1 per pill) generics of high priced prescription medicines to combat rising drug prices to those in need.
*Apple has pulled hundreds of mobile apps off the market after discovering the programs were secretly sending user's private information to some place in China!
*The American Academy of Pediatrics is now warning women everywhere to avoid alcohol completely during any pregnancy.
*Wikileaks has published the personal information of CIA Director John O. Brennan, after receiving it from an (allegedly) 13 year old hacker. There was no classified data posted.
*The US Department of Transportation will soon start overseeing the mandatory registration of all drones in private hands.
*Aetna will be buying Humana for $37 BILLION dollars!
*The 2015 World Series of Major League Baseball will be the National League's New York Mets versus the American League's Kansas City Royals for the championship.

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: OCTOBER 24, 2015

FUN FACT
The longest recorded attack of hiccups lasted 68 YEARS!

It's almost Halloween, and the ghosts and ghouls are getting ready to party.
Can you figure out who might be coming to the big monster mash, based on the clues below?

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!
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, alphabetically

a.) Batman
b.) Buffy
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 17, 2015 Puzzle Corner.

COMMON BONDS
The items in each subset have something in common.
Do you know what it is?

01. {mer, agua} = These are International words for water.
02. {lucht, aria} = These are International words for air.

TRIVIA TIME
While in most countries, "shhh" is a request for quiet, what does it actually mean in Germany?
Believe it or not, "shhh" means Hurry up in Germany.

SUNDAY FUNNIES: ASK AUTUMN

Ask and I shall answer

Hello Everybody! Autumn the Puppy here!
We get e-mails all the time here at The Free Choice E-zine office, and today I thought I'd answer a few of them.

Dear Autumn:
How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?—A. Chipmunk
That depends on how healthy and in shape the woodchuck is.

How come my socks never stay together between going into the washing machine and coming out of the dryer?—Laundry Lady
I don't know. How was their relationship before they went into the washer?

Dear Autumn:
Is it a good thing to lose your anger sometimes?—I. Hulk
Neurologists claim that every time you resist acting on your anger, you're actually rewriting your brain to be calmer and more loving. Then again, if the barista gets your latte order wrong for the fifth straight day in a row...

Autumn:
Did you know that some dogs in larger cities have figured out how to use the subway system in order to travel to more populated areas in search of food?—Kay Nine.
Sure. Why walk when you can ride?

Snail mail

Why does it take a sloth a whole month to travel one mile on the ground?—Sammy Snail
I don't know. Maybe it has a bad travel agent.

Dear Autumn:
Did you know that DNA only has a 521 year half life, which means that genetic material can't be recovered from dinosaurs and Jurassic Park is impossible.—A. Scientist
Yes I did, but it's called science fiction, not science fact.

Dear Autumn:
I've finally figured out what Victoria's secret is. Do you want to hear it?—Envy.
No, because then it wouldn't be a secret. Besides, a dog wearing lingerie? It's bad enough some people dress us in stupid costumes as it is.

And on that note, if you have any questions or comments about our humble establishment, just e-mail us at FreeChoiceEzine@gmail.com.
But please, NO spam! Waxy may eat spiced ham but I can't stand the stuff.

Otherwise, have a great week and please be back here again next weekend for more Sunday Funnies!—AtP.

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: OCTOBER 11-17, 2015

TODAY IS DESSALINES DAY IN HAITI.

OCTOBER 18 IS INDEPENDENCE DAY IN AZERBAIJAN.

OCTOBER 18 IS ALASKA DAY, WHEN THE UNITED STATES GAINED OWNERSHIP OF THE ALASKAN TERRITORY FROM RUSSIA IN 1867.

MARTY McFLY RETURNED BACK FROM THE FUTURE

ON OCTOBER 21, 2015.

AMONG EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD THIS PAST WEEK...

*Alexander Lukashenko has been re-elected President of Belarus.
*Joiji Konrote has been elected President of Fiji.
*Alpha Conde has been elected President of Guinea.
*Egypt, Senegal, Japan, Uruguay, and the Ukraine will be replacing Chad, Chile, Jordan, Lithuania, and Nigeria on the United Nations Security Council for the 2016-2017 session.
*More European countries are starting to close their borders and wonder what they are going to do with the refugees they already have as people continue to flee from Middle Eastern terrorism.
*South Africa is rumored to be leaving the International Criminal Court for its failure to arrest Sudan's president.
*The United States and Australia are urging China to keep the South China Seas open to navigation, although the country insists on erecting artificial islands in the region. Meanwhile, Vietnam claims a Chinese vessel is destroying its fishing boats in the area.
*Angus Deaton has been awarded the 2015 Nobel (Memorial) Prize for Economics concerning his work analyzing consumption, poverty, and welfare.
*Author Marlon James has won the 2015 Man Booker Prize for his novel A Brief History of Seven Killings.
*Astronomers think something might be orbiting the star known as KIC 8462852 between Cygnus and Lyra.

BETWEEN RUSSIA AND THE UKRAINE...

*The Dutch Safety Board has concluded that Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 WAS shot down by a Russian missile, killing all aboard, but cannot confirm who fired it during the Ukraine/Russia separatists conflict.

*The Ukrainian government has banned all Russian aircraft from flying over Ukrainian airspace after Russia banned all Ukraine aircraft from flying over Russian airspace.
*The European Union is urging Russia to stop its military action in Syria in favor of a more political solution.

TERRIBLE TERRORIST ACTIVITIES...
*Suicide bombers seem to be the "weapon dujour" again this week.
*Boko Haram is suspected of carrying out a suicide bombing that left 8 dead in Cameroon, and a bombing at a Nigerian mosque that left 26 dead.

PASSING PARADE...
*Actress Joan Leslie (High Sierra, Sgt. York, Yankee Doodle Dandy) has taken her last bow on life's stage.
*Actor/teacher Bruce Hyde (Lt. Kevin Riley on the original Star Trek) is no longer with us.
*Actor Andrew Rubin (Mary Hartman/Mary Hartman, Police Academy) has passed away.

WITHIN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA...
POLITICALLY...

*The United States government is currently operating on a "temporary spending measure". If a new budget for the coming year isn't finalized before the December deadline, another government shutdown is feared, although Congressional Republicans will not cooperate over their beliefs concerning Planned Parenthood.
*Congressman Richard Hanna has joined Congressman Kevin McCarthy in admitting that the Benghazi Probe is actually a serious Republican attempt to keep Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton from becoming President in the 2016 election.
*While gun registration and safety may become a political issue again in light of recent shootings, a report reveals that background checks and sales of known/registered firearms has increased over the past year.
*A Tennessee school district is closing due to lack of funds, but is blaming the situation on the Affordable Care Act, aka "Obama Care".
ELSEWHERE...
*DOLE HAS RECALLED PRE-PACKAGED SPINACH IN 13 STATES DUE TO A POTENTIAL SALMONELLA RISK.
*President Barack Obama has announced that, due to circumstances in the Middle East, America will maintain 5,500 troops in Afghanistan.
*A class action lawsuit has been filed against the Los Angeles California Unified School Districts, claiming age discrimination against older teachers.
*FOX News CIA "expert" Wayne Simmons has been exposed as a con man!
*Texas A&M University has announced it will allow students to keep licensed guns in dorm rooms, but Nerf weapons and toys are prohibited anywhere on campus.

*A church in Washington DC is opposing a proposed bicycle lane on the grounds of "religious freedom".

*Dell Computers has agreed to buy the EMC Corporation for $67 billion dollars.
*The 2015 Major League Baseball playoffs have come down to the New York Mets versus the Chicago Cubs in the National League, while the Toronto Blue Jays will face the Kansas City Royals in the American League to determine who competes in the 2015 World Series.

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: OCTOBER 17, 2015

FUN FACT
A human being is born with almost 300 bones in their body, but by adulthood, the number diminishes to 206!

COMMON BONDS
The items in each subset have something in common.
Do you know what it is?

01. {mer, agua}
02. {lucht, aria}

TRIVIA TIME
While in most countries, "shhh" is a request for quiet, what does it actually mean in Germany?

We'll reveal all next weekend. But for now, let's open up THE ANSWERS BOX and discover the results of the October 10, 2015 Puzzle Corner.

THE LETTER SHUFFLE
We're trying something different today. Clues to three different words are listed below. If you answer the first two correctly, their letters can be rearranged to spell the answer to the third clue. Ready?

(Hurt) + (Kingdom) = (significant)
(Abuse) + (Realm) = (measurable)

TRIVIA TIME
By what former name did we used to know Belize?
The British Honduras

SUNDAY FUNNIES: ANIMAL ANTICS (animal themed jokes)

Hello Everybody! Waxy Dragon here!
Now, last time I was here, I talked about how things were going at Dragon School this year.
Another thing we do there is take field trips.
Lots of field trips.
Then again, if you've seen one field, you've seen them all.
Yet, going on all these field trips does give me a chance to talk with some of my animal friends in other parts of the world, and get some good jokes from them too. I'd like to share some of those now.

If a pig loses its voice, does that mean it's disgruntled?

How do those dead bugs get into light fixtures to begin with? I would love to enjoy a snack now and then, but have always been told not to fool around with anything electrical. I guess the bugs' parents never told the dead ones the same thing, which benefits me greatly if I could ever figure out how to get at them in the first place.

What does a lion say to his friends before they go out hunting for food?
"Let us prey."

What happened to the leopard that took a bath three times a day?
After a week, he was spotless.

When birds make puns, Toucan play that game.

What happened to the frog that parked in the wrong place?
He got toad.

How many tickles does it take to get an octopus to laugh?
Ten-Tickles.

What is the difference between a lion and a tiger?
A tiger has the mane part missing.

And on that note, have a great week everybody, and please be back here with us next weekend for more Sunday Funnies!—wd.

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: OCTOBER 4-10, 2015

FIJI & TAIWAN BOTH CELEBRATE THEIR NATIONAL DAYS TODAY.

OCTOBER 16th MARKS THE 225th ANNIVERSARY OF WASHINGTON, D.C.

AMONGST EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD THIS PAST WEEK...

*While not officially active amongst its member countries yet, details of the Trans-Pacific Partnership have been finalized and publicly posted on Wikileaks!
*Saying they are overwhelmed and cannot handle any more, Bavaria has temporarily closed its borders to refugees from the Middle Eastern countries fleeing from terrorists.
*While the World Health Organization says the crisis is not over yet, no new cases of the Ebola virus have been reported this past week, the very first time since this has happened since the 2014 outbreak began.
*Russia says it is willing to extend its airstrikes against ISIS/ISIL forces into Iraq if asked.
*North Korea held a massive military parade to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Workers' Party.

THE 2015 NOBEL PRIZE WINNERS ARE...

*Peace: The Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet (Tunisian General Labour Union, Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts, Tunisian Human Rights League, and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers) for building democracy in Tunisia.
*Literature: Author Svetlana Alexievich
*Chemistry: Tomas Lindahl, Paul Modrich and Aziz Sancar in the field of DNA repair.
*Physics: Takaaki Kajita and Arthur B. McDonald for their discovery of neutrino oscillations.
*Physiology/Medicine: Satoshi Omura, Tu Youyou, and William C. Campbell for developing treatment against roundworm infections.
*As of this posting, there has been no announcement if there is/will be a prize winner in the field of Economics this year.

TERRIBLE TERRORIST ACTIVITIES...
*ISIS/ISIL forces have reportedly destroyed a Roman arch in Palmyra, believed to have been over 2000 years old.
*Iraq suffered a series of car bombing attacks this past week, which left 57 known dead.
*A Boko Haram attack on a Damaturu, Nigeria mosque left 15 dead.

PASSING PARADE...
*Film producer Larry Brezner (Throw Momma From The Train, Good Morning Vietnam!) is no longer with us.
*Former boxer and actor Frank Albanese (The Sopranos, Goodfellas) has passed away.
*Singer Billy Joe Royal ("Down in the Boondocks", "Cherry Hill Park") is no longer with us.
*Actor/producer Kevin Corcoran (Pete's Dragon, Old Yeller, Sons of Anarchy) has passed away.
*2010 Chemistry Nobel Laureate Richard F. Heck is no longer with us.
*Author Henning Mankell (Inspector Kurt Wallander mysteries) has passed away.
*Noted Creole/Cajun Chef Paul (Gene Autry) Prudhomme is no longer with us.

WITHIN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA...
POLITICALLY...
*House Majority leader Kevin McCarthy has officially withdrawn from wanting to be the replacement for Speaker of the House (because of negative pressure from Tea Party Republicans?). Current Speaker John Boehner has since said he is willing to stay if a replacement is not found before his impending retirement deadline, but will retire as soon as a new Speaker is in place.
*Despite the fact the Republican Party currently controls Congress, Boehner has gone on record saying the (lack of) gun control is the Democrats fault.
ELSEWHERE...

*Although Hurricane Joaquin went out to sea after striking Bermuda a glancing blow, the storm triggered a nor'easter in the Carolinas, sending them tremendous rainfall.
*As the debate over gun control regulations resumes since the unfortunate shooting in Oregon, TWO MORE college shootings have been reported! One at Northern Arizona University, and another at Texas Southern University.
*A Home Depot customer with a legal concealed handgun decided to help store employees stop a suspected shoplifter on her own.
*General Mills has voluntarily recalled almost 2 million boxes of Cheerios because they are not gluten free.
*Some truckers pensions face possible cuts under a new law.
*A mother in Texas has won her case to get a school textbook revised to include the fact that slavery unfortunately existed, despite the book's current edition's attempt to gloss over that sad, historical fact.
*About this time in 2016, euthanasia will be legal in California.

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.