THE WEEK IN REVIEW: NOVEMBER 8-14, 2015

TODAY IS WORLD DIABETES AWARENESS DAY.

THIS IS CHILDREN'S DAY IN INDIA.

CASPER THE FRIENDLY GHOST CELEBRATES HIS 70th ANNIVERSARY NOVEMBER 16th.

THE MAN OF LA MANCHA DEBUTED ON BROADWAY

NOVEMBER 22, 1965.

LATEST FROM PARIS, FRANCE
*Multiple attacks occurred simultaneously on several Parisian night spots in a coordinated effort.
*A hostage situation arose at the "Eagles of Death Metal" concert held at the Bataclan Theatre, resulting in over 80 deaths!
*The death toll from Friday night currently stands at 130 innocent victims, with some known tourists still unaccounted for.
*There are well over 300 people injured and being treated at various Parisian medical facilities. Some unfortunately are in critical condition at this time, so sadly, the death toll might grow.
*French authorities believe that all the suspected attackers were killed while either fighting the police or trying to flee. However, they are still searching for any "background supporters" who helped plan the massacres but didn't take part in the actual attacks.
*French President Francois Hollande, who has now canceled attending the upcoming G20 Summit; has declared a state of emergency, and such famous landmarks as the Eiffel Tower are now closed indefinitely. Other concerts and events have since been canceled, citing safety concerns.
*ISIS/ISIL forces have since declared responsibility for the Parisian attacks!

AMONGST EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD THIS PAST WEEK...

*As more refugees continue to flee the Middle East, some European countries have started closing their borders again while they try to figure out how to deal with the situation.
*Myanmar elections have resulted in the first democracy officially voted into power since 1962.
*After a lengthy investigation, the International Association of Athletics Federation has suggested that Russian athletes should be temporarily suspended from completing in world events following doping allegations; with five others and some coaching staff facing possible lifetime bans.
*Russia has since announced that there are no plans to boycott the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio and will deal with their personnel internally.
*Lufthansa Airlines was forced to suspend over 900 flights this week due to a cabin crew strike, leaving thousands of passengers in need of alternate travel means.
*An investigation by a Canadian news team has uncovered the fact that some grocery store employees are taught how to tamper with "Best Before" selling dates.
*Scientists have predicted that climate change could be responsible for a huge increase in the world's poverty level by 2030, due to an increase failure in farmers being able to produce crops.
*Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that green house gas levels have reached their highest known level as of 2014, but are still rising.
*Thermal anomalies have been discovered in the Pyramids of Giza. An explanation for the phenomenon has not been officially determined yet.
*Preparations and precautions (since it might be booby-trapped) are underway to investigate the suspected sight of a lost "Nazi gold train" in Poland.
*A guitar once owned by John Lennon has sold for over $2.5 million US dollars.

OTHER TERRIBLE TERRORIST ACTIVITIES...
*Two Boko Haram suicide bombers killed three people near Lake Chad.
*Unidentified gunmen opened fire in a Bujumbra, Burundi bar; killing nine people.
*The Syrian Army stopped an attempt by ISIS/ISIL forces to seize control of the Kweires Airbase.
*Two separate suicide bombing attacks have left a total of 43 people dead in Lebanon.
*Someone attacked three separate commercial aircraft with a laser as they were about to land at Dallas, Texas' Love Field.
*There is still no official determination at this time whose bomb destroyed Metrojet Flight 9268.

PASSING PARADE...
*The victims of the cowardly attacks on civilians in Paris, France November 13th.
*Famous session drummer Andy White (too many credits to mention) has passed away.
*Actor Nathaniel Marston (One Life To Live) has taken his last bow on life's stage.
*Songwriter Allan Toussaint ("Working In A Coal Mine", "Southern Nights") is no longer with us.
*Helmut Schmidt, Chancellor of Germany from 1974-1982, has passed away.
*Actor Warren Mitchell (Till Death Do Us Part, Death of a Salesman) has taken his last bow on life's stage.

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

*An appeal against President Barack Obama's Executive Order on immigration has been granted in New Orleans for illegal immigrants who entered the country as children with their parents, thus giving them at least temporary protection from possible deportation.
*While the legality and constitutionality of The National Security Agency's bulk collection of phone information is being debated in Federal court, the agency has promised to reform the policy soon.
*An upcoming new Showtime documentary, The Spy Masters, claims that then President George W. Bush was first warned in JULY and not August 2001 of a potential attack against the United States that became September 11, 2001.
*While Ben Carson is still the GOP front runner of the moment for the 2016 Republican Presidential nomination, he has questioned the policy of journalistic fact checking, especially when in concerns background details about his life.
*Meanwhile, Donald Trump hosted the November 7, 2015 episode of Saturday Night Live, the first GOP candidate to do so.
*Despite the fact that there have been several Republican debates (to date), a quick fact check of the transcripts reveals that not one single candidate has yet to discuss ending voter suppression, closing the income/class gap, or ensuring paid family leave. Yet they have discussed additional tax cuts for the rich and claim that raising the national minimum wage rate would be "a disaster".
ELSEWHERE...
*After the University of Missouri football team joined protesting students in calling for the dismissal of University President Tim Wolfe over racial tensions on campus; Wolfe has since announced his impending resignation, due to take effect at the winter break in a few weeks.
*A Utah judge ordered a foster baby taken away from a same gender couple, prompting outcries from even the Republican Utah state Governor Gary Herbert on the matter. The judge has since reversed his decision.
*You can add Staples to the growing list of retailers who have announced that they WILL be closed on Thanksgiving to preserve the holiday for their employees!

*Besides a cost of living salary raise, Wal-mart workers are now hoping the company will finally extend employees' 10% discounts to food.

*General Mills is facing a potential lawsuit over alleged false claims concerning their new Protein Cheerios.

*New York has ordered the online sites Draft Kings and Fan Duel to stop operating in that state, because they violate illegal gambling rules.

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: NOVEMBER 14, 2015

FUN FACT
Oysters can switch genders as the need arises!

TRIVIA TIME
During a game, how many players are on a NBA basketball court?

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

01. {Peter Graves, James Arness}
02. {Crystal Gayle, Loretta Lynn}

We'll reveal all next weekend. But for now, let's open up THE ANSWERS BOX and discover the results of the November 7, 2015 Puzzle Corner.

NEXT?
The start of a specific sequence is below. Can you fill in the blank with the next item?
10:01, 11:11, 12:21, 13:31, 14:41, 15:51, ???

The clue was the colon : to indicate that the list is actually palindromic times on a twenty-four hour digital clock.
Considering there is only 60 minutes in an hour, the next item on the list would be 20:02, followed by 21:12, 22:22, 23:32, 00:00, 01:10, 02:20, 03:30, 04:40 and 05:50. Any time reading after that would not be a palindrome until you reached 10:01 again.

AKA (Also Known As)
Marvin Lee Aday is better known as what famous celebrity name?

Meatloaf (Paradise By the Dashboard Lights, Two Out of Three Ain't Bad, etc.)

SUNDAY FUNNIES: BARKING WORDS OF WISDOM (misc. jokes)

One smart puppy!

Hello Everybody! Autumn the Puppy here!
To quote the Starks from the A Song of Ice And Fire saga by George R. R. Martin (the correct name for the book series that begins with A Game of Thrones), "Winter is coming."

Of course, if you're a bear, you hibernate. But personally, I consider that a huge waste of time. After all, you'll be sleeping through all the major holidays until Spring and missing out on all that great holiday food cheer.

But since a lot of time it will be too cold to be outside unless absolutely necessary (after all, for some reason, my human caretakers have yet to explain the mysteries of how to use that porcelain "throne" in their bathroom to me yet), that's when I do a lot of my reading and Internet surfing, and oh boy! The stuff I learn...

Did you know it's hard to explain puns to kleptomaniacs because they take things literally?

Never regret growing old. It sure beats the alternative!

Conjunctivitis.com.... now there a site for sore eyes.

Despite some people's thoughts on the subject, calories are NOT creatures that live in your closet and sew your clothes a little tighter each night.
They are little creatures that invade your body the more you eat and make room for the future invading hordes!

Has anyone ever actually figured out what Victoria's secret is? She must be doing something right to have stayed in business for so long selling such skimpy outfits, but I haven't figured it out yet.
After all, what's the attraction of seeing a human female barely wearing anything at all, or have I just answered my own question?
Of course, it's estimated that 69% of the world's population see sexual references in everything.
Then again, I thought that number would be much higher.

You know it's going to be one of those days when the voices in your head start arguing before breakfast, your imaginary friend runs around the house with scissors and at some point, one of your multiple personalities wanders off looking for better accommodations!

Brains are awesome! I wish everybody had one. Or at least used theirs.
On that note. Have a great week everybody, and please be back here again next weekend for more Sunday Funnies!—AtP.

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: NOVEMBER 1-7, 2015

TODAY IS "OCTOBER REVOLUTION DAY"

IN VARIOUS PARTS OF THE FORMER SOVIET UNION.

THE LONDON GAZETTE CELEBRATES ITS 350th ANNIVERSARY.

THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS WAS ESTABLISHED

ON NOVEMBER 10th, 1775.

VETERANS DAY IS NOVEMBER 11th.

AMONGST EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD THIS PAST WEEK...

*The crash of Kogalymavia Flight 9268 has been ruled the direct result of a bomb, but who planted it and why remain unknown at this time. Meanwhile, other airline's flights are being rescheduled to avoid the area where the crash occurred.
*In light of a major recall effort, Nissan, Toyota, and Honda have announced that they will not be using Takata made airbag inflators in their vehicles.
*The territorial and navigation rights debate around the artificial islands in the South China Sea continue.
*Several flights at London's International Airport have been cancelled or postponed due to "fog", which is actually dense pollution clouds. Meanwhile, a similar "haze" situation exists in Southeast Asia.
*Romania's Prime Minister Victor Ponta has resigned his office.
*Michelle Payne rode "Prince of Penzance" to victory, making her the first female jockey to ever win the Melbourne Cup of professional horse racing.
*Infrared thermography has confirmed the existence of a hidden chamber in King Tut's tomb. Possible contents and why it was built remain unknown at this time.
*Archaeologists have discovered a 2300 year old theater in Cyprus.
*Although he was never officially identified or arrested during the original investigation, a new intellectual inquiry claims it may have figured out who Jack the Ripper really was.
*Visa, Inc. has bought Visa Europe for $23 Billion US Dollars.

TERRIBLE TERRORIST ACTIVITIES...
*Authorities have not ruled out that the bomb that crashed Kogalymavia Flight 9268 may have been that of a terrorist organization.
*ISIS/ISIL forces have gained control of Mahin, Syria.
*ISIS/ISIL forces are claiming responsibility for the deaths of two refuges, killed in Sanliurfa, Turkey.

PASSING PARADE...
*Politician and Actor Fred Thompson (Law and Order, Die Hard 2) is no longer with us.
*Actor Stephen Hancock (Coronation Street) has taken his last bow on life's stage.
*Oscar winning script writer (Chariots of Fire) and actor Colin Welland has passed away.
*Screen writer Melissa Mathison (ET the Extra-Terrestrial, The Black Stallion) is no longer with us.
*Custom car maker George Barris (The Munsters' Coach, Green Hornet's Black Beauty, the 1960s Batmobile, The Beverly Hillbillies' truck, etc.)

WITHIN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA...
POLITICALLY...
*State election results Tuesday night favored Republican candidates.
*Although President Barrack Obama has vetoed the Congressional Republican supported Keystone Pipeline Bill, the TransCanada Corps says it is not giving up on the project, and is even considering proposing a new route through America.
*Despite sending a new budget proposal to President Obama, Congress is still threatening a government shutdown, this time over defense funding.
*Lawrence Lessig has officially ended his campaign for the 2016 Democratic Presidential nomination, leaving Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders as the main contenders.
*Current GOP front runner for the 2016 Republican Presidential nomination Ben Carson has stated his belief that the pyramids in Egypt were built for grain storage!
*The US House of Representatives has finally passed a measure to promote six
years of highway infrastructure repairs and growth in America, but has only provided funding for three years.
ELSEWHERE...

*The hackativist group Anonymous has begun releasing names of people it has researched and believes to at least support, if not are outright members of the Ku Klux Klan. Meanwhile, Berkeley High School students staged a walk out protesting a racist message citing Klan rhetoric.
*Voters in Houston, Texas failed to pass an ordinance that would have granted members of the LGBT Community Equal Rights and discrimination protection. There are growing concerns as to what this might mean in other cities.
*ExxonMobil is being investigated on suspicion of intentionally misleading the public about climate change.
*An independent study has confirmed that women ARE paid less than men!
*After Rupert Murdoch officially took ownership of National Geographic, his first order of business was to fire much of its award winning staff!
*Kraft/Heinz is planning to close seven plants, cutting 2600 jobs from their payroll.
*A new report claims the Pentagon spent $43 million dollars building a gas station in Afghanistan!
*Visa, Inc. has bought Visa Europe for $23 Billion US Dollars.
*The American League's Kansas City Royals defeated the National League's New York Mets 4 games to 1 to win the 2015 World Series of Major League Baseball.

THE FREE CHOICE E-ZINE THANKS ITS LOYAL READERSHIP FOR CONTINUING OUR STREAK OF 2,000+ PAGE VIEWS. 2,336 IN OCTOBER 2015!



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: NOVEMBER 7, 2015

FUN FACT
A bolt of lightning can reach temperatures higher than 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit/27,760 Celsius!

Let's play a few games we haven't done in a while!

NEXT?
The start of a specific sequence is below. Can you fill in the blank with the next item?
10:01, 11:11, 12:21, 13:31, 14:41, 15:51, ???

AKA (Also Known As)
Marvin Lee Aday is better known as what famous celebrity name?

We'll reveal all next weekend. But for now, let's open up THE ANSWERS BOX and discover the results of our Halloween Puzzle Corner on October 31, 2015.

THE LETTER SHUFFLE
How many new words can you form using the letters in HALLOWEEN?

A, all, allow, an, awl
Eel, ell, eon
Ha, hall, hallow, heal, he, heel, hell, hello, how
Lawn, lawn, lea, lean, low
No, Noel, now
Oh, on, owl
Wall, we, wean, wee, well, (and) well.

More might be possible than the 34 listed above.

REBUS

Something familiar is represented by the image on the left.
Do you know what it is?

Pumpkin pie
(the pi sign carved into a pumpkin)

GO VOTE! 2015

The following is an editorial.

Dear Free Choice E-zine Readers in America:

Today IS Election Day in this country.
Although who the next President of the United States will be is a question that

will remain undecided until November of 2016, that does not mean this year's election ballot is unimportant.

A lot of local positions will be decided upon today, and those decisions will influence what will happen in the time leading up to next November.

So please, vote your conscience, vote your party, flip a coin if you have to make a decision, but GO VOTE!

Sincerely,
Lee Houston, Junior
Editor-In-Chief of The Free Choice E-zine
3 November, 2015

The above was an editorial.

SUNDAY FUNNIES: WAXY SURFS THE INTERNET! (misc. jokes)

Hello Everybody! Waxy Dragon here!
Hope everyone had a great Halloween.
I know I did. My tummy still aches from all the candy I ate last night.
I also hope everyone remembered to set their clocks back one hour, since Daylight Savings Time ended. If not, at least you'll be an hour early wherever you have to go today.

Anyway, when trying to think of what to do for this week's Sunday Funnies, I thought I'd try my paw at the Internet like Autumn the Puppy does.
So let's see what's on the World Wide Web, besides a few stray spiders.
I was told to leave my replies in italics. Ready?

Jokes are always easy to find on the Internet. Like this one:
Why did Humpty Dumpty have a great fall?
To make up for a lousy summer.
I know what you mean. Thankfully dragons love it hot, but with global warming and everything, humans and a lot of my other friends have a rough time of it.

One Internet poster said, "There is no such thing as a perfect stranger. I keep practicing and practicing and keep getting stranger and stranger."
Well good for you. Momma Dragon always tells me that practice makes perfect. Then again, she also tells me to stay away from strangers, but I wish you all the best.

"When your past calls, don't answer. It has nothing new to say."
Good advice. Especially don't answer the phone when your past calls collect!

Another poster wrote, "Not everyone suffers from insanity. I thoroughly enjoy it."
Maybe that poster should get together with the one trying to be a perfect stranger.

"The first five days after the weekend are always the worst."
WOW! That must have been some weekend!

"Except for missing the holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day, and Valentine's Day), I always thought bears had the right idea about winter."
Maybe, but who gets up in the middle of the night to make sure the heater is still working in the cave?


This last Internet post was especially interesting.
"BREAKING NEWS! The Earth revolves around the sun! People who thought everything revolved around them are in a state of shock."
You mean I'm not the center of everyone's universe? Maybe I need to hire a new publicity agent.

And on that note, have a great week everybody, and please be back here again next weekend for more Sunday Funnies! I hope I still have some Halloween candy left by then. Maybe I can go trick or treating again?—wd.