HAPPY PI DAY 2016!

March 14.
Julius Caesar was warned to beware the Ides of March, which is actually tomorrow, but today is gaining in popularity for a different reason.

The third month's fourteenth day, 3-14, or more precisely: 3.14 is the start of the (in)famous mathematical symbol known as Pi. π

An irrational number that cannot be fully expressed as a fraction, although most scientists and mathematicians prefer to write it as 22 over 7.

A constant representing the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, most people only go as far as reciting it to the fourth or fifth place after the decimal point, although some have tried to figure it out to the end.

A few speculate that the answers to the universe can be found in the equation. In the classic Star Trek episode "Wolf in the Fold", the Enterprise's computer was ordered to compute Pi to the last digit as part of an attempt to defeat the enemy of the week, although we never discovered the answer.

Cohen gave it a good shot in the image at right, and computers have been used to track Pi to over 67,000 digits without completing the sequence!

Whatever the case, HAPPY PI DAY!

SUNDAY FUNNIES: DAYLIGHT SAVING JOKES (time themed jokes)

Hello Everybody! Autumn the Puppy here.

In some parts of the world, including North America, we have just entered Daylight Saving Time.
If your area is participating, I hope you remembered to set your clocks ahead.
Otherwise, you'll be an hour late everywhere.
Of course, being a dog; time only matters to me in regards to breakfast, lunch, dinner, and sleeping.

During this, people set the clocks ahead one hour, complain about the lack of sleep, still complain about the electric bill because they are now running the air conditioner longer (thank you climate change!) and complain when their jobs or whatever keep them from enjoying Spring, Summer, and all that extra daylight.

It's a vicious cycle.

The idea was first conceived way back in 1784 by Benjamin Franklin, but not used on a regular basis until during both World War 1 and World War 2 to help conserve resources. It was officially adopted for full time use by the United States in 1966, although Congress keeps changing the start and ending dates; despite the fact they have a lot more important things to do.

But now the part you've all been waiting for...
Some "timely" jokes.

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

Time flies when your having fun.
Of course, if you're a reptile: time's fun when you're having flies.

My five year plan is make it through a whole month.

Diet, Day one: I removed all the bad food from the house. It was delicious!

They say life is what happens while you're busy making plans, but who does the planning for life itself?

Remember: a busted clock is still correct twice a day.

The one good thing about Daylight Saving Time?

So, have a great week everyone and please be back here next weekend for more Sunday Funnies.—AtP.

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: MARCH 6-12, 2016

MARCH 17th IS SAINT PATRICK'S DAY.

MARCH 18th MARKS THE 35th ANNIVERSARY OF

THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO.

AMONGST EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD THIS PAST WEEK...

*North Korea has threatened a pre-emptive nuclear strike against South Korea and the United States in response to the two nations' annual joint military exercise. Meanwhile, one of North Korea's nuclear submarines is allegedly "missing"!

*Depending upon where you were, a solar eclipse occurred March 9th.

*Remote research has shown that the darker spots on Mercury's surface are actually carbon, likely the remains of the planet's graphite outer crust.

TERRIBLE TERRORIST ACTIVITIES...

*Suicide bombers still seem to be the weapon dujour, with several reports throughout the Middle East over this past week.

*Analysis of mortar remains used by ISIS/ISIL forces has since confirmed the presence of an as yet unidentified chemical agent.

PASSING PARADE

*Noted comic book artist Paul Ryan (Fantastic Four, Superman, Iron Man, The Phantom comic strip) is no longer with us.

*Former First Lady and actress Nancy Reagan has passed away.

*Actress Kathryn Trosper (Citizen Kane) has taken her last bow on life's stage.

*Former Olympic Gold Medalist Iolanda Balas is no longer with us.

*Noted set designer Ken Adam (Doctor Strangelove, the James Bond movies Doctor No through Moonraker) has passed away.

*Actor Richard Davalos (Cool Hand Luke, Kelly's Heroes) has taken his last bow on life's stage.

*Noted record producer Sir George Martin (The Beatles and many others) is no longer with us.

*Producer Michael White (The Rocky Horror Picture Show, the original Annie, Monty Python and the Holy Grail) has passed away.

*Musician Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake and Palmer is no longer with us.

*Raymond Tomlinson, the inventor of modern email and selector of the "@" symbol for e-addresses, has passed away.

WITHIN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA...

POLITICALLY...

*President Barack Obama submitted his final annual budget, but Congress has yet to schedule a hearing on the proposal. WHY?

*Did Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas really threaten any potential Obama nominee to the Supreme Court?

*Is the Republican dominated Kansas state legislature trying to pass a law that would nullify the state’s Judiciary system?

*Marco Rubio won the Republican primary in Puerto Rico while Bernie Sanders claimed victory in the Maine Democratic caucus.

*Hillary Clinton won Mississippi primary while Sanders won the Michigan Democratic primary.

*Donald Trump won the Republican side of both Mississippi and Michigan, along with Hawaii; while Ted Cruz claimed victory in Idaho. Hawaii and Idaho have yet to choose their Democratic hopeful.

*Considering he was born in Canada to a Puerto Rican father and an American mother, no one has yet to officially declare whether or not Ted Cruz is eligible to run for the Presidential nomination.

*Since dropping out of the competition, many people are wondering why Doctor Ben Carson has since endorsed Donald Trump?

*Michael Bloomberg has announced that regardless of who the Democratic and Republican nominees turn out to be, he will NOT run for President in 2016 after all.

*Trump canceled a rally in Chicago over "security concerns" and has since postponed another in Cincinnati after the one in Dayton, Ohio had to be stopped in mid-speech when a protester jumped on stage.

*A judge in Ohio has ruled that as long as they will be 18 before the November 2016 Presidential election, 17 year old people can vote in the Ohio primaries.

*While he still will not reveal what his plans are once he leaves office in 2017, President Obama IS writing the foreward to the final volume of Fantagraphics Books reprint series: The Complete Peanuts.

ELSEWHERE...

*NESTLE HAS ISSUED A VOLUNTARY RECALL OF ALL STOUFFER'S, LEAN CUISINE, AND DiGIORNO PRODUCTS THAT CONTAIN SPINACH BECAUSE OF POSSIBLE SHREDDED GLASS CONTAMINATION.

*GMC IS RECALLING ALL 2016 CHEVROLET COLORADOS, GMC CANYONS, AND CHEVROLET MALIBUS BECAUSE THE FRONT AIR BAGS MIGHT NOT WORK PROPERLY.

*CORONA BEER IS ISSUING A RECALL OVER GLASS PARTICLE CONCERNS.

*Who invented the Post-It Note? Manufacturer 3M or Alan Amron?

*With his name getting confused with record producer George Martin, Author George R.R. Martin has announced that he's NOT dead, but no word yet when the long awaited sixth novel in the A Song of Ice And Fire series (erroneously aka Game of Thrones) will be released.

*Peyton Manning has announced his retirement from professional football.

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 12, 2016

FUN FACT
Because of its unique orbital path, sometimes Neptune is actually the farthest planet in our solar system instead of Pluto.



TRIVIA TIME
Daylight Saving Time begins in some parts of the world, including North America, tonight.
But who originally came up with the concept?

THE LETTER SHUFFLE
With Saint Patrick's Day approaching March 17, how many new words can you form from the letters in SHAMROCK?

We'll reveal all next weekend. But for now, let's open up THE ANSWERS BOX and discover the results of the March 5, 2016 Puzzle Corner.

BEFORE AND AFTER
Two separate items have at least one word in common and can be combined to form something new. Based on the clue below, do you know what it is?

Tool for an auto mechanic's pet simian?
A Grease Monkey Wrench

COMMON BONDS
The items within each subset below have at least one thing in common. Do you know what it is?

01. {James, Kett} = Etta
02. {Rex, Ford} = Harrison

SUNDAY FUNNIES: QUESTIONS PUZZLING A YOUNG DRAGON (misc. jokes)

Hello Everybody! Waxy Dragon here.

Now, no matter how old you are or what species you are, education IS important!

Of course, being just a baby dragon, I'm a long way off from completing Dragon School, but sometimes, I just look at some of the things I'm asked and have to wonder just what the real world is like. For example...

This math word problem.
If Johnny had 39 donuts and ate 27 of them, what would he have?
Even if Johnny really loved donuts, I think he'd have a full stomach AND a tummy ache long before number 27!

Of course, I think there was just a glitch in the computer printer when I saw this
question on a recent test...
Johnny has 4 apples and gives one away. Calculate the mass of the sun.
But my first thought? At least Johnny is eating healthier now.

Is trash decomposing in the world's rivers falling apart at the streams?

If you can't retake a subject you failed, does that mean there's no recourse?

If the entire world goes to the metric system, would cat's then be using a liter box?

While I'm totally against them, if school bullies have their first fight in the hallway, would that be their rite of passage?

Well, that's all the time I have for now.
Have a great week everybody, and please be back here next weekend for more Sunday Funnies!—wd.

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: FEBRUARY 28-MARCH 5, 2016

MARCH 8th IS INTERNATIONAL WOMAN'S DAY.
MARCH 10th MARKS THE 140th ANNIVERSARY OF ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL CREATING THE FIRST WORKING TELEPHONE.

AMONGST EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD THIS PAST WEEK...

*Iraqi engineers warn that the Mosul Dam could collapse at anytime!
*China is on the verge of possibly laying off up to 15% of its work force in their state coal and steel industries.
*The United Nations Security Council has adopted the toughest sanctions on North Korea in twenty years due to their continued efforts to develop a nuclear weapons program. Meanwhile, South Korea reports North Korea has launched several short range missiles into the Sea of Japan.
*The Association for Computing Machinery awarded the 2015 A.M. Turing Award to Whitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman for inventing public-key cryptography and digital signatures to vastly improve computer security.
*American astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Korniyenko have returned to Earth after 340 days aboard the International Space Station.
*Via the Hubble Telescope, astronomers have discovered GN-z11, the remotest galaxy yet.
*Scientists think they've might of found cancer's "Achilles heel!"
*Immigration Minister John McCallum has announced that Canada has reached its target of resettling 25,000 Syrian refugees fleeing from Middle Eastern terrorism. Meanwhile, Greece says it can help no more at this time.

TERRIBLE TERRORIST ATTACKS...
*ISIS/ISIL forces are claiming responsibility for two suicide bombers killing 70 people and injure more than 100 others at a crowded market in Sadr City, Iraq.
*ISIS/ISIL forces have also claimed responsibility for a suicide bomber killing over 40 people and wounding over 50 more at a Shi'ite funeral in Miqdadiyah.

PASSING PARADE...
*Actor George Kennedy (Best Supporting Actor: 1968 for Cool Hand Luke, The Naked Gun and Airport movie franchises) has taken his last bow on life's stage.
*Screenwriter Alice Arlen, (Silkwood, The Weight of Water) is no longer with us.
*Actor Lee Reherman (American Gladiators, Star Trek Into Darkness, Last Action Hero) has taken his last bow on life's stage.
*Emmy winning (1992, 1993) visual effects designer Gary Hutzel (Star Trek: Next Generation/Deep Space 9/Voyager, Battlestar Galactica 2004, Spy Kids) is no longer with us.
*Actress Louise Plowright (Mamma Mia!, EastEnders, Families) has taken her last bow on life's stage.
*Prop designer Tony Dyson (R2-D2 of Star Wars) has passed away.
*Author Pat Conroy (The Prince of Tides, The Great Santini, The Lords of Discipline) is no longer with us.

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

*THE ELECTION RESULTS OF SUPER TUESDAY (MARCH 1):
*On the Democratic side, Hillary Clinton won Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, American Samoa. Massachusetts and Virginia. Bernie Sanders won Vermont, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Colorado.
On the Republican side, Donald Trump won Georgia, Alabama, Massachusetts, Virginia, Vermont, Arkansas and Tennessee. The still questionable candidacy of Ted Cruz won Texas, Alaska and Oklahoma; while Marco Rubio won Minnesota.
*Republican Presidential hopeful Ben Carson has dropped out of the race.
*New Jersey Governor and former Republican Presidential hopeful Chris Christie is now endorsing Donald Trump, while former Republican Presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney and Arizona Senator John McCain have come out against him, while not actually saying who (if anyone) they do support.
*President Barack Obama says he will be announcing his nominee to the Supreme Court "soon" and called upon Congress to "seriously consider his nomination", while Congressional Republicans are still claiming that, being within the final months of his last term, Obama "is not eligible" to select a nominee.
*THE RUMOR MILL HAS IT that Donald Trump is allegedly in "peace talks" with the Republican party, while Congressional Republicans are allegedly waiting to see if Hillary Clinton wins the Democratic Presidential nomination before they officially "indite" her on charges stemming from Benghazi and her e-mails during her time as Secretary of State.
* South Dakota Governor Dennis Daugaard vetoed a bill that would have required transgender students to use bathrooms, locker rooms, and other facilities based on their birth gender in public schools.
ELSEWHERE...
*A Pennsylvanian grand jury reports that hundreds of children were sexually abused by about 50 priests in the Altoona-Johnstown Diocese over four decades!
*Amongst the "winners" of the 2016 Razzie Awards were Fantastic Four (Worst Picture: TIE!, Worst Director, Worst Prequel/Sequel/Remake or Rip-off) and 50 Shades of Grey (Worst Picture: TIE!, Worst Actor: Jamie Dornan, Worst Actress: Dakota Johnson, with the couple also winning Worst Screen Combo, and the movie also taking the Worst Screenplay Award).
*Amongst the winners of the 2016 Oscar Awards were Spotlight (Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography), The Revenant (Best Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu, Best Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio), and Best Actress: Brie Larson in Room. Heavily nominated Mad Max: Fury Road won all technical Oscars (Best Film Editing, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing) making it the biggest winner of the night's ceremonies.

Sadly, our over three year streak of 2000+ monthly page views ended in January 2016, but The Free Choice E-zine would like to thank its loyal readership for granting us 1961 page views during the month of February 2016.


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 5, 2016

FUN FACT
Today is our esteemed Editor-In-Chief's birthday!

BEFORE AND AFTER
Two separate items have at least one word in common and can be combined to form something new. Based on the clue below, do you know what it is?

Tool for an auto mechanic's pet simian?

COMMON BONDS
The items within each subset below have at least one thing in common. Do you know what it is?

01. {James, Kett}
02. {Rex, Ford}

We'll reveal all next weekend. But for now, let's open up THE ANSWERS BOX and give out the results from our Oscars Quiz of the February 27, 2016 Puzzle Corner.

01. Who "painted" The Picture of Dorian Gray? OSCAR Wilde
02. Who teamed up with Richard Rodgers to take Broadway by storm?
OSCAR Hammerstein II
03. Who made baloney famous? OSCAR Mayer
04. What famous jazz pianist fits our quiz theme? OSCAR Peterson
05. Who is "The Golden Boy" boxer? OSCAR de la Hoya
06. Who played professional basketball for the Cincinnati Royals and the Milwaukee Bucks? OSCAR Robertson
07. For who is the Oscar statuette named after?
In all honesty, no one knows for sure! The origin of the name is in dispute.