Bearer of Bad News

I have yet to test this hypothesis, but my guess is that if you have to deliver bad news it won't reflect as badly on you if you do it from a prone position.

Moat

I read somewhere that the middle class acts as a moat protecting the rich from the poor. So, I get very confused when I see the rich shitting all over the middle class and, in effect, doing away with the moat.

You see it everywhere lately: Some huge mega-corporation decides to slash its employees' benefits to the bone in order to save a few pennies even though it's made BILLIONS in profits in a given year (cough-cough-Viacom-cough-cough). What the hell is going on here???

I understand that many corporations are run by greedy sons-of-bitches who would stab their own grandmothers in the face just to make an extra buck. But, when they begin in earnest to destroy the only buffer between themselves and the filthy rabble clamoring at the castle walls...well, what exactly is going on?

Anybody with even the slightest grasp of history knows that when wealth is concentrated in the hands of a tiny elite, and the peasants are starving, it's time to roll out the guillotines. So, what gives? Do they think that the masses are so doped with "bread and circuses" that the powderkeg won't ever explode? I wonder.

Maybe those concentration camps that Halliburton (go ahead, look it up) has been quietly building are meant for anyone who speaks out-- for anyone who tosses a molotov cocktail over the ramparts-- for anyone who has worked for a company for 10+ years and ends up getting raped by it.

I don't know. Maybe we are all too pacified to do anything about it. As long as cable TV is piped in to the homeless shelters then maybe our corporate masters really don't have anything to worry about!

Kidding?

I know, I know. They say you should never discuss religion or politics. I'll never learn, will I?

A fellow blogger (thanks H!) posted a link to an article about a devout muslim guy in Canada who killed his daughter because she didn't want to wear her hijab (head scarf). Of course we can all agree that this is a pretty extreme case, and that most folks wouldn't react this way. It's turbo-fundamentalism, and just plain insane, right?

The Quran and the Bible are chock full of passages that, to our 21st century western minds, seem absurdly violent and misogynistic. From the Quran:

4:34- Men are in charge of women, because Allah hath made the one of them to
excel the other, and because they spend of their property (for the support of
women). So good women are the obedient, guarding in secret that which Allah hath guarded. As for those from whom ye fear rebellion, admonish them and banish them to beds apart, and scourge [whip] them.

From the Bible:

Leviticus 21:9- And the daughter of any priest, if she profane herself by playing the whore, she profaneth her father: she shall be burnt with fire.

And those quotes don't even begin to scratch the surface of all the violent, bizarre, cruel, stuff you'll find in there (mixed in with the good stuff, of course). So, faced with that, what are we to think? Only the most devout, hardcore fanatic would do exactly as their holy book commands (and they would probably be jailed for doing it) right???

Well... Yeah, probably.

So, most religious people in the west practice a more moderate and relaxed version of their faith. I mean, does anyone actually avoid shellfish because they are "abominations?" Do you kill your kids when they "curseth" you? Do you murder people whose beliefs differ from your own? Do you ladies go into exile when menstruating? The books say you should...

But, what I want to know is, if these holy books are the WORD OF GOD, is it OK for us mere mortals to pick and choose which parts we want to follow and which we would rather ignore? That doesn't seem like a very good idea. I would think that it's an either/or kind of deal: either you do exactly as He says, or don't get to be in the club. Am I wrong in thinking that?

"Untitled"

Big Smile

Look how happy you are! Gosh, you're happy!

Intruder

I was at a restaurant lastnight, and I went to the restroom. When I got inside I thought it was sort of strange that I didn't see any urinals. It didn't dawn on me until I was already "about my business" in one of the stalls that I was actually in the Lady's Room. I hadn't even been drinking! Fortunately(?) no one else came in and I escaped without being noticed. It would have made for a better story had someone come in. Oh well. Maybe next time.

Cell Phone Driver

This person is often driving in the car ahead of me. She takes different cars sometimes. For instance, she was in front of me TWICE yesterday on my way to work!

We

Always refer to yourself in the first person plural. They will think you're eccentric, and geometrically speaking, they will be correct. But, we know it's more accurate than the first person singular. Don't we.

The Corporate Pyramid

Due to popular demand, you can buy a shirt (or something else) with this image on it HERE.

Judge

Who is judging you? Does their judgement carry any weight? How did they get in that position? Do you respect their opinion? Or do you only imagine that you are being judged? Is the judge a projection of something inside of your psyche?

Polite Laughter

Here, you'll need this in your Social Skills Toolbox.

Of Two Minds

With Your Heart

I drew it, and it seemed to mean something about listening with one's heart. Perhaps.
Oh, and this is my 333rd post.

Ready

These guys are ready for anything.

Hang In There

I got the idea for this drawing yesterday. I guess it could apply to Thanksgiving, though. This guy is probably thankful for his little platform.

Artifact

This is just the sort of thing you might expect to find on my desk at work. I had to obscure Mike's phone number; otherwise it's unaltered.

Where it Comes From

I hate preaching. When people ask me why I'm a vegetarian I usually say something like, "For humanitarian reasons." And then I try to drop the subject. If I say any more than that it always sounds like I'm preaching. If the conversation does go further, however, it oftentimes ends with the other person saying that they would rather not think about where their meat comes from.

Me neither. No one likes thinking about hellish brutality very much. I just wonder what the world might be like if everyone thought even a little bit about things they would prefer to ignore.

Here's the article that inspired this drawing, if you're interested.

Orphan

I call it Orphan because I abandoned the drawing before it was finished.

Just Curious

Ask a silly question...

Eat

Maybe it's time to start eating better.

Shameless Self-Promotion

Do you remember that post last year when I told you I would be art-directing a song sequence in an upcoming SpongeBob Special? Well, Atlantis SquarePantis is finally airing tonight at 8PM. I art-directed the Plankton song. Of course I did my usual background designing, too.

I think there's a "making-of" type special on afterwards. You can see my ugly mug and watch me "draw."

This

This is what I drew today. I'm still sick.

Getting Sick

Crap. I always get sick this time of year.

You Win!

They'll NEVER pull the wool over your eyes again! So to speak.

Today's Lesson

Will there be a quiz?

Candy is Delicious!

Committee

This is a nice, scary image for Halloween.

Mask?

It's not a mask, I'm just grumpy and tired.

Does This Look Normal?

OK, maybe my finger didn't swell up quite this much, but it sure felt like it did. The color, however, is dead-on!

Gotta be more careful with the hammer.

The good news is that the x-rays didn't show any fractures. It's just a "bad bruise."

Dunce

That's Entertainment?

Junk Mail

They ought to stop using me as the last step in their waste paper creation process.

Iron Age Tribesman

My guide through life in the 21st century is whom?

Willingness

Yessiree, I'm your man.

Roomy

I know "Roomy" can be the diminutive form of "Roommate," which would fit this drawing just fine. But, in this case, I'm referring to "Roomy" in the sense of "having a large amount of space."
Anyway, I drew this because it's how I physically felt at times today. Like, when I would turn my head, or stand up I would feel sort of loose in my own body. It was as though my inner body's movement was semi-detached and slightly delayed in relation to that of my outer body's.

Dogs Like Leftover Pizza

What Do You Make of This?

Look

I know, I know. The Residents. Whatever.

Observer

I missed this story. Should I make an "illegal alien" joke? Nah.
Fun website!

Man, Babies Are Ugly.

Someone had to say it.

Rain?

Sometimes I wonder about Prescott Bush's ties to the Nazis, and why the supposedly "Liberal Media" never mentions it. Then I start thinking about the "light rain" in tonight's weather forecast. I hope it rains.

Profile

Is this my good side?

Connections

If you've got an hour to kill, you could watch this. Why not? Kinda fun. Pretty interesting. Quite speculative. A bit creepy. Sort of nutty. Partially educational. Good times!

Hair

I was thinking about the fact that, like feces, hair is just another excretion of the human body. How horrible!

Time Out

Cooper had to go to the emergency room Wednesday night because he was having trouble breathing. His chest X-ray indicated that he had pneumonia (which is going around, apparently). They released him at 2:30am (has anyone ever spent less than 5 hours at an ER? Not me.) We ended up going back 5 hours later, and they admitted him and kept him overnight.
He's home now, and doing much better. But, we're all pretty worn out. It was quite an ordeal.

Scat Chat

I think it's funny when I'm in a public restroom and I hear people talking on their cell phones while they're pooping. What do they say when the person on the other end of the line asks, "Hey man, what are you doing?" Ha ha! What about defecation-related background noise? How does one explain that away? "Oh, um, listen to those ducks will you!"

Under Construction

We're all works in progress, aren't we?

Amanita Muscaria

Is it just coincidence, or is something else going on when an image/concept/thing suddenly and repeatedly shows up in your life? For the past few days this mushroom has been taking center stage with me.
Pretty neat.

"More Freelance? OK."

Thanks for asking.

Board Panel