THE WEEK IN EDITORIAL CARTOONS
This weekly diary takes a look at the past week's important news stories from the perspective of our leading editorial cartoonists (including a few foreign ones) with analysis and commentary added in by me.
When evaluating a cartoon, ask yourself these questions:
- Does a cartoon add to my existing knowledge base and help crystallize my thinking about the issue depicted?
- Does the cartoonist have any obvious biases that distort reality?
- Is the cartoonist reflecting prevailing public opinion or trying to shape it?
The answers will help determine the effectiveness of the cartoonist's message.
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Taylor Jones, Politicalcartoons.com, Buy this cartoon
PLEASE READ THIS: Because of the length of this weekly diary, sometimes Daily Kos reacts negatively -- isn't it always MB's fault? :-) -- and makes the Rec Button (and other stuff that you usually find in the upper right corner) disappear. Don't worry if that happens. Just scroll to the bottom of the diary past the last diary comment and you'll see the Rec Button there.
Note: I have to again post this diary section-by-section. I'll update as I make progress.
Final Update: The complete diary is now posted. I'll post a few more cartoons in the comments section.
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Mike Scott, NewJerseyNewsroom.com, Buy this cartoon
Jen Sorensen, Slowpoke, Buy this cartoon
BP CEO Tony Hayward by Dave Granlund, Politicalcartoons.com, Buy this cartoon
Steve Benson, Comics.com (Arizona Republic)
John Sherffius, Comics.com (Boulder Daily Camera)
Oil Spill by Bob Englehart, Hartford Courant, Buy this cartoon
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INTRODUCTION
Expert Opinion On Whose Ass To Kick by RJ Matson, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Buy this cartoon
For almost two months, the editorial cartoonists have spilled a great deal of ink in portraying various aspects of this ecological catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico. Until now the focus has been on the loss of human life; the untold damage to wildlife and ecosystems in the region; understanding the magnitude of the largest environmental disaster in United States history; the role of British Petroleum in desperately trying to stop this massive oil spillage; the negative aspects of decades of deregulation which enabled this tragedy; and the response by the Obama Administration.
During this past week -- with the above issues still getting major attention from the cartoonists -- more attention was paid to the economic aspects of this disaster and whether or not BP will fairly compensate the victims involved. While President Barack Obama has come under some criticism for his (perceived) slow response, I suspect all of that is about to change. With the President announcing new measures to hold BP financially accountable for the clean-up and taking a more aggressive, "Get Tough" approach with BP to establish a compensation fund for victims, this strategy is a political winner for the White House. BP is as unpopular as any major corporation has been in this country in recent decades.
President Obama is set to make his first Oval Office address later tonight. As Greg Sargent wrote in the Washington Post
Brown Pelican Warns Bald Eagle by Taylor Jones, Politicalcartoons.com, Buy this cartoon
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We are now about to see what full White House engagement on the Gulf spill looks like. That's the unmistakable message from this week's schedule, which kicks off with a two-day trip to the Gulf, followed by an Oval Office address on the catastrophe and then a high-profile meeting with BP execs.
This could be one of the defining weeks of Obama's presidency.
White House advisers, of course, would argue that they've always been fully engaged. But this week promises a display of engagement more conspicuously designed for public consumption -- and more aggressively confrontational with BP -- than anything yet. Administration officials are carefully laying the groundwork for the high profile moments to come with a series of leaks transparently designed to put BP on the defensive.
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Spill the Money by J.D. Crowe, Mobile Register, Buy this cartoon
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The people in the Gulf Coast region are the ones who are directly and most affected by BP's failures. This editorial in the Mobile Register explains what actions have been taken as yet. Expect the number of claims to be filed against BP to rise dramatically in the coming weeks and months
BP said Thursday that almost 42,000 claims have been submitted to that point and more than 20,000 payments made, totaling more than $53 million. But those figures leave thousands of workers, business owners and property owners on the coast waiting for payments.
The average payment, assuming 20,000 claims, is $2,650. That money won't go very far for a fisherman who can't work, owes money on his boat and supports a family. Nor will it be of much help to a bait shop owner, a waitress who gets laid off at a beachside restaurant, a boat dealer who loses sales because would-be buyers can't get out on the water, or a condominium owner who expected a full summer of rentals...
BP has repeatedly promised to make everything right, and to compensate Gulf Coast residents for the spreading economic damage. Keeping people from suffering hardship while waiting for checks requires a much faster claims process and far larger amounts of money than have so far been paid out.
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For the next month or so, most of the world's -- and quite a few of the editorial cartoonists' -- attention will be focused on South Africa where the 2010 FIFA World Cup is being played. Several of them drew poignant cartoons depicting the World Cup not only as an opportunity for the world to come together but also to highlight the plight of Africa -- a continent plagued by hunger, disease, malnutrition, and grinding poverty.
If you are a soccer fan and don't have access to a tv during the day, you can watch the games on wwitv. Click 'Sports Scorehunter' on the left side of the menu and you'll see the game listings. Depending upon your location, some of the other sports channels like 'Eurovision Sports' may also be livestreaming the games in progress.
World Football Fever by Manny Francisco, Freelance Cartoonist (Manila, The Phillippines), Buy this cartoon
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Finally, this week's editorial cartoons also deal at length with the results of the 2010 Primary Elections last week and the role of corporate money; columnist Helen Thomas' insensitive remarks which led to her retirement; developments in the Middle East, Iran, and Afghanistan; and a number of hilarious cartoons dealing with President Obama's "lack of an emotional response" to this environmental crisis.
The diary has about 115 cartoons and I'll try to post another 30 cartoons or so in the comments section as well as a few sections that I couldn't fit in due to length limitations. I hope you enjoy these wonderful cartoons. Thanks.
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1. CARTOONS OF THE WEEK
Gushing BP by Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune, Buy this cartoon
Tim Eagan, Deep Cover, Buy this cartoon
World Cup Solar System by Patrick Corrigan, Toronto Star, Buy this cartoon
BP On World Stage by RJ Matson, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Buy this cartoon
Carly Fiorina LOVES her Look by Taylor Jones, Politicalcartoons.com, Buy this cartoon
Meg Whitman and Carly Fiorina by Taylor Jones, Politicalcartoons.com, Buy this cartoon
Paul Szep, Comics.com
The Weather Report by Clay Bennett, Comics.com, see reader comments in the Chattanooga Times Free Press
Jeff Darcy, Cleveland Plain-Dealer, Buy this cartoon
R.P. Overmyer, Hollywood Dog, Buy this cartoon
Circle of Life by Joe Heller, Green Bay Press-Gazette, Buy this cartoon
Ass Kicking President by John Darkow, Columbia Daily Tribune, Buy this cartoon
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2. BP and its Lies: 'tis Time to "Kick Some Ass"
Chan Lowe, Comics.com (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
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Lowe cautions us not to be fooled by British Petroleum Chairman Tony Hayward's public school (as private prep schools are called in Great Britain) accent. He is appalled at the lack of concern and compassion displayed by BP towards the many victims of this disaster including those who died when the oil rig exploded and others whose livelihood is threatened by the expanding oil slick. This can lead one to conclude that BP is motivated by one and one thing only: company profits!
No doubt, Tony Hayward’s chums at his Mayfair gentleman’s club speak of him in warm terms. "Sterling bloke, wot? I remember when he wore the lampshade and throw rug at the annual Christmas party and pretended to be Attila the Hun. Simply ripping fellow!"
But clearly, down in the Gulf of Mexico, our boy is what you might call a fish out of oily water. His comments about wanting his life back, and about the slick being not so large if you consider the vastness of the Gulf, come off as tone-deaf if not callous.
The fact that they’re delivered in a tony British boarding-school accent doesn’t make them any easier to swallow, as Americans witness the despoliation of their coastline by a corporate Goliath that views our precious environment as a wealth generator and nothing more.
BP is desperately trying to hang onto the shreds of its reputation by deliberately under-reporting the bad news and organizing Potemkin cleanup squads for the TV cameras. As one of its maladroit stabs at self-rehabilitation, the corporation might consider sacking its feckless CEO. Nothing would communicate more effectively to an exasperated public that BP really was sorry about what happened, and it might give a tiny measure of solace to those who never will get their lives back that at least one of the cheeses had to learn some compassion the hard way.
Less Is More by Adam Zyglis, Buffalo News, Buy this cartoon
Spinning the Spill by Dan Wasserman, Comics.com (Boston Globe)
Oily Bird by Jimmy Margulies, New Jersey Record, Buy this cartoon
Getting Very, Very, Very Mad About the Oil Spill by Chris Britt, Comics.com, see reader comments in the State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL)
Matt Wuerker, Politico
(click cartoon to enlarge in Wuerker's archive)
BP Finds Solution to Spill by Mike Keefe, Denver Post, Buy this cartoon
Avoiding Danger by Larry Wright, Detroit News, Buy this cartoon
Dana Summers, Comics.com (Orlando Sentinel)
How to Spot a BP Executive by Daryl Cagle, MSNBC.com, Buy this cartoon
BP Pelican by RJ Matson, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Buy this cartoon
PR Campaign by Nick Anderson, see reader comments in the Houston Chronicle
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3. Oil Spillage: How Many More Million Barrels Will Leak into the Gulf?
Lloyd Dangle, Troubletown, Buy this cartoon
Bill Day, Comics.com (Memphis Commercial-Appeal)
Gulf Coast Crime Victim by J.D. Crowe, see Crowe's blog entry in the Mobile Register, Buy this cartoon
Area of Danger by Arcadio Esquivel, Cagle Cartoons (La Prensa, Panama), Buy this cartoon
Jeff Koterba, Omaha World Herald, Buy this cartoon
Make a Living in Louisiana by Olle Johansson, Freelance Cartoonist (Sweden), Buy this cartoon
Gulf Fishing by Joe Heller, Green Bay Press-Gazette, Buy this cartoon
Ecological Time Bomb by Adam Zyglis, Buffalo News, Buy this cartoon
Rising Estimates by Nick Anderson, see reader comments in the Houston Chronicle
Matt Wuerker, Politico
(click cartoon to enlarge in Wuerker's archive)
Mark Streeter, Savannah Morning News, Buy this cartoon
Clay Jones, Freelance-Star (Fredericksburg, VA), Buy this cartoon
Chip Bok, Akron (Ohio) Beacon-Journal, Buy this cartoon
PA -- Scarnati Kisses Ass by John Cole, Scranton Times-Tribune, Buy this cartoon
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4. SCOTUS and the 2010 Elections: Money, Money, Money!
Ed Stein, Comics.com (formerly of the Rocky Mountain News), see reader comments on Stein's blog
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Stein goes after the Roberts Court and criticizes the Supreme Court's recent decision to strike down an Arizona law. After the Citizens United case, this decision is another example of the court's right-wing tilt to favor moneyed interests in democratic elections
Campaign Reform
The Roberts Court continues its assault on campaign finance sanity, striking down an Arizona law which has worked well over the years to level the playing field, allowing candidates encumbered by the need to raise campaign funds to compete against self-funded multi-millionaires.
The Court’s reckless activism is upending decades of legal precedent, and in the process, increasing the pernicious influence of money in the political process. I’m pretty much a free-speech absolutist, but the idea that money is the same as speech, and the notion that corporations, entities that exist only because they are chartered by states, have the same free speech rights as individuals, are frightening concepts. If we don’t have enough evidence already, with the economic meltdown and the oil in the Gulf, of how big money has completely distorted our politics, just wait until this court finishes demolishing any remaining chance we have of controlling the ability of corporations and the very wealthy to stack the deck in their favor.
Jen Sorensen, Slowpoke, Buy this cartoon
John Sherffius, Comics.com (Boulder Daily Camera)
Ed Stein, Comics.com (formerly of the Rocky Mountain News), see reader comments on Stein's blog
Voice of the People
It may be a bit premature to predict the outcome of todays’ midterm primary elections, but given the unending stream of bad economic and environmental news and the generally sour mood of the electorate, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that incumbents, even if they eke out victories, are in big trouble, and that a variety of raging nutbags, who in normal times would attract scant attention, will probably end up garnering a fair share of the vote.
California -- Meg and Carly by Steve Greenberg, Freelance Cartoonist (Los Angeles, CA), Buy this cartoon
Don Wright, Comics.com (Tribune Media Services)
Unions by By RJ Matson, Roll Call, Buy this cartoon
John Deering, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Buy this cartoon
Signe Wilkinson, Comics.com (Philadelphia Daily News)
Steve Breen, Comics.com (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Oily Incumbent by John Cole, Scranton Times-Tribune, Buy this cartoon
Town Hall Meetings Hiatus by RJ Matson, Roll Call, Buy this cartoon
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5. Homophobes and Teabaggers: Of Cults and Nuts
Matt Bors, Comics.com (Idiot Box), see reader comments on the Bors Blog
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Bors reports on a Westboro Baptist Church picketing of a high school that he attended recently in Portland Oregon. Based on his observations, he concluded that the church has all the qualities of a modern-day cult
Westboro Baptist Church
Last week I went to see a picketing put on by the Westboro Baptist Church of a high school here in Portland. We are "fags" and "fag-enablers" here in the Rose City and thus need a good picketing...
Everyone seemed generally happy mocking them and there wasn’t any real yelling matches that I saw. That’s probably because WBC is no threat at all. They are universally despised and have zero political influence. They are less than 100 in number and are only known due to their outrageous protests of, well, everything. I think in the media’s focus on their crazy message of hate, we have missed what this group really is: a cult.
I don’t say that as a pejorative – they are a cult in the true sense of the word. This isn’t simply a fringe Baptist church that really, really hates gays. They fit almost all the guidelines developed by various researchers into the modern cult phenomenon: a leader with absolute truth that cannot be questioned, isolation from outside influences, cult-specific jargon, constant unpaid labor, a rigid ideology, physical and mental abuse, an "us vs. them" siege mentality, and completely cutting off and denouncing those who leave.
Tea Party Animals by Drew Sheneman, Comics.com, see reader comments in the Newark Star-Ledger
Chip Bok, Comics.com (USA Today)
Rob Rogers, Comics.com (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)
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6. Barack Obama: No Emotional Roller Coaster Here
Obama Shows Emotion by John Darkow, Columbia Daily Tribune, Buy this cartoon
Obama and the Libs by Dan Wasserman, Comics.com, see reader comments in the Boston Globe
Mike Luckovich, Comics.com (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
Fire in the Belly by David Fitzsimmons, Arizona Star, Buy this cartoon
Obama -- Populist or Corporatist by Monte Wolverton, Cagle Cartoons, Buy this cartoon
Bruce Plante, see reader comments in Tulsa World, Buy this cartoon
Three-D by Joe Heller, Green Bay Press-Gazette, Buy this cartoon
Voter Anger-Obama Calm by Jimmy Margulies, New Jersey Record, Buy this cartoon
Jack Ohman, Comics.com (Portland Oregonian)
You Asked For it by Clay Bennett, Comics.com, see reader comments in the Chattanooga Times Free Press
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7. The World Cup: What Americans Are Missing
Mike Thomson, Comics.com, see reader comments in the Detroit Free Press
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Must some Americans put down a sport that they consider somewhat boring? Thompson isn't too pleased with this provincial attitude, which is widespread around the country. Soccer, when played well, is a graceful, poetic game to watch. Any high-scoring contest fascinates most Americans but not unlike perhaps ice hockey, the build-up and tension of mounting an attack in soccer more than compensates for the lack of high scoring present in so many American sports. The journey ought to count at least as much as the destination itself
The World Cup
Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy motor sports as much as the next red-blooded American male. And I’ll confess to being a closet demolition derby fan, as my nieces and nephews who’ve I’ve dragged along for my fix of gratuitous violence will attest. But I can see where people from other parts of the world might think that mixing cars and sports sounds a bit dull. That’s because they’ve probably never given motor sports a chance.
Which is why I’d like to deliver a slap upside the head to the next person who tells me they won’t be watching the World Cup because soccer is dull. Most of the Americans I’ve heard express that attitude have never given the world’s most popular sport a real chance. The World Cup is a fantastic event because it’s one of the few things that unites the world - and anything that accomplishes that remarkable feat can’t be all bad. For that reason alone the event is far from dull.
FIFA World Cup 2010 by Stephane Peray, The Nation (Bangkok, Thailand), Buy this cartoon
Drew Litton, Comics.com (drewlitton.com)
Soccer Bowl by Christo Komarnitski, Freelance Cartoonist (Bulgaria), Buy this cartoon
Soccer Time by Ares, Caglecartoons.com (Mexico/Cuba),
Buy this cartoon
World Cup Soccer and USA by Daryl Cagle, MSNBC.com, Buy this cartoon
World Cup Held in Africa by Adam Zyglis, Buffalo News, Buy this cartoon
Global Soccer by Arcadio Esquivel, Cagle Cartoons (La Prensa, Panama), Buy this cartoon
World Cup by Joe Heller, Green Bay Press-Gazette, Buy this cartoon
Soccer: The Year Of Africa by Patrick Chappatte, Le Temps, Switzerland), Buy this cartoon
World Cup by Emad Hajjaj, Freelance Cartoonist (Jordan), Buy this cartoon
Steve Nease, Oakville Beaver (Ontario, Canada), Buy this cartoon
World Cup Spectator by Petar Pismestrovic, Kleine Zeitung (Austria), Buy this cartoon
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8. Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Will it Happen This Year?
The Arizona law in Florida? by Chan Lowe, Comics.com, see reader comments in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel
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Could a state like Florida with a substantial Hispanic population follow Arizona's lead and adopt a similar anti-immigrant law? Lowe thinks that the chances of that are virtually zero as most whites in Florida have reconciled themselves to the fact that whites are soon going to not be the majority but only a plurality of Florida voters. The large influx of Hispanics into the state has, over the decades, forged a unique culture which is a mixture of the two. And, besides, as most Cuban-Americans in Florida are mostly Republican (though that is changing with the younger generation), it is highly unlikely that Teabaggers would push for a change that alienates a loyal portion of the Republican base
The Arizona law in Florida?
There’s talk here in the Sunshine State about adopting a "show-me-your-papers" law like they have in Arizona. So far, the loudest voice is coming from a Republican candidate for governor who is trying to squeeze out front-runner Bill McCollum by playing to the conservative peanut gallery of likely primary voters.
It is doubtful that Florida will embrace the idea of such a law with the same passion as Arizonans...or even the rest of the country, as polls seem to show. Unlike Arizona, much of Florida’s population (particularly South Florida’s) is no longer trying to hang onto the myth of a "real America," one where Anglos rule by divine right and folks speak English without accents. By weight of sheer numbers, Latin immigrants to Florida -— both legal and illegal -— have forged a culture with the indigenous Anglos that redefines what "Americanness" is.
Of course, there are some Anglos, particularly recent arrivals, whose comfort levels are lower than those of us who have been here a while and learned to appreciate the richness of the stew rather than fear its spicy bite. These folks will always lend a willing ear to opportunistic politicians who would twist xenophobic urges to their own purposes.
The fact is that we should be pressuring Congress to tighten our borders, rather than passing constitutionally doubtful laws that treat our neighbors as though they were subhumans. Besides, as a lot of Florida politicians—even those from North Florida--know, Florida Hispanics, once motivated, can be a fearsome voting bloc. And they detest this law.
Bill Day, Comics.com (Memphis Commercial-Appeal)
Another Wall by David Fitzsimmons, Arizona Star, Buy this cartoon
Lalo Alcaraz, LA Weekly, Buy this cartoon
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9. The Economy: Banking Reform
Mike Thomson, Comics.com, see reader comments and the original animation in the Detroit Free Press
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Thompson is not impressed with Banking Reform proposals slowly moving through the United States Congress as he perceives them be inadequate and the resulting legislation weak
If you’re familiar with the antics of international investment banking and securities behemoth Goldman Sachs, you realize how laughably inadequate the financial reform legislation currently being considered in Congress would be in reining in the runaway financial giant. If you’re not familiar with Goldman Sachs, do yourself a favor and spend an hour online researching the subject.
Unless you suffer from high blood pressure, a short temper, or are pregnant. In which case, consult your doctor before reading.
Bruce Beattie, Comics.com (Daytona Beach News-Journal)
Family Budget by David Fitzsimmons, Arizona Star, Buy this cartoon
Recession Sinkhole by Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune, Buy this cartoon
Jen Sorensen, see reader comments on Sorensen's blog Slowpoke, Buy this cartoon
You know those little signs at the cash register that say "Purchases under $10 cash only"? Technically, they're illegal -- even though merchants actually lose money when people use plastic for small items. This law would change that, and the big banks are pissed. So they've set up a front group called "Consumers Against Retail Discrimination" -- C.A.R.D., of course! -- to protest this unfair discrimination against poor li'l plastic. Among these oh-so-altruistic "consumer advocates" are Mastercard, Visa, Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, and many more!
For banks to pull this stunt in this crappy economy, after all the damage they've done so far, takes real wontons -- and only a few people seem to be talking about it. So I felt compelled to address it in a cartoon, although I'm afraid the comic barely scratches the surface. Some things just require too much explanation. Oh well.
-- Sorensen writing on her blog
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10. Foreign Affairs: Afghanistan, Israel, and Iran
Mike Thomson, Comics.com, see reader comments in the Detroit Free Press
War Anniversary
America hit a milestone this week: The war in Afghanistan became our nation's second longest war. Second to the war that has been going on since the founding of this country.
-- Thompson writing on his blog and lamenting the fact that overcoming economic problems and providing adequately for all people has always been a struggle since the country's founding over two hundred years ago
Afghan War Longest by Mike Keefe, Denver Post, Buy this cartoon
Afghanistan Riches by Rainer Hachfeld, Neues Deutschland (Germany), Buy this cartoon
Karzai Offers Amnesty by Paresh Nath, Khaleej Times (UAE), Buy this cartoon
Matt Bors, Comics.com (Idiot Box)
Time For A Snicker
The peace process in the Middle East made great progress last week when Israel announced its blockade of Gaza would be eased to allow dangerous contraband such as candy to pass through. The people of Gaza are appreciative – now they can sit on their rubble and munch a box of Mike and Ikes.
-- Bors engaging in a bit of snarky humor
Fares Garabet, Freelance Cartoonist (Syria), Buy this cartoon
Flotilla Killa by Matt Bors, Comics.com (Idiot Box), see reader comments on the Bors Blog
Don Wright, Comics.com (Tribune Media Services)
Israel by Dwayne Booth, Mr. Fish, Buy this cartoon
An Endless World Cup Game by Christo Komarnitski, Freelance Cartoonist (Bulgaria), Buy this cartoon
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11. Final Thoughts
Invasion of the Body Scanners by Chan Lowe, Comics.com (South Florida Sun-Sentinel)
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Finally, does boredom on the job contribute to weird behavior? Apparently so, writes Chan Lowe
Everybody knows someone who, when given a small amount of authority, wields it as though he were Ivan the Terrible taming the Russian serfs. The more petty the authority he carries, the more he flaunts it.
Keep this thought in your mind as you ponder what appears to be the default pastime of federal workers with unlimited and unsupervised access to the Internet.
How did the SEC drones pass their time while Wall Street melted down around them? What did the Minerals Management Service revolving-door petroleum jockeys do when they were supposed to be inspecting offshore wells? That’s right—they surfed porn sites on taxpayer time.
So here you have TSA workers, who—let’s face it—don’t have the most exciting jobs in the world, being handed what amounts to a free pass to view people in the buff.
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A Note About the Diary Poll
Damien Glez, Journal du Jeudi (Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso), Buy this cartoon
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The Soccer World Cup has been played since 1930, when the first games were held in Uruguay. This is the first time ever that an African nation has hosted the World Cup, with South Africa defeating Morocco and Egypt in an all-African bidding process. The 19th World Cup games are being played from June 11-July 11, 2010 in ten venues in South Africa: Johannesburg (2 venues), Durban, Cape Town, Pretoria, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, Polokwane, Rustenburg, and Nelspruit.
A few other interesting facts about soccer and the World Cup
News of the Future - World Cup Final by Stephane Peray, The Nation (Bangkok, Thailand), Buy this cartoon
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- Brazil have won the World Cup a record five times (1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, 2002), and they are the only team to have played in every tournament. Italy, the current champions, have won four titles (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006), and Germany are next with three titles (1954, 1974, 1990). The other former champions are Uruguay (1930, 1950), winners of the inaugural tournament, and Argentina (1978, 1986), with two titles each, and England (1966) and France (1998), with one title each. Germany has finished 2nd the most times (1966, 1982, 1986, 2002)
- The tournament -- with 32 teams qualifying -- is the culmination of a qualification process that began in August 2007 and involved 204 of the 208 FIFA national teams.
- The world's first international football match was a challenge match played in Glasgow in 1872 between Scotland and England, with the first international tournament, the inaugural edition of the British Home Championship, taking place in 1884. At this stage the sport was rarely played outside the United Kingdom.
- The World Cup was first televised in 1954 and is now the most widely viewed and followed sporting event in the world, exceeding even the Olympic Games. The cumulative audience of all matches of the 2006 World Cup is estimated to be 26.29 billion. 715.1 million individuals watched the final match of this tournament (a ninth of the entire population of the planet).
- A European team has never won the World Cup outside of Europe, as all World Cups hosted in either South America, North America, or Asia have been won by a South American team.
Based on the above history, your knowledge of soccer, and the oddsmakers, which team do you think will win it all in 2010?
Don't forget to take the diary poll.
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Crossposted at Docudharma
