Top 10 Sunday Comics from the Washington Post: Prickly City Gets 1st Place for the 1st Time

Greetings to our blog readers in Chile, Spain, and South Africa......

The images above are of: 1) Adam West and Burt Ward from the '60s tv version of "Batman," 2) R.Crumb's "Fritz the Cat" and 3) the late Bob Denver as Gilligan on another '60s tv series "Gilligan's Island." These are in reference to our top three finishers: 1) "Prickly City," 2) "Lio" and 3) "Non Sequitur." This is the very first time Scott Stantis' "Prickly City" has been our top choice, though it is frequently in the top ten.

In "Prickly City," the two title characters, a cat and a little girl, are blind-folded and they say: "Now, we finally see eye to eye" or something to that effect. In Mark Tatulli's "Lio," the title character, a ten-year-old boy named Lio who never ages (but he is otherwise quite different from Charlie Brown and Dennis the Menace) gets pulled by an angry cat to a liquor store. And, in "Non-Sequitur" by a cartoonist named Wiley, a man's hops to get off the desert island are dashed.

Here is the list http://www.washingtonpost.com/comics/:

1. Prickly City http://www.gocomics.com/pricklycity

2. Lio http://www.gocomics.com/lio

3. Non Sequitur http://www.google.com/nonsequitur

4. Brewster Rockit: Space Guy

5. WuMo

6. Candorville http://www.candorville.com

7. Pearls Before Swine

8. Speed Bump

9. Sherman's Lagoon

10. Foxtrot

Our Favorite Strips from Sunday, Jan. 18th "Herald-Journal" (Spartanburg, SC)

Greetings to our blog readers in Moldova*, South Africa and Egypt.....

Normally, we list our favorite comic strips from  the Sunday editions of "The Washington Post" and "The Roanoke Times," the weekly newspaper in Roanoke, Va. But, today, we adding "The Herald-Journal," which is the local daily newspaper serving Spartanburg, SC, a city that is one and a half hours south of Charlotte, NC, and known for its BMW factory and race track.

Our top ten favorite comic strips from this Sunday's edition of that paper include "Bizarro," a single-panel comic strip in which a woman calls her neighbor to ask if the giant outside her home has gotten or if her house has gotten smaller. There is now a small house movement in many parts of the United States and perhaps in other countries as well (see top image).

It is sort of a running joke here on the blog that "Get Fuzzy" always finishes second, and that is the case today, with a strip poking fun of how lucky one can get playing a scratch lottery ticket (center image).

And, in third place, the single-panel comic strip "Close to Home" pokes fun of the process in which scientists name the latest medications, in this case, it is from taking the first three letters of their dogs' first names. (Prozac, an anti-depressant, is our bottom image).

Here is our top ten from "The Herald-Journal"

1) Bizarro

2) Get Fuzzy

3) Close to Home

4) Gasoline Alley

5) Snuffy Smith

6) Dustin

7) The Family Circus

8) Dilbert

9) Doonesbury

10) The Phantom

NOTE: This is the rare week when "The Family Circus" was funnier than "Doonesbury" or "Dilbert," that may not happen again until Haley's Comet returns to earth.

*- Yes, we have actually been getting hits from the former Soviet republic of Moldova lately!

http://www.goupstate.com

http://www.visitspartanburg.com/

http://www.sceducationlottery.com/ (not an endorsement)

http://smallhousesociety.net/

http://www.gocomics.com

http://bizarro.com/

Comic Strip Dialogue from The Washington Post: Grandpa Going Fishing

 

Greetings to our blog readers in Canada, Canada, Canada and South Africa!

 

To explain the images, which are in reference to comic strips in today's "Washington Post," the top image above is being used for "Reply All," a comic strip about a Generation-Y woman trying to find her place in the world through lattes, yoga and (of course) her SmartPhone; the second strip is in reference to today's "Sherman's Lagoon." The strip which resolves around a shark dealt with the title character and his crab pal checking out Youtube videos, and we all know nothing is more popular than a cat playing a piano. And, lastly, the final photo of a man with a big fish deals with "Pickles." A modest, conservative comic strip which revolves around an elderly couple. In today's strip, the old man talks to his grandson about fishing.

 

Here is the dialogue:

 

 

1) "Fishing? Don't Be Silly! I'm Walking the Dog" (from "Pickles")

 

2) Uncle Z....? You Okay? (from "Doonesbury")

 

3) "Are those the videos that last 30 seconds?" (From "Sherman's Lagoon")

 

4) "Less than a week into the New Year and I've already broken all my resolutions!!!" (from "Knight Shift")

 

5) "You Wanted Me To Play Poker with My Friends at the Tavern" (from "Hagar the Horrible")

 

6) "Katherine, This is Very Good! You Have a Gift of Dialogue" (from "Judge Parker"_

 

7) "I really can't believe you made this bet with her" (from "Foxtrot")

 

8) "Well, Mark, it's that time again" (from "Reply All")

 

9) "How about Gouda? I've got Smoked Gouda" (from "Blondie")

 

10) "Are you the enemy?" (from "Beetle Bailey")

 

http://www.foxtrot.com/

 

http://www.gocomics.com/theknightlife#.Usn8DTYo6Uk

 

http://www.mayorgacoffee.com/ (Coffee Shop in Rockville, Md.)

 

 

 

 

Remembering Nelson Mandela with a Quote from Him

Nelson Mandela died two days ago in his native South Africa.

Former President Bill Clinton said Mandela would ask to speak to Chelsea when he called the White House to ask her if she had done her homework. Chelsea Clinton went on to graduate from Stanford.

Though former Vice President Dick Cheney made disparaging remarks about this remarkable man, he was lauded by politicians on both sides of the aisle in the United States. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va) and Cong. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) praised his contributions to ending Apartheid while Cong. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) praised Mandela for being a champion of human rights.

Here is a quote from Mandela:

"It always seems impossible until it's done."

SIDEBAR: Alas, it was a rough night for us as spectators as all four of the teams we were rooting for somehow fell in the NCAA tournament: Cal upset North Carolina, LSU came from two sets down to win over Michigan, Radford University posted a great second set but still fell in straight sets to host Minnesota, and in spite of winning the first set against Utah, the Yale Bulldogs lost to the Utes 3-1.

Oh well............

Here is a Look at Times Around the World

As is custom when there is a time change in the United States, where we sprang an hour forward yesterday, here is a new look at various times around the world. The top image is the logo for Radio Sweden, the middle image is of Moscow, Russia and the third one is an antique pocket watch.

We imagine one can this and other antiques at Terrace Oaks Antiques in Charleston, South Carolina, one of the nicest (and slowest) cities in North America.


Here we go:

New York: 11:30 p.m.

St. Louis 10: 30 p.m.

Los Angeles 8:30 p.m.

London 3:30 a.m.

Istanbul 5:30 a.m.

Stockholm 4:30 a.m.

Moscow 7:30 a.m.

Tokyo 12:30 p.m.

Hong Kong 11:30 a.m.

Capetown (South Africa) 5:30 a.m.

Sydney 2:30 p.m.

Buenos Aires (Argentina) 12:30 a.m.

http://www.charlestoncvb.com

http://www.terraceoaksantiqes.com

http://www.twitter.com/radiosweden

Quote of the Day/Week-Harry S. Truman

Today, we conclude our quotes from former vice presidents of the United States, with Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) who also became president. In fact, Truman, a Missouri native, spent less than three months as veep before he took the oval office due to Franklin D. Roosevelt's passing. In addition to Truman, John Garner and Henry Wallace were vice presidents during the FDR years.

Truman is also famous for defeating centrist Republican Thomas Dewey, who had been governor of New York, in the 1948 election. Erroneous reports that Dewey had in fact been the victor lead to the famous photo of Truman holding up a newspaper with the headline: "Dewey Beats Truman."

A man with the president's name, Harry R. Truman, a resident of Washington state at the time of the Mount St. Helens' eruption of 1980 became famous for his stubborn unwillingness to leave his home, and he thus became one of the 57 casualties from the catastrophe.

Interestingly enough, (president) Truman, a Democrat, was portrayed in the 1995 film "Truman" by a then-40-year old Gary Sinise, now the star of "CSI: New York," who is one of the most outspoken Republicans in Hollywood.

In Jefferson City, Missouri, the state capital of Truman's native state, it was 86 degrees today.

Here is Truman's partisan quote:

"A bureaucrat is a Democrat who holds some office that a Republican wants."

Thanks to those of you in South Africa, Norway and Poland who visited our blog today.

http://www.trumanlibrary.org

Happy Saint Patrick's Day

Happy Saint Patrick's Day to everyone, and I also want to wish a very special happy birthday to my sister Zeynep Akili (pse)* who now resides in Capetown, South Africa,** and kudos to her alma mater Lehigh University*** for pulling a tremendous upset over Duke last night in the NCAA tournament. I am not as stunned as some people that the Mountain Hawks (now 27-7) beat the Blue Devils, as they had essentially the same record, but yes, I had presumed Duke would have hit a three-pointer in the last minutes of the game to win it, but that never happened.

Hopefully, at least one person from Ireland will visit out blog today. And, if I actually had an Irish greyhound perhaps I would get at least one date with a woman who is as gorgeous as the Swedish supermodel Vendela, who still looks quite attractive at 45.

But, we must get going or as the late Dr. Seuss would put it:

"Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to great places!
You're off and away!"

*Zeynep, a common Turkish name for girls is not my sister's real name; akili is the Turkish word for smart.

**-'Zeynep' does not actually reside on the African continent.

***-She did not go to Lehigh, but her SAT scores would have allowed her to go there (Lehigh is considered a smart school) or pretty much any college she may have been inclined to study at!

Quote of the Day/Week- Steve Jobs

Today, we conclude our month-long series of quotes from people who passed away within the calendar year of 2011.


Originally, we were contemplating quoting Kim Jong-Il, the ruthless North Korean dictator whom we actually quoted in 2010 when we were quoting one person from all 32 of the countries in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. We simply couldn't find anyone else from North Korea to quip.

Our quote today though comes from Steve Jobs (1955-2011) who died at age 56 on
Oct. 5, 2011 from complications due to cancer. He was a techno wizard innovator responsible for many gadgets, such as the iPhone, the iPod and the i Pad. He is also the subject of an acclaimed, best-selling biography by Walter Isaacson.


Jobs was also technically (pardon the ironic use of the word) a Middle Eastern American since his biological father was from Syria. Isaacson said that ironically Jobs unknowingly met him as the Syrian immigrant ran a deli near Palo Alto, California,the town with Stanford University where Jobs resided.

Here is the quote:

"Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an environment where excellence is expected."

Quote of the Day/Week- Pele

Since we have been completely obsessed with soccer later (auggh! I forgot to check the scores in the Dutch League, but we think PSV Eindhoven won), and we are focusing on Latin America), I thought it would good to quip Pele for a second time.

The first time we quoted him was on one of these two blogs during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. For those of you from the planet Neptune, Pele is from Brazil, and here is his quote:

"A penalty is a cowardly way to score."

SIDEBAR: For those who were wondering what the answer is to our "Rabbit Ears Quiz" from earlier in the week regarding the cartoon version of "Star Trek," it is A) 57 episodes. That is the differential between the number of episodes in the original show and the cartoon, which ran for 22 episodes from 1973-74.

Casualties of Modern Technology- The VHS Tape (Entry 2 of 12)

Sorry for the six day layover at the airport in Atlanta (well, it would take too long to explain why I was really gone for this long), but let's get back to bizness (deliberately spelled wrong for all you English teachers out there; in-joke) here with an entry dedicated to the VHS cassette tape or videotape, which have all but vanished from the face of the earth.

My friend Jason Garnett actually held a VHS Night at the Shadowbox Microcinema in Roanoke, Va., where the film "Rad" (1986) with former Olympic gymnast Bart Conner- of all people- was screened. The film actually revolves around the world of BMX racing.

"Rad" was one of three feature films in the mid-80s to star men's gymnastics stars. The other two included "Gymkata" (1985) with Kurt Thomas and "American Anthem"
(1986) with Mitch Gaylord, a film that also featured a very gorgeous Janet Jones who later married hockey icon Wayne Gretzky.

Amazingly enough, no one in Hollywood thought of making such a film starring women's gymnastics darling Mary Lou Retton, but perhaps that was a good thing.

The videotape was first sampled in 1951 by Bing Crosby Productions, according to Wikipedia. Videotapes became widely available in the 1970s. Since VCRs were very expensive until the 1980s, there was little consumer demand for them. That all changed very quickly and cult films, like the South African wonder-hit "The Gods Must be Crazy" (1984), were more widely seen than the films were during their theatrical runs.

But, by the 1990s, dvds came and well the proverbial credits started to roll for the VHS tape.

SIDEBAR: We want to wish Parker Posey a happy 43rd birthday. No, we do not know her personally.

My Choice for the Best Films of 1981

Since information for this entry took a while to compile, I will simply list the films in my order of preference without commentary.

On a personal note, I hope my friend Moviezzz who has or had a great blog called Moviezzz (http://www.moviezzz.blogspot.com). I really enjoyed his review of a concert from the Go-Gos in Northhampton, Mass., earlier this summer. Moviezzz has alas not posted a new entry since June! That girl band was actually very popular in 1981 due their hit record "Vacation," which featured the mega-hit of the same name.

One film from the class of 1981, "Time Bandits" (dir. Terry Gilliam) will screen in a 35-mm print at the Carolina Theatre in Greensboro, NC, tomorrow night.

Last year, my friend Blake Lipscomb and I 'sweded' the film "My Dinner with Andre" which was shown at part of a sueded film festival at The Shadowbox Cinema in my hometown of Roanoke, Va., where we filmed our version of "Andre." Ironically, the actual film, which is set in New York, was filmed at an abonded hotel in Richmond, Va.

Here is the list:

1) "Atlantic City" (dir. Louis Malle)

2) "The Gods Must Be Crazy" (South Africa. dir. Jamie Uys)

3) "Das Boot" (Germany. dir. Wolfgang Petersen)

4) "An American Werewolf in London" (dir. John Landis)

5) "The Road Warrior" (Australia. dir. George Miller)

6) "Body Heat" (dir. Lawrene Kasdan)

7) "Prince of the City" (dir. Sidney Lumet)

8) "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (dir. Steven Spielberg)

9) "My Dinner with Andre" (dir. Louis Malle)

10) "Blow Out" (dir. Brian DePalma)

50 Beers from Around the World- Castle Lager (South Africa)

Former president Bill Clinton (see last entry) was among those who attended the World Cup in South Africa over the summer. Clinton was there to watch the game between the United States and Ghana, in which the west African nation prevailed in an exciting overtime victory.

Today, we feature the South African brew Castle Lager in our 50 Beers Around the World series (we are about halfway through now). In South Africa, beer in its traditional sense was first introduced by British immigrants in the late 1800s.

According to Wikipedia though, the native Zulu and Xhosa tribes were both brewing forms of sorghum and maice beers prior to the British immigrants' arrival.

Soccer season is in full-swing around the world. Those of us who root for the Turkish team GalataSaray, out of Istanbul, (I am a Turkish-American) were irked to hear that the gold and red lost to TrabzonSpor 2-0 over the weekend.

We profiled the Turkish beer Efes Pilsen as well as the American brew Pabst Blue Ribbon earlier in the series. Perhaps, there is a bar in Paterson, NJ, which has the largest conticencies of Turkish-Americans, which serves them both!

PSA-Stop Racism

For today's PSA entry, we go with a slogan repeated throughout the recent World Cup in South Africa: Stop Racism.

There is a brilliant column in the current issue of the progressive American magazine "The Nation," (not to be confused with the right-wing Pakistani publication of the same name) which states that one of the reasons why the American right, particularly the likes of Glenn Beck, can't stand soccer is that is the one true world game.

There also appears to be an international Stop Racism Day on March 21 of each year.

As for this image, we are using it because Kermit the Frog's children's song "It's Not Easy Being Green" dealt with racism. We found out while researching this piece that the world's most famous Muppet reptile made his debut way back in 1955 (?!) for a children's tv show in San Francisco.

SIDEBAR: Some of the interesting things we learned on Twitter today include the following: 1) There is actually a Twitter group telling Muslim residents of Bursa, Turkey, when prayer time is, 2) Domestically, The Goat Show gets underway at the Reno County Fair in South Hutchinson, Kan., tonight. The regular Kansas State Fair will be from Sept. 10-19, 3) A very, very depressed man apparently jumped 20 stories out of an office window to his death in Hartford, Conn., this week. And, I thought I had a rough week!

Viva Espana!

Since virtually all the public libraries in my part of North Carolina were closed yesterday (as was everything except emergency services and the local Mexican restaurant) since it was Sunday, I didn't get to post this entry sooner.

But, even though I was rooting for The Netherlands/Holland, I wanted to congratulate Spain on winning the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Andres Iniesta kicked the game-winner in the 116th minute of play. His teammate Xica was named MVP of the World Cup and Germany's Thomas Muller won the Golden Boot.

Paul the Octopus had predicted that Spain would win on Sunday, and he had picked eight consecutive game winners throughout the World Cup. According to sports handicappers in England, anyone who listened to Paul and bet accordingly would have made themselves $4,500! Paul was given a replica World Cup for his accomplishment.

Tanja Munzig, a spokesperson at Paul's aquarium in Germany, said the octopus would be staying put in his tank despite all the media hoopla:

"We've had lots of offers, but he will definitely be staying and returning to his old job---making children smile."

Spain's World Cup victory was mared by terrorist bombings in Uganda which killed 74 people (at last report).

Nate Henn, 25, was the only American killed by the blasts which occured in the Ugandan capital of Kampala. Internet columnist Michelle Ruiz said Henn was living his dream by being a relief worker in Uganda.

Vicky Collins of "The Hufington Post" said she ate the Ethiopian Village restaurant which was the site of one of the blasts back in June. Collins said she was sickened by the attacks.

Quote of the Day- Mario Beneditti (Uruguayan Poet)

Ahhh! No, Take Three!

All sorts of things have gone wrong with this entry which is dedicated to The World Cup. Today we quote the late Uruguayan poet Mario Beneditti (1920-2009) who lived almost as long as the great French filmmaker Eric Rohmer (1920-2010) who is best known for his masterpiece "Claire's Knee" (1971).

Today, Uruguay defeated South Korea 2-1 in a rainy mess at The World Cup. The game was played in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, and Luis Sanchez kicked in two goals for the Uruguayan side, including the game-winner in the 80th minute.

If Landon Donovan and Team America beat Ghana (the game starts in about an hour), they will face Uruguay in the quarter finals.

Here is the quote from Beneditti:

"After all Death is a symbol that there was life."

SIDEBAR: Slovakian tennis goddess Daniela Hantuchova, whom we profiled earlier in the week lost to Czech tennis player Barbara Zahlavova-Strycova (editorial comment: why couldn't she have just stuck with her maiden name?!) in Wimbledon play yesterday.

SIDEBAR TWO: We don't normally apologize to Republicans on this blog, but we did not spell the name of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) correctly in a blog entry earlier this week.

PSA- Share the Road

Speaking of the recently-deceased Dennis Hopper (see last entry), he comes up again here as we post our weekly PSA segment- this time in honor of "Sharing the Road."

Apparently, the concept is popular in South Africa since it is the subject of a billboard that one see along with one for an airliner in the United Arab Emirates (well, it says Fly Dubai).

But, Share the Road concepts are occuring here in les etats unis as well. One such statewide program in Minnesota is sponsoring "Bicycling Around Minnesota" from Aug. 18-21 in Cloquet, Minn.

The national site devoted to drivers 'sharing the road' with the likes of bicyclists, motorcyclists, buses and those right-wing idiots who drive Hummers (we couldn't resist the political humor) suggests the following tips on the road:

1. Don't Cut in Front
2. Watch Your Blind Spots
3. Buckle Your Belts
4. Be Wary of Inattentive Drivers
5. Watch Out for Aggressive Drivers (hmmm....might those be the ones driving Humers?!)
6. Avoid 'Squeeze-Play" with Trucks
7. Don't Drink and Drive
8. Stay Alert in Work Zones

This has been a Public Service Announcement from your friends at The Daily Vampire, stay tune for another PSA next Thursday. Now, let's return to that late night rerun of "Perry Mason."

Quote of the Day- Lars von Trier

Today's quip which is being done in conjunction with the World Cup in South Africa comes from Danish film director Lars von Trier whose most recent film "Anti-Christ" is supposedly the most controversial film since "Triumph of the Will" (forgive the film fanatic humor).

Alas, Denmark lost to Holland 2-0 yesterday (well we were actually rooting for the Dutch;nothing against the Danes but I suppose some folks from Turkey-my late father's country-would have a beef regarding those cartoons), but we're sure they will do better against Japan or Cameroon......well, maybe/maybe not!

But, here is our quote from Lars, who Nicole Kidman (he directed her in "Dogville") will apparently never work with again (there was tension on the set---to put it mildly!):

"Bascially, I'm afraid of everything in life except filmmaking."

Quote of the Day- Film Director Peter Jackson

Typically, many fellow cineastes are a bit surprised that I did not consider myself to be a serious admirer of film director Peter Jackson, who has put New Zealand's film industry on the proverbial map with his famous "LTR" triology.

But, I was very impressed with his most recent film "The Lovely Bones" and I was stunned to see that many critics, who cited Susan Sarandon's over-the-top performane as a serious flaw, did not agree with me.

Today, we are featuring the Oscar-winning Jackson (b. 1961) as our representative for New Zealand as we continue to quote people, who may be alive or dead, from all 32 countries in the World Cup which begins on Friday in South Africa.

While researching this piece, we found out that Jackson collects World War One model airplanes.

Here is his quote:

"New Zealand is not a small country but a large village."

Quote of the Day- Gunter Grass

Perhaps those of you visiting our blog from Boulder, Colo., can find a Gunter Grass novel, like his most famous work "The Tin Drum" (the novel came out in 1959, an award-winning film version came out in 1979), at the Boulder Bookstore.

But, for the rest of us who aren't living in such a hip happening place, well we can always quote Mr. Grass.

The German author, who was born in 1927, was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1999. The film version of "The Tin Drum" was actually banned in Oklahoma City in 1997 after a Christian fundamentalist group saw some controversial sexual scenes from the movie out of context.

The evangelical group did not even watch the film in its entirety! But, the ban was removed in 2001 though we aren't sure if a resident of Tulsa can put the controversial late '60s Swedish film "I Am Curious Yellow" on his Netflix que!

We are quoting Mr. Grass because he is from one of the 32 countries in the upcoming World Cup in South Africa.

Although I haven't been there in a long time, we expect that partisan fans will be rooting for Germany from the Bavarian Inn in Shepherdstown, W.Va., which is actually only an hour outside Washington, DC, where one might be able to find "Cat and Mouse" (a 1961 novel by Grass) at Politics and Prose.

Here is the quip from the great writer who also penned "The Dog Years" in 1963:

"Everything bigger than life attracts a crowd."

Quote of the Week- Athol Fugard

Today, since The World Cup will be played in South Africa later this week, we thought we'd quote some famous person from each of the 32 countries participating on our two blogs presuming we have the time, and presuming we can find a famous person from Paraquay!

We start with a quip from Athol Fugard (b.1932) who is South Africa's leading playwright. He is best known in America for his play "Master Harold and the Boys," in which a young Matthew Broderick played the title part for a Showtime production just after he became famous for his role in the teen adventure film "WarGames"
(1983).

Here is the quote from Fugard:

"We compound our suffering by victimizing each other."