Buying Condoms Cartoon

Today’s cartoon on condom purchasing and the embarrassment it can cause was inspired by real life.  The other day I had a few things to pick up at the grocery store and I was waiting in line behind a 20 something woman who confidently held a box of condoms in her hand ready to purchase.  I thought to myself that I was so happy to be married so I didn’t have to deal with that anymore.

I don’t know about you but when I used to buy condoms, I tended to throw a couple more non essential items into the basket.  For a time at my local grocery store you had to ask the pharmacist to unlock a cabinet where they were located.  I guess because people would rather steal them than be embarrassed by purchasing them.

Thinking back, condom purchasing wasn’t the only thing I used to be embarrassed doing.  I once was a gopher in an office where I had to buy tampons for the five women that worked there.  Of course none of them used the same type.  So here I went lugging five boxes up to the counter.  The clerk looked at me funny and I said “This is the lowest point in my career.”

Even speaking up and ordering a drink at a crowded bar.  I tended to just hold my money in my hand hoping eventually the bartender would see me.  My wife can’t believe that I ever was shy for any reason.  How about you?  Anything you used to abhor doing that is no big deal now?

What is Your Porn Star Name?

I’ve seen some things floating around the web describing the steps for people to figure out their Blues Singer name.   We never played that game but we did ask people their Porn Star Name.   Plus when else am I going to be able to fit a caricature of Adult Film star legend Ron Jeremy into a cartoon post.  So fess up Bearmaniacs….what is yours?

Oh and someone pointed out that this might be security answers on websites and you may  so your alternative is to tell us your Middle Name and the First Car you Drove.

UPDATE:

The guys at Obscure Gentlemen webcomic actually cared what I have to say.  Go check out my interview with them.  Aidan, George and Tony better go because I give you shout outs.

Editorial Cartoon: Caricature Fail

 

This cartoon was inspired by my attempts over the last 4 months to do more caricature work.  If you get a caricature done by me or someone else there are several reactions you may have.

1. Wow that picture is great and it looks like me.
2. Wow that picture is great but I am not sure it looks like me.
3. That picture isn’t good/flattering but it does look like me
4. That picture sucks and it doesn’t look anything like me.

I have run the gamut of reactions to my own work, though I have only had one person actually tell me number four (yet more probably felt that way).  I had my wife, and biggest critic, look over the work and she said “Yeah it looks like her, she just isn’t that attractive.”  I find that women are way more sensitive to you pointing out prominent characteristics in caricature.  I tend to go more realistic versus cartoony as I do with men.

A piece of advice I got from Jerry Dowling, former Cincinnati Enquirer editorial cartoonist and caricature artist, is that you should over emphasize the size of women’s eyes…they seem to like that.  He may or may not have said something about boob size too, I can’t remember.

He related a story of live drawing a caricature of a woman as her husband was looking over his shoulder.  Suddenly, her husband, who obviously thought the drawing wasn’t pretty enough, said “Don’t you know she is a former Beauty Queen.”  To which Jerry handed him his pen and said “Great, so you finish up the drawing”

Editorial Cartoon: The Generosity of Warren Buffet

Today’s editorial cartoon was inspired by a blog post from Jeff Jena that blasted Billionaire Warren Buffet for his pittance of a challenge to Republicans in Congress.   Now on one hand, I agree with Buffet that certain tax shelters need to be right sized.  CEOs who take little salary yet rake in stock options because Capital Gains are charged at a lower rate than income.    In the late 80′s and 90′s that rate was closer to 30% and now it is somewhere around 15% so there is precedent for a higher rate.  And we are familiar with the notion that Buffet paid less as a percent of income in taxes than his secretary.  Maybe Warren should start paying her in stock instead.

A Republican pushed through the Buffet Rule Act that gives individuals an option on the tax form allowing them to give more to the IRS to lower the national debt.   Buffet responded saying he would match any Congressional Republican’s donations to the debt dollar for dollar.  While it can be looked at as a “put your money where your mouth is” bet, it is CHEAP CHEAP CHEAP on his part.

Based on recent data, Buffet’s net worth is somewhere around $50 billion and the entirety of Congress is around $2 Billions (well overpaid but still 25x less than Buffet).  Let’s put that in perspective you and I could understand.  It would be the same as someone earning $100,000 a year (Person A) saying he would match dollar for dollar in donations that someone earning just $4,000 (Person B) did.  Let’s say they each donate $1000.   That is only 1% of Person A’s income while it is 25% of Person B’s.  $1000 to Person A is nothing so even if all the Republican’s in Congress donated 100% of their yearly income, it wouldn’t even put the slightest dent in Warren’s pocketbook.

 

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