fried chicken leg which the boy desires. Rather than sharing, the American throws it away, complaining "Hey!! Ah got a right to chicken dun right!!" One editor noted, "The Downstown strip had taken a strange turn this week." Newspaper columnist Sue Ann Wood said, "It struck me as questionable taste indeed. The tragedy of starving children in Ethiopia hardly seemed a subject for crude humor in a comic. However, I thought the cartoonist was trying to make a point that some Americans are insensitive to the plight of Ethiopians. I didn't think he was very successful. I hoped he wouldn't try to do it again." Yet, Downs continued to cover this topic for five more days, leading The Detroit News to cancel Downstown for a time. Downs said, "Well it is a tragic situation and I'm not trying to make light of it. I apologize to anyone I've offended. I was trying to point out the callous attitude people tend to have about hunger in the world." Downs concluded the sequence with a coupon to donate to two world hunger charities, World Vision International and Food for the Hungry. Downs did not contact the charities in advance. In the first week, Food for the Hungry attributed thirty donations totaling $555 to Downstown. World Vision expected several hundred donations as a result of Downstown, noting that a similar strip's appeal in December 1984 raised $97,000 for the non-denominational Christian charity. Brian Bird, spokesman for World Hunger, said, "He [Downs] may have offended some people. But I don't feel sorry for them. We all need to learn a lesson about the importance of giving—and continuing to give even when the immediate crisis is over and people don't look like they're starving to death." When asked if he thought a comic was the right place for such a serious topic, Downs answered, "Sometimes. Not all comics are like they used to be—a simple gag line. I do gag lines too, but I think a comic strip can be a vehicle to put across serious thought. I believe that I can use humor as a tool to make a point." Christianity With regards to Downstown, Downs says, "I wrote a Christian comic because I am a Christian. …My basic philosophy is a biblical philosophy of life." However, he opted to be subtle so he would not alienate readers. There were exceptions, however. For example