text:
Friday, December 30, 2005
NOT Global Warming
But, of course, we've already established that global warming has absolutely nothing to do with it, you crazy fringe-theorist...
... all normal cycles 'n stuff.
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Cases-In-Point, #2, #3 and #4
"It's just a goddamn piece of paper!"
If true, it is yet more proof that these people are all completely insane.
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
The Greatest Show on Earth
(via Cursor)
Monday, December 26, 2005
12/26/05 Cartoon
"Alberto the Torture Turtle's Guide to the Constitution"... catch Alberto's previous appearance here, which was part of the Fuzzy Bunny series.
Some good articles this week: Sidney Blumenthal on the Administration's fundamental disrespect for the law and for Tom Paine; Michelle Goldberg on whether we have the political will to impeach Bush (probably not); and Edward Lazarus on the serious threat to the Constitution posed by Bush's wiretapping.
All indications are that this issue (the wiretapping) is going to be the clincher... either we all stand up to them on this, or we can officially kiss our democracy goodbye. As with Watergate and "Plame-gate," though, it may take a while to unfold...
Friday, December 23, 2005
Useless Information Department
Thanks, jerks.
That is all. Please return to your Christmas shopping now. Ignorance is Strength.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
"The breathtaking inanity..."
The Washington Post says that this could be a watershed opinion, with regards to future cases that seek to determine whether "intelligent design" can or should be taught in public schools.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Beware of PETA...
Like they're some shadowy, Freemason-like secret society that is poised to take over the country...
Monday, December 19, 2005
12/19/05 Cartoon
"George W. Bush Conversation With God: The Environment."
Catch Bush's previous conversations with God here and here.
On an unrelated note, I wanted to make a quick comment on the death of The West Wing's John Spencer. The first four seasons of that show (the Aaron Sorkin-penned years) have really had a huge influence on me, as examples of satirical political commentary at its highest level in popular culture. When I'm working on these cartoons, I will often have a DVD of those episodes running in the background, to give me a little inspiration. But, of course, writers don't create the characters all by themselves... I think it can't be done without an extremely talented actor, in a process I can't even begin to comprehend.
Very sad.
Friday, December 16, 2005
A victory!
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate on Friday refused to reauthorize major portions of the USA Patriot Act after critics complained they infringed too much on Americans' privacy and liberty, dealing a huge defeat to the Bush administration and Republican leaders.
I guess they'll just have to be satisfied with violating civil liberties in secret and outside the law, which apparently is something they're completely comfortable doing...
Thursday, December 15, 2005
How about that...
Nagin praised Bush's commitment to nearly double an earlier $1.6 billion package for levee repairs and improvements, saying the president had responded to local residents' call for action. "I want to say to all New Orleanians, to all businesses, it's time for you to come home, it's time for you to come back to the Big Easy," Nagin said. "We now have the commitment and the funding for hurricane protection at a level that we have never had before."
Of course, this didn't happen until people screamed at them about their reluctant Katrina response, and it does nothing to address the $14 billion needed to restore barrier islands and coastal wetlands, the "natural levees" that are necessary to protect New Orleans from hurricanes. But it's a nice start.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
m u n k e e . . .
Williams: This says you're in a bubble. You have a very small circle of advisors now. Is that true? Do you feel in a bubble?
President Bush: No, I don't feel in a bubble. I mean, you feel in a bubble in the sense that I can't go walking out the front gate and, you know, go shopping, like I'd love to do for my wife. Although I may, I'm not going to tell you what I'm going to buy her. Look, I feel like I'm getting really good advice from very capable people and that people from all walks of life have informed me and informed those who advise me. And I feel very comfortable that I'm very aware of what's going on.
And later...
Williams: ...Once and for all and I know you've had some fun with members of the press on this subject how much television news do you watch? How much do you read the morning papers, news magazines? How much do you see in an average week?
President Bush: I don'I see a lot of the news. Every morning I look at the newspaper. I can't say I've read every single article in the newspaper. But I definitely know what's in the news. Occasionally, I watch television. t want to hurt your feelings, but it's occasionally. I'm working at that point, as are you. But I'm very aware of what's in the news. I'm aware because I see clips. I see summaries. I have people on my staff that walk in every morning and say, "This is what's -- this is how I see it. This is what's brewing today," on both the domestic and international side. Frankly, it is probably part of my own fault for needling people, but it's a myth to think I don't know what's going on. And it's a myth to think that I'm not aware that there is opinions that don't agree with mine. Because I'm fully aware of that.
Williams: But you, yourself, said to a reporter, I think it was Brit Hume, that you'd prefer to get the news orally from your aids?
President Bush: Well, that's one way to look at it. I mean, I read the newspaper. I mean, I can tell you what the headlines are. I must confess, if I think the story is, like, not a fair appraisal, I'll move on. But I know what the story's about.
After answers like these, don't we just have to come to a point where we don't really care what he has to say about anything else? He is obviously so disengaged from what is going on, can we reasonably be expected to give any credibility to his comments on Iraq, torture, or Katrina?
It's like going to the zoo and sitting down with the monkey with Tourettes, and then asking him in-depth questions about zoo administration. You know he's going to have no idea what is coming out of his mouth, and at some point he's just going to start slinging around feces...
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
State of California Kills 5-Time Nobel Peace Prize Nominee
Monday, December 12, 2005
12/12/05 Cartoon
"Wild Planet: Animals Using Camouflage"... you can check out the previous episodes here and here.
I thought it was about time I took the Democrats to task a little. Some articles to check out: Thomas Harrison on the "Collapse of the Left" after the 2004 elections; Jeffrey Goldberg in the New Yorker on Joe Biden and the "national-security Democrats;" John Walsh on "The Lies of John Edwards" and other Dems; and Patrick Martin on "What is troubling Joe Lieberman."
Friday, December 09, 2005
Pompeii on the Mississippi
[Of course, since when does knowing in advance that a particular event or decision would turn out badly count for anything in this country? (front pages from Newseum)]
THREE MONTHS after the epic flood, we are specimens of congressional torture. Network celebrities who swept through for disaster backdrops are gone. The suffering in the Superdome and Convention Center is old footage. Torturing a city is tougher coverage for soft newsbodies.
Apathy toward the dying neighborhoods stains the Social Darwinists who run Congress. They wear the masks of prolife Christians. As Nero fiddled while Rome burned, these Jesus-lovers yawn at a city on the rack, their pensions safe in the mammoth debt furnished by the worst US president ever.
President Bush came to Jackson Square in September and promised a sweeping recovery. His backers in Congress recoiled from the cost.
The leadership vacuum from the White House to Baton Rouge to City Hall is frightening. There is no other word for it. Bush makes nebulous remarks about helping ''the people down in Katrina" (we are a new geography), but his priority is counterattacking critics of the Iraq war.
Another article calls for New Orleans to be completely abandoned, simply because the author doesn't forsee Bush ever giving enough of a crap about it to ensure that it is sufficiently protected.
But while encouraging city residents to return home and declaring for the media audience that "we will do whatever it takes" to save the city, the President earlier this month formally refused the one thing New Orleans simply cannot live without: A restored network of barrier islands and coastal wetlands.
How could this administration, found totally unprepared for the first Katrina, not see the obvious action needed to prevent the next one? My theory is that Bush hears "wetlands" and retreats to a blind, ideological aversion to all things "environmental." Which perhaps explains why in multiple speeches given during six photo-op trips to the Gulf since Katrina hit, the President has not one time mentioned the words barrier islands or wetlands. Not once.
"Either they don't get it or they just don't care," said Mark Davis, director of the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana. "But the results are the same: more disaster."
So stop the repairs; put the brooms and chain saws away. Close the few businesses that have re-opened. Leave the levees in their tattered state and get out. Right now. Everybody. It's utterly unsafe to live there.
To encourage people to return to New Orleans, as Bush is doing, without funding the only plan that can save the city from the next Big One, is to commit an act of mass homicide. If, after all the human suffering and expense of this national ordeal, the federal government can't be bothered to spend the cost of a tunnel from Logan Airport to downtown Boston, then the game is truly over.
While I don't agree with any solution that calls for surrendering an entire American city (in this case, a particularly important American city) due to Bush's monumental incompetence, the point is well taken.
As unthinkable as it was that Bush could have done something worse after his illegal war... the Katrina response is the worst crime of the Bush presidency.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
"Black Ink Monday"...
Since Ben Franklin and colonial times, the editorial cartoon has been one of the most visible and popular parts of the daily paper. However, recent changes within the newspaper industry have placed this American institution at risk.
Over the last 20 years, the number of cartoonists on the staff of daily newspapers nationwide has been cut in half. In the last month alone, the Tribune Company (owner of the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and a half-dozen other prominent papers), has forced out well-known and award-winning cartoonists at the LA Times and Baltimore Sun, eliminating their positions entirely.
It occurs to me that, while my style of cartooning would probably be considered an "alternative" to the genre that these guys represent, my art still depends on the existence of their industry (if they went away, who would we be an "alternative" to?). While artists like me can poke them with a stick, and force the industry to stay smart and relevant, the "mainstream" editorial cartoonists are still carrying on the tradition of Thomas Nast and, as noted, Benjamin Franklin. If they disappeared, it seems to me that drawing silly cartoons with political messages would lose much of its meaning.
So, perhaps, it might be nice to pick out a couple of your favorites and send them a note of support.
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
As the NYT turns...
In a lengthy feature piece on this autumn's Judith Miller saga forthcoming in the January issue of Vanity Fair (on sale Dec. 13), writer Seth Mnookin covers much familiar ground but also reveals new details and complaints from the reporter's colleagues at The New York Times. Publisher Arthur O. Sulzberger Jr. also gets a good working-over from unnamed in-house critics.
Elsewhere, Mnookin pulls no punches in stating that over the years Miller "had built a reputation for sleeping with her sources," had dated one of Sulzberger's best friends, Steve Ratner, "and had even, for a time, shared a vacation home with Sulzberger," whatever that means.
Yikes. Is anybody going to take this newspaper seriously again?
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
The End of O'Reilly...
If the Daily Show bothers to respond tonight, it should be fun to watch.
[By the way, if you noticed the resemblance... the right-wing alien in this week's 'toon is somewhat of an O'Reilly caricature.]
Monday, December 05, 2005
12/5/05 Cartoon
"Alien Society, #2." You can catch the previous episode here.
A few articles I found interesting in my research this week: Edward Lazarus on the coming battle over government accountability; a blog post by Arthur Silber on the Padilla indictment; and a story in the New Yorker by Jane Mayer, which gives graphic details about the death of a prisoner in CIA custody.
Looks like Tom Tomorrow and Jen Sorensen had similar ideas as I did this week... both made comments on the (apparent) death of reason, logic, and civil dialogue in our society. Both very good cartoons.
Friday, December 02, 2005
"... Iraq is the worst place to fight a battle for regional stability. Whose interests were best served by the U.S. invasion of Iraq in the first place? It turns out that Iran and al-Qaida benefited the most, and that continues to be true every day U.S. forces remain there."
Of course, this is just another guy "endorsing the policy positions of Michael Moore and the extreme liberal wing of the Democratic party."
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Time to Move On, Lieberman...
The Hartford Courant reports today on how Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) continues to self-servingly pursue an image of Bush administration apologist on the Iraq War. For years, Lieberman has stabbed his party in the back on high-profile issues - but now, finally, Lieberman may have overreached, and might feel some consequences.
The Courtant specifically notes that Moveon.org now openly says it will consider supporting a primary challenge to Lieberman...
After John Kerry faced the most unqualified Presidential incumbant in our history and lost, many like me vowed to never again vote for (or spend so much time and energy working for) a Democrat unless they really deserved it, and not just because they're "ABB." This demonstrates to me that Democratic politicians can still be held accountable by the people whose values they are supposed to be representing in our (supposed) "two-party" system.
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Wednesday Comic
See, this is why you never piss off a cartoonist. We never forget.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Where's Scotty?
A White House correspondent, who asked not to be identified, predicts McClellan, who replaced Ari Fleischer as press secretary in summer 2003, will soon be leaving his post. "I'm expecting very big changes," the correspondent says.
Relax. It's probably all just a routine retrofitting/system upgrade. I'm sure the IT guys are all over it...
UPDATE: See, he's back now. Running like a top.
Monday, November 28, 2005
November 28, 2005 Cartoon
"Stuff I'd Rather Do Than Watch That Movie" is now showing on your screen at the Newest 'Toon page. You can check out the previous episodes here and here. My only regret is that I have not yet had a chance to do one on a Paul Walker movie... that guy is one bad actor. He makes Keanu Reeves look like a Rhodes Scholar.
Back to important stuff...
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
...that said...
Taking a short "blog break" 'til Monday the 28th... happy holiday!
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Black is the new black...
Someday soon, I'll come up with some new designs and put those up. Send me an email (email@example.com) if you have any suggestions for images from my cartoons or products you'd like to see.
Monday, November 21, 2005
Monday Comix
Keith Knight has another episode of "Life's Little Victories" (I can identify with #78)...
Ann Telnaes has President Doofus eating "Chinese Trip Leftovers"...
Friday, November 18, 2005
Breaking News
"We were sitting there watching the game, and some cheerleaders were up there waving their pompoms," Reinard said. "Then George mentioned that he used to be a cheerleader at Yale. I didn't know what to say to that one, so I just drank the rest of my beer real fast."
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Big Oil and Pharmaceuticals
WASHINGTON (AP) -- People injured by a vaccine against bird flu or anthrax would have to prove willful misconduct to bring a claim for damages against drug manufacturers or distributors, according to legislation being drafted behind the scenes by Republicans.and:
A White House document shows that executives from big oil companies met with Vice President Cheney's energy task force in 2001 -- something long suspected by environmentalists but denied as recently as last week by industry officials testifying before Congress.One of my "study guides" for this week's 'toon was The Corporation, which talks about the effect of "externalities"... the rule of business which directs a corporation to maximize profits by making others pay for its negative impact. Go rent it.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Religion, Buddhism
While I don't consider myself a member of any one religious group, I have found that some of the ideas in Buddhism (and really Eastern philosophy in general) lend clarity and perspective to questions of reality that, in our society, become impossibly bogged down with fanatical Christian dogma. These days, the "fair and balanced" mainstream media is so absolutely terrified of condemning this movement of fanatics as a bad thing, that we the viewing public are endlessly subjected to their exclusionary rantings. For some reason, as Americans, it is automatically presumed that we will afford credibility to fire-breathing maniacs simply because they claim to speak in the name of Christianity.
Right now, I'm reading Zen and the Art of Insight by Thomas Cleary:
For us in the West, who have been exposed to some of the worst religious persecutions in the history of the world, and even today hear of violence for and against all around the globe, it may be emotionally and intellectually difficult even to conceive of religion that is not based on dogma, belief, or worship. Yet that is precisely what we find within Buddhism, which aims for direct perception of truth and reality, not defense of doctrine or destruction of dissenters. (Introduction, IX)Great book so far... recommended.
Monday, November 14, 2005
11/14/05 Cartoon
It occurs to me that I should probably get back to these recurring series' more often than once every 5 or 6 months. I was firing off a "Fuzzy Bunny" cartoon every couple of weeks there for a while, because I was trying to bring that story to some kind of completion to meet a deadline. So, maybe not THAT frequent, but I'm trying to get a regular rotation going...
Friday, November 11, 2005
Friday Comic
Thursday, November 10, 2005
The Greatest of All Time
A spokesman for Ali quickly clarified that it was all a joke, but I'd like to think that it may have meant a little more coming from a man who once said this:
Bush, who appeared almost playful, fastened the heavy medal around Muhammad Ali's neck and whispered something in the heavyweight champion's ear. Then, as if to say "bring it on," the president put up his dukes in a mock challenge. Ali, 63, who has Parkinson's disease and moves slowly, looked the president in the eye -- and, finger to head, did the "crazy" twirl for a couple of seconds.
The room of about 200, including Cabinet secretaries, tittered with laughter. Ali, who was then escorted back to his chair, made the twirl again while sitting down. And the president looked visibly taken aback, laughing nervously.
Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on Brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights? No I'm not going 10,000 miles from home to help murder and burn another poor nation simply to continue the domination of white slave masters of the darker people the world over. This is the day when such evils must come to an end.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
My Lifelong Dream...
(via Cursor)
Monday, November 07, 2005
Monday Comix
Steve Moore ("In the Bleachers"): not political, but I thought it was cute.
Friday, November 04, 2005
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Finally... a little HONESTY
Consider one memo highlighted in a Capitol Hill hearing Wednesday that Scanlon, a former aide to Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, sent the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana to describe his strategy for protecting the tribe's gambling business. In plain terms, Scanlon confessed the source code of recent Republican electoral victories: target religious conservatives, distract everyone else, and then railroad through complex initiatives.
"The wackos get their information through the Christian right, Christian radio, mail, the internet and telephone trees," Scanlon wrote in the memo, which was read into the public record at a hearing of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. "Simply put, we want to bring out the wackos to vote against something and make sure the rest of the public lets the whole thing slip past them."
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
Did You Know...
As you may know, this vile piece of human filth has an audience of 15 million weekly listeners, and is heard by our soldiers abroad on taxpayer-funded American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS). Notice that Media Matters provides a link to his syndicate (of course, a subsidiary of Clear Channel), so you can contact them and tell them what you think of this sub-human savage.
As a young broadcaster in the 1970s, Limbaugh once told a black caller: "Take that bone out of your nose and call me back." A decade ago, after becoming nationally syndicated, he mused on the air: "Have you ever noticed how all composite pictures of wanted criminals resemble Jesse Jackson?"
In 1992, on his now-defunct TV show, Limbaugh expressed his ire when Spike Lee urged that black schoolchildren get off from school to see his film Malcolm X: "Spike, if you're going to do that, let's complete the education experience. You should tell them that they should loot the theater, and then blow it up on their way out."
In a similar vein, here is Limbaugh's mocking take on the NAACP, a group with a ninety-year commitment to nonviolence: "The NAACP should have riot rehearsal. They should get a liquor store and practice robberies."
When Carol Moseley-Braun (D-IL) was in the U.S. Senate, the first black woman ever elected to that body, Limbaugh would play the "Movin' On Up" theme song from TV's "Jeffersons" when he mentioned her. Limbaugh sometimes still uses mock dialect -- substituting "ax" for "ask"-- when discussing black leaders.
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Dems Find Cojones
Democrats said that report was a year overdue and vowed to close more sessions to pressure Republicans to produce it. "We're serving notice on them at this moment. Be prepared for this motion every day until you face the reality," said Senate Democratic Whip Richard Durbin of Illinois.He's so mad he thinks he's gonna explode!
Republicans were outraged.
"The United States Senate has been hijacked by the Democratic leadership," Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee said. "Never have I been slapped in the face with such an affront to the leadership of this grand institution."
Monday, October 31, 2005
10/31/05 Cartoon
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Cross your fingers...
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Thursday Comic
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Special Prosecutor Patrick J. Fitzgerald has asked the grand jury investigating the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson to indict Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby and Bush's Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove on charges of perjury and obstruction of justice, lawyers close to the investigation tell RAW STORY.NOW we've got a show...
Fitzgerald has also asked the jury to indict Libby on a second charge: knowingly outing a covert operative, the lawyers said. They said the prosecutor believes that Libby violated a 1982 law that made it illegal to unmask an undercover CIA agent.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
Cooked Goose?
A typical Washington, D.C. grand jury is about 75% African American. Fitzgerald's is slightly more than that. This is not the kind of group Karl Rove feels at home with. He has no professional experience trying to appeal to a group like this. He has been so unsuccessful at it that his boss's job approval rating with African Americans is now 2%, which, factoring in the margin of error, could actually be zero. To make matters statistically and demographically much worse for Rove and Scooter Libby, only 12 of the 23 grand jurors have to agree to indict them.
Monday, October 24, 2005
Monday Comix
Tom Toles on Bush's inner circle.
Friday, October 21, 2005
Friday Comic
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Breakin' th' LAW...
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
The World's Top Intellectual
The validity of the poll as a whole was questionable, though. Christopher Hitchens? Paul Wolfowitz?! Howard Zinn and Arundhati Roy had to be "write-ins?" Give me a break...
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
New Patron
Cheney Resigning?
Of course, Cheney resigning would be a historic development and I would absolutely be doing backflips, but I have to say that I would miss doing Cheney characters... the guy is such an easy target.
Monday, October 17, 2005
Monday Comix
Mike Luckovich is on quite a roll.
Friday, October 14, 2005
THOMAS: What does the President mean by "total victory" -- that we will never leave Iraq until we have "total victory"? What does that mean?
McCLELLAN: Free and democratic Iraq in the heart of the Middle East, because a free and democratic Iraq in the heart of the Middle East will be a major blow to the ambitions --
THOMAS: If they ask us to leave, then we'll leave?
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm trying to respond. A free and democratic Iraq in the heart of the broader Middle East will be a major blow to the ambitions of al Qaeda and their terrorist associates. They want to establish or impose their rule over the broader Middle East -- we saw that in the Zawahiri letter that was released earlier this week by the intelligence community.
THOMAS: They also know we invaded Iraq.
McCLELLAN: Well, Helen, the President recognizes that we are engaged in a global war on terrorism. And when you're engaged in a war, it's not always pleasant, and it's certainly a last resort. But when you engage in a war, you take the fight to the enemy, you go on the offense. And that's exactly what we are doing. We are fighting them there so that we don't have to fight them here. September 11th taught us --
THOMAS: It has nothing to do with -- Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.
McCLELLAN: Well, you have a very different view of the war on terrorism, and I'm sure you're opposed to the broader war on terrorism. The President recognizes this requires a comprehensive strategy, and that this is a broad war, that it is not a law enforcement matter.Terry.
TERRY MORAN: On what basis do you say Helen is opposed to the broader war on terrorism?
McCLELLAN: Well, she certainly expressed her concerns about Afghanistan and Iraq and going into those two countries. I think I can go back and pull up her comments over the course of the past couple of years.
MORAN: And speak for her, which is odd.
McCLELLAN: No, I said she may be, because certainly if you look at her comments over the course of the past couple of years, she's expressed her concerns --
THOMAS: I'm opposed to preemptive war, unprovoked preemptive war.
MR. McCLELLAN: -- she's expressed her concerns.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
The Right Way to Rebuild...
Recently, The Wall Street Journal chillingly described plans of the "power elite" to rebuild New Orleans "in a completely different way: demographically, geographically, and politically." Unless we insist upon an inclusive, cooperative, localized approach to the planning of restoration of New Orleans, that narrow power elite will have their way. They will do so by conspiring with the companies that currently feed at the federal government's trough with massive, no-bid contracts for "redevelopment" abroad, and which may already have received some contracts for the "new" New Orleans.
(T)he "new" New Orleans should take account of the racial impacts of demolition and reconstruction. A model for this could come from the racial justice movement in the environmental field. Though the movement has typically focused on challenges to the location of undesirable industrial plants in poor and minority neighborhoods, it provides mechanisms for assessing the racial impact of changes - even those deemed "gentrification" by the developers -- on a particular neighborhood.
Unfortunately, I never got the chance to take a class from Gelfand when I was there. I could say that about a lot of the professors, though... I wasn't "there" that much.
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Reconstruction Screw-Up
Since the administration is already nickel-and-diming Katrina's victims, it's a good bet that it will do the same with reconstruction - that is, if reconstruction ever gets started. Nobody thinks that reconstruction should already be under way. But what's striking to me is that there are no visible signs that the administration has even begun developing a plan. No reconstruction czar has been appointed; no commission has been named. There have been no public hearings. And as far as we can tell, nobody is in charge. Last month The New York Times reported that Karl Rove had been placed in charge of post-Katrina reconstruction. But last week Scott McClellan, the White House press secretary, denied that Mr. Rove - who has become a lot less visible lately, as speculation swirls about possible indictments in the Plame case - was ever running reconstruction. So who is in charge? "The president," said Mr. McClellan.
I've been reading "Off Center," an important new book by Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson, political scientists at Yale and Berkeley respectively. Their goal is to explain how Republicans, who face a generally moderate electorate and have won recent national elections by "the slimmest of margins," have nonetheless been able to advance a radical rightist agenda. One of their "new rules for radicals" is "Don't just do something, stand there." Frontal assaults on popular government programs tend to fail, as Mr. Bush learned in his hapless attempt to sell Social Security privatization. But as Mr. Hacker and Mr. Pierson point out, "sometimes decisions not to act can be a powerful means of reshaping the role of government."
When I suggested that their natural course of action would be to award giant reconstruction contracts to corporate bigwigs, what I didn't specify was that I think this is due as much to pathetically poor planning as it is to blatant patronage.
My general point was that it should no longer come as a surprise to ANYONE when this administration demonstrates yet again just how incompetent they are with regards to governing.
Monday, October 10, 2005
Monday Comix
Matt Bors came up with a pretty cool format idea for today's 'toon.
Ted Rall has the Generalissimo tapping into the "Strategic Popularity Reserve."
Friday, October 07, 2005
REVISED: someone pointed out to me that I should probably link directly to Luckovich's 'toon on the AJC site rather than just assuming I have permission to reproduce the image. I should know better. Sorry Mike.
...anyway, it's a funny cartoon.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
The article by Robert McNamara that was my source for the most recent 'toon is here .
And, of course, if you never got a chance to see The Fog of War, go out and rent it immediately. Outstanding.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
"The Hammer"
I'll wait for you to stop giggling... OK.
Of course, we've already seen him as a mob boss, a pimp, a pro wrestler, and a child bully, so putting him in an orange jumpsuit for the rest of his life should not be too much of a stretch for the imagination.
Monday, October 03, 2005
10/3 cartoon
I've been getting emails from a friend in New Orleans:
I'm sitting in front of a coffee house, (closed on Magazine and Jefferson) right now that has wireless, so I can go on-line. More people are coming home today looks like. We still have an 8p.m. curfew, water is still not drinkable, but .. The colleges look ok from Saint Charles. It's messy, but I'm sure there was a lot cleaned up before we got home.
The areas of the city that are considered most important to the city's economic elite (i.e. Uptown, Downtown, and the French Quarter) all sound like they got slaps on the wrist, comparatively. I wonder if they'll just go back to business as usual, or if they'll take the crisis as a sign that it's time to finally push for a decent levee system?
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Fighting Words news
The Webcomics Hurricane Relief Telethon Book, $11.95 (left). A collection of over 100 comics from The Webcomics Hurricane Relief Telethon. All proceeds from the sales of this compilation will go to the Red Cross to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Also, The Baton Rouge Cartoonists Society has done a Hurricane Relief Anthology that debuted at SPX. Check back to this post; I'll update when I get concrete ordering information.
UPDATE: get the BRCS Relief Anthology here. Ten bucks well spent.
Saturday, September 24, 2005
Of course, it probably has more to do with timing and political damage-control re: the Katrina response... but who cares. Shouldn't we be long past making excuses for this idiot?
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Google joke
Friday, September 16, 2005
Good to see
Kermit's playing again, seen here at a venue in Houston (via NOLA.com):
The Rove M.O.
It has been said many times: these people do not govern, they only campaign. The only question is whether America will fall for it yet again.
Hopefully, not this time.
Tuesday, September 13, 2005
Webcomic Telethon
So far, the donation totals are way beyond what I thought something like this would bring in. Great job, guys!
UPDATE: here's another good one from Eric F. Myers.
UPDATE II: ...and another one that I like, "Side Order" by Brian Hardison.
UPDATE III: Looks like they're going to extend it through Saturday now... donation total is up to $27, 135!
Monday, September 12, 2005
9/12/05 Cartoon
It is a place that compels you to just relax and live "honestly," for better or for worse. It isn't the healthiest place in the world to live... instead of a health-food store on every corner, there is a greasy Po-Boy shop or a bar. "Liquor stores" are basically... everywhere; any place that sells goods of any kind probably also sells booze. And they're often open 24 hours a day, like many of the bars.
Life there just flows. And I loved it.
This 'toon is slated to be included in several hurricane relief projects, with all proceeds going to the Red Cross. I'll post some links once they are confirmed.
Thursday, September 08, 2005
Southern racism...
They seem to have forgotten that New Orleans' economy depends on tourism, and that the area's unique culture is what makes it a place people want to visit. And that we don't live in the nineteenth century anymore.
More NOLA Stories...
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Saturday, September 03, 2005
It looks like they're back on the air, too.
Friday, September 02, 2005
I have to believe that as bleak as things look down there, some good will come of it nationally. Issues are bubbling to the surface, that seemingly would not have been openly discussed otherwise.
Things are looking a lot rougher locally, though. I have been in indirect contact with some friends in the law enforcement community down there, and it sounds like there's a lot of anger flowing in all directions. It's going to take a lot of time to heal these wounds.
However, another friend (not a cop) is still in New Orleans, and is still out of contact. These are the things that need to remain front and center for the moment.
UPDATE: That friend is O.K. He got his family out to Houston, and just hadn't checked in with my other buddies down there.
Bush's Fault
No metropolitan police force in the country, of proportional size, could handle this. This is WORSE than stuff you see in other countries. Louisiana is still in the union, right? This isn't a foreign country we're giving AIDE to, right?
The violence is not unique to New Orleans, or to a city with a lot of poor people, or to a city with a lot of black people. This would happen in ANY city that didn't get the help it needed from the federal government. People go into survival mode.
We're getting to a point where the responsibility falls completely on Bush's shoulders, as Commander-in-Chief. Every death and rape beyond this point is DIRECTLY ON HIS HEAD, and Mayor Ray Nagin said as much in an interview with WWL-Radio. Or it's on Kathleen Blanco's head, but last I heard the President's authority trumps the Governor of Louisiana's. (Ray Nagin's my new hero, by the way... you HAVE to hear this interview. I'll post a link if I can find it.)
This isn't a "conspiracy theory." This is completely aside from any "political" arguments about Global Warming or the "invisible hand" of capitalism or whatever. Those will come later. This has nothing to do with a difference of opinion on Social Security or flag burning or prayer in school or John Roberts.
It's just his fault now. And we should be ashamed of him.
Two of my Aikido buddies are cops in the area, and I would bet that they are there now, with the rest of the police who are desperately trying to hold the city together on their own. Both are veterans of American wars. If they die now, their deaths will be completely on Bush's head.
As Nagin said, if he doesn't answer for it right now, at least he'll have to answer for in the next life. One way or another, some good WILL come of this.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
More places YOU can help
Please note especially the Humane Society... not to diminish the human toll, but just because there are always a TON of great pets who were "rescues" down there, including my boy:
Yes, HERE'S where the military is...
Putting the issues of "Global Warming" and "wealth disparities" on hold for a moment, here's a place to start, since it is IMMEDIATELY apparent:
At least one source has the total number of Mississippi and Louisiana Reserves and Guardsmen who could be helping their own people at home right now at 8,902.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Can you imagine the federal government allowing this to happen in New York? In San Francisco? In Seattle? In Washington D.C.?!
This is just surreal.
NOLA stories
(this won't appear as a quote because apparently Blogger doesn't work well with Safari)
City a woeful scene
Tuesday, 10:14 p.m.
By Brian Thevenot, Gordon Russell, Keith Spera and Doug MacCash
Staff writers
Sitting on a black barrel amid the muck and stench near the St. Claude Avenue bridge, 52-year-old Daniel Weber broke into a sob, his voice cracking as he recounted how he had watched his wife drown and spent the next 14 hours floating in the polluted flood waters, his only life line a piece of driftwood.
Then, in an evening press conference, Mayor Ray Nagin announced that the already crippled city would take yet another blow: Another surge of water from the failed 17th Street Canal levee that could push an additional 10 feet of water into already waterlogged neighborhoods – and possibly flood the remaining dry sections of Uptown.
The expected surge stems from a failure to execute a plan to dump sandbags via helicopter into the 200 yard wide breach. Nagin offered up no culprit but promised to investigate the matter.
"I thought everyone understood this morning that that was the highest priority," the mayor said. "It didn't get done. Now there's nothing to slow down the pace of the water."
Those trapped in the city faced an increasingly lawless environment, as law enforcement agencies found themselves overwhelmed with widespread looting. Looters swarmed the Wal-mart on Tchoupitoulas Street, often bypassing the food and drink section to steal wide-screen TVs, jewelry, bicycles and computers. Watching the sordid display and shaking his head in disgust, one firefighter said of the scene: "It's a f---- hurricane, what are you do with a basketball goal?"
Police regained control at about 3 p.m., after clearing the store with armed patrol. One shotgun-toting Third District detective described the looting as "ferocious."
"And it's going to get worse as the days progress," he said.
In Uptown, one the few areas that remained dry, a bearded man patrolled Oak Street near the boarded-up Maple Leaf Bar, a sawed-off shotgun slung over his shoulder. The owners of a hardware store sat in folding chairs, pistols at the ready.
Uptown resident Keith Williams started his own security patrol, driving around in his Ford pickup with his newly purchased handgun. Earlier in the day, Williams said he had seen the body of a gunshot victim near the corner of Leonidas and Hickory streets.
"What I want to know is why we don't have paratroopers with machine guns on every street," Williams said.
Like-minded Art Depodesta sat on the edge of a picnic table outside Cooter Brown's Bar, a chrome shotgun at his side loaded with red shells.
"They broke into the Shell station across the street," he said. "I walked over with my 12-gauge and shot a couple into the air."
The looters scattered, but soon after, another man appeared outside the bar in a pickup truck armed with a pistol and threatened Depodesta.
"I told him, 'Listen, I was in the Army and I will blow your ass off,'" Depodesta said. "We've got enough trouble with the flood."
The man sped away.
"You know what sucks," Depodesta said. "The whole U.S. is looking at this city right now, and this is what they see."
In the Bywater, a supply store sported spray-painted signs reading "You Loot, I Shoot" and "You Bein Watched." A man seated nearby with a rifle in his lap suggested it was no idle threat. At the Bywater studio of Dr. Bob, the artist known for handpainted "Be Nice or Leave" signs, a less fanciful sentiment was painted on the wall: "Looters Will Be Shot. Dr. Bob."
As the afternoon faded, aggression filled the air on the neutral ground of Poland Avenue as well, as people grew increasingly frustrated with the rescue effort. Having already survived one nightmare, a woman with five children feared going to go to the Dome, saying that some of the men preparing to board transport vehicles had smuggled razor blades with them.
On the other side of the bridge, rescue boats continued to offload as many as 15 people at a time late into the afternoon, with no end in sight. Some said they had seen dead bodies floating by their boats.
Many stumbled from dehydration as they made their way onto dry land. Several rescue workers said some of the people trapped were so shell-shocked or stubborn they refused to leave their houses. "If you can figure that one out, let me know," said Oscar Dupree, a volunteer who had been trapped on a roof himself and returned to help save others.
The scene called to mind a refugee camp in a Third World nation. Liquor flowed freely and tempers flared amid complaints about the pace of the relief effort, which seemed to overwhelm the agencies involved and the city's inability to contain flood waters.
As they emerged from rescue boats, at times wobbling and speaking incoherently, many of the rescued seem stunned they had not died. Johnell Johnson of Marais street said she had been trapped on her roof " with a handicapped man with one damn leg." Gerald Wimberly wept as he recounted his unsuccessful effort to help a young girl, who rescuers ultimately saved. Dupree said he had seen a young man he knew drown. "I just couldn't get to him," he said. "I had to tell his people."
Weber, the man who lost his wife, seemed at the breaking point as he waited, surrounded by anger and filth, for a National Guard truck to ferry him to the Dome. After 14 hours of floating on a piece of wood, volunteers who knew him had fished him out.
"Another hour, I would have just let myself drown," he said.
A moment later, staring ahead to a bleak future without his wife, he said he almost wished he had.
"I'm not going to make it. I know I'm not."
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
More Katrina
I'm sure all my friends got out, but a few of them had just bought or built houses, and they must be going crazy (I know at least one of them is, she sent me an email).
I put some updated Red Cross info on the image substituting for a cartoon this week. You can bet that I'll be volunteering.
I've found the best place for news on the N.O. situation is nola.com, which is the Times-Picayune's site.
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Once I can track down some more specific links on how to help, I'll post them.
I might still put up the new toon this week if the damage doesn't turn out to be so bad, but as you can see on TV, it doesn't look promising.
More to come on Katrina.
Thursday, August 25, 2005
How much you'll pay for Iraq
Monday, August 22, 2005
August 22, 2005 cartoon
For some reason, blogger is not letting me post links. When it does, I'll link to some articles on the people I mention in this cartoon.
I did feel that this was an important point to make, about how certain Republican figures, who make their living by employing ignorant and blatantly racist rhetoric that is quite reprehensible by any modern standard, seem to have been given a certain level of credibility in our public discourse that is unacceptable.
However, after I read and write about these people, and draw cartoons featuring them, I feel like I've been swimming in SEWAGE. Seriously.
I'm going to make every effort in the near future to get back to making arguments on substantive issues!
UPDATE: read about Hal Turner, Wes Pruden and the Washington Times, and the Republican Freedom Calendar.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
James Dobson is completely insane
Monday, August 15, 2005
Need more cartoons?
Since I've been pretty lazy about updating my Links page lately, here are some of the other Attitude 3 'toons:
Adam's Rust, by Adam Rust
xOverboard, by August Pollack
Big Fat Whale, by Brian McFadden
Cat and Girl, by Dorothy
Diesel Sweeties, by R. Stevens
Dinosaur Comics, by Ryan North
Fetus X, by Eric M.
the ass-kicking Mark Fiore
HumorInk., by M.e. Cohen
I Drew This, by David Craig Simpson
Idleworm, by Dermot and Caragh O'Connor
La Petite Camera, by Garrot Gaston
Making It, by Keith Robinson
Newshounds, by Thomas K. Dye
Ozy & Millie, by David Craig Simpson
PartiallyClips, by Rob T. Balder
The Perry Bible Fellowship, by Nicholas Gurewitch
...and possibly some others that I'm not aware of.
I'm told you can pre-order your copy in November! When I have a link for that, you can bet your ass I'll post it.
Friday, August 12, 2005
Michelle Malkin
Oh, the words to describe Michelle Malkin. A quote from Fight Club comes to mind:
MARLA: She's a monster! She's infectious
human waste! Good luck trying to save her!
Thursday, August 11, 2005
"Bush is No Nixon"
The Nixon and Bush administrations share a number of fascinating similarities. Both inspired stunning vituperation from those who opposed them. Hunter S. Thompson, avowed life-long foe of Nixon, remembered him this way: "Let there be no mistake in the history books about that. Richard Nixon was an evil man - evil in a way that only those who believe in the physical reality of the Devil can understand it. He was utterly without ethics or morals or any bedrock sense of decency. Nobody trusted him - except maybe the Stalinist Chinese, and honest historians will remember him mainly as a rat who kept scrambling to get back on the ship."
Nixon, on the other hand, went a different way one interesting and significant night. In May of 1970, right after the Kent State shootings, when civil unrest across the nation had reached a fever pitch and opposition to the war had roared again to the forefront, Nixon woke his personal valet in the middle of the night. He grabbed a few Secret Service agents and set off for the Lincoln Memorial. There, he spent an hour talking with a large gathering of war protesters encamped around the monument.
The Time Magazine article from May 18, 1970, recalls the scene this way: "When the conversation turned to the war, Nixon told the students: 'I know you think we are a bunch of so and so's.'" Before he left, Nixon said: 'I know you want to get the war over. Sure you came here to demonstrate and shout your slogans on the ellipse. That's all right. Just keep it peaceful. Have a good time in Washington, and don't go away bitter.' The singular odyssey went on. Nixon and his small contingent wandered through the capital, then drove to the Mayflower Hotel for a breakfast of corned beef hash and eggs - his first restaurant meal in Washington since he assumed power. Then he withdrew to his study in the Executive Office Building to sit out the day of protest."
There will be a large anti-war protest in Washington DC on September 24th. Is it even conceivable that George W. Bush might remove himself from the White House that day to speak with the people who disagree with his leadership? The idea is laughable on its face.
Cindy Sheehan is not in a large crowd in Washington DC. She is not camped on the Lincoln Memorial. She waits for Mr. Bush in a ditch by the side of the road in Crawford, arguably the safest and most comfortable spot in America for this self-styled cowboy. Yet he does not emerge to speak to this woman who lost her son to his war. Somehow, it seems a safe bet that not even Richard Nixon would keep this woman waiting.
Monday, August 08, 2005
Indispensible news sites
Most likely, if you get any of your news from the web, you already know about these sites. If not, bookmark them immediately, and maybe shell out a few bucks for Cursor when they do their pledge drives.
Friday, August 05, 2005
Ding-dong, the douchebag's dead!
I had a cartoon idea percolating a while ago, that I just never got around to. It would have been a new series, called "People I'd Love to Beat the Living Crap Out Of." In a typical CNN talking-head format, some bloviating pseudo-journalist would come out and spew his wretched propaganda all around, and instead of a response, someone would just slam that guy's head on the desk 8 or 9 times. Novak was to be #1.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
However... I never really liked Raffy anyway, so I thought this was mentionable:
Chances are that Bush's "good friend" Palmeiro started hitting the needle while a member of the Dubya-owned Texas Rangers, which was reportedly a "crackhouse for juiced players."
Sunday, July 31, 2005
What?! Another stinkin' repeat?
The next one will kick ass, I promise.
Monday, July 25, 2005
July 25, 2005 cartoon
Friday, July 22, 2005
O'Connor sided with the majority opinion, and was a swing vote in that decision.
Bush has given every indication up to this point that he intends to only pick people who will be dutiful soldiers in his Evangelical crusade, who will do whatever it takes to further blur the distinction between our Jeffersonian democracy and government by theocracy.
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
"George W. Strangelove"
President Bush agreed yesterday to share civilian nuclear technology with India, reversing decades of U.S. policies designed to discourage countries from developing nuclear weapons.
Norman Solomon points out that this makes it difficult for us to convincingly question the merits of nuclear fundamentalism in Iran, and reminds us:
A civil atomic pact, signed in 1957, initiated nuclear assistance from the United States to Iran. In 1972, President Richard Nixon urged the Shah to build nuclear power plants. The Shah fell in 1979, but after many delays the Islamic Republic resumed work on the nuclear plant near Bushehr, a project that is currently being denounced in Washington.
Friday, July 15, 2005
Now it gets messy...
Of course, we've been there with about 4 or 5 Bush administration scandals already, so who knows if anybody will actually be held accountable.
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
Mallard Fillmore
The kids at Comics Journal Message Board have a pretty good thread going about this.
I wish I could get away with drawing a cute little propaganda-spewing duck over and over, with a lame joke at the end that only a 5 year-old could appreciate... but I guess I have higher expectations of myself.
The Times article supplies additional fascinating backstory:
But Rove developed an increasingly close relationship with the president's son George — a relationship that began on a spring day in 1973, when the elder Bush asked Rove to pick up his son at Washington's Union Station to give the visiting Harvard Business School student the keys to the family car. By Rove's own description, young Karl Rove was awed at first sight.Sometimes these cartoons just write themselves...
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Upcoming Pub's
The other collection is Ted Rall's third installment of the Attitude series, which should be big for me. I believe the first two installments had a pretty wide circulation, and they featured all the familiar names in alternative political cartooning -- Tom Tomorrow, Jen Sorensen, Lloyd Dangle, Ruben Bolling, Andy Singer, David Rees, Keith Knight, Aaron Magruder... and, of course, Ted himself.
Attitude 3 will probably start appearing on shelves in the Spring of 2006.
Friday, July 08, 2005
Bush today refused to budge, warning that such mandatory standards could cripple the U.S. economy and prove feckless if big polluters like China and India are not included, which they are not under Kyoto.
If a consensus is not reach by 2012, when the Kyoto agreement expires, "then we've got a real problem for the future," Blair warned. The prime minister's decision to talk about concrete solutions next decade represents a setback to Blair and others who believe scientists warning of a dangerous rise in the earth's temperature are right.
Those "others who believe" would be the 94 percent of Americans who say we need to curb greenhouse gas emissions now.
Meanwhile, China and India have lined up behind Kyoto, leaving just us (or rather, just Bush).
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Judith Miller
(Chief U.S. District Judge Thomas F. Hogan) said Miller was mistaken in her belief that she was defending a free press. He stressed that the government source she "alleges she is protecting" had already waived her promise of confidentiality. He said her source may have been providing information not to shed light on government secrets but to try to discredit an administration critic."This is not a case of a whistle-blower" revealing secret information to Miller about "dangers at a nuclear power plant," Hogan said. "It's a case in which the information she was given and her potential use of it was a crime. . . . This is very different than a whistle-blower outing government misconduct."
Karl Rove (assuming it was him) wasn't doing anything more noble or righteous than engaging in a personal attack against Joe Wilson and his wife. He violated federal law for the purpose of political payback.
So, if a serial killer phones up a reporter, gives his name and address, and says he is about to claim another victim, that reporter can't be expected to divulge his source? I don't think the courts have ever acknowledged that level of professional confidentiality, not even for doctors or lawyers.
Plus, Judith Miller is certainly no paragon of journalistic integrity.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
As I recall, this piece was what originally inspired me to do the "Fuzzy Bunny" series.
Monday, July 04, 2005
July 4, 2005 cartoon
I'm guessing the blog might be able to help me here, in terms of full disclosure. In today's strip, the "one author" I am referring to is Bill Moyers, of whom I am a huge fan. The Owl character is loosely based on him (I'm hoping he wouldn't be too upset about the word "old"... that doesn't refer specifically to him, it just sounded right for the character). I went to see Moyers speak at the Paramount Theater in Seattle a few weeks ago, and the quotes and basic argument came out of some notes I took. He is an outstanding public speaker... if he is giving a presentation in your area, I highly recommend seeing it.
The idea of "identifying up" came from a good article from a couple weeks ago by Arlie Hochschild.
Friday, July 01, 2005
O'Connor resigning
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Right... nothing like Vietnam
"To abandon this small and brave nation to its enemies, and to the terror that must follow, would be an unforgivable wrong," Johnson said. "To withdraw from one battlefield means only to prepare for the next." At that moment, only 400 American boys had died in the rice paddies.
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Good for her
"The president's frequent references to the terrorist attacks of September 11 show the weakness of his arguments," House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said. "He is willing to exploit the sacred ground of 9/11, knowing that there is no connection between 9/11 and the war in Iraq."
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
...also, of course, a place for me to pontificate on the issues like the other 8 billion idiots out there who think people should be interested in what they think!
Actually, I probably won't do much pontificating, but I will post links to articles that I have found interesting, and other good lefty propaganda that I come across in my weekly research for the new 'toons.


text:
Photo credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
On Wednesday in Seattle, Jose Bautista reminded Jays fans that he still has immense moments left in his bat. And then the Jays' offence reminded us what it has been like watching them for the past three weeks, failing to produce inning after inning until the club's run prevention wobbled slightly from the razor thin margin for error it was trying to walk, and then suddenly it was all over.
Bautista's home run deserved better. It felt for no short amount of time like it was one of The Big Ones. A home run that might not quite go down in history (though the way he moonwalk-pimped it like a fucking boss surely should), but that had a chance. A blast that lifted fans and the team out of the depths we'd been suffering, just at the very moment it felt like we were slipping back into them.
We were witnessing what was perhaps — maybe even likely — the final big, indelible moment of Bautista's incredible Jays career. But probably not! In the din of that stadium so outrageously full of west coast Blue Jays fans more than just this fleeting greatness felt possible, even to someone listening through his TV speakers a continent away. And holy shit, it sure looked like Jose felt it too.
Jose Bautista pimped the shit out of another homer: https://t.co/6MW5t0Fgd8 pic.twitter.com/9PPa0fIdrm
— VICE Sports (@VICESports) September 22, 2016
It would be easy to reflect on it now, though, as though the arc of that game mirrored the arc of this whole season — brimming with expectation and excitement and anticipation to start, a long stretch of trying to find equilibrium, a slow build to a sudden fever pitch, and then sputtering out to ignominious defeat betraying so much promise.
It may even be tempting, especially with the hurt of this month still so raw, to indulge thoughts on how that description could apply to this whole era that we're in — everything we've been through all the way back to the big trades that reshaped the team heading into 2013. To that end, R.A. Dickey may have thrown his last pitch as a Blue Jay on Wednesday, fittingly doing absolutely nothing wrong but still taking the loss. His outing could have provided us a perfect endpoint for the era, leaving us staring into the off-season abyss, much like it feels we're doing now with respect to the rest of the season.
But this isn't a eulogy. And we can't fucking well say that this season has followed the arc of Wednesday's game yet, because the season isn't over. It doesn't feel like it is, either. Even if a Wild Card fight with an Orioles team that has three chances to take advantage of these sputtering Jays, and Tigers and Astros clubs that have favourable schedules, doesn't exactly make one feel like it couldn't be. And quickly.
We're now in the middle of nearly 48 hours in which to think about it all. Far too many hours in which to wonder if Wednesday's struggles mean Tuesday's offensive breakout wasn't for real, or if Bautista and Donaldson finally managing to hit the ball out of the ballpark is a signal of better things to come.
For the sake of the season the latter had better be.
Tonight the Orioles have one more crack at the Red Sox — who I think most Jays fans will, at this point, have to cheer for — before they host the lowly Diamondbacks, head here for three, then finish on the road in New York. The Tigers have a doubleheader with the Twins today before they return home to host Kansas City and Cleveland, then finish with a visit to Atlanta. The Astros host the Angels for four, then the Mariners for three, before finishing with three in Anaheim.
On their most recent Effectively Wild podcast, Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller agreed that Arizona has been "the clearest failure in Major League Baseball this year," but "if the Blue Jays lose on the last day of the season and don't make the playoffs, maybe they go home more depressed than the Diamondbacks." Summer is over. We're on the brink of the final homestand of the regular season — maybe of the season writ large; maybe of an era on the field; maybe even of an era in the stands, depending on what the off-season has in store.
Such pathos!
Add it all to the way the Jays' division lead unravelled throughout early September, the awful memories regurgitated on Thursday (and on Saturday and Sunday) of what the worst of this skid has looked like, and how it is hardly unfathomable that the Tigers and Astros could roast their mostly terrible competition and make a late surge, and you cut straight to the nut of our angst.
It's with that in mind that we can only conclude that the Jays can't feel comfortable just because, for now, they're a game up on Baltimore and two on Houston and Detroit. They may be in the lead, but it still feels like they have to push the pace.
That's part of why the Bautista home run felt so momentous. That's why it felt like, "Fuck yeah, we may have pissed away a free pass to the playoffs, but we're still in control of this Wild Card thing and so let's pimp the shit out of this shit!"
Now here we are. But where are we?
As I noted yesterday after the game, if the series had gone LWW or WLW for the Blue Jays, we'd have been fairly thrilled by that, I think. The mood might have been entirely different, even though we know the sequencing doesn't really matter, and we know that 4-3 west coast road trip is an unqualified success. And, like I say, Donaldson and Bautista showing signs of waking up could be even more enormous for the club over these next ten games than anything that may or may not have happened in the win-loss column.
There is still fight left — in the season, in the Blue Jays, in us.
Yes, autumn means withering and death, but it means crisp, cold air that reminds you you're alive, and incredible bursts of colour, too. Hopefully that moment when Bautista's blast left the yard was just the first of many left come. It still certainly could be — and right now it's probably a good idea to think on, more than anything else, just how fucking good that would be.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Views: 579, Replies: 9 » Jump to the end
Aug 26, 2014 3:15 PM CST
Aug 26, 2014 3:38 PM CST
|Was the picture taken earlier in the year? It reminds me of Persicaria polymorpha (Giant Fleeceflower) but I'm also in Ontario and the ones here are more advanced in their flowering than that right now.
Aug 26, 2014 3:44 PM CST
|I just took it today!!
Aug 26, 2014 9:11 PM CST
|It could be it, though as noted, mine starts blooming at the end of June, and continues into fall, with the inflorescences aging to a cream colour and eventually to reddish brown.
There are other Persicaria species that are similar and later blooming, e.g. Persicaria polystachya, one I'm not familar with. Another possibility, perhaps (again one I'm not familiar with), might be Persicaria campanulata? A close-up of the flowers might be helpful, and also some idea of how tall this plant is. I've had mine for so long that I don't remember what it looked like as a young plant, height-wise or with respect to bloom time!
Edit: Okay, I see that you posted a flower close-up. It's definitely not Persicaria campanulata then.
[Last edited by growitall - Aug 26, 2014 9:15 PM (+)]
| Quote | Post #688090 (4)
Aug 27, 2014 5:22 AM CST
|Perhaps the history of the plant might help (I notice the Physostegia next to it is still blooming, I thought they had finished here but I will check). Was it purchased this year in a pot, or was it divided from someone's clump, maybe it had been cut back earlier for some reason which could delay flowering? Or has it been growing in that spot for more than a season undisturbed? The established Persicaria polymorpha here is at the reddish transitioning to brown stage, but some that I had to move are still flowering white. The latter are still more advanced than the picture above though.
Is your 5a zone on the Canadian zone system or USDA?
Aug 29, 2014 12:13 PM CST
|I took this picture at my workplace yesterday showing Persicaria polymorpha for comparison. The plant on the right has been undisturbed for two or three years. There were originally three but I had to move the other two for some projected construction work. A little piece got left behind and as a consequence is behind in growth and flowering, see the left one which is shorter with the flowers later and still white. The picture is a bit dull as it was taken around 6.30 a.m. just around dawn.
I also have the picture in higher resolution, and also others closer-up if that would help. I thought I read somewhere that we should keep images below 500k. Not sure if I'm remembering that right, but just to be on the safe side I resized.....
Aug 29, 2014 12:41 PM CST
|Sounds like a logical explanation for the late bloom and short stature.
Aug 29, 2014 9:24 PM CST
|It is definitely a Persicaria polymorpha, because I found the name tag!!
Thank you everyone's participation!!
Aug 29, 2014 9:29 PM CST
|BTW, sooby, I live in central Ontario, I bought it in July, so it has been in my garden just about 2 months. It has grown a lot bigger then when I first got it. Hopefully it will be big like your right one next year.
Aug 30, 2014 8:47 AM CST
|I'm pretty sure they were originally planted in 2012 so it doesn't take long to get big, and it does get pretty big. It's a super plant though, and one doesn't see it planted very often. (I'm Eastern Ontario).
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Kate Spade Bag
Kate Spade's first handbag was sold in January 1993.[3] Shortly after the initial products were released new collections came out containing glasses, jewelry, and other small accessories (winter 36). In 2007, "kate spade at home" was launched as a home collection brand. It features bedding, bath items, china, and various items for the home and wallpaper. In April 2013, Kate Spade New York launched a new fragrance called Live Colorfully. Previous perfumes of the house include Kate Spade from 2003 and Twirl from 2010. Live Colorfully is a fragrance made in-house that marks the 20th anniversary of the brand. Each of Spade's products sold are packaged, and each one has a card that gives a description of Kate and Andy's journey to the top. Every product purchased also has its own protective carrying/travelling case, no matter the item. Even large tote bags come with a case


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Sunday, December 28, 2008
Levis® Vintage 1933 501 Riders Run Jeans
These limited edition 1933 Levis® 501 Riders Run jeans are made from 14oz red selvedge denim. The style is comfort fit with a regular waist, straight leg and button fly.
The 1933 501 jean comes with whisker fading on the top block and a scraping pattern so they look worn by you. With suspender buttons, cinch back and the original National Recovery Administration 'Blue Eagle' patch on the back, they are a true throwback to the thirties.
Posted by showyourdenim at 8:57 PM
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CILT Webinars 2018 - 2019
CILT NZ Webinars, will start 29th March 2018.
There will be a small cost for this although members will be at a lessor price.
These Webinars will be advertised on our Events Page and the registrations will be through the website.
You will be advised by email of the Topic and date.


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Steve Joerger loves the adventure of flying. He combines his nearly fifteen years of first-hand knowledge in single, multi-engine, and rotorcraft into each lesson whether in the air or on the ground. Originally from Orlando, Steve received his flight training in Sanford, Florida for both planes and helicopters. Wanting to share his craft and passion with others, Steve became an instructor (CFII).
Having a hybrid career in both aviation and accounting, Steve admits that flying is where he feels at home. When away from crunching numbers, you will find Steve always in the air: giving instruction, flying scenic tours, or volunteering for charitable organizations such as Vital Flight, Angel Flight, and Challenge Air.
Get to know Steve through a Q&A
What's your favorite airplane to fly? Which is on your wish list to fly?
My favorite plane is the Pitts, fast and can do anything in the air. Someday I would like to fly the P-51. As for choppers, I would love to fly the Hugh's 500, which was the chopper in Magnum PI.
What's the best part of flying? What's the best part of being an instructor?
By far, it is the adventure. By flying, I've seen so many new places, things, and have eaten different foods. Plus, I can do all of that without fighting traffic. I feel at home in the air. I get to escape from deadlines, appoints, and to-do lists.
My favorite thing is seeing a student solo for the first time. The transition from talking about requirement and costs are all a blur when the student jumps into the aircraft and the student taxis away, doing two touch and goes and a full stop landing.
If you could do anything/be anybody at all in aviation by snapping your fingers, what would you be?
I would love to be a mission specialist on one of the space missions. Landing a spacecraft with no engine from miles above is pretty cool in my book!
What do you do in your spare time?
I enjoy helping others in the community out through volunteering. Periodically, I fly as a part of Vital Flight, Angel Flight, and Challenge Air, which transports patients to medical appointments around the State, decreasing their long commute times after exhausting medical procedures. Flying for organizations like these is so fulfilling. They allow me to fly for a cause and help out a total stranger. For my own personal R&R, I've been known to fly to grab a bite to eat in Everglades City or even over in Apalachicola. Plus, I'm a big gardener. I grow pineapples, papaya, and flowers.


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HP today announced two new affordable HP Stream 7 and HP Steam 8 which are 7-inch and 8-inch Windows tablets. Both these tablets are powered by Intel Atom Z3735G quad-core processor, 1GB RAM, 32GB internal memory with support for expandable storage and Bluetooth 4.0 support. These tablets also come with a 1-year subscription of Microsoft Office 365 Personal which includes 1TB of OneDrive online storage and 60 minutes of Skype each month. Another cool value add for the HP Stream 8 tablet is that it also includes an optional 200MB of free 4G data each month with no annual contract for the life of the device too.
The HP Stream 7 tablet is expected to be available starting at $99.99 (U.S.) and the HP Stream 8 tablet is expected to be available starting at $149.99 (U.S.) in November.


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It's Canvas Time! Stop by for a two hour "Canvas 101" training session where we go over all the basics to get you started. Then if you'd like, stick around and work on your course next door with Canvas experts in the room to help guide you. We'll stick around until 3:00 pm each day to help you out with your Canvas Adventure.
Tickets are not required to attend these sessions but if you sign up it does help our planning, gives you a chance to add the event to your calendar, and lets us communicate with you about any changes or other information regarding the event.


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Copyright © 2018 - La Casa de Los Balcones
History and Museum
Dating from the seventeenth century, construction was completed in 1670; it was the marriage union between Juana Nieto and Juan de Castro Bazo & Merino in 1657 that gave rise to the building, employing the best carpenters of that time.
Amongst its most distinguished owners, are the Colonel Pedro Méndez de Castro, the Governor and Captain Francisco de Fonseca (1715-1719) and Alonso de Fonseca & Mesa who as a Captain, defended the port of Santa Cruz of Tenerife, against Nelson's attack in 1797.
The present owners' ancestors, the family Schönfeldt Machado, acquired the property from the heirs of the industrialist Antonio Diaz Flores & Cartaya.
A visit to the museum, located on the top floor and accessed by a curious spiral stairway, is obligatory to relive the former times of a family from that period.
Furnished as it was originally, the lounges receive direct sunlight through the great balcony and exterior windows. Furniture and objects from that time are a reflection of the comfortable but not ostentatious position the owners once enjoyed.
The façade has three storeys with a continuous balcony on the upper floor. The five balconies have iron railings, fixed on wooden bases/beams.
The spaces between the door frames and the railings are decorated with "esgrafiados – stone carvings" of geometric and leaf forms, and featured over the central balcony is the Fonseca Coat of Arms.
Its large balcony, situated on the top two floors, dominates the patio. The voluminous and sculpted wooden structure slowly descends, until it rests over some robust and polished trunks that act as authentic pillars or columns.
Each one crowned with a carved "Capital Corinthian". This house is a fine example of authentic wood carving at its best. Canarian pine, difficult to carve, but used throughout for beams, supports, crosspieces, rafters, ceilings, frontages, crossbeams, etc.
Its strength and beauty have been maintained through the passage of time. It has never been painted or treated and it continues to ooze resin. The ornamentation of the galleries is similar to the façade's top balcony, made of parallel banisters and padded with floral decoration.
At the end of the patio there is an imposing wooden winepress, which was once used to produce the excellent wines of region.


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Get Window Tinting You Can Trust: Your Comfort & Privacy Is Our Priority
When choosing your window tint near Bailey Island, visit a company you know you can trust to get the job done correctly. Browse a variety of tint shades for your home, car, or commercial window tinting needs at your nearby location. Our car, office, and home window tint is custom cut to fit your space to ensure a flawless installation—every single time!With our window films, you never need to worry about the bubbling, peeling, or discoloration that often happens with lower-grade films; our films are made to last!Choose to have your window film installed by our professionals and you could get the added security of a lifetime limited warranty. Though improbable, should bubbling or fading occur, give us a call and we'll replace your home, office, or car window tint free of charge.
Customize your ride & drive cooler with LLumar car window tinting
Continued exposure to sunlight and heat can damage the interior of your car, especially in the long-term, and cause the upholstery or dash to crack, peel, or fade. LLumar window tints give drivers superior protection and value for their money. When you tint your car windows, you help protect the interior of your car (and everyone in it) from the sun's distracting glare and harmful rays. Pick from your tinting company's wide array of car window tint shades, varying from dark charcoal to translucent. From a legal perspective, know that your state may have laws that limit the level of darkness you can choose for your car window tint. Curious about your state's car tinting laws? Call or visit today to check out your options and to learn more!
Home window tint: Save money & protect your furnishings
When installed by one of our expert technicians, home window tint offers your family additional protection from harmful ultraviolet rays and sometimes, important privacy. Residential tinting could help prevent the fading of flooring, cherished furnishings, and valuable artwork by the sun. And did you know? It helps block up to 99% of the ultraviolet rays that cause discoloration and fading. Over the spring and summer months, it helps keep your home at a more comfortable temperature. And guess what? Many customers have reported seeing a decrease in their home energy expenses by up to 15% after their home's window tint was installed! Because LLumar is LEED-certified, you could be eligible to save even more with incentives and tax credits for the environmentally-aware!
Office window tinting: Convey style & curb energy costs
Commercial window tinting could help lower your building's energy consumption while conveying a look that's both polished, professional, and overall stunning. Ranging from crystal clear to deep charcoal, there's a tint shade to match the needs of your business. Once installed by your trusted LLumar dealer, non-reflective window tint provides a consistent look that effortlessly complements the architecture of your facility. For companies that could benefit from a shinier exterior to enhance solar heat rejection, but a less reflective interior for added privacy at night, a dual-reflective option is also available. When it comes to commercial spaces, window tint isn't just for the exterior of buildings. It can add privacy and style to large conference rooms, bland stairwells, and interior office windows too. Visit or call the professionals at a LLumar window tinting location near Bailey Island today to get started on your next office tinting project!
Receive excellent service from your LLumar tinting location
Window tint installation is effortlessly smooth when you visit your nearby LLumar location. Most custom window tint projects are completed within a few days, depending on the size of the windows in your home, vehicle, or business facility. A typical tint installation takes an average of 15 minutes per window. For professional window tinting in your area, visit a LLumar dealer. Whether home or commercial window tinting that needs translucent, mirrored, charcoal, or reflective films, we're here to help you choose the right one for your needs. Give your dealer near Bailey Island a call or visit today to get a free window tint estimate and to schedule your installation!Experience your world in a whole new way.
Find Nearby LLumar Dealers
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Professional Window Tinting Near Bailey Island
Trust your LLumar dealer near Bailey Island to install great, high quality tint. Help cut your energy costs, drive in total comfort, and increase your style with office, car, and home window tinting. For more than half a century, LLumar window tints have offered superior, one-of-a-kind protection from the sun's heat and destructive rays. Today, we continue to help people live comfortably, wherever they work, play, or drive!Your window tinting company has been carefully selected, certified, and vetted at the highest standard of service to make sure you have a great experience. Visit a LLumar dealer near Bailey Island for a fast and free window tinting estimate today!


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Jerusalem: Israel`s leader says new talks with the Palestinians will lead to a peace deal only if Israel`s vital interests are protected.
Benjamin Netanyahu`s comments on Sunday were his first since US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the resumption of direct peace talks on Friday.
Netanyahu says Israel`s security must be guaranteed and that the Palestinians must recognise Israel as the state of the Jewish people.
He also says any agreement must mark the end of the conflict. He says an agreement will be "difficult but possible".
The US' announcement came after months of diplomatic efforts. The Palestinians have been wary of talking to Netanyahu`s hard-line government.
The last round of peace talks ended in late 2008.
Bureau Report


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Class: Teens in the Kitchen: Cooking 101 Boot Camp: Day 1
Chef: Cooking School Staff
Cooking is a great way to be independent. This class will show your teen the basic skills in the kitchen that will provide them with the ability to feed themselves as they grow up and move out of the house.
Day 1: Basic Knife Skills, Chicken Fried Rice, Chicken Saltimboca Sheetbake, Chocolate Covered Raisin Oatmeal Cookies.
Our Teens in the Kitchen program is open to teens only - ages 13-17 years old. This allows for the optimal experience for your teen with a low teen per staff ratio. Our facility provides a comfortable area for parents to hang out outside of the classroom for those who wish to stay and wait


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What's The Best Alternative When Ex's Argue?
Studies show that conflict is what creates the most pain and anguish for children after parents' split and that keeping parental disagreements to a minimum is a key aspect of helping kids become resilient.
Over the last few decades, research by child development experts has demonstrated numerous benefits to children when their living arrangements enable support from both parents. One reason is that parents who co-parent tend to experience lower conflict than those who have sole custody arrangements.


text: Smarty #1 Posted September 2, 2015 Is Brusco aware that Cat(Arya) serves the Many Faced God? In her second chapter in ADWD the kindly man sends her back to Brusco so that she can learn more about the man she needs to assassinate and there's not much a of a reaction from him. Does he know where she has been all this time? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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Column: Art speaks in district during Youth Art Month
By Jayme Wiertzema, District 518
WORTHINGTON — March is Youth Art Month! The District 518 Art Department is ready to celebrate the importance of art for the art students in Worthington. Gail Holinka, David Blanchard, Jennifer Buchholz, Kelly Knips and Jayme Wiertzema are the art teachers in the district.
Art is a viable part of the school district because art is a language that does not need to be translated. Art can engage all learners, whether or not English is their first or second language. With the diverse population of the students, and 23 languages spoken in this community, this subject is so important to our students! Art allows all students to see and be seen, as they can use it to express themselves in a way that words do not always allow. Art speaks!
Family Art Night: Join us to celebrate Youth Art Month! "Art Speaks" Family Art Night will be from 5 to 7 p.m. March 27 in the Prairie Elementary gymnasium. This is a free event for all ages. There will be many options for art making including origami, printmaking, drawing, painting, clay, games, prizes, a photobooth and more! Everyone is welcome; children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. There will be prizes, games and fun to celebrate the importance of art for the young people of Worthington.
Art Shows: Worthington art students are also celebrating Youth Art Month by displaying their art work. Students in grades 4 through 12 currently have their art exhibited at the Nobles County Art Center. The show will be up until the end of March — make sure to stop by and check out the great things our students have created!
Later this year, fourth-grade student artwork will be showcased in the Art Gallery of the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls, S.D. This show, titled "Off the Fridge," allows for up to 80 student artworks to be displayed in frames in the gallery. Displaying art in a gallery is an exciting thing for students to experience! The opening for this show is from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 12 and will be up until June 2. If you are in the Sioux Falls area during the month of May, check it out!
Art Department Curriculum and Mission: The District 518 Art Department is in a curriculum design year and the art faculty have been researching, visioning and planning to create an art program that will allow for all students to be successful. The art department has been working with Jeremy Holien of Perpich Art Center to research what other art programs in the state of Minnesota are doing and to help create a vision for Worthington's unique program. Here is the mission statement of the ISD 518 Art Program:
District 518 provides educational opportunities for students to become global citizens and successful lifelong learners.
The ISD 518 Art Department believes in providing students opportunities to learn from mistakes, grow, and succeed.
We believe that art gives the original opportunity for students to learn not only from success, but from failure as well. Art develops creative thinking skills that teach students that there is more than one way to solve problems, mistakes are acceptable, and learning is an active experience in which the process is more important than the product.
Students will use art to communicate through self-expression, as well as connect with others in the community and the world. Students will be engaged through art creation, technology, collaborative projects and learn new artistic processes. Reflection and self-evaluation will allow students to grow as 21st century learners.
This vision will be carried out through art creation, curriculum writing work, engaging classroom environments, technology integration and creative displays of student artwork. The high school curriculum will be adding Advanced Art as a course offered next year, as well as an Art 2 class that will focus on an introduction to 3-D art and printmaking. Prairie Elementary added a second-grade art curriculum onto the existing third- and fourth-grade art program this school year.
There are many great things going on in the District 518 Art Program! Help us celebrate the way Art Speaks to the students in our District at the local art show, Family Art Night and the art show at the Washington Pavilion in May.
Jayme Wiertzema is an art teacher at Prairie Elementary.


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add peak photo
8,189 ft / 2,496 m
missing please add!
California, United States
no summits yet
no info yet
Bald Mountain
3.5 mi / 5.7 km away
Lookout Mountain
8.5 mi / 13.8 km away
Wilson Butte
8.6 mi / 13.9 km away
Obsidian Dome
9.3 mi / 15.0 km away
peakery features 1 photo of each peak - ideally one that:
We'll select the best photo to feature. If your photo isn't featured, it will still be added to the full collection of photos for this peak. Thanks for contributing!


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In athletics, I think people often associate a 'never give up' mindset with continued struggle.
While this is all well and good, what if you were already 'home free' without realizing it? What if you have, by the fact of mere existence, more than you could ever dream of? How might you approach things then?
To me, this is the point were struggle ceases, and inspiration starts.
Allowing predicates flow.
This is also how I think about mind. Mind is the most brilliant, awe-inspiring night sky imaginable. Actually, it's beyond imagination, always there, regardless of how cloudy things get.


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How Can Enterprise Security Risk Management (ESRM) Help Your Security Program?
Find out now with your FREE Chapter!
You will:
- Explore how security has traditionally been viewed both inside and outside of the security profession.
- Understand how ESRM can change the perception of security in your enterprise to help you better communicate the value of security risk management.
- See how ESRM is the best methodology to meet the changing global security risk climate.
[Read more…] about Free Chapter: Can Enterprise Security Risk Management Help YOUR Security Program?


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Portfolio - Professional Website Design Essex
(Please click through our web design Essex slideshow)
Professional Website Design Essex
As you're discovering, we're not the only company offering web design, Essex. There are lots competing for your business, but unless you know what you need from your website designer Essex, how can you choose?
As a professional website designer Essex is important to us. We really know what we're talking about; no jargon, just plain English from a business that is at the forefront of web design Essex.
We've produced professional website design Essex based businesses since 2006. Our reputation as one of the top web design Essex companies is important to us, and something we take on board with every web design for Essex businesses we carry out.
As a professional website designer Essex is our home. We provide web design Essex businesses understand and appreciate. Your website should be user-friendly, with the goal of generating more sales for your business.
For your website to generate results, utilise the experience of a professional website design Essex company. As a website designer Essex based, we know what works, and you'll benefit from our experience - let us help grow your business.
As a website designer, Essex, we'll give your website the edge so please get in touch today!
Please call us on 01245 363163 or send us an email.


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The Commercial Office Cleaning Company You Can Trust in Ann Arbor
Experts at maintaining a clean and sanitary corporate environment
Ann Arbor has 150+ municipal parks densely packed with over 50,000 trees, and is the reason why one of its apt better-known nicks is "Tree Town." When spring arrives, the trees sprouting flowers complemented by all round lush greenery make most Ann Arborites breathe a sigh of relief after a cold, drawn out winter.
The enthusiasm is lost on some residents of Ann Arbor however, as spring allergy season gets underway. Commercial buildings sprawling Ann Arbor from the Main Street Business District in downtown Ann Arbor to the Westgate/West Stadium areas to the West may be fortified against the elements and an onslaught of pathogens, but tree allergens still find their way into workplaces where they can trigger allergies and reduce productivity of employees.
As spring rolls off, summer and fall afterwards introduce their respective allergy seasons. In addition to irritants, invisible microorganisms if left unchecked would contribute a fair share of avoidable problems.
Thus, for the astute business owner, a sanitary corporate environment is not optional. It is a vital ingredient in the recipe for commercial success. The RNA Janitorial comprehensive commercial cleaning service is the perfect service you need to help maintain a clean and hygienic office environment.
We Have Got You Covered in A2
Today's offices have evolved to become expressions of a company's identity and values. That is only one reason why businesses require wildly varying cleaning needs. Some other reasons are the industry in which they operate, regulations, and size of the facility.
However, regardless of how and when you need us to clean your office, we are available to provide a well-priced, top-of-the-line janitorial service that matches and exceeds your expectations. You call the shots and we deliver religiously.
You can get across to us right now, on how we can be of service to you by calling 677-RNA-7511.
We are ready to accommodate your cleaning request whether you need us for a/an
- One-time job or a long-term contract
- A pre- or post-event cleanup
- Emergency or regular cleanup
- Daily, weekly, biweekly, or monthly cleaning schedule
- Office building or an industrial complex
Why Ann Arbor's Businesses Trust Us
Environmentally Friendly Cleaning
At RNA Janitorial, Green Cleaning is not a buzz phrase; it is the philosophy at the heart of what we do at RNA Janitorial. We are very cautious of the environmental impact of the cleaning materials we use, how we use them in Ann Arbor, and where we use them as part of our holistic, uncompromising drive to protect the environment.
Clean Excellence Model
Armed with over two decades of experience offering high quality commercial janitorial services and the expertise of offering same services to hundreds of businesses in more than half a dozen different industries, we have developed and continually improved our unique, proprietary methodology of cleaning.
We call it the Clean Excellence Model and it is one of the core reasons why our 1st cleanup of your property will be of the same high standards as the 34th cleanup, the 73rd cleanup, or even the 734th cleanup.
Flexible and Reliable
We offer 100% bespoke cleaning services that are optimized around what you want. To our growing, satisfied list of commercial and corporate clients, we are not just a cleaning contractor; we are a business partner.
We listen attentively to you, make necessary recommendations, and draft a compendium of the cleaning tasks you need us to undertake, when you need them done, and more importantly, how you need them done. Customer satisfaction is very important to us and we ensure that we dutifully and consistently deliver our wide range of cleaning services to clients with no hassle.
Receive your FREE quote today by filling an ultra-short form.
Experienced, Highly Trained Staff
Our exceptional staff are an integral part of our operations. We leave no stone unturned in selecting, vetting, and regularly training the staff who enter your premises to take care of your hypercritical business environment.
Our experienced and knowledgeable staff are well trained and poised to clean your office safely, timely, and in high compliance to your request.
Value-Oriented Pricing
We believe that business owners do not have to break the bank to maintain an impeccably hygienic office environment in Ann Arbor. We offer our high-end cleaning services at competitive rates with very clear verbiage in our binding contract of exactly what you are paying for.
No complexities! No hidden fees! No surprises!
We Are Itching To Serve You in Tree Town
Your business, employees, and clients deserve a clean, hygienic, and sanitary corporate environment to work and do business in. Hire the best cleaning contractor in A2 to provide a high quality service that matches your lofty standards.
You can give us a quick call at 677-RNA-7511 or fill a short request form to get your FREE, NO OBLIGATION quote.