Finger of the day, No. 22

by Mona Goldwater, Nonverbal Communications Editor

As often happens, we cannot find the sources for these images that appear on either dozens of websites, blogs, and posts, or none at all. . .at least according to TinEye.com (who are a great source for "sourcing" images).

This seems to be Sharon Osbourne and friends?

A bad Santa

Bank of America guards

The Geico Cavemen

the late metallurgist Dimebag Darrell Pantera

X-ray

former Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar

Our cousin gives the finger

The Police

Homeless man gives a double finger

"Hot for words'" Marlina Orlova

Keith Richards

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is saluted by a protestor

You have to hand it to this youth, who enhanced the

family portrait, which the family missed and sent out with

the annual Christmas Card

Stan Lee of Spiderman fame salutes reporters

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the dilbert transformations

By Jack Brummet, Managing Editor

When we were just starting KnowWonder/Amaze Entertainment, the first game we published was "Young Dilbert," an "edu-game" that taught kids computer fundamentals.  One of our marketing pieces was a "make your own Dilbert" flyer.  I created these in 1997 from those templates.  The artistic challenge I set was to make these transformations using only office supplies we had in our copy-room.  I think I did about 100 of these.  Cleaning out my office, I recently found about 20 of those Dilberts.  Here are some selections.  [Mixed media:  commercially printed templates, with White-Out, Sharpies, Yellow, pink blue, and green highlighters, and Dogbert stickers].

click images to enlarge

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Faces No. 254 - Jitters Coffee Shop

drawing by jack brummet

click to enlarge

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The West Wall

By Jack Brummet
This is the west wall in my office, or, roughly, 136 square feet of faces (the north and south walls have roughly the same; the east wall is all windows).

click to enlarge

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Poem: Contemplation

By Jack Brummet



The wind scours the desolate earth
Flaying turf and churning surf
The literal and figurative ablution

Is made
But not yet the offering
Or the prayer

Because the way is unclear
You look for an omen
Like the old kings

And contemplate
Advance and retreat
Fight or flight

Waiting for The Lamplighter
In his own sweet time
To show you the sign.
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Sometimes it feels like #OccupyWallStreet is moving onto Main Street (I just saw a great banner on Ballard's Market Street)

By Jack Brummet, OWS Editor

I'm starting to see more and more signs that some of the messages and aims of Occupy Wall Street are sinking in.  Sarah Palin makes speeches that include some of the foundation planks of OWS; Republicans in the debates admit--somewhat begrudgingly--that, well, yeah, maybe things are not as equitable as they should be.  I've seen the mainstream press slowly begin to acknowledge that whatever's happening in the hundreds of OWS encampments across the country (and in over 100 other countries) may be real, and may just change the 2012 elections.  Even Fox News at times acknowledges "there's something happening here; what it is ain't exactly clear..."

Today, as I was walking along Market Street in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood, I stumbled on this banner, hung below a sign for the Nordic Heritage Museum's annual YuleFest (Nordic cuisine, crafts and gifts, Santa, entertainment, brats and beer).  It's a nice juxtaposition, whoever did it--crafts and gifts and Santa and then thunk! "GIVE BACK THE BONUSES."

click to enlarge

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Weekender Edition: seven years ago on ATIT. "The Captain's Pants"

This is a post from the very first week of ATIT, seven years ago.

Long ago, when sailing ships ruled the waves, a captain and his crew were in danger of being boarded by a pirate ship. As the crew became frantic, the captain bellowed to his First Mate, "Bring me my red shirt!"

The First Mate quickly retrieved the captain's red shirt, which the captain put on and led the crew to battle the pirate boarding party. Although some casualties occurred among the crew, the pirates were repelled.

Later that day, the lookout screamed that there were two pirate vessels sending boarding parties. The crew cowered in fear, but the captain, calm as ever bellowed, "Bring me my red shirt!" And once again the battle was on, however, the Captain and his crew repelled both boarding parties, although this time more casualties occurred. Weary from the battles, the men sat around on deck that night recounting the day's occurrences when an ensign looked to the Captain and asked, "Sir, why did you call for your red shirt before the battle?" The Captain, giving the ensign a look that only a captain can give, exhorted, "If I am wounded in battle, the red shirt does not show the wound and thus, you men will continue to fight unafraid." The men sat in silence marvelling at the courage of such a man.

As dawn came the next morning, the lookout screamed that there were pirate ships, 10 of them, all with boarding parties on their way. The men became silent and looked to the Captain, their leader, for his usual command. The Captain, calm as ever, bellowed, "Bring me my brown pants!"

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Faces No. 252 - office birthday party

drawing by jack brummet

click to enlarge

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Faces No. 251 - the condo association

Drawing  by Jack Brummet

click to enlarge

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Rick Perry's Presidential quest ends in 53 mortifying seconds

By Pablo Fanque, National Affairs Editor
illustration by Jack Brummet

Rick Perry will drop out of the race in the next ten days.  Even if nothing else goes wrong, his campaign funds will surely dry up beginning a couple hours ago. 

This has to be the most pathetic and humiliating debate appearance I have ever seen, except, possibly, Admiral James Stockdale's performance in his 1992 debate with Al Gore and Dan Quayle.  Stockdale opened the debate by saying, "Who am I? Why am I here?"  His opening drew great mirth and laughter, because the audience seemed to think he was joshing about his obscurity and lack of traditional qualifications for the office.  But as he bumbled through the debate, it became clear he was in way over his head.

Tonight, Governor Rick Perry confirmed what most of us knew and the rest suspected--that, he too, is in way over his head,  For one horrible minute, Perry could not recall the name of a government department he is planning to kill off.  I cringed, and actually felt terribly sorry for him as he tried to grin and chuckle his way through it.  But he couldn't.

"It's three agencies of government when I get there that are gone: commerce, education, and the uh ... what's the third one, there? Let's see." He then said, "The third one. I can't." And he performed an auto-coup-de-grace by then saying "Oops."  Fifteen long, long minutes later he said "By the way that was the department of energy I was reaching for a while ago." 

Herman Cain, who everyone suspected would be "on the barbie" tonight, got off the hook after Perry's pitiful showing. 

Perry knew the damage was incalculable.  He even showed up in the spin-room post-debate (which is normally handled by staffers) and said   "I'm sure glad I had my boots on because I sure stepped in it out there."

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Faces No. 243 - Sixteen

Drawing by Jack Brummet

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Arrivederci, Silvio Berlusconi!

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