From the files of Police Squad!

Here's a random page from my notebook...everyone's favorite Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Check back to this blog on Tuesday to see my Ahmadinejad cartoon. I don't know if you'll like it, but hopefully you have an opinion about it, and won't attempt to firebomb my house.

Let's all leave New Jersey...FAST!

There is a massive exodus of people leaving New Jersey. According to the Star-Ledger:

In their study, Seneca and Hughes reviewed Census and Internal Revenue Service data between 2002 and 2006. They found the gap between the number of people leaving the state and new arrivals has more than tripled. In 2002, the gap was 23,759. By last year, it had jumped to 72,547.

And if things could be even more messed up, the people that have chosen (for the time being) to stay and live in New Jersey, want to follow the people that have left.

According to a Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey Poll, released Wednesday, 49 percent of those polled would rather live somewhere else.

The Asbury Park Press broke it down this way:

More than half of adults under the age of 50 and nearly 60 percent of residents earning between $50,000 and $100,000 expressed a desire to leave New Jersey.

Of those who want to leave, a little more than half said they were "very likely" to make good on the wish, and more than half said they planned to go before retirement.

Top destination choices were Florida (15 percent) and North Carolina (14 percent), while another 21 percent cited other southern or Mid-Atlantic states.

Poll Finds Almost Half of New Jersey Adults Want to Move Out of State
Fox News

Poll: Many New Jerseyans want to leave state
Asbury Park Press

Jerseyans leave at alarming rate
Star-Ledger

Are People Being Taxed Out of New Jersey?
Stat Attack

Oliphant at Politics and Prose

Pat Oliphant was on hand last night at Politics and Prose in Washington, D.C. to sign copies of his latest book, "Leadership: Cartoon and Sculpture from the Bush Years."

I was particularly surprised by how briefly he spoke. There were a couple of Washington notables in attendance, including the self-important Bill Press, formerly of CNN's Crossfire. Oliphant sketched intermittently while he talked, answered a couple of questions, and then attended to the massive line of people wanting a copy of his book signed.



The best part of the evening came when a man asked a question about self-censorship, and if Oliphant ever has to deal with editors who refuse his work. (Oliphant doesn't work for a newspaper, he's syndicated, which means he just turns his cartoons in, and whoever subscribes to the service can either choose to use his cartoons or not. He never knows.)

Anyway, he looked at the gentleman that asked the question and said, "Oh, look at you," and immediately began to draw a caricature of the guy (who must have had 15 Oliphant books to sign) forgetting the question entirely.

Bruce Guthrie, as usual, took a ton of great pictures, which can be viewed here.

UPDATE: Richard Thompson of Poor Richard's Almanac fame chimed in to let me know that the "guy" that Oliphant began to draw was none other than Patch Adams, the basis for the character in the movie with Robin Williams. I didn't get a good look at his arm hair, but I didn't see the resemblance.

MGM gambling with Atlantic City

Maybe it isn't the best time to invest in a huge casino in one of the most chaotic environments in the country.

MGM plans new Atlantic City casino
Business Week

For the artwork, I tried to experiment with a bit of a different style. I inked it entirely with quills (as opposed to a brush) and tried to keep it free and loose. I also kept my sketch looser than normal, because I wanted to try and draw with the ink.

It was fun, but I can safely say I'm no Joe Kubert.


Here's the sketch:

Pics of Richard Thompson in Bethesda

Photo by Bruce Gutherie

Just read on The Daily Cartoonist that Bruce Gutherie posted the pictures he took at the Bethesda Writer's Center last Friday when Richard Thompson spoke and showed off his artwork. The picture above is one of them, randomly selected from the batch. (It just happens to feature Thomspon giving me comments on my cartoons. He's the seated gentleman in the well tailored jacket, and I'm the schlub with the strap over his shoulder.)

The rest of the pictures can be viewed here.

Yo quiero Steve Lonegan

Here is a link to today's cartoon at PoliticsNJ. So stop by, and let me know what you think of the cartoon, as well as Steve Lonegan's chances for the governor's seat in 2009.

Here's the sketch:



And some links on the story:

Is Lonegan a hypocite or a victim?
PoliticsNJ

Bogota's Lonegan admits mistake of hiring illegals
The Record

The Unethicist

Today's brilliant item from the web comes from the gossip rag (can that term be used for online media?) Gawker. I've just stumbled across it, but apparently it's been going on for a while.

Basically, they take the questions from Randy Cohen's brilliant advice column, The Ethicist, and have Gabriel Delahaye answer them, making him "The Unethicist." In addition to his Gawker column, Gabriel writes the website Corporate-Casual, and is a staff writer for the soon-to-be-launched comedy news website, 23/6.

An awesome weekend full of artists

This weekend, I had the great fortune of meeting two amazingly talented artists. On the top is Richard Thompson, the cartoonist behind Poor Richard's Almanac for the Washington Post, as well as the great strip Cul de Sac, recently picked up by Universal Press Syndicate.

Proudly, The Press of Atlantic City picked it up at the beginning and has been running it daily.

(Also, check out this cartoon by Thompson. I got to see the original at the Writer's Center in Bethesda, Md., and man is it awesome!)

Below him is James Gurney signing copies of his latest Dinotopia book at the Delaware Art Museum. My roommate in college, Bruno, was a huge admirer of his detailed and imaginative work, and I was fortunate enough to check out some of his originals at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Massachusetts.

Trip to Buffalo

Well, as promised, here are some choice snaps from our recent visit to wild and crazy Buffalo, NY. The only thing I regret is not being able to take a picture of the scoreboard of a Bills victory.

Before we leave, do you make your sandwich, or undress yourself? How about both!

Data-Lore and Jones try desperately to put the Ricky Gervais podcast onto the iPod in a Ruby Tuesday's parking lot. Yeah, it was that kind-of trip.

I had to stop by the Buffalo News while I was in town.

Jones standing outside The Anchor Bar, home of the original buffalo wings.

Man, I can't describe how good this place smelled from the outside.

No inch of the interior of this place went unused.

Remember when the Bills were good enough to grace the cover of the Wheaties cereal boxes?

Inside the Anchor Bar's dining room.

Anyone want wings?

Jones is excited about today's game.

The traffic was so crazy on the way to the stadium, people were reduced to pissing in the trees on the side of the highway.

Something you wouldn't have seen on ESPN.

Or this.

LOOOOK AT MEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

And we're finally here.

Jones and Data-Lore await the start of the game.

The Bills practice before the game.

Extra bonus: Thurman Thomas getting his Hall of Fame ring at halftime

Reggie Bush...you might not need those hot dogs after all.