Cartoons: thwip, thwack and ping

Today I'm riffing on the US's do-nothing Congress, the NRA, the GOP's victimhood (they earned it), and internet trolls.

Nate Beeler at the Columbus Dispatch makes a subtle comment on U.S. gun control. A copy is available for sale at Cagle's Political Cartoons.

***

Nate Beeler, The Week

***

Steve Sack at the Star Tribune makes it clear that the NRA is a carrion-eating buzzard feeding the Congressional pigeons. A copy is available for sale at Cagle's Political Cartoons.

***

Steve Sack, The Week

***

Independent cartoonist Chan Lowe at Tribune Content Agency brings up a good point about the GOP.

***

Chan Lowe, The Week

***

David Horsey at the Los Angeles Times defines troll for us. He can also be found at Tribune Content Agency.

***

David Horsey, The Week

***

-- Marge

Cartoons: Taming Trump

Looks to me like we're trapped as a nation between Trump and the NRA. Then there are the conspiracy wackos. Is there peace in Canada?

Republicans may think they can tame Trump once he's been nominated, but it looks like he's already lost his voter base. Take a look at the video in Favorability of Trump’s GOP Lowest in Bloomberg Poll’s History.

***

John Darkow, The Week

***

The Washington Post reports, In wake of Orlando shootings, gun control getting a fresh look from GOP

***

Pat Bagley, The Week

***

Bernie Sanders fights on, offering No Concession in Address to Supporters.

***

David Horsey, The Week

***

-- Marge

Cartoons: two candidates are left, the third is a maybe

Today's mix looks at where Hilary, Donald and Bernie are in their campaigns.

Hilary has clinched the Democratic presidential nomination. To make it final there's the convention. When, where is the 2016 Democratic National Convention?

***

Tom Stiglich, The Week

***

A week ago Joe Klein at Time Magazine said Donald still rules the airwaves, saying "He excels at “winning the news cycle”." This week it's a different story; the difference is Hilary found her voice.

***

Walt Handelsman, The Week

***

Bernie's not gonna quit...At least not until the fat lady sings.

***

John Darkow, The Week

***

-- Marge

Cartoons: time to vote Libertarian?

It's looking more and more like the contest for president will be between Donald and Hillary.

***

Steve Kelley, The Week

***

But you don't have to vote either-or; Don't fall for 'lesser of two evils' argument. That is, if you're willing to vote Libertarian. W. James Antle III explains Why the Libertarian ticket is an invaluable experiment for the GOP. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul calls himself a libertarian Republican. While the Tea Party has been described as like the Libertarian Party, Libertarians insist they're not the Tea Party.


-- Marge

Cartoons: open carry

Today's collection looks at our response to the Zika virus threat; VA health-care lines compared to standing in line at Disney World; and Wall Street crime.

It's open carry against mosquitoes now. Consumer Report asks Does 'Natural' Mosquito Repellent Work?

***

Nate Beeler, The Week

***

VA Secretary McDonald recently compared health-care lines to Disney.

***

Gary Varvel, The Week

***

News just in: Wall Street Crime: 7 Years, 156 Cases and Few Convictions

***

David Horsey, The Week

***

-- Marge

Cartoons: cots, bathrooms, and beer

This week's cartoons talk about the TSA (US Transportation Security Administration); "perverts" in public bathrooms; and Budweiser's new name.

According to the Business Insider, The TSA is in a full-blown crisis. More than 450 American Airlines passengers stranded in the terminal overnight due to long lines is not good. And what does the TSA have against mother's milk?

***

John Darkow, The Week

***

So who are the "perverts"--the transgenders or those pretending to be transgender in your local bathroom? Time Magazine discusses the issues in Everything You Need to Know About the Debate Over Transgender People and Bathrooms.

***

Drew Sheneman, The Week

***

And for frothier news, how about the fact that Budweiser Will Call Its Beer 'America' Through the Election.

***

Steve Breen, The Week

***

--Marge

Cartoons: an unusual dance

For the past year (or more) we've been living in a political world of constantly updated predictions. To me a prediction is not news, it's fairy dust that settles to the ground as soon as the reality kicks in. But I have to agree with John Boehner, former House Speaker, when he says 'Knuckleheads' in Both Parties Will Determine 2016 Election.

On that note, let's step back and take a look at what we've seen.

***

Bob Gorrell, The Week

***

David Horsey, The Week

***

Walt Handelsman, The Week

***

-- Marge

Cartoon: RIP GOP

Just one cartoon today. Take a look at Time Magazine's How the GOP is Dealing With Donald Trump’s Nomination.

***

Chan Lowe, The Week

***

--Marge

Cartoons: Ted + Carly, no Ted + John, no Bernie?

Well, the 2016 presidential campaign rages on and possible election candidates are beginning to pick running partners -- at least on the Republican side. Bernie seems to be losing ground fast. And the homeless are just keepin' on, keepin' on.

For the latest polls, check out Real Clear Politics' ePolls. For election news, check out the NY Times Politics page. There's also Who Is Running for President?

Here's what some of the cartoonist have to say.

***

Steve Sack, The Week

***

Pat Bagley*, The Week

***

Chan Lowe, The Week

***

Pat Bagley*, The Week

***

*Watch Pat Bagley draw a cartoon!


-- Marge

Cartoons: heart of darkness

Today's mix looks at Wall Street, currency, wrongdoing in office, and the Republicans' mid-July convention.

The central role of Wall Street is ...

***

David Horsey, The Week

***

The word 'contention' works better, in my view.

***

Gary Varvel, The Week

***

Those who covered up the problems with water in Flint, Michigan, may pay: ..Criminal charges against three state and city workers. Considering that they're white and good ol' boys, they may not.

***

Joe Heller, The Week

***

So, whose face will be on the new $20 bill? Here's everything to know about the new paper money: Q&A: Harriet Tubman, Alexander Hamilton and the Currency Redesign. No, the Republicans didn't refuse Harriet Tubman; it's Merrick Garland they're not willing to consider yet.

***

Mike Luckovich, The Week

***

-- Marge

Cartoons: closing in on the last lap

Could be me, but it seems this presidential race is dragging on forever, ad infinitum, ad nauseam. And the closer we get to election day, the more desperate it looks.

Running scared, the GOP is trying to wrangle Paul Ryan into declaring for president. From the video in Paul Ryan Rules Out Run for President it looks to me like Speaker of the House Ryan is sure he not going to run and he's not being coy, either. This is Dana Summers' view on the topic:

***

Dana Summers, The Week

***

Cartoonist David Horsey shows us a clutch of chickens, likely related to Chicken Little.

***

David Horsey, The Week

***

And here's Tom Toles dark view of life under President Trump (looks a lot like life in China under Xi Jinping).

***

Tom Toles, The Week

***

-- Marge

Cartoons: tax-free money for the 1%

Steve Sack, The Week

***

The Panama papers are all the news lately. South German Newspaper, Süddeutsche Zeitung, received the data that reveals the activities of Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca. SZ reports this activity in Panama papers: the secrets of dirty money. The opening video is a must-see.

In the article SZ states

The data
The Panama Papers include approximately 11.5 million documents – more than the combined total of the Wikileaks Cablegate, Offshore Leaks, Lux Leaks, and Swiss Leaks. The data primarily comprises e-mails, pdf files, photo files, and excerpts of an internal Mossack Fonseca database. It covers a period spanning from the 1970s to the spring of 2016. 

According to the New York Times, Panama Papers Leak Casts Light on a Law Firm Founded on Secrecy.

***

Walt Handelsman, The Week

***

Many are particulary interested in Putin's secret cash stash. A highly cited article by The Guardian states: Revealed: the $2bn offshore trail that leads to Vladimir Putin.

***

Steve Benson, The Week

***

As cartoonist Pat Bagley points out, the 1% rides on our backs.

***

Pat Bagley, The Week

***

Angry yet?

-- Marge

Cartoons: Falling through the cracks

Just 2 cartoons today, because I've heard enough about Donald, and Ted, and Hillary, and Bernie. Let the GOP stew in its own juices.  So, today's cartoons are about the cracking of the San Bernardino iPhone and two levels of fracking--one to the earth and one to our economic system.

Recent news tells us the FBI figured out--with help--how to crack the iPhone they've been arguing with Apple about. Who helped them crack it is now classified: Government keeping its method to crack San Bernardino iPhone 'classified'. But here's an educated guess: This Stock ​Is​ Soaring Because the FBI Cracked the San Bernardino Shooter's iPhone. From a survey of the information being offered on the internet, it may have been hacked by a 10-year-old.

***

Bob Englehart, The Week

***

Fox News' current buzzwords are "political earthquake." Tom Toles' parallel with fracking is arresting and led me to a wealth of news on earthquakes due to fracking and wastewater disposal: Fracking Added to Govt Map of Earthquake Risks and Fracking—not wastewater disposal—linked to most induced earthquakes in Western Canada. This is the USGS's (U. S. Geological Survey) report that offers solid proof: 2016 One-Year Seismic Hazard Forecast for the Central and Eastern United States from Induced and Natural Earthquakes.

***

Tom Toles, The Week

***

-- Marge

Cartoons: what is normal?

Today the talk is about Cuba and U.S. relations.

Glass houses often beg a stone.

***

Drew Sheneman, The Week

***

Quantanamo is one of the U.S.'s not-so-secret sins.

***

Tom Toles, The Week

***

My definition of normalize: make manageable. Question is--for whom.

***

Steve Kelley, The Week

***

-- Marge

Bye, for now

***

I'll be taking a break from blogging for a while to explore other avenues, but might continue posting Friday cartoons. Might not.

-- Marge

Cartoons: everyone has a story

The mix today looks at the Flint Michigan hearings; an Edward R. Murrow quote about campaigns as circus; whether voters are anti-republican establishment or anti-democrat establishment; and the true winner of the 2016 election.

In the congressional hearings on who dropped the ball in Flint, there are several ways to look at it. Here are two: The poisonous conservative thinking that caused the Flint crisis and Will Anyone Accept Responsibility for Flint?

***

Clay Jones, The Week

***

I never knew that newscaster Edward R. Murrow could be so wise. Here are some of his quotes.

***

David Horsey, The Week

***

Journalists appear to be defining Bernie Sanders as an anti-Democratic-establishment candidate and Donald Trump as an anti-Republican-establishment candidate. The Washington Post has a series called The great unsettling. This may come closer to the truth.

***

Glenn McCoy, The Week

***

And now, ta-da, the true outcome of the 2016 presidential election:

***

Scott Stantis, The Week

***

-- Marge

Eliminating plastics

Plastisphere, "Yum, Plastic" (Environmental Science and Technology),  Grist

***

In a recent post, I offered information about The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Here's some more information about plastics in the ocean and on land; and, for extra measure, something about biomimetic materials.

My search started with a Gizmag article, The hungry little bacterium that could hold the key to the world's plastic waste problem. Other, land-based eaters of plastic have been identified: fungus, mushrooms, worms, ... Apparently a lot of biota like plastic.

In a more measured tone, though, plastic-eating and water-based biota are changing the character of plastic present in the ocean in unpredictable ways. A study by Woods Hole proposes a whole new ecosystem. Larger plastic items are being converted to plastic confetti, causing the Garbage Patch to sink and become more bio-available: A 'little world' eating ocean garbage might be a mixed blessing.

Meanwhile humankind continues to probe the natural world for solutions. Here are some that have been identified: Six ways bio-inspired design is reshaping the future. My favorite is slide 3--Health: Battling Bacteria with Biomimicry--which mimics the design of shark skin. As the slide says:

Sharklet has created a bacteria-free surface that can be used in hospitals, restaurants, and other places where contamination has consequences. What's more, because this technique doesn't kill bacteria it will be far more difficult for them to evolve a resistance to it, sidestepping the core problem with most attempts at rendering bacteria harmless. After all, the root technology underwent a 400-million-year incubation period in the ocean, and bacteria haven't figured out how to thwart it yet.

BTW, I came across this page while searching: Degruyter's Bioinspired Materials.

Bioinspired Materials is an innovative journal devoted to publish constructive peer-reviewed, open access, cutting-edge articles from a wide range of research fields that use inspiration from Nature for the design of artificial materials for several scopes.

If you think just forgetting about plastic, which is based on oil anyway, and finding substitutes is a better idea, take a look at these 10 suggestions for eco-friendly plastics.

-- Marge

A ruler with no kingdom left

The predominantly Kurdish town of Kobani is devastated after months under siege by Islamist forces and airstrikes by a United States-led coalition (Bulent Kilic/Agence France-Presse – Getty Images).

***

You can find Bashar al-Assad's history on Wikipedia and you can find thoughts about his motivations in the Atlantic Monthly, but his kingdom is mostly gone because of chemical weapons, barrel bombs, and other attacks on his people.

It should be noted that Syria has become a war zone and, while Assad is responsible for much of the damage, the Islamic State (ISIL or ISIS), a United States-led coalition, and Russian forces enlisted by Assad have contributed. Wondering what's left for Assad to rule, I went searching.

The picture of Kobani above was found at From Syria, an Atlas of a Country in Ruins, March 2015. The same article gives a graphic representation of  the building damage level in Aleppo. It's worse now, since the Russians began bombing. (Legend: RED Destroyed; ORANGE Severe; OCHRE Moderate)

***

An analysis of 210 sites in the city’s old quarters concluded that about half were
damaged and one-fifth were destroyed. New York Times

***

The New York Times said of Syria After Four Years of Mayhem:

Half of Syrians Displaced (Mar 2015)
The war has displaced 7.6 million people inside Syria and pushed 3.9 million more — half of them children — to seek refuge in other countries, according to figures collected by United Nations agencies.

Lately, Assad's tactics have been bombing schools and hospitals. Foreign Policy reports Syrian MSF Hospital Kept Location Secret to Avoid Being Bombed. The Médecins Sans Frontières-supported hospital was destroyed anyway (Feb, 2016).

For an idea of how the Syrian Free Press on Wordpress sees it all, take a look at the Real SyrianFreePress Network (not sure this is an 'official' site).

If Bashar wins, he will have few people left to rule and little infrastructure to support civilized living. So what's the point of winning?

-- Marge

Cartoons: What in the world are they thinking?

Cartoonists are riffing on these news bites this week: ISIS is going broke, the world watches the U.S. presidential race with 'disbelief', and the GOP establishment is cozying up to Cruz.

Why ISIS is Going Broke.

***

Tom Stiglich, The Week

***

The world watches the U.S. presidential race with ‘disbelief.’

***

Dana Summers, The Week

***

The GOP establishment is cozying up to Ted Cruz. It’s not clear they know why.

***

Mike Luckovich, The Week

***

-- Marge