There is a difference between the two cartoons above. One cartoon (the bottom cartoon) ran in The Economist this week.  The second cartoon is being distributed to publications in the US and elsewhere through syndication.

 

HINT: American english and English english employ different spelling in some select words. If you cannot locate the difference between the two cartoons, take a break and pour yourself a whiskey, or is it whisky?

I created the cartoon above for the Washington Post’s Health section. It illustrates an article on the subject of Doctor/patient conversations about politics. No doubt an unhealthy issue.

 

 

I was interviewed on the NPR radio show titled “Studio 360″ on the subject of the donkey and the elephant. You can listen to the session above.  The producers at the show did a great job distilling a 45 minute interview down to a cogent short piece.  My only regret is they forgot to include my affiliation with The Economist during the introduction.

 

I am very excited to announce the launch of an exciting new website. USDemocrazy.net is the creation of students and staff at University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). The site is fun and informative, using cartoons, animation and playful language to help address and explain the complexities of our democracy.

My team at USDemocrazy set out to capture the color and character of each of our 50 states. To help in this endeavor, we contacted the very best experts in each state-The Political Cartoonists-to be our first contributors. With their help we have built a growing data base of fun and important information.

Check out the short introduction video below:

http://www.usdemocrazy.net/mission

The site is an interactive venture.  We are still looking to add more information on each state and expand our state animations (I have finished 32 so far). Check out the site and offer your insights. 

The Animated cartoons of Bugs Bunny, The Road Runner and Tom and Jerry have all successfully employed the specter of impending doom as a source of humor.  The cartoon characters in the films are forever enduring physical calamities in the shape of falling pianos, exploding cigars and nosedives from cliffs. These are standard fare in the cartoon menu. Always good for a laugh.

However, when real calamity hits these themes have a little more power.  The laugh is tinged with a cringe. Such is it today with the current financial crisis.