published Dec.19/2008: Marketside

Score one for the litte guys! In Owen Sound we have this wonderful little food shop on mani street. It's been around for awhile. It's name is Marketside. Seems like Wal-Mart (the giant) wants to get more into fresh, more locally grown produce... and I guess that's not a totally bad thing.... although, do they have to get into everything. Pretty soon they'll be selling cars, escort services, and weapons of mass destruction, too, I suppose. In any event they already have begun to use the name "Marketside" in the States, and they had plans to do the same in Canada. Well, it turns out that our local little shop contacted them and in a nutshell the whole matter was settled out of court and Wal-Mart backed down..... maybe they can call this department in their store "Market-Mart".... has a nice rap sound to it, don't you think?

published Dec.17/2008: Telemarketing blocking

This one was actually drawn in Oct. when the story first happened, but I'm glad to see it surfaced eventually in the newspaper. Maybe it's better this way. Serves as a reminder for procastinators like myself to actually get on this "Do-Not-Call-And-Bug-The-Hell-Of-Me" list.

published Dec. 10 or 11/2008: Murdoch-McPherson beefs with Meaford

Well, the newest mayor of Meaford is under attack. What else is new? Again, I don't really know what's going on in Meaford. I don't know if anyone does. But it seems like a never ending source of "issues" and it still is a pretty place. I have two wishes regarding Meaford: One is that I hope it gets everything straightened out soon and has a smoother ride... and two is that I wish I don't end up being its mayor. Now, in reality, there's no chance of the latter, but I do hope there is a chance for the former wish to happen. (Anyway, this cartoon also gets a little shot in at the recent Federal issues of P.M. Harper facing a coalition takeover... that I predict will not happen, just for the record.... cause it sounds too good to be true.

published Dec. 5/2008: Billy Bishop Museum: The Ghost Hunters Return

I'm pleased with the ghost effect drawing here. I'm not convinced about ghosts. But maybe there are.... there's interesting "evidence" out there. But if there are ghosts I think we should just leave them alone. It seems that, outside Hollywood films, all they really do, IF they are there, is just make a few noises and knock a few things over. I don't see any so-called reality ghost shows where ghosts are actually hurting real people. Hey, I make noise and am clumsy too, and most of the time I just want to be left alone. Keep this in mind should I ever turn into a ghost.

published Dec. 3/2008: biowaste

The one on the "Southgate Council Roundtable" got published. The other two are variations on the same topic. I don't know about you, but something strikes me as weird about this whole thing. Now I admit that I'm putting words into people's mouths just to poke fun at what is the main news story. Is 100% capacity a totally good thing? Should this be something private enterprise is involved in? Should we not, as a society, be trying to both reduce waste and recycle the waste we do produce? Or am I just wasting my breath? Oh well, Mother Nature recycles wasted breath... for free!

published Dec. 2/2008: Farm Smells

Farms smell. Sometimes good, sometimes bad. Depends what your mind set is. But it's natural.... Unless they're using sludge which is more like industrial and/or human sewage which sounds a bit risky to me. Don't blame the cows and other livestock for that one. Hey, manure happens.
If you want to keep building your condos and dream homes etc. near farms, deal with it. Just like I do when I have to drive by a farm during fertilizer season. But hey, I just driving by, I'm not stupid enough to set up my tent next to a farm field. Let's show some zoning sense here, people.

published Nov.28, 08: Olympic torch relay for 2010 to spend night in O. S.

O.K., I admit it. This is very silly. It was meant to be. I just wanted to have fun with a news story that was both significant and positive. Dear Mayor Ruth... I hope you or anyone else didn't interpret me saying your reading is boring. I wouldn't really know since I've never had you read a story to me, let alone a bedtime story. But the whole idea of such stories are to be relaxing and to get someone to go to sleep.

published Nov.26, 08: Dentist's perspective of Historical Heritage

There was a big letter to the editor (with a picture!) in the paper that talked about how the city is erecting all these nice looking plaques in places where significantly historical buildings had been. I think the plaques are a nice gesture, and if a building has to go, or if it goes through accident or thoughtlessness, it's good to a least have one of these nice plaques as a public reminder of what we used to look like. But it would be nice to try to keep some of them if at all possible.... just like our teeth. Thus the silly, but hopefully effective, idea I came up with for this.

published Nov.21, 08: Peanut Butter Jam, '08

There are many great musical events each year in Owen Sound and the area. This is definitely one of them. Great, great music by a variety of the area's best, headlined and hosted each year by that fabulous blues band, The Bearcats, and all for a worthy cause. I wanted to do a cartoon that helped promote it. So I came up with this image idea and the nicknames. The Bearcats seemed to get a kick out of it. When the bass player, Kevin Dandeno introduced the band members he used the nicknames. I later got them to sign a copy of the cartoon. I plan to frame it and treasure it. It will go up on the wall next to the one I got Mr. Dressup to sign when he was in town and I had a toon about some political party approaching him so they could better appeal to the youth.

published Nov.19, 08: Conservationist Blake Smith Tribute

Another tribute cartoon. As I'm sure I've said before, I enjoy paying tribute to people who have made significant public contributions to our area. I can't do it for everyone, but I do pick out some from the news from time to time. My sincerest apologies to all those who seem to get overlooked. But hopefully anyone you have in mind was respected enough in life and appreciated in death. That's what really counts.

published Nov.12, 08: Pet animal ban in West Grey Mu

It was my pleasure to spring this one on Warden Kevin Eccles when we were taping a show for a local cable t.v. station down that way. It was even more my pleasure when it got printed in the newspaper. When the paper ran it they cut out some writing i put just to our left of the guy in the first column. It said, "Dedicated to my favourite cartoonist, Gary Larson. Thanks for the goldfish." Larson inspires some of my drawing style. In this case I drew his type of goldfish.

To our right of that same guy there's a little asterick * indicating that what I have the councillor saying is actually what he said, as quoted in the newspaper. I like that guy's sense of humour.
At this point I don't know if the ban went ahead... but while it has some merit in a few situations, it sounds like kind of a dumb idea to me, for what it's worth.

published Nov.11, 08: Historical Heritage tax breaks

I'm glad the city is apparently going to help support heritage buildings lasting longer. Really, I am. We've lost enough already. I just thought it would be funny to have someone with a brand new house thinking about it. Just another way of drawing attention to a story. In this case a good story.

published Nov. 7, 08: Downtown Parking

It seems like every campaign needs a good slogan. Obama had that "change" thing and the "Yes we can" phrase. Even if you're going to do something most people actually won't like you need
a catchy phrase. Were you around in the Premier Mike Harris Days??? Remember the so-called "Common Sense Revolution". How many people who later regretted it, swallowed that one?