Two comic strips have celebrated major anniversaries this past week.
So to honor the rules of chivalry, ladies first...
Rose Is Rose has always featured the (mis)adventures and antics of the extended Gumbo family.
While Jim(bo) and Rose (the title character) have only one child, Pasquale; there is the selfish nephew Clem; assorted neighbors, including a young girl named Mimi; Rose's mother, and issues with the family cat Peekaboo, assorted squirrels, raccoons, and Peekaboo's friends.
Adventures range from the mundane, like Jim's "garbage moments" and other household chores, to the fantasies of Rose's biker alter ego.
Although the Gumbos are far from the first family to have their trials and tribulations, there is no doubt that they love each other, as seen in romantic moments throughout the course of the series thus far.
Creator Pat Brady has written every strip since the first. Don Wimmer has produced the art since 2004.
Meanwhile, Dilbert looks at the more "professional" side of life at a business that, in light of current economic circumstances, makes one wonder how the pointy haired boss and his upper executive cronies have managed to avoid legal prosecution for so long.
Started on April 16th, 1989 by creator/writer/artist Scott Adams (but not the one who created original role playing game software in the infancy of the computer age), the strip first focused upon just Dilbert, his dog Dogbert, and the wackiness of his private/single life.
But in time Adams discovered more humor at the workplace between Dilbert; the coffee guzzling lazy slacker Wally; the hard working yet frustrated Alice; the eternally overburdened intern Asok; and a slew of inept management personnel, led by the infamous but never formally named "pointy haired" boss.
Although Adams has unfortunately suffered some health problems in the past decade, he continues to produce the comic strip without any assistants.
While our resident comedienne Ms. Waxy Dragon (one of many avatars of an avid Internet user) was crowded out of this weekend's post, we both would like to remind you that August 2nd is the first (Inter)National "Don't Worry" Day, and to be back next weekend for more Sunday Funnies.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Saturday, April 18, 2009
THE PUZZLE CORNER: APRIL 18th, 2009
Fantasy fans rejoiced at the creation of the Dungeons and Dragons role playing game became available 35 years ago this week.
Those that grew up on such swashbuckling tales from Gardner Fox's Kothar to Robert E. Howard's various creations, and even the epic work of J. R. R. Tolkien at one time or another let their imagination roamed and thought about vanquishing dragons, rescuing the fair damsels in distress, and covering themselves in glory and valor.
Created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson and currently published/distributed by Wizards of the Coast, depending upon who is in charge of any given session (the dungeon/game master), various expansion packs, hand books, modules, and other accessories; along with dice to add a true possibility of chance into the game play, have entertained fantasy and game fans since 1974; and perhaps even contributed to other media such as the Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, and other video games.
In honor of D & D's 35th, this week's Puzzle Corner is themed to the fantasy fan in all of us.
WORD SEARCHING
Here's something special. Although I unfortunately cannot produce an interactive grid, within the Dungeon below are hidden some D & D related terms.
Plus, the left over letters after all the words have been found spell out something very vital for any role playing game.
Do you dare undertake this quest?
D U N G E O N S
R R A D M V E T
A N A T A U G S
G R E Z G N R E
O T H G I N K U
NW O R C W SQ
S W O R D F L E
Crown, Dungeons, Dragons, Elf, Knight, Magic, Quests, Ring, Sword, Wizard
NOTE: Because of computer formatting, all the lines to not come out properly spaced, but the grid is eight letters across by seven letters down, and every word on the list above is in there.
The answers will appear next weekend, just like the results of April 11th "magically" appear now.
TRIVIA TIME
The license plate V-194 could be found on The Black Beauty in any episode of the 1960s Green Hornet Television series.
THE LETTER SHUFFLE
The following words can be made out of the letters in the phrase HAPPY EASTER, with plural(s) noted: A, Ah, Ape(s), Appear(s), As, At, Ate, Aye(s), East, Easter, Ear(s), Eat(s), Eatery, Ether, Happy, He, Heat(s), Paper(s), Pay(s), Pear(s), Peep(s), Peer(s), Pest, Pester, Rap(s), Rest, Sap, Sappy, Say, Sea, Seat, Set, She, Step, Steep, Strap, Stray, Tea(s), Tear(s), Tee(s), Trap(s), Tray(s), Tree(s), Try, Yea(s), Yeah(s), Year(s), Yeast, and Yes.
Other words than the 70 might be possible, for I know of two that did not make my list or else it would have violated the rules of good taste.
Those that grew up on such swashbuckling tales from Gardner Fox's Kothar to Robert E. Howard's various creations, and even the epic work of J. R. R. Tolkien at one time or another let their imagination roamed and thought about vanquishing dragons, rescuing the fair damsels in distress, and covering themselves in glory and valor.
Created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson and currently published/distributed by Wizards of the Coast, depending upon who is in charge of any given session (the dungeon/game master), various expansion packs, hand books, modules, and other accessories; along with dice to add a true possibility of chance into the game play, have entertained fantasy and game fans since 1974; and perhaps even contributed to other media such as the Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, and other video games.
In honor of D & D's 35th, this week's Puzzle Corner is themed to the fantasy fan in all of us.
WORD SEARCHING
Here's something special. Although I unfortunately cannot produce an interactive grid, within the Dungeon below are hidden some D & D related terms.
Plus, the left over letters after all the words have been found spell out something very vital for any role playing game.
Do you dare undertake this quest?
D U N G E O N S
R R A D M V E T
A N A T A U G S
G R E Z G N R E
O T H G I N K U
NW O R C W SQ
S W O R D F L E
Crown, Dungeons, Dragons, Elf, Knight, Magic, Quests, Ring, Sword, Wizard
NOTE: Because of computer formatting, all the lines to not come out properly spaced, but the grid is eight letters across by seven letters down, and every word on the list above is in there.
The answers will appear next weekend, just like the results of April 11th "magically" appear now.
TRIVIA TIME
The license plate V-194 could be found on The Black Beauty in any episode of the 1960s Green Hornet Television series.
THE LETTER SHUFFLE
The following words can be made out of the letters in the phrase HAPPY EASTER, with plural(s) noted: A, Ah, Ape(s), Appear(s), As, At, Ate, Aye(s), East, Easter, Ear(s), Eat(s), Eatery, Ether, Happy, He, Heat(s), Paper(s), Pay(s), Pear(s), Peep(s), Peer(s), Pest, Pester, Rap(s), Rest, Sap, Sappy, Say, Sea, Seat, Set, She, Step, Steep, Strap, Stray, Tea(s), Tear(s), Tee(s), Trap(s), Tray(s), Tree(s), Try, Yea(s), Yeah(s), Year(s), Yeast, and Yes.
Other words than the 70 might be possible, for I know of two that did not make my list or else it would have violated the rules of good taste.
THE WEEK IN REVIEW: APRIL 12-18, 2009
A very busy week in the news. With some of the highlights being:
*United States Navy Seals rescued Captain Richard Phillips from Somalian Pirates, who now vow revenge against the U.S.
*The 2009 Tax season has come and gone for most Americans, although some protested this decades long tradition at their state capitals. But while a lot of the protesters were Republicans who kept pointing to the current national deficit and "wasted funds", most did not mention that the majority of that debt occurred under the Republican Presidency of George W. Bush.
*Meanwhile President Barack Obama took a foreign diplomatic trip to Mexico, but the biggest White House news seemed to be the arrival of Bo, the Obama family's new six month old Portuguese Water Dog.
*In Sports, Angel Cabrera bested Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell in a playoff to win the U.S. Masters golf tournament while long time football announcer John Madden has decided to retire.
*This past week saw the passing of former Major League Baseball pitcher Mark "The Bird" Fldrych, actress Marilyn Chambers, and long time Philadelphia Phillie's' announcer Harry Kales.
*Some this past week also celebrated the 35th anniversary of the Dungeons and Dragons role playing game (more in this week's Puzzle Corner), while tomorrow's Sunday Funnies feature will go into more detail on the 25th anniversary of the Rose Is Rose comic strip and the 20th anniversary of Dilbert.
For more news at any time, scroll down to the IN OTHER NEWS... feature at the bottom of the screen.
*United States Navy Seals rescued Captain Richard Phillips from Somalian Pirates, who now vow revenge against the U.S.
*The 2009 Tax season has come and gone for most Americans, although some protested this decades long tradition at their state capitals. But while a lot of the protesters were Republicans who kept pointing to the current national deficit and "wasted funds", most did not mention that the majority of that debt occurred under the Republican Presidency of George W. Bush.
*Meanwhile President Barack Obama took a foreign diplomatic trip to Mexico, but the biggest White House news seemed to be the arrival of Bo, the Obama family's new six month old Portuguese Water Dog.
*In Sports, Angel Cabrera bested Kenny Perry and Chad Campbell in a playoff to win the U.S. Masters golf tournament while long time football announcer John Madden has decided to retire.
*This past week saw the passing of former Major League Baseball pitcher Mark "The Bird" Fldrych, actress Marilyn Chambers, and long time Philadelphia Phillie's' announcer Harry Kales.
*Some this past week also celebrated the 35th anniversary of the Dungeons and Dragons role playing game (more in this week's Puzzle Corner), while tomorrow's Sunday Funnies feature will go into more detail on the 25th anniversary of the Rose Is Rose comic strip and the 20th anniversary of Dilbert.
For more news at any time, scroll down to the IN OTHER NEWS... feature at the bottom of the screen.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
SUNDAY FUNNIES: EASTER 2009
Happy Easter everybody!
Our resident comedienne Ms. Waxy Dragon, and the person behind that Internet avatar, has the weekend off to celebrate the holiday with their family, so it's up to me to entertain you for a few paragraphs.
So since I do not know any Easter Bunny jokes, and I'm not about to make any religious based jokes, I thought I would dip into our vast archives once again and relate some classic Burma Shave poems!
For those either too young to remember or not that up on classic cultural references, Burma Shave signs could be found along the byways of the land up K to the early 1960s, when faster express routes started making such advertising obsolete.
Presented in groups of five, each set of signs featured four line poems of comedic verse, usually advertising the product line, alternating with serious driving safety tips. But the last line/sign of every message was the Burma Shave logo itself.
Examples of this classic poetry are:
At School Zone's B
Heed instructions
Help to save
Our tax deductions
If Wifie shuns
Your fond embrace
Don't hate the messenger
Feel your face!
Dinah didn't
Treat him right
But if he shaved
Dyna-mite!
He tried to cross t
As the fast train neared u
Death didn't draft him
He volunteered
We'll be back next weekend with our regularly scheduled Sunday Funnies.
And don't forget: August 2nd is the first annual (Inter)National "Don't Worry" Day!
Our resident comedienne Ms. Waxy Dragon, and the person behind that Internet avatar, has the weekend off to celebrate the holiday with their family, so it's up to me to entertain you for a few paragraphs.
So since I do not know any Easter Bunny jokes, and I'm not about to make any religious based jokes, I thought I would dip into our vast archives once again and relate some classic Burma Shave poems!
For those either too young to remember or not that up on classic cultural references, Burma Shave signs could be found along the byways of the land up K to the early 1960s, when faster express routes started making such advertising obsolete.
Presented in groups of five, each set of signs featured four line poems of comedic verse, usually advertising the product line, alternating with serious driving safety tips. But the last line/sign of every message was the Burma Shave logo itself.
Examples of this classic poetry are:
At School Zone's B
Heed instructions
Help to save
Our tax deductions
If Wifie shuns
Your fond embrace
Don't hate the messenger
Feel your face!
Dinah didn't
Treat him right
But if he shaved
Dyna-mite!
He tried to cross t
As the fast train neared u
Death didn't draft him
He volunteered
We'll be back next weekend with our regularly scheduled Sunday Funnies.
And don't forget: August 2nd is the first annual (Inter)National "Don't Worry" Day!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
THE PUZZLE CORNER: APRIL 11th, 2009
Okay, let's dive into our Easter basket for some puzzle fun!
TRIVIA TIME
What famous vehicle had the license plate V-194?
THE LETTER SHUFFLE
Considering the religious signifigance of tomorrow for a lot of people, how many words can you make out of the holiday phrase:
The answers will appear next weekend. But for now, here are the answers to last weekend's puzzles.
TRIVIA TIME
Although just a Princess when she met Harry S. Truman, Queen Elizabeth II of England has met every United States President since except for Lyndon Baines Johnson, although she later did meet with Lady Bird Johnson after the former President left office.
THE LETTER SHUFFLE
Out of the letters in the phrase FOREIGN SUMMIT, I found the following words, with plurals noted:
Emit(s), Fig(s), Figure(s), Fine(s), Finer, Finest, Fin(s), Fire(s), First, Fist, Font(s), For, Fore, Foreign, Forge(s) Form(s), Forum(s), Four, From, Front(s), Frost, Fun, Gent(s), Get(s), Gin, Grime, Gun(s), Gust, Gut(s), I, If(s), In, Intro(s), In, Is, Its, It's, Memo(s), Men, Mentor(s), Mime(s), Minor(s), Mint(s), Minute(s), Mire(s), Miser, Mist, Mister, Mite(s), More, Nitro, No, Nog, Nor, Not, Note(s), On, One, Or, Ore, Rest, Rig(s), Ring(s), Rise, Risen, Run(s), Rune(s), Rot(s), Rust, Senior, Set, Sing, Sir, Sire, Sit, Smog, So, Some, Son, Song, Snore, Stem, Strong, Stun, Summit, Sun, Sung, Time(s), Timing, 'Tis, Ton(s), Trust, Tune(s), and Tuner(s).
And of course, more words might be possible than the 127 listed above.
TRIVIA TIME
What famous vehicle had the license plate V-194?
THE LETTER SHUFFLE
Considering the religious signifigance of tomorrow for a lot of people, how many words can you make out of the holiday phrase:
HAPPY EASTER
The answers will appear next weekend. But for now, here are the answers to last weekend's puzzles.
TRIVIA TIME
Although just a Princess when she met Harry S. Truman, Queen Elizabeth II of England has met every United States President since except for Lyndon Baines Johnson, although she later did meet with Lady Bird Johnson after the former President left office.
THE LETTER SHUFFLE
Out of the letters in the phrase FOREIGN SUMMIT, I found the following words, with plurals noted:
Emit(s), Fig(s), Figure(s), Fine(s), Finer, Finest, Fin(s), Fire(s), First, Fist, Font(s), For, Fore, Foreign, Forge(s) Form(s), Forum(s), Four, From, Front(s), Frost, Fun, Gent(s), Get(s), Gin, Grime, Gun(s), Gust, Gut(s), I, If(s), In, Intro(s), In, Is, Its, It's, Memo(s), Men, Mentor(s), Mime(s), Minor(s), Mint(s), Minute(s), Mire(s), Miser, Mist, Mister, Mite(s), More, Nitro, No, Nog, Nor, Not, Note(s), On, One, Or, Ore, Rest, Rig(s), Ring(s), Rise, Risen, Run(s), Rune(s), Rot(s), Rust, Senior, Set, Sing, Sir, Sire, Sit, Smog, So, Some, Son, Song, Snore, Stem, Strong, Stun, Summit, Sun, Sung, Time(s), Timing, 'Tis, Ton(s), Trust, Tune(s), and Tuner(s).
And of course, more words might be possible than the 127 listed above.
THE WEEK IN REVIEW: APRIL 5-11, 2009
*President Barack Obama concluded his first foreign tour with a surprise visits to US troops in Iraq before returning to America. As the end of his first 100 days in office rapidly approach, budget issues, domestic policies, and the mandatory State of the Union address await him.
*Somalia pirates operating in international waters has received more attention of late when Captain Richard Phillips surrendered himself in exchange for the safety of his crew. An initial rescue effort by US Naval forces proved unsuccessful, but the pirates are under close scrutiny.
*This week marked the 75th anniversary of the original edition of Cleopatra with Claudette Colbert and the 50th anniversary of Pillow Talk with Rock Hudson and Doris Day.
*Looking ahead, April 13th marks the 35th anniversary of the Dungeons and Dragons role playing game, while April 16th is the 25th anniversary of the comic strip Rose Is Rose.
*Meanwhile, if you have not done so already, the filing deadline for your 2008 state and federal income taxes is this Wednesday, April 15th.
*In Sports: the North Carolina University Tar Heels won the NCAA Men's College Basketball championship while the University of Connecticut Lady Huskies took the Women's title as the topper to a perfect 39-0 season, counting post season play.
*And while Baseball fans celebrated the start of the 2009 regular season this week, the California Angels mourn the loss of pitcher Nick Adenhart and two other passengers to a hit and run driver.
For more news at any time, just scroll down to the IN OTHER NEWS feature at the bottom of the screen.
*Somalia pirates operating in international waters has received more attention of late when Captain Richard Phillips surrendered himself in exchange for the safety of his crew. An initial rescue effort by US Naval forces proved unsuccessful, but the pirates are under close scrutiny.
*This week marked the 75th anniversary of the original edition of Cleopatra with Claudette Colbert and the 50th anniversary of Pillow Talk with Rock Hudson and Doris Day.
*Looking ahead, April 13th marks the 35th anniversary of the Dungeons and Dragons role playing game, while April 16th is the 25th anniversary of the comic strip Rose Is Rose.
*Meanwhile, if you have not done so already, the filing deadline for your 2008 state and federal income taxes is this Wednesday, April 15th.
*In Sports: the North Carolina University Tar Heels won the NCAA Men's College Basketball championship while the University of Connecticut Lady Huskies took the Women's title as the topper to a perfect 39-0 season, counting post season play.
*And while Baseball fans celebrated the start of the 2009 regular season this week, the California Angels mourn the loss of pitcher Nick Adenhart and two other passengers to a hit and run driver.
For more news at any time, just scroll down to the IN OTHER NEWS feature at the bottom of the screen.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
CONSUMER ALERT!
Those wishing to donate to relief efforts for helping the victims of recent Italian earthquakes take heed that there has been at least one confirmed report of a scam to divert funds from those in need to private pockets.
Anyone wishing to contribute to this or any worthy cause are always advised to confirm the authenticity of the organization you are donating to and that the money will go to its intended destination.
Anyone wishing to contribute to this or any worthy cause are always advised to confirm the authenticity of the organization you are donating to and that the money will go to its intended destination.
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