Cartoon Saturday

Accused mass murderer and former Bosnian military commander Ratko Mladic has been arrested after a manhunt lasting more than 15 years; the city of Joplin, Missouri, was largely destroyed by a monster tornado with winds of more than 200 mph; the Chinese government is nearly ready to publish its latest work of historical fiction - a politically and socially tricky history of the Chinese Communist party that seeks to put the best possible face on two of modern history's greatest man-made catastrophes: the "Great Leap Forward" and the "Cultural Revolution;" North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is visiting China for some reason; and the Supreme Court has upheld an Arizona law that imposes harsh penalties on businesses that hire illegal immigrants.

If Mike can celebrate Friday the 13th at random, I can celebrate Cartoon Saturday on Friday. Fair's fair.

We lead off this week with two takes on love in the cyber age ...

and ...

Two takes on singing the blues ...

and ...

You don't usually think of funerals as a subject for cartoons, but sometimes you can find a twist on even the bleakest of events, as these three cartoons demonstrate ...

and ...

and finally ...

When children meet the intersection between traditional and high-tech schooling ...

What your health insurance provider won't tell you until the last minute ...

And we wrap up this week in cartoons with one of the best summaries of economic data I've seen in quite a while ...

Cartoon Saturday is appearing early this week because tomorrow will start early and be a long day as we attend the high school graduation festivities for my nephew and celebrate our annual Memorial Day Weekend Family Mini-Reunion. These relaxing weekends are exhausting ... I'll be ready to go back to work on Tuesday so I can unwind.

Posts may be a little irregular this weekend, but don't despair - things will be back to normal (or as normal as they ever are) soon. Keep your eyes on this space.

Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo