Cartoon Saturday, and an Announcement

Before we get started with the usual Cartoon Saturday nonsense, I wanted to let you know that I have  decided to make a few changes in my schedule so that I can get some things done that I've been otherwise neglecting. Starting on Monday, January 14th, I will only make regularly scheduled posts to my blog on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. This will allow me to use my early morning time on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to do other things I've been putting off, like getting some exercise. I'll continue to post on the other days as time permits, but routine updates will only be on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. Don't give up on me ...

And now for the week that was ...

President Obama has nominated Jack Lew to be his new Treasury Secretary ... as expected, Republican Senators are violently opposed, citing Mr Lew's illegible signature because it was as good as anything else to object to; for the first time since 1996, no players have been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame; the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft will undergo a comprehensive review of its design and safety record as a result of several recent mechanical problems; the National Rifle Association is drumming up support for a major fight against whatever recommendations come out of the study on gun violence chaired by Vice President Biden*; and France has sent troops to the African nation of Mali to help fight al-Qaeda backed rebel force.

2013 grinds on ... let's have some cartoons to help ease the pain.

The march of technology has even caught up to our pets ...

Forget about the trillion-dollar coin scam ... here's the real way to fix the budget crisis ...

We all have our own financial crises ...

Sometimes, there's an upside to the high cost of health care ...

Parker Brothers, the manufacturer of the popular board game Monopoly, has announced that it will replace one of the traditional game pieces with a new one as chosen by the public in a vote on several possibilities. Mad Magazine has a few suggestions that should have been part of the voting ...

And while we're talking about new game pieces, how about updating some of the traditional figures used on a chess board ...

You have to be careful of your opponent when preparing for major negotiations ...

Time and gravity often have their effect on our clothing selections ...

It seems that the old adage is true ...

And finally, it's distressing how quickly children grow up nowadays ...

And that's it for this week's edition of Cartoon Saturday.

The weather outside my study window is cold, drizzly, and foggy ... a great morning to go back to bed and pull the covers over my head. I hope the weather is better where you are, and that you'll have a good weekend either because of or in spite of it.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

* I think I have the solution to the gun violence problem: the President should issue an executive order mandating that every US citizen over the age of ten be required to purchase at least two handguns and an assault rifle with a high capacity magazine, equip all three with silencers, and carry them at all times. The far right, being hysterically opposed to anything the President says, will immediately oppose the measure as a brazen overreach of presidential authority, and will get rid of all guns out of spite. Problem solved! You're welcome.