8.31.2006

Fan Art!



Not "Mr. Miro" cartoons per se, but certainly in the spirit of Miro; and perhaps Paul Klee as well.
I hear there's more fan art on the way... perhaps tomorrow!

8.28.2006

My head floated down the river...

"still singing, and came to rest on the isle of Lesbos." Yep, that's me.













Orpheus

0% Extroversion, 100% Intuition, 72% Emotiveness, 76% Perceptiveness

You are an artist, an aesthete, a sensitive, and someone who has never
really let go of that childlike innocence. To you, all of life has a
sense of wonder in it, and the story of Orpheus was written about
someone just like you.


When the Argo passed the island of the Sirens, Orpheus played
a song more beautiful than the Sirens to prevent the crew from becoming
enticed. When his wife died, he ventured into the underworld to charm
Hades but, in his naivete, he looked back becoming trapped there.


You can capture your unique world view and relate it to others
with the skill of a master storyteller. Your sensitivity and creativity
make you a treasure to the human race, but your thin-skinned nature and
innocence can cause you a lot of disenchantment and pain. What's doubly
unfortunate is that, if you try to lose those traits, you never will,
and everyone will be able to tell that you're putting up an artificial
shell to prevent yourself from being hurt.



Famous people like you: Hemingway, Shakespeare, Mr. Rogers, Melville, Nick Tosches

Stay clear of: Icarus, Hermes, Atlas










Link: The Greek Mythology Personality Test written by Aleph_Nine on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

8.24.2006

"No Title"


I've forgotten what I was going to write today, but I doubt that it matters: the cartoon is almost always the best part of this blog. That may not be saying much, of course.
Actually, I've been thinking a lot about religion and American culture: it's an overwhelming topic, and there are many ways to approach it. Last night I was particularly thinking about Richard Gere's monologue in "Shall we Dance?" as well as Curly's "meaning of life" in "City Slickers." I was also thinking about the lack of a theology in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (there's plenty of mythology there, but it's all based around vampires--of course--and elements such as the cross, death and rebirth, and the incarnation of an eternal energy all play merely functional roles, rather than relating any of the characters to a Higher Power or Ultimate Concern) and the way "Joan of Arcadia" fizzled at the end. A few weeks ago it occurred to me that the only reference in "Syriana" to religion was the young Muslim man who becomes a terrorist, despite the various moral struggles each of the other (white) characters goes through: there is no appeal or reference to God, any church, or any kind of spirituality that might help them to make the right (or at least justify the wrong) decision. Jennifer Aniston's "The Good Girl" at least mentions religion, but it's a threat rather than a help: she knows she's doing the wrong thing throughout most of the movie, but she never connects her struggles to... well, the same list I just mentioned.
Sorry I haven't provided any links to the various movies; I think they're all worth seeing, but maybe not all tonight. I'd certainly welcome any feedback on these or other movies.

8.18.2006

Sixth day


I remember Mike Carter getting really irritated back in high school when I compared Christianity to other religions (particularly the Greek and Norse myths). Mike, if you're out there, this cartoon is for you.
And although I don't make a habit of reading random blogs (well, besides Pieces of Flair), I thought this was particularly amusing. Although I suppose I ought to include an apology to Jeffrey.

8.17.2006

Boffed


It's not my intention to be a shill for Amazon, but I figure this cartoon needs some explanation: Leonardo Boff wrote a book, Jesus Christ Liberator, which is very repetitive; and Leo's fellow Brazilian Antonio Carlos Jobim wrote a song called "Samba de Uma Nota Só," the most popular recording of which was made by saxophonist Stan Getz.
Seems a bit pedantic for a Thursday morning cartoon, but you get what you pay for.

8.16.2006

Free will


Blame it on the badger, but here's some more on free will:
People who claim we have free will describe it as the ability to "do otherwise." This can mean a variety of things. For instance, Sartre focuses on attitude; another approach would be to simply look at the possibility of choices based on facts about the world, e.g., I had oatmeal for breakfast this morning but I could have had eggs and toast (because there were eggs in the refrigerator, we had bread, the power was on, etc.)
The people who claim we have free will ask for more: I could have done otherwise in precisely the same circumstances. What is typically meant by this is not merely what's in my refrigerator, but in terms of my mentals state, i.e., my wants and desires. Now, why in the world would I even want the possibility of going into my kitchen, desire oatmeal for breakfast, see that it is available, and still have eggs and toast?
This concludes the critique of free will. I'll have to save the positive portion for another day.

8.14.2006

I always suspected...


I am an imaginary number
1i
I don't really exist

_

what number are you?

this quiz by orsa

Curious

I drew this cartoon a year and a half ago, and didn't think it would ever see the light of a computer screen... but yesterday at the end of worship, a young woman actually described herself as "curious about Quakers."
And since no one responded to my last guessing game, here's a new (and profoundly easy) one: for very gay mystic did I draw this cartoon?

8.11.2006

This is a quote...

I'll let you figure out who it was about, and who said it.

8.09.2006

More just cartoons




It's not that I don't have anything to say...
but I guess I don't know how to end that sentence.