No, not me. The apprentice. He spent much of last night producing some fairly spectacular vomits. I've never witnessed a volcano erupt firsthand but I now have some inkling what standing in front of a pyroclastic flow might be like. And one that contains carrots at that. Where the Hell do those carrots come from anyway? Well, after thoroughly researching the subject, I am able to confirm they are not plonked in there by some demented carrot fairy as is widely believed. The chunky orange bits are actually bits of stomach lining. If you chuck violently enough they will detach from your stomach wall. Yuck.
The apprentice, by the way, is recovering rapidly. Cartoon Network cures everything.
Blogwatch
I've never been a huge fan of modern American political cartooning. Although there's a few standout artists, there's a touch of sameness about the work they produce. Even so, I regularly check out what they're up to via Darryl Cagle's blog. Cagle's recently launched a new political commentary site, combining the best in political cartooning with the best in political op-ed pieces. It's a huge one-stop-shop sort of site well worth checking out if you're into following events, political and otherwise, in the Land of the Free.Have a squiz here.
We have the technology...
I was really hoping the mute button on this thing really worked. It doesn't. Pity.
Wet and wild
Last week's funny one. Flash flooding on several of Darwin's main arterial roads caught just about everybody by surprise, even the crocodiles, which have been turning up outside front doors in the suburbs.
This wet season is turning into one of the biggest the Top End has experienced in a number of years and it's got a way to go yet. Darwin could be facing another cyclone threat later this week as another tropical low tracks north. There's a chance it could move into the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf, where Cyclone Helen formed last month, by mid-week. Or it could go somewhere else.
Cartoon copyright © Northern Territory News. Please don't pinch it.
The smell of success
I don't want to sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet or anything but I'm probably the only metro daily cartoonist in the country who could get away with doing poo jokes two days in a row.
Life is good.
Life is good.
Darth goes to prison
Darwin's disgraced former Lord Mayor, Darth...oops, I'll type that again:
Darwin's disgraced former Lord Mayor Peter Adamson finally bit the bullet today and handed himself in to authorities to start a stint in prison. He was sentenced last September to two months prison for using council money to buy a fridge and $1,800 worth of gift vouchers to purchase goods including a Darth Vader mask and women's underwear. Adamson lost an appeal against his conviction and sentence last Friday.
Adamson's fiancee, who earlier this week insisited that the people of Darwin still loved the former mayor, said "It'll be really sad and I'll miss him but I'll be in Europe for three and a half of those weeks," which is a kind of odd thing to say when you think about it.
Darwin's disgraced former Lord Mayor Peter Adamson finally bit the bullet today and handed himself in to authorities to start a stint in prison. He was sentenced last September to two months prison for using council money to buy a fridge and $1,800 worth of gift vouchers to purchase goods including a Darth Vader mask and women's underwear. Adamson lost an appeal against his conviction and sentence last Friday.
Adamson's fiancee, who earlier this week insisited that the people of Darwin still loved the former mayor, said "It'll be really sad and I'll miss him but I'll be in Europe for three and a half of those weeks," which is a kind of odd thing to say when you think about it.
Sorry, again
My take on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's historic apology to the stolen generations last week.
Cartoon copyright © Northern Territory News. Please don't steal it.
Today the pond, tomorrow the world!
Frogs was a deservedly underrated 1972 eco-horror movie starring a bunch of shifty-eyed frogs and Ray Milland. Milland plays a grumpy, wheelchair bound millionaire who's been too busy polluting his isolated island estate to notice the local wildlife is getting a little fed up. On the night of bad Ray's birthday, with a house full of quarrelsome guests, the frogs decide it's payback time. They start bumping people off, mostly by hopping on them and startling them so much they get lost in the nearby polluted swamp. Or something like that. It's been a long time since I actually saw it. One thing I do remember, though, is the end, when the frogs somehow manage to knock the polluting patriach out of his wheelchair and hop on his face, thereby killing him. It was a pretty bad movie.Anyway, the frogs around here are starting to look a little shifty-eyed too, which reminded me of the movie. We're copping a lot of heavy monsoonal rain right now and the froggies are restless. And noisy. The more I yell at them to shut the hell up the more intense their totally disdainful blank stares become. It's a little unsettling, given what happened to Ray Milland. The frogs may be plotting something, probably in response to my very large carbon footprint. Oh, well. If I croak in the night you'll know who to blame.
The rain, meanwhile, is set to go on for a bit yet and the bureau's keeping an eye on a developing low pressure system over the Cobourg Peninsula, about 150km northeast of Darwin. It's slow moving and may drift into the Timor sea later in the week, so it's going to bother us for a few days yet, along with the frogs.
Bombing anniversary
Darwin's post office after the February 19 raid. Ten post office employees were killed during the attack.
Today marks the 66th anniversary of the first Japanese attack on Darwin during the second world war. Over 240 people were killed in two bombing raids on February 19, 1942. It was the first time Australia itself had been attacked. The Top End suffered 64 bombing raids in all but none were as devastating as the first two. The bombing is commemorated each year with a ceremony on Darwin's esplanade.
The Battle for Australia website
Wiped out...
...by a tooth gone bad. Nothing painkillers, an emergency weekend trip to the dentist, drilling, hammering, cementing and several hundred needles can't take care of. There is now talk of root canals, crowns and bank loans. Oh, well. I knew even as a child I could expect trouble later in life:
Decisions, decisions
From a journalistic point of view some days are better than others. Today is one of the better ones, particularly in the Territory. There's plenty of big news around, which should keep my colleagues on the paper hopping, and happy. For a cartoonist, though, this sometimes presents a bit of a challenge: which story do you tackle? And how?
Some of my options today include...
The formal apology to be delivered to the 'Stolen Generations' by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd tomorrow morning. This is the obvious choice. But I'm not exactly renowned for doing the obvious.
The Territory's Local Government Minister Elliott McAdam quitting after his cabinet colleagues decided to 'tinker' with his local government reform package. The reforms would have seen the creation of nine 'super shires' across the NT. No matter how the government spins it, this'll be seen by many as a major blow to Chief Minister Paul Henderson.
East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta remaining in a critical but stable condition in Royal Darwin Hospital following yesterday's assassination attempt. Ramos-Horta was shot at his home in the capital Dili during what is thought by the ABC to be a botched coup attempt yesterday morning. Australia has responded by sending more troops and police to the troubled nation, something of no little significance for Darwin.
(BTW, over at Club Troppo Ken Parish examines the complexities of the situation with his usual flair.)
Or I could ignore these altogether and do a cartoon on how quickly your underpants go mouldy when the monsoon sets in. Right now I have no idea what I'll do. I guess you'll have to rush out and buy the paper in the morning to discover how things turned out...
Some of my options today include...
The formal apology to be delivered to the 'Stolen Generations' by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd tomorrow morning. This is the obvious choice. But I'm not exactly renowned for doing the obvious.
The Territory's Local Government Minister Elliott McAdam quitting after his cabinet colleagues decided to 'tinker' with his local government reform package. The reforms would have seen the creation of nine 'super shires' across the NT. No matter how the government spins it, this'll be seen by many as a major blow to Chief Minister Paul Henderson.
East Timorese President Jose Ramos-Horta remaining in a critical but stable condition in Royal Darwin Hospital following yesterday's assassination attempt. Ramos-Horta was shot at his home in the capital Dili during what is thought by the ABC to be a botched coup attempt yesterday morning. Australia has responded by sending more troops and police to the troubled nation, something of no little significance for Darwin.
(BTW, over at Club Troppo Ken Parish examines the complexities of the situation with his usual flair.)
Or I could ignore these altogether and do a cartoon on how quickly your underpants go mouldy when the monsoon sets in. Right now I have no idea what I'll do. I guess you'll have to rush out and buy the paper in the morning to discover how things turned out...
Dead funny?
Working back through my files I occassionally come across forgotten cartoons I'm surprised I actually did. And got away with. This one's on the UKs 'House of Horrors', home to serial killers Fred and Rosemary West.
Monsoon back
And it's about time too. Things were getting very hot and steamy around here, and not in a good way. The bureau is expecting shower and storm activity to increase across the Top End over the weekend, bringing temperatures down to a bearable level. Cool bananas.
Exhibition - sneak preview
Regular readers will know that I'm putting together a retrospective-style exhibition to mark my 20th year with the Northern Territory News in August. While I've been lucky enough to score regular cartooning gigs since 1976 this cartoon is the very first one I did as a fulltime editorial cartoonist. It appeared on August 15, 1988. Then opposition leader John Howard was attacked by former PM Malcolm Fraser over comments he'd made about muliculturalism and immigration policy, particularly as it related to Asian immigration. This cartoon will kick off the collection.
The exhibition will open on August 15 in the Great Hall at Parliament House in Darwin. Stay tuned for further details.
This week's funny one
The NT government has launched a $210 000 advertising campaign aimed at luring Swedish backpackers to the Territory. And why not?
Cartoon copyright © Northern Territory News. Please don't pinch it.
Hot stuff
The Territory has just sweated its way through the hottest January ever recorded, with daytime temperatures in Central Australia exceeding 40c for most of the month. It's a sure sign of global warming, say the local weather people.
No boob jobs
Looks like the Alice Springs RSL won't be getting topless barstaff after all. The plan has been scrapped after a public outcry.
Shock treatment
Northern Territory police have been issued with Tasers. The first 74 stun guns have been issued to police stations in Darwin, which has been getting a little rowdy just lately.
Cartoon copyright © Northern Territory News. Please don't pinch it.
Sorry business
With widespread alcohol bans still in force across the Territory it might be difficult for some residents to celebrate the Rudd government's formal apology to the stolen generations.
Cartoon copyright © Northern Territory News. Please don't pinch it.
Boob job
The Alice Springs RSL club has advertised for topless barmaids. They have not advertised for paramedics.
Hello possums
Not much happening around here today which is why I'm posting pictures of possums. Even though we possess two cats our yard is overrun with an abundance of annoying wildlife: lizards, birds, frogs, orange-footed scrub fowl, bluetongue lizards, rats, mice, bats, the occasional snake, spiders, grasshoppers, cicadas and no crocodiles. Despite the absence of crocodiles, our cats are simply not earning their keep. And they are rude to me. Except at dinnertime.
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