Top Ten Comic Strips from the Sunday Washington Post: The Post-Mother's Day Hangover

Greetings to our blog readers in Algeria, Sweden and the Czech Republic.....


Today, we post our top ten favorite comic strips from today's "Washington Post" which includes a little kid losing a battle with the printer from hell ("Lio"), a kid demanding macaroni and cheese at all costs ("Candorville"), and a stubborn Obi Wan Kenobi (pict. bottom) holding out on the clarinet in an orchestra with other "Star Wars" characters ("The Argyle Sweater"). Perhaps, Benny Goodman, the late clarinetist from yesteryear would be proud.

Other highlights included a millennial female deciding to wear yoga pants for all occasions ("Reply All"), a fabulous drawing of an octopus by James Allen ("Mark Trail") and Scott Santis taking a funny cheap shot at those of us who are progressive ("Prickly City"). The guy who does the right-wing comic strip "Mallard Fillmore" was perhaps quite amused.

Here is our top ten:

1. Candorville http://www.gocomics.com/candorville

2. Lio http://www.gocomics.com/lio

3. The Argyle Sweater

4. Reply All http://www.gocomics.com/replyall

5. Mark Trail

6. Speed Bump

7. Pearls Before Swine

8. WuMo

9. Prickly City

10. Sherman's Lagoon

http://www.washingtonpost.com/comics

http://www.denverpost.com/comics

Sunday Roanoke Times Survey: Doonesbury Brilliantly Satires Dubya

Garry Trudeau hit the high mark in political satire on Mother's Day with "Doonesbury" when he made fun of former president George W. Bush's new painting hobby, which was even the subject of a political story by "New York Times" political beat writer Peter Baker. The punch line of the strip is highly political, and perhaps it will lead to "The Spartanburg Herald Journal" in Spartanburg, South Carolina, dropping the strip (we actually have no idea which strips are in that newspaper). Hence, "Doonesbury" is our comic strip of the week from those published in the Sunday "Roanoke Times" in Roanoke, Va.

"Funky Winkerbean" was a close second with its Starbuck Jones comic book cover series which featured a live octopus. We were unable to find a good image of a live octopus, so we went with this photo of an octopus on a plate in Greece. Our apologies to our good friends at the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland, and the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta (well, we actually don't know a single who works in an aquarium).

Third place goes to "Speed Bump"," which features two dogs sitting on a couch as they watch a cat movie with subtitles. We didn't wan tto violate artist Dave Coverly's copyright, so we decided to go with an image of Cuneyt Arkin, a Turkish '70s action movie icon, which is made funnier with subtitles.

Here is the survey results:

1) "Doonesbury"

2) "Funky Winkerbean"

3) "Speed Bump"

4) "Agnes"

5) "Pearls Before Swine"

6) "Get Fuzzy"

7) "Zits"

8) "Garfield"

9) "Dilbert"

10) "Jump Start"


http://www.doonesbury.com

http://www.funkywinkerbean.com

http://www.speedbump.com

http://www.goupstate.com/

http://www.georgewbushlibrary.smu.edu/

http://www.visitgreece.gr/

http://www.goturkey.com/

http://www.aqua.org/

http://www.georgiaaquarium.org/

http://www.roanoke.com

7 Words in Norwegian (2 of 7): Octopus

Octopus=blekksprut

For 7 Words in Turkish, go to our sister blog "The Daily Vampire:" http://www.nocturnalguy38.blogspot.com

Blogging in 60 Seconds or Less_ the Turkish Word for Octopus is.........

ahtapot........

Javier the Intern (a fictional person) is working diligently for a series of more substantial blog entries this week.

Stay tuned..........hope all is well in El Salvador, Latvia, Malaysia or wherever else you are visiting us from!

Remembering the Newspaper-Restaurant Review

Yesterday while I was watching "Face the Nation," I witnessed former (vice) president Dick Cheney, who always reminds me why I am a Democrat (Nancy Pelosi looks so good by comparison!), taking a dig at Colin Powell.

Perhaps, the two need to have lunch at Siroc, a new establishment on 15th Street in Washington, DC, that was profiled in "The Washington Post Magazine" on May 3, so they can patch their differences.....that is, if anyone can patch their differences with Cheney.

Reviewer Tom Sietsema said Siroc is a place in which upon reading the menu one can sense that there is a chef in the kitchen who wants 'lure you in with familiar food even as he slips in a few surprises.'

That chef is Martin Lackovic, who co-owns the restaurant, and his specialties include octopus salami and handmade pasta. There is also the rabbit sausage dish, which might equally offend both Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig.

Sietsema said he was impressed that Siroc offered many dishes under $25 and a pleasant atmosphere. He said that he was also intrigued to see the place busy on a Monday night.

Siroc is a no-smoking establishment, and they offer valet parking on Fridays and Saturdays. Hmmmmm........I'm not sure many restaurants in Danville, Va., offer octopus salami.