Consistent Inconsistency

Trump is okay with North Korea having nuclear weapons. So, he’s punishing South Korea for not getting involved with Iran seeking nuclear weapons and, in the process, doing exactly what Kim Jong Un wants.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon on Sunday to scale back planned joint military exercises with South Korea, saying it declined to help denuclearize Iran and citing his good relationship with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.

https://apnews.com/article/korea-trump-military-exercises-ae21e0af5ea16f0a74e9a176b3cc2136

Trump said in a social media post that the exercises slated to begin this week are not only costly but “send a signal that is totally inappropriate and hostile” to North Korea, which he said “has been unthreatening and respectful” while Trump has been in the White House.

As always, he’s President Opposite. He’s the one who is now sending the wrong signal. Not only to North Korea, but the entire world.

Post-NCS Post

The Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum, at Ohio State University in Columbus, is a must-visit for anyone interested in any and all genres of cartooning.

NCS attendees took an OSU bus from the hotel to the Bill Ireland. This brought to mind very happy memories of a field trip to see New York art museums I once took in college with Marion, my girlfriend at the time, and Barbara Harris, our Art History instructor at Westfield State.

Last Saturday in the auditorium, Colleen Doran told the story of her lifelong devotion to being a comics creator and artist.

When Colleen detailed her Pre-Raphaelite artistic influences, I felt as though I was back in Art History class with Ms. Harris, as we called her at the time. I am very pleased to own one of Barbara’s excellent paintings.

I also proudly own this painting by Colleen. It’s an outstanding work that is worth far more than what I paid her many years ago.

Cover painting to ‘The Aria’, Book 3 of ‘A Distant Soil’, by Colleen Doran

The Billy Ireland’s galleries aren’t huge, but they’re packed with visual delights. Samples of Bill Waterson’s original art for Calvin & Hobbes are prominently displayed.

The museum has curated a touring Calvin & Hobbes exhibit, that will be presented later this year at the Norman Rockwell Museum, here in Massachusetts.

The New England Chapter of the NCS is planning a field trip to the museum to see the C&H exhibit. There are more happy memories to be made!

To wrap up, here is an interactive PDF of the National Cartoonists Society program book from last week’s conference and awards dinner. As you will see on page 3, Colleen is now the NCS Treasurer.

https://www.flipbookpdf.net/web/site/51ff6ed59f2753c2c5323c206e3270578d53aa57FBP29703983.pdf.html

Dark Pink

For the second time, I have enjoyed seeing and hearing the fantastic ‘Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon – Official Planetarium Show’ at this venue.

I wasn’t able to confirm the model(s) of the two video projectors, but they’re the JVC DLA-NZ9 and/or the newer NZ900 model. Special lenses are used to fill the image across the huge dome ceiling.

The audio quality was just as good as the image, and easily the best I have ever heard playing The Dark Side of the Moon. An album that was released — ulp! — just as I was about to graduate from high schoool.

The sound was effortlessly loud and completely free of harshness in the way that professional grade systems can be. The bass was massively powerful and deep, with no breakup whatsoever. Such an audio/video treat!