Hoo Boy, the hearings are must watch TV, if I do say so myself. New s**t is coming to life, floating like a little tu*d to the surface of the crystal blue swimming pool.
As I watched the hearings, I was struck once again by the realization that the damage from TFG’s Big Lie was magnified exponentially by all the people who know better either promoted the lie themselves, or did not squash it like a bug by not admitting it was a lie when they went on news shows or in interviews.
I was inspired to make an educational flow chart, for your edification:
Let this be a reminder that repeating something you either know is not true, or is something you are not sure of, but everyone else is saying it, is the surest way for us to fall into the hands of fascism. I am talking not only about the Big Lie, but also the idea that “the presidential party always loses the house/senate in the mid terms.” That is only true if we don’t vote.
Don’t let half truths and despair get the better of you.
Local elections and state elections matter too. The GOP is running people for Secretary of State and other positions that have authority over a state’s vote counting. Don’t let them win.
I thought you might need a visit with America’s favorite bears, Frank and Mikey, as an antidote to this weeks January 6th Hearings.
I’m watching the hearings on replay, in case I need to switch over to panda cams or fishing bear cams to calm down a bit, between revelations. No wonder I’m so stressed out!
I’ve been listening to the hearing as I feverishly finish my last painting for my upcoming painting show! All I can say is… THEY DID IT! THEY DID IT! I feel like this is rather a hair on fire kind of moment.
I think Bikkie thinks it is too.
Keep listening to the hearings, check your voter registration and VOTE.
A big thanks and a couple of cuppycakes to my faithful friends and readers, who send me nooz stories of bears behaving badly! Apparently a bear had to be rescued from a California amusement park. Thanks for the valuable* tip! (*No actual monetary value)
Has anyone seen Frank and Mikey around?
And who among us can resist that pink cotton candy that proliferated at amusement parks and county fairs?
It’s now official. A book written by Beth Bacon and illustrated by yours truly will be released on September 6, but you can pre-order it now via Amazon. It’s called The Panda Cub Swapand it’s all about the birth of the first twin pandas born in the US who lived to young adulthood, Mei Lun and Mei Huan of Zoo Atlanta.
This book took almost 8 years to come into being. I met Beth through working on Pandamorphosis, and while the publisher she was working on at the time kind of crashed and burned, and did not ultimately participate in publishing Pandamorphosis, she helped to shape the book and we connected through our interest in writing for kids.
Fast forward a few years from working on Pandamorphosis. Beth was completing an MFA in writing for children at Vermont College of Fine Art. She needed a project, and she suggested we collaborate on a picture book, which hopefully we would be able to interest an agent or publisher. I suggested the story of Mei Lun and Mei Huan (aka the Meihems) since they were the first surviving twins born in the US and we were off to the races.
Well, if you think things are going to happen quickly and easily in publishing, you are going to be disappointed. The project had various moments of interest, then rejections, and we each got busy with other projects and put it aside. Sad, because we thought it could be a beautiful book, but there is a lot of “oh well, what might have been,” in publishing.
About 2 years ago, Beth called me and said she wanted to self publish the book and could she hire me to do the illustrations. I had some sketches from the early drafts, but really had to start from scratch other than the source photos that I had already saved. In the end, she decided to try once more to find a publisher who would be interested in the project and she finally did.
This was such a fun book to work on. She had lots of communication with the panda keepers at Zoo Atlanta, so that the story she told was accurate. I got to draw pandas! I know September seems like a long time to wait, but it will go faster than you think. Meanwhile, pre-orders really help to get the book more notice in a crowded field of children’s book, and help the publisher make a larger first printing. Over the months while we wait, I will occasionally tease you with an image for the book!
So let’s start with the cover:
But what about today’s ‘toon?!?!?!?!
Remember I said something about presents from the universe? There was this story on the mid week edition of Wait Wait, Don’t Tell Me about a job posting for a Grizzly Bear Conflict Manager in Montana. Doesn’t that sound like the perfect job for Frank and Mikey? (MX: yes! It sounds perfect! Can I help you pack?)
Well, that’s all we have time for today! Alas, I think this job listing has already closed, but if Frank and Mikey are on the job, I’m sure there will be another opening *soon*!
Be the Bear! Buy my book!* Bob T Panda
okay, technically, it is Beth’s book, but I made the pictures!
BTW there are only 5 felty kitties remaining! See the Felties revisited page for all the details on ordering. If I’ve already made contact with you, your kitty is already reserved!
