Category: My viewpoiint

TRICKLE-DOWN THEORY…EXPOSED!!

Over the years, I’ve used a character “Mr. Truth”, to explore concepts (often in the insurance industry…) where I thought the powers-that-be seemed to be overlooking the obvious to sell their agendas.  Mr. Truth only can tell the TRUTH…The WHOLE truth!  It didn’t always (translation: never…) make me popular with those in positions of power, but it felt GOOD to be able to point out the disconnect from reality by people making decisions that affect our lives.

Politicians often tout the concept of “Trickle-Down” as the answer to most economic issues.  Now, I have to give them credit where credit is due… From their perspective, being on the other side of the control valve, it IS in THEIR best interest to promote the trickle-down concept.  However, there is a very different way to look at it if you are on the trickle side of the equation…

Think about it… Would Big Oil Companies invest in drilling oil wells if they thought the end result would be a TRICKLE?  (The only time Oil Companies get excited about a trickle is after an oil spill in the Gulf is contained, right?)  Trickle, no matter how BIG you make the print, is still a TRICKLE!  Companies who have a CASH FLOW PROBLEM (translation: cash trickle) tend to cause management-types to panic.  How will they survive if they only get a trickle bonus?!!  Am I making a point, here?

Not all my cartoons were meant to be funny.  I think the reason “Trickle-Down” gets any traction as a viable economic answer is because we, the working class, subconsciously think that if we work hard, some day we will be in a place to benefit from the cash flow side of the equation.  How’s it working for YOU…today?

THE INVISIBLE PHOTOGRAPHER!!

A good photographer is reallly hard to find...

First and foremost, Seth Kaye is a phenomenal photographer!  I had the privilege of meeting him and watching him photograph my daughter’s wedding last summer.  I had seen examples of his work when Kris and her fiance, Tamar, had directed me to his website.  This is NOT your average wedding photographer!  Having done a lot of photography myself, I was excited to get to see him work.

Therein lies the problem… He was invisible!  How does a guy, who takes a lot of pictures in a semi-dark environment (with flash, of course!) remain invisible…?  For starters, wear black… and crouch down a lot!  I was struck by the fact you knew he was there…somewhere, but he seemed to disappear into the crowd.

Later, when I saw the pictures, I was amazed.  He caught me when I WAS LOOKING… and, still didn’t know he took the picture.  This guy is GOOD!

I couldn’t let it go without a cartoon.  I drew this cartoon and sent it to him.  Let the record show, he is not only a world class photographer, he’s a world class guy.  Check him out… He’s not hard to find, just hard to see when he’s working!

DISCOVER THE MAGIC OF RAINBOWS!

Can you BELIEVE IT?  I wrote and illustrated a Children’s Book!  In all humility,   IT’S THE BEST… I’ve written so far.  I have taught cartoon classes for over 35 years and always thought it would be really cool to write a book for kids.  I finally did it!

A friend, Nancy Kroupa,(www.teamkroupa.com), wanted me to do another coloring book about kids eating a rainbow diet of fruits and vegetables. My first coloring book, “UP NORTH WITH TC BEAR”, featured a Northern Michigan fun-loving tourist,  TC BEAR.  Nancy is a National Marketing Director for a  unique product called JUICE PLUS+ (www.annieoxidantjuiceplus.com).  She told me The Juice Plus+ Children’s Health Study (www.Childrenshealthstudy.com) was looking for kid’s educational materials promoting a rainbow diet.

Coloring books have a very limited audience.  The more I thought about it, the idea for a book evolved. I called a good friend of mine, Dr. Jane Oelke, ND, PhD, (www.janeoelke.com) and  asked for advice.  She has a Masters Degree in Nutrition so I asked her, “Why, from a kid’s perspective, should they eat a rainbow of fruit and vegetables?  Or, in a nutshell… What’s in it for them to eat each of the colors?” Jane explained in simple, easy to understand terms, the value of each of the color groups in fruits and vegetables.  That and the concept of whole food became the focus of the book.

Thinking like a cartoonist, I came up with names for the characters that fit the message:  “ANNIE OXIDANT, a little girl that likes rainbows.  “PHYTO” (get it?), her dog.  “BROCK O’LEE”, the friendly farmer.  (Brock is important to the story because we all know FARMERS are FOOD EXPERTS… they’re OUT STANDING IN THEIR FIELDS, so to speak.) The skeptic of the group,  RUDY BAGA, is Annie’s neighbor .

In the story, Annie and Phyto follow a rainbow looking for treasure.  They’re disappointed when it ends at a Produce Stand.  Brock O’Lee explains IT IS THE TREASURE because “You can eat a Rainbow!”  Rudy Baga questions that and the rest of the story is about Brock taking them to the garden and orchard to pick a rainbow of their own as he explains the benefits of each color in both fruit and vegetables.

Needless to say , I’M EXCITED about the book.  It  has been well received since its October, 2010 release. To order it and have it personalized, go to my website: www.bearclausepublications.com .   It sells for $14.00 US.

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