On Halloween Fashion Sense Celebrates Bats

Along with bees, bats are increasingly endangered and very important pollinators. Halloween is a great time to celebrate them and get rid of all our prejudices and misconceptions. [Click on the above image to view a larger version of this cartoon. The text reads: 'I was out with my binoculars a little before dark on Halloween, trying to spot an owl I thought I heard, when a bat began to flutter around my head, which I admit freaked me out a little, and the bat was, like, Why do people find bats so repulsive? and I said, "Um, I don't know. Bats fly at night, and they don't have feathers on their wings like birds do, and they make strange noises," and the bat was, like, The same things could be said about a commercial jet on a redeye flight. No, I think people see animals as either good and cute or bad and ugly, and bats are definitely in the latter category, and I said, "Bats must be at least a little bit attractive to us because we love Batman, who tries to look and act like a bat," and the bat was, like, Yeah, I did hear that the latest Batman release -- The Dark Knight -- did very well at the box office, and I said, "I saw a list of Top-Earning Dead Celebrities in Forbes, and the recently deceased actor who played the Joker in that movie came out in third place," and the bat was, like, So who was the first-place top dead celebrity earner? and I said, "Elvis, and weirdly enough, Albert Einstein was number four on the list," and the bat was, like, Is it true that Einstein once said that if there are no more bees there will be no more humans in four years? And I said, "According to what I've read, that quote is apocryphal," and the bat was, like, Since, bats are disappearing, too, and we're important pollinators, why are there no apocryphal Einstein quotes about bats? and I said, "I don't know," and the bat was, like, "Endangered species can be worth saving even if humans don't think they're cute, and as it flew off, I called after it, "Don't forget to look at all the cool, creepy bat decorations tonight.”']

Fashion Sense Comments on the Return of Gordon Gekko

There's going to be a sequel to Wall Street. Will Gordon Gekko still think "Greed is good?" [Click on the above image for a larger version of this cartoon. The text reads: 'My cousin Tiffany called and asked if I wanted to come to her Coalition of Women in Business luncheon, and I said, "Thanks but I don't have a business," and she said, "Well, the speaker is going to talk about the credit crunch and explain why the government is nationalizing the banks. I remembered that you're a socialist, so I thought you might be interested," and I said, "What makes you think I'm a socialist?" and she said, "You were such a radical back in the 80s," and I said, "I was a Vegetarian Skateboarder for Social Responsibility. And I did have friends that were socialists," and she said, "I remember when we saw 'Wall Street,' and you went on and on about how much you despised Gordon Gekko," and I said, "First of all, I don't like Michael Douglas. And secondly, I think you're supposed to dislike a character who says, 'Greed is good,'" and she said, "And you called the Wall Street brokers a bunch of dirty rats," and I said, "I doubt that I called them dirty rats, Tiff. You know I keep rats as pets," and she said, "Ugh. Please don't bring your rats to the luncheon. Maybe you called the brokers fat cats. Anyway you used to be pretty radical," and I said, "I heard they're going to make a sequel to Wall Street and continue Gordon Gekko's story in the current financial crisis," and she said, "OK, but do you want to go to the luncheon or not?" and I said, "Do they have a vegetarian option?" and she said, "I'm sure you can get a salad," and I said, "OK. I'll come. After all, Gordon Gekko said 'Lunch is for wimps,'" and she said, "Honestly, I think you're even more baffling than the economy is."']

Fashion Sense Tries to Make Sense of Sarah Palin Again

This is the third time Fashion Sense has commented on Sarah Palin, this time using Matt Damon's comment that a Palin presidency would be like a bad and terrifying Disney movie. [Click on the above image for a larger version of this cartoon. The text reads: 'I took Peanut to a primate rescue center because he really wasn’t very happy, and I rented a couple old Disney movies to make myself feel better, and I invited Ceci to come over and watch them with me, and she brought us some organic popcorn, and we enjoyed the show, and after the movies were over, we watched a little of the news, and Ceci said, "Remember when Matt Damon said the terrifying possibility of Sarah Palin becoming president is like a bad Disney movie called The Hockey Mom? " and I said, "Yeah, but I think Palin's whole life is like a bunch of different Disney movies -- she's always smiling like Pollyanna, but she's less truthful than Pinnochio," and she said, "I just read that she's distantly related to Princess Diana and she's definitely been raised suddenly and unexpectedly above her station in life, so we can throw in The Princess Diaries," and I said, "And she's as callous toward wild animals as the cruel hunter that killed Bambi's mother," and Ceci said, "Should we mention Dumbo?" and I said, "Better not. She'd only hunt him down," and she said, "What about Dinosaurs?" and I said, "No. That movie offended fundamentalists who don't accept the theory of evolution. Palin thinks they should teach creationism in the schools," and she said, “And Palin’s attitude toward the environment, if she became president, would lead us to the devastated future Earth depicted in WALL-E. I mean, wouldn't it?" and I said, "You betcha," but I wasn't smiling or winking when I said it.']

Fashion Sense Empathizes with Victims of the Housing Crisis

Fashion Sense says Main Street (i.e., where people are in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure) deserves to be bailed out more than Wall Street does. However, now is the time to consider other options besides home ownership -- even for Ed McMahon. [You can see an animated version of this cartoon on Alice's website. Click on the above image for a larger version of this cartoon. The text reads: 'I was at the pond today borrowing leeches for my leech therapy business, and then when I was on my way to get some cash, my sister the realtor called, and she said, "I have a great deal for you," and I said, "I don't want to buy a house," and she said, "It's perfect for a trendy person like you," and I said, "You mean you're desperate to unload it," and she said, "Donald Trump says now is a great time to buy a house," and I said, "I work at a cruelty-free body-care store, and I have a part-time leech therapy business. I'm not ready to buy a house," and she said, "It's the American dream," and I said, "I don't want the responsibility or the extra work," and she said, "Don't you want to be respectable?" and I said, "Respectable like Ed McMahon, willing to rap for FreeCreditReport.com after he lost his house?" and she said, "Do you really want to be a loser in an apartment all your life?" and I said, "During the housing bubble developers destroyed farmland and wildland so people could invest in second and third homes; even if I could get a loan, I don't want any part of that," and she said, "Leeches are disgusting," and I said, "The real leeches are on Wall Street," and she said, "Can I borrow $100?" and I said, "I can even let you have it at sub-prime rates," and she said, "I don't think that's very funny," but she's going to come over to my place tonight to get a loan and a free leech therapy treatment.']