I watched part of the White House Christmas Special that Oprah put on, with my renewed interest in smoggy, buggy, busy Washington, now that I have to DRAW it. I need more pictures and details, to draw it. I can’t tell you how many school trips and family trips we had to Wash DC. Then there was that drug deal gone bad…nah, that’s a little personal, but just let me say that the slums in Washington DC are truly gross. But I can’t remember what the inside of the WH looks like, now that I need it!

Anyway, back to Christmas! I’ve been studying what the layout is of the White House, trying to see the furniture properly, which apparently changes with each new King and Queen. The Christmas tree shown on Oprah’s special took days to decorate, with dozens of volunteers. It was beautiful. I guess it stuck in my mind,  and that’s how this Christmas tree popped out.

Did President Obama really do a lot at the Copenhagen Climate talks? Besidess show up, I mean?

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[Updated] The Palm Beach Post describes Ivana Trump as a First Class pain and a Palm Beach jet-setter, “whom you’d think would fly private,” in the very first sentence.

Ms. Trump is obviously already guilty. I mean she’s rich, right?

The way a spokeswoman with the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office puts it, the departing jet’s pilot called deputies about 2:30 p.m. because of a foul-mouthed and unruly passenger in seat 1C, in first class.

When the lawmen arrived, they discovered the abusive passenger was the well-known socialite. They described her as “belligerent” and “aggravating.”

According to PBSO, Trump first was unhappy about her seat. Flight attendants offered her another, and headphones, to calm her down. But then Trump became more frustrated when children started running up and down the aisle while screaming.

Oh, big damn deal. I would have complained about those bratty kids and the ignorant loser parents, too.

The incident comes as airports throughout the world are tightening security measures after an alleged terrorist tried to set off a bomb on a Northwest Airlines flight on Christmas Day near Detroit.

Seriously. The airlines are going to compare their scaredy cat, ineffectual stewardesses flight attendants hearing the f-word, to a terrorist carrying a bomb?

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Here’s a cartoon about Obama’s blue jeans.

I read something about the frou-ha-ha – something about Obama’s blue jeans not being fashionable.

From USA Today:

Fashion bloggers have been, to borrow Obama’s word, “cracking” on the jeans he wore last Tuesday to toss out the first pitch at baseball’s All-Star Game.

“For those of you who, you know, want your president to, you know, look great in his tight jeans — I’m sorry, I’m not the guy,” Obama told Meredith Viera of NBC’s Today show.

First of all, I never heard of the word cracking.  Is that black vernacular? Chicago lingo? The link goes to the Chicago Tribune. Read more »

I’ve been doing Slate editorial cartoons for a year now, and most of my best ideas still come from the hardcopy newspaper. I get the LA Times delivered Thurs, Fri, Sat and Sun, for some very low price. (I miss the Weds food, though!) Newspapers are dirty, and take space in an apartment, and aren’t as much fun as a book or TV. But damned if I don’t find interesting, important, informative info that I really need and enjoy, all the time.

It’s been a cliche for a few years now – everyone online loves to write how they never read a real newspaper anymore. Like this is something rare, unusual, and quite cool. They have Twitter, all the news websites, social media, etc. Yeah, we get it.

I’m all for saving time and taking shortcuts. And when I don’t have an idea for my next Slate cartoon, I cruise right on over to the New York Times, Washington Post, and usually, but not always, the LA Times. I also just go to Yahoo News when I want to see who is covering a particular area I have in mind, or LA Observed for media stuff.

But papers are better. Since I now mine news both online and in the paper, I’ve decided that reading the hardcopy paper is like getting a Bachelor of Arts instead of a Bachelor of Science – it makes for a more well-rounded, educated, interesting person!

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They’ve been rounding up guns in Los Angeles recently, some with bullets included. And people think we just play volleyball on the beach!

From the LA Times:

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department took in a record haul of firearms this year through its Gifts for Guns program, an annual event in Compton that allows people to anonymously turn in firearms in exchange for $100 gift cards at Target, Best Buy or Ralphs supermarkets.

Over the last two weekends, deputies collected 965 weapons and distributed more than $95,000 in gift cards, deputies said. That far surpassed last year’s total of 387 guns. Deputies speculate that the shrinking economy may be behind the rise in participation.

In past years, Target and Best Buy cards were the most coveted, Woods said.

But this year, the supermarket cards were the most popular.

Don’t you love the title of this program? Gifts for guns. Like, make this a Christmas, holiday tradition. Or, you could wrap your guns in pretty paper.

Cartoon caption: The Mayor has asked that volunteers turn in all red meat. No questions asked. In other news, the city is offering a barbecue tonight. The poor and omnivorous are invited.

This cartoon has several levels. Obviously, I substituted meat for guns, as meat is always getting a bum rap in health news. (which it deserves, I guess, although I think some people do need meat.) But then there’s the sneak Mayor, trying to get in good with voters by giving it out the other door to the poor. Who cares if they eat meat and die sooner, right?

So…welfare, anyone? Isn’t this how every city works? Take from those who have meat and give it to people who just eat Twinkies.

PS, Remember that Bill Murray movie where the flower lady mournfully wails, turn in your dead? I forget the name.