It's official--it IS obesity week on Mallard Fillmore

My favorite part of the strip is Bruce Tinsley's attempt to make up for his poor citation skills (come on, at least a date!), he tells us to just "Google 'dog eating'". Alas, there was nothing about rising dog meat consumption in China in the pages of search results that I looked through before, being afflicted with ADD, I got bored and decided to play Tetris instead.

I do have to admit that there have been less helpful internet pointers than Tinsley's.

Gee Bruce, even people who provide lame useless citations do it funnier than you. Oh yeah, Jack Elrod's better at drawing ducks too.

Be a glutton for punishment: Read the strip

Freedom is on the march (offer not valid in China)

The rant about childhood obesity in China continues. And I have to admit that Bruce is right that the Chinese almost certainly did import the problem from us. In fact, when I was doing some of the initial research for yesterday's commentary, I found that we've apparently been quite successful in exporting the problem to large portions of the world. Basic rule: The more Americanized a country's food system is, the more obesity becomes a problem. We've even got the French.

But I do think Bruce is wrong on the rest of it. I think the Chinese have settled on American-style democracy and human rights.

Be a glutton for punishment: Read the strip

PC? That's so 1992

I was in college during the rise of the concept of political correctness, for the few years before the term had changed in meaning from "language that's not racist, sexist, or otherwise offensive" to "anything that Rush Limbaugh disagrees with and why can't we just go back to the days of minstrel shows anyway because they were harmless fun". So, I feel qualified to say that using Rex Morgan to play an asian kid would in fact be far less PC than would drawing the asian kid. That is, assuming that you can draw the asian kid at all, which, as we know from the long hard experience of reading MF, is a dangerous assumption to make about Tinsley's artistic abilities.

But if Tinsley had anything funny to say about childhood obesity in China, then a depiction of an asian youth would not be viewed with outrage (although part of that would be shock at people reading a MF with a joke in it), so Bruce, get over yourself.

So I'm guessing that this is going to be fat week. I suppose I should start researching some solid stuff about nutrition. Or I could just tell you to read this book.

Be a glutton for punishment: Read the strip