Yes, pandas have become a part of every day life in Washington DC!
Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda
Pay no attention to those reports of Ling Ling biting one of her keepers! I’m sure it was just a little panda nip!
There is a side by side video that is making the rounds on Twitter. In one video, Ted Cruz is asking a condescending question of our newest (and most qualified) SCOTUS Justice. In the accompanying video, he is asking the previous nominee the most soft ball question anyone has probably ever asked a SCOTUS nominee: “Do you play a musical instrument?” Yes, that’s what he asked.
At first I was enraged by the insulting question asked by Cruz of Judge Brown Jackson. It was asked specifically to demean and degrade someone who was a classmate at Harvard Law School, as well as a nominee for the highest court in the country. The disrespect was palpable. But as I thought more about the juxtaposition of the two videos, I also realize that Cruz disrespected Amy Coney Barrett as well. By asking such a stupid, trivial question of her, he was showing his contempt for her as well. I certainly don’t agree with Coney Barrett’s philosophy or her religious views, but as a SCOTUS nominee she is owed the respect of being asked difficult and relevant questions.
The republican senators took it on themselves to try to put Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson “in her place” by treating her with disrespect. But all they did was prove to the world how out of place and ill-qualified they are to govern, themselves. They proved to the world their bigotry and small mindedness.
Congratulations to Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. May you serve justice for many years.
Be the Bear
Bob T Panda
I sure hope Bikkie doesn’t decide to stow away on Frank, Hank, and Mikey’s summer trip to the ancestral homestead!
Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda
Yes, I know that Mr Wu is not an SNZ Panda, but he is related through his mom and Papa Tian Tian, who are half siblings!
Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda
tappity tappity tappity
Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda
I think I see some trouble ahead…
Be the Bear
Bob T Panda
Yesterday one of my pandemic ‘toons popped up in someone’s time line, so I thought I would revisit the pandas experience of the Panda-demic.
There is always excitement in store when Six and Sebben show up. Mei must have been desperate to suggest this. I bet she won’t make that mistake again!
I just sent a check for $500 off to the Whatcom Humane Society, thanks to everyone who ordered a felty support kitty! There are still 6 more available, so check out the Felties Revisited page for information on ordering!
Till Tuesday (when I WILL have a new ‘toon)
Be the Bear!
Bob T Panda
I’m afraid this is one of those weeks when time got away from me, so there is no new ‘toon today.
Be the Bear
Bob T Panda
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 Swap and 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!
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
I just came home from a small memorial gathering for a friend who died earlier this year. He was a sweet man who definitely should not have gotten cancer and died, because he was one of the nicest men I ever met, and his wife is a lovely person who did not deserve to lose her best friend.
As you might imagine, I have quite a list of people who definitely would not be missed should they vanish from the face of the earth. I suspect you could guess who at least some of those people are. I suppose it is not very charitable of me to have this list, but after the last 5 years, I am not concerned with the justice or fairness of my list.
It’s hard not to think about justice or fairness when you watch even a little bit of the hearings for the SCOTUS nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson. I admit to wishing that a piano might fall on the head of some of her interrogators. Why is it that an eminently qualified and compassionate individual like Judge Brown Jackson should be rudely condescended to by people who have less integrity than something I scraped off my shoe? To quote (with a slight paraphrase) the SNL parody of the Justice Beer Keg hearing, “You give her a damn robe and let her do what ever she wants, and put her on the court NOW!!!”
I hope that when she returned home each day from this circus, that she was met at the door by her husband and daughters, with a pitcher of martinis, confetti and balloons, and a stack of plates to smash on the back patio. I will be so proud when she takes her place on the court.
I’m about to send a nice big check to the Whatcom County Humane Society because you, the panda (and cat!) fans have supported my Felty Cats for Actual Cats project. Thank you for all who have chosen a little felty companion (and helped to make a little more space on the windmills in my felty studio). I still have 10 kitties left if you were waiting (for some reason). If you order before the end of March, you will get an extra surprise!
Be the Bear! (or cat)
Bob T Panda