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Abe Birnbaum: On Your Mark...
Fifty-six years ago Abe Birnbaum illustrated A. J. Liebling's "Letter from the Olympics" for the New Yorker. The drawing is noteworthy for it's simplicity; you might think it is the product of a few...
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Clifden
After leaving Dublin, we stopped for lunch in Enfield and proceeded to our destination of Clifden in County Galway. Clifden is located on the west coast of Ireland and is the largest town in...
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Did a GEICO Commercial Borrow from a New Yorker Cartoon?
Four months ago, cartoonist Rich Sparks made an auspicious debut in the New Yorker. The idea for this gag is unusually strong because you have to work backwards a bit to figure out what precedes the...
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Sky Road
Sky Road is a scenic loop drive in Galway County, Ireland. Last month we drove out of Clifden along the Atlantic coast, later following the Killary Fjord towards the town of Leenane.Gateway to the...
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An Hour in Westport, County Mayo
Now in County Mayo, we stopped for lunch in the town of Westport. Street parking was permitted for one hour only, and that's how long we stayed.The Carrowbeg RiverMall along the Carrowbeg RiverSt....
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My Entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #531
Here is my entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #531 for August 1, 2016. The drawing is by Will McPhail."Widescreen just isn't us."Note: Last time we had a caption contest, cartoonist Peter...
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Jean-Jacques SempéVaguement Compétitif
Jean-Jacques SempéVaguement CompétitifDenoël 1985Note: Jean-Jacques SempéVaguely Competitive01940
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My Entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #532—Almost
I was quite busy this past week and couldn't manage a single blog post about last month's trip to Ireland. Furthermore, despite having one week more than usual to devise a caption for the New Yorker...
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Lough Eske Castle
Windmills spanned the countryside on our ride up to Donegal Town in Ireland last month. Just off the N15 was our hotel, Lough Eske Castle. The original castle facade is impressive indeed, while guest...
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Donegal Town
Our travels took us to Donegal Town around nightfall on July 12. The town is situated on the River Eske in County Donegal, Ireland.Clar Church or St. Agatha's Church (Roman Catholic)River EskeLow tideA...
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Clontarf Castle, Dublin
We returned to Dublin for the final leg of our Irish journey. The new hotel was once again a converted castle.Clontarf Castle Hotel, DublinThe modern hotel lobby entrance is on the right.The lobby area...
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My Entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #533
Here is my latest entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #533 for August 22, 2016. The drawing is by Joe Dator."I call this Fred's of Paris because Subway is already taken."Note: Last week,...
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Without Compensation or Attribution: The Afterlife of Caption Contest Captions
A copy of the Office Cartoons from The New Yorker 2017 Calendar caught my eye last week in a bookstore. The cover cartoon by David Borchart struck me because it was not originally published as one of...
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Deconstructing Gilligan
By chance the annual conference of the International Society for Humor Studies was held at Trinity College, Dublin about the same time I was in town. Bob Mankoff mentions the Society in the...
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Trinity College, Dublin and the Book of Kells
On my two previous visits to Ireland, I was delighted to visit the Book of Kells at Trinity College, Dublin. But when I stopped in on Sunday July 10, I found an improbably long queue of visitors...
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My Entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #534
Here is my entry in the New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest #534 for August 29, 2016. The drawing is by P. C. Vey."Okay, let's review some marketing basics."September 5, 2016 Update: The FinalistsNote:...
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The Custom House, Dublin
The Custom House remains one of the most picturesque buildings in Dublin.The view from Memorial RoadLion, unicorn, and the Trinity College harpCustom House QuayLiberty Hall and the Custom House from...
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National Museum of Ireland
The Archaeology and History division of the National Museum of Ireland is located in a complex with the Houses of the Oireachtas, the National Parliament. It houses many national treasures, including...
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Ireland: A Few Last Words
Here are a few last words—and names—from my trip to Ireland in July.James Joyce, but not the one you were thinking ofClifden, County GalwayRoad sign in Tubbercurry pointing the way to...
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A Portrait of Harold Ross
A portrait photograph of New Yorker founding editor Harold Ross from a 1927 sitting is offered on eBay for $122 or a best offer. It was taken less than two years after the the New Yorker was first...
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