A few weeks ago, during the winter storm blast, I heard a report that some of the blizzards were accompanied by  thunder and lighting. It’s rare, but sometimes does occur.

This served as a reminder as we move into the spring and summer months here in the northern hemisphere.  Thunderstorm season will soon be upon us.

Remember, when a severe thunder and lighting storm rolls through, unplug your computer equipment, including your cable or DSL connection.

Make sure that EVERYTHING is unplugged! Even though you may have unplugged the computer’s power cords, if you leave the cable connection hooked into your system, you’re still at risk from a lighting strike….even miles away. Lighting can travel down that wire and zap your computer.

So, when the weather gets bad and lighting flashes, unplug your computer completely. Also, purchase a good quality surge protector or battery backup. Sometimes storms arise when you’re not home to unplug.

Get Linux.

(Editor’s note: This article by Mark Szorady contains material from a blog post that previously appeared on oneclicklinux.com.  We felt it would be informative here on georgetoon.com.)

I used simple shapes and fun squiggles to create this cartoon.

People tell me that I have a talent for drawing cartoons.  They also go on to tell me that they “can’t draw a straight line!”

I like to  think that anyone can draw cartoons. They only have to break the process down into a few simple steps.  I guess that’s where my real talent lies.  Through years of personal research, exploration, and discovery, I unlocked some simple methods (steps) that help me draw cartoons.

I’ll share them with you now.  Don’t be surprised if they appear to be pretty obvious.

1. Simple Shapes. Cartoons are nothing more than assembled shapes and lines.  Take a look at the drawing of the boat. It’s made up of a half circle and rectangle for the lower boat part and a couple of small rectangles and a triangle for the mast and sail.

2. Don’t draw a straight line. Lines that run crooked or stray one way of the other, just a bit, have more character to them.  Again, take a look at the cartoon. The lines that make up the boat, mast, etc aren’t precisely straight at all.  They are somewhat straight, but they weren’t made straight using a ruler or straight edge.

3. Less is more. You can see this quality in a lot of the great comic strips.  I try to practice it, as well.  The idea is to capture the entire drawing with as few lines as possible.  Laying down a lot of lines over and over just muddies the picture.

Try to create a cartoon using as few lines as possible, but give each of those line a character of its own.  (This can be achieved by varying the thickness of those lines.).  When combined, the lines create an illusion of something larger and more detailed then its smaller pieces.

Look at the rock in the cartoon example. I count ten lines.  One large line (that is thicker than the rest) and about nine lines that act as shading.  With just under a dozen lines, the illusion of a large rock has been created.

4. Have fun with Squiggles. Don’t be afraid to play with squiggly lines and shapes. When used properly they can create clouds, waves on an ocean, water droplets (like in the above example), bushes, snowflakes, etc.

5. Draw, draw, draw! I know it sounds cliche, but it’s really the truth.  Practice makes perfect.  Like anything else, the more you draw the better the cartoonist you’ll become.

They say that, “The pen is mightier than the sword.”

Yeah, well, This is my niece. She has a black belt.  She’s throwing around two swords.

This is the the pen I use to draw my comic strip features and other cartoons.

Even if I’m holding an entire box of pens and Kelly has two swords, who ya gonna mess with?

Yeah, I thought so.

The Superbowl is now one for the history books.  Completed passes, interceptions, touchdowns, field goals, and other notable highlights and stats.   All in all, a really good game. Very competitive and I’m sure a real roller coaster for each team’s  fans.

Then, there are two other “events” of the broadcast that most folks look forward to seeing.  The commercials and the singing of the national anthem.

I enjoyed the commercials this year.  Most made me made me laugh out loud, a  couple caused me to scratch my head, and a few really looked amazing!

And then there’s the National Anthem.  Whatever the sporting event, I look forward to the performance of “The Star Spangled Banner.”

At last night’s Superbowl, our national anthem was performed by  Christina Aguilera. Even before the game ended, it was being reported around the web that Miss Aguilera messed up the lyrics

In addition, her “song styling” was being widely criticized.  In short, many of the comments I read from others felt she butchered the song.

I have to agree.

I’m tired of seeing Hollywood recording “artists,” who can’t carry  a tune in a bucket, repeatedly ruin “The Star Spangled Banner.”   They run scales, screech, bellow, and holler their way through it.  I’m continually disappointed.

Well, here’s how to fix it.  Consider this an open memo to the NFL, Major League Baseball and all other professional sports leagues.

Do away with the Hollywood star performances.  We all know they’re only there for one reason.  To promote their careers, album, television show, or motion picture. The singing of the national anthem is not a gig, stint, appearance, or session. It is an HONOR. It’s even defined and stated as such when the singer is being introduced.   “To honor America, please welcome…”

So, let’s give this honor to those Americans who really understand what honor is.  The men and women serving in our armed forces.

The NFL (and other sports organizations) should make it a policy to only allow members of the armed services to perform the national anthem. Our military can certainly find qualified singers and performers who are more than capable.

Not only will our military heroes do a better  job singing the national anthem, they’ll certainly interpret the song correctly knowing first hand its deeper meaning.

And why not, for once, give this singular spotlight to those who are prepared to make the supreme sacrifice for our freedom. They fight for our right to sing this song openly and freely.   They should be given this stage at every sporting event across this great land or ours.

So, I challenge the NFL, MLB,  NBA,and other sports organizations to give the honor of singing “The Star Spangled Banner” to those who understand and  know best its words, music, history, and duty.

President Ronald Reagan would have been 100 years old today. During his presidency, the one thing that really endeared him to his fellow Americans was his wonderful sense of humor.

I found the above compilation on youtube. Thanks to “Videowayback” for posting it.

Happy birthday, Mr. President.