CARTOON of the DAY: It's a Downriver Miracle!

The News-Herald - November 30

Allen Park Police and Fire Department layoffs rescinded just before the December 1 deadline that was established - and after the passage of the millage earlier this month. But hey, didn't minimum staffing in the collective bargaining agreements prevent the layoffs anyway?
That's the Point!

CARTOON of the DAY: Full-Contact Shopping

The News-Herald - November 27

I didn't do any shopping on "Black Friday," didn't even do any on Saturday or Sunday. My wife and oldest daughter, however, napped after Thanksgiving dinner so they could wade into the fray at midnight. I'll leave the store unidentified (I'm sure the scene was the same everywhere), but the experience they described was far more physical and stressful than any of the football games I watched all weekend (... including Ndamukong Suh's dust-up with Evan Dietrich-Smith!). Full-contact shopping is not my idea of recreation. Besides, I have my own holiday shopping tradition (learned it from my dad) - I go out just before the stores close on Christmas Eve!
That's the Point!

CARTOONS of the DAY: I've Got Plenty to be Thankful For!

The News-Herald - November 23

The Press & Guide - November 23

As Irving Berlin wrote, and Bing Crosby sang, in the 1942 film "Holiday Inn" ... "I've got plenty to be thankful for ..." and I celebrate that every Thanksgiving Day in my cartoons for The News-Herald and The Press & Guide. I'm thankful, especially, for my readers, who welcome my work into their homes every week; and for the wonderful editors and writers at the papers, with whom I collaborate. Without their work, I'd have nothing to cartoon about! (... hey, you could sing that to the same Irving Berlin tune!)

One special note this year: I'm thankful for the help from my daughter Juli Saad, who is studying art at Bishop Foley High School ... she inked my (our!) Press & Guide cartoon this Thanksgiving. Thanks Juli!
That's the Point!

CARTOON of the DAY: Thankful for Detroit

Crain's Detroit Business - November 21

Despite the struggles that the City of Detroit faces, its residents - and all of the greater metro area - should be thankful for all that Detroit means to Southeast Michigan, and to the Midwest U.S. I grew up in Detroit ... Cass Tech Class of '72, Wayne State University ... held my first three jobs in the City, too. Where ever I travel for business or vacationing, I always tell folks I'm from Detroit. This Thanksgiving Day, add "Detroit" to the list of things you're thankful for - for the history it's provided and for the promise that it represents to us all.
That's the Point!

CARTOON of the DAY: Holiday Jingle

The News-Herald - November 16

Sleigh bells aren't the only thing that ring every holiday season - so do cash registers, with area retailers counting on recording up to 75% of their annual income between Thanksgiving and the end of the year. I'm sure the sentiment in this cartoon reflects the "wishes" of every store owner in the metro area.

That's the Point!

Note: This post is the 200th "Pen Points" ... thanks for reading, and thanks for your notes and comments!

CARTOON of the DAY: Good Work From These Goodfellows!

The News-Herald - November 13

Some "early" signs of Christmas annoy me - holiday music on my radio while jack-o-lanterns still sit on neighborhood porches is one. However, it's never too early to see our neighborhood Goodfellows selling special newspapers in their decades-old holiday mission to make sure there's "... No child without a Christmas." (Sidebar from this old newspaper veteran: There will NEVER be an online Goodfellows edition!)
That's the Point!

CARTOON of the DAY: Always in Debt to Our Vets

The Press & Guide - November 9

Each and every one of us owes a debt of thanks to every veteran who has served the United States in every era of history. Keep their service and sacrifice in mind this Veterans Day ... and if you're lucky enough to meet a Vet in person, say "Thank you!"
That's the Point!

CARTOON of the DAY: Voting is Good Exercise

The News-Herald - November 6

I plan to exercise my right to vote on Tuesday, November 8 - at my age it's just about the only exercise I get!
That's the Point!

CARTOONS of the Day: What time IS it?!

The News-Herald November 2

The Press & Guide - November 2

I'm getting too old ... it's just physically dangerous for me to keep up this annual "spring forward, fall back routine," I mean a man my age could break a hip or something!
That's the Point!

CARTOON of the DAY: Signs of Fall

The News-Herald - October 26

Our local politicians and their supporters provide us the most ubiquitous signs (literally) of the fall season. Do they imagine that these eyesores have any impact on how we vote? Well, maybe the do have an impact ... I'm so annoyed by them, that I take note of the names and issues littering my neighborhood lawns and vote the opposite.
That's the Point!