Not Funny

This cartoon is considerably more creepy than what is normally published in the New Yorker. It was sort of unfortunate that I read it the morning after I saw this story.

And while I'm at it, this cartoon isn't funny at all. I don't know what it is about prison rape that sends people into fits of giggles, but you'd think the editors of the New Yorker would have better taste than that. Making fun of Polish names? "We just don't publish that kind of thing." But, condemning American citizens to serial rape? That's comedy gold.

Marty Markowitz

Marty Markowitz is a pretty cool guy. For those of you who might not have heard of him because you're not from Brooklyn, he's the Borough President. For those of you who might not have heard of him even though you're from Brooklyn, he's your Borough President. This is a pretty sweet article about a Valentines Day dinner he hosted for couples married for over 50 years at the Brooklyn Marriott. It sounds rockin'. He also probably holds the record for the person who has presided over the most junior-high graduations anywhere ever. And he wields a light saber at each and every one.

The best Marty Markowitz moment that I can remember was a letter he wrote to the New Yorker totally serving them for a Marcellus Hall cover, which featured Adam and Eve being banished over the Brooklyn Bridge from Manhattan. Marty wrote:

"Marcellus Hall's illustration of Adam and Eve being cast out of Manhattan by the hand of God is to be commended for its prominent placement of the Brooklyn Bridge, the world's most beautiful. I am concerned, however, that my copy of the issue may have been missing a second panel, in which the couple realize that what awaits them on the other side of the bridge is not a dark cloud of doom but the promised land itself. High rents might push some residents out of Manhattan, but we Brooklynites welcome these emigres with open arms to our better quality of life, our unrivalled diversity, and maybe even a nice brownstone. Just as Saul Steinberg's famous westward view from Ninth Avenue exaggerated Manhattanites' perspective in 1976, your East River scene in 2005 misleads by rendering gloom where there should be a glow; crossing the bridge is actually a blessing in disguise. Besides, what better than the hand of God to direct you toward the most divine bagels and lox?"