The Official Lowe-Down Design Your Own Cartoon Contest!
I had a professor in college, one EJ Johnson, who taught the seemingly dull and fusty subject of architectural history with such wit and elan that it ended up becoming my major. This caused no small amount of consternation when I applied for my first newspaper job in Oklahoma ("We ain't got much call around here for an architecture critic, Young Fella. Know anything about the awl bidness?")
Anyway, I mention EJ because it is he who came up with the idea for our newest Lowe-Down Blog contest. The last one, you may recall, was about captions. EJ has proposed a new riff.
Last month, I drew the cartoon that you see posted again here, titled, "Four Things You Can Do With Your Hummer." Since it ran, the continuing meteoric rise in fuel prices has made the concept of owning a Hummer in our society even more absurd and difficult to defend. Here's your challenge: Rack your imaginations to come up with the cleverest fifth idea for what you can do with a Hummer. We all hate 'em, right? Post it on the blog as a comment, where everybody can enjoy it. Here's an example of the type of thing I'm looking for: "A Hummer is sitting at the bottom of the ocean, with fish and seaweed floating around, maybe even a wrecked Spanish galleon. The caption reads, 'Create an artificial reef.'" You have one week to submit your idea.
On Sunday night, June 15th, I will close the window on entries. A distinguished panel of experts (anyone I can snag who happens to be hanging around the office) and I will pore over the submissions, and post the top three picks for a week-long Vote of the People. The ultimate winner of this vote will have his or her concept realized by me in a cartoon which I will post, with credit to the author, here on the blog. As if that weren't enough, we will also publish it on the Op-Ed page of the Sun-Sentinel. In addition, the winner receives an official Lowe-Down Blog t-shirt.
No obscene or tasteless entries, please. Don't forget to use your real email address or I won't be able to notify you if you're a winner (I'll keep it private).
LET THE CREATIVITY FLOW!!!
This just in:
Last month's caption contest Grand Prize winner Gary Pedullo (below) of Deerfield Beach, FL, proudly displays his Official Lowe-Down Blog t-shirt. Post a submission NOW for a chance to win your own!
CHAN LOWE has been the Sun Sentinel’s first and only editorial cartoonist for the past twenty-six years. Before that, he worked as cartoonist and writer for the Oklahoma City Times and the Shawnee (OK) News-Star.
Comments
setting: Iraqi Dessert hummer painted camoflage. Terroist trying to blow it up. The americans sitting back with their scopes on the terroist. Caption" Hummer for decoy donation program"
Posted by: john gilbert | June 1, 2008 9:55 PM
Build an impenetrable wall along the US/Mexican border.
Posted by: Michael Rosenthal | June 2, 2008 6:27 AM
the hummer holding a M-16 rifle (looking thirsty for oil) in Iraq. Have it say..."It this really worth it?"
Posted by: Randy Gordon | June 2, 2008 9:16 AM
FEMA could use them to provide emergency housing. I don't think they have nearly as much formaldehyde as the trailers they were using.
Posted by: Tom Horsley | June 2, 2008 11:01 AM
A coupe of futuristic looking tourists standing before a Stonehenge type arrangement of Hummers. One is saying to the other that the ancients used to come here to worship a goddess named oil.
Posted by: Bob P | June 2, 2008 11:10 AM
A Hummer is driving over a gas pump and a barrell of oil. Behind these are a crushed baby seal, whooping crane, and a whale with tire treadmarks.
The caption: "I don't care about those, either!"
Posted by: George Bishopric | June 2, 2008 11:10 AM
or better yet, a bunch of Hummers standing on end as beach erosion control for those mansions along A1a that want their private beaches restored so the house don't fall in the ocean.
Posted by: Bob P | June 2, 2008 11:14 AM
Use them to help rebuild New Orleans: comfy and roomy housing for displaced homeowners and volunteers, fortifying material for the dams and levees, street side daiquiri stands, kennels for unclaimed pets, cisterns to collect clean water, temporary classrooms for overcrowded schools, stages for live music festivals ...
Posted by: Lois_Lane | June 2, 2008 11:44 AM
I saw a streeeetch Hummer the other day. First
sighting of such a marvel. I would suggest a pair of stretch Hummers as the
eventual (whenever God in his wisdom decides) mausolea of Bush and Cheney.
Something along the line of a pair of Lenin tombs, parked in front of the Enron
Building for eternity.
Posted by: Eugene | June 2, 2008 1:31 PM
How about a classroom to replace the portables!
Posted by: Jan | June 2, 2008 1:58 PM
Add four tracker tubes to the underside and float to Cuba.
Posted by: Kathy Runk | June 2, 2008 2:11 PM
Side-by-side and top of each other
for a Hummer Student Residential Hall at Universities.
Posted by: Carol Foerstner | June 2, 2008 2:19 PM
Hummers on the lot with "New and Improved" banners, streamers and balloons in the background. Two or three oil executives - typical fat cats in suits, throw in a cigar or two - standing in foreground. Caption: "Big Oil announces latest shareholder dividend".
Posted by: Brent Hutfless | June 3, 2008 10:17 AM
A red hummer with Indiana plates and a black bumper sticker that reads, "Hi. I don't care. Thanks."
Posted by: Constance | June 3, 2008 11:30 AM
...as Mobile billboard for Carbon Footprint Awareness. Door panel graphic: "Bigfoot"
Posted by: D. Hunnel | June 4, 2008 10:38 AM
How about converting them to Road Ranger trucks ? Or tractors hauling gasoline tanker trailers ?
Posted by: R. Yudin | June 4, 2008 11:14 AM
Put railroad wheels on it and
turn it into a boxcar.
Posted by: miranda | June 6, 2008 10:06 AM
Here is the picture: Hummer jacked up with belt from rear wheels to gizmo sending power up a telephone pole. paint " FP&L portable generator" on the side. Kill two birds with one stone!
Posted by: Bob P. | June 6, 2008 12:58 PM
Century Village was once described as trailers stacked up. How about Hummers as low-cost retirement residences? We can call it The American Century Village.
Posted by: Mattie | June 6, 2008 7:28 PM
"Art Gallery (when there's not more room on the refrigerator)", with the Hummer parked on the driveway, with dozens of paintings (drawn by kids) - each one held up by a magnet - and spectators viewing the 'exhibit'.
Posted by: Jed G. Martinez | June 7, 2008 4:44 AM
Yeah, I HAVE a Hummer H2 and while it does not get good gas mileage, it was MADE IN THE USA unlike many of the foreign imports most of you Hummer bashers drive. The amount of additional gas I use pales in comparison to the selling out of America by all of you foreign car buyers. Hypocrites is a word that comes to my mind right about now.
Posted by: George B | June 9, 2008 12:40 PM
Sorry, George, you ARE part of the problem.
By buying a gas-guzzling vehicle, you are contributing to the high gas demand in this country. Your vehicle gets like 10 miles a gallon. 10 miles. Although, I have to give you credit for buying the H2, which is a tiny bit more efficient than its monster father.
I drive an American-made vehicle that gets 35 miles to the gallon, by the way.
Posted by: Jessica | June 9, 2008 3:31 PM
For nearly 10 years I drove a car made in 1982 that was built like a tank and routinely got well over 30 miles per gallon. The car was safe, efficient, and had more than 200,000 miles when I stopped driving it. I find it very hard to believe that cars like that can't be built today. It's totally bogus.
Posted by: Italo | June 9, 2008 4:26 PM
I guess freedom is dead here in the USA. As long as one is willing to pay for the petrol he/she uses, why is that offensive to anyone else? Stop blaming high gas prices on the wrong people and focus on our idiot congress who won't let anyone drill more or refine more right here in our own country.
Posted by: Ivor Biggun | June 10, 2008 1:01 AM
Picture: Idiot hummer driver with dark sunglasses and square head.
Caption: "Because Viagra wasn't enough!"
Posted by: Some Cranky Guy | June 10, 2008 6:19 AM
Caption: Building support.
Picture:Have a hummer sitting on its trunk holding up the leaning tower of pisa.
Posted by: Debbie R | June 10, 2008 9:40 AM
Use several Hummers to form a doorway arch entrance to the EXXON-Mobil Building.
Posted by: John Secord | June 10, 2008 1:40 PM
george bush pumping gas into a hummer,gas is 5.00
a gallon
banner over head reads
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED
Posted by: george wenk | June 11, 2008 8:28 AM
The scene is somewhere in the Everglades. The Hummer is jacked up high on it's springs. The top has been cut off and is used on the ground as a table. A sign reads "Ride the swamp buggy - only 5 gallons of gas" A guy is behind the table collecting the 5 gal. gas cans as the riders climb a ladder to get in.
Posted by: Frank Gorora | June 12, 2008 4:28 PM
Picture: International Space Station with a couple of Hummers attached.
Caption: New Crew Quarters
Posted by: kurt | June 13, 2008 10:43 PM
Picture:A team of clydesdales pulling a Hummer, it's top chopped off, loaded with barrels of beer, and a dalmation sitting on the hood.
Caption: A Real Beer Wagon
Alternate caption: Better Beer than Oil
Posted by: kurt | June 14, 2008 12:19 PM
Use a stretch Hummer as a neo-Noah's ark (Ark II) floating among flooded downtown skyscraper tops with a US flag flailing off the antenna. There are only three pairs of animals on board. Noah says: "Good thing for global warming, otherwise we could never save all the animals."
Posted by: Michael | June 14, 2008 6:24 PM
Stand it on end; take the top two tires off and replace them with wind turbines. Also, cover every square inch in solar panels. Make renewable power, not renewable war.
Posted by: Larry Gibbs | June 15, 2008 5:25 PM
Hummer rusting on the beach. Show tar balls washing up on the beach beach with made in China imprinted and drill rigs in the background, Husein Obama in foreground holding a no drilling sign.
Posted by: Bill Kelley | June 21, 2008 2:46 PM
big picture of obama with smaller pictures of wreight, farrigan, the real estate guy in chicago, the preist, and the male / femalebombers around him - caption: a vote for his cabinet.
Posted by: eugene griffiths | June 26, 2008 12:53 PM
Dog House
Greenhouse
Storage Shed
Portapotty
Privacy Fence
Obstacle Course
Chicken Coupe
Paintball fort
Posted by: Daniel | June 28, 2008 9:55 AM
Park them outside stadiums. Label half with the word "men" and half with "ladies". After all there never are enough port-o-potties!
Posted by: Observer in SC | July 8, 2008 11:15 PM