I volunteer as a tax preparer, and Illinois requires information off the driver’s license or state ID in order to process the return. One of these information items is the weight shown. That’s used to match with the information the state has, to control identity theft.
But it’s pretty obvious from comparing what’s on the license with what I see in front of me that the state makes little attempt to confirm the information given.
Kedamono sends in this questionable sculptural decision — which, luckily, the Egyptians did not make.
Mark Parisi posted: “It had to be done. (On my Patreon page I drew the view from the other side. I then sent that to my editor asking if it was too much to be published in daily newspapers. He suggested it could be newspaper-friendly if it was shown from the other side. Smart.)”
Actual back of the Sphinx:
Kedamono sends in this one: “I can’t decide if this one is a LOL or an OY. Still, there is something graceful in synchronized garbage tossing.”
Not really that much of an Ewww, but seemed close enough to one to put it here.
The Berrys, by Walt Ditzen: April 7, 1944. While filling in for Carl Grubert during World War Two, Walt Ditzen grew increasingly tired of drawing the elaborate lamp in the Berry bedroom. This strip was his solution. (Source: Mort Walker’s Backstage at the Strips: 1975).
Meanwhile, over in Gasoline Alley, Walt (who must be somewhere north of 115 years old) is having a dream and discovers you can’t even get into hell without proper credentials.
Excellent question for discussion! Societal norms have changed a bit; I note the increased presence of gratuitous @#$% and $%^& ) in casual speech (with the words, not the @##$ euphemism, in a way that would have had the nuns kick me out of school until I brought my parents and begged for reinstatement. Similarly, as comic strips have depended less on newspapers and more on other outlets, implied or implicit Arlo material seems to have become much more common.
Sometime back, we awarded 9 Chickweed Lane a permanent ARLO award, which it richly deserves. But then, is Brooke McEldowney really sneaking over anything on anybody? Or has his syndicate just decided it’s a popular strip that’s making us money, so let’s let him do soft porn?
So, the ARLO category hasn’t been abolished, but I (editor zbicyclist) haven’t been tagging things as ARLO much.
In this case, Pam and Fred could have been inebriated co-workers discussing other co-workers in disparaging terms — and including the big bosses in their disparagement. But probably not.
Here’s another example from Sally Forth, a strip with began in the simpler (for comics) times of 1982.
Yes, this is a repeat, with some new additions — like that US tax form, which has added new complexities this year. So we’re splitting it into two parts, like Schedule 1 has become Schedule 1 and Schedule 1-A.
The short form deserves a geezer alert, as it was discontinued years ago. There’s a 1040-SR now for seniors — the only difference is that it’s printed in larger type.
Yes, this is a repeat, with some new additions — like that US tax form, which has added new complexities this year. So we’re splitting it into two parts, just as 1040 Schedule 1 has become Schedule 1 and Schedule 1-A.
The short form deserves a geezer alert, as it was discontinued years ago. There’s a 1040-SR now for seniors — the only difference is that it’s printed in larger type.
Actual error message from IRS.gov on the day tax forms (and estimated payments) were due, April 17, 2018. Not funny. Note the difference in the set of dates cited for the outage.
Typos continue in 2026. Here’s a notice from January, 2026 that suggests a form was corrected in the future.
(This wasn’t from the IRS. This is a notice from a well-known brand of tax preparation software.)