Thursday, June 24, 2010

Maze Cartoon of Tony Hayward fixing a leak on his boat, by Yonatna Frimer

Maze Cartoon of Tony Hayward fixing a leak on his boat.
maze cartoon of Tony Hayward with a leak in his boat.
Maze cartoon of Tony Hayward, BP CEO, trying to stop a leak on his boat. Which he approaches the same way he did for the leak in the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.
Created by Yonatan Frimer

Click here for a printable, hi-res version of this maze
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Maze cartoons by Yonatan Frimer
Maze Art by Yonatan Frimer

More about this maze cartoon's topic:

Gulf residents outraged by BP CEO's yacht outing


Jun 19, 4:09 PM (ET)

By RAPHAEL SATTER and HOLBROOK MOHR

VENICE, La. (AP) - Just when it seemed Gulf residents couldn't get any more outraged about the massive oil spill fouling their coastline, word came Saturday that BP's CEO was taking time off to attend a glitzy yacht race in England.

Tony Hayward's latest public relations gaffe didn't sit well with people in the U.S. who have seen their livelihoods ruined by the massive two-month oil spill.

"Man, that ain't right. None of us can even go out fishing, and he's at the yacht races," said Bobby Pitre, 33, who runs a tattoo shop in Larose, La. "I wish we could get a day off from the oil, too."

As social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook lit up with anger, BP spokespeople rushed to defend Hayward, who has drawn withering criticism as the public face of his company's halting efforts to stop the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

Robert Wine, a BP spokesman at the company's Houston headquarters, said it's the first break Hayward has had since the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded April 20, killing 11 workers and setting off the undersea gusher.

"He's spending a few hours with his family at a weekend," Wine said Saturday. "I'm sure that everyone would understand that."

Not Mike Strohmeyer, who owns the Lighthouse Lodge in Venice, on Louisiana's southern tip, who said Hayward was "just numb."

"I don't think he has any feelings," he said. "If I was in his position.....

Click here to read the full article on AP News

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Farmer looks to agritourism to save his business

NEW MILFORD -- On Monday, farmer Dean Schultz finished planting corn seeds that will eventually grow and be landscaped into a haunted corn maze.

Since it opened in 2000, the Larson's Farm Market corn maze has become a local tradition.

The corn maze may also be an integral part of saving Schultz's livelihood. He is hoping he can use agritourism, or bringing visitors to the farm, to sustain the business originally started by his grandfather.

Schultz sells sweet corn to a local farmers market and is getting ready to open his own produce stand in a couple of weeks, but his main focus is expanding the agritourism part of the business.

He plans to have two mazes next year and perhaps start a garden where people can pick their own produce.

Schultz tried to start a community supported agriculture program, commonly referred to as a CSA, at the beginning of the season to bring in income. In a CSA, community members buy shares of the crops before the season starts. In return, they are given part of the yield every week during the growing season.

Initial interest was strong, Schultz said. More than 300 people inquired about joining.

"But when it came time to sign on the dotted line, we didn't get enough of a response," Schultz said. Only 40 people made a commitment, so Schultz has had to scrap the CSA idea for now.

"I don't see how anyone could survive on crop sales alone," said Stephen Paproski, who owns the 100-acre Castle Hill Farm in Newtown. "A third of our income comes from agritourism."

Agritourism has been growing for the last 10 years and has become more popular in the past five years, said Jane Eckert, the president of St. Louis-based Eckert Agrimarketing.

Agritourism can include all types of activities, from pick-your-own crops to hunting, Eckert said.

"When people step into our personal properties, they're willing to pay for the experience," Eckert said. "There is a growing category of people who have their weddings or large group picnics on farms. Farms have large spaces that can accommodate large numbers of people."

Castle Hill Farm has a maze, a hay ride, a pumpkin patch and bonfires in the fall. Paproski is a third-generation farmer, but the first who has had to turn to agritourism to survive.

Schultz is also a third-generation farmer. His grandfather owned Larson's Farm, where New Milford High School was built. Schultz now leases land because it is too expensive to buy. He used to farm the cornfields on Junction Road in Brookfield, until that property was sold to the Steiner family for development.

He is hesitant to invest too much money in his current farm, out of fear it will be sold as well.

"This is my last shot, but if this piece goes I'm done for sure," Schultz said.

Contact Vinti Singh at vsingh@newstimes.com or 203-731-3331.

Check out some cool maze art by Yonatan Frimer

Maze of Monkey Illusion - 2009
Optical illusion maze caused by conflicting horizontal and vertical lines.

maze of monkey illusion medium InkBlotMazes Ink Blot Mazes, By Yonatan Frimer, your humble maze artist


John Lennon Psychedelic Maze Portrait
Imagine All The MAzes
Imagine All The Mazes


Maze Rushmore
maze rushmore, mt. rushmore maze


Friday, June 18, 2010

Maze proves that bigger bonus equals worse performance

BUSINESS BOOKS-Bigger bonus, worse performance


Click the title to view the original article.

* Author says bonus pressure leads to poorer performances
* Bankers still convinced their skills deserve big pay

By Kristina Cooke

NEW YORK, June 17 (Reuters) - Around the turn of every year, bankers can think of only one thing: the size of their bonuses.

Even beyond bonus season, they run different scenarios and assumptions, trying to calculate their number.

This distracts them so much that the bigger the bonus at stake, the worse the performance, according to behavioral economist Dan Ariely, who lays out his theory in his new book "The Upside of Irrationality" (HarperCollins, $27.99).

"For a long time we trained bankers to think they are the masters of the universe, have unique skills and deserve to be paid these amounts," said Ariely, who also wrote the New York Times bestseller "Predictably Irrational."

"It is going to be hard to convince them that they don't really have unique skills and that the amount they've been paid for the past years is too much."

Ariely's findings come as regulators try to rein in Wall Street's bonus culture after the 2008 financial collapse. The financial industry argues it needs to pay large bonuses to attract and motivate its top employees.

In an experiment in India, Ariely measured the impact of different bonuses on how participants did in a number of tasks that required creativity, concentration and problem-solving.

One of the tasks was Labyrinth, where the participants had to move a small steel ball through a maze avoiding holes. Ariely describes a man he identified as Anoopum, who stood to win the biggest bonus, staring at the steel ball as if it were prey.

"This is very, very important," Anoopum mumbled to himself. "I must succeed." But under the gun, Anoopum's hands trembled uncontrollably, and he failed time after time.

A large bonus was equal to five months of their regular pay, a medium-sized bonus was equivalent to about two weeks pay and a small bonus was a day's pay.

There was little difference in the performance of those receiving the small and medium-sized bonuses, while recipients of large bonuses performed worst.

SHOCK TREATMENT

More than a century ago, an experiment with rats in a maze rigged with electric shocks came to a similar conclusion. Every day, the rats had to learn how to navigate a new maze safely.

When the electric shocks were low, the rats had little incentive to avoid them. At medium intensity they learned their environment more quickly.

But when the shock intensity was very high, it seemed the rats could not focus on anything other than the fear of the shock.

This may provide lessons for regulators who want to change Wall Street's bonus culture, Ariely said. Paying no bonus or smaller bonuses could help fix skewed incentives without loss of talent.

"The reality is, a lot of places are able to attract great quality people without paying them what bankers are paid," Ariely said. "Do you think bankers are inherently smarter than other people? I don't." (Reporting by Kristina Cooke; Editing by Daniel Trotta)

Monday, June 14, 2010

Rodent of the Week: How habits are formed

Rodent of the Week: How habits are formed

June 11, 2010

Rodent_of_the_week When I was in high school, I had to drive a long distance on a freeway to get to school. After arriving, I often wondered how I got there. I didn't remember the drive or even thinking about driving.

This feeling is a common (and, yes, somewhat scary) experience that a group of neuroscientists think they can better explain. In an experiment with rats, researchers at MIT identified two distinct neural circuits in the brain that show distinct changes when the rats were learning to navigate a maze and, later, after they mastered the task.

The rats were placed in a maze that had chocolate sprinkles at the end. The activity in specific parts of their brains was analyzed as they learned the maze, which included a T-juncture where they had to stop and choose to turn right or left. The rats performed the maze repeatedly until they had learned it.

The study showed that one specific neural circuit became stronger with practice. A second neural circuit showed high activity occurring at times when the rats had to make a decision in the maze. But as they learned the maze, activity in this circuit declined. The task had become habitual.

So, arriving at school in one piece wasn't just a matter of luck. "It is good to know that we can train our brains to develop good habits and avoid bad ones," the lead author of the study, Ann Graybiel, said in a news release.

Understanding how specific regions of the brain change through learning could help in developing new treatments for brain-based diseases. The study was published Thursday in the journal Neuron.

-- Shari Roan

Photo credit: Advanced Cell Technology Inc.

Some cool mazes, maze art and maze cartoons
Mushroom maze
Maze A Delical
Maze of Mushrooms by Yonatan Frimer 2006
Maze Portrait of Albert Einstein.
Celebrity, artword, celebrities, portraits, famous,  Portait maze of albert einstein
"Genius Maze" - By Y. Frimer


Maze Cartoon of Erdogans comparison of Flotilla raid to September 11th.

Maze cartoon of erdogan on flotilla and armenian genocide

Maze cartoon of Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan comparing the Flotilla raid to September 11th. Someone from the crowd asks how it would "stack up against the Armenian Genocide." Created by Yonatan Frimer
Click here for a printable, hi-res version of this maze
Click here or on the image for the maze solution.

Maze cartoons of news headlines for immediate release. By Yonatan Frimer

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

Released Monday, June 14th, 2010

You may print or publish these cartoon mazes at no cost.

Note:

  • Links to printable versions and the solutions are under each cartoon.
  • Please attribute to Yonatan Frimer at TeamOfMonkeys.com
  • Yonatan Frimer is available as a freelance cartoonist, for more info click here.


Maze Cartoon UN Bombing Iran with Sanctions By Yonatan Frimer
maze cartoon of Iran bombed by sanctions. By Yonatan Frimer
Cartoon maze of a UN fighter jet dropping bombed marked "Sanctions" on Iran, while he has other with the name of known targets and the pilot says, "If these don't work, then we drop the real ones!" Created by Yonatan Frimer
Click here for a printable, hi-res version of this maze
Click here for the maze solution.


Cartoon Maze Chemtrails Vs. Kassams By Yonatan Frimer
maze cartoon of chemtrails vs kassams Yonatan Frimer
Maze cartoon contrasting the difference between USA and Israel. In the USA they complain about chemtrails in the sky, in Israel, they have Kassams. By Yonatan Frimer
Click here for a printable, hi-res version of this maze
Click here for the maze solution.



Maze cartoon of a week in the life of Helen Thomas By Yonatan Frimer
Week in the life of Helen Thomas
Maze cartoon of a week in the life of Helen Thomas. First she tells the Jews to go back to Germany, then says she is sorry, then quits her job.
Created by Yonatan Frimer
Click here for a printable, hi-res version of this maze
Click here for the maze solution.


Cartoon Maze: Sh*t My Son Tweets By Yonatan Frimer
Shit my son calls a maze
Maze cartoon of The Dad of Sh*t My Dad Says saying, "The book ought to be called "Shit My Son Tweets" or "Twitters" or whatever young people call it. Created by Yonatan Frimer
Click here for a printable, hi-res version of this maze
Click here for the maze solution.


Cartoon Maze: Not the size of the boat... By Yonatan FrimerNot the size of the maze, its the motion of the pen
Maze cartoon of Bibi Netanyahu and PM Erdogan in the mens room, sizing each other up. Erdogan has a scronful look on his face and defends, "It's not the size of the boat, it's the motion of the ocean" Created by Yonatan Frimer
Click here for a printable, hi-res version of this maze
Click here for the maze solution.

***END***

To contact the artist, Yonatan Frimer, please email yfrimer@yahoo.com
To order prints-on-demand of these cartoons and other mazes for your offices, please click here.

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Saturday, June 12, 2010

Cartoon Maze Chemtrails Vs. Kassam Rockets By Yonatan Frimer

Cartoon Maze Chemtrails Vs. Kassam Rockets By Yonatan Frimer
maze cartoon of chemtrails vs kassams Yonatan Frimer
Maze cartoon of two monkeys talking about the skies in the USA and in Israel. In the USA there are "Chemtrails from who knows what" and in Israel their are Qassams that "We know are from Gaza" Created by Yonatan Frimer
Click here for a printable, hi-res version of this maze
Click here for the maze solution.

Links to more Yonatan Frimer Maze Cartoons:
Buy Maze Art on Fine Art America
Daily maze cartoon, Political Maze, By Yonatan Frimer
Ink Blot Mazes - Maze Art by Yonatan Frimer
Team Of Monkeys Maze Cartoon - Updated Daily!
One of Yonatan Frimer's Maze Blogs

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Political Maze Top Ten List by Yonatan Frimer

Bellow is a list of the Top Ten Political Maze Cartoons by Yonatan Frimer

#10

Cartoon Maze: Which Islam is the true one? By Yonatan Frimer

Maze cartoon of sunni, shia, islam infidel.

Maze cartoon of a muslim preacher at the pulpit exlaiming "Islam is the only true religion." A voice from the crowd asks, "Shi'a or Sunni?" The speaker responds, "INFIDEL!!!" Created by Yonatan Frimer
Click here for a printable, hi-res version of this maze
Click here for the maze solution.


#9
Bill Gates' Microsoft iPad - Cartoon Maze
ipad by bill gates microsoft
Editoral Cartoon Maze in Larger and Printable Format

Can't solve the maze? Click here for the maze solution
Editorial Cartoon Maze of Bill Gates telling his team of monkeys to make a microsoft version of the iPad.

#8
Editorial Maze Cartoon - JFK vs Obama on NASA
JFK vs Obama on NASA
Editoral Cartoon Maze in Larger and Printable Format

Can't solve the maze? Click here for the maze solution
Editorial Cartoon Maze contrasting JFK to Obama on the issue of traveling to the moon and NASA.

#7

Editorial Maze Cartoon - Eyjafjallajökull
Eyjafjallajökull volcano in ice land europe ash cloud
Editoral Cartoon Maze in Larger and Printable Format

Can't solve the maze? Click here for the maze solution
Editorial Cartoon Maze of Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland that erupted an ash cloud over European airspace causing havoc.

#6

Editorial Maze Cartoon - Iran Geophysics
Iran Geophysics, women cause earthquakes Eyjafjallajökull volcano in ice land europe ash cloud
Editoral Cartoon Maze in Larger and Printable Format

Can't solve the maze? Click here for the maze solution
Editorial Cartoon Maze of Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland that erupted an ash cloud over European airspace causing havoc.


#5

Maze Cartoon on the Economy of Greece.

economy of greece maze cartoon
Maze Cartoon for Editorial use on the Economy of Greece. A 747 marked "Economy of Greece" flys while chained to two bags of debt that are carried by the IMF and EU. Created by Yonatan Frimer

Click here for the maze in larger, printable format

Can't solve the maze? Click here for the maze solution

#4

Maze Cartoon - Effects of Human Error on Stock Markethuman error in stock market maze cartoon

Maze cartoon editorial showcasing how stocks are effected by human error, buy having a bull represent stocks and a cowboy wrangling him to represent human error.


#3

Cartoon maze of how the Tea Party started. By Yonatan Frimerhow the tea party started maze

Cartoon maze editorial of a bunch of sheep in a field. One sheep stands up and exclaims, "I will no longer be a follower!" The rest of the flock yells, "Me too!" and the group in the front explaim "If this catches on, we got to get that fox on board."

#2

Cartoon Maze of Erdogan and comparison of Flotilla raid to September 11th.

Maze cartoon of erdogan on flotilla and armenian genocide

Maze cartoon of Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan comparing the Flotilla raid to September 11th. Someone from the crowd asks how it would "stack up against the Armenian Genocide." Created by Yonatan Frimer
Click here for a printable, hi-res version of this maze
Click here or on the image for the maze solution.



#1

Editorial Maze Cartoon on Arizona Immigration laws.

Arizona immigration laws maze cartoon

Cartoon maze editorial bunch immigrants sneaking into America. Leader tells them "We are almost there folks, make sure you have plenty of water and get your fake birth certificate from Sanchez before the border." As they stand near a road with a sign that says, "Arizona 50 Miles." Created by Yonatan Frimer
Click here for a printable, hi-res version of this maze
Click here or on the image for the solution to the maze.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Maze cartoon on Gaza flotilla by Yonatan Frimer

Cartoon Maze of the Gaza Flotilla and what it left in its wake.
Maze cartoon of gaza flotilla by Yonatan Frimer
Maze cartoon of the Gaza Flotilla. The boat leaves in its wake violence, diplomatic crisis, sympathy for terrorist, lies, and of course an Israeli PR overhaul. Created by Yonatan Frimer
Click here for a printable, hi-res version of this maze
Click here or on the image for the maze solution.


Check out these links for more Yonatan Frimer mazes:
Political Maze on Go Comics
Team Of Monkeys Maze Cartoons
Ink Blot Mazes Maze Art
Maze art print-on-demand on Fine Art America

More on this maze's topic:

Probe reveals flotilla lynchers have ties to Global Jihad

The ongoing interrogation of passengers who were aboard the Marmara – the Gaza aid flotilla's flagship – revealed that the majority of those who attacked the Israeli Naval Commandos boarding the ship have direct and indirect Global Jihad ties.

Israel's investigation has revealed some 100 people infiltrated the (read more)