In 1998, I was one year into my Londons Times Cartoon project. I was still living, working, and trying to survive in an abandoned rural Mississippi warehouse. Nobody would rent to me as they, I am certain, felt this former 9-5 business executive had lost his mind for launching a cartoon at age forty three. I was a year into the project.

Not a lot was going right, I could clearly see it was a hobby, and I would eventually need to take some kind of job in sales, but for now, I was obsessed with seeing it through.

Then a marketing idea hit me, which, at the time, I thought was brilliant (I humbly add). I would create another series of cartoons called “Panel Hollywood” and feature real life celebrity caricatures and then mail signed copies directly to them or to their agent to forward. Out of the 150 or so that we created and mailed, about twelve responded, and even offered reviews, which was my strategy. Their reviews of the work remain on my main cartoon website.

One day, while toiling away on a hot summer afternoon, an email arrived. It was from the estate of the late, great Roy Orbison. It was from his widow Barbara's assistant, who wanted to know if they could purchase the rights to a Roy Orbison cartoon on my website. Ms. Orbison loved the cartoon so much, she wanted to make custom greeting cards for her friends and Roy Orbison fans. They had seen it on my website. I had not mailed a copy of it to them yet, as I'd not located the estate yet, or its representatives.

Naturally, I offered it gratis, letting her know that he (Roy) had brought me so much pleasure throughout the years, and so many others, I need to sleep at night, and there would be no charge. She thanked me profusely, and used the card which was later revealed to be a wonderful success. You couldn't work with a nicer person (than Barbara Orbison)

Over the years, I have received threatening letters from attorneys of some celebrities of which I have used their likeness in parody. At first this frightened me, so I consulted with major cartoonists way above my league, who assured me most of the best cartoonists receive at least one per month, and many of them frame them. I talked to an attorney who taught me about “The Fair Use Act” in the U.S. Constitution, and how it protects such parody. My attorney revealed that those greedy attorneys, simply spend all day cruising the Internet, in hopes of finding someone who was clueless to the law,
and would “settle with them”. And I was told this works quite often (even though the attorneys do not have case).

So I started framing the threatening letters like all the rest. Even the late Charles Schulz, whom I highly respected and made himself available to me when starting, had received them.

My biggest surprise was about five years after Ms.Orbison and I did business and had a very nice(but short) business relationship. I received a letter from a large Houston law firm representing the Orbison estate demanding cease and desist, not only to take down all the images, but to provide an accounting of what had been sold, and “they would probably settle rather than take this to court”.

Not that this makes me an authority by any means, but my maternal direct ancestry includes former Supreme Court Judge Benjamin Cardozo. His name might not mean much to many, but his words do to many attorneys. His books, his writings, until this day, are generally the “final word” in interpretation of Constitutional Law.

Again, this does not make me an expert, but, more than homework and the last episode of The Adams Family were discussed at our dinner table. Talk of legal rights, civil rights, and rights of expression were instilled very early. Before I was 18, I clearly understood the difference between parody and copyright infringement. Parody is protected by the Fair Use Act. Infringement is not. Our work is total parody. We make it very clear in both the artwork and text.

I remembered that attorney I had hired a long time ago and it all made sense. A lot of these celebrity lawyers are working on their client's behalf, but ironically, the celebrity (or estate executor...in this case Ms. Orbison) hadn't a clue I was being threatened for something she already had in her possession, and enjoying.

Then I remembered a story Charles Schulz told me. Mad Magazine ran a hilarious parody of Peanuts. The day it hit the stands, Schulz's attorneys shot out a gruesome letter of what would happen to “Mad” if they did not remove all copies and pay their client for damages. What the lawyers did not know what that Mr. Schulz had also seen that Mad issue, and loved the parody so much, he sent them a congratulatory note telling them how brilliant it was.

If you are a person who works in the arts, and creates images of real celebrities in parody form, it is a very good idea to Google and learn about “The Fair Use Act”. This is important, not only because it educates the creator to know his/her rights, but keeps that element who has entered the world of law to erode our precious Constitution and this great country, any more than they already have. Freedom of speech (and expression) is one of the major differences in our Constitution, and say the one of the former Soviet Union, or Iraq, or Iran.

When they do their job right, that is, finding real copyright infringement criminals and making them pay, they are doing a great thing. When they go after humor producers of parody, especially without even contacting their own client first, they are showing a real sense of irresponsibility and limited capabilities of practicing the law the way our Founding Fathers had in
mind.

Your Heart Health For Laughing Out Loud

We all know that laughter is the best medicine. If not the best, certainly good for you. Scientific studies have shown that mental stress can restrict blood flow to the heart. But now a study has linked laughter to increased blood circulation. Laughter appears to cause the tissue inside blood vessels to expand. Medical science feels that laughter may be important to increase cardiovascular health.

A recent study was conducted at the University of Md. of twenty men and women, all healthy. To make them laugh, they watched part of the movie "Kingpin," a 1 ½ hour comedy. To create the opposite emotions, they also watched the brutal beginning of "Saving Private Ryan." Researchers used ultrasound technology to measure changes in blood flow through an artery in the arms of participants.

Blood flow increased in 19 of the 20 participants after watching "Kingpin." which is a 22% increase. The study leader, a Dr. Miller feels that is similar to the effects of aerobics. Blood flow decreased in 14of the twenty people after they watched "Saving Private Ryan." The decrease was an average of thirty-five percent.

Research shows that reducing stress can reduce disease in the body. When the body is under stress, it produces hormones such as adrenalin and cortisol. Cortisol is related to anxiety and fearfulness and adrenalin gives us us the "fight or flight element. Too much of these hormones can be harmful. Dr Miller observed that the study could not explain how laughter is responsible for the effects observed. Is it from muscle movement or chemical release?

The researchers say laughter may cause the body to release endorphins, like when exercise takes place. Miller states that these endorphins may block the effect of stress hormones and cause the blood vessels to expand. Laughter may also influence the release of nitric oxide, which too expands blood passages. The results were presented at a meeting of the American College of Cardiology. Dr. Miller does not suggest to replace exercise with laughter, but he says fifteen minutes of laughter could help one's health considerably.

Rick London is founder of Londons Times Cartoons, the most popular offbeat cartoon
site on the Internet and owns several cartoon gift shops including Rick Londonwear
www.ricklondoncollection.com

5 Savvy Reasons To Holiday Shop In Summer & Shop Online

Five Savvy Shopping Tips To Save And Buy Unique Gifts Online

by Rick London


Price: It is common sense that one can get a much better price on virtually any retail product in the “off-season” which runs generally from mid-May through the end of August. Prices can be as low as 80% of their regular prices (even regular discounted prices) during busy holiday shopping season.

Inventory: This one is relatively easy to figure out. A store will mark down a bundle of products until they are all sold (or most of them sold) and then mark them back up. This is more common in brick and mortar retail stores than online stores in which you are often dealing directly with the manufacturer. For instance, my stores carry no in-house inventory. We have a deal with our manufacturers who package and drop-ship all items, as do many online retailers, making it a much better place to shop, not to mention more convenient, given the price of gas, traffic jams, long lines in stores, etc.

Convenience: We no longer live in our parent's world. The baby boomer generation is busier than a Roman soldier fighting for an Empire. Who has time to shop? If shopping like I do, that is, wait until I know I need to purchase more than one gift, such as for holidays, or simply it so happens that anniversaries, birthdays, etc. of loved ones all fall within a 2-3 month period, I will always shop online, where I can buy five substantial gifts for often under $100 and get free shipping to boot.

Online Guarantees Stronger Than Off-line Retailers: A lot of people are not aware, but when you see that a store offers a 30 day unconditional guarantee online, it is not just because the retailer is “being nice”. The federal FTC enforces that guarantee as you are sending or wiring money online, and you better be able to get a refund if you are not satisfied. Of course most stores will act in goodwill anyway, whether online or not, but there is the occasional one who just doesn't “get it”. Even your guarantee is guaranteed and bonded when shopping online. The
only other place this applies off-line, to my knowledge, is the “Lemon Law” 30-day guarantee also backed up by the FTC which is offered by used car dealers.

Uniqueness: One of the greatest pleasures of shopping online are “the surprises”. Psychologists say we (humans) are all “hunters”, and we love the find as much as the hunt. So much more in the way of novelty and originality is offered online than at the local mall. I receive emails almost daily regarding our offbeat cartoon gifts and collectibles. I already know they cannot be bought in downtown or mall stores, and I purposely made it that way; not to be selfish, the opposite. Not only does this offer the buyer a pleasant surprise, he/she gets an even more pleasant
one after realizing it is a factory-direct buy, saving a great deal of money any time of the year, plus getting a top-quality product (that hopefully makes them laugh) and quality customer service. Though my physical presence is in the U.S., these emails come anywhere from Japan to France.

With all this said and done, I still say “caveat emptor”. Know with whom you are dealing. Do a Google search of the web-stores you plan to visit. Did they just open? Do they have good reviews? Are there complaints with the Online BBB or other scam alert centers? Always better to be safe than sorry. My experience of Internet shopping, using these few principles, has always made it a pleasant, fun, convenient experience.

Rick London

Rick London is a cartoonist/E-entrepreneur who founded Londons Times Cartoons, the Internet's most popular offbeat cartoon and owns a number of Internet stores including The Rick London Collection www.ricklondoncollection.com

The Zen Of Online Shopping

The Zen Of Internet Shopping


I remember in my youth when my mom would take me shopping. I had the most fun in the grocery store, for whatever reason, but, as I matured into my teens, fashion and grooming stores became more interesting. Like a lot of teenage boys, upon new information, girls were suddenly a lot more interesting. And to our (boys) surprise, we were becoming interesting to them as well, though, they were better at hiding it. A new thing was happening to us...relationships. They were so much fun back then. Life was simpler. No bills to pay. Never an argument about finances. Ahhh. The good old days.

I can remember my first shot at rebellion. I guess it was age twelve or thirteen. I was still purchasing everything based on my mom's opinion. Suddenly new clothes were hitting the market that had been worn by the Beatles just a few Sundays before on the Ed Sullivan Show. Though most of us opted out of the nice black suits the Beatles wore, we did want the haircut and sundry other items that became merchandise. Mom was shocked when she gave me some money to buy some new clothes and I came home with mostly t-shirts of my favorite rock groups. By then, the Fab Four had spawned a slew of others from the U.K and many American bands wanting in on the act. Whomever I saw, I demanded the t-shirt. Whether it be Paul Revere And The Raiders, Herman's Hermits, Otis Redding,
and later Alice Cooper, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, and so many others, if there was some memorabilia attached to this music, I had to have it.

Today's shopping malls can be fun, as social adventures, but they certainly are not the place to find today's “forbidden shopping fruit”. We all know there are specialty stores on the Internet that cater just to us.
It really depends on one's tastes. I enjoy these stores because they remind me of my days of youth when I could really sink my teeth into shopping, and, to me, everything looked new and pristine, and different.

Now, at least from my point of view, a mall is a mall is a mall. Sure it is nice when Macy's or Penny's or whomever puts some things on sale and I will drop by to see what is in shop, even though it is usually nothing I've not seen in the past, or a close replica.

We humans are hunters by nature, even if we are not members of the NRA nor hunt animals. We love to search and research and find the best, the brightest, and the most different.

There is a certain zen to the process of hunting and gathering. It is so deeply ingrained in us, though we no longer physically do it, now we love the ease of shopping online, and more importantly being able to find “what is all the craze” without having to drive all over town to try to find it, usually only to be disappointed. Again, I am not saying I have boycotted brick and mortar stores, far from it.

Chances are very slim we are going to find “that totally unique gift” at say, Target Stores or Wal-Mart, though I do feel they have their value in our society.

But finding it online and being able to stare it in the eye on our monitor, click a mouse, fill in the blanks and order, is oh so nice and satisfies the hunter's passionate zen.

Author Rick London is the founder of Londons Times Cartoons in 1997 and numerous online unique funny webstores including www.ricklondonwear.com www.ricklondoncollection.com
www.ltsuperstore.com and others. His main cartoon site is www.londonstimes.us

Lawyers And Laughter

As a cartoonist, I find myself in the precarious position of writing about law. Though I do take the law seriously, I find humor in it as well. And I believe I have carte blanche to do so.

I come from a family of attorneys. One of my direct maternal ancestors was Supreme Court Judge Benjamin Cardozo. That name might not mean much to many, but it does within the legal community. His word, still, a century or so later, remains the final word on Constitutional Law.

I have dated attorneys. Some are very astute, and some not so good. I have watched them in the courtroom. Sometimes it is dramatic, sometimes a bit drab. But I continue to have an affinity for the law, given that it is in my blood, I guess. Of course my mother insisted upon either law or medical school for me, so like the good rebellious baby-boomer of the 60's, I became a cartoonist. At least I could make people laugh purposely. People laugh at lawyers, and often the attorney in question does not appreciate it. But how can we help it? I know, I know. They are just doing their job, and we laugh at them, until we need them. Then they are our confidants.

To be fair, most lawyers of whom I have met and/or associated, truly take their jobs and cases seriously. Sure, like everyone else in business, money is a motivator, but not always the primary motivator. Many, yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus, (or clause in this case), many have a very altruistic side, and take the law and their clients very seriously and want to help.

As the old joke goes, "It is the 98% of dishonest lawyers who give the other 2% a bad name". It's a great joke, but really far from reality. Many lawyers are just doing their job, just like you and me.

Sometimes hiring a lawyer can be expensive, and several Internet-savvy lawyers have launched websites in which the common layman can read, study, and learn about law and legal forms, and actually pay and download template forms from the sites at a fraction of the cost of hiring a law firm.
Some of these sites include Findlaw.com, Legalzoom.com, and the up-and-coming Lawkipedia.org, which has not yet been launched but is in the plans for this year. It will probably be the most exciting and different of all the other legal websites, just from what I understand regarding the planning.

Still, the saying goes, "The person who represents himself legally has hired a fool for a lawyer. And that is true. Especially regarding courtrooms and criminal law.

But many business conflicts do not have to turn into courtroom law. Mediation has become very popular and there are ways to work out such conflicts, often, and bring the parties even closer, once they realize they have similar goals, simply different ideas as to how to reach those goals. That is okay. It is often done by more professional persons, who is not out to "trash" a partner or remove him/her from the scene. I have seen it work many times.

Because law is of interest to me, I make sure to do a great many law related cartoons, and produce funny lawyer gifts. Even though many of them poke fun at lawyers, I find the majority have a great sense of humor, and more often than not, when the orders come in for our gifts and collectibles featuring lawyer cartoons, the names have a "comma and Esquire" at the end, in other words, our biggest customers who love to make fun of themselves, are, indeed attorneys.

Care For A Cat...Improve Your Attitude

Cats Are 4-Legged Gifts From God
by Rick

I have always owned dogs, but, recently I have learned, mainly from females influential in my life, the wonder and magic of cats and what they have to offer which is much. A lot of men are ware of cats, perhaps because "dog is man's best friend", which we learn from childhood, but, I've also learned, so can a cat. Though not always, a cat can be a bit more standoffish than a dog. Patience is required in cases like this. Many cats love their independence and one must "earn their trust". Once you have, many cats will follow you around like a dog. Of course, most dog owners know it is "love at first bite...of food". Whomever feeds them is their new mommy or daddy, whereas, with many cats, the first few months is spent trying to figure out what value is there in owning this feline anyway.

But as one owns a cat for awhile, it realizes this cat is an amazing intelligent creature, and can be just as loyal if not more so than a dog. Of the many cats I've owned, it has not taken more than a few days for them to want to curl up in my lap and rub its head continuously in a loving way (not to mention sleep on the pillow next to me no matter what).

Many of us struggle with health issues. A cat can be a wonderful therapist, doctor, or other type healer. Many people are unable to own dogs for various reasons, from apartment policies to travel, whereas a cat can be left alone for much longer and be ok. Cat ownership has been medical proven to help everything from high blood pressure to depression to even severe anxiety. Like dogs, cats have an amazing sixth sense, of how you are feeling. Unconditional love eventually evolves from most domestic cats given time. Patience can be the key. Some cats exhibit it right away. Some ask us to earn it.

Alas, cats, like dogs, make the world a much better place. Except for babies, and even babies have "their conditions"; really only domestic animals such as dogs and cats can teach us what unconditional love. I was very skeptical of all this upon learning the importance of animal care. I had read a lot but still did not believe the statistics much less the testimonials. Then I tried it, owning both dogs and cats all my adult life. It has enhanced my life like nothing else.

You may find yourself saying, "I haven't noticed any positive changes in myself". But it doesn't matter. They have already happened. Dog and cat ownership and care offer us the same paradigm shift of behavior that a newborn baby does. It offers us a chance to redirect much of our energies into a living loving creature that is there for us all the time. Yes we are there for it too, but not all the time. It does not care. If you give it a little attention, love and affection, it will give back in time, more than you ever gave it. Many times more in ways you never imagined.

Rick London is a cartoonist/entrepreneur and animal-lover. He founded Londons Times Cartoons, one of the Internet's most visited websites. Many of his cartoons and cartoon gifts and collectibles are cat and dog related. A percentage of those sales go to help stray animals and educate on animal-care.

The Internet's most popular offbeat cartoonist Rick London, founder of Londons Times Cartoons also founded RickLondonCollection.com and other stores that sell funny dog and cat related products. To see some of his line click here:

Major Depression: Try A Dog For Therapy

Though it is not something of which I am particularly proud, I struggled with major depression since age thirteen. It may be even further back than that, that is my first memory of "feeling different". I am now fifty three.

Of course I did not even know it was depression, and even if I had discovered it was, it would have been hidden, as, in the polite society of rural Mississippi, at the time, one did not see a therapist or psychiatrist and remain in society. He or she was hidden in the closet. Today things have changed and there are many modern- day state-of-the-art recovery programs and mental health clinics in the region. Alas, mum is still the word. I now live in southern California, where, at social functions, therapy and recovery are often a common them at social functions and events.

It was not until late in life, when I discovered a stray dog named "Thor" that I learned about alternative therapy. I had often heard that owning an animal can relieve depression and even lower blood pressure, but the dramatic changes were yet to be seen for the first few months of owning Thor. I noticed I wanted to get out more and walk him, as he loved that activity. This in itself lifted my depression. A long walk can, in fact, increase endorphins in the system.

Thor introduced me to people. People will open up to a cute dog faster than they will a human, hence they open up to the human as well. Thor loved people. I had owned dogs in the past, but Thor was my first rescue dog. The jury is out whether he rescued me or I rescued him. I did not adopt him from a shelter, but surely would have had I found him at one. He showed up in the rural Mississippi woods with a pack of two other dogs. He was the sickest of them, obviously abused and/or hit by a vehicle as he limped, and was a matted ball of fur. A vet friend took him home and put him on drips, shaved him, and gave him to me.

I researched and put him on the b.a.r.f diet. (bones and raw food). I put him on the same herbal tinctures I was taking. He never had another vet bill for a decade and lived to be nearly twenty two. He had ten very happy years as did I; mostly depression-free. Both of us were quite depressed when we found each other. He passed away nearly a month ago today. I continue to grieve over Thor but feel soon I will be ready for another rescue dog. I will visit the shelter. It is not completely selfless; I understand fully now the meaning of "they do much more for us than we do for them). A rescued dog remembers. He/she gives unconditional love and we get that gift to pass on to other people. I can't begin to tell you the difference in the way I am treated now by other people, and, the way I treat them. I do my best to do what Thor taught me; that is, love them unconditionally. He saw me as one of God's creatures; to him I was a god, and now I see all living creatures as part of God's creation. I never was that religious and am not now. But how can I not be spiritual. Thor helped cure my incurable depression.

Rick London is an e-entrepreneur and cartoonist. Many of his cartoon products are dog-related and a percentage of each sale goes to benefit various animal causes. He is also the founder of the Internet's top cartoon site, Londons Times Comics.

Rick London is a cartoonist and lover of animals, particularly dogs and cats. He founded the Internet's top cartoon Londons Times Cartoons and a number of E-stores featuring his dog cartoons. A percentage of sales benefit animal causes. Some direct pages of dog-related products can be found at http://www.cafepress.com/9500/4383555 at his Rick London Collection store. Another at RickLondonwear http://www.printfection.com/londonstimestees/DOGS-CARTOON-GIFTS-and-TEES/_s_81517 and his main cartoon site, Londons Times Cartoons http://www.londonstimes.us lures over 4000 vistors per day.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rick_London

Dog And Cat Ownership Teaches Us Unconditional Love

When entering a relationship, or even considering it, we always talk about unconditional love. We miss it. We sometimes received it from our parents and more often from grandparents.

But when it comes to “leaving the cleavage” of mama, it's a rough world out there. We may find glimpses of love from our mate, and sometimes a lot more than glimpses. Even the best of relationships and marriages can have “conditions”.

Have you ever owned a dog or cat? There are no conditions. We may train our dogs and cats, to do certain tricks (it impresses our friends), but have you thought about what they teach us?

It's called unconditional love and if you don't think we learn it from them, think again. That is one of the few if any places we do learn such a wonderful way to live. We learn tolerance, patience, forgiveness and so much more.

I will give you a ridiculous far-out example, but, more often than not, we have our pets spayed or neutered, which is a smart thing, unless we are breeders of them.

And yet dog remains man's best friend. Can you imagine having the same procedure done to your own human best friend, and he or she come home and lick you in the face the next day wagging his/her tail and wanting nothing but your love or attention? I know that is a bit far-fetched, but it is a reality.

A dog (and even a cat) loves you simply for being you. There is an old Irish prayer, “Lord, please make me half the man my dog thinks I am”.

If only that were true. And if you think a dog or cat will love you unconditionally, you can take that a step further. Try adopting one from your local shelter. Cats and, it seems especially dogs, have a keen 6th sense and memory that is uncanny. They will appreciate you and show you a kind of love you've never experienced.

I just lost “Thor”, my mixed breed that I found in the woods in rural Ms. He looked a lot like Benji. That was 12 years ago. He lived, the vet believes, to be almost 22 years old. Ironically, the first Benji, (there have been more) was found not far from where I found Thor.

After owning Thor a few years, I found people were much more pleasant to me. I thought it was because I had such a cute friendly people-loving dog. Maybe that was a part of it, but the major part of it was Thor had taught me something I had never experienced before, unconditional love on steroids.
That dog loved me no matter what.

I am still grieving over the loss of Thor, and will for quite awhile. But I will soon adopt or find another dog and know that I will experience this most unique phenomena that can be found nowhere else. May you have the same blessing.

Question To Londons Times Cartoons Why So Many Products

I doubt a day does not go by that I'm not asked, "Rick, why so many products, why so many stores? (We have 9 stores). There are a number of answers to that question, but I will start with the obvious.

We want to make money. Ok, ok, that is western education school of thought. Of course we want to make money. But that is a very tiny part of the bigger picture.

We want to dominate the cartoon world on the Internet. Ok. That sounds a bit arrogant but it is true. I am told that in any given year there are approximately 10,000 cartoons on the Internet and out of those 10k cartoons only about 5 or so last longer than a year. This is our tenth year and to be honest, we didn't even start to monetize the site with stores until 14 months ago; and even think about Google Adwords until a few years ago? Why? Because we really looked at the entire thing as a hobby and everyone was pitching in during our spare time. Suddenly we looked up and we had very high ratings, mases of visitors and people telling us, "Figure out a way to make money on this site".

Our main site, Londons Times Cartoons remains free. We want to always keep it that way; as, with 8500 original cartoons, mostly in color, we look at it as a cyber-museum of sorts, and to make it a membership site, as we once thought about doing, to us, would dampen the spirit of the whole idea of it. Why pay for the opportunity to have a good laugh (we hope, anyway).

But, we also now offer various ways to buy products online, at reasonable prices at our various stores.

We have looked at all the available merchandise on which to manufacturer our cartoon images, and stuck with about 60 different items.

Some of the larger sellers are t-shirts, coasters, sweats, hoodies, aprons, clocks, infant wear, thongs, maternity dresses (yes, really), chamisole tops and baseball jerseys, tote bags and a number of other items that have surprised me.

We have two large variety stores that carry it all including LTSuperstore, Rick London Collection, and RickLondonwear, and a number of niche ones like Justfunnyhoodies, Justfunnyaprons, AThongInMyHeart and a number of others.

Why do we do it that way instead of packing everything into one store? A number of reasons. A lot of people don't want to go to a large department store, for instance, for one or two items that for which they are looking.

If they seek a funny valentine's gift, they are more likely to visit our thong store rather than RickLondonCollection simply because they don't have to wade through other items and can find exactly what they want click, buy, and have it at their door within a few days. (or if outside the U.S. within a week or two). Not too bad a deal, and the prices are excellent.

The same is true for hoodies, mouse pads, greeting cards, mugs and steins, and other such online shopping stores in which we have narrowed it down to niche marketing. We do not charge any more for products that are in those stores, that are also in our larger stores, we simply offer an alternative quicker convenient buying method for those who do not want to "go shopping" but have a general or exact idea of the item for which they are seeking.

Just because we do it this way, does not mean it is "the way" to do it. There are so many other ways to sell one's wares on the Internet, and money need not be the only motivator.

We get a kick out of watching the analyticals from sites that measure rankings and such and see how each site is doing. Generally they remain popular and gain in popularity as the days go by (thanks to you) and it keeps us motivated to keep our creative juices flowing.

If just starting on the Internet, it never hurts to try a number of e-stores and see what works. Never get married to one. After your time frame (I generally give it 6 months or so), and if it is not moving up in popularity and/or making a profit, I sadly pull the plug and don't look back.

Another idea will pop up before I know it. And the same is true of most netrepreneurs with whom I associate.

The Most Fun I Ever Had At Starbucks Wearing Clothes

Now I know this might not sound like a thrill to some, but for those interested in human behavior and what attracts what and if opposites attract (or not) or like attracts like, I did a recent experiment and had the most fun I've ever had at Starbucks (front patio) wearing clothes. My clothes to be exact. My matching ones that I sell. But not just any matching ones. Matching theme cartoon clothes. Men, please put down "How To Pick Up Women" books now, toss away the pheromone cologne. I have the secret. This goes for women too. Forget eHarmony and perfect attraction. This is simpler, cheaper, and faster.

This is how the experiment went. I am a cartoonist. I sell cartoon merchandise on clothes, and caps and buttons and gifts and such. I took a subject in which I was interested; well to subjects actually, health foods and philosophy. I happen to have a cartoon called "Complex Carbohydrates" with the image on these products. So rather than just wearing a hoodie, I wore the hoodie, matching cap, matching button, and matching tote bag. I even carefully poured the French Vanilla from the Starbuck's cup into my own matching oversize Complex Carbohydrates mug, for yet more excitement.

I cannot begin to tell you the stir it caused at Starbucks (stir = no pun intended). People came to my table just to talk. They wanted to know about the cartoon, and some invited themselves to sit (if I didn't invite them first).

By the way, guys, some were attractive very nice women, so beware. Works better than pheromones fragances!!

I must have been there 3 hours just talking or listening. Everyone wanted to tell me their point of view on health foods, vitamins, philosophy, cartooning, or whatever. It was great fun and the quality of people was nice. The majority were degreed or post grads (i always try to do a casual demographic study when casually marketing my wares), and were bright people. All taught me something.

One of the main things they taught me was that they considered it "cool" to do something like that; that is, not just wear a tee, or sweat, but some fun peripheral decorative apparel that made a statement. It told them I was communicating and I didn't even have to say hello to do so. It drew them to me.

I highly recommend it. It was only an experiment but one that really turned out to be a positive experience.

I will try it more often with different theme cartoons such as movies and dogs and other things I enjoy. I will keep you updated what happens.

You can try it too. It's not expensive and great great fun. Just order what you like;
be sure it's matching on the same page at www.ricklondoncollection.com

I'll keep ya updated on future experiments.

Looking For That Perfect Tee Shirt?

Even though nearly every adult in the U.S. is reported to have a favorite t shirt, and at least fifteen in their drawer, how do you know what tshirt to buy as a gift. Sometimes it’s even harder to choose the right one for you.

But what is the perfect tshirt? That can be quite objective, but its not a “hit or miss” proposition.

When choosing a t shirt for someone else, I usually try to get inside their head and heart. What do they feel most comfortable in? Do they love humor or would feel embarrassed wearing a funny item of clothing? Do they prefer a historic place photo? All these things have to be taken into consideration. Like me, most of my friend’s tee philosophy is “the funnier the better”.

Knowing the recipient’s personality is pertinent when choosing the perfect tshirt. Is tha person a visual type or enjoys words more. Perhaps both. I am one of those proud tee owners and so most of my favorite t-shirts have a graphic cartoon image with some text. These never fail to be mentioned in passing conversations when wear them in public. , I am stopped every time by people wanting to know where I got it, or just a simple compliment on it.

Is the recipient a doctor, a lawyer, a horse rancher or cowboy? A scientist or marriage and couples counselor? That kind of information can go a long way in deciding what type of tee to purchase.

The best part of giving a tee as a gift, aside from the price usually being between $14 and $25 depending on the quality and graphic, is the fact that it is something people don’t talk about a lot, but get great use out of them. It is, in many ways, an ideal and unexpected gift, especially when humor or cartooning is involved.

Order your favorite tee or tees online today. Try some for yourself and wear them around, go shopping in them, or walk the dog in the park. Watch the difference in attitude people have when approaching you, especially if you are wearing one that is humorous. It happens nearly every time to me. Someone will stop me and want to know where I got it, and sometimes are even crass enough to ask what I paid for it. But that’s okay. It’s usually a nice person simply giving a compliment and seeking information on how to order a similar one.

Tshirts, historically have been an excellent way to express oneself. If you’ve not tried one on for size,and seen the positive reaction of your circle of friends (and those outside the circle) you will. Order one today and see the difference.

Add a matching cap or dog sweater for your dog and get the attention of a supermodel.

www.ricklondonwear.com
www.ricklondoncollection.com
www.londonstimessuperstore.com
www.londonstimes.us

Pink Flamingo Collectibles Added To Rick London Collection

http://www.cafepress.com/9500/4571094


The incredible collectible pink flamingo is one of those type things that are either totally loved or completely ignored. Depends on human taste and objectivity. As many consider it art as others consider it junk.
The evolution of the pink flamingo as a decorative object dates back to the 1940's a company called Union Products in a small Ma. Town called Leminster. They produced bit plastic animals for the front yard, but had not yet thought of the pink flamingo. Even those animals were, indeed, so tacky, they were huge sellers. A good analogy was like having the ugliest dog, so ugly it's cute. People had to have them. They were all two dimensional like a cut-out board reindeer Christmas decoration is.
About a decade later, a serious art student who worked at Union named Don Featherstone was Although Don was a serious sculptor and classical art student, his first project was to redesign their popular duck and this time make it 3-dimensional The company figured it would be a bigger seller. The company was wrong and the 3d duck ended up in the local park. He had used a live duck as a model but still no real success.
He then figured people wanted color and something exotic. Pink Flamingos came to mind but he could not find a live one for a model so he turned to National Geographic. Smart move. They had plenty of photos. Using clay, he built his prototype. then used to make a plaster cast. The plaster cast, in turn, was used to form the molds for the plastic. The original design called for detailed wooden legs, but they proved to be too costly and were replaced by the metal ones still seen today. While the exact date was never recorded, the first pink flamingo was created several years before 1960.
The late 1950’s just happened to be perfect timing for the flamingo. The American population was moving out of the city and behind white picket fence lawns, a perfect resting place for the big pink bird.
The late 1950’s fashion trends were bright, bold colors. Grays and blacks had been here forever and people were ready for a change. The plastic industry was thriving and now allowed for hot colors like bright green, vivid ruby, and, of course, hot flamingo pink. Pink refrigerators, washing machines, and of course who didn't want a pink Caddie?
The love of the pink flamingo was short-lived due to timing. The 1960's was a time of rebellion, especially against anything man-made, and the plastic flamingo was certainly not heaven-sent (though many serious collectors still consider it so). All the major department stores, (Sears being the biggest back then as this was way pre-Walmart) removed the items from lack of sales. Collectors went underground to flea markets and niche gift shops as they still do.
Many collectors are still very serious about the pink flamingo and go so far as to travel with them.
We all know that what is art to one person is garbage to the next. Bans have been placed on pink flamingos all over the country. As a result, Union Plastics was forced to introduce a blue flamingo to work inside the laws of city ordinances. But for every action to a reaction there is another action, eh? These towns then changed the laws to ban all plastic flamingos. Many refused to obey the ordinances and the laws have rarely been enforced in most of the communities.

Until this day, pink flamingo items are still some of the most sought after in the country, and the Internet is where the majority of the shopping is done, saving collectors large amounts of money from having to travel to find their beloved bird. Now they are available on everything from coffee mugs to boxer shorts to beer steins to clocks, all valuable and desirable collectibles (for those who love them that is).

The True History Of St. Valentine's Day

As early as the fourth century B.C., the Romans engaged in an annual young man’s rite to passage to the God Lupercus. The names of the teenage women were placed in a box and drawn at random by adolescent men; thus, a man was assigned a woman companion for the duration of the year, after which another lottery was staged. After eight hundred years of this cruel practice, the early church fathers sought to end this practice… They found an answer in Valentine, a bishop who had been martyred some two hundred years earlier.

Ancient Rome is riddled with strange ceremonies and traditions, especially toward the end of its reign as a mighty empire. In fact, the way young men and women learned love was from a lottery. Once a year, in a ceremony, a teenage boy picked a girl’s name out of a box (all the teenage girls in the village names were in the box). She was his for a year. She was at his command. And sometimes it was not a pretty thing to witness. It would be another 800 years before the church put an end to this practice.

The event turned out to be a celebration of a good man, a priest and bishop named Valentine who lived near Rome in the mid to late second century. During this time Emporer Claudius 11 had outlawed marriage as he felt it made his soldiers weak, and he needed the strongest men available. After all, Rome was crumbling.

After witnessing the horrors of young lovers being torn apart for wanting to be married, Valentine held secret ceremonies and married them anyway. He was soon caught by Claudius’ army. Claudius tried to convert him to the Roman way of thinking but Valentine held firm to his Christian beliefs and was executed.

Valentine’s execution date was February 24th, 270.

During Valentine’s prison sentence, he came in contact with his jailer, Asterius who had a blind daughter. Asterius requested him to heal his daughter. Through his faith he miraculously restored the sight of Asterius’ daughter. Just before his execution, he asked for a pen and paper from his jailer, and signed a farewell message to her “From Your Valentine,” a phrase that has endured eternity.

Valentine was later named a Patron Saint, and spiritual overseer of an annual festival. The festival involved young Romans offering women they admired, and wished to court, handwritten greetings of affection on February 14. The greeting cards acquired St. Valentine’s namesake and still has it.

Valentine’s day grew in popularity along with Christianity, and is now celebrated all over the world, celebrated by almost all faiths. One of the earliest Valentine’s cards was sent in 1415 by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife while he was a prisoner in the Tower of London. It is now showcased at the British Museum.

I only found out the origins of Valentine’s Day today, and found it quite interesting. So what I decided to do was add a “Sex, Love, & Relationship” section to my main gift shop, and mark everything down up to 80% just through Valentine’s day, just to make the Patron Saint proud. It can include a gift card and the customer does not have to sign it “From Your Valentine” but can if he/she wishes.

St Valentines History

Before putting our "Sex, Love, And Relationship" items on sale at Rick London Collection, I researched and found out the history of St. Valentines Day. It is
fascinating. It all started with the Roman Empire crumbling and Claudius outlawing
marriage as he felt it weakened the soldiers. An unknown Christian priest, named Valentine noticed the pain it was causing young people and performed secret marriage
ceremonies outside of Rome. He was finally captured and executed, but not before healing his jailer's daughter's blindness. Before being executed, he wrote a note to the jailer "Your Valentine". Visit www.ricklondoncollection.com and click on the "Sex, Love, And Relationship" link and find a lot of goodies on sale at up to 80% off, just through Valentines Day.

Rick London Collection Valentine Sale

Everything in the store is priced at 50-80% below regular retail price now
through Feb. 10th. Name it, we have it tshirts, keepsake boxes, pillows, aprons, caps, day planners, hoodies and sweats, track suits, women's mens and kids casual tops, maternity wear, baby clothes, mousepads, beer steins, coffee mugs, the list goes on forever. And the items are very funny, and as we all know, humor is healing,
and what relationship couldn't use a little healing. Simply click on the Sex, Love, & Relationship graphic at www.ricklondoncollection.com and happy shopping! And even more important, Happy Valentine's Day! All items sold exclusively by the Rick London Collection. They can only be bought at www.ricklondoncollection.com

Feels Good Added New Stuff To Collection

Today, finally felt a bit productive; after a 3 day dry spell of not feeling like doing much. Lost my dog Thor last week to heart disease; owned him 12 years. Great great doggie. Still grieving. But he is in a better place. Now I will try to be productive again. Added some new genres of cartoon merchandise to the store. One is Famous Authors and the other is Computers. I think they will do well. I like this new store in that it has a very wide variety of merchandise. Some of my favorites are the tshirts, beer steins, caps, track suits, buttons, magnets, clocks, aprons, and even the baby clothes and maternity wear. Hope everyone will drop by.

Computer Cartoon Gifts And Collectibles Added

Cartoonist and etailer Rick London announced today that his
new cartoon gift store Rick London Collection www.ricklondoncollection.com
has added two new categories of cartoon gifts, authors and computers.

London says he often asks for feedback from existing customers to discover
what they want the most and does his best to add them to the collection as
soon as possible.

London has also opened a cartoon maternity and infant wear shop that also
offers matching cartoon gifts for mom and dad.

Shown are a few of the images available on everything from tshirts to
hoodies to collectible clocks to beer steins to mousepads, to you name it.

He says the creative possibilities are endless in such a venture and
he couldn't imagine doing anything else.

London says, "I always wondered growing up what it would be like to
do exactly what you want to do, and now I know. It's really something
to behold and I see that anyone can do it if they simply put forth
some effort and try. It may not be cartooning but something they love.

Has he learned any lessons? London says, "Mainly that it is okay to fall
and get back up, in fact a necessity. It has been through trial and error,
no roadmap, and a leap of faith, that made all this take a life of its own.
There is no way I could have done it myself. I had a lot of help from a lot
of very talented people.