The Last Maze The Mouse Sees By Yonatan Frimer

Last Maze The Mouse Saw

Favorite Maze By Yonatan Frimer

This is one of my favourite mazes that I have ever created. Its basically a merger of 3-d vanishing points and a bunch of monkeys jumping around all in a maze. It took me over 20 hours to complete this maze, and it is one of the most popular mazes that I have ever created. Click on the maze to view it in much greater detail.

Maze Kong

King Kong of Mazes

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Maze cartoons and Technical Illustration Mazes
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La Union Maze attracts, employs students

With late afternoon warmth settling in, maze-goers gradually trickle in like an unfastened water faucet and sophomore education major Idanea Gomez shelves her history book underneath the counter to attend to customers.

So far, it's the busiest day of the season, which started the weekend before. She manages the token booth at La Union Maze, located at 1101 South Highway 28. For the second consecutive year, she sells tickets for various attractions at the popular autumn activity.

Many college students like Gomez juggle a job while attending school. Although the job is seasonal, Gomez said the work environment is worth coming back each year.

"My mom and my sister work here, so I do this with them. It's fun," Gomez said. "You get to meet a lot of people."

Now in its 11th season, La Union Maze retains about two-thirds of their employees, co-owner Lucy Sondgeroth said, who helps run the maze with her husband Robert.

"There are kids here that have been with us five or six years," Sondgeroth said.

The maze opened Sept. 25, and it remains open until Nov. 7. La Union Maze includes two mazes, smaller entertainment attractions and snacks such as roasted corn. This year's maze is themed to commemorate American troops.

After five years of employment at the maze, Alex Gonzalez, junior mechanical engineer major, said he returns each year because of the overall employee morale, schedule flexibility and pastoral atmosphere.

"If you put the effort in, it's more fun than it is work," Gonzalez said.

The Sondgeroths rely mostly on the help of friends and family to find dedicated employees. Lucy said it takes about 25 employees at the beginning of the season to man the maze but that often increases to 35 at midseason.

"We hardly ever take walk-ins," Sondgeroth said. "We rather know who they are, or know somebody who knows who they are."

Gonzalez was an exception to the family and friend prerequisite.

He originally asked owner Robert Sondgeroth if he accepted volunteers at the maze. Robert took his information and called him back. On his first day at the maze, Gonzalez was asked to clock in. The maze became a job.

Diana Amaro

Idanea Gomez, sophomore education major works at the token booth at La Union Maze.

Diana Amaro

Emmanuel Medrano, freshman mechanical engineering major, works at the duck races.

"He told me to clock in and clock out. I was just expecting to volunteer and he started paying me," Gonzalez said. "It made it more worthwhile."

Gonzalez, who was hired as a sophomore in high school, said he wanted to work at the maze because it looked fun, and it was a chance to acquire experience.

"I never expected to be there that long," Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez said five years later, he still enjoys working like he did in the beginning. He prefers to roast corn to the other tasks. He said it challenges him because it is fast paced and detailed.

"You got to figure out a way to get a process done," Gonzalez said. "It requires the most thinking. It's most stressful."

Gonzalez said the job is fairly easy to carry while going to school, but as he gets further into his studies, his hours at the maze dwindle.

Gomez, who was referred to the maze by her mother, who knows Lucy, said it is not a bad job to have while going to school. It can only get difficult for her because she also works at the Academic Advising Center and must manage her time wisely.

"I can bring my homework here (the maze) and get ahead. If not I do it all Sunday," Gomez said.

Gomez said the maze is flexible with student workers.

"They're flexible with us because they take a little part of their lives to help us. We have to be flexible with them too," Sondgeroth said.

Managing such a large staff requires patience, organisation and flexibility, Sondgeroth said.

"It gets a little hectic. Robert and I are like, ‘who's where? Who's on first? Who's on second?'" Sondgeroth laughs.

Sondgeroth said it's important to accommodate their employees because the job can be exhausting and tedious.

"If we're not terribly busy, we don't mind if they have a book to read," Sondgeroth said.

The Sondgeroths emphasize the importance of being alert and customer service to employees.

During the day, families and their children frequent the maze. A different crowd – high school students, college students, young couples and more – dominate the evening. The crowds change the atmosphere for employees. The evening is usually busier.

"They're more relaxed because they're not dealing with so many kids," Sondgeroth said. "On the other hand, they have to be alert about trouble (since) you have an older crowd."

The Sondgeroths station employees – young and old – at every attraction, depending on responsibility. Emmanuel Medrano, freshman pre-engineering major, has worked two weekends so far. He has worked at the rubber duck race station, pedal car race and as a corn cop.

He said it can be difficult at first, but it gets easier. As a corn cop, he had to help lost families get out of the maze. He admits he is just getting the hang of the maze.

"You recognize some spots, but during the night, you get lost pretty easy," Medrano said.

Medrano also brings books to study during downtime or when he's not walking through the maze.

Gonzalez said it takes at least two weekends to learn the ins and outs of the maze.

"At the beginning everybody's a little lost but that comes with the territory," Sondgeroth said. "Once they do it a few times, they have a sense of where everything is. Something about a young mind that figures things out fast. I would be lost in there forever."

Job stations include mazes (difficult and novice), the Hill, the Big Jumping Pillow, the Pumpkin Patch Trolley, Cow Train, Pedal Cars, Target Practice, Duck Races and more.

"If your kids are not dirty when they leave here they didn't have fun," Sondgeroth said.

Click here to read the full article

Caricature maze of Ahmadinejad's new drone, the 'Ambassador of Death' by Yonatan Frimer

Maze cartoon caricature of Ahmadinejad's new drone.

Maze cartoon caricature of Ahmadinejad's new Ambassador of Death Drone with the Iranian president saying, "Our nuke program is for peaceful purposes ONLY...By the way, this is our new drone, the Ambassador of Death."
Created by Yonatan Frimer
Click here for a printable, hi-res file of Ahmadinejad drone
Click here for the solution to Ahmedinejad caricature maze

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Article on the topic of this maze cartoon:

Iran Unveils 'Ambassador of Death' Unmanned Drone Bomber

AP

This photo released by the Iranian Defense Ministry reportedly shows a Karrar drone aircraft, which Iran claims is the country's first domestically-built unmanned bomber aircraft. (AP Photo)

TEHRAN, Iran – TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday inaugurated the country's first domestically built unmanned bomber aircraft, calling it an "ambassador of death" to Iran's enemies.

The 4-meter-long drone aircraft can carry up to four cruise missiles and will have a range of 620 miles (1,000 kilometers), according to a state TV report — not far enough to reach arch-enemy Israel.

"The jet, as well as being an ambassador of death for the enemies of humanity, has a main message of peace and friendship," said Ahmadinejad at the inauguration ceremony, which fell on the country's national day for its defence industries.

The goal of the aircraft, named Karrar or striker, is to "keep the enemy paralysed in its bases," he said, adding that the aircraft is for deterrence and defensive purposes.

The president championed the country's military self-sufficiency program, and said it will continue "until the enemies of humanity lose hope of ever attacking the Iranian nation."

Click here to read the full story on Fox News

Hamas derailing the peace train, Yonatan Frimer maze cartoon

Maze cartoon of Hamas derailing the peace train.

Maze cartoon of the middle east peace process getting derailed by Hamas.
Created by Yonatan Frimer
Click here for a printable, hi-res file of Hamas VS the Peace Train
Click here for the solution to Hamas derailing the peace train.
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Gaza militants launch rocket attacks in effort to derail peace talks By Catrina Stewart in Jerusalem

Short-range rockets and mortars rained on southern Israel yesterday as militants sought to derail the revived peace process on the second day of talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders.

Militants in Gaza, the coastal enclave controlled by Hamas, fired at least nine projectiles into Israel, causing no injuries. Israel responded with an air strike on Gaza, killing a 23-year-old Palestinian man.

The upsurge in attacks came during talks in Jerusalem, where Washington is pushing for a breakthrough in the peace process, launched a fortnight ago after nearly two years of stalled negotiations.

At the end of the second day, George Mitchell, the US envoy, sounded a cautious note of optimism, hinting that the two sides were making progress over the extension of a construction freeze in the Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.

"We continue in our efforts to make progress in that regard and believe we are doing so," Mr Mitchell told reporters after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met in Jerusalem.

"The two leaders are not leaving the tough issues to the end of their discussions," he added. "We take this as a strong indicator of their belief that peace is possible."

Ahead of a packed day of meetings, Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, had reiterated...(click here to read the full article source)

Edvard Munch The Scream and Sunset with birds by Yonatan Frimer

Scream maze, by Yonatan Frimer

Maze of Edvard Munch "The Scream"

Maze of a Sunset with birds, by Yonatan Frimer

This one is hanging up in my house.

Find much more mazes at http://teamofmonkeys.com and http://inkblotmazes.com

Maze cartoon of white glove for full body cavity search, by Yonatan Frimer

Psychedelic maze cartoon of a white glove for full cavity search.

Maze cartoon by Yonatan Frimer about the invasion of privacy caused by the security measures at airports and the full body scanners.
Click here for a printable, hi-res file of white glove maze.
Click here for the solution to white rubber glove maze.

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Article on the topic of this maze cartoon:

Airport security: X-ray scanner or full-body pat-down?

If you object to getting screened at the airport by the new full-body scanners that peer through clothes, you can choose to subject yourself to a full-body pat-down search.

But be warned that the Transportation Security Administration has begun an "enhanced" pat-down procedure at certain airports.

TSA officials confirmed that a new procedure is in use. But they declined to describe the procedure or say where it is being used.

"We are in the process of evaluating and updating our procedures at airports across the country," said Nicholas Kimball, a TSA spokesman.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union and news reports from Boston and Las Vegas, the new procedure may involve some heavy patting and probing.

"To call it a pat-down is a euphemism," said Christopher Ott, a spokesman for the ACLU in Massachusetts. Ott said he has heard from several passengers flying through Boston's Logan International Airport.

Under the older procedure, TSA officials pat passengers to identify hidden objects, using the backs of their hands to search sensitive areas of the body. Under the new procedure, Ott said, TSA screeners feel and prod passengers with their palms and fingers.