Ceci n'est pas un panneau d'affichage

City officials in Des Moines have cited a local middle school for a mural depicting children learning and playing. Since the mural includes the school's name, the city says, it amounts to an illegal outdoor sign. By contrast, a controversial painting of a nude angel on another Des Moines building does not run afoul of zoning rules because it is art, not advertising. School officials are thinking about painting over the words on the mural.

[Thanks to Mark Lambert for the link.]

Comments

[wellfellow]

The only French I ever learned was "Ceci n'est pas une pipe". I said this to a French girl for kicks and apparently she thought I had asked her to do something untoward, due to my poor pronunciation. She and I were quite embarrassed.

[Jeff P.]

That's okay, Wellfellow. I once told a Cambodian girl I knew that it was a pleasure to once again be in her intoxicating presence. A shocked look came across her face. She thought I was saying that she gave me gas.

[joe]

I once asked a Hungarian girl what her village was like.

She was from Budapest. Didn't get any.

[Jeff P.]

I once lived with a cinnamon girl. It's not all it cracked up to be. She left silver saxes everywhere.

[smacky]

I once dated a gingerbread boy. He was really sweet most of the time, until one day he pissed me off. So I bit his head off. Mmm...crunchy.

[mens insano]

Don't think it was your pronunciation, wellfellow. Faire une pipe means to give a blowjob.

[Mark Borok]

Wellfellow: you pronounced it right. She must have thought you said "fais-moi une pipe".

So if the children depicted playing on this mural were nude it would be okay? Maybe they could be playing Centrifugal Bumblepuppy.

[Jeff P.]

The idea of equating my member with a pipe disturbs me. First off, I keep picturing it in Fred MacMurray's mouth. Secondly, I don't like the idea of banging it against a desk to get it emptied.

[Rich Ard]

You wouldn't have to do that if you quit tamping it so much.

[wellfellow]

I see... I'll have to keep that in mind.

[wellfellow]

The phrase and the tamping bit...

[Number 6]

Jeff-It's that charring light you have to watch out for. And about the use of pipe cleaners, the less said, the better.

[Jeff P.]

Hmmm. Maybe I'll switch to cigars. Nothing phallic there...

[Number 6]

"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar"-Freud

"Yeah, and sometimes it's a big, brown dick."-George Carlin

[Timothy]

Freud: If it's not one thing, it's your mother.

[joe]

I hate Freud.

He's like a giant spear thrusting into my guts and making me nothing.

What?

[Briana Beatty]

Men and their phallic fallacies..never gets boring, does it?

[Stevo Darkly]

Hey, speaking of Freud, can anybody help me interpret these recent dreams I've had? Their symbolism totally escapes me.

1) I dreamed I was a train engineer. I was just about to enter a tunnel, but then this chick appeared out of nowhere waving a flag that meant I had to stop.

2) I dreamed that I was the manager of a cigar shop. And all these hot chicks came in. But I couldn't sell a cigar to any of them.

3) I dreamed I worked for the telephone company. It was my job to erect telephone poles. However, this one lady absolutely refused to let me plant a pole in her front yard.

4) I dreamed I was the manager of a dildo shop ...

[drf]

This'll probably fall off before you see this, Stevo, but:

once and for all:

THOSE DREAMS WILL GO AWAY IF YOU STOP WATCHING "HOGAN'S HEROES" RERUNS BEFORE NIGHTY-NIGHT.