June 7 2019
Sept 25 2018 Am using new web-page program called Microsoft Expression Web 4.
September 11, 2018 My long-time Assistant, Peggy Sue, retired at the end of last year, and my wife Dorothy died (of Parkinson's) on May 24. So this has been a sad and lonely time for the Sole Proprietor, yours truly. But I'm working on a tenth book of Brilliant Thoughts, provisionally entititled: "I Need More Time -- And I probably always will."
Sept 25 2018 Am using new web-page program called Microsoft Expression Web 4.
September 11, 2018 My long-time Assistant, Peggy Sue, retired at the end of last year, and my wife Dorothy died (of Parkinson's) on May 24. So this has been a sad and lonely time for the Sole Proprietor, yours truly. But I'm working on a tenth book of Brilliant Thoughts, provisionally entititled: "I Need More Time -- And I probably always will."
October 9, 2017. You can read the entire Montecito Journal , in which my column appears, online at www.montecitojournal.net.
You can also now get a free Pot-Shot every day of the year at www.gocomics.com
You can also now get a free Pot-Shot every day of the year at www.gocomics.com
I send Journal articles occasionally to my list of email friends (which you can get on by writing in my Guest Book.) Or you can subscribe to the actual hard-copy Journal for $150 a year. This is a new kind of writing for me (after doing 10,000 17 words or less epigrams,) and I'll appreciate your comments.
In a Contract dated September 2, 2014, Ashleigh Brilliant licensed MARC JACOBS INTERNATIONAL, LLC., the New York based Fashion and Design Company to use certan of his epigrams on certain of their products.
October 9, 2013. There's a good reason why this is my first "WHAT'S NEW?" update in nearly two years. The reason is that there has been very little to report, except lamentable medical events , involving myself and my wife, of limited interest to the world at large . There have been no new books of Brilliant Thoughts (since #9), no new published Pot-Shots (since #10,000), no travels of any significance, no big business developments. But, as I approach my 80th birthday on Dec. 9, 2013, things may be picking up a little. During the 2012 election I put out a wager that Romney would lose to Obama. The stakes were $5 worth of Pot-Shots against $5 worth of chocolate. Nearly 40 Romneyites took me on, and the result was an influx of chocolate which kept me happy for months. On Sept 13, 2013, I sold a new original Pot-Shot, privately commissioned, for $100, and news of this has led to what I hope may be a continuing stream of commissions. Now I have been booked to give a speech on "SELF-ESTEEM," an event scheduled for January 17 2014,
December 24, 2011. It's now nearly 11 months since my accident.
The leg has healed nicely, thanks in part to a bone growth stimulator
which I've been using for the past 4 months. But I'm still dealing
with what is apparently another result of this trauma -- lower-back
pains, which are now the focus of my physical therapy.
My most recent public appearance was at Linn-Benton College in
Oregon on Sept. 13, 2011. Here's my
speech.
June 27, 2011. Today it is exactly 5 months since I was struck by a car while crossing a street in Santa Barbara. I was badly hurt, with multiple fractures in my left leg. I was hospitalized for ten weeks, and am now somewhere in the recovery process -- "up and about," but still far from "back to normal." I am getting physical therapy at a local rehabilitation facility for pain, stiffness, and swelling in the broken leg. Meanwhile our business goes on, and we are offering for the first time a whole range of different T-SHIRTS.
September 18, 2010. Our newest service: VERSIFIED ADDRESSES.
June 28, 2010 Now Available: A new CD of Ashleigh
singing all the songs in his HAIGHT-ASHBURY SONG-BOOK (plus his
unforgettable versions of "The Stars And Stripes Forever"
and "The Can-Can") Click here for details.
March 18, 2010. Don't miss Ashleigh's appearances in: GEARY'S
GUIDE TO THE WORLD'S GREAT APHORISTS by James Geary. (page
19); ORIGINAL WIT Compiled by Des MacHale (pp. 230, 285,
287); THE FUNNIEST THING YOU NEVER SAID: THE ULTIMATE COLLECTION
OF HUMOROUS QUOTATIONS (pp 3, 96, 116, 212, 275).
October 19, 2009 A NEW BOOK of crazy critters and caustic comments
by Jane Seabrook and Ashleigh Brilliant. It's called FURRY
LOGIC -- DON'T WORRY.
April 9 2009. NOW ON THIS WEBSITE: A whole collection of original paintings and drawings by Ashleigh Brilliant. Please vote for your five favorites
Some of the recent books in which you'll find Ashleigh Brilliant
and his works:
COUNTERCULTURE KALEIDOSCOPE by Nadya Zimmerman, 2008
THE FAITH-BASED MILLIONAIRE by Jay Peroni, 2008
LEADERSHIP 101 for White Men by Chuck Shelton, 2008
SAVING IS FOR SUCKERS by Bill MacKay, 2007
ENGAGE! Roadmap for Workforce-Driven Change by T. Elaine
Gagn�, 2005
360 Degrees of Wisdom: Charting Your Destiny by Lynda Hill,
2004
SOCIOLOGY: Australian Connections ed. by Ray Jureidni &
Marilyn Poole, 2003
On March 31 2009 An original signed Peanuts cartoon strip which
Charles Schulz gave to Ashleigh Brilliant in 1975, was auctioned
by Nate Sanders Inc. of Los Angeles. The winning bid was $25,000.
December 22, 2008 A new book by Henry Alford called
HOW TO LIVE: A Search for Wisdom
from Old People
devotes eight pages, right at the end, to Ashleigh Brilliant,
virtually as the climax of the author's search for wisdom.
December 9, 2008.
My 75th birthday was honored by Garrison Keillor in his Writer's
Almanac program on America's National Public Radio. Here’s
what he said:
"It's the birthday of cartoonist, humorist, and poet Ashleigh Brilliant, born in London (1933). He's best known for his "Pot-Shots," sayings and one-liners that are never more than 17 words. He illustrates them with pen-and-ink drawings. Some of his Pot-Shots are: "To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first, and, whatever you hit, call it the target," and "I'm not getting paid much for staying alive but it's good experience," and "All I want is a warm bed and a kind word and unlimited power." Pot-Shots have appeared on mugs, tote bags, and T-shirts, and in several book collections. Brilliant's most recent book is I'm Just Moving Clouds Today, Tomorrow I'll Try Mountains (1998). Ashleigh Brilliant is his real name."
(It was also the birthday of John Milton -- but he was given less air-time.)
September 9 2008
Although not previously proclaimed on this website, I do make
public appearances before all kinds of groups, and you can hire
me as a SPEAKER.
April 20, 2008.
If you haven't yet bought my ILLUSTRATED
ELECTRONIC CATALOG of 10,000 Pot-Shots, you can now see a
SAMPLE SCREEN which will give you a
better idea of how easy it is to use this wonderful data-base,
and all the things you can do with it.
Here are some new books in which you'll find me:
(1) Ringo Starr's POSTCARDS FROM THE BOYS (published by
Chronicle Books, San Francisco)-- a collection of cards sent to
Ringo by the other Beatles. It includes (on pp. 56-7) a Pot-Shot
postcard sent from New York by John Lennon, dated December 1970,
on which John wrote "This is the truth as we see it."
The card is Pot-Shot #34, which says "LET'S LOVE ONE ANOTHER,
AND GET IT OVER WITH."
(2) EVERYDAY GREATNESS (published by Thomas Nelson) --
a compilation of inspirational writings, edited by Stephen R.
Covey. Two chapters are introduced with Pot-Shots: : #4548 "I
CAN DO ONLY ONE THING AT A TIME, BUT I CAN AVOID DOING MANY THINGS
SIMULTANEOUSLY" (p.391); and #4254 "SOMETIMES THE MOST
URGENT AND VITAL THING YOU CAN POSSIBLY DO IS TAKE A COMPLETE
REST" (p.425).
(3) NO MORE MONDAYS by Dan Miller (published by Doubleday) is about how to make your working life more meaningful, and is illustrated with about a dozen Pot-Shots, including #416, "IF I DIDN'T HAVE TO WORK SO HARD, I'D HAVE MORE TIME TO BE DEPRESSED."
(4) HOW TO LIVE: A SEARCH FOR WISDOM by Henry Alford, due to be published by Twelve Publishing in January 2009. I don't know just what he will say, but Mr. Alford, who often writes for the NEW YORKER, came to Santa Barbara specially to interview me for this book.
****
August 26, 2007. An illustrated interview with Ashleigh Brilliant appears in the Aug-Sept 2007 issue of CEDAR WINGS, the in-flight magazine of Middle East Airlines, the national carrier of Lebanon.
July 26 2007. They've been a long time coming, but LAMINATED POT-SHOTS are finally here.
*** *** ***
The latest Ashleigh Brilliant licensee is ZARA (a subsidiary of INDITEX, one of the world's largest retailers, with stores in fashion centers everywhere). Look for ZARA'S dazzling line of Ashleigh Brilliant ladies' T-shirts. To locate your nearest ZARA store, go to www.zara.com & click on "stores" and "locator."
*** *** ***
And here's something else to look for: JUST OUT! Jane Seabrook's latest book of "Furry Logic," called "Wild Wisdom," with charming animal pictures by this talented New Zealand artist, hilariously matched with words by Ashleigh Brilliant. Don't miss the Mandrill baboon's expression as he says "For Your Own Safety, Please Stay Behind The Line I Have Drawn Around My Supply Of Chocolate." (Published by Ten Speed Press, Berkeley California).
*** *** ***
March 7 2007. Another newspaper in which you can now
read Pot-Shots 6 days a week: the Adirondack Daily Enterprise,
in Saranac Lake NY.
And we have a new Licensee: SETH STREETER, President of MISSION
WEALTH MANAGEMENT, Santa Babara CA. Seth will be exploring
new ways to make Brilliant Thoughts available to the world.
One place where you'll find
8 of them will be in Geary's Guide to the World's Great Aphorists,
by James Geary, an encyclopaedia of world aphorists, to be published
by Bloomsbury USA in October 2007. Mr. Geary is also the
author of The World in A Phrase: A Brief History of the Aphorism.
*************************************
September 24, 2006 ANOTHER BRILLIANT PRODUCT: CERAMIC
MUGS!
September 24, 2006 ANOTHER BRILLIANT PRODUCT: CERAMIC MUGS!
***************************************
Rebecca Gorman, our San Francisco Bay Area Distributor, will be showing Pot-Shots at the SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL GIFT FAIR, August 6-10 2005. See her at Booth 2450 in the Moscone Center
***********************************
December 18 2004:--
The new electronic Pot-Shots Illustrated Catalog is at last available,
on a single CD! All the words and all the pictures of 9,653 immortal
Brilliant Thoughts! It's in the form of a database, so you can
search by word and by subject. Price: $60 (includes
shipping anywhere). Use our online order form, or send check,
or phone. MORE DETAILS.
*******************************
Don't be surprised if Pot-Shots soon start popping up on your mobile telephone. I have made a deal with CELLUS U.S.A., a company which provides "content" to cell phone companies. Just how this will work in my case is not yet clear to me -- so please let me know if you see (or hear) it actually happening!
September 24, 2004
A new book by Lynn Melville is illustrated (by special permission,
of course) with some 330 Pot-Shots. It's called BREAKING FREE
FROM BOOMERANG LOVE: Getting Unhooked from Borderline Personality
Disorder
Relationships. To find out more, go to www.boomeranglove.com
(If you order the book, please tell Lynn I sent
you.)
June 8 2004
We have a new Pot-Shots Distributor covering the San Francisco
Bay Area. Her name is REBECCA GORMAN.
You can reach her at 408-868-1553. FAX: 408-741-5979. Email:
rebecca.gorman@sbcglobal.net
Welcome aboard, Rebecca!
December 16, 2003
New Pot-Shots Pillows!
May 3, 2003
l have acquired a new computer and a very complicated new "Developer"
program, specially for the purpose of producing a marketable Brilliant
Thoughts Database. Will this valiant effort succeed? Stay tuned!
(For further info, see Technical Information
)
Sept. 22, 2002
My big trademark infringement case against Harper/Collins has
finally, after 3 years, been settled. Terms and conditions are
confidential, but I am very pleased with the outcome. For details
of the lawsuit which brought about the settlement, see my #harper/collins press
release.
May 30, 2002
I've been anthologized for the first time! Martin Gardner
has included my parody of Edgar Allen Poe's poem "The Bells"
(my version is called "The Balls") in his new book of
Poetic Parodies (Prometheus Books, 2001). You can also
read it in my own book, Be A Good Neighbor, and Leave Me Alone.
You can now read the text of my Bend Oregon lecture on Free Speech.
January 16, 2002.
If you're anywhere near Grand Rapids, Michigan, please visit the
new POT-SHOTS CAFE AND GIFT SHOP at the corner of Leonard and
Remembrance in Walker. This unique establishment features not
only Coffee and Donuts (Nature's Perfect Food) but also the books
of Ashleigh Brilliant. Say hi to BETH LENKIEWICZ. This is her
dream (and also mine!) She's open Monday to Friday 7a.m. - 3 p.m.,
Saturdays 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
And if you're anywhere near Bend, Oregon, save April 10 for a dramatic personal return appearance by Ashleigh Brilliant at Central Oregon Community College (from which I was dismissed as a teacher in 1965 in a famous free speech controversy.) My April topic -- what else? -- "FREE SPEECH IN BEND AND BEYOND."
September 26, 2001.
Welcome to another new licensee: The "A-Clear-Thought"company
of Kirkland WA, which is going to put Pot-Shots on their lucite
desk ornaments and paperweights.
Ashleigh spoke at the MENSA convention in Shell Beach CA
on Sept. 2, and was ranked #1 by attendees in their evaluations
of all speakers.
June 6 2001
Welcome to two new licensees: The SWING company of Concord
MA, who make beautiful metal bookmarks, and PLAIN JANE INC., of
Baton Rouge LA, who are putting Pot-Shots on plaques made from
old New Orleans roof-slates.
May 4, 2001
Time Warner Books Inc. has agreed to discontinue a book advertisement
which included words substantially identical to Brilliant Thought
#1230: "YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO MY NEXT FIASCO."
April 17, 2001
A new book by bestselling business and investing author Robert
G. Allen is illustrated throughout with my Brilliant Thoughts.
It's called Multiple Streams of Internet Income, published
by John Wiley & Sons.
March 4, 2001
There's an article about me in the Feb. 2001 Bulletin of MENSA
(the high IQ Society).
You will find a Pot-Shot on page 89 of the March 2001 Smithsonian
Magazine.
Welcome to another Brilliant Thoughts licensee: Despair.com.
In February, we went to the Galapagos
Jan. 1, 2001
You can now meet some of my FAMILY.
July 12, 2000
PEGGY SUE GOT MARRIED on July 3, and is now Mrs. Evert John Lemkuil.
We are all very happy about this.
May 16, 2000
On May 13, I was formally honored as a "Distinguished Alumnus"
by Claremont Graduate University. For my acceptance speech,
see Claremont
April 18, 2000
Are Pot-Shots "collectible"? Of course they are! And
we now have a page of Information for
Collectors.
April 13, 2000
We are pleased to announce the engagement of Peggy Sue McMillan
to Evert John Lemkuil. Congratulations Peggy Sue!
April 6, 2000.
(1) Welcome to our newest licensee, Bonair Daydreams of Farmington
New Mexico, who will be using Pot-Shot #751 (I HOPE I NEVER BECOME
SO USED TO THE WORLD THAT IT NO LONGER SEEMS WONDERFUL) on their
line of fine photographic greeting-cards.
(2) Our trademark "BRILLIANT THOUGHTS" is under attack,
and we have had to take legal action against a major American
publisher. For details, see press release in Recent
Writings.
March 5, 2000. Dorothy and I are back from our gruelling trip to Nepal. For details see Nepal.
Jan. 2, 2000. What, another Millennium! Just when I was getting used to the last one!
Sept. 30, 1999.
It’s here! My fifteen minutes of fame on national and worldwide
TV (only it probably won't be that long.)
The network is CNN, and the program is a regular Sunday feature called "BUSINESS UNUSUAL." If you are outside the USA, you can see it on CNN International, on Sunday, October 3, at 6:30 p.m. Eastern (i.e. New York) time. If you’re inside the USA, you’ll have to wait another week, until Sunday, October 10, also at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time. (If you get two CNN channels, I will be on the one which does not have the "Headline News.")
I haven’t seen this epic yet myself, but a CNN crew did spend a whole day filming me here in Santa Barbara, so it will be interesting to see how that all gets boiled down into one brief segment of a half-hour show.
More exciting news: A Pot-Shots screensaver is at last in the works. Watch for more details after we sign the contract.
Sept. 11, 1999. I have been working all summer on a new batch of Pot-Shots which, when published and catalogued, will carry the total to somewhere past #8666. Meanwhile, I have been discovered and filmed by CNN. Watch for more news about this soon (we hope!)
Many thanks to the Endicotts of Nanaimo, British Columbia, for their kind hospitality during my June visit.
Welcome to my new licensees, the LOGOTEL company of Columbia MD, who will soon be putting Brilliant Thoughts on their T-shirts.
May 24, 1999 The Pot-Shots distributorship in the San Francisco Bay Area is again available.
March 28, 1999. I have finally added a page of LINKS to other interesting websites.
Feb. 6, 1999. If you'd like to sell Pot-Shots postcards in your store, please see our new Wholesale Page.
My Y1K piece, which you first saw here, was in the Christian Science Monitor on Jan. 29, 1999 (page 11).
Jan. 24, 1999. To help you order individual Pot-Shot
postcards directly from this website, I have added a page with
a Selection of Messages from our complete
Pot-Shots catalogue
Jan. 24, 1999. To help you order individual Pot-Shot postcards directly from this website, I have added a page with a Selection of Messages from our complete Pot-Shots catalogue