Jan 17th 2013 08:33 am Hanging Judge
This is one of those cartoons that gets me in trouble with some readers. It certainly isn’t a joke that anyone is going to get right away. I was all right with “arithmetic” when I was a boy, even with “long division” and the dreaded “fractions.” Made perfect sense to me. However, beginning in junior high, when the subject became “mathematics,” I began to falter. I can’t tell you why. It just didn’t make sense. How could c equal 12? Is it possible to be too literal for mathematics? My one bright area, at least in its basic form, was geometry. I got to draw! That made sense.
Posted by jimmyjohnson / Vintage A&J
155 Responses to “Hanging Judge”
Dale on 17 Jan 2013 at 8:39 am #
Oh, yeah, “mathematics” is abstract. It begins at the point where your reasoning becomes disconnected from anything tangible.
Russel Trojan on 17 Jan 2013 at 8:43 am #
This brings back many memories of elementary school where our assistant principal would walk into a classroom and go through a series of calculations with a result like Arlo’s. It made math into a game and I’ve enjoyed it ever since.
llee on 17 Jan 2013 at 8:43 am #
Love it! (the picture hanging strip) And today’s rebellion….I’m glad Arlo hasn’t grown up too much. Jimmy, how are the garden plans coming?
Burns on 17 Jan 2013 at 8:52 am #
Hmmm…I don’t remember this one. I probably would not have done the math except that I said to myself “This would not be funny, unless….” and then I had to confirm it. And now I think it is hilarious! Of course it would be more realistic with fractions
Moving a picture that size by 6 inches? I don’t think so.
Mindy on 17 Jan 2013 at 8:54 am #
He only moved it two inches to the left and that proves he has such a good eye? Janis was just stroking his ego.
Mindy on 17 Jan 2013 at 8:55 am #
Ghost, don’t you dare!
Russel Trojan on 17 Jan 2013 at 8:58 am #
Sorry Mindy, but the picture ended up in the same place it started.
Whistling Rufus on 17 Jan 2013 at 9:07 am #
It was plain to me the picture ended in the same place it started w/out “doing the math”.
Rich in Belchertown on 17 Jan 2013 at 9:09 am #
Reminds me of one of my favorite puns — two wrongs don’t make a right, but three lefts do!
Ghost Rider 6 on 17 Jan 2013 at 9:12 am #
Mindy, you certainly make it hard for me. To be good, I mean.
Ghost Rider 6 on 17 Jan 2013 at 9:15 am #
http://www.gocomics.com/arloandjanis/2009/01/30
See? When Arlo expresses appreciation for a certain female attribute, he gets a laugh. When I do, I get called a DOM. Life is soooo unfair….
While reflecting on Arlo’s act of civil disobedience in today’s cartoon, I wondered whatever happened to the “barn coat” he used to wear to work.
Opus on 17 Jan 2013 at 9:17 am #
That’s a Carhart coat, Ghost Rider. As least in the areas of the South where I’ve chased fast herring and loose Orcas.
Mindy on 17 Jan 2013 at 9:29 am #
I knew that, Russell Trojan. Hello, Opus. Carhart makes nice stuff. But, “fast herring and loose Orcas?”
Ghost Rider 6 on 17 Jan 2013 at 10:08 am #
Good work, Opus. Mindy will never be able to figure out what “fast herring and loose Orcas” is code for.
Bet Debbe has some Carhart garments.
Blinky the Wonder Wombat on 17 Jan 2013 at 10:26 am #
JJ-
Don’t feel too bad about your struggles with mathematics. Math comes easy for me, but I couldn’t paint or write fiction to save my life.
For most people, the brain seems to be hardwired for either “artistic” or “science”. Geniuses seem to be able to work in both realms. This doesn’t (and shouldn’t) preclude we mere mortals from appreciating the work done by those wired differently from ourselves.
Bill in Paducah on 17 Jan 2013 at 10:31 am #
Jimmy – today’s angled trash can was a laugh out loud moment! Loved the daily setup and the punch line.
Jean in Dahlonega Ga aka Trapper Jean on 17 Jan 2013 at 10:35 am #
When I was but a small girl I was okay with adding and subtracting, and maybe even a few simple fractions. Then in about the second grade the teacher said we were going to learn “new Math”. I asked my mom what that was and she said there was no such thing, that arithmetic was arithmetic. Maybe she was right because from that point on I couldn’t understand a thing the teacher said. It made no sense at all to me, and to this day I hate math and can’t add three numbers without a calculator. Fractions are impossible, unless they pertain to cooking. Then I can do them. Go figure.
Russell Trojan, obviously we went to different schools together.
Hi Opus! How are the pickled squid bits?
Nancy in Bucks County on 17 Jan 2013 at 10:43 am #
Jean, I agree – the “new math” era was the end of understanding for me. I had the same math teacher in Jr high for 3 years. He was awful and I just gave up. But I can rattle of those multiplication tables like there’s no tomorrow (Thanks, Dad!).
pickled squid bits? ewww…
Blinky the Wonder Wombat on 17 Jan 2013 at 11:01 am #
“New Math” was introduced around the time I started school (and I think it was abandoned within the decade). I believe the theory behind New Math was that if a student understood the theory, the actual process would be easier to learn. Al I really remember about it is sets and subsets. Like I said, I seem to be wired for math, so I was able to survive New Math unscathed.
Laura in Upstate NY on 17 Jan 2013 at 11:12 am #
I missed the first round of “new math” and now the second round of what is called “everyday math”. However having tried to help a student with the EveryDay Math was impossible. Instead of just taking two two digit numbers and multiplying them together they draw a square and do all of these complicated formulas (this is fourth grade) then as long as the process is right it doesnt matter what the answer is they are still right. When I tried to show them the correct way of multiplying they couldn’t grasp the way to do it. Now we teach this “new math” to them until they hit fifth grade and then we start over with the real math that all of us grew up with where 1+1=2 not what ever you think as long as you added it togther correctly.
Laura in Upstate NY on 17 Jan 2013 at 11:13 am #
P.S. the newest fad in schools is Tiwain Math which is really just teaching them to add/subtract/multiple and divide the “old” way
phil in Missoula, MT on 17 Jan 2013 at 11:29 am #
I went to a very small country school (3 grades in one room) and because I was bored with the regular math, the teacher gave me a ‘new math’ book in 7th or 8th grade. The things that I got out of it (that I remember) are set theory and the idea of different number bases, both of which would up influencing my eventual career in computers.
In college I had 4 semestrs of calculus and the classes I did best in were the ones where the prof could relate the ideas to real-world problems. I often think that high school students would be much better off if the teachers could relate real-world problems to algebra and geometry.
Now for some ‘Old Math’. Try adding/subtracting/multiplying with Roman numerals. Not too hard, but division is extremely difficult. The Romans didn’t have the notion of zero.
Boise Ed on 17 Jan 2013 at 11:57 am #
Laura, the only hits I can get on “Tiwain Math” cite people with “Tiwain” as a first name.
Blinky the Wonder Wombat on 17 Jan 2013 at 12:10 pm #
phil in Missoula-
You are right about making math relatable to real world problems. I think we lose too many kids because they ask “How is this going to help me in the real world?” It’s easier to understand something when you can relate it to real experience.
JDS on 17 Jan 2013 at 1:00 pm #
Amazing, Johnson’s been helping my wife hang pictures.
Mindy on 17 Jan 2013 at 1:27 pm #
Phil, John bought me a Laptop abacas. I think it’s made by Grapefruit or something like that.
Mary from Mt on 17 Jan 2013 at 2:57 pm #
Phil’s right. When we started geometry and I wasn’t grasping it quickly I told my teacher that I probably would never need to know ” this stuff” anyway. My teacher said ( and I remember her words verbatim) “well okay, if that’s what you want, but Mary, how are you going to know if you have enough oats in the grain bin to feed your horses through the winter? Now that’s a real world problem for you!
Michael in Pleasanton, CA on 17 Jan 2013 at 2:57 pm #
Funniest thing is, it didn’t even occur to me to do the math… I figured Arlo was just arbitrarily moving the picture around, yanking Janis’ chain (which he would totally do).
phil in Missoula, MT on 17 Jan 2013 at 3:24 pm #
Speaking of applied math:
Sven and Ole, two Minnesota engineers were standing at the base of a flagpole, looking up. A woman walks by and asks what they were doing. “Ve’re supposed to find da height of dis flagpole, “said Sven, “but ve don’t haff a ladder.”
The woman took a wrench from her purse, loosened a couple of bolts, and laid the pole down on the ground. Then she took a tape measure from her pocketbook, took a measurement and announced, “Twenty one feet, six inches,” and walked away.
Ole shook his head and laughed. “Ain’t dat just like a voman! Ve ask fer da height and she gives us da length! “
Ghost Rider 6 on 17 Jan 2013 at 3:47 pm #
Mindy, I’m confused. Why would she be carrying a tape measure around with her?
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 17 Jan 2013 at 4:02 pm #
Ghost: It might be a cloth rather than steel tape measure, such as taylors and seamstresses use. [That sounds sexist. "Taylor" always brings a male figure to mind, a Mr. Herschkovitz on W. 4th St. in the Village in particular. Are there seamsters?]
Phil: “The Romans didn’t have the notion of zero.” Right, and the West still used Roman numerals for a millennium after the collapse of the Empire. The story of the introduction of Hindu/Arabic numerals into the West is fascinating: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibonacci . Fibonacci also gave us the “Fibonacci” series, 1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21, etc. Maybe I’ve mentioned this before.
“Why do we have to know this?” So we can become botanists. Plants, despite have only “vegetable souls” according to Aristotle, make intricate objects [e.g., pineapples and pine cones] with repetition of parts occurring in Fibonacci series.
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 17 Jan 2013 at 4:14 pm #
Not a full millennium, more like 700 years.
From the Wiki site on pineapples: “The fruit of a pineapple is arranged in two interlocking helices, eight in one direction, thirteen in the other, each being a Fibonacci number.”
Actually, I think it’s three: 5, 8, and 13, but I don’t have a pineapple handy. Easy to check at the grocer’s; pineapples can stand moderate handling. Just look down on the pineapple or pine cone or other evergreen cone from above.
Robin in FL on 17 Jan 2013 at 4:25 pm #
eMb
Were you reading Frazz this week?
http://news.yahoo.com/photos/frazz-slideshow/20130116-fz130116-gif-photo-050426454.html
http://news.yahoo.com/photos/frazz-slideshow/20130117-fz130117-gif-photo-050417344.html
Mindy from Indy on 17 Jan 2013 at 4:45 pm #
Oh my! Boy am I ever glad to see you guys! (So to speak.) Carpooled with two others for a training class today. The person driving was so awful, I almost asked for the vehicle to be stopped so I could walk. My across the hall neighbors are fighting with the down stairs neighbors. My sister got married yesterday and didn’t tell anyone. And I still have to take down and put away my Christmas decorations and my next day off work is a week from Saturday. (Latest they’ve been up in 13 years.) I need a vacation. And thanks for my laughs on the day.
My advice for math class – have everyone work a retail register in a busy store for a week; basic math, percentages, fractions, algebra all wrapped up in one neat stress-filled package.
PS Safety tip of the day – Tap the roof of your vehicle (away from the gas cap) before touching your gas cap and/or fuel pump. Any residual static electricity will discharge at the roof and not next to gas fumes. Static electricity is a large contributor to gas fires at fueling stations in the winter. Pass it on!
Robin in FL on 17 Jan 2013 at 5:13 pm #
Mindy from Indy
What an interesting life you’re leading. Sympathies on the feuding neighbors.
Mindy from Indy on 17 Jan 2013 at 5:18 pm #
Robin, Oh man, one more round of hallway shrieking, and both house security AND local LEOs will be getting a call. It’s just shy of severe altercation levels.
curmudgeonly ex-professor on 17 Jan 2013 at 5:21 pm #
True math tale from my MBH: She needed to buy just a foot of some cloth for a project. When she asked the clerk to sell her 12 inches of the cloth, the clerk replied that store policy was to sell only in yards or parts of yards!
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 17 Jan 2013 at 5:40 pm #
c x-p: Reminds me of my daughter’s report of the waitress whose restaurant/bar made pina coladas with coconut schnapps instead of coconut milk because of some customers’ milk allergies.
Mark in TTown on 17 Jan 2013 at 5:54 pm #
I like the retro strip today, but didn’t realize that Arlo’s directions moved it all over before returning it to the same spot. Thanks for cluing me in, folks.
Sorry to hear you are in the middle of a war zone there, Mindy from Indy. If you do need to call the police, don’t let the fighters know you are the one who did it. You don’t need them including you in their enemies list.
Mindy from Indy on 17 Jan 2013 at 6:15 pm #
Mark in TTown – Trust me I won’t. I’m on enough of those as it is. I will speaking with the apartment manager tomorrow. Got back too late to do it today. If it is too insafe for me to call from here, I will text someone at work to call it in for me.
John in Virginia – How many woodframe walls can the average bullet pierce? How about an old metal bathtub? Just in case.
Mindy from Indy on 17 Jan 2013 at 6:16 pm #
Mark in TTown – Trust me I won’t. I’m on enough of those as it is. I will speaking with the apartment manager tomorrow. Got back too late to do it today. If it is too insafe for me to call from here, I will text someone at work to call it in for me.
John in Virginia (or other firearm knowledgeable person) – How many woodframe walls can the average bullet pierce? How about an old metal bathtub? Just in case.
Ghost Rider 6 on 17 Jan 2013 at 7:48 pm #
Lady Mindy, I’m not the expert I’m sure that both John and Mindy are, but I feel confident the answer is “more walls than you have.” And yes, should it become necessary, get behind the most substantial fixture or piece of furniture you have and get low. Hopefully that will offer increased protection and make you a smaller target.
If that’s a real possibility, you should have already reported the situation to management. Be sure you do so tomorrow.
Ghost Rider 6 on 17 Jan 2013 at 7:57 pm #
And I hope your static electricity tip isn’t based on personal experience, Lady Mindy. Although judging from the rest of your day, I’m afraid it might be.
Reminds me of something friend used to say: “I’d tell you about my day, but I don’t want to hear about it again.”
Mark in Boston on 17 Jan 2013 at 8:11 pm #
“Frazz” is the comic strip for math jokes this week.
Mark in TTown on 17 Jan 2013 at 8:25 pm #
To return to an older topic, I know of a Dr. Clapp. A GP, I think.
Mark in TTown on 17 Jan 2013 at 8:28 pm #
Oh, yeah. As for inside jokes, has anyone noticed that the current story arc on Pibgorn is the Djinn of It? A little play on the Wizard of Id maybe? And the mermaid’s name is given today as Meerfrau, which is literally Sea Woman in German. Neat little pun there.
Ghost Rider 6 on 17 Jan 2013 at 9:03 pm #
I’m sorry, Mark in TTown…are you saying Pibgorn has dialogue, too?
Ghost Rider 6 on 17 Jan 2013 at 9:14 pm #
Apparently, TWC on-screen meteorologists consider thunder-snow to be the Holy Grail of weather events. At least one of them seems to be subject to having thunder-snowgasms.
Mark in TTown on 17 Jan 2013 at 9:26 pm #
GR6, if that’s true, I saw the Holy Grail of weather in Birmingham about 20 years ago. First time I ever saw a thunderstorm mixed with a snowstorm. Weird to see lightning through those dark gray clouds.
TruckerRon on 17 Jan 2013 at 9:35 pm #
Why is thunder-snow a Holy Grail of meteorologist? I’ve experienced it many times in my travels (and travails) about the Mountain West.
Ghost Rider 6 on 17 Jan 2013 at 9:55 pm #
I guess because thunder-snow is fairly rare, being reported (officially, as at a weather station) only a handful of times a year, as I recall. Also, the snow dampens sound of the thunder, so that the observer has to be relatively close to the lightning bolt to hear the thunder.
Mindy from Indy on 17 Jan 2013 at 10:41 pm #
Ghost – I’m unfortunately well-used to hardcore screaming matches and wretched neighbors. However, the past couple nights have been the first time I have ever heard the altercation lean towards physical with multiple people in both parties. I was holding out for a fist fight to essentially guarantee a double eviction. They started in again tonight so I called the courtesy officer, who never called me back, just called the police. Had I known that, I would have just called them myself; by the time the police arrived, the altercation was over. So the well-meaning officers LOUDLY knock on my door to ask which apartment(s) were the offending parties. (Thanks for the shout out there guys. /sarcasm) Not sure what the end result was, but I might get a decent night’s sleep tonight.
The gas tip is not personal experience, just a tip passed along from fuel stores. And if your tank does catch fire, do NOT pull out the hose. It will extinguish itself in the confines of the tank when the oxygen runs out. Nor do you try to blow the fire out. Sad but true stories.
Thunder-snowgasms? Gotta be Cantore.
Ghost Rider 6 on 17 Jan 2013 at 11:44 pm #
Yep, Lady Mindy, old JC himself. He has windgasms and surgegasms, too, during hurricane season. I wish you could see the impression of him giving a storm report one member of my all-female office staff does…complete with gasps, moans and pelvic thrusts.
Don’t get the wrong idea, though. I, of course, run a very taut ship at work.
Are you absolutely sure the gas tank fire will go out on its own? If you’ve ever seen an action/adventure movie, I’m sure you realize a single round from a handgun will instantly turn an automobile into a fireball. And please don’t ever drive your car over a cliff. The gas tank will explode before you even hit bottom!
I’m sure I don’t have to tell you, but I will anyway…be careful around idiots.
John in Virginia on 18 Jan 2013 at 3:18 am #
Mindy from Indy, the officer who knocked on your door has either been poorly trained or else had his head inserted in a dark place. We NEVER knocked on the complaining party’s door on a domestic call unless we knocked on EVERY door in the place or unless we were looking for witnesses on the abuse/battery or attempted murder or the recently committed murder. Of course, there were times when the complainant was as abusive to the Dispatcher as the objects of his or her complaint were to each other in which case, yes, an officer would knock on the complainant’s door and loudly advise that person that we had checked out the neighbors as requested. I’m not referring to excited, frighted complainants ranting at the Dispatchers; I mean the nasty little twits who were on about the same level as the neighbors who were trying to behead each other.
Walls? Penetration? I recall a .357 Magnum round in an apartment complex, went through 7 walls before becoming lodged in an innocent party in another apartment. Heaven only knows how many walls the projectile might have penetrated before losing energy had it not hit a human body. There were some tests run on that but I do forget the results. Have never liked the .357 round. Bathtubs? New Orleans PD had a fairly major gun battle with a guy in Algiers in the mid-70s after, as I recall, an officer was killed. The shooter hid in one of those old Eagle-claw iron bathtubs and was pretty well immune to the 9mm rounds the police were using. If memory serves, he finally stopped shooting when an officer ran up and dumped a couple [2-8] rounds of double-ought buck down at the guy until resistance ceased. Permanently. Been quite a few years, I wasn’t involved, and the details are cloudy. I do recall a major network doing a totally biased and inaccurate “news” story on the incident. I do love the Eagle Claw, for it’s antique appeal as well as its ballistic qualities. ‘
Good luck with the neighbors. May they be replaced by a sweet little old lady who bakes delicious cookies, doesn’t call the police nightly due to someone peeking through her fifth floor bathroom window — or the dirty old man who runs around his apartment naked 27 blocks away and in plain view if she gets on top of her refrigerator and uses her late husband’s surplus [stolen] Navy bridge binoculars — and complains about the noise coming from the apartment five units down when that busybody’s gerbil barks.
John in Virginia on 18 Jan 2013 at 3:19 am #
Snowgasms? Sounds like one of Mindy’s true SFYAD.
Debbe59 on 18 Jan 2013 at 3:37 am #
GR….what made you think of Carharts and me? And, yes, I do own a pair of coveralls, and I wear them to work. Lots of zippers too
Then there’s the zippers on each side of my boots. Then I just ‘zip’ in on to work….
Going to get really cold here starting sunday….it will be colder than a witch’s pokie, with a brass bra on, on a shady side of an iceberg.
Debbe59 on 18 Jan 2013 at 3:40 am #
None of my comics are coming up with today’s strips…..agh!
John in Virginia on 18 Jan 2013 at 4:53 am #
Heading north in the wind of a Yankee’s Heart, the witch is, Debbe. Apparently our wee little ghostie has a zipper fetish as well. John somehow or another came up with one of those womens’ zipper “overall” things that were so popular back in the 70s or 80s [I'm not sure since I was but a mere child then
] last summer and he got the idea of a “quick frontal assault” and “explosive entry” and, being somewhat mean and wicked, I went along with it. Poor John. He found out, to his chagrin, that there was far less possible movement with the zipper front than afforded by the sundresses. And, no, I wasn’t merciful, Ghost. Learning has its price.
My comics aren’t working either, Debbe. I thought it was just me. At least I know I’m not alone…I think I’ll go wake John, who went back to sleep, and tell him that there is still about 12 inches of fresh snow on the ground. He’ll be so thrilled. I once woke him from a dreamy sleep around three in the morning to tell him the radio reported a major traffic accident and backlog on the George Washington Parkway or Expressway or whatever in New York City. He was not amused.
Mark in TTown on 18 Jan 2013 at 6:35 am #
My comics aren’t working either, this morning. GoComics must be taking a snow day. John in Virginia, your voice has changed. I would swear that was your lady wife Mindy talking on the last post.
Tom from the Front Range on 18 Jan 2013 at 6:37 am #
Debbe59,
GoComics does seem to have a problem today. I was greeted with a login page although I am always logged on. I had to get a new password. Once logged in, all the content was from yesterday (1/17) and prior.
I hope J.J.’s checks still keep coming!
Tom from the Front Range on 18 Jan 2013 at 6:57 am #
Update:
GoComics seems to be working again.
hc on 18 Jan 2013 at 7:30 am #
GR6 – go back to the tape measure … I have one in my purse, and one in my car too!
Ghost Rider 6 on 18 Jan 2013 at 7:55 am #
Zippers? Buttons? Hooks? Machs nix to me. I’m a jack of all fasteners.
hc, I was just trying to see if Mindy would bite and come up will some “interesting” uses for a measuring tape.
Craig T. on 18 Jan 2013 at 7:57 am #
I was taught “new math” in first grade, although I didn’t realize it until thirty years later. I loved it. I ended up majoring in math.
Math gives you the tools to do calculations. Doing them is just an application.
Ghost Rider 6 on 18 Jan 2013 at 7:59 am #
“with some” Cold keyboard this morning.
Ghost Rider 6 on 18 Jan 2013 at 8:10 am #
Today’s cartoon reminds me of something I read in, I believe, Field & Stream magazine years ago. The editors had a contest for readers to come up with new names for seven fish that had commercial value as food but also had unappetizing names, such as “rat fish.” Some of the suggestions may have come from some of y’all here, as they were quite original and amusing. My personal favorite…Sea Food Dinner #1, Sea Food Dinner # 2, Sea Food Dinner #3, Sea Food Dinner #4, Sea Food Dinner #5, Sea Food Dinner #6 and Sea Food Dinner #7.
Crab in Grapeland on 18 Jan 2013 at 8:52 am #
Another cartoonist whose scenes were located in a swamp had the local wise owl claim that algebra was invented by a person named Al Zebra.
Crab in Grapeland on 18 Jan 2013 at 9:22 am #
I am grateful for the group explaining the slightly crooked trash can gag. The New Yorker needs to provide the same service.
Mindy on 18 Jan 2013 at 9:25 am #
I must have missed it when you tossed the tape measure in as bait, Ghost. Sorry about that. But just remember, the tape doesn’t always tell the tale.
Mindy on 18 Jan 2013 at 9:26 am #
For instance, Ghost, if I said, truthfully, that we had 9 to 11 inches this morning, you might get all envious or whatever, for no reason. I’d be referring to snow.
Steve From Royal Oak, MI on 18 Jan 2013 at 9:53 am #
Subway has been reported to only give 11 inches for their footlong sandwiches and some people were upset. Most people were used to things being smaller than they seem.
Ghost Rider 6 on 18 Jan 2013 at 10:17 am #
That’s my girl! And I won’t even say anything about “snowgasms.”
I have a funny story about foot-long subs, but I can’t tell it here.
Ginger on 18 Jan 2013 at 10:44 am #
There are volumes that you can’t tell here, Ghost Rider. (Please note the thaw in my normal formality: I no longer include the “6″ in your name when I address you.) Mindy says I should feel considerable relief at that. Steve, Subway says the deficit is due to the fact that their bread shrinks as it cools. That’s odd, mine doesn’t, but even if that’s the case, shouldn’t the meat stick out a half inch on either end to compensate for the shrinkage?
Ginger on 18 Jan 2013 at 10:45 am #
Ghost Rider Six, Ghost Rider Six, this is Bad Karma, Bad Karma. Do not repeat not touch that line! Bad Karma out.
flossie mudduck on 18 Jan 2013 at 11:37 am #
Seems like good math to me. I also was quite good until 9th grade algebra. I was in the first class using “new math” in the early 1960′s, and unfortunately, the school was short math teachers – mine was a first-year teacher whose major was home ec. She couldn’t keep up with the new math, let alone teach it. I managed to muddle through that and geometry, then just gave up. What a shame.
Steve From Royal Oak, MI on 18 Jan 2013 at 11:44 am #
Ginger, you are right, the meat should stick out, but shouldn’t it stink when you cut the cheese?
Ghost Rider 6 on 18 Jan 2013 at 12:33 pm #
Gosh, Ginger, I guess you’ve been around Mindy a lot. You seem to display the same tendency she has for stumbling into linguistic minefields.
Ginger on 18 Jan 2013 at 12:39 pm #
I love linguini.
Mindy from Indy on 18 Jan 2013 at 2:48 pm #
John in Virginia – Thanks for the info. As for the busy body little old ladies, I had those kind of neighbors as a kid. Here the unspoken rule is “no one comes out into the hallway until everyone else is inside.” That works for me, if only they would keep it down. Anyhow, today went better, trying to convince myself to get some housework done. Bah.
Charlotte in NH on 18 Jan 2013 at 2:57 pm #
This is such a well travelled bunch — can anyone tell me, are there Graham Crackers in the British Isles, and if so, what are they called?
curmudgeonly ex-professor on 18 Jan 2013 at 3:19 pm #
Interesting comic today at “The Grizzwells”, including the final comment by the porcupine guy.
I had the bulk of my math training before “new math”, for which I am thankful. Throughout my career as chemist and avocation as mathematician up/including postgraduate levels, I never did find a use for sets, etc. When I was, around 1994, asked to help a neighbor (of my own age) get through her business math class, I had to learn the stuff myself, first. That worked out well and she earned her A in that class as well as in almost every other class she took.
Mark in Boston on 18 Jan 2013 at 4:28 pm #
How many walls can a bullet go through? Find out by reading this book: http://www.amazon.com/The-Hole-Book-Peter-Newell/dp/1168727022/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1358548022&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Hole+Book
Dan in SWMo on 18 Jan 2013 at 4:44 pm #
I am one of those for whom mathematics seems to come easily. I largely missed out on the introduction of “new math” to the US by moving to Hong Kong the year I turned 13 (1963), so my knowledge of it was largely second-hand. I understand that the concept was to try to build a bridge for non-mathematically-inclined students to more complex subjects, but those “bridges” IMO created unnecessary complexity to the simple stages of math learning. Those of us who were wired for math could wrap our minds around the set of this and the set of that, but those to whom abstractions come hard would have been better served learning (in the old style) arithmetic by rote and number tables. When you learn those first steps, you have the basics anyone should need who is not going into fields that require more advanced mathematics, and those who have the ability and need to go further can build on the basics rather than starting by having the basics all wrapped up in esoterics.
Robin in FL on 18 Jan 2013 at 6:37 pm #
Charlotte
I never saw Graham crackers when I was in the UK. The Brit of My Dreams (now displaced to FL) says he never heard of them pre-me either.
The original was created by a guy in New England and were made of whole wheat. He was trying to get Brits to eat less refined wheat (because, no kidding, that led to sinful behavior).
The Brits do have some yummy little cookies called Digestive Biscuits (biscuits to them are cookies to us).
Charlotte in NH on 18 Jan 2013 at 7:40 pm #
Thank you, Robin. I kind of suspected they were unknown in the UK; never have seen them mentioned in British fiction, which I’ve read lots of. But I was eating some here this afternoon and the question popped into my mind. Are the Digestive Biscuits really good? The name isn’t too attractive.
Graham Crackers aren’t all that great! But they do keep one away from the “sin” of eating cookies, cakes and candy.
Ginger on 18 Jan 2013 at 11:24 pm #
Graham Crackers — when I was young and naive I thought he was a race car driver — and marshmallow creme, Charlotte!
Ghost Rider 6 on 18 Jan 2013 at 11:44 pm #
Dick Trickle was a race car driver.
Mark in TTown on 19 Jan 2013 at 12:07 am #
Alabama’s state treasurer is Young Boozer, no joke!
Mark in TTown on 19 Jan 2013 at 12:08 am #
Oh yeah, and our Attorney General is Luther Strange.
Mindy on 19 Jan 2013 at 5:49 am #
Wasn’t there an Attorney in Nevada named Dylan Cards? If there wasn’t, there should have been. [Beat you to it, Ghost!]
sandcastler on 19 Jan 2013 at 7:42 am #
Houston had a philanthropist named Ima Hogg.
I am with Arlo on getting through this annual dark period of life. Is certainly much better in Bayou City than when we lived in the great north woods; only about six hours of pretend daylight in the low winter months.
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 19 Jan 2013 at 8:34 am #
“. . . when we lived in the great north woods; only about six hours of pretend daylight in the low winter months.”
Most of you may know this, but it may be news to some. Which of the following European capitals are farther north [and therefore have shorter winter daylengths] than Winnepeg, Canada?
Brussels, Berlin, London, Warsaw, Copenhagen, Oslo.
All of them. Rome, Italy, is farther N. than NYC.
Ghost Rider 6 on 19 Jan 2013 at 8:48 am #
Mindy, that Nevada attorney is currently defending a client accused of soliciting. Her name is Helen Bed. (If it’s not, it should be.)
Good plan for the winter, Arlo, especially if you can get Janis to turn in early, too.
Mindy on 19 Jan 2013 at 10:30 am #
WX has truly been strange here the past two days. Thursday saw 9-11 inches of snow dumped in roughly 7 hours which is a tad unusual in SW Virginia [the rate not the depth] with almost a solid week of really heavy rain not unlike New Orleans preceding it. Then yesterday and today…what a strange phenomena. [Don't anyone dare correct me if I used the wrong tense, I'm not in any class and refuse to be graded!] There is only one small cloud in the sky, the sun is out and bright yellow [it is a yellow star, after all] and the sky itself is truly an omen…it’s BLUE! A light blue, to be sure, but BLUE nonetheless! The end of the world is coming soon. That 21 December junk was just a placebo so we would all go out meekly and unsuspecting! [Ginger found an amendment to the Mayan Calendar everyone was talking about so beware!]
Ghost, John says I’m related to that Nevada defendant. What I can’t figure out is why she has to defend against being herself…
No newspaper again today. Have to do online comics.
Boise Ed on 19 Jan 2013 at 11:28 am #
JJ, I just read that one of your most famous alumni, Cam Newton, is back at Auburn to finish his degree. http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/ncaaf-dr-saturday/cam-newton-comes-back-auburn-classes-semester-toward-174220159–ncaaf.html
Bob on 19 Jan 2013 at 12:15 pm #
Didn’t Ima Hogg have twin, Ura?
Robin in FL on 19 Jan 2013 at 12:36 pm #
Charlotte in NH
I like digestives, but I like graham crackers too. At least digestives are whole wheat (the package might say wholemeal, which is what the Brits call whole wheat). And, ahem, the ones dipped in chocolate are the best (and healthiest! chocolate is vegetable!)
Mindy on 19 Jan 2013 at 12:54 pm #
Chocolate is just short of Cocaine? I get confused….
Mark in Boston on 19 Jan 2013 at 2:59 pm #
Digestives are kind of similar to graham crackers. Not the same thing of course, but if you like one you’ll probably like the other.
Graham crackers are best dunked in milk; digestives don’t need to be.
Charlotte in NH on 19 Jan 2013 at 3:29 pm #
Hmmmm … I don’t know if I dare to dunk! the Graham crackers. Never have done such a thing. Maybe I will try it just to see what will happen. If I survive, I’ll report back.
Just now read in the Boston Globe [an Arlo and Janis paper, friends] of a horrible traffic pile-up in Alabama due to snow. Boy, what next? Let’s hope that nobody we know was in the wrecks or the stranded cars.
Mindy from Indy on 19 Jan 2013 at 3:45 pm #
Mark in Boston – Thanks for the literary tip, will have to check it out. Short day at work (6-10), but I have very little of what I planned to get done today finished. Not even my venti Frappachino is working. I am blaming the 5am wake up. But darn it, I will overcome! … at some point in the future.
In other news, it’s been mostly quiet on the Western front the past couple days. Can’t say the same for the rest of town – several robberies and door-to-door attempted assault of all things; strange days we live in. Stay safe everyone; no one truly knows the ways of man, beast, and Mother Nature.
Mary in Ohio on 19 Jan 2013 at 4:10 pm #
Today’s cartoon is certainly another gem – never mind looking in my windows – JJ is looking into NE Ohio.
Crab in Grapeland on 19 Jan 2013 at 4:16 pm #
As far as the practicality of set theory goes in the computer biz, it is a tool used in data base design.
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 19 Jan 2013 at 5:16 pm #
Winnipeg, not “Winnepeg”. Sorry.
sandcastler on 19 Jan 2013 at 6:22 pm #
Winnipeg is approximately 49.5° north, we were 53.2° north, in the deep woods.
Jerry in Fl on 19 Jan 2013 at 6:23 pm #
Brits and bad behavior? Is that where shishkabob comes from? I hope that spring comes early for yal up nawth so you can find your newspapers. Gotta go, I’ve been instructed to read 50 Shades. Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?
TruckerRon on 19 Jan 2013 at 7:47 pm #
For those with engineering experience, may I recommend:
http://bit.ly/13SlfER
The original building was destroyed in a fire a bit over 2 years ago (a badly positioned television light, I think). I’ve never seen that big a building on stilts before.
Mindy from Indy on 19 Jan 2013 at 9:55 pm #
The original Batmobile sold for $4.2 million at Barrett-Jackson, Scottsdale, AZ. The two bidders were sitting side-by-side and they ultimately decided who would win by a toss of a coin. Damn.
Mindy on 20 Jan 2013 at 3:06 am #
I know a man who says the Batmobile is the car his ex-wife drives. He may be biased.
Ginger on 20 Jan 2013 at 5:55 am #
That’s the OLD Batmobile? Or the new one?
Steve from Royal Oak Michigan on 20 Jan 2013 at 7:21 am #
Well if they feel they need to pass gun or weapon control, most men would agree on a ban on battle axes
Galliglo in Ohio on 20 Jan 2013 at 7:22 am #
Good one Steve!
Jus Primae Noctus on 20 Jan 2013 at 7:23 am #
Can I say that men would have to get rocks off the list of dangerous weapons? I can’t? Okay, consider it not said.
Jean in Dahlonega Ga aka Trapper Jean on 20 Jan 2013 at 7:54 am #
Jerry, a warning on 50 Shades-it’s badly written fanfic. May I suggest you listen to George Takei read a passage from the book? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WahBH9sANg
Ginger, maybe that’s the Old Bat-mobile?
Might I suggest that there are enough gun control laws already on the books, and what we need instead is Idiot Control? Seriously, we need better mental health care.
JPN, you have a point there. If all other weapons are outlawed men will go back to throwing rocks and hitting each other with sticks.
sandcastler on 20 Jan 2013 at 8:14 am #
We classify artifacts as tools when they benefit mankind and weapons when we feel threatened by them. How strange is that?
Rick in Shermantown, Ohio on 20 Jan 2013 at 8:17 am #
Jimmy:
Sunday strip of 01.20.13: My thoughts exactly. One of your best strips ever.
Mindy from Indy on 20 Jan 2013 at 8:20 am #
Ginger – The first ever, from the Adam West series, owned by George Barris, who built it, Batmobile.
http://www.examiner.com/article/original-barris-batmobile-sells-for-amazing-4-200-00-at-barrett-jackson
Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 20 Jan 2013 at 8:24 am #
Hey it was just a joke. I knew a few women that deserved the title. Men don’t really have an equivalent, we are just A*******!
No need to pass any more laws.
Steve from Royal Oak, MI on 20 Jan 2013 at 8:27 am #
The Batmobile makes an annual appearance in Royal Oak. I assume that it is a facsimile. They guy who drives it likes to go to the Coney Island in town, so it is fun to see people drool over it in the parking lot while we eat dinner. No fire came out the back though…at least intentially.
sandcastler on 20 Jan 2013 at 8:31 am #
^^^^^^ pushes his glasses up and pulls his screen towards face at times. I refuse to go back to using a grandpa box, will still use a laptop. Tablets and phones are my main devices.
Ghost Rider 6 on 20 Jan 2013 at 8:59 am #
Stan “The Man” Musial died yesterday at age 92. The story of how he dealt with the effects of the aging process on his great baseball career during its waning years should be an inspiration for everyone who aspires to excel in their vocation.
Mindy on 20 Jan 2013 at 9:42 am #
It’s Ghost’s fault, he’s the one who whispered it to me, but in today’s [Sunday's] real-life A&J, it does appear that she’s locking herself in a room in from of the PC with a Mic and Cam…and is she going to do the Cyber Nyet Nyet? Oh. my! Remember, Ghost suggested it first.
Or was that John? Sometimes it’s difficult to tell them apart. If Ghost didn’t do it, he would have, I’m sure. I know John would have. Come to think of it, he DID have.
Steve, from my point of view, it was a good joke.
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 20 Jan 2013 at 10:02 am #
Yes, today’s [Sunday] strip is a hoot. So is today’s 9 Chickweed Lane. The uninitiated will need to know that Superlative Girl is Edda’s imaginary alter ego, who has been around for years.
Apparently one hot political issue is still ok on this site. Not even stricter background checks and controls at gun shows? Machine guns? WWJD?
Ghost Rider 6 on 20 Jan 2013 at 10:07 am #
Mindy, love, if you can my whispers, I’m in REAL trouble. So I hope it was John. And I categorically deny that my first impression of today’s cartoon was that Janis was surfing Internet porn and needed a larger screen to appreciate the details. Although I guess that sometimes, size does matter.
Ghost Rider 6 on 20 Jan 2013 at 10:08 am #
“can hear my whispers” Need a new keyboard.
TruckerRon on 20 Jan 2013 at 10:09 am #
Full-automatic fire weapons (machine guns) have been strictly regulated since what, 1937? How much stricter can the background checks get? And who can answer WWJD? Where’s a good forum for discussing those things? This isn’t it!
Lost in A**2 on 20 Jan 2013 at 10:25 am #
I’ll bite: The Second Amendment is NOT about hunting, nor is it about self-protection from the criminal element. The text reads, according to my source:
A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
So it quite plainly addresses military-grade weaponry. Personally, I don’t think much weight should be given to the punctuation. The ‘rules’ we go by were developed by observation long after the writing above.
I’ve no objections to background checks, except that they don’t do much good: Those who really want weapons, and can’t pass the background check, will find a source that doesn’t require the check.
Now, I know that political arguments aren’t really welcome here, so I’ll not engage in long-winded discourse.
Lost in A**2 on 20 Jan 2013 at 10:35 am #
TruckerRon: I don’t know. I’ve heard of general conference sites, like The Well (once upon a time, “Whole Earth ‘Lectric Link”) and Grex.
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 20 Jan 2013 at 12:02 pm #
Trucker et al. I did not bring it up; I joined in and was then told the subject didn’t belong here. Right, NO opinions on the subject belong here.
Lost in A**2 on 20 Jan 2013 at 12:06 pm #
Disappointing, I know. :/
Mindy on 20 Jan 2013 at 12:37 pm #
eMb, you could also ask WWTDD? But it’s impossible to answer that. The First Rule is…
Yes, Ghost, I heard you whispering but i think it was John who brought up the Cyber thingie first. You’re both DOMs. Which is better than being DOHs. Or DUHs.
Lost in A**2 on 20 Jan 2013 at 12:58 pm #
Once upon a time, I could have made a properly documented response without reference to the original documents. Ah well.
Which Jesus? The one in the Garden, who said to put away the sword and healed the wounded ear? Or the one who promised war, saying that he came to divide brother from brother?
Mark in Boston on 20 Jan 2013 at 4:43 pm #
Or the Jesus who said at the Last Supper (Luke 22:36) “… and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. [37] For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end. [38] And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.”
Mark in TTown on 20 Jan 2013 at 4:47 pm #
Perhaps someone, Mary Lou maybe, sent Janis a photo and she couldn’t see it well enough on the phone screen so went to the computer. I know the feeling well.
Wonder why Cam Newton felt the need to return to Auburn and finish his education? When he led Auburn to the National Championship one year seemed to be enough for him to leap to the NFL in a single bound. And I am not picking on Auburn. I don’t feel any college player should be accepted into the NFL until after they graduate.
Mark in TTown on 20 Jan 2013 at 4:50 pm #
sandcastler, you are right there. The internet is a good example of that. On the one hand we use it as a tool to communicate with like-minded people. On the other, thieves use it as a means to steal without having to face their victims personally.
sandcastler on 20 Jan 2013 at 5:06 pm #
Note, things not to take with you on vacation to North Korea.
https://picasaweb.google.com/110186774031297654722/NorthKoreaJanuary2013#5831826341350241138
Their are a total of forty-one pics here in total. These were taken by Sophie Schmidt while traveling in NK with her dad Eric, CEO of Google.
Boise Ed on 20 Jan 2013 at 5:17 pm #
TruckerRon, a Mormon friend of mine tells me that they did a similar sort of thing with the Boise temple, digging underneath it to build a basement. I agree with you that it’s pretty amazing.
Jean, we DO need better mental health care, and have needed it since it was dismantled in the 70s.
sandcastler on 20 Jan 2013 at 5:23 pm #
Their s/b there. Siri strikes again, she has been taught to hate Google.
Jerry in Fl on 20 Jan 2013 at 5:31 pm #
JEAN, I DON’T THINK THAT’S WHAT HE MEANT. THE FACT THAT I’M NOT EVEN REPEATING HIS STATEMENT SHOULD BE A CLUE. (Pause to take off cap lock) “Everybody’s right and everybody’s wrong”-Buffalo Springfield. I just have to point out that if you have 50 automatic weapons and a million rounds of ammunition and the government decides to come for you, you’ll never get off a shot. Heck, one guy with half a brain and a homemade bow and arrow can take you out.
Lost in A**2 on 20 Jan 2013 at 7:54 pm #
Jerry, that is the basic conflict of the Second Amendment, and it is inherent in the language of the Amendment itself: The right to keep arms is an individual right, but it is only useful in the aggregate.
Rick in Shermantown, Ohio on 20 Jan 2013 at 8:17 pm #
Mindy:
My interpretation of the strip did not turn to lurid photos.
Instead, I thought that she was reluctant to admit to Arlo that her smartphone is not actually as easy to use as the PC preferred by us dinosaurs.
However, I can easily see the validity of your interpretation, too.
From what I have seen in the strip over the years, both Arlo and Janis have healthy, strong libidos.
sandcastler on 20 Jan 2013 at 8:28 pm #
My initial thoughts on Sunday’s strip is the same as Mindy’s. Old eyes are not what they were in our youth but, vanity does not permit us to admit so. Why else would we resort to contacts or laser corrective surgery.
Lost in A**2 on 20 Jan 2013 at 9:07 pm #
I’d thought the desktop machine was in the study, library or home office. The door is usually closed, but not locked.
Lost in A**2 on 20 Jan 2013 at 9:10 pm #
I took another look. Apparently she *is* locking the door behind her, because Arlo would laugh when he realised why she had switched.
emeritus Minnesota biologist on 20 Jan 2013 at 9:21 pm #
Janis makes it clear, by looking close and then holding it far out, that it’s rigid, aged lens time. She doesn’t want to admit that because Arlo, like most of us husbands, would kid her. Wife and I did that kind of kidding all the time. And woe to the [appropriate] person half my age who cannot recall a name or the date; I inevitably tell them that’s ok, it happens with age. They still love me.
Can’t get off this highly political topic, can we?
Mark in TTown on 20 Jan 2013 at 9:45 pm #
Here’s a homing cat story I just read. Talk about Tortietude!
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/19/one-cats-incredible-journey/
Mark in TTown on 20 Jan 2013 at 9:51 pm #
Someone mentioned Stan Musial had died but nobody said anything about the original Dear Abby. She died on 1/16 at the age of 94. I’m sure anyone who read a newspaper from the 1960′s through the 1980′s must have read at least one of her columns.
Jean in Dahlonega Ga aka Trapper Jean on 20 Jan 2013 at 10:50 pm #
Jerry, “HE” who? Did I misunderstand something? Wouldn’t be the first time.
Jerry in Fl on 21 Jan 2013 at 1:33 am #
Jus Primae Noctus, a name that I’ve never seen before, attempted a joke on getting rocks off which got the non-notice that it deserved. BTW, one guy, maybe two, with their phaser set on stun, repulsed an attempt by pirates to seize a ship. Tesla lives. I’m just saying.
Lost in A**2 on 21 Jan 2013 at 3:39 am #
Janis wears glasses, at least occasionally: she has fallen asleep with them perched atop her head and set her hair on fire.
Mindy on 21 Jan 2013 at 4:53 am #
Jerry, at risk of being argumentative, I seem to recall Ruby Ridge and Waco…I don’t think your “never get a shot off” rule can be held as hard and fast truth. The question would not be IF resistance was possible but HOW LONG it could last. And, to be honest, I thought JPN’s “rocks” joke was humorous even if it did push the edge of the envelope. I’m just sayin’…
Lost in A**2 on 21 Jan 2013 at 6:37 am #
eMb, you may as well join in. I’m interested in your perspective.
John in Richmond Texas on 21 Jan 2013 at 8:23 am #
Is JJ going to post today? It’s Squirrel Appreciation Day !!
Jean in Dahlonega Ga aka Trapper Jean on 21 Jan 2013 at 8:25 am #
Well, I obviously missed JPN’s punchline there. Or, maybe I just decided to rise above it, okay? I still believe that, if you take away everything else, some people will not live in peace, but find something to fight with.
Rick in Shermantown, Ohio on 22 Jan 2013 at 7:39 pm #
It’s doubtful that anyone will see this, but here goes:
http://voxvocispublicus.homestead.com/Battle-of-Athens.html