A pithy comic strip about life, love, lust and puthy cats.

Est. 1985

Extra, Extra!

RIP, Rufus Thomas

By Jimmy Johnson


Buy the new book, "Beaucoup Arlo & Janis!"Today's "Arlo & Janis!"
Here’s an old Gene-centric cartoon from 1998. I’m traveling today on cartoon business (Yes, there is such a thing!), but I’ll be back here as soon as I can. If you’re in Tishomingo County and you see a beat-up bright blue Ford pickup truck, wave!

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130 responses to “RIP, Rufus Thomas”

  1. Ghost Rider 6 Avatar
    Ghost Rider 6

    Debbe 😉 On the road again…

  2. emb Avatar
    emb

    TIP BlogSpot, implications gruesome. Never heard of the artist, looks like a SEP cover.

    Peace, emb

    http://thatispriceless.blogspot.com/

  3.  Avatar
    Anonymous

    They keep asking for the book. It’s been fun.

  4. Steve From Royal Oak, MI Avatar

    I just learned something today. 40 years ago I was taught that leaving a florescent light on was more energy efficient than turning it on and off constantly. It went against conventional wisdom, but I figured that it was something that I knew and others didn’t.

    We always keep the light off in our copying room at work. I often will need to turn it on so that I can see what I am doing and never turn it off. So I just googled whether my longtime postion was accurate and several websites said that it was a myth.

    I hate it when I’m wrong, but thankful that I can learn something. It is not the first time!

  5. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    Steve from Royal Oak, MI, I have read that turning the fluorescent bulbs on and off frequently reduces the lifespan. So if you have noticed your bulbs not lasting as advertised, that is likely why.

    http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/when-turn-your-lights

  6. Old Bear Avatar
    Old Bear

    Steve From Royal Oak, MI & Mark

    True leaving the lamp on uses more energy -BUT as Mark said it shortens the life considerably-
    and the ballast life. So in the long run the cost and carbon footprint is less by leaving fluorescent s
    on – within reason.
    Not mentioned is start time on Fluo bulbs – it takes time for them to come to full brightness
    and I notice the one I use here it dims over time. Also they don’t work when temperatures are below freezing – which is a problem when it gets 40* below here.
    Read the article-

    Our car dealer replace 8 foot fluorescent lamps with LED – the operating cost of All LED
    = to 1 8 foot fixture.

  7. emb Avatar
    emb

    Those two kids are Lionel* and Beatrice Crane. Crane in fact did much magazine illustrating and cartooning. Interesting bio: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Crane

    *Presumably a boy, but probably no relation to the electric trains of some childhoods.

    Peace, emb

  8. emb Avatar
    emb

    About lights: you cannot take everything into consideration. Many believe fluorescents give off only light, not heat. I believe they actually radiate more heat than light, just not as much more than incandescents. LEDs are much better, but still radiate some heat.

    Further, all indoor artificial light, except what little leaves via windows, eventually is absorbed by walls, rugs, furniture, people, etc., and is reradiated as heat. So, especially in summer when you may be using A.C. to cool the house [and heat the neighborhood], best to keep lights off when possible. Fans, of course, don’t cool the house, they heat it, but cool you by evaporating your sweat.

    In the 8-9 months that we heat our houses here, they [+ the fridge, m’wave, toaster, slow cooker, water heater, freezer, etc. all heat the house]. Even in what some consider the far north, I believe Mpls/SP may annually use more electricity to cool than to heat. I’ve been using it for neither most of the summer and often still, manipulating windows instead.

    Peace, emb

  9. Steve From Royal Oak, MI Avatar

    Yes I agree on reducing the life of the tube (or technically lamp) and that was part of the reason that I tended not to turn off lights. I read that a rule of thumb is that if you won’t be in a room for 15 minutes, turn off the light. I have watched people go into the copy room and watched them constantly turning the lights on of off (no I am not Richmeister…..Rob Schneider) and it sometimes drives me crazy.

    Bottom line was that I was interested in hearing other people’s opinion.

    Now do we want to discuss making the bed? I never make the bed but if I HAVE to, I try to wait an hour for it to cool off and dry as that is how organisms like to breed.

  10. curmudgeonly ex-professor Avatar
    curmudgeonly ex-professor

    I was taught as S/RO was: let the bed air out at least an hour or two before making it. The MBH was not taught so and tends to remake it upon rising.

    Poll: Without looking it up, how many Villagers know the name “Learned Hand”? In connection, were you raised in or near New York City?

    This came up at a church group last evening and I decided to ask a wider selection of folks.

    Now you can look him up; if nowhere else, Wikipedia has an extensive article on him.

  11. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    cex-p, without looking it up, he was a judge, wasn’t he? Never been to New York.

  12. TruckerRon Avatar

    And I’m thinking SCOTUS. Now to look him up…

  13. Ruth Anne in Winter Park Avatar
    Ruth Anne in Winter Park

    I knew he was a judge and thought he might have been involved with a sport. Then I realized I was thinking of another judge with an interesting name – Kennesaw Mountain Landis.

  14. Ruth Anne in Winter Park Avatar
    Ruth Anne in Winter Park

    Oops! The place/battle is Kennesaw, the man was Kenesaw.

  15. Mindy from Indy Avatar

    Concerning lights – I’ve often wondered about this, as I seldom have on any lights. Walking through my home at night, I generally only turn on the light of the destination room (and frequently not even then). My bedside lamp bulbs are 14+ years old.

    As for bed making, my bed is seldom fully unmade or made – I sleep on a diagonal at the top of the bed.

    Yes, I am strange. I made peace with this long ago.

  16. Indiana Sam Avatar
    Indiana Sam

    Ruth Anne:

    I live in Logansport, Indiana, (as did K. M. Landis as a boy). We have a school in our school district by the name of Landis Elementary. -FYI

    Steve Moore

  17. Charlotte in NH Avatar
    Charlotte in NH

    Dear c – ex p, yes, I know of Judge Learned Hand, and did not grow up in NYC — though NH is not too far away. I have read very widely.

    Mindy, you must be not awfully tall, perhaps? I was also taught to let the bedclothes “air” for a while. Now that I live alone, sometimes I don’t make it all day. If company is coming, I probably will make it up.

  18. Charlotte in NH Avatar
    Charlotte in NH

    Nice going, Mindy, on saving electricity. You deserve a prize! There are streetlights that shine in my windows so I can see pretty well. Emb, thanks for the well-considered discussion of saving energy. It’s very important!

    Nice to hear from Jackie, even as Anonymous, and nice to learn the origin of these names — Indian. I wouldn’t have guessed Eufaula, or the reason some names are the same in more than one State. (I should have written Native American.)

  19. Galliglo in Ohio Avatar
    Galliglo in Ohio

    Regarding “Learned Hand” – I remember the name but I cannot remember the context. OK, Wikipedia – here I come!

  20. Mark in TTown Avatar
    Mark in TTown

    Charlotte in NH, unless the bed is queen-sized or larger, I have to sleep diagonally so my feet don’t go beyond the edge. Or hit my head on the headboard. Recliners are problematic too, as the footrest is more of a mid-calf rest for me.

    Mindy from Indy, I don’t dare walk in our house without lights since we have two black cats.

    On cat names, holdover from the other day, Catapult would be a good name for a cat with exceptional jumping skill.

  21. Ruth Anne in Winter Park Avatar
    Ruth Anne in Winter Park

    Unfortunately, it’s easy to walk around our house without turning on lights since we have neighbors who overdo their outdoor lighting. I feel sorry for the children who have no idea how many stars they aren’t able to see. On my bucket list – camping overnight at Ft. Jefferson in the Keys and/or a stay at Frying Pan Tower off the Carolinas.

  22. Old Bear Avatar
    Old Bear

    Many years ago I went in to the office on a Saturday – with only the office fluorescent
    lights the temperature rose 6* in about 4-5 hours.
    Went from 65* to 71* –
    Not only the tubes heat but also the ballasts – new electronic
    ballasts are cooler but if the tubes go out and are not replaced immediately the ballast burns out also.

  23. Old Bear Avatar
    Old Bear

    Well I was there so there was some body heat – but it was a 6 desk office.